GONE - Part Three (The GONE Series Book 3) (4 page)

"Who?" My legs dart out so quickly that my feet smash into the edge of the table. "Who has a copy?"

"Shit, Lilly." He reaches for my foot. "You slammed that into the table. Let me have a look."

The pain that is rushing through me from my stubbed toe is only quieted by my incessant need to know who he showed me picture to. "You showed me picture to someone? Who?"

"I didn't show it to her by choice," he says the words so quickly that they meld into one another.

"Her?" I spit the word at him. "A woman saw it?"

I'm not sure why it's as surprising as it is. I don't really know Clive Parker that well and I've based my assumption that he's only been dating me on his words and the tender way he brings me pleasure in bed. I have no idea if he's been sharing details of our trysts with another woman or not. I didn't bother to ask because I was too busy coming under his tongue.

I'm an idiot sometimes. I may have an honor's degree from MIT but I'm not the brightest bulb when it comes to men. The fact that I sent a nude photo of myself to a strange man is proof enough of that.

"It was that first night in Boston," he says quietly. "The night I came to the bistro."

I nod. I'll never forget that night for a million different reasons. "I remember."

"I was there to see Cory for the weekend," he stops to take a breath. "I was dating a woman at the time so I took her with me."

I recall him saying something to Parker that night about a woman. I hadn't paid any mind to the details of their conversation. Back then, I thought the worst part of my naked picture nightmare was Parker's brother seeing it by mistake. "She's the one who has a copy?"

"I think so." He bends forward, pulling my foot into his lap. "I'm worried that you broke your toe. You hit it so hard."

I can't tell if it's a ploy to steer our conversation off track or not. I'm not going to waste any time trying to figure that out. I swat his hand away softly. "It's fine. Please tell me more about that woman."

"I was on the phone when we walked into the condo and she went into the office to turn on the computer so she could print out a document she was emailed."

"You were angry with Parker for leaving the envelope on your desk."

He had scolded Parker in front of me for that. I can't remember the exact words he said to him but the condensed version was that Clive wasn't going to get laid because his date found the envelope with my picture and the letter.

"She saw it and threw it all at me." He shakes his head. "We weren't that serious. It was mostly friendly fuck…"

I wince at the words. The evidence of his many lovers is online in the form of pictures of him at events and dinners with different women. We haven’t talked about it at any length because I don't want to know the details. I'm not a jealous person but the idea of Clive in bed with anyone else, makes me feel raw inside.

"I'm sorry." He rests his hand on the arm of the chair I'm sitting in. "It was nothing like what we have."

I'm not sure what we have so I'm not the best gauge to measure by. "You don't need to be sorry. I had lovers before I met you."

He closes his eyes tightly. "I don't want to know about that."

"Have you talked to her about the picture?" I ask because I don't want to know any details about what happened between the two of them that night or any other night.

"I called her today." He rubs his hand over the soft hair covering his chin. "We're going to meet to talk about it."

Call me foolish but planning a meeting around someone's naked picture seems excessive. "Why didn't you just ask her about it on the phone, Clive?"

"I did."

He doesn't offer more even though I wait with expectation in my eyes. "What did she say?"

"She wants to see me." He deliberately avoids looking at me. "I can read her better in person. I can get the truth out of her."

I stare at the side of his face as he surveys the large windows that overlook the skyline of Manhattan. "I feel as though I'm dangling by a thread."

His eyes dart back to me. "I know, Lilly."

"You don't know." I push against the chair's arm, trying to pull myself up. "You just don't know."

"I'm trying my best to get to the bottom of this for you." He's on his feet. His hand outstretched towards me. "I know how to handle this."

As much as I want to laugh at his words, I can't. "Tell me her name, Clive."

"Let me talk to her first, Lilly."

"I want to know her name."

"I can't be sure if it was her or Parker." His shoulders slump forward. "I have someone in Dubai going through Parker's phone to see if he captured an image of that picture of you."

"Parker has no reason to hurt me," I say the words as if I mean them. I was nothing but a brief Internet fling to Parker. He hasn't emailed me since that night so I have no idea if he'd do anything to jeopardize my career or not. There is no logical reason for him to go to the trouble of sabotaging my presentation.

"I still think it's worthwhile to check his phone."

