I had to stop myself from telling her everything that I knew, right then and there. I needed to be more objective and look at the ramifications of what it would mean if I told her that I did indeed know her husband and that he was not the faithful man that he portrayed himself to be. I could see the underlying pain that this may have been causing her over the years. No one deserves to be treated with any level of disrespect from a spouse or partner. I know. I’ve been through it and more.
“I’m going to do my best to get you the answers and the results that you deserve.” I owed her that much.
I knew that if I was going to help her, I would need another attorney. Looks like I’m calling Crystal Morrison for help… again. And… I would need to tell Aidan.
Chapter 9
Aidan
When Chloe got home that evening, I desperately wanted to talk about her consult with Karen Williams, but I knew that Chloe was very loyal to her clients and their confidentiality. If anything, I’m glad that Karen decided to finally get a divorce. I knew that John wasn’t the most faithful of men. Sadly, these days, that type of behavior in prominent social circles was deemed the norm or overlooked by their peers. Men of that era were considered the “good ole boys” and even had their own clubs that only men of certain wealth and stature could be members.
I knew that would never be me though. There wouldn’t be any amount of persuasion of another woman to make me cheat on Chloe. I am forever, and one hundred percent committed to her, our relationship, and to our future marriage.
After Chloe was settled in for the night, we decided to order takeout and rent a movie instead of going out. It was much more intimate to watch a movie and chill in the luxury of our own bedroom. We could freely touch and caress each other under the covers, pause the movie when our touches became too heated, and indulge ourselves on wine and dinner in between.
Since we have been together, Chloe has learned how to open her mind and body to me in ways that she didn’t realize was possible. She has tapped into her innermost desires and is not shy about voicing her likes and dislikes.
Some of the more intimate moments we share are not in role play or using any type of bindings or toys. Simply just holding each other after a long day, quietly unloading our thoughts and feeling the stillness of our breathing, in the darkness of our bedroom.
We are lying on the bed, Chloe is spooned in front of me, absently stroking the arm that is draped over her body. I can feel the thoughts racing through her mind as she stares blankly at nothing.
Just as I am about to ask her what she’s thinking, she takes a deep breath and speaks. “Aidan, will you promise me that if I tell you something, you won’t think less of me?”
“Of course, I promise. You can tell me anything, you know that.” I was quick to respond as a reassurance to her and so that I wouldn’t take too long to think of the millions of possible fucked up crazy scenarios that are running through my head right now. I draw her body closer to mine to show comfort and support for the story that was about to be told.
She is still absently stroking my arm and trembling slightly. “Um…. so… you know how at our engagement party … when you were introducing me to your father’s business partner John… and I kind of freaked out…. and ran to the bathroom?”
“Yeah, I remember. I just thought you were getting too much of a buzz from the champagne.” I’m not at all comfortable where this conversation is going. Did he confront her or hit on her at the party or something? I mean he can be a real asshole sometimes and likes to flirt with just about anything in a skirt. I can see more clearly why his wife wants to divorce him.
“Well, yes, that too, but it seems as though you and I have more in common than we thought.” I’m totally lost as to where she is going with this conversation.
“What does that have to do with John?”
She rolls over so that she is facing me, searches my face like she is mesmerizing my features or searching for the words to continue her story. “Aidan, I know John from when I used to work at The Diamond Club. He didn’t let on that he recognized me, I mean he could have but I used to wear a purple wig when I worked there, and I, of course, had a stage name. When he walked up to us and said, ‘Hey Kid’… it’s what triggered the memory for me. He has a pretty distinctive voice and he used to say that to me, every time he saw me. And… he used to request my company whenever he was at the club.”
My mind was spinning in about a hundred different directions. I tried to school my expression so that it didn’t betray the shock of all the many fucked up scenarios of what I’m thinking that Chloe and John did at that strip club. I jumped to every conclusion possible.
I’m incredibly proud of her for having the strength to tell me this. It is amazing how far she has come since I first met her. The girl who was afraid to give me details of her sordid past and giving me a glimpse into her crazy upbringing, just gave me more depth to her darkest secret.
My throat felt suddenly dry and thick with emotion and I struggled to swallow and speak. I tried not to go ballistic on her, I really did. But sometimes I’m not always able to think before I speak, especially when my thoughts are bouncing all over. I sat up suddenly and leveled her with a glare that I’m not proud of. “What the fuck do you mean when you say he requested your company? What is it exactly that you did in that club?” I. Am. Fucking. Pissed.
Chloe mirrored my actions by sitting up suddenly and pinning me with her own disgusted venomous stare. “I cannot fucking believe you would think that I had sex with that… that… that disgusting man! Don’t you know there are other things that a man can come in and request a girl to do? I mean, really Aidan. How could you think that of me?”
“You know what? I don’t know what to think anymore! You had every opportunity to tell me all of this when the trial was going on. Your past was brought up back when my investigator revealed his report to me. Didn’t you think that would have been the perfect time to tell me everything?” I am shouting at her and I feel the heat from my anger radiating from my body.
