"What am I supposed to do, Patty? This is good business. We need the revenue and Emily will bring new people into our gallery."
"I understand that, Alex. You are a great businessman, no one has ever doubted that but when are you going to take a breather and find your true love. She may have just walked out of that door."
Alex sighed again and threw his pen across his desk. "I need to go talk to Eve."
"Yes, you do. I can stay around help out."
Alex stood up and hugged his sister. "Thank you, Patty." He ran down the stairs and out to his car. He dialed her number to find out where she was so he could meet up with her.
"Alex, I have nothing to say to you right now."
"Please let me have a chance to explain myself. I just want to talk."
"So talk," Eve said.
"I really want to see you, Eve. Where are you?"
She sighed into the phone. "I'm at the pier."
"I will be right there." Alex hung up the phone and started to drive towards the pier.
As he reached the parking lot, he spotted her rental car. He looked around at all the picnic tables and families playing in the warm air. He smiled when he spotted Eve standing at the foot of the pier. He slowly approached her and stopped right behind her.
He knew that she could sense him. They were drawn to each other but she didn't turn around.
"Alex, I don't want to get hurt. I can't go through that again."
He walked up behind her and put his arms on either side of her, trapping her against him. He kissed the back of her head. "I told you that I would never hurt you, Eve."
"You can't get her out of your system," Eve said. "But you need to, Alex."
"It's just business. I promise you that."
She turned around to face him. "I really want to let you in, Alex. I want to start a real relationship someone but this entire situation scares the crap out of me."
"It shouldn't. I'm over her and moving onto you. I need you by my side. Please don't let me ruin this relationship." Alex pleaded as he kissed her.
She slowly responded as she parted her lips for him. He felt her body move closer to his and her fingers move into his hair. She whispered against his lips. "I want to trust you, Alex."
He braced her face with his hands and looked into her eyes. "I want you to trust me. I will handle Emily's business in the morning and hop into my car as soon as she leaves to meet you in Pittsburgh for a few days, ok?"
Eve nodded. "Thank you."
After enjoying each other’s embrace, Alex left her to her thoughts and headed back to the gallery. Patty greeted him at the door. “How did it go?”
“Very well, Eve is a wonderful person. I do have a favor to ask of you though.”
“What’s that?” Patty asked as they climbed the stairs to his office.
“I want you to be here when Emily arrives. It’s not that I don’t trust myself but I think Eve would feel better knowing that you were with me and I know that you won’t allow me to do or say anything inappropriate.”
Patty smiled and nodded. “Of course, I can be here.”
“Thank you. You don’t have to stick around. I will stay here until this evening’s show. Eve will meet me here.”
She nodded and grabbed her coat. “Oh, before I forget. Dan and I would like to have you over for dinner next week.”
“Just let me know when and I will be there.”
She disappeared from his office and Alex went back to working on his financial reports. Bringing Emily’s paintings to the gallery would be the infusion of cash that he needed to keep the gallery up to date and in the social limelight. He heard his cell phone ring from his jacket pocket.
“Hello?”
“Alex? It’s Steve Pike, Eve’s manager.”
“Of course, how’s it going, Steve?”
“I wanted to let you know that our crews will be in right after the show tonight. We need a quick turnaround for Pittsburgh. Will that be a problem?”
“No, of course not. I have a great staff who will give you any assistance that you may need. I will give them a heads up that it may be a late night.”
“Thank you, Alex. I also wanted to speak with you about Eve.”
“What about her? Is everything alright?”
“Can I be honest with you?”
Alex paused and thought the conversation was about to take an uncomfortable turn. “I guess you can.”
“I’m concerned about your relationship with Eve.”
Alex was slightly taken back. “And how is that any of your concern?”
“I’m her manager and close friend. I’ve looked out for her for years and she’s broken through and in the spotlight now. She had horrible relationships in the past and I’m afraid you will just end up hurting her like the rest of them.”
“Steve, I think you are way over the line right now.” Alex stated.
“I don’t. I looked into your past Alex. I know about your business dealings, your relationships and the trouble that your father had gotten himself into years ago.”
Alex stood up and yelled into the phone. “How dare you! How is any of that your business? If I were you Steve, I wouldn’t step foot into this gallery tonight.”
“Now you threaten me, Alex. This is the type of behavior that I’m talking about.”
“I’m going to hang up Steve but take my advice.”
Alex slid his phone across his desk and punched the wall behind him. How could he dig into his past? He thought that his undercover investigator had buried his father’s past.
He reached for his phone and made a phone call. “Brad, it’s Alex.”
“Alex, how can I help you today?”
“I just had a very unpleasant conversation with a nuisance in my life. He claims he found the information about my father. How is that possible? I thought you buried that.”
“I did! He must have some powerful friends in low places.”
“I’m pissed off, Brad!”
“Man, I’m sorry but I will look into this. Give me the guys’ name.”
Alex shared all the information with Brad and quickly asked him. “Are the online pictures of Eve gone?”
