Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology

by Anthony, Jane

  That Saturday evening, I was sitting in my living room taking a break from some work I took home with me when I heard knocking on my door, well pounding really. I opened it to find a red-faced Austin waving a white envelope in my face. He stalked into my foyer and ripped the letter from its confines and shoved it into my hand.

  “Fucking read it and explain yourself to me.”

  With shaky hands, I unfolded the letter and read it to myself. Edith had revealed to Austin that I was pregnant with his baby and miscarried. She couldn’t in good conscience not tell him even though I’d asked her not to reveal it to him. I looked up at him.

  “It’s true. I was pregnant.”

  Austin clenched his jaw. “And you fucking hid it from me?”

  “I didn’t hide it from you. I wanted to tell you; then I had the miscarriage. It didn’t matter after that.”

  He glared at me. “It did matter. I wanted to know. You were pregnant when you came to my house that night, weren’t you? The night I offered you wine, but you declined. The night you ran to the bathroom and threw up. You had every opportunity to tell me then, but you didn’t. Why?”

  I looked at the floor. “I had every intention of telling you, but then I saw Jessie, and I knew it was the wrong time. You seemed happy, and I didn’t want to cause problems.”

  “Suppose you didn’t miscarry? Would you have told me or disappeared from my life?”

  “I would’ve told you. I wanted you to know.”

  “How the fuck did you get pregnant anyway? You told me you were on birth control.”

  “I forgot to refill my prescription. I didn’t deceive you, I just forgot.”

  Austin ran his hands through his hair and stalked to the refrigerator, yanking it open then slamming it shut.

  “Why the fuck don’t you have anything but wine in this place. Is it too much to ask to have some beer or whiskey?”

  I kept my voice low. “I have whiskey in the cabinet next to the refrigerator, top shelf.”

  He opened the cabinet, got down the whiskey, and took a long slug right from the bottle. I just stood there not knowing what to say.

  “Jesus fucking Christ, these women in my life,” he muttered before he took another gulp of whiskey and then capped the bottle.

  “Austin, I’m sor…”

  He whirled around. “Don’t you fucking dare say you’re sorry. You hid so much from me.”

  I clenched my fists and felt my face heat with anger. “I hid things from you? Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? You never told me about your engagements or the other woman getting pregnant. I opened up to you more than I have anyone else.”

  Austin pointed at me. “This is the last time I want to see you. I can’t forgive you.”

  “You can’t forgive me for getting pregnant and not telling you I had a miscarriage? Did you ever think what it was like for me to go through that alone? I was devastated. I wanted little almond so much.”

  “Little almond?”

  “That’s what I called our baby.”

  “I’m leaving. Don’t contact me again.”

  I stalked after him. “Go fuck yourself, Austin. It’s better we don’t have contact. You’ve shredded my heart enough. I hope you’re happy.”

  “I am. I’m going back to everything good.”

  He ripped the letter out of my hand as he passed by, and then he was gone.

  I didn’t have the holiday spirit but forced myself to spend time at Kurt’s apartment with Marc and some other people. I tried to smile, but it had been two gloomy weeks without any contact with Austin. I counted each day when I got out of bed and hoped the further away I got from his loss, the better I would feel. I told Marc what happened between us and he wanted to go to Los Angeles to kick Austin’s ass.

  “How are you doing?” Marc asked as he handed me a glass of wine.

  “Horrible. I miss him, and he’s getting married in three days.”

  He patted my shoulder. “It’s time to move on. I have a friend I can set you up with.”

  I laughed because it would be a long time before I dated again. “Thanks, but no thanks. I think it will be a while before I’m ready.”

  On the day of Austin’s wedding, I spent most of it holed up in my office keeping myself busy with work even though it was Saturday. Charles and the attorneys hired by Charge asked me to write everything I could remember about my altercation with Dirk Benson and Thomas Pelter. They needed ammunition in court.

  What made it worse was that some of the women Dirk assaulted suddenly had murky memories of the things he did. I couldn’t understand. Even Diane wasn’t entirely sure of what he’d done to her. It was curious, and I wondered if they were afraid for their jobs. As CEO, I could assure them they wouldn’t be terminated.

  Austin’s wedding day ended with me indulging in too many glasses of wine and falling asleep on the floor in my living room. When I woke up the next morning, my mouth felt like I’d been eating sand, and I had the beginning of a headache behind my eyes.

  Marc talked me into going to Times Square with him to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve. I don’t know why I agreed because the weather was frigid, and it meant standing out in the cold for hours. I was pleasantly surprised when he ushered me into the Marriott, which faced the festivities. We had the perfect view without freezing our tails off.

  A close friend of his had several people watching from the windows, and when midnight struck, I reluctantly kissed Marc in a lingering kiss. I knew he wanted to date me, but I wasn’t right for anyone. He noticed how tense I was after he released me.

  He put his arm around my shoulders. “How are you doing?”

  “About the wedding?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll get over it. We’re not friends anyway. That chapter is closed.”

  “I’m sorry. You’re leaving for vacation in a few days, right?”

