Avoiding Temptation

by K. A. Linde

  “Like the Bridges Enterprise event tonight,” John said offhand.

  “Wait—what?” Lexi asked, turning to face him.

  “There’s some event for the upper-level employees of the whole company. I think, primarily, it’s a big schmooze to pat themselves on the back. I’m a little surprised that you’re not there.”

  Lexi stared up at him, stunned. Had Ramsey ever mentioned this to her? She couldn’t remember. The worst part was that it was entirely possible that he had, and she had brushed it off. She didn’t want to go to things if Bekah would be around. Not to mention, this week was Jack and Bekah’s wedding anniversary. It made her stomach twist, thinking about it, and she hadn’t wanted to be in town for the occasion. She had been pretty desperate to get out of Atlanta, so she must have just missed Ramsey telling her about this because he certainly wouldn’t have held this back. This was a big thing to hold back.

  “You did know about it, right?” John probed.

  “Yeah…I guess I just forgot,” she lied.

  “Anyone ever tell you that you’re a terrible liar?” John raised his eyebrows.

  “Plenty of people.”

  “I was surprised to find you here since that was going on. I thought your boyfriend would have wanted you there.”

  “Don’t talk about him. I’m sure Ramsey told me about it. I’ve just been busy, and I had this trip planned already…” She trailed off as his smile grew. “What?”

  “You always defend him.”

  “He’s my boyfriend.”

  “And he’s pretty shitty at the job.”

  “I don’t know why you have such a negative opinion of your boss,” she spat back.

  “He’s not my boss. I work for Global, and right now, I work with Jessica. Bridges Enterprise just happens to be a client of Global.”

  “Now, who’s acting defensive?”

  John chuckled. “You’re beautiful when you’re feisty.”

  That wasn’t the first time she had heard that either.

  “Um…thanks,” she said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

  At least he didn’t know that was her telltale sign of anxiety.

  With a smirk, he pushed the other strand behind her ear for her. “No need to be nervous, babe.”

  She gaped at him. What the hell? How did he know that? She had not been around him enough for him to know little things like that.

  John shook his head and laughed again at her reaction. “Give me some credit, babe. I pay attention.”

  “It’s been a year since I broke things off. I don’t know what you’re up to, but you have to stop,” she whispered.

  She didn’t want Chyna and Adam to overhear the conversation or the earnestness in her voice. John hadn’t been pursuing her like she had expected him to. If he didn’t know so much about her all the time, she would say he had given up. But the gleam in his eyes and that cocky smile told her otherwise. She was a challenge. In fact, she had set forth the challenge for him, and he was trying to meet it. It clearly didn’t matter whether or not she wanted him to continue because he was going to anyway.

  “I’ll stop when your heart doesn’t skip a beat when you see me,” he told her confidently.

  Lexi opened her mouth to argue with him, but Adam cut them off. “Hey, you two. Come on.”

  They had reached the Bethesda Fountain in the center of the park. It was a gorgeous display. Two giant staircases led up to a bridge that overlooked the fountain area. The bridge had seven lit archways underneath it that opened out to the fountain with the famous Angel of the Waters statue atop it. Depicted as a beautiful angel, the statue represented the blessing of the pool and its healing capabilities as referenced from the Gospel of John. Past the fountain, the bricked walkway opened up to a lakefront view. During the day, the area would typically be filled with families and couples rowing about on rented paddleboats.

  “It’s so beautiful at night,” Lexi murmured, following Chyna and Adam to the lakefront.

  “It’s perfect,” Chyna said.

  A light breeze rustled Chyna’s black hair off her face, and she smiled up at her handsome boyfriend. They looked picture-perfect in that moment. John came to stand next to Lexi, and even though there were a lot of unanswered questions, they shared a moment where they were both happy for Chyna and Adam. Lexi had always wanted her best friend to be with someone who treated her like Adam did. Despite the differences between Chyna and John, he seemed pretty happy that his brother was so in love.

