There is also speculation that Hayes Sr. may have blackballed the secretary in retaliation for Aiden and his brother edging their father out of the company. Sources close to the Hayes state that Gerald is not appreciative of his forced retirement by his sons.
Others simply suggest that Zaptos was simply just another one of Aiden's flavor of the week liaisons. All we here at Tabloid 34 know is that Aiden Hayes, billionaire playboy, is back on the market.
I stared at the pictures, barely recognizing the man in them. They all looked like the Aiden I had fallen in love with, but I couldn't believe them. I couldn't believe him. The more I looked at the pictures, the more I realized I had no idea who Aiden really was.
Three days was not enough to know someone, and certainly not enough to fall in love. The realization hit me hard enough to make me gasp.
Told you so, my brain told my heart. I didn't want to believe it, but the proof that I didn't actually know Aiden was staring me in the face. He was too perfect to have been real. He had played me.
“I could be a very different person than the one you think you know. How do you know that I'm not a terrible person?” Aiden's words echoed in my head.
He was right. I didn't know him. I didn't know him at all, yet I had just told him that I loved him.
No wonder he hadn't come after me.
Even as I looked at the pictures of him with other women, I wanted to excuse him. I wanted the man I met on the island to be the real one. We had been so happy. He had invited me to his brother's wedding. But, it had all been a lie.
I scrubbed my face with my hands. I couldn't believe I was such a gullible idiot. I didn't deserve to get into Harvard. I didn't deserve to get into a community college intro to law course. Aiden Hayes had duped me completely and in more ways than one.
I slammed my laptop shut, wanting to make the images disappear from my mind just as easily. I didn't know him. I needed to forget about him like he was going to forget about me. I didn't look like the supermodels in those pictures, and there was no logical explanation why he would ever chose me over one of them. He didn't love me. He never had.
I was a fling. A way to stay entertained during a business meeting.
Kathryn hung up the phone and let out a huge sigh of frustration. “Sorry to interrupt your lunch with Mr. Hayes,” she apologized, leaning back in her seat and rubbing her temples.
“Don't worry about it,” I mumbled, putting my laptop back in its station and staring out the window.
Kathryn frowned and stopped rubbing her head to look at me. “You okay?”
I shook my head no, knowing that despite my best efforts to keep my emotions locked up, they have to be written across my face. I knew if I said his name, I'd lose it and I wasn't ready to cry in front of Kathryn. I wasn't ready to cry at all.
“No, but I don't want to talk about it.” I took a shaky breath and wiped my hands across my cheeks to catch any tears that might have escaped. “Tell me more about the Dallas Disaster. Where are we going now and what do you need me to do?”
Kathryn evaluated me for a moment, and then nodded slowly. “Okay.” She leaned back into her chair again as the engine started to rumble. “We are flying aback to Chicago to do damage control.”
“What about Smith?” I asked, sitting up straight. “You said he had a heart attack—is he...?”
“Elijah's going to be fine. He just got out of surgery. He had a double bypass and is expected to make a full recovery.” She smiled at the good news and then sighed. “But there's no way he's going to be able to do this case.”
“I'm glad he's okay.” Even though the man had given my spot at the trial to Alexa, I wanted him to be all right. He was still an amazing lawyer. “Who will be taking over for him?”
“Derek Johnson. He's just getting to Houston now.” Kathryn raised her voice to be heard over the whine of the engines as they powered up for takeoff.
“Why wasn't Derek second chair in the first place? He's the one Smith's been grooming to take over all his criminal defense cases when he retires anyway.” It felt good to focus my brain on something other than Aiden. Work was something I understood.
“He was. His flight in last night was delayed.” Kathryn ran her fingers through her hair and looked up at the ceiling as the plane fought gravity. “It's chaos and I'm still sorting out the details.”
“You said the judge wasn't informed. Who was second chair until Derek arrived and why didn't they call anybody?” I asked. I couldn't think of anyone that stupid at our firm.
