by Dagny Rand
Chapter 7
Two weeks later, and Lisa had been out to two public events with her arm locked with Neal’s for the public. She hadn’t met his parents yet, which she found odd considering that this whole fiasco was their idea, but he’d said that they were happy with the public’s view of him, since the two of them had gone public. At home, the two of them were warm and affectionate, but cautious. Almost as if the two of them were afraid that night that they’d spent together was simply the result of alcohol. They kind of were, actually. It hadn’t happened again, but not because neither of them didn’t want it to.
Lisa made her way to her desk at Broussard. Neal had seemed really happy about her being offered and accepting the job there instead of somewhere else, and while him being there was a nice plus, she’d chosen that position because the pay and benefits were the best and the office environment seemed like the best fit for her. She was already very happy with her decision, and had a pretty good group of friends.
Except for one girl who spent most of her day glaring at Lisa from across the office, for some reason. No one had any idea why she seemed to dislike her, so most just ignored her. Lisa was well tucked in to ignoring her when she made it impossible.
“Excuse me,” A voice said. Lisa looked up into the face of the girl from across the room: An annoyingly perky blond who clearly had an attitude, but even that was perky and involved a lot of hair flipping.
“Yes?” Lisa said without batting an eye.
“I need to tell you something,” she said. She stopped talking as if she was expecting some sort of production over her choosing to speak. Lisa sighed and turned back to her computer screen.
“You’ll have to excuse me not facing you, but I have a lot of work to do and you seem to be taking your time, but I’m listening,” she said.
“It’s about Neal,” she said. She stopped again and Lisa felt her temper buck.
“Sweetheart, I just told you that I have a lot of work to do, get on with it,” Lisa said, continuing to work.
“He’s my boyfriend. I don’t know why he’s parading you around in front of everyone, but he’s mine, so back off,” she spat at Lisa. Her suddenly venomous tone made Lisa stop again.
“And you are?” she asked with a blank look on her face, even though someone else claiming Neal had her insides in a knot for some reason.
“He didn’t even tell you who I am?” she asked, stamping her little prim foot. Lisa shrugged.
“I guess you must have slipped his mind. Name?” she repeated.
“Heather. Heather Mitchell,” she said. Lisa filed that away for later, and turned back to her work without another word.
*~*~*
“So who is Heather Mitchell?” Lisa asked that night over dinner. Neal’s fork paused momentarily.
“She’s someone’s assistant, isn’t she? Blond, kind of bouncy…” he said vaguely.
“She came to my desk this morning and told me that she had no idea why you were parading around with me, and that you were hers so I needed to back off,” Lisa said. Neal looked up at her solidly now. She was frowning, her face annoyed.
“I’m not actually seeing her, Lisa. You know that, right?” he said. Lisa shrugged as if it were nothing, even though it was something to her.
“This is a fake engagement; you can do what you want. It’s probably not a good idea for it to be public knowledge though,” Lisa said softly.
The front door to the condo burst open and two set of feat came storming into Lisa and Neal’s space. The woman looked to be the one who was more pissed about whatever she’d come in about. Neal didn’t seem shocked to see them, but Lisa wondered how they even got in until she noticed that the man looked just like an older, more portly Neal.
“You did fine for what, a few weeks? And then you go and screw it all up,” the woman screeched, holding up what appeared to be a celebrity news rag, though neither Neal nor Lisa could see what it was that she was so upset about while she was waving it around like that. Finally, Neal stood and took the paper from her, holding it still. There on the cover was a picture of him and Heather from the night before, coming out of a club together. Lisa frowned and folded her arms across her chest.
“I thought that you were out with clients last night,” she said.
“I was! Heather was there too, to take notes for her boss. She was drunk and needed a ride home. Lisa’s frown deepened.
“This does not look like someone’s boss giving them a ride home because they can’t hold their liquor,” Neal’s mother said.
“Look, she and I went out a few times months ago. I may have let her take a few more liberties than I should have, but that was because she was drunk. I figured she wouldn’t even remember it past this morning,” he said.
“You mean, until she walked up and told me to leave her man alone?” Lisa said.
“You, my son, are an idiot. She has already spoken to the man that took this picture, and spread across half the country that the two of you have been a couple for the past six months. She also states that she doesn’t know who this fiancé that you’ve been talking about with, since it’s clear that you two are still an item. Lisa felt herself getting madder and madder.
“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe this. I made it clear to her that she and I weren’t a thing, and when she started to get clingy, I broke it off with her. I knew that she hadn’t take it too well, but I didn’t think that she’d do something like this,” Neal said.
“Of course she would, any woman would. This is why I told you that you needed to stop being such a slut!” Neal’s mother smacked him in the arm as she spoke. His father simply stood there. Lisa turned and walked off, towards the second bedroom.
“Where are you going?” Neal called after her.
