A Life Without Fear (Life #2) Read online

  “Oh, heaven’s no.” Charlotte goes pale.

  “God damn it, when is he going to learn?” Blake stands abruptly and looks at his father. “We can’t bail him out every single time he gets into trouble, Dad. He’s a grown man and he needs to learn there are consequences to his actions. Especially around Gracie, she shouldn’t have to be exposed to her father’s behavior when he’s acting this way. What did he do to get arrested?”

  Michael looks uncomfortable, he lowers his head not making eye contact, seemingly ashamed of the words he’s about to speak.

  “He slapped Alicia.”

  “God no.” Charlotte is out of her chair quickly. “We have to go to Gracie. Oh, my sweet grandchild, can you imagine what she must be thinking after seeing her father hit her mother?” Michael grabs Charlotte in his arms. “Michael, what did I do wrong? How could he lay a hand on a woman?”

  “Don’t you even think that this has anything to do with your parenting, Char.”

  “Dad is right, Mom. Don’t you dare think this has anything to do with you. Jon is making these mistakes all on his own.”

  I feel so out of place right now. This should be a private family matter and here I am in the middle. Worse is that they most likely know what I almost did with Jon. I want to run home so badly, but I know I can’t, Blake wouldn’t let me. What a mess!

  “Sweetie, forgive us, but I think it would be best if we went to see Alicia and Gracie,” Charlotte tells Blake.

  “I can go home. You should all go,” I say to them all.

  “No, I’ll stay with you. My parents are fine to go without me. I don’t want to overwhelm Alicia anyway.” Blake captures my hand and squeezes it. “Mom, Dad, please let me know if they need anything. I’ll make sure it happens.”

  “We will darling.” Charlotte walks around the table and pulls Blake into a warm embrace. Michael follows suit. “Angelica please forgive us for our sudden departure. It’s been a wonderful evening with you. You’re a blessing to our Blake, you make him so happy.” She hugs me tightly and I return the hug this time. Her words have made my eyes watery.

  “I’m sorry this happened to your family. Give Gracie an extra hug from me,” I say to her.

  “I’ll do that honey. Thank you.” I hug her tightly again then go to hug Michael.

  We all say our goodbyes then his parents quickly dash away to the elevators. As Blake sees them off, I return to the dining room to clean up our plates.

  “Stop Angelica, someone will take care of that in the morning. Come with me.” He extends his hand out for me to take, I take hold and follow him back to the living room. He pulls me down onto his lap and wraps his arms around me. “I’m sorry for the way the evening ended, please don’t think anything he did or does has to do with you. Jon is going through some shit and isn’t dealing with it well. I don’t want you to think about him.” He turns my head, so I’m looking into his eyes. “Thank you for meeting my parents, they loved you.”

  “They are wonderful. You’re lucky to have them.”

  “I am. Will you stay with me tonight?”

  “Of course.”

  “I promise you won’t be late for work.” He kisses me gently.

  “Always so thoughtful.”

  “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

  I follow him to his bedroom. The room is large, the four post bed in the middle of the room is huge, a California king has nothing on it. What’s even more eye-catching than the bed is the view. The floor to ceiling windows must be in every room in his penthouse. Walking to the glass I can see everything. Central Park looks breathtaking from this vantage point. The city is lit up with lights from every building. The park is lit by lamp posts, lining the sidewalks. The roads are littered with headlights, even at this late hour of the night the streets are packed with cars. I just love the city, this view reminds me why even more.

  “Blake this view is stunning, how do you ever leave your room?” I feel him walk behind me.

  “It’s difficult, the view is stunning, I could look at it all night long.” I turn and see he’s staring right at me.

  “We’re talking about the view outside right?”

  “No,” he replies bluntly.

  “You sly, sly, man.” I walk up to him and kiss him deeply. “Before you get carried away can I borrow something to sleep in?”

  “Of course.” He disappears into his closet and returns a short time later with an oversized T-shirt. “I hope my old Columbia shirt will suffice.”

