The Arrangement Read online

  THE

  Arrangement

  MELISSA TEREZE

  Copyright © 2019 by Melissa Tereze

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  Melissa Tereze/GPC Publishing

  www.melissaterezeauthor.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Edited by Kira Plotts

  Cover Design by Melissa Tereze

  The Arrangement/ Melissa Tereze. -- 1st ed.

  ISBN 9781073694198

  For you, Brittany Neal.

  1992-2019

  Because the world should know your name

  CONTENTS

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  One

  The sun bounced off the still dock water, the sandstone buildings shining in all their glory as another summer’s day blazed outside. The office building sat positioned in the perfect spot when the British weather behaved accordingly. Sam knew that the moment she stepped inside, enquiring about purchasing it. The estate agent hadn’t been interested in her enthusiasm, clearly only there to make his commission and leave, but she knew. She felt it. To this day, three years on, she could still smell the fresh paint. She could recall the pride and sense of ultimate accomplishment as she pushed the doors open on a dreary Monday morning, a spring in her step. Of all the moments she’d enjoyed in her life, setting up her new business was up there with the greatest. The thought of being on cloud nine, daily, did wonders for her mental health.

  But then everything turned into a blur. A single moment in time that seemed to have rushed by, her knowledge strained as she focused on the water below her office window. How could something feel so good, yet so terrible at the same time? How could life give you everything, only to take it all away? That was some cruel twist, Sam was well aware of that, but it didn’t make life any easier. It didn’t make her days here any less painful. No, it still hurt.

  “Mrs Phillips?” A light knock on her door tugged Sam from the depression she was slowly but surely heading towards. The more she thought, the worse her night at home would be.

  “Come in.” She fixed her tailored black suit and stepped away from the window.

  “Hi, I’m sorry to bother you…” Cheryl, her assistant, said, “but I brought that website address you wanted.”

  “Web address?” Sam took a seat on the edge of her desk, crossing her legs at the ankles. “I don’t believe I asked you for any address.”

  “When we were at Cork on Friday, we got talking…” Cheryl scratched the back of her neck and frowned. “I told you about the website I’d been using…you said you’d like to have a look at it.”

  “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” Sam fidgeted as she gave a half-hearted laugh, her eyes unable to meet Cheryl’s. Over the last eighteen months or so, her drinking habits had become somewhat unpredictable, but surely she wasn’t at a stage where she didn’t remember her nights out. This could become an issue.

  “Anyway, it’s just a business card.” Her assistant stepped further into the office and slipped it onto the desk beside Sam. “If you don’t want it, it can go in the bin. I don’t need it.”

  Sam nodded, watching Cheryl disappear into the corridor, the door closing over behind her. She slid her hand across the desk and her fingertips connected with the glossy card. What the hell is she talking about? Sam lifted the business card and held it up in a better light.

  Hush.

  Hush? She continued to study the card, at a loss as to what her assistant was offering her. Or rather, what she, herself, had requested. The black, glossed card didn’t provide a great deal of information, but it did have a website printed across the bottom of it. If Sam was to take a guess at what that website would hold, she would guess that it was something she wouldn’t like. Something she knew nothing about. Something she didn’t require.

  She dropped the card back down to her desk and turned her body, pressing number one on the black handset next to her. “Cheryl, can I see you in my office for a moment?”

  “I’ll be right there, Mrs Phillips.”

  Sam stood and gathered herself. While she could log onto her computer and take a look at Hush herself, she didn’t have any plans to do so. The longer she waited for her assistant, the more unease grew in the pit of her stomach.

  “Yes?” Cheryl poked her head around the door.

  “What is this?” Sam tapped her pristine manicured fingernail against the card. “What am I going to find if I look it up?”

  “Exactly what you asked for, Mrs Phillips.” Cheryl smiled. “Don’t worry, they’re all women for women only. Strict policy.”

  “Excuse me?” Sam raised a perfectly defined dark eyebrow. “Women for women, what?”

  “T-The agency.” Cheryl’s brows drew together. “Is everything okay with you? You seem a little bit…”

  “A little bit what?” Sam stood tall, squaring her shoulders.

  Cheryl adjusted her blouse. “Forgetful.”

  “No, Cheryl.” Sam’s hands balled into fists. “I think you are mistaken.”

  “Right, yes. I’m sorry. I must have got it wrong.”

  “I don’t know what you think you’re doing bringing me this, but it’s unacceptable and unprofessional.”

  “Yes, I'm sorry.” Cheryl bowed her head and sighed, her mousy-brown hair framing her face. “Let me go out and get us some lunch.”

  “I have lunch.” Sam glowered. “Take a break, do anything. Just…don’t try something like this again.”

  “I’m so sorry. If you need anything…”

  “I don’t.” Sam lifted her handbag from the floor beside her desk. “I have a meeting at one. I won’t be back here.”

  “Mrs Phillips.”

  “Yes?” Sam turned around, eyeing her assistant.

