Gone Too Far (5 page)

“I'm not done talking to you,” Steven said as Michael turned to leave.

Michael turned back around. “Unless you have business to discuss, I'm done talking to you.”

“It's not healthy,” Steven said. “You know this.”

Michael nodded in agreement. “Yes, I know. But I'm not ready to…I'm just not ready.”

“I want to help you.”

“I don't need your help,” Michael responded. “I don't want it.”

Steven let Michael go, knowing that to push the point would be useless. While Carter stood toe-to-toe with Steven when they argued, Michael simply shut down and gave nothing. He said he didn't need his help, and Steven believed him. He told himself that this was a good thing, that he had held on to Michael for too long. But he wanted his son back. He wanted Michael to need him again.

 

“Would you like to see another pair?” asked Natalie, the personal attendant that always dealt with Chase family members when they shopped at Neiman Marcus. While Michael's divorce gave Janet Chase the excuse to cut Kimberly off from most perks the Chase family had access to—and there were countless perks—her personal shopper was one Kimberly was not willing to give up. Natalie knew what she liked and always had a great selection ready for her.

Today, Kimberly had come for shoes, and the selection was, as always, top-notch. Of all the choices, she had picked two. A $1,200 pair of Christian Louboutin black floral lace over pink satin platforms and a $1,000 pair of silver double-platform sandals.

“No, these will be fine,” Kimberly said, feeling extremely pleased with herself. Shoes had that kind of effect on her. “Just have them wrapped up and delivered to the house by the end of the day.”

Before Natalie could respond, Kimberly's phone rang, and she reached into her oversized Bottega Veneta purse. She felt a pang in her belly when she saw the caller ID but knew she couldn't avoid him much longer. He'd just keep calling. She dismissed Natalie before answering.

“Hello, Keenan.” She spoke with the polite, unemotional voice that she had learned from Janet. The bitch was perfect at polite coldness.

“Why haven't you called me?” Keenan Chase, Steven's younger brother by a few years, had a low, raspy voice that made him seem like he was always on the verge of being angry.

“I have other things in my life to do besides check in with you,” she responded. “We're supposed to be partners, remember? I don't work for you.”

“You aren't working at all,” Keenan said. “I need progress.”

Keenan was asking for information on Steven and Janet Chase that he could use against them with the ultimate goal of destroying them. Last year, while trying to find out more about Michael's latest mistress, Elisha, Kimberly stumbled upon Elisha's real reason for being in Michael's life. While he believed Elisha was helping him purchase an upscale publishing company to add to Chase Beauty's portfolio, she was actually trying to help Keenan, her real secret lover, attach Chase Beauty to a corrupt company so Steven could be held responsible and made bankrupt through fines and consumer lawsuits.

Keenan had been using Elisha, and Elisha had been using Michael, but she ended up developing real feelings for Michael, and she slipped up when Kimberly challenged her by threatening to expose the plan. The business deal was dead before Steven could even realize his brother, head of the White-Collar Crime division of the FBI, was behind it.

Kimberly thought nothing of Keenan's foiled plan until Janet and Steven offered her $20 million to divorce Michael, leave L.A., and never see her kids again. She had always hated Janet for the way Janet had treated her. The first second Kimberly had been alone with her future mother-in-law, Janet told her that she wasn't good enough for Michael. She intended to get rid of Kimberly as soon as possible after the children were born, but Kimberly fought her every second. She had taken Janet down at different times, but she always got back up, and Kimberly ended up the worse for wear.

The offer, which Steven and Janet told her was not really a choice, was the last straw. Now Kimberly hated Steven just as much as she hated Janet, and she wanted their perfect image and all its glory to turn to dirt. She wanted them to hurt for thinking they could buy her babies from her, and the only thing that could really hurt them was destroying Chase Beauty, their legacy to the world.

This was why, after she was assured of her divorce and custody rights, Kimberly contacted Keenan herself. He was skeptical at first, but as they shared their stories, they both came to believe that they could help each other.

“What have you done?” Kimberly asked.

“I'm in Washington, D.C.,” Keenan answered. “You're right there.”

“We've been through this before,” Kimberly said. “I'm not in ‘there' anymore, and Janet has pretty much made it so I can't get in there at all. I'm shut off. What can I do?”

“Use your husband.” Keenan's tone gave away his desperation.

