Entwine (Billionaire Series) (2 page)

That, of course,
made her think about Brad. She knew him, understood him. If Philip was her
ultimate fantasy lover, what did that make Brad? Could she actually be so
shallow that she preferred a fantasy man who was possibly just using her to the
reality of a man she knew? The idea that she'd been so superficial disgusted
her, but she knew it was a possibility. How else could she explain her behavior
with Philip?

Jennifer sighed as
the cabbie pulled up to the curb in front of her building. Maybe it was time to
stop pursuing the fantasy and get back to reality.

Back at
my apartment, the first thing I did was pull out my cell phone and dial
Sharon’s number. After everything that had happened in the last few hours, I
was in desperate need of some advice. Ever since college, Sharon had been my
number one person to turn to, always willing to lend a sympathetic ear and
support me no matter what. With my mind in turmoil, I was desperate for someone
to bring me back to reality and put everything in perspective for me.

Sharon
didn’t pick up on my first attempt, but she did on my quick second attempt with
a huge yawn.

“Amanda?
Is everything OK? It’s almost 2 in the morning,” she said groggily.

“Sorry
to wake you up,” I said, peering through my curtains onto the street below; the
black car containing the two bodyguards was still parked on the curb. Were they
going to stay all night?

“That’s
fine, it’s what friends are for,” Sharon said, only slightly grumpy. “What’s
up?”

I took
a deep breath, ready to explain to her everything that had happened.

“It’s
really hard to know where to start…”

“This
is about a guy, isn’t it?” Sharon asked shrewdly. “The family friend guy?
Mathis?”

“Yes,”
I admitted. “But things just got way more complicated than I can handle.”

“I told
you that getting involved with him was a bad idea,” Sharon sighed. “What
happened?”

“It’s
hard to explain,” I hedged. “We–”

“Did
you guys have sex?” Sharon interrupted bluntly.

“Well,
we did – but it’s not that simple. Sharon, Mathis is in real trouble and
somehow I got caught up in all of it,” I said in a tumble before Sharon could
get too wrapped up in the details.

“You’re
going to need to start from the beginning,” Sharon told me, kindly letting me
give the whole story before telling me how crazy she thought I was for sleeping
with the gossiped-about playboy.

“I’m
trying! So after our training session, we got caught up in the moment when we went
outside and stood in the rain – it was a romantic moment and we got caught up
in it. Somehow we ended up kissing, but I got confused. I remembered what you
said about him being a playboy, and I freaked out and ran away.”

“Oh my
god, you ran away? Are you serious right now?”

“Well,
he followed me – he actually ran after me and kissed me again. We were in my
car, and he asked me if I wanted to give our relationship a try,” I said.

“Oh…”
Sharon paused in thought. “Amanda, that’s huge! What are you going to do?”

“That’s
not it,” I said heavily. “Promise not to freak out, okay?”

“You
had naughty car sex?” Sharon asked gleefully. “Don’t worry, Honey. We’ve all
been there. Once, before I met Ryan, there was this night at the drive-in with–”

“Shaz,
please don’t finish that sentence,” Ryan’s sleepy voice chimed in from the
background.

“Rye,
go back to sleep,” Sharon told her boyfriend. “I’ll go onto the porch,” she
told me as I heard her scuttling through the phone. “Go on – what happened?”

“Do you
promise not to freak out?” I asked.

“Cross
my heart,” Sharon promised. I could practically feel her jumping up and down in
anticipation. I took a deep breath before I took the plunge.

“We got
caught up in a shooting,” I said meekly.

“Oh
what the fuck?” she exclaimed, suddenly very serious. “What the hell happened?
Are you okay? Did you get hurt??”

“I’m
fine,” I assured her. “Mathis got hurt, and I drove him back to his place. I
stayed for a while to make sure he was okay, and, well, one thing led to
another. We got caught up with the adrenaline rush and… things happened.”

“Oh…wow,”
Sharon sighed. “That’s actually kinda sexy. Minus the almost getting shot
part,” she added trying to humorously lighten the conversation.

“There’s
more, though,” I told her.

“More?
Wow, this was one crazy night,” Sharon marveled. As always when she was caught
up in a good story, her emotions bounced around like a Yo-yo.

