by Harlow James
I pull on the back of my neck, fighting the nerves running through me. “I know. But if we have any chance at a future together, then this is something we have to navigate together.”
“A future? You’re serious about this girl,” he says with a furrow of brow and a curious intent. “Next thing I know you’ll be telling me you bought a ring.”
“Ha! Yeah, I don’t know about that.” The idea of marriage has my skin itching, but then the image of Shayla in white makes my stomach twist and my heart race as I realize I don’t hate it.
He shakes his head before his phone goes off and he extracts it from his pocket to check the message. “Shit.”
“What’s up?”
“This club in Vegas I just went in on is turning out to be more of a problem than I thought.”
“How so?”
“The owner thinks he has a mole, someone on the inside that is fucking with the ledgers and giving away information about marketing ploys, and such.”
“That’s not good.”
He huffs dramatically. “No, it’s not. I have a feeling I’m going to be going to Vegas soon for a while until I can get this under control. I have a lot of money invested in this place, and I can’t watch it go burning up in flames.”
“Well, let me know what I can do to help.”
“I will. Maybe there will be a trip to Vegas in the near future? That would be a good time.”
Images of being drunk off my ass the last time I was in Vegas send my head in a tailspin. I haven’t returned to Sin City in over six years for obvious reasons. Too much temptation, too many ways to slip up flashing right in front of my face.
But maybe I could handle it now?
The sound of my phone buzzing across the desk catches me off-guard as I struggle to pick it up. Shayla’s name flashing across the screen instantly makes me smile, and since it’s just Hayes sitting across from me in my office, I decide to answer.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
“Hi,” she says, but there is nothing perky about her voice.
“What’s wrong?”
She pauses on the line before I hear her shout something away from the phone. “Sorry, Chloe was asking me something. Oh God, Wes. My laptop. I think it just died on me.”
A bolt of stress runs through me. There is nothing worse than your computer crashing on you. “Shit, Shayla. I’m sorry.”
“Like seriously? Now? It’s my last semester in college, but every paper I’ve ever written is on there and my paper that I’m supposed to turn in next week.”
“Is there any way you can get it off? Don’t you back up your work on an external hard drive?”
“NO!” she shouts. “Why does everyone keep asking me that? Are people just secretly backing up their work at night but not reminding others to do the same? I feel like Carrie from Sex & the City right now. I have research on there for my final thesis class this semester that I didn’t put on a Google Document. Some of my stuff is on Google, but some is not.”
“That is stressful. I’m sorry.”
She sighs and I hate how frustrated she feels right now and there’s nothing I can do to help her. “I know. I’m sorry to call and yell at you. I guess I just needed someone to vent to.”
“I’m always here, you know that. As long as I can answer the phone, I will.”
“Thank you. I’ll let you get back to work. I have to use Chloe’s computer today to finish this assignment and then I don’t know what I’m going to do. Go put a new laptop on my credit card or something,” she says, defeat in her voice.
“It will be okay. Just breathe. We can cancel tomorrow if you need to,” I offer, even though I’ve been looking forward to seeing her all week.
“No. I can’t wait to see you. I’ll be fine. Tired tomorrow after working tonight, but I’ll be there.”
“Okay. Hang in there.”
“Thanks. Bye, Wes.”
“Bye.” I hang up and then look up to see Hayes sitting across from me with a smarmy smile on his face.
“What?”
“Calling with a crisis?”
“Yeah. Her laptop died. Why?”
“That is hardcore boyfriend territory you just ventured into.”
My throat goes tight before I let the label swirl around in my brain. This inherent need to take care of her, solve her problem for her, and the need to keep her safe pummel into me before I can understand just how powerful the feelings are.
“Yeah, I guess it is.” My grin spreads across my lips as I contemplate my next move, and without a second thought, I pick up my office phone.
“Yes, Mr. Morgan?” Sheryl answers as Hayes shakes his head at me.
“Sheryl. I need you to place an order for me.”
“Sure. What do you need?”
I rattle off the specifications that I think will work and then end the call.
“If you don’t get one hell of a blowjob for that move, I’m going to cry for your dick,” Hayes barks out as I close my eyes, wondering how the hell this man does business for a living with a mouth like that.
***
The next morning, I move around the kitchen, preparing the scrambled eggs in a bowl and mixing up the pancake mix next while waiting for Shayla to arrive at my house. I contemplated picking her up, but I needed to prep the food and I knew she’d want to sleep in as late as she could after working at the club last night.
Part of me is starting to hate the fact that she works there, particularly when I think back to what that club looked like and how many guys I saw hitting on her just in the few short hours I was there the first night I saw her. But I don’t feel I have the authority to ask her to quit, especially because I know her independence means a lot to her and the last thing I want to do is piss her off to the point she pushes me away.
And as I contemplate that thought, I think back on what I did yesterday as nerves run through me with the reaction I’m going to get for that maneuver. But I couldn’t help it. I saw a problem and I instantly needed to fix it. It was an easy fix too, something that I hope she won’t take too seriously and rather appreciate for how quickly I was able to bury the problem that surprised her yesterday.
