Chapter 6
When she woke up that morning, Emily had a totally different picture of how that day was going to end and so far, nothing was working out the way it was supposed to. Everything was wrong about that day. For God’s sake she was supposed to be on vacation not pissed off at the controlling man she had feelings for.
After a long day at the hospital, Alex walked up to Emily.
“It’s funny how we’ve been here for practically the whole day and I still don’t know what happened to Jake,” he said.
“Accident. There was a pile up on the freeway and the paramedics took a while before they could get to him. There was a lot of internal bleeding,” Emily explained.
“Poor guy,” Alex said.
“I know. And they were all out of O-neg blood…I don’t even know how that happens. Guess hospitals are not as smooth running as we see on Grey’s Anatomy,” she said.
Alex nodded and shrugged. He looked at his watch and sighed.
“It’s late but I’ve booked a hotel for us,” he said.
“I’m going to stay here with April,” Emily said.
Alex shook his head.
“April will not allow anyone to pull her away from Jake. There is nothing you can do here,” he said. Emily shook her head. “Damn it Emily! Just listen to me for God’s sake,” he said as he looked at her. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked into his eyes. “You need your rest and you know it,” his voice was softer now. She looked into his eyes for a long minute before she shrugged.
Emily watched as he walked into Jake’s room and said a few words to April who turned and gave a little wave to her. Emily blew her cousin a kiss as Alex walked out. But she still felt that she needed to talk to April.
“What are you…Emily,” Alex called out after her but she was already outside Jake’s door.
“Alex just told me you guys are leaving,” April said.
“We are. I just had to make sure you’re okay first,” Emily said and April shrugged.
“I’m hanging in there,” she said sighing loudly. Emily took April’s hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“We are here if you need us, okay?” she said. April looked at Emily and then at Alex and nodded.
“It means the world that you guys are here,” she said in a soft voice. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I was all alone….”
“We are family, remember? We have to stick up for each other,” Emily said. The two girls exchanged a long look before April shook her head.
“You have to go. You need rest especially since you gave blood,” she said.
“Are you going to be okay?” Emily asked and April nodded.
“Go on. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be okay,” she said as she gave her cousin a long hug. “Thank you,” she whispered before she pulled away. Alex kissed April’s cheek and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“We’ll be here first thing tomorrow morning,” he said before he and Emily walked out. She was completely quiet as they made their way outside. Emily was surprised to find a town car waiting for them.
“Yours?” she asked when he held the door open for her.
“I guess you can say that,” he said before he walked around and climbed in after her.
The fifteen minute ride to the hotel was quiet. When they got there, the driver got out of the car and opened the door for them.
“Thanks Gil. Pick us up at nine o’clock tomorrow, okay?” Alex said as Emily made her way into the hotel. She had never been to a Four Seasons before. Hell, she had never been to a three star hotel let alone a five star hotel. She had just got to the counter when Alex caught up to her.
“Mr., Brewer. Nice to see you again,” the receptionist said when she saw Alex.
“Hey, Patrice. I had called earlier for my suite?” he said.
“I got that reservation right here. And here is your key, Mr. Brewer,” the woman said.
“Patrice I need some food sent up to us? Maybe some Chinese?” he asked. “For two,” he added as he looked at Emily.
“Done and done, Mr. Brewer,” the woman said as she typed something up on her computer. “Anything in particular?” she asked looking up.
“Double sautéed pork and a side of fried rice and veggies. Nothing fancy, really,” Alex said.
“The food will be delivered to your suite in a few minutes, Mr. Brewer,” the woman said with a smile.
Emily looked at her and then at Alex. The article she had read online suddenly came to mind. Maybe he had been here with one of his celebrity dates or something? She couldn’t help but feel like a cheap whore as they walked to the elevator.
“Are you okay? You are awfully quiet,” he said.
“I’m fine,” she said and she was quiet for the remainder of the elevator ride.
When they got to the suite, she looked around and almost gasped. The place was almost as big as his penthouse, if not bigger. She looked around and shook her head. “What is this? The presidential suite?” she asked. Alex who was now walking towards the minibar shook his head.
“The VIP suite.” She looked at him.
“There’s a difference?” she asked and he nodded.
“The difference is huge,” he said as he poured two glasses of juice. He walked up to her and handed her one of the glasses.
“I’m not thirsty.”
“It doesn’t matter. You donated blood today. You need every ounce of strength you can muster,” he said as he held the glass up to her. She looked at him and then took the glass from him and walked to the living room area of the suite. She sat down and took a long sip of her juice. Alex walked into the room and looked at her.
“Did you ever bring your celebrity girlfriends here?” she suddenly asked.
Alex frowned and shook his head. “Celebrity girlfriends? What are you talking about?”
“Marisol Phillips?” she asked.
He shook his head again.
“How do you even know about me and Marisol?” he asked.
She took a sip of her juice.
“The internet,” she said before she took another sip. Alex sighed loudly and walked over to where she was. She looked at him and sighed. “I saw the other women too. The women you have been with.” Alex shook his head.
