“Have you lost your mind?” Leah stared at Rhett, shaking her head in disbelief at his behavior as she struggled to free herself from his grasp again. “You need to calm down and stop this caveman attitude right now!”
“She’s right, Rhett, you’re acting completely out of line.” Alex’s voice remained calm but he was astonished by his friend’s behavior. It was not the way a Master acted, or a gentleman, he thought. A Master was not supposed to act like a bully, which was what Rhett was doing at that moment. Moving between them, Alex pulled Leah away from his friend and held out a hand to keep Rhett from grabbing her again. Until his friend had his emotions under control he thought it was a good idea for the two of them to remain apart.
Rhett knew he was being irrational and he fought to stem the anger that demanded he take his woman and drag her inside. “Leah, we need to talk.” His voice was calmer, but only fractionally as he fought his emotions.
“I don’t want to talk to you right now.” Leah knew if she spoke with him in anger she would say things she would end up regretting, and she was determined not to do that. “I’m going to take a drive and try to remember why I agreed to married to you.”
She couldn’t have calmed him down quicker if she had knocked him unconscious. All the fight left him in an instant as he realized he might just lose her if he didn’t get himself under control. “You shouldn’t drive when you’re angry,” he told her, his voice filled with concern. What the fuck was wrong with him, he wondered, he wasn’t the asshole he became when she defied him or did something to upset him.
“Rhett’s right, Leah, I’ll take you to get something to eat and then we’ll come back after everyone has had some time to calm down.” It made sense to Alex, separating the two of them before they could say or do anything that would be unforgiveable. He could only hope that his friend would quickly realize how much of an ass he was acting like and do something about it.
The idea of her driving off with Alex again did not sit well with Rhett, but he knew what his friend had said made sense, and if he voiced what he was thinking it would only make things worse. “That sounds reasonable.” He forced himself to speak calmly, though in his mind he was imagining beating the shit out of Alex.
Leah walked back to the car and slid into the passenger’s seat, trembling in anger. She loved Rhett, but if this was how he was going to react to the slightest little thing, she wasn’t sure she could live with it, with him. Fighting back tears she found herself wondering if Janie had been right.
Not sure what to say to the young woman in the passenger’s seat, Alex slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine and quickly shifted into gear. Within moments they were out of the grounds and on the road, which seemed to be some sort of trigger for Leah for she burst into tears almost the second they passed beyond the gates.
“Everything is going to be fine, Leah,” Alex said, knowing he had to do something, though even to his ears his words sounded lame. He simply didn’t know her well enough to have the slightest clue what would work to calm her down. “Maybe we should go back,” he suggested uncertainly.
“I can’t.” Leah attempted to calm down. “I just think maybe I was wrong to believe this could work.” She hated saying the words, but Rhett was proving he still had some major issues that needed to be dealt with. “I don’t have anywhere else to go though.” The tears started again and she found herself wondering how the hell she had managed to get herself into the mess she found herself in right then. No best friend and things were a mess with her fiancé.
Silent, Alex thought long and hard about the situation he had managed to find himself in the middle of. “You’re going to come stay with me until you’ve decided what you want to do.” Even as he said the words he found himself hoping he wasn’t getting in over his head. He’d just met Leah, while Rhett had been his friend for most of his life, he didn’t want to do anything that would alienate his friend, but felt he had to do what his instincts told him to.
She wanted to refuse, it didn’t seem right for her to stay with him when she barely knew him, but she couldn’t go back to Janie’s condo. That left her with few choices, and none of them were all that great; sleep on the streets, go back to Mississippi, or accept his offer. “Thank you.” She couldn’t manage to force any other words through her lips, and again she made herself a promise that when she got out of the mess she was in she would never again depend on anyone.
The drive to his hotel passed in silence. Leah was too humiliated at having to accept the hospitality of a virtual stranger, not that she wasn’t appreciative of his generosity, to say anything. Alex on the other hand was wondering what it was about the young woman next to him that made people react the way they did. His friend had proposed after knowing her for just a couple of weeks, and in the space of a day he had both offered her a job and a place to stay.
Still in silence the two of them rode the lift up to the penthouse suite Alex was using, where Leah was pleased to see that there were three bedrooms, alleviating at least one of her concerns.
Realizing that Leah was probably as uncomfortable with the situation as he was, Alex decided to give her a little space. “I’m going to drive over and pick up your car, one of the servants can follow me back in mine.” Her smile of appreciation, barely more than a twitch of the lips, was enough to cause an unexpected skip in his heart, forcing him to remember that she was another man’s fiancé, not someone he could take in his arms to comfort.
Leah was grateful he was willing to put himself out to get her car, especially since it meant she would have a bit of time to herself, to think and reflect on everything. She would have to speak to Janie in the morning, she knew, if only so she could collect her clothes; she certainly couldn’t take everything she had at the condo while she was sharing Alex’s hotel suite.
Thinking about her clothes reminded her that she didn’t any nightclothes with her, she didn’t care just then though, she was prepared to sleep in what she had on, or nothing, if necessary.
