by Nella Tyler
“Well to be honest, we have only done it in a bed once. Link seems to like to have sex all over the place.”
“Oh man Gemma, I wish. I need to find an adventurous guy like that. Especially one that looks like him!”
“You got that right. Every time I look at him I just want to take his clothes off.”
“I don't blame you, I would do the same.”
We giggled together as the wine was delivered to our table. I poured the three of us glasses and took a sip. “Wow, this tastes good. Link was so sweet too; he brought me lunch before he ravaged me on every surface of my office.”
Sarah laughed, “Oh boy...”
“Well if you ladies will excuse me for a moment, I have to use the ladies room.”
I got up and left them at the table. I headed down a hallway and found the bathroom. When I walked inside there was Gloria, washing her hands at the sink. My heart sunk at the sight of her. There was a large part of me that wished she would just disappear. Just her presence seemed to make me feel inadequate. She turned when I came in and smiled. Her smile wasn't exactly warm either and I wondered if she felt weird being around me too.
“Uh hi there... Gemma is it?”
“Yup that's me. It’s nice to see you again. How are you?”
“I'm great actually. Things are already going well with the case. Link should be very happy with me when I see him again.”
I didn't like the way she had phrased that but I decided to leave it alone. I waited with my brows raised for her to tell me what new developments there were. She didn't however. She just stood there smiling sweetly as I waited. Apparently she had no intention of filling me in on anything.
“Sorry, confidentiality and everything.”
I nodded, “Sure, right. No problem.”
“So you and Link, things seem pretty serious between you”
Surprised, I asked, “Why, what does that matter? You're his lawyer…why are you asking about our relationship?”
Then it dawned on me.
“You guys weren't always just friends were you?”
She smiled a little sadly, “No…we were actually engaged before. Things were pretty serious, obviously…but it just wasn’t the right time. Things ended and now, well…now we are just really close.”
“What? You were engaged?”
She nodded, “I'm surprised he never told you.”
“Yeah I bet. I have to go Gloria…it was just wonderful seeing you again.”
She smiled as I turned and left the bathroom. I practically stormed over to my table.
“Look girls, I have to go. I'm actually not feeling very well.”
They looked up at me with surprise and Sarah said, “What are you talking about, you were so happy a moment ago, what happened?”
“I know…sorry it just hit me. I have to go.”
Sarah looked concerned, “Are you sure? We ordered all this wine.”
“I know, I'm sorry, but I do have to go. I will pay for the wine.”
I turned and walked away without another word. I didn't want them trying to convince me to stay. I just needed to get out of that bistro and away from Gloria as fast as possible.
How could Link have been engaged to that woman? And they were still close after a broken engagement? I had never heard of such a thing. It sounded incredibly messed up and unhealthy. How could you be in love with someone and want to marry them one minute and then decide to just be friends with them after? It must be so weird between them now. How could either of them be okay with that? Why not just break contact? Was there a chance that Gloria wanted to fix things with Link so that she could get back together with him? Was it Link that had broken up the engagement, and if so, why? Was there a chance he still had feelings for her as well? She was stunning and smart, what if they could work things out? My heart felt completely heavy. Why hadn't he told me about her? An engagement was pretty serious, something that we should have discussed for sure…especially after he decided to hire her as his lawyer. Why couldn't he have hired anyone else? It was beyond weird that he would ask his ex-fiancé to represent his interests in court.
I sat in my car; unsure of what to do but knowing I had to do something.
Chapter Ten
I was at a loss. I wasn't sure what to do with myself. My first instinct was to go to Link and demand to know what the hell was going on, but to be honest I wasn't really in the mood. What I really should have done was gone back into the bistro and gotten drunk with my friends. Then I could just pour myself into a cab and go home and all would be forgotten. But I knew that at that point if I returned to my friends they would have all sorts of questions that I didn't want to answer. There was a part of me that still wanted to go back though and discuss it with them. Maybe they could make me feel better about the whole thing. Maybe I was just overreacting. I was assuming that something sinister was going on and the truth was that maybe it was completely innocent. Just because there was a chance that Gloria still had feelings for Link, that didn't mean that he felt the same way. I should really go over to his place and talk to him about it, but I was just too exhausted to. I had such a great day with him so far that I didn't want to ruin it. I would deal with him and Gloria another day. Should I just go home and have an early night?
It occurred to me to go to Jared's and warn him about Gloria. I don't know why I wanted to. He had told me off in every way possible and didn't really seem that interested in having me as a part of his life. I should just let him be just like he asked me to. He didn't want anything to do with me and there was no reason for me to believe that he would care about anything I had to say.
I shrugged. What the hell? It wouldn't hurt for me to try. I just couldn't seem to let my brother go without a fight. If there was a chance that Gloria was going to destroy him, he should know. Maybe he could stop it all before it happened. If he would just quit, Gloria would go away and we could all be happy. That was what I wanted wasn't it? I wanted Link to be okay and I wanted Gloria to disappear. That wasn't too much to ask. I would rather have Jared drop the whole thing than for Gloria to be Link's savior. Maybe that was how she was going to weasel her way back into his life by saving him. Nope, I wasn't going to let it happen.
