Still In Love With Her Read online

  “A scoundrel.”

  “He’s such a scoundrel.”

  “The king of them. But don’t mind Robert Tango. Toss your name in the hat, and I’ll make shit happen.”

  “Okay! I’ll toss my name in the hat.”

  I smile. “Good.”

  “I’ll see you in New York on Monday?” she asks.

  “Bright and early.”

  We hang up. I sit for a while and stare at the ring on my finger. If Emily is Vince’s new girlfriend, then why does he insist that I wear this? So I pissed him off because I work too much? That’s not going to change, especially since I’m forming a new company. Perhaps he should be with a woman like Emily. She looks like the kind of woman who has no hopes or dreams to give up. Well, I have too many. If Vince is asking me to choose this ring over them, then he should definitely make a life with Emily.

  I hop out of my SUV and gaze up at Daisy’s house. It doesn’t look as though anyone’s home. The shutters are closed. Daisy usually keeps the sliding glass doors of the sun-room open, but they’re closed. I decide to check out the house regardless. Daisy has a habit of wasting away in bed when she’s depressed. It’s heartbreaking to see her that way. I ring the doorbell three times then knock. After no one answers, I use my key and enter. The hallways are shadowy, but each room that I pass is unoccupied.

  “Daisy?” I call as I go.

  I check her office and then Belmont’s. She’s not in any of the bedrooms or bathrooms. I check the deck. She isn’t there either. She’s not in the kitchen or garage.

  So I call Jack. “She’s not here.”

  “Then where is she?” He sounds as though he’s panicking.

  “I don’t know. I’ll call her mother and Angelina.”

  “No, I’ll call. Thanks for checking.”

  “Hey, no problem. Let me know where she is when you find her. I’m worried. I think you should come home.”

  “Later.” He waits for my response.

  “Later,” I say.

  He hangs up.

  I shake my head. Since I’m done here, I drive back to Monroe’s. She and Dash are in the swimming pool when I arrive. They’re both naked, and her legs are wrapped around him. Either they’re having sex or have just finished.

  “Done?” I ask.

  Monroe snickers. “We’re done.”

  Although I’m hesitant to join them after what happened last night, I strip and dive in anyway. Monroe and I swim laps, then we stop in front of my bedroom to talk shop.

  “Delta will pay us two hundred thousand, plus fees, up front. Once we land him the girl, he’ll pay us four hundred thousand. We’ll get six hundred thousand each following year for five years and a payoff of one million on the seventh and final year, contingent upon the relationship staying intact.”

  “Wow, we’re expensive, aren’t we?”

  “Very expensive, and those are just Delta’s fees. When we find the woman, we’ll negotiate a contract with her and treat them as two separate clients.”

  I grin.

  “What?” she asks.

  “You’ve really chopped this up like an expert.”

  “Oh ye of little faith in Monroe Blanco.”

  “I have a lot of faith in you. I wouldn’t go into business with you if I didn’t.”

  Monroe nods as though she believes me. “Here’s the deal though—no one can know what we really do for our clients.”

  “I get it.”

  “Technically, we’re a public relations firm. What should we call ourselves?”

  “How about Mo&Ma PR?”

  Her face lights up. “I like it.”

  “Me too.”

  “I’ll talk to our business advisor tomorrow. His name is Brent Sherman.”

  I nod.

  “This is going to work, Mags.”

  “I know.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you more.”

  We hug, then Monroe dunks me. Shit. I should’ve seen that coming.

  Later that evening, we go to Cascade’s for dinner. Dash offers his services to me yet again, and Monroe tries to encourage me to take him up on his offer.

  “It’ll be the first time we’ve fucked the same guy,” she says.

  I’m this close to calling her insane, but I remember she doesn’t like it when I say that. “I love you too much to have sex with your boyfriend. So how about we put this to rest once and for all?”

  “But you’re missing out,” she says in a cautionary tone.

  “We’re all missing out on one thing or a million.”

