Rebellion (A Dangerous Man, #2) (5 page)

“What NDA?” I ask, an involuntary frown working its way to
my face.

Reiko studies my face. “I...” for the first time since I met
her she seems unsure what to say. She frowns, obviously uncomfortable. “I’m
just not supposed to tell anyone about you.” She says finally.

I swallow, trying to keep my face calm even though my mind
is churning. “Of course.” I pause outside for a moment while she joins Mrs.
Daniels in the dressing room. A Non-Disclosure Agreement! Why? I don’t understand.

Is David keeping me a secret?

I think of the beauty team, the only other people I’ve met.
Do they have orders not to mention me to anyone too?

Reiko and Mrs. Daniels are hanging up clothes, talking
pleasantly about how to organize the closet. I can’t bring myself to join them.
The questions are raging in my mind. Why am I a secret?

Why am I such a secret that people have to sign a contract
before they can see me.

My mind goes into overdrive, churning out possibilities.

Is he ashamed of me, ashamed of his spur of the moment
decision to tie himself to me? As far as I know, he could be working with his
lawyers now trying to find a quiet way to get rid of me.

Is there someone else, someone he would rather be with
maybe, someone he wouldn’t want to find out about me?

Everything starts to fall into place. Almost a week in
Seattle, and I have never been anywhere with him.

Leaving Reiko and Mrs. Daniels in the dressing room, I find
my tablet and go to David’s study. There is a soft leather sofa near the door,
and I sit there, starting the tablet and going straight to the web browser.

I’ve looked at the web encyclopedia page on him before, but
I didn’t really read it. I was just psyched that he had one. Now I go through
the little summary window at the side. It has all the information, like his
date and place of birth, alma mater, etc. but there is no field for spouse.

There would be one if anyone knew about me.

I’m a secret.

Why?

My phone rings, startling me.

I look at the screen and see David’s name. I spend a few
seconds debating whether I want to talk to him. With all the emotions raging
within me, I’ll probably get hysterical if I try to ask him what it all means.

I take a deep breath. “Hello.” I say quietly.

“Sophie.” I try not to get lost in the warmth of his voice,
at least not until I understand what’s going on.

“I hope you can go out tonight.” He says, putting a big
hole in all the conclusions I’ve drawn.

I’m silent for a few moments, confused. “You want us to go
out together?”

There is a short pause at his end. “Yes.” He says finally.

So apparently, I’m not going to be a secret anymore, but
that doesn’t change the fact that he’s had people sign a document to keep my
existence quiet. “Where?” I ask.

“Just dinner.” He says, naming one of the more popular
restaurants in the city.

“Oh. Okay.” I still don’t understand any of it, but I decide
to wait until he comes home to ask him about the NDA.

When I finally come out of the study, Reiko has already left.
I spent a few minutes putting away my sketches, still deep in thought. A few
minutes ago, I was convinced that he was keeping our marriage silent because he
wants to end it with as little fuss as possible, now I’m not sure of anything.
It’s frustrating not to know where you stand with someone who means so much to
you.

I should select something to wear from my new wardrobe, but
my thoughts are in too much of a mess. I think about calling Stacey to pour out
my confusions to her, but I know how worried she’ll get.

Finally, I return to the living room, still deep in thought,
and find myself face to face with a stranger.

She is an older woman, in her late fifties or early sixties,
tall and slender, with thick wavy black hair and sparkling blue eyes. There’s
something vaguely familiar about her straight nose, determined chin and sharp
cheekbones. She smiles at me, the expression on her face welcoming and warm, as
if we’ve known each other for a long time, and are on the best of terms. I cast
a curious glance at Mrs. Daniels, who’s standing by the foyer door, not looking
happy at all. I turn back to the woman.

“You must be Sophie.” She declares, still smiling, and
immediately I know who she is.

She moves towards me, determined and graceful. I’m not
expecting the warm hug she gives me.

“I’m Marianne Weber,” She coos, stepping back to take a good
look at me, “David’s mother.”

I’ve already guessed as much, but I still turn to Mrs.
Daniel’s for confirmation, which she gives with a small nod, still looking extremely
unhappy.

