“Oh god, Ashton, this isn’t you. It’s the alcohol talking.”
I pouted at him and trailed a finger over his lips. “What? You don’t love your boy anymore because he’s had a tiny drink? You’re my Daddy. You have to be there for me. Maybe we should order dinner? What do you think?”
“I think you should go home.” He placed the bottle and wineglass on the table and rose to his feet, automatically pulling me to mine as well. “It’s no use talking to you when you’re like this. You need to sleep this off, and when you’re sober, then we can talk about this.”
My heart skipped a beat. There was no trace of humor in his eyes.
“Are you going to break up with me?”
“You knew the rules,” he said softly.
My eyes widened, and I trembled. I couldn’t lose him. Not another person I loved.
“I’m sorry. I’ll do better.”
“Let’s get you home.”
I nodded. “Okay, but when we’re home, you’re going to spank me and make me a good boy again. You’ll make me feel better, won’t you, Daddy?”
He didn’t answer, just took my arm and led me from the dining area. He was walking fast, and my legs didn’t want to cooperate with my brain. With a frustrated growl, Daddy Callum swept me off my feet right there in the middle of the restaurant.
It was so romantic the way my big strong Daddy was able to carry me. I wrapped one hand around his neck and outstretched the other, waving at the people we passed.
“I feel like Princess Di.” I giggled, then threw kisses at the people staring at us.
“Is something wrong?” somebody asked. I turned my head and observed the woman wringing her hands anxiously. I knew her, but I couldn’t remember her name for the life of me.
“Mr. Keyes isn’t feeling well, and I need to get him home,” Callum explained.
“I understand, sir. Hope he feels better soon.”
“Oh, I feel quite peachy, darling!” I threw at her over Callum’s shoulder as he headed for the lobby.
At least that was what I thought I’d said. The idea that I might’ve said something else sent me into a gale of giggles.
“Jesus, Ashton.” Callum muttered so low under his breath I doubted he expected me to hear. “Why did you have to go fuck everything up?”
Once we were outside in the night air, he snapped at the valet to bring his damn car. When the man hurried to do his bidding, Daddy Callum released me to stand.
“How did you get here?” he asked.
“Rue brought me.”
“Speaking of the devil,” he mumbled, then started walking with purposeful strides. “Why did you take him here in this condition?” he snapped at someone. “I’m beginning to seriously question your judgment.”
I peered around to find out who Daddy was giving a tongue-lashing. Rue’s face was bright red.
“I’m sure you’re aware he can be quite persistent.”
“You brought him to the restaurant drunk!”
“It was all I could do, or he would’ve sneaked out of the house and taken a cab in this state. Now, which do you think is the lesser evil?”
“Take him home and ensure he stays there,” Daddy Callum told Rue.
“I thought you’d keep him at your place. His mother—”
“I didn’t sign up for this. I already told him I don’t need this complication. You have to take him home.”
Why did Daddy Callum want to get rid of me? I gazed up at him sadly.
“I’m sorry.”
“You need to go home” was all he said.
“Come along, Master Ashton,” Rue said, and before I could protest, I was transferred to Rue. I didn’t have the strength to dig my heels in. I glanced back at Daddy Callum, whose face was so stony.
“I’ll get help.” I tried one last time to get him to take me home instead. “Daddy, please don’t send me away.”
“Come on, Master Ashton. Don’t get so worked up. You can worry about all this tomorrow.”
Rue bundled me into the back seat of the car and started the engine. I only had eyes for Daddy Callum, who stood staring at the car, his hands balled up at his side. He really wasn’t dressed properly for a fancy restaurant, but he still looked so damn good.
My Daddy. Mine.
“You just stay there for a minute, sir,” Rue said. “I need to have a last word with that man.”
“Don’t let him break up with me, Rue.”
“Just stay put.”
Like where was I going? I could barely move. The alcohol was starting to weigh heavily on me. I felt so damn hot.
