The Love of Lies

Liability

Ashton's POV

I sometimes get the feeling that Cori thinks I’m not being genuine when I give her compliments, and because I don’t want her to question me or herself, I tell her about Jonathan Crosby.

She wasn’t as excited as I was, because as she put it, playing with a person’s livelihood isn’t something she wants to do, but I was able to dispel that guilt by letting her know that in our field, the sudden death of the person who manages your money can lead to absolute ruin.

“Jonathan Crosby doesn’t belong to a firm that operates like the one my family started. Right now, I’ve been suspended, but none of the clients I personally work with have any fear because my accounts have been handed down to the secondary managers.”

“What? Why were you suspended?” I wasn’t planning to tell Cori that I was out of work, now I kind of have to.

“I was suspended for potentially opening the firm up to damaging litigation. My father’s reputation is literally all that keeps this company going and-”

“Oh no, the letter from the attorney I hired was addressed to him.” Cori looks guilted by the revelation, so my immediate reaction is to hug her, relieved when she doesn’t push me away.

“Hey… Gregory knew what he was doing. His brother used to work with us, and he saw you as a godsend. You wouldn’t have known what he was going to do. I reviewed the file he made on your case; he was never going after Gold Brand.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cori… I didn’t want to say anything, but…” I consider telling the woman the truth, but right now doesn’t seem like the best time to make myself look like a d*ck. “Gold Brand has limited liability in cases like this. Like my father told you, their attorneys would have eaten you alive in court, specifically because we were drinking.”

“Yes but-”

“Cori, can we please not memorialize the fact that neither of us wanted a baby. It would be public record, and-”

“Okay!” The woman interjects, covering my mouth as though I’m saying something too hard to hear. “I won’t embarrass our baby.”

That was easier than I expected it to be, and done with the conversation, Cori goes back to preparing our meal. Everything about her is so perfect to me that I keep staring, and it pulls my mind back to wanting her into my bed.

I have never eaten a salad as fast as I am now, but I can tell that it's putting Cori off, so I slow down, and tell her that it's my turn to choose a movie for us to watch together. I thought she'd be uninterested, but she flashes a genuine smile that makes my heart flutter.

If I’m being honest, I’d prefer that instead of taking her right back to my room to f*ck, and since there's no longer a rush to be with her, I take my time talking to the woman over the remainder of our meal.

As soon as Cori's done eating, we agree to shower and change into something more comfortable. She takes a longer time than I did, but when she comes out, I’m no longer annoyed. She’s such a beautiful woman, and I’m blown away by how effortless it is.

“Sorry... I swear that I could smell bacon in my hair, and I couldn’t get it out.” Cori lifts a section of her slightly damp hair and sniffs at it, giving me an excuse to reach out and touch it.

The genetics she inherited from her parents are so absolutely stunning to me that I wonder why I hadn’t noticed them on the first day we met.

Back then, I was a fool to not have just turned to her and told her how I felt. If I did, we could have at least gone on a few dates, and if s*x happened between us, it would have been more romantic, and much better planned.

I certainly would have taken the time to change the code to my front door, but I was a coward, and that cowardice led me to ruin Cori’s first time, an experience she can never get back, although I hope that I’ve already started making it up to her.

“How come you don’t wear your hair down more often?”

“It’s impractical,” she replies. “Actually, I’ve been struggling with the decision to cut it-”

“Don’t!” I practically shout, not wanting Cori to get rid of her mane before I’ve experienced running my fingers through it, wrapping it around my fists, and giving it a nice pull as I bend her over in bed.

“I say that, but I’d never have the courage to actually go through with it. It’s just expensive to maintain, so I haven’t been taking care of it.” Cori is looking at the ends of her hair, and because I don’t want her to get bored from being idle and take a pair of scissors to her head, I make a mental note to ask my mother to take her to a professional.

“I really like the way your hair is now; it’s unique.”

“Many people have my hair color.” That may be true, but not everyone is Cori.

“It just matches your eyes so well.” Cori’s hair and skin make her light eyes appear like glowing amber, a feature I failed to notice for its true beauty in the darkness of a bar.

I didn’t actually get to take in her eye color until the day I had her escorted into my office, but I was too upset to set aside my anger.

“Do you think the baby will have my eye color, or yours?” Cori has never openly asked me anything about the pregnancy, so I give her my undivided attention, wanting her to know that I’m taking the conversation seriously.

My eyes are blue, and my hair is a natural black. On the flip end, Troy has brown hair, and his blue eyes are just a little darker than mine, taking more after my father.

