by Kally Ash
Natasha looked inside herself and wondered if she could go from the life of privilege where she took everything for granted to essentially nothing. Her whole life and way of thinking would have to change. Her whole outlook would be different.
“I don’t know, John.”
“I’m not asking you to make a decision now. I just want to give you something to think about. Now,” he said, getting busy looking at the menu. “Patrick will be back here in about thirty seconds and we need to decide.”
“Right.” She smiled, watching him study the menu. She felt like she was standing on the precipice of something huge here, but the question was, was she willing to step off the ledge into the unknown, or was she going to play it safe?
Twenty-Three
Two weeks later...
John checked his phone for any messages from Natasha. She’d taken the reins on planning the hucks night, and he was both intrigued and terrified to know what she’d managed to put together. He’d only seen her once in two weeks, but they’d spoken to each other every night before they both went to sleep. He loved the idea that she was being vulnerable with him because he had a feeling not many people got to see that side of her.
His phone pinged with a message and he smiled at the photo Natasha had sent him.
“What have you done?” he muttered before punching out his reply and grabbing his room key. Stepping inside the elevator, he fussed with his black slacks and pale blue button-down. Ran his hand through his hair. Resettled his shirt again. Fuck, he was nervous.
He glanced up when the doors sprung open and he stepped out onto the creamy marble floor. He found Natasha waiting near the concierge desk, her red hair sleek and straight, her body banging in a pair of skinny jeans and the t-shirt she’d taken a photo of and sent to him. When she saw him, she grinned, reached into her handbag and presented him with an identical shirt only about three sizes bigger.
“Did you get everyone one of them?” he asked, laughing at the chicken with antlers on the front. Right up top, it said Vee and Beau’s and below the depiction of that messed-up chicken was Hucks Party.
“And where the hell did you find that image?”
Her smile widened. “Yes, put yours on, and I have contacts.”
Reaching for the shirt, he held it against his chest and just stared at Natasha. She looked amazing, and not just the way she was dressed. She looked freer, lighter in some way. She looked like she’d made peace with something.
Pulling the black shirt over his head, he smoothed it down over his button-down. “How do I look?”
“Perfect,” she replied, grabbing his hand. “Come on. We’re going to be late.”
She tugged him outside to where her car was parked against the curb. “What did you—”
She held her hand out, stopping him from speaking. “Just trust me, okay? It’s going to be great.”
Thirty minutes later, they pulled up outside a pebbledash building the size of a warehouse. Cars were parked at forty-five-degree angles in the lot out front, a sign stating it was the Los Angeles Gun Club and Indoor Shooting Range running across the top half of the building.
“A shooting range?” he asked and Natasha smiled.
“Since the strip club was out, I had to think of other options that both men and women would like.”
“I repeat: a shooting range?”
“What? You think women don’t enjoy having a loaded gun in their hands too?” She walked off, swinging her hips on purpose. He followed like she had his balls in a vise-grip, and if he were honest, she completely did. Going up the short stairs, he walked into a large room made of cinderblock walls that had been painted white with stark wood siding. The walls were plastered with posters, but his eyes weren’t on them. He was looking at the dozen people milling around near the chairs set in the middle of the room.
He saw Beau and Vee standing beside each other, Beau’s arm wrapped around her waist. Walking to them, Natasha hugged her best friend while John hugged his. Beau smiled when he saw the shirt.
“Where’d you get that?” he asked.
John hiked a thumb in Natasha’s direction. “Ask the maid of honor. It was her harebrained idea.”
“I think you mean awesome idea,” Natasha corrected, elbowing him out of the way and pulling a large Fendi bag forward. “I got them for everyone. Here. Put yours on.” She shoved them at the pair, then continued around the room, introducing herself and handing out a shirt. When everyone was dressed, she approached the counter at the far end of the room.
There were rifles stacked onto the back wall, handguns displayed in cases at counter height. He wasn’t a gun-nut—he didn’t even own one, but he could see the appeal of doing something like this. He glanced around, noting that even the women looked excited to try it.
“Whose idea was this?” Beau asked him.
“Natasha’s,” he replied with a smile. “She said the strip club was out—too polarizing or some shit."
His best friend clapped him on the shoulder. “She did good.”
“Don’t speak too soon; you have no idea what else she has planned.”
His brows rose. “And you do?”
John could only shake his head. “We talked about lots of options, but Tash said she wanted to organize it by herself.”
“Tash, huh?”
Shit.
“Natasha,” he corrected. But it was too late. The smirk on his friend’s face said it all. They’d been busted.
“Okay!” Natasha announced, getting everyone’s attention. “This here is Rob. Rob gives out the guns, so be nice to him. He’s also going to be giving us a little warm-up talk, so please be patient and give him your undivided attention.”
Two hours later, John was still buzzing. He found that once he got over his initial hesitation and, okay, yes, his fear too, he found that he really fucking enjoyed shooting. Natasha was walking beside him, grinning. She held up her paper target, beaming at the holes she’d put into it.
