All My Life -

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, and it was created solely by me as the author. All characters are over the age of 18. Any similarities to characters, businesses, places, or things are all happenstance, though my appreciation to those who have

inspired

my works is immense.

Author's Note:

This is the third part of a series I believe you've been finding enjoyable. It's a nice buildup into the hot and heavy scenes, but, as usual, my stories are STORIES, so many details make for fun, exciting, and interesting plot lines. Please remain calm in awaiting the next installment, but I assure you, it'll be worth it.

Some clarifications: I would love to be able to decipher for you when Ana is writing or typing to Alex with different fonts, but as there is only one font available, you'll have to forgive my approach. I have tried to make it as clear as possible.

Questions and comments are welcome. Please take the time to rate this story also. I hope everyone will be kind.

All My Life - pt. 03

When Alex woke up, Ana wasn't in bed with him. He tilted his head and looked at the clock.

Whoa.

10:15am. Why'd she let him sleep so long? The appointment was to be at 1pm. He was sure he hadn't needed to set an alarm, but normally they were up before then. He went to the bathroom and then got dressed in jeans and a plain t-shirt. He knew he needed to dress warmly for their outing, so he brought a sweater with him to leave in the living room to wear for later. He missed his girl. He needed to figure out why she'd let him sleep so long.

"Ana?" Alex called as he headed for the kitchen. "Ana?" he yelled again. He couldn't hear her working, so he stepped into the room and found nothing. Coffee hadn't been made yet. The dishes were all clean, and none had been set out to use for breakfast. "Ana?"

He looked around and found his laptop still sitting on the coffee table. He walked quickly to her little room and found every item of clothing still in the dresser. Where was her phone? When he looked at his own phone, he realized that it had not occurred to him for the entire time they'd been together to enter her phone number into his or vice versa. They'd been together the whole time, so why would that have to have happened? And she couldn't answer without her voice anyway. What about a text? Again, why? If they were together the whole time, would they have thought to do that?

She wouldn't have left, right? She knew where the store was, and Fred would have recognized her from their introductions on Friday and additional interactions on Monday. Maybe... Alex went to the closet and found that her light jacket from Friday, her new winter coat, and the formal ones were all still in there with his. Well, she wouldn't have gone without those. Where else could she be?

When he walked back into the living room, he found her notepad sitting haphazardly on the floor. His first thought raced to the fact that she had been

adamant

that the book had remained in its place every time she put it away. It was opened with "Jav---" written on the open page but smeared like she'd been writing, and it had been taken out of her hands. Alex stilled his movements as he bent to pick up the book. He remembered taking the pad out of her hands when she'd been arguing with him, and she'd done the same thing. A million thoughts entered Alex's mind in that single second. Did someone come into his place and take her?

Just then, his phone rang. Alex noticed it was an unknown number. He looked at the time. 10:24am. Did he answer it? Could it be about her? How'd someone get his number? Never. He

never

answered unknown numbers. But what if it was about her?

Alex tried to keep calm. He tried not to let the fear radiating through his body reveal itself in his voice. He had to be wrong. Nobody would have taken her, right? "Hello?"

In an altered voice, the caller began speaking. "Xander McLleyn, we have Christi. We also know what she

really

is. The media sure doesn't hesitate to find out what is going on in your life. For now, they've accepted who you're busy passing her off as. If you want to save yourself the embarrassment of having the world find out that you hired yourself a hooker and tried to pass her off as your latest girlfriend, you'll do as we say."

Alex's mind swirled. The only people who knew about the supposed escort situation were his four friends. Did any of them tell anyone else about the situation? Would they have? And what about the media? He had to admit he hated to look at the gossip columns, the latest news on the internet, or anything pertaining to himself since most of it was garbage. He'd have to find out what was being said and how anyone knew about her at all.

"I want to speak to her."

In the altered voice, an excited response was given. Clearly Alex was calmer than the guy on the phone. "Hey! We call the shots. Before we call you again, we need three million dollars in small bills put in two secured suitcases. We'll give you some time to arrange that."

"Why are you doing this?"

