Conceited Concierge: A Hero Club Novel

by Renea Porter

  “I can’t leave you hanging without a replacement. I’ll tell you what. I’ll borrow your truck while I go get a new car and then I’ll have it returned to you.”

  “Levi, I’m telling you to go fight for your woman. She’s more important than sticking around here being miserable the whole time. Plus, we don’t even have a lot of guests right now. You can keep my truck however long you need.”

  I stood, and Bud followed. I reached out and shook Bud’s hand. With a pat on my back he said, “Go, son.”

  “Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Bud. Give Sheryl my best. I’m going to get out of here first thing in the morning.”

  “Good luck, son.”

  I offered a smile and headed off to my room. I had to pack my stuff and be ready to head out first thing. Thankfully, Bud was generous enough to offer his truck, but I could never take it for a long period of time because I wasn’t sure where I was headed or how long I’d be gone.

  Pulling my laptop on the bed, I settled in to see what the local auto dealers had that wasn’t a piece of shit and decently priced. Looked like that money my father left me would come in handy even though I wasn’t planning on touching it until I absolutely needed to. But it looked like that occasion came a lot sooner than I anticipated.

  ***

  “I’ll take it,” I told a car salesman once I settled on a Toyota Camry. It was gonna cost me an arm and a leg, but I got all the bells and whistles with it. I also knew those cars lasted forever as long as I took care of it.

  Figured if I was gonna be traveling, I needed something nice. “Is there any chance you can return this truck to its owner? I’ll throw in some extra cash.”

  “You got it, sir.”

  After signing papers and grabbing keys to my new car, I headed to my lawyer’s office. There was no reason the paperwork wouldn’t be ready by now. The paperwork for the car took two hours as it was.

  Arriving at my lawyer’s office, his secretary greeted me. “Hello, Mr. Bateman. Mr. Youngblood will see you. You can head on back.”

  I was familiar with his office. I’d been there on a number of occasions when it came to my job. But he wasn’t doing a good job getting me that divorce.

  “Levi.” He stood to shake my hand.

  “Bryce.”

  “Have a seat.”

  “I can’t stay long. I need that paperwork so I can get on the road.”

  “Of course. Here is your divorce paperwork.”

  “Was there a reason this wasn’t resolved before?”

  “I think she’s afraid she won’t be able to stay in the states if she divorces you.”

  I took the envelope with the papers inside. “Well, maybe money can be of some motivation then.” It was my only hope.

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks. I’m gonna need it.”

  “See ya.”

  “Email me the bill and I’ll pay you.”

  I stood, shook Bryce’s hand, and went on my merry way.

  I got in my new trusty car, put my divorce papers in the glove box for safe keeping, and headed to the bank. I needed to pull some money out, and hoped it would be enough.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  LEVI

  “Good afternoon,” a teller said as I approached.

  “Hi. I need to pull a large sum of money out of my account.” I passed her a withdrawal slip.

  “That is a rather large sum,” she explained. “I need to get one of our executives to help you.”

  “Of course.”

  Once available, an executive approached me. “My name is Connor and I’ll be helping you.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  He motioned for me to sit in his corner office. “I understand you want to pull a large sum of money out.”

  “I do. I’m going to be doing some traveling and to my understanding, my father left me some money that I wasn’t able to access until now. “

  Connor straightened his tie. “Of course, Mr. Bateman. I will be glad to get it ready for you. Anything over ten grand I will need to report it to the Internal Revenue Service.”

  “Absolutely,” I agreed.

  “Please give me one moment. Would you like that in cash, sir?”

  “Can I have it split into two cashier checks?”

  “Of course.”

  I patiently waited for Connor to come back with my money. It seemed like it was taking forever and I was getting impatient. But ten minutes later, he reappeared.

  “All right. One hundred thousand dollars. Here’s half on this check and the other half on this check.”

  “Thank you so much.” I tucked the checks in a safe place in my suit jacket. “Is there a way you can tell me my remaining balance?”

  He punched a few keys on his keyboard and glanced at his computer. “Your remaining balance is four hundred and sixty thousand dollars.”

  “My father left me over half a million dollars?” I was stunned it was that much. That much money caused me to be concerned for my younger brother. Would he spend it all on drugs and alcohol? It was something to discuss with my mother.

  “Yes, sir. The additional six thousand is interest it has gained over the years.”

  “Okay. Thank you.” I stood and held my hand out to shake his.

  “We hope you continue doing business with us.”

  “I will. Thank you.” I smiled and headed out.

  ***

  I knew I was on a time crunch, but I decided to stop and see my mom before heading to Las Vegas later tonight. It had been awhile since we had seen each other. I wanted to see for myself how she was doing because she always said she was fine.

  Her place was in Barstow, which was almost the halfway point to Las Vegas. I hoped she would be excited for this surprise visit since I didn’t tell her I was coming. Two hours later, I pulled into her driveway and got out to knock on the door. This wasn’t my childhood home. Mom had downsized when my brother and I moved out.

