by Mary Eason
“Get out!” she shouted, then remembered Ronnie sleeping upstairs. “Get the hell out of here,” she hissed through clenched teeth. Alex ignored her anger and leaned over her, taking her hands in one of his.
“I’m not going anywhere, Kate. And as much as you might want to deny it, you aren’t immune to me. Not if the five...no make that six times we made love last night is any indication.”
“Don’t you dare bring that up. That has nothing to do with this!” Kate said in a shaky voice. She was furious he would dare use her attraction to him against her.
Alex’s hand moved over her breast stroking it slowly. She caught her breath, but couldn’t stop her body from reacting. Her nipple hardened beneath his stroke.
“You want this just as much as I do. Don’t bother denying it. You belong to me, Kate.”
Her heart slammed against her chest from sheer reaction to his touch. Her last coherent thought disappeared when his lips replaced his hands.
“Say it Kate.” She couldn’t. Still, Alex didn’t stop touching her.
“Suit yourself, but you know it’s true. You don’t want a divorce any more than I do. And I don’t plan on giving you one.”
His lips became more demanding as they took hers once more. For one split second, she tried to resist him, but he simply laughed at her efforts. And then she was struggling to touch him as well. Alex made love to her with abandon, fulfilling her every desire.
Each time, after he lay next to her Alex tried to force her to listen. But Kate couldn’t let herself believe Alex. She’d been hurt too much already.
She awoke sometime just before dawn to find him sleeping beside her. Kate got out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom, closing the door softly. It was still early. She showered, gathered her clothes, and called for a taxi. Then she jotted Ronnie a note and left before Alex awakened.
She was full of regrets as she walked down the paved drive to meet the taxi. Kate was just glad no one was around to see her creeping out of the house. She was so embarrassed by her lack of restraint with Alex. Her body ached from his possession. Kate still couldn’t believe she’d given into her selfish needs and let things get so out of hand between them. She was crazy about Alex, but he’d made her feel cheap. Like a whore. And maybe that was exactly what he’d hoped to accomplish in coming here in spite of his words.
* * * *
Kate wasn’t ready to go back to Austin just yet, but she couldn’t bear to face Ronnie again either. Instead, she rented a car and decided to drive home. The two-day drive would hopefully help her come to some decision about her future.
“Well, is he still there?” Kate asked once she stopped for gas and called Ronnie.
“He’s gone. Where are you?”
“I don’t know—some little town. Did you tell him anything?”
“Anything as in what? I don’t know anything. He certainly knows everything I know.”
“What did he say?” Kate promised she wouldn’t ask that question.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Ronnie challenged.
Kate sighed wearily. “Because I can’t. Because I’m asking you, okay?”
“Nothing, only that he loves you. And for the record, Katie, I believe him. And if this crazy behavior of yours is any indication, I’d say you love him, too. The Kate I know never ran away from a problem in her life.”
“You don’t know him, Ronnie.”
“Apparently you don’t either. He loves you. And if you have any sense left in that little head of yours you’ll run back home to him. Men like that are hard to find. I’d certainly marry him.”
“Then why don’t you, already?” she added nastily and heard Ronnie’s chuckle.
“I would, except he’s in love with his wife! And from where I was sitting last night, I’d say the feeling is mutual.”
“You heard that. Oh God...”
“Honey, I’d say the neighbors heard that,” she added with another chuckle.
“Oh God...Well, it doesn’t matter. It didn’t mean anything.”
“It sure sounded as if it did,” Ronnie countered. Kate could tell she was trying hard not to laugh again.
“It was just sex. Incredible sex—but just sex.” Kate tried to keep from grinning. She and Alex might be as compatible as oil and vinegar in every other area of their lives, but when it came to sex, they were the perfect match. Maybe Alex did love her. Maybe what he’d told her last night was true. But did it really change the facts? He’d still lied to her. How could either of them expect their marriage to work when it was based on lies? “Besides, I don’t love him.”
“Uh huh. Gees, you two are both acting like a bunch of babies.” Ronnie sounded as if she were talking to a misbehaving child.
“Me? I’m not the one who lied,” Kate muttered defensively.
“No, you’re just the one running away...”
* * * *
Kate drove for hours before finally stopping for the night out of sheer necessity. By the time she reached the New Mexico border, she was exhausted from the endless hours of driving. She needed to find a hotel soon, before she fell asleep at the wheel.
There were several to choose from along the interstate. Kate picked one and checked in, under the curiosity of the desk clerk. The girl’s prying eyes reflected just how dreadful Kate knew she must look. She took the room key from the girl and then asked if there was some place close by where she might get something to eat.
“There are a few fast food restaurants around, but they’re not very good. The hotel offers a room service menu. You’ll find one in your room. But you’ll have to hurry. The kitchen will be closing soon for the night.”
She’d managed to grab only her small overnight bag, which held a change of clothing and some toiletries with her. Everything else had been unpacked. She’d call Ronnie and ask her to send the rest of her things down in a few days.
