Wicked Obsession (Bend to My Will #6) (3 page)

Vivienne was with Jacob…for now. And despite what he thought, or what he believed, she intended to keep him. Her love for him was strong, giving her resilience, and providing a buffer from whatever could be their undoing.

Although he hadn’t spoken of love, she knew Jacob cared about her. And that was enough. Vivienne couldn’t allow his darker side to rip them apart. If there was a path to survive it all, to prove Jacob wrong, she would find it.

Chapter 4

On their last day in Barcelona, Jacob took Vivienne to Passeig de Grasia, a wide street that was good for shopping and full of the city’s unique architecture. It was a great hangout with a plethora of designer shops, including Prada, Gucci, Guess, and many others. Nestled among the stores were tapas bars and cafés.

Vivienne enjoyed window shopping, and they even spent a while in one of the largest Apple Stores in the world. Jacob took time to drool over the latest-model Ferrari in the dealer’s shop, and made a note to order one. He could have it delivered to his home in Tuscany. Not that he was there often, but when he was it would be a kick to drive the metallic-blue sports car over the country roads.

Then they went into Gucci, where Vivienne gravitated to the jewelry, to one gleaming watch in particular. When Jacob saw the diamond bracelet watch on her wrist, he bought it despite her protests.

“It’s too expensive, Jacob.”

“I disagree, and it looks beautiful on your wrist. It’s yours.” Without further discussion, Jacob made the purchase, and was pleased to see Vivienne wear it. She didn’t want him buying things for her, even though he could afford it, and he wanted to. He would have bought her dresses, jewelry, handbags, or anything she wanted. But Vivienne wouldn’t hear of it.

Jacob didn’t regret taking Vivienne on the trip. It had been the right thing to do; getting away had been good for both of them. But he still needed to be cautious. If he intended to continue the relationship, he had to ensure his baser impulses stayed in check, and he resolved to do so. Jacob couldn’t let go of Vivienne. Not now, after the depth of the intimacy he’d shared with her.

The flight home the next day had seemed shorter than expected, maybe because Jacob hadn’t looked forward to parting with Vivienne. Once in New York, he was left with no choice, and told Ian to go straight to her apartment. She had to return to her life and get back to Vee’s. Plus, Jacob had to end his holiday and resume the management of his company.

Yet that didn’t make it any more agreeable to say goodbye. At her door, Jacob indulged in a long, hot kiss, fighting the urge to go inside with her. But he couldn’t make a habit out of sleeping in Vivienne’s bed, as much as he wanted to. So he tore himself away, even though doing so took inner strength that he seemed to have very little of recently.

While they were away, Jacob had the fortune of sleeping peacefully most of the time. He attributed that to being in Barcelona, away from everyday stresses, and to Vivienne being cuddled in his arms at night—mostly the latter. It was comforting to have her close. Plus, her upbeat attitude had an effect on Jacob. He felt more positive about life in general than he had in a while.

Yet it didn’t change the real world, and as soon as he returned the unresolved matter regarding Williamson resurfaced. There was a certain camaraderie in wine importing, despite the competitive nature of the business. The larger importers had mutual interests, often lobbying for the same changes in the industry, or supporting each other in other ways.

Jacob’s father Vico had garnered many friends over the years, as had his father before him. It was an advantage, and his allies were valued as they should be. Yet a major company like Williamson had begun to make enemies, alienating some of the other large importers. In the short time that Jacob had been out of the country, rumors had surfaced that disaster loomed at the doorstep of Williamson Imports.

It was vital to get up to speed and avoid any fallout. Adversity to one importer could easily impact another. His first day back, Jacob met with his company president in the conference room for a private briefing. Zach Martel answered directly to Jacob, and in his tenure with Rinaldi had proven his value to the company.

“What have you heard?” Jacob said, leaning on the conference table.

Zach’s graying temples gave him a distinguished look, and Jacob knew the man’s wisdom matched his worldly appearance. “For a while now, we’ve known that Daniel Kenyon has been a threat,” he said. “And it’s no mystery that his attempt to coerce distributors to buy direct is completely unworkable.”

“We know that. And
he
knows that,” Jacob said. “But there has to be more to his ploy.”

