Fallen Woman(81)

“What are you doing here? I thought you were going to work all day.”

“Yeah, that had been the plan.” He tossed his stuff on the kitchen table and pulled at the knot in his tie at the base of his neck. “My grandfather, however, had different ideas.” His features were taut, highlighting his anger in a small space.

“I’m not following.”

Plopping down in the kitchen chair, his butt made a thud on the wood. “The board has asked that I take a leave of absence to protect the company. They will announce my sabbatical this afternoon to the entire company.”

“Can they do that? And why would they want to? I don’t understand.”

“They’re afraid the shareholders are going to lose faith in my ability to manage the business. Until my marital and family issues are resolved on a personal level, they don’t believe it’s in the best interest of the company for me to remain associated with Faston.”

Every word I’d ever known, since the day I’d started talking, was gone. My brain couldn’t form one complete word, much less a composed thought. I opened my mouth to speak—nothing came out but the stale air I’d apparently been holding in. Like a fish out of water, I gasped for something to say.

When words finally made their way to my mouth, they came out so fast I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to understand them. “Is this permanent? Oh my God, Jase. I’m so sorry. I’ve cost you your friends, your family, and your job.”

“Gianna, I’m pissed off, and I’ll get over it, but none of this is your fault. My parents are pissed they haven’t met you, they don’t know Derrick or the other kids, and they haven’t talked to me in weeks. They had no idea I’d gotten married until they saw the press release. My mom ran her mouth to my grandfather, and when his little girl is upset, he fixes it. It’s not permanent; my family will get off their high horse and pick up the phone, and my friends are still around. Minus one.”

“So why don’t we try to mend fences with your family? And what makes you think your friends are still around?”

“I’ll call my mom when I’m in a better mood. And I got a call from Max this morning.”

I stuck my hand on my hip, and with a bit of a protective attitude, I asked, “And where has he been?”

“The same place Willum and Drake have. Silent. Holland went to them after he became intimately introduced to my fist and tried to rally them. They thought he was a moron and suggested he let it go. They didn’t believe it was worth destroying friendships. Said he knew he was playing with fire and deserved what he got. But the flip side of that was they were afraid they were going to be implicated in the solicitation of prostitution, which of course none of them want anywhere near their name…especially since none of them ever touched you. They all lawyered up and shut their mouths.”

“So what made him call today?”

“Holland was arrested last night.” The look on his face changed. Suddenly, his brows arched, and he appeared just as smug as Holland had on TV. “For rape, distribution of a schedule four controlled substance, and a slew of other charges Max didn’t remember.” His feet crossed at the ankles as he finished his sentence. He was ticked off by the situation at work, but he believed we’d won the war against Holland. “They’re on our side, Gianna. If we need it, we will have their support publically. Each one will speak to the truth of their time with you, your friendship, and my long-standing feelings for you.”

“Wow. I had no idea they’d get him that fast. I figured he’d find a way to worm out of actually doing any jail time. I didn’t think he’d even spend a few hours behind bars.”

“Don’t get too excited. At this point, he hasn’t been convicted, only charged. He will likely get out in the next day or so on bail, and he’ll likely be pissed the fuck off. As you can see, Holland does not react rationally, and we need to be prepared for his next stunt.”

Suddenly the room seemed really hot, my lower back broke out in a cold sweat, and I almost didn’t make it to the toilet. I’d never reacted to stress this way. I hated to throw up, but the thought of Holland being out and angry didn’t sit well with me.

Jase was right on my heels. “Do you think you need to see a doctor about this? You’ve thrown up a couple of times recently. I’ve never known you to get sick to your stomach.”

“No, I’m fine. It’s just the stress. I’ve never dealt with this kind of thing before. I was clueless when things happened with Ryan. There wasn’t a single detail he’d ever shared with me. This is different—it’s in my face, and I know every sordid bit of information. I’ll be okay, I promise.”





Chapter Sixteen





“Tonight on the ten o’clock news, you’ll hear the catalyst that sent Jase Lane after Holland Hanks, and the charges they’re both facing. We have an exclusive with Mr. Lane’s new bride, Gianna Lane—you don’t want to miss this.”

I sat huddled next to Jase in bed watching the news, praying this went in our favor. Leslie Bayne had the power to make or break me, and if she chose to make me the victim, we’d end up rallying support. His arm was tight around my waist. Jase didn’t want to say it, but he was nervous—I’d put myself out there for him and risked it all. If it backfired, he was afraid I wouldn’t recover.