Alisha: A dark Romance Ch. 05

"She just wanted it to be a surprise for you."

"And when did she plan this great surprise."

"Several days ago."

"If I call my parents and Julia, are they going to confirm that?" The look on her face was answer enough.

"No. I didn't think so. Don't you mean Ali only arranged the visit today? Well, guess what, SURPRISE, I won't be there."

Sandy's phone buzzed before she could respond. She glanced at the screen. I could see she didn't like what she saw, as her lips went tight.

"Ali wants to know why you're not on your way back to the apartment. She not happy; you're to call her immediately."

"So, she calls you; she can't be bothered to get in touch with me?"

Sandy gave an exasperated sigh, "Of course she would if your bloody phone was on, and it would have made tracking you a lot easier!"

I fumbled my phone out of my jacket, and sure enough, the damn thing was off. I swore to myself as I switched it back on, and then realized that I didn't have Ali's number. I'd not needed it over the summer; I mean why call someone when they are staying in the same house? She called me every day the one week she'd been away.

My phone lit up with some missed calls, several each from Sandy and Jamal, and two from a blocked number.

"Huh, you know even if I'd wanted to call her," I said as I looked up from the screen, "I can't; she's never given me her number." I put the phone down, and Sandy snatched it up and checked my contact list.

"Not true, she's in your contacts." Sandy pointed at an entry in the contacts list.

I shook my head. "That's the number for our old flat in Brighton; I never bothered to delete it, just changed the name from home to Ali's after I left. The only mobile number I've got for her was from then, and it hasn't worked for years. My contacts list is full of old numbers I've never bothered to delete. Anyway, calling her is a moot point if I don't have her number."

Sandy's phone buzzed again, and Ali's face appeared on the screen. She hesitated before reaching out to pick it up. "What do you want me to tell her?" she asked me as the phone continued to buzz in her hand.

I held out my hand, and she gratefully gave me the phone.

"Hi Ali," I said as I accepted the call.

"San... Ben! What, where's Sandy, where are you?"

"She is sitting beside me, and I'm about to go home."

"Good, so we'll all see you soon; your parents and Julia are here."

"Well, I suppose that depends if the four of you are going to be at the cottage anytime soon."

There was a long silence from the phone. Finally, she said, "I don't understand; why would you do that?"

Now it was my turn to fall silent; did she have no idea why I was so annoyed and disappointed with her?

"Did you have a good time this evening Ali?" I asked.

"Yes, until you upped and disappeared on me."

"Well I'm glad you did; I didn't. Any guesses why I left?" There wasn't a reply, so I continued. "No, well I wonder if it could be anything to do with the fact you ignored me for the last two hours. When I tried to talk to you, you and the people you were with cut me out of the conversations. Hey, I'd love to have met Kelly, but you waved me away."

I paused to try and regain my composure. "Why the hell did you make such a bloody fuss about me being there? Was it so I could see how important you are? Well news flash, I already knew that."

"I... I didn't mean to ignore you. You looked bored with the conversations."

"No that wasn't it; you did not attempt to involve me. I was tired of continuously being sidelined by you, and whoever it was you were talking to at the time."

She groaned down the phone and then said, "Please, Ben, stay where you are, I'll get Julia and your parents settled, then come to you and we'll talk."

"Oh, great, the circus comes to town."

"It'll just be me I promise; please, can I talk to Sandy for a moment?"

I passed the phone back to Sandy, and she listened and said yes, several times and nodded.

The phone call over, Sandy said, "I need to sort out something. I'll only be gone a few minutes. Please, promise me you will wait here until I get back. Ali should be here in twenty minutes." With that, she slid out of the booth and hurriedly walked out of the bar.

I gave serious consideration to just walking out, but what was the point? Sooner or later we'd have to sort out what was going on, and it may as well be sooner!

Sandy was back sooner than I'd expected, and she slid back into the seat beside me, saying "All done." She picked up my glass and took a sip, grimaced and ordered her drink. I wasn't in the mood to talk, and Sandy was content to keep me company.

Ali's arrival was announced by a ripple of sound spreading out from the entrance of the bar to encompass the whole room. She'd changed out of her gown and into a dark blue version of the little black dress. She stood just inside the room, and Jamal and Raf flanked her on either side.

