Holiday With Mr. Right (6 page)

She could still remember how excited and grateful she’d been. Lord, she’d been so naïve. “We started dating, my mom died and he helped me through the process. He asked me to marry him and after a year of living together I finally agreed. We got married and three months later we were on our way to his mother’s when he said he wanted an annulment. The accountant he had hired was not just an accountant. Oh no, the multi-talented woman was actually his mistress. They’d been having an affair for almost the same duration as our relationship. As a matter of fact, I knew she was pregnant and he told me then that the baby was his. I just sat there in shock while it seemed as though my life was crumbling around me. Somehow he lost control. We skidded and ended up beneath a truck. He died instantly. I wasn’t so lucky.”

“Angie,” Alex murmured.

“What I don’t understand is how I could’ve been so completely blind. I worked with them. Why didn’t I notice that there was something going on between those two? I didn’t even have the luxury of saying it was behind my back. It was right in my face! And I was too blind to see it.”

Alex stood then and lifted her into his arms, her pain almost more than he could bear. He walked with her to the sofa and settled her on his lap. “Angie, listen to me. You married a man who deceived you. How on earth is that your fault?”

“But I should have known Alex.” She looked up at him earnestly, her eyes shadowed by remembered pain. “How could I not have known? I trusted him, I loved him. How could I love such a person?”

He brushed her hair from her face tenderly. “Baby you gave your love freely and he abused it. That makes him an idiot. You can’t seriously think love goes through a selection process, picking out only those who are worthy of our love.”

She shook her head sadly. “I hear you Alex,” she said softly, “but I felt so stupid. They made a fool of me and I helped them do it.”

Alex rubbed her back gently, comforting her, but also trying to comfort himself. “So who’s taking care of your business while you’re here?”

“What business?” she laughed derisively. “By the time I came out of the hospital, I discovered that he’d left his fifty percent to her and she decided to help herself to what was left of mine. There was nothing left of the business by the time she was through.” Surprisingly, that had been the most devastating of all to her. Not even the fact that Michael had been cheating on her, though that hurt like hell. And not the fact that his mistress had gotten pregnant where she’d tried without success. All those had hit her hard but her business had been the finishing blow. It had been a total knockout.

“Wow. I hate to speak badly of the dead and all that, but the man was a bastard.”

Angie laughed weakly. “You can say that again.”

“So you’re going to close yourself up to everyone because of that character?”

Angie couldn’t believe her ears. Where was that coming from? “Excuse me?”

“Angie, you have so much to give and you’re alive. So you married a crappy man, but your world didn’t end. We’ve been together practically every day since we met, but you haven’t really been with me. You’re holding back.”

She jumped off his legs, suddenly agitated. Didn’t he hear a word she’d said? “Alex you don’t understand. I was with Michael for a year before we got married. If I got it so wrong then, how will I ever know I won’t make the same mistake again?”

Alex stood up, suddenly angry with her. “You’re selling yourself short, babe.”

“I have no guarantee I won’t meet another asshole.”

He stiffened. “I’m not an asshole!”

Angie jumped at the vehemence in his voice. “We’re not talking about you.”

“Aren’t we?”

She sighed and looked away from the challenge in his eyes. “I’m sorry Alex. I got it so wrong with Michael, and I’m not willing to take the chance that I could get it that wrong again.”

Alex stared at her, saying nothing, a muscle in his jaw ticking. When she thought she couldn’t take the tension anymore, he spoke. “So you’re not going to give us a chance?”

“What chance, I leave in two days!”

“And if I asked you to stay?”

Angie felt the shock of his words. It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought vaguely about staying, but it just hadn’t seemed like it was an option. She felt her heart flutter but she ignored it. Michael’s betrayal had devastated her, but Alex was different. No, if Alex did the same to her, she knew with bone deep certainty that she wouldn’t survive it. So she drew herself up and looked him in the eye. “I’m sorry.”

Alex stood there staring at her. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he could hear his heart splintering, or he would if he wasn’t feeling so damned numb at that moment. “I never had a chance did I?”

“Alex…”

“Damn.” He swore softly then laughed at the irony. He stared at his bare feet and shook his head absently. “
Kismet
. I had to go and fall in love with a woman who won’t love me back.” He looked up and caught the stricken look on her face. She had tears pooling around her eyes and he felt his chest tighten. He wanted to yell at her that she couldn’t do this to them. He thought of weeping and begging her to reconsider. But in the end he walked to her and planted a fierce kiss on her startled lips. Whether she chose to acknowledge it or not, they belonged together. She was a part of him just as he was part of her and running away wasn’t going to change anything. As he kissed her with all he had in his soul, he let her know just how he felt. She’d closed her eyes and surrendered to the kiss, holding onto him like she would never let him go. But he knew better. She’d already let him go.

He tore his mouth from hers and stepped away. They were both silent, only the sound of their heavy breathing filled the room. He lifted his hands to her hair then in a tender caress. “Take care of yourself sweetheart.” And he walked out of her apartment. He had on just his silk boxers and he wasn’t wearing any shoes. But at that moment he didn’t care if he was buck naked. He found his key under the mat inside the grill and opened his apartment. Who cared if he was standing outside his apartment in only his boxers? His heart had just been ripped out of him and was bleeding on the floor in the apartment next door.

Chapter Seven

Angie locked the door to the apartment and lifted the heavy shoulder bag onto her shoulders. She pulled out the handle of her luggage, prepared to roll it. Then she paused and stared at Alex’s door. She thought of going to knock on it, but knew it was a waste of time. He’d left the apartment the day before and hadn’t returned. She knew because between bouts of weeping, she had been listening for him. She felt her chest tighten as her throat constricted. She couldn’t believe he wasn’t even going to say goodbye. Her eyes burned with unshed tears at the thought of not seeing him again. But she couldn’t honestly blame him. They had said all they’d needed to say in her apartment. There was nothing else to say. But God, she missed him.

