The Mistress of Black Grove Manor (98 page)

              After showering, she tossed on a summer dress and packed her bikini. Wyatt and Lida left in his bright red Corvette and drove towards the beach. They were meant to meet his friends at the beach by eleven in the morning and no later. He’d packed a cooler full of food and drinks and had a separate cooler for wine and beer.

              “Are you nervous?” Wyatt asked, placing a warm hand on her knee. Lida smiled, feeling like they were a couple straight out of the movies.

              “No,” she said quietly. “I’m excited to meet your friends.”

              “Well I’m sure they’re going to love you,” Wyatt said. “Why wouldn’t they? You’re beautiful and charismatic, and you’ve got that blazing red hair everyone lusts after.”

              “You’re sweet,” Lida said, biting her lower lip.

              He chuckled, smiling at her in the rearview mirror. He was wearing a pair of shining silver aviators and Lida was wearing bright red heart-shaped sunglasses. Her dress was white with small daisies printed all over it.

              When they got to the beach, Lida was surprised to see clusters of people scattered across the beach. Each was its own private party, the attendees only paying attention to each other. Wyatt led Lida over to a large group of people standing next to a barbecue. They waved when they saw Wyatt and Lida heading over to them.

              “I’m surprised you made it,” said a petite blonde girl with a purple bikini top. “I thought you’d be spending the whole day in bed, now that you’ve got a new girl and all.”

              Lida blushed, wondering if Wyatt had told them about their deal. But from the way he spoke to his friends, it would appear that he hadn’t told them anything. He tugged her away for a second, whispering in her ear that he wouldn’t tell anyone how they knew each other until Lida felt comfortable admitting it.

              “That’s very kind of you,” she said.

              Wyatt leaned down and kissed her softly on the cheek, causing her to blush a very dark shade of pink.

              “Anything for my princess,” he said.

              It had only been a day and he’d already started calling her pet names.

              “Do you mind?” he asked, a worried look spreading across his face.

              “No,” she said, smiling brightly at him. “I appreciate it. It makes me feel closer to you.”

              He grasped her hand tightly in his and led her back over to his friends. There was the bubbly Eva, a petite blonde with blood red lips and dark blue eyes. Eva was dating a man named Nate with shaggy brown hair who worked as an investment banker. Abby with the pixie cut was dating Rob with the curly black hair. And then there was Malcolm, standing next to a completely different girl than he was standing next to the previous evening.

              “I didn’t know your brother would be here,” Lida commented, unsure of how that would sound to Wyatt.

              “Me either,” he said, frowning.             

              “So Lida, where are you from?” asked the girl next to Malcolm. It turned out her name was Serena and she was from San Francisco.

              “I uh, recently moved here from Russia,” she said quietly.

              “You’re Russian?” Eva asked, her high-pitched voice pissing Lida off.

              “Yeah,” Lida said. “That’s where I was born.”

              “But your English is so good,” said Rob, a criminal defense lawyer.

              “Um thanks,” Lida said, biting her lip so hard she drew blood. She never knew what to say in situations like this and was grateful to have Wyatt by her side. He wrapped his arm around her protectively and gave a little squeeze.

              “So what’s for lunch?” he asked, grinning wide. Wyatt loved food. Ever since he was a kid, he was obsessed with becoming a chef. His dream had turned into a reality when his father surprised him with chef school. Since opening his restaurant downtown, he’d already earned two Michelin stars, which was more than an average American restaurant earned even for a good restaurant.

              Growing up with an enormous plot of land allowed Wyatt the luxury to travel and experiment. He wound up cooking strange foods, including but not pertaining to mushroom burgers and chocolate bacon wrapped fillets. The mushroom burgers, Lida was told, were a delicatessen at his restaurant. First the ground beef was cooked and then an enormous egg was cooked on top. Sprinkled with a layer of spice, the meat was sandwiched between two enormous mushroom halves. From what Lida had heard so far, the sandwich was meant to be incredible. As for the chocolate on the steak, she wasn’t quite so sure, but figured she would try it in due time.

              Wyatt asked her at the breakfast table that morning if she wanted to go to his restaurant with him at some point that week.

              “If you come early enough, you’ll get to see the food that is delivered fresh every single morning. I can’t tell you what a thrill it is to smell fresh basil.”

              “Are you insane?” Lida asked, bursting into giggles.

              “No mon cherie, I just love food,” he’d responded, kissing her on the forehead.

              Lida hoped she would come to love food the same way Wyatt did. He was a real connoisseur for the finer things in life. California was a good fit for him as it had all the elegance and style of New York city but it also had brilliant beaches, soft sand, and clusters of college students rollerblading all over the place.

              Lida sat down in a plastic purple chair next to the others. The men busied themselves with barbecue while the women sat around, gossiping.

              “I heard she’s going to bring him to the next charity gala,” said Eva, rolling her eyes. “Why on earth does she think that’s a good idea?”

              “Ugh she probably doesn’t realize that what she’s doing is wrong. You know she’s an idiot, right?”

              “Who are you guys talking about?” Lida asked, sipping on a chilled glass of lemonade.

              “Penelope Weathers,” Abby commented, making sure to fake-gag afterwards.               “What’s so bad about Penelope Weathers?”

              “She’s dating Abby’s ex-boyfriend. It’s so rude I can’t even believe her choice in men,” Eva said. She reached over and patted Abby condescendingly on the head.

