AKA Lexi Frost (Lexi Frost Series) (23 page)

“
Good to finally meet you, Bryan. Is suppressing the desire to beat Jess and Dev the biggest problem?”

Bryan
shrugged. “Probably just seems that way.”

“
Well, think about it, Kenny. While you’re waiting for your big break, think about how to make the most of the next couple of years while you’re awaiting Dev’s graduation. Psychology, marketing, writing classes.”

“
I’m a
musician
,” Kenny protested.

“
And from what I understand, you keep the band together and make the decisions. So in your spare time, maybe management classes.”

“
In my spare time I’m a musician.”

“
Doing what?”

“
Writing songs and learning the trade the best I can from where I am.”

“
Can you elaborate?” Paul settled himself and put on his interested-and-attentive face.

“
I learn all I can about the big names, not the groupie crap like favorite color or birthdays or whatever. I look at their lives and compare it to their songs. Also how they can describe something simple, but do it in a way that is elegantly emotional and makes you think, or feel, or brings your own memories to mind.”

“
You’re serious about this,” Paul realized.

“
You’re the stalker, I would’ve thought you’d figured that out by now,” Kenny retorted and stormed out the back, leaving Paul in a stunned silence.

Later, after most of the kids were on dates or at a movie, Paul, Teri, Nicholas and Kenny sat in the dimly-lit backyard listening to crickets chirp and mosquitoes hit the bug zapper up by the house. Paul held Teri comfortably in his lap, she seemed to be content curled up with him.

“
So, you’re married,” Kenny said casually. He was coolly silent while Paul barbecued various cuts of meat, fruit, and vegetables, and Paul let it pass. He wanted to speak to Kenny privately anyway. The teenager had to know about his marriage to Sara and that needed to be addressed. Kenny also clearly didn’t like him and held a lot of sway with the boys, which amounted to two thirds of Teri’s household.

“
Kenny!” Teri sat up. Paul pulled her back down into her former position.

“
It’s fine. Yes, Kenny, I’m still married. Unfortunately that’s unlikely to change.”

“
So how’d you manage to talk Teri into sleeping with a married man?”

“
Kenny, this is not appropriate.” Teri prepared to continue her reprimand, but Paul stroked a finger teasingly across her lips to keep her quiet.

“
Actually I’m dying to know that one myself,” Nicholas added almost conversationally. His smile was friendly, and Paul still took Nicholas to be an ally. A little friendly banter was always enjoyable he decided.

“
You threw Flynn Peterson her direction,” Paul admonished lightly, dropping his hand from Teri’s lips to rest across her hips.

“
I did. It made you do something beside send her flowers because, let’s be honest, that wasn’t working,” Nicholas explained as casually as if they were discussing lawn care over a golf game.

“
That’s fair I suppose,” Paul agreed with a nod.

“
So how’d you talk her into -” Nicholas started again, but Teri interrupted.

“
No, wait a sec,” Teri sat up and looked at Nicholas, who cringed in anticipation. “
You
put Flynn on that plane to pick me up?”

“
I ran into Flynn the night before the flight and tipped him off. I set up a shoot with In Like Flynn again, by the way. I didn’t expect Paul to be on the flight, especially since he was supposedly avoiding Seattle.”

Paul nodded.
“That was an accident. I was supposed to fly out the night before, but something came up at work. Then the red-eye had to make an emergency landing in Denver, so I got routed by the airline up to Seattle then back down to L.A. It was a mess. I actually fought them on it because of the Seattle stop, but the alternative was to be late for the meeting and that was unacceptable. I gave in, reasoning that you would have flown in the night before.”

“
So what if Flynn succeeded in picking me up?” Teri stared hard at Nicholas.

Paul laughed at the idea
, but noticed Nicholas was still uncomfortable. Well, no time like the present to spread a little goodwill and bail him out.

“
Flynn’s married, honey.
Really
married. Not the -” Teri put a hand over Paul’s mouth. “I want to hear Nicholas wiggle out of this one.”

“
What Paul said.”

“
But
you
didn’t know he was married or you wouldn’t have encouraged him to begin with.”

Nicholas sighed.
“I figured Paul wouldn’t let him keep you even if Flynn did manage a date or two. I wasn’t overly worried.”

“
So my preferences were never taken into consideration? You bet on Paul, assumed Flynn didn’t really have a chance, and led him on anyway.” Teri’s voice sounded dangerous, and Paul felt for his new ally. Kenny was following the conversation thoughtfully, which concerned Paul more than Nicholas’s predicament. Paul trusted his instincts and they told him to stop this immediately.

“
Teri, honey, leave Nicholas alone. Flynn knew the score and he had no business pursuing you in the first place. I’ll tell you more about that later if you like.” He turned back to Kenny. “Back to the question at hand. Yes, I’m still married. I don’t want to be, but it’s unlikely to change any time soon. I promise it’s not for a lack of trying.”

