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  Charlette, who had just returned from an extensive trip to New York had learned about Laura through a mutual friend and subsequently hired a private investigator to dig up information on Laura. Needless to say, I was furious when she barged into my home one night, demanding that I end my affair, handing me a file filled with information on Laura’s past relationships, all wealthy, powerful men. A gold-digging whore, I believe was the term Charlette used in describing Laura.

  She was taken aback when I ordered her to leave my home, threatening to not only divorce her but inform her mother of the affairs she herself had been in since our marriage. The threat was an empty one but Charlette backed down, apologized and made sure to stay out of my affairs from then on, which I had been thankful for until today!

  My phone started to vibrate and I practically sprinted to it, hoping that it was Emily. I needed for her to hear me out. Why did she have to be so damn stubborn!

  I grabbed the phone and answered without even looking at the name of the caller. The sound of the woman on the other line was the very last person I wanted to speak to.

  “Darling, did you get my text?” she asked and her voice was joyous and light, which only grated on my nerves. She had just cost me Emily and she had the nerve to sound carefree!

  “What is it that you want Charlette, this isn’t really a good time,” I muttered, trying my best to stay calm.

  “Well excuse me Mr. Grumpy, someone surely woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” I could imagine her holding her dainty little hand against her heart as she spoke.

  “No, I woke up in a wonderful mood, until you ruined it!” I blurted out without thinking.

  I knew it really wasn’t completely Charlette’s fault but I was just so hurt that Emily walked away from me, away from us… not thinking I was worthy enough to hear out. The fact that this was now the second time Charlette had interfered with my love affairs, didn’t help at all.

  “Well put that sour puss mood of yours aside Mon mari, my husband, because I am just pulling up into the driveway,” she said right before she hung up. Great, that’s just what I need right now!

  Chapter Four

  “Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself.”

  ~ Oprah Winfrey ~

  EMILY

  I almost expected Julien to run after me, begging me to hear him out but he didn’t. He just simply stood there as I stormed out of the mansion. I wasn’t sure if I would have listened to him had he done so, but he didn’t even try and that hurt.

  I had called Suzie to come and pick me up once I got outside, realizing that I had no way to get home and no clothes to get home with. Thankfully she only took ten minutes to get to me but not before I saw someone pull into Julien’s driveway in a white Lamborghini. The wife!

  Even before she stepped out of the car I hated her, but when she opened the car door and I saw how gorgeous she was, I hated her even more. Yeah I knew it wasn’t her fault but it didn’t matter, she was his wife. She was a big reminder that I didn’t have a chance with him and never did. Did I really want a chance with him?

  She was elegant and poised as she walked into the house, without knocking. I guess she lived with him. Of course they live together Emily, he’s married!

  When Suzie pulled up a few minutes later, I didn’t even bother with pleasantries; I just climbed into the passenger side and told her to drive.

  “Umm… Em, where the heck are your clothes girl? Did Frenchman rip you right out of them?” she teased, still not driving, looking at me as if whatever I was going to say next would make her day.

  I didn’t want to go into the long story of what happened. I just needed to get away from this house, from any memory involving him. I could feel my tears burning my eyes and threatening to fall, but I pushed them back as best I could.

  “Just drive Suzie, please… just drive…” was all I managed to say.

  Suzie must have noticed the sadness in my voice because she didn’t say another word, as she placed the car into drive and peeled off.

  Thanks Suzie.

  We were quiet for the entire ride, as I laid my head against the window, thinking about the woman who I had seen entering Julien’s house. I knew I wasn’t an ugly girl, but she was stunning in every way. She had an obvious carefree attitude about her that I envied, especially now. What I wouldn’t give to have been able to see that text message and dismiss it, not caring at all because it didn’t faze me. But, I couldn’t… I was hurting, much worse than the hurt I had experienced with Adam, which I couldn’t understand. It was only one night...

  When we arrived at my place, Suzie turned toward me, seemingly hesitant to speak.

  “So, what happened Em?” she asked, her eyes sorrowful.

  I let out a long sigh and decided that it was best to just let it out. At least then I can see if I overreacted although I was pretty sure I hadn’t. What woman wouldn’t throw a fit at the realization that the only man who had captivated her body in a way that she never knew possible was married and hadn’t told her? The same man who had begged and pleaded for her to be with him, stay with him… How else would a woman respond?

  “He’s… married Suzie…” I murmured, trying my best to hold it together but failed. The tears had returned and I was now sobbing into my dear friends shoulder. “How could he be married and make love to me?”

  “I’m sorry Em… this is my fault. If I hadn’t pushed you into leaving with him then this wouldn’t have happened. I’m so sorry,” she softly said against my head as she continued to hug me.

  “It’s not… he’s the dude with the freaking wife… how the heck were we to know that!”

  “Well if you want, I could easily head back there and go ham on his car for ya, and you know I would!” she said humorously, causing me to giggle softly.

  I was always able to count on my friends to make me feel better. Diana and Suzie were always my supporters and I wasn’t sure what I would do without them.

  “Don’t tempt me Suzie or I just might let you do that,” I said smiling and pulling away.

