by E. L. Todd
I didn’t understand the question, so I gave him a perplexed expression.
“We’re exclusive,” he explained. “So why don’t we do what exclusive people do?”
“Have a drawer at each other’s places?” I asked incredulously.
“No,” he said with a chuckle. “Skip the condoms.”
I’d only been with one man that way—and that was because I was married to him. I faced forward again and kept walking. “That’s too serious for me.”
“If it’s just the two of us, shouldn’t we enjoy it more?”
I shook my head. “That’s just too much for me right now.”
He let it go. “Alright, I understand. But I hope it’s not because you don’t trust me.”
“I just…don’t want that.” It was too intimate, especially for me when I was finally putting myself back together. I said I was willing to try with this man, and that was just recently. This seemed rushed.
“Okay.” He kept his hand on my back and didn’t withdraw his affection.
When we made it to my building, he walked me to my door, his hair messy from the way I’d fisted it on the couch. It was odd that he put on his dinner attire to walk me home instead of something more casual. Wouldn’t he have thrown on a t-shirt and jeans or something? “Well, thanks for walking me.”
“Sure.” He pulled me close and kissed me goodbye, his hand sliding into my hair. “I’ll see you later. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Before he walked away, he gripped my ass cheek and gave it a playful squeeze. “Have a good day tomorrow, sweetheart.” He walked down the hallway, his broad shoulders powerful, his muscular arms swaying by his sides, his ass tight in his slacks.
It made me forget my annoyance.
I stepped inside the apartment.
Charlie was on the couch with the TV on, reading through paperwork. “How’d it go?” he asked without looking at me.
“We had a good time. God, he’s so good at sex.” I sat in the armchair.
“Good to know.” He finished reading his last sentence before he looked at me. “No wonder he was good, since you’re dressed like that.”
“I look pretty good, huh?” I winked.
He chuckled. “You’ve looked worse.”
“Wow, what a compliment.”
He set his paperwork on the coffee table. “You guys had a good time?”
“Yeah. He took me to another fancy place.” I rolled my eyes. “I said I want tacos and beer next time, that the expensive stuff doesn’t impress me.”
“And what did he say?”
“He was cool with it. But the dinner was like two hundred bucks. I offered to split it, but he wouldn’t let me, which was kinda a relief because I didn’t want to spend a hundred bucks on a single meal…and I’m still hungry. I mean, that’s how much I spend on food in a week, you know?”
He shrugged. “Just trying to be a good guy. Can’t fault him for that.”
“I know.” I grabbed my clutch to pull out my phone. But it wasn’t there. “Oh shoot…”
“What?”
“I think I left my phone at his apartment. Give me yours.”
He grabbed it from the table and tossed it to me.
I caught it and made the call with the phone to my ear. It rang. “Good thing you’re crushing on him and have his number.”
He rolled his eyes.
It went to voice mail. “Damn, he’s ghosting you.”
“He’s probably walking and doesn’t feel it vibrating in his pocket.”
I got to my feet and headed to my bedroom. “I can’t walk all the way back in heels, so I’m going to change and head out.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Charlie.” I went into my bedroom and pulled on jeans and a shirt. When I came back, Charlie was ready to go. “I seriously don’t need you to take me.”
“It’s almost eleven.”
“So? You’ve never done this chivalrous stuff before, so why start now?”
“Because you don’t have a phone, dumbass.”
“Give me yours.”
“So you can call me?” he snapped.
I rolled my eyes and walked out.
Charlie came with me, and we walked to Dax’s apartment on the same route. It was only a few blocks away, but it felt like a whole different world by the time we got there.
“Are you sure he’s even here?”
“Where else would he go at eleven in the evening?” I approached his door and knocked.
“Then why didn’t he call me back?”
“Probably because it’s eleven at night. If it were me, he probably would have answered.” I stood in front of his door and waited.
No sound.
Charlie waited, staring at me, growing more suspicious by the second. “I don’t think he’s here…”
“Then where would he go?” I felt the dread in my chest, the anxiety that rattled my nerves. Why would he drop me off and then disappear? The only logical explanation was something terrible, like he still had a wife and he went home to her, that this apartment was just a fuck pad. “He’s married, isn’t he?”
“Whoa, let’s not jump to conclusions—”
“Why don’t you see the evidence right in front of you?”
“Maybe he went by the store on the way home or something—”
“Right now?” I asked incredulously. “Charlie, come on. I know you’ve got the hots for him—”
“He deserves the benefit of the doubt, alright? Why would he be trying so hard with you when he could have just left it alone and got sex on a regular basis? Doesn’t make sense.” He pulled out his phone and texted Dax. We’re outside your door. Carson forgot her phone inside your apartment. “I’m sure he’ll have a good answer.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I swear to fucking god, if he’s a two-timing piece of shit—”
“Just chill, alright?”
The phone started to ring, and his name popped up.
Charlie answered right away. “Hey, man. Where are you?”
