His Paris Affair (The Albury Affairs)

by Christina OW

  With all the laughing and crying all she could do was nod yes. She was finally getting her own happily ever after.

  Chapter Two

  Thirteen months later…

  Ruiz slouched in the lawn chair, a bottle of beer in one hand and his cell phone in the other, watching and listening to the sounds of a happy family as the knife of jealousy repeatedly stabbed him in the chest.

  He watched as his sister Riana blew her husband a kiss where he stood at the grill with his best friend Matthew and with a broad smile Allan caught it and pressed it to his chest over his heart. She smiled lovingly at him as she strolled, rocking the new addition to her family, Allan Patrick Sinclair III, to sleep. Ruiz knew his nine month old nephew would wake almost immediately once the laughter and other happy noises grew louder, penetrating his haze of sleep. He didn’t like to be left out. Ruiz could relate.

  And just a few feet away from him, Reno and Loraine were having one of their famous arguments that usually ended with them sneaking off together and emerging an hour later with the biggest grins on their faces. Loraine was now four months pregnant so there was no sneaking away this time. Reno had put an end to that. They all had their fingers crossed—Reno especially—that she would carry this baby to term with no complications. After the attack over a year ago that resulted in Loraine losing their first baby together they had their fingers and toes crossed. Sure they were all worried, treating her like a fragile egg, but Reno was a little extreme. From Loraine’s complaints they barely had sex, which apparently was like torture to a horny hormonal pregnant woman—who knew? Ruiz was sure one day his brother would lose it and wrap his wife in bubble wrap. The attention was driving Loraine nuts considering she was barely showing. At the beginning of her pregnancy she had been very understanding of his antics, but now she really looked ready to punch Reno when she stood up mere seconds after he settled her down on the cushioned chair. Amy, Matthew’s wife, watched, quietly laughing as she cradled her second son, seven month old Ethan in her arms.

  Amy, Riana, and Loraine had become very close the past two years, which led to their three houses being built next to each other on a hill that over looked New York City. It was a compound that shared the same huge access gate and yards full of trees and flowers. Their gardens were their boundaries and there was one rock path that led to each of their front doors. The backyard was both a playground and an outdoor living area with a gazebo, a section for the barbeque pit with tables and chairs, a swimming pool with pool chairs, umbrella tables and chairs, and a marquee for formal parties which happened twice a month which Loraine’s new company catered. With Matthew’s law firm, Allan’s company, and Red Roses hotels that Reno ran, and of course his sister’s new pride and joy, the art school and gallery that Amy helped her run—as she used to be an art connoisseur in her home country Brazil before she married Matthew—it was great business for Loraine and the best excuse for the state of the art kitchen in her home.

  The three kids who ran past him laughing loudly drew Ruiz’s attention. He smiled as he watched them dash for the jungle gym, climbing up the steps into the pirate ship and disappearing into the tube with Aurora tailing behind. Since Tyler and Mark met and forged a friendship, Aurora was left behind quite a few times. She was jealous of the bromance and had to resort to pouting and whining as she followed them around until they would relent and include her. The hold she had on Mark that had amused them all before had been broken by Tyler’s arrival. Riana had tried to arrange play dates with girls Aurora’s age but she would ditch them to run after Tyler and Mark.

  There were three happy families in Allan’s side of the compound and Ruiz was the odd one out. Once, he thought he’d achieved it—the beginning to his happily ever after. The proof of that belief sat in the center of his chest, held there by the chain around his neck. It burned his flesh, constantly reminding him of what he’d lost a year ago, just a flimsy moment after he had attained it. It was a cruel joke played on his heart. Worse of all, it had caused tension in his family. If it wasn’t for Riana, Allan would have disowned him already.

