by J. J. Bella
“Please.” She tugged at his hand, but he pulled it back.
“Not when you’re like this.”
“Like this?” She gestured to her outfit. “I thought you would like it. Isn’t this what you like?”
“You did this because you thought it’s what I would like?”
“I just wanted to be like those other women is all. The ones you date and look all pretty.”
“Well, I broke up with them all for a reason, now go on. Go burn off some of that alcohol.”
She made a pouting face. “You still don’t like me. No matter what I do, I’m not good enough for you.”
He stepped in closer and whispered in her ear. “You’re being very loud and starting to make a scene. I don’t want to embarrass you worse than you’re embarrassing yourself. Now, I suggest you find a cab and go home to sleep it off.”
He turned from her and walked away.
She wanted to cry at his reaction. Why did nothing she try work? She stumbled back over to the bar. Maybe just one more drink.
“Hey, there you are.”
She turned and smiled. “Grinder!” She put her arms around his neck. At least he was glad to see her. He was happy to be talking to her.
“Come dance with me.”
“Yes,” she said and followed him onto the dance floor.
Their dancing was more like rubbing together while standing up. It was starting to turn her on and she found herself kissing him before long.
“Come to my place,” he said.
“Okay.”
She nuzzled into his neck, and he led her to the door.
“Wait a minute.” Gavin was there, stepping into place in front of Grinder. “Where are you going?”
“Just getting this beauty home to rest,” Grinder said politely.
“Back to your place?” Gavin asked.
“Sure. To take care of her. Make sure she doesn’t get sick.”
“I don’t think so.”
Molly pulled her eyebrows together. What was Gavin doing?
“Come on, Molly.” Gavin took her arm and stepped away from Grinder.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Grinder said. “She’s with me!”
“Not tonight she’s not,” Gavin said.
The cool night air hit her face and made her shut her eyes against the harsh outside lighting. Gavin stood her up for a moment, then helped her get into a car that pulled up in front of them. He sat in the backseat with her and put her head on his lap.
5
Molly woke up disoriented, with a screaming headache. It took her a moment to realize that she was in her bed. She still had on her party clothes from the night before. She sat up and rubbed her eyes for several seconds before they cleared. Then she trudged out of bed and downstairs. She needed water, ibuprofen, coffee, and food. In that order.
She walked into her kitchen and screamed. Gavin looked up at her from behind the paper he was reading.
“Well, good morning to you, too,” he said.
“Sorry. You scared me. I didn’t know you were here.” She thought back to the night before. She remembered Grinder getting her into the club. She had talked to Gavin, and he’d upset her. “How did you even get here? We didn’t do anything, did we?”
She was still wearing all her clothes and so was he. She didn’t remember hooking up, but she was also pretty drunk.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “I don’t make a habit of sleeping with drunk women who don’t know what they’re doing.”
“Oh. Good, I guess.”
She went to the refrigerator and took out the pitcher of filtered water, then poured a glass. “You want anything? I think I’m going to make eggs or something.”
“No, I have to be getting home. I just wanted to make sure you came home and stayed here.”
“Where else would I go?” She gulped down the water and refilled her glass.
“You were about to go home with that scumbag, if you don’t recall.”
“He was nice. He got me in.”
“He got you in so he could get you drunk and sleep with you.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” Wasn’t like she’d convinced herself anything different was going to happen.
“Well, I guess if you’re okay with being used, then I won’t interfere.” He dropped the papers he had been reading.
She noticed they were the papers on the investment she was considering. TechWise had sent a thick packet of details about the company, their plans for the future, their investment options.
“Where you reading those?” she asked.
“Yeah. But I won’t bother saying anything about it since, you know, you’re all about being taken advantage of.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I wouldn’t give them a dime. They have no history of success and their plans for the future are all based on circumstantial information, not real data, and certainly not sales. They have nothing to back up their claims. This is a fly-by-night operation. They look big and fancy, they take your money, then they skip town and leave you with nothing.”
“My dad’s been looking into it. It’s a solid investment.”
“I wouldn’t do it.” He pulled on his shoes and stood. “I think you’re out of your element here. You’re trying to play with the big boys, but you don’t have the experience to back it up. You’re going to get yourself hurt and lose a lot of money. Do yourself a favor. Invest in something safe, and move to a cozy little neighborhood in the suburbs where you can grow a garden and have knitting clubs. You’ll be much happier."
She glared at his back as he turned and walked out the door.
“What a jerk,” she muttered.
But he had stopped her from doing something stupid last night. If she would have gone home with Grinder, she would have slept with him given how drunk she was. And she would have regretted it. So, she was grateful for that. He didn’t have to save her and get her a ride home, and he especially didn’t have to stay here all night with her.
