by Jane Anthony
Everything about him is sexual.
My fingers clack along the keyboard, pushing the thought from my lust-addled mind as I make the payment for my electric bill then move on to the next one. We can play Lumberjack later. Right now, I have adult business to take care of. I tear it open without reading the address on the front, dying to get through this monotonous task and onto more pressing matters. I read the letter and feel like I’m going to pass out.
“You all right?” Kade’s brows clip together with worry, but the typewritten words begin dancing on the page, making them impossible to read. I’m suffocating, trying to find breath that’s virtually disappeared from my lungs. My hands are shaking so hard, the letter slides from my fingers and flutters to my lap. “A. What’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
“He’s suing me,” I croak out over my dry throat.
“What?” Kade’s face twists up in confusion. “Who?”
The severity of the situation finally sinks in. I grab the letter from my lap and slam it down on the countertop. “The bastard is suing me!” I shout, leaping off the stool and stomping back and forth through the kitchen. “That jealous, petty, spiteful, piece of shit, scumbag, asshole . . .”
Kade jumps off the stool to grab the letter from the counter. “Who’s suing you?” His eyes skim the paper as I continue my furious pacing, choking an imaginary throat in midair. “That motherfucker!” He turns and latches on to my forearm. “He can’t do this, can he? This is ridiculous.”
“He can, and he is.”
My anger instantly switches to fear. Tears shoot out of my eyes and cascade down my face as I slide down the fridge and crumple into a ball on the cold tile floor. Gasping for breath, I bury my face in my hands. “He can’t take her from me, Kade. I can’t let him take her.”
Kade sits next to me, pulling me close and resting my head against his chest. “He’s not going take to Shay from you. He’ll never win this case. It’s absurd,” he says, gently stroking my hair and back with both hands.
When Bob left me, I was a mess. There were days when I found it hard to even get out of bed, leaving Shay to mill about the house watching cartoons alone. Just a few days after the divorce was final, I ran off on tour with a rock band and started a steamy love affair with the temperamental lead singer—the very one I am currently having casual sex with under the very same roof Shay resides in. I dropped the ball on all her after-school activities, choosing to focus on my career, a job that keeps me away from home long hours commuting back and forth to the city. He has plenty to build a case on, and any lawyer will be able to spin it to prove Shay’s best interest doesn’t lie with me. “I am an unfit mother. Just like he says.”
“Ainsley, listen to me,” Kade says, drying my tears with the pads of his thumbs. “Bob doesn’t want Shay. He wants to hurt you.” Kade swings his arm up, grabbing a napkin from the holder. “He can’t touch you with his hands. All he’s done is find a legal way to beat you up this time.”
My body sags against his arm as we sit together on the floor. I have no more tears left. I feel empty. As usual, Bob got the last word. If I lose Shay, I lose everything.
CHAPTER 33
Kade
“THIS IS SILLY. I can’t see how this is going to make me feel any better.”
Ainsley stands in front of the black hanging bag at the hotel gym. I held her on the floor of her kitchen for a while, but a man can only handle so much crying before he feels the need to fix it. I know exactly what she needs—a jolt of adrenaline.
“It’s not silly, A. Trust me.” I take her slim shoulders in my hands and turn her toward the bag. “Give it a whack.”
She gives the bag a girlie little punch and looks back at me defeated. “Happy?”
“No, do it again,” I say rolling my eyes. “Hard, with all your might. Pretend the bag is Bob. What do you want to do to him right now?” I slam my fist against the bag, growling like a bear and letting out a tiny piece of aggression to show her what to do. It jerks hard, and I steady it with my hands waiting for her to follow my instruction. Ainsley turns back toward it and looks it up and down while rubbing her palms together. She curls them into balls and gives the bag a hard jab. “Better! Do it again!”
She throws a second punch then a third and a fourth. The bag barely moves at first, but then I see it. The look. Determination. The anger starts emanating off her in droves. A high-pitched grunt follows each punch as she unleashes everything into the bag with all her might.
I stand back, holding it tight. Watching the transformation from babe to beast take hold, I’m loving every second of it.
