Before midnight Read online

First, he introduced her to his parents and then to his sisters, they greeted all his rowdy nephews, his aunts, uncles and then his cousins. As per usual, everyone welcomed Caleb’s guest with big smiles.

  “Where’s Spyros?” he asked his older sister in a whisper.

  Helena told him he would get there later because his car broke down and he had to stop and change his tuxedo.

  Pretty soon all the chairs in the room were taken. They had some time to dance before dinner. Lauren laughed and enjoyed the moment; she couldn’t help it. Despite her initial reluctance, she felt happy surrounded by the joy and spontaneity of the Bescott Family; she never felt out of place. A part of her was dying to run away from that hotel as fast as possible but another part of her insisted on telling Caleb the truth.

  “You’re too quiet all of a sudden,” Caleb said stroking her waist. “Do you have something in mind for our alone time tonight?”

  “An interesting theory, Mr. Bescott,” she responded with a smile.

  “Do you want to take a break from all this fuss…?”

  “Caleb, darling!” his grandmother exclaimed, trying to get their attention when they were about to leave the dance floor.

  He turned to Sylvinna and noticed that she wasn’t alone, there was a grey-eyed beauty with black hair walking right next to her: Brook Hasbath.

  He’d seen and greeted her a few times in high-class gatherings in New York but he also made sure not to do anything that could get her hopes up. He didn’t consider himself as vain or arrogant, but he was clever enough to know when a woman was interested in him… or in his money, and this last thing was exactly what Brook wanted.

  Caleb was sure that his grandmother knew nothing about Brook’s true intentions and it was better that way. He didn’t want her to find out and get disappointed by that curvy siren that charmed men and attracted them to the infamous side of business.

  “Caleb, it’s good to finally see you outside of all the New York mess,” Brook said in a sickly sweet tone while Sylvinna smiled with the joy of accomplishing her goal and Lauren tried to control her stomach flip-flops.

  She expected Brook to have crooked teeth, disheveled hair, dry skin or a body very different from the exotic beauty in front of her.

  It’d be best not to compare myself with her, Lauren thought, trying to fake a smile. After all, who was the one who had pushed Caleb into the arms of another woman? She was, and by her own volition.

  “Brook,” he greeted, “let me introduce you to my date, Marie.”

  Sylvinna’s favorite girl did a quick scan of Lauren’s attire and a smile spread across her face.

  “Marie, where did you two meet?”

  “That’s a pretty funny story actually, but it’s just too long to tell it here,” Lauren replied with a smile so fake that it hurt her.

  “Oh! Come on, come on! You two have a lot to catch up on,” Sylvinna said looking at Caleb and pushing lightly at Brook to get her closer to her grandchild, then she set her eyes on Lauren: “Young lady, I’m dying to introduce you to someone very important who’s just got here. She attends all of our family gatherings because she’s one of our oldest business consultants; she’s a very renowned woman.”

  “You’re going to introduce her to Glindina?” Caleb asked in a desperate tone because Brook looked thrilled with his grandmother’s plan to set him up with her and take away his date for the night. He thought that behavior was very disrespectful and rare coming from his grandmother because she usually followed social protocols… although, on second thoughts, Sylvinna Bescott only used social rules at her own convenience.

  What else is she planning beside this whole thing with Brook? Caleb thought, and suddenly he had a bad feeling.

  “Of course, she got here five minutes ago,” Sylvinna said.

  “Grandma,” he scolded, “I can’t leave Marie alone.”

  “It’s ok,” Brook interrupted sounding exaggeratedly offended. “It was nice to see you and…”

  Feeling very awkward and knowing the reason why Sylvinna was being improper, Lauren decided to intervene despite herself. The last thing she wanted was to leave Caleb with a woman that not only was a part of Caleb’s social circles but also had his grandmother’s approval; the most important person in that man’s life. Lauren felt flattered by the fact that he had thought about her; a proof that he was still a gentleman.

  “Sylvinna, I’d love to meet your friend. I’m sure she’s as charming as her daughter,” she said.