Part of her was slightly sad that he hadn’t tried to make a move. Clearly, he was not at all interested in her. Or was he just that full of integrity? Maybe he really liked her and it was very difficult for him not to use her state to his advantage. Gavin Rowe didn’t come off like that pure of a guy, though. Not with all the rumors of his ruthless business sense and his tendency to break hearts with little care. Magazines called him a not-so-eligible bachelor. Not because he was seeing someone—he had recently ended things with Eva Williams—but because he was getting a rep as the bad boy of the business world who couldn’t be tamed and shouldn’t be attempted.
She didn’t know how well the journalists knew him. Probably lots of things were overblown in the media. He seemed like an okay guy. Even if he was rude to her repeatedly. Even if he did send mixed signals. If he wasn’t interested, why did he care so much about her going home with Grinder? Why was he concerned that she’d lose all her money? But then, why did he keep telling her to move out of the area?
The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. Who was he to tell her to get of there and move to the suburbs? He didn’t know her. He thought he had her all figured out. He thought she was just some poor naive girl, come to dabble in the big leagues. Well, she could show him. Her father had been looking into this investment deal with TechWise, and it was time to move. She’d get in now, make even more money, then she would show Gavin that she did belong and that she was in his league. She picked up her phone and started making calls.
6
Molly and her father signed their papers together in her living room.
“We’re going to make a lot of money with TechWise,” he said.
She stuffed the contract into an envelope, along with a check for a few million dollars. It was most of what she had left after buying the house, car, and other things.
“I’m looking forward to it,” she said, smiling.
“I’m glad you decided to go for it. I can’t always
be the one to supply you money.” He winked at her.
“Maybe this time, I’ll be giving you money,” she said.
“Let’s hope.”
They finished sealing their envelopes, and she put them with her stack of outgoing mail.
“I’ll drop them off when I run out later,” she said.
“I can take them. I think I’m going to hit a local meeting. Meet some new people.”
“That sounds nice.”
Molly’s father had been going to AA meetings several times a month for as long as she could remember. At some point, when she was just a baby, he’d realized his drinking had become too much, and he’d gotten help. Sometimes Molly went with him for support and to understand more about it. She knew she could be at risk for her own drinking getting out of hand. After that night last week when Gavin had taken her home, she thought maybe she should give it up for a while. She didn’t want to go down the same path.
“I’ll come with you,” she said.
“That’d be nice. You haven’t joined me in a while.”
She picked up her purse and keys, and they headed out. The closest meeting was held in the basement of a small church. She loved the building with huge chandeliers and tall stained-glass windows. The basement wasn’t nearly as decorated as the rest of the building, but it was finished nicely and comfortable with many padded chairs. She took a seat beside her father.
The meeting got started a few minutes later with the usual introductions and readings. After a few minutes, when a man started sharing about his recent close call, the door opened and someone walked in. Molly didn’t give the late comer too much attention, but glanced out of the corner of her eye.
She had to hold back a gasp. With a hat pulled down low to hide his face, Gavin sat several chairs down from her. She couldn’t help but stare, and after a minute he looked over. When their eyes met, it was double shock. She never expected to see him there, and obviously, he hadn’t either.
Even from this far away, she could see his jaw clench. Did his face get redder, too? He tilted his head down and slouched a bit in his chair. He refused to look at her after that.
The meeting went on, and Molly kept glancing over at Gavin. She hoped he would talk. So many questions ran through her mind about why he was there. But, he said nothing. When the meeting ended, she walked over to him.
“Don’t say anything to anyone. Please,” he said.
“It’s anonymous for a reason,” she said. “I would never do that to you. And besides, I know how important it is. AA helped my father a lot. Without the meetings, I don’t know where we’d be as a family.”
“Your father is an alcoholic?”
“When I was little. He’s been sober for over twenty years now, but he still comes to meetings a few times a month.”
“So, you don’t have a drinking problem?” he asked.
She hesitated to answer. “Well, you were there the other night. I’ve never thought of myself as an alcoholic, and I don’t drink often, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to get a refresher. I used to go with my dad all the time. It started as him wanting to scare me straight, I think, but it became about me wanting to help him and know more. Learn what not to do.”
“I see it worked. You almost went home with a stranger and made a spectacle of yourself.”
“Yeah well, I’m here, aren’t I?” she said a little sharply. “What’s your story?”
He glanced around the almost empty room. Molly’s father stood in one corner talking with two men, but everyone else had gone.
“Do you want to go get dessert?” he asked.
She was surprised, but wouldn’t go so far as to think it was a date or that it meant anything. “Umm, sure. Yes. Let me just go tell my dad.”
She hurried over to him. “Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to tell you I’m going to get dessert with Gavin. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
Her dad looked over at Gavin, then back at her. “The billionaire, Gavin Rowe? You’re going on a date with him?”
She wished he would talk quieter. She dropped her voice and hoped he’d follow her lead. “Not a date. Just dessert.” She kissed his cheek and hugged him, then returned to Gavin.
He drove them to a small nearby restaurant. “It doesn’t look like much, but I guarantee you’ve never had cheesecake like this.”
