Enchant Me by J. Kenner
13
“I am so sorry you’re going through all of that,” Jane says, looking at both me and Damien. It’s Thursday night, and Damien and I are joined by Dallas and Jane at Cut 360, one of our favorite downtown restaurants. We’re tucked away in a dark corner, but I’ve noticed several of the other customers sending glances our way. I’m used to it by now, but with both Damien and Dallas together, the attention has ratcheted up. Considering both of their reputations, I shouldn’t be surprised.
“I think the hardest part is that I don’t want the girls to ever see those tapes or photos,” Damien says. “But I know they will eventually.”
“I get that,” Dallas says. “There’s a lot about my past I don’t want our daughter to know.”
The statement is simple, but I understand the complexity behind it. Throughout his life, Dallas had worked hard to build up the reputation of a playboy, a man who pretty much slept with anything that moved. It was all part of a cover, I learned, but the articles and commentary about him during those years will last forever.
Now, of course, he’s married to Jane, and they make a gorgeous couple, her with brown hair and wide brown eyes, and Dallas with his hair the color of caramelized sugar, the face of a cover model, and vivid green eyes.
But even their marriage was a scandal, because they were raised as brother and sister, and their tumultuous, epic love story — filled with kidnapping and deceit and drama — ultimately ended up in the headlines.
That’s all in the past now, and they have a darling little girl named Mystery. But like Damien, Dallas worries about what she’ll think of her parents when she learns the truth about their past.
In other words, Dallas and Jane completely understand the pressure Damien and I have been under. Which, of course, is why Damien is comfortable sharing the whole story with them. The whole story, I reiterate to myself as Dallas asks, “Have you heard back from Holt about how the tape got out there?”
I give a small shudder, thinking about that horrible tape from Masque and wishing that we had put a kibosh on this particular topic of conversation.
“Daily reports,” Damien says, reaching for my hand. “But he’s found nothing so far. I have to give the guy credit, though. He’s trying hard. Clearly, he’s as mortified by the breach of Masque’s policies as Nikki and I are that the tape is in someone else’s hands.”
“Well, I’m glad all of this didn’t put you two off on going forward with your ceremony,” Jane says.
“No. We thought about canceling the press, but if we did, they’d just dig for a reason. And the truth is,” Damien adds, “I want them there.” He squeezes my hand, then smiles at me.
“The first time we exchanged vows, we were by ourselves on a beach in Mexico. I wouldn’t change a thing about that day, but this time, I want all the world to see it. The more reporters, the better. The more pictures of my beautiful wife, the better,” he adds, then lifts our joined hands and kisses mine.
“So we’re just part of the crowd?” Dallas asks with a grin.
“Absolutely,” Damien says with a perfect poker face. “It wouldn’t be a party without Long Island’s most famous party boy.”
Jane lifts a glass. “To bad boys who settle down,” she says, looking between the two men and then smiling at me. “So long as they settle with us.”
I clink my glass against hers and laugh, once again thinking how glad I am that they made the trip down to celebrate with us.
“And, Jane,” Damien begins, “Troy gave me the list you emailed over as I was leaving. Thank you for the recommendations. I’ll make a few calls tomorrow.”
“Not a problem at all,” Jane says. “But remember that book is Bree’s baby. Help her, of course, but she needs an agent who loves the work, not who thinks having Damien Stark owing them a favor is a good thing.”
I turn in my seat and point to my nose, because that’s exactly what I said to him when he told me he was going to ask Jane for a list of agents who might be interested in reading Bree’s book.
“No author wants to think that an agent or an editor took on her project just because that agent or editor owed someone a favor. Surely, you of all people understand how unpleasant it is to lose that bit of control.”
Damien chuckles. “In that case, I’ll ask a favor of someone I know will tell me to fuck off if it’s too impertinent.”
“Who?”
He levels his gaze on Jane. “You,” he leans back in his chair. “Would you read her manuscript? If you like it, pass it on to your agent or a friend.”
Her eyes go wide, and she lifts her shoulders. “Of course, I’d be happy to. But I write nonfiction. This is ... You haven’t actually told me what this is.”
“It’s women’s fiction with a hint of magical realism,” I say. “Her mother’s Cherokee and her father’s Jewish, and she used that as a lot of the basis for the characters in the story. It’s set in Colorado and the Bronx, and it jumps time periods. I wasn’t expecting to like it, honestly, but I did. And Jamie absolutely loved it.”
“So did I,” Damien said. “And I confess I wasn’t expecting to.”
“That’s endorsement enough for me,” Jane says. “Go ahead and send it.”
Damien hesitates before answering, then says diplomatically, “I’ll ask her if it’s okay, and then I’ll send it to you.”
The corner of Jane’s mouth twitches.
“What?” Damien asks.
“Just that Dallas is a lot like you. You want to make everything happen for the people you love, and it’s hard to learn that they need to have a hand in it, too.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” Damien says with a sideways glance at me. I blow him a kiss as the waiter comes over and refills our wine glasses. Dallas takes a sip, then points at Damien after he sets his glass back down. “By the way, I heard you’re interested in Ashton Stone.”
