Tempt The Playboy (Tempt 2)

“Everyone needs to simmer down now,” Frank says from behind Dede, where he has one hand on her shoulder. “He was helping a friend, so now he finds that friend and gets divorced. No one has to know anything.” He nods at me, giving me the moral support a father should give.

“Exactly. No one has to know anything. Tomorrow morning we go in there and we get the cavalry ready and we find Sabrina and by the end of the week we could be divorced.” I look back up the stairs, the need to run upstairs itching my legs. I feel a hand on my arm and look down to see Lauren.

“I’ll go and check on her.”

I nod to her and watch her walk up the stairs to my girl and child. My family.

She comes down right away. “She’s sleeping, so I didn’t bother waking her. Why don’t we eat? She’ll come down later,” she says as we sit down and eat. I barely touch anything. My feet bounce up and down as I wait for Kaleigh to come back downstairs.

When all of the plates are washed and put away I sit on the couch, the whole time watching the stairs, waiting to see her bounce downstairs. “How is she still sleeping?” I ask Lauren, who is sitting with Rachel doing homework.

“Her body is going through changes,” Lauren says. “It is normal, trust me.”

I nod at her then look back at the stairs.

“I should go,” I say, getting up. “I don’t want to go, but I want her to feel safe.” I look at them both. “Can you just text me after to tell me she is okay?”

They both nod at me as I walk out.

“And tell her that I love her.”

I make my way home. Walking into the house without her seems strange. There are all little things everywhere that shows you she lives here. Her yoga mat in the corner rolled up with her weights in a basket. Her yoga magazines are on the coffee table. Her empty glass of water is beside it. Her flip-flops are in the kitchen. Every time I turn around I see something of hers. I close off the lights, going upstairs into our room, because it isn’t mine anymore. It’s ours. I collapse on the bed, her smell all around me. I grab her pillow, bringing it to my face. I turn, looking out the window. I get up, bringing the pillow with me, going downstairs to the couch. I look up at the ceiling, making a list of everything I have to do. When I hear something at the door, I turn my head, wondering if maybe it was all in my head when all of a sudden I see her walking in.

She sees me on the couch and comes over. “What are you doing on the couch?” she asks, sitting on the table in front of me.

“The bed felt empty without you,” I say, sitting up, facing her.

“So you came down with my pillow?” She points to the pillow still in my arms.

“It smelled like you,” I say, putting it aside, leaning forward to grab her hands in mine. “Babycakes, you have to know I honestly didn’t think about Sabrina till I was in the moment and, well, then I had no choice but to tell you.”

“I know,” she says softly, looking down at our hands. “I didn’t do this on purpose.” She again stops talking. “I know people will say I did.” She shrugs her shoulders. “But I didn’t. It must have been the medication when I had strep.”

“I don’t give a shit when it was or who says what. The fact is I know and you know and that is all that matters,” I reassure her. “Now how are you feeling? Are you okay?” I ask her, putting her hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, I slept like a baby actually and when I woke all I wanted was you, so I got up and came here. But this is the last straw. If there is anything that you are hiding and I find out, I will slit off you penis the next time.”

I get up, picking her up in my arms. “I have no doubt. Now let’s go to bed. I have a busy day tomorrow. I need to get myself divorced.”

The next day I jump out of bed and put on my power suit. A suit I know I’m going to kick ass with. I walk out of the elevator. “Round up the cavalry. We have a big client. Board room in ten,” I tell the receptionist, who picks up her phone and places an intercom announcement. Walking to my desk, I see that Lauren is already in.

“Hey, good, you’re here,” she says, getting up. “We need to get working,” she says with her no nonsense bullshit. “I will not let my niece or nephew down.”