Second Lies (The Second Life Series)

by Jessica Cruz

  “What are you talking about?” Garrett raked his hands through his golden, blonde hair. He slammed his fist down on the counter. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “It’s simple. You keep this whole thing between us, an old memory from the past that no one needs to know about, and I keep that recording of you fucking me just as much of a secret,” courage pulsed through my veins. I had learned a lot from my time with Dennis Darth. I learned how to be ruthless and selfish. I learned how to survive.

  Garrett laughed, “Funny, I think a video of you getting fucked is exactly what it would take to screw up everything you have going with my brother.”

  “You’re right,” I nodded as I poured myself another glass. “That video being leaked would ruin everything I have with him. It’d break my heart, and I’d lose Wes forever. See, the one thing I learned during those three months though is that I can, in fact, survive without him. It won’t be pretty. It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worse for you, Garrett. Think about it.

  You have a pregnant wife and a toddler. You’d lose everything if Michelle ended up with that recording. One thing I learned from my mother is that a woman who marries a powerful and wealthy man is usually subjected to the terms of a prenuptial agreement. If Michelle’s anything like Isabel, she made sure to add a nifty, little clause in said document that nullifies everything in that agreement if she’s found proof of you cheating. Now, the question remains, are you ready to give up everything?

  I saw how she treated you at the Christmas party. Something tells me, she’d go for your balls with that kind of video footage. You’d lose everything…the businesses, the houses, the money, your brother…the kids.” He shot his gaze back up to mine, glaring with fury and balling his fists. “Oh, I guess I found the one that stung the most. Don’t risk it. It’s not worth it. Now, go. I forewarned security that if you’re not out of my apartment within an hour after your arrival to send someone up to remove you.”

  “Fucking bitch,” he breathed as he grabbed his clothes and tore them on. “I guess I should have known. You were never anything more than a dirty, used, stripper whore. I shouldn’t have expected anything less.”

  “Goodbye, Garrett,” I opened the door just as he zippered the fly of his pants, “and remember what I said, we were nothing. I am nothing to you. What we had never happened. Have a goodnight.”

  He pushed passed me out the door, but not after glaring into my eyes. My face remained stone. I refused to break. Wes meant the world to me. Apart, we were just surviving without one another. No one would take that away from me, not even Garrett Holden. I wanted to live again. I wanted to live with Wes by my side.

  As he retreated into the hall, his departing words echoed into my ears. “You truly are Darth’s daughter. Goodbye, Adriana.”

  I shut the door behind him and pressed my back to it. I let out a breath of air, “No, not Adriana, it’s Jersey now.”

  Chapter 16

  “How are you feeling?” Nick put his hand on my shoulder, and I jumped at his touch. He laughed. “I’ve never seen you like this. Who knew there was anything out there that could make the Ms. Angela Washington nervous?”

  “Of course, I’m nervous. I’m finally meeting your family. I hope your dad likes me. What if Adriana’s mad at me? She really wanted you to come down for your birthday, and I went and stole you away for a mini vacation to Chicago,” I buried my face in my hands, playing the million and one different ways that this long weekend could screw up.

  We were on our way to Virginia Beach to visit Nick’s dad at his hotel. Adriana was meeting us down there, so we could make it into a family gathering. The only problem is these people weren’t really my family. Don’t get me wrong. I’d love it if one day I could feel like that, but today I was nervous as hell because they were just strangers...strangers who I wanted to like me a lot. I had already thrown up twice, and with every mile closer that we drove, I felt sicker and sicker.

  After almost a year of being in a non-committed relationship with one another, I had finally caved after Adriana came to visit in Boston and became Nick’s official girlfriend. Nick had his ghosts. He wasn’t fully ready to share them with me, but we were making some serious strides. After all, we were on a road trip to meet his dad. God, I still couldn’t believe today was really happening. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing.

  “You didn’t screw anything up. You had no idea my sister wanted me to come visit for my birthday, and I loved your birthday present. Chicago was amazing,” Nick picked up my hand and pressed it to his lips, keeping his eyes glued to the road as he maneuvered through the holiday traffic. “No body’s mad at you. My dad said he’s really excited to meet you, and Adriana loves you already. She sends me texts on a regular basis making sure I didn’t screw it up with you.”