“It
turns out that Mathis knew the people who shot at us. They were threatening him
for his money. He was involved in something bad as a kid – way before he met me
– but he’s completely straight now. But now these guys want him to pay some
kind of hush money and they’re willing to threaten his life to get it.” I
spewed out the information quickly like ripping off a Band-Aid.

“Whoa,
Amanda. This guy can’t possibly be worth your own safety,” Sharon said,
sounding extremely worried. “That’s some heavy stuff to get involved in.”

“But
the way he acted,” I insisted, “he was so concerned for me. It seemed like all
he cared about was that I was safe. He insisted that I’d be safer away from
him, and he even sent bodyguards to protect me.”

“Holy
crap…are you sure you’re completely safe?” Sharon asked, alarmed.

“I’m
fine. The bodyguards are still outside my place, but who knows what’ll happen
to Mathis now.”

“Amanda
– you need to drop this guy,” Sharon said. “He was right about one thing:
you’re safer away from him.”

“But
Sharon,” I argued, my heart splitting into tiny pieces because I knew it was
true, “everything I used to feel for Mathis is flooding back. It’s as if there
was a piece missing from my life and now I’ve found it. I’ve never felt like
this about someone else. Ever. Usually if something like this happened, I’d
drop the guy like a hot potato, but Mathis is different. All I can think about
is whether he’s okay and when I can see him again.”

“Oh
no,” Sharon said, “You’ve got it bad. Amanda, why do you always have to go for
the dangerous ones?”

“Mathis
wasn’t dangerous before,” I defended myself. “If it was anyone else, I’d be
running away, but I know he’s a good person. I can see that he’s built up a
wall to protect himself, but underneath he’s that same person I fell in love
with all those years ago. I’m not sure I ever stopped caring about him. I don’t
even think I could stop if I wanted to.”

“I just
hate to think about how bad you could get hurt – not just by him, but by this
stuff he’s got going on around him,” Sharon said. “You’re my best friend. The
last thing I want you to do is get involved with a guy who’s no good, no matter
how rich or sexy he is. You’re like my sister, and I can’t let you do that to
yourself.”

“I
know,” I said, “but I think that whatever happens, I need to help him. I need
to be near him. He’s a good guy – I know it.”

I heard
Sharon let out a sigh on the other end of the phone. “Just be careful,” Sharon
warned. “I love you, Amanda. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“I
know,” I said. “Thank you for listening to me. It’s too late for me to walk
away from him.”

“In
that case,” Sharon said, “I really hope he cares about you as much as you care
about him.”

I
thanked Sharon again for listening to me so late at night before hanging up. I
really understood where she was coming from. It was the totally rational way of
seeing the situation objectively. But…this situation was just…different. As I
lay in bed, trying to erase the images of the evening from my head and drift
off to sleep, I mulled Sharon’s words over in my mind. Was it too much to
believe that Mathis truly cared about me?

I lay
awake long into the night, wondering how long it would be before Mathis called
me.

Jennifer's palms
were slick with sweat as she rode to work in a cab. She could have called the
car service and used the card Philip had given her, but she balked at the idea.
It seemed too much like him paying her for services received. The job alone was
almost too close to payment for comfort. She'd originally considered taking the
subway or even walking since the weather was so nice, but the moment she'd seen
herself in the mirror, she'd changed her mind. Her face had been pale, her
hands trembling. She hadn't slept well and it had taken a large cup of coffee
and a handful of crackers to start calming her nerves. The problem was, she
wasn't just anxious about how Philip would react to her having left early the
day before—though that was part of it. The majority of her anxiety, however,
was in regards to something a bit more personal. Philip had already proven that
he could cycle from hot to cold at a crazy, rapid rate, and after what had
happened before, she had no clue which Philip would be waiting for her.

She'd dressed for
ambiguity. A plain black skirt that ended an inch above her knees, and a
matching blazer over a white blouse. The ensemble flattered her figure but she
still looked professional. She'd opted for simplicity for her hair as well,
twisting it up behind her head again. It was neat but would be easy to take out
if she – or Philip – wanted.

***

Within minutes of
arriving at work, Jennifer knew that Philip was in the distant mode. He didn't
mention anything about the previous day, not the sex, the phone call or her
early departure. In fact, he acted as if the entire day hadn't happened at all.

