Asher (A Wesley Brothers Novel Book 3)

by Michelle Smith

  A few women are standing around, chatting with each other while washing their hands and reapplying their makeup. Since I only want to freshen up and I don’t have to use the restroom, I bypass the stalls and head to the far sink. Running a few paper towels under the water, I wring them out before pressing the cool towels to my face, blotting away the heat and sweat and cooling my skin. I do this several times to my face and neck, and when I finally feel a million times better, I toss the towels into the trash and turn for the door.

  “You’re here with Asher Wesley, right?” The group of ladies who were here when I came in has thinned out and only two remain. One—a blonde bombshell in heels I wouldn’t even dream of attempting to walk in—is smearing lip gloss across her plump lips while her friend—the brunette in more sensible heels like mine—watches me from the counter next to her.

  Her question catches me off guard, but I don’t want to seem rude since she obviously knows Ash. “Yes, that’s right.”

  “How do you know him?”

  Not that it’s any of her business but I give her the information she wants anyway. “He’s my boyfriend.”

  The blonde, who’s now finished with her lip gloss, gives us her full attention. Well, she gives her friend her full attention. “Ah, that explains why we haven’t seen him around Lane’s lately. He went and got himself a girlfriend.”

  Lane?

  Ash has mentioned his best friend before—he’s the one who gave him all the kinky stuff we played with—but I have yet to meet him. We’re supposed to be having dinner together soon, but no plans have been finalized. These women must be friends of his.

  She turns her attention over to me. “Tell him we miss seeing him around the parties. They aren’t the same without him.” She gives me a smile which suggests she knows something I don’t, but before I can ask her what parties she’s talking about, her and her friend grab their clutches of the counter and are out the door.

  What was that about?

  What parties were they talking about? Since I’ve known Ash, he hasn’t said anything about going to parties with Lane. Clearly, he hasn’t been going to them if they are telling me they miss him there. It must be something he used to do before he met me. I’ll have to ask him later what they are talking about.

  Giving myself one last look in the mirror, I head out of the restroom to find Ash waiting outside the door for me—the women from inside standing with him. The blonde says something to Ash when she sees me and turns to leave, but not before letting her hand linger on Ash’s arm as she walks away. His eyes meet mine in silent apology, but I don’t know what he’s apologizing for.

  Something tells me I’m not going to like it.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Asher

  I should have known I’d run into someone from Lane’s parties here. After all, it’s how I met Ben in the first place. But of all the people I could have seen, I certainly didn’t need it to be Marissa and Tiffany.

  These women are always trying to stir up trouble. Marissa made it clear every time I showed up at Lane’s that she wanted to entertain me for the evening. And like a fool, I let her be my escape from the stresses of my day on more than one occasion.

  I can’t imagine Marissa was very happy, seeing me here with another woman. I swear, if I had realized she was in there before Kara had walked into the bathroom, I never would have let her go. Not because I’m trying to hide anything from her, but because I know how Marissa can be. I’m sure she said something to Kara, I’m just not sure what it was.

  I’m guessing whatever it is wasn’t too bad, judging by Kara’s behavior since we left the club. She didn’t appear angry on the way home, and she still doesn’t now that we’ve arrived back at her place. She does look like she’s got something on her mind, though.

  “Everything okay?” I ask her after we get into her apartment.

  “Yeah, fine.” She kicks her heels off at the front door and sits on her sofa, looking up at me. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.” I take the seat next to her.

  “Those women at the club—the blonde and the brunette? They said to tell you they missed seeing you around Lane’s lately. What are they talking about?”

  I let out a deep sigh and run my fingers through my hair. Fuck, I should have broached this topic weeks ago but instead I chose to keep my mouth shut. “Lane throws these...parties every month. It's a chance for people to unwind and maybe make some connections with other people they might otherwise not meet.”

