Bad Habits Part 6

"I'll see to it."

"Very well. That's all."

What was he, G.o.d?

Cain had hoped a new guy, boss or not, would be an ally. He had so few allies here where his counterparts were all Hollingsworth drones. He saw Keith Livingston was no one's guy, except for the three remaining partners in New York that planted him here. The Hollingsworth executive was supposed to be concerned with his gains and losses on the golf course at the club, not the balance sheets. They were a privately owned company. There was plenty to get away with.

Keith picked up his gla.s.ses and went back to his reading, of what, Cain wasn't sure. But it looked like something he himself downloaded and printed off of their systems. Interesting. Rising, he drew in a deep breath, but Livingston continued to ignore him. He headed for the door, paused and looked back. "A word of advice," Cain offered. Keith looked up with a somewhat puzzled quirk to his brows. Cain dropped his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not stupid. I understand the company has to deal with the financials. But you're in New England now. Andrew Hollingsworth territory. He's a powerful force here. I'd suggest that you plan things around his vision initially, as to not ruffle any feathers. You'll go much further and maybe learn a lot more."

"Don't you worry, Mr. Gatlin. I'm well prepared to deal with Mr. Hollingsworth."

They held each other's stare for another long minute. Cain removed a hand to scratch at the back of his nape, as if he could give a s.h.i.t if Andrew Hollingsworth was dethroned. He turned and left, just grateful that it was Friday.

She should have looked on the internet for something or some place he'd like for lunch. Driving around the downtown streets of Castle Rock didn't turn up many options. Simone finally chose a deli and got a Pastrami sandwich with pasta salad for him. Take out bag in hand, she strutted through the lobby to the guard's cubicle. She made sure that she looked the part of an executive's wife. In an off-white pantsuit, she wore her hair in long curls the way Keith liked and just a touch of make-up to accentuate her full lips and deep-set brown eyes. An older graying white man with the friendliest smile looked up.

"Hi, I'm Simone Livingston, Keith Livingston's wife. He's expecting me."

"One second," the guard said. She nodded, taking a step back. The lobby was quiet. Not like Manhattan. She wondered if this job would offer him less stress. Less pressure.

"I'm sorry, but he's in a meeting. I'm not sure when it will end."

"Oh...um, well I was supposed to have lunch with him."

"Something I can help you with?"

Simone turned and looked into the eyes of a stranger; a man with some vague familiarity she couldn't readily place. His striking clear blue eyes bore down on her. There was a slight tilt to the corner of his mouth, making his smile a bit mischievous. Naturally, it brought the same slyness to her lips. Tall and broad shouldered with dark hair neatly tailored on both sides but thick with a wave to the top, he had creamy skin and thick silky dark brows that made his eyes even more compelling. This man seemed a bit rugged for the polishing of his business suit-completely not her type, as if she had a type since she was married. Never had she ever given a man a second glance after her Keith.

It was command central upstairs in the offices. Hollingsworth had already sent over two spies to see what had lit a fire under everyone's a.s.s. Cain made sure to divert them from Keith Livingston's mission. Not because he cared for the guy, but even he wanted to see change and justice come to Andrew Hollingsworth.

Soon, he grew bored with the paranoia and Keith's Gestapo march up and down the employees' cubicles. After giving out his orders to his directors, he decided to take a walk to cool off, stopping at the deli to grab a sandwich. That's when he first noticed her. She walked along the sidewalk with her thick dark hair bouncing on her shoulders and sungla.s.ses covering the eyes he now stared into. She was dressed in all cream with her trim figure in her slacks and the swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s in her matching cream blouse. She was in the deli and out before he could shake the feeling that he knew her. So brief was their encounter that he scrambled to make sense of the vague familiarity. But now, he saw her clearly and heard her ask for her husband. This woman was the beauty that liked to stare up at the moon.

"h.e.l.lo," she said.

"Hi, I'm Cain Gatlin. You must be Keith's wife."

"Oh, yes I am. My name is Simone," she smiled.

He gently shook her hand.

"I was supposed to meet him for lunch, but he's in a meeting."

Cain's eyes went to the guard. "George, I'll sign for her."

"Oh, thank you," Simone quickly said, as if the gesture was unexpected. How could she not get whatever she wanted when a man was in her vicinity?

"No problem. We're neighbors," Cain said.

Simone's smiled faded. "What?"

"You moved next door to me. Your husband is my boss."

Simone chuckled. "Wow, Castle Rock is a small island town. I met your wife. She was nice enough to stop by and welcome us."

"Let me guess, to deliver a pie?" Cain asked.

Simone's smile made her eyes sparkle. "Yes, it was a nice gesture and very tasty, thank you."

