My One and Only: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Second Chance Romance

by Weston Parker

  The girl gestured to the office door. “You can go on in.” She looked like she had only been out of high school for a year at most and was dressed too casual for an office environment. Things already seemed off, but I followed Sadie back.

  She opened a door, and a short, mousy-haired woman stood up from behind a desk that was surrounded by boxes and waved us over. “Come on in. I’m sorry we have such a mess around here. My daughter, Darci, she’s the one out front. We just moved across town, so I got this office closer to home.”

  That explained the young girl behind the desk. The woman extended her hand. “I’m Susan Costanzo.”

  Sadie slapped on a big smile and reached for her hand. “I’m Sadie Boyd, and this is Kya Campbell.”

  “It’s so good to meet you. Please, have a seat, and we’ll get down to business.”

  Once we’d all settled, Susan pushed some papers around on her desk, and after what seemed like ten minutes of searching, she finally found our file. “Here we are. I’ll be so glad when this move is over.” She went quiet for a moment while she read over her papers. “Okay, so from our phone call, Sadie, I know you two are seeking a lawyer on a suit you’re bringing against your manager?”

  “Yes. I mean, we’re hoping you can help us.”

  “I’ll do my best. Let me look over my notes. So, you claim that your manager, whom you’ve had for five years, has been embezzling money and booking false shows?”

  Sadie eased back in her chair. “Yes. He’s costing us quite a bit of our money, and we hope to get it back.”

  “This says you believe he’s been falsifying documents as well?” She raked her hair back and rested her chin on her hand.

  “Yeah. We found out he took some money for a deposit and then when that event fell through, he never put the money back. After bitching for him to let us see the books, we finally got to and found three occasions where he’d done that, and the most recent, he tried to put back after we asked to see.”

  “The others had been so long ago, we think he hoped we wouldn’t see them, but I did a thorough check. I also found where he claimed to be paying a roadie for a year and a half after he quit working for us, and more recently, we found a name of another employee he paid who doesn’t even exist. When I asked him about it, he tried to make an excuse, said the person had made a few threats, and it was hush money. But we haven’t had any problems with any of our staff. In fact, the only issues that ever come up are because of him.”

  “And since you were in such a long contract, you never could get out of it.”

  “We tried to fire him, but he came at us with talk that we would have to compensate his salary, and none of us wanted to do that.”

  “Sounds like he’s been a real pain in the ass. The good news is, your contract is expiring in a month, so you won’t have to deal with his shit anymore. This should be a cut and dry case as long as we can show our ducks are all in a row, so if you want me on it, I’m going to need your help. He’s going to try and drag you through the mud since he’ll soon be out of the picture and won’t have anything to lose.”

  I glanced at Sadie and shrugged. “He’s already threatened that.”

  She nodded in agreement. “Yes, he has, many times. It’s his go-to threat. He doesn’t have anything truthful on us.”

  “Are you sure? I mean, don’t take this wrong, but you’re in an edgy business. There’s drug abuse, drinking, sex, and parties.”

  “Yes, and that’s what he’s banking on. But we’ve never been your stereotypical band. We have a strong, drug-free family of rockers who do this for the passion of creating music and celebrating the art.”

  Susan looked like she didn’t buy my story. “Nothing, not a sex tape, not a drug addiction, no alcoholism?”

  I would hold firm on it. “Nothing that would warrant a scandal. I’m not going to say there isn’t pot smoked here and there, a little drinking, but we fired people, including Whit’s girlfriend, for being a pain in the ass who would give us a bad reputation.”

  She held up her finger. “Ah, so he has a motive. You fired his girl. And she could have secrets, could she not?”

  “No, not on us. We fired her before we signed with him, but I can see how she’ll try and be a problem.”

  “Yeah, you can count on it, and all he has to do is get her to say things happened.”

  “But that’s slander. We could sue, right?”

  “You have to prove it to be untrue when it happens, and let me tell you, it will happen. I just want you to be prepared.”

