Lush Love

Welcome Home

Pierce:

Her fragrance lingers in the sheets. It's something expensive. Everything about her made it pretty obvious that we come from the same place. We were raised under similar circumstances and it makes me wonder why I haven't come across her before this. Who is she? I can think of two families she might have come from. Elle from Salvatore Corp and Elle from Furgeson Inc. Whatever happened last night spooked her this morning. After that kiss, I don't really remember much. I was riding a pretty amazing high.

"You up?" Zack tapped on the door of his spare room.

"Yeah, come in," I called back.

"Fun night?" he asked, looking around like he expected someone to be here.

"I don't know," I admitted as I zipped my overnight bag back up.

"You look a little better, man. Thanks for coming out,"

When I first met Zach, the guy was wearing a borrowed suit. It was a little big on him but he somehow made it work. He was so nervous sweat was rolling down his sideburns. I didn't think I was going to be able to hire him but as soon as he had the floor he calmed right down. He stood his ground level-headed and here we are now. The girl had been upset when I hired him on the spot. It cost me a lot more than I want to admit but it was worth every penny.

Now, Zach is one of my closest confidants. He knows everything about me. Including the mess, I'm in back home. He told me that his former boss was finally moving into her new space and that his girlfriend wanted to have one last mindless night before they headed home. I remember that feeling. The loss of freedom comes when our parents get involved in everything we do. The silent spectators watching over our shoulders just waiting for us to mess up.

"Thanks for having me. I needed to get away from my dad and Sam," I sat down at the end of the bed.

"Would it really be that bad to tell him you don't want to marry that nightmare?" he asked.

"Yes, it would. Not only would I be rejecting the offer. I'd also be embarrassing her,"

"Oh, no! Don't embarrass Samantha Kenedy. She might be the first lady one day," he bit out sarcastically. I laughed.

"Not if she marries me," I lied back. Her fragrance was once again lifted into the air around me. I didn't want to ask. I promised myself I wouldn't. "The girl from last night,"

"No. Nope. Not that one," he shook his head. I sat up glaring at him. "Look, man. Ellie isn't like other girls, alright? She's special. You're lucky to have gotten as far as you did. She doesn't make mistakes. If word got out of you two making out on my couch your dad would murder us both and her family would crucify her again. Promise you're going to drop it,"

"Give me a name and I will," I insisted. He fell back and let out a long annoyed groan.

"Wow, is that you?" he asked picking up the pillow.

"No, it's her,"

"Of course it is," he sighed. "You really don't know who she is? Aren't you like a walking people scanner. You always know who everyone is,"

"When it's convenient to me,"

"Don't get mad, promise?"

"Why would I get mad?" I laughed.

"Her name is Elise Walton," he announced. A chill ran up my spine.

"Oh, s**t," I turned away.

"Yeah," he chuckled.

"No, the Walton Heiress is dead. My dad said she disappeared about six or seven years ago,"

"Nah, man. They had some ritual or act of cowardice. I forgot what she called it. They kicked her out of her home. All she had when we met was a debit card with about three thousand dollars and some clothes. She was a couple of weeks shy from turning seventeen,"

"He invoked the rite of ritual and cowardice on a little girl? What a f*****g ass hole,"

"Did your old man do that to you?"

"No, he didn't. That tradition was outdated a long time ago. Not very many come back,"

"Well, she's going back. Once she merges her company with her family's company they're going to have an international transportation section at Walton Enterprises. Not to mention the expansion of their gaming industry. She has something big to release as her debut,"

"All right. I'm over it. f**k her," I stood up. "I didn't just come down here to party. We have work to do,"

"Yes, sir. Angel asked me to tell you to check your personal email. That's what I originally came in here for," he walked out of the room. I reached for my laptop and waited for it to be rebooted.

A Walton. No, not a Walton. The Walton. I can't believe I held her the way I did. It was too good to be true. That never should have happened. How could we have let it happen? Why can't I stop thinking about it? She's going to be pissed when she finds out who I am. I'm a little excited to see if she'll react to the information at all. She seemed adamant about getting even with her father. Maybe this would make her happy. It might give her an edge. My phone rang in my pocket.