“
You could get a divorce if you wanted to,” Kenny countered.

“
Kenny, I know it seems simple, but sometimes there are farther reaching effects to an action than someone intends. This isn’t a simple situation. I know your father’s firm put out a request for information about me. I assume that’s where this started.”

“
I spoke to Blaine.”

“
Blaine couldn’t tell you the entire story because I seriously doubt he knows it. I can’t see Sara telling him the truth, it would ruin her credibility with him.” Paul hesitated and finally looked to Teri for direction. She shook her head not to tell Kenny.

“
He said you’d say anything to get her back and you couldn’t be trusted,” Kenny said.

“
No doubt,” Paul nodded. “Blaine isn’t fond of me, none of my kids are. I tried to do the best things for them, even when it made me unpopular. I still do. Sara and I both made mistakes. I didn’t want to put down their mother, so I didn’t expose hers like she did mine. I’m still covering for her in a way, that’s why I can’t force the divorce. Blaine only sees me twice a year when I make him collect his allowance in person. He hates me for it, but I want to keep communications open. I have to believe that someday he’ll have the life experience to realize I’m not the bad guy.”

Kenny looked doubtful. Teri reclined against Paul
’s chest, and gave a supporting argument.

“
What matters isn’t the details so much as Paul explained his position, I thought it over and accepted it. I’m not happy that he’s still married, don’t get me wrong, but I understand why he can’t sue for divorce.” Teri hesitated and looked at Paul for a moment then back to Kenny. “The kids don’t know why I was upset and I don’t plan on telling them any of this.”

“
I’ll keep it to myself,” Kenny promised, his eyes still on Paul.

“
Kenny,” Paul said, “you were watching out for Teri when you started looking into my background. I’m not angry with you for that. It was inconvenient, but I appreciate she has people who are willing to watch her back. I should have told her earlier, so it’s my own fault all this happened. If I’d explained it earlier there wouldn’t have been this drama. I’m sorry if your part in any of this has made you uncomfortable.”

“
And Blaine?” Kenny asked.

“
I wish I could believe he was doing what he felt was best for his mother. I think he was really just trying to get back at me.” Paul paused; Kenny looked miserable.

“
Kenny, Sara and I have been separated since Blaine was young, it’s always been harder on him than Olivia or Chad. He got in fights defending his mother’s name. He saw the looks, saw her get dressed up and leave when I was away on business. He was old enough to know what was happening, but only chose to understand that Sara wasn’t happy with me. He’s fiercely loyal to his mother. I took him to baseball games, fishing, camping, skiing, helped him with school homework and projects, gave him advice on girls, tried to help him find a direction in life and be supportive; in short, to be a father. But in the end, he blames me for Sara’s unhappiness. I tried to divorce Sara several times, I offered generous settlements, and she refused. Suing for divorce is not an option at the moment.”

“
At the moment?” Nicholas asked.

“
If there were a plane crash that killed off a half-dozen specific people, I might give it a go.”

“
In three states. Aren’t you in an unusually optimistic mood?” Teri kissed him briefly.

“
I managed to get you back. I have to believe in miracles.” Paul smiled at her. Teri rewarded him with a long kiss.

“
Oh, I really don’t need to see this,” Kenny complained, throwing himself against the back of his chair.

“
You’re living here, get used to it,” Nicholas laughed.

“
Paul, we can’t just alternate between Seattle and New York,” Teri said as the driver dropped Paul off at his office. Paul spent a week in Seattle, survived, then returned to New York. After only four days Teri missed him and flew out to New York for a long weekend. They discussed it a little while cuddling in bed last night. But only very little and she didn’t really feel anything was resolved.

As long as it was summer
, and Nicholas could watch the kids, she shouldn’t worry, but she did. Kenny wasn’t happy. Dev wasn’t happy. Teri liked to have loose ends like this tied up into neat little bows whenever possible. There were enough loose ends dangling in her life already. Teri assumed Paul, being a businessman, would feel the same way, so his failure to take the morning off to address the problem irked her.

Paul cupped her chin in his hand gently and kissed her.
“We won’t, honey, don’t worry. I’ve spent the last week thinking over the same problem. I’m not going to keep dragging you away from home. It’s not fair to you or the kids.”

The door opened and Teri saw Tim standing outside
, looking as unhappy as Kenny and Dev when she left.

“
He’s upset with me, not you. I asked him to take you shopping today, and he would rather sit in on one of my meetings this afternoon,” Paul told her.

“
As a witness or bodyguard?”

“
Imposing presence. I’ll be fine, and I can still meet you for lunch.”

“
And tell me about your not flying back and forth all the time idea?” Teri asked.

