Chapter 15

Who's Doing What?

"What is wrong with you? This is a trick Jack. I can't believe that you of all people would fall for such an obvious trap." Erica pulled away from Jackson and turned so swiftly her hair swung.

"Erica," Jackson was exhausted. It seemed to Jackson that he had variations of this same argument with Erica a thousand times before. Shaking his head sadly he continued, "This is a good thing Erica. Why can you never admit it when you've made a mistake about someone and just let it go and move on?"

"Me? You're the one that refuses to see what's so plainly apparent! Ethan's setting you up Jack." Erica placed her hands on her desk and leaned forward as she continued, "Ethan only nominated you as a Cambias board member in order to win you over. He obviously has an agenda here. Wake up Jack!"

"Erica! There is no ulterior motive here! He's not evil. He's made some mistakes. But he's no different than…" Jackson reached out a hand to her but she was too angry to notice his gesture so he let his hand drop back to his side,

"Since when have you liked Ethan?" Erica demanded furiously and when Erica was furious she was a ball of energy. She was flitting around her office like she was on fire.

Jackson thought back to the boardroom and smiled, "Erica, he's not a bad guy. And Simone…"

"Simone!" Erica spat at Jackson daring him to continue, "Some friend she is!"

"Simone has always tried to be a good friend to both of our daughters Erica." Jackson couldn't believe that his good news was turning into such an ugly scene. "And Simone and Ethan…"

"Jackson! Ethan was the one that drove my daughter into Slater's arms. He lied to her. He broke her heart." Erica was agitated and flustered. Angrily marching around her desk she was absently picking things up and slamming them down again.

"Ethan never had Kendall's heart to break." Jackson replied sternly shaking his head. "As you like to point out is was always Ryan that…."

"That doesn't change anything and you know it!" Erica protested tossing the papers she held onto her desk. "Kendall trusted Ethan."

"Erica, I don't know what this is about but I know it has nothing to do with Kendall. Why can't you tell me what your real problem with Ethan is?" Once more Jackson tried to take Erica's hand but she brushed him away. Angry now Jackson continued, "Look, I've already accepted the offer and I'm thankful, thankful, that Ethan has helped place me in a position where I can keep an even closer eye on Bianca and Miranda's interests. Erica! This news should make you happy!" Jack tried to reign in his frustration and so he took a deep breath so he could speak calmly, "Frankly, I don't understand why you are so hostile to the idea simply because it was Ethan that nominated me. Why do you hate him so much? And you know that it isn't about Kendall. You've never liked Ethan."

"He's a Cambias, Jack!" Erica protested, "Isn't that reason enough to be cautious?"

"Don't damn him just because he has Cambias blood." Jackson tried to warn her but he was growing very angry now, "Have you forgotten that Miranda is a blood relative of Ethan's?"

"Miranda is all KANE." Erica announced. "Don't you dare forget that!"

"My God! You have obviously forgotten that Miranda is also a Montgomery. Why do I even try to reason with you?" Jackson pressed his fingers to his temples and took a deep breath before he continued, "Erica I've taken the position and I'm keeping it. You just need to accept the fact that I fully intend to look after Bianca, Miranda, Cambias Industries as well as Ethan's interests to the very best of my ability."

Jackson's last remark sent Erica storming out of the room and slamming the door behind her.

"What the hell?" Adam Chandler tossed the business section onto the table in disgust and glared at his son. "Well someone has screwed this up royally. Ethan Cambias should be fighting for his position by now."

"Fighting? This should have been over by now." JR replied calmly as he poured a drink into a tumbler.

"Scotch in the morning son?" Adam looked at JR sadly and shook his head.

"It's water!" JR replied angrily shaking the pitcher of clear liquid at his father in frustration. "Maybe if you paid better attention to what was really going on right in front of you we'd be picking up loose Cambias stock by now."

