Various States of Undress: Virginia (29 page)

“Sure you do. We have a handshake agreement, giving me complete control of Lilah's transformation, and if you're going to break it, I deserve a real explanation.” Dex's voice began to rise. “It's not as if I'm some pissant junior-level lackey, Granddad. I'm your future CEO.”

Virginia gazed at him, worried. Fire flashed in his eyes, and watching him get so worked up was making her heart hammer. She winced as Dex's legs began to jiggle, and when his grandfather gave him a hateful smile, she closed her eyes. This wasn't going to end well at all.

“Future CEO?” the old man yelled. “Not any time soon. Your stupid idea to fix Lilah's was already on the way to hell in a handbasket to begin with, but I knew it was only a matter of time when you brought that bimbo on board.”

Virginia's eyes flew open. “Bimbo?”

Ariel laughed, but nobody paid any attention to her.

“Bimbo, tramp, whatever you want to call it,” he said. “You shouldn't be here, and you shouldn't have dragged the Cameron name through the mud.” He glared at Virginia. “I've seen the photos and I've read too many stories. Your father is the president of the United States. You ought to be ashamed.”

“And yet, I'm not,” she blurted out, even though shame spread through her like a river at his words. If anything, she should feel pride. She knew that because she knew herself and what great things she was capable of—what she had already proven. So why couldn't she meet Dex's eyes?

“That's obvious,” DB continued. “Since you tried to kill Lilah's.”

Dex stood up. “Don't you
ever
speak to her like that again, do you hear me? She is not to blame for your bitterness. She is not to blame for your grief. She didn't compromise the family name, and she's not trying to kill Lilah's. You took care of that yourself by treating Grandmother like a fool for years upon years, just because she was exuberant and fun. You killed her spirit. All I'm trying to do is bring it back, you son of a bitch.”

The old man's jaw worked for a moment, and then he slapped Dex across the cheek. “You're finished with this store.”

There was complete silence for a moment, broken only by Dex's harsh breathing. Then Ariel let out a disbelieving gasp. “Thanks, Dex. I guess I'll go pack my bags and grab my passport.”

“You're not going anywhere, Ariel. You're fired,” the old man said.

“What? Why?” Her jaw dropped open.

“Because I can. And because you're a pain in the ass.” He turned to Dex. “When you get your head on straight, we'll have a meeting about London.” He walked out of the office without a backward glance. After a few seconds, Ariel ran after him, slamming the door behind her. The noise reverberated like a gunshot, and Virginia flinched. Her hands flew to her mouth, but she didn't move. She stared at Dex, who slowly turned his back and walked to the windows.

“You should leave,” he said quietly. “I can't . . . I don't . . .”

“There's nothing you need to say, Dex.”

“Yes, there is, but you and I both know I won't be able to get the words out.” He pressed his hands to the glass. “Please go. I need for you to go now.”

She hesitated for a moment. “I love you.” The words came out choked. Blindly, she looked around for her bag and then realized it was still hanging around her body. With a strangled sob, she clutched it to her middle and walked out of her office.

D
EX SPENT THE
rest of the day sitting in Virginia's office, brooding, trying to think of a way out of the mess his life had become, but everything he came up with left him with a sick feeling. His first instinct was to find Ariel and publicly humiliate her, just as she'd done to Virginia. But then he imagined the look that would probably be on Virginia's face if he did that. “Let it go, Dex,” she'd say. Reluctantly, he did—and thought next about blackmailing his grandfather into handing over the reins of Cameron Enterprises. After all—if word got out that old DB Cameron had fired a member of his own family, it wouldn't look good. But that would be even worse, and pettier, than trying to hurt Ariel. Using the media to lash out at his family would be satisfying, but in the end, what would he gain? He wouldn't gain Lilah's for Virginia. For them both.

Half a dozen times he reached for his phone to call her, only to realize that the phone sat submerged in a mug on her desk. He paced. He stared blankly out the windows at the traffic below and then lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. When the evening shadows began to fall and his stomach rumbled, he realized what he had to do.

