Protecting Lulu (Global Protection Agency) (23 page)

“Do
you talk to him about me and other guys?” Noah asked almost afraid to hear the
answer.

E.J.
slanted a glance at him. “Seriously? You’re not that interesting.”

Noah
stared at her, surprised. He remembered when he’d first hired E.J. She hadn’t
been much of a talker. She’d done her job and gone home. Now, she’d turned into
this passionate woman that surprised Noah to no end.

The
elevator reached the ground floor and as they walked out of the building, Noah
got to thinking about how Lulu had changed everybody in this upbeat, unusual
way. Even Noah had given extra thought to what he’d planned to wear today,
aware that some of his suits needed to be replaced. Gideon had started to take
a yoga class to relieve his stress. Something he would never have been caught
dead doing B. L.—before Lulu.

As
he shoved open the door into the frigid January air, the next thought that
struck Noah almost stopped him. Lulu was a powerful woman and Noah half
suspected that deep down inside Jake couldn’t handle being Mr. Lulu Bennington.
He turned to E.J. “Who wants to be Mr. Lulu Bennington? That’s a hard thing on
a man.”

“Are
you excusing his behavior?” E.J. asked.

“No,
he’s still an idiot.”

She
eyed him curiously. “Could you manage being Mr. Lulu Bennington?”

“I’m
never going to get a chance to know.” His heart missed a beat. “Women like Lulu
mess around with guys like me. They don’t marry us. End of this conversation.”

He
and E.J. got into the Escalade. He glanced at E.J. She hadn’t said anything
further, but he thought he detected pity in her eyes.

The
Bennington estate faced Huntington Bay, standing high on a bluff overlooking
the gray water, with tall trees on either side of it. A long expanse of lawn
wandered toward the bluff. To one side deep steps had been cut into the side of
the bluff leading down to their own private beach. The trees looked forlorn and
bare, but Wilder knew in another two months spring would bring green leaves
back to them. Spring was Wilder’s favorite time of year.

Aunt
Julia stood in the enclosed, porch a long scarf trailing behind her as she gave
Wilder a kiss on the cheek. “Welcome home, Wilder.” She turned to E.J. and gave
her a kiss on the cheek, too.

“I’ll
show E.J. to her room.” Aunt Julia slipped her arm through E.J.’s as they
entered the house. “I don’t expect much,” Aunt Julia chattered, “but I do like
having my babies home for a weekend.”

E.J.
said something Wilder couldn’t quite catch as she walked up the stairs with
Aunt Julia.

Wilder
watched as Julia led the way up the stairs to the second floor. Lulu would be
along later with her coterie of bodyguards. Wilder wanted some time to be
alone. A shadow moved outside the windows overlooking the rose garden. Wilder
caught a glimpse of Julia’s bodyguard detail. This whole situation with Lulu’s
stalker had everyone on edge and taken on an almost surreal feel.

In
his room, Wilder hung up his coat and stood at the window looking out over the
Bay. His thoughts wandered for a moment remembering all the happy times when
he’d been a boy and walked the beach with his mother. Lulu had been a toddler
at the time and would rush toward the surf and then back away. Wilder
remembered the time she’d dug down deep into the sand and found a crab. She’d
been so delighted by her find.

A
knock sounded on the door and E.J. entered. “Your Aunt Julia is a hoot.”

“She
comes by it naturally.” Wilder sat down in a chair flanking the fireplace. A
roaring fire warmed him as he stretched his cold feet toward it.

E.J.
sat in the other chair and for a moment Wilder had this odd thought of how
comfortable they were together. On the fireplace mantle were photos of Lulu,
Wilder, Aunt Julia and Grandma Penny. E.J. asked about them and Wilder
explained the relationships.

“What
was it like having an actress as a grandmother?” E.J. put the photo back on the
mantle. “I looked her up on the Internet Movie Database, she did a lot of B
horror movies.” She snickered. “Zombie Queen from Mars.”

“Grandma
Penny would be the first to admit she was never Oscar material, but until she
married my grandfather she was very much in-demand.”