  Admittedly, that did make me feel a little bit better, but the feeling was short lived as we passed by a sign for Norfolk. Shit, that meant we were really close. I held my breath as Nick continued at a steady speed. I couldn’t make him pull over again from the nausea. I felt ridiculous the first two times.

  To distract myself, I reread the supportive text messages from my mom. She had been sending them regularly throughout the eleven hour drive. She knew how big of a deal this was for me. After my last relationship, I swore off men for the remainder of my college career, but then the most gorgeous Irish-Brazilian guy that God could possibly create sat down next to me in class. I couldn’t resist him. There was just something about him that drew me in. Even after our hundreds of fights about how he kept me out of so many parts of his life, I kept coming back for more. He was like a drug, and I was pathetically and mercilessly addicted. I went to my mom every time. She told me that if he was worth it then I’d wait for him to be ready. Now that he was ready, I wasn’t sure I was…

  Nick and I grew up in two, totally different worlds. His parents had an absurd amount of money. They bought their kids brand new cars as a reward for receiving their licenses and took vacations to upscale resorts around the world. My family didn’t have enough money for vacations, period. I relied on public transportation for quite some time after receiving my license. We were just average people, living normal lives. My mom was an elementary school teacher, and my dad was a cop who logged long, strenuous hours. I wondered if his dad would notice that my Easter dress was purchased from Forever 21 and not Gucci or Prada. I had never been able to afford things like that. The only high end items I even owned were the ones Nick bought for me as gifts.

  “We’re here,” Nick announced as he pulled into the driveway and up to the valet. “This is it.”

  He left the car running while stepping out to the pavement. The valet came to my door and helped me out of the vehicle, and another attended to Nick, helping him take out the bags. This was crazy. Did we need all these people hanging all over us? I was totally cool with parking and paying in the garage like a normal person, but I guess when you pull up at the Ward and Baily Luxury Hotel with a Ward, you had to accept such treatment.

  “Mr. Ward, my name is Victor Cortez. Your father is extremely excited for your arrival. I’ll have someone take your bags up to the room,” an older Hispanic man with thick black hair and olive skin said in a fantastic accent. “If you both follow me, I’ll direct you to your suite, so you can prepare for dinner.”

  Nick extended his hand, taking Victor’s into a firm shake. I was certain he slipped him a tip. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. Nick thought he was so suave, and maybe, to anyone else, he was. He reeked of old money and refined, good looks. He was bred to look and act the part of the son of a man who owned a hotel on the beach, but back in Boston, he was a different guy.

  Despite living in an impeccable apartment and wearing Versace on a regular basis, he wanted to separate himself as something more than just Dr. Ward’s son. He liked playing basketball with my brothers and didn’t mind going to shady stores to buy underground mix tapes with me. He was versatile and generally interest
ed in the culture that I grew up in. I loved that about my Nicholas. He never once made me feel beneath him just because he had a heftier bank account than I did.

  “This place is gorgeous,” I said to Nick as he took my hand, and we followed Victor to an elevator. “I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in a place this nice before.”

  “That’s my dad for you,” Nick said as I stepped into the elevator with him shortly behind me. “He’s never done anything half ass. If it has the Ward name on it, he’s over the top with his investment for the sake of his reputation.”

  “Yes, Mr. Ward spared no expense when it came to transforming this hotel,” Victor gestured as the elevator doors closed to the grandeur of the lobby that was adorn with marble, gold and old paintings, paintings that I was sure were originals. “He’s very excited you both are joining him for the Easter holiday. He’s cleared his schedule for the entire evening to dedicate to his children.”