              “Ah,” Lida said. She’d had a friend like that back home, a girl named Kara that slept around with all the guys at school. One day she disappeared and never returned. There was a rumor going around that she was sent to boarding school by her parents, who were attempting to discipline her. Lida waned to tell them her story, but she knew she would be judged. The girls around here went to boarding school before applying to only the most elite colleges, graduating cum laude.

              “So have you forgiven her?” Lida asked after a while.

              “I would never,” Abby said. She slipped on a page of purple shades over her eyes, dismissing Lida’s commentary. Turning to Eva, she entered into a quick-witted conversation about how absurd the gala was going to be.

              Lida wondered if she would be invited to go. Part of her courtship included attending black-tie events with Wyatt. She’d known he was rich, but had no idea he was part of such an elite society of men and women. If Lida had that much money, she would send it back to her home country in the hopes of supporting all of her friends and family. She wouldn’t waste it on expensive dresses or delicate pairs of sunglasses that would only be replaced a few weeks later.

              One thing she did admire about Wyatt was his cooking. He was an excellent cook and did so because he was in love with food.

              “Are you having fun?” Wyatt asked, surprising Lida.

              “Yes, so much fun,” she said, smiling up at him. As he whispered his lips brushed against her ear ever so slightly, sending a tingle down her spine.

              He kissed her on the cheek before walking back towards his friends, his hips swinging confidently from side to side.

              “How did you managed to bag him?” Eva asked.

              Something in her tone reminded Lida of envy, but like a good girl she kept her mouth shut. She told the story she had rehearsed dozens of times before with Wyatt. They’d met on the ocean, when he had been out fishing with a few of his fishermen friends. He’d been at sea for a few days that week, trying to get a good catch so he could create a new dish for the restaurant. Lida was on a smaller ship, sunbathing with her friends. She entered into a conversation with Wyatt and eventually swam over to him like a mermaid. They fell in love shortly after that.

              If Lida were honest with herself, she knew the story sounded insane. In her mind, she would have liked to meet a man by accident. They would enter into a complex courtship, dancing circles around each other until one of them finally submitted to the other. Wyatt was so shy that she barely knew he was flirting with her. Only when he enacted strong gestures, like a kiss on the cheek or an arm held out to her did Lida know he was leaning towards love.

              Eva and Abby sighed like they’d just heard the most beautiful fairytale.

              “I can’t believe you swam over to him,” Abby said. “I bet he thought he was hallucinating. You know all that red hair makes you look just like a mermaid.”

              Lida leaned back and blushed. “Thank you,” she said.

              When she was younger, she used to hate her red hair. The children at school teased her, telling her she permanently looked like a live wire. But the older she got, the more she grew into her body, allowing her hair to grow long like weeping willow tendrils. If Abby and Eva believed her story, there was hope yet. Little did Lida know, things were about to get ten times crazier at the newest charity event gala.

Chapter 3

“You need to leave California and never come back. You’re not welcome here,” said a high-pitched voice. The woman that it belonged to was weaning a lace dress, her long brown hair tugged back into an enormous bun. On her feet she wore purple minors, their heels digging into the sand.

              “I’m sorry but I didn’t mean to—it wasn’t my fault!” Lida pleaded. But it was too late. She’d already screwed up, and was now covered in bright red wine.

              The woman standing in front of her was none other than Serena. She’d started to date Malcolm more seriously in the coming weeks, but things had been rocky lately.

              Lida had been wearing a light blue slip of a dress that was covered in sparkling sequins. On her feet she had a pair of chunky flip flops with daisies painted on the bottoms. But now her dress was ruined, and there was a dark red stain spreading across her chest. Serena had dumped wine on Lida after she caught wind of what had happened. But things weren’t always like that for Lida. She missed the easy simplicity of her previous life in Russia. And she especially missed the simplicity of being with Wyatt.

              They were still together, of course. But he was furious after what had happened. It all started Friday night, the evening before the charity event.

              Wyatt had been hosting a bonfire in his backyard. There were about thirty guests in total staying at his mansion for the party and the gala. He was to announce the news of his engagement to Lida that night. Over the course of the past week, Lida had become accustomed to the fast-paced American lifestyle. She found it easier and easier to lie about how she’d met Wyatt. No one had to know her secret if she didn’t want them to.

              Wyatt’s mansion was so enormous that almost all his guests had a room to sleep in. They were a mixture of head chefs, friends, and a few family members. Those that showed up too late decided to stay in nearby hotels due to the influx of partygoers. Lida stuck to the outskirts of the party, avoiding meeting Wyatt’s parents. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to meet them, but she and Wyatt had met over business. It was essentially an arranged marriage, though one with less strings attached. Though Lida couldn’t leave whenever she pleased, she still had the opportunity to turn Wyatt down. He’d instructed her many times that if she didn’t have strong feelings for him, they could break up the union.

              “Are you sure?” she’d asked when he first brought it up.

              “Of course I am. I know that your family really needs the money, but if you’re finding yourself too stressed out to be with me, let me know at any time.”

              Lida was excited that he wasn’t like typical men. He didn’t just want her for her body and it wasn’t just a deal about money. The pair were actually trying to get to know each other better. And Malcolm Stone was making it all the more difficult with his bad-boy attitude.