  Melody…

  He stared at his phone’s screensaver like he had a million times before since he last saw her. A year and he still hadn’t changed it. It was a picture of Melody taken in the Bahamas just before the relocation to the States. She was in her bikini, with her wet hair swept over her shoulder and the most beautiful smile he had ever seen that made her brown eyes twinkle like honey gold. The two of them were left behind to handle the change over in the Bahamas as Matthew handled everything else in the United States, giving Reno and Loraine the time they needed to get past the disaster their wedding night had been. And of course the space they needed to mourn the child they lost while reassuring Tyler of his place in their lives. It had taken a few months, but right after Reno moved his family to the States, Melody and Ruiz began their tour of the Red Roses branches worldwide. Paris had been their last stop and the place that changed both their lives.

  The woman had bewitched him, left him love sick and disillusioned. She had also turned him into the man he used to be—lonely, bitter, resentful and full of rage. All he had worked hard to rid himself of, flooded back with a vengeance, drowning him in renewed pain.

  Why couldn’t the one thing he wanted in his life to go right, go right?

  “Hey, what are you thinking about that’s making that face?”

  Ruiz’s lips pulled in a faint smile as he looked up at his sister. She looked so good with a baby cuddled to her chest. Ruiz placed his beer down and tucked his phone into his cargo pants pocket then he reached his arms out. “Why don’t you let me hold him for a few so you can enjoy the barbecue?”

  “What about you? Don’t you want to enjoy the barbecue?”

  He shrugged. “I’ll enjoy myself more if you hand over my nephew.”

  She stared at him for a long while, her face not betraying the worry he knew she felt before she placed her son into Ruiz’s waiting arms.

  Ruiz cradled little Allan to his chest. For some reason he always felt whole when he held his niece and nephews, like they could temporarily save him from his own misery.

  “Allan doesn’t hate you, you know.”

  Ruiz scoffed keeping his eyes on his nephew. He smiled at how little Allan smacked his pink lips repeatedly as he settled to sleep. It was cute and funny.

  “He really doesn’t,” she insisted.

  “He hasn’t seen his little sister in over a year. She didn’t even come home for Christmas because she’s avoiding me. Yeah, totally not a reason to hate me, nor the reason he’s so cold towards me,” he finished sarcastically.

  Riana sighed heavily. “You need to understand his position—”

  Ruiz cut her off with a look that said he was done with the conversation. He couldn’t stand another day past the year of her pestering. He knew her concern was out of love but god, he wasn’t interested in hearing this again.

  “Riana stop. Things are the way they are because they just are. Now, go enjoy your day, I’ll stay here with the kid.”

  Her face creased in annoyance as she turned around and stomped away muttering, “You are so damn stubborn.”

  Ruiz sighed with relief. He’d earned himself a reprieve for a few minutes before Loraine came along and tried to talk him into finding Melody, though she orders more than suggests, in a sweet and serene voice. Ever since she became a wife and mom, she was always so concerned with everyone else’s happiness. She wasn’t so crass and up-in-your-face anymore. She was softer, more patient and according to her parents she smiled a lot more than they could ever remember. Her hippie mother described it as the little sun in her heart shining bright with joy and love touching everyone around her, infecting them with happiness. Compared to some of the other things she’d said before, that was easy to comprehend.

  Ruiz turned his head slightly and watched from his peripheral view as Reno settled himself in the lawn chair next to him with a grunt. His brother, though the go-to-guy to s
olve a problem, wasn’t exactly the open-heart conversationalist, so he wasn’t surprised when Reno didn’t speak immediately. But Ruiz already knew what he was thinking what he didn’t want to utter and hadn’t done so since the day it happened and it annoyed the hell out of him.

  “One of these days you are just going to have to come out and say it.”

  After two beats of silence, Reno said, “Say what?”

  Ruiz bit down on his teeth. “I told you so.”

  “Why would I say that?”

  “Because you told me this would happen. Right before the move you said my relationship with Melody would be disastrous to the family if it didn’t work out and you were right. Allan can barely stand my presence and Riana is caught in the middle.”

  Reno nodded. “I did say that, but that wasn’t what I was thinking just now.”

  Ruiz faced his brother. “Then what?”

