AKA Lexi Frost (Lexi Frost Series) (17 page)

“
I’m touched by your concern, Paul, but Wendy and I have been having trouble for quite awhile now. We’re still exploring options,” Flynn said.

“
And you think running off to L.A. with Drew will help?” Paul asked.

“
Yes.” Flynn was concerned about the amount of information Paul had on him. He no doubt at least suspected the unofficial relationship with Drew. The simplicity of the answer, he hoped, would end this line of questioning before it got any worse.

“
Now boys, play nice,” Teri warned. She looked Paul in the eye. “That means you.”

Flynn smiled in amusement. Paul might have won the first round
, but it didn’t sound like he was winning the war.

“
Of course, Lexi dear,” Paul replied coolly.

“
Flynn knows my name, Paul. It’s okay,” Teri said firmly. Flynn noted the barely contained hostility in her voice with a sense of hope.

Paul gave Flynn a tight smile.

Flynn spent the flight keeping Teri talking about the kids. He was interested, but more important, she was warming up because mothers loved to talk about their children. It also kept Paul at bay. Flynn was on familiar ground discussing her son’s band and he used that to keep her attention. He started to think he might have a chance to beat Paul for her affection after all, and he was worried mostly because Paul didn’t seem to be.

Teri had firm opinions about the sanctity of marriage. She managed to extract a promise from Flynn to make an effort with Wendy
, perhaps see a counselor again. Flynn didn’t have a choice. It wasn’t unreasonable, and refusing would have ended their relationship before it started. And it might actually help, Flynn reflected. He still felt something for Wendy, it was just overshadowed by their fighting and his obsession for Teri.

By the time they landed in
L.A., Flynn was committed to trying to fix his marriage before he could push his advantage, and nervous about Paul’s continued silence. Teri seemed oblivious to the emotional havoc she’d wreaked among the men around her. Even Nicholas seemed agitated, although Flynn couldn’t figure out why.

They parted ways when they exited the terminal. Paul and Flynn were staying at different hotels
, and Teri and Nicholas weren’t staying at all. She and Nicholas were there for a business meeting and returning home again that afternoon. Flynn had mixed feelings. He was going to count the encounter as a win, but Nicholas’s warning about Paul weighed heavily on his mind as he said goodbye to Teri.

While Flynn
tallied his wins and losses during the flight, Paul hurried to get to his hotel and drop off his bags. He was going to be late for his meeting. Paul hadn’t planned on being on the same flight as Teri, only meeting her in L.A. And he certainly hadn’t anticipated Flynn’s presence. At least he was able to let Teri know Flynn was married too. That temporarily took his competition out of the picture. Only temporarily. Flynn could still get divorced.

That
he could use Dev’s band to his advantage wasn’t lost on Flynn. Paul felt the pressure building. He needed to talk to Teri, coax her into letting him explain. Flynn knew who she was now, and his music background practically gave him a key to her front door.

Arriving at the hotel
, he had the limo wait for him while he checked in and the bellhop took his bags up. He followed, tipped him and quickly checked his appearance with a critical eye. Taking just a moment to brush his teeth and straighten his tie, he was back out of the room, downstairs, and on his way within fifteen minutes of arrival.

The meeting wasn
’t far and Paul tipped the driver generously to get him there on time. Weaving through traffic at high speeds made for an interesting ride, and he walked into the office only three minutes late.

Teri was already there
, sitting opposite the director, Jason Nexler. Nicholas sat beside her, with the typical apprehensive expression on his face. They both looked up as Paul walked in.

“
Jason?” Teri asked calmly. “Can you explain why Paul Lovett is here? I thought this was a business meeting.”

“
Um, I’m directing the documentary for Blue Horizon Media,” Jason replied, checking a folder in front of him to be sure. “I assume he’s representing them.”

“
I see.” Teri closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. She let her face relax, leaving no trace of emotion showing when she opened her eyes again and looked directly at Paul.

He remembered her telling him about this technique and that it always worked well for subduing the kids when they were younger. It shook them up. The technique wasn
’t too different from one he used in business meetings and ineffective on him. Paul bet he could crack that calm exterior easily. He gave himself two minutes.

“
Who owns Blue Horizon Media, Paul?” Teri asked calmly.

“
Skytop Industries.”

“
I see. Know who owns Skytop Industries?”

“
Of course.” He smiled at her mistake. Be careful how you phrase your questions, honey, he thought. Teri’s inexperience just handed him control.