E.J.
simply smiled. “What’s she like?”

“She
is a pistol. She’s the reason Viagra was invented.”

“Wow!”
E.J. said.

“Grandma
Penny was quite the vixen in her day. Still is with her fire engine red hair.”

“Did
you have a little boyhood crush on her?”

“I’ve
always been a little bit in love with Penny. In fact with your red hair and
pale skin, you remind me of her a little.”

E.
J.’s eyebrows rose. “I look like her?”

“Superficially.
She was a little more…uh.” How did he say it politely?

“I
saw some of the movie posters, she had big ta tas.”

“Exactly,”
Wilder said with a chuckle.

“Will
I get to meet her?”

“She
lives in New Orleans.” In fact, she lived in a house in the French Quarter that
had originally been a brothel owned by her own grandmother. Wilder had been
fascinated by the house as a child. “Aunt Julia visits her four or five times
year. I try to get out there at least twice. Lulu goes more often. She and
Grandma Penny bonded from the first moment Lulu saw her when she was about
three hours old. Grandma Penny had a lot to do with why Lulu is the way she
is.” Lulu had the same seductive quality. Deep down Lulu was a flirt, just like
Penny.

Wilder’s
first memory of Penny was her laugh. He grew up loving her laugh. He understood
why his grandfather married her. He’d been captivated by her. His first wife
had been the joining of two wealthy families—the Benningtons and the real
estate mogul deVries. Wilder and Lulu’s father had been the only child from
that marriage. After grandma died, grandpa married his second wife, Marcia out
of loneliness, and divorced her after Uncle Hiram had been born. Penny had been
the love of grandpa Bennington’s life. Her vivacious personality and her slow
Southern drawl had enchanted everyone. When she presented him with a daughter,
he’d been delighted. Grandpa Bennington had been fiercely protective of Aunt
Julia, indulging her in a way he’d never indulged his sons.

“I’d
like to meet her, sometime,” E.J. said.

They
fell into a comfortable silence. Wilder watched the flames flicker in the
fireplace. The warmth lulled him into a peacefulness he hadn’t felt for a
while. This house always did that to him. He always felt safe here. Julia had
brought Wilder and Lulu back to this house after their parent’s funeral. There
was always something healing about this place.

“Tell
me,” Wilder said, “Are Lulu and Noah sleeping together yet?”

E.J.
stared at him in surprise. “That would be unprofessional of Noah.”

He
gave her a long look. Not that he didn’t believe her, but he supposed he’d have
to accept it. “Is that the story you’re sticking with?”

She
nodded.

“I
commend your loyalty,” he said.

“I
would imagine it would be hard dating someone like your sister. Jake O’Malley
didn’t manage the relationship too well.

“Men
like Jake O’Malley are not made for powerful women,” Wilder said.

“He
couldn’t handle being Mr. Lulu Bennington. I can see how he would be afraid of
that.”

“I’m
a powerful man. It’s easier for me to find a date.”

“What
an ego you have.”

“It’s
reality,” Wilder replied. “I’ve watched my sister for a long time. Jake
O’Malley was a mistake. Lulu thought he had substance because he paid attention
to her and in some ways stood up to her. He did a good job of operating in our
world. Lulu thought he would fit in. But he made a mistake even though he thought
he could come back and Lulu would be grateful to have him back. “

E.J.
chuckled. “He didn’t see the rejection coming at him, did he?”

“Jake
thought she’d take him back because he was Jake O’Malley. He forgot that Lulu
is Lulu.”

“What
makes you think Noah could be Mr. Lulu Bennington?” E.J. asked.

“I
don’t think a lot of people would have the nerve to call Noah, Mr. Lulu
Bennington and he certainly isn’t intimidated by her. There are few men who
aren’t.” Some days he was even one of them.

“I
know you’re right.”

“Edwina
June,” he suddenly said. Remembering their game about her name and the reward
of seeing her naked should he guess correctly.

“Impressive.
You thought if you threw it out there, I’d slip and tell you.” she answered
with a smug grin.

