Cruel Money (Cruel 1)

Then for a fraction of a second, it hit me. I wondered, Could it be true? Could all of this be a result of some stupid bet?

I bit on my lip. I didn’t want to give credence to Katherine’s tall tale, but maybe I should find out…just to be sure.

Penn

36

When I entered Lewis’s apartment, he and Lark were sitting in the living room, watching some detective show. They both glanced up at my entrance and then went back to their show.

“Hey,” Lewis said.

Lark put her hand up in a form of a wave.

“Hey.” I wanted to just dive into this conversation. After what had happened with my mother and Natalie, I needed to actually figure out how to make this right.

But then I sat down and saw Lark’s eyes were red and puffy. She had a box of tissues at her side and was curled up in a ball in sweats.

“What happened?”

“Nothing,” Lark said at once. Her voice was a mess.

I shared a look with Lewis. Thomas had happened.

“Another fight?” I asked.

Lark shrugged. “It was nothing. I just need a place to crash for a day or two.”

“But it’s your apartment,” I argued.

“Easier than asking him to leave.” She sniffled and then blew her nose. “It doesn’t help that I’m sick from the campaign. It looks worse than it is.”

“I’m sorry.”

She shrugged again.

“I hate to do this when you’re not feeling well, but is there any chance that you could talk to my mother?”

Lark arched an eyebrow. “Because of Natalie?”

“I told her,” Lewis said.

“Yes. She fired Natalie because of me, and I need to find a way to make it right. She’s not just firing her. She’s trying to ruin her chance of getting any other job after this.” I sighed and ran a hand back through my hair. “It’s to get back at me. She said, if I came back to work for Kensington Enterprises, that she wouldn’t call. But I can’t do that.”

“You can’t negotiate with her,” Lark said. “That would be like me going back to work for my parents because they threatened me.”

“I don’t want to negotiate. I won’t come back and work for her. Even if I did, I doubt she would hold up her end of the bargain. I just need her to see reason from someone she trusts.” I pointedly looked at her. “You’re her right hand.”

“I’m flattered you think so. But I’m really not.”

“We both know that you’re important to her organization,” I said. “If you could just talk to her…”

“Penn, it might not be the right time,” Lewis said.

“I know. But…”

“I’ll do it,” Lark said, coughing into her tissue. “At least…I’ll go see her and find out where her head is at. I can’t make any promises. You Kensingtons have an irrational streak about you.”

“Thank you, Lark. Thank you so much,” I said, jumping to my feet.

“Don’t thank me yet.” She stood uneasily. “Just let me change, and I’ll go.”

Lark was only gone for ten minutes before she appeared again in a business suit and her hair slicked back. She waved good-bye to both of us and then left.

“That is not going to work,” Lewis said.

“I know,” I said. I flopped back into the chair and tilted my head up. “But I have to do something. She’s furious over what happened, and how can I even blame her?”

“Well, you can’t. But you can probably blame Katherine. This has her stink all over it.”

“I already called and yelled at her. I don’t care what she does to me, but getting Natalie fired?”

“Is right up her alley?” Lewis asked.

“Yeah.”

“You shouldn’t have entered into that stupid bet.”

“Yeah, I’m seeing that. I tried to get out of it, but Katherine won’t drop it.”

“Of course she won’t. She wants to sleep with you.”

I put my head in my hands. “This is all so fucked up. Even for us.”

“Well, so was the last bet. You didn’t seem to give a shit then.”

“This is different, and you know it,” I growled.

Lewis shrugged. “Because you fell for Natalie?”

“No. You know why. And that shit in the past doesn’t even matter.” I sprang to my feet and paced the window overlooking Central Park. “She’s pissed because she was fired. She blames me and herself. But it’s not her fault it’s mine. I never would have pushed to stay there if we hadn’t had the bet. I thought it was harmless. I could fuck her and win the bet. I thought it would be a joke, and now…”

“It’s not funny?” Lewis asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Not even a little.” I slid my hands into my pockets. “What would you do if you were in my position?”

Lewis breathed out heavily. “Not get in this position in the first place.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I,” Lewis said. “Natalie, she’s…special. She’s not like other girls out there. She has a mind of her own. She’s funny and sweet and smart. You’d be an idiot to let her go, man.”