by Lund, S. E.
“You’re such a romantic,” I said and grinned.
“I am,” he said, trying to hide his smile while he opened a file on his desk. “Now, enough of this girl talk. What about the specs? We have funding to nail down.”
“I need coffee if we’re going to talk money,” I said and hopped up from my chair.
“Bring me back one,” John said.
I went to the staff break room where a coffee maker sat, the carafe empty. We didn’t have any staff yet, but we both figured that if you build it, they will come.
After our meeting was finished, I said goodbye to John and took the limo to Columbia to pick up Alexa. We parked outside the building on Broadway and 116th Street, where her class was being held and waited. I watched the street as students spilled out from the doors, walking alone or in small groups.
It was then I saw a dark figure standing alone by a statue near Barnard College. He was wearing a hoodie and looked suspicious to me.
“Wait here,” I said and jumped out of the car, heading towards the man. When I got to him, I turned him around, my hand on his shoulder. He looked at me, but it wasn’t Blaine. I’d seen surveillance photos of him, but this was someone else, much younger.
“Hey!” the guy said and stepped back. “Don’t touch me.”
“Sorry,” I said and held my hands up. “I thought you were someone else. My mistake.”
“Yeah, fuck off,” he said.
I stepped back, and exhaled, trying to get myself under control. I’d over-reacted and jumped to conclusions, but I was still on edge about Blaine. Until they brought him in and charged him, put him in jail again, I’d be on high alert.
He wanted to hurt Alexa. I’d do everything in my power to prevent Alexa from being hurt – by him or anyone else.
I watched the young man embrace a woman he must have been waiting for and stepped aside, standing to the left to allow them to pass. He gave me the stink eye as he walked by, his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulder.
I didn’t blame him. It was stupid of me to just walk up and turn him around like that. Luckily, he just wanted to leave and didn’t get too upset. Given my most recent experience with the justice system, I didn’t want to do anything to call attention to myself.
The limo driver got out of the vehicle. “You okay, Mr. Marshall?”
“I’m fine,” I said and waved at him. “Thought it was someone else.”
The driver nodded and got back inside while I turned back to watch the entrance to Alexa’s building for her to come out. I pulled out my cell and sent her a text to let her know I was waiting outside.
LUKE: Almost roughed up a guy I mistakenly thought was Blaine… I need a drink.
I waited for her to respond. In a moment, she did.
ALEXA: Just talking to my prof. Will be out asap.
LUKE: Take your time.
I put my cell away and leaned against the base of the statue on 116th Street, watching the door. I didn’t want to rush Alexa. Half the value of grad school was the chance to get into deep discussions with your prof or other students about your subject matter. So, while Alexa and her prof talked, I watched the students walking along 116th Street. I remembered my own MBA days with pleasure, although I was more interested in getting done and making money rather than deep thought on business issues and concepts.
Still, my college days were some of the most enjoyable of my life. It was where John and I met and first cooked up the idea of building Chatter.
Finally, Alexa appeared, exiting the building with a woman walking beside her. She saw me and waved, and then turned back to the woman, who was older, taller and had greying hair. Probably her professor.
I smiled and waved, waiting for her and her prof to finish talking. Finally, Alexa waved at her prof and walked towards me.
She smiled when she got to my side and I bent down to kiss her hello, my hand on her arm.
“Hello, my love,” I said and smiled. “I was ready to beat up a man thinking I was protecting you.”
“Luke,” she said and slipped her arm through mine. “You have to chill out. I’m fine. Someone’s always with me, whether it’s the guard or the driver or you. I’m good.”
“I know, but I worry about you.”
“Let’s go to O’Rileys and have a drink. You can have a beer and I can have a virgin Pina Colada.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
We took the limo back to our neighborhood and he dropped us off outside of O’Riley’s where we went for a drink. The place was busy at that time of day, and so we sat at the bar and ordered our drinks from the bartender.
“Virgin Pina Colada?” the bartender said with a grin. “You must have had a hard day.”
“She’s drinking for two,” I said and smiled.
He laughed and placed my beer onto the counter and then went about making Alexa’s virgin Pina Colada.
For the next hour, we sat and savored our drinks, talking about our days and planning our possession of the new apartment.
“I’m so excited about finally moving in,” Alexa said. “The hotel is great, but I want our own things.”
“I know,” I said and slipped my arm around her shoulder. “We’ll be busy as hell for a few days while the movers deliver all our stuff, but by the time we get married, we’ll be all settled in.”
“I can’t wait,” she said and sipped her drink. “Jan and Mara will help me get things unpacked and set up. Unfortunately, Candace will have to wait until we’re all settled in before she visits. Can we arrange a special car to bring her to the beach house? I want her to be comfortable and not to have to do a thing besides be there.”
“I’ll put it on the list of to-dos for the wedding,” I said and tapped the side of my head. “Better yet, I’ll do it right now before I forget.”
I pulled out my cell and opened the notes feature, adding it to my to-do list for the wedding.
It was then I saw Dana’s text.
