Adam

by Katie Dowe

  “Not yet.” He had forced his tone to remain neutral. “You have not spoken to her?”

  “Not since the last time she was here for dinner. I had it in mind to congratulate her on her recent achievements.”

  “I will let her know,” he said slowly. “Thank you, Father,” he had said before hanging up the phone. So she had been right, it was all on her and he hated the fact that he had not known that she was a sneaky, conniving bitch who had only wanted to get her own success and to realize that she did not need him anymore. She had been using him and he had been the fool who had fallen in love with her for the first time in his life! His family had been right! She was a two-faced wretch and he had not been able to see it. Everything she had said, everything she had done, had been designed to make him fall for her with the intention of using his connections to Romano’s to hook her up and when that was done, she would have no further use for him. How could he have been so blind, so stupid as not to see the real Amber Gardner? How could he have been so careless as to give his heart to a woman like her? An ambitious, scheming slut who had given her body to him time and time again so that she could achieve her means of success? And he had been the willing and besotted fool who had gone like a goddamned lamb to the slaughter and had given her everything. He had gone out on a limb for her, standing against his family, because he had foolishly thought that she was in love with him, the way he was in love with her! He felt the tears on his cheek, and with an angry movement, he dashed them away determinedly, making a vow that loving someone like that again would never happen to him again!

  Chapter 16

  Amber’s hands shook as she renewed the effort to apply the bronze-colored lipstick. She had been trying to finish applying her makeup for the past ten minutes and had had to stop every few minutes as the agonizing pain seared through her very soul! It had been two weeks since she had told Adam that they were through, and during those two weeks, she had not been able to sleep or function much. She had prayed that he would call her and insist on an explanation, but she had not heard from him. She had seen him only once: in the papers as his picture was taken by a persistent photographer when he went to some function with Bianca on his arm. So he had gone back to her! Amber had almost died with the pain of looking at him and aching for a man she could never have! She had called Jared and asked him to accompany her to the designer’s party, a lavish affair that was going to highlight her line of clothing combined with a charity event. She should have been excited! After all, this was a dream come true for her! She was partnered with one of the largest clothing brands in the world and that meant she was successful! All her hard work had paid off, but she could not seem to find the energy to be enthused. It did not mean anything to her because he was not there to share it with her. Capping the tube of lipstick, she put it away and got to her feet to look in the full-length mirror. She had lost weight and her shoulder blades were more pronounced. She could not afford to lose any more weight or she would stand the chance of disappearing! The dress was a swirl of jewel-like colors with a tight fitting bodice and layers of material from the waist down. It was one of her latest designs and she had thought it was appropriate that she wore it tonight. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and down her back and had been brushed severely back from her face, highlighting the high cheekbones. Her makeup was flawless, giving the appearance that she was not wearing any. Taking a deep breath, she went to get her cashmere coat just as the doorbell rang indicating that Jared had arrived!

  *****

  Adam sipped his brandy moodily as he looked around the vast ballroom of the hotel. He had thought about not coming, but he had made the decision when he realized that he was not going allow that bitch to defeat him and make him hide out just because this happened to be her party as well. The ironic thing was that his name was linked to the party. The charity event was something that his mother had started and he was particularly fond of it and had supported it throughout the years. He would look at her and through her as if she was not there even though the pain at the thought of seeing her was a constant thing inside of his chest! His grandfather and father as well as Anita and her husband had come out for the event and Bianca had forgiven him enough to come as his date. He had not promised her anything, but she had said that she was prepared to be his friend while he healed. He was not sure when that would be. His eyes narrowed as he saw Monique and Alexander coming towards him and wished he had seen them before so he could avoid them, but it was too late!

  “Alexander, Monique.” He acknowledged the power couple with a brief nod of his head.

  Monique leaned in and kissed his cheek while his friend clasped his hand, his dark eyes searching. “I never expected to see you here.”

  “Why is that?”

