Chapter 19

Gina

A few hours later I arrived at the office feeling oddly calm. I was conflicted about how I felt. That incident in the middle of the night shook me a little, but then in the morning, it was all forgotten when we made love. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wanted to be angry at him but couldn’t be.
We weren’t labelling what was going on between us, but the truth was, that we made a commitment to each other last night. I had no idea how this happened. The man was done with Crystal, done with sleeping around, so why was something still niggling me?
Later on in the day, I got a text from Josh. Apparently Harry invited Nina and the boys for dinner on Sunday. My brother was over the moon and told me that I needed to start thinking about myself. Josh was right. I hadn’t dated for years; maybe it was time to stop worrying about the future and just go with the flow.
“Right, I’m dying to know. Who are you fucking these days?” Brittany asked, shutting the door to my office.
I automatically rolled my eyes. Brittany didn’t beat around the bush. We had been friends since she started working for Davies. We’d had a busy morning; the staff meeting went on for ages, and I’d only now managed to sit down and do some work. I ignored her, trying to concentrate on my tasks. Harry’s campaign was going well. I had managed to get it going. Davies wanted an update on everything I had done, and I wasn’t looking forward to this conversation.
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Brit,” I said, chewing my pen and trying to find the right stock images. The man was making a very good return on his investment. It looked like all my ideas were working well.
“Come on, you’re practically glowing, you’re chatty and smiley. And you haven’t done any overtime in the past two weeks. Davies is pissed. He keeps dumping all the work on the new guy, and he is screwing it up,” Brittany said, leaning against my desk. She wasn’t going to give up. I wanted to tell her about Harry, but I didn’t think it was a good idea. No one was supposed to know I was sleeping with a client. Davies would probably fire me on the spot if he found out. I really needed to stop looking so happy. People didn’t like it.
“It’s not a man. I’m finally pursuing my dream. Things are finally moving along for me. The cash is flowing, Brittany,” I told her, knowing she didn’t care for that kind of information. We both knew that I was seeing someone. It was hard to keep it a secret around her.
“I doubt that’s it. I can see the signs. We both know he has a name,” she muttered, tossing her long blond hair behind her. “Tell me, is he good in bed?”
I laughed, thinking that Harry was great in bed. He always made sure I was satisfied.
“Miss Martinez, Mrs. Davies would like to see you in Mr. Davies’s room right away,” said the dark-haired intern who popped his head into my office. I nodded to him and glanced back at Brittany.
“Don’t look at me. I don’t know anything about this,” she said.
I had no idea what this was about. Andrew’s wife had no background in marketing, so she shouldn’t have a reason to talk to me. I assured her countless times that I wasn’t planning to say anything about her affair. Besides, Harry was done with her.
“We will talk about this later. I have to go,” I said to Brittany, getting up.
“No, you have to tell me now. Work sucks today. You have been single for years,” she protested, and I rolled my eyes. “There is a man in your life, and I bet he has a handsome friend, too.”
“I’m leaving, Brittany, the evil witch is waiting. I’ll see what I can do about that friend,” I said and quickly left the office. I heard her squealing with excitement when she went back to her desk.
Adler had managed to pull some strings and arranged the first competition in York. Tonight, I had a training session and I wanted to go over a few advanced routines with my girls. They were all excited. During our meeting, Adler agreed that I needed to expand, but he also talked about opening a proper pole dancing academy. Things were moving fast, and Harry made it happen.
Today I wore a white slim-fitted dress that I bought half price online. When Harry saw me in it this morning, he didn’t let me leave until he had his way with me on the sofa. Obviously that terrible night was long forgotten.
I knocked on the small office door and the familiar voice told me to come in. Andrew’s wife was sitting in her chair, staring at the computer screen. I still didn’t understand why she was spending so much time here. We hadn’t spoken since the Gala, and I had a lot of work to do. I hated wasting my time with her.
