His Absolute Arrangement: A Scandalous Billionaire Love Story (Jessika, #1) (9 page)

"Why do you work here, Lucent?" Asher asked suddenly.

Lucent smiled.  "Are you calling into question my motives, Mr. Landseer?  Certainly, I wouldn't blame you.  It's possible I'm involved in an attempt at corporate sabotage.  In that case, our entire conversation may not have been a wise move on your part.  I would advise against further communications of this sort in the future."

Asher rolled his eyes and laughed.  "No.  Doubtful.  I feel like sometimes you're the only person I can trust, and I just don't know why you'd want to be in that position.  You could be doing so much more if you wanted.  You could be me, you could be in my exact position.  Lucent Storme, CEO of Storme Enterprises.  I just don't know why you're here instead.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it and I value you as my Director of Public Relations and as my friend, but..."

"Sometimes it's best not to wonder about such things," Lucent replied.  "If you truly need a suitable answer, though, I prefer not to be in the spotlight.  It complicates matters and I dislike it."

"You realize that as my Director of Public Relations, you're basically one of the most prominent figureheads for the company?  You handle everything we deal with from a public standpoint.  People might know me because of my money and status, but they know you because you're always out there.  You do press releases, attend functions, visit Landseer Enterprises facilities when necessity dictates.  You're essentially right in the middle of the spotlight."

"If I may interject," Lucent said, smiling agreeably.  "I misspoke earlier, and I apologize for that.  I prefer not to be in my own spotlight.  I'm certainly not against taking a place within someone else's.  Sometimes it's easier to hide in plain sight.  If a person acts suspicious, they're more likely to be discovered compared to someone who goes about their daily routine, even if they both have something to hide."

"I suppose so," Asher said.  "I'm glad one of us is doing well right now, then."

"I assure you I shall do my best to maintain the efficiency of the Landseer Enterprises spotlight, and by proxy Mrs. Landseer's and your spotlight, as well.  You have nothing to worry about in those regards.  I caution you that if I was potentially a suspect for crimes occurring within Landseer Tower, I might say this, as well, though.  Never trust simply for trust's sake."

"Shut up.  You're probably the last person I'd want plotting against me, because I doubt there's a damn thing I could do about it.  At least let me maintain my trust."

"Is that a formal business request?" Lucent asked with a grin.

"You don't listen to anything I say when I ask you as a friend, so, yes.  It's a formal business request."

"Very well."

Someone knocked on the door, interrupting them.

Asher raised his brow and looked to Lucent; the Director of Public Relations offered a curt shrug.

"Who is it?" Asher asked.

"Um... Mr. Landseer?  I mean, Asher.  Right.  Er..."  It was a woman's voice, conflicted between being nervous and forcibly confident.  "Is Lucent there?  Uh, Mr. Storme?  You know?  Public Relations Director-y sort.  I went to his office but he wasn't there and he doesn't have a secretary and he never tells the main lobby secretary what he's doing, but I guess no one would do that, anyways.  I have no idea where he is, and..."

Lucent rose from his chair and strode towards the door to Asher's office.  He opened it, much to Asher's amusement, and faced a startled young woman.

"Oh," she said.  "Lucent, you're, uh... here."

Lucent offered her a nod.  "Yes, Miss Tanner.  You were looking for me?"

"Are you busy?" she whispered loudly.  "Can I come in?"

"You want to enter into Mr. Landseer's personal office?" Lucent asked, lifting both brows.

"Is that alright?  I mean, I've been in here before, so I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but all of this really confuses me sometimes.  Jessika and—"

"Mrs. Landseer," Lucent corrected her.

"Oh.  Uh... Right.  Mrs. Landseer and I have meetings in here sometimes if it's too busy in the commons meeting room.  I like it in the commons, though.  It's interesting, you know?  The meeting room here isn't bad, but it's not as exciting.  Did you know you can have a meeting in a garden shed there?  Or, it's not a garden shed, I guess, since it's set up in the middle of a huge ballroom.  I guess it's not a ballroom, since no one ever dances.  That's what it reminds me of, though."

"Miss Tanner?"

Asher watched them, amused.  It seemed odd, but this wasn't particularly out of the ordinary.

"Yes?" she said.

"You're rambling," Lucent said.

"Oh."

