"Well, I hope it isn't anything to worry about." I didn't want to ask him too many questions. Grabbing our bags, we exited the plane. I was excited to see Jessica and my parents in the waiting area. However, I didn't want my parents to meet Ashton until I figured out our relationship. Ashton seemed just as surprised as I was and became nervous and tense. I knew I had to introduce him or it would make everything even more complicated.
"Mom, Dad, this is my boss, Mr. Ashton Jackson." I smiled as I introduced them to him.
"It's our pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jackson. Thank you so much for everything you have done for our daughter." My Dad shook his hand.
"It's also my pleasure to meet you both. Alexis is a wonderful young lady, and I know that she will go far in this life. She was simply amazing in London. She helped me to make a solid decision on the location for a new London office." He forced his usual professional smile, but I knew deep down that he was fighting off nervous tension. He looked at me. "Alexis, I assume that your family will give you a ride home?"
"Yes, they will take me home. Thank you so much for everything! I really enjoyed my first trip overseas. England is an absolutely beautiful country." I smiled brightly. I was actually glad to see my family and Jessica. I knew that I could catch Jessica up on everything later that night. In the meantime, it gave me a break from Ashton and the chance to share my experiences.
"Alright. You're very welcome. I will see you in the office on Monday. The jet lag should wear off by then." He grinned, waved and walked off. I looked at Jessica and communicated with her with my wide eyes. She knew exactly what I was thinking: that it was a close call. I hated that I couldn't introduce Ashton as my boyfriend, but I knew that it wasn't my choice. I tried to push the mysterious woman's bizarre phone call from my mind and enjoy the time with my family and Jessica.
Chapter 3
I climbed into the limo feeling rather odd. I wasn't expecting to meet Alexis’ family at the airport. Then again, I knew that she probably wasn't expecting it either as she seemed really surprised.
"Just take me straight to the mansion, please," I informed the driver. I wanted to get home and ensure that nothing major had happened in my absence. After the phone call incident, I was paranoid. Browsing through my phone, I decided I couldn't delay the call any longer. Although I expected it was a psychological hit rather than a normal phone call, I didn't want to stress over it anymore. I dialed the number.
"Hello?" A woman answered on the other end.
"To whom am I speaking?" I asked firmly. I wasn't in the mood to play games.
"Is this Mr. Ashton Jackson?" she asked without answering my question.
"Really? You don't know who this is yet you have my phone number?"
She paused on the other line. "Okay, so you are Mr. Jackson. That's what I thought."
"What do you want?" My voice could've easily cut glass.
"I'm your wife's attorney. She is summoning you to court if you don't give her half of your estate. You have one week to sign it over."
I could feel my face burning with anger. Realizing that the driver could hear everything, I rolled up the separation window between the two of us. "You mean to tell me that that was why you called while I was overseas? I should counter sue you for stalking! I will NOT be paying an ounce of my earnings! She took exactly what she brought into the marriage and as you can see, she didn't bring much. Tell her to sign the damn papers so I can get on with my life!" I hung up on the woman without any sort of warning. The limo circled the fountain and parked at the front entrance. The driver spoke through the speakers.
"Sir, you are home." I rolled down the dividing window again.
"Thank you. I appreciate it." I climbed out of the car extremely frustrated.
"Sir, are you okay?" The butler asked as he greeted me at the front door.
"Delightfully so. Just delightfully so," I sarcastically replied. "The wife is finding new and bigger ways to put a smile on my face every day." My face said it all. He knew very well that I was not serious.
"How delightful of her," he said sarcastically. "Would you like a glass of brandy?"
"I think I need a glass of brandy," I chuckled. I wandered into the sitting room and turned on the big screen television. The butler brought me a small glass of brandy as I plopped onto the brown leather sofa.
"Sir, did you enjoy your trip to London? I sincerely hope that everything went well with business."
I propped up my feet. "Have you taken a break today, Jerry? If not, you should. Take a seat and give your feet a rest." He looked at me warily. "I'm your boss and what I says, goes. I could use the company."
"Okay, sir," he responded and sat properly in the leather chair next to me.
"The trip went well. I found a great location for a London office."
"Wonderful!"
"Everything was great until Alexis answered my phone to a mysterious woman. She wouldn't give Alexis her name or anything. Turns out, it was my estranged wife's attorney. The crazy woman wants half of my net worth! I apparently have a week to agree to it or she is going to sue me for it." I took a sip of the brandy.
Jerry shook his head. "I'm sorry to hear that, sir. It's a shame that the two of you couldn't work anything out."
I downed the brandy in nearly three large gulps. "It is what it is. What makes it worse is that Alexis doesn't know any of this. She can't."
"Would you like some more brandy, sir?" He asked.
"No, I don't need any more brandy. I just need someone to listen to me," I grinned, clasping my hands together. The brandy did help take the edge off.
"Not a problem, sir."
"Jerry, what does it mean when a woman starts asking you if you want children someday? I get it. I'm fifty years old, and I should already know this answer. However, I don't."
