Chapter Sixteen
Yvette’s life made her smile and the songs on the radio finally made sense to her. The lyrics concerning love at first sight made her grin over how she was involved with two men.
Adam had confessed to feeling an obligation to his family to keep the business continually evolving into the next century. On the other side of the coin, Blake had mentioned while they were alone that the business held no appeal for him. He wanted to branch out on his own, but he was afraid to cut ties with the family for something uncertain.
She was sitting at her desk, neck-deep into an article she was writing on police brutality.
The world was full of misery and she had found her piece of happiness in the arms of Adam and Blake.
“You can’t go in there.” She heard something in the back of her mind, but she never looked up from what she was doing to recognize the man pushing his way through security.
“Yvette, you need to tell these overpriced mall cops who I am.” The voice instantly awakened an anger that was seething deep down inside.
She got up and looked over to see her ex-husband Tony being harassed by two security guards. She was tempted to deny knowing him, but that would have made things worse. She wanted to remain amicable for the sake of their two families, but it wasn’t easy when her main thought was to kick him between the uprights.
“I know I’m going to regret this, but I know him. I will take full responsibility for however long he’s staying here. Stay close though as I might need you to escort him out of the building by force.” She watched him shrug loose from their grasp like some evil alien entity had touched his expensive suit.
“You’re lucky that I don’t make you pay for my dry cleaning. I’ve never been treated with such disrespect. I have a battery of lawyers. Your jobs could be gone in the blink of an eye. Sometimes I wonder how this world has become so uncivilized.” He was already in New York for business and had decided there was no better time to strike since the iron was already hot in his little fingers.
“I don’t care who you are, and you don’t walk in here like you own the place.” Tanner had decided to come out of his office to see what the commotion was all about.
“I don’t need permission to see my ex-wife. You could have me thrown out, but it would be the worst mistake of her life. Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. I know how you journalist types like to report the news. Here’s a late-breaking bulletin for you: Print journalism is dead.” Tony knew the next generation was no longer interested in something tangible to read. They had technology at their fingertips.
“Tanner, I will take care of this. Do you suppose it would be an inconvenience to use your office for a few minutes?” She noticed his eyes squinted with suspicion, but he stepped aside and went down the hall to have a cup of coffee.
She stormed in well aware Tony was following on her heels. She was prepared to chastise him for coming to her office, but something about his demeanor left the words frozen in her mouth. She had seen the look before; it was when he was holding all the cards.
“I told you it wasn’t over. When have I ever said anything that wasn’t true? I’m tempted to blurt it out, but I would rather build the suspense a little longer. Did you really think you could take something from me and then come after me with a knife without ramifications?” Tony was standing in the position of authority and he knew it.
“What are you going to do… sue me for hurting your ego? Don’t you think it would be a little petty even for you this close to Christmas? I’ve given you your freedom. We don’t have to do this dance anymore. I’ve seen more of you in the past month than I ever did when we were married.” She was waiting for the other shoe to drop. She had no idea what was making him think it was a good idea to barge in unannounced.
“I told you the penthouse was off-limits, but you insisted on taking it out of my hands to hurt me. Two can play that game. I had the foresight to have you investigated, never imagining in a million years what I would find would make me smile. A private investigator worth his salt revealed to me something quite surprising.” He waited to see the recognition in her eyes, while they darted around in her head thinking about all the times she had been with those two men.
He slammed his hands down on the table to make her jump out of her skin.
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about. Wait… we aren’t married anymore and anything you found isn’t going to do you any good. I already have what I want and how you expect to take it back is beyond me.” She was a little startled, but her freedom came with the license to do whatever she wanted in her love life.
“That is big talk coming from a woman who is deathly afraid of her mother. I don’t think you really want me to share what I found with her.” He opened up his briefcase and pulled out the photos before tossing them into the air. Tony laughed at her expense as she scrambled to pick up each one to avoid Tanner seeing them.
“I didn’t want the penthouse. I took it out of spite and malice. I suppose you want an answer right away. You know my mother is vindictive and will never let me live it down. I’m going to need some time to think about it.” She had known him long enough to know dragging it out was going to give him immense pleasure.
“You have forty-eight hours. One second more and your mother will get a rude awakening about her daughter. I didn’t think you had it in you, but maybe we never really knew each other. I’m going to enjoy seeing you humble yourself by signing on the dotted line. I know how much pleasure you got out of signing the divorce agreement. Call this a chance for me to get even.” Tony felt this was far better than sending the evidence by messenger.
“I could burn these. I’m not foolish to think you don’t have the originals stored away someplace private for your own personal viewing. You’ve always been a little sick, but this proves how far you are willing to go. I hope you’re proud of yourself.” He grabbed her chin and held her gaze with a malevolent stare of a man who was on top of the world.
