Just A Kiss

by Tessier, Shantel

  He turns around and walks off without saying another word. I stand there until he gets in his car and drives off. When I walk into the house, Hadley is waiting for me in the living room. She sits on the couch with a glass of wine in her hand. I know it’s not for her, so I take it and plop down beside her.

  “How did he take it?”

  I laugh softly. “Pretty well. He knew it had an expiration date.”

  She leans back into the couch. “I had a really pretty matron of honor dress picked out too.” I laugh. “And the wedding colors … it was going to be fabulous.”

  “But fake.”

  Her laughter just grows. “So now what are you going to do?”

  Taking a drink of the wine, I shrug ’cause I have no freaking clue. That was the only plan I had, to quit the fake life I was building myself.

  * * *

  I walk out of my bathroom to find Candy lying on my bed. Naked. She has her back propped up with pillows and her arms spread out wide. “Come here.” She pats the white fitted sheet.

  I stay where I’m at. Her green eyes run over my white button-up and black slacks. I’m still wearing my black tie and shoes because I’m in no rush to get undressed. Not with her anyway.

  “You’ve paid to have me two nights in a row now, and you have yet to take advantage of me.” She arches a brow. “I have no problem working for my money.”

  “I’m not paying you for sex.”

  She sits up and pushes herself onto her knees. She spreads them wide and places her hands on her bare thighs. My eyes stay on hers. “I know. You pay me to make Andrea jealous. But you haven’t really done anything to make her jealous, have you?” She tilts her head to the side. “You can do whatever you want with me.”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  Her eyes narrow on me. “What does that mean?”

  “Exactly what I said. I represented you once, remember? I’ve heard the testimony of what you will do—anything.”

  She huffs. “Just so you know, that precious princess of yours that you’re so infatuated with is going to become just like me.”

  Now I’m the one asking. “What does that mean?”

  “It means she needs money. And I’ve offered her a job.”

  “You what?” I snap.

  She gives me a fuck you smile. “I first offered it to her the other night at The Horseshoe, and then I mentioned it again tonight.”

  I shake my head. “Andi will never accept it.”

  “Oh, she will. She’s in debt. A lot of debt. And a desperate woman will do a lot for money.”

  “How would you know? You two aren’t friends.”

  “The other night at The Horseshoe, she left a letter on the bar. She owes the nursing home where her mother stays a lot of money. And if she doesn’t pay, they are going to kick her mom out. And I heard her brother doesn’t help her at all.”

  “She has a brother?”

  She snorts. “It’s shameful how little you know about this girl.”

  I walk over to the end of the bed and place my hand in the pockets of my slacks. “Then why don’t you fill me in on everything that you know about her.”

  She shakes her head as she crawls off my king-size bed. “You know what? You go ask her whatever you wanna know.” She slips her dress back on. “Or better yet, you can pay her for the information once she comes to work for me.”

  I grab her arm and yank her to me as she goes to leave. “Stay away from her.”

  “She’s an adult, Asher. She can do or fuck whoever she wants.” Yanking her arm from my hold, she storms out of my bedroom.

  I run a hand through my hair. “Fuck.” Rushing over to my nightstand, I pick up my phone and dial my brother’s number. He doesn’t answer, so I call Hadley, but she doesn’t answer either. I go to look for Andrea’s number in my phone, but I never got it. I pocket my phone and walk out of my bedroom and down my stairs to the front door, grabbing my car keys on the way out.

  We—my brother, our dad, and I—all live in the same neighborhood called The Ridge. Our father has lived here for almost twenty years. My brother and I both bought houses here after we graduated from college.

  I pull into his driveway and get out of my car, running up his steps, I knock on the door. When no one comes to open it, I use my key and go on in. I half expect the alarm to sound, but it doesn’t. I make my way into the house, shutting the door softly behind me and locking it. Then I head off to the bedroom where I know Andi is staying in tonight. I knock on the door, but just like the front door, I’m ignored.

  What are you doing, Asher? What will you do if she opens the door for you? Fuck her? Tell her you love her? I laugh out loud at that thought.

  Turning around, I head back to the front door, but a sound from the living room gets my attention. I come to a stop when I see Andrea sitting on the couch. She’s holding a glass of wine in one hand and a twenty-dollar bill in the other. Still in her dress. A fire burning in the corner fireplace lights up the room and makes her glow.

  “Andi.”

  Her head snaps up, and she stares at me wide-eyed. “What are you doing here?”

  My eyes drop to the bill in her hand. “What are you doing looking at that twenty-dollar bill?”

  “Nothing.” She puts her hand down and shoves the bill underneath her thigh.

  I walk over to her and reach down, snatching it from her.

  “Hey,” she snaps.

  I unfold it to see Candy and her number written on it. “Are you fucking serious?” I growl.

  She takes a drink of the wine. “That is none of your business.”

  “So Candy was telling the truth? You’re going to go work for her?”

  “She told you that?” she demands, jumping to her feet.

  “Yes. And you can’t be serious.” My voice rises.

  She rips the bill from my hand. “I don’t expect you to understand.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that you are a Kyle. You and your brother along with your father own this town. And you choose to be a slut for free. I prefer to get paid for it.”

