Chapter 3
Nicole did get about 2 hours of sleep, but it was the caffeine that she was drinking out on a balcony that was making the most difference. There was a chill in the air, but she couldn’t feel it. She was staring out at the horizon and the way the sun was coming up to announce another day. She was anxious to hear the knock on her door, but she was also hesitant to open it.
The rest of the night had gone very slowly. She’d never had a night go by that way. She had looked at the clock to see that only a minute had passed each time. She tried to occupy her mind with a book or even late night television, but it was to no avail. “I feel jittery and it has nothing to do with the caffeine running through my veins. I feel like I’m about to open up that door and reveal that was Royce has told me was nothing but lies. I know that what he feels to me is real, but everything else is this face that he puts on for the rest of the world. I’ve seen small moments that he lets me in, but then he closes that door, as quickly as he cracks it open. I tried to stick my foot into the opening and to wedge my way into his heart. I think for the most part I have accomplished that.”
The world that she loved was the one that was with Royce. She believed that communication was the key to any good relationship. Friendship can turn into love, as long as there was trust and honesty amongst those that cared for each other.
The doorbell rang and she went to open it to find both men standing there. Royce didn’t look at all comfortable in his own skin. He seemed to be taking things in stride, but there was something about the way that this man put his arm around his shoulder that made him cringe at the very thought of having him this close to him again.
“I have to tell you that what I have learned about you, Nicole is a bit of a surprise. You were amongst the elite and then you left it all behind for a simpler way of living. This place really doesn’t do you justice and the condominium that you had in the city was a lot more your style. I understand that you have to make compromises in order to find that happiness that was out of reach. I think that you’ll find that you and Royce have a lot more in common than you thought you did.” Caleb took off his jacket and was wearing a very pristine white suit that made him look like an angel, but he may as well have been wearing horns on the top of his head.
“I have some coffee boiling in a pot and being a good host, I think that it would be a good idea that I offer you some. I’ll go get another couple of cups and I will join the both of you in the living room. I will say right from the very beginning that I don’t like the way that you make Royce feel.” “I thought it best that I tell this man how I feel. It doesn’t look like it has affected him and apparently he doesn’t really care about what I have to say. His smile should be putting me at ease, but it is only raising my radar and making me vividly aware that he’s in my home. Royce tried to set my mind at ease last night, but he was doing it in the wrong way. I really should have taken it slow; so that I would see that everything was going to work out the way that it was supposed to.”
Her hands were shaking with the coffee cups and some of it was spilling over onto her hand. The burning feel of that liquid touching her skin made her want to scream, but she didn’t wanna give that man inside her living room that kind of satisfaction. She walked gingerly and then Royce appeared with his hands touching hers to settle her nerves. He didn’t say anything and all that Nicole needed was to feel that he was close at hand.
They sat down on the same couch across from the man that had his leg crossed over the other. He had his hands in his lap and his dark hair was now pulled back into a ponytail. He had the scruff of a 5:00 shadow on his face and his blue eyes seemed to see through to her very soul. It sent a chill down your spine and she actually thought that somebody was walking on her grave. This guy had no emotion and whatever he was doing; he was doing it for the sheer joy of making somebody feel uncomfortable.
“I would like to tell you that I get no joy from this, but that’s not exactly true. The only thing that I find in life that gives me any kind of enjoyment is doing this. I hope that he hasn’t been a bad boy and told you of the deal that we made five years ago.” Caleb saw that they were looking at each other and it was obvious that something had been said, but not enough to fully reveal the extent of their relationship. “I’m going to tell you a story and it’s going to sound like a fable or some kind of fantasy, but believe me everything that I’m going to tell you is the god honest truth.”
Nicole saw that he was ready to begin and decided to interject one last thought. “You probably think that you are hard to read, but I don’t think that it’s all that difficult. You’re bored and you need to make others miserable to feed some craving that is a little hard to digest. You should be ashamed of your actions, but that’s not how it is. You want others to fear you and be intimidated, but that is the one thing that you’re not going to find with me.” I’m trying to show more courage than I don’t want him to think that I can be walked over. He obviously knows the power that he wields, but what he doesn’t realize is that I’ve never been what most people would call a pushover. Being in that business for years taught me that people lie all the time and you just need to read between the lines to see the truth.”
“I like that you can show this kind of conviction and not mean a word of it. Anyway, Royce and I have a contract that gives him everything he wants for five years. You think that he was always like this, but what he’s living is a lie. I gave him five years and in return he gave me his soul.” Caleb let that word linger in the air and enjoyed the awkward silence that followed. “I call myself the devil and I don’t think that any word is more fitting to describe me. He has less than 12 hours and then all of his money vanishes. He will be left the same that he was with one subtle difference. He can never have that money again and if he were to try, I will snatch it out of his grip, as fast as he is able to make it.” Caleb enjoyed the look on Nicole’s face and now he was ready to hear any kind of argument to the contrary.
