The Private Serials Box Set(13)
“You think the children are his?”
I thought about the little girl running and jumping into his arms and him lifting her over his head, his beautiful smile pulling across his face at her laughter. A lump caught in my throat and I nodded. “Yeah, I think they’re his.”
“So, he isn’t just cheating on you, he’s got a whole other f*cking life.”
My core clenched again at the word ‘f*cking’ passing over his lips. My body’s reaction to him was ridiculous, and even though I tried my hardest to fight it, I felt my cheeks flushing, my skin heating. My body should have been reacting to his proclamation, the fact my husband had another life, another woman at his side. Instead, my thighs were clenching together trying to calm the pulsing between them.
“That’s what I’m hiring you to find out,” I whispered. He was quiet for a moment as he stared at me over the table. His face was unreadable. I had absolutely no idea as to what he was thinking. But his stare was heavy and with every second his eyes burned into me, I felt my pulse race faster.
“The retainer’s two thousand,” he finally said, coldly. I swallowed then blinked.
“That’s fine.” I reached into my purse and pulled out my checkbook.
“You can’t write a check. Your husband would figure you out in a heartbeat. Can you get a hold of cash?”
I hadn’t even thought about that. I racked my brain for ways to come up with two thousand dollars without Derrek getting suspicious. I’d have to ask Samantha.
“I can have cash for you in the next couple of days. Is that all right?”
“That’s fine.” Suddenly, he picked up my phone and started touching the screen.
“What are you doing?”
“I called you from my work number. Odds are you won’t be able to reach me there, so don’t even bother. I’ll give you my private cell number and you call me when you’ve got the money. Until then, I’ll start working on this.” He handed my phone back to me. “But if you find something out, anything you think might be useful, don’t hesitate to call me.”
“Okay,” I said softly. “So, that’s it? You just go on your merry way and I sit around while you prove my husband is a cheating bastard?”
“Was there something else you wanted from me?” His face was stoic as he said those words and his eyes bore into me, asking a question heavy with so much meaning. I tried to swallow but found my mouth and throat dry, goose bumps rising on my arms.
“No,” I whispered, some part of me knowing I was telling possibly the biggest lie of all. A quiet moment passed where our eyes held each other’s. Then, so quickly, it was over. He stood and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, tossing two twenty dollar bills on the table, then folded his wallet and put it away again.
“I’ll be in touch.” Those were his last words before he turned and walked right out the door. I let out a loud breath and collapsed against the back of my chair, not realizing I’d been upright and tense. I brought a shaky hand to my forehead and brushed my hair back, smoothing away nothing because I knew my hair was perfect. My hands were just looking for something to do besides the very thing they wanted to do, which was slide down my thighs and give attention to the ache that was still pulsing in my core.
I hoped, if only for my sanity, that Preston Reid was as good at his job as he was good looking. The less time I spent around him, the better. He was bad news, but I was beginning to suspect that my body liked bad.
Chapter Six
The next day, after my body had calmed down, I called Sam and asked her over for lunch. Once she arrived, she wasted no time expressing her anger toward me.
“I told you to call me, Lena.”
“And I did. You’re here, aren’t you?” I didn’t bother looking at her as I spoke; I was busy building us sandwiches. I knew she’d be over her tiff in a few minutes anyway. She just needed a few to harp on me and all would be well again.
“Two days later! I texted you a million times. I even came by earlier today but you didn’t answer the door.”
“I was out.”
“Yeah, I figured,” she said snidely.
I turned and handed her a plate with a BLT and some macaroni salad. “Let’s go sit on the deck.” I motioned with my head toward the sliding door that would lead us outside to a wrought iron table and chairs. Once seated, Sam dove right back in.
“So, what’s happened since you discovered your husband is the biggest * on the planet?” She finished her sentence and took a big bite of her sandwich, her eyes locked on mine.
I laughed because I loved how much she hated Derrek, and because of how ready she was to simply kick his ass.
“I’ve got a plan in place. Actually, that’s one of the things I need to talk to you about.” I paused and tried to work up the nerve to ask my best friend for a loan. A loan she would know I didn’t need, so it had to come with an explanation. “Yesterday, I hired a private investigator to look into Derrek and his other life.”
“Why do you need a private investigator? We saw him, Lena. We already know he’s cheating.”
“I know, Sam, trust me. I know. But I want more. I need to know how long it’s been going on, how deep it goes. I know it might seem masochistic, but I just need to know.” I shook my head a little and looked down at my hands in my lap. I couldn’t tell her about the prenup. I was so ashamed that it even existed and I didn’t need her pity. I looked up at her. She already had a sad look on her face, and I knew it was sadness for me, and that was more than enough pity. “There’s one other thing, though.” I took in another deep breath. “I went to pay him with a check and he refused, saying that if I used a check, Derrek would catch on. For the same reason, I can’t really withdraw the money from our bank account, so I was hoping–”