Mr. Big Love: The Mr. Big Series: Book Two

by Lund, S. E.

  As we said goodbye to Nathan and took the limo back to the hotel, I knew in my heart which place Luke wanted.

  He wanted the Park Avenue three bedroom with the patio.

  My instinct was to take the cheapest of the five apartments, but that wouldn’t be fair to Luke. He could afford it -- like he said, even with the outlay of the money, he'd still have a thousand times as much to invest in the new corporation.

  "What do you think?" I asked, squeezing his hand as we drove along the streets back to the hotel. "Which one do you want?"

  "No question. Park Avenue. The others feel like a letdown in comparison."

  I nodded, finally agreeing. "We should look some more tomorrow. We shouldn't buy something so quickly."

  "It'll be gone if we wait too long," Luke said. "This is Manhattan, not Portland. Besides, I'm not bargain shopping. I'm looking for a place I want to live in, and the Park Avenue apartment is somewhere I'd be happy to live."

  "I'll leave it up to you," I said, smiling to myself, still feeling like I had to pinch myself that I was going to be living in such a nice apartment.

  "It's not just up to me," he protested. "We're partners, Alexa. I mean that. It's not just lip service. We both have to be happy with the place."

  "It's all your money," I said softly.

  "What's mine is yours," he said with a smile. "The good, the bad, and the apartment."

  I laughed.

  "I love the Park Avenue apartment."

  "Me, too. I'll talk to my banker and let Nathan know we like it."

  I nodded and we drove the rest of the way in silence, both of us smiling.

  For the past eight months, I'd been living on The Phoenix and while it was fantastic as catamarans go, it wasn't an apartment. My apartment with Candace was like a hovel in comparison, but the point was living with Candace. We were best buds and were living our dream of going to school in Manhattan.

  This was my new life with Luke, and I had to accept that he was wealthy.

  I'd be wealthy when I married him. Even with a pre-nup, I'd be living like the one percent.

  Probably better.

  The money didn't matter to me. I'd have been with Luke even if he wasn't the CEO who developed Chatter, and even if he wasn't Luke Marshall, the poor little rich boy whose parents were killed in a car accident when he was young.

  I'd live with him in a small one-bedroom student apartment near Columbia if I had to.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Luke

  I spoke with Rod Campbell, my banker, a friend of my adoptive father who helped me with financing Chatter, and who I now used for all my investment decisions. I told him about the apartment on Park Avenue and asked him to take a look at the listing and let me know what he thought. I said I was really serious about buying it, had the money and just wanted to know if it was a good investment.

  "Do you love this place?" he asked.

  "I love it. My fiancée loves it. We've looked at what's available with our specs, and it's the one we like best."

  "I'll have my real estate guy look at it and let you know."

  "How long will this take? I don't want to lose it."

  "Later today," he said. "He'll get right on it."

  "Thanks," I said. "I appreciate the quick turnaround."

  "I know how hot the market is right now. No time to waste when you find something you like."

  We ended the call and I turned to Alexa. "Well, that's done. We should have word back tonight about the place and I can call Nathan and let him know we'd like to put in an offer."

  "Sounds good," Alexa said with a smile. She exhaled like it was stressful and I laughed.

  "Hey," I said and put my arms around her, squeezing her. "It's really okay. As long as he says the price is fair market value, I'll get it."

  She nodded. "I've never bought a property before. My parents only bought a house ten years ago. It's all new to me."

  "It's only my second place, so I'm no expert."

  "Now what?" Alexa asked, her arms slipping around my neck.

  "Well, I have a few ideas..." I smiled, my eyes narrowing.

  "I thought you might."

  For the next hour, we forgot all about buying houses.

  I got a call back from Rod in less than an hour, while Alexa and I were lying on the bed, watching news.

  "Hey, just wanted to say that my guy said that the house is listed at fair market price," Rod said. "You can go ahead and buy it without worrying that you're overpaying. In fact, my guy said it's a good deal, considering the location. It's actually one of the more modest homes for sale in the area."