He smiled gently, as he always did. His steady, calm demeanor during any mood or situation was a major reason I hired him as the butler. "In my opinion, that usually means that the lady is trying to discern what you want out of life. Perhaps she was measuring her desires against your desires."
"In other words, it means they're testing you to see if your husband material or not?"
"I wouldn't word it that way, but, essentially, yes," Jerry concurred. More stress flooded my mind. I knew that Alexis wanted to go public with our relationship. In fact, I wanted to go public about it, but my estranged wife haunted me. I didn't want her or anyone else taking my hard-earned money from me. I knew that if I didn't figure out something soon, Alexis would be walking out the door. She was one girl that no amount of money could keep her around.
Chapter 4
The jet lag had worn off over the weekend. To my surprise, I was energized and chipper at work on Monday. The pile of papers on my desk was actually exciting to me, perhaps because I was thankful to be back in the normal groove of things. The other ladies were very warm when I walked in. I expected them to be cold. Not one of them had anything negative to say about my trip to London until after lunch. I was filing some papers and humming a disco song that had just been on the radio. I was in my own little world and not really paying much attention to anything else. Janet brushed by me in an almost rude manner.
"How are you enjoying sleeping with a married man?" she asked quietly with an evil grin. She kept walking, not saying anything else. It took me a few seconds to process what she had just told me. First, she knew I was sleeping with someone. Secondly, she knew he was married? MARRIED? I didn't know what to do. What was her motive? Was she making things up? Did she know that I was sleeping with Ashton? I contemplated asking her questions, but then wondered if it would be worth it from someone that was clearly trying to stir the pot. Then, I didn't care! I marched over to her desk and firmly but respectfully confronted her.
"What are you talking about, Janet?" I tried to whisper.
She looked up at me with almost-entertained eyes. "I was just wondering how you were handling all of that. I know it has to wear on you at some point."
"Again, what are you talking about?" Frustration was evident in my tone.
"I know that you and Ashton have some sort of steamy affair going on. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that. However, he is also a married man. Everyone knows that." She returned her attention to her computer. If it were true about him being married, I would be furious. He had never mentioned that he was married! In fact, he had only shared with me the story of his fiancée that left him before they could walk down the aisle. I didn't want to admit my affair with Ashton to Janet. I didn't trust her.
"I didn't know that Ashton is married. Interesting. He has never mentioned his wife to me before." I completely avoided the affair entirely.
"They're estranged," she replied coldly. It was clear that she wasn't going to give me any further details. I knew that if I asked her more questions, it would give away my cover and only prove that her suspicion was correct.
"How sad," I replied. "I hope that they can work it out. Just don't ever walk up to me again and subtly accuse me of something. I'm not a fan of cat fights." She smirked. I walked away, trying to get control over my emotions. Never had I felt so angry and betrayed! I didn't want to give the ladies something to talk about when they were clearly already gossiping about my relationship with Ashton. I knew something like this would eventually happen with him wanting to keep everything a secret. However, if what Janet had just told me were true, then I knew why he had to hide our relationship! I sat down at my desk and tried to conceal my mood. Ashton was locked away in his office. I imagined that he was probably talking to that mysterious woman that called him in London. Suddenly, my thoughts went back to that. I became so angry that it felt like steam was coming out of my ears! Janet was probably telling the truth, which only infuriated me more.
"Here are the weekend numbers that need to be added to the spreadsheet," Janet said as she handed me the paperwork.
I struggled to grin. "Thank you, Janet. I will enter them right away."
When she disappeared around the corner, I pulled out my phone and sent Jessica a text.
You are NOT going to believe what I was just told! I am SO irate right now!
Although she wouldn't know what I was talking about, just the ability to vent somewhere gave me the strength to get through the hour without quitting on the spot. I decided that it would be fair to give Ashton a chance to explain himself first before I made decisions based on something that Janet told me. Unfortunately, I knew deep down that she told me at least some truth because it lined up.
Two hours later, I needed to do something. Chewing gum didn't help ease the tension and neither did the radio. I tried everything to distract myself from the tidbit of knowledge given to me. I sent Ashton an email and demanded that he call me to the office. I did NOT want to knock on his door because it would definitely appear that I was confronting him. It also helped that there was only thirty minutes left until my workday ended. This meant that if I felt the urge to walk out that I could do so without it seeming so obvious.
He looked flustered when I entered his office. Quite frankly, I didn't care. I had just spent a fabulous week in London with a cheater.
"Hey, gorgeous," he forced a grin.
"Hey," I muttered back. It made me sick to my stomach to hear him call me 'gorgeous.'
"What's up?" He asked, trying to sound young and hip.
"I'm going to make this quick."
"Okay?" He looked confused.
I sat in the chair from across the room. "Janet approached me earlier and asked how I was enjoying sleeping with a married man. One, she knows we are having sex, but two, she says that you are married? Is that true?"
The grin fell from his face. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Is it true?" I showed no emotion.
He took a long deep breath and rubbed his eyes. "This has not been a good day! Damnit!" His frustration could be seen through the bulging veins in his forehead.
"Well?" I pressed him.
