Chapter 4 #3
“Please!” I throw my hands in the air. “She looks like a fucking survivor. I’m sure she would have worked it out.”
He walks away from me frustrated, hands in his pocket. Good, I want him to be as frustrated and angry as I am.
“She kissed me and I pushed her away and told her I was with you. That’s it—what else did you want me to do?”
“You’re an intelligent man with lots of game, but I’m going to humor you, I’m going to tell you what you should have done.
You should have put her ass out and left her down in the lobby.
You should have told her skanky ass ‘I am happily living with my pregnant girlfriend and she wouldn’t go for this shit.
’ If you didn’t know, now you do. That’s what you do the next time when posed with a situation like that!
Maybe I should have listened to my damn mother. ”
That last comment gets his attention more than anything else I’ve said, his trigger word being my mother. He grabs my arm when I try to walk past him to the door, firmly applying pressure, but not enough to hurt me.
“Where are you going?” he says between clenched teeth.
“I’m leaving. I’ve had enough of this shit.”
“You’re not leaving out of here like this. I’m going to get you a cab, and we’ll talk about this when I get home. Cat, make sure you’re at home when I get there. Our home.”
He should know me well enough to know I’m not going to be there. “I don’t take orders from a man who would put his lying lips to that woman while with me.”
“I’ve put my lips to many women, including your sister, and you didn’t have a problem with me before.”
“What! Fuck you!” I yank my arm free and back up. “I can’t believe you would throw that in my face.” The tears I was doing so well at holding in break free. I wipe my hand across my face and practically spit at him. “After everything, you’ve got some fucking nerve.”
He closes his eyes with a look of regret and grits his teeth, pulling me to him as tears stream down my face. I’m so weak I just stand there in his arms, my head throbbing. He brushes my hair back and searches my eyes.
“Cat, I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry, I was angry and it was uncalled for.
You have to believe me, it happened like I said.
She kissed me, I pushed her away. That is all that happened.
I told her I loved you and I was committed to you.
I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want this to happen—you and I fighting over something that’s a non-issue.
You and this baby are my life, and I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize what we have, what we’re building. Please, Cat, you have to believe me.”
I wipe my eyes and look at him blankly, listening to his words and pleas.
I believe him, but that still doesn’t change what happened and that he lied to me over and over again.
His lies made me feel like a total and complete idiot in front of that bitch.
To have her come in here and tell me things I should have known about the man I’m living with, sleeping with, the father of my baby.
I couldn’t even say anything to her with that smug complacent look on her face.
I move away from him wordlessly, turning to the window and letting the sun washing over me.
“I’m ready to leave while my dignity is somewhat still intact. Or is there something else you want to tell me? Is she having your baby too?”
“Absolutely not,” he says, sounding offended. “I’m not saying it’s the same, but when you hooked up with Matt in the back of a club, you weren’t going to tell me.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I can’t turn around to look at him, I can’t.
“I’m just saying, I was trying to protect you.”
He’s using that as an excuse for what he did?
He needs to pull his head out of his ass because that’s where it is.
The one time I do something and he keeps throwing it in my face—we weren’t even together.
He’s not getting a pass on this. “No, you don’t get to use that to justify what you did, you are so out of line on so many levels it’s unbelievable. ”
I hear the door close behind me when he leaves the room.
Minutes later, he comes back in and walks me down to the cab.
It’s funny, I hardly ever saw people in his building.
But now I feel like people are watching me, heads turning, glancing at us as he walks me through the halls and we get on the elevator.
We must have really been loud. If they didn’t know before, I’m sure they’re going to know now who I am.
He opens the car door for me, I sit back in the seat, and he gives the driver our address. I look straight ahead; I haven’t said a word since we left his office. He leans in the window, his hand against my stomach, and the baby responds.
“Cat, I’m sorry, I should have told you, but I was afraid this would happen. I’ll see you when I get home.”
I don’t say anything. He steps back and the cab pulls off. I turn my head to see him striding back into his office so fast I barely get a glimpse of him.
Nick
I’m beyond furious when I go looking for Paige.
When I don’t see her in her office, I ask her secretary where the hell she is, scaring her half to death.
Which I didn’t mean to do, but I’m so goddamn angry I feel like knocking over everything in my way.
I see her down the hall talking to another associate, smiling at him and batting her eyes.
