The Millionaire's Secret (2 page)

She smiled at him, brushing a lock of red hair out of her face. They were such different people, but they could always find common ground.

“Yes, I am that,” she said, crossing her long legs. “That should be fun. Shall we share a room too?”

He snorted at that.

“We may be grown, my brothers and I, but my mother is quite the traditionalist. I trust the guest bed room will suit you quite well.”

“Sure,” she said, leaning against the window. “It’s not like we’re married.”

He was silent on that, and she watched the snow fall in the night sky. In a few weeks, for the first time in her adult life, she wouldn’t be married. Would it make a difference at all?

Adam watched his wife as they drove through the downtown core, on their way to the airport. She looked so young and innocent tonight, and so very tired. Her insistence to clear up this mess had made him hesitant, it was not the best time for him or his family. And she always thought him so good, so above her. Would she think the same when she found out what they did?

Behati had never met Adam’s family before, although she had heard him speak often of them. There was Rick, his Irish twin brother, 11 months younger, who he was the closest to. Rick helped Adam the most with the company, up until recently. A history of depression had left Adam alone to do even the smallest tasks, and she could see it was weighing on him. Tall and thin, with hair in his eyes, Rick actually looked older than his brother, and regarded her silently when he was introduced.

Liam, the middle child, seemed to look nothing like this, aside from the lanky hips. This, Adam explained, was because he was the child of a different man, an affair that had caused several fights between his parents, for obvious reasons. He was pale, with red hair, and a twinkle about his eyes. Liam was known for his temper, and Adam had warned her to stay out of his way. But Behati had her own way with people, and blurted out the first thing that came to her mind when she met him.

“Holy crap, you’re stunning, aren’t you?”

Liam grinned.

“You’re not so bad yourself, darling,” he said, and Behati tossed her hair.

“So they say.”

The youngest of the bunch, a surprise baby, was Keith, a spunky 16 year old who seemed to be delighted by everything.

“You’re famous, aren’t you? Do you know Brad Pitt?” he asked, and Behati laughed.

“I don’t, because he’s not a dancer. I do know Natalie Portman, does that interest you?”

“Greatly,” Keith wiggled his eyebrows. “Especially if you have her phone number.”

“Such a warm reception, and the lady has yet to take off her coat,” Adam said, shoving through the door with bags.

She had been in the mansion before, although at the time, she had been alone with Adam, and most of their clothes had ended up on the floor before she reached this point in the hallway. Her body tingled thinking about re-enacting that scene. She wouldn’t have minded an audience, either, but Adam seemed to have other plans.

“Where is mother?” he asked, and Rick shrugged.

“She left on Tuesday to deal with the Colorado sector. She said she’d be back ‘when she’s back.”

“Always informative. Colorado has not said a word to me,” Adam grumbled. “So I suspect she’s not there at all. And how are you?” he asked his brother. “Alright?”

“Surviving,” Rick grunted, as the boys moved aside to let Behati hang up her coat.

“Are you a super whiz at DDR, then?” Keith asked her. “Since you’re a dancer?”

“I’ve never played,” she replied, with a shrug. “I imagine I’ll probably suck at it though.”

“Can we let Behati upstairs?” Adam asked. “We’ve just had a long plane ride. Too long, thanks to delays.”

“Did you expect us to control the airports too, Adam?” Liam asked, leaning against the counter. Adam grinned.

“Eventually. I’m sure that was a dream of Father’s as well.”

“I wouldn’t mind a video game,” Behati said, to answer Keith, who was waiting like a puppy dog. “I just need a shower first.”

“Coffee, love?” Adam asked, and she shook her head.

“Nah, I’ll be fine. The water will wake me up,” she said, thumping up the stairs, remembering a grand shower just to the left of the staircase. Once upstairs, the interest in the new person disappeared, and Liam and Keith melted into other parts of the house. Only then, that they were alone, did Rick speak again to Adam.

“10 years, hmm?”

“10 years,” Adam said, watching Behati disappear up the stairs. “I can’t say it has been a nightmare. It certainly won’t be a traditional divorce.”