At first, Jennifer
thought it was a good thing that he wasn't making a big deal about the whole
thing and that he'd eventually thaw like he had before. Maybe, she thought, he
was embarrassed by his behavior and worried about how she would react, so she
kept things professional as she did the work he asked of her.
Most of it
was mindless, menial work that only partially distracted her from the matter at
hand.

As the morning went
on, however, Jennifer began to wonder if Philip was ever going to come around.
Her previous frustration at his behavior began creeping up on her. By the time
she came back from lunch, she'd decided that it was time to be proactive.

When Philip
reentered the office, a serious, distracted expression on his face, Jennifer
gathered her courage and marched over to the desk. He hung his jacket over the
back of his chair while she tried to figure out what to do with her hands.
She'd settled on folding them in front of her when Philip turned. A brief
expression of surprise flitted across his face and then disappeared behind a
business-like mask.

“Have you finished
proofing the shareholders' report?” He didn't meet her eyes, focusing instead
on shuffling papers on his desk.

“Yes,” Jennifer
answered. She hesitated, then plunged ahead. “Can we talk?”

Philip raised his
head, his expression unreadable. “Go ahead. Talk.”

“Yesterday, when we
were...” She flushed but pushed on. “When we were in the records room, you got
a...”

Philip's cell
buzzed as an unfamiliar ringtone cut into Jennifer's question. He held up a
finger, putting Jennifer on pause, and pulled his phone out. Jennifer waited as
he read the text, trying not to let her frustration grow. That became decidedly
more difficult when Philip pocketed his phone and picked up his jacket again.

“I have to step out
for a few minutes.” He shrugged into the jacket.

Jennifer blinked.
Had he seriously just blown her off without so much as an apology?

“Stay put. I'll be
right back and we'll get started on the next project.” With that direction,
Philip walked out of the office, leaving Jennifer standing in front of his
desk.

She was frozen
there, unable to believe she'd just been dismissed so rudely for the second
time in two days. It was the sound of a woman's voice that broke her paralysis.

“Philip, darling,
how wonderful to see you.”

Jennifer turned.
Philip hadn't closed the door all of the way behind him. Jennifer was moving
towards it before she even realized what she was doing. A small part of her
reminded her that Philip had told her to stay, but she pushed it aside. She
wasn't leaving the office and there was no way he'd meant for her to stay at
the actual desk. That would have just been absurd.

She peeked through
the opening as the woman began to speak again. “It's been too long. Time's been
good to you.”

Jennifer's heart
dropped as she laid eyes on the speaker. She couldn't see a lot, but what she
did see was enough. The woman, to whom Philip was talking, was tall and slender
with dark red curls that looked like they'd been on the receiving end of a
haircut more expensive than Jennifer's entire outfit, probably more expensive
than Jennifer's entire wardrobe, actually. And, speaking of wardrobes, the
woman's clothing was easily as well-tailored as Philip's, which was saying
something. Her face had the elegant features and fine bone structure that women
envied and men coveted. Jennifer suddenly felt frumpy and decidedly
unattractive. This was the type of woman one expected to see with a man like
Philip.

“Well, I don't have
much time right now,” the stranger continued talking again after pleasantries
had been exchanged. “But I hope we'll get to catch up more some other time.”
Her voice was even and cultured.

Jennifer felt her
stomach turn to ice as the woman handed Philip a piece of paper and kissed him
on the cheek. Philip watched the woman leave, and though Jennifer couldn't see
his face, she could only imagine the admiration she'd see as he watched the
woman go. The thought made her feel nauseous. Maybe she'd been right before and
Philip had just been using her for sex. She wasn't like that lady. There was no
way a woman like that would let any man tie her to a filing cabinet and do those
other things to her. And she certainly wouldn't enjoy it. Her face flushed as
she thought of all of the things Brad had said about her when they'd been
dating.

“It's a good
thing you act like such a little whore. It's the only way you'll ever get a promotion.”

“You better get
used to doing whatever a man tells you to because you're not a good enough fuck
to get away with the vanilla stuff.”

“You should
know, the only way a man's going to put up with your shit is if you just shut
up and do whatever he says.”

Even as Brad's
words echoed in her mind, she couldn't help but wonder if that was the way
Philip saw her too: a woman willing to do whatever he said for a job.

