Chapter 4
Raelyn
“Ijust don’t understand.” My father sounded utterly defeated. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing, Dad.” I wasn’t exactly surprised by my father’s concerns.
I’d always been pretty level-headed and did what was expected of me.
Even when I was younger and going through my most tumultuous years, I never acted out, so it had to seem strange that I was doing it now.
“I was just trying to be adventurous and have a little fun.”
“Adventurous!” He threw his hands in the air with frustration. “Jumping off a hotel building and getting arrested is beyond a little ‘adventurous,’ Rae!”
“I know, and I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t think it would come to this.”
“Well, it did, and now we need a plan to get you out of this mess. We’ve gotta get a lawyer and pay court fees.” He ran his fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair as he sighed. “There’s no telling how much all of this is going to cost.”
“I’ll pay y’all back ... every last penny.”
I meant it.
I felt awful about the way things had turned out, and I had every intention of repaying my parents. It was the least I could do for causing them so much heartache. Unfortunately, my father had other plans.
“It’s not about the money, Rae.” His tone grew serious. “I’m worried about you. Your mother is, too. We think it’s time you talked to someone who might be able to help you figure out—”
“Whoa, hold up!” I gasped. “Y’all want me to see a shrink?”
“We think it’s something you should consider.” He stepped over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “You don’t want to tell either of us what’s going on with you, so maybe it’ll help to confide in someone else.”
“There’s nothing wrong with trying to get out and live a little.”
“There is when it puts your life in jeopardy and lands you in jail. Besides, this isn’t up for discussion.
” He removed his hand from my shoulder and gave me a stern look.
“If you want your mother and me to pay for the lawyer and all the court fees, then you’re going to see someone.
Your mother is looking around to find out who would be best for you to see. ”
“Of course she is.”
“Don’t give me that tone,” he snapped. “You know how much she loves you. We both do, and we just want what’s best for you.”
“I get that, but I’m twenty-five years old, Dad. I’m not a kid. Y’all don’t get to make decisions about my life anymore.”
“I do when you pull stunts like you did last night, and I’m the one stuck dealing with it. So, if you want me to help cover the cost of your mistake, then you’ll go see the therapist.”
His words stung.
They stung deep.
I should’ve been honest with him and admitted what was really going on with me, but I knew what he would do if I did.
He’d freak out and demand that I go straight to the hospital, which would force me to face the very thing I’d been avoiding for months, and I simply couldn’t do it. I needed more time, so if he wanted me to see a stupid shrink, I’d go see the stupid shrink.
I held my hands up in surrender and said, “Okay, okay. I’ll go to the therapist or whatever, but it’s just a waste of time and money.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” He let out a sigh of relief, then said, “I’ll call Jack Bivens and fill him in on what happened last night. He’s a great lawyer. Maybe he can settle this whole thing without you and Haleigh having to go to court.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I walked over and gave him a hug. “I’m really sorry about all this.”
“I know you are.” He hugged me back. “But don’t worry. We’ll get this thing sorted.”
I left my parents’ house feeling no better than when I arrived—if not worse.
I wanted nothing more than to go home and crawl into bed, but sadly, I had to get to work. I was already late and didn’t want Tara, my new project manager, to think I wasn’t living up to her expectations.
I worked at Just Grace, one of Nashville’s up-and-coming event-planning companies.
We’d just landed the Sutherland wedding, and Tara intended to make it the wedding of the year.
That meant we all had to be at the top of our game.
I took a great deal of pride in my work and always did everything I could to be an asset to my team.
I didn’t want anything to change that, especially now.
As soon as I arrived, I went straight to my desk and got busy gathering all the various checklists we’d need for this event—everything from color and fabric choices to music and seating arrangements. I color-coded each section and then placed them in a binder labeled Sutherland.
Over the next few days, I spent every moment getting that binder together, ensuring I had everything perfect before submitting it to Tara.
Once she’d given her approval, I started calling the most prestigious florists, caterers, and entertainment companies in town, making appointments with each.
It was enough to keep me distracted during the day.
But nighttime was an entirely different story.
If all the dreadful ‘what ifs’ happened to creep in, I was done for the night.
