The Naughty One

by Michelle Love

  Looking at the phone’s screen, he waited for a reply but got none. When they pulled up at the apartment building, he saw her Accord in its usual spot and grabbed his small overnight bag and got out of the cab. Quick steps took him to her apartment.

  Her door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and found an older woman cleaning it. “Do you happen to know where the owner of this apartment is?” he asked her.

  She merely shrugged and said one word, “Moved.”

  “She moved?” he asked with shock reverberating the words he’d spoken.

  She nodded. “Moved.”

  “But her car is here,” he said as he leaned against the door frame.

  The woman shrugged again and he turned to leave as it was pretty obvious he’d get nowhere with her. A call to the cab company had another car coming for him. He caught the cab and headed to the bar she worked at.

  It was cold and rainy and Tackleman’s was packed for some reason. He headed inside and asked the hostess if Aullie was working to which he found out she’d quit earlier that same day.

  He left, stunned and stricken. Instead of calling another cab, he called her as he stood under the flimsy canvas roof that covered only part of the entrance. She didn’t answer and he ended his search for her for that night.

  A long ride back to his home left him wondering what the hell had happened to her. But that night wasn’t going to see him getting to talk to her, that much was obvious.

  -You moved. You quit your job. You left without your car. I need to know you’re okay. Please let me know that. I won’t be able to sleep until I know you’re alive and okay, Aulora. Please.- He texted her then waited for a reply.

  A beep let him know someone had texted him and he crossed his fingers before he looked at the phone.

  -She’s fine. She doesn’t wish to speak with you.-

  It was from her number but someone else was talking for her. That had him feeling a bit jittery. So, he texted back.

  -I want to talk to her. If I don’t hear her voice, then I’m going to call the cops and report her as abducted!!!-

  He hoped like hell that would get her to call him and when his phone rang, he answered it before it could make an entire ring, “Aulora!”

  “I’m fine. Leave me alone, Weston,” came her sweet voice. Yes, it was heavily laced with anger but it was her voice and to his ears, it was sweet.

  “Aulora, wait. I need to talk to you. You swore to me you’d allow that. We had a deal. I will hold you to it. You and I need to talk.”

  “No,” she said. “And I’m blocking your number. I talked to your ex-wife. She told me everything. She told me that you were going to lie to me. She told me you and she had sex. There may be a baby in your future. I’m not about to get in the way of that.”

  “She’s lying,” he managed to get in.

  “She said you’d say that. She said you had sex then you felt guilty and told her you couldn’t be with her because you love me. But the fact is she could be pregnant and I’m not getting in the middle of that. You screwed someone else, that’s a deal breaker and this is over. You’ve had your say. I don’t owe you anything else.”

  “She is lying and I swear that to you, Aulora. I swear it!” He was desperately trying to hold on to his composure but it was getting harder and harder to do.

  “She has no reason to lie but you do,” Aullie told him.

  “She does. She wants me back and she thinks if I don’t have you then I’ll go back to her. But I won’t be going back to her. Not ever. And really not now that she’s done this. Please, Aulora. Let me come to you, where ever you are now. Please, you will believe me if I can tell you everything face to face. I know you will.”

  “You’re right, I probably would believe you if we were face to face. You know why? Because I’d see that gorgeous face and you’d touch me just right and I’d want to believe you. But that would be stupid and I’m anything but stupid,” she said.

  A man’s voice in the background had the hairs on the back of Weston’s neck standing at full attention.

  “Who are you with?”

  “Never mind that. It’s none of your concern. I let you know that I’m okay. I’m more than okay if you’d like to know. Money isn’t an issue. I’m not a poor, little, starving artist any longer. I’m not in need of being rescued. And I think that would have you finding me not quite your cup of tea any longer. Along with believing your ex, I think you’d lose interest in me very quickly. I don’t need a thing anymore.”

  “And how the fuck did this happen in one day, Aulora?” he asked her in astonishment. “You quit your job, moved, and left your car behind. Who came and spirited you away so damn quickly?”

