by JA Low
“Still staring at your ring?” Penny startles me from my trance
“Yeah, sorry,” I reply, feeling a little embarrassed being caught looking at it.
“It’s okay, it’s a beautiful ring and you are just happy.” Penny smiles at me. This newfound Penny is still taking me a little to get used to. She has moved into the village and set herself up in a gorgeous little home. Ivy is going to redecorate it for her as it hasn’t been updated since the 80s and I’m not sure Penny is into granny chic. I’m really impressed though; she has been coming into work every day and looking after our wedding and events section of the business. She’s a quick learner and has only had a tantrum once, okay maybe once a day, but still, I think that is progress. Eddie on the other hand is MIA until the paternity test results come in, which should be any day. Guessing he doesn’t want to stick around until he has to.
“Thank you.”
“I know I’ve said this before, but I can’t apologize enough for being a bitch to you, I know my quick personality change will take a while to get used to, but this baby…” She rubs her nonexistent belly. “This baby changes everything. I don’t want this little one to grow up in a family where the members hate each other.” I move my lips to speak but she shushes me. “I did this to our family, not you. God, you put up with my jealousy all your life…you’re a better person than me, Liv. I don’t want my child to see me like that, a toxic human.” Wow, I seriously think Penny being knocked up is the best thing in the world for her. It’s like she’s been replaced with a normal human being.
“Well, I am pretty proud of you right now,” I say, giving her a smile.
“I know I have lots to do to repair the damage I have done between us, but I am going to try. You’re going to be the aunt to this child and I am going to need you, it’s going to need you.” My eyes get glassy. I guess Penny’s pregnancy is hitting me. I am going to be an aunty.
“Well, I am here for you, no matter what.”
Penny nods. “Okay, enough emotional crap, we have work to do. I’m so sick of carrying you,” She laughs at her joke. This, this is what I have always wanted between us.
Penny and I have been going through the resumes of candidates for the estate manager job. We have had a meeting with Camryn and Kimberly who are finalizing their bid proposal for taking over the events side of our estate. I think I am finally getting on top of things and I haven’t thought about Axel in like two minutes.
Penny’s phone starts ringing, making her jump. “Shit, it’s the doctor.” My stomach sinks. “Hello.” She answers with hesitation in her voice. “Yes, this is Penny.” She is silent, her face like stone. She would be great at poker, not giving anything away. “Okay, thank you.” Then she hangs up.
“What? Is Eddie the father?”
Tears well in her eyes and she bursts out crying, I quickly jump up from behind my desk and put my arms around her as she sobs against me. “I lied to you, Liv.” What is she talking about? “I lied, I’m so sorry.” My stomach does somersaults; she pulls away from me. “I knew Eddie wasn’t the father.” I’m stunned. “I just said it was him because well…” At least Penny has the balls to look ashamed. “I wanted to hurt you. You caught us the day of your wedding. You mentioned the pregnancy test. I was in shock finding out I was pregnant and I was there with Eddie and then bombarded by our family and I panicked. I said it was his because I knew that the guy who is probably the father will never be with me. He and I can never be together.” Penny breaks down again in my arms. This is a lot of information to take in right now.
“So you know who it could be?” She nods. “Why can’t you be together?” I’m pretty sure any man would want to know if they are having a child.
“Because, Liv…” Penny takes a deep breath. “Because he’s married.”
“Penny!” I scold her, not meaning to.
“I know, I know. So fucking stupid. That’s kind of why I was sleeping with Eddie. I could never be more than this man’s mistress.”
“Are they high profile? Would it be a scandal if it came out?” I ask.
“Yes, very much so,” she confesses. Bugger! “A political scandal.” My eyes widen.
“Pen, who the hell is it?” I question her.
“You have to promise, Liv. I mean it, please. No one, and I mean no one, knows I have been his mistress for five years.”
“Five years,” I squeal. I have no idea who my sister is.
“Yes, I know it was stupid, but…I love him.” I want to feel sorry for her, because loving someone you can’t have sucks. I’m also angry at her because the man is married, he has a wife, probably has kids as well. “I know exactly what you are thinking,” Penny hisses. “It is not what you think.”
“So tell me then. Because at the moment I feel for you but you are also messing up someone else's life. He’s married, Pen. Married!”
“I know he is, but there is nothing I can do about that until he is out of office and we can be together, plus his wife kind of knows about me.” Yes, my jaw hits the floor at that statement.
“His wife knows?”
She nods. “It’s socially accepted in France for a man to take a mistress. He also allows his wife to seek others.” My mind is blown. “Eddie and I might have swung with them a couple of times.”
“You and Eddie?” My voice raises to an unnatural squeal.
Penny takes a deep breath. “Yes, you might not understand this or maybe you do now, after being with a man like Axel.” My body tenses at her mentioning his name. “I am part of a secret sex club.” My stomach flip flops. Oh shit, does she know about The Paradise Club? I stay quiet. “See, I knew you would judge me.” Penny stands up and moves away from me.
“Penny, I’m not judging you, I am just listening to your story.” She settles down a little.
