by Britney King
Perhaps, she told herself, if she repeated this enough, she might even begin to believe it too.
William Hartman was not a patient man. He’d never had to be. An only child, his father had bailed while he was still too young to know any different. Luckily, for him, his mother had married well—all five times. She married one Wall Street banker after another, each of them having a range of feelings towards William, ranging from disdain to indifference. He would tell you, of all of them, indifference was the worst.
William attended the best private schools that money could buy and eventually the best boarding school in the country. While he was still at home, he studied his mother’s husbands, listening to their conversations and learning all things business. He understood that to get ahead you had to wall yourself off, show no emotion, and beat them at their own game. Second best did not a winner make. So that’s what he did. After graduating from Harvard, he started his business, Hartman Enterprises, and began buying up businesses that were on the verge of failing. He bought low and sold high, dabbling in real estate as well. He was a natural at knowing what to do, what to say in order to get what he wanted. Soon, he was well-known for having one of the best real estate and business portfolios in the United States. By age thirty, he made the Forbes list as one of the world’s youngest billionaires. Sure, his personal life was nearly non-existent. He had very few close friends, and, while there was no shortage of women in his life, he rarely dated any of them twice. William had a philosophy about mixing business with pleasure, and, since his world revolved around business, he found this fairly easy to manage.
Until the day he met Addison Greyer. He pegged her wrong, never imaging that she’d have sex with him in an elevator and then refuse to return his calls or answer his emails. That was his game. And he’d never been beaten at his own game. Had she not been injured, he told himself, he never would’ve paid it any further attention. But as the days went on and he thought about their encounter, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
He sent her flowers in the hospital and on her first day of work, which she ignored. And the more she ignored him, the more interesting she became. Women just didn’t treat him this way. It never happened. So he was taken aback and all the more intrigued when it did. The thing about William was that he trusted his intuition, and, when it told him to pursue something, he did.
Seven
The days until Patrick’s departure were flying by in a blur. Addie found herself collapsing from sheer exhaustion each evening, which made it fairly easy to put what she had dubbed “The Elevator Event” out of her mind, despite the fact that Mr. Hartman had called and emailed several times. Addie hadn’t read the messages, instead forwarding them off to a folder to be opened and dealt with later, when things settled down.
A week before Patrick was scheduled to leave for China, Addie started her new job. The Carlisle Agency was an upscale placement service, which supplied household staff, everything ranging from a single cleaning lady or butler to full-service staff, capable of managing entire estates. Addie’s job in particular was to interview potential clients, to understand their needs, and then sell them on the agency.
Thankfully, she used the agency to find nanny extraordinaire, Kelsey, to care for the boys and considered it beneficial to have gone through the entire process and client experience herself.
It took some getting used to, having to be somewhere every day, but overall, she was getting acclimated to being in an office again. It wasn’t hard. Her office was beautiful, overlooking the Austin Skyline. Spacious and contemporarily decorated, Addie did admit to feeling a little out of place, a little undeserving of such luxury. In addition, there was something about her colleagues that made her a little uneasy. There were ten women in her office and three men. All of whom were beautiful enough that they could easily grace the cover of the latest fashion magazine. Apparently, they only hired beautiful people, which added slightly to Addie’s insecurity. Sure, she was pretty—she had always been told so, anyway. She knew that what she wasn’t lacking in the beauty department she was lacking in sheer confidence. On her second day of work, her boss Sondra Sheehan barged into her office and ordered her to follow. Addie was led to a conference room that had been set up to mimic a small fashion show. There were clothing racks and shoes everywhere. Soon people were circling her, measuring her body in more ways than she imagined possible. Addie took a step back, motioning for the team to give her space. “Whoa. What’s going on here?”
Addie couldn’t help but notice the disdain cross Sondra’s face. Next to her, a petite man, who Addie knew as Javier, Sondra’s assistant, cleared his throat. “Honey, there is no particularly nice way to say this, but your style is absolutely dreadful.”
Addie cocked her head to the side, a mixture of annoyance and confusion on her face. Admittedly, she thought she looked pretty good. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Sondra shook her head before finally throwing her hands in the air. “I knew this one would be trouble.”
Javier chimed in. “Look, everyone within the agency has a clothing budget. We just figured you could use some help: a makeover of sorts. Consider it our gift to you.”
Addie shifted her weight from foot to foot and surveyed the room. “That’s really nice, but I’m pretty sure this is all unnecessary. Really, I can manage fine shopping on my own.”
Sondra slammed her hand against the massive mahogany table. Hard. “For God’s sake, Mrs. Greyer. You are in sales. And your taste is shit. Javier may have put it nicely, but I won’t. You are a representative of this agency, and you will look and behave like it at all times. Do you understand?”
Addie felt the sting of her words, but, determined not to let her emotions show, she simply replied. “Well, when you put it like that, it all makes so much sense. Although, I have to question your judgment a little, seeing that you are the one who hired me.”
