Dual Hearts (Seduction Series Book 1)

by Emily Vincent

  I quickly walked over and grabbed a paper, then paid for it, and got out of there, before I could get tackled to talk to. I didn’t even open it, until I was back in the safety of my four walls. When I did, my jaw dropped. I saw Xander and I in the lobby of the building and we were arguing. Clearly someone had captured a shot of us and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Then beside it, was a picture of Chris. The headlines read, Love Triangle: Who will win? The article stated that both men were vying for the lowly woman and surely one would soon surpass the other. I tossed the paper away, disgusted by the lies that were spread through them.

  I grabbed my phone and dialed up Chris’ number. It went straight to voicemail, so I left him a message. “Hey, it’s Elisha. I’m sure you’ve seen what’s going on in the tabloids, do you have any suggestions? I am beside myself and sick over the whole thing. Please call me and perhaps we can work through this together.”

  I’m glad I didn’t sit by my phone waiting for it to ring, because two days passed and he still hadn’t called me. I went about my business, going to work, and trying not to think too much on it, but that’s easier said than done, when I had several people attempt to cajole me into speaking angry words to them. They teased me about Xander and Chris and made me feel like it was all my fault and I felt helpless without anyone to talk to.

  After the third day of not getting a call back from him, I went back up to his office. He could ignore me if he absolutely had to, but I couldn’t stop from giving it one more chance. When I got off the elevator, Juliet glanced at me. I wanted to ask if that was seriously an eye roll that she tossed my way, but I couldn’t provoke her.

  Fearing I would already know the response she was going to give me, I asked the question anyway. “Is Chris available?”

  “I’m sorry. He’s at a very important meeting with a very wealthy client and he can’t be interrupted.”

  “Of course he is,” I mumbled. I was tired of getting the run around from her and the fact that Chris hadn’t bothered calling me back, proved that he had no desire to see me again. It was pretty hard to imagine, since I was working for him, but it seemed rather clear-cut. “When do you expect he’ll be out of said meeting?” I asked. My annoyance was peaked and I couldn’t hide my feelings on the matter.

  “It will be late. I’ll be sure to tell him you stopped by.”

  I opened my mouth to tell her what I thought of her for keeping me from him like this, when his door opened, and he walked out. I glanced his way and he stopped from moving forward.

  “Elisha!” he exclaimed.

  “I tried telling her you were busy, sir, but she wouldn’t leave.”

  I tossed her a look that said I didn’t appreciate her talking about me as if I wasn’t standing right there, then looked at him. “I need to talk to you. Do you have five minutes?” I asked. My voice was pleading him to adhere to my request and slowly he nodded and backed up to the door, so I could get inside.

  I was relieved that I was at least this far. I walked into his office and when he shut the door, he quickly interrupted so he could talk first. “I know you think that I am ignoring you, but I’m not. I’ve been busy with meetings and working on projects and I haven’t had the chance to call you. I’m sorry.” It was a rushed apology.

  “Okay,” I softly stated. “The truth is, I do think maybe you were or are ignoring me. I mean, you haven’t so much as picked up the phone to see how I’m doing and your name isn’t the only one being drug through mud. This isn’t exactly fun, you know.”

  “I know,” he replied. He moved closer to me and touched my hand. For the first time since we spent the night together, we were back in each other’s presence, but I still felt so alone. “I’m sorry and I do hope you’re holding up well.”

  I looked away from him and the thoughts of the pictures came flooding back through my mind. “Honestly, I wish I knew who was behind this,” I stated. I glanced at him and he looked just as concerned as I was. “Any ideas?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I might have a few leads, but really just thoughts,” he said. He was being nonchalant about it and I wasn’t pleased.

  “Alright then, but please don’t shut me out. We should be in this together,” I argued.

  He finally nodded and then I willingly left his office. I glanced at Juliet once I got outside his door and she looked at me and then scoffed her obvious distaste in the fact that I got my way. I just smiled and nodded and headed to the elevator. I wanted to trust him, because I really had no other choice, but deep down I was wondering if Chris and I would ever get back the connection we once had.

  That’s how the days went on too. I felt like every time I thought people would put these crazy pictures behind them, something else would come up, and the people in Vegas would give me weird looks. I was called many names that weren’t typical of the person I tried to be. Words such as gold digger and whore, were used to describe me. I thought the only thing that would get me through was knowing that Chris was by my side all the way.

  The thing was, though, while Chris and I texted back and forth over the course of a few weeks, it soon became more of a chore to keep in contact with him. Every time I would inquire if he had anymore leads, he would quickly state that he was busy with other things, but that I shouldn’t worry. That was really all I could do, besides work, that was. I felt like he was making excuses, just so we couldn’t talk.

  A few times I attempted to catch a moment where I could talk to Xander, but he was flat out ignoring me too, the difference being that with Chris I wanted to make sure I could still have the connection with him. Xander and I never connected in that same way, so I wasn’t as persistent when trying to get Xander to talk to me.