Paul smiled and kissed her
, then turned to get out of the limo. Tim got in. The driver closed the door again. Paul walked away as Teri watched. As the limo pulled away from the curb, Teri finally turned back to Tim.

“
Don’t ask,” Tim answered before she could ask about the meeting Paul had today.

“
Hint?”

“
No.” Tim brought out a PDA and tapped on the screen. “I have a list of things to shop for, however.”

“
Just as well, since I don’t.” Teri sat back against the seat and let herself sulk.

“
New York is one of the shopping and fashion capitals of the world so we’re shopping for you and the kids. You first.”

Teri listened with a sinking sensation as Tim rattled off fittings and designers for a new wardrobe of work suits for her. She groaned when he mentioned he
’d picked out a few items for Cassie and Tiffany already that just needed her approval, although she didn’t mind as much when he mentioned making over the boys’ wardrobes. They needed it.

Deciding it was simply easier to approve whatever Tim already picked out
, they completely finished before lunch and headed back to the office instead of waiting at the club for Paul.

The meeting Tim was concerned about was scheduled for the afternoon
, so Teri’s idea of stealing Paul away early for a long, private, cozy lunch appealed to Teri and was strangely agreeable to Tim as well. She knew Tim kept secrets from her and, given she wasn’t part of Paul’s company, that was natural. Tim’s loyalty to Paul was absolute, but she could count on Tim as an ally if she could spin a suggestion to be presented as being in Paul’s best interest. Apparently a relaxing lunch was in Paul’s interest this time.

Teri saw herself to Paul
’s private office as Tim went to tell him they were back early. She was surprised to see a man sitting at Paul’s desk when she entered.

“
Oh, excuse me.” Teri started to turn around to leave, but stopped when recognition of the man set in. She looked again to be sure and examined him quickly. Short blond hair, slender, probably tall when he stood up. If he didn’t look so angry she might have thought he was a handsome young man.

“
Who are you?” he demanded.

“
Hello, Blaine,” Teri said, unsure where to go from there. Blaine seemed about to say something, but stopped as Teri closed the door behind her. He looked at a framed picture on the corner of Paul’s desk, then back at Teri.

“
You’re the new mistress.”

“
My name’s Teri.” She paced herself carefully as she walked to the sofa between the door and the desk. Going too slow would make Blaine believe she was afraid of him, but she didn’t want to seem to rush forward and startle the boy either.

Blaine
’s demotion from man to boy didn’t register consciously with Teri. He behaved like a child, therefore he was one. He might technically be older than the boys she had at home, but he was going to have to prove himself.

“
I know who you are,” his tone dismissed her as having any importance, but the way he glared at her told Teri a different story.

“
Of course you do. You spoke to Kenny a while ago. I understand he was asking questions about Paul. Did you have any questions for me?”

“
Stay away from my father. He’s married.”

“
Do you want your parents to work it out? Maybe reconcile after all these years?” Teri asked.

Surprise crossed
Blaine’s face, followed quickly by anger. His hands clenched in fists on the desk in front of her, knuckles white with the strain. Paul told her Blaine hated him, but she hadn’t really believed him. The idea of a son hating his father without some sort of abuse was beyond Teri’s comprehension, but the evidence stared her in the face.

“
You don’t seem to like your father much.”

“
He cheated on my mother.”

“
I know.” Teri noted the shock on Blaine’s face again. “Before me or Kayley, before they separated. Paul told me.” Teri waited. She couldn’t really say anything about Sara, it wasn’t her call. She didn’t even want to hint, so she just waited.

“
He’ll dump you too, you know,” Blaine sneered. “He even cast Kayley aside, and she was a model.”

“
Possible, I suppose, but I doubt it. Besides, Kayley helped Paul coax me into going out with him. If it hadn’t been for Kayley we never would have met.”

“
He’s still got pictures of Kayley in his desk drawer. Nudes that he had taken professionally. They’re bound in a leather photo album. Would you like to see?” Blaine pulled open a drawer and pulled out a black leather book. Teri was tempted to misbehave and let Blaine show her.

“
I’ve seen them actually. I can’t see Paul offering to show them to you though.”

“
He showed them to you?” Blaine dropped the book on the desk in astonishment.

“
As I mentioned, Kayley and I know each other. I remember when those pictures were taken. I’m not upset Paul has them, if that’s what you were hoping for.”

The door opened and Tim walked in. Teri looked at him long enough for him to see that she was okay before she turned back to
Blaine. Blaine’s previously flustered appearance paled now that his father’s assistant and enforcer was here.

Teri wanted to kick herself for not realizing earlier. This was the meeting Tim was concerned about. Tim wanted to be nearby when Paul met with his son
, but Paul didn’t want
her
anywhere near the building while Blaine was here. They returned early to pick up Paul for lunch, but Blaine was even earlier.