They would bombard my every thought, and I would be up for hours and would become desperate to make them go away.
I’d close my eyes and try to think of all the crazy, amazing things I’d done over the past year, from parasailing to swimming with dolphins, but it did little to help take my mind off the sinking knot in the pit of my stomach.
But over the past few nights, it had been Lynch that had slipped into my thoughts.
The second I’d start thinking about how unbelievably hot he looked in his white fitted t-shirt and black leather vest, that knot in my stomach would slowly fade.
Then my mind would drift to his tattoos, his oh-so-sexy five o’clock shadow, and his broad, demanding shoulders, and it never took long for a smile to slip across my face.
I couldn’t deny it.
The man had made quite an impression on me—so much so that I’d added him to my bucket list. I hadn’t had a great deal of experience with men, especially with anyone like him, and the mere thought of seeing him again sent an excited shiver down my spine.
I knew it was a bad idea.
I’d already gotten myself into enough trouble, and I wasn’t looking for more. I simply wanted to see Lynch one more time and thank him for helping Haleigh and me. So, after work, I fixed my hair and changed into my favorite pair of jeans, then I grabbed my keys and started for the door.
I was just about to walk out when Haleigh asked, “Where you headed?”
“Oh, um, I have some errands to run.”
“At this time of night?”
“I just need to pick up a few things,” I lied. “It shouldn’t take long.”
“You want me to come with you?”
“That’s okay.” Praying she wouldn’t push, I told her, “I know you’re tired. Get some rest, and I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Okay, then. Be careful.”
“You know I will.”
I quickly waved, then rushed out the door and into my car. As I drove towards Stilettos, the doubts started rolling in, and I began to worry that I was making a mistake. But then I reminded myself that I was only going there to thank Lynch.
That was it.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
By the time I pulled into the parking lot, it was after nine. Since it was a Thursday night, I expected the place to be packed. It wasn’t. Instead, there was barely a soul in sight—just a couple of construction vehicles parked in the rear of the building.
When I saw the Closed sign posted out front, I wondered if that had something to do with the other night when the cops and fire trucks invaded their parking lot.
Regardless, the club wasn’t open, so I started to pull back out of the lot but stopped when I noticed several bikers talking by the back entrance.
I watched them for a moment and, once I gathered my courage, got out of my car and started towards them. As soon as I walked up, one of the bigger men stepped forward and announced, “Sorry, miss, we’re closed.”
“Yeah, I see that.” The man was older with dark hair and a thick beard, and I felt a little uneasy as I cleared my throat and said, “I’m actually here for Lynch. Is he around?”
“Lynch?” His eyes narrowed. “Is he expecting you?”
“I doubt it. I didn’t even know I was coming here myself until I pulled into the lot.” I gave him a slight shrug, then asked, “So, is he here or not?”
“Yeah, he’s here.” The man turned and headed towards the door. “Come on. I’ll take you to him.”
I did as he said and followed him inside the bar. For a strip club, it seemed pretty upscale. There were several stages along the sidewall, an oversized bar in the back, and tables and booths positioned where everyone could get a good glimpse of the show.
I was trying to imagine what a busy night would be like when the biker led me over to a construction area sealed off with plastic sheeting.
I could hear several men talking in the distance, then the man next to me stuck his head through the plastic and shouted, “Yo, Lynch. There’s someone here to see ya. ”
“Oh, yeah?” I couldn’t see him, but I heard him ask, “Who is it?”
“Come see for yourself.”
Seconds later, Lynch stepped through the clear plastic tarp and was a sight to behold.
He wore a black Harley-Davidson t-shirt that clung perfectly to his muscular chest, and his dark hair was tousled in a way that made me want to run my fingers through it.
Lynch looked like every one of my deepest, darkest sexual fantasies wrapped in one divine package, and my overactive hormones had taken notice.
His eyes widened in surprise the second he spotted me. “Raelyn? What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you.” I was still trying to come to terms with how wickedly sexy the man was, which made it difficult to think, much less speak. I eventually managed to clear my throat and say, “I uh ... I wanted to come by and thank you again for helping Haleigh and me out the other night.”
“Oh?”