I showed up to work the following day feeling exhausted and out of it. I shouldn’t have even been there but I didn’t want Charles to feel as if I was taking advantage. I was aware that I wasn’t doing the work I had being paid for, and by the stares, whispers, and looks on everyone’s faces on my floor, they felt the same way I did. However, I was determined to make this work without Charles’s intervention.
“Good morning, Ms. Bishop,” one of the eager interns said. By the smirk plastered on his face, he was used to kissing ass and knowing secrets. His eyes and raised eyebrows said it all—you can’t fool me; you got your job by fucking the big boss, and you will be moving up soon and I will have your job. As he passed, nodding in my direction, I received a call.
The voice was professional and warm. “Ms. Bishop, can you come to my office at this time?” It didn’t have the salacious sound of Max when he first hired me in San Francisco, but the tone had the same intent.
“Yes sir. I’ll be there in a minute.” I didn’t know what I would find, but I hoped it wasn’t a naked Charles St. John because I would have to quit on the spot. How could I think such a thing? Charles has been more than a gentleman.
I clambered to the elevator and in seconds, I was at the top floor. I rang the bell, and when the door opened, Charles stood there in a pair of gray slacks and a white V-neck silk sweater. He looked deliciously handsome. “Come in, Alex.” I walked into the room and stood with panic on my face. I just knew he was going to fire me. But wouldn’t he let someone else do that?
“I have good news for you.” My breath eased out. “The judge in family court agreed to hear your case, and my lawyers are preparing to argue before him. I know a few judges myself. If everything goes well, you will have your son back within a week.”
I ran to Charles and looped my arms around his neck. Looking into his cool blue eyes, I leaned into his lips and his mouth met mine. My head began to swirl as if I was on a merry-go-round. I felt dizzy, I felt happy, I felt faint, and I felt his kiss and his evasive tongue. It did something to me. I had to admit I liked it. Pulling myself away from him before I would regret the next step, which was climbing into his bed, I said, “Thank you.”
All of a sudden the hold that Max had over me did not appear to be as strong. I could see, think, and feel again. Charles was a handsome man. His blue eyes and slanted smile seduced me in a way Max had not. His easy manner was the opposite of Max’s direct stand-your-ground attitude. But I wasn’t ready to give up on Max, and I wasn’t ready to be unfaithful to a man I had wanted from the moment I laid eyes on him.
“Alex, have a seat.” I found a chair facing the window looking out into the city. I tried to read Charles’s magnificent face, which concealed his feelings, and he hesitated and then said, “Would you marry me?”
My mouth opened wide, and I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t say no and I wouldn’t dare say yes, but I said, “Wow. You know how to sweep a girl off her feet. Me, why me? Why do you want to marry me?”
“I want to take care of you. I want to take care of you and your son,” he said, cupping my chin with a soft touch of his hand.
“You know very well that Max will never stand for…”
“For me marrying you?” he queried.
“No, that’s not exactly what I wanted to say. He will not stand for another man raising his son.”
“So you are not going to marry Max, and you can’t marry anyone else because of him.”
I hadn’t thought of it that way. Charles had me pondering my future. I was too young to think about that. But now I had to. “I can give you the things you need to prevent Max from taking your son from you again. He can cite the bungalow as an unsuitable home for his child. And you are unable to pay for a private school.”
“But once I have him in my custody, he will have to pay child support and I can afford better living conditions and a school.” I thought my argument was convincing, at least to me.
Charles went to his knees in front of me, meeting my eyes, placing his hands on mine. “Max can claim that he would be a better parent because you are not married and you never told him about his child. There are so many things that he may say, true or false. Furthermore, there is the issue of someone kidnapping his son.”
Confused and bewildered, my face lifted upward, my eyes closed, and my head dropped back. Charles had thrown every reason in the world at me why I should marry him.
“What do you say, Alex? Will you?” I held my breath. He saw me hesitate and my eyes search the room for an answer. He added, “I promise you that if you don’t think we are compatible, you can get an annulment. I will pay you enough money that you won’t have to worry about Maximilian Blackstone unless you want to. I will do you one better. I will let you have access to my lawyers for an annulment or divorce if it doesn’t work out and I will put everything in writing.”