Jacob knew as well as anyone that an importer such as Rinaldi encompassed many responsibilities, which weren’t easily pushed aside. The large importers communicated with the overseas wineries, made the orders, arranged for delivery, handled customs clearance, and ultimately transported the wine to storage for eventual sale to the distributors.

“I might have a clue what Kenyon is up to,” Zach said.

“If you do, I need to hear it.”

“This whole thing about distributors going direct to the wineries has a huge flaw,” Zach said.

“Yes, and that’s why I didn’t expect him to put forth such a concept. To legally import wine a distributor needs a federal license, at least an importer’s basic permit,” Jacob said. “That’s well known. And it would be a big hassle for any of the distributors, lots of red tape…the usual.”

“But what if Kenyon’s push to have the distributors cut the importers out of the action was a thinly veiled attempt to put
those same distributors
out of business?” Zach paused as if to let that sink in. “Look at it this way: the distributors won’t do well without the support of the importers, or trying to do it on their own. It’s ludicrous. But if a large number of them attempt it, and as a result they go under, then only a few are left…”

“I get where you’re going with this,” Jacob said, seeing the obvious now that it had been presented to him. “If Williamson had locked in relationships with the few distributors that were left, it would be a good way to cut other importers out of the action for good. There would be no outlets to sell to.”

“I would say it’s a clever strategy, despite its implausibility, except for one thing. Williamson might collapse financially before that ever comes to pass.”

“I wasn’t aware of that. Is there a reason the company is at risk?”

Zach leaned back in his chair. “I have to question Daniel Kenyon’s mental stability in that regard, because of some of the things he has done recently.”

“I have wondered about the prudence of Sam Williamson giving his stepson the reins of his company. It seemed foolhardy, but then it wasn’t up to me,” Jacob said.

“Well, let’s start with the fact that when deciding on a price point for a new product, you have to keep exchange rates in mind. Just like we do here, once we set prices we don’t raise them for a long period of time.”

“Yes, until you establish sales patterns, and hit the right mark for inventory,” Jacob said. “It can be tricky.”

“Kenyon is all over the map. Not that we would otherwise care, but for a large importer to have financial issues puts all of us in a bad light. It’s all about perception.”

“Perception is important,” Jacob said. “We don’t want to give the impression that wine importing is an unstable industry in this city. There could be all kinds of repercussions, starting with undermining faith in the value of the product, which affects pricing.”

“Also, since it takes weeks to receive the imports from international wineries, we plan for that,” Zach said. “If we’re out of stock, and can’t deliver, then another company will come in and scoop the opportunity.”

“Or if you bring in too much merchandise, the inventory sits and storage costs mount up.”

Zach nodded. “Either way you’re screwed, which is why we orchestrate our orders so carefully.”

“Let me guess,” Jacob said, “Kenyon is all over the map on that too?”

“You got it. It seems Kenyon is a bit of a gambler, but a speculative mindset like that has no place in importing. Those that think they can get rich quick are usually out of the business rapidly.”

“So why is Daniel Kenyon so desperate for Williamson Imports to become the giant in the industry to the detriment of the rest of us?” Jacob tapped his fingers on the table. “Because I have to say that his actions are foolish. He’s taking too many chances. The man is jacking up prices to try to falsely boost their revenue. And he is either overstocking like he thinks he can sell more volume than is realistic, or he is accepting payments for orders he can’t fill.”

“The rumors are that the flagrant mismanagement is taking Williamson under.”

“I’ve always liked Sam Williamson, and I’d hate to see that happen,” Jacob said. “But worse than that, my gut tells me that Kenyon intends to take us down with him.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him to destroy his own company, wipe out his stepfather’s hard-won business, just so he can push us out,” Zach said, “along with as many of our other competitors as he can manage.”

“We’re dealing with a guy that doesn’t know the concept of a
moral code
, or ethical business practices, for that matter.”

“But why?” Zach frowned. “I don’t understand why he has it out for us…for you.”

“I haven’t figured that out. But I do know that he’s up to more than just
bad management
. If we know this much, then there’s a lot more under the surface,” Jacob said. “And we need to find out what before it’s too late.”

“Does he have anything on Rinaldi Imports? Is there anything he can use against us?”

“Not that I know of,” Jacob said. “We run a tight ship. But that doesn’t mean the asshole can’t drum something up, especially if he has help.”

“So you still think he has an inside man?”

“It’s business, you know. And there’s always a weak link, a guy who will go to the other side with the right motivation.”

