His Absolute Authority: A Scandalous Billionaire Love Story (Jessika, #3)

by du Lys, Cerys

  I helped Elise find some clothes and we chatted and talked and a part of me entirely forgot about everything that was wrong. The sex tapes, the vandalism, the fire, Elise and Lucent as fugitives, framed for arson, and...

  Today was a day of new beginnings. Fresh starts and vibrant wake ups. Today was a day when everything would become better.

  Hopefully...

  ***

  Asher and Lucent didn't end up making breakfast for us. Instead, it was me and Asher, while Elise and Lucent took a shower together. It made some sense, since it meant that after we talked and ate, everyone could go their own ways. Asher and I could stay here and shower and relax and do whatever we liked, and Elise and Lucent could leave, and...

  I wasn't sure what happened after that. The strange finality of it bothered me. Where were they going and were they going to be gone forever? I didn't think so. I mean, I wasn't entirely positive or absolutely sure, but they'd definitely come back, right? Lucent must have some place he could bring them where they could hide away for a little while until this all settled down.

  Asher and I needed to speak with the police, as well. I vaguely remembered them wanting to talk with me the night of the incident at the mansion, but I wasn't really in a state to do much more than cry and scream. I didn't like what I'd become right then, but I understood it, too. I thought they were dead, or missing, or worse. I didn't know what exactly was worse than death, but in my panic-stricken mind, I wasn't thinking rationally.

  I could think now, though. I could explain everything. I could talk with the police and make them understand, and then Lucent and Elise could come back and it'd be like nothing bad had ever happened.

  That wasn't entirely true, though. We still needed to deal with the incident at Landseer Tower. As far as I knew, no one knew who had gone through my office when I stepped out for a few minutes that day. Also, there were the sex videos and nude pictures of me and Asher, as well. The entire past few days were a huge disaster.

  And all of this while Asher and I were trying to conceive. I laughed to myself a little and touched my stomach. Good luck, little one, I thought. Your mommy and daddy's lives are kind of a mess right now. It might not be that great of a time to come into the world.

  Now wasn't, but what about nine months from now? Would everything be better by then, or worse? What was I doing nine months ago? I couldn't remember the exact situation, but I knew Asher had been trying to tell me that everything would blow over with the media and soon no one would even think twice about what happened.

  That didn't quite work as planned, now did it?

  "Am I missing a good joke here?" Asher asked.

  "Huh?" I turned to him, confused.

  "You were laughing while standing there and staring at the pot of pasta sauce," he said.

  I looked at him, confused again. He returned my look, though his held less confusion and a slight smile.

  "I..." Was I laughing? Oh! Right! I laughed again. "I'm kind of out of it at the moment," I admitted. "I was thinking about how many things are going wrong lately, and if we were going to have a baby now, then how things would be in nine months, if they'll be better, and... it's just kind of funny to think about, you know? Sometimes you just have to laugh, I guess. It's better than the alternatives."

  Asher flashed me a brighter, more brilliant smile. "In nine months, we'll have forgotten about everything. It'll be like a dream. Did that really happen? That's what we'll ask ourselves. I promise."

  "I want to think so," I said. "Asher, I really do want to believe that, but it's so hard sometimes. What's going to happen? Not just to us, but Elise and Lucent. After we leave here, we need to go right to the police department. We need to talk to them and explain things to them and tell them that it wasn't Elise and Lucent. The police will understand. They have to understand."

  Asher nodded. "Alright. I'm going to take the day off, I think. We'll go there, then maybe we can talk with my lawyer? Doesn't sound like that fun of a day, but I'll make it up to you later tonight. How's that sound?"

  "Like last night?" I asked, giggling. Oh, last night was stressful sometimes, but, oh, so relaxing at other times. Relaxing and sexy and sensual and fun. I loved it.

  "Exactly," Asher said. "Just like last night." He snuck over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "I think you're forgetting to stir the pasta sauce, Mrs. Landseer."

  I shook my head at him and stared at him, indignant. "I'm letting it simmer," I said, pretending I had actually been doing that.

