Chapter 26

TWENTY-SIX

The black dress I’m wearing is a last-minute favor from Ava and Eric.

Thanks to their connections, the designer dropped it off at my hotel room with matching accessories. The measurements were exact, even surprising me. If Ava and Eric are good for anything, it’s their ability to organize an outfit in a heartbeat’s notice. I’m pretty sure they have measurements for everyone in our family.

As I enter the large event room, I pull the train of my dress with me since a man accidentally stepped on it in the lobby. The black dress is half-shoulder, with a tight-laced bodice and a silk skirt with a slit up my thigh. I wear my hair out as usual but applied more makeup to my eyes. My lipstick is a shade of red, something I haven’t done before, but Ava sent me tutorials and then requested I send pics when done. I also needed to cover the cut on my lip.

Since I got the Ava and Eric seal of approval, I consider myself looking very nice tonight.

Standing here by myself is a whole other story. I text Hunter to see where he is, but he is caught up and running late.

Just fucking great.

I walk around, smiling at people, but then a man stops in front of me.

“You must be Alexandra Edwards?”

His smile is cheesy, and his bald head leaves nothing to the imagination. The tuxedo he is wearing is too big.

I force a polite smile. “Yes, I am. And you are?”

“Chester Jones,” he introduces, shaking my hand. His hand is sweaty, but I pretend I don’t notice. “I’m head of the East Coast division. We’ve communicated via email.”

“Of course.” The name becomes familiar. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“And you. So, Hunter tells me your father is Lex Edwards?”

I tilt my head, swallowing the lump inside my throat. Why would Hunter mention this? He knows I prefer to keep my family life private.

“Yes, he is.”

“I understand your father is here tonight to do a speech.”

“Oh, really?” I glance around, suddenly panicked.

Chester furrows his brows. “You had no idea?”

“I don’t discuss work with my father,” I inform him.

“Interesting.” Chester moves in closer, making me uncomfortable, especially when his eyes fall to my chest. “Because anything you have access to remains confidential. Big lawsuits would be involved if you leaked to your father exactly what our company is doing.”

A chill runs down my spine, followed by a roiling stomach. I carefully choose my words, even though I want to tell this bald mother fucker to go to hell.

“I assure you, I take my work very seriously.”

“Good, because don’t cry when your father finally gets a taste of his medicine.”

What did he just say?

His lingering bad breath is enough to make me want to hurl. Just when I’m about to excuse myself to the restroom, an alluring scent washes over me. I breathe it all in, then notice Hunter standing beside me.

The tuxedo he is wearing is styled to perfection, making him appear all the sexier. He’s freshly shaven, but his eyes appear bloodshot on closer inspection. I observe him with parted lips, but I quickly turn away so Chester doesn’t notice.

“It was nice meeting you, Alexandra.” Chester musters a phony smile, but soon his expression turns stern. “Cash, we need to talk.”

“Later,” Hunter informs him.

Thankfully, Chester and his bad breath leave.

“You look beautiful, Alexandra,” Hunter mentions, but keeps his distance.

“And you look handsome, Mr. Cash.”

Our stupid fight yesterday seems even more stupid now. I ache to touch him, but of course, none of that is allowed. People fill the room, making it hard to talk to Hunter privately. For most of the night, he introduces me to people he knows, but of everyone I meet, it’s my father I dread running into the most.

“Can we go somewhere for a minute?” I ask, scanning to make sure no one I know sees me.

“Sure.”

We quickly weave in and out of the crowd, but just before we exit the main room, my parents are standing in the lobby. My father is dressed in a tuxedo, just like Hunter’s. Mom is wearing a white halter-neck silk gown. Her hair is styled to the side and waved elegantly to show her diamond necklace. As always, she’s stunning.

“Fuck,” I mumble, taking a deep breath. “My parents are over there.”

My father spots me first, leaning down to whisper to Mom, who glances my way. They both walk toward us, making it impossible to ignore them.

“Alexa, honey.” Mom reaches out to embrace me. I welcome the hug, missing her so much. “You look beautiful.”

“Same for you, Mom.”

“Alexa,” Dad simply nods before shifting his gaze to Hunter. I know this expression well. He’s showing no emotion, but inside, he’s already plotting Hunter’s death.

“Hi, Dad,” is all I say, but then I draw in breath. “I’d like to formally introduce you to my boss, Mr. Cash.”

Dad extends his hand, which Hunter shakes with a pressed smile. “I believe we have met.”

“We have,” Hunter reassures him.

An awkward silence falls between them, so I quickly introduce Mom.

“And, of course, my mother, Charlotte Edwards.”

They shake hands politely. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Edwards.”

Mom smiles graciously, but when she gazes at me oddly, I feel like she can read my mind. There is no chance I’m hanging out with them tonight, so I try to think of some excuse.

“You’re here for how many days?” Mom asks.

“Leaving tomorrow.”

“I heard you went to NYU to see Beau.” Mom grins, but I can tell she knows the whole story. How on Earth, though? “Rocky has a big mouth, in case you’re wondering.”

I nod, then smile. “Of course. His son sure knows how to surprise me.”

“Charlotte, we must say hello to the Prestons. Shall we?”

