H unter

I t was Friday, exactly a week after Patrick had given me that ultimatum. I didn’t want to meet at that dirty old diner. It was beneath me and made me feel as if I was truly doing something wrong. Instead, I texted Patrick that morning and told him to meet me at the Lovehouse for brunch, a familiar place to me and somewhere he hadn’t felt comfortable since I had kicked him from the company. If he was going to do this, blackmail me like this, he was going to be as uncomfortable as I could possibly make him in the process. As I waited, I ordered a cup of coffee and a Bloody Mary to calm my nerves. I knew exactly what I had to do, no questions asked. I loved Lexi, and I was going to do everything I could to see that she was happy and taken care of, even in the darkest moments like this .

I looked up as Patrick walked through the door, and I waved him over to the table. He looked around cautiously, unsure of who might be at the other tables. Fortunately for him, anyone who was important was busy at work on a Friday morning, not sitting around the Lovehouse and dealing with scum like him. He sat down at the table, ordered a coffee from the waitress, and then looked up at me, trying to keep his confidence intact. I could tell he was nervous, that my demeanor was not what he had expected. I wasn’t sure what his expectations had truly been, but I would be damned if I walked in here with my tail between my legs .

“Have you made your decision?” he asked .

“Patrick,” I began, pushing my fork around its setting, “you are an interesting fellow. When you worked with me at the company, you had zero drive. You took money from the company without doing anything to earn it. Those were the reasons you were fired .”

“Did you bring me here for a history lesson?” he asked .

“Shut up,” I said firmly. “You took vacations on my dime. You took advantage of the services our company provides. You became a liability to the safety of our clients. Lazy is one thing, but dangerous is not something I can put up with. Why am I telling you this now ?”

“I have no idea,” he said, leaning back in his chair .

“Because I would sooner close the company than give you any seat at the table,” I said, leaning forward. “I will not be taking your offer. It is beneath me. I will, however, make sure that you get nothing, not even two seconds of fame from your blackmail. I have already talked to the media, and they are holding the story until tomorrow at noon. They all know what you have done, so don’t even bother calling them. As far as Kam is concerned, I have a meeting with him right after this little joyous one, during which I will tell him everything. As far as you contacting him, I would suggest you don’t unless you want an earful .”

“Now hold on just a second,” he said, putting his hands on the table. “You think you’ve won, but — ”

“Give it a rest,” I said, shaking my head. “I did win in the sense that I get to handle my personal business in the manner in which I deem fit. I lost in that you have forced my hand to reveal a secret before we were ready. You see, you didn’t hurt me here. My image will recover. What you have done is hurt an innocent woman who will now have to face the ridicule of her father and the media all at once. This girl is way too important to be dealing with someone as small and insignificant as you, Patrick. You see, when you were kicked out of the company, you were kicked out of the club, too .”

“You are a bastard,” he said angrily .

“Right then, this conversation is over,” I said, standing up. “Have a good brunch. Oh, and if you ever get that close to my girlfriend again, I promise you that you will feel a lot more than a little bit of embarrassment .”

I patted him on the shoulder and marched out of the restaurant, straight to the car waiting for me out front. I didn’t want to waste any time getting to Kam. Otherwise, I might lose my nerve, and I hadn’t been lying when I’d told Patrick I had contacted the media. I rode straight to the Avalon and went up to Kam’s door, on which I knocked loudly. He came to the door, a look of confusion blooming on his face after seeing my expression .

“Hunter, come in,” he said. “Can I get you anything ?”

“Just your attention,” I said. “I have something to tell you, and I want to get it out before I lose the nerve .”

“All right,” he said, chuckling. “Hit me with it .”

“I’ve been dating Lexi for several weeks,” I said, standing back and waiting for a reaction .

I watched as Kam’s humor slowly melted away and an angry expression took hold. He set his glass down on the table inside the door and clenched his fists. I could see the words I spoke rolling around in his head over and over again. He started to walk toward me, and I backed up, keeping my distance from him .

“Are you kidding me?” He clenched his jaw. “Of all the women in the world, you picked my little girl? What the fuck is wrong with you? And the entire time, right under my nose !”

“Kam, please calm down,” I said, putting up my hands. “You need to hear the whole story .”

“I think I’d rather not,” he screamed, charging toward me .

He reared his fist back and drove it at my head. I ducked and moved out of the way. He fell into a wooden table and knocked a vase onto the floor. He turned, red-faced, and marched at me again. He lunged at me but wasn’t fast enough .

“Kam,” I screamed, “I love her .”

“You have got to be kidding me,” he growled, his fists unfurling. “You wouldn’t know love if it bit you in the ass .”

“That’s what I used to think,” I said, “but I fell in love with Lexi. It wasn’t planned, Kam. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was hurt you .”

“Then you should have kept your dick in your pants,” he yelled .

“It’s not like that, Kam,” I pleaded. “We tried to break things off to keep from hurting you, but we just couldn’t. We had several conversations about it, and I even took control and tried to break it off even though I didn’t want to, but Lexi was right. We love each other, and it’s too important to give up on. I want to be with her .”

“This is bullshit,” he said .

“It’s anything but,” I said with a sigh. “I’m dead serious about this, Kam. I am in love with Lexi and can’t be away from her for more than a day. Everything in me wants to take care of her, to treat her with the respect she deserves as a woman and as my partner. She is so smart and so driven, and I want to be there to help her reach whatever goals she has. She deserves to meet her dreams head on, and I want to help her do that. We have talked about our futures, what we want in life, and we match up so perfectly that it’s almost unreal. She is the most beautiful creature I have ever laid my eyes on, and the fact that we have become best friends makes it all the more real. I knew I needed to come to you and tell you in person. You deserve that, if not more .”

“You stay away from my daughter, you disgusting piece of trash,” he screamed .

I watched helplessly as he grabbed his jacket and shoes and stormed out of the room. He hopped into the service elevator and shut the door before I could get to him. I turned and pressed the button frantically, waiting for the other elevator to reach me. I needed to get downstairs. I knew he was going after Lexi, and I couldn’t let her go through that alone. She was the love of my life, and she needed to know that before her father ripped it all away from us. Lexi was at work, and there was sure to be a large number of people in the lobby just getting home from work. Kam was an emotional man, and he would not hold back. He would broadcast my and Lexi’s business to the whole world .

This was the moment of truth, the moment Lexi would really know whether all of this was worth it or not. This was the moment Lexi would decide if she truly loved me .