Page 25 of Desirous

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Alex

I hurryout after Kat to stop her, but she’s gone by the time I reach the dining room. I run to the front door to see if I can catch her in the parking lot, but it’s no use. She’s nowhere to be found.

Disgusted that my one opportunity to convince her to give me another chance has come to nothing, I march back to my father’s office with Randy following close behind. I swear if this guy doesn’t find someone else to film, I’m going to crush that damn camera of his with my bare hands.

“Dude, read the fucking room. I’ll be out in a few minutes. You can get all the footage you want then,” I snap just before slamming my father’s office door in his face.

All I want is a few moments of silence. However, since my father’s sitting at his desk waiting for me, that’s not going to happen.

“Alex, who was that woman in here with you? And why was she crying?”

I collapse into the chair in front of his desk and pinch the bridge of my nose to stop the headache that’s starting to form behind my eyes. “Her name is Kat. She was a contestant on that goddamned reality show just like my date is.”

“What do you mean was? What happened? I thought the show just started taping yesterday,” he says in his usual curious way.

My father isn’t going to let this be. Fucking terrific. I could just leave, but that would mean I’d have to go rejoin Emma on this ridiculous date of ours. I know I’ll have to go out there eventually, but at this very moment, I’m not in a place where I want every emotion I’m experiencing to be filmed for the entire world to see.

I take a deep breath and let it out of my lungs in a hard exhale. “She got kicked off the show because of me. More like because of something I didn’t do, not something I did.”

“Is that why she was here tonight? I get the feeling she’s pretty angry with you.”

“You think?” I snap.

Fuck, I need to get my shit together. Now I’m being a dick to my father, and he didn’t do anything wrong.

I see the confusion in his eyes as he waits for me to say something else. I guess without all the details, this night looks like a complete clusterfuck.

“Sorry. This has been a nightmare, this whole reality show.”

“Is this what’s been bothering you?”

I hang my head, wishing it was just one thing. “Kat got thrown off the show because something she cooked made another contestant sick. He had to be taken to the hospital to get his stomach pumped, and the doctors said he was poisoned. But she couldn’t have done that because when they claim she was at the studio putting it in the dish she was with me at my place. I didn’t say anything when they first accused her because it’sin our contracts that we aren’t allowed to fraternize with other contestants.”

When I finally finish, I take a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “I fucked up, Dad.”

“This looks like a lot more than just you feeling bad about someone getting poisoned or you not speaking up when you should have. Are you and this woman more than just casual friends?”

The way he says that like it’s code for fuck buddies or people I randomly sleep with makes me smile, and I look up to see him smiling too. “I think we could have been more than just the once we were together, but she can’t forgive me for letting her down. I guess I can see her point, but every time I try to show her I’m not that selfish prick she thinks I am, something messes it up. Either she doesn’t answer my texts and calls or she won’t come to the door when I go to her apartment.”

“Or I walk in on you as you’re talking.”

“It’s okay,” I say with a shrug, at least hoping I can make him feel better tonight. That’ll be one person. Two if you count Emma, but I’m sure I’m making her unhappy right now since I’m not out there with her.

“You know, I’ve never seen you like this, Alex. You’re always the good time, the one who’s smiling and having fun.”

“Cade tells me this is what love does to a man. I think I can see why I was never in any hurry to fall in love then because I haven’t felt good in days.”

That makes him throw his head back and laugh. “Your cousin sounds like his father. Love doesn’t make men miserable. I’ve never been unhappy a day since I met your mother. Well, that’s not true. There was that time she wouldn’t talk to me and I had to camp out in her building’s hallway to convince her to take me back after I made a huge mistake. Have you tried doing that?”

“Camping out in Kat’s hallway? No. I figured you would have done that thing that actor did in her favorite movie. You know the one with the guy who held up the boom box outside the girl’s house.”

My father shakes his head. “That’s the movies. People get arrested for doing that kind of thing in real life. That’s not really my style either. I like to think I’m smoother than that.”

“I don’t think she’s ever going to forgive me, Dad. I guess I need to accept that and move on like Cade said.”

My father’s eyebrows slowly rise until they’re up into his forehead. “I’m not sure you should be taking advice on love from Cade. He doesn’t exactly have a great track record, his current girlfriend excluded.”

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