Mr Spencer: Chapter 22

Eight weeks later

“Hold the keys up to your face as if you’re going to kiss them,” Spencer instructs.

I roll my eyes with a smirk, secretly loving his directions. I do as I’m told and hold the keys up while he clicks away on his phone.

It’s early on a Monday evening, and we’re standing at the front door of my new office, having just picked up the keys. Spencer is in his element being the event’s photographer.

“Okay, babe.” He gestures towards the lock. “Open your new office.”

I turn the key and open the big heavy door, seeing the huge, bronzed letters on the wall hanging over the reception desk.

“Angel’s Legal Assistance,” Spence reads aloud, gently poking me in the stomach. “That’s you.”

“Oh my God, Spence. I can’t believe we did it.”

“You did this.” He smiles proudly and takes me into his arms.

I smile up at the gorgeous man in front of me. “Thank you, I couldn’t have done this without you.”

He kisses me softly. “Yes, you could have.”

“I really couldn’t. You’re the most supportive man I’ve ever met, and you’ve helped me every step of the way.”

He wrinkles his nose. “I was aiming for the hottest lover in history, but whatever.”

I giggle. “That, too.”

“I think your desk arrived today. Go and take a look.” He smiles.

I skip down the hallway and open the door to my office. My mouth falls open.

My desk did arrive, and on the top of it are vases and vases of beautiful flowers. “Spence,” I whisper as I look around at them all and see a card is pinned to one. I open it.

My eyes instantly fill with tears and I turn to him.

“I love you.” He smiles tenderly down at me.

“I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” I whisper, overcome with emotion.

I turn back to the desk and notice a black briefcase. “What’s in there?”

“That’s your office supplies.” He smirks with a mischievous look in his eyes.

I frown and click open the catch. All set out and strategically placed inside black foam are a large assortment of dildos and sex toys.

“What the hell?” I gasp as my eyes fly up to his. “Spencer!”

He chuckles at my shocked reaction.

“What on earth would I need this for?”

“To keep in your desk in case of an emergency.”

My mouth falls open. “You think I’m going to masturbate in my office? Are you crazy?”

He shrugs. “It’s a great stress reliever. Being in business is tough, babe.”

“Oh my God.” I roll my eyes. “You are a sex maniac.” I slam the briefcase closed. “We’re taking these home. There’s no way in hell I’m doing that in here.”

He licks his lips, arousal flickering in his eyes. “Threesome tonight, it is.”

“You want to have a threesome with me and a dildo?”

“That’s right.”

“Spencer Jones, you are a sexual deviant.”

He grabs me by the behind and sinks his teeth into my neck. “One who likes to watch.”

Spencer

I’m staring at the diamond rings beneath the glass cabinet in Tiffany.

Nothing stands out to me.

This is the fifteenth jewellery store I’ve been to.

How could a diamond set in gold possibly show how I feel about her?

There aren’t enough words in the dictionary to describe it.

This woman, this perfect angel, has swooped into my life and changed everything I thought I knew about myself.

I thought I was happy. I thought I had life all figured out, but I was fucking miserable before I met her. I just didn’t know it because I had nothing to compare it to.

I couldn’t bring Masters or Seb shopping with me. This is just so deeply personal and something I never thought I would be doing.

I need to do it alone.

“Can I help you, sir?” the shop attendant asks.

“Uh.” I frown, still looking at all the rings on display. “I’m just trying to get some ideas, although I’ve no idea what I am looking for.”

“You’re getting engaged?”

“Hopefully.” I smirk to myself.

“Soon?”

“I plan to ask her on Christmas Eve.”

“What a wonderful time of the year. Does she know?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s a surprise.”

“How wonderful. I’ll leave you in peace, but please call me if you see anything that catches your eye. We also have a jeweller who can help you design the ring of your dreams.”

“Okay, great. Thank you. If he has a moment to spare, I’d like to speak to him, please?”

“I’ll see if he’s around.” She disappears out of sight.

