Bedrock (10 page)

Eleven

Addie was ready to give William a piece of her mind.
The e-mails, phone calls, and invitations to Italy needed to stop.

Yes, she had made the mistake of sleeping with him again and
again in his apartment the day she met him there, but she wouldn’t allow it to
happen anymore. While she liked him and was certainly attracted to him, she
knew this had to end and it had to end then and there.

Sure, she was sad and lonely, and sure, William Hartman was dark,
fun, and exciting, and, yes, she was having the best sex of her life. But she
was a wife and a mother, and what she was doing was wrong. There was simply no
way around it, no justification that could make what she was doing ok, even in
her own mind, especially in her own mind. Addie knew she had to get a hold on
the situation before it was too late.

She dug her phone out of her purse and texted William.

I need to see you.

He replied a few seconds later.

The feeling is mutual. I’m in my office. Top floor. Where
are you?

Addie felt her face grow hot and her pulse quicken. She hadn’t
put two and two together before now, realizing he worked in the same building.
His
building.

Leaving my office. I assume with the tools at your disposal
you know where that is too.

Damn, she was flirting. Why was she flirting? And why couldn’t
she help herself? Get it together, Addison.

Come up. My receptionist will see you in.

Addie thought twice about it, knowing it was risky. But after
weighing her options, she decided it was probably less risky than meeting him
anywhere else. For one, she was calling things off and he couldn’t cause a
scene at the office. And two, there was little to no risk of her sleeping with
him there.

Addie was shown in by William’s beautiful but disapproving
secretary. She wasn’t exactly rude, but Addie knew the “Who do you think you
are?” look well. So she gave the girl her best kiss-my-ass grin and waltzed
into William’s office as though she owned the place.

If she’d learned anything in the past few weeks, it was that you
have to look and own the part, even when you don’t feel like it. Her clients
and potential clients were some of the wealthiest men and women in the world.
And they smelled bullshit a mile away. So that’s exactly what she’d intended to
do walking into William’s office that day: play the part.

Addie was a bit surprised walking into William’s office. Of
course, it was gorgeous, but it was something more. There was something about
the way he sat behind his desk legs up, feet crossed, chewing on his pen,
staring at her intently. He was in his element, more himself. And goddammit if
that didn’t make him all the more attractive.

“So, you
needed
to see me,” William said, his voice deep
and sultry, lingering on the word needed a few seconds too long.

So, he’d decided to play a part too.

Addie sat down in the chair opposite his desk and crossed her
legs. Keep it professional, Addison.

“Yes. I needed to speak with you, actually. I . . . Uh . . . We .
. . This has to stop, William. I’m married to a wonderful man, and we have
three
children, but it seems you already knew that, seeing that you invited them to
Italy. While I appreciate your offer, I think we both know that this is wrong.
I’m sorry that I let it go on this long.”

William didn’t bat an eye. He leaned back in his chair, glaring
at her. “Are you
really,
Addison?”

“Am I really
what? “

“Sorry? Married to a wonderful man? All of it. Because I’m not
buying it.”

Addie raised her voice slightly. “I beg your pardon? Yes, of
course, I am.”

“And just where is this wonderful man you’re married to?”

“Working.”

William stood and walked to the other side of the desk where
Addie sat. “He left you, Addison. He left you here to deal with everything. He chose
a promotion over his family. Over you.”

Addie balled her fists, certain that if she’d been standing she
would’ve slapped him.

Addie stood to leave.
Keep it together.
“Like I said, this
is over. As for my private life, I’m not sure that it’s any business of yours.”

William grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. “You made
it my business, Addison. I know you don’t mean what you’re saying. You’re
smarter than that. Maybe you’re buying your own bullshit, but don’t expect me
to. There’s something here, something between us. Deny it if you want to. Fuck,
if you’re not willing to be honest with me, do me a favor and quit lying to
yourself.”

She needed to go before she lost all resolve, before her knees
buckled beneath her. “I’m not lying, William. I can’t do this.”

“Suit yourself.” William leaned toward her, kissing her ever so
gently at the corner of her mouth, not a full on kiss, but not exactly an
innocent kiss on the cheek either. Addie put her hand to her face, feeling the
buzz where his lips had just been.
Damn. This man knows what he’s doing.
Leave. Now.

William grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. Grabbing
her chin, he raised her gaze to meet his. “Addison, it’s ok to be a little bit
selfish every now and then. If you want to go, go. But if you want to stay, I
promise to do everything in my power to make you happy. I know this isn’t easy.
And I understand you have a lot at stake, but I promise to protect you as best
I can.”

