The Mistress of Black Grove Manor (100 page)

              “My friends are all plastic people,” Malcolm said at last. “You’re the first real person to come by in ages and you’re dating my brother.”
              “We’re engaged actually,” Lida said.

              “Ah.”
              Part of Lida wanted to agree with him, to say to hell with it; these were never going to be her people. But the other part wanted so badly to be part of that world—with Malcolm of all people.

Christ,
Lida thought to herself.
Now what do I do?
“Do you want to hang out for a bit?” he asked, breaking the silence.

              She felt a bit strange being invited into Wyatt’s brother’s room, especially because h was right downstairs drinking a mug of tea. It was a bit absurd to care, as Wyatt had literally plucked her out of a catalog. But he’d kissed her so passionately by the fire, that had to mean something.

             
Is it possible to have feelings for two people at once?
She thought to herself.

              “I uh, should probably get some sleep,” she said instead.

              “Oh sure, I understand. I bet you’re still jet-lagged from the other day. And don’t forget we have to wake up bright and early for brunch.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before she could pull away.

              “Um, see you then,” she said, traipsing back to her room.

              But Lida never made it back to her room. She turned around halfway down the hall and walked straight into Malcolm. He’d tiptoed after her out into the hall and was now embracing her. His arms were warm and strong and made Lida tingle all over.             

              “I can’t stay away from you,” he said, kissing her passionately. She felt as though her breath were being taken away by the force of his lips on hers. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time someone had kissed her this way before. Not even Wyatt.

              Lida couldn’t keep her hands to herself. She wrapped them around Malcolm and he lifted her into the air, carrying her into a guest room. Wyatt and Lida hadn’t been sleeping in the same room all week, and by the time he walked up the stairs and past the guest room, he figured Lida was asleep. She’d left the door closed as she didn’t want any of the other guests looking at her measly satchel of belongings.

              Malcolm lifted her in his arms and tossed her onto the bed. They screwed up the sheets and threw them on the floor, shedding each other’s clothes as well. Lida never took her hands off Malcolm, raking them down her back and threading them through his hair. He smelled good, like expensive wine. For Malcolm, it wasn’t his status that turned Lida on. It was his genuine personality, and the way he’d been looking at her for days on end. Like she wasn’t just another side kick of one of the rich and wealthy. She was an actual human being worth touching, and loving.

              Wyatt, on the other hand, barely new what to do with Lida. His body was too awkward when he tried to hold her hand, her waist, her luggage. Try as she might, she just didn’t want to have sex with him. It was Malcolm whom she felt the brunt of the feelings for. And what an unfortunate situation that was.

              As Malcolm and Lida made love, he covered her mouth with his hand so as to silence her moans. This only turned her on more, and it seemed to only way to silence her was kissing her, hard. His body was chiseled and tan and he treated her like a beautiful sweet which he chose to slowly unwrap before devouring her whole. Without meaning to, he bit down hard on her collarbone.

              “That’s going to leave a mark,” he whispered in her ear.

              “Aah, don’t do that,” she said. His chest was warm and so was hers. She felt like her heart was beating so hard it was existing outside of her chest.

              “I can’t do this anymore,” she said.

              “Can’t do what? Should I stop?”

              “No, that’s not what I meant—” she said.
Oh god, oh god!
She thought to herself.
I’ve accidentally told him the truth. What do I do now, lie? The truth of the matter is that I can’t go through with this. I can’t marry Wyatt. I’ve been unfaithful and disgusting and—

             
“Oh,” she said, her body seizing from the center, spilling forth like a fountain. She came at the same time as he did, both their bodies emitting a low growl. When asked about it later on, Malcolm would claim that a raccoon had gotten loose in the house and was running rampant around the upper floors.

              They lay like that for a few seconds, catching their breath.

              “I should really get back to my room,” she said.

              “We’ve got to get up early too. Brunch and all that.”
              “What is it with rich people and their catered meals? Has it always been like this?”

              “You don’t even know the half of it. Our parents are even worse about forcing us to attend events, but they’re supposedly away on business tomorrow. I guess you and Wyatt will be attending brunch in a stress-free zone.” He winked at her, though Lida secretly sighed from relief. It was a lot easier to juggle Wyatt’s friends without the pressure from his parents.

              “And how are things with Serena?” Lida asked. “You two going to brunch with us tomorrow?”

              “Does it make you jealous?”

              “A little,” she admitted.

              “Good,” he chuckled. “But really though, I’m not into dating…that. I’m still waiting for the right one to come along and sweep me off my feet.”

              A silence passed between them that was so thick with complications Lida barely knew how to handle it. Malcolm was looking at her in a way that she couldn’t quite comprehend. His eyes were darker than Wyatt’s, and his hair was a bit longer. He looked like a brooding jazz singer, or a lost muse that once belonged to Picasso or Homer. She smiled politely at him when the silence became too much and excused herself. It had been such a strange and long day and the only thing she wanted to do was get a good nights sleep.             

              Lida was woken the next morning by Eva jumping on her bed. She’d found a new burst of energy after drinking too much the previous night and seemed much happier to see Lida.

              “Let’s go, let’s go, the cars are leaving soon!” she called into Lida’s ear.

              “Oh my god,” Lida groaned. “What time is it? And why are you so happy?”

              “Almost eight-thirty and the brunch starts at nine. You have time for a five-minute shower or bust. I also popped a Xanax. Do you want one? What do you say?”

              “Shit,” Lida said, leaping out of the bed. “Pick out an outfit for me, okay?” she asked, dashing into the bathroom.             

