“I know you all want to know about Del Mar Palm Beach,” Christian begun when they had all settled down around the conference table. “Well, I did get to the bottom of the problem,” he sucked in a deep breath. “I can assure you that it now has a clean bill of health.”
The expected questions came, probing for more details. Christian circumvented the questions and gave as few details as possible without mentioning names. They appeared satisfied as they broke the meeting up thirty minutes later. He was known for his short board meetings. Christian saw no use in lingering; he preferred to get down to business and go on to other things.
The other things, for now, included wiring instructions to the Palm Beach office to let Raina go. It hurt him even as he wrote the email but he had no choice. She had gotten away easy but the images of the thr
ee children haunted him.
Each of them was special. Chantal was the most serious of the three, and Christian knew she would make a wonderful lawyer or doctor one day. Crystal would probably venture into fashion or something on the artistic side. She was creative and she loved drama. She would be the life and soul of every party. Jeremiah was a bright and well-rounded child, and he loved sports. He could be anything he chose to be. All three of them could—if they had the right support.
Christian intended to offer that support.
Raina’s betrayal had no effect on how he felt about the children. They were innocent, and had welcomed him into their hearts and home and viewed him as part of the family. After the email giving instructions to terminate Raina’s employment, Christian then wrote another to his accountant.
He wanted to set up a private, anonymous school scholarship for them.
Later in the afternoon, Valerie popped into his office with documents she needed him to sign or approve.
“I’ve sent flowers to a few people, Jane from Sales got engaged …” Valerie started going down a long list.
Christian cringed and waved away her updates, and then when he saw her crestfallen face, he felt remorseful. “Sorry Val, I’m in a terrible mood, none of which is your fault. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, I really do appreciate it.”
She perked up then and her face lit up into a smile. Happily married with four almost grown kids, Valerie was his perfect assistant. She had no interest in him and neither did he have any interest in her. Theirs was a professional relationship which sometimes veered towards friendship.
“You don’t look yourself,” Valerie commented, her tone concerned.
“I’ll be alright in a few days or so, can you bear with me till then?”
She grinned. “For you? Of course.”
She took him through the documents he needed to sign. On her way out, she paused by the door.
“You know, we missed you while you were gone. Also, you have an event tonight, I put a reminder on your desk in the morning,” she said. “The annual Gala for the New York Patrons of the Arts?” she added when she saw his blank look.
Christian ran his fingers through his hair. The last thing he wanted was to spend the evening making inconsequential conversation with women who considered themselves the cream of New York society. Still, maybe he would find one diversion to spend the next couple of weeks with.
At the gala, which was to celebrate something Christian had no interest in, he drank too many glasses of champagne, talked to too many boring people, and fielded too many press inquiries about his recent absence from his company. Listening to another such request, he glanced at a blond, stick thin woman holding a microphone in front of him and stifled a yawn.
Being with Raina had spoiled him. He longed for her curvy body, her wild, dark, curly hair, her soft skin, her full lips.
He saw her face everywhere he looked.
Right now in his tipsy mind, he wished that Ms. Fontaine or whatever she had said her name was would disappear, and that he could close his eyes and Raina would be in her place.
In his inebriated state he didn’t care that she had stolen from him; his need for her was that bad. In his mind he was taking her to his bedroom to make love to her until she screamed in pleasure for him.
The mental image of Raina writhing and moaning under his touch caused him to groan.
“Are you alright? Is it the canapés? They didn’t go down well with me either.…”
“Excuse me,” Christian said. No, he wasn’t feeling well, but it had nothing to do with the overly rich food. Leaving abruptly, and very rudely, he left Ms. Fontaine gaping at him. He made a dash to the dive bar he’d seen on the far end of the block on his way to the event.
He sat at the counter of McGilly’s Tavern and continued drinking until the bartender cut him off for having had too much. An hour later, Jim was guiding him out into the street and into his car.
Jim never said a word to him and Christian slept through most of the ride home. He rarely drank more than a couple of glasses of wine, but tonight, he had felt in need of something to dull the pain.
Had he been in Palm Beach, he knew he was weak enough that he would have gone to Raina’s door and begged her to let him make love to her.
He staggered into his apartment.