  “Over my dead body,” I growl.

  “Well, thankfully, you don’t have a say over it.” She goes to walk away, but I grab her upper arm and yank her to a stop.

  “How much do you need?”

  Her eyes narrow on me. “I don’t need your …”

  “How much, Andi?”

  She steps into me and glares up at me. “Why, Asher? You’d rather pay me to fuck you than anyone else?”

  My jaw tightens at her words. This has to be another prank of hers. She won’t become a prostitute just like she’s not engaged to Nate. That brings me to a thought. “What does Nate think about this new profession of yours?”

  “We broke up,” she announces, lifting her chin.

  My brows rise. “When?”

  “Tonight. Not that it’s any of your business either.” She tries to pull away again, but I don’t let her go.

  “How much do you need?” I ask softly this time. This is my chance. The nerdy boy is out of my way, but now Candy is trying to pull her into the dark world of Chicago. I know some of the clients who Candy deals with and not all are rich like me.

  “Asher—”

  “I’m not gonna stop asking you.” I interrupt her.

  She sighs heavily and whispers, “Ten thousand.”

  “That’s it?”

  She shoves me away with a growl. “That’s a lot of money.”

  “I can give that to you right now.”

  “This isn’t a joke, Asher.” She places her hands on her hips.

  “I’m not joking.” I reach out for her and am surprised when she doesn’t pull away. “What kind of trouble are you in?”

  “It’s not me,” she admits.

  “Your brother? Mother?” I’m not sure just how much of what Candy told me is the truth, so I’m not gonna act as if I know her circumstances.

  “How did you know I had a brother?”
she asks confused.

  “Not important.” I wave it off. “Has he done something?”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s … it’s my mother. I pay for her to live in the nursing home. And I’m behind.” She pulls away from me again and roughly pulls her hair out of her bun. It falls down over her shoulders in waves from being pinned up. “Between my payments and my mother’s, things just started to pile up. And I thought I could catch up, but then Hadley was getting married, and I couldn’t miss being there for her. Aiden gave me a ticket to go. It was for a week’s stay, but I told him I couldn’t miss that much work and had him change it to only two days. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to make it.”

  “I’m guessing she doesn’t know you’re in financial trouble?”

  She shakes her head. “It’s not something I broadcast.”

  I nod in understanding. “Did Candy promise you could make that up in a month or something?”

  She sighs. “Candy gave me that twenty-dollar bill the other night when you were in the bar. Then she brought it up again tonight at the gallery. She didn’t say anything about the money, just asked if I wanted to move up in life. Tonight, she mentioned making you jealous. But I wasn’t going to take the job.”

  “That’s not what it looked like to me when I walked in here and caught you staring at it.”

  She runs a hand through her softly curled hair. “Well, what it looked like and what I’m going to do are two very different things.”

  “You’re going to take the money from me.”

  “I’m not,” she snaps.

  This woman is so frustrating. “Then what are you going to do?”

  “What I’ve been doing.” I open my mouth to argue, but she continues. “I can sell my car and my mother’s house. Or I have an extra room I can rent out. I was going to sell my house and move into Hadley’s house if she would allow me to rent it, but she already has someone living in it. I have options.” Then she walks out of the living room, and I follow her to the kitchen. She rips up the twenty-dollar bill and throws it in the trash. Without looking back at me, she walks down the hallway, saying, “Go home, Asher.”

  Saturday morning, I got up, went home, showered, and got ready for the day. I was a little hungover but not too bad. I had taken some ibuprofen as soon I got back to Hadley and Aiden’s last night, knowing I had a lot to drink at the gallery opening. And then a few more when I got back to their house.

  I make my way into the nursing home and stroll up to the front desk. “Hello, Mrs. Pearson.”

  The woman behind the desk looks up at me. Her soft brown eyes meet mine, and she smiles at me, showcasing her teeth. “Hello, Ms. Stikes. How are you doing today?”

  “Good.” I look down and begin to dig in my purse for the letter I received. Once I find it, I hold it out to her. “I was wondering if I could talk to your manager.”

  Her glasses hang around her neck from a thick silver chain. She picks them up and places them on her nose. She reads over it and then reaches over to pick up her office phone and put it to her ear. “Yes, I have Andrea Stikes here to speak with you.” She nods a few times. “Yes, ma’am.” Then she hangs up. “You may go on back, Ms. Stikes.”

  “Thank you.” I take the letter from her outstretched hand and make my way down the long hallway to the back. The nursing home is one of the best ones in Chicago. I didn’t have any way of getting her into here, but my brother pulled some strings. Well, actually, it was his wife. I guess her parents had connections here in Chicago and were able to get her in. I promised him I would go in half on everything. It didn’t matter what I had to do to get the money; I wouldn’t fail her. But my brother never paid a dime. He got her in the door and then just dropped the ball. He never even mentions it.

  I knock on the door that reads director. “Come in.” I enter the room. “Hello, Andrea.”

