by Aspen Drake
“Emma?” I smile at the memory of how encouraging she’s been from day one. “Yeah. She’s been completely supportive with all this. I’m sure she wishes I was in a different line of work, but she knows there isn’t anything else I can do to make this kind of money.” I sigh, hoping I haven’t completely killed the fun mood we were both in just a minute ago. “We can’t all have billionaire fiancés who would give us the world if we asked for it.”
“I’m already jealous of her.” Brenden takes another sip of his drink.
“I try not to be, but…ya know.” I wink at Brenden. “But Sebastian is so good to her. I’m really glad she’s found him.”
“And what about you? Anyone special?” Brenden rubs his hands together as if anticipating some juicy gossip.
Sadly, he won’t get any from me. “Only if you count an eight-year-old…”
“Your kid?”
“Nephew,” I respond, wiping some crumbs from my cookie off the table. “My sister’s kid, Owen. He didn’t have the best life, and my sister is trying to straighten up. But, until that happens, he’s staying with me for a while.”
“Sounds like a lucky kid to have you taking care of him.”
The sincerity in Brenden’s voice makes me feel good. Like validation that I’m doing something right. “Owen’s sweet. And he really deserves better than what he’s been given.”
“Sounds like he’s got exactly what he needs at home now. Love is the best thing a kid can get, trust me.” Something about the way Brenden says those last words makes me realize there’s a deeper story behind those hazel eyes.
Right now doesn’t feel like the time to pry, but I hope we’ll come to a point in our friendship where he feels safe enough to share his story with me.
“And on the boyfriend front?” he prods, moving back into what he seems to think is a safer topic.
A coy smile spreads across my face. “No...”
“Uh-uh… Spill.”
I can feel the heat rising from my neck as I try to control the smile on my face so I can tell Brenden there’s nothing to tell. But by the excitement on his face and the way he’s wiggling in his chair, I think that ship has sailed. “There’s this one client…but obviously, it’ll never be anything. I don’t think we’d be good for each other and he really doesn’t seem interested in anything serious...”
“But…”
“No, but. He’s an extremely rich and powerful business man. He might not ever settle down, but if he does, I don’t think it’ll be with someone he used to pay by the hour. So, no, there’s nothing there. He’s just fun to be with.”
“And you like him…”
I feel stupid admitting this, but I know Brenden isn’t going to judge me. If anything, he’ll be way more encouraging of this crazy scenario than I need. “He’s pretty hot.”
“And…”
I shrug. “And…”
“Come on… You can’t fool me. How’s the sex?”
An involuntary moan escapes my lips before I can control myself. “Amazing.”
“I knew it.” Brenden has a smile on his lips but his eyes are sad because he probably realizes how impossible this situation is too. “What does he think about Owen?”
The question catches me off guard because I’m not really sure what Garrett thinks about Owen. He met him at the charity gala, and he kinda knew about him from the whale video I made on the yacht. But he’s never asked me questions or anything like that. “I guess he’s okay with Owen. We’ve never really talked about him.”
“Well, if this guy hasn’t run for the hills after finding out you have a kid at home, he must not be too put off by the idea.”
What Brenden is saying makes sense, but it still doesn’t change anything.
Before I can think too much further about it, Brenden’s eyes shift to something behind me and he mumbles, “Are we expecting company?”
Not sure what he’s talking about, I turn in my chair to see a blonde woman who must be nine months pregnant walking toward our table. She looks pissed as she glares between me and Brenden. I’m not sure which of us has been sleeping with her husband, but I have to assume one of us is.
The woman stops in front of our table and glares at me. Fuck. I guess I’m the lucky winner.
“Can I help you?” I ask, trying not to sound as irritated as I feel that I’m being confronted publicly, in a Starbucks no less.
“Actually, you can start by staying away from my man.” She leans close my face, which really sets me off. This bitch better be glad she’s pregnant, because I might not like to start fights, but I’ll definitely finish them.
I stand up in front of her, forcing her to take a step back. She’s my height so I can’t stand over her, but I give her an evil glare. “Listen. I don’t know who your man is or why you feel the need to talk to me, but I’m not going to deal with you and your drama.”
Brenden stands as I motion for him to follow me, but as he steps away from the table, a broad-shouldered man comes into view. His large frame blocks both of us from leaving our corner area. “Get out of our way.”
The woman pokes her finger at me, lightly touching my collarbone. “Garrett has a baby coming any day now. We don’t need you messing things up for us. I can forgive him for what he’s done, but you need to stay the fuck away from him.”
“Garrett…” Shock takes over when she says his name. I knew it had to be about someone from work, but never in a million years would I have thought it was Garrett.
The woman moves her hands to her belly, cradling it in her arms. “I know you probably didn’t mean to come between a man and his family…” Her words have softened, but then the evil tone is back with full force. “But now that you know, you won’t get a second warning. I swear to god, if you don’t…”
Brenden surprises me by stepping forward and chest bumping the large man in front of us. “Get the fuck out of our way.” The man almost looks like he’s going to haul off and punch Brenden, but when Brenden doesn’t flinch, he must think better of it. Brenden may not be as thick as this guy, but he’s muscular and toned and could definitely hold his own.
