"Yet," he snapped out. "I highly doubt he sees you as anything but a fling." His eyes turned steely and intense. "You need to stay the hell away from him," he warned me in a demanding tone. It pissed me off. Who the hell did he think he was, telling me what to do with my personal life?
"And you," I pointed at him angrily, "need to listen to your wife and butt the fuck out!"
His eyes widened as he jerked his head back in surprise at my outburst.
I stalked toward the front door, then stopped before grabbing the doorknob and looked back at him with a glare. "Oh, and by the way, I like Gareth's crazy kinky stuff." I turned and walked out, leaving Andy standing there with his mouth hanging open in shock.
When I climbed into my car a few moments later, I was suddenly hit by a fit of giggles, wondering if I was the first person on earth ever to render my brother-in-law speechless. However, my mirth fizzled out almost immediately at the thought of having to ask Gareth about the sex club, and if he liked to play with his subs in public. I felt embarrassed whenever he talked about the kinky things we did together. Now I had to start the conversation myself. Part of me just wanted to go home, but I knew this would drive me insane until I found out what I needed to know. I had to do this now for my own sanity. I let out a weary sigh as I started my Mazda3 and pulled away from the curb.
I drove to Gareth's apartment building and parked along the street, wishing that I had access to his private garage as I got out of my car. The temperature had been steadily dropping since the sun set, and it was frigid. Luckily, the sidewalks were well salted so it wasn't slippery. For what Gareth and the other people who lived in the building paid to live here, the walkways better be ice free.
I pulled my hood up over my head and hunched down into my coat as I headed toward the entrance. The hood blocked my vision enough that I couldn't see very far ahead, so I didn't realize there was someone in front of me until I almost ran into them. I jerked to a stop to see what appeared to be a homeless man huddled against the side of the building in a long tattered black coat. Watery blue eyes fixed on me, framed by greasy blond hair that stuck out of the filthy gray stocking cap he was wearing.
He began slurring almost unintelligible words at me that I suspected were obscenities. The only thing I really understood was when he called me "that fucker's ginger whore", whatever the hell that meant. What few teeth he had left were a mess, all brown and black. I was happy I wasn't close enough to smell his breath. He pulled his hands out from his coat pockets, and reached out towards me with nasty long fingernails and burnt fingertips, his arms jerking and twitching. The man was obviously high on what was probably meth.
"Sorry," I blurted out as I sidestepped out of his reach and hurried away as fast as I could.
I glanced back after several yards, and was relieved that he hadn't followed me. I felt bad for him, since I was sure he needed help, but I wasn't going to risk my safety by sticking around someone unstable and on drugs. I wondered if the building management knew he was loitering out here. In this upscale neighborhood, I'm sure someone would send him packing soon enough. Wherever he ended up tonight, I hoped he didn't freeze to death.
When I finally made my way to the entrance, I pushed my way through the building's massive brass turnstile door into blessed warmth. The foyer was gorgeous, with gleaming white marble floors and walls. The barrel ceiling was covered in breathtaking mosaic tiles and several beautiful chandeliers. I walked up some steps and crossed the lobby, passing a comfortable looking sitting area as I headed toward the security desk on the far side of the room.
A man in a dark suit stood behind the desk speaking to a tall woman in a long black wool coat with long chocolate brown curls framing a strikingly beautiful face. She looked pissed off as she glared at the coolly unaffected security guy.
"I know he'll want to see me if you just call him and tell him Daphne is here," she said in a haughty tone.
"Ma'am," the man replied politely. "I have explicit instructions telling me I'm not allowed to let you up to his apartment for any reason. I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to leave."
"You don't understand," she continued in exasperation. "I've been here many times before. Just call upstairs and we can get this straightened out."
"I'm sorry, but my hands are tied, ma'am." His voice was sharp and uncompromising now, his polite tone fading. "Please leave before I have to escort you out."
