Zach: A Chicago Bad Boy Romance

by Peter Presley

  Making love to Kayla, a woman who responds to sex as good as she does, was better than I thought it would be. Whenever I’ve slept with fit women, sometimes they’re so skinny that I feel like I’m holding nothing but bones. But Kayla’s got a hard body that’s soft in all the right places. I couldn’t get enough of it.

  So it’s a shame it had to end the way it did. After we made love, all I did was mention, pretty innocently, how much she could use my help financially, but it’s like she just snapped. I mean she came to my hotel room asking about the money I offered and then when I mention it, she freaks out.

  So Kayla won’t take any of my money, none of it. I’ve never been with a woman more beautiful than Kayla, but I’ve also never been with one more stubborn than she is.

  Our time together ended fucked up, but still, I want to see more of her, and I want to remove this nonsense once and for all. How in the hell is she going to be able to pay off the debt with her waitressing job in the time that Bello wants? She doesn’t make enough dough to do that. I know she doesn’t.

  Bello doesn’t care if I front the money, but she won’t take my money, and Bello won’t give her an extension, I can tell you that right now. When he wants his money, he wants his money. If I have to pay it without her knowing, I’ll do it. I care about this girl too much for anything bad to go down.

  12

  Kayla

  Wow! Really Kayla? You go over there with the intention of getting some money from Zach, and you come home with nothing. Well . . . not nothing, because I haven’t come that hard in ages. What the fuck! How the hell am I going to stay away from that?

  I can’t think about it. I refuse to become one of the girls he pays for and strings along. I might as well be a prostitute if I’m going to swing that way. I thought I wouldn’t mind if Zach is involved, but I do mind. I mind a lot.

  I’m going to work extra hard at the restaurant to come up with the first week’s deposit. I can do this. It will be hard, but I can do this. The more I think about it, the angrier I get at my dad for putting me in this situation. I just want it over.

  Friday came, and I sent Bello a grand and a half. It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t the two grand, but it was something.

  It’s Tuesday, and I haven’t heard from Bello. So I’m assuming everything is cool. Now I’m headed back to my place after two more hard shifts at the restaurant. Zach has tried to call me, but I’ve been ignoring his calls. In fact, I haven’t spoken to him since we slept together. I want to talk to him. I do. But things aren’t right for that. Had I met him under different circumstances, and if he weren’t a criminal, he’d be my dream guy. So I need to forget about him and go on with my life.

  Well, when I walked into my apartment, you should see what I had found. Now I’m sitting here in the middle of my living room floor, in a state of shock. If you could see my apartment now, it looks like a freight train hit it. While I was away at my shitting waitressing job, somebody got into my place and completely ransacked it. What were they looking for? Money? I don’t have any fucking money.

  I’m shaking. Tears are flowing down my face. Who could have done this to me?

  I pull myself up from the middle of the floor and slowly walk over to what appears to be a note on my kitchen table, something that should have stuck out to me right away. Oh my God, it’s a note from Bello. He says, “Let this be a warning to you. You’re short. By Friday, I want the next payment, plus what you’re behind on.”

  Oh, God. How did his Mafia asshole find my place? Now my cell is ringing. Jesus, who can it be amongst all this mess? Caller I.D. says it’s my uncle.

  “Hello, Uncle Ronnie?”

  “Yeah, Kayla. It’s me.”

  I can’t tell my uncle my house got hit by Bello. As far as I know, he doesn’t know who Bello is, and he doesn’t know how bad the situation is, unless my dad told him, which, I don’t believe he did. So I don’t need to try and explain it. It will just make things worse. But my uncle doesn’t call me much. So something must be going on. “Is everything okay over there?”

  “No, everything is not okay. Your dad is here.”

  “What? He was supposed to be in rehab.”

  “Yeah, well he’s not. He left. You know the deal, Kayla.”

  “I know, I know. I’m so disappointed in him.”

  “They said he got caught drinking on site.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “So, of course, they kicked him out. Now he’s back on the bottle, and it will just be a matter of time before he’s gambling again. I tried to help you Kayla, but I can’t have your father here.”

  “Okay, okay. I’ll bring him back to my place.”

  “You want my advice?”

  “Yes, what?”

  “You’re gonna have to wash your hands of him, Kayla. Put him in a homeless shelter and be done with it.”

  “No! He’s my father, and, I might add, your brother. That’s no way to treat him.”

  “Leaving him in a homeless shelter may knock some sense into him. But as long somebody else is cleaning up his problems, he’ll never change.

  “I’ll be over in a little while, okay, Uncle Ronnie?”

  “Okay, fine.”

  I hang up the phone. Now I’m crying like a baby, and I wonder how much longer I can go on. My apartment is ransacked. My dad got kicked out of rehab, and now he’s going to get kicked out of his brother’s place. He’s ruining my life.

  13

  Kayla

  “Stay here dad, and don’t leave. If you leave, I can’t help you anymore.”

  “I’ll stay, I’ll stay here, honey. Don’t, don’t you worry.”

  My dad can barely talk he’s so damn drunk, not to mention the fact that his leg is still healing. “Just go to sleep,” I say. “I gotta figure out what to do.”