  After dinner, we return to Monroe’s house. I sleep in my bed alone, and they sleep together in Monroe’s bed.

  I fly back to New York on Sunday. My flight lands in the afternoon, and later that night, I have dinner at Cloud Rich in the Meatpacking District with Hannah and Cleo. I hadn’t seen either of them in a while. The guy Hannah met last year at the pop-up bar is “so three guys ago,” and she’s moved on to love interest number four. This one is an investor who lives in the Financial District.

  “You should meet him, Mags,” Cleo says with her eyes widened eerily. “He reminds me of the American psycho.”

  “Well, my head is still attached, so he’s not,” Hannah says defensively.

  “For now, that is.”

  “And will you please stop calling me every night?” Hannah says. “He’s starting to wonder if there’s something wrong with you.”

  “He’s what’s wrong with me! Just move on already, Han. He’s a serial killer.”

  “How about we get Maggie all caught up on you and Perry? How often do you fuck now that you’re married?”

  “I’m actually curious to know the answer,” I say.

  Cleo scowls at Hannah. “What makes you think we don’t hump every night?”

  “Do you?”

  “For us, there’s no difference between being married and just being boyfriend and girlfriend other than the tax benefit for him.”

  “I’m calling bullshit on that,” Hannah says. “Every married couple I know only fucks once a month.”

  “Perry and I fuck twice a day, every day.” Cleo takes a drink of her cocktail and gives Hannah a “take that” look.

  I’ve been studying Hannah since we sat. There’s something different about her. “Did you cut your hair?” I think that’s it.

  “Yeah, I added some layers.”

  “It looks good.”

  She examines my hair. “You could use a haircut.”

  “I think so too,” Cleo adds. “You’re beautiful, Maggie. You’ve been going around looking like a cavewoman for too long.”

  I take the cocktail out of Cleo’s hand before she takes another swig. She always gets very candid when liquor rushes to her head. “No more for you until after you’ve eaten something.”

  “I’m fine.” She takes the drink back.

  “You just called me a cavewoman. I haven’t looked like a cavewoman in a long time. Give me credit for that.”

  “Well, we haven’t seen you in a long time,” Hannah says.

  “I know.”

  “So how is Monroe?” Hannah asks.

  “Oh shit, how could I not lead with this? She and I are business partners.”

  Cleo’s eyes expand. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope.”

  “Well, she’s never failed at anything she’s done,” Cleo says.

  “That’s true,” Hannah says. “Okay, now to the good part. Vincent Adams. How’s it going between you two?”

  I groan and bury my face in my hands.

  “Oh no,” Cleo says.

  I recount what happened between Vince and me and how I made an ass out of myself on Friday. They both laugh as if it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever heard. We have more drinks, gossip about the people we know, and cab it home.

  I moved into my apartment in Lincoln Square last year. Vince’s pricier Central Park penthouse isn’t that far away. He’s asked me to move in with him so many times
that I can’t count them all, but I’ve always dreamed of being able to afford a nice apartment in this city. It was an aspiration that I needed to fulfill. I pay six thousand a month for a one-bedroom apartment with a den. I may not have the panoramic views of Central Park that Vince has, but I can see it from my living room window.

  It’s two a.m., and I check my emails before going to bed. Monroe sent me a list of names, all female, with an ambiguous message that says, “Per our discussion in the kitchen.” Some of the women are actresses and models. She’s put an asterisk next to the ones she really wants me to examine.

  “Got it. Love you,” I write back.

  She answers immediately. “Love you too. P.S. and your tits.”

  “LOL, shaking my head and rolling my eyes,” and not calling her crazy, which she clearly is.

  We agree to speak on Wednesday after I narrow down the list and do more research on Delta Foster’s career and life. Jack had mentioned that the woman he’d brought to Curtis’s wedding was an investigator, so I’ll call him tomorrow to ask if she provides services for someone with my kind of request. I want all the shit I can find on Delta Foster—the good, the bad, and the freaky.

