Annihilate Me (Vol. 1) (The Annihilate Me Series) Read online

  He turned me around, but I went right back to his ear. “Here’s the deal. It’s not about the money for us. It’s about the relationships. I could walk back to Cyrus right now, charm the pants off him, and pocket his money for a good year or more. But that’s not going to happen for two reasons. First, I respect myself. Second, he’s not the one for me. I’ve never been in a relationship with anyone. That’s by choice, and it’s for a good reason. I’m waiting for a gentleman. Rich or poor, doesn’t matter. At some point, I’ll find him. And I’ll be happy when that happens because money won’t define us. Money just ruins things. You’d be different without money. Do you know that? I don’t think you do. After what you just pulled, I’m no longer interested in this job, so I’m declining it now.”

  The song ended.

  I stepped away from him, heard him fall in line behind me, but I didn’t care. I was finished. I discreetly walked to the rear of the room, where I let down my hair, and shook it out. I then removed the necklace, the ring, the bracelet and the earrings, and handed them to him. “Keep your jewels,” I said. “I don’t want them, or the dress or the shoes. But you will pay me for today because my time is worth something. I also helped to seal a deal for you, but I won’t ask for a cut of that, even though I damned well earned it. Consider it my gift to you. I left Blackwell’s clutch in your car. Make sure you return it to her. You’ll have the dress and the shoes back tomorrow.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “Are you serious? I’ve had enough abuse in my life. No man will ever treat me the way you just did.”

  “What do you mean you’ve had enough abuse?”

  “What the hell do you care? Just stay away from me.”

  I walked past him.

  “Jennifer.”

  How was I going to get home? I had no money for a cab, and there was no way I could walk home at night looking like this. Anything could happen to me if I did. I looked around the room, and saw the bar ahead of me. Once again, it was surrounded by men—no women. Whatever. I went over to it. Two older men parted for me, and I leaned toward the bartender. “I need to use your phone.”

  “Alex,” one of the men said. “Good to see you.”

  “Jennifer.”

  The bartender handed me a cordless phone. I tried to remember the number to Lisa’s cell. I left my own cell at home. Whenever I called her, I just selected her name from my list of contacts. I couldn’t remember the last time I actually dialed her number. What was her damned number? Why was I drawing a blank?

  “Please turn around.”

  “Those are a lot of diamonds you’re holding, Alex. If the young lady doesn’t want them, I know my wife certainly would.”

  The man laughed.

  I heard the tinkling of jewels being passed behind me. “Please give these to her for me.”

  “Alex, I was only joking.”

  “They’re a gift. I don’t need them, Jon. Really, it’s fine. It’s my pleasure.”

  The man at my left was staring intently at me. He was older, probably late sixties and he had a kind face. I couldn’t remember Lisa’s number for the life of me. I turned to him.

  “What do you need?” he asked.

  He could sense I was in distress. I couldn’t believe I was going to ask a complete stranger for money, but I was desperate. “I left my clutch in somebody’s car. I need cab fare, but I have no money to get home.”

  He reached into his jacket pocket, removed a money clip thick with bills, and lowered it into his lap so no one could see. He peeled off one of the bills and said, “Will this be enough?”

  I looked down. It was a hundred dollar bill. My eyes filled with tears when I looked up at him. “I’m so sorry to have asked, but I’m also so grateful to you. You don’t know what this means to me.”

  He pressed the bill into my hand. “I’m much older than you,” he said. “These things happen. We all are young once. Go home and be safe. Maybe this will work itself out.”

  “Thank you.”

  I turned, and saw that Alex was standing directly behind me, but knew that he’d try nothing here. Not with these men. I brushed past him and moved toward the exit, hoping he wouldn’t follow, but naturally, he did.

  “Jennifer,” he said.

  “I told you to stay away from me.”

  I picked up my dress and hurried down the stairs. I needed to get out of here. I went across the lobby to the door, hearing his footfalls behind me, and walked outside when one of the men standing beside the door held it open for me.