Mom quickly touches my arm with a warm smile. “If we don’t see you again tonight, see you back home, okay?”

“Bye, Mom.”

My father simply walks away, taking Mom with him. The second they’re gone, I turn to face Hunter.

“You could have been nicer to my dad.”

Hunter cocks his head. “Excuse me? Why should I tolerate his behavior? Or should I just continue to smile while your mother talks about how much fun your family is?”

“Hey,” I almost shout. “Don’t bring my mother into this. Just admit you don’t like my father.”

“Well, you don’t like your father,” he argues back.

“You know what? I have no idea what your problem is anymore. You’re so hot and cold. I get it, I’m young, and apparently, you’re in a fake marriage.”

“Alexandra—”

“I need some space,” I mumble, desperate to ask him about what Chester said, but I keep quiet. Now is not the time. I’m angry and frustrated, knowing I don’t do well in either one of these moods.

There’s nowhere to go unless I leave the venue. I glance toward the ceiling, noticing a mezzanine section like those opera booths people sit in. Yanking my dress and lifting it, I make my way to the back stairs and walk up in the dimly lit narrow staircase. When I reach the final step, I move toward the edge.

The view from here is spectacular, with all the lights and people looking stunning in their gowns. The floral arrangements are centered perfectly, but with the dim lights, it looks like some enchanted forest.

I stand here for a while, just observing while thinking about life. Last night with Beau was so much fun. With him, things are easy. We’ve grown up together, and with that comes a comfort I’ve been missing.

My mind wanders back to our conversation about college. As I glance around, I realize this doesn’t make me happy. All these older people have lived or have their careers. I just want to have fun, not feel the weight of the world on my shoulders, and most of all, I just want to be me again.

An MC comes onto the stage to speak about the origin of this gala. After a rather large applause, he then introduces my father.

As always, Dad stands tall and poised, taking the microphone and knowing he was born to lead. He begins his speech with a story. Surprisingly, I listen with interest.

Then, a hand wraps around my waist, forcing my eyes to close from the smallest of touches. My stomach flutters in anticipation, but at the same time, my heart slowly begins to bleed. What we’re doing has no happy ending.

It’ll only destroy more people.

“Hunter,” I whisper. “Not know.”

I can almost smell the whisky on his skin. This is very unlike him. Usually, he is in control, but something has gotten to him. Maybe, it was our fight.

“Alexandra, I need you …”

His hand slides up my thigh, but just as I’m about to push him away, he yanks my panties down.

“We can’t here,” I warn him. “My father is—”

“You’re mine, you understand.” His words sound more like a plea. This desperation we both feel even though we know what we’re doing is wrong.

You’re mine…

The words repeat and explode like dynamite this time, breaking the walls inside me until they crumble into a heap on the ground. I open my mouth to say something, but he manages to enter me, causing me to gasp.

This is wrong. We shouldn’t be doing this here.

My body is betraying me, desperately wanting him, but all I can think about is my father talking right over the loudspeaker.

The voices inside me don’t stop, all battling with each other to speak the loudest. I desperately craved Hunter’s touch, but something has changed between us.

“Family is why I’m here,” I hear my father say.

Family … family … the word stabs me in the heart.

A small cry escapes me. I can’t do this. At the same time, Hunter pushes forward and groans. He stills his movements as I try to fight back my tears. Slowly, he slides himself out and zips up his pants.

As quick as it started, it ended just as fast.

I turn around to face him, fueled by emotions. “Are you trying to destroy my father?”

“Alexandra, what kind of a question is that?”

“Answer me,” I demand, glaring at him. “At the board meeting, I saw you hush Carol when she spoke about Harperlex. Earlier tonight, Chester threatened me. He said if I leaked anything to my father about what you’re doing as so-called payback, then I’d be fighting a big lawsuit.”

Hunter angrily fixes his tux jacket then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. He bares his teeth, glaring with cold eyes.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Alexandra. Stop acting like a child. Business is business.”

His outburst leaves me speechless. So, he was trying to destroy him all along, so he needed me as bait. I’m nothing more to him than a joke.

“So, then I was bait?” A sharp pain spreads across my chest. “You used me to do what exactly?”

“Don’t even go there,” he mutters.

“Why? It makes perfect sense that …” I trail off as my brain switches to last night and the removal of my birth control.

You just let him fuck you bareback.

With no protection.

I clutch my stomach, unable to breathe. Nausea has a chokehold on me, making me faint and slightly dizzy. Hunter watches me, but he has no sympathy because, of course, he is just a man.

And I’m the woman who stupidly fell in love with him.

“Whatever we have,” I quiver, fighting back the urge to cry. “Is over.”

His gaze flickers, nostrils flaring while he runs his hand through his hair. “Don’t say that, Alexandra. You just don’t understand …”

“Consider this my resignation and termination of whatever you want to call us fucking around with each other behind your wife’s back.”

“I told you the truth!”

“Yeah,” I murmur, fixing my panties since he didn’t even bother to pull them back up. “But actions speak louder than words. You want to destroy my father, and I’m the fool who fell for all your tricks. Goodbye, Hunter.”

I turn my back with a heavy chest, and the moment I take the first step down the stairs, I cover my mouth and burst out crying.

What the hell have I done to my life?