Stripped

by Abby Niles

  But the most surprising thing of all was that Madison Walker was a mother. That he hadn’t seen coming. Not by a mile. What kind of a budget do you really have, Miss Walker? Putting enough aside for your bar tab? Cover charges? Concerts? Girl weekends? Whatever wild oats you’re sowing right now?”

  Had he really said that to her? What had she been sitting there thinking? What a fucking fool he was? He’d accused her of judging him. But, damn, if he wasn’t eating some serious crow right at this moment.

  He’d thought of Madison as nothing more than a party girl. It never, not once, occurred to him, that she had a family she was trying to take care of.

  Was she married? She didn’t wear a ring, but that didn’t mean anything.

  Hell, maybe she wasn’t married, but she could be in a relationship. He didn’t like the thought of her with some other guy. Just like he hadn’t liked those men looking at her at the club the other night. Why did she trigger that part of him? He didn’t feel that way with anyone else.

  When the door popped open again, he shook himself out of his thoughts. The first thing he noticed was the straight blonde hair hanging sideways as she’d pivoted her head through door to peep out. It was always up at the office. He’d seen it down one time though. Been mesmerized by it. It was still mesmerizing now. Even minus the leather ensemble.

  “Oh, Noah, the boogeyman isn’t breaking into Racheal’s apartment,” she said, her blue-gray eyes—the exact same shade as the little boy’s—filled with amusement.

  A little head popped out a few feet underneath hers. “Who is he then?”

  “That’s Mr. Sutherland. He’ll be staying there while Racheal is away on vacation.”

  That seemed to be enough for the child. He hopped out into the hall. “We leaving now?”

  Miss Walker nodded, opened the door wider, and stepped out into the hall.

  Holy mother of God. Jaxon swallowed. Yes, he’d seen this woman in an outfit that would fulfill any man’s sexual fantasy, but he hadn’t known that was her at the time. Right now, he was painfully aware it was her. His eyes pinged from one area to the next, on complete and total overload as they took in Madison.

  Long, toned, tanned legs. Hot pink toenails. A gold ring on the second toe on her left foot. Faded blue jean shorts. Black and white polka-dot tube top. Exposed shoulders, neck and arms. So much skin.

  This was Madison. Not Miss Walker. Not the sex-goddess from the club. But Madison.

  And she was breathtaking.

  “Faith, come on.”

  Faith? He jerked his gaze from his secretary to the door.

  A little girl with darker blonde hair around the age of six or seven walked into the hall. He shouldn’t stare, but Jaxon couldn’t take his eyes off the child. The resemblance to both the boy and Madison was there. So there had to be a relation. She had to be a niece, a cousin. There was no way she had a daughter this age. Could she?

  A tug at his sleeve brought his gaze down. “Wanna go to the water park, Mr. Sufferlan?”

  Miss Walker froze as she dug through an overly large handbag. “Oh, no, honey, I’m sure he has more important things to do today.”

  The last ten minutes had been the most intriguing ten minutes in some time. He wasn’t about to let this opportunity go by. “Actually, I think that sounds like a lot of fun,” he said. He also saw a great way to get rid of the formalities. “And you can call me Jaxon.”

  He glanced at his employee to see her staring at him. Seemed he wasn’t the only one who’d received a shock today. Good.

  “Momma,” a small voice said, drawing his attention to the little girl. “Can we stop for pizza on our way home?”

  Madison grimaced. “No, honey. Remember. I’m making my famous chicken casserole tonight.”

  The little girl’s shoulders slumped. “Again.”

  A flush crossed Madison’s cheeks as her gaze shot up toward his. As much as he knew this was an embarrassing moment for her, he was still trying to digest that the child was indeed her daughter. Madison couldn’t have been much out of high school when she’d had her.

  “How about I get the pizza?” he offered.

  Madison arched an eyebrow at him. “You do know you’re on a budget this week, Mr. Sutherland?”

