Rhett

by E. L. Todd

  A minute later, Dad walked inside without even knocking. “Hey, Aspen. Hope you aren’t busy.”

  Like it would matter if I were.

  John came in behind him, wearing a similar suit to the one I last saw him in.

  “How can I help you, gentlemen?” I kept my cool.

  Dad put his hands in his pockets. “John told me he’s been having a hard time getting a hold of you.”

  I looked at John, silently telling him I absolutely loathed him, and then looked at my father again. “I’m very busy. You know that, Dad.”

  “Well, you don’t look busy now.” He turned to John. “Take a seat.”

  “Thank you, sir.” John shook his hand.

  Dad took it then walked out.

  A father shouldn’t shake hands with the man who left his daughter and humiliated her. When would my father understand the meaning of family and loyalty? Never?

  Dad shut the door, leaving us alone.

  Palpable tension filled the air. I seriously considered picking up my keyboard and beating him with it. My anger didn’t come from the betrayal he caused me. It was the fact he was in my office, ruining my happiness with Rhett. If he kept this up, I wouldn’t be able to hide it from Rhett anymore. And that would ruin what we had.

  He sat down in the chair facing my desk then adjusted his tie.

  I stared at him, waiting for him to speak. If I spoke first, I would only scream.

  He turned his blue eyes on me. “How are you?” he asked casually.

  Was this a joke? “How do you think?” I said coldly.

  He looked away for a moment before he turned to me. “I want to apologize—”

  “John, I’m over it.” I didn’t want to hear the rest of his sentence. “I’m madly in love with the man of my dreams, and I’m grateful you left me for Isabella. I hope you two have a happy life together—truly. Now you can leave.”

  He adjusted his tie again, clearly nervous. “I hate the way she treats you. I can’t stand it, actually.”

  “It shows,” I said sarcastically.

  “I never said you were bad in bed and…whatever else she said. She’s just spinning that to get a rise out of you.”

  “Honestly, I don’t care.” I just wanted him to leave so I could go back to being happy. “Bad in bed or great in bed, I don’t lose any sleep over it. I’m over our relationship and never think about it. If you came here to absolve your guilt, consider your endeavor successful. I’m okay. Are we done now?”

  He played with his watch. “You hate me.” His voice came out quiet.

  “No, I’m indifferent.”

  “That’s worse.” He sat still and rested his arms on the chair.

  I rested my hands on the desk and tried to think of a way to end this conversation as quickly as possible.

  “What happened with Isabella and I…it was just lust. It happened once and then it happened again—”

  “I couldn’t care less, John. You don’t need to explain anything.” I kept my voice calm even though it was difficult.

  “She and I…it’s not like it used to be. Now I see the way she treats you and other people and I can’t stand it.” He shook his head. “I don’t think I can go through with it.”

  Through with what? The wedding? I didn’t ask.

  “I know you said you’re with this guy—”

  “Rhett,” I snapped. “He has a name.”

  “Rhett,” he said. “But…I was hoping that we could try again.” He pleaded with me with his eyes.

  What the hell was going on? “Let me get this straight…” I felt my voice rise. “You cheat on me with her then leave me. And now you’re trying to get back together with me, effectively cheating on her, and you want to leave her? You’re the biggest piece of shit I’ve ever met, and remember who my father is. You still beat him by a landslide.”

  He looked down, almost ashamed.

  “You’re a terrible person.” My eyes were cold and my voice was full of venom. “How can you do this to her? To me?”

  He stared at his hands in his lap.

  “Let me make this clear. I’m in love with Rhett and I’m going to marry him—someday. There’s never a possibility of you and I. Leave my office and never show your face again.” I stood up then opened the door. “Now.”

  He sighed then rose to his feet. He gave me a final look before he walked out. “I made a mistake and I won’t make it again. I would never cheat on you again.”

  “Oh.” I touched my chest in a gesture of emotion. “That’s so sweet. You won’t cheat on me again? Wow…I feel so special.” I dropped my fake smile then grabbed him by the arm and shoved him out.

  Then I slammed the door in his face.

  13

  Rhett

  Losing my parents at such a young age was difficult. The worst part was I hardly remembered them. Some memories came into my mind but they were always vague. I recalled more than Chase but it still wasn’t enough. But whether I remembered them or not, they left a void in my chest.

  I never noticed it until now—because Aspen filled it.

  She gave me the love I’d been missing, and she gave me joy no one else ever could. My life had become an image of pastel colors, all bright and mesmerizing. Every day was better than the last. She was mine and I was hers.

  I didn’t miss my bachelor life at all. Now that I’d experienced a loving relationship, I realized how lonely my old ways used to be. I wasn’t sure why men enjoyed it so much. It really wasn’t that great.

  I walked to work with a skip in my step, thinking about seeing Aspen tonight. I wanted to take her to dinner then ice cream. I wanted to smear whipped cream all over her body then lick it off. I wanted to lick chocolate sauce from the valley between her breasts. I got hard thinking about it.

  I entered the office then reached Danielle’s desk. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

  She gave me a skeptical smile. “Not that you get out much…too busy with Aspen.”

