by Maggie Cole
She types quickly, and her eyes widen. "How much would you like to pay toward it?"
"The balance."
Her expression turns sympathetic. "Sir, it's almost one point two million dollars."
I pull out my wallet and put down my card. "Please run it in full."
She swallows hard. "The full amount?"
"Yes."
She quickly types, swipes my card in the machine, and surprise appears on her face when the approval pops up on the screen. A stack of papers print, and she grabs them. She pulls the bottom page out. "I assume you don't want to go over each charge?"
I shake my head. "No, ma'am."
She puts an X on a line. "Sign here, please."
I sign then give her my business card. "Please change the billing for Abby to me. Here's my information."
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you." I turn and go back to the eighth floor. I find the room Abby and Jasmine are in. The door is closed, but the curtain is open. It's dark, aside from a small, dim light. Jasmine lies on the bed. Abby is curled up asleep. Jasmine stares at the wall in front of her, wiping her face.
My heart beats harder as I watch them. Abby has to lose her fever for forty-eight hours to start the treatment. There isn't any way for me to make it happen. I'm not sure what to do to help Jasmine.
My mom appears at some point and puts her arm around me. "I heard you pissed some board members off."
I grunt. "That's why you're the one who deals with them and not me."
"You did good. And I'm still the nice one," she teases.
"Thank God for that," I mutter.
We stay silent for a while, watching through the glass.
"Have you talked to her?" my mom asks.
"No. She didn't tell me about Abby."
"Why do you think she didn't trust you with this information?"
I cringe as I focus on the ceiling. I finally admit, "I didn't show her the best side of me when we met."
"Ahh. I see."
"I've made a lot of stupid decisions in my life, but this one..." I shake my head, watching Jasmine kiss Abby's head. "I'm not sure how to make up for it."
My mom squeezes her arm around my waist. "Life is short. If anyone knows that, it's us. But Jasmine does, too. You have a good heart, but sometimes, your ego gets in the way. I suggest you grovel. It typically worked well when your father would do it."
More dread washes over me. "I don't think any amount of groveling will make what I did right."
My mom releases me. "Try it. I saw how she looked at you. You might be surprised." She kisses me on the cheek and leaves.
I don't move. At some point, Jasmine glances over at the glass and sees me. When she looks away, my heart rips again. But I don't leave. I stay there all night until Cee Cee comes and tells me she needs to talk to me with Dr. Plax.
10
Jasmine
Exhaustion sets in, and I fall asleep. When I wake up, the sun is shining into the room. Cee Cee sits next to the bed with coffee.
"What time is it?" I whisper, not wanting to wake Abby up.
"Seven. Abby's been fever-free for the last three hours."
I exhale in relief. She's not out of the woods. We've been down this road before where it dips then comes back with a vengeance. But all I can do is hope it doesn't spike again.
Cee Cee hands me the coffee, and I take a sip.
"A lot has happened while you've been asleep."
"Oh?"
She tries to hide a smirk. "Mr. Lickable is growing on me."
"Shh," I reprimand her and double-check Abby is asleep. "Don't call him that."
Her face and voice turn serious. "He did something, and the board agreed to let the treatments start now. If Abby stays fever free for forty-eight hours, Dr. Plax said he could administer it."
Chills run through my body. My chest tightens. "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"This is—" I shut my eyes. Panic crawls through me.
"What?" Cee Cee asks. "This is amazing."
"I don't have all the money." I set the coffee between the railing and my legs and put my hand over my face.
Cee Cee puts her arm around my shoulder. "It's already paid for. Colton took care of it. And not just the first treatment. All of them. Plus, he paid off your account."
I freeze. The blood drains from my face. "What?"
Cee Cee nods with a big smile. "All of it."
"It was over a million dollars," I whisper.
"Yes. He's been here the entire time. He won't leave. And his mom, too. She's really nice, by the way."
I gape at her.
She snorts. "You should see your face right now."
My thoughts are all over the place. Relief, gratitude, and also trepidation fill me. His regret over our arrangement seemed genuine at the fundraiser. But I can't fathom the amount of money he just paid. Surely, he's going to want something from me.
Am I going to have to be his whore now?
How many times do I have to sleep with him to pay him back?
Then I look at Abby and feel guilty. Whatever Colton wants from me to pay off my debt to him, I shouldn't worry about. The only thing that matters is her life. If he hadn't done what he did, then I wouldn't even be thinking about this.
It could be worse. At least I'm attracted to him.
I should feel grateful and fall to his feet in thanks.
I'm sure he'd love that.
Jeez, why am I even worrying about this right now?
"Mommy," Abby whispers.
I smile and stroke her cheek. "Hey, sweetie."
"I'm thirsty."
Cee Cee hands me a Styrofoam cup filled with ice water and a straw.
"Take a sip but go slow." I sit up and pull Abby with me.
She takes a few sips, and I kiss her bald head.
Cee Cee takes the cup back.
I ask Abby, "How do you feel?"
"Fine. Can we go home?"
"I need to speak with Dr. Plax."
Cee Cee rises. "Maribel is waiting to see Abby. Have her come back, and you talk with Dr. Plax."