  “It could be good for you…”

  “Pardon?”

  “Looking that website up. It could be good for you.”

  “Get out!” Sam slammed her palm on the desk. “Right now. Get out!”

  Cheryl shuffled out of her boss’ office as fast as she could, her heels clicking against the marble corridor flooring. Sam dropped down into her office chair, cradling her head in her hands. She didn’t need this. She didn’t want her staff, her assistant, meddling in her life. She’d somehow managed to keep it that way for two years, so why now? Why was Cheryl suddenly concerned about her personal life? Why couldn’t people just leave well enough alone?

  I can’t do this. I’ll never be able to do it.

  Sam caught a tear before it settled on her cheek, placing her index finger under her eyelid. Waterproof mascara became her best friend over the last couple of years, but she shouldn’t be crying at work. This office, at one time, was her safe haven. Her sanctuary. Her peace.

  Get yourself together and get back to work, she admonished herself, standing and clenching
her jaw. She fixed her suit, the lapels sitting impeccably in place, and straightened her back. She was the owner of this business, and Cheryl would do well to remember that if she wished to have a job by the time summer came to an end. Sam left her office, turning out her light as she went, and headed straight for the small cluster of desks in the open space at the end of a glass-walled corridor.

  “Mrs Phillips.” Cheryl gingerly rose from her seat.

  Sam’s nostrils flared. “Miss Webb?”

  “Stains has just called. He’s had to cancel.”

  Sam turned her wrist towards herself. “Forty minutes before the meeting is due to take place? Seems he’s not the only unprofessional one today.”

  “He’s had a personal emergency.”

  “Whatever.” Sam lowered her voice. “I’m taking the rest of the day off. Finish up the paperwork and go home.”

  “Yes, Mrs Phillips.”

  “See you tomorrow.”

  ***

  Sam pushed her apartment door open, the room brightening with its automatic lighting. Dropping her bag to the floor, she kicked her heels off and pushed them to one side with her bare, pedicured foot. She cradled a bottle of rioja, her usual wine glass clean and ready on the granite worktop in front of her. Lifting a controller from the side table, she pressed a button and soft, sensual music played around her apartment. Being a property developer for the rich meant that she could afford such luxuries, but it didn’t feel as good as it once had. She still had a home away from the city, but it stood unused, two years on from when she closed the door without looking back. Sam didn’t know the condition it was in, but someone went there once a month to clean it and keep it in working order. While she didn’t plan to return there in the near future, she would hate to see it turn to ruin.

  She stepped out of her pants, her underwear pooling at her feet with them, and lifted the silk blouse from her body. Her suit jacket had already been shed before she’d left her car, still thrown over the back seat of her Range Rover. Turning the taps, she allowed her waterfall shower to reach the perfect temperature and turned, facing herself in the mirror.

  Shit, I look old.

  She took in the outline of her eyes, sunken and dark from her lack of sleep. Sam wasn’t a good sleeper, she never had been, but everything became worse once she moved into the apartment. Looking back, she thought moving was the right thing for her, but now, as she looked at her thirty-seven-year-old body, she wasn’t so sure. Sam sighed as she stepped into the shower, the tension leaving her shoulders as the water cascaded over her skin, soothing her aching muscles.

  During her drive home, she’d thought about the website Cheryl left with her. She felt guilty, disgusted with herself for even considering such a ridiculous idea. She also felt an intrigue, one that hadn’t lessened since she climbed out of her car some fifteen minutes ago. Would it be the worst idea in the world to take a look at an escort website? She knew that’s what it would be. The moment ‘women for women’ fell from Cheryl’s lips, she could have bet her entire wealth on it. As the guilt ate away at her deep down, the intrigue pushed it further, drowning it in her belly.

  Looking isn’t doing anything wrong…

  Sam finished up in the shower, pulling a huge bath sheet from the hook outside the cubicle. As she stepped out, wrapping it around herself, her hand settled on the sapphire necklace sitting on her chest. Her eyes closed and her breathing remained calm. This could be the worst idea she ever had, but as with most things in life…she wouldn’t know if she didn’t try.

  Her damp feet padded down the hallway, where she landed back in the kitchen. Pouring a glass of wine and moving towards the dining table that sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, Sam pulled out a chair and lifted the lid of her laptop. Her browser already open, she searched the term ‘hush escorts’ and her face flushed as a webpage sat at the top of the search results. Do I really want to do this? The cursor hovered over the link. Is this really the right way to go about things? Sam wasn’t sure about anything this day had thrown at her, but she’d already answered her questions as her finger clicked the mouse and sent her to a high-end webpage.

  “Okay, I’m here. I may as well continue.” She sighed, taking her wine glass and sipping slowly. “Hmm…” She narrowed her eyes, perusing the women on offer. It didn’t matter what she thought of any of them because nothing would come of this. She wouldn’t pay another woman to spend time with her, not in a million years. If she couldn’t be content with herself, she had serious issues.