  We’re staying in a hotel for a few days until I can get my apartment back together. I had to put the hotel costs on my charge card, which is already almost at the limit. Susan is on her way over to meet me for a drink at the hotel bar. I have to get out of here, and I need a shoulder to cry on. Zach has been calling me too. He won’t quit, despite the fact I won’t talk to him and haven’t spoken to him since we had sex.

  I don’t know what I’m going to do; I just don’t.

  14

  Zach

  “Why’d you have to go and wreck her place?” I stare Bello in the face. He’s still staying at the Ritz. Sometimes he does business at hotels rather than at his home.

  “Because it was wreckable, that’s why. You keep mouthing off, and I’ll wreck your place too.”

  “She didn’t deserve it, Tony. It’s her dad who’s the low-life, not her.”

  Tony steps closer to me, making me step back. He’s a scary dude, but I’m too pissed to care. “You did her, didn’t you?” He says.

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you fucked her, and now your head is so far up that snatch, you’re not thinking straight.”

  “My head is as clear as it’s always been. Kayla is just a girl trying to make it. Why’d you have to go after her?”

  “Because she’s how I get my cash back.”

  “You don’t even need the money, Tony.”

  “Shut up! How’s about I take your salary to pay it off. You want to be such a tough guy.”

  “Did you forget? I already said I’d cover her debt. She doesn’t want me to, but I’ll fucking do it anyway.”

  “All right, consider it paid. Now get out of my sight. I’m done talking to you today.”

  15

  Kayla

  “You’re a mess, Kayla, a complete mess. I haven’t seen you like this, ever,” says Susan.

  I take a swig of my beer. Susan and I are drinking at the hotel bar. The drinks in these places are always jacked up prices, but Susan is paying. I feel like such a low-life. Susan is the only one of my friends who knows what’s happening to me. Like I told you before, she’s the only one I trust. I finally broke down an
d told her everything, but I made her promise to keep the info between her and me. The rest of my friends don’t need to know. “What am I going to do, Susan? You’re right. My life is a mess.”

  “You’re going to take the money that Zach guy is offering you.”

  “Okay, so I’m just a prostitute then right? I fuck him; he gives me the money.”

  “Kayla, stop it! You slept with him because you wanted to sleep with him. I know you. Nobody is going to force Kayla Franklin to do anything she doesn’t want to do.”

  I stare at my beer and don’t say anything.

  “Take the money and pay off your dad’s debt. You can always work out a payment plan to reimburse Zach, but at least you won’t be owing the bookie.”

  “Okay, my dad’s debt is paid off, and then what? He left rehab. Now he’s living with me, and we’re not even in my apartment. He’s ruined my life.”

  “Do you want to know what I think?”

  “What?”

  “I think the homeless shelter idea that your uncle had is right. Until your dad hits rock bottom, with no help from you or other family members, he’ll never take his life seriously. You can’t keep carrying him, or he will ruin your life, Kayla.”

  I nod my head and when I do, a tear flows out of my eye. Susan sees how upset I am and reaches over from her bar stool to put her arm around me.

  “It’s going to be okay, Kayla. I know it will.”

  “I’m working double shifts at that fucking restaurant. I’m not even doing what I love anymore.”

  “Yes, I know. But you’re young, and you’ve got your life ahead of you. Take Zach’s offer, pay off the debt and get your dad to a shelter and let him work out his own life.”

  16

  Kayla

  I said goodbye to Susan, and now I’m sitting in the lobby of the hotel. It’s damn near midnight, but I’m not ready to go back up to my hotel room. I’m not ready to face my father.

  Now I have a text on my phone. Oh shit! It’s Bello. He says my debt is paid off and I’m in the clear. What? That means Zach paid it. He had no right to do that. I’m calling him right now.

  “Hey, Kayla.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I got you out of your spot with Bello, that’s what I did.”

  “Who asked you to do that, Zach?”

  “Why don’t you stop yelling at me? Let’s meet up somewhere, okay?”

  “No, I can’t. I’m at a hotel because your fucking boss destroyed my apartment. Or, was that you who did that?”

  “Come on, Kayla. Calm down. It wasn’t me. I know what Bello did, and it pisses me off that he did that.”

  “Oh does it? Listen, I want you to leave me alone. The only reason I went over to your apartment is that I convinced myself to take your money. And then I changed my mind. But now you’ve gone and paid it. So I’ll pay you back the same way I had to pay Bello back. I have no interest in you otherwise, Zach.” Suddenly I feel a pressure in my stomach. Why did I say all that?

  “So that’s the only reason you slept with me. You sure about that?”

  I don’t say anything. I can’t say anything right now. What I said to Zach about the reason I slept with him is a lie. I just want to get off this phone. “Zach, I have to go. I’ll pay you back all of the money.”

  “So that’s what this is, a business relationship now? I paid off your dad’s debt because I don’t want anything to happen to you, or to him.”

  “Zach, I have to go.” I turn off my cell. My dad’s debt is paid off, but I feel like throwing up. The reason I went over to Zach’s penthouse was for money, but that’s not why I made love to Zach. I know damn well that’s not why. What am I doing?

