The Illicit Affairs

by Marí, Brittani

  I took a sip of my drink, deciding to play along with his devious game. “It seems my old man can’t keep information to himself for too long.”

  He looked at me with humor in his eyes. “Wes, we both know your father is a man who brags whenever he can. You’re his golden child. You can’t escape fate.”

  Now that was a word I hated—fate. It was a strong word, but he hit the nail right on the head. My father had nearly croaked when I explained to him that I was going to be distancing myself from what was supposed to be passed down to me when he was gone. For some reason, he trusted me more than my brothers. His magnified interest in me put a strain on our relationship. It was something they still held against me, even though I had chosen to step down.

  He had been watching me like a hawk for the past few years, but he didn’t dare interfere. My mother made sure of it. She had been the only person strong enough to go against my father. Even on her deathbed, her threats scared the shit out of him. I never understood why he had been so threatened. He would never argue. He would just stare at her before turning to walk away, defeated.

  I nodded after Alek finished. He didn’t say anything more than those few words about my father. He knew how I felt about my situation. He also knew I had a dark side underneath my calm demeanor. Unlike him, I didn’t slip on the part I chose to show to the public. I was very cautious about what I allowed to get out. The only thing they were aware of was my appetite for women. It was something I didn’t try to hide.

  “My old man is quite convincing. I do intend to take on a larger part. My question is how the news traveled to you so quickly? I warned you before to keep your men out of my business, Alek.” I downed the rest of my drink. “I’m starting to get the feeling our agreement has been breached. You ran over here far too quickly for my father to have told you anything.”

  He placed his drink on the center table and held up his hands. He was calm. However, the poker face he displayed didn’t fool me. I knew he was up to something.

  “I swear, there’s been no breach, Wes. If anything, people are just making their assumptions since the arrest of your brother, Justin. When one brother goes down, the other one starts to surface. You and I both know how it goes.”

  The mention of my brother’s name coming out of his mouth made me rise from my seat. I had a feeling if I didn’t move the conversation along, things were going to take an unfortunate turn eventually. I didn’t need that type of disruption in my club. I had been good at keeping things professional, but certain things would cause me to jeopardize that. The person sitting in my office was one of them. I prayed he would choose his next words carefully. Just being in his presence caused me to glance over at my desk. The gun wasn’t too far away. I could quickly get rid of him in a matter of seconds and handle the task numerous people were afraid to. I struggled to stay calm. Our history was making the task difficult. It kept replaying in my head.

  I cleared my throat as I started to fix another drink. He wouldn’t be accompanying me with this one. “Let’s just get to what was important enough for you to show your face inside my club.”

  He could now tell that I was becoming impatient. I decided there was no reason for me to hide my distaste. I wanted him out of my sight. I was getting angrier each second he remained inside my office.

  “I need to keep constant tabs on my wife to see who she’s contacting and choosing to spend her time with. I’ve run across some information that’s starting to make me question her loyalty.”

  He reached for his drink. I could see his eyes trying to read me over the rim of the glass. After he downed it, he took a refreshing breath.

  “You know how I feel about loyalty. I need to weigh the situation to determine if she needs to be dealt with, or even if she’s worth keeping around.”

  I didn’t realize I had broken the glass until I saw the blood dripping from my hand. It quickly mixed with the scotch I had recently poured.

  He looked over at me with curiosity. He started to rise from his seat, but I motioned for him to stop.

  “It’s fine.”

  I grabbed a napkin and cleaned up the mess the best I could. I found the first aid kit that I kept inside the drawer of my desk and bandaged my hand. The cut wasn’t nearly as bad as the crime scene I created at the mini bar. The blood didn’t cause me discomfort. Sadly, it sometimes gave me peace the same way pain did. Deep down, I was a twisted man. I never denied it. It was a trait I got from my father and one of the reasons I chose to distance myself from him. When you were in the type of business my family was in, it wasn’t right to enjoy it. It only made matters worse. My father was a prime example. Throughout the years, our business grew, which meant we didn’t have to do the work ourselves. Still, delivering the order was all the same. The blood was still on our hands, even if we couldn’t see it.

  I struggled to play off the situation. I knew he could tell something was bothering me, but I had given him no clue as to what it could be. I decided to play it off with ignorance.

  “I must say, I never thought a man like you would settle down, Alek. You seemed pretty content with the excessive amounts of women you have access to.”

  He shrugged. “Not every marriage is about love, Wes. Sometimes we do things because we don’t have a choice, or we do it to get something done.”

  I nodded. “I’ve definitely heard that a few times before, but that isn’t common these days. Why would a man with your title need to do something like that?”

  He glanced around my office. His attention focused in on the screens displaying different angles of the club. He slowly turned back to me.

  “My title as a judge needed a woman in it. It was as simple as that. I couldn’t continue running around with different women, It wasn’t a good look. Having Mia in my life has benefited me tremendously.” He paused. “However, I’ve unfortunately run across something that’s starting to make me question her. Something that could hurt us both.”