I see Damien tense, but I don’t think that Dallas noticed. “I’m interested in his tech, anyway. But how the hell did you hear about that?”
“He called me up a few days ago. I’ve met him a few times. I’m a fan of racing. Back in my wild and wooly playboy days, I attended a lot of races. After-parties, too. We crossed paths a lot.”
“Really? And what kind of man did he come off as?”
Dallas laughs, and Damien and I exchange glances, unsure what’s so funny.
Dallas waves off our looks. “It’s just ironic. He asked exactly the same thing of you. For the record, I like him, though I don’t know him well.”
“What did he ask about me?”
“Well, he asked what kind of man you were and how you’d handle something if he licensed the tech. I gathered that you were interested in something he designed, probably that fuel system I’ve heard rumors about.”
“So he’s doing his homework.”
“Maybe. To tell you the truth, I got an odd vibe. I like the guy, like I said, but he plays it close to the vest. Honestly, he reminds me a lot of you. Before I liked you,” he adds.
Damien presses a hand over his heart. “There was a time you didn’t like me?”
Dallas chuckles. “I can’t say I disliked you, but you intimidated the hell out of me, and that’s saying a lot. You have that effect on people.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“So did you meet with him?” Jane asks.
Damien nods. “I think it’s sufficient to say that I’m not on his favorite person list. Not only did he decline, but he basically flipped me the bird.”
I see the shock reflected on both their faces. “He must not be as intelligent as they say,” Dallas says.
“Well, it gets better. Seems he spent much of his time this week trying to poach my employees.”
I turn to face my husband, certain my mouth is hanging open with shock. “You hadn’t told me that.”
“It’s news to me as well. Preston just learned about it. A few of the employees who were approached are perfectly happy where they are and reported to Preston about Stone’s advances.”
“That’s horrible,” Jane says.
“On the contrary,” Dallas says. “It’s business. I’m sure he wants the best staff, and I’m sure that Damien has the best people. What?” he says as everyone looks at him. He shrugs. “Just laying it out there. I’m not saying it makes him a good guy. He’s definitely an asshole. But what’s his motive? Does he just want these good people? Or is he holding a grudge?”
“I’m assuming a grudge from the way he spoke to me.”
“Why? Did you steal his teddy bear?”
“More like I didn’t buy him one.” He lays out the theory that Ashton was offended by Damien’s refusal to finance the racing team.
“Have you considered that he might be the one behind your strange texts?”
“We have, but the truth is, it doesn’t seem to be his style. His reaction to me in the office was more of an I don’t like the way you do business comment than you’re the scum of the earth. But until I know for sure, I’m withholding judgment. Because you never really know about people, do you?”
“No,” Dallas agreed. “You never really do.”
“I considered ordering a few strippers,” Jackson said, reaching for his bourbon. “Seemed appropriate for a married-bachelor party, but Sylvia vetoed.”
Damien looked sideways at his half-brother. “Remind me to give her a raise.”
Jackson chuckled. “Seriously, this is perfect.” Damien, Jackson, and about a dozen more friends were kicked back at Jackson’s home in the Palisades, drinking bourbon on the patio, smoking cigars, and soaking up the view.
“This is exactly what I needed,” Damien admitted. So far, it had been a hell of a week, and he appreciated this moment of calm wherein no one had mentioned the videos or Stone’s strange snub.
“I did order one thing,” Jackson said. “Not a stripper, but...”
“Oh?”
“Pizza.” Jackson shrugged. “Alaine offered to cater, but I didn’t want him to be both a caterer and a guest at two events. And after that, the whole thing slipped my mind. By the time I thought to ask Syl for suggestions, she was out the door to Nikki’s party. They’re still doing the strip club, you know.”
“I’m completely fine with that,” Damien said, thinking exactly what he’d do to her when they were both home. Or not do, actually, since that’s what she’d be expecting. How much more delicious to wait for their re-wedding night and keep his wife on edge.
Beside him, Jackson groaned. “You’re thinking very loud,” he said. “And it’s clearly X-rated.”
“Are you talking about the girls’ party?” Ryan asked, joining them just in time to overhear the last conversation. “You know it’s going to be triple X if Jamie’s organizing. And she is.”
He settled into one of the chairs facing the outdoor sofa. A moment later, Quincy came over from where he’d been talking with Alaine, Mason, and Liam. He pulled a chair closer, then plunked down with an exhale, like the sound of a man who’d been on his feet all day.
Preston, Tony and Winston were on the far side of the patio, deep in a discussion of country music, and the rest of the men, most of whom worked for Stark Security, had gone inside to check out the pool table that Jackson had bought not long ago. All in all, it was the perfect party as far as Damien was concerned.
“This view is incredible,” Quincy said, his British accent still thick, even after living so many years in the US. “The house isn’t bad either.” They all chuckled. The home, designed by Jackson, had won just about every architecture award there was, and it had appeared in all of the architecture magazines during the years since he built the house.
Quincy leaned forward, his attention on Damien. “Listen, I know that work talk is off the table tonight, but I keep forgetting to bring this up. Can I say just one thing?”