He had to go to his grandfather with the most powerful thing of all—forgiveness. The idea stuck in his throat like dry bread, but Dex knew instinctively that the only way he could get Lilah's back would involve being the better man. He needed to do it on his own too. And Virginia needed space to think about him—think about what she would be getting into with his family if she became his. And the first thing he had to do was take a stand. He had to tell his grandfather that London was off the table.

Dex went home and, after a sleepless night, showed up at his grandfather's apartment first thing in the morning. He knew that the old man would be reading the
Times
and eating dry toast, just as he had every morning for half a century or more. When Dex got off the elevator, he went straight to the dining room. Granddad sat at the head of the polished table, but there was no newspaper. No toast, either. He looked shriveled and small—almost defeated—except for the fact that his eyes glittered with defensiveness.

“Have you finally got your head on straight?” DB demanded.

“Yes.” Dex pulled out a chair and sat next to him. “I still want Lilah's.”

DB stared at him. “You don't give up, do you?”

“No.” Dex passed a hand over his jaw. “Well, that's not completely true. I don't give up on what's genuinely important to me.”

“Which is what, exactly?” DB asked derisively.

“Things that make life joyful, Granddad, that's what. One of those things used to be the idea that one day, I'd be CEO of your company. That isn't my goal anymore.”

DB leaned forward. “Are you
quitting
on me?”

“Not on you. I know we've never really had a personal relationship, but you're my family. Quitting on you is not an option. Letting go of the idea that I'd make a great CEO
is
an option, and I'm taking it.”

“Of all the—” DB sputtered. “And you want me to accept that—then turn around and sell you Lilah's, the crown jewel of Cameron's?”

“Is that how you think of the store? Until I got my hands on it—until I invited Virginia Fulton to put
her
hands on it—it was the most neglected crown jewel I'd ever seen. And then you yanked it away out of spite. I'm not even going to bring Grandmother back into this because I think I've made my point about what she would have wanted.” Dex stood up, trying to keep his voice even. “I'm not going to quit trying because I'm through being just another fucked-up part of a fucked-up family. You still have time left in this world, Granddad, and I want to spend it with you. I hope you want to spend it with me. Please, for the love of God, enjoy it, no matter what you decide about me.”

As Dex stood there, DB stared across the room. After a minute, he cleared his throat. His head sank into his hands. “Get out.”

“I will. But I'll be back because I care about you.” Dex walked away, his heart in his throat.

Chapter Sixteen

V
IRGINIA STARED AT
the pile of catalogs on her coffee table and then rolled over on the sofa, facing the wall. She felt completely numb. For the past week and a half, she'd wandered around her apartment, most of the time wailing out her frustration, anger, and sorrow. She'd felt sorry for herself like it was her job. One of those days, she'd sat in front of her computer for hours, trolling Monster.com, looking for a job as far from New York City as possible. When she'd decided that was kind of psycho, she'd finally gotten up, brushed her hair, and forced herself to eat something other than the fat-laden delivery food she'd been consuming.

The baby carrots she'd munched on had been tasty, but they hadn't cheered her up. Nothing had because it was hard to shake the feeling that she was a failure. The only thing that had kept her from going batshit crazy was the offer from Perry Ellis. It was still there, and she knew that she ought to just take it, but she also knew that one phone call from Dex could change everything. She knew that he loved her—that wasn't the question. But loving someone didn't always mean you got to be with that person. Hell, did she even deserve Dex?

She was a publicity nightmare. She came with paparazzi baggage. She was impulsive. Maybe that old asshole DB Cameron had been right. Maybe she would only drag Dex down. And if he chose to go to London—which he'd been working toward most of his adult life—she probably
would
be a distraction. But Dex saw something in her that nobody else did, and she knew that even though she felt like a failure, she wasn't one. She could pick herself up, get back out there, and try again, even though creepers with cameras would be following her around. She wouldn't be working at Lilah's, which tore at her heart, but she would survive. Still, she would do a lot more than survive if Dex were by her side.