  But as soon as I said that, I grabbed the wooden spoon and started stirring. Good thing, too; the bottom felt a little like it was about to burn and start sticking to the pot.

  While I stirred, Asher diced some of the extra vegetables that Jeremy brought over. We were going to add them to the pasta sauce to make it a lot chunkier, then have some fresh pasta with it, as well. Not really much of a breakfast, but we didn't have anything else.

  This was all going well. This was going good. The pasta simmered and bubbled, sending the delightful aroma of herbs and spices and tomato into the air. Asher chopped at the spare vegetables, filling the space around us with chop, chop, chopping noises. Further away, down the hallway towards my small old apartment's bedroom, Elise and Lucent were in the bathroom off to the side, showering. The sound of the shower pattered through the hall, becoming a faint, quiet backdrop to the rest of the morning affairs.

  Suddenly, someone knocked loudly on my front door, interrupting everything.

  I jumped, nearly sending the pasta sauce flying. Thankfully I dropped the spoon in the process, and I jumped backwards instead of forwards, so only a tiny splatter of sauce splashed against the countertop. Either way, it was still nerve-wracking.

  I looked to Asher and he looked to me. Were we expecting anyone?

  "Maybe Jeremy?" I asked him.

  Asher shrugged.

  I decided to call out. "Who is it?" I asked.

  "Police, ma'am," someone answered. "Can you open the door, please?"

  My eyes widened and I stared at Asher, dumbfounded. "What do we do?" I asked in a harsh whisper.

  He looked just about as confused as I felt. I doubted either of us knew what to do right now.

  I did the only thing I could think of. "Go in the bathroom with Elise and Lucent," I said. "Just in case. I'll answer the door and make some excuse. It's probably nothing. If he asks, I'll tell him you're in the shower, and..." And that was it. That was the entirety of my plan.

  Asher nodded and slipped away as quietly as he could. The front door was closed and my apartment's floors weren't especially squeaky or anything, but secrecy was possibly important right now, so quiet was good.

  "Hold on a moment," I said. "You startled me. I was cooking breakfast. I dropped a spoon. I'll be right there."

  I didn't know how any of what I said added up to make much sense, but I needed to waste a little time while Asher went into the bathroom. The door wasn't locked, but he might need to explain everything to Elise and Lucent and to make sure they stayed quiet. I peered down the hallway towards my bedroom and the bathroom, waiting a second. Everything looked good. As good as could be expected, at least. I didn't hear Elise shouting and screaming, at any rate. That was probably good? Good enough.

  I didn't quite enjoy the idea of my husband being in a bathroom with another naked woman, but I didn't really have a choice at the moment. I was almost certain Elise would stay in the shower behind the shower curtain, anyways.

  The wooden spoon hadn't fallen completely into the pasta sauce, so I picked at the tip of the handle and fetched it out, then lay it against the side of the pot. Just in case, I turned off the heat, too. This was all we had to eat, so it wouldn't really be that great if I burned it, now would it?

  I hurried to the door and unlocked it, then opened it a crack. A police officer stood outside, waiting for me. When the door opened, he shuffled to the side to make his appearance.

  "Ma'am," he said. "Mrs. Landseer? Your landlord told me i
t might be you, and I recognize you from your pictures."

  I hoped he meant regular pictures, and not the sex ones. I was wearing my t-shirt and sweatpants, anyways; there wasn't much sexy to recognize there.

  "Can I come in?" he asked.

  "Um," I said. What was I supposed to say? Er... "May I ask why?"

  "I don't mean to scare you, ma'am, but we have reason to believe that there may be dangerous individuals in there with you," he said.

  Well, shit. How could they even know that? I stared at him, confused.

  "Lucent Storme and Elise Tanner?" he offered. "Lucent's the Director of Public Relations for your husband's company. The information I received from the station says that Elise works with you directly as part of Landseer Publishing. Is that correct?"

  "Yes, I know Elise and Lucent," I said. And... what? "I'm sorry, but I think you're confused. They aren't here. It's just me and my husband. Asher. We... well, we came here because of the commotion. I'm sure you understand what's going on? I didn't think anyone would know about this place, so we thought it'd be the easiest way to get some privacy."

