by J. L. Perry
The dress I purchased for Jake’s office Christmas party tonight was red. I picked it up from this tiny little boutique I stumbled across. The dress was long and tight-fitting, showing off all my curves. It was silk with red sequins and beads on the bodice, and flowed softly past my thighs. The red one wasn’t my first choice, but the sales assistant was persistent and assured me I looked drop dead gorgeous in it.
Jake always said he loved me in red, and I knew tonight was an important night for him, so I decided to get the dress to impress him. It was strapless so I stopped off at the lingerie shop and purchase a new bra. Of course I had to buy the matching underwear, as well.
Tonight I would finally get to meet all the people Jake worked with and I wanted to look nice. I also bought some silver strappy heals and a matching silver clutch before heading to the salon to have my hair done.
Pierre had become my new hairdresser since I’d moved. He was fantastic and, for a big strapping man, he was very feminine, which I found amusing. Pierre asked me about my plans for the night, so I showed him the dress I had purchased. I gave him free reign with my hair because I had no idea what I wanted and I trusted him. He was amazing and it took weeks, sometimes months to get an appointment with him.
“You have most exquisite brown eyes, cherie,” Pierre said as he smiled at me through the mirror. I returned the smile. Jake often told me how much he loved my eyes.
When Pierre was finished with my very stylish up-do, I couldn’t believe how great it looked. He had slicked my hair back onto the top of my head, and had carefully pinned curls into place to form a large bun. I gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”
He replied, in his sexy French accent, “Beautiful hair for a beautiful woman.” I smiled at him again, then headed out the door and to the bus stop. I felt a bit silly travelling home on the bus with my hair like this.
After my students left after their piano lessons, it was time for me to get ready for tonight. I showered, being careful not to mess up my hair. Once I was done and dried off, I put on some makeup. Mascara and lip gloss was usually my limit, but I decided to go all out for tonight. When I looked in the mirror after I had finished, I hardly recognised myself.
I slipped on my dress and shoes, and put on the diamond pendent necklace and the matching diamond earrings Jake had given me the previous Christmas. I called for a taxi, then grabbed my lipstick, mobile phone, and some money, putting them in my clutch before making my way downstairs.
As I was locking the front door, a sudden wave of dizziness came over me again. I was sure that I was coming down with something, but apart from the dizziness and the occasional stomach cramps, I felt fine.
By the time the taxi arrived, I was feeling better so I climbed into the back seat. The driver asked me where I was heading and I gave him the address that Jake had given me earlier. I then texted Jake and let him know I was on my way. He didn’t reply.
The party was being held in the grand ballroom of one of Melbourne’s most prestigious hotels. When I arrived, I paid the driver and made my way inside the building. I was nervous and hoped that Jake was already there.
When I got inside, the doorman directed me. I made my way to the table that the waiter said we would be sitting at. As I crossed the floor, I scanned the room, looking for Jake. Of course, he was nowhere to be found.
The room was decorated beautifully. I could tell there was no expense spared on tonight’s function. Everything was gold, red, and green, except for the white linen tablecloths. The seats were also covered in white, and were tied with green and red sashes. Each table had a small Christmas tree, covered in red and gold balls, as the centrepiece.
When I arrived at the table, I was thankful to see Sandy. She was one of the other lawyer’s wives. Mark was the only person I knew from Jake’s new office. I had met Sandy and Mark when they had invited us to their house for dinner not long after Jake and I first moved here.
Sandy rose from her seat and gave me a hug. Mark and Sandy were older than us, but were a really nice couple. I liked them from the moment I had met them, and was so glad they were sitting at the same table.
“You look breathtaking,” Sandy whispered in my ear.
I looked at her and gave her a smile. “Thank you.” She proceeded to introduce me to some of the others sitting at our table. I smiled and nodded to everybody.
“Have you seen Jake?” I asked Sandy.
