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

by du Lys, Cerys

  "Shut up!" I rolled my eyes at him, then stuck out my tongue. "The sneakers are a little old, but the rest of my clothes are fine. I do have a sexy case of bedhead, though."

  Maybe. I didn't actually know. I hadn't had a chance to look in a mirror much after waking up.

  "You going somewhere?" he asked. "Want a ride? Where's Asher?"

  He leaned over to the passenger side door and opened it, pushing it outwards a little. I opened it the rest of the way and hopped in.

  "Can we drive? I don't know where. Can you just drive somewhere?" I asked. "Just around. Can I borrow your phone, too? I need to call Asher."

  "You need to call him?" Jeremy asked, lifting one brow. "Did you lose him or something? You were both in the exact same spot. Seems like a hard thing to do."

  "No, um... I'll explain in a second. I just really have to call him right now. It's important."

  He shrugged. "Yeah, sure. What do I care if you lost your billionaire husband? He's only worth billions of dollars. That's not actually a lot. Not anymore. Trillionaires are where it's at these days. Someone might have kidnapped him, but it's all good."

  I laughed and slapped at his hand and took his phone away from him when he offered it to me. "Shush, you."

  "And now I've got some lady shushing me after she lost my boss. Wow. This day's going great."

  ***

  Asher glowered. The man outside who had caused a ruckus after attempting to peer through Jessika's apartment window ran off as soon as Asher appeared. This was probably for the best. He could handle some situations with tact and finesse, but this wasn't exactly one of those. People needed to understand privacy, and respect it. Trying to sneak a peek into someone's window was basically the exact opposite of any of that.

  He thought Jessika's apartment would have been safe from this sort of situation, but apparently not. At the mansion, they had surveillance and huge gates to give them some modicum of privacy. Here they had... not much. The element of surprise? That was about it, except they didn't even have that anymore.

  They needed to leave here soon. That thought stuck more firmly in his mind as soon as he stepped back into the apartment building, too.

  A small group of on-the-scene informal news crew members stood scattered throughout the hallway. They were halfway down it at the moment, with one pair interviewing some poor old women who looked more confused than anything, and two others attempting to batter down the doors of some of the other apartment inhabitants. All in all, it didn't look that comfortable for anyone involved. Considering they weren't bothering his wife, he thought she must have gotten back inside safely before they noticed.

  He hoped that was it, at least. If she was still outside...

  He strode through the halls, ignoring everything. One of the men interviewing the old woman noticed him, stopped, stared for a second, and then turned his partner's attention to Asher.

  "Mr. Landseer," one of them said. "A question, please? It'll only take a second. Do you—"

  Asher held his hand up, halting him before he started. He reached Jessika's door, opened it, and stepped inside. "No. I'm extremely busy. Call my secretary and set something up for later this week."

  Not that anything like that would happen. If the man bothered to call Landseer Tower to try and schedule anything, Asher would postpone and delay any meeting until the man finally gave up. He had no patience for situations like this.

  He closed the door firmly behind him as he entered the apartment. Hesitating, uncertain, he deliberated over locking it, too. If she was still outside, though...

  "Jessika?" he called out. Was she here?

  No answer.

  He checked the kitchen quickly, then the living room. Nothing. She wasn't in the bathroom, either, nor in the bedroom. This left him with a couple of closets as options, but he seriously doubted his wife would hide in one and refuse to answer him.

  Which meant she wasn't here. And if he locked the door, she might end up stuck in the hallway with the newspeople, harangued and assaulted, all for some ridiculous mockery of a news article. What did these people want from her? It annoyed him to no end.

  Well, he decided to just wait for her. There wasn't much else he could do.

  Except then his phone started ringing. Sighing, reluctant to bother, feeling very annoyed, he trudged to the bedroom to find it and answer it. Maybe. He wanted to see who it was at first. There was a high likelihood he would ignore it, unless...

  Unless it was Jeremy. Which it was. Good timing? He needed to talk to him anyways.

