Chapter Eleven
Asher
I'd been really looking forward to having a few drinks with Lilah. Not because I had any expectations that a few drinks might loosen our inhibitions and ultimately something would happen between us again, but simply to enjoy her presence, her conversation, and the feeling of being myself around her.
Not to mention, I did want to celebrate. Her Harry Winston campaign ideas had performed phenomenally well, and I was incredibly proud of her. It was kind of obvious that she was overwhelmed at her own success and the excitement I’d seen in her eyes was something I'd wanted to share with her.
Yet, despite her keenness in that moment, her enthusiasm seemed to have not only faded, but disappeared entirely by the time the evening rolled around.
I'd put on one of my favorite suits and had even gotten my grandfather's cufflinks out. It had been as Alfred was warming up the Lamborghini for me that I got the message from Lilah cancelling our plans.
She'd claimed she was sick, but I had my doubts. It felt far more like she was searching for an excuse to get out of the evening. And while I wanted nothing more than to spend time with Lilah, I wasn't going to sit at home and mope about it. In fact, I was going to take the Lamborghini out regardless. And, I wasn't going to do it alone.
A man can only be rejected so many times before he starts thinking of other options.
I took out my phone and started looking through my contacts. One name immediately sprang out: Angeline. Twenty-three, blonde, and drop-dead gorgeous.
She was a young actress who had just started to break into Hollywood—and she had been very, very interested in me for quite some time. I messaged her.
Hey, Angeline, it's been a while! How's everything? If you're not busy tonight, I'm taking my Lamborghini out for a spin. I know how much you like supercars, so if you're free, you're welcome to come along for a drive.
I didn't have to wait very long for an answer; the phone buzzed about ten seconds after I hit the send.
Hey, Asher! Awesome 2 hear from u! I'm IN!
I typed out a hasty reply.
Pick you up from your place in half an hour?
The reply arrived almost instantly.
Perfect! See u soon... u handsome devil ;)
I didn't smile. I simply straightened my tie in the mirror and buzzed my butler.
“Sir?”
“Is the Lambo warmed up?”
“The engine is at optimal operating temperature, sir.”
“Good. I'm coming down.”
***
We were cruising along the Pacific Highway, enjoying the drive. The moon was full and, to our left, the Pacific was rolling in and crashing against the cliffs below, looking like a great sea of mercury in the bright silver light. I glanced across at Angeline, who smiled flirtatiously at me. She was dressed in a flimsy, red cocktail dress that left little to the imagination.
“Thanks for taking me out,” she said. “This is such a gorgeous car.”
“It's one of my favorites in my collection,” I said.
“You got any music in it?”
“Music? You're supposed to be enjoying the sound of that beautiful, Italian motor!” I joked.
“I know, I know,” she laughed, “but hey, I need something with a beat!”
“There's a USB stick in the glove compartment that's got a bunch of music on it. Stick that in and see if there's anything you like on it. The list of tracks will come up on the media player display screen.”
“Cool.”
She reached into the glove compartment and took out the USB, which she then plugged into the car's media system. She started browsing through the tracks.
“The Razor's Edge? Who's that?” she asked, pausing on the one band I hadn’t expected.
A sudden flush of uncomfortable heat rippled through my body at the mention of the band. Immediately, thoughts of Lilah started to run through my head.
“Um, they're just a band I liked as a teenager. I don't even know why that's on there. Skip that, I don't feel like listening to that stuff now.”
“Oh, all right. Wow, you've got a lot of jazz and classical on here. Don't you have any new stuff? Skrillex? David Guetta?”
“Not really my cup of tea, I'm afraid.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Uh, if you want, you can go onto YouTube and play music from there. This system is hooked up to the internet.”
“Oh, wow! Cool. I’m sure I'll find some tracks I like there.”
As she searched YouTube for songs to play, a creeping feeling of guilt and doubt started digging its claws into me, probing and pulling beneath my skin. What was I doing? Why was I doing this? Was it some cheap, petty attempt at revenge after being ditched by Lilah? Despite how physically beautiful the woman next to me was, I wasn’t attracted to her in any way other than the most basic of levels. Try as I might, I could not get thoughts of Lilah out of my mind most of the night. I’d been trying to fool myself, but continuing with this farce was pointless.
