"And what are you going to say?" I asked.
He shrugged again. "I don't know. Something vague."
"That's not reassuring, Asher. They have pictures of me. You're in the pictures, too. They've got videos. They..."
Asher glared at the nurse, ignoring my concerns.
"They," he said to her, his voice harsh and unforgiving, "have nothing. You understand this, don't you?"
He directed his question to the nurse, not me. The poor woman gulped hard and nodded.
"Nothing is confirmed yet," he said, more agreeably. "While the likeness is there, we'll have to talk about this more later. There are repercussions either way, and we need to figure out which ones we'd rather deal with."
"Um... I really have no idea what you mean," I said. "Can you explain that in plain English?"
"This goes for everything, not just what's going on now," he said, specifying more for the nurse than for me. "If we deny that the images and video clips are us, then it's likely someone will post them all over the internet and sell them as one of those fake celebrity sex tapes. We can deny it, and with some legal proceedings technically no one could say it's us after that, but there will always be a little wink wink nudge nudge going on behind the scenes, as if to say that they can't say it's us, but it definitely looks like it, doesn't it?"
"Well we can stop them if we don't deny it, can't we? It's private and personal. They can't do that."
"Yes," he said. "Theoretically we could do that."
Right then, after Asher kept glaring at her and practically sneering and baring his teeth, the nurse decided to take him up on his previous offer and went to wait in the room's bathroom. Asher really wasn't that mean, I didn't think, but he did look more than a little off putting when it came to her.
"We can get them to remove everything and claim privacy, copyright infringement, or whatever else," he said. "I took the pictures and I shot the video, plus neither of us signed model release forms, so everything they're doing is illegal, but that's the point of it. If we deny it's us, then it suddenly becomes vaguely legal because no one's going to press charges against them. If we press charges against them, suddenly the world knows there's a sex tape and pictures of us out there. As hard as we try, they're going to get leaked to the public, too. And almost without a doubt it'll be intentional, but it'll be extremely difficult to prove that and possibly impossible to prove who did it. Then, not only will everyone know it's a real sex tape and naked pictures because we're filing suit against these places, but if people really want to they'll probably be able to find everything online."
"So we can't win?" I said. I hurt and I wanted to punch something because of it. I wanted to pick up one of the pillows next to me and squeeze it hard in my hands, then throw it at the wall, grab another one, and cry into it. "We just can't? Whatever happens we... I'll be there, always. I... I don't know how to do this, Asher. I don't think I can. First it's one thing, and that was so hard for me. I tried. I did. Asher, I know that this is easier for you, but it's not for me and I tried to..."
I tried to deal with the media calling me a whore and a homewrecker. I wanted to get past it, and I thought it would all blow over. It wasn't as prominent in the public eye now, but I didn't know if it'd ever go away. Then, once it started to fade, this happened? People knew me. My parents would find out about this. All of my friends, my relatives, everyone I ever knew or would know in the future.
I could deny I was a whore. I could say I wasn't a homewrecker, that I loved Asher and that his previous marriage wasn't anything more than a piece of paper declaring it as such. Even his ex-wife agreed with that. She didn't try to hide it, and despite every issue Asher or I had with her, she at least admitted she'd never bothered trying to love him. It was kind, in a cruel sort of way.
I couldn't deny I'd let Asher take sexy photos of me, though. I couldn't deny us being intimate on camera. It was just us, private and for no one else to see, not shared with anyone, except now everyone knew.
So... then what? I didn't know. I gave up trying to figure it out.
Asher smiled and kissed me. I kissed him back, wanting to forget everything and to only remember the softness of his lips.
"It's fine," he said, moving from my mouth to my cheek. "Everything will be fine." He kissed further up towards my ear. "I love you, and—" His teeth nipped at my earlobe. "—I won't let anything—" Lower, kissing my neck. "—Happen—" Near the curve of my shoulder. "—to—" Then my collarbone, making me shiver. "—you."