I started the engine and made my way over to Jared's house.
I knocked on his door and surprisingly he answered it right away.
“What the hell Gemma, why can't you just leave me alone?” he said, glaring at me.
He turned, and walked back into his house, leaving the front door open. I walked in behind him and followed him to the living room. There was drug paraphernalia all over the place and I wondered how he was even functioning.
“What is all this crap? Jared, why do you need all of this?”
“Oh Gemma, give me a break. If you came here to bitch about my drugs then please just go. I'm not in the mood and nothing you are going to say is going to change that.”
“Okay fine. I think that you are acting like a real loser but that's not why I am here. I was hoping to talk some sense into you, if that is even possible.”
He sat down on the couch heavily and rolled his eyes.
“So, what's the big news this time Gemma? Are you and Link getting married or are you pregnant with his unborn, traitorous spawn?”
I almost laughed at him because his words were so ridiculous and childish, but really all I could do was stare and him with pity. He wasn't even happy with his own life or his restaurant. He had allowed drugs and drinking to bring him so low that even his thriving business didn't make him happy anymore.
“Stop talking like an idiot Jared, please for just five minutes. I don't know what's going on with you lately but I don't understand why you won't just stop all this reckless behavior. What are you really getting out of being drunk all the time or doing such heavy drugs? Cocaine isn't exactly getting stoned you know? You shouldn't even be touching that crap. It's dangerous. You are going to lose everything over this crap you keep putting into your body. Where
is my brother? What have you done with him? We used to do everything together and now you could care less if you even see me.”
He looked up at me, “You are dating Link...do you not see a conflict of interest there?”
I laughed, “No, because he's not who you are claiming he is.”
“Okay Gemma, is that what you came to tell me cause it doesn't sound like new information to me.”
I sighed; it was honestly like talking to a brick wall. Nothing I said ever got through to Jared.
“Nope that wasn't it. Look, I don't even know why I'm telling you this…you don’t need my help apparently, and you don’t deserve it either.”
He sat there silently blessedly for once.
“Link has a lawyer and she's good. Jared she's really good. I don't know what her plan is at this point but she has one and she is currently executing it. I feel like if you don't rein things in then you are going to have one hell of a shit storm coming your way. I'm not joking when I say she wants to destroy you. You could lose everything. I want you to get out while you still can. You can stop all of this; just stop bashing and accusing Link of all these things. Please just stop for your own sake.”
“Gemma...”
“Jared, I'm serious. If you don't stop you could get into even more trouble than you could ever imagine. She's that good.”
He went to answer but there was a loud knocking on his front door. We both turned to it surprised.
“Who the hell is that now?” He exclaimed.
I had no answer for him except for a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. He got up off the couch and went to the door. I heard a muffled thump, and then Jared was saying, “What the hell is going on here?”
A few police officers came into the home and all I could do was stand there immobilized. Oh god, what were they doing there? I thought of all the drug paraphernalia all over the house and I hoped to god that it wasn’t what the police were there for.
“What's going on here?” Jared yelled again.
“Jared Johnson?”
“Who wants to know?”
“Jared, we are going to need you to come down to the station with us.”
“Like hell I will. What is this about?”
“Sir, we are being polite, but you will be coming down to the station with us one way or another.”
Jared started backing away from them. Fear struck through me, as I knew Jared was not going to make anything easy on them.
“Officers, what's going on here? What do you need my brother for?”
“That's not something we can discuss at this time ma'am, you will have to come down to the station as well if you want to talk to someone about your brother.”
They were completely ignoring the drugs all over the house so I knew it wasn't just about someone calling in some drug charge. This had Gloria written all over it. The drugs unfortunately would be added to whatever she had in mind, but I knew deep down that the officers were there on her behalf. This was just the start of Jared's downfall. I would have to go down to the police station or maybe just call Gloria to see what was going on.
“Jared just go with them.”
“No, they have no right to be in my house. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
I groaned. One officer grabbed Jared by the arm and twisted it behind his back. He cried out and I watched in shock as the officer pinned him to the ground and put both arms behind his back. This was not happening, I kept saying to myself. It just couldn't be happening right there before my eyes. Another officer proceeded to put handcuffs on Jared. They pulled him up and escorted him out the door.
I stood there, suddenly alone in Jared’s home, wondering what was going to happen to my brother now.
Steamed #5
Chapter One
I broke all of the traffic laws as I wove in and out of the lanes at breakneck speeds. I had just left Jared's place after his arrest and my blood was set to boil. I was furious at Gloria for having my brother arrested. She couldn't even wait until he was at work where there would be less of a chance that there would be drug paraphernalia all over the place. Now it was likely he would have drug charges as well as whatever slander or libel charges that Link could bring.
