As Ember listened her mind became a bit more open. What he was saying did make a lot of sense, but how did she know it was the truth? He’d had all morning to concoct this story; it might have been total bunk.
“Ok, but how do I know that is true?” Ember asked.
“Listen, you can believe me or not, but that is the truth. Remember I told you this guy is a bit of a jerk and I wasn’t even sure I wanted to do business with him. This is why. In fact, I’m not doing business with him. I just called him a little bit ago and told him that I changed my mind.”
“You aren’t going to go into the Club Privaat business?”
“No,” Zander replied. “I can see that it makes you uncomfortable and that is the last thing in the world that I want to do. So, to prove how much I really care about you, I’m out of that business.”
Ember could not stop the smile spreading across her face. Liza giggled silently across the table and did a little dance in her chair.
“I don’t know what to say. I mean, since we’ve been together I have been on a roller coaster where one minute I think we have something real and the next minute I think it was all a business arrangement and that you are still trying to get your money’s worth or something,” Ember said.
“No, you were never a business arrangement to me. The moment I met you I knew that there was something special about you, about us together. I’ve always been the kind of guy to follow my heart in any situation and that is exactly what I want to do right now.”
Ember leaned back in the chair and tried to keep it together. Her heart felt like it was mending itself back together in her chest and it was kind of painful followed by tears that welled up in her eyes. Liza handed her a napkin and she blotted her eyes with it. She swallowed hard and exhaled trying to hide the fact she was fighting tears from Zander.
“Ok, so what happens now?” Ember asked.
“Well, I was hoping to see you tonight,” Zander replied. “I have a special evening planned if you are interested.”
Ember took a deep breath and tried to get ahold of herself. A huge cry was threatening to take her over and she did not want Zander to hear her being that emotional. She didn’t want to hear it either. Why was this happening? How had she fallen for someone so hard and so fast? It was just not like her and right now everything was coming through that Liza was talking about. She was terrified of it all, just like Zander probably was. The experiences of her past where she allowed her emotion to win out and dictate the course and the direction of her life and just let things happened, it had always worked out badly for her. What was going to make this time so much different?
She didn’t know how it would be different this time around, but she decided right then and there that she didn’t care. Whatever cosmic force had brought the two of them together and was working right now to keep them together was talking to her. She could feel it and with every fiber of her being she knew that this was what she wanted to do whether it turned out right or wrong. She had to give it a chance.
“Ok, that sounds great,” Ember said.
She could practically hear Zander smiling on the other end of the phone.
“Ok, fantastic. I will pick you up then at six.”
“Great,” Ember replied ending the call.
“OH, MY GOD!” Liza giggled. “That was so cool!”
“Yeah, it was. I guess I feel stupid now,” Ember said.
“I told you so. I told you so…” Liza said in a sing song tone of voice.
“Yeah, I guess you did,” Ember replied. She already felt like she had a huge weight that just fell off her shoulders. It was weird but the entire day already seemed brighter than it did a few minutes ago. The idea that she was becoming a cliché from some romance song or old movie was becoming a depressing reality.
“So, what do you think he has planned?” Liza asked.
“I’m not sure, but knowing him he might pull out all the stops.”
“What does that even mean?” Liza asked.
“What?”
“Pulling out all the stops… The stops to what?”
Ember almost choked on the yogurt she’d just put in her mouth. Liza had this thing where she would randomly ask really odd questions completely out of nowhere.
“Anyway,” Ember continued. “I’m going to be an excited nervous wreck the rest of the day.”
“Why? You have the best guy in the world who just said that he really cares about you. To say I’m jealous would be the understatement of the century. You have to get him to hook me up with one of his rich billionaire friends.”
“Why Liza, I had no idea you were such a gold digger.”
“Hey, look who's talking!”
“I am not with Zander for his money. Truthfully, I think I would have fallen for him if he was a high school teacher or something. The fact that he has money is just an added bonus. But it’s not about the money; it’s about the security.”
Ember could hardly keep a straight face as she said that last line.
Both girls burst out laughing. It was true, kind of. Money was fun, but it was not the reason she was with Zander. It was his passion, his zest for life, the way he always had everything under control. A man like that just attracted success. Money was just a symbol of who he was and the kind of life he lived really. That was what had first drawn her to him and that was the fire that kept her coming back for more.
Ember decided that she didn’t care what other people thought about it.
“So, did you get paid from the auction yet?” Liza asked as they walked along the strip. They had toyed with the idea of doing some shopping, which was guaranteed to cure any sort of blues. Of course, now it would be used for celebratory purposes.
“Yes! My bank called me to make sure it wasn’t some kind of an error,” Ember said.
“Wow, that is sweet. So, I guess you won’t have any problem paying off your student loans for a while will you.”
“That’s a relief.”