  I forgo breakfast so that I can make it to work by seven thirty a.m. The other early birds study me as I walk to my office. Mavis is already at her desk, and she stands as soon as she sees me. Her almond eyes are reddened and her expression dreary.

  I point my head toward my office. “Join me in there.”

  Mavis is rigid when she sits in the chair in front of my desk. She’s clenching my schedule and avoiding eye contact. I never took a moment to ponder how my leaving would affect her. I’m the one who asked Mavis to be my assistant. She had been working for the company as a marketing administrative assistant for three years, so one day, I asked her about her goals. She had said she wanted to be an executive assistant because her strengths were in handling details and keeping a very busy person on schedule. So after Linda was promoted, Mavis became my executive assistant. She has made my hectic life manageable.

  I set my briefcase on my desk and settle into my chair. “I’m sure you’ve heard.”

  “That you’re leaving? Yes. If the reason…” She ruffles her eyebrows as if she’s reconsidering saying whatever she wants to say.

  “It has nothing to do with the meeting. I mean, not anymore. I’m pursuing a new business venture.” The look on her face says she doesn’t believe me. “But I won’t leave you hanging.”

  “But are you sure you want to leave? Maybe you should take some time to think about it. You’re very important here. I’ve been receiving calls all morning and this weekend from concerned clients.”

  “Well, they shouldn’t be concerned...” Robert says.

  I look over Mavis’s head at Robert standing in the doorway.

  “Good morning, Maggie.” Robert’s smirk lingers on me for a few beats before he looks at Mavis. “Good morning, Mavis.”

  “Good morning, Mr. Tango.”

  “Maggie, we need to...” He points his head toward his office, which is next to Vince’s.

  “In a minute,” I say. “I just want to finish up with Mavis.”

  He nods. “Are you running over your schedule for the day?”

  “We’re getting to that.”

  He walks in, takes a chair from the round table I use to hold small meetings, and sits next to Mavis. She and I are caught off guard. I was just about to invite her to come work with me, offering her the same salary and benefits. Of course, I’ll have to hit Jack up for a loan to do that.

  “Well, I’ll wait until you get to that part,” he says, making himself comfortable.

  I glare at him. “How do you know I didn’t want to speak to her in private?”

  He throws up his hands nonchalantly. “About what? You’re leaving.”

  “I’m still here now.”

  Robert clicks his tongue. “Now, now, Maggie. I only want to see how you work with Mavis since she’ll be my assistant after you leave.”

  Mavis and I both look shocked.

  “You can’t take her from me,” I whine. No one can make me regress like Robert. I focus on Mavis. “I was going to ask if you wanted to come work with me.”

  Finally, she smiles. “Well, of course!”

  “I was going to double your salary if you come work for me,” Robert says.

  She slaps her hand on her chest and gasps.

  I shoot to my feet. “Mavis, could you give us a moment please?”

  Her eyes flicker between Robert and me. I can tell that she’s already accepted Robert’s offer because she’s second-guessing my request.

  “Yes, Maggie and I should talk alone,” Robert says while wearing that naughty smirk.

  I seethe as Mavis walks out the office. I don’t like the way he looks at her ass. He’s such a scoundrel. Robert shuts the door behind her. If looks could kill, he’d be six feet under.

  “Alone at last,” he says.

  “Who are you fucking with, me or Mavis?”

  Robert tilts his head as if he has to think about it. “Could I fuck you both? What is she? Latina? Black? A combination of the two?”

  I take a deep breath and hold it to keep myself from exploding. “You are way out of line.”

  He nudges my shoulder. “It’s just a joke. Lighten up. But I do want her to work for me. She’s better than every secretary in the company.”

  “She’s an executive assistant,” I snarl.

  “Right. But since she’s already an asset to our company, I want to keep her.”

  “I think I’m the one you’re fucking with,” I say because of the suggestive way he spoke.

  He smirks. “I’d like to keep you too.”

