Temptation (The Temptation Series) (22 page)

“You are a bad girl Tash.” I
shook my head at her.

“You can talk?” She bit her
lip.

“Maybe, maybe not.” I gave
her a cheeky grin.

“Let’s go for a walk, up the
hill. There’s a nice pool and you can see the ocean.” We all hopped out and put
on our white terry-towelling robes and flip flops.

“Shit its cold.” It was, the
pool water’s average temperature was between 39 and 43 degrees, so when you
stepped out the cool air really hit you. We all shuffled along and must’ve
resembled a colony of penguins.

“What the Fuck?” Tash was
leading us up the hill and stopped in her tracks, we all nearly bumped each
other like a set of dominos.

“Check this dude out, he is
lying in a foot pool.” There was one lone man lying flat on his stomach in a
pool that was very shallow and shallow because it was meant for your feet
only.  Tash continued on and we all followed, trying to stifle our impending
laughs, as I walked past muffling my mouth with my hand, I pointed to the ‘Foot
Bath’ sign. Let’s just say the guy, got out of there very quickly.

We had a blast Saturday night
at the Karaoke Bar, lots of songs were killed including, Holding Out For a
Hero, Love Shack and Battlefield, the Schnappies kept coming and Danny made
sure we all got back to the Country Club safe and sound. I never once used
Bryce’s credit card, this weekend was about me and my girls and I was more than
happy to splurge. Steph had passed out on the sofa and Jade had put herself to
bed. Tash, Lil and I sat out in the Al Fresco area and opened another bottle of
Dom, apparently there was an entire case in the Limo.

“So Lexi, all this
extravagance, lust and knight in shining armour shit aside, what are your
feelings for Mr Clark? Have you and Rick been having some problems?” Trust Lil,
to come right out with it.

“No, no problems really, well
I don’t think so? As for Bryce, you want the honest truth? She raised her
eyebrows and nodded.

“I think I’m in love with
him.” Tash and Lil turned and the atmosphere had really become quite serious.

“Lex, are you sure? What
about Rick?” Tash looked devastated.

“Is it possible to love two
people? I don’t know that’s what it feels like?” I began to tear up, but fought
the salty menaces away.

“Have you slept with him
yet?” Lil was all Dr Phil.

“No Hun, I haven’t and I
won’t behind Rick’s back but we have had a few passionate kisses, and when I
say passionate I mean fucking passionate. I feel incredible when we are
together, this might sound stupid or wrong or even naïve but I think we were
meant to be.”

“But didn’t you feel that way
about Rick before Bryce came along?” Tash was still dubious.

“Yes and that’s just it I
have never had a comparison, you guys forget I have only ever been with Rick.” Both
of them shrugged their shoulders.

“Ok Lex, take away the
billions, the cars, the hotel and strip Bryce down to the core. Do you still
think you’re in love with him now?” I thought about stripping Bryce down to the
core and a greedy smile crept across my face.

“Yes, I honestly think I do. It’s
not the money or power that attracts me to him, it’s him and the way he feels about
me, money can’t buy that.” Lil lit up a cigarette.

“Give me one of those.” I put
my hand out.

“You don’t smoke.” Lil threw
me the packet.

“I do today.” She leant over
and flicked on the lighter, I could see her sweet concerned face in the flame
light.

“I heard a quote once, by
memory it was by Mr Johnny Depp, it might pertain to you - If you are in love
with two people, choose the second one; because if you really loved the first
one, you wouldn't have fallen for the second." She flicked off the lighter
and sat back in her seat.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Rick was watching the Grand
Prix when he heard a knock at the door, annoyed he got up and answered it.

“Better not be a friggin
telemarketer.” He opened the door, it definitely was not a telemarketer,
instead the illustrious Bryce Clark was standing on his door step.
Fuck,
what does he want?

“G’day Bryce, you do remember
Alexis is not here, yeah?”

