Nightclub Sins: A Billionaire Romance Series

by Michelle Love

  If I went back to Portland, I might be able to find her apartment building again. I had no idea what her address was, but I wasn’t opposed to knocking on every door until I found hers.

  Suddenly I had a plan, a real plan to find her.

  I got up, and Shanna looked at me in surprise. “Where’re you going now, Nixon?”

  “Back to Mom and Dad’s. I know it’s noisy there and chaotic with all the nieces and nephews running around, but I need to visit them. You want a ride to your parents’ place?”

  She got up to come with me. After shaking hands with my old friends and wishing them well, we left, and I dropped Shanna off. I couldn’t help but feel excited about what I’d be doing as soon as we got back to L.A., and my plan began to get more and more detailed as the night went on.

  Thanksgiving Day

  The next afternoon Dad and I sat in the backyard, watching all the kids play. He opened the Yeti ice chest I’d bought him just that morning when we went shopping. He’d filled it up with beer and took a couple out, tossing one to me.

  I popped the top on it and took a nice long drink. The cold brew felt good going down my parched throat. Although it was the end of November, the temperature hovered around ninety that day—pretty hot for Thanksgiving. I didn’t miss the South Texas heat one tiny bit.

  “So, how’s it going out west, son?” Dad asked me, then took a drink of his beer.

  “Great.” I put the bottle of beer between my legs to hold it steady as a football sailed in my direction. Catching it, I tossed it back to my oldest nephew.

  “Any girls you like out there?” Dad asked me.

  “One,” I found myself saying. “But she’s playing hard to get.”

  “You’re not used to that, are you, son?” He winked at me.

  “Not at all. But I’ve got a plan now.” I smiled then took another drink.

  Tomorrow I’d start that little plan, and soon I’d have that sexy vixen right where I wanted her.

  Chapter 10

  Katana

  Thanksgiving Day

  I had never felt worse than I did on Thanksgiving as I waited for my turkey pot pie to cook in the oven. Normally I’d just nuke the thing, but it being a holiday that was celebrated with turkey, I gave it a bit more love and put it in the oven.

  An acrid taste had plagued my mouth for over an hour, so I gave up trying to use water to get rid of it and went to brush my teeth again. While in the restroom, I noticed the unopened box of birth control pills that were sitting on the vanity. I hadn’t taken any in weeks, since my stomach had been giving me fits. But something compelled me to pick up the box and look at it.

  When I opened it, I began to count how many I’d taken out of it. There’d been fourteen pills I knew I hadn’t taken. And those were there. There were three missing, but before those three there was a week’s worth that I hadn’t taken.

  My heart stopped. I’d forgotten to take my pills during that crazy week. The week right before I was with Nix.

  I dropped to my knees, which had suddenly gone weak, and looked up. “Lord, please don’t let this be what I think it is.”

  Shaking, I got up and went into my bedroom to grab my purse and car keys. The smell of the turkey pot pie had me going to turn the oven off before leaving the pie behind and going to go to the store.

  As I drove around town, I found most places were closed for the holiday, but I did manage to find a convenience store and was lucky enough to find a pregnancy test.

  When I took it to the checkout, the clerk scanned it then asked, “Congratulations?”

  A shake of my head told her that was not the case. Not at all. I couldn’t speak—I thought I might just burst into tears if I tried. I quickly grabbed my purchase and went back home.

  There were two sticks in the package, and I took one and headed to the bathroom. Once all set and ready to go, I found I couldn’t. I was dry as a bone.

  Back I went to the kitchen to drink copious amounts of water. My stomach felt like it was floating in deep water, yet I still couldn’t pee. I guess my nerves had shut things down.

  Digging through my purse, I found the business card Nixon had given me. I just stared at it for the longest time. “I’m so sorry, Nix. I didn’t do this on purpose.”

  If I am pregnant, should I tell him about it?

  Did he have to know? He’d made sure to ask me about birth control before we ever did a thing and I had told him I’d taken care of it. I hadn’t meant to lie about it—I thought I had been telling the truth.

