Page 64 of Wes

I lick my parched lips. “Sounds fair. What did you want to tell me?”

I hold my breath as he combs his hair back with his fingers. Flashes of me doing the same thing catch me by surprise. My hands tingle with the sensory memory of the silky texture of the strands as I fisted them, pulled them, as I rode his shaft.

“Fuck,” I groan, jumping to my feet, breaking the spell, but not getting rid of the trembling in my flesh. “I knew this was a mistake. It’s too soon, too painful to be near you.”

As I pace the length of the balcony, Wes comes to stand in the middle of it, his eyes following me. The glass protection that encloses the space in cold days keeps it warm. I can’t blame it for the heat that stifles me right now.

Wes murmurs, “I’ve never pegged you as a coward. On the contrary, you’re the most resilient person I know, Maria.” He pauses until I stop and face him. “It’s not easy for me either. When I got here and I found you like this, looking so defeated, it broke my heart all over again. And knowing that I’m the one causing this–” He shakes his head. “I take that back. You’re suffering because someone has used you to get to me. When I found that out, it gutted me. I had to come here and find a way to talk to you.” His earnest tone gives me pause.

I return to the chair, and he sits on his.

“Okay, then. Talk. Tell me what you’ve found.”

“When the reporters started calling, I searched the internet and saw the video and pictures Claire Williams had showed to you.”

I wince at the sound of her name.

He acknowledges my reaction with a nod and a sad smile. “I was appalled by the images. Even though I knew they were fake, I had to admit they would fool anyone else who didn’t know that. And the worst part was I didn’t recognize the woman in the pictures.” He pauses, rolls his shoulders, and rubs a hand on the back of his neck. “The video I watched had very low resolution, dimmed lights, and black squares censoring the X-rated portions of the scene. Apart from me and Logan, I couldn’t identify anyone else.”

“I confess I focused more on both of you guys and lost interest when I realized the footage was old.”

“That makes sense. But I watched it a gazillion times trying to remember how the woman looked back then because that’s when I met her. The recent pictures meant nothing to me.”

“She said you guys reconnected on the day of the last concert in Boston.” This time that thought didn’t spark my gag reflex.

Progress.

“Yes, I’ll get to that. When I couldn’t make head or tails of any of the things I discovered on the internet, I picked up the phone and called Robert Davies. I instructed him to hire a private detective to look into the fishy story Ms. Williams was spinning.”

I met Robert in the lead-in to the charity concert. As their lawyer, he represented the band in the meetings we held to prepare the legal documents concerning the donation to Welcoming Hills.

“Robert worked fast,” I praised.

“True. He hired a retired police detective for the job, who discovered some disturbing things about Claire. Her parents are wealthy real estate developers in the Bay Area. She looks much different than she did when we first met. Since then, she has had multiple plastic surgeries performed.”

I blurt out, “She’s stunning, which didn’t help me feel any better.”

“I’m not going there.” His face lights up as he chuckles.

The change in his mood improves mine as well. Different than in my teenage years, now I’m aware I’m a beautiful woman. Still, anyone faces self-doubt when they think their partner has cheated.

“The surgeries account for the fact you didn’t recognize her. Great. What about the photos? The jacket?”

“Claire is obsessed with me. That’s been going on for many years, and she has the deep pockets to support her fantasies. That video was taken in a high-end sex club here in San Francisco. She paid a fortune to a staff member to be notified when I showed up and another shitload of money to get in that party.”

“My goodness,” I whisper, stunned at the story.

“It gets worse. She got the plastic surgeries because she wanted to look like an actress who played my love interest in a music video for one of the band’s first hits.”

I gasp. “That’s twisted.”

“Totally. As for the pictures, she’s in touch with scores of fans of Muse of Darkness. She got those photos from one of them.”

I cover my mouth with my hand. “Fuck me! I took those pictures. We were eating out and an older lady approached you asking for a photo. I offered to take it for her.”

He nods. “Then, her husband took more with you beside me.”

I sigh in relief. My world has just returned to its upright position.

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