“Hey, Charlie. I had to help out a friend. I’ll be there in like five minutes.”
“Alright. We’ll be here.” He hung up.
“Help out a friend?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s…” I grabbed his phone so I could see the screen. “11:27.”
“Well, it wasn’t eleven when his friend called.”
“But what could he possibly be doing?”
Charlie looked away.
“Why aren’t you more upset about this?”
He shook his head and turned back to me. “Because…I don’t want you to be right. Dax seems like a great guy, and if he’s not, then he’s a pathological liar, and that’s just…really depressing. I don’t want to live in a world where people are this evil… I can’t do it. So, I’d rather keep hoping for the best.”
I leaned against the door and sighed, feeling the dread in my chest, the fear gripping me by the throat.
Charlie leaned against the door too. “Let’s not jump to conclusions, alright?”
“Sorry, it’s my job. I look at evidence and make conclusions.”
“But we don’t have all the evidence. You’re making unfair assumptions.”
I rolled my eyes.
Dax walked down the hallway minutes later, in the clothes he’d dropped me off in. He was smiling at me, retaining his calm and cool composure. “Hey.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket as he approached the door. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to leave your phone behind just to see me again.” He got it unlocked then stepped inside.
Charming asshole.
“I could have brought it to you.” He picked it up from the floor where it had fallen off the table.
“It’s fine. Charlie didn’t mind coming with me.” I took the phone and slipped it into my pocket. “I would have waited until tomorrow, but I need it for work.”
“I understand.” His arm circled my waist, and he gave
me a kiss. “No explanation needed.”
I kissed him back, but my heart wasn’t totally in it. “Is your friend okay?”
His eyes narrowed on my face for a second. “Yeah. He asked me to go by the pharmacy and grab something for him. He was discharged from the hospital recently. He broke his leg, so it’s hard for him to get around.”
“Oh no, sorry to hear that,” Charlie said.
“Yeah,” I said, wanting to believe him but not entirely convinced he was telling the truth. “Well, we should get going…”
He headed to the door. “Goodnight.” He gave me another kiss before I walked out.
“See you later, man.” Charlie shook his hand.
“Get my girl home safely.” He stood in the doorway, one hand on the knob.
I rolled my eyes. “I can get my ass home safely on my own.” I turned to walk away.
His voice came from behind me, addressing Charlie. “Damn, isn’t she sexy?” He shut the door.
Charlie caught up with me. “He seemed normal to me.”
“Yeah…”
“If he’s hiding anything, he’s a criminal mastermind. And I just don’t believe that.”
It was hard for me to believe too, but something still felt off.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Alright.” I tried to push it from my mind, to not be a person who assumed everyone was a liar any time a story didn’t quite fit. I really liked Dax, more than I should, and he was such a positive thing in my life that I didn’t want to jeopardize it…even if it meant my heart was at risk.
Twenty-One
Dax
I sat in my chair near the window, leaning back with my elbow on the armrest, my eyes on the view of the city, the other skyscrapers and the glimpse of Central Park as it extended for miles. I’d been sitting there for a while, various thoughts going through my mind, both business and personal.
A knock sounded on my office door.
Very few people just came to my door, so I knew who it was. “Come in.” I turned in my chair, facing my desk and the rest of my office, the two couches and the coffee table, the large double doors that led to my two assistants who faced each other at their desks.
My sister stepped inside, carrying a folder of paperwork. She was in a navy-blue dress with a black jacket on top, her long hair pulled over one shoulder. Her heels tapped against the floor as she approached my desk. “Bad day?”
My only response was my stare.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She set the folder on my desk. “Everything is in there.”
I pulled it close to me, opened it, and flipped through the numbers.
She took a seat and looked outside, admiring the sunshine that illuminated the city.
I took my time reading through it, licking my fingers and thumbing through each page.
“Ugh, I hate it when you do that.”
I glanced at her, licked my thumb, and dragged it down the center of the page.
“Real mature.”
I returned everything to the folder and tossed it back onto the desk. “It’s fine.”
“You can keep them.” She held up her hand, not interested in the paperwork that was full of my licks. “I’ll just print another copy.”
I propped my cheek against my knuckles, staring at her, both annoyed and relaxed in her presence.
She stared at me for a while. “She didn’t take the deal.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Because if she had, that would have been the first thing out of your mouth.”
Slowly, a look of pity came over her face. “She’s purposely useless so she doesn’t have to work, and she continues to collect her paycheck like she’s employee of the month.” She didn’t directly accuse me of anything, but the resentment was there, deep under the skin, hidden in her gaze.
“I’m sorry, Renee.”
“I don’t blame you—”
“Yes, you do.”
She sighed quietly, her shoulders lifting with the breath she took.
“And you have every right to.” I hadn’t taken my father’s advice when I’d married her. I was an arrogant dumbass who risked the company that had been in my family for two generations. I gave my marriage everything, not realizing I was giving my family nothing. I shouldn’t be sitting in this chair at this point. Didn’t fucking deserve it.