“Well, it wasn’t a traditional marriage, either,” Rick replied, and Adam glanced up sharply.

“Please, don’t tell the others. If Behati and I have our way, we can dissolve this as quietly as it was made. She is no longer in need of my citizenship nor my name. And I would like her name cleared o the family before we venture into…other things,” he glanced at Rick knowingly. “For her own protection.”

“Another man would think you love this girl, Adam,” Rick said and his brother glared at him.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It was convenient, at the time,” he said. “Marrying Behati made her very grateful, if you know what I mean.”

“I see,” Rick replied, glancing at the clock on the wall. “We’re do on a conference call in 5 minutes.”

“Right,” Adam followed his brother to the office. He was tired and jet lagged, but for the Katz’s, business never stopped, especially as they took on a new venture.

Once upstairs, in the privacy of the bathroom, Behati took out her overnight kit, and unzipped the pocket. She filled the syringe half way and smacked the vein in her arm a few times. The plane ride was long and she wasn’t sure she would make it into the house without twitching. And as much as Adam tolerated her life style, she was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to tolerate a drug addiction. It was even something she wasn’t proud of herself. But what was wrong with feeling good once in awhile?

Her shower felt blissful after her fix, the water running over her body, relaxing her tight muscles.

She stepped out when she felt like her skin would burn, and dressed in a thigh skimming cotton dress, that left little to the imagination. She left her hair down, in waves around her face, and he did her makeup. Even off stage, there was a mask to wear, a character to embody, someone she needed to be. Performing since she was a child, Behati didn’t know who she was without character.

A month without performing would be the longest she had ever spent off a stage since she was 12 years old. It was going to be blissful, and yet, strange, that no one would be staring at her every moment, that no rehearsals would start at done, and the hair and makeup would all be her own.

Downstairs, the voices of the Katz brothers were coming from different parts of the house. She could hear Rick and Adam on a call in the office, and Keith laughing at the video game in the living room. Liam was nowhere to be heard, and she wondered where the most beautiful of the brothers had gone off to.

Her skin still tingling, she decided to explore the house, remember the rooms, before she tried to maintain a normal conversation.

The downstairs still had the wood paneling she remembered, shiny as if it were brand new. The house was old, and was once a boarding school, so there were many rooms that the boys used for various things. If things ever went sour, they could probably run their whole business from here and move all their employees in as well.

Upstairs was the bedrooms, enough to house an army of guests, she felt. It was the ballroom that she was looking for however, straight out of a movie. The grand staircase twisted around it, bringing everyone’s eye to whoever swept up and down it in a long gown. They had rented it out a few times to movie crew, and it had even doubled as Buckingham Palace once or twice. Behati enjoyed watching the films with another smirk, knowing the secrets that she and Adam had on that grand dance floor.

On a whim, almost on instinct, Behati stretched out a long leg, bending down to the ground, and then the other. She closed her eyes, imagining a full orchestra playing in the room, surrounded by hundreds of swirling dancers. This was a dance floor of old, where Kings and Queens would come, and bring their eligible daughters to meet Princes, and have great marriages. Marriages of convenience, for mutual gain, much like her own.

She stood straight, taking first position, and then pulled her leg up straight, at a 90-degree angle. It was a move that she could do since her very first day in class, with naturally flexible limbs. Dancers had to have a very particular body type, and she knew she was lucky to be born with it.

She didn’t know how long she danced for, fueled by chemical energy, but she did know it was awhile. When she finally ran out of breath and opened her eyes, she was startled to see she had an audience.

“Cool,” Keith said, his eyes wide. “How do you do that?”

“Instinct,” she replied, trying to catch her breath. “And the fact that I’ve been doing it since I was a child.”

“Don’t you get nervous? Up in front of thousands of people?”

She shrugged.

“You can’t even see them, with the stage lights in the way. And you don’t even think, most of the time. You just dance.”

“I want a job where I don’t have to think,” Keith said and she rolled her eyes.

“I’m quite sure your brothers will enjoy that,” she replied, and behind her, Adam cleared his throat.

