Read His Call Online

Authors: Emma Hart

Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Erotica

His Call (3 page)

BOOK: His Call
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The One Where She Walks Away

She moves from me suddenly, her sharp jump a punch in my gut.
It’s what you were expecting,
I remind myself.
I knew this would happen.

“Wife?” Her voice is barely more than whisper, tinged with accusation and disbelief. Her hands are clasped in front of her slightly
bent-over body, shaking so discreetly that no one but I would ever notice it.

But I do. I know her so fucking well my next word cuts as much as the last seven did.

“Yes.”

She covers her mouth with her hand, turning away from me with closed eyes. Jesus. I can feel the pain emanating from her and wrapping around me in a suffocating blanket. Fuck. I can’t feel this
—the pain I’m causing her. I have to explain, to somehow justify my decision to keep her a secret.

“She’s my ex-wife, actually. We’d be divorced if she didn’t keep stalling on the agreement,” I ramble, my eyes following her.

“You’re still married. She’s still your wife.”

“We’ve been separated for two years.”

She shakes her head, her eyes still closed. “And you never thought to tell me?”

“I didn’t know how to. I kept putting it off until it became impossible. I wanted to, Day.” I move to her and gently rest my hands on her arms. Shit. I wish she’d understand. I need her to fucking understand why I didn’t tell her!

“Don’t you dare touch me.” Her voice is hard when she steps away. A pang hits my chest when she rubs her hands across her arms where mine just were. Rubbing my touch away. “Don’t you fucking dare stand there in front of me and try and justify this. Shit, Aaron. You’re married! Fucking
married!

Her eyes open, and in them
, I see pure contempt. Anger. Disbelief. A sliver of hatred that hurts more than the prospect of losing her.

“Didn’t she sit still long enough for you to work your shit out, huh? So much for making sure you’d work it out. Fuck! All that was a lie, wasn’t it? How much more has been a lie? How many more lines have you said that actually mean fucking nothing?”

“Our marriage was a sham, Dayton. Naomi cares for nothing but money and fame. She was an up-and-coming model struggling to break into the industry. I met her one night at college and could see her potential, so I gave her the in. I set her up with one of our agents, and she was…thankful.” I rub my forehead. Lamest fucking excuse in the world.

“I bet she was.”

“We started seeing each other casually, and every time I went to break it off, my father’s assistant convinced me it was good for us to be together because of our profiles. Our ‘relationship’ was no secret, and she was always being hit with the fact that she’d only made it because of me.”

“She did!”

“We both knew that. I was a buffer for that. I claimed we met after she signed with our agency and that was that.”

“And you woke up one morning and decided to marry her, right? Because it was the ‘right’ thing to do?” She raises her eyebrows and storms past me.

I sigh heavily. “It didn’t work out. After eight months, we separated. I’ve been fighting her for two years. She’s not entitled to half of everything I own, but she won’t take what I am offering. There’s a reason I don’t own the company on paper yet.”

“I can’t even look at you right now. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about her. How couldn’t you tell me, Aaron? Did it not ever cross your mind while you were watching me sleep or pouring me coffee to tell me? How about when you were kissing me or fucking me? Or when you were writing little fucking notes and hiding them?!”

I finally find her eyes again and hope my gaze can show her everything I feel. “I was so scared to lose you, Day. So scared that if I told you, you’d get up and walk and that would be that.”

“So you thought you’d ignore it and she’d go away eventually? That I’d never find out? Even when you were begging me to move in with you—did you really think then that you’d never have to tell me?” She closes her eyes and pushes her fingers into them, and even I can tell she’s fighting tears.

“I hoped I could call my lawyer and give her what she wants from our marriage. My money. Then yes, I hoped she’d go away. I had no idea she was in France right now. If I did, I never would have brought us here.”

“What a nice surprise that was. No wonder you couldn’t tell me this morning.”

