A Secret Love Affair

Chapter Four

                                                                                          (Marshall) 

             I wasn’t supposed to be here. I wasn’t the only one that knew this. Eyes trailed me as I walked into the hotel lobby where my brother and his bride to be where hosting their engagement announcement dinner. Not that it made much of a difference. Everyone already knew. The joy of social media was that nothing stays secret for long.

         My eyes searched the crowd for his face. I found him. He was talking to some black-haired girl in a rather alluring red dress. I appreciated her curves for a moment before I made my approach. I was halfway across the room when she turned. I froze. It was her. Emily. I blinked. Surely, I was hallucinating? What the hell was she doing here? Was she following me? 

         Her head thrown back, she laughed at something Tanner had said. Her hand travelled to his arm. My eyes widened. Good god. She was flirting with him. Her perfectly polished nails tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. They hadn’t seen me yet. I was able to observe their interaction from afar. Her attitude changed the second Jessica, his bride to be, made her approach. She placed herself between the two. The smile faded from her face, chin quivering a bit when his attention diverted from her to the blonde on his arm.

         My jaw tightened. I barely knew Emily but, for reasons unknown to even myself, I felt anger on her behalf. I watched Emily drift from the couple, tossed to the side now that Tanner had something else to occupy his attention. My brain warned not to approach. Unfortunately, my nether regions had a different idea.

         I found her at the bar. She clutched a glass of wine between shaking fingers. I could tell she wanted to drink it.

         “Thought you said you’d quit drinking?”

         She flinched so violently. the wine glass spilt all over the bar. She said some rather unladylike words before attempting to wipe up the mess. The bartender made his way over, shooing her away from the mess. She turned her anger to me.

         “Are you following me or something?”

         I blinked. “I can assure you I have better things to do with my time than follow you, my dear.” I took the now empty glass from between her fingers. “So, what brings you here?”

         “None of your damn business.” She returned with a hiss. “Leave me alone.” She turned to leave but I was having none of that. My hand reached for her, fingers wrapping around the inside of her wrist. I wasn’t expecting the connecting of her flesh against mine. She’d slapped me. She’d actually slapped me.

         “Don’t f*****g touch me!” She growled, on the verge of tears. Her eyes travelled over my shoulder. I didn’t need to turn to know who was currently approaching. She didn’t wait around. She retreated.

         “Marshall? What the hell did you say to Em?”

         “Nothing.” I offered with a shrug, turning to face my brother. My cheek still burned from the force of her anger. “I’m her boss.” I continued when it was clear he did not believe me. “She accused me of following her.”

         Tanner frowned. “Huh.” He ran his fingers through his curly mop. “So, what brings you to town?”

         I lifted an eyebrow, “Really?” I gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. “I heard about your engagement. Congratulations, man.”

         He grinned. “Thanks. But how- “

         “Jessica!” I exclaimed as the petite blonde sauntered over. “Long time no see.”

         Now it was Tanner’s turn to be confused. “You two…. know each other?”

         “Oh, we go way back.”

         The look on her face was almost worth the trouble I’d gone through in the past few days. Almost. She laughed nervously, looping her arm around Tanner’s. “Marshall! It has been ages! I didn’t expect to see you…until the wedding.” She focused her attention of Tanner. “It was supposed to be a wedding gift.”

         “I couldn’t stay away.” I commented with a shrug. “Oh, by the way, I just scored the VIP position at Sanford & Sanford. So, I’ll be around.”

         “That’s dad’s firm.”

         I nodded. “I’m aware.”

         The three of us made some small talk before Jessica managed to snare Tanner’s attention once more. She half dragged him away, claiming they were neglecting their other guests. I did not miss the daggers she shot in my direction. I would have to manage to speak to him in private, away from prying ears. There was much we needed to discuss. I could not in good conscious allow this marriage to take place. It was clear that Jessica was not in love with him. After all, she had cheated on him with me near the beginning of their relationship. She had shown no remorse, even after I’d found out and confronted her about it. She claimed she would deny the encounter if I mentioned it, even went so far as to say she would claim rape. Like a fool, I’d kept my mouth shut. Well, not this time.

         I returned to the bar. I was careful not to become intoxicated. It wasn’t long before I heard the crinkle of fabric sliding into the stool beside me. Her scent was enough to announce her identity.

         “I owe you an apology.” She sighed.

         “You hit like a girl.” I shrugged.

         She bit back a giggle. It was f*****g adorable. Why the hell was Tanner with a girl like Jessica when it was so obvious, he could have a girl like Emily on his arm instead? I couldn’t wrap my brain around it.

         “How do you know Tanner?” I found myself asking.

         She shrugged. “We’ve been friends for years.”

         She didn’t ask how I knew Tanner. Maybe she didn’t care. Should I tell her? It felt…unfair for her not to know. Like I was lying. I took another sip of my whiskey then another. I excused myself. I knew that if I remained in that damned hotel, I would end up doing something incredibly stupid. She was an employee. She was my brother’s best friend from the little information I had gathered from him. She seemed reluctant to talk about him. Having any sort of relationship with her would be crossing a line. Hell, it would be crossing more than just one.

         The air was unusually warm for august. I stood there a moment, tasting the rain in the air. I could always tell when it was about to rain. I turned. There she stood. She was on the phone. She was crying. She hung up, shoving her phone into the bottom of her bag. In that moment, she looked absolutely broken.

         “Need a ride?”

         Her head lifted, fingers wiping her tear stained cheeks. This was a complete mistake. Even as she climbed into the back of my car, I knew I was making a mistake. She gave her address to the drive while my brain screamed not to climb into that f*****g car. I didn’t listen.