  Geez, I sound like a fucking idiot, but Kara is as smart as always. “Connections?” She questions with a raised eyebrow. “You mean sex.”

  “Yes, they're sex parties.”

  “And you used to go to them?”

  I nod my head yes.

  “What goes on at these sex parties? I mean, obviously random hook-ups, I'm assuming. What do you do there?”

  She still doesn't seem mad—more curious than anything—and the tension in my shoulders wanes a bit. “Whatever you want. It's not like there are set rules or anything.”

  “So basically, fuck whoever you want, wherever you want.”

  I fight the smile pulling at my lips as best I can. “Yeah, that about sums it up. Consent is a requirement. Everything else is optional. Exhibitionism, voyeurism, couples, threesomes—a place for like-minded people to go and have fun without judgment. Plus, you don't have to worry about whether the person you're with is into the same kinky things you are. If you're there, you're open to exploring all the options.”

  She looks at me while I talk, biting her lip before she asks me, “And you go to these parties? You’ve explored the options?”

  “I do,” I say, but then I quickly amend, “I did. I haven't been to one since I met you.”

  “And those women? You've been with them before?”

  It's a question I was dreading, but one I fully expected. “Yes, I've been with them both.”

  Her lips turn down in a frown. “Together?”

  Sighing, I run my fingers through my hair again. “I'm not going to give you details you don't really want to hear, Kara. Yes, I've gone to these parties and engaged in a variety of scenarios. I don't regret what I've done because it's made me into the man you see before you.” I take her hands in mine, pleased she doesn't jerk them out of my hold. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the parties sooner. I should have. Things were so new for us. I didn’t want to risk losing you when you found out about them.”

  “Well, it would have been nice to hear about it from you before I ran into those women, but I get why you didn’t say anything. You don’t have to apologize for things you did before you met me, Ash. I know you had a life before me, just like I had a life before you.”

  The thought of our situations reversed doesn’t sit well with me. I know it’s hypocritical, but I can’t think of her as anything but mine and I don’t want to think about her fucking other guys.

  “When is the next time Lane is throwing a party?”

  Her question catches me off guard because I can’t tell where she’s headed with it. Her expression gives nothing away.

  “They’re the first and third Fridays of every month. Why?”

  “I want you to go. And I want to come with you.” Her lips tilt up in a smile that my face does not mirror. While the idea of taking her to the parties appealed to me before, they don’t anymore. I don’t want to share her.

  I can feel the scowl pulling at my forehead. “Absolutely not.”

  Her hands slip out of mine. “Why?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I tell her. “We’re not going and that’s final.” I know the minute the words leave my mouth what a bad idea they are. The look of anger I’d been expecting all night finally crosses her face as she stands up in front of me. “Excuse me?”

  “I’m not taking you, and that’s all there is to it.”

  “Fine. I’ll go on my own.”

  “No, you won’t.” I’m being unreasonable, but I’m too mad
to care.

  “You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do, Ash. You should know that by now.” I do know it, but I’m not budging on this with her. I have my reasons.

  “Look, this isn’t up for debate. I’m not going to argue with you about it. I’m not taking you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you don’t belong there, okay?”

  She gets quiet for a second at my admission. “I don’t belong there?” I’ve never seen her this angry before. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It doesn’t mean anything. It’s not something you’d be interested in and I’m not taking you.”

  “Why are you being so stubborn about this? Up until I met you, I didn’t realize I was interested in half the things we’ve tried together. How do you know I’m not interested in what goes on there? Maybe I want to see it for myself. You told me you weren’t ashamed of the fact you went to them, so why should I be ashamed of wanting to experience it too?”

  The image of her fucking another guy in front of me jumps front and center in my mind, and I can’t give her the answer she wants. I won’t go through it again.

  “You shouldn’t. Look, you’re making too much of this.”

  “And you aren’t making enough of it, Ash.” She cuts me off and sighs in frustration. “You should leave.”

  “You’re kicking me out?”

