Scripted Reality: Formerly I Wanna Get Laid by Kade

by Ashton Johns

  “Where is she?” I had to try to find out.

  “Fuck you, Kade Sutton. You don’t come in here, hold me to ransom and then expect me to give you information. I don’t know or care where she is. Her shit is still on her desk and she hasn’t picked up her final pay packet.”

  I wasn’t going to get anything out of her. I’d just bested her. “Brody, let’s roll.”

  Daisy’s absence at the final show was expected but not seeing her here was really concerning me. She’d fallen off the face of the earth since I’d broken her heart. Fucking around with Meredith was a great distraction, and honestly, made me feel a tiny bit better, but I got one of the things I came for and being persona non-grata with a check and no checking account presented me with another challenge.

  I ignored everyone as I wandered back through the office, building up the courage to face the press outside. They knew I was in the building so there was no way they would have left. The only thing I could do right now was head back to Clint’s place and start putting things right, first off with Daisy. The thought that she might not take my call made my chest clinch with pain, but I’d do whatever it took to make her understand. If I was to move on to the next chapter in my life, it had to be with her, no question.

  As I pushed and shoved my way through the cameras and radio mics that had doubled in number since my arrival, I decided to give them something to keep them occupied.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your support during the filming of the show. I am under instruction not to conduct any interviews, but Meredith Hennessy has advised she will be down in the building foyer shortly and is happy to take questions.”

  Like the inconsequential homeless person, I was, they were tempted by something more sparkly and took the bait. They all pretty much spun around on the spot and continued their information vigil, deciding she was the better scoop.

  I was laughing at my own ingenuity as Brody and I wandered down the sidewalk, when a black town car pulled up alongside me. “Mr. Sutton, could I have a moment of your time?”

  Okay, so maybe I hadn’t managed to ditch them all. “No.”

  The officious looking thin guy climbed out of the back wearing the sharpest pinstripe business suit I’d ever seen. The crease pressed down the middle of the pants looked measured and exact. The shine on his shoes could have blinded me had they been reflecting the sun, and his tie was the perfect width and length. “I must insist,” he tried again.

  “I bet you do.” In a moment of madness, the guy paced up beside me and stepped in front of me to get my attention. “You have three seconds to say your piece or get the fuck out of my way.”

  The guy looked wide-eyed and flustered. “Shelby Sutton!”

  The name fell from his lips in a flash, like a throat punch.

  “I beg your pardon.” I leaned closer to him, unimpressed.

  “I represent King Enterprises and I’ve been instructed to contact you about Shelby Sutton, your late mother, I believe.” When I didn’t answer him, he looked at me puzzled. “Are you not Kade Nicholas Sutton?”

  “Keep. Talking,” I growled and watched as he swallowed, clearly afraid of me.

  “I’ve been asked to bring you to our head office. I am not at liberty to discuss this on the street. Would you be so kind as to follow me?”

  That was the big question. Would I?

  Forty-One

  Kade Sutton

  As the guy waved for the town car to move forward, his expectant eyes remained on me.

  “Mr. Sutton?”

  The car idled next to us and I let out a long sigh. “Okay, as long as my dog is invited.”

  “I was told specifically to bring Brody with us, Sir.”

  The fact that he knew Brody’s name caused me to pause, but then I remembered that every part of me had been laid bare to millions of viewers over the last few weeks, and my buddy was a big part of me.

  “Do I get any hint as to what this is about?” I asked, walking towards the car.

  “As I said, Sir, I’m not at liberty to say. I can tell you that my name is Maxwell, Maxwell Charter.”

  He held out his hand to me, so I took it and gave it a firm shake.

  “Nice to meet you, Maxwell.” Then, with a little trepidation, I got inside the car with Brody jumping in after me.

  We drove for around twenty minutes, going deeper into the city towards the business district where the skyline was taller, sleeker and shinier. People were rushing along the sidewalks, each and every one of them either talking into a cell phone or tapping away at some sort of electronic device. I may have had a shit few years living on the streets but believe me I would not have swapped it with these people for anything. Well, I might if it meant I could have Daisy.

