Hush (19 page)

“Hi, Liv,” I smiled at her as she slid into the back seat of the X5.  I could tell she was surprised to see me.  “Nick said you wanted to go out for lunch.  I thought I’d join you.”

She smiled meekly and nodded.  Tensions were still high between us.  She’s been cordial and polite, but still very distant, especially since the night I almost… Even though I told her not to refuse me again, I hadn’t made an attempt since that night.  I think she really was expecting me to get my jollies elsewhere.  I didn’t want anyone else.  I wanted her and I wanted her to want me.

So I waited all this time, as patiently as I could, for her to come around.  It was proving more difficult than I had anticipated.  I’ve been doing everything I could think of to get on her good side.  “How has your day been?” I asked her.

“Fine,” she replied, looking out the window as Nick drove us through downtown.

“Things have been pretty slow at the office,” I added since she hadn’t asked me about my day.  I didn’t get a response from her about that either.  It was frustrating and a real test of my patience to have someone blatantly ignore my effort.  As much as I was watching her, she was testing me, too, to see how far she could push me before I erupted.

I was confident I could win this battle.

She sifted through her emails on her phone until we arrived.  Nick let us out at the door.  Olivia was silent as we were escorted through the small restaurant and seated by the host.  She didn’t actually speak until the waitress came to get our drink orders.

“How long do I have you for?” I asked as she checked her phone again.

“For the rest of my life, I believe,” she said coyly, not even looking at me.

I chuckled.  “When do you have to be back to work?”

“I don’t have another appointment until three.”

I nodded.  “You’ve got a pretty open window then, huh?”  She didn’t respond.  “That doesn’t happen very often for you.  I’m glad I was able to join you.  Who knows when we’ll be able to do this again, now that you’re back to work.”

Her eyes, the ones I used to see more often, were now hidden from me as she skimmed the menu.  A stream of long brown hair fell from her shoulder and dangled over her face.  I wanted to brush it away.  I wanted to reach out and touch her cheek.

“Anything look good to you?”  I asked.

“Yes,” she responded.

I leaned my forearms on the table.  “Can’t you even look at me?”

Her chest rose with a deep breath.  Laying the menu down, she forced herself to look across the table at me.  “If that’s what you’d like me to do,” she mumbled.

I shook my head, clenching my jaw.  “I shouldn’t have to ask, should I?”  She just kept staring at me.  “It’s been two months.  You still won’t touch me.  You won’t talk to me unless I initiate the conversation.  You’re distant.  I just want you back, and more than just in body.”

With a heavy sigh, she kept her stare as well as her silence.  I could see in her eyes this was a quarrel I’d be fighting on my own.

“Can you at least give me the courtesy of a response?”

Slowly, she shook her head.  “Is that enough of a response for you?”

“You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?”

Again she slowly shook her head.  “It’s not my job to make it easy for you.  Easy is not in our contract.  I’m just playing the game to the best of my ability.  I’ve got to level the playing field the best I can and this is the only way I know how.  You’re frustrated.  You’re at the end of your rope.  You feel helpless.  Join the club, sweetheart.”  She demurely returned to her menu.

My fingers drummed the surface of the table rapidly.  I shouldn’t have even started this here.  I should have waited until the solitude of our house, which would have allowed me the freedom to speak, or yell, my mind.  I sighed and surrendered to the well-mannered temperament the restaurant required by fumbling through the menu mindlessly.  Needless to say, I’d lost my appetite.

“How do I look?” I asked, stepping out of the bathroom in the elegant red evening gown I was currently putting to shame.  Though conceit was not my forte, I felt confident in my self-assessment of my attire.

Callem’s eyes smiled as he drank me in.  “It suits you,” he mumbled.

“It suits me? That’s all you have to say about it?  I’ve never worn a more sophisticated dress in my entire life and the first thing that comes to mind when you look at me is that it suits me?” I harped playfully.

A wicked smile took shape.  “You’re not pleased with my evaluation?”

“Not in the least bit.”