“Money, you mean?”

“That’s usually how loyalty is bought.” Jacob considered that, but no employee came to mind. “It might be someone who is dissatisfied. But in a company this large, it’s difficult to nail down.”

“It has to be someone who is useful, one of our staff with access to information, or someone with a degree of power,” Zach said.

“That narrows it down, but not enough.” Jacob stood up. “We need to stay sharp, and given the opportunity I’d like to have a heart-to-heart with Sam Williamson. I just pray he hasn’t bought into whatever story Kenyon is feeding him, and that he will listen to me.”

Zach pushed back his chair. “With so much at risk, I’d think he’d want to hear what you have to say.”

“I hope so,” Jacob said. “I really do.”

After the meeting, Jacob returned to his office, racking his brain about the situation. He would get with Walsh right away, and step up the internal investigation. It wasn’t a simple task to go against a company like Rinaldi, with a long track record in the industry and plenty of allies.

Daniel Kenyon must have an ace in the hole. Even he wouldn’t be stupid enough to try this stunt without some strength on his side. But who would assist the idiot in his dishonest scheme? As much as he thought about it, Jacob just didn’t know.

Chapter 5

When Jacob had said goodbye at her apartment, Vivienne had been able to tell that he hadn’t want to part any more than she had. Yet he hadn’t said so. She was learning to read him, see behind those blue eyes, and sense feelings that he didn’t verbalize.

The kiss at her door had stirred longings that Vivienne had needed to brush aside. No matter how much she had wanted to, she hadn’t begged him to stay. Eventually, Jacob would have to voice what he held inside, and she patiently waited for that day.

Barcelona had given them a chance to be alone while away from life’s stresses. Although Jacob had tended to business, she had been able to tell it was a pleasure for him. Visiting wineries, making connections, and arranging imports hadn’t seemed to be stressful. And his meetings hadn’t detracted from their vacation.

Now that they were home, Vivienne wondered about the stress of running Rinaldi Imports. When Jacob spoke about his business, she noted that there seemed to be something going on there, something he was worried about, and guessed there was more than the controlled image he presented. But as much as they shared, he didn’t discuss the inner workings of his company.

Vivienne didn’t know if he thought she wouldn’t understand the business stuff, or whether he just wanted to keep any turmoil away from her. Considering how protective he was, she could see Jacob doing that. He would prefer to keep her out of it, whatever
it
was.

Vivienne would have to talk to him about that, because she didn’t want to be excluded. If something affected Jacob, it affected her, even if he didn’t see it that way. The strength of the bond she had with him ran deep; there was no halfway.

As she unpacked and stacked her laundry in a pile, Vivienne thought of the nights away with Jacob. He’d been so sexy, and the interludes had been hot. In the luxury hotel room above Barcelona, he had been as passionate as he ever was in the playroom.

Jacob didn’t need the props, as alluring as they were, to achieve erotic thrills. He only needed to be himself, it seemed. Whenever Vivienne was in his arms, her blood ran hot, and all he needed to do was touch her. With little provocation, deep-seated urges rose to the surface, and her uncontrollable need for Jacob consumed her.

It had been sexy and romantic, with both the days and the evenings a complete delight. But Jacob had made a point that what they had couldn’t last, and he wasn’t a man to argue with. Vivienne would just have to
show him
that he was wrong.

The weekends-only idea had slowly eroded, as Jacob saw her midweek more and more often. After all, Vivienne had just been with him night after night, so how could he expect to go back to being distant? She didn’t see that working out.

Although he resisted it, Jacob was as drawn to her as Vivienne was to him. There were too many signs of the magnetism. It was a good thing, so if he wouldn’t fight it so hard, everything might go smoothly. Yet she doubted that would be the case.

There was much more to Jacob than met the eye, so much more he hadn’t told her. Vivienne wanted to pry, and was dying to ask tons more questions, but it wouldn’t do any good. He would tell her when he was ready, and not before.

After throwing her laundry in the basket, Vivienne plopped on her bed. Jacob was frustrating, and so confusing. He was determined to convince her that their relationship couldn’t last, while simultaneously exhibiting more jealousy.

Even in Spain, she’d noticed it. Sometimes it had been a waiter in a restaurant that had gotten a certain look, when all he’d done was smile at Vivienne. At the theater, Jacob kept his hand on her in the lobby, or walking down the aisle to the seats. A sweet gesture on its own, but Jacob’s glare at any man who looked at her admiringly denied such sentiment.