"Stop teasing her," Asher said, laughing.  "Elise, you can come in if you'd like.  Lucent and I were just discussing business propositions."

Elise scurried inside past Lucent.  Lucent sighed and blinked, then closed the door.  Elise made it as far as the chair next to Asher where Lucent had just been sitting before she doubled back, rushed to Lucent, and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.  Ignoring her intimacy, Lucent stood there, trying to scowl.  He stopped scowling as soon as she lifted herself up on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, though.

Asher sat in his chaise, smirking and amused.  He scratched at the faint scruff of hair on his cheek, watching the two of them.

Lucent lowered his lips to Elise's ears and whispered something to her in a rough growl.  Her eyes widened and she nodded fast.  Hurrying away, no longer hugging him, Elise went to sit next to Asher again.  And... then she didn't sit.  She found another chair instead, brought that back, gave it to Lucent as he approached Asher once more, and then both of them sat.  Everyone was sitting.  It was quite a procession to watch.

Asher didn't really know what to make of any of this.  It was absurdly adorable in his mind, in the most awkward way imaginable.

"Hi," Elise said.

"Hi, Elise," Asher said with a grin.  "How are you?"

"Good.  How are you?"

"Very good.  Did you get the invitation from Jessika for tonight's party?"

"Yes," she said.  "I think that's so sweet of you to do.  I really do.  It's nice.  But—"

Lucent cut her off.  "You're going," he said.

"—I have to..."  Turning to Lucent, annoyed, she said, "Lucent, I have to do something.  It's important."

"You don't have to do anything," he said.  "You don't want to go because you think you'll be out of place.  I assure you, you won't."

"Who am I even going to talk to?  I won't know anyone there."

"You won't know anyone there?" Lucent asked.  "Are you positive?"

She grumbled.  "I can't just go up and talk to you and Asher and Jessika.  You'll all be busy."

"Mr. and Mrs. Landseer," Lucent corrected.

"Neither of us minds if you call us by our first names," Asher said to Elise.

Lucent scowled at him.

"See?" she said to Lucent.  "Anyways, you'll all be busy and I'll end up standing against a wall.  I don't know if you know this, but that's how it always was in school, too.  I'd just stand against a wall and sip fruit punch out of a cup and sway back and forth."

"Someone may ask you to dance," Lucent said.  "In fact, if someone doesn't ask you to dance, they're foolish.  I cannot even comprehend why the most beautiful woman in attendance would be relegated to swaying back and forth while sipping idly at a cup of fruit punch while leaning against a wall."  To Asher, he added, "Pardon, Mr. Landseer, I may be biased and Mrs. Landseer is certainly a close second in terms of attractiveness."

"No offense taken," Asher said, chuckling.

"Are
you
going to ask me to dance, Lucent?" Elise asked.  "I don't want to dance with a random person.  I'm awful at mingling.  What do you even do?  Just go up to people and talk about the weather?  I don't understand how to do it."

"You peer outside, ascertain as to whether it is hot, cold, raining, snowing, or all other manner of meteorological assessment, then you approach someone of interest and discuss in minor detail what you've just discovered.  It's quite simple, Miss Tanner."  Lucent finished his sentence with a huff.

"Did you really just say all of that to me? 
Meteorological assessment?
"

Lucent glared.  Elise glared right back at him.  Asher laughed.

"You're both insane," Asher said.  "Lucent, just dance with her.  It's supposed to be a celebration."

"A
business
celebration," Lucent added.  "Certain formalities must be maintained.  Miss Tanner is an employee of Mrs. Landseer and Landseer Enterprises.  It would appear uncouth if she and I were to partake in more intimate relations during a business event."

"I'm not
your
employee," Elise harrumphed.  "You wouldn't even hire me, remember?  I think Jessika would dance with me, too.  Asher, would you dance with me?"

Asher artfully avoided Lucent's scrutinizing gaze by ignoring it.  "Yes," he said.  "It would be my pleasure."

Lucent grumbled something under his breath.

Elise grinned, pleased with herself.  Shifting to the side, she half-whispered to Lucent in excitement.  "Does this mean you'll spank me before the party?  I'll go, then.  If you use the velvet-covered—"

"Elise!" Lucent practically roared.  "We're in the presence of Mr. Landseer, CEO of Landseer Enterprises, currently residing in his office within Landseer Tower.  This is hardly the time or place for—"

Elise scooted her chair closer to Lucent and held onto his arm with both hands, resting her head on his shoulder.  Looking up at him, she smiled softly.  "I love you, though."

