Mona POV

We were suppose to be back in New Orleans a week and a half ago but since unexpected business came up Ian asked me to stay. I was a little anxious to get back because I could only imagine the amount of work that was waiting on me.

Ian still wasn't talking about what was bothering him but I figured in time he would spill. I didn't want to be one of those naggy and needy girlfriends that guys complained about. But whatever it was, it was tearing him up inside. He hadn't touched me since the night he came home distraught. He would leave early in the morning and come home at night but he would fall asleep in the office.

I didn't want a relationship like this. We were still in the newest stage of our relationship but I had made it clear he could talk to me about anything, whether it was good or bad. From where I was standing it was bad. I wondered if he was upset about me turning down his proposal. Maybe he was trying to feel me out and I missed my opportunity. That couldn't be it but I wasn't so sure.

I loved Ian with all my heart. I just hoped he loved me enough to let me help him through this vulnerable time of his life. With both parents deceased, it had to be a lot of emotional baggage he was carrying around. I wanted to be there for him every step of the way but he had to let me in.

I was sitting outside by the pool relaxing next to the huge palm trees. I wasn't sure where Ian was since I really hadn't seen him. I knew he wasn't to far away and since his dad just died he needed some time to adjust.

My phone rang and I didn't bother to look at the caller id, I just answered it.

"Hello,"

"Mona Harris?"

"This is she."

"It's Angelo dela Bretonne."

"Why hello. What can I do for you?"

"I'm sorry to hear about Mr. Durand. He was a nice man," he said in a very thick sexy Hispanic voice.

"It was a shock but the company is in good hands. Ian Harrington is an excellent replacement."

"That is good to hear, Ms. Harris."

"You don't have to worry. You will have the same excellent customer service nothing has changed."

"Good. I do have a friend who owns a small piping company and is looking into shipping and I recommended your services."

"I am not in the office for the rest of the week. Does this need to be expedited?"

"Yes and whatever help you can provide would mean a lot to me."

"Let me see what I can do. I will call you back."

"Great. I look forward to your call."

We hung up. I hated to call Lucas but in this situation I really didn't have a choice. I swear if he said one thing that pissed me off I would ring his neck when I got back. I dialed his number.

"Hello, Lucas Slate's office, how may I help you?"

"It's Ms. Harris. Is Lucas in?"

"He is in a meeting would you like for me to page him out?"

"No. Just have him call Mr. dela Bretonne. He has a new client for us and I wanted this taken care of as soon as possible. Once it's been taken care of have him call me on my cell phone. Tell him I will call him by five if I have not heard from him."

"Yes ma'am."

"Thank you." I hung up the phone and tossed it on the side table. I pulled out my computer and logged on. It had been only two days since I last checked my email and already had over two hundred emails. I knew being here too long would make me lazy as I always responded to emails in a timely fashion. I started checking them and a hour and a half later I had finished and felt myself getting sleepy.

I grabbed my phone and computer and stopped in the kitchen for a glass of water. I heard a beep on my phone letting me know it was about to die so I headed to the office. I had seen a charger in there a few days ago and hoped it was still there.

The office hadn't changed any since Ian's father had it but there were piles of papers on the desk. I looked through the drawers for a plug and finally found one inside the last desk drawer. I grabbed it not realizing my other hand was on top of a loose pile of papers. When I went to removed my hand it caused the papers to fly off the desk.

Damn it! Now I had to bend down and picked them up. I hope they weren't in any particular order. I put them in order by dates but I hadn't realized there were different names on the bank statements.

Eric Durand and Zara Winters Durand.

My eyes widen and my heart nearly stopped. I was confused. Wasn't Zara Ian's dead fiancé? Who was Eric? Was Ian hiding something from me? I flipped through the statements and payments that were made from years past to present. I felt my knees getting weak.

Did Ian lie about marrying Zara? But he didn't even use Durand as his last name. Did he change his last name to Harrington to cover up his marriage to Zara so I wouldn't find out? I could feel a headache coming on and a knot in my stomach. Could this be what's eating at him? Was he too chicken shit to tell me he already had a family. Was Eric his son? Had he been playing me? Am I a mistress? No, no this can't be happening to me.

I was driving myself crazy with unanswered questions. I had fallen in love with another cheater and liar. How did I find these types of men and why do I always have my heart broken? I needed to get away. This was too much.

I rushed up the stairs walked into the bedroom and grabbed my suitcase out the closet. I needed to get back home and away from this drama. All these secrets around me, I just wasn't ready for. And now to have a baby mixed in this made me sick. I was half way finished packing when Ian walked in the room.

"Why are you packing? Did something happen?"

I stopped and looked at him. My eyes narrowed in on him as tears were still rolling down my cheeks. I shook my head and continued to pack.

"What is going on?"

"I'm leaving. I'm going back home. This was all a lie." I waved my hand between the two of us. "Thank goodness I still have my place. You and your dead ass wife and child can move into the new house. I will be at MY OWN place, all by my damn self."

"What is a lie?" He asked looking confused.

"Us!" I said grabbing my shoes.

He walked up to me and blocked my exit. I managed to squeeze through the small opening between him and the exit.

"Why are you crying and why are we a lie?" The words seemed foreign to him.

