"He says she is his assistant, but we all know there is more to that story. The only real question is why would he consider entertaining a lady in a much lower class ? She can’t earn more than $30,000 a year," one man added. They didn't know I was standing behind them.
"Well, surely you don't expect an assistant to earn millions of dollars a year, do you? I know many single men who bring their assistants as dates," another man defended me.
"The girl doesn't belong here. She probably doesn't know which spoon to use for the escargot," another man chuckled. I quickly walked away from the group of men. Not only would it be embarrassing to be caught eavesdropping, but their words were also absolutely shameful.
I found the restroom with ease and tried to forget about the men’s comments. I found a clean stall and locked the door. Seconds later, I heard two women walk in and hover by the sinks and mirror. I was about to flush the toilet when I heard my name again! Pausing, I listened.
"Why is he giving his assistant the billionaire treatment? I just don't understand," one woman whined.
"I was wondering the same thing. She must be his little sex toy or something," another added.
"Don't get me wrong, I know that we aren't all born billionaires, but once you reach that status, you don't just entertain those beneath you. She's a very pretty girl, but I can almost bet my life on it that those diamonds in her hair are not real," the first lady said. I spied on them through the crack in the stall door. She was applying a dark shade of lipstick to her lips.
"Oh, they are definitely rhinestones. As for her dress, it looks like something she probably wore in her high school prom ages ago," the other lady said, waving one finger around like she had all the answers. Ages ago? I was only twenty-five. Was she insinuating that I looked old? Highly offended and angry, I flushed the toilet and carefully exited the stall. I washed my hands and greeted them kindly.
"Hello again, ladies. I do hope you're enjoying yourselves. If you’ll excuse me, I'm on to bigger and better things. Take care," I said confidently. They stared at me, stunned. Yes, they knew I had heard every single word they uttered. Wearing a triumphant smile, I left them standing there with there jaws touching the floor. I didn't dare walk back into the ballroom. Instead, I called Jessica and asked if she wouldn't mind giving me a ride home. I left.
Chapter 6
I studied the time on my watch. Alexis had been missing for nearly half an hour. I didn't want to sit down to eat without having her seated first. Intent on finding her, I surveyed and scanned the main room. There was no sight of her. Trying to hide the intent of my actions, I casually walked toward the corridor in hopes of finding her. I worried that she had fallen ill in the restroom and contemplated sending someone into check on her. Before causing an awkward scene with the restroom, I decided to call her smartphone first. It rang four times before she answered. I was relieved.
"Alexis, where are you? I've looked everywhere," I whispered hard into the phone.
"I left," she said flatly.
"What on earth?! Why?!" I was very frustrated. I had given her another opportunity that most people would dream of attending yet she threw it away like it was nothing. How many times could someone spit in my face? As much as I hated to admit it, she was starting to remind me of my estranged wife.
"Ashton, on two separate occasions I was forced to overhear two groups of people badmouthing me behind my back. They were entertaining themselves with chatter about my poor upbringing. They were judging me for being an obvious middle-class citizen and even chuckled at the thought of me not know what an escargot spoon was or for having fake diamonds in my hair. When I overheard the first group of men entertaining themselves by making fun of me, I let it go., but when I heard it from the bathroom stall, I had enough. I refuse to be around people that are going to disparage me and my character when they don’t even know me! I would appreciate it if you don't insist that I return. I apologize for putting you in a compromising situation, but I couldn't handle any more negativity. I'm home and relishing in my middle-class lifestyle. Enjoy the snails," she blurted out in one long breath. Knowing her stubborn nature and what she had heard, her behavior was understandable.
"I'm so sorry, Alexis. I had no idea that would happen. I should've stuck closer to your side."
"That wouldn't have kept them from talking. I know that people talk, but those people are in a totally different breed. They're very self-centered because they have more money than everyone else. Shame on them!" Her frustration was palpable even through the phone.
"So you're home and safe?" I asked.
"Yes," she answered.
I was disappointed that she didn't tell me she was leaving. "If something like this happens again, please let me know before you abandon ship, okay? Even a text message would have been helpful. I panicked when I couldn't find you," I told her gently.
"I apologize for not informing you. My feelings were really hurt, and I knew that you would try to persuade me to stay. At that point, I couldn't endure your begging. It was easier to just leave. Tell them that I had an emergency or something and continue on with your night," she said.
"I will enjoy the snails for you," I chuckled lightly.
"Yeah," she added, sounding annoyed. Before I could say goodbye, she hung up the phone. Returning to dinner, I excused Alexis’s absence and pressed through the evening. The escargot was actually tasty and so was the delicious calamari.