Chloe’s anger is pouring off her in waves, and her voice is trembling as she struggles with containing her tears. The look on her face is that of rage and fury, with a touch of embarrassment. “How was I supposed to know that you knew John, and …. what … am I supposed to tell you about every guy that I talked to at that club or every guy that I have ever slept with? AND there really isn’t more to tell! For the record, I was embarrassed enough after having to relive what Mark had put me through that I didn’t feel it was necessary to give you every sordid detail of my work history.” She took a deep breath and steadied her voice. Through clenched teeth, she continued. “But let me make one thing perfectly clear. I was not a prostitute! I did not get paid to have sex with men in that club! And fuck you for thinking so little of me!”
With that declaration, she stormed off into the bathroom and slammed the door closed.
I’m still unclear exactly why it is that she started to tell me this story if it was as innocent as she says. I’m not sure if this has anything to do with the fact that she has taken on Karen’s divorce case. I can see that there is a correlation between the events of Chloe’s past that could help in Karen getting a divorce settlement. The entire screaming match accomplished nothing and I’m no more enlightened now as to the level of a relationship she had with John than before the whole fucked up fight started.
When I heard the shower turn on, I knew she was going to be there a while. I needed some space too. I grabbed my workout gear and headed for the gym. I needed to lift, run, and sweat out this rage of discontent that I felt in that moment. I needed the punching bag to take the brunt of disappointment in knowing that she couldn’t trust me with all the details of her past.
Living and working in your own building has its advantages. While I didn’t have far to get away from the shit storm of drama that just unfolded, I could still flee to my own space.
I pounded away at the miles on the treadmill while l
istening to my favorite music on my headphones. After I was sufficiently aching from that beating, I decided to concentrate on lifting some weights, just to further torture myself.
Heading into my private sauna gave me another sanctuary for thinking and reflecting. I was only in there for about twenty minutes, but I was sufficiently sweating and panting from the heat. When the knock came at the sauna door, I was apprehensive and hopeful that it was Chloe coming to work out our fight, but when my ex-girlfriend Alex opened the door and stepped inside, I was sadly disappointed and quite frankly didn’t have the energy to deal with her today.
In what I’m sure was a tone of complete annoyance and malice did I say to her, “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Well, hello to you too. What has you in such a grumpy mood?”
“That is none of your business. How did you get in here anyway?”
“Oh, trouble in paradise, huh? And you haven’t changed your passcode since we broke up.” She had the nerve to look sheepish, like she was anything but innocent. “So, you want to talk about it? You know, I know you just about as good as anyone.”
I took a deep breath and let it out in an exasperated sigh. What did I have to lose.
Chapter 10
Chloe
After my long shower of thinking… talking to myself… working out my issues… and rehashing the argument over and over, I felt better about my decision. I decided that I wasn’t going to let this argument, or my past for that matter, define how I go forward. I needed Aidan to hear me out, finally. Because if I help Karen with her divorce, ALL the details of my past were going to come out and I needed to prepare him for that. And if he wasn’t all in, then I needed to prepare myself for that.
I needed to find out where Aidan’s head was at after all of the argument we had. I can only imagine the level of crazy that he’s thinking he’s going to marry.
He couldn’t have gone far since his car keys were still in the same place that he always keeps them. I could call him, but I really needed to see him in person. I know when he needs to work off stress, he hits the gym. So that’s where I look first.
I take the short elevator ride down to our private gym, but I don’t see him on any of the machines. I decide to head towards the sauna, knowing how Aidan likes to finish his workouts with a good steam. When I get closer to the door, I hear muffled voices. A strange sense of déjavu washes over me and I fight back the bile that is rising in my throat. I whisper to myself, “Calm down Chloe. This is Aidan. He wouldn’t do this to you.”
When I get closer and press my ear to the door, I can distinctly hear Aidan and another woman, talking.
“Look Alex, I know Chloe and I are from two totally different worlds, but it was just an argument. We didn’t break off our engagement or break up. It was just… oh fuck… I don’t know what it was. One minute we were lying in bed, and the next minute she was storming off.”
Alex? Alex as in Aidan’s ex-girlfriend Alex? I just went from freaking out to full on fucking pissed! How could he do this to me? We just had the fight no more than a few hours ago and he’s already consorting with and confiding in another woman?
I continue listening at the door to hear the rest of the conversation. “Aidan, you two are just so opposite, in every way. Not like you and me though. Remember all the good times we had together? Some of them right here in this sauna.”
I was so shocked by that comment that I audibly sucked in air so fast and started choking. Coughing and choking for air. The door flew open to reveal Aidan as he steps out with Alex in tow. They were both wrapped in towels, dripping with sweat, and panting from, what better have been, the heat from the sauna.
“Chloe!” His head was whipping back and forth between Alex and I and holding his hand up in a surrendering gesture. “This is not what it looks like!”
I staggered back with the audacity of his comment, and I started yelling louder than is normal for me.
“What it looks like is you jumping at the chance to confide in another woman instead of coming to me… your fiancé. You know… the one you are supposed to marry… to love, honor, and cherish… and all that other bullshit! And don’t EVEN get me started on the fact that both of you are basically naked. What the fuck Aidan?”
