Serenity (Inevitable Book 5)

by Janet Nissenson

  “Xavier? Hey, sorry to bother you, man, but I really need a couple of urgent favors. Yeah, I’ve got the flu, feel like three day old crap right now. No, no. I don’t need a doctor or anything from the pharmacy, just some sleep. Listen, this is what I need you to do, okay? First is to change my access codes to the building, including the one for the garage. And don’t let anyone else know what the new codes are, got it? Especially Mrs. Bennett. Next, I need a locksmith up here ASAP to change the front door lock. Yep, that’s it for now. Thanks, buddy, you’re the best.”

  As his head hit the pillow and he found some much needed solace in slumber, Matthew sleepily figured he could deal with replacing the bed in the master bedroom tomorrow.

  Chapter Two

  Two weeks later

  Ian Gregson arched a brow observantly from where he sat across the table. “Perhaps you should have ordered a second entrée, Matthew. It looks like you haven’t had a square meal in awhile.”

  Matthew gave his friend a sheepish grin as he popped another French fry in his mouth. “You may be right. Ever since Lindsey and I separated I’ve been subsisting on takeout food most nights. Fortunately, Elena has always been a bossy little thing, and she makes sure I have something for breakfast and lunch so I don’t waste away to nothing, as she’s so fond of saying. I keep insisting that she’s got a Jewish mother somewhere in her background, even though she swears she’s a hundred percent Latina, going back several generations.”

  Ian chuckled, taking a modest bite of his grilled halibut. “You’re lucky to have an assistant like her to look after you. As exemplary as Andrew has always been at his job, I can’t recall a single incident where he ever actually fussed over me.”

  Matthew gave a small shudder, not able to imagine Ian’s stuffy, by-the-book PA ever fussing over anything. In fact, he couldn’t recall ever seeing the serious, bespectacled young man even cracking a smile during the few times they had met. “No, that’s for sure,” he agreed readily. “Elena is more than happy to look out for me, though, especially since both of her boys are doing out-of-state internships this summer and she can only boss them so much from long distance.”

  Matthew’s PA was a single mother who’d raised her two sons practically single-handedly, and bullied, pushed, and guided them into getting accepted to highly rated universities. Her eldest – Jaime - would be a senior at Duke this fall, while her younger son – Diego - would be starting his second year at Purdue. Seeing her boys excelling in school, and being presented with the sort of opportunities that Elena herself had never known growing up as one of six children born to poor Mexican immigrants, was by far her proudest achievement. Keeping Matthew organized at the office was a close second. And in the weeks since he’d separated from Lindsey, Elena had been fussing over him and keeping him in line more than ever.

  This time it was Ian’s turn to shudder at the mention of Matthew’s ferociously protective PA. “Your Elena is more like a mama shark than a mama bear, I’m afraid,” he pointed out. “But you need someone like her in your life, Matthew. Especially since - well, you know.”

  Matthew nodded, taking a generous bite of his triple-decker club sandwich. “Since I’ve been living on my own,” he acknowledged. “She’s been great, no doubt about it - not just with making sure I don’t starve to death but taking care of all sorts of little details that sure as hell aren’t part of her job description - the dry cleaning, banking, grocery shopping. She even took care of having my old bed hauled away - including all the bedding - and ordering a new one to replace it.”

  Ian frowned. “Why in the world did you need a new - ah, never mind.”

  A few days after the scene in the condo where he’d caught Lindsey and Jesse in the act, Matthew had told Ian most of the gory details. Predictably, Ian had been extremely supportive of Matthew’s decision to seek out a divorce under the circumstances, and had also encouraged him to call the owner of their health club to file a complaint against Jesse.

  “If you don’t I sure as hell will,” Ian had declared. “I caught that horny little bastard with his hand on Tessa’s backside the other day. I was just about to break his jaw when my beautiful bride took care of the problem for me.”

  Matthew had chuckled in spite of how lousy he’d been feeling. “Tessa punched that jackass in the face?”