As I continued to hobnob with the wealthy, I thought about the new Yoga video and how much talent Alexis showcased. We worked so well as a team that by the end of the day, everyone was calling us "Double A." I thought it had a nice ring to it! I knew that something as simple as a new nickname with a new partner would potentially reinstate my brand and create the perfect distraction from the divorce disaster. Alexis didn't realize it but she had the talent and television presence needed to succeed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hung up on Ashton. The rollercoaster ride our relationship was often gave me mental whiplash. Sure, he seemed to understand my reaction to the colleagues’ critiques, but I knew instinctively that he was not happy with my attitude. So many times I had pondered walking away from it all at Ashton J., Inc? Yet, what right did I have to complain when I kept allowing myself to be sucked back by his charm? I was grateful for the DVD opportunity, but there seemed to be something off with all of it. Any woman would assume that her sexual relations were behind the opportunities. I didn’t want to be one of those girls.
I had just wiped the last of the thick makeup off of my face when I heard my phone vibrating again. I rolled my eyes in irritation. Ashton was becoming nearly obsessive! I spat the toothpaste suds into the sink. Ironically, the caller wasn't Ashton, but Seth! I hadn't heard from him in a few days. I told myself to not complain about Ashton and send Seth running off again. I needed to play it cool.
"Hey Seth," I answered.
"Hey, what's up? I thought I would call see if you were doing okay with everything. I saw on Facebook yesterday that you starred in a Yoga DVD. How did that go?" His voice was calm and kind. I had never befriended such a patient guy. Guilt started to creep in, though. I had let him hold my hand on a few occasions yet I slept with Ashton in the limo. Shaking my head, I knew that I was one confused woman.
"Yeah, I was! It was a cool experience. By the end of the day, the crew had nicknamed us as "Double A." I'm pretty sure they will market the DVD with that somehow. It gave me a chance to showcase my Yoga knowledge and talent on a bigger platform than the YMCA classes."
Seth softly cleared his throat. I knew him well enough by now to know that he was analyzing my every word, tone and expression. It didn't matter how much I lied to myself, I knew that Seth had feelings for me. He genuinely cared. This realization fueled my guilt even more. "I'm happy for you, Alexis. So, are you feeling more secure around Ashton? I know that you were considering to walk away after you learned about his divorce."
The tough questions w
ere inevitable, and I knew they were coming. However, I did not want to tell him about the limo encounter. Those details weren't important. "I'm still up and down. Honestly, I'm still struggling with confusion because my professional and personal life are blurring together. Keeping the distinction between them is increasingly difficult as everything becomes murkier. Does that make sense?" I asked him nervously.
"That makes sense. I've known for some time that you're confused about him. Not only have I seen it, but you've also told me time and time again. Just promise me that you will continue to take care of yourself. If you need someone to spend time with and destress, you have my number," he reminded me.
"Thanks, Seth. You're always so kind to me. I appreciate you," I said, feeling uncharacteristically emotional.
"I appreciate you as well, Alexis. I got to go. The pizza delivery guy just knocked on my door," he laughed. I stared at my phone after he hung up.
Jessica barged in unceremoniously. "Well, well, well,” she teased, “who were you chatting with that put that smitten smile on your face?"
I hadn't noticed the smile I was wearing. "Wasn't I smiling earlier?" I asked in defense.
"How could you? I had to rescue you from a snobby clique. That was Seth, wasn't it?" She grinned widely.
I knew she was right, and it was more than annoying. "Yeah, it was Seth. He was just checking in."
Jessica's lit up even more brightly before she turned and exited the room. "No comment," she called over her shoulder, but I could hear the smile in her voice. It was almost teasing me; wanted to know her thoughts. Then again, I already knew her thoughts. I groaned. What was I going to do?
Chapter 7
Italian food was a favorite of mine. I sat across the table from Ashton, wondering what he was going to lecture me about. When he had serious things on his mind, he would bite his bottom lip almost obsessively.
"You don't have to wait on the food," I suggested nonchalantly.
He dipped the straw into his glass of soda. "What are you talking about?"
I sat straight, poised, elegant and polite with my hands clasped in my lap with a slight grin expanding across my lips. "You keep biting your bottom lip. What do you want to discuss with me? I know you didn't invite me to lunch for business reasons."
He sighed deeply. "It has been a touchy subject between us. Let's not allow emotions to get carried away, okay?"
His word choice made me anxious. What had he done now? What else was there? "Okay..." I replied hesitantly.
He took a sip of his soda, slurping through the straw in an exaggerated fashion. I waited. "I promise you that when my divorce is finalized, we will go public with our relationship."
I had wanted our relationship to go public in the time prior to my learning about his marriage. However, it wasn't until that moment that I realized my emotions had changed. I didn't want to be thought of as the homewrecker. "I wouldn't want our ordeal publicized right now anyway. I didn't know you were married during the time I was pushing you to be honest about our fling. I don't want to be labeled a homewrecker. Since you live in the public eye, it will fall on me."
The waitress interrupted us by placing our meals on the table. I had ordered the shrimp pasta linguine with salad and garlic bread. He was boring and ordered the typical spaghetti and meatballs. When the waitress departed, he replied to my statement. "Which is why I'm telling you that I'm perfectly okay with going public after the divorce is out of the way and behind me. I don't want it to taint your reputation at all."
