The CEO's Entanglement

12 Hook, Line, and Sinker

Morris POV

It takes a second for my brain to catch up, but when it does, I'm pissed. "Loreli, this is completely inappropriate. Everything that needed to be said was done with HR present. It is nothing personal. You are an employee and I am your boss. Now please leave my office and I won't expect to see you again since you are no longer my assistant." Something flashes in her eyes before she turns to leave my office. I hate that I was so stupid. Amber is right. She is a suit chaser.

Once I know she is gone, I rush out of my office and down the hallway that leads to the elevator. I need to get to my in-law's house. I refuse to disappointment my wife again by being late after I just told her I'm on my way. I step inside and push the button for the first floor. The door is almost closed when a hand with manicured finger nails holds it open. When Loreli steps inside, it takes all my control to tell her to get the f**k off the elevator.

I make sure to stand as far from her as possible. When the door is completely closed, she turns to me. "I just wanted to apologize, Morris. I know you don't want to tell me the truth, but I understand my presence in your life is upsetting your wife. I never meant to cause you problems," she says. "Enough Loreli, that is the last time you will speak about my wife. We are not friends and my decision to move you to another executive has to do with your recent mistakes, not personal feelings."

She looks like I just slapped her, and I'm grateful when the elevator door opens. I'm done with this conversation. I step out of the elevator making my way through the lobby to the parking garage. I slide into the driver's seat of my BMW and waste no time pulling out into traffic. As I make the drive to my in-laws' house, I replay my recent interactions with Loreli. How could I have been so blind?

By the time I pull into the driveway, I want to rush inside and beg my wife to forgive me, but I know Elise. She isn't ready and I won't push her. I knock and a few minutes later the door opens. My mother-in-law is standing with her arms crossed over her chest, giving me a knowing look. I hate the disappointment I see in her eyes. "Morris, Emmy is watching cartoons in the living room. Elise asked me to find out what time you'd be bringing her back?"

"I can keep her tonight to give Elise a break. Besides, I've been working a lot, and I'd like to spend time with her." "Oh, I've heard all about you working," she says. "Mom, I swear," I start to say, but she cuts me off. "It's not me you have to convince you're not a cheating ba**ard. I believe you haven't crossed that line, Morris, but you still hurt my daughter. I trusted you to take care of her heart and you made her cry. My baby girl doesn't cry easily, so you better fix it. I would hate to have to tell her daddy to deal with you," she says, a sternness to her voice I've never heard before.

"I will, I promise. I love Elise. I would never step out on her. She and Emmy are my world." "Then prove it with actions not words," she says. "I will do everything I can to show her." A few minutes later, I'm buckling Emmy into her car seat. I look back toward the house and see my wife staring at us from the window. The sadness in her eyes nearly guts me. I can't stop myself from mouthing the words "I love you." She quickly closes the curtains and I slide into my driver's seat.

Despite the ache in my chest that Elise wasn't with us last night, I enjoyed the time with my daughter. When we pull into the driveway, I'm shocked to see Elise sitting on the porch. I assumed her mom would be the one waiting for me. When I turn off the car, I notice something else. She looks pissed. I step out of my car wondering what the hell could have happened to having her looking at me like she wants my balls on a platter.

I unbuckle Emmy and press a kiss on her forehead. "I love you sweetheart. Head into the house while I talk to your mom." Elise smiles as Emmy runs to her for a hug before she takes off into the house. When her eyes are back on mine, the murderous look has returned. "Elise, is everything alright," I ask not knowing what else to say. "Why no, it's not dear husband. Would you like to know why everything is not alright?"

"Elise, please tell me what happened." "Your girlfriend sent me a message this morning." I'm about to roar that I don't have a f**king girlfriend when she continues. "Told me how you two didn't mean to hurt me. That you couldn't help yourselves. That you fell in love," she says, the last part fighting back tears. I can't stop myself from closing the distance between us and pulling her into my arms.

At first, she starts to fight, but then she just stands limply in my arms. "Elise, I am so sorry she sent you those kinds of messages. I swear on our child that nothing has happened between us. I do not love her. Hell, I don't even like her. You are the only woman I have ever loved. The only woman I will ever love."

This time when she pulls away from me as much as it kills me, I let her go. "I want to believe you, Morris, but things you've done lately make me scared too. I don't want to be one of those women that put all their faith in a man to find out he wasn't worthy of it," she says, sounding defeated. "I know Elise and that's my fault, but I promise you I won't stop trying to prove to you that you can trust me. Now can you show me the texts she sent you, so I can take screenshots. Obviously, moving her to another executive wasn't enough to show her how serious I was."

I see something flicker in my beautiful wife's eyes before she pulls her phone from her pocket. She opens a thread from a number I've never seen before. She also never says who she is in the message. "F**k" I say as I take pictures of the messages. "I promise you Elise, I will do everything in my power to get rid of her. I'll talk to Amber as soon as I get into the office. I'm sure she is going to tell me again what an id*ot I am."

I can see the corner of Elise's lip raise, but she quickly stops herself from smiling. "I love you, Elise. I know you are angry at me. I understand why, but I need you to understand that I love you. No one else but you. I have not wanted another woman since I laid eyes on you on the plane." She nods and turns to head back into her parents' house. I hate that I've done this. I've made my wife doubt my love for her.

By the time I arrive at work, I'm barely hanging onto my control. I know I can't prove it was her that texted Elise, but there is no other explanation. I can't believe I thought she was a nice girl that needed help. When I reach Amber's office, the door is closed. I knock twice before the door swings open. She motions for me to come in and retakes her seat behind her desk.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon. I figured she would at least wait for a couple of days to start stirring the sh*t pot" she says. I open and close my mouth before I finally tell her about what happened before I left yesterday and the text messages. She shakes her head and pulls a small device from her desk drawer. It's the size of a thumb drive. "Keep this in your desk. If she comes back to your office at any time, use it to record her."

"Is that legal to record her without your knowledge?" "I will send out a company memo saying that the building is under both video and audio surveillance. As long as we inform the employees, it won't be an issue. Even though we can't prove she is sending the messages to Elise tell her to save them," she says. "How could I have been so blind to what this woman is really like, Amber?"

"The truth" she says like a question. I nod and prepare myself for the brutal truth as only Amber will deliver it. "You saw a pretty, young, innocent woman and thought the outside package matched the inside. I'm not saying you wanted to cross the line with her, but you found her attractive. She made you think she was helpless and in danger, and you bit hook, line, and sinker. Did you ever hear the saying a wolf in sheep's clothing?" "F**k" was all I could say because she was absolutely right.