Kate was too tired to go back out again. She settled for a sandwich from room service, but only managed a few bites, even though she hadn’t eaten all day. The sight of food, even something as bland as a ham and cheese sandwich made her sick. That was just perfect. Now she was coming down with a bug. Could this week get any worse?
Just before dawn, Kate awakened again to an overwhelming rush of nausea. She threw back the covers and made a mad rush to the restroom.
She sat leaning against the bathroom wall, her legs pulled up against her chest while trying to calm the uneasiness in her stomach.
When she was able to stand again, Kate showered and brushed her teeth, but the reflection in the mirror told the truth. She looked dreadful.
Even though it was still early, sleep would not be a possibility. Kate didn’t bother with makeup. She dressed in the only outfit in her bag, a slight slip of a dress she’d worn on her honeymoon. At least she’d thought to include a warm sweater, knowing the Vegas nights could sometimes be cool.
She’d worn this dress for Alex on their last night there. Kate pushed her feet into the sandals she’d worn the day before.
It was only seven-thirty in the morning, but already the rush hour traffic clogged the interstate.
Her father was an early riser. Kate held her breath as she dialed her father’s number. When she heard Alex’s voice, Kate was ready to hang up the phone without listening, but something in his tone made her stop.
“Kate, please don’t hang up on me. I need to talk to you. Please, Kate, just listen to me,”
Kate closed her eyes as tears came again. She was too tired to fight him anymore. She couldn’t keep the sobs from her voice. She no longer cared.
“Alex, don’t. Please, I can’t do this right now. I just want to talk to my father.”
After a moment of silence, which made her wonder what he could possibly be thinking, he told her quietly, “Don’t cry, Kate. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. You’re father’s right here; I’ll put him on for you, just don’t hang up, Kate. Hold on for just a moment.”
Alex whispered s
omething to her father. She couldn’t believe the gentleness in his voice as he spoke to her and to her father. She almost believed he meant it.
“Katie, where are you? Are you okay? Katie, listen to me, child...”
Kate fought back the tears. “Daddy, what’s he still doing there? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, baby. Just tell me where you are.”
She couldn’t trust her emotions right now any more than she could believe Alex wasn’t above blackmailing her father into saying exactly what he wanted him to say.
“No, Daddy, I can’t. But I’m okay and I’ll see you in a few days, okay.”
“Katie, wait—listen to me. You need to talk to your husband.”
Kate heard the urgency in her father’s voice and knew she couldn’t stay on the line any longer. Otherwise, she would end up believing she had been wrong all along and play right into his hands again. Alex choreographed everything from the beginning. He’d proven he was very good at deception. She didn’t know how to trust him anymore.
“I love you, Dad, but I have to go now...” She hung up the phone, more determined than ever to get Alex Bradshaw out of her mind and her heart as quickly as possible
It was after midnight when Kate parked the SUV in her usual parking spot in front of her apartment building and climbed the two flights of stairs to her apartment.
The place felt empty without Earl. Tomorrow she’d pick him up from Brandy and take him to the park to play. Then she’d check on her father, and find a lawyer to help her get a divorce.
Kate overslept the next morning and spent several hours moping around the apartment and feeling even sicker than she had the day before.
She’d been so sure having a clear idea where her future was heading when she returned to Austin would help her get Alex out of her system, but instead, the thought of divorcing him and facing the future without him made her physically ill. She picked up Earl and spent the rest of the morning walking along the lake’s hike and bike trails with the dog.
She and Earl took a break to watch the ducks float around on the lake. Kate finally found the nerve to call her father.
“So, are you really okay?” she asked him quietly while trying to divert Earl’s attention away from the ducks that had wandered to shore.
“I’m really okay. And you?” he asked quietly.
“I’m okay...I will be okay,” she said at last. “Don’t worry about me, Dad.”
“Baby, I can’t help but worry. Especially when I feel you are making a mistake you’ll regret later on.”
“Dad, we’ve been over this already. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I want to forget I ever behaved so foolishly.”
“All right,” her father said at last. “So what are your plans?”
“I’m filing for divorce. I found the name of an attorney who handles divorce cases. I’m meeting with him later this afternoon.”
“Okay.”
Kate felt frustrated by her father’s obvious disapproval. How had Alex managed to fool him so easily? Why wasn’t he backing her up on this?
“Dad, I have to go, okay. I’ll call you in a couple of days. Please don’t tell Alex I’m back in town just yet.”
“Honey, he knows you’re here.”
“How did he find out?”
“Where else are you going to go...”
Her appointment with the attorney was set for two o’clock. Which meant Kate just had time to go home and change into something more appropriate than the gray sweat suit she’d worn to the park before heading downtown. The attorney’s offices were located close to Alex’s building.
For reasons Kate couldn’t begin to understand, she felt guilty going behind Alex’s back.
“Mr. Davenport will see you now.” The pretty, young receptionist stood and escorted Kate to her boss’s office.
“Mrs. Bradshaw is here to see you,” the girl announced before closing the door discreetly behind Kate.
