by Krista Lakes
She undid the lock and opened the door. “You have five minutes,” she informed him. “Then you leave or I call the cops.”
“Thank you,” he said, stepping quickly inside.
She slammed the door behind him and crossed her arms. “Four minutes and thirty seconds,” she reminded him. His shoulders slumped.
“Here, I brought you these,” he said, holding out his hands. He had a bouquet of red roses and a large velvet box. She assumed there was some kind of jewelry inside, but she didn’t really care. She kept her arms crossed.
“Four minutes,” she said coldly.
He set the box and the flowers down on the counter and ran his hand through his hair. The soft blond hair stuck up at funny angles.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“You should have led with that.” She tapped her watch.
“I didn’t kiss that woman,” he told her. Her heart squeezed a little, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. “It was a setup. I went out on the balcony to call you and she came to me. I told her I had to leave and she kissed me. I pushed her away, but the picture was already taken. Please, Emma. I didn’t kiss her.”
He looked at her, his beautiful green eyes pleading for her to understand.
And she did understand. She just wasn’t ready to forgive him for this. The fact that he had kept this a secret hurt almost as much as him kissing someone else. It was still a betrayal.
“I believe you,” she told him. Relief flooded his features and he took a step toward her, his arms outstretched. She moved away from him. “But I don’t trust you.”
“What?” A confused hurt filled his face that made her heart ache.
“You didn’t tell me. You didn’t tell me that a strange woman kissed you for no reason.” Her voice felt cold. It hurt to talk after all the crying. “You kept this from me. I can’t help you if you don’t let me in. You don’t trust me.”
“But I do,” he assured her. “Emma, I trust you more than anyone.”
“You have a strange way of showing it,” she remarked. Her chest felt like it was going to explode. She hated seeing him like this, but he had hurt her too badly. If she gave in and let this go, he would walk all over her for the rest of their relationship.
“Emma...”
“I will do whatever the contract requires,” she informed him. “You don’t have to worry about that. I will smile for the cameras, tell them all that I forgive you and it was a simple mistake. I will hold your hand in public and tell everyone what an amazing father you are. I won’t reveal our contract or act out in spite. But I won’t ever trust you again.”
“What do you mean?” His voice caught at the end of the question, implying that he knew what she meant.
“As far as the public is concerned, we are a happy, loving couple.” Her voice shook on the word loving. “But we are done. I can’t trust you and you obviously don’t trust me. It’s not the kiss that did this. It was you.”
“Emma, please don’t do this,” he begged. “Please. I love you.”
“You love me?” Anger flared again. “You tell me that now? You only say it when it gets you something. I don’t believe you.”
“It’s the truth, Emma,” he told her, his eyes shining.
She wanted to believe him. She wanted to have him wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything was fine now. She wanted him to kiss her and make her feel special again.
And she would be fine. Until this happened again. Until he decided not to tell her that someone kissed him. Or worse, that he kissed someone. Given his nature, it was only a matter of time before he grew bored with her.
She didn’t want to go through this a second time. Better to stay firm now and not get hurt by him a second time.
“Your time’s up,” she whispered. “You need to leave now.”
“Emma, please. I love you. Please believe me.” His tone bordered on frantic and it tore at her heart. She held firm.
“Please leave, Jackson,” she said, pointing to the door. “If you need me to do anything, have your secretary contact me. Or Jane. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”
She walked over and opened the door to the apartment, holding it open for him to leave.
He stood in her kitchen for a moment, completely lost.
“What can I do?” he asked. “What can I do to fix this? What do I need to say?”
Emma looked up at him, hardening her heart. “That was something you should have said yesterday. Today is too late. You’re too late.”
He closed his eyes and nodded. His steps from the apartment were slow and measured, as if he were forcing himself to move and using every inch of his willpower to do it. He stepped out into the hallway.
“I’m sorry, Emma.”
She couldn’t think of another time she’d ever heard him apologize. He was the billionaire CEO of one of the biggest corporations in the US. He didn’t have to apologize to anyone, but he was apologizing to her.
She didn’t care. It was too little too late.
She closed the door and walked away.
Chapter 34
Jackson
* * *
Jackson went back up to his apartment, got in the shower, and cried.
He hadn’t cried since he was five years old and his pet turtle died. He hadn’t cried like this when his parents died. He didn’t know that it was possible for a grown man to feel this much hurt inside.
He had screwed up. Big time.
Why hadn’t he just told her? He could have come home from the party and told her then. He could have mentioned it the next day. It would have been so easy.
He wanted to say it was to protect her. He wanted to believe it was because he was keeping her calm for the baby.
But that was a lie.
He was doing it to protect himself. He was afraid she would leave him. That she wouldn’t smile up at him like he was the best thing in the world. That she wouldn’t tease him or make him laugh because she would finally see his true nature.
And he had made it a self-fulfilling prophecy. By not telling her, he had ruined things. He had broken their trust.