  Asher picked up the phone and accepted the call. "Jeremy, great. I needed to talk with you."

  "No, Asher, it's me." His wife's voice greeted him instead of the driver's.

  "Jessika? What are you doing? Where's Jeremy? Are you alright?"

  "Yes, I'm fine," she said; he let out a short sigh of relief. "Elise and Lucent are gone. I was going to go back inside, but I saw some people wandering the halls. I didn't think it was a good idea."

  "Probably a good choice," he said. "I had to deal with them when I came back. Not that anything happened, but they're here now and they know about your apartment. I guess they knew before. The man who was outside ran off. Everything's fine for now, but who knows how long it'll stay that way."

  "I know. That's what I thought, too. Jeremy was on his way to meet us, but we're driving somewhere else now. I'm not sure where. We haven't decided yet."

  "That's fine," Asher said. It wasn't exactly fine, but he understood it and it seemed like the best option at the moment.

  Except what about the rest of the day? They needed to go to the police department, speak with a lawyer, and who knew what else? He had a business to run, too. He didn't want to let his career consume his life, though it already did in some ways. He made more than enough time for Jessika, too, but everything that had happened these past few days split his time even more.

  He spent hours with her after work. And during the day sometimes, too. Asher barely went a few hours without seeing her most of the time, or at least not without talking to her somehow. Yesterday, though? He spent the entire day without her. He thought they made up for it somewhat in the evening, but he didn't know if it was enough, either. Maybe that was a hint of greed and lust for his wife sneaking in, but he didn't think anything was wrong with that.

  Today was shaping up to be the same, though. Even if he did get to spend time with her, it'd be bogged down by frustrating legal nuisances. It severely frustrated him. This entire situation was ridiculous, and not in an entertaining or amusing way. He would never find something like this funny, not even ten years down the road looking back on it.

  "I think I have a good idea," Jessika said.

  Asher nodded into the phone for all the good it did him. "Alright," he said. "What's that?"

  "I know this is going to sound strange, but please hear me out before you say anything."

  "Of course," he said.

  "I'm going to leave. I'll get a spare outfit and some quick luggage here, just the bare essentials, and then I'm going to take a train like we did when we got married. I'll get off at a stop that I think is safe and stay wherever I am for awhile. I..."

  She paused. Asher wanted to say something. First off, he wanted to protest the entire idea of her leaving like that. His mouth grew dry and he started to say something, to speak, to... to tell her no, but he didn't.

  He couldn't.

  Please hear me out before you say anything. He would at least do that, no matter what his initial feelings were. It might be a good idea, to be honest. If she left and went somewhere on a whim, without previous accommodations or plans, she'd be able to stay secluded for a few days.

  He felt childish and immature for feeling this way, but a few days seemed like more than he could handle. He loved her so much. He didn't want to be without her.

  He listened quietly while she continued telling him the rest of her plan.

  ***

  "Where to, boss lady?" Jeremy asked.


  I had just finished telling Asher what I thought we should do, but it all seemed so surreal and strange to me still. Yes, it was my plan, but I'd come up with it so suddenly that I still felt uncertain as to whether it was real or something I'd dreamed about.

  But, no, this was real. To be honest, it wasn't any more or less strange than any of the other situations surrounding me lately. Compared to the rest, it might have been the most sane and regular of all.

  "The train station," I said. "I'm not sure what the departure schedule is like, though. Can I use your phone again?"

  Jeremy chuckled. "You never gave it back, so sure. Why not?"

  I belatedly realized I still had his phone clutched tight in my hand. After I hung up with Asher, I couldn't think about anything else besides leaving him and doing what I needed to do. It was only for a little while, I told myself. It would be a good thing. I could rest and relax. There wouldn't be any worry about someone from the media harassing me on the train; or, there shouldn't be if everything went according to plan.

  I tapped to open an internet browser on Jeremy's phone and went to the Amtrak website to check for available tickets. I hadn't been on a train in forever, but it looked a little hard to navigate through my options on the small cellphone screen. I opted for finding a number to call instead.