"Look, my family has no clue that I've had a fling with you. If I were to tell them what is truly going on between us, I would be getting lectured about my lifelong reputation. This is something that could taint my reputation for the rest of my life. I don't want to be the next Monica Lewinsky, okay?" I vented as coolly as possible.
"It sounds like you don't plan on being in any type of serious relationship with me," he stated.
I took a bite of shrimp. "It bothers me that you won't just give your estranged wife the money she is asking for. I mean, don't you have enough money to last many lifetimes? Even giving her half of it, you will have more money than you can ever hope to spend. Have you tried to work a deal with her? Maybe she will accept a smaller amount?" I knew I was stepping on his toes, but I believed that if he wanted me as his lover, then I had a right to know these things. "Remember, you yourself said that you didn't want this to turn into a dramatic ordeal," I reminded him as the expression on his face started to turn sour.
"Yes, I did say that," he concurred. "I'm sure I've already explained some of these things to you, but I can't just allow her to take half of my fortune. She has taken enough from me," he said firmly.
Biting my tongue, I contemplated on the consequences of my next comment. "When you marry someone, you choose to combine everything. What is yours is hers and vice versa. She was with you in marriage for a long time, and although I don't know the entire story, it seems that it's only fair that she receives something from the divorce. Even apart from that, don’t you just want it over with? Or will you let your greed continue to drive you?"
He put down his fork. "I think we need to stop the conversation here," he waved down the waitress. "Miss?! Ticket please!"
"I thought you said to not let our emotions stand in the way of that conversation," I said more confidently than I felt.
"This is me keeping my word by ending our meal and walking away. Are you ready to return to the office or are you wanting to finish your meal here?"
"I’ll finish my meal here. I will see you at the office," I said. I was not about to give him the satisfaction of ruining my lunch as well.
The situation was strange indeed.
Chapter 8
The women in the office were becoming cattier by the second. Ashton had returned to the office without me and his early return was enough to spark more office gossip. Now, that detail angered me. It made it more obvious that I was sleeping with the boss. Janet exited his office and brushed past me without acknowledging my existence. I couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer.
"What's your problem with me, Janet? I try so hard to fit in and do a great job. Why do you treat me like absolute crap? It would've been incredibly annoying to have gone to school with you. The snobby behavior is more than I would care to be around," I spouted off the third time this happened.
She didn't appreciate being confronted. "Excuse me?" she asked in a catty tone.
"You heard me."
Her mouth fell open faster than I imagined possible. It took her a moment to gather herself. "Okay. To be frank with you, we are tired of you getting special treatment from the boss. Just because we don't choose to open our legs doesn't mean that we don't deserve the same chances to grow. He doesn't offer us nearly as many opportunities as he does to you."
"This sounds like something you should discuss with him." I wanted to spit in her face but wouldn't dare do such a vile thing.
"Isn't it lovely how you refuse to deny my accusations? That tells me that we are right," she smirked and walked away. I immediately stomped to Ashton's office, knocked and stepped inside. I shut the door behind me.
"We need to talk again," I demanded.
"Alexis, I don't want to discuss our lunch topic right now," he said, stress apparent in his voice.
"It has nothing to do with that," I assured him. I angrily explained the conversation that I had with Janet. "Do you want me here or not? They all think I'm a slut! That I'm sleeping my way to the top. Can you just stop giving me these opportunities for a while? Offer them some opportunities, for once. Otherwise, I may have to walk away from this job. It's brought me more stress than any other position I've ever had." I was furious. He lounged back in his chair and stretched his arms high above his head. His demeanor was changing.
"We've had too much stress on us lately. Please, don't worry about the ladies out there. I've always told you that.," he said calmly. "Come here," he directed me with his hand. I walked to him, and he pu
lled me into his lap. "Let's put all the stress behind us," he whispered in my ear.
"Ashton, we don't need to get cozy up here. It would only prove to Janet that I'm a slut and sleeping my way to the top," I suggested, concerned.
"I'm not trying to do anything but bring you comfort," he tried to assure me. His charming persona started to permeate my negative emotions. Janet's words began to disappear from the front of my mind as I could only focus on his light touch against my skin. Up and down my arm, he trailed his fingers. The soothing touch was enough to ease any troubled soul. His lips made contact with the back of my neck. Slowly, I started to melt into him. Then, one kiss lead to another and then to another. Passion infiltrated the room as the outside world seemed to fade further into the distance. I couldn't turn down his advances because they were too strong and too convincing. While I was riding in his lap, Janet walked into the office. My eyes opened when I heard her shrieking gasp.
"I KNEW IT!" she yelled. I was thankful that I was still fully clothed.
"Oh my," he quickly reacted. "Get out! You're supposed to knock before you enter my office!" He yelled at Janet. Panic swept through me. Embarrassment quickly followed. We were caught red-handed, and I had no idea what would happen because of it. It was the one time we had not locked the door.
Janet left the office in a wild dash.
I sat frozen and stunned on Ashton’s lap. What would I do now?
The Billionaire’s Release Book 7
Bella Rayne
Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance Page 144