CHAPTER 5
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The storm clouds have passed and we’ve been cleared for landing. We’ll begin our decent into Heathrow in roughly half an hour. Local time is six-thirty a.m. I apologize again for the delay and thank you for flying with United.”
Asher stirred in his first class seat and stretched his arms over his head with a yawn. When he first told me we were flying to London, I assumed Asher had a private jet; the Montgomery’s had about a dozen of them. I was surprised when he handed me a first class ticket on our way out of the house. But after I had a few minutes to think about it, it made perfect sense. The looming threat of the Chavez family made Asher’s future uncertain. If he had to disappear again, he’d want as much money as possible to take with him. Jets cost millions of dollars and they’re easy to track.
“How did you sleep?” I whispered for the benefit of the other passengers.
“Surprisingly well. You?”
“I’m too excited to sleep. This is one of the most exciting things that’s ever happened to me. I don’t want to miss a second of it.”
Asher gave me an amused grin. “I understand. And don’t worry. If you start nodding off during the banquet, I’ll accept the award on your behalf,” he teased.
I smiled and teased him back. “That would be the least you could do, seeing as how we’d have been in London yesterday if it wasn’t for your hiccup with the Japanese investors.”
“I know,” he agreed, rolling his eyes. “I can’t believe I forgot about that meeting until it was too late to reschedule. But you could have flown out without me yesterday,” he reminded me with a smile.
I dropped my sarcasm and took his hand. “There aren’t a whole lot of things I want to do without you.”
Asher’s face relaxed and he gave me a light squeeze. “I’m so glad to hear you say that. There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
Oh my God. Is he about to propose to me on an airplane? Surely not. We haven’t been together that long. And surely he realizes that if and when he does propose, I want a little romance.
“Relax, it’s not what you’re thinking,” he said with a reassuring smile.
“How do you know what I’m thinking?” I countered, doing my best to come off as playfully coy.
“Because I know you. I love you. After I left LA… well, let’s just say I felt like I was leaving behind any kind of real future. I’d always been resourceful, so I knew I’d survive. But I never expected to live. I never expected to find someone who knew and loved the real me. And now that I have, I hate every moment that I’m away from you. So what I wanted to ask is whether or not you’d like to move in with me.”
My heart danced as I stared into his calm green eyes. “I practically have, haven’t I?”
“I know. And don’t get me wrong. I know you love Deacon’s studio and there’s not really enough space at my place for you to paint. I’d never ask you to give that up. I just thought since Claire’s moving into the townhouse, there’s really no reason for you to be there all of the time. She’ll have room to get on her feet, Deacon and his wife will still have someone taking care of their place, and you’ll have the best of both worlds.”
“The perfect place to paint and the perfect man to come home to. I can’t think of anything I’d like more. Of course I’ll move in with you, baby.”
“If I didn’t have morning breath, I’d kiss you so hard right now,” he said, dropping his voice below a whisper.
I chuckled and kissed the top of his hand. “But you do have morning breath, so you’re just going to have to settle for this right now. But if you’d rather go to the hotel as soon as we land instead of going site-seeing, I could probably be persuaded.” I stifled a yawn and Asher grinned back at me.
“You could be persuaded, huh? Because you want to go to bed with me? Or because you just want to go to bed?” he teased.
“The jury’s still out on that one,” I confessed. “You were right; I should have tried to sleep when we were in the air.”
Bells chimed throughout the cabin and the seatbelt lights lit red.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re about to begin our descent into Heathrow Airport. Please fasten your seatbelts, put your tray tables upright, and secure any carry-on luggage. Thank you again for your patience and enjoy your stay in London.”
The jet hit turbulence as it sank through a layer of dark clouds and for a moment, I thought I was in a horror movie. But within a matter of seconds, the jet stabilized and the city appeared below us. I felt exhilarated and going to bed, for any reason, was the last thing on my mind. It was my first time visiting a foreign country and the overwhelming feeling that I was living someone else’s life washed over me again.
“You’ve completely forgotten about bed, haven’t you?” Asher asked. I turned and saw him watching me watch the city.