  I sit down on the chair in front of her desk and take a deep breath. I’m not here for small talk. I’m here for business. “I need a few more weeks.” I hand her the letter that has her signature on the bottom. “I can make payments until then.” She opens her mouth to speak, but I hurry to add. “They won’t be big, but I can give you something.” I begin to dig into my purse for my checkbook.

  “That won’t be necessary, Ms. Stikes.”

  I look up at her, and my heart begins to beat faster. “What? Why not?”

  “Well …”

  “Please don’t kick her out,” I rush out as tears start to sting my eyes. “I can get it. I promise.”

  “As I said, that won’t be necessary.” She reaches out, handing the letter back to me. “Your mother’s account has been paid in full.”

  “What?” I gasp.

  “Actually, it has credit on it.”

  “No, there must be some mistake.”

  She shakes her head. “No mistake. She is paid up through next year.”

  I run a hand through my hair nervously. This must be some kind of sick prank. “That can’t be. I just got your letter a few days ago. I haven’t made any payments.”

  She picks up a piece of paper off her desk and scans it over. “A Mr. Kyle was in here an hour ago and made the arrangements.”

  “No,” I whisper as my stomach drops.

  “Yes. He made the arrangements with me personally. Very nice guy.” She sets the paper down. “He was very concerned about moving her.”

  “This can’t be happening.” The first tear runs down my cheek.

  “He understood the risks. And knew that relocating would only confuse her more. He was very adamant about her care. He even had her upgraded to a bigger room.”

  I shoot to my feet, and she does the same while alarm flashes across her face. “Ms. Stikes, are you okay?”

  “Thank you. I … I gotta go.” I turn and run out of her office. Once I get in my car, I pull my cell out of my purse and dial Hadley’s number.

  She answers on the first ring. “Hey, girl …”

  “What is Asher’s phone number?” I demand.

  “What? Andrea, are you okay?”

  “What is his number?” I shout as angry tears run down my face. How could he do this to me? I told him that in confidence last night.

  She rattles off some numbers, but I don’t even have a pen to write it down with. “Will you text it to me?”

  “What has he done? Are you okay?” she rushes out.

  “No.” This is so not okay. “I need to talk to him. Now.”

  “If he’s done something to piss you off, he may not answer your call.” She sighs. “But if you want, you can catch him up at the office. I heard him tell Aiden earlier that he had some work to do.”

  “Thanks.” I hang up, throw my car in reverse, and squeal my tires. Pulling out of the parking lot, I head toward Legacy Tower to find out just what the fuck he thinks he’s doing.

  * * *

  I’m sitting behind my desk going over some emails for a case when my office door flies open. It bangs against the interior wall so hard it has me jumping to my feet in surprise. “Andi?” She comes running into my office. “What are you …?”

  “Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing?” she shouts.

  I place my hands up. “Just calm down.”

  “Calm down?” she growls.

  Okay, probably not the best thing to say.

  “Calm fucking down?” she yells. “You had no business—”

  “I was just helping you.” I interrupt her, realizing she must have found out about what I did for her mother.

  “I didn’t want your help,” she snaps.

  “You’re right. You would have rather become a prostitute.”

  “I told you that I wasn’t going to do that!” Her face is red from anger, and I can tell she’s been crying ’cause her cheeks are wet.

  “Will you just have a seat?” I point at the chair in front of my desk.

  “No!” Tears being to run down her face, and her chest is heaving from her panting. “You will go back there and
undo it.”

  “I’m afraid that can’t be done.”

  She hangs her head, and I hear her take a deep breath. When she looks back up at me, fresh tears have welled up in her beautiful eyes. “What do you want?”

  I tilt my head to the side at her question.

  She squares her shoulders and quickly wipes the wetness from her cheeks. “What do you want, Asher? Don’t pretend you did this out of the kindness of your heart,” she snaps. “What do you want?” She shouts this time.

  I step into her, and she doesn’t step back or pull away when I lift my hand and run the back of my knuckles over her damp and cold cheek. “Just a kiss.” Of course, I want more. But technically, I’ve already had that. I don’t want her to pimp herself out to other men for money, so how can I expect her to do that for me?

  “Just a kiss?” she repeats softly.

  I nod. “That’s all I want.” Lies. I want so much more from this woman. I want all she has to give.

  She swallows nervously and licks her already wet lips. My cock hardens instantly as I remember what they felt like on my skin. So soft. So hungry. Just like I was for her.

  “Just one.” Comes her soft voice.

  I cup her face with both hands, and her breath quickens at my touch. She feels it. This connection we have. How much I want her. How much she wants me. It’s undeniable. I lower my lips to hers and gently kiss them. I can taste the lingering tears. They’re salty and sweet mixed with her gloss. I part my lips, and she opens up for me without hesitation. I pull her closer to me, and her hands grip my shirt as she moans into my mouth. My tongue meets hers, and I deepen the kiss as if I’m stealing her soul. As though I’m trying to make her love me. She has to. I love her.

  Once again, I got no sleep last night after she told me about her mother. I had to help this woman. She needed me. She didn’t want to date me because of my name. Or my social status. She wanted me for me. And I wanted her because she was like air—without her, I would die.

  So I called Aiden this morning, and he gave me all the information I needed.