Bedrock (8 page)

Eight

The following morning Addie walked into the office,
feeling like shit in the worst way. She hadn’t slept much in the past few days,
and the damned puppy had kept her up last night with his whining. Finally,
desperately needing sleep, she crawled out of bed, went downstairs, and brought
him to bed with her. She knew better, but she also knew she needed sleep if she
was going to survive the whole new single-parent role she had just been thrust
into.

Addie opened the door to her office and quickly closed it behind
her. The last thing she wanted was to be bothered today. She made sure to keep
the lights off, praying the throbbing in her head would subside soon. After
dumping her purse and briefcase on the floor, she made her way over to her
desk.

“Addison, we need to talk.”

Addie jumped, the cell phone in her hand hitting the floor with a
thud.

“Jesus!”

She turned to see William Hartman sitting at her desk. Dressed in
an all-black three-piece suit, he was easy to miss. Addie took in the sight of
him.
Damn.
With his jet-black hair slicked back and his piercing blue
eyes staring directly into hers, he looked even better than she had remembered.

Addie crossed her arms and used the wall to steady herself. “What
are you doing here?”

William rubbed his jaw, staring silently, as if trying to gauge
his next move. “You’re not answering my calls or emails, and as I said we need
to talk.”

“Um . . . Yeah, about that—”

“The incident the other day in the elevator was videotaped. My
team is in negotiations to purchase the tape before they release it to the
media. But, at this point, every offer has been turned down. It’s going live in
the morning.”

Addie’s mouth dropped. Thinking she might be sick, she took a
seat opposite William. “Oh my God. This seriously can’t be happening. What in
the hell are we going to do?”

William took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. We don’t know exactly how
they’ll spin it, but my PR team has been prepped and is well prepared to handle
the aftermath.”

“Yeah, well that doesn’t exactly help my situation.” Addie
replied, raising her voice a little louder than she’d intended.

“Look, we’ll handle this, ok? We’ll work it out.”

Addie’s thoughts raced back and forth between Patrick to the
boys.
Of course, it would all work out . . . for him.
She needed to call
Patrick and tell him herself, before he found out the hard way. She did at
least owe him his dignity. Then again, maybe he didn’t have to find out at all.
China is pretty far way. No, someone would tell him, and it would likely be her
disapproving mother-in-law. “
We tried to tell you about that one,” they’d
say.

William stood, walked around to the front of her desk and perched
himself there. He reached down, taking her hand. Surprisingly, her heart sped
up and began racing faster than it already was.
Why did this man have this
effect on her?

“I’ve arranged for a car to pick you up here in the lobby at
noon. Carl, my driver, will be holding a yellow slip of paper in his hand. He
knows who to look for, so just follow him to the car where he and a few members
of my security team will take you to an undisclosed location. I’ll meet you
there.”

Addie was stunned, speechless. How had this suddenly become her
life? Sneaking into cars? Drivers? Security teams? Undisclosed locations?

William spoke firmly, interrupting her thoughts. “I can’t stay
here, Addison. It’s too risky. We need to talk and sort this out. My guys are
good. They’ll get you there and back, unnoticed.”

Addie nodded.

William gave her shoulder what she assumed was supposed to be a
reassuring squeeze and walked towards the door. Turning back, he paused just
inside the doorway. “Oh, and Addison . . .”

Unable to meet his gaze, she stared out the window. “Yeah?”

“You’re even more beautiful than I remembered.”

Then, just as quickly as he’d come, he was gone.

But all Addie could think about was what deep shit she was in. Clearly,
she was in way over her head.

Addie wanted Patrick to hear the news from her. She
owed him that much, knowing she was backed into a corner. She dialed his cell,
unsure of what she would say.

He answered on the first ring. “Hey, honey, I was just thinking
about you.”

Fuck
. I can’t do this, not now and not over the phone.
Hearing his voice utter those few words, she lost her nerve. She tried to sound
upbeat. “Oh yeah? What were you thinking?”

“Just how I can’t wait to see you. How much I’m looking forward
to coming home and showing you just how much I’ve missed you.”

“Hmmm” was all Addie could get out. “I miss you too.” Addie
replied, wincing.

Dead silence.

“Shit. I’m sorry. I gotta run. I’m supposed to be in a meeting in
five. “Can I call you tonight?”

As she hung up the phone, Addie laid her head on her desk and let
the tears come. This would end her marriage. While it certainly had its issues
already, this was entirely her fault. There was no denying that. Her children
would never forgive her. This realization only made Addie sob harder. Her head
was spinning.

“Uhhmm.” A voice said, startling Addie.
Well, that’s two times
today;
Addie looked up and found Sondra standing across the room staring at
her.
Dammit! Why now?
Addie sat up straighter, trying her best to
compose herself.

“Everything ok, Mrs. Greyer?” Sondra asked, eyeing her
disapprovingly.

Addie searched her desk for the box of tissues. “Yep. Just having
a rough day.”
God, she hated this woman
.

Sondra moved closer. “Would this happen to have anything to do
with Mr. Hartman?”

Addie froze.
Shit. Think fast.
“No, of course not. What
would make you suggest that?” Addie replied, hoping her body language didn’t
give her away.