I keep looking through the cabinets. I wish I could ask Sheridan for her opinion. She’s always been my confidant.

I miss her.

Not the sex, I don’t miss sleeping with her. I miss her friendship but I know that one comes with the other and it’s not possible to have her in my life anymore.

But at moments like this, when normally she would be the first person I would call for an opinion, her absence is all around me.

It makes me sad, if I’m honest.

Ten years is a long time.

“Hello, sir.” A man smiles, appearing behind the counter. He holds his hand out to shake my hand. “I’m Cyrus, the designer.”

“Hello.” I smile.

“Stephanie tells me that you’re looking for an engagement ring.”

“Yes. It has to be a perfect diamond and extremely feminine, not chunky. It can’t be too big, she hates flashy. It needs to be understated and classically beautiful… just like she is.”

He smiles brighter. “She sounds special.”

“She is.” I smirk, my heart swelling with pride. “How she loves me, I’ll never know.”

Six hours later, I walk out of the elevator on my floor and see the ever-present guards by my door. I passed another two on the bottom floor, and there is someone with our cars in the basement parking bay at all times now.

“Hello, Spencer,” they greet me.

“How long has she been home?” I ask just to make conversation.

“She left work early today, so she’s been home for a few hours now.”

I frown, that’s strange. “Have a good night,” I say to them before I walk into my apartment.

The television is on, the lights are off, the apartment in darkness. A feeling of unease fills me.

“Angel?” I call.

No answer.

I walk out into the living room to see her sitting on the floor, tears streaming down her face. My face falls.

“What’s wrong?” I crouch beside her and notice that there are boxes of Christmas decorations sitting next to the Christmas tree box I got out of storage yesterday.

I pull Charlotte onto my lap and hold her tight, listening as her quiet sadness turns to loud sobs.

“Baby?” I whisper as I rock her.

After a moment, she speaks quietly. “I just don’t think I can do it.”

“What?”

“Can we go to Santorini now?”

“What… why? What’s happened?”

“How can it possibly be Christmas without your family?” she whispers through her tears. “Can we just skip it this year? I promise, next year I’ll make it up to you.”

My heart drops. She can’t stand the thought of having a Christmas with her family not talking to her. “What did you do today?” I ask, looking around helplessly.

“I bought Christmas decorations.”

“Do you want to put the tree up?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

I watch her for a moment. I remember how hard this time of year used to be for me, too. “Do you want me to put the tree up naked?” I tease. “You can drink wine and watch.”

“No.” She wipes her eyes. “I just don’t want to have Christmas this year, Spence. Let’s just leave it.”

She doesn’t want to have Christmas?

We remain silent, both of us lost in our own thoughts until I can’t stand the quiet a moment longer.

“Why don’t you go home to Nottingham for Christmas, babe?”

She frowns up at me in question.

“Go home for Christmas and spend it with your family. I’ll see you after,” I offer.

“I’m not having Christmas without you.” She gasps, as if shocked by the mere suggestion of it.

“There’s no other way around it, Charlotte. They don’t want me there and I hate seeing you like this. I’d rather spend Christmas alone than see you hurt.”

“I’m staying with you, Spencer. Don’t you see?”

“See what?”

“This is a no-win situation. I can’t be without you, so I have to learn to live without them.”

She curls herself into my chest and holds me tight as she cries. Loud, uncontrollable sobs make her entire body shake.

All I can do is sit and hold her.

The room becomes a shady haze of red as I feel the adrenaline begin to pump through my veins.

“What can I do?” I whisper. “I’ll make you some dinner.”

“I’m not hungry, thanks.” She kisses me as she tries to pull herself together. “I’m just going to go to bed, baby, is that okay?”

I brush her hair back from her forehead. “Of course, it is.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” I kiss her. “I’ll be up to tuck you in in a minute.” I help her off my lap and watch her walk up the stairs until she disappears out of sight.

I pour myself a scotch and drink it down. Anger is coursing through my veins like wildfire. The only thing she ever did wrong was fall in love with me.