  Finally, we pulled to a stop and Maxwell laid a hand on my shoulder to indicate that we’d arrived. I looked out through the car window, up towards the sky. I had no idea what King Enterprises did, but from the look of the building, I gathered it was pretty lucrative because it was one sleekest and shiniest building of them all.

  “Just out of interest,” I said to Maxwell, “what do King Enterprises do?”

  “They do lots of things, Mr. Sutton, but Mr. King’s main business is acquisitions.”

  I nodded. “Hence why they do lots of things.”

  “That would be correct. Now, if you’d like to follow me.”

  Brody and I trailed behind Maxwell as he smiled and nodded at the burly security man who held the door open for him. Maxwell’s smart leather shoes and Brody’s claws clipping across the marble floor were the only sounds in the vast foyer. A reception desk sat to the left of a bank of three glass elevators, and behind it was a pretty, dark-haired girl wearing spectacles. At first glance, I thought she was Daisy, and my heart lurched.

  “Morning, Tiff,” Maxwell said with a wave of his hand.

  I gave her a quick smile and sighed when I realized she was nowhere near as beautiful as my Daisy.

  “Morning, Mr. Charter,” she replied cheerfully. “Mr. King has just arrived.”

  “Thank you,” he replied, pressing the button for the elevator.

  As we waited, Brody sniffed and licked at my hand by my side, trying to reassure me in his own way and boy did I need it. A few seconds later, the elevator pinged, and the door slid open. Maxwell ushered us in, following behind and pressing the button for the twenty-first floor.

  We had to be in the quickest damn elevator on the planet because it appeared to take just a few seconds to reach our destination. Maxwell led the way, and as I looked at my surroundings, I was impressed. For an office building, this was real nice. The carpet under my feet was so thick that I almost lost sight of my shoes, and there were two huge, expensive looking, brown leather couches either side of a mahogany coffee table. On one wall was a line of paintings, not prints but actual paintings, and each was individually lit. Opposite them, under the wall of brilliantly clean windows, was a mahogany side table with a coffee jug bubbling away and various plates of cakes and pastries that looked even better than those we’d been served in the mansion. Facing the elevator was a huge mahogany desk with another petite brunette sitting behind it. She wasn’t wearing spectacles, but I still couldn’t help thinking of Daisy. Shit, was this going to be my life if I didn’t find her, my heart being rattled at the sight of every damn small, dark-haired woman I came across? I hoped not, mainly because I was determined that I wouldn’t be without her for much longer.

  “Hi, Mr. Charter,” the girl said as we approached. “He’s waiting for you.”

  “Thanks, Sherilynn.”

  As we wandered past, Sherilynn leaned forward and gave Brody a stroke.

  “Cute dog,” she said, smiling up at me.

  “Thanks,” I replied. “He’s a good boy.”

  She gave him one last scratch behind the ears, and we continued on down a corridor of glass fronted offices until we stopped right at the end, in front of a pair of mahogany and glass doors. Maxwell gave two sharp kno
cks and then opened the door, walking directly in.

  “Morning, Nicholas.”

  Behind another huge ass desk was a man wearing a charcoal grey suit. His greying head was down, and he was writing something. As Maxwell spoke, the man I presumed was Mr. King looked up, dropped his pen and pulled off his grey steel framed spectacles. He pushed his chair back, stared at me, and blowing out a breath, raked a hand over his head.

  “Thank you, Maxwell,” he said quietly, his gaze firmly on me. “I’ll let you know if I need you.”

  Maxwell left silently, clicking the door shut behind him.

  “Please sit.” He nodded at the black, leather chair. “I see you have Brody with you.” His face broke into a huge grin as he held a hand out to my dog.

  Brody went over, gave him a lick and then came back to my side. Mr. King stood and reached out his hand to shake mine.

