I Want Candy (55 page)

Gabriel hesitated. “No.”

“Have you ever touched her or any other employee in a way that could be deemed inappropriate?” Justin asked.

Gabriel thought of the time that he touched Candy’s hand in his office. He remembered how she said it could be viewed as being inappropriate. “Our hands may have touched slightly a few times,” Gabriel answered. “But that isn’t sex.”

“Now you sound like Bill Clinton!” Mandy laughed angrily.

“You know what, Mandy, you just gave me a great idea. Bill Clinton was a lawyer. I think I need to call
mine
. I can get him on the horn in five seconds.” Gabriel dug into his pocket for his cell phone.

“No! No lawyers are needed, Gabriel. This doesn’t need to turn into a big scandal. That would only invite media coverage and a lawsuit that neither of us wants.” Justin looked at Mandy fiercely. “Mandy, one more outburst and I’ll ask you to leave,” Justin warned.

“What he did was disgusting. Everyone looked up to you, Mr. Justice,” Mandy said. “You’re one of the top ten CEOs in the country according to Self magazine. It was my idea to throw you this dinner tonight, and then we find out about your unethical behavior. I wanted to throw up when I read some of this diary tonight!” Mandy turned away with a sick expression.

“Why? Was it because I wasn’t doing those things to
you
?” Gabriel yelled. “Based on your emails to Sarah, I know exactly what you like, and I’m sure it’s more graphic than anything Candy wrote.”

“OK, enough!” Justin screamed as he temporarily turned the recorder off. “Mandy, that’s it. I warned you once already. Gabriel is right. You have a conflict of interest here. Everyone knows you’ve had the hots for him for years. Just leave.”

Mandy stood up, grabbed her purse, and quickly left the conference room, slamming the door behind her.

“And then there were five,” Gabriel said as he crossed his arms again.

“Gabriel, we’re almost finished here.” Justin turned the recorder back on.

“To your knowledge, is Ms. Benet aware of this evening’s events?” Justin asked.

“I don’t believe she knows, no,” Gabriel answered.

“Let the record show that Ms. Benet will need to be contacted,” Justin said to one of the managers.

“Are you and Ms. Benet still romantically involved?” Justin questioned.

“No.”

“Do you plan to be romantically involved in the future?” Justin raised his eyebrow.

“I’d like to be. I can’t speak for her.”

“So, should I interpret that to mean that you plan on pursuing a relationship with her again?” Justin asked.

“Yes, that is my intention,” Gabriel answered, avoiding direct eye contact.

“I appreciate your honesty,” Justin said, sighing in frustration. “You can go now. Consider yourself on leave of absence. You’re not permitted on company grounds until you hear back from us. Do you understand?” Justin asked.

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll walk you to your car. I doubt security will be necessary,” Justin said as he stood up and straightened out his suit jacket. Justin and Gabriel walked shoulder to shoulder, not speaking. There was a nonverbal conversation taking place that both of them understood. As they reached Gabriel’s red Porsche, he turned to Justin.

“I want to thank you for not raking me over the coals. I understand you were only doing your job, and I appreciate the way you handled it.”

“I hate that this is happening, Gabriel. I hate that this is happening to Candy even more so. You both are great people. Unfortunately, you fell in love with the wrong person. There could be stiff consequences.”

“The same thing was said about your being gay. But that didn’t stop you from loving Owen. We can’t help how we feel and who we fall in love with. I saw an opportunity to be with her, and I took it.”

Justin nodded. “Don’t tell me anything that would incriminate you. I wish we could talk in greater detail about this as friends because my curiosity is killing me, but if I’m questioned, I don’t want to have any more information that could damage your career.”

Gabriel tapped Justin’s shoulder. “It’s OK. My career is the least of my worries right now. All I care about is talking to Candy.” Gabriel got into his car and started the engine.

“Gabriel, just one question, strictly off the record, OK?”

“Shoot,” Gabriel responded.

“Why didn’t you just tell me when you had the chance, when you asked to speak to me that day? I could’ve helped you!”

“Because I had just seen what happened to Kyle and I wanted to protect Candy from that sort of scrutiny, just like she tried to protect me from Quentin. Sometimes when we do protect someone, it hurts them in ways we never thought possible.” Gabriel drove away, leaving Justin standing there to ponder his words.

* * *

“Gabriel’s been tryin’ to call me!” Candy said as she burst into Jasmine’s adjoining hotel room. Dallas sat on the couch nursing a Coca Cola.

“I’m surprised after how you did him.” Jasmine rolled her eyes.

“Something isn’t right,” Candy continued. “His voicemails sound frantic.”

“The fact that he called you shows he wants to talk. He had the right to be mad, Candy! You dropped him like a hot potato after everything he’s done for you,” Jasmine added.

