Chapter 60

When Nick went to talk to Shelby and Tanvi headed downstairs to continue overseeing the party, Pilar took the opportunity to explore the penthouse Nick had rented atop the Millenium. While the suite she would be using tonight was luxurious and generously apportioned, this space was big enough that it took her fifteen minutes just to catalog the rooms. The contractor in her found the sheer number and variety of couches vaguely horrifying. The space could comfortably sleep about fourteen people and seat roughly a hundred.

Of course, she also understood that a penthouse wasn’t meant to be used at anything near its full capacity. Its primary purpose was to impress the rubes - both the ones who paid thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to spend a night in one and their guests. Pilar understood impressing the rubes, too. As much as she valued the idea of networking as finding people you could do things for, the things you could actually do rarely lived up to what people imagined all by themselves.

She made her way back to the master bedroom with its floor-to-ceiling view of the lights of Manhattan spread out beneath her. This view was the real value of the penthouse, of course. If she lived here, she’d get rid of most of the couches, shrink the master bedroom to about half its size and open up the eastern exposure to a single room so that the sunrise filled the apartment.

She must have fallen into a trance staring at the lights of the city because she didn’t realize Nick had entered the room until he asked, from behind her “Second thoughts?”

Pilar looked back over her shoulder. She hadn’t really been thinking about the decision Nick had just made. It was important certainly, but she realized that she trusted him enough to not second-guess him. “No, not really. What about you? I know you’d usually rather find a way to save everybody...”

Nick gave a snort. “Even I know I can’t save everybody, Pilar.”

“No, but I know you’d rather not make enemies if you can help it.” She turned to look at him.

Nick joined her at the window. “I’m not the one making enemies. I get that the Stones maneuver and spy on each other and try to score political points in some game that I don’t really understand, but there’s no reason I can’t make it more expensive for everyone concerned. I might not be as devious as Threnody or as ruthless as Malcolm, but I’m pretty sure I can throw money around better than either of them.”

Pilar laughed. “Play to your strengths when you can, I guess. I, on the other hand, am going to have to try to get in touch with my inner actress. You do remember I’m a terrible actress, right?”

“I remember you telling me that, yes. I’m not sure I believe that you could really be bad at anything you put your mind to, though.” Nick frowned. “What acting do you need to do, exactly?”

“Well, I have to pretend you’re mad at me for inviting Lara Laird-Stone to see Hamilton with us...” Pilar reminded him.

Nick crossed his arms and frowned at her. “That was a mistake. She’s not even a real member of the family and you had to know you were never going to get anything useful out of her. What were you thinking?”

A chill went up Pilar’s spine. She hadn’t expected that question. “I wanted to see what she was up to. Once I knew she was plotting something, it seemed better to bring her close than let her operate out of sight.”

“And you thought it was all right to give her one of the Hamilton tickets that I bought specifically to get actual members of the family here where I could meet them?” Nick persisted.

Pilar took a half step back and looked up at him. “Are you ... serious? You said it was okay to invite them.”

Nick’s smile broke through. “What? No, I’m trying to help your inner actress.”

Pilar smacked him on the shoulder. “Jesus, Nick. Don’t do that. You’re scary.”

Nick took her by the upper arms and met her eyes. “That’s right. I’m a big, scary billionaire that people shouldn’t fuck with or spy on or take for granted. Can you use that?”

As quickly as it had come, the chill in Pilar’s spine was replaced by a surge of desire. Nick might be acting, but there was still something hot about seeing him like this. She stepped in close, her chest brushing against his. “Maybe you’d better promise to punish me for it later so it really settles in.”

Nick leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I am definitely going to have to remind you who’s in charge here ... first chance I get.”

“I look forward to it.” Pilar found her wicked, predatory smile again, smoothed down her dress, turned and headed back to the party that was as much her element as anything she might ever find. As she reached the door, Nick added, “Don’t say anything to Lara tonight. Save it for maximum impact.”