  “Nicholas King,” he said with a warm smile.

  “What’s this about?” I asked, lowering myself into the chair.

  “Your mother was Shelby Sutton, is that right?”

  I bristled at the mention of my mom’s name and squirmed in my seat.

  “She was, but what does that have to do with you?”

  Mr. King leaned forward, putting his elbows on the desk, and looked at the ceiling for a few seconds. He then looked back to me and I was sure there were tears in his eyes.

  “Look, what’s going on?”

  “I guess I may as well just say it,” he breathed out. “I think you’re my son. Damn it, I know that you’re my son.”

  Forty-Two

  Kade Sutton

  The air rushed from my lungs at warp speed as his words registered with my brain. Did he just say I was his son?

  “Excuse me?”

  He pushed his chair back, and with his arms outstretched, rested his palms on his desk.

  “I believe that I am your father, Kade,” he replied, his voice quiet and controlled.

  “W-what?”

  “I know it’s a huge shock for you, but I had a relationship with your mother twenty-six years ago.”

  Shock was putting it mildly.

  This wasn’t possible.

  My mom hated rich people. She’d never have hooked up with a guy who wore suits that cost more than a damn family car.

  What the ever-loving fuck?

  I dragged a hand over my face and left it covering my mouth as I stared at him.

  “That’s your only reasoning?” I asked. “That you had a relationship with my mom twenty-six years ago. She may have had another guy, one you don’t know about.”

  Tenderness flashed in Mr. King’s eyes as he shook his head.

  “I don’t think so,” he replied softly. “Your mom and I, well, what can I say? It was a pretty intense couple of months.”

  A huge slab of anger pushed at my breastbone. “So damn intense that you left her when she was pregnant?” I snapped. “That much I do know. She said she was pregnant, and you left. Other than that, she never spoke of you.”

  Mr. King blanched. “I never knew, Kade. She didn’t tell me, I swear.”

  To be fair to him, Mom never did say that he knew, just that he left.

  “You still split, though. Why?”

  Mr. King took a deep breath and reached for a framed photograph on his desk. He picked it up and passed it to me.

  “He’s the reason why, Kade.”

  I looked down at the picture of a guy who looked a few years younger than me. I stared at it and drew in a breath. He was a little lighter in coloring than me, but other than that it could have been me. We were identical. The same blue eyes—Mr. King’s blue eyes.

  “That, Kade, is your brother, Noah,” Mr. King said quietly.

  I looked up at him and shook my head.

  “I don’t get it. Why leave Mom because of him? He looks a lot younger than me.”

  “That picture was taken four years ago,” he explained, emotion quaking in his voice. “Noah is twenty-five, just like you. His birthday is January 10th. Yours, I believe, is April 5th. He’s just three months older than you.”

  His words slowly registered as I looked back down at the picture of…my brother!

  “Fuck, I have a brother.” I drew in a shuddering breath as I gripped the silver frame tightly. Then my anger rose again. “So, you were fucking around on my mom?”

  “No, no I wasn’t,” Mr. King, my dad, cried vehemently. “I was married.”

  “Oh, and that makes it so much better,” I bellowed, throwing the photograph onto his desk. “You were fucking married and had an affair with my mother?”

  I pushed my chair back and stood up. Immediately, Brody was at my side, pushing his body against my leg.

  Mr. King also stood, reaching a hand towards me.

  “Please, Kade. Sit down and let me explain.”

  “What, let you tell me a load of lies about how your wife didn’t understand you and that Mom was a shoulder to cry on? No, I don’t think so.”

  “I swear it wasn’t like that,” he pleaded. “Just hear me out and then if you’re still not happy, you can leave. But I warn you, now that I know about you and I’ve found you, I will not be letting you disappear on me.”

  “Like you have a choice,” I snapped. “I have lived on the streets for three years. I know how to be anonymous to everyone around me, so don’t think I can’t lose myself in this city, because I can.”