“What are you going to buy?” Liza asked. She stopped in front of a clothing shop, smiled at Ember, and the two girls walked inside. The place sold beach themed clothing. Mostly Hawaiian shirts, cockle shell necklaces, cool hats, sunglasses, flops, etc.
Ember had never been inside it before. It must have been new.
“I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to come in here,” Ember said.
“No, I mean in general. If I had that money in my pocket it would be burning a hole. I’d have to spend it on something awesome,” Liza said.
“And you would be broke tomorrow,” Ember replied. “I’m a bit more responsible than that. I’m not going to buy anything special. That money is there for emergencies and crazy life stuff.”
“Ok, that is so lame,” Liza said.
“You are hopeless,” Ember said.
“So, I take it you are not going back to the auction?”
“No, of course not. If I’m in a relationship then—wait, am I in a relationship? Ugh, I don’t even know what we really have.”
“It’s probably too early to really define it, but if you think this is really going somewhere and judging by how insane you two are acting I would say it is, then you should probably stop escorting. Unless you know, you just don’t do everything.”
“I’m not sure you can survive in this line of work without it. I mean they say that it is optional and up to you exactly what happens, but I think a lot of that is just the legal loopholes so it isn’t called prostitution.”
Liza laughed. “Well, if you are in a relationship then you have a very wealthy boyfriend, so I don’t think you have that much to worry about.”
“But that’s the thing, I don’t’ want to rely on him for anything financially. I don’t think I could ever bring myself to ask him for money or something.”
“You probably won’t have to,” Liza replied.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if this gets really serious then I imagine you will eventually move in with him,
right? And if you are living together he will probably take care of most of your bills.”
Ember thought about this a moment. The thought had not really occurred to her about this yet, but it was something to consider.
“I don’t know if I would be comfortable with that. I’ve always kind of done my own thing and paid my own way. He is going to have to get used to that.”
Liza rolled her eyes. “Really? If he offers to take care of you and spoil you then you are going to say no? I don’t think so.”
“No, you would not say no. I’m too stubborn. Besides we are talking about something that might not even happen. Zander and I have very strong feelings for each other, but it might not end up there. This is all very new and exciting; it’s difficult to say where it will end up.”
“I hear that, but I’m just saying that with a guy like Zander Michaels you had better get used to living a certain lifestyle,” Liza replied as she began thumbing through some tops on the rack.
Ember knew that Liza was right. If things went to the next level with Zander she might be thrust into some kind of a spotlight that she was not going to be thrilled with. She’d always been a pretty private person; if she suddenly became the significant other of the most sought after bachelor in the city then she was going to have a spotlight thrust on her.
Was she prepared to handle any of that?
CHAPTER 18
Zander
Zander lifted the weight off his chest and set it back on the rack. He took several deep breaths and sat up careful not to bang his head on the bar (this happened more than he’d like to admit). He grabbed his bottle of water with the branch chain amino acids added to it for enhanced performance and flavor. They also turned the water a pretty blue and made it taste like berries.
He decided to get a quick workout in before he got ready for his date with Ember. The phone call that afternoon had gone very well with her. Luckily, she had understood when he broke everything down to her. There had been a few things he’d left out, but nothing that really mattered. He was done with the club and he had spent most of the day scolding himself for even considering getting involved with Harrison again. The guy was a germ. He was scum of the earth as far as Zander was concerned and he was not going to associate with the jerk ever again.
Zander wiped his sweat off the bar and bench, grabbed his water, and hit the showers. This was technically his second workout of the day; his first had been a five-mile run shortly after Ember had walked out on him. He typically adhered to his morning jog and high protein breakfast ritual. It always helped keep him laser focused and prepared for the long day ahead. If he did not get a good blood pumping workout in within an hour of waking up then he was just in a bit of a brain fog the rest of the day. His body thrived on activity. If he didn’t get it then he often felt half asleep.
He especially need the jog this morning to help him clear his head and he was pretty sure he had sprinted a good majority of it, running faster trying to eliminate the little bit of stress that had crept into his head that morning. By the time he got back he was soaked with sweat and his body flooded with adrenaline. It had been a bit difficult to sit down to his breakfast, but replenishing the body with a high protein and complex carb breakfast was a must.
It had been a few days since he’d had time to lift weights with his hectic schedule, but it felt great to get back in the gym and pump the iron. The gym was actually in the basement of his mansion that he owned outside of the city. He usually spent time on the weekends there. It was a great place to get away and on the rare occasion that he decided to take some time off instead of traveling to some exotic locale he retreated to his palatial estate. He would have to show it to Ember soon. She would love it.
His estate encompassed a huge amount of property which held a horse stable with a track, tennis courts, and a large outdoor patio with an outside heated pool and Jacuzzi. It was a place that if he allowed himself to stay in too long he never wanted to actually leave it, which was one of the reasons he did not stay there during the week when he was in full blown work mode.
