Annihilate Me 2: Vol. 1 (12 page)

“That sounds oddly sexual and
weirdly grotesque.”

“That’s just your upbringing
talking,” I said.

“Anyway,” Alex said.
 
“It was nice seeing you both.
 
And don’t worry about Wenn’s stock,
Tootie
.
 
Things
are going to be just fine.”

“I still can’t believe there’s a
flower named ‘
clitoria
’,”
Tootie
said to me.

“Then you should join a garden
club,” I said.
 
“Some people say they
can never even find their
clitoria
—which leads
to frustration, depression, and a life unlived.
 
But that wasn’t the case for me.
 
In fact, it never has been—I’ve
always been able to find my
clitoria
.
 
Good night,
Tootie
.”
 
I turned to
Addy
,
who was trying to stifle a laugh, and gave him a kiss on each cheek.
 
“And thanks for being such a good
sport,” I said in his ear.
 
“I
really do try with her.
 
I promise,
Addy
.”

“Why bother?” he said quietly to
me.
 
“Besides, I like the show.
 
Talk later?”

“Of course.”

“Dance later?”

“I’m all yours.”

Addy
gave me a peck on the cheek, and then I waved my fingers at them and
into the crowd Alex and I went.

CHAPTER TEN

“
Clitoria
?”
Alex said when we moved into the crowd.
 
“Pasties?
 
A thong?”

“I hope I didn’t embarrass you, but
she deserved that.”

“She did deserve it, and you didn’t
embarrass me—I actually like it when you give it back to her.
 
It’s kind of a turn-on.”

“A turn-on?”

“You don’t take any bullshit from
anyone, Jennifer.
 
That’s one of the
reasons why I love you.
 
Hell, even
Addy
digs watching you two spar—you can see it on his
face, which doesn’t say much about how he feels about his wife since it’s
generally been you who’s walked away the winner. That said, I just don’t know
where you come up with things like ‘
clitoria
’.
 
Is that really a flower?”

“It is.
 
And I’m here to tell you that it was
accurately named.”

“How do you even know that?
 
How do you pull something like that out
of your hat?
 
I don’t get it.”

“I don’t know where it comes
from—I’m just glad that there’s some twisted part of me that’s read
enough so I can go there.
 
Tootie
will toot that one to her grave—provided that
Addy
gives her one.
 
That woman gets under my skin like few others can.
 
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out
why.
 
From the first day I met her,
she’s looked down upon me for no reason.
 
I hate snobs, and that woman is the definition of one.”

“Speaking of those who get under
your skin,” Alex said.
 
“Look who’s
here.”

He pressed the palm of his hand
against my back, and I warmed into it. Alex’s touch still always gave me a
thrill.
 
Just being with him now and
spending time together after all he’d been through these past two days was
something of a gift.
 
I’d never take
it or him for granted.
 

I looked around the crowded
room.
 
“Now who?
 
Where’s the Trojan horse?
 
Is it on fire?
 
I assume it’s in full blaze.”

“Almost directly across from us,
standing beneath a painting of someone who looks important.”

“All of these paintings are of
people who look important.
 
We might
as well be at the Louvre.”

When I said that,
Audric
Dufort blasted his horn and zipped past us in his
sleek, motorized wheelchair.
 
Although I couldn’t be sure because of the crowd’s din and the music
coming from the orchestra, I thought that I heard him sniggering as he flew
past us.

“That man is going to kill
himself.”

“Looks to me like he’s having one
hell of a good time.”

“People are having to jump out of
his way.
 
Look at them.
 
It’s like making icicles jump.”

“They could use the exercise.”

“I already know I’m going to adore
him,” I said.
 
“Look at him!
 
He just nearly hit
Tootie
.
 
Now I’m forever in his debt.”

“I’m telling you, there’s no one
else like him—and I mean that in the best way.
 
That man saved my ass several times when
I took over Wenn.
 
He really took me
under his wing.”

I glanced around the space.
 
“So, who am I looking for?”

“You haven’t spotted her yet?”

Then, finally, I did.
 
“Immaculata,” I said.
 
“In the blue Dior dress she picked up
this morning at Barneys.
 
And
there’s
Epifania
Zapopa
with her, wearing the very white dress Blackwell warned her not to get.”
 
I felt a slow burn grow within me,
because I knew for a fact that Immaculata had somehow talked
Epifania
into buying that dress so that her ‘friend’ would
look like a fool.

“Who’s that with her?”

“How can you forget her?
 
It’s
Epifania
Zapopa
, the loose cannon of Park Avenue.”

“Oh shit.”

“She’s actually nice.
 
Her problem is that she came from
nothing and doesn’t know what to do or how to behave with a half a billion
dollars.
 
She thinks that Immaculata
has taken her under her wing in an effort to guide her, but there’s plenty of
evidence that says otherwise, starting with what
Epifania
is wearing now.
 
I’ll tell you the
story behind it later, but you should know this—you’re the one who paid
for that dress.”

“
I
bought that dress?”

“Deets coming later.
 
They haven’t seen us yet, so we’re
safe.
 
Now, tell me.
 
Where are your board members?
 
I want to meet them—one by
one.
 
Where is William Gordon?”

“Bill?
 
I haven’t seen him yet.”

“All right—how about Jonathan
Rubinstein?”

As Alex looked around the room,
somebody took his photo, the flash of which blinded us.

“Sorry, Mr. Wenn.
 
Just recording the event.”

Alex looked at the short, fifty-something
man standing before us.
 
