Unbound: The Pentagon Group, Book 2 (31 page)

When I arrived home from work, I entered to find Gill finishing the set up for the party. There were glassware and a bar. Platters of food flanked the wall of the dining area on the buffet console. I was shocked and awed by what he managed to accomplish in the last few hours.

“My goodness, Gill, this is fantastic.” Jazz music played in the background. “How did you manage this?” I asked in awe.

“I love to plan parties.” He said as he approached me and took my briefcase and set it inside the hall closet. I handed him my purse and thanked him.

“So, what do you want me to do?” I clapped my hands ready to go.

“You go and get changed. Your guests will arrive in an hour.” I nodded because I learned Gill would never take ‘no’ for an answer.

I took a very relaxing shower. I dampened my hair to style with more products. I put on light makeup with a rose colored lipstick I had bought on one of my recent shopping experiences. My bruising and scratches were virtually gone. I found a rose colored, V-neck kimono dress to wear for tonight. It was loose and simple for a relaxed get together with friends and family. To cap off my look, I put on comfortably heeled, strappy sandals.

My invited guests were a mixture of friends and family. My sisters wouldn’t be able to attend because they live in the south shore and didn’t have a sitter to care for my nephews and nieces. I felt a little comforted by their absence because I still hadn’t explained my break up with Matt. However, my father would be attending. I was excited to show him the space. When I first showed him the house my ex-husband Ben and I purchased, it wasn’t as exciting as this. Ben paid all of the deposit because he had help from his parents. My contributions were half of the monthly mortgage payment. In the end, I lost out on the house and the equity I helped build. The new apartment was mine. Despite the circumstances, I felt I’d earned my new apartment and the right to share and enjoy it with my loved ones.

When I entered the living room, Gill whistled. I did a little twirl, showing every angle of my look. “You like?” I asked.

“I do. Maybe you and the hot construction guy I invited will get together.” At the mention of Nick, my insides squirmed. I second guessed my decision to have Gill invite him to my place. Seeing Matt put me out of sorts. I couldn’t stop thinking about him during meetings, and was prompted to stay on task and pay attention a couple of times. I couldn’t even fake paying attention. After the second time, I gathered my faculties and pressed through the meeting.

“Not ready for another hot guy. The last one cauterized my libido.” I winked.

“Well, you sure can pick ‘em. I can’t believe you had a doctor who is also a billionaire. You are one lucky, chica.” He kidded. I grumbled. “I’m going home to shower and change. I’ll be back a little later with John Peter.” He informed.

“Okay, love. Thanks for all your help. I’ll see you soon.” I walked him out the door. Surveying the room to see if there was anything to do, I realized Gill truly did everything and I had nothing to do. I poured myself some white wine to reduce the jitters. I was nervous to show everyone I care about my new place. Many of my guests knew I’d struggled on my own to make my way in this world. I wanted them to enjoy themselves in my new place.

As I looked out the window at the evening sky, the door rang with my first guest. Gill left a guest list with security to eliminate the phone calls I would get with each arrival. I walked gingerly to the door, looking at the peep hole. It was Chelsea and Dougie.

I opened the door with a screech, “Hi, you two.” I pulled Chelsea in for a hug and kissed Dougie on his freckled cheek. I hadn’t seen her in a while. Because of my busy schedule, we hadn’t had the chance to connect after work as we’d planned. As a newlywed, I didn’t want to impose on their couple’s time. I hadn’t seen Dougie since the wedding, and it was nice they could be at my home together.

“I’m so glad you came.” Dougie handed me a bottle of wine as they entered the room. I left the door ajar for the other guests, walking to the counter to set down the wine.

“Oh my God, Perlz. This place is divine.” Chelsea complimented. I beamed. I took each of their arms and locked them into mine, walking them around the apartment.

“This will be my room, if Dougie fucks up.” We laughed over her quip about the guest room, but Dougie didn’t. As we walked back to the living room, I heard the distinctive accented voice of my Papa.

“Hola, mija.” He greeted.

“Papa!” No matter how old I was, seeing him always brought a sense of peace and love. I never failed to act ten-years-old in his presence.