"I'm logging in now, Angel. What's going on?" I asked him.

"Sir," he tried to hide his. laughter. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think you should hear it from me before you see it. You f****d up. Bad,"

"What are you talking about?" I asked. Before he could answer the file on the email reading congratulations finished downloading and the finalized marriage certificate opened up. My name is on it. Her name is on it and it's signed. "f**k,"

"Sir, how would you like me to proceed?"

"Angel, hide it. All of it. Not a single person knows about this. Do you understand? Get it terminated as soon as possible. s**t, if my dad finds out this happened I am a dead man,"

"What about Ms. Kenedy?" he asked.

"One problem at a time, Angel," I sighed.

"Sir, how do I get in touch with Ms. Walton?"

"I'm sending you an email now. Tell Clarissa people have disappeared for less,"

-

Elise:

My brothers were both waiting for me when the helicopter landed. Allow me to introduce my brothers. Middle child, Macintyre Walton. He's two minutes younger than I am. He's tall, looks like my father, and doesn't like to smile much. However, he's a great listener. He gives solid unbiased advice. The only thing wrong with him is that he doesn't know what love is. He has a list of women of our "social status", whatever that means. He's dated sixteen of the two hundred women on that list and has asked my dad which one is suited to be his wife. To which my father replied, do whatever you want, Mac but he also encourages his behavior to help him get closer to other businesses. My dad is kind of a snake. We kind of all are.

The second, Elliot Walton is the opposite of him. Elliot always has a smile on his face. He has no idea what he's doing with his life, yet he's at the top of his field at the moment. Unlike me, my brothers got to go into a profession they wanted. Elliot went into Neurobiology. He's had a couple of girlfriends because when he loves, he loves a little too much. He's not some psycho that beats women or degrades them. On the contrary, he respects women. Adores them.

What I mean when I say he loves them a little too much is that he tries to change who they are. Pushes them down a path of potential and most women at twenty-two just want to have fun. Make mistakes and move on. They're not looking for a long-term anything. So, I get late-night calls after his premature 'I love you', speech goes south. Drunken late-night calls and there's often crying involved. From both of us, I hate when my brothers feel any kind of discomfort and I cry for them. Especially, Elliot. He's going to have five wives before he reaches thirty. I'm convinced. 

The only one missing is Juliette. Our baby sister. It's expected from one of the most talented actresses of our time. She received her first oscar at thirteen. Like most brilliant artists, my dear baby sister is troubled by everything that is constantly running in her pretty head in a loop. That "how could it have been better" sense of insecurity is constantly tapping the back of her head so to drown it out, she gets drunk along with a bunch of other extracurricular activities. She just turned nineteen.

"You're home," Mac greeted me. 

"Finally," Elliot tossed his arm over my shoulder. 

"Before we get home, we want to inform you that father is pissed," Mac sighed. "Pierce, Ellie?" 

"What about Pierce?" I laughed. "Wait, how do you guys know Pierce?"

"You didn't sleep with him did you?" Mac asked. "Dad is going to kill him if he so much as brushed up against his daughter's anything," 

"Nothing happened," I rolled my eyes as I turned my phone back on. "I didn't come home so you i***t could hound me like this,"

"We're just looking out for you," Elliot rolled his eyes.

I had turned it off so I could actually enjoy the ride. A swarm of text messages and voicemails from Rissa flooded my screen. We walked out and were greeted by a swarm of paparazzi. Mac's security team kept them back but like my brothers, they brought up my night out with Pierce. There's a picture of him in my social group. That's it. Once in the car, my phone began to ring. I picked it knowing it was Rissa.

"b***h, where the hell have you been?" 

"I was on the helicopter. I told you I was leaving first thing Monday morning last week," 

"You're in New York?" she asked. 

"I am," 

"Elise, you're f*****g dead," 

"What do you mean?" 

"Elise, I know what you and Pierce did when you disappeared and his last name,"

"I checked. It's still there," I whispered shouted into the phone. 