  That damn busy as hell week was to blame for this!

  I sat at the kitchen table, my head in my hands as I stared at the card on the table, his name staring a hole in me. Nixon Slaughter, my baby’s father’s name.

  I shook my head back and forth—I had to stop thinking like that. I couldn’t hold him accountable for this. I couldn’t do that to the man. He didn’t deserve that.

  What did he deserve?

  Did he deserve to know if he was going to be a father? Did he deserve the right to make his own decision about what part he wanted or didn’t want to play in his child’s life?

  I knew the answer to those questions. I wasn’t without morals. I had never known my father. My mother had often said she had no idea who it was. Being a bastard child wasn’t a thing I’d want for my son or daughter.

  But I was getting ahead of myself. I had to take the test before I could totally freak out—though I was pretty sure I already knew what the result would be.

  I would tell Nix if the test came back positive. I wasn’t heartless. But I wouldn’t ask him for a thing. He could do for the child whatever he wanted. He could see it or not. Whatever he wanted.

  All of this was my fault, and I’d carry the burden alone if I had to.

  My phone rang, jerking me back to reality. Blyss’s name popped up on my screen, and I answered it, my voice shaky. “Hello, Blyss. Happy Thanksgiving.”

  “You sound bad. What’s wrong, Katana?” She knew me better than most people did.

  “Oh, nothing,” I lied. “How are the kids enjoying their yummy Thanksgiving dinner?”

  “They hate it. No kid likes a meal that’s half vegetable-based sides. Troy made a homemade pepperoni pizza for them. He’s the best dad ever,” she gushed. “But enough about us, how about you? What are you doing to celebrate this day?”

  God, I couldn’t tell her I was going to maybe eat a pot pie that came out of a box—and that was the best I could expect of my night at this point. I couldn’t tell her that it all depended on the results of the pregnancy test, because I knew I wouldn’t have an appetite if it was positive.

  “Oh, not much,” I finally said. “Just working.”

  “Please tell me you and a couple of friends went to eat somewhere. Please tell me you’re just coming in from a fun time and are now chilling because you’re so full,” she begged me.

  Oh, how I wish I could tell her those things. “I wanted to stay in. I haven’t felt well in a couple of weeks. I think I have a bug or something,” I told her. That was the truth after all. I had thought that up until a short time ago.

  “No one gets a bug for a few weeks,” she griped at me. “You need to go to the doctor as soon as possible. Is there a non-emergency care facility open near you today? You should go today if possible. That’s much too long to be sick, Katana.”

  She might be right. I certainly would go see someone if the test came back negative—and I guess I’d be going to the doctor if it came back positive, too. “I’m not sure if there is anything open other than the emergency room at the hospital. I don’t think this constitutes an emergency. I don’t always feel bad. I’m tired all the time and have no appetite. I’ve made myself eat little bits here and there, but sometimes it comes back up.”

  “Are you drinking water?” she asked. “Because you need to drink lots of it. Even if it just comes back up, you need to keep drinking it. And you said this has been going on for a couple of weeks?”

&nbs
p; “Yes.” I didn’t want to tell her about it, but I’d lost five pounds in the week following Halloween, and I’d lost five more in last five days. My ribs were beginning to show, as were my hipbones.

  Then she gave me some helpful advice. “You need to get those drinks that elderly people drink to keep their nutrients up.”

  “Oh, I forgot about those things. My foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Baker, used to drink those. I recall liking them when I tasted them once. I got in trouble for doing that, but at least I know I like them.” Sitting back, I put my hand on my stomach, as if I would even be able to feel a tiny little embryo at that point if I was preggo.

  I wasn’t a kid. At twenty-four, I felt mature enough to have a child. Things would work great with my job, so I could stay home to raise him or her. There wasn’t much to fear. Except having to do it all alone.

  Would Nix want to be there for the baby? Would he want to be there for me?

  “You should go out and buy some of those right away. If you’ve been sick that long I bet you’re losing weight, aren’t you?” Blyss asked with a knowing tone in her voice.