  I tried to get back into a normal routine and, after three weeks of going through this and feeling like I was all on my own, I wound up getting the phone call that I was hoping would change everything. “This is Elisha,” I said to the woman on the other end of the line.

  “Hello, Elisha. I’m calling on behalf of Devon Brenner. He’s directing a new movie and he got your name from Class Enterprises. He would like you to audition for a new part in his movie. Would you be interested in coming in to read for one of the characters?

  I was over the moon excited at the job, but then was confused. I didn’t know how I could suddenly get a call like this, when I was just a lowly cocktail waitress and I said just as much to her. “I don’t understand how he got my information. I’m just a cocktail waitress.”

  She explained that he looks for talent everywhere and in all sources and that’s how the call came about and after that explanation, I wasn’t going to argue with it. If I could get paid to act, then I would accept that.

  I took down the information and told them I would make it to the auditions. I would do whatever it took to make sure I could get there.

  So, the following Friday, I was sitting in a waiting area, waiting for my name to be called. Out of twenty women and maybe double that in men, I was about the tenth person called back for my audition. I went into a room, where I was provided a script that they wanted me to read. There were three people sitting down front. Devon, the director, along with a personal assistant and another woman. I didn’t really recall what their names were, but that didn’t matter. I was excited to prove to them that I was good for the part.

  So, I read through the lines on the pages and felt good about it. When I looked up after getting done with them, the three of them also looked pleased. Then they asked me to do it again. “This time Devon will read the male lead’s part and you can counter him.” The assistant spoke. I listened and nodded attentively.

  I read the first line and then looked up as Devon read his lines. We went through the rest of the script in that fashion. When I was finished going through a second read through, I smiled and looked back up.

  “That will do for now,” the assistant stated.

  I thought that was the end of it, but Devon stopped me. “I’d like you to stick around while we finish up,�
�� he said.

  I nodded, a little startled by that notion, but I would do whatever he wanted me to do. I went back to the waiting area, while a few more people went in for their auditions. When there were still a handful of people waiting around, the other woman came out and told them they could leave, because the position was already filled. I was left sitting there, bewildered by what was going on.

  She looked at me as the other people left, each looking disappointed. “Devon would like to see you now,” she said.

  I nodded and got up, then followed her down a long hallway, until we reached a back office. She pointed for me to go in, then left. I felt awkward, but then entered his office. He looked up when I got inside and smiled. “Please…close the door,” he said.

  I did as he stated and then turned back around, where he offered me a seat. I was nervous as I took the seat in front of him, with the only thing separating us was his desk. He leaned forward and put his arms on the desk, staring at me in this way that made my knees quiver.

  “I’ll be honest that you have great potential in this industry.”

  I blushed. “Thank you!” The heat in my cheeks, continued to rise as I waited for him to go on.

  “I was impressed by your professionalism and your acting ability. You far surpassed my expectations.”

  Everything sounded great and I was getting only the best compliments I could get. I was just waiting for the ball to drop, when it happened. “Thank you!” I responded again.

  That’s when he got up from his desk and walked around to stand in front of me. My eyes watched his every move, because I was locked in the moment and didn’t know what to do or where I could go. “You’re welcome. I mean it. You can’t fake talent like that,” he said. He smiled and his smile seemed genuine on one hand, but purely sneaky on the other. “It would be shame for that talent to get lost in the mix because certain issues stood in the way.” He winked at me. “If you gather my meaning.”

  “I’m not sure that I do gather your meaning,” I said. I was getting strangely uncomfortable and my voice was shaky to prove it.

  “Well, I’ll tell you then,” he said. “You have sex with me and the part’s yours.”

  My eyes widened and my mouth hung slightly. He was dead serious. That was perfectly clear. “And if I don’t have sex with you?” I asked.

  He casually shrugged. “Well, let’s just say that that is where it becomes tricky and this beautiful talent of yours might not see past the light of day. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

  “So, basically, you’re saying that I either have sex with you, or I don’t get the job?” I asked.

  He smirked. “You’re a smart woman, can’t get anything past you. So what do you say baby?” He moved towards me and leaned forward, nearly falling into my lap. It didn’t take a millisecond for me to know that answer. I pushed him away and got off the chair.

  “Take the job and shove it. I don’t want it.” I didn’t even wait for him to argue or call out my name, before I pushed through the door and left his office. I was beyond irritated that he thought he could sway me into having sex with him. I wasn’t some object and no matter how much I wanted the job, I wasn’t going to stoop so low.

  Chapter 11

  Krystal was the first one I saw when I got to work that evening after throwing the job back into Devon’s face. She was eager to find out what was going on. “So…did you have a good audition?” she asked.

  I nodded. “The audition went well, in fact I think I nailed it.”

  She squealed and quickly talked about how excited she was, but my face fell and she stopped herself. “So, what’s wrong?” she asked. “You look disappointed.”

  I couldn’t lie to her. Through everything, she was about the only true friend I really had. “The director said he would hire me, but only if I had sex with him.” I rolled my eyes and glanced at her and she looked just as pissed as I felt.