  “Okay, you win. If you double her salary, then I won’t fight for her. But I want to see that offer in writing. And I want you to add an executive health package. And profit sharing.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No. You know that fancy penthouse health club upstairs? I want her to have a full membership to that for as long as she works for your company.”

  “Done, done, done, done, and just to put you at ease, done again.”

  I sigh. “So is that it? Have you gotten your kicks for the morning?”

  Robert’s expression turns serious as he takes the seat Mavis abandoned. “I’ll be shadowing you this week.”

  “Why?”

  “You don’t need to know why.”

  “I do if you’re getting your kicks.”

  “What do you mean by ‘kicks’?”

  “Grinding my ass, declaring you’re going to sleep with me, and looking at me like you’re fucking me in your thoughts.”

  He sniffs. “You make it too easy. But I promise, no more funny business. You don’t want me, I get it.”

  I narrow one eye. “Do you?”

  He shakes his head. “Yes.”

  I laugh. He’s impossible.

  Our first meeting is with Linda and her team. We review the event schedule for the next three months as it applies to Prime D TV. Linda continually mentions the fact that I won’t be available when things go wrong. We get through that meeting and the three more afterward.

  At ten minutes until two, Robert asks, “Do you eat lunch?”

  We’re heading back to my office for our next meeting with the Bugsy’s Blue miniseries international marketing team in London.

  “You’re hungry?” I ask.

  “That’s just too easy,” he says.

  “For food?”

  “Yes. You haven’t eaten all day. No wonder you’re losing our hills.”

  “Our hills?”

  He slides his hand down my hip.

  I slap it away. “No touching.”

  “Okay, but you’re going to have to let me take you to dinner tonight.”

  “Nope,” I say as we walk past Mavis’s desk. I catch the wink Robert gives her.

  She accepts it with an obligatory smile.

  “Is this how your schedu
le has been all along?” he asks as we enter my office.

  I plop down in my chair and link into London. “Yes, boss.”

  “I have to eat. I’m going to ask our executive assistant to order lunch. What do you like?”

  “Mavis knows,” I say just before Rayford Riley says, “Hello, Maggie.”

  “Hello, Rayford, Betis, and Magnus.”

  “I hear you’re leaving us, yes?” Betis, a pure redhead like Prince Harry, says.

  “Unfortunately, I am. You shall be missed.”

  Robert walks out to have Mavis order lunch, and he closes the door behind him. He’s back fifteen minutes later when we’re almost finished solidifying the media strategy for the new show.

  An hour later, Mavis lets in two men who set up sushi dishes on my small table. Robert digs in before we bring the meeting to an end.

  Mavis knocks on the door. “Ten minutes before your next meeting with the print publications division.”

  “Cancel it,” Robert says. “Maggie’s done for the day.”

  “Tell them I’ll be there,” I say.

  “Tell them that Robert Tango says the meeting and all meetings on Maggie’s schedule for the remainder of the day are cancelled. She’s worked her quota.”

  I’m too stunned to object again. Mavis looks at me to gauge my reaction. I just shrug. She nods and backs out of the office.

  “What the hell was that?” I ask.

  “Shit, I didn’t know you worked this fucking hard.”

  “Vince knows how hard I work. If you were around more, you would too.”

  “Vince…” He closes one eye. “You haven’t mentioned him all day.”

  I raise my hand and show him my ring. “The last I saw or heard from Vince, he fucked me and made me wear this.”

  He drops that smirk. “Your engagement ring?”

  “Yes,” I say, studying the pretty cluster of diamonds.

  He snorts and sets a plate of food in front of a chair across from where he’s sitting. “Eat now, Maggie.”

  The smell of Asian spices stimulates my appetite. I go right over and dig in.

  “That’s the first time you’ve ever done what I asked without me cajoling you,” he says.

  I roll my eyes and stuff shrimp on a bed of rice into my mouth. The taste hits me right away, and I close my eyes. “Yum.”