  “I want you to find love again. I don’t ever want you to be alone.”

  Sam squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to allow herself to cry. She’d done enough of that this afternoon, and now it was time to push everything from her past to the back of her mind once again. After all, it was what she was good at. Taking a deep breath, Sam’s eyes returned to the screen. In front of her she found an array of women, all beautiful, but not what she was looking for. Of course, had she been single and looking for something fun, she would find what she required here, but she wasn’t. She was married, regardless of whether her wife was around or not. She was married, and she always would be. A woman like Lucia, her wife, was someone who could never leave your life.

  She’d hate this.

  Sam lowered her eyes to the keyboard. That sense of guilt rushing through her again. She lifted her wine glass and drained it of its contents. Moving back into the kitchen, Sam took the bottle of rioja from the worktop and carried it back to the table. Refilling her glass, she sat back in her seat and focused on the screen.

  “Okay, just look…” Sam’s deep brown eyes bored into the screen. “Alicia, twenty-nine, looks like she would eat me alive.” Sam laughed, moving onto the next woman. “Brianna, nineteen, nope!” She swiftly moved on. “Alexis, twenty-five, enjoys dinner dates.” Sam clicked Alexis’ profile, apparently interested without realising it. “Okay, she’s beautiful.” Sam wasn’t particularly bothered by a woman’s appearance, but Alexis was incredibly attractive. Not in a seductive kind of way, but a natural beauty. Nothing about this woman looked false, and if dinner dates were what she enjoyed, Sam could certainly indulge in that, too.

  Her phone sounded out beside her, shocking her from the screen. “Hello?”

  “Did you eat?”

  “No, not yet.” Sam smiled, closing the lid of her laptop. “I’ll grab something now.”

  “I left you a beef ragu in the fridge. Eat it; I’ll know if you haven’t.”

  “I really wish you wouldn’t just let yourself into my apartment.” Sam ran her fingers through her dark, caramel-highlighted hair and relaxed back against the chair. “I know you’re my sister, and I know you’re only looking out for me…but I’m fine.”

  “I called the office,” Lindsay said. “Cheryl told me you didn’t leave in a good mood.”

  “Cheryl really should mind her own business.”

  “And you really should be thankful that you have people who care about you,” Lindsay countered. “I know you’re fine, Cheryl does too, but we can still worry when we need to.”

  “Are you coming over?” Sam asked, changing the direction of their conversation. “I could use some company.”

  “I’ll be there in half an hour.”

  “Thanks, sister.”

  “Love you,” Lindsay replied.

  “Love you more.”

  Two

  Sam sat cross-legged on her corner couch, her arm draped over the back. Lindsay arrived at her place twenty minutes ago, and she was waiting for the questions to begin. They always came in one form or another, but Sam would prefer her sister to come out with it and say whatever she had to say. As she glanced at the sixty-five-inch TV on the wall, she felt Lindsay’s eyes on her. Burning through her. Trying to figure her out. Searching for something…anything. Sam cleared her throat and made herself a little more comfortable. Her eyes scanned the open-plan apartment, a sense of loneliness swallowing her up into a w
orld that she didn’t recognise. This wasn’t her. The bright white walls. The chrome on black. The granite. This apartment had nothing in it that resembled the woman Sam was—not the old Sam, anyway—but this is what her life had become. Something unrecognisable. Something she, herself, didn’t know.

  “Mum sends her love.”

  “I’ll call her tomorrow,” Sam said, her eyes landing on her sister. “Dad?”

  “He’s just Dad.” Lindsay smiled. “He’s working with a new firm. I don’t see him much.”

  “Well, you’re welcome to come and stay here with me.”

  “Do you need someone to stay with you?” Lindsay’s voice wavered. “You know you only have to ask, Sam.”

  “I don’t need anything. I’m simply offering you somewhere to stay if Mum is getting to be too overbearing.”

  “You know what she’s like. If she’s not fussing around one of us, she doesn’t know what to do with herself.”

  “Yeah, that’s Mum.”

  “So, how’s the office?” Lindsay reached for her wine glass. “Busy?”

  “I’m always busy.” Sam stretched her legs out, sighing. “I took the afternoon off when a meeting was cancelled and went for a drive.”

  “Go anywhere nice?”

  “Usual place.” Sam shrugged as she sipped her wine. “Had some cleaning up to do. She looked a mess.”

  “I’ll bet she looks gorgeous now…” Lindsay settled her hand on her sister’s leg. “You always did make sure of that.”

  “Oh, she was always gorgeous without my help.” A smile crept onto Sam’s mouth. “Incredibly beautiful.”

  “You know… she’d hate this.” Lindsay glanced around. “You, in here alone.”

  “I’ve been here alone for two years, Linds.”

  “Exactly. That’s what she’d hate more than anything. This time you’ve spent here. Time that could have been spent picking up the pieces. Finding someone you could share your time with.”