  "It is, but it's all we need for now. We will probably keep it as our Manhattan apartment. When my fiancée is finished with her PhD, we'll likely be commuting between Southern California, Florida and Manhattan depending on my business activities. Hell, we may end up in The Hague, depending on what job she ends up getting."

  "The Hague? She one of those international relations majors?"

  "Yes," I said with pride. "Wants to work for the UN."

  "Ambitious," he said. "Well, if you need anything else, let me know."

  "Thanks, Rod," I said and ended the call.

  I gave Alexa a thumb's-up.

  "Are you sure about this?" she asked. "It's a big decision."

  "I'm sure."

  I dialed Nathan to give him the news.

  "Hey, Nathan," I said. "I just checked with my banker and he says that the Park Avenue apartment is a good deal, so we want to go ahead and put an offer on it."

  "Fantastic," Nathan said and I could hear his mind doing the ka-ching calculations on how much he'd net off the sale. "It's my listing so I'm exceptionally happy you decided on it, of course."

  I laughed. "I guess. When is the possession date? We're currently living at the Hilton and would be interested in moving in as soon as possible."

  "The owners said they could do thirty days, if the price was right."

  "Okay, then. Make sure the price is right. We want it. Thirty days would be amazing, if they can do it."

  "They've already bought a place upstate and can move in any time, so it's just a matter of arranging a moving company and cleaners. No problem."

  "Great," I said. "How long before you think you'll hear back?"

  "I can draw up the papers and have you sign them electronically. Then, I'll talk to them and send the papers right away. If they like your number, I'm sure they'll say yes.”

  I thanked him again before ending the call. Then, I turned to Alexa and smiled.

  "I think we might just have us an apartment. If they accept our offer, we can move in thirty days."

  She came to me and slipped her arms around my neck. "I'm excited. I've never had such a nice place before. What about furniture? We're going to have to get everything. My measly things at Candace's place won't fill much."

  "You can forget your measly things at Candace's place," I said. "You need a new desk, a real desk with a hutch and filing cabinet. You're a doctoral student and that's serious business."

  She laughed. "My father always said a PhD meant 'piled higher and deeper' so I don't know how serious it is in the greater scheme of things."

  "Don't kid yourself," I said and kissed her. "Your father is exceptionally proud of you for going this far in your education. I know he is because he told me so."

  She smiled at that. "I guess."

  "No 'I guess'. You should be proud."

  I pulled her into my arms, and we embraced for a few moments, just enjoying each other's warmth.

  We spent the rest of the day enjoying the good weather, walking through Central Park and waiting to hear back from Nathan. Later that evening, I got the call from Nathan that the owners were happy with our price and so the place was ours once we signed all the papers.

  Thirty days...

  We celebrated by going to a nice restaurant in Midtown that served some of the best steaks around. I invited John and Greg to join us, and the four of us had an en
joyable meal and then spent some time afterward in the lounge, having drinks and celebrating.

  Over the next week, while Alexa went to class and I worked on the new project, we settled into a routine that we would keep for the next year at least. The only difference would be that we would be living in our own apartment and would no longer live out of our suitcases and off room service.

  I got a call from Nathan to come and meet him to sign papers, and went down to the real estate office, which was closer to Central Park. I met him before dinner, promising Alexa that we'd order in and watch the game instead of going shopping for furnishings for the apartment since she had a busy day in class and teaching her seminar.

  On my way back, I caught sight of Eric entering the building ahead, a boutique hotel called The Lowell, on Madison Avenue and 63rd. Street.

  He wasn't alone.

  I asked the driver to pull over and I hopped out, and walked down the street towards the hotel, glancing at my watch to check the time.

  Six o'clock. What on earth could Eric be doing going into a hotel at this time, with a beautiful young woman on his arm?

  I had no doubt about the reason and my anger rose.

  I stopped in a doorway half a block away and texted Dana, just to see what she was doing and if I could get some intel on where Eric was supposed to be.

