Circle of Deception 2 (4 page)

As he headed to the office, he began to make calls to have several different things sent her way. He knew he couldn’t buy her affections, but he knew all the gifts would make her talk to him. More than likely it was going to be yelling and screaming, but at least it would be a start. He had to work his way back to her after all the damage he caused. How could one stupid thought ruin five years of marriage?

He wasn’t even sure why he was feeling that way. From the first time he kissed her, he knew she would be his forever. The first time he held her in his arms was like magic, and he had never thought he would be in this situation. He had to fix it, he was willing to do anything.

As he parked his car and went inside, he sighed heavily and gathered his things. He knew he had to get his mind right before he entered the building, the last thing he wanted was to let his coworkers see him in distress; especially, Julia. He thought she might be harboring a small crush on him. He had made it clear that things were strictly business, and he wanted to keep up that mentality. Letting her see him vulnerable could bring more unwanted trouble.

To his dismay, the first face he saw as he stepped off the elevator was Julia. Her warm golden skin was on display in a cream-colored shirt that was very low cut, and her long legs were exposed underneath a short above the knee skirt. Her sandy brown hair was pinned up in a messy bun, and her turquoise eyes sparkled through the corrective lenses she was wearing. She was a very attractive woman, but he was uninterested. He and Julia had a complex history when they were younger, but he had gotten over any past attachments long ago. Melia, although she wasn’t speaking to him at the moment, was the only woman on his mind.

When she stopped in front of him, he tried to appear as upbeat as he could, but she saw straight through his front. “Matthew, are you okay? You don’t look well.”

“I’m fine,” he pushed past her to walk to his office.”

She followed closely behind him, closing the door as they entered the room. “You don’t look fine. Is this my fault? Is this because I called you?”

He sat his things down and took his seat before looking up. “This has nothing to do with you, but why did you call my house? I have a wife whom I love very much, and I know you knew that.”

“I was just worried about you, that’s all. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, it won’t happen again,” she lowered her head. “Should we begin our work, or should I postpone things?”

“If I need someone to worry about me, it will be my wife. Remember what I told you when you came to work here, we keep our personal and professional lives separate in this office. If you can’t understand that then I’ll have to make adjustments. When I started this company, I made it very clear how I stood on things of those matters, and nothing has changed. Give me a few hours and then come back,” he held up his hand. “Appropriately dressed, Julia. This is a business not a strip club.”

She shuffled out of the office with a sneaky grin on her face. She knew exactly what her little call would do this morning, and now phase one had begun. She wanted Matt and Melia separated, and she would do anything to make it happen. They had all gone to high school together and Matt had always been on her radar. She knew from the moment she saw him that he was going places, and she was right. He was one of the youngest successful men she had ever met, and not to mention impeccably handsome. His dirty blond hair, lifeguard physique, and shimmering gray eyes had invaded many of her dreams. The only thing standing in her way was the devotion he had to his wife, Melia.

She and Melia had several classes together, but she bet Melia never even knew her name. Melia was one of those girls every guy wanted, and every girl wanted to be. She was rich and beautiful, and people like her and Matt seemed to be trained to find each other. Once Matt saw Melia, every other woman became invisible, including Julia, even though he had taken her virginity. She had never gotten over Melia stealing what could have been a real chance for her.

Julia had always been a nice looking girl, but she lacked the edge that made guys fall over for her. She was a skinny timid girl with braces and no confidence back then. After years away, she had transformed herself. She came back after college without the braces, a new curvy figure and round perky breasts. Most men that met her now drooled over her, but not Matt. Getting his attention was harder than she thought it would be. Today was the first time he had even mentioned her appearance, and it was only to tell her to change. She knew she was going to have to dig deep for this one, she had to pull out the big guns.

***

Emily sat her bags down and walked into the living room. It had been two weeks since she had been home, and she missed the feel of it. She had been out on a shoot in Thailand, and was delighted to finally be back. Her first thought was to stop into the office and see Aiden, but for some unknown reason, she needed to talk to Gio first.

The last time she and Gio had spoken, he sounded off. He had always been such an upbeat and bubbly personality, but this time, he seemed troubled. She knew things had been stressful for both him and Meg at work with all the new projects they were working on, but this was something more; she could feel it.

Emily quickly drug all the bags inside and put them away. She wanted to be sure things were tidy for Aiden when he got home; he was a bit ocd, and she didn’t want to set him off. They had been living together for nearly a year, and they had been having the best time. She never thought that she would want to come home to someone every night, but with Aiden, it was as easy as breathing.

Once everything was put away, she stepped back out to her car to head over to the office where Meg and Gio were. She was anxious to see the both of them. She felt bad for not being around more with Meg having the baby and all, but duty called. Her jobs had really picked up, and although it meant large amounts of time away from home, she loved it. Traveling to exotic lands and capturing the most beautiful images, made her feel alive.

She drove over in silence, letting her thoughts run wild. She hadn’t seen Aiden in two weeks, and she was looking forward to their steamy reunion. She knew it was going to be wonderful, it always was after their time apart. As happy as she was, she couldn’t get her mind off Gio.

She pulled into the parking garage anxiously and shut her car off. She sighed before opening her door and stepping out, everything in her said that something was seriously wrong, but she tried to wash the negativity away. She walked toward the door and plastered on a big smile, and she stepped onto the elevator, she saw several faces she recognized and acknowledged them subtly. When she finally made it to their floor, she stuck her head into Meg’s office to find her leafing through some papers

“Hey, stranger,” Emily said as she made her way inside.

“Em! When did you make it back? Tell me everything. Was it awesome?”