Lucent paused to recompose himself.  "You infuriate me sometimes," he said.  "I love you, too."

"Elise, have you ever considered narrating audiobooks?" Asher asked.

"No," Lucent said, direct and prompt.

I
nibbled on the tip of one of my thick-cut potato wedges while watching the movie Jeremy chose.  It had taken me awhile to get used to watching shows and movies on a projector screen that was nearly as big as the walls of my former apartment, but after awhile I really enjoyed it.  I thought anyone would have enjoyed it, but it still seemed exciting and interesting to me after months.  That's how I wanted all of this to always be.  Asher and I might live in some huge mansion with amazing things, but I didn't want to take them for granted.  I appreciated everything and I always wanted to appreciate everything.

"Can you pause it for a second?" I asked.  "I need to go to the bathroom."

Jeremy grunted, then grabbed the remote and paused the movie.  Unfortunately I hadn't chosen a great place for pausing; a bullet or a missile or something was shooting out of a tank or a gun or an airplane and heading towards a mountain or a military base.  I didn't even know what we were watching, but it had a lot of explosions and men with muscles.  There were a couple of women involved, but what they lacked in muscle, they made up for in breasts.

"What are we even watching?" I asked.

Jeremy grunted again, then stole one of my potato wedges and popped it into his mouth.  "This is a classic.  I can't believe you've never seen it."

"I don't even know the name of it.  When it started playing, I couldn't read the title because there were too many explosions going on."

"The explosions were part of the title," he said with an air of reverence.  "It's called art, Jessika.  Explosive art."

"Alright, I guess."

"Weren't you going to the bathroom?" he asked.  "We're about to miss a great part.  You really need to see this."

I was about to see... an explosion.  A mountain or a military base or maybe an entire island was about to explode after being hit by a bullet or a missile.  I was completely unsure how that could ever be considered a great part, but who knew?  I might just not be a film aficionado and everyone else considered this a classic moment comparable to the end of Citizen Kane.

"I'll be right back," I said, putting my food plate on the coffee table.  "Sorry.  I'll be quick."

Jeremy grunted, bit into his burger, and stared woefully at the paused movie on the projector screen.

I hurried up the stairs to the second floor to use that bathroom.  The downstairs bathroom was too small and I liked the bigger size of the bathroom in the master bedroom.  I did what I needed to do, washed up, and stepped into the bedroom, looking around.  Everything was made up nice, which I both liked and didn't like.  Sometimes it never really felt like a home here.  Too tidy, too neat.  I begged Asher to let the cleaning woman leave our bed unmade; or even slightly unmade.  He just laughed at me.  Sometimes before we went to bed, he'd pull the edge of the blankets to the side a little and leave wrinkles.

An urge came over me and I stood at the end of the bed, then fell backwards atop it.  My body bounced up slightly, then down, again, slower and softer, until I settled onto the bed.  I moved my arms up and down like a child making a snow angel.  Once I finished, I just lay there, relaxed.  Mission accomplished!  Liz, the cleaning woman, would probably fix this by tomorrow, but at least for today the bed would be a little undone.  Granted, Asher and I slept in the main house, not the guest house, so I wouldn't get to reap the rewards of my covert accomplishment.  I could think about it, though.

From my weird vantage point laying on the bed, I noticed the closet door was slightly ajar.  It should be closed; it was always closed.  Way back when, before my life had ever become like this and I was just a woman attempting to help Asher, he'd bought me clothes and kept them stored in that closet.  It was a kind gesture, albeit somewhat extravagant.

We didn't keep many clothes there now.  Spare files and documents, nothing extremely important.  Asher kept one of his cameras and some of the lenses and other extra add-ons in there, too.  We...

I blushed thinking about it.  Oh God.  On this bed!  And downstairs.  All throughout the house, actually.  The library in the slightly hidden basement.  Definitely the bathroom.  When we first met, when he was apologizing for the "punishment" he bestowed upon me in his office after I destroyed a book that was special to him, that was another thing that had gotten me in trouble.  We'd come back here as part of an arrangement towards discussing how exactly my egg donorship and surrogacy would work in regards to his life, marriage, and everything.