Breach of Honor by Naomi Porter

55 Miranda

I HAD NEVER been to Charlie’s Lounge. From the outside, it didn’t look like much. What was the saying? Never judge a book by its cover. Charlie’s should definitely not be judged by its exterior.

Inside the mid-century design lent a clean, modern feel with an amber glow, warming the space from the recessed lighting. It wasn’t the sort of place I’d use for a wedding venue, but a Godfather-themed party would be fabulous.

We were seated in a high-back U-shaped booth. If we’d wanted privacy, these booths provided plenty.

It felt as if we had traveled back in time to the 1940s. I loved it. As did its patrons, I assumed, since the place looked to be at capacity.

“How did you find this place?” I asked Lily.

“Jesse, our new staff manager, told me about it. He said I had to check it out.”

“He was right. I can’t believe I’ve never been here. It looks like nothing from the outside, just a concrete warehouse. What a hidden gem!”

“It is. Are you feeling better?”

“I am. Thanks for forcing me to come.”

“Of course, it’s what I do best.” She hiked a brow, perusing the menu. The little cocky thing knew she kicked ass at getting me to do what she wanted. Being a softie was my most vulnerable characteristic.

We ordered drinks and food and people watched. It was one of my favorite things to do while in a restaurant or at the beach.

A couple maybe ten feet away from our booth caught my attention. I’d bet they were on a first date or perhaps second. They didn’t appear super comfortable but they gazed at each other with stars in their eyes.

Will and I had been that way when we first got together.

It was hard to believe it was approaching a year since I’d first met William Howard St. James III. Fate had wanted us to meet the night of my birthday in Club R, and what a first encounter it had been, Will up against a wall with a woman giving him head. It had thrilled me to see the provocative act moments before I’d planned to leave with the guy I’d met. I remember dancing with the dude and hearing Lily’s dare in my head. I’d been determined to sleep with him, no questions asked. What a turn of events the night had produced.

It hadn’t been the ideal chance meeting, not by far, but we both had felt something magical occurred. Seeing each other so soon after was like serendipity. Maybe it hadn’t been love at first sight, which I believed in completely, but I had started to fall in love with him the night of our first real date. Will might say the same. Or he would have back then—maybe not now.

One thing remained true despite our problems: Will owned my heart, body, and soul. I truly believed there had to be an explanation for everything.

Of course, Lily and Tate would say I was in denial.

“What do you think of this place? Should I add it to our venue folder?” Lily asked before taking a sip of her hard cider.

I blinked away the thoughts clouding my vision. How did I go from brokenhearted to melting over memories of Will and me? I was one hot mess. “It would be awesome for themed parties. Definitely add it to the list.”

“How’s the risotto? It looks good, but man, I need to watch my carb intake. This kale salad is yummy.” She scrunched her face, and it made me smile. Always counting carbs and calories and then complaining about it.

No matter what Lily thought, she was gorgeous. I adored her sparkling green eyes and full lips. Tonight, she was wearing her candy-apple-red lipstick that made her lips look like a heart when she pursed them together. I simply adored her. She had never struggled to find a guy or manage her weight, but she’d tell you otherwise. Smoke and mirrors had always been her game.

And that damn Henry had crushed her. Whatever hold he had on her, she hadn’t been able to break it.

“The risotto is to die for. Will would love it.” I grinned, swirling my fork through the creamy goodness. “I’ll have to bring him here. One taste and he’ll be hooked. I bet he’d want to eat here every day.” I laughed, looking up from my bowl, and found Lily’s eyes downcast as she picked at her salad.

I’m an idiot.

“Glad to hear it’s good and Will would love it.”

“I’m sorry, but he would.” I grimaced, reaching for my earring. “I don’t know how to not talk about him. But I’ll try, okay?”

“Just be mindful. He’s not on my list of favorite people anymore.”

“Anymore? He was never on your favorites list.”

“He was up until he cheated on you.” The matter-of-fact tone in her voice made me sad. Sad for not realizing Will had been accepted by Lily. Sad that after what he’d done, he never would be again. “The craziest part is I truly believed he was the one for you. I saw the love between you guys. I could swear he worshiped the ground you walked on. If I had a boyfriend, I’d want my first year with him to be like yours and Will’s, save for the cheating and the errant man,” Lily admitted. No sooner had the words left her lips that she drew into herself.

Yup, Henry still had a firm hold on her.

We both quieted and returned to eating our food.

My thoughts returned to Will. It perplexed me that he still sent me flowers and love letters and we still had late-night talks under the sheets and morning sex. Will continued to support my career and listened to me gush about my design ideas—when he was home. And he had never stopped being my biggest cheerleader.

The waiter took our empty plates, and I excused myself to go to the ladies’ room. I needed to get away from the booth as the awkward silence between us enveloped me. Plus, my bladder was going to explode.

