by Nina Crespo
“And the baby?”
He sat back in the chair. “Of course I’ll make sure Karma has money. Who do you think I am?”
Someone she didn’t know as well as she thought she had. He was willing to throw over raising his own child for an inheritance. Did he even realize what he was saying? Dishonesty. Pride. Greed. Fear. The rocky pillars that would have supported their marriage. She’d dodged a bullet when he’d left her at the church. Now it was her turn to walk out and go after her chance at happiness.
“I won’t marry you, Brad. I don’t love you, and I don’t care what anyone, including my parents, thinks about me and Rafe.” She spun around and headed for the door. Just before she opened it, she looked back at Brad. “You do have a choice. Be brave and stand up to your father for once, or be an asshole to Karma and your child and possibly lose both of them forever. It’s up to you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Alexa strode into Escapade East.
In a few hours, patrons would show up to celebrate the end of the workday. A bar-back set up glasses and checked the ice bins behind the counter, preparing for the rush.
She’d knocked at Rafe’s studio, but he hadn’t answered. She’d tried calling, too, but he wouldn’t pick up.
Shannon hurried in from the back hallway. She spotted Alexa and faltered. Her pace sped back up as she approached her. Flowing wide-legged slacks fluttered around her legs. “Rafe isn’t here. No, I don’t know where he is. I’m busy. You need to leave.”
Alexa’s irritation piqued. She’d cut Shannon slack in the past because she was Rafe’s friend and partner, but this time, her rudeness went too far. “I didn’t ask you where he was. Do you mind telling me exactly what you have against me, or are you acting this way because you want Rafe for yourself?”
Shannon released a sardonic chuckle. As she straightened chairs around a table, her ponytail swung against the back of her bronze polo. “Rafe and I are strictly partners and friends. I just don’t like women like you.”
“Excuse me? Women like me?”
Shannon crossed her arms over her chest. “Some women are smart enough to realize Rafe’s performances onstage are a fantasy. Others, like you, are compelled to get closer. Not because they actually see or care about him as a person, but because they’re caught between their jacked-up moral compass that judges him for having taken off his clothes for a living, and the thrill they feel for being viewed as the bad girl who scored a chance to be with him.” She dismissively flicked her hand. “I’m sure your time with Rafe was intriguing, but you need to move on and get a life.”
“The only one judging people wrongly is you. I care about Rafe.”
“Sure, you do.” Shannon shoved a chair under the table. “That’s what Eden claimed, too, before she ripped out his heart.”
The bar-back stared at them from behind the counter.
Shannon gave the young guy a saccharine sweet smile. “Jacob. Shouldn’t you be doing something else instead of ear-hustling this conversation?”
“Uh…yeah.” He hurriedly grabbed a box and left.
Shannon looked back to Alexa. “Leave Rafe alone. He’s gone through enough. He doesn’t need another bad ending.”
The day they’d brainstormed ideas for Escapade West, he’d mentioned an ex, but he hadn’t told her what the woman had done.
Alexa dropped her purse on the table and sat down. “What happened with him and his ex?”
“It’s not my story to tell.”
“You brought it up. If you’re going to lump me in with a woman who appears to be a hateful bitch, you should at least have the guts to tell me why.”
Shannon gripped the back of the chair. Her expression shifted between irritated and pensive as if she mulled over a decision. She marched behind the bar, snagged two bottles from a refrigerator, and popped them open on the edge of the counter. Her heels clicked briskly on the floor on the way back. She plunked the premium beers on the table, then dropped into a chair.
Alexa picked up the frosty green bottle. On the rare occasions Rafe did drink, this brand of beer was his choice.
Shannon drank from her bottle. “Beer not your thing?”
“It’s fine.” Alexa took a sip. The flavors of citrus and hops flowed over her tongue. Beer wasn’t her favorite drink, but when it had been flavored with Rafe’s kisses, it had tasted wonderful.
“So.” Shannon set down her bottle. “How much did he tell you about Eden?”
“He just mentioned that it hadn’t worked out.”
“That’s an understatement.” Shannon’s brow crinkled with a frown as she seemed to stare through the table right into the past. “Six years ago, Eden and I lived in Miami. A wannabe fashion designer from Italy claimed she and I were his muses. For over a year, a bunch of us laid around his mansion, waiting for him to come back from Rome and actually sketch something.”
“It must have been an interesting situation.”
“It had its advantages. We didn’t have to pay to live there or worry about expenses. Most of us were models. We took the occasional job to stay relevant and add a cushion to our bank accounts.” She traced through condensation on the bottle. “Eden came from money, so she didn’t have to work. Her parents took care of her, even though they weren’t thrilled when she left New York to live a life they deemed frivolous. Every so often, their bank deposits would dry up, and she’d go home. A couple of days later, she’d come back flush with cash and loaded down with new stuff her parents had bought her.”
Alexa hated Eden already. She sounded shallow. Alexa sipped beer and tried not to be judgmental. She knew how things could be twisted. “How did she meet Rafe?”