"Well, welcome to Castle Rock, and Mulberry Heights."

George rose and leaned over. "Sign here, miss."

She set down her delivery of lunch and signed the clipboard, then accepted the badge, while her eyes kept going to his. Each time he looked into her eyes, he saw a lot about her.

"Shall we?"

"Yes," she nodded, picking up her delivery, and following him. He couldn't name or pinpoint the fragrance she trailed, but it had to be high in pheromones with the way he kept sniffing the air around him. He walked her to the elevator and pressed the b.u.t.ton. He could see her in the mirrored doors. She stood there staring back at him through the reflective surface. "So, have you seen much of Castle Rock?"

"Not yet. I have the GPS in the car and it brought me here, so I've seen some of it."

The elevator doors opened. She walked in and so did he. He pushed the b.u.t.ton for the top floor but had to insert a keycard. "We're on the tenth floor."

"Oh, okay."

"We can get George to get you a badge that you can use to park and avoid the fee. We give them to spouses."

"Really? You're a spouse friendly company then?" she chuckled.

"Something like that."

She smiled again and so did he. He wasn't smiling a lot lately. Not since Joseph said he was getting discharged. She, however, made smiling easy. The doors opened. She thanked him and then stepped out. The hall was quiet. He knew why. The conference rooms were command central. "This way."

He led her to Keith Livingston's office while trying very hard not to get caught staring at her. "I believe he's in a meeting with my father in-law," Cain said, opening the door. "But you can wait here for him."

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

Cain stood at the door a moment longer. Simone set down the lunch sandwiches. He watched as she straightened things on her husband's desk. Interesting, Maryanne once did the same thing when he received the job under her father. Arrived with lunch, surprised him, straightened his papers and desk and sat with him to laugh at how they'd never become 'one of those couples'. Now she wouldn't bother.

Mrs. Livingston walked around the office smiling, touching everything from his office chair to his empty bookshelves, as if she was very proud of her husband. That's what it was. It was pride he saw on her face for who her husband was. Not so interesting-marriage evidently worked perfectly for others.

"Nice meeting you, Simone," he said about to close the door.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

He paused. "Excuse me?"

"Last night. I saw you. You saw me?"

Cain stepped inside. "I'm sorry about that. I went out to turn off the sprinklers and I saw you. I wasn't spying."

"Spying? Of course you weren't spying. You were at your house. It's okay. We'll be seeing each other more, I'm sure. It's nice to meet you, Cain."

"I'll send word to your husband that you're here."

"Thank you again."

He walked back out and closed the door. "My pleasure."

"How's your sandwich?" Simone smiled, biting into her pickle. The bitter juices exploded with sourness over her tongue. Keith picked up his soda, taking a sip. She watched his Adam's-apple bob up and down. When he lowered it, he burped and she frowned.

"Thanks, babe, for bringing me lunch," he said. They sat together in his office, eating from lunch placed on the coffee table.

"I'm so proud of you, Keith. I like your office, too."

"Do you?" he asked, brushing his fingertips over the side of her face. She savored the gentle feelings his touch stirred. When he looked at her, as he did now, she felt the bond they once shared. She felt special. Keith was a handsome man. All her friends said so. He was smart, rich, and really good in bed when he wasn't being selfish. He was the love of her life, and she desperately wanted that connection back with him.

"Yep, I like it. Wasn't this big in Manhattan," Keith joked. "I also like how pretty you dressed up for me today."

"Do you?" she chuckled.

"Don't cut your hair." He switched subjects while running his fingers through her long strands. Simone rolled her eyes. She cut her hair once in the six years they were together, and he flipped out. She had never seen a man stress over the length of hair like he did. "I don't have a salon, remember? Maintenance will be a ch.o.r.e."

He smiled and lowered his hand. "You have good hair."

"Good hair? Oh please don't start that."

"You do. Long, thick, not short and nappy like your sister's."

"What?" Simone frowned. "Stop it. Her hair is beautiful and much longer, because she's growing it out of its style. You are really beginning to p.i.s.s me off."

"Hey, I'm sorry. It was a joke," Keith said.

Simone sighed. She shook off her aggravation.

"Sorry, sweetheart, a bad joke. I f.u.c.k up at times. You know my mouth," Keith said.

"Yeah, yeah," Simone mumbled. The good-natured feeling was ruined.

"Forgive me, please." Keith smiled at her.

Simone moved in closer. He sat back and put his arm over the back of the sofa so she could fit nicely against him. She decided to change the subject to recapture the jovial mood. "I met our neighbor."