“I don’t mind saying seeing you scared to death has been the highlight of my trip to this cesspool of a city. It’s nice to see you feeling the same way I felt when you came after me with a knife. I had to get a few stitches, but some wounds can’t be seen with the naked eye. I hope you suffer in silence.” Tony had done what he had intended to and walked out with the door slamming against the wall on his exit.
Tanner bolted to her side to see her visibly upset.
“It’s none of my business, but he is the same little prick he was when you got married to him. I don’t know what he wanted, but I hope you don’t give him a damn thing. You have the right to be happy no matter what his opinion might be to the contrary.” Tanner had no idea what was going on, but his encouraging words didn’t seem to bolster her spirits.
“I made a mistake and I keep paying for it over and over again. I thought I was done with him, but he’s like a cockroach that doesn’t want to die. I’m already finished for the day, so I’m going to leave early and clear my head with a walk in Central Park.” She felt dejected and her elation at the news of being pregnant was short lived.
“Don’t let him get away with anything. I can see something has changed. You’ve lost your smile. I hope you find a way to get it back. It lights up the office every time you come in. I would hate to lose that.” Her attitude was contagious and for the few days, she was happy the office was running like clockwork.
“There’s not very much to smile about.” She was still trying to find the right way to tell Adam and Blake about the child.
This whole thing with her ex-husband had thrown her into an emotional tailspin. Her only saving grace was that her ex-husband didn’t know about the bundle of joy. Her doctor was bound by patient confidentiality. It didn’t mean he couldn’t find a way to get his dirty little hands on her medical records.
“Take all the time you need. I do expect you to come back in early tomorrow morning. You have become a valuable asset to this paper. I’ve seen you blossom into the woman you were supposed to be. It took you a few years to get out from underneath him, but you’re better off. Don’t make the mistake of giving him a second chance.” Tanner was worried that her lack of a love life would result in going back to something familiar.
“The one thing that I can say with a degree of certainty is that I’m never going back. Life is too short to be stuck in a marriage where my opinion doesn’t matter. I like my freedom and I found more than I bargained for. There’s no reason to get into this, but this thing with my ex-husband is an unnecessary hiccup.” She didn’t care to spare her mother from the embarrassment of seeing those photographs.
She just couldn’t bear the thought of her coming to visit her again. The last time had left her cold until the boys were able to heat her up with their bodies pressed against her.
“I’m glad to hear you say that. You had me worried. I’m not going to pry, but I can be a good listener. At least, that is what my wife has told me during pillow talk.” He was unprepared for her arms wrapping around him and how tightly she held on like she was using him as a lifeline.
“It’s nice to know somebody is in my corner. I hope your opinion of me never changes.” Yvette felt like the rug had been pulled out from underneath her, which left her stunned and startled by her ex-husband’s accusation of impropriety.
“I will always be there for you as a friend. I know we discussed being more in school, but that ship has already sailed. I don’t mean to be rude, but my wife is very territorial.” He found her standing there on the verge of tears, but had no idea why she was close to an emotional breakdown.
“I appreciate everything you have done for me, but sometimes I need a hug of encouragement. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to stand there and take it. I certainly didn’t mean to make you feel anything.” She was well aware of his current condition of having her feminine form touching him even in a platonic way.
“I’m going to tell you what I told my wife many times when I see a beautiful woman. It has a mind of its own. A man can very rarely keep that part of himself under wraps.” He did find her attractive and would have gladly slept with her if his wife wasn’t in the picture. He had learned the hard way office romances could become awkward.
“I lost a piece of my soul living with him under the same roof. Getting a divorce was the hardest thing I have ever done. It did awaken me to how men look at me. I’m flattered by the attention. The divorce gave me the courage to step outside of my comfort zone.” She was referring to living her dream of being a journalist.
She had two men there at the end of the day to be the cherry on top of an already delicious sundae.
She grabbed her purse at her desk and swung her jacket over her shoulders on the way to the elevator. She needed Adam and Blake. It was unnecessary to keep this secret from them when it concerned all of them.
The office was decorated with holiday cheer with a Christmas tree dazzling in the lobby, though she wasn’t much in a festive mood.
She reached into her jacket and found a piece of paper that wasn’t there before. She opened it and read the first few lines before crumpling it into her fist. She tossed it into the wastepaper basket. The words were permanently tattooed in her mind.
“I thought I should mention I know that Blake and Adam Slim have a lot to lose if what happens behind closed doors is made public. I suspect you might be able to live with your mother finding out, but can you say the same thing for hurting them?” The words were like a punch to the kidneys, leaving her speechless and unable to catch her breath.