Ali scanned the room looking for me, ignoring several calls from people at scattered tables who obviously knew her. Jamal spotted Sandy and me and gestured for us to join them. Sandy started to move, while I did the only thing a gentleman can do in these circumstances. I took a sip from my glass and raised a finger to him in a well-known gesture. So much for her, 'just me' promise.

"They're here," Sandy said as I failed to move.

"So, I see, but she's not alone."

"She is, oh I see. She meant she was leaving Julia and your parents at the apartment. She has to have security with her."

"I'm tired of chasing around after her; if she wants to talk then fine, but I'm fucked if I'm doing it with lover boy hanging around."

Sandy gave me a surprised look, then looked back at Ali, "Who?"

"Jamal, he's in love with her, Christ I thought all of you knew that."

"Is that why you don't like him?"

"It's the other way around. He barely tolerates me." I was watching Ali, as we spoke, and she made a move to join us, but Jamal put a hand out to stop her. He repeated his come to us gesture, and I resisted the temptation to reply with the same one I'd used. I shook my head and settled back in my seat.

He sent Raf over. "Alisha is too exposed here, you need to go somewhere more private," he said, obviously parroting Jamal's message.

"You can go wherever you want; I'm comfortable here. If Ali is serious about talking, Jamal needs to let her come over here. She is getting far more attention standing over there."

"Shit, they are both as bad as each other," I heard Sandy mutter from behind him. She walked over to Ali and greeted her as though she was the person Ali was looking for. She took her hand and led her over to the booth, ignoring Jamal's curse. On the way over, several people stood up to greet her, Ali gave them each a quick word but kept moving in my direction.

"You three find a table out of earshot where you can keep an eye out for any issues," Ali told Sandy and the two bodyguards. Jamal tried to argue, but Ali refused to listen to him.

"Is there a point to this?" I asked her after she'd slipped past me, into the far corner of the booth.

"Of course, there is, love, I made a big mistake. I fell back into my old habits. I didn't mean to ignore you; I just thought you were happy to sit back and let me do my thing."

"So, when I indicated I would like to meet Kelly that was me being not interested?"

"Huh, you think I'm going to let you anywhere near that two-faced slut? She's got so many notches on her bedposts she's had to replace them more than once."

That wasn't the answer I was expecting. "I take it that she's not a friend."

"She's a good friend with one very bad habit; she's a sexual kleptomaniac. She likes to steal other people's boyfriends and husbands and fuck them. If I had introduced you to her as say even an old boyfriend, you would have become a target."

I shrugged, not fully accepted her explanation. "And so, all the other times you cut me out of your conversation, that was to save me as well was it?"

Even in the dim light, I could see Ali blush.

"I forgot that you don't know any of those people. You have no idea what's going on in the business," she told me.

"Everybody I know is part of this world. At an event like this one, gossip about the industry is our main topic of conversation. Shit, I didn't give you a chance did I; you weren't bored. You just didn't know who I was talking to most of the time or what we were talking about. I'm sorry, Ben, it's been so long that I've been at one of these dos with an outsider that I forgot you needed to be properly introduced."

"Can I ask you a serious question," I asked "Do you love me, or is this just an act for Julia? Ow... shit that hurt!" I rubbed my cheek where she had slapped it.

"You deserved it. There are times I'm not sure you deserve it, but yes, I love you. I thought I'd shown you that this summer."

"I thought you did, too, but then we have this evening, and while we're about it what's with the so-called surprise visit from my parents. Don't tell me you had it set up several days ago?"

"No that was a last-minute thing, I was so happy you wanted to be here this week that I forgot how much I was supposed to be involved with. It came to a head when the office sent me my final schedule yesterday. There were so many meetings and events planned that you wouldn't have been allowed to attend with me. Sandy suggested that Julia should join us and then the pair of you would be able to keep each other company when I was busy. I asked your parents along, as well, because they want to see you."

"Why didn't you just tell me that you were going to be busy?"

"Because I didn't want you to use that as an excuse not to be here. I guessed that if I'd told you l was going to be tied up a lot and they were coming over you would have suggested that they come and stay with you at the cottage."

A man's voice with an Italian accent interrupted Ali. "I'm surprised to find you slumming here Ali."

