Distracted (10 page)

Bryson

“You idiot!”

I felt every inkling of remorse that Leslie wanted me to as she paced back and forth in her office. I read the papers over and over to myself knowing they couldn’t be true, but that didn’t make the news any less shocking.

I always used condoms and Nicole told me she was on birth control, so there was no way she could be pregnant.

At least not by me.

“Leslie, I’m tellin’ you. I didn’t get that girl pregnant. Yeah we had sex, but I didn’t get her pregnant. Hell, I flushed the condom myself.” It was a ritual of mine to tie it and flush it, even if it did manage to flood the toilet. It was better that then have some girl sneak it home with her in her bra or some other crazy shit like that.

Leslie finally settled down, sitting on the edge of her desk to say, “Well even if it’s not yours, it’s still too early to find out. She has to be at least ten weeks before we can do an actual DNA test and that’s way too long as far as your reputation is concerned.” I could already see the headlines now labeling me as a deadbeat.

“Can’t we just pay her to keep quiet until we know for sure?” I had no problem letting a few thousand go for the sake of my sanity.

Leslie stood up, going to her not-so-secret stash of alcohol and pouring herself a glass of scotch. “You can pay her if you want to, as long as you plan on putting in an application for a second job at the same time. She’s smart, Bryson. And so are her numbers.” I was curious as to what price she named, but I believed Leslie enough to know it had to be something outrageous.

My face fell to my hands. “This is some bullshit, man.”

That fired Leslie right back up causing her to chug her scotch, biting at the burn before she stuck a scolding finger at me to say, “No. Bullshit is you out here fuckin’ women you know are out to get you. A one-night stand is the easiest trick in the book, Bryson.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve had enough one-night stands to know that shit which is why I play it as safe as I do. She’s lying.”

She brushed me off, pouring herself another glass. “Whatever, Bryson. Just… keep it in your pants until we can figure this shit out.”

&

Kennedy’s eyes were surprisingly bright as she strolled into my house to do her usual task of getting my clothes together for the week. She didn’t even say anything when I opened the door for her, just strutted right past me and got to work. I didn’t really know what to say to her with the news from Leslie on my mind, but there was certainly no need to bring it up. Surely it would be public information before long.

She finished up, dusting her hands off before she dug in her purse and pulled out an envelope.

“This is for you.” I just looked at it, having no clue what it could be.

“Here. Take it.” I rubbed the back of my neck before I accepted it, pulling back the flap and removing the single page letter. After scanning the first few lines, I immediately recognized what it was.

“Wait a minute. You’re resigning?”

She smiled as she answered, “That’s right, Bryson. I’m resigning. I’ll give you the courtesy of a two-week notice which should give you plenty of time to find a replacement. I’m sure the ladies will be beating down your door for the position and to be real, I’m more than happy to give it away.”

This was literally the last thing I needed to be happening.

I mean, what was I supposed to do without Kennedy?

She was
way
more than just my stylist.

She was my…
energy
.

I counted on the times of the day when she would come over all bubbly and innocent just to be corrupted by me; in a good way.

I tried not to sound as exhausted as I felt when I asked, “Why are you quitting on me, Kennedy?”

She shifted all of her weight to one leg, crossing her arms over her chest to answer, “You know exactly why I’m quitting, Bryson. After what you did…” she paused before correcting herself, “after what I allowed because it’s not all your fault, I can’t possibly continue to work for you.”

“Is it because I did it or because you enjoyed it?”

“Does it matter?”

I stood up, walking over to her and uncrossing her arms so I could be even closer
.
“Yes it matters. So answer the question. Is it because I did it or because you enjoyed it?”

She shrugged, rolling her eyes as she answered, “I don’t know. Maybe both? Either way, it was the final straw. I can’t… do this anymore.”

I took her hands as I unashamedly begged, “Kennedy, please.
You can’t
… you can’t leave me like this. Not right now.”

She snatched her hands away as she yelled, “You’re acting like I have a choice! I don’t do this kinda stuff, Bryson. I’m not that girl.
I
… I love Landon. And since you can’t seem to get that through your thick ass head, I have to take real action. This is where it ends.”

I should’ve felt the words in my head, or maybe it should’ve gone in one ear and out the other. But something about these particular words fell right against my chest as if somebody had gotten a clean punch off without me seeing it.

But I couldn’t stop.

I had to fight.