“We’ll figure something out…eventually.”
I didn’t have any options. I’d tried to buy her out many times, but there was never any price high enough—not when she could get a fat check every month for the rest of her life. “What’s new with you?” I didn’t want to talk about her anymore. I didn’t want to spend any of my precious time thinking of my gravest mistake.
“William and I went to dinner last night.”
“Sounds like it’s getting serious.”
She shrugged. “Might be.” Renee was beautiful, looking so much like my mother, it seemed as if she were still here even though she’d been sleeping in her grave for years. She was also smart, talented, and funny…so she could have any guy she wanted. But there never seemed to be a serious man in her life.
Maybe my horrific marriage scared the fucking shit out of her.
It would scare anyone. “Should I meet this guy?”
She released a quiet laugh. “So you can run him off?”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
She turned back to me, one eyebrow raised.
“I wouldn’t,” I repeated.
“Uh-huh…”
“If I liked him, I wouldn’t.”
“And I doubt you’ll ever like anyone.”
“You’re the pickiest woman I know, so I trust your quality-assurance program.”
She rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips. “Let me think about it.”
“First of all, do you like him? Because that’s the most important thing here.”
“Yes.”
“Like, really like him?”
“I don’t usually let myself like anyone until they pass all the tests.”
“Has he?”
She nodded.
I started to count on my fingers. “Honest?”
She nodded.
“Kind?” I held up a second finger.
“Yep.”
“Got a job?”
She rolled her eyes. “You think I’m gonna date a guy without a job?”
“Just going through the motions here. Does he like sports?”
“Why does that matter?”
“Want to make sure we have something in common.”
“So, you have to have something in common with my boyfriend to like him?”
“It would certainly help. Does he play basketball?”
“Uh, I’m not sure.”
“Golf?”
“I’m pretty sure he golfs.”
“Good.”
She shook her head slightly. “Now I want you to meet him even less.”
“Well, I’m gonna meet the guy eventually, so there’s no avoiding it.”
“But you can try to be cool about it.”
“Mom and Dad aren’t around anymore, so it’s my job not to be cool about it.”
She thought I was joking and got to her feet. “I have to get back to my desk. See you later.”
I didn’t want to give the guy a hard time, but I didn’t want my sister to make the same mistakes I did. I didn’t want her to be not only heartbroken, but humiliated, ashamed. I carried that every single day, and it was worse when I had to look my ex in the eye—the eyes of the fucking devil.
After work, I met Clint at the bar. I was in my suit, as was he.
He sat at the table alone, tucked in the corner because it was the table always given to him when he came in to spend money. He was already drinking when I walked in. “You look like shit. Did you see that cunt today?”
“Not in the flesh.” All I did was raise my hand, and the waitress brought my regular drink—a scotch, neat
. I grabbed the glass and took a drink, wiping my lip with my thumb when a drop missed my mouth. “But I can feel her presence in the building—because it’s five thousand degrees.”
He chuckled. “Her horns poke through the ceiling, too?”
“Wouldn’t be surprised. What’s up with you?”
He shrugged. “Made some money. Lost some money. You know how it goes.”
“No. I tend not to lose money.”
“You lost quite a bit when your divorce went public.”
I gave him a cold glare.
“Alright, that was low.”
I drank from my scotch.
“So, how’s it going with that sassy reporter?”
I sighed as I looked into my glass then dragged my hand down my face, feeling the guilt, the anger, all the self-loathing.
“Damn…sorry I asked.”
“Everything with her is fine.” I straightened and dropped my hand to the table. “I’m really into her.”
“Then what’s with the bad mood?”
“Because…” I stared into my scotch, seeing the dark liquid staring back at me. “I keep lying to her.”
“Come on, you have to protect yourself. The second a woman knows who you are, it changes everything. It’s not fair to you.”
“I know. But she was at my fake apartment last night and left her phone behind. When she went back to get it, I wasn’t there. I had to tell my driver to turn around and haul ass to get back there. Then I lied about helping a friend…at eleven at night.”
“But you would help a friend at that time of night.”
“That’s not the point. I’m not sure if she was suspicious or not, but it just felt…dirty.”
“Then tell her.”
I didn’t want to do that either. Since I actually liked her, I was afraid it would change everything.
“How upset can she really be?” he asked incredulously. “When she finds out you’re a billionaire, she’ll probably be excited. She won’t have to sleep in a shitty apartment. She’ll come to your penthouse and check out that view. Party with us on the yacht. You know, live life in the fast lane. Trust me, she’s not going to give a damn that you lied.”
I really didn’t know how she would feel about it. She didn’t seem like a woman who cared about wealth. She was annoyed every time we went to a fancy place, and she always attested tacos were just fine. When we came back to my apartment, she never teased me for how barren it was. She came back time and time again. So, would my wealth change anything? Or would the lie be the reason she lost her temper?