by Kaylee, Katy
I watched as she moved toward me and took a seat. Jesus, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world. Her blonde hair was a bit shorter, but still long enough for a man to run his fingers through. Her piercing blue eyes looked weary but determined, perhaps a little annoyed and even angry. I suppose she had a right to be. I’d fucked her on the beach and then left her the next day. I was the clichéd douchebag.
I tried to contact her and explain, but she changed her number and never responded to my letter. I heard through the grapevine she’d gone to Europe to live with her mom and go to school there instead of Princeton. I always wondered if that was her dad’s doing to keep her from me.
I considered asking Ben for help in reaching her but eventually decided that I didn’t want to disrupt our relationship as we built the club. And so I let her go, hoping my mother, the one person I confided in, had been right that while what I felt for Beth had been real, we were both young and had so much living to do. She said I’d meet someone else someday. I’d eventually look back on my time with Beth as a sweet summer romance, but that when I was older I’d find lasting love.
So far, she was wrong. No woman I’d met since Beth made me want more than just the physical pop of an orgasm. Staring at Beth, I realized that whatever connection we’d forged six years ago still bound me to her. But looking at her now, it didn’t seem like the time to tell her that.
She opened her mouth to speak and then shut it, and her cheeks flushed. It reminded me of the first time I kissed her. God, she tasted so sweet. I remember feeling drunk on her taste. I wanted to taste more; all of her. Eventually, I tasted most of her, except that one sweet place between her thighs.
Since she seemed to be struggling with how to start, I decided I would. “How are you?” I wanted to know why she was there, but I could see this was as awkward for her as it was for me. Then I remembered her father. “I was sorry to hear about your dad. I was out of town and wasn’t able to pay my respects.” I let Ben know that I was away when I sent my condolences, but he hadn’t responded.
“Thank you.” She still had the voice of an angel.
“How’s Ben doing? I haven’t seen or heard from him in a long while. The club is doing great. I hope he’s pleased about that.” God, I was rambling.
She inhaled as if she was preparing to launch into the reason she was here. “I’m actually here to talk about the club.”
“Oh?” I sat back, ready to hear what she had to say. I hoped it would take her a long time because I wanted to listen to her and look at her for as long as possible.
2
Beth – Wednesday
I thought I was prepared to see Ash again. I’d lived with my resentment of him for much longer than the summer I spent in love with him. While I wanted to be civil to him, I entered his office with my anger intact and a mission to accomplish. I was sure I’d be able to do that without any risk of old positive feelings mucking up my goal.
But seeing him sitting behind his desk, looking even more handsome than I remembered, my heart stalled in my chest. There was no doubt that he’d grow into himself. He looked powerful and competent as a businessman. It was probably in the Raven DNA. But as he watched me, I thought maybe he felt a little unsure, maybe even guilty. Good. What he did to me was cruel.
I didn’t want to come and see him. After he left that summer, it took a while, but when I finally got over Ash, I was determined that I would never see him again. I’d been so hurt and angry, I vowed to strike him from my memory. But that turned out to be impossible when a month later, as I was settling into my mother’s home in Europe instead of my going to Princeton, I discovered that night with Ash resulted in something that would keep a part of him in my life forever.
Back then, I knew I needed to reach out to Ash to let him know, but I didn’t want my family to find out he was the reason why my father was hiding me away. So I avoided digital devices I knew my father could monitor, and instead sent Ash a letter. It came back unopened with the words “Return to Sender” scrawled on the front. From then on, Ash was persona non grata to me.
When Ben learned the details of what happened, he wanted to kick Ash’s ass, but there were more important things going on, such as my father’s failing health and the company’s falling profits. Luckily, I convinced him to simply keep it to himself. And that was when, like me, Ben did all he could to avoid Ash. We had good reasons. Reasons that I didn’t need Ash to know about.
Unfortunately, today, we needed Ash’s help and so here I was, trying to keep my past from messing up my future. This meeting needed to be short and to the point. It needed to be all business. No reminiscing about the past or sharing our present lives. If I was lucky, Ash would be disinterested in all the personal stuff. He’d walked away from me without a thought. There was no reason to think he’d care now.
I took a deep breath. “Ben wants to sell his share of Jet. He wants out of the nightclub business.”
Ash’s brows arched up in surprise. “Ben loved being the owner of Jet. He always welcomed the pretty woman and liked to play up being the owner.”
I shrugged like it was no big deal, when in fact it was. Ben had been living his best life when he managed the club. “He’s moving on. He has other obligations now. Besides, it’s not like you two see each other. One of the reasons Ben agreed to join you was because of your friendship. But now that you’ve drifted apart, there doesn’t seem to be any point now.”
Ash frowned. “I’ll admit it’s been a while since I’ve seen Ben, but that wasn’t my fault. He’s the one that backed off the club, and I understood. Your dad was sick.”
I cocked my head to the side. “You weren’t there much before that.”
“The last few years, my work here has kept me away from Jet more than I’d like. But Ben is still my friend. Why did he send you instead of talking to me himself?”
