by Nikki Ash
Ashley comes to a screeching halt right in front of him and I’m not completely sure but I think she quickly shakes her head at him. His eyes glance over her shoulder and land on me. He gives her a small nod, as he lets her continue on her way. I want to go after her, but something tells me this guy is who I need to speak with.
“Giovanni, right?”
He gives me a once over, sucking on his teeth like he’s trying to decide how to respond. He’s clearly sizing me up, and while he may have twenty pounds and a couple inches on me, I would knock this fool across the room in one hit, and if he sucks his teeth at me again, I just might consider it.
His manners win out and he sticks his hand out to shake mine. “Giovanni Valentino,” he says with a bit of an Italian accent.
“Kaden Scott. Mind if we have a word?”
He considers it for a moment, then heads over to the hostess to let her know he’s decided to sit at the bar. We have a seat and, after ordering drinks—him, a Macallan, me, a Jack and coke—he’s the first one to speak.
“What can I do for you?” He takes a sip of his whiskey sounding like he’s already bored of this conversation.
“You can tell me why you keep showing up where Ashley is.”
“Not that it’s your concern, but she and I have a deal. I couldn’t get ahold of her, and since her phone wasn’t working, I came by here.”
“Her phone broke. I bought her a new one. What deal do you have with her?”
He gives me a side glance. “You her boyfriend?”
“She’s my best friend. I’m worried about her.”
“I normally wouldn't tell someone’s business, but I like her, and she’s in over her head. She owes me twenty-two grand.”
I choke on my whisky. What the hell, Ashley!
“Adam,” I call to the bartender. “Can you call Caleb down here for me?”
“Sure thing.”
I turn back to Giovanni. “If she pays you that amount in full, your business with Ashley would be done?”
“I’m a businessman, Kaden. I just want my money.”
“I don’t have that kind of money on me, but I’m sure my friend does in his safe. I’m going to give you the money so your deal with Ashley will be over.”
Caleb walks over, slapping his hand on my shoulder. “What the fuck happened with Ashley? She got changed and left. Did you tell her you moved all her stuff to your place?”
Fuck! I completely forgot to tell her. She’s probably on her way to her empty house.
“I’m assuming you keep money in your safe here for emergencies.”
“Yeah, a little bit. What’s up?”
“I need you to give Giovanni twenty-two thousand. I’ll give it back to you tomorrow after I go to the bank.”
Caleb’s eyes ask a million questions, but he doesn’t voice any of them.
“Right this way.”
We follow him to his office and after he gives Giovanni the money, we shake hands.
“It’s too bad… I was looking forward to her coming to work for me. She’s lucky to have you in her life.”
“What do you do for a living?” I ask out of curiosity.
“I own a gentleman’s club… El Stella’s Bordello.”
“A brothel?” Caleb asks.
Giovanni nods. “Yes.” He pulls out his business card. “If you gentleman are ever in the need of female companionship, let me know. My club offers different levels of memberships. It was nice doing business with you.”
He walks out, leaving Caleb and I stunned stupid.
“I need to go find Ashley.”
Caleb just nods slowly having no clue what to even say. Yeah, man… I know exactly what you mean.
I text Kayla, Hayley, and Liz asking if they’ve seen or heard from Ashley. They all respond with a no. She must have gone straight to her house.
I pull up in the driveway next to her car, and my headlights shine on the porch, lighting up Ashely, who is sitting with her head down.
“You okay?” I ask, sitting next to her. She doesn’t say anything, but her shoulders silently shake up in down—she’s crying.
“Hey, now. Don’t cry.” I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her into my side.
“Everything is so messed up, Kaden. I’ve lost everything.”
“What? Your house? It’s just a house, Ash. I know that’s not what you want to hear. but it’s all going to be okay.”
She looks up at me, her sad eyes connecting with mine, and I use my thumb to wipe away the tears that are falling down her cheeks.
“You know about my house?”
“I know bits and pieces. It’s time you tell me the entire story. Why did I just have Caleb give a guy who owns a brothel twenty-two thousand dollars?”
Chapter Twelve
Ashley
I am surprisingly relieved that Kaden knows about me losing my house. It’s one less secret I have to tell him, but what shocks me is when he tells me he had Caleb pay Giovanni the twenty-two thousand I still owe him.
“Kaden…” He shakes his head at me, not giving me the chance to argue. “Why, Ashley?”
I let out a long breath and start from the beginning. I tell him about Tyler and how we met in college, how he was sweet and wooed me. How everything was great until he started gambling, and then it was far from great.
“So, you were working full time and he was paying all the bills?” He only asks to understand, and it reminds me why this man is my best friend.
“I was so busy with Tristan and going back to work, I just let him take it all over. When he told me to buy a house when I was pregnant, I thought it was a great idea. I wanted nothing more than to provide my baby with a home like the one my parents gave me growing up. I didn’t think about why he didn’t want it in his name. I didn’t ask questions... I trusted him.” The tears come back when I think what my naivety has cost me.
“But this was years ago. Did something happen recently?”