“
Would you care to share?”

“
What’s it worth to you?” He sat down across from her and leaned back.

“
What’s it going to cost me?” Teri sounded apprehensive and the small crease of a frown appeared at the corner of her mouth. Paul smiled. That didn’t take long.

“
A simple favor. You obviously found out about my estranged wife before I got around to mentioning her. I’d like the opportunity to tell you my side of it, and I’d like you to listen with an open mind,” Paul said. “Over dinner,” he added as an afterthought.

“
I’m not staying in town for dinner,” Teri countered.

“
I doubt you even have a return flight yet. You were probably just going to call on the way to LAX and take the first thing available.”

“
I’m not going to ask how you know that.”

“
How about an informal lunch situation? You don’t even have to eat much. I’d just like a more private setting.”

“
Fine. Admit you’re the producer in some round-about way or another, then we can go somewhere semi-secluded and you can explain why I shouldn’t be upset that you’re married.” Teri stood up and pushed her chair in.

Paul laughed.
“I’m producing the documentary. What are you in the mood for?”

“
Something light.”

“
All right then.” Paul stood up and nodded to a stunned Nicholas and Jason. “It’s a good project, no reason not to run with it. Have fun, gentlemen.”

Paul led the way out of the room with Teri following without a backward glance.

They ended up on a Ferris wheel. Paul bribed the operator to simply let them stay on until he signaled. Then bribed him again to let them take on bottled water, cotton candy, hot dogs, and popcorn.

“
So, feeling safe enough from my advances?” Paul asked as Teri tentatively bit into her hot dog.

“
Yes, although I find your definition of privacy to be somewhat interesting. Also your definition of a light meal. Do you know what they put in hot dogs?”

“
No, and please don’t tell me. I probably wouldn’t be able to eat it,” Paul answered, taking a bite.

“
Fair enough.” They finished their hot dogs and Paul began his story as Teri started playing with her cotton candy, picking it apart one tiny bit of fluff at a time.

“
All right, here goes.” He took a deep breath. “First, let me say that I married Sara because I loved her. I was honest. I told her I worked a lot, but I’d make it worth it to her. She accepted that. Of course we were younger and neither of us realized it doesn’t work that way. I was there for the big things: birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and vacations. But I wasn’t there for the little things, like when she was just a little down, or had problems with the housekeeper or the gardener. I was there for the appendectomy, but not the colds, headaches, or the flu.

“
I took over my father’s business when I was eighteen. I married Sara young, only nineteen, and we had Blaine a year later. My business grew. I sold it and started another. I was a millionaire at twenty-three. I started traveling a lot. Sara said she understood, and our son kept her busy. I noticed when she started having affairs with the pool boy, the gardener, the chauffeur, the tennis instructor, but I didn’t say anything. Later, she noticed I started having affairs when I traveled. None of our affairs lasted long. She had needs, I had work, and I thought we still had a viable marriage. When a business associate mentioned it, I couldn’t ignore it any longer and we sought counseling.

“
We worked it out, had another baby, Olivia, and I tried to travel less. I ended up either spending a lot of time on the phone to New York or in a hotel there and proposed we move. Sara refused. Her family was in Phoenix and she wasn’t leaving. So I traveled without her. She started having affairs again and so did I. When she had another baby, Chad, it was clear I wasn’t the father, but she pretended that I was.

“
I quietly had paternity tests done on all three kids. None of them were mine.”

Teri dropped her cotton candy and looked at him in shock. Paul looked over the front of the rail to watch it fall on the pavement below without incident.

“
I’m past that, don’t worry about it. At the time, it was a surprise. I didn’t say anything to Sara. I was friends with a doctor in New York and asked him about it. He arranged for me to have a sperm count. It was pretty clear why none of them were mine and, considering I’d probably never have children, I opted to let it slide.

“
So things continued, the kids grew. I raised them as my own and loved them all. When the kids were thirteen, nine, and eight, Sara demanded I stop going to New York. For a year I did. I took on a personal assistant to do the traveling and spent a lot of time on the phone. It didn’t help our marriage though.

“
I could see that we’d drifted apart. I started to date Sara, tried to reignite the spark. It didn’t go well. If we went to dinner, she received knowing looks from the valet, or bitter glares from the hostess. At the country club, the instructors and other patrons gossiped. Sara didn’t seem to care and I tried to ignore it.