  I dialed and waited. Jeremy gave me a sidelong glance.

  "You can get some basic stuff right near the station," he said. "It'll be kind of last minute travel items, but I'm sure they'll have everything you need there. Probably some clothes, too. Nothing exciting, but if you just want something quick, it should work?"

  I nodded. "That sounds good. Let's do that."

  After waiting and dealing with a service menu, a woman answered the phone.

  "Hello," I said. "I'm looking to buy a train ticket, but I'm not sure what my options are."

  "When are you looking to travel?" she asked. "Do you have a certain date and destination in mind?"

  "Um... today?" I said. "As soon as possible, actually. We'll probably be at the train station in thirty minutes or so?"

  "Alright..." she said. I couldn't tell if she thought I was crazy or if this sort of last minute planning was perfectly normal; all I heard was quick typing on the other end. "How many of you will be traveling?" she asked after a second.

  "Just me," I said.

  "Your destination?" she asked.

  "Right, um... about that." I fully realized this sounded strange, or at least I thought it did. "I'm not sure where I want to go," I said.

  "You don't know where you want to go?"

  "Not really. I just thought it'd be sort of fun to get on a train and go somewhere on a whim, you know?" I tried to laugh it off a little, except honestly that's exactly what I was doing, so it wasn't all that funny. I mean, it was funny in an impossibly strange way, but not quite an entertaining one.

  "And you're departing from...?" she asked.

  I told her, and she started typing some more.

  "Is it going to be a problem?" I asked.

  "It's a little out of the ordinary, but I'm sure we can figure something out," she said, confident.

  "Alright. Oh! Um... another strange request," I said.

  "Yes?"

  "Can I have a room? Not just a seat?"

  "For yourself?" she asked.

  "Yes, is that alright?"

  "That's fine. They do cost more, though."

  I laughed. I didn't mean to laugh, because it wasn't supposed to be funny, but my husband was Asher Landseer and I was fairly certain we could afford it.

  "Is something wrong?" she asked.

  "Oh, no. Sorry, I just um... I saw something funny." Right. That was it. "A room will be fine, though."

  "Do you have anything specific in mind? We have an assortment of roomettes, which are our smallest option. Those only contain sleeping and seating arrangements, without an in-room toilet or shower. You can use the bathroom accommodations in the common areas, though. Or there's a variety of bedrooms, which—"

  "What's the biggest one?" I asked. "With a toilet and shower, too."

  "That would be our bedroom suite," she said. "That might be more than you need, though. It easily sleeps four to six people, with two bathrooms, both with showers. I'm not sure—"

  "Alright, I'll take that."

  She hesitated. "You want the four person bedroom suite?" she asked. "With two bathrooms?"

  "Yes?"

  "You're traveling alone?"

  "Um... yes? It's big, right? I mean, as big as a train bedroom suite could be, at least. I'm sure it's not like a suite at the Hilton or anything. That's not to say it's bad. Or worse. Uh... that's not what I meant. Sorry, I'm not, um..." I stopped, collected my thoughts, and took a deep breath. "Yes," I said. "I would like the bedroom suite."

  "Alright," she said. "It is our most expensive option, but it includes free meals. Or one meal. Unless you're on the train long enough to have more than one. Which it sounds like you might be, so... hold on a moment, let me just put in some extra information..."

  After a few seconds, she quoted me a price.

  "And I can get off anywhere with that?" I asked.

  "Sort of," she said. "That's for one trip, but you can renew your arrangements easily at each station stop without going through much of a hassle. You won't have to move your belongings, but you'll need to exit the train, go to the ticket counter, and pay another trip fee. Depending on the next location, and a few other variable factors, you'll receive a discount, as well."

  "Can I just buy a bunch of tickets at once?" I asked. "Just in case? So I don't have to get off?"

  I was fairly certain this woman hated me right now, but I'd rather do this than deal with the alternatives.