“Look, Mrs. Greyer. I’m not going to waste your time here. And I
ask that you don’t waste mine. Are we clear?

Seriously. Who does this bitch think she is?
“Clear about
what?” Addie replied, feigning ignorance and refusing to let this woman, boss
or not, get the best of her.

“I know what happened in the elevator, Addison.”

Addie’s face remained neutral, refusing to give anything up. “I’m
not sure what you mean.”
Ok, so maybe she knows. But make her spell it out.

Sondra shoved papers and a sealed envelope she’d been holding
onto Addie’s desk. “Sign the top form.”

Addie glanced at the paperwork in front of her. “I signed a
confidentiality agreement in my new-hire paperwork.”

Sondra frowned, sighing loudly. “This one is different. It’s
personal. You need help. This is my offer. Sign the goddamn paper, Addison.”

Something in Sondra’s tone, something in the way that she looked
at Addie, told her what she knew she needed to do. She signed the form and
pushed it towards Sondra.

“Read the proposal and see me in my office tomorrow morning, eight
o’clock sharp. And remember, you signed this, Mrs. Greyer. No one’s eyes but
your own are to view what’s inside that envelope, are we clear?”

“Clear as day. Oh, and, Sondra, be a dear and close the door
behind you on your way out, will you?”

Sondra waltzed out, slamming the door behind her. She had to
admit she
really
liked this girl. She could see that this was going to
work out well.
Very well, indeed.

Despite everything on her mind, Addie managed to get a
little work done before she was due to meet with William. She glanced at the
clock and realized that she needed to be downstairs in half an hour and needed
to freshen up.
Why should I even care?
Addie was bothered by the fact
that she wanted to look good for William. Stalling, she checked her email one
last time. Addie inhaled sharply, trying to force as much air into her lungs as
possible. There was an email from William.
Ugh, why did he have this goddamned
effect on her?
Holding her breath, she clicked to open it.

From: William B. Hartman

Date: 6/16/12

To: Addison Greyer

Subject: Impatiently waiting . . .

Dear Addison,

Mere words cannot describe how it felt seeing you again this
morning. I never could’ve imagined it possible to miss someone this much.
Someone I barely know.

I am beyond sorry that we have found ourselves in this
predicament. I never intended to hurt you. It pains me that my celebrity has
encroached upon your life, and I promise to do everything within my power to
see that you and your family remain in anonymity.

That said, I do believe that sometimes events can occur in our
lives that lead us down a different path than the one we thought we were on: a
path that steers us in a new direction. While we may not have intended to take
this route to begin with, the road is more beautiful than we could have
imagined. It leads us to bigger and better places, to dreams we didn’t know we
had.

Yours,

William

P.S. Make sure you delete this immediately after reading it.
Then, empty your trash, so it’s not stored there.

Addie exhaled.
Damn.
She was in trouble—big trouble.
Grabbing her purse, she headed down the hall to the ladies’ room. Looking in
the mirror, she realized that if she hadn’t known better she could easily pass
for someone on her way to a funeral. Her little black dress and peep-toe pumps
were certainly fitting for a day like today. But overall, she looked good in
her overpriced wardrobe. Once she washed her face and reapplied her makeup,
Addie hurried down to the lobby. Although the lobby was buzzing with people, it
didn’t take her long to spot Carl. He had obviously noticed her before she had
him, and once she met his gaze, he nodded quickly, ushering her into the black
SUV that was waiting just outside at the curb.

No sooner had she hopped in than the door was closed behind her.
Addie couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the three large men in suits who
occupied the car with her. She nodded slightly, as if to say hello but remained
quiet the rest of the ride. She strained her ears, trying to hear the
conversation between the two men in the front but only garnered bits and
pieces, mostly about whether or not they were being trailed.

They pulled into a parking garage of The Plaza.
Why were they
at The Plaza? They were supposed to be going to an undisclosed location.
Everyone and their mother knew where The Plaza was.

Carl opened the door for Addie, ushering her out. He seemed to
sense Addie’s confusion. “Slight change of plans.”

Addie studied the man briefly. Carl was tall and thin. A black
man who looked to be in his 60s, he had a weathered but friendly face, and
Addie decided that he seemed trustworthy enough.

They made their way into the elevator, where she noticed Carl
press a button marked “P.” As the elevator climbed, she also noticed that
everyone with the exception of Carl was unwilling to look her in the eye. That
was it. Addie had had enough. She broke the silence. “Well, you’re certainly a
friendly bunch.”

The men nodded, looking her in the eye for the first time. The
shorter one even smiled a little.

The elevator door opened to a large foyer. Addie’s breath caught
at the sight of William standing there in his dark pressed jeans and white
t-shirt. He look younger dressed like this. Still, each time she laid eyes on
him, he somehow managed to look better than before, if that was even possible.
The men who had accompanied her suddenly made themselves scarce, leaving Addie
wondering where they went off to.

“Welcome to my home.” William smiled as though trying to gauge her
reaction.

Addie scanned the palatial high-rise apartment. It was notably
gorgeous with its exposed stone, luxurious oversized leather sofas, and antique,
yet homey, feel. “Your home! What the fuck am I doing at your house? I thought
you said we were meeting at an undisclosed location, and you bring me to your
goddamned house?! Is this some sort of joke to you, William?”