Speak (The Voice trilogy Book 2) (12 page)

              A knock at the door rouses me from a semicoma. I roll over and point my ear to the living room, but cannot find the strength to lift my head from the bed. Overcome by curiosity, I pull on one of Rhys’ shirts and pad out of his bedroom into the large loft space. As I come down the stairs, I see Rhys standing with the door half open.

              “What are you doing here, Nadja?” I perch at the top of the steps and listen.

              “I didn’t want you to be alone on your birthday.”

              “Well, it’s not my birthday anymore,” he says quietly, glancing up at the grandfather clock that perches just shy of three am, “and I am not alone. It seems you have wasted your time.” He looks up the stairs and catches me in his sights, before gracing me with that perfectly crooked, completely relaxed smile.

              “What do you mean you are not alone?” She pushes the door open and looks up at me with dark anger clouding her light blue eyes. “What are you doing, Rhys?” She turns to him, then back to me, her face wild with frustration. “What is
she
doing here?”

              He looks up at me, a twisted combination of apology and defiance in his eyes before pushing her out the door and following her onto the stoop, pulling the heavy door closed behind them. I hate her. The things she does, the effect she has on him. She makes me feel violent. I turn and head back to the sanctuary of Rhys’ oversized bed, curl under the blankets and wait to see which Rhys will return to my side. Will he be tense and agitated, heated?

              I must have dozed off because the next thing I know he is sliding in behind me, wrapping me in his strength. His arms a welcome cage, pulling me close, he curls around me and buries his face in my hair.

              “Sophie,” he whispers. I don’t respond, drifting again on the bliss he brought back to bed. “I love…your waffles.” I feel the wide girth of his grin as he smiles into my hair. Cheeky devil. I nuzzle against him as he plants a kiss behind my ear and we fall away together, leaving Nadja a distant, fading specter.

Chapter 12

              “Happy Birthday, Brother.” She stands at the end of my desk with a bottle of my favorite scotch wrapped with a hasty bow.

              “This is a lovely surprise.” If not predictable, I know she wants something from me. The guise of a birthday gift a perfect in, for whatever it is that she really wants. “My birthday cannot be the only reason for your visit?”

              “No, actually, it is Daddy. He wants to have a family weekend in the Hamptons. Will you come?” I look over my computer to see her bright, shining,
I am not telling you everything
, grin. “It has been so long since we have all been together, and Bianca has been asking me about you. It would make them both so happy, Rhys, just come. Two days, that’s all.”

              “I am very busy here. And I have a guest in town, I am not in a position to leave for a few days, I am sorry.” I turn my attention back to the computer and hope that she accepts my answer, knowing full well there is a fight on the horizon. She stands there silently, her eyes willing me to meet hers. With a deep sigh of resignation, I give in.

              “What is the catch?” I ask, closing my laptop, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

              “Well,” she trails off, looking out the window, chewing on her lower lip.

              “Speak up, please, I don’t have all day.”

              “Nadja is also coming.” She steps back and quietly takes a seat before my desk.

              “What?”

              “Your mother invited her. We ran into her the other day at the Club.”

              “What were you doing with
her
at the Club?”

              “Rhys.” She looks at me with those big eyes, begging me to understand. When she knows I never will. “Please, I don’t want to go over this, again.” She can hardly look me in the eye as she squirms under the well-earned scrutiny she has invited. Yet, as in all things, one can only offer their advice and experience. Everything after that is left to choice and fate. I can no more make this decision for her than I can unmake any of my previous decisions. What is will be, and I know I will not change her mind.

              “As long as you are sure, I would never presume to change your mind, I just want to make certain that you are going into this with your eyes wide open. You have seen the havoc and you are assuming the risk, but I won’t try and stop you, you know that. So is this what you are here about? Because you know you do not need my approval or permission. But I will not be there.” Her silence simmers and I gird myself for a showdown.

