Hi All, I'm sorry this is a very short chapter. The shit hit the fan today. I promise tomorrows chapter will be larger to cover. Love Billie
“One thing I did listen to my father about was birth control. I come from a very rich family. We had to be careful. I had always asked a lady if she was on the pill, but not all women tell the truth, so I have always used a condom. That’s why your story was such a shock to me. I have had women claim before I was the father of their child. It was always about money. It was never true, or so I thought.” Alex rubbed his free hand down his face before continuing. Looking again at Rebecca, slightly embarrassed by his next words. “I slept around a lot in my twenties. I was what you would call a man whore or hound dog. It becomes very boring as you get older.”Alex picked up his water to have a drink and was about to go on, but the waiter came over to take their orders. Cat ordered the chicken scallopini with only sparkling water as a drink. Cat liked the fact that Rebecca ordered more than just a salad. They both ordered the Mushroom risotto with a bottle of Siduri Sanda Barbara Pinot Noir.
Cat raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you intend to do with her?”Alex chuckled at her expression. “I’m not planning to harm her, Cat. But I can arrange a meeting with her. I’ll make sure she understands, to stay away from you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really pissed at her for allowing what happened to you to come about in the first place.”Cat’s face relaxed, realising he didn’t mean anything untoward. She understood his feelings towards Eva. “Eric gave her a warning. But it’s up to you. I don’t want her in my life or my children’s lives.”Alex nodded. “Leave it to me.”Cat thought for a minute before asking a question of her own. “Eva said she called your family home to let you know about me. Your father told her. He didn’t care and wouldn’t help pay a cent for a bastard child.” Cat looked down, not wanting to see his face in case he had been party to this view. Cat felt sick in the stomach for asking the question.Cat jumped slightly as Alex gently placed his hand beneath her chin,
“Eric,” Cat exclaimed in surprise, “how did you find me?” She knew she appeared guilty, and indeed she was, for having ditched her security detail and then leaving the apartment building against better judgment. But his discovery of her location puzzled her; she was certain no guards had tailed her. Then realisation dawned on her swiftly—there was only one possibility, and it stung that he hadn’t sought her consent. “You are tracking my phone, aren’t you?” Cat accused him.Eric, who had been glaring at Alex, turned sharply at her accusation, fixing her with his intense gaze. “You can say that now when I find you having lunch with Alex McDonnell. You lied to me. You told me you were sick. Cat, you don’t look sick to me, just guilty.”The fact that he had installed a tracker on her phone made her feel violated; she wasn’t an object to be monitored. How dare he lo-jack her? She hid nothing on her phone, so she always left it out. But if he intended to use a tracking device, he should have
There was dead silence throughout the restaurant once Eric left. It took a moment for the reality of it all to hit Cat, and when it did, she sagged. If it hadn’t been for Alex holding her up and placing her into a chair, Cat was sure she would be sitting on the floor. In the space of 10 minutes, her life had completely disintegrated in front of her eyes. She would have no job, no home, and no marriage. Sneer panic overwhelmed her, and Cat started to hyperventilate.Above the roaring in her, Alex could be heard shouting at the staff. “Get me a glass of water.”Water? who needed water at a time like this? She needed a shot of brandy or scotch straight up. But it was one indulgence she couldn’t have, even if it was to calm her down. She was pregnant. Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over and running down her face. Lifting a hand, she wiped them away almost absentmindedly. A glass of water came into her view, which she took. Not sure what else to do. She wanted her mum; she wanted Dawn.
