Betrayed by Trust (3 page)

Blake
checked his watch. It was fifteen minutes after one and apparently Caitlyn wasn’t going to show up. The driver swung the door open and Caitlyn entered the limousine before he could react. His eyes could not stop ogling her long legs. Why hadn’t he noticed how sleek and athletic they were before? Her floral perfume attacked his senses. The fragrance wasn’t familiar but alluring.

“Thank you for joining me,” he said, as he extended his hand out.

Caitlyn ignored it. “Let’s get one thing straight. This is just lunch.”

“Of course.” He picked up a bottle of champagne and poured two glasses. “Here’s to a great lunch.” He handed her one glass.

She took a sip and frowned. “This is nasty.” She handed the glass back to him.

How could she turn her nose up at a vintage bottle of
Dom Pérignon? He could kick his uncle for putting him in this predicament. He could have at least picked out a woman who knew about the finer things in life. It’s obvious she didn’t. They rode the rest of the way in silence.

As they rode in silence,
Blake recalled reading the letter his Uncle Jack’s attorney recently gave him.

Blake
’s emotions were like a see-saw—up and down as he read the letter. “I know you’re wondering why I put the stipulation about marrying Caitlyn Crenshaw in my will. Two reasons: One was to make amends with her family. What I’m about to say might make you look at me in a different light, but I hope not. Robert Crenshaw, Caitlyn’s dad, came to my bank for a loan to save his business a few years ago. We’ve been to the store before—Crenshaw Groceries. You may recall it closing its doors a few years back.

When the loan got to the final stage of approval I rejected it.
Robert’s credit was a little shaky because of the economy, but I could have approved it if I wanted to. I didn’t because Lord forgive me for even admitting this, but I didn’t because Robert took my first love. His wife, Barbara, had been my first love and I couldn’t forgive him for it. Robert and I were best friends growing up and for him to steal my girl, well that to me was an unforgivable act. It took me these latter years to realize Barbara wasn’t a piece of property and I should have just let it go.

Before you think otherwise,
, I loved your Aunt Ann like there was no tomorrow, but you know me. It may take me thirty years, but if I feel you’ve done me wrong, I’ll get you back.”

“Yes, that sounds like you alright,”
Blake said, as he continued to read.

“A year after turning down
Robert’s loan, it seems, he lost his store. By this time, I had lost my sweet Ann. I tried to make amends with him, but he refused to listen. I offered Robert money with no interest, but he turned me down flat. I felt guilty about it and even saddened when I learned of his death. The sight of his grief stricken children, touched something in me that I can’t explain.

I learned as much as I could about the
Crenshaw kids. Caitlyn reminded me of you: determined, goal oriented, and a workaholic. Yes, your uncle thought playing match maker and offering money to Caitlyn would be like killing two birds with one stone. You would get someone to love you as much as I loved her mom and your aunt and I could leave the Crenshaws some money to try to make up for what I took from them when I refused their dad’s loan.”

The
sound of the door opening snapped Blake back into the present. The driver held the door as Caitlyn exited. Blake admired the voluptuous view as she exited. She was normally not his type. Although she wasn’t fat, she was a little thicker than the women he usually dated. He had to admit her weight was well-proportioned and in all the right places that appealed to most men; including him.

Blake
led them into the restaurant of the Four Seasons located in Las Colinas, one of the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. He wanted to take her to a nice restaurant but to a place where they wouldn’t run into her co-workers. The waiter led them to a table with a nice view of the villas.

“I hope this is to your satisfaction,”
Blake stated.

“Not bad,”
Caitlyn responded. She viewed her menu without once looking up at him.

“Order anything you like.”

“I plan on it,” she snapped.

His cell phone rang. It was Trent. He hit the ignore button.
Blake was used to entertaining clients from various backgrounds, but he could not get a handle on Caitlyn.

Their last encounter didn’t end well so he proceeded with caution.

“So tell me. Why did you single me out for this lame proposal?” Caitlyn asked, as they waited on their food.

“For reasons unbeknownst to me, my uncle selected you
,” he lied.

“
Blake, let’s be honest with one another please.”

“I’m trying my best.”

“Try harder because I can’t see your uncle asking you to marry me and you not know the reason.”

Blake
contemplated telling her about the letter. He wasn’t sure he wanted to reveal it all to her at this time. While he was thinking about what to say, Caitlyn said, “Tell me about your uncle and I’m not talking about the stuff I can pull up on the internet.”

Blake
smiled as he thought about his eccentric but rich uncle. The uncle who helped put him through college and encouraged him to get his MBA and start his own company. “Uncle Jack was a fine man. After my mother and father were killed by a drunk driver in a car accident, he took me in and raised me as his son. It’s because of him that I am the man I am today.”

Caitlyn
seemed to be startled by his revelation. “Sorry to hear about your parents. What about your sisters and brothers?”

