Torn Between- Seduced by the Billionaires Read online

  “Oh, well, you could just get a salad. They have some great specialty features there,” Tyler chirped, looking out the window as the car made its way across the Potomac. “You know, it’s kinda funny. We went through all that to get the packet to the patent office, and it’s actually here, in Alexandria, not far from Vermillion or my house.”

  Cami checked her phone the second the notification light started flashing. The red package had arrived. A few moments later orange showed up too. She reported the arrivals to Tyler praying blue would be in soon as well. Beads of sweat began to appear on her forehead. What if blue didn’t show? What if Eddie was screwing her over the whole time? What if he was going to run off with the cure and leave her holding the bag?

  “Yellow’s in as well,” she said as her nerves pulled as tight as a bow string. The light flashed again. “And green.”

  “Only one left. It won’t be long. The fun thing about this is we can see who’s good at their job.” Tyler pointed to the right so the driver could take the correct exit. Cami’s head nearly exploded. What if this was a test of her and nothing more? “Find the company that delivered the red package and give them a contract.”

  Tyler prattled on about Alexandria, places he liked to take his wife when they were dating, and scenic spots he’d love to show her some time, but all Cami could do was stare at her phone praying for one more light.

  “Come on, blue,” she accidentally said out loud pulling Tyler from his oblivion.

  “He probably got stuck in traffic or by a motorcade. Whoever he is, we aren’t using him again.”

  The waiter guided them to a private booth. Normally Cami would have walked slowly, taking in the place and its atmosphere. Today she nearly tripped on a rug because she was staring at her phone as she walked. She rudely sat her phone on the top of the table, stinging from the many times she had pointed to that behavior in others as a sign the world of civility was collapsing.

  “Please don’t worry about it,” Tyler soothed. “It will get there. Let’s just enjoy a celebration lunch. I love it here. Richard and I spent a lot of my early days at Dyes making plans in this booth.”

  “So Mr. Dyes and you spent a lot of time together?” Cami asked, finally finding a topic more interesting than her silent, unhelpful phone.

  “Well, of course. He was such a great man. He taught me how to golf, gave me advice on everything from my first girlfriend to my college major, created my love for jazz and he was the only one that made the dreadful family reunions worth attending. He had such a fun sense of humor.”

  “Family reunions?”

  “I guess it won’t hurt to tell you,” Tyler leaned over and whispered conspiratorially. “He was my cousin.”

  “Your cousin? Mr. Dyes?”

  “He never wanted anyone to know because he felt like people would think I just got the company because I was related to him and not because I was a hard worker and good at my job. He groomed me for Dyes since I was in high school. He hoped to raise me through the ranks, but the cancer took him too quickly. A lot of people thought I wasn’t ready, but I knew I’d had a lifetime of laughs and lessons with him and I plan to honor his memory by keep Dyes at the top.”

  “Even if it means shutting down Grafton to do it?” The tone of Cami’s voice could have chilled the champagne Tyler ordered. His face went from glowing with the memories of his beloved mentor to a distorted and confused frown.

  “Shutting down Grafton? Why on earth would I do that? Half my plants are there and once this drug gets patented and approved for large scale trials I’ll be building another. Grafton and Dyes have a long history together. Just because I don’t live there doesn’t mean I don’t care.”

  “I heard a rumor you were building chemical plants in Russia, to make Andrew Sovich take your offer.” Cami decided to place some of her cards on the table. She hoped this game of Texas hold ’em would pay off in the end.

  “Rumor? More like a lie. The only plant Sovich has anything to do with is a water treatment facility in the village he grew up in. Their water has too many minerals or something. He’s paying for it. I just recommended the contractors we use and set up the arrangements.” Tyler leaned back and grabbed a roll from the basket on the table.

  “Why did he choose us, then? He’s a top immunology expert.”

  “Sovich is a genius but he’s also a freak. He chose our deal because he wanted to get out of HIV medication. All the other companies including Dunning wanted him to work on yet another protease inhibitor. But he said he felt like he had taken that research as far as it would go and was ready for something else. I met with him privately and told him I would pay him to search for the Holy Grail—the cure for the common cold.”