“Yeah, Tyler came back in January, threatening to take Tristan away from me. He said with him having rights he was going to disappear with him before I could even take him to court.”
“Motherfucker. Why the hell didn’t you come to me?”
“It all happened so fast. He wanted thirty thousand dollars in exchange for signing over his rights and he only gave me less than twenty-four hours to come up with it. I asked Don for a number to a loan shark and he sent me to Giovanni.”
“What the fuck… The guy owns a whorehouse.”
“I know…”
“You know?”
“I didn’t have anything to give him to ensure I would pay back the loan… so… I used myself as collateral.”
I close my eyes knowing Kaden is about to freak the hell out, and I’m right. He does. He stands and punches the window behind us. Glass shatters everywhere, and when I rush over to him, I can see his hand is bleeding from the shards of glass. I rush inside my house to grab a towel and remember there’s nothing in the house. I have no idea why the door isn’t locked, like the bank said it would be, but they emptied out my entire house.
Remembering I have some clothes in my car, I run out to it and grab an old shirt. Taking Kaden’s hand in mine, I blot his hand with the shirt. “You shouldn’t have done that. We need to run it under cold water to see if there’s glass under your skin.”
He pulls his hand away. “I don’t give a fuck about my hand! You sold yourself to a man who sells women to rich men so they can fuck them?”
“No! I agreed if I didn’t pay him back I would go to work for him, but so far I’ve paid him back…”
Kaden gives me a look. “Well, except when you paid him the four grand I was behind…” He gives me another look. “I almost had enough to pay him this month!”
He lets out a groan and shakes his head, having a seat on the porch swing and patting it for me to join. “I’m assuming Tyler signed over his rights?”
“Yeah. Then he disappeared. Thank God.”
“What about your job?”
“How did you know about my job?”
“Tristan overheard you talking to your mom. He was worried.”
Talk about failing as a mom.
“A dad from the school I worked at blackmailed me, and when I refused to take him up on his offer, he reported me to the school. The principal pretty much forced me to resign.”
“What’s his name?”
“Oh no, you aren’t going after him. It’s over with. Caleb is working on teaching me the insides of the club. I am really loving it. I never imagined running a strip club and restaurant, but I’m finding it to be fun, and I’m good at it.”
Kaden and I sit for a few minutes in silence before I speak up. “All my stuff is gone. I thought I had until tomorrow night, but it’s all gone. The bank must have taken it all.”
“It’s all in my garage.”
I whip my head around to look at him. “Your garage?”
“I saw the notice the other day. So when you left for work earlier, Cooper, Bentley, and I moved all your stuff to my garage. You and Tristan are moving in with me.”
“I’m not even going to argue because I know I have nowhere else to go, but I promise you I will work all the hours Caleb will give me and I’ll not only pay you back for you paying off Giovanni, but we will be out of your hair as soon as possible.”
“About that… If you marry me, for pretend of course, not only will it make my grandmother happy, but I’ll split the fifteen million with you.” It doesn’t go over my head that he once again makes it clear this marriage isn’t real. Of course it’s not real. Kaden is sexy and wealthy with a nice job. He has a beautiful house and an expensive car, and that’s just the exterior. He is sweet and selfless. He could have anyone he wants, so why would he ever settle for a poor stripper single mom?
Then it hits me what he said.
“Kaden!” I screech. I don’t even know what else to say. “I can’t take… like… seven million dollars from you! I owe you money, not the other way around.”
“Technically after taxes it would only be around four million. The IRS is a bitch like that. But if you don’t marry me, I don’t get any money and my grandmother will die without ever seeing her only grandson marry and have his happily-ever-after.”
Damn, guilt-trip much.
“Okay, I’m going to agree to marry you… for fake.” I add it in there just like he did so he knows I’m not going to try to rope him into a real marriage or something. “But I can’t accept seven million dollars from you.”
“It’s non-negotiable.” I decide not to argue knowing he’s going to just keep at it until I agree with him. When the time comes, I will just refuse the money. Kaden has done so much for Tristan and me, there’s no way I am taking his family’s money.
“C’mon, Ash. Let’s get you home so you can change out of my shirt and those tiny shorts.”
I follow Kaden back to his house trying not to think too hard about the fact that Tristan, Kaden, and I will all be living under one roof. Instead I focus on taking in my surroundings. Kaden lives on the outskirts of Las Vegas in one of the wealthier areas like his friends all do. But while his friends, Cooper and Bentley, live in a neighborhood filled with cookie cutter houses with zero land, Kaden is in a gated community where every home is on a nice piece of property. Each home is on a minimum of five acres, so the houses are far apart. A lot of people who live in this community even have horses with barns and such.
We pull up to Kaden’s country-style home and the front porch light is on. I’m always blown away by the beauty of his home. He bought it years ago but has renovated it little by little. It’s a multi-story home with several bedrooms and bathrooms. The outside has been redone and has the cutest wraparound porch with a blood red front door. The red door was my idea. With the different color bricks and the white windows with black shutters, he had to have a red door.