              “Ok, Rhys, if you don’t mind the thought of Bianca and Nadja spending an entire weekend together without you. I’m sure they’ll find plenty to talk about.” She moves to stand and the thought strikes like lightening. My
mother
and Nadja…alone..in the Hamptons, to plot and scheme. Not a good idea. This cannot happen. The dim flicker of triumph flashes across her face and she sits back down.  “Please, Rhys, for me. An entire weekend away with Daddy and Bianca is like torture. They both love it when you are around, take the focus off of me. Please, come. You will make everyone happy.”

              “You are playing a very precarious game. I am afraid that you are underestimating her and her motives.”

              “Thanks for the warning, Brother. But I am a big girl and I can handle myself. She cares about me, we have a real connection. Don’t begrudge me this, please.”

              “You are going to have to be honest with everyone eventually, you know. And if you are ashamed of what you are doing, then maybe that is a sign that you shouldn’t be doing it.”

              “Pot, meet kettle,” she replies with a smirk. “You should take your own advice,” she says, standing. “Next weekend, Brother. Have a happy birthday. I’ll call you later.” And she sweeps through the door and down the hall before I can tell her no.

                                          ***

              I walk up the steps and away from the car, a warm breeze blowing across my cheek before the quiet morning is cut by the sound of her shrill purr.

              “Sophie.” She slithers from the back of a dark car and holds her hand out like she expects me to kiss it or something. I keep my hands firmly at my sides and continue to walk as she falls in beside me. “I don’t know what you think you are doing here, but your time is up.” Her slimy smile makes my stomach roll. “I thought Rhys had higher standards, but then once a man has been broken, he is never really the same is he?” I stop and look at her. Her eyes hidden behind large sunglasses, her hair perfectly coifed in a high mess on her head. And those full, snide lips that speak such ugly words.

              “Rhys is not broken.” I answer before I can wish that I hadn’t.

              “Sure he is, Sweetie.” She tips her head in mock sympathy. “You see, I made him and then I broke him and that makes him mine. I got over Rhys a long time ago, but he will
never
be over me. Whatever he is doing with you is purely for my benefit. I am here to remind him that I cannot be replaced and to reclaim my rightful place by his side. A powerful man such as Rhys needs someone who can enrich his life, not a charity case. You are too simple and plain to ever really catch someone like Rhys’ attention, can’t you see that? He chose you because you were easy, you fulfill some bullshit fantasy that he is sure to tire of. You have let yourself believe the lie and played right into his hand. I was afraid after meeting you in Miami that maybe you had more self-respect than that, but I am glad to know that you wallow down in the gutter with the rest of the sticky trash Rhys happens upon. You are not good enough to be with him. You don’t belong here and you don’t belong with him. I will make sure of it. Everybody has a breaking point, Sophie. Don’t doubt that I will find yours.” My nostrils flare and my body begins to tremble with anger, a metallic tang fills my mouth as I bite my tongue. She leans closer and tips her sunglasses down her nose, revealing her bright blue eyes, rimmed with long fake lashes. Chanel Number 5 and cigarette smoke hover around her. “It would be a mistake to underestimate me, Sophie. I am capable of things you could never imagine. Make no mistake, Rhys is mine. And I can do whatever I want with him.” She turns and makes her way back down the steps to her waiting car. I look at the street to see Charlie standing at the curb, having witnessed the whole exchange. He doesn’t make a move, stays stock still hidden behind black shades, offering no reaction. I take a moment to collect myself. I smooth my clothes and take a deep breath before I step into Rhys’ building and watch Kylie emerge from the elevator. What the hell? His exes are suddenly coming out of the woodwork, like cicadas after a long winter they are everywhere and impossible to ignore.

              “Sophie!” she squeals, a little too excited, a lot too prepared. “It is so good to see you again. I was just meeting with Rhys and he said you were in town. How do you like the city?”

              “I haven’t really seen much of it yet. Rhys has been really busy.” Her eyes slink between me and the dark car at the curb.