Although I didn't want to, I knew that I would have to talk to Gloria myself. I needed her to drop the charges and as soon as possible. There should be no reason why Jared needed to be arrested. If there was proof against him, then a simple threat to back down should have been all it took to end the whole charade with Jared. I had looked up Gloria’s office address before I left and sped there as quickly as I could. I wanted to know what I was dealing with before I arrived at the police station. I ripped around the corner into her parking lot and found a place to park my car. I made my way into the building. Looking up at the directory, I found Gloria's office number and headed to the elevator. I wanted Link to get a lawyer but not one that was trying to ruin our relationship in the meantime.
As soon as I got off the elevator I made my way to her office and opened the door. There was a receptionist waiting and she smiled as I entered.
“Well hello there.”
“I'm here to see Gloria.”
She smiled again and looked at her appointment calendar. “Do you have an appointment?”
“I do not.”
“Oh well then I'm sorry. Gloria is very busy and she has a full day.”
“Sorry but that's not good enough.”
I walked past her quickly and looked around for some kind of nameplate for Gloria. The receptionist called out behind me and made my way to the office door. Without knocking, I walked into Gloria's office. She looked up in surprise as she sat at her desk.
The receptionist was right behind me. “Gloria, I am so sorry. I told her she couldn't come in. She just barged right past me.”
“That's okay Edith, it's not a problem. You can give us a few minutes.”
Edith glared at me before she retreated closing the door behind her.
“Well it's nice to see you Gemma, although that was a little rude don't you think?”
“Not at all, especially after what happened to Jared today.”
“Oh? And what was that?”
“Don't play dumb with me Gloria. I was at my brother’s home when the police showed up. What is wrong with you? Link and I are trying to end this amicably. We don't want a war and arresting Jared is unnecessary. If you have proof against him I guarantee you that he will fold. Why are you doing this?”
Gloria stood up and smirked; she looked far too smug for her own good.
“I'm doing this because Link deserves the best. It is appalling that you are dating him while your own brother is trying to sabotage his business. For all I know you two could be in on it together, you’re trying to take him down emotionally while Jared ruins him professionally. What does that say about the kind of people you are?”
“Excuse me?” I stammered.
“It's true and you know it. I'm fighting for Link here. His name and business has been tarnished because of your brother. Doesn't that bother you at all? Instead you’re here fighting for your brother instead of fighting for Link. It’s easy to see where your priorities lie.”
I was speechless. She had it all wrong. I adored Link and cared for him deeply. I just didn't want my brother going to jail. It was my job to protect my family and I didn't see why the problem couldn't go away quietly instead of turning into an all-out war.
“That's not fair and you know it.”
“I don't care about fair Gemma, I care about Link. He has been unfairly treated here and I intend on getting justice for him whether you like it or not.”
“Why can't you just drop the charges and let Jared and Link work it out together? Like I said, my brother will back down if he knows he's backed into a corner.”
Gloria shook her head, “You are pathetic Gemma, look at the kind of man you are defending. He was probably high on coke when they showed up. He probably doesn't even know what he's being arrested for
. It's disgusting.”
I had never wanted to slap a woman more in my life. It took all my willpower to not strike her as hard as I could. My luck I would be up for charges as well. “You are a real piece of work aren't you?”
Gloria just smiled and said, “Your brother will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, even the drug possession. I sent the police to Jared's house because I knew that he was swimming in a lake of drugs over there. All that drug paraphernalia lying around will be great for the new drug charge. It's just the cherry on top of his new criminal record. Let’s see how his business holds up after that all comes out.”
Horrified and angry, I hissed, “It doesn't matter what you do Gloria, you will never get Link back.” I turned and stormed out of her office, slamming the door behind me.
Chapter Two
I headed straight home, walked past my doorman without a word and went up to my condo. Anger, hatred, fear, loneliness, hopelessness…all these emotions ran through me, leaving me practically paralyzed. All I wanted to do was flop on my bed and cry the day away. Unfortunately my work was not done. I was so angry that wanted to punch something, anything. Once I got in my apartment I started pacing the room like a hungry puma. I didn't know what to do or how to handle the situation but I knew one thing was for sure; Gloria had to go. There was no way that I was continuing a relationship with Link with her in the background doing her best to ruin everything for me. She was a monster that had no soul. I couldn't even fathom what she was doing to my brother and it was all to save Link. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to help Link as much as I possibly could but I didn't think that Jared's life had to be ruined over a recipe. Granted, my brother had behaved on a whole new level of stupid but I still didn't think the punishment fit the crime.
I headed to the kitchen where I found a bottle of wine. I planned on drinking the entire thing if I could manage it. I needed to find a way to relax and get my blood pressure down. I considered taking a bubble bath but I knew that I needed to talk to Link first. The bubble bath would just have to wait.