I kiss Abby's head again and hug her. "I'll be back." I rise and go to the waiting room. Maribel and Caroline are playing a game of checkers. Colton is on his phone, in his day-old tux, still looking sexy as hell, pacing the room.
Maybe it won't be so bad being his prostitute.
What the hell am I saying?
At least he's the best kisser on the planet.
These thoughts aren't helping anything.
He sees me and hangs up. I turn away from him.
"Maribel, Abby's awake and wants to see you."
She jumps up. "Can we finish later?"
Caroline smiles and rises. She's still in her green dress from the night before. "Sure." She hugs me. It's warm and motherly. I haven't felt anything like it since before my mom died, and it catches me off guard. I return her hug. She puts her hands on my shoulders. "How are you holding up?"
It's a loaded question. I see in her eyes she understands everything I'm going through. I've seen it with other mothers I've gotten to know whose children have cancer. I don't give her my standard answer of "okay." Something tells me not to lie to her. "I feel like I'm a window that's had a baseball thrown through it. But I'm also one ball away before the glass shatters into millions of pieces."
Her sympathetic smile doesn't feel like some I've received. It's not full of pity. It's a level of compassion and knowledge that others don't have. They can't. They've not been in my shoes, but she has.
"I'll tell you a secret," she says.
"Please. Enlighten me." I attempt a smile.
"When the baseballs come flying, and the shards fly everywhere, it's okay to let others sweep them up." She leans closer. "Even if sometimes they're idiots and don't make the best decisions."
Oh God. Does she know what I agreed to do?
My face burns in embarrassment.
She hugs me again. "I'm going to go home for a few hours. I'll
be back later. Colton will give you my number. You call me if you need anything. Even if it's just to talk."
"Thank you."
She squeezes my hand, pats Colton on the shoulder, then mumbles something in his ear I can't hear. He takes a deep breath and comes over to me.
"Please tell me your mom doesn't know about—"
"She doesn't."
"But she said—"
"I told her I was the world's biggest idiot, did something incredibly stupid, and wasn't sure how you would ever forgive me. I didn't go into details, and she didn't pry."
I release a big breath. "Good. I really like your mom."
"She feels the same about you."
We stare in uncomfortable silence. He steps closer. "I wish I had known about Abby and what you were going through."
"Not something you tell someone when you're signing a contract to be a 'beck-and-call stripper,'" I sarcastically say.
His face hardens and turns red. "I can't tell you how much I hate myself for what I did."
"You don't have anything to be sorry for. I went to the club. I had a notion about what happened there. I agreed to your terms. I'm not innocent in all this, and honestly, if I had to do it again, I would. I didn't have any other options."
"I'm not judging you, Jasmine. I'm disappointed in myself. There's a reason I don't engage in the club activities. I saw you and lost my head. I'm sorry."
I try to calm my flutters down. No matter our history, I can't deny I like the fact he wanted me.
"We both made choices," I claim, giving him a pass.
We stare at each other.
I take a nervous breath. "Cee Cee told me what you did. I need to thank you. How do you want me to repay you?"
Shock registers on his face. His voice sounds insulted. "There's no repayment."
"It's a lot of money."
"Don't worry about it."
"I am. It's more than anything we discussed, and—"
"Jesus, Jasmine," he growls.
I jerk my head back.
He steps forward and firmly holds my cheeks. His blue eyes blaze into mine. His delicious scent overpowers me. "Do you not understand I don't care about the money?"
My insides quiver.
I force myself to ask, "Then what do you care about?"
"You. I care about you and making sure Abby gets whatever she needs. And I care about figuring out a way for you to forgive me and learn to trust me, since I didn't treat you how I should have."
"There isn't anything to forgive. I already told you there were two of us who made choices."
"Yes, there is. And this is all on me, Jasmine. Not you," he firmly states.
I glance at his lips. It's not intentional, but they're so close. I don't want to hate him or hold a grudge. He's already done more for me than I could ever imagine, and he's telling me he wants nothing in return.
He leans closer. Our lips are only an inch apart. "Give me a real chance."
"What does that mean?" I whisper.
"It means I'm going to be the man I should have been when I first laid eyes on you."
"I'm kind of a mess if you haven't noticed."
His lips twitch. He brushes them against mine. "I can handle messy."
I only nod a few times. His lips touch mine, and his tongue parts my mouth. His hand slides to the back of my head, fisting my hair. His other hand slides around me and palms my ass, tugging me closer to him until our bodies press together in perfection.
Heat and hunger ignite and build until my knees go weak and toes curl. I'm breathless when I hear someone clear their throat.
I spin, and Colton keeps his arms planted on my waist and body against mine.
"Dr. Plax!" My voice cracks.
He grins. "Jasmine. Colton. I checked on Abby, and things look promising to begin treatment."
I smile in relief. Colton tightens his arm around me, and I sink further into him. "Can we take her home, or does she need to stay?"
He glances at Colton.
"The nurse is on standby," Colton states.
"Nurse?"
Colton nods. "Dr. Plax said she could go home if she had a private nurse. It's all arranged."
"Colton—"
He puts his finger over my lips. "Abby will be more comfortable at home. Cee Cee agreed."
