Page 17 of Once Upon a Beast

“A date that my entire career, reputation, and future are riding on.” I turned to look at myself in the mirror. Steve had done a good job with the tie; it was in perfect alignment with my tuxedo. Considering I had it made less than two days ago, it was a good fit.

“You’ll do great. Be charming, kind, compassionate. Pretend like you care about what people are saying around you. Tell a joke. You know, do all the things that you wouldn’t normally do.”

“Ha Ha. I could fire you for those comments.”

“I’ve said worse and you haven’t. Your threats don’t bother me. You need me too much to ever let me go.”

“Do I look all right?” I asked, avoiding Steve’s comment because he was right. He was invaluable to me. One of the things I liked the most about him was that he wasn’t intimidated by me and told me exactly what he was thinking, even if I didn’t want to hear it.

“You look dapper, handsome, regal.” Steve paused and sighed, “And a little nervous.”

“Is this crazy? Am I a fool to even think that this could work? Is it doomed to fail before it has even begun?” I asked.

“It will if you have that attitude.”

“That isn’t how things work.” I walked out of the bedroom and into my living room. I went over and poured myself two fingers of Scotch. I didn’t ask Steve but poured him one and handed it to him.

Steve took a sip before he answered. “Positive attitude isn’t the only thing that makes a project successful. If that was the case you wouldn’t be where you are. But it can help. If you don’t believe the fairy tale, if you don’t at least exude the notion that you think you and Layla belong together no one is going to either. It’ll make it easier for people to see through the facade and then you will fail.”

“This can’t fail.” I downed my drink and poured another. It wasn’t just the project and making sure it happened that mattered to me. It was Layla. Having her back in my life meant everything, and all I could think about was that I was going to screw it up.

“Then don’t let it.” Steve walked over and took my drink out of my hands and put it on the counter behind me. “Which includes not getting drunk before you’ve even arrived at the function.”

“I wasn’t going to get drunk.” I walked away from the counter and looked out at the night sky. I thought about Layla and wondered if she was getting ready. I couldn’t wait to see what she was wearing. She looked good in anything but she always looked extra nice for this event. Her father had told me she was wearing red so I had made sure I matched her. It was a subtle thing but something I hoped she would notice.

“Good. You’re a mean drunk. Layla and everyone else needs to see who you really are tonight.”

“I thought I wasn’t kind, compassionate or funny? Now you want me to show people who I really am?”

“You’re a good man who hit some hard times. There were a thousand different paths you could have taken. The one you chose helped your community and people in need. You like the chase, you like making money, but I think those pale in comparison to your need to make up for a mistake that you had no hand in making.”

“What is that?” I had never had Steve talk to me like this and I wasn’t sure if I liked it.

“For what your father did. It wasn’t your fault. You were too young to know what he was doing, much less prevent it.”

“Doesn’t matter. What he did was wrong. If I can help make it right, I’m going to.”

I wanted people to believe that helping the community was only an added bonus to my financial success. It made more sense to help lesser communities, there was better chance for growth and financial gain. It was a part of that but it wasn’t the biggest part. I had no idea that Steve had figured that out.

“You are, you have. So let people see that. Let people see the man who cares about his city, its people, and its community. Show to the world and to Layla that you aren’t the beast that everyone thinks you are.”

“And ruin all my good work? Why would I do that?”

“Because you don’t need to anymore. You’ve accomplished what you wanted. You’ve left your father and all the horrors he caused in the past. You’ve made a name for yourself, one you can and should be proud of. One that Layla would be proud to be attached to.”

The man was seeing more than I wanted. I never thought I would be worthy enough to have Layla in my life, much less in my bed. This chance, no matter how inopportune, could give me what I really wanted. More than the money, more helping the community. I wanted to have the woman I had pushed away and longed in my arms.

Tonight, and the rest of the nights would give me that chance. Layla had allowed me back into her life. I wasn’t going to waste it or take it for granted. She was the only woman I had ever loved. The only woman I had ever wanted. I just needed to find a way to make her want that too.

If Steve could see how much she meant to me, would others? Would Layla? She was wary of this situation and of me and rightfully so. She was putting so much of her life and herself at risk by doing this. I didn’t want to think what could happen to her if this didn’t go according to plan.

It was why it had to succeed. I wanted to do right by Layla even more than I wanted her in my life. I had hurt her once and I would be damned if I would do it again. I wanted to put my father and what he had done where it belonged, in the past. I wanted to be known for who I was, not for what my father did. I was so close to making that happen.

All of it rode on how well Layla and I made the world think that we were in love. I wasn’t worried about that. I was worried that I would convince myself it was real and be devastated when she walked away. I didn’t want that to happen. I had to take this time to do everything I could to make sure that it didn’t. There was so much riding on the night and how it all went.

“You’re getting sentimental in your old age,” I teased Steve.

“Maybe, but so are you. Have a good time with your woman.” He lifted his glass and took a sip.