A rueful smile tipped up Shannon’s mouth. “I introduced them. Rafe and the rest of the Hunks were escorts at a local fashion show that I was in. He invited me to see the group perform over the weekend. I took Eden. She wanted him, and that was that.”
Had Eden stolen Rafe from Shannon back then, and now she was in denial about wanting him? Was that why she was so protective of him?
Shannon met her gaze. “In case you’re wondering, the only thing I’ve ever wanted from Rafe is his friendship. I was fine with him and Eden being together. They seemed happy, and I was thrilled for them both.”
“But something was wrong.”
“Yeah, Rafe cared for Eden more than she did him.” Shannon’s dispassionate expression hinted to how the story would end. Tragically. “He’d planned to propose at the house during a dinner party that I was hosting in honor of Eden’s birthday. It was supposed to be just an intimate gathering with a few of her friends, but when it got out that we were celebrating, it turned into a full-on party. Eden drank too much damn champagne. It was a disaster in the making.”
Shannon took a long sip of beer. Seconds passed. Whatever thoughts and visions came up caused Shannon to fidget and wince. She blew out a long breath. “Eden announced that she was marrying her ex-boyfriend in New York and invited us all to the wedding. Rafe confronted her about it outside. I followed them. He thought she was getting married because her family was forcing her. Rafe showed her the engagement ring he’d bought for her, and she laughed at him.”
“What type of woman does that?”
“The selfish kind who doesn’t give a shit about anyone else. Rafe is strong. He got through it. But the last thing he needs is you taking him through some version of that hell again. I won’t allow it.”
“I’d never hurt him.”
Shannon released a derisive chuckle. “It’s too late for that. He told me the two of you weren’t together anymore. The look on his face when he said it told me everything I needed to know. What happened? Did someone in your elite circle discover you were sleeping with a stripper and give you grief about it?”
“That’s insane.”
“Wait, let me guess. Did women at your company giggle behind your back as they reminisced about watching him dance half naked on stage?”
“No one did that, and if the
y had, I wouldn’t care.”
“Come on. You can tell me the truth.” Shannon leaned in. “What embarrassing moment made you skip away? Or is it what Eden told Rafe? That he’s good for play and not for show.”
Shock and revulsion almost brought the beer Alexa had drunk back up. “She actually told him that?” The unbelievable line played through her mind, making Alexa angry for him and even more furious that Shannon would place her and Eden in the same category…or even on the same planet.
That day when Rafe had taught her how to hit the punching bag, he’d told her to not be weak. He’d reminded her to stand up for herself. That advice applied now, too. Her character was being unfairly weighed and measured, based on Eden’s crimes.
Alexa leaned in and looked Shannon in the eye. “Don’t you dare compare me to Eden. And for the record, I wasn’t the one who ended it. Rafe left me.”
Shannon’s mouth hung agape. “From the way he’s been acting, I thought y—”
“You don’t have to repeat what you thought. I get it. I also get that he’s your friend and that his bitch of an ex broke his heart, but that doesn’t give you or him the right to insult me or judge my motives for being with him because of where I come from.”
Shannon flopped back in the chair. “I don’t understand. Why did he break up with you?”
Sadness constricted in Alexa’s throat. “My ex came to my house uninvited while I was out and Rafe was there. I don’t know exactly what Brad said to him, but it was a lie. Unfortunately, Rafe also found my engagement ring. He assumed the worst and didn’t give me a chance to explain. I’m not going back to my ex. What I had with Rafe these past weeks meant something to me, and I thought it meant something to him, too.”
Shannon remained speechless.
Alexa grabbed her clutch. She dug out the invite for the gala she’d brought for him. There was only one way to find out how Rafe felt about her. She had to take a risk and lay it all on the line. She tossed the white envelope on the table and stood. “I’m also not moving to Seattle because I want to be here. And for the record, I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks about me being with Rafe. I love him, and I want him, just the way he is.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
An insistent knock echoed through the studio.
Rafe came out of the bathroom wrapping a towel around his waist. He already had a fucking headache. And whoever was banging on the front door was adding to it. The damn club better be on fire. “Who is it?”
“Shannon. Let me in.”
He flipped the locks.
She pushed open the door and stormed past him.
What the hell? “Can whatever the problem is wait until I get on the club floor? I’ll be out there in twenty.”
“No. This can’t wait, and the problem isn’t Escapade. It’s you.”
Any other time he’d indulge her, but he was operating on little patience and even less sleep since ending things with Alexa. “Whatever it is, hold onto it until later, because right now, you’re not going to like my response.”
“I don’t care what you say as long as it’s the truth. What happened between you and Alexa?”
Fuck. I knew I didn’t want to hear this. “Leave. I need to get dressed.” He reached for the towel, expecting her to hightail it out of there. She didn’t budge. “Are you trying to get a free show?”
“Like I give a shit if you flash me. I’ve stumbled upon the Hunks’ bare asses and more backstage too many times to count. What happened, Rafe? Tell me.”
“We broke up. Satisfied?” He stomped to the closet, tossed the towel, dragged on a pair of black jeans, and came back out. “You didn’t like me dating her, anyway. You got your wish. She and I are through.” A dull ache pulled in the middle of his chest. “Why are you asking about her? Like I told you, our relationship wasn’t permanent.”