“Give me time to think about this. It’s too much,” I said, shaking my head.
“I’m taking the day off. Take a ride with me to the beach.”
“I don’t know if I can.” He grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet.
“My car is downstairs, and I feel as if I’m twenty again.” His smile lit up my heart and made me feel safe and secure. I agreed. We took an elevator reserved for Charles. I was happy to sneak past all the people looking to gossip about me, especially the mole Max had planted in Charles’s bank.
He placed his hand behind my waist and led me through the doors. When I stepped out, there was an expensive silver sports car waiting with an attendant opening the door. Charles opened my door, and someone rushed up and took our picture. “That’s what happens when I drive instead of taking my limo.” I thought nothing of it and sat and swiveled my legs around, planting then in the car on its lush floor mats. He walked around and sat under the wheel.
Looking to him, I asked, “What kind of car is this?”
“A Maserati Quattroporte.”
“Oh. OK.” I giggled a little. It must have been the nervous laugh that gave me away. Glancing my way with a smile, Charles knew I had never seen one before.
“Max is a collector. Why hasn’t he taken you for a ride in it?” He queried.
“He’s been busy, and we have had a contentious relationship. Can we talk about something else?” I shook my head, closing my eyes.
“Whatever you wish. You haven’t had lunch.”
“I want a big, juicy cheeseburger,” I said with the eagerness of a teenager.
“Me too,” he said with a wide smile. I couldn’t imagine Charles driving up in that car to a fast food window and ordering a hamburger. I thought he was trying to show me that he was human and just a man, which was more than I could say about Max. In some ways I was in awe of Max. He had control of his feelings. Maybe that was why I tried so hard to force emotions from him with my constant denial of him.
I might have been secretly afraid of losing him because I would go so far with him and then give in. I never wanted to lose that man. I never wanted him out of my life, and I never wanted him not to pay attention to me. But Charles was forcing me to examine my life and what I wanted from it.
***
Charles dropped me at home at the end of the day. And as soon as I walked into the house, placed my purse on a table, and kicked off my shoes, I drifted into the kitchen to get a bottle of water, but I heard a knock at the door. “Who the hell is it this time?” I grumbled. The knock was loud; I knew that knock. It was the big, bad wolf. All of me said don’t open it, but I did. Max burst through the open door.
“Do you understand, Max, I’m not the only person that lives here?” I said standing near the doorframe. “What are you doing here? Please leave.”
“What is wrong with you, Alex? What is going on with you? I leave you for a moment and you are fucking St. John.”
“Leave, Max. We have been through this a thousand times. I don’t think we have any more to say to each other.” Max turned on his heel, not expecting me to send him on his way, and then he swung around. He had more to say, and I was not going to dismiss him.
“I can’t leave. What is it you want from me? I have my son and Jonas to deal with, and every minute I am worrying about you.”
“I’m not your concern. Our child is. I’m not your child. I’m a woman. Not that girl you screw when you can’t sleep. I have my wants and desires. I have a life away from you.” Max walked in my direction, and I backed up, moving away from him. “You have no excuse for what you have done to us, Max.” I saw a crack in his armor. His eyes telegraphed his concern, and sadness blanketed them. “You have taken my child from me. I knew you were a lot of things, but I never knew you would be ruthless and cold with me.”
“I’m trying to change, Alex. It’s not enough that I love you and want you with me and our son?” he questioned.
“No it’s not enough. I have to be able to make my own decisions and not have you manipulate a situation to gain control of me.” Max acted as if I had been talking to the wall. His eyes wandered around the room and settled on my lips and then my breasts.
“Are you fucking him? Tell me, Alex.” He came close to me with fiery eyes.
“Did you fuck that Beaumont woman?” I said to counter. His eyes calmed.
“That was a long time ago. She’s acting as if it was just yesterday. I’m handling the matter.” I’ve heard that before. I closed my eyes and shook my head. Max understood my body language.
“Max, Charles asked me to marry him, and I’m considering it.”
“He’s using you to hurt me. He knows that I’m weighed down with Jonas, and now he realizes that Jonas was part of the strategy to take business from him. He wants you and my son. He’s trying to destroy me.”