I finally stand, suddenly feeling a renewed sense of energy. "Why won't you tell me her name?"

"I told you," he begins before he reaches to grab my hand. "I have to be certain first. If it was her, I'll take care of it."

I pull my hand from his. "You're choosing her over me."

His brows pop up. "That's ridiculous."

I try to step past him but the path between the table and the chair is too narrow for us both. "I have a right to know her name."

"As soon as I speak with her, I'll call you."

It's futile. I can stand here, in front of him and demand an answer but it's glaringly obvious that he's not going to give it to me. He promised me he'd protect me and the first time he has an opportunity to do it, he chooses to leave me flailing in an emotional windstorm.

I pull back when he moves to kiss me goodbye. I grab my purse, march towards the door and leave him and his secret lover's name behind.

"I haven't seen that picture of Parker before." The security guard at Corteck leans over his small desk. "It's a good one."

It's not. It's the picture Parker emailed me when we first started communicating. Correction. It's the first picture of his face that Parker emailed me. He thought it was proper form to send me a picture of his dick first. Good manners do not rampant in that family.

"I like it." I try to sound as though I'm swooning as I tuck my tablet back into my purse. "I think he looks hot in it."

The elderly man laughs so raucously that his head falls back. "You kids and your funny phrases."

Hear that? That's the sound of me getting exactly what I want.

I flirted with him when I first walked into the lobby five minutes ago. Then I told him I was crazy about Parker and now that I've backed it up with proof, the man is putty in my hands.

"Did you know that Mr. Parker sent Parker to Dubai?" I push my bottom lip out for added emphasis. "I miss my little pumpkin so much."

Eww. I'm going to need a shower after this conversation.

"I bet he misses you more." His eyes travel down to my cleavage. Digging the one push-up bra I own out of the bottom of my drawer had been the easy part. Trying to get used to the under wires that are practically stabbing my sides is another thing. I take a deep breath, reminding myself why I'm here in the first place.

"I cried last night because…" I whimper softly as I lean over his desk. "I lost my phone last night so I can't call Parker since I didn't memorize his new number."

"You poor thing." He touches the top of my hand. "You know Mr. Parker isn't in today, right? He doesn't work on Sundays."

I know, from overhearing Clive's conversation in the taxi yesterday, that he's going to be in within the next couple of hours. That's the only reason I'm doing this, right now, at the crack of dawn. "I don't think I can wait until tomorrow to get Parker's number. Can you call Mr. Parker and ask him for it?"

His lips pull back in shock. You'd think I'd asked the man in uniform for his social security number. "Mr. Parker doesn't like to be disturbed unless it's an emergency."

I was counting on that. "I get it."

"If you come back tomorrow, the receptionist who sits over there can help you out." He points towards the main desk in the lobby. If he's referring to the woman who is usually here during the week, she's not willing to help anyone out.

"Can I just wait here until then?" I ask even though I know how ridiculous it sounds. Parker isn't worth losing any sleep over and he sure as hell isn't worth wasting an entire day on. "I can't think or sleep if I can't talk to my precious Parker."

His eyes lock on mine. I have to keep it together if I want him to buy what I'm selling. I rub the end of my nose as I manage to pull out a little sob from within.

"I shouldn’t do this." His eyes slide up to the security cameras that dot the ceiling. "I think I can pull up Parker's number on my computer if he's working for the company in Dubai."

I know that he can. That's the entire reason I dragged myself out of bed and put on all this make-up. "Are you serious? You would do that for me?"

"There's nothing like young love." He taps a few keys on his computer with his index finger. "It'll take me a few minutes but I'll find it."

It would take me all of ten seconds to find it, but I just stand there smiling at him, knowing that I got exactly what I came here for.

"Lilly?" Parker's voice sounds exactly as I remember it. "The Lilly from the coffee shop?"

Considering I was wearing my bistro uniform when I took my now infamous nudie shot, I may need to get used to being known simply as 'Lilly from the coffee shop.' I find a small amount of comfort in the fact that Parker doesn't know my last name. "Yes, that Lilly," I say into my smartphone.

I wait with baited breath to see whether he's going to ask how I got his number. I have a lame excuse at the ready about asking for it at the automotive parts store he worked at in Boston. I'm not even sure anyone there cared enough about him to ask for it.  I'm guessing that the fact that I bothered to call him at all will catch him so off guard that he'll skip right over that issue.

