New Beginnings (2 page)

Chapter 2

Ella

Ella looked at her ringing phone and sighed as she saw Sophie’s name pop up again. She knew she should just answer but she was so angry and mad. And if she admitted it to herself, she was jealous. It just wasn’t fair that Maxwell and Sophie had paired up. Now she had no one. She’d lost her brother and her best friend and was all alone. Even Joseph was ignoring her. Now that she’d gotten him fired, he wanted nothing to do with her. She knew she should be happy that he had ended it once and for all. She didn’t want to be the other woman; but he had said that he was going to leave Lily. She’d counted on him leaving Lily. Why would he stay if he was so unhappy? It just didn’t make sense to her. She was young, rich and beautiful and Lily was a slob. Why would he stay with her?

              She knew she was acting like a bitch. But she couldn’t help it. She just felt so sorry for herself. She didn’t understand why he didn’t love her like she loved him. How could he have made love to her so tenderly if he didn’t love her? She picked up her phone and tried Joseph’s number again. It rang twice and then went to voicemail. He had sent her to voicemail on purpose, she was positive of it. “Thanks for being an ass, Joseph. You better call me back. I think I’m pregnant.” She hung up quickly and sat back in the park bench. She looked at the kids on the swings and sighed. If that voicemail didn’t get him to call her then nothing would. It wasn’t a complete lie. She had thought she was pregnant when she took the test last week but then she had gotten her period and gone to the doctor and taken another test. And he had told her that she was definitely not pregnant. And then he’d given her a handful of condoms. She’d wanted to giggle as he handed them to her but she didn’t think he would appreciate the humor in the situation. She’d been buying boxes of condoms since she was in high school, she didn’t need a lecture on how important they were.

“Hi.” A young African American lady came and sat next to her on the bench. “Which one’s yours?”

“Huh?” Ella looked at her with a frown. She didn’t want to be social with anyone.

“Which kid is yours?” The blond smiled and pointed. “That little tyke in the red sweater and red pants is mine.”

“He sure likes red,” Ella drawled staring at the pudgy little kid running around with a stone in his hand.

“That he does.” The lady laughed. “My name is Capri.” She held out her hand as she introduced herself.

“Capri?”

“Like the drink.” The lady laughed again. Ella studied her face as she talked; she was pretty when she smiled. She must have been about twenty-six. She must have had the kid around Ella’s age. She looked at Capri’s hand and there was no ring on it. She must have been a single mother. She looked pretty happy for a single mother. Ella was surprised and tried not to stare at Capri’s clothes. They looked like she had bought them at Target. Not the sort of clothes Ella would be caught dead wearing. And then Ella laughed at the absurdity of her thoughts.

“What’s so funny?” Capri smiled at her waiting for her to share the joke.

“Oh nothing.” Ella smiled back at her, a genuine and wide smile. “You just remind me of my best friend, Sophie. And by the way, I’m Ella.” She paused. “And no kid.”

“Ah, just spending your time here thinking?” Capri smiled kindly.

“Something like that.” She nodded and tried not to sigh. “I just got out of a bad relationship and I’m trying to not let it rule my life or thoughts.”

“Ah, I’ve been there.” Capri laughed. “Boy, have I been there.” She stood up then. “Leroy, drop that stone right now or we are going home.” Leroy looked at his mother like he wanted to cry but then dropped it and ran to one of the slides. “Oh children.”

“Hard work, huh?” Ella sympathized with Capri. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to be a single mom.

“Yeah.” Capri laughed. “But thank God my husband is hands on. It takes a lot of pressure off me.”

“Oh, you’re married?” Ella looked at Capri’s left hand disappointed. For some reason she thought she and Capri could have become single girls on the prowl now that Sophie had gone out and hooked up with Max.

“I know, no ring.” Capri grinned. “We couldn’t afford to buy one yet.” She shrugged. “I’m just happy he was willing to take me and Leroy on.”

“Oh, he’s not Leroy’s dad?”             

