Chapter 4

Emerson

Jenna walked into the kitchen as I was cleaning up.

“Good morning, Emerson. How was your first night here?”

“Good morning. It was great. I slept like a baby in that bed.”

She laughed. “Good. Any problems with Mr. Parker?”

I twisted my face at her. “No. Why?”

“Just wondering. He can sometimes be a little, how do I say this, rude and insensitive.”

“Oh. So far, he seems okay.”

“Good. Have a nice day, Emerson.” She smiled as she left the kitchen.

Now that I was back in California, it was time to reconnect with some old friends. Friends I hadn’t seen in over eight years, but I kept in contact with here and there over Facebook. Best friends I deserted when I left and never looked back. I went to my room and opened up my laptop, pulling up the page of Christine Howl, my best friend back in high school. She was married now with a kid and living her life as a stay-at-home mom.

“Hi, Christine. I’m back in California for a while and I was hoping we could meet for lunch and catch up.”

It was a matter of minutes before she replied back.

“OH MY GOD! I can’t believe you’re back. Yes! Can you meet for lunch today? I’ll call Bayli and see if she’s available. I know she’d love to see you.”

“Today will be great. How about we meet at one o’clock at the Polo Lounge? We used to love that place.”

“Sounds great. I can’t wait to see you.”

“I can’t wait to see you too.”

Now I was going to have to call a cab. Walking into the kitchen, I saw a man talking to Jenna.

“Emerson, this is Phillip, Mr. Parker’s personal driver.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Emerson. I actually came here to introduce myself to you. Mr. Parker told me that I’m to drive you wherever you may need to go.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Just as long as he doesn’t need me.”

“You have perfect timing, Phillip, because I need to be at the Polo Lounge at one o’clock to meet a friend for lunch.”

“All right, the Polo Lounge it is.” He smiled. “We should leave around noon, so I’ll be back to pick you up.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

He gave a nod and left. He was a handsome-looking gentleman with his dark brown hair, green eyes, and a light beard. I pegged him to be in his late forties, maybe at the most, fifty. I couldn’t believe that Alex had asked him to drive me around. Maybe Alex Parker wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

I hopped in the shower, got dressed, and waited for Phillip to pick me up. When he arrived, he opened the door to the Bentley and I slid inside.

“So how long have you been driving for Alex?” I asked.

“About three years.” He smiled. “What brings you to California?”

“My brother, Adam. I really didn’t have a choice but to come back for a while.”

“Come back? Have you lived here previously?”

“Yeah. I grew up in LA.”

“Why did you leave?” he asked as he looked at me through his rearview mirror.

“It’s a long and boring story.”

We finally made it to the Polo Lounge and, as I climbed out of the car, Phillip handed me his phone number.

“Put my number in your phone and either call me or text me when you need to go somewhere. The latest I can pick you up is four o’clock.”

“That’s fine. If I’m going to be later, I’ll just catch a cab back.”

“Have a nice lunch with your friends, Emerson.”

“Thanks, Phillip.”

Before I reached the doors to the restaurant, I heard my name being called from the patio area. When I looked over, I saw Christine and Bayli waving me over to their table.

“Look at you,” Christine said as she hugged me. “You look amazing.”

“Thanks. So do you.”

“Long time no see, friend.” Bayli smiled as we hugged. It was like we were the Three Musketeers all over again.

As we were catching up, I glanced over and saw Alex being seated at a table across from us. He was with a beautiful, tall woman. He looked over, and when he saw me, an expression of shock overtook his face. I gave a small smile and continued my conversation with Christine and Bayli. After my second glass of wine, I excused myself to the restroom. When I came out, Alex was standing there waiting for me.

“Umm. Hi. Why are you waiting here in the hallway?”

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

I raised my eyebrow. “Having lunch with my friends.”

“What are you doing here?”

“The same thing you are.”

This was weird and it was making me uncomfortable.

“I didn’t know you had friends in LA.”

“Well, now you do. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get back to them.”

He glared at me for a moment. “Enjoy the rest of your lunch.”

“You too.” I patted his rock-hard chest.

Not too long after I got back to the table, Alex returned to his and continued his conversation with the tall, beautiful woman. I wondered if that was his girlfriend. As the two of them got up from their table to leave, Alex glanced over at me one last time. I pretended not to notice.

****

Alex

When I arrived home later that night around eleven o’clock, I saw Emerson in the pool. I stepped out on the patio and waited for her to finish her laps.

“Going for a late-night swim?” I asked.

“Yeah. It’s a beautiful night out.”

As she climbed out of the pool, I couldn’t help but notice her amazing body in her black bikini. Fuck. I grabbed the towel from the chair and handed it to her.

“Are you going to bed anytime soon?” I asked.

“Why? Do you want to join me?”

“Excuse me?” I spoke in shock.

“Relax, Alex. I was kidding.” She laughed. “You should have seen your face.”

“Very funny, Emerson. Sleep well.”

“I intend to. You do the same.”

“I will.”

“Good.” She smiled.

Chapter 5

Emerson

I was thrashing around in my bed. Calling out for help. I couldn’t breathe and my skin was heated. Before I knew it, someone was calling my name and shaking me.

“Emerson, wake up. You’re having a bad dream.”

I opened my eyes and froze when I saw Alex standing over me. I couldn’t catch my breath.

“I’m fine.” I sat up.

“You don’t look fine. You were having a nightmare. I could hear you screaming all the way upstairs.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

He sat down on the edge of the bed and the only thing I could focus on was his six-pack, or was it an eight-pack? I couldn’t tell because my eyes were still trying to focus on reality.

“Don’t worry about that. What was your nightmare about?”

“I don’t remember,” I lied. “I’m okay now. Please just go back to bed. This is awkward for you to be in here in nothing but your pajama pants and me in my nightshirt.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I promise you I’m fine.”

He got up from the bed and I gulped as I watched his lean, muscular body walk towards the door. “Sleep well.”

“I will. Thank you.”

He walked out and shut the door. I reached over and turned off the light, climbing back under the covers. This was the first time I had that nightmare in almost eight years.

The next morning, I got up before the sun rose and went for a run along the beach. The cool morning air awoke my senses and I was feeling good, despite last night’s nightmare. As I ran along the beach, I watched the sun rise and thanked God for another beautiful day. When I got back to the house, Alex was in the kitchen, sitting at the island and drinking his coffee. He looked at me in shock as I walked through the door wall.

“I thought you were still asleep.”

“Nah. I decided to go for a run and watch the sun rise.”

“Oh, well, there’s coffee over there if you want some.”

I reached in the cupboard and took out a cup. Suddenly, a man walked in the kitchen and went into the refrigerator. I arched my brow as I looked at him and then at Alex.