  I gave him a questioning stare. “Enlighten me. I’ve kept my distance from you for a reason. There’s nothing concerning you that could hurt me.”

  He laughed. “You see, that’s where you’re wrong, my friend. I think you’ve failed to realize we aren’t that different. I’m not one to bring up the past, but yours isn’t clean. Don’t ever forget that. There are many things that could bring us both down Wesley. Just because you’ve decided to make yourself legit in a sense doesn’t mean you’re safe.”

  “There’s no need for threats, Alek. Let’s just get down to it,” I said after clearing my throat.

  It took a minute for him to continue. I could tell it was something that was eating him up. “I’ve never aimed to be a likable man, Wes. In fact, I thrive off of the fact that when people hear my name, they grow quiet.” He pulled a cigar out of his pocket before continuing. “I feel like, with a reputation like mine, you can’t go wrong. It also makes people want to get on your good side. They also want your protection. When this happens, and you feel like you can trust that one person, you tend to pay less attention to them and more attention to other things. Things you don’t need to be concerned about because the most dangerous person is right beside you. The one person who can bring you down quicker than anybody else.”

  I was growing bored with his story when he suddenly pulled out his cell phone. He pressed a few buttons, then placed it in my non-injured hand. When I looked at the screen, I saw a picture that I remembered from a situation that happened at least ten years prior. It was of a family at the beach. They looked happy and content. The one thing that stood out was the young girl grinning from ear to ear. She wore glasses and braces, along with a messy bun that sat atop her head, but you couldn’t mistake who she was. Those bright green eyes gave her away. She was breathtaking even back then. The glasses and braces couldn’t even hide her beauty. This woman was unique beyond words.

  It all started to come back to me then. It was the main reason I had stopped. The reason I wanted out. It was the day things had bee
n taken too far. The day I started to look at my father in a different light after realizing who we were. The same day I made a choice, one I knew could jeopardize my entire family, the whole business. It was also the last time I had worked with Alek Johnson. It was orders requested by him that had put us in such an inconvenient situation. However, we didn’t realize how forbidding his request would be until it was too late.

  “Are you trying to say that your wife is the girl in this picture?”

  There was no need to act like I didn’t know how Mia looked. She started to charm the media the instant he announced their engagement. I began to wonder where he ran into her. If I remembered the news correctly, she was sent to live with a distant undisclosed relative. They never found her father after the murder of her mother. He never returned home that night. The media came to the conclusion he had killed his wife. However, it was never proven and the murder remained unsolved. There was no motive or evidence. It had been an enormous scandal, but eventually, something else came along and overlapped it. The media moved on, and I hadn’t heard anything else about it. It was ironic how the person who just might have the ammunition to destroy us was upstairs in my apartment.

  He took a quick puff from his cigar before responding. “You always were smart, Wes. Maybe too smart for your own good. However, as I said before, this situation poses a threat for both of us. I don’t know what she knows, but I’m aware that she found her mother that night. The media stated that she’s the one who called the authorities. Let’s look into when she arrived and who she saw. If she knows too much, we need to decide how to handle this. It’s a situation that can’t get out of hand. We both have quite a bit a stake.” He studied my response as he spoke.

  I hated the way he kept shortening my name, like we were friends. We definitely weren’t. The proper status of our relationship was closer to enemies. I wanted to call him out on it, soon realizing that was the least of my worries. He was right. The identity of this woman posed a threat to us both.

  “I see why you came alone, Alek. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you so bent out of shape. I bet this is eating you alive.”

  He ignored my comment, but the tension in his jaw was enough for me.

  He stood up and looked out at the club from the glass. It had to be almost twelve in the morning, and the later it got, the more crowded it became downstairs.

  “I have to say, Wes, when I heard about this club, I had my doubts, but this was a brilliant idea. I’m sure your father is itching to get his hands on it.”

  He was taunting me, but I was more concerned with the question that suddenly started to roam inside my head. I walked to stand beside him.

  “What exactly do you plan to do if she does pose a threat?” The question left a bitter taste in my mouth. “Would you really kill your own wife, or would you have someone else to do it, Alek?” I shook my head in amazement, quickly realizing he was the same person I remembered. He would never change. “I know how you feel about your reputation, and I’m sure you’re aware there’s no definite way to cover up something like that. Being in the spotlight makes you vulnerable. It would be quite the risk.”

  He continued to stare out the window. I could tell he had no intention of answering.

  “Are you going to answer my question?”

  The second his phone started to ring, I knew the visit was over. I was relieved and timid at the same time. The conversation hadn’t even lasted a full hour and the information from it had the power to change my entire life. He surprised me when he finally answered. His response still didn’t directly answer my question. It was vague in its own way.

  “Wes, loose ends never turn out good. It just seems like this particular loose end is very close to my home and needs to be dealt with delicately. I’ll be in touch.” He made his way to the door and left.

  I stared at the closed door a full five minutes after he left before realizing my biggest threat was waiting for me upstairs.