  “We’re ready for a fight,” I said. “I have a daughter to worry about, and this asshole stole enough from me that I could pay for her college.” It wasn’t like I didn’t have money for her college, but that was beside the point. I wanted the best for my daughter, and I shouldn’t have to stand by while some greedy asshole stole my hard-earned money.

  “I don’t blame you. I’d feel the same way if someone took money from me and my daughter.” She leaned in and gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. Hire me, and we’ll make this man pay.” She sat back in her seat and then grabbed her pen to make a few notes.

  Sadie turned and gave me a nudge. “Do you think we need to look any further?”

  I didn’t want to waste time finding anyone else, and she seemed to be on the same page as me, and being a single mother, which I assumed from her earlier talk of moving across town with her daughter, she seemed to understand my situation. “I think we’d like for you to represent us.”

  “Excellent,” said Susan as she smiled and reached forward to shake our hands. “Now, I’ll need the copies of the financial records and whatever other paper trail he’s left, and once the suit is officially filed later today, we’ll schedule a meeting with him and his lawyer when he gets one.”

  “He may have already. We’ve let him know he needs to and that we intended on taking him to court.”

  “Then you can bet he has one in his pocket. Don’t worry. With my experience, you’re in good hands. I’m going to recover your money if he still has it.”

  My shoulders dropped, and I turned and looked at Sadie. “You mean we could win and not get a dime?”

  Susan shrugged. “Happens every day. You have to go into cases like these prepared for that.”

  “I see.” I already felt defeated, but I had to consider that even if I didn’t get a dime, I would at least have proven he was the thief we thought he was, and maybe if he ever tried to sign another act, they could learn from our mistakes and not hire the douchebag.

  We ended the meeting, and as we walked out of the building after signing a couple of autographs for her daughter, Sadie flashed me a confident smile. “We’re going to kick Whit’s ass.”

  “I don’t know. It seems like an awfully big risk. We’re gambling with our reputations for what? The chance that we might but most likely won’t get some money back? You heard her. Our contract is nearly over. We’ll be done with him soon enough anyway.”

  “Yeah, but don’t you get it? If we can prove he was crooked all along, it could break the contract, and we could be free to make decisions not only about the existing material, but maybe he’d stop making money on it too.” She gave me a nudge. “Come on, Kya. Let’s go get a coffee or ice cream and celebrate.”

  Coffee sounded great, but I didn’t have time. “I have to go pick up Addison.”

  She pulled me in for a quick hug. “Cheer up, at least. We’re doing the right thing.”

  I released a deep breath and adjusted my handbag on my shoulder as I pulled away. “I know. It’s just frustrating. It seems that fucker always wins.”

  “He won’t. We’re going to kick him in the balls with this lawsuit. You’ll see.” She gave me a smile, and then as she started away, she turned back. “Call me. We’ll talk about it later.”

  I went to my car and hoped we’d made the right decision as I headed to get Addie.

  I slowly made my way around the pick-up line at her school, and when her teache
r opened the door, she put in Addie’s bags, situating them in the floorboard, and then helped her climb into my Escalade. “Have a good day,” she said, after helping my daughter with her seat belt. Then, she closed the door, and we drove away.

  I reached over to brush the hair from Addie’s face. Her ponytail had gotten messy through the day. “How was school?”

  “Good. We got to use the smelly finger paint. Mine smelled like a banana.” She gave me a big smile. “Did you and Aunt Sadie make more songs today?”

  “No. I’m taking a little time off from recording. I want to spend more time at home with my favorite girl.”

  She smiled really big, her little face turning pink with a blush on her cheeks. “I like that idea, Mama. You have enough songs anyway for now.”

  I sometimes wondered if I didn’t have enough songs for a lifetime. It wasn’t easy staying in the game with so much more I wanted out of life. I’d made some money, and with the investments I’d made, the savings I’d managed to put back, and the fact that I hadn’t gone too crazy with a fancy apartment I couldn’t afford or outrageous cars, we could live a while without me having to be away all the time if I wanted to take a permanent vacation.