“I’m not here to see Alexis,
have you got a moment alone to discuss something?” Bryce looked around in the
hope Nate and Charlotte were nowhere to be seen.

“Yeah, the kids are out with
their friends, come in.” Rick dubiously showed Bryce inside, he knew something
was up and at the very bottom of his stomach had an idea of what that was.

“Can I get you a beer Mate? It’s
not the nice drop you offered me but it’s a frothy.” Rick went to the fridge
and grabbed a couple of Crown Lagers and then they sat down on the lounge.
Bryce was looking at the countless number of photos on the wall of the kids
when they were babies. A lump formed in the powerful, billionaire’s throat but
when he caught a glimpse of Alexis in her wedding dress looking simply
breathtaking, he pictured himself in the Tuxedo next to her, this thought gave
him pure joy and he buried the guilt of what he was about to do, Rick handed
Bryce the beer.

“So what can I do for you?” Rick
tried to look as comfortable and confident as he could but deep down felt very
intimidated by his wife’s boss.

“Rick I’m just going to come
out and say it, but hear me out entirely.” That bit, at the very bottom of
Rick’s stomach, started to churn.

“I’m in love with Alexis and
I want a chance to spend some time with her, without her feeling guilty.”
Ok
not quite what I expected, this dick head is on drugs!

“I want to spend a week with
her, a week where she can freely decide to do whatever it is she wants to.”

“You mean, you want to spend
a week, fucking MY wife.” Bryce lent back and placed his leg across his knee
taking a swig of the beer.

“If that’s what she wants to
do then, Yes.”

“Are you for fucking real? You
come into my house, asking permission to take my wife away for a week so you
can throw money at her like a whore and convince her to sleep with you, you’re
pathetic.” Rick was beyond shocked; he was outraged and offended on behalf of
his wife.

“It’s not like that Rick, she
has feelings for me and she has cravings that only I can cure.” Rick stood up.

“Get the fuck out of my
house.” He pointed to the door, Bryce didn’t budge.

“I’m not finished. I’ll pay
you $5,000,000.00 to give her permission to spend a guilt free week with me.”

“You are fucking insane.”
Rick sat back down and put both his hands behind his head.
5 Mill, fuck
that’s a lot of money, is he serious or yanking my chain?

“No, I’m not insane, I want a
chance to show Alexis I love her and she does in fact love me too.”
There’s
no way in hell she could love an arrogant fucking self-centred prick like you.

“She’s not going to agree to
this, I can guarantee you that.” Rick was sure Alexis could not possibly have
fallen in love, with an obnoxious, arrogant, pig like this douche bag, she had
more sense than that.

“If I accept, you do realise
you are wasting your time and money, she won’t give you the time of day when
she knows you’ve bought her, you obviously don’t know her too well.”
Clearly
the guy has money, but no brains.

“That’s why you need to keep
your mouth shut about the money, if she finds out before our week is finished,
the deal is off.”

“Ok Hot Shot, so what am I
supposed to say after I’ve finished making love to my wife…….” Bryce cringed.

“Hey Babe, go and spend a
week with your boss, fuck him, do whatever you like, it’ll be fine. Or hey Babe,
ever heard of a Hall Pass?”

“That last one is an idea!” Bryce
thought that the Hall Pass thing could possibly work. Rick just laughed.

“How’s that going to work,
I’d have to want one too and I don’t.” Bryce put the beer down on the coffee
table.

“That’s because you have
already had one haven’t you? Oh, that’s right, you never had permission,
because Alexis doesn’t know about it does she? Does Claire Longmire ring a
bell?” Rick fidgeted in his seat.

“She does know about Claire.”

“But does she know the whole
story?”

“You fucking son of a bitch!”
Bryce stood up and went to the door.

“I want this to happen as
soon as possible, I’m taking her to the Tel V Awards Monday night and she will
be staying the night at my Hotel, so you might as well make this happen
tomorrow. The money will be wired at the end of the week into an account of
your choosing.” He opened the door.