Before she had a chance to answer, the most handsome man I’d ever seen approached our table. He was tall and well built, with dark hair and the most beautiful green eyes framed with long, dark lashes. His face was perfectly chiselled, and even under the tuxedo he was wearing, I could tell that his body was smoking hot. Well, actually, everything about him was hot.
I knew I was a married woman, but I wouldn’t be human if I wasn’t affected by the sheer beauty of this man. He was as sexy as hell.
There is absolutely no harm in looking, right?
I quickly closed my mouth and tried not to stare at the gorgeous man heading straight for me. Once he was standing right in front of me, he extended his hand. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting, Miss….?” he asked, one of his eyebrows raised and a sexy smirk on his face. God, he was even hotter up close!
“Mrs. Johnston,” I replied with a nervous smile. “Brooke Johnston.” I was so mesmerized by his looks that after I gave him my name, I just stood there, staring at him.
“She is Jake Johnston’s wife,” Sandy added, before nudging me gently. She obviously noticed that I was in some kind of trance.
“Well, the pleasure is all mine, Brooke,” he said with a sexy smile. “I’m Logan…Logan Cavanagh.” I recognised the name immediately. This was Jake’s boss, CEO of Cavanagh and Associates.
Logan
As I was standing there talking business with some of my colleagues, I noticed the most beautiful woman I had ever seen enter the room. I couldn’t help but stare. I’ve dated a lot of models in my time, but this woman was just stunning. She reminded me of a princess, like something out of a fairy-tale. She was tall and slim, with brown hair and the biggest brown eyes I’d ever seen.
As I watched her cross the room, I excused myself from the men I’d been talking to. There was something about her that was drawing me in. It was unusual for me. The women usually flocked to me, not the other way around. I don’t think I remember ever having to chase after anyone.
She looked like she was searching for someone. She was scanning the room, and even looked a bit nervous and unsure of herself. I found that very endearing. She was obviously unaware of her beauty.
I watched as she made her way to the table, my table, and decided I needed to go over and meet this beautiful woman. I needed to find out who she was because I knew she didn’t work for me. If she did, I would have remembered her. She had the kind of face you could never forget.
As I approached her, she looked straight at me. Making eye contact with her almost took my breath away. I could never remember being so affected just by the look of a woman. Once I was standing in front of her, I held out my hand and introduced myself. When she said “Mrs.”, my heart sank. I’d finally found the woman of my dreams, but she was taken…married to one of my employees, no less.
I smiled at her, trying to hide my disappointment. She greeted me with a smile that lit up her whole face. God, she was breathtaking! I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off her. I also held her hand a bit longer than what was considered socially acceptable, but I felt drawn to her.
Her skin was so soft, and her hand fit perfectly into mine, like they were made for each other. I knew that was a stupid thing to think, but that was how I felt. She had me absolutely spellbound.
Whilst I was standing there admiring her, she was grabbed from behind by Jake. “You look exquisite, sweetheart. I am sorry I am late,” he whispered, as she quickly removed her hand from mine.
“Jake,” she said with a smile, “I was just introduced to Mr. Cavanagh.”
Arsehole!
“You have a lovely wife, Jake,” I replied, trying my best to smile. “How are you?” Brooke gave her husband a kiss on the cheek. Lucky bastard, I thought.
“How was your late meeting? You know, you have been working too hard,” she said before looking back in my direction, like I had done something wrong. Jake had left work early this afternoon so I had no idea what late meeting she was referring to. I wondered why he hadn’t spoken to his wife since. I was also curious as to why she had shown up without him tonight.
We all sat down at the table while the waiter came around to take our drink orders. I knew it was wrong to keep looking at some other man’s wife, but I just couldn’t help it. She was mesmerizing. I felt this immediate attraction and connection to her, which I found very strange.
I ordered a double scotch on the rocks. I didn’t plan on drinking tonight, but all of that had changed. When the waiter came to her, she politely replied, “Nothing for me, thank you,” and poured herself a glass of water. I then heard Jake order a scotch for himself and a Chardonnay for his wife.
