Present
“Right there… right there… who’s your daddy?” Rocky hisses breathlessly.
It has been our morning ritual of late—blow jobs before breakfast. It’s always quick, and Rocky never lasts long, which only means I give great head—obviously.
I pull his boxers up, satisfied with myself for getting the job done in under two minutes. Now, I have peace and quiet for the next half hour before we have to pack and head back home to the city.
The Hamptons is a great place to relax and unwind, but I miss the pressure of work. I definitely miss bossing people around and telling them to shove their million-dollar lawsuits up their asses.
But I never call myself a workaholic.
I’m not Charlie.
If there’s one word to describe Charlie, it would be ‘determined.’ Most of the time, she knows what she wants and is unstoppable. In college, she’d cram in studying every second of the day she had free, which worked to my advantage because, let’s face it, I was too busy fucking Rocky to be cramming like her. It explains why I’m a mom to a seven-year-old at the ripe old age of twenty-seven.
Charlie aced college, graduated almost top of the class, and without her, we wouldn’t have started Mason & Romano. She’s steadfast, knows exactly how to make our firm a success, and her drive to succeed in the business world surpasses any other person I know.
Add to that, the woman is a fucking goddess. She can walk down the street, and you can see men walk past her with their dicks practically saluting her.
Charlie Mason is the whole package.
The only area she can’t get right is her love life. We’re talking failure of epic proportions. She dated randomly throughout college, but something or someone always held her back. I didn’t push, I wasn’t the type of person to make her open up if she didn’t want to. Yet, I did work hard to organize blind dates with the hottest guys in college. I mean, the ones that if Rocky weren’t my husband, I’d have ridden them faster than a rollercoaster at Disneyland. The point is no one piqued her interest until Julian Baker came along.
There is no question he’s Mr. Perfect, kind of scary because really there’s no such thing. Everyone has a flaw, but with Julian, it’s impossible to find one. When Charlie announced they were engaged, I was in shock because they had only been together a few months. It’s like one of those cheesy rom-com movies—love at first sight then a happily ever after.
Something just didn’t feel right, and as one of her best friends and business partner, I didn’t hold back my opinion on the matter. She knows I shoot them straight, and this situation warranted a warning.
That was just the tip of the iceberg until that beautiful jerk walked back into Charlie’s life.
Lex Edwards—billionaire extraordinaire.
I knew who Lex Edwards was. Rocky rambled on about him every time he was on page six. The guy had an abnormal obsession with Lex’s life, and I’m surprised Charlie never stumbled across the same articles. But then again, her priority had always been on work.
In my lifetime, I never would have figured out it was the same man—the Alex who Charlie would scream out for in her sleep. Her waking up drenched in a cold sweat with tears streaming down her face was exhausting the first six months we lived together. When I pieced the puzzle together, I realized there was more to this story than Charlie let on.
Lex irked me. He completely rubbed me the wrong way. Not in the way I normally would like to be rubbed, but hey, the man’s obscenely gorgeous. I hated admitting that vital piece of information.
He had some hold over Charlie, and without a shadow of a doubt, every time he was near her, her vagina celebrated like it won the Super Bowl.
Bottom line here—I loathed him.
My best friend was fucked up royally over what he did to her, and you always got to have your girl’s back when the going gets tough. The thing is, I saw a change in him over the weekend. He wasn’t the man I thought he was. Okay, yeah, I was becoming a soft bitch, but he revealed himself this weekend, and I no longer saw him as the man who was splashed all over the tabloids. I saw a man who fell in love with a girl and did what he thought was right by everyone. Just because I saw this other side of him didn’t mean I lightened up. No, I was still a bitch—a hot bitch who gave the best head to her husband.
I roll over to my side, checking my phone quickly before hopping into the shower. There are only a few emails, nothing important needing attention today. After showering, dressing in a pair of jeans and a loose shirt, my next stop is picking up Will next door. This is going to be hard. Will hated leaving his friends, so I decide to grab a quick cup of coffee from the kitchen to muster the energy to deal with his impending tantrum.
