I sat in my office staring out the window; I felt hazy. I couldn’t get the scenario of what happened between Sky and me out of my head. I can’t believe I let my father push my buttons to the point I reacted the way I did. I wasn’t this guy. I wasn’t an arsehole. I didn’t make girls feel like shit about themselves, yet I made the one person I trusted and actually like, feel like no more than dog shit on the bottom of my shoe.
My father knew what he was doing, he was provoking me knowing I was going to react. And react I did. All I saw was red, I was so fucking angry, and I couldn’t bite my tongue. I knew I had crossed the line as soon as the words slipped out of my mouth. They tasted venomous on my tongue. But I still said it. I felt remorse, I felt sick to my stomach at my betrayal. How could I have done that to her? I had no clue how to make it right, how to make it better. I apologised, fuck have I apologised but it was no good. I have debated sending her a gift or flowers but knowing Skylar, she would cut the fucking heads off of them and send them back to me.
I sighed, spinning back round in my chair. The office door opened, and I saw Tabitha walking towards me.
“Sis,” I smiled, standing from my desk and pushing my button through my jacket.
“Bro,” she winked as we embraced, I kissed her softly on her cheek before walking over to the drink counter and pushing a button on my coffee machine.
“Americano?”
“Please,” she nodded, pulling the chair out and sitting down, plopping her folders on my desk.
Filling both of the short coffee cups, I turned and headed back towards my desk. Handing one to Tabitha, before sitting back in my desk chair.
“So, what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked as I took a sip of the bitter coffee.
“I have the plans for the Abu Dhabi hotel, thought you would want to see them and sign them off,” her brows pinged high.
“Tabitha,” my own brows sat high in my forehead, causing a crease. Rubbing my chin with my hand I couldn’t hold my smirk.
“When have you ever wanted me to sign something off?”
Her cheeks blushed.
“Exactly,” I laughed as I pushed back in my chair. “What do you want? And I mean that in the nicest possible way.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I just wanted to see if you were okay, and well, if Skylar was okay too.”
I sighed, letting my head fall forward for a moment.
“I’m okay, wracked with guilt and a knot the size of a football in my stomach but I am as good as I can be.” I shrugged my shoulders up.
She gave me a weak smile, her hand reaching over and stroking the back of mine before giving it a gentle squeeze.
“And Sky…?” she said with hesitancy at her shortening her name.
“Sky is well… Sky”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning she is fucked off with me and only checking in with me when it’s something to do with the baby.”
“And you want…?”
“I want her to forgive me, I like her, like really like her and I’ve fucked it up. Any chance I had of something with her is gone.”
I heard Tabitha sigh, her ring tapping on the glass of her coffee cup. Her red lips twisted round before she rolled them, a tell-tale sign her brain was ticking away.
“What is it?” I asked a little abruptly. I knew her too well.
“Is she…?”
“Is she….?” I mimicked her.
“You know… a…?”
I knew what she wanted to ask.
“Yes. But not like you’re thinking.” I nibbled the inside of my lip.
“What do you mean?”
“She isn’t a whore. She is a high end escort. I never slept with her while I was her client. I used to go and talk to her, she was better than any therapist I had.”
“Oh.”
“Dad knew what he was doing, it’s like he doesn’t want me to have the hotels. He is looking for anything to get me out, well, it’s too late because she is pregnant and that was the condition.”
Tabitha stayed silent. Her eyes fell to her lap as she picked the skin round her perfectly manicured nails.
“Tab…” I growled; I felt my blood begin to boil.
“He is still saying he isn’t giving you the hotels.”
“What?” I snapped, standing from the desk and slamming my hands down on it hard making her jump at the noise that echoed around my large, minimalistic office.
“He said he won’t have any grandson of his associated with a hooker; that you are bringing shame to the Sauvage name and if you bring the baby up then you’ve lost your right to the business… to the family…”
“Are you saying what I think you are?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“You’ll be cut off.”