“You’re
from the
Post
, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then how about if you take a
proper photograph of me and my wife?
 
Her name is Jennifer Wenn.”

“Oh, we all know Mrs. Wenn.”

“So, about that photo?”

“If you don’t mind, that would be
terrific.”

“We don’t mind at all.
 
In fact, we’d rather that you take a
proper photo.
 
All you have to do is
ask, you know?
 
We won’t say
no.”
 
He put his arm around my waist
and held me close.
 
We smiled for
the camera, the flash popped again, and the man thanked us before slipping into
the crowd.

“Now I really am blind,” I said.

“Tell me about it.”

“Where’s my martini?
 
Oh, look—there it is.
 
Right at my lips.
 
What a surprise.”

He laughed at that.

“Rubinstein?” I said.

Again, Alex scanned the crowd, only
this time he frowned.
 
“I think
that’s him over there—by the dance floor.”

“Graying hair?
 
With two other men?”

“That’s right.”

“Who are they?”

“Other board members.
 
Tom Brown and the one man you seem to be
most interested in—Stephen Rowe.”

I felt a start at the mention of Rowe’s
name, but concealed it.
 
“Looks to
me like they’re pretty deep in conversation for such a light social event.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

“Where are their wives?”

“How do you know that they have
wives?”

“Let’s just say that while I was
waiting for you to come home this afternoon, I did my fair share of homework on
all of them.”

“You’re up to something,
Jennifer.
 
Why don’t you just tell
me what it is?”

“Because right now I need you to
trust me.”

“I’ve never not trusted you.”

“Then how about this—no
questions.
 
Can you trust me enough
for that?”

“Yes.
 
But why the secrecy?”

“Because, if you knew what I was
going to do, it would read on your face.
 
You’d never be able to conceal it.
 
I can’t have that now.”

“You think I can’t conceal critical
information?”

“That’s not what I meant—of
course you can.
 
You’ve been at war
ever since you were forced to take the reins at Wenn.
 
Look what you went through today with
the board.
 
And with the press.
 
But neither of them is your
wife.
 
And if you knew what I was about to
do, I think you’d be concerned and it might show, if only out of concern.
 
I know I’m right here.
 
I just need you to let me do what I need
to do, and I’ll tell you later what I’ve done.
 
It’s enough of a wrecking ball that it
might smash through the board once and for all.”
 
I nodded over at them.
 
“So, will you introduce me to them?”

“Why do I feel the urge to run?”

“If you do, I’ll just walk over and
introduce myself to them.”

“Is there ever any stopping you?”

“Not when it comes to you.”

“All right—let’s go.”

“Just so I’m clear—your
father brought Jonathan and Tom onto the board?”

“That’s right.”

“How long have you known them?”

“Since I was born.”

“Do you think they still have your
back?”

“Right now?
 
That’s questionable—especially
since it looks like they’re commiserating with Stephen, who absolutely doesn’t
have my back.”

“You brought Stephen on?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think he’s trying to
influence the board against you?”

“After today’s board meeting?
 
Absolutely.
 
No question.
 
He’s after my job.”

“He’s not going to get it,” I said.

“How do you know that?”

“I just know.”

“What bothers me is that he’s
trying.
 
What bothers me more is
that he can be extremely persuasive.”

“You know something, Alex?”

“What’s that?”

I reached for his hand as we
continued to move toward them.

“Sometimes, the right interruption
at the right moment can do a world of good.”

*
 
*
 
*

When we cut through the crowd, it
was Jonathan Rubinstein who saw us first.
 
I saw him catch Alex’s eye, and when he did, his lips parted for a
moment, as if in surprise.
 
Or
guilt.
 
I couldn’t be sure.
 
He turned toward the two men he’d been
speaking with and said something.
 
Then, they all faced us as we approached.

“Alex,” Jonathan said.
 
“It’s good to see you out.”

“You thought I’d be in?”

“No, no.
 
I just wasn’t sure if you’d be here
tonight.”

“Everyone is here, Jonathan.
 
Every member of the board received an
invitation.
 
But it’s also nice to
see you.
 
And you, too, Tom and
Stephen.
 
I’d like to introduce you
to my wife, Jennifer.
 
Given how
busy everyone is and how infrequently the board meets—with the unusual exception
of this week, of course—I haven’t had the pleasure to do so yet.
 
Jennifer, this is Jonathan Rubinstein,
my father’s closest friend before he died.
 
He’s also my godfather.”

I held out my hand and shook
his.
 
“It’s a pleasure, Mr.
Rubinstein.”

“Please, call me Jonathan.”

“Jonathan is like an uncle to me,”
Alex said.
 
“As is Tom.
 
I’ve known them my entire life, and
they’ve been extremely influential in it.
 
Tom Brown, this is Jennifer Wenn.”

Influential, indeed.
 
Well played, darling….

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said
while I shook his hand.
 
“Alex has
told me so much about each of you.
 
I’ve
been eager for tonight just for this reason.
 
It’s nice to finally have faces to go
along with your names and all of the wonderful stories Alex has told me about
you since we first started dating last year.”

“He’s certainly told us a lot about
you, Jennifer,” Jonathan said.
 
“And
he wasn’t exaggerating.
 
You’re as
beautiful as he said you were.”
 

I pointed up to the ceiling.
 
“Trust me, Jonathan, it’s the
lighting.
 
I always try to find the
right spot and stand beneath it.
 
And
then, I don’t move—ever.
 
You
see that light right there?
 
Right
now, that light is my best friend.”