Tim left the door open and his eyes on
Blaine as he took one step back into the hall and signaled one of the secretaries to retrieve Paul from his meeting.

“
Oh, let him finish!” Teri called and stood up. “I’ll go in the other office if it’ll make you feel better.”

Tim shook his head and motioned for her to sit again. Teri sat and waited while Tim spoke quietly to another secretary. Finally he joined them in the office and closed the door.

“Paul will be a moment,” Tim addressed Teri first, and she noted Blaine seemed offended by the perceived slight.

“
Are we still on for lunch?”

“
Doubtful.”

“
He needs to eat and we can both attest my company does not make him lose his appetite.” Tim seemed intent on ignoring Blaine for now so Teri invited him into some friendly banter. He was too tense.

“
No, but you do tend to distract him from eating on occasion.”

“
I feed him eventually.” Teri playfully waved away Tim’s concern and she could almost swear his momentary smile was genuine. “Besides, I’m already here.”

“
Yes, if I’d had any idea that would be problematic I would have taken you back home first.” Tim finally faced Blaine as he said this.

“
Well, maybe it’s good that I got a chance to meet Blaine. I know how much the kids mean to Paul. I’d like to meet them.”

“
We already have a mother, you’re superfluous,” Blaine said coolly, eyes leveled at Teri. She wasn’t impressed. She did the impassive make-a-child-squirm-in-their-chair look much better, and she wasn’t going to take the bait. As it turned out, she didn’t have to.

“
That’s enough, Blaine.”

Paul
’s arrival seemed to chill the room. Teri turned to face him as he closed the door again behind him, surprised that she hadn’t heard him open it. He looked upset, which is to say he appeared devoid of all emotion. Teri wasn’t used to seeing him like this and regretted now that she hadn’t left the office as soon as she recognized Blaine.

Paul walked to the sofa first. Teri stood and immediately felt Paul
’s arm circle her waist, his hand resting gently on her hip as he pulled her close. His lips brushed her ear gently in a darting caress Blaine couldn’t see from his point of view.

“
Are you all right, honey?” he whispered; concern tinged his voice with something else Teri could only guess was anger. She wasn’t accustomed to seeing Paul angry, so she wasn’t sure. If this was it, he was handling it remarkably well.

“
Yes, I’m sorry if we interrupted your meeting.” She placed a hand over his heart and slid it up along his chest to cradle the back of his neck in her hand, a motion that hinted slightly at the sensual caresses they shared the night before. Paul smiled in response.

“
Never mind that. I see you met Blaine.” He eased her back onto the sofa and briefly made eye contact with Tim. Teri caught the exchange, but didn’t know what to make of it.

“
Yes, we were just getting to know each other.”

“
I imagine,” Paul answered dryly. “Blaine, you’re usually so unhappy about coming out here to see me that I’m amazed you decided to show up hours ahead of schedule.”

“
I wanted to get this over with.”

“
So you came early, knowing very well that I was most likely otherwise occupied, on the slim chance that . . . what? I’d be able or willing to sneak you in between meetings? Or did you know Teri would be here?”

“
How would I know?” Blaine shrugged.

“
You’re resourceful enough.”

“
Well I didn’t. I told Mom about her of course. She knows.”

“
That’s fine. Sara always took an active interest in my private life. No doubt she’ll ask you all about Teri when you get home. That being said, I suppose I’ll have to lay some ground rules.”

“
Excuse me?” Blaine’s face was red with outrage.

“
I’m used to you, Olivia, and Chad doing what you can to make my life a little more colorful than I’d like, so I’m not surprised by your willingness to discuss my private life with Kenny. He asked, after all. Going forward, however, you’re going to start practicing discretion.”

“
You don’t want everyone knowing you have another mistress.”

“
Actually, I’m not worried about it. Other than answering Kenny’s questions, which wasn’t your place, you involved him in a conflict he shouldn’t have any part of. You’re more concerned about getting even with me for imagined infractions than in the immorality of hurting innocent people. My relationship with Teri is just that:
my
relationship with Teri. I’ll be talking to Olivia and Chad as well. I didn’t plan on introducing you yet. I was going to hold off a couple of months until after I’d had a chance to see how your brother and sister took it.”

“
Couple of months? But I won’t see you again until next year,” Blaine protested.

“
We’ll see. Since you’re on warning, you’ll be checking in a bit more often.”

“
That’s not fair, we agreed to twice a year.”

“
Which is more than you wanted and less than I did. Your behavior has consistently failed to impress me since you left New York, and I’m tired of it.”

“
I don’t have to.”

“
Since you haven’t seen fit to get a job and you’re living off the allowance I give you, I think you do.”