The altered voice responded as if he had been expecting this question. "If I were you, I'd be thinking about whether your reputation is worth three million dollars. I'll call back soon. You might want to get on that." A click followed leaving Alex wondering what had just happened.

Almost without thinking about it, Alex first called his secretary. Unfortunately, he was in shock and kinda working on autopilot.

"Hey, boss," Maggie answered cheerfully. "Taking another day of rest? Tomorrow

is

a big day."

"Hey, Maggie. Yes, taking another day. Um, yes, it is. Listen, I need you to put your best security guard action into play. 'I'm sorry, he's in a meeting.' 'Oh, you just missed him, but I'll be happy to give him a message.' 'I'm sorry, he's not available.' Do what you do best, Mags. Please. I'll talk to you soon."

"You got it, boss," Maggie answered quickly. "Talk soon," she agreed and hung up before either had to say anything else.

Alex then called Dan, his publicist, who also happened to be his most trusted colleague and the godfather he'd told Ana about.

"Folgerty," his godfather answered.

"Dan, I have a problem."

"Well, that's what I'm here for. Shoot."

"My buddies got me an escort for the Convention this week."

"Alex, what the hell?"

"Listen, hear me out. She has laryngitis. She can't speak, something about her vocal cords being damaged from a really bad infection last month. Dan, there is no way she's an escort. The guys told me about how all the doctor's bills took most of her saved money over the last month, and she confirmed that, but there is no way she was whatever they claimed she was. I don't know. Something's up. Nothing

adds

up. Anyway, this morning she was gone."

"Did she take anything?"

"Not even the clothes I had bought her. See, no money was exchanged because the guys claimed they'd handled all that. She communicates with a notepad which she always keeps on the coffee table in my living room so she could answer anything if I had questions which required more than a head nod.

"Did she leave a note on the notepad?"

"No, well, I mean, yeah, but it was on the ground. Dan, she always made sure it was sitting in the exact same place on the table. It was like she had OCD about it. I think it was a habit from her bad homelife. But it was on the floor like it had been not only knocked off but maybe knocked out of her hands. It could maybe have been a struggle. I think that was confirmed when I got a call this morning from an unknown number."

"You answered an unknown number?"

"I had to in case it was her."

"You said she didn't speak."

"OK, I had to answer in case it was

about

her. They told me they have Ana and threatened to tell the world that I hired a prostitute to pass off as my latest girlfriend."

"But you said no money was exchanged."

"They claim they know she is one."

"What did they demand?"

"Three million dollars in small bills to be delivered in two secured suitcases."

"How do you want to handle this?"

"I have to get her back."

"Alex..."

"Dan, I know the whole thing seems bad, and while I met her under other than usual circumstances, though her supposed

job

was never discussed, and the way she behaved was nothing like what I've ever imagined an escort would act..."

"How do you mean?"

"We met at Frogdog's where the guys had me meet them."

"I still don't get it. Of all the bars in town that you could have chosen for your meetups with the guys,

that's

the name of the bar that appealed to you guys the most?"

"Dan, stay focused, please," Alex pleaded. "You know I rarely go out unless we're grabbing a beer. In this case, they wanted to celebrate my birthday since the convention was set to be from Sunday through Wednesday. She was sitting alone at the bar. The guys pointed to her and told me to go over to her. They'd explained that she didn't talk but had a notepad. They told me to act like I was interested in her, as in, I was to hit on her. You know, act like it was a real thing, not to let on that it had been arranged."

"Did she ever mention the arrangement?"

"No, I was told not to bring it up, so it didn't make her feel awkward. But when we were sharing stuff about ourselves, she blatantly said she was told like an hour before by her brother that they were going to the bar. Like I said, she was... she was innocent in all this. The guys told me to act like I was just hitting on her and to maybe see if she'd be up for accompanying me to the convention. They said I should offer to buy her clothes for it. I barely got a chance to ask her if she'd like to do all that when she said yes. The clothes weren't even mentioned before she was game for it."

"So, what happened?"

"I took her shopping and out to dinner. I became more captivated by her with each passing second. When she realized that the convention had been cancelled, she felt awful that I'd spent all this money on clothes she couldn't use. Like, she cried."

"Oh, I know how you love that."