  “You’re perfect,” Adam whispered.

  He kissed Chyna softly on the mouth, and as he pulled away, he sank slowly down to one knee.

  Chyna’s hand flew to her heart. Lexi froze. John placed his hand on Lexi’s back to keep her steady, and she glanced up into his hazel eyes for just a second. He had known. He had known all along what was going on.

  “Oh my God,” Chyna breathed.

  Adam pulled a powder blue box from his pocket and opened it to reveal an engagement ring. “You’re the most perfect person I’ve ever known. You’re the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?”

  It was so simple in that moment. Everything fit together. Her best friend was getting married. Lexi never thought she would see the day.

  “So, this is what you’ve been hiding?” Chyna said. She nearly choked on the words.

  Adam laughed and nodded. “I’d never hide anything else from you.”

  “Well, are you going to answer him or what?” John joked.

  “Well, yes, of course, I’ll marry you,” Chyna said.

  She threw her hand out in front of her, and Adam slipped the ring onto her left ring finger.

  “I love you,” Adam said, standing, picking her up, and pulling her into him.

  “I love you, too.”

  John and Lexi watched them for a minute before turning to give them their privacy. They took a stroll around the fountain and then Lexi took a seat on the edge. John sat next to her and stretched out his long legs.

  “I can’t believe Chyna is getting married,” Lexi told him truthfully.

  “She doesn’t really seem the type.”

  “No, she doesn’t.”

  “Especially compared to her best friend who is still not engaged,” he said, nudging her in the ribs lightly.

  “You’re a jerk,” she said. She shook her head at him. “Anyway, it’s not like I even want to get engaged or married or anything. It’s just this weird thing, seeing it happen to your friends.”

  “You don’t want to get married?” he asked. “For someone who puts a lot of effort into her relationships, you sure act like someone who wants to.”

  Lexi shrugged. “Law school was my first goal. I didn’t care about two, three, or four.”

  “Would you tell him yes if he asked you?” John asked thoughtfully.

  “What? Oh, Ramsey…I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it,” Lexi said, coloring softly at the admission.

  “You really aren’t like other girls, are you?”

  “I guess not,” she said, standing and dusting off her dress. She didn’t want to continue having this conversation with John. “You don’t seem like the marrying type either.”

  He stood, towering over her, and gave her the cutest smile. “Guess we’re a pair, aren’t we?”

  Lexi laughed, pushing him backward a step. It was not a good idea to have him that close to her. She couldn’t deny his attraction—not that she would ever be stupid enough to act on it again.

  “Keep dreaming.”

  “That’s where I always find you.”

  Lexi rolled her eyes. “Let’s just go find the lovebirds. Shall we?”

  They found Chyna and Adam still in a lip-lock. They were pressed so tightly together that not even an inch of space was between them anywhere. Lexi was glad the guest bedroom didn’t share a wall with Chyna’s. As it was, Lexi was afraid she might be able to hear what was going on through several layers of walls.

  She and Jo
hn managed to pry them apart. They walked out of Central Park as the clock struck one o’clock, and the park closed.

  The car ride back to Chyna’s place was short and slightly uncomfortable. The physical attraction Chyna and Adam normally held back in public was gone for the night. Lexi couldn’t blame them. They were engaged now after all.

  Lexi just stared forward until they reached her doorstop. John pulled open her door and let everyone pile out of the car once more.

  “I know you’ll be devastated, but I’m going to head back to my place now,” John said. He leaned against the car and invitingly stared down at Lexi. “You want to join me? I can’t guarantee it will be any quieter than Chyna’s place.”

  “You know I have no intention of going back with you,” Lexi said, taking a step back.

  “Come on,” he coaxed. “You’ll have a good time.”

  “And no one will have to know?” she offered up with a shake of her head.

  “I’d rather everyone know—at least the entire floor.”

  “Oh my God,” Lexi said with a blush. “I have to go. Good night, John.”