"What are you talking about? I'm not the jackass behind this attack on Cambias." Adam glared at JR accusingly. "You better believe that I would have gotten the job done right!"

"Well, what the hell is that supposed to mean? Why are you looking at me like that for?" JR felt like throwing the glass at him, "I am not the screw up you think I am old man!"

Simone and Ethan lay on the deck luxuriating in the peaceful quiet of the open waters. Simone had her eyes closed and was thoroughly reveling in the joy of the sun's heat on her bare back. She turned her head slightly to look at Ethan sleeping and was surprised to find him watching her. And that gleam in his gaze was unmistakable.

"It's nice to be out here." Ethan said softly. His attempt at innocence poorly veiled, "No one around for miles."

"Except for the staff." Simone gently reminded him.

"And I've asked that they remain below for a couple of hours." Ethan grinned and leaned in close to kiss her neck.

"Ethan…" Simone whispered in a soft warning.

"You know Simone," Ethan smiled at her, his brown eyes warm and soft, "I went to a great deal of trouble to make it seem as if we're in NYC right now."

"NY?" Simone yawned as she stretched; the sun was making her sleepy.

"I hired a couple to impersonate us. I put them in the Cambias limo and I set them up in a hotel where they are being well paid to stay in the suite and order room service."

"For ten days? I went a little stir crazy after two!" Simone shuddered slightly.

"Hmmm…that's rather insulting. I'd like to think I could keep you entertained." Ethan replied as he reached out and gently stoked her bare back to feel the warmth of the sun on her bare skin. After a moment's thought he leaned over her and ran his raspy cheek across her back and shoulder blades to give her back a light scratch.

"Oh! That's nice." Simone sighed and wiggled her shoulders. "Look, I love you. I love being with you. But stuck inside the same suite for ten days?" Simone frowned as she tried to wrap her mind around the thought.

"You do like to get out in the sun don't you?" Ethan smiled, "so I understand why you haven't got a top on but why do you need this?" Ethan asked pulling one of the strings to her bottoms loose.

Simone squealed and grabbed at the ties, "My God Ethan! You need to get a hobby!" She pointed at the ocean and demanded. "Go swimming. Go scuba diving. Go find a book."

Ethan laughed and gathered Simone into his arms. "I love that about you. You really are a terrible liar." He kissed her like a man with a purpose and with his warm skin pressed to hers and that warm, sweet, devious look in his eye Simone just melted, softening into his strong arms. She wrapped her own arms around his shoulders, her hands reaching to softly cradle his head and to twine her fingers through his think warm dark hair. She loved how hot his skin felt beneath her hands because of the sun. Ethan felt her surrender and laughed, "Why do you bother protesting?"

"Oh." Simone sighed, "I just like to make you work for it." Thinking out loud Simone laughed and continued on, "Besides I love the way you convince me. You know you're really very good at getting what you want."

Ethan pulled away and stretched out beside her feigning disinterest. His voice was stern but his eyes twinkled at her. "Oh, so that's how it is?"

"Of course you don't have to." Simone replied smartly and flipping over onto her stomach. Laughing Ethan sprang into motion and swiftly took her in his embrace. "Oh!" Simone gasped; surprised by her own sudden rush of desire she took a breath before whispering between kisses. "I think that I've corrupted you. I'm afraid that you have become more of an exhibitionist than I will ever be."

"Look love. I've been very patient. I've lain out here for nearly half an hour waiting for you to notice me and I don't want to go anywhere." Ethan smiled his hands roaming the length of her body before reaching for the nape of her neck and softly gathering her hair in his hand and looking her directly in the eye. "I want to make love to you out here in the sun."

Ryan walked into the Fusion office and found Kendall still hard at work. "I was wondering where you were. I've been calling your cell for the past hour. It's late Kendall."

"Don't you think that I know that?" Kendall grumbled and tossed a folder onto her desk and covered her face with her hands.