  “It’ll do just fine, thank you.” I take the shirt from him and he points me in the direction of that bathroom which is huge. It has a walk in shower on the far left with jets coming out of every wall. There’s a Jacuzzi tub that looks like it could fit four people comfortably on the opposite wall of the shower. The mirror in the middle is a massive floor to ceiling. The sink is a double, one side has all of his toiletries, and the other is empty. Tugs at my heart a little. I have the same issue in my place, it’s like the universe is saying there should always be two in a home and here Blake and I are ignoring it.

  Quickly changing out of my dress, I slip on the shirt that hangs mid-thigh. I wash my face with water and brush my teeth with my finger. I could use his but the thought of sharing a toothbrush is gross. I place my clothes and shoes nicely on the counter then make my way back to him.

  He’s sitting on his bed already changed into blue flannel pajama pants and no shirt. Sweet Jesus the man is fine. I just lean against the door frame and stare at him while he checks his phone. His feet are bare, one on the bed and one on the floor. His stomach is ripped in all the right places, his back is muscular and his whole body is perfectly tanned. He eventually looks up and catches me ogling him. He smiles and pats next to him. I walk over to the bed then crawl next to him. He pulls back the blankets for me. God, he’s perfect. Once we’re both in bed and settled, he pulls me close and kisses the back of my neck.

  “Goodnight Angelica.”

  “Goodnight Blake.”

  Without another word, I fall asleep yet again in his arms.

  Waking up still wrapped in Blake’s arms, I feel his breath on my shoulder. I lift my head slowly to try and find a clock and notice one sitting on the nightstand; it reads 4:15 a.m. Good God why can I not sleep in just a tiny bit? What the hell is wrong with me? Well, now I’m up and my bladder is screaming, so before I pee all over the bed, I slowly creep out of his arms and pad my way to the bathroom. I pee and finger brush my teeth again when I step out of the bathroom Blake is still asleep. He looks so young when he’s sleeping. I slowly walk out of his room and make my way to his dream kitchen. Opening the fridge, I check to see if he has anything in there to cook with and to my surprise it’s filled with all sorts of goodies. Doing a little skip, I grab everything out to make breakfast, looks like veggie omelets it is. I go through every drawer and cupboard in the kitchen to find what I need, but I eventually find a cutting board and a knife. I start chopping then sautéing the vegetables, then I begin to beat some egg whites—I have to cut some calories where I can. I pull the veggies out of the pan then spray it with non-stick spray and add some eggs. As I’m rolling the pan to get the eggs in that perfect circular shape, I hear footsteps coming down the hall. Looking up just as a shirtless Blake walks into the kitchen. Yum.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” he says in his morning deep come fuck me voice.

  “Good morning, Blake. I like your morning voice, it’s sexy,” I remark.

  “Are you insinuating that my everyday voice isn’t sexy?”

  “Never, your everyday voice is perfect.” I kiss him on the cheek. “Now go sit, your omelet is almost ready. I’m not sure what you like and don’t like, so you’re just going to have to humor me and eat what I put in front of you.” Blake struggles to hold in his grin. “You sick fuck that’s not what I meant.” I laugh at his naughty thoughts then plate his omelet and hand it to him.

  I make mine next. Everything is prepped so it takes only a few minutes. Blake doesn
’t start eating his until I’m sitting beside him. We both dig in. He moans his approval and devours his in five minutes flat. I take a little longer. While I eat, he cleans up the mess I’ve made while I watch the muscles move in his back as he puts stuff back in the fridge. Whoever thought a back could be so sexy? Once I’m done, I take my plate to the sink and rinse it. Together we head back to his room and change for the day. He changes into a nice new clean suit. I, on the other hand, need to do the walk of shame in yesterday’s dress—classy.

  “Could you drop me off at Joey’s? He had a rough day yesterday and I just want to check on him before work,” I ask Blake as he slips on his shoes.

  “Of course, is he okay?”

  “He will be, it’s just some family issues,” I respond.

  “Well, don’t hesitate to let me know if he needs anything.”