It was evident that Jacob’s jealousy simmered, waiting to rear its head. Vivienne wondered how far he would go. Would he be jealous of her friends? Already she avoided talking about Alfred, knowing it would rub Jacob the wrong way.

Jacob was a contradiction. If Vivienne meant that much to him, then why not tell her? He could take the next step, and make a commitment of some sort. But no, he had to keep her at arm’s length emotionally. Yet he was continually on guard against the attentions of any other man. He couldn’t have it both ways.

Just as Vivienne stood up and lifted the laundry basket, her roommate came home. “Vivienne, you’re here,” Lana said, and came over to give her a big hug. “I thought you might be home.”

“I’m here in body, not so much in spirit.” Vivienne put the basket on the floor. “I’m still mentally in Spain, and emotionally with Jacob.”

“You’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep. With the time difference and all, you’ve got to be jet-lagged.”

“A little,” Vivienne said. “And how are you?”

“Pretty good.” Lana headed to the kitchen and Vivienne followed. She grabbed a half-empty bottle of wine and poured a glass. “I just got off my shift at the restaurant, but tomorrow I have an audition.”

“Wow, that’s great.”

Lana held up the bottle. “Want some wine?”

“Not tonight. I’m beat. I was going to do laundry, but I don’t have the energy,” Vivienne said. “I’ll just go to sleep early.”

“You should meet me after the audition tomorrow,” Lana said. “It’s late in the day. We can go for a drink then.”

“Sure, I’ll meet you. Where is the audition?”

“It’s at the Ensemble,” Lana said. “And thanks for the pictures you emailed. That one of that monastery was unbelievable.” She grabbed her phone and scrolled to the picture, showing it to Vivienne as if she hadn’t seen it before.

“Montserrat was very spiritual,” Vivienne said. “We took a cable car up the mountain to the monastery. It’s a religious retreat. I heard it’s popular for people in Barcelona and all over Catalonia to take overnight hikes to watch the sunrise from the top.” She sighed, remembering how amazing the place was. “We just couldn’t fit that in on our trip.”

“What a sight. It’s hard to believe it’s real.”

“When we got up there, I was in awe of the sort of strangely rounded rock pillars that had been shaped by eons of rain and wind. And nestled there, with the multi-peaked mountain looming above it, is that monastery you see in the picture.”

“It looks like something out of a fairy tale.”

“It does, and the picture doesn’t do it justice. It’s breathtaking.” Vivienne gave Lana another quick hug. “I’m going to crash. I have to be at the shop early tomorrow.”

Lana took a sip of wine. “Okay, I won’t be up before nine, so I’ll see you after work then.”

*****

The next morning, Vivienne dug through her closet to find something to wear. She was still a little foggy, but a double espresso would snap her out of it. On the way to work, she made a quick stop at her favorite coffee shop, and still managed to arrive before Michele.

The day flew by. Vivienne had sent photos to Michele and Luke from Spain, but they didn’t find much time to chat about her trip. Work had piled up and needed attention, so she took care of it. There was an email from Alfred, welcoming her back and giving her an update on Sensual Scents. And a regular customer had placed a large order, but there was a snag with the shipment.

By four that afternoon, Vivienne was hyped up on the buzz at Vee’s. It was good to be back, and therapeutic to do normal things. Yet Jacob wasn’t far from her mind, and she wondered how his day was going. Before she could text him, a message from Lana arrived.

I’m out early. I’ll wait for you.

On my way.

The summer weather encouraged walking, and the place wasn’t far away. Vivienne locked the shop and headed for the Ensemble Studio Theater. They were known for doing a yearly festival of one-act plays, so maybe Lana had tried out for one of those.

After a few blocks, Vivienne spotted the blue sign with the name of the theater. From the outside, it was unassuming, housed in an old brick building with a concrete-framed doorway. But inside, the salmon-pink walls and framed photographs of actors in various scenes from plays brought the space to life.

When Vivienne had still aspired to a career in the theater, she had auditioned there. Although she didn’t get the part, she had seen several performances at the Ensemble. The true focus of the theater group was the performers, so there weren’t a lot of special effects or flashy numbers. But she’d been moved by the caliber of the performances that had been delivered.