I drink my scotch with a shaky hand.

Who the fuck do they think they are?

I punch in the code to the gates of the estate and drive through to the main house. I shouldn’t be here but I’m past caring what they think of me.

I hardly slept last night. I stayed awake watching my angel cry.

I can’t do it anymore. I have no patience and no fucks left to give.

I park the car, and Harold’s guards appear out of nowhere. “What do you want?” one asks me.

“I want to see Harold,” I announce, despite it being early morning. The earlier my arrival, the more chance I had of them being home.

“He’s not here.”

“Then I’ll wait. Or… find him,” I snap. “Better still, get Edward out here.”

One of them scurries into the house leaving me to stand at the bottom of the porch steps. It seems a lifetime ago when I was at the bottom of Charlotte’s steps on that first date, begging her to let me in.

If only I knew what kind of Heaven awaited me, I would have stayed that night and saved us both a lot of time.

The front door opens, and Harold’s face comes into view. I glare at him and storm up the stairs, brushing past him to enter his house.

The guard tries to stop me but Harold holds his hand up. “He’s fine.”

I soon find Edward in the living room. “You fucking prick.” I growl and I push him hard in the chest.

“What the hell?” He staggers back before regaining his composure and pushing me in return.

“Stop it.” Harold growls. “I’ve had enough of you both!”

“Are you happy?” I yell at Harold.

“Get the hell out.” Edward sneers.

“Don’t push me, cunt, or I’ll fucking knock you out. Explain to me why Charlotte, a woman who you’re both supposed to love, spent the night crying because you two won’t see her?”

Harold’s face falls.

“She’s fucking heartbroken!” I cry. “And why? All because neither one of you has enough guts to trust me?”

Edward glares at me. “You’re no good for her.”

“She doesn’t want a fucking Christmas because of you. I came home from work last night to find her on the floor sobbing over her fucked-up, selfish family.”

Edward’s eyes drop to the floor.

“I don’t give a fuck if you don’t like me,” I shout. “But you will not punish her for loving me.” I’m so angry, my eyes fill with unexpected tears.

Edward lifts his chin in defiance. “She needs to come home. It’s where she belongs.”

My temper hits an all-time high. “Nobody can love her more than I do. Nobody! I’ve done some fucked-up things in my life, I’ll admit, but I love her and I’m marrying her whether you like it or not. If you keep going like this, the hurt you inflict on her will be way too deep for you to ever repair.”

Harold watches me, and I turn to him. “Do you think your wife would be proud of the way you’re treating your beloved daughter?” I whisper in contempt.

His haunted eyes hold mine.

“I wouldn’t treat a fucking dog the way you’ve treated her. You, of all people, should understand how she feels.” I sneer. “You fell for the hired help, for Christ’s sake.”

“You leave my mother the fuck out of this,” Edward snaps and throws a punch at my jaw. I stagger back, recover quickly, and then I punch him in the face as hard as I can. We grab each other turning it into a scuffle. Punches are thrown and the table tips over in the foyer. A guard comes rushing in from outside.

We struggle on the floor until I’m dragged to my feet by my biceps.

“Get him outside!” Edward yells.

“You make this right!” I yell at Harold with hot blood trickling from my lip. “Do you hear me? You fix this.”

I’m pushed out of the front door and down the stairs before I’m thrown into my car by the guards.

I’m so angry I can’t even see straight.

I take off and speed out the gates, glaring at the estate behind me disappearing quickly. I wince as I touch my eye, I think it’s already black.

It’s late afternoon and I’m just tidying up for the day. I had to buy a new shirt before I could come into the office. The one I was wearing got ripped this morning in Nottingham. I have no idea how I’m going to explain this black eye and cut lip to Charlotte, either. I think I’ll say it happened in the gym while boxing.

My phone rings and the name Angel lights up the screen.

“Hello, my beautiful girl.”

“Hi,” she breathes, and I can tell that she’s smiling. “Thank you for being so wonderful.”

