Claire Gulliver #06 - Carnage Goes Coastal (2 page)

She hadn’t really minded. She liked Ben and she liked her position as Mark Irving’s right hand man. Executive Assistant was her official title. Someday, after she learned the business from the ground up, she intended to be a power in the organization. Meanwhile, she put together this company sponsored dinner to be held in a private banquet room at the Plaza, consulted with Ben Goldmeir’s wife on the choice of a parting gift for him and got the staff committed to being there. It was a lot of work, but so much easier when someone else was paying the bill.

And the dinner went well. Everyone seemed to have a good time, especially her boss, who now had control of the finance department at the agency; and Ben Goldmeir, who was soon heading off to visit his grandchildren in Tel Aviv for six months.

In fact people were having such a good time that, rather than leave, they just migrated into the bar to continue the party. Most of the younger crowd had drifted away already, but the older ones were still there, getting louder and more raucous as the evening progressed. She had been a little worried about the group’s reception in the sedate, posh atmosphere of the Oak Room, but so far the maître d’ seemed willing to tolerate them.

They were still going strong and showed no signs of calling it a night. She didn’t have the stamina they had so had distanced herself from them while waiting to settle up the bar bill when everyone was finally finished. She had stopped drinking a while ago so she was nursing a flat Seven-Up while struggling to keep her eyes open when the man sitting next to her asked, “You part of that big group?”

She nodded.

“So what’s the occasion? They look like they’re having too much fun for just a drink before bed.”

She sat up then and took notice. He was attractive, tall, with broad shoulders, dark hair and startling blue eyes, framed by little laugh lines crinkled at the corners. But mostly she responded to his smile, framed as it was by a slightly flamboyant dark beard and mustache. It sent shivers up her spine.

“Retirement party for one of the favorite vice presidents. He’s been with the company for a long time so there are a million stories to tell. I’m afraid they’ll be hours yet.”

He nodded with a sympathetic smile. “And you have to stay to the end because why?”

She smiled back, it felt good. “Someone has to take care of the bill....”

“Ahhh..., you?”

She nodded. “My boss volunteered me,” then shrugged, “It’s my job.”

“Sounds like a fun job. Can I get you another drink while you’re waiting?”

She nodded again, suddenly not feeling quite so tired. “Seven-Up, with lots of ice, please.”

After the bartender replaced her drink and she raised the glass to him in thanks, he said, “I’m Scott Hutchins, from Philadelphia.”

Of course it was only polite to reply. “I’m Karen Rallins, from New York.”

The rest of the evening flew by. When the bar finally closed she was almost annoyed it was time to settle the bill. Scott thanked her for her company, as he escorted her to the door and waited politely until a cab picked her up.

She was filled with disappointment when he let her go without asking for her phone number or address. She was young and reasonably good looking, so she expected to be hit on in New York bars. She had been sure he would make some effort to entice her to agree to a romp in a hotel room before the night was over. Scott, apparently, was too much the gentleman. Disappointed, she shrugged it off. It had been a delightful few hours and this encounter had provided lots of material to build into dreams for those nights she found it difficult to fall asleep.

The next day was a long struggle to stay alert, but at least she wasn’t the only one at the office who was operating with a sleep deprived brain. It was during the last countdown to quitting time when she answered the phone to find Scott on the line.

“How did you find me?” Her face flushed with pleasure while her heart beat a happy tattoo in her breast.

“I just asked information for a number for Crocker, Berry and Sneed. I didn’t think there would be many of them. And I was right.”

She could hear the smile in his voice coming over the phone line.

“So, how’s your day going?” he asked with a hint of laughter.

She chuckled. “It’s a little slow around here today and definitely there are no loud noises.”

“I can imagine. I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight. I’m not looking forward to another night of hanging out in a bar by myself, no matter how nice the bar is.”

She didn’t even try to make him convince her. “I’d love to join you. I enjoyed talking with you last night. So, where and when?”