  Chapter Four

  Mia

  THE ELEVATOR RIDE GAVE me a chance to think. It gave me time to consider what I had done. I put myself in a situation that could jeopardize everything. The reason for it, I honestly didn’t know. Alek was a man who had eyes and ears everywhere. All it would take was one whisper and the mistake I made could disrupt our whole life. My husband was a man who didn’t like change. I could only imagine what he would do if he found out. The possibility of rumors about my affair getting back to him caused me to panic. I was trying to breathe through it when the elevator doors opened.

  I stepped out and walked into the foyer of an extravagant apartment. I knew Wesley was wealthy the moment he mentioned he owned the club. However, stepping into his apartment shed an entirely different light on everything. Who was he? If he knew my husband, he had to be someone of importance. It was already a shock Alek made the trip himself. He usually had other people run errands for him or would handle things over the phone. What was so important that he took the time out of his busy schedule to come to Wesley’s club?

  When I made my way out of the foyer, it led me directly into an open space that gave me a grand view of the massive apartment. It was masculine with modern white furniture and décor. As I looked around, I noticed the main attraction was the large window with a breathtaking view of the Houston skyline. Before I knew it, I was walking across the room. The fact it was well past sunset made the view even better. The way the lights from the various buildings lit up the sky was quite the scene. I just stood there a moment and tried to clear my head. How was I going to get myself out of this?

  As my mind finally started to clear, my phone rang. It startled me at first. The sound echoed throughout the ample space.

  “Yes?”

  When the phone connected, all I could hear was loud music, but I could see from the screen it was Avery.

  “Mia? Wait, let me…”

  I could hear her moving to a quieter spot. The music wasn’t nearly as loud anymore.

  “Mia, can you hear me?” she continued.

  I continued to stare out the window. The view acted as a short escape. I prepared myself for what was coming.

  “Yes, I can hear you fine,” I replied.

  She sounded out of breath. I imagined she had made her rounds dancing in the club. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she even took a turn on one of the chrome poles the entertainers were dancing on. She wasn’t shy in the least. I think that was what made us compatible. She was the risk taker, and I would usually take the cautious route.

  “I just saw Alek. Where are you? I’ve been around this entire club and haven’t run into you once since we were separated.”

  I thought about lying, but that would have been pointless. She wouldn’t have believed me for a second. She was my best friend. She knew me better than anyone. I decided to just go with the truth.

  “I’m upstairs. I rode a private elevator in the owner’s office.”

  She was silent for a moment. “Let me get this straight, Mia. You’re referring to Wesley Black’s office?”

  I didn’t want to admit it, but lying was out of the question. She’d beat the truth out of me if she had to­, not to mention she claimed I was a terrible liar. I lowered my voice as I answered. The confirmation made me realize how reckless I had been.

  “Yes.”

  The fact Avery was quiet confirmed I had done something beyond irrational. She had surpassed me in every possible scenario, but it seemed like I might have won this one.

  After a painfully long pause, she replied, “Okay. Everything is going to be fine. You just need to meet me downstairs so we can leave.”

  It seemed like she was trying to convince herself. I quickly caught on to her strange mood. She was acting nervous. The fact I didn’t know why worried me.

  “Avery, I can’t come downstairs right now. It’s complicated.”

  “You can’t be serious. What the hell do you mean? You need to get down here right now, Mia. We need to get out of here,” she sai
d, raising her voice.

  I had known Avery for years and couldn’t remember the last time she had become so frantic. I was on the verge of telling her the entire story about Alek showing up to see Wesley when the call dropped. I tried to call her back, but it sent me straight to voicemail. The feeling in the pit of my stomach was telling me something wasn’t right. I felt like I should try and find her, but Wesley’s voice started to play in my head.

  I honestly believed when the coast was clear, he would come and get me. I prayed he was an honest man, but then I started to wonder if I were being honest with myself. Why had I come here? What made this man so unique? What quality about him caused me to jeopardize my entire life just to have him pleasure me for one night?

  The truth was, the moment he mentioned he was the owner of the club, I had wanted him even more. It might have had something to do with the fact that my husband barely looked at me anymore. The powerful man I was married to became distant without warning. I had gone down a list of reasons, but nothing added up. Our relationship was never perfect, but we had always found time for each other.

  Then I started to notice he was deliberately trying to avoid me. I wanted to believe it was just part of being married, but I knew it was something else, something more profound. He wasn’t acting like himself. The staff and entourage he kept around were even looking at me differently. It was getting to the point where I didn’t feel safe in my own home. I was worried. The constant stares and odd comments made me uncomfortable.

  I didn’t realize I had been pacing until I found myself on the other side of the room. I noticed a set of spiral stairs that led to the loft of the apartment. I made my way up the stairs and found myself in Wesley’s bedroom. This wasn’t your typical bachelor pad. He either had a hidden talent of interior design or hired someone who was well worth the money. The bedroom was impeccable. It was modern and sleek all the way down to the decorative pillows placed neatly on the bed. I was beginning to believe this man was a bit of a neat freak. I hadn’t found anything out of place. The loft had looked small in the beginning, but as I made my way around, I noticed a bathroom on the opposite side of a glass partition.