"Yes, I'm still married. My wife left me a year ago and has demanded that I give her half of my estate. It's been a very embarrassing and difficult ordeal, so I've tried to keep it under wraps."
I was beyond angry. I don't know what you would call that emotion, but I was there. "Oh. I see."
"It's not what you think, Alexis. I swear," he nearly begged.
"You don't know what I'm thinking."
"Janet had no right to tell you that."
"My question is: how come everyone else knew but me?"
He closed his laptop hard. "They only knew because they've been in my life longer. They met my estranged wife many times. You don't understand. It is important for me to keep this quiet so that the details of my current life don’t get back to her. If she were to find out that I'm sleeping with another woman, that's something else she could hold against me in the divorce. I've been trying to divorce her for a year now, but she insists on getting half of everything. Since we can't agree on those terms, I've been told to keep all aspects of my personal life quiet so that it won't give her any more ammunition."
The anger was continuing to swell inside of me. "With all the private moments we've had, you couldn't tell me any of this? I feel so betrayed. I think there is more to it than wanting to protect yourself in court. Ashton, I think it's best that we end the personal relationship and keep things strictly professional. If you will excuse me, I think I've had enough with drama for the day. I'm going home."
"Alexis, please," he said desperately.
"I'm not trying to be rude, but on a personal level, I can't handle being here right now. Thank you for everything you have done for me professionally. Goodbye." I left his office without uttering another word. I grabbed my purse and left without telling the ladies good-bye. For the first time ever, I didn't care.
Chapter 5
"What was that text about?" Jessica asked when I got home.
"Oh girl, you won't believe this crap. Ashton is married! He is freaking married."
Jessica's mouth dropped open. "You have got to be kidding me!"
"Now, don't get confused. He isn't happily married. His wife left him a year ago. He has been trying to get a divorce from her, but she has refused until he gives her half of his estate. So essentially, they are fighting over money. He is clearly so stingy that he can't settle for one billion over two billion."
Jessica grabbed her chest. "I can't believe that I'm hearing this! If he gave her half of his fortune, he would still be a freaking billionaire."
"My argument is this: if money meant that much to him, why start a new fling with me? Since I'm something that has to be hidden and might need some of his precious pennies?"
"Exactly. Oh girl, I wouldn't go back to that office. I'm so sorry! I know you must be devastated."
Her words were endearing. However, I was too angry to feel devastated. "I'm not devastated yet. I feel betrayed and irate. That's pretty much it. I'm worth more than he thinks! What's worse is that everyone else in the office knew about this!" I crossed my legs and cringed. "And to think that I made myself vulnerable to that sorry excuse for a man!" I walked into the bathroom and started to run some warm water in the tub.
"What are you doing?" Jessica called after me.
"I feel like I need a serious bath," I said. "I let that jerk touch me and now I feel dirty. It doesn't matter how much he looks like George Clooney. His sleazy behavior has made him disgusting. It would feel wonderful to rid myself of his germs in a warm bath." I knew that it sounded silly as I showered daily. It was more of a psychological thing than anything else.
"I know that it's horrible for me to laugh but you're hilarious!" Jessica laughed. "Oh, I saw Seth at the coffeehouse earlier today during lunch. He asked how you were doing. I wish I had known this then."
When she mentioned Seth's name, I instantly became alert. "Really? He asked about me?"
"Yes, he did. I told him that you made it back from London safely and were trying to get back into the normal swing of things." She h
anded me my phone. "Here, I know you want to text him. Go for it. Ashton doesn't deserve you. He's old anyway," she chuckled.
"You're totally right. Thanks, girl. I think I will send him a text. Maybe he will want to meet up later."
Hey Seth. Long time, no see. What's up?
I set the phone on the sink counter while I soaked in the tub. I was shocked when my phone vibrated almost immediately. "Jessica!" I yelled.
"What?" She came to the door quickly.
"Do you mind reading me the message from my phone? I think Seth replied."
"Since you've been having a tough day, I will do that for you," she laughed. "Yes, it was Seth. He says that he isn't doing much. Just resting after a long day of classes."
"Ah, he didn't really give me anything to build upon with that text. Darn, that makes it tough."
"What were you hoping he would say?"
"I guess I was hoping he would do the usual and ask if I wanted to meet for coffee. I suppose I've ruined that since the Ashton fling came to his attention. Plus, he's already been there today." I toyed with the faucet with the tip of my big toe.
"Well, do you want me to send something to him for you?"
I thought long and hard. "You know what? Tell him that he was right about Ashton. Just leave it at that. If he wants to meet me, he will let me know."
Jessica typed it out for me. "He may meet you because he will know that you need him, not because he wants to spend time with you. Seth seems like a fairly selfless guy."
I smiled. "He does seem like a selfless guy. I feel bad for how I've treated him. I put Ashton on a pedestal."
Seth messaged me back, and Jessica read it to me. "He asked if you want to meet at the cafe later this evening."
"Wait...what...seriously?! So, I haven’t completely run him off yet?" I couldn't believe how happy I was over his invitation to meet for coffee. What was wrong with me? Ashton had just stomped all over my heart and I was feeling giddy over Seth just a few hours later?
Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance Page 141