by Jillian Dodd
"Fuck," I say as she kisses me.
At some point, after desecrating the couch, we made our way to the bedroom.
And apparently, I have succeeded in fucking her silly, because she's giggling and playing with my hair.
"You're in a better mood now," I say, thrilled that I made her this way.
"Hard not to be happy when a guy does that to you."
And although I was feeling pretty damn content, her comment grates me the wrong way.
Fuck being sensitive.
I roll out of bed and find my pants. When did I become just a guy?
"I've got to head home. See you later."
"But, wait--" I hear as I slam the door behind me.
I storm down the beach, seriously pissed off. I'm pissed at her. Pissed at myself.
What the fuck was I thinking? Why would I ever think a one-night stand could mean more? And how the hell did I let her turn me into a fucking emotional girl?
I'm pounding up the stairs, my thoughts on the bottle of premium tequila I know is waiting for me on my brother's bar.
"What's your problem?" Cade asks, pulling me from my haze of rage.
I walk straight past them, go inside, and pound a double shot, calming myself down. I pour another then join my brothers on the deck.
"You been down at Ashlyn's?" Carter asks.
"Yeah."
"Why are you pissed? She turn you down?" Carter jokes.
"She fucking better not have turned him down," Cade chastises.
"Oh, so now it's okay if they do it?" Carter asks.
"What? No. I meant he better not do anything for her to turn down."
Carter laughs. "Just fuckin' with ya, bro."
Their banter makes me laugh.
"That's better," Carter says. "Now, tell us what's up."
"Ashlyn can be--difficult," I say, hoping maybe they will help me. I fucking need help. I am in way over my head with this chick.
"How so?" Carter asks with a smirk, hitting Cade on the arm. "I love when they're difficult. Makes it much more satisfying when they finally go down."
"She better not have gone down," Cade says to me, his eyes all squinty and big brotherly.
If he only knew.
"I heard Carter took her to Vegas not that long ago. Why was that okay?" I ask, because I really need to know.
"I asked him to cheer her up," Cade admits.
"He told me I couldn't fuck around with her either. Too bad. She's freaking hot. If it weren't for Cade, it would have had the makings of a fun weekend."
The fire I felt before is raging inside me again. I want to pick my brother up and pound him for even thinking about her like that.
Fuckkkkkkkk.
I drain my glass instead.
"So we need to talk business," Cade says. "I had one of my guys do some research. Turns out that Ashlyn's lease is up. It's been up for almost five months. She's strictly month to month."
"But her manager told her that she can't move because of a lease."
"He's lying to her. I also found out that it's owned by a friend of his, she's paying way over market value, and more than likely he's getting that overage as a kickback each month."
"Are you kidding me? Can he do that?"
"Legally, he absolutely can collect a finder's fee. Is it ethical in my opinion? Hell, no. I also found out why he keeps pushing her toward that Sci-Fi movie. He's got a side deal. If she takes the role, they are going to name him as a producer. She didn't love the script, but was leaning toward it over the other deal because her manager is so passionate about it."
Carter has been sitting back and listening. "Ashlyn is a good person and she doesn't deserve the publicity she's been getting," he says. "She needs to get rid of the entourage. They are dragging her down and taking advantage of her." He turns to me. "Cash, you need to talk to her about this."
"I don't want to tell her. That Cade's job."
Cade leans back and studies me. "No, I think Carter is right. This will be a good learning experience for you."
"And what the hell am I supposed to learn? How to piss off a client? You know this will affect her. Maybe we should wait until she's done with the movie. Tell her then." Not to mention the fact that this will devastate her emotionally. Again. And I'm not sure she can take it.
Or, maybe I'm afraid we can't take it.
"No," Carter says. "What you're learning is that not everyone is ethical. Your job is to help protect your client, so they can do their job. If the manager is doing this, there's a pretty good chance he's not being ethical in other ways. And if I remember right, she told me her manager handles all her money."
"Yes, he does," Cade says. "She needs to close her accounts, so he has no access. If he finds out we know, he may become desperate. And no one wants a desperate person having access to their money."
"Okay. Shit. Do you think I should go tell her tonight?"
"Why don't you wait until morning. Think about how best to tell her then call me as soon as you do." Cade polishes off his drink, sets his glass down and says, "On that note. I better get going."
After he leaves, Carter comes back out on the deck. "Okay, tell me what's going on."
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you look like you wanted to kill me when I mentioned having fun with her in Vegas?"
I shake my head and lie. "I don't know what you're talking about. How much have you had to drink tonight?"
"Cash, are you falling for her?"
I run my hand through my hair and sigh. "Don't be silly."
He stares at me.
"Fuck. Fine. There's something about her. I just feel bad for her." Yes, that's it. Focus on the girly shit. Not the sex. "She's been through a lot and she's really a nice girl. She kind of reminds me of sis." Oh god, did I just say that? Nothing about Ashlyn reminds me of my sister. At all. "I tried to do something nice for her tonight and it backfired."
"Cade said you went house hunting."