Talking sweetly to him like a praying mantis luring him in with her lies, the treacherous wench.
I take her by the arm startling her out of her conversation. “I need to talk to you now.”
“Nick, I’m in the middle of an important conversation.”
“Your conversation is over, move your ass. You’re lucky I don’t fire you for the shit you tried with Cat.” I glance over at the guy she’s speaking to, Charles; he looks like he wants to say something to me, if he wants his job he won’t. “Don’t you have work to do, Charles?”
“I was headed to my office. Later, Paige.” He takes off at a near run.
Taking her arm, I lead her to my office, taking the stairs, which are rarely used. She’s huffing and puffing, her pointy heels clicking all the way up to my office. She almost trips and I help her by yanking her up to my side.
“Nick, you’re hurting me.”
“No, I’m going to hurt you, and not in the good way.”
I let go of her once we’re in my office and close the door. “Stay away from her.”
“She’s pregnant! That’s why you’re with her.”
“When the fuck are you going to get it? I don’t want you.”
“If you wanted a child, I would have given you one. I still can.”
“It’s clear to me now that you’re insane. You can’t give me anything I want. I love her, you can’t compete. You can’t be her fill-in, you’re not even second choice. You can’t come close to being what she is.”
“I don’t know what you see in her. I was expecting to see something more. She can’t give you anything I can’t. What’s so special about her, other than the fact she’s carrying a child?”
“She’s not you, and she’s carrying my child.”
“Nick, I loved you. I still do. I think we could be good together. We are alike in many ways. We’re sexually compatible and both strong and passionate in business.
We don’t hear no, and when we do, to us it means push harder and don’t give in until you get what you want.
I know I messed up when we were together, but it was one time. I was utterly committed to you.”
“If you believed that, you would have snapped your legs closed and kept what was mine mine. I’m not going to have this conversation with you again—stay the hell away from her or you’re going to be sorry. I’m done playing games with you; get the hell out of my office.”
“I’m sure you weren’t faithful throughout our relationship. I could look past that and forgive you, but the one mistake I make you act like I committed the ultimate sin.”
“Let’s get one thing straight—I never cheated on you. You may have thought I did, I didn’t. And for the record, I genuinely cared about you until you fucked me over.”
“It’s easy for you to be so righteously indignant, like the one mistake I made you haven’t done to countless women. Now you claim you’re in love with this girl. Is she really so different from all the others? What makes her special?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“It won’t last; you need a strong woman, and from what I saw she doesn’t have what it takes to keep up with you.”
“This will be your last warning. Stay far away from her. If you don’t, I’m going to make you regret the day you laid eyes on me.
I’m going to give you exactly what you want, me.
I’m going to be your very own personal devil straight from hell, wreaking havoc in and around your life.
I’m going to be on your mind from the time you open your eyes until you close them. ”
She looks at me with all the contempt of a woman scorned.
What the hell does she have to be upset about?
She’s the one fucking up my life. She needs to get a fucking grip on reality.
As for Cat not being strong, she doesn’t know who she’s dealing with.
If Cat is pushed hard enough she will push back.
“Cat?” I yell, going up the stairs to the roof.
“Damn.” She’s not here, I should have known she wouldn’t listen to me.
I sit down on the chair in the middle of the garden and run my fingers through my hair.
Where is she? She’s hurt and angry with me, but even this upset I know she wouldn’t go to her family. I sigh. I know where she’s at.
Why am I always knocking on my cousin’s damn door? I’ve messed up so much with Cat that Ava’s probably going to tell her to leave my ass.
Speak of the devil. She stares at me with the door cracked open like she’s actually considering not letting me. “Hey, Ava, I need to talk to her.”
“You should have kicked her ass out to the curb like the trash she is. What the hell were you thinking? You’re damn lucky you’re my cousin and I know how much you do care about her. If I had any doubts, I would slam the door in your face and split your nose in two.”
She moves back from the door and I see Cat sitting on the couch, her legs curled under her. I’m relieved to see she’s here. I was second-guessing myself all the way over.
“Cat, I’ll be in my room while my cousin gets down on all fours and begs for you to forgive him.”
Ava closes her door. I sit down in front of Cat and she looks at me with red-rimmed eyes. I hate to see her cry. I hate it even more that I’m the one who hurt her, again.