"Not that. Elise," she began to laugh nervously. "You're no longer a Walton," 

"What are you talking about?" I asked. 

"Check your email. It was officiated this morning. It's under Maxine Walters," 

I opened up my email to find the name she gave me. The subject reads congrats. I clicked on the attachment. A marriage certificate popped up with my name on it and my signature. 

"What the heck is that?" I choked out. 

"Elise, you're f*****g married to Pierce Kingsley you stupid b***h," she burst into a fit of giggles. 

"I am going to call you back," I hung up. I looked up at my two brothers. I've never screwed up before. Not once and I've officially screwed up the week before I become the face of my father's company. Before I even stood in front of him to tell him where he could shove a stick up.

"What happened?" Mac asked. 

"I messed up," 

"You mean your hair?" Elliot grinned. "We know," 

"No, I-uh. Wait, you don't like my hair?" 

"I do," Mac nodded. "You look a little more mature. The long hair had tweeny vibes," 

"One, gross. Two, never call me that again. Three, I know I never do this but I seriously f****d up," they both gasped. 

"Did you just use the F-word?" Elliot laughed. 

"What did you do?" Mac asked. I handed him my phone. He tossed it right back at me when he saw what was on there. "f**k," 

"You two are on a roll," Elliot laughed picking the phone up. His smile faltered. "No, dad cannot find out about this. He's already mad. He has news. Like important, you're going to be pissed news. This is going to really f**k everything up this weekend," 

"What news?" I asked. The two of them looked at one another skeptically. "I'm not going to ask you again,"

"Dad is engaged," Mac cleared his throat. Elliot smacked his thigh. I sat back feeling my stomach drop. 

"I didn't even know dad was dating," I admitted. "Outside his usual escapades," 

"He wants it to be a surprise," he shrugged. "It's Genevieve Howard," 

Genevieve Howard. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. Not happening. This woman has had it out for me since I started my transportation company. She's had it out for me because once we got going, we surpassed her in a matter of months and she swore she'd have the last word. Howard Transport took a big hit when Walton Convey hit the ground running. I made things worse when I bought her great grandmother's two-point four million dollar heirloom at an auction after it had been lost for twenty-five years. Then I wore it to the awards ceremony for WC to which she was invited to. Rissa sent her the invitation. 

"Over my dead body," I shook my head. 

"Okay, you have that scary look mom used to get when she was pissed," Mac whispered. My phone rang before I could answer him. 

"Yes, Rissa?" 

"I have Pierce on the line," she rushed out. His last name is Kingsley. Why didn't I ask him that?

"Okay, put him through," 

"Before I do, think about what's fallen onto our laps here, Elle. You don't want to sign to Walton Enterprises. Faking this marriage might be the solution to all of our problems. Mine, yours, and his," 

"I've decided that the best thing for me to do is take control of Walton Enterprises as a whole," impulsive I admit but I can't let my dad hand anything over to that woman without my content.

"What?" she asked worriedly. "You hung up for four minutes. Four. What happened?" 

"My dad is engaged to Genevieve Howard," 

"Holy s**t," she gasped. "The old lady with the sapphire necklace thing?" 

"Yeah," 

"f**k me. Oh, my god. Yeah, yeah. That was a very good last-minute decision," 

"Right," I agreed. 

"Okay, well. I will be waiting for your call back," she put him on. "Mr. Kingsley. You have Ms. Walton on the phone. Clarissa Norton out," 

"She's not your secretary is she?" Pierce asked casually. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I need to be casual about this. It's not just my ass on the line it's his. Our dads loathe one another with every fiber of their being. This doesn't have to get out of hand between us.

"Not anymore. I promoted her to finance," 

"Oh, I think she'd be good at that," he complimented. "Listen, Ms. Walton. We have a problem," 

"Yes, I am very well aware of that as of five minutes ago," we both laughed. "I am so sorry. I don't know if this was my fault or not but I am really sorry. My dad will try to kill you if he finds out,"

"Mine too. Kill me not you," he groaned. "I have it under wraps. The only outsider that knows is Clarissa and the woman who married us apparently. I've paid her off already. She signed a contract. A very absolute contract," 

"Perfect," I nodded. He's quick. That's perfect. I expect nothing less from my first and only accidental husband/ biggest competitor.