“I’m not drinking tonight, Jake,” she said, softly. “I am not feeling well, so I think I will just stick with the water.”
He shrugged before saying to the waiter, “Just a scotch then, please.” He didn’t even ask her why she wasn’t feeling well, which I thought was odd. What was this guy’s problem? I haven’t had the chance to get to know him on a personal level. I knew he was a great lawyer, but that was about it.
After our entrees were finished, Jake whispered something in his wife’s ear, before excusing himself from the table. I noticed Brooke gave him a small smile, but she looked upset. She put her head down and sighed as he walked away. I felt sorry for her.
Brooke sat there talking to the others at the table, smiling the whole time. Her smile was beautiful. It lit up her whole face, and was angelic. There was just something about this woman. She had a sweetness and innocence about her. I don’t think Brooke realised just how beautiful she really was. She seemed oblivious to the attention from the people at our table, as well as others in the room.
The DJ started playing and some of the couples sitting at our table got up to dance. I noticed Brooke scanning the room again, probably looking for Jake. What was the guy’s problem? He had the most beautiful woman in the room, but he wasn’t paying her any attention.
Most of the people had left our table to dance or to mingle. I leaned over to her. “Are you enjoying your night?”
She gave me a small smile. “Yes, thank you,” she replied, shyly.
“So, what do you do for a living?” I asked. She proceeded to tell me that she had studied dance and music at the university, where she had met Jake.
Just when she was about to say something else, I noticed she screwed up her face, like she was in pain. She then placed her hand on her stomach. As she went to talk again, her face went white. “Are you alright?”
“Would you please excuse me? I need to find Jake.”
I watched her walk away from the table with a panicked look on her face, while looking around the room. When she couldn’t find him, she walked toward the front entrance. I decided to follow her and make sure she was alright.
When I got outside, I found her standing on the footpath, holding her stomach. She was looking over towards a car parked down the street. I could tell by the look on her face she was upset. My eyes followed her line of sight and that is when I saw that Jake had his secretary pushed up against a car, kissing her.
“That fucking arsehole,” I murmured under my breath. I looked back at Brooke again and she was still holding her abdomen. I could tell she was still in pain.
As I went to walk towards her, she turned in the opposite direction. She broke into a run, heading away from the building. I didn’t know what to do. She was obviously in some kind of pain, and because of what we’d both just witnessed, I decided to go after her. Just as I got closer, she started to fall.
CHAPTER THREE
Brooke
I was talking to Jake’s boss when the pains started again. I was upset that Jake had left me sitting at the table alone. As I tried my hardest to be polite, the pains in my abdomen intensified. I eventually had to excuse myself from the table and went in search of Jake.
Something was definitely wrong because I had never experienced pain of this magnitude in my life. As I walked across the room, my head started spinning. The dizzy spells had returned.
When I couldn’t find Jake inside, I decided to go outside for some fresh air, hoping it would help. While I was standing outside, I happened to look down the street. To my horror, I saw Jake with some girl pushed up against the car, his tongue down her throat! How could he do this to me?!
I wanted to go over there and punch him right in the face, but the pains were getting worse and I suddenly felt like I was going to faint. I needed to get out of here, and fast. I decided I would deal with Jake later. Right now, I just needed to find a taxi.
As the tears streamed down my face, I started to run. How could he do this to me, after everything I had sacrificed for him? As I was running, the dizziness intensified. All of a sudden, I was going down. I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around me from behind, and everything went black.
Logan
I caught her just before she hit the ground. What the fuck just happened? I got my phone out of my jacket pocket and quickly called my driver to meet me at the side of the building. I scooped Brooke into my arms and hurried over to the waiting limousine. Chris, my driver, had already exited the car and was holding the door open for me.
“Is everything alright, Mr. Cavanagh?”
