Annihilate Me 2: Vol. 1 (9 page)

“Because Rowe wants me out.
 
I’m convinced that he does.
 
If he goes public with his concerns
about my leadership, I could be finished, regardless of my voting rights.
 
Everything my father and I have built
will fall apart.
 
To save that
legacy, I’ll need to do the right thing and step down.”

“I’m going to ask you something.”

“What’s that?”

“Will you do me that favor
tonight?”

“Which favor?”

“Introduce me to Rowe.
 
And to the rest of them.”

“Why?” he asked.

I took a sip of my martini, and
felt a slow boil start to grow in my gut.
 
Nobody did this to the man I loved—at least not if I could do
anything about it.
 
And if I was
lucky, if I could do what I had in mind, I might be able to get in front of
this and turn things around in Alex’s favor.
 
But I’d need to be clever about it.
 
I’d need to choose my moment, and act
upon it with sheer aggression.
 
I’d
need to be at my very best if I was going to pull any of this off.
 

“You’ll see,” I said.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Later that evening, after Blackwell
and Bernie had had their way with my hair, makeup, jewelry, and dress, I looked
into the mirror of our makeshift dressing room outside of Barbara’s office,
turned my head from side to side, and smiled up at Bernie.

“You’re a master,” I said.
 
“How in the hell did you get rid of
those dark circles beneath my eyes?”

“I told you,” Blackwell said.
 
“He does it with voodoo.”

“Actually, I do it with concealer,”
Bernie said.
 
“A very good
concealer.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,
Bernie,” Blackwell said.
 
“It’s not
worth it.
 
Own the magic you
possess.
 
Turn away from your
self-doubt.”

He lifted his head, and then he
dramatically turned away from her, which made me smile.
 
I loved them when they were like this.
 
I knew it was a show meant to ease my
nerves, and I adored them for it.

“You do it with spells,” she
said.
 
“With smoke and mirrors.
 
With the supreme craft.
 
I’ve never seen anything like it.
 
Jennifer looked like shit when she sat
down in that chair.
 
And now look at
her—a vision!”

“Oh, thank you, Barbara,” I said.

“Shush!
 
You know you did.”

“I haven’t been feeling well
today.”

“Well, at least no one will know
that now.
 
Now listen—Bernie
is about to speak.
 
I can sense it!”

Bernie put his hand to his
chest.
 
“I can’t tell you what all
of this means coming from you.
 
I
mean…look at her in that dress.
 
And
those jewels.
 
You
did
that.
 
Not her, not me—you!”

“It was a whim.
 
That’s all—a whim.”

“You cast your talents so easily
into the trash.
 
Why?”

“I don’t know.
 
I’ve never understood the depths of my
own creativity.
 
The bursts of it I
have—daily.
 
Sometimes
constantly, throughout the day.
 
It
can become too much.”

“Then you must stare it down and
own it.”

She looked critically at me and
then back at Bernie.
 
“It is a work
of art, isn’t it?”

“It is.
 
And now I have to wonder—do you
have any limits?”

“None that I can think of.
 
But there must be some.
 
I’m sure there are some.
 
There have to be some.
 
I just can’t think of any….”

“Because you have none.”

“
Mon
dieu
.
 
Others have whispered the same
thing.”

“Whispered?
 
They should be shouting out your name!”

“But people are cruel.
 
They won’t do it because they hate
me.
 
They’re jealous of me.
 
No one gives me credit.
 
Ils
refusent
!
”

“Most people are awful.
 
Remember the eighties?
 
Horrible creatures.
 
You know, out of modesty, I’ve never
told you this, but I made Madonna into the person she became.
 
And what did I get for it?
 
Nothing.
 
Not even a liner note.”

“But how do mean?
 
Was it through makeup?
 
Hair?”

“No,” he said.
 
“I gave her the crucifix.”

Blackwell put the back of her hand
over her mouth.
 
“My God….
 
Her iconic crucifix.
 
And she gave you no credit for it?”

“She didn’t—but at least her albums
no longer sell.”

“So they don’t.
 
And it’s all because you no longer style
her.
 
You know it is!”

“I don’t know.
 
I can only guess….”

“You know,” Blackwell said.
 
“My daughters, Daniella and Alexa,
return from university tomorrow.
 
Maybe you could give them a cut and a color—and a crucifix.
 
They each need one, but for other
reasons.”

“Anything to help.”

“They need the demons cast out of
them, Bernie.
 
I’ve tried to do so,
but I’ve failed.
 
I love them
dearly, but they can be monsters, especially when they’re together.
 
But you—you could fix that.”

“I can only try….”

And at that point, I rolled my eyes
at both of them.
 
“OK, people,” I
said as I pushed back the chair I was sitting in and stood before them.
 
“Let’s end the
lovefest
.
 
Mama needs to get ready for her new
gig.”

“You’re such a selfish girl,” Blackwell
said.

“I appreciate all that you and
Bernie have done for me.
 
You know
that.
 
But this verbal orgy of yours
has its limits, and Alex is expecting me in ten minutes.
 
I need you both to have a good look at
me before I leave.”

“Fine.
 
Turn around.
 
Let us judge.”

Thankfully, I passed inspection.

