by Jillian Dodd
He’s on the phone, but he points at my Ferrari in the garage and says, “You’re driving.” Then he gives me directions while he converses with both Raul and a realtor. Apparently something just came on the market that screams Tyler.
It takes us over an hour to get there because traffic is a bitch. No way could I do this every day with the girls. They would be miserable. I’d be miserable.
We meet a realtor outside the building of Tyler’s interest.
“It’s a ten minute walk to all the Rodeo Drive shops and restaurants,” the realtor tells us after we make our introductions.
“Can you even imagine?” Tyler gasps. “I may need a clothing allowance, too, now that I think about it.”
“How about just a nice raise?”
“Have I told you that you are my favorite Johnson brother?” He grins, but adds, “Don’t tell Riley that.”
The realtor takes us into a beautiful condo and mentions that it’s being sold furnished. From that point on, it’s Tyler running around in a designer-decorated-induced frenzy.
“Look at these black and white marble floors! They are so classic! And the crown moldings! Oh, my stars, magenta tufted club chairs! Purple fur pillows! Arched French doors! This chandelier! Glass-fronted Sub Zero! A workout room. A terrace! Raul will die, I tell you. D.I.E. Die!”
And then finally he says, “I’ll take it.”
The realtor looks a little shocked, but recovers quickly. Tyler makes an offer that is just slightly below asking price and then he turns to me and says, “Done.”
And I know in that instant exactly why he is so good at his job. He’s not afraid to make a decision when he knows it’s the right thing.
I wish I was that confident in my personal life.
Captive Films — Santa Monica
RILEY
When I get back from my brother’s office, I call Shelby. “Would you like to have dinner tonight?”
“Uh, sure. What time?”
I glance at my watch. It’s only four, but I’m having a hard time concentrating. “I’m done for the day. Half hour work?”
“I’ll make sure to be ready,” she says seductively.
“Ready for what?”
“Just ready, Riley,” she says cryptically, which I hate to say turns me on. Shelby usually has really fun surprises.
When I get there, she opens the door wearing a pale peach silk robe. The robe is tied and covers her completely from the waist down, but the top is open, revealing a see-through lace nightie underneath. Her nipples are hidden, but I can see their outlines under the sheer robe. She looks beautiful. I swallow hard. Shelby is the ultimate temptation, and I am free to do whatever I want with her. That thought alone causes my dick to harden.
“I thought you’d be ready for dinner?” I need to get her dressed and to a restaurant before I do something stupid. Something stupid that will undoubtedly feel so very good. I really do need to get to know her better and just stop falling into bed—or wherever—with her.
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted to eat out,” she says, sitting down and crossing her legs, causing the robe to fall open and reveal a clean shaven pussy at literally the same time she said eat out. Now it’s all I can think about. “Or if you wanted to stay here.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I told you every day on the phone this week that I’m feeling great, Riley,” she smiles. “Thanks for asking. How was the big date with Ariela?”
“How did you know about that?” I ask, sitting a relatively safe distance away from her. Okay, maybe not safe enough. When she leans over to converse with me, I get a full shot of her incredible cleavage, which just keeps getting fuller as her pregnancy progresses.
“Tyler told me when I called your office.”
“Oh,” I say, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. The good news is it calms my dick down. “It was nice.”
“Nice?” she asks, arching one eyebrow. “I’d expect with you it would have been naughty. Or is Ariela not as naughty as I am?”
I gulp and try not to think of all the dirty things I’ve done with Shelby, because the answer is no. Ariela is not as naughty.
“Let’s go out for dinner,” I quickly suggest, because shoving my cock into Shelby certainly isn’t going to help me decide who I love.
Thankfully, Shelby stands, presumably to go get dressed.
Except, she doesn’t go. She undoes her robe, letting it fall to the ground and revealing a sexy lace nightie that leaves nothing to the imagination. Fuck.
“Maybe we should stay in,” she coos, trailing her finger under my chin. I don’t move. I don’t dare. Because I know what my next move will be. At least when I have sex with Shelby I don’t have to feel guilty. With Ariela I feel like I’m committing a sin or something because she’s still married. When did my life get so fucking complicated? Easy. When Ariela walked back into it. And part of me still hates her for that. Even though at Homecoming I told her we should let the past go, I just can’t seem to get fully past it.
When I don’t say anything, Shelby slips onto my lap, straddling me. “You seem tense.”
“It’s just—”
“Ariela?” she asks, as her lips graze across my neck. “What you two do when you are alone is none of my business, just like it’s none of her business what happens when we are alone. Plus, she’s still married.”
When her lips touch mine, all rational thought ceases. All I feel is desire. I try to compare the animalistic hunger Shelby brings out in me versus how Ariela makes me feel like I could never be with anyone else again. True love’s fuck, Dallas called it. Except here I am. With someone else. Wanting her and needing her. I think it’s just that my feelings for Ariela are so complicated. With Shelby they are simple. I just want to fuck her.