He should have told her loved her the moment he knew. She deserved love. He didn’t need to wait and make a spectacle out of it. Their whole lives were a spectacle. Their love didn’t need to be.
But, he had waited to make himself look better. He had kept the kiss to himself to make himself look better.
It had only made him look worse.
A slow resolve started to form, deep in his core. It took hold, growing like a chain of iron, link by link until he was full of strength.
He would prove himself. He would win her back. He would show her that he was the kind of man she deserved.
He would make this right.
He turned off the water and got to work.
“You must be the luckiest son of a bitch I’ve ever met,” Jane said, walking into his office the next day.
He’d spent the night trying to think of a way to make things right with Emma. He hadn’t come up with anything that felt right, so now he was out of ideas, exhausted, and cranky.
“What do you want, Jane?” Jackson snapped at his PR adviser. She really needed to learn how to knock and not just waltz into his office.
“Is that any way to speak to the woman about to save your company and possibly even your relationship?” Jane asked, crossing her arms. A cocky smile crossed her lips.
“If you can do that, then I’ll change my tone,” he replied. He wanted another cup of coffee, but coffee always made him think of Emma.
Jane grinned. “Then change your tone and smile, Jackson. I’ve got your saving grace.”
“Spit it out,” he said, not changing his sharp tone. “Nobody likes a tease.”
Jane put a thumb drive on his desk.
“Let me just turn into a computer and magically read what’s on that,” Jackson said, looking at the drive. He didn’t bother to pick it up.
“Well, aren
’t you in a pleasant mood,” Jane commented. She sat down on her favorite chair and grinned. “It’s you obviously pushing the girl away. In video.”
Jackson’s breath caught. “How? I thought the club’s security cameras were off. You said Max was thorough this time.”
“He was. I’m just better than he is,” she replied casually. “That’s why you hired me.”
Jackson picked up the small silver thumb drive, hope forming for the first time in days. “Where did you get it?”
Jane grinned. “The dock holds some of the most expensive yachts in the world. You don’t think they have their own security cameras?”
Jackson looked up at her.
“I deserve a bonus for this by the way. I had to contact fifty yacht owners, convince them to let me look at their security footage that wasn’t mysteriously missing, and then go through all of it.” She pointed to the thumb drive. “I haven’t slept, and all so I could get you that little one minute and twenty-three seconds of tape.”
“I could kiss you,” Jackson said, feeling a smile cross his face.
“Please don’t. That’s how we got into this mess,” Jane teased. She sighed. “And just so you know, you now owe the CEO of some publishing company a large favor.”
He held the thumb drive in his palm, knowing that at least his public approval could be gained back by what was on it. “Worth it. How did Max not find it?”
“It wasn’t a yacht. It was a little sailboat off to the side that got put in the yacht dock area because they overbooked. I had to look at the dock records to find it. But mostly, it’s because I don’t forget the little guy like he does. Max must not have thought the guy was important.”
“Whatever your publishing guy wants, it’s his. And you. You want a summer house in Paris? An island? It’s yours.”
“I like the way you think,” Jane replied with a laugh. “Just a bonus is enough. And, I want a photo of Max’s face at the press conference where you show the world this.”
“I’ll hire a photographer and have it put on an eight-by-ten canvas for your wall,” he promised.
Jane’s nose crinkled in disgust. “Ugh, no. I mean, it’s going to be an amazing look for him, but I don’t want to see his face in any shape on my wall.”
Jackson nodded. “Press conference is what time?”
“Two o’clock, downstairs,” Jane replied. “I have a speech written out for you. You’ll say how hurt you are by these accusations and that you would never, ever do this willingly to Emma.” Jane paused and looked at him. “If you can have Emma there, that would be helpful.”
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “She’ll do it if you call her,” he said. “She isn’t speaking to me right now.”
“She knows it was fake, right?” Jane asked. “Why is she angry?”
“Because I didn’t tell her it happened in the first place. She found out when everybody else did,” he explained. “She’s not mad about the kiss. She’s mad that I kept it from her. And she’s got every right to be.”
“Oh, Jackson.” Jane shook her head. “That was stupid.”
“No kidding,” he agreed. The hopeful feeling left his chest. Without Emma in his life, nothing felt worth it. “I was trying to protect her and it backfired.”
“She doesn’t have to be at the press conference,” Jane said gently. “It’s really more about you, anyway. I can make the optics of it work.”
Jackson looked down at the thumb drive sitting on his desk. There was a solution here. He could feel it. There was a way to make this better. It was going to cost him some pride, but Emma was worth anything.
“I want to add some things to the speech.” Jackson looked up at Jane. “And I’d like you to make sure she’s there. I need her there.”
“Oh. You’re going to go down the full honesty path, huh?” Jane thought for a second then nodded. “It’s risky, but it could work out well for the company.” She looked at him. “If what you’re thinking of doing doesn’t work, you know it will ruin everything, right? If she doesn’t take you back, I can’t repair the damage. There’s no way you can keep the image you need.”
