Completing Him

by C. Shell

"Will do. Later man," Roger says hanging up. My head is spinning. Picking up the phone I call James hoping he is not in court right now. Luckily he picks up on the second ring.

  "James here," he answers curtly.

  Knowing he has already looked at the caller ID, and knows it is me on the phone, I delve right into my reason for calling. "Roger found the jackass that attacked Jessica. Asshole is in jail and claiming he was hired to kidnap and kill Jess by a woman who he never actually met. Whoever hired him had to have a sizeable amount of cash and personally knew and hated Jess," I say taking a moment to let what I just said sink in. "I hate to think this but I need you to check Lexy's financial records and see if there is any way she was behind this."

  "Wow Alex. That is a bit of a leap don't you think?"

  "I would like to say yes but I don't know anymore. I don't know of two many other people with that kind of cash who would have a reason to harm Jessica," I answer with an edge to my voice. "Just look into it please."

  "You got it. Give me a day or two and I will get back with you."

  "Thanks James," I say ending the call.

  Sitting back down in my leather chair I rake a frustrated hand through my hair. I wish like hell Jessica had not gone back to work. I know I can't keep her locked up in my place forever but I don't like the idea of her being a walking target either.

  I know she has a big meeting today with a new client and I don't want to freak her out by calling her right now. In fact I think it would be best to tell her everything in person. Maybe I should wait until she is tied up to my bed, that way she can't run away from me or do anything stupid. At least she agreed without protest to have my security shadow her every day.

  Reaching for my phone I call Alice and George and let them know the new details to the case and ask that they not let Lexy anywhere near Jessica until she is cleared. I swear if Lexy had anything to do with this I will never forgive myself for putting her in Jessica's path.

  "What about this weekend boss?" George asks.

  Shit! I totally forgot we were planning on going to her mom's house in two days.

  "I will talk about it tonight with Jessica when she gets home and let you know. I would prefer to reschedule the trip but knowing Jess she is not going to let that happen." She is so darn stubborn it is maddening.

  Shutting down my office I call it an early day and head up to the penthouse. Kelly can handle anything urgent that arises. My mind is too troubled to stay focused on business any longer. Checking the clock I smile realizing Jessica should be receiving the box of donuts I ordered to be delivered to her office in about thirty minutes.

  If anyone told me I would romance my girlfriend with boxes of donuts instead of flowers or expensive jewelry I would have called them a liar. She is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me and I plan on spending the entire night showing her how much I love her.

  Chapter 12

  Something is definitely going on, but I can't figure out what. Since I came out of my meeting this afternoon George and Alice have refused to leave my side and every time I try and ask them if anything is wrong they talk me into circles never admitting or denying anything. Over the past few weeks I have been able to penetrate their hard shells a bit more and have gotten them to loosen up and joke around with me, but today all that is gone and they are back to being professional and stand-offish. I hate it.

  I lean back in my chair so I can glance into Jane's office and make sure she is not busy .I laugh catching her leaning over her desk with her feet propped up. I don't think painting your fingernails qualifies as busy. Picking up my cell phone I tap out a text message to her knowing if I try and go in there one of the goon squad members will follow me and listen in to our conversation.

  Me: Do you have any idea what is going on with the goon squad?

  Jane: No why?

  Me: They are super protective today. I have a feeling they got a call today from my Master of the Universe?

  Jane: Where do you come up with these names? Goon squad and Master of the Universe, really?

  Me: Focus Jane!! I have a feeling something has happened. Any idea what?

  Jane: No and he would never tell me. He knows I would tell you. Sorry girl

  Me: Thanks. I will pull it out of him tonight. I have my ways, lol

  Jane: Yuck!! Too much info. Call me when you find out.

  I clean off my desk and grab my purse determined to get home and make my man talk. I hate being kept in the dark, especially when the subject matter is me.

  Thankfully the ride home is quick and if I didn't already think something was off than I definitely do now. Walking through the entry way the first thing I notice is that the table is already set with all of my favorite food dishes. The whole penthouse is been decorated with fresh flowers, and post it notes are stuck on every nook and wall containing special messages written on them from Alex telling me how much he loves me. All very sweet. Too sweet!

  I place my purse and brief case on the floor near the kitchen wondering where the guilty man is hiding. I hide a giggle watching the goon squad scuttle off to their rooms. That is the smartest thing they have done all day.

  "Alex, honey I am home. Where are you?"

  I hear him talking on the phone in his office so I go ahead and make myself a plate determined not to let all this good food go to waste. Surely he ordered this and did not cook it himself. Noticing the strawberry cheesecake in the kitchen confirms my suspicions that he did indeed order most if not all of the food. Now the only question remaining is what on earth could be so bad that he thought I would need strawberry cheesecake to make it better?

  I am halfway through my first plate of chicken fried steak smothered in gravy with mash potatoes when I hear Alex's office door open. As he enters the dining room I point to my plate in front of me and give him an apologetic smile.

  "Sorry I did not wait for you. I was starving and it all looked delicious. The flower and notes were a nice touch also. "

  "No apologies love. I ordered it for you and would not want you to wait and let it get cold. You did say white lilies were your favorite, correct?"