"Yeah, she was sad she didn't find one she loved."
"The right one will come along. The question is: why are you being so nice to her?"
"Because it's my job."
"Keep telling yourself that," he says. "I'm gonna hit the hay."
"Wait! Why did you say that?"
"Because when you came in the house after meeting her for the first time on the beach, if I hadn't known better, I would have guessed you'd already fucked her."
I lower my eyes to hide my surprise. How the hell does he know that?
When I regain my composure, I say, "Chloe told me you said we had off-the-charts chemistry."
"You do. That's why I think you came up here so pissed off. Not being able to sleep with her is driving you nuts. Maybe I need to take you out on the town. Get you laid."
"Uh, no. I, uh, have to be on set early."
"Shit, it's worse than I thought. You've got it bad."
"Shut the fuck up," I reply, flipping him off as I head to bed.
The first thing I do when I shut my door is grab my computer and look up something. Something I didn't even think about when I drunkenly threw down my fake ID in Vegas. Something I hope won't get me disbarred.
I enjoyed almost all of my law school classes, except for the ones relating to family law. I knew it was something I would never practice, so I memorized it and tried to forget it. Little did I know that I would actually need it.
I search a database about legal marriages, wondering if we committed fraud because we lied about who we are. I'm also wondering if lying about our names means our marriage isn't legal.
What I find isn't good. There is a Nevada statute that states, "Any person who shall make a false statement in procuring a marriage license with reference to any matter required by NRS 122.040 and 122.050 to be stated under oath shall be guilty of a gross misdemeanor."
I close my computer.
I don't want to read any more.
Something Serious
Ashlyn
My bad mood
comes back as soon as I wake up. I'm tired because I didn't sleep worth a shit, so I skip my jog on the beach.
I opt, instead, to take a long, hot bath.
But I can't be in a bathtub anymore without thinking of him.
Damn him.
I push him out of my thoughts and try to clear my mind.
I wake up with a start. Visions of Sexy pulling me out of the tub and laying me across the ottoman on our wedding night are fresh in my thoughts.
So much for relaxing.
I get out of the tub and get myself ready for work. But before I leave, I open the safe and slide the ring on my finger.
Just to stare at it for a minute.
On the way to the studio, I get a text from my manager, Bart.
Bart: I haven't heard from you. Everything going okay on set?
Me: Yes. What's your opinion of Brandi?
Bart: She works hard for you.
Me: By screwing Luke?
Bart: I think you should talk to Luke. He feels really bad. Says the tape was stolen from his house and he had nothing to do with it. Told me he wants to apologize to you. Honestly, I think you two should get back together.
Me: Are you serious?
Bart: There's something sexy about a woman standing by her man. Your fans would love it.
Me: He released a sex tape of us. You're nuts if you think I'm ever going to speak to him again. Also, I need to know how much longer I have on the lease. I want to move.
Bart: At least six months, I think. I'll have to look it up to be sure.
Sexy is in my dressing room when I come back after a long set of takes.
"You can't just come in here whenever you want. You work for Cade, not for me. So get the hell out."
He grabs my hands and holds them tight, looking deep into my eyes.
When he looks at me like this I can barely breathe, because it's like he sees right through me. But then his look changes to something grim.
He's going to break up with me.
Right now.
He's going to tell me after the way I behaved last night he wants a divorce.
I'm a dyslexic lover. I can't decide if I love him or hate him.
Actually, that's not true. I know I love him. And I hate him because of it.
"I looked at your schedule and you have a two-hour break." He holds up a take-out bag. "So, I brought in lunch. We need to talk about something. Something serious."
"It's fine. Just give me the divorce papers and I'll sign them," I huff out. I don't want to hear him say it.
"I think that's what got you into trouble in the first place," he says, causing me to become confused.
"What?"
He leads me over to my couch and starts taking food out of the bag. "Cade has mentioned his concerns about your manager and your publicist."
"Oh, uh, yeah. But they have been with me since I started. I owe them a lot."
"Actually, Ash, you don't. They don't work for free, so you've already paid them for what they have done."
"Well, I suppose your right," I say tentatively, taking a big bite of the juicy, fully loaded burger he got me. "This is so good."
"Tell me again what your manager told you about your lease."
"He said that I can't buy a house until my lease is up."
"When is it up?"
"He told me this morning he thought about six more months."
"He's lying to you. Your lease was up four months ago. We also learned that you've been paying quite a bit above market value and your manager is taking a large finder's fee each month. That's legal, but not ethical."
"He's what? Are you fucking kidding me? He lied to me about my house?" I clutch my chest. This is the last straw. I can take a lot. I can. But not this. A house is the only thing I've asked for. I reach for my phone, ready to call the bastard and fire him.
Cash grabs my hand. "What are you doing?"
"I'm calling him and firing him this minute!"
"You can't. Cade and I think you need to take action quickly, but there are some things you need to do before that."
"Like what?"
"He has access to your financial accounts, correct?"
"Yes." It sinks in. "Shit. Do you think he's taking money?"
