Ailish sighed as she walked down the sidewalk, sipping her seven dollar latte. She knew she should head right to the parkade and drive home. However, after a long day of unending stacks of clothing overflowing like avalanches from change rooms and one particularly bitchy woman who went off like a wild beast after they didn’t have the shirt with “Slut” written across it in her size, Ailish really needed to blow off some steam. Driving home in rush hour traffic wasn’t the way to do it so instead of risking road raging all over some unfortunate soul, Ailish decided on a walk downtown.
Maybe a little retail therapy was exactly what she needed. She had no extra money. She could hardly afford rent on her piece of crap apartment in an even worse part of town but she figured window shopping didn’t cost anything. She usually stuck to vintage and thrift anyway. Surely she could find a few extra dollars.
The shortest way to the best downtown vintage and thrift shops was through a seedy alley usually lined with bums begging every person passing for spare change. Some even sported signs that announced they really just needed the money for booze. At least they were honest.
The other way to fifth and Salsbury, Ailish’s ultimate destination, was a huge detour through the downtown bus hub. She figured the alley was the lesser of two evils, creepers or not.
Ailish’s hand closed around the strap of her black leather vintage messenger bag. She skirted around three deep puddles and one huge pothole that looked like it would swallow a small car whole and walked briskly through the alley.
There were the usual bums sitting next to overflowing trash cans. The alley reeked. How could anyone sit there and beg with that smell?
Ailish was almost halfway through the alley when a man with greasy hair, missing teeth, grime lined face and tattered clothing stopped her.
“Miss… do you have an extra dollar? I’m just so hungry.”
Ailish sighed. She wanted to ask if he was truly hungry or if he just wanted to find solace at the bottom of a bottle but she figured it wasn’t any of her business. She dug in her purse and produced a wadded up five and handed it over.
The old man smiled a toothless grin and the sparkle in his eyes made Ailish’s heart hurt and feel light all at the same time.
“Thank you very much! God bless!”
The man turned around and pretty much ran through the alley. Either he was hungry or his thirst just got a great deal stronger.
Ailish continued on, nearing the end of the alley. She was almost home free when another man, larger and much more imposing, blocked her way.
Her hand tightened around her purse strap and she took a deep breath. The man was massive. Powerful, broad shoulders were encased in a tattered black trench coat. It was the kind of thing that someone could definitely pack heat under and Ailish shuddered in fear. The man’s jeans were greasy and so thick with dirt and filth they could probably stand up on their own. His shoes were holey runners that once could have been white but were as filthy as the rest of him.
When the man didn’t move out of the way, Ailish gathered her courage and finally looked at his face. He was younger than she would have expected. Likely late thirties but dirty as he was, it was hard to tell. He had a thick black beard with little grey. His hair was long and fell to his shoulders in greasy, matted clumps. Despite the filth, it was surprisingly easy to tell that the man could have been handsome if he was cleaned up. His dark eyes were shadowed but his strong brow was unlined. His cheek bones were high and the set of his jaw was angular and powerful under the beard. There were little wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and his nose had clearly been broken once before. There was a little hump in the bridge that indicated a break but it was otherwise straight. His lips were… well… full and surprisingly pink.
Ailish blushed a deep red when she realized she was staring. What the hell was she doing noticing some bum’s lips? A strange electric current seemed to buzz in the air between them.
“Would you like money?” Ailish asked in a trembling voice. She was already going to her purse to see if she had any remaining small bills.
The man blinked once and shook his head. “I’m hungry. No one will serve me because I’m not clean. I was told I frighten customers. Would you be so kind as to get me something?”
“Uh….” Ailish hesitated. She figured she had no destination in mind anyway. The thrift stores could wait. If she didn’t get to them at least she wouldn’t be tempted to spend money she didn’t have. What could it really hurt? “Sure,” she finally said. “What would you like?”
