by Shealy James
When the next day passed without any contact from my parents, I began to think they weren’t going to interfere in my new life. I knew better than to get my hopes up, though. My parents didn’t let anything go. They were just lying in wait until the opportunity to ruin my life presented itself. Little did I know that storm was brewing, and my feelings for Maverick would be the catalyst to set it all in motion.
Chapter Thirteen
“Katherine, these articles are just what we needed. Do you know how many comments we receive from your articles alone? I’m thinking we need to offer you a full-time writing position,” my editor quickly said when she called to give me another assignment. Usually we conversed by email, but she made the effort to call me this time. I couldn’t help but hope for a possibility like a full-time position.
Getting this position might mean I wouldn’t be forced to crawl back to Dick after the month was up. I began to wonder if I could figure out how to live on my own without his help. I didn’t want to give Maverick up in just over a week when my dad came to take my keys away. I would do almost anything to keep my new life, even if the only family I had wasn’t part of it. Maverick was part of the new Katherine, and this was the happiest I had ever been.
“A full-time position? Really?” I clarified with Sue.
“You interested?”
“Absolutely!”
“Great,” she said. “Come to the office Monday around nine, and we’ll get it all worked out. This will be great for both of us, Katherine.” Her last statement was the encouragement I needed to continue on this path. Who needed Dick and his money when I had people like Sue and Maverick behind me? Katherine Peters didn’t need Dick. That was for damn sure. Wait…That came out all wrong.
“Thank you, Sue,” I said before she let me go to get back to work. Once I hung up the phone, I threw on a sweater, grabbed my bag, and headed down the street to see the one person who would share in my excitement. The bar was just opening for the Saturday night crowd, so it was practically empty. Dee was behind the bar rinsing glasses while Moby stood placing money in the register.
“Hey, Dee,” I said as I approached the bar. “Is he here?”
“Office,” she said without looking up. In all the time I had spent at the bar, Double Dee still hadn’t warmed up to me. Perhaps I should have stopped calling her Double Dee, even if it was only in my head. I told myself to stop worrying and shrugged it off like I had for the past couple of weeks, but I didn’t like the idea of one of Adam’s friends hating me for no reason. Still, I forced myself to walk away without giving her another thought. Even she wasn’t going to bring me down after my talk with my editor.
“Hey, Moby!” I threw out as I passed him.
“Hey, Katherine,” he grunted quietly while remaining focused on his task. Moby was a hard worker, but he knew how to turn on the charm once the crowd arrived. I enjoyed him even though we had maybe said a total of ten words to each other. He and Maverick had an easy banter behind the bar that was fun to watch. It seemed Maverick had that kind of friendship with all of his friends, though.
I made it to the office where I heard two male voices. One voice belonged to Maverick, and the other I was guessing was Corbin. I didn’t want to interrupt, so I headed back out to the bar where Moby offered me up a vodka tonic while I waited.
“You hanging out tonight, Katherine?” he asked while I sipped my drink.
“Not sure. Only if the band’s good.”
“Then you might want to jet. It’s open mic night.” He laughed and shook his head with a look that said open mic night never went well.
“Hey. You never know what kind of talent could come across the stage. Why is it open mic night on a Friday instead of a band playing?”
“Corbin talked Adam into trying something new. I guess they have some good acts signed up or whatever. We’ll see.”
“Duchess,” Maverick said as he came into the bar from the hallway, leaving Corbin in the office behind him. “I didn’t know you were here. Why didn’t you come to the office?”
“I did, but I didn’t want to interrupt.” He came over and kissed me, but I pulled away before it could get too heated like our greetings tended to do, even if people were around. Adam didn’t mind PDA. Adam was the kind of guy who didn’t care what anyone thought about him, hence the nickname. It was one of my favorite things about him. “I have some good news.”
“Yeah?” His hands rested on my thighs while he moved to stand between my legs. It was hard to stay focused in this position, but the inquisitive look on his face reminded me of what I wanted to tell him.
“My editor wants me full-time. I have a meeting on Monday to work it all out.”
His face lit up with a smile that matched mine. “That’s great,” he said, giving my thighs a little squeeze. “You want to go out and celebrate tonight? They don’t need me here until later.”
Out? No. I wanted to go up to his loft and celebrate right there, but I wasn’t about to say that in front of Moby and Dee. “No. I just came to share the news. Besides, Moby was telling me about all the great acts you guys have lined up for open mic night tonight.” I gave Moby a wink, and his dark eyes sparkled with humor.
Maverick’s eyes flicked over to Moby. “Yeah, right. Moby hates open mic night.”
“That he does,” Moby added. “Take your girl to celebrate. She just landed a big job. Don’t sit around here listening to semi-talented kids trying to be the next Pearl Jam.”
“Yeah,” Dee butted into the conversation. “Take your girl out to celebrate, Adam.” And just when I thought she was being nice she added, “Maybe she can take you out on Daddy’s dime.”
My head whipped around just as Maverick snapped, “Dee!”