“I found what I could and paid off the sites to take the rest of them down. You can let Eve know that she should have her privacy back. It looks like her ex rock star boyfriend did most of the leaks. He wanted to create some buzz for his career."
"Thank you for that but I'm pissed about my father, find where the leak is Brad!" Alex hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. He didn't understand what the hell just happened to him.
He stood up and grabbed his suit jacket. He walked down the staircase and found Beth talking with the caterers. "Beth, I need to run out for awhile. Can you watch over things until I get back?"
"Of course, we are just cleaning up for tonight. I have a small tour group arriving in about an hour but I can get someone to man the front desk."
"Thank you, I will be back in a couple of hours." Alex ran to his car and quickly dialed Eve.
"Hey handsome, what can I do for you this afternoon?" Eve asked.
"I need to speak with you immediately. Has Steve called you?"
"He called while I was in the shower but I haven't returned his phone call yet."
"I beg you not to until I get there. Is that ok?" Alex pleaded.
"What's wrong, Alex?"
"I will be at your hotel in fifteen minutes."
"Ok, I will be waiting for you."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Alex raced through the lobby and into the waiting elevator. He tried to keep his cool but he wanted to hurt Steve. As the elevator stopped on Eve’s floor, he ran down the hallway and knocked on her door.
Eve opened the door and tried to smile at him. “What’s going on? Steve has been calling nonstop but I haven’t picked up.”
“Good,” Alex said as he entered her hotel room and sat on the couch. “Steve called me earlier today and voiced some concerns about our
relationship.”
“What about our relationship?” Eve asked.
“I wanted to explain a few things to you because I think you have the right to know about my history.”
“Alex, you don’t have to tell me anything. If Steve was out of line, I will talk to him and put him into his place. He only manages my career not my personal life.”
Alex shook his head. “No, I really like you and I don’t want any secrets between us.” He got up and walked over to her. “Years ago, my father had found out he had been diagnosed with cancer. There was no treatment for him and he knew he was going to die. He wanted to protect his family and make sure we were taken care of properly before he left us. So, he decided to do something rash and started to embezzle money from his employer.”
Eve gasped. “I’m so sorry, Alex.”
Alex stroked the side of her face and looked into her eyes. “It was a tough time. I don’t approve of what he did but I understand it. I would do anything to protect my loved ones. After my dad passed away, we found out the truth when the cops knocked on our door one night. Of course, we returned the money and they couldn’t press charges because he was already gone.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Eve asked.
“Because this morning Steve called me and informed me that he had unburied my Dad’s secrets.”
“What!” Eve gasped. “Why would he do that?”
“I told you Eve, he has a thing for you. I knew that just by the way he looked at you. He wants me to stay away.”
Eve sat down at the kitchen counter and sighed. “I can’t believe he would do something like that. He was supposed to be my friend.”
“I’m sorry, Eve. That’s why I wanted to speak with you first. I also wanted to let you know that I talked to my friend and those pictures from online have been removed.”
Eve looked at him and stood up. “You are amazing. How did you make that happen?”
Alex smirked. “I have friends in low places.”
Eve laughed. “Thank you, Alex. Thank you so much.”
He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. “You are very welcome.”
She gently placed her head on his chest and whispered, “What am I going to do about Steve? That wasn’t right of him to dig up stuff like that on you or anyone else in my life.”
“The decision is yours but if it was me, I would fire him and find someone else who would support your career.”
Eve nodded. “I think I need to speak with him.”
“Of course,” Alex said as he kissed her again. “I need to head back to the gallery. See you tonight around seven?”
She nodded. “Thank you for the information.”
He nodded and disappeared into the hallway. As the elevator doors opened, Steve stepped from the car. “You son of a bitch, I knew she wasn’t answering my phone calls for a reason!”
Alex grabbed him by the shirt collar and pinned him up against the wall. “I know the type of scum that you are, Steve. You only look out for yourself while you sit back and collect Eve’s money, I won’t allow you to hurt her.”
“What gives you the right to protect her? You don’t know her. You don’t know anything about her! You think that she hasn’t fallen for other guys on a road trip? You are not special, Alex!”
“I’m going to walk away before I hit you, Steve.”
They both turned towards Eve as they heard her approach them. “Alex, step away from him.”
Alex let go of his grasp and lowered him onto the floor. “Eve…”
“I know you are trying to help Alex but if you hit him, he will press charges and you don’t need any more crap in your life,” Eve said as she turned to Steve. “What the hell is your problem? I thought we were friends?”
“We are, Eve! I don’t know what this creep as told you but I just wanted to look out for you.”
Eve bit her lower lip as Alex watched her face fill with anger. “You are not my friend, Steve. Anyone who would dig into someone’s past to find something that would hurt them isn’t a friend. What did you think would happen if you came to me with the news about his father? Did you think that I would lose my temper and throw myself into your arms?”
Steve didn’t say anything as Alex watched him and then calmly said, “The lady asked you a question.”
