We entered the secluded chef’s room and it was nothing like I imagined. For some reason, I pictured a darker room with modern furniture, a wall of wine storage, and a large window that looked into a kitchen with flames coming from the grill. Don’t ask me why. I’d never eaten at a chef’s table before. I think I watched too much television. This wasn’t a hip, upscale restaurant in the city. It was an inn in the woods of Pennsylvania.
The room we were seated in had tall windows with the thick maroon curtains tied back on either side along one wall. I had told them we needed privacy due to all that was constantly going on with the media. I also didn’t want anyone staring at us while we ate. We were far away from the parking lot at this end of the building.
Above the long, dark wooden table was a chandelier that had crystals dangling from it. Matching dark wooden chairs accompanied the table. There was a set of double doors at one end of the room, which led to a private patio lit up with tiny white lights strung along the wrought iron rails. There was also a fire pit with weathered white Adirondack chairs around it.
Kaleb sat at the head of the table with Karen and Kasi on either side. I took the seat on the other side of Kasi. The place settings before us were perfectly placed, or at least I assumed they were. I’m not exactly a fancy restaurant type of guy. I’d rather have pizza at home on the couch any night. In fact, most nights, before I met Kasi, I ate on paper plates with plastic utensils. All of the dishes on the table were ivory china and we each had crystal glassware. The silverware was neatly tucked into cloth napkins.
Our room had an excellent view of the kitchen. The men and women were bustling around. Some cooked, others served. This room, this inn even, was way fancier than I was used to, but it was perfect for Kasi. It was what she deserved: only the best.
Our chef came in and told us what he was preparing for tonight, and that he was happy we chose to dine at the inn. He was an older guy with a grey goatee and matching short hair. His smile was genuine. The amount of food they would be bringing us made me think I might not need to eat for a couple of days after.
Throughout dinner, the conversation was kept light and comfortable. No talk of the incidents at the house, the crazy as fuck stalker, or anything that might upset Kasi. She was smiling from ear to ear all night long. I knew how much she missed her dad, especially since she knew he’d been sick. My girlfriend always tried to be independent, and she was, but being around family really brightened her up. I knew she didn’t need her father, but having him there put her at ease.
Glasses of wine were poured, course after course of food was served, and before all was said and done, we ended up relaxing outside by the fire. The air was cold, but the fire provided enough warmth where I was able to relax without me freezing my balls off.
When the time for the check came, Kaleb immediately tried to pay for it, only to find out it had already been taken care of. He thanked me for dinner, even though I could tell he wasn’t happy I paid ahead of time. He insisted that next time it was on him. Yup, I had no doubt in my mind he was going to remember this.
Kaleb and Karen would be staying at the house for the week. I invited them to stay longer, but he said due to business obligations, they wouldn’t be able to. I had nothing more planned while they were in town. Whatever we decided to do during that week, I knew Kasi would be wearing that gorgeous smile of hers the entire time. Every time she smiled, my heart swelled in my chest at how perfect she was.
5
Three days into their stay with us was when I finally started to relax. Any time I was around Kaleb, I tried to be on point. I didn’t want him to question why his daughter was with me. I wanted him to be sure of her choice in me. One thing never changed while he was there, the way I treated his daughter. Whether he was here or not, I treated her the same every single day. She deserved to be cherished and taken care of, even if she didn’t always let me do the latter.
The day Kaleb and Karen left, I knew Kasi was going to be sad for a while. She held it together saying goodbye to them, but once the door shut, and the car was on the way down the driveway, she shed a few tears. I gathered her in my arms to comfort her the best I could. Over the past week, she thanked me repeatedly for having them come stay with us. It was the least I could do.
In regard to the piece of shit that was lucky to be alive, Joseph, he was in jail and was staying there for the time being. Kasi’s attorney was working on it and wanted to be sure he did everything he could. We didn’t know if there would be a formal trial, a lot was still up in the air. I wanted this guy’s ass locked away permanently. No, I didn’t want Kasi to have to go to court and testify, but if that’s what it was going to take to make him disappear and never harm her, I knew she’d do it.