I looked at Max in disbelief. “You are creating something that doesn’t exist. What are you talking about?”
“His dead wife, she is the mirror image of you when she was your age. She died without having children for him, and he’s trying to replace her with you and my son. Can’t you see that?” He held my wrist. I pulled away from him. “He’s not genuine. He wants to make you into the image of his dead wife.”
I stepped back. “That is ridiculous,” I said, raising my voice higher than normal. “I can’t see anything other than you wanting to disrupt my life, and I don’t want to deal with you now.”
Max turned and walked away. I couldn’t read his expression. My heart pounded out of control, and I had to brace myself on the doorframe. I was afraid—afraid that he would never come back. I closed the door behind me, and when I looked through the window I saw Max leaving and Blake driving up and parking.
Waiting at the door until Blake walked to the porch, I was out of breath. He rushed up the steps. “Are you all right, Alex? I saw Max through your window, but I couldn’t get here in time.”
“It was nothing, Blake. Max wouldn’t hurt me.”
“What’s wrong, Alex?”
“I don’t know what to do. I’m caught between two billionaires.” Blake brought me into his arms and held me for a few. “Do you want some coffee?” Blake nodded yes, and I asked him in.
Crystal appeared in the doorway to her room. “I didn’t know you were here, Crystal.”
“I just talked to Jonas, and he’s having a terrible time in jail. He can’t stand the confinement. And Max hasn’t been there to see him. Please ask Max to do something.” I held Crystal until she felt better. She disappeared into her room and closed the door. I glanced at Blake.
He watched as I prepared the coffeemaker. It only brewed one cup at a time. I brought it to him, and he sat quietly looking down into the cup. “Can you do something to help, Blake? Do you think Jonas killed that girl?”
“I can’t discuss the case, and no I don’t think he did it.” Please don’t say Max killed her. I couldn’t handle it, I thought.
“All I can tell you is that it will all be over soon, Alex.” As I left to get my coffee, my smartphone setting on the dining table rang. “Hello, Alex?”
“Yes, speaking.”
“Don’t you recognize my voice? It’s Josh.”
“Oh my God, Josh. Where are you?”
“I’m in Seattle. I flew in last night.”
“Josh, I’ve missed you so much.” I almost forgot about Blake until he stood and waved at me and gestured for me to continue talking on the phone. He mouthed that he would keep in touch. I blew him a kiss and he caught it and put it next to his heart. Blake let himself out and got into his Dodge truck and left as Josh rambled on about how he missed me and Crystal.
“How about if I drive over and take my favorite girls out to dinner?”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Crystal has been going through something lately.”
“She’s not pregnant, is she?”
“Why would that cross your mind?”
“I wouldn’t mine being a father.”
“Oh please, Josh, let’s not talk about that now.”
“When? Where is Crystal and why hasn’t she answered my calls?” A long silence came between us.
“I’ll see you tonight at your apartment,” I said, hurrying him off the phone.
“Make sure you bring Crystal here, because there is something I need to tell her.”
“She has a job, you know. I can’t guarantee anything.”
We said good-bye and I knocked on Crystal’s door. “Come in.”
Crystal lay draped across her bed. The room was a mess—dirty clothes thrown across chairs and on the floor surrounding the bed, day-old Chinese takeout, and drinks on trays had the room smelling like a dead rat.
“How can you sleep in here like that?”
“I’m depressed.”
“Have you gone to work?”
“No, I called in sick for a few days.”
“You have to get yourself together because Josh is here.”
“Here?” Her eyes widened and she stuck her head under the covers. “Tell him to go away.”
“He’s not here; he’s at his apartment in Seattle.”
“Good. I can’t see him now. I can’t see anyone. I miss Jonas and he needs me. Josh doesn’t need me. I love Jonas.” I couldn’t believe that Crystal would fall for a misfit like Jonas. But then, looking at the guys she had dated, Jonas and Joshua were the best of the bunch, and Joshua was far better than anything she had found.
After Crystal cried and convinced me that Josh was better off without her, I was sold on the idea. But she left me to break the news to Josh.