They agreed to meet at a small Indian Restaurant he had heard about down in the Village and suddenly she felt energetic again. Scott had told her the night before he was a lawyer and he was consulting with a company here on a legal issue. He said he would be in town until the following Tuesday and then several days every few weeks until the project was completed. She was already imagining all the fun they could have.

They had a wonderful dinner that night and subsequently spent every evening together, including all day Saturday and Sunday. It seemed inevitable that by Saturday night she was spending the nights with him at his hotel as well as the days. She couldn’t believe her luck in meeting him.

This was the man of her dreams. He was charming and funny and attentive. He was ten years older than her twenty-five years, which made him seem appealingly mature. He explained how after he completed law school, he had been recruited at one of the prestigious Philadelphian law firms where the interns spent eighty hours a week working if they had any expectations of becoming a junior partner. He was a naturally competitive person and now he was well on his way to becoming a senior partner. Unfortunately, the work and hours required to succeed at his company had not allowed him time to develop a social life. Suddenly, on this trip to New York he felt the need for some company, and so, there he was in the Oak Room at the bar just at the perfect time to meet Karen. It was kismet.

Scott wasn’t Karen’s first lover, but she was fast becoming certain that he would be her last. They just seemed perfect together. They liked the same things; they found the same silliness in situations; so they enjoyed their times together.

Naturally when Thanksgiving rolled around Karen was disappointed they couldn’t be together, but she understood about his earlier commitment to spend the holiday with his sister and her family in Colorado. She anxiously waited for his return at the beginning of December to share her exciting news.

She had been shocked to find she was pregnant, but not really alarmed. By this time their relationship had progressed to the point that marriage seemed inevitable. She assumed her condition would only push them more quickly into the decision they were fast approaching anyway. The more they saw of each other the closer they became. And the periods he was at home in Philadelphia and they were separated, were hard on them both.

When he called and asked her to meet him in his hotel room at the W instead of a restaurant, she smiled, pleased. She knew that meant he had missed her as much as she missed him and he didn’t want to wait for lovemaking until after dinner.

Afterwards, while he was pouring the champagne he had thoughtfully ordered, she told him the news. He froze, and then turned and stared at her. She was surprised to see his eyes had turned from that beautiful blue to a frosty grey. His expression was cold as he said, “That’s impossible. You’ll need to have it taken care of immediately.”

She was stupefied. “What are you saying?”

I’m saying I’m not going to have a child. I don’t want a child. I don’t want the responsibility of bringing one into the world. You should have asked me before you got pregnant.”

She gasped, not believing what she was hearing.

“You will have to get rid of it. You have to have an abortion,” he continued with ice in his voice.

A chill crept over her. “An abortion? Scott, what are you saying? This is a child, our child, we can’t kill it! It was conceived from our love. Why can’t we just get married?”

Then abandoning her pride, she pleaded, “I know we didn’t plan for a child, but surely it will only speed up our decision to marry.”

He drew himself up in a stiff righteous pose. “What don’t you understand about my words? I don’t want a child. I don’t want to get married.” He paused a moment, his face becoming even colder, as he announced cruelly, “In fact, I never had any intentions of marrying you. I couldn’t, even if I wanted too. I am already married. And I plan to stay married to my wife. So you’ll just have to stop this pregnancy now!”

He put the champagne flutes down and began picking up the clothes he had so cavalierly shed when she arrived.

He was married? Now her shock turned to anger. She accused him hotly, “You lied to me? All this time you said you were single, and you were married?”

“Get real, Karen. You didn’t believe that story. It was as convenient for you to pretend as it was for me. It made our little romp more fun. It was an excuse to have a hot romance with no strings attached. No one would have believed that story, and naïve though you may be, I know you’re not that stupid.”

“You lied to me? All these months, all your stories, all our plans about the future, and they were all lies? What kind of monster are you?” She was breathless with hurt. She could hardly force the words out of her mouth.