“I’m already under the impression that you don’t think, Keith,” he said, with a slight smile. “In honour of Behati’s arrival, shall we order in?”

“PIZZA!” Keith went tearing from the room, making Behati laugh.

“He’s adorable.”

“He’s also a trouble maker, so watch out. If Keith tells you to do something, it’s probably not a good idea to do it.”

“I think I’ve handled much worse,” she smiled, going to hug him. “Aren’t you tired?”

“Exhausted,” he revealed. “But business doesn’t stop.”

“Now that I’m actually here, are you going to tell me what you do?”

“Everything and nothing,” he smiled tightly, shifting to wrap an arm around her waist. “And the moment, we have large shares in transport trucks, and we are working on new clients to use the trucks.”

“Call the zoo, I would love to see an elephant transported,” she replied, and he laughed.

“Now that would be interesting,” he said. “I have also called the Latvian consulate. What they need first is proof of your papers from the state, saying that you were a ward of the state placed in foster care. Do you have any of that?”

She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

“I lived out of a suitcase in a hotel room for 2 years. If anyone has it, it’s them.”

“Perhaps the last set of foster parents you had?” he suggested, as they strolled towards the kitchen. She felt alive with energy, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling. When there was no audience, and no one to please, it was such a natural high to dance just for herself. Of course, there was the chemical high that she enjoyed as well.

“Humph,” she replied, thinking. “Maybe. How long before food gets here? Do we have time for a tryst?” She snuggled, remembering his firm body, and how it used to make her feel in the dark. If they were to divorce and never meet again, especially at night, she would feel a sense of loss, at the very least.

His hand slipped lower, down her back and came to rest on the top of her butt, small but firm. He groaned, low in his throat, as he bent to kiss her.

“Perhaps tonight, my dear, if you would allow a visit to your rooms.”

“It’s like you’re the king and I’m your hooker,” she replied.

“You’re the queen,” he answered after a moment, nipping at her ear. “That the king visits for pleasure, among other things.”

“mmm,” if she wanted to, she knew she could push him over the edge, then and there. But she pulled back, enjoying the lingering pleasure that continued after his touch was removed. Delayed gratification was a good reward as well. “Pizza for dinner it is. I’m starving.”

“You’ve lost a bit of weight,” he said, as they headed towards the kitchen. “Forgive me if it’s a sore topic. Are you well?”

“Sure,” she didn’t look at him. “Just working hard lately. Everyone knew I was taking time off, so it felt like there was a last minute rush. And I’m a prima, yes, but I’m also one of the ones they loan out all the time.”

“So you can work for other companies?” he asked. “Your contract is not exclusive?”

“No?” she replied, confused. “I thought you knew that. Did you have something in mind?”

“Maybe nothing yet,” he said, with a twinkle. “But I’ll keep you posted.”

She paused at a large piece of artwork on the wall, depicting the two famous comedy and drama masks. It was beautiful, done in oil, and flawless. From up close or far away, it caught the eye. Behati had always loved those masks, feeling like they stood for everything in her life. Theatre, sadness, happiness, how things could easily change.

“That’s stunning,” she said and Adam nodded.

“Liam painted it.”

“Really?” she turned her head to him in shock. “Man, you got a whole family full of artists, don’t you?”

“He’s always painted,” Adam said. “It’s what he used to do when Father was around. Obviously, Father was not…pleasant to him.”

“I know what it’s like to be an unwanted child,” Behati said, fiddling with her hair. “My records state that both my parents were present when I was given up. They just decided to ditch me, throw me out and get on with their lives.”

Adam’s face softened.

“I didn’t know.”

She shrugged.

“Clearly, didn’t make much of a difference. I’m where I want to be, doing what I want to be. Maybe, if they had kept me, they wouldn’t have approved of dance or something and I’d be working at McDonalds.”

“We often end up where we are meant to,” he said, after a moment, and continued to lead her to the kitchen. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”

“Right,” she tried to put it out of her head. “Well, let’s enjoy tonight, because tomorrow is going to start off like a nightmare. Boring paperwork. Do you have any wine?”