Paying Her Debt (14 page)

“I’ll be there in a few hours.”

He hung up and turned to Andy. “There is a problem with the dock.
I need to go down to the port for a few days.”

“Right.”

“I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

She smiled tightly at him, and Alex frowned. “Fine.”

“Andy—”

“Just go and do what you have to, Alex,” she said, the sheen of
tears obvious. “I’ll see you when you get back.”

“We’ll talk when I return, okay? Straighten this all out.”

She nodded, and Alex dropped a quick kiss on her forehead.  For
some odd reason his own eyes felt a little wet.

He had no idea why.

Chapter
Twenty-Four

Andy placed the last pair of curtains on the rail and stood back
to admire her handiwork. The color scheme in her new sitting room was beautiful.
All pinks and greens and it went some way to cheering her dented spirits. Alex
had been gone for over two weeks. He called several times but Andy had no idea
when he planned to return. If at all.

She shuddered and curled up on the settee, once again exhausted.
Ever since the day her period had shown, Andy had felt out of sorts. Hormones,
she guessed. Though how a one day period could send her so awry she didn’t know.

Or maybe it was Alex?

Andy missed him. Desperately.

She missed lying next to him, missed sleeping with him, and
missed talking to him. But then that was love for you. It fucked everything up.
She sighed and picked up the small plate of fruit. Her appetite seemed to have
deserted her. Andy awoke every morning feeling slightly sick. And though she’d
stopped eating as much—the nausea kind of putting a dent in the whole scoff it
up outlook—her curves were not going anywhere. If anything, her breasts had gotten
a little bigger, and were tender.

She wondered if they, like she, missed Alex’s touch.

Turning on the small TV, Andy channel flicked for a while and
stretched out. The smell of flour filled the air, and she smiled. The two employees
 she’d taken on were wonders in the kitchen, and while the front of the shop
was given an overhaul, they’d practiced in the refurbished kitchen. The shop
would be great once it re-opened. She was sure of it.

And her? Well, she’d dealt with a broken heart once, hadn’t she?
Surely she could do it again. Because she knew now even if Alex did come back
at some point, that this was the life she’d signed up for. The life of a
mistress.
The fucking irony.

Alex would go off around the world looking after his business
ventures, and she would sit in this small town waiting for him to return. She
wondered again how many weeks of the year she was likely to get with him. Five,
ten? Did it matter? Though it shamed her to admit it, Andy knew she’d take
whatever Alex was willing to offer and be grateful for it.

She loved him, completely and couldn’t imagine not being with
him. Sure she’d said she wasn’t mistress material, Andy knew now that she’d do
whatever it took to keep ahold of her man. Though he might not know it Alex was
hers, and she’d wait forever if she had to.

She shifted again in her seat, nausea stabbing at her, and looked
around her new home. She’d moved into the small apartment over the shop a week
after Alex’s departure. Part of her suspected he’d planned for her to all
along. After all, why else would he buy her the whole building? The meaning was
clear, and as soon as she’d realized she wasn’t pregnant, Andy had started
thinking about the move. The idea of Alex returning to the hotel and asking why
the hell she was still there horrified her, and she’d ran around sorting the
small rooms out ready to move into. The place wasn’t large of course: a small
kitchen, a small sitting room and two tiny bedrooms with a half-bath. Still
there was only her, and how much space did she really need? Her old apartment
was testament to living in cramped conditions.

Alex would no doubt visit her here though, in her little mistress
apartment. She sighed and thought again of the relief she’d seen in his face
when he’d realized she wasn’t pregnant.
It’s for the best….
Her own
disappointment had staggered even her. Surprising really how quickly one could
get used to the idea of something. In a way, Andy almost felt like her baby had
been snatched away. Though that was ridiculous, she’d never even been pregnant.

Would there ever be a baby now? Andy suspected not. Her role in
Alex’s life was clear. He’d made it clear. To be fair, he’d been straight with
her from that very first day. It was her own foolish heart which hoped for
more.