I watched the valet hand over Daddy Callum’s keys, but before he could get in, Rue approached him, and they exchanged words with Rue pointing at the car.
I yanked at the buttons of my shirt. I’d ditched my jacket earlier at the party, but sweat beaded my skin.
With a curse, I grabbed the back of both seats before me and heaved myself forward. I practically fell between the seats onto the console. My head rammed into the dashboard, pressed something I probably shouldn’t have touched. I blinked at the pain in my forehead and waited a few seconds for it to recede. Then I pulled myself into Rue’s seat.
“Where’s the damn A/C button?” I narrowed my eyes at the letters swimming in front of me. God, was I drunk. Daddy Callum wouldn’t want anything to do with me again.
Tears filled my eyes, but I finally found the A/C button. I activated it, then turned, putting my foot down to boost myself through the seats to the back. My foot hit something, and I lost my balance. I reached out to steady myself, but disoriented as I was, I landed hard on the gear shift, my hand moving the lever.
The car lurched forward while I clutched to the seat. It all happened so quickly I could only grab onto the seat. What the hell had I done? A loud crash rang out. My body hurtled forward from the powerful impact of the car slamming into something hard. The airbag inflated, knocking me backward with such force I pressed into the seat, vaguely hearing the alarm blaring.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Callum
Shaken, I covered my face with my hands and propped my elbows on my knees as I waited for the doctor to examine Ashton. I still had no idea what had happened except Ashton crashing the car into one wall of the restaurant. Had he done it deliberately, or was it just an accident? My chest hurt just thinking about the former. That this might’ve been an attempt to end his life.
Normally, I wouldn’t have thought Ashton capable of such a thing. He was beautiful and stronger than he looked with a vulnerability that trapped me to him. But he was drunk. Alcohol affects your good judgment, and anything was possible.
“Fuck,” I muttered, rubbing at my temple.
I felt responsible for Ashton and what had happened tonight. I’d overreacted and not dealt with his situation properly. Seeing Ashton drunk, behaving so irresponsibly, had set me off, pushed forth memories I wanted to forget.
How did I end up here again? This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was equipped to avoid this mess now. To learn from my previous relationship and spot boys like Ashton from a mile away.
Who was I kidding? I’d seen him, but it seemed I’d been on a destructive streak regardless, latching on to boys who were too complex for me to handle. Being a Daddy to Ashton wasn’t going to solve his drinking problems. I’d been there and tried that with Mario. All I got for it were the medical bills I was still paying.
“Is he okay?” Rue took the seat beside me.
I sat back in the chair, trying not to let my inner turmoil show. Nobody needed to know how terrified I was for Ashton. Of how my stomach was all knotted up inside that I might very well get sick right there in the waiting room.
“The doctor is in with him.” I glanced at the man. His brows were furrowed, and the lines on his face stood out more tonight under the harsh brightness of the hospital lights.
“This is all my fault,” he groaned. “You were right. I should’ve kept him home. I just had no idea he’d do
something like this. Now everyone is going to think he tried to commit suicide again.”
“Again?” I couldn’t contain my shock. I wasn’t so certain anymore what to think.
“It was supposedly a prank when he was fourteen. His father quickly straightened him out on why that’s a shitty prank to play on someone.”
“So, you think this wasn’t an accident?”
“I want to say it was an accident, but I just don’t know. “
The slump in the man’s shoulders explained everything. He was feeling as hopeless as I did, and as a Daddy, I didn’t know what to do with these emotions. I was supposed to be in control. I was supposed to guide Ashton, help him to make better choices, but how could I win against his addiction?
“You know, I’ve been his driver since he was a little boy,” Rue said, his voice wistful. “He had such a vivacious spirit. He was always laughing, so happy. “
“What happened?”
