Over the years, I’ve met a lot of clients who said they tried other gyms and stopped going because just the thought of running on a treadmill for thirty minutes made them steer clear. Having a place for them to come and run on a treadmill, relax with a massage and maybe have some dinner was enough of a push to at least get them in the door. Once they were in the door, it was harder for them to cut their workouts short and leave.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that,” Jason said.
“Well, hear me out. What if I turned it into a nightclub?”
“What?” Jason and I asked in unison.
“We’re already open twenty-four hours a day. If we have a nightclub, people could come after work, workout, use the locker rooms to get ready, and then party all night.”
“I don’t know,” I said, taking a breath, thinking.
“I’ve thought about it a lot. We could have a separate entrance for non-clients and market it as burning more calories.”
“Burning more calories until they drink all those sugary drinks,” Jason said.
“Right. I’m just throwing ideas out there. I think it’s a good way to make more money. If it works out, we could put one in at all the locations,” Blake said.
“And you want to be in charge of this?” I asked.
“Yeah.” Blake nodded.
I wasn’t sure if Blake was ready to oversee running a business, especially my business. When he told me that he wanted to open a bar, I didn’t care. That was his money, his credit, his debt he would have to deal with.
Combining what he wanted to do with what we already had, could either work out like he said, or it could jeopardize what Jason and I worked so hard building for years.
“Jason and I will need to discuss it,” I said.
“Of course,” Blake agreed.
“If we agree and Becca agrees, there’s still one more owner,” I said.
“Who?” Blake asked, looking between Jason and me.
“Spencer.”
“Spencer?”
“Yeah, as soon as we’re married, she’ll have rights to twenty-five percent.”
“Oh. Right.”
“You win her over, and I’ll agree,” I said.
“Yeah, you win her over, and I’ll agree, too,” Jason said.
“I don’t see how that’s going to be so hard,” Blake said.
“The problem is once we’re married, she not only owns twenty-five percent of Club 24, but she owns BKJB, too.”
“What?” Blake asked.
“We bought it, and Spencer doesn’t know. If your plan backfires and we lose Club 24 somehow, you not only jeopardize what we worked so hard for, but you’ll jeopardize what Spencer’s worked so hard for. You know she loves BKJB.”
*~*~*
The more I thought about Spencer having a bachelorette party, the more I wanted to be there. I didn’t think that she would cheat on me; my fear was that something would happen like it did at Ryan’s party.
Michael and Colin were still in prison, but there was still that fear that something could happen. Ryan told me that they were going to a comedy club, and nothing would happen. But a lot could happen at a club.
Someone could slip something in Spencer’s drink. Someone could follow her into the bathroom and take her again. Someone could shoot up the place.
Normally, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but given the past, I was scared of losing her.
“I won’t let her out of my sight,” Becca said.
“You think that a five month pregnant lady can fight off an attacker?”
“No, but I’ll be sober and go with her everywhere.”
*~*~*
I didn’t care if my friends were bummed that I wasn’t up for a strip club or even going out drinking. I needed to stay alert in case I got another call from Becca that something happened to Spencer.
So instead of recreating Max’s bachelor party, we hung out at Jason’s for the night, playing poker, grilling, and staying sober.
Spencer’s life meant more to me than some strange chick rubbing her ass on me.
Luckily, everything went as planned, and next, Spencer would be my wife.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I couldn’t believe that in two days, Spencer would become my wife.
I was nervous.
I wasn’t nervous about getting married and living with Spencer forever. I was nervous about giving her my wedding present.
For four months I’d been keeping the secret from Spencer. It was tough. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I told Skye that I’d wait until Spencer and I were on our honeymoon, but I just couldn’t wait three more days.
Spencer had already taken the time off from work to de-stress and get everything ready for the wedding, so I wasn’t worried about Spencer spilling the beans or making it awkward with Skye.
I couldn’t just tell Spencer that she was about to own a million dollar company. I wanted to do something special, and I hoped that Spencer didn’t think I was buying her love.
Buying BKJB was huge—not just for Spencer, but for Club 24. Jason, Becca, and I couldn’t wait to tell Spencer so we could start cross-promoting.
I called Scoma’s and made a reservation, asking for the table that we’d shared on our first date. I wanted to recreate that night, and if I’d thought of the idea sooner, I would have flown us to Vegas and danced with her at Lavo, because that’s where it all really started.
“At least the weather is better this time,” Spencer said, slurping a spoonful of clam chowder into her mouth.
“Yeah, but I’m glad it rained that night,” I said, winking at her.
Man that was a good night!
“Me too.” She blushed, no doubt remembering what happened after dinner in my car.
“So, I don’t know the proper etiquette, but I have your wedding gift, and I want to give it to you now and not wait until our wedding night,” I said.
The wait was killing me and I couldn’t wait to see her face—hopefully with a smile.
“Oh—okay,” she said. “I can give you yours when we get home or wait until before we walk down the aisle like I planned.”