  The elevator doors opened, and Victor led us down the hallway to a door. He handed us each a card key and then opened the door to a spacious suite that was somehow even more spectacular than Nick’s apartment back in Boston. I couldn’t imagine being able to ever afford a single night at a place like this on my own right. It was intimidating. I was scared to touch or even look at something the wrong way. God forbid something was to break. I’d never be able to afford replacing it with only a part time job on campus. My stomach flipped again. I wanted to throw up. How would I ever seem good enough for a renowned surgeon with a ton of money and a luxury hotel? This was unreal. No girl should have to confront this type of intimidation.

  “Thank you for showing us to the suite. Did my father say where we’d be having dinner?” Nick didn’t even flinch when he set eyes on the plush suite with the perfect, scenic view out to the rolling waves and endless blue sky.

  “Yes, there is Don’s Steak House on the first floor. Your father has reserved a private room for his family. Dinner will be served at six. If you’d like, I can have someone collect you tonight and take you to the restaurant,” Victor offered, rolling all of his R’s in that delicious accent of his.

  Nick shook his head, “No thank you. We should be able to find it ourselves, and I can ask someone at the front desk if I’m having any difficulties.”

  “Yes, well I’ll leave you to your suite. Guest relations can be reached if you dial #411, and I can be reached personally by dialing #122. Both of these numbers are listed by the phone. Have a good evening, Mr. Ward and Ms. Washington,” Victor disappeared into the hallway, leaving me alone with the gorgeous son of a millionaire.

  “I knew you had money, but this is insane,” my eyes were wide as I searched the upscale suite. I didn’t even know where to begin. I was having a sensory overload, taking it all in.

  Nick shrugged and wrapped his hands around my waist, “Yeah, it is a bit…over-the-top. Isn’t it? I’m excited to see my dad. I’m even more excited to show off my gorgeous girlfriend to my family.”

  “I hope he likes me,” I pushed my cheek against his chest, staring out at the waves. There was a boat far in the distance that caught my attention. More than anything, I wished I was all the way out in the ocean on that boat rather than here right now. “He probably thinks I’m dating you for your money.”

  “That’s okay because I’m dating you for that ass,” he grabbed my behind and laughed. I pulled away and pinched his arm. “Hey, that hurt.” He gave me a kiss. “Calm down. Be you. Everyone will love you because I love you. I’ve never said that about a girl before. They know that.”

  I looked across the room at the clock. It was already five. I planted a kiss on Nick’s cheek, “I’m going to take a shower and get ready. Dinner’s in an hour.”

  After a hot shower, I escaped into the bedroom. Once inside, I gaped at the enormous space with silk sheets and contemporary furniture. I leaned my back against the door, still dripping wet and wrapped in a towel. I exhaled, wondering how I could live up to the expectations of these people. Dr. Ward would never think I was worthy of his son when his son came from all of this. He’d probably want to view my financial portfolio before getting within ten feet of Nick’s credit card.

  My alarm on my cell phone buzzed, and I turned it off. I didn’t have much time left. I pulled on my black, vintage, lace, skater dress with the capped sleeves, high neckline, and shirred waistline. I slipped on my red pumps and let out my black hair, brushing my bangs out and slipping on a red headband.

  As I stared at myself in the floor-to-ceiling mirror, I couldn’t stop mentally judging myself. I wanted Nick’s dad to like me so much, and I just didn’t know if I fit the part of who he’d want Nick to be dating. Guys like Nick should be escorting fashion models or flawless, wealthy socialites. I was neither, just some girl from Boston that happened to sit next to him in a class. I looked at the clock again and sighed. I was out of time. My stomach flipped inside of me, and I knew this would be over soon.

  I pulled the door open and spotted Nick wearing a navy blue sweater and khakis. He adjusted his thick-framed, black glasses, embodying all the characteristics of a model but all the crudeness of a sailor, “Good, you’re wearing a dress. Are you wearing underwear?”

  “Yes!” I laughed, my Nicholas, the pervert of the century.

  “Maybe, you should take them off, so we can have a little, secret fun during dessert,” he stepped closer grasping my hair in his hands and kissing me hard. I leaned up on my toes to meet his lips as his free hand traveled up my thigh to my thong underwear. He pulled on the g-string and snapped it against my skin. He breathed. “I can’t wait to fuck you tonight.”