  Cami looked down and noticed her phone was blinking.

  “Blue’s in,” she reported, breathing a sigh of relief and feeling the knot in her stomach grow tighter the more Tyler talked. She realized Eddie didn’t do anything the other night but show her pictures. He made up stories to fit them.

  “Well, thank God. Now we can enjoy lunch.” As he settled back into his seat, Tyler’s phone started ringing. He answered and then asked the person to wait a second. “Well, our enjoyment needs a short delay. I have to take this call, but I’ll be back. It may take a while, so please eat your food when it arrives. I’ll tell Maursand to hold mine until I return.”

  Tyler gave her an I’m so sorry look and quickly walked outside. Grateful for the break, Cami worked to process her feelings and tried to sort out what really just happened. Had she betrayed her boss for a pack of lies and a one night stand? Is that possible? And if so, what was she going to do now?

  “She’s a brick HOUSE…” her phone erupted, jolting her and cause everyone in Vermillion to scowl and chatter about the white trash in the nice restaurant. Tapping the screen and turning the volume down, she answered with a hushed tone through gritted teeth.

  “Jesus, you have bad timing,” she said. “I’m in the middle of something.”

  “Sorry Cam,” Maralee answered without a beat, “but I have the symbol from your reading and I thought you should know right away. You said it was urgent.”

  “That was two days ago, Mar. It’s not urgent anymore. It’s too late.”

  “Maybe not. Anyway, Cheryl and I both agree. The two large leaves are the two men, you are in the center and the thing over you to the right—the guiding symbol—is an angel. You need to pick whichever man has an angel on his side.”

  “An angel?” Right as she said it, a memory flashed before her eyes. The brightly lit park, Tyler’s smile and Andrew Sovich standing there—a blond, pale, sun-streaked angel. He was Tyler’s man. He was on Tyler’s side. She should have been too. Cami hung up the phone and put her head in her hands. “Oh my god. What have I done?”

  ***

  “I’m sorry that took so long,” Tyler blurted as he sat back down. He’d been gone a good twenty minutes and felt terrible about it. The feeling got worse when he looked to see tears running down Cami’s face. “Oh my. I am sorry. Please don’t be hurt. It was just business that had to be done. I’m yours all afternoon, at least, until I pick up Chris tonight. We’re going to a Nationals game.”

  “It’s not you,” Cami said mournfully trying to control her cracking voice. The tears started flowing again the second her boss smiled at her so confidently. “It’s me, I…”

  “That’s why I’m wearing this ring,” he went on, showing her the wedding band on his hand. “I only wear it when the kids are around. It’s to help them through the transition. It won’t be much longer.”

  “It’s not you, it’s not the ring,” Cami struggled to speak. “It’s the lies.”

  “You mean that stuff about me closing out Grafton? That’s just industry standard bullshit. Like the time they said I killed off Eddie Dunning’s father with a rare fungus when everyone knows he died from lung cancer after a lifelong three pack a day habit. Or when they said I paid Mr. Arty-Farty to go after my wife so I could get r
ich off our divorce. Like a judge in this town cares about infidelity! It’s all stupid. Don’t let it get to you. I don’t.”

  “I don’t know what to believe anymore,” Cami broke down, tears pouring from her eyes. “Next you’ll tell me you aren’t dating Kendra Jackson.”

  “Kendra Jackson? The receptionist? No, I’m not dating her! I want to date you!”

  “But I saw the pictures! In the park, hugging. Walking together. At the jewelers. I saw it with my own eyes.”

  “Pictures? What pictures?” Tyler didn’t know whether to be hurt, accused, angry or confused. He put his hand on Cami’s arm and tried to still her. “Let’s just calm down and breathe. I will explain what you saw, even though I can’t imagine how you saw it.”

  “It doesn’t matter how I saw it,” Cami gurgled, drying her tears and willing herself back to center. “Nothing matters.”