“Yes,” I admitted. “Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to celebrate us living together. But do you think we could celebrate with a visit to Buckingham Palace before we move on to something more private?”
“This trip is all about you, Lauren. We can do whatever you want.”
“In that case, I want to see the palace, Globe Theater, and anywhere that had anything to do with Harry Potter,” I listed, knowing we’d never be able to see everything in our short time in the city. Asher and I both had to be back in California on Thursday for the official launch party of the game I designed.
“I can probably make two of those happen,” he agreed.
“Just two? It’s not even seven a.m. local time and the banquet doesn’t start until eight tonight,” I reminded him.
“Yes, but I have a couple of surprises up my sleeve,” he confessed. “And one of them is going to be pretty time consuming. Not to mention that you’ll eventually have to take a nap.”
“Baby, you don’t have to give me any surprises,” I told him. “Being with you is all I need.”
I heard the landing gear lower and a few moments later, we touched down on the runway. I instinctively reached for Asher; landing was my least favorite part of flying. I held his forearm and he lightly stroked my hand.
“I know I don’t have to surprise you. I just want to,” he explained. “Because you, Lauren Matthews, have been the most amazing, wonderful surprise of my life.”
***
At a quarter to eight that night, Asher and I stepped into the ultra-luxurious William Kent House of the Ritz London. The private banquet venue, like the rest of the historic hotel, was opulent and regal, with high ceilings, intricately carved crown moldings and baseboards, and thick, heavy tapestries that were probably worth more than Asher’s house. It was the final detail that completed the Cinderella like day I’d had.
A black stretch limousine had picked us up from the airport and whisked us away to a romantic breakfast at a street side café. From there, we took a walking tour of Buckingham Palace and a bus tour of the areas around it. Like Asher expected, I was exhausted by the time we crawled back into the limo.
We checked into our suite at the Ritz and I took a three-hour nap while Asher made some conference calls. He woke me up with lunch in bed and the announcement that I had an appointment with one of the best stylists in London. The same limo carried me to the salon, where a woman named Maria with a thick Spanish accent spent three hours on my hair and makeup. I’d never spent more than thirty minutes on those tasks and many of the things she did seemed unnecessary while I was in the chair. But the results couldn’t be denied. Marie threaded platinum and caramel streaks through my honey blonde hair, shaped my eyebrows to perfection, and used contouring makeup techniques to make me look like I’d had the nose job I always secretly thought I needed. I didn’t just feel like a brand new person; I was a brand new person. I felt more confident than ever before as the full skirt of my black satin gown rustled beneath my feet.
“So, who do you want to meet first?” Asher asked.
I bit my lip and immediately let it go before I ruined my lipstick. “I don’t know… do you know any of these people?”
He shook his head and a soft curl fell into his eyes. He brushed it away and took my hand.
“This is your world, Lauren, not mine,” he reminded me. “The only person here I’ve met is John. If you count Skype as an official meeting, that is. He said to meet him at the head table when we arrived, so I guess that’s what we should do.”
I took Asher’s arm and he led me through the room. My eyes scanned the crowd and my awe grew with each face I fell on. So many of my heroes were gathered under the same roof and I still couldn’t believe that I was one of the artists being honored.
As we made our way to the head table, I realized that Asher had more than his fair share of eyes on him as well. In his crisp tux and emerald green tie, he looked like he’d just walked off the cover of GQ magazine. I pulled him a little closer, not because I wanted to stake my claim, but because I was so damn proud to be on his arm.
“Ah, here she is.” A grey haired man with a large bald spot and kind blue eyes stood up to greet us with open arms as we approached the table. The two men standing next to him stood as well, but they didn’t seem as impressed by our presence.
“John Livingston. It’s so nice to finally meet you, Ms. Matthews. And you as well, Mr. Reynolds.”
Asher and I took turns shaking John’s hand and asking him to call us by our first names.
“Lauren, Asher, this is Marcus Temple and Harrison Dale,” John continued.
The two men gave us cordial nods and obligatory handshakes before taking their seats again. I hadn’t recognized the artists in person, but I recognized both of their names. Marcus was a classically trained sculptor and Harrison was a performance artist who’d recently spent thirty-seven days living in a plexi-glass box in a Paris museum. It was no wonder they weren’t impressed by me, a graphics designer who’d put together a silly video game.