  “He’s thinking what kind of idiot spends over a year mopping around the world instead of chasing after the woman he loves?”

  Ruiz turned around at Allan’s booming voice. He wasn’t sure if he was stern or angry because the guy knew how to control his facial expression too damn well; it was probably the reason why he was such a shark in the boardroom.

  “Why haven’t you gone after my sister yet?” he demanded.

  “She made it very clear she wants nothing to do with me.”

  “And why is that?” Reno asked more calmly.

  Ruiz shook his head. He was stumped on that one, but seeing her with another guy who looked more suited to her class right after she told him to hit the road was a message he received loud and clear.

  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Where do you guys want me to go next?”

  Reno and Allan just stared at him probably both silently debating who’ll throttle him first.

  “Paris,” Matthew added, coming up next to Allan with a bottle of beer in his hand.

  Ruiz was grateful for the save, but that was the last place he wanted to go. He had wanted this globetrotting job and he had to do it whether he liked it or not. He’d just have to push the memories back, do his job as fast and as efficiently as he possibly could and move on.

  “What do you want me to checkout?”

  “The books don’t add up and we’ve received some complaints from some well known clientele. Apparently the Paris Red Roses doesn’t live up to the standards we preach and we’ve had enough bad press to last us a lifetime with the whole Torino business.” Ruiz caught Allan’s clenched jaw and he bet the rest did too, but none commented on it. “You’re going to straighten the place out. Stay there as long as it takes to make sure things don’t fall out of sync again.”

  Ruiz nodded. He’d heard the Red Roses in Paris had begun to struggle holding itself up and that was becoming a liability to the entire franchise. He knew exactly what Matthew meant. Ruiz had to fix the issues there and if he failed, Red Roses Paris would have to be shut down immediately. Cutting off a rotting finger before it putrefied the rest of the hand. That would mean the loss of hundreds of jobs, a hold up for the ground breaking of the Rio De Janeiro Red Roses and of course the bad publicity. They had come too far with Red Roses, had sacrificed a lot and suffered much because of it. They couldn’t let it fail.

  “When do you want me to leave?”

  “Tomorrow would be great.”

  Good. Ruiz stood brushing the wisp curls away from his nephew’s little forehead, kissing it before handing him over to his father. He watched as Allan took his namesake in his arms. The look that crossed his face was so powerful it shook Ruiz to the core. Ruiz felt jealous of the love in Allan’s eyes for his son that Ruiz never received from his own father.

  “I should go home and pack.”

  “Ruiz, if Melody is your true love, you should think about what your brother and I went through before you completely dismiss our concern.”

  Ruiz nodded. “I’ll think about it Allan, but you need to understand this is what your sister wanted.”

  Reno stood. “We wanted different things and were ready to give up the women we love until they and life told us otherwise. If you don’t want to listen to us, talk to Matthew. He’s the only one who had a drama free relationship.”

  Matthew laughed. “Not exactly drama free but the normal kind of drama—disapproving father and an overconfident brother.”

  Ruiz chuckled. “Yeah, I think I’ll get my advice from Matthew. My drama is in his category.”

  “Smart ass!” Allan smiled at him, a first since he came back to the States without Melody.

  “More like damn ass.” Reno clapped him on the back. “Make sure to say goodbye to the ladies before you leave. I don’t want Loraine biting my head off over it.”

  “Life with a pregnant wife.” Matthew and Allan spoke in unison and they all laughed except Ruiz who forced a grin. He wished he was part of the group with his own pregnancy comedy—horror stories. But Melody had stolen that chance from him and he couldn’t see himself going through that with anyone else.

  His phone rang and he quickly excused himself, glad not to have to pretend any longer. He stepped into the house, answering his phone.

  “Ruiz?”

  He groaned closing his eyes. He never thought this day could go from bad to worse. Why hadn’t he checked the caller ID?

  “Ruiz, are you there?”

  “Yes mother, what is it?”

  “Is that anyway to talk to your mother?” she admonished.

  “When I know you’re going to start harping about getting what’s rightfully mine, yes.”