“Not his biological dad, no.” Capri grinned. “But he is a better father than his real dad. Leroy, come here now,” Capri shouted at the little boy who came running over to them, with his hands all full of dirt. Ella stared at him in interest. He was a gorgeous kid up close. And his clothes looked nice. A lot nicer than Capri’s. Ella smiled at the boy who looked at her unabashedly. He then reached his muddy hand over to hers and squeezed.

“Oh I’m sorry, Ella.” Capri sighed and gave her a tissue. “I bet Leroy is in love with you. He’s never seen such a beautiful girl before. Have you?”

Leroy continued staring at Ella with a small smile and she grinned at him. “That’s no problem. I guess I should get used to it. I’m going to be an aunt soon.” She looked down into her lap as excitement poured through her. She was looking forward to being an aunt. She realized that now. She sighed with annoyance at herself. She’d been such a brat—she was sure Sophie was worried sick about her. She resolved to herself that she would call Sophie as soon as she got home.

“Oh that’s great.” Capri smiled at her. “Hey, here’s my card. You should call me sometime if you ever want to hang out.”

Ella took the card and smiled. “Thanks.”

“And just in case you’re ever interested, I met my husband on reallove.com.” Capri paused. “It’s an online dating site but I think it’s better than the others. I met some nice guys there.”

“Oh okay.” Ella blushed embarrassed. Did she really look like a loser?

“Online dating is not just for the socially inept anymore.” Capri smiled and Ella wondered if she was a mind reader. “Trust me, the best way to get over an old boyfriend is to find another.”

“Yeah. That might be true.” Ella smiled back and stood up. “I should be leaving too. Nice to meet you, Capri. Bye Leroy.” She gave the little boy a small hug and waved goodbye as they walked away. “Is that the lady from the photo, Mommy?” he whispered in her ear and Capri pressed her fingers over his mouth to make sure Ella didn’t hear him. “Yes.” She smiled and took out her phone to send a text message.
Contact made. And info on website given. I’ll wait for her to make contact
. She hit send and put her phone away. “Come on Leroy, let me take you to our regular spot now.”

Ella looked up at the sky and smiled. She saw some birds flying and she decided to run. She didn’t care that she had on a skirt and flip-flops; she just wanted to feel free. To feel like she was flying as well. The wind stung her face and the pebbles almost twisted her ankles as she ran but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop. This was the first time she had felt truly alive in weeks. She wanted to call Capri and thank her. She wanted to tell her that she was ready to move on from Joseph; that she no longer was satisfied being the girlfriend of a married man. She deserved better and she had Capri and Leroy to thank for that. Sometimes new life and energy came from those we didn’t even know. She tried to ignore the niggling thought in her mind that told her that tomorrow was another day and Joseph would be back on her mind again.

As Ella ran through the park, she realized that she was dreadfully close to Max’s apartment. She found herself running towards it without thinking. She didn’t think about it, she just kept going. She wanted to see Sophie. She felt an overwhelming desire to hug her and apologize. Poor Sophie. She knew that Sophie’s life had been just as uncertain as hers had been up until a few weeks ago. It really hadn’t been fair of Ella to cut her out. Ella stopped at the corner and bent down to adjust her skirt. As she looked up she saw Maxwell walking down the street, she was about to call out to him, when she saw Alexis next to him, chatting animatedly. Ella paused and stared as they got into a taxi together. She saw Maxwell looking around him as he got into the cab and then they sped away. She didn’t know what to think. What was he doing with Alexis? Was her brother a cheater as well? She didn’t want to believe it. What was she going to tell Sophie? For while she was jealous that her best friend had found happiness, she didn’t want that happiness to come crashing down. Not now, not after everything that had happened.

Chapter 3

Max

Alexis rested her hand on Max’s leg and he sighed. She wasn’t going to make this easy on him. He looked at his watch. It was getting late and Sophie was going to wonder where he was. He’d have to be quick.

“So where are we going, Alexis?” He looked at her distractedly. She was still as beautiful as ever, with her sharp blonde bob and dark brown eyes. She batted her eyelashes up at him.