Addison kissed him with all the passion she felt in that moment.
William kissed her back, matching her fervor. Soon they were entangled in a
heap on the floor, making love as though they were the only two people in the
world—as if what they were doing wasn’t one enormous mistake.

When they were finished, they lay there staring at each other for
a long while before William broke the silence by whispering in her ear. “It’ll
be the death of me, if our meetings keep ending like this.”

Addie laughed. “I’m sure.”

“Come to Italy with me, Addison. Please. I want you there.”

“You know I can’t, William.”

William kissed the tip of her ear, trailing soft warm kisses down
her face towards her neck. “Why not? We’ll have separate rooms. I worked it out
with Sondra. You can bring the boys. I don’t see the problem.”

“You wouldn’t.” Addie said, distracted.

Addie sat up, trying to clear her head. “How do you know Sondra
anyway? And how do you know
so
much about me?”

“It’s my job, Addison. It’s what I do. Research.”

“You mean take overs?”

William grinned. “I like to think of it more in terms of
mergers.”

There on the floor of William’s office, with those words uttered,
the matter was settled. Addie had always wanted to visit Italy. Mistake or no
mistake, she decided she’d be crazy not to jump at the chance when it presented
itself.

Later that evening, when Addie picked up the boys from
her in-laws, she explained that she had to go out of town on business to handle
a client situation and asked Penny if she’d mind checking in on the kids for a
few days. Addie had already decided that it was best if they stayed with Nanny
Kelsey, whom they adored, in their own home. While it was kind of William to
offer to bring them along, Addie never once considered that an option. Even
though making the offer to Penny would complicate things by having to explain
the trip to her in-laws
and
her husband, she knew how much Penny wanted
to be included. Addie wanted to do the right thing, especially since she had
recently been doing so much of the wrong thing. To her surprise, Penny was
supportive of the trip and her idea, which Addie took as a positive sign since
her mother-in-law had never once been supportive of anything she did. Finally,
it seemed things were making a turn for the better.

Two days later, Addie and William boarded a private jet
headed for Naples, Italy. Addie had a lot on her mind, knowing she needed to
make a decision in regards to Sondra’s offer as well as Patrick’s suggestion
that she and the boys move to China. She was relieved to get away for a few
days and hoped it would give her a better perspective. Patrick hadn’t been
thrilled with her impromptu trip to Italy and urged her to quit her job when
she said she had to go. He explained that it was taking too much time away from
where she needed to focus her attention: on her children and their home.
If
you only knew
. . .

Italy was nothing short of amazing. From the sights to the
smells, and the food to the language, Addie was fascinated. Upon arrival in
Naples, they were driven by Carl and several members of William’s security team
to a ferry that would take them to the isle of Capri where a boat was waiting
to take them to their final destination: a private villa that belonged to one
of William’s business associates. The whole thing was so carefully orchestrated
it made Addie dizzy. William seemed to take it all in stride, but for Addie,
this was a vastly different way of living. Having someone tell you where to be
and having so many resources at your disposal was foreign and yet intriguing.

The villa was gorgeous and the views were stunning. Addie and
William had separate bedroom suites, though she found that he seemed to spend
most of his time in hers. William, it turned out, was fun to be around, even
when they weren’t in the sack. He was serious when he needed to be and
entertaining when he didn’t. While they were there on business and William
spent the majority of his time working, he included Addie, asking her advice
and opinion on the deals he was working on. Addie didn’t pry. She didn’t ask
unnecessary questions, deciding that it was best if she kept her distance.
Still, she enjoyed William’s company and felt freer than she had in a long
time.

William Hartman was the happiest that he’d been in
perhaps, well, in forever really. He was here on the beautiful isle of Capri
where he was about to close a major deal, an acquisition that he’d been working
on for years. It wasn’t only that the deal was going to close and he could
finally put it behind him or that it would make him an extreme amount of money
that had put him in such a good mood. It was the fact that he was here with the
first girl he’d ever cared to get to know.

There had been many women in and out of his life but none that
he’d ever wanted to keep around. The problem he found with these women was that
they were addicted to and in love with the lifestyle, not so much with him.
He’d first witnessed this with his own mother who was always looking for a way to
advance up the food chain, yet with each marriage, finding herself more and
more miserable. William was determined not to make the same mistakes she did.
So he threw himself into his business and didn’t look back. When he was lonely,
there always seemed to be a ready replacement for the last disaster who’d
occupied his bed. But William never kept them around longer than a few weeks at
most. Any longer than that and they started grating on his nerves. With each
passing day, the needier they became.