“You two are just in time,” John told us. “The head server just informed me that they’re about to start serving dinner. Your seats are the last two on the left end of the table. Someone will be around for drink orders soon and once everyone has their meals in front of them, we’ll get started on the presentations. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the accolades you’ve so rightfully earned.”
It had been a great relief for me to learn that I wouldn’t have to speak at the event. In fact, if I’d had to give a speech, I may not have gotten on the plane in San Francisco. I’d never been as graceful and eloquent as Kennedy and the last thing I wanted to do was embarrass myself in front of my peers.
“Thank you so much for having me, John,” I offered as Asher turned me toward our seats.
“The honor is all mine,” he insisted.
Asher escorted me to the end of the table and pulled out my chair. I smoothed the skirt of my dress beneath me and sat down, careful to maintain my posture. Everyone had taken their seats and seemed to be looking exclusively at me. I felt my face flush hot and I reached under the table for Asher’s hand. He put an arm around my shoulder and leaned into my ear.
“Relax. You’re the most beautiful woman in this room. You’re probably the most beautiful woman a lot of these people have ever seen. That’s why they’re staring at you.”
I shook my head while servers filed out of the far double door, their arms laden with trays of food.
“Everyone’s looking at me because they’re trying to figure out who the hell I am,” I corrected him. “None of these people have ever heard of me. They’ve never seen my work. Sure, the people at the magazine liked it. But no one in the crowd has even seen it yet. We shouldn’t have come, Ash. What if they all hate it? What if they boo us out of the room?”
A server in starched black pants and a crisp white shirt sat a plate of food in front of me. My filet smelled delicious, but the thought of trying to eat it turned my stomach. Asher squeezed my hand and turned to face me.
“We don’t have to stay. Say the word, and we’ll walk out of here right now. But before you do something you regret, think about the opposite scenario. What if everyone loves your work? What if they rise to their feet after the presentation and you miss your first standing ovation? Is that really how you want these people to think of you? As someone who couldn’t be bothered to sit through a prestigious banquet being held in their honor?”
I looked to my plate and frowned. “No,” I relented.
“You’re the first on the list,” he continued. “If your work doesn’t get a warm reception, we’ll slip out during the next presentation. But I don’t think that will be necessary.”
I studied the crowd again and realized that everyone had their food. The servers disappeared back to the kitchen and John took the podium in front of the head table. It was too late to run, even if I wanted to.
“Good evening everyone and welcome to the thirty-second annual Arts, International Honors Banquet. We have quite a diverse group of honorees this year, but they all have one thing in common. They are relentlessly pursuing their passions and elevating their fields to levels never seen before. Our first honoree is exceptionally unique and comes to us from a field we typically discount. Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Lauren Matthews of EnvisonTech Media.”
John turned and gestured to me and I reluctantly rose to my feet. I concentrated on keeping my face gracious and my feet underneath me as scattered applause rang out across the room. After a few moments, John turned back to the crowd and I sank back down into my chair.
“Like many of you in this room, I’m guilty of having a bit of a discriminatory view of video games. I know several of us have shared the opinion that the gaming industry itself is largely responsible for the decline of arts and culture. But it is because of that opinion that we at the magazine felt it was so important to recognize Miss Matthews. Like many of you, she enjoys a wide variety of artistic mediums. But as you’re about to see, she’s using her vast talents to infuse true art into a medium the rest of us have so foolishly overlooked. Those of us who’ve seen Miss Matthews work agree that it could be revolutionary for our field. Being in Lauren’s virtual world is like walking through the mind of Picasso or Monet. My words could never do her work justice, so allow us to transport you to her world now.”
The lights went dark and a projector in the middle of the room lit all four walls with my graphics. I wasn’t quite sure which images they were using because I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the faces before me; everyone seemed mesmerized by my work.
John’s opinion wasn’t just a fluke. They like it. They all actually seem to like it.
I leaned into Asher’s chest and laid my head on his shoulder. “You were right,” I whispered.