Ms. Sheehan turned and left the room just as abruptly as she had entered; Javier gave Addie a look of warning as he trailed right behind. Addie knew she irritated Sondra. She knew that her words were out of line, so it only added to her confusion as she noticed the slightest hint of a smile playing on Sondra’s face as she rounded the corner. If Addie hadn’t known better, she’d swear that there was a hint of satisfaction in it.
The day of Patrick’s departure had finally arrived and Addie hadn’t slept all night long. She tossed and she turned. She stared at the ceiling. She considered telling Patrick about the elevator incident, thinking maybe she should come clean. She considered not telling him and begging him to stay instead. Finally, by four a.m., she dragged herself out of bed, went downstairs, and made some tea. After filling her cup, she sat down at the table and opened her laptop, figuring Google might give her an inkling of what to do. She laughed to herself, considering the phrases she might use. “Husband leaving family for a year” or “Wife is a cheater. Should she come clean?
Still, her thoughts led her back to William and their time in the elevator. Curiosity got the best of her and she opened the folder she’d set up for emails to go in to. Six emails. Addie clicked on the first.
From: William B. Hartman
Date: 6/12/12
To: Addison Greyer
Subject: Thinking of you
Dear Addison,
I’ve tried calling several times with no luck. I wanted to visit you in the hospital, but I thought better of it, not wanting to make matters any worse. I felt a little better knowing that you were given a clean bill of health. Hopefully, you received the flowers I sent: orchids. I hear they are your favorite.
I was wondering if you would like to have dinner. I understand that your life situation may preclude this, but I can’t stop thinking of you and was hoping to get to know you a little better. Clothes on this time, I promise.
Sincerely,
William
What the hell? Who does he think he is? Addie had to admit she was flattered and intrigued, but, seriously, who was this guy? An
d how did he know personal details about her life? Sure, she knew that he was some big shot who came from a wealthy family. Hell, the building was named after them. She knew that he’d put in a good word for her, basically landing her the job, but, in all honesty, Addie hadn’t really thought beyond that. For the most part, she tried to keep from thinking about him, to think about everything but him. And on the other hand, she’d been too busy just trying to survive the last week that she hadn’t given it much thought. Now, she decided to do a Google search of a different kind. Up popped his Wikipedia page, complete with a photo. Addie gasped, the wind knocked out of her. She remembered him being gorgeous, but seeing him there up on the screen staring at her took her aback. In the photo, his hair was shorter. It looked to have been taken a few years ago. Addie read about him, shocked that not only was he a billionaire but that the building she worked in wasn’t his family’s. It was his. Dinner, of course, he wants to have dinner. She knew his type. At least she thought she did, anyway. No thank you. Addie closed out and shut the screen, frustrated. Angry with herself, for being so stupid.
“What’cha doin’ down here.”
Addie jumped, feeling Patrick come up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist.
“Damn it, Patrick. You scared the shit out of me.”
Patrick laughed. “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.
“I couldn’t sleep.” Addie replied, unable to mask the irritation in her voice.
“You should’ve woken me.”
Addie rolled her eyes. Patrick grabbed her by the hand. “Come back to bed.”
Patrick led Addie upstairs where they argued about the reality of their situation. Shouting, tears, and harsh words were all involved. Patrick accused Addie of making this out to be a bigger deal than it was. The argument ended with Addie admitting that she couldn’t promise to wait around, immediately regretting it after she said it. Seeing the hurt on Patrick’s face, she did the one thing she knew to do and initiated sex. It saved them every time, and she prayed it’d work this time too.
Addie was able to finally doze off sometime before daybreak. She awoke to the sound of her alarm, unsure exactly how long she had been asleep. Then came the day Patrick was leaving and the realization stung. Later she would drive him to the airport to board the flight that would take him halfway around the world. To another way of life. To another time zone. It would be almost three months before she would see him again, before the boys saw him again or hugged his neck, and it broke her heart. While Connor mostly understood that Daddy was leaving and that it would be months before he saw him again, Addie knew deep down that, at age seven, he didn’t fully grasp the concept of time and he had no idea what almost four months was like. And the twins had no idea. Yes, they knew that Daddy was getting on an airplane and would be gone for a while, but Addie and Patrick were aware that the twins were too young to comprehend what this meant. Addie had tried to prepare them as best she could. She bought a kid calendar like the ones in preschool classrooms that marked the days until Daddy left and until his return.
Suddenly, sounds of the kids filled the house. She could hear Patrick downstairs talking to them. Up and at ’em. She forced herself out of bed. All Addie knew was that she had to get through this day for the kids—to make it as normal as possible for them. Addie and the boys planned to accompany Patrick to the airport. She debated calling the nanny and having her come over while Addie took Patrick, but she wanted the boys to have closure, to see that Daddy was getting on an airplane, not just walking out the door, forcing their imaginations to fill in the rest. Of course, there would be phone calls, Face Time, and Skype, but it wasn’t the same.
On the way to the airport, the boys did most, if not all, of the talking. “Daddy, where is China?”