“You like to throw that term around and we both know that it’s not true. You could easily give him back his life, but you don’t want to. You take these contracts too seriously when they are really not worth the ink that is printed on the paper. It’s definitely not legal and would not hold up in the court of law. There is no such thing, as money growing on trees. You know that there’s no rest for the wicked.” I can see that he’s not swayed by my words. He thinks that it matters to me that Royce has money. I’m not going to deny that I like the finer things, but I also lived by having mouths to feed in my family. I sacrificed a lot for the chance to get away from all that, but I never really knew how good I had it.”
“There is a way, but I don’t think that you’re willing to entertain that idea. Let me throw another proposal out there for the both of you, as a couple. I will give you five more years of influence and power in the palm of your hands. You would have all the money that you could ever want and you can take it and turn it into millions more like Royce has done. I have to say that I was very impressed by his ingenuity and there are very few that I have worked with in the past that have even come close to amassing his kind of fortune. The only thing I ask is that at the end of those five years that you stay together in poverty and wallow in self pity.” Caleb was having the time of his life knowing that he was laying down the ultimatum and hoping that they would be stupid enough to grab onto that lifeline one more time.
“You are despicable and somebody should do something about you before it’s too late. You can’t possibly believe that anything that you do is right. I’ve sat here for too long and it’s time that I finally say what’s on my mind. I was foolish to get into bed with you metaphorically speaking. I thought that money was everything, but it doesn’t even compare to the love of a good woman. You can take your proposal and stuff it where the sun doesn’t shine. I think it’s time that we sever ties.” Royce was showing that he had backbone and was not going to stand idly by and let Nicole walk down the same path that he did.
“I would be very careful about what you say next, Royce or should I say Randal. The name that you have carried with you is also mine and a product of my imagination. I made you who you are and it’s about time that I take it back and give it to another. You do know the reason why I have made it part of the deal that you stay out of the public eye. I can’t have you destroying the myth and legend of Royce Hamilton. I really don’t like your attitude and you are starting to grate on my last nerve. Be careful, or I might decide that your name is not the only thing that I take from you. The only thing that you have left in this world that means anything to you is the girl and the very life that you breathe. Trust me; I have no problem taking either one of those out of your hands.” I thought that I made it abundantly clear that this discussion with Nicole was going to be one on one.” By interfering, he felt like Randal was getting dangerously close to walking off a very short pier.
“There’s no call for those kinds of threats in my house. I am tempted to take your offer, but if I wanted any of that, I could easily go back to the same profession that I was in before. I could have the money that I want, but I would never have the life that I wanted. I would say that somebody has hurt you and made you bitter to the point of wanting to hurt others for the sake of the fact that you can. Royce or is it Randal and I will not have anything to do with you. You can peddle your wares someplace else. Leave now, before I forget that I’m a lady.” “I don’t think most would be able to turn down an offer like that, but I’m not like most. I’ve been exactly where he wants to take me and I really don’t want anything to do with it. Randal may not be able to have money, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t secure him a future in my arms.”
“You’re making a very bad mistake. I think that maybe I will have to act upon the fine print in the contract. I don’t like the very idea that he could have happiness after walking away from me. I might have to make it part of the contract to kill you or him. I do believe that is exactly what I’m going to do. You can blame him for interfering and for making me feel like lashing out. One of you is going to die. I’m going to leave it up to each of you to decide which one will make the ultimate sacrifice. It’s been fun, but I do have to say that my proposal is still opened. You can either decide to end one of your lives, or you can have five years in perfect luxury. I think that you’ll both come to the right conclusion.”
“You can’t…” The resounding crack of Caleb’s hand across his face was like a gunshot going off.
“I think that, if you look at the contract that you’ll find that you weren’t exactly diligent about reading it down to the last letter. It is written, as plain as day that you can’t talk during any negotiations. You ruined a moment between myself and Nicole and for that you have to pay. I’m not uncaring and if both of you are willing to take my five year plan, then we can all walk away and shake hands cordially. To me, it doesn’t look like there’s much of a choice and the options that you have are limited. I just hope that both of you can live with your decision one way or the other. By the way, if you try to run I’ll know and things will get infinitely worse.” Caleb got up and smugly walked to the door without even glancing back to see their reaction. He liked the shock looks on their faces and how easily he had made Randal lose his composure. That was his main purpose of coming here in person. He had rocked the very foundation of their relationship and he couldn’t have been happier.
As the door closed, both Nicole and Royce AKA Randal looked at each other and knew that they were going to have to come up with some way to save face. Neither one of them wanted to die, but the choice was in their hands.