  17

  Zach

  I don’t regret taking care of Kayla’s problem. It’s my way of helping out, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. But now that I’ve done what I could do to help, I’ll have to turn my back on her. I know she wants me. Despite the way she acts, I know she wants me. But she’s going to have to figure that out for herself. I’m in no hurry. I can wait until she gets herself together.

  Honestly, my biggest concern right now is getting away from Bello. As much as he’s done for me, I’ve decided this life is not the life I want to lead anymore. It’s not because of Kayla or anything. I’m just through with it, you know? I want a real job, something where I can feel good about myself at the end of the day.

  I’ve got a lot of money thanks to Bello. So I have to thank him for that. But I need to take that money and do something else with my life.

  What would that be? I have no fucking clue.

  18

  Kayla

  It’s nighttime, and I’m back in the hotel room after my shifts at the restaurant. I asked my father to stay here while I went to work, but he’s not here. I have a box where I keep my tips, and I had four hundred dollars in there. Well, the money is gone, and that means my dad is out gambling at that casino in Indiana.

  Susan and my uncle are right. I have to let my dad go to clean up his life on his own. I can’t have him living with me. Not when I know he’ll just steal from me and take advantage of my kindness.

  And there’s another thing I’m going to do. I’m calling Zach. I’m going to apologize for what I said to him and for the way I made him feel. I lied to him, and he didn’t deserve that, and he got my dad out of debt. I had no right to treat him the way I did.

  19

  Zach

  Last night, while I was drinking some wine on my balcony and looking out at the stars, I came up with my game plan. This week, I’m meeting with Bello to tell him I’m done working for him. It’s a huge gamble, because it’s a huge risk. So hopefully he won’t be pissed and send a hit squad out for me like he’s done to so many others when he’s felt betrayed.

  Right now, I’m sort of like a slave to Bello because he’s done so much for me in my life, but that’s got to come to an end. I need to separate myself from him now rather than later.

  What will I do after that, assuming everything is cool? I don’t know. Thankfully, I’ve got a shit-load of money saved. I lease my apartment month to month. I wanted it that way in case I needed to get out of town. So that’s what I’ll probably do, ditch Chicago and go somewhere else. Maybe I’ll check out L.A.

  That’s my cell. It’s Kayla. Shit, that didn’t take long. “Hello?”

  “Zach, hi, listen, can we talk for a minute?”

  “Sure, what’s going on?”

  “I wanted to apologize for what I said to you the other day.”

  “And what was that?” I know what it is, but I want her to repeat it.

  “When I told you that you didn’t mean anything to me, I was completely lying about that.”

  “Thanks, babe. I appreciate it.”

  “I’m really, really sorry, Zach. I feel like such an ass. You were so kind to pay off my dad’s debt.”

  “Baby, there’s no more need for you to apologize. It’s all good.” But I sense something else in Kayla’s voice, something other than a need to apologize, something out of a desperation I can’t quite figure out, but I know it’s there. “Kayla, is everything okay otherwise? What’s going on?”

  She’s crying. “You know me, don’t you? You know me already. It’s my dad.”

  “Did he charge up more money with Bello, babe?”

  “Well, he stole $400 from me, and now I can’t find him. We’re staying at a hotel until I can get my apartment cleaned up, and, well, I think he’s gambling in Indiana.”

  “Let’s go get him.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah, I’ll pick you up, and we’ll go get him. I’m here to help you, Kayla.”

  I picked up Kayla from the hotel she’s staying at, and now we’re driving to Indiana. She’s sitting in the passenger seat, not saying much and looking depressed, but as beautiful as always. I put my hand on her knee. “You okay?”

  “My uncle and my best friend told me I should put my dad in a homeless shelter a
nd let him sort himself out.”

  Sounds like a good idea to me, but I won’t say it. I don’t want to hurt her. “How do you feel about that?”

  “I think they’re right.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah, am I terrible for saying it?”

  “No. Your dad will keep taking from you until you show him that you mean business, you know?”

  She looks at me directly in the face. She seems to have a new resolve. “Yep, you’re absolutely right. I can’t keep going on like this.”

  “Babe, I’ll help you deal with this whole thing, okay? You’re going to make it through this.”

  We arrive at Sunrise Casino, the one Kayla says her dad likes to frequent. Sure enough, as we walk through the casino, there he is, at one of the blackjack tables. As soon as he sees us, he says something to the dealer, grabs his crutches and attempts to hurry off.

  He doesn’t get far. Kayla rushes in front of her dad and faces him. I stand close beside. “Dad, how could you do this?” says Kayla.

  “Honey, I . . . I don’t know what to say.”

  “You can’t live with me anymore, dad. You’ve got to go somewhere else.”

  “Where am I supposed to go?” He looks at me. “And why are you with him?”

  “Kayla and I are seeing each other,” I say.

  “What?” Franklin raises his voice. “Kayla, don't you know that this is the man who broke my leg? What are you doing with him?”

  “Yes, dad, but I’m not here to talk about that. We’re taking you somewhere where you can get yourself together on your own. I can’t do it for you.”