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  “Why? I think it’s a wonderful idea.”

  “Of course you do. But sex with us is a band-aid, Asher.”

  “What are you talking about?” He stood there shaking his head.

  “You yell, kick me out, tell me you never want to see me again. Then you apologize and we have sex.”

  “And?” He lifted his arms up.

  “The sex we have after you do all those things to me is great and it feels good at the moment. But it covers up the real issues at hand. Like a band-aid covers a wound. You eventually take the band-aid off and let the wound heal on its own. Make sense?”

  32

  Asher

  I knew exactly what she was saying, and I didn’t like it.

  “Yeah, Everly. It does.”

  “Good.” She grinned as she placed her hand on my chest. “I’m just going to change into my pajamas, make a bowl of popcorn and watch The Bachelorette. You can join me if you’d like.”

  Was she serious?

  “Sounds like fun.” I managed a fake smile.

  “Great. I’ll see you downstairs.”

  The moment she walked out of the room, I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. I couldn’t believe she was making me stay in the guestroom. All that talk about sex being like a band-aid. I had no choice, and I knew it. I screwed up and now I had to suffer the consequences. The consequences of no sex with the woman I loved. Could I do it? I had no choice. I just prayed that it wouldn’t last too long. I took off my shoes and socks and changed into a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. When I walked out of the bedroom, she came from hers dressed in a two-piece short pajama set and her hair up in a messy bun. Damn her.

  We sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn between us and she turned on some show called The Bachelorette. I’d never heard of it and when I started watching it, I couldn’t believe what the hell I was seeing.

  “Are you kidding me? Why did she give him a rose? Can’t she see the guy is a total douchebag?” I threw my hands up. “He’s totally playing her.”

  “Right?” Everly said as she popped a piece of popcorn in her mouth. “But don’t worry. He won’t be around too much longer.”

  I glanced over at her and cocked my head.

  “You know the outcome, don’t you?”

  She shrugged as a beautiful smile graced her lips.

  “How can you watch this stuff if you already know what’s going to happen?”

  “For the drama.” She grinned.

  I chuckled as I threw a piece of popcorn at her and she threw one back at me. When the show was over, I helped her clean up and then we went upstairs.

  “Thanks for tonight,” I said as I pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I had fun.”

  “You’re welcome. Good night, Asher.”

  “Good night, Everly.” I sighed.

  Everly

  After I brushed my teeth, I walked to my bedroom and saw Asher’s father sitting in the chair by the window.

  “You’re making him suffer, you know. But I understand why, and I admire you for that.”

  “What are you doing here? I thought you were gone.”

  “I will be soon. I just need to make sure my son is okay.”

  “He’s fine, and I really need you to stay out of my bedroom.”

  “Okay. Okay. I’m going. Be good to him, Everly. He’s been waiting a long time for someone like you.”

  I gave him a small smile and he was gone.

  The next morning, I awoke to the smell of something burning. Climbing out of bed, I slipped my feet into my slippers and went downstairs.

  “What is that smell?” I asked Asher when I walked into the kitchen.

  “That would be eggs and burnt toast. I opened the windows to air the place out. I was attempting to cook you breakfast, and I failed.” He held up his cup of coffee.

  “It was a nice gesture.” I smiled. “You better get your stuff together.”

  “Why?” He frowned at me.

  “You need to go to Key West,” I spoke as I brewed a cup of coffee.

  “Why do I need to do that?”

  Suddenly, his phone rang, and as I stood there waiting for my coffee, I listened to the irritation in his voice.

  “No. It’s okay, Levi. I’ll go. Looks like I’m going to Key West.” He sighed.

  “I know.” I gave him a smile as I turned around with the coffee cup in my hand as his muscular chest and chiseled abs stared me in the face.

  “I want you to come with me.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.

  “Asher, I —”

  “Yes. You can. I just got here, and I don’t want to leave you. Come with me, Everly. It’ll be fun. After I settle everything with the property, we can tour Key West, go to the beach, eat amazing food and have some fun.” He winked. “Separate hotel rooms, of course. I promise. I did a lot of thinking last night when I went to bed, and I knew what you were talking about when you said that sex is a band-aid. The truth is, we really don’t know each other very well. Like, I don’t know your favorite color, your favorite food, what kind of music you like to listen to, what hobbies you like to do. I want to know all those things about you. What I do know is that you’re kind, caring, selfless and incredibly beautiful. That’s why I’m falling in love with you.” He reached up and softly stroked my cheek.”

  “Asher.” I slowly closed my eyes for a moment.

  “I know I told you that I didn’t feel anything for you when you told me you loved me. I lied, Everly. I lied because I was scared. I couldn’t allow myself to feel anything for anyone. But after talking to Brianna, I realized how pathetic and stupid I was being.”

  “You’re not saying all this just to get me to have sex with you, are you?”

  He let out a chuckle.

  “No. I’m telling you because you deserve to know how I really feel, and I want you to know. Please say you’ll come to Key West with me. The private jet will be here in about an hour.”

