Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance

by Ashley Stewart

  After she was done drying herself, she quickly changed into something more comfortable for the day until David was going to let her know when he was on his way, and walked out into the kitchen to make some coffee. She hadn't had any in a while, and smelling it last night made her crave it. Just as she was measuring out the grounds to brew with, Kaitlyn came into the kitchen.

  “There you are!” she said exasperatedly. “I've been trying to get a hold of you all morning!”

  “Sorry, Kait,” she smiled apologetically at her friend. “My phone's been off since last night. I didn't want anything to disrupt David and I when we were talking.” She poured the grounds into the filtered coffee maker and added water.

  “Well, I hope you're not doing anything too important now,” Kaitlyn said, crossing her arms. “Because I just found out something interesting about David.”

  The Billionaire’s Exclusive Book 7

  Bella Rayne

  The Billionaire’s Exclusive

  “Found something out?” Angela frowned, unsure of what her roommate was referring to. Kaitlyn nodded and motioned for her to follow her into the living room, where her laptop was set up on the coffee table. “What do you mean?”

  “I decided to do some digging online after we found out about that lawsuit that went through against David, right?” Kaitlyn began, turning the screen off of the screen saver mode and pulling up the site that she was referring to. “And I remembered how one of the last names on the list of plaintiffs sounded familiar to you, right?” Angela nodded silently. “So I looked that last name up, along with, 'Westley Entertainment,' and this came up,” she clicked on another tab that she had pulled up that held a public record of police files. In it, there was a file that Darla, of all people, filed against David a couple of years ago, where she claimed that he had abused her.

  Fearful but morbidly curious, Angela clicked on the file and opened it up to read the particulars of the case. Evidently, Darla claimed that David had emotionally and physically abused her, and was demanding his arrest. There was an investigation, but ultimately, the charges were dropped. Angela frowned at the startling lack of evidence and information on the case, and wondered how it had really gone down. She knew that David had a very domineering personality, and liked to be in control of the situation, be it in a relationship, or anything else that he did in his life, but the thought of him abusing someone was baffling to her. Had he really done that?

  Or worse, was it something that Darla had done out of spite when David refused to be in a relationship with her? The timelines for that being a possibility certainly lined up, so she couldn't deny that that was one of the potential reasons for why this report existed at all. She frowned, and wondered which side was true, or, at least, which side was more likely. It was also entirely possible that David had been the same commanding, domineering person that she knew, and that it had scared Darla off, and she couldn't really blame the woman, vile as she was, for thinking that way. But, if this was the case, and she did file a charge against him, why was she still working with him? Angela wasn't sure what to make of any of this new information, but she knew that her stomach was already beginning to knot itself up with anxiety again.

  “What are you thinking?” Kaitlyn asked knowingly, as if she could sense that her friend was in turmoil.

  “I don't know what to make of it,” Angela answered honestly, wrapping her arms around herself. “It could have been a number of things that led to this being a thing.”

  “Normally, I would disagree with you,” Kaitlyn admitted, her expression pensive. “But considering everything that we know about Darla, and that she was not only spurned by him when she wanted a relationship, but was also part of a lawsuit that wound up not going through, I'm reluctant to just assume that this case is as black and white as it seems.” Angela nodded in agreement. “What I'm most confused about is the fact that Darla is still working for him.”

  “I was confused about that, too, to be honest.”

  “I mean,” Kaitlyn frowned as she looked at the screen again, “if he really did abuse her, why would she stick around? But if he didn't abuse her and the charge was filed falsely, why would he keep her?” She folded her arms as her frown deepened. “Either way you look at it; it just doesn't make sense.”

  “Maybe she has dirt on him, or it would damage some important relationship to the business if he got rid of her,” Angela thought aloud, rubbing at the back of her neck as she wracked her brain for answers. “It's not as though we can just ask her why she's still around,” Angela sighed.

  “Why couldn't you?” Kaitlyn asked, her head tilted to the side. “I mean, sure, she might not answer with anything but shouting about how it's none of your business, but what's the harm in asking? It's not as though the two of you are friends or anything, so you're not putting a relationship that you value at risk if you ask, and it's not as though you'd get into trouble at work for poking your nose in it,” she added, gesturing to her laptop. “The case is public, and from what I can see, no one signed a non-disclosure agreement, so no one needs to keep their mouth shut about it. Worst case scenario, you can ask David about it if it gets to that point.”

  “I… I can see your point,” Angela said slowly, carefully, as she contemplated her words. “I can't really argue with it, either, to be honest.” She sighed and rolled her head from side to side in an effort to relax her tense neck muscles. “I could always ask in the break room. Darla's known for hovering around the coffee pot, hoarding the damn thing to herself.”

  “She keeps coffee that's for everyone for herself?”

  “A pot of it a day,” Angela nodded, and Kaitlyn pulled a face.

  “I knew there was a reason that I didn't like her.” Kaitlyn scoffed.

  “It wasn't because she borderline harasses me at work?”

  Kaitlyn nodded her head. “Well, that, too, but still. If someone tried to hog a pot of coffee when we were on a timed break, or worse, tried to stop me personally, I might break someone's nose over it,” Kaitlyn gave a firm nod, pleased with her explanation. “I wouldn't even be sorry for it.”