Grace has left the house until this afternoon so that Shayla and I can have some privacy. This is her first time seeing my grandfather’s estate and I want her to know how big of a deal that is. I contemplated having Grace here to meet Shayla at first, but I also know I’m going to have a hard time not stripping her naked the second that she walks through my door, so I figured it was better if we were alone for that. The truth is, I can’t wait to introduce her to Grace, and I know my housekeeper and friend is eager to meet her too.
The sound of a car door slamming outside alerts me to Shayla’s arrival. I drop the whisk into the batter, knowing I’m going to have to fish it out in a few minutes, and then wash my hands at the sink before trying to beat her to the door. A knock rings out through the house, and I scramble to the door so I don’t leave her out there for too long.
“Good morning,” I say as I open the door, but the scowl of the woman staring back at me is not the greeting I was expecting in return.
“What the hell is this?” she asks, holding up a gold gift bag. Her face is hard and menacing as she glares at me with disdain.
“It’s a gift,” I reply, patiently waiting for her next words.
“Yeah, I caught that. But this is …”
“What?”
“This is too much, Wes. I can’t accept it.” She shoves the bag at my chest and then turns to walk away.
“What the?” I stare at her as she retreats and then my legs wake up and follow after her. “Shayla! Where the hell are you going?”
“Home.”
“Because I bought you a computer?”
She spins around and the fire I’ve seen before is raging in her eyes with a vengeance. “Yes! Haven’t you listened to anything that I’ve told you?”
“I have. And yesterday you told me that your laptop died, so I bou
ght you a new one.”
“And that’s exactly it! You didn’t listen at all!”
I place the bag down on the ground in the driveway before reaching up to tug on my hair in frustration. “I’m so confused. Shayla, you’ve got to level with me here. Did I do something wrong?”
Shaking her head, she takes a deep breath before letting it out harshly. “I don’t need your charity, Wes. I don’t want your help.”
And that low blow sparks my own anger as I narrow my eyes at her. “Is that what you think this was? Charity?”
“I can take care of myself! I’ve been doing it for the last eight years, and honestly, long before that.” Her hands find her hips and I still can’t understand why she’s so upset. I know she takes pride in her independence and has issues with the idea of a man taking care of her. But I was just trying to alleviate some stress for her. I wanted to do this for her, and I guess part of it was for me too.
“Well, what if I want to take care of you? Huh? Don’t I get a say in that?” I step toward her as she stands her ground.
“What?”
“You called me yesterday, frantic and upset. The first thing that inherently hit me is that I could solve your problem with one phone call, so I did,” I explain, shrugging my shoulders and finding strength to argue my choice. “I hated the thought of you being stressed out about making this purchase, especially when you’re almost finished with school, so I made the purchase for you. If that makes me a horrible person, then so be it.”
“That doesn’t make you horrible, Wes,” she says on a sigh and then drops her hands from her hips. “But this is exactly what I was trying to get you to understand last weekend. I’ve seen this play out. I don’t want you to sweeten me up with gifts, or think that it’s what I want from you. It makes this feel cheap.”
“I don’t think that, Shayla. Not once has it crossed my mind that you’re with me for my money. Hell, I’m pretty sure you came into my office with guns blazing when you found out who I was, remember?” And it’s true. I’ve met plenty of people in my life that only wanted to know me for what I could do for them. And Shayla is nothing like those people.
A small smile breaks through her mask and it instantly makes me feel more at ease.
“So I’m sorry if the laptop upset you. I can take it back if it’s really that important to you. But I also know that you took time off last weekend to spend with me and I didn’t want you to worry about the expense.”
“I appreciate the thought, Wes. I do. This is just—” she pauses to take a deep breath and I feel myself copying her. “It’s a lot. No one has ever given me a gift this nice before.”
“And that’s exactly what it is. A gift. Not payment. Not collateral. Not something I’m going to hold over your head, alright?”
She stands there, intensity in her eyes as she wars within herself to accept this. Accept us. We’re both navigating rocky water here—waves that keep crashing against us in ways we weren’t anticipating—hers that make her worry that I’m using her, and mine that remind me I may never be worthy of the angel that she is.
“Okay,” she relents and then slowly walks over to me. I reach out for her hand, grab the bag from the ground below me, and then lead her into my house, into another aspect of my life, of my well-constructed walls that she’s demolishing one brick at a time.
Chapter 17
Shayla
How does he do that? I had every intent of giving him a piece of my mind and shoving that brand new laptop in his face, but then he rationally explains himself, and suddenly I’m caving at the sight of the sincerity in his eyes. He did the same thing to me when I barged into his office, and then within five minutes, I was agreeing to a date with him.
With my hand in his, Wes grabs the giftbag he dropped on the driveway and leads me inside his home, the beautiful display of colonial-style Spanish architecture that I was too busy to notice when I first arrived.
