Chapter Fifteen

Alec

Five days later and we were still in what Demetri referred to as Hell Week, a.k.a. Teambuilding Week.

How was it teambuilding if we did nothing but fight?

Wonder of all wonders, my black eye made the five o'clock news, as well as my little toss with Nat in the sand, which had me looking like a player. Great.

I knew what I needed to do. I just didn't know how to go about it without hurting people.

If I lied, I hurt Nat. If I told the truth I hurt Demetri and Nat. If I denied everything then I was lying to myself — but the sick part was I still didn't know everything that went down last year.

I shook my head and sighed, at least now it was Friday night, and we were having a barbecue.

Demetri and Alyssa were inside making salad while I tossed burgers. I was still irritated that I had to wear the stupid apron Nat had made for me.

It said, “Kiss me, I'm Alec Daniels.”

I looked down and sighed. That's just what I needed. A kiss? Sex? Maybe a massage? Speaking of all of the above, where the hell had Nat gone?

The smell of roses floated through the air. Breathing became strained as I clenched the cool metal flipper in my hand. I knew that smell.

“What is that?” I asked, stepping unsteadily into the hotel room.

“My own scent,” she announced proudly, lifting her wrist to my nose. “I'm signing a deal with a cosmetics company and we're picking out perfumes.”

“It smells like roses.”

“But not old person roses, right?” She winked. “I want people to buy it, not spray it on their grandmas.”

I snorted in disgust. “Please, you look nothing like a grandma.”

“You're only fifteen years younger than me, Alec Daniels. How dare you even accuse me of such a thing?”

“Once a cougar, always a cougar.” I laughed and then tripped, falling onto her bed. Just how much had I had to drink?

“Champagne?” she asked.

“Sure.” I held out my hand as my vision suddenly blurred. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

“What?”

“Oh.” I shook my head. “I hadn't meant to say that out loud.”

“Hmm.” She handed me a glass and clinked hers against it. “So tell me, pop star, what has you so blue?”

“Life.” I drank the sparkly dry liquid and swore.

“Me too, champ, me too. Divorce.” She sighed. “We're sure a pair, aren't we?”

“Pair?” I repeated, suddenly feeling really hot. I took off my shirt without thinking and then apologized. “Sorry. I'm just really hot all of a sudden.”

“Me too.” She fanned herself. “Want me to open a window or something?”

“Yeah.” I sighed. “That would be nice.”

Soon a cool breeze floated into the room. Rose perfume permeated every pore of my body; soon it felt like I was the one floating. I opened my eyes to see her straddling me.

“I don't feel like myself,” she admitted.

“Why the champagne?” I asked, suddenly realizing how beautiful she really was. Blonde hair just like Nat and deep brown eyes. My body hummed in response.

“Ex-husband. He sent it over a few minutes ago.” She lifted her glass into the air. “Cheers, and here are the divorce papers. It's why we're in separate rooms.”

“Clearly.” My hands moved without thinking. I rubbed up and down her arms and then leaned in and kissed her neck.

She moaned low in her throat as the champagne fell from her hand onto the ground.

I kissed her neck, trailing my tongue down her pulse. The rose perfume invaded my senses.

“Hello, Alec.”

Reality sucked. I turned slowly and came face to face with her. The one person I had no desire to see ever again.

“April.”

“You look good.” She tilted her head to the side and took me in, her eyes scanning from my feet all the way up to my face. “It's been a while.”

“Wouldn't have been if you would actually pick up your damn phone,” I said through clenched teeth. I'd been trying to get a hold of her ever since she hung up on me last week.

“I've been busy this week with the kids.”

I began to sweat as she neared me. Her perfume made me absolutely sick. It reminded me of that night, of the lies, of the betrayal, of everything really.

Everything but what really happened.

Yes. I'd made the choice to walk into a room.

I even kissed a still-married woman. Or at least in my mind she was, since she still had the final papers to sign.

But none of it even compared to the fact that I had no idea what the hell happened over the course of twelve hours.

Or that she was… shit, I couldn't even say it.

“Guys!” Jaymeson rounded the corner into the backyard and threw me a beer.

“Mum! Looking good.” Jaymeson pulled April into his embrace and kissed her on the forehead. “Do you know Alec?”

She seemed to struggle with her response before shaking her head. “I think I met him at one of your father's premieres last year, but it's so hard to keep those things straight.”

“Right.” Jaymeson took a swig of beer and smiled.

He smiled as if I hadn't just descended into the Seventh Circle of Hell.

He smiled like he didn't know that the last person to spend the night with his mom naked…

Had been me.