  “I wish I were busy with her now,” I said seriously. “So, you got a new client for me?”

  “Yeah.” She pushed the file toward me. “She wants to meet tomorrow at noon.”

  “Okay.” I didn’t even look inside the folder. “What’s her story?”

  “She said she wants to get revenge on a woman who stole her man.” She shrugged.

  “How would I help with that?”

  “I haven’t got a clue. But it’s easy money.”

  “True.”

  “Anything else, Rhett?”

  “Nope.” I rose to my feet. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Tell Aspen I said hi.”

  I winked. “I will.”

  “So, how’s she in bed?” Troy asked over lunch.

  I gave him an incredulous look.

  “That bad?”

  “No.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Just tell me,” he said. “I’m your best friend. You tell me about all the other girls.”

  “Battleship is different and you know it.”

  He grinned stupidly. “Do you call her that in bed? Battleship?” He laughed. “That would be a funny thing to say in bed.”

  “Aspen,” I answered. “It’s much sexier than Battleship.”

  “I beg to differ.” He drank his soda then belched loudly.

  “That’s hot,” I said sarcastically.

  “I’m surprised you aren’t tapping her right now.”

  “She’s at work,” I said sadly. “And then I’m meeting a new client in an hour.”

  “She doesn’t care about your profession at all?”

  I shook my head. “She said she trusts me. But she never asks me about it. So I think it does bother her, in a way.”

  “She might disapprove it as you become more serious.”

  “No,” I said. “She said she understood. Aspen would never make me quit my job. She knows I like it.”

  “Women can be controlling, dude.”

  “Not Aspen,” I said immediately. �
�I work my own hours, I make a great salary, and I help people. I told her how miserable I was working for that credit card company. She would never make me do something I hated.”

  “Give it time…” He ate a few fries then drank his soda again. “You want to hear me burp the alphabet?

  I gave him a serious look. “What do you think?”

  “Is that a yes? Okay, here I go.” He opened his mouth and burped, “A.”

  I raised my hand. “No, stop.” I waved away the stench of soda.

  “I can do other songs too,” he said. “Like Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake.”

  “How do you get laid?” I blurted.

  He pointed at his face. “Hello?”

  “Looks can only get you so far…”

  “I bet Battleship would like it.”

  Actually, she would. She would probably think it’s hilarious. The thought of her laughing as Troy burped a Justin Timberlake song made me smile against my will. “She would.”

  “I’ll do it for her next time I see her.”

  I shrugged. “Knock yourself out.”

  “Or I can teach you.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Maybe it’ll get her in the mood.”

  “Listening to me belch isn’t going to get her wet,” I said. “I already know how to do that.”

  “Do you fart Sexy Back?” he asked seriously.

  I looked at my watch. “I got to go. I can’t handle any more of you for the day.”

  Before I walked into the coffee shop, I pulled out the folder from my bag then flipped it open. I forgot to do my homework because I was too busy doing Aspen. I skimmed through it and found her name.

  Isabella.

  That was a weird coincidence. I walked inside then looked for the copy of her driver’s license. When I saw the face I recognized, I felt sick. It was her. It was the same Isabella.

  What the fuck?

  “Hello, Rhett.”

  I looked up to see Isabella staring at me, wearing jeans that were so low on her hips I thought her ass might pop out at any moment. Her low-cut shirt showed her cleavage but I didn’t look. “Danielle will give you a full refund. Goodbye.” There was no way in hell I was escorting Isabella, not when she treated my girl like shit.

  “Whoa…hold on.” She grabbed my arm.

  I twisted out of her grasp violently. “Don’t touch me.”

  She smiled and it just irritated me. “You shouldn’t walk away. There’s something I need to tell you, and it could ruin your career.”

  Ruin my career? “I love Aspen and nothing you say will change my mind.” She probably wanted to seduce me so I would cheat on Aspen. Good luck with that. I couldn’t get it up if I tried.

  She laughed. “You really should sit down and let me talk. Your life hangs in the balance.”

  I hated the fact her ploy was working. What was she talking about? What did she have hanging over my head?

  She moved to the table and sat down. “Take a seat.”

  Glaring at her the entire time, I sat across from her.

  “How’s it going?” she asked.

  “Cut to the chase. What do you want to say to me?”

  Her lips upturned in a smile. “Stern man…I like that.”

  I’ve never had the urge to hit a woman before but I seriously wanted to bash her face into the table. I never loathed someone I didn’t know, but I absolutely despised this woman.

  “Fine, I’ll get to the point since you’re such terrible company.”

  I stared at her blankly.

  “This is the deal.” Her flirty attitude disappeared and a serious one emerged. “I know Aspen is paying you to pretend to be her boyfriend.”

  “No, she’s not. I’m her boyfriend and I love her.”

  “Whatever,” she said. “I know she’s paying you, which is pathetic, by the way.”

  “And what are you doing now?” I said coldly.

  She ignored the jab. “You’re going to go to her father and tell him the truth, that she paid you to pretend to be seeing her. You will provide all the necessary documents and transactions to prove it’s true.”

