Chapter 5
ASPEN
Blood drained from my head to my feet, taking my heart to the pit of my stomach, where it churned until I thought I’d vomit.
Without even seeing his pointed nose, thin lips, and dark, beady eyes, I knew exactly who it was.
Brian Kerr. A star football player from high school who’d paid my boyfriend to watch the homemade videos he’d made of us without my knowing.
A piece of shit who continued to proposition me for a live performance until graduation.
An asshole who cornered me after a game, assuming he could take what he wanted.
I wondered if he still remembered my knee in his balls as much as I remembered his disgusting, sweaty hands.
Despite his nasally voice sending me into a tunnel vision of memories, I knew Lucian was watching me.
His gaze stroked along my cheek, seeing more than I wanted him to.
No way in hell would anyone see me at anything other than my best at an event hosted by Quinn Music Group.
Not Lucian, and definitely not Brian himself, because no way in hell did I want him to think he affected me after seven years.
He doesn’t affect me, I reminded myself.
He doesn’t affect me. He doesn’t affect me. He has no control over me. I am in control.
I repeated the words like a mantra, taking deep inhales through my nose and long exhales through my mouth. Confident in that reminder, I lifted my chin and wore a cool, calm, and controlled exterior like a coat of armor.
Glancing at Lucian, I caught his studious look and raised brow—but ignored it, stepping forward into view of Brian and bracing for impact.
Lucian angled himself closer to my side, sliding his palm along the bare skin of my back, where it had been all night.
Unbidden, my body heated where the rough pads of his fingers stroked along each vertebra down my spine while the rest of me remained frozen.
Brian was angled away from me as he shook Corbin’s hand, smiling like some car salesman with his bland, brown hair slicked back and lanky body barely filling out his cheap suit.
He didn’t notice me—especially once Corbin introduced Rose, and Brian’s gaze snapped to her, lingering in that disgustingly familiar way that set my teeth on edge.
“Rose Berkshire?” Brian repeated unnecessarily. “Any relation to the club, The Berkshire?”
Rose carefully extracted her hand from Brian’s lingering grip and offered a guarded smile. “Yes. My father started the club. However, after he passed away, I took over.”
“I’ve heard fantastic things about The Berkshire.” He waggled his brows, looking Rose up and down. “I would never assume that a pretty thing like you would be behind such a…place like that.”
Gross.
And dumb. If Corbin’s scowl grew any darker, he’d give Lucian a run for his money in becoming the new dark and dangerous. Not that he had anything to worry about, because Rose could handle herself.
“I would never assume a…” She returned the favor of looking Brian up and down with a saccharine smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “A man like you would know anybody who’s aware of The Berkshire’s reputation.”
Brian pressed a hand to his chest with a falsely bashful smile, missing the negative connotation of Rose’s words and assuming she meant he was too much of a gentleman to go to a kink club.
Yeah, right.
“I may appear like a…vanilla type of guy, but I assure you, your club would be a place I’d love to visit. Maybe we could chat later about an invitation.”
Lucian’s fingers flexed against my back, as if restraining himself from stepping in on Corbin’s behalf to forcefully remove Brian’s lewd gaze from Rose.
I kind of hoped he would, but Rose handled Brian like a professional, and the more occupied he was with others, the less likely I’d have to suffer his attention on me.
I was content to never have him notice me at all.
“Maybe. Although our vetting process is extensive. Thanks to my fiancé’s assistance, we’re able to perform more in-depth background checks on our clientele, which can lead to long waits,” Rose explained, successfully avoiding any promises while directing the conversation to Corbin.
“Of course, of course,” Brian agreed with a wink.
A part of me wanted to feel bad for how oblivious he was to being brushed off, but then I remembered how that certain personality flaw haunted me throughout my senior year of high school, and any desire to care vanished.
“And Mr. Daire,” Brian greeted, his hand outstretched and charm dialed all the way up.
His closeness hit me hard. My armor cracked, and my face betrayed my disgust. I slammed my shields back in place and held my breath, knowing it was only a matter of moments before he realized who I was.
I eyed Lucian, taking in his aggressive handshake, sharp smile, and the dark aura I’d noticed from day one, making him the businessman others dreaded facing.
“Nice to meet you, Ryan.”
“Brian.”
Lucian huffed an insincere laugh. “Of course.”