  I walk over and kiss him passionately. Not only does this man care about me but also Joey. He’s perfect. He returns the passion and slips his tongue into my mouth, we make out for a few minutes before I break away from him. We stare into one another’s eyes and just smile. Such a perfect moment. After that, we make our way out of his penthouse and to the waiting town car on the curb. When he called them, I have no idea. The drive to Joey’s is annoyingly slow; cars and taxis all jam-packed in the streets. Thank God I woke up early, I don’t do late. We finally make it to Joey’s loft right as he’s walking his latest conquest out to a waiting taxi. Classy! Although I guess, I’m in the same boat.

  “Who’s that?” Blake asks from next to me.

  “Who knows, some model slut like usual. I’m sure,” I respond dryly.

  “I thought Joey was gay?”

  “He is, mostly. He sleeps with women on a rare occasion.”

  “I see,” his voice has gone serious.

  “Are you okay?” I ask him.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” he quips.

  I don’t have time to dig deeper into his mood change. Joey sees us pull up and swears under his breath. I step out of the car before Blake can make it over to open my door. Joey’s helping the girl get into the taxi, but she stops before getting in and turns to look at me.

  “Who’s this? Your girlfriend? No wonder you slept with me, look at her,” no name girl says to Joey.

  “Are you fucking mad, get in the damn taxi and leave,” Joey yells back at her.

  “No. Is this why you made me leave so early? Early shoot…my ass.”

  “Bitch, you have two seconds to get in that taxi before I pull those nasty blonde extensions out of your head and sit on your skinny ass body with my fat one. Do you understand?” I say to her from Blake’s side.

  “Please, you don’t scare me. Do you know who I am?”

  “A whore?” I ask innocently.

  “Whoever you are, I’d suggest you get in that taxi and leave before I call your agent and make sure you never get work again,” Blake tells her in a very firm tone.

  “Whatever. Fuck you Joey, thanks for standing up for me.” With that, she gets in the taxi and it speeds away.

  “You sure know how to pick ‘em, JoJo.”

  “Shut up Ang, I don’t want to hear it. What are you guys even doing here this early?”

  “I wanted to check on you asshole, I was worried.”

  “Well, don’t be. I’m fine and now I’m going back to bed if you don’t mind.” He turns to go back to his loft.

  “Don’t be a dick, Joey. I’m not the one that fucked up. Don’t take it out on me.”

  “That’s why I’m going back to bed, Ang. Just go to work, I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Whatever fucker.” I turn on my heels and head back to the waiting car.

  Blake runs in front of me and opens the door. We drive back to my house in silence. What a fucking morning, I’m going to tear Joey a new asshole later. How fucking embarrassing. What the hell did that twig bitch mean by her comment? I’m no model, but I’m not ugly. At least I don’t think I am. Fucking girls—I hate them all, catty bitches. We pull up to my house and Blake hops out to open my door. I slide out and start heading up my steps. When I turn to thank him, he’s stopped at the bottom of my stairs.

  “Um, is everything okay?” I ask him.

  “Have you ever slept with Joey?” he asks me point blank.

  “Are you fucking kidding me? No, I haven’t slept with Joey. He’s like my brother.” I shake my head in disbelief. What the fuck? “Where’s this coming from? What if I had said yes, Blake? What would you have thought?” I’m fuming now. How did my morning go to shit so quickly?

  “It was just a question, Angelica. I thought Joey was gay, I never knew he was bisexual.”

  “What does it matter what he is?”

  “It doesn’t matter what he is. I just never thought there was ever a chance of the two of you being together.”

  “There isn’t, don’t turn this into something it isn’t Blake.” I turn around and pull my keys out of my purse. I unlock my door and step inside. “Bye Blake, thanks for the ride.” I don’t know what he says next because I slam the door and lock it.

  Running up the stairs to my room to get ready, but I can’t concentrate to save my life. My heart is racing and I desperately want a pill. I know I won’t take one, but now I’m pissed at Joey and Blake for making me want to take one. I go to the bathroom and wet my face with freezing water to try and snap myself out of my mood. Moving into the closet, I find a navy blue pantsuit and crème colored heels. I change quickly, apply minimal makeup and throw my hair up in a neat bun. I’m out the door by 6:30 a.m. I lock up the house and head down the stairs when I see the town car still waiting on the curb, only Blake is not in it. Adam walks out to meet me on the sidewalk.