“You’ve sufficiently screwed up this little arrangement that you and I had now, I’m going to pack my things. And don’t forget, according to the contract, you have forty eight hours to pay me,” she said, closing the door behind her. Neal could hear the hurt in her voice and let his head drop.
“Shit,” he hissed.
“Are you just going to let her leave?!” his mother almost yelled it, pointing at the door that she was now on the other side of.
“What else can I do? She’s right,” Neal said softly as his head fell into his hands.
Chapter 8
It had been a full month. Lisa thought about giving up her position, but talked it over with a few friends over drinks and opted not to. The position and the benefits were excellent, and other than the threat of possibly running into Neal, she loved it there. She’d turned in the card that allowed her access to Neal’s floor that Monday morning. Jessica had asked her to keep it for a few days and think about whether this is what she really wanted to do, but she’d declined. She and Jessica had met for lunch a few times since then, and she realized that Jessica would intentionally change the subject when something about Neal came up. Until that morning, when Lisa arrived to a note on her desk.
Meet me in the lobby at 10.
-Jessica
Lisa didn’t know what that was all about, but she made a note to pay attention to the time. Jessica was in the lobby waiting at ten on the dot. She turned and grinned as Lisa trotted up to her.
“Ho good, you’re here. Come on,” she said, grabbing Lisa’s hand and almost dragging her towards the entrance.
“Where are we going?” Lisa asked. Jess grinned at her over her shoulder.
“Just come on,” she said.
Jessica and Lisa rode in a dark sedan a few miles away to what looked like a setup for some sort of press conference. Lisa looked around at all of the cameras and security, a bit overwhelmed.
“What’s going on?” she asked Jessica. Jess grinned and pointed up at the small podium as Neal stepped up to the microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out here today. I’ve come here today after a difficult month. You all watched publically as I gained and lost my fiancé, fought to di
splay my innocents against a jealous ex-girlfriend, and now…”
“Wait, he did what to Heather?” I asked, turning to Jessica.
“She admitted that she tipped the photographer to take that photo, and that he was giving her a ride home because she played drunk. It took a lawyer, a law suit and several investigators digging into her past and showing that she’s blackmailed other ex’s to get her to come clean,” she said. Lisa turned back to Neal’s speech.
“… Today, I’m here for one reason, and one reason only. To beg the woman that I love to come back. But first, I have to come clean. I’m not going to start this relationship on lies,” he said. Lisa’s eyes widened.
“What is he doing?” she hissed. Jessica smirked, but didn’t answer.
“A story surfaced about me being thrown out of a brothel in Las Vegas a few months ago, as many of you remember. When I returned, my parents forced me to enter into a fake engagement, stating that it would undo the damage that my reputation had done to the company brand. That was when I approached Miss Lisa Reinhart, and she and I entered into the agreement to pretend to be engaged. Here’s the thing though: during the time that she and I were together, I actually fell in love with her,” Neal said, turning to where she stood in the crowd.
“Oh crap,” Lisa whispered.
“I’m here today to tell her the truth, and to ask her to come back to me. But this time, not because of an agreement. This time, I want to be with you because I love you. I know this is a bit much, a little over the top, but this is how I do things. If you can see yourself dealing with me and my parties, and business meetings…”
He didn’t get a chance to finish. Lisa leapt onto the stage and wrapped her arms around his neck with a grin.
“I thought you’d never ask,” she said. Neal smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Come home,” he said softly. Lisa grinned and nodded, the crowd cheering as the two of them kissed in front of the world.
*****
THE END
Copyright 2015 by (Dagny Rand) - All rights reserved.
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Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Illegal Love
It’s so wrong but feels so good
By: Dagny Rand
Illegal Love
Just take a second and try to imagine life in my shoes is what would say to her friends and family. She doesn’t feel sorry for herself or expect sympathy from others. It just that it’s hard being a woman entrepreneur and trying to make a relationship work. Especially when you significant other is just as busy as you are working in the entertainment industry. The internet has become the breeding ground for a great many things in the past decade. Fortunately for Paige Fletcher it had proven a goldmine for her. Paige had begun blogging as a hobby some years back under the faint belief that she had interesting things to say. She had been told by quite a few people in her life that she should start a blog and so she did. Initially it had been little more than a space to get things off of her chest, which was especially significant because she was in a job that she hated. She also struggled with relationships. Paige knew that she was an attractive woman; 5’6”, petite, but with curves, tanned skinned, and well put together, but she continued to have bad luck with men. She often wrote about what it was like dating and dealing with nonsense from the different men she encountered. The blog had proven to be a great release for her.