"Okay. Thank you."
He pecks me on the lips and winks.
"I'll have the nurse get her discharge papers ready. She has the details for the first treatment. Assuming Abby's fever doesn't return, I'll see you in a few days."
"Thank you so much."
"Yes, thank you," Colton says.
"Of course." Dr. Plax squeezes my shoulder and leaves.
I turn to Colton. "That's very generous of you to hire a private nurse."
"There's only one catch."
"What?"
"The company the nurse works for is a franchise. They don't go to Queens. But Dr. Plax said they're the best. And the nurse I hired, he knows personally. She worked for years in this unit."
My heart pounds harder. "But, I live in Queens."
"I guess it's good I have a Christmas tree, game room, and movie theater. I think Abby will like it."
"You want us to stay with you? In your house?"
His lips turn up. "Yep. I even have a legit popcorn machine. And Cee Cee and Maribel can come stay, too, if you want."
"Seriously?"
He shrugs. "I have six bedrooms. No one has ever slept in them."
"You want the four of us to take over your house?"
He chuckles. "Sure. Why not?"
I stare at him, as if he's crazy.
"If it makes it easier to decide, Maribel and Cee Cee voted to come stay."
"They already know?"
"It kind of came up in conversation. My mom will probably come over, too. She, Cee Cee, and Maribel hit it off."
"I don't want you to feel obligated—"
He dips down and kisses me again. He murmurs in my ear, "If you come stay with me, I'm going to have a hard time keeping my hands off you. My bedroom is optional. And I'm officially firing you."
My pulse increases. I never thought I would be happy to be fired. "If you're sure you—"
He kisses me again. "You should learn I don't do anything I don't want to do. So tell me you'll stay, and let's get Abby out of here."
I finally agree. "All right."
He puts his arm around my shoulder, kisses the top of my head, and we go back to Abby's room.
I've never introduced any man to Abby. I've not dated anyone since Troy. My stomach flutters when we walk inside.
"Mommy, can we go home?" she says when I get to her bed.
"Soon, sweetie. Umm..."
"Who are you?" she asks.
Colton chuckles. "I'm your mommy's friend, Colton."
She tilts her head and smiles. "You dress fancy."
I laugh. "Colton was with me last night at an event."
"For work?"
Oh, crap. I told her I was going to work.
Colton clears his throat. "Yes. Your mommy was helping me raise money. Do you want to know what for?"
She nods. "Yes."
Colton holds out his hand. "Let me show you something."
She takes it, and he leads her to the window. He crouches down and points. "Do you see the grassy area and big orange sign?"
"Yes."
"Well, your mommy, my mommy, and I were raising money last night to build a new hospital for kids."
"Ones who are sick like me?"
He smiles. "Yeah. What do you think about it?"
"Will it be better than here?"
"Yes."
"That's cool. Can I go home now?"
"You could, but I heard you like popcorn and movies. Is that true?"
"Yes."
"I have a movie theater in my house. I thought you and your mommy, Cee Cee, and Maribel might want to have a sleepover at my place. What do you think?"
Her eyes light up. "Mommy! Can
we?"
I nod. "Sure."
She turns back to Colton. "What movie can we watch?"
"Tell you what. When we get to my place, I'll show you all your options, and you can pick. How does that sound?"
She grins. "Okay!"
"Sounds like a deal. Should we fist-bump on it?" He holds out his hand.
She bumps it, and he rises.
The nurse comes in, and I sign a bunch of forms.
"Colton, can my dolls come to your house?"
He smiles. "You can bring anything you want. As long as your mommy's okay with it."
"Why don't Maribel and I go to the house and pack bags?" Cee Cee suggests.
"I'll have my driver take you after he drops Jasmine, Abby, and me off," Colton says.
"Great. Jasmine, can I talk to you for a minute in private?" Cee Cee asks.
"Sure."
We step into the hall. "What's wrong? Colton said you thought it was a good idea to go to his house."
Her lips twitch. "I think it's a great idea. Better than sitting around our place, waiting for every minute to pass."
"Okay. What's wrong, then?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to know where the lingerie from La Perla was."
"Why?"
She smirks. "I think you should wear it tonight."
11
Jasmine
Caroline kisses Abby's cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow. Get some sleep."
"I'll walk you outside to the car, Mom," Colton says.
We've spent all day watching Christmas movies, playing games, and baking cookies and other holiday desserts. Caroline brought over construction paper. She cut them into strips so Abby and Maribel could make a chain. She also brought needles and thread. Colton made a ridiculous amount of popcorn. Caroline taught Abby and Maribel how to string it then they added everything they created to the tree.
"Okay, Abby. Time for bed."
"Mommy," she whines.
"Nope. You need your rest. Let's go."
"Get sleep so we can have more fun tomorrow," Caroline tells her.
Abby dramatically sighs. "Okay."
I take her to the guest room. Colton put her stuff in it earlier. All her dolls, favorite blanket, and a few outfits are there. She's already in her pajamas. After she goes to the bathroom, I slide next to her in the queen-size bed.
She snuggles into me. "I like it here."
I smile and stroke her head. "I do, too."