Chapter 7 Kade
KADE
No way was I going back to my suite at the Atlas after everything that had happened, but I had nowhere else to go for now. The only place left was my parents' house or the lodge outside of town. I chose Mom and Dad's since it was closer, though I knew it would mean lectures.
When I let myself in I thought just maybe I'd make it up to my old room for a hot shower and some Tylenol, but Mom spotted me on the stairs and the jig was up.
“Kade, what on earth are you doing? You can't just text me that you're not going to show up." She sounded hostile as normal, but in her snooty way that screamed entitlement. I hated how they thought they could make decisions for me just because they still let me live off their bankroll.
"Ma, please." I kept straggling up the stairs until Dad's voice joined the fray.
"Son, come back down here."
I stopped and looked over my shoulder, knowing exactly what would happen if I ignored and disrespected them. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened, either. They would just freeze my cards and tell the managers at the casino not to let me in. It was petty, but it was effective.
"Dad," I sighed, feeling ever more grateful that his little brunch party was over and his guests had gone home. "I have a hangover. I just want a hot shower."
"You should know by now that when I invite you to brunch or dinner I have a purpose for it." His forehead had more ridges than the Rockies.
"And you should know by now that I don't want to be set up for relationships or jobs, or any other reason. I can handle my life without you interfering." My foot dropped to the step below me and I walked back toward them a few steps.
Mom scoffed angrily and waved her hands in the air.
"And after everything we've done for you!
" It was the same thing I'd heard a dozen times a month for the past five years.
She hated that I wasn't her little baby who could be controlled anymore.
"You know everything you stand to inherit when your father passes and yet you disrespect us by—"
"Mom, please." I pinched the bridge of my nose and scowled at her. "I said I have a headache."
She huffed and stomped off, feet slapping on the floor like a child. And they thought I was the one who acted childish.
I did understand their point. They had paid for everything in my life, every day of my life. But sometimes the way they treated me was so controlling. Seeing them squirm and be upset was my only joy in life.
"You need to get control of your behavior." Dad's eyes darkened, and he gave me that expression that said he was infuriated with me. The one I'd seen only when I did things that were going to cost him dearly, and I knew he knew before I even heard the words come out of his mouth. "Mark called me."
"Of course he did," I said, sighing. "Look, Dad, I can handle it."
“No, you look!" Dad marched over to me and I noticed how sunken his eyes were; he looked tired, as if he'd been up all night. "Sleeping with a random woman every week is one thing. But you went and married one now? Do you have any idea how much this is going to cost me?"
"I said I can handle it," I grumbled through clenched teeth. I started back up the steps, but the lecture hound followed on my heels.
I spun around when I reached the top of the steps, hovering a foot above him. The height advantage made me feel bolder, and I lashed out as he spoke again.
"You're acting like a child, Kade. It could cost me—"
"I said, I'll handle it!" My jaw tightened before I continued. "I'll get her to give me an annulment and it'll cost you a few million. You have hundreds of millions lying around uselessly. It won't cost you anything."
Sometimes I swore he lived on a different planet. Dad would try to make this about reputation and honor or something, when in reality it was just a mistake. Nothing a few bucks couldn’t fix. So long as I could get her out of my head, everything would be fine.
"Enough of your reckless behavior." He was seething as he mounted the top step and stared me down. "You went off and married a gold digger. You have no clue what she's going to do. Without a prenup, she now has access to half of your net worth. Don't you understand that?"
I found it comical how his nostrils flared when he was so angry, so for fun I liked to goad him. "Well then, you have even more reason to cut me off entirely, don’t you? Go ahead, drain my accounts. I'm having a shower."
Without waiting to see what his response was, I turned and stomped up the hallway.
I know how immature I was being, but at thirty-six years old, I was done being pushed around by them.
I had several million tucked away in accounts they didn't know about, which would tide me over until Mom started that thing she always did where she begged me to be her son again and pleaded with Dad to forgive me.
Right now I just wanted something to make this headache go away.
My room was exactly how I left it—scattered laundry, bed unmade, empty bottles of liquor and beer sitting around. Thankfully my parents' maid wasn't as eager to parent me as they were.
I stripped off my clothing and stood in my boxers by the mirror, looking at how tired I appeared. I must've been up later than I thought, or the stress of this was getting to me.
Lainey Rowan had done a number on me—or maybe it wasn't her and I was just really weak. The one time I wanted to be a nice guy, I got sucked in too deep. I wondered if this was why my Dad was always such a shark in business. Start caring and get duped.
