Calling the Shots (14 page)

Beth gulped down the rest of the wine, needing the extra courage. “I’ve been beside both of you for a long time now. I’ve been killing myself trying to work out what I feel for you. And every time I try to get close, one or the other pushes me away. I’m sick of it.”

Neither man moved. The insane feeling of déjà vu washed over her, as though in one fell swoop she was replaying every bad relationship she’d ever had. Resigned to the idea of making a final stand, Beth moved closer to Josh. She could hear his heart beating and feel the shallow pants of his hot breath across her face. Curling her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, she tugged him closer still.

“Talk to me,” she whispered.

His lips tightened as he sucked in a breath. He clenched his jaw and, for half a second, Beth thought he might actually give her what she wanted, no matter how painful. Instead, Josh shook his head and covered her hand with his.

“Hon, I know you want to help. You are helping, by taking over the day-to-day shit so I can focus on catching this jackass. Greg’s story is going to bring the issue to the forefront and make people take notice. It should be enough to scare off whoever is doing this. Or pull him out into the open. If that happens, it might get messy.”

Dammit, why couldn’t things ever be easy? “You’re cutting us out. Why?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Why?”

Josh growled and moved away, back toward the bar. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Too bad, boss-man.” Oliver sat up. “I don’t think she’s going to stop until she knows.”

Beth didn’t move, didn’t look away or give any sign of weakness. For once in her life she wasn’t going to be the one to screw up the relationship. If Josh wasn’t willing to give her total honesty, then there was no point in going beyond where things were. She’d walk away, and eventually she’d get over him.

Downing the rest of his drink, Josh closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t you both see, just by involving you I’m putting you at risk. This nut job doesn’t give a shit about who you are, or how nice you’ve been to help me. He sees you as a perverted freak of nature who’s taking up the air that should be used by normal people. He’ll try and hurt you!”

Beth’s blood ran cold. Those weren’t the words of a man who was concerned for his friends and lovers. They were too smoothly said to be anything other than long-heard slurs. He talked to his dad weekly, which left only one other option.

“Your mom?” She cleared her throat against the sudden tightness. “Did she say those things to you?”

He cut the air with his hand. “Drop it, Beth.”

“Did she say that to you after she found out that you were bi? I can only imagine how she would react, given what little you’ve said about her.”

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

“I think you need to.” Ignoring Oliver’s protests behind her, Beth advanced on Josh until his back was against the wall. “You’ve been running from those words your whole life, haven’t you? You built this club as a way of getting back at her. A way to rub her nose in the fact that you don’t discriminate with your love. You want to be with men and women, then fine. To hell with your mom, she sounds like a bitch anyway.”

Josh’s hair had fallen forward to cover his face, obscuring his eyes. Not that he was staring at her. “She called me a whore.”

“What?” Beth felt nauseated. “She called you
what?
”

“It was her favorite word for me for months. The only way I could get her to stop was to stop talking to her.”

“Shit, Josh.” Oliver ran his hand along the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, man.”

“Don’t be. Dad divorced her ass years ago. I don’t even know where she is.”

When the thought came to mind, Beth wanted nothing more than to forget it as quickly as she could. The chances that Josh’s mom would be involved in something like this seemed not only unlikely, but more than a little far-fetched. “Josh, you don’t think she would—”

“No!”

She flinched but held her ground. Let him be pissed. “It might not be her doing the actual damage. Maybe someone she knows someone who would do the act for her?”

Josh pushed away from the wall, forcing Beth to step back. “My mother has nothing to do with this. Believe it or not, there are more sick fuckers out there than my mother.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“It’s not her style to do anything anonymously.” He sneered and, for the first time since Beth had met him, every one of his jagged edges were visible. He was hard, mean, like someone she didn’t want to be near. “She’s more of an in-your-face kind of woman. She’s pushy and doesn’t know when to back down, Beth. Remind you of anyone?”

For a moment, Beth couldn’t hear anything. It was as if Josh’s hate-filled words had sucked every ounce of life from her body, leaving a void behind. She barely registered Oliver’s hand on her shoulder or the tears on her face. All she knew was she had to get out.