She kicks it, stomps it with the bottom of her little Nike sneaker with a loud thwap like she wants to annihilate it, while cursing at it again and again.
“You suck!” Thwap!
“Screw you!” Thwap!
“I hate you!” Thwap!
Sucking in sharp, wheezing breaths, she stops, her volatile eyes roiling with wild, brutish abandon. “Kade,” she rasps, licking her dry lips.
I let go of the bag and scoop her up in my arms, smashing her up against the wall in a kiss as hard and ardent as her vehement punching was a few minutes prior. Her legs wrap around my back, holding herself against me as our teeth grate together.
She lost control. She surrendered to her primal instincts. And it’s the hottest thing I’ve seen in my entire life. Ainsley is an animal. Just like I am.
A moan fills my mouth. The entire length of her body is pressed against me so tight I can feel every crevice of her skin through our clothes. “Letting go feels good, doesn’t it?” I say against her lips.
“I gotta get one of these bags.”
***
I’m sorry I didn’t kill that asshole when I had the chance. Bob suing for custody of Shay is a joke. The guy doesn’t even feed her breakfast. He’s a piece of garbage.
The antiseptic smelling lobby pumps in top forty hits while I sit and wait for my name to be called. My hat is pulled low, and I purposely didn’t shave. I can’t let this happen. The notion that this is all my fault festers in my mind like a plague. If I hadn’t been at her house on Sunday, would he still be doing this? If I think for one minute that he’ll drop this lawsuit, I’ll get on the first plane back to California, no matter how my heart breaks.
The door opens, and a squatty woman in pink scrubs comes out. “Jack Mehoff?” The sound of the fake name I gave releases me from my thoughts, and I follow her into the little room. My knee bounces, and my foot taps on the linoleum while I wait. I’m taking a huge risk being here, but I have to try.
“Well, Mr. Mehoff, what seems to be the trouble?”
Bob comes in wearing his little white lab coat and carrying a clipboard. In this professional atmosphere, he looks less like the asshole I know and more like a regular guy. Somewhere deep inside him has to be something good. Something must be there that Ainsley saw and fell in love with. If I can somehow channel that part of him and show him he’s wrong about everything, I can fix this situation.
“The only one I see causing trouble around here is you.” I pull the hat off my head and clutch it in my fist. His eyes widen when he sees me then narrow into slits. He chucks the clipboard on the counter and crosses his arms over his chest. For a dentist, he’s a pretty big guy, but he’s short. If I had to guess, I’d say five-foot-seven on a good day. His false bravado is endearing but unnecessary. I’m not here to fight with him. “It’s time we had a talk, Bob. Man to man.”
“We have nothing to say to one another. Unless you’ve come here to thank me for not pressing charges last year when you assaulted me.”
Everything about this guy makes my skin crawl, from his Ken doll haircut to his fake Malibu tan. Having obviously peaked in college, he’s nothing more than an aging frat boy with a Napoleon complex.
“Let’s get one thing straight, bro. You hit me first. I had no beef with you.” I take a step forward trying my best to keep my voice calm. “This lawsuit against Ainsley is bogus.
What do I have to do to get you to call the dogs off?”
His humorless laugh makes my hands twitch, and I imagine knocking his veneers down his throat. He’s baiting me. My lungs fill with air as I count to ten in my head. “There’s nothing you can do. It’s done. Shay needs a good influence in her life, not some poor starving artist.”
I push my fist against my palm and crack my knuckles to keep from hurling it into his smug face. “Would you really call divorcing your wife to screw around with the nanny a good influence?” He opens his mouth to speak, but I raise my palm to silence him. “We can go tit for tat on this all day, but I’ll get right to the point. Ainsley doesn’t deserve to be dragged through the ringer because of some hang-up you have with me. She’s a good woman, and you’ve hurt her enough.” I swallow the bile rising in my throat as I prepare for what I have to say next. “I’m sorry about the way things went down last year. You and I are not all that different, Bob. We’re both hot-blooded men who want what we want.” I can’t believe I’m standing here kissing this guy’s ass. The shit we do for love.
