Temptation (The Temptation Series) (21 page)

“Alexis, I’m hurting you and
that’s…”  He turned to walk inside.

“That’s not an option, in
your room is a whole set of clothes, have a shower, get changed and go home to
your family, Hunny.” He dropped his head and bounded up stairs.
My room? Go
home?

He was right, the wardrobe
was completely full of clothing, underwear, nighties, jeans, tops, bathing
suits and shoes. I stripped down and hopped into the shower, bending down I
hugged my knees and cried.
Did he just let me go and say goodbye?
That’s
what it felt like and it hurt, hurt more than the pain I was already feeling.
Fuck,
what have I gotten myself into? I’m well and truly in a huge whole and I seem
to be getting deeper into it.
I found a very similar skirt suit to what I’d
had on previously, blow dried my hair and made myself up again. When I came
down stairs, Bryce was sitting on the lounge, he got up and walked towards me.

This is it, he’s letting
me go.
I braced myself, it was the
right thing to do, the only thing to do but I couldn’t bear to hear it.

“Alexis, I don’t want to hurt
you anymore, hurting you is the last thing I would ever want to do. I won’t
touch you, I won’t kiss you and I won’t put you in any situation that will make
you question your integrity. Like you said, if we are meant to be, then we will
be.” He took my hand and kissed the back of it, I grabbed his face and kissed
him as though it was the last time I ever would. My eyes were flooded when I
broke away, I couldn’t let him see the extent of it, so dropped my head and
turned for the elevator, I didn’t look back, it was too hard.

“I’ll see you in the morning,
Bryce.” Then I left.

CHAPTER
TWENTY

The next two days at work
were really dreadful, Bryce was out for the entire day on Thursday, I did
notice he had scheduled an appointment with Jessica and hoped it had nothing to
do with me but I knew better than that. I was pretty much done for the day and
really looking forward to getting away with the girls. I figured I’d leave a
sticky note on his bed, I was afraid I had tormented him far too much and I
needed to tell him how I felt once and for all.

Mr Clark

I have fallen head
over heels for you but have not been brave enough to admit it. I can’t be
around you and be with you but I can’t be away from you either. I want you but
I can’t have you and I’ve made you want me when you can’t have me either.

I’m sorry I have come
into your life and tormented you to the point of avoiding me, you must hate me
for this and I truly don’t blame you.

Alexis

I left the note on his pillow
after picking it up and giving it a sniff, it was a bit stupid of me really,
because it smelt like fresh linen. I headed to his private elevator, the doors
opened and he came in.

“Hi, I was just um, leaving
you a note.” I looked down at my hands feeling embarrassed.

“Right. Danny will be at your
house at 6pm, if you would still like to use the Limo?”

“Oh thanks, yes if it’s still
alright?”

He nodded, smiled ever so
slightly and moved aside, I stepped into the elevator and the doors closed.
Shit,
that was beyond awkward, he really does hate me
.
He’s done with you
Alexis, you flirted and dick teased him for far too long, and he’s done.

Was it really such a surprise
that I was in this awful fucked up situation? I had been couped up for 9 years at
home with my housework and Bold and the Beautiful and as soon as I faced
temptation, I gave in. There was never the intention of taking it any further,
because I couldn’t and he has now realised this, probably thanks to Ms Fucking
Carrot-Top Jessica. I have fucked up my career and possibly my marriage for
that matter, what I have done will eat at me and eventually I will have to
confess.

Oh Shit, the note, Fuck. I
need to get it back, Alexis you’re a fool. He’s obviously fed up with my
indecision and doesn’t want me anymore and I have basically poured my heart out
to him on a stupid freakin sticky note.
Ok options are, go back up and hope he hasn’t gone to his room yet,
he probably went straight to his office. I could sneak in and get it before he
has even seen it, or hop in the Porsche and high tail the fuck out of here and
deal with it Monday in the hope he has forgotten all about it and providing I
even have a job by that stage,
shit!
The elevator stopped abruptly,
I was ready to get out thinking I was in the basement when it started to go
back up.
What the?
I pressed the basement 4 button again but it wouldn’t
light up.
Oh Shit, Crap, Balls, he’s found it!
The elevator came to a
stop, if there was ever a moment I wanted super powers, it was now; invisibility,
or Spiderman super-suction so I could hide against the roof. The doors opened
and he was standing there holding my sticky note.
Get in first, Alexis.