Rocky is pacing up and down the kitchen visibly upset about something.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, pouring the freshly brewed coffee into a mug.
He throws the paper at me. It falls to the floor, my reflexes not reactive at this time of the morning. Bending down, I pick it up, my eyes darting to the article he points to.
My eyes scan over the words, each sentence burrowing inside my heart making it sink deeper and deeper. The nerve of these reporters to publish such bullshit, but Charlie won’t believe that. I know her well—she’s too emotionally invested in Lex returning to see how misconstrued the media can be, especially when it comes to billionaire tycoons and their love lives. The more money you have, the bigger target you are.
The house is eerily quiet. “Where is she?”
“She drove back to the city, asked me to take her car back.” Rocky twists his hair, still pacing the area of the kitchen.
He’s always had a soft spot for Charlie, treats her like a sister, and I love him even more for it.
“Where’s Lex?”
“Still sleeping, I guess.”
“Shit, Rocky. What did she say? Was she upset?” Clenching my jaw, I mirror Rocky’s pacing, desperately trying to think of how to fix this. “Of course, she’d be upset.”
Rocky stops me, latching onto both my arms to still my movements. “Babe, calm down.”
I grab my phone and try to dial her number—voicemail.
Leaving a brief message, I text her as well. Lex needs to wake up. As the thought leaves my mind, he walks into the kitchen looking very content. He looks different, jubilant, like a man who got laid by the woman he’s in love with.
“Morning. Have you guys seen Charlotte?”
If this were two weeks ago, I’d have gladly thrown the paper at his face and told him he was nothing more than a selfish manwhore, but like I said, something changed. He’s different. I see this side of him that Charlie was once, and still is, in love with this happy, carefree, fun-loving guy who adores her. I wasn’t surprised they were fucking all over The Hamptons. I wondered if they did it in the hot tub after we did. I told Rocky it was gross to jizz in the water, but he said with my tits bouncing in front of him all wet, he couldn’t help himself.
Rocky and I glance at each other as Lex asks about Charlie again. With my arms folded, preparing for the worse, Rocky passes him the paper. Lex stares at it with confusion before his eyes dart back and forth. I brace myself as his skin flushes, the paper crunching into his fist as he throws it onto the floor. Grabbing his phone, he mutters the words ‘you stupid bitch,’ then he dials the number.
“Kate. Get me Victoria on the phone right now.” He hangs up abruptly, leaning on the table for support. “Where is she?”
“She went back to the city.”
“How long ago?”
“About half an hour.”
“Fuck!” He slams his fist against the counter, startling the both of us. “This is the fucking press. Victoria is a business colleague and nothing more. These pictures are completely out of context. I’ve never touched the stupid bitch, nor would I ever.”
I don’t know why I believe him. The thing is that even though I disliked him, he proved me wrong, which is something quite unheard of. He loves Charlie. And yeah, I know the past was fucked up, but that was years ago, and they have both grown since then.
I just didn’t understand why Charlie had this massive trust issue, and why she couldn’t see how much he loved her. I also know tabloids can spin shit out of their asses and manipulate photographs. I learned that the hard way when there was a picture of Rocky a few years back at a sporting event, and it looked like a chick was blowing him.
This isn’t about taking sides, but Charlie is stubborn, and right now, I can’t help but feel sorry for the guy. Not that I’m going to tell him that.
We need to get back to the city as soon as possible and fix the damage that’s been done. Charlie will shut everyone out, including me, because it’s her defense mechanism. I try her number again—still voicemail. I ask Rocky to get Will from next door. It isn’t long before Adriana and Elijah walk into the kitchen.
“Hey, guys, what’s happening?” Adriana takes a seat at the table, grabbing a banana and peeling it. She glances from me to Lex, confused by our silence.
“Charlie’s gone,” I tell her.
“Gone? Where?”