  “Just give me a moment to explain.”

  What was the point? He just revealed himself to me. I wasn’t giving him anything. I stepped onto the sidewalk and looked up the narrow street for a cab. There were none here, but there would be on Park Avenue, so I moved in that direction. Alex stepped beside me and kept pace with me.

  “You don’t need to do this. I know I made a mistake. Let me take you home. We can talk about it in the car. I just got jealous. I don’t understand what came over me. I apologize.”

  I turned to him. “Jealous of what?”

  “That you found him attractive. That he and other men found you attractive. That men ordered you drinks.”

  “What am I missing here? I was made to look like this for a reason. I’m being paid to be your escort. That’s it. You and Blackwell told me that’s all this was. I’ve been nothing but professional. I kept that dragon Immaculata at bay to help you. I also helped you with Cyrus. I gave you that angle. Fine, I said I thought that Cyrus was attractive, but who cares? And why should you care? You told me you had no time for a relationship when we first met. You said you wanted to focus on your work, and be left alone to do it. You said you didn’t women to distract you. You said you didn’t want to be romantically involved. Do you remember saying any of that? Am I just imagining that conversation? No, I’m not. I was hired to keep the wolves at bay, which I did. I was hired to make sure you could do your work, which you did. The arrangement was clear to me. One comment out of my mouth, a few drinks delivered to me, and suddenly you’re pissed off and determined to embarrass me in front of everyone. Well, it didn’t work, Alex. You intentionally hurt my arm. You wanted to hurt me, you succeeded, and now I no longer work for you. Good night.”

  “Give me another chance. I wasn’t prepared for this. I wasn’t prepared for you.”

  What the hell does that mean? I decided I didn’t care, and looked around for a cab.

  There was one coming down Park. I signaled for it, the driver saw me, and he pulled to the curb. Thank God.

  As quickly as I could, I hurried over to it, swung open the back door, and stepped carefully inside so I didn’t ruin his overpriced dress. As I shut the door behind me, I told the driver to go.

  I didn’t look, but I knew Alex was standing on the sidewalk watching me leave. Had I done the right thing by throwing away this job? Absolutely. I was nobody’s property. I would not be treated like that or taken advantage of like that by anyone. I’d learned plenty from my shitty past with my parents. And long ago, I promised myself that if anyone treated me with the sort of disrespect Alex just exhibited, I would have nothing to do with him. I couldn’t do that to myself again.

  “Where to?” the driver asked.

  I gave him my address, rolled down the window, and let the sounds of the city and the warm breeze fall over me. Tomorrow, I’d return his dress and his shoes to him. Then, I’d look for a job as a server at one of the city’s better restaurants, and wash myself of this situation.

  CHAPTER TW

  ENTY-ONE

  When I returned home, Lisa was waiting up for me. She was on the sofa’s foldout mattress reading a book on her Kindle, and had a martini on the table beside her.

  She turned to look at me when I stepped into the apartment. “What are you doing here? It’s still early. I thought you’d be late.”

  “I also thought I’d be late. Let’s just say I was wrong about a lot of things.” I kicked off my shoes at
the door and watched her slide out of bed with a concerned look on her face.

  “Are you all right?”

  “No.”

  “What happened?”

  “I need a drink.”

  “Do you want a martini? I’m having one.”

  “Absolutely. Three olives. Make it cold and make it dirty.”

  “I know how you like it. I just wish we had better vodka.”

  I pressed my hand on her shoulder. “One day, we will. Let me get out of this dress that doesn’t belong to me, and we’ll talk.”

  “This doesn’t sound good.”

  “It isn’t.”

  “Jennifer, whatever it is, I’m sorry.”