“Mrs. Bradshaw, please be seated.” The man waited until Kate took the chair he’d indicated before continuing. “On the phone you told me you and your husband, Alex, have been married less than a week.” Thomas Davenport fit the image of divorce attorney to a tee. Young, impeccably dressed, he oozed confidence and charm.
“Yes, that’s correct, but as I explained, our marriage was a huge mistake. In fact, I don’t see why we couldn’t just have the marriage annulled. I’m sure my husband will eventually agree.”
“You’re husband doesn’t want the divorce?” the attorney asked in surprise.
“Well, I don’t really know. I haven’t talked to him seriously about it yet.” When the man’s eyebrows lifted another fraction higher, Kate began to get seriously worried. “About the annulment?”
Thomas Davenport politely smiled. “Mrs. Bradshaw—Kate, May I call you Kate?” She nodded without really considering the question. “Annulments are very rarely granted anymore, except for marriages involving underage participants, and even then, they can be extremely difficult. Under the circumstances, I believe our best course of action in this case will be to proceed with the divorce plans.”
“All right...but I want it over with as quickly as possible. How soon can you get the paperwork started?”
Another lift of the eyebrows, another discreet smile.
“Soon, within a few days I’d say. But I do need to know a few things about your husband’s assets if we are to—”
“No, you don’t understand, Mr. Davenport. I don’t want anything from him. I just want out of the marriage.”
“Did you sign any type of prenuptial agreement?”
“No.” Kate was growing more frustrated with each question. “No, you’re not listening to me, Mr. Davenport. I don’t want any of his money. I just want out.”
“Kate, I hope you’ll excuse me for saying this, but you’re husband is a very wealthy man. I did a little checking,” he added when he spotted Kate’s confusion. “You do realize that as his wife—”
“No—I told you, I don’t want any of his money.” Was the man deaf or what?
“All right.” Thomas Davenport looked positively crestfallen. “I’ll make all of the arrangements. I’ll have the papers served to him at his office sometime tomorrow.” He paused for a moment then added, “Now, how would you like to take care of the retainer?”
Chapter Nine
I’m not going to cry... Kate told herself as she left the attorney’s office. This was just a formality. The marriage had been a huge mistake and they both knew it, even if Alex wanted to be stubborn about the whole thing for reasons Kate couldn’t understand.
As much as Kate tried to convince herself her marriage to Alex meant nothing to her, she barely reached the SUV before the tears started. She slipped into the driver seat and leaned her head against the steering wheel.
I’m such an idiot...
She was just emotional. Discovering the extent of Alex’s deceitfulness had been traumatic. There were bound to be some emotional moments. After all, she still loved him. Correction, had loved him. She didn’t love him anymore. How could she. He’d lied about everything. Kate wasn’t even sure she knew who the real Alex Bradshaw was. Maybe he’d been married a dozen or more times. Not that she cared. She just wanted their particular marriage over.
Kate thought about going back to the apartment, but the last thing she needed right now was more time to think about her mistakes. Instead, she drove to the bookstore. What she needed was to stay very busy. She needed her work now more than ever.
Brandy clearly wasn’t expecting to see her so soon.
“When did you get back...wait, have you been crying?” Brandy stopped questioning Kate when she spotted the evidence of her tears.
“No, why would I be crying?” Kate brushed a shaky hand over her eyes, swollen from tears. “Last night. I picked Earl up already this morning...I don’t want to talk about it,” she added when Brandy tried to ask more questions.
“Okay...”
“How�
��s business?” Kate glanced around the store. Everything seemed to be just as she’d left it the night she and Alex left for Vegas.
Don’t think about that now!
“Did the new shipment come in?” She dug her nails into her palms to keep from crying at the thought of how happy she’d been that night.
Fool...
“Yes, just yesterday. Debbie helped put most of them away. She’s going to finish up today.”
“How are the records? Did you have any trouble doing the deposit?” Kate took off her jacket before heading for her office.
“No, everything balanced out just fine. You know if you want to take the rest of the day off, there’s nothing here Deb and I can’t handle.”
“No—I need to work.” Kate draped her jacked over the back of her chair and sat down. There was a small stack of mail on her desk. She focused on it instead of the questions in Brandy’s eyes.
“Is it true?” Brandy asked quietly.
“Is what true?” Kate knew what was coming, but didn’t know how to face it.
“Did you marry him?”
“How did you—”
“He called looking for you already. He sounded upset…actually, he sounded desperate.” Kate closed her eyes and actually considered lying for a brief moment. But figured she’d need the support of her family and friends to get through this thing unscathed. Unscathed?
Too late for that...
“Yes,” she admitted at last. “But it was a huge mistake.” Kate looked up in time to see Brandy’s gentle smile.
“Why is that? He sounds crazy about you.”
“There were things I didn’t know about him. He was only using me.” She held up a hand when Brandy would have asked more.
“I don’t want to talk about it, okay? I just need to work. I need to forget about Alex for a little while. Can you take care of things on the floor?”
“Sure, don’t worry about a thing. I’ll make sure you don’t get disturbed.”