“I’m going to fucking kill you,” he snarled.
Smack.
Kirk’s other cheek had a matching pink welt.
He was almost crying.
“Go home, little boy. You’ve done enough damage for one day. You don’t want to add murder threats to Ethan’s list of worries, do you?”
She watched as he scurried back to his car and drove off.
Then she shut the door, leaned her back against it, and collapsed into uncontrollable tears.
CHAPTER 39
ETHAN
Ethan turned his Porsche toward the offramp, exiting the freeway.
He’d been driving himself mad all day in his house, pacing around, agitated, and he couldn’t stand it another second.
He was certain the paparazzi hadn’t followed him. It was close to ten on a Friday night and they were probably staking out the clubs, waiting for the young Hollywood celebs to show up.
He changed lanes and looked through his rearview mirror just to be certain. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He’d tried to reach out to Reagan all week but she hadn’t responded. Her last text to him was on Tuesday. She told him they were finished and said goodbye, her words cutting through him like a knife.
He needed to talk to her, to explain the situation. He couldn’t let things end this way.
She was the first woman that ever made him truly happy. He cared about her. The thought of her being hurt because of him was killing him inside. He couldn’t concentrate on work, couldn’t sleep, and he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
He rolled down his window, letting the October air refresh him. He eased his head back into the head rest, inhaling and exhaling slowly.
Mia hadn’t reached out since storming out on him. He knew she was okay because she was active on social media. Her last tweet was just that morning. She said something about how excited she was to get a call back for a movie.
Ethan wondered how she planned on accepting the part when she was pregnant. Movie directors weren’t known for being accommodating when it came to pregnant actresses. They only had so much time to film, and if a changing figure didn’t work for the character, the actress would be replaced. It wasn’t like television in which a pregnancy could be worked into the story or creatively hidden altogether. He was curious how she planned to pull it off.
He pulled into the parking lot of Reagan’s condo, looking for an empty space to park. He wasn’t sure if she would see him, but he had to try. She could ignore his texts, but he hoped she would respond if he was there in person.
He turned into a visitor spot and recognized the car beside his. It was Kirk’s.
What the hell was he doing here?
He opened the door and stepped out, just as Kirk came out of the building. He stood behind his car and waited for Kirk to pass.
Kirk saw him and stopped in his tracks, about ten feet away. Ethan walked toward him slowly.
“What’s are you doing here, Kirk?”
Kirk shook his head and put up his hands. Ethan stopped in front of him and folded his arms across his chest, waiting for an answer.
“Ethan, I did this for you.”
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
“Did what for me, buddy?” he asked suspiciously. “How did you know who she was? Where to find her?”
Kirk put his hands in his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“You told me her name was Reagan at dinner. You said she went by Grace professionally. I just did a Google search and there she was. You told me she was a red head, so it was pretty simple to pick her out. Then I hired a P.I. to find out where she lived.”
“You did all that?”
Kirk nodded.
“I emailed her on Monday after you left the office. You were dealing with a lot, Ethan. I wanted to help. So we met through FaceTime and then again tonight.”
Kirk handed him the paper and Ethan unfolded it. It was the P.I.’s letterhead with a paragraph about Reagan, her full name, age, social security number, address along with personal information about her divorce and her ex-husband’s obituary.
Ethan frowned and looked back at Kirk.
“Why did you come here?” he asked, anger tight in his throat.
“Why do you think? I came to tell her to stay the fuck away from you. You’ll have the media scrutinizing everything you do now that Mia’s pregnant. I needed to make sure that Grace or Reagan, whatever the fuck her name is, keeps her mouth shut.”
Ethan grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him closer.
“What did you do, Kirk?”
“I did what I had to do. I’m your manager, Ethan. I managed it,” Kirk said, his voice wavering.
“Did you hurt her?” Ethan asked, tightening his grip.
Kirk pulled back, surprise on his face.
“Jesus Christ, no! I offered her money. A lot of money. A quarter million,” Kirk sputtered. “If anything, she’s the one who hurt me, with her fucking leather whip.”
Ethan pushed him back, letting go of his shoulders.
“You have no idea what you did. This is not your business, Kirk!” he said through clenched teeth.
Kirk raised his brows, his eyes widening.
“You’re my business, Ethan. This is business. You’re a brand. I’m protecting the brand.”
Ethan shook his head slowly.
“No, Kirk. This is my life. And it’s no longer your business. We’re done.”
Kirk reached out to touch his shoulder, but Ethan pulled back.
“You don’t mean it. You can’t do this. We’ve been friends a long time. I’ve hustled my ass for you since the beginning. You need me, Ethan.”
Ethan looked up with contempt.
“You crossed the line. I told you I cared for Reagan. If you were my friend, you wouldn’t have done this. No, this was motivated by your own agenda. You were only thinking of yourself. You hurt me, and I guarantee, you hurt Reagan.”
Kirk shifted from one foot to the other and exhaled loudly. Both men were silent for a moment. Finally Kirk spoke.