Downstairs, Pilar found Verity, Sarah, and Guy holding court at the main table, Nick’s chair and her own conspicuously empty. The rest of the table was full of Stone cousins she maybe half-recognized - a man Geoff had done some business with involving financing ... something, a woman she’d gossiped with at a wedding maybe a decade ago, a very pretty blonde teenager she thought she recognized from Instagram. By the way their eyes tracked her, they seemed to recognize her. As she smiled at them all and took her seat, she wished she’d grabbed one of the SSCS field agents on her way over. She had the skills to navigate these social waters, but it was nice to have help.

As she sat, Sarah leaned over and whispered. “Is everything all right? Nick got pulled away pretty suddenly.”

Pilar put an arm around her cousin’s shoulders. “Just family politics. He should be back down shortly, I think.”

Sarah nodded. “Is it something Guy and I can help with - as political allies?”

The question warmed Pilar’s heart. “Maybe. You’ve met Shiloh?”

“The redheaded teacher from Shreveport, right?” Sarah asked.

Pilar nodded. “Nick and I would like to introduce her to as many people as possible this weekend, make sure everyone knows who she is and that she’s here. If you get a chance to pull her into your orbit for a while tonight, that would be great.”

Sarah smiled broadly at the suggestion, turned to Guy, and held a quick, whispered conversation. Guy shrugged and nodded.

“Pilar, how are you? I don’t think I’ve seen you since that party in Chicago.” the financier opened with.

The clue triggered her memory. His name was ... Michael, maybe? He was a cousin from California and knew Geoff from college. She turned her smile to him. “Yeah, it’s been a few years, hasn’t it?”

“For sure. I was expecting to get a save-the-date from you and Geoff any time, but I heard you two split up. He’s in Hong Kong now?”

“Singapore, actually. Nick and I visited him there. He seems to be settling into the family business quite nicely. I’m happy for his success.” Pilar answered.

Maybe-Michael smirked. “Does that mean I shouldn’t ask you to tell me all of his darkest, most embarrassing secrets this weekend?”

“No, Geoff’s secrets are safe with me. I have nothing but good memories of our time together.” Pilar shook her head and laughed. This was her element - banter as a way to pass valuable information. Maybe-Michael wanted to know if she and Geoff were still allies in the family and she’d indicated they were. Having given that information, she was now free to ask for a valuable tidbit in return. But, since she couldn’t remember who he was, she had to keep it generic. “So, what have you been up to since Chicago?”

He pulled a card out of his wallet and handed it across the table. “Talent acquisition in Netflix’s entertainment division. I saw your moves on the catwalk in Milan. If you want to do a dance show or something, let me know. I work for the people who can make that happen.”

Pilar glanced at the card before tucking it away and passing over her own. Maybe-Michael was actually Milos Albu-Stone, but Geoff had referred to him as Mikey back in college. He’d been trying to finance a movie back in 2011. The three of them had all been in Chicago for the wedding of Clarence Stone and his third wife. Clarence was from Detroit and first cousins with Malcolm. He was at best a minor player in the family, but he’d pulled out all the stops to try to bring in the bigger players to add a seal of legitimacy to his marriage. It was the first family wedding she’d gone to as Geoff’s date. The meeting with Milos had been after the after-after-party in a twenty-four hour pizza place. “I’ll keep that in mind. Have you met Nick’s friend Max yet?”

“Max Whitford? No, not yet.” Milos said.

“It’s still in the early phases, but he’s making a pitch to run media operations for Nick and I’m pretty sure that’s going to happen. You might be good contacts for each other.” Pilar offered.

“I’ll be sure to tell him you said that. Do you think you might have time for a dance tonight?” Milos asked.

Pilar nodded. “If we don’t get time tonight, find me again tomorrow.”

And thus was Stone family business done. While these family gatherings weren’t formal networking events, they tended to follow a structure. Meet people at the beginning, get names, domains, and existing connections. During a meal, mingle with people you might want to make a connection with. Dance with the ones you wanted to talk to one-on-one. Possibly break off into small groups after the party or try again at a series of smaller and smaller after-parties extending into the night. If you weren’t a total trainwreck of a human being, you would almost always find someone to partner up with to advance yourselves financially, politically, or socially. Most of Pilar’s professional and social network had been built up at these events, usually with Geoff at her side.