  “If you change your mind, give me a call.” His eyes gleamed with mischief. He clearly enjoyed teasing her.

  Turning quickly, she followed Chyna and Adam back up to the apartment, trying to push John’s attempts to get her to go home with him out of her head. She knew all too well what a night in his apartment entailed. She had been there a year ago…and it wasn’t something she should dwell on when she was lonely.

  Lexi awoke the next morning to her phone buzzing noisily in her ear. Fuck! Where had she placed that goddamn thing? She looked around, bleary-eyed for a second, before she realized that it was actually under her pillow.

  Stifling a yawn, she pressed the Talk button. “Hello?”

  “Lexi,” Ramsey said into the phone.

  “Hey, baby,” she mumbled, yawning big.

  “Did I wake you?”

  “Yeah, but it’s okay. Just let me wake up,” she said, falling out of bed and stretching.

  After a minute of stretching, she remembered everything that had happened last night. Dinner, the club, Marco, John telling her about the Bridges party, the proposal—what a night!

  “You still there?”

  “Yeah, sorry. How are you?” What she wanted to ask was why he hadn’t told her about the party.

  “I had an interesting night.”

  “Me, too. Adam proposed.”

  “What? Wow. Well, that’s wonderful. I’m assuming Chyna said yes.”

  “She did. I wish you had been here.”

  “I wish I had been with you, too. Much more than dealing with what I just walked into,” he said, sounding beaten down.

  “What happened? Was this at the company party you didn’t tell me about?” Lexi asked.

  She hadn’t thought she was going to bring it up, but it had eaten at her all last night. He had probably been out with Parker instead of with her. Lexi’s imagination had gotten the best of her, and she hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything else.

  “What do you mean, I didn’t tell you? I told you a couple of weeks ago, but you were set on going to New York,” Ramsey said defensively.

  “I don’t remember you telling me,” Lexi said sheepishly. Had he told her?

  “Then how did you know about it?” he asked.

  Lexi bit her lip. Great. There was always a possibility she would run into John when hanging out with Chyna, but she and Ramsey just hadn’t really talked about it.

  “John told me.”

  “Ah, I knew he was invited, but I didn’t know his reason for not showing,” he said gruffly.

  “He was here for the proposal.”

  “Right.” He didn’t sound like he believed her.

  “Doesn’t change the fact that I don’t remember you ever telling me about this event. Didn’t you think that I would want to go?”

  “I did tell you about this, Lexi. You’ve kind of been absent recently.”

  “I’ve been around more than you have.”

  “I meant mentally…you’ve been out of it a lot. I don’t know if it’s stress, but that’s really neither here nor there. I need you to come home,” he said abruptly.

  “Home? Why? I’m supposed to be in New York for two more days.” She did not want to give up her vacation.

  “I just…need you here.”

  “Ramsey, what the hell is going on?” Lexi asked, confused.

  With the medical wing right now, he didn’t normally need her around, period. Why would he need her to fly back to Atlanta on the weekend she had off?

  “I’m going to book you a flight. Make sure you make it, all right? I’d ask Chyna for the private jet, but I think that might be overdoing it. I’m not sure though. Do you think she would care? She probably wouldn’t, but I hate to impose,” he said, rambling on to himself.

  “Ramsey!” she snapped. “What is this all about?”

  He breathed out heavily on the phone. She could almost hear his brain working, trying to find a way out of telling her. Something had happened. She didn’t know what it was, but she had a feeling that it was bad. Everything about this felt wrong, and she reached out for the footboard on the bed in Chyna’s guest room.

  “What is it?” she whispered again.

  “Are you sitting down?”

  “No.”

  “Then…then, I think you should sit down first,” he said softly.

  Lexi walked over to the chaise lounge in the bedroom and sat down heavily. Her stomach was in knots, and she couldn’t keep from automatically pushing her hair back behind her ear. She was ready for her heart to shatter. She was ready for her world to tilt. She was ready for whatever he was going to dish out to her. She could take it. She had been through worse than anything he could say right now. Right?