“Don’t compare yourself to me. You’re a pretty face and a set of vocal cords. Without them, you’d be swinging a hammer in a construction site somewhere like the uneducated loser you are.” He swipes the clipboard off the counter and tucks it under his arm. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have patients waiting for me.”
My long strides put me in front of the door in two steps. I push it closed without taking my eyes off him. His face turns five shades of red as I step into his personal space. “I’ve been real nice to you, man. I gave you a chance to do the right thing. You get one more shot to show me that you’re not a total asshole and drop this lawsuit.”
“Or what?”
“I may be an uneducated loser, but the team of lawyers I have at my beck and call are not. I have the power to drag your ass into so much legal dirt, you’ll never get yourself out,” I seethe. “Every secret you’ve ever had since preschool will be uncovered and aired. Every filthy piece of dirty laundry you think you’ve kept hidden will be brought out, and I will not stop until you are completely destroyed.”
A drop of saliva shoots through my gritted teeth and lands on his cheek, but he makes no move to wipe it away. “And as for me thanking you for not pressing charges against me? Maybe you should be thanking your lucky stars that I don’t march over to your house and tell your pregnant girlfriend the reason you were at Ainsley’s house to begin with.” Bob’s chin falls as I open the door and walk out, leaving him standing in the room.
“I won’t need another appointment,” I say to the girl at the desk as I breeze past.
Before the glass door behind me is even closed, my phone is out and I’ve already started dialing. “Vic? I need you to work your magic, bro.”
CHAPTER 34
Ainsley
TALKED TO BOB. The guy’s a dick. Expect a phone call.
I peer down at the text message wondering what the hell Kade is talking about.
A phone call from who?
Before I get a response that explains Kade’s bizarre message, the phone rings in my hand. “Hello?”
“Hello, this is Maxwell Stein’s office calling for Ainsley Daniels,” says the pleasant voice on the other end.
“This is Ainsley Daniels.”
“Please hold.” I wait while the line goes quiet, wondering what this is all about.
Before long, I hear a click, and a quick-talking voice comes through the phone. “Ms. Daniels, Maxwell Stein from Berghammer and Stein, thanks for your patience. I received a call this morning from an associate of mine who represents Black Diamond. I was instructed to give your case special treatment and to handle it personally.”
My mouth drops open. Kade.
I spent all morning talking to lawyers. Their fees are out of control. I do okay at the gallery but not well enough for a monetary commitment of this magnitude. I thought about asking my parents for a loan, and while it’s not completely off the table, I’d rather not have to subject myself to another degrading game of Ainsley Needs a Husband with my mother.
“I appreciate that, but I’m not sure I could afford you.”
Saying it out loud makes me feel like crap. I’m a grown woman with a child and very little savings. Starting over at thirty was no easy task, and up until now, I’ve been so proud of the way I’ve overcome the odds. Leave it to Bob to always know how to make me feel worthless.
“It’s all set, Ms. Daniels. My fee has already been taken care of. You have a tentative court date of December ninth. I’d like to meet with you to go over a few things in my office . . .” My mind wanders, and I stop listening. Kade paid my lawyer fee. Why would he do that? I can’t possibly accept this from him. “ . . . does that work for you?”
“Sure,” I blurt out, even though I have no idea what the man just said to me.
“Excellent. We will see you this afternoon at two p.m. Have a good day, Ms. Daniels.”
The line disconnects, and I sit there stunned, still gripping the phone in my hand. Kade really is full of surprises, and this one takes the cake. Various parts of my brain play tug of war with each other. The independent side is immediately angered at his assumption that I need his help, but the logical side wants to cry because, as humiliating as it is, he’s right. I can’t let my pride get in the way. This is an amazing gift, and I’d be a fool to refuse it.
I go outside to collect my thoughts. The city sidewalk is lively with people bustling about. I lift my face to the sky, letting the midday sun shine down on me. The wind is cold, but it’s unusually warm for this time of year. I’ll never be able to repay Kade for his generosity. He never ceases to amaze me with his kind and giving nature.
