Love notes by Avis Exley

fighting the desire to wipe the triumphant smile off
Marty Cooper’s face. “Phone me if you need anything. Day or
night.”
    “I promise.”
    So Marty couldn’t hear, Aiden
leaned in toward Erika to say the next, standing so close the
stubble on his chin grazed her cheek and sent a delicious tingle
down her neck.
    “I have no right to ask you to
trust me. I know that,” he began, the warm, masculine scent of him
forcing hot, sensual memories into every corner of Erika’s already
confused brain. “But don’t ignore what I told you just because of
what I did five years ago. I’m a cheat – but I’m not a liar. Don’t
side with Marty simply to get back at me.”
    And so Erika found herself
caught between the rock and the hard place. The Devil and the deep
blue sea.
    The question was, which way
should she jump?
     

Chapter Three
     
    The encounter with Aiden plunged
Marty into the blackest of moods and it took all of Erika’s powers
of persuasion to stop him calling the police.
    “The last thing we need is a
public scandal,” she said when they’d reached his suite. “If you
call the police, the whole world will know I’m here and you
promised me some privacy.”
    “The guy assaulted me!” Marty
raged. “He slammed me up against a car and tried to strangle
me.”
    Some part of Erika wished that
Aiden had finished the job. “Don’t exaggerate. It wasn’t that
serious.”
    “You were a witness. You saw
what he did.”
    “And if the police ask me, I’ll
deny everything. Or I’ll tell them it was self defence.” She
glared, wondering whether it was a bit late in the day to grow a
backbone around Marty. “In any case, Aiden Thirstan’s a rich and
powerful man. You’d be a fool to take him on.”
    “How do you know him? You said
he’s an old friend.”
    “That’s an exaggeration too.”
The last thing Erika needed was Marty believing she were somehow
involved with Aiden. Past experience had taught her Marty made a
point of separating her from people he didn’t approve of and, if
Aiden’s allegations were true, she’d need to maintain a line of
contact. “Aiden’s very old news. I met him when I was a student and
we dated for a while, but I haven’t seen or spoken to him in five
years.”
    “Rich, you say?”
    “Google him. You’ll find
everything you need to know, except for the part about him dating
Erika Fenn. He kept quiet about that. Which is another reason I
don’t want him upset.” She suddenly realised she could use their
past relationship to her advantage. “Involve him in court
proceedings and it’ll all come out.”
    “So what? We’ve dealt with your
old boyfriends before.”
    Erika corrected him. “You’ve
paid off a couple of students I’d kissed at parties. Aiden
Thirstan’s a whole different ball game. Not only does he have the
money to fight you in court, but we were rarely out of bed. If the
details came out, the paparazzi will think all their Christmases
have come at once. For that reason alone, I don’t want him
antagonised.”
    She saw Marty file away every
detail for future reference and suspected he’d later pay someone to
check out her story.
    “What happened?” he asked.
    “I found him in bed with another
woman.” She shrugged as if it no longer mattered. “I ran away to
America, met you and made a lot of money writing sad songs about
him.” When she saw Marty’s puzzled frown, she explained. “Crying A
River. Shadow Of Love. Love, Honour, Betray.”
    “They were about him?” When
Erika nodded, he added, “Jeez! The bastard broke your heart.”
    “Exactly. Which is why I don’t
want anything more to do with him.”
    Eventually, after a great deal
more persuasion and several scotches, Marty agreed to let it drop
although Erika knew she’d need to ensure he didn’t bump into Aiden
again around the hotel. Aiden’s quick temper and Marty’s addiction
to law suits made for an explosive mix and she texted Aiden from
Marty’s bathroom, assuring