Consequences (16 page)

Claire said she understood. “Tony, I don’t want to get in the way. I am here because you want me to be.”

“Yes.” He was looking at his iPhone, which had just buzzed. “That is true. It is my choice, and I do want you here. I believe your presence will benefit me.” He became engrossed in his texting.

Benefit him? Why couldn’t he just say “I want you here”? Her stomach was tied in knots as she wondered what Brent Simmons knew about her. Did he know what she did? Does he think she is a companion or an employee or worse? As they rode in the backseat of the Mercedes Benz, Claire decided this was time for a
mask
. Finding it through all the apprehension that surged through her mind was difficult, but she did and put it on.

She didn’t know what to expect from a private jet. It seemed smaller on the outside than she anticipated. Once they climbed the steps, she was pleasantly surprised by the spacious interior. To her left was the door to the cockpit and to her right was an open space with a table and four chairs. Beyond was a sofa along one wall facing three reclining chairs along the other. Everything was secured and contained seat belts like you would expect on a plane. The chairs and some of the walls were luxuriously covered with white leather and accented with woodlike trim. There was additional space behind the far wall. Claire guessed that it contained a bathroom, maybe more.

Tony introduced Claire to his associates and motioned for her to take a seat on the sofa near the wall. Everyone was polite and friendly. She went to the sofa as she was told. Tony, Mr. Simmons, Ms. Michaels, and Mr. Fields sat around the oval table. Eric joined them on the plane after loading their luggage into a compartment below. Surprisingly he sat in the copilot’s seat. His talents suddenly impressed her. He obviously is the world’s most versatile chauffeur.

Claire watched and listened as Tony and the others discussed the impending deal. She honestly didn’t care about the deal other than its impact on Tony. She liked to watch him work, his expertise, his intelligence, and his control. He respected the knowledge and wisdom of his associates, asked them questions, and listened intently to their responses and opinions. With that said, Claire knew that when the time came for decisions, the only opinion that mattered would be his.

After they were in the air and the discussion at the table became mundane, Claire thought about napping and remembered Catherine’s advice. To stay awake she looked in her purse, another treasure hunt. First she opened her wallet. Staring back at her was her picture from her Georgia driver’s license. She read the identification card and saw her Atlanta address. Compartmentalize. Her picture didn’t look like her. The picture was taken two years earlier and her face had changed, slimmed, tanned, and just changed. Her height, five four, was the same; her weight, one hundred and twenty-five, was closer to actual. That hadn’t been the case four months ago. The listed weight had been accurate when she was sixteen and like with everyone else it had inched up through the years. However, now it seemed accurate if not erroneously high. Next Claire spotted the American Express platinum card with
Claire
Nichols
embossed on the front.

When Tony first
gave
Claire the card she didn’t want to use it. She thanked him for the confidence and faith and tried to explain that there was nothing she needed. She had all the clothes she could possibly wear. She actually had many she’d never worn. Food came to her three times a day and she had a roof over her head. She had no interest in jewelry, having her grandmother’s necklace was all she wanted. She loved to read, but so far the library contained more than she could hope to read.

Tony wouldn’t accept any of her excuses. He told her to ask him when she wanted to go shopping. She didn’t ask. After a week he apparently gave up. One evening, over dinner, he proclaimed, “Eric is taking you into Davenport tomorrow to shop.” Claire remembered suddenly feeling ill. She didn’t speak at first and only stared, “Claire, did you hear me?” He knew she did, he wanted verbal confirmation.

“Yes, Tony, I heard you. I thought we discussed this and decided I had no pressing need for anything.”

“I am pretty sure we discussed it and I have said you are going tomorrow.”

“But don’t you need Eric tomorrow?”

His eyes darkened as his tone slowed, “Are you arguing? You were a confident woman when I met you. You have learned your lessons well. You need to get out in the world. And for the record, this conversation is now over. Unless you feel it would be beneficial to argue?”

Claire wanted to complain and explain that she worried about the Charles Jacksons of the world. But she’d made that mistake before. She swallowed. “What time does Eric need me to be ready?”

The trip to Davenport was unnerving. Eric picked Claire up in a black BMW. She sat in the backseat and felt awkward without Tony. Driving away from the house she told herself he was right. She had been a confident woman, and besides, one day she would be leaving here. She also knew the truth. This was a test to determine if she could be trusted out by herself. And she learned from earlier glitches the best way to pass a test is to avoid it. Tony made it clear: avoiding this was not an option.

Eric took her to the River Walk Shoppes, higher-end boutiques in the Quad Cities. She entered each shop and took her time looking around. At first, her senses were on high alert, afraid of everyone that approached her. She soon realized that no one paid that much attention to her. The clerks were attentive and she was shown everything and anything she wanted. People didn’t browse these shops if they couldn’t buy.

Claire saw no reporters. No one stared or asked questions. By the time she made it down the street to a small coffee shop she felt better about her outing, and even drank coffee sitting at an outside table. She sipped the aromatic rich brew and watched people as they rushed down the sidewalks. She missed being around people. However, the idea of speaking to anyone frightened her. What if she said something wrong?

