Page 26 of Landry
Her words came back to haunt him. Bitter words, ones that had torn him to shreds. He had hurt her; the last thing he had wanted to do was hurt her. And even if he had done what was best or what was demanded of him at the time, the fact remained that he had destroyed her. No one told him of her visits to their home after he had left. He supposed the servants had reported to his parents, but they would not have said anything to him.
The first day when he was ordered to get himself ready, he had railed, shouted, and rebelled. He had tried to find a way to get to her, even a phone call, but haste had been the order of the day, and a letter had been penned for him.
They had been shipped from the country under heavy guards and complete secrecy. He had spent the hours on the plane curled up in a ball of utter and complete despair. It had taken him months to even adjust and start living again. He and his sister had been shipped from Italy to France and then the UK, where they finished school. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes briefly, jolting at the knock on his window.
Cutting off an irritated sigh, he pressed the button to let the window down.
“I’m sorry, sir, but it’s not safe out here.” The big, burly guard had a look of apology on his broad face, and Landry was reminded that he was just doing his job.
“All right. Let’s go.”
He would brood inside his apartment, and there was the added pleasure of drowning himself in alcohol.
***
The apartment was way too quiet, and what usually comforted her and offered her a sense of security was working against her now. She felt caged in, untethered and restless. She was unable to work, unable to think of anything except the way she had felt in his arms. He had turned her on the way he had always managed to do in the past. No one had ever had the ability to do that to her before.
She had been out with several guys, trying to forget him and how he made her feel. But nothing had worked, and she had simply stopped trying. Her one venture into taking a relationship into the physical aspect had turned into a disaster. She recalled going out with Brandon, a handsome and successful lawyer. They had been going out for six months when she decided that it was time. The pace had been set: dinner at a fancy restaurant where they had talked and laughed over mutual interests, and then she had gone to his place, a tasteful townhouse with a concierge service. He had kissed her several times, kisses that had given her a pleasant buzz. She had told herself that the fire she had experienced when she was a teenager was a flash. She was a mature woman now, so there was no need for any of that.
Things were going well, until he started to take off her clothes. The panic had come, and try as she might, she could not fight it off. She had tried. God knows she had tried really hard, but all she felt was revulsion. When he captured her breast in his hand, she had screamed like a lunatic and had him jumping back in shock.
Humiliation had layered over guilt and panic and then resignation. Brandon had stared at her with confusion and then contempt, which had her scrambling to put her clothes back on. She had tried to apologize, but that had only served to fuel his anger. She had left hurriedly, awash with despair.
The awful experience had taught her not to try anything like that again. Her mother, brother, and best friend had tried to hook her up, but aside from going to dinner or a quick drink at a bar, she had not taken it further.
Pouring more wine, she took it with her to her bedroom, vowing that from now on, to keep things on a professional level.
***
She was on edge the entire few days of the working week, until she remembered that she had a reprieve. He had told her during the meeting that he would be out of town, which meant she had some time to recover from being with him that night.
She worked assiduously, going over reports, making her own notes to the ones he had left behind. And he had done plenty. She was beginning to realize that Landry Crenshaw was entirely thorough and excellent at what he did. Her eyes grew wide as she read the plans he had for the airline. She had called the meeting and spoken to the ground and air employees and seen the look of interest on their faces at the changes ahead: new uniforms in blue and red with a touch of white on the sleeves and collars, an overhaul of the entire service, and advertisements outlining it all, and more.
She worked until way into the evening, giving her assistant more and more work as ideas took shape.
By Friday, she felt empty and drained and needed an outlet. The new gallery, she decided, and called to try and rope her brother into attending with her. He refused, of course, telling her he had back-to-back surgeries that would go into the middle of the night.
“That’s exactly what you need. Go and have fun for both of us.”
So, dressing in a snug-fitting beaded romper with a chic white jacket and leaving her hair loose around her face and down her back, she went out. She just wanted to indulge her taste in art, and she might just feel the urge to buy something for her living room wall.
The place had been a restaurant at one point, which had gone out of business due to lack of finances. She had no idea who had taken over the building, but it was situated in the trendy part of town where there were shopping areas and trendy restaurants. She had heard about the grand opening and that Jackson and his brother, Jason Colby, along with several other famous artists, had highlighted their talents.
The door was opened by a big burly man wearing a fitted black suit and a charming smile that revealed perfectly white teeth. Ignoring the admiring gleam in his eyes, she surrendered her long and flowing cashmere jacket to the coat-check girl, before wandering into a room with a high-arched ceiling and discreet lighting that spotlighted the arts on display. A server approached and handed her a glass of champagne, which she accepted automatically. Her eyes skimmed the room, and she noticed several high-profile faces.
Then one very striking one stood out and had the drink arrested halfway to her mouth. There was no mistaking that lovely face, with the thick and luxuriant blonde hair and porcelain skin that looked so stunning draped from neck to ankles in siren red. As if feeling eyes on her, Kathy turned and saw her.
Kady saw the flash of recognition, then the hesitation. Swiftly, the pleasure came, and with it a warm smile. Kady waited for the younger woman to make her way towards her, during which time she tried to compose herself. Kathy looked too much like her brother for Kady’s comfort.
“As I live and breathe!” She floated over in her usual graceful way, holding out delicate, fine-boned hands. “Kady-Ann Klein.”
Putting her untouched glass of champagne onto a nearby table, Kady took her hands and offered a smile. “Small world,” she murmured.
“Well, darling, this happens to be my place of business,” Kathy told her with a quick smile, discreetly scanning the other woman’s face and figure and admiring both. Kady-Ann Klein had turned into a raving beauty. No wonder her brother was still hung up on her.
“What do you mean?”
Letting go, Kathy turned her head, and immediately a server materialized as if through thin air to hand her a glass of bubbly. “My family owns this place, and I twisted Landry’s arm to get my parents to agree to me taking up the position of manager.” Sliding her hand through Kady’s arm, she nudged her through crowds of people admiring the paintings on the wall and headed up the stairs. People floated up and down the stairs, often stopping to get Kathy’s attention.