  “A little. I promise I’ll pick some up. And I’ll go to the doctor.” I would do that, one way or the other. If I was knocked up, then I’d have to, and if not, then I’d have to see what the hell was wrong with me. It couldn’t just be depression.

  I wasn’t sure if I even had depression. The only thing I was kind of sad about was Nix. I missed him every single day. But I knew time would take care of that. I couldn’t be feeling this bad over missing him. Could I?

  And if it was that, then what could I do about it? Call him?

  I’d told him I wouldn’t be doing that. I’d signed a contract stating that I’d never try to contact anyone I encountered at the club.

  But the club was no more, as were all the contracts in their system, right? And did the contract really matter if he wanted to hear from me too? He hadn’t seemed opposed to the idea when we’d parted ways.

  I made a pact with myself—if I wasn’t pregnant, I’d go to the doctor. If they couldn’t find a thing wrong with me, I’d give Nix a call and see if he wanted to come for a visit. Maybe I’d test the relationship waters with him if I found out he missed me the way I had missed him.

  There were so many variables though.

  The urge to pee hit me suddenly, and I hurried to the bathroom. “Okay, Blyss, I’ll do everything you told me. I’ve gotta get off here now. Love you. Happy Thanksgiving. Bye.” I ended the call before she said a word as I was about to bust.

  The three bottles of water all seemed to be ready to come out at the same time. The stream I let loose easily covered the little stick and I placed it on a washcloth next to the sink.

  The next three minutes went by like three whole days. I covered my eyes the whole time until the timer on my cell went off, telling me I could look now.

  Moving my fingers apart, I snuck a peek at the stick.

  “Oh, shit!”

  Chapter 11

  Nixon

  The day after Thanksgiving Shanna and I left early to get back to the L.A. grind. Only I wasn’t going to be staying in L.A long, or going home at all. No, I was going to Portland to search for Katana Reeves.

  Shanna and I lived miles apart, so she took a cab back to her place, and I acted as if I was waiting for my driver to come pick me up. I wasn’t; I’d already told the pilot to take an hour off, then I’d be ready to head to Portland.

  Chilling in one of the lounges at LAX, I was sipping on some Scotch. At only a bit past noon, I knew it was a bit on the early side to be drinking alcohol, but my nerves had been stirred up. I had to do something to soothe them.

  My cell beeped, letting me know a text had come in. I didn’t recognize the number but opened the message anyway.

  Nix, it’s Katana Reeves, from Portland. I don’t know if you remember me at all, but I need to talk to you. Can you call me when you get a chance?

  Why would she think I wouldn’t remember her? Shit, it hadn’t been a month since we’d been together. I wasted no time calling her. Her voice was soft as she answered. “Nix?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. How’ve you been?” I ran my finger around the top of my glass, picturing her lovely face in my mind.

  “Okay. And you?”

  “Same. It’s funny you sent me that message. I grew tired of waiting for you to call, so I’m sitting at the airport right now, waiting for my pilot to finish his break so he can take me your way,” I told her and hoped she was going to be cool with that.

  “Really?” she asked, sounding as if she didn’t quite believe that.

  I held up the phone and asked the bartender. “Hey, buddy, can you verify where I am right now?”

  “LAX,” he said without hesitation.

  “See,” I said. “I just got back from visiting my family in Texas, and all I could think about was getting to Portland to find you.”

  She let out a heavy sigh, as if she were holding her breath. “That’s good to know. I’ve got a lot to talk to you about. When do you think you’ll get here?” she asked and I heard her voice crack a little.

  “A couple of hours. I’ll be at the Heathman. I can send someone to get you and bring you over.” I took another drink and waited to see what she’d say.

  “I can’t do what we did before,” she mumbled.

  My heart fell. I definitely wanted to do what we’d done before. But I didn’t ask why. “Okay. That’s fine. I just want to see you.” I also wanted to find out what had taken her so damn long to contact me. “If I’d had the forethought to get your number, I’d have called you a long time ago. That was my mistake.” I hesitated then went for it, “I’ve missed you, Katana.”