“It’s an honor to meet another shrewd businessman like myself. Especially one with a company that continues to grow exponentially. I remember studying yours and Mr. Black’s companies in my college business classes.”
“A shrewd businessman…” Lucian repeated slowly. He glanced at Corbin with a raised brow, eyes glinting with barely hidden mockery. “And what business are you in?”
“It’s a marketing firm. Ads R’ Us. I know it’s kind of small, but we’ve got big things going on. And, you have to admit, the name is pretty catchy,” he said with a laugh.
Lucian hummed politely in lieu of saying what the fuck, like we were all thinking.
Not for the first time, I wondered how he’d received an invite to this event. While I didn’t keep up with anyone from high school, I remembered their names and vetted the guest lists before the invitations went out. Brian Kerr had not appeared on that list. And neither had Ads R’ Us.
“But I’m here on behalf of Mr. Carew, who owns Serene, Inc. I work with his son, Ken Vick. Mr. Carew is sick. So, I figured, why not offer my services? It’s a great chance for free booze and to rub elbows with other bigwigs like me.”
I didn’t know Dan Carew was Ken Vick’s father, another asshole from high school, but the connection explained Brian’s attendance. I made a mental note to remove Serene, Inc. from any other events.
“Anyways, Ken and I have a little side business we’re working on building.
Like in your field of buying and selling companies.
In fact,” Brian lowered his voice as if he was about to share the deal of the century and didn’t want anyone else to overhear.
“I know of a few companies that are ripe for plucking and could make a great profit. Maybe if you have time later, we can talk about a joint deal. One where we both reap the benefits.”
I think the fuck not.
I would rather devote my life to burning Lucian’s entire business—including QMG—to the ground before ever seeing him work with Brian fucking Kerr.
Lucian hummed and nodded, pretending to ponder, but the tension around his eyes told me he was merely humoring Brian without taking him seriously.
Thank God.
Brian schmoozed Corbin and Lucian with more praise and idiocy, while I focused on repeating my earlier mantra and breathing, holding my armor in place.
He doesn’t affect me. He has no control over me. I am in control.
Each second ticked by like a countdown to disaster. Whether Brian sparked my anger, dredged up my past, or humiliated me, I knew whatever came next wouldn’t end well.
Still, watching Lucian fire sly, cutting remarks at the weasel of a man made it hard to dread the encounter completely.
That is, until the moment arrived—and all I wanted was to rewind time, uninvite him, and end this before it even began.
Fuck.
“Holy shit. Aspen Quinn.”
My stomach churned all over again hearing my name cross his lips.
He doesn’t affect me. I am in control.
“Brian,” I greeted with zero emotion.
Lucian’s hand flexed again, his thumb making small circles against my skin. I focused on the sensation, grounding myself to the moment—to him—instead of the past standing right in front of me.
Brian looked me up and down the same way he had Rose. However, mine included a knowing edge that made my skin crawl. It screamed, I know what you look like naked. I know what you look like when you come.
My stomach twisted, and for a terrifying moment, my champagne threatened to come back up, but I swallowed hard, drew a deep breath, and forced myself to ignore his leering gaze and everything it said.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see you here, considering it’s your father’s company.” He looked around the room, taking a swig of amber liquid from his glass before focusing back on me. “He does know how to throw one hell of a party.”
Lucian’s thumb stopped moving at the same time I ground my jaw, taking in Brian’s comment—your father’s company. I wondered if hearing someone else say the condescending words made him aware of how shitty he’d sounded saying them to me when we first met.
“Actually, Aspen is the mastermind behind this event,” Lucian said.
I whipped my gaze to his, startled to catch the unmistakable pride in his correction.
“It is beautiful, Aspen,” Rose complimented.
I offered a quick smile of thanks, only to have it vanish the moment Brian spoke again.
“Really?” He scoffed, giving me a patronizing smile. “Does that mean there are pinatas inside?”
No one joined Brian in laughing at his joke.
I squeezed the stem of my champagne glass so hard I feared it might snap, but letting that tension flow into my grip allowed me to maintain my composure.
I raised a cold, measured smile, armor firmly in place.
“Not yet. The mariachi band will bring them out after everyone eats, but before the dancing.”
Pride surged through me when Rose released an inelegant snort, and Corbin ducked behind his glass to hide a grin. I wasn’t keeping score, but if I were, I’d be winning.