Jackson nodded. “I’m willing to risk it. For her.”
Jane sighed. “You really do love her, don’t you?”
“With everything I’ve got,” he replied, his voice firm. “So you’ll help?”
“Yeah. I’m a sucker for a good love story,” Jane replied with a laugh. “It’s a good thing I like you. And her. Otherwise, the risk of you destroying all my hard work again would be too much.”
She got up and turned to leave the office.
“Don’t you need this?” Jackson asked, holding out the thumb-drive
“You think that’s the only copy?” Jane scoffed. “I have that sucker uploaded on three cloud devices. I’ve worked too hard to let you screw everything up.”
Jackson chuckled. “Thank you, Jane.”
“Let’s just hope she forgives you,” she replied. “Or it won’t matter how many cloud devices I have.”
Chapter 35
Emma
* * *
Emma stood off the side of the small area Jane had designated as “the stage,” hiding in a shadowy corner. There were several cameras already set up and several reporters checking their mics and making sure the lighting was good.
She just wanted to go home. The last thing Emma had wanted to do today was put on a pretty dress, do her hair and makeup, and come down to Jackson’s office. Especially since he was the last person in the world she wanted to see.
But, Jane had invoked the contract. Emma had to be here.
Emma fussed with her necklace, making sure to stay out of sight of the reporters. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but since her contract required it, she was here. She had a feeling Jackson was going to come out, address the picture as a fake, and have her stand next to him and smile.
She would do it, too. As a woman, she was well-versed in giving fake smiles. She could pretend that this didn’t hurt her down to the core of her soul. She would smile and wave and no one would know that her heart was breaking.
“You look perfect,” Jane said, coming up from the side. Jane wore a smart gray pantsuit that flattered her lean figure and matched her hair. She wore a headset and had a tablet and phone in each hand.
“Thank you,” Emma said politely. “Where do you need me?”
“For right now, over here is perfect,” Jane replied. She scrolled through something on the tablet. “Jackson will be out in just a moment and then I’ll have you get into place.”
“Do you need me to stand on the stage?” Emma asked. She set her shoulders. She could do this.
“No, that’s not necessary,” Jane told her. “I actually want the cameras to focus on Jackson for the most part.”
“Really?” Emma was surprised. She was sure Jane would want the loving fiancée standing faithfully next to the accused.
Jane looked up from the tablet. “Yes.”
Emma waited for more, but Jane just went back to her tablet.
“Okay, then.” Emma rocked back on her heels and waited. Jane gave her a polite smile, and then went to yell at a photographer that was crossing some boundary for the cameras.
“Emma? This way please,” Jane called to her after a moment. Emma hurried to the older woman’s side as they walked away from the stage.
“Where are we going?” Emma asked. This wasn’t what she was expecting at all.
“I’d like you to sit here please,” Jane instructed, motioning to a chair marked with a “Reserved” sign. It was well behind the camera line and far away from the stage. She wasn’t going to be on camera at all sitting back here.
“Sure.” Emma took her seat and carefully folded her hands in her lap.
Well, this was a waste of makeup, she thought to herself. Why am I even here?
A photographer turned and snapped her picture. Emma just shrugged. Maybe the makeup wasn’t a complete waste.
The
re was a bustle of activity from the cameras just before Jackson walked out on stage. Even though she was still angry and hurt by him, he took her breath away.
He stood tall in a dark blue suit and a rich burgundy tie. The coloring brought out the green of his eyes and the soft golds in his hair. He looked like a modern day prince.
Walking confidently up to the microphone, there was no way to tell that he wasn’t in complete control. Only Emma saw the hunch in his shoulders, the tightness in his jaw, and the guarded smile. He was nervous.
For good reason, she thought. If the local gossips were to be believed, all security footage from the yacht club had mysteriously gone missing. Many of the docked yachts had their cameras turned the wrong way, or even off for the evening. There was no one to refute his story that the kiss wasn’t consensual.
He was about to stand in front of a bunch of reporters and tell them that although he had no proof that he hadn’t done this thing. She wondered again why she wasn’t up on the stage with him, or at least closer to the stage.
Jackson’s eyes scanned the crowd, coming to rest on her. She felt the familiar shiver of desire when he looked at her, even from across the room. When he looked at her like that, she was the only person in the entire world. She was the only living creature that mattered.
His mouth twitched like he wanted to smile at her. She raised her hand and tried to appear like this wasn’t breaking her heart. If anyone was looking, they would think she was here for moral support and that nothing was wrong.
“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen for joining me today. First, I’d like to address the vicious rumors going around that I am involved with a woman other than my fiancée. I want to state expressly that this is a bald-faced lie.” He paused and smiled around the room. “And I have proof.”
Emma couldn’t help but gasp. So did several reporters.