By signaling to Milos that she and Geoff had parted amicably, she was also putting out that their friends didn’t have to choose between them. In this, she was doing Geoff a favor. Most of them would choose her because of geographic proximity and her association with Nick - even ones that had known Geoff longer and better than they knew her.

Instagram-girl turned out to be Jessalyn Stone of New Orleans who Pilar knew mostly by reputation. She’d founded the Stone Lolis, an officially unofficial support group for under-eighteen Stones to navigate the difficult waters of being underage in a family with such complex sexual politics. Sadly, the family wasn’t without its creeps, but Jessalyn and her little group had gone a long way towards identifying them and quietly getting the word out who to warn your kids about.

Pilar wasn’t sure what she might expect from the closest thing the Stone family might have to a moral crusader, but Jessalyn definitely didn’t look like it. Blonde and curvy in a red sheath dress, she looked like she was on the prowl. While Pilar talked to Milos about movies, Jessalyn had been talking to Verity about the Grand Tour.

“Do you think you’ll be in Ferrari when we’re there for Christmas?” she asked Verity.

“I never really know that sort of thing in advance. I’ve spent the last couple of Christmases at school, but my sister is full of surprises,” said Verity dryly. “If I’m there, I’d love to see you, though.”

“So, wait. What is this Grand Tour thing? Do all Stones do it?” Sarah turned to Guy. “You didn’t do it, did you?”

Guy shook his head. “No, I considered it, but it was expensive and my parents fostered me in Australia instead.”

“How much does it cost?” Sarah prompted.

“Sixty-one thousand dollars this year, if you pay full price.” Jessalyn answered. “There are subsidies from the Foundation and some of us get sponsors, but that’s the base price.”

Sarah gave a low whistle. “I guess it’s not meant for people who think that’s a lot of money.”

Jessalyn winced. “Well, it’s usually worth it. A lot of people who go on the tour meet their future husbands or wives on it or wind up partnering in business with people they meet. If it were free, it would be like two hundred teenagers partying their way around the world like a horde of locusts. Instead, it’s more like sixty very focused young people learning how to network.”

“The partying thing sounds better to me,” admitted Sarah.

“Oh, there’s still plenty of partying. It’s just high-stakes partying,” said Milos.

“Favorite sport of the Stone Family, I think,” Nick said, approaching the table with Zola in tow and sitting down between Pilar and Verity. This led to a flurry of introductions and business cards. He took time to talk to each cousin in turn. For Milos, he repeated Pilar’s suggestion to talk to Max, but framed it more in terms of the help Max could use to get to know the business. He learned that Sandra, Pilar’s one-time gossip buddy, came from old, old railroad money and was a stay-at-home mom to two kids under ten. Because Pilar knew how little interest Nick had in children, she saw how he skillfully guided the conversation away from her offspring to fundraising work she’d done for their school and from there some details about educational funding before telling her she should call him the next time the school had a fundraiser.

“I don’t know if I ever properly thanked you for your help with setting up the Stone Lolis as a legal entity,” Jessalyn said when Nick turned his attention to her.

“I barely did anything. That was all Ainsley Davenport,” said Nick.

Jessalyn leaned forward, resting her chin on a bridge of her interlaced fingers. “Did Miss Davenport write that big check, too?”

“No, that was decided by the ACCD Board.” Nick sat back and crossed his arms, looking pleased with himself.

“So, you’re not taking any credit for that one either?” Jessalyn raised an eyebrow.

Nick shrugged. “I voted for it, but it had nearly unanimous support. As I recall, we didn’t think it was very controversial.”

“Well, I know you must have gotten some grief over it. I had three other donors offer smaller, but still significant sums and then pull them back over flack from inside the family.” Jessalyn pointed out.

“I’m glad to have helped. I believe we did get some feedback from inside the family, but I let my staff handle it. Anybody who has a problem with me because I’m funding an effort against sexual predation is bound to have problems with me over dozens of other things going forward.” Nick pointed out.

“Does that mean you’ll save me a dance tonight?” Jessalyn asked.

“I’d be happy to,” said Nick.

As that group rose to go, Pilar leaned in to whisper to Nick. “Dancing with Jessalyn could be polarizing. Some people dislike her on a personal level.”