“It’s a private member’s swingers club in Paris, it’s only for couples.” I relax a little as I know The Paradise Club is definitely open to all. “Eddie and I would go together as a couple.” Okay, I can understand that bit. “It’s for VIPs who want discrete fun. You know, celebrities, politicians, the odd royal. It’s different to The Paradise Club.” My whole body stills. “Which I know you are familiar with.” Penny gives me a sly smile.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I add quickly.
This makes Penny laugh. “Liv, I know about The Paradise Club. Axel mentioned you two had been to an island together at dinner, an exclusive island. And I’d heard around London about The Paradise Club Resort that was going to be opening in the Caribbean soon. Then I remembered seeing Nate Lewis, who owns the clubs, at New Year’s Eve and I realized that if he was invited to the wedding then the Dirty Texas guys must know him. So I put two and two together figuring they must go there if they are that friendly to invite Nate to the wedding. I also found out that it was Nate’s boat that you all hung out on for the bachelor party.” How the hell does she know all this? I stay quiet. Penny laughs, “I know you can’t talk about the club. I understand, but just so you know, I think it’s pretty cool if you have been there.” I give her a small smile. “I knew it, I knew it, you little deviant.”
“I’m not saying a word. This is your story.”
Penny’s eyes narrow. “You are going to tell me your story one day.” I just shrug. “I guess we are more alike than we thought.” This makes me chuckle.
“So, what happened?”
Penny turns serious for a moment. “I can trust you, can’t I, Liv?” she questions me.
“Of course you can. I would never spill your secrets.” She slowly nods and looks a little nervous.
“Well, I met this couple at the club, years before Eddie. One of my boyfriends introduced the club to me. I thought it was going to be fun, and of course it was. I didn’t realize who he was when I met him, but he swept me off my feet. He and his wife were stunning. I mean the club was full of beautiful couples but there was something about them. They came over to us and we started to chat, you know I am a suck
er for a French accent. When they conversed between each other in French not realizing I could understand, I replied to their conversation with a yes.” She pours herself a glass of water and takes a sip. “His wife had told him how beautiful she thought I was and how she would really like to watch us together.” Wow, not sure if I could handle Axel with another woman, but I can understand it. “She very much liked the look of my partner at the time. I think he was some young footballer. They were older, maybe by about fifteen years, but they most definitely worked out. Anyway, I will spare you what happened next, but after that weekend we continued sleeping with each as a foursome until I broke up with the footballer. I hadn’t seen the husband for maybe six months until stumbling upon him at a social event. That night was the first night we were together without our partners.”
“Is it still continuing?” I ask and Penny nods. “He knows you married Eddie?”
“Yes, he does, but he doesn’t know I am pregnant.”
“And you are going to tell him, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I think so. Just not sure when I will be in Paris again. He is a hard man to get a hold of.”
“And who is he?”
“The President of France.”
I clutch my chest. I cannot believe it. “You mean Julien Soucy?” She nods. “Like the world’s hottest politician, Julien Soucy?”
“Yes.”
“The same one that is in the middle of campaigning for a second term as President.” Penny nods her head. “Who’s married to a famous French actress?”
Penny rolls her eyes. “Yes, that same couple.”
“Shit, Pen. You have gotten yourself into a sticky situation.”
“Oh, gee thanks, Captain Obvious,” she snaps back.
“Hey, sorry. I am in shock here. I just…bugger, if this comes out it’s going to be a scandal.”
“I know, Liv. I know all of this. Five years I have been living in fear of someone finding out and now, now I am going to be a single mother. A soon to be divorcee, and I’m sure Eddie is going to tell everyone why he divorced me. I am going to be the laughing stock of the social scene when people find out that Eddie is not the father. I mean, it was lucky that people didn’t bat an eyelid when the wedding changed brides. But with this scandal, I am going to lose all my friends and I am going to be alone. I know this is some karmic retribution for being a raging bitch to you for the past twenty-eight years.” Penny bursts out crying.
“Hey, hey.” I try and comfort her. “You have me by your side. I’m not going to let anyone say anything about you.”
“Even if it’s true?” Penny sniffles.
“You’ve made bad decisions, but now you are going to have to make the right ones because you have a tiny human to take care of and they are going to be relying on you for everything.”
Penny sniffles again. “Jules’s wife never wanted children, she has no desire for them. He said that it was one of the greatest disappointments in his life that he never had kids.”
“You have to tell him, Pen.”
“But it’s not going to change anything.”
“Maybe not, but he is still that child’s biological father.”
“I’m scared, Liv, so scared.”
“I know, but you have me now and I will help you wherever I can. I mean I have to go to Paris to go wedding dress shopping. You would be in the same place at the same time. You could talk to him then.”
Penny looks up at me. “You would do that? Help me.”
“Of course, we are family.” She bursts out crying again.
“How did I get so lucky to have you as a sister. I will never ever fuck this up ever again.”
And I honestly hope she means it.
