Page 16 of Just Desserts

"Why not?" I gasped. This didn't make any sense! They weren't even trying to hide their relationship anymore. I don't know why he was even denying it.

Lydia gave an equally big sigh. "He's clever, I'll give the son of a bitch that. He set this up nice and tight, by making sure the judge dismissed the adultery charges; if you were to bring it up outside the proceedings you could be charged with libel or defamation of character."

"He doesn't need my help to defame his character! He's doing it all on his own!" I yelled.

"Isla honey, I know. He's a schmuck, he's a lawyer and he's using slimy tricks to drag this out. On that note, I want you to know that I am not charging you my full fees. I don't like when someone uses the law to hurt innocent people. I'm not letting him use up your retainer by wasting our time. We are going to nail him, and I will make sure we get him on adultery so you can shout from the rooftops what a lowlife scum ball he is. I am going to need your help though. Are you going to be up for that?"

"Of course, tell me what you need from me." I replied instantly. My gut burned with anger at Jonathan. Did he always lie and deceive this much? Was I just blind to it? Why does he get to go out and do whatever he likes, with whoever he likes but I'm under a gag order? No, I was not having that. I was not going away quietly. This was more than just a divorce, he wasn't just losing me. Now, I was going to make sure he losteverything.

I chatted with Lydia a bit more, she suggested hiring a private investigator to follow them but I was afraid he would somehow weasel out of that since the photos would be from during our 'separation' rather than showing him actively cheating on me during the marriage. With that concern on the table, Lydia suggested I contact The Bennett House since they clearly stayed there a few times.

We disconnected the call, with her promising me an update in a few days and my promise to send over any and all evidence I found. She also made me promise to let her know right away if I have any visits from the he and she-devil. I dug out the credit card statements I had reviewed prior to my first call with Lydia and started writing down dates and times. Cross checking text messages with the dates the charges appeared, I tried to map out Jonathan and Alyssa’s movements during their stays at the hotel.

Armed with what I hoped was enough info to get some footage, I was almost prepared to call in a favor from Wes. I knew he had a friend at The Bennett House. I could just show up there and ask for security but Lydia's warning of defamation was swirling in my head. The less people I had to involve in this the better, but right now I needed Wes's help, because I needed help from The Bennett.

Chapter 15

Myles

I had known Wes Chambers since freshman year of college, having lived on the same floor at the dorms. We formed an easy friendship, we liked the same sports, had several of the same classes and had similar goals for our future. We both wanted to be our own bosses. Wes wanted to use his hands and work alone, making his own timeline and only being held accountable for himself. I wanted to be in the middle of chaos and activity, in the hub of it all. I thrived on activity and organization.

After moving out of the dorms, Wes and I moved into an apartment with two other friends Tyler and Sean. The four of us remained close and lived together until graduation. Out of all the guys, Wes and I were the closest. I had met his family a few times when they came to visit. His mom was a sweetheart and I liked his dad's no bullshit attitude.

His sister Alyssa was another story. She was young when we first met, a teenager and every bit the moody stereotype. She barely said a word except to mutter under her breath or play around with her phone. I caught her staring at me a few times but dismissed it as young curiosity.

It wasn't until one weekend when she came alone to stay with Wes that things got a little strained. Their cousin was supposed to come with them but had gotten food poisoning at the last minute. I had known that Wes had an Aunt and Cousin he was very close to, he frequently talked about Alyssa and Islaboth, always in the role of protective older brother.

The weekend Alyssa came alone, I felt immediately uncomfortable. I couldn't put my finger on the reason, and I didn't want to start anything with Wes but I was on high alert from the moment she arrived. I found it odd that she never called Wes to let him know their cousin was ill, or to try and reschedule for a weekend when they both could make it. I know Wes and his parents only allowed Alyssa to come without them because they assumed her older cousin would act as chaperone.

Alyssa however was overjoyed at the lack of company. She seemed like a totally different girl than the brooding teenager who silently sat through dinners that last few times she had visited. Unbeknownst to us, she came prepared with vodka filled water bottles she had snuck from her parent's bar and a single minded plan to party like a true college student. She begged Wes to take her to a frat party and after hours of her whining and pleading he finally caved.

He made Sean, Tyler and I promise to go with him and keep an eye on his sister, keep her out of trouble. The night was pretty lame to be honest, by the time we arrived it was in full swing and everyone was wrecked to some level. I had been nursing one cup of beer all night because this wasn't exactly my scene. Several girls all at different levels of inebriation were falling over each other all night. Their sloppy attempts to try and hook up were off-putting and I felt like a babysitter just waiting to take my charge home.

Finally, when I caught sight of Alyssa leaving the dance floor I went to follow her. She started weaving her way down the hallway and I caught up with her as she almost tripped over her own feet. Grabbing her by the arm I helped her regain her balance then put my hands on both her shoulders to steady her. Before I even realized what was happening she hadslammed her mouth onto mine and dug her nails into my hair. I quickly pushed her back, stopping myself from using too much force on her.

"I think it's time for you to go home, let's go find your brother." I said, trying not to embarrass her but also firmly keeping some distance between us. Unfortunately she wasn't having it. She ducked under my arms and tried to wind her whole body around me.

"Forget about my brother, why don't you take me somewhere for alone time?" She whispered in my ear.

I jumped as I felt her tongue on my neck and then started to get angry. With more force I pulled her off of me and pushed her until there were no parts of our bodies touching. There were black layers under her eyes and even with my arm pinning her to the wall she was having a hard time standing up straight.

"You need to go home. We're finding your brother and you're going back to the apartment now." I said sternly.

She opened her mouth to reply and I cut her off. I caught sight of Tyler in the other room.

"TYLER!" I yelled, drawing attention.

I saw Alyssa's face heat up and she drew her arms away from me, trying to use the wall to help her stay upright. He must have seen something on my face because he came straight over. As soon as he was close enough I removed my hand, not wanting to touch her for a single minute longer. She lilted to the side and Tyler swooped in and caught her.

"Easy there Lyss, you doing ok?" He gave me a curious look and I got straight to the point.

"She's wasted and getting handsy. Get her back to theapartment, make sure Wes is with you. I'll see you guys tomorrow." With that I left, and made sure not to come back to the apartment until after she had gone home.

Wes apologized to me on her behalf later the next day. I don't think I saw her again other than a quick glance at graduation where she was among the thousands of family members in attendance. Soon enough she was just a distant memory, someone I heard about occasionally when Wes and I got the opportunity to catch up.

An occurrence that is happening less and less these days, I realized with regret. His contractor business was in full swing and I finally got my hotel up and running. I let that sink in, and took a moment to consider the last time I had gone out for a reason that didn't have to do with business or the hotel. I had thrown myself into making the hotel a success, now that it was in the black, I should have been able to take a breath and step back.

Instead I felt like I had an entirely new role, leader of my own 3 ring circus. I was constantly directing and guiding the different departments to make sure everything was running smoothly. I had my hands involved in all aspects of the hotel. I loved it, it wasn't a burden or a job to me, just part of my life.

---