              “Well, you must insist that he take you around. Don’t let him keep you hidden away.There is so much to see.” She turns back towards the car as the door begins to open and she jumps a little, talking faster. “I am sorry, Sophie, you will have to excuse, I, uh, have to get going.” She shakes my hands before dashing off towards the waiting car that Nadja has just emerged from. Kylie’s eyes dart from me to Nadja before a guilty smile spreads across her dark berry lips and she hurries into the car and out of sight. I watch their car pull into traffic and disappear around a corner. My feet are like old bricks, heavy and on the verge of crumbling to dust. I steady myself with a deep breath and walk into the lion’s den. I finger my visitor’s badge while I wait for the elevator. What am I going to say when I am finally face to face with him?

              Nina is on the phone when I emerge from the elevator and she just waves me past. As I walk down the hallway to Rhys’ glass-walled office, my heart skips a beat, the hallway grows longer and everything slows. I watch him as he stands behind his desk, overlooking the city below, a crisp white shirt hangs from his broad shoulders, suspenders crisscross his broad back and hold his pants just perfectly across his high, tight ass. It should be a crime to look that good and be that wholly distracting. I stop and watch him shift his weight from one foot to the other as he rocks his hips back and forth, pacing up and down the wall of windows. He talks as his hands wave above his head, he is animated and agitated when he turns and catches me in his sights. I push through the glass door just as he pulls the Bluetooth from his ear and drops it to his glass desk.

              “You are a sight for sore eyes, Beautiful.” He saunters over to me and pulls me into an embrace that could melt ice. “You would not believe the morning I have had.”

              “No? I just ran into Nadja downstairs.” His eyes grow wide and he takes a step back. “Oh, and then there was Kylie. Should I expect to run into any other exes today?” He pulls me around his desk and sits in his chair.

              “Ok, let’s talk.” He pulls me into his lap. “First of all, Kylie is not an ex. She is my sister.” Shock whips my head around and our eyes meet. “Stepsister is really more accurate. My mother is currently married to her father.”

              “Oh.” I am dumbfounded. Why has he never mentioned this before?

              “Nadja must have been with her.” He sweeps the hair away from my face and forces our eyes to meet. “They are… friends. Kylie came to discuss some family business. I am sorry that you had to run into her, again.” He looks at me with concern in his eyes. “Did you speak to her?”

              Do I tell him what just happened? I am afraid to keep bringing her up. Just the mention of her name seems to set him off. And isn’t that playing right into her hand, if we are talking about her all the time? If I tell him what she said, he will surely feel the need to confront her, to seek her out. She is wicked and manipulative and the whole situation sets my pulse racing uncomfortably.

              “Um, no. No, we didn’t speak.” I will not give her the satisfaction. I can handle myself. If she thought I was going to run to Rhys, she has underestimated me.

              We spend a couple of leisurely hours together. We stroll through Central Park, have a hot dog for lunch, watch the boaters. I could be walking through a dozen movies. He reminds me that we are having dinner with Olivia and Matthew as they have finally returned, and I am more than grateful for the distraction from Nadja, for a familiar, friendly face. I can’t wait to see Olivia. I have missed her more than ever before. When my phone beeps for the fourth time, I can no longer ignore what I have pushed to the back. I have emails piling up, communications from the estate lawyer. I have to check back in to my own life.

              “I need to get back to the office, Beautiful, just for an hour or so. Will you be alright?” he asks as we walk over the small stone bridge back towards the edge of the Park. “Charlie will take you home and I’ll meet you there shortly, okay?” The way he so casually calls it “home”, as if it’s
my
home too, makes me suddenly so aware of our precarious situation. “Hello? Earth to Sophie.” I am shaken from my imagined struggle and look into his big green eyes and find nothing but warmth. I don’t need to worry. Right? We are great, things are going well. I smile brightly as he kisses me on the corner of my mouth and pulls me towards Charlie and the waiting car.

              “I need to check a few emails, Rhys, can I use your computer?” I ask as we pull to the curb at his office building.

              “Of course you can, Beautiful. My laptop should be in the bedroom, help yourself and I will see you shortly.”  He kisses me like a long hard goodbye before leaving me with a low grumble and a wink.