“I’m afraid I’m an only child. My uncle’s wife wasn’t able to have children. She died a few years ago. I think my uncle died from a broken heart. She was the love of his life. I haven’t met a woman who could compare to my Aunt
Ann.”

“Interesting,”
Caitlyn responded. “Your Uncle it seems was a well known business man. He started his first bank in a Dallas suburb and then branched out until he had several branches all over the city. Why didn’t you follow in his footsteps?”

Blake
said, “Uncle Jack wanted me to, but after interning at a telecommunications company during college, my desire was to advance in that field. I worked for one of the top phone companies in the world and learned what I could. With Uncle Jack’s support, I started Banks Telecom.  Banks Telecom was built on the premises of us taking on jobs and doing installations that phone companies outsourced to outside vendors.”

The waiter placed their plates in front of them.
The conversation slowed down Blake picked over his food, but Caitlyn seemed to have a hearty appetite.

Caitlyn
looked at Blake and then down at his plate. “You on a diet or something?”

“No. I’m not hungry.”

“Hey, it was your idea to come to lunch not mine.” She continued to eat her food.

He used the napkin to wipe the sweat from the palm of his hands. She was unnerving him. This was his show. He needed to get control of the situation. His business depended on it.

“Caitlyn, tell me about yourself.”

She laughed. “It’s obvious you know more about me than I know about you. You knew I had a boyfriend and how to get rid of him. Which by the way, I do want to thank you for that.”
She held her glass up and tilted it his way before taking a sip of her lemonade.

“I’m sorry for intruding but I needed to make sure you had no reason to turn me down.”

“You could have tried the old-fashioned way. You know wine and dine and throw in a little romance.”

“That would have been dishonest and one thing you can say about
Blake Banks is he’s an honest man.”

Caitlyn
cleared her throat. “Do you always talk about yourself in the third person?”

She was grating his nerves. He was going to call his lawyer one more time to see if there was some type of loophole. “You must have forgotten I’m your boss.”

“This isn’t work related.  This is personal and I’m the only boss when it relates to my personal affairs, so don’t get it twisted,” she said, as she lowered her fork.

“You told me
, didn’t you?”

“Are we clear?” she asked.

“Absolutely.”  His appetite hadn’t returned but he ate anyway.

“Now that we’re clear. I need for you to tell me, Mr. Honest
Blake Banks, why did your uncle want you to proposition me?”

Blake
wasn’t sure of how much Caitlyn knew about his uncle and her father’s past relationship. “It seems my uncle knew your dad.”

“Oh really now? How’s that?”

Blake had to glance away from Caitlyn’s accusing eyes. “The details are a little fuzzy, but apparently, Uncle Jack thought we were a good match and felt I worked too much to find a suitable wife on my own.”

“Oh I see.”
Caitlyn pulled out her compact mirror and reapplied her lipstick. She looked at Blake. “I’m waiting.” This time he looked her straight in the eyes. She felt a connection with him.  It had to be her imagination working overtime. She pretended to be looking at her reflection in the mirror; instead she was avoiding eye contact. “There’s nothing more to tell. That’s about it.”

Caitlyn
placed the compact mirror back into her purse. “I want to see a copy of his will.”

Her response caught him off guar
d. “Why would I let you see it? It’s none of your business…” he stuttered.

She looked at
Blake without blinking. “Apparently, you need me. Who couldn’t use a million dollars?”

“See, it would be a win-win situation for us both.”

“I’m trying to work with you Blake, so work with me okay. I need answers.”

“That’s all I’m at liberty to say
Caitlyn.”

They were at a deadlock.
Caitlyn glanced at her watch. “If we don’t hurry back, I’ll be late for a conference call, so let’s table this discussion until you can show me a will.”

Blake
thought she conceded at first, however he wasn’t too sure when she winked her eye and got up from the table. He left a hundred dollar bill to cover their meal and the tip before rushing to catch up with Caitlyn. The limousine driver opened the door. Blake waited for Caitlyn to enter first. She turned around and looked him in the eyes. “No staring at my butt either.”

Blake
couldn’t resist and chuckled before he could control himself. Now he had to figure out a way not to show her the will. She did not need to know the details of his uncle’s past transgressions. Fortunately, the contents of the letter couldn’t be found in the will. If she found out the details, there’s no telling how she would react. He didn’t want to be around to find out either.

Caitlyn didn’t like how lunch went. She tried to maintain her control by putting up a barrier. It was beginning to get hard to do because every time Blake looked at her she felt like he could see straight to her soul. Maybe going through this charade wasn’t worth it.

The ride back to the office was just like the ride over to the restaurant. Neither one of them said a thing. The music blasted from the speakers. Each one of them was in their own world.

When the limousine pulled up in front of the office building, Blake reached into his jacket pocket and removed some papers and handed it to her. “If you’ll look over these and sign them, we can move forward to the next stage.”