  “Not quite. But judging by how loudly he yelped when she bent his little finger backwards I’d say he got the message loud and clear to fuck off.”

  Ian’s encouragement had been all Matthew needed to make that phone call, and just like that Jesse was gone. There was no possible way that the owner of their club was going to piss off either the CEO of a hugely successful software firm, or one of the heirs to the top luxury hotel chain in the world.

  Word around the club, however, was that Jesse had left voluntarily to “pursue other opportunities”, and Matthew hadn’t been anxious to correct this misrepresentation of the facts. Despite his resolve to pursue a divorce, he wasn’t willing to let it be known that his wife had banged one of the personal trainers - among a long list of others. A man was entitled to some semblance of pride, after all, even if his had been badly torn to shreds these last few years.

  Matthew cleaned his plate, after having already polished off a bowl of clam chowder, and asked the waiter to bring over the dessert menu. At Ian’s look of surprise, he gave him a wry grin in response.

  “This is the first meal I’ve eaten in two weeks that hasn’t come out of a takeout container,” he explained. “So I plan on enjoying every bite.”

  Ian grinned, but only asked for a pot of tea when Matthew ordered a piece of peach pie. “Tessa and I will have to have you over for dinner one evening soon, then,” he assured him. “She’s already mentioned it to me a couple of times. And my wife loves nothing better than to fuss over me, so you can be sure she’ll do the same to you. Probably even send you home with plates of leftovers.”

  Matthew gave a sigh of utter bliss. “I can’t tell you how great that sounds, Ian. I’m pretty sure the last time I sat down to a home-cooked meal was the last time I was at your house for dinner. Lindsey was never much of a cook, and especially not in the last few years since we were able to hire domestic help. Not to mention the fact that her diet mostly consists of salads and protein shakes these days. You’re a lucky, lucky man to have a wife like Tessa, that’s for sure.”

  Ian smiled. “I won’t argue with you about that. Every man should be so fortunate to have someone like her in their life. But she also happens to be one in a million, so I realize just how lucky I am. I’m just sorry your own marriage isn’t as blissful as mine is already proving to be, Matthew. Do you think there’s a chance that you and Lindsey can work things out? Especially considering the children.”

  Matthew shook his head. “The kids are the only reason I’ve stuck it out this long. And even if Lindsey hadn’t slept with a few dozen men - and those are just the ones I know about - I would have initiated a divorce sooner than later. We’ve drifted apart, no longer want the same things from life, and, well, she’s like a completely different person than the woman I married all those years ago. It’s said that money changes a person, and in Lindsey’s case that hasn’t been a positive change.”

  “Hmm.” Ian took a sip of his tea. “You’ve been married how long?”

  “Sixteen years. We got married just a few months before our daughter was born. And, yes, before you ask,” added Matthew, “Lindsey’s pregnancy was why we got married in the first place. I doubt if she would have agreed to marry me otherwise. And considering I was immersed in my doctorate program at the time, getting married wasn’t exactly at the top of my list back then, either.” He shoved a piece of pie into his mouth, then washed it down with coffee. “But, hey, that was a long time ago, and it sure as hell feels like we were two completely different people back then. At least Lindsey was. Deep down, I’m still the nerdy computer geek I was when she met me.”

  Ian looked dubiously at M
atthew’s expensive Italian suit, silk tie, and expertly cut hair. “You look nothing like any geek I’ve ever known.”

  Matthew grinned. “You should have seen me in college - skinny, awkward, wire-rimmed glasses that had probably gone out of style a dozen years earlier. And I’m pretty sure my jeans were always a few inches too short. I’ve undergone something of a makeover during the last decade or so, I guess. Though I still prefer wearing jeans and a T-shirt to a Brioni suit any day of the week.”

  “So there’s no chance then of a reconciliation?” inquired Ian.

  “Not as far as I’m concerned,” declared Matthew. “I filed for a legal separation within a week after moving out, and my attorney sent the divorce papers to Lindsey’s a few days ago. But even though the terms call for giving her half of everything, plus continuing to contribute to the trust funds we have set up for the kids, I know she’ll balk and try to hold out for even more.”