Briefly, I wonder at the misgivings that are so clear on the
housekeeper’s face, then I turn back to my guest. “I’m pleased to meet you.” I
say politely.

“I didn’t believe it when I heard,” She exclaims. She sounds
playful and intimate as she leads me to a couch, “and you are so cute.” She
gives me a smile that is so like her son’s. “Won’t you tell me about yourself?
How did you meet David?” There’s something about her that instantly invites
confidence, or maybe it’s just that I’ve gone through life desperately wanting
a mother. I find myself wanting to talk to her. It makes me feel awkward.

“Well...” I notice Mrs. Daniels disappear into the kitchen.
This is really odd. It’s obvious that whoever told his mother about me, it
wasn’t David. I’m sure he has no idea that she’s here... and yet as she smiles at
me, her sparkling eyes urging me to answer her question, I realize that I want
to.

“He came into the gift shop where I was working as an
assistant,” I say, “he wanted to buy a gift.” I pause, “for you actually.”

She laughs merrily, as if I’ve said something terribly funny,
“and then it was love at first sight.” She states.

For me,  it probably was, but I still don’t know about
David, so I don’t say anything

She wants to know everything about me. As we talk, I try my
best not to give away too much, and not to sound evasive either.

“You should go out,” she states finally, “make friends, meet
people, and discover the city on your own.” Her voice is earnest. “I’m only
here a few weeks every year these days, but whenever I’m in town we could have
lunch, get to know each other better.

“That would be lovely.” I mean it.

I hear the elevator bell. Moments later, David walks into
the living room, his face hardening to stone when he sees who I’m with.

It’s really early for him to come home. I immediately
suspect that Mrs. Daniels called him to tell him his mother was with me. I look
from him to his mother, and I’m sad to see the longing on her face. She loves
him, I realize, and he’s shut her out. That’s his revenge for all the years she
ignored him.

I get up from the couch. “I was just getting to know your
mother.” I say cheerfully. I’m annoyed that he has kept her from me, but I’m
also eager to ease the tension I can sense in the room.

“Isn’t that wonderful,” His smile seems made of ice, “and
now she is leaving.”

“David...” her voice is a plea.

“David!” I exclaim at the same time, shocked at his
rudeness.

He ignores me. “Why did you come here?” he says to her, the contempt
in his voice unrelenting.

She sighs. “David, my son got married, and I had no idea.”
She looks exasperated, “I just wanted to meet Sophie.”

Her answer doesn’t get anywhere with him. “I don’t want you
here,” his voice is steel, “The next time you cajole anyone to let you in I
will fire them.”

I see her stiffen, and square her shoulders. I hate that he
is humiliating her. No matter their history she is still his mother.

“No,  you won’t.” my voice is hesitant, but I can see that he’s
hurting her, and I don’t like it, “and you may not want her here, but I do.”

David looks at me in surprise, his expression soon changes
to exasperation. “Sophie...” he starts.

“No stop,” I interrupt, “Why don’t you want her here? Is it because
you want to continue keeping me a secret? Why don’t you make her sign a non-disclosure
agreement?”

His eyes narrow. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Don’t I?” I stare at him squarely, “didn’t you make the
beauty team, the personal shopper, every person I’ve spoken to in all the days
you’ve kept me hidden in this apartment sign a document to prevent them for
saying anything to anyone about me?”

He runs a hand through his hair and glares past me at his
mother. She shrugs, the movement of her shoulders saying she knew nothing about
it. “You wouldn’t understand.” He says finally, his eyes meeting mine.

My annoyance turns to pain. It’s bad enough that he thinks
it’s okay to keep me a secret, but to keep things from me because he think I
don’t have the capacity to understand them is just insulting. Of course, I tell
myself. It’s already clear that he doesn’t have any feelings for me. I’m just a
willing body to him, a warm body he doesn’t have to tell anything.

I turn away from him and walk out of the room. At that
moment,  I almost wish that I’d never met him. I’m tired of the feelings that
have taken over me, the love, the frustration, the desperation, the deep
sadness that comes with knowing I mean nothing to him.