  “You know Chris is on Wakefield High’s debate team this year, and when he graduates next year he has a scholarship to Princeton. Well it turns out that Kendra has a daughter, also graduating next year, who is on the Grafton High debate team. Apparently the two of them have been hanging out together at the tournaments and on trips and were sharing a little more than evidence cards.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “She’s pregnant. It could belong to Chris, or it could belong to her boyfriend in Grafton. We won’t know until the baby comes. So I may be a very young grandpa or a very relieved dad, but until we know for sure, Kendra sort of figures in my life. I met her in Bethesda because it was halfway between here and Grafton, and she didn’t want her ex-husband to know. I consoled her. We took a walk and talked about options. She was worried about getting fired.”

  “You’re not going to fire her are you?”

  “Of course not. A single mom with a pregnant teen? She needs a raise! I did ask her to go to the jewelry store with me. It’s been a while since I’ve dated anyone and I’m not good with what women want these days. So, she helped me pick out this.”

  Tyler reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. He opened it to reveal a stunning diamond sapphire necklace which fit Cami’s taste and style perfectly. Cami brushed her finger across the necklace, closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. Trembling, she looked up to face the sweet, dear man. She put her hand on top of his and said the hardest thing she would ever say in her life.

  “I betrayed you.”

  ***

  For the next few minutes a shocked and horrified Tyler Bach listened as the truth erupted out of Cami like lava flowing down the sides of a tear-filled volcano. She talked about Eddie, the pictures and her concern for Grafton. She managed to leave out the sex part, but spoke more about the driver for the blue envelope and the fact his precious cure was now in the hands of a liar and a fraud. She offered to quit her job, return her stock options and never see him again. The champagne arrived just as she was finishing up.

  “Well, let’s drink a toast to our future,” Tyler said lifting the glass the waiter just poured.

  “What? Did you not hear what I told you? There is not future. The formula is gone!”

  “No, Cami, it’s not. The blue envelope is gone. The formula was just logged into the US Patent Office located two blocks from this restaurant. I took it there myself.”

  “What? How?”

  “I knew Eddie was watching, I just didn’t know how closely. That’s why I switched the drop place at the last minute on Sovich, even though he really hated coming out in the sun. This morning I made another change. I made a copy of a decoy, put it in the blue envelope and kept the real one for myself. I called Greg at patents and told him I would bring the right one when all the decoys were logged. When I got that phone call, it was him. I walked it straight into his office. It’s safe. We’re safe. Last minute changes keep good secrets.”

  “I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for your paranoia,” Cami said as she felt the first moments of relief since this all began.

  “As an added bonus, the decoys were old antihistamine formulas that had been rejected years ago. When Dunning submits what he thinks is the formula, not only will he get rejected but he will also pay a hefty fine for resubmitting a previously rejected document. That’ll serve him right.” Tyler lifted his glass. “To Eddie Spaghetti, long may he wave!”

  “That’s wonderful Tyler but the fact remains I betrayed you. I betrayed Dyes Industries. I would like to quit instead of being fired. Can you give me that much?”

  “You don’t need to quit! Look everyone makes mistakes and this was a big one, but my experience is that people who make mistakes and admit them are a lot smarter than people who don’t mess up and never learn. I forgive you. Stay and build the company with me. Stay and take a chance. The cure has to get approval, go through trials and be accepted. We have a long way to go.”

  Tyler leaned over and kissed her, his gentle lips rubbing against hers. She put on the necklace and they finished lunch with another gentle, deep kiss before his driver took her back to the office and another car carried him home.

  Cami spent the ride back in silence imagining the life and passionate sweet love she would have with Tyler. Every scenario she imagined ended with her being held, nurtured and cherished in his arms. Taking this long view of love inspired her to call her best friend.

  “Did you take the angel’s side?” Maralee asked as soon as she answered.

  “Yes and no truer angel has there ever been, but I want you to do me a favor.”