  “Yes, Ash, I am.”

  “Why?”

  “Because maybe you don’t belong in my space like I don’t belong in yours.” Kara turns and heads down the hallway. “Let yourself out.”

  With a slam of her bedroom door, she leaves me sitting in her living room wondering what in the hell just happened.

  ***

  This. Fucking. Sucks.

  It’s been almost a week and Kara still hasn’t talked to me.

  I texted her a few times over the last few days, but her responses are always the same. Unless I’m willing to take her to Lane’s next week for the party, she doesn’t want to hear it.

  I don’t get why she’s being so stubborn about this.

  I rap my knuckles on the door a few times and wait for him to answer.

  Lane swings the door open, standing in sweats pants and a T-shirt, holding a bowl of cereal. “I should have called first. You got a minute?”

  “Of course. Come on in.” He closes the door behind me and heads to his kitchen, me right on his heels. He drinks the rest of the milk from the bowl and rinses it in the sink before putting the bowl in the dishwasher, rinsing his hands, and drying them on the towel.

  “Coffee?” He points to his single-cup coffee maker, but I decline.

  “I fucked up and I don’t know how to fix it.”

  Lane chuckles. “I’m assuming you mean with Kara?” He laughs again when I nod my head yes. “Not sure I’m the best at relationship advice. I’m surprised you didn’t go to one of your brothers.”

  “I can’t. I haven’t told them about your parties.”

  “Ah, you finally told her.”

  “Sort of.” Lane gives me a curious look. “I had to. We ran into Marissa and Tiffany last night at Ben’s club opening. Where were you at?” Now that I think about it, I’m surprised we didn’t run into him.

  “I got stuck late at the office. Ben said you’d left right before I got there.”

  “Oh.” Lane lifts himself up onto the island counter and waits for me to continue my story. “Anyway, like I said, Marissa and Tiffany were there. They told Kara to tell me they missed seeing me here. She asked me about it when we got back to her place.”

  “Was she pissed?”

  “No, actually. She was cool about it. Didn’t even get mad that I didn’t tell her sooner.”

  Lane scowls. “Then I don’t understand. What’s the problem?”

  Blowing out a sigh, I scratch at the stubble dotting my face. “She asked me when the next party was and told me she wanted us to go to it.”

  “And?”

  “And…I told her no. I refused to bring her. She got pissed and told me she’d go on her own and I told her she couldn’t.” I scrub my hands over my face. “She said I couldn’t tell her what to do, and when she asked me again why she couldn’t go, I may or may not have told her it was because she didn’t belong there.”

  “And how did that go over?” I can sense the sarcasm.

  Shaking my head, I tell him, “She kicked me out of her apartment.”

  Lane stares at me with a blank expression. “She’s right, you know. You can’t tell her what to do.”

  “I realize that. I was mad.”

  “I get that, but why though? Didn’t she say she wanted to go with you?”

  Where’s he going with this? “Yeah, so?”

  “So, were you afraid if you brought her you wouldn’t be able to hook up with other chicks?”

  Lane’s question pisses me off. “What? No, I don’t want to hook up with anybody else. I only want to be with her. Why would you think that?”

  He places his hands up, palms out in a gesture of surrender. “Hey, I don’t think that. I’m only asking a question. So, if you don’t want to hook up with anyone else, do you think she does?”

  And there’s the real question.

  When I don’t answer, Lane goes on. “She’s not Toni, Ash. Just because she went to the parties with you and decided to stray later doesn’t mean Kara will.”

  My silence is enough reason for Lane to continue. “Let me ask you this. Did Kara say anything about being interested in being with other men?”

  I shake my head no.

  “And the first thing she mentioned was going together…with you, right?”

  I shake my head yes.

  “Did you ever stop to think maybe she wanted to try something new—just the two of you—maybe something in a more public setting? Or maybe she wanted to watch other people? Did you ever even ask her why she wanted to go?”