  Suzie decided she would stick around my place to keep me company and keep my mind off of Julien. I told her that all I wanted to do was go to bed, but she insisted on staying anyway.

  The minute I got into my room I freed myself of the smell of Julien, throwing his without a doubt expensive, soft robe into the trash and throwing on a t-shirt and shorts instead. Finally.

  It didn’t take me long to fall asleep but after thirty minutes of slumber, Diana burst into my room.

  “He has a wife!” she screeched, as she plunged onto my bed, instantly waking me up.

  “What are you doing here Diana,” I muttered grumpily, throwing the sheets over my head.

  “Suzie called and told me what happened. I can’t believe he’s married. Are you ok?” she asked, tugging on the sheets.

  “Yes Diana, I’m great… I’m perfect in fact but you know what would make me feel even better? Sleep! Now get out and let me rest…” I screamed. I wasn’t trying to hurt her feelings but I realized that I did when I heard her sigh. I sat up on the bed, “I promise we’ll talk later, I just need to forget for now… please understand,” I pleaded.

  “I understand Em… I know it’s not personal. You forget I was around you when Adam cheated…” she said as she pulled the sheets back over me, giving me a kiss on my forehead, smiling as she walked away.

  I didn’t deserve her friendship, I knew that but I was grateful that she knew me so well, I thought as I laid my head back on my pillow, willing myself but to sleep. Within minutes, I was dead to the world around me, and dead to Julien, at least until I woke up.

  EMILY

  The sound of my phone singing ‘Beautiful’ by Christina Aguilera pulled me out of my slumber. Glancing at the clock, I realized it was after seven, I had slept the whole day away and for a split second I had forgotten all that had happened this morning, but as I sat up in search of my phone, the events came floodi
ng back into remembrance, and along with it came a sharp gut wrenching pain and traces of guilt. I had slept with someone’s husband. I was a home wrecker, a whore… I of course didn’t set out to be any of these things but that’s what the Frenchman had made me. Yes, I said Frenchman; I didn’t want to remember his name anymore.

  I climbed out of bed and fetched my purse from the corner of my room, retrieving my phone. I had several missed calls, some voicemails and a few text messages, all from one person… The Frenchman!

  I stared at the phone debating whether I should bother listening to his messages. There was really nothing left to say. He had cheated on his wife and lied to me, omitting vital information that would have without a doubt, changed the outcome of the last twenty four hours.

  The door opened and I saw Suzie peak her head through, “I heard you moving around. Are you ok?”

  I sighed, lifting up the phone to her, “He called, left voicemails and texted.” I glanced down at the phone in my hands confused by the duality of emotions running through me.

  “You gonna hear him out?” she asked in the smallest voice possible. It was obvious that Suzie felt guilty for encouraging me to leave with Julien last night but it wasn’t her fault. Julien hadn’t been wearing a wedding ring and it was his imposing on my night that caused her to believe it was a good idea to leave with him. It was his fault… and mines as well. I saw that look in his face and yet I allowed myself to sleep with him anyway. That would never happen again.

  “Not sure yet…” I responded, never breaking eye contact with the object in my hands.

  On one hand he didn’t deserve to be heard out after putting me in this position and on the other hand… last night had been amazing. Maybe there was a plausible reason for him not telling, although for the life of me I couldn’t think of one good reason as to why he wouldn’t have told me, or better yet why he would even approach me knowing all along that he was a married man, a man that had been vowed to another.

  With that thought I erased all his voice messages, texts, and cleared my call history, without bothering to listen to or read any of them. All that he needed to say to me now should have been said before and he didn’t deserve an opportunity to lessen any guilt he might have felt, if he felt any at all.

  Suzie walked up behind me and pulled me into her arms, “I’m sorry Em.”

  JULIEN

  I had done everything I could think of to get a hold of Emily but she hadn’t pick up her phone or respond to my ten text messages. Apart of me, the man my father had groomed me to be, wanted to just give up and believe that last night meant nothing to me but something inside of me just couldn’t let well enough alone. I needed to talk to her, to make her understand my situation but I didn’t know how, especially since she was obviously avoiding my calls. The woman was stubborn indeed!

  I hadn’t been back into the bedroom since the morning, hiding out in my office instead. I couldn’t stand to look at the bed and not remember our making love earlier that day. She had surrendered herself to me completely, obeying my commands. She was a goddess, my queen to ravish in any way I wanted and that drove me utterly mad. Was I losing my mind to allow one night to affect me in such a way? I wasn’t sure but what I did know was that I couldn’t let this end just yet, not until I had explored all that could come from our… relationship? I need a drink!

  I pushed off from my desk, got up and walked over to the bar, gabbing the scotch bottle, not bothering to pour it into a glass. Placing it on my desk, I stared at the bottle recalling the conversation I had earlier with Charlette.

  I wasn’t really nice to her when she walked through the house, practically singing my name in search for me. My emotions were all over the place. I was upset that Charlette’s text had made Emily run off, that Emily had gotten hurt by my not telling her, but mostly that she didn’t give me a chance to explain… instead she left me… no one leaves me!