“So we’re not sneaking out?” he teased.
I shook my head against his chest. “Absolutely not.”
***
The next morning, I woke up in a haze of confusion and pleasure. Desire raced through my body before I even opened my eyes. I felt Asher’s mouth on my bare breast and his hard, thick cock pushed against my thigh.
“Good morning, baby,” he purred into my ear.
“Good morning,” I mumbled back happily. “What time is it?”
“It’s early. We have hours before we have to leave for the airport.”
He pinched my left nipple between his teeth and moved on to the right. I let my head fall back against the pillow, enjoying the sensations.
“Didn’t you get enough last night?” I teased. After the honors banquet, Asher and I had returned to our room for a marathon love making session. I was surprised that he was ready to go again with so little recovery time. I wasn’t sure I could do the same.
“I could never get enough of you, Lauren,” he replied, his voice a raspy growl. I appreciated his enthusiasm, but all I really wanted to do was pop a few Advil and sit in a hot bath to relieve some of the soreness between my legs.
Before I could speak, Asher dipped his head between my legs, disappearing beneath the sheet and blankets. I felt his hot breath against my thigh just before his tongue hit my clit. He licked me with long, firm strokes, and I instinctively ran my fingers through his curls. I let out one loud moan and he pulled away from me, returning his lips to my chest.
“I know you need to rest,” he whispered. “We don’t have to make love. I just want to make you feel good, baby. You know, it’s not every day a man gets to wake up with the most promising new graphics artist in the world.”
I laughed and kissed the top of his head. “I don’t know if I’d go that far. But you have no idea how much your faith and encouragement mean to me.”
Asher crawled up the mattress and settled in beside me before pulling me into his arms. He put a single finger beneath my chin and turned my face to his.
“I think I probably have a pretty good idea,” he pointed out. “The only equal to my faith in you is yours in me. And I think together, we’re going to be damn near unstoppable. That comment about you being the most promising artist… those words weren’t mine. The art world in general seems to be in agreement.”
He took his tablet from the bedside table and pulled up half a dozen arts pages from some of the biggest newspapers in the world. I couldn’t believe my eyes as he moved from window to window. The headlines were all worded a bit differently, but they all shared the same basic message — everyone thought I was fantastic. Words like innovative, revolutionary, and genius jumped from the screen.
“This is insane,” I insisted. “I’m dreaming. I’ve been dreaming since the day we met. I’ll wake up soon and realize that none of this is real.”
Asher took my hand and put it on his bare chest, just above his heart.
“Does this feel real?”
I nodded and returned my head to his shoulder. “I can’t believe how much my life has changed since the night we met at the gallery. I expected that opening to be the beginning of Deacon’s new life. But I never thought it would change mine. I don’t know how I’ll ever give you everything you’ve given me.”
“You already have,” he insisted. “And you’re giving me too much credit. All I’ve done is love you, baby. The recognition you’re getting now, you earned all on your own. And it’s not just the art critics who are talking about you. Dozens of gaming magazines have emailed asking for interviews. I’m being called a visionary for turning you loose with a computer. If anything, I’ll be the one thanking you for my success soon.”
“Let’s make a deal. From now on, we’ll refer to all success as our success,” I suggested.
“That sounds like a good plan to me,” he agreed.
Asher rolled onto his side and traced circles against my shoulder with his tongue. He ran a trail up to my ear and gently nibbled my earlobe.
“I know you’re sore,” he whispered. “And I don’t need any attention. But I would very much like to make you come before we get out of this bed.”
“Just go slow,” I warned, exhaling the words in a blissful sigh.
Asher spent the next fifteen minutes lightly running his hands over every inch of my body until my skin felt alive with passion. He massaged my feet and calves, left sore by the towering heels I’d worn to the banquet. Finally, he gently parted my legs and lowered his head.
Asher’s tongue worked slowly, circling my entrance, pushing inside, and then circling again. He held my hips in his hands as I rocked back and forth against his face, climbing to release. As his hot, wet tongue soothed my sore body, the soft orgasm that washed over me was the perfect ending to one of the best mornings of my life. I laid on the bed in quiet ecstasy and heard Asher’s phone vibrate on the nightstand. He looked down at the screen and smiled.