The other men laughed, and Damien nodded. “Go ahead.”
“There’s this buddy of mine, Jasper Kent, another former operative in MI6. He’s moving to the States, leaving the service, but he doesn’t want to retire. I think he’d be a good fit. I was wondering if we were looking to bring anybody new on at Stark Security. I don’t know about you two, but from my perspective, I think we could use it. The clients keep coming, and we’re all carrying a heavy assignment load.”
Damien started to answer, then looked to Ryan, the man he’d put in charge of Stark Security. Ryan caught his eye, his expression making clear that he hadn’t missed a thing. But he grinned, then answered. “Tell him to give me a call. I’ll bring him in for an interview, get a feel for how he’ll fit with our group.”
“Great. I’ll let him know. I imagine he’ll give you a call in the next week or so.”
Ryan nodded. “That sounds perfect.”
At the same time, Mason’s laughter rang out from across the lawn. Damien turned in that direction and smiled. He knew the man still hadn’t recovered all of his memories after his ordeal, but he’d never lost his sense of humor. Now both Alaine and Liam joined the laughter, and Damien assumed they were telling stories of their adventures over the years. He could only wonder how Alaine’s adventures with an oven compared to the other men’s, who all seemed to be rolling at something Alaine was saying.
Alaine spread his arms, his voice rising, and Damien picked up on the word soufflé. That’s when he decided he had to go see what was going on. He reached the second group right as Alaine reached the punch line, something he could tell because all the men were choking with laughter.
“I swear,” Alaine said. “You should have seen the Prince’s face.”
He turned, his smile wide as he clapped Damien on the back. “Congratulations, my friend. I am so happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
“Come,” Alaine added, leading Damien aside. “If you don’t mind. I need to speak with you for a moment.”
Damien nodded at the other men and let Alaine lead him out of earshot.
“I wasn’t sure if I should bring this up tonight or not, but I know that it’s important even though it might spoil the celebratory mood.”
Damien stiffened, dreading what was to come. “What’s happened?”
“I only bring it up because of that horrible note that you showed me on Saturday.”
“Go on.”
Alaine cleared his throat. “Well, someone sent me a video. It’s—well, it’s of you and Sofia, my friend.”
Damien felt his stomach curdle. “I see. I’m sorry you had to see that.”
Alaine shook his head. “No. It’s me who’s sorry. Like I said before, I was oblivious to everything that was going on. I wish I hadn’t been. Perhaps I would’ve been able to help. I’d like to help now. I’m guessing that there’s something bigger than just the note taped to your wife’s portrait.”
“Yes. I’ve received several videos, including one that was never released to the court.”
“To the court?”
Damien explained how the court ruled to dismiss the murder charge after receiving the evidence of child abuse at his coach’s hand. “I was given the originals of all of the documents, tapes, and photos that were sent to the court anonymously. There was one video that we’ve seen these past few days that wasn’t included in those.”
Alaine took a step backward, his brow furrowed. “I don’t know what that means? Does that mean that there’s someone out there who was involved in all this?”
“I don’t know either.”
Alaine frowned. “My friend, I’m so sorry that I never knew any of this. I always believed it was the three of us, but really it was just you and Sofia, with me tagging along.”
Damien shook his head, “No. Not at all. You were a light for both of us. You’re one of the reasons that Sofia and I had good memories of those years, and not only bad ones. We three were the only good memories.”
“Is it true that she died saving Nikki?”
Damien nodded. “Sofia had done something extremely foolish, and she got both herself and Nikki into a terrible spot. But in the end she did what was right. And because of that I still have my wife, and I will always be grateful to Sofia for that. I loved her, you know, just not the way she wanted me to.”
Alaine nodded. “I know,” he said. “I loved her, too.” He sighed, then met Damien’s eyes. “I don’t know how I can help, but I wish you the best, and I will do anything you need. I hope you know that.”
“Of course,” Damien said. “Maybe I should have told you all of this long ago, but I always thought it was too heavy a burden to put on anyone else.”
“I understand. And I have forwarded you the video I received. If it’s different from the others you will know. If you need to examine my phone or try to trace it, just let me know. I know your team has skills in that regard.”
“I will, and thank you.”
Alaine nodded, looking a bit sad and a bit bewildered, then walked away towards where Liam and Mason were still laughing over their past adventures. Damien turned to go back to the patio, meeting Ryan coming from the opposite direction.
“Got a sec?” Ryan said.
“What’s up?” Damien said, hearing the serious tone in his friend’s voice.
“I caught some of that,” Ryan said. “Just a word, here and there, but enough to pick up on what the topic of conversation was.”
“Go on,” Damien said, understanding that his friend was leading to a point.
“I don’t know Alaine, so take this with a grain of salt, but he knew your father. He obviously cared about Sofia. And she’s dead now because of Nikki.”
“Ryan, what are you saying?”
“I’m not saying anything other than what I just said. As for the conclusions we can draw from that, well, I just want you to keep an open mind.”
And with that, he patted Damien on the shoulder, then turned and walked away.