After dinner I was dragged upstairs and shoved onto the bed. Kasi had her way with me and I fucking loved every minute of it. She did things to me I’d only ever seen in porn. Yes, I watched it and so did Kasi. Where did you think she learned some of her moves? Porn was a wealth of untapped knowledge. Watch it, study it, and infuse it into your own sexual experiences. You’ll thank me, and so will whoever is on the receiving end of your new ideas.
We were both completely sated, wrapped in each other’s arms. The gorgeous woman lying on me had fallen into a peaceful sleep, thankfully. Not every night was that way. There had been some nights, where she had terrible nightmares that left me feeling helpless. The therapist she had seen a couple of times, said that it was to be expected and hopefully would lessen in time. I sincerely hoped so. I didn’t want her spending nights afraid to fall asleep for fear of seeing that motherfucker in her dreams.
Now that Kaleb was gone, I had to arrange another visit. This time it wasn’t someone I was looking forward to seeing. Nope, not even close. Just thinking about making the call had me gritting my teeth. Tonight I would sleep and tomorrow I’d make the call.
Fortunately, I ended up getting a great night’s sleep. Kasi stayed curled up on me all night, which I didn’t mind in the least. If she found peace on me, then I’d sleep in whatever position she needed me in. Ace and Lily slept on the dog bed at the foot of ours. Lily, however, was the first to rise. I woke to puppy breath in my face and a wet tongue licking me. When I blinked my eyes open, she was standing on her hind legs with her front paws on the side of the bed. Her little tail was going fast as hell. I reached out and scratched her head.
Gently I slid out from underneath Kasi and threw on some clothes. The dogs were practically dancing by the front door, waiting to be let out. Lily bounced around outside, while Ace went on his morning perimeter check. Once she realized her friend was gone without her, she went in search of him.
I started the coffee and dug my cell phone out of my pocket. I was not in the mood to talk to this guy, but I had little choice. There was unfinished business I needed to tend to.
A time and location was set. The steel tone of his voice told me he wasn’t thrilled to hear from me, but he agreed to meet. We did have something in common, after all. Two days from now I had to see him. I couldn’t tell Kasi where I was going until after it happened. I would need to lie to her and tell her I was having lunch with a friend. Lying to her went against everything inside of me, but I’d come clean afterward. Hell, I planned on bringing him back to the house once we were finished talking. That was the kind of boyfriend I was.
Kasi woke up an hour after me. She always looked her best in the morning. Her hair was mussed in a sexy way, her face natural with no make-up; most of her body was showing. She only put on one of my shirts before coming downstairs. Most of the time we slept naked and we both preferred it that way. I didn’t need all of the glitz and glamour with her. Sure, I loved it when she wore dresses and heels, who wouldn’t? She was hot as hell. In the morning, though, when she woke from spending the night with me, that was the best, especially when I knew her hair got mussed from a wild night of fucking.
“Morning, baby.” I smiled.
She pressed a kiss to my lips. “Morning.�
�
“What’s on the agenda today?” With no work for me, and no trips planned for Kasi, we were free to do whatever we wanted.
“How about I eat and then we go back to bed?”
My dick twitched. “Sounds like a plan.” My smile widened.
We spent the rest of the day just as she suggested. I fucked her on the bed, the floor, the shower, and even down on the couch in the living room. We could have sex day and night and I wouldn’t tire of being with her. When it came to Kasi, I was always begging for more.
****
Well, two days passed, and it was time to face someone I never wanted to see again. Fuck, I didn’t know how I was going to get through seeing him and not rip his head off. We decided to meet in his hotel room, since no one wanted to deal with pictures being taken. That was the last thing we needed. I didn’t even want to imagine those headlines, especially if our talking didn’t stay calm. Our little town had a hotel, albeit a small one, but still there was one.
I entered through the lobby and went to the bank of elevators. Even though the hotel was small, it was pristine inside. The tiled floors were polished; the front desk was a modern black wood with a marble top. Behind it were two men dressed in suits, greeting a customer. One smiled at me and I waved. I was sure he knew who I was and with that knew whom I was going to be seeing.
