by DD Prince
Sunday dinner at Austin’s was great, but Aiden’s mom didn’t come. Aiden’s dad did, though, and seemed jovial enough, but we all wondered where things were at. He said she wasn’t ready to think about the future, that she was working on herself. Sounded healthy enough to me.
Aiden saw it as progress, too. He told me the old Audra would’ve come over and been a catty bitch. Would’ve made digs and demands. That she was staying away might be progress.
Monday was back to work and I was busy. Crazy busy and rocking my new job. Monday night we watched TV after Aiden made spaghetti and gave me a foot rub. And then he rubbed my feet on his bare dick and came on them.
Kind of kinky, but he told me he thinks my feet are sexy. Whatever floats his boat. I just love watching him come.
I love San Diego. A lot. I am also pretty sure I’m falling head over heels in love with my hot alpha boss, slash roommate.
I’m busy working at my desk when I feel my hair slide from my left shoulder to my right one. There are lips on the back of my neck.
“I have to fly to Miami this afternoon. Big pitch meeting tomorrow with Franklin’s number one client. Babylon offered us a last-minute meeting, so we’re bringing the big guns.”
“Yeah? That’s awesome!”
“Yep. And it’s at least partly down to you and you getting that Lingo banner in their email, peaches.”
I’m smiling. “When will you be back?”
“Tomorrow night. I’m running home now, packing and heading to the airport.”
“Knock ‘em dead, Hot Sauce.”
“Call you when I land. Come into my office for a second so I can say bye properly.”
He backs up. I spin my chair around and follow him in. He drops all his blinds.
“This is so obvious,” I grumble. It’s definitely spreading around the office that we’re an item.
His left eyebrow goes up. “Would you rather I kiss you breathless while groping you with the blinds up?”
“Point taken.”
He comes to me and pins me against the door. He’s devouring my mouth with his. My fingers are in his hair. He smells amazing. He feels amazing.
“See you tomorrow,” I whisper against his lips.
“Yep. You will.” He squeezes my butt and then backs up so I’m no longer blocking the door. “Back to work you go. Be a good girl while I’m gone.”
I smile. “I will.”
He gives me a heated look.
I back out of his office and head back to my cube. Ally pops up.
“Dinner and a movie tonight?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
***
Ally told me her date with Jude was a big fat disappointment. Half way through dinner on Saturday, he had some sort of emergency and had to run out. He said he’d call her. He sent an apology text on Sunday, but she hadn’t heard from him since.
I told her what I knew about Meryl and Austin and she thinks on it and tells me there were a few clandestine-like phone calls from home. Meryl had commented there was a guy who was serious about her, but she didn’t know if she was serious about that guy. We gathered that was weighing on her as she began things with Austin.
“We should plot to get her back,” Ally says, as we’re walking toward our apartment building.
“Hm…” I muse.
It’s after ten o’clock and I’m carrying my leftover popcorn. It’s a beautiful night and it’s great to hang out with a girlfriend after being so hot and heavy with Aiden these past few days. I’m not really looking forward to sleeping alone, though. Maybe I’ll sleep in his bed, instead of mine. Maybe I’ll tell him I’m in his bed, naked, when he phones me so that we can have some phone sex.
Ally switches topics and starts talking about how possessive Aiden is.
“Did you see him growl at Bill the other day? Bill was looking at your ass and Aiden actually growled at him. I thought Bill was gonna piss his pants.”
I shake my head and roll my eyes.
A figure steps out of the shadows beside our building entrance. It’s a girl with a hoodie on, long dark hair flowing out of either side of the hood. As she gets closers, her eyes are on me. Her face looks bruised. Her lip is fat.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
Ally grabs my arm and jerks me back.
Yeah, maybe not a great idea to get so close to someone lurking in the shadows like that.
“You’re Carly,” the girl says.
I jerk back further. Who is this?