He finished up his shower and started to get dressed. He figured he would pick up Ember in the limo tonight and they would begin their evening, which would end up back at the estate. He wanted to show her a magical evening.
As he was putting the finishing touches on polishing his shoes his phone rang. The call ID display said it was Harrison.
A groan escaped him as a pit of rage ballooned in his stomach. What the hell did he want now?
Maybe he wanted to apologize. He laughed to himself. Knowing Harrison, the way he did, that was very unlikely.
“Yeah?” Zander answered.
“Hey, buddy. I’m just calling to give you another chance to reconsider some things,” Harrison said.
Zander laughed out loud. “Reconsider what exactly? Was I unclear in anything I told you earlier?”
“You don’t want to do this, man,” Harrison said. “But fine. Have it your way. I do want to remind you that you have a contract as a member of the club that you are locked into for the next year.”
“What? I never signed any contract,” Zander said. “I was there as an invited guest, invited by you.”
“Well, all that changed when you signed that agreement when you picked up that girl you paid such a generous sum of money for. I guess you didn’t read the fine print of what you were signing. It is basically acknowledging that you have a contract with the club and will pay a membership to stay eligible to bid in the auctions of twenty grand a month.”
“That’s ridiculous! I never signed any damn contract!”
“I’m afraid so,” Harrison said.
“Well, fine. I’ll have my lawyer look into it. A measly twenty grand a month—did you forget who I am?”
“No, I haven’t forgotten. But I am curious what the other investors you work with in your other ventures would think knowing that Mr. Zander Michaels is involved with such a shady place. One of the richest guys in the northern hemisphere has to pay for women? It isn’t the sort of thing that looks well.”
Zander laughed. “Wow, that is your angle? You are going to try to guilt me this way? It’s not illegal; there is no prostitution going on there.”
“Well, it is not technically prostitution. I mean I would never remain in business if it was. But to the public at large and to certain people in our world, mainly the older women like Mary Stern, and Angela Keane—you know the women who have invested heavily in your real estate empire—they probably would fail to really see the difference. And not to mention the public at large, the tabloids, TMZ, and anyone else who would love to have pictures of you bidding your heart out with the rest of the animals.”
“Same old Harrison, still trying to blackmail people. Is that the only thing you know how to do? Have you ever made a dime off anyone without it?”
“You know how it is; no one makes a dime in this world without stealing from someone else, or forcing someone else to do what they don’t want to do. That is how the world runs. I’m sorry if you haven’t figured it out,” Harrison gloated.
“Oh, I figured out the way of it long ago, which is why I’m richer than you are. And in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t scare easily. Your club is supposed to protect the privacy of its members; if this gets out then I will make sure that you pay one way or another for any loss of business it ends up costing me.”
“Good luck with that,” Harrison said. “I am giving you one last chance. You have three days to make up your mind. You know where to find me.”
“Let’s be clear about something here,” Zander said.
“What’s that?”
“You don’t need me because you are afraid I’ll steal your idea; you need me because you need my talent. You know I can take this business to a level that will make your head explode with riches. You need my abilities; that is why you are doing this. Be honest with yourself.”
The phone was silent for a moment. Zander could practically hear Harri
son’s head splitting open with rage.
“Three days,” he said.
With that the line went dead.
Zander grabbed a bottle of bourbon and poured a glass. He downed it quickly. How dare that little worm try this stunt on him? Oh, Harrison had no idea what kind of hell he had just unleashed on himself.
But he was damn sure going to find out.
Zander did his best to push all thoughts of Harrison out of his mind for the time being; he had a very special lady to pick up.
Thirty minutes later Ember was in his limousine on her way to a restaurant called Colombi’s. It was a five star upscale Italian restaurant he had not been to in a little while. Lately he’d been craving some of their signature garlic bread. There was something about that bread when you mixed it with the right merlot that for some reason felt like Heaven in your mouth for several minutes after each drink. He was aching for Ember to try it out.
She was dressed to kill. He’d told her to wear something formal. He’d considered asking her if she had anything really formal to wear, but he remembered the dress from the auction night and figured this was a woman who knew how to dress, although he was relatively aware of her financial troubles. It was easy to see that by looking at her small apartment she shared with her roommate. He said nothing about it though; he did not want to insult her, especially after she’d just decided to give this another chance.
He was glad that he was out of the business of Club Privaat altogether, but he was a bit worried about how Ember had reacted. This was obviously a girl who had trust issues. Some jerk had treated her badly in the past, possibly more than one. In time, he hoped that she would feel comfortable enough to tell him about it, but he wasn’t going to press. Ember was a remarkably fearless and strong woman, but he could tell that deep down she did have a streak where she wanted to fall apart. And if that ever happened he wanted to be right there to pick her up.
Hunter (The Bad Disciples MC Book 2) Page 48
