Out of the Ashes (6 page)

I
’m staring, mouth agape, sandwich in hand as I was about to take a bite.  I look anywhere else around the room but refuse to meet his eyes. Anything to keep from having to focus on him and his answer to the question that has been plaguing me since yesterday.  He inhales deeply, “That’s completely out of line for me to say but it’s the truth.”  And the smile is back.  Holy lord, please just let me make it out this meeting without leaving a wet spot on my skirt.  Good thing I went with black today. I shift in my seat bringing my legs together to try to help with the tension building in my lower abdomen.  I can’t take many more of those smiles.

“
Is that all?”  He says as if he expects me to have more questions for him.

“The hours are a bit over the top but so is the pay so I think that will work out fine.  I don’t have any other commitments presently so being on call 24/7 shouldn’t be a problem.”  I give
him a small smile to let him know I’m teasing.

“When would you be able to start?”

“Immediately.  Being that it’s Thursday I can understand if you want me to wait to start until Monday though.”

“I think immediately is a better idea,” he says. His eyes are slightly glazed over with an emotion that I can
’t recognize then recovering himself he goes on, “but tomorrow is more practical.  I have a charity event to attend at the Ritz Carlton and will need you to accompany me.  So if you can just sign the contract, I will get everything ready and have you go down to HR to finish up the paperwork.  They will also give you a stipend so that you can purchase a dress for tomorrow evening.  It is formal.  My tuxedo is black so anything will do.  Take the morning for your shopping.  Hopefully you can find something suitable in that time and then meet me in the office around 1:00 p.m.”

Holy crap
, we’re jumping right into things, aren’t we?  I manage to acknowledge him and pick up the pen and sign the contract before sliding it back over to him.  He looks slightly uneasy, like he’s already regretting his decision.  Maybe I should say something.  “Please,” he says before I can make my mouth work, “enjoy your lunch.  I have some phone calls to attend to.  Just leave everything when you’re finished; Danielle will get it.” I nod in understanding even though I don’t understand anything.  His demeanor is cold, stand-offish, not at all the way he was when we started our lunch.  Why had his mood changed so drastically in the last few minutes?  “I will put in a call to HR first and let them know you will be down shortly.”  Finally connecting my brain with my mouth, I say thank you and he stands and leaves me to finish my lunch alone.

Well
, that was the strangest meeting ever and what’s up with the icy departure.  I take a few more bites of my sandwich then make my way down to HR where I should have come when I got here yesterday. I’m greeted by… Oh dear lord, could this day get any
better?
  Before me is the auburn haired vixen that I saw exiting Ian’s car earlier.

“Celeste?  I’m Rebecca
Caldwell, head of Human Resources for Jacobs Enterprises.  It’s so nice to finally meet you.” She says as she extends her hand but her face doesn’t match her cheery words.  She gives me an icy stare and looks like she would prefer to slap me rather than shake my hand.  What’s going on around here?  Does my face scream, “I slept with your boyfriend” or something?  “Let’s get the paperwork done and then you can be on your way.”  She’s obviously in a hurry to be rid of me.

I spend about an hour filling out forms; by the time I’m done I’ll be surprised if they don’t have claim to my
first-born child.  Rebecca has thankfully left me alone with the papers, saying that she had an urgent call to make.  Once I complete all the forms, I leave the room to search for Rebecca’s office.  I round the corner and see her name on the glass; her door is mostly closed so I think it best to wait. 

“Why?
  No, never mind, I think I can see why.”  I hear her shout into the phone.  “I just thought…” Whoever is on the other end cut her off because after mumbling a few um hums and apologizing for shouting, she hangs up the phone and makes her way to the door.  I immediately turn and dash back to the room I came from.  I highly doubt that I was supposed to witness that exchange. 