Her life was a catastrophe, she thought with a bitter sigh as she kicked off her heels. Her heart ached at the thought of losing Rhett, but balked at the idea of living with a man who couldn’t control his temper, and who flew off the deep end at the slightest thing.
She couldn’t cry anymore, she simply didn’t have the tears; that was something, she thought, though she wasn’t sure whether it was good or bad that she seemed to have cried herself dry. On the plus side, it did leave her able to think more clearly, and clear-headed thinking was what she needed just then because the things she had to decide could affect her life for a long time to come.
Everything had moved too fast, she knew that now. No matter what she felt for Rhett, accepting a proposal of marriage after knowing him for barely a fortnight wasn’t sensible; not when they couldn’t even be engaged for two days without having an argument.
It didn’t make her heart ache any less to realize that, but it did make her appreciate that she needed to spend more time considering such important decisions in the future. Her resolution firmly in place, Leah fell back onto the couch in the living area of the suite, where she rested her back and closed her eyes while she contemplated her next move.
When she was calmer, and he the same, she and Rhett would sit down and discuss the situation; she would explain that rushing into things had been a mistake and they should slow things down. She could only hope he would understand.
It was time she built a life for herself. She wasn’t a child anymore; she couldn’t keep jumping from one situation to another, reacting without much in the way of thought. She needed to sort herself out. She had a job, that was a start, earning her own money gave her financial freedom; the next thing she needed was a place of her own, somewhere that was hers. With an apartment of her own she wouldn’t have to worry about finding herself staying in a virtual stranger’s hotel suite again in the future because she’d argued with her best friend and her fiancé within the space of two days.
&nb
sp; 4
LEARNING THE PAST
Prepared for a confrontation, Alex brought his car to a stop in front of his friend’s mansion and got out. He wasn’t looking forward to explaining to Rhett that he was there to pick up Leah’s car, and that she was going to be staying at his hotel suite. He hoped his friend was in a better frame of mind than he had been earlier, but even if he was, Alex was sure the news would set him off again.
He had seen his friend’s anger before, mostly when he was younger, before he learned to control himself and his life, but never had it been directed at him. They had disagreed, it was a rare friendship that survived the test of time without disagreements, but not once had they reached the point of coming to blows. He fervently wished that wasn’t about to change.
As he made his way up the steps to the front door, Alex reminded himself that the best thing he could do was remain calm. No matter what Rhett did or said, he had to stay calm and not react unnecessarily. He wasn't a violent man, and he hoped their situation didn’t come to that, especially since he wasn’t entirely certain which of them would come out best in a fight.
One thing he was certain of, if it did come to blows, as he knew Rhett had been on the verge of before, it wouldn’t manner who won the physical confrontation, they would both lose in the long run. Their friendship would almost certainly be over if things between them became violent.
Alex was a little surprised when Rhett answered the door himself. “Where is she?” his friend demanded as he held the door wide for Alex to enter.
“She’s back at my hotel suite, where she is going to stay for the time being; and before you go blowing your fuse again,” Alex quickly held up a hand to forestall his friend, seeing the dark look that came into his eyes, “I have no intention of being anything other than a friend to your fiancé.
“Jesus, Rhett! What the hell has happened to you?” Alex asked as he stepped past him and into the reception hall. “I haven’t seen you acting like this since we were kids.”
Shutting the door, Rhett ran a big hand through his hair. He didn’t doubt his friend’s words, his voice was as sincere as always; if there was one thing he was certain hadn’t changed, despite the years that had passed since they’d seen each other, it was that Alex was still a painfully honest person.
“I don’t know, Alex, I just don’t know,” Rhett told his friend with a heavy sigh. As he spoke he led the way to his study, where he sank into a leather armchair. “I honestly have no fucking clue why I overreact with her, I really don’t. You know me; I’ve been in control of myself since college, but since I met Leah, it’s like I’m a bomb, waiting to explode at the slightest trigger.” He hated who he had become. He’d worked hard to put his problems with anger behind him, and thought he had succeeded, decades before.
“I appreciate that you have deep feelings for her, Rhett, but what you’re doing now isn’t love, it’s bordering on abuse. You do understand that, don’t you?” In his opinion, if his friend couldn’t control his temper around Leah he needed to stay away from her until he could. “I think it would be good for the two of you to have some space while you deal with whatever is making you react the way you have been.”
The thought of being without Leah terrified Rhett. His mother’s sudden death when he was a young boy, coupled with his father retreating into himself and almost completely shutting him out of his life, had left him scarred emotionally. Because of his childhood experiences he had never allowed himself to get close to women emotionally, for fear that they would leave him, just as his mother had left him.
Now, as an adult, he knew his mother hadn’t left him on purpose, but he still feared rejection, in any form. That fear of rejection had led him to a life of control, where he was in charge of everything around him, in all aspects of his life, so that he could never again be hurt. Except that was no longer working, Leah was filled with a defiance and an independent spirit that led her to do things that challenged his control, and he couldn’t cope with that.
