The Good, The Bad and The Loaded

7.

They met Mr Lim, at an exclusive Chinese restaurant ten blocks away. He had hired out the whole floor, as Lennox told her he always did, and they were met warmly at the door, by his assistant Will Cheoung. He led them through the beautiful oriental restaurant, to a table at the back. Lim was on his phone as they arrived, but politely ended the call and greeted Lennox with a strong hand shake and a brief hug. He then turned his attentions to Audrey. Taking her hand, he kissed it gently, causing her to blush uncontrollably.

'You must be Miss Blake'. he said, in a perfect English accent. The surprise must have shown on her face, because he looked at her with obvious amusement, a twinkle in his dark brown eyes.

'Cambridge University' he elaborated.

She nodded, smiling. 'I knew it.'

'Shall we begin?' Lennox prompted, laying his briefcase on the table. A waitress left a jug of water and three glasses on the table, as they seated themselves. Mr Lim sat opposite Audrey, and Lennox sat to her left.

'I have a....proposition.' Lim began. Seeing the interest in Lennox's eyes, he continued. 'As you know, my dearest Mother is sixty next May.'

'Yes of course,' Lennox shook his head as if in disbelief. 'I remember her fiftieth as if it were yesterday. She doesn't look a day over forty.'

'You are a kind man Benjamin. A kind and thoughtful man.....You know when I came to you with the idea for the hotels, I knew you'd see things my way. I know how ambitious you are....'

'Terry....I am getting a feeling that you're going to ask me to work some kind of miracle here....what are we talking about?' Lennox smiled, showing off those perfect pearly whites. Lim smiled back, showing his own impressive display of dentistry.

'You can't hide anything from this man', Lim directed this at Audrey. 'Even when we play poker, he can suss people out. He's like a machine.'

Lennox laughed raucously, a blush rising in his cheeks.

'I want to complete my plan in 18 months time, Benjamin.'

She watched her boss' jaw drop, and he turned to glance at her. On cue, she opened a new document on her Ipad, this meeting was going to be interesting.

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Lennox said goodbye to Lim, and got into the limousine. He already had Duncan Summers on the phone, discussing the details of the plans Terry Lim had put forward.

'Thank you for meeting with us today, Mr Lim' Audrey held out her hand for him to shake, but once again, he preferred to kiss it.

'It really was a pleasure...may I call you Audrey?' she noticed a hint of bashfulness behind the businessman's bravado.

'Of course.'

'Audrey....has Benjamin told you about my black tie ball tomorrow evening?'

She nodded, and out of habit, checked on the Ipad to check the entry was there for the ball. He chucked to himself. 'I'd like you to come as my date.'

'Hah, me?' her voice came out squeaky and high. Great, a date with a chipmunk, a high class, powerful businessmen, and a chipmunk. The image brought a smile to her face.

'Does that beautiful smile indicate a yes?'

Lennox stuck his head out of the limousine window and looked quizically at the pair, stood on the sidewalk.

'A yes to what?' her boss enquired.

'Your lovely assistant is accompanying me to the ball tomorrow, Benjamin. I shall have my driver pick her up from work tomorrow, that is, if you accept my invitation, Audrey?'

She stood between Lennox in the car, and Lim on the sidewalk. She was completely at a loss of what to say. If I say yes, will I breach some sort of rule, that an employee of Summers and Gold can't date a client? If it is even a real date? If I say no, will I offend Mr Lim, and will he cancel the deal that Lennox has been so excited about?

As if he could read her mind, Lennox made her decision easier.

'Miss Blake would be honoured, Terry.'

She smiled, broadly and nodded.

Tomorrow night, she would be attending one of the most exclusive balls in the world, as the date of one of the richest men in the world.

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As they rode back to the office, Lennox dictated a letter to her, which she typed up on the Ipad, and he had her clear some appointments from tomorrows schedule, so that he could visit his tailor to measure up for a few new suits. It was then that she realised she had not eaten breakfast. The meeting with Lim had taken a few hours, she had not dared to consult with her watch for fear of looking disinterested in the charismatic man. Even now, she dared not look down at her watch, but the Ipad read 1:30pm. She felt a gnawing pain in her stomach, but thankfully, no gurgling. She blinked a few times to rid the haze gathering at the periphery of her vision, which usually meant her blood sugars were low.

'Mr Summers wants to meet you, Miss Blake, once we are back at the office, is that okay?'. He looked over his newspaper at her.

'That would be nice' she managed, having realised how light headed she now felt. How can he not feel the same she wondered, before realising that he had probably had a large breakfast. She silently cursed herself for not having done the same.

