by Ava Harrison
“I actually just finished shoveling manure off the floor. Now I’m going to begin my afternoon of plunging vomit from the toilets.” My sarcasm never bodes well with Alta Lawson.
“Not funny,” she huffs.
“To what do I owe this pleasure, Mom?”
“I want to invite you to dinner tomorrow night. We’re having filet, your favorite.”
It’s not, but I won’t correct her. Despite my mother’s bitchiness to the world, she has always doted on me. She cared for me as much as she could without breaking her well-manicured nails. I haven’t spent much time with her since Alexa’s death. Alexa’s mother and mine are extremely close friends, and I can’t help but feel like my mother blames me and the club for what happened to Alexa. I know her family does. If only they knew that Alexa was into cocaine way before we ever hooked up.
“Can’t. I’ll be at the club.”
“You own the club, Drew. You can take the night off.”
I sigh. I know there’s no use fighting it. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I’m ready to move forward with my life. Perhaps enduring a night with my mother will be a step in the right direction.
37
Bailey
I’ve been at Silver for an hour, and there’s been no sign of Drew. I’ve kept busy by looking at the proposal sent today by his architect for the new space we found. I might not be the best person to look them over, but even with my limited knowledge of the topic, I can already see some tweaks we’ll have to make to the sketches. All the extra time I’ve spent at the club has paid off.
I can’t wait for Drew to get here so we can discuss what I found. As pathetic as it sounds, I’m practically bouncing with excitement to see him. Not just to tell him about this, but also because I miss him.
The past few months have been the best of my life, and after our trip last weekend, I can’t help but feel as though we’ve turned a corner.
The thought has me scared out of my mind. I didn’t want this, but he makes me wish for things I have no business wishing for. This is the type of thing that can hurl me right down the rabbit hole and back into the world of kaleidoscope vision.
“What the hell has gotten into you, Chipper Charlie?” I raise my brow at Carter.
“Chipper Charlie? What the heck is that?” I tease.
“Don’t dodge my question, missy. Spill it.”
“Keep this on the down-low, and it’s not a big thing, but Drew and I have been . . . seeing each other.”
He frowns, causing my eyes to shoot up in question. “Just be careful, Bailey.”
I blanch. “Wow. No congrats, I’m happy for you, Bae?”
“Are you in a relationship? Does he call you his girlfriend?” It’s my turn to frown at Carter.
“I’m sorry. Just forget I said anything. I care about you, and I want to make sure you’re okay, is all.” I smile at my friend.
“I know, and I love you for it, but Carter, I am so happy. I want to live in my bubble for as long as possible.” He nods.
“It’s not the bubble I’m worried about. It’s what happens after that bubble bursts,” he says warily. “But hey, it might not, so let’s go with that.” I bite my lip at his words.
At that moment, Drew walks by, winking in my direction. My insides melt and all talk of this not being anything goes to the wayside. I’m back on cloud nine.
“Hey. I know you have a fancy job . . .”
“Spit it out, Carter. You know I’m here to help.”
“Since you offered . . .” He laughs because clearly, I walked into a trap. “Can you head to VIP three and clean it up?” Carter requests, and I oblige. Even though I don’t have to anymore, I still help out around the floor and bartend when Carter needs me. Might as well until the deal with the restaurant is finally done.
As I wipe at a spot on a table in VIP room three, I hear voices right outside, giggling about something. This place is full of waitresses gossiping about their trysts with high-end clients. Apparently, they didn’t get the memo that it only makes them sound like high-end prostitutes. I move closer to the doorframe to eavesdrop on their conversation. I’m interested in what has them giggling like schoolgirls.
“He doesn’t want anyone to know.” The hushed voice is hard to hear, but it sounds like Monica’s whiny vocals.
“How long has it been going on?” another voice chimes in. I recognize it as Ashley’s.
“Just about three months. I have a key to get in here at any time. We’ve christened this entire place.”
This information has me ramrod straight. She can’t be talking about this place, right? The only person who would have access to another key around here would be Carter.
“I came in early today to help him relax. Drew is insatiable.”
I round the corner, ready for blood. This is total bullshit. “Monica, you are delusional. There is no way Drew is sleeping with you,” I say tersely. She straightens at the sound of my voice and turns to me, a wide grin taking over her entire face.
“What’s got your panties in a twist, Bailey?”
“You spreading lies about Drew, that’s what,” I seethe.
“You’re new here, so let me clue you in. Drew is a playboy, and he happens to love playing with me.” She looks at Ashley and giggles again.
“That’s a lie,” I say through clenched teeth.
“You obviously don’t know how our fearless leader is. I have him so tied up he won’t even look in anyone else’s direction. You’re safe from him, Bailey.” She grins, and Ashley chuckles.
Her smug face has me on the edge of losing it, and tears begin to flow without my permission. This, right here, is exactly why any type of relationship, sexual or otherwise, is bad news for me.
“Are you okay, Bailey?” Ashley asks. Clearly, she has no idea why I’d be acting so irrational.