Nick put his arm around her waist. “I don’t mind her being a litmus test this weekend. I’m looking to figure out who we can start grooming as allies. I may be able to work with people who dislike Jessalyn, but they don’t need to be in the first wave.”

Pilar watched Jessalyn walk away. “She’s very pretty.”

“And a bit heartbroken right now, I think. You know about her and Reggie?” Nick asked.

“No,” admitted Pilar.

“I’ll tell you about it later. If she’s interested and lets us know, we can talk about it. But, let’s not pursue her,” said Nick.

“Got it.” Pilar hadn’t felt a particularly strong attraction to Jessalyn, pretty as she was. But, she was glad that Nick appeared to be considering the consequences of any possible hookup and not just thinking with his libido.

The next group that came to their table collectively referred to themselves as the Ramshackle Stones. From conversation, Pilar learned they were all students at Sarah Llewellyn College, a small liberal arts school in the New York Finger Lakes region which had positioned itself as a magnet school for middle-class Stones by virtue of some special arrangement with the family Foundation that allowed them to effectively live and study there for free by living together in a big old house that their nominal leader Tom “Churchmouse” Church-Stone had bought twelve years ago and been renovating ever since.

Pilar learned their names and stayed engaged in the conversation, then promptly forgot everything she’d learned. It wasn’t that she didn’t see their potential, but it was the same potential pretty much any Stone of college age would have. Still, Nick either saw something special in them or was really very good at feigning interest in them because he kept them at the table until the live band could be heard warming up in the ballroom.

As the Ramshackle Stones rose to go, Nick turned to Zola. “Put them all on the brunch list, please.”

“Really?” Pilar couldn’t hide her surprise. Sunday brunch was supposed to be limited to thirty guests who Nick thought would make good allies and she just didn’t see why he would include this group. Sure, there had been a couple of strikingly attractive young women among them, but not so beautiful that they should have turned Nick’s head without also bringing something to the table politically.

Nick nodded. “I know it’s a bit speculative, but I’m interested in how they’re managing this whole subsidized communal living thing they’ve got going on. It might be a model I can use for other projects.”

“All right, I can see that,” Pilar acknowledged, tucking away her disagreement. “Should we take a break and dance?”

“You can if you like. If I start now, I’m going to run out of stamina well before midnight and there are people who’ve been waiting to meet me and Verity since before we got here. I’ll have Zola prioritize two or three more groups and then join you.” Nick gestured to his assistant.

Pilar was torn. She wanted to be there for Nick’s meetings with so many family members for the first time, but she also wanted to get out on the floor and dance. Besides feeling like she needed to move, she felt like she got her best work done on the dance floor.

What settled it for her was Guy rising and offering her his hand, “Shall we?” He’d had a brief, quiet discussion with Sarah and they appeared to have agreed to split up with her staying at Nick’s side at the table.

If Pilar couldn’t be there balancing out whatever influence Verity might exert on Nick, Sarah was such an eager and earnest ally that having her there might be nearly as good. She took Guy’s hand and rose. “Let’s.”

As they crossed the dining room, Pilar moved up to walk side-by-side with Guy, but also to catch his elbow and keep them moving at an even pace so that everyone had a chance to see them. She knew that people would gossip endlessly about her choice for a first dance partner that night because she’d engaged in such gossip herself plenty of times.

“I imagine you have a lot of people waiting to dance with you tonight?” Guy offered.

“I haven’t made a lot of promises, but I imagine that’s true,” said Pilar. “People will probably want to dance with you just to figure out why I chose you as my first partner of the night ... not that I imagine you ever have trouble finding partners.”

Guy chuckled. “No, that hasn’t really been my problem. I grew up living in a resort lodge. The reason I needed to go halfway around the world for a while was a certain lack of discrimination.”

“Oh, really?” Pilar wasn’t quite able to hide her amusement.

“Yes, ma’am. I was a boy who just couldn’t say no.” Guy gestured like he wanted to raise a cowboy hat he wasn’t currently wearing. “Dieter has the same issue, but the family managed to keep him out of any serious trouble long enough to go on the Grand Tour.”

Pilar laughed. “He’s going to cut quite a swath through Europe, isn’t he?”

