The Billionaire & The Barfly (Coming Home) (25 page)

“
What did you do?” she asked. No one seemed to hear her but the wicked witch from the west.

“
I didn’t do a thing. You, on the other hand, told your little boyfriend your plans, and he ran with it. How does it feel to be used? To be treated as nothing more than a means to an end?”

“
You’re wrong.”

“
Security will be escorting you out of the building. I never want to see you in here again. Your final pay check will be mailed to the address on file.” Mr. Fredrickson said, then turned his back and left the room, the rest of the big wigs in tow.

Aubrey collapsed into the nearest chair, completely confused. What the hell had just happened?

She pulled her phone from her pocket while she waited for Nick to come and collect her. Quickly, she typed out a message to the one person she probably shouldn’t.

I need you to come get me.

Henry responded almost immediately.

I will be there in five minutes.

Chapter Seventeen

Nick stood quietly in the elevator with Aubrey. She couldn’t look anywhere but the floor. If she looked up, and saw the look of pity that she was certain was staring back at her from the security guard, it would all become real. Hell, the minute she stepped off the elevator, she knew that it would be a slap in the face how real it was.

“
Ms. Vincent, for what it’s worth, I don’t think you would ever sabotage Viola.” His words meant the world to her. At least someone believed in her. She had expected to hear from Bridgette at some point before being escorted out of the building, but she didn’t. Maybe she hadn’t built a real bond with her after all. She had thought she made a bond, a friendship with Bridgette. She didn’t think she could feel any worse than she had when she was accused of sabotage of an entire company, but knowing that the one friend she thought she had didn’t care enough to say goodbye hurt so badly she thought an ice pick was being stabbed through her heart.

“
Thanks, that means a lot.”

The elevator lurched to a stop
as a ping bounced between the walls, alerting her to the insanity that was about to ensue. Nick held the button that kept the elevator doors closed. Aubrey looked up and nodded, letting him know that she was ready. Even if it was a lie.

They were able to take a few steps out of the elevator before anyone noticed them. It started with a single reporter who walked over calmly with his camera guy. She could see him looking back at the masses who
, unlike him, were not paying attention.

“
Aubrey, why were you fired? Are you a mole for Maximus Gaming?” The microphone was stuck out in her face, and the bright light of the camera felt like one of those interrogation room spot lights. What she wanted to know was how they already heard she had lost her job.

“
Move aside, please,” Nick said as he pushed passed the reporter. Aubrey didn’t answer his question just as Bruce had suggested. Unfortunately, Nick’s voice carried in the echoes of the lobby of Viola and that caught the attention of the rest. For the second time in a little over an hour, Aubrey was surrounded by people shouting at her, wanting to get her picture.

She couldn
’t handle it. Too much was happening too fast and she had no clue what to do. She stopped walking and held up a hand, waiting for everyone to quiet down. She only wanted to speak once. It took a few moments, but eventually, the reporters got the hint and stopped shouting over one another.

“
I am not going to answer any questions. I am not going to be followed and harassed. I will call for the police, and I will have restraining orders placed against every one of you and your companies if I have to. Henry already made a statement about our relationship. That is all you need to know. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go.” Her voice wavered and she knew that her eyes must have been brimming with unshed tears as she spoke. Her hands were shaking, and all she wanted to do was crumple to the ground and cry but she refused to give them anything else to talk about. She had to hold it together just a little longer. She just had to find Henry.

During her little tirade, Aubrey saw the town car show up outside the doors. She knew that Henry was inside. If she could just get to the back door and slip in, she could find out what the hell was going on.

Too bad the reporters were not pleased with what she had said. Instead of backing off as she had hoped they would, their questions just grew in intensity. Instead of asking if she were a mole, they asked what kind of charges Viola would be pressing for selling secrets and breaking the confidentiality agreement all employees must sign. Instead of asking what brought her and Henry together after so many years, they questioned her fidelity.

Aubrey tried
to get to the car on her own, but it became impossible without actually laying hands on someone. The town car’s door opened and suddenly, Aubrey was forgotten. Instead of Bruce getting out and helping her into the car, Henry got out and distracted the reporters. He exchanged a quick look with Nick, who then grabbed Aubrey’s arm and lead her around to the other side of the car. By the time she was getting into the back seat opposite Henry, the information-crazed group barely noticed her. The few who couldn’t get close to Henry tried to get her attention but she ignored them. With her door firmly closed behind her, Henry said goodbye to everyone and got in himself.

“
Well, that was a first,” he said a bit awkwardly. “I am so sorry, Aubrey.”

“
What the hell happened?” Her voice was low but filled with ice. She was scared and angry about the way her morning started, she was confused and hurt with what happened at Viola, and she was just plain irritated with the circus that was currently outside of the car. It should have been an amazing day. It should have been filled with stupid giddy smiles and a pleasant soreness between her legs with a want for more. Instead, she was bombarded with bullshit.

“
I don’t know. I didn’t expect this,” he said, with a sweeping motion of his hand to outside the car. “I knew that the merger would have people following me, but I have never had them worry about who I date before. I hope you know how truly sorry I am. If you don’t want—” he stopped talking, a catch in his throat. Aubrey could see the concern and worry in his eyes. What she didn’t know was if it was for her and the life that had basically crumbled in the past hour, or for him—thinking about losing her.