“Anything. Not fussy.” The man eyed her strangely, like he was trying to assess her and discover what she was really made of.
The strange, burning, prying look sent shivers racing down Ailish’s spine. “Do- uh- do you have any allergies or anything?” She stammered. She felt utterly ridiculous.
The stranger just shook his head.
“Alright. I’ll be back in a bit then.”
Dark eyes bore right through Ailish and then the man finally nodded and stepped aside. He never uttered a word of thanks or assured her he would still be there when she got back and she never promised that she would actually return. It was just somehow understood that she would give him what he asked for because he was a human being and so was she.
Ailish’s parents would be proud of her. They’d taught her to be kind and compassionate. In her nineteen years she’d had plenty of time to practice but never like this. Her parents had also warned her to stay away from strangers, especially the tall, dark, imposing kind.
It was an odd dilemma, what to get for someone you knew nothing about.
Ailish finally decided you couldn’t go wrong with a burger, fries and a drink. She really had no money for anything else. God, she could hardly afford to buy groceries let alone eat out.
She forked over the ten dollars at a fast food restaurant on the corner of the nearest downtown street, considering it money well spent. She started off back to the alley carrying the brown paper bag and plastic drink cup.
The man was waiting right where she left him. She shyly handed over the bag and the man reached out with a grime encrusted hand that could easily crush her and took it.
It was impossible to miss the way the man’s hand trembled when he opened the bag. He inhaled deeply and a smile that revealed shockingly white, even teeth, bloomed over his grimy face.
“It smells good,” he said simply.
He walked off a couple paces and sat down on the filthy ground. His long trench style coat billowed out then tucked under him, a barrier between the warm asphalt and the man himself.
His hand dipped into the bag and the burger appeared. The stranger unwrapped it and literally inhaled it.
Ailish told herself to leave but she was rooted to the spot. She couldn’t have left if she tried. She watched the man eat the fries and drain the drink. It looked like he hadn’t had a good meal in ages.
How much better would a shower feel?
Oh no. She was not going there. Ailish squirmed uncomfortably. She pulled her cell out of her purse and glanced at it. The stores she wanted to get to would be closed in a couple minutes. She should just turn around, walk to the parkade, get in her car and leave.
She should but she couldn’t.
Ailish took a couple steps then a few more. She paused and closed the final few feet between herself and the stranger. She tentatively extended a hand.
“I’m Ailish,” she introduced herself. She wondered what the hell she was doing.
The stranger eyed her hand warily, as though she would bite him. Finally he took it and shook. His hand was so large it completely engulfed hers. The strength in his grip was astounding. He could have shattered her bones if he wanted to. He didn’t. His touch was gentle and an unexpected, wild shiver raced up Ailish’s spine at the contact.
“Ailish,” the stranger said. Her name sounded strangely wonderful on his tongue. “A different name.”
“It’s Irish. Not because anyone
in my family is. I guess my parents just liked it.”
He nodded, considering that. “Jed,” the stranger finally responded. He dropped his hand and Ailish quickly tucked hers back at her side.
“I was wondering,” Ailish said quietly, still unsure what she was even doing. “I have an apartment. It’s shit and it’s in a shitty part of town but I do have a shower you can use. You could wash your clothes there if you like.”
Jed studied Ailish for a long moment. His eyes bore a hole through her. He stared at her as though he could see straight through to her soul. No one had ever looked at her like that before.
Finally he gave a slight nod. “That is kind of you. Very kind. I promise you that you won’t regret the offer.”
Ailish nodded. “See that I don’t. My parents wouldn’t want me to wind up murdered.” Her eyes assed him quickly. “You don’t really look like the murdering kind or I wouldn’t have offered.” She paused as she realized that she was going to have to show Jed to her car and drive him home. She closed her eyes briefly. “Come on then. I’ll take you there.”
She turned and walked back through the alley the direction she’d come. She didn’t turn around and look back but she heard the heavy footfalls behind her and knew that Jed was following.