“Thank you, Bernie,” I said with an
air kiss on each cheek so I wouldn’t ruin my makeup.
 
“I never could do this without you.
 
You know I’m in your debt.”

“You should be wallowing at his
feet.”

I turned to Blackwell, but swallowed
that one.
 
“And thank you,
lovey.
 
The dress is, as you say,
divoon.”

“It’s beyond divoon.
 
It’s one of de la
Renta’s
last dresses.
 
You’ll knock them
dead with it.”

Let’s hope that I do just that.

“I should go,” I said.

“I agree,” Blackwell said.
 
“Alex is waiting.
 
So, let’s do this.”

*
 
*
 
*

Blackwell and I left Bernie behind and
walked to the wall of elevators at the end of the hall.
 
I was in an Oscar de la
Renta
red silk chiffon gown styled with a tiered, ruched
skirt and detachable floral appliqué leather collar.
 
It had a jeweled neckline, long sleeves,
single-button barrel cuffs, and fabric-covered buttons.
 
I wore thick bands of diamonds at each
wrist that not only caught the light—but tossed it back.
 
The only rings I wore were my engagement
and wedding rings.

Blackwell and I said nothing to
each other until we arrived at the bank of elevators.
 
As usual, Alex had gotten ready on our
floor—the forty-seventh floor—and he’d be waiting for me in a tux when
I arrived.
 
There was so much I had
to do tonight—so many things that needed to fall neatly into
place—that I was concerned about whether I could pull them all off.
 
My only hope was that I could.
 
I had to come through for Alex.
 
Tank had given me a way.
 
It would be brutal, and the question was
whether
I
could be that brutal—especially in such a public space.

That was the question I couldn’t
answer.
 
Rowe could take the
information I had on him and laugh straight in my face.
 
And if he did that, would I be making
things worse for Alex?
 
That’s the
conflict that was coursing through me when Blackwell reached out and pressed the
elevator’s down button.

Then she looked at me.

“How are you?” she asked.

“Terrified.”

“Don’t be.”

“You don’t know why I’m terrified.”

“What does that mean?”

“Let’s just say that you’ll either
know by tonight, or certainly by tomorrow.”

She furrowed her brow at me.
 
“What are you up to?”

“Protecting my husband.
 
I’ll always protect him.”

“Why are you being so evasive with
me?”

“Because, if I told you what I know—and
what I planned to do with what I know—you’d likely stop me.
 
That’s something I can’t have.”

“You’re planning on doing something
stupid?”

“When have you known me to be
stupid when it comes to business?”

“The moment you admitted to me that
you’re terrified.
 
And that you’re
planning on protecting your husband tonight.
 
That suggests that you’re being fueled
by emotion, which never is good when it comes to business.
 
Obviously, you’re up to something, and it
might not be rational because of the emotions involved.
 
Tell me what it is.”

“You’re just going to have to trust
me.
 
And my instincts.
 
I’ve given this hours of thought—”

“Hours?
 
Just hours?”

“That’s all the time I’ve had.
 
I just found out.”

“Found out what from whom?”

“That’s the thing, Barbara,” I
said.
 
“I swore myself to secrecy,
and I plan to honor that.
 
But, at
the very least, trust enough in me to believe that I know what I’m doing.
 
If I feel that it isn’t right, I won’t
do it.
 
But if I feel differently,
I’m going in for the kill.”

The elevator doors slid open, but before
I could step inside, Blackwell reached out a hand to prevent them from closing.
 
And to prevent me from stepping inside.

“All right,” she said.
 
“So fine.
 
You won’t tell me.
 
I do trust you, Jennifer.
 
Whatever you have on your mind, I also
trust that you’ll behave responsibly with it.
 
That’s the Jennifer Wenn I know.
 
So, whatever it is, let’s hope that it
works for you.
 
And presumably for
Alex.”

“I think it will.”

“I guess we’ll see.
 
Is there anything else before I let you
go?”

“When we arrive, the press will be
there,” I said.

“The press are always there.”

“But not with this kind of
attention on Alex.
 
I’m worried
about him.”

“Then be there for him.
 
Grab his hand when you step out of the
limousine.
 
Kiss him on the lips and
lightly brush away any lipstick that you leave behind—they’ll eat that
up.
 
They’ll feel your love for each
other, which is genuine.
 
I know
that this is difficult for you, but I meant what I said earlier—regardless
of what you have up your sleeve, you must go into this party with a lightness
of heart.
 
You already know that
everyone will be judging you, watching you, scrutinizing
 
you.
 
And that is the very reason you must
rise above it all, and be yourself.
 
People will ask you questions about Wenn’s stock.
 
Deal with those people.
 
Toss it off.
 
Don’t engage them.
 
Make them believe that you don’t feel
for one second that any of this has touched you or Alex.
 
Because if that shows in your eyes or on
your face, even for a moment, they’ll read into it what they want.
 
And with this crowd?
 
None of it will be good.”

“The entire board is going to be
there tonight.”

“Have you met them yet?”

“No.”

“Then charm them.”

I kissed her on the cheek and
stepped into the elevator.
 
When I
did, she removed her hand, and looked hard at me.

“I plan to do just that,” I
said.
 
“And then I plan to do more.”