I hand her the paper from the floor, watching as Lex is standing at the window gazing outside. His eyes are glazed over, his expression heartbroken. Maybe he knew, just like me, how Charlie would take this.
“Lex, is this true?”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Adriana?” he shot back.
“But the photos look, well—”
“What, Adriana?”
“Well, they look like what the article says.”
“Fuck, Adriana!”
“Lex, calm down,” Elijah warns him.
“Don’t you get it? She finally fucking told me she trusts me and wants a future with me, and then this happens. This is so fucked up!” He slams his fist on the counter again, startling us. “Last night…”
Adriana puts her arm around her brother’s shoulder, attempting to comfort him. “Last night, what?”
“Lex, we need to head back,” I tell him, noticing the time. “Let me deal with her in the meantime. She needs to calm down. You need to make sure whoever posted this article retracts their damn words. Look, Will is going to be here any minute. Can you please not mention why she left?”
A few minutes later, Will walks in. He’s elated to see Lex, who tries his best not to show any anger in front of the child. I have to hand it to him, taking a kid’s feelings into account is hard to do when you are feeling like complete shit. Will asks where Charlie is, so Adriana quickly explains that something urgent came up in the city. He doesn’t seem to notice anything else, but he begs Lex to ride in the car with us. Of course, Lex agrees, and that’s the end of the conversation.
We pack our things and drive out of The Hamptons. Adriana and Elijah take Charlie’s car, and the rest of us take the RV Rocky borrowed from a friend. I sit in the back with Will as he quietly plays on his iPad. Every so often, he looks up and asks if we are home yet. I scour my emails for anything from Charlie. Nothing. Frustrated, I place the phone back in my bag and stare out the window.
Lex is texting furiously on his phone—the constant pinging sound keeps coming through. Thankfully, he at least has the decency not to answer calls because his words would be enough to make Will scared of him for life. A few moments later, my phone vibrates. I grab it out of my purse, Eric’s name flashing on the screen.
“What do you want?” I answer, careful not to mention his name.
“Nikki.” His voice is all high-pitched, typical Eric in panic mode. “What the hell is going on?”
“With what?”
“With Charlie. She texted me, and I found her crying in the basement of her building. She didn’t want to tell me what happened, but Emma said there was some article about Lex being caught with his pants down this morning.”
“Correct.”
“Nikki, why are you talking like that? Oh wait, shit, is he with you?”
“Sure, okay, yes, get the papers drawn up.”
“Okay, sorry, didn’t realize. Listen, she’s in the office, but… but… she’s acting weird.” His voice quietens, trying to explain it all. “She took a shower, got changed, and it was like a different person emerged from the bathroom. She told me not to forward any personal calls to her, make sure security doesn’t allow Lex in the building, and she said no one was to enter her office, including me. I don’t understand what I suddenly did wrong?”
Eric is hurt and betrayed, and I don’t blame him for feeling that way. He doesn’t know the Charlie I knew, the one who, when in that dark place, doesn’t care for anyone.
“Let’s meet at midday. We’ll discuss any concerns, then.”
I hang up the phone without saying goodbye.
Lex and Rocky glare through the rearview mirror. With Will in the car, we are unable to talk. A second later, my phone lights up.
Lex: Was that her??? Tell me what the fuck is going on.
I didn’t appreciate him taking his frustration out on me considering it isn’t my dick that landed him in this hot mess, but I sympathize with him. I cringe, not liking myself softening toward him.
Me: No, it wasn’t her. I don’t know what’s going on apart from the fact that she has told our security you are not to enter our building so don’t even try to see her at work, Edwards.
With his anger suppressed under his cold exterior, it’s the last of the conversation as we cross the bridge into the city. The sky is gray as we drive in, a far stretch from the perfect blue we had experienced the past few days. The weather alerts predict severe storms for the next few days.
Rocky drives to the Waldorf where Lex is staying. As he pulls into the valet parking, I ask Rocky to park the car for a moment, so I can have a word with Lex alone.