“That’s a lot of questions. I just got back, it was amazing, and there is so much to tell I don’t know where to begin. Before I get into it, I want to hear all about my godchildren. I bet Allison is getting so grown, and Jordan is probably twice the size he was when I left.”

“They are excellent, and they miss their Aunt Em. Allison was just asking about you the other day.”

“Okay, so the kids are good, but how are you? Are you still having those nightmares?”

Meg shifted in her seat and laid her head back on her chair. “Not as much, but sometimes. We finally got the kids back into their rooms, so Alex feels better, but I still wake up checking on them every few hours. It’s a habit I can’t get out of just yet.”

Emily slid closer and touched Meg’s hand gently. “Sweetie, you have to relax and start getting some rest. You’re going to go crazy if you don’t accept that the children are safe. That crazy woman is probably worlds away by now, there is no way she would be stupid enough to screw with you. She knows she would have hell to pay.”

“I know, and you’re probably right...”

“I am right, Meg. I want you to try to sleep through the whole night for me. Can you do that?”

“I can try,” she smiled. “You’re never going to believe what Alex did.”

Emily smiled deviously. “What was it?”

“He sent Jordan and Alli off with Matt and Melia while I was sleeping. I woke up looking for them and almost lost my mind.”

“Oh my,” she laughed. “I’m surprised he is still alive to talk about it. How did he get out of that?”

Meg blushed. “His apology was very convincing.”

“So in other words, he sexed you into forgiving him. Good for him, you were in serious need of some action. I was beginning to think you were trying to become a born again virgin.”

“So I see Thailand did nothing to rid you of your inner bitch,” she laughed, “but yes, we are back on track in that department. I guess I just needed to know that he still found me attractive. The extra weight made me a little testy.”

Emily huffed and pulled her out of her seat. “Don’t make me slap you. You’re gorgeous. Having a baby only made you that much more attractive. Alex probably loves the way you look. Your breasts are huge and you’re stacked up like a video vixen. That boy probably loses his mind every time he sees you naked.”

Meg chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Thanks for the encouragement. I feel better about everything after the past few nights. We have reconnected in the best way.”

“Well, that means my work here is done,” Emily stood to leave.

“Where are you heading to?”

“I was going to pop in on Gio.”

“He isn’t here today, he needed a personal day.” Tilting her head to the side, Meg developed a strange look. “Have you noticed something strange about him?”

Emily sighed and sat back down. “Yeah, I have, that’s why I came by. The last few times I talked to him, he sounded weird.”

“You should see him, he has lost weight, and he looks pale all the time. You don’t think he’s sick, do you? He would tell us, right?”

“Gio is very secretive, you know that. The best option to find out what’s really going on would be to ask Marco. He would let us know if something were seriously wrong.” Emily pulled her cell out and dialed Marco’s number as Meg looked on silently. When he picked up, she started in instantly. “Marco, if Gio is around you, don’t draw attention, but is everything okay? I feel like it’s something he isn’t telling us.”

“Everything is fine, Em, he was just a little under the weather today.”

“Are you sure? It’s not just me that’s worried, Meg is worried too.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I hate to rush you off, but I have some things in front of me. Now that you’re back, we should all get together. It’s been too long.”

“Yeah,” Emily sighed unconvincingly. “Too long.” They concluded the call, and Emily looked to Meg with a blank expression. “Something is definitely wrong. Call the girls, we need to get together today. We have to figure out how to help him out of whatever mess he’s in.” As they began to contact everyone, they also started to shut things down in the office. While they busied themselves with that, across town, Marco was pleading with Gio to come clean.

***

“Gio, this is ridiculous. I’m not going to sit by and watch you destroy yourself. You have to tell them, maybe they can help.”

“I don’t want them involved,” he screamed. “I’m the big brother, I’m supposed to protect them, not the other way around.”

Marco stood and leaned down in his face. “You can’t protect them if you’re dead. You may think you’re invincible, but I know you’re not. What you’re being is extremely stupid.”

“Marco, leave. I can’t deal with one of your fits today.”

“I will not, I drove you here. How do you expect to get home if I go?”

“I’ll call a fucking cab. You’re pissing me off.”

“You’re mad because you know I’m right. This is not something you can do alone, and the more people that know, the more of a chance you have.”

Gio sat up angrily with tears in his eyes. “If you open your mouth, we’re done. I’ve stated my position.”

“At the rate you’re going, you won’t have a position for long. I’ll keep your secret, I just hope it’s worth your life.” Marco flew out of the room and sat down in a chair in the waiting area. His chest was so tight, he could barely breathe. He felt the tears dripping down his face, but his hands were frozen. He wanted to wipe them away, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he turned, he found Lexie standing behind him with a stoic expression.

“What are you doing here? He wouldn’t want to see you. I think you should leave.”

“I won’t,” she sat down. “Regardless of what has happened between us, he is my family. I’m going to be here, whether he likes it or not.”

Marco smiled at her and patted her hand. “You’re like him, stubborn and hardheaded. How did you find us anyway?”

“I followed you, of course,” she smiled. “I know I was wrong for the way I behaved when he came out to us, but I was in shock. The little brother, I had known for fourteen years was shaking up our relationship, and I reacted poorly. By the time I came to grips with it, he was gone. I’ve been looking for him ever since.”

Marco sighed. “This is something you need to tell him. He has to forgive you, not me. Maybe he can and then you can all have some peace of mind.”

“Maybe, but that will have to wait. I have to do what I need to do to fix this situation first.” Lexie got up and walked away with her cell phone in hand. Marco watched, hoping for a miracle, Gio’s wellbeing depended on it.