Looking around, I was glad the lobby was almost empty. I didn’t need my visit getting back to Kasi before I could explain. Shit, she’d probably think I was there to cheat on her. Man, I didn’t think this through. I scrubbed a hand over my face then tucked it in my jean pocket. The ding of the elevator saved me from future worry of someone seeing me. I slipped inside fast and hit the button for the top floor. The hotel wasn’t swanky and didn’t have a penthouse, but did have four large suites.
I walked down the long hall and knocked when I reached his door. I wanted to use that same fist to punch him in the face when I saw him. Oh, how I dreamed about knocking his teeth in. Yup, my inner caveman wanted to keep him as far from Kasi as possible, but I knew that wasn’t an option. I had to deal with him.
My jaw clenched, waiting for him to answer. The man who answered wasn’t whom I expected, but I wasn’t surprised at the same time. “Radek,” he all but growled in a low, menacing tone.
“Lee,” I ground out through my still clenched jaw.
He may have been bigger than me, but I wasn’t intimidated by his size. Lee was the drummer for Stars and Lies, one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. His cocky ass was standing in front of me like he wanted to hit me. His hair was blond today with black tips, but still had the same Mohawk from the last time I saw him on that awful day at Kasi’s. The bold tribal tattoo around his neck moved as his muscles flexed. Dude had hate in his eyes. I knew it matched the same hate I had in mine. We didn’t like each other, but we needed to tolerate one another for Kasi’s sake.
He looked me over and I did the same to him. He had on dark jeans and a navy blue shirt that looked two sizes too small. Crossing his arms over his chest, he made sure to flex his biceps while continuing to watch me. Was I supposed to be intimidated? Yeah, you have big ass arms, congrats. I couldn’t give a shit. He didn’t see me taking my shirt off to show the efforts of my daily workouts. I felt like we should be in a wrestling ring, waiting to take the other down. Ding. Ding. Ding. And in this corner…
Finally, he stepped aside to let me in. The room had a large seating area with a couch and two chairs, a coffee table, and a flat screen television. Kai was sitting on the couch with his legs propped up on the table, as if he had zero cares in the world. And maybe he didn’t. But I did. I cared about Kasi. He didn’t move as I entered the room, but his eyes shifted my way. He jutted his chin up in a greeting, which was more than I expected from him.
I dropped down into the chair to his right, placing my arms on either armrest. Lee took a seat on the couch, putting himself between the two of us. I didn’t think it was necessary, however. Giving him another glare, I waited until Kai flipped the television off before I said anything. He brought his legs up and put his feet on the floor. His jeans were ripped and part of his knee pushed through. Was that a rocker thing? I liked my jeans in one piece, but whatever. His dark blond hair stuck up at odd angles like he crashed on the couch as soon as he arrived. Maybe it was a look he was going for. Who the hell knew? I didn’t follow him or his career. Most women love the lead singer in a band, and I was sure there was no shortage of them where he was concerned, but Kasi chose me instead. Yeah, he was in love with her, but he couldn’t have her.
His white shirt had the Markson Aviation logo on it. Oh, this guy really was a tool. I knew damn well he wore that shirt to fuck with me. I couldn’t help but wonder if Kasi or Kaleb had sent it to him, and I was sure that was the precise reason he wore it. To mess with my head. Either way it didn’t matter. He was pushing me, but what he didn’t know was how far he could go before I snapped.
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his legs, clasping his hands together. Tattoos covered both arms. Some I could decipher what they were, others, not so much, and I honestly stopped trying to. Why I was looking at them, I didn’t know. Maybe I was trying to figure out what Kasi saw in him that made her sleep with him repeatedly. Over the years, they got together when he was in town during tours. They never became a serious item though, much to Kai’s dismay. Thoughts of her having sex with him sent a jolt of jealously through me, making me want to punch him in his smug face. He knew I was looking at him, and he knew I spotted the shirt he was wearing. Dick. I was going to knock him senseless.