Now.

“Beth.”

Now.

“Beth! I’m sorry.”

She ran.

Chapter Sixteen

Oliver stood stunned, staring, after Beth fled. She’d always been a strong-willed woman and wouldn’t back down from a fight when she thought she was right. In this particular instance, Oliver was siding with her.

“Why the hell did you say that?” He tried to relax his balled-up hands. It wouldn’t take much of a prod for him to take his frustrations out on Josh. “She might have been pushy, but she’s never been anything but a friend to you. More than a friend, if you’d give her a chance.”

Josh scratched his fingers through his hair and groaned. “Don’t start.”

“What do you mean
don’t start?
You’re the one who’s been acting like an ass.”

“I told her I didn’t want to talk about it. That hasn’t changed.”

Malice bubbled inside him, making it increasingly difficult to have a rational conversation. Josh wasn’t the only one with an unpleasant past. It certainly didn’t give him the right to decimate whatever it was between the three of them.

“Listen, I’m going to try and find her. I’m sure she’s marching down to the bus stop. You need to figure out what’s going on in your head and fix it. Beth isn’t who you’re really mad at. Neither am I.”

Leaving at a far saner pace, Oliver strode from the pleasure room, regretting the turn of events. It would have been brilliant to have lost himself once more in a glorious round of sex with the two of them. When they were together, he was able to stop thinking, stop hurting. He was slowly learning to enjoy the touch of another person, knowing there wasn’t anything expected beyond mutual pleasure.

Mallory had taken him for the universe’s biggest ride, stripping him of nearly everything that had made him who he was. He hadn’t even been able to go back to his massage therapy job, too embarrassed to face the coworkers and clients who’d shot him piteous looks.

Oliver pulled the door to the club open, holding it there in surprise as he nearly ran into a woman standing there. For the second time that hour, he was shocked so deeply he could barely form a thought.

“Mallory?” His voice caught as he squeezed the door. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Shit, she was still beautiful. Her wide hazel eyes still drew him. It was as if the past year of loneliness vanished, and the year before that hadn’t happened.

She studied him, taking stock of every detail. No doubt she was mentally discounting his physical appearance, his clothing, the fact he was in need of a haircut and shave. She’d claimed once that despite his financial security and old school family ties, he’d let himself drop far below her on the social scale.

There’d been a time when they were in love. Oliver didn’t think she’d been faking the happiness. But something along the way changed, most likely when she met David. And while she hadn’t married Oliver for his money, in the end that was what she’d left with.

“I am here because you won’t answer my calls or the emails from my lawyer.” She shoved a sheaf of papers into his free hand. “These are the divorce papers. I would like you to sign them. Now, please.”

His normal response of
no
sat on the tip of his tongue. It was the one thing he could still hold over her, to make her miserable, to keep her from marrying another poor fool and taking his money along with his self-confidence.

Instead, he caught her gaze and cocked his head. “Why?”

“What do you mean
why?
I told you a year ago that we weren’t working. I’m in love with David, and I want to be free to be with him.”

“So you can rob him blind too? Were you not able to take another trip to Germany, Australia, or wherever the hell it was you wanted to go next?”

Her bright red lipstick shone out like a stoplight, too bright against her pale face. She’d cut her auburn hair into something semi-respectable, giving her the appearance of a businesswoman rather than professional leech. It made him sad that she’d changed from the sweet girl he’d fallen in love with into this woman he barely recognized.

Beth wasn’t like this. Hell, Josh wasn’t either, despite his recent pigheaded behavior. Suddenly Oliver realized he had better things to do than spend another minute beating himself up about Mallory. That he was still tied to this poisonous woman was no one’s fault but his own. Squeezing the papers in his hand, Oliver snapped around and marched back into the bar.

“That’s a low blow, Ollie.” The click of her heals followed him. “What the hell is this place?”

He slapped the papers down on the bar and went in search of a pen.

“You work here?”

“I’m a bartender.” Where the hell was the goddamned pen?

