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While I had her attention, I typed out a quick response.
Me: I know that. I’m sorry. I would never think of you as a whore. You’re much more. Please call me.
Ainsley: I need some time to think everything through. I’ll call you in a few days.
Me: Please don’t give up on what we have until we talk.
If I could beat my own ass for making her feel like a whore, I would. I deserved to be knocked into next week. I had a feeling she wouldn’t respond. She had said she would call in a few days. I needed another plan of attack to get her back with me as soon as possible. A few days wasn’t going to cut it.
As I dressed, I pulled up Nora’s phone number. She was probably sleeping since she had just gotten off not too long ago. At this point, I didn’t care.
Nora answered on the third ring. “Hello? This had better be good. You woke my ass up.” Her voice was agitated.
I sounded desperate. “I need your help.”
“You messed up with Ainsley, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
Now, I hoped that Nora would help me out. If things went how I was planning, I’d have Ainsley back with me and in my bed later tonight.
A few hours later, I paced my office like a caged tiger. After wasting the morning away with meaningless tasks at my house, I went ahead and came into the club.
Nora had agreed to bring Ainsley to the bar side of Club Envy. After highlighting what had happened to Nora, I had endured a lecture from hell from her. I never would have guessed she was that feisty.
Hell, she could pack a verbal punch.
Everything was set with Chris from The Thrillhammers. They were playing again tonight. I had lucked out that they had agreed to do both a Friday and Saturday set this week. Chris wanted me to listen to a group called The Divas, so we could use them during the week since The Thrillhammers’s schedule was getting fuller with more bookings. To keep them on the Friday and Saturday schedule, I had offered his band a raise to play. They always packed a crowd, so it had made sense.
Brandt strolled into my office, closing the door after him, wearing a Club Envy T-shirt. “Dude, with as much sex as you’re having, you should have a shit-eating grin on your face. You’re strung pretty tight. So, either Ainsley is a horrible lay, or something else is eating you. What the fuck gives?”
“Don’t talk about Ainsley that way, Brandt. I know you don’t mean it, but don’t talk about her like that. I majorly messed up, and I’m working on getting things straight again.”
Calmly, Brandt sat down in a chair across from my desk and put his arm over the back of it. “What happened?”
I continued to pace. “I broke another one of my rules today, and I lost it on her. I treated her like shit, and she walked.”
A smirk appeared on Brandt’s face, and it pissed me off.
I spoke harshly to him, “What the fuck are you smirking at?”
His British accent became a little thicker when he chose his words, “Adam, I’m going to give you a piece of advice. Forget your damn rules. You’re not promising forever. If you keep talking about your boundaries and shit, she’s going to bail. I have a feeling you’ve made it pretty clear on where you stand on the relationship thing. A relationship doesn’t mean you’re going to marry her. From what I can tell, you’ve been pushing Ainsley for more, and then you get all pissed off and moody for things you’ve done. You need to chillax and just be with her. What does it matter if you have an actual girlfriend? It doesn’t mean that she’s going to want marriage if she knows you can’t give her that. Has she pushed you for more?”
“No, she hasn’t, not at all. I don’t want to lead her on. I can’t promise her anything. You know what happened to me. I don’t want to put myself out there again after what I went through with Selena.” My mind started racing as I relived those last moments I’d had with Selena. My pacing picked up as the inner beast in me wanted to roar.
Brandt held up his hands. “I know that, and you don’t have to. But fighting for what you want and then wrecking it for no apparent reason is being an idiot, Adam. I should know. Don’t make the same mistake as me. You obviously want more with her than you’ve got. Normally, you couldn’t care less when things end. Enjoy it, and have fun. Be happy. I think she’s good for you. I already like her because she doesn’t put up with your shit. Ainsley is not Selena.”
My mind started relaxing…some. Brandt is right.
Ainsley and I didn’t have to conform to anything. It would be up to us. All that mattered was that Ainsley and I were okay with what we had going on. She was her own person, and I was mine. Neither one of us would have to give up who we were, like I’d had to do to make Selena happy.