“I’m not giving it to you now so you give me mine. Don’t change your plan; however, I’m intrigued at what it is since I won’t get it until right before I see you,” I said, smiling.
“I’ll wait. I want to wait.”
“Okay, well here,” I said, reaching into my jacket pocket that was hanging on the back of my chair and pulled out a manila envelope.
“A pre-nup?” she asked with a raised brow.
“God no, Spencer. We talked about that. I don’t want to sign one. You’re a part of the Club 24 family now and will always be that way no matter what. Plus, I don’t want to say our marriage is over before it even starts.”
“I know.” She smiled. “I don’t either, but I don’t want you to think I’m a gold digger.”
“Babe, I know you’re not a gold digger and that’s all that matters. You never ask for anything and like I always tell you, I don’t give a fuck about what people think. We know our relationship—not anyone else.”
“Okay, well gimme!” she said, holding out her hand for the envelope.
I handed her the envelope, and it felt like everything was going in slow motion. I was nervous, my palms were sweaty, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“What is it?” she asked, pulling the agreement out of the envelope and began reading it.
“What does it say?” I asked, smiling.
“It says that it’s a Buyer’s Agreement.”
“Keep reading.”
“You bought BKJB?” she asked, her eyes growing wide as she looked back up at me.
“Actually, Club 24, LLC bought BKJB.”
“I don’t—how?”
“Do you remember that day you came by my office for ‘lunch’?” I asked, putting lunch in air quotes.
“Well, duh,” she said and blushed.
Mmmm that was a go
od lunch!
“I don’t know if you were paying attention to my phone call…”
“Yeah, not really,” she said, cutting me off.
I laughed with her and then continued. “I’m surprised I was paying attention. Anyway, Paul, Jason and my broker couldn’t find a building to expand to. People were asking for too much money. We still wanted to expand, but Skye met with us a few weeks later and told me that she was looking to sell and asked if we would be interested.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I know how much you love your job and I help you with your daily segment anyway, so it’s like I work there, too.”
“Why did Skye want to sell? BKJB is her baby.”
“Did you know that she too is getting married?”
“Um—no!”
“I think she is waiting to make that announcement once I give you BKJB.”
“Wait. Slow down. You’re giving me BKJB?”
“Yes—well, like I said, it’s part of the LLC, but once we’re married, you’ll own twenty-five percent anyway. We want to add you as a partner.”
Spencer was quiet for a moment. “Okay, okay, let’s back up,” she said, leaning back in her chair.
“Why does Skye getting married make her want to sell BKJB?”
“I guess it’s some rich dude and she doesn’t need to work anymore. She said she wants to be a housewife like on one of those shows you watch.”
“Oh Lord, I can only imagine a Real Housewives of San Francisco or the Bay Area.”
I didn’t want to tell Spencer that Skye was actually moving out of the country. Skye could fill her in on all the details if she wanted to.
“Anyway, she knows how much you love it and thought it would be good for you to have it and be the boss.”
“Okay…”
“I talked to Jason and Becca and they loved the idea. We have brainstormed and come up with stuff we want to pitch to you about expanding and involving Becca and her skills.”
“Her photography skills?”
“Yes.”
“What are they?”
“We’ll discuss that at our next board meeting.”
“Okay, when’s that?”
“When we get back from our honeymoon.”
“Speaking of, where are we going?”
I laughed. For weeks Spencer had been trying to trick me into telling her where we were going. I told her to pack light because we would be naked most of the time and to pack a swimsuit.
The underwater resort was perfect, and I wanted to surprise Spencer. I’d never kept so many secrets from her, but these were special.
“Nice try, Spence.”
“Just give me hint.”
“I already told you to pack a swimsuit; there will be swimming.”
“Give me another hint.”
“Babe, you can wait three days to find out. You’re making me wait two for my wedding present.”
“That’s different.”
“Fine, the last hint you will get is to bring sunscreen,” I said, smiling.
She huffed and threw her napkin at me.
“You’re cute when you’re angry,” I said, laughing and reaching over to give her a kiss.
*~*~*
“I’m still confused,” Spencer said as we pulled into our driveway.
“About what?”
“Skye is still at BKJB, but you own it already?”
“We own it. I worked it out with her that she will still run everything until we get back from our honeymoon. No one is to know until you hold a staff meeting.”
“Oh.”
“I thought you would be excited. I thought this is what you would want,” I said, opening the garage door that led into our house.
“I am. I’m still in shock. I just can’t believe I’m going to be the boss. I also feel weird about it, since it wasn’t any of my money that bought it.”
“It’s not about the money, Spencer. Do you want me to be the boss and you work for me? Would that make you feel better?”
“I… no, I get it. Because we will be married with no pre-nup, I own it automatically.”
“Exactly.”
“Well?” Blake asked me when he came around the corner as soon as we walked into the door.
“I told her my news, not your news.”