I step forward, her sharp words slicing through every part of me. I deserve it. I deserve every fucking word she throws at me. “I’m so sorry, Dayton. If you had to find out, it never should have been like this. I’m so sorry.”

“Believe me, Aaron. You’re not half as sorry as I am.” She turns and disappears into the bathroom.

I stare at the doorway for a moment. I have no words for this situation, for this utter fuck-up I’ve caused. Once again, I berate myself for doing what I assumed would protect her.

I follow her into the bathroom, and upon finding her in front of the mirror with her makeup bag,
I pause. “What are you doing?”

I can see it happen. The moment she meets my eyes in the mirror, I know I’m not looking at Dayton. I’m looking at Mia, the woman she was always supposed to be with me.

“I have a contractual obligation to fill. I’ll be there with you tonight, but I’m leaving right after,” she replies simply.

I draw in a sharp breath. Leaving? No. Fuck no.

“You’ll be refunded for the final two weeks that will be unfulfilled. Then you will wipe my agent’s number from your phone and not contact her again. I’ll be changing mine when I’m back in Seattle.”

“Day, please—”

“My other option is leaving right now and letting your wife know she’s got between us. I’ll leave late tonight and use the company plane. This way you can tell everyone I had a family emergency and had to return home immediately.” She coats her lips in red lipstick and rubs them together before continuing. “We both have reputations to protect, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

She strolls past me as I take in her words.

A few hours. That’s all I have. All I have to try and right this major fucking wrong. I don’t have a clue where to begin, but I know I can’t take that cold, impersonal stare. I don’t give a shit if I fucking deserve it. I don’t want it.

I follow her into the kitchen. “Don’t look at me with Mia’s eyes.”

I knot my tie and shrug my jacket on while she pours a glass of wine and drains some of it in one long drink. Slowly, she turns to me, her face blank, her eyes expressionless, her hands perfectly still.

“I’m doing my job, Aaron. You’re my client. That’s it.”

***

I don’t know how she can be so composed.

To look at her, you wouldn’t believe she’d been crying not half an hour ago. Her eyes are bright, even if I can see the ache lingering in the depths of them, and her mouth is curved in a false smile as we enter the room.

And this whole thing is fucking stupid. This dinner, this charade. I want to take this woman standing next to me back upstairs, sit her down, and make her listen to me. I have no clue what I can say to attempt to make this better. There’s a high chance I’d just make it worse, but I have to do something.

I can’t let her walk away from me tonight.

I won’t let her.

Not again. Not this time.

“Aaron!
How lovely for you to clear your schedule for tonight,” Naomi declares in a shrill voice.

I pull myself from my thoughts and stare at my ex-wife. Her blond hair is as fake as ever, her eyelashes too long to be real, and the glimmer of viciousness in her eyes pushes every one of my buttons.

What the hell possessed me to marry her?

“I believe I had no choice,” I respond dryly. “Dayton, this is Naomi. My ex-wife.” I wave my hand between them. “Naomi, my girlfriend, Dayton.”

“Oh, I’ve heard so much about you!” Naomi fakes a smile and leans forward to air-kiss Dayton.

She returns it in the most controlled display I’ve ever seen in my life. Every woman I know would be clawing her eyes out
—but not my Dayton. She puts on a smile and does exactly what she knows will rile Naomi.

“Really?” Dayton replies, stepping back into my side. “I can’t say I’ve heard very much about you at all. A few passing comments, maybe.”

My lips twitch as I fight my smile.

Naomi blinks. “Oh. I suppose Aaron’s been very busy with taking over the company and you haven’t had much time to talk.”

“Oh, we’ve had plenty of time to talk…among other things…but you just never came up.” Dayton leans into me with a demure smile.

Naomi’s jaw visibly tightens, her eyes filling with mirth, and she doesn’t respond. Instead
, she turns to me. “And how is the change going?”