“See that?” she exclaimed. “Head shot. Twice. Plus, a chest shot. You’re dead, sucker!”
John laughed. “Yeah, you’re an amazing shot.”
“I know.” She grinned. Her eyes darted down to his target, which was folded up tightly in his fist. “Better than you, I take it.”
“It’s the first time I’ve gone shooting,” he grumbled.
She hooked her hand through his arm and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You’re kind of cute when you’re pouting.”
“Not pouting,” he replied, shooting her a glare. Natasha only smiled.
“Are you ready for the next thing?”
“I guess so. Does it involve firearms again?”
“No, not firearms. Just trust me.” Looking up, she caught Vee’s eye. “Everyone follow us!”
They got in the car, Natasha practically vibrating with excitement.
“So where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” She started the engine, waiting for everyone else to get their own cars started before rolling out of the driveway.
They didn’t end up going very far—only a few miles down the road, but when she pulled into a strip mall, he groaned when he saw the sign of the only open shop still in the row.
“Manicures?” he asked, staring at the neon pink sign that proclaimed it was a nail salon.
“And pedicures. You know, whatever people want.”
“Err, what makes you think the guys are going to want to go in there,” he asked, jabbing his finger in the direction of all that pink.
“Men can still get manicures and pedicures. Why? Are you not manly enough for it, John?” she taunted.
She went to step from the car, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. He kissed her without thought, wondering if he were crossing some invisible line with her. Affection for them had only ever been connected to sex, but this wasn’t sex. This was him wanting to kiss her, to tell her with his actions that he thought she was doing a fantastic job.
To his sur
prise, she kissed him back, running her hands through his hair. She kissed him until they were both panting and forced to break apart.
“I fucking knew it.”
They turned to see Beau standing at the front of the car, a look of triumph on his face. He glanced at Natasha to see how she was handling being busted, but other than a slight flush to her cheeks, she only shrugged and smiled at him.
“They were going to find out at some point, right?”
“Right,” he replied, watching her get out of the car. He knew this was a big deal. If they were just fucking, she wouldn’t have kissed him like that. If they were just fucking, they would’ve been more careful. Getting out of the car, he walked around the front to where Beau was standing.
“You and Natasha, huh?” he asked.
John looked to where Natasha was getting interrogated by Vee. She met his eyes and smiled.
“Yeah, man. She’s fucking amazing.”
“I thought you two hated each other.”
“I thought so too, but…” He finished with a shrug. After all, there wasn’t much else to say. He was so fucking all in with Natasha.
“Come on, my brother. Let’s go and get our nails done.”
Natasha smiled as she looked around the room. The salon was big enough for the dozen people she’d insisted on coming, and she was even more delighted to see that the guys had loosened up and were enjoying their buffing and polishing.
She took a sip of her champagne and raised her glass to Vee. They were sitting side by side in giant leather chairs, getting simultaneous massages and foot soaks.
“You’re a genius, Natasha. Seriously,” her best friend said.
“Why thank you. Better than strippers and a bar, huh?”
“So much better.”
“How are the wedding plans going?”
“Great, but I swear I’m not doing this again.”
Natasha laughed and took another sip from her glass. “Are you ready though? It’s only three weeks until the wedding.”
“Honestly, securing the venue was the most important thing and they’re handling all the catering, including the cake. Oh, and I never thanked you for going up there and checking things out. I hope you and John didn’t butt heads too much. Or maybe butting heads was never the problem with you two.”
Natasha looked in John’s direction. He was currently sitting at one of the small desks, one hand extended out under the light of a lamp and the other tucked under the table like he didn’t quite know what to do with it. The young Korean woman working on his nails was filing furiously and he was staring at her like she was liable to bite his head off if he looked at her the wrong way.
“He was the guy who spilled his drink on me at your party.”
“John was?”
Natasha nodded. “He spilled his drink, then…” Her mouth curled into a smile.
“I know that smile,” Vee said. “You fucked him that night, didn’t you?”
“He followed me to Ethan’s office and, well…” She let her thoughts trail off, remembering how well they’d fit together that first time.
“Did you know who he was?”
“Not then. It was only when he showed up at the dinner at Providence that I knew.”
Vee reached over and took her hand. “I’m really happy for you, Natasha. You seem so... different.”
Her gaze found John once more and this time, he was staring at her. “I feel different.”
“It’s good. I’m happy for you.”
Clearing her throat, she asked, “When is your final dress fitting?” Of course, Vee had managed to get her dream dress on the first try.
“Next week. That’s the last thing we need to organize.”
“Oh, I forgot to ask, how was Max and Gianna’s wedding?”
“So beautiful," Vee replied. “Gianna was glowing, and considering she’d had the baby only a few weeks before, she looked fantastic.”
“Oh, she had the baby?”
“Hmm. A little boy who they named Sam.”
“Did you get some cuddles in?” she asked with a laugh.
“God, no. Some things may have changed, but me liking children is not one of them.”