“Ah, Miss Martinez, it’s good you came. We need to have a little chat, you and me,” she said, standing up.
She wore a white two-piece suit today, and the same red nail polish. She didn’t intimidate me anymore.
“How can I help you?” I asked, reminding myself to be calm. Crystal was unpredictable, and I didn’t like the way she was staring at me right now.
“I didn’t think you would be a problem, but it looks like I was wrong,” she began, narrowing her eyes at me.
“Mrs. Davies, I believe that Mr. Davies is still oblivious to what is going on with you and Mr. Erskine,” I said in a sweet tone. We both knew she hadn’t slept with Harry since the boxing match. Nothing happened between them during the Gala, either.
“Erskine and I aren’t a unit anymore, thanks to you, Gina,” she stated with an icy tone of voice. Wow, I wasn’t expecting that. She was jealous. “I saw you with him outside the club. I know he’s fucking you now instead of me.”
I kept a sweet smile on my face. I didn’t want to give her any satisfaction that she’d gotten to me. She most likely saw us kissing by my car, but she had no idea what was really going on.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, playing dumb.
“You’re sleeping with him. I bet you flirted with him during the event. I’m not stupid, Miss Martinez. A man like Erskine can’t be shared. He’s mine, so you better back off,” she said, approaching me and purposely invading my personal space. The smell of her fruity perfume nearly knocked me off my feet. “Besides, if Andrew finds out you’re fucking his client, he will fire your sorry arse and put you out on the street. Trust me, you won’t find a job like this elsewhere.”
She was threatening me; the bitch had some nerve. Harry had told me the truth; he hadn’t slept with Crystal since he started seeing me. Heat rushed to my cheeks.
I dragged my hand through my mass of red hair and leaned closer. The truth was, I was done taking shit from anyone. Crystal was a bitch. She and her husband deserved each other. I was through being exploited. My business would take off eventually. Then I would be finished with this place forever.
“Maybe, but then he would also find out about your affair. And I bet he wouldn’t be thrilled to know his wife has been fucking his client right under his nose,” I said, and then smiled.
Her face went pale and her eyes went wide with shock. Anger rolled off her in violent waves, mixed with pumping jealousy. We continued staring at each other for several minutes.
“You wouldn’t dare,” she hissed. “Be careful, little girl, you have no idea what I’m capable of. Stop fucking him or I will make your life miserable. He’s mine.”
I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t want to provoke her further. She was delusional and stupid. I had no idea what Harry saw in her to begin with.
“I have to go back to work, Mrs. Davies,” I said, turning around.
“He doesn’t care for you. Harry likes fucking women too much. You’re new to him and he will toss you away when he’s done playing with you.”
I slammed the door behind me, breathing hard. Crystal had no idea what she was talking about, but her words set heavily on my heart. I knew that I was supposed to ignore her.
From the very beginning, I knew Harry was complicated, but he wouldn’t just toss me away. We had a connection, but I kept wondering what was going to happen later. Once the romance was over.
I shook my head and went back to my office, telling myself to get a grip. I kept thinking about him, checking my phone, but he hadn’t tried to call. The rest of the day moved fast, and after I concentrated, I managed to finish my work.
In the late afternoon I went to the storage room to grab some stationary. I lifted what I could and headed back out.
In the reception I saw Harry and automatically backed away. He was talking to Anna, and he had his back to me. I glanced at my watch, wondering what the hell he was doing here. We didn’t have plans for this evening. A second later Crystal approached him. She slipped a piece of paper in his hand and winked at him when Anna wasn’t looking. My heart began beating faster, and I wondered what kind of message she just put in his hand.
