Chapter 35 Amber

Amber turned over in bed and slowly opened her eyes, quickly shrinking back. Todd's face was inches from hers, his eyes wide open and staring at her.

"What the hell? You scared me to death. Like some kind of crazy apparition." She was wide awake now.

"You're beautiful. I like looking at you when you sleep." He ran a finger along her cheek, but Amber pushed his hand away and leaped out of bed.

Did he think that tired cliché was romantic? Todd was a hunk and the sex had been great, but that didn't make up for the fact that he was boring and unoriginal. One night would have been adequate. She never should have let him hang around for a week but he was good in bed and a minor distraction. Now it was time to get rid of him.

"I'm going to take a shower," she said and headed to the bathroom.

"I'll come in with you."

She turned abruptly. "No. You won't. I have a busy day, Todd. No time for play. Why don't you let yourself out, and I'll call you later?" A lie. Amber had no intention of calling Todd ever again.

"Okay, babe. See you tonight."

In your dreams,she said to herself as she got into the shower and the hot water rained down on her. Was this how men felt when they finished using up what they wanted from a woman? she wondered. Amber didn't have a high regard for men, but now, after Todd, she could in a way kind of understand their shitty behavior. There were people in this world who were born losers, who were just asking to be crapped on by the powerful, and for too long most of the powerful had been men. But that was changing. Now women were joining the ranks of power holders, and Amber was one of them. She didn't have to put up with any garbage, didn't have to stroke anyone's ego, didn't have to be with someone she didn't want. Amber got to call the shots. This is what it felt like to be a man, she thought, and it felt damn good.

Today was her big day, the day when all the planning and scheming would yield results, and so she'd carefully chosen what to wear. An apple-green Maison Common fringe tweed jacket and white wide-legged pants. Elegant and also feminine and summery. Minimal silver accessories to complement the silver buttons on the jacket.

Two days ago, Amber had wired funds from her offshore account to Delancey-Flynn, the LLC that would be purchasing Daisy Ann's stock. Now she was waiting for a call to tell her the sale was a fait accompli. At precisely nine thirty her phone rang. "Jackson," she said and sat at the suite's desk, opening her laptop.

"I'm emailing the paperwork to you. You'll need to sign the documents and return them to me. Once you've done that, the stock certificates will be issued and you will own twenty-five percent of White Orchid Designs," he said.

Amber could almost feel the blood coursing through her veins as her excitement grew. "Perfect. I'll sign and get them right back to you."

In a few seconds his email popped up. "Here we go," she said, downloading the attachment. She quickly read through and signed. "Coming back to you now," she said.

"Good. You're seeing Wade today, right?" Jackson asked.

"We're meeting at eleven. Everything's on track. I'll call you as soon as I'm finished there."

"Sounds good. Later," Jackson said and clicked off.

Bobby was waiting when Amber reached the lobby. She inhaled deeply, straightened her jacket, and strode to the car.

"Good morning, Bobby." She flashed her brightest smile at him, and when he looked a bit puzzled, she almost laughed out loud. Riding on cloud nine was pretty mind-blowing.

As the car neared the building, Amber unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned forward toward Bobby. "I shouldn't be too long. If you want to park or get a coffee, I can text you when I'm finished."

"Oh. That would be great. Thanks. I'll get your door." He hopped out of the car and ran to her side of the vehicle.

Amber felt ten feet tall as she walked from the lobby to the elevator and into Wade's office. He stood when she walked in, and the first thing she noticed was how much taller he appeared. She took in the checkered shirt and dark jeans and then looked down at his boots. Dark leather with fancy scrollwork and what looked like four-inch heels with lifts.

"Mornin' lit—, uh, Mrs. Bennett. Mighty fine day out there. Why don't you have yourself a seat and we'll get right down to business." Wade indicated the chair next to his desk.

Amber sat down as Wade rearranged some papers around his desk before taking a seat himself.

"I presume all is in order?" she said.

"Yes, ma'am. Your bank wired the money to my account this morning. I've signed the stock transfer documents, so all I need is your signature on these as well. Wanna make sure every i is dotted and every t is crossed." He handed her the papers, grinning, and Amber could swear his face looked just like a weasel's.

She scanned each line, taking her time, and then signed her name. "Here's your copy," she said, reaching across the desk. "Now, the stock certificates," she said.

"?'Course. Just as soon as we have all this notarized." He pressed the intercom and in seconds a man entered the room, signed and stamped the documents, and withdrew. Wade smiled and passed an envelope to her. "Your stock certificates, ma'am."

Amber's heart did a little leap as she held 30 percent of Daisy Ann's company in her hands. With this morning's additional 25percent, she was now the controlling stockholder of White Orchid Designs. She closed her eyes, savoring her moment. How many people had told her she wasn't good enough, had tried to stop her, had tried to keep her out. She'd outsmarted every damn one of them, from the Lockwood bitch to Jake Crawford and Daphne and Jackson and now Daisy Ann. Opening her eyes, she nodded once to Wade and stood. "Thank you. It's been a pleasure doing business with you. You may be assured that your secret is safe with me." It was safe with her, but not with Nancy. She would be giving her back the flash drive and advising her to go ahead with legal action. Mr. Big-Game Hunter would finally know what it felt like to be the trophy head.

"I hope so, Missus. I certainly hope so."

Jubilation might be an understatement for how Amber was feeling as she left the building and walked outside. Everyone had a price. For Jackson it was Daphne. For Wade, fear of exposure. But Daisy Ann's was the best as far as Amber was concerned. Jackson had told her how eager Daisy Ann had been on the Zoom call when Hugo Bennett mentioned the possibility of selling her pieces to royalty. It was funny. Amber supposed it was a universal impulse to keep trying to rise above yourself.

She'd forgotten to text Bobby, but he was waiting right where she'd left him, and he quickly scrambled to open her door.

"You know, Bobby," she said from the back seat, "I might have been a little hard on you at the beginning. You've been a great driver, and this is to show my appreciation." Amber handed him an envelope containing $500 in cash. With the windfall profit she'd be making, Amber could afford to be generous. And besides, it was her way of giving back to one of the drones who was invisible to the 1percent. Just like Amber used tobe.

As soon as Amber got back to the room, she phoned Jackson.

He answered on the second ring. "Hey. All finished?"

"Mission accomplished. I'm holding the shares in my hand right now. It's a beautiful sight."

"Have you set up the meeting with Valene Mart?"

"Yes, two weeks. You told me to wait until the stock is registered with the Texas Secretary of State so they can confirm our ownership. Wade said that could take up to ten business days."

After ending the call with Jackson, Amber peeled off her clothes and took a quick shower. This Dallas humidity was a son of a bitch. How did they stand it? She put on a cotton sundress and checked her phone messages, erasing all four of Todd's without listening to them. She planned to go downstairs and have a few drinks at the Mansion Bar tonight to celebrate. Who knew what she might run into? And tomorrow. What she had planned for tomorrow was going to make it a red-letter day for Amber. For Daisy Ann, not so much.