Eric stormed back into his offices, making Jo look up in surprise. Seeing his face like thunder, she hesitated for a moment before saying.“Eric, there are messages.” Jo charged ahead.“Not now.” Eric snapped at her, not even looking in her direction.“Some are urgent.” Jo persisted.“Jo, fuck it, I said not now.”Jo flinched at his harsh tone. Eric didn’t pay any attention. Heading straight to his office, slamming the door shut with such force it vibrated throughout the room.Jo frowned after her boss. Normally, if Eric was angry, he would go deadly quiet. Not this seething, visible anger. “Wow, I wonder who pissed him off.” Maybe she should message Cat and find out if she knew. Jo lined up Eric’s messages and sent him an email instead.Eric walked back and forth in his office. Cat had been behaving differently for days. Behaving oddly and guiltily. Now he understood why.It had shocked the hell out of him when Peters had called to say he had checked the apartment and found Cat missin
The next morning, Cat was up early, determined not to wallow in sadness. She had calls to make and plans to finalise. The previous night, as she struggled to sleep, she had made a decision.If Eric wanted back in her life upon learning the truth, he would face a daunting challenge - not just a steep hill, but a mountain to climb. He had been wrong and had hastily jumped to conclusions, without allowing anyone the time to explain.After taking another shower to relax, Cat felt refreshed and more alive. She picked up her phone and made her way downstairs. Outside on the terrace, Cat found Rebecca enjoying breakfast by the pool. The day was clear and blue, a perfect morning. Grateful that she had chosen to wear loose linen pants and a singlet top, Cat moved to join Rebecca.As soon as Cat stepped out of the back door, Rebecca got up and greeted her with a hug. “I know this might not be the best time to ask, but how are you feeling?” Rebecca questioned, leading Cat to sit down with her.Af
After breakfast, Cat told Rebecca she would need to make some phone calls, which Rebecca said. “I hope one is to his mother. Allison is a lovely lady and I cannot see her at all happy with this turn of events.”Cat was uncertain about how Allison would react if she had heard from Eric about his accusations against her.Yesterday, Cat couldn’t bring herself to address the issue, but now, after clearing her head, she felt ready to talk about it. She just hoped she could maintain her composure and avoid breaking down.While Cat would have preferred to speak to Dawn first, when she glanced at the time and realised she needed to inform Allison that she wouldn’t be coming in today... or ever.Dialling Allison’s number, Cat was glad Allison answered after only three rings. From her first words, Cat could tell that Eric had said nothing yet. “Katherine, are you still not well?” came her concerned mother-in-law’s voice over the phone.Cat didn’t respond immediately, taking a few deep breaths wh
The next call Cat made was to Dawn. Cat’s foster mother was concerned about her once she had heard what had happened yesterday.But Dawn was also staying open to the fact that they could get back together and work things out. “It could just be one big misunderstanding. Marriage is about work, Cat. You don’t just get that piece of paper and stop trying to work at your marriage. There are going to be fights and misunderstandings. You just need to come to an arrangement about how you will manage it.”“But mum, I have never heard you and dad fight ever.” This comment from Cat made Dawn laugh.“Not that you witnessed no. We did… do fight even now, but never in front of you. It’s almost impossible for two people to live together and not fight sometimes. When we first married, boy, did we disagree about almost everything? But over time, we got to understand each other better and accept each other’s differences. When that happened, the disagreements became less and less. Our rule was we never
Cat let out a soft giggle as Eric playfully pushed her down onto the bed, gently pulling off her camisole as he hovered over her. “You are so sexy. I love you more every day,” he whispered, his love for her evident in his voice.Cat groaned with desire as he slid her underwear down her legs, leaving her completely naked. They knew they only had an hour at most.With the assistance of their live-in nanny, Katie. Allison had taken their four-year-old twin boys, Jack and Michael, to the beach. Eric had insisted that Cat have a nanny to help with the boys, but only when she needed it. Katie’s room was conveniently located right next to the boys’ room. Cat adored being a mother, but twin boys could definitely be a handful.As Eric moved away from the bed to remove his shirt and pants, Cat stretched out on the bed, eagerly watching her stunning husband undress. A delicious warmth spread through her body, causing her skin to tingle with anticipation. He made it a point to tell her he loved he
They didn’t stick around for the police to arrive; it wasn’t as if they were fleeing the scene of a crime; the perpetrator was still there. Eric informed her that when the police wanted a statement, they could find them at the hospital and get statements after the babies had arrived. Claudia wasn’t going anywhere but a jail cell or another mental hospital.Getting Cat to the hospital was their top priority. She agreed with him, especially as another wave of pain hit her. Evan took the wheel so that Eric could sit in the back with Cat. She leaned into him, squeezing his hand each time the pain intensified. Cat noticed him wince a few times. It was a small comfort that he only felt a fraction of the pain she was going through.“Breathe,” Eric instructed, employing the breathing techniques they had learnt together. Cat stared at him for a moment, wondering if he was joking. How could she focus on her breathing when they were racing through traffic, desperately trying to reach the hospital
“How did you get in?” Cat asked as her mind raced. What was she going to do? Did she have time to wait for someone to save her, or did she need to save herself?“It was incredibly simple. After you left yesterday, did you even take a moment to check if anyone was trying to sneak under the garage roller door? I simply waited until you all drove away and swiftly ducked under the door.”“So you have been here since yesterday?” The sick feeling was back in her stomach, the thought of Claudia having free rein in the house last night and lying in wait for this morning. Picking the best time to come out of her hiding spot.“Yes, it was easy, like I said. I bought provisions with me, of course, and fresh water was available.” Claudia pointed to the tap on the kitchen island.Cat didn’t look towards where she was pointing, unable to take her eyes off the madwoman in front of her and the gun in her hand.“Unbelievable,” thought Cat. She couldn’t fathom how Claudia had managed to reach her so eas