“Are you in love with this ... woman?” he asked in disbelief.
Ethan looked up, considering the question. He was quiet for a moment and then slowly started nodding his head.
Kirk rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“You’re throwing it all away,” he said bitterly.
Ethan glared at Kirk as he walked past him, knocking him in the shoulder.
“She didn’t take the money, Ethan. No. Instead, this whore is going to blackmail you.”
Ethan turned and threw a powerful fist into Kirk’s gut, sending Kirk doubled over in pain.
Kirk wasn’t a small guy, but he was no match for Ethan’s muscular build.
“That’s not why she didn’t take the money,” he said softly. “And if you ever call her a whore again, I’ll fucking kill you, Kirk. I mean that.”
Then, he turned and walked away.
“Go home,” he said, without looking back.
“Ethan,” Kirk called out helplessly.
Ethan ignored him and walked up to Reagan’s door. He held his breath as he buzzed her door. He knew he was on a closed circuit camera and that she would see it was him. He only hoped she would answer.
There was no answer and he buzzed again, and again. He couldn’t leave without seeing her.
Eventually, he heard the connection and her voice came through.
“Ethan, go home. I don’t want to see you,” she said quietly.
It sounded to Ethan like she’d been crying.
He felt sick. He looked into the camera.
“Reagan, please, let me come up. I have to talk to you. I need to explain the situation. I want to talk about what Kirk did.”
She was silent for so long Ethan thought she may have hung up.
“I think it’s all pretty self-explanatory. You don’t have to worry about anything, Ethan. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you or your family. That’s the difference between you
and me,” she whispered.
Ethan frowned and shook his head. He didn’t want to hurt her and he hated that she believed that.
“Reagan, I didn’t ask Kirk to come. You have to believe me. I didn’t even know he knew how to find you. He hired a private investigator. If I hadn’t bumped into him just now, I never would have known what he did. Please let me see you,” he begged.
Again, she was quiet. Ethan hoped she was reconsidering.
“I understand now, Ethan. Thank you for clarifying,” she said.
She sounded calm. Too calm.
Ethan looked into the camera, a soft smile on his face. He could hear her sigh deeply.
“But this doesn’t change the situation. You and Mia. The baby,” she said, so quietly he could barely hear her.
He leaned his head against the glass door, his heart pounding in his chest, fearing she would make him leave and he would never have a chance to explain.
He completely understood her reaction. He agreed with her and how she felt. If he was in her shoes, he wouldn’t have let her in either. He knew about her past. She was remembering her baby and how her husband betrayed her. He needed her to know this situation was different.
“Ethan, please don’t come back. I can’t do this,” she said sadly.
“Reagan, I’m … I’m in love with you,” he said softly, a second after she hung up.
CHAPTER 40
ETHAN
Saturday morning, Ethan woke early and tackled some emails. His inbox was overflowing. Thankfully, the project he was producing was coming together despite his distraction. He had a great team who were efficient at getting things done, and most of his responsibilities had already been addressed. Now it was just a matter of managing his team.
He sat in his office for the better part of the morning and plowed through them, allowing his work to steady his nerves. He was just about ready to pack it in and take a dip in the pool when his cell phone signaled the front gate.
He opened the app and saw it was Mia. He took a deep breath as he opened the gate for her, concerned that there might be some photographers waiting to pounce on her. He went to the front door and stepped out onto the porch to wait for her.
“Hi there,” she said as she walked up the front steps.
Ethan nodded, reserving his smile. He wasn’t sure what the purpose of her visit was because the last time they’d spoken, they’d had a fight.
She offered him a hug as she approached and he accepted it cooly.
“Thanks for letting me in,” she said.
“Of course. Were the paparazzi at the gate?”
She shook her head.
“I didn’t see any, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t lurking in the bushes,” she said.
Ethan stepped aside and held the door for her. She walked in and he followed, closing the door behind them.
“Did I interrupt anything?” she asked.
He raised his brows. It wasn’t like Mia to be concerned about things like that.
“No, I just finished some things for work and was going to take a swim. Do you want something to drink? We can go sit on the patio,” he said, walking to the kitchen.
She followed behind him.
“Can I have a beer?” she asked.
Ethan turned around and looked at her closely. He was no expert, but he knew enough about pregnant women to know they shouldn’t be drinking.
“A beer? Are you sure you don’t want an ice tea or something?” he asked carefully.
She shook her head.
“A beer is good,” she said flatly.
He shrugged and grabbed two beers from the fridge. They made their way to the patio and sat under the shade of the umbrella. Ethan opened her beer and passed it to her and then opened his own.
She took a long swig and wiped the foam off her lips. She set her beer down and looked into Ethan’s eyes. She looked nervous, he thought.
“I guess you’re wondering why I’m here,” she said.
Ethan nodded, his eyes on hers.
She took a deep breath and sighed. He waited patiently for her to speak.
“Ethan, I’m not pregnant,” she blurted. “I never was.”
He could see her hand shaking as she lifted the beer to her lips to take another sip.