"Fine," she snarled out before she whirled to face me. She looked down her nose at me for half a second before walking past me in a slow measured pace that I'm sure was meant to piss off the poor guy behind the desk. I was happy to see that he wasn't affected and instead turned a kind smile on me.
"Hi," I said with a smile. "I'm here to see Gareth Caxton, please."
"Is he expecting you, miss?" he asked with a polite smile.
"No," I said uncertainly. "Is that a problem?"
"No, ma'am," he replied. "I just need your name."
I suddenly felt a presence behind me. I whirled to see the woman who'd just been turned away standing there with a furious expression. "Well now," she snapped out with vitriol as she glared down at me with hard vicious brown eye. "I see Gareth's taste in women has gone to shit. I guess they'll let anyone into Désir Dangereux now. Good luck honey, he'll probably toss you aside quicker than he did me when you can't give him what he needs. Then he'll come crawling back to me at the club." She let her coat slide open just slightly enough so I could see the sheer black teddy and garters she had on underneath. Her body was lush with large breasts, a flawless hourglass figure, and absolutely nothing like mine.
I gaped at her in shock as she shot a smug and vile grin down at me. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and stalked away with her head held high, her sky-high stiletto boots clacking loudly across the marble floor with each step.
I stared after her as her words sunk in. If this was the kind of woman Gareth was used to, then what was he doing with me? How could I be enough for a man who was used to sex clubs and women like that? How could I possibly compete? The answer was easy. I couldn't. I was just a short term fling until someone willing to give him what he really wanted took my place. A tiny sob slipped out of me with a soft pathetic squeak. My eyes began to burn with welling tears.
"Ma'am?" the security guard asked. "I need your name, so I can call Mr. Caxton for you."
"I'm...I'm s...sorry I b...bothered you," I said in a weak quavering voice as my vision blurred and pain squeezed inside my chest like a fist had clutched me tight. I was wrong about a man yet again, and felt like a pathetic fool. I turned and fled quickly across the room and back out into the cold night as my heart broke and splintered apart.
17
GARETH
I glanced down at my phone, still seeing no reply to the text I'd sent Malory when I left the courthouse a short while ago. She was probably busy, but the reply she sent me, after I texted "Good morning, beautiful" to her this morning, was terse and impersonal, and nothing like her usual witty sarcastic texts. It worried me. I frowned deeply as the elevator doors slid open in front of me, wondering if I'd done something to upset her. It had been so long since I'd been in a relationship that I felt like I was clueless and flying blind. For the life of me, I couldn't think of anything I did wrong. I didn't even get to talk to her last night since she had plans with her friends.
I shook my head and stepped out onto the floor of my father's law office. I couldn't do anything about it right now, so I shoved my phone back into my suit jacket pocket with a sigh, and focused on the here and now. I walked up to the reception desk and glanced at Allison, the receptionist.
"Hello, Mr. Caxton," she said in a breathy tone as she looked up at me through lowered lashes. A flirtatious smile touched her lips even as she blushed. It was her usual reaction to my arrival, but I couldn't care less.
"Allison," I said curtly. "Is Dad free?" I was here to have my weekly lunch with my father.
Her brows furrowed, and her eyes blinked rapidly as
a confused expression crossed her features. "Um...uh...yes," she replied uncertainly. "Um...you can head straight back."
I nodded absently, and walked past her toward my father's office without another glance. I found Dad sitting behind his desk with his cell phone to his ear.
"I love you too, sweetie," he said as he smiled and waved at my entrance. Ah, it was a phone call with Victoria. "I'll remind him. I promise. Bye." He ended the call then stood and came around his desk toward me. "How's your day been so far, son?" he asked as he grabbed his coat from the coat rack near the door.
I shrugged. "Decent," I said succinctly. "My driver is downstairs waiting for us," I told him.
"You took one of our drivers?" he asked with a surprised expression. "Are you getting old and complacent like me?" He smiled warmly.
I snorted out a laugh. "No, my Range Rover was vandalized last weekend, and it's still in the shop."