"You have a wife and child. I'm the other woman. You lied (sniff) to me. You said I was the only one you loved. (Sniff) How could you?"

"Baby wait. It's not what you think. Who told you that? Please don't go. Stop moving and be still so we can discuss this."

"I went to look for a phone charger in the office and the papers on the desk fell. I wasn't trying to get into your business but when I picked them up I saw the names and dates on the bank statements. You have no idea how shocked I was. I could have sworn you said she was dead."

"She was suppose to be. I just found out a few days ago she is alive. It was a shock to me too."

"Who is Eric and please don't lie to save your ass."

"I don't know. He would be around the same age that Zara faked her death so he could be mine. I don't know for sure. I swear I did not know about them until a few days ago."

I looked in his eyes to see if I could tell if he was lying.

"I promise Mona, Zara and I never got married. If this little boy Eric is my child, I had no knowledge of him. I am still trying to figure things out."

"Why didn't you tell me? You should have told me."

"I wanted to get all the facts first. Hell I'm still in shock," he said rubbing his hand through his hair sitting on the bed. He looked deflated.

"Will I be the other woman, Ian? My last relationship I was cheated on. I caught Darren in the bed with another woman. I refuse to be second in any man's life."

He looked at me with hurt across his face. He squinted his eyes as if trying to comprehend what I was saying.

"You are the only woman. Do you think I would fall out of love with you to be with Zara?"

"You loved her first and I can tell from our last talk that you are not over her. She has a child for you and I know you want to be a father and you are going to want to spend time with him. She will be around constantly because you all have a child together. I can't compete with that." My eyes began to hurt from the raging tears falling down.

"Baby it's not like that. I will handle my responsibility if he is my child. As far as Zara is concerned, there is nothing between us. I love you. You are the love of my life and our baby. She lost my love the day she faked her death. She better hope I don't kill her myself," he said looking up at me.

"Please baby don't leave. I need you now more than ever. I love you."

I grabbed the sides of his face and brought my face down to his. "Don't keep secrets from me. I don't ever want to feel like second best. The minute I do you better fix it. I'm not playing with you."

"I understand. As soon as I figure this out the happier we will be."

"You better or you will be faking your death," I said against his lips. I pulled back and looked back at him.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you when I first found out. I just don't know what to do?"

"Oh but I do," I said with my hands on my hips. He looked at me.

"First of all I got a list of questions I need her to answer. Why is your father paying she and her child out of a Durand account?"

"How do you know it's a Durand account?"

"Hello, I am the CFO, have you forgotten? All corporate Durand accounts middle account numbers have DUR in the middle. There are probably around ten separate accounts, but I have never seen those two accounts before."

"That's strange," he said.

"Very. But anyway we need to find her and have you take a DNA test to see if this child is yours. I refuse to have to deal with a baby mama if I don't have too. And who in the hell needs almost fifteen thousand dollars a month to survive? Most Americans don't make that in a year."

He just sat there.

"Did you ever get the address to this heffa? A phone number or something to go by?"

"No. Everett won't return my phone calls and he is not at his office. The people only had an account number but no address."

"This is bullshit!" I said walking back and forth. He was right he needed me alright.

"Give me your phone Ian."

"What are you going to do?" He asked staring at me.

"Something I should have done when I first found those names." I snatched his phone out his hand and started dialing.

"Ray it's me Mona."

"Mona do you know what time it is? Brotha trying to get his beauty rest."

"I need a huge favor."

"Whatcha need?

"I need you to find information on a Zara Winters Durand and a Eric Durand. She should be around her late twenties early thirties and the child should be three or younger. Last address would have been in New York she attended NYU and majored in Business."

"If you had a social security number it would be much easier," he said.

"Do you know her social security number Ian?" He shook his head no.

"Do you have a banking account number?"

"Ian sweetie can you go and get the banking information?" Ian got up and ran to get the information. Moments later he came back with the information.

"I have two accounts."

"Go ahead and give them to me."

"00945DUR2245 and 00987DUR9812 with Crescent City Bank and Savings."

"Give me a day or so I will have what you need. I'm not going to ask what this is for."

"Good. I need this ASAP."

"Why is that?" Ray asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"This is life or death. I need to know where to find this heffa so I can put my foot up her ass," I said with my back turned to Ian in a whisper.

"Oh shit! This is going to be good. I'll call you just as soon as I find out."

"Thanks boo." We said our goodbyes and hung up.

"What can he do?" Ian asked standing up.

"Ray owns a computer firm in Atlanta. He is a computer genius actually. He knows how to get information that people seek and he gets paid very well doing it. He said he should have the information to us in a day or so."

"Wow my dad said you were resourceful."

"Did he really?" I said wrapping my arms around his neck.

"He said all kinds of great things about you unfortunately there's something's he didn't know."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Naughty things."

"I can't tell because it has been about two weeks since you last touched me."

"I can remedied that easily."

"How?" I said as I felt my dress rising in the back and my panties being pulled to the side.

"Give me just a minute and I can show you," he whispered against my lips as I felt his fingers massaging my pearl and sliding in me. I moaned as he carried me to the bed and wasted no time getting back to business.

~~~~~~~
****I changed Mona's gay friend's name to Ray. The one that helped her win the bet and the one that was a
joking with her at the lunch.***