“It looks like you’re good now,” Kolson said. “I need to head back to the office. Will you be okay?”
Gabby stood on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek. “Yes, thank you. Whatever would I do without you? You seem to be my guardian.”
“Glad to be of service, ma’am.” He winked. “In all seriousness, you are okay, right?”
“I’m fine.” She shook her head. “And thanks again.”
“Sam will be outside keeping an eye on things, too.”
Gabby cancelled her morning patients in order to have her office secured, so now she needed to put her shrink hat back on since it was nearly time for her afternoon to begin. She was glad it would be a busy one to keep her mind off things.
When her last patient left, she had some extra time before she had to leave so she again looked over the information Case had given her on Kolson. Feeling frustrated from the lack of what was there, she logged into her computer and ran a Google search. Just as Case said, nothing came up. How could that be? Given that he was a gazillionaire, there should be at least a tiny tidbit of information about him. Perhaps a snippet from a newspaper article, an old photograph, something. But the only hits she got were on his father and mother.
That gave her a harebrained idea. She Googled “how to keep your name and information out of Google.” The hits that came up made it clear that it was all but impossible unless you had a way to continually access any and all information about yourself and could constantly get it pulled from the Web. That would take an entire security team to do nothing but watch the Internet for news about you. Who could do that and why would someone go to such lengths? Seemed Kolson Hart was remarkably intent on keeping his life private.
She glanced at her watch and saw she needed to hustle or she would be late. Grabbing her phone and purse, she headed out the door. Extra Dirty was down in SoHo, so she went to tell Sam where she was headed.
“I’ll be happy to drive you, Dr. M.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother.”
“No bother at all.”
“Well, if you don’t mind.”
“Dr. M., if I don’t take you, Mr. H. will be pissed. Oh, excuse the language, miss.”
Gabby chuckled. “No worries.”
Sam drove her downtown to Extra Dirty. The traffic was awful so Gabby watched the New Yorkers moving around like a swarm of insects. It was amazing to her how many people there were on this island.
“Sam, what’s your favorite thing about Manhattan?”
“Oh, that would have to be the food. You can’t beat the restaurants.” He laughed. “Can’t you tell by looking at me?”
They both started laughing. “When I first moved here to start medical school, I thought I was in heaven with the bagels. Every morning I’d get a fresh one from this corner deli and it would still be warm. That was the best!”
“Nah. It’s the pizza. I love the pizza.”
“And the pasta,” Gabby added.
They both went on and on until they ran out of food to add to their list.
“You made me hungry, Dr. M.”
“I made me hungry, Sam!”
They were both still laughing when Sam pulled up in front of Extra Dirty.
“Have a good time and I’ll be here to drive you home whenever you’re ready.”
Sky and Cara were already inside when Gabby walked in. “Well, this is long overdue!” Cara screamed.
“I know!” Sky said.
“I’m so glad it’s Friday. Where’s Ryder tonight?” Gabby asked.
“Studying for exams. You know how he’s trying to graduate early so he can get into law school.”
“That’s right. Too bad for him, but lucky for us!” Gabby hugged her friend and then they grabbed three empty seats at the bar. They huddled together, and started catching up over drinks. Cara was a high-paid call girl, like Sky. She and Sky also worked together at Exotique-A, a strip club.
“So what’s new? How’s everything going? Any chance I can talk you ladies into leaving your profession?” Gabby asked.
Sky and Cara laughed. Cara answered, “Not a chance with the money I make. I won’t leave until I’m forced to.” Then Cara frowned at Gabby. “You’re not getting judgey on us, are you? Because you have a fancy title and all? You know we rarely drink and we never do drugs. Sky’s the one that needs to quit anyway. Not me.”
Gabby was quick to answer. “Not judgey. I don’t judge. You know that. I do worry though.”
Cara relaxed and Sky chimed in, “Things are better with Ryder and me. He’s getting more comfortable with my profession, I think. Or maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part. He’s pushing me to audition more for some off-Broadway dance roles, though.”
“Does that mean you’re thinking about giving up your night job?” Gabby asked.