“I’m Bella, I was in the apartment a few weeks ago when you came with your suitcase, remember?”
I do remember. Of course I do. What the heck is she doing here and what happened to her face?
“I remember.”
“Well, one sister to another, Aiden Carmichael is not a good man.”
I jerk back and stare at her face. She pulls her hood off and as she steps into the semi-lit area outside the building, I see her face is beaten really badly.
She’s not suggesting Aiden did this, is she?
My mind wanders back to him talking about having Seth beaten up in a dark alley. Did he do this to a woman, too?
“You’re not telling me Aiden had someone do this to you?”
She gets a creepy smile on her face. “What’s your gut telling you?”
“That’s how you make sure people don’t fuck with you, baby.”
No.
“How do we know Aiden did that to you?” Ally asks. “Because I don’t think…”
The girl reaches into her pocket and pulls out a cell phone and holds it up high.
Aiden’s voice comes out of her phone. It’s an audio recording.
“I want you to look into Carly Adler, man. She just started work at my office. My father planted her in my apartment in the spare room for what feels like no good reason, so my gut is tellin’ me there’s a reason. I want to know everything.”
“Tell me the basics.
That’s another voice.
“Cute as fuck. Lookin’ forward to bangin’ her. She worked for Chancellor & Associates in Buffalo, New York and my father recruited her after we acquired it.”
“Don’t know how you can bang chicks you have no idea if they’re evil or not, man. This might be why you have to pay me so much money. Nevermind, actually. Keep on bangin’ away…”
“It doesn’t matter if she’s evil. I ain’t looking for a relationship. If I catch a whiff of a ripe peach like that, better believe I’ll take a bite.”
“She gaggin’ for it?”
“Pretending she isn’t. Maybe because it’d blow her cover, or could be she’s playing a long game. Either way, guaranteed, I will bag her before the month is out. No, a week, two weeks max. Watch me. You want to wager?”
“Naw man, I’ve seen you in action. I don’t like to lose money.”
She tucks the phone back into her pocket. “Your best bet is to cut your losses. He’s trouble. As you can tell…” she gestures to her own face, lifts her hood back up over her head, and then she walks away slowly, her hand over her side like her ribs hurt.
I’m standing there, shocked. I’m feeling like I want to throw up.
“C’mon,” Ally says softly, leading me inside.
Getting upstairs is a blur.
“Do not jump to conclusions. Things are not always what they seem.” Ally is talking to me, but my head is running through information.
“I’m going to bed.”
“Talk to me,” she orders.
“I… I’m numb.”
“Don’t go all Fort Knox on me now, Car…”
“I… I need processing time.”
“You need to talk to Aiden. Don’t take that girl’s word for gospel.”
“It’s not just her word, Ally. There was a recording.”
“I know. But…”
“I need processing time. Okay? I’m gonna go take a bath and crawl into bed. I… I’ll see you in the lobby at eight.”
She hugs me and whispers into
my hair, “Don’t jump. Talk to him.”
I nod.
She leaves and I lock the door and go run a bath.
I lay in the bath until the bottoms of my feet are pruny, and then I crawl into bed. My bed.
I text him.
“I’m going to sleep. Really tired. See you tomorrow.”
The phone rings a minute later. It’s him. I ignore it until it stops.
A minute later a text comes up on my lock screen.
“Called to try to say goodnight, but didn’t get you. Sweet dreams, peaches. See you tomorrow night.”
45
AIDEN
I get a text from Bella as me, my Dad, our VP of sales, Ben, and the newly promoted (to replace Brad) Miami sales manager Russ head into the lobby of Babylon.
“You made a big mistake by screwing me over. Thanks to you doing nothing, trying to deal on my own, they messed up my face and broke two of my ribs. I’m leaving town. I had to do what I had to do. When you see your Mom on the news, you’ll know you could have stopped it.”
The message is long. I don’t have time to read the rest right now. There’s also a file attached that says New Recording, 1 Audio File.