It surprised me no one had questioned my frequent trips to the bathroom or my sensitive stomach, especially Lily. She was usually on top of everything I did or didn’t do.

Had she asked, I would have admitted I was pregnant.

The last few weeks had been a blur. Between Will’s rekindled affair and my crazy work schedule, I’d hardly thought about the baby. I’d never planned to keep it a secret, but Will hadn’t come home the evening I was going to tell him. His mistress was back in his life, and so the baby became my little secret.

Will’s apology the next evening had gutted me. His pleas and promises, and the way he’d made love to me were so convincing. It was why I’d stayed with him instead of leaving. I wanted to give him another chance.

But I wouldn’t tell him about the baby.

Not even a week later, I’d learned Cori was the important deal he was working on. Will had slipped and revealed her name one night while we argued. It was then when my life spun out of control.

Protecting myself and the baby became my priority. I needed time to process and figure out what I was going to do. That had been ten days ago, and I still didn’t know.

I pushed open the door to the ladies’ room. I hadn’t expected such a glitzy interior. Gold accents and white fur-covered chairs in a bathroom lounge? Genius.

I passed through quickly to get to the stalls and relieve my bladder.

The quiet bathroom helped to relax my tense nerves. I loved Lily, but sometimes she annoyed the shit out of me.

As I sat, minding my own business while doing my business, two women entered while gabbing about their men. Maybe they thought they were alone, or perhaps they didn’t care who might be listening. I assumed they didn’t care for as loud as they were talking.

Honestly, I could have cared less about them as I sat on the toilet, so I tried to ignore their squeals. Not easy to do when sandwiched in a stall between two verbose women.

“Oh my God, Billy is by far the best fuck I’ve ever had,” one woman said. “And let me add, he loves me on my knees... if you get what I mean.” Her ridiculous laugh filled the bathroom. Snorts and giggles ricocheted off the black-and-white marble-tiled walls.

Her comment got my attention, and I dialed into the conversation as most women would.

“Why don’t you call him Will?” the other woman asked. Her raspy voice made me think of a smoker, or maybe someone with asthma.

“I like calling him Billy. William St. James ‘the third’ is so stupid formal,” said… the other woman.

At this point, I was fully dialed in when the two-ton weight crushed my chest. It didn’t matter. I found the strength to quickly finish peeing and exit the stall. I had to see these women. I had to see her. Cori.

I rounded the corner and there she was standing by the sink, the blonde kissing Will in the photo that had monopolized Twitter for days on end. She didn’t pay any attention to me as I washed my hands.

A good thing, since my freaking hands trembled obnoxiously. I feared I would hyperventilate right there surrounded by gold mirrors, crystal chandeliers… and the other woman in my Will’s life.

“Are you okay?” Cori asked. Lost for words, I froze. “My friend Cori can get help if you need it?”

Cori?

I inhaled and exhaled, feeling my heart beat faster than I’d ever felt before. “No, that’s not necessary, thank you. I shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach.” It was a stupid lie, but it was all I could think of in my current state.

The blonde wasn’t Cori. My mind whirled. Nothing made sense.

“Oh, for sure! Just eat something, and you’ll be fine.” The blonde smiled.

Did Will have two women on the side?

The real Cori never said a word, nor did she look in my direction. The redhead focused her attention on applying a crimson lipstick, the same shade as her hair. There was a gothic look about her: pasty white skin, heavy black eyeliner, and fake eyebrows were meticulously drawn on in black pencil.

This can’t be Cori.

I looked her up and down: a black lace tank to accentuate her modest breasts, a red mini skirt, and black platforms. I couldn’t see it… why her? She wasn’t Will’s type at all. My stomach twisted again, and I nearly doubled over. Was he on drugs or something? Or slumming it to try something different?

Well, she had said he loved her on her knees.

I shook my head to wake myself up as if this were a dream. If I were in the bathroom with Cori, that meant Will was here too.

Oh, God!

The two women left, and suddenly I snapped back to reality. What else was I to do but follow them? I exited the bathroom discreetly. All I wanted was to confirm if the redhead was the Cori.

I lagged back so they didn’t notice me. Sure enough, the women stopped at a booth at the opposite end of the restaurant. Had I not seen them in the bathroom, I wouldn’t have known they were here.

Will stood for the redhead. Before she slid into her spot, she looked up at him. Their eyes were locked as she kissed him, cupping his ass.

My heart stopped beating. It was the other woman. The room wobbled as I labored to breathe.

I felt like I was in one of those scenes in a movie where the woman ran toward a door, desperate to exit the building, but the camera panned back, making it look like the door moved hundreds of feet out of her reach. The same was happening to me, seeing Cori kiss Will. Their table panned away from me until Will was out of my reach.

Like an obsessed stalker, I spied on them. Would Will smile at her the way he smiled at me? Would he lean into her, brushing his lips across hers? Or kiss her below her earlobe the way he did to me?