The warmth that I’d been feeling in my chest suddenly shifted into rage. It was obvious that she didn’t plan to leave him alone, and now she had a chance to talk to him again. I backed away to the storage room, trying to calm down and reason with myself. Surely, he didn’t come here to see her. Maybe he wanted to discuss something with Andrew and I was making a huge deal out of it. I took a deep breath and waited to see what was going to happen. Harry glanced at the paper and frowned. The receptionist said something to him and then she disappeared, heading toward Davies’s room. Moments later Crystal appeared again, dragging him to the empty space behind the storage room so I followed them, eager to find out if Harry had been completely honest with me.

Harry

I wanted to surprise Gina today and take her out for dinner. She had a one-hour window between work and her class. I had an easy day, but last night kept playing in my head throughout the whole afternoon. The receptionist looked pleased to see me. She had to see if Gina was still in her office, so she left me alone in the waiting room.
No one in the company knew that there was something going on between me and the lovely Miss Martinez. She was my campaign manager, and as far as I was concerned, we were having dinner to go over some marketing proposals. It was a wise strategy.
As soon as I was alone, Crystal came back.
“Come on, I need to talk to you,” she said, and before I knew it, she was pushing me toward a room that looked like a storage facility. She had been calling me and texting since the Gala, but I’d been ignoring her. I still hadn’t figured out how I meant to deal with her blackmail. Davies couldn’t be trusted; besides, he wouldn’t like it if I told him that Crystal was feeling neglected.
“What the hell do you want?” I asked. She wasn’t even supposed to be here. I thought she was running her beauty salon. People told me that Crystal married Andrew for his money, which made sense, because she had nothing before she met him.
A couple of days ago I went through my old folders but couldn’t find anything. Maybe Crystal was bluffing. Anything was possible with her.
“I just handed you an invitation to my best friend’s party. Andrew won’t be there, and I thought we could have some fun together, relax a little,” she told me, playing with my tie. My blood pressure was rising fast. She was pushing this too far, and she needed to get a reality check. We were never going to be an item. “You’ve been avoiding me lately. You know what will happen if you carry on.”
“Crystal, I don’t want to be rude, but I have told you countless times—we are done. You’re married, and your husband is behind that wall,” I said, stroking my jaw. “How long are you planning to keep blackmailing me into sleeping with you?”
I thought about my uncle. He called earlier on and I told him about Gina. There was no point pretending anymore. He asked me to bring her to the farm. Maybe I was moving too fast, but I was happy. She witnessed the fact that I woke up covered with sweat, screaming my head off and she still wasn’t running away. Any other woman would drill me until I’d lose it, and then we would go our separate ways, but not Gina.
“Okay, this makes me sound very harsh, Harry, but my marriage is over. I’m getting a divorce,” she said, sounding completely serious. “I have tried to reason with him, but he just doesn’t listen, not like you. I wanted to motivate you a little so you would see we are great together.”
“Good for you, Crystal, but I don’t give a damn,” I snapped, losing my patience with her.
“You should, because that business from years ago can affect your future. I know that things have been weird between us lately, but I’m sure you missed me.”
She was crazy and manipulative, ready for anything just to keep me close.
“Crystal, we both knew it was just sex between us and nothing more. Now it’s done. You are married and I’m involved with someone else. I’m getting a lawyer to deal with you. Your blackmail won’t work on me.” I sighed, ready to leave. The last thing I needed was to have Gina see me and Crystal together.
“Who is she? I think I deserve to know.”
“It’s none of your business. Goodbye, Crystal,” I said, and stormed away, thinking I needed to take Gina abroad. Some long destination where no one would bother us.
I wanted to make this work, maybe more than I ever wanted to with Louisa. The secretary wasn’t back yet, so instead of waiting, I headed toward the door. My pulse was speeding away, and my vision went slightly blurry. I couldn’t stay. I needed some air.
Suddenly I couldn’t make my mind work, a sickening feeling started in my stomach and fate caught up with me again.
My chest cracked open and the anxiety gripped me tightly. I was moving forward, but now the past reminded me that a woman like Gina might never understand me. She accepted me, but I couldn’t keep lying to her forever.