“Maybe.”
“Well that’s a start then. I’ll take it!”
Sky asked, “What about you, Gabs?”
“Not much going on with me.” Gabby was curt, which was most unlike her.
“What’s going on? Usually we can’t shut you up.”
Cara chimed in. “Yeah. What’s going on with you? Oh, wait a sec! You’ve met someone, haven’t you?”
Gabby scrunched her brows. Her companions laughed and Sky yelled, “Busted! And you thought you were gonna keep this from us?”
Gabby looked pointedly at Cara and asked, “How the hell did you figure that out?”
Cara shrugged. “I’m just a good figure-outer.”
Sky tapped her arm and said, “Give it up, lady. Every tiny bit. You’ve heard all our horror stories, from butt plugs to cross-dressers. Now it’s our turn.”
Gabby laughed. “Yeah, but you told me all of that stuff in confidence.”
Cara said, “Not me. I was never your client. My secrets were all divulged to you under the annihilating effects of tequila.”
Sky slammed her hand on her knee and snorted. “That’s right. And I haven’t been your client for a while now. Your turn. Every detail. Speak.”
“You guys are mean. I can see the green cloud of evil forming around your bodies.”
“Good. Now start talking because we’re only gonna get more evil as the night passes and as we get you drunker.”
“Grrrr,” Gabby groaned. “Okay. A few weeks ago, I went out for a drink and met him.”
“Hey! Was that when we met for lunch and you were all hungover?” Sky asked.
Gabby thought back and recalled that it was.
“I knew you were acting funny.”
Gabby explained the whole story about Kolson Hart.
Cara stuck out her finger. “Wait! Stop right there. You’re talking about THE Kolson Hart?”
“Damn, you sound like Case.”
“What does Case have to do with this?” Sky asked.
“I had him run a check on Kolson.”
Sky frowned. “You did not.”
“Yeah, I did, and before you get all huffy with me, remember what I told you when you found out about how Ryder ran one on you? I don’t think it’s a bad idea.”
“Okay, let’s not debate the merits of background checks right now. I want to know the scoop on THE Kolson Hart. Now!” Cara said.
“That night I landed in a bar and started downing double martinis because I was upset.”
Sky grabbed her upper arm. “What happened?”
Cara swatted Sky’s hand away and said, “Stop interrupting already, and let her tell her story!”
Gabby flashed Sky a look and continued, “So, I was literally pounding these Martians.”
“Martians?” Sky asked.
“Yeah, I call ’em that ’cause the damn things made me feel green the next day.”
“Oh.”
Cara looked at the ceiling and exclaimed, “For the love of God, would you just stop asking her questions already?”
“Okay, okay,” Sky said. She stuck out her tongue.
“So, at first I didn’t pay attenti
on to this guy sitting two seats away from me, but eventually he started talking to me, and it turned into a three-way.”
“What?” the girls shouted.
“No! Not that kind of three-way! A three-way conversation, for Pete’s sake.”
“Oh, for a minute there, I thought you landed on the dark side,” Cara said. “We don’t even do that.”
“Ha, you wish I had that kind of sordid tale to tell.”
“Yeah, I actually do.” She giggled.
“Well, as the night wore on, I got super trashed. I honestly don’t remember much, other than calling him Skippy.”
Sky laughed. “Skippy? Why’d you call him Skippy?”
Gabby shook her head. “Beats the hell outta me. But then the next thing I knew, he was waking me up and I’m in this amazing room in his home.”
“His bed? Ohmygawd!” Sky grabbed Gabby’s wrist and squeezed it. Hard.
“Ouch! No, not his bed! A guest room in his penthouse on 5th Avenue.”
“Oh. Well, that’s boring,” Sky said, pouting.
“A penthouse on 5th Avenue is boring?”
“Not that part. The guest room part.”
“What? Did you expect me to hop in the sack with some dude that I nicknamed Skippy? He could’ve been a serial killer or an animal hater or something.”
“Yeah, but he wasn’t. He was Kolson Hart,” Cara said with a sly grin.