We both exit the car, but I’m quick to stop him walking away without getting my thoughts out.
“Do not fuck this up any further, you understand? Let her cool down. She’s stubborn, and if you push her, she’ll run to Julian, and then you might as well say bon voyage.”
The mention of Julian’s name is enough to burst the vein popping on his forehead. Fury tears through his face as he bows his head with his fists clenched at his sides.
“What the fuck do you want me to do, Nikki? Stand here and do nothing? I need to see her and explain. You think I don’t know full well that she’ll run to him? That she’s probably already with him.”
“Explain what, Lex? She won’t listen to you. I’m warning you, do not attempt to approach her. Let me speak to her, or I swear to God I’ll chop off your balls and wear them around the city as earrings.”
“I’m sorry, Nikki, I can’t. I need to see her.”
“Don’t be a stubborn asshole. Once again, you broke her, and once again, I’m left picking up the pieces. When I met that girl, she was broken beyond repair. I don’t know exactly what else you did besides leave her. You might think this is fixable, and maybe it is, but you need to back off right now.”
Lex stares at me, defeated. His eyes no longer shine that green that he is known for. Instead, they look dark, the ramifications of this situation weighing him down. With his shoulders fallen, he walks away to the entrance of the hotel before disappearing through the glass doors.
Heading back to the car, I ask Rocky to take Will home as I head into the office.
After a quick drive, I enter the reception area and catch sight of Eric sitting in his office. I walk in, closing the door behind me.
“What the hell happened, Nikki?”
“Look, Eric, I don’t want to get into the semantics. How is she?”
“A total mess when I found her.”
“When you found her?”
“Yeah, on the floor of the basement. She was crying. She texted me to meet her.”
“And now?”
“She’s in her office. She asked that no calls be transferred to her because she’s working on the Mackenzie case. She seems to be okay now. I can’t believe Lex screwed her over again. I mean, those photos. Wow! Can’t the guy keep his beautiful dick in his pants?”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Eric?”
“Excuse me?”
“I can’t believe you actually bought that bullshit,” I bark, infuriated by his thirst for gossip.
Stunned, he lets out a laugh. “What, you’re defending him now?”
“It was a piece of poorly written trash with a pathetic attempt at Photoshop. Do you think that a man who flew back to Manhattan and almost blew a multi-million-dollar business deal would do that if he didn’t love her? Do you honestly think that a man who makes billions of dollars a year would be stupid enough to fuck another business associate when he’s trying to win back the only girl who holds his heart? It’s people like you who keep these fucking tabloids running. Honestly, Eric, I expected more from you.”
“Nikki, I’m sorry, but—”
“No buts, Eric. Stay out of this. Do not poison her mind, you understand? That girl is hurting right now even though she won’t admit it. All your he’s-a-jerk-and-you’ve-got-Julian talk isn’t what she needs right now.”
I storm out of his office, furious at his narrow-minded attitude. Taking in a deep breath, I head toward her office. I don’t knock. There’s no point, so I barge in unannounced.
Charlie is silently typing on her computer. What concerns me is how normal she looks. Her hair is pinned up in a perfect bun, her clothes are neatly pressed, she’s flawlessly made up, and if you didn’t know Charlie like I know her, you would think nothing is wrong at all.
She looks up for a brief moment, stunned to see me but is quick to bow her head and continue typing. The moment she looks into my eyes, it’s there staring me in my face, the sparkle in her eyes has vanished without a trace.
“So what, you’re not even going to talk to me now?”
“What would you like me to say, Nicole?”
Wow, she must be angry to be calling me Nicole.
“Well, for starters, Charlotte, a smart woman like yourself can’t possibly believe the trash printed in that tabloid.”
“Drop it. It’s over.”
“Over? It just fucking began, Charlie!”
She stops typing and adjusts her glasses. The silence is irritating me as I stand there tapping my foot waiting for her response. She lifts her head to meet my gaze as if on autopilot, unable to show any emotion.