  So when Charlette strutted into my bedroom, smiling from ear to ear… I held nothing back!

  “What in the hell do you want Charlette,” I barked at her, glaring at her with what was undeniably a look of pure evil.

  Her smile immediately fell but her annoying attitude was still intact, “Is that the way you speak to your wife Mr. Belmont? What would your father to say?” she said with her head slightly tilted up, showing her snobby ways.

  Wife… that one word pushed me completely over the edge as I walked straight up to her, mere inches away from her face, “Call whomever you please Charlette, I don’t care! Let’s get this perfectly clear… this is just an arrangement, you are not my real wife… I just want you to leave me alone! C'est c'que je veux. That's what I want. So unless we have an event to attend… stay out of my life!”

  I knew I was being harsh with her. It wasn’t her fault but at the time I just needed someone to blame, someone I could hurt because of how I was feeling. I had never experienced this type of pain and hurt before and I couldn’t hold on to my emotions. I knew my father would chastise me if he ever saw the way I was behaving but I needed to let this out.

  For a minute I thought I saw sadness in her eyes but she quickly steadied herself and responded, still holding my gaze “Is this about that girl standing in the driveway? Is that why you’re behaving this way?” she asked, puckering her red lips.

  Emily? Was she still outside? I ran to the window and just as I adjusted the curtain, I saw caught a small glimpse of her climbing into a black Toyota. It had never occurred to me to see if she was still outside and I kicked myself silently for being so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t think to check.

  I backed away from the window when the car was no longer in sight, bringing my hands to my head, when Charlette did something I hadn’t expected.

  “À la fin! Enough! You cannot lose yourself over one little woman my dear Jules. This woman, whom ever she might be, you must forget about her!” she announced before walking up to me. She placed her hand on my shoulder, “I have never seen you like this and I must say this behavior would not please your father. It’s obvious that she has done something to you to make you behave like this but no one woman is worth…”

  “She is worth everything! The Julien Belmont I was before, I can never be again Charlette…”I murmured as I strode past her, retreating to my office and slamming the door shut behind me.

  I stayed in the office even after I heard her leave, calling Emily, texting her and trying to research all of the restaurants in California to find her, but I had no luck. Maybe Charlette was right, maybe I needed to let her go. Somehow this woman had made me come, undone and it scared me.

  CHARLETTE

  Jules behavior regarding the American woman was shocking to say the least. Christopher, the investigator I’d hired to follow Jules for the past three years, called me last night to inform me of Jules’ newest conquest. Initially I wasn’t alarmed, but as morning came, he reported that woman hadn’t been sent away after their night together. Jules never allowed his mistresses to spend the night. So when this Emily woman hadn’t left, I decided to take a trip back to California to visit with Jules.

  She was nothing special! Just an average young girl who seemed too naïve to think that Julien could be interested in her for anything more than just a fling. I hadn’t expected for her to see my text to Jules but I couldn’t help but to enjoy the horrid look on her face as I drove up to Jules estate.

  For the past three years I have watched a variety of women rotate in and out of Julien’s bed and never has it lasted more than a few months. Surely this Emily woman would be just the same.

  I had to admit that Jules seemed a bit more interested in the briseuse de ménage, home wrecking whore. I wasn’t worried. Like the others, I would handle her and soon my plan would be in effect. All I had to do was track her down. It didn’t take long for me to find out who she was. I am Charlette Delacroix after all. There wasn’t anything in the world outside of my grasp.

  When I arrived at the address Christopher gave me, I wasn�
�t surprised. The apartment complex was as bland as her. The beige building was lost amongst a sea of similar complexes. The only thing that differed was the patterns of the cracked paint. Nothing about the place screamed the type of luxury that Jules and I were used to. Was she some kind of charity case?

  As I stood in front of her obviously run down door; I went over the speech I had prepared. If my plan was going to work, I needed to sound as convincing as possible. Emily would never be the wiser and Jules… well he wouldn’t know what hit him until it was too late!

  Chapter Five

  “How 'bout a shot of truth in that denial cocktail.”

  ~ Jennifer Salaiz~

  EMILY

  The rest of my weekend was a blur. I spent most of it in bed, trying to convince myself that I could stay home forever but Monday morning came and I had to get to work, despite my body’s urges to hide.

  I had finally gotten around to checking my emails last night and realized that while I was at home depressed about the Frenchman, the universe was plotting other ways to make my life hell. Great! Why can’t a girl get a break!

  Staff:

  As you all know, Thomas has been promoted to Sous-Chef and he will need an assistant. Those of you who are interested should let him know as soon as possible as he will be the one to pick his assistant.

  Best of Luck to you all!

  There was no doubt in my mind that Thomas would use his new found power to make all of the line cooks kiss his butt, but he had another thing coming. After the weekend I’d had, I was in no mood to deal with Thomas, job be damned. I made up my mind that when I arrived at work later, I would let it be known that I wanted nothing to do with the man or that stupid assistant position.

  I had two hours to get to work so I took the opportunity to relax a little after I took my shower. I poured myself some coffee and leisurely read the newspaper, something I hardly ever did. I was three pages in when a full page article captured my attention. No freaking way!