Page 54 of Wildest Desire

“I don’t want to hear what Travis has to say.” He walks to the window where the minibar is set up. “He should know what he's doing by now without me there telling him step-by-step.” He fills his glass with whiskey.

“I take it there was more to that call, and I only got to hear the end of it.” I walk over to him, wrapping my arms around him.

“Too much shit is happening right now, and I’m beginning to realize I can’t trust anyone. They always want something from me." Ethan downs his drink and looks down at me. “So, what is it that you want?” he asks. There's something different in his voice. Hate drips from it like venom.

I have no idea who wants his money, or what they want it for, but he has no right to talk to me like this. “Don’t ever talk about me like I want something from you, because I don’t,” I say, walking away. I was ready to walk away from him and start a new life. He’s the one who wanted me to stay, and now he’s being like this.

“Lexi, I’m—”

“Save it,” I shout back as I grab my bag to get out of here for a while. I think he needs some time alone to think about what he wants, and if he intends to talk to me or not.

Walking around, I decide to stay close to the hotel, worried that I would get lost. Plus, I don’t want to see the city alone; I want to see it with Ethan.

I look down at my phone as it rings. “Hello, Ms. Jackie,” I say, as I sit on the bench at the park in front of the hotel.

“How are you?”

“Good, just sitting at the park,” I reply, watching the dogs running around.

“You sound a little upset.”

“There’s something going on with Ethan. I wish he would talk to me, that’s all,” I tell her. I don’t want to say too much. I don’t know what she can tell me, and would rather hear it from him.

“I’ve spoken to Lisa. Ethan has more on his mind than you know, and he’s just not sure how to handle it,” Ms. Jackie tells me.

“I know, but he hurt me today. He thinks I’m with him because I want something from him. He knows better that that. I’m not…”

“Lexi, go talk to him. Maybe he just needs a little push to talk,” Ms. Jackie says.

“I know, and I will,” I say as I make my way back to the hotel. “Thank you for calling me. I needed someone to tell me what to do.”

“Anytime. I'll see you when you get back.” Ms. Jackie ends the call.

Glancing over my shoulder, I throw my phone back into my bag and start walking toward the hotel. Dan has been in contact with the police about Sam for me. I want to try and live my life without worrying all the time, so Dan said he would sort it all out. The last update I got was the police had sent Sam's picture to stations around the states, and a warrant for his arrest is in place. But, that still doesn’t stop me looking around for him.

Taking out my room key, I look down the corridor and smile as a couple giggling to each other walk past me.

Walking into the suite, I look around for Ethan and hear his voice coming from the other room. Walking into the room, I throw my bag on the bed and look at him as he turns around to face me.

“I'll call you back.” Putting the phone on the table, he walks over to me. “I’m sorry. I am. I know you don’t want anything from me, but it’s been bad few weeks. I didn’t handle them the best way.” He stops in front of me, then leans his forehead against mine with his hands on my hips. “We need to talk. It’s time to tell you who's making my life a living hell and who keeps calling me,” he tells me.

“Okay,” I reply. I might finally learn who this Edward and Angie are.

“Edward Cult is my father, the man I’ve hated for years and never want to see. He left my mom for some twenty-year-old and took all the money we had, leaving us nothing. I built my company from nothing—all by myself.” He takes my hand in his. “What I said to you the other day about never being in love, it was the truth. There was a time I thought I was in love, but I was blind. You’ve heard me talk about her. Angie…is my ex-wife.” I take my hands out of his. What? Did I just hear that right? “She used me for my money. Mom and Travis kept warning me, but I didn’t listen. They kept telling me I was seeing the real her. Then, everything was falling apart around me. Edward came back and said he needed money because his whore spent it all. I told him to fuck off and that I wouldn’t give him anything.” Ethan stops for a moment while I try to wrap my head around everything he's telling me.

“So, your dad left you, and is now back because he wants more money? What I don’t understand is what this has to do with your ex-wife,” I say. It’s like he’s started two different stories and wasn’t sure which one to tell me about first.

“When I told him to fuck off, he told me he would ruin me and make sure I was left with nothing, just like him. Three years ago, he tried. I came home and caught my dad fucking my wife. I told them both to get the fuck out of my house and that I never wanted to see either of them again.” Ethan looks at me standing there with my mouth wide open. What a cocksucker, and she's nothing but a bitch. “You would think that was the worst of it, but it had been going on for months. My mom and Travis were right. She was using me for my money, to give to him.” Now what Tanya said to me about being a gold digger makes sense. She thinks I'll do the same thing. “I told her she wouldn’t see a dime because of the prenup. So, for the last seven months, she has been calling, wanting to talk. And now he’s also back in the picture wanting to talk. Mom thinks I should talk to them, but I don’t want to be in the same room with either of them,” he says.

I’m still dumbstruck with everything he just threw at me. I mean, that was a lot of information. “What do you think you should do?” I ask him. At the end of the day, it’s him they want to see, not his mom.

“I don’t want to see them, but they keep calling and that just pisses me off.”

“Then hear what they have to say. At least that way, you’ll know and they can leave you alone,” I tell him. Once he hears them out, maybe they'll finally leave him alone.

“I'll call mom, then have Selena set something up.”

“How much money does she want?” I ask him. I know that was one of the things that got him in a bad mood.

---