I curled my fingers in the hair on the back of his head, feeling the softness of it and pulling him closer. "Asher, I'm scared."
"We'll figure everything out, alright?" he said. "I'm going to head out now to address everyone. You follow the nurse to the back and join Jeremy. He can drive you around. All day, if you want. It doesn't matter. I'll find you, so go wherever you feel comfortable. I'll call soon, alright? Don't worry about a thing. I'll handle it."
"Alright," I said.
He kissed me again, this time with a little more spice.
"I wish we could have sex," I said. "Right now. Before you leave me."
He laughed. "I'm not leaving you. You're making it sound worse than it is."
Hiding a smile beneath my forced pout, I took one of his hands and pulled it towards my breast. I still wore the hospital gown. He rested his palm on my chest and squeezed softly, massaging.
"Maybe we should," I said. "Quick, before she realizes. I... um... I know that sounds bad. I don't know. This is a terrible idea. But we're trying to have a baby, right?"
His free hand pressed against my knee, then slowly wandered up my thigh. With a flourish, he lifted the skirt of the hospital gown aside, his hand diving in. Deft fingers crept past the waistband of my underwear and touched the softness of my sex. He teased up and down, making me hitch my breath, then he circled lightly around my clit.
"We can't," he said, removing his hand as quickly as he'd put it there. The one on my breast, too; he didn't have to remove the one on my breast, I didn't think, but he did it anyways.
I whined. I didn't say anything in particular, I just whined.
"Cut that out," he said, laughing. "Seriously, as much as I'd like to, it would never work."
"You don't actually know it won't work unless you try it," I said, using chaotic logic.
"True, but I think the odds are against us."
And it's really not a good time. He didn't say that, because I didn't think Asher would ever say that to me, but the undertones of it were there. We had a lot to deal with. It might make us feel better—or, it would make me feel better—but then what?
While I removed the hospital gown and put on the dress I'd worn for last night's party, Asher went to get the nurse from the bathroom. He knocked and she opened the door just as I finished pulling down my dress and settling it into place. I found my heels nearby, but instead of slipping them on I decided to carry them. True, maybe everyone from the media had left, but while I escaped to the back to meet up with Jeremy, I thought it best not to call attention to myself with the sharp clicks of my heels against the tiled hospital floors.
"Ready?" Asher asked, coming back to me.
The nurse stood by the door, hands folded in front of her, waiting nervously. The sight of her made me feel more at ease, oddly; she seemed even more anxious than me.
"Yes," I said, giving him a slight nod.
"Alright. Let's go. I'll call you soon. Everything will be fine. Don't worry."
"I won't," I said. I would try not to worry a lot, at least. I didn't think it was possible not to worry at all.
***
Asher walked through the hospital quietly, listening to the sounds of business as usual. Business here was much different than the business at Landseer Tower, though. Some of the little differences surprised him. A sharp buzz caught his attention as one of the phones began to ring. The woman who picked it up, sitting behind a tall wall of a counter, didn't seem to notice all the sounds that see
med so out of place and abstract to him.
A partly open door beeped softly. The rustle and shuffling of feet and hospital clothes accompanied a doctor hurrying down the halls. Asher's shoes clicked gently across the floor.
He could hear more, though. Even from here, a few floors up, the murmur of an anxious crowd awaited him. It had ominous, almost darkened undertones to it, reminding him of rioters waiting to watch vigilante justice from a lynch mob.
Truth be told, he shouldn't be doing this. First off, Lucent was his Director of Public Relations, and while that mainly applied to company business, this current situation wasn't exactly outside the bounds of his job description. Lucent would have done it if Asher asked him. Of course, Lucent had problems of his own right now, so that wouldn't work.
Before any of that, Asher really should have spoken with his lawyer, though. Whatever he said during this impromptu interview could result in any number of worse situations. Skewed information, misinterpretations. Or, Asher simply might say the exact wrong thing at the wrong time. He didn't have the opportunity to plan for this. Typically if anyone interviewed him, he required a copy of the interview questions beforehand, and anything he and the interviewer spoke of outside the limitations of the questions was bound by a non-disclosure agreement he had them sign. The interviewer could request permission to add pieces of information, but Asher wasn't obliged to give it.