“So, no kids for you and Beau?” It was Vee’s turn to look at Beau.
“I think so, but not yet. We still have time.”
“Yeah, you don’t want to rush it.”
Natasha took another sip of her champagne, thanking the woman who efficiently refilled her glass for her. “I have some news of my own.”
“You and John? Damn, you work fast.”
Natasha snorted. “No! John and I aren’t anything but fantastic in bed together.”
“Aren’t you?” she asked with a knowing smile.
If only she could convince herself of that. “I don’t want to look at it too hard. We like each other. He doesn’t think I’m a bitch. He makes me laugh.”
Her best friend nodded. “What’s your news, then?”
“I turned down the offer from Slater, Slater and Jones.”
“No shit.”
“Yup,” she said with a nod. Man, it felt good to say that out loud. “I... I also got an offer for partnership with King.”
This time, Vee nearly spat out her mouthful of champagne. “What?” she hissed.
“King offered me a partnership.”
“And?”
She shrugged. “I turned him down.”
Vee blinked. “You what? Why? You’ve been working so hard for this.”
Sitting back in her chair, she shrugged and stared at her feet. “I’m not enjoying law anymore.”
“Okay.”
She looked at Vee’s face, trying to gauge where her thoughts were. What would she think? “I don’t want to waste any more time doing something that I don’t want to do. My passion is gone.”
“Do you still have a job?”
“I do. I haven’t given my notice yet…”
“Your notice? You’re going to quit? What will you do?”
“I need to figure it all out. All I know is I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to be spending all my time in the office, reading and dealing with interns who give me fuck all help. I’m tired of missing dinners and drinks with friends.” She grimaced. “I’m tired of not having any friends outside of work.”
Vee reached out and grabbed her hand, pressing them together. “I want you to know I’ve got your back on this. Whatever happens.”
Natasha smiled, unaware that she’d needed to hear those words. She was terrified of quitting her job. Money was one of her major driving forces and not because she was materialistic, but because she used that money to help the orphanage. If that cashflow disappeared, her ability to help the kids would evaporate.
“Wow,” Vee said. “So much has happened in the last few weeks.”
“Yes,” she replied. They had.
Twenty-Four
John looked at his lightly buffed nails and smiled. Who knew that manicures could be so relaxing or satisfying? Of course, Natasha would, which was why she’d set the hucks day out the way she had.
Natasha had taken him back to the hotel afterward but hadn’t stayed. She’d said she had some work to do and he respected her need for space. He’d missed her but was looking forward to seeing her again at the meeting with the Mother Superior.
Walking through to the living space of his suite, he approached the desk and took one final look at the plans he’d come up with for the orphanage extension. They were solid. They were good, he just hoped both Catherine Marie and Natasha loved them too.
Rolling them up, he placed them into a mailing tube, then picked up his laptop. He was absolutely confident that the Mother Superior was going to love the plans, and if she weren’t able to visualize his grand design, he’d also made a model for her. It was sitting on the coffee table and he did one final sweep of that too.
Sticking the mailing tube under his arm, he picked up the model and then went downstairs. He’d called ah
ead to make sure he could get straight into his car and get over to the orphanage.
By the time he pulled into the parking lot, he was nervous. He was always nervous before presenting his designs to clients, but this project had a special place in his heart and all because of Natasha.
Through the doors, he was greeted by Mother Catherine Marie who was positively levitating with excitement.
“Is that the extension?” she asked, peering at the 3D rendering.
He laughed. “It is.”
She folded her hands in front of her, looking slightly abashed. “I’m sorry. Where are my manners? Please come in. I’m just so excited.”
“It’s quite alright. I’m excited to show it all to you.”
Following her into the office, he was disappointed to see that Natasha wasn’t there yet.
“Is Miss Fraser running late?” he asked, placing the model down onto the Mother Superior’s desk.
“Natasha called me this morning to tell me she couldn’t make it, but she said she’d pop in this afternoon.”
“Oh.” John shook himself, then tacked on, “That’s great. I’m glad she gets to see the design today.”
“Me too. She’s been so instrumental in this. She deserves to be included.”
“She’s a fantastic woman.”
The Mother Superior smiled at him, then said, “I’m not sure I can wait much longer. Please, let’s talk about the design for this expansion.”
With a nod, he popped open the tube and pulled out the draft papers. He laid them out on the desk, moving the 3D model out of the way.
“Oh!” the elderly nun exclaimed, clasping her hands together under her chin. “This looks fantastic.”
He smiled. This was a good start. “Let me tell you what you’re looking at. This is the main entrance into the new building. When you walk in, it’s straight into a breakout space designed for the older children. There are these pods where they’ll have desks set out, where they’ll have computers and access to resources that have never been available before. Natasha was quite passionate about this, and I hope she brings it up with you this afternoon, but she wanted to see courses becoming available to give these kids skills they can use, so when they leave they’ll be able to get a well-paying job and not end up back on the street.