Once he saw Chelsea and Dougie, Papa spoke in English so as not to be rude to my guests. “Look at this. Very nice, Perlita.” I hugged him strongly. I left my friends to show him around. I noticed him get teary eyed as he nodded at everything he saw.

“¿Estas bien?” I asked concerned.

“Okay. You do good.” He commented as he wiped away at his eyes. My heart felt full and happy to please him, wanting never to disappoint or make him concerned about my safety as a single woman living in the city.

Soon, Keta and Jude arrived separately, and solo. Magnus entered with Carson and Turner in tow. Magnus helped to show everyone his vision in the design. Gill and John Peter arrived with a gift. I set it aside and spoke a while with John Peter, who had an amazing French accent. I learned he moved to France as a teen before immigrating to the United States to play Division I tennis at a college in Boston, stayed for graduate school, and now law school. After hearing Matt speak French with the waitress today, I told John Peter I was interested in learning to speak French. He responded in French, and I was lost. We all laughed at how clueless I was. I learned Gill spoke fluent French, and I realized they were a match made in heaven.

My neighbor and new friend, Faith, arrived with some wine. I introduced her to the group, making small talk until I heard Nick’s deep voice announce his entrance. I smiled, feeling giddy, and walked over to him to greet him. He took me into his arms and gave me a strong hug. It felt great to be touched by a strong man again. I was deeply attracted to him, but knew it wouldn’t go further than friendship. My heart was frozen; owned by another. I gave Nick a tour of my place.

“It’s a great place, Perla. You’ve come a long way from your little house in Malden. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to have company barbecues in the back yard.” He said as we stood in the empty hallway. I laughed at the reminder of the memory. My ex-husband and I would throw parties for various departments of the company.

“I’d completely forgotten about those. Ugh, he was so Type A. We’d clean, shop and cook for days to prep. I was so exhausted in the end that I didn’t even want to go to work, but I had to; I was married to the boss. Good times.” I said with sarcasm. Nick stood close and reached out to hold my hip. My heart sped recklessly.

“We should get back to my guests.” I smiled. He nodded and smiled, melting my insides. He lead me by the small of my back. My nipples pearled and I was thankful I wore a padded bra with the thin soft fabric of my dress, concealing my physical reaction as evidence I wasn’t completely deadened. I introduced Nick to each of my friends.

When I went to grab him a beer, I heard the door open once more. I was puzzled because I’d thought everyone invited was already at the party. I walked to the door to see Matt peer in, standing half inside and half out in the hall.

“Matt?” I gripped the bottle neck tightly. He smiled. I looked back at the group and watched them look at us inquisitively.

“I came to celebrate your new place.” He entered my apartment; a sight for sore eyes, dressed casually in a dark t-shirt and denim jeans. He held a gift bag in his hand. I stood dumbstruck, unable to think of what to say or what to do. I hadn’t invited him or even given him my new address.

Not wanting to make a scene in front of my guests, I regained my faculties and took the gift in hand. “Thank you.” I turned to see my guests watching us and whispering to each other. I smiled at everyone. Matt followed me to the guests standing about in little groups and introduced him to everyone. I wondered what he wanted. Would he make a scene? After introductions, I offered him something to drink. He followed me to the kitchen, standing close.

“Matt, why are you here? How do you know where I live?” I kept my voice low, keeping my tone even so as not to get flustered.

“I figured I had a hand in getting you this place, I might as well be here to celebrate with you.” He took the beer from my hand, walking away to talk to my other guests. He walked directly toward my father and spoke to him for a while. After greeting him, Matt walked over to Keta and Faith who were talking by the large picture window. I joined Chelsea and my dad on the couch. She gave me a look of quizzical curiosity. I gave her a curt shake and rolled my eyes. She responded with a quick nod and pursed her lips. I asked my dad if he wanted me to serve him something to eat, and he accepted. I stood to get him a plate of food, selecting a few things from each chaffing dish Gill had catered. When I brought it to him, I was grabbed by Carson.

