The Platinum Reunion (The Platinum Series Book 3)

by T V Hartwell

  Amanda didn’t believe him. “Why were you reading my messages, Adam?”

  “I wasn’t. I said that I picked up your phone accidently. Your phone pings just like mine does and they were sitting right next each other. I picked up the wrong phone and there was Jake’s message. What’d you expect me to do, shut my eyes and act like I didn’t see it?”

  “Yes! That would’ve been the more discreet thing to do.”

  Adam sighed and slapped his hand down on the bed. “It was a short fucking message for Christ’s sake. It only took a second to read.”

  “I don’t care if it took half a second and was only composed of one word. Don’t read my messages and then throw a fit about them.”

  “Oh, come on. Don’t try to turn the tables on me. What’s worse, me stumbling upon a message from your ex or you carrying on these secret side conversations with him and hiding it from me?”

  “I am not having secret conversations with him, Adam. I haven’t spoken to Jake in five months.”

  “Didn’t he email you not too long ago?”

  “Yes, he emailed me in January asking me not to tell people he’s gay, but I didn’t even email him back. I’ve honestly had no communication with him, at least not coming from me.”

  “Then why the fuck is he texting you? I don’t get it, especially now that we’re in this very public relationship. Does he not watch TV or follow social media?”

  “He knows we’re together.”

  “If you’re not sending him feelers or back-channel messages or anything like that, why does he think you two have anything more to talk about?”

  “I don’t know, Adam. Unless I speak to him to find out—”

  Adam cut her off. “Oh, so you are going to speak him after all? Because at lunch yesterday you acted like you weren’t. You said that everything is over between you two and that there’s no point and how annoyed you were that he contacted your mother.”

  “I said unless I speak to him. I didn’t say I will speak to him. It’s over between us, and I am annoyed that he called her.”

  “Okay. Then promise me right now that you won’t speak with him.”

  “Adam,” Amanda said plaintively.

  “No. If you’re serious about being done with him and, more important, if you are serious about building a future with me, then I need to hear you say it—that you won’t have any further contact with him. Ever again!”

  Amanda just stared at Adam, feeling cornered and uncomfortable with his demand. Tears began to well in her eyes. She wanted to reassure him that their relationship had turned a corner and that she was indeed his girl now, but deep down inside she wanted to hear from Jake. She wanted to hear what he had to say. She wanted to know what was so important for him to speak with her about. And she wanted to know why he felt her parents had had a role in their breakup, notwithstanding how ridiculous and outlandish that sounded to her.

  “Promise me, Amanda.”

  Torn inside, Amanda continued to stand there frozen and mum.

  Adam grew increasingly impatient and angry. “Why can’t you say it? Huh? Say it!”

  “Adam, you can’t make me promise you that right now.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s unfair. It’s not fair for you to expect that from me.”

  “Unfair? And it’s not unfair to me that you want to maintain a chummy relationship with a guy who’s trying to win you back? Who wants to rip us apart and tear down everything we’ve been working together toward as a couple? We’ve gone public, Amanda. We’re officially a couple now. Do you know what that means? Do you know how it will look if word gets out that you are secretly, let alone openly, having conversations with your ex? For Christ’s sake, come on, what’s wrong with you? The guy dumped you practically at the altar to be with another man, and he cheated on you the entire time you were together. How much more abuse are you willing to take from him?”

  “I’m not talking about maintaining some sort of chummy relationship him, Adam. What’s wrong with just hearing him out if he has something more he wants or needs to say to me?”

  “What’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong. You’re weak and that guy has a hold on you unlike anything I ever seen before. He doesn’t even have to work for it all that hard. You make it so easy for him. Whenever Jake calls, there you go running—”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Yes it is true, because it happened before. You abruptly left me and became engaged to him. Remember? You fell hook, line, and sinker for that phony. He was just using you to conceal who he really was.”

  “Things are different now, Adam. That wouldn’t happen again.”

  “Oh Amanda, enough with this bullshit. I can’t take it,” Adam said as he lifted himself out of bed and stood. “I swear to God, if you speak to him or have anything to do with him, I’m gone. I’m not fucking doing this again.” Adam stormed over to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

  Amanda plopped herself down on the bed and buried her face in her hands, completely distraught.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  After their tiff, things were so icy between Amanda and Adam that they ended up not creating any new memories to hold over Big Papa until they met again. Adam showered and got dressed. He then turned on his laptop and became engrossed with work. Seeing that he was preoccupied and no longer paying attention to her, Amanda eventually decided to leave. Adam told her how great it was to see her. Amanda told him likewise and thanked him again for the furniture shopping spree. They kissed each other on the lips and hugged in a cursory way and then she opened the front door to walk out.

  “I’ll call you later tonight after I get back,” Adam said just before she closed the door behind her.

  Don’t bother, Amanda said in her mind. She was so upset that Adam had given her an ultimatum.

  A few minutes later she was in a coffee shop to have a bite to eat while on the phone with Lucy.

  “Who the hell does he think he is, telling me who I can and cannot talk to? He doesn’t fucking own me. I’m not his possession.”