It worried Kimberly. While her lust for revenge had softened somewhat as she settled into her new, free life, she realized that Keenan's hatred for Steven was more of an obsession than she'd originally thought. A childhood of comparisons had left Keenan feeling bitter and unloved. Steven had everything, including Janet, who Keenan says was interested in him before she met Steven. Steven got all the breaks, and Keenan had failed at almost everything. Although he had made it up the government law enforcement ladder, his brother's success through life and marriage only made Keenan hate him more.
It should have been my life,
he'd told Kimberly more than once.

“If everything you tell me is right,” Keenan continued, “then he'll want you back in his life. Use him to get access to the family. There has to be something.”

“It isn't time yet,” Kimberly said. “I worked so hard to get away from him. They will all be suspicious if I try to get closer to him so soon.”

“Kimberly.” Keenan sighed and paused for a few seconds. “You're my only hope. If I can't…If something doesn't happen…I can't stand to see his success anymore. I just can't…”

“Calm down,” Kimberly said. “I'll do what I have to, but I think after the…Things have happened to make Steven hold everything even closer to his chest than before.”

Kimberly had told Keenan of all her pain and suffering at the hands of Janet and Steven Chase, but she left out the details of her past and David's murder. She sensed that Keenan knew she was keeping something from him, but her hatred was pure enough for him not to care.

“You have to be patient,” she said.

After a few seconds, Keenan responded with, “I don't think I can anymore.”

After he hung up, Kimberly once again wondered what she had gotten herself into. At the time she had agreed to partner with Keenan, she had been consumed with despair and anger. But now her life was under her control again, and although she still wanted Steven and Janet to suffer for what they'd done, she didn't have the passion to spend every waking hour trying to figure out how to get that done.

T
he second Leigh entered the L.A. office of the Republican Party's only black senator, Max Cody, located on the ninth floor of a Santa Monica Boulevard office building, she could see the pace was hectic. It was a relatively small office, but there had to be at least ten people running around, carrying stacks of paper, or talking on at least one phone at a time.

The middle-aged Hispanic woman who sat at the front desk was wearing an early '90s-style flower dress and talking very fast on a landline while at the same time holding a cell phone in her other hand. Leigh waited patiently, as no one seemed to have even noticed she was there. After the woman hung up both phones, she went straight to an appointment book on her desk, never looking up until Leigh cleared her throat.

“Oh, hello. Do you have an appointment?” she asked curtly, although she seemed to admire Leigh's suit.

“Yes, I am supposed to see Senator Cody at one.” Leigh spoke loudly to be heard above all the noise. “I'm Leigh Chase.”

The woman's green eyes widened. “Oh, Ms. Chase. I'm sorry, I mean Dr. Chase. Yes, the senator is expecting you. I think he's on the phone, but I'll let him know you're here. He wouldn't want to keep a Chase waiting.”

When she said this, a young staffer walked by and looked at Leigh suspiciously. It always made Leigh uncomfortable when people treated her differently because of her last name, because it gave the impression to others that this was what she wanted. Expressions of indifference immediately turned to disdain and envy.

The woman, who never gave her name, was up and away in a second. Leigh looked around for an empty chair to sit in but couldn't find one.

“You can move anything,” said a woman who approached her with a clipboard hugged close to her chest. She was white and looked to be the same age as Leigh. She was pretty, with Nordic blond hair that was almost white. She wore a hunter-green sharp skirt suit that Leigh assumed cost a lot more than she expected a legislative aide could afford.

“I don't want to mess up your papers.”

“Here.” The woman reached down into the closest chair and picked up a stack of the
L.A. Times,
dumping them on a nearby coffee table. “Good?”

Leigh didn't like the woman's attitude. She was acting as if Leigh was demanding she do this for her and being difficult about it. She thought she might try to clear the air. “My name is—”

“I know who you are,” the woman said, looking Leigh up and down. “I'm Senator Cody's chief of staff, Kelly Smith. I know everyone he meets with.”

Leigh could feel the freeze from the woman who stood only two feet away. “Is it common for a chief of staff to leave D.C.?”

“I go wherever the senator goes,” she responded coldly.

I'll bet you do,
is what Leigh wanted to say. From the possessive tone of Kelly's voice, Leigh assumed that she was probably sleeping with the senator or at least wanted to. Max Cody was married at a young age, but his wife was killed in a car accident seven years ago. He had no children, and rumors of his dating were few and far between. Maybe, Leigh thought, it was because he was dating someone he'd wanted to keep secret.