“Does it fucking look like it, Chris!” I snapped as I climbed in. I know I shouldn’t have spoken to him like that, but I was in a state of panic. “Get us to the hospital, ASAP.” With that, Chris put his foot down and took off.
I laid her down on the back seat and lightly grabbed her shoulders, shaking her gently. “Brooke…Mrs. Johnston? Please wake up.” She was very pale, and I couldn’t wake her up. “Hurry up, Chris.”
Even unconscious, with tear-stained cheeks, she was still the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
As I grabbed hold of her hand, I noticed how delicate and tiny it was against mine. I leaned over and stroked her face. “Brooke, if you can hear me, everything will be alright,” I whispered. “We are on our way to the hospital. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise!”
We arrived at the emergency entrance of the hospital. Chris put the car in park before running inside. A few seconds later, he came out with a nurse and a wheelchair. I got out of the limousine and scooped Brooke up into my arms.
The nurse asked me to put her in the wheelchair, but I replied, “I’ve got her. Just get me a doctor.”
Once we were inside, the nurse motioned for me to lay her on a stretcher, which I did. I grabbed hold of Brooke’s hand again as she started to come around. I looked down at my hand holding hers. Where did all the blood come from? The nurse looked at my hand before looking back up at me. She’d obviously noticed the blood, too. All of a sudden, Brooke put her hands on her abdomen and started to moan loudly.
“We need to get a doctor to see her immediately,” the nurse said in an urgent tone, as we rushed her through the doors of the emergency department, straight into a waiting cubical. The nurse leaned over Brooke and pushed a red button that was on the wall. The doctor came over straight away and started to examine her.
“Hi. I am Doctor Goldstein. What is your name, miss?” he asked.
“Brooke…Brooke Johnston,” she replied. It was almost a whisper. I could tell by the way she spoke that she was in a lot of pain.
Doctor Goldstein appeared to be in his early fifties with greying hair. He had a kind face and I could tell he was a caring doctor by the way he interacted with her.<
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“Where does it hurt, Brooke?” She pointed to her lower stomach. As he pressed down on her abdomen, she let out a loud cry. I know the doctor was just doing his job, but when he hurt her just now, I felt like hurting him, too.
I grabbed her hand again. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t stand to see her in so much pain. She squeezed down on my hand and slowly turned her head to look up at me. The shock on her face was evident.
Brooke
I woke up on a stretcher and presumed I was in the hospital. I had no idea how I got here, though. The only thing I could think of at that moment was the pain. Oh, sweet Jesus, the pain!
They wheeled me into a cubical, then the doctor came in to see me. When he pressed down on my stomach, I thought I would die. The magnitude of pain was something I had never experienced before in my life.
I felt Jake grab hold of my hand, and I turned to look up at him. Shit! “Mr. Hot Stuff” was holding my hand! Where in the hell was Jake?
All of a sudden, the memories of that night, Jake with his tongue down that bitch’s throat, came flooding back. I let out a small sigh as I closed my eyes. I felt a tear escape and run down my cheek.
Before I had a chance to say anything, the doctor said, “We are going to take you down to have an ultrasound, Mrs. Johnston. If all goes well, we will be able to give you something for the pain.”
The orderly came into the cubical, released the brakes on the bed, and started wheeling me down the corridor. I heard the doctor say, “Just wait here, Mr. Johnston. I will come and talk to you after I run a few tests on your wife.” Poor Mr. Cavanagh didn’t get a chance to reply.
Once the doctor had studied the ultrasound, he informed me that I had an ectopic pregnancy and he would need to operate immediately. I didn’t even know I was pregnant!
Logan
While I was sitting there waiting, I wasn’t sure what to do. Do I leave, do I stay, do I call her idiot husband? As I was debating what to do, my phone rang. It was my Personal Assistant, Claire. She wanted to know where I’d disappeared to because people were looking for me at the function. I informed her that an emergency had come up and I had to leave. “Is everything okay?” she asked, concerned.