  “First off, we’re living across the hall from each other, let’s do away with the formalities, we’re not in the office. Second, I’m well aware that I’m on a budget. I think I can afford to buy a pizza.”

  The smirk she gave him got under his skin, but he let it go. He’d gone into this challenge under the assumption that she was a single woman who partied hard. That had been dead wrong. He had to concede that she did indeed know a thing or two about struggling in a way he never would. He was man enough to admit that. “We appreciate the offer…Jaxon.”

  The husky timbre of her voice encasing his name sent a rush of heat over him. He had always been Mr. Sutherland, the boss, to her. He loved being, Jaxon, the man.

  He glanced toward the closed door. “Will a Mr. Walker be joining us for dinner?”

  She didn’t respond as she tried to take her son’s hand, who at the moment was having a fit of independence and kept yanking out of her grip. “Noah! Take my hand now or we’re not going to the water park.”

  Shaking his head with a fierce scowl, he crossed his arms tight across his chest.

  Madison heaved a sigh, closed her eyes, and muttered something that sounded like a prayer asking for strength. Jaxon wanted to help in some way, but he had no idea how. Glancing between the stressed-out mother and defiant son, he made a move that surprised him. He didn’t know what possessed him to do it. It just happened.

  He held his hand out toward Noah. “Will you hold my hand, buddy?”

  Madison’s eyes popped open and her gaze shot to his then to her son’s.

  Noah nodded and latched on to his hand, a grin now stretching the lips that had been pinched in defiance not seconds before. His mother stared at their joined hands and swallowed. A sense of sadness seemed to envelope her and she glanced away.

  “No,” she said after a lengthy pause. “There isn’t a Mr. Walker.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Pursing her lips, Madison watched Jaxon survey the water park. Though he had on sunglasses that made it impossible to see his eyes, there was a slight curl to his nose that gave away his feelings.

  Jaxon Sutherland didn’t approve of their surroundings.

  Not that the revelation was shocking by any means. At this precise moment, the contents of his wallet might fit in with this side of town, but nothing else did. She didn’t know what brand of sunglasses he had on or how much he paid for them, but they looked expensive—like in the she’d freak out if she saw her kids reaching for them kind of way.

  His clothes, from his shirt to his cargo shorts, to his flip flops, came across the same way. There was no way that shirt was cotton. Nor was it something he’d grabbed off the four-dollar rack at the local superstore. That was tailor-made, high-quality material from some far-off-hard-to-pronounce land.

  The cream-colored lightweight fabric fit his upper body perfectly, hugging his broad shoulders and chest. While the man filled out a suit amazingly well, a suit hid the fact that Jaxon Sutherland worked out…a lot. Not this shirt. The hem of the sleeve ended mid-bicep and every time he moved, ripped arm muscles flexed. It was way too hot and way too distracting.

  Especially considering he was still scrunching his nose up at their water park.

  Ass.

  She dragged her gaze from the tanned eye goodies to view the small sprayground, trying to see it from a billionaire’s standpoint, and not a single mom on a seriously tight budget who still wanted to give her kids a childhood.

  There wasn’t much to it. A simple concrete slab with about a dozen colorful sprayers. Some shot water out of the ground, others dumped water from above, while others were like squirt guns the kids could shoot each other with. The ages ranged from the barely walking to the elderly. On really hot days a
ge didn’t matter. Everyone was trying to cool off.

  The perimeter had metal benches. The only way to sit on them in the mid-day sun without blistering off your skin was to bring a towel. Most people sat on the ground or on the brick retaining wall that bordered a grassy hill. There wasn’t a concession stand or public water fountains. She had to bring her own snacks and drinks. And it was always crowded because it was free.

  If money wasn’t an issue, she guessed it did suck. But she and the kids had a lot of great memories here. And memories were something she couldn’t put a price tag on.

  “I thought Noah said we were going to a water park,” Jaxon finally said.

  “To him, this is the water park.”

  He made a hmm noise that she rolled her eyes at. The man had no clue what it meant to live within a means. His means had no limits. Maybe this week would help him understand that not everyone had the luxury of doing whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. Most people had to plan, skimp and save.

