Surrender to You (8 page)

The meeting with the prospective buyers from Canada went well, but they hadn't expressed as much interest as the company from Beijing. Every property had a rhythm, its own vibe. I had to find buyers who connected with my work. Their lack of interest didn't make my workday any easier. I'd been looking for a distraction. It was always about her. Having her so close to me, only a few floors separating us, made this day all the more difficult to manage.

Today was Carlie's birthday. September 3.

Her birthday had never been an event we celebrated. The day came and went when we were apart. We'd never been together during her birthday. Matter of fact, the last time we'd spent an extended amount of time together, she'd left me behind one week before her birthday.

Each year her birthday appeared on my calendar, though. She was always in the back of my mind, but today she was front and center. I glanced at my calendar—which was always full—and considered what needed to be done to clear my evening.

I called in my assistant, Wendy. “Any chance we can cancel my dinner meeting with my board?”

“You have a last-minute meeting?” she asked, immediately pulling out a notebook and pen.

“Not exactly. I need you to run a few errands for me.” The smile on my face grew wider than I'd expected. “Today is going to be a good day.”

Today sucked.
It could only get better, right?

“Stop being a grumpy bitch,” Penny quipped during a brief phone call I had with her over my lunchtime. “I spent half the afternoon searching for the best spot for tonight. We can't wait to surprise you.”

“With strippers dressed as firemen?”

“Puh-lease. I'm not a miracle worker.”

I sucked in a silent breath. Why hadn't I told them about my dietary restrictions? In terms of ideal places to eat, I'd already done that research weeks ago, so I was curious as to what she'd found. As the assistant chef concierge, many local restaurants had reached out to me about their services. Most of them I knew already, but what I really wanted to know half the time was if they could make me spaghetti that wouldn't turn my insides into mush.

I opened my mouth to say something to her. Maybe I could just blurt it out. Wasn't this one of my best friends? Penny would bitch and chew me out, but we took care of each other.

Penny continued. “I'm spending my money, hard-earned by turning virtual tricks, to get you the best tonight. One of my customers said you will absolutely
die
from how divine the food is.”

My mouth snapped shut. I probably would die if I continued to eat anything I wanted. Telling Penny tonight wasn't wise. She worked hard for her money as an at-home phone sex operator and she wanted to show me a good time. I'd ruin the night the minute I told them the news. This was my birthday party, not a wake.

“I've got a few surprises up my sleeve, too,” she added.

As we ended the call, my smile faltered. I was finally celebrating my birthday again with my family. I hadn't found my parents yet, but at least I wouldn't be alone. Even if Tomas wouldn't be there.

As I finished my lunch, an egg salad with a gluten-free English muffin, dread touched my stomach. What if a birthday cake showed up? What if the place was Italian?

Eh, fuck it.
I'd deal with the problems as they came up.

Two hours later, I was back on Dante's Second Floor checking on hotel guests when my personal cellphone rang, showing a number I didn't recognize. None of my customers knew the number, so I picked up.

“Is this Carlie?” a deep voice, drenched in Southern charm, drawled.

Huh?
“Yes, it is. Who am I speaking to?”

“This is Bill.”

I slowed down on my way to the pool room. “Bill…who?”

“I'm a friend of Penny's. She wanted me to call you to make sure you had a
pleasurable
afternoon. An afternoon delight, so to speak.”

“Excuse me?” I squeaked.

“She told me you like to be spanked.”

What the fuck?
I was in the middle of checking the pool room and one of Penny's oddball phone sex customers was calling me as if I wanted to hear this shit right now? Well, two could play at that game. I walked over to a table of familiar guests and placed the phone in the middle. With a grin I put the phone on speaker.

Free guest entertainment, anyone?

“Bill, can we role-play?” I asked. “I love to do different voices. Can I do that for you?”

“Hell, yeah, darlin'.” His deep voice was smooth. “Would you like it over my knee or maybe I should strap you onto my bed?”

A blond girl at the table stifled a giggle.
What the hell?
she mouthed to me.

I gestured for one of them to speak.

“Knee please. I've been so fucking naughty today,” the blonde quipped. The brunette across from her clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

My work here is done.

I left my new friend Bill behind to do some work. Naturally, a small crowd gathered around the phone.

While I was working with the other concierge staff in the Grecian bath to make sure all the guests were comfortable, Bill apparently had no idea he'd just spanked most of the women who lounged around the pool.

When I went back to fetch my phone, the blonde and the brunette were perched over the phone as Bill panted, “Oh baby, you like it like that, don't you?”