  Mom answered. Speechless, she pulled me into her for a hug. “Oh my goodness,” she cried. Her glasses dug into my shoulder but I was smiling at her reaction. When she pulled away, she stepped back to give me a look over.

  “We were sitting down to have dinner. Looks like you need some meat on them bones.”

  “We?”

  “Yes. Come in. Come in. Meet James. We’ve been dating over a year now.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “I wasn’t sure if it was serious. But looks like he’s sticking around.”

  She took my hand and led me to the kitchen.

  “James, this is my son Levi. He’s my oldest.”

  James stood from the table and shook my hand. “It’s really nice to meet you,” he said. Even his eyes smiled when he did.

  “It’s nice to meet you. What are your intentions with my mother?” I was half-joking.

  “Come on and sit, boys,” Mom instructed. “I made my famous spaghetti and meatballs.”

  I was protective over my mother. And I wanted to know what his intentions were.

  She took our plates and piled the food on. “How long are you in town for?”

  “Only for the day. I gotta leave tonight.”

  “Great. It will give you time to get to know each other.”

  Once the food was in front of us, the conversation flowed between us. James seemed like a nice guy as far as I could tell. I explained my situation to them and they offered the same advice Bud gave me.

  “I hope I get to meet Rylee one day,” Mom said.

  “I hope so, too, Mom.”

  After dinner, James asked if he could talk to me. “Let’s step out onto the porch.”

  We sat in chairs on the porch. “I wanted to talk to you because you asked about my intentions with your mom.”

  “Yes. I’m protective of her. She doesn’t have anyone looking out for her. And I worry about her as she gets older.”

  “That’s completely understandable. I would be the same way. Back when we first started dati
ng, she told me the difficulty she had working long hours and that your younger brother isn’t coping well to this day. I promise you, I will never hurt your mother. I love her very very much. She’s a wonderful lady. And I consider myself lucky she gave me a chance.”

  “Yeah, because she hasn’t dated in years.”

  “I know. But since you’re here and you are the oldest, I would like your permission to ask your mom to marry me.”

  I was shocked. “She seems very happy with you. And as long as you treat her right and always do the right thing, you have my permission. You seem like a nice guy, James. Don’t make me regret giving you my blessing.”

  He smiled wide. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I won’t disappoint you or her.”

  “Good.”

  We stood to shake hands and headed back inside.

  ***

  It was late in the evening when I stood from the couch. “Well, it’s time for me to go. Maybe I can stop by if I head back this way.”

  “I’m so happy you came today. It was so nice to catch up. Now you go get that divorce and go back to that woman of yours.”

  I smiled. “I will, Mom.”

  She walked me to door. “Drive safe.”

  “I will. Love you.”

  She waved. “Love you, too.”

  James put his arm around my mom’s shoulder and waved.

  I could tell they were in love. And Mom deserved to be happy.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  RYLEE

  I hadn’t seen Levi in two days. Either he was making himself scarce, which I highly doubted, or he left. And if he left, I wondered if he would be coming back. Did I push him away enough to cause him to leave me alone for good?

  I was so confused by the whole ordeal. Time was something I definitely needed. But I wasn’t sure I could ever trust Levi again. It would be hard to start all over with everything we had shared and been through together. I couldn’t believe I was so stupid to think this could work between us. He was immature and not taking care of what should have already been done in the first place.

  Now that I thought about it, I was kind of glad not to see Levi first thing in the morning or even throughout the day. I swallowed a hard lump, thinking what my life would look like if he weren’t in it. I was sure I could move on. It would be hard, but I could do it. It had been done before. It was one of those things where some people come into your life for a minute and some for a lifetime. I wasn’t quite sure where Levi would fall. Only time would tell.

  “We keep going at this rate, we’ll be done in a week or sooner,” Amber told me as we put some finishing touches on one of the last rooms.

  “Yes. We work well as a team. I should have had you out here a lot sooner.”

  “Well, I appreciate the opportunity to help finish the project.”

  “You have really stepped up and proven yourself. I’m proud of you.”

  “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

  Amber had worked for the company every summer while she was in college. After her graduation, she began working full-time. But we were slowly getting her accustomed to the business since it was a lot of work.

  “Want to go for a drink after this?” she asked.

  “I think I’m just gonna grab some food to go and head to my hotel in town.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “Yep. I’ll be here.”

  I was on my way out when I stepped in Sheryl’s office. “Knock, Knock.”

  “Hey, Rylee. Come on in and have a seat,” she motioned with a wide smile.

  “I was coming by to let you know, we should be done within the week. Will you be planning a grand opening?”

  “First, I want to say how much you have transformed this place. It’s so much more magical and inviting. I appreciate all you’ve done.”

  “Thank you. I enjoyed it. Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “Where’s Levi?”

  “Oh. Bud told me he went out of town for a few days. Something about needing to sort something out. Is there something between you two?”