So I used the last thing I had in my arsenal. “Landon doesn’t make you feel as good as I do. Landon doesn’t get you all fired up the way I do. Landon doesn’t…”

She cut me off. “Stop it, Bryson! Quit talking about what Landon doesn’t do and think about yourself! Besides turning me on, you do
nothing
for me.
You aren’t
… you aren’t
shit
to me other than my boss and a headache. So just leave me alone. Let me live.” Now that was the gut punch.

I mean, what could I possibly say back to that?

She chose and it wasn’t me.

I’d just have to swallow my pride and accept it.

“Fine, Kennedy. Two weeks.”

Kennedy

I scrolled through pages and pages of job listings, my eyes straining from looking at the computer screen for too long. In my head, I knew I’d probably never find anything even remotely as good as I had it with Bryson, but it wasn’t an option to stop looking. Landon and I had gotten way to use to the extra income to take a step backwards, so I had to do everything I could to find something in the next two weeks.

Two weeks.

Two more long ass weeks with Bryson.

I wanted to cry just thinking about it.

I would miss the laid back work environment, the laughs we shared even when he wasn’t intentionally being funny, the positive vibes he always seemed to radiate even when I wasn’t the most pleasant person, and
his smile
… the smile that had gotten me in trouble in the first place.

But there was no turning back now.

My resignation letter was signed, sealed, and delivered.

It was time for me to move on.

I scrolled through another page of listings, finding a job that looked at least halfway decent and submitted my information.

At least now I had something to show for myself on my resume.

I closed my laptop, completely exhausted by the process. But turning on the TV only made things worse as I somehow landed on ESPN. The commentators were bashing Bryson for having one of the worst games of his career. When they flashed to his postgame interview, he looked completely withdrawn, his eyes carrying an unusual shadow as if he hadn’t been sleeping.

As I listened to a few of the questions, I quickly realized he was in borderline robot mode, giving the most rehearsed answers with hardly any thought. I really hated seeing him like this, especially with the possibility that I had something to do with it. But there was nothing left to say, nothing left to do, nothing to hold onto.

The game was over.

We were done.

&

“So! How soon can you start?”

I looked across the table at the woman I knew I could style but wasn’t completely sold on. Something about her just didn’t seem…
authentic
, though I couldn’t put my finger on it right away. But since I’d only be with Bryson for twelve more days exactly, I knew I didn’t have much of a choice when it came to accepting the position.

“My current position ends in a little under two weeks, so it would be immediately after that.”

She lit up, clapping her hands together as she said, “That’s perfect! I should have my settlement by then.” My interest in the woman peaked even more
.

“Settlement? What kind of settlement are we talking about, Nicole?” I knew it might have been overstepping to ask, but I couldn’t help myself. And there was no way I could accept a position based on some unsure money.

She leaned a little further into the table and whispered, “Girl, I hit the jackpot. I’m pregnant. And its Bryson Harris’s baby.”

For a split second, my heart stopped beating.

I couldn’t have possibly heard her right, so I asked just to make sure I wasn’t trippin’, “Bryson Harris? Like the basketball player?”

She smacked her lips together as she replied, “Yes, hunny. The
champion
. We had sex when he came to my city and
bam
… there’s a baby.”

Oh. My. God.

“And you’re sure it’s his?”

She brushed me off with a swat of her hand. “Does it matter? He believes it’s his, so he’s giving me what I want to keep it under wraps until he’s ready to go public. He even moved me here to make sure I laid low.”

No way!

I tried to keep my face neutral as I replied, “Wow. That’s…
wow
.” There was hardly any use in trying to form a logical sentence and it was clear she didn’t care either way as she went on and on about him.

“I googled his net worth and hunny, he’s worth millions on
millions
. Can you say payday? Hell, I’ll be able to pay somebody to watch this damn child for me so I can live the life I always dreamed of.”

What a bitch!

I couldn’t believe the girl was running the oldest scheme in the book. But even more so, I couldn’t believe that Bryson was buying into it. Hell, maybe he wasn’t actually down over me. He could’ve been down over this situation, knowing he’d be paying big for the next eighteen years of his life.

But this wasn’t about Bryson’s doings. This was about my livelihood; my career. So instead of getting wrapped up in his drama, I told her, “You can do whatever you want as long as my check clears.”

Bryson

She wouldn’t even look at me.

It was Kennedy’s last week on the job and she wouldn’t even give me the privilege of her eyes, knowing they were the windows to her soul. I understood her uneasiness, but it seemed like the layer was even thicker than usual. Even when I said things to deliberately get on her nerves, or did things I knew would annoy her, she seemed completely unfazed; moving right along to get things done as quickly as possible.

And I couldn’t stand it.