The inside has a spacious, open floor plan. There’s a fireplace in the center of the house that can be seen in the living room as well as the dining room. The master bedroom is on the first floor along with a guest bedroom and his office, and on the second floor are two more bedrooms. The kitchen is completely stainless steel and is gorgeous.
We’re usually at my house because of convenience. Tristan has all his stuff at my place and I worked right down the street at the elementary school. But occasionally Kaden will throw a party here and I swear I spend the entire time just admiring the house.
“Hey girly!” Kayla comes walking out of the guest room to give me a hug, thankfully ignoring my outfit. “I see Kaden got his way.” She gives me a wink and giggles.
I look down in embarrassment. I know she’s joking to lighten the mood, but it reminds me I’ve lost my house. I’ve lost everything.
“Hey,” Kayla says. “Don’t do that. Shit happens. I don’t know the details as to what’s going on with you, but you will work it out, and you have all of us. Please don’t shut us out.”
Tears well up in my eyes and I lose it. Kayla pulls me into her arms and rocks me softly, not letting go of me until I feel hands on my waist pulling me out of her arms. Kaden puts his arms around me and holds me tight. His warmth makes me feel safe, something I haven’t felt in a long time. I breathe in his fresh scent and it feels like home.
There’s a knock on the door, but Kaden doesn’t let me go. The door closes and he still doesn’t let me go. We stand in the middle of his foyer for I don’t know how long with him just holding me, letting me cry until I run out of tears.
Chapter Thirteen
Kaden
I hold her until she finally stops crying. Then after going upstairs to check on Tristan, we go to bed. I know she’s physically exhausted from working all night and emotionally exhausted from all this shit. She just needs a good night’s sleep and tomorrow will be a fresh start. Lying down in my California King, we have more than enough room, but instead of lying on our own sides, Ashley lays her head on my chest while I play with her hair until she finally passes out.
* * *
“Ashley,” I whisper. She rolls over and grunts for me to shut up. It’s five in the morning and I need to get going to the gym. “I’m leaving for work.” Another grunt.
I walk out to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and see Tristan at the table eating a bowl of sugary cereal for breakfast. I never carry food like that in my home, but knowing Tristan would be living with me, I had Kayla help me out by taking Tristan to the grocery store last night to buy food he likes. Watching him makes me think of my son and everything I’m missing out on not getting to watch him grow up. It pisses me off knowing Tristan’s dad signed away his rights for a measly thirty grand. If it were in my control, no amount of money could ever keep me away from my child. Too many people take the important things in life for granted like family and loved ones.
The past couple years Tristan and I have gotten closer. I’m aware he isn’t a replacement of my son and I’m not a replacement of the father he’s never known, but I love that kid like he’s my own. I find myself looking forward to spending time with him, and now with him living with me, I hope our relationship will grow even more. Tristan means a lot to me just like his mom does.
“Morning.”
Tristan looks up from the iPad in front of him, the one I bought him for his last birthday. “Morning, are you going to the gym?”
“That I am, want to go?”
His face perks up out of excitement. “Can I?”
“Sure, go get dressed. We’ll let your mom sleep in. She's probably exhausted from working late.”
I write Ashley a note letting her know I took Tristan with me and leave it on the nightstand, so she doesn’t freak out once she wakes up, then take off with Tristan to the gym.
He spends the first hour working out with me, but once Bella and a couple of his friends arrive, he takes off to the kids’ area. Cooper decided last year to split the gym into two areas: the smaller part is the kids’ area and the larg
er main area is for the fighters. That way the kids won’t hear the cursing and bashing that goes on when you stick a bunch of amped up fighters into the room together. The kids who belong to the fighters always venture into the adult area, but for the most part it works out well, especially for the kids who are only here for the kids’ MMA classes.
Alex arrives shortly after seven and we begin training immediately. After an hour of warming up, we start working on some takedown defense moves. His opponent, Gavin ‘Stunner’ Fitzgerald’s strength is submission, while Alex’s strength is stand-up—his area of expertise boxing. Most fights, Alex will win with a knockout, but if his opponent gets him to the ground, he’ll be in trouble, and that’s what we need to prepare for.
“I can’t believe you’re planning a wedding the month before your big fight. Talk about adding more stress.”
“Well, if it helps we’re holding off on the honeymoon until after the fight so I won’t miss any training other than the day of the wedding… and the day after.” He waggles his eyebrows up and down giving me a wink. I use him being distracted to take him down, and before he can even think about his next move, I pull him into a quick arm bar forcing him to tap out.
“Fuck!” he says, standing up, pissed.
“Just don’t think about fucking your wife during the fight,” I say, patting him on his shoulder. “Oh, by the way, right after the wedding, I have to go visit my family for a few days. My grandmother is turning eighty and is demanding I’m present. I’ve asked Bentley to train with you. You’ll learn some good moves from him. Make sure you work his stay-at-home daddy ass hard.”
“Thanks, man! Will do.”
I see Ashley walking into the gym out of the corner of my eye, so grabbing a towel, I wipe the sweat off me while heading over to see her.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, giving her a sweaty side hug. She scrunches her nose up in disgust, so I go all in, giving her a bear hug.