  “Seriously? I have the thought that someone should go tell him off.” She started to push past me, but I reached out and stopped her from making a fool of herself.

  “It won’t do any good. I already told him that he could shove his job offer. I’m not sleeping with anyone, just to land a job of the lifetime.”

  “I’m sorry, Elisha. I know how much you wanted this.”

  It was true that I did want this, but not if I had to sacrifice myself to get it. “I’m fine…really.” I grabbed a towel and went about washing off tables as I thought about him and how he honestly thought I would stoop to his level. When I saw two men take a seat at one of my tables, I grabbed a notepad and went over to them. “How may I help you both?” I asked.

  The one man tilted his head and stared at me. I nervously waited there for him to order, when he grabbed a paper from the table and opened it up. Then the two men talked as if I wasn’t even there, before the man opened it up and I was met with yet another article about how I was taking my time to choose the man. Only this time it was putting Xander in a horrible light, saying that he didn’t stand a chance, before every woman would choose a billionaire. I felt my heart pull for him a bit as I looked at the two men.

  “Your orders, please?” I asked and they did finally order.

  I then turned around and walked back to the bar, where I made up their drinks, all the while thinking of Xander and how he was taking all this. Chris was still not acting too quick on getting answers, or at least I didn’t think he was, and when we texted it was just short and sweet. We hadn’t seen each other in several days and our first date at the party was our last date up to that point. But Xander didn’t ask for any of this, so I decided that, after work, I needed to go to him and make sure he was holding up.

  Getting through the shift wasn’t an easy task though, as even more customers seemed to recognize me. I would just put on a smile and acknowledge that they were there by taking their orders, but I wasn’t about to confront them, because they weren’t worth my time.

  When my shift was over, I was glad to clock out. I left the bar and headed to Xander’s office. When the elevator to his floor opened up, I headed straight for his door. When I got there, I heard a noise behind me and then a voice.

  “May I help you?” I turned to find this guy standing behind me. He was roughly four inches shorter than Xander and he was bald. He had a mustache that curled under his nose and everything seemed different.

  “Yeah…I was just coming to see Xander, I mean Mr. Walker,” I said.

  He scrunched up his nose. “He quit and left Class Enterprises,” he said. He brushed past me and went to the office that I knew as Xander’s. I was confused, but stood there like a bumbling idiot, before I was able to move.

  “What do you mean he quit?” I asked, moving closer to the door. “How long ago was that?”

  “He up and quit three days ago and I’m a temp that is filling in for him. Is there something I can do for you?”

  I sadly shook my head. “I have some business with Xander. I’ll try his phone. Thanks.”

  I couldn’t believe he up and left without so much as a goodbye. It didn’t sit well with me and I needed to get answers. If only he would respond. I dialed up his number and after it rang twice I was told to leave a message. Instead, I hung up. When I got on the elevator, I pulled up his name and sent him a text message.

  Me: Hey…please call me. I heard you quit and I really need to talk to you.

  Guilt was plaguing my insides, because I was most likely the reason why he felt he needed to quit his job. But he didn’t feel the need to call or text me back, because he wasn’t interested in freeing me of my guilt and I couldn’t blame him.

  The papers continued to dominate with news about the three of us, until one day I saw a notification where it said that Chris won the battle. I was discouraged because we hadn’t even talked much ourselves, but it was praising him as being victor in winning my heart. But then it started giving me backlash, saying that I was only in it for the money and it was alright, since Chris was using me
anyway.

  I didn’t want to believe it was true, but it was hard not to, especially when after several attempts to reach him, he no longer called me back. It was becoming possible that this whole time Chris was using me for either publicity or unknown reasons. Yet, I denied everyone’s worry and just kept being there for him. However, one day after seeing an article where it said that it was possible Chris was cheating on me, I just had to see him.

  The rumors were getting too frequent and so I went back up to his office. Juliet wasn’t at her desk, to my relief, so I went straight for Chris’ office. I knocked on the door and heard nothing. Then tried knocking again. I opened up his door and peeked my head inside. “Chris?” I called out.

  There was no answer. Against my better judgement, I went deeper into the room. I walked around, timidly looking for anything that would stand out to me. I then walked around his desk and saw a drawer, and attempted to open it. It was locked, which caused me to want to look inside, but that would mean finding a key. I began that search, however, to no avail couldn’t locate a key, so I decided to leave the office.

  However, just as I thought about that, I heard rustling outside the door and then Chris’ voice was heard. “I have a late meeting, so you go ahead and go home and I’ll just see you later,” he said.

  I looked around for somewhere to escape, but there was nowhere. He opened the door and came inside and his eyes went straight to mine. “Hello,” he said.

  I smiled. “Hey!” I moved around the desk and closer to him.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  I had to think of something, but I really couldn’t. “Well, I was missing you and just thought that I could surprise you. Surprise!” I held out my arms and he laughed.