Candy sighed. “You all don’t know the real story. You don’t even know why I’m really here! This is all so messed up!” Candy dropped down into a chair, holding herself tightly.

“What’s goin’ on?” Dallas asked as she got up and walked over to her. Jasmine knelt down beside Candy, rubbing her knee.

“Tell us what’s goin’ on. First you tell us Eric asked where you are, then he calls us about your whereabouts, then you text him back, now this! What’s up with you and your exes?” Dallas asked.

Candy rubbed her temples and took a deep breath before revealing the entire story. Fifteen minutes later Jasmine and Dallas sat looking at each other, completely speechless.

“Oh, my God, Candy,” Jasmine finally said as she stood up. “You have to do something. Quentin’s stupid ass will still be there when you get back. You have to tell Gabriel what happened.”

“I can’t,” Candy said as she cried into her hands. “He’ll lose everything.”

“Don’t you think he’d wanna know the truth? You said yourself he was so upset when you called it off with him. Don’t you think he may be relieved to know what really happened?” Dallas asked.

Candy considered what Jasmine and Dallas were saying to her, as well as Kafele’s words.

“I suppose you’re right. When we get back home, I’ll be sure to tell Gabriel the truth, but I’m not lookin’ forward to it.”

“Good! You need to call the police on Quentin and get a restraining order,” Dallas added.

“You’re right. I’ll take care of that too.”

“I know you love him,” Jasmine said, “and I know Gabriel loves you, too. Don’t let Quentin’s sorry ass mess you two up.” Jasmine kissed Candy’s cheek. Candy acknowledged, her mind now more at peace having told the truth.

* * *

Gabriel sped along the highway, darting in and out of traffic as people moved out of his way and honked. He touched his Bluetooth.

“Call Samantha,” he said as he switched lanes once again.

“Hi, Mr. Justice,” Samantha said solemnly. “Bad night, huh? That’s OK though. I’m glad you handled it the way you did.”

“Not the best night, that’s for sure. Thanks for all your help, Sam. I appreciate how you handled everything this evening.”

“You know, Mr. Justice, I don’t see anything wrong with your dating her or anyone else. You’re still the best boss ever. Maybe I’m naive, but things like this happen all the time. It’s common to fall for someone you see all the time, someone you trust. You work at least fifty hours every week, and she’s right there with you. It makes sense!”

“Obviously I agree with you,” Gabriel laughed. “It doesn’t change the consequences though.”

“Are you fired?” Samantha asked.

“Probably. They haven’t said officially, but I’m certain that will be the ultimate decision. The reason I’m calling is to ask for your help. Now that I’m possibly no longer your boss, you’re not obligated to do this, but…”

“I’ll do it! No problem, what is it?” Samantha asked.

“Please book me a flight to Cairo and try to find the hotel where Candy’s staying. I can narrow it down for you. Only call the five-star ones. I have to get over there. She isn’t due back for a long time. There’s no way I can wait that long.

“Cairo, Egypt? Wow! Sure thing. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you, Sam, I appreciate it. Oh, one more thing, you know how you’ve been saying you want to get your MBA?” Gabriel took the exit ramp headed to the airport.

“Yes, but I can’t afford it right now. I have to take care of my son. I’ll get to it eventually.”

“Look in your purse. There’s an envelope in there for you. I felt like a pickpocket putting it in there,” Gabriel laughed.

“Um, hold on,” Samantha said as she grabbed her bag. “I found it.”

“Open it.” Gabriel waited. He listened as Samantha tore the paper and pulled out a card. He listened to her laugh at the picture on the front, then he heard her scream and start to cry.

“Oh, my goodness, Mr. Justice! I can’t believe you did this!” Samantha cried.

“If there’s any left over after you pay for tuition, you can use it towards books, a computer – whatever you wish. You can go in the evenings. I also included a separate check to supplement your income for babysitters or whatever you like. Just in case I never see you again, I wanted to tell you ‘thank you’ for all the hard work you’ve done for me. I know I can be demanding at times,” Gabriel laughed.

Samantha sobbed. “I’m just so overwhelmed. I’m gonna miss you, Mr. Justice. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“No, I think I do. My father did the same for me. I was going to wait to do this for your birthday in September, but I may not see you then. Well, take care. I’ll be checking on you from time to time.” Gabriel got off the phone and saw the airplane lights glowing from afar.

“Here I come, Candy.”

* * *

CHAPTER 19

“OK, he’s fine! He’s fine too! He’s OK. He has too much facial hair, ewww!” Jasmine laughed. Candy and Dallas tripped over each other’s feet as they cackled in the Egyptian night life scene. Their intricately designed high-heeled sandals made clicking sounds against the cobblestone street. The music, bright colors, and tempting aromas enticed Candy as she looked around in amazement, temporarily forgetting her troubles.