  “What my totally unsubtle husband is trying to say is because of the circumstance-”

  “You mean due to the fact that the woman you are throwing this party for ripped my heart out of my chest?” he asked sardonically. “I have a theory. What to hear it?”

  “Adam-” Alexander began, but he was interrupted.

  “I am going to tell you anyway. You see, my theory is that if I face the woman who destroyed me and look her full in the face, then I stand a chance to get my healing on. What do you think?”

  “Adam-”

  “And here she is now.” He lifted his glass in a toast and before they could say anything to him, he walked away.

  “There has to be some explanation for what she did.” Monique was torn between liking Amber and her loyalty to Adam whom she had met through her husband’s friendship with him.

  “I sincerely hope so,” Alexander said grimly as he watched his friend flirting with Bianca. “I have never seen him like this.”

  *****

  Amber dug her fingers into Jared’s arm unconsciously as she made her way into the room. She had seen Adam the minute she came in because she had been looking for him. Her heart slammed into her chest as she stared at the achingly handsome man who had captured her heart and everything else in her. His dark head was bent to the woman at his side and something she said made him laugh, lighting up his handsome face! He was wearing black with a winter green shirt inside and he looked so good that she felt weak with need! She jerked her attention back to Jared as he patted her hand. She had explained a little of the situation to him and he had promised to be supportive. “You are beautiful,” he said quietly and she looked up at him, regretting that she was not able to love him; it would have been so much easier!

  “Thank you.”

  “Ready?”

  She nodded.

  Amber avoided coming face to face with Adam for as long as she could. She mingled and met some of the wives who had come in support of the Romano’s launch of a new line and had accepted the compliments as well as the congratulations that came her way. She had also seen Adam’s family and made sure to avoid them – she hated that they were there at what should be her crowning moment, but it was unavoidable as they were also patrons of the charity event that was a part of the evening. Within minutes, she felt her smile straining and her body growing weary with keeping up the pretense of being happy and contented when she was dying inside! Each time she saw Adam with Bianca and the way he was lavishing his attention on her, she wanted to die or lash out at the woman for being with him! Finally, they were given a sneak peak at the clothing line that had already taken off and during that time she was able to concentrate on the models showcasing her designs. She was grateful for the applause and the shouts of approval, and during that time, she forgot her misery and enjoyed the headiness of her success. But when that was all over and they were milling around, it came right back, especially when she came face to face with Adam for the first time that evening. Her hand tightened on Jared’s arm as she faced him and Bianca. The woman looked exceptionally lovely in a teal blue dress that highlighted her alabaster skin and lustrous blonde hair and she was clinging to Adam as if he was her own personal property!

  “
Congratulations, Amber.” His deep voice bordered on boredom as he stared at her coolly. “You got everything you ever wanted.”

  “Thank you.” She lifted her chin, determined not to show him that she was aching! “Nice to see you, Bianca.”

  The woman nodded. “Jared.” She acknowledged the man standing next to Amber before turning to Adam. “Darling, you promised to buy me that lovely dress the last model had on.”

  “I sure did.” Adam turned his charming smile on her before turning back to Amber and Jared. “If you will excuse us?”

  Amber could not move! She watched them move away and could not stop staring at them. She saw everything they did – when they stopped to talk to some people, when Adam wrapped his hand around her waist, and she knew that she was going to be sick!

  “I need to go!” she told Jared urgently.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Please! Just get me out of here!”

  *****

  Adam dropped the pretense of enjoying himself when he realized that she was nowhere to be seen. He finished the drink and nodded to Bianca abruptly. “I am taking off.”

  “I am coming with you,” she told him.

  “That’s not such a good idea-”

  “I think it is time we talked,” she told him quietly.

  He searched her face for a moment and then nodded, leading the way out of the crowded room.