I tuck my phone into my pocket. No time for her shit now.
***
The meeting went well. We’re expecting good things. I’m back in San Diego and on my way home from the airport in a cab when my phone makes noise. It’s a text from Adele with a picture of Braeden holding Lilly. It says “Your daily smile. Call me when you’re back. I have some ideas about Suki’s birthday.”
I scroll to the message from Bella and read the rest of it.
“I ran into your new girlfriend, btw. So much for your vow of no relationships, right? She was so pretty and sweet laughing with her friend walking into the building where you two share an apartment like love birds. She saw me. She saw me and figures you had this done to my face. She also listened to this. Don’t bother trying to get revenge. I’m gone with the money I got from selling the story about your Mom. I know that the cloud videos got deleted so fuck you, you dirty motherfucker. You’ve got nothing. Have a nice life. Thanks for the cock.”
My gut twists as I hit the audio and within two seconds of hearing my own voice, I realize that the bartender that was giving fuck me eyes to Jude was recording our conversation that night. She and Bella were obviously friends.
Fuck.
Carly avoided me last night. I called her today at work and she cut me short, telling me she was in the middle of something.
“Hurry and get me home, man,” I say to the cabbie. It’s the usual cabbie that gets the girls to work in the mornings. He must jump whenever he hears it’s the Carmichael account.
“Mr. Aiden, sir. I will. But, can I say something?”
“Yeah,” I bite off impatiently. I need to get home to her.
“Carly has shining spirit. I saw it first day when I bring her from the airport. She is one of those pure souls. You understand?”
“What?” I’ve heard him, but what the fuck is he on about?
“I brought her and Ally to work and to home today. Her spirit isn’t shining today. I heard some of what you play on your phone just now.”
I give my head a shake. “It’s a misunderstanding…”
“If you burn out that light, you will regret for all time…” He lets that hang and speeds up.
Fuck sakes.
My phone rings. Adele. I can’t right now. I reject the call.
***
I rush into the apartment, dropping my bag. My phone starts ringing again. Austin. I toss the phone to the couch.
I throw the door open to her room. She’s not in there. I throw the door open to mine. Not there, either. She’s not in the bathroom or the laundry room.
I’m tearing my fingers through my hair, trying to find her. I’m about to head downstairs to Ally’s when I spot that she’s out on the terrace. She’s sitting in the dark, staring out.
I step out, feeling so much fucking relief.
“Baby.”
She doesn’t look up at me.
“Carly…”
She still doesn’t look at me.
I start talking. “Bella sent me the audio. I was talkin’ shit. I didn’t know you. I was being an asshole. This wasn’t… it isn’t about playing games or fucking you over.”
“Okay,” she whispers.
“You don’t believe me.”
I get to my knees in front of her and take her face into my hands.
She looks so fucking sad. She swallows.
“I didn’t say that. I figured it. You wouldn’t have told me all those personal things… you wouldn’t have me around your family, people you care about if we weren’t real.”
I breathe out relief and put my forehead to her knees and wrap my arms around her waist.
She’s stiff as a board. I look up.
“Then why have you been dodging me? Why are you looking at me like you don’t know me? Why are you stiff?”
“You had her beaten,” she whispers.
I jerk back. “I didn’t.”
“She was beaten so badly, Aiden. Are you going to have Sienna beaten, too?”
“What? No. Fuck no. I didn’t do that, Carly.”
“You didn’t order that? Like you did with Seth?”
Her forehead crinkles and she looks at me assessingly.
“I did not do that. Not to a woman. Fuck no. I did that with Seth because he was a sick freak who was trying to sniff around even after getting arrested, which meant it’d take something extreme to wake his shit up. I did not fuckin’ order a woman to get the shit kicked out of her.”
Her lips part. She’s searching my face.
