Perfectly Lonely: (Let Me In, Book 2)

by Marin, Jessica

  It has been almost five years since she had been back to Las Vegas.

  She was last here with her best friend, Jenna.

  She hated this club as it reminds her of the heartache Jenna has endured since being here.

  The heartache that Cal Harrington has caused Jenna.

  She took breaks in between her story and I continued to occupy her with more liquid courage. She was getting drunk, not noticing that I switched my drinks to water in order to keep my mind clear. She wanted to dance and I appeased her to get her to feel comfortable with me, to trust me. It was there that she completely turned the tables on me and almost made me forget my new found purpose. My body came to life as she rubbed herself all over me as we moved to the rhythm of the music. Her hands made their way to my ass as she grabbed on, placing herself right against my dick, which was aching to be released from the confines of my pants. I grabbed her face, brought my lips down to hers and soon forgot who and where I was.

  She tasted better than I could have ever imagined.

  I wanted more.

  I needed more.

  I had to have more.

  Less than thirty minutes later, we were in her hotel room, fucking on the floor as our need for each other couldn’t wait for any bed. It was the breaks in between our sex sessions that I found out why she hated Cal Harrington so much:

  She hates this hotel as this was where Jenna spent a week with Cal.

  It was in that week that Jenna got pregnant with Cal’s baby.

  A baby that Jenna was told he didn’t want and didn’t plan on supporting.

  As night turned into early morning, sleep was the last thing on my agenda as my excitement grew from the impact that this story might have in store for me. Once Layla was asleep, I reached for my phone and started researching Jenna. Google confirmed that she was in Las Vegas as the opening speaker for a women’s entrepreneurial conference during the exact dates that Cal Harrington was reportedly seen around town in preparation for the movie he was shooting at the time. I needed to leave and start getting more facts to work on this story. Time was of the essence and unfortunately, my time did not include Layla. I left her a note before sneaking out of the hotel room, thanking her for the best sex of my life (which it was) and for the story that was going to make me a lot of.

  Yes, I’m an asshole.

  But desperate times call for desperate measures and I was desperate.

  I went straight to the airport and grabbed the first flight to Chicago that morning. I needed to see Jenna and her child for myself. The online white pages directory provided me her address and as soon as I landed, I went straight there and planted myself outside her building until I saw her. I saved her image from the bio on her website and read up on her while I waited. I wasn’t surprised that Cal Harrington would have been interested in her. Besides being a successful business woman, she was also beautiful. I couldn’t help but wonder why she hasn’t gone public with the story yet. According to my research, she was dating a hockey player, but Cal Harrington was worth more money than any successful hockey player. Why would she not reap the benefits of going public of how he won’t support his own child?

  My luck continued as I didn’t have to wait long to spot her. I followed her from her apartment as she walked to her destination, which to my excitement, was a pre-school. I positioned myself far enough away so she couldn’t see me, but at an angle where I would get the best shot of her when she walked out. I feverishly pressed the shutter button as she came back out holding a child. I watched through the lens as she put the child down, grabbed her hand, and started walking toward me.

  I took as many photos as I could get of them before they rounded the corner, their backs now retreating away from me. I held my breath as I looked through the images I captured on the screen of my camera and zoomed in on one of the photos of the child’s face.

  A face that clearly resembled Cal Harrington.

  She was a beautiful child, with long brown hair, blue eyes, and a gorgeous little smile. I stared at her image, my heart pounding in my chest as realization started to set in that Layla was telling the truth.

  JACKPOT!

  I reserved a room at the closest hotel to Jenna’s apartment, willing to pay the exuberant expense of hotels in downtown Chicago. I ordered room service and started writing down the tale of how once upon a time, a divorced business woman from Chicago met a famous actor on a flight to Las Vegas, got pregnant with his kid, and the douchebag wanted nothing to do with either of them. Gossip magazines and news outlets all around the world will eat this story up as golden boy Cal Harrington is not quite the British Gentlemen his reputation perceives him to be. Once I wrote out everything I had learned from Layla and my research, I picked up the phone and pitched my story to every major gossip news outlet in New York, Los Angeles and London. After accepting the highest bid offered to me, I hit the send button with zero hesitation and no regrets.

  Two weeks later, I was drowning in regret.

  Because within those two weeks, I met a woman who was barely holding herself, and her life, together from the revelation of a story that was not mine to tell.

  That woman was a single mother who was working her ass off to make a life for her and her child, while running a successful business.

  That woman was a human being who just wanted privacy and didn’t want the whole world to know who her child’s famous father was.

  That woman didn’t want or need a reminder of the hurt from the rejection of a past lover.

  That woman was now prey to the swarm of vultures in the form of paparazzi who wanted a piece of her and her child’s life.

  When Jenna discovered me following her for the first time, I was stunned by her fear and anger toward me, despite her not even knowing I was the whistleblower. She hated me for what I was, what I represented, and how I was the reminder of what her future of now being in the spotlight was going to be. And it was after that day, I realized what I had done.

  I irrevocably changed her life.