“Oh, grow up. Of course I lied. I was looking for a diversion, a relationship to help me through a long succession of New York work days. So I lied, as would any man in the same circumstances. You should have known it. I can’t believe you didn’t know it.”

She jumped out of bed and started putting on her clothes while he continued talking. “I’m sorry to end it like this, but I was going to break it off tonight anyway. My work here is about finished and with the holidays coming up, it’s time.”

Karen grabbed her coat and purse and headed for the door, unable to trust herself to say anything more.

“Karen,” he called, “Karen, you will need to take care of this matter immediately. Do you hear me?”

The slam of the door reverberated through the room and Scott realized he hadn’t handled this situation as well as he planned. It was the shock of Karen so casually announcing her pregnancy that did it. The stupid fool! Pregnant! Why on earth did she think he would be happy to hear that news? But now thinking about it, he realized her news was what put him in a panic. That’s why he lost control of the situation. He thought back to his meeting last week.

“Mr. Smythe is at the pool, Mr. Ellington; he’s expecting you.” The housekeeper gestured toward the doors to the terrace.

Scott nodded cordially at her. He knew the way through the elegant house. He smiled remembering how intimidated he had been that first time he had visited. Phoebe had taken him home to meet her parents, but they both knew the real reason for the visit was so he could be vetted before being invited to a social occasion at the house. And obviously he passed the inspection. He had been appropriately nervous. He was not only intrigued with the beautiful Phoebe, but he was well aware she came from money and he understood how advantageous that could be to his career. He wanted to be accepted. He wanted to be a part of a prestigious family and it wasn’t long until he married into the Smythe family.

Scott wasn’t surprised to find his father-in-law sitting out by the pool. He knew he started his day swimming laps despite the chill in the November days. Sure enough he was sitting at the table in a thick terry cloth robe, tanned and virile looking despite a full head of white hair testifying to his age. “Scott, my boy, good of you to come by so early.” He held out his hand for a shake. Even though his expression was genial, the sharp gleam in his eyes got Scott’s attention.

“Stanford, you’re looking good this morning.” Scott nodded cordially while he pulled out one of the chairs and sat down at the table.

“Would you like some breakfast? Or coffee?”

“No coffee, I’m trying to cut back, but a glass of orange juice would be good.”

Stanford nodded and murmured to the maid who had silently appeared behind him. When she disappeared, Stanford turned back to his son-in-law. “Well, Scott, how’s that redevelopment project coming? I haven’t had an update for a while.”

“It’s very interesting. We’ve been working with a group in New York who are developing a similar project, only they’re about two years ahead of us. We’ve picked up a lot of information which will help us streamline our process. I think you’re going to be impressed when you see the results.”

Stanford nodded. “Good, good. That’s what I want to hear. Phoebe tells me you’ve been spending a good deal of time on it and you’ve been spending a lot of time in New York lately.”

Scott nodded, taking a sip of the tangy juice the maid had just delivered to him. “Yes, the project is very complex and time consuming, but it’s been worth it.”

“Well, as I’ve told you before, a successful project of such value to the community will be noticeable. It’s an important aspect of our plan to get you the experience and recognition you need to qualify. I had a conversation recently with some of the power brokers in the party and they think it may be time for us to make a move. Grayson is thinking of retiring. That means we’ll have an opening for senator next term. They’re willing to consider you as their candidate if we think we’re ready.”

Stanford turned and looked straight into Scott’s eyes. “How about it? Are we ready?”

Scott’s heart leaped wildly in his chest and he struggled to keep his excitement controlled. He was ready! “But it’s early. What about the plan? I thought it would be at least five more years before we moved in that direction.”

Stanford shrugged. “Things change. When opportunities appear, you have to adjust the timetable to take advantage of them. We expected Grayson to serve at least one more term, but he’s had some health issues and is apparently afraid of the continued pressure.” He grinned. “So, an opportunity for us, hey boy?” He reached out and gave Scott a playful punch on the arm.