  LUKE: Hey, sis. What's up in your world? Whatcha doing tonight? You and Eric looking after that beautiful little baby? I thought I might pop by and check on you.

  DANA: Hey, brother. We're doing fine. Eric is out of town on a business trip all week, but I'm free if you want to visit.

  I clenched my fist, wishing I could plough it right into Eric's smug face.

  LUKE: I'd love to pop by. Be there in about half an hour. Have you eaten dinner yet? I could pick up something and we could indulge in whatever you desire.

  DANA: Whatever I desire? How about Korean BBQ. I can't ever get enough.

  LUKE: Korean BBQ it is. See you in about 30 depending on traffic.

  DANA: Love you, bro.

  LUKE: Love you, sis.

  I searched through my contacts and found Eric's work number, which I had because of his involvement in the financing of the Chatter deal. It wasn't his cell, so it would most likely go to his answering service since he was most definitely out of the office.

  While I waited for the call to connect, I walked towards the Lowell Hotel, trying hard not to let my anger get the best of me and failing miserably.

  The call rang and rang. I counted five rings before it finally connected.

  I got the answering machine after all and hung up. He'd know I'd called, if the service recorded incoming numbers. He'd know I had tried to call him while he was out with his lady friend -- or call girl -- depending on which it was.

  I ended the call and put my cell away, then walked into the lobby of The Lowell. The hotel was high-end, the lobby all marble and ornate plaster moldings, gilded fixtures. There was an elevator leading to the upper floors, and a lounge area that was currently empty. I was hoping I wouldn't run into Eric because I wanted to make sure I had it right that he was with some woman, rather than was on a legitimate business appointment, but who was I kidding?

  He was out with a woman.

  I went to the front desk and a pretty dark-haired woman smiled at me.

  "Can I help you, Sir?"

  I asked for Eric’s room number.

  "I'm afraid I can't give that out. Would you like me to call up to his room and let him know you're here?"

  I shook my head. "No, that's fine. I was hoping to catch him before he checks out. I'll come back tomorrow. He's probably busy tonight with his girlfriend. I don't want to bother them if she's already here."

  She smiled. "They went up just a few minutes ago, so you just missed him."

  "Thanks," I said and smiled. "I'll be back tomorrow. I want to catch him before he checks out."

  "He's here all week," she said, glancing at her computer screen. "He won't be leaving until Sunday."

  "Thanks a million," I said and gave her my best winning smile. “You’ve been so very helpful."

  "You're very welcome," she said, and I could swear she batted her eyelashes at me. I felt bad leading her on like that, but it accomplished my goal of finding out just what my cheating brother in law was up to.

  So, Eric had the hotel room for the rest of the week until Sunday. He was likely staying with his call girl -- or girlfriend -- all week, using his business trip as an excuse. I was so angry that my heart was pounding in my chest and I felt my face heat.

  I sat on a planter beside a tree and considered what I should do. I could call Eric's cell and confront him, threaten him into giving up the girlfriend or I'd tell Dana. If he didn't, would I go through with it? Could I tell Dana about her cheating husband? If I did, it would mean my beautiful sister would have a hell of a shock. She'd become a single parent and would be heartbroken.

  I remembered the family therapist I had spoken to before, who said that it was really none of my business what other couples did unless there was clear abuse involved.

  "How do you know that they don't have an open marriage?" she had asked me. "What if this is an agreement that they have? Do you really want to poke your nose into this, and then maybe force your sister into admitting that they're swingers?"

  I didn't know whether they had an open marriage or were swingers, nor did I really want to know but I didn't want her to think she had a husband who loved her and was loyal to her if she really didn't.

  It should have been an easy decision to make. I'd want to know if Alexa was cheating on me.

  I know Alexa would want to know if I was cheating on her.

  To me, what to do was a no-brainer. I would confirm that Eric was in fact cheating on Dana, and I would tell her what I had discovered. I'd hire my PD again and get him to track down Eric's latest exploits.