By the time she enters the room I
’m seated, looking as if I was just waiting for her.  She tries to replace her scowl with a smile but is having trouble succeeding.  “Great, all done I see.  I think that covers everything.  I look forward to working with you.  Here is the stipend that Mr. Jacobs requested to prepare for the event tomorrow night.” She hands me an envelope with what appears to be more paperwork but I don’t question it.  I just want to get out of here.  “I look forward to seeing you there.”  Her voice turns suddenly cheery as if she’s privileged to some secret that I’m not.

“
You’ll be attending the gala?”  More shock than I would like bleeds through my question.  Why would he take me as his guest when his girlfriend is clearly attending? 

“Well yes,
Ian buys a table every year and I always attend.  Since he has to pick you up, I’ll just meet him there.”  She’s definitely staking her claim.  Point taken so you can drop the bitchy attitude is what I want to say but instead I just smile.  “It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet and mingle with people.  I assume that’s why he’s taking you along.  He’s hoping your,” she runs her gaze from the top of my head down to my shoes, “powers of persuasion will be beneficial with some of our clients and potential clients.”  OMG, she did not just do that.  This woman is a viper, a total and complete bitch.  Why would Ian even waste his time with someone like her?  On that note, I thank her for her time, take the envelope and leave the building.

Once I hit the sidewalk in front of the building, the
anger and frustration I’m holding in pours out of me the only way it can, in tears.  Once I’ve composed myself enough that people on the street are no longer staring at me, I check my watch.  I still have over an hour to kill before I’m supposed to meet Gavin at Prestige so I decide to find the nearest FedEx store and log some computer time before heading over. I haven’t had the time or really even thought of doing this in the last few months. 

There was a time when the first thing I thought of in the morning was Lauren and what happened to her.  I was obsessed, yes obsessed, with making sure my secret was never found out.  Daily
, I’d go to a computer lab on campus and search to see what information had been found on her case.  Luckily the only evidence they ever found was exactly what was planned for them to find and eventually the case went cold.  Over the last year, it seemed that Lauren went further and further from my mind.  I’ve grown lax in making sure everything stays buried but life’s been so good lately I haven’t felt the need to keep looking over my shoulder.  That should’ve been my first clue that trouble wasn’t far off.

Once inside
, I rent one of the cubes.  Glancing around, I pull up the search engine.  I type in “Natasha Carmichael” and “Dean Marcus” and am immediately hit with various pictures of them at events.  They look good with Natasha on Dean’s arm.  I click a link to one of the articles and am immediately astounded at what I see.
Dean Marcus to wed Natasha Carmichael.
  Scanning the article there’s only a brief mention of Lauren; it simply states that the two of them became close when they had to rely on each other after the abduction and presumed death of Lauren Carmichael.  No mention that Dean had been engaged to Lauren before she went missing; nothing about Natasha, who’s 13 years older than Dean, being Lauren’s mother.

Clearing that search and growing slightly bolder, I type
“Lauren Carmichael”.  There are still quite a few articles even though it’s been more than three years.  Most are from conspiracy theorist that got caught up in the case early on and refuse to let it go.  The rest are a result of the announced engagement bringing the disappearance back into the spotlight.  The last articles that interviewed anyone from the police are over a year old and those all say the same thing.  There are no new leads, no new evidence; it appears to have been a kidnapping gone very badly, resulting in Lauren’s death.  The case remains open but without any new information, it’s a cold case.  And that means the odds of finding out exactly what happened grow slimmer as more time passes. 

I’m glad to see that there is nothing new to report.
  I really don’t know why I torture myself like this.  No wait, that’s not true, I do know why I do it.  I have to make sure they never find out what really happened to Lauren because if they did the life I spent the last three years building would come crumbling down like a house of cards.

My thoughts are fil
led with Lauren and what could have been for her.  It all feels like so long ago, a lifetime ago.  After digesting all the information I’ve just seen, I glance down at my watch.  Oh my god, have I really been sitting here for over an hour?  I will have to hurry if I’m going to make it on time for drinks with Gavin.