  "It's certainly possible," she said, wavering. "You might end up spending more than necessary, though. The tickets do last for awhile, so you can use them again in the future as long as you don't wait too long, but we don't recommend that."

  "Alright," I said.

  "One ticket, then?"

  "No, I'll take five, please." I thought five sounded good. Five gave me five choices of where to get off, right? Five options, five availabilities. It seemed like a good amount to me.

  "You want five one-way tickets?" she asked; she sounded annoyed now. "You don't know where you're departing and you want five tickets? Ma'am, I don't want to sound rude, but is this a joke?"

  "No?" I said. I could see why she thought that, but...

  She quoted me another price.

  "That's fine," I said. "How do I pay?"

  "Sure," she said; I could imagine her tossing her hands into the air, at a loss for words. "Right. Of course. You can pick your tickets up at the ticket window. You'll pay there, as well. We accept cash or credit cards, but no checks. I'll just need a name to reserve these under. The next train leaves in approximately forty-five minutes, or there's another in two hours. It doesn't matter which you decide to take."

  "Oh," I said. "Alright. The forty-five minute one sounds good, I think." I turned to Jeremy with a questioning glance. "Right?" I asked.

  "Yeah, we can do that," he said.

  "Can I get your name?" she asked.

  I didn't think she believed any of this. I thought she wanted to hang up right then and there. I was kind of surprised she hadn't already.

  "Jessika Landseer," I said.

  She paused. Maybe she really did hang up?

  "You'll need identification," she said. "A driver's license, usually, or a passport or some other form of government ID. We take identification fraud very seriously."

  "Oh," I said. That wouldn't usually be a problem, but...

  "Your purse is in the back," Jeremy said, reading my mind. "Should all be there."

  "Yes! Jeremy, you're the best!" I didn't mean to, but I accidentally ended up shouting into the phone, too.

  "Ma'am, I don't know if this is a joke, but..."

  "No, no, it's not a joke. Sorry. There's a lot that's been going on, t
hough. I've been a little out of sorts."

  "Of course," she said; she must have rolled her eyes, too. "I understand completely, what with that sex tape scandal and all."

  "I know, right? It's a lot to deal with. And kind of rude. That's not the half of it, either. I don't want a lot, you know? I mean, I guess you might think I would, because... well, I don't know. I can understand it, at least. It's just, that's not it, either. I really do love my husband. Did you see the sex tape? I don't think I'm supposed to confirm or deny anything, um..."

  Jeremy was laughing. The car swerved slightly to the right.

  "Jeremy!" I shouted. "What are you doing?"

  "What am I doing? What are you doing?"

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "The phone? Who you're talking to?"

  "Oh," I said. I didn't really get it. "Anyways, sorry, um... right. Where was I?"

  "You can't confirm or deny," the woman said.

  "Oh, yes. I can't confirm or deny anything, because we need to figure out some potential legal situations. It's not nice to leak private sex tapes and nude pictures, you know? I don't know why someone would do that. But, so, those might not be Asher and I, but if you watched the sex tape, you... I don't mean to pry, but have you watched it?"

  It took her a moment, but eventually she said, "Yes. For curiosity's sake."

  "I think we... um... it? I think it looked really intimate, don't you? Because that's what I have with my husband. We've got a nice relationship. It's very close. Like the tape, except not really, because maybe that's not us, but if it was us, that's how it'd look, because that's how we make love. We wouldn't just make a sex tape, we'd make a tape of us making love."

  "I understand," she said. "If you don't mind me saying, this is getting somewhat awkward."

  "That's fine," I said. "I felt like it was awkward from the beginning, but I didn't want to say anything."

  That made her laugh. "That's possibly true. At least it's interesting? Your ticket arrangements are all set, too. You should be good to go."

  "Thank you very much," I said.

  Jeremy started laughing at me again, so I slapped his arm. Thankfully he didn't swerve this time. The road we were on wasn't exactly busy, but still.