  But that would never happen. I’d be like Blitz, rockin’ out until I was in my fifties as long as people were still buying my music and coming to my shows. But maybe the lawsuit would end all of that, and then I wouldn’t have to worry about anything. I looked into Addie's eyes and knew those were things I couldn’t tell her. It was best she didn’t know.

  Chapter 11

  Leo

  Tabby’s hands were amazing. “That feels so good,” I said, letting a small moan follow.

  Her voice vibrated in my ear. “I know how much you like this, how much it eases your tension. And boy, are you tense.” She dug her fingertips into my shoulder, and I rolled my head as I let her ease me with the massage.

  “You’re the best. Thank you so much.”

  She leaned close to my ear and whispered in a seductive voice, “Anytime.”

  Sometimes fucking your secretary actually worked in your favor, and it helped that Tabby was a good girl who liked her fun and didn’t have jealous tendencies.

  Jon rapped on the open door as she moved from behind me. “Am I interrupting something?” He liked to tease me and Tabby for our past, and she wasn’t bothered that he knew, or at least she had never acted like it.

  “I was just getting a massage from the best hands in the world.”

  “Lucky. When do I get one of those massages, Tabs?”

  She smiled and walked over to grip his shoulders. “How’s that? Feel good?” She whispered seductively in his ear as I chuckled.

  “As a matter of fact, it does. You have magic fingers, doll. Now I know why he’s winning all the cases. If you calm him with this every time he gets stressed, no wonder he’s Mr. Cool in the courtroom.”

  “That’s right,” said Tabby. “It’s all me.” She looked over and gave me a wink and then walked out, pulling the door closed as she left.

  “Damn, I’m jealous. She’s pretty fucking amazing, that one. I should ask her out.”

  I shook my head. “You shouldn’t. I’ve got her trained to me. I don’t want to have to hunt her down in your office when I want a massage or a blow job.”

  “Greedy fucker. What the hell do you want anyway?” Jon rolled his shoulders and walked over to join me at the desk. He lowered himself to one of the two chairs in front of me and eased back, resting his leg on his knee and showing off his argyles.

  I pulled my chair up closer to my desk. “I’ve got a high-profile case, and I need you on my team as co-counsel.”

  “Really?” His eyes widened in surprise. “Fuck, yeah. It’s about time you ask for some help, and clearly, you knew to come to the best.”

  “I’m the best, but yeah, this called for next best.” I laughed as he threw out his middle finger. “I’m glad you’re willing to help, and I hope you’re available today.”

  “Today? Wow, thanks for the notice.” He turned on his phone, and I had a feeling he was checking his calendar.

  “Sorry, I have a press conference, and I really need you here, man. This client is a pain in the ass, and I’m really hoping he isn’t going to be hard to keep on track. I want to make a strong front, too, let the world see he’s being represented well, and hopefully, he won’t say a fucking word with one of us on each side of him.”

  He gave me a hesitant look. “Great, you got a loose cannon? I wish I’d known that two minutes ago.”

  “You’d have still said yes, and this is the guy I tried to get away from. I told you about him the other day.”

  “Fuck. I knew your father would say no. You just had to drag me in, huh? To the losing case? Thanks a lot. And here I thought you threw me a bone.”

  “The band suing is Sabbath Sundae.”

  “Fuck, that’s why you wanted out. This is your girl.”

  “Yeah, but my father doesn’t give a shit. So, having you on the case will make things a little more balanced. At least, I hope.”

  “I’ll be a human shield, you mean?” He chuckled.

  “It’s high-profile, so on the off-chance it does well, we’ll be doing our careers one hell of a favor.”

  “Or a hell of a lot of damage.”

  “Come on, trust me.” I checked my watch and cursed.

  “What?” He seemed alarmed.