After she pulls my cock out of my pants and lowers herself onto it, she stops moving and holds my gaze, running her fingers tenderly through my hair. She kisses my temples, my jawline, my lips, then looks into my eyes again.
I smile and really look at her. She’s beautiful and sincere. And Lord help me she has a sweet pussy. She’s not moving, but she’s internally tightening it against my dick. It’s driving me crazy.
“I want to show you something,” she says. “It’s probably a little unconventional to be attached like this when I do, but it seems fitting of our relationship.” She leans over and grabs an envelope off the end table. “Take a look.”
“What is it?”
“I went to the doctor on Tuesday. I was able to get an appointment, and I know you wanted to come with, but Tyler told me you were with Ariela, and I wanted to be respectful of your relationship even if she isn’t respectful of ours.”
“What did the doctor say? Is everything alright?”
“Everything is perfect,” she says, giving my dick another soft squeeze. “Open it and you’ll see.”
I do as I’m told, pulling out a dark photo. An ultrasound photo.
“That’s our little bundle of joy. Can you believe how teeny it is but how it’s so perfect?”
“It looks like it’s waving,” I say in awe, studying every single detail.
“You should have seen it. It was kicking and flailing its little arms. And I heard the heartbeat. The doctor says it’s perfect. That I’m doing well. That the cramping and little bit of spotting was probably just stress-induced.”
I hold the photo up to the light as tears fill my eyes. “This is our baby,” I mutter. “It’s amazing.”
Shelby kisses me and looks deep into my eyes. “I love you, Riley.”
“I love you, too,” I say back, and it’s quite possible that in this moment I mean it.
“Oh, Riley! You don’t know how much that turns me on!”
Then she proceeds to show me just how much it does.
Captive Films — Santa Monica
DAWSON
Tyler drops me off at the office and then leaves early to tell Raul the good news. I go back to my desk and decide to look through some r
eal estate listings. But then I see just how much homes cost in the area. My increased salary could cover the mortgage payments no problem, but I don’t have enough for the hefty down payment that would be required for the loan.
I glance at the envelope and decide to open it.
When I do, I’m overcome with emotion. It’s almost the exact amount that Whitney lost. And I know it’s not a coincidence. I pick up the phone and call Keatyn.
“Hey, Dawson,” she says.
“I just opened the stock options check. You can’t do this.”
“Yeah, I can.”
“It’s too much, Keatyn.”
“Dawson, when I hired you, I didn’t know that we’d get the offer on the company. It was just a random amount we chose as a safety net for you. You had a similar buy-out clause in the change of control agreement at your last job. My grandpa always says if you give good, you get good back. Maybe the deal with Front Door was kinda like that. The whole thing is amazing for Aiden and me, too. We agreed on 1.6 billion. I owned fifty-one percent of the company. We’re pretty much set for life now. And, because of it, my grandparents decided to take what they had planned on leaving to me and started some kind of foundation trust thing that for the next twenty years all the earnings from it will go to the Moon Wish foundation. And then it will pass tax-free to our children. It’s pretty amazing all the good that will come from it. So feel good about it, Dawson. You deserve every penny.”
“I can buy a house now. For the girls.”
“But, I thought—”
“She changed her mind.”
“Vanessa changed her mind about you and the girls moving in? When? She sent me photos of their rooms. She was thrilled with the way they turned out. She was super excited.”
“I don’t know. I didn’t stick around long enough to hear her excuses.”
“Dawson, if you love Vanessa, you have to stick around long enough to hear her excuses. It’s called being in a relationship. It doesn’t make sense. Something is going on with her. Please, talk to her and find out what the real reason behind it is. And if you don’t move in with her, we’ll have Tyler find you a place closer to the girls’ school. I’d rather you invest the money in the new company. I promise you it will be a good investment.” She pauses. “I take that back. You, more than anyone, know that you should never go all in on any one investment. Give us half. Invest the rest. Let us do a long-term lease on a house. I wouldn’t buy until you are sure the girls and you are going to love it.”
I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “You really think she didn’t mean it?”
“I really think she didn’t mean it, Dawson. Talk to her.”
“Thanks. How’s the honeymoon? Where are you anyway?”
“St. Croix. It’s incredibly relaxing, but we’ll be in London on Saturday, in case you need anything. Talk to you soon.”
I set my phone down, cover my face with my hands, and say a grateful prayer. I’m lost in thought when I hear my door open.
I look up, startled, and see Vanessa. Usually when she comes to work here she’s wearing a sexy suit, designer heels, and red lipstick. But today, she has on very little makeup and is wearing yoga pants and a baggy sweatshirt. Clothes I’ve never seen on her. She also looks like she’s been crying.
I quickly take her into my arms. “What’s wrong, baby?”
She immediately starts crying. Hard. Her body is racked with emotion. Pain.
“What’s wrong, Vanessa? Tell me what happened.”
“I think I have cancer,” she stutters out. “That’s why I can’t let you and the girls move in. I don’t want them to get attached to me if I’m going to die. It wouldn’t be fair to them. They have already been through so much.”
“Oh, honey,” I say, my heart both dropping and soaring all at the same time. I hold her tightly and let her cry it out.