“Okay, Cara, I know that now, but I didn’t then. Heck, I didn’t even know I was in a stranger’s house until he barged in and I found my skirt up to my nose and my ass hanging out for the world to see. And you should’ve seen him checking me out.”
“Oh, yeah?” The two women stared at Gabby, panting like pups waiting for a biscuit.
“Damn, you two are bad.” Gabby dabbed Sky’s chin with a napkin.
“What’re you doing?”
“Wiping up the drool.”
“So then what? Have you seen him again?” Cara asked.
“Yeah, we’ve gone out to dinner a few times. And get this. He has one of his men watching me and driving me around. Like a bodyguard or something.”
“Get the fuck out of town,” Cara said. “Is he a stalker?”
“No, it’s more like he’s protecting me.”
“Um, from what? Himself?” Sky asked.
“Well, that’s the complicated part. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh no, you don’t,” Cara said. “What the hell is going on that you need protecting because I can get J.D. to put someone …”
“No, that’s not necessary,” Gabby interrupted. “I don’t need your pimp’s help. Kolson was just worried that when I ran in the early morning, it wasn’t safe. You know, it’s still kinda dark, that kind of thing.”
“Well, dang, Gabs, he’s right,” Sky said. “If Ryder knew you were doing that, he’d kill you himself. What the heck are you thinking?”
“I know, I know. I’ve got it handled.”
Cara asked, “How? You’re not doing anything crazy, are you?”
“No,” Gabby grinned. “Kolson runs with me now.”
“Hot damn! So, what’s he like?” Sky asked.
Gabby gave them a dreamy smile. “Um, in a nutshell, he’s damn gorgeous. Tall, a body to die for, blondish hair and eyes I can’t describe. They’re a blend of gray, green, and brown.”
“You mean hazel?” Cara offered.
“No. It’s like they’re sort of striped or something. Hard to explain. You have to see them.”
“Is he an alien?” Sky asked.
“Very funny. And he’s built. Muscles, but not busting-out-of-his-skin muscles.”
Cara asked, “But what’s he like like?”
“He’s intense. Amazing. Protective. He’s sweet. He even went to the hospital on one of the nights I worked a shift and stayed there with me. All because he wanted to spend time with me. I think he cares about me.”
“Whoa! All that.” Cara said. “So, you’re dating then?”
“I guess you could call it that. We’ve been out a few times.”
“Well, that’s a good start. You don’t want to move in with the guy or anything. Nice and slow is best. What’s he like in bed?”
“Cara!” Gabby said. “I can’t believe you’d ask that.”
“Why not? That’s an important part of a relationship.”
“Humph.”
“Well?” Cara prodded.
“We haven’t slept together yet.”
“Hmm. Interesting. He really does like you.”
Gabby’s head popped up. “Why do you say that?”
“Jeez, you’re naive. If he didn’t give a shit about you, he’d have slept with you right away. And then he may have thought about seeing you again or maybe not. If he keeps hanging around you and he hasn’t slept with you, he is completely interested in you. Use your freaking brain, girl. You are supposed to be a psychiatrist.”
“Yeah, but I’m a total loser when it comes to my own personal relationships.”
Sky nodded. “I agree with Cara. Keep doing what you’re doing because it seems to be working. You’re charming him. And slow is good.”
“I don’t know. I don’t think he does anything slow. And I’m sure everything is on his terms. Hey, you all ready for another?”
“Yep, and tonight is on me!” Sky announced. She signaled to the bartender to bring another round.
An hour later, the girls were laughing louder and Cara decided it would be good to order some food. As they ate, Gabby decided she needed another drink.
“Let me order for you,” Sky said.
Gabby gave her a suspicious look. “Uh-huh. No way. I’m not a fan of those sweet drinks you always get. Like tequila sunrises. Who drinks those, anyway?”
Sky’s hand shot up in the air as she hollered, “I do!”
“How ’bout a mai tai?” Cara shouted.
“Ew, no. I hate rum. I want a vodka drink.”
“I know, order a Sugar Tit. They make those special here.”