DANA: I might have gotten mad at mother and told her you and Alexa were having a baby when she told me that there was still time for you to break up. So, be prepared for all hell to break loose. She wasn’t happy, as you might expect. SORRY!!!
I sighed in frustration and showed Alexa.
“Oh, God, that’s not good,” Alexa said and made a face. “Like we need any other reason for your mother to hate me.”
I shook my head, angry at Dana for spilling the beans. My mom had to know eventually, but she was the very last person I wanted to find out.
“I can’t believe Dana did that,” I said to Alexa, who had noticeably slumped on her stool, dejection clear on her face.
“She was probably talking to your mother about something else and when she said something not nice about us, it slipped out. Don’t be too hard on her.”
“I know, I know,” I said, “but still. It would have been nice if she could keep a secret -- for once. She’s a notorious spiller of secrets.”
“She’s happy for us,” Alexa said. “She can’t help it. She was probably gloating about it and couldn’t resist seeing your mother’s face when she delivered the news.”
“Yeah, I can imagine it was like a nuclear detonation went off.”
I smiled, despite my anger.
My mother would either accept reality or she’d be out of my life. I had the love of my life with me, and she was pregnant with my child, and I had a billion or so dollars.
I didn’t need her and if she became estranged to me and my new family, it was only the fulfillment of my desire to be free of her after a lifetime of her trying to control me.
For the rest of the evening, Alexa and I ate bar food and watched sports, forgetting completely about all the drama in our lives and it was a relief.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Alexa
Our move into the apartment was hectic, but luckily, Luke had John and Greg to help so I could lie in bed at the hotel, battling nausea and fatigue. They left early in the morning on Saturday, possession
day, and were there waiting when the delivery truck came with the few items we put in storage before we left on our trip around the world.
The rest of the furniture and accessories we bought over the previous few weeks would be delivered later in the day. It would take at least a week to unpack and get things set up, but we were both determined to get it done in time for our wedding the following weekend at Westhampton.
Luke okayed it with his father, who was on our side, and luckily, Candace was able to arrange a local caterer to prepare a dinner for twelve people, which we would hold at the beach house on Saturday night after the ceremony. We found a justice of the peace who agreed to come out to Westhampton and perform the ceremony, and we had the marriage certificate prepared and ready to go. The only issue was me finding the time to buy a dress. I didn’t want anything too fancy, but I did want a nice dress so we could look back and remember our wedding day with happiness. Luke would wear a business suit and tie, and I would wear a long dress, but there would be no flower girls or bridesmaid dresses, no dance hall rental or huge meal for three hundred guests.
Considering how wealthy Luke was, we could have gone all out and rented the biggest venue in Manhattan, and I certainly could have bought a designer dress with the works, but at that moment in our lives, after our trip around the world living in our bathing suits and old t-shirts, it seemed too pretentious.
As for my dress, Dana and I went out together to find it, and spent the afternoon on my day off from classes walking the stores on Fifth Avenue in the garment district looking for just the right dress.
“We have to go to Bergdorf’s,” Dana said, pulling me along Fifth Avenue past the Gucci store and Armani. “They have the best bridal salon. You simply must go and see the dresses there.”
I laughed, because Dana seemed almost more excited than I was, but that was only because the idea of spending a lot of money on a dress was still foreign to me. Usually, the bride’s family takes care of wedding expenses or the couple themselves, but since we were doing everything so fast, and since Luke was so wealthy, there was no reason for my parents to do a thing or spend a penny. Luke was paying for their trip out to New York, and they’d stay with us at the beach house for the week.
We went from designer bridal shop to designer bridal shop and soon, my feet were tired. Finally, Dana took me into Bergdorf Goodman’s on Fifth and I was overwhelmed with the opulence. Dana was much more used to it, and she took over, leading me around, sorting through dresses, pulling out ones that she thought matched my ideas. Soon, I had four dresses to try on and each one was worth the price of my tuition at Columbia for a semester.
It was disgusting but the dresses were beautiful.
Even I had to admit it.
I finally settled on one in particular – an A-line lace dress with spaghetti straps but an overlay of lace covering the bodice. It was simple, not overly flouncy, but still said ‘bridal’.
“It matches your skin tone and shows off your assets,” Dana said, almost giddy that she found a dress we both liked. “Luke’s eyes will bug out when he sees you in it. You look beautiful. You should put your hair up and have flowers in your bun.”
“No veil,” I said and made a face. “No train. Just a dress and maybe a small bouquet.”
“Don’t be so shy about it,” she said, turning me around so she could look at me in the mirror from all perspectives. “You got the curves.”
“I don’t want to be too risqué.”
“You aren’t. It’s very demure, because of the lace here,” she said and pointed to the lace and tulle that covered my cleavage. You have to look really hard to see your cleavage. Anyone who looks that hard should get a swift kick.”
She grinned at me and I smiled back. “Okay. I do like it. It’s the nicest one we’ve seen.”
“It is. Buy it. Luke will be really happy.”