“She has debts. Loan sharks. Jude dug and she’s a pill popper. Her parents cut her off a few years ago because she flunked out of school. She was blackmailing me, threatening to go to the press about my mother’s DUI unless I paid off her loanshark. She’s the one who stole my phone. She’s doin’ whatever she can do to fuck me over. But, the loanshark beat the shit out of her; nothing to do with me.”
“Your Mom’s arrest was on that gossip news TV show a little while ago. The video showed her slapping the cop across the face. Bella must have gone to the press,” Carly whispers.
I roll my eyes. “Great.”
She starts to cry.
“Carly, baby…”
“I thought you had her beaten up. I couldn’t… I couldn’t wrap my mind around being with you if you could do that and I…” she wipes at her eyes. Her shoulders are shaking.
My fucking gut is in knots.
“Shhh, I didn’t. Swear I didn’t.”
“Okay,” she whispers.
I lift her up into my arms like a bride and put my lips to her soft ones. “I didn’t.”
“Okay.” She puts her head on my shoulder.
I slip in and slide the door shut, then carry her to my bed. My room is spotless. My bedding has been changed. There are royal blue satin sheets on it now and a bouquet of flowers on my dresser in a vase. She’s cleaned the apartment, done all my laundry. She’s making this place feel like a home.
Fuck, I’m such a fucking asshole.
I hold her close as she cries for a few minutes, her head on my chest, my fingers in her hair.
She lifts her head and looks at me. “Do you need to call your family?”
“In a minute,” I say.
I hold her close and kiss the top of her head.
That fucking bitch. That Bella did this to her, to us, it makes my blood boil.
Carly lifts her head up. Her eyes are rimmed with red and her nose is pink. She’s so fucking pretty. I tuck her hair behind her ear.
“How’d it go with Babylon? She asks.
I smile a little. “It went really amazing, baby.”
“Yay,” she says softly and snuggles into me.
“I should go see what’s what with my mother,” I grumble.
“Okay,” she whispers.
&n
bsp; “I’ll be back soon. We okay?”
She nods and swallows.
I kiss her on the mouth and say, “I’m falling in love with you, Carly. I don’t want to do anything to fuck this up. Honest, baby.”
She smiles against my lips. “I’m falling in love with you, too, so don’t do anything to fuck this up.” She hugs me.
I bury my face into her shoulder for a second and take a deep breath. “I’ll try.”
I get up a minute later. “I’m running to my parents’ house. I’ll be back. If you go to bed, sleep in this bed. Move your stuff to this room. Okay?”
She gives me big eyes and nods slowly.
I lean over and kiss her lips one more time. “Be back soon.”
***
When I get to my father’s house, I see my siblings’ vehicles in the driveway.
I bang on the door. Auz opens and waves me in.
My mother is sitting on the couch in the drawing room, puffy-eyed. My Dad looks ten years older, sitting beside her, his hand on her knee.
She looks up at me guardedly.
“You okay?” I ask her.
She bursts into tears.
I hesitantly move in and sit down on the other side of her. She leans into me for a second and then straightens up.
My sister is sitting in the chair on the other side of the room.
“I’m entering rehab,” my mother says, clutching her tissue. “I’m sorry for the shame I’ve brought on our family. I’m… I’m going to work on it.”
“You’re not the first person to make a mistake, Mom,” Adele says.
Dad gets up and goes to the kitchen and returns with a bottle of water for my mother.
No one is sitting here drinking. This is like being in the Twilight Zone. I’ve always thought of this room as the boozing room as this is always where my parents go for drinks. Before meals. After meals.
“No, but today was the first wave. The DUI and assault. I received a text message telling me the second wave is going to be about my infidelity to my husband who has cancer. I’ll be crucified. Is it weak of me to go into rehab and leave you all to deal with that? By the morning, they’ll be on our lawn with cameras. I’m surprised it hasn’t already started.”
“No, Mom. You take care of you. We’ll handle that,” Auz says.