34. Lily #3
“Yes. I was oblivious on the other side of the planet. With my heart broken into a million pieces, I managed to get myself back to LA.”
“Did you confront Judson and Hartley?”
He shakes his head. “I couldn’t deal with them.”
“Was Judson at the funeral?”
“We made it clear he wasn’t welcome.”
“Oh, wow.”
“It was either that or he would’ve ended up six feet under, and I would’ve ended up wearing an orange jumpsuit for the rest of my life.”
“I understand.”
“It took me a week after the funeral to confront Judson. I showed up at my mom’s house with my lawyer and the police?—”
“They were going to arrest Judson for your mom’s death? I thought she was killed by a thief who was trying to evade the police?”
“No, Judson was squatting.”
“How could he be squatting when he was married to your mom?”
“Prenup,” he says. “In the event of Mom’s passing, her house—and all its content and cars—reverted to me.
That was part of her will. It was the proudest day of my life when I upgraded her home to an exclusive LA zip code she never thought she’d live in.
It was a sad day when Judson moved in with her. ”
“He didn’t have any claims to the house?”
“None whatsoever,” Gage says. “Since he wasn’t a tenant, he was a freeloader who had overstayed his welcome.
The police were there to ensure things didn’t get out of hand, aka I didn’t force him to meet his maker.
” From his flared nostrils, it’s clear, his bitterness towards Judson hasn’t subsided. Not that I blame him .
“Did you keep the house?”
He shakes his head. “I owned a house. Renting it was an option, but that house was tainted with Judson and Hartley’s betrayal.
Since this is LA, and it was a fully renovated house in a coveted neighborhood, the house sold in a bidding war the minute it hit the market.
I donated a large portion of the money to the single moms’ shelter Mom donated money and her time to. ”
“That was so generous.”
“Mom would’ve wanted that,” he says. “When my half-sisters’ asshole father bailed out on them, Mom didn’t think she would ever be able to keep a roof over her head and food on the table, given she didn’t have much of an education.
She was lucky her parents accepted her back into their tiny, rented house.
And she was lucky she met my father. She never took her good fortune for granted. ”
“Your mom, in heaven, must’ve been so proud of you on that day.”
He closes his eyes. “I hope so.”
I squeeze his hand.
Sad green eyes meet mine.
“I’m certain of it, Gage.”
With his lips pinched, he offers a tight nod.
“I guess Judson saw it coming?”
“Even though he had signed an iron-clad prenup, he was irate he had to move out. He felt he should’ve been able to stay until he found another place to live.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “Good for your mom for getting that asshole to sign a prenup.”
“She didn’t want to––”
“She didn’t?”
“I put my foot down and I was unwilling to budge. That’s one thing all my sisters and I agreed on. ”
“Thank God,” I say. “What about Hartley?”
“I blocked her ass so she couldn’t call or text.
The temp who was working the phone after Mom’s passing had clear instructions to tell Hartley I was unavailable until the end of time when she phoned.
That didn’t stop the bitch from trying harder.
One day, I received a couriered envelope from her.
It was a three-page hand-written letter. ”
“What did the letter say?”
“I don’t know.”
“You didn’t read it?”
“No. I marched to the supply room with the letter in hand, powered up the shredder, and turned her words into confetti. Then, I grabbed the half-full plastic bag containing the shredded paper, headed towards the elevators, rode down to the building’s maintenance area located in the basement, and dumped the contents of the plastic bag into the secure bin.
I didn’t want any part of that two-faced bitch in my surroundings. ”
He doesn’t do things halfway.
“I made it clear to the security guards Hartley and Judson were persona non grata,” he says. “Same for any parcels or letters coming from the two low-lives.”
“You don’t need toxic people in your life. Onward and forward.”
“Not so fast,” he says.
I frown.
“I’m not much of a turn the other cheek kinda guy. You hurt me or anyone I care for, you’ll live to regret it.”
“What did you do?” My question is cautious.
A storm whirls in his eyes. “Between my contacts, the contacts of my inner circle, and the long list of high rollers Larkin knows, I made sure Judson couldn’t get a job in the entertainment industry in LA, New York, and Miami.
For good measure, I extended my reach to London, Ireland, Australia, and North Hollywood––Vancouver and Toronto.
Unless he was gifted with the ability to learn a new language at light speed, I had destroyed his career. ”
“He could’ve ended up being a news anchor in a small market.”
“The stations in small markets from coast to coast are owned by bigger fish. I had that covered.”
Don’t ever get on Gage Hollingsworth’s bad side.
“Did you do the same for Hartley?”