"About getting rid of this problem. I actually would like to make a request before making this go away," 

Wait, he doesn't seem prepared to blackmail me. Even if he does, at the moment, he has a lot more to lose than I do. He's engaged and has already the VP. His last two projects were flawless. If we get caught or if this comes to the light. The Kenedys would be beyond pissed. His father would probably be mad but like the rest of us basking snakes, he'll turn this into an opportunity.

"You want to rub this in your father's face?" I asked remembering our exchange last night. We can do that and it wouldn't get out because our fathers would do anything to avoid this coming out as long as they could turn this into some kind of money deal.

"I do," he exulted. 

"Alright,"

"You agree? Just like that?"

"Yes, what are you doing tomorrow?" 

"Nothing. I just got home," 

"You're in Manhattan?" 

"I am," 

"I'd like to invite you to dinner at my house," 

"To piss your dad off?" he laughed. 

"Oh, yeah. Way, way off. I'd also like for you not to say a word about what you're going to hear. I will have the paperwork drawn up if you like," 

"That won't be necessary. If I get to see Mr. M. R. Walton enraged in his own home. That alone is a gift in itself," 

"Good," I mused. "I will have you picked up at seven. Dress to impress. Seriously, wear something nice. You're going to be meeting Genevive Howard," 

"Gross. I will dress to impress as long as you agree to do the same for me next week. You are meeting my mother and her I don't want to piss off. She's a delight," see, we're all snakes.

"Deal. When will you begin the process?" 

"It's already in order. All we need to do is sign," 

"You are a lifesaver, Pierce. I hope we get to do business in the future. My father would love that," 

"As would mine," he laughed. "Welcome back to reality, Ms. Walton," 

He had said those words to me before. I don't know when or where but I remember him saying those exact words. I hung up the phone and looked up at my brothers. 

"That is not going to end well," Mac shook his head. 

"There is no way in hell I am going to let dad marry that woman. She's going bankrupt. Her entire business is a failure. This is an act of desperation," 

"Actually, dad is thinking about buying her out and adding her to the board," Mac made all of this worse. There is no way my father is in love with that grotesque woman. I mean she's not ugly but she's not exactly a nice lady.

"Is he home?" 

"Without her? Yes. You don't know about the engagement. He's not going to tell you until she shows up to dinner tomorrow. Having Pierce Kingsley here is going to stir the pot. You've never ever stirred the pot. That's Elliot's forte," 

"It is," Elliot agreed. 

"I have an entire year before I succeed him. This year was meant for preparation and establishing trust between the board and myself. Stirring the pot was always going to be part of the deal. However, I wasn't planning on going as far as I am now," 

"Ellie," Mac placed his hand on my knee. "You've been gone a while. Dad isn't the person you left behind eight years ago. He's changed. Since Genevieve showed up, he's a lot less, for the lack of a better word, grumpy. I want you to see it first hand before you take things too far," 

"I'm supposed to let things slide because some gold-digging w***e is sleeping with my dad for his money and he's happy about it?" left him behind? Did he really just say I left them behind implying that I had some sort of choice? 

"We don't know that's what she's after," 

"I humiliated this woman publicly. I took something that means a lot to her. I tried to buy her company when it started to suffer greatly. She swore to have the last laugh. That's what she's after. Believe me," 

"You've grown a lot as a person, Elise," Elliot complimented sarcastically. "But you are still the f*****g ass hole who got into Yale at seventeen. The fact that father cut you off when you left did nothing to diminish the snob grandma taught you to be," 

"Welcome home, big sister. You've been expected," Mac grinned.

Let it go? Letting things go isn't exactly what any of us are known for. My dad especially. The only thing he ever let go of is me. Everything else, he holds on to in that little crease between his eyes. That's where he holds all of his grudges and guilty pleasures. There's no way he's changed. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. He taught me that at a very young age.