“Before you say anything, I’m
sorry. I’m fucking fucked in the head and I’m a dick tease and I’m pathetic and
I understand.”

I gave him the keys to the
Porsche and walked past him, I kept babbling shit about not being ready to go
back to work because my legs were just like a can opener and turning to goo
when I was faced with the hottest man on earth, I kept walking and babbling
till I reached my desk and started grabbing my personal things, he just stood
there and watched. I had been in my own little bubble of confusion and
humiliation, that I had not noticed the massive smirk on his face.

“So, I just want to apologise
for arousing and tormenting and……..”
Why the fuck is he smirking at me? I
have just completely confessed to falling for him, teasing him and fucking him
around and he is smirking.

“I love you Alexis.”

What? Is he insane?
I stood speechless and frowed at him from utter
shock.

“I love you Alexis and you
love me.” He walked over and scooped me up in his arms, he took me back into
his apartment and into the private elevator, he elbowed basement 4 and we began
to descend.

“You don’t love me, you can’t
love me after what I’ve put you through, I’m teasing you, you can’t love me.”

“Alexis Hunny, I’m not
confused about my feelings for you at all, they are set in stone and will not
change. You love Rick but you love me too and you can’t admit that until we can
openly share time together. Go on your Girls Weekend, have a great time and
when you get back I will have made the impossible, possible.”

He put me down next to the
Porsche and opened the door; I took back the keys and got in. I was stunned and
couldn’t say anything, the confused frown I had upstairs was still plastered on
my face and remained that way until I pulled out of the basement car park.

Danny pulled up in the Limo,
not too long after I got home. I was still thinking about what Bryce had said.
Why
is it he understands the way I am and feel better than I do?
Make the
impossible, possible? What did he mean by that? Alexis, wipe it from your head,
no more Bryce, no more Rick, weekend with girls, weekend with girls.
I kept
repeating weekend with girls in my head in the hope it would work and take my
mind off the alternative.

“Danny, would you mind taking
Nate and Charli for a ride around the block for 5 minutes, I’m not quite
ready.”

“Certainly Ms Summers.” He
opened the door and Nate and Charli jumped in.

“Right, no mucking around or
Danny will lock you in and bring you straight home, won’t you Danny?” He nodded
and smiled in my direction, I waved goodbye as he pulled away. Rick was in the
kitchen cooking pasta; he was so sweet and really was a wonderful husband and
father. I walked up, kissed him on the shoulder and wrapped my arms around him.
Glancing around, the house was spotless, the rubbish was out, the dishes were
put away, the washing was folded and he had even picked up our dry cleaning,
and here I was leaving for the weekend to drink alcohol and let my hair down
with my friends. Rick had been so good to me, even the changes he had to make
to allow me to go back to work had not been a problem for him in the slightest.

“Thank you.” I said as I
squeezed him tight.

“What for?” He kept stirring
the sauce.

“For being you, for being
wonderful and for letting me get away for a breather.”

“You deserve it, you’ve been
a wonderful Mum and Wife and deserve a bit of you time.” He put the spoon down
and turned to face me in my arms. He was a very good looking man, short dark
brown hair neatly cut and sexy brown eyes to match, he pretty much always had a
5 o’clock shadow which I thought suited him. He was slightly shorter than Bryce
by about 2 or 3 inches and not as muscularly built but still strong enough to
pick me up and carry me to the bedroom whenever he saw fit.

“Go on hurry up and finish
getting ready, or you’ll be late.” I went up on my tippy toes and gave him a
kiss.