“For all it’s worth Rick, I
think you’re a good bloke and I’m sorry.” He shut the door and took off in his
Lamborghini.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“Do we really have to leave? Surely
we can just stay here forever and become lesbians and never have to deal with
men and children again.”

“Seriously Steph? Na not for
me, I’m strictly dickly.” Jade had finished folding her clothes perfectly into
neat little piles and put them in her bag, Steph threw a handful of clothes at
her.

“Here, now do mine.” She
threw them back. I smiled at the girls, they didn’t have a care in the world,
they were all so happy and their lives were so uncomplicated.

“You’re quiet.” Lil had come
up behind me.

“Oh, just thinking about
things.” I smiled warily at her.

“Seems like you have a lot to
think about.” She squeezed me on the shoulder and left me to finish packing.

Danny dropped the girls’ home
one by one, Tash being the last. He was getting her bag out of the trunk when
she gave me a big hug.

“I don’t envy you Hun but
you’ve got to get to the bottom of this and quick. Where are the kids going for
school holidays on Monday?”

“Up to Mum and Dad’s farm,
they can’t wait, I won’t see them for a week, it’ll be good but I’ll miss them.
Then Rick and I’ll go and get them next weekend and they’ll go into a School
Holiday program for the following week.”

“Well maybe you can use this
chance to have some one-on-one time with Rick; she touched my arm and headed
for her door.

“Thanks for the weekend, it
was great, we had a ball and please thank Bryce for the Champas and Limo, that
really was nice of him.”
It was!

“No worries Hun, I’ll see you
soon.” I got back into the Limo and Danny took me home

When I walked in the door
Sunday night, the kids were at each other’s throats, I’d barely stepped in past
the kitchen and they were both on either side of me.

“Mum, tell Charlotte to stay
out of my room.”

“Mum he keeps taking the
scissors and glue, how am I supposed to do my homework if I can’t find the
glue.”

“Easy squeak, get your own.”

“Don’t call me squeak, I
don’t squeak, Mum tell him not to call me squeak.”

“Squeak.” Charlotte went to
push Nate but he was too quick, he ran off to his room and shut the door. Charlotte
growled threw her hands to her sides and stormed off to her room slamming the
door also.

Rick was hiding in the garage
sweeping.

“Hi Hun, I’m back. What’s
with the kids, hope they haven’t been like this all weekend?” He didn’t look
up, something was wrong, his body language was well and truly off.

“Rick.” I raised my voice.

“What? Sorry what did you
say?” He was in another world.

“Never mind.” I shook my head
at him and went back inside, I grabbed some Chicken Kievs out of the freezer
and chopped up some vegetables. Dinner was well and truly strange, Nate and
Charlotte were having a silent war of stares with each other and Rick was still
finding it difficult to make eye contact with me. I cleaned up the dishes and
helped the kids pack their bags for Mum and Dad’s house, Rick had the day off
tomorrow so was driving them up to Shepparton in the morning. I tucked
Charlotte into bed first.

“Be good at Nanny and
Poppa’s, I don’t want to get a phone call saying you and your brother are
fighting.”

“But Mum, he never helps me
or shares with me and he always tells me to go away.” I kissed her little head.

“Sometimes big brothers just
want a little bit of space that’s all, I’ll talk to him and tell him to be
nice.”

“Mum, are you going to the
Tel V Awards tomorrow with Mr Clark?”
How did she know about that?

“Yes, how did you know about
that?”

“Daddy told me, will you see
4life there?” She sat up in bed, I gently pushed her back down and gave her a
big kiss and hug.

“Maybe, if I do I’ll say hi
for you, now go to sleep and I’ll see you next weekend, love you Charli Bear.” I
was still trying to figure out how Rick knew about the Tel V’s, I was sure I
hadn’t mentioned it yet, I’d planned on doing it tonight.