They were seated and ordered cheesecake and coffee.
Gavin took a sip of his coffee and looked at her. “You were the last person I expected to see in that room.”
“I’d have to say the same. But you never told me why you were there.”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Well, I assumed you had some sort of drinking problem. Care to elaborate?”
“Not too much to say really. In college I did a lot of partying, made a lot of bad choices. One night I had my girlfriend breakup with me and lost a few million dollars in a bad investment. I got trashed and put a gun to my head. Luckily, my roommate came in, took the gun, and dragged my sorry ass to his friend down the street who went to AA. I started going, got a sponsor, and stopped drinking.”
“How much sober time do you have?”
“Three years. I stumbled a few times.”
“That’s to be expected,” she said. “It’s not easy. Even after so many years, my dad still struggles. But he has his sponsor, and he’s been the sponsor for several other men. I know it helps him to help others. It also helps to keep going to meetings and talking to people. He gets help when he’s struggling, and he’s not afraid to tell someone he’s had a bad day and is thinking about drinking. But he stayed strong, and he’s done really well. I’m proud of him.”
“It shows,” he said. “Then, he goes and wins the lottery. That didn’t give him a reason to start drinking again? Live a party lifestyle?”
“No.” She chuckled. “According to my mom, he’s become Mr. Join It. If there’s a club for it or a group that meets, he’s there. He’s involved in everything. Including an investing club, which was where he heard about the TechWise deal.”
Gavin shook his head. “Those things are bad news. Easy prey for any scam artist looking to make a buck. If he really wants to spend time with other investors—people who know their stuff—he can come spend time with me and my crew. Those clubs are worthless. Full of bad information.”
“Well, we made the investment, so I guess we’ll just see. TechWise has gotten a lot of good press.”
“You didn’t.”
“We both did. It should double our money in a few years.”
He shook his head. “Bad move, Molly Newton. Bad move.”
“We’ll see.”
“I guess so.”
After Gavin paid the bill, they stood and walked to the door. The door was just barely closed when she heard Gavin say under his breath, “Fuck me.”
“Huh?” She’d heard what he said, but didn’t understand why.
A long-haired, gorgeous blond woman walked over. “Oh, I see you’ve wasted no time moving on.”
She looked Molly up and down with a judgmental gaze. Then Molly recognized her from the photos she’d seen. Eva Williams. Gavin’s ex. She immediately felt small in this woman’s presence.
“Molly’s just a friend,” he said. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“Oh, good. For a minute there, I thought you’d decided to go slumming it.” She laughed and held her hand to her dainty nose. Molly wanted to both slap her and also run and hide.
“Excuse me?” Gavin said. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Eva raised her eyebrows. “Don’t I? Oh wait, wait. It’s Thursday.” She stopped to laugh again. “Could this be an AA buddy? Some other poor drunk who can’t hold their liquor?”
“Enough,” Gavin said. His eyes went hard and his jaw tightened. “Good to see you again, Eva,” he said flatly.
“Wish I could say the same. But the truth is, once you broke up with me, things got much better in my life. I guess y
ou didn’t hear who I’m dating now.”
Gavin’s eyes narrowed and Molly was starting to feel really out of place.
“Why would I care about that?” he asked.
“Because it’s Justin Wells.”
“You better be joking.”
“Serious as a heart attack, my friend.”
“Justin fucking Wells? Of all people, why would you pick him? Are you trying to ruin your life and piss me off?”
Molly had no idea who Justin Wells was, but she knew she had to get out of there. This was getting ugly fast. She held up a hand to wave to Gavin, but she didn’t think he saw her.
She turned and caught a cab on the next street down, out of their sight. She sent him a text on the ride home telling him thanks for dessert and that she hoped things were okay. She didn't get a response.
7
She hadn’t seen or heard from Gavin for over a week. He’d never answered her text, and she’d sent a few more. The way things had been going with them, she figured she’d run into him somewhere sooner or later. She also figured he’d probably gotten back together with Eva. After their heated argument, it seemed obvious that he still had feelings for her. She had checked online often and didn’t see any news confirming it, but she also thought maybe they were keeping it quiet.
Didn’t matter. Today, she was getting her puppy. After much research and deciding on a breed, she’d purchased a black and white lowchen. The puppy she would call Miles would be ready today for pickup. In the corner of her mud room, there was a cage all ready with a puppy pad, food and water bowls, and toys. All it needed was a puppy.
She showered and thought of all the fun things she could do today with her dog. Maybe go for a walk, let him explore the streets after he sniffed all around the house.
Her phone rang with her father’s number as she was pulling her jeans.
“Hey Dad.”
“Are you watching CNN?”
“No, why?”
“Turn it on.”
She thought it could be anything from a terrorist attack to some politician scandal. She turned on the TV in her room and set the channel to CNN. Two men were on the screen, mid conversation.
