“Yeah, that sounds good,” I finally agreed.
Chapter 16
Ridge
The new venture in Australia needed an exec at the head, and my wife – I refused to think of Violet as my ex-wife – needed space still according to her mother who spoke on her behalf, so I decided to go. I hoped like hell that the duration of my stay didn't in fact make it possible for Violet to move on without me. Maybe it would make her miss me more and realize that we were worth fighting for. We'd had ten good years together, and the only reason we hit this fucking hurdle was because of the woman who was headed toward me in the airport lounge, where I was waiting for my flight.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I growled at Fiona as she launched herself at me.
Her arms wrapped around my neck, and she attempted to wrap her legs around me too as she spoke. "I still have access to your calendar. When I saw you booked this flight, I took a chance and booked in with you."
"What the fuck are you doing?" I grabbed her hips to push her off me. “You have no business looking at my calendar or accessing anything as you were fired. You sure as fuck have nothing I want.”
"What about our baby?"
"What?" I asked as the blood drained from my face, no doubt leaving me pale as a ghost.
"What about our baby? I'm pregnant," she stated with a fake-as-fuck shy little grin.
"I don't believe you!"
She pulled a plastic tube out of her purse and showed it to me. "See, I took it yesterday, which is how I knew it was fate that I had to be on this flight with you."
"I didn't even finish, let alone inside of you." At least I hoped that was the case, since I had a shoddy memory of blue balls from that night.
She rolled her eyes. "Well, you must have powerful swimmers then, because whatever got inside me when you were turned on and singing my praises as my pussy squeezed you tight, was enough to make us a baby."
“None of that happened, you conniving bitch. Did you forget I had cameras in my office?”
Fiona shrugged her bony shoulders and moved to cradle her belly. There was no telling how many people were paying attention to this little reunion, especially since one of my other former employees went on the record about some supposed affair I had with Fiona. I didn’t believe that she was pregnant, but the chance that it happened existed. My dick was inside her unprotected. I knew that much from the security footage. It was obvious that I did not consent to what happened, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get pregnant anyway. Precum was potent sometimes, too.
"I have to get to Australia," I stated as the voice over the intercom announced my flight was about to start boarding.
"Me too."
"No. You aren't coming with me."
"If I come with you, you have the chance to talk to me about what we're going to do about this pregnancy. If you want me to terminate, if you want me to keep it…" She whispered the last in a hopeful way.
Shit.
This could not be happening. There was no way in hell Violet would ever take me back if there was a baby involved, and we'd be stuck coparenting with Fiona for the rest of our lives. What the fuck was I supposed to do? I could still have the bitch locked up for rape. I had plenty of evidence, drugging me against my will, the rape itself, and then there were the civil implications like libel from her ruining my marriage by making it look as though I participated. If I was lucky, she would get a few years in jail, some fines she could never afford, and then the courts would say she still had a right to see her biological child. Assuming she was really pregnant and that it was mine.
"Fine, get on the flight. We'll discuss what needs to be done once we get to Melbourne, and then you will go back home and get the fuck out of my life."
She grinned and jumped up and down like I just asked her to marry me for fuck's sake. I saw the flash of a camera from across the room and growled a low, menacing sound of frustration. Even if she turned out not to be pregnant, whatever pictures had been taken, along with the knowledge that I boarded a flight with her, would be news before long. My chances of one day winning my wife back were looking slimmer and slimmer.
Chapter 17
Ridge
I glanced up from the plans for the new studio in the Docklands of Melbourne to see Fiona enter the building with what looked like a basket full of drinks.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“You left for work early. I figured everyone could use some coffee.” I looked around to see who might have heard her. The way she said it made it sound like she had first-hand knowledge that I left for work at a different time than usual, like it had been from a place I shared with her. That couldn’t be further from the truth, I couldn’t tolerate another lie being spun about Fiona and me.
“How the hell would you know if I left early?” I snapped at her.