Danny did the rounds and
picked up Tash, Lil, Jade and Steph, they were all buzzing with excitement not
only about the weekend we were about to smash but the fact I had picked them up
in a Limo, Tash was the exception being she had been witness to Bryce’s request,
or should I say demand that we take it for the weekend. They were all smiling
at me, and waiting for me to explain this emergency getaway.

“What? Stop smiling at me.”
Tash stood up, her way of distraction I think, God I love her.

“Fuck it, I’ve always wanted
to do this, how do you open this friggin sun roof?” I laughed, I knew exactly
what she had in mind, so did Steph, because she was on the button like a flash,
Tash stood up and peeped her head out.

“Shit.” She gradually got
higher until her arms were resting on the roof, Steph joined her and they were
both squealing and laughing hysterically.

“You might want to keep your
mouths shut girls, unless you don’t mind the odd bug between your teeth.” Jade
was ever so cautious and anal.

“Come on Jade, get up here.”

“No, you’re both fucking
lunatics.” She laughed.

“Hey, watch this,” I motioned
to Jade and Lil. Tash had on a pair of black shiny leggings and a shimmery
tunic. I grabbed the top of her waistband and yanked them down, she screamed
and fell down on to Jade and I, collecting Steph along with her.

“You bitch, like my new
ruffle butts?” Tash and her ruffle butts, I swear she lived in the bloody
things. All four of us were giggling like a bunch of school girls.

“Oh I need this; I’ve missed
you crazy bitches.” Apart from our night out, I had barely seen Steph since
going back to work, she was still home full time with her youngest Holly who
was 3, Lil and Tash worked part time and Jade worked full time like me. I had
seen her some mornings at the before-school care drop off but it was nowhere
near enough, I missed my friends and were thankful they had dropped everything
to be with me this weekend. Lil started to explore the Limo.

“Ooooh, there is a mini fridge
here, I hope there’s wine.” Of course there was wine, there was also a bottle
of gin and cans of lemon squash, strawberries dipped in Chocolate and a very
expensive bottle of Dom Perignon 1966 and stuck to it was a sticky note.

Alexis,

Whatever you and your
girlfriends need for the weekend is on me.

Enjoy your time away.

Bryce

I looked further into the
fridge and there was a credit card.
You sneaky shit!
Steph grabbed the
bottle.

“Fuck, Dom Perignon 66,
that’s over a grand a bottle, crack this shit open!” Tash and Steph poured
everyone a drink and we clinked glasses.

“Cheers girls and cheers to
Lexi and her love triangle!”
Nice Jade, real nice.
She squeezed my leg,
I knew she was kidding. My wonderful friends were just what I needed, we knew
how to make each other laugh and when to bring out a box or two of tissues. We
finally got to Peninsula Country Club just after 9pm, we were all pretty
stuffed and went to bed early.

Saturday was spent relaxing
at the hot springs in the Spa Dreaming Centre, it was pure bliss. We found ‘our
barrel’ and soaked up the relaxing and rejuvenating setting.

“Can we stay here and never
leave?” Steph was chilled and quite adamant we were not going anywhere.

“Yeah right, what about Chris
and the kids?”

“Ah screw em, they can cook,
clean and fend for themselves.” If only, we all giggled, the notion was nice
though.

“So dinner and drinks out
tonight? There is this great Karaoke bar in Rye.” Jade loved a good sing-off.

“You and me Lex, Hold On by
Willson Phillips, it’s on like Donkey Kong.” I smiled at her challenge. Tash
then chimed in with her best Gloria Gaynor impersonation.

“At first I was afraid I was
petrified, kept thinking I could never live without you by my side.”

It wasn’t long before we were
all belting out ‘I Will Survive’ in the middle of what was supposed to be a tranquil
Day Spa. An elderly couple walked past in their robes and gave us a dirty look,
Tash stood up in the middle of the barrel and did a shimmy for them, their
dirty look increased and they picked up their pace.