She turned and walked to the elevator, dragging her suitcase behind her. At the lobby she nodded to the concierge and mumbled her thanks when the porter came to relieve her of her luggage. Her flight was not until nine pm. and check-in time was an hour before then. But she’d decided to leave early. It was just two pm. so she would have a long wait at the airport. The taxi that was taking her to Kuala Lumpur International Airport was already waiting out in front of the apartment building.

Stepping out into the heat of the Malaysian sun, Angie noticed a shiny black limousine sitting right in front of the entrance. She was about to walk around it when the door opened and none other than Hussein stepped out of it. He looked striking in a pair of designer jeans and a blinding white dress shirt, but Angie didn’t notice. She was too stunned to see him. She just stood there staring at him as he walked towards her. For one heart stopping moment, she had thought it was Alex. The disappointment was so sharp it was almost tangible.

“Hi Angie.”

“Hi.” She shaded her eyes from the sunlight and stared up at him. She couldn’t see his eyes, though, because they were shaded by a pair of sunglasses.

“You’re leaving.” He nodded towards where the porter was standing with her luggage.

“Yes.”

“I guess you got tired of him eventually.”

Angie felt white hot rage flow through her and just as quickly as it came, it subsided. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. What was the point? She was leaving wasn’t she? She dropped her gaze from his and stared at her taxi instead. “Thanks for coming to say goodbye Hussein, I need to go now.” She made to move but he stepped in front of her.

“Let me take you.” She opened her mouth to refuse but he quickly cut in. “It’s the least I can do.” When he saw her hesitate he changed tack. “My jaw still hurts. Take a ride with me so I’ll know you’ve forgiven me.” When she made no remark he frowned. “Please.”

With a sigh she turned to look at him. “Fine.” She knew she sounded ungracious so she sighed again. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

Ensconced in the luxurious comfort of the limousine, Angie faced Hussein. He had finally taken off his sunglasses. “So why are you here, Hussein?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “To see you safely to KLIA of course.”

She frowned then. “How did you know I was leaving for the airport?”

“I asked the concierge to let me know when you called for a taxi,” he stated blandly.

Angie opened her mouth but nothing came out, she was completely flummoxed. “Y… You… How, I mean, How…?” she spluttered in consternation. She took a deep breath and tried again, “How did you get him to do that?”

“I own that building,” he told her simply.

She nodded slowly. Okay, so he owned the building. Fine. “Why?”

“Why do I own the building? It’s a good investment, I suppose.”

“No, I mean, why did you ask him to alert you about my movements.”

“You make it sound all cloak and dagger.” He smiled.

Angie was not impressed. “It is cloak and dagger Hussein, even if you do own the building,” she told him tartly.

“Why are you leaving?” he asked suddenly.

“Ah, my return ticket is for today.”

“What about Alex?” There was no smile on his face now.

Angie stared at her hands which had somehow formed a knot without her noticing. “I haven’t seen him. He didn’t come to say goodbye.” Her voice cracked then, but she cleared her throat and fought down the tears that were already hovering on the surface.

“He told me about your husband.”

“Ah.”

“And that you’re afraid to trust.”

“It’s…it’s more complex than that. If Alex left me, I don’t know what I would do. It would kill me.”

“So you’re leaving him instead.”

“I have no guarantee that he won’t leave me.”

“There are no guarantees in life Angie. It’s all a risk. Life is a risk and it’s trusting people that helps us through.”

Angie didn’t expect him to understand. She knew about risk and life and the pain, the hurt that went along with both. She had lost too many people in her life. First her dad, then her mom and finally, Michael. Even though she knew now that she’d never had him to begin with. Still, she wasn’t prepared to go through that again. And she wasn’t leaving Alex, not really. She just needed to be gone before they started anything. The pain in her heart said they’d already started a lot, but she refused to heed it.

“Do you love him?”

Angie stared at the man who looked so much like Alex but was not him. She didn’t know how to answer his question. Did she love Alex? She loved him so much she had no idea how she was going to face the rest of her life without him. Dear Lord, just the thought of it was tearing her apart. She felt like her heart was splitting in two and there was nothing she could do about it. Suddenly the pain was too much for her and she doubled over and began to heave, dry sobs racking her body. This was ten - no, a hundred - times worse than losing Michael and this time around she had no one to blame but herself.

She felt enveloped in the tangy scent of cologne before strong arms came around her. Hussein held her as she wept like her life was over. He murmured soft, comforting words to her until she finally stopped shaking.

“Should I take you to him?” he asked softly handing her the box of tissue that magically appeared.

Angie just nodded and leaned against the seat, inhaling the scent of leather while he spoke into the receiver beside him. She was scared and she still wasn’t sure if she could trust her judgment and her heart, but she trusted Alex totally. That would have to do for now because the thought of losing him wasn’t something she was willing to contemplate. Even if she had to beg and grovel, she would do whatever it took to get him to look at her again like she was the only woman in his world.

***

“I’ll leave you here.”

Angie turned to Hussein in alarm. He’d brought her all the way to Port Klang and had led her onto a very beautiful sailboat, where he said Alex was hanging out. After her crying spell, he’d entertained her with stories about him and Alex when they were younger. By the time they had stopped at the wharf, she had come to the conclusion that Hussein Farhadi wasn’t all that bad. He still was an arrogant playboy, but he had a lot of redeeming qualities. She faced him now, strangely nervous about the thought of facing Alex alone. “You won’t stay just a little while?”