Just as Leigh was about to sit down, the woman from before called her name and waved her over to the main office behind a dark wooden door.

Once inside, Leigh noticed that the senator was not as ready as she'd hoped. He was talking on the phone, and just as Leigh was about to close the door behind her, Kelly squeezed through and rushed past her to his desk.

Leigh stood unnoticed as Max switched between the phone and Kelly's questions about a charity dinner in Sacramento later this week. Leigh considered herself a patient person, but she was getting angry. It didn't help that when he finally acknowledged her, Max gestured for her to sit down across from him as if he was a father directing his child.

Leigh ignored the gesture and gave it a few seconds before she loudly cleared her throat. When he looked at her, she gave him a look she had learned from her mother—one that, without words, made it clear that there was about to be trouble. He seemed to understand, because he quickly hung up the phone and gestured for Kelly to leave. Kelly tossed Leigh a contemptuous look before turning and leaving.

“What was I thinking?” he asked in a deep voice. “I shouldn't have expected a Chase to share time with anything else.”

Leigh rolled her eyes. “Is that what you think that was about?”

Max stood up and reached across his desk. “It's nice to finally meet you, Dr. Chase.”

Leigh shook his hand before finally sitting down. She had to remind herself that she needed his help, so she had to suck it up. “I can see that you're busy. I appreciate the time.”

“I always have time for the people I represent.” He leaned back in his chair with a charming smile.

Leigh admitted he was very attractive. He was a few inches over six feet but was much more than the traditional tall, dark, and handsome. He had dark, penetrating eyes, a broad nose, and a hard jawline. He was young and very fit at thirty-seven, but he still was able to look distinguished, like he belonged where he was even though most men and women in his position were ten or more years older than him.

Everyone knew he came from a middle-class family in Freemont and found his way to Yale before receiving his MD at Johns Hopkins University. He married one of his med-school classmates and practiced for eight years before running for Congress. He was elected twice to the House of Representatives for his home-town district. He took two years away from politics after his wife was killed in a car accident, but then returned to run for the Senate. He won in a landslide. He was a political winner who attracted young people and minorities, and the Republican Party hoped he would be their Barack Obama.

“Especially,” he continued, “one from such an important family.”

“I'm not here on behalf of my family,” Leigh responded. “I'm here—”

“That's good,” Max said. “Because despite my requests, your family did not see fit to support my campaign for the House or the Senate despite being Republicans.”

Leigh realized she wasn't going to get around this. It happened all the time. She wished she could be anonymous at times but knew that if she was, she probably wouldn't get anywhere.

“Do you know why that is?” Max asked. “Why the richest, most prominent black family in the country would not support a black candidate for office in their state who belonged to their party?”

“My parents don't clear their political motives with me, but I imagine they will return to the Republican Party when the party returns to them.”

Max blinked in response to her unexpected retort. “Interesting. You're one to believe that the neocons have taken over the party. You'd like the moderates to regain control.”

“I don't care either way,” Leigh said. “I'm a Democrat.”

“I imagined as much considering your advocacy for such a big spending bill.”

She ignored the connotation. “So you actually read the information I sent you on the health care program?”

“No,” he answered, pulling closer to his desk. He flipped through some folders as if looking for something. “I'm sure someone on my staff has. But I know what bill you're here to talk to me about, and I have to tell you, if you can't figure out how to pay for it without raising taxes, you're not going to have much luck.”

“I believe when you are passionate about something, you find a way.”

“Having billionaires for parents doesn't hurt.”

Leigh's eyes turned to slits. This asshole was intent on making her squirm. What a politician. “I thought you had passion as well, Senator. Being a former physician, you can understand how important health care is.”

“No one argues that point,” he answered. “But this…soda tax…is not fair to taxpayers, and I can't tell the governor that this is a good idea despite the worthiness of its purpose.”

“The amount is so insignificant.” Leigh opened the portfolio she had brought with her. She pulled out an article by the
L.A. Times
and placed it on his desk. “That report says that it would cost only five cents extra for ten ounces of soda.”

“Only?” he asked, not bothering to look at the article. “Tell that to a family of four who has to—”

“This is a sin tax, Senator. Just like cigarettes and alcohol. No one is being forced to buy soda. And for those who do choose to, they can regulate based on what they can afford.”

Max's expression made it clear he wasn't used to being interrupted. “Do you know how much movies cost these days?”