  He did not say anything on the way and not even when he stopped at her apartment building. He got out of the vehicle and went up with her to her apartment, waiting as she closed the door behind them. She led the way into her large modern living room where the electronic fire sent a glow around the room. “Would you like something to drink?” She saw when he hesitated and added. “I think you are going to need it.”

  He nodded and she went to fix him a glass of brandy and one for herself. She sat across from him and sipped the drink before she spoke. “I thought that you not being with Amber would pave the way for me-”

  “I cannot be in a relationship-”

  “I know,” she interrupted him with a whimsical smile. “You are in love with her and will probably be for the rest of your life. I am too confident and think too much of myself to ever want to live in another woman’s shadow.” She took another swallow of the drink and continued. “Amber loves you too, Adam.”

  His silvery eyes darted to her and for a moment hope flared in his chest. “And you know that how?”

  “She gave you up because she does.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  Taking another deep breath, Bianca told him the whole story, including the fake heart attack his grandfather had. “You see, your father was so confident that I was desperate enough to want you that he told me the whole story and advised me to be there to heal and mend your broken heart.”

  Adam stood up slowly, his heart hammering, his body rigid with shock and rage! “My family did this to me? To us?”

  Bianca nodded. “What are you going to do?”

  “I am going to make things right.” He tossed back the rest of the drink and put the glass onto a table next to him. “Thank you.”

  “She is not going to agree to be with you if it means that you lose everything, Adam.”

  Adam smiled at that bitterly. “I am not going to lose everything and even if I stood the chance of that happening I would still choose her. Nothing else matters if I am not with her.”

  *****

  Amber twisted the blanket in her hands as she stared into the flickering flames of the fire in her fireplace. She had been sitting on the sofa since she had arrived home an hour ago and apart from taking off her shoes, she had done nothing else. It felt empty, everything felt empty and nothing seemed to matter too much. She had to find a way to pick up the pieces of her life and go on somehow. She had said goodbye to Jared and told him that she could not be with him the way he wanted her to, it would not be fair to him. She jumped at the sound of the pounding on the door! It was after eleven! Who on earth could that be? She got to her feet and made her way to the front door, not in the mood for any visitors right now. Peering through the peephole, she felt her heart shudder inside her chest as she saw the person standing there! What was he doing there? As he raised his fist to hammer at the door again, she pulled it open. They stood there staring at each other for several minutes before he pushed his way inside and slammed the door shut behind him. She watched warily as he walked past her and into the living room and after a moment, she followed him. She watched as he walked over to the mantle and placed one shiny Italian loafer near the fire. “You had no right!” His voice was low as if he was trying to control whatever it was that was inside him. He lifted his head and looked at her. “We are supposed to be friends and you dare to presume to know what is best for me! For us, without consulting me first! You tore my heart out and for what? You think I would choose my family, my fortune, over you? Is that what you think of me? You think I am so goddamned materialistic that I would not forsake everything to be with you? Is that what you think? Answer me, dammit!”

  She stiffened at his tone. “First of all, you do not get to talk to me that way, and secondly, I happen to love you and would never ask you to forsake your wealth and give up everything just to be with me. I was willing to make the sacrifice so that you could live the life you are used to.”

  “Are you happy?” he asked her tautly.

  “What?”

  “The goddamned sacrifice you made for me, did that make you happy?”

  “What does that have to do with-”

  “Answer me, dammit!”

  “No, I am not!”

  “Ask me how happy I am, Amber.”

  “It’s for the best-”

  “Let me tell you how ‘happy’ I have been!” He left his place at the fireplace and walked towards her slowly. “I have been so goddamned ‘happy’ that I have been unable to sleep and eat. I have been so ‘happy’ that I drink myself into a stupor each night alone in my very empty apartment. I have been so ‘happy’ that I feel like dying. I wanted to die when I thought about spending the rest of my empty and utterly hopeless life without you! Does that sum it up for you?”

  “I had no choice,” she whispered as she looked up at him.

  “You always have a choice!”

