rtman 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.