It killed me to watch, but I couldn’t look away. I needed to see if Will would ask her to dance. If he would press his hand against her lower back the way he held me. I needed to see the love in his eyes like he once had for me.

But Will didn’t look like he was having a good time. He drummed his fingers on the side of his scotch glass—his tell. He looked bored or pissed off about something.

Contrarily, Jason seemed to be having the time of his life with the blonde from the bathroom. She was nestled close to him. I hated him with every morsel of my being.

The party of four was an eclectic mix. Hipster Jason in a black T-shirt and jeans, his black beard trimmed to define his strong, pointy jaw. He could be Satan himself. Over the last few months, I’d become uneasy around him again. Thankfully, I rarely saw him, but the desire in his eyes couldn’t be missed when I did. Despite the icky feelings Jason gave me, I never told Will.

I studied Will, looking handsome as ever in a white oxford button-down shirt, open at the collar, and a navy sport coat. The jacket was my favorite, with gold embossed buttons on the cuffs adding a nautical flair.

I loved that gorgeous man, but my brain urged me to not let him hurt me anymore. I deserved to be respected and not be made a fool of ever again.

Of course, my heart refused to listen to my head when the need to feel his lips pushed me toward the table with no plan or grand statement in my head. Hell, I didn’t even remember where my booth was anymore. By now, Lily had to be wondering what had happened to me.

None of that mattered as my eyes connected with Will’s.

“Well, hello, Miranda. You’re looking mighty fine tonight,” Jason taunted. I hardly heard him. Will jumped to his feet, stopping me from approaching the table.

As if nothing inappropriate was amiss, as if he wasn’t cheating, Will kissed me. And not just a friendly peck you’d give a relative or friend but a kiss you’d give the person you loved. Will parted my lips, slipping his warm tongue into my mouth. It was sensual and passionate and heartbreaking.

I hated how he made me tingle even after seeing him kiss her. I hated how I wanted him to take me home and fuck the memory of that bitch out of my mind. I hated everything I felt as Will moved his lips over my mine desperately.

“Billy!” Cori’s high-pitched shrill didn’t faze Will. It had the opposite effect actually. He cupped my face, deepening our kiss.

I was entirely confused. What in the hell was going on?

My heart wilted on the spot when Will pulled away and our eyes met. Beyond the shame and grief in his dark depths, I saw love, but it didn’t matter anymore. Nothing about this situation was okay.

I swallowed down the heap of emotions stuck in my throat as tears pooled, and Will became nothing but a blur of adultery.

“Let’s go home.” He took my hand gently from my ear with a look of determination in his eyes. I hadn’t realized I was tugging on my earring—damn nerves.

“Aw shit, but we’re out with our ladies.” Jason groaned. “It’s not Miranda’s night. It’s Cori’s.” He laughed wickedly. Since he’d arrived in town, he hadn’t once cared about my feelings. Why would I expect him to start now?

“Yeah, Billy, it’s my night!” Cori whined.

“Shut up!” Will glared at them. “Come on, baby, let’s go home,” Will repeated, gripping my waist.

“No!” I jerked my hand away. Where the two-letter word came from, I didn’t know. Perhaps from being humiliated? I couldn’t see straight, let alone think clearly. Whatever it was, no had blasted out of my mouth as if a supernatural force had overcome me.

Cori’s night?

My Will wasn’t just mine; he was hers too. I wouldn’t be going home with him because it was Cori’s night, as Jason had said.

Suddenly, I found my voice. “I refuse to do this with you. I won’t be disrespected anymore. You don’t deserve me… You don’t love me.”

“I do love you,” his panicked whisper vibrated against my cheek. “Let’s go home, and we’ll talk about this.”

His eyes pleaded but it didn’t affect me, not with the murmuring coming from his table.

I jumped, feeling a hand squeeze my shoulder. “Let’s go, Miranda.” Lily’s voice came from behind me.

“Okay,” I answered as a single tear glided down my cheek.

“I’ll meet you at home.” Will sounded like he meant it, but at this point, I wouldn’t believe anything that came out of his mouth.

Especially not as his mistress cried foul about it being her night. “Billy… you can’t. You promised,” Cori whined again.

I wanted to choke her, claw her eyes out, and rip her crimson hair out of her scalp for ruining my life and my baby’s.

“She won’t be coming home tonight,” Lily said on my behalf. “You’re a real piece of shit. You know that, right?”

As I turned to leave, Will grabbed my hand. Feeling his touch made me want to dissolve into the stained concrete floors. “Please, Miranda. Please meet me at the house.”

Despondent, I pulled my hand out of his and walked away with Lily.

I couldn’t remember how we got back to my car or what time we had arrived at Lily’s apartment or how I wound up on her sofa.

I didn’t remember anything except the air leaving my lungs.