  God, she didn’t even want to know. In that moment, the last thing she wanted was to hear something that was going to tear her apart. Hadn’t she had enough? Couldn’t she live through someone else’s perfect life for once?

  Lexi braced herself on the armrest and sighed. “I’m seated.”

  “I’m really sorry that I have to tell you this…that any of this is being brought up. I really hate that you have to hear this over the phone when I can’t see your reaction, reassure you, hold you in my arms. I’m just…I’m sorry about a lot of things.”

  The way he spoke to her was like his heart was breaking. She could almost picture him sitting in their apartment, disheveled and unkempt, still wearing last night’s clothes.

  She clenched the phone harder in her hand. She didn’t think she could prepare any more for what he was about to say to her.

  “I’ve had a sexual harassment suit come up against me from a previous employee. It was a girl, Elisa, who worked at one of the clubs I managed.”

  Lexi’s mouth dropped open. She had thought she was prepared for it…but she wasn’t. She couldn’t have prepared herself for that. Sexual harassment…when had that happened?

  “She claims that we…had sex,” he said, his voice strained. “And that when she got pregnant, she was forced out. She has a son, not quite one year old. She claims that he’s mine.”

  Her vision swam. A baby boy. AThe club whore had a baby boy with her boyfriend.

  Oh my God!

  No.

  It couldn’t be possible. It couldn’t be.

  Ramsey couldn’t have a kid with someone else. He had avoided the scandal with Parker. The clubs had just been a distraction. Ramsey would never sleep with employees. He would never force out pregnant women. He would never have a son that he didn’t know about.

  Wait—not yet one year old!

  That would mean…the baby would have had to be conceived when they were dating. It meant that Ramsey would have had to cheat on her.

  She didn’t even have words in that moment. What could she possibly say to that?

  Ramsey continued quickly, “It’s not true. None of it is true. Elisa is a bitch.
I never, ever would have done any of the things that she said. There’s no way that she can prove it. She’s trying to capitalize on the publicity and success of the medical wing. She wants her fifteen minutes.”

  “She’s fucking with my life for her fifteen minutes,” Lexi growled.

  He sighed heavily. “I know. I wish none of this had ever happened. I wish she had picked someone else for this bullshit. It’s not fair to you or the company. I wish she wasn’t trying to drag us all through the mud to get a little bit of money.” He paused. “It’s going to hit the news tonight…tomorrow at the latest. I wanted you here with me before it broke.”

  Lexi ground her teeth. Just what she wanted to deal with. “What are you going to do about it?”

  “We’ve already asked for a paternity test, which we’re scheduling as soon as possible,” he told her.

  “Are you lawyering up?”

  “Of course. We’ll have an attorney working on the logistics. We really just want this to go away with as little damage as possible.”

  “But you’re going to prove her wrong, right?” Lexi asked. She knew that she had an inherently jaded view on the legal system, but still, she wanted the person crashing a train into her life to see justice. “If you are innocent, you’ll be able to prove it.”

  “We’re minimizing the damage,” he said softly. “The company doesn’t care if it’s true or not…just as long as it’s swept under the rug and doesn’t impact the medical wing.”

  “But I care if it’s true or not.”

  “And you have my word, Lexi, that it’s not true,” he said earnestly.

  And all she could think about with the realization that she would likely never know what had really happened was that…Ramsey’s word had never really meant that much.

  Christmas had been about as awkward as Lexi had ever experienced with the Bridges family.

  She and Ramsey had decided that they were going to do their own thing on Christmas Eve morning, hang out with his parents that night, and then go to her parents’ house in the morning to celebrate with them. They had spent less time with her family since they lived farther away and thought it would be nice to spend a little more time with them for the holiday. Her mother wanted to help with the engagement preparations, and it would be a good excuse to talk to her about it.