  "Yes I did. In fact all the food was my favorite also. You have outdone yourself babe." I stare at him waiting for him to say more but instead he walks into the kitchen and grabs the bottle of wine before joining me at the table and pouring himself a glass, while refilling mine in the process. I eye him wearily waiting once again for the bad news to be revealed. We continue with small talk over dinner and dessert all the time I am on high alert, and still he says nothing.

  While we put away the dishes and leftover food I finally snap and blurt out. "Alex, just grow some balls already and tell me what the hell is going on."

  He slowly puts down the plate in his hands and turns to face me. He looks genuinely upset and nervous which does nothing to ease my nerves. "Sorry love." Grabbing my hand he leads me out of the kitchen and towards our bedroom." Let's take a nice soak in the bath and I will tell you everything."

  My feet halt refusing to take another step as fear creeps over me. "Alex you are scaring me. I am a big girl so just tell me what is so bad you feel the need to surround me with all my favorite things."

  Grabbing my arm he half drags me into the bedroom shutting the door loudly behind us and pointing towards the bed. I take a tentative seat refusing to get comfortable in case I need to make a quick exit.

  "Would you prefer the good news, the bad news, or the utterly horrible news?" He asks with nervous eyes.

  "Well when you put it that way why don't we start with the good and work our way towards the worst." I feel nauseous. I hate it when he drags things out. I prefer to handle bad news like I do a band-aid. Just rip it off and get it over with.

  He begins pacing and I can practically see the wheels turning in his head. "The good news is that today I got a call from Roger and they found the man that attacked you. He was caught trying to rob a liquor store and his prints match those recovered at the club."

 
; He stops and eyes me and I feel amazing even knowing I have a whole lot of bad headed my way. "That is great," I beam. "Did he say why he attacked me?"

  "Well," he draws out. "That is part of the bad news. He was hired by some nameless woman to attack you. Not just attack but kidnap and kill you."

  If he had slapped me he could not have shocked me more than he just did saying those few words. Who in the hell could I have pissed off enough to want me dead?

  "They don't know who she is?"

  "No," he says shaking his head while studying my face. I am sure he is waiting for me to break down but I am too much in shock for that to happen. Maybe later when I am alone and I've had time for all of this to sink in. Hearing him speaking again breaks me out of my thoughts. "Whoever she is has enough money to hire a hit and seems to be from around this area. This sort of thing is personal, so it would also need to be someone who has something against you."

  "I don't know anyone who fits into all of those categories," I answer numbly. If this is the bad news I really don't know if I want to know what the utterly horrible news is.

  "I asked James to check into Lexy's accounts and make sure she hasn't had any large amounts of money going out of it.

  "Really Alex?" I look up at him wide-eyed and disbelieving. Lexy is many things, but a killer is not one of them.

  "I know, but she fit the category so I needed to make sure." Sitting down next to me he takes my hand in his and gently rubs it. I guess we must be getting close to the utterly horrible part.

  "When we checked her accounts James came across two large sums of money that have been recently deposited to her from a couple of tabloid magazines." Our eyes lock and all the tears I refused to let loose earlier come rushing to the surface. What in the hell did I ever do to deserve all this bullshit?

  "The stupid cunt actually sold the story?" I yell. "You mean any day now not only will I be looking over my shoulder hoping some crazy faceless lady does not succeed in having me killed, but now I will have the media hounding me calling me every name imaginable? They are going to call me your mistress!"

  "Look at me Jessica," he says sternly taking my face in his hands. "I love you more than the air I breathe. The media will be ruthless but we can handle it. You have never been my mistress and we will do what is necessary to prove it." The hurtful expression breaks my heart. I hate that once again Lexy has managed to cause a rift between us. Taking a deep breath I pull him against me and bury my face in his neck inhaling his unique scent. I refuse to let her win and tear us apart again.

  "I'm sorry," I respond not knowing what else to say. "Maybe it is a good thing we are leaving this weekend." As much as I dread this weekend it might actually turn out to be a good thing for us. We can escape the media circus and take a few days for everything to calm down.

  "You might be right about that," he says smiling down at me but it does quite not meet his eyes. "Now I still would like to enjoy a nice soak with you Ms. Grayson," he growls pulling me up and throwing me over his shoulder. I squeak in protest but the site of his tight ass staring back at me is nothing short of spectacular.

  "I like your cave man tendencies," I tease as he strips us both out of our clothing while filling up the water. I wish my condo had a bathtub as large as this one. I wouldn't be surprised if it could hold at least three adults if not more, although I am not inclined in proving that theory any time soon.

  The warm water has turned me into a wet noodle. I didn't realize how stressed and tense I was until Alex began massaging my muscles. Between the warm water and his magic hands I am not sure I will have enough strength to get myself out of the tub without assistance. We take turns washing each other and kissing like teenagers. It is exactly what I needed after being railroaded with one bad situation after another. We are still planning on slipping away Friday afternoon and staying at a local hotel that night and then going to meet my mom on Saturday. I refuse to stay in her home. After everything that happened there I know it will be hard enough visiting let alone trying to sleep.