"I hated it, but, Dan? I wanted to comfort her. I assured her that the clothes weren't a big issue and suggested that we'd just have to find another set of events to use them so I could see her in all of them."

"So, what happened?"

"I fell in love with her, Dan. I got to know her. She opened up. I shared stuff. We danced and kissed and..."

"You slept with her?" Alex hesitated to answer. "Alex?"

"Dan, I can't explain it without sounding ridiculous. I fell in

love

with her. I want to please her. Hell, I love

talking

to her. Like full on sharing with her."

"But, Alex. You gave her your..."

"We both did. That's what I mean. It's like I'm caught in this crazy web of deception, but she and I are the only two innocent ones here. I told her about my policy on lying. Everything she shared and we did was genuine. I'd bet my fortune on it."

"Well, you might have to..."

"When I took her shopping for clothes to wear for the convention, you know, before it was called off, she tried to pick things based on their price tags. She's not in this for the money. Even when she saw my place, she treated me...

it

, the whole situation like it was special, but not extravagant. She fell in love with me too. We're meant to be, Dan. I just know it."

"You know this sounds a little crazy, especially coming from you, right?"

Yes, but she's not just any girl. Like, she was...

ah!

Is. She

is

respectable. She's not a debutante, but she cooked and used her proper silverware and stuff. When we went out that day to shop for food to have since we knew we might get snowed in, she was shy and hesitant to spend my money. She didn't know how to deal with the shopping spree in the clothing store. To be honest, when we got to the grocery store,

that

was when she kinda looked excited. She loves to cook and bake. She has goals and dreams."

"So, she doesn't know who you are, then?"

"No, I introduced myself as 'Alex.' I mean, yes, I told her my full name, but she didn't seem to know about the business. We didn't talk about work because I wanted to be honest with her and not make her feel self-conscious either. When I brought her back to my place, we talked a lot, or well, I did. She wrote some stuff down or typed on my old laptop to answer my questions, but she listened more than anything."

"You talked?"

"I talk!"

"Alex, what is going on?"

"I'm

in

love with her, and I'll do anything to get her back. Dan, she's my future, and I won't lose her. I'm gonna marry this girl."

"So, how are you going to handle this?"

"I think I need to come clean to the world to have the upper hand. I'll just tell the world what my buddies did and..."

"

Whoa!

Hold on there, champ. We need to play this smart."

"If I tell the world what they're claiming before they can spread it..."

"They may hurt your girl to punish you because they didn't get their money."

"What do I do then?"

"I need you to tell me all the players involved. Who are these buddies who got you this girl? Was Brian part of it? How much did they pay? Who is their contact? Do you trust the guys? All of them?"

"You know I trust Brian with my life. The other two are like brothers. It's Terry that has me wondering..."

"Call Brian. Tell me what he tells you. I'll begin digging into the rest. For now, don't contact the other guys."

"What do I do when they contact me again?"

"Tell them you're still working on it. Three million dollars in small bills takes time."

"I'll let you know what I find out from Brian. Later, Dan. Thanks."

"I'm on it. Later."

Alex hung up and sat on the couch. He saw the notepad and shook his head. Wait! Her appointment! Alex quickly emailed Dr. Mitchell to tell him a very vague description of the situation and promised to contact him again very soon with more details. He had a feeling Dr. Mitchell would be seeing an awful lot of Ana in the near future once he could find her. He insinuated that he'd need him to be on call and made sure to promise it would be well worth it.

Alex then found Brian's name in his phone and pressed the button to make the call.

"Alex! What's going on?"

"Brian, I, uh, I need you to be straight with me, dude."

"Sure, man. What's up?"

"Tell me how this whole escort thing transpired."

"Eric, Paulie, Terry, and I thought about what you'd said about needing a girl for the Convention and wanting one who didn't talk. It was like this chick was the perfect answer. Cool, right?"

"Who thought it up?"

"Terry, actually. Terry had a contact who knew a

lady

who might be perfect for you, you know, since she couldn't speak. Laryngitis or something."

"But really, Bri? An escort?"

"Hey, I wasn't totally on board about that part of it, but Terry was persistent. And he had worked the whole thing out."

