The Playboy

by Alice Ward

  “That’s perfect,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  I went inside the shop and grabbed my wallet from behind the counter. I counted out the bills quickly and hurried back over to Claire. I didn’t want her hanging around any longer than she needed to.

  “Here,” I said. I handed her the money. She tucked it safely in her back pocket and smiled gratefully. “Need anything else?”

  “No,” she said, but didn’t move. “Except…”

  “What?” I asked.

  “I’ve been thinking a lot lately. About our situation. You. Me. And Paisley. She’s not a baby anymore. She turned eight a week ago, and she’s starting to ask a lot of questions. She wants to know where you are. She was never all that interested before, but—”

  “Well, that’s no surprise,” I snapped. “Not after everything you told her.”

  “I didn’t tell her anythi—”

  “The hell you didn’t,” I said. I glared at her dangerously. All I wanted in that moment was for her to disappear.

  “I said what I had to say,” she said defensively. “Paisley was so little. She didn’t understand what happened between us. I couldn’t tell her that I…”

  “Had an affair?” I offered. “It’s okay, Claire. You can say it. She’s not here.”

  “She wasn’t ready to know the truth,” she said simply.

  “But she was ready to know about the things I did?” I asked.

  “It was just easier that way,” Claire said. “It was the best way to explain why you weren’t around.”

  “You mean why you wouldn’t let me be around,” I corrected.

  “Sean,” Claire breathed. “I don’t want to fight with you.”

  “No?” I scoffed. “You just want more money. Well, you got it. Now go.”

  “I want you to see her,” she said quickly. “I think it’s time for the two of you to get to know each other. Now that you aren’t in the club anymore… it just makes sense.”

  I stared at her. Anger boiled in my veins. The sun felt hotter than ever on my skin. I couldn’t believe that any of this was happening.

  “Claire,” I began slowly. “You’ve kept me away from her for six years, five months, and three weeks. I haven’t seen my daughter in six years, five months, and three weeks. That decision was yours. And I agreed because you were right. I’m not good enough to be in Paisley’s life. I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me. I send you a check every month, and I stay away. What more do you want?”

  “I just thought you might want to know her,” Claire said.

  “I do,” I nodded. “But you took that away from me, and now it’s too late.”

  I turned my back to her and started walking toward the office. I was halfway there when she called out to me.

  “Sean,” she said. “Did your dad call you today?”

  I stopped and turned to look at her. “No.”

  “Not surprised, I guess,” she said. “Anyway, happy birthday.”

  She smiled sadly and walked away. I watched her climb behind the wheel of her old car and drive off. I didn’t move until she turned the corner and drove out of sight.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Tara

  Everything was quiet as I walked through the showroom toward the back elevators. The lights were still off, and our employees weren’t due to arrive for another hour, but I always got to work early. Early morning was my favorite time of the day. When everything was still and calm, I felt at peace. I felt like there was no challenge too great for me to handle.

  I stepped onto the elevator and pressed the number three. The third floor was where the higher executives worked, myself included. I expected to be the first person in the office, but when I stepped off the elevator, I saw that Ray’s light was on.

  “Good morning,” I said, poking my head in quickly to say hello.

  “Morning, Tara,” he said with a wave. He barely looked up from his computer. I made my way down the hall to my own office. On the way, I noticed Zach was also here already. It wasn’t strange for Ray to come in early, but Zach was almost always an hour late.

  I opened my office door and flicked on the lights with a frown. Zach being at the office before nine was a sign that something was wrong. I slid behind my desk and powered on my computer. As I checked my calendar for the day, I let my mind wander. Something in my gut told me Zach was there for a reason, and I wanted to know what that reason was.

  “Tara?” Ray said. He stuck his head partially in my office and knocked softly on the door frame. “Got a minute?”

  “Of course.” I smiled and gestured for him to sit down.

  “Listen,” he said. “We’re having a meeting this morning. Nine on the dot. Can you send an email to the office letting everyone know to meet in the conference room?”

  “Sure,” I said quickly. “Just the execs or everyone?”

  “Everyone,” he said. “Well, not the floor crew, but everyone else.”

  “On a Friday?” I asked. I just realized what day it was. Things were growing more peculiar by the second. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s nothing to worry about,” he promised. “We just have some things to discuss. I want to get everyone’s opinion.”

  “On what exactly?” I asked. I didn’t like surprises, and the last thing I wanted was to look uninformed at the meeting.

  “We’re making some changes,” he said. “What changes, I’m not entirely sure yet. That’s what the meeting will decide.”

  “Okay,” I nodded. I was still confused, but I knew Ray well enough to know I wouldn’t get any more answers out of him.

  “Send that email,” he said, standing up and heading toward the door.

  “On it,” I said, already turning to my computer. As Ray was about to step out into the hallway, Zach blocked him. Ray stepped aside so Zach could pass by.

  “Did you tell her about the meeting?” he asked.

  “Yup,” Ray nodded. “She’s sending the email now.”

