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“But it’s so … not you. Where are the pictures of your family? Your degrees? Your personal affects?”
“Destroyed,” he says softly.
“Destroyed?” I question.
“Yes.”
My heart lurches in my throat. This man, who has spent so much time in my home, is full of warmth and livelihood. His touch and energy bring me to life, yet, here in his home, I feel cold.
“Max—”
“Come, sit with me.” He takes me to the sitting area in front of a set of French doors leading to a small patio.
“I brought you here to see how I live, Stella. I close myself away in my own home for privacy. What you see in this room is the shell of what I wanted when I bought this place. I told you I made some crucial mistakes, and this is the consequence of one of them. I have no choice but to seclude myself in here when I’m home. Originally, I had paintings, personal photos, even a wall for my successes. But every time Erica was upset she destroyed them. One by one, I’ve let them all go and never replaced.”
“I don’t understand,” I say, trembling a little.
“Hopefully, you will once I explain. But promise me, promise me, you’ll listen to everything. It’s not a pretty story, but you need to know. Erica means nothing to me.”
I nod for him to continue. He reaches for my hand but I pull away. Not sure physical contact is a good idea. He sighs loudly and hangs his head, then begins to speak.
“Two years ago, I’d been CEO for about a year, and became reacquainted with Erica Hurst. We’d known each other as kids, but hadn’t seen each other much in ten years. She didn’t even come to dad’s funeral because she was jet-setting, trying to further her modeling career. Anyway, it was a gradual friendship and during that time, I believed she hated her father as much as I did. We had a casual relationship, at least I thought.
“I’m not a good man, Stella, and sex was sex. I wasn’t exclusive to her and she found out. When she did, she became unbearable. Her actions were irresponsible and erratic. She hounded me, even putting some critical business relationships in jeopardy. I cut her off completely, and she went crazy. Edward confronted me one day asking what I was doing about making things right. In my mind, there was nothing there; I only slept with her a few times. Edward is a prick but I was honest. I wanted nothing to do with her. He respected that.
“Then one night, I got a call. She was high and drunk, apparently took a shitload of pills and was in intensive care. When I got to the hospital, Edward and his wife were livid with me. He told me to suck up my shit and take responsibility for leading her on. I was angry and scared. I saw my mom go through the death of my dad and the look in Rita Hurst’s eyes haunted me. Even though Edward was a bastard, I couldn’t allow myself to be the cause of Erica dying.”
“Oh my God,” I whisper.
“Yeah, well even though I knew she was sick, I took her in anyway. I offered the best counseling and a place to stay. Since the day she walked in the front doors, she’s had her own room. I never made the mistake of giving her a reason to think we were more. But she’s convinced herself she loves me. She steps in every chance she gets to infiltrate my life. Showing up at charity events, popping into the office on special presentation days, following me on business trips. You name it, I’ve had to deal with it. Every time I threaten her with moving her out, she gets sick again. Throwing up, crying, pitching a fit–like a spoiled child. I know she’s doing it to make me feel guilty, but the thought of her in that hospital bed, clinging to life, fills my head and I give in.
“Even though we live together, I only see her occasionally. I think she thinks staying out all night makes me jealous, but I relish the time alone in my house. I’ve become so numb and so accustomed; it’s normal to me. What you saw in the kitchen is the result of me finally having enough balls to tell her she’s moving out. She didn’t handle it too well.”
“For the love of God, Max! She sounds crazy. Are you safe here?” I blurt out, thinking about the dishes and glassware covering the kitchen floor.
“Why you have a place for me to stay?” he jokes, raising an eyebrow at me.
“I’m serious, Max.”
“Of course I’m safe. She’s unstable and unpredictable, but my room and my things are protected. As you can see, there’s not much here anymore. I don’t always come home. I stay at my mom’s some weekends and then the corporate apartment too. Erica’s not only irrational, but also a junkie. She’s been arrested twice for possession but her dad’s money and status keeps her out of jail with a short stint in a dry out facility and a few thousand dollars to charities. Cocaine, weed, pills, she likes it all. The times she’s been in rehab were the most peaceful times I can remember in this place.”
“Wow, that sucks. How are you going to handle it?”
“Handle what?”
“Getting her out of here?”
“Easy, she fucked up royally last weekend and I’m sick of her shit. She’s gone. I’ve hired a realtor to help find her a place and told Edward she’s out.”
“Why, Max? Why did I see you all over the tabloids with her?” My voice cracks a little and his face softens.
“She did it on purpose. Edward told her we had business in New York, which was legit, but she knew something was up with me. She’s been asking around. Since I was out late every night with you and never in the office, she got curious. She showed up on the plane and said she had a few agencies she was talking to in New York. I ignored her, as always. I was blindsided by hotel arrangements, but still stayed away. It was her that arranged for the press to be at the hotel that night. She had a huge problem with me being named an eligible bachelor.”
I smirk, which turns into a snort and can’t help but laugh. He looks at me like I’m crazy until my giggling is under control.
“Sorry, go on. Tell me exactly how I saw the two of you looking cozy and her lips against yours.”
“It was a lucky shot. Edward invited her to the business dinner. She was drunk beyond belief, on something, and completely out of control. I had to get her out of the dinner event before Hurst & McCoy’s reputation was ruined. I grabbed a cab, with full intentions of getting her to bed and leaving that night. All I could think about was you. When we got to the hotel, she was almost comatose. Completely out of it. I had to hold onto her to get her into the hotel and right when a photographer popped out, she lifted up to kiss me. I was shocked and fucking pissed. I threw her in her room and left. I didn’t see her again until we got on the plane on Sunday. You have to know, she means nothing to me.”