I frown, wondering what she means. “How are you feeling?” I ask. Does she know about my little psycho attack in Nottingham this morning?

She exhales heavily. “Better. You won’t believe it.”

“What?”

“My father just called me.”

I frown. “He did?” I hesitate. Shit. “What did he say?”

“He wants to repair this rift between us. He wants to start again.”

My eyebrows rise in surprise. “What?”

“He invited us to go to dinner with the family in London on Saturday night.”

“He did?”

“William is coming home, too, and Dad wants to have dinner with everyone there. I’m so excited, Spence. I was hoping he would come around, and now he has,” she gushes happily.

I blow air into my cheeks. To be honest, the last thing I want to do is go to dinner with those fucking pricks.

“That’s okay, isn’t it?” she asks with obvious hope. “You will come with me and try to get along with them, won’t you? Start afresh.”

I scratch my head. “Of course. I’ll do anything for you, you know that.”

“You have no idea what a relief this is to me. I feel like a weight has been lifted, and once they get to know you, I know they’ll love you as much as I do.”

I roll my eyes. If she only knew what had gone on this morning. Actually, I don’t care. As long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters.

“And you’ll get to meet William and his wife. They’re back from Switzerland. Oh, this is going to be fantastic.”

“Okay, babe,” I sigh. Fantastic, another brother. I’m already dreading it. “Sounds great,” I lie.

“I’ll see you soon. I’m leaving work now. Let’s put the tree up tonight.”

I smirk. “I thought you didn’t want to have Christmas this year?”

“Christmas is officially back on. I love you.” She smiles.

“Lucky.” I smirk as I touch my throbbing eye socket. “See you soon.”

I hang up and exhale heavily, staring at the phone in my hand. I swing my chair from side to side. Maybe my little visit this morning worked, after all.

Interesting. I’m going to find out exactly what is going on here.

I dial Harold’s number. He answers on the first ring. “Hello, Spencer.”

“What’s the catch?” I ask

“No catch. I want to move on.”

“And Edward?”

“Edward wants his sister to be happy. This dinner will be a starting point.”

I stay silent on the phone.

“Thank you for coming to me with your concerns for Charlotte. I appreciate it.”

“Does she know I came to you?”

“No, and I don’t want her to.”

“I only want for her to be happy.”

“As do we. Charlotte is my only concern. So, will I see you Saturday night?” he asks.

“Sure, I’ll see you there.”

“Don’t bring up anything about the fight we had.” Charlotte smiles. She’s holding my free hand even though I’m driving, her eyes are on me while I watch the road.

It’s Saturday night and we’re on our way to meet her family. Charlotte is buzzing. Me? I’m trying my hardest not to roll my eyes.

“Yes, got it.”

“And ask William about his job as a doctor. He loves speaking about that. It’ll break the ice.”

“Okay.”

“And ask Edward about work. Try to make casual conversation with him, even though he’s quite abrupt at first.”

No shit.

“Do you think I look okay?” She straightens out her dress.

I glance at her and then frown. “You look beautiful.”

“And just—”

“Will you stop telling me what to say?” I interrupt. “I am perfectly capable of holding a civilised conversation.”

“I know,” she sighs. “I just really want this to work out.” She leans over and kisses my cheek as I keep my eyes on the road. “It means so much to me that you’re willing to forgive and forget.”

I force a smile because it’s kind of cute how excited she is. Honestly, I just want this night over with.

This is for her.

We soon arrive at the restaurant, and I can already see four guards at the door. I park the car and take Charlotte’s hand in mine, and then we make our way inside.

Charlotte spots them quickly and waves happily. I can see Edward, Harold, and another man who I’m assuming is William… and then…

The blood drains from my face.

“Who is that woman at the table?” I whisper.

Charlotte smiles and drags me though the restaurant. “That’s Penelope. William’s wife.”

I feel the floor move beneath me. No, it can’t be.

Oh my God.

I’m the man Penelope fucked behind her husband’s back.