“Calvin was second chair,” Kathryn answered. I guess I did know someone that stupid. “What I'm hearing is that Calvin waited to inform everyone because he tried to convince the client to let him make the opening statements.”
“What!?” I nearly fell out of my seat in surprise, even with the seat belt on.
“Luckily, the client has watched an episode of “Law and Order” in his lifetime and realized that was a bad idea.” Kathryn sounded completely exasperated. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose like she was getting a headache. Given the mess that was going on with her firm, I would have been surprised if she didn't have one. “He refused, figuring that his lawyer having a heart attack was a good reason to delay a trial. This whole thing could have been much, much worse. But, the paperwork and publicity surrounding this thing is still a nightmare.”
“Calvin's not a bad lawyer, but I can't believe he would do something like that,” I said shaking my head in disbelief.
“He saw an opportunity to be in the limelight,” Kathryn explained with a shrug. “It's not often a low-level lawyer is presented with an opportunity to be on center stage. If he had pulled it off, he would have been offered partner at a dozen firms. Opportunity does things to people.”
“More likely Alexa saw the opportunity.” I almost felt sorry for Calvin. “Is he going to be fired?”
“Probably. We have to make sure that's what actually happened, and we can't do that until Smith wakes up from his surgery.” She shrugged without pity. Calvin had put the reputation of her firm on the line.
“Wow,” I mouthed. This was a disaster. “What do you need me to do?”
Kathryn didn't open her eyes. “You're going to need a pen.”
I was in for a lot of work. But, at least it will keep your mind off Aiden, I told myself. Except, I knew there was nothing short of a coma that would keep me from thinking of him.
Chapter 20
“Did you get ahold of the reporter for the Houston Daily?” Kathryn asked.
“Yes, ma'am. I scheduled the official interview with Derek's secretary and had the reporter send his questions to her ahead of time,” I answered checking off another item on my list. If I didn't have a calendar in front of me I wouldn't have known what day it was we were so busy. I hadn't been home since the flight back, yet I remembered falling asleep on one of the couches in Kathryn's office at least twice.
“Good. What about the files for tomorrow-”
“I got those done too. They've been faxed and I checked with the courthouse that they were received,” I answered quickly. “Now, you need to get going. You have a meeting with the Mayor and if you are late or reschedule your secretary will skin me alive. She said I would have to handle all the phone calls from him and you don't pay me enough for that.”
I got up from my desk and handed her the suit jacket hanging on the wall behind me. I could tell she was still in emergency mode and was having a hard time leaving the office for anything short of a five-alarm fire. Considering we both were still wearing the same clothes from two days ago, I wasn't much better.
“Kathryn,” I said gently as I put the jacket in her hands. “I've got things under control for at least three hours. Derek has been in constant communication and Mr. Smith is practically trying to run the trial from his hospital bed. You can go to your lunch meeting. Besides, he's is going to be here any minute.”
She frowned. “But the-”
“No butts
,” I told her firmly. “Lunch.”
Kathryn smiled as she shrugged into her jacket. “When'd you learn to be bossy? I thought I hired a mouse.”
“It's all the coffee,” I replied with a shrug as sat back at my desk to continue on my lists. The coffee was good, but it wasn't what was powering me through the days.
“Then remind me to get you more for Christmas,” she murmured as she pulled her hair out from under the stylish jacket. “I'll have my phone on the whole time. Call me immediately if anything changes.”
“Scout's honor,” I promised, holding up three fingers. “Have a good time.”
“It's just quick follow up with Gerald Hayes in my office before lunch.” Kathryn paused before leaving. “Lena?”
“Yeah?” I looked up, ready to add whatever she needed to my to-do list.
“I don't know what happened to you on that island, but whatever it was, you needed it.” She smiled, warming her features. “You did excellent work before we left, but you didn't take charge. Since we've been back, you've been a one-woman show. If it's the coffee giving you this spark, I'll buy you a year's supply.”