  Fuck.

  “No, I never asked. I told her my answer was no and said my decision was final.”

  “No wonder she told you to leave.” Lane hops off the counter and walks over to me. “Go talk to her. Find out what she’s thinking.”

  “You’re right. God, I fucked this up, didn’t I? I didn’t even listen to her.”

  “Nah, I think you’ll be good. You’ll fix it.”

  “Thanks.” Lane pulls me in for a quick guy hug. “You’re actually better at this relationship advice than you think.”

  He laughs. “Let’s not get carried away. Okay, I’m going to go get ready for work. Let yourself out?”

  “Yeah, man. Later.”

  Lane jogs up the kitchen staircase and I head for the door. He’s right. I need to talk to her. This is our first real argument and I have faith I can get through this with her. Hell, she isn’t even mad about the parties. She’s mad at my stupidity. I let my experience with Toni influence the way I acted with Kara and I can only hope it hasn’t taken me too long to get my head out of my ass and make it right.

  One can only hope.

  I make sure Lane’s front door is secured before I head down the steps and hop into my car. I spend the next few hours running work-related errands and try my best to keep my mind off Kara.

  It doesn’t work.

  I head back to work around lunchtime, but instead of going to my office, I bypass my floor and go straight to Kara’s in the hopes she hasn’t left for lunch yet. I don't want to wait any longer to see her. It's been three days already and that's three days too long.

  But when I get to her office, the secretary at the desk tells me she's already left for lunch and no, she doesn't know where I can find her. Of course, I asked her. I'm desperate to straighten this mess out.

  Disappointed I can't talk to her right now, I head down to Sloan's office. His secretary, Sophie, greets me with a smile.

  “Hey handsome, what can I do for you today?” Sophie’s always a charmer.

  “Hey, Soph. How are ya?” Propping my elbows on the counter in front o
f her, I peer over at her.

  “Good, good. Can’t complain.”

  “Awesome. Is my brother busy?

  “Nah, his lunch order was just delivered. You can go on back. I’ll buzz him and tell him you’re on your way.”

  “Thanks, Soph. You’re the best.” Pushing away from the counter, I start down the hallway, hearing Sophie talking behind me.

  “Tell him that!” She laughs.

  “Will do.” I toss my response back at her and make my way down to the end of the hall.

  I knock on Sloan’s office door and head inside, the smells of garlic and tomatoes wafting towards me as I walk in.

  My stomach instantly grumbles.

  “Damn, it smells good in here?”

  “You hungry?” Sloan asks me from behind his desk. There's takeout containers scattered along the surface of his desk.

  My stomach growls again and I realize I haven't eaten anything today. Consumed with thoughts of making things right with Kara had me knocking on Lane’s door early, foregoing breakfast in the process. My plans were to take her to lunch if I found her at her desk, but since she’s wasn’t there, I might as well grab a quick lunch before I head back. My first meeting of the day is in an hour anyway, so I don’t have time to track her down before I need to be back in my office. I’m surprised Kendra isn’t blowing up my phone yet.

  “Starved, actually. What's with all the food?” I sit down in the chair across from his desk, opening the container closest to me revealing a Caesar salad. A peek into the box next to it reveals Baked Ziti, covered in marinara and extra cheese.

  “I was supposed to have lunch with Nora,” he says, handing me a set of plasticware. “But Kara showed up, asking to steal her away for lunch instead.”

  My hand stills around the plastic fork. “Kara was here? When?”

  “I'd say...maybe ten minutes ago. Why?”

  Damn. I missed her.

  As much as I want to ask Sloan where they are, I refrain. I have no doubt he’d tell me but interrupting the two of them is a bad idea for a multitude of reasons—the main one being putting my business out there for everybody to have an opinion on.

  Stabbing my pasta with a little too much force, I grit out, “No reason,” before shoving the forkful of garlicky goodness into my mouth.