  “It will be fine. Sure, I gave up a well-paying job tonight, let alone the glittering diamond perks that came with it, which I gave back to him, but I actually learned a lot in the process. You of all people know how my parents treated me, especially my father. I left Maine because I refused to let them abuse me again. And guess what? Tonight was a test. Tonight, I stuck to my promise to never let anyone treat me like shit again. You know what’s better? I’ll be able to sleep tonight, and tomorrow night, and all the nights going forward because none of what happened tonight comes down to me. It’s all on him. Screw him.”

  I went into my bedroom, which at this point should have been Lisa’s bedroom, and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top. As carefully as I could, I draped the dress over the bedroom’s lone chair. Then I met Lisa outside the bedroom door. She had a martini in her hand and a worried look on her face. She was my family. She always would be. I gave her a kiss on the cheek, thanked her for always being there for me, and then took a long swallow of my drink.

  “God, that’s harsh.”

  “It’s crap vodka, but that’s all we can afford.”

  “Doesn’t matter. It also feels good.”

  “Really cold crap vodka can have that effect under the right circumstances.”

  “Let’s never forget that,” I said, raising my glass. “Here’s to cold crap vodka we barely can afford. You have a reason in life.”

  “Hear, hear,” Lisa said.

  I took another sip, and let the vodka sink into me. It was a hellish kind of heaven, if only because the vodka was so brutal that it burned my throat. But it was better than nothing, and it did its job. I was happy to have it.

  “So, what happened tonight?” Lisa asked.

  I told her everything. When I was finished, I looked at her. “Did I do the right thing, or did I overreact?”

  “You said he hurt your arm?”

  “He did.”

  “Intentionally?”

  “To be honest? I don’t know.”

  “Are you sure he tried to trip you up during the waltz?”

  “If I hadn’t been able to keep up with him, I would have gone down. He knew that. I’d say it was intentional.”

  “Well, this is complicated.”

  “He was a bastard on that dance floor.”

  “And he smoked a big blunt of jealousy before he got on that dance floor. What did you say he said about not being prepared for you?”

  “Just that. He said something about giving him another chance. He said he wasn’t prepared for this or for me.”

  “Maybe he wasn’t. Jennifer, you don’t see yourself the way others see you. I’ve told you that for years. You still see the person your parents wanted you to see. But what everyone else sees is a stunning, incredibly smart woman. A beautiful and kind person who happens to be super intelligent when it comes to all things business. You said you gave him advice about how to get to this Darius guy?”

  “I did. I told him to go through his son.”

  “How did you know to tell him that?”

  “Because anyone who reads the business pages knows that Cyrus is poised to take over his family’s company, but few have much confidence that’s he’ll succeed at it. If I were Cyrus, I’d be feeling that lack of confidence. I’d be feeling my father’s disappointment at my core. He needs to show his father something. He needs to bring him a deal. He was the logical one to approach because his father wants to see some initiative on this part.”

  “And Alex hadn’t consider that angle?”

  “No.”

  “Since you were hired only to be an escort, do you think it’s fair to say that you surprised him?”

  “Probably. He suggested as much. But who cares? I went in fully aware of the situation. So did he, as he’s the one who set the rules. At the interview, Alex himself told me he didn’t want anything romantic in his life right now, which is why he was searching for someone like me. He said he didn’t have time for anyone. Blackwell said that I’d only ever be an object to him. That’s all I thought about tonight—I was an object. She warned me away from him, probably because she could tell that I was attracted to him. Yes, I said that I thought Cyrus was good looking, but was that crossing a line given the situation? And am I responsible for the drinks that were sent my way? What am I missing here?”

  “The element of surprise can be a powerful thing. Alex was prepared for you to look beautiful tonight, but he had no idea just how beautiful or, frankly, just how intelligent you are. There’s no way he was prepared to see in action just how smart you are, or that, on the fly, you could map out a way for him to land a potentially lucrative deal. You’re the complete package. I have to agree. He probably was unaware of it, and threatened by it.”

  “Why threatened?”