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The elevator stopped on the fifteeth floor, the top floor of the building. Lennox led her to conference room, and as she entered, she spotted a sturdy man, around five foot nine, rifling through some papers. He had a thick white beard, which instantly reminded her of Santa Claus, and bright, twinkling blue eyes. He strode forwards, a confident gait about him, and offered her his hand. She shook it, trying for firm, but realising that without sustenance, the hand shake was probably limp and unassertive.

She hadn't realised anyone else was in the room, until someone cleared their throat.

It was at this instant she felt the room spin, and her knees buckle beneath her.

As she fell, she caught sight of him, standing there as if he owned the room  

None other, than Carl Jenner.

Then blackness consumed her.

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She heard muffled voices, one worried Benjamin Lennox, and a surprisingly concerned Carl Jenner.

'I know where she lives Ben, I'll drive her home, you get on the plane to Chicago. They're expecting you.'

'You're right, s**t, I nearly forgot, Elaine Mansell and her children's library.....I really need to go....'

She opened her eyes enough to see that Mr Summers was no longer in the room, and her head was propped up with someone's suit jacket. The scent on the collar told her it was Carls. She tried to speak, but it came out slurred.

Lennox's face suddenly appeared inches from hers, his minty breath warming her nose. 'Mr Jenner will take good care of you. I'll check in with you later'. Then looking at his watch, 'Carl, I am leaving now. Stay with her and see that she sees a doctor.'

'Yes sir.' Jenner saluted and suddenly she felt arms lift her up. 'Queenie, as much as I would love to carry you bridal style, it'd sure help if you could walk.' He winked at her. In sheer exasperation at her situation, she closed her eyes again and took a deep breath.

'I can walk Mr Jenner. I'll be fine from here, I just need a drink and something to eat.'

He put her down, and she took two purposeful steps forward before the periphery of her vision started to blur again.

Cursing herself, she felt relief when Carl caught her.

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Propping her up on the way down to the lobby, he had somehow managed to get Audrey safely in his Jaguar and belt her in. Before she knew it, they were outside a beautiful town house, adorned with hanging baskets and beautiful rose trees growing around the front porch. Blinking, she took a look at her surroundings, which were entirely unfamiliar.

'Where are we?'

'My place.' a voice answered, and yet again she felt dread in the pit of her stomach. Carl Jenner.

'Why?' she asked miserably. 'I just want to go home Carl, take me home. Please.' She hadnt meant to plead that much, her tone expressing defeat.

He propped up her chin with one finger. 'Listen, Audrey. I know I'm a d**k, I know I am a complete tool, and I know you hate me venomously, but you aren't well. My brother is a doctor, we live together and he's home today. Now just come inside, and I promise that once you feel well enough I will let you go.'

She sighed and covered her face with her hands. 'God what must Mr Lennox think?!'

'Aude. You have the worlds most understanding boss. He's a good guy. All he cares about is that you get better.'

He touched her face, turning it to face him and she dropped her hands.

'Ass hole or not, you're stuck with me for the next few hours.' He smiled, his piercing blue eyes twinkling, and for once she saw something she had never seen before. Sincerity.

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His home was like nothing she had ever imagined. Although beautifully feminine outside, the garden ablaze with flowers of every colour, inside was homely but with a masculine touch. The hallway was filled with photos of the two brothers on various fishing trips, and drunken nights out at bars and clubs. He took her into a large living space, a dark brown suede sofa along one wall and an ornate tiled fireplace on the other. In this room, there were more photographs, of young children playing on the beach, and blowing out candles on lavish cakes. The colour scheme in the room was warm chocolates and caramels, even the curtains blended well with the overall theme.

'Here, sit down' Carl gestured towards the sofa, and disappeared into the hallway. Moments later, a stockier, red haired version of Carl entered. His hair was damp, and fell into his eyes and from his clothing she guessed he had been working out. He was less muscular than Carl, his white vest hugged a lean, but broad body. He put a bag down beside Audrey and smiled at her, showing off a dimpled grin. She could imagine many interns falling for him.

'You must be Audrey.' his voice was soothing, but authoritative.

'Yes.....you have a lovely home.'

He handed her a glass of sweet tea. 'Thank you. I'm Daniel, Carl's older, wiser, more handsome older brother.'

Carl stepped into the room with a tray of assorted muffins and biscuits.

'In your dreams, red.' Carl retorted with a smirk.

'I'm the one with the wife and two beautiful children, and here you are, living with your older brother.'

He stuck his tongue out at his sibling, playfully. Carl shrugged and sat further down the sofa, flicking on the tv.

Daniel took a blood pressure cuff from his bag and strapped it to her arm.