  “That's just like you, Kait,” Angela huffed a laugh, shaking her head at her friend. “Ugh, speaking of caffeine, I could use some tea. Want some? I'll put the kettle on.”

  “Sounds lovely,” Kaitlyn nodded. “I'd happily take some,” she frowned. “Shame we don't have any wine, though. Wine would be even better after the day we've had.”

  “Can't argue with that,” Angela called over her shoulder as she walked into the kitchen and pulled out some teabags to brew in the kettle on the stove.

  “You're not using the electric kettle?” Kaitlyn quirked an eyebrow at her questioningly.

  “I never use this one,” Angela argued as she filled her lovely blue kettle with water and placed it on the stove to boil. “Besides, we can just brew a full pot of tea outright rather than cup by cup this way.”

  “I guess,” Kaitlyn grumbled. “But it takes too long,” she huffed, crossing her arms in a mock pout. Angela laughed.

  “You'll manage, ya big baby. It won't take that long.” Kaitlyn snorted but otherwise didn't comment. The two of them fell into companionable silence as they waited for the water to boil, the only sound in the room was the soft hiss of the flames from the burner coaxing the water in the bottom of the kettle into bubbling. The relative quiet encouraged Angela to set her mind adrift as she attempted to process the information that she just ingested, and attempt to come to at least some semblance of a conclusion as to what she was going to do about it.

  On the one hand, Kaitlyn had a phenomenal point: she literally had nothing to lose in asking Darla about what had transpired. She could come to the woman and appeal to her relatively easily, coming under the pretense of a woman scared for herself and concerned for what Darla had potentially gone through. Even if it didn't work and Darla did nothing but nag her and scream to leave her alone and that it was none of her business, there would be no repercussions beyond a mild
headache from having to deal with her for more than she would like to.

  On the other hand, if she did go to Darla, and Darla cited abuse that was swept under the rug because David had money, where would that put her, personally? Would she even believe Darla, given how the woman had been nothing but spiteful about the fact that she and David were in a relationship, something he had refused to give Darla when she asked for it. Try as she might, it was hard to think of Darla as an even remotely credible source of information, whether she confirmed that there was abuse or not. Knowing that, was it even worth the effort to ask her?

  Then again, she could always just ask her, and focus on her body language and how she chose her words, rather than what she said at all, to see if she could give something away in the way that she presented herself rather than what she actually had to say. Angela was relatively good at reading people and whether or not they were lying, provided they hadn't schooled themselves into stoicism. It was, admittedly, one of the biggest reasons that she had had as much anxiety as she had when she thought that David was involved in the recent attacks; try as she might, she just couldn't get a read on his emotions or what he was really thinking, outside of what he was saying to her.

  The shrill cry of the kettle whistling for attention pulled her out of her own head, and she flicked the stove burner switch off before pouring the water into the tea pot with a couple tea bags to steep. When it was ready she poured a couple of mugs and handed one to Kaitlyn.

  “Careful, it's hot,” she said with a smile. Kaitlyn took it with a grin of her own and began to gently blow on the surface of the tea to cool it. Angela opted to simply cup the mug in her hands and enjoy its warmth seeping into her bones through her fingers. “I've decided,” she spoke up quietly. Kaitlyn looked up at her in the middle of an experimental sip.

  “Decided?” Kaitlyn inquired with a slight frown. “Decided on what, exactly?”

  “I'm going to talk to Darla at work tomorrow,” Angela said with a decisive nod of her head. “Even if she gives me the run around, I at least want to try.”

  Kaitlyn nodded slowly. “Are you going to talk to David about it?”

  “Eventually,” Angela shrugged. “I wanted to try and get some information out of Darla before that, or at least try to gauge her reaction to me bringing it up first. Then I'll ask David about it before she has a chance to try and start some drama over it between the two of us. Knowing her, that's what she'd try to do just to spite me. And him, really.”

  Kaitlyn nodded again, seemingly satisfied with her reasoning.

  “That makes sense,” she said as she sipped at her tea. Angela agreed quietly before taking a drink from her own mug. “I wouldn't wait too long to talk to David about it, though; the less opportunity you give Darla to try and throw a wrench in the works, the better.”

  “I agree,” Angela said, smiling wryly. She drained her tea and filled her mug with another helping of the steaming liquid. “I just hope that things will work out.” She bit her lip, unsure of where sticking her nose into things would take her.

  * * * *

  The following morning had Angela taking a detour from her usual first morning stop of David's office, and instead, making her way through the offices a few floors down to stop in front of Darla's office door. She paused for a moment, her worries forcing her into inaction before she squared her shoulders and knocked firmly on the door.

  “What is it?” Came the sharp, bored voice from the other side of the door. Not bothering to explain through a closed door because fuck it, they were both adults, Angela opened the door and let herself in.

  “Oh,” Darla said, voice already dripping with a decided lack of amusement. “It's just David's new pet. What do you want? Some of us actually have—”

  “It's about David,” Angela got right to the point, not wanting to drag things out any more than they already had been. Darla's spindly fingers stilled over her keyboard, her cold eyes drifting over to where Angela was standing and doing her very best not to fidget. “I want to know what happened between you a few years ago.”

