The Seduction of Alex Parker(4)

Chapter 3


Emerson

Alex’s pictures didn’t do him justice. That man was just as delicious-looking in person as he was online. He stood a little over six feet tall with short, sandy-brown hair and brown eyes. His chiseled cheekbones and strong jaw made him very handsome, not to mention the five o’clock shadow that he sported gave way to perfection. Shit. And yes, I did look down to his man area to see if he was perhaps sporting anything big. It was too hard to tell in his black suit pants. I’d have to see him in a pair of jeans or maybe a pair of khaki shorts.

As I put my pasta on a plate, and before I stepped onto the patio, I heard the front door open and then shut. That smell. I caught a whiff of man scent that drifted into the kitchen. I knew that smell. He had put on Dolce & Gabbana, my favorite man scent of all time. I sighed, grabbed my plate, and took it outside on the patio. It was a beautiful night. The sun had set and the stars were coming out. The warm breeze that swept across my face made me remember how much I used to love living in California. As I was eating, my phone rang. It was Adam.

“Hello.”

“Just making sure you arrived safely. How are things going?”

“Fine so far. You didn’t tell me that Alex Parker was the Alex Parker.”

“To be honest, I didn’t think about it. Does it matter?”

“No. But his house is like a mansion.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty cool, isn’t it? Hey, are you okay being there? I mean, back in California?”

Oh, now he asks.

“No. Not really, and to be honest, I’m really pissed at you for making me come back here.”

“You need to put the past behind you, Em. I know it’s hard, but you have to move on with your life.”

“I have moved on, Adam! I just chose not to move on here. This conversation goes the same way every time. I have to go.” Click.

I was getting tired, so I cleaned up and headed to my bedroom. After changing into my pajamas, I opened the French doors to let the breeze blow into the room. Climbing into bed, I pulled the sheet over me and stared out into the night, listening to the waves as they crashed against the shore.

****

I had always been an early riser. As far as I was concerned, there wasn’t one minute of the day to be wasted. Climbing out of bed, I slipped into my crème-colored, short silk robe and stepped outside on the patio off my room, breathing in the fresh morning air and looking out into the ocean. A smile crossed my face when I saw two dolphins in the water.

I went into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. I jumped when my phone started to ring. Who the hell would be calling me this early? Oh. It was Billy. Shit. I answered it and put it on speaker as I took the eggs from the refrigerator.

“Hello.”

“Where the hell are you, Em? I went to your place last night and you were gone. I tried calling your phone, but it went straight to voicemail.”

“I’m in California and I turned my phone off last night.”

“California! What the hell are you doing there and why didn’t you tell me you were going?”

“I had to come here for my brother and I forgot to mention it.”

“Baby, please don’t lie to me. I’m sorry for the other night. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t upset me and I’m not lying.”

I cracked the eggs in the pan, put a piece of bread in the toaster, and began to slice up some avocados.

“Baby, when are you coming home? We need to sit down and have a serious talk.”

Alex walked into the kitchen and looked at my phone and then at me.

“I’m not coming back to Texas, Billy.”

“What the f*ck do you mean you’re not coming back to Texas?!” he yelled.

“Do you not understand English?”

I saw Alex smirk.

“It’s over between us, Billy. I’m over Texas. I told you to begin with that I probably wasn’t staying very long.”

“But, Em, what about us? We had plans, damn it!”

“You had plans, Billy. Plans that you were making without talking to me first. You were just assuming a whole lot of things.”

“So you’re just going to walk away from our relationship? Do you have any idea how bad I’m hurting right now, baby?”

“For god sakes, stop calling me ‘baby’ and I’m sorry if I hurt you. I’m moving on, Billy, and I suggest you do the same.”

“But, Em, I love you. Please don’t do this to us. What can I do to make things right?”

“Billy, it’s too early for this and I haven’t even had my coffee yet. There’s nothing you can do. I’m not coming back and it’s over. You deserve better than me. I have to go. I’m sorry.” Click.

“Coffee?” I asked Alex, who was leaning up against the counter.

“Yes. Coffee would be nice. You’re quite the little heartbreaker. I was feeling sorry for Billy.” He smirked.

I rolled my eyes as I handed him his coffee cup. “Billy will be just fine. Eggs?” I asked.

“No. I don’t have time. I have a meeting. Have a nice day, Miss James.”

“Enough with the formalities, Alex. Call me Emerson, Em, Emmie—whatever you want. Just not ‘Miss James.’”