“I thought we could get a drink.” She curled into him and he slid away from her. “Don’t you think you owe me that?”

“Alexis. I don’t have time for these games.” He sighed. “What’s up?”

“I was hoping you…” She purred and him and he flinched. He knew that voice, she wanted to have sex. “I’m not wearing any underwear,” she whispered into his ear and snuggled up to him closer. “I could get on your lap if you want.”

“Alexis.” He pleaded with her to stop. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings but there was no bigger turn-off than a woman begging you to sleep with her when you just weren’t interested.

“I can remember a time when you wanted me anywhere you could have me.” She pouted at him and ran a finger down the front of his pants. He felt his cock twitch at her touch and pushed her hand away. She grinned at him, “It seems like little Max wants to say hello. I bet he’s missed me.”

“Driver, pull over, please.” Max was angry and he jumped out as the cab stopped. “I don’t have time for this Alexis.” She jumped out after him and glared at him before patting down her perfectly coiffed hair.

“I didn’t want to do this the hard way Max but you are really leaving me no choice.” She straightened her back. “Pay the cab and let’s go into Starbucks.” She walked to the sidewalk and waited as he handed the driver a $20.

Maxwell was annoyed. He didn’t want Alexis in his life anymore but he really didn’t know what to do. He had made a huge mistake proposing to her. He’d tried so hard to forget Sophie. His precious beautiful Sophie, the love of his life and heart. It was seeing her face in the morning that gave him the will to live and to believe in happy endings. He wasn’t going to lose her. He wasn’t going to let Alexis ruin this for him.

“How much do you want?” He opened his wallet and pulled out a thick wad of hundred dollar bills. Alexis looked at him with slanted eyes and a bitter smile.

“You’re not going to get rid of me that easily.” She walked into the Starbucks and sat down. “I’ll have a coffee, you know how I like it.”             

He sighed and ordered two black coffees. This was the last place he wanted to be. He wondered what Sophie was doing right now. Was she thinking about him? Wondering where he was. She most probably thought he was still at work. If she knew that he was here with Alexis, he wasn’t sure what she would do or say. He may even lose her. Everything they had was still new and precarious. He couldn’t risk losing her, not when he had finally gotten her. He hadn’t gone through so much pain and strife in the last few years to have Alexis ruin his life.

“Here.” He handed Alexis her coffee and sat down. “What do you want?” He was abrupt and firm. He didn’t want Alexis to think that she had any chance of getting back with him. He couldn’t believe that he had dated this woman and proposed to her. He cringed when he thought about making love to her. He’d been drugged up then. It wasn’t something he was proud of but he’d had to do a mixture of drugs and alcohol to get through that part of his life. Being young and rich wasn’t always a good thing.

“To go back to the good old days, Sir.” She stared at him intently and he cringed. She was addressing him as her Dom and he was worried about what she really wanted.

“What do you want, Alexis?”

“Does she satisfy you, Max?” Alexis leaned into him. “Is she as adventurous in bed as I am? Does she even know just how kinky you are?”

“It’s none of your business, Alexis.” His voice remained calm but he felt a surge of panic run through him. There were many things that he hadn’t told Sophie.

“Does she know about the sex clubs?” She licked her lips. “Does she know that you like to swap? Or have you guys already done that?” She paused as she watched his hands still on his coffee. “Maybe it turns her on to watch you fucking another girl? If you want she can watch us. Or maybe you want Frank to have his turn with her as well.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Alexis,” he growled.

“Have you spoken to Frank lately?” She looked at him intently.

“No.”

“I miss those days.” Her eyes became glazed. “The X Club was the place we were both really alive, Max. You know that’s true. We belong there. You, me, Frank, Gina. Those were the days.”

“I don’t miss them.” He looked at her distastefully.

“What would Sophie say if she knew?” Alexis laughed. “Would she like you to watch her suck off another man?”