Another slap filled the air from the phone.
Who the hell is he spanking?
Hopefully not his junk.

By the time Bill, the king of spanking, climaxed, I had picked up the phone and turned off the speaker. “Wow, Bill, you're amazing.”

“Not as amazing as you. Damn, you're talented.”

“I'm waiting for Hollywood to call me, baby.”

Today is going much better than I expected.

The afternoon ended with a bouquet of balloons and flowers from Sophie. Penny left a gift box at the main concierge desk containing a pair of bright red crotchless panties. The note in the box said:
Pretty panties for pretty bitches. Use wisely.

How eloquent of her.
Well played, Penny.

I could've come up with something raunchier though.

I usually only had one phone call a day from my best friends, but today was shaping up to be quite interesting. Not a single gift or message from Tomas.

Maybe he was too busy with selling this building to care. I shouldn't mind, though. We'd never celebrated each other's birthdays. Tomas was a New Year's baby. At least a bunch of people partied during his birthday.

The only folks who celebrated with me were the souls celebrating Flag Day in Australia.

My stomach dropped—even though I told myself I didn't give a damn. I shouldn't expect anything other than what we already did every year.

Absolute silence.

The plan was simple. Also rather brilliant, if I did say so myself.

Carlie's shift ended at five
P.M.
sharp and she never left early. According to Butts, she always checked the five concierge desks on Dante's Second Floor before she ended her workday.

So why was it five-thirty and the lady in question had yet to make an appearance?

“Would you like for me to call the concierge desk?” my driver asked from the limo's front seat.

I was parked in front of the employee entrance, waiting in a car full of balloons, along with a bouquet of pink roses—Carlie's favorite.

Ten minutes later, I gave in and called the concierge desk.

The explanation from the front desk was quite the eye-opener.

“Ms. Jason got several gifts today. It was her birthday apparently. An Indian woman dropped off a box—she seemed so excited about taking Carlie out to eat.”

That had to be Penny. “Did she mention where they might be going?”

“A name wasn't mentioned, but when she said Carlie was going to love the raw squid they planned to throw at her, I was able to narrow it down.”

Only a few places in town served raw squid, and soon enough I'd be there.

“For someone as laid back as you are, it was hard as hell to get you to leave work early,” Penny grumbled to me.

I tried to get a bit more elbow room since I was squished between Penny and Sophie in the backseat of the cab. “I happen to value my job compared to some people who have random customers call their friends.”

“How was Bill?” she purred. Her dark eyebrows danced with mischief.

“He spanks like the best of them,” I replied, remembering the grins on my clients' faces.

“Don't ask,” Sophie whispered.

“What's that mean?” I couldn't help smiling at her. The blush on her cheeks spoke volumes.

“Let's just say I will never again fill in for Penny,” Sophie said as she pushed her dark hair behind her ear.
“Ever.”

I laughed until my sides hurt and Penny joined me.

“Did one of her customers drive you to say your safe word?” I joked. “I gotta know.”

“Bill says he's willing to pay extra to get some of Shelley again.”

“
Shelley?
Is that your phone sex girl name, Ashley? Why not Diamond or Candy?”

“Bitch,”
Sophie mumbled with a smile. She hated when I used her birth name—especially since her full name was Ashley Sophie Ashton—but I only teased her with love.

The opening melody to a popular Black Eyed Peas song came on the cab's radio.

“Turn it up, please!” I yelled.

Without missing a beat, all three of us sang the opening to “My Humps” at the tops of our lungs.

This song brought back good memories. Whether we could sing or not didn't matter—it was all about the fact we were together again. Penny strutted her stuff while Sophie was so off-key it was painful.

Once the song was over, we were breathless but smiling. I leaned over to speak to Sophie.

“So how's it going with Xavier?” I said in her ear. Since the beginning of the spring, Sophie had been dating Xavier Quinn, a hotshot technology mogul from the southwest.

“Great. He's in Thailand doing business for his family.” She pursed her lips as if displeased. “I might see him before the fall's over so we can plan our wedding next spring.”

Penny laughed. “Why can't you just elope?”

“The Quinn family has to invite every relative west of the Mississippi. When you got old California money, everyone and their second cousin are invited.”

“As long as you're together, that's all that matters.” We continued to sing our favorites on the way to the restaurant. I was glad for the distraction, though. Over and over again, I told myself this day would end well and we'd pull up to a place that had an extensive gluten-free menu.

We pulled up to a trendy sushi place instead.