  And at the time, it was not for the good, but for the bad.

  And then, at one point, for the worse.

  Her disgust toward me made me feel like the piece of shit I was. As the consequences of my actions started to rear its ugly head, I vowed to make a wrong situation right by trying to protect her and Avery. I warned her about the paparazzi that were going to say vile things to her, to get a reaction from her, especially the notorious Danny Salari. I followed her every move from a distance and when she was safe in the confines of her apartment, I followed Danny and the other paparazzi to hear what their next moves for her were. With my loyalty toward Jenna growing each day, my disgust for Cal Harrington, and the notion of him not wanting to be part of his daughter’s life, grew to the point that when he finally arrived in town to meet his daughter, I confronted him on what on despicable human being I thought he was.

  Imagine my surprise to find out that he was actually a victim in this narrative.

  With this new found knowledge, I agreed to his offer to pay me to watch over Jenna. He needed to know where she was at all times for her safety, especially since unbeknownst to her, a death threat was made against her and Avery. From her viewpoint, I was just another wolf in the pack of paparazzi, but in reality, I was now supplying Cal with information on her whereabouts without her knowing. It made me feel better that I now had a purpose of good, especially when her opinion of me started to soften each and every time I came to her rescue from the “evil” paparazzi. I started to believe that I could redeem myself from bringing all the chaos into her life by protecting her. I believed the lies that I told myself every morning I got out of bed to follow her.

  Because in reality, she and Cal Harrington still had no idea that I was the one that made the pact with the devil.

  I kept this charade up by avoiding Layla at all costs, despite my longing to talk and apologize to her. When I wasn’t following Jenna and the other paparazzi, I would try to follow Layla when she was in tow
n. It angered me to see her get drunk and throw herself at men. I read about her husband’s death when I researched her and it made her actions understandable. She was still in pain and I wish there was some way I could take it all away from her. I knew this couldn’t be the normal behavior of someone Jenna would call her best friend as Jenna seemed to be the polar opposite, behavioral wise, than Layla. I wanted to save her from herself and reassure her that she didn’t need to be doing what she was doing. I had no idea if Layla would even remember me from that night. I hoped she did, but I couldn’t risk her knowing that I was here and revealing to Cal and Jenna that it was me who sold their story. So, I kept myself hidden from her when she was around Jenna. But when I watched them together from afar one night and saw that they were in trouble, I decided that I could no longer keep running from the truth.

  The silver lining in this was that Cal and Jenna got their happily ever after together because of my original actions. They have realized this and forgiven me. I’m even still temporarily employed by Cal to follow Jenna and watch over her — with her knowledge of it this time. The only one who has not forgiven me is Layla. Since she has been practically living with Jenna this past month, I’ve seen her every day, blossoming. She’s becoming healthier, her beautiful smile now an everyday occurrence. A smile that I want to see more of, preferably aimed toward me.

  My time in Chicago may be running out soon and I realize now that my new mission before leaving is redemption.

  Redemption in the eyes of Layla Sands.

  5

  Layla

  “Can we please leave for lunch already?”

  I glance up at Robert as he continues his constant whining about how hungry he is and how he wants us all to take a lunch break. I look over at Jenna in her home office, typing rapidly on her keyboard, and can tell she is nowhere near ready to break for lunch. As soon as Jenna and I got back from our walk, we got ready for our day and decided to work from her home today. Her dining room used to be Robert’s office/conference table, so her apartment is fully equipped with everything one would need from a regular office. Due to her company’s growing success, she decided to rent a small office space downtown that she and Robert, along with two new employees, occupy. As soon as Robert heard that we were working from home, he decided to join us. We have been silently working compatibly these last two hours and I’m pleasantly surprised to see that I have knocked out most of my to-do list from work.

  “Can you wait thirty more minutes, please?” I ask, needing to finish my report from the trip to Los Angeles.

  “You said that thirty minutes ago!” he huffs, slamming his laptop shut.

  “It’s only noon, Robert! Get a snack and calm down.”

  “I would be calm and not so ravenous right now if you bitches would have brought me back a donut. Some ‘work out’ that turned out to be for you!” He air quotes ‘work out’ and looks at me with genuine anger in his eyes. I can’t hide the smirk on my face, relishing in the enjoyment of watching his child-like tantrum. “Furthermore, you’ve lived in this house for a month. You know the snacks that occupy that pantry. It’s all cardboard, crap tasting, healthy shit!”

  I laugh, as he does have a point. Since Cal moved in, Jenna’s selection of snack food went from moderate on the bad for you scale to ridiculously healthy. I can’t help but feel that Avery is missing out on some snacks that should be staples in her childhood.

  “Wait a minute, how do you know we had donuts during our walk today?” I look at Robert with suspicion as it dawns on me that Jenna and I never mentioned our detour today. He returns an evil smirk right back and casually shrugs. I glance over at Mason to see if he has any guilt written all over his face, but like usual, he conveys no emotions. After he took a shower and got dressed, he planted himself on the couch with his laptop and has been there ever since.