  Noah ran past them and waved. They waved back. But the kid wasn’t looking where he was going and ran smack-dab into an older kid. As he bounced off, he said, “Shit!” then continued on his merry way.

  Madison closed her eyes, and shook her head, feeling heat rise in her cheeks. A low, masculine chuckle came from beside her and her insides came to life in an excited flutter that startled her. She’d heard him laugh before when he’d walk by her cubicle while he was on the phone with someone, but there had always been a false edge. There wasn’t any falseness to this chuckle. It had been pure amusement.

  “Shit, huh?” he said.

  Opening her eyes, she sent him an exaggerated annoyed look. “It’s my one word, okay. It slips. I can’t help it.”

  Then he laughed outright. A deep, rich sound that sent those flutters into a frenzy. Good God, the man’s unrestrained, genuine laugh was infectious. It made her smile herself. Made her want to laugh right along with him.

  “Two kids,” he said, shaking his head, grinning. “I didn’t see that one coming.”

  “What can I say?” She nudged his shoulder gently with hers and sent him a playful wink. “I’m full of surprises.”

  “Yes, you are.” His amusement slowly faded into a curious expression.

  Having seen that look many times before, Madison swallowed and turned her attention back toward the sprayground. The relaxed moment was gone. He was about to make this weird. Damn him. Maybe if she hurried and changed the topic to something neutral.

  “What’s the weather supposed to be like tomorrow?” she asked.

  “I have no idea. Hot?”

  She forced a laugh. “Yeah. Probably.”

  “Not to—”

  “Umm…so if,” she interrupted him, “we didn’t have this whole budget thing going on, what would you be doing this weekend?”

  “I never really plan my weekends.”

  She blew out a frustrated breath. She gave up. Bring it on.

  “Not to get too personal—”

  “But where’s their father?” she cut him off, supplying the question for him.

  He grimaced. “Am I that easy to read?”

  “Nope. I’m asked that…a lot.”

  And how badly she’d wanted to answer “he’s in nunya” every time she’d been asked. But that would be rude. No one was asking out of rudeness. Just natural curiosity. For people she didn’t know very well, she usually went with the diplomatic, “We’re not together anymore”. And that satisfied the questioner.

  She wouldn’t be able to get away with that with Jaxon.

  He’d inserted himself too much into her life.

  One wrong question to the kids and he’d know there was more to the story than she was letting on. She didn’t want him bringing up their dad. Not that he would, but if he believed her ex was part of their lives, he might ask some kind of question that would upset them. Better to take care of that now.

  “I don’t know where he is,” she finally answered. “I haven’t spoken to him in four years.”

  The heat of his gaze felt like it was scorching the side of her face, but she kept her attention straight ahead, latched on her kids, who were chasing each other around one of the poles. What was he thinking right now? Had the amount of years clicked yet?

  Out her peripheral, she noticed him turn his head in the children’s direction. He was calculating. She was sure of it.

  “Noah is how old?” he asked.

  Yep. Calculating. “He’ll be four in a few months.”

  Curious as to his reaction, she cast a side glace at him. A muscle was pulsing in his jaw, taking her aback. Could the man possibly be angry for her? For her kids?

  Oddly, that made her feel comforted. Racheal had been angry on her behalf, the girls at the club, even Adam had cussed her ex to hell and back, but for some reason, Jaxon’s anger made her feel warm inside.

  “He left before Noah was born,” he stated flatly.

  All she could do was nod.

  “He up and left his kids? And you? Just like that?”

  The barely suppressed anger in his voice was making it difficult for Madison to find her own. For him to display that kind of emotion for her had more meaning than she could process. “We were young and stupid when we got pregnant with Faith.” She picked up a pebble and tossed it a few feet away, mostly to have something to do. “I was lucky he stuck around for her. When I got pregnant with Noah, again, by accident, he couldn’t hack it. He made it until I was six months along. I woke up one morning to a note, saying he was too young for this much responsibility. He’d wiped out our bank account, and I haven’t seen or heard from him since.”