“Chloe…” The warning tone in how he said my name made me feel like a scolded child. How dare he turn this around on me.
“Aidan. You have precisely five seconds to start explaining and painting a clearer picture for me on how exactly this looks!” I impressed myself with not breaking down into tears. I think all of those were washed down the drain with my shower.
“Chlo----“He started to say before she butted in.
“Aidan, if I may…” she gave him a knowing, all too familiar look, and he let her take over the conversation. “Chloe. Aidan is right. This isn’t at all what it looks like. I came here to talk to him about my mother and her insane idea of divorcing my father, and Aidan was kind enough to listen. I could tell he was struggling with something himself, and I was nothing more than a sounding board.”
She had the balls to actually wink at me. Like she and I are besties or something. I mean really. I may be on the crazy train, but she is driving!
I’m staring at her, mouth agape, at her blasé attempt at explaining what I walked in on. Aidan, I trust. Her, not so much.
I casually straighten myself and schooled my expression with the utmost professionalism that I, as a lawyer, know how to do and got within inches of her face. “Let me set the ground rules regarding your relationship with Aidan.” I took a deep breath in and looked her dead in the eyes. “As of today, this very moment, you no longer have a relationship with Aidan. You and he are no longer friends. You will walk out of here and never contact him or me again. Do I make myself clear?”
I’m not the most intimidating person, all five feet four of me, standing toe to toe with the long-legged six-foot-two model in front of me. She looks down at me and sneers, talking to Aidan, but looking at me. “Aidan, darling. Are you going to let her talk to me like this? Surely she knows about us and how long we’ve known each other.”
Aidan finally finds his voice and daring to get in the middle of a potential girl fight, surprised me with his comment. “Actually, Alex… I agree with Chloe. It’s best that you and I avoid one another and go our separate ways. We don’t have anything to ever discuss again.”
Now it’s her turn to audibly gasp and look at us both with a mortified glare. “Well, I have never been so disrespected in my life. I simply came here to talk to a friend, and nothing more!”
I started to speak, but Aidan dutifully took over. “Alex, nothing you do is ever simple. And you and I both know that if I would have let it, something would have happened. Now, it’s time for you to go and I will be informing security to never let you in this building again.”
She started scrambling to collect her clothes, dropping her towel in the process for us both to see her naked, and of course, perfectly toned body. She pulled up her discarded dress, sans any undergarments… because the bitch wasn’t wearing any when she arrived. No intentions to seduce my fiancé, my ass!
She slipped on her shoes and made a beeline for the door, only turning briefly to look at Aidan and give him a seductive look. “Your loss sexy. See ya!” And she flitted out the door.
I’m half mumbling to myself, walking towards the door as if to follow her and smack that smug look off her face. “Who the fuck does she think she is? Coming in here, half dressed, and trying to seduce my man!”
Aidan, quickly grabs me from behind, saving me the embarrassment of running after her and getting my ass kicked. “I love when you get all feisty like this. It makes me so hard for you.”
I spun around in his arms, almost making us both tumble to the ground with my reckless motion. “Don’t. You. Dare. Touch. Me. You may have saved face and I may have believed your story, but that does not mean that I’m ok with what just happened. And to think I was coming down here so tha
t we could make up after the colossal cluster fuck of an argument that we had a few hours ago!”
“Chloe, please. Please just let us go back upstairs and calm down so that we can put this all behind us and move forward. I know I fucked up, but that was not my intention. I had no idea that Alex would be here, and I would have never done anything with her. Please believe me.”
The sincerity of his plea was making my resolve melt. I didn’t want to fight anymore or stay mad at him, but I was pissed. And I had every right to be. But It was going to take a lot more than a few soothing words to make me “calm down”. Why do men think that those words will have a positive effect? Telling me to calm down was like throwing gas on a fire. Not helping.
“We can go back upstairs, but I’m not ready to calm down yet. I’m going to need more time.” And I suddenly felt very dirty and could use another hour-long shower to wash away the images of those two… in the sauna… naked under their towels.
I’m fucking exhausted and I need a drink. After my shower, I think I’ll take a nap.
Chapter 11
Aidan
A week has passed since the “incident in the sauna” as we are calling it. It took Chloe a few days to get over the hurt she felt by my actions, or lack thereof. I honestly did try to tell Alex to leave, but in some twisted thought process, I just wanted someone to talk to, maybe get a woman’s perspective. In hindsight, I should have known that Alex was there to cause trouble and I should have asked her to put her clothes back on. I guess I have moved passed the feelings for her, so her sitting there in a towel did nothing for me.
I hadn’t talked to my father in a couple of days, so I scheduled a lunch meeting with his office. Yes, that is how my father conducts business, even with his family. If it isn’t on his calendar, he doesn’t show up. It works for him, so we just go with it.
I booked us a table at his favorite restaurant overlooking the golf course, hoping I could also entice him to play a round with me. When my father got to the table, he looked like a bit frazzled and rushed.
Club Manhattan: Parts One and Two Page 16