  Why didn’t she start acting lessons when she was young? Up to that point, she’d surely had an Oscar nomination.

  The old lady’s eyes lit up instantly.

  “Wonderful! I want you to hear everything she knows about my business.”

  “She doesn’t have any interest in your business, grandmother. What’s up with you tonight? Did you drink too much punch?” Caleb asked, upset by the lack of tact his grandmother was showing.

  Lauren and Sylvinna looked at each other.

  “I’m proud of my business and I’d be pleased if she knows more about the business side of the Bescott family… even though it’s Christmas,” she replied in an effort to dissipate the frown on the face of her favorite grandson. “We’re about to have dinner and I want to get to know La… Marie a little bit more.”

  Caleb gave up and nodded, not wanting to make a scene. But first he planted a kiss on the lips of the woman who had changed his mind about the opposite sex; a message loud and clear for Brook and his grandmother.

  “I’ll be waiting for you,” he whispered in Lauren’s ear.

  “Ok,” she mumbled before walking away with Caleb’s grandma.

  ***

  “Before we talk with someone else, there’s something I need to tell you; it’s important,” Lauren said. “Can we talk somewhere else, in private?”

  “I just want to thank you for meeting your part of the deal. You don’t know how happy I am now that Brook finally has the chance to interact with Caleb outside of that chaotic New York City.”

  “Sylvinna…”

  They were nearing the bar.

  “I like you, young lady, but I don’t want that kiss I’ve just seen to turn into an obstacle between Caleb and Brook.”

  Lauren felt like a balloon being popped by a needle.

  “Sylvinna…”

  “Tomorrow morning I’ll call my assistant to start with your work permit as soon as possible. I’ll be your sponsor, just as we agreed.”

  “I don’t want it,” she finally said, “I don’t want the job.”

  “Wasn’t that your dream?”

  “I’ve changed my mind. I fell in love with your grandson. I don’t want anything stained with the lies I told him. I would rather stay here for as long as I can and then I’ll see what I can do.”

  “But…”

  “Grandma!” someone exclaimed from the entrance of the room, getting Sylvinna’s complete attention.

  Spyros, so used to being the center of attention, stood at the ballroom’s door with a beautiful, red-haired woman. He was a well-known ladies man so it wasn’t surprising to see him next to a gorgeous woman. His Greek features and elegant suit that highlighted his muscles, made every man pale in comparison… everyone except Caleb, his cousin and buddy.

  Lauren was torn between feeling relieved or frustrated for having been interrupted. The tables were full, all the guests had arrived and seeing Caleb’s cousin urged her to do what she thought was best: get out of that hotel.

  With all the laughs and the fuss created by Spyros’ arrival, she took the chance to escape silently, walking firmly and dodging a bunch of cousins and uncles who were chatting cheerfully; The Bescotts were a very chirpy family.

  When she was finally out of the room, she took a deep breath and felt safe again. She made a hand gesture to the man in charge of the coats and he went off to find hers. Caleb was nowhere to be found and she didn’t know if that was a good or a bad sign. Had he realized that Brook wasn’t the woman he thought? H
ad he considered that it was better for him to have a relationship with someone who understood his business?

  She looked away from the room and stood next to a lamp post to wait for her coat. A few seconds later she saw the man with her coat and thanked him with a smile. She was thinking about using the hotel taxi service; it was barely ten thirty so she would surely be lucky enough to get a cab.

  “Hey, gorgeous, I was looking for you!” Caleb said.

  Feeling surprised and reluctant, she finally turned to face him.

  “I think I should leave… it’s been a lovely evening, but…”

  “None of that, young lady,” he stated with a smile. “I want you to say hi to the man who made me want to be with you since the beginning.” Lauren opened and closed her mouth repeatedly trying to say something. Unfortunately, her brain reacted too late because Caleb’s cousin was already next to them. “This trickster has been showing up at the last minute in every family gathering just to get on our grandmother’s nerves,” Caleb added, giving Spyros a pat on his back.

