Chapter 17
Seventeen
‘When it rains it pours, at least in your world anyway.’ Keira hadn’t been wrong.
My stomach clenched as I looked at Alfie.
“Can I help you?” Sid asked politely.
“Uh Sid, this is Alfie Tell. Alfie, this is Sid. He’s my assistant.”
“Oh! It’s great to meet you. I’ve heard good things.” Sid stepped forward, offering his hand. “I’m sorry if it looked like I was overstepping. She was just upset.”
I held my breath, waiting for the icy retort. To my surprise Alfie gave him a friendly nod and shook his hand. “That’s alright, I appreciate you looking out for her. It’s good to meet you too. I hope you’ve taken the time to tour the grounds properly.”
“I have! I’ve been a fan of Riley Fitzpatrick's work for a while. I’ll be sad to leave this place to be honest.”
“Well, when the hotel is up and running you’ll have to come and stay for the weekend. On me. Enjoy the place as a guest instead of a worker.”
I stared at the man in front of me. Since when was Alfie Tell friendly and affable to a man he’d found with his arms around me?
“Thank you!” Sid looked overjoyed. I didn’t blame him. Getting to spend a few days in the Harrington grounds was a dream for people like him and I. “I should get going. Lola, see you Monday?”
I waved him off and Alfie and I listened to the crunch of his footsteps as he left us alone. Alfie’s gaze settled on me, unwavering as always.
“That was polite of you,” I said. “Can’t say I was expecting that reaction. Or were you just saving all of your anger up for me?”
“I told you, I’m done with toxic bullshit. I wish you were too.”
His words knocked the wind out of me. “Excuse me?”
“Ignoring me for nearly two days. Cancelling our plans. It’s not healthy for us, Lola.”
“I didn’t cancel because I was avoiding you! I’m working.” I gestured at the giant elephant towering over us.
“It looks finished to me.”
“I forgot you were the expert. Let me show up to your office on Monday and tell you how to do your job.” I took a breath and tried to calm myself.
I didn’t want to get into a screaming match.
“Lying to me about my father for years wasn’t healthy for us either.
I needed some time away from you, Alfie. ”
“Time isn’t a problem, but silence is.” His hands were in his pockets.
He stood perfectly still. I had to pace and fidget and cry when we fought but he was always still.
Watching me. Like he was playing chess and trying to figure out his next move.
“You can’t leave me in the dark, Lola. You can’t leave me wondering if I’ve lost you again. ”
“You thought I was going to break up with you?” I gasped. His jaw clenched, his grey gaze was sheened with fear. “Alfie, no.”
“I lied to you again. Broke your trust again. It’s the logical conclusion. I expect Keira advised you to do so.”
I took off my gloves and dropped them on the workbench. I cupped his face. “I am not breaking up with you. We’re not back at square one. Okay?”
He frowned. “Really?”
I went up on my toes and kissed him. “Really. I’m sorry I didn’t make that clear.”
“I’m sorry I fucked up again. I should have told you that I knew where your father was. I was just trying to protect you.”
“I know.” I closed my eyes for a moment.
My hands rested in his, just a small piece of us connected but it made me feel better already.
“I know you had good intentions but you can’t make decisions for me like this.
Not about my life or my family, it’s not okay.
I get that this is who you are in business but in a relationship you don’t get to make unilateral choices.
You have to tell me the truth, even if it hurts me. ”
“I know. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“Yeah it probably will. We’ll work on it though.” We both took a deep breath. The kind of breath you take after you narrowly avoid getting hit by a car. “Look at us, handling a crisis without all the craziness.”
“I've felt crazy the last few days.” He squeezed my hip, pulling me closer. I wrapped my arms around his neck, breathing him in. My chest ached with guilt, I hadn’t meant to make him worry so much. But it was over now.
“You’re really not angry about Sid?” I murmured, my face still buried in his shoulder.
“I didn’t say that. I’m just not going nuclear over it.”
I laughed a little. I supposed I should be grateful for that. Now, all I wanted was to take Alfie up to my room and make love to him all night, but there was still something I needed to come clean about.
“While you’re in your non-nuclear mood, I need to tell you something.”
He drew back. His gaze was softer now, calm. “What is it?”