I slapped Brandt on the back as I walked past him. “Thanks, man. I get what you’re saying.”
Brandt stood. “I’ve got it under control at the club tonight. Go get your girl back. I’ll touch base with Hampton to see where he’s at on the Roach investigation.”
I stopped, remembering I had responsibilities at the club. “Call me if you need something.”
He walked passed me. “Adam, I’ve got this. I owe you for all that you did for me when I had to take off. When’s Ainsley supposed to get here?”
I took another deep breath. “She’s supposed to get here in a couple of hours.”
As he opened the door, he said, “Focus on that. I’ll handle the business.”
Brandt closed the door, and I started pacing again, thinking about the picture problem we had with the club. Whoever the fucker was had taken a shit-ton of photos and was slowly releasing them on the website. Club Envy wasn’t the only club on there. Hampton was working with tech specialists to track down a contact to get the site taken down. Finding Roach was the first step in all this. In addition, Hampton was trying to find the owners of the other clubs posted in the pics on the site. The asshole who took them was good and didn’t leave many identifiable features in the pictures.
Looking at the clock, only five minutes had passed. I worked on getting my mind ready for tonight. It was going to be an uphill battle.
Ainsley is worth the fight.
I was in my office that connected the bar side to the sex club side that I never used. I had the camera feeds pulled up, and I was watching every person who walked through that front door. Nora had said she would come in through the front entrance. Jethro had been told to text me the minute he saw Nora. I wanted my bases covered. It was approaching eight thirty, and they should have been here.
What is taking them so long?
My phone beeped with two text messages.
Jethro: I see Nora getting out of her car.
Nora: You owe me big time. I had to lie to get her in here for a few minutes while I supposedly get my paycheck. She’s fighting me because she thinks you’re here. Don’t forget what I said. I’m not afraid to crunch your nuts if you hurt her. Are you picking up what I’m putting down?
I texted Nora back.
Me: Yes. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.
Nora: You better.
I rubbed my hands down my pants and watched the screen intently. It was almost go time. Nora appeared in the view of the camera, and Ainsley followed. She was gorgeous in her fitted dress. I had saved them a table near the dance floor. Snake was guarding it to keep it from getting used. Jethro let them pass, and Ainsley was look
ing everywhere around the bar.
Hell, I hope she’s looking for me. A spark ignited within me when disappointment crossed her face at not finding what she was looking for.
Nora said something, and Ainsley laughed. The plan was to talk Ainsley into sitting and listening to a couple of songs from the band before they left for their girl’s night out.
They made it to the table, and they spoke to Snake, who rolled his eyes. Then, he headed to the bar. Nora was probably giving him shit, and Snake knew to do whatever it took to get them to stay. It was almost time for me to make my way out there as The Thrillhammers finished their current song, “On Fire” from their Long Story Short album.
I left my office and started heading to the bar. When I entered, some cocksucker was already talking to Ainsley. She smiled politely at him and shook her head.
I took a few deep breaths as I started walking toward her. This was not the time to lose my cool with her. Confrontation made her nervous. When I was about three feet away, her eyes made contact with mine. Lust burned beneath the fire in her pale blue eyes. She still wanted me, which was a good thing. That would make convincing her to give me another chance a lot easier. The guy was continuing to talk to her, but she paid him no attention.
Stupid fucker needs to leave now.
Snake set the drinks down on the table. Nora picked hers up and gave me a smirk before looking at the guy who was trying to take my girl.
That’s right. I’m about to claim her publicly as mine.
I knew I’d look like a contradictory asshole, but sometimes, it took losing what I had to put everything in perspective. I kept reminding myself to stay calm, but I couldn’t help that Ainsley brought a protective beast out of me, and I protected what was mine.
I made it to the table and spoke in the tone I used in the bedroom, “Dance with me.”
Ainsley took her drink and gave it a small sip. She didn’t answer as she glanced back and forth between me and the other guy. I guessed she was seeing if I would lose my cool again, but I wouldn’t.