So when I caught her coming out of my closet, I cut her off so that she was forced to acknowledge me. She still didn’t look at me, just tried to squeeze past me as she offered a low, “Excuse me, Bryson.”

I moved in closer. “No. You’re not excused. We need to talk.”

Her voice remained low and her eyes stayed down as she replied, “I’m not here to talk. I’m here to do my job and go on about my day. Now if you have a problem with that, then we can surely cut this little week short. I could honestly care less about the money at this point.”

I let her get past, but still followed her as she headed down the stairs.

“Well if you’re not here for the money, then why are you here?
”
She sighed heavily, turning around to shoot me a scowl before continuing down the stairs.

“Because I have an obligation to be here, that’s why.”

I watched as she snatched her jacket and purse from the couch preparing to leave. But there was no way I was letting her get away with so much negative energy surrounding us.

I followed her to the door as I asked, “So that’s what I am to you now? Not a want, or a need, but an obligation?” Of everything Kennedy had ever said to me, that one easily offended me the most.

She worked to get her jacket on and I stepped in to help her. “That’s exactly what you are. The only reason I’m here is because I signed a contract.”

“Oh, you mean the same contract that said
‘any consensual sex between Mr. Bryson Harris and Ms. Kennedy Wilson may be deemed grounds for immediate termination unless specified beforehand’
?”

Her tone reeked of sarcasm as she replied, “Terminate me.
Please
. I’m begging you.”

I opened the door for her, but not without saying, “You and I both know that’d be way too easy. And besides, if I terminated you, it wouldn’t exactly be the best look on your record.” The least I could do was let her go out legit.

But she still brushed me off as if it was no big deal. “I already have a job lined up, but I appreciate you thinking about someone other than yourself for a change.”

&

“What’s your last name?”

She looked confused, pushing her salad around her plate as she asked, “Come again?”

I stared at her for a few seconds longer, knowing this little impromptu lunch that Leslie insisted on setting up was incredibly pointless, before I asked again, “What’s your last name? If you’re supposedly carrying my child, the least I could do is know your last name.”

She blushed, dropping her fork to her plate before she answered, “Oh. Right. It’s Cooper.”

“Hmm… Nicole Cooper. The gold-digger that’s trying to ruin my reputation. Got it.” She smacked her teeth, snatching her napkin from her lap before tossing it on the table.

“Nobody forced you to have sex with me, Bryson. You chose, you wanted it, and you got it plus more.” She even emphasized her point with a little belly rub that made
my
belly turn. I was still pretty confident that she wasn’t carrying my seed, but just the fact that she was encouraging the idea made me sick.

“No.
You
got it plus more from some unnamed mothafucka that’s walkin’ out here scot-free since you’re so desperate to tie the baby to me and
my
legacy.”

She picked her napkin back up, using it to dab the sides of her mouth as she tossed back, “Your words don’t hurt me, Bryson. I know what happened and I know it’s yours. That’s all that matters when it comes to you and your precious little legacy.”

I was desperate to know more, so I pried a little deeper. “Just out of curiosity, what’s in it for you? I mean, other than the obvious… money, fifteen seconds of fame, maybe a reality show with a bunch of other thirsty bitches…”

“Excuse me?! I am
not
thirsty. If anything, you were thirsty when you tried to get me up to your hotel room.”

My eyes rolled on their own. “There really wasn’t much
trying
involved, but I’m not here to argue semantics. I wanna know your motive.”

She took a sip of her water, shrugging as she answered, “I don’t have a motive. I’m just here to get what I deserve. And you wouldn’t have moved me out here if you didn’t know that to be true.”

“That didn’t have anything to do with me. That was all my agent’s doing simply because she didn’t trust you to stay quiet, though I assured her you had nothing of substance from the jump.” I still couldn’t believe Leslie had gone through all the trouble of bringing the girl to town.

“Whatever. All I know is I’m here now and I already have shit that needs to get paid. So you gonna write the check or deposit the money into my account?”

I tried not to draw too much attention to us as I answered straight up, “I’m not giving you shit, Nicole.”

She brushed me off again, looking at her nails as she replied, “That’s not what Leslie said.
She
guaranteed $15,000 Pre-DNA test and another $20,000 contingent on it being confirmed as yours.” I choked on my water.

“She did
what
?!” I just knew Leslie wouldn’t sell me out without at least telling me first.

But Nicole smiled confidently, leaning into the table to say, “That’s right, baby. And mama has her eyes on a new pair of shoes and a bomb ass stylist. So I’ll ask you again; are you gonna write me a check or deposit the money into my account?”