“Marisol was a fling,” he said as he looked at her. “And so were the rest. I have never had anything…” his voice trailed off. He took a long deep breath and looked into her eyes. “I have never felt for any woman what I feel for you,” he added. She was still hurting and she didn’t know whether he could see it. She took another long sip before she stood up. He held her hand and she looked at him.
“What?” she asked.
“I just want you, Emily. Nothing else matters if I don’t have you,” he said as he looked at her. Just then there was a knock on the door.
“Room service,” they heard someone on the other side of the door call out. She pulled her hand from him and walked away.
*****
It took a few more days before Jake was finally out of the woods. And by that time, Alex had already gone back to Atlanta. Emily had opted to stay in Baltimore and help April out and partly because she was avoiding Alex.
When she woke up on Saturday morning, April was already in the kitchen making breakfast. She walked to the kitchen and looked at her cousin.
“Good morning, sleepy head,” April said with a smile. “Are you feeling okay?” she asked.
Emily shrugged as she leaned over the counter.
“Never better,” she said.
April looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
“Really?” she asked as she poured her a glass of juice and then served her up some scrambled eggs.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Emily asked as she took a bite of her eggs. April put a couple of sausages on her plate.
“Well, the simple truth is that I know you are avoiding Alex. That’s what,” April said as she served up more eggs on another plate.
“I’m not avoiding him April. I’m just…I just don’t want to talk to him, okay?” Emily said as she took another bite of her eggs. April carried her own plate and glass of juice to the living room. “And no one can blame me for doing that,” Emily added as she followed April to the living room.
“Sweetie, you are the only family I have…”
Emily put up a finger.
“And Aunt Catherine,” she said and April rolled her eyes.
“She doesn’t really count in this case,” April said. “You are the only family I have, the only family that matters to me except for Jake so I have to tell you the truth which is, you are being an idiot,” she said.
Emily raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“You are pissed off at Alex because of something he did in his past…I mean he dated, so what? You dated too. And you don’t see him acting out on you, do you?” she asked.
“Yeah but all that talk about placeholders and…” Emily started before April shook her head.
“He said that those other women were placeholders. Not you. Seriously, when did you get so insecure?” she asked as she looked at her cousin.
“Where is this insecurity talk coming from?” Emily asked.
April took another bite of her eggs and then looked at Emily.
“What’s the real reason you are angry with Alex?” April asked.
Emily looked at her and opened her mouth to answer but nothing ever came out. She knew the real reason she was upset and it was nothing to do with Alex either. It was all about her.
“You are trying to mask something and you and I both know that it has nothing to do with his past. Because if that was it, then it would mean that Alex had a right to be upset with you for living your life too.”
Emily took a bite of her sausage and sighed. April was right.
“Don’t forget that when you guys were younger, he had written to you…isn’t that right? That’s what you told me, right?” she asked as she looked at Emily who was nodding.
“Yeah…but I never got them,” she said.
“Exactly. He didn’t have any reason to hold on because he knew that he had lost you,” April said. “And I have seen those women you talked about, the models and video vixens…you feel bad because you are full figured and they are skinny bitches and you know it,” she said.
Emily looked at her surprised.
“Really? You went there?” she asked.
“Yes, somebody had to because it is so obvious that you were not willing to face the truth,” April said in a soft voice. “You have been complaining about your weight for ages even though you are just a size sixteen which by the way is the size people are paying big bucks for,” she added. Emily took another bite and shrugged.
“Come on, you are just saying that,” Emily said.
“You have a Kim Kardashian ass, a real one at that and you work out too which means that while the rest of us are trying to get rid of belly fat, you spot a perfectly gorgeous tummy,” April said. Emily smiled and took another bite of her sausage. “Listen, sweetie. You are beautiful and nothing should ever make you feel anything less than that.” Emily looked at her and forced a smile before she took another sip.
“So, do me a favor. The next time he calls, pick up,” April said before she took another bite of her sausage.
Emily knew that her cousin was right and she felt ashamed that it had taken intervention to make her see the light. She looked at her breakfast and wondered what Alex was doing at that very moment.
*****
Leaving Baltimore without Emily was the hardest thing Alex had to do since watching her leave his penthouse. It was not just about seeing her walking out of his penthouse, there was something more that he just couldn’t quite put his finger on. He didn’t know why but he felt empty. It had only been a few hours since he came back to Atlanta but he already felt like his world was ending. He had never known himself to be like this. He was always the one who walked out of any arrangement. He was always the one who slept easy and not the other way around, but now it had not even been twenty four hours and yet he felt this bad. He didn’t think he could handle himself.
When he finally walked into his penthouse later that evening, he was exhausted. He could tell that his housekeeper had been there because the half-eaten breakfast he and Emily had left sitting on the kitchen counter was no longer there. But even then, he still felt like he had just blinked, that just minutes before Emily had been there with him wearing his pajama shirt. He reached for his phone and called her.