Max sat his coffee down on the table and leaned towards Alexis. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly. “Listen here, Alexis. I am going to say this once and once only. If you ever go near Sophie again or I find out you have sent anything to her or told her anything, I will personally make sure that that is the last thing you will ever do in this world. And if I hear that Mitch has been around her, well, you don’t want to know what will happen to him.”

“She’s not worth it, Max.” Alexis sighed and looked at him pityingly.  “You’re not a vanilla, two point four children kinda guy. You’ll get bored and then you’ll be trapped.”

“Is that all you have to say?” Maxwell got up to leave.

“No.” Alexis held up her hand. “I want to know when you’re going to tell her about our child.”

Max sank to the chair, all color drained from his face. “What are you talking about?” He stared into her eyes to see if this was some sort of trick. If she was lying to get him to react. “Alexis?”

She bit her lip and looked away from him. “I didn’t want to tell you this way Max.”

“Tell me what?” He felt his heart sinking and he swallowed hard.

“We have a son.”

“When?” He paused and leaned towards her. “And if you are lying I swear to God that you don’t want to know what I will do to you.”

“He’s four months old.” She closed her eyes. “I gave him up for adoption.”

“You what?” Max felt a headache start to come on and he rubbed his temples.

“I didn’t want to be a single mother and I knew you didn’t want a kid,” she paused, “then. So I left and I stayed in Winterside and had the baby and gave it away.”

“Who has the baby?”

“An older couple.” She bit her lip. “But they realize they are too old for a baby and want to give him back.”

“What?” Max’s voice rose. “Please tell me this is another one of your dirty tricks, Alexis.”

She turned and looked him in the eye. She brushed her hair back with her long fake nails and her words came out coldly. “You screwed me over for that whore, Max. We were supposed to get married. Well guess what? Your precious Sophie is getting a delivery right about now. You see I told that old couple that baby Jacob’s dad, yes they named him Jacob, was going to take care of him from here on out. And so they are taking him and his stuff to your apartment now.”

Max watched the words tripping out of her mouth with delightful spite and he wanted to slap her. But he knew that was what she wanted. She was a sadomasochist and enjoyed being hurt. In fact, she couldn’t get off without being spanked most of the time. He had wondered at the time what had made her as fucked up in the head as him but he hadn’t cared enough to ask. She’d been a body, willing and able and that was all that had mattered.

“When are they taking him?” He frowned and pulled out his phone to see if Sophie had called him as yet.

Alexis looked at her watch and smiled. “Five minutes ago.”

“You’re a bitch.” His words were cold and filled with distaste.

“You never complained about that before.” She grabbed his hand. “We can still make this work, Maxwell. Please. I need you.” She stared into his eyes beseechingly.

“Are you sure he’s my son?”

“If he’s not yours, he’s Franks.” She stared into his eyes. “So let’s just say he’s yours, unless you want to have a conversation with him?”

Max looked at her with hatred and then he felt sorry for her. She was a mess. And there was nothing he could do to help her. “I’m sorry, Alexis. I have to go now.”

“I want to see Jacob.” Her words stopped him cold, as he was about to walk away.

“What do you mean?” he hissed.

“I’m still his mom. I want to be able to see him every now and again.” She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “We made him together, Max. You may not love me, but he is a part of both of us.”

Max closed his eyes and counted to five before answering her. “Alexis, there has never been and will never be an us. If Jacob is mine, you will have nothing to do with him.” He slammed his hand down on the table and stood up. “I’ll call you in a few days. Do not contact me before then.” And with that, he hurried out of the store and tried calling Sophie again, with his stomach in knots. He felt panicked and tense; everything was falling apart already. Her phone rang and rang and she didn’t answer and Max contemplated hitting a bar before going home. But he knew that wasn’t the answer. He needed all of his wits about him when he got home. He had to let Sophie know that he didn’t know about this child and that he loved her. He needed her to know that she was his everything. He loved her more than life itself and he couldn’t survive if he lost her. He couldn’t tell her that Jacob may not be his though; he didn’t want her to know about the sex clubs. Or his past life. And more importantly, he didn’t want to become involved with Frank Phillips again.