There were rules, protocol, lists and limitations, boundaries. Everything was neat and tidy according to standards set forth to protect him and his company. And to protect Jessika, too. He didn't want to have to do all of that. He didn't want to make something small and inconsequential into a huge ordeal. He just wanted to run his business and give people a little bit of happiness in their lives, and to have happiness in his own, as well.
Unfortunately, every action had consequences, even the supposed good ones.
Asher didn't mind it. He could deal with it well enough. He had dealt with it fine in the past. When they brought Jessika into it, he couldn't just stand by and follow the rules anymore. He refused to do nothing.
He couldn't do nothing. He'd pulled her into his world when he married her. He promised to honor and cherish her, through the good and the bad. He would never break his promise to her. He would never abandon her, or betray her, or do anything to hurt her. He wouldn't let anyone else hurt her, either.
Even the thought of it wasn't an option.
***
I slipped out of the room after the nurse and waited for her to close the door behind us. We decided to leave the lights on just in case someone wandered by. Not that anyone could see into the room, but a small opaque window high up in the door showed some blurred inkling of the insides, and with the bright hospital lights shining above the bed it looked like someone might be there. Or that's what I hoped.
Actually, in all honesty, I hoped it didn't even matter. I hoped no one came by, I hoped no one recognized me, and I hoped I made it to the door in the rear without incident.
The nurse shivered and shook, looking more nervous than me. Maybe that made sense. Fight or flight? Currently I was in fight mode, adrenaline pushing me into action. Yes, perhaps I was fleeing, but not necessarily because I was scared, though I was that, too. I wanted to escape so I could figure everything out. I hoped there was something to figure out. I didn't actually know if there was.
The nurse glanced at me, forcing herself to smile, then she nodded and we left. I followed her, my feet tapping lightly across the tiled hospital floor. The chilled tiles kept me awake and aware and my shoes in my hands kept me more alert. I had purpose and resolve. I was on a mission.
Perhaps it wasn't as dire as that, but that's what kept me going at the moment. Softness, I told myself, don't make a sound. Hold onto your shoes, keep them tight in your hands. Act as if nothing is amiss. Move swiftly, persistent.
We arrived at one of the elevators and the nurse pushed the down button. I stood there, awkward. When I moved, I felt like I had direction and determination, but just standing here, waiting, it seemed like my resolve washed away into nothingness. Waiting was agony. The coldness of the tiles beneath my shoeless feet froze my toes. I trembled, teeth chattering.
"Should we be taking the elevator?" I asked. "Wouldn't the stairs be safer?"
"I... I don't know," the nurse said.
I had chastised Asher for harassing her before, but now I wanted to do the same thing. We should just go, I thought. We shouldn't wait around. There'd be less people on the stairs, anyways, wouldn't there? Less chance for anyone to see me. It might take a little longer, but what did that matter?
I was about to ignore her and go to the stairs on my own. A sign further down the hallway indicated they were right there, just beyond a large door. As I stood there, weighing my options, almost deciding to leave the nurse and head off on my own, the stairwell door opened. A man with a crisp suit and a news anchor microphone stepped out. He looked over his shoulder and said something to someone. Another man with a large camera strapped at his side chuckled and stepped into the hallway after him.
Oh God.
I moved around the corner, hiding myself from their view. They kept talking. I heard them walking down the hall towards me. They spoke casually, very openly, and in any other circumstances it would have sounded like friendly banter, except currently they were talking about me and Asher. No specifics, nothing exact, but by the sounds of it they were hoping to find a nurse who had seen me so they could ask some prying questions.
Yes, well, if they kept going down the hall like that, if this stupid elevator didn't come soon, they'd see me for themselves and I was fairly positive they'd give up on finding a nurse and question me directly.