“Most likely. His best bet is to keep moving, I think.” Guy offered.

“And Monroe?” Pilar probed.

“You have to realize, Monroe was fourteen and skinny as a fence rail when I left for Australia. We’ve talked a little this summer, but I can’t say that I really understand her.” Guy shook his head. “She grew up in the same place Dieter and I did, but she sounds so very heteronormative. She says she’s only interested in men. She wants a boyfriend and she’s not interested in sharing.”

“Nothing wrong with that. I spent years thinking it was the path that made the most sense for me. If it had worked out, I could have had a rich and fulfilling life as a wife, mother, and successful CEO.” Pilar suggested.

“No, nothing wrong with that. People in Green Mountainside have had issues with family members who think our lifestyles are evil, but she’s not like that. She just doesn’t think they’re for her,” said Guy. “And we’ll always love her no matter what.”

Pilar put her arm around his waist as they entered the ballroom. “The world takes all kinds.”

“Do you think you’ll ever go back to it - one-man, one-woman, anything from outside the main relationship is a betrayal?” Guy sounded vaguely horrified by a notion that most Americans took for granted.

“If I do, it’ll be because something’s gone horribly wrong. Nick and Kiki and Emily and you and Sarah and probably a lot of people I don’t even know yet would have to be out of my life. If it came to that, I think I’d be more likely to become a nun than a wife and mother.” Pilar speculated.

Guy drew her to the dance floor and into his arms, hugging her close before they started dancing to Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk. “You would be a terrifying nun.”

And then they were dancing, moving across the floor and in each other’s orbits, touching lightly at first, then moving away. As with so many things about the Stones, there were traditions about music and dancing. It was considered good form to let a pair dancing together get at least one song they could talk through. Fast songs like this one were for showing off, drawing people onto the floor, and easing into your partner’s personal space. The band led into another fast fun song before bringing the tempo down enough that Pilar could relax into Guy’s arms, rest her hands on his muscular chest, and draw his scent into her nostrils. Even if she stripped away the family connection, the politics, and everything else, it was a very good place to be.

Guy smiled down at her. “Sarah and I aren’t sure how we should talk about our relationship with you and Nick.”

“We’re ready to follow your lead. We haven’t gone out of our way to announce what we’re up to, but we also haven’t hidden who we are.” Pilar said.

Guy nodded. “I should probably talk to people back home before we make any decisions about that. Folk in Green Mountainside tend to be very protective of their privacy on such matters. Montana isn’t like New York.”

“Whatever you decide, let us know and Nick and I will respect it.” Pilar promised.

“We do appreciate that.” Guy let his fingertips trace down Pilar’s spine, raising gooseflesh. When she looked up to meet his eyes again, he went on. “I arranged a surprise for Sarah that is taking longer to arrive than I expected.”

Pilar felt a little thrill when she realized the note of apology in Guy’s voice was because he was sorry he couldn’t have her right now and that he was at least as turned on by the idea as she was. Mischievously, she brushed a hip against his groin and felt his body’s almost violent response. “That’s all right. The people who showed up tonight are particularly motivated and it’s probably best I stay until at least midnight to meet and talk with them.”

“At least?” The intensity of Guy’s look made Pilar’s whole core tighten most pleasantly.

She smiled up at him. “Well, I guess if your surprise for Sarah is taken care of by then, we could call it midnight on the nose. Is this something SSCS can help expedite?”

“Well, his flight was delayed taking off, but he’s in the air now,” said Guy.

Pilar laughed. “You’re importing another man for her? Nick might not appreciate that.”

“No, no. It’s her brother Patrick-Henry. He left home years ago and broke off all contact except ... well, it’s a long story. Anyway, SSCS already helped me find him. He’s been working as a photographer in Chicago and he’s flying in tonight for a reunion.”

Pilar laughed. “He’s not Patrick Henry Freeman, is he?”

“That ... is the name he’s been working under. Do you know him?” Guy asked.

“I do, actually. He once told me I was the first woman he ever saw naked in person,” Pilar’s smile almost split her face. “Would it be intrusive if I asked to crash this reunion?”