"Vandalized?" he asked with a worried frown. "Where did that happen?"
"At The Glass House of all places," I told him.
"It's a shame no one's safe anywhere anymore, even in a nice part of town like that."
"Yeah," I agreed. "Fortunately, I only have to be lazy like you until the repairs are done," I told him with a wry grin.
"Let's go be lazy together then." Dad waved me out the door ahead of him with a flourish.
We arrived at the restaurant a short time later. It was in the best hotel in town, and the food was almost as good as The Glass House. We were seated in the lavish dining room where a string quartet was playing softly in one corner. It was relaxing, and I needed it since I'd been fretting about Malory all morning. We ordered and chatted over our meal about work for a while then moved on to family matters.
"You're still coming for dinner on Saturday, right?" Dad asked.
Damn, I'd forgotten about that, what with all the time and attention I'd been giving Malory. My stepsister and her new husband, David, were back from their honeymoon, and the family was getting together to celebrate their return. I struggled with these get-togethers every time. I felt like I didn't belong surrounded by all the happy couples while I felt like the odd man out being the only single person. I had to be there though, even if I'd rather spend time with Malory. I wondered if someday I could take her with me to these family things? Maybe then I wouldn't feel so uncomfortable. That brought me back to the fact that she hadn't answered my text yet, and made me wonder if she'd even be around to ask next time. My mood suddenly plummeted at that thought.
"Yeah," I replied absently as I pulled my phone out to see if I missed a message from her. There was nothing yet again. I pursed my lips and stared at my phone for a moment before sending another text to her.
I haven't heard back from you. Is everything alright? I set the phone on the table next to me.
"Victoria's been looking forward to all of us getting together," Dad continued. "She's been missing Daniel since Natalie and David picked him up on Sunday when they got back from Belize."
My phone chirped. "I bet," I answered distractedly as I scooped up my phone to read Malory's reply.
I'm fine.
I stared at the screen with a perplexed frown as I ran a hand through my hair. I'm fine? What the hell did she mean by that? With Ryan, it always meant the opposite, and that I'd unknowingly fucked up yet again, and she expected me to figure it out myself. I gritted my teeth in frustration. Was I wrong about Malory? Was she already messing with my head? I didn't want to believe that about her.
"Son?" Dad asked worriedly. "Is everything alright?"
I glanced up to meet Dad's concerned expression. "I'm fine." I winced when I realized I'd just repeated Malory's reply to me. This was my dad for fuck's sake, and I could tell him anything. "Okay, I'm not," I immediately contradicted in an exasperated tone.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "I'll help you if I can." And he would. My father was the one person who'd been there for me my whole life.
"I...I met a woman a couple of weeks ago," I said as Dad's brows flew up in surprise, "and I already don't know what the hell is going on." I told him a shortened and obviously edited version of how Malory and I got together, then told him about the sudden change in the tone of her texts today. "It seems like she's pulling away from me. I don't know what to do, Dad."
"Then talk to her," Dad answered reasonably. "It's the only way to find out what's going on."
I frowned and glanced away uncomfortably. I used to try to talk to Ryan when she pulled away like this, desperate to fix things. It was always futile though, and ended up making me feel worse. I was her puppet, and she knew every way to pull my strings to make me dance the way she wanted.
"Talking doesn't always work, Dad," I grumbled out as I met his kind eyes pointedly.
"Malory also isn't your ex-wife, Gareth," he replied, his eyes filling with sympathy. "You need to let the past go to move on." He looked off to the side. "For a long time after I divorced your mother, I lumped all women in with her. I assumed they were all selfish and looking to use me for their own gain, and I was alone for a long time because of those assumptions, but then I met my Vivian," His eyes misted over a little. They always did the rare times he talked about Viv. "She changed everything. She was nothing like Melissa, and she showed me what real love was, not the self-serving relationship your mother had with me." His voice began to waver as he met my eyes again. "Talk to her. Don't waste any time. You never know how little of it you have left." A single tear managed to slide down my father's cheek as he gave me a brittle smile.