When she stops sobbing, I walk her over to the couch and make her sit down. “Why do you think you have cancer? Have you been to the doctor? Had tests?”
“No. I researched my symptoms online.”
“And what symptoms are those?”
“My period is a week late. I have fatigue. I can’t remember what else, but I have all the symptoms. I went through every single reason why my period could be late, and it’s the only one that fits.” She starts crying harder again. “And . . . I . . . Just . . . I know I was supposed to go get my yearly exams. I know that early detection is key. But . . . After . . . Everything . . . That happened. When I found out I couldn’t have children. I just . . . I just . . . Couldn’t. Make myself . . Go back there. It’s been two years.”
“Have you made a doctor’s appointment?”
“No.” She throws her arms around me and sobs into my chest. “I’m so scared, Dawson.”
“Let’s call his office now and get them to squeeze us in.”
“Us?” she sniffles. “You’ll go with me?”
“Of course, I will. I love you. Whatever this is, you’re not going through it alone.”
She sobs again. “Bam wouldn’t even go to my obstetrician visits with me when I was pregnant.”
“Well, we have already determined that Bam is an idiot.”
She starts laughing through her tears while I sigh with relief. Cancer, if that’s what it is, I can handle. Her not loving me, I can’t.
The Crab — St. Croix
KEATYN
Aiden picks me up off the chaise and carries me into the ocean. “What are you doing?”
“Getting you wet,” he teases.
“I think you’ve been doing plenty of that.” I grab his face and kiss him. “You’ve barely let me out of bed!”
“Well, Boots, it is our honeymoon. What do you expect?”
“It’s been an amazing week, Aiden. I’m getting excited to go to London, though. I miss Bliss.”
“I miss her, too. But she loves Marvel and they both will be joining us in London.”
“Are you sure you won’t show me even one picture of the house you bought? I’m dying to see it. I still can’t believe you bought it without me. We always do everything together.”
“We’ll see it together for the first time.”
“What? You bought it sight unseen? Are you crazy? What if it’s in a bad neighborhood or by a train station or something?”
“You will love the location. It’s in Chelsea, which is the area you love best. We’ve been looking for the right property to purchase there for quite a while.”
“Look, dolphins,” I say, getting distracted. Aiden kisses me.
“Dolphins love you. I think you may be descended from mermaids.”
“That just totally made my life,” I tease. “I wanted to be a mermaid when I was growing up.”
“Well, the mermaid in you will enjoy one part of your new London home.”
“Which part?”
“The spa.”
“Like there’s a spa in the building? Is it a flat?”
“Nope. Single family. The spa is on the lowest level. Trust me, you’ll love it.”
“If we’re going to spend all our time at the vineyard, why a house in London? I mean, we could have just leased something while I was filming there.”
“Um, well, I was offered an incredible opportunity to team up with a top London chef to open a restaurant, wine tasting room, and retail space. The location is incredible.”
“Let me guess, it’s in Chelsea, too?”
“Yeah. I was going to tell you everything when we got there. Show you both the house and the location. We’ve agreed in principal, but haven’t signed the contracts. Wanted to do it in person. But I’ve been rethinking things a little since the wedding. I mean, triplets.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and give him a kiss. “It’s a wonderful surprise, Aiden. For a lot of years, you’ve worked around my dreams. It’s time we start following some of yours. Is the house suitable for children? Is it big enough?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Aiden! How big is it?”
“About eight thousand square feet.”
“Holy shit! That’s way bigger than the house at the vineyard.”
“I know. It’s also an architectural masterpiece. I really couldn’t pass it up. The location is perfect. The photos are perfect. I also may have sent someone over to check it out.”
“Your sister?”
“Well, originally, I sent her over to see the restaurant location. The place is gutted—a blank space. I wanted her opinion on it. She’s way better at visualizing that kind of stuff than I am. While she was there, I got the call about the house. So she toured it. Told me if I didn’t buy it, she was going to.”
“She and Damian already have a place over there.”
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t look like this.”
“Can we leave tonight?”
He kisses me again. “So you want to skip the barbecue brisket, cheesy potatoes, and cornbread Inga is making us for dinner?”
I scrunch up my nose. “Maybe not.” I look into his gorgeous green eyes. “Aiden, are you scared about having three babies?”
“A little. Are you?”
“Yes. What if we can’t handle them? What if they turn out to be brats? What if they aren’t healthy? What if I have complications and die? Then they will be motherless, and you’ll marry someone else, and what if she’s nice to them when you are around but mean to them when you’re not and they grow up all messed up and end up on drugs and—”
“Stop right there.” He pulls my hand to his lips. “Everything’s going to be fine, Boots. I promise.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“Fine. Then I promise whatever challenges we face, we’ll face them together, with all the love we have.”
I get tears in my eyes. “I love you, Aiden. You have no idea how incredibly happy you make me.”
“Oh,” he says, sliding his hand between my legs. “I think I do.”
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24TH
THE ROYAL SUITE — GEORGETOWN
KNOX