“I hope you’re glad.” I hear him say to his mother as I
step out of the room. His voice is like gravel.

I pause, “I’m sorry,” I hear her say apologetically. “I had
no idea.”

“Well now you do.”

There is a short pause, and then I hear her voice again. “An
NDA seems rather extreme... Does this have anything to do with Carole Banks?”

I don’t hear what he says to her, but I hear her footsteps
as she leaves. Carole Banks, I remember I’ve heard that name before, that first
night in his study. Who is she, and what does she have to do with anything?  

M
Y TABLET IS STILL IN DAVID’S STUDY, so that’s where I go, hoping
that he won’t follow me. I hate that I have to find things out about my husband
from the internet.

I start up the tablet again as I settle on the leather sofa,
and search for Carole Banks. I sift through all the many profiles until I find
one that seems likely. She’s a heiress, with a social life that spans New York,
Palm Beach and Europe. Born in Seattle, her father was Marshall Banks, a name
that’s only vaguely familiar until I remember the name of the investor who
helped to make David’s first fortune by investing in a video game company David
started with a couple of his friends while they were still in college.

I search for her name coupled with David’s and the articles
that come up fill me with dismay. I click on images, and what I see is the
story of a long relationship that seems to span several countries and numerous
events. There are pictures of them together at gallery openings, benefits,
nightclubs, vacations, and even at her father’s funeral where she leans on him
while he holds her hand.

It wouldn’t be so painful if they didn’t look so good
together, he tall handsome and intense, she with her wavy red hair, deep green
eyes and languid smile. A hot stab of jealousy passes through me, coupled with
sadness. How could I have thought any of this was real? I can’t imagine how
even for a moment, he’ll prefer me to her.

In all the articles, there’s a strong indication that the
writers consider them a couple. The latest, which has them together at a book
launch, is only a few weeks before I met David in Ashford.

The door opens and David steps into the room, looking
worried. His expression changes to relief when he sees me sitting there. 

“I’ve been looking for you.”

I shrug, turning back to the tablet, I’m angry, jealous and
in love. It’s not a very good combination.

He comes closer to me and his eyes take in the search pages
I have open on screen of the tablet. “Nothing you find there has anything to do
with me and you.” He says.

I can feel my heart breaking as I look at him. Is there a
‘him’ and ‘me’? Right now, I’m not so sure. I want to ask him once and for all,
how he actually feels about me, but I’m afraid I won’t like the answer. I turn
back to the pictures on my tablet and stare at them for a long moment.

“Tell me about her.” I ask.

“There’s nothing to tell.”

“Really?” I glare at him, “because it’s very clear here that
she was your girlfriend only a short time ago.

He shrugs, “Don’t believe everything you read in the papers
Sophie. We saw each other on and off for a while, but it’s been over for a long
time.”

“Do you love her?” I ask, unable to keep the jealousy I feel
from creeping into my voice. “Is that why you’re keeping me hidden, so that she
won’t find out about me?”

He sighs and walks over to me, coming to sit beside me. I
try not to be distracted by how beautiful he is, by the intensity in his eyes.
I have to try very hard to breathe. “You don’t need to concern yourself about
Carole.” He says, his eyes holding mine and keeping me captive.

I want to believe him so much, even though he hasn’t even
bothered to answer my question.

“Her father invested a lot in your career.” I start, looking
away from him.

“In return for a huge profit,” He says coaxingly, “It was
good business, and he made money from Preston Corp every day we’ve been in
existence.”

I close my eyes and take a breath. “All those pictures of
the two of you...”

“Mean nothing,” he says, “We went to a lot of the same
places, and people are used to mentioning our names together.”

I sniff, unconvinced. “Why don’t you want anyone to know
about me?” I ask.

There is a long pause as I wait for him to answer my
question. My breath catches in my throat.

He doesn’t reply. Abruptly, I get up, abandoning the tablet
on the sofa. “Fine, don’t tell me.” I mutter, making for the door. If I needed
any proof that I mean nothing to him, this is it. If he cared about me, he
would tell me what I need to know. He wouldn’t keep me living in this limbo of
not knowing where I stand.