A quick assessment of the road ahead confirmed that it was empty aside from us. Without warning, I yanked up the handbrake and spun the car around in a 180 degree turn, smoking and screaming the tires, and throwing Angeline violently back into her seat.
“Oh my God!” she shrieked, the blood draining from her face with shock. “What the hell did you do that for?!”
“Sorry,” I said calmly and flatly. “I've just remembered something extremely urgent at work that I absolutely have to get back to. There's no way I can put it off any longer. Sorry for cutting the evening off so quickly, but I have to do this.”
“I, uh . . . Well, all right then,” she said, clearly upset.
We drove the remainder of the distance to her apartment in silence. When I dropped her off, all she said was a listlessly mumbled, “Bye.”
I didn't care. I shut the door behind her and roared off toward home.
***
A dry, sticky mouth and a splitting headache aren’t exactly the most pleasant ways to wake up. Drinking a ridiculous amount of whiskey after I returning from my failed attempt at a revenge date hadn’t been the smartest idea I’d ever had. It had, however, calmed me down and temporarily quieted all the warring thoughts in my mind.
I heaved myself out of bed and started to mentally prepare for the morning's rigorous workout, after which I would head in to the office. It was Saturday, yes, but I wanted to work. It would keep my mind sharp, focused—and off certain things. A certain person, I suppose I should have said.
I spent the morning working out and sweating my hangover away, although, try as I might with exercise, nutrition, and rehydration, the headache wouldn't go away. I hated taking medication and would only do it as a last resort, but at the moment it seemed as if popping a few pills was the only way I'd be able to get any respite from the dull, persistent throbbing in my skull.
I asked my chauffeur to drive me to the office as I was in no mood to deal with the city traffic myself. Once there, I immediately started getting to work on the new campaign for VIV Perfume—the project I'd met with Anton about in France. This was going to be a challenge, as it would require a lot of in-depth research into French markets and consumer behaviors in the fields we were trying to market the perfume to. Luckily, exhaustive and obsessive research was my thing—there was nothing like a good challenge to get me going and get my mind mentally focused.
I managed to get several hours of solid research in before my concentration started to falter. I stood from my desk, did a few stretches, and then stood at the windows looking out over the expansive view of the city that stretched to the edge of the horizon. The sun was sinking low in the sky, but there were still a few hours of daylight left. I decided to go for a walk and get a quick bite to eat before returning to the office.
As I was walking out of the building, my phone buzzed. I took it out of my pocket and was surprised to see a message from Lilah. I opened it and read it with eager eyes.
Hi, Asher. I just wanted to apologize about last night. I'm sorry if I came off as a bit defensive or standoffish. I just wasn't feeling too great. However, I'm actually feeling a bit better now. What are you up to?
A broad smile crept over my face. Maybe she wasn’t as disinterested as I’d thought. Maybe she really had been feeling bad the night before and I jumped to conclusions. Maybe. Only one way to find out. I typed out a reply.
No worries. I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. I'm actually at the office working on a new campaign, the one for the French company VIV Perfume. You don't happen to know much about the French perfume market, do you? I've been researching all afternoon and trying to brainstorm ideas. Let me know if you have anything that might help save my brain. Hope you're enjoying your Saturday!
I strolled along the bustling streets, enjoying the hustle bustle of weekend pedestrian traffic; it was strangely calming, this moving sea of strangers. After a few minutes, I got a reply from Lilah.
As it so happens, one of my college friends has been living in Paris for the last five years, and she works in the fashion industry. I'm sure there's a good crossover with the perfume market somewhere in there—I could arrange a Skype conference call with her, if you'd like? We could pick her brain and probably gain some valuable insight into the market. What do you think? I can come in to the office later; I don't have any plans.
My smile broadened as I read her reply. Hopeful optimism, coupled with inspiration, began spreading throughout my body.
“Well, suddenly this weekend isn't looking so bad after all,” I said to myself. “Not looking too bad at all.”
I responded with:
I'll be at the office all afternoon and evening. Come on in whenever you're ready. See you later :)