The nurse who offered to guide me downstairs heard them, too. She scurried to the elevator doors and kept jamming her finger on the down button. Down, down, down. She hit the up button after awhile, too. Up, up, up. I didn't know why. I didn't really care. Up or down, neither mattered. The elevator doors just needed to open and I'd be perfectly fine with that.
They did. The nurse and I rushed inside, pushing aside a confused doctor who was exiting on this floor. I hurried to the back of the elevator and leaned against the wall while the nurse pushed the button to bring us to the ground floor. Were we going up or down, though? A bright arrow above the elevator car door pointed down. Oh, good.
"Hey," the doctor said, the one who had just left the elevator. "We don't allow camera or news crew equipment in the hospital without permission."
"We got permission," the man with the microphone said. "Don't worry about it."
"Oh?" the doctor asked, skeptical. "From who?"
The door to the elevator started closing. I could see the three men speaking from where I stood, leaning against the elevator wall. I didn't think anything of this until the cameraman pointed at the elevator and said something to his friend.
Right before the door closed, I heard a rushed shout. "That's her!"
The door closed, though. They must have ran to it, trying to hit the button to call it back, trying to get the doors to open so they could follow me down. Not that they wanted to go down, they just wanted to get to me. They were too late, though. Someone's fists—maybe both of theirs—slammed against the outer elevator doors. They shouted to each other, but the thick metal muffled their words.
I didn't need to know what they said, though. It was obvious they wanted to find me.
"I don't suppose you can make this thing go any faster?" I asked, forcing myself to laugh.
The nurse stared at the buttons in front of her, weighing her options. "Um... I don't think? I'm not sure. I've never tried it?"
"It was just a joke," I said. "I don't think any elevators have a 'speed up' button."
Except... belatedly I realized there were certainly some with a "slow down" button. Not exactly, but we were on the third floor, and if anyone from the second floor hit the button to go down before we passed them by, the elevator would stop to pick them up
, we'd be detained, and...
I preferred not to think about it.
I clenched my jaw as the number above the door changed from a three to a two. I waited, almost knowing without a doubt that it would stop to pick someone up. Maybe someone unimportant, or maybe the news men were fast runners. If they didn't go straight for the first floor, one of them would probably stop at the second floor to try and slow us down or catch me.
The elevator didn't stop, though. We continued downwards.
"Once this door opens, we need to go," I said, sounding far more commanding than I felt. "Don't stop. Don't hesitate. Do you understand? Those men are going to try and catch up to us. I need you to show me to the back door by the dumpsters before they even have a chance to leave the stairwell. Can you do that?"
She bit her bottom lip and nodded. "I think so. It's in the other direction away from the stairs, so... I think so."
"I'm counting on you," I said.
I felt good. That felt good. I felt empowered all of a sudden. I had leadership skills. I had a follower. I wondered if this was how Asher felt as the CEO of Landseer Enterprises. I hadn't ever really thought about it before, but maybe? I mean, my follower was just a nurse, and she seemed nice enough even if she wasn't the most reliable. Everyone had to start somewhere, right?
In retrospect, I supposed I could have counted Elise in there somewhere, but she seemed more like a joint leader to me. She never seemed scared of anything.
Before the door opened, I needed to do one final thing, though. I checked the nurse's name badge, then I smiled at her. "Thank you for this, April," I said. "I really appreciate it."
She blushed and fidgeted with her hands, smiling back at me and mumbling "You're welcome."
As soon as the doors opened, we sprang into action. April still looked more nervous than nervous, but she knew this hospital and she knew where to go. We fled down a hall, half-jogging and half-sprinting, dodging past the raised eyebrows of a couple other nurses, a doctor, and one patient with a walker. I smiled and waved to the man in the walker, because he looked like maybe he was having a harder day than I was. He smiled back and continued on down the hall, slow and steady.
His Absolute Insistence: A Scandalous Billionaire Love Story (Jessika, #2) Page 3