  “Half?” asked Ian incredulously. “Good Lord, that’s a bloody fortune, Matthew! I take it you didn’t have a pre-nup in place?”

  Matthew gave a hoot of laughter. “Considering that when we got married I had less than four thousand dollars in the bank, drove a ten-year old Toyota, and about the only thing of value I owned were my three computers, a pre-nup would have been a moot point, don’t you think? And while I certainly had plans to become successful, I would have never imagined getting to this level. Not to mention the fact that I naively thought our marriage would last forever. I assume Tessa signed a pre-nup?”

  “No.” Ian gave a firm shake of his dark head. “She offered to, practically insisted, but I was the one who refused to even consider the idea. I know that she’ll always be the only one for me, Matthew, and that our marriage will last a lifetime. Some things you just know, and I’ve always had very good instincts about people. Besides, Tessa is the least greedy person I’ve ever known, has never asked me for a thing, and rarely spends any money.”

  Matthew grimaced. “The polar opposite of Lindsey, in other words. In a lot of ways. For one thing, as crazy as the two of you are about each other, there’s just no way I could ever see Tessa flirting with another man.”

  “You’re damned right she wouldn’t,” retorted Ian fiercely. “And not just because I’d break a few of the bastard’s bones. Tessa is too fine of a woman to even think of doing something like that, too good a person. She’s kind and considerate and hates the very thought of hurting someone’s feelings. The fact that she’s also madly in love with me helps, too, of course.”

  “Yeah, that’s for sure.” Matthew finished off his pie. “I know Lindsey tried like hell to flirt with you over the years, Ian. She’d come right out and tell me to my face that she thought you were hot stuff. And I’m also well aware that you went out of your way to discourage her, all while continuing to act like the gentleman you are.”

  “Married women have always been off-limits to me,” declared Ian. “That’s why I had to keep my feelings for Tessa such a carefully guarded secret for over two years, until she told me she and her husband had split up. And I definitely wouldn’t have flirted with the wife of one of my closest friends, no matter how persistent she might have been. Plus, overly-aggressive women are a huge turn-off for me.”

  “Well, Lindsey certainly fits that description to a tee,” acknowledged Matthew. “But now that we’re divorcing she can flirt with - and fuck - anyone she wants to. Just as long as it doesn’t involve the kids, of course. At least she’s always had the decency - if one can think of serial cheating as something decent - to have her little flings outside of the house. According to her credit card bills, which she evidently thought I never bothered to check, she certainly made the rounds of most of the hotels here in the city. Including yours, I’m afraid.”

  Ian winced. “Sorry about that. I’m happy to call the manager there, ask him to flag Lindsey’s name so they won’t let her stay there in the future.”

  “Nah.” Matthew waved a hand in dismissal. “As long as she leaves my children out of it, I don’t especially give a damn who she screws - or where - any longer.”

  “Speaking of the children, how are they dealing with this whole situation?”

  Matthew gave a small shrug. “Better than I expected, actually. Casey is a pretty cool kid, not much rattles him, you know? He’s not even fourteen yet but he’s so mature for his age that it freaks me out sometimes. He told me that he understands, that he just wants Lindsey and me to be happy. And frankly he and I probably talk and text and Facetime more often now then when I was living at home. As for my daughter - well, she’s a typical sixteen year old girl. Too caught up in herself and her own little world to show much emotion about anything else. Overall, the kids are far more accepting of the idea than their mother has been so far. Getting Lindsey to sign those divorce papers is not going to be an easy feat.”

  Ian arched a brow in surprise. “I happen to know you cracked the top forty names on the latest Fortune 400 list, and even half of that sort of net worth seems like more money than one person could spend in ten lifetimes. What else could Lindsey possibly want?”