“He was spoiled rotten.” He heaved a sigh that seemed to be weighing him down. “They indulged him in everything he wanted and even things he never wanted. The Keyeses were always wealthy, you see, but their position shifted in the business community, making them the top dog. Not just here but in the entire state. His father became busy. His mother was very hands-on in the business as well. Missed birthdays were made up for with expensive things. Dinner alone apologized for with expensive trips. Ashton Keyes never had the guidance and discipline he needed to manage being such a willful child.”
My heart skipped a beat at his story. Discipline. I’d tried to establish that from day one, but maybe it was already too late for him. I wished Rue hadn’t told me all this. Everything was much more complicated.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because that boy will never admit how the neglect he experienced ruined the bright future he had. And because you need to know where this is all coming from. That he’s not just this way without a reason. It’s his way of coping, and it’s only gotten worse since his father’s and brother’s death. Because you can help him.”
“He doesn’t need me to get through his addiction. He needs to get with a program, find himself a sponsor.”
“Why can’t you be his sponsor? You care about him. Love him.”
I couldn’t deny it, now could I? “We’re involved. I can’t be his sponsor. It’s too much of a conflict of interest.”
“How so? You want him to get better, don’t you?”
“Recovering from alcohol addiction is a lifetime process, Rue. A lifetime.”
He rose to his feet, his posture straight and stiff. ”I see. He’s just a plaything for a short while for you, then? I thought you were better than all the other men he’s been with.”
“You’re misinterpreting me.” But I wasn’t sure I had the strength or words enough to express my thoughts clearly. Alcohol recovery wasn’t an overnight thing. The road to sobriety lasted every second, every minute, every hour, every day for the rest of his life. I knew the statistics. I knew how many truly stayed the course and the majority that returned right back to the bottle after a few weeks, a few months, even years.
No program could boast a lifetime guarantee. It was something he’d have to work at avoiding day by day for the rest of his life.
Mario had sucked the life out of me when he was in the same situation. He’d given me whiplash from good sober days to twice as many drunken stupors and blights.
Before I could answer Rue, the doctor who’d seen to Ashton entered the waiting room. I rose to my feet to greet him.
“How is he?” Rue and I asked at the same time.
“He’ll be fine,” the doctor replied with a smile. “There’s no sign of a concussion, and we’ve flushed the alcohol from his system. He’s sober and ready to go. I’d recommend someone get him into a program ASAP to dry out.”
“Thanks, Doctor.”
“I’ll call a cab and take him home,” Rue said as the doctor walked away.
“I’ll take him.”
I inhaled deeply at the words that came out of my mouth. What the hell was I doing? I needed to forget about Ashton Keyes. Forget how pretty his eyes were, forget about the refreshing tinkling sound of his laughter.
“You will?”
The driver looked at me in expectation. I nodded and, without a word, turned to collect Ashton.
“I hope to hell you know exactly what you’re doing,” I muttered to myself. I didn’t have the slightest clue at all.
I found Ashton sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, his legs dangling to the floor. When I entered the room, he glanced up, but his gaze quickly flickered away. A nasty bruise was forming on his forehead, where he’d bumped the dashboard, but the rest of him seemed to be okay, though a bit disheveled.
His legs swung faster, and his hands clutched the sheets.
“Look at me.”
He shook his head and stared down at the floor, his shoulders slumped.
“Come on, Pretty Eyes, look at Daddy.”
A sob tore from his throat, and tears rolled down his face. He swiped at them hard with his hands, digging his palms into his flesh.
Without a word, I stepped in front of him and pulled his face into my chest. Shudders racked his body. They rippled through him with violent force, and I rubbed his back in soothing circles.
“It’s going to be okay, baby.”
Lies. All lies. I didn’t know if he was going to be okay, if we were going to be okay, but I couldn’t stand to see him hurting and not do anything about it.
He shook his head against my chest. “No, it’s not. I broke your rules. Your hard limits. Now you’re going to end our relationship. I know it. Please don’t give up on us, Daddy. I have nothing but you.”
I closed my eyes tightly against the panic that clawed at my throat, shutting out the voice that was demanding me to get out now. You still have time. But how could I leave? Here I was in a relationship with a boy worth millions, and yet he had nothing.