I beamed at the compliment. “I like the hazelnut flavor in the blue cups and I'm pretty sure the creamer in the fridge has something to do with it too.”
“You got it.” Kathryn laughed. She paused at my desk. “Before I go, I wanted you to know I sent in my letter of recommendation for you to Harvard.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“If they don't let you in, they're going to have a very unhappy supporting alumni.” She winked. “Though, I wouldn't mind if it means getting to keep you around the office a little while longer.”
“I really appreciate that, but you need to get in your office or he'll be there before you,” I warned her with a smile. “Don't make me call security on you.”
“There's that confidence again.” Kathryn glared good-naturedly at me. “Hazelnut in the blue cups it is.”
I looked up in time to see her swish into her office and start picking things up. I was doing my best to ignore the fact that she was having a meeting with Aiden's father. I kept telling myself that Gerald Hayes and Aiden Hayes were two entirely separate people and that arrival of one did not mean the other would show as well.
My coffee mug was only half empty, but I still had a lot of work to do and a full cup sounded like a good way to start. Before I left my desk though, I checked my phone and my email, just in case something new had come in.
There were a couple new interoffice notices, but nothing I wanted to see. Nothing from Aiden. It had been almost three days since our hasty departure and my heartfelt admission of love, but I hadn't heard a word from him.
The silence was what was fueling me, not the coffee.
I stood up and rolled my shoulders. I had been staring at my computer screen and on the phone all day and now I had nasty crick in my neck. I checked my inbox one last time before picking up my mug. Nothing.
I dumped my mug out into the sink and set it on the silver tray of the K-cup coffee machine before opening the cabinet to look at the coffee selection. The hazelnut flavored blue cups were gone, so I settled for a green morning blend instead. No, I thought to myself, it definitely wasn't the coffee.
I raised the silver handle to place the coffee pod in the machine. The coffee maker was certainly getting a workout this week. The entire office was staying late trying to catch up on the Dallas Disaster in addition to their regular workloads. Coffee pods were becoming rare commodities. There was a used K-cup inside, and so I reached in and grabbed it. The empty cup was still hot from the last user and it burned my fingers. I hissed, more from surprise than pain, and flung it into the trash.
Two and a half days. I had held out hope that there would be a message waiting for me when I stepped off the plane. I was sure there would be a phone call that evening. I had been positive that he would at least leave me a note on my desk the next day. But nothing came. A full day of nothing, followed by another. And still nothing today. It was time to accept that he was never going to say anything.
I sucked on my offended fingers as I finished making my coffee. I should have known that he wasn't going to follow me. I had told him I loved him after just three days. Any sane man would avoid a woman like that. Especially one with a playboy history like Aiden. I had been a fling. Something fun to pass the time at a boring convention.
It hurt, and not just my fingers. I couldn't help that I still loved him. I thought knowing the truth about him would change my feelings, but it didn't. The pictures on the internet were just pictures. I loved the man who brought me dinner, took me fishing, and got caught in the rain with me.
I knew he must not feel the same. Two days of silence suggested otherwise. I had just been his latest flavor of the week. I had thought I was different. I had thought we had something special, but every hour that went by without a word just told me otherwise.
And so, I buried myself in work. If I kept busy, I didn't think quite so much about him or what I had said. Looking through witness statements and working on logistics kept me from remembering the smell of his hair and the way his eyes sparkled when he smiled. Quarterly reports banished the way his laughter made me smile. It was a blatant lie I told myself to make me feel better, but it was what got me through the day.
I had the choice to sit and mope, or to let the experience make me stronger. For once in my life, I chose stronger. I was going to use this as the opportunity to become the person I wanted to be. The person Aiden showed me I could be.