  “Why are you here? Alone?”

  “Blake took a taxi to work and asked me to stay to give you a ride.”

  “That’s not necessary. I’m perfectly capable of getting myself to work,” I respond in a bitchy tone.

  “He thought you might say that I’m simply an option should you chose it.” He smiles at me. “I should also mention there may or may not be coffee and a bagel in the car waiting for you.” His dimples pop out.

  “Damn it, Adam.” I smack him playfully then start walking to the car. “You know how to get me, every time.”

  He opens my door and I sit down next to a nice new shiny Starbucks travel mug and a bagel. Oh so thoughtful, I need to stay mad at him for being a jerk about Joey, but I’m losing the battle.

  “He thought you might like that cup,” Adam says as he starts to drive me to work.

  I smile into my new coffee cup and take a sip of the deliciousness it contains. Damn it, Blake, why are you so perfect? Most men would dwell on shit all day, not him. Oh no, he has to try and fix his wrong immediately, the perfect bastard. The traffic today is insane, the closer it gets to December I swear the more people flock to the city. I know tourists help the city so much, but damn it, they’re annoying sometimes. Once we arrive, Adam runs out of the car and opens my door.

  “Thank you, Adam.”

  “You’re welcome, Angelica.”

  Hurriedly, I head inside. It’s freezing, my full-length coat is not sufficient enough to keep the cold out.

  “Good morning Angelica, it’s getting cold, isn’t it?”

  “Hey Charlie, yes it is. I hate being in it. I’d rather be at home snuggled next to the fireplace with a good book.”

  “Now that sounds like the perfect way to spend a day,” he responds.

  “Doesn’t it, though? Have a great day, Charlie.” I call back heading to the bank of elevators.

  “You do the same, Angelica.”

  Traveling in the elevators to my floor, I go straight to my office. I situate my stuff then dig into the bagel. I know I’ve already eaten an omelet, but I don’t care. I could eat bagels all day every day, plus it’s the thought that makes it taste even better. The work day starts as people make their way to the office. Alan and Greg are on location today working closely with a photogr
apher doing work on one of our promotions. Today Samantha, the intern is shadowing me. I’m mainly tying up loose ends and following up with customers, but she doesn’t mind. We talk about the ins and outs of the business and about her desire to hopefully join our team one day. She’s a very smart girl, she is going to do great in this business, and I will definitely be telling Bill that he needs to hire her. Around lunch time, we start to put files away so we can head to the diner around the block. As we’re both getting our coats, a large vase of flowers is delivered to my office. I sign for them then ask him to place them on my desk.

  “Wow, those are beautiful plumerias,” Samantha observes. “Are they your favorite?” she asks.

  “They certainly are.” I don’t need to read the card to know who they’re from, ever the thoughtful man. I pick the card out of the flowers and read the note silently to myself.

  Forgive my barbaric behavior, Angelica, I am sorry.

  Short and sweet. I didn’t even have to tell him he fucked up, he just knew. Sweet Jesus this man is too much. I put the note in my purse and we make our way to the diner. Samantha is quite the talker so lunch went by fast. She told me all about her life and her boyfriend, and it was nice. On the walk back to the office, I text Blake thanking him for the ride, coffee, and flowers. Once back in the office we go right back to work. The day goes by quickly. Samantha and I get a lot done and are even able to prep for a meeting coming up next week. We wrap up our day around 6:00 p.m. On my way out of the office I check my phone and see still no response from Blake, that’s odd. I thought I might even have a text from Joey, but nothing there either.

  Humph, fuck ‘em both then. Sticking my phone back in my bag I step to the curb to hail a taxi when I see the town car.

  “Angelica.”

  “Adam,” I respond.

  “Blake has had something rather important come up and he will be out of town for the next few days. He’s asked that I be your driver while he is out,” he says to me.

  “Is everything all right?” I ask.