Secret Obsession

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  Paige looked at Pierce, he glared back, and then he slammed the door in her face. Just like that, things were over between them, and he was planning to go back to Camille. He couldn’t wait to let bygones be bygones and get back to his fairytale lifestyle. She could see it in his eyes and demeanor.

  But Paige had news for him. Nothing in life was ever that easy, not for any of us—and she would prove it.

  Chapter 25

  Hours had passed, it was three in the morning, and Paige was a nervous wreck. After leaving Pierce’s suite and coming straight back to hers, she’d paced back and forth, cried her eyes out, paced the floor again, and then ordered up a bottle of Riesling wine, which was all gone. Now she tossed and turned in bed, trying to get some sleep, and it was all because she couldn’t stop thinking about Pierce and how she would make things right between them. She pondered, deliberated, and contemplated her next move, but just then it dawned on her what the real problem was—the reason Pierce was so confused about his feelings. It was Camille and the fact that she was still in the way of their happiness. If it wasn’t for her, Pierce wouldn’t feel so guilty, and he would be free to love Paige the way she needed him to. Of course, Paige didn’t like how he’d willingly slept with her and then suddenly rejected her, but she understood why he had. He didn’t want people to start talking, something that was bound to happen once a few gossipmongers learned he had left his wife for her sister.

  Like with any other local scandal, yes, folks would whisper and criticize them, but it wouldn’t be long before all conversations ceased. People would speak less and less about it, and in a few months they’d forget what had actually happened and would find someone else’s business to stick their noses into.

  Still, Paige knew none of that mattered to a man like Pierce, someone who would never want to bring even a few weeks of shame to his family and who would do whatever he had to in order to protect them. He would even sacrifice being with Paige, the new love of his life, just so he could do the right thing. What he thought was right, anyway.

  Paige tossed and turned another three hours, but when she couldn’t take it anymore, she reached over, turned on the light, picked up the cordless phone, and dialed Pierce’s room. They would both be in Las Vegas another three days, so she had plenty of time to change his mind about them. She would get him to see that their being together was inevitable, and that there was no sense trying to fight it.

  The phone rang until the hotel’s voicemail system picked up. Paige listened but then hung up, wondering where Pierce could be when it was barely after six o’clock. Maybe he was already in the shower or had gone down for an early breakfast. She wasn’t sure exactly, so she took a chance on dialing his cell phone. It rang three times before Pierce answered.

  “What is it, Paige?” he said, sounding irritated.

  “Um, I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes if you don’t mind.”

  “About what?”

  “Last night.”

  “And?”

  “Well, for one thing, I’m sorry I made you so upset.”

  “Look, I’m over all that, and I suggest you get over it, too,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “It’s not that easy,” she said. “But maybe if we could have lunch or dinner and talk about this face-to-face, I could explain things better to you.”

  “Nope. Not gonna happen.”

  “But why?”

  “For one thing, I don’t want to, and for another, I’m already pulling up to the airport,” he said and then told what must have been his driver, “Yes, I’m flying out on American, so right here is good.”

  “You’re leaving?” she said, trying to calm herself.

  “Yep. Called and changed my reservation as soon as you left last night.”

  “But I thought your conference didn’t end until Friday.”

  “Yeah, well, thanks to you, it ended a lot sooner. For me, anyway, but actually I’m glad, because I need to get home to Camille and my children. I need to spend every day I can making things up to them.”

  Paige’s moment of sadness turned ugly. “So what you’re saying is that you got what you wanted from me and now you’re rushing home to your wife?”

  “Thank you so much,” he told his driver.

  “Did you hear me, Pierce?”

  “Look,” he said. “Two nights ago was the biggest mistake of my life, but it’s over.”

  “I can’t believe you.”

  “Believe what? That I love my wife and not you?”

  “But that’s just it, Pierce, you do love me. You love everything about me, and the only reason you’re acting like this is because you feel obligated to Camille.”

  “Of course I feel obligated to her. She’s been my wife for fifteen years, and I’m still in love with her. But even if I wasn’t, I could never love you.”

  “What?”

  “It’s just a fact, Paige. You’re a nice enough woman…or at least I thought you were before this week, but I’m not attracted to you in that way.”

  “Oh really? Then why did you tell me the other night that you’ve always thought I was beautiful?”

  “Because you are. But that was just a compliment.”

  Paige’s face softened, the rage in her dissipated, tears seeped from her eyes. “Gosh, Pierce, are you that naïve? Have you forgotten that Camille wants nothing to do with you?”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Of course it is.”

  “No it’s not. After I hung up with the airline, she and I talked for more than three hours, and we’re going to be fine.”

  Paige’s stomach churned. “So that’s it? You’re ending things with me because of her?”

  “You and I had sex, Paige. One time, and that was it.”

  “No, we had an affair, you fell in love with me, and now you’re trying to cut me off.”

  Pierce laughed. “You must be out of your mind.”

  “No, I’m the same person you manipulated, brought back to your hotel suite, and then took advantage of.”

  “You know what? I’m done with this conversation,” he said.