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “Have you sent out invitations for the next Solstice yet?”

  “No, been busy.”

  “Put Eddie Dunning on the guest list.”

  “Sure. Why?”

  “Oh,” Cami said in a lofty tone, her voice curling around her thoughts. “The angels make good company, but the devil always gets his due.”

  Chapter Three

  “Cami, we are evoking the goddess Diana, not having a weenie roast,” Maralee grumbled, pointing at the slow burning mini-flame her friend had going in the fire pit. “Put some more wood in there!”

  “So so soooo sorry.” Cami bowed then put several more logs in the pit bringing the flame up to an acceptable level. “How’s this? Is this fire ‘regulation goddess size?’”

  “Don’t mock,” Maralee chided. “If we don’t evoke Diana this is nothing but an orgy enhanced by a new age CD happening around an overgrown hibachi.”

  That’s exactly what it is! Cami thought to herself as she added two more logs to the fire pit. She knew how nervous Maralee got before the monthly full moon greeting so she spoke some words of comfort. “Diana will rise and it will be wonderful. The moon is bright and full.”

  Maralee let out a deep sigh and started filling the punch bowls with her special “Alchemist’s Punch,” a stunning mixture of honey and herbs taking an entire bottle of Benedictine per bowl. To her every full moon was a new chance to bring the spirit world she lived in every day to the people who came to greet Diana. She considered it a sacred trust. Everyone else at the event thought it was a darn fine way to meet up, get drunk and have some hot, outdoor sex without fear or judgment. Like the rest of Grafton’s upper class party participants, Cami indulged Maralee’s sacred fantasy and enjoyed the ride.

  “Did Eddie Dunning RSVP?” Cami asked, pretending not to be interested in the answer.

  “Yes, right away. I emailed him the ‘what to expect your first time’ page and he sent back his confirmation and the signed form verifying he was an adult and consenting to sexual magick. Did you invite Tyler?”

  “No,” Cami sighed. In the three weeks since she had started a relationship with her boss she hadn’t found time to mention much about her life, instead she was absorbing his history, dreams and desires. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested. Cami just found most of her life either required far too much explanation or couldn’t really be explained at all. “Tyler’s from a staunch Lutheran family. I am not sure he is r
eady for Diana’s moon ceremonies quite yet.”

  “As above, so below.” Maralee intoned her ancient mantra. “What you show on the surface is also in the heart. So if you are hiding your energy from him now, you are hiding things in your heart as well.”

  “I’m not hiding anything!” Cami retorted, in no mood for a lecture—even from her dearest friend. “I’m just giving him time to get settled before I mention it.”

  “As you say,” her friend nodded sagely. Cami gave up talking to her on a rational level. Once the time drew near for a moon greeting, Maralee stopped being a normal person and started becoming a druid priestess, full of light and focus.

  Cami smiled while watching Maralee take off her sundress and don her priestess robe and cowl, open the gate and go into the kitchen to wait for everyone to arrive and get settled in the back. They had been best friends since their freshman year at Grafton High long, long ago. They met in the cafeteria when Cami sat down next to Maralee who was cupping both her hands around a plastic water bottle.

  “Snow, what the hell are you doing now?” Holly Ward droned, pointed to Maralee for the entertainment of her mean girl entourage and flipped back her magnificently styled hair.

  “Water can absorb our emotions. I’m channeling my fear about the spelling test into the bottle,” Maralee answered matter-of-factly.

  “Do freaks know they are freaks, or do you guys just run around all day thinking you might actually have a hope in hell of fitting in somewhere besides Happy Ass Asylum?”

  “It’s Happy Day Asylum,” Maralee corrected quietly, staring down at the table waiting for the next blast of ugly to come from Holly’s mouth, or fist.

  “Well, answer me! Do freaks know they are freaks?”

  “What freaks know,” Cami spoke up, “is that any minute now Mr. Fisher is going to see you picking on us and haul you to the office where you can explain to your parents why you were caught bullying a couple of freshmen so early in the school year.”