“
They are only half of it! What the fuck happened with Keith? I know I didn’t tell you anything. How did you find out our pitch? How did you get our exact numbers? Please, tell me that this whole thing wasn’t about growing your pocketbook and getting back at me for the stupid horrible shit I pulled in high school.” She hadn’t even considered it until it came flying from her mouth. Blinking back tears, Aubrey turned to look out the window at the city blurring past her window. If that had been his game, he did a hell of a job. Maximus would be the only big company in the gaming industry left, and she was utterly humiliated and heartbroken.

“
Listen to me,” he said sternly. When she didn’t look, he put a finger tip to her chin and pressed, encouraging her to look at him. She complied, fully aware that her eyes were shining like wet glass with unshed tears. “Please, don’t cry. I don’t know what happened with Keith. All I know is that we had a meeting scheduled for this morning. I wasn’t even there. I rarely am anymore. And no, this, you and me, has nothing to do with work. But I will find out what happened, and how we gave your presentation before you. I promise you that. As for the media circus out there, I don’t know what is going on. We can keep a low profile for a while and hope they go away, or we can talk to them when we have all the facts of what happened.”

“
Viola fired me, Henry. Do you know what that means?”

“
That they are idiots?”

“
That, too,” she said with a slight smile. The first one since the insanity had started. “What it means is that I have an apartment with a ton of bills, one pregnant roommate who has yet to get a job or even attempt to, and another who works at a coffee cart. How the hell are we going to afford to stay? I should be used to it by now, though. It’s the way my life goes. Always has and apparently, always will.”

Aubrey
’s head dropped into her hands and she breathed deep. Wiping her eyes before she sat up, she simply said, “Okay, new plan. Get home, talk to Ben and Mackenna when they get out of school, and get a new job. Quickly. If that fails like everything else, I guess my parent’s attic is still up for grabs.”

The tone of her voice held no real hope. That was because she didn
’t have any. She knew that she was being dramatic, people lost jobs all the time. But how many of them lost their jobs with reporters following their every move and had a brother with a baby on the way that they needed to make sure were taken care of?

“
Don’t worry, we can figure this all out.”

Easy for him to say. He didn
’t have to worry about money or about losing a job he loved or about being called a mole and a whore in the papers.

~*~

Aubrey used her cell to call ahead to her apartment building. If there were still a horde of media, she would rather keep driving in circles. Thankfully, the apartment manager apologized for the earlier display of lack in security and assured her that the problem was taken care of.

Outside of the apartment gates were still
swarms of reporters with cameras, but behind it, not a single one. The town car was let in, and the gate promptly closed behind them, allowing Aubrey to breath easier. They were actually going to be able to walk without incident up to her apartment.

Bruce opened the door but declined the invitation to come up with them.
He said something about errands and to call if they needed to go anywhere. Henry thanked him and Aubrey gave him a hug. He awkwardly patted her on the back before pulling away.

Henry took her bag from her and linked his hand with hers, leading her up the stairs to her apartment. There were no reporters, but the sheer number of eyes staring at them from
behind curtains as they passed by was enough to set off Aubrey’s irritation again.

Her fingers clenched and unclenched
, and she would have little left of her teeth if she didn’t stop grinding them. It was only the wince she happened to catch on Henry’s face that made her stop.

“
Sorry,” she said, lifting his hand to see if she broke the skin with her fingernails.

“
It’s okay, I understand. Come on, let’s go in.” They had reached her door. Aubrey unlocked and opened it, letting Henry in. She turned and glared at what most would consider nothing but an empty corridor, but she knew behind each stupid curtain, a neighbor saw the look she was sending out. She hoped they were all ashamed of themselves.

Once the door closed behind her, the weight of the day over took her. She didn
’t want to think or do anything. She knew there were a million things to think about and plan and do but she was exhausted. Kicking off her shoes, she walked across the room, grabbed Henry’s hand, and led him to her room. Once her bedroom door closed, she stripped down to her bra and panties and climbed into her unmade bed.

Looking up at Henry, she patted the bed next to her and turned on her side, curling into a ball with the covers pulled tight to her chin. She heard the rustle of his clothing and felt the dip in the bed when he joined her.

“Aubrey?” he asked gently, a slight sound of worry in his voice.

“
I know. I just need to sleep. Sleep with me? Just for a little while?”

“
Okay, for a little while.” He kissed her shoulder and snuggled close. The warmth that he provided when he wrapped himself around her was enough to comfort her and lull her to sleep.

Sometime later
, Aubrey woke to Henry’s voice. He was talking with someone in whispered anger. She felt the bed shift as he stood and his footsteps thudded against the floor in what she assumed was pacing. She didn’t want to turn and let him know she was awake. She didn’t want to be awake. She just wanted to go back to sleep for just a little longer. She didn’t want to think about anything for just a little longer.

Aubrey closed her eyes, hoping to force her body into submission
but it was no use. She turned over and looked up at Henry, his muscular frame pacing her room with one hand holding his cell to his ear and the other gesturing wildly. It would have looked completely normal had he still been wearing his suit. But doing so in his Superman boxers made her giggle.

Henry
’s eyes cut to hers and he gave her a small smile. Someone was talking on the other end, and when Henry’s smile disappeared, she knew that whatever he was hearing wasn’t what he wanted.

“
I don’t care that we did to land the company. What I care about is HOW we got them. We are not a corrupt business. We do not lie and cheat to gain clients. If they can’t trust us, then we might as well close our doors now while we’re ahead.”