“Okay.”
“Go to your room and I’ll be there in a few minutes to tuck you in.”
As soon as Hope went to her room, I went into the kitchen and poured a glass of wine, downing it within seconds. Taking my phone from the counter, I sent Jack a text message.
“I’m sorry, Jack. Please let me explain.”
“There’s nothing to explain, Lorelei. What happened between us was a mistake and it won’t happen again. I suggest we forget about it and move forward.”
Tears sprang to my eyes as I wiped them dry before going into Hope’s room. After tucking her in and kissing her good night, I poured another glass of wine and took it to my bedroom.
“Please, Jack. Just listen to me.”
“If you’re worried about your job, don’t be. You’re a good personal assistant and I won’t fire you. There’s nothing between us, Lorelei, except a professional working relationship. Have a good night.”
I was broken and the tears began to fall uncontrollably as I lay in bed. I dialed Stella.
“It’s about time you called.”
“Stella,” I cried into the phone.
“Lorelei. Oh my God, what’s wrong?”
“Jack came over tonight unannounced and he met Hope. Now he’s pissed at me and told me that what happened between us was a mistake.”
“What a douchebag. Do you need me to come over?”
“No. Hope is in bed and I’m going to try and get some sleep. How the hell am I supposed to face him tomorrow? Being with him earlier was amazing and we both felt something. I’ve fallen for him, Stella,” I sobbed.
“Sweetie, calm down. Listen, I’m coming over and I don’t want to hear another word about it. I’ll be over in fifteen. Just sit tight.” Click.
I lay in bed, clutching the sheets that covered me. About fifteen minutes had passed and I heard the front door open and Stella walked into the room. She climbed in next to me and wrapped her arms around me.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” she said as she kissed the top of my head.
“I don’t think so. He told me that he wouldn’t fire me because I’m a good assistant but that there’s nothing between us but a professional working relationship.”
“Well, then he’s more of an asshole than we gave him credit for. Lorelei, he’s showing his true colors. You don’t want to be with a man like that. You deserve so much better.”
“But I really like him. My God, I slept with him. The first man in seven years and look what happens. It’s all my fault for not telling him about Hope. I was going to tell him tomorrow. I swear I was,” I sobbed.
“I know. He’s not worth it, Lorelei. Once you calm down, you’ll see that.”
I cried on Stella’s shoulder for the next hour and then I fell asleep.
****
Jack
I barely slept all night. Thoughts of Lorelei plagued my mind. How could she not tell me she had a kid? She had plenty of chances but chose to keep it a secret. Damn her. I climbed out of bed, showered, and headed straight to the office. Pulling out my phone, I sent a text message to Garrett.
“Are you in the office yet?”
“On my way, why?”
“I need to talk to you. Come straight to my office.”
“Sure thing, Jack. I’ll be there soon.”
As I walked by Lorelei’s desk, I shook my head. Maybe I should fire her. I didn’t know if I could stand to even be around her after what she did. Or didn’t do, I should say. Shortly after I sat down, Garrett walked in.
“What’s up?”
“Did you know that Lorelei has a kid?”
He stood there and blankly stared at me. The expression on his face told me he knew.
“FUCK! You did know and you didn’t tell me!”
“Jack, calm down.”
“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down. How the hell could you keep something like that from me?”
“It wasn’t my place to tell you.”
“Did she ask you not to tell me?”
“No. Did she tell you?”
“No. We had a beautiful afternoon at the Trump yesterday and she left her sketchbook at the hotel, so I had Tony take me to her apartment so I could give it to her. That’s when I met Hope.”
“Oh. How did that turn out?”
“How the fuck do you think it turned out?” I threw my pen across my desk. “I was shocked. Do you know how betrayed I feel right now knowing that she lied to me all this time.”
“Did you ever ask her if she had a kid, Jack?”
“No. Why the fuck would I? She’s twenty-five years old. She shouldn’t have kids yet.”
“Did you just hear yourself?” Garrett yelled. “You didn’t ask and she didn’t volunteer. Didn’t you tell her that you hated kids?”
“Maybe.”
“Then why the hell would she tell you about hers? The poor girl was probably scared to death that she was going to get fired.”
“Yeah, well, now that I’m thinking about it, I just might fire her lying ass.”
“For what? Having a kid? You can’t do that, Jack. Not to mention the fact that you fucked her more than once. Do you know the fucking lawsuit she’ll slap on this company if you fire her? The magazine is in trouble as it is. If you fire her, you might as well kiss this company goodbye. I warned you to stay away from her, Jack. I warned you! You made your bed, now you can lie in it.” He pointed at me. “You have no one to blame but yourself.”
“You should have told me, Garrett. You’re my best friend. I wouldn’t have done what I did if I knew she had a kid.”
“Like I said, you have no one to blame but yourself. Now calm down and I’ll talk to you later.” He stormed out of my office.
