Chapter 14 – Katie
Fourteen
PRESENT DAY
KATIE
I was willing to bet that most of its residents took on that same attitude, especially Asher.
“May I help you with something, Miss?” The doorman smiled at me as I approached.
“I’m here to see Asher Brooks.”
“Is he expecting you?”
“Yes.” I lied. “He is.”
“Okay, well I’ll have to have the receptionist inside call to verify that,” he said, opening the door. “You can have a seat in the lobby while you wait.”
“Actually, no.” I didn’t want them getting involved, just in case I changed my mind. “I’m here as a surprise.”
“Mr. Brooks hates surprises.”
“I know that, but I’m planning a wedding for his brother.” I tapped my screen and showed him a picture from the engagement party. “See? I need to handle some really important things with him.”
“Then how is this a surprise?”
Good question…
“What’s your name, Miss?”
“Ashley Sunrise.”
He gave me a blank stare.
“Katie Elizabeth.”
“You should’ve said that first.” He smiled. “You’re on his approved guest list.”
“Really?” I asked. “Why?”
“You can go up via the elevator, Miss Elizabeth.” He ignored my question. “I will call up in seven minutes to confirm your arrival. Fair?”
“Very fair. Thank you, sir.” I moved past him, but then I stopped and called out over my shoulder. “Can you tell me when he put me on his guest list?”
“Get to the elevator, Miss Elizabeth.” He shut the door.
I walked past the lobby’s marble fountains and golden-framed pictures, focusing on the dreadful task at hand.
“I’m not sure if I want to marry him or not…” “I need a backup plan, please…”
Michelle’s words still cut my heart, no matter how many times I replayed them.
Ding!
The elevator doors glided open, and I stepped into a hallway of windows.
I walked over to Unit 1 and held back a breath before pressing the doorbell.
Several seconds passed, and no answer came.
I tried it again.
Nothing.
Ugh. I banged on the door as hard as I could.
“I know you’re at home, Asher!” I yelled. “Open this door!”
I considered calling his assistant, but the door swung open and Asher was standing in front of me wearing a thick, white towel around his waist.
Beads of water dripped down his chiseled chest, and I couldn’t help but watch them fall lower and lower until I realized he was well aware of what I was doing.
“This isn’t how I pictured you coming to your senses,” he said, smirking. “Why are you wearing clothes?”
“Get over yourself.” I rolled my eyes. “Can you please invite me inside?”
“That’s not a good idea right now.”
“So, you have company?” I asked. “New girlfriend?”
“You know better than that.” He crossed his arms. “What do you want?”
“It’s personal.”
“We can be personal right here.”
“Fine.” I shrugged. “I need your help with something I feel like I’ll struggle to handle.”
“I offered to have sex with you years ago.” He smiled. “I guarantee you’ll orgasm.”
“I have someone who wants to get out of her wedding.” I ignored his comment and the way my nerves went wild at his words. “She’s not completely sure if she wants to call it off, but she wants a plan just in case she wants to pull the trigger.”
“Give her my number.”
“She has it already.”
“So, you just felt like showing up to see me?”
“She wants me to be the go-between,” I said. “She doesn’t want to talk directly to you about it.”
“Okay…Well, I’ll have to have Kelsey do some research first to make sure I’m not dealing with a psychopath.”
“You actually screen your clients?” I asked. “I thought you just accepted whoever offered to pay.”
“I have a ten-step process, believe it or not.”
“I’ll choose the not,” I said. “I can vouch for her, and you can trust me. She’s not a psychopath.”
“Does she have a name?”
“I’ll give you all her information once you agree to help me.”
“I don’t operate like that, Katie.”
“You owe me a favor.”
“No, last I checked, if we’re keeping score, you owe me.”
“Check again.”
He leaned against his doorframe, looking as if he was rewinding all our run-ins—analyzing the less-than-cordial to the “I’ll tolerate you” to the “I’ll help you” categories.
“Okay, so I do owe you,” he said finally. “I’ll help—as long as all the background information checks out.”
“Deal.” I held out my hand for him to shake on it, and the moment his hand touched mine, I regretted it.
A jolt of warmth shot through my veins, and I suddenly wanted him to touch me in other places.
We drew back our hands at the same time.
“What’s the client’s name and when is she getting married?” he asked.
“Michelle and in April,” I paused. “To your brother.”
“What the fuck?”
“You agreed,” I said. “A deal is a deal.”
“I’m not fucking up my brother’s wedding.”
“You’ve been fine ruining everyone else’s…”
“They’ve been inseparable since the day they met.” He shook his head. “She’s lying to you or playing games.”
“I’ll record our next conversation if you like, but she looked pretty serious, and she’s texted me about it, too.” I pulled out my phone and showed him the proof.
He clenched his jaw as he read, and all the color drained from his face.
“I’ll talk to you about this later,” he said, stepping back. “I need to look into this further…”
“Okay, thank you.”
“I haven’t done anything yet,” he said, still looking crestfallen. “How’d you get here?”
“I drove.”
“Okay.” His voice was tight. “I’ll be in touch. Now would be a good time to unblock my number.”
“I’ll think about it.”