  “Not your business anymore, Weston. Hayley Stiller is your business. Maybe, if the pregnancy test comes back negative in a couple of months, I might think about talking to you as friends. Nothing more than that. If it comes back positive then I don’t want to speak to you again.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” he asked her in complete confusion.

  “Hayley said she’d give me a call in a couple of months when she could take a pregnancy test. She wants to let me know if you’re going to be a daddy again or not. If I may say so, I think that was cowardly of you to screw her when you knew she wanted to get pregnant with your baby and then tell her that you wouldn’t be staying with her. I didn’t think you were like that.”

  “I’m not like that!” he shouted at her. “She’s lying! She wants me to call her to bitch her out for it. I told her I wasn’t going to talk to her anymore. If you’d let me come see you, I could tell you everything. Every last detail. I was going to be completely open with you. You have to believe me!”

  She was silent and he took that as a sign that she was thinking about giving him a chance to explain. But then a man’s voice was in his ear, “She’s crying. I don’t know you but I don’t like the fact that she’s crying over you. When I found her earlier she was crying and refused to tell me why. I think I’ve figured that out now. Leave her alone or you will have me to deal with.”

  “And you are?” Weston asked.

  “Charles Wohrl. And you are?”

  “Weston Calloway.”

  “Great. Weston Calloway, stay away from Aulora.” And then the call was ended.

  When Weston tried to call right back he found he’d been blocked. Anger and frustration ruled him. He slammed his fist against the seat and cursed.

  She was with another man!

  Chapter 6

  Aulora went to bed that night with a glass of wine and a headache that could kill a horse. She’d never cried so much in her entire life. When she got the call from Hayley, she knew, without a doubt, she and Weston were over. They had to be.

  Her father had made sure she was settled into her new bedroom before he left her. He’d promised to send his driver for her around noon the next day, so she could come to his place in upstate New York and meet her new stepmother. It wasn’t anything she was looking forward to. But then again, she wasn’t looking forward to waking up ever again, either.

  Her new home was magnificent. Her mother had lent a hand in it. Her secrecy was more than a bit disturbing about the matter with her father. But her help in picking out things that would make Aullie feel at home in the place had helped.

  One of the living areas had been made into her art studio, complete with canvases of many sizes and every paint and brush in existence. She supposed any other person would be over the moon with what she had just been given. And she knew it was her birthright to have the things. But the loss of Weston overwhelmed her.

  Love sucked ass, she’d decided.

  Anything that could hurt that damn bad was best left the hell alone!

  When her phone rang at midnight, she jumped and saw it was Brittany. “Hello,” she answered.

  “Okay, what gives, Aullie? You quit. You moved. You dumped Weston.”

  “I know. I was kind of taken,” she mumbled.

  “Taken?�
� Britt shouted. “Like kidnapped?”

  “Um, no. Not exactly. I was just taken back to a life I had before. I wasn’t always dirt poor,” she said then sipped her wine.

  “What the hell does that even mean?” Britt asked.

  “I’m the daughter of a rich man. He showed up and wanted to make amends. He gave me what his lawyer said I was due. He bought me a home and a car and gave me a bank account that’s much too big to justify me working and taking money away from those who need it.”

  “You’re rich now?” Britt asked. “I mean, what the hell, girl? You wouldn’t take what Weston offered you but you’ll take what a father who’s all but forgotten you has given you? I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t really understand, either. I’m numb and more than a bit fucked up by what Weston did,” Aullie said, igniting Britt’s curiosity.

  “What did Weston do?”

  “It’s a long story with a crappy ending. No one wants to hear it.” She drank the rest of her wine then poured more into the glass from the bottle she’d brought to bed with her. “I could use a real bar in this place. Dad only stocked it with wines.”

  “I could come over and bring you something,” Brittany offered. “We could talk. You sound like you need a friend right now.”