By the time Eric returned to pick her up, she found a few books on butterflies and some casual clothes for her busy event-filled days. It wasn’t a lot, but she did what she’d been told to do and honestly enjoyed it.

Tony seemed disappointed that she hadn’t bought more, but also pleased that she did as he instructed. He then expected her to give him a fashion show of her finds and suggested that next time she buy some items he would like too. That meant fashions with much less material.

Once the jet landed the five of them entered a waiting limousine. The four continued to discuss their impending meeting. Claire sat silently listening, trying to go unnoticed. It was nine twenty and their meeting was at ten. Eric rode in the passenger seat next to the driver. In no time they were in the throes of New York City grid-lock traffic. The car traveled in short, accelerated movements.

Claire experienced this traffic from the back of a taxi when she lived with Emily and John and knew that it could stifle travel and wreak havoc on schedules. Tony didn’t seem concerned. Their car pulled up to their destination with minutes to spare. The four associates got out and proceeded through the big glass doors. Claire found herself alone in a large limousine. She didn’t know where she was going or how long she would be there. Her life was no longer in her hands, and she was somehow coming to terms with that.

His apartment wasn’t like any apartment she’d seen before. A housekeeper greeted her at the door. “Ms. Claire, welcome. My name is Jan. Let me show you to Mr. Rawlings’s room. We will put your belongings there and show you around.” Claire thanked Jan and followed her. The apartment filled two stories and the entryway had a staircase that reached a landing on the second floor. It contained a massive sitting room complete with fireplace, dining room, kitchen, and office on the first level. Claire called it the first level, but in actuality it was seventy-six stories from the ground. The sitting room and dining room had floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the city and toward the water. She’d spent many days and nights in NYC but had never seen a view like this.

Tony’s bedroom was large and decorated with dark masculine colors. A large high bed with a leather headboard and complementary leather furniture filled the room. Jan carried Claire’s hanging bag, and two other staff members assisted with the rest of their luggage. Once things were put away Jan asked Claire if she would like some lunch or if she would rather rest. Claire decided a little lunch before a nap would be good.

Tony arrived at the apartment at about seven o’clock. He wasn’t alone. Brent Simmons was with him. They arrived conversing about something that happened during the day. Their conversation continued into the dining room, where they opened briefcases, laptops, and resumed their debate. Jan asked Mr. Rawlings if he would like dinner and he told her to just bring them something they could eat while working. Claire hoped for a night out under the lights of New York. She settled for a night with her book, wearing a black silk nightgown and falling asleep before Tony ever made it to the bedroom.

He left before she awoke. If his side of the bed wasn’t unmade, she wouldn’t have known he had been there. In the morning she found a note next to the bed:

Eric
is
available
to
you
all
day.
Have
a
good
day
in
the
city.
Be
back
by
6.
Do
not
disappoint
me.

And there was cash with a separate note:

For
tipping,
remember,
appearances!

Okay
, she thought.
I
am
stuck
in
New
York.
I
might
as
well
enjoy
myself.

After her shower, Jan served her a wonderful breakfast and promised she would be notified as soon as Eric returned from taking Mr. Rawlings to his office. By ten Claire sat in the back of a limousine while Eric drove her to some shopping therapy. She decided if Tony wanted her to shop so badly, this definitely was the place to do it. She always enjoyed shopping in NYC, but this would be a new experience. The vastness of the city, along with the quantity of people gave Claire the feeling of anonymity. A feeling she didn’t have in Davenport. No one would even notice her here. She could do as she pleased.

“To Fifth Avenue and Fifty-first Street, please.” Eric didn’t hesitate. Claire decided she could keep herself busy with Versace, Prada, Bendel, and Louis Vuitton for at least four or five hours. Eric gave Claire a card with his cell phone number and explained that she needn’t worry about carrying any purchases. Tell the clerk to call him, her driver. He would pick up everything she bought. He dropped her off near East Fifty-first and Madison and promised to pick her up near the Plaza Hotel at East Fifty-eighth Street at two. At that time, he would be happy to take her to her next destination.

As Claire stepped from the car with her high-heeled sandals hitting the concrete and her chiffon sundress blowing slightly in the breeze, she felt like a model doing a magazine shoot. It didn’t seem real. She kept telling herself, “Play the part.” The summer heat radiated in waves off the pavement, and the sounds of the city invigorated her as she fought the crowds of people along the sidewalk.

First she entered Versace. The ornate limestone facade with the large glass doors, and an unlimited amount of money in her purse gave her a rush of adrenaline. It felt different from exercise. It was the strange sensation that she could buy anything and everything she wanted. She did her best to feign the image of someone accustomed to spending. It didn’t take long before she believed it as much as the store’s associates.

She tried very hard to not notice prices as she chose dress possibilities. She liked a cotton pique sheath dress and a gathered bodice sheath dress. They accentuated her trimmer figure. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she judged her image by
would
Tony
like
this?
She decided he would. According to the associate she also needed shoes. When all was said and done and she paid for her two outfits, she almost lost her composure. The associate smiled and said, “That will be $3,657. Would you like to place that on an existing account?”