  Washing all the conditioner out of our hair we drain the water and wrap ourselves in thick robes and cuddle down in the bed together. I love spending cuddle time with Alex. Tonight he is surprised me by sporting a pair of his famous cartoon boxers. I think he is trying to solicit a laugh out of me and to my dismay it is working. My thoughts of dirty sex and long orgasms go out the window and instead are replaced with tender kisses and long talks. My last thoughts before closing my eyes and surrendering to sleep, is that for the first time in my life I have the best of both worlds. A best friend and an amazing lover.

  Chapter 13

  "Stop arguing with me Alex. You staying here is the only option we have," I yell back stressed and tired of fighting.

  Friday morning we work up to hordes of media networks and paparazzi crowding all the doors of Glimmer Magazine, and according to Jane my condo and our office. Lexy's articles hit the stands and she has painted me out as being a home wrecker. Alex's lawyers have been calling all day with legal strategies, and although he wants to go out of town with me he really needs to stay here and take care of this shit storm.

  Glancing down at the clock I wince realizing that I need to on the road towards home if I plan on making it there before dark.

  "I don't feel right letting you go there by yourself."

  "I will have your security team with me. We will be fine and I will be back before you know it," I say giving him a tender kiss. "I really need to go Alex. Stop being a pain in the butt."

  Growling he smacks his hand against my ass hard causing me to stifle a yelp. I can tell he does not want to give in to me but I already know he will. He has too much on his plate here to leave and I don't see it getting better before the weekend.

  "Fine," he concedes unhappily."But you have to promise me not to go anywhere without security with you. Not even your moms."

  "Scouts promise," I say holding up three fingers.

  "Where you a girl scout?" he ask all animated and excited.

  "You really think my mom would have signed me up for that?" I ask shaking my head.

  "No I guess not," he says pulling me into a tight embrace. "Please call me when you get there and let me know you are safe."

  "I will," I promise kissing him tenderly. "Love you babe."

  "Love you too," he says handing me the keys to the escalade. "Let George drive. The underground parking should be empty and free of media."

  We kiss some more before I pull away follow George and Alice down the elevator and towards the parking garage. I am so thankful we do not have to go near the front of Glimmer. Knowing they are saying horrible things about me if bad enough, but I think hearing it out of their mouths would push me over the edge. Alex's legal team promised to have the whole thing straightened up by the time I return. Since Lexy already broke the prenup agreement Alex has the right to tell the truth for a change and she can't stop him. It is poetic justice if you ask me.

  ********

  I am not sure why I thought coming back here was a good idea. We drove into Tyler late last night and stayed at a nice new hotel. I slept like shit with one nightmare after another terrorizing me. My mom's house looks the same from the outside. You would think after all these years she would try and fix up the place, but no. The same rundown shutters frame the cracked windows and the exterior paint is still chipped and weary as the day I left.

  Walking up the pebbled drive I knock on the front door and take deep breathes to calm my nerves while I wait on her. I made sure and told her I was coming in fear of her being gone or refusing to see me. She actually seemed a bit happy to hear from me.

  Last night I broke down and read my dad's letter:

  Jessica:

  Today you turn eight years old. Happy Birthday sweetie. I wanted to come visit you but your mom said you were still upset with me for leaving, and don't want to see me. I am sorry baby. I had to leave but knowing how upset you are about it makes me rethink my decision every day. I remember the
day you were born. It was the happiest day of my life. You were a perfect bundle of cuteness and I was the proudest papa. I hope one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me and we can work at getting to know each other. I love you pumpkin.

  Dad

  I cried like a baby for hours after reading it. I brought it with me today along with the pictures Daniel gave me. Today, no matter what I will leave here with answers. I deserve answers!

  Hearing my mom's footsteps makes my breath hitch. Old habits are hard to break. I step back as she opens the door and I am astonished at how old and sickly she looks. Time definitely has not been kind to her.

  "Hi mom," I say softly finding it hard to keep eye contact with her.

  "Hi Jessica," she replies dryly. "Don't just stand there come on in and stop letting all the cold air out."

  I quickly open the screen door and follow her inside to the living room. After much begging and deliberation I was able to talk George and Alice into waiting for me on the porch. My issues with my mom are person and I don't feel comfortable sharing it in front of them.

  The stench of cigarettes fills my nostrils the closer we get to the main room. I glance around surprised to see the same old thread bare furniture spread about. Moving some magazines off a corner of the sofa I take a seat and wait for her to do the same.

  "It is good to see you again mom," I say trying to be polite and start the conversation off right.

  "Stop lying child and tell me why you are here."

  Huffing I dive right in. "I thought it was time you knew the truth. When dad left us he moved to another state and started another family. The woman left him, but not before having a child with him. A boy named Daniel who is five years younger than me," I pause trying to gauge her reaction, but she never flinches or shows emotion so I continue. "Dad died several years ago in a car accident. He was hit by a drunk driver and died several days later in the hospital."