“Shh, baby, I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“But I’m not okay. I crashed a car into my own restaurant.”
“It was an accident.” I hoped like hell it was.
“Everyone is going to think I did it on purpose,” he said. “If I weren’t drunk, I wouldn’t have made a mess of things. I swear I didn’t know my foot was on the gas. I was just looking for a boost to the back seat, and I slipped. I’m not sure what I hit exactly.”
Well, that was something at least.
I brushed over his hair. “You know what you have to do, don’t you?”
“I’ll do the AA. I don’t want to lose you.”
“You’ll do it for you.”
“I don’t know if I’m worth it, but you definitely are.”
I loathed him speaking like he was of little worth. I remembered Rue’s words about the neglect he’d experienced in his life.
“I’m going to show you how worthy you are if it’s the last thing I do, Ashton Keyes.”
He smiled weakly at me. Then his eyes went dark, and his face fell. “My mother had a party to announce a new foundation in honor of my father and brother.”
Now I understood better what had triggered him to drink. “You miss them, don’t you?”
“More than you could ever imagine.”
I felt the defeat in the slump of his body against me, and I was sucked in. Despite the rules, despite my hard limits, I couldn’t push Ashton away. Not when he was this vulnerable. I couldn’t be responsible for someone else going off the deep end because of me.
“Let’s get you home.”
The ride back to the apartment was in complete silence. Ashton fell asleep, curled up against the door. Every so often, I glanced at him just to reassure myself he was fine. He’d be okay. I’d be more involved in what he was doing and check up on him more. Working with Mario had been different. I hadn’t known what to do with him, but I could learn from those mistakes and help Ashton not to meet the same fate.
; The coffee shop was already locked up for the night, and I was relieved. I couldn’t deal with Phil’s questions right now. From the several missed calls on my phone, I assumed he’d heard about the incident. Apparently, when someone as important as Ashton crashed his driver’s car into his own restaurant filled with diners, the story was big enough to already be making the rounds.
Thankfully, no one had been hurt. The wall wasn’t even seriously damaged, but we hadn’t been able to get Ashton out of the car before people had streamed out of the restaurant, a few snapping photos of the scene.
I helped Ashton up the stairs to my apartment, and when we were inside, I took him straight to the bathroom. We didn’t speak. I could feel his gaze on me, but I avoided his eyes while I led him into the shower and washed his body. He was clammy with sweat and alcohol.
As I dried him off, slivers of memories interfered with the presence. Me cleaning up after Mario. Making him coffee or plying him with food to combat the effects of drinking. Picking up after him after the tantrums he’d throw while drunk. Throwing out expensive paintings he’d destroyed, replacing the frame for the one picture I had of me and my mother together.
I’d sworn to myself I’d never go through this again with anyone else. That I’d rather be alone for the rest of my life, but here I was again, and I felt just as powerless to walk away. Even more so this time.
After I tucked him into bed, I sat beside him. He placed a hand into my lap, and I sensed his immense sadness, but I had to make him understand.
“You can stay the night,” I said, my voice gravelly. “I want to be able to keep an eye on you for now.”
“And tomorrow?” The words were said in a whisper.
“Two years ago, I was an influential person on Wall Street.” I hoped he’d understand. “I was never as rich as you, of course, but I lived a good life. Parties. Mingling with the wealthy. Then I met someone, Mario, and he changed my life forever.”
When I paused, I expected him to say something, but he didn’t. His hand just tightened on my thigh as he waited for me to continue.
“He was beautiful and full of energy.” I recalled the first time I met Mario and immediately being attracted to him. “I fell hard and fast. The short of it is that he was an alcoholic and I was blind to it. Things got bad, really bad. We had explosive fights. Lots of shit got broken, including our relationship. He’d swear to change, and I’d forgive him, but it never stopped. Maybe a week or two and we were back at it again. It was toxic.”
Spoiled Page 19