“Look, it’s not permanent,” Alex told his friend. “You guys can talk after you’ve both had some time to cool down and have given some thought to how to fix things. Have you considered going to counseling?” he asked, hoping his friend wasn’t going to overreact, like he had in the past when the subject had been brought up.
He was one of the few people that knew the story behind Rhett’s need to be in charge of everything, and knew it was something that could only be fully resolved with professional help. He had always been cautious with the subject before tonight, having seen Rhett’s reaction when others had broached it.
Rhett was silent for a short while. “I’ve thought about it before now,” he admitted, though he wasn’t prepared to say that the one thing had stopped him was the thought of being considered weak for visiting a psychiatrist. “But it never seemed a major issue. I haven’t had anger issues since college; when we got into his lifestyle, it seemed to be what I needed to keep me under control, but now…
“If I can’t control myself anymore, perhaps I should.” He didn’t like the thought of seeking professional help; he had always had a low opinion of people who couldn’t deal with their problems. “I don’t want to lose Leah, and I don’t want to hurt her.”
“I’m glad you’re admitting to having a problem, and are at least willing to consider getting help.” Alex was relieved, admitting he had a problem was a huge step for Rhett, he knew, he just hoped his friend would actually do something about it. “Listen, I told Leah I wouldn’t be long, I was just coming here to fetch her car; if you want me to, I’ll come straight back after I’ve told her what is going on and we can talk some more.”
“Thanks, Alex, I appreciate it, but I think I’m just going to take some time tonight and try to get my head together. Tell her I’m sorry, okay?” Alex nodded. “I’ll get her keys and her phone.”
Alex was relieved to see that the man who got to his feet was the man he remembered, calm and level-headed, and he was glad to see him back. “Listen, I offered her a job, that’s what she was doing with me today. We spoke this morning over breakfast, she told me she was looking for an internship and I offered her a place at my firm." With everything going on, the last thing he wanted Rhett to think was that he was making moves on his woman.
“I took her in so she could take a look around and make a decision. I just thought you should know. Nothing was going on, nothing except me offering her a job and her accepting it.”
“I’m sure she was grateful.” Rhett said in a voice that seemed mockingly calm, even to himself. He wasn’t sure how he felt about his Leah working for Alex, but knew if he said anything, then or to Leah, he would most likely wreck everything for good.
As he made his way out of the room to fetch Leah’s things he found himself dwelling on the thought that she might never forgive him. It was a thought he didn’t wish to contemplate, but it wouldn’t leave his mind. If she wasn’t prepared to give him another chance, he didn’t know what he would do.
Always before he had been the one to end things with women; there had always been another to replace them when they had served their purpose and no longer pleased him. He didn’t think he would ever be able to replace Leah if she left him, and he didn’t want to.
He definitely needed help, he realized. Help to come to terms with finally having fallen in love, and help to deal with the feelings of jealousy and anger she aroused in him.
Reaching the bedroom he retrieved the iPhone from the table where Leah had left it. At the same time he grabbed up her purse and her keys. Taking his wallet out, he removed one of his credit cards and slid it into her purse. The thought of her not having the money to pay for whatever she needed, while he couldn’t, bothered him greatly.
He was about to leave the bedroom when he saw the bags and boxes that Delilah had sent over, at his instruction, that morning. The sight reminded him that Leah had little to nothing in the way of clothes, he quickly took out a small suitcase and carefully packed up the c
lothes, absently admiring the selections that Delilah had made on his behalf as he did so.
Alex accepted the case Rhett held out to him, assuming it had everything Leah was likely to need. “Just give her a little time, Rhett, and let me know if you need anything. I’m always here to talk if you need me.”
“Thanks, Alex, look, if she needs anything, just let me know. I don’t want her suffering because of something I did.” He knew she had nowhere to go but his friend’s hotel suite. She had lost her best friend over him, and it occurred to him that he had cost her virtually everything she’d had. The thought of her being hurt because of him made him wonder if she wasn't better off without him in her life.
“You have my word, if she needs anything, I’ll call you. Try not to worry, this will all work out the way it is meant to.” It bothered him on a deep level, seeing Rhett so lacking in confidence, but maybe he thought to himself, this is what he needed to finally heal.
Rhett nodded, though he couldn’t quite bring himself to believe his friend. “Leonard,” he called out for one of his servants. “I need you to follow me as I drop off a car and then drive me back home,” he said once the servant had appeared. Without waiting for a response he crossed the reception hall and left the house.
Alex wasn’t sure it was a great idea for Rhett to drop off Leah’s car at the hotel, but decided to keep his thoughts to himself. As long as Rhett remained calm, and didn’t try and go into the hotel to see Leah, there was no reason for there to be a problem. Getting into his car he led the small procession through the streets of Chicago to his hotel.
When he arrived at the hotel, Rhett followed Alex into the underground parking and stopped the yellow Lamborghini alongside his friend's silver Audi R8. For a few moments he sat there behind the wheel as he contemplated going up to Alex’s suite to talk to Leah, he knew he couldn’t though, as much as he wanted to. If he tried to speak to Leah before they both had a chance to calm down he would only push her further away, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.
Beyond 10 Nights (Forbidden Desires Series) Page 7