  Aullie looked at the ceiling. The ornate ceiling that topped ornate walls, decorated with things that cost tons of money. She was lying under expensive sheets and blankets. Her head rested on expensive pillows. Much the same as she had experienced at Weston’s mansion.

  She closed her eyes. “Not tonight. I’m too weepy. Terrible company. I wouldn’t force myself on anyone I care about right now. I’m more than a mess.”

  “At least tell me you think you’ll live through this,” Britt said with a light laugh.

  “The way my heart hurts, it’s iffy,” she said and really meant it.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “Worse,” she replied. “Has anyone ever literally died from a broken heart?”

  “No,” Britt told her. “Well, I don’t think so. There was that one couple. But they were really old and had spent something like ninety years together. But no one could prove the last one went only thirty minutes later, from a broken heart.”

  “So, it could happen is what you’re saying.” Aullie took another long drink of the wine. “Great!”

  “No, Aullie. You should really let me come over. You sound half drunk and half insane.”

  An odd laugh burst from her mouth. “Insane? Yes, that’s exactly what I feel like. A real nut! I’ll talk to you tomorrow after I go to meet my new mommy and talk about decorating my new baby sister’s nursery.”

  “A new mom and baby sis, huh? Oh my! You’ve got a lot to let sink in.”

  “Yes, I do. This would’ve been hard with Weston in my corner. With him out of my life, this is nearly unbearable.” She finished the glass of wine and snuggled down in the bed. “Bye, I’m going to cry myself to sleep now, hopefully.”

  “How sad,” Brittany said. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Britt. You’re a good friend.” Aullie hung up and stared at the ceiling until sleep found her, some three hours or so later.

  When the sound of people talking, out in the hallway, woke her up, she opened her eyes to find the sun was shining through one of the windows that was curtained by a sheer olive colored panel. Her eyes hurt and so did her body.

  She groaned as she got out of bed. Her silk nightgown was twisted all around her body and she pulled at it to get it straight.

  Hushed voices were heard in the hallway. “Find the cat.”

  She shook her head and went to the door to see what they were talking about. “If her cat is gone, she’ll be so upset,” came a woman’s voice.

  Throwing the bedroom door open, Aullie asked, “Is my cat missing?”

  One man, dressed in a black suit, the butler she guessed, gave her a blank face. One woman in a black maid’s outfit gave her the same face. It was the older woman, wearing a light blue set of what looked to her like something a chef would wear, opened her mouth, “Missing?”

  “I heard you saying a cat was missing. Are you talking about my cat?” Aullie asked the woman.

  “Well, yes and no. I’m sure it’s just hiding in the house,” the lady told her.

  “But the door to the hall was open,” the butler said. “He’d have to get on the elevator and go down to the ground floor and get out of the lobby to really be lost.”

  Aulora felt her legs going weak. “Not another terrible day!” she wailed.

  The woman she thought must work in the kitchen, came to her, running her arm around her and taking her back into her room. “You don’t worry about a thing. That cat is fine. I’ve worked in this building before. I’ll talk to the building manager and get them to check surveillance footage. I don’t want you to do anything but take a nice hot bath, relax, and let us take care of things. That’s what we get paid for. On top of that, I’m going to make a member of the staff the cat’s personal caretaker.”

  Aullie started crying, yet again. “But that’s my job! He’s my cat. His name is Bruce. Please find him!”

  With all her noise, the cat seemed to have heard her and came running into her bedroom. “There he is!” the lady said with enthusiasm.

  Aullie fell to her knees then sat on the floor and held her cat, muttering, “Bruce, my only friend. Don’t leave me.”

  The woman crouched down and took her by the chin. “Aulora, my name is Laura. I’m your head chef. I have a list of your favorite breakfasts that your mother gave the kitchen staff. But I’d like to get to know you. Now, how about a nice bowl of comforting oatmeal with maybe a half of a strawberry and a little bit of blueberries? And maybe a nice smooth glass of almond coconut milk and some homemade wheat bread with a nice honey butter spread?”