A familiar voice stops me as I turn to go back into the gallery. “A?”
As if I conjured him out of thin air, Kade emerges from the crowd. He’s a day past shaving. A ball cap shields his face and giant aviators mask his brilliant eyes, but his massive height and confident stance are a dead giveaway. “You stalkin’ me now or what?”
His face splits into a smile. “Not yet. I have an appointment downtown. Is this where you work?”
“It sure is.”
“I’ll have to come back when I have more time. You can show me some art.” He pokes me in the stomach, and I coil back. Even when I feel this low, Kade always manages to put a smile on my face.
“After the phone call I got today, I’m going to owe you more than an art tour. I might have to give you a kidney.” I cross my arms around me as the wind blows through my hair. It’s sleek and straight today. A piece gets tangled in my eyelashes, and Kade runs his finger down the side of my face, freeing it and tucking it behind my ear as I continue. “You’re incredible. Thank you.”
“Keep the kidney. I’ll settle for love slave.” His arms come around me, his body shielding me from another gust of wind. “Don’t thank me. Just win this thing and put it behind us.”
Us. Hearing him lump our names together as one unit fills my heart with unnerving hope. “I’m going to try my best.” I stand on my toes and press a kiss to his lips. “I’ll call you later.”
The next few hours are spent immersed in work, organizing the latest exhibit at the gallery. I work through lunch, and before I know it, it’s time to go.
My stomach is in knots as I hail a cab to the Times Square office. The Law Offices of Berghammer and Stein reside at the top of an enormous professional building. The glass-encased structure gleams as it stretches high into the sky. I feel small inside the law firm’s tremendous reception area. The desk extends the length of the room. Beyond it, in large bold letters, reads the names of the partners. On the opposite wall is a serene tropical fish tank recessed inside. My gaze darts around the room, drinking it all in. The monthly rent for an office like this probably equals what I earn in a year.
The receptionist looks about my age, but her Chanel dress and flawless makeup put her on a different level than me. “Ainsley Daniels. I have an appo
intment with Mr. Stein.”
She picks up the phone to alert the office of my presence. “Just one moment. Please have a seat.”
I sit on the couch near the tank, feeling insecure in my Liz Claiborne suit. My purse rests on my lap clutched in my hand as I watch the neon-colored fish swim through the water without a care in the world. They float past each other, small fish in a big space, not bothering to acknowledge the other’s presence. It’s a metaphor for my life. Even with so many people around me, I still feel so utterly alone.
“Ms. Daniels?” The same pleasant voice from the call this morning interrupts my thoughts. “Mr. Stein will see you now. Follow me.” She’s tall and thin. Her black hair falls into an elegant bob at her shoulders, and her red lipstick is an exact match to her shirt. The lilt in her voice tells me she’s not native to the northeast, but from somewhere down south. It’s not a slow Georgia drawl like Banger, more of creole twang.
She leads me into the wood-paneled office. It’s masculine and modern. The floor-to-ceiling windows showcase a spectacular view of the busy city below. “Right this way.”
Maxwell Stein’s office is as clean and streamlined as the rest of the place. The rich mahogany desk sits in front of the same floor-to-ceiling windows as the area out front and sitting on a leather chair next to it is Kade. Warmness spreads throughout my chest. I didn’t realize how much I wanted him here until I saw him waiting for me.
“Ms. Daniels, come in.” Maxwell Stein stands from behind his desk and motions to the empty chair beside Kade. He waits for me to sit then smooths his pink tie down and returns to his seat. “I’ve been on the phone with Greg Warner, the attorney representing Robert Daniels in the custody case involving the minor Shay Lee Daniels.” He opens the manila folder in front of him and peruses the notes inside. “Mr. Daniels is suing you for full custody on the grounds of unfit parenting.” A deep crease forms on his forehead as his dark, bushy brows pinch together. He’s silent for a moment as he reads the file in front of him. “Ms. Daniels, I’m going to ask you a few questions, and I want them answered honestly.”