“What you had with her wasn’t your usual thing. It was different.”
“Different?” He huffed out a hollow laugh. Alexa was cozying up with her ex, just like Eden had with hers. “There was no difference.”
“Oh?” Shannon gestured to a dirty cereal bowl and toast crumbs on the counter. The clean laundry he hadn’t bothered putting away sat piled on the couch. His bed was still unmade. “This isn’t you. You’re turned upside down over something. I believe it’s because of her.”
When had the place gotten to be such a damn mess? Rafe yanked the top sheet and comforter up on the bed. “I’ve been busy keeping an eye on the kitchen renovation in Escapade West.” He snagged a clean bronze polo from the pile on the couch and put it on.
“Like your schedule wasn’t just as hectic when you were dating her. The only difference now is that you’re dragging yourself around like a wounded animal.”
“How I am now has nothing to do with her.” Rafe snatched an empty beer bottle from the nightstand. “Are you done hyper-analyzing me?”
“No. I’m not.” Shannon blocked his path into the kitchen. “Why did you break up with her? Was it because of Eden?”
Eden. Alexa. All he could think about was how his past had snuck up and bitten him on the ass. He didn’t need Shannon reminding him of it. Fury erupted. “Leave it alone!” Rafe threw the bottle in the sink. It shattered. His ragged breathing filled the silence.
Shannon held her ground. “I can’t leave it. I care about you.” The stubbornness in her expression morphed to pure concern. “It was a mistake for you to break up with Alexa.”
“You, of all people, have no business evaluating my mistakes. Especially since you’re responsible for two of them showing up in my life.”
She recoiled as if he’d slapped her.
Shit. Shannon wasn’t responsible for any of what happened with Eden or Alexa. He was just tired, pissed, and being an asshole. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
“I’m glad you finally said it. What Eden did has hovered over our friendship like an axe.” Her eyes grew bright with unshed tears. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you that she was back with her ex.”
“You knew she was cheating on me?”
“No, but I suspected.” Shannon sniffed and blinked rapidly. “I just didn’t know how to tell you. You were so crazy about her. I’d hoped I was wrong.”
Rafe raked his hair as memories and feelings he’d held in for years flashed before his eyes. He’d been such a fool when it came to Eden. All he could think about was trying to measure up to her expectations. When she left him, it had just confirmed his belief that he’d always come up short.
He blew out the tension filling his chest. “Even if you had told me, I wouldn’t have listened. I sensed something wasn’t right between me and Eden, but I didn’t have the guts to address it. I thought proposing would fix what was wrong and keep us together.” Rafe wrapped an arm around Shannon. “I’m sorry you’ve been carrying around a load of guilt about it. None of what happened with her was your fault. You introduced us, but I could have easily walked away from her. I didn’t.” He hugged Shannon. “That’s on me, not you.”
“I still feel horrible.” She hugged him back. “What Eden did to you left you jaded.”
“I’m not jaded. I’ve had other relationships.”
She pushed away from him. “You’ve had one- or two-night hookups. Alexa is the first woman you’ve come close to having a real relationship with. That’s how I know she meant something to you.”
Maybe that was true. Up until Alexa, he hadn’t wanted more with a woman. Too bad she didn’t want more with him.
Shannon nudged him. “Do you want to know what I think?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“You jumped to a wrong conclusion about Alexa based on what Eden did, and because of that, you wouldn’t listen.”
“Her dickhead ex practically threw the fact that they were getting back together in my face. She gave up going to Seattle to be with him.”
“Are you talking about the guy she went out of her way not to see by moving into this tiny apartment
with you? You believed him?”
“Alexa had her engagement ring. She admitted to wearing it.”
“Was it pretty?”
“It was pretty damn big.” The price tag of that thing undoubtedly had more zeroes than he’d ever paid for anything, aside from his investment in Escapade.
“Hell, I would have tried it on, too, then. But she’s not wearing it now, and she’s not back with her ex.”
“Wait a minute. How do you know what happened at her house?”
Shannon lifted her chin. “She was here.”
“In the club? When?”
“Just before I came here to talk to you. She said she tried to call you, but you’re not answering your cell. She came by and knocked on the back door, but you didn’t answer. I guess you were in the shower. She left this for you.” Shannon removed a white envelope from the back pocket of her slacks. She handed it to him.
He opened it, and a ticket for NorthStar’s gala peeked out.
Shannon laid a hand on his arm. “I was wrong about Alexa. She truly cares about you. I have no idea why, though, since you can be such a pain in the ass.”
“Don’t hold back.” He tossed the envelope with the ticket on the counter.
“I never have.” She picked up the envelope and put it in his hand. “I can accept you being a pain in the ass. I just can’t allow you to be a stupid one. If you care about her as much as I believe you do, talk to her. Fix what you messed up. Don’t lose your chance to be with her.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Alexa stood with her parents in front of the foyer outside the closed doors of the hotel’s second floor grand ballroom, where NorthStar’s gala was about to kick off.