“You’re not pregnant?” he repeated, making sure he heard her correctly.
She nodded.
“I know it was a horrible thing to do, but I lied to you.”
He shook his head, trying to process her words.
“Wait. You lied about being pregnant?” he said, his confusion giving way to hostility.
She pulled her shoulders down and shrunk into her chair. She nodded her head slowly, avoiding eye contact.
“Why would you lie about that?” he asked, baffled.
“I could tell that things between us were starting to cool off. I had a sense that you were going to end things when you asked me to meet you for lunch. Actually, I sensed it before that. I was thinking about how distant you were while I was in Canada. I thought if I told you I loved you, it would be enough to change your feelings about me, but it wasn’t. You started to break up with me and I panicked.”
She picked at the label on her bottle, avoiding his stare. He didn’t know what to say so he said nothing.
Mia continued.
“I know it was crazy, Ethan, but you pissed me off and I guess I was lashing out. You made me want to hurt you. Then once I said the words, I didn’t know how to back out of them. When I went home and I finally calmed down, I realized how stupid it was, but I was still hurt. To be honest, I did fantasize about getting married and having a family with you. I thought if you had a few days to think about it, you would soften to the idea, maybe even realize you loved me.”
She looked at him, her eyes pleading for him to understand.
Ethan was pissed off but he held his tongue. He didn’t want to lash out at her in anger. When he didn’t respond, she shrugged and continued.
“When the news broke, I had mixed feelings. I know it sounds shallow, but I was flattered by the attention. But then, I also felt anxious because, you know, I wasn’t actually pregnant,” she paused, taking a sip of beer.
Ethan wondered if she felt any remorse about how her little facade made him feel, especially once the gossip columns came out. He sat back in his chair.
“Anyway, when you asked me to come and see you on Monday, part of me hoped you were going to tell me you loved me too and ask me to move in, but you didn’t. You were respectful and calm and you fucking pissed me off all over again.”
Ethan shook his head.
“So if I had told you what you wanted to hear, then what, Mia? What if I did ask you to move in? What would you have done?” he asked, doing his best to control his irritation.
Mia pouted and shrugged her shoulders.
“Yeah, I thought about that too. I guess I would have just kept lying. Maybe I would have faked a miscarriage or something. I considered every scenario, and trust me, I was not honorable in any of them. That’s why I’m here. I had to tell you the truth, because even though I know I have my crazy moments, I couldn’t keep lying to you,” she said quietly.
Ethan could see her tears welling up in her eyes and he wanted to sympathize with her but he was still trying to process his own emotions. He was so angry that she could lie about something so serious, but at the same time he was utterly relieved.
Suddenly he could see light at the end of the very dark tunnel he had been lost in all week. He softened his face and forced himself to smile at her.
“Wow,” he said,“I am grateful for that, Mia. I’m sure it was very difficult coming here today and telling me the truth.”
Mia nodded and wiped away her tears.
“Yes, it really was hard for me,” she admitted, “and I’m going to make it right, Ethan. I promise. I’ve already set up an interview later today with Marisa Crewson, you know, the reporter from Entertainment Weekly? I’m going to tell her
that it was a false alarm and that you and I are just really good friends and plan to stay that way. Okay?” she said.
Ethan nodded. He wasn’t sure they could stay friends after what she did, but he didn’t want to get into that now.
“Okay,” he said. “I appreciate that.”
Mia smiled and they sat in a moment of uncomfortable silence. She swallowed the last of her beer and placed the bottle on the table.
“I’m going to go,” she said, standing up.
She waited for him to stand and she followed him to the front door. She leaned in and gave him a hug, and although he returned her embrace, touching her made him uncomfortable. She turned and walked out the door, but quickly turned back.
“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I got offered an incredible part. I’m going to be the lead actress in a huge movie! You won’t believe it when they announce the leading man. This could be life changing for me, Ethan!” she gushed. “Are you happy for me?”
Ethan smiled tightly.
“Goodbye, Mia. I guess this little charade has worked out quite well for you.”
Her smile faltered.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He closed the door, leaving her to figure it out for herself.
It was all so very clear. She was going to set the record straight, but not because she wanted to do the right thing. She had to do it before the announcement of the new film.
And she hadn’t once apologized for the anguish she’d caused him.
He let out a brief sigh, and then smiled. He knew he’d never see her again in his life.
CHAPTER 41
REAGAN
Reagan sat on the floor of her “play” room surrounded by her things. She had just finished sorting through all the tools, toys and implements that had defined her life as Lady Grace and had already packed a few boxes.
Although she was feeling confident about her decision, it was tinged with sadness. She needed to shift her focus and be more visible in the world, but she wasn’t yet sure what that meant for her. She had created a world for herself that helped her feel safe, and although it all seemed too small for her now, change was scary.
The thing was, after Ethan asked her to describe her perfect world, it hadn’t seemed that impossible for her to achieve anymore. Except for the part about being President of the Universe, that was going to take some planning.
Fire & Ice: A Ménage Fantasy Page 91