The woman holds up her hand then glares between me and Brenden. “Just stay away from Garrett and leave my family alone. Go screw with someone else’s life, but let my baby have the chance for a secure future.”
She turns around and the man looks us both over again before following her out. All eyes in the coffee shop are on us, adding to the humiliation I already feel at not knowing Garrett had a wife and soon-to-be-born child at home. But why would I know that? I’m just his afternoon delight. A quick fuck to get his rocks off.
Brenden grabs my arm and carefully guides me toward the exit. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you out of here.”
I allow him to lead me out, not really paying attention to where we’re headed. Despite the fact that I knew Garrett and I would probably never be more than client and whore, it still hurts to feel like I’ve been lied to in some way. Which is ironic because I’m sure that woman feels a thousand times worse about it than I do. And he obviously made promises to her, so she has every right to be pissed.
I don’t.
But that doesn’t mean I’m not.
I might be many things, but I can’t knowingly come between a family. It’s one thing to be ignorant when a man books time with me. But now that I know Garrett is expecting a child, my stomach is in knots.
I thought he was a better man than that.
But obviously, I was wrong.
Chapter 11
Garrett
For the last few weeks, I’ve had a standing appointment with Angel every Monday and Wednesday afternoon. I’ve considered adding Tuesday and Thursday as well, but I don’t want to scare the girl or come across as clingy.
Obviously, I’d be happy fuck her every day, but I’m trying to pace myself.
So, when I get a call on Monday morning telling me that Angel is no longer available and I’ve been rescheduled with Vickie, I don
’t understand what’s happening. The woman doing the scheduling at Hart is absolutely useless. The more times I ask why, the more uncomfortable she gets, which just makes me more worried about Angel.
I try calling Angel directly to find out if she’s okay, but my call goes to voicemail.
For two hours.
It’s just after eleven when I finally text Mark to see if he has any information. Is Angel okay?
He responds immediately. I think so, why?
Is she working today?
I saw her about an hour ago, so yeah. What’s going on? I can tell Mark is getting antsy too. He cares about his employees and if she’s in trouble, I know he’ll be there to help her.
Relief washes over me knowing she’s not in a hospital or a ditch somewhere, but I still don’t understand why she had to cancel with me if she’s working today. Your receptionist rescheduled my standing appointment to Vicky. What’s going on?
I’ll find out.
I place my phone on the table next to my tablet so I don’t miss his response, even as I try to focus on my meeting. I just need to know that Angel is okay and that the cancellation was a misunderstanding so the shaking of my leg under the table will finally stop.
Only five minutes pass before Mark responds to my message. Sorry, dude. She asked to take you off her schedule going forward.
What the fuck? Things have been great between us. We’ve even added lunch or coffee after most of our appointments. Maybe that’s the problem. Are we getting too close and she is starting to develop feelings?
Because that seems less awful today than it did a month ago. In fact, it seems inevitable. And maybe even kinda nice. The more time I spend with Angel, the more I want to spend with her. And having lunch with her isn’t like it is with most woman. I don’t have to listen to stories about how amazing she is or how down on her luck she is. Angel doesn’t ever make me feel like she wants me to help her or take care of her. She just likes being around me.
I like being around her.
Which is why this whole thing doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know what motivated her actions today, but I intend to find out.
***
As soon as my meeting’s over, I storm out of the building and head straight to Hart Advisors. It’s lunchtime, so traffic is heavy along El Camino Road, but I pull into the parking lot at twelve twenty.
The lot is almost full but I’m able to find a spot at the end of the driveway. Before I even get out of my car, I see a man walking out of Angel’s office, and my blood starts to boil.
She doesn’t have time for me, but she can fuck this dude.
Part of me wants to tear this guy apart for touching my woman, but a bigger part of me wants to storm into that room and make her tell me what’s going on.
My original appointment was scheduled for two o’clock, so I know she won’t have another client until then. There is always an hour or more buffer between clients to allow the cleaning crew to take care of the room, so she’s probably alone right now. I consider waiting until Angel has a chance to shower and clean up, but I’m tired of waiting.
I want answers, and I want them now.
The second her client pulls out of the parking lot, I head straight to her room and pound on the door.
Angel is wearing her thick robe and has her hair pulled up in a messy bun when she opens the door. “Brende— Oh, Garrett. Hi.”
I take a deep breath, willing myself to remain calm even though hot surges of both anger and lust are shooting through my veins. “Can I come in?”
“Um, sure. But, did you get a call from the front desk today?” She bites the corner of her lip, obviously not comfortable with the conversation we’re about to have.
Too bad.
“Yeah, I did.” I follow her inside and slam the door behind me. “That’s why I’m here. I want to know why.”
Angel pulls her robe tighter over her chest so there’s no chance of it opening then sits down in her desk chair to force some distance between us. “Look, I’m not judging you. You can do anything you want with your life, but your wife or girlfriend or…baby mama…paid me a little visit.”
“What?” My mind is spinning as I try to understand what Angel means.