“
When the boys started to get into fights because of it, and our daughter started to dress and act inappropriately, I insisted we move. Sara refused. I took the kids and moved to New York. She protested, but I refused to bring them home. She threatened to take me to court for kidnapping. I was legally their father, my lawyer assured me there wouldn’t be a problem given the situation in Phoenix.

“
I put the kids in a private Catholic school to straighten them out and spent as much time with them as I could. I was almost always at home when they got out of school and took them to various attractions throughout New England on the weekends. I invited Sara to New York for holidays, birthdays, school events, and any other excuse I could think of. She never stayed long, a few days at the most. She hated New York and made it clear she hated me.

“
We were married seventeen years the first time I asked for a divorce. Oddly enough the request surprised her. She refused.”

“
Can you do that?” Teri asked, hazel eyes wide with intrigue and surprise.

“
Yes and no. She could refuse to sign the papers, then I’d have to take it to court. Sara made it clear that if I petitioned for a divorce she’d demand a paternity test and I’d never see the kids again. At the very least they’d know that I wasn’t their father. What was worse was they would be back in Phoenix amid all the gossip and backstabbing in a worse situation than when I’d taken them away to begin with.

“
My lawyer seemed to think she had a better chance of getting away with it than I was willing to risk, so I caved. I decided I’d wait until the kids were older and try again.

“
I stopped inviting her to New York. After awhile she came on her own, but less than before. The kids resented me for it, but I told them they’d understand someday and didn’t explain my actions. That was a mistake. The kids realized a lot more than I gave them credit for. They knew I was seeing another woman, even though I took precautions to keep her from them. You can’t keep secrets from teenagers.”

“
I could have told you that,” Teri laughed.

“
Yeah, where were you ten years ago? I could have used your unique analysis of the situation.

“
To make a long story short, the kids sided with their poor estranged mother. Sara moved to a suburb of Phoenix far enough away to avoid the gossip. She convinced the kids to demand to live with her.

“
Since she moved and years of Catholic school appeared to have worked on the kids, I reluctantly consented. Actually I didn’t have a choice. Blaine was eighteen, Olivia was fourteen, and Chad was thirteen at that point. They wanted to go and were too old to fight with.

“
Before they left, I sat Blaine down and made another mistake. I told him that even though Sara and I were separated, we both still loved them. I took them to New York to protect them. I admitted that I’d had affairs in the past, and so had Sara. Because hers were in Phoenix there had been gossip. I asked him to watch out for Olivia and Chad since I wouldn’t be there.

“
It was then that he told me that he knew. He said I was a horrible husband, neglectful, and I only took them away to hurt her more. He said . . . well, he said a lot of things.

“
The funny thing is, I thought they were happy with me in New York. We had fun. They smiled, they laughed, we talked. I had absolutely no idea they’d slowly been coming to think of me as a monster.” Paul just gazed out at the view for a moment as they reached the peak of the circle. Teri watched him silently, waiting for him to continue.

“
At that point, with Sara taking the kids anyway, telling the world they weren’t mine didn’t seem like such a loss. She was served with the divorce papers two weeks after the kids moved back.

“
A week later Kyle, my lawyer and long time friend, showed up at my apartment after work. He just found out that Olivia was his daughter. He admitted having a few drinks with Sara and a one night stand. I couldn’t blame him. Sara was, and still is, an attractive woman and could be very seductive. He’d be disbarred if it got out he slept with a client’s wife. Of course I knew someone had to be the father of my children, but I never considered who.

“
Kyle and I agreed it was likely Sara already tracked down the other fathers as well, so I was prepared when Chad’s father called. He’s businessman I worked with once who was running for office at the time. I already publicly pledged to support his campaign. Since then, he won the election. If Chad’s paternity goes public, it’ll hurt his political career.

“
The third to contact me was the wife of a local pastor in Phoenix. Apparently her husband is Blaine’s father. To make matters worse, Blaine unknowingly dated his half-sister. I hope they didn’t . . . I don’t want to imagine . . . anyway, that relationship is over now.”

“
So you’re stuck.”

“
I can’t see a way out. If I divorce Sara, I ruin a good friend, a Senator, a clergyman, and my son.”

“
And she’d just let that happen?”

“
I wondered about it too, especially with Blaine an unsuspecting victim. But yes, I believe she would. I tried buying her off. Arizona is a community property state. I offered more than she could expect to get in court; she refused. I even asked what it would take, she just wants to make me pay. I’m not even entirely sure for what. I didn’t intentionally hurt her. I didn’t start the affairs. I did try, Teri, but she’s bitter.”