~

I rush into the restaurant hoping that I’m not too late.  “Sorry lost track of time.”  I’m sure I look disheveled between the earlier crying routine and now nearly running 13 blocks because I couldn’t find a taxi.  Gavin gives me a curious look.  “Excuse me for one moment, while I run to freshen up.”  I take a few minutes in the bathroom to run my fingers through my hair, wipe my face with a cool towel and then apply some lip-gloss.  There at least now I can be seen in public.

“So what was that all about?”  Gavin says now that I have given him time to talk. 

“Nothing, just had a bit of a rough afternoon,” I say picking up the drink menu.  “A few of these will cure anything that’s ailing me though.”

“Did the interview go badly?  I thought you had the job handed to you on a silver platter.”

“No, that’s fine.  I accepted the job.”  Gavin let’s out a small squeal but I continue anyway.  “The end of lunch or maybe it would be more appropriate to say the middle of lunch, Ian turned cold and claimed he had some calls to make and just left me there.  Then when I went to HR to get things set, the lady there… Well let’s just say she’s not the friendliest of HR managers and won’t be joining the Celeste Brooks fan club anytime soon.  She looked like she wanted to strangle me and basically insinuated the only reason I was hired is because of how I look.  I felt as if she somehow knew I’d slept with him.”  I let my mind wander; if they were close or together would he have admitted to her what happened between us?  “But then come to think of it, Ian did say in his reasons that he thought I was stunning.”

“
Whoa, stop right there.  Mr. Hot Boss told you he thinks you’re stunning.  Well, guess we already established he thinks you’re hot since he fucked you until you couldn’t see straight then stole your panties.  I guess him liking how you look isn’t something that’s really debatable.”

I do have to laugh about the panties because really who does that
? Though in all fairness, I couldn’t have worn them again anyway.  “Really, out of everything I just said, that’s the part you focus on.  God Gavin, what if he just hired me because he thinks the way I look will help persuade clients his way?  Or because he thinks I’ll do for them what I did with him?”

“
Celeste, was that the only reason he gave for hiring you?”

“No, but…”

“No buts.  If the man said there were other reasons and your
stunning
good looks were only one of them then I’m sure that’s not the only reason he hired you.  We men are pretty literal creatures.”

“Not sure if I would throw you in the class of men but I get it.  It’s just so… inappropriate.  I could hardly focus on anything else after he said it and the worst part is I want him to find me attractive.  God, the man is my boss.  Maybe I should just quit while I’m ahead.  I can always go back to KPMG.”

“You’ll do no such thing! I’ve listened to nothing but Jacobs Enterprises this and Jacobs Enterprises that for the last two and half years and I won’t listen to anymore.  You’re keeping this job if I have to dress, drive, and drop you off there every day.  No more arguments about it!”

“W
hat would I do without you?  Promise me when some hot young thing snatches you up, you’ll still have time for me.”

“Always
, doll!” He smiles his million-watt smile at me as the waiter approaches to take our order.  I haven’t had anything since the sandwich at lunch but am really not in the mood for food.  I’d rather drink my dinner tonight.  Besides other than finding a dress, I don’t have to be to work until 1:00 tomorrow.

“Oh
, I forgot to mention, Ian’s taking me to charity function tomorrow night and has given me the morning to shop for a dress.  Care for a little outing.”  I say wiggling the black AmEx, which I took from the envelope Rebecca had given me, in front of him.

“Bitch!” He blurts
loudly and some of the restaurant patrons turn to see what the commotion is all about.  “He gave you your own card?  I thought it was just a stipend.”

“
I’m sure it has a limit.”

“Darling, do you not realize what you are holding there?  That card is
the most exclusive of the exclusive; the only limit on that thing is there is no limit.”

Holy shit!  “
They’ll probably keep a close watch on what I buy with it.  Anyway, I have to get a dress and all the accessories tomorrow and then be in the office by 1:00.  So are you up for it?”