'This may get a little tight' he warned. Taking the reading, he shook his head. 'BP is a little low, Audrey. Have you been feeling okay recently? Aside from the fainting?'

She blushed. 'I haven't had time really to think of myself since starting this new job. I mean I love it, I just feel like I need to impress my boss.'

She looked over at Carl nervously, worried about him over hearing her work gripes. He cottoned on, and covered his ears with his hands.

'Hey say what you like Aude, I'm not here, pretend I'm the invisible man.' he suggested.

'Yeah like I do, every day.' Daniel chuckled. He checked her pulse, her eyes, her throat and temperature, and when he was satisfied that all her vitals were in order, he packed away his medical supplies.

'You, my dear, are a little bit exhausted, and I would hazard a guess that you're a little anaemic too.....I would suggest you relax here for a few hours. Doctors orders Miss Blake!' he winked at her, and pointed at Carl. 'Even though he's a pain in the ass, he's going to stay with you a while, and then drive you home once you've perked up a bit.'

She went to stand, but felt suddenly light headed. 'Drink your sweet tea, and my brother has a few pizzas arriving any second! I have to go take my youngest daughter Emily to a dentists appointment. I will be calling here later to check on you, so don't go anywhere' he winked again, and with that Dr Daniel - otherwise known as the nice Jenner brother - left the room.

She was left with Carl.

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Uncomfortable silence filled the recesses of the tastefully decorated room, and her now growling tummy, did nothing to ease her. A loud tapping at the door indicated the pizzas had arrived, and she felt positive that if she ate a little, she'd soon feel much better. That, and stopping at the supermarket on the way home for some iron tablets, just in case. Carl paid for the pizzas, and pulled a side table over, laying out the boxes. There were two extra large meat feast pizzas, a garlic bread pizza, a tray of hot chicken goujons and a selection of sauces.

'Woah'. she gasped.

He laughed, his cheeks turning a little pink. 'I think you might need all this, the way your stomach has been growling at you.' He wore a boyish grin, and she hated that he was so handsome.

It was her turn to blush. In the silence Daniel left behind, the sound must have amused Carl somewhat.

She dug in, her appetite taking over, and the silence was replaced with contented eating, Carl realising he was as hungry as she.

As she reached for the garlic bread, Carl cleared his throat, and she looked up to meet his eyes. He had moved closer, and was sat just one seat away from Audrey.

'I need to apologise....' he began. 'I....'

She held one hand up, wiping sauce from the corner of her mouth with the other. 'No, don't do this Carl. It's fine. What's done is done.' she went back to her garlic bread, but her appetite was no longer there. She tried to avoid his eyes, by reading the barbeque sauce packet, but he took the sauce from her hand and clamped his palm over her fingers. His skin was warm, he was just a foot away from her.

'I don't deserve a chance to explain myself. Hell, there isn't really anything to explain. I am a complete loser, an arrogant, self involved loser, and I lost the best thing I ever had....' he let go of her hand, her shoulders dropped in resignation. She was going to hear him out, out of exhaustion, if nothing else.

'I'm not going to pretend I had some enlightening moment, where I suddenly thought, s**t, Carl, you do nothing but f**k around and let nobody in. The truth is, that night you walked away, it was like the world just caved in a little.'

She shifted in her seat, her eyes loathe to meet his, for fear of seeing real emotion there. He couldn't have changed. He was a player, and she wasn't the first woman in the world to fall for a guy with a winning smile and a football players body. She wouldn't be the last either. She sensed him edge a little closer.

'I tried to call so many times, but the number was disconnected.'

She remembered throwing her mobile phone into a dumpster just a block from the diner. The next day, she and Kelly had bought her a new handset, knowing full well he would not try and contact her by any other means.

'I sat outside the diner a few times, waiting to catch a glimpse of you, but I felt utterly ashamed. I just kept remembering what it felt like to see you crying. It was like the worst moment for me.....'

She felt a lump in her throat, and as hard as she tried, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

'I was horribly naive Carl. You were supposed to be my new beginning.' Once the words were out of her mouth she could do nothing. She hadn't meant to sound so desperate, but in all her twenty four years of life, he was the only man she had ever been close to loving. She felt his arms surround her, tenderly. Her head told her to push him away, to stand up, and be assertive. To tell him this changed nothing, thank you for the pizza and the ride, but goodbye and good riddance. Instead, she felt her head slump onto his shoulder, his familiar scent filling her nostrils and surrounding her head, like a comforting pillow.

'Let's start afresh, Audrey.' he whispered, as he kissed the top of her head. As she looked up, she saw what looked like sadness in his eyes, sadness and loneliness. He was a man living with his brother, a man who had admitted that he had been wrong.

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