  The officer nodded. "Sure. Certainly. I understand."

  "So... I don't mean to be rude, but I'm not very comfortable with you being here right now."

  Wow, Jessika. I berated myself mentally, because how terrible was that? Yes, officer, get away from me, I don't want you here. I said it a little nicer than that, but I felt like the situation could have been handled better.

  "I understand you and your husband want your privacy, Mrs. Landseer. I'm not trying to impose in any way. Still, if you could just let me inside so I could talk with you both and see for myself, then I'll be on my way. I'm not trying to cause you any problems. This isn't a threat, ma'am, but please understand that if you don't let me in, I'm going to have to call in some squad cars to keep a watch on the area while we get a warrant to search the premises."

  "A warrant?" I asked. "Don't you need probable cause or some sort of reason for that? It's just me and my husband. I really don't mean to be rude, but..."

  "We've been searching for Lucent Storme and Elise Tanner for over a day now. No one's been in contact with them, from what we've heard. They're potentially in some deep trouble, but we just want to bring them in for questioning first. We believe that at least one of them is the cause for the fire at your mansion the other night. I know it must be a shock with everything that's going on, though. It's always hard when we can't trust the ones that are closest to us. You were close to Lucent and Elise, weren't you?"

  "I really don't think they started the fire," I said.

  He shrugged. "Maybe not. Maybe they did? That's why we need to bring them in for questioning."

  "Well, they aren't here," I said, firm.

  He smiled. He was either incredibly patient, or he didn't believe a word I said. "Can I please come inside for a second, ma'am? I promise it won't take long. If they aren't there, then it's just in, out, and we can both be on our way."

  "Why do you think they're here?" I asked.

  "When our initial search didn't turn up anything, we did a trace and track on their cell phones. Lucent's phone didn't turn up much, but according to our records, Elise called you last night. Also, again according to our records, her phone is in your apartment right now."

  I stared at him blankly, mouth dry, lips tight together. Briefly, I wondered what would happen if I slammed the door shut right now, went to get Asher, Lucent, and Elise, and... what? None of us had a car to escape in, and I really didn't think that'd work all that well, anyways. If this were the mansion, perhaps. As it was, my old apartment building wasn't quite the sturdiest place in the world. I was fairly positive that this police officer could bust down my door in a matter of seconds. It was just him here right now, but he probably had back up waiting outside, too?

  I had no idea. I didn't know anything about proper police procedure.

  "Can I come in, ma'am?" he asked again.

  "Yes, just... yes, you can, but they aren't here. My husband's in the shower. I'm sorry. I don't feel very comfortable about this, but... yes, yes, come in. Fine."

  I opened the door wider and invited him into my home.

  ***

  Before Asher and I started cooking for our morning meal, we'd cleaned off the small dining table and made it somewhat presentable. I showed the police officer to the table and offered him a seat. He glanced around the room, looking for signs of something strange. Thankfully, there wasn't much here. Everything Lucent and Elise owned—mainly, their clothes—they'd took with them into the bathroom, so...

  Or, not quite. Sitting on the peninsula counter, off to the side and near the man's current seat, was Elise's purse. Which, I thought, probably had her phone in it. Which, again, was... kind of incriminating evidence, wasn't it? Er... whoops?

  This wasn't looking good.

  "Do you want something to drink?" I asked him.

  He shook his head. "No, thank you. Do you mind if I take a look around now?" he asked. "It won't take long."

  "I'm not sure I feel comfortable with that," I said. "Um... do you mind waiting until my husband is out of the shower first?"

  He nodded politely. "That's fine. Can you let him know I'm here? I don't want to rush anything, but I'm sure we all have better things to be doing."

  "Yes, right. Uh..." I checked his shirt for a badge and a name or something? Truthfully, I didn't know what I was looking for.

  "Dean," he said, guessing at what I was doing. "Officer Dean Thompson."

  "Alright," I said with a nod. "Just... just hold on a moment."