  “What if someone else got to you first? What if he lost you to Cyrus? Or to those men who sent you drinks? It obviously bothered him that you found Cyrus attractive. That’s when he turned into an ass.” She shrugged. “But who can figure men out? I can’t. I know zombies, not billionaires. But I think I’m on the right course.”

  “I gave him back the jewels,” I said. “The dress and the shoes go back to Blackwell in the morning. I said I expected to be paid for today because I don’t work for free. I plan on looking for a server’s position in the morning.” I took a sip of my martini, which was a necessary bit of heaven, and looked at Lisa over the rim. “So, give it to me. Did I do the right thing?”

  “You and I both know why you’ve never been in a relationship. You saw something in him tonight that made you run. If you think you did the right thing, you know you have my support.”

  “That’s a careful answer.”

  “I think this is more complicated than you realize. I think he reacted stupidly and hurtfully, and he’s probably kicking himself over it now. That’s why he chased after you. I don’t think it’s over between you yet. You’ll either hear from him or from Blackwell.”

  “Let them call. I won’t be mistreated like that. It reminded me of my father. I won’t let it happen again.” I held up my drink. “Actually, that’s naïve. It will happen again—of course it will happen again—and when it does, I’ll walk again.”

  “Jennifer, I just want you to be prepared for what’s coming.”

  “What’s that?”

  “By standing up to him, by quitting your job, by giving back the jewels, the dress, and the shoes, and by leaving him tonight, I think you created an avalanche that’s going to crash behind you in ways that you’re not even aware of.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Nobody says no to a billionaire,” she said. “You’ll see.”

  CHAPTER TW

  ENTY-TWO

  By five the next morning, I was up and showered, the dress and the shoes were carefully packed in a box, and I had a twenty-four-hour courier service on the way to deliver them back to Blackwell at Wenn.

  The cost of the service was more expensive than I had hoped it would be, but I had money left over from the cab fare the older gentleman had given me the night before, so I was good. And as there was no way I was going to deliver the box myself, this was the only way to go.

  Lisa woke just after six, and I put on a pot of coffee for her. We said our good mornings, and I thanked her for listening to m
e the night before. She asked why I was up so early.

  “The dress and the shoes are going back. A courier is on the way to deliver them to Blackwell.”

  “You’re wasting no time.”

  “I want this behind me. I need a job. Hopefully I’ll have one by the end of the day. Or maybe tomorrow. I have a few places lined up, and I plan on putting on the Prada and the pumps to see if I can get into one of the better restaurants. Maybe something will work out.”

  “I don’t see you having any issues. I think you’ll land something.”

  The buzzer sounded.

  “Courier.” I grabbed the box off the kitchen counter. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “Do you need money?”

  “Got it covered. Thank you!”

  I shut the door behind me and hurried down the four flights of stairs. It was still too early to be hot, though the humidity was rising, which was somehow worse. I rounded the corner, walked over to the door, and opened it to face Blackwell herself.

  Surprised, I just stared at her.

  “What are you doing to me, Maine? Seriously? It’s six o’clock and I’m standing in one of the worst parts of the city.”

  “Sorry about that, Blackwell. Some of us have to live here. Be grateful that you don’t.” I handed her the box. “The dress and the shoes are inside. I thought you were the courier I hired. I don’t have the garment bag the dress came in, but you’ll find that it’s protected. Hopefully, you can take it and the shoes back.”

  “You’ve worn the shoes—the heels will be scuffed. The dress was fitted to your body. We own them now.”

  “Just a drop in the Wenn bucket, right? Maybe a nice girl in the office who has a similar figure to mine might like to have the dress and the shoes. Because I don’t want either of them.”

  “Maine,” she said. “Nobody has what you’re packing. Nobody comes close to having your body. Don’t you get it? You might as well just keep these.”

  “So, it’s all about my body? I take offense to that. What about my mind? I lynched a deal for him last night. I gave him that idea and I made it happen.”