169
Axel
It has been a whole month since I’ve seen Olivia. One month! My right hand is about ready to fall off from the amount of jerking off I have been doing during our Skype sessions, which is most nights. I’m not going to lie and say that this transcontinental relationship is all sunshine and rainbows because it’s not, it sucks. I hate coming home to my place after work and not finding her here. I hate the damn time zones as well. I hate that she is so fucking busy all the time. But none of that matters now that she is here with me, wrapped in my arms and in my bed where she belongs. I will say it was a surprise that she turned up with her sister at the airport and that she would be staying in my, or should I say, our home. I want to trust her like Olivia does, but it’s hard, I can’t forget that she tried to tear us apart, and it worked for a while. But it means the world to Olivia if I give her sister a chance and because I love that woman more than life, I’ll try and be nice to her. She invited Penny because she’s been having a horrible time since her annulment from Eddie went public, especially with the tabloids digging around about it. She thought bringing her to the other side of the world would help keep her mind off of the gossip back in London, maybe a little retail therapy would keep her busy, she’s just in time for the Grand Opening of Sienna and Derrick’s newest boutique, Wyld. I think it’s pretty cool Sienna has expanded and opened up a children’s boutique, Ryder is one fashionable little dude. Plus, with the way the Dirty Texas family keeps expanding with little ones, it’s going to keep them in business for a long time.
“Thank you for letting me stay here.” Penny surprises me in the kitchen as I make breakfast for Olivia, who’s sleeping off her jet lag.
“It’s not a problem at all,” flipping the pancakes.
“I know you don’t like me, Axel.” Her comment grabs my attention. I start to disagree with her but she cuts me off. “What I did to you and Olivia, I don’t expect you to ever forgive me.” I flip another pancake, not sure how to respond, an uncomfortable silence settles between us.
“Penny, I don’t not like you, but I’m protective over Olivia. I just don’t want her to get hurt again. She’s so happy finally having her sister in her life.” I flip the pancakes again. “It’s good you’re trying to make amends, but I also saw how you destroyed her and that image is hard to get rid of.” They say honesty is the best policy. Penny is silent, I’m guessing mulling over my statement.
“You’re right. I wanted to destroy her, and for what? Because I was jealous. I don’t even know why. I just always felt that way. It probably started over something so trivial when we were younger, and at the time it felt big to me. I guess it just manifested over the years into something really ugly. All I can do now is hopefully show you that I am changing. She’s all I’ve got in the world, and after everything I put her through, when I needed her the most she was there for me.” I notice the tears falling down Penny’s cheeks as she speaks. “Ugh, sorry, stupid hormones,” she grumbles, wiping her face. “I want to be a better person, especially a better person than the one I was before. My child deserves a good mother. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life and this whole Eddie situation is one big mess, but I guess it’s my karma.” Last I heard, Eddie had announced that the baby isn’t his and is now playing the victim all across London. Penny, on the other hand, has kept her mouth quiet on the situation which I am guessing is pretty hard for her to do. “But it’s probably lucky I messed up otherwise Liv would now be married to Eddie.” I stiffen at her comment. “In all honesty, I don’t think she would have done it. I saw her during that time, she hated it, she hated him, she hated the whole situation. I am kind of glad that I was able to give her an out, it’s probably the least I could have done.” Penny shrugs as she bites an apple.
“What are you going to do?” I ask, piling the pancakes onto two separate plates and pushing one in front of Penny. As much as I don’t trust the woman she is pregnant and needs to eat.
“Thanks,” as she digs into them. “Liv is pushing me to tell the baby’s father about the baby, but…” She pauses as she shovels pancake into her mouth. “But I’m scared.”
“Why? Because he wouldn’t be happy?”
She finishes what is in her mouth and answers me, “No, because he’s married.” I
stop what I’m doing and stare at her. Of course he is. “It would be a huge scandal.” Well fuck me, Penny sure knows how to create drama.
“Fuck…well…um…” I say awkwardly.
“I know, I know. I haven’t added to the great picture you already have of me.” I shrug because it’s the truth. “But it’s not what you think. At first Olivia thought the same way as you, but she kind of gets it now.”
“Olivia knows?”
Penny nods. “I’m guessing my sister kept her word to not share my secret.” I know I shouldn’t be pissed about Olivia keeping this secret from me, but I kind of am. “Hey.” Penny pulls me from my thoughts. “Please don’t be upset with Liv. I asked her to keep my confidence and she did, but I can tell you the story if you want.” What the hell am I meant to say to that. “It might make it easier for my sister to have someone else to talk to about it. I know she would be killing herself over keeping this secret. She’s a good person.” So Penny proceeds to tell me how she got knocked up by the President of France, and for the first time in my life I have no advice for someone. Penny is right. If this ever got out it would be a big scandal.
“Hey, are you okay?” Olivia asks as I enter the bedroom with cold pancakes. I think I am walking on instinct, my mind still processing the bombshell Penny just dropped on me.
“The President of France,” was all I could mutter. Olivia is motionless.
“What did you say?”
“The President of France is Penny’s baby’s father.”
“How did…?”
“Penny told me. She didn’t want you to keep secrets from your fiancé, but I am not sure if I really needed to know this one.” Yep, I am still in shock.