“Okay,” I said and after the seamstress looked me over to make sure it fit as well as possible, I took off the dress, returning to my casual clothes, none of which were fit for shopping at Bergdorf’s. I used the American Express card Luke got in my name for me. I still felt weird using it, but it was the only way I could pay for that dress. The seamstress was going to take in a seam on the waist and it would be ready for pick up on Friday. Luckily, they agreed to expedite the alteration so I could have it in time for the wedding.
Once we were finished, we stood on the street outside of Bergdorf’s and glanced around. The limo was waiting, the driver standing beside the passenger door. We piled in, happy to get off our feet.
“Now, let’s go and celebrate,” Dana said. “We’ll go get a decaf café mocha at Starbucks!”
I laughed, glad that Dana was so upbeat about everything.
When we were finished getting our café mochas, I dropped Dana off at her place and took the limo back to the hotel. We were staying there until our bedroom furniture was delivered the following week, so I let myself in. I was alone, since Luke was still at the office with John and looked forward to sitting with my feet up. I sent Candace some pics of me in the dress I’d chosen, and we texted back and forth for a while.
ALEXA: I wish you could have been with me.
CANDYC: Me, too. I’ll be with you at the wedding. We’ll have a gas.
ALEXA: We will.
It was then I got a call from the reception desk in the front lobby.
“Ms. Dixon, I wanted to let you know that your mother-in-law is on her way up.”
“Okay,” I said and made a face. “I wish you would have called up to ask me first.”
“I’m sorry, but she was on the list of people you approved to come right up to your room.”
“I know,” I said and chewed my bottom lip. “Thanks for calling.”
I wasn’t at all happy that I would be alone with her. What would she try to do – talk me out of marrying Luke? Maybe realizing I was pregnant would make her change her mind and she’d finally be happy.
That was my hope.
Of course, my hope was dashed.
I heard the knock on the door to the suite and went to answer it, taking in a deep breath, steeling myself for our encounter.
I removed the chain and opened the door and Mrs. Marshall actually barged in. Did she think I wouldn’t let her inside?
“Where’s Luke?” she said, entering the suite, glancing around. “Where is he? I want to speak to you both.”
“He’s not back yet.”
“He said he’d be back by four thirty,” she said and glanced at her watch. Of course, it was four fifteen. She knew damn well he wouldn’t be there.
“Please come in and make yourself at home,” I said and waved into the living room area.
She might be rude to me, but I would be the perfect hostess to her in the hopes that one day, our relationship would mend and be friendly.
“Don’t pretend to be happy to see me. You know why I’m here.”
“I don’t, actually,” I said and smiled pleasantly. “I expect it’s because you want to congratulate us on our upcoming wedding on Saturday and tell us how excited you are about your future grandchild.”
“You tricked him,” she said. “I know your type. Poor girls who go to Ivy League colleges to find rich young men from wealthy families to marry. You pretend to be all smart and nice and then get pregnant so you can grift your way into money. Well, I won’t let it stand.”
“I don’t think there’s anything you can do about it,” I said, still keeping my cool.
“There is,” she said and took out something from her handbag. At first, I was afraid it was one of those mini-revolvers you could buy to keep in your handbag, but it wasn’t.
It was her checkbook.
She took out her pen and bent down, writing on the check.
“I’ll pay you a million dollars to leave him right now. You just break it off with him and get an abortion. It’s only eight weeks. You can take the money and go off back to Oregon and live like a queen.”
“What?�
�� I said, my cheeks heating that she actually thought she could buy me. “I wouldn’t leave Luke for a paltry million. He’s worth a billion dollars. It’s going to take a lot more than that.”
She stood up, her reading glasses perched on the end of her nose, her eyes filled with fury.
“How much more? Tell me.”
She ripped up the top check and started writing another. “How much?”
I smiled. “A billion.”
“What?” Her eyebrows flew up so high, I thought they’d leave her forehead. She sputtered for a moment. “You’re crazy. Give me a number.”
“Two billion.”
She slammed her fist onto the tabletop. “How much do you want?”
“Ten billion.”
“You’re not taking this seriously.”
“I’m taking it deadly seriously. There is no amount of money you can give me that would make me leave Luke. Nothing.”
She stood there staring at me, fuming silently.
“Okay. If that’s the game you’re going to play, I’m forced to play dirty.”
I shrugged. “Do your best.”
She opened her bag again and pulled out a few sheets of paper that she had folded in half. She handed them to me and crossed her arms.
“Maybe you’ll change your tune if these get released. Maybe Luke will.”
I opened the sheet of paper and my heart sank when I saw them.
They were images of me, naked, performing oral sex on Blaine.
“I have videos,” she hissed. “I was willing not to use these so I didn’t have to hurt Luke, but I will.”
I covered my mouth with a hand, and tears sprung to my eyes.
“Where did you get these?”
“Where do you think?” she said, her voice acid. “Your ex-boyfriend.”
“He tried to kill my best friend,” I said and looked at her, my vision blurred. “You shouldn’t have been talking to him and getting things from him. You should have called the police and told them where he was so they could bring him in, arrest him.”