“The contracts are locked in the lawyer’s desk, waiting for the day our divorce papers land there.” I feel the twitch of my fingers at Dayton’s side. Our relationship
isn’t something I wanted to revisit tonight, no matter how inevitable it was. “We can all hope that will be soon.”

“Oh, darling. You’re being unreasonable in your agreement. Can’t we just discuss it?”

“Naomi, you made a point by organizing this tonight. If you found out I’m here, I’m sure you’re aware I’m not working this week. I don’t wish to discuss anything with you. I’m not paying two lawyers so we can sit and have coffee to iron out your ridiculous terms.”

Dayton turns her body into me and rests her hand against my stomach. “Aaron, honey,” she says in a soft voice. “Shall we get a drink? I don’t think this is the place to be discussing this.”

I stare at Naomi for a long moment before I turn away and kiss Dayton’s temple. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

We leave Naomi standing
alone and cross to the bar. I can feel Dayton wanting to pull away from me, feel her fighting to stay close. It only makes me hold her tighter.

“You handled her well.” I hand her a glass of wine and sip my own drink.

“Nothing like letting the woman your boyfriend is married to think you don’t care.” She flicks her tongue out across her bottom lip and raises her glass to her mouth, her eyes finding mine coldly. “She’s a bitch, by the way. You picked a real good one there.”

Didn’t I?
A good one who, through my own stupidity, has ruined the only real good relationship I’ve ever had in my life. The only one that’s ever really meant anything.

Dayton’s eyes flick between her glass and Naomi. I wonder if she even realizes she’s doing it. I wonder if she can feel her heart breaking the way I can see it in her eyes.

I wonder if the guilt in my eyes reflects the consuming feel of it inside.

Dayton puts her glass down and reaches inside her purse. “Excuse me. I have a call.”

What?

No. Fucking no.

She turns away from me and walks through the room, her cell against her ear and her purse tucked under her arm so she can put her finger in her other ear. It’s good, I’ll give her that. Convincing. If I didn’t know what this meant.

I discard my drink on the bar and follow her, ignoring Naomi’s eyes on my back. Fuck her
. All that matters now is Dayton and stopping her from leaving.

The elevators doors close on me, and I curse under my breath, looking at the second elevator. I press the down button repeatedly, knowing
that it’ll get down three floors faster than I can climb twenty sets of stairs.

The doors open and I run in without a care for anyone else. I pace the tiny space as it climbs the floor
s, rubbing my hand through my hair. Fuck fuck fuck.

The second it dings on my flo
or, I run out of it and into our suite door. I fumble for the key in my pocket, slide the card through, and shove the door open.

I find her eyes immediately, like my own are drawn to her dark gaze.

“Yes,” she says into the phone. “He’s aware.”

I draw in a sharp breath. “Don’t go
.” My voice comes out as a whisper. “Please. Don’t go.”

“I don’t have a cho
ice.” She zips her cases with a calmness that contradicts the shaking of her hands. “If you’d told me before, maybe I could have dealt with it. But to tell me an hour before you expect me to stand face to face to her? No way, Aaron. No way.”

“Dayton. Please.” I’m aware of the plea in my voice. Fuck
. I’d get on my knees and beg if it meant she would stay here. With me. I cross the room swiftly and cup her face in my hands. Her cheeks are like silk against my palms as I bring my forehead to hers. “Please. Just one night. Let me explain everything. Just don’t leave me again.”

“You knew I was going tonight. I’m just leaving sooner. I can’t stay down there with her, and it’s ridiculous to expect me to.”

I see the tears before I register the crack of her voice. They hurt more than anything. Fuck a punch to the gut—watching the woman I love so much cry is like being hit with a freight train and crushed by its weight.

“Fuck, Dayton,”
I rasp, my own emotion evident in my voice, and I brush my thumb under her eyes to wipe away the wetness. “Don’t go, baby. Don’t go.”

BOOK: His Call
2.84Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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