  “Pierce? Pierce? Hello?”

  He hadn’t even allowed Paige to respond. Still, she sat there, holding the phone to her ear, barely able to move. He truly didn’t want her, and it was all because of Camille and a few lame words she’d obviously said to him during some three-hour chat Paige hadn’t counted on.

  But Paige wasn’t worried about it, because once Pierce saw Camille face-to-face, he’d be reminded of her infidelity, and he would go back to hating her again. He would then call Paige, apologizing and telling her how much he loved her and missed her, and he would then be on his way over to her place. He would realize who loved him most and who he could ultimately be the happiest with, and all this madness about his getting back together with Camille would be over. He would end things with his wife for good this time, and Paige now felt a lot better. She could see things much more clearly and was comforted.

  She was relieved and finally drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 26

  It was noon on Saturday, and Paige had been home for three days now. She’d planned on staying in Vegas until Friday, but seeing as Pierce had left so abruptly on Wednesday morning, she’d changed her ticket and flown out that evening herself. She’d wanted to stay longer, but since she’d been there all alone, she hadn’t seen a reason for it. The only problem was, she hadn’t heard a peep from Pierce yet, or from Camille for that matter, and she was starting to get worried. She’d even gone as far as calling his office yesterday, but to her surprise, his executive assistant had told her he wouldn’t be in until Monday. Paige had just assumed that since he’d left the conference early, he’d go back to work business as usual. But he hadn’t, and that could only mean one thing. He was spending as much time as he could with that sister of hers and maybe the idea that Camille had messed around on him no longer mattered. Paige had been sure that once he saw Camille again, he wouldn’t be able to
get past what she’d done to him, but apparently he had, and they were working things out the way Pierce had anticipated.

  But Paige wondered how great things would continue being for them if Camille were to find out about Vegas and what had evolved between her husband and sister. She wondered just how smoothly things would continue then.

  She pulled out a photo album, opened it, and ran her hand slowly across one of Camille and Pierce’s wedding photos. She did the same with a photo of Camille and Pierce that had been taken one year at their parents’ during Christmas dinner, and with a professional family photo of Pierce, Camille, PJ, and Crystal, and she also admired at least thirty other pictures Camille had given her over the years. They were all unique in one way or another, but they did have one thing in common: Camille’s face was completely blacked out on all of them. It was as if she no longer existed, and Paige wished this was actually the case. She wished she could erase Camille from all their lives, so that she would never have to think about her again. She wanted Camille gone, and if she didn’t hear from Pierce soon, she’d have to figure out how to make that happen. She didn’t want to harm her sister physically, not if she didn’t have to, but she wanted her to leave Pierce alone and find herself a new husband. That was all. And Paige didn’t see where that was asking for too much.

  She flipped through the album a second time but closed it when her phone rang. She rolled her eyes when Owen’s number displayed.

  “What?” she said, answering.

  “Now, is that any way to greet the man who has the goods on you?”

  “You’ve got nothing,” she said.

  “I know about that photo,” he sang.

  “My sister will never believe you.”

  “But it’ll get her thinking and wondering why I would tell her something like that if it isn’t true. Especially since I don’t have a thing to gain from lying.”

  “She’ll just think you’re some disgruntled ex-boyfriend of mine who’s looking to get back at me.”

  “Maybe. But I wonder how Pierce will feel about it. You know, he and I always clicked pretty well whenever you and I got together with them.”

  Paige smiled at that one, because even if Pierce did believe Owen, she knew Pierce would never pursue it or mention anything to Camille, not when he and Paige had slept together. He wouldn’t want to bring up anything that might lead Camille to think anything about him and her sister. Still, Paige didn’t want Owen telling anyone anything and said, “How much do I owe you?”

  “At least seven thousand. Maybe more. But seven will certainly make me forget I ever saw that picture of yours.”

  Paige hated this and regretted ever dating Owen. Worse, he didn’t even have tangible proof, yet he was demanding the kind of money she didn’t have. At the most, she had fifteen hundred dollars in a money market account and maybe another two thousand dollars she could scrape together through credit card cash advances, but that was it.

  “So, can I pick up my hush money this afternoon?” he asked, once he realized she hadn’t responded.

  “All I have right now is thirty-five hundred, so you’ll have to wait another month or so for the other half.”

  “Not good enough.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I want it all.”

  “But I don’t have it, Owen.”

  “Then you leave me no choice.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because you’re no good, Paige. You used me, and when you were finished you tossed me aside like some stray animal. And I’m not letting you get away with it. So, again, I want my seven thousand dollars or else.”

  “Owen, I’m really sorry for the way I treated you, and you’re right,” she said, trying a different approach. “I never should have taken advantage of your generosity, and I was very wrong for that. But right now I don’t have the total amount you’re asking for.”

  “That’s really too bad. But for the last time, I want all or nothing.”

  Paige didn’t know what else to say, and since she couldn’t magically produce thousands of dollars, she would just have to deal with the consequences. It would be his word against hers, anyway, so how much damage could he really do?