I swallowed, hoping to hide my pain about Ben. There was too much going on with him. And his resentment toward Ash was around the same issue I had with him. The end result was the same. Ben needed to sell his half of Jet. Whether I did it, or Ben did it, it had to be done.
“Ben is busy dealing with my father’s estate.” That wasn’t a lie. He was dealing with my father’s business, but mostly he was trying to keep it from going down the toilet. He was struggling, and as a result, his own mental and physical health were impacted. Hopefully, selling his half of Jet would help with that.
“What about you? Are you looking at taking over some of the work in your dad’s empire too?”
Again, I shrugged, not wanting to give too much away. “I’m lending a hand.” Wanting to get back on topic I said, “We’re prepared to accept a fair price.” I didn’t want Ash to know how dire our financial situation was.
Ash studied me for a moment. “I haven’t been to the club in a while. I’m guessing Ben hasn’t either. I think we should check it out together. It will give us a chance to do a full evaluation of the club’s worth. We can have an outside appraisal if you prefer, but I think between us, we can determine the value and come up with a reasonable offer.”
I found it hard to believe that Ash didn’t know exactly what the club was worth at any given time, but at least he was open to buying Ben’s half. “I’m not sure Ben is available.”
“You and I can go.”
I got the feeling that had been his meaning in the first place, but I wasn’t sure why I had to go. I didn’t know anything about the club business. “I’m too busy to go clubbing. Can’t you just check it out and make an offer?”
He sat back and steepled his fingers as he scrutinized me. “Are you saying you trust me on this?”
Hell no. How could I trust the man who said he’d work things out so we could be together, and the next day leave without a word?
“It won’t take long,” he continued. “We can meet at the busy time so you can see the club at it’s best. How about ten on Saturday?”
Cripes, normally I was in bed by ten because I alwa
ys had to get up around dawn. “I don’t know anything about clubs.”
“Even more reason to go. You can give Ben a full report.”
It appeared he wasn’t going to take no for an answer, and in point of fact, he was probably right that at least one of us should go so we could get an idea of what the club was worth. Since I knew it couldn’t be Ben, it would have to be me.
“Alright. Ten on Saturday.”
“Great.” He smiled and it was stunning. Why did he have to be such a douche? “You’ll be able to see the club running full tilt. Then we can strike up a fair deal.”
I nodded, feeling a little sick to my stomach. I supposed it was too much to expect him to give me a number and finish with the deal right then and there. I’d sure have preferred that though. Seeing him was taking a toll on my heartstrings. I was still mad at him, but the grief at what we could have had, but lost, was there as well.
“I’ll meet you there.” I stood.
“Okay.” He rose from his chair and came around his desk. Good lord, now I could see how much larger he was. Not in height, but his shoulders and chest seemed broader in his crisp white shirt. He exuded power and strength. But his expression was soft and kind.
I thrust out my hand, to make sure he didn’t get any ideas about hugging an old friend. He looked down at it, and then with a sigh, took it. The feeling of his hand on mine brought me back six years to when his large hand held mine as we walked on the beach. Or how he used them on my body to bring me pleasure.
I withdrew my hand after one shake. “Saturday,” I said.
“See you then.”
I hurried out of his office and into the elevator. I didn’t take a breath until I reached the street and could let out all my tension. Good lord. I hoped to God that after Saturday, he’d make a good offer and then we’d be done. The less I saw of Ash Raven the better.
3
Ash – Saturday
It was ridiculous how eager I was to see Beth again. Since the moment she walked into my office, I’d been thinking of her nonstop. Even in my sleep, she came to me in my dreams. That happened a lot when I first left her, but in the last few years, she’d been relegated to a dull ache in my heart as I plowed through business deal after business deal.
At my father’s urging, I was doing my best to put all my energy in building Raven Industries with him and my brothers, pushing away any thought about personal happiness. The company was the only thing that lasted, my father would say. It was the only thing we could count on for sure. My three brothers and I had bought into that, and into my father’s idea that we needed to compete against each other to be the top Raven in the company. It made for contentious relationships between us.
Of course, now my father had changed his tune. He decided all work and no personal life was the wrong course of action. All my brothers balked at his new inheritance plan that required us to marry and have kids. But for me, I wanted to strangle him. I had a chance at love and family, and he’d made me toss it aside. I always resented him for forcing me to leave Beth, but now, I found it difficult to be around him and not lash out, which was unlike me. Of all my brothers, I was the quietest, least volatile one.
My oldest brother, Chase, had attempted a workaround of my dad’s new plan by entering into a marriage of convenience. Now, he and Sara had fallen in love, but it didn’t change the fact that initially, he tried to find a loophole in my father’s crazy plan.
My other older brother, Hunter, found love too, but even he hadn’t believed love was possible until Grace. My youngest brother, Kade, had no interest in love, whether it existed or not.
Me? I knew love existed. I knew how all-consuming and perfect it could be. How uplifting and exciting it was to love someone who loved you back. I’d been an idiot to toss that away for a father who played me and my brothers as fools.