  “He showed me a document that proves that you were going to lose everything-“

  “I lost everything when you told me that you did not want to see me again! That it was over between us!” He gripped her forearms and pulled her up to him. “That document was false and if you had just told me what my family was up to, I would have told you that and avoided the two weeks of utter misery we both faced.”

  “What do you mean false? I read it-”

  He let her go with a weary sigh and stepped back. “My mother made a second one that gave me complete control over the trust. She had listened to Father and did the first one but thought about it and decided to put me in control of the trust after all. He lied to you and for that I am going to deal with him and my grandfather later on.”

  “I am so sorry,” she whispered.

  He stared at her for a moment. “You thought that my love was conditional.”

  “No.” She closed her eyes. “He made me see what it would be like without the wealth you were accustomed to and I panicked. I could not do that to you.”

  His expression softened as he stared at her. “Do you love me, Amber?”

  “How can you ask me-”

  “Please, answer the question.”

  “More than my life,” she whispered.

  His shoulders sagged in relief. “Grab your coat.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To Vegas to get married before you find some asinine reason to get out of my life.”

  “We can’t!”

  “We have to and I am not going to take no for an answer.”

  *****

  Amber stared at the diamonds sparkling on her finger dazedly. Adam was like a whirlwind
bent on moving anything in his path as he started by calling his pilot to get the jet ready to take them to Vegas. Then he got a famous jeweler on the phone and placed his order for the ring for her and for it to be sent to a chapel that he had chosen. Within an hour, they were wed at the Chapel of Everlasting Love with the pilot and the minister’s wife as a witness. Then it was back to his apartment, as he lifted her to take her over the threshold as was the ancient custom and did not stop until they were in his bedroom. He put her onto the large king-sized bed where he started to take off her clothes slowly. “They are going to be furious!”

  “No doubt.” He slid the dress off her and let it pooled to the carpeted floor. The only thing she had on underneath were black lace undies that barely covered her. He had seen her come into the ballroom and his entire world had started spinning out of control! “I don’t want to discuss my treacherous family on our wedding night, love.”

  “Well, technically, it is the next day,” she pointed out as he slid his long fingers up the length of her thighs slowly, intimately, his touch lingering near the dark triangle of hairs at the apex of her sex. Amber arched her body, causing her breasts to become more pronounced. He let go of her, his eyes holding hers as he stripped off the rest of his clothing before coming between her legs, his erection achingly obvious. “Are you going to tell them?” she persisted throatily. She knew she had to get her questions in because in another few seconds, conversation would no longer be possible.

  “Definitely.” His hands cupped her breasts, the thumbs caressing the pebble-like nipples, watching as they tightened even more. “I am going to introduce my wife to them and proudly so.” His eyes met hers. “Are we finished with the subject now? I would like to make love to my wife.”

  “We are definitely finished-” She moaned as he bent his head and pull a nipple inside his mouth, his tongue swirling around the tight bud. Amber’s fingers curled into tight fists as she arched her back, the fire darting through her body and picking up speed rapidly! “Adam.” Her throat was dry and she had to swallow several times to dislodge the lump inside her throat. He transferred to the other nipple, not wanting to be partial, giving it the same thorough treatment. He was hot and desperate to join his body to hers, but he figured that due to the long absence of being apart from her for two weeks and several days, he owed it to himself and to her to try and prolong the incredible sweet ecstasy that was theirs whenever they were together. She was not only his best friend and his lover, but she was also his wife and that alone was enough to send such unparalleled joy and humility through him that he could never recover from! He finally lifted his head and looked at her, reveling in the tremors wracking her slender body! He pulled her hips towards his, the tip of his penis just inches away from her opening. She wrapped her legs around his trim waist, desperate to feel him inside her, wanting the assurance of the intimacy to make her aware that this was not a dream, a figment of her imagination. He was there with her and would be for the rest of their lives! “Please!” she whispered as his head bent to hers.