"We don't know but, if you fire him, you definitely don't want him to still have access. I considered just having you call the bank to revoke his access, but I think it would be better to just close your accounts and start over."
I put my hands on top of my head. I cannot deal with this. I look up at the ceiling and wonder what the hell else is going to happen to me. Haven't I been a good girl? Well, a mostly good girl?
"I'll help you. It's going to be okay."
I look into his eyes and somehow know he's right. I smile at him. "Thank you for helping me with this. Your brother recommended someone to handle my finances a while ago. I think it's someone who maybe handles his money?"
"Yeah, Matt Anthony. Great guy. We've known his family forever. What I love about him is how he talks to you about life goals. He's not just a financial planner, he's sort of a life planner. He helps you make financial decisions based on the kind of life you want to live."
"He sounds amazing."
"He also uses multiple accounting firms depending on your needs. You have to have that separation. I heard your accountant is a friend of your manager."
"Yeah. God, I'm dumb, aren't I?"
"You're trusting. It's a good character trait, but in business you have to be a little more cautious. You also need to be hands on. Take an interest in your future. Are you okay with Matt coming to talk to you now?"
"Right now?"
"Yes," he says seriously.
"Okay then." If he wants to help me fix it so fast, he and Cade must be really concerned. "What else haven't you told me?"
"You know how your manager wants you to take the Sci-Fi role and how he's been trying desperately to convince you?"
"Yeah. He already convinced me. I was going to tell Cade this week."
"Did he tell you what he gets out of it?"
"Well, he'll earn his normal ten percent."
"Actually, they are so desperate for your star power that they offered him a producer role. He'll not only earn a percentage off what you make, but will receive his own contract as well. Not to mention the credit."
I slump in my seat, feeling defeated, when there's a knock at the door.
Cade walks in and introduces me to Matt Anthony. We have a long conversation about what I want out of life. My financial goals. My revenue stream. Then we open new money market accounts and move all my money out of the bank and into them. Since my investments were through a separate national financial firm and my manager's name isn't on it, we don't have to worry about them. But they do, so they send signed and notarized documents stating that Bart should under no circumstances be allowed to access my accounts. Ever.
If I'm going to do this, I might as well go all in. "Cash told me that I only need to give a thirty-day notice to get out of my lease. I'd really like to buy a house. That's my biggest goal, besides getting all this straightened out. My manager told me that I should keep leasing because it was a tax write off, but now I don't know what to believe."
"Ashlyn," Matt says, "there are plenty of tax benefits to purchasing a home, but it's not just about that. The money you're spending on leasing is just like throwing away money. You're basically renting and aren't gaining wealth. Granted the market has been a little crazy nationally, but typically a home is a good investment. And, since you are in the public eye, I think the right location could be very good for you mentally. Like we discussed earlier, when we make decisions about your future, we want to balance what makes you happy as well as what makes sense financially."
I nod. I'm so overwhelmed. Cash bumps his shoulder into mine and gives me a reassuring smile. It gives me the confidence to continue.
"I'd also like to suggest we do a full audit of the accounts your manager had access to. Before y
ou buy him out of his contract."
"Do you think he was taking money?"
"There are some transactions that look a bit suspect."
"Shit. I'm so dumb."
"You're trusting," Cash counters. "And you're busy. But this is your money and you are ultimately responsible for it."
"And if we're going to work together," Matt says, "we'll have a monthly call to go over your income and expenses. We want everything fully above board. So tell me when you want to buy a house."
"As soon as I can find the right one."
"And how long do you intend on living there?"
I glance at Cash and think the rest of my life, but I can't say that. "I'm not sure, exactly."
"I don't need exact, but are you thinking it's a house you'd like to stay in for a couple years or more like ten?"
"I'd like to stay forever in the right house. I don't really have any idea what I should spend though."
"What about furnishings?"
"I only have my cars and clothes. Everything else came with the house."
"Let me go back to my office and get a clear picture of your finances, then I'll be able to make a suggestion on what I think you would be comfortable spending." Matt writes his cell number on the back of a business card and hands it to me as he's leaving. "Anything you need, you call me."
While Cade shakes Matt's hand and ushers him out, Cash gives my knee a little squeeze. "I'm proud of you," he whispers.
"You are?" I ask gratefully. I don't think anyone has ever told me that. I certainly never heard my mom say it. I look at the ground, overcome with emotion.
He pushes my chin up and looks deep into my eyes. "Yes, I am."
"So," Cade says, reminding me that he's still here. "We have a few more things to take care of."
"This is a nightmare," I say.
"It's not a nightmare yet," he replies, pulling a file out of his briefcase. "These are documents that will cancel your contracts with both your publicist and manager."
I look at the documents and sigh. I know I need to do this. I know it's what's best for me, but I feel bad.
Cade looks at me expectantly, but I hesitate.
"It's understandable that this would be hard for you," Cash says, somehow knowing what I'm thinking. "They've been with you from the beginning. When we talked about it earlier, you wanted to call and fire him immediately."