  “Done,” I said as I pressed send. I glanced up to see Zach staring at me. There was a small grin on his face that I knew all too well. His hair was clipped too short and it made his piercing blue eyes that much more prominent. He always looked mischievous, like he was keeping a secret the rest of us couldn’t know. Zach was handsome, but I never found him attractive. Truthfully, he made my skin crawl.

  “Thanks, T,” he said, using the nickname I hated.

  “No problem, Z,” I fired back with sarcasm. He chuckled and turned to face Ray.

  “Dad,” he said. “I have a few things to go over with you before the meeting, if you have time.”

  “Sure,” Ray nodded. “Come on. We can talk in my office.”

  Zach nodded and moved to follow his dad out into the hallway.

  “Oh,” he said quickly, whipping back around to face me. “And T? Don’t forget to bring your notebook. You’ll want to take notes today, okay?”

  I nodded and forced a smile that fell the second he disappeared down the hall. With a roll of my eyes, I spun my chair around to face the back wall. In five years, I’d never had an encounter with Zach that didn’t make my queasy. He was smart, but he rarely used his intelligence for anything other than talking his way out of trouble. I hated the fact that he was above me in the company when I spent most of my time doing his job. Covering his ass had become my unofficial job description, and I was sick of it.

  There was nothing I could do but grin and take it, though. Zach was Ray’s son, the sole heir to the Yates’ family fortune. Ray Yates was a name brand in the motorcycle world. The company was right up there with Harley Davidson and Kawasaki. I was thrilled to work there, and I knew it was great for my career, but I still couldn’t stand being around Zach.

  As nine o’clock approached, I sighed and gathered my things for the meeting. I walked slowly toward the conference room, not wanting to face Zach again. When I reached the conference room, though, Zach was nowhere to be found. Mos
t of the chairs were filling up quickly. Ray sat at the head of the table with an empty chair on either side of him. I moved immediately to take the seat on his right.

  He smiled when I sat down, but didn’t say anything. Ray wasn’t one for meaningless chit chat. It was one reason I loved working for him. Except for Zach’s arrogance, Ray Yates Motorcycles was the best job I’d ever had.

  The conference room was full now, and Zach filed in at the last minute. At exactly nine o’clock, Ray cleared his throat and stood up. Everyone fell silent immediately.

  “I know this a little unusual,” he said with a smile. “Friday morning meetings are generally useless, but this was too important to wait until Monday. Zach and I have been going over the numbers with the board for the past couple weeks. Things don’t look good. Our profits are declining at an alarming rate, and we can’t sit back and do nothing. We thought it was just a natural fall in the market, but it isn’t. We’re losing popularity, and with that, we’re losing money. Fast.”

  There were hushed whispers around the room. I didn’t need to hear them to know what everyone was worried about. Layoffs.

  “Relax,” Ray laughed. “We aren’t talking about firing anyone, yet. We’re hoping it won’t have to come to that. That’s what this meeting is about. Our company needs a change. Something big. Drastic. Something that will bring in more customers.”

  With that, Ray turned to Zach who stood up and moved to stand beside his father.

  “Our target demographic is, obviously, the motorcycle community,” Zach said. “The problem is, they have no interest in buying from us anymore. Now, we don’t know why that is. Our quality hasn’t decreased. So, we’re thinking it’s our image.”

  “Our image?” I interjected without thinking.

  “Yes.” Zach nodded. “Our image is no longer appealing to the community.”

  “Tara,” Ray said. “Would you run to my office and grab the iPad? I’d like us to review the numbers so everyone understands where we stand.”

  “Sure,” I said with a frown.

  Once I was safely out of the conference room, I let my face fall even further. How much trouble was the company in? Why didn’t Ray confide in me before the meeting? Why was Zach the one helping him with this issue?

  These questions and more ran through my mind as I pushed open the door to Ray’s office. I hurried over to his desk and pulled out the middle drawer. The iPad was sitting right on top. I grabbed it, already pushing the drawer closed, when something caught my eye. Sitting in the drawer, right on top, was a glossy picture of a young man.

  I picked up the picture and examined it. The man couldn’t have been older than twenty-one. He was sitting on a Ray Yates bike, his shaggy black hair falling over his face. He wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t frowning, either. His blue eyes were focused somewhere behind the camera. It was as if he was looking straight through the photographer.

  Whoever the man was, he looked oddly familiar to me. I turned the photo over and saw the name “Sean” scrawled in messy handwriting on the back. I frowned and turned the picture back over. I’d always known Ray had another son, but I never knew his name. It was obvious from the color of his eyes and the shape of his jaw that he was a Yates.

  I tucked both the iPad and the picture under my arm and half-ran back to the conference room. The second I saw the picture an idea began to form in my mind. It was crazy, and it probably wouldn’t work, but I knew I had to try.

  When I got back to the conference room, they were in the middle of throwing around ideas. People were talking a mile a minute. No one noticed me until I walked to the front of the room and stood right beside Ray.

  “Thank you,” he said, reaching for the iPad. I moved it out of his reach and set it on the table.

  “Ray,” I said quickly. “Who is this?”

  I held the picture out to Ray. His face changed in an instant. His lips tightened and his eyebrows pulled together. I watched as his cheeks began to redden and his eyes narrowed slightly. I knew I needed to talk fast.