  “Is this about jealousy?” Darla snapped. “It's a little late for that, don't you think?”

  “No, it's not that,” Angela did her best not to huff. Really, she had been in here less than a full minute, and she was already tired of sticking around for answers. “It's about the abuse claims that you filed. I want to know about them.” Darla's frown deepened.

  “How did you know about—?”

  “The case is in the public domain,” Angela said with a shrug. “I used to be a journalist. Looking into things is something that I have a talent for.” The crease in Darla's brow only grew more pronounced. Her shoulders tensed up, and it was clear that she had no intention of talking about it.

  “Shit happens,” Darla snapped, returning to her keyboard. “I don't know why you would bother with a case that old that went nowhere—”

  “I'm dating him now, Darla,” Angela said, noting with great interest how that statement got more of a reaction than her mentioning the case to begin with. “If he's an abuser, or has the possibility of being an abuser, I want to know about it.”

  Darla opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it again. Angela watched as the woman grit her teeth and clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles were white. The fury in her eyes was almost palpable. Where was this reaction when she mentioned the abuse?

  “I think,” Darla hissed through her teeth, “that if he is, it's something that you need to find out for yourself. And I think that you need to get out of my office. Now.”

  “Duly noted. Thanks for the info, Darla,” Angela managed to keep her amusement out of her voice just long enough to make it out of the office and walk back to the elevator.

  David being abusive to her seemed less and less likely the more that she dug into it, but it still wouldn't hurt to ask at the only other source: David himself. Worst case scenario, she finds out he is abusive, and ends the relationship. An unfortunate circumstance, but not one that would spell out the end of the world for her by any stretch of the imagination.

  * * * *

  “Ah, there you are,” David said as she came out of the elevator with two traveling mugs of coffee. “I had wondered where you had gotten off to.” He turned away from his computer and stood to greet her, taking his coffee from her with a grateful smile.

  “David, I spoke to Darla,” Angela began in a serious tone. All of the lightheartedness in his face faded at the mention of the woman's name, and he frowned.

  “I can't imagine that it was a terribly enjoyable conversation,” he said slowly.

  “It wasn't much of a conversation at all, to be honest,” she shrugged. “I asked her about the abuse claim that she filed against you, and she refused to talk about it.” He laughed humorlessly.

  “I can't say I'm surprised that you found that,” he sighed. “For what it's worth, and considering I was the defendant in that case, it might not be much, but I never abused her,” he leaned against his desk. “She filed that charge shortly after I told her that I wasn't interested in a relationship. I didn't even know that she had until the police came through the elevator asking questions about where I was that day. It came as something of a shock.”

  “That's the most information that I've gotten out of anyone about it, to be honest,” she said, walking in front of him and placing a hand on his chest. “I believe you,” she said, watching relief flood his eyes. “I just thought that I would ask you about it before Darla tried to make it out to be more than the curiosity that it was.” He nodded. “Though, something has been bugging me,” she frowned.

  “What's that?”

  “Why is she still here?” Angela looked up at him quizzically. “I mean, if she filed these charges against you, and was part of a lawsuit against you, I have to wonder what she's still doing here.”

  David sighed and wrapped his arms loosely around Angela.

  “Truth be told, she's here because she's the daughter
of one of my biggest investors,” he sighed. “Even after the lawsuit and the charges that came later, he still begged me to keep her on, promising to invest even more into the company in exchange. Evidently, no one else will have her, and it keeps her out of his home. He was friends with my father, so really, it's more of a favor to my father's memory to keep her around than anything.” Angela nodded satisfied.

  “Well, that makes more sense now,” she said with a shrug. “Come on, now, drink your coffee. I may be your girlfriend, but I still plan on keeping you on schedule, and you have a meeting with the CEO of Tarik Industries in about twenty minutes.”

  “Ugh,” David groaned but took a large swig of his coffee all the same. “Remind me why I have to deal with other business executives and their follies?”

  “So you can run your own business and have your own folly,” Angela replied smoothly with a decisive nod. David pursed his lips.

  “Smartass. I'll have to punish you for that later,” he grinned lasciviously at her before finishing the last of his coffee in a series of big gulps. “You have some paperwork to take care of, right?” She nodded. “Take care of that, and then head home for the day. You work too hard.”

  She flushed, knowing that this was his way of saying, 'I worry that you'll overwork yourself, so take a break,' and she felt a thrill of affection take hold in her chest.

  “Sure thing, boss!” she said, giving him a mock salute.

  She tried not to squeak when he smacked her ass on the way out the door.

  * * * *

  Her paperwork wasn't necessarily hard to deal with, but there was just so much of it that the sun was setting by the time that she managed to pull herself out of the office and make it home. As she was parking the car, she noticed that there was something taped to the front door, but couldn't quite make out what it was from where she was standing. Turning off the car's engine and hopping out of the car, she walked up to the front door, and frowned when she saw that it was a folded up piece of paper with her name spelled out in cut up letters from magazines.