After four weeks had passed, there was still no word from Eva. Everyone had collectively reached the conclusion that her sudden disappearance resulted from Eric and Alex’s conversation with Cat’s birth mother. It seemed that their discussion had the intended effect, causing Eva to flee the town.Cat was pleased because, even though she had nothing to be ashamed of, she still didn’t want to air her dirty laundry in public.It was bad enough with stories about Cat being Alex’s daughter, which she didn’t find so embarrassing, although there was a lot of speculation about how that came about. Who was Cat’s mother? It wouldn’t be long before they found out she had gone into foster care. Hopefully, the trail ended there and a new story would distract the media away from her life story.They have been coming out to the new house every weekend, since Cat had moved back in with Eric. Their purpose is to oversee the many changes being made to the place, as well as to meet with the painters and d
Later that night, Eric left the apartment to meet with Alex so both of them could deal with Eva. She didn’t ask to come and honestly didn’t want to.Eric said in parting. “Might be an idea to call Mum and Jo while I’m gone, so they don’t hate me so much.” Before kissing her on the mouth hungrily. Then he was gone. Cat thought about what he had said and realised maybe he was right and it would help her take her mind off her birth mother.Cat still hurt from the fact Eva wanted to make money off her in this disgraceful manner. But like the old saying went, you could pick your friends, but you can’t choose your family.For Cat, it just reinforced why she didn’t have Eva in her life to start with.Cat picked up the phone and called Dawn first. The first thing they talked about was the fact that Eric and she had sorted out their differences.Dawn was over the moon. Reminding Cat that marriage was about working on the relationship that just didn’t stop because you had a piece of paper. Cat f
When they pulled into the driveway of their new home. Cat saw that Alex’s car was already in the driveway. When they got out, Cat walked over to the car, seeing it was empty.Looking around, she couldn’t spot them. They might have headed around the house towards the beach. Eric took her hand in his as the guards fanned out. Evan walking closest to them. As they neared the house, Alex and Rebecca rounded the side of the house, heading back their way. When Rebecca and Cat saw each other, Cat let go of Eric's hand and Rebecca did the same with Alex. They walked faster to meet each other halfway. The women embraced as if they hadn’t seen each other in months.“I’m so happy for you.” Rebecca whispered in her ear. Just before the men reached them.Alex leaned in to kiss Cat on the cheek. They had found it harder to have a normal father daughter closeness. Cat knew it was new for them both and she would be uncomfortable if he swept her into his arms to hug and kiss her like Rebecca had done.
It was lunchtime before they left the bedroom. Her only motivation to get up had been the promise of seeing the progress on the house.Cat fixed them some sandwiches while Eric called the security team to let them know. They would leave in 30 minutes and to have the cars ready to go.Then he sat down beside her to enjoy the food she had prepared. Which wasn’t much. Just chicken and salad on rye. Cat got up to get the mayo out of the fridge, handing it to Eric. Before sitting down to her own sandwich.Eric offered the mayo to her. Cat shook her head, taking a bite. Thinking for a moment. “I want to invite Alex and Rebecca to the house if they are free.”Eric frowned at her. “Cat…”“Eric, before you say anything, remember, he is my father. If you have a problem with him, you need to sort it out. I want him and Rebecca in my life and the lives of our children. I think after I just came home with you last night, it would be good to clear the air and let them know I’m ok… we are ok.”Eric e
Eric’s hands moved up and down her back, causing warmth to spread through her body. She had missed this and him while she had been gone. Their quick coupling at the charity event hadn’t satiated her. it had been fun and exciting. Cat had never had sex like that before with so many people in the next room. She should be embarrassed that Evan had heard it all. But somehow she wasn’t. Did that make her an exhibitionist, or was she so comfortable with Evan she had thought so little about it after she had walked out and found him waiting?Pulling back so she could see Eric’s face. “You know Evan stood guard outside the Cleaner’s closet last night, don’t you? He heard everything.”Eric smirked. He didn’t seem to care about this bit of information. “So?”“It might not be a big deal to you, but I’m not used to having sex like that.”Eric shook his head. “Making love Cat. Having sex is not what we are about. Having sex is so casual. Almost meaningless.”Cat’s heart swelled at his words. She kne
Cat fixed her eyes on him, wondering what he had to tell her. But she knew he needed to hear her side of the tale first. “When Eva came to the office, she tried to blackmail me for money. She claimed that if I paid her, she would reveal my father’s name to me.” Cat couldn’t hide from the truth as she kept her gaze on his face.Eric frowned, expressing his disbelief. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” he said.Cat chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “Honestly, my childhood was far from pleasant. I wanted to shield you from as much of it as possible. It’s a dark part of my past. You saw Eva, Eric. She looks like someone you’d find on a street corner. It’s embarrassing to have any connection with her. The day they removed me from her care, I was terrified, but the day they took me away from her was the best day of my life.”Cat’s confession hung heavy in the air as Eric processed her words. He had always known that Cat had a difficult past. He reached out and took her hand, offering