Both of us turned to see who it was. Ali obviously knew him as she gave him a startled look, I was in the dark. He was a tall man in his early thirties, elegant features and wearing an expensive suit with casual aplomb. Your basic Adonis package. I had a vague recollection of seeing him earlier this evening.

He continued, "Sasha said she'd seen you coming in here, I told her she had to be mistaken, as you had promised to join me at Cynthia's party. She was insistent it was you, so I came to see myself."

I was somewhat surprised that he'd been able to walk up to us, as Ali's bodyguards had been stopping people from approaching us while we had been talking. Whoever he was, he was known to Jamal as he'd let him approach us. In fact, I guess Jamal wasn't upset that he was there to put my nose out of joint.

"Well, I suppose we can make the late grand entrance. If you're finished here shall we go?" He cast a dismissive glance at me as he spoke and held his hand out to Ali.

Here we go again was my first thought, Christ, how many men was she supposed to be with tonight? I wiped the pissed off look from my face and held out my hand out and took his extended one and shook it. "Hi, I'm Ben, and you are?"

He gave me a surprised look and shrugged off my hand. "If you don't know who I am then you can't be of any consequence. Now, if you will excuse us, the lady you are talking to, and I have a party to go to."

Ali hissed in annoyance. "Antonio, I told you earlier I wasn't going to the party, and if I did, it wouldn't be with you. Why the hell would you think I'd changed my mind?"

"You said you were leaving for the evening, yet I see you are still here. That can only mean you changed your mind." He said it with such conviction even I almost believed him.

"Hey asshole, who the hell do you think you are," I snapped, loud enough that most of the bar must have heard me. I stood up and pushed him a step away from the table.

There was a sudden movement from a pair of large men who'd been standing a few yards back from Antonio. The motion was mirrored by Jamal and Raf, although I doubted it was me that they were considering protecting.

I decided to ignore the threat, "Asshole, I asked you a question, or are you too dumb to know the answer to that simple question? Let me repeat it, who the fuck do you think you are that gives you the right to interrupt a private conversation?"

"Ben, leave it. He's not worth the bother." Ali had stood up and moved to my side. She took my hand. "Please stop."

She turned to Antonio's bodyguards, "Jamal, would you take these gentlemen over to your table. I need to explain the facts of life to their boss."

There was a long pause, and finally, Antonio nodded his head. The bodyguards stepped back and the tension that had permeated the room eased.

Ali and I sat down again, and Antonio pulled over a chair and sat opposite us.

"Antonio, I've only ever tolerated you because I respect your father. The only reason I went to those previous parties with you was that he asked me," Ali said. "I've agreed to do this last show for him because of the high regard I have for him, and it'll be the last for both of us."

Antonio grunted and started to say something, but Ali cut him off. "Let me tell you, the man you just insulted, the one sitting here, is the most important person in my life. If he asks me not to do your father's show, I'll happily agree to his request and not do it."

"What's so important about him?" Antonio said the last word as dismissively as he could.

Ali fumbled as she tried to grasp my hand. "Because he's the only man I've ever loved, the one I said yes to many years ago."

"Seriously, him!" The surprise was evident in his voice.

Ali's eyes flashed in anger, and I wisely decided to leave this to her. "Yes, him! The man who..." her voice trailed off.

She turned to me, "This ends now, no more hiding what I think about you. I need you to come with me to Cynthia's party; I know you don't feel you should trust me but please, if you love me, you'll come. It's the perfect place for what I need to do." There was a pleading tone in her voice.

Antonio started to speak, and Ali told him to shut up. "You can go," she told him, "and take your goons with you."

Antonio started to complain, but Ali ignored him and took my hand. "Please, Ben, this is something I need to do."

What was I supposed to do? I didn't think I'd ever seen Ali so earnest. Ali stood up, and I followed her. She went over to Jamal, who stood up, and she spoke to him.

"I'm taking Ben to Cynthia's party; when we get there, you will disappear into the woodwork."

Jamal glanced at me before nodding and making a brief phone call. Ali and Sandy spoke together,

"Can you call Cynthia and tell her I've decided to come to her party and I'm bringing Ben?" Ali said.

Sandy nodded and said, "Yes." She added, "Do you need me, as well?"