Excited to see my friend, I dressed and drove to Max’s hotel, where Josh had an apartment on the thirty-third floor. I dropped my VW off with the valet. He took my keys as if I had the plague. That drew a silent laugh from me.
The doorman opened the door wide and gave me a glance of recognition. When I had walked halfway through the lobby, I heard the doorman say, “Welcome back, Mr. Blackstone and Ms. Beaumont.” I turned in time to see them enter, him smiling and her hand looped under his and his left hand placed over hers.
I paused a moment because he hadn’t reached his private elevators. I wanted him to see me so there could be no denying that he was with her or the standard excuse. Jonas was in county jail, but the look on Max’s face said that he didn’t give a damn. He was going to get whatever Jessica Beaumont specialized in, which from looking at her could be any number of things.
When Max and Jessica reached the elevators, he had to cross my path to get to his penthouse elevator. As he made a right, I crossed in front of him to my left. I turned and faced him. “I hope she makes you happy,” I said with trembling lips.
I thought my heart had stopped beating and that I had died. The opening of the elevator doors sent a whoosh of air, and I knew I was alive, at least for the moment.
Max startled and his eyes opened wide, not expecting to see me. And I was so upset that I couldn’t see or think. He stopped, pulling away from Jessica to go after me, but she wouldn’t let go of his arm. All he could do was call my name. “Alex. Alex.” I ran into the elevator, and the door closed behind me.
My hand never stopped ringing Josh’s bell. I needed someplace to run and hide. I wanted to forget what I had seen but there were too many visuals to process. I couldn’t buy a smile from Max, but he was giving it away to that bitch.
“Whoa. What’s going on, Alex?” When Josh opened the door I grabbed him and threw myself into his arms.
“I love you too, Alex.”
“Oh Josh, I just saw Max with Jessica Beaumont.” Josh raised an eyebrow. “The one he took to the fundraiser.” He shook his head acknowledging who I referred to. I dropped onto his couch. Josh rushed to open a bottle of wine. He poured me a glass.
“Here. Take this.” I reached for the glass and swallowed a large gulp.
The wine began working. It was doing what I hoped it would—make me drunk. I confessed all my sins. I told Josh about Charles and Max. I told him how Max had been pressuring me to marry him, and that if I didn’t he would never let me have my son. I told Josh about the marriage proposal from Charles, and that I was considering his proposal, at which point Joshua stared at me and then blinked and sighed.
“I can’t believe that you would even consider marrying St. John. You are half his age, and he is still mourning his dead wife. Whenever I’ve been in his presence, he pulls out a picture of her and shows it all around. And he tells everyone that she was the most beautiful woman he has ever met. Do you want to marry a man like that?”
“Now you sound like Max. Are you now over in public relations, or are you a goodwill ambassador for Blackstone?”
“I’m just stating the facts, Alex.” I squirmed in my seat and polished off another glass of wine. “I saw her picture, Alex. He showed it to Max too, and she looks exactly like you. Only you are a younger version. So maybe Max has something there when he says that he is trying to re-create a version of his wife.”
“That’s just not true. And there are a lot of people that resemble one another,” I said.
“Do what you want, but I think you’re making a bad choice. I would take a man who wanted me for myself instead of one who would try to remake me after someone else. That’s just creepy.”
“I can live with creepy; I just can’t live with someone dominating me.”
“Then you dominate him. Isn’t that what you do? Aren’t those the games you and Max played?” I gave Josh the finger.
“Josh, I’m serious.”
“That’s your problem. You are too serious. I tell you what; let’s go to the bar downstairs and listen to jazz. There’s this great piano player. We can get drunk and you can tell me about Crystal.”
I wished Josh would get drunk enough that I could tell him about Jonas and Crystal. I agreed because I didn’t want to be confined in a room with Josh and have to think about what Max was doing with Jessica.
We headed downstairs. Getting off the elevator, we slid to the right and into a cozy room where soft music was playing. We sat at a booth and ordered scotch and water for Josh and a glass of red wine for me. We could see into the lobby because of the glass façade, and when the waiter placed the bottle of wine on the table, I looked up and saw Max and Jessica, all smiles, heading for the door. He had his limo waiting for them. He even opened the door for her. That should be me, I thought.