I shoulder past her, trying to make my escape. I need fresh air. I’m not paying attention when I run straight into a hard chest. I know without looking who it belongs to. The one person I really don’t want to see at this point.
He grabs my shoulder to steady me. “Whoa, Bailey.” He chuckles. I will myself to look up at him, and the smile immediately leaves his face. “Baby, what’s wrong?” he whispers so only I can hear.
How convenient. The fact that he’s trying to hide what we are from Monica stings. “Don’t call me that. Get your hands off me.”
“Calm down. Come to my office.” He looks panicked. Good. He should.
“I’m not going anywhere with you. How was your rendezvous with Monica today?”
The asshole looks confused. “What are you talking about? I wasn’t with Monica.” I watch as his face turns from confusion to realization to . . . amusement? “Bailey Jameson, are you jealous?”
He’s laughing at me. The dickhead is actually laughing.
“Fuck you, Drew,” I spit in his direction.
“Come to my office and take a breather. I don’t know what you heard from Monica, but I absolutely did not touch her. You can ask Carter. She ambushed me, and he came to my rescue.”
I consider what he’s saying. It does sound like something that slut would do because she isn’t exactly subtle in her ways. I brush his hands off me and stalk toward his office. I pass Monica on the way and watch as she takes in the scene, but I have a one-track path straight to my answers. However, what Drew says has me stopping in my tracks.
“Monica, have you met my girlfriend, Bailey?”
My heart skips a beat. Did he just say that?
“What?” Her tone is cold. Deadly.
“Bailey and I are dating.” Monica’s face is red in anger. “Come on, baby. We have stuff to do.” He grabs my hand and walks away from a gaping Ashley.
I’m walking on air at this point. When we reach the office, I hear the door shut and lock behind me.
“We won’t be interrupted.”
“Girlfriend? Since when are we labeling this?”
“What? I thought
you’d like that touch. Did you see her face? She got exactly what she deserved,” he says vehemently.
“Tell me what your history with her is?”
His back straightens. “Bailey, I don’t think you want to know everything about my past.”
“Um, yes. Yes, I do. If it involves you sleeping with half the staff I work with, I absolutely want to know. It’s not fair that I have to listen to this shit, Drew. We may not technically be in a relationship, but I don’t share. If you’re sleeping with other people, then you aren’t sleeping with me. Period.”
He smiles. I want to wipe it off his face. “Since the moment I met you, I haven’t touched another woman.”
He walks to me, taking me into his embrace, and his touch sends heat directly to my center, turning me molten. I see the corner of his lip raise into a grin, and it literally makes my knees go weak.
“Does that make you hot? Do you want me to prove that you’re the only girl I’m fucking? I will. Right here on this desk, I’ll show you there hasn’t been anyone else.”
I need him to show me I’m the only one.
My hand moves to touch him. He’s practically bursting at the seams. I stroke his length through his pants, eliciting a groan from his lips. I’m feeling brave. I need to show him that he doesn’t need anyone else. I can be everything he needs.
“Do you like that, Drew? Do you want me on my knees?”
“God, yes. On your knees, Bailey.”
I drag my hands down his sides as I slowly drop to my knees in front of him. Looking up through my lashes, I lick my lips. Gradually, I pull the zipper down, allowing him to spring free from his confinements. I lean in and run my tongue along the tip. He moans, which only encourages me to go further.
When he’s done, he sighs in contentment. I take my mouth off him and gently wipe my lips.
“Come here.”
“No, tonight was for you. I have work to do.”
“Your work is up here now.” He quirks his eyebrow in confusion as to where I’m going.
“I know I’m not supposed to help downstairs, but Drew, I can’t leave Carter on his own without a backup bartender.” He chuckles at my defiance. “But later, I want to go over the sketches. Pencil me in.” I wink.
I stand on my feet and make my way out of the office. As the door opens, Monica is on the other side with her hand raised, ready to knock. I look back toward Drew and see he’s zipping his pants. He doesn’t even try to hide what we were just doing from Monica. It gives me a sense of possessiveness, but at the same time, I pity her. Up until his declaration, Monica was unaware of our relationship. I decide at this moment to give her the benefit of the doubt.
I turn back to Monica. “I’m sorry if you feel like I took him from you. I didn’t know you two had any sort of a relationship. I hope you can respect the fact that I’m with him now.”
I look back at Drew, smiling to show that I’m not concerned. As I make my way down the stairs, I hear the door close behind me and know that Monica is stalking in my direction. With nothing more to say to her, I keep walking. She doesn’t stop as she rushes past me and out the door. I feel bad, but he’s mine now. There’s no room for someone else in our relationship. She’ll find the right person someday.
38
Drew
This thing with Bailey is getting serious. Now we are officially in a relationship, and I’m out of my element.
After the shit with Monica tonight, I need Bailey to know how genuine I am about giving this relationship thing a try. With my focus entirely on her tonight, Monica is never mentioned again. Thank fuck.
I listen to Bailey breathe. It’s so melodic and peaceful. If I lie here and listen to her for a while, it might lull me to sleep as well.
“What are you doing, Mr. Lawson?”
I’m caught. “Just thinking. Go back to sleep.”