“Either option is fine with me.” Cori doesn’t look like she liked my response, so I move closer to her, turning her face so that we can make eye contact. “I don’t know how to respond to this question, but if you're asking my preference, I would love for our baby to look exactly like…” I peck the woman on the lips, making her wait for the rest of my sentence. “Me.” Cori giggles, exactly what I wanted to hear and see, and because I feel like trying to have s*x with her right now would be distasteful, I continue to hold back.

“Even if it's a girl?”

“Especially if it’s a girl.” Cori nudges my arm, still giggling because she knows that I’m being silly. We talk about features a little longer, and overall, she and I just want our baby to be healthy, looks aren’t even important.

“What movie are we watching,” Cori asks, moving closer to me as she pulls her feet onto the couch, making me smile at the side of her face.

“Jumanji.”

“I’ve seen Jumanji Ashton.” Cori looks mildly offended, and her expression is so cute that I have to lean in for a kiss.

Cori’s POV

Ashton is in a good mood because his family business just got an uptick in clients, so he’s being extra sweet to me, making me feel like we’re actually a couple. From his touch to the gentle kisses he’s giving me, I feel so warm that I let my guard down completely, curling up next to the man as we talk about our baby.

Just like Ashton, I don’t really have a preference on how I want our child to look, but I like having the conversation because it gives me something to look forward to.

“What movie are we watching,” I ask, sinking deeper into the couch because I’m so comfortable that I’m getting sleepy.

“Jumanji.”

“I’ve seen Jumanji Ashton.” I cast an annoyed glance at the man, and in response he kisses me, shutting me up as I study his face.

Right now, I don’t even care what movie he puts on, I’d be happy just to look at him until he leaves my side, and lost in a daze, I get caught staring.

“You know Cori, I was thinking about your movie earlier.”

“Pretty in Pink? Why? Did you actually choose between Duckie and Blane?”

“No, I’d still choose the as*hole friend.” I want to smile, but my mind starts telling me that Ashton may be playing games with my emotions, so I sit up, wanting to run away from the fear of that. “Are you leaving?” Ashton is holding my arm, but it doesn’t panic me the way it would have in the past.

“Ashton, are you Steff-ing me?” I question, scared to hear the answer, but the man pulls a blank face before bursting into knee slapping laughter that makes me chuckle at myself. "I'm serious."

"Do you know that I'll never be able to unlearn the word you just made up?" He asks, still laughing in-between talking. "Cori, I would never 'Steff' you."

“Why is that?” I hope that my suddenly sour mood doesn't ruin the night, so I try to make my expression neutral, when in reality, I'm scared to hear what he has to say.

“Because…” Ashton leans forward, surprising me with a kiss. “I like you a lot more than I like him, and do you know what else?" I shake my head, not knowing how to respond with the man's face so close to mine. "I-"

"I wonder if Cori is still awake." I push Ashton away and move to the other side of the couch just in time to see Troy walk into the sitting room.

I don't know why I'm embarrassed to be caught so close to Ashton, but it seems like no one saw anything because Julia comes to the couch and sits right between us, exaggeratedly stretching out her hand.

“I’m exhausted,” the woman says, drawing my eyes to the diamond on her finger.

“Congratulations,” I exclaim, slightly bitter but nonetheless happy for the woman.

I’m a little jealous, but I don’t think her life was all easy; she works hard, studies hard, and she’s completing the remaining courses that will lead her toward her Doctorates in Social Science.

From what I understand, she wants to start her own public relations firm so that she can become an asset to the Lewis family, not just their son’s girlfriend… no, his soon to be wife.

I listen to the woman talk about her trip, rambling about how romantic it was, and how much fun she had, and at the very end of the conversation, she shows me a video of the proposal, and it was so over the top romantic that even my eyes began to water.

“So, I heard that you got cold feet at the sonogram. Are you trying to torture me with waiting anxiety?”

“I told you, it’s too early to determine the gender.” In the midst of my response, Ashton leaves to help his brother bring in their bags.

In their absence, Julia comes closer to me, leaning against my body as though she’s recalling fond memories.

“I wish that I could relive that moment over and over again.” I can visibly see how happy the woman is, and when the men get back, she starts going through a bag brought to her, pulling out several gifts for the baby. “Do you like them?”

“I love them,” I exclaim, lifting the tiny shirts that have a cheeky phrase about paying for pictures and saving for college. She even got two colors, accounting for if I have a boy or a girl.

“Think of this as my God parent downpayment,” the woman adds.