  “He’s late for the fucking meeting I scheduled. I told him we need to prep. If he does open his mouth, I want him to know what to say.”

  “Fucking great. The guy can’t even be on time for meetings. How late is he?”

  “Ten minutes when you walked in, but now it’s fifteen. I hate people who are late. The press is going to be gathering at any minute, and they’ll be chomping at the bit and better prepared. I tried to get him last night, but that fell through.”

  About that time, there was a commotion outside my door, and as I rose from my seat, Tabby opened my door and stuck her head in. “Mr. White is here to see you.”

  “Send him in,” I said as Jon got to his feet.

  Tabby pushed the door open and in strolled Whit White looking like he had the world on a string. Tabby stomped out and shut the door behind her.

  “You’re late again.”

  “Yeah, this traffic is a bitch. Sue me?” He shrugged and then took the chair next to Jon who still stood in front of his.

  Jon extended his hand. “It’s good to meet you. I’m Jon Hanson.”

  I spoke up. “Jon is going to be working on our team. I want to show a strong front for your case.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Whit said with a shit-eating grin. “I didn’t think I’d get my very own dream team.”

  Jon took his seat, and I did the same, clearing my throat. “Yeah, well, in cases like this, it looks good. Now, we should get down to business. The conference will go on as scheduled. We can’t be late to that, especially if we want to make you look good.” I hoped it sent him a message, but he was a clueless bastard, so I doubted it.

  “These bitches better think twice before they fuck with me anyway. I have enough dirt on them that I think I can make them back down or at least shut their mouths.”

  Jon covered his mouth and turned his attention to the window over my shoulder. He could probably tell I didn’t take too kindly to the comment because I felt my face heat up.

  “Let’s take it easy on the name-calling. No sense in starting off on the wrong foot before a press conference. You need to keep your attitude to a minimum and let me answer the questions. I’m going in with a prepared statement. Just the basics, denying the allegations and letting the other side know we’re ready for this fight, we’ve got evidence to support our side, and we’re a strong defense.”

  “It sounds good to me. I’ll kick back and follow your lead.”

  “I wish it was as easy as all that. If you’re asked a question directly, you need to make sure you don’t react emotionally or physi
cally, rather.”

  “Pretend you’re in a card game,” Jon added. “You don’t want them to know anything but that you’re confident.”

  I felt the need to add, “And don’t be cocky. You’re going to want to be well-liked in the public eye. You already have a tough job of not looking like the man who took advantage of a beloved rock band.”

  “Their shows were declining.” He shrugged. “Not many people wanted to book them.” I had a feeling that was only true because he was such a colossal pain in the ass to deal with rather than Kya or the band being a problem.

  “Let’s just keep it professional above everything else.” If I could get the fucker to agree to that much and abide, I’d be okay. That was, if his idea of professional was on the same level as mine. “Better make that above professional.”

  He took out his phone, and his thumbs moved over the keypad. “Just a quick tweet before we go out then?”

  “No, don’t tweet anything. Stay off social media.” Jon looked over at the screen.

  “Oops, too late. I just thought a friendly warning would be okay. I mean, it’s not like the conference has taken place yet.”

  Jon took his phone and read the tweet. “It’s show time, bitches?”

  “Hey, give that back.” Whit reached out, but Jon didn’t let him have his phone.

  “No,” said Jon. “I’m deleting the tweet. This isn’t your chance to get in one last dig. Professionalism starts now.” Jon looked up at me, and I was glad he was sitting right there. Hopefully, he didn’t have many followers, and no one saw it. Those who did, probably already knew he was a douchebag.

  “Look, I’m all for your advice, and that’s fine and dandy if you want to control my social media, but let me say, I think we’re going about this all wrong. We need to use scare tactics, get these bitches shaking in their boots.”

  Jon stepped in again as I tried to calm my nerves. “Yeah, that’s not how it works. They filed a suit, so they obviously aren’t afraid of you. And let’s limit the whole name-calling thing.”