Jennifer shook away
the memories and returned her attention to her boss. As the woman disappeared,
Philip glanced at the note and then shoved it into his jacket pocket. Jennifer
turned and hurried back to the desk. She still wasn't sure if Philip had meant
his statement literally or not, but she was sure he wouldn't like her
eavesdropping.

“On to business,”
Philip's voice was brisk as he entered his office. “Since we both left early
yesterday, we're a bit behind.”

Jennifer waited for
him to address the reasons for the early exits, but it never came. Instead,
Philip sat down and motioned for her to do the same. She complied, still
waiting for him to talk about the proverbial elephant in the room.

“We don't have time
for small talk,” Philip picked up a file and handed it to Jennifer. “We need to
look over the quarterly reports from each hotel and make sure there aren't any
discrepancies.”

Jennifer's mind was
reeling but she accepted the folder. A question popped into her mind. “Isn't
this what accountants do?”

A ghost of a smile
played across his lips but never fully emerged. “True, but in my opinion, the
owner should know his business better than some accountant. I always look over
the reports before sending them over for a more detailed check.”

“Philip,” the
near-smile had prompted Jennifer to be bold, “who were you talking to?”

He waved a
dismissive hand. “No one you need to worry about.”

Jennifer barely
managed to keep herself from flinching. It wasn't the words, really, but the
tone, as if her place didn't merit a real answer. If it had been business,
shouldn't she know what it was about, if he was training her? And if it wasn't
business, that could only mean that it had been a personal visit. And if they
were in a relationship, shouldn't he be able to share that with her too? Either
way, it meant that she didn't mean as much to Philip as she'd
hoped—professionally or personally.

The rest of the day
was a blur of numbers and columns, of short word exchanges regarding only
business. Jennifer didn't bring up the woman or the day before or anything that
wasn't related to the work at hand, and Philip didn't volunteer anything. The
more time that passed, the more Jennifer was certain that Philip wanted her
when he wanted her and nothing more.

When they'd finally
finished the last set of papers, Jennifer considered trying to talk to Philip
again, but it was only a half-hearted thought. She wasn't sure she had the
strength for another run-around and she knew that she certainly didn't have the
stomach for it, not today anyway.

“I think we're done
for the day.” Philip set down his pen without looking at Jennifer. He stood.
“If you want to go over things again, feel free. Leave whenever you're ready.”

As he pulled his
keys from his pocket, a piece of paper fluttered down onto the desk. He was
already half-way to the door when Jennifer realized what it was he'd dropped.
She opened her mouth to tell him, but he was already out the door. She knew she
should either take the note and go after him, or just leave it for him to find
tomorrow. Either of those choices would be the right thing to do, but she
didn't move.

She had so many
questions, about Philip, about what was happening between the two of them, and
it didn't look like Philip intended to address any of them any time soon, if
ever. At least one of those questions had an answer within arm's reach. What
she wanted mingled with her curiosity, fueling her desire. She'd always been a
curious child, full of questions and always getting into trouble when she tried
to figure out things. It had only been with Brad that she'd tamed that impulse
because she often found out things she wished she hadn't known. Now, with
Philip, she found that the curiosity was back in full force.

“I shouldn't,” she
murmured, as if hearing the words out loud would make her not want to do it
anymore.

It didn't work.

“Then again,” the
curious questioning part of her countered. “It isn't like I'm really snooping
or anything like that. It's more rude or inconsiderate, right?” She knew she
was trying to justify what she wanted, but she couldn't quite stop herself now
that she'd started. It was just too easy to make excuses. “And it's not like
Philip's been all nice and polite himself. He's had his own moments of being
rude and inconsiderate.”

She reached out,
her hand hesitating as it hovered over the note. The brief internal debate
raged for another minute before Jennifer snatched up the wrinkled paper and
spread it on the table in front of her.

The first thing
that she noticed was that the handwriting wasn't as feminine as she'd thought
it would be. It wasn't particularly masculine either, just neat and
business-like. She supposed it just supported her earlier thought that maybe
this mystery woman would be a better fit for Philip. Then she read the note and
everything else faded away. She read the words twice, desperate to draw meaning
from something so cryptic.

Philip, it has
been too long since we have seen each other. Now that we need each other,
perhaps we should forget our past and move towards a closer relationship. I
hope to see you soon. J.