Ali hesitated, then shook her head, "You can go back to the apartment if you want."

Sandy looked relieved at that. Ali led the way to the hotel's exit with me at her side. Jamal and Raf hurried to get in front of Ali, and Sandy brought up the rear. There was a pair of Range Rovers waiting in the hotel's driveway with several more bodyguards standing beside them.

Sandy gave both of us a kiss, got into a taxi with one of the bodyguards, and it drove off. Ali and I got into the back of the car that Jamal indicated; he got into the passenger seat, beside the driver. The other bodyguards climbed into the second Range Rover.

"Where is this party?" I asked as we pulled away from the hotel.

"Not far," Jamal said, and he was correct; we pulled up outside a nightclub five minutes later.

The security was tight at the entrance, our names were checked off of a list, and we were waved through. Inside the nightclub, the music was loud and the lights were flashing to the beat.

"Why are we here," I shouted into Ali's ear.

She shouted back, "Because anyone who's important in the fashion industry will be here. This is the hottest ticket tonight. Stay close to me," she added.

We started to move through the crowded rooms; only Jamal had come into the building with us, the other bodyguards staying with the vehicles. He had checked with the nightclub's security and seemed happy to stay in the background.

We found a quieter area where we could talk without shouting. "I'm looking for Cynthia," she told me. We were offered drinks from a tray held by a cute girl; I took a pair of champagne glasses and offered one to Ali.

"Why her?" I asked

"Because she's an old friend and the editor-in-chief of one of the most influential fashion gossip magazines, and I want you to meet her."

"And again, why?"

"Because I can guarantee that anything we tell her tonight will be known by the rest of the fashion industry tomorrow."

"So, are you coming out then?"

"Idiot," she said and then hugged me. "Let's find somewhere comfortable to sit and let her find me."

I looked around the crowded nightclub, "Does she even know you are here?"

Ali glanced at the screen of her phone, "She knows, Sandy contacted her; she'll find us soon."

We found a booth only occupied by two beautiful women. They recognized Ali and waved at her. Ali greeted them as old friends, they offered to share the booth and I sat down gratefully. It had been a long emotional day, and it was looking like it would be at least a few more hours before I could get some sleep. I'd no idea how Ali did it, but she was still looking fresh and great.

Ali introduced me to the two women, Zoe and Caitlin, both models Ali had worked with over the years. It wasn't until I registered the shocked looks that crossed their faces that I realized that Ali had introduced me as her husband.

"When did you get married Ali?" Caitlin asked. She was a natural redhead with striking green eyes, and she spoke with a faint Irish accent. "You always told us that marriage was not in your future."

Ali smiled at my shocked expression and replied. "Fourteen years ago, I've been in love with Ben since I was 17.

"But I thought..." Zoe started to say and then trailed off, giving Ali a surprised look. I saw her mouth 'Ricky' to Caitlin.

I gave a brief smile at her confusion and put her out of her misery.

"We were married at the start of Ali's career," I said and thought I didn't need to be brutally honest, so I took some of the blame. "The pressure of her lifestyle got to both of us, and we separated. We reconnected earlier this year and decided to give our marriage another try." Ali kissed me, tucked her legs up under herself and squeezed up against me.

"So, when did you get married again, Ali?" Caitlin asked.

"We never got divorced; Ben is Julia's father," Ali said.

"So, you've been married all this time."

Ali smiled and wiggled her left hand at the pair of them. That's when I saw she'd replaced her rings on her ring finger, I realized she must have done it on the ride over, and I hadn't noticed.

"I was the one at fault, not Ben. I was the one who walked away from him. I knew as soon as I came to my senses that I'd made a big mistake, but by then he'd gone. I couldn't find him."

A silence fell on the table, well, as silent as it could be with the background noise of the nightclub, as Zoe and Caitlin absorbed Ali's revelation.

We didn't have much time to relax; a woman appeared, Ali stood, and they gave each other a hug and an air kiss. I guessed that this was Cynthia, but it turned out I was wrong.

"Ben, this is Annabeth, she's Cynthia's assistant," Ali said. "Annabeth, this is Ben, my husband."

I was getting used to the shocked look I got at this statement.

"Husband; that's new, when did this happen Ali?"