I leaned forward to stand, however Lee’s hand landed on my shoulder, pushing me back down. I quickly twisted to shrug him off. “Stay in that chair,” he warned.
“Touch me again and we’re going to have a problem.” I didn’t care that I was challenging him. Kai was challenging me. Yes, I knew I sounded like a child and didn’t care. You come at me, I’m going to come at you.
A slow smile appeared on Lee’s face. It was anything but friendly. “What?” he asked. “You don’t want me to have to call our girl and say I busted your face up and sent you to the ER.”
“She’s not our girl,” I growled. “She’s my girl.”
“All right. Enough,” Kai interjected and rubbed the back of his neck. “You wanted to see us and we’re here. We’ve been home for a month, so lucky for you, we could fly out here.”
“Yeah, real lucky,” I mumbled.
“Let’s get to the point. Why are we here, Radek? I know after our little talk we’ll get to see Kasi, which is the real reason Lee and I came. We miss her.” I would be amazed if I got out of this talk without my fist meeting one of their faces.
There were only two reasons I wanted to talk to them. No, I didn’t want them to see my girlfriend, but if it meant I got to take care of these two things, then I’d concede to bringing them back to the house. Besides, I knew she would love to see them, even if it made my insides knot.
“We have two things to cover. The first is Erin. I need to know what you did to take care of her after I did. It’s important that we’re all on the same page, so that she doesn’t get any crazy ideas to pit us against one another, because believe me she’s one sneaky bitch.”
Lee nodded his head in agreement and Kai agreed as well. I spent the next few minutes filling them in on everything that went down when I was out in California, making sure she never bothered Kasi again. That was one of the worst times of my life, being apart from her, but I needed to put her first. Kasi always came first.
They listened intently to what I had to say. For some reason they didn’t seem surprised by anything I said, which led me to believe they already knew, but how? I knew Kasi hadn’t spoken to Kai outside of those text messages when we were in the cabin on our mini vacation. I wondered how they found out and doubted Erin was out there running her mouth that I threatened her.
“We knew that stuff about Erin and what was said between the two of you,” Ka
i said. “We paid her a little visit after you did. She went on and on about how you threatened her, and that she wouldn’t say anything, but she had this glint in her eye. We knew her shady ass wasn’t done.”
Under my breath I cursed, “Fucking bitch.”
“Yeah, she’s ruthless. We dug deep. Really deep, and found our own dirt on her. She has a prescription drug problem. She’s rather addicted to painkillers, even went to rehab at one point.” My brows drew together. How did I not know that? She must have really kept that quiet, since no one mentioned it to me when I was looking for ways to get to her.
Kai continued, “We brought with us a document for her to sign and laid out everything we found out. By signing it, she agreed to never bother Kasi again. I mean ever. She’s not to breathe a word of her to anyone. Oh and the best part, her ex-husband doesn’t know about her addiction. Who does know is the ex-husband’s best friend, who she had an affair with. He’s apparently quite wealthy on his own and was the one to pay for her stay in rehab. And she’s still fucking him. We hired a private investigator and have pictures of her with him and of her buying drugs illegally. We showed her what we had and told her we had no qualms about broadcasting it across the globe. She quickly signed.”
“Just when you think someone can’t get more fucked up, you find out a whole new level of shit,” I commented.
“Very true. With the right amount of resources and money, anything can be found out. Between the three of us, we dug up a lot of shit.”
Lee remained silent through our conversation, but he was listening and absorbing everything we said. Now time for the second thing I needed to deal with while I had them in front of me.
“There’s something else we need to discuss,” I said. Kai looked at me, waiting for what I had to say, and Lee cocked an eyebrow.
“Since we’re all a part of Kasi’s life, we need to get along. For her sake, not mine. I could honestly not give a fuck if you two like me or not, but she deserves us to be cordial to one another. I think we can all agree to put her first and pretend we don’t want to punch each other.”
Adoring Her (The Heiress #3) Page 5