  “He is perfect for the company,” I said. “He’s exactly who we need to turn things around.”

  “What are you talking about?” Ray asked. The room fell silent again, everyone’s attention glued to Ray and me.

  “This is the image we’re looking for,” I explained. “With him as the face of the company, we’ll be back on top in no time.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Zach snapped.

  “I do!” I argued. “I know what the motorcycle community is looking for, and this is it! He is it!”

  Ray was already shaking his head before I even finished speaking. He was staring at the picture in his hand with a mixture of sadness and regret. I wanted to say more, to explain myself further, but the look on his face told me to hold my tongue.

  “Tara isn’t wrong,” Ray said finally. He spoke softly, but his voice carried across the silent conference room. “This is the image we’re looking for.”

  He slid the picture into the middle of the table. Everyone leaned in to get a better look. I held my breath and waited for Ray to say more.

  “This could help us,” Ray said. “Or, something like this. Let’s get in touch with modeling agencies. Let’s find someone who fits this look.”

  “But Ray,” I said quickly. “It won’t be authentic. Our customers will know it’s staged.”

  “It’s our best option,” Ray argued. “Your idea is a good one, Tara. Let’s run with it.”

  “My idea is not to hire a model!” I said with a shake of my head. “That’s just fake. Everyone will see right through it. My idea is Sean. You can tell just from a picture that motorcycles are his life. He looks like he was born to ride. That will sell. That is what our customers want to see.”

  “It’s not an option,” Ray said. His voice was firm. “The situation with Sean is complicated.”

  “But…” I began, but Ray cut me off with a look. He turned back to the group.

  “Let’s get the numbers for those modeling agencies.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Sean

  “Lock up when you’re done, Sean,” my boss said as he waved goodbye. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Night,” I said.

  The back door closed with a boom, and I was alone. I breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the counter. Everything in the shop was closed for the night. I locked up the equipment and closed out my accounts, but I wasn’t quite ready to leave. Going home would mean sitting alone in my living room and watching television while eating a microwave dinner for one. I was in no hurry.

  Instead, I used the office computer to log into my bank account. I wanted to see how much money I had. Maybe I could send Claire a little extra for Paisley. Three fifty would cover the camps, but maybe Claire could buy her some extra art supplies.

  When I saw my account balance, I knew I was dreaming. It would be a stretch to send the last hundred and fifty to Claire. There was no way I’d be able to swing more until the following month. I sighed and logged off the computer. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I’d spent Paisley’s entire life failing her, why should anything be different now?

  As I sat there, I remembered my conversation with Claire earlier in the day. Her offer seemed genuine, but I didn’t trust her. Claire’s history of lying and cheating made me hesitant. She wanted me in Paisley’s life today, but what if that changed tomorrow? What if I let myself hope and then Claire took that hope away from me again?

  For years, I wanted nothing more than to see my daughter. I thought of Paisley every single day. I wondered what kind of person she was becoming. Except for a few pictures twice a year, I didn’t know anything about her. Claire kept Paisley safely tucked away, far removed from me. As much as I hated her for it, part of me was grateful. If Paisley never knew me, I could never truly disappoint her.

  Still, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to take Claire up on her offer. Getting to know Paisley would have been a dream com
e true. Maybe, after all these years, we could have a real father-daughter relationship. I smiled at the thought, but it quickly faded from my lips. There was a reason I didn’t fight Claire over Paisley. Paisley deserved the world and I couldn’t give it to her. She deserved a good life and, so far, Claire had provided exactly that. I didn’t know if I could do the same.

  My mind was still racing when I heard the front door ding. I jerked my head up with a frown. We’d been closed for an hour. Who was coming inside?

  “I’m sorry, we’re closed!” I called from the back. I poked my head around the corner and saw a man wearing a suit step further inside. Rolling my eyes, I stood up and walked out front.

  “Are you Mr. Yates?” the man asked. “Sean Yates?”

  “I am,” I said suspiciously. “But like I said, we’re closed for the night. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.”

  “Mr. Yates,” the man said. “I’m not looking for a mechanic. I’m sorry, but I have some bad news.”

  The world around me seemed to shrink at his words. A million possibilities flew through my mind. My father died. My brother was in the hospital. The FBI was investigating the shop, and I was being arrested.

  “A few hours ago,” the man continued. “Your ex-wife, Claire Holland, was in a car accident. She was pronounced dead on scene.”

  Of all the horrific possibilities flooding my mind, that was the last thing I expected. I blinked. My heart was racing. My breathing slowed. I shook my head slowly, not wanting to believe what the man was saying. Immediately, I pictured Paisley’s face.

  “Paisley,” I said weakly. “My daughter. What’s going to happen to her now?”

  “That’s why I’m here, Mr. Yates,” he said. “Paisley Holland is at the police station downtown. We had an officer pick her up from summer camp and a CPS agent informed her of her mother’s death. The same agent is with her now.”

  “CPS?” I asked. My mind was blank.

  “Child Protective Services,” he explained simply.

  “I know,” I said impatiently. “What happens next? Does she go to Claire’s parents or...”