by Jamie Knight
Ronnie didn’t turn to look at me. He took a long sip of the glass of water in his hand and kept watching the window between us and the dancing mobs.
“It’s a hassle to come down here anymore, kid. Let me enjoy it for as long as I can tonight. Go home. Jensen can help me out to the car. I have a driver and Venessa can help me into bed when I get home. I need to look at the Dark Club a while longer.”
I glanced at where he was gazing, wondering if it was at one particular dancer or the crowd in general. There was something in the old man’s eyes that looked proud. Like a father watching the tape of his son’s first steps.
I shrugged to myself, anxious to be out the door and away from all the emotions I was trying to ignore as soon as I could be. “Suit yourself, Ronnie. Call if you need me.”
“Don’t forget to see the beauty.”
His words were so mumbled that I stopped in my tracks.
“What?”
“The beauty, kid. It’s everywhere in life. Don’t forget to look for it.”
I shrugged again. Not sure what he was talking about. “Okay, uncle. Have a good night.”
As I set off down the stairs, I felt the urge to turn back for one more glance at Ronnie in his office. The old man was in the same position in his chair looking over the crowds and looking like he was loving everything and everyone. It was a good look for him. Blissful.
Turning back, I hurried down the stairs and ran right into Jensen. The short man must have been waiting for me to come down from Ronnie’s office.
“He’s not ready to leave yet,” I told the manager waving a hand back up the stairs. “Said you had offered to help him get to his car. Is that true?”
Jensen folded his hands over his chest. “Yeah, that’s not a problem. I just have Billy or one of the other bouncers give him a hand. But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about, Ray.”
“What’s up?” I went over to the wall and leaned next to him. “I just checked the books when I got here. Everything seems to be in order. The club is doing great.”
Jensen looked back up the stairs and leaned closer to me. “I think Ronnie is saying goodbye,” he whispered. “I think he is ready to die and it’s going to be a lot sooner than two months.”
I staggered back a little, feeling like something heavy was suddenly in my chest. Ronnie did have a strange kind of look in his eye and the last thing he said to me was so odd.
“You think so?” I asked Jensen. He nodded. “You think I should stay later?”
“Naw, Ray. Go on. I have things handled here. I know you want to get back to that pet of yours. I just had this feeling and wanted you to be warned.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Thanks, man. I guess there really isn’t anything I can really do to prepare for this. Ronnie is all I’ve had for a long time. I still can’t wrap my brain around the fact that he is dying.” I tried to crack a smile and fell short—it came out as a grimace. “When I was a kid, I figured he would live forever—like some kind of vampire or something.”
Jensen snorted a bit and laughed. “Well, he does kind of resemble a vampire now, and honestly, I think he would take that if it was an option. Ronnie’s body might be dying but his spirit is still very much alive…or wishes it was.”
I patted him on the shoulder a few times and smiled at him. Jensen was a good guy. I was definitely keeping him as the manager here when I took over as owner.
“Thanks for the warning, man,” I told him. “Call me if you need me.”
With another quick wave, I headed out of the stairwell and out the front doors of the club. My mind couldn’t handle the sad thoughts anymore. It was time to concentrate on something happy.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Eileen
On Tuesday evening, Ray texted that he was downstairs and ready for his first night of softball with my family. I was beyond excited. I grabbed my cap and Mr. Pugsly’s leash—the pug was already yipping at the door—and took one final minute to glance at myself in the mirror.
My refection met me with a big smile; it felt like I had been grinning for days. I also felt like I was holding my head a bit higher. Pretending to be engaged was so much fun. It kind of sucked that I couldn’t wear my ring to the office but at least I could wear it tonight and wow all of my family. With one more happy glance at my hand, I hooked on Pugsly’s leash and headed downstairs.
Ray was in slacks—nicely pressed gray slacks and a black t-shirt shirt. I looked him up and down and frowned. “Don’t you own any casual clothing?” I asked.
He looked a bit embarrassed. “No, just suits. These don’t have a matching jacket, I figured that would be casual enough.”
“What if you have to slide?”
“Slide?” He raised his eyebrows in confusion as he looked down at me.
“Never mind.” I put my arm in his and we set off walking down the street towards the baseball diamond.
“Ray, have you ever played softball?”
“No.”
“Not even as a kid.”
“No.”
“Okay. Well, we’ll put you in the backfield and I’m sure someone will loan you a glove.”
“Oh!” he practically squealed. Ray stopped and pulled a shopping bag up in front of my eyes. “I bought one!”
Curious, I stopped too—much to Mr. Pugsly’s annoyance and he pulled a bit till he was able to reach the bush he wanted to sniff. Reaching inside the bag, I pulled out a brand-new leather softball glove. It was black with silver accents and he had them embroider “Ray” onto it with silver thread. I had to hold back my laughter, it was so fancy. It was just like Ray to try to be fashionable even at a family softball game.
“Is it all right?” he asked, looking into my face and trying to read my thoughts.
I gave him a big smile. “Perfect, just needs to be broken in.”
Arm in arm, we walked the last few blocks to the field in silence. I wondered if Ray was nervous about pretending to be my fiancé for my family, but somehow, I doubted it. He was able to be so charming when he wanted to be. Charm should go over well.