“Bartender?” She made a noise that could have been a laugh. “Why aren’t you giving massages? I thought you loved that?”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Oliver moved to the storeroom and rummaged through the boxes. After having spent the better part of a year thinking he was avoiding everything to do with her, he knew now that he’d been the one hanging on. Keeping her in his life, however distantly. But all he wanted now was for her to go the hell away.

He was going to buy a carton of pens and leave them here forever.

“Do you have a pen?” he called out as he emerged from the room.

Mallory was standing in the middle of the room staring at Josh. It was weird seeing him next to Mallory. She was posh and polish, too made-up to be mistaken for anything other than a high-class woman. Josh was leather and cotton, rough with an edge to him. Oliver had never wanted these two parts of his life to collide in any fashion.

Josh faced him, his gaze locked and eyes narrowed, and held out a pen.

Snatching it away, he tried to avoid Josh’s gaze. Nerves made his legs tingle and his hands shake. “Thanks.”

The words of the documents were blurred. Blinking, Oliver took a few calming breaths and forced himself to focus. Fuck it, he should just sign it and be done. As he flipped to the last page, a hand on his stopped him from doing just that. Josh hadn’t made a sound as he came up beside him, a testament to how much he was freaking out.

“Have you even read that?”

“Yes. Two months ago.” Oliver took a breath and began to sign and initial.

Josh didn’t move as Oliver finalized the end of his marriage. It was as though a weight had suddenly gone. Ordering the papers, he slid them back into the envelope and held them out for Mallory.

“Have a good life.”

She stared at him for a moment before snatching the envelope from him. “Thank you.”

Oliver waited, but she didn’t move right away. “Yes?”

“It’s just…” She shrugged. “This was the right thing?”

Surprisingly, any malice he’d been feeling was slipping away faster than water down a drain. Mallory no longer had power over him. He could take control over his life and move on, find happiness.

“This was the right thing. I hope your life with David works out for the best.”

She nodded, an awkward smile twisting her lips. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. What I did to you was wrong.”

“Goodbye, Mallory.”

Mallory nodded, her gaze shifting to Josh for a second before she turned and walked out of his life forever.

Oliver didn’t have a chance to move before the iron band of Josh’s grip encircled his wrist. Oliver was scared his hand would break if he tried to move. “Josh, let me go.”

“You were still
married.
”

Oliver instantly stilled. “Separated. There was no going back for us.”

“Still…married.”

“She lost the right to call me her husband a year and a half ago when she had her affair.”

“Look at me.”

Oliver kept his gaze down, ignoring the increased pressure on his hand.

Josh sighed and finally let him go. “Why hadn’t you signed before now?”

Anger stronger than he’d ever experienced before rolled through him. Without thinking he turned and shoved Josh as hard as he could. “It’s none of your business.”

Josh shoved back, sending him slamming into the bar. “It is my business since I started fucking you.
Why?
”

“She cheated on me. Happy? She stopped loving me, found another man while we were on vacation and then took my money. Me not signing was my way of sticking it to her.” Oliver kicked the bar hard enough to send a jolt of pain up his leg and into his hip. Josh tried to reach for him again, but this time Oliver shook him off. “No! Don’t.”

“Would you have signed the papers if she hadn’t showed up? If I wasn’t here?”

Oliver opened his mouth to snap off an answer, but stopped. Would he? Or would he have dragged it out as long as possible, making Mallory suffer for the pain she’d caused him?

He was selfish enough to have played that game.

Josh growled as he spun around and marched up the stairs. “You fucked around on your wife when you had no intention of divorcing her. How the hell do you expect me to trust you now?”

As quickly as his anger and fear had emerged, with one simple statement it was gone.

Everything was gone.

Oliver grabbed his jacket and left.

* * *

Josh sat behind his desk and stared out into nothing. He didn’t need the clock to know he’d been here for far too long, wallowing. His mind continued to spin over the events of the past few hours. The mess still to be cleaned up from the attack, Oliver’s revelation, the sting of Beth’s words all doing little to help ease the unease that had come to take over his life.

He was alone. The club was quiet, though it lacked the strange comfort it normally held in times like these. The ventilation system kicked in, and the soft hum of recirculated air buzzed around him. How great and magnificent things were. He’d become everything he’d set out to be—a successful and well-respected business owner, a good boss and a better friend.