I was working hard on not letting anyone walk over me again. Not even Alexa. When I first met Aiden, I had believed I was worthwhile simply because he did. Now, I realized that even though he wasn't here or even still believed it himself, I did. I was worthwhile because I believed in me. If Aiden did nothing else for me, he at least gave me the chance to believe in myself. He had changed me and I was going to make sure it was for the better.
The coffee finished and my stomach grumbled. Kathryn had arranged for meals since we were all working late this week, but it wasn't time for lunch to arrive yet. I remembered seeing a pizza guy walk into the conference room late last night. If I was lucky, there still might be a couple of slices left. I set my coffee on my desk so I wouldn't have to juggle it and a plate, and went on the hunt for leftovers.
The conference room was a bust. All that was left of the pizza was empty boxes and bare plates. I sighed and headed for the library. Darcie usually had some cookies stashed in her desk. If I asked nicely and told her it would make me feel better about Aiden, she would happily give the me a couple to dip in my coffee while I worked.
“Lena,” Kathryn's voice called to me. I turned to see her standing with an older, sadder version of Aiden. Looking at him made my heart twist. He was so very much like the man I loved, and yet so very different.
“What can I do for you, Ms. McDonald?” I asked, putting on my best professional smile.
“Mr. Hayes was interested in getting a copy of all the meeting minutes as well as the updated litigation forms,” Kathryn explained. “Would you make sure they're on my desk by the time I return from lunch?”
“Of course.” I looked to Mr. Hayes and saw brown eyes where his son had beautiful hazel. “Do you need anything else?”
“You must be the woman Aiden spoke of from the conference,” Mr. Hayes said, evaluating me.. His voice was deeper and smokier than Aiden's.
I swallowed hard. “There were quite a few women at the conference,” I replied, dodging his eyes.
While I doubted Aiden could have meant anyone else, this wasn't exactly a topic I was ready to discuss in the middle of the hallway, especially considering I had no idea what Aiden would have told his father about me.
“We really should be getting to lunch,” Kathryn announced, stopping that path of questioning. “Thank you for those forms, Lena.”
Mr. Hayes gave me one last look turning to leave with Kathryn. He and his son had the same shou
lders and walked with the same confident stride. Empty loss caught in my throat.
“There she is.” Alexa's voice cut through my hunger and heartsickness like a knife. If it had any more disdain, it would have melted through the floor. “There's Lena the paralegal.”
I had barely seen a perfectly curled eyelash of Alexa since arriving. One of the first things Kathryn had done upon arriving back was to send out a new team of lawyers to Houston. Alexa and the rest of the lawyers from the Houston group had been sent back to Chicago with their tails between their legs. Alexa had the good sense to stay down in the Dungeons and away from Kathryn's domain, which meant she had stayed away from me as well.
But now, she was standing in the middle of the hallway with Aiden.
Announcing my job title.
Now he knew.
My chest tightened and my stomach started flip-flopped so hard I was certain I'd never want to eat again. My forehead and stomach flushed with heat while my hands and shoulders turned to ice. He was here. Over two days of silence and now he was here, standing in my office building next to the woman who wanted to ruin my life.
He looked so handsome and fit the part of the billionaire perfectly today. There was no way anyone could mistake him for an assistant. He wore a strong black suit that fit him like the designer had made the suit with him in it. Silver cufflinks matched his tie and the ascot folded elegantly in his left breast pocket. I didn't know that a man could look that good in a suit without Photoshop.
His hair was neatly combed back and picture perfect. Not a honey curl out of place. He had shaved recently, so his jaw was smooth and clean under dark, unreadable eyes. It was the eyes that made my heart quiver. They were focused entirely on me.
“Imagine my surprise to find a billionaire in my office,” Alexa told the crowd starting to gather in the hallway. Gerald Hayes stopped in his tracks and turned to see what was going on, with Kathryn right next to him. He looked shocked. Alexa smiled at me like a snake. “He seemed to think it was yours, Lena. I informed him that paralegals don't have offices like lawyers do.”
Barefoot Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story Page 15