  Mr. King’s shoulders sagged and his face broke into a grimace. “And I am so damn sorry about that, Kade. That you ended up on the streets will be the biggest regret and sadness of my life.”

  I watched him as he picked up the photograph, lifting it back into place and then lowering himself back into his chair.

  “Please, Kade.”

  With a sigh, I slammed back into the chair and nodded for him to speak.

  “My wife and I were having some problems,” he started, glancing at another photograph that I could only see the back of. “Things were really bad between us. She was angry all the time, throwing things and lashing out at me. Maybe we should have tried harder, but we were young and idealistic about how our marriage should be, and things were so bad we felt the best thing was to separate. We loved each other, but I just couldn’t seem to make her happy, no matter what I did.”

  “That’s when you met Mom?”

  “Yes,” he said with a reverent smile. “She served me my morning coffee every day for almost a month before we actually spoke. She said something that made me laugh, and I hadn’t laughed in a long time. That was your mom, though.” He sighed. “She made me laugh every single day that we were together.”

  He paused and seemed to be taking a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was evidently feeling emotional and I was right there with him. The thought of my mom laughing and making everyone around her laugh was my happiest memory. Even when she was ill and in pain, she tried real hard to be cheerful.

  “So, what happened?” I asked when he finally let out a long breath.

  “We were really happy, your mom and I, really happy. She knew about Elizabeth and that we were separated, and I told her from the beginning that I still loved my wife. Your mom, though, she said we should just take each day as it came, and we would end up on whatever path we were meant to be on.”

  I smiled and shook my head. “She used to say that to me, too.”

  “Well, she was right about most things so I guess that must be one of them.”

  “If you were happy with Mom, how come you left?”

  Why did you leave my mom and me? Why was your other son more important? They were the questions I wanted to ask, but as soon the thoughts came into my head, they just as quickly disappeared. He’d already said he didn’t know about me, and I believed that.

  “My wife, called me one day to tell me that she was pregnant. She was crying and said she’d heard that I was happy with Shelby, but she thought that I should know. She also told me that the doctor had said a hormone imbalance caused by th
e pregnancy had created her mood swings. When I left, she was already three months pregnant but had no idea. You see, she’d suffered from gynecological problems all her adult life; we weren’t even sure she could have kids. That was why she had no idea she was pregnant. It was only at four months when she started to show and get other symptoms that she went to the doctor. When she called me, she was already five months gone. I told Shelby straight away, and we carried on seeing each other a little while longer, but we both knew that Elizabeth was who I should be with.”

  “So, you just left?” I snapped.

  “No, Kade, it wasn’t that easy. I loved your mom, I really did, but I loved my wife more. We had a history. She was my High School sweetheart, and it was tearing me apart. Then I went to pick your mom up one night. We were going to the movies, but she wasn’t ready. She just handed me the bag of stuff I kept at her place and told me to go be with Elizabeth. We both cried and held each other, and…” His voice trailed off and tears pricked at his eyes.

  “And what?” I demanded.

  “And,” he breathed out, “I told her that I would always love her, and I asked her to call me if she needed anything. She must have known that she was pregnant that night. I think it was from one of our first nights together when we had unprotected sex. Shelby told me that she’d get the morning after pill, but I guess she never did. She must have been a couple of months gone when I went home to Elizabeth.”

  “Thank God she didn’t tell you, hey, because it wouldn’t do to have two little kids to support, would it?” My hands were gripping the arms of the chair so tightly that it hurt. It killed me to think about the pain and despair my mom must have felt.

  “It wasn’t that, Kade. I wasn’t as wealthy then, I admit, but I would have supported you and would have wanted you in my life. Yes, it would have been hard, but I would have done it gladly. For Shelby, I would have done anything.”

  “Oh yeah, sure you would, after all you did love both of them,” I scoffed.

  Mr. King nodded. “I did, and I know that sounds cliché, but I truly did.”