My phone rang, and I stooped to pull it out of my pants’ pocket. Dan Price's number flashed on the screen, so I swiped to answer.
"Hey, yeah, Danno... tell me you can help me." I held the phone to my ear while I started the hot water in the shower.
"Kade, I'm not gonna lie, it could be tricky."
"Nah, none of that crap. I'll pay what it takes. Just tell me what you need." My fingers danced under the spray as the water went tepid then slightly warmer.
He sighed and grumbled something about entitlement, but said, "Give me what you have on her. Name, any contact info, the chapel you got married at. It should have a record of the marriage license. "
Mr. Price didn't sound convinced, but then neither had my father.
But neither of them had met Lainey. If she was a gold digger like my dad had insinuated so rudely, she wouldn't have left so quickly this morning.
My gut told me she really was just a wounded runaway bride down on her luck.
I could make this go away quickly if we tackled it head-on.
"I'll send what I have over. Thanks, Danno," I told him. Then I hung up and switched to my email app, adding the video files Mark had sent me. It was the best I could do considering I didn't have any way to contact her. But Dan would work his magic and I would get myself out of this mess.
I attached the files and hit send, but the image of Lainey in the thumbnail just lodged in my mind.
The way I’d had her pressed against that elevator wall got me yet again.
Her lips were so soft, and the way she gave herself to me so freely without any restraint was intoxicating.
Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was just that she was really that desperate, but I’d enjoyed it way too much.
After locking my phone, I stepped into the water and let it sluice over my body while I lathered up.
I was worked up, wanting release, but not in the mood to wait for a woman.
When I washed my dick it was too tempting to not touch a little, and in just a few seconds I was rock hard and thinking about Lainey on her knees sucking me.
I stood under the hot spray, water pounding my shoulders as my hand closed around my cock. It was already thick and heavy from thinking about her. I stroked myself, letting the image of Lainey take over.
In my mind she dropped to her knees right there on the wet tile, eyes locked on mine.
Her lips parted and she took my head into her mouth, tongue swirling around it before she slid down, sucking me deep.
I groaned, fist moving faster, matching the rhythm I pictured—her head bobbing, cheeks hollowed, wet sounds filling the steam.
She looked up at me, mascara smudged, lips stretched wide around my girth as saliva trailed from the corners of her mouth. I imagined grabbing her hair, guiding her, pushing deeper until she gagged softly then took it anyway, humming around me.
The pressure built fast. I needed more. I pictured pulling her up, turning her, then lying back so she could straddle my face.
In my fantasy she lowered herself onto my mouth, thighs framing my head, her pussy already slick and swollen.
I buried my tongue inside her, licking long strokes from entrance to clit, tasting every inch while she rocked against me.
Her juices coated my lips and chin. I sucked her clit hard, flicking it with the tip of my tongue until her hips jerked and she moaned my name.
My real hand flew over my length, slick with soap and precum, and I kept the image clear—her grinding down, thighs trembling, fingers digging into my hair as she chased her release on my face. I imagined her coming apart, pussy pulsing against my tongue, flooding my mouth while she cried out.
And that pushed me over. My balls drew up tight.
I pumped with my fist one last time, picturing her shuddering above me, and I came hard.
Thick spurts hit the shower wall, washed away instantly by the water as my body jerked with each pulse.
The release wasn't anything compared to the way she made me feel last night, but it took the edge off.
I leaned against the tile, chest heaving, the fantasy of Lainey still burning behind my eyes even as the real world rushed back in.
I had to get this girl out of my head. It was obvious my dad didn't approve, and with Mark's security camera footage I knew what a publicity nightmare this would be if things got out of control.
I rinsed off and let the water pound my face, knowing if I kept going the way I'd been going I really would end up cut off.
The problem was, I didn't want to shack up with one of my father's colleague's daughters just because Mom was worried I'd end up alone.
I didn't mind being single, though at times it was lonely. I just couldn’t see myself marrying someone I didn't know and with whom I had nothing in common.
If I annulled the marriage, Dad would just fix me up with someone I'd end up making an excuse to get away from. But I had to annul the marriage. It wasn't like Lainey and I were serious about any part of it, and though I didn't think she was a gold digger, I couldn't be positive.
Still, whether it was two days or two weeks from now, I knew the marriage was over. What would be the harm of letting it go a few more days? Long enough for my parents to squirm a little. I did enjoy watching them squirm.
And if it took Daniel Price a while to track Lainey down, all the better. I had to get her out of my head before I saw her again, or I'd wind up feeling sorry for her again. And who knew where that would lead.