“Julia Whitmore.”
“Ah. I was wondering when you were going to come clean about that.” He chuckled at the surprise plastered on my face.
“You aren’t very good at hiding things, my love.
You were overly worried about seeing her at the club and had too many questions about club rules.
I don’t know the details but I’m presuming that she’s overstepped? ”
“That’s an understatement. She’s been taunting me about seeing me at the club. I shut it down today but I thought you should know.”
“I should have known the first time she did it. It’s my business, Lo.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” I didn’t bother trying to make up an excuse. I had none to give.
“I’ll have her membership revoked. Are you still comfortable working with her?”
I paused, thinking about it. If I never had to see her again I’d be very happy but I didn’t want her to lose her job. “I guess it depends on if she tries to sleep with me again or not.”
“What?” He narrowed his eyes. “You said she was just taunting you.”
“She was. Making jibes about seeing me at the club and that stupid Muffin girl who apparently didn’t think much of me.
” I rolled my eyes. “But today she made her intentions clearer. Though she did back off when I told her we were serious. I think she thought I was just…” I trailed off, not wanting to say what she thought I was.
“She thought you were one of my many. That’s my fault. Still, even if that’s all you were, she should have approached me first if she wanted to spend time with you. That’s how it’s done.”
I stared at him. Sometimes Alfie said things that were so out of my world it was hard to wrap my mind around them. The idea that he’d shared women – or playthings, or submissives, or whatever he called them – so casually, made my stomach turn.
“Removing her from the club is my call but her presence in your work life is yours. Tell me what you want me to do.”
I couldn’t help but smile. He really had changed. It was hard to reconcile this compromising man with the control freak I’d first met.
“I don’t want her fired, it could put the show at risk and that’s not fair to everyone else, or me.”
His grey eyes darkened. “Fine, but Maia’s going to be keeping a closer eye on you until this project is done. Don’t complain.”
“Wasn’t gonna.” I let him kiss me again. I leaned into it, enjoying the intimacy that I’d missed over the last few days. “So, are you going to tell me what you know about my father or do I need to guess?”
“I know almost nothing. I didn’t have Elliot look that deep back then. Maybe I should have. Three years ago he was living up North, staying in a bedsit of some kind and working construction when he could find the work. He wasn’t married, no children. No other children, I mean.”
“What about rehab? He told Natalie that he’d been in rehab for alcoholism.”
“I don’t know. As I said, I didn’t have Elliot dig too much. I can ask him to, if you’d like?”
“No. At least not yet.” I was too tired to think about my father anymore. “Thank you for sending Keira, by the way. She said to tell you that she likes your plane.”
Alfie snorted. “Did seeing her help you?”
“Very much. She even offered to design my wedding dress.”
His eyes widened. “You told her?”
“I did. And Natalie too. It’s official now.” I couldn’t tell if he was as nervous as I was. He bit back a smile. “You gave me a month to tell them, I did it in two weeks, more or less. I’ve got to get some sort of reward for that.”
He lifted me suddenly. I wrapped my legs around his waist, holding on. “I’m going to reward you all night.”
“You’d better,” I grinned. “But first I want you to walk with me.”
He frowned a sulky frown but let me down anyway. I slipped my hand into his and led him out of my work tent. The early evening was bright with summer. Birds chirped overhead and the breeze was cool on my skin, blowing the sweat of the day away.
“So Keira’s designing your dress?” he said as we walked. “I want to speak to her. Give her my input.”
I snorted. “And I’m sure she’ll laugh in your face. No input, Alfie. I’m not giving mine either. Let her do her thing.” He frowned again. “You know, most men couldn’t care less what kind of wedding dress their fiance wears.”
“I like to dress you. I like imagining your body and how it would look in what I choose for it. Dresses, lingerie, ropes.” He said ‘ropes’ as casually as saying ‘cup of tea’.
“Compromise? Let Keira design my dress. You can choose something for me to wear on our wedding night when it’s just us.”
His face lit up. “Deal. I think I’m learning to like compromises.”
Alfie stopped walking when he realised where I’d led us. The collection of trees protecting our garden from outside eyes. The top of the grass steps leading down into our little haven.
“Have you been down here yet?” I asked him.
“No.”
“You don’t want to see it?”