"Hey." I hear an edge of excitement in his voice. "What's going on with you?"

I breathe a sigh of relief.

You have no idea, Parker. Seriously. No idea at all.

"Not a lot," I lie. "How are things in Dubai?"

I can hear the muted sounds of voices in the background. It's evening there so he has to be out on the town. "It's okay. I don't know a lot of people here."

"Hey, I've got a small world story for you." I've debated using this as a means to gain Parker's trust but if I want to find out who the mysterious woman is that Clive is protecting, I need to use every available resource I have.

"Really?" I can hear the hesitation in his voice even though he's half a world away. "What do you mean?"

"My best friend is engaged to your ex."

"What ex?"

I make a mental note to leave that out of this story if I ever retell it to Kayla.               "Kayla."

"Kay?"

"I met her a few weeks ago," I offer. "I just realized the other day that you're her ex."

"That's crazy." He chuckles softly. "You seriously know Kayla?"

"It's nutty, right?" I try to control the building anxiety in my voice. "It's that whole six degrees of separation thing."

"How is she?" he asks without any hesitation. "You said she's getting married?"

"She's good." I don't offer any details about her pregnancy because that's not his business. I'm already overstepping a boundary by telling him that she's getting married.

"Is she marrying the doctor?"

I'm mildly surprised that he knows about Ben. I've never heard Ben mention Kayla's ex-boyfriend, which isn't a shock. Ben's so wrapped up in his love for her that I doubt he thinks about her past or his much at all anymore. "That's the guy. They're stoked about getting married."

"I'm happy for her." I can hear the smile in the tone of his voice. "You can tell her that for me."

I can but I won't. In anyone else's eyes I don't have a logical reason for calling Parker on the phone. I shouldn't be talking to him at all, but he can answer the one question that Clive won't.  I'm going to lead Parker right down a path towards telling me the name of the woman who was with Clive in Boston.

***

"Is Mrs. Mitchell in today?" I ask the middle- aged woman adjusting the painting on the wall of the gallery.

She turns quickly and gives me the once over. "Who are you?"

I didn't want to give Clive's ex-lover a heads-up. I'd actually waited on a park bench across the street for an hour hoping to catch her before she arrived at work. I'd finally given up after calling Alec and telling him that I'd be taking him up on his offer for an extra day off. It is ten now on Monday morning and I've been rehearsing for the better part of a day what I'll say to the woman who was with Clive that night.

"I asked for your name." She sighs heavily. "Do you have an appointment?"

I resort to my trusty trick of only answering the last question when asked more than one. "I didn't know I needed one. I'm new to the city."

Her face softens slightly." Are you interested in the classes?"

Considering that the one and only masterpiece I've created is a paint-by-number picture of a horse, I should probably consider taking an art class, but my schedule is full right now trying to save my reputation. "I'm very interested in the classes."

"Come with me." She gestures towards a desk sitting in the corner of the impressive gallery space. "We offer group lessons and the private ones, of course."

Of course she does. "I think I should start with the group lesson."

"Mrs. Mitchell always suggests private lessons if your budget allows," she whispers the words even though we are the only two people in the room. "If you're hoping to sell your work one day, it's really the best investment you can make in yourself."

Wrong. The best investment I can make in myself is finding out where the woman is so I can confront her and get this over with.

"Maybe I should speak to her about it first?" I toss it out as a question. "Is she going to be here soon?"

She looks around the room, her eyes surveying the space as if she expects to find someone lurking in a corner listening to the two of us. "She was supposed to be here an hour ago but she's meeting someone."

Considering the way her eyebrows are dancing around, I'm going to guess that Mrs. Mitchell isn't having a meeting with Mr. Mitchell.

"Gotcha." I wink at her. "She's beautiful. I bet a lot of the students who enroll in her classes are men."

She chuckles as she reaches for my arm. "They are but she's very choosy about who she gives private lessons to."

This woman is a master of hidden innuendo. "Is that where she is now? She's giving a private lesson to someone?"

She leans so close to me that I fear her lips are going to brush across mine when she speaks. "The man she's meeting right now is gorgeous. He's tall. He's got a sexy beard and his eyes are the most intense shade of blue you've ever seen."