  Jaw clenched, he sat there for a long moment before he asked, “You have family?”

  “I have Racheal.”

  “Is that a sister?”

  “My neighbor. She lives in the apartment you’re staying in with her husband and two kids. She watches my two so I can work.”

  Again that muscle went crazy in his jaw. “So you’ve done this—” he waved in the direction of the kids “—all on your own.”

  “All by my lonesome.”

  “No wonder you resorted to dancing then.”

  Wow. Madison hung her head. Just when she’d started to see a side of him she actually liked. Sucking on her teeth, she turned her attention on him, making sure she kept her voice low enough that only he heard. “I didn’t resort to anything.”

  “Didn’t you? I assume you didn’t start until after Noah was born to help pay bills. Am I wrong?”

  A derisive laugh shot past her lips and she shook her head. “Man, you’ve got this way of making me feel like I should be ashamed of what I did. I’m not. And you’re wrong. I danced way before Noah ever came along. I’ve worked in that same club for years. It’s good money. And if it offered health insurance, it’d be the only job I’d have because I’d work less hours, make the same amount of money, and be more available to my kids. But it doesn’t.”

  His lips pinched together as his eyes searched hers. “So you’re saying that you’re still going to have to find a part-time job.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  Jaxon turned his head away from her and stared out across the sprayground. She had no idea what was going on inside his mind. He didn’t seem mad, but there was a new tension radiating from him.

  Noah ran up. “I’m hungry, momma.”

  Thankful for the interruption, she rummaged through her bag and withdrew a plastic baggie of cheese squares then a sippy cup of juice. Faith, seeing her brother with his snack, raced over for hers. They sat down on the cement and munched on the food.

  Tension ran between her and Jaxon. She really didn’t know what she said that had made him all huffy. He was the one that had, once again, tried to find a logical reason behind her being a stripper. Like there had to be one. There didn’t. One can simply be a stripper. One does not need a reason. Or one’s approval.

  The simple truth was after Faith was bor
n, she’d been looking for a night job because Peter was home. She liked to dance and thought what the hell. After her first night and she made three hundred bucks from a four-hour shift, she never looked back. And she had never, not once, used any kind of drug, given a blow job in a back room, or committed any other criminal act. Adam didn’t run that kind of place. She danced exotically and got paid well for it.

  Carnival music sounded off in the distance. Madison stiffened and let out a string of curses inside her head. The day just kept getting better.

  Both kids rose up on their knees, looking around like hedgehogs peeking out of their holes.

  Damn ice cream truck—the bane of her existence. When she was a kid, she could get an ice cream cone for fifty cents. Not anymore. As the music drew closer, kids started to swarm their parents, and her two sent pleading, guilt-ridden eyes on her. Her stomach churned. She didn’t have any cash. Not one damn dime. There was no extra this week. With Faith’s E.R. visit, everything was going to bills, food or gas.

  Madison gave the classic ‘don’t even ask’ shake of her head.

  Both kids’ shoulders slumped in defeat. And she wanted to cry. These were two kids she would love to give the world. But she was lucky to give them second-hand shoes.

  A nudge hit her elbow, and she glanced down. Jaxon held out a ten-dollar bill. She stared at the money, then at him, then at her kids. Their eyes pleaded back at her and she wanted to kick Jaxon so hard for putting her in this position. No woman should have to choose between her pride and her children. Not with her children staring at her anyway.

  She nodded.

  Both kids shot to their feet and hugged her. She squeezed them back.

  Twice today he’d seen she couldn’t afford to buy her kids something and he’d stepped in. He had fifty dollars to his name. But in the end that didn’t matter, because that was for one week. One easy week to struggle through and then he could go back to his billionaire life.

  What a joke.

  Jaxon Sutherland would never understand what it was like to worry, to be scared to death about keeping a roof over his head, to be able to afford his kid’s medication.