And absolutely alone.

His phone beeped, indicating yet another text message from his dad. Josh glanced at the display but couldn’t be bothered to see what the old man wanted. It was undoubtedly words meant to inspire or kick him in the ass, neither of which he was interested in at the moment.

Beth and Oliver were gone. Maybe not for good, neither had quit or said they didn’t want to see him again, but they were gone. He’d seen it a dozen times before. A fissure in a relationship that slowly spread over time until the gap was too insurmountable to cross. He’d accomplished part of what he’d set out to do, keeping himself at a distance from them, not getting too heavily involved. It wasn’t hard to imagine the two of them having a good bitch session about him, crying and laughing about how much of an idiot Josh was, and what the hell had they seen in him anyway? They’d kiss, maybe even make love on Beth’s couch until they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

They’d bond over their broken hearts and end up together.

Perfect.

Josh tucked his hair behind his ear. Its length had been irritating him more and more, tickling his jaw and making his skin crawl. He should shave it off, or at least trim it down to a more respectable length. God, his dad would probably have a heart attack if he saw him like that, almost like a grown-up.

The office line rang, the harsh tone making him jump. He didn’t recognize the number from the caller ID but snatched up the receiver anyway. God help them if it was a telemarketer.

“Yes?”

“Mr. Scott? This is Robert Kingston.”

Josh closed his eyes. “Yes, Mr. Kingston. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to reach out to you about Allison.”

No, he most definitely wasn’t in the mood for this bullshit.

“Mr. Kingston, I thought we’d discussed this when you’d stopped by. I have no plans to press charges against her. Her membership will remain revoked and no, I won’t change my mind.”

“I understand that, and I am grateful you have no intention of pursuing this matter. I wanted to discuss with you the other matter I brought up.”

Josh should have said something to Beth when Kingston had approached him before. But he had a hard time believing the man was actually serious. A swirl of cool air rolled over him, making goose bumps rise beneath his shirt.

“While I appreciate your concern for your client, I don’t think it’s necessary or important for you to come in and inspect the club. You’re not a member or even in the lifestyle. I doubt you would appreciate why my members would want to engage in certain activities. And quite frankly, some of your comments the last time you were here bordered on the offensive.”

There was a pause as Kingston cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about my behavior.”

The length of the silence on the other end almost had Josh convinced Kingston would drop the matter. He didn’t want an outsider in his club, even if it meant this business with Allison would go away faster than normal. This was
his
private domain.

“Believe it or not, this doesn’t have anything to do with my client.”

Shit.
Josh opened his eyes as a feeling of wary anticipation bled through him.

There was some hesitation in Kingston’s voice, a note of cautious curiosity Josh recognized from other calls. Kingston wanted to know more about the club, the lifestyle, but hadn’t a clue how to go about asking. Normally Josh would love talking to a potential member, try to work out what their interests were. But something about Kingston had rubbed him wrong from the onset, and Josh tried to listen to his inner voice whenever possible.

“If meeting at your club isn’t possible, is there somewhere else we could talk? Restaurant or a coffee shop? I’d be willing to come to you.”

Josh closed his eyes and fought off a sigh. Repairing the club after the vandalism was an added, unplanned expense, and he didn’t think he could afford to alienate a potential member right now. “Do you know where Pulled Long is?”

“It’s down the street from your club, yes?”

“I have a few hours available.” Oliver gone. Beth gone. “I would be more than happy to meet with you to answer your questions.”

“Thank you. I’ll be there in twenty.”

Josh didn’t immediately hang up the phone, letting the soft buzz of the disconnected line settle over his brain. He should be excited, or at least pleased, that Kingston’s request had nothing to do with Allison. It could mean a new member for the club, widening the circle of people willing to come to Mavericks, and Josh knew he should be focused on that. Instead, he couldn’t stop his mind from cycling around to images of Beth the first day she’d come to the club in search of a job, her eyes widening from the whirlwind of activity all around her on the main floor. Or Oliver, and how Josh had been fascinated with the flex of muscles of his forearms the first time he worked behind the bar.