“It’s Brian. He’s probably calling to tell me that your game has broken presale records… Hey, Brian.”
I watched Asher’s face transition from elated to devastated and felt knots tie in my stomach.
I haven’t seen that look on his face since the morning Rachel showed up at the house with that God forsaken envelope. What the hell could possibly have happened now?
Asher jumped up from the bed and started dressing, the phone still pressed to his ear.
“How much? And when did you realize it?” He turned the phone away from his lips and mouthed for me to get dressed. He stuffed his feet into tennis shoes and started throwing our things into suitcases with no rhyme or reason.
“And you’re sure this happened from inside? There’s no way our firewalls were breached and we just don’t know it?”
I had no idea what Brian was saying on the other end, but I knew it had to be bad. Brian was the CFO of the company, which meant something was wrong with Asher’s accounts.
“Okay… okay… keep doing what you’re doing. Lauren and I will be on the first flight back to the states. I want regular updates as you learn things. I want all of the information in hand the moment we land. Yes, I’ll text you with our flight times. No, don’t call the police until I get there.”
Asher ended the call and tossed the phone into his carry-on bag. “We have to leave, Lauren. God damn it, we have to get home right now.”
I pulled my hair into a ponytail and threw the last of my things into a bag. I knew my makeup from the night before was probably smeared all over my face, but I didn’t take the time to check my reflection. I’d never seen Asher move with such sharp determination and I knew we were going home to trouble.
“What’s going on, Ash?” I pressed.
He threw his carryon over his shoulder and took a suitcase in each hand.
“The company’s payroll account has been raided. Yesterday, we had close to twenty million dollars in the bank. Today, it has a zero balance.”
“What?” I gasped, following him out of the suite. “But how could that even happen?”
“I have no idea,” he snapped, racing for the elevator. “Which is why we have to go.”
“I’m so sorry, Asher,” I replied, my voice barely a whisper.
He sighed and turned to me with sad eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bitten your head off like that. I’m just so fucking tired of dealing with catastrophes. Brian said that our systems haven’t been compromised. Which means someone who works for me, someone I’ve trusted, has made off with a small fortune.”
I hardly thought twenty million dollars was a small fortune, but I didn’t press the issue. Instead, I silently followed Asher into the elevator and put a comforting hand on his arm.
“This has to be some sort of a mistake,” I insisted. “I bet we’ll land to a slew of apologies and news that Brian found the money.”
“I hope so,” he replied as his phone rang again. He dropped a suitcase and pulled the phone from his pocket.
“It’s Merritt this time,” he announced with a puzzled frown.
I’m surprised she even has his cell number. What could she possibly want that she couldn’t have called Rachel about? Or me, for that matter. Asher rarely deals with any of the art details directly.
“Hello?” he answered, his voice clipped and impatient.
“What? You haven’t seen her since when? Damn it, I need to talk to her too. Have someone drive over to her condo… you’re kidding me. Okay… yes, for now, just handle the layout the old way. No, Lauren and I are on our way home now. She’ll walk you through the new protocols tomorrow. Yes, I’m worried too. I need to get off here, Merritt, and make some more calls. Thanks for letting me know. You did the right thing.”
He ended the call and tossed his phone against the elevator door. Thanks to the enormous rubber case, it bounced off and landed face up on the floor.
“Asher…?” I hesitated, half terrified to hear what else had happened back home.
He sighed and leaned against the elevator door.
“Rachel left work early yesterday morning. She told Merritt she had a doctor’s appointment and she’d be back after lunch. No one’s seen her since,” he explained.
The news didn’t shock me quite the same way it shocked him, but I did my best to pretend.
“She’s probably not feeling well, that’s all,” I assured him. “She didn’t call to tell you because she didn’t want to interfere with our trip.”
Asher shook his head. “Merritt went to her condo. The front door was unlocked and Rachel was nowhere to be found. Her car is missing, along with most of her clothes.”
So Rachel went missing on the same day twenty million dollars disappeared from the company account. I wonder if there’s a sane person on this planet who’d bet against them being connected.
THE END
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