  “I’ll never do that,” I said firmly. “I can’t be bought and I can’t be manipulated.”

  “We’ll see about that…”

  There was nothing this girl could do to change my mind.

  “It would be a shame if your business closed, putting six guys out of work.” She gave me an evil smile.

  Where was this going?

  “What would you do, Rhett? Where would you work?”

  Why was she drawing this out? I didn’t rise.

  “You will do this, Rhett. If you don’t, I will shut your company down.”

  “With what authority?” I asked. “I’m not breaking any laws.”

  “Prostitution is against the law. And you’ve already been sued once. You can be sued again.”

  She did her homework.

  “We haven’t had another incident since. And I didn’t sleep with Aspen until after I quit working for her. You have nothing on me.”

  “I don’t?” she asked in mock surprise. “I’m not so sure…”

  My heart started to palpitate.

  “All I have to do is check into a hotel tonight and say you were with me. I’ve already paid for five dates, and with my father’s money, I will run you into the ground. After a second offense, I doubt the court is going to be very sympathetic toward your plight.”

  I couldn’t believe this was happening. How could someone be so cruel? How could someone want to cause another person so much pain? “Why do you hate Aspen so much? What did she do to you?”

  “She never told you?”

  “No.”

  “That company is supposed to be mine.” Her eyes darkened in anger. “Aspen ran my father out because she said he was mentally unstable and making too many mistakes. She persuaded her father to cash him out of the company, ruining my chance of having it. That’s what she did.”

  “I can assure you, she didn’t intentionally try to hurt you. If you asked her father for a job, I’m sure he would give you one.”

  “A job, yes,” she said. “Not the CEO position. He’s going to give that to Aspen unless I intervene.”

  Everything was coming together. “You never wanted John. You just stole him to humiliate her.”

  “For a pretty boy, you’re awfully smart,” she said coldly. “And now I will destroy you. After that, her father will never look at her the same. And I can swoop in.”

  The weight of the situation crushed me. Isabella wanted revenge and she would do anything to get it. She was borderline crazy. I knew her threat wasn’t idle. She would do everything she could to sabotage the company I built on my own. She could rip it apart and even get me jail time if she had a good lawyer. This was some serious shit.

  “I suggest you head down to the office and tell him the truth. And your little business will be spared.” She gave me a victory smile, like she won the battle and the war.

  She obviously didn’t have enough evidence to prove Aspen hired me as an escort, so she needed me to bring the truth about. I was the key to her plan. “No.”

  She cocked an eyebrow, like she was shocked. “Excuse me?”

  “I’m not doing it.”

  “Do you think I’m bluffing?” she asked. “I will pull your feet from under you and I will not stop until I have every single piece of you. There will be no mercy. I will make it my purpose to destroy your life.”

  “I feel sorry for you,” I blurted. I wasn’t thinking when I spoke. It just came out. “I don’t care what you do to me. Take away my company and put me in jail for a year. It doesn’t matter. The only thing I care about is Aspen and you can’t take her away from me. Everything else is irrelevant.”

  She stared at me with cold eyes. The frustration shook her limbs.

  “Aspen deserves that company.” I rose to my feet. “And she’s going to get it.”

  I decided not to tell Aspen what happened with Isabella. If I did, I kne
w what Aspen would do. She would tell her father the truth and sacrifice everything she worked for to spare me. She would put me first.

  But I couldn’t let that happen.

  Beautiful Entourage was important to me. I didn’t just take girls on dates. I helped people. I formed friendships with people. What I did made a difference, no matter how odd it was. My friends and I loved our jobs, and I liked making a high salary. Who didn’t?

  But Aspen was more important. All she’d ever known was heartbreak. Her own family treated her like a nuisance. No one ever stood beside her and defended her. No one ever showed any loyalty. Well, I would stand beside her. They could do whatever they wanted to me. Aspen would remain untouched.

  She was passionate about that company, and she wanted to make the world a better place. The money meant nothing to her. If she could, she would stop using oil altogether and use all her resources for research into alternative fuels. Her position was far more important than mine. And she was more important than I ever would be. I would never bring her pain or hurt her—ever. I’d gladly go to jail instead of throwing her under the bus. She would wait for me to get out and we would be happy again.

  But it was difficult to pretend everything was fine when I was around her. For the next few days, she seemed to know something was on my mind. She was particularly quiet, like she was stressed about something.

  I sat across from her on the couch with Battleship in my lap. “F7.”

  Aspen stared at her board.

  I waited for her to say ‘hit’ or ‘miss’.

  Instead, she kept staring.

  Maybe she didn’t hear me. “F7.”

  A blank expression remained on her face.

  “Aspen?”

  She finally looked up. “Sorry, what?”

  “Are you okay? You seem distracted.”

  “Oh…” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Just work…a lot of stuff going on.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.

  “No, not really. What was your guess?”

  “F7.”

  “Miss.”

  I lay in bed beside her and stared out the window. The lights from the city glowed like they were on fire. Days had passed and I waited to be served any moment. Isabella would come after me. It was only a matter of time. She was probably getting her legal case together.