As we came up to the chain-link fence that ringed the field, the players in the middle of their warm ups took notice. There were a few catcalls and whistles. Some of the players ooed and awed. I figured they would all tease me; this was the first time I had ever brought a man to a game.
Will and Danny were standing by the pitcher’s mound. “Hey,” one of them yelled. “It’s the tall guy! Hey! Tall guy is the fiancé!”
Next to me, Ray started to laugh. “Your brothers are a handful,” he said.
“You have no idea,” I agreed.
Jakey was waiting for us at the entrance of the dugout. He had his massive arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. The look he was giving us both stopped me in my tracks.
“I thought you said he wasn’t interested,” Jake snapped at me. “And how did you go from not dating at all to engaged in one weekend? Doesn’t that seem a little fast?”
I felt my stomach start to roll. My younger brother was mad. Usually, I shared everything with him, but somehow, I was never able to tell him what had happened with Ray, mainly because Ray was my boss.
Ray stepped forward and dropped my arm. He reached out his hand to my brother and waited for Jake to take it. They shook briefly.
“Your lovely sister and I dated briefly a few months ago. I made the mistake of letting her go, a mistake that I fully realized this weekend at the conference where your ex saw us. Yes, the engagement is quick, but I never want to relive the feeling of being without Eileen. So, why should we wait? I hope you and your family can forgive me for my stupidity and come to realize that Eileen is the most important thing in the world to me. I will endeavor to make her the happiest woman in the world.”
It was a pretty speech and Ray’s words left my heart fluttering in my chest. If only it was true. Still, I grabbed his arm again and beamed a giant smile at him.
Jake straightened up and
scratched his chin. “I see. I’m just surprised that Le Le never told me about you dating.” He gave me a hurt glance, but I couldn’t think of what to say to make my brother feel better. I had made a mistake. “You seem like a decent guy, Ray, and I hope that you do treat my sister right. If you don’t there will be consequences.”
“What’s this nonsense? Why are you holding up my game?”
My father came out of the dugout and barged his way by Jake. Seeing Ray, he stopped in his tracks.
“Are you wearing slacks?!” Dad snapped.
“Yes,” Ray said startled, “but I bought a glove.” He held up the shopping bag as proof of his determination to fit in.
My father eyed him and chewed his lip for a second. The look in his brown eyes was dark and somewhat scary. It was the same look he had when he was going to rip a witness apart on the stand in the courtroom. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and tapped his foot.
“I heard your speech, Mr. Silver. I have no intention of discussing this now, because I have a field full of players waiting on your two and a rival team I am itching to beat. Let me just say that I prefer a more traditional man for my daughter. One who would have consulted me before asking for her hand.”
Ray huffed in a breath, but my dad raised a hand to stop his words.
“As far as I am concerned, you do no have permission to marry my daughter or date her. But that could change. Let us see if you can catch a ball. Take the position in left field and don’t ever were slacks to a game again!”
Dad pushed Jake towards the dugout. I gave Ray and worried glance and we followed.
The next hour was a shit show. Ray was horrible at spots and had very little understanding of how the game was played. I couldn’t watch him all the time, because I spent most of the game pitching, but when I did, I caught him trying watch every player at once. It was like he was trying to learn all the positions as quickly as possible. It made him distracted and he missed a catch that went right over his head.
“Damn it, Silver,” my dad yelled from the dugout. “You have one job—catch the ball! Concentrate on that!”
The rest of my team giggled at Dad’s words. Worried, I shot a glance at Ray, but he just smiled and waved at me. He wasn’t letting the teasing get to him.
Our team’s turn to bat came and I had to wave to get Ray to follow me off the field. He trotted up to me looking confused and worried.
“Your dad said to stay out there.” He pointed back to left field.
“Yes, but now it’s the other team’s turn in the field and we get to bat, but don’t worry, I’m sure Dad will let you sit this one out.”
“Silver, your up first,” my dad yelled as we approached the dugout.
Oh shit!
I slapped my hand into my forehead then turned and grabbed Ray by the arm. My dad just wasn’t going to let him have an easy time.
“Have you ever batted before?” I asked hurriedly as Will slammed a bat into Ray’s hands.
Ray ran his hands over the length of the wood. “No, but I have experience with hitting things.” He gave me a lopsided smile and a wink.
That was not reassuring.
I clenched my hands together as Ray walked over to the plate. Mr. Pugsly pulled at his leash until he could rub against my ankles and give me comfort. Reaching down, I scratched behind the pug’s ears keeping my eyes on the field the whole time.
The rival team’s pitcher pulled back and let the ball fly. Ray swung, missed and the ball slammed into the catcher’s mitt. Ray shrugged at his miss and looked over to me as if to say, “It’s okay, I’ll get the hang of this.”
The next time he swung, he knocked it out of the park.
I think everyone was surprised, even Ray. As our team screamed with excitement and watched the ball fly, Ray stood at home plate, gripping the bat like a teddy bear and holding it to his chest.
“Ray,” I yelled, waving my arms to get his attention. His blue eyes found mine. “You have to run!”