              “Sure thing,” sang a too-happy Eva. She proceeded to rifle through the closet, completely forgetting about how she’d snuffed Lida out the night before.

              Lida lathered and rinsed as quickly as she possibly could, shaving so fast that she nicked her leg with the razor. She pulled her hair back into a tight bun, put on a pair of her mother’s fake diamond earrings, and walked out in a towel. Before climbing onto the loading dock for the plane, her mother had pressed a small jewelry box into her hand filled with hidden gems. It was the only thing that made Lida miss home—the scent of her mother still lingering on the box, and the costume jewelry which she enjoyed collecting.

              To her surprise, Malcolm was standing in her room. His back was to her, and he was talking to Eva about something. Serena lay like a starfish on her bed, her long hair fanned out like a halo. Stuck between a bathroom and a hard place, Lida cleared her throat nervously.

              “Oh, I didn’t notice you standing there,” Malcolm said. “Oh dear, is that what you’re wearing to brunch? Mrs. Henderson won’t be happy with that.”

              Lida laughed. “You like it? It’s a new style I’m trying out. Maybe Louis Vuitton will even carry my line someday.”

              “Girls in small towels?” I’m not complaining.”

              “O-kay Malcolm, we should probably head downstairs to the car.”

              Serena pushed Malcolm out of the room but not before he could turn around and wink at Lida. She rolled her eyes and flopped onto the bed.

              “What was that about?” Eva asked.

              “Nothing. He’s just a silly guy. And since when do you care? You’ve been nothing but cold to me since the minute I got here.”

              “Mmm, I don’t know about that. I’m always up for a good gossip topic. And Malcolm? I don’t think so. He normally never says a word to us during these kinds of events, keeping to his room until it’s over. I’m surprised you got him to speak more than three words to you.” She paused, tossing a lilac blouse at Lida. “I didn’t see him at the party last night.”

              “Right, me either. I was on the way to my room when I saw him reading with the door open and Serena passed out behind him.”

              “They’re so cute together,” Eva said, raising an eyebrow at Lida.

              “Agreed,” Lida said, quickly gathering her clothes.

              “Mmm,” Eva commented, grabbing a black pencil skirt and handing it to Lida. “Try this on.”

              She turned around and began fishing in the closet for a pair of flats. Lida rubbed her face with her fingers, trying to coax the stress out of her veins. What was going on? It was as if the moment she stepped onto the Stone territory she was engulfed in another world.

              When she finished getting dressed, Eva tugged her downstairs and towards the limo. The other limos had already left, which meant Eva and Lida were late. She had no idea who was waiting for her behind the tinted black windows, but was told there were two others riding with them. When the driver held the door open for Lida to climb in, she was surprised to find Wyatt and Malcolm sitting across from her. Emma slid in next to her and signaled to the driver that they were ready. They sped off like a dark bullet beneath a clear blue Lida.

              “So, who’s hungry?” Eva asked.

              “I’m starving,” Wyatt said, eying Lida. She stared at her hands, which were clasped tightly in her lap.

              “Why is it called brunch if we’re eating at nine in the morning?” Lida asked.

              “Mostly because the upper crust wants to drink. It’s actually a running joke in our family. The only reason we call it brunch is so we can mix alcohol with our waffles.”

              “Ah,” Lida said.

              They arrived outside what looked like an enormous wooden castle. They were to be eating in one of the reserved rooms at a cluster of white tables with candles in the center. When Lida entered the building, she gasped. It was enormous on the inside, with sweeping curtains and large oil paintings hanging on the walls. There were bright gold chandeliers on the ceiling and poinsettias in every doorway. There were about thirty of them in total, adults, children, and young adults. They were led to a small room with golden walls and a thick red carpet. Sunshine spilled through the French doors and illuminated the tables.

              “This place is beautiful,” Lida said. “Where are we sitting?”

              “Oh, there’s place cards,” she said. “Let’s go find ours.” She linked arms with Lida and dragged her towards the tables.

              Eva was definitely up to something though Lida wasn’t sure what. And they’d entered into one of the cars without Malcolm’s girlfriend. She feared breakfast would be strange, and wondered how much longer she could keep this a secret for. Lida knew that the instant she told Wyatt about what had happened, he’d call off the deal. If she were honest with herself, she wasn’t sure she even wanted to go through with it anyway.

              When they found their place cards, Lida noticed she was sitting between Malcolm and Emma. Emma sat next to Wyatt, who sat next to Laura. In between Laura and Malcolm was a girl Lida had yet to hear of. Her name tag read Pia with a curly drop cap.

              “Well,” Emma said, clearly annoyed that Laura was at the table. “Let’s sit down.”

              Lida took her seat and unfolded her napkin. She had a nervous habit of turning paper napkins into pieces of origami, which was unfortunate as that napkin was made entirely of cloth. Slowly, their table filled with both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Abby, Rob, Serena, and Penelope sat down at the table.

              Lida heard Eva suck in her breath before leaning towards Lida and whispering, “It’s going to be a long day.”

Chapter 5

             
Serena came from a family of landowners that had built property near the Everglades dozens of years ago. She went to school at Yale University and studied English. Eva was the daughter of two powerful male investment bankers. When asked about her mother, she claimed that she hadn’t spoken to her in over a decade and no one knew where she had gone. It seemed to Lida that both Serena and Eva were in competition for Wyatt and Malcolm. Serena had her claws sunk into Malcolm and Eva was consistently trying to persuade Wyatt into conversation.