“Why do you even care, Nikki? If you take his side, then you might as well go fuck him and to hell with you both. That’s probably what you really want. I saw the way you were looking at him, asking him a thousand questions. He’s yours for the taking.”
The words hurt, there’s no doubting that. At this moment, my rage takes over. I have to leave before I say something I’ll regret. I turn to face her one more time before heading out the door, gritting my teeth as I’m barely able to hold myself together. I’m a lawyer and a damn good one. I fight for a living. I argue with judges until I’m blue in the face, but this is nothing compared to that.
This is my best friend, the one person who I never fight with.
“That man loves you. He’ll do anything for you. Stop being a selfish little bitch and grow up.”
Those are my final words before I storm out of the office.
***
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get her words out of my head. We have never really fought before, and the act itself was enough to bring me down.
Rocky’s hand presses on my shoulders as he gently massages me. “Babe, it’ll work out for them. They both need to get some perspective, and Charlie won’t be thinking clearly right now. Just give her space.”
“Do you think I’m wrong for understanding his side? Does that make me a bad friend?”
“You know as well as I do how that stuff is rubbish. Yeah, I read it for laughs, but I didn’t actually take it seriously. They will work it out, babe. Please stop stressing. I don’t like seeing you like this.”
Charlie avoids me the next few days at work. According to Becky, our intern, she’s busy seeing clients and attending courtroom hearings. The tension in the office is palpable. Eric also avoids me after our blow-out, running scared every time I enter the building, which I’m thankful for because I still want to slap his face with a double-ended dildo and tell him to harden the fuck up.
By Friday afternoon, I can’t wait for the week to officially be over. Emma is inside my office as I pass on notes for an upcoming brief when a commotion stops us. Shrugging her shoulders, Emma informs me she’ll check to see what’s going on. Moments later, she returns, pleading for me to step outside my office before disappearing again.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Emma, I’m not interested in office gossip,” I lecture, head down as I continue reading.
“Nikki, seriously, you need to come out here. Now!”
I don’t care for her disrespectful attitude, making a mental note to reprimand her after I sort out whatever it is that’s disrupting my urgent deadline. I walk outside only to be met with an angry Lex banging on Charlie’s office door. The security guards, the sad, pathetic, overweight donut-eating bunch of fuckers can do nothing to hold him back. I motion for them to leave, telling them I’ll sort it out.
“Lex, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” I berate him, trying to keep my voice controlled. “You can’t come in here and disrupt our office with your personal problems.”
“Where is she? I’ve given her four days, and she hasn’t responded to any texts or emails, nor has she been home. Tell me where the fuck she’s staying, Nikki.”
“In my office, now,” I demand.
Lex follows me into my office, pacing up and down, not pausing for a second. His appearance catches my attention—the messy hair, crooked tie, and an overgrown beard—a telltale sign of a man’s sorrows.
I pull Emma aside for a moment as she hovers by the door.
“You make sure the office gets back to normal. I don’t want anyone mentioning this to Charlie. Warn everyone out there that anyone caught discussing this will have to answer to me. You find out where she is, and if you need Eric’s help, make sure she does not come into the office. You understand?”
Emma nods, scurrying out of the room, closing the door behind her.
With a restless week almost behind me and many sleepless nights, I’m officially over this bullshit. Charlie has chosen to ignore the problem rather than face it head-on, leaving me with a very devastated man inside my office.
“I don’t know where she is,” I tell him, calmly. “She won’t talk to me right now. I told you not to smother her.”
“Do you honestly expect me to sit here and do nothing? Let her believe all the fucking lies? I flew back in because I need to see her. I’ll not leave until I speak to Charlotte.” He bows his head, trying to gain some sort of composure. “I never wanted to leave her, Nikki. I always loved her. She doesn’t understand how much pressure I was under back then. We were both so young.”