One
can hope. He shrugged. He’d get it soon enough. He was enjoying their game. “Erica
Juniper,” he said.

“Not
even close.”

“Ella
Jean?”

“Nope.”

“Etna
Jill.”

E.J.
burst out laughing. “Keep trying, Wild boy. You’ll never guess it.”

“I
could cheat and ask someone.”

She
grinned. “You do that and see how far you get.”

He
wondered why she felt so confident no one would tell him her name. He rolled a
few more E and J name combinations around his head, but came up with nothing. Her
name had to be really unusual. Where did he find an unusual set of names?

She
grinned as she walked out the door.

He
liked her. She wasn’t impressed with him. He glanced at an empty spot on the
wall. His favorite Monet used to hang there, but it had been stolen years ago. He
wondered if she might know where it was.

The
fire crackled and he got up to put another log on it. Outside a few snowflakes
drifted past the window. He heard a car door slam and Lulu’s laugh filtered up
to him. His sister had arrived.

Noah
stood at the window in the living room looking out over the snow covered lawn. The
weekend visit had provided just the right amount of relaxation. The food had
been unusually good. Julia know how to set a table. Noah had actually felt peaceful
with the banter between Julia, Wilder and Lulu. Ian had chimed in, holding his
own and even E.J. had contributed to the conversation when generally she was
completely silent.

Out
in the bay, waves crested in white caps and even as far as the house was from
the beach, he could hear the roar of the waves crashing against the sand.

Outside,
two guards walked the perimeter, huddled in their thick coats, hats and ear
muffs. Noah changed them out every hour. He didn’t need guards with frost bite.
Inside the living room, Aunt Julia held court like a queen. She chatted with
Gideon and Roman while Ian fixed mimosas. According to Lulu a monthly lunch with
Aunt Julia was a tradition.

Lulu
crossed her legs and smiled at her aunt as she sipped her mimosa. “Aunt Julia,
I really need to ask you something.”

Aunt
Julia’s eyebrows rose. “And that is?”

“With
all this drama swirling around us, how is it that you with your wild ways were
able to get custody of Wilder and I when Uncle Hiram seemed the better choice?”
Lulu watched her aunt curiously.

Noah
thought that was the big money question.

“Well
one hates to speak ill of the dead, but I guess I could open up the closet and
rattle a few skeletons,” Aunt Julia said with a dramatic flourish.

Wilder
chuckled. “Aunt Julia, you know everybody’s secrets.”

“Knowledge
is power, my darling. Why do you think the Bennington Foundation receives so
many donations? People aren’t charitable. I know where they hide their dirty
laundry.”

Noah
remembered looking up the foundation records. Despite the dip in the economy,
the Bennington Foundation continued to rake in cash. Other foundations were
downsizing, but the Bennington Foundation was growing. In the last year the
foundation had dispersed over a hundred million dollars to various charities.

Lulu
laughed. “What was Uncle Hiram’s secret?”

Aunt
Julia smiled. “I suppose you’re old enough to know. The negatives have been
destroyed.”

“Negatives?”
Lulu leaned forward.

“Darling,”
Aunt Julia said to Ian, “fix me another mimosa.”

Ian
obediently did so and handed the glass to Aunt Julia. Julia took a long sip of
the mimosa, took a deep breath and said, “Uncle Hiram was an adult baby.”

Noah
had no idea what that was. He glanced at Dante who looked as confused as Noah
felt. Noah looked at Gideon whose mouth had fallen open. Ian burst out, “Bloody
hell.”

“What’s
an adult baby?” Harrison asked.

Julia
set her glass down. “Let me preface this by saying that Hiram’s mother, Marcia
was a Dayton. God knows their pedigree goes back to Adam and Eve, but there’s a
lot of inbreeding here. Most of the Daytons had some strange … predilections.” She
paused a moment and took another deep breath. “An adult baby is a grown person
who likes to dress up in diapers and rubber pants and pretend to be a baby. He
had a whole room in his house that was an adult sized nursery with adult-sized
stroller, crib and bottles devoted to his hobby.”