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He guides me to the front of the restaurant and to our usual table. Even though we’ve missed several of our dates recently, our table is ready for us exactly to his preferences. He pulls my chair out for me, placing an affectionate kiss on the top of my head before taking his own seat. I reach for the mimosa in front of me as Carson orders for the both of us.
“She’ll have the salmon eggs Benedict.” My eyes widen as I swallow my sip and put the glass back down. Carson never picks anything he knows I like to eat. Always sticking to the most boring and bland dishes he can. I assumed it was a control thing having to do with my weight and appearance, but now I’m seeing it for what it truly was. He’s happy with my behavior so I get food I like. He’s displeased, then no salmon for me.
I scoff internally. I’m like a trained fucking poodle. Someone should really buy me a collar.
“Tell me about your week,” he demands as soon as the waiter turns away, swirling the champagne in his glass.
My tongue runs over my lips. “Nothing exciting. Just studying for finals and trying to keep up with the news.”
His lips thin and hums his displeasure. “It has been chaotic,” he admits. “The FDA wants to launch a full investigation into Medford now that these claims of us cutting corners are arising.” He shakes his head in disdain. I was surprised when the accusations arose. Did the other recent bad deals prompt someone with the information to feel comfortable enough to speak out? Or is it a competitor that saw their moment of weakness and decided to strike while they were already down?
I sip more mimosa as he continues talking, lamenting about the struggles of trying to maintain current investors while the stocks are all plummeting. I nod along with his words, frowning with sympathy, patting his hand in comfort.
“It has to be a competitor, right?” I ask. “I mean so many things all happening at once. It has to be a coordinated attack, don’t you think?”
Carson nods, finishing his own champagne as he does. “My father and I are in agreement on that. First that silent investor appears and starts disrupting deals everyone already thought were a done deal. Then they start new deals that would all directly impact our businesses. Forcing us to drive down our prices in order to stay competitive. Now this.”
“My father was saying the same thing. He only thinks it’s a matter of time before we’re affected.” That’s a total and complete lie. None of this will touch us. No one is sniffing around our investors. Our stocks are as stable as stocks ever are.
“Don’t worry, Darling. I won’t let that happen.”
I give him a sweet smile and turn the conversation back to him so I can sit back and drink my mimosas while he tells me all about his classes and what he’s doing to try and save face through these deals. Of course, a huge part of it is maintaining dignity. You’ve lost as soon as you let people know you’re affected. This date had everything to do with that as much as it was a means to control me. Appearances are everything in our world after all. People see the Crawfords carrying on as normal, they believe business is fine, despite the reports and rumors, stock rises, reports shift. Another scandal swept under the rug.
Not if I have anything to say about it though. And Carson is giving me everything I need to know in order to ensure it doesn’t.
That thought gets me through breakfast, helps keep my demure mask in place. And as we leave the restaurant and he guides me to his car, I don’t even have to worry about covering any new bruises. The drive back to the dorms is a short and nearly silent one. He holds my hand the whole time, but all I can feel over it is relief that it isn’t painful.
When he pulls up in front of the dorms, he squeezes my hand, gently pulling me toward him. “I wish I could stay, but I have another flight in less than an hour.” How odd. He almost looks apologetic.
“I understand.” I start to move away, but his grip tightens, not painful but right on the cusp of becoming so. I lean back into him and press my lips against his. His fingers lock in my hair, holding me against him as his tongue slips into his mouth. I force myself not to tense at the intrusion. After what feels like forever, he releases me. “I’ll see you soon, Darling.”
I scramble out of the car, quick to make my escape before he can take anything else. My hands tremble as I grip my purse in my hand and start walking toward the entrance of the dorms.
“Brielle?” I hear my name being called. I turn and see Carson already at the end of the street and heave a sigh of relief before I turn to the familiar voice.
“Hey, Jake.” The smile that graces my face feels so much more natural now. Though after the way my day has gone, I can’t make myself feel at ease. I wonder if that’s something that I will ever be able to truly feel again.
“Can I walk you in?” he asks, falling into step beside me. I nod in agreement. He holds the door open for me and I smile in thanks. “How have you been?”
I shrug, chewing on my lower lip. “I’m going to be honest, I have no idea how to answer that.”
He chuckles. “Well then, how is your shoulder feeling?”
I lift my arm above my head and rotate it. “Pretty damn good. Had a great doctor to fix me up.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “Not funny. Get a real doctor, won’t you?”
“I don’t think I will,” I tease him. It’s strange how comfortable I feel around him. Especially after he found me in the closet the way that I was. But instead of feeling vulnerable with him, it feels like he’s one of the only people in my life currently that I can just be myself with. It puts me at ease in a strange but welcome way.
He follows my lead as we talk to my room. “Was that Carson dropping you off?”
“Mhm, he was in town just for a few hours.” I don’t owe him an explanation, but I give it to him anyway. “He’s headed back to the airport now.”
“He’s losing position in the house,” he says hesitantly.
I shrug as we exit the elevator and start walking down the hall. “It was only a matter of time.” He arches a brow in question. “Thomas Becker is a childhood friend,” I explain, letting him fill in the blanks.
When we reach my door, I pull out my key, unlock it and push inside, surprised when I turn to say goodbye to Jake that he is following me inside.