I sigh, resting on the edge of my desk trying to listen without voicing my opinion. They have history, a lot of it, and Charlie only gave me bits of information whenever she felt like it. I don’t want to drag myself into their mess, but curiosity gets the best of me.
“What exactly happened, Lex?”
He walks over to the window, gazing out into the skyline. Clearing his throat, I sense his vulnerability, and no matter how I prepare myself for what he’s about to say, nothing can be stronger than the truth.
“It was exactly two weeks after prom, the night I told her I’d find a way for us to finally be together, whatever it took.”
He explains what happened when he found out Samantha was pregnant, the pressure his family, mainly his father, placed on him. If anything were to happen to this baby, it would be all Lex’s fault.
“Lex, I’m so sorry.”
I don’t know what else to say. I knew bits of the story but only from Charlie’s side. To think how Charlie must have felt, to place myself in her shoes for just a moment, I understand now why she struggles to trust him. The pain she endured was nothing that I’d wish on my greatest enemy, but I also understand the enormity of being a parent. If anything does go wrong, how easy you can blame yourself. The responsibility of parenthood far outweighs anything else I’ve ever experienced.
“I was trapped and weak. I tried several times to call her but would hang up like a coward. The damage was done. I knew I’d hurt her, I apologized and begged for forgiveness. But there’s something more, something she’s holding back. I don’t know what it is… please tell me what it is?”
He glances at me like a lost little boy desperate to find the place he calls home. What can I say? I have my suspicions because there are parts of her story which don’t add up, but this isn’t the place and this is not the person to be talking to. It isn’t even my story to tell.
“Charlie’s a very private person. It’s only now that you’ve come back that she has opened up about that time of her life. Look, go back to London and do what you need to do. I’ll keep an eye on her here. In the meantime, leave her the fuck alone.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“Because she deserves to be happy, Lex, and you’re it for her. That soul mate bullshit doesn’t just happen for everyone. Sometimes it does if you’re lucky, but you have to work hard at getting it right. It doesn’t always fall into your lap so perfectly. She’s my girl, so don’t do anything stupid to screw this up. You love her? Then make sure this doesn’t happen again, you understand?”
He nods, and hopefully, my words mean something to him. Otherwise, one push, and he’s lost Charlie forever.
***
Walking into my apartment an hour later, Will runs toward me, crashing his body into mine as he wraps his arms around my waist. I hold him tight in my arms, smothering his face with kisses. His smile, as usual, melts my heart. I thank my lucky stars this beautiful child was brought into this world. In a time full of chaos and uncertainty, I can always rely on Will to make everything seem insignificant.
Rocky follows, leaning in to kiss me. “Long day, babe?”
“Exhausting. I’ll tell you about it later,” I say, squeezing Will until he complains he can’t breathe.
“Well, there’s someone here to see you.”
I walk into the kitchen, and low and behold, I find Charlie sitting at the counter.
She smiles awkwardly. I haven’t seen her since our fight, and to be honest, she looks like shit. Her skin’s pale, not the usual glowing bronze, sun-kissed tan she normally sports. The dark circles around her eyes aren’t hidden behind any makeup. She appears tired, drained, and I sigh as I notice how thin her frame is. She obviously hasn’t been eating. It’s only now I realize the magnitude of how much this ordeal has affected her.
“What am I doing, Nikki?” She sobs, placing her head down on the counter.
I throw my bag on the floor, extending my arms around her.
“I’m so sorry I said those things to you, of all people.” She cries, her words are barely audible.
“C’mon, let’s talk.” I grab her hand leading her to the living room.
Rocky comes in with a bottle of gin, two glasses, and tells me he’s taking Will to his mom’s where they’ll both spend the night.
It doesn’t matter what names she called me, or what she accused me of.
All that matters is that she needs me and is finally ready to talk.
It’s also the moment I realize my best friend is in a very dark place. I no longer take sides. I no longer act in defense. I’m going to hold her hand, walk along this dark path, and remind her that no matter what happens in the end, I’ll forever be by her side.