  “Laura?” she asked. “That’s what I used to get called a lot when I was younger. People didn’t know how to say my name.”

  “How silly they were. Your name is spelled perfectly. I love your name. I hope you’ll allow me to call you by it. I should’ve asked you first. Would you rather be called, Miss Wohrl?”

  “No, call me Aulora. Or Aullie.”

  The older woman ran a hand through her hair. “I really like your given name. Can I call you that?”

  “Sure,” she said. “If you’d like. I’m not a spoiled brat like most rich people. I was rich then I wasn’t. Suddenly, I am again. My head is spinning, as you can imagine. I don’t expect you to bow when I enter the room.”

  Laura laughed and sighed. “Oh, but some do, right?”

  Aullie found herself giggling. “I know!”

  With the comfort of her gray kitty and what seemed like a new friend, Aullie was feeling a little bit better than she had been feeling. Her new home was gorgeous. The staff seemed nice. Maybe, just maybe, she could adapt to the life she once had. She had been rich much longer than she’d been poor after all.

  “If you don’t mind me saying, I think you’re dealing with this much better than I would at your age,” Laura said as she scratched behind the cat’s ears.

  “And you are how old,” Aullie asked. “I know it’s rude but I’m having a terrible time gauging it.”

  “I’m forty-nine. I’ve had two husbands, three kids, and more than a few pets in my time. And I took this gig on when I was told you were only twenty-two and an artist. I love art. I always have. Being a chef is kind of like art when you think about it.”

  “Oh, I know!” Aullie was finding some excitement moving through her. “Do you like to make your food look neat, pretty, cool?”

  “I do!” Laura said, sharing her excitement. “I knew you and I would make a great team.”

  “Oh yeah?” Aullie asked.

  “I sure did,” Laura quipped then got up. “Breakfast then perhaps you could hang out with me for a bit and we could talk about what you really like and dislike and I’d love it if you’d show me your work. I want to cook to inspire you.
I heard you have your work in a gallery. You have no idea how much fulfillment I’ll get at knowing I get to cook for an artist! It’s like winning the lottery for me!”

  Aulora looked up at the woman. She had long blonde hair, wrapped into a tidy bun. Her blue eyes had a sparkle to them. She was fit and trim, the perfect amount of healthy weight on her medium frame. And her smile was infectious.

  “I’m glad you’re happy about this position.”

  “I was out of work for the last year. I went into the hospital with a blood clot in my left leg and the damn thing moved. It moved up to where my heart is. By a miracle, it was blown apart and ended up in tiny pieces in my right lung. I was in the hospital for two weeks. In ICU! The doctors and nurses told me I could’ve died. When I got the call about the job, I felt a slight jolt. I knew I should accept it. And now that I’ve met you, I’m damn glad that I did, Aulora.”

  “Were you afraid when you found out you had the blood clot?” Aullie asked with sincere worry.

  “I was. But I had faith that everything would work out. It did. And I saw my youngest child graduate from college a few months back. Things are going great and I hope I can bring some joy into your life. If you don’t mind me saying, I hate to see you crying so much. If there’s ever a time you want to talk, I’ll be in the kitchen. You come on and talk to me anytime, girl. Consider me your friend. Always.”

  “Thank you. That’s very nice of you,” Aullie said then smiled, a genuine smile. “I think you and I will get along well.”

  “Me too. See you in the kitchen in a bit.” Laura left her alone in her bedroom. Just her and the cat sat on the floor as Aullie looked around her new bedroom. A room she’d barely seen as her vision was mostly blurred the previous day.

  Her cell rang and she got up to see who it was, thinking it was most likely her mother or father. When she saw a number she didn’t recognize she thought twice about answering it then decided to take a chance. “Hello?”

  “I have Hayley and I’m bringing her to see you. She’s going to tell you the truth,” Weston told her.

  “Whose number is this?”