He shrugged, not understanding what I was telling him. I pointed to first base and each base after it.
“Run around the bases!”
He nodded and took off at an easy jog. I wasn’t quite sure what Ray did to keep his body perfect and fit, but it was obviously not running, and I was glad that my brothers’ attention was still on the flying ball.
Dashing out of the dugout, I met Ray at home plate. He touched his foot to the plate and then grabbed me and picked me up. We jumped together like we had just won the game. I leaned down and showered his face with kisses as he held me up in his arms.
“That was so good, baby!” I cooed. “You did perfectly!”
Ray pulled me to his muscular body, and I slid down till we were stomach to stomach. My lips found his—hot, ready, and breathless. My hands wound into his black hair, pulling his face down to mine so I could kiss him deeper.
“Eww! Gross!” Will screamed behind us.
“Yeah! Get a room!” Danny chimed in.
The rest of the team joined in on the teasing.
I pulled back and took Ray’s hand to lead him into the dugout. My father met us at the stairs. He nodded once towards Ray. “Good job, Silver,” Dad grunted. “Glad to see that you aren’t useless after all.” And, that was all the praise he was going to give.
With Ray’s help at bat, we won the game. At that point, Dad decided that he was okay.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ray
Kane and another man where in the lobby of the executive floor when I got out of the elevator Wednesday morning. I had an inkling of who this new guy was, so I pulled at my cuffs until they were at the perfect length under my black silk suit jacket and made sure that my hair was in place. It was always desirable to make a good first impression.
Christian Keeley didn’t seem to share my feeling about good looks. In fact, I was pretty sure the man hardly looked into a mirror at all. It wasn’t that he was hideous. He was tall and blonde, with a regal looking nose, and none of the narrow horse-face that his sister, Sloane, had. But it was the lopsided beard and thick glasses that really gave the appearance of disheveledness. Plus, Christian was wearing a t-shirt and black jeans in the office—utter blasphemy in my mind.
He and Kane were drinking coffee at one of the wooden tables. Christian practically put his full face in the cup as I approached and said good morning.
Kane gave me one of his beaming smiles. “Ray, I would like to introduce our newest partner, Christian. Chris, this is Ray, McKenzie Tech’s CFA. He’s a wiz with our money!”
Christian didn’t offer his hand over or take mine when I held it out to shake. He glowered at me from behind his coffee cup.
“I prefer Christian. Please don’t shorten my name,” he glowered.
Before Kane could apologize, I spoke, “Hello Christian, it is a pleasure to have you join our team. Are you enjoying your tour of the executive floor?”
The man looked around nervously; His eyes flitting from object to object, never staying on one thing for more than a second.
“It’s fine.” Christian shrugged. “But I don’t really care about the top floors or whatever greenery you have. I want to see my work space. It’s too bright up here.”
Kane’s wide smile never faltered. He patted Christian on the back like he was a teenager—a gesture the other man seemed to abhor—and turned to me.
“I need to speak to Ray alone for one second, Chris. Just enjoy your coffee and the sunlight up here for a bit. I’ll be right back.”
Christian frowned; he glanced over at the line of windows that ringed the coffee bar/lobby and blinked uncomfortably. The man was definitely out of his element.
Kane stood, put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me towards his office. He stopped a second and turned back. “If you would like, Christian. I could call your sister up here to finish the tour.”
To my delight, Christian turned positively green in the face and frowned. “Good God no. I’ll wait for you.”
I laughed along with him. Kane walked towards his desk and I followed, then took one of the chairs in front of it.
“Ray, I got something interesting in the mail this morning.”
He pulled a large manila envelope out of a stack of papers and pushed it towards me. My heart sank. It was a carbon copy of the one I received Monday.
“What the hell?!” I hissed under my breath.
Kane unbuttoned his jacket and sat down across from me.
“I take it you are familiar with the contents?” he asked. I nodded. “Am I also to assume that someone is trying to blackmail you?”
I sighed and sat back a bit in my chair as I looked the envelope over. Like yesterday, it had no labels or writing on it. There were no stamps or postmark. Someone in the building must have put it into Kane’s mail.
“Someone wants me to admit to bribing Eileen to perform at the Leather and Lace Ball,” I told him. “I don’t know who, but it seems to be one of the employees. This is the second envelope, and both would have had to have been hand delivered. Plus, whoever it is hit me up on Watercooler the other day. But when I tried to trace the username it was for a made-up employee.”
“Ugh, Watercooler,” Kane moaned and ran a hand through his hair. “I need to get rid of that stupid thing. It’s caused nothing but trouble.”
I pressed my finger to the envelope and slid it over the desktop a bit. “I suppose that this is the blackmailer’s attempt to get me fired.”
“Indeed.” Kane drummed his fingers on the arm of his leather office chair. “You should be thrilled that they sent this to me and not HR. Obviously the blackmailer doesn’t know that I don’t care, but HR would, and with the strict no dating policy, I would have to at least scold you. And really there is no telling what they would do to Eileen.”
“You should really get rid of that policy,” I grunted and pulled at my cuffs again. “It’s hypocritical for you and Ashton both.”