"I don't really want to know, but what did it set you back? You guys said you went in on it, right? How much did you pay for me to spend this time with her?"

"I didn't have to spend a dime, actually," Brian admitted. "Terry said he had the whole thing covered and was happy to give us the credit. He said something about owing his buddy one. Actually, he said the whole thing was going to just pay for itself in the long run, so he waved off our concerns about our portions and said he'd handle it."

"So, as far as you know, no money was exchanged for this deal?"

"Alex! Relax! This isn't coming back on you. Hell, you and your little lady friend are already all over social media, and they really seem to like her! I think they're more bummed that there's nothing juicy about her to dig up."

"Alright, uh, so Brian? Let me know if Terry contacts you about her, alright. And, um, don't let him know I'm asking about it."

"Are we speaking in code," Brian asked quietly and seriously.

"Yes, sir, I believe we are."

"Should I be concerned?"

"Yes, sir, I believe you should be, but don't do anything out of the ordinary."

"You alright?"

"No, but I have to go inform Dan about this. Talk soon. Thanks."

"Yeah, you got it. Later."

Alex hung up and sighed. This was messed up. First, whoever took her called and told him they had Ana. Wait! They didn't call her "Ana!" They said they had "Christi!" The only person who would have anything to do with her being called that was her brother. He thought back to the conversation the guys had had with him when they'd presented him with the "gift." Terry had said 'I was talking to a friend of mine who knows this guy whose

sister

...' That's what the "Jav-" was on her notepad! Javi knows a guy who knows Terry. That's why Ana had seen him recently and felt so uncomfortable around him! Alex fumbled with his phone until he got a good grasp on it and quickly pushed Dan's name to call him back.

"What have you got?"

"Terry was the one who set it all up but, get this! No money was given from any other guys in the deal. Brian has no idea how much the whole arrangement was going to cost. Terry's response was that he was covering the whole thing and happily gave the other three credit for the gift. He said he owed his buddy who knew the girl who would be perfect for me based on a comment I'd made back in November after the blowup with Mariah. I had said that I wished I could find someone who didn't talk so much. I think they went overboard on that one. Anyway, the weird thing Brian told me was that Terry claimed the whole thing was going to pay for itself in the long run."

"'Pay for itself in the long run?'" Dan quoted back slowly as he appeared to be writing it. "Getting you an escort would pay him back? Does this guy work for you? Does he think if you got laid (because I presume he doesn't know your backstory), you'd give him the credit and promote him or something?"

"I have no idea, but he doesn't work with me. He came around about a year ago. He was sitting by himself once when Eric, Paulie, and I were at a Hawks game. We got to talking, the group of us and him, I mean, and found out he's from around here, was cool to chat with, and has been hanging ever since."

"Uh-huh," Dan answered in his usual fashion. He was leery of everyone where Alex was concerned. He was also knee deep already in some background checking; Alex was sure of it. "Give me what you've got on him, contacts and all that, and I'll get back to ya." Alex pulled his phone away from his ear and set the phone on the couch since he knew Dan had already hung up.

Alex sighed and put his head back on the couch. What the hell, man. He was so frustrated. He just needed to know where she was. He had to get her back. He had no idea how to begin that search. He knew that's what Dan was for. What he definitely wasn't going to do was check the internet to see what the media had been saying. He assumed he and Ana had been seen at the skating rink. He hadn't even thought about anyone seeing them. He'd been so consumed with her that he was enjoying himself the entire time and not worrying about what anyone saw.

Alex's stomach growled. Rather than worrying about himself, he wondered if Ana was being fed. If she'd been drugged or hurt. Would the person or people hurt her? She'd written "Jav---" on the paper. Was it actually him holding her? No brother would actually hurt his sister, right? And what was the reason this whole escort thing would pay Terry back?

Alex groaned and stood up to head into the kitchen. Every inch of his place reminded him of her. They'd made so many memories already. What he wouldn't give to get back the past few hours. He'd have woken up when she'd gotten up and held her so she couldn't leave his side. They'd have made love that morning and again maybe after breakfast. Hell, he would never have let her go if he could have seen into the future.