  “I’ve missed you, too,” she said, and it made me sigh. She’d missed me! “To be honest, I’ve thought about calling you often. The contract had me holding back. But then I finally realized only yesterday that the contract probably doesn’t matter now that the club is closed It’s nice to hear that you missed me.”

  I saw my pilot walking past the lounge toward the gate he’d parked the jet at. “Hey, I see my pilot. I’m going to see if we can take off now. I’ll call you as soon as I get there.”

  “K, bye,” she said, then hung up.

  I hurried to catch up to Bernie, the pilot. “Hey, Bernie, wait up.”

  He stopped and turned to look at me. “Yes, sir.”

  I caught up with him. “Are you doing anything? I mean, I’m ready to take off if you don’t have anything else to do.”

  “No, we can go. The plane’s been fueled up. Can I ask how long we’ll be in Portland, sir? My wife is wondering how long I’ll be gone this time.”

  “You can come right back if you want. I can just call you when I’m ready to come back. It’s not like it’s that far.” I clapped him on the back, and we started walking to the jet. “How long have you been married?”

  “Ten years,” he said. “We’ve got three kids.”

  “Kids, wow.” I shook my head. “I’ve never even thought about having kids. My sisters and brothers all do. I come from an enormous family. Mom and Dad had six of us. I’m the oldest and I’ve just never found anyone I’ve wanted to settle down with. Tell me how you knew your wife was the one for you, Bernie.”

  “She and I clicked right from the beginning. I mean, we had a small stretch of time there where it was a little awkward, but we fell into step with each other pretty quickly. And I’d never felt about anyone else the way I felt about her. For me, it was a no-brainer. Married that girl as fast as I could.”

  We stepped onto the plane, and I went to my seat while he went to the cockpit. “Thanks, Bernie.”

  “You sweet on someone, sir?” he asked me then winked at me. “Maybe someone in Portland?”

  “Maybe,” I said with a chuckle. “And Bernie, do me a huge favor and stop calling me sir. Hell, you’re older than I am. It’s Nixon, okay?”

  “Copy that, Nixon. Buckle up now.”

  I napped
all the way to Portland. Just knowing I’d get to see Katana allowed me to have one of the calmest sleeps I’d had in a month. It wasn’t until I relaxed back in that seat that I realized how pent up I’d actually been.

  When I got off the plane, I called Katana to let her know that I’d landed and was hiring a car to pick her up. But she told me she’d drive her own car over to meet me. I just needed to let her know when I had a room, and she’d come.

  The fact that she didn’t want to be without her car had me a little on edge. But then again, I couldn’t expect her to be at my beck and call just because I was in town.

  Once I’d gotten all checked in and up to my room, I called her, and she said she was heading my way. As I waited, I began to get nervous and thoughts crept into my head that I hadn’t considered in my excitement. What in the hell could she possibly want to talk about?

  I mean, I knew what I wanted, and that was another go at her. But I didn’t necessarily have anything I wanted to discuss with her. She had said we couldn’t do what we did last time, and that we needed to talk. So what could it be about?

  Had she caught an STD and wanted to blame me?

  I knew I was clean. Or maybe now I wasn’t.

  Shit!

  A knock came at the door, and I walked over to open it, unsure how I’d react to seeing her with my current thoughts clouding my mind.

  But when I saw her again, my mind went quiet, and my heart sped up.

  Wearing some jeans and a light sweater with a pair of black flats, Katana stood there, looking at me. Her blue eyes ran up and down me. I’d worn jeans and a T-shirt and had kicked off my shoes as soon as had I gotten into the room.

  We just stood there, our eyes feasting on each other, until a flurry of movement broke the stillness. I grabbed her, pulling her inside and straight into my arms. Pinning her to the door, my mouth crashed down on hers, and I couldn’t get enough of her.

  Clothes ripped as we pulled them off each other, and before either of us knew what the hell was happening, we were both naked. She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I plowed into her soft, hot cunt as we groaned with relief.