“Is this about to be another dig at my last name?”

“No, it's a question,” he said. “It costs twelve bucks a person now. A hot dog costs five bucks. Popcorn costs about five bucks and soda about four bucks. Now you want to add more money to that? What about all those Californians for whom the movies are the only form of entertainment they can even barely afford?”

“That's your concern?” Leigh asked, unable to conceal her anger. “So regarding the pregnant woman in Long Beach who doesn't have any health insurance but needs a sonogram because she hasn't felt her baby move in a week, your concern is that someone might have to pay an extra fifteen cents for their six-pack of Diet Coke?”

Leigh could tell she had gotten under his skin, and that was what she wanted. He was a jerk, so she wasn't going to further appeal to his sense of decency. All she had left was to appeal to his sense of self-preservation. Any politician puts their image ahead of anything else.

“Is that what you stand for?” she asked, realizing he hadn't intended to respond.

“I underestimated you,” Max finally said. After a short pause, he continued. “I certainly won't do that again.”

 

When Carter entered his bedroom, he wasn't expecting what he saw, but he was very pleased.

Lying in their bed, Julia Hall had her arms spread across the pillows, her perfect body on display for the man she loved. Her brown skin was glowing, and she was wearing a firebrand-red satin slip dress that was see-through sheer in the middle and shaped like a burst of flames. It accentuated her very fit and trim figure and stopped just at her hips, revealing her lack of underwear. Her long hair was flowing over her shoulders and over her left breast as she tilted her head with a welcoming smile.

“What are you doing home so early?” Carter asked, beginning to undo his tie. Julia was a public-relations executive for a large L.A. firm.

“I thought I would surprise you.” Julia sat up with a seductive grin on her face. “Just because we're getting married doesn't mean the excitement has to go.”

Carter joined her on the bed. Julia was a very attractive woman, and although her exterior was generally cold and aloof, she could be very experimental sexually. She was more needy than Carter would prefer, but her background made her a good match in so many ways.

“Last night,” Julia said as she scooted over to him, helping him with his jacket, “I wanted to make love, but I fell asleep before you came to bed. You spend too much time in that office down the hall.”

“Trust me,” Carter said, “if you had come into that office last night with this on, I would have stopped working.”

He took hold of her and suddenly pulled her to him. He brought his mouth down to hers and kissed her firmly. Her lips were soft, and as she moved her body against his, he could feel his body begin to heat up. He wanted her.

As Carter lay her back on the bed, he could feel her unbuttoning his shirt. His mouth went to her neck, and as he positioned himself on top of her, he reached down to unzip his pants.

“I love you,” Julia whispered as her hands slid his shirt off his shoulders and down his arm. “I love you, Carter.”

As her hands gripped his bare arms, Carter returned to her lips and reached his hand down between her legs. He rubbed the soft, hairless skin around her center and kissed her deeper, doing everything he could to not think of anyone but her.

“I love you,” she repeated into his ear before bringing her soft lips against his again.

Carter was trying to unzip his pants with his free hand when he felt Julia pull away. When he looked up at her, he could see the look of hurt on her face. He hadn't any idea what had happened, but was sure it was his fault.

“What?” he asked.

“How many times do I have to tell you I love you before you say it back?” Julia scooted away from him, looking ready to cry.

“This again?” Carter felt his growing arousal skid to a halt as the familiar complaint lowered his temperature by a hundred degrees. “It's not something I—”

“You're going to say it isn't something you like to say, but the truth is,” Julia said, “it isn't something you like to feel.”

“Julia, you know how much I care about you.” Carter sat back on the bed, not as bothered by the pain in her eyes as he knew he should be. “We're getting married for Pete's sake.”

Carter wanted to love Julia, but he didn't. When they'd met, Carter was in a bad place. Avery had made it clear she was going to stay with Anthony, and he was trying to forget her by sleeping with any woman he met. As always, there were more volunteers than he could ever want. Julia was different from the other women in the sense that her background didn't make her a prospect for a one-night stand. Her family, rich doctors from Dallas, were not at the level of the Chases in terms of power and influence, but they were their sort of equivalent in the Southwest.

His father had warned Carter not to toy with a Hall, but as Carter decided that getting Avery back was his priority, Julia soon became very useful. He had devised that the best way to get back into Avery's heart was to get her to let her guard down about his intentions. Pretending to care about Julia was part of that.