One of the many nice things about dancing while talking, Guy thought, was that it gave you an excuse to pause for a moment when something threw you a conversational curveball like the one Pilar had just lobbed at him. He turned her in his arms so that her back was to his chest, his wrists crossing over her stomach. She shivered a little and melted against him. The realization that Pilar wanted him seemingly as much as he wanted her had been eye-opening to Guy. He’d grown up around people who took all different approaches to swapping and thought he had her pegged as more coolly calculating, but out here on the dance floor, she radiated desire unabashedly.

“You ... slept with Sarah’s brother?” he asked, not sure how he would take an affirmative answer.

Pilar laughed. “No, no. He was working as a photographer’s assistant the first time I decided to commission some special photos for my boyfriend as a Christmas gift. Apparently, I made quite an impression.”

“I’m amazed you didn’t strike the poor boy blind. The Parrish kids grew up very sheltered, you know.” Guy pointed out.

“I got that sense. Sarah seems to have turned out all right, though ... Anne too, although an entirely different form of all right,” Pilar said. “How did you two meet?”

Guy and Sarah had been asked that question often enough to have come up with a sanitized version, but he felt like Pilar deserved more. “Sarah was on a field trip into New Orleans with her church group. I’d just come back to the states from Australia. Some of the guys I was working with invited Sarah and a couple of her friends to a party. She drank too much and wound up crashing at my place where I was a near-perfect gentleman. It sort of took off from there.”

Pilar smirked at him. “I find I have a certain fondness for near-perfect gentlemen, myself.”

“So does Sarah, apparently. After that, I was never quite sure who was chasing who. She was so sweet, but I was going home to Green Mountainside and I thought the second she found out about the people I grew up with, she’d run for the hills.” Guy could laugh at himself in hindsight now, but it had been a nearly existential dilemma at the time.

“I imagine most girls with her upbringing would have,” Pilar said.

“Most girls with any upbringing would. I grew up thinking that my dating choices would always be limited to Green Mountainside and a few enclaves of like-minded people around the world. Things have changed a lot since my parents met. People may not accept polyamory as a lifestyle, but at least they seem to know it exists.” Guy gave her a grin which she reflected.

As the song started to wind down, Pilar glanced around, saw that there was at least one person looking to break in, and said, “If SSCS can get Patrick-Henry here faster, is that all right? We don’t want to usurp your surprise for Sarah.”

Guy considered it for a half second. There was a small, greedy part of him that wanted to claim this all as his own, but the truth was that SSCS was already elbow-deep in the operation. It would be foolish to deprive Sarah of nice things just because he wasn’t providing them directly. “No, that would be great. The sooner he gets here...” He trailed off, torn between being a gentleman and being honest.

Pilar broke away to turn to her next partner, a sultry smile on her face. “Yeah, the sooner, the better.”

“May I have this dance, sir?”

Guy turned to see who had addressed him and took a half step back when he saw who it was. “Andrea?”

She smiled at him. Andrea must be nearing forty by now, but she was still gorgeous - petite and fit, her black hair in a flattering asymmetrical cut. The last time he’d seen her, she’d worn it down to her shoulders. “I would have been pretty surprised if you didn’t remember me.”

Guy looked around. “Is Peter here?”

Andrea shook her head. “Peter wasn’t invited. He’s not a Stone anymore. We got divorced shortly after the last time we saw you.” She held out her hands. “Dance with me?”

Out of curiosity and a desire to not make a scene, Guy stepped in and took Andrea lightly in his arms. “The last time I saw you two, he was pointing a gun at me.”

“A fact that figured prominently in our divorce proceedings. It probably saved me my house.” Andrea smirked, moving smoothly in his arms. “He took me to court and couldn’t prove I’d been unfaithful, but there were plenty of witnesses that saw him with that gun.”

Guy didn’t miss the subtext of that statement. Andrea wanted him to keep his mouth shut about what had happened between them. He gave her a reassuring smile. “People from Green Mountainside have terrible memories when they’re subpoenaed in divorce proceedings.”

Andrea wrapped one delicate hand around his bicep. “I heard you got married. Was it to Brionie?”

“No, last I heard, Brionie was bartending in Paris” Guy smiled. “I met a very nice girl in Louisiana.”