I cringed, but not too much. My nemesis, soy sauce, lurked in there. Along with spices, a lot of other sauces like eel sauce and teriyaki were on my no-go list. A bad episode with wheat-based soy sauce back in the U.K. had left me sidelined for days. Shit, I might as well ask for a roll of seaweed and rice to go. Another issue I dreaded as I walked in with the others was cross-contamination.

“I can't wait to show you what I ordered for us,” Penny gushed.

“Excuse me?”

“I already prearranged our menu.” She stuck her tongue out at me. “What fun would it be if we had boring food?”

The moment we walked in, I tasted the cucumbers, fish, and rice on a California roll. And the sauce, I usually drenched my rolls in soy sauce until they were soaked. But today I'd probably be getting a rainbow or California roll, too. Both of those were safe.

Since Penny had made reservations, we didn't have to wait long to be seated in a massive booth in the back. As I glanced from face to face, a sense of happiness settled over me. Griffin, who'd met us at the restaurant, leaned back in his seat. With his creamy, light brown skin and hazel eyes, he was just as cute as he'd been as a kid. Back when we were younger, his face had been fuller—a bit pudgy, if anyone asked—but now he had the kind of sharp angles in his face that were guaranteed to break a few hearts.

To his right, Sophie picked up the menu, even though Penny had said she'd preordered, and she had a faraway look in her light blue eyes. Maybe it was the new fiancé in her life that made her seem so self-assured.

And then there was my partner in crime, Penny. Boy, had she changed. She was just as much of a loudmouth as she had been in the past, but I'd never expected one of my best friends to become so drop-dead gorgeous. I'd give my next paycheck to have her cheekbones and straight black hair. The other day I'd even teased her about looking like the Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Penny tried to snatch the menu from Sophie, but Sophie leaned out of the way with practiced ease. “I know you. I'm not eating fugu.”

Penny made a rude noise. “Wimps like you three wouldn't even try.”

Oh, I'd had the deadly pufferfish before. With Tomas in his penthouse in NYC. My heartbeat sped up remembering that wonderful week, the late-night dinner, and the chef who had been called in for the special dish. There wasn't much of a taste to it at all.

I focused on my friends. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about Tomas. He didn't acknowledge my presence anymore. Why bother?

A round of sake came out first. With glee and a cackle, Penny placed each drink in front of us. “I got the good stuff. Junmai sake.”

Whew.
I lucked out this time. It was gluten-free.

“Very nice.” Sophie snatched hers quickly.

Griff rolled his eyes. How did he survive hanging out with those two while I was overseas?

“What do we say before we drink, Soph?” Penny asked.

“Say
kanpai,
which means dry the glass, then we sip—”

“I believe she said we drink like we want to get wasted,” Penny added.

We did as instructed, shouting cheers before we slammed down the drinks. It was so fun. The drink burned a little going down, but overall the beverage was smooth.

Penny motioned for the waitress to fill us up again.

“Again?” Sophie muttered.

“Like you can't handle your liquor.” Penny rubbed her hands while I scanned the menu.

Once the waitress came back, Sophie ordered a spring roll and I hurriedly added a rainbow roll.

“What are you doing?” Penny said. “Stop being an old bitch and let's have some fun!”

Old bitch?
She was a year older than me.

“I still want the roll, but I want the small one,” I said to the waitress. I wasn't stupid.

We didn't have to wait long before the first plate arrived. I tilted my head and leaned in for a closer look. It was fleshy, white, and resembled cauliflower.

“What the fuck?”
I mumbled.

“Oh,
shirako no sashimi
!” Sophie looked pleased.

Griffin not so much.

Penny grinned like she couldn't wait for me to try it. “You have traveled so much, I had to research overtime with Sophie here to make sure you hadn't tried this before.”

“No shit…” I picked up my chopsticks and took a deep breath. There was a small bowl of soy sauce next to the food, but it was possible the soy sauce hadn't come in contact with the food.

No matter what, I was trying it. A small bite wouldn't leave me in a world of pain.

With practiced ease, Sophie tore off a portion using her chopsticks and dipped the piece in the soy sauce. Thick, white stuff oozed from the place where she tore off her piece.

“I'm gonna pass.” Griffin picked up his drink and sipped.

“Your turn.” Penny turned to me, her black eyes glittering with mischief.

I wasn't one to turn down a dare, so I took a small portion and put it in my mouth. It was strangely chewy like gelatin. Also the portion was a bit buttery, with a hint of a briny taste. “What part of the fish is this? This tastes like week-old tuna.”

“It's the sperm sac of a cod fish,” Penny declared with pride.

The food solidified in my mouth.

“A fish
spunk
holder?” I kept chewing and swallowed. There was no way I was letting Penny win this game.