Virginia's phone dinged in her pocket, and she groaned, pulling it out. Squinting at the display, she read a text from Stacey.
Get dressed, bitch. Tell Muscles and Silent to let me in
.

Virginia rolled over slowly and typed back with stiff fingers, saying each word aloud, as if that would help her focus.
I hope you're not downstairs because I don't think I would be good company. Sorry
.

A few seconds later, Stacey texted back.
I kno, ur going to be horrible company and yes I'm downstairs. Not going away
.

With a sigh, Virginia struggled to her feet. “Shit,” she muttered. But she called Muscles and told him to let Stacey in. A few minutes later, there was a sharp rap on her door. When she opened it, Stacey breezed in on a cloud of perfume, the Balenciaga tote thrown over her shoulder.

“Hey, Ginny. I came to return your bag.” She threw it toward the sofa and swiveled around, her hands on her hips. “You're welcome.”

Virginia frowned at her. “Are you pissed at me?”

“Hell, yes. Of all the people I figured
wouldn't
end up wallowing like Bridget Jones, it was you. Yet, here you are—in sweatpants, no less.”

Virginia looked down. “They're Juicy Couture.”

“I don't give a shit. They're sweats.” Stacey sat on the edge of the armchair. “So come on, let me talk you through what you already know but aren't admitting to yourself.”

“Huh?”

Stacey let out a long-suffering sigh. “You love Dex. Check. You want to be with him. Check. You feel like a total loser because Lilah's got taken away from you. Check.”

“Quit saying ‘check'! You're not even making check mark motions.”

“Shut up. I'm on a roll.” Stacey crossed her skinny legs. “You think you're probably going to turn down the job with Perry Ellis.”

“No. That's the last good thing left. Why would I do that?”

Stacey looked her up and down. “Excuse me, Ginny, but you're
not
a real model. Do you know how hard you'd have to work out? You'd have to go on like, a 250-calorie-a-day diet, which I seriously doubt you're capable of.”

Virginia sucked in a breath. “I thought you came over to make me feel better. Damn.”

“No, I came to kick your ass. Duh. This is the part where the best friend comes over to the pathetic, heartbroken friend's place and talks some sense into her. Don't you watch any romantic comedies? Now play your part or I'll make you cry all over again.”

“I haven't cried in two days.” Virginia narrowed her eyes.

“Good. Then you're better off than I figured you would be. Now, back to Perry Ellis. You wouldn't be doing any merchandising. You'd barely be making any decisions. But you'd be pampered and be the star of fashion week wherever you go. Is that going to make you happy?”

“For the short term, of course. For the long term, I don't know. Nobody can predict stuff like that, Stace.” She pointed a finger at her friend. “You're not happy at Saks all the time.”

“This isn't about me. Has Dex called?”

“No.”

“Are you ready to talk to him?”

Virginia thought about it. She nodded slowly. “He's what I want. He's what would make me happy for the short term and for the long term. He loves me, and, no matter what he ends up doing with his career, he wants me there despite the baggage I haul along with me. I know all of that already.”

Stacey clapped. “Do I get to say it now?”

“Say what?”

“What are you waiting for? Go get him!” Stacey yelled. “Go get your man!”

Virginia grinned. “I'd like to, but I have to change.”

“Oh my God, Ginny. You're ruining it. You're supposed to run straight out of your apartment in your nasty clothes and chase all over New York until you find him! It's the romantic thing to do.”

“Or I could call him.” Giggling now, Virginia pulled her phone out and dialed, even as Stacey let out a dramatic groan. The phone rang. And rang. He didn't pick up. Crestfallen, Virginia stared at her phone and dropped her arms to her sides. She missed him so badly. She wanted to hear his voice. She wanted to feel his arms around her. Oh, she wanted him so badly, and she wanted him
now
. “Stace, I have to go find him.”

“Yay!” Stacey stood up and threw her arms out for a hug. Virginia ran to her and gathered her friend close. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome. Now get your scummy ass moving.”