I nudged Josh, and he looked up and glanced at the two. “They look pretty cozy, Alex. Are you sure you want to let her have him? You were made for each other. You look good together. You understand each other, and your sex habits are compatible.”
By that time I was drunk. “What do you know about my sexual habits?”
Joshua snapped his fingers. “Remember me? I’m the guy that went through all this shit with you.”
“Oh yeah, my friend Josh.” I looped my arm around his neck. “Josh, you are too good for Crystal.”
“What do you mean? You haven’t said a word about her all night.”
“There is something you need to know,” I said, not realizing that I should let Crystal break the news herself.
“Let me speak, Alex.” Josh put his finger up to stop me from rambling on. “I need you to tell Crystal that I have found someone else, and that I didn’t mean to hurt her.” My eyes widened.
“Did I hear you correctly?”
“Yes, and I need you to tell her. I don’t want to see her cry.”
“Trust me, there won’t be any tears, and I will be happy to break the news to her.”
Josh kissed my cheek, and we kept on with the business of getting drunk. We had to hold each other up as we climbed into the elevator taking us to Josh’s room. I explained all the things that had happen since he had been in Hong Kong. I talked about Jonas’s arrest, and Josh didn’t seem surprised.
I couldn’t bring myself to tell him about Crystal and Jonas. He was happy now that he thought he had broken a woman’s heart, and to tell him that Crystal had fucked Jonas before Josh set down in Hong Kong would have burst his last balloon and taken away his stud credit.
***
We woke the next morning with headaches. I lay across Joshua’s bed, and he sprawled on the floor wrapped in a blanket his grandmother had given him. The sun peeking in through the sheer curtains woke me; otherwise, I would have been in a sleepy, drunken daze. I walked to the bathroom, stepping over Josh, careful not to wake him. After a long flight, he needed to sleep even if it was on the floor.
Rummaging through his closet, I found a flannel shirt and pajama pants. I took them to change into after my shower. Turning on the shower, I stood there letting the water bathe me and wash the scent of alcohol from all my pores. Stepping out, I pulled up the pajama pants and put on the shirt. I threw my dress into a bag and padded into the kitchen for coffee and some sort of bread.
After putting on the coffee, I walked to the door to get the paper. I wondered what kind of news would be printed about Jonas. After reaching down and taking the paper, I opened it to the front page. I felt stunned, confused, and crazed out of my mind described my emotions. The headlines read: Maximilian Blackstone the Billionaire Industrialist Will Wed Socialite Jessica Beaumont in Las Vegas.
When I gained my senses, I noticed a package placed at the door. I picked it up and looked at it. It was a box wrapped in beautiful floral paper, and it had a note attached. I opened the envelope and it read: You will probably need these items today. You never let me give you anything. Maybe you will now. Your Dom, Max. I wanted to take the package and throw it into the garbage, but my curiosity needed to be satisfied. I opened it and found a box of underwear and bras. Although I needed a change, I was pissed.
I reached for my smartphone and began texting.
Fuck u Max. Fuck u. Fuck u.
Alex
Tell me when and where and I’ll be there.
Max
U will never get another chance, u dick.
Alex
Never is a long time. U have such a potty mouth for such a pretty woman.
Max
Since u r marrying Jessica, y don’t we make it a double wedding. I’m going to accept Charles’s proposal.
U don’t understand, Alex. I have a reason for this. U have no reason to marry St. John but to hurt me. Don’t do it.
I know ur reason, u sex maniac.
Maybe I’m one but I’m urs.
Max
I couldn’t take it any longer; I knew I was on the precipice. I was one step from submitting to him and accepting anything he threw my way. I came to my senses, and realization took hold. I was playing Max’s game, and he had just dealt an unforgivable blow. Reading about his upcoming marriage to Jessica had caused me to be weak, or maybe I didn’t understand how horrific it was for him when I told him that I might marry Charles. He was winning this game, but I wasn’t ready to submit to him. I wasn’t ready to say that he had won and I would do anything to have him and keep him.
I turned the phone off without answering the last text.