  “I’m sorry you feel the need to blackmail me, but hey, you do what you have to do. Although I must say, Owen, I really thought you were better than this. I thought you were a good man.”

  “See, but that’s just it. I am a good man. A good man who’s tired of women like you who think they can treat people any way they want and then move on to their next victim. This isn’t the first time a woman has done this kind of thing to me, but with you, I finally decided to do something about it.”

  “Like I said, I’m really sorry.”

  “I’m sure you are, but as my friends and I used to say when we were kids, ‘Sorry didn’t do it, you did.’”

  Paige closed her eyes, praying Owen was only bluffing, but somehow she knew he wasn’t. She could tell he was dead serious and realized maybe this new idea that had just popped into her head might buy her some time.

  “Can you give me until the middle of next week?”

  “Why?”

  “I’m going to apply for a bank loan.”

  “From who?” Owen said, cracking up. “Your brother-in-law?”

  “No, but can you wait just a few more days?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “I hope you will.”

  “Okay, fine. I’ll give you until Wednesday and not a day longer.”

  Paige breathed easier and hoped that when Wednesday arrived she’d have figured out another way to secure even more time, since there was no way anyone, not even Pierce, would give her a no-collateral personal loan. Her credit was shot, and it wouldn’t even behoove her to fill out an application, let alone expect anyone to approve it. So the best she could do was hold Owen off for as long as possible, or at least until her relationship with Pierce was solid. She would say or do whatever she had to for the time being, because she didn’t have a choice.

  Chapter 27

  With the exception of a few minutes here and there, Paige literally hadn’t slept a wink. Not last night or the night before, and she was deliriously exhausted. She also hadn’t eaten in three whole days, had only spoken to Karla for a few minutes on Saturday—claiming she had an extremely busy weekend schedule and would call her early this week—and the only reason she’d forced herself to drink water was because she didn’t want to become dehydrated. She’d read a long time ago that the human body could survive for a while without food but not much more than three days without water, and for some reason she’d never forgotten that.

  Today, though, it was early Monday morning, and she couldn’t dial Pierce’s work number fast enough.

  “Pierce Montgomery’s office,” his assistant said. “Eleanor speaking.”

  “Hi Eleanor. Is he in?”

  “Sure, may I tell him who’s calling?”

  “Yes, please let him know it’s his sister-in-law.”

  “No problem.”

  Paige waited a few seconds, and then Eleanor said, “I’ll put you right through.”

  “Thank you,” she said, and there was a short silence.

  “This is Pierce speaking.”

  “Hey, how are you?” she asked.

  “I’m good. You?”

  “Not so well.”

  Pierce said nothing else, and it sounded as though he was handling papers in the background.

  “Look, Pierce. It’s been five days since we last talked, so why haven’t you called me?”

  “There was no reason to.”

  “Not even after we shared such a special time together? Not even after I poured my heart out to you the way I did?”

  “Paige, you’re really trying my patience, but I’m going to explain this to you once and for all. What happened in Vegas will always stay in Vegas because it never should have happened in the first place. You and I did a terrible thing, but we have to go on w
ith our lives. You with whomever and me with my wife.”

  Paige’s heart pounded against her chest. “Pierce, please don’t cut me off like this. Please don’t stay with Camille when you know she can’t be trusted. She’s only going to hurt you again and again and again.”

  “She and I have hurt each other. But that’s all in the past.”

  Paige heard her call waiting signal, looked at the screen, and saw that it was Camille. She wanted to kill that heifer. Her sister was still coming out on top and getting everything she wanted, and Paige hated her for it.

  “How can you pretend that Camille hasn’t done anything, Pierce?” she asked, ignoring the incoming call. “How could you forgive her?”

  “Because she’s my wife, and I love her. But that’s all beside the point, Paige, and the bottom line is this: I don’t owe you or anyone else any explanations when it comes to my marriage.”

  “Pierce, please listen to me.”

  “No, I’ve heard more than enough from you, and after today, I don’t want you calling my office or cell numbers again.”

  Paige’s eyes filled with water and soon massive tears slid down her face.

  “Did you hear me, Paige?” he asked sternly.

  “Pierce . . . I’ll . . . do . . . anything . . . ​but . . . ​please . . . ​don’t . . . ​end . . . ​​things . . . ​between . . . us. Baby, I love you so much, and you’re all I have.”

  “Goodbye, Paige.”

  “But—” she tried saying. However, he was already gone and Paige was devastated.

  She’d thought for sure that once he heard her voice, he would think about their intimate rendezvous at The Palazzo and would want to see her again. But for the first time since he’d initially begun trying to tell her he loved Camille and not her, she believed him. When he’d said their being together had been a mistake, she now knew he meant it. Worse, only minutes ago when he’d told her he didn’t want her calling him again, she’d known he was serious. But none of what was happening made any sense, and she wondered why God was punishing her—why He was making things so incredibly hard for her when it came to getting what she wanted. Why was He allowing Camille to triumph yet again? Why would He do this after all the years Camille had been blessed with everything, while Paige continued having nothing and no one to love her?