“What are you thinking about?”
What should I say? I’m not about to tell her because then I’d sound like a fucking pussy. So, I say the next thing that comes to mind. “I have dinner tonight at my mom’s, and I’m dreading it.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“My mother can be a bit much at times. I’ve been avoiding her.”
“I could go with you if that would help.”
I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn’t put her in that awkward position. My mother would eat her alive. “Thanks, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I feel her deflate beside me. Clearly, I’ve said the wrong thing. “Bailey, what’s going on in that head of yours?”
“I guess I’m just wondering what we are.”
“What we are?” I repeat.
“I’m not trying to put a label to it, Drew. I’m just not sure what’s going on. You told Monica I’m your girlfriend.”
“We are sleeping together.”
Wrong answer. She flies out of bed and begins throwing on her clothes.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
“We’re sleeping together? So, I’m just like Monica?”
Oh fuck, here we go. “No, no. I just mean we’re not sleeping with anyone else. We’re exclusive in that sense.”
“Fabulous, so I’m your plaything then.”
It’s not a question. She’s throwing her skirt over her legs, and not gracefully, I might add.
“Stop, Bailey. We are exclusive, period. Do you want me to say you’re my girlfriend? Fine, you’re my girlfriend. Is that better?”
She stops and looks at me. “You don’t have to classify me as anything, Drew. I’m sorry I put you on the spot.” She looks defeated, and I feel like an ass.
I practically crawl across the bed to her. Grabbing her by the hips, I bring her back into my arms. “I want you to be my girlfriend. I haven’t said that to a girl in a long time, and I didn’t know if I would ever say that. But I do. I want you to be mine.”
She melts into my arms, and I feel the tension leave her body. She grabs the sides of my head and kisses me with abandon. When we finally come up for air, we sink back into the bed.
“Drew, now that I’m your girlfriend, can I meet your mom?”
Fuck. Me.
“Bailey, we just got over one fight. Can we not do this?” I’m whining like a fucking girl.
“Are you embarrassed by me?” Her voice is small.
“No, baby, I’m not embarrassed by you at all. My mom is just . . . difficult. We’re so new that I don’t want her scaring you off. I think we need time to grow in our relationship before you have to endure a dinner with her.”
“Oh. Okay.”
I sigh with relief.
“I’m going to go shower. Is that all right?”
“Want me to join you?” I smirk.
“As amazing as that sounds, I don’t think I’d actually get clean, and I need to get going. I have some errands to run. I also want to catch a meeting.”
I nod my head and let her get up from the bed, watching as she sways toward the bathroom. I look at the clock. 10:40 a.m. I should probably get up as well. I grab my phone and see I’ve missed a call from the devil herself. I decide to call her quickly to see what she wants. If I’m lucky, she’s calling to cancel dinner.
“Drew, darling. Are you among the living, or have I caught you in bed?”
“I’m up, Mother. What’s going on?”
“I was calling to remind you about dinner since we know how flaky you can be at times.”
I cringe. “No, Mother, I haven’t forgotten.”
“See you soon.” She hangs up before I can even respond.
Hours later, I’m walking into my childhood home. It’s more like a museum filled with antiques, priceless paintings, and stiff furniture adorning every corner of the pretentious estate.
“Drew,” my mother croons as she waltzes into the room. A beautiful blonde follows closely behind. I have no idea who she is, but she peruses my body boldly.
“Drew, you remember Allison Estep. Her parents are Susan and Allister Estep.” Her brows rise
as if to indicate that I should absolutely know who these people are, and I do—old money with trusts to rival the Hiltons.
“Yes, of course. Allison, it’s nice to see you.” I smile.
Allison gives me a sheepish grin. She knows what my mother is saying, and she enjoys the praise her family name brings. My mother is obviously up to her matchmaking.
“Mother. A word, please.”
She looks from me to Allison and frowns. “Drew, that’s rude. Can we at least eat first?”
I don’t give her a second to continue. I walk briskly out of the room with my mother right on my heels.
“What’s the meaning of this, Drew Lawson?”
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but I won’t be a pawn in your games. I’m not interested.”
“It’s time for you to start thinking about your future.”
“What if I am, Mom? What if I like my life?”
She scoffs. “Your life is a train wreck. You live at the club pining over a girl who died of a drug overdose.”
The mention of Alexa has my blood running cold. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You blame yourself for that girl’s death. It wasn’t your fault that she was an addict. Her parents are to blame.”
“It was my fault.” I stress the last word.
“I just want you to be happy.”
Her sad eyes have me softening. “I am, Mom. I promise.”
“Will you at least talk to Allison? She’s such a pretty girl and from such a well-respected family.”
“No, I have places to be.”
Without another word, I walk out.
39
Bailey
I’m mildly hurt that Drew didn’t want to take me to meet his mother, but I understand. I need to proceed slowly with this. Going too fast isn’t good for either of us. To keep my mind off Drew, I call up Harper and invite her over for sushi. She was the one to extend the olive branch, but I haven’t seen her since. It’s time we have some sister time.
“This is nice,” Harper says around a mouthful of California roll.
