Fox walked back to the Crane mansion and took Little Ethan from the maid.
He headed back up to the room that he had prepared for him and Teresa to
share until he could find a place of his own. Hopefully, it wouldn't be
much longer. He hated staying at the mansion. Even though it was filled
with his family and the hired help, it was much too lonely here.
He opened the door to the room and saw that Teresa's was lying down on the bed. He smiled at Little Ethan, "We have to be quite, it looks like your mommy is taking a nap."
Teresa looked up from her position on the bed, "I'm not asleep, I was just resting. Come on in. I want to see my little man." Fox walked over and handed her Little Ethan. She hugged him close to her. "Oh, Fox, you don't know how much I love him."
Fox looked at Teresa as she held her son. Love filled her eyes. "No, Teresa, I don't, but hopefully one day I'll understand the love that you have for your son."
"Don't worry, Fox, you will. You'll have children of your own one day and you'll love them with all your heart."
"The way that I love you now?"
"That kind of love is different, Fox. This little guy was made from me. He's part of me. Can you believe that? He's a miracle." She looked down at him and smiled. "When you have children of your own Fox, the love you have for them will be even greater than you love me now. Fox, there is no greater love than that of your own child."
"I'm not so sure of that, Teresa. I can't imagine loving anyone more than I love you. Not even my own child."
She walked over and kissed him gently on his soft lips, making sure not to crush little Ethan in between them. "What would I do without you, Fox?"
He grinned, "I've often wondered that myself." He took Little Ethan from her. "Go and put on your bathing suit. We'll go and sit down by the pool."
"You always know just how to take my mind off of things, don't you, Fox?"
"You've always loved to swim, Teresa. Maybe we could teach Little E here how to. They're never too young to start you know. Go on and change. I'll get his stuf together and meet you down there."
--------------------------------
Audrey picked up her cell phone and dialed Ethan's number. He picked up on the second ring.
"Ethan Winthrop."
"Ethan, it's me, Audrey."
"You don't have to tell me who you are. I can pick out that whiney voice of yours anywhere."
"Screw you, Ethan."
"Cut to the chase. What do you want?" Ethan was becoming perturbed.
"I've got a plan, Ethan. A plan that will send Teresa running back into your arms and land Fox in my bed."
Ethan paused for a minute, "Okay, I'm listening."
She filled Ethan in on her little escapade and then she smiled devishly, "Fox and Teresa won't know what hit them."
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Ethan asked.
"I'm positive it's going to work. Fox Crane could never hold his liquor. He definitely won't be able to hold it when I slip a little something in it."
"And how do you plan on convincing him that you're Teresa? You don't look a thing like her."
"Nothing a little make-up and a wig can't fix. Look, don't worry, Ethan. I'll take care of everything. You just make sure that Teresa finds her way back to the room that her and Fox are sharing at the mansion so that she is able to catch us together. I'll handle the rest. Clear?"
"Crystal. When does this all go down?"
"Tomorrow night. That will give me a little time to get everything together."
"Great, the sooner Teresa's back in my arms, the better."
Audrey hung up the phone and made her way back into the Crane mansion. It was time to put her plan into motion. She rounded the corner to the grand stair case when she heard footsteps coming down and Fox's voice. She ducked back behind a door and waited for them to pass by.
"Come on, Little E, it's time you learned how to swim. Hopefully your mother hasn't forgotten how. Seems she's forgotten who to have fun since I left town. We'll go ahead and get started while she's upstairs changing."
Audrey waited until Fox and Little Ethan were safely by her and she stepped out of the shadows. "Bingo. Just the opportunity that I needed." She headed up the staircase. "And if I remember correctly, Fox's room is just around this corner."
She waded down the hall until she stood in front of Fox's bedroom door. "Now, hopefully, Teresa, you're still in there. It's time to start planting the seeds of doubt. You're perfect image of Fox is just about to be tainted."
Audrey barged in the room, "Honey, you're lover is back. Come on out here and take me. I'm ready and willing, love slave."
Teresa stepped out of the bathroom. "Excuse me, but I do believe you have the wrong room." She eyed the beautiful young woman suspiciously.
"This is Mr. Crane's room isn't it?"
"No, I'm sorry, Julian's room is just down the hall." Teresa went to step back into the bathroom.
Audrey laughed, "Oh, no, not that Mr. Crane. I'm looking for Fox Crane. I'm his girlfriend." She held out her hand, "My name's Audrey. Nice to meet you."
Teresa stood there starring at her for a brief moment, "His girlfriend?"
"Of course, I'm sure he's told you about me?"
Teresa grimmaced, "Actually, no, he hasn't? What did you say that your name was again?"
"Audrey. Audrey Banning." Audrey eyed Teresa up and down. This was going to be harder than she had anticipated. Teresa was one beautiful lady, but she wasn't worried. Fox would come back to her. She would make sure he had no other option. "Wait a minute. I do believe I recognize you now. You're Foxs' friend, Teresa." She emphasized the word friend. "I think I've heard him mention you a few times."
"Really?" Teresa said sarcastically.
"Yes, Fox and I have been close for years. We'll ever since he and Dylan became best friends in prep school."
"And Dylan is?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Dylan is my brother. He and Fox first met in prep school. Been close ever since. I think they have a lot in common. Both the blacksheep of the family. He and Dylan have never truly been accepted by their families. Pity though, Fox is such a good man. Good at everything he does if you know what I mean?"