  “My annual trip to the Maldives. Sun, sand, and peace. I’ve needed it for a while.”

  “How’s the shit with the lawsuit going?”

  “I’m not sure. They only asked me to write down my interactions with Dirk and Thomas.”

  “You know you’re in the right? You did the job they asked you to do.”

  I leaned against him as I looked down at the dispersing crowd in Times Square. “I was hired to clean up that place.”

  “Are you worried?”

  “That I’ll lose my job?”

  “Are you?”

  “I try not to think about it. Sometimes attorneys have a way of twisting things. I’m counting on Charge Media to make sure that doesn’t happen. Dirk was plenty mad when I terminated him. I had to defend myself.”

  “I think you’ll be alright.”

  Marc kissed me on the crown of my head, but I couldn’t help wondering if I would be alright.

  The case against Charge turned into a circus. When I got back from the holidays, and just before I left for vacation, Charles called me into his office. He had a grim look on his face when I entered.

  “What’s up?”

  “Take a seat. It seems that the attorneys for Mr. Benson interviewed some former employees of yours at Tailwind. Apparently, they’re trying to paint a picture of your heavy-handed tactics to keep your staff in control.”

  I put my face in my hand. “Charles, I did what I needed to do to get the company together. Spotlight acquired them when management was a mess. I was sent to New York to handle it and clean it up. I did that. If my techniques seem heavy handed then, too bad. It’s the way I work.”

  “It’s not just those that you fired. It’s also people who still work there. Many of them didn’t have glowing things to say about you.”

  “I wouldn’t expect they did. I had to be hard to be CEO for one of the largest production companies in the world. Now I’m being chastised for it? If it was a man, would it be the same?”

  Charles’ chair creaked as he leaned back. “I’m not saying it was wrong. I’m just saying it makes our
case weaker. It shows a pattern, especially since several of the men interviewed called you a few choice words.”

  I cleared my throat. “You mean bitch?”

  “I wasn’t going to repeat it, but yes.”

  “They’re just interviewing men?”

  “It goes along the defense they’re using. That you hate men.”

  “Is my job in jeopardy?”

  “I doubt it, but anything can happen. Go on vacation and relax. I think you need a break after everything you’ve been dealing with the past few weeks.”

  “I leave in three days.”

  “I don’t want you to worry about this; it’s all preliminary.”

  “I’ll try not to.”

  I was unsettled for the rest of the day and angry at some of the women in the office who would want to cover up Dirk’s misdeeds. I hesitated to speak with Diane since it might work against me if she was called into court. I would have to lay low and try to enjoy my vacation.

  “Miss Stone, so nice to have you back.”

  Anaan was taking me to my villa at Gili Lankanfushi. The long flight took more out of me than the last time I flew. I couldn’t sleep because the man across from me snored loudly most of the trip. When I tried to wake him, it was impossible, making me believe he popped a sleeping pill before we took off.

  We walked into my villa. “Thank you, Anaan.”

  Anaan stood with his hand clasped in front of him. “Do you need me to show you around?”

  I smiled. “I think I remember everything.”

  He bowed. “Very good. If you need anything, please pick up the phone.”

  “Thank you. Good to see you again.”

  “As always, Zeena will be taking over when I retire for the night.”

  He nodded and walked out of the villa. I was drained and only wanted to sit and enjoy the warm weather while I worked on my tan. I changed into my bright orange bikini, slipped on my sunglasses, and went out onto the deck. A slight breeze blew, ruffling my long golden hair. I leaned back on the chaise and closed my eyes.

  The slider to the villa next to me slammed, but I ignored it. A minute later, a splash as someone dove into the water. Gili Lankanfushi was the perfect place for honeymoons, and I expected a couple would be next door. Each year I came, it seemed I was the only one alone except for Austin last year.

  The splashing grew louder as I began to doze. I was startled when I heard someone climbing the steps, and I sat up. There he was, standing before me, dripping water from his gorgeous body. I must be seeing things and removed my sunglasses to get a closer look.

  I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Austin? Why are you here?”

  “I’m here for you.”

  “But you got married. You should be with your wife.”

  A puddle of water formed below his feet, staining the deck. “I changed my mind. I called it off. I can’t think of anyone but you.”

  I sat up. “You told me goodbye.”

  “I was wrong. You’re the one for me. I made a mistake.”

  I began to cry, and he came to me, taking me in his strong arms. I pressed my face against his cool, wet skin as he planted kisses on my forehead. His hands moved to cup my breasts, and my nipples hardened with need. I wanted him so badly. I missed him so much.

  “Let’s go inside,” he whispered.

  “We can’t. I have no protection.”

  “I don’t care. I want to make another little almond with you. I want you to have a baby with me.”

  I looked up at Austin. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. Let me make love to you.”

  We rose from the chaise together, and he took my hand, leading me into my villa and directly to the bedroom. He pulled at the ties to my bikini top and removed it, then cupped my breasts with his hands.

  “I love your tits, so perfect and suckable.”