  “Don’t look at Mason that way, he wasn’t the one who told me,” Robert says as Mason looks up upon hearing his name.

  “You didn’t tell him we had donuts today?” I question as Mason shakes his head no and goes back to his work. I roll my eyes at his refusal to use any kind of language to communicate. I’ve tried really hard these last six months to get Mason out of his shell, but he sticks to his sole focus of protecting Jenna and Avery and only talks when needed.

  I look back at Robert, wondering if he and Mason communicate via telepathy and have decided to mess with me. “I don’t believe either one of you. Mason was the only person with us.”

  “Au contraire, ma chérie! It’s such a shame how you have quickly forgotten about your sexy, Canadian lover,” he jokes, my mood immediately souring at the mention of Chase Wilson. I have purposely blocked that man from my mind and forgot that he still follows Jenna around, reporting back to Cal her whereabouts and copying Robert on all of his reports. It’s one of my grudges against Cal as I don’t like how he has her followed, despite his claims it’s for her safety. What really stumps me is how he continues to employ Chase, knowing that it was he who revealed the story and has made money off of it. Why would he want that man in their lives still?

  “Please don’t ever mention his name in my presence, especially the part of any kind of relations I had with him,” I demand and look Robert in the eyes for him to see how serious I am.

  “You mean the part where his dick was inside of you?” he asks, raising his eyebrows in mock innocence.

  “Ugh, why do you have to be so crude?” I pick up my pen and sling it at him, hitting him right in the chest. When he yells “ouch," I smile in satisfaction. I honestly don’t remember much of my night with Chase. I remember my reaction to him staring at me. I was shocked that someone that sexy was even interested in me. He looks like he should be gracing the covers of magazines and walking the runways of Paris with his tall, well-toned body, long caramel-colored hair and piercing hazel eyes. I push his sexy image away from my brain as he’s enemy number one in my book, no matter what he looks like.

  “Whatever, hypocrite!” Robert throws the pen right back at me, his aim just missing me as it hits the top of my laptop instead.

  “I can hear the little beasts are out,” Jenna says as she steps out of her office. “Alright, children, let’s break for lunch. I’m going to the restroom and when I return, please have it figured out where we are eating today.” She turns on her heel and heads to the master bathroom.

  “Aye, aye, Mom!” Robert chimes, while saluting her.

  “I don’t understand how she puts up with you two,” Mason mumbles. Robert and I gasp and look at him in shock that he actually spoke. Mason smiles at our reaction, closes his laptop, and stands up to leave with us.

  “He finally speaks!” Robert jokes as he gets up from the table. “C’mon Mason, we all know that we’re your best gig to date.”

  “I wouldn’t say my best gig…definitely the most amusing one so far.”

  I’m about to respond that he wouldn’t know amusing if it bit him in the ass when we hear a key sliding into the front door lock. Our confusion turns into disbelief as the door is flung open and Cal rushes in. He looks disheveled in a wrinkled white t-shirt, running pants and sneakers. He drops his bags and looks around, his blue eyes wild with need as he scans the room.

  “Hello,” he greets us and starts walking forward into the apartment. “Where is...” his voice trails off as he catches sight of Jenna. We turn our heads to see she’s standing right outside her bedroom door, her hand over her heart, mouth open in shock.

  “Is it really you?” she faintly asks as I see her eyes start to water up. “Am I dreaming?”

  “No, darling, I’m really here,” he says, his eyes raking up and down her body as he slowly moves toward her.

  “How? You never told me you were on your way!” she croaks, not being able to hold back her emotions any longer.

  “It was unexpected. One of the crew got hurt, unfortunately. Director told us to take a fortnight off, so I got on the first plane home. I wanted to surprise you.”

 
“What’s a fortnight?” Robert whispers to me.

  “Two weeks,” Mason whispers back before I could answer. Not that I had any idea since I’m not up to speed with British jargon.

  Jenna suddenly catches all of us off guard by crying out and running straight to Cal. He lifts her up and she automatically wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. She buries her face into the crook of his neck, her back shaking from her sobs. I can’t contain my own tears falling down my cheeks as her cries stab at my heart. Seeing my best friend in pain is excruciating, but watching her reaction makes me realize just how deeply in love she is with him.

  “Please don’t cry, darling. I promise you, Jenna, we’re not doing this again. Do you hear me?” He nudges her with his chin to get her to look at him. “We’re not going to be apart for this long ever again. Okay?” He brushes away her tears with the pad of his thumb, wraps his hand around the back of her neck and crushes his lips to hers. Jenna tries to kiss him back, but she’s so overcome with emotion that she resumes hiding her face in his neck again.

  “Do you guys mind giving us some privacy?” Cal asks as he carries her into their bedroom and kicks the door shut. The three of us look at each other, grab our belongings, and head to the front door in silence.

  “Well, we know what Jenna is having for lunch today,” Robert quietly says, as he closes and locks the front door. I cover my mouth to stifle my giggle while Mason shakes his head in disgust as we head to the elevators for our now extended lunch break.