"Well why are you still here? You should be taking better care of yourself Kendall. You look exhausted." Ryan wanted to sound supportive and not critical but somehow he always failed.

"I am exhausted." Kendall snapped angrily, "We are all exhausted." Kendall remarked gesturing to the full office. "But we had a problem with the west coast packaging department. They haven't been able to complete the first phase of the new line of bath items for our holiday package. And it has to be ready for shipment by the end of the week for final approval at our distributor before PR can't move forward with the holiday print ads that we have already paid for."

"Well where's Simone? Isn't this her thing? Can't she take over so that you can go home?" Ryan was concerned by Kendall's drawn appearance.

"She's away…with Ethan." Kendall tried to sound casual.

"Oh that's right." Ryan sighed while taking a seat at the end of Kendall's desk. "It still seems weird to me that they are a couple."

"Why? They seem happy." Kendall was typing fast on the computer.

"And you are ok with that? You and Ethan were really close…"

"Were we? I don't know anymore. Look, can we not go into a discussion of how I screw everything up? Ethan and I both botched any hopes for that relationship." Kendall was too tired to play nice. "It's dead and buried and I really don't want to talk about Simone and Ethan right now. That is unless you are here to tell me that Simone hasn't taken off on the Cambias yacht and is at this very moment entering the office to help bail me out of this mess."

"It is just a little strange Kendall to see you at peace with them being together. There was a time that you would have gone after them to make their lives miserable." Ryan replied.

"I think Ethan and I did enough to make each other miserable while we were together and while we were breaking up. Look, it's over and we've both moved past it. He's happier with Simone and I'm too busy to care." Kendall hadn't even looked up as she tried to keep her focus on the dates and numbers in front of her.

"The old Kendall would have made them both sorry for moving on and being so happy when…" Ryan's last remark finally drew Kendall's full attention and the look in her eye made him fidget in his seat.

"When I'm so obviously not?" Kendall spat.

"I wasn't going to say… oh, forget it." Ryan took a moment to find the right words before he continued, "Look all I was trying to say is that you've really grown Kendall. There was a time that you would have made them sorry for being together and happy whether you wanted Ethan back or not. You've obviously changed and I think that it's a good thing. Maybe you can move forward and find your own happiness now."

"You believe that I've changed? Because right now I'm so tired I want someone to hunt Simone down and drag her back here so I can go home." Kendall sighed. "Does it mean that I've changed when right now I really resent that she's out there having fun while I'm stuck here working overtime?"

"But that's normal resentment Kendall. You don't want to hurt her for just being happy."

"Don't I? The thought of Ethan and Simone laughing and relaxing in the sun makes me so mad that I could shake Ethan for taking Simone away and leaving me neck deep in this crap. I can't believe she took off and left me with this! I can't believe I told her it was ok for her to go!" Kendall crossed her arms and put her head on her desk.

"I only stopped in tonight because I wanted to know if you wanted to get something to eat or if I could give you a ride home." Ryan placed a hand over hers.

"I drove to work and I've already eaten…look I found the first breakdown in our problem here. I don't have time to chat with you." Kendall's phone was ringing again.

"Ok so you've already eaten. I'm still glad that I dropped by. Look Kendall, I'm here. Let me help." Ryan offered and gave her hand a squeeze.

Sitting up she pulled her hand from beneath his. Pausing as she picked up the receiver to stop the ringing phone and she placed her hand over the mouthpiece so she could finish her comment to Ryan, "Fine, if you are going to be hanging around here put yourself to work. While I call Riley at the west coast packaging company to see if I can get them to work overtime this week, you can get Goodman on the phone and find out why shipping hasn't sent the bottles for the bath crystals to the packaging plant."

"I'll get the bottles shipped to the packaging plant by the end of tomorrow but you have to agree to let me take you home." Confident Ryan smiled and reached for the file Kendall was offering him.

Lauren picked up the phone and dialed. "It's been done. And your plan better work this time."
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