Teresa crossed her arms in front of her. "Oh, no, I don't think I understand. Would you care to enlighten me?"
He opened the door to the room and saw that Teresa's was lying down on the bed. He smiled at Little Ethan, "We have to be quite, it looks like your mommy is taking a nap."
Teresa looked up from her position on the bed, "I'm not asleep, I was just resting. Come on in. I want to see my little man." Fox walked over and handed her Little Ethan. She hugged him close to her. "Oh, Fox, you don't know how much I love him."
Fox looked at Teresa as she held her son. Love filled her eyes. "No, Teresa, I don't, but hopefully one day I'll understand the love that you have for your son."
"Don't worry, Fox, you will. You'll have children of your own one day and you'll love them with all your heart."
"The way that I love you now?"
"That kind of love is different, Fox. This little guy was made from me. He's part of me. Can you believe that? He's a miracle." She looked down at him and smiled. "When you have children of your own Fox, the love you have for them will be even greater than you love me now. Fox, there is no greater love than that of your own child."
"I'm not so sure of that, Teresa. I can't imagine loving anyone more than I love you. Not even my own child."
She walked over and kissed him gently on his soft lips, making sure not to crush little Ethan in between them. "What would I do without you, Fox?"
He grinned, "I've often wondered that myself." He took Little Ethan from her. "Go and put on your bathing suit. We'll go and sit down by the pool."
"You always know just how to take my mind off of things, don't you, Fox?"
"You've always loved to swim, Teresa. Maybe we could teach Little E here how to. They're never too young to start you know. Go on and change. I'll get his stuf together and meet you down there."
--------------------------------
Audrey picked up her cell phone and dialed Ethan's number. He picked up on the second ring.
"Ethan Winthrop."
"Ethan, it's me, Audrey."
"You don't have to tell me who you are. I can pick out that whiney voice of yours anywhere."
"Screw you, Ethan."
"Cut to the chase. What do you want?" Ethan was becoming perturbed.
"I've got a plan, Ethan. A plan that will send Teresa running back into your arms and land Fox in my bed."
Ethan paused for a minute, "Okay, I'm listening."
She filled Ethan in on her little escapade and then she smiled devishly, "Fox and Teresa won't know what hit them."
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Ethan asked.
"I'm positive it's going to work. Fox Crane could never hold his liquor. He definitely won't be able to hold it when I slip a little something in it."
"And how do you plan on convincing him that you're Teresa? You don't look a thing like her."
"Nothing a little make-up and a wig can't fix. Look, don't worry, Ethan. I'll take care of everything. You just make sure that Teresa finds her way back to the room that her and Fox are sharing at the mansion so that she is able to catch us together. I'll handle the rest. Clear?"
"Crystal. When does this all go down?"
"Tomorrow night. That will give me a little time to get everything together."
"Great, the sooner Teresa's back in my arms, the better."
Audrey hung up the phone and made her way back into the Crane mansion. It was time to put her plan into motion. She rounded the corner to the grand stair case when she heard footsteps coming down and Fox's voice. She ducked back behind a door and waited for them to pass by.
"Come on, Little E, it's time you learned how to swim. Hopefully your mother hasn't forgotten how. Seems she's forgotten who to have fun since I left town. We'll go ahead and get started while she's upstairs changing."
Audrey waited until Fox and Little Ethan were safely by her and she stepped out of the shadows. "Bingo. Just the opportunity that I needed." She headed up the staircase. "And if I remember correctly, Fox's room is just around this corner."
She waded down the hall until she stood in front of Fox's bedroom door. "Now, hopefully, Teresa, you're still in there. It's time to start planting the seeds of doubt. You're perfect image of Fox is just about to be tainted."
Audrey barged in the room, "Honey, you're lover is back. Come on out here and take me. I'm ready and willing, love slave."
Teresa stepped out of the bathroom. "Excuse me, but I do believe you have the wrong room." She eyed the beautiful young woman suspiciously.
"This is Mr. Crane's room isn't it?"
"No, I'm sorry, Julian's room is just down the hall." Teresa went to step back into the bathroom.
Audrey laughed, "Oh, no, not that Mr. Crane. I'm looking for Fox Crane. I'm his girlfriend." She held out her hand, "My name's Audrey. Nice to meet you."
Teresa stood there starring at her for a brief moment, "His girlfriend?"
"Of course, I'm sure he's told you about me?"
Teresa grimmaced, "Actually, no, he hasn't? What did you say that your name was again?"
"Audrey. Audrey Banning." Audrey eyed Teresa up and down. This was going to be harder than she had anticipated. Teresa was one beautiful lady, but she wasn't worried. Fox would come back to her. She would make sure he had no other option. "Wait a minute. I do believe I recognize you now. You're Foxs' friend, Teresa." She emphasized the word friend. "I think I've heard him mention you a few times."
"Really?" Teresa said sarcastically.
"Yes, Fox and I have been close for years. We'll ever since he and Dylan became best friends in prep school."
"And Dylan is?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Dylan is my brother. He and Fox first met in prep school. Been close ever since. I think they have a lot in common. Both the blacksheep of the family. He and Dylan have never truly been accepted by their families. Pity though, Fox is such a good man. Good at everything he does if you know what I mean?"
Teresa crossed her arms in front of her. "Oh, no, I don't think I understand. Would you care to enlighten me?"