Despite her promises to herself, the stupid idea of vamping it up
and playing the slut for once, Andy had never really had a choice. She’d fallen
like a pile of bricks and there was no lifting herself back up.

Her heart belonged to Alex now in a way it had never belonged to
Pete. So she would wait for him to return and take whatever time she could get.

What else could she do?

Chapter
Twenty-Five

Alex pressed his foot harder on the accelerator, urging the car
to move faster. He couldn’t wait to get back home, was frantic to see Andy. His
business had taken much longer than he would have liked, and he’d found himself
working all hours to get it completed and return to his kitten. Finally he was
able and had set out in the early hours with the intention of surprising her.

He thought of her constantly whilst gone. Thought of her pouty
little mouth, sassy little voice and fantastic body. He couldn’t wait to strip
off whatever she was wearing and bury himself in her for hours. Imagining her
beneath him he groaned. Would she have carried on eating well? Alex hoped so.
He was excited at the prospect of new curves to wrap his hands around….

He pressed the accelerator harder.

Even better his architects had informed him that the old house
was finally finished. He could move at anytime, and he planned to do so within
the week. What would Andy would think of the old place he wondered. Would she
like it? How would she want to decorate it?

Because he’d decided just a few days into his trip that he wanted
her to move in with him. He wanted Andy in his bed and in his home. It made
sense after all. She belonged with him now. It was as simple as that.

Before long he pulled into the hotel car park, his watch showing six
thirty. Tiredness stabbed him but he sped up the stairs, his heart pounding,
excitement running through him. Would she be awake? Would she want to talk or
to fuck? Alex wouldn’t mind either way. He just wanted to see her. A vision of
pulling her into his arms and resting his head against her filled him and he
smiled in anticipation.

He strode into the suite calling out her name. Checked the
sitting room, the dining room and the bathroom before pushing the door open to
the bedroom.

Disappointment crashed through him. Where the hell was she?

He flipped his phone open and called her number. It rung several
times before switching to voice mail and he cursed.
If she’s working at this
time.
Yes, that was most likely. He’d come to realize that Andy was as much
a workaholic as him. He’d need to put his foot down over that at some point. His
kitten would wear herself out otherwise.  

He flopped down on the bed and intended to rest for just a moment
before driving to the shop.  His gaze drifted over the velvet drapes, across
the plush carpet and over the rich wood furniture, but he didn’t really see any
of it. Something nagged at him but he wasn’t sure what. He rubbed his tired
eyes and looked around properly.

Realization hit and he jerked upright. None of Andy’s things were
spread around. Not her robe hanging on the door or her creams on the cabinet. And
where was her pillow, the big one she insisted on curling up in? She needed
that pillow to sleep properly.

Alex eyed the closet, a nasty thought taking root and stalked
over before throwing the doors open. Andy’s things were gone. Nothing remained.

Shock punched him, and he staggered back. It couldn’t be true?
Surely it couldn’t be? They’d spoken only yesterday, talked for over an hour.
She hadn’t said a word about leaving.  

But she’s moved out. Left me.

Where the hell could she have gone? And why would she? Didn’t she
realize…. He swallowed and pressed a hand against his chest.
Dios….

How the hell could she have realized when he’d only just done so
himself?

He fell back on the bed and took a deep breath. He was a fucking
idiot for not getting it sooner, because it was ridiculously obvious now. Had
been for weeks now he thought about it, but he’d been so stupid, so insistent. He
thought of George’s words, of the packet in his pocket and closed his eyes.

Alex was in love with Andy Jones.

Chapter
Twenty-Six

A knock on the downstairs door awoke Andy first thing, and she
stumbled from her bed before being overtaken with nausea. Ignoring the door she
ran to the bathroom, leaned over the sink, and puked her guts up.

Stomach empty, she turned the tap on, washing away the vomit. It
was so freaking gross. The fruit hadn’t even had time to digest, and Andy took
deep breaths trying to get the nausea under control.