I ran my hands through my hair and took in a deep breath. I was angry. So angry. But there was another feeling that resided inside me: hurt. Garrett was right; I couldn’t fire Lorelei. Not only would that be bad for the company if she decided to sue me, but she had a kid to support. Things from now on would only consist of a professional relationship.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lorelei
My eyes were swollen from all the crying I had done last night. I dreaded going into the office and seeing Jack. If I never had to see him again, I’d be happy. What I needed to do was start looking for another job and get the hell out of Sutton Magazine. The line that never should have been crossed was, and now I was paying the price.
“What’s wrong with your eyes, Mommy?” Hope asked as she stepped into my bathroom.
I bent down and kissed her head. “Good morning, baby. Nothing’s wrong. They’re just a little puffy. It must be my allergies.”
“I thought I heard you crying last night.” She pouted.
“You must have been dreaming. I wasn’t crying. I have nothing to cry about. Now go get dressed and ready for school. I’ll go make your breakfast.”
I couldn’t let my daughter see me like this. It had always been just me and her from the start and I wasn’t about to let any man, especially Jack Sutton, destroy me in front of my kid. After getting dressed, I made Hope her breakfast and then dropped her off at latch key. As I was on my way to Starbucks to get the asshole his morning coffee, my phone rang. It was Stella.
“Hello.”
“How are you today?”
“I’m trying to be okay. I need to be for Hope. I can’t let her see me fall apart over a guy.”
“I understand, but don’t force it. If you need time to yourself to think about things or get yourself together, let me know and Sebastian and I will watch Hope for a few days.”
“Thanks, Stella, but I’ll be okay. Hey, listen, I just got to Starbucks. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, sweetie. Call me and make sure you either get him the wrong coffee or spill it on his dumb ass.”
I smiled. “I will.”
I ordered his damn Americano just the way he liked it and headed to the office. My stomach was twisted and I felt sick. The anger
and disappointment in his eyes last night were unbearable to see. I saw another side of Jack when we spent time alone together. He was tender and sweet. He only wanted to please me and I let him down.
As I walked down the hallway with his coffee in my hand, I was literally shaking. I prayed he wouldn’t be in his office, but he was. FUCK! I took in a deep breath as I stepped inside and set his coffee on his desk.
“Is it right this time?” he asked in an abrupt tone.
“I didn’t taste it. So hopefully, it is.” I walked out of his office and sat down at my desk.
The launch was in a few days and I needed to finish the dress I was making. I just needed to get through this day. As I was sitting at my desk, the office phone rang.
“Jack Sutton’s office.”
“Lorelei, it’s Garrett. I want you to come down to my office in about thirty minutes. Jack has a meeting to go to, so he won’t know you’re gone.”
“He told you, didn’t he?”
“Yes. Just come down to my office and we’ll talk.”
“Okay.” Click.
Jack stormed out of his office without saying a word to me about his meeting. He always told me where he was going. But not today. I could still see the anger in his eyes and it bothered me. I got up from my desk and went down to Garrett’s office.
“Hey,” I spoke as I poked my head through the door.
“Hey.” He smiled. “Come on in and have a seat.”
I sighed as I sat down across from his desk. Looking down, I played with my hands.
“How are you doing?”
“Not good, Garrett. I feel awful because of how he found out about Hope. I was going to tell him today.”
“Well, I want you to forget about Jack. He can be a real asshole sometimes. He’ll get over this, Lorelei. You just need to move on. Do your job and everything will be fine. He can’t stay mad at you forever.”
“It doesn’t matter if he does or not. I want you to know that I’m going to start looking for another job.”
“I don’t want to see you go. Maybe I can transfer you to another department.”
“That would make Jack even madder. It’s best if I leave the company altogether.”
“I understand, but you need to stand up to Jack. He’s not going to fire you. That I can promise. You have leverage with him and you can do some great damage to him and this company if he let you go.”
“Thanks, Garrett, but I don’t want to use anything against him. I’m not that kind of person. I’ll just start looking for another job and, if I find one, I’ll let you know.” I got up from my seat.
“Okay, Lorelei. If that’s what you feel is necessary. Hang in there. He’ll come around eventually.”
I gave Garrett a small smile and went back up to my desk. When I got back, Jack was in his office. Shit. His meeting didn’t last too long.
“Where were you?” he yelled from his desk.
“Bathroom. Is that okay or did you want me to pee all over my desk?” I blurted out.
“Get in my office NOW!” he commanded.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Taking in a deep inhalation, I walked into his office.
“Shut the damn door.”
I shut the door and then turned and looked at his angry face.
“I don’t need your smart-ass mouth. Do you understand me?” He pointed directly at me.
“Yes. I understand.”
“Is Hope the reason why you didn’t go to Paris?”
I needed to sit down because my knees were shaking something terrible.
“Yes. I couldn’t leave her.”
“So you fucking lied to me again?”
“Yes.” I looked down as I crossed my hands.
“So your mother was never sick?”
I shook my head without saying a word.
“You’re quite the little liar, aren’t you?”
Tears started to fill my eyes. Oh hell no, there was no way I was going to let him see me cry.
“I guess I am and I’m sorry, Jack.”