I rolled my shoulders to rid it of the tension that built when I thought about my father. Had I been man enough at the time, I would have stood up to my father and chosen Beth, so I had to own my part in my unhappiness.
Tonight I needed to push all my old resentments aside, and instead, I needed to focus on seeing Beth again. I’d have preferred to have the opportunity to get to know her again, and maybe see if what we had could be salvaged or rebuilt. But I’d settle for seeing her about buying her brother’s share of Jet.
It was bizarre that Ben wanted to sell and that he was sending Beth to negotiate the deal. Not that Beth couldn’t do it. I was sure she was very capable, but it was Ben’s baby. He and I conceptualized and then created the best club in the city. It didn’t make sense that he didn’t want anything to do with it or didn’t want to make sure he was getting the full value of his investment back. I needed to make sure he was involved or that he’d given her legal authority to make the deal.
I walked into the packed club and made my way to the bar where the manager I hired when Ben took his hiatus was waiting for me. I wanted to let him know what was going on and that the club needed to run like fine-tuned engine. My father would roll his eyes if he knew I was setting us up to give Ben a bigger payout by presenting the club at its most successful. But I was proud of the club and felt like Beth should be too. Her brother had been a part of this and she needed to see that. And he was owed his fair share.
Despite all the people and loud music, I knew the minute she entered the building. My head jerked toward the door where I arranged for one of the bouncers to escort her in instead of making her wait in line.
My heart stopped in my chest; she was so stunningly beautiful. Her blonde hair was down, hanging in natural waves that made me think of the tussled, just-been-fucked style. She was wearing a basic black dress that accentuated every delectable feature of her body from the hint of cleavage to the hourglass shape of her waist and hips. It hit at mid-thigh, showing shapely legs that I remembered wrapping around my hips the one and only time I fucked her.
“She’s a looker,” my manager said.
“Hands off,” I growled.
He laughed. “Understood.”
I didn’t want to appear too eager, not because I didn’t want her to know that I was open to… hell, I was interested… finding out if we still had that amazing connection, but because I didn’t want to scare her off. She came dressed to be in a club, but her eyes were wary and her expression annoyed, just like when she entered my office. She was here reluctantly. I tried not to take it personally and instead decided to make it my mission to show her a good time. If we ended up naked too, all the better. But if not, I hoped she’d be able to relax and maybe even smile.
“Hi Beth,” I said reaching my hand out to touch her forearm and leaning in to kiss her cheek. Jesus, she smelled good.
“Ash.”
“This is the manager I hired when Ben took his leave. Tuck, this is Ben’s sister, Beth McAdams.”
Tuck shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
She nodded.
“We’ll meet in his office briefly so you can see some of the financials, and then I’ll give you a tour,” I said.
“I just need to see the paperwork.”
I ignored her as I led her following Tuck back to the manager’s office.
“Can I get you something to drink?” I offered as she sat in the chair by Tuck’s desk.
“No, thank you.”
I let Tuck lead, giving her an overview of the club for the last five years.
“That dip two years ago was when Ben decided to take a leave,” I said as her finger stopped over a figure that was smaller than the others.
“But I’ve got it back up and then some,” Tuck said.
“Yes, it’s quite successful,” she commented.
She sounded pleased, which I supposed she should be. It meant Ben was entitled to a tidy sum if he still wanted to sell. I frowned as I wondered if that was an issue. Did they need money? Their father had built a business empire as my father had. It didn’t seem likely that it was in trouble. And I still couldn’t figure out why
Ben wasn’t here. I really should have been doing business with him.
“This all looks very good,” she said looking up at me. “I can let Ben know and we can come up with an offer.”
“You need to tour the club first. You know this is a good investment for him. Maybe he should consider keeping it. He can be a silent partner if he prefers.”
She shook her head. “No, he’s decided he wants to move on.”
I wanted to ask her why he wasn’t here telling me all this. Was he angry at me? Had he found out about me and Beth all those years go and was pissed I touched his sister? Or was something wrong with him?
I escorted her out, letting my hand rest on the lower part of her back. I itched to touch her and this was the safest I felt I could get away with.
“We have VIP areas for celebrities and other important guests,” I said as I showed her a few of the areas. “The glass allows them to see what’s going on, but if they want privacy, there is a technical curtain of sorts that tints the glass.”
“Your doing, I guess,” she said.
I shrugged. “I suppose tech geek and club owner don’t normally go together, but in my case, it works.”
She nodded. “You’re very clever.”
I led her to the bar and introduced her to the staff we had serving drinks this night. “Megan here was our first hire,” I told Beth. “Ben was quite smitten with her.”
“I believe there are rules about bosses and their staff,” Beth said.
I nodded. “And Ben always respected that.”
“It was easier for him when he learned I swing the other way,” Megan said from the other side of the bar. “What will it be boss?”
“Give us minis of all the signature drinks.”
“All?” Megan quirked a brow.
“All.” I didn’t want to get Beth drunk, but it would be nice if she loosened up a bit.
In a few minutes, Megan had set the first drink on the bar.