“What? Don’t act like you all don’t find it funny that you’re going to celebrate that the spoiled rich girl landed her first job. I mean, you call her Duchess, for fuck’s sake. Get over yourselves.”
“Don’t be a bitch, Dee,” Adam scolded. “Come on, Katherine.” He grabbed my hand and led me to the door. “You and I will talk later, Dee. Try not to piss anyone else off tonight.”
Out on the sidewalk, he led me to his car and held the door open for me to get in the passenger seat. I didn’t move. Suddenly, I didn’t feel much like celebrating. I wasn’t angry about what Dee said. She was right, and suddenly, I felt like a complete idiot. Here I was, excited about getting a job, when everyone else in Maverick’s life had been working since his or her teens, probably. I was a fool.
Instead of climbing in the car, I stopped and said, “Maybe we shouldn’t do this. I think I just need to go home.”
He sighed with what seemed like annoyance. “Don’t do this, Duchess. Don’t listen to Dee. She’s just a bitch with a chip on her shoulder.”
I frowned. “Is what she said true? You call me Duchess because you think I’m a spoiled rich girl living off Daddy’s money?”
“No, I know you aren’t. She—”
“Because she’s right,” I interrupted him. “I’ve never had a real job. Never needed one. What’s worse is my father would make me quit if he knew about this one. You know what’s really shitty? I have a little over a week to figure out how to pay my own bills because my father plans to cut me off. Ha! It’s exactly what I’ve always wanted, and I’m completely terrified because I don’t even know how to pay my cell phone bill. Dee may have been rude about it, but she was telling the truth. My father has paid for everything in my life. I’m twenty-eight years old, and I haven’t so much as paid for my own dinner before.” My heart was pounding, and suddenly I couldn’t think straight. All I could think about was the fact I was going to be homeless and possibly without Maverick. I couldn’t breathe. Reality was crashing down on me.
“Katherine…babe, calm down. Come here.” He held me against his chest until my breathing returned to normal. Then he whispered into my hair, “I call you Duchess because the first time I saw you, I thought you could have been royalty. You were the most beaut
iful woman I’d ever seen, and you were so perfect and graceful. The way you sat with your posture just so and the way you carried yourself with such confidence, it was like I was meeting a queen. You didn’t have the ego of a queen, and you weren’t a child like a princess. You’re a duchess, my duchess.”
I looked up at him with tears clouding my vision. “That’s so nice.”
“Hey,” he breathed as he took my face between his warm hands. “We’re going to dinner to celebrate and maybe talk about everything else you just threw out there. Then I’m going to take you home and lay you out to do unspeakable things to you. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll have forgotten about anything but me.”
My lips almost lifted into a smile while my head nodded on its own accord. “That sounds like a good plan.”
He took me to dinner at a French restaurant where his friend was the chef. I had been there before, but the experience was completely different with Maverick. First, he ordered champagne and made a toast to my new job, celebrating it as promised, which still felt a little silly to me. Once he ordered our dinner, in French by the way, he then asked about the “everything else” part.
“So, what do you mean your dad is cutting you off, and it’s what you wanted, but you’re terrified?”
I stared ahead, wishing I had never allowed myself to lose my composure like that. Kitty Peters would have never told anyone her private business, I told myself. I wasn’t that girl anymore, though. For better or for worse, the girl I had let myself become over the last couple of weeks felt like she could be honest. She could let people in. She could trust Maverick.
I spoke without looking up at him. Discussing my pathetic life felt humiliating. They said the truth hurts, but it was saying the words out loud that was painful. “My parents tried to choose a husband for me. They’ve controlled every aspect of my life up until the night I came to your bar. That night I told my dad I wasn’t going to marry some stranger that they picked for me. He told me I had a month to figure out how to live without his help or I’d have to do what he asked.”
“Okay…” I looked up at him and saw him trying to come up with the right thing to say.
I kept talking, but this time I looked him in the eye. “I just wanted to be able to make my own decisions. I’m an adult and can’t even pick my own food when we go out to eat. They’ve made sure I know nothing about money. I’ve had a personal shopper since I was a child. I was lucky to be able to get my driver’s license.” I laughed humorlessly. “My mother had to talk my father into it. He didn’t see the point if I had a driver at my beck and call.” I paused. “I can’t even imagine how useless I must seem to you.”
He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “It is a little strange that you’ve never done anything for yourself, simply because the life I’ve led has been so different from yours, but I would never think you’re useless.”
“The irony is that I’ve been alone for most of my life. My parents were never around, but somehow they knew everything and controlled everything. Writing these articles is the first thing that’s really mine, and I can’t even use my own name.”
His eyes lit up with determination. “Now you can. Screw them. If they can’t see how amazing you are, then find a way to make yourself happy.”
“I wouldn’t be happy homeless, Adam,” I said dryly.
“You can come stay with me. We’re together every night anyway.”
My heart picked up the pace at his offer. Living with Maverick? I could get on board with that, even if it seemed too soon. I wanted to be with him all the time, anyway, but his offer didn’t feel right, at least not at this time. “I’m not going to stay with you because I have nowhere else to go. I have people I can stay with if it comes to that.”