I even got some more.
Bring it, baby.

“So what's next?” I asked.

The next round, which came before I had a chance to have more
shirako,
was alive. Still-moving squid squirmed on three sticks in two bowls.

Even worse, the squid was friggin' covered in soy sauce.

Sophie picked up a stick with a squid wrapped around it first. She squeezed her eyes tight and ate. Disgust rolled across her face, even as she tried to chew as quickly as possible. “Ugh!”

Just as fast as she closed her mouth, she opened it again to try to spit it out. I shuddered from the sight.

“The ten…tacles. Ugh! They…keep getting stuck in my mouth.” Finally, she spit out the rest into a napkin. “Even I have a limit,” she managed. “That thing's not going down without a fight.”

Everyone turned and looked at me.

Penny picked up the squid—drenched in soy sauce—and extended the stick in my direction. “Your turn.”

I took what she offered. The writhing food lingered near my lips, and all I could think about was how much pain I'd be in tonight if I managed to swallow some of this squirmer down my throat. I would have been the first person to try this.

I sucked in a deep breath. “I can't eat it.”

“Oh, c'mon—” Penny began.

“The soy sauce will make me sick.”

Now that got their attention. “What are you talking about?” Penny asked.

I opened my mouth and nothing came out. Finally, my tongue moved. “I have celiac disease.”

A black silence fell across the table.

“How long have you known?” Sophie asked, the expression on her face showing disappointment that cut into me.

“I found out back in the U.K.,” I replied, placing the poor squid back on the table with his friends. The others were trying to escape, as well. At least someone was getting away from something they didn't want to do.

Penny's face softened, but Sophie's eyebrows lowered. “So you have an autoimmune disease and you thought we didn't need to know?”

“What's celiac disease?” Griffin asked.

“One of my clients has it,” Sophie said. “They can't absorb gluten—that's wheat, rye—that kind of thing. If my client eats gluten, she doesn't feel well because gluten causes an autoimmune reaction in her body. Her diagnosis came after her physician noticed she was becoming too thin.” The others at the table switched their focus from Sophie to me. “So that's why you look like you've lost weight,” she added. “What else are you hiding?”

I could feel the heaviness of their gazes on me and everything I'd tried to push aside came crashing down on me. “Nothing else.”

Because I didn't know anything else. I had yet to do the additional tests my doctor wanted me to do. “I had an iron deficiency when I left the U.K. and I was tired all the time.” I took a sip of the sake. “I thought I was stressed out about my job and finding my parents, but it was my illness instead.” I tried to ignore the sudden dryness in my mouth, the need to fight tears as I blinked. I'd ruined my evening. “This is supposed to be a party and I didn't want to say this shit.” I downed the rest of my drink.

Penny took my hand and squeezed it. “Sounds like this isn't fatal as long as you control your diet.”

“Gluten is in every fucking thing. All of my favorite foods!” I jerked my index finger toward the white mush in a bowl. “I wouldn't be surprised if that fish sperm shit wasn't dipped in soy sauce first.”

“And you let me order it,” Penny said, now pissed. “How long have you known us? If any of us were sick, we'd tell the others.”

A tear fell down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away. “A long time—”

“That was a rhetorical question, Car,” Penny said. “We are your family. You're not supposed to be facing this kind of thing alone. We fight together. We protect each other.”

I nodded as Griffin placed his hand on my shoulder. Across from me, Sophie smiled.

“I don't know about the fight together part—” Griffin began.

“Shut it,” Penny snapped. “We're bonding here. I only ran away once.”

She finished off her drink. “Let's get the bill and get out of here. We need a quieter place where we can talk and drink.” She gave me her usual mischievous Penny grin. “You can still drink, can't you?”

“Oh thank the holy heavens, yes,” I replied.

Penny motioned for the waitress while Griffin and Sophie tried to wrangle the squid back into the bowl. They had made some progress across the table during our heart-to-heart.

Penny asked for the bill, but the waitress smiled. “It's already been paid. A gentleman saw your birthday party and wanted to treat everyone.”

“Wow.” Sophie stood first to look around.

I did the same, not recognizing a single soul.

“Cheers to our benefactor 'cause I was about to drop half a paycheck on you.” Penny downed Sophie's full cup. “The guy who paid better not be waiting outside my apartment…”

I glanced around the restaurant, and for a brief moment, I considered the possibility of Tomas being here, but the idea was so ludicrous I tossed the thought aside.

He didn't know I was here, nor did he care.
I hope.
The very thought he might've overheard what I'd said filled me with dread.