“Your news?” she asked, petting Niner. “I’m not sure how much more news I can handle today.”
“Well, sit down,” Blake said, gesturing for her to sit at the dining room table with him.
“You know, I can fire you now,” she said, sticking out her tongue at him. “I own part of the Club 24 business, I was just told.”
I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I was scared for a while that she didn’t want to own a part of anything.
“That’s kinda what I want to tell you,” Blake said, sitting in a chair across from Spencer after handing her a beer. “I found a place to open my bar,” he continued.
“Oh my God, that is good news! Where?”
“Downtown. Kinda, um…near the gym.”
I was not getting involved in their conversation. Blake needed to win Spencer over for it to work. Jason and I talked about it, and since we were expanding with BKJB, we figured we might as well add a nightclub into the mix. Hopefully it would make us enough money to retire before we were forty.
“That’s awesome! Did you make an offer to lease it?” Spencer asked.
“Well…” he started to say and looked over me. “I ran this by your business partners and they said that now since you own twenty-five percent, I need to ask you. They all like the idea. I just hope you do.”
“Okay, well spit it out. This can be kinda like my first official boss decision,” she said, smiling at me.
“I want to transform the upstairs open room into a nightclub.”
“The room where I had my bridal shower party?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Oh… you said ‘yes’?” she looked over at me.
“Yes, so did Jason and Becca. We all think it would be cool. The club would have a different entrance, of course. And Blake doesn’t have to invest into another property.”
“So we would own it, not Blake?”
“Yes and no. Blake will pay for all the modifications to get the nightclub up and running. He will pay us rent like he would have needed to do anywhere else. If and when the club is successful, we will talk about adding him as a partner so we are all making equal amounts.”
“And if it’s not successful?”
“Then you lose nothing and I lose it all,” Blake said. “But when it is successful and I’m a business partner, I plan to do this with all the properties.”
“Yeah, whatever you guys want. I trust your instincts,” she said to me—not Blake—after taking a pull of her beer.
“Thanks, Sis, you won’t regret this. I know what people want in a bar and nightclub,” Blake said and hugged Spencer.
Dear God, please don’t let my idiot brother fuck this up!
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Jason asked.
“I am,” I said, taking a sip of my beer. I really was. I couldn’t wait for Spencer to take my last name.
“You know I’m only going to let you win tonight so you have money to take on your honeymoon,” Blake said.
I laughed. Jason laughed. Ben laughed, and then Blake laughed.
“Right,” I chuckled, trying not to choke on my beer.
“What? You think you can win every time?” Blake asked.
“Yeah,” I said dryly. “I can especially beat you.”
“Only because I let you win,” Blake said.
I saw Jason grab his phone and almost say something.
“What?” I questioned.
“Ah, nothing,” Jason said. “Just Becca texting me.”
I could tell he was lying, but I didn’t know why. Must have to do with my wedding tomorrow, but I didn’t press the issue. If something were wrong, my best man would tell
me.
“Blake, you don’t let me win. Keep telling yourself that. Deal,” I said.
“I’ll be right back,” Jason said.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“I ah… Becca needs me,” he said.
“Is it the baby?” I asked.
“What? Oh, um, no.”
“He’s acting weird,” Ben said.
“You think?” I asked sarcastically.
What the fuck was he up to?
Jason walked out of our suite door and returned a few minutes later, not meeting my eyes.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Perfect,” he said, smiling.
*~*~*
“Brandon.”
“Spencer?” I asked, opening my eyes only to see nothing but darkness.
“Shhhh,” she said. I felt her body dip on the bed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just—I just want you,” she whispered.
“Isn’t it bad luck to see each other now?” I asked, whispering back.
“Can you see me?”
“No.”
“Good,” she whispered.
“Is this a pre-wedding rendezvous?” I laughed. “Should I get naked or what?”
“Yes,” she said.
Don’t have to tell me twice!
I slid my boxers down my legs then tossed them on the floor. “Okay, I’m ready,” I said, smiling and thinking that this would be the last time Spencer and I were together before we were married.
I felt her crawl farther onto the bed and then straddle my hips as I lay in the middle.
“Yeah, I would say you’re ready.” Spencer laughed.
My dick didn’t need to be asked twice, either, if he was ready for a midnight rendezvous. He was up and ready before I even had my boxers off. He was hard at the sound of her voice, her smell, at just the feel of her presence in the room.
“Just the thought of you naked does this to me,” I said, leaning up and kissing her. “Where are your lips? I can’t see you.”
Her hand brushed my cheek, my chin and then finally she found my lips and kissed me. I wasn’t used to not being able to see her. There was no glow from the moon, no light seeping in from the street. We were in total darkness behind the heavy drapes of the hotel room.
She moved, rubbing her bare heat against my dick. I could feel her warm juice coat my shaft, making it easier for her to glide up and down.
Forever Spencer (B&S Series #3.5) Page 6