  “Then I guess I better start packing.” I grinned as I reached up and kissed his cheek.

  “Thank you. I’ll call my secretary and have her book us two rooms at a 5-star hotel.”

  I took my coffee and went up to my room. It made me happy he asked me to go with him. But the fears inside me were still there. Could we ever have a normal relationship? I was far from normal, so I had my doubts.

  33

  Everly

  We took a limo to the airport and boarded the Boeing 747-8 private jet that was waiting in the hanger. I’d never been on one and was blown away at the luxury of it all. The entire plane was done in beige and wood with two couches, a desk, a couple of chairs, an elongated table that sat ten people, a large screen TV that hung on the wall, a fancy bathroom and a bedroom with a king size bed, a couple of nightstands, a dresser and a TV.

  “Wow. This is fancy, Mr. Remington.”

  “It’s nice, isn’t it?” He smiled.

  “Nice is too mild of a word,” I spoke as I took a seat in one of the comfy oversized chairs next to the window. Asher took the seat across from me.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Remington. Can I get the two of you something to drink? A mimosa perhaps?” The flight attendant asked.

  “I’ll have a bourbon,” he spoke. “Everly?”

  “A mimosa sounds great. Thank you.”

  “I’m happy you decided to join me,” Asher spoke.

  “How long are we staying? Because honestly, I didn’t bring that much.”

  “Then we’ll have to go shopping.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.

  “You know I have clients I still have to take care of.”

  “I know. And that’s the beauty of your job. You can work from anywhere,” he said.

  The flight attendant brought our drinks as the pilot came on and told us to fasten our seatbelts. In a matter of a few moments, we were up in the air and it was the smoothest take off I’d ever experienced.

  “You never talk about your mom,” I said as I sipped my drink.<
br />
  “It’s hard sometimes. She was an amazing woman and God took her from us way too soon. She had uterine cancer and it wasn’t caught in time. Even though we had servants and chefs, she always made me my favorite meatloaf dinner. As far as I was concerned it was better than what any chef could make.”

  “That’s because it was made with love.” I smiled.

  “After Brianna and I broke up, I was in a dark place for a while. She helped me through it the best she could. She was always there for me, no matter how busy she was with her charities. Every year I put on a company fundraiser for uterine cancer in her honor. In fact, there’s one coming up in a couple of months. I would love for you to be my date.”

  “I’d like that.” The corners of my mouth curved upward, and I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks.

  “Did she know what my father had done?” he asked.

  “No. She didn’t know.”

  “Good. I’m happy to hear that. Forgive me for asking this, but do you see your mother at all?”

  I looked down as I ran my finger around the rim of the glass.

  “No. Not even at her funeral.”

  “You can see the deceased at their funerals?” His brow arched.

  “Yeah. They like to hang around to see what kind of turnout they got.” I smirked. “One time when I was dating this guy, his grandmother passed away and I went to the funeral home. When I was on my way to the room, I passed the one next to his grandmother’s and when I peeked inside, I saw this very pristine woman ranting and raving. She saw me looking at her and she ran over to me and asked if I could see her. When I told her yes, she went on and on about her funeral. How the casket was hideous and how dare her husband wear the suit he did. And how she couldn’t believe that this person showed up and how dare she after the words they exchanged. Then she went on and on about the jewelry she was being buried in and how her hair was all wrong.”

  “Damn. If she’s like that in death, she was probably worse while she was living.”

  I let out a laugh. “Right? She was killed by a drunk driver on a rainy night. I told her she just needed to be at peace and move on. She wouldn’t, until I gave her husband a message. A message that made me very uncomfortable.”

  “What was the message?” he asked.

  “She wanted me to tell him that she knew all about his wretched affair with his slutty twenty-five-year-old secretary and she’ll see to it he rots in Hell when it’s his time.”

  “Oh boy.” He chuckled. “Did you tell him?”

  “I had no choice. She wouldn’t leave me alone and followed me into the other viewing room.”

  “What did her husband say?”

  “You really want to know what he said?”

  “Yes.” He laughed.

  “I told him about her being there and the things she said, and he said since I had the pleasure of talking to her, did I now understand why he was having the affair.”

  “Oh my God.” He continued to laugh.

  “Needless to say, the guy I was seeing told me he never wanted to see me again after that.”

  “How long were you two dating?”

  “Two weeks.” I laughed. “I told you, Mr. Remington. Things just don’t work out for me in the relationship department.”

  “There’s one thing you can be certain of,” he said.

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m nothing like the douchebags you’ve dated.” He gave me a wink as he finished his bourbon.

  “Is that what we’re doing now? Dating?”

  “I would like to think we are.” A smirk crossed his lips.

  “And what about when you go back to New York and I go back to Rhode Island?”

  “We’ll discuss that when the times comes.”

  The limo pulled into the Pier House Resort & Spa and I was in awe of the beauty of it. Climbing out of the car, we headed into the lobby as our bags were being collected.

  “Welcome to the Pier House Resort & Spa. How can I help you?” the nice man behind the counter asked.