  “You should never have let him sell your inheritance,” she hissed.

  Ruiz rolled his neck. He was tired of this argument. “You wanted what was yours and I paid you back—with interest in fact, so will you please let this go!” He heard the impatience in his harsh tone but he was beyond caring. He’d grown up listening to her complaining and whining and he just wanted the matter closed.

  “No, I won’t! I wanted the resort not payment. When you left here you were supposed to get the resort and what did you do? You let that bastard sell it!”

  Ruiz clenched his jaw at the insult. He felt it as if it was meant for him, and in fact it should. He already knew who the legitimate son was and who wasn’t. Reno had told him the truth a few months back after Ruiz fessed up about his true intentions the first time they met. So though technically his mother’s money was the capital, legally it all belonged to Reno as the old man had willed it because his mother was the old guy’s legal wife. If Ruiz let his father’s betrayal continue to overshadow his life, eating him up inside, he would have missed out on what he currently had. Ruiz turned around to face the backyard and he couldn’t help but smile. Truthfully, he liked having a family more than the resort, one that loved and immediately accepted him without demanding one thing from him. The only reason his mother wanted it was for vengeance and Ruiz didn’t want to hurt his brother and sister. The funny thing was, Reno had being trying to give it to him and he’d refused it adamantly. If his mother knew, she would flay him alive.

  “Goodbye mother.”

  “Ruiz, if you don’t get it back, I’m going to disown you!”

  It was probably the best thing that could happen to him, being set free from her malice, but Ruiz would never say that to her.

  “Goodbye mother,” he finished, hanging up.

  * * * *

  Paris. He never thought he would be back here, not willingly anyway. There were so many memories, so many unforgettable moments he’d shared with Melody there that he didn’t want to relive knowing he’d lost her forever. There was a good way to handle that. Avoiding all the places they went to together. However, avoiding the hotel was impossible, but drowning himself in work would do. That wouldn’t be hard to accomplish because he was sure that was exactly what he was in for if he was to save it.

  He nodded at the hotel driver who’d come to pick him up at the airport and frowned at how rude he was. Yanking the
trolley out of his hands without even a ‘by your leave’ and walking briskly away, expecting Ruiz to follow him through the crowds playing catch up. When they got to the car, the guy threw his bags in, banged the trunk door shut and moved to the driver seat without a word, leaving Ruiz standing there with his mouth hanging open. The driver sat in the car, waiting for Ruiz to enter and the moment he did, he jetted off not even giving him a chance to close the door or buckle his seat belt.

  If this was what Matthew was talking about, Red Roses Paris may just end up with a whole new staff once Ruiz was done.

  At the hotel, the doorman and the bellboys were no better. They sat at the door smoking while Ruiz pulled out his own luggage from the trunk. The second he got the last bag out, the car shot off, not even waiting for him to close the trunk door. Shaking his head, he made his way to the concierge table and groaned when he found the lady there, sitting with her legs up on the desk filing her nails.

  “Excuse me, I need the key to my room,” he gnashed out, barely able to contain his rage.

  The lady gave him a rude once over then sneered going to back filing her nails.

  That does it! He was done! “Give me the key to the Family Suite, then follow that up with your resignation!” he barked.

  The lady jumped off the chair clearly startled. She narrowed her eyes at him and with a heavy French accent said, “Who is you to fire me?”

  “Ruiz Albury. Part owner of the Red Roses hotel. Now where is my damn key!”

  She blanched her mouth opening a few times as if she was trying to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. Ruiz took a little satisfaction in that, but his rage was still flaring.

  “It’s clear you speak and understand English so I’m not going to ask you again. Get a bellboy to take my luggage up then tell the staff we’re having a meeting an hour before dinner service.”

  She nodded then began on a stutter, “M-monsieur, the manager lives in the Family Suite.”

  Ruiz placed his elbows on the counter and leaned forward, the lady instinctively leaned back. “Is his last name Albury?” he asked in a menacing tone.