  “Who is this brown-eyed beauty, Caleb?” he asked his cousin while watching closely at Lauren.

  Caleb let out a laugh.

  “This fool wants to make me think that he’s never seen you before. Thanks for introducing us, Spyros.”

  The Greek’s smile started to fade away slowly.

  “I have to go,” Lauren announced taking her coat. God, she really needed to go immediately.

  “No, of course not,” Caleb claimed, taking her waist and drawing her to his body.

  “You should talk to your grandmother before leaving Brook alone,” she whispered, looking around in search of the black haired girl.

  “Not at all, I’ve told Brook that I don’t want anything to do with her, I hope she gets it,” he looked at Spyros. “Now, tell me the story of how you met Marie.”

  “Dude, seriously, what did you put in that punch? We’ve barely eaten and you’re already drunk.”

  Lauren tried unsuccessfully to pull away from Caleb’s warm hug.

  “Spyros?” Caleb asked.

  “This is the first time I’ve seen this girl.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I don’t know her at all.”

  “It’s Marie, Marie LeFamn. The woman you believed was perfect for me and, honestly, she is.”

  The muffled sound of heels clicking over the lobby’s carpet got closer and closer. The redheaded woman who showed up with Spyros a few moments ago walked to them when her Greek friend beckoned her toward him.

  “It’s impossible for her to be who you think she is, Caleb,” Spyros took the redhead’s arm. “Honey, would you say your name to my cousin?”

  With a charming ear-to-ear smile she said, “Hi, you must be Caleb, Spyros’ famous cousin. I’m sorry for not calling you the other night; I should’ve told you that I wouldn’t be able to make it. I’ve just been so busy trying to close some cases,” she extended her hand towards Caleb who looked truly upset by the whole thing. “I’m Marie LeFamn, a customs agent. Although I guess your cousin already told you that; we’ve done business together and he always speaks highly of you.”

  Lauren felt the blood leaving her face while Caleb’s hand slowly released her waist. Her body grieved at the loss of his touch; it was almost like being slapped in the face. Even though the night wasn’t so cold she was still shivering.

  “I want you to explain what’s going on here,” Caleb demanded, giving Lauren a stern look. Every laugh and every conversation stopped with the power of his voice.

  “I can explain,” Lauren mumbled, wishing she had a device to go back in time and avoid all of this.

  Emke was right, she should’ve told him the truth and save herself the humiliation. A bunch of upper-class people, including the whole Bescott family, were staring at her; even the damn band had stopped playing.

  “Enlighten me then,” he retorted sounding annoyed and looking at Spyros.

  “Man, I promise you I have nothing to do with all of this. If I had known that someone was pretending to be Marie…” he paused and ran a hand over his chiseled face, “what a mess! Everything got out of hand… what a shame.” He looked at the real Marie: “My dear friend, I think this is none of our business. I just wanted to surprise my cousin but I think this was a surprise for all of us.” He gazed at his family and noticed his grandmother was nervously biting her lower lip, a telltale sign that the sneaky old lady had something to do with that whole mess. “I should go,” Spyros finally declared. He didn’t want to add more fuel to the fire but sooner or later his cousin would discover who the person behind all the chaos was.

  Caleb didn’t even pay attention when Spyros and Marie stepped away. He grabbed Lauren’s arm firmly.

  “Who the hell are you?” he sneered.

  “Caleb, let me explain, please.”

  “Yes, that’s right, you have exactly one minute to do that and then you’ll get the hell out of my life. I hate liars.”

  Caleb was the only one who could hold her heart and rip it apart with his bare hands, and that was exactly what he was doing with his cold look and icy words.

  “I didn’t plan this… I didn’t plan to fall in love with you.”

  He let out an incredulous laugh full of resentment.

  “I said: who the hell are you?”

  “My name is Lauren Wade, I’m an American. Everything I said was true except for my name and what I do for a living; every kiss, every…”

  “Shut up! I don’t want to hear anything else that comes out of your mouth.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Lauren saw Sylvinna walking towards them.