“I didn’t have to. Her show got cancelled not long after Mom’s death. The last I heard, she moved to Wisconsin to be with Judson. That’s where he’s from. As long as they were nowhere near LA, I didn’t care.”
A long beat passes between us.
Gage’s gaze meets mine. His expression is like granite. “I regret not hiring a PI when Mom––”
“You didn’t know.”
“I should’ve listened to my gut. My instincts never failed me in business.
Yet, when I needed them most, they did. There was something that irked me about the way he was so friendly with Hartley when they first met.
And it had nothing to do with jealousy—I wasn’t in love with Hartley and never felt territorial about her.
The bachelor party was another episode that had my hackles rising.
Again, I ignored my intuition. I promised Dad I’d keep Mom safe, and I failed.
” He furrows his brow and presses his lips into a tight line.
“The warning signs were there, as bright as neon signs, but I ignored them. For years, I blamed myself for my mother’s death. ”
An ache blooms in my chest.
I love his strength, his commitment to the oath he took with his father, and his protective nature. But he has to stop with the self- flagellation.
I bring his hands to my lips and kiss them.
The sadness in his eyes is overwhelming.
It shatters me.
I inhale a deep breath for courage. “Judson and Hartley are the guilty ones. Not you, Gage.”
“My punishment for sleeping at the wheel was to cut out pleasure from my life.” He keeps talking as if I didn’t say anything. “So, back to your question––”
“Which one?”
“I went on for so long, you forgot the question that initiated all this rambling.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say. “I was so taken by your heartbreaking story.”
“You asked me about the comment Larkin made at the club.”
I slap my forehead with the palm of my hand. “Sorry. Yes.”
“When I’ve visited Dark Compulsion in the past, it was either as a voyeur in one of the Peek-a-boo rooms, watching more risqué couples get down and dirty in the main party room, or hookup with an orally obsessed member.”
I scrunch up my nose. “What’s that entail?”
“Some female members get off giving blowjobs while taking matters into their own hands when it comes to their own pleasure.”
My eyes widen. “They’re nothing more than a willing mouth? Giving without receiving?”
“I was riddled with survivor guilt. I couldn’t offer much more than that. I never led them on. I was always forthcoming. Since I went out of my way to avoid intimacy, I never undressed. I only pulled out my cock. And the hookups took place on the main floor.”
“You mean these women were… giving you… blowjobs in the middle of the main party room? ”
He shakes his head. “There are secluded spots on the first floor and in the gardens that offer privacy, without it being as intimate as reserving a room or a lounge room.”
“Oh.”
Jealousy prickles at my skin.
Silly Lily.
He’s been with other women. Why else would he pay such an exorbitant annual fee to be part of an exclusive adult club? Still, the awareness irks me.
“I never attended theme nights,” he says.
“Why not?”
“It’s a mix of members and guests. Most female members knew the drill when it came to me. I wasn’t in the mind space to turn down guests without coming across as rude, so I didn’t show up.”
“I see.”
“As bad as it sounds, after Hartley, I didn’t trust women, so I kept it to basic needs.”
“I can understand.”
“I haven’t hooked up with a member or guest in an intimate way since Mom died three years ago.” He taps the tip of my nose. “Not until you came along.”
My smile is wide.
His phone rings.
My eyes shift to the device lying on the blanket.
He snatches it up, but not before I see a name flash on the screen.
Enid.
“I have to take this,” he says.
I nod. “Sure. No problem.”
My eyes shift to the horizon, pretending not to eavesdrop.
He hums and nods at whatever the other person says. “I’ll see you soon.” With that, he ends the call .
I plaster a forced smile on my face. “I sense you’re about to put an end to our lunch.”
His gaze meets mine. “The person I’m meeting arrived at her hotel. I have to go.”
“Will I see you later?” I hate how desperate I sound.
He ponders my question. “I’m not sure. I might be caught up for the rest of the evening. This person traveled far to do me a solid.”
Insecurity pricks at my bones.
“Playing CEO is a full-time job.” I try to add levity to my voice, but fail.
“Something like that.”
I wait for him to confirm this Enid chick is a business associate, but he doesn’t.
My belly dives and flops.
I’m not jealous.
Nope.
Not at all.
Not even a little bit.
He’s not my boyfriend.
I can totally do casual and walk away.
I’m leaving in two days.
This was supposed to be fun and lighthearted.
No strings attached.
No promises.
No expectations.
No drama.
Ba boom.
Ba boom.
Ba boom.
This stupid throbbing in my heart needs to stop. Pronto.