The constant knocking ceased, and Andy heard footsteps on the
stairs. Probably one of the girls, she’d given them both a key in case of
emergency. She groaned, hoping nothing was wrong and, reminded of her
responsibilities to both the shop and her staff, she promised herself there and
then to see a doctor. It must be a bug or something similar. Something she had
no time for.

Another round of nausea overtook her, and Andy retched into the
sink, though of course, there was nothing else left to come up.

“What the hell?”

The voice was painfully familiar, and Andy cursed. Of all the
ways for Alex to see her on his return.
Just my fucking luck.
It was like
the tampon all over again!

“
Dios
… what is wrong with you, Andrea?” he asked.

Sick and a little dizzy Andy shook her head. “I don’t know.” She
was not impressed with the whiney way her voice sounded.

“Come.” He lifted her into his arms and swept a wash cloth across
her face. The coolness was a huge relief, and Andy sighed. “Let’s put you back
in bed, and I will contact a doctor.”

Alex steered her to the bed and tucked her in. Lethargic and
still a little queasy, Andy let him. He stood up, opened his phone and spoke
rapidly into it, before disappearing and returning with a glass of water. “The
doctor is on her way.”

Andy gulped the cold liquid gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Before she gets here,” Alex began, and Andy was alerted to
something in his tone. She bit down on her lip and wished she could disappear
into the quilt. Alex did not sound happy, and she suspected she was in trouble.
“And ignoring the fact you are ill, which I might add is very inconvenient. Perhaps
you can explain to me what the hell is going on.”

“What do you mean?”

“You walk out on me without so much of a word?”

Andy bit her lip and took another gulp of water. Even when angry,
Alex was so hot. She clenched a little and imagined exactly what they would be
doing were she not still queasy.

“I thought you would call before coming back here. I was going to
tell you then,” she explained. “And how did you even know I was here?”

“Andrea,” he growled. “It was fairly obvious and to say that I am
not happy about it is an understatement. I expected you to be waiting for me.”

“Oh, did you.” Andy had forgotten how domineering he could be. But
they weren’t fucking right now. He could save the high-handedness for when he
had his cock in her.

But then the meaning of his words hit her, and Andy gaped. “I
thought, I mean…I’m not pregnant.”

He shrugged and peered at her as if she was stupid. “We
established that some weeks ago.”

“So I thought you’d want me to move into here. The place you got
for me.”

He narrowed his eyes and shrugged again. “For your shop.”

Why did she feel like she was missing something?
“Yes, but
the shop is downstairs.”

“And this top level comes with the building does it not. I
expected you to rent it out or expand up to here.”

Shock hit, and Andy gasped. “You didn’t want this to be my
mistress flat?”

“You refused to be my mistress.”

“Well yes, but….”

“Andy, are you telling me you moved in here because you thought I
wanted you to? Were you planning to be my mistress after all?”

I am a fucking idiot.
Alex didn’t want her stashed away. He
wanted her at the hotel with him? Happiness filled her. Despite the lingering
nausea Andy smiled like a maniac. Maybe there was more to this relationship
than she’d thought. Maybe Alex wanted her as much as she wanted him?

She’d been wrong before after all hadn’t she? Thinking her wanted
her to pay back the debts. Not realizing he desired her. In fact at that moment
Andy knew she’d been an idiot ever since he’d found her snoozing away.

It was time to take a leap for once. Time to let Alex know how
she really felt and let the cookie crumble in whatever way it was going to.

She hoped to God the chocolate chips came out on top.

* * * *

Just as he’d thought all along, Andy had no idea how to look
after herself when he wasn’t around. A couple of weeks and she was already sick
and living in a tiny apartment over her shop. He’s said so before but he knew
it to be true. Andy needed a firm hand. It was a good job he was willing.

He took her hand in his, puzzled by the wide smile filling her
face.

“I’ll take you anyway I can get you, Alex,” she said softly,
hesitantly. His chest thumped. “If that means I’m your mistress so be it.”