“Is she ignoring me on purpose or is this a genuine missed call?” he wondered as he listened to the phone ring.
*****
Three days later, Emily had still not returned his calls and for the first time since he lost his college girlfriend, Alex was in pain. He was thinking of calling one of his old partners so that he could release the tension. But he knew that there was no way any other woman could fill the void Emily had caused in his heart. So instead of sex, he chose to indulge in the one thing he did better than anything, work. He had been video conferencing with his business partners and setting up business tours for almost two hours when his phone rang. He thought he was seeing things when he saw Emily’s name displayed on his screen.
“Emily?” he said in a soft voice when he picked up.
“Alex, hi?” her voice was soothing to his ear.
“Hi. Are you okay?” he asked.
“I am…thanks for asking,” she said. “Can I see you? If you’re busy I can wait till later.”
“No, I can see you now. Are you still in Baltimore?” he asked.
“No, I got back last night. I’m at my place,” she said.
Alex looked at his wrist watch.
“I’ll be there in half an hour,” he said before he hung up. He stood up and walked out of his office. “Transfer all my important calls to Mason,” he said to the secretary as he walked out.
“Yes sir, Mr. Brewer,” he heard his secretary say.
He was feeling nervous as he made his way to Emily’s building. He didn’t know why but he was assuming the worst as he rode in the backseat of his town car. He took a long deep breath when the car finally pulled up in front of Emily’s building. He could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest as he made his way to the front door. He rang the doorbell and Emily took a few seconds before she buzzed him in. He walked up the stairs and felt a shiver run down his spine before he softly knocked on the door. He wanted to pull her into his arms, to hold her tight and never let go.
“Hi,” she said in a soft voice.
“Hey,” he said as he looked at her. He thought she looked especially beautiful even though all she had on was a simple maxi dress. Her hair was loose on her shoulders, framing her beautiful face.
“Come on in,” she said as she stepped aside.
Alex had half a mind to pin her against the wall and kiss her but given everything that had happened, he didn’t think he could afford to take the risk. He walked to the living room and sat down as she followed him in.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked as she looked at him. He shook his head.
“I’m okay. I’m just worried about you,” he said. She took a seat in an armchair and looked at him. He could tell that she was having a hard time getting her words out. “Emily, you need to know that none of those women meant anything to me,” he started but she held up a hand.
“I want to apologize for acting out the way I did,” she started. “It was just that I saw all those photos of the women and they were all so…pin up model like and everything…” she stopped mid-sentence. “I guess I just felt inadequate,” she added.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I feel like…Alex I cannot compete with those women in your life,” she said in a soft voice.
Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Compete? Is that what you are feeling right now?” he asked.
“I’m sorry...but it’s what I feel and April made me realize that I wasn’t really angry with you but with myself for feeling the way I did.” Her voice was quavering and there were tears welling up in her eyes.
Alex got up and walked up to where she was. He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. He held her face in his hands and brought his head down to kiss her. He then took her in his arms and held her tightly.
“Oh baby,” he said in a whisper.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice muffled.
He pulled away and looked into her eyes before he led her out of the living room and into the bedroom. He walked her up to the full length mirror and stood behind her as he pushed the straps of her dress off making her gasp silently. She swallowed hard as he undid the clasp of her bra and slowly pulled it off exposing her perfectly full breasts before he pushed her panties down. She licked her lips as she looked at her naked reflection. He knew that she had a myriad of questions.
“Tell me what you see,” he said in a soft voice.
“I don’t know what to say, Alex,” she said in a low voice.
Alex shook his head.
“Just look into the mirror and tell me what you see, baby,” he said in a soft voice.
She looked at his reflections and shrugged again.
“A naked me. All I can see is a naked me,” she said but Alex shook his head.
“That’s where you are wrong,” he said as he looked at her reflection. “I see a beautiful woman. I see a gorgeous being that has the whole world at her feet and she doesn’t even realize it. I see a woman with a body so perfect people are paying to get one exactly like hers.” He put his hands on her hips and pressed his crotch into her ass. He already had a semi-hard on and he knew that she could feel it. “I see a beautiful curvy woman that drives me crazy every single time she walks into the room. I see a woman who I can put my trust in, totally and completely.”
He then walked around and stood in front of her. He pushed her hair back and touched the side of her face.
“Do you really mean all that?” she asked as she looked at him.
“Every single word. And none of those pin up models as you call them have this effect on me.” He took her hands in his hands and lifted them up to his lips to kiss them. “Do you still feel like you’re competing with anyone?” he asked as he looked into her eyes. She shook her head. “I need to hear you, Emily. Do you still feel like you are competing with anyone?”
“No,” she said in a soft voice. He pulled her into his arms again and planted a kiss on top of her head.
“That’s my girl,” he said in a soft voice. “Now can we get back to my place? I need to catch up on some work but I don’t want you out of my sight.”
“I don’t see why not,” she smiled.