Page 22 of Just Desserts

"How come they get custom treats and I don't?" I sighed at his pouty expression.

"You, my dear cousin, now have a free pass at the bakery. Anything you want is on the house."

He did a double take before forcing his eyes back on the road.

"Seriously? I was just ribbing you. You don't have to do that."

"I want to. I can't thank you enough, I will never be able to adequately thank you for how much you've helped me. You've always been there for me but these last few months you've gone above and beyond. I would tell you I love you but I know how much you hate those pesky things called emotions so I've decided to feed you instead. Food is my love language after all." I grinned at him.

"Good deal. And love you too Cuz, but I still want the free pass. As for the guys I'm not sure, that was the first time I met Sully. I can't say I paid too much attention to Myles dessert preferences when we lived together but he always got chocolate flavored protein mix. Oh and I remember we all gave him shit for getting red velvet cake when we went to some food festival on campus."

I laughed. Such a typical Wes response. Regardless I could work off chocolate and red velvet. I told myself the butterflies in my stomach were just excitement to have some forward momentum in my life. As promised, Sully had sent all of the footage to Lydia.

She had sent me an email saying it was incredibly helpful and I finally felt like I had made some headway in the divorce proceedings. In no way were the butterflies related to the idea of seeing Myles again. Speaking of, I turned to Wes.

"So can you give me a ride back to the hotel when I'm done with work? I've got to drop off the gifts and get my car."

"Shit, I can't. I have to meet with an inspector to get the permits for the job we're working on. Do you want me to see if Dad can do it?" I waved him off.

"No, no I can just Uber. It's probably easier that way."

"You sure?" He asked as we pulled into the parking lot of Sugar & Spice.

"Absolutely. Don't worry about it at all." I assured him. I leaned over the center console to give him an awkward side hug, then unbuckled my seatbelt and hopped out of the truck. Wes was reversing the truck as I unlocked the front door. Before he turned to drive away he rolled down this window,

"I'll be by for my reward! If you happen to have those snickerdoodle cookies on the menu today I would not be upset." He winked stupidly. I laughed and nodded my head. Looks like Snickerdoodle and Red Velvet were on the menu for today.

Chapter 19

Jonathan

Dread creeped up my spine like the cold fingers of death. I watched in horror as I went through the latest filing from Isla's lawyer. There was photo after photo, video after video of Alyssa and I spanning almost half a year. Worse, they were all from dates I had written off as client meetings and therefore was reimbursed by the company. Not only was this evidence of my infidelity, but technically it was fraud as well.

When would this hell end? I felt like I was swirling down a dark hole and no matter what I did I just kept falling further. To top it all off, next month was the office-wide party coming up to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the company. All the partners and board members would be in town and in attendance. I knew Isla's missing presence would be noted.

She always stood out at company events, everyone adored her and she had made sure to establish relationships with the partners and their wives. What would I say to explain her absence? Then there was Alyssa. She was overly excited for the party, overstepping boundaries in the planning, acting like she was the hostess. She was stepping on everyone's toes and drawing far too much attention from our co-workers.

I had given her the company card in an attempt to keep her busy and out of my way but that was backfiring spectacularly. She had spent an enormous amount on this party and I had no way to explain it to the higher ups. She was bossing people around and causing murmurs throughout the office abouthow much free reign she had been given. Not to mention, she continued to try and corner me all over the office for sexual rendezvous.

Before Isla found out about us, those trysts were the highlight of my day. We had managed to slip away often enough and found nooks to hide in, the stairwell, her car, and occasionally my office. It was almost like a game to see how many places we could fuck in and how close to getting caught we could get. Now though, Alyssa was getting too brazen, too touchy. The art of subtlety was completely lost on her She was acting territorial of me and I fucking hated it.

I slammed my laptop shut, unable to handle this latest blow from Isla. I had to get through this party first, just focus on one thing at a time. I would think of something to put the divorce off for longer, a court date had been set for two weeks from now but I would file an adjournment, get it moved. I just needed more time. Time to get Alyssa sorted and get my wife back. With that plan in mind I braced myself.

I needed to talk to Alyssa about this party and how we were to behave. She may think she's calling the shots here but I was regaining some control and I knew that bitch's greed was the only thing greater than her obsession with me. I was taking her out to a fancy dinner tonight so we could talk in a public space, hoping that would help her maintain some decorum.

I went and bought her something shiny in an attempt to buffer the reminder I had to give her tonight about the importance of keeping our relationship quiet. Hopefully that would placate her enough so we could get through the event. Surely she could behave herself for one fucking night.

Alyssa

The upcoming party at the office was the perfect opportunityfor me to convince Jonathan how much he needed me. Isla never helped with these things, she just showed up and stood there like a pretty doll. I rolled my eyes, I heard how the partners and wives talked about her.

So pretty, such a sweet girl, smart too! A businesswoman!

Oh please. She opened that bakery with money her father gave her; she never worked a day for it. She had the wool pulled over everyone's eyes.

The rest of the people in the office weren't much better, I heard them whispering behind my back, but I knew they were just jealous. I would make sure this party would be the best the company ever had. I would make both Jonathan, and I look good and then I would stand next to him, keeping the partners and board members entertained.

I may not be able to bake a cake, but I knew how to plan a party, and I was making sure I controlled every aspect of this event. It would be perfect and would impress everyone. Isla had left Jonathan months ago; it was about time I stopped hiding in the shadows.

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