  “You haven’t seen the way she can spend money,” declared Matthew. “I’m guessing she’d probably prefer to receive monthly payments over the course of her life. Getting a lump sum like that would be too much temptation, and God knows she has no concept of how to manage money. There’s a real possibility that she could blow through that much in a decade or two. And if she took a lump sum she wouldn’t be able to squeeze any more from me if she spent it all. But the money is only part of it. Lindsey also loves all the attention she gets as my wife - attending the social events, meeting important people, getting her picture in the newspaper and magazines. All of the stuff I despise the most about this job. She must hate the idea of giving all that up.”

  “She has no idea that you’ve thought about selling the company, then?”

  Matthew shook his head. “You’re the only person I’ve ever discussed that with, Ian. And as tempting as the idea is most days, it’s complicated, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

  Ian nodded. “Of course. You have a great many people depending on you, Matthew - employees, a board of directors, investors, shareholders, the public. Not to mention your family. But also a tremendous amount of responsibility and stress. I can certainly understand the temptation to just say to hell with it all.”

  Matthew blew out a breath, as though he had a huge weight resting on his chest. “You have no idea how close I come to doing just that almost every day of the week,” he admitted. “But then I think about all the people counting on me, like you said, and I realize I can’t just walk away. I am definitely a victim of my own success, aren’t I?”

  “There’s a solution to everything, you know,” reminded Ian gently. “It may not be quick or simple, but if you’re that miserable I’m sure you’ll find a way out of it somehow.”

  Matthew gave a short, ironic laugh. “Hell of a time to get serious about it, though, considering the fact that I’m in the process of getting a divorce and living apart from my kids. At least working so many hours helps keeps me busy. Going home alone to the condo every night isn’t exactly something I look forward to.”

  “I know that feeling all too well. Before I had Tessa in my life I used to joke to my family that I was married to my job,” admitted Ian. “But ever since she and I have been together I’ve been gradually spending less time at the office, learning to delegate more, and not worry so much about constantly being in control.”

  Matthew grinned. “Well, if I had a wife like Tessa waiting at home for me I’d find every excuse in the book to leave work early. Or take a very long vacation.”

  Ian’s hazel eyes twinkled. “My thoughts exactly. In fact, after our lunch I’m going to surprise my new bride by arriving home very early today.”

  “You smug bastard,” chided Matthew with a chuckle. “It’s not very considerate of you to rub salt into the wound, you know. I mean, it�
�s bad enough that I’m divorcing my wife after getting fed up with her constant cheating. But to know that you’re going home to your really hot bride after this and have afternoon sex is bordering on cruelty, Ian. Do you have any idea when the last time I had spontaneous sex with Lindsey was? Jesus, come to think of it, I’m not sure I can remember the last time I had any sort of sex with her.”

  “I apologize,” Ian told him, though he couldn’t hide the admittedly smug expression on his face, and his tone of voice didn’t sound in the least contrite. “Perhaps you should, ah, remedy that situation sooner than later. Though not, of course, with Lindsey, considering the circumstances.”

  Matthew shuddered. “You got that right. Even though she had her tubes tied after Casey was born, I started using condoms once I suspected she was sleeping around. No way was I taking a chance at catching some STD from one of her bed partners. As far as scratching that particular inch with someone else - well, I confess to being way, way out of practice in that regard. Lindsey was really the only serious girlfriend I ever had. I’m not sure I’d even know how to begin to go about - uh, remedying the situation.”

  Ian withdrew his wallet from his jacket pocket and extracted a credit card. The two friends took turns treating the other to lunch when they met once a month. “I’m happy to ask Tessa if she could introduce you to someone,” he offered. “She’s made several friends at her yoga studio and at college.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think I’m anywhere near ready for that,” admitted Matthew. “Despite the way we’ve drifted apart, and all of Lindsey’s infidelities, it’s going to take a little time for me to get used to the fact that I’m not a married man any longer. And that status has nothing to do with legalities or a piece of paper. I haven’t felt truly married to Lindsey for a long time, and my moving out just validated what I’ve been feeling all along. And, well, at this point I think sleeping with some random woman I was set up with would just smack of a revenge fuck. I’ve gone without sex for weeks and months at a time before, and I can definitely do it now.”