  I hurried to the bathroom door, taking small, tiny steps. When I was right outside it, I knocked. I didn't know why I knocked. Did wives usually knock on the bathroom door when their husbands were taking a shower? I certainly hadn't ever done it before. I usually just went right in.

  "Asher?" I called out. "There's a police officer here. Officer Dean Thompson. He thinks that Lucent and Elise might be hiding in here? He wants to look around. I'm... uh... I'm just a little nervous, though? You know, all that's going on? I asked him to wait until you were done in the bathroom, so..."

  "Alright, honey," Asher said. I didn't think he'd ever called me that before, but it sounded good? Maybe? "I'll be out in a second. I'm sure everything's going to be fine."

  Yes, well, I was sure everything wasn't going to be fine, because Lucent and Elise were in the bathroom and Officer Thompson would definitely want to check in there for them, and then... well, that was it. They were in there, and he'd find them. Not much more to it, really.

  I had frying pans? That sounded extremely illegal and wrong, though. What was the punishment for assaulting a police officer with a frying pan? Probably nothing good. Also aiding and abetting fugitives or something. They weren't exactly fugitives yet, but if I was trying to hide them from the law, that uh... that didn't look good for anyone.

  Or did it? Why would I hide Lucent and Elise from the police if they set Asher's mansion on fire? Or did that not matter? I didn't know how this worked.

  I ignored it for now and went back to the kitchen area. I sat in the chair opposite Officer Dean and nodded politely.

  "Nice day today, isn't it?" I asked.

  "Yes, ma'am, it's a nice, sunny day out. Good weather we're having," he said.

  "Are you sure you don't want a drink?" I asked.

  "No, thank you, ma'am."

  "You can call me Jessika," I said. "Jessika is fine. Can I call you Dean?"

  He nodded. "Sure. That's fine by me."

  "Alright."

  That's how that conversation went. Then we sat there in silence, occasionally glancing at one another. I felt like I was on some awkward high school date, where neither of us knew what we were doing, nor how we were going to progress past dinner. Except we didn't even have any food to occupy the time.

  I decided to take drastic measures. I planned them for a quick second, then I sprang into action.

  "You mentioned that Eli
se's phone called my phone," I said.

  He nodded. "Yes, according to the phone records. Do you want to tell me what she called you about? Did she sound distressed? Alarmed? Hurt? This is off the record, but we're less suspicious of her than of Lucent Storme, for various reasons. I can't go into the exact details, of course."

  "No, no," I said, nodding. "Yes, of course, I understand that. The thing is, she didn't call me."

  "We have accurate records showing she called you," he said, deliberate, yet not harshly.

  "No, I mean... her phone called me. That's true. I didn't explain that well. See, um..." I got up and went to the counter and fetched Elise's purse. Rummaging through it, I pulled out her phone.

  "She must have dropped it," I said. "Jeremy found it and he gave it to me to hold onto for her, since Elise and I work together, so I was going to give it back to her, and—"

  Dean interrupted me. "Jeremy?"

  "Oh, that's Asher's driver. He drives me around, too. He's very nice. Good at driving. That's his job, so..."

  I must have sounded like an idiot, but he just nodded at me. "Sure. Alright."

  "So... this is going to sound very stupid, but I couldn't find my phone last night. And you know how if you're with someone you who has their phone and you can't find your phone, you ask them to call you so it rings?"

  Dean nodded. "Mhm."

  "Well, that's all that happened," I said, finishing everything up. Whew! That wasn't as hard as I thought. It sounded believable, too. This was good.

  "I don't want to sound skeptical, but the phone call lasted for a good while, Jessika," he said.

  Oh. Well... I shrugged. "I really couldn't find it. I heard it, you know? The ring. I keep it low, though. It rings and it vibrates, so usually I just feel it more than I hear it, but I heard it last night and I just couldn't figure out where it was and... well, then I found it."

  He nodded, looking more than doubtful, one eyebrow raised in suspicion.

  "It fell between the couch cushions," I added. "It's in the bedroom now if you want me to go get it?"

  "No need, ma'am," he said.

  I nodded. Nodded again. Kept nodding.