  “But you have to look at it from his perspective too. He has invested so much time and energy trying to convince you that he’s the right guy for you, to show you how much he loves you and wants to be with you. And just when it looks like you’re completely falling for him and ready to take your relationship to the next level, Jake comes swooping in out of nowhere. Adam’s worried and upset because he doesn’t want to lose you again like before.”

  “That’s kind of what he said, but he could’ve communicated his feelings better instead of threatening me. He’s turning this into a situation where it’s like I have to choose between him and Jake, as if I’ve been dating them both at the same time or something. That’s not what this is about. I’ve been with Adam basically since Jake and I broke up and only with Adam—nobody else. I’m not trying to get back with Jake, and I’ve done nothing to suggest otherwise. I haven’t called him. I haven’t texted him. Nothing. I even deleted all of my photos of him on my Facebook account.”

  “I know, Mandi. I know how hard you’ve tried to move on, but it looks like Jake hasn’t gotten the message if he’s still texting you.”

  “I can’t fucking control what Jake does. It’s not my fault that he’s texting me and calling my mother.” Amanda sighed in frustration.

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know. I want to hear what Jake has to say. I guess I’m mostly just curious.”

  “Okay, call him back. Hear him out first, and then tell him once and for all that it’s over, that you’re in a new relationship, that it’s very serious, and that you think it’s best that you have no further communication with one another going forward. Wish him the best and tell him to move on. Over and done with.”

  “Yeah, but Adam doesn’t want me to speak to him at all.”

  “Adam’s going to have to chill and allow you deal with this situation, because if you don’t, Jake will conti
nue to contact you.”

  “I know, exactly. I guess I could just try to ignore him.”

  “But that won’t work because you just said that you’re curious and that you want to speak to him and hear what he has to say.”

  “I do.”

  “Okay, so here’s what you should do. Call Jake and hear him out, like I said. And then after you tell him that it’s truly over between you two and that you no longer want to be with him and that you’re in love with somebody else, send him an email making the same points and blind-copy Adam. That way Adam can see that you actually told Jake to leave you the fuck alone and to get on with his life.”

  “Hmmm, I like that idea. That might work, actually.”

  “Do it. Do it now. If I were you, I wouldn’t wait around. I’d get back to Jake right away. You know the saying—strike while the iron is hot, while this issue is fresh on everyone’s mind—your mind, Adam’s mind, Jake’s mind. That way Adam will be able to see that you dealt with the situation immediately and tried to put it to rest.”

  Amanda sighed, feeling hesitant. “It’s funny. Even though I’m curious to hear what Jake has to say, I don’t actually feel like talking to him. Maybe I could get him to just email me.”

  Lucy balked. “That would probably be a long freakin’ email and there’d be a lot of back-and-forth that could go on for days. You don’t want to create that kind of paper trail, especially in this day and age. You’re a celebrity now, and that shit could end up on the Internet. I think you should call him. Call him now.”

  “Okay, okay. I will. Jesus.”

  ***

  Jake waited anxiously for Amanda’s reply. More than two hours had passed since he’d texted her after leaving Kirby’s place and returning home. The more time passed, the more unlikely it seemed that Amanda would get back to him, he thought. A handful of conflicting thoughts raced through Jake’s mind as he sat on his sofa to watch the slate of NFL games scheduled on TV that day. It’s just as well if she doesn’t call me back. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. She’s all tied up with Adam now anyway, so what’s the point? Getting back with her would be nice, though, but what am I going to do about Kirby? I fucking love Kirby. I never get bored with that. All day long, man, all day long, but I don’t want to marry a guy, do I? That would be too fucking much. No political career for me as a moderate to liberal Republican if I marry a guy. Being perceived as a liberal would be a big enough hurdle as it is. But this is California. Arnie got elected governor as a Republican and he’s moderate to liberal in his views. But he’s a fucking celebrity married to a Kennedy. I’ll need a wife too to pull it off, especially to reach that level of office like governor or US senator. No gay Republican would make it past the primary. Maybe I should just take the money and run. I wonder how much I could get out of Rick. No, fuck that. I want to be with Amanda again. I miss that feeling of being in love with a chick. I miss being in love with her. I don’t know if I could give up pussy completely anyway. I don’t know if I could give up dick either, though. “Shit! What the fuck am I thinking?” Jake said aloud to the room, rubbing his hands on his face, feeling distressed.

  Distracted and not paying much attention to the game, Jake decided to go out for a run. A good run would help him settle down, help him relax, he thought. He quickly changed into a pair of running shorts and a tank top and slipped on a pair of running shoes. He grabbed his running watch and put it on his wrist as he walked toward the front door of his apartment. Right when he was about to step out, he heard his phone ping thrice in rapid succession—an indication that he’d received multiple text messages. His heart stopped.

  He walked over to the sofa where he’d left the phone and picked it up. He thought there’d be three messages per the three pings but he saw only two messages, both from his friend Will. The first message was an inside joke about a mutual friend who consistently had a losing record betting on NFL games. Jake chuckled. The second message was that Will and his fiancée Kerry were organizing a get-together at their place later that afternoon and they wanted Jake to join them.