He leaned in and pressed his lips to the spot just below my ear that had been known to turn me on when he simply breathed on it. “How about you come stay with me because you’re crazy about me and don’t want to be anywhere but where I am? That’s why I’d want you there.”
I smiled and leaned into him. “It sounds great,” I told him honestly, because it did sound great. It was like a fairy tale that I had found this man, who seemed so perfect for me, but there was a niggling in the back of my brain that wouldn’t let go. “But I don’t want to go from depending on my dad to depending on you. Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out.”
He pulled my hand to his lips. “We will figure it out. I’ll help you however you let me. You know that, right?”
“Yes.” I moved my hand away so I could kiss him gently. “Thank you for listening. This helped.”
“Now, do I get to spread you out and make you forget?” The damn smirk was back, and paired with dark, lust-filled eyes that did unspeakable things to me.
“Yes, please,” I begged right before he grabbed my hand and pulled me from the restaurant.
And I did…forget, that is. Maverick made me forget everything, including my own name that night.
Chapter Fourteen
The next night, I was deciding between staying home and avoiding the bar or going up there to hang out with Maverick and his friends, which ultimately meant seeing Double Dee. I had never really gotten along with girls other than Penelope. Even Victoria, who was supposedly one of my best friends, proved to be more foe than friend at times. Girls were competitive and catty, no pun intended. I never had any use for having a lot of girlfriends. Sure, they all wanted to be chummy with me when it came time to be invited to the best parties, but in the real world, they talked behind your back and tried to sleep with each other’s boyfriends. No, thank you.
Dee was a different story. I had a feeling she hated me at first glance. I was used to this as well, but what I wasn’t used to was caring. She and Maverick were close, so I didn’t want her hating me and interfering with my time with Maverick. Avoiding her seemed like the right thing to do, but I wanted to see Maverick, as well as his brother and friends. Each time I hung out with them, I felt more and more like I was part of the gang. Never once did they make me feel like a spoiled rich girl who didn’t belong. Dee, on the other hand, made me feel like I was about to get pushed down a flight of stairs simply for having a wealthy family. So what’s a girl to do? Risk the wrath of the big-boobied barmaid or stay home alone like I had my entire life?
With my mind made up, I headed to the shower. I knew if I showed up at the bar, I’d be staying at Maverick’s, so I took advantage of my expensive soaps and hair products that I wouldn’t have the next morning. Once I was dressed, I headed down to the bar only to find the band playing and the place crowded.
Ana found me almost as soon as I came through the door. “Hey, girl. Come on over.” I was going to find Maverick first, but she didn’t give me a chance. I looked longingly at the bar where I could just make out Maverick’s head as he served up drinks to a group of girls who were no doubt drooling over my man. There was nothing I could do, though. Ana was dragging me over to the table where she, Hailey, Brock, and Jack sat. They all greeted me warmly before Brock and Jack went to get drinks for all of us.
“How’s it going with Adam, Katherine?” Hailey asked as soon as the boys were away from the table.
I kept glancing at the bar to see if I could catch his eye. The girls watched knowingly, so I was forced to answer their question. “Great. He’s amazing.”
“Uh-huh. We hear he’s been romancing you,” Ana teased.
“He has. He took me out last night and made me breakfast in bed this morning. Why? Your men don’t do that for you?” I asked with a grin, already knowing the answer.
“Ha!” Ana scoffed. “I’m lucky if I can get Corbin to make anything other than cereal for breakfast. Sometimes he eats it out of the bag in bed and tries to share with me. I guess that counts as breakfast in bed.”
“That definitely doesn’t count,” Hailey told her. “Brock used to send me flowers, but that lasted maybe two months. Once he knew I was his, the romance was more like, ‘Hey baby, take your clothes off’ and less
‘You’re the most beautiful girl in the world.’ I guess I shouldn’t complain. He brought me soup a few weeks ago when I was sick. It only took minimal amount of persuasion to convince him to reheat it and bring it to me in bed.”
“That’s sweet,” Ana gushed, oblivious to Hailey’s sarcastic undertone. “Corbin would have called my mother.”
I laughed at the girls’ obvious distress. “So, I shouldn’t count on Adam romancing me much longer, huh?”
“Oh, no. Adam is a whole other kind of man. You’re the first girl we’ve ever seen him take seriously. We don’t even get other girls’ names. We not only know your name, we know the nickname and the reason behind it. I think you might be pretty important to him,” Hailey told me.
“You think?” Ana quipped sarcastically and laughed. “The guy’s so head over heels he can’t get through a single conversation without bringing her up. It’s so cute!”
“Who’s cute?” Jack asked when he came back to the table, setting drinks in front of Ana and me. Brock followed with a drink for him and Hailey.
“You, of course,” I teased.
“I knew you were just with my brother to get close to me! It’s so obvious.”
“You caught me. Don’t tell Adam,” I whispered loudly behind my hand so everyone could hear.
“Speaking of Adam,” Brock interrupted, “he wants you to come up to the bar.”