  He bent down to latch his mouth onto one nipple while he pinched and rolled the other between his finger and thumb. I moaned loudly as my core exploded with heat, tugging at his thick hair. Austin let me go and kneeled, taking my bottoms with him. I held onto his shoulder as I stepped out of them.

  “I can’t wait to taste you.”

  He spread me wide with his fingers and touched the tip of his tongue to my swollen nub. I thrust my hips and….

  “Excuse me?”

  I was startled awake and felt my face heat with embarrassment at the fact I was having such a dirty dream about Austin. I looked down to see a blonde woman dressed in a flowered bikini holding onto the bottom step, which led to my deck.

  “Hi, can I help you?” I said.

  She smiled, and I noticed her from tooth was chipped. “I’m Lila. Our phone isn’t working. Can you call the desk for us?”

  “You don’t have cell phones?”

  “No signals and Jeremy, that’s my husband, we’re newlyweds, hid them somewhere. We just need someone to come out and fix the phone, so we can call for meals.”

  “Sure. Congratulations on your nuptials.”

  “Are you here alone?”

  “Yes. I take this vacation every year.”

  Lila giggled. “Well enjoy. Maybe we’ll see you, but I doubt it if you know what I mean.”

  I smiled weakly. “Yes, I do.”

  I grabbed my cell and held it up to check the signal. I too had almost none. “I barely have a signal. I’ll go inside and call. Which number is your villa?”

  “Thank you. It’s four.”

  Lila swam away to the villa next to the one Austin stayed at the year before. I wondered if anyone was occupying that one. I went inside and called the front desk to let them know Lila’s phone was out. I felt uncomfortable between my legs, a nagging throb my dream had ignited.

  I went outside and jumped from the corner of the deck, hoping the water would cool me. It was as warm as a bath, and I got no relief as I swam back and forth from the villa next door to mine. I needed something to work off my sexual frustration and exercise would have to do. After several laps, I found myself tiring near the deck of the opposite villa. I grabbed onto the steps to catch my breath.

  “Hey, gorgeous.”

  I looked up to see Austin standing there in a pair of red swim trunks. He smiled widely at me. I shook my head full well knowing I was dreaming again. He wasn’t here. The hallucination spoke again.

  “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

  “I won’t be fooled again. I’m dreaming.”

  I began to swim away and heard a splash behind me. Austin grabbed me by the leg and pulled me toward him until he could wrap his arms around me.

  “You’re not dreaming; it’s me.”

  I almost felt like crying. “How? Why are you here? Are you on your honeymoon?”

  “I canceled the wedding.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Because I realized that she wasn’t the one I loved. I love you.”

  I sagged in his arms then pushed against his chest. “You said goodbye. You told me you didn’t want to see me again.”

  Austin held me firmly in his grasp. “I was stupid. I made a mistake.”

  “You came here for me?”

  “I had this villa booked months ago.”

  “But we were supposed to travel together, remember?”

  “I don’t know why I did it, but I did.”

  “Let me go. You hurt me.”

  “If I could take back what I said, I would. I know you thought telling me about the baby would’ve interfered with Jessie, but you should have. She wasn’t right for me.”

  “You went home and canceled the wedding? Two weeks before you were married?”

  “I canceled it two months ago. She was using me. Using my money.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Then you lied to me. You made it seem like you were still together.”

  “I know. I was wrong.”

  “Don’t you see how fucked up this is? We deceived each other. How can we possibly have a t
rusting relationship?”

  “Let’s sit down and talk unless you want to continue this conversation in the water.”

  “I can’t trust myself with you.”

  Austin grinned wickedly. “I like the sound of that.”

  I struggled. “Asshole. Let me go,” I hissed.

  “Only if you promise to sit down with me so we can talk.”

  “Fine. Let me go.”

  He did and pushed me toward the steps. As I ascended them, I heard him gasp and curse under his breath.

  “Dammit, I love that bikini.”

  I realized Austin had a perfect view from below of my naked bottom since my bikini was a thong.

  “Fuck you. Stop looking,” I growled.

  “Is that an invitation? Because you’re making me hard.”

  “Austin, be serious.”

  He followed, stepping onto the deck behind me. I sat down on one chaise while he took the one opposite me.

  “I fucking love you so much, Sammy. I need you in my life. I’ve made mistakes, but so have you.”

  “You said you were moving on. That everything in Los Angeles was good.”

  “It wasn’t. It was horrible, and I desperately missed you. I thought I could move on. I was so angry when I found out about the baby.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you.”

  “It wasn’t just that you didn’t tell me. It was because I know how painful it must have been to go through losing little almond without support.”

  I smiled at his usage of my pet name for our baby. “It was very painful, and you hating me made it worse.”

  “I never hated you. I made the wrong choice. Jessie was the one who wasn’t for me. You’re the only woman I’ve ever had in my life who fully understood me.”

  “You were angry I would be in New York. It would’ve only been for a few months.”

  “Why did you leave Spotlight?”

  “Because of you. I couldn’t be in the same place you were. It was easier, living three thousand miles away.”