He opens the solid wooden door and my eyes struggle to adjust to the lavish dwellings I just walked into. But the décor of this home doesn’t surprise me. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Wes’s office—clean, bright walls with tan and gold accents, accompanied by dark wood in the furniture and cabinetry. And it’s not ostentatious. It actually feels like a home, not just a house that somebody sleeps in.
“Welcome,” he says, leading me through the entry way, past an office to my left and a formal dining room to my right, and into an open concept living room and kitchen with a beautiful view of the ocean through the floor to ceiling windows spanning the entire back of the house. The estate is on a hill high above the town below us, which only adds to the view.
“Holy shit,” I whisper, walking over to the glass while letting my eyes wander across the expanse of the ocean in front of me.
“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” Wes comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, caging me in against his body. One whiff of his scent and I almost forget why I was mad at him when I arrived.
“Yes.”
I feel his lips hit the soft skin on my neck right below my ear as a shock of arousal races through me. “So are you done being mad at me?” he growls in my ear as I feel his erection harden against my ass.
I scoff and then turn in his arms to face him. “I had every intention of leaving, Wes. I’m serious.”
He sighs and then stares down into my eyes. “I know, but I’m glad you didn’t. I’m… I don’t know what came over me. You called, sounding frantic and my instant reaction was to solve your problem. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“And now that I understand your intentions, I get it. But I’m not used to it. And I don’t want that to be what this is about.”
“What is this about?” he asks, reaching down to palm my ass in his hands as he thrusts his hips into my stomach and presses his lips to my neck again. I understand him wanting to be playful, but I don’t want to let the severity of this conversation get derailed.
I bend my neck to the side to give him better access, struggling to make him see that he knows I’m being serious. Damn this man and his lips and incredible dick. “Stop trying to distract me with your cock, Wes Morgan. This is important.”
He rolls his eyes teasingly and then stands back up again. “Okay. I know. You’re right. I’m sorry. But I’ve been thinking about fucking you the minute you walked in my house all week, and this is not living up to that fantasy.”
“We’ll get to that in a moment,” I say and his smile spreads across his lips before he focuses on me intently. “I guess I need to say… thank you. The laptop, even though I was furious at first, is much appreciated.”
“You’re welcome, Shayla.” His hand reaches up to softly caress my face.
“But don’t do something like that again, okay? Not without asking me first.”
His face goes flat, but then he clears his throat and kisses me softly. “Okay.” Alright, that was a weird reaction from him. “Are you hungry?” he asks before releasing me and walking toward the stove, the teasing side of him from moments ago almost vanishing.
“Starving.” I follow him into the kitchen and notice all of the food he has spread out across the counter—a mixing bowl with what looks like pancake batter, half of a carton of eggs next to a bowl of some that are scrambled and waiting to be cooked, and a plate of bacon and sausage already cooked off, releasing grease onto a napkin. I reach for a piece of sausage and take a large bite out of the link.
“But I thought you had every intention of fucking me when I arrived? Is that off the table now?”
He slowly twists to face me and drops the spatula on the counter, his eyes coming alive with desire and need. “Nope, ‘cause you’re about to be on that table.”
Wes charges at me from his spot in the kitchen and before I can register what’s happening, he’s lifting me in the air and walking me over to his dinner table, laying me down gently and then stripping me bare, feasting on me for breakfast just like he wanted.
***
/> “Jesus. Are you watching this?” Cassie slides up next to me at the bar as her eyes focus on something in the distance. I turn to locate what she’s transfixed on, and when I see it, I feel my eyes goes wide.
“Wow. Why on earth do men think women want that?”
“Look at her face. She’s clearly giving him the ‘leave me alone’ vibe, but he is not registering it.”
A short blonde woman on the dance floor is kindly trying to push an inebriated man off of her, but he’s just not taking the hint.
“He’s probably plastered too. I know I’ve served him at least two drinks tonight.”
“So have I,” Cassie replies.
“We should probably tell Manny then, and make sure Slater knows too.”
“Got it.” She nods and then crosses the space behind the bar to speak to Slater. The gleam in his eye when he leans down to hear her tells me maybe some developments have happened there between them and I can’t wait to hear all about them.
Manny comes out of the back of the club just as I turn back around, so I reach out to grab him before he gets too far.
“What’s up, Shayla?”
I explain what Cassie and I just saw and then search the room to find the offending man. Once we locate him, Manny takes off to grab one of the bouncers and escort the guy out of the club.
“Well, at least we did our good deed for the night.” Cassie clears empty glasses from the bar as I wipe down the counter in front of me. “I swear, I feel like you and I do three jobs every time we’re on shift. Like, where was security on the dance floor making sure shit like that doesn’t happen?”
“Agreed. Kinda makes me grateful I have tomorrow off.” I grab three clean glasses and then start gathering ingredients to make drinks for one of the servers.
Her eyes light up as I look back up to her. “That’s right. So, what or should I say, who is causing you to take yet another night off?”
I shrug, but can’t hide the smile on my lips. “The guy I’ve been seeing is taking me to some high profile event.”
The left side of her mouth tips up. “Oh really? And would this good mood you’re in all of a sudden be a result of all of the delicious orgasms your man has been giving you?”