Another Form of Hell

Schmoozing the filthy rich wasn’t something even Juliet enjoyed (Ella despised it) but it was part of her job as owner and chief executive officer of Montage, so she put her head down and did it. So far, it had made her a lot of money. After her first show, months earlier, she didn’t think it was possible to bring in much more revenue at one event, but she’d been very wrong. Even without the Vinune, she was going to make three times more money than she had at the first show, in profits alone. She was sitting in a good position to be able to buy Henry’s entire company outright if she wanted to.
But she didn’t want to. All she wanted was for this nightmare to be over, to get Rome’s contract away from that asshole and never have to see Henry’s face again. While she knew her original plan had been too ambitious, that there was no way she could actually attempt to seduce him, she did think she had enough back up plans now that this would all be over soon enough.
After another couple of hours of hanging out with the rich and famous, the bidding started to end. She decided it would be a good time to dismiss herself, to go check in with Tucker, and see if her father had managed to secure the Vinune.
She found her assistant in the back, speaking with some of the other staff members. It looked as if they were discussing totals and who owed what for which items, logistics of delivery, etc. While she didn’t want to interrupt him, she also needed to know what had gone on with the most popular painting of the night. Juliet waited a moment for Tucker to finish whatever he was saying and then cleared her throat, getting his attention.
Immediately, when he noticed her, he asked the others to wait and stepped over. Juliet gave him a reassuring smile. It seemed she was going too far the other direction now. While Ella was still soft and warm, Juliet was becoming so scary and abrasive, she was frightening her associates.
“Hello, Ms. Montague,” he said with a hesitant smile. “I trust you’ve had a nice evening?”
“Yes, it’s been just fine, thank you.” She didn’t bother to ask him how his had been. He’d been working, after all. So had she, for that matter, but not in the same capacity. “How are things?”
“Outstanding,” he said, his smile shifting so that it looked more genuine and self-assured. “Many of the pieces went for far more than expected.”
“That is wonderful to hear.” She knew that of course. Finding out the specifics for most of the items could come later. “And the Vinune?”
Again, he looked apprehensive, as if he was afraid he might be in some sort of trouble. “Well, I ended the auction early. It was my understanding that you wanted us to do that.”
She arched an eyebrow. Since she had not been that specific with her own request, she wasn’t exactly certain what he was referring to. “What’s that now?”
Tucker’s face took on an expression that implied he was afraid he’d done something wrong. Every word that came out of his mouth was full of hesitation. “I was told you wanted me to announce all bidding would stop on the Vinune at an earlier time than originally listed so that we could process the high amount of bids. So I did. Is that not correct?”
Juliet stared at him for a long moment, trying to make sense of what he was saying. She had given no such order. “Who told you I said that?” She kept her tone calm, trying to assume that whatever had happened it had been in her best interest.
“Mr. Verona,” Tucker said.
“Rome?”
Her assistant nodded. Juliet bit back a smile. Whatever happened with the Vinune, she was sure it was to her advantage then. “And who ended up purchasing the piece?”
“He did,” Tucker said, still looking frightened. “For thirteen.”
Eyes bulging, Juliet stared at him. It wasn’t as much money as it would’ve been if they’d allowed the bidding to continue, which meant she’d have some explaining to do to Vinune herself, but the idea that that sort of money was about to leave her bank account--over one piece of art--was enough to turn her stomach. She took some deep breaths, not wanting Tucker to see her shock. She had to assume Rome’s purchase served a greater purpose than just preventing her father from being the highest bidder. “Thank you, Tucker.”
“Is… is that all right?” he asked, a bit of color springing back to his face. “Did you tell Mr. Verona to pass that message on to me, as he stated?”
“Something like that,” she said with a gentle smile. She patted him on the arm and then turned on her heel. She needed to find her husband.
The crowds had begun to thin out once bidding had stopped, but there were still several people milling about. She spotted Henry standing across the room, speaking to a group of businessmen. He waved at her, and she lifted her hand, but she didn’t want to deal with him at the moment. He looked a little happier than he had earlier. Perhaps the liquor had calmed his spirits a bit.
It wasn’t too difficult to find Rome since the crowd had cleared out. He was talking to a group of attractive women. A pang of jealousy shot through her, but then Juliet reminded herself that he had to play the part of a single actor every bit as much as she had to be a potential love interest for Henry. Rome saw her coming and raised an eyebrow. While she knew they’d discussed not being seen together, she didn’t care at the moment. She was within a few steps of reaching him when she felt a tug on her arm.
Afraid it was Henry, and not wanting to deal with him at the moment, she turned, rolling her eyes at the same time, but when they landed back in their correct positions, it was Parker she was looking at. “Can I speak to you?” he asked. “I’ve hardly seen you tonight.” He sounded disappointed, not perturbed.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s been a busy night.”
He gave her a sympathetic smile. “I was just hoping…. Will you go out with me? Can we have dinner? Soon?”
Juliet’s mouth dropped open. It was her fault he thought he had a chance at a meaningful relationship with her--just as Henry did. She turned and looked over her shoulder at Rome, but he was headed in the opposite direction, a beautiful actress she recognized but couldn’t name on his arm. “Parker, I….”
Before she could finish, Henry was next to them. “There you are, darling!” he said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close. “I wondered where you’d disappeared to. I have some wonderful news to share with you.”
“Darling?” Parker repeated. “I didn’t think the two of you were an actual couple.”
“You didn’t?” Henry repeated, his eyes widening. “Well, I don’t know why not. Juliet and I have been seeing each other for quite some time.” He bent and pressed his lips to her temple.
“I know that,” Parker said, nervous laughter spilling out of him. “I just didn’t think it was exclusive.”
“I guess you thought wrong,” Henry said.
Juliet was done. “No, he didn’t,” she said, pulling away from Henry. “Can we talk about the nature of our relationship later, please? I was in the middle of taking care of some business.” She gave Henry a pointed look, and his eyes narrowed. It was clear he was angry. Whether he was under the impression she would want him to help her free herself from Parker or this was all part of a ploy to try to get her to stop speaking to the football player altogether, it was unwelcome, and she didn’t care if he was mad about it.
“Fine,” Henry said, taking a step back. He didn’t move away though.
Returning her attention to Parker, she said, “I’ll call you, okay?”
His eyes were smoldering with disdain as he looked at Henry. They only softened slightly as he returned his gaze to Juliet. “All right then. Good night.” He turned and left, running a hand through his hair in desperation.
Seething, she folded her arms and wheeled on Henry. “What the hell was that?”
“What do you mean?” he asked. “I saw a slimeball hitting on you, and I got him to back off.”
Once again, she found herself shocked. “A slimeball?” She was just about to tell him who the true slimeball was when he put both hands on her arms, his smile morphing into something gentler, something almost kind.
“Jules,” he said, “I’m sorry. But I had to tell you. I have great news.”
“What’s that?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at him.
His smile widened further. “I’ve found a solution. Soon, I’ll be out from under Rome Verona’s contract, and we can be rid of that asshole forever. Sure, it means I won’t get to further humiliate him on an international level, but I’m confident the person who bought the remaining movies from me will do an even better job of doing so.”
Confused and not sure whether she should be excited or if matters had just worsened, Juliet hesitantly asked, “Wh-who did you sell the contract to?”
A hint of the evil that always bubbled right beneath the surface revealed itself in his narrow eyes and the way his sharp teeth caught the light. “Lloyd Sinders.”