“Yeah, and she made it very clear that I’m not welcome to be a part of your sex life.” Angel takes a deep breath and stares at her fingers in her lap. “So, I just don’t feel comfortable seeing you anymore.”
“Seriously, I have no idea what you’re talking about? I don’t have a wife or a— Goddammit.” I slouch back into the chair at the desk and rest my forehead on my fists. “A tall blonde, bitchy and really loud?”
Angel cocks an eyebrow and nods her head once. “Yeah, I guess you could describe her that way.”
“That’s stupid bitch is trying to get money out of me.” I look up and meet Angel’s gaze, hoping she’ll at least hear me out. “I dated her very briefly about six months ago, and then she took off. She showed up pregnant about a month ago and has been asking for a ton of cash since.”
“Regardless of what kind of woman she is, she’s carrying your child, Garrett. That matters. I grew up without a dad and, well, I told you how that worked out for my sister.”
“It’s not my kid, Angel. I swear.”
Angel just stares at me as if I’m being naïve. “How do you know?”
I smile. “The same way I would know that if you got pregnant right now, it’s not mine. I was extremely careful with Tiffany and there were no accidents. Ever.”
Angel’s eyes soften as she watches me for several long moments before relaxing in her chair. “Well, still. She came at me in a Starbucks. I can’t have crazy exes hunting me down in public. What if I was with Owen?”
“Fuck, I’m sorry.” She’s right. It’s not fair for me to put her in this kind of situation. “You’re absolutely right. I won’t call you again until I deal with Tiffany.” I lean forward with my elbows on my knees and look Angel right in the eye. “But as soon as she’s out of the picture, I’m coming back to you.”
Angel’s breath hitches, and I swear she shivers as if a chill has just run through her. “Vicky will take care of you for now,” she whispers.
My eyes harden at the insult. “I will not be seeing anyone else, Angel. I come here for you. If I had my way, you wouldn’t be with anyone else either. But I want you to know that until you’re ready to see me again, I’ll be waiting very impatiently.
***
I have Tiffany on the phone before I’m even back in my car. “Meet me at Ben’s in an hour.” The small dive bar near my home is one she knows well.
“Good afternoon to you too, Garrett.”
I hang up without responding. She doesn’t deserve my greetings. She doesn’t deserve shit.
But I don’t really have time to waste with her games.
I just want her out of my fucking life.
When I walk into the bar with the quickie contract my lawyer drew up, Tiffany is sitting with a glass of something that looks like a cocktail but she claims is just soda water and cranberry. Without much more than a scowl in greeting, I hand her the settlement check and contract.
I’m prepared to give her two million dollars to never come near me or Angel again. Tiffany tries to play hardball for all of thirty seconds before tearing the check from my grip and agreeing to my terms. In addition to no contact, I’ve stipulated that she cannot live within fifty miles of San Mateo County for the next thirty years. It’s probably not something that would hold up in court but I like the idea of her avoiding my stomping ground for the foreseeable future.
When Tiffany slides out of the booth to leave, her stomach actually looks a lot smaller than it has. I’m not convinced she’s actually pregnant, but I don’t give a shit either way. Seeing the hurt and disappointment in Angel’s eyes when she thought I was married was enough to snap me out of my stupor of ignorance.
I like Angel. A lot. And I need to stop being an immature ass.
As scary as it
sounds, I want to see if there’s a chance that she cares about me too.
Once that’s taken care of, I head back to Hart Advisors to fulfill my end of the bargain. I didn’t expect to be back so soon, but I’m glad as hell that I am. If it had taken weeks to settle with Tiffany, she might have been signing from a body bag rather than a booth in a dive bar.
It’s almost four when I get back and I know she’s probably wrapping up her final session for the day. Angel doesn’t always work with late but some clients request special hours.
Not willing to leave and risk missing her, I head to the lobby and request a meeting with Mark.
“Hey, buddy. Everything okay?” Mark asks while ushering me back to his office.
“I think it will be.” I give him the short version of my situation with Angel, and a few things seem to click together in his mind as I speak.
When I’m finally done, Mark takes a moment to consider everything I’ve told him before giving me a soft smile. “I think she likes you too.”
“Why do you say that?” What does he know?
“I hear things.” Mark smirks as he leans back in his chair with his fingers steepled in front of his mouth. “And see things.”
I groan, imagining the things he’s seen. “Um, I don’t think I want to hear about all that.”
“All I can say is, I think there something there.” Mark chuckles. “As long is you’ve taken care of that other shit, you might have a chance.
I sigh, just realizing how tense my shoulders and neck have been all day. “I hope so.”
I sit silently for moment before looking back at my friend. “Is it stupid? Guys like us have so much to lose… You think it’s worth risking everything for whatever little there is to gain?”
Mark twists his head to look out the window, staring off into the distance. “I think it is, Garrett. I haven’t gotten there myself yet, but I hope that if I ever do, I recognize the moment and go for it.” He turns and looks me right in the eye. “Because I don’t think we always get second chances. You’ve done what you set out to do in your career. Isn’t it time to focus on something that will last beyond a stock certificate or webpage?”