He approached me with a heart stopping swagger.  “To tell you the truth,” he whispered.  “This dress does nothing for you.  Beautiful as it is, it can’t match up to you and your beauty.”

I puckered my lips, holding onto his words.  “Oh, you’ve totally redeemed yourself, sir,” I cooed, resting my wrists on top of his shoulders.  “It’s proven to be a relentless task trying to compete with your charm.”

“Unless you want to fail miserably, I’d bow out while you’ve still got your dignity if I were you,” he said cheekily.

“Seriously though, do I look alright?  Am I overdressed, underdressed?  Is this too bold a statement?”

Callem started chuckling as I doted over myself, pulling at the gown and questioning my wardrobe decision.  “What are you so worked up about?  It’s just a dinner party.”

“Yeah, with the governor and the mayor and the chief of police and all their wives.  I guess the biggest thing is, does this dress make me look older?”

“Why would you want to look older?”

“I guarantee you, as soon as I walk into that room hanging on your arm and wearing this rock on my finger, they’re all going to immediately assume I’m some kind of gold-digging, trophy wife.  I don’t know why that bothers me so much, but my biggest fear is to be seen as a money grubbing whore.  I’m better than that.”

“You don’t have to prove that to anyone.  The only person you need to prove that to is me and you’ve already got me sold.  Please, I don’t want you to spend your night worrying about what the other trophy wives are thinking of you.”

I chuckled.  “So, for the last time, does the dress fit the occasion?”

“Absolutely.  You look phenomenal, as always.”

I kissed him.  I still had not gotten over that sensation in my gut when we kissed and I hoped it would never fade.  We headed downstairs together.  I peeked in my clutch to make sure I had everything I needed while Callem mumbled into his cell phone.

Red stood in the kitchen, clicking the keys on his Blackberry rapidly.  “Good God, Liv, you look amazing,” he gasped, peeling himself away from his cell for a moment.

I blushed.  “Thank you, Red.  You look mighty strapping yourself.”

Red bowed dramatically to my compliment.  “Ready to go?” Callem asked.

Red nodded.  “Dan is waiting outside.”

I followed the two strapping men outside to the car waiting in the drive.  Red jumped into the front passenger while Callem held the rear door open for me.  It took a minute for me to maneuver into the car in the long gown, but I managed gracefully.

Both men busily worked on their phones, sending text messages, reading emails, and making brief phone calls as we headed to downtown Los Angeles.  Callem has expanded his empire to three major cities since I’d been with him, not to mention his international ventures were bustling.  He may not work as closely with the clients any longer, but all the new work made him twice as busy as he used to be.

The prestige of his business had caught the eye of many of the wealthiest, more powerful entities in the greater Los Angeles area, which prompted a meeting of the minds for this evening’s dealings.  I was very nervous to meet so many notable people, not to mention having to socialize with them, not my strongest suit.  The past couple of dinners I’d been to with Callem, he’d easily move away from me, get distracted with another group of people, and forget he’d left me standing with a handful of men I’d just met.  It’s unsettling for me and I was hoping he’d be conscious of proximity and discomfort on my behalf.

The sun was already faded beyond the skyline when we pulled up to the club house.  I clutched Callem’s arm as we moved swiftly into the large and lavish ballroom, already crowded with a number of guests, all dressed to the nines, setting the bar for sophistication.

Immediately, Callem found a group of older men to greet.  As usual, most of Callem’s clientele were surprised to see me on his arm, and after the debacle in Italy, I’ve always wondered if anyone else assumed me to be an escort.  These men weren’t as obvious in their attraction as the Italians were.  They were subtle in their stolen glances and their lingering gazes.  Here, I wasn’t a treasure, I was an inconvenience.  I was not a distraction; I was an obstacle that would have to be tackled before they could loosen their ties.  They felt that my presence prevented them from saying what they wanted to say and they would have loved nothing more than to shoo me away.