  Sounds good. Heading out for a run now. Just tell me what time and I’m there, Jake typed in reply to the second message.

  Jake was about the put the phone down when he suddenly noticed the third message. It was from a number that he didn’t recognize with a New York City area code.

  Hi Jake. I’m in New York. What’s this about?

  Jake felt pretty confident that he knew who the message was from, but he asked to make sure. Is this Amanda?

  Yes. I got your text.

  Oh, hey. I was wondering. Did you change your number?

  This is my work phone. My other phone ran out of juice. At a coffee shop and don’t have my charger with me. What’s up?

  For a moment there Jake was frazzled. He didn’t know where to begin, typing, deleting, and retyping again several times. It would be better if we talked in person, he finally wrote.

  I won’t be back in LA for another couple of weeks.

  Jake hesitated for a moment, and then he quickly thought up the perfect comeback even though the claim he was about to make wasn’t true. I’ll be in New York this week on business anyway, so I can make time to see you.

  “What?” Amanda said aloud to herself, incredulous. She rapidly typed back on her phone with annoyance, I really don’t think that will be necessary and to be honest this is not a good time. I’m about to launch my handbag line in less than two weeks and I’m very busy right now.

  I understand but this is very important and I’ll already be there. Okay if I just call you right now instead of texting?

  Amanda huffed and rolled her eyes. Fine, she wrote. Five seconds later, Jake’s call came through.

  “Hello,” she answered with exasperation in her voice.

  “Hi. How are you?” Jake said, feeling a sense of awe hearing Amanda’s voice again for the first time in months.

  “I’m fine. How are you?” she asked perfunctorily.

  “Oh…there’s a lot that’s gone on this past week. I assume you don’t have a clue.”

  “A clue about what?”

  “Well, that’s what I need to talk with you about.”

  “What is this all about, Jake? Seriously, can we just talk about this now over the phone?

  “No. I prefer to do it in person.”

  “Why? I already know that you called my mother.”

  “Well, your mother doesn’t even know half the story. She doesn’t know anything, as far as I can tell.”

  “What are you talking about, Jake?”

  “I really think we should save this conversation for when I get to New York.”

  “Why? Look, if you think there’s a chance of you and me getting back together, because that’s what my mom told me you said to her, then you’re wasting your time. I’m dating Adam again, as you probably very well know, and I’m happy with where things are. I’m happy with my life, and I really don’t want to revisit the past with you. I mean, I’m willing to listen to whatever it is you have to say, but I just want to be clear about my intentions and feelings. You made your choice, Jake. You walked away. There’s no turning back now.”

  “Yes, you’re right. It was my choice, and I walked away, but your parents or your dad, at least, had a hand in my decision to do so, and you should be aware of that.”

  “Jake, what are you talking about? You were cheating, and you chose to be with Kirby.”

  “That’s not why I broke up with you. I’ve told you that before. Cheating on you was wrong. I admit that. But despite what went on between me and Kirby, it was still my intention to marry you until your con artist of a father stepped in to keep that from happening.”

  “Con artist?”

  “Amanda, you have no idea. When I tell you what your father told me about you—”

  “About me?”

  “Yes, about you. You’re going to freak. Your dad’s a con man. I’m telling you. It worked. I was duped and it’s my fault for fall
ing for it at the end of the day, but your dad and my mother orchestrated our breakup. Those two have history, you know, and they conspired together to break us up.”

  “Okay, you’re talking crazy right now. I can’t—”

  “He even offered to pay me lots of money for my silence. I’m talking millions of dollars, Amanda. He wanted to set me up for life. He still does, in fact.”

  “I don’t believe a word you’re saying to me right now.”

  “I have proof.”

  “What proof?”

  “I’ll bring it and show it to you when I see you. Besides, I seriously doubt your dad would deny anything I’m telling you at this point. The cat’s out of the bag, and too many people are involved and know what’s going on. Your dad probably hopes we’ll all keep silent. But I’m not letting him off the hook. My own mother’s not off the hook, so why should he be?”

  Amanda sighed hard, slowly relenting to a meeting. “When do you get to New York?”

  “Ahhh…Tuesday…Tuesday morning,” Jake blurted, not even having a plane ticket yet. He figured that he’d need an extra day to inform the office that he was taking unexpected personal time off to travel to New York and to rearrange his schedule as he had client meetings lined up for that week.

  “Shit, I can’t be seen with you,” Amanda said, the stress in her voice evident.

  “Why?”

  “We were an item, Jake. Our breakup has been written about, remember? And I’m with Adam now, which means even more media scrutiny, a lot more. If you and I are seen together, the tabloids will go crazy, and it would put Adam and me in a very bad situation. I don’t want to drag him into this. He’s already paranoid enough as it is about you reaching out to me.”

  “He knows?”

  “Yes, he saw your text message to me this morning, and trust me, he’s not happy about it. I think we should keep this whole meeting a secret as best we can.”

  “And I’d suggest that you not tell anyone what I’ve told you thus far, not even your parents. Wait until after we’ve met and I show you what it is that I have to show you to prove to you that I’m not lying.”