I clenched my teeth and fought the stinging in my eyes from the painful guilt that crashed over me, because my refusal to talk had ended up costing Viv her life. I stared down at my half eaten plate as I got myself under control and pushed the guilt away. I took a breath and blew it out. "Okay, Dad."
"Good," he nodded, sounding more like himself. "Now off with you." He made a shooing motion with his hand at me.
"What?" I asked in confusion.
"Go talk to your woman." He looked at me like I was dense.
"Now?" I asked incredulously.
"Yes, now." His smile widened. "So hurry up, you're wasting time. I'll call my own driver to pick me up."
I couldn't do anything, but grin back at him and nod. I pushed back from the table and stood to leave.
"Good luck, son," he said warmly.
"Thanks, Dad," I told him gratefully and hurried away.
I left the restaurant and started crossing the lobby. I was going to go straight to my office building to pay a visit to Malory at Cooper Media, and I was going to get to the bottom of what was going on. She was worth it.
I was half way to the entrance, when the last person I wanted to see on earth came striding through the front door. I jerked to a halt as I watched my ex-wife walk into the hotel with crisp angry steps. She was dressed in a long pink wool coat with matching Louis Vuitton pumps. Her honey-blond hair was flawlessly styled in soft waves that cascade down onto her shoulders. Her makeup was perfectly applied to a coldly beautiful face that currently held a contemptuous expression with angry flashing blue eyes. I remembered that look well. I stiffened, and my hands clenched into fists at my sides.
Following in her wake and wearing a dark-blue suit was her current husband, Travis Taylor, a blond man who was a little older than me. He was handsomely attractive and had money, two things my ex-wife required in a man. The third requirement was a man who would do anything to make her happy, no matter the cost to himself, and despite the fact that it was an impossible task. Lord knows, I'd tried myself and always failed. It cost me my pride and nearly my very identity.
He'd been sucked in just like I was, and I pitied him. They had several kids together too, and he'd never be able to excise her completely from his life like I did. I felt even worse for their kids. They were stuck with her for life. I knew what it was like to have a selfish manipulative mother. I was so grateful that I'd never gotten Ryan pregnant. I didn't want that for any child of mine.
I could answer that for him, it was the moment he said "I do" and married her.
She whirled around to glare at her husband. "Travis," she said patronizingly, her voice cold. "I'm fine."
Her voice and words gave me the chills, and brought a swath of horrible memories I just as soon forget. I needed to get the fuck away from her right now. Her back was to me, so I started hurrying towards the doors.
"Gareth?" Ryan suddenly called out before I'd taken two steps. She used that fake friendly voice she always used in public that sounded genuine to everyone but me. I knew better.
I cringed inwardly and turned toward her, knowing there was no way out of this now. A wide smile spread across her lips, but never reached her ice-blue eyes. I didn't even bother hiding the distaste on my face. I could almost feel the heat of her husband glaring at me. God only knows what lies she told him about me.
"What on earth are you doing here?" she asked, like seeing me astounded her, even though we lived in the same town and shared some of the same social circles.
"I had lunch," I replied with an edge of condescension. "People do that, you know."
"I'm surprised you have the time," she said with a sneer, "since your career always comes before anything else."
"Well, I don't have anyone at home sucking me dry, so I don't have to work all the time anymore," I said acerbically.
"No, you had other women sucking you dry when you were working late." Her tone was thick with contemptuous sarcasm.
My lip twitched into a silent snarl as I dug my nails painfully into my palms. "I was never unfaithful, which is more than I can say about you." I glanced meaningfully over at Travis, who was still glowering at me. I knew they started seeing each other publicly almost immediately after we separated. I was never able to prove it, but I suspected they'd been sleeping together before that.
Dark Dominion: Dangerous Desire Book 1 Page 19