  “Are you really that excited?” I asked. He moaned and nodded his head, thrusting his hips forward, so I could feel his growing erection. I bent down and slipped out of my underwear, dangling it on the tip of my finger. I dropped it on the floor beneath us and stalked towards the front door, fully aware that I was driving him crazy. “Then, maybe a little fun during dinner will help relax me.”

  As we stood in the elevator, Nick groped my breasts and pressed his boner against me from behind. He was always so horny, constantly craving sex, not caring whether or not we were in a public place. The elevator chimed, and the doors pushed open. Nick groaned, noticeably irritated. “Hey, you can meet my dad anytime. Maybe, we should go upstairs for a little longer.”

  I grabbed his hands, following the signs for the restaurant. “No, we’re doing this. Behave yourself tonight, and I’ll reward you later.”

  He didn’t say another word, but I noticed from the corner of my eye that he covered his crotch with his free hand. We found the restaurant and walked up to the host. I straightened the skirt of my dress and cleared my throat, “Hi, I’m Angela Washington, and this is my boyfriend, Nicholas Ward. We’re looking for-”

  “Dr. Ward’s guests!” He beamed, smiling bright. “Please, follow me. Your father is already in the room.”

  We walked over the dark, wooden floor, following the young man through the restaurant. Elaborate chandeliers decorated the ceilings, and candles lit the tables. It was romantic and charming all at the same time. Soon, we were escorted to a set of double doors with frosted glass that prevented anyone from seeing inside.

  The host pushed open the door, holding it for Nick and me. He said, “Enjoy your Easter dinner. Let me know if you need anything.”

  As we walked into the room, Nick’s dad was seated at the head of the black slated table. He was dressed in a black suit, pink dress shirt, and a silk tie. His eyes immediately lit up as we walked through the room, the endearing crow’s feet pressed into his tanned skin. His cheeks dimpled as he smiled. His hair was left short and clean cut, white from age. His eyes were the same brilliant blue as Nick’s, sparkling with delight. Altogether, he was a very handsome man, distinguished with age.

  “Nicholas!” He rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around Nick, holding tight. His heart warmed, and for the first time since I met him, Nick appeared to let his guard down. “I’ve mis
sed you so much.”

  “I missed you too, Dad,” after another moment, Nick reluctantly pulled out of his hold. He grasped my shoulder. “This is my girlfriend, Angela. She’s the girl I told you about.”

  Nick’s dad looked me over. I gulped. It was so hard to read him. His expression left me wondering what he was thinking, “So you’re the girl who stole my son’s heart?”

  “I hope so, or your son’s been keeping another woman from me,” I joked.

  There was a bit of a pause before Nick’s dad laughed. He planted a kiss on my cheek and said, “No wonder you won’t leave Boston. I like her, Nicholas. She’s a very beautiful girl. You did good with this one, son. Don’t mess this up.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Ward.” I clenched on to Nick’s hand, completely thrilled that his dad took a liking to me.

  “Angela, you’re practically my family now. My son doesn’t just bring any girl around us. I expect that you mean a lot to him,” his dad gestured to the table, and we each took a seat. “Call me Tom. I’m not in a hospital. There’s no need for calling me Dr. Ward here.” He shot a look at Nick. “Perhaps, one day there will be a ring on your finger, and you can start calling me ‘dad,’ but I can be patient.”

  “One step at a time,” Nick fidgeted in his seat and put his hand to the small of my back. “Where’s Adriana at? I heard she’s coming to dinner with some guy.”

  “She should be on her way,” Tom grabbed his glass of scotch and slung some back. “Nicky, be nice to this guy. She says it’s serious. I don’t want you scaring him away. You know I worry about your sister being alone in Philadelphia. She doesn’t have family looking after her. She needs someone to watch over her.”

  The door opened and a waiter appeared, asking Nick and me what we wanted to drink. I chose rum and coke while Nick chose to follow in his father’s footsteps by ordering a scotch as well.

  Nick pressed on, “We’ll see what kind of d-bag walks through the door. She’s never exactly had the best taste.”