We spent the cocktail hour shaking hands, smiling jovially, and exchanging nuances.  When dinner was served, Callem, Red, and I were seated at a large round table with the police chief of Los Angeles, Vern Aggregate, and his wife, Janice, as well as a local news anchor and a business mogul and his wife, Brent and Micki.

The diamond-encrusted bird perched in the chair next to mine, Mrs. Janice Aggregate, spoke rapidly, in a siren’s voice that nearly made your ears bleed, especially when she giggled at her own jokes.  She and Mr. Aggregate were already familiar with the other faces and had much to talk about among themselves.  Her husband spoke in a hushed voice to the news anchor, Craig O’Ryan.  They leaned into each other in order to be heard over the hum of the room.

“So, Veronica, what is it that you do?” Janice asked me, scraping her fork and knife into the flatware as she worked to cut into the slab of meat on her plate.

“Olivia,” Callem corrected her, knowing I wouldn’t have the heart to.  Honestly, I’d go on being known as Veronica to this woman if Callem hadn’t been quick to correct her.

“Oh, goodness me.  Olivia,” she chuckled in her throat before stuffing a bit of food through her rouged lips.

“Well, I don’t do anything really,” I mumbled, feeling the eyes at the table finding their way to me, wanting to learn more about the fresh meat among them.

“Olivia is an oncologist,” Callem said, stepping in to give me my due diligence.

Janice’s eyes grew as she looked me over one more time, as if to miraculously find evidence of Callem’s claims on my person somewhere.  “Really?  And you’re not working?”

I shook my head.  “Nope.  We’ve only been married a few years and we sort of decided to extend that honeymoon phase.”

“No children for the two of you?” she asked, waving her now bare fork between Callem and me.

I looked over at Callem quickly.  Children have been at the top of Callem’s wish list in the past couple of months.  Though he and I have done so much together since we’ve started our relationship, I wasn’t quite ready to give that up.  I was still so young and have spent my entire life in a hurry to get milestones accomplished.  Callem, on the other hand, felt his internal clock ticking away.  He had just turned 40 and was more than ready to start a family before it was too late.  This was one thing I was hesitant of giving in to.  It’s been the subject of many discussions at the Tate home as of late.

“Not yet,” I replied.  I also hated answering that question because I believed it to be none of her business.  It wasn’t anyone’s business how Callem and I chose to grow our family.

“Well, I don’t blame you.  Ripe little thing like you might want to hold on to your youth as long as possible.  Nothing makes you age faster than little babies running around your house.”  She chuckled again, a noise I was beginning to despise.   I nodded, averting my eyes to my plate in hopes she wouldn’t see the disgust creeping into my gaze.  “So what is it you do to bide all your free time?”

I shrugged.  “Oh, I spend a lot of time outside.  I’ve gotten into a lot of little hobbies.  Gardening, photography, cooking.  Constructive hobbies.”

Janice nodded, chomping down on another bite.  Thankfully, her husband nudged her, pulling her from our conversation into his.  I managed to survive dinner, hiding under Callem’s shadow as he and Red dominated any conversation I had the pleasure of being included in.

Another cocktail hour pursued shortly after dessert.  Callem and I stood together next to a long window, overlooking the immaculate golf course and grounds, each with a wine glass in our hands.  Though he was not a jealous man, Callem always seemed to keep me close during such events, probably because of what happened the last time he left me alone at a party.  His hand rested softly on my hip as we rubbed shoulders.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a sweeping young woman in a spectacular gown levitating towards the two of us.  I took a half step away from Callem as she neared.  My heart nearly stopped as the gorgeous young female slid her arm comfortably across Callem’s shoulder and made herself nice and cozy right up against him.

I’m glad the two of them were staring at each other so they wouldn’t have seen the shock and alarm on my face.  “Mr. Tate,” the woman hummed melodically.  “Where have you been?  It has been far too long.”