Chapter 2
Jed Hughes felt guilty about lying to the woman who was being so kind to him. He couldn’t tell her yet that it was all a test. That very soon her life was possibly going to change beyond her imagining. He was sure she was the right one. He’d known it from the second he saw her in that alley.
Ailish drove him to a seedy apartment building with bars on the windows even on the upper levels. She parked her trash car on the street and showed him in. She walked down a long hallway lined with doors. The carpets and walls had definitely seen better days.
Jed didn’t care. His attention was fixed on Ailish. Her long dark hair hung in a thick braid down her back. Her large hoop earrings with the tiny tassels at the bottom swayed gently when she walked. They caught the light and shimmered almost as beautifully as her green eyes did. Her face was beautiful. The heart shape fit her large eyes, slender nose, high cheekbones and full flips perfectly. She was slightly built. Almost bordering on petite but she still had gentle, desirable curves.
“This is your place?” Jed raised a brow as she unlocked a door and pushed it open. He entered behind her.
Ailish doubled back past him and shut the door, sliding the bolt home with a loud click. She bent and unzipped her knee high black boots. They were cheaply made and looked it but somehow, paired with a vintage style dress red and white polka dot dress that flared out at the waist and a black vintage leather bag, she was stylish. Hell, she was in a class all her own.
“I would hope so.” Ailish grinned. “I would hate to think I was bringing you to someone else’s apartment.”
“No. Sorry. I meant you weren’t lying when you said you lived in a shit part of town. It’s dangerous here. I hope you don’t go out at night.”
“I work during the day so no, I never really have to. When I do go out I have pepper spray on me.” She glanced at him, a warning in her eyes, as though to say she had some in her purse at the moment and wasn’t afraid to use it.
Jed smothered a smile. He liked this tiny woman’s spirit. She might barely top 5’5” but he could tell she was a spitfire. He wondered what she would be like in bed.
That thought made his pulse spike and Jed swallowed hard. “You live here alone?”
He glanced around at the tiny apartment. The kitchen was right by the entrance. Old, out of date, beat up cabinets were surrounded by yellow appliances that hummed loudly. They sounded like they were on their last legs. The living room stood beyond that. The walls were scarred with marks and even had holes. The brown carpet was beat down where most of the traffic passed through it and had dubious stains.
“It’s not much. I know that but I’m saving up to furnish it nicely. I have what I can afford and I’ll worry about the rest later. My parents didn’t want me living here either but I think my brother and I outgrew the two bedroom condo a long time ago. Jeff is still in high school so it was only natural that I move out. I didn’t want to share a room anymore, if you know what I mean.”
Jed smiled. “I imagine so.”
He kicked off his grime encrusted shoes and shed his disgusting trench. He hadn’t showered in weeks. God, living on the streets hadn’t all been an act. He wanted his disguise and everything to be truly authentic. Only then did he feel that he could find the right one…
“The shower is that way.” Ailish pointed down the hall. “If you want to set your clothes outside the door I can put them in the washer for you. I have nothing for you to wear obviously but I can give you a robe if you don’t mind pink.”
Jed was actually a little stunned at Ailish’s naïve trust. A man his size could easily harm her or worse. She didn’t know him but somehow she trusted him. She sensed he wouldn’t hurt her. It was like she could see the goodness in him even through the layers of dirt.
She would make the perfect heiress. If she wanted it, a fortune was hers. She just didn’t know it yet.
“You live here by yourself,” Jed said. “Do you have someone? A boyfriend?”
Ailish blushed. “That’s not really any of your business,” she said carefully. “But no… I don’t.”
“Sorry. That was rude. I just didn’t want anyone to walk in on me here in a robe and get the wrong idea.”
“Oh.” Ailish actually looked like she believed his bullshit lie. “I see your point.”