Caitlyn
took them and placed the papers in her purse. “I’ll have my attorney look these over and get back with you.” Blake stared at her. She continued to say. “You didn’t think I was going to sign something without reading it did you?”

He cleared his throat. “Well…No. I just thought if you were going to agree to it, you would just sign and we could go on to the next step.”

Caitlyn leaned in closer to him. “Since you’ve had me thoroughly checked out, you should know I’m thorough and proficient.” She kissed him on the cheek.

She didn’t wait for the driver. She opened her door and left him sitting in the limousine speechless. Not sure if he was watching or not, she made sure she added a few twists in her walk. The security guard whistled as she entered the lobby. “
Caitlyn, you better stop that before you catch something you don’t want,” he teased.

“Mark, don’t have me tell your wife.”

“Awe now why you want to bring her up?”

Caitlyn
laughed. Mark was old enough to be her dad but he tried hard to hold on to his youth.  She admitted he kept himself in good shape. He looked ten years younger than his fifty-seven years. She always threatened to tell his wife.

The elevator opened and to her luck,
Tasha was on it. “Girl, I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“I had a lunch date.” She looked smug.

“Details. You got rid of Charles and got a new man already.”

The elevator door opened.
Caitlyn opened her mouth to talk but shut it, when Blake entered. “Ladies.”

Tasha
spoke. Caitlyn didn’t. She nodded her head instead.

Tasha
not one to be intimidated by the boss continued their conversation. “So tell me about your lunch date. Is he fine?”

Caitlyn
glanced at Blake. He was looking in her direction.  She responded, “He’ll do.”

Blake
looked like he wanted to say something. Caitlyn smiled.

“Well if he’s not fine. Does he at least have a good job?”

“Oh he’s definitely rolling in the dough. He throws away money like its growing on trees.”

“I hear you.”

“You know how we do. No romance without finance.” She purposely gave Tasha some dap. The elevator stopped on their floor.  She said, “Have a nice day Mr. Banks.” Blake didn’t respond. Caitlyn made sure Tasha wasn’t looking before she turned around and blew him a kiss. The elevator door shut.

Tasha
grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the break room. “Girl, he was looking at you like you were syrup and he wanted to slop you up like a biscuit.”

“Please. I’m not his type.”

“I can’t tell. If I were you, I would go for it.”

She had
Caitlyn’s full attention. “Would you really? I mean he is the CEO and you know it’s taboo to mess with someone where you make your money.”

“Girl
this is the new millennium. If he’s interested, I say work your magic and reel him in.”

“He is a cutie.”

“And fine. Don’t forget fine. I could get lost in his sexy gray eyes all day and night.”

It
was the perfect opportunity to let Tasha know about his proposition, but she couldn’t take the chance of Tasha letting it slip to someone else. She opted not to divulge the information. Caitlyn glanced at her watch. “Girl, enough talk about men. I’m already running late. I’ll talk with you later.” Caitlyn left Tasha in the break room and went back to her desk. She sniffed the flowers on her desk and smiled.

She pulled out the papers
Blake had handed her and read them over. She used to work in a law office and kept in touch with a few of the lawyers. She contacted one of them to see if they could review the papers. She hung up and faxed a copy of the papers. She waited to receive the fax confirmation before returning to her desk.

Her mind was on her current project and figuring out how to hire resources with the customer’s lim
ited budget. Caitlyn’s email indicator sounded alerting her to incoming new email. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was coming up behind her. She retrieved the email and reviewed it.  According to Caitlyn’s friend, the only loophole in it involved her being caught sleeping with another man. Otherwise, they were only required to stay married one year and then she would be a millionaire and he could go on about his business. There also wasn’t any stipulation they had to consummate the marriage.

Could she live with th
e stipulation? She would have a year to make it appear that Blake was mismanaging funds. If people knew their marriage was a sham, Blake could possibly lose his credibility that way as well. There’s no telling what else Blake was hiding, so being married to him, she would have access to his home and she would be able to discover other skeletons, if he had any. The fact he would pay off someone to manipulate a situation was enough for her to see how similar he was to his uncle. 

She weighed the pros and cons of signing the contract. She would have easy access to information and funds, or so she hoped. She could temporarily live the life of a rich socialite. She would have one of the most eligible bachelors in the Dallas Fort Worth area at her mercy. What she didn’t like about the situation was there was no romance and she never thought she would marry someone she wasn’t in love with.  How would her father feel about her marrying a Banks? He wouldn’t be too happy about it. She asked herself if she could go through with it.

She typed up a
few amendments to be added to his original contract. After having her friend check the wording, she felt it was time to go see Blake. She asked herself, if Blake agreed to her stipulations, would she or wouldn’t she agree to marry him? She placed the papers in a folder and headed to the fourteenth floor to give Blake her answer.