I shake his hand politely. “Lex Edwards.”
Everyone takes a seat as I promptly start the meeting. The time goes fast as meetings do when there’s a lot to cover. Before I know it, it’s after five, and everyone is ready to call it a day. Not me since my working days usually end close to midnight. It’s not like I have a family or partner to go home to, so why not work hard and make more money.
“So, you up for a pint tonight?” Bentley asks, catching me by surprise.
“A pint,” I repeat, rubbing my chin. “I guess I better get used to this English slang.”
Bentley pats my shoulder with a chuckle. “Bloody yanks, it’s like nothing exists outside of America. What ya need is a pub and a good pint to call it a day.”
I welcome Bentley’s humor. It beats all the boring chit-chat from the other executives sitting in the room.
“A pub and pint sound good, Bentley,” I tell him.
He nods with a smile. “By the way, call me BJ. It’s less formal, and Bentley is also my father's name. I’d rather no association with him.”
The corners of my lips curve upward into a slight smirk. It appears I’m not the only person who doesn’t have a nurturing relationship with their father.
“BJ, interesting choice of initials,” I muse.
BJ leans over, quickly checking to make sure Kate has left the room. “Don’t be fooled, mate. It’s a conversation starter with women and equates to exactly that, a blow job.”
A small chuckle escapes me. “Maybe London isn’t so bad.”
With a knowing grin, BJ closes his laptop. “You’re in good hands. Trust me, you’re going to see another side to this town you never knew existed.”
NINE
The time I finally held her in my arms
The moment my eyes set on Charlotte inside the busy Manhattan restaurant, I knew why I’d fought for so long to stay alive.
My reason for breathing was sitting at the table beside me. She was no longer the young girl I’d left behind all those years ago. Charlotte had grown into a very beautiful woman.
A beautiful woman who committed herself to another man with the plan to marry him and create a life together.
A life that was always meant to be withme.
Many things in my life made sense, and a lot defied the odds.
London was my home, and these trips to Manhattan had become a regular occurrence, much to my annoyance. This trip, in particular, was close to being canceled. BJ pushed me to meet with stakeholders, suspecting foul play and insisted my presence was needed.
I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I didn’t go on the trip. Would I have ever run into her in this lifetime? Would she have gone ahead and married him, given him children? And what would have been left of me?
The universe tested me. Our past affair saw Charlotte on the side of my marriage. She was labeled a homewrecker and other disturbing names I’d rather forget. My Charlotte deserved none of the backlash she endured.
In the end, I was the married man who broke my vows.
No one held a gun to my head. My actions were because I fell in love with my sister's best friend, and no one in the world could stop me.
Until they did.
The resentment toward my family ran deep. My father’s actions came as no surprise. He wanted to protect our family's reputation.
My mother, however, let me down. A woman I’d always highly respected treated Charlotte like she was nothing.
At the time of our affair, I’d never once imagined myself if the roles were reversed aside from prom when Charlotte took what’s-his-face as her date. In the end, I won the battle and owned her on her classroom desk.
But there are no winners in the game of love. Not when there’s more than one person involved.