Deserted Desire

Chapter 13

“Mr. Grayson, please allow me to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Bercy,” the hostess at the charity gala said and waved an elderly couple over. They wore matching colors – royal blue and gold – and if Mrs. Bercy’s jewelry hadn’t been so expensive-looking, he might have thought they’d wandered into the Met straight from their mobile home vacation.

“Mr. Bercy, Mrs. Bercy,” he nodded at them and flashed his most amicable smile. “It’s an honor.” The Bercys were huge philanthropists and worked closely with his firm. Meaning Alec had to kiss Mrs. Bercy’s wrinkled, liver-spotted hand and act like she was a vision in royal blue and gold.

“We’ve heard many good things about you, Mr. Grayson,” Mr. Bercy said and shook Alec’s hand with greater force than what was to be expected from such a frail-looking man.

“Oh, I have a hard time believing that,” Alec joked. “Meanwhile, you are quite famous for your charitable deeds,” he smiled. “I especially admired your work with the Reading Children project.”

“Oh, yes, those darling boys and girls,” Mrs. Bercy beamed. “Are you a family man, Mr. Grayson?”

“Me? Oh, no, I’m afraid such things are better left to those who actually know what they are doing, don’t you think?” Alec smiled while his mind wandered to a soft, beautiful woman whom he could easily picture fitting that description.

He shook his head discretely to rid himself of her image. Any kind of future with Desirée was out of the question. He just had to remember that she could have played him and spun lies to make him believe she was the victim in all this. He just had to figure out a way to expose her lies.

“Oh? What do your parents say about that? Surely they’d like grandchildren,” Mrs. Bercy continued.

“Oh, they would,” Alec chuckled. “But I’m not quite ready to settle down just yet. This city holds far too many adventures for a single man.”

“Oh, my Barry used to think the same way,” Mrs. Bercy chuckled and patted her husband’s arm. “I was a country girl, myself, and once he got a taste of the fresh country air, he couldn’t wait to get out of the city. We only come down from the Catskills for special occasions now and then.”

“That’s nice,” Alec smiled amicably and excused himself. The Bercys continued working the room and he shook his head. No, he loved the city. No woman would ever change that fact.

~~~

It had been just over three weeks since Alec left, and Desirée was fidgeting in her seat outside the doctor’s office in Rennes. Zach had taken Juliette to the park while she had the scheduled tests done. She had a gnawing suspicion something was off with her body, and the fear of having caught something had grown exponentially with every passing day. She couldn’t be sure she wasn’t making herself sick with worry, or if there was really something wrong with her. Only one way to find out, she supposed.

She looked up when the nurse called her name and walked into the examination room, her head hung low.

~~~

Alec opened the door to his apartment, the blonde he’d picked up draped over his shoulder. She had the fakest breasts he’d seen and her lips seemed to be constantly puckered. Desirée’s total opposite, you might say. Exactly what he needed.

However, when the blonde straddled him on the couch and tugged on his zipper, his mind was elsewhere. Apparently, his date noticed he was distracted and decided removing her dress and bra would help him get back on track. It didn’t.

“Sorry, Mindy, I think we should call it a night,” he said, much to his own astonishment.

“It’s Mandy,” she pouted. Well, he thought she did, it might just have been the collagen moving on its own accord.