Patrick smiled but didn’t take his eyes off of Addie. “China is located on the continent of Asia.”
Connor thought for a minute. “What’s it like there?”
“Well, there are people. Lots of people. And Chinese food.”
Once they arrived at the airport, the boys shifted their questions away from China and began fielding questions about airplanes. Patrick continued answering them, all the while still staring at Addie. It was as if he was taking her in, memorizing her. Whatever it was, it made her uneasy. She was afraid that she would crack again, the way she had last night, with little or no warning. And that was the last thing she needed.
Addie parked and got out to help Patrick unload his luggage. She and the kids walked him to the first security gate where they said their goodbyes. Connor hugged Patrick with tears in his eyes. Patrick hugged him back and told him that he would call as soon as he landed and not to worry that he had left a special gift on his bed.
The gift had actually been Addie’s idea. She figured that it would give them something to look forward to after coming home to an empty house. She suggested stuffed bears, so that they had something of which they could attach to Patrick and hug when they missed him. What Addie did not expect was that Patrick would go out and get them a puppy. She was furious Patrick had gone behind her back without so much as consulting her and gotten a dog. By the time she found out about it, he’d already made arrangements for Mrs. Johnson, the neighbor, to keep the puppy until they left for the airport. Once they left, she would then put the puppy in their laundry room until she and the boys arrived home. Alone.
Addie knew about the five stages of grief one supposedly goes though during a major life change: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Oddly enough, she seemed to skip the first stage and landed herself smack dab in the middle of the anger stage. After all, Patrick was already leaving her with so much responsibility. Did he really think she needed a puppy to top it all off?
“Earth to Addie.” Patrick called to her, just as one of the twins slammed into her legs.
Too distracted by all that took place inside of an airport, the twins refused to hug Patrick goodbye. Patrick hugged Addie so tight that she could barely breathe. He smiled and stepped back, eyeing her up and down. “I love you. I’ll call just as soon as I land. Can’t wait to hear how they react to our surprise.”
“I love you too.” Addie said almost inaudibly, choking out the words.
She looked down, unable to meet his eyes, afraid that she couldn’t keep the tears at bay. He lifted her chin, searched her eyes, and when he was satisfied, he kissed her. She kissed back, harder than she had intended to.
“Ew!” The boys shouted in unison.
“I better go.” He said “Bye, guys. Love you.”
And with those words, Patrick turned and headed toward the security line, glanced back once, and winked at Addie. She stood for a few minutes, watching him move up in line until the boys got antsy and started to wander off. “All right boys, grab hands and let’s go. We have something waiting at home we’d better get to.” As soon as she said it, she considered that perhaps Patrick was right in getting the dog. She was glad that there was something for them to look forward to at home, knowing that the smiles on their faces would help mend her broken heart.
Eight
The following morning Addie walked into the office, feeling like shit in the worst way. She hadn’t slept much in the past few days, and the damned puppy had kept her up last night with his whining. Finally, desperately needing sleep, she crawled out of bed, went downstairs, and brought him to bed with her. She knew better, but she also knew she needed sleep if she was going to survive the whole new single-parent role she had just been thrust into.
Addie opened the door to her office and quickly closed it behind her. The last thing she wanted was to be bothered today. She made sure to keep the lights off, praying the throbbing in her head would subside soon. After dumping her purse and briefcase on the floor, she made her way over to her desk.
“Addison, we need to talk.”
Addie jumped, the cell phone in her hand hitting the floor with a thud.
“Jesus!”
She turned to see William Ha
rtman sitting at her desk. Dressed in an all-black three-piece suit, he was easy to miss. Addie took in the sight of him. Damn. With his jet-black hair slicked back and his piercing blue eyes staring directly into hers, he looked even better than she had remembered.
Addie crossed her arms and used the wall to steady herself. “What are you doing here?”
William rubbed his jaw, staring silently, as if trying to gauge his next move. “You’re not answering my calls or emails, and as I said we need to talk.”
“Um . . . Yeah, about that—”
“The incident the other day in the elevator was videotaped. My team is in negotiations to purchase the tape before they release it to the media. But, at this point, every offer has been turned down. It’s going live in the morning.”
Addie’s mouth dropped. Thinking she might be sick, she took a seat opposite William. “Oh my God. This seriously can’t be happening. What in the hell are we going to do?”
William took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. We don’t know exactly how they’ll spin it, but my PR team has been prepped and is well prepared to handle the aftermath.”
“Yeah, well that doesn’t exactly help my situation.” Addie replied, raising her voice a little louder than she’d intended.
“Look, we’ll handle this, ok? We’ll work it out.”
Addie’s thoughts raced back and forth between Patrick to the boys. Of course, it would all work out . . . for him. She needed to call Patrick and tell him herself, before he found out the hard way. She did at least owe him his dignity. Then again, maybe he didn’t have to find out at all. China is pretty far way. No, someone would tell him, and it would likely be her disapproving mother-in-law. “We tried to tell you about that one,” they’d say.