Steve looked at him with a frown and quickly back at Eve. “Why are you siding with this guy? You don’t even know him! Don’t you think it’s weird that he went through so much trouble to bury his father’s dishonesty?”
Eve moved closer to Steve. “You’re fired, Steve. I don’t want to see you anywhere near me. I can’t believe it has come to this between us. I thought you were one of the good guys. If you would have just come to me and told me that you had feelings towards me, we would have worked it out. But now, you have become the biggest creep. Just leave, Steve!”
Alex pushed the button for the elevator and waited for the car to arrive. As soon as the doors opened, he pushed Steve into the elevator and sent it to the lobby. He turned around and pulled Eve into his arms.
“What am I going to do now, Alex? I don’t know how to move my show to the next city and all necessities to keep the show going.”
Alex sighed. “Luckily, you know someone in the art business. Don’t worry about it, Eve. I will head back to the gallery right now and make some phone calls. Go get some rest and I will see you tonight.” He kissed her deeply as she moaned against his lips. He walked her back to the door and said good bye.
When he arrived back at the gallery, Beth was giving a tour to some local school children so he headed up to his office. He grabbed his list of contacts and buried his head into his hands. His life had become a whirlwind and he didn’t know how to control it. He looked up as his mother entered his office and closed the door behind her.
He got up and kissed her cheek. “Mom, what a pleasure to see you, what can I do for you?”
“Alex, your sister has informed me about Becca. What the hell is going on around here?”
Alex took a deep breath knowing that his mother was upset. “She took her job a little bit too seriously. I have corrected the situation.”
“Alex, she pulled a gun on you! How is that handling the situation?”
“Mom, don’t get worked up about this. I didn’t want you to worry about anything. Becca is in jail and will be there for awhile.”
“Of course I’m going to worry, son. You and Patty are my life.”
“I know that, Mom. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner. Will you stop by tonight for Ms. Matthews’ show?”
She nodded briefly. “Yes, I would like to meet this girl who has stolen your heart.”
“Patty needs to mind her own business,” Alex stated.
“If I don’t hear these things from your sister, I would never know what was going on in your life.”
Alex nodded. “Well, since you want to be updated on things in my life, Emily will be in town tomorrow. She will be displaying her artwork here since Henry is closing up shop.”
“Oh Alex, what am I going to do with you?” His mother signed.
“Mom, it’s just business.”
“She was a very important part of your life, Alex. It will never be just business.”
“It has to be Mom. She is married with two beautiful children."
His mother stood up and smiled. "I have faith in you, Alex."
"Thank you for stopping by, Mom. I promise to keep in touch."
She kissed his cheek and headed back downstairs. Alex followed behind her and opened the door for her to leave. He turned back around as Beth entered the room. "You're back. I have some things to go over with you."
Alex nodded. "Let's head back upstairs." As he entered his office, he sat down and smiled at Beth. "What's going on?"
"Mrs. Mason will arrive at ten tomorrow morning. I received your message about the cleaning crew coming tonight after the show is over. I have the guys coming back so we can help them pack up and make sure
everything is accounted for."
"Fantastic job as always Beth, you will be rewarded for all your hard work. I know you didn't plan on helping me out this week."
"Anytime Mr. Smith, I love working here. It's so much better than waiting tables at a bar."
Alex laughed. "Yeah, I guess it would be. I will see you tonight at the show. You can head home and get some rest."
"Thank you." Beth left his office leaving Alex with his thoughts.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The crowds started to arrive close to seven o’clock and Alex patiently waited for Eve to come through the door. He tried to contact her several times throughout the afternoon but she never answered her phone. He started to worry that she had changed her mind about their relationship or that Steve had gotten to her.
“Alex, where is the guest of honor?” one of his contributors asked as they approached him. “I wanted to meet her. Her pieces are beautiful.”
Alex felt a hand on his arm as he turned to face a beautifully dressed, Eve. “Thank you very much, Sir. They are my babies.”
He smiled at her and shook her hand. “I look forward in seeing how your career progresses.”
Eve nodded as he walked away from them. She turned to face him. “I’m sorry that I didn’t return your phone calls from earlier. This afternoon has been a whirlwind. I wanted to sort out all the pieces before I came to you.”
Alex nodded. “Of course, I was just worried about you.”
“Can we speak for a second?” she asked.
Alex tensed slightly and slowly nodded. “Let’s go into one of the empty rooms.”
As she entered the room, he shut the door behind her. “What’s going on?”
Eve moved quickly as she pressed him against the door and ran her fingers down his dress shirt. She grabbed his tie and pulled his lips to hers. Alex reacted as he twirled her around and pushed her back against the door. He parted her lips with her tongue and hoisted her legs around his waist.
“You are starting something that we can’t finish, Eve.”
She didn’t say anything to him as she met his lips again. Alex gave into her as his hands roamed her body. The heat and passion between them couldn’t be ignored. Her moans started to fill the room as he tried to silence her. “Baby, there are people around us, you need to behave yourself.”
True Love (Volume 4) (Now and Forever) Page 8