  “Stop right there, young man. No woman should be treated that way,” the old lady said purposefully. “Besides, she was just following my orders.”

  “So once again you’ve been trying to play matchmaker, grandma,” he stated, watching Brook over his grandmother’s shoulder.

  “I want to see you happy, I want you to settle down and… have what I had with your grandfather.”

  “You don’t have to set me up with the first woman you encounter. What did you offer her in return? Because I don’t have enough patience to figure out how the hell did this woman,” he looked at Lauren, “pretend to be Spyros’ friend.”

  Lauren opened her mouth to talk but Sylvinna went ahead.

  “A business deal; she needed a job and I wanted you to have the chance to talk to Brook because I think she’s perfect for you,” she looked from Caleb to Lauren and vice versa, “although I’m now noticing that there might be something more going on between you two,” she smiled. “Things don’t always go as you expect.”

  “Sylvinna, you don’t have to explain anything… I… I’ll go back to the US.”

  “Where did you find such a virtuous woman?”

  “Elite Companion,” Sylvinna retorted proudly, “the best dating agency in town. I once heard one of your cousins mention it.”

  Caleb ran a hand through his blond hair. Their audience, meaning their family, couldn’t quite hear what they were saying because Spyros had gestured for the band to start playing again. Caleb’s cousin was in shock because he never imagined —not even in his wildest dreams—that his grandmother would take things so far… or that things would get so messed up.

  “Grandmother,” Caleb mumbled, “that’s an escort agency for upper-class men,” he looked at Lauren with disgust. “This woman you’ve set me up with is a sex worker.”

  “I am not a prostitute!” Lauren exclaimed feeling hurt and offended. “You don’t have any idea how things happened so you have no right to judge me.”

  Sylvinna was astonished.

  “What do you mean an escort agency?” Lauren explained everything as fast as she could, Emke’s proposal, her lack of job and how she ended up in Elite Companion. “Oh! In that case, you’re not what my grandson is saying. Apologize to Lauren right now, young man!” she demanded.

  Caleb stepped away from Lauren as if he
felt disgusted by her; he faced his family and opened his arms towards them.

  “Just in case we haven’t been clear enough, let me explain,” he shouted.

  Lauren put a hand on his forearm.

  “Caleb, don’t humiliate me this way… please, don’t.”

  He pulled away from her grip and asked the band to stop playing.

  “If you do this you’re going to regret it, young man. I’ve seen the way you look at Lauren, you feel something for her and…”

  “Dear family,” Caleb interrupted loudly, “if you’re wondering what the hell is going on here then let me tell you: once again grandmother has tried to get me a wife but in this case she’s outdone herself, do you know where she found this fine specimen?” he pointed towards Lauren who had tears burning her eyes. “At a whore-house, no less,” everyone in the room gasped in shock. “There’s a prostitute at out Christmas Party!”

  Lauren couldn’t take it anymore; he wasn’t going to hear her version anyway. Feeling devastated, she turned around and walked away.

  Caleb felt a tightness in his chest when he saw Lauren’s tears; Lauren, not Marie, Lauren Wade; the woman he thought was worthy enough to be with for a long time… but not anymore. When the band started playing again he realized that he was completely alone at the entrance of the room and he finally came to his senses.

  He gazed around looking for his grandmother; she had a sad expression on her face but was also trying to convince Spyros to dance with her other grandkids. Nobody said a word about the incident.

  “Grandmother,” Caleb said when he was only a few steps away from her.

  “Yes?”

  “I’ve got to go.”

  “Lauren’s a good girl; it was all a big misunderstanding.”

  “I’m sorry for exposing you in front of the whole family,” he smiled joylessly. “God! Why did you think I would be interested in an escort?”

  “I didn’t know that places had that type of reputation. I thought it was a dating agency, because it said agency, so…”

  “What did you offer Mar- Lauren in return for going out with me?”

  Sylvinna gave him a stern look.

  “I didn’t want her to go out with you, silly; I wanted her to bring you to the party so I could formally introduce you to Brook.”