“You’re sorry? Sorry for what? Lying to me? Letting me fuck you and get close to you? What? What are you sorry for, Lorelei?”
Suddenly, rage started to fill my body when he asked me that. A rage I never knew existed until now. My head shot up at him like I was possessed and my eyes stared directly into his.
“I’m sorry that you’re angry and I’m sorry that you can’t understand why I didn’t tell you about Hope. But I was going to tell you today.”
“Of course you were. How convenient now that I already found out. Was your boyfriend who was killed Hope’s father?”
“Yes, and you know what the hardest part of all that was? He didn’t even know I was pregnant. He was on his way over to my house the night I was going to tell him. I made his favorite dinner and I bought a pair of baby booties and set them on his plate at the table. I kept trying to call him because he was taking longer than usual, but all I kept getting was his voicemail. I knew deep down inside something had happened. I got in my car and drove the route from the shop he worked at to my house. That was when I saw the flashing lights of the police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances. As I got closer to the scene, I saw his car.” I wiped a single tear that fell from my eye. “I screamed his name and began to run towards the accident. A cop grabbed me and held me back, telling me that they were trying to get him out of the car. All I wanted to do was go to him, but they wouldn’t let me. That was when I heard the paramedic say he was dead. So there are three things in my life that I’m sorry for. Not getting the chance to tell my boyfriend, whom I loved deeply, that he was going to be a father, for not telling you about Hope from the beginning, and for you never finding out what it’s like to truly love someone. But the one thing I’m NOT sorry for is having her. She is my life and my world and I love her more than life itself. She was a gift from God that got me through his death. She gave me the strength to go on and move on with my life and I would do anything to protect her.” I got up from my seat, leaned over his desk, and pointed my finger at him. “So if you want to hold me having a daughter against me, then go right ahead. I DON’T GIVE A FUCK!” I yelled.
“I’m not holding it against you.” His voice was calm. “I just wish you would have told me from the start. That’s all. I told you before that I hate games and I don’t play them. So, let’s both calm down and just try to move on with our professional relationship.”
“Can you do that, Jack?”
“Yes, Lorelei. I can. We had our words and now we can go about our business.”
“Fine,” I spoke with attitude.
“Okay. You may go back to your desk. Or do you need to leave? Maybe collect yourself or something?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“Okay. You may leave now.”
I walked out of his office and took a seat at my desk. Now that Jack and I had it out, I felt somewhat better, but I was angry at myself for telling him everything I did about the accident.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jack
Damn her. Hearing her story upset me. Why the fuck would I be upset? Maybe because I cared about her and I shouldn’t. Throwing a kid in the mix changed everything. There was no way in hell I could get involved with her when she had a child. I planned to move past all of this, to go about my life and my business like I did before I ever laid my eyes on Lorelei.
I got up from my desk and told her that I was going to the accounting department. When I stepped into Bradley’s office, I asked Wes, the person working on Bradley’s computer, if he found anything yet.
“I did, Mr. Sutton. I was just coming down to your office. Something doesn’t seem right. The offshore accounts that Bradley put the money into are in the name of Kit Sutton, your mother.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I was able to hack into the bank’s system and the accounts are in her name. So technically, Bradley hasn’t embezzled anything. He’s been putting the money away for your mom.”
I stood there in disbelief as I stared at the computer screen, pondering why my mother would do such a thing.
“Thank you. I appreciate your hard work.”
“No problem, Mr. Sutton. It’s my job.” He smiled.
I took a seat behind Bradley’s desk and called Lindsey into the office.
“Yes, Mr. Sutton.”
“Has my mother been down here to see Bradley?”
“A couple of times. But I know they’ve met outside the company.”
“How do you know that?”
“I saw them one night having dinner at Sage and they were arguing. Your mother was pointing her finger at him. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I could tell she was angry.”
“Did they see you?”
“No. They didn’t.”
“How long ago was this?”
“About a month ago. I remember because I took my boyfriend there for his birthday. I’m not going to get in trouble, am I?”
“Of course not. I appreciate you telling me. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Thank you, Mr. Sutton.”
As I was walking back to my office, I saw Lorelei come out of the bathroom.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine. Are you?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” she spoke with a hint of an attitude and sat down at her desk while I went into my office and shut the door.
****
A few days passed and I still hadn’t talked to my mother about the accounts. Nor did I tell Coco what I found out. I was waiting for the private investigator with the hopes he’d find Bradley first. Lorelei and I held very small conversations during the day and they mainly concerned work. I had some paperwork to give her, and when I opened my office door, I saw Hope run to Lorelei and give her a hug.
“Hey, baby, what are you doing here?” she asked.
“We wanted to know if you want to go to lunch with us. Auntie Stella said it would be okay to come here and ask you. Plus, I wanted to see where you worked. Hi, Mr. Sutton.” She smiled as she looked at me with her blue eyes.
“Hello.”
“This is my Auntie Stella. She picked me up from school today because I got out early.”
“Nice to meet you, Stella.” I nodded.