“Are you planning a ménage at the end of the night?” I grimaced at him.

“The furthest thought from my mind. I didn’t invite him. And if Gill values his job, he didn’t either.” I whispered. “What the fuck do I do?” I pleaded.

“Ignore him. Be polite, but don’t lead him on. And for fuck’s sake don’t flirt with the biker hunk. At least Jude’s keeping him occupied.” I looked over at Nick talking to Jude. An odd fusion of relief and jealousy coursed through my body. I turned to look at Matt, who was talking to Faith. They stood a little too close and were deep in conversation. There was no blend of relief and jealousy. There was just plain jealousy. As I thought more about it, I wondered if he was talking to her to make me jealous, as he had with the waitress at the restaurant. The jealousy was replaced by anger. Matt was ruining what was supposed to be a relaxing and enjoyable evening with friends.

“Let it go. Is this all the people?” Carson asked. I nodded.

“Yeah.” I responded.

“How about we hand everyone some champagne and you make a toast, welcoming everyone.” Upon agreement, we walked to the kitchen to serve the champagne. Gill followed to help us.

“Did you invite him here? I hissed at him.

“Who?”

“Matt Keene.” I whispered.

“No. Not at all.” I looked at him incredulously. “Perla, I never.” He affirmed.

“Then how did he know? How did he get past security without being on the list? I would’ve gotten a call and he should’ve been turned away if I didn’t answer.” I questioned. Gill shrugged, looking innocent and apologetic. “I’m sorry. He just crapped on my night.” Gill rubbed my back.

“Nothing should do that. Let’s have fun.” He reassured. Carson opened the champagne. We poured the champagne in the flutes rented from the caterer, setting them on silver trays. Gill and I shared the task of serving it to the guests.

I commanded everyone’s attention. “Every one? I just want to thank you for coming to my housewarming party. The last place I lived in was the size of my master closet, so I didn’t have the space to have a party. This place is somewhat of a milestone . . . a coming of age. I’ve called it my grown up place. Recently, I decided to change my life. I felt I was stuck in a dead end job with no goals or expectations for living a grander life. I’d settled for good enough. When an offer I couldn’t refuse was made, I ensured to take what was due to me which led me to a great new job and moving here where I can be closer to loved ones. I share this home with you. Let it be a refuge for you as it serves for me. I thank you all for coming, your gifts, your friendship, and your love. ¡Salud!” I lifted my flute and made eye contact with Matt at the moment I mentioned ‘love’. His face was impassive, as I’d seen in the past, remembering he used that face when he was hiding something. I shivered.

Keta approached me and gave me a hug, breaking the magnetic glance we held. I smiled at her, dismissing his presence. I was going to have fun with my friends. I asked Gill to change the music to something a bit more upbeat. When the change in rhythm occurred, Keta and I started dancing. She was always good for a great time. I pulled Magnus to dance with us. He had amazing dance moves. I noticed Gill look at Magnus as he, John Peter, Carson and Turner huddled together in dialogue.

I looked at my father, sitting alone on the couch moving his torso to the beat of the music. I danced over to him and sat down. We turned our torsos, hugging and dancing with our upper bodies. It was a move we’ve made since his knees had gone bad. In our last phone conversation, he’d complained he could barely walk anymore, needing to take more frequent rests. I couldn’t convince him to change his mind about surgery. The leading surgeon was standing just a few steps away, and I would’ve loved for Matt to take care of my father. However, it was awkward to suggest he seek the help from a man I’d denied my love and affection, but hijacked his stocks to get ahead in the corporate world.

The rest of the group talked and swayed as the music kept going. I stopped dancing with Papa, and I stood up. I grabbed Chelsea by the hand and pulled her off of Dougie’s lap. I pulled Dougie off the chair and made him dance with his wife. I left the other two male and female couples to continue talking. There was no way I would dance with Nick or Matt. They were engrossed in conversation with the women, and for a brief moment, I was grateful. I returned to dancing with Keta and Magnus. I spent the night going from group to group to talk, avoiding Matt who remained with Faith. I couldn’t allow him to hurt me more than he already did by using me.