Fourth Down (Portland Pioneers 1)

“You’ve done one movie, E. One. With no other movies lined up. It doesn’t make sense for you to be here if you don’t have to be. You can stay in the apartment in Portland, and I’ll go to a hotel. We can swap or whatever. Others have done it.”

“And that doesn’t make sense for me, Julius. My job is here, and this is where I live.” She spreads her arms out, almost as if she purchased the house with her own money.

“Not for long, I’m going to put the house on the market.”

“You can’t.”

I look at her and cock my eyebrow. “I can, and I will.”

“I’ll sue you for the house and alimony.”

I let out a chuckle and decide to stand. I walk over to the window and look out over the expansive ocean. We have a view—that’s it. If we want to go to the beach, we have to drive to it. “You signed a prenup, Elena. A very particular one that states I don’t owe you anything if you partake in an extramarital affair.”

“I never cheated. I only started seeing Sonny after we decided to divorce.”

I turn to her and shake my head. “You must think I’m stupid. I have the photos. I have videos of him coming into the house and leaving in the morning.”

“Those don’t prove anything.”

My hands go to my head, and I groan. “Just stop, Elena. You’re getting the divorce—that’s what you wanted. The rest, I’m not budging on. There is no way in hell I’m paying you alimony, you know this, and your only fight is for the kids. Tell me, what are you going to do if you get a movie role that films out of state, huh? Leave them with a nanny for months?”

“They can go live with you.”

“And interrupt their lives? No thanks.”

I’m about to sit down when the front door opens, and a voice calls out, “You better be naked and ready for me because I’m . . .” his voice trails off when Sonny sees me standing in the room.

I look at Elena and shake my head. “Really? On a day we’re supposed to be trying to work on the arrangement for our kids.” I point at her boyfriend while keeping my eyes on her. “And what if they were here, huh? You just gonna keep them in their rooms so you can get fucked on our white leather couch?”

Elena says nothing. She won’t even look at me, Sonny either. I think he’s afraid of me, which is good. Although, I would never jeopardize my career for the likes of him. He’s a pretty boy, the current Hollywood heartthrob.

“I’m so glad I wasted my day off to fly down here to talk to you. If I were you, I’d talk to ole Sonny boy about shacking up,” I pause and scoff. “Oh, that’s right, his wife kicked him out for having an affair. What a pair.”

I brush past Sonny and head toward the door without saying another word. I’m beyond pissed and hope I send that message to them when I slam the front door. Thankfully, I have a rental car parked in the driveway, which should’ve been a clue to Sonny that someone was inside the house. Right now, I think they’re both out of their minds. It’s the lust fueling them. Once the newness wears off and reality sets in, they’ll both realize how badly they fucked up.

I head toward the airport, weaving my way in and out of traffic. It’s never wise to drive when you’re this angry, but I need to get the hell out of here, even if it means I’ll have to sit in the terminal lounge until I can get a flight. At this point, I don’t care.

After dropping the rental off and catching a shuttle, I flag down a security guard and ask him to get me through security. Sometimes, I wait with the rest of the travelers, but I’m not in the right frame of mind to deal with fans. The last thing I need is some media report calling me an asshole because I wouldn’t pose for a picture or some shit.

Once I’m through security, the guard drops me off at the terminal lounge. Inside, there’s a concierge type person who can help me with my flight. Unfortunately, the next flight to Portland isn’t for a few hours, and it’s full, which means I’ll be on standby until my scheduled flight at eleven tonight.

As soon as I sit down at the bar, the bartender asks what I want to drink. I order my usual “whatever you have on tap” choice and ask if I can get a burger and fries. Not ideal, but it’s been a long day, and it’s going to be a long night.

One stool away from me moves, and I glance to my right. She’s blonde, in a suit, and screams sophistication. Our eyes meet, and she smiles. She’s beautiful, and for a moment, I think about what it would be like to just say fuck it, throw all my morals out the window like Elena has, and ask this woman if she’d like to come with me to the bathroom. The bartender isn’t going to care or even bat an eyelash. He’s paid for his discretion.