The blogging world can be quite tedious so the first rule is to love what you are blogging about. It will take a very long time a blog to be hit. So many people have tried to replicate the success that Paige has had. They come up short every time. Paige started off blogging about interesting places she has visited. Before long, Let Paige Tell It, the blog site she established caught the eye of a few businesses who wanted to advertise and just like that she was off. Once she realized the potential for revenue, she formulated a plan and quickly enacted it. Six months later she was quitting her hateful job and blogging full-time. She had become a hit. Paige can still vividly remember that lazy afternoon in 2009 when she discovered WordPress. Back then, the platform was just a few years old and no one was really talking about it. She quickly went from testing the waters to falling in love with WordPress. Between writing for other outlets and bringing in other contributors to widen her base, she found herself at the helm of a great enterprise. As a fairly young woman, she was thrilled.
Along with a growing business, Paige had also stumbled into love. Paige sometimes describes her finding love as not but a reward for hard. “When you focus on yourself and improve every day, love will find you”. Leo Jefferson was an executive at a record label/management company that was one of the first companies to sign on as one of Paige’s sponsors. From their first business meeting there had been a spark and from there, Paige and Leo became nearly inseparable. It was like they were made for each other in every aspect of life. Paige would describe the situation by saying “They were finishing each other sentences”. Their relationship moved very quickly, but Leo said from the beginning that he was looking for a wife so he was ready to commit very soon in the relationship. Leo grew up in a very traditional home were his mother and father were together and made whatever situation work. Paige had been incredibly happy. In a world where men are no longer serious about relationships. Paige’s single friends have all complained about men just wanting to hook up. When they do decide to settle down, they go for the young vibrant girls leaving women in their late 20 and 30’s in the dust.
Leo spoke often about his commitment to Paige, yet there was very little movement in their relationship. They did not live together, she met very few of his friends, and none of his family, who he claimed to live out of state, and aside from a promise ring, he did not seem in any rush to marry her. But Paige loved him, so she decided to be patient. You can imagine how nerve racking it is to be in love with someone and they are slow when it comes to moving forward with long term commitment. “Men become so complacent sometimes” is what Paige would say to her friends when complaining.
As her blog grew into a larger media company, Paige decided to upgrade the website and design an app for it. This level of success is extremely rare in the blogging world. And Paige is a young impendent woman who is at the forefront of it all. Her best friend Deanna told her about one of her brother’s friends who was a web designer and did freelance work. Paige had her set up a meeting between the two of them to discuss working with him. It was a welcome distraction from her growing doubts in her relationship with Leo.
On a Tuesday afternoon, Paige and the guy were to meet up for lunch. Paige came in from her new office to meet with the guy, who was named Jeremy. That was the only name she had been given. She hoped that he was legit and not just some guy trying to hustle and pretending like he knew what he was doing.
Paige got to the restaurant first, so she chose a table on the patio and sat down to wait. She was really hungry so she considered ordering her food, but decided not to be rude. Technically she was a bit early so she hoped that Jeremy would be on time. As she sat there looking over the menu she heard a deep voice saying, “Excuse me, Paige? I’m Jeremy.” Paige looked up to see a tall, gorgeous, tall man. He had the most incredibly soulful light blue eyes, full lips, and chiseled features. She looked him over, down to his light blue collared shirt, his exquisitely pressed pants, and his shiny light blue casual shoes. She was completely caught off guard and felt like her mouth had probably dropped open.
She tried to collect herself and got up from her chair to shake his hand and greet him properly. She put on a dazzling smile and answered, “Yes, I am Paige. Hello, Jeremy. It is very nice to meet you.” He took her hand, shook it lightly and moved
around to the other chair at the table. He took a seat and said, “Pleased to meet you as well.”
Paige didn’t know what she had expected, but she was certainly surprised at what she saw. She definitely was not expecting such a fine young man. It took a while for Paige to gather thoughts, mainly because she has never heard of Jeremy. “How could it be that they move around in the same circles and they never crossed paths” she thought . She tried to think why she had never seen Jeremy before. She and Deanna had been best friends for years, more like family, and she was very close with her brother Martin. Yet she had never met this friend of his. She was positive that she would have remembered. Perhaps he was a new friend. She wished that she had met him sooner. She could not believe she just thought of that. That feeling of wanting to have met Jeremey sooner is not right when you are in a relationship” she thought.
Her brain is now racing back and forth from business to un-pure thoughts. What made this situation even worst for Paige is that she is always in control. Only this one time things are kind of falling apart in her mind. Paige immediately began to feel guilty. She was in a committed relationship and yet she was thinking some very un-pure thoughts about this man. She dropped her eyes back down to the menu and tried to redirect her thoughts. This was a business meeting, not a date. She loved Leo. Besides, she still had to determine whether Jeremy was legitimate. She decided to take on her business demeanor and make sure that this man was not here to play her.
After straightening into a proper upright position and clearing her face of all emotion, she decided to begin the meeting. She ignored the dull growling of her stomach, cleared her throat and began, “So Jeremy. Is that the name you typically use?” Jeremy brought his eyes up to meet hers and she felt a chill run down her spine. It felt like he was staring deep into her soul and could see everything she was thinking. She cleared her mind immediately. There was something unnerving about that stare.