  “We’re checking in. The name is Remington.”

  “Yes. Of course, Mr. Remington. Welcome. I’ll just need to see your I.D. and I’ll get you all checked in,” he spoke as he typed away on his keyboard. “You’re all set. Here are two keys to the Presidential Suite. If you need anything at all, just give us a call.”

  “Thank you.”

  “The Presidential Suite?” I arched my brow at him. “I thought we were getting separate rooms.”

  “Don’t worry. It has two bedrooms.” He sighed.

  When we reached the room, the first thing I did was run over to the large sliding door and stare out at the beautiful ocean view.

  “Look at this view, Asher.”

  After tipping the gentleman who brought up our bags, he walked over and stood next to me with his hands tucked into his pants pockets.

  “It’s beautiful. Just like you.” He glanced over at me and gave me a wink.

  “Stop it.” I blushed. “Which bedroom is mine?”

  “Whichever one you want. Take your pick.”

  The suite was stunning with its palette of muted grays and earthy browns. The first thing Asher did was check out the bar that sat against the wall. Sitting in the center of the large dining table was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of chilled champagne with a welcome note.

  “Wow. They really do it up here,” I said as I read the card.

  “They should for what this room costs. I have to take this call,” he said as he walked into the bedroom with his ringing phone.

  I looked around the place and then stepped outside the sliding door to our own private balcony that housed two lounge chairs and a small round table with matching chairs.

  “That was Jack Klein. He wants us to meet him and his wife for dinner tonight.”

  “And who is Jack Klein?”

  “The man who owns the property where I want to build a large outdoor shopping mall. He’s been fighting us for a couple years. So I’m not really sure why all of a sudden, he changed his mind. Did you bring a fancy dress?”

  “No. I didn’t know I needed one.”

  He walked over to where I stood and placed his hands on my hips.

  “There’s a shop downstairs. I saw it when we walked in. Go down and buy yourself something. Just charge it the room.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I’m very sure.” He smiled as he gently kissed my forehead. “I’m going to do some work while you’re gone and then we’ll have to get ready for dinner.”

  I went down to the shop and in the window, I spotted a black sleeveless midi dress with an asymmetrical side slit. It was perfect and I prayed they had my size.

  “Can I help you?” A nice woman asked.

  “Do you have this dress in a size four?”

  “Let me check in the back.” She smiled.

  A few moments later, she walked out with the dress in her hand.

  “Here you go. Would you like to try it on?”

  “Yes. Please.”

  It was a perfect fit. The problem was I didn’t bring any heels with me.

  “What do you think of the dress?” she asked.

  “It’s perfect. You don’t by any chance sell shoes, do you?”

  “No. I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll figure something out.”

  “Is this going to be charged to your room?” she asked.

  “Yes. I’m in the Presidential Suite.”

  “Oh. Mrs. Remington, I presume?”

  “Ah, yeah. Sure.” I smiled.

  “Wait just a moment.” She picked up the phone and I overheard her conversation. “Mrs. Remington needs some black heeled shoes. Just get a few styles and bring them up to the Presidential Suite. Mrs. Remington, what size are you?”

  “Seven and a half.”

  “She’s a seven and a half. Thank you.”

  “You’re all set. Someone will be bringing some shoes for you to
try on in about forty-five minutes.”

  “Really?” I smiled.

  “Really.” She grinned as she handed me the dress.

  When I walked into the suite, I saw Asher sitting at the table on his laptop.

  “Did you find something?”

  “I did and guess what?”

  “What?”

  “They’re bringing me shoes to try on.”

  “From downstairs?”

  “I don’t think so. The saleswoman said they didn’t sell shoes. But when she found out I was staying in the Presidential Suite, she made a call.”

  “Welcome to one of the perks of having loads money, Miss King.” He smirked.

  34

  Asher

  I had just showered and changed into one of my suits when I heard talking from the living area. Walking out, I saw Everly in her new dress trying on different pairs of black heels.

  “What do you think of these?”

  I nearly lost my breath when she turned around and I saw her in her black dress with the black heels on.

  “They’re perfect.” I smiled.

  “I’ll take them.” She told the woman who brought up the shoes.

  “Excellent, Mrs. Remington. We’ll just charge them to your room.”

  The moment she left, I walked over to Everly and gripped her hips.

  “Mrs. Remington?” I arched my brow at her.

  “They just assumed, so I played along.”

  “If you’re going to pretend to be Mrs. Remington, then we should be having sex.”

  “No.” She grinned as she tapped the end on my nose and walked away.

  I sighed as I stood there trying to tame my rising cock.

  “You look stunning, Everly,” I said as I walked into her bedroom.

  “Thanks, Asher. You look very handsome yourself.”

  “Are you ready to go? The car is waiting for us downstairs.”

  As she hooked her arm around mine, I fell more in love with her. We were in this tropical paradise and I couldn’t wait to put my business behind me and focus solely on her for the duration of the time we were here. When we arrived at the restaurant, the hostess took us over to our table where Jack and Margot were already seated.