  Then, I'd plan my approach to Dana.

  She had to know the truth.

  I texted Alexa.

  LUKE: Hey, I'm really sorry about this. I knew we were going to have dinner together, but something came up and I need to go to Dana's place and bring her some food. She has a craving for Korean BBQ.

  Alexa texted me back right away.

  ALEXA: Is she okay? She's not pregnant again is she? Is there a problem with the baby?

  LUKE: No, she's fine but Eric's out of town and she was alone. I just feel bad that I'm leaving you in the lurch.

  ALEXA: Don't apologize. I'm sure it's hard on Dana when Eric is out of town. It'll be nice for her to have her big brother help her out. Give them both my love. I'll see you when you get back.

  Of course, she thought about Dana and the baby first, before herself.

  That was Alexa.

  LUKE: Thanks for being so understanding. I'll talk to you about it later but suffice to say that it involves Eric's cheating ass.

  ALEXA: Oh, no! Is he up to his old tricks again?

  LUKE: I doubt he ever stopped.

  ALEXA: What happened?

  LUKE: Let's just say he's not really out of town and I caught him red-handed and leave it at that.

  ALEXA: Are you going to tell her?

  LUKE: I'm going to have supper with her and feel her out. I'm going to get my PD to do some sleuthing and find out what's what before I tell Dana anything.

  ALEXA: That's probably a good idea. Better safe than sorry.

  LUKE: You're right. I had to seriously stop myself from chasing after Eric and punching his lights out, but I didn't.

  ALEXA: No, please don't punch anyone's lights out! Unless they're going to punch someone else's lights out first. I don't want you going to jail charged with assault, okay?

  LUKE: Don't worry. Cooler heads prevailed. I'm fine. I love you.

  ALEXA: I love you. XOXOX

  LUKE: OXOXO

  I put my cell away and walked over to the limo, my nerves now much calmer. Of course, Alexa was right. I wouldn't get into a fight with Eric. He wasn't w
orth the trouble.

  Instead, I had the drive take me to a nearby Korean restaurant where I picked up some food and then went to Dana's, determined to keep my cool.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Alexa

  I was disappointed that Luke wasn't coming home with our Korean BBQ as we had planned, but I was horrified when I learned Luke had caught Eric red-handed, as he said. That could only mean he'd found Eric with some woman. Knowing Luke as I did, he would want to be with Dana to see how she was doing. When I had spoken with Dana back when we first met, she seemed to hint that she and Eric had some kind of arrangement, but I never asked, and she didn't volunteer any details. I told Luke that way back when and I sent him a text to remind him about our conversation.

  ALEXA: I just wanted to remind you that Dana almost hinted that she and Eric had an arrangement. Keep that in mind when you talk to her about Eric.

  LUKE: I will. Thanks for reminding me. If she and Eric have some kind of arrangement that allows him to have girlfriends on the side, she'll have to admit it to me but at least I won't worry any longer. I'll know she's good with it.

  ALEXA: I know this is hard for you to deal with. I honestly don't know what I'd do if I found out my brother was being cheated on, but I'd just be really careful when you talk to Dana. She's a new mother and facing the prospect of being a single mother might be more than she can deal with.

  LUKE: I'll be a total diplomat. You'll be proud of me, I promise.

  ALEXA: I know. Good luck.

  LUKE: Thanks. I'll need it.

  I put away my cell and thought of pretty little Dana, with her new baby, waiting at home for her beloved brother to show up with Korean BBQ. Did she know Eric had a woman on the side and wasn't really out of town? Or was she ignorant of his cheating ways and would be devastated to discover the truth?

  I felt sick about it.

  Since I was going to be alone all evening while Luke visited Dana, I decided to pop over to see Candace.

  ALEXA: Hey, babe, what's up with you? Care for some company?

  CANDYC: Hey, sweets. I'm here alone with my cast in my recliner, binge-watching Game of Thrones. Come on over.