“I’ll have that shower then. Thank you again. I stopped over a hundred people today,” Jed admitted. Each of them of course had been carefully calculated. “You were the only one who brought me something to eat let alone offered such an extreme kindness as this. You have a good heart. That will take you far in life.”
Ailish’s beautiful eyes widened. “I hope so. Can I get you anything else to eat? I don’t have much but I make a mean grilled cheese.”
Jed’s stomach clenched hard at the mention of food. He hadn’t eaten anything in days. He truly wanted this experiment to look as authentic as he possible. The burger and fries he’d consumed earlier had already worn thin.
“Yes. That sounds nice. Thank you.”
“I’ll start it then. Don’t forget to put your clothes outside the bathroom for me to wash. I’ll hang the robe on the doorknob. There’s a fresh towel under the sink. Feel free to use my shampoo and conditioner and even my brush if you need it. You can have it after.”
“Are you afraid of lice?”
“Do you have lice?” Ailish leaned casually against the wall. A wry smile turned up her lips.
“No.”
“I was offering it to you because you probably don’t have one. I’ll make you up a backpack of things to take with you. Soap, razor, deodorant- I have an extra unscented. It’s for women but it’s yours if you want it. I can pack you some non-perishable foods too. Granola bars, peanuts. Whatever I have…”
“Thank you.” Jed was stunned and almost moved to tears by this woman’s kindness.
“Yah… sure.” Ailish was clearly uncomfortable with the look he gave her and Jed quickly turned and strode down the hallway.
He found the bathroom easily. It was as outdated as the rest of the apartment. He couldn’t wait to show Ailish her island and her new home. Its rustic beauty would look like paradise compared to this. She would do so much good with the money he was going to leave her. Then he would disappear.
Before he threw his clothing out into the hall, Jed carefully removed the package of potent sleeping pills and placed them carefully under the towel he folded up on the counter. He felt almost regretful about lying and tricking Ailish but he was sure the risk was worth the reward. She would thank him soon enough.
Chapter 3
Her head ached. The thick, dark fog finally cleared enough that Ailish could sit up. She stru
ggled against the blackness and won, finally surfacing through the mind numbing clouds.
The splitting in her head finally eased. She sat on the edge of her bed and wondered what the hell had happened. She remembered taking Jed back to her apartment. She’d put his clothes in the washer and started to make up a backpack. She recalled him coming out in that pink robe of hers. It was far too small on him and showed off his muscled chest and legs.
She recalled the way she’d felt looking at his bare skin. The strange, wild desire that gripped her. Her stomach clenched even now just thinking about it. Clean and showered, pink robe or no, Jed was one hell of an attractive man. She had been right when she’d recognized the fact that he was handsome even in the alley.
She recalled making them each a drink and sitting down on her battered plaid seventies couch. After that everything was a blur.
Ailish’s head finally cleared enough that she had the presence of mind to look around the room. She started when she realized she wasn’t in her apartment.
No, this room was strangely rustic. Rustic wooden logs made up the walls. The floors were stained blonde hardwood with knots that stood out everywhere. There was a woven rug right next to the bed. The brass bedposts looked antique. The crazy quilt with the perfect stitching certainly looked old. It was faded and worn but somehow homey.
Her first emotion was shock. It should have been fear but strangely enough it wasn’t. She glanced down at her red and white polka dot dress. It was the same dress she’d been wearing. Her legs and feet were bare. Somehow she’d lost her boots.
Okay. So maybe she went out and got hammered or something. She remembered it had been a Friday night. She had a rare weekend off… it wasn’t out of the question.
Ailish stood up shakily. That must be it. She must have drank a hell of a lot and blacked out. Although that was strange considering she didn’t drink or go out. She couldn’t afford to. Maybe Nicky and Angie had finally convinced her to go out with them and she’d got out of control. Why then was the house so rustic? It didn’t even look like she was in the city anymore…
Pathological Therapy Billionaire Bad Boy Box Set Page 7