I took the time to look over the beauty currently clinging to my husband.  She had smooth, bronzed skin, long, lustrous blond hair, and a face that was hard to turn away from.  Her gown seemed to be tailored for her slim body, hugging every one of her curves with a peek-a-boo slit revealing most of her toned left leg.  Even I was attracted to her, let alone the man she was currently working overtime to seduce.

“It has been quite a while, hasn’t it?” Callem asked with a smile, putting some space between him and the goddess with a side step.  I saw something in Callem’s eyes as he looked sideways at surprise guest.  Was that fear or confusion?  Maybe more surprise with a hint of annoyance.  It had never been so hard to read Callem, but at the same time, I’ve never seen Callem in this type of situation.  Not even the time he got hit on by three sexualized Lebanese cougars while in Vegas.  This was a completely different ball game.

“You look great, as usual,” she said, stroking the sleeve of his jacket.

“As do you. Uh, have you met my wife?”

I froze as the woman turned her gaze to me.  So judgmental, so dismissive was her glare as she clearly forced an unwilling smile on her face, revealing her perfect teeth.  “You’re married?  Good lord, it has been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Bianca, this is Dr. Olivia Reinbeck, my wife.  Liv, this is Bianca Simmons.  She used to work for my company.”

Even her name was luxurious.  There were a few things that threw me off in an instant.  She was clearly more than a former co-worker by the way she quickly and calmly invaded his personal space, as well as mine, without flinching.  Secondly, why hadn’t I met her before?

 I held out my hand for her, hoping it wasn’t trembling.  Hers was sleek and firm, exactly what I would have expected after seeing the way she moved in for the kill.  First Callem, now me.  “Nice to meet you,” I managed without cracking my voice.  I wasn’t putting up too much of a fight for her.

“Doctor?” Bianca replied.  Callem had done that on purpose.  He had obviously seen my discomfort with the interaction.  “Wow, hit the jackpot, huh, Cal?  Young, beautiful, and successful.”  False compliments all around.

“I’m not practicing at the moment,” I added awkwardly.  “So how long did you two work together?”  I was more than curious to learn why a woman I’d never met before was at such ease holding onto my husband.

“Oh, gosh.  It was for a couple of years a lifetime ago,” Bianca said followed up with a seductive giggle and another slouch into Callem.  “Obviously it was a while ago because you’ve gotten married since I last saw you.”

Callem nodded.   “It was a long time ago,” he confirmed, probably to reassure me more than anything.

“And you worked out of the Huntington Beach office?”

Bianca smiled.  “No, actually it was the New York office.  Callem was staying there for a while before moving headquarters to this area.  He brought me out here with him and coincidentally, I was handed another opportunity.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise.  I knew about Callem’s extended stay in New York when he was first transitioning over into the ownership of the company, but he had somehow forgotten to mention the beaming blonde he ‘brought’ with him to California.  ‘Brought’ with him, like as a lover?  How serious had this been?  I was starting to get very annoyed that this was all sprung on me at a party, not that it was Callem’s fault she was here, but if I had known about it before this moment, I wouldn’t feel so attacked. I would have at least had my bearings.

I tried to keep a smile on my face, but all I wanted to do was yank him away from her and curl myself under his arms.  I’ve never been more jealous in my entire life.  I was positively broiling.  I coxed myself internally to keep it together and not to let her win the battle she’d obviously started.

“How have you been?” Bianca asked Callem, pivoting herself to exclude me from the conversation physically.

“I’ve been happier than ever,” Callem smiled.  “Business is better than can be expected and I’ve been keeping really busy.  It’s all great.”

“Well, that’s no surprise.  You were always striving for more when we were together.”  Bianca turned her head away from the conversation, distracted by a group of people across the room.  “If you’ll excuse me, I see a few more members of this party I have yet to greet.”  She smiled before bowing away.

Callem nearly yanked me into him as his hand found home on my hip, where it had been before our interruption.  “What a brazen woman,” I said before Callem could say anything.  “She knew exactly what she was doing.”

“She really bothered you, didn’t she?”

“She did no such thing,” I replied, though I could hear the jealously in the response and I knew Callem could too.