Gabby looked at Sky like she was nuts. “You’re either severely crazy or trying to make a fool out of me.”
“No! I’m totally serious. Here, I’ll ask the bartender.” And she did. Gabby was surprised to find Sky had been right. They had a drink called a Sugar Tit, made with vodka, pineapple and orange juices, and club soda, the glass rimmed in sugar and a red cherry dropped on top—hence the name. They also put in chunks of fresh pineapple and orange.
“Okay, what the heck. If I don’t like it, I’ll switch to Martians.”
As more drinks were downed, Gabby shared a bit more about Kolson. But then she slipped up and mentioned Danny and the note on her mirror, which opened the gates to trouble. Sky already knew the basics, but Cara wanted to tell J.D. so he could put one of his bouncers on her. Then they insisted that Gabby move in with one of them. It was a mess.
“Whoa! Stop! Calm down everyone. Now listen up. The only way I’ll move in with one of you is if you give up your profession. Sky, you know Ryder will be happier if you do. And Cara, I know there is someone out there for you, too. But you won’t know because you’re always with a customer. And besides, that’s why Sam is following me.”
“Who the hell is Sam?” Cara asked.
“He’s Kolson’s guy.”
Sky held up her hands. “Okay, this is creepy. You have this hot rich dude that you don’t know a whole lot about fretting over you and putting a bodyguard on you. And then you have a creepy cousin stalking you, writing notes in lipstick on your bathroom mirror. What the hell, Gabby? Two months ago you led the most boring life around. So, what are you gonna do?”
Gabby laughed. And laughed harder. Then she raised her glass and said, “I’m gonna propose a toast. To all the women who have crazy cousins stalking them and hot rich dudes trying to protect them. Here’s to more Sugar Tips!”
“They’re Sugar Tits!” Cara and Sky said in unison.
“They sure are!” Gabby said as they broke out in giggle
s. “And I need another one.”
The music had picked up so the girls decided to dance. Gabby shouted, “Do you think we’ll get in trouble for dancing?”
“Yeah, they’re gonna call the dance police!”
They laughed but then Gabby started thinking. “You know, they probably will and put me in dance jail, because here I am dancing next to you two—dance pros. It’s not fair.” She made a pouty face.
“You dance great. Look at the way you move your hips,” Sky said.
Cara watched Gabby and nodded. “Yeah, girl, you know how to work it.”
“Maybe, but only a little. But I have one thing going for me. I bet my Sugar Tits are really popping out!” She didn’t realize that Cara and Sky had not only ignored her little joke but they had also stopped dancing. Instead, they stared at the tall specimen of manhood that stood directly behind Gabby as she howled over her little joke. She finally noticed their silence.
“What? Don’t you like my Sugar Tits? Oh, I get it. You’re jealous! Ha! All this time, I’ve been jealous of you and all your man-tales and the way you shake your booties. And you Sky, with your Ryder accounts, making me drool with envy and now you guys are totally over the top jelly of my Sugar Titties.” Then she lowered her arms and squished her boobs together, making her cleavage look immense.
Laughing, she leaned into the bar to grab her drink when a warm hand clamped around her wrist and a deep voice hummed in her ear. “I think you’ve had quite enough.” She turned her head slightly and found herself staring at those magnificent eyes, though now they were darkened with unspecified emotion.
“Well, look who’s here.” Standing up straight, she announced to her friends, “Hey, everyone, this is Holson Kart.” She smacked her mouth with three fingers and said again, “Kolson Hart. And this is Ky and Scara.” She didn’t bother to correct her second error. He looked at the girls and dipped his head once in acknowledgement, for it would have been rude for him to do otherwise, but that was it.
Then his eyes went straight back to Gabby. “Say goodbye to your friends. We’re leaving.”
“What? But I want more Sugar Titties.”
“You have plenty, kea. Trust me, you don’t need any more.” He glanced down at her chest as he spoke.
The Hart Brothers Series Box Set (Including the bonus book Sabin: A Seven Novel): Freeing Her, Freeing Him, Kestrel, The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart, Sabin: A Seven Novel Page 10