She spotted Lana across the room, chatting to the receptionist. When Vivienne approached, her friend turned and noticed her. “Hey, Vivie.” She smiled at the receptionist. “Okay, Carrie, my friend is here. We’re off for drinks.”

“Try Sylvie’s Bar, just up the street,” Carrie said. “They have lots of specialty cocktails.”

“Good idea,” Lana said. “I hope I see you again soon.”

Outside, Vivienne looked up the street. “I think it’s this way,” she said. “I passed it on my way over, if it’s the place I’m thinking of.”

“I’ll follow you.”

“So, how did it go?”

“You can’t tell with these things,” Lana said. “I think I did well, but I was nervous. So, we’ll see. I was grateful for the audition, anyway. At that last show, I connected with an actor who has performed here. That’s how I knew about this.”

Vivienne remembered all the times that she had been nervous at auditions, which was all the time. It was part of breaking into the business. But she’d heard of well-known actors who still got nervous, so she didn’t feel so bad. Yet her life had changed so much, and she no longer aspired to make it in show business. It was rough to break into, anyway. Lana had her full support, though.

Lana stepped up to the entrance first and opened the door. “After you,” she said, and they both laughed. Inside, it was a taproom with a separate parlor serving small plates and signature cocktails. They found a table and studied the drinks list. Vivienne chose a drink made with peach brandy, and Lana settled on a tropical fruit mix with rum.

For a while, Vivienne talked about Spain, answering Lana’s questions about the pictures she’d emailed and filling in details about the trip. “It was special to be together all week,” Vivienne said. “I’m spoiled. Now it’s difficult to be apart…for me, anyway.”

“I know what you mean,” Lana said. “I’m wondering about Trace. He was calling more often, but now I haven’t heard from him in a few days.” She drained the last drop from her glass. “You don’t think he’s seeing someone else, do you?”

Before Vivienne could think of the appropriate response, the waiter came by and they ordered refills. “I think Trace would tell you if he didn’t want to see you,” Vivienne said. “It’s not like you just went out a couple of times. Jeez, you had a long weekend together. He wouldn’t just drop out of sight.”

“I can’t help worrying.”

“I get that,” Vivienne said. “It’s easy to imagine all kinds of things when you’re apart. It’s natural. If I had my way, I’d see Jacob more often.”

“Guys just think differently, you know. I can’t figure them out sometimes,” Lana said. “He’s probably just busy, but I don’t want to be the one to call. I’d feel like an idiot, because he’d say something like ‘if anything was wrong, I’d tell you.’ Women don’t operate that way.”

“Right. It’s like they think we know that everything is good unless they announce it’s not.” Vivienne leaned back to let the waiter set the drinks on the table. She took a sip of hers. “This peach is really good.”

“A call just to say he’s thinking about me would be nice,” Lana said.

“Can I tell you something?”

“Sure.” Lana took a sip of her fruity drink.

Vivienne tried to get her thoughts together, wondering how much she should tell Lana. “I’m not sure how to put this.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“I understand Jacob better now,” Vivienne said, and launched into the highlights about Jacob being adopted, that his real mother was also Italian, and a few other details. She avoided any mention of Jacob’s sexual preferences,
or hers
, for that matter, since they’d agreed to keep that private. She had no reason to share that anyway.

“So he wasn’t born a Rinaldi?”

“No, Vico and Sophia adopted him.” Vivienne felt better talking about this. “Jacob said that Trace knows about it, because they’ve been friends for so long. He doesn’t object to you knowing, but it is pretty personal stuff. I told him we’ve been friends
forever
, and you wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“You have my word.”

“There’s more.” Even thinking of it, Vivienne’s heart wrenched. “Jacob’s biological father physically abused him when he was a child.”

“That’s awful,” Lana said, looking distressed. “That’s got to have a serious effect.”

“It did, and Jacob has permanent scars…all over his back,” Vivienne said. “But the most devastating part is what it did to him on the
inside
. I can’t even imagine my own father, a man who is supposed to love me, abusing me that way.”

“No wonder Jacob has some strange ways.”

“Yes, it’s a sensitive subject with him, and I can see why.” Vivienne sipped her drink, but when Lana didn’t say anything, she continued. “I wish Jacob would open up to me more. He’s only told me a little bit about what happened.”