  “There was. I decided to take a few steps back after we had a fight.”

  “Okay. I noticed how he looked at you and I know that look,” Sheryl beamed.

  “What look?”

  “The look of a man absolutely in love. I know he adored you, too. I don’t know what happened and it’s none of my business, but if you can work it out, I would.”

  “Thanks for your advice.”

  “Anytime. Also, I’ll be planning a grand opening in about a month or so.”

  “I’ll try to be here for it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  LEVI

  I was in the center of Las Vegas. I booked myself a hotel room for one night. After taking a shower, I dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a baby blue button-down shirt. I even had my nicer dress shoes on. After some searching on the internet, I knew exactly where to find Kathrena. She was a feature performer at one of the most prestigious clubs in the area. You couldn’t just walk in and attend. So, I called up and made a reservation for myself, asking for a private show from their lead girl.

  Thank fuck it was on a Thursday. Otherwise I might not have gotten that reservation. Looking in the mirror one final time before heading out, I figured Kathrena would not deny me that divorce. I had the divorce papers with me, a wad of cash, and those two checks were tucked into my suit jacket in case I needed them.

  When eleven o’clock rolled around, I made my way to Diamonds. Inside, there was a bevy of beautiful women. I could definitely see why Kathrena was the feature woman. Walking up to the clerk, I explained who I was and who I was there to see. However, I might have used a different name when I reserved my spot.

  “Right this way.” The woman led me to a private room.

  “Kathrena will be here shortly. Can I get you a drink?”

  “Sure. I’ll take a scotch, neat.”

  “Coming right up.”

  I enjoyed the ambiance, and the music thumped through the whole club. Kathrena came in after my drink was served. She stopped in her tracks and paused as soon as she saw me. “Levi.”

  “Kathrena.” I patted the empty spot next to me on the couch.

  “What are you doing here?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “First thing is first. I want you to sign the divorce papers.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Why not? How long are you gonna be able to strip for? I’m prepared to offer you fifty thousand dollars as well. So, you are well compensated.”

  “I can make that in a month working here.”

  “You can make it in one night right now.”

  Her eyebrows rose as if she was considering it. There was no way this was gonna be this easy.

  “I have the papers, a pen, and the money.” I flashed the cashier’s check. “Don’t you want to fall in love with someone else, and have a family of your own? You won’t be able to do that if you are still married to me.” I was doing everything I could to convince her.

  “I’ll sign if you spend the night with me.” She crossed her legs and moved closer and was trying her best to flirt with me.

  “One hundred thousand dollars and sign the papers. Take it or leave it.”

  I was prepared and I didn’t want to mess around. I held a pen out for her to take it and I took one check out of my pocket.

  “Are you sure you don’t want one last ride, Levi?” Her mouth was close to mine.

  “I’m sure, Kathrena. I’m making you a generous offer and we can wipe this slate clean.”

  “Where’d you get the money?”

  “It’s an inheritance from my father. And no, I am not giving you more money. It’s this or nothing.”

  She snatched the pen from my hand. “Fine. We have a deal.”

  I tried my best not to show how happy I was she was agreeing to these terms. I watched as she signed the papers and then I handed her the
checks.

  I stood to straighten my jacket. “I will have my lawyer send you a copy.”

  She stood, almost matching me in height. She was a beautiful woman, with legs that went on forever, long brunette hair, and she had the perfect body. But we were not a match that was meant to be.

  “It was a pleasure doing business with you.” She offered her hand, and I shook it. Before leaving, I pushed some cash in her hand.

  “Thank you. Stick around and check the girls out if you want.”

  She walked away, and I made my way to the clerk.

  “I’ll give a thousand dollars if you let me use your fax machine.” I flashed her the cash.

  “Honey, all you had to do was ask.” She winked. But she still took the money. “Right this way, honey.”

  I followed her into an office. “Fax machine is there.” She pointed and waited at the door. “What was so important that something needs faxed?”

  I made eye contact with her. “I was married to Kathrena. I came here to have her sign divorce papers.”

  “Lucky woman,” she commented. She tilted her head. “What’s your name, sugar?”

  “Levi. Levi Bateman.”

  “Ah. I know that name. Kathrena has talked fondly of you.”

  “She has?” I was surprised to hear that.

  “Says you were the one that got away.”

  “She said that?”

  “She did. But she also knew she couldn’t be domesticated. Not at that time. She’s our best girl.”

  “Now that, I do know.”

  We shared a laugh as I faxed the papers. “I was faxing the divorce papers to my lawyer so he’d get them first thing in the morning.” I knew the originals would have to be delivered as well, but whatever could be done to expedite the process, I would do it.

  “I bet you are doing this for a special lady.” She motioned with her finger.

  I couldn’t help the smile that spread on my face. “That obvious?”

  “Written all over that handsome face of yours.”

  “You would be right. I fucked up and didn’t tell her I was still married. And she ran away from me.”