"Did you?" Keith asked, his head going back with a weary sigh. Simone knew he'd been up early, so crashing early after a double meat pastrami was expected. She reached over to loosen his tie, to make him more comfortable. "Yes, his name is Cain."

"Right, he works for me. He's Hollingsworth's son in-law."

"The man that you told me about? The one you were supposed to be checking up on?"

"The one and only, and let's not broadcast that, okay?" he said knocking her hand away from his tie. Simone lowered her hands. Her eyes went to the door. She thought of the blue-eyed man with the cute humor. A Hollingsworth?

Keith painted Andrew Hollingsworth as the anti-Christ. He felt he was an elitist that was running this division of the company into the ground. It was his opportunity to really show the partners how skilled he was. He got one shot at dethroning the great Mr. Hollingsworth. It was Keith that found the discrepancies in the profits and losses out of New England. It was Keith that proposed he move to an exclusive town in New England called Castle Rock. Discretion was to be his access key. From what she knew, Keith was basically going to be a spy, and she signed up for it. Not his espionage, but his life makeover, thinking it best for their marriage. That's why they had to leave, even after she begged him to delay it a little longer for the sake of Kim and the twins. It became a choice of him or her sister.

"You need to leave now. I have work to do," Keith sighed. He kissed her on the cheek and got up, fixing his tie.

"It hasn't even been an hour. Don't you at least get an hour?" she asked.

"Don't fight me on this. I have plenty to do."

"I wasn't fighting you. I just-" she sighed, "-okay, I understand." She folded up his sandwich wrapper and dropped it in the bag with the empty soda can. She cleared away their lunch. He was behind his desk with his gla.s.ses back on before she was done. "What time will you be home for dinner? Since I'm doing this domesticated thing, I guess I should cook, huh?" she joked. Her cooking wasn't Kim's but it was okay. Maybe she'd take a cla.s.s.

He didn't respond.

"Keith?"

"Yes?" he snapped, irritation hardening his eyes.

"Never mind. I'll see you when you get home," she mumbled, getting her purse.

"Simone, wait," he said. "Taking you to dinner tonight. Just us. Under a lot of pressure right now, okay?"

"Sure, I understand. Have a good day, baby. I'll see you later," Simone said.

He managed a smile. She thought it a considerable effort on his part. "You too."

She walked out, gently closing the door behind her. The secretary seated at the desk was around her age, but very frumpy, matronly in her attire. This lady's appearance was nothing like Stacy's, his last bedmate and secretary. Stacy, whose skirts were so short that they could subst.i.tute for headbands, was a barracuda. Simone preferred the librarian seated behind the desk instead.

"Excuse me, where's the break room," she asked, lifting the lunch bag as evidence.

"Down the hall," the secretary mumbled. "To your left."

Simone stepped away. She headed down the hall, pa.s.sing office doors, some closed, some opened. Those that were open had cl.u.s.ters of staffers gathered, whispering. Eyes lifted when she looked in, and suddenly she felt a pang of sympathy for her husband. It would be hard to fit in here. It wasn't as diverse as it was in New York.

She found the small break room annex to her left. When she stepped around the wall, there was Cain. He filled up a mug at the water dispenser. He didn't see her at first, but she got another long look at him. He wore dark blue slacks and a grey stiff collared shirt. Even though it was appropriate office attire, he seemed a little out of place in it. A Hollingsworth? His wife, the debutante with the pie fit the bill, but not him.

When he turned with the mug pressed to his lips, he caught her staring. She gave a nervous smile. To demonstrate her reason for peeking, she lifted her lunch bag and then tossed it to the trash.

"How was lunch?" he asked.

"Great. Nice office. I mean you guys are so orderly here. Back in New York, Keith's office was always bustling with activity. Seemed like the most stressful work place in Manhattan. But here, it's so calm, quiet, even," she rambled. He was staring. She'd never seen eyes as clear as his. "Thank you for earlier. I ah..."

He leaned against the cooler, watching, listening. Simone suddenly felt fl.u.s.tered. Her brain scrambled and her words garbled. She sucked in a deep breath and let it go. "Well, it was nice meeting you, neighbor."

Cain lifted his mug to her in a mock toast. "Very nice meeting you too, neighbor."

Then the corners of his mouth curled up to a s.e.xy smile that made her lungs seize around her second breath. Simone stepped back from the smile, smiling herself; she then turned and walked out. Simone looked back three times, half expecting to see him behind her watching, nearly colliding with a guy carrying file folders. "Excuse me," she gushed. He frowned and kept going. Shaking her head and smiling, she headed for the elevators. Her purse swinging at her side, she hummed to herself: It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day in the neighborhood... would you be mine.... won't you be my neighbor.