Chapter Seven

Kaden

 

I hold her until she finally stops crying. Then after going upstairs to check on Tristan, we go to bed. I know she is physically exhausted from working all night and emotionally exhausted from all this shit. She just needs a good night’s sleep and tomorrow will be a fresh start. Laying down in my California King, we have more than enough room but instead of laying on our own sides, Ashley lays on my chest while I play with her hair until she finally passes out.

 

“Ashley,” I whisper. She rolls over and grunts for me to shut up. It’s five in the morning and I need to get going to the gym. “I’m leaving for work.” Another grunt.

I walk out to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and see Tristan at the table eating a bowl of sugary cereal for breakfast. I never carry food like that in my home but knowing Tristan would be living here with me, I had Kayla help me out by taking Tristan to the grocery store last night to buy food he likes. Watching him makes me think of my son and everything I am missing out on not getting to watch him grow up. It pisses me off knowing Tristan’s dad signed away his rights for a measly thirty grand. If it was in my control, no amount of money could ever keep me away from my child. Too many people take the important things in life for granted like family and loved ones.

The past couple years Tristan and I have gotten closer. I know he isn’t a replacement of my son and I am not a replacement of the father he’s never known but I love that kid like he’s my own. I find myself looking forward to spending time with him, and now with him living with me, I hope our relationship will grow even more. Tristan means a lot to me just like his mom does.

“Morning.” Tristan looks up from the iPad in front of him, the one I bought him for his last birthday.

“Morning, are you going to the gym?”

“That I am, want to go?”

His face perks up out of excitement. “Can I?”

“Sure, go get dressed. We’ll let your mom sleep in. She's probably exhausted from working late.”

I write Ashley a note letting her know I took Tristan with me and leave it on the nightstand so she doesn’t freak out once she wakes up, then take off with Tristan to the gym.

He spends the first hour working out with me but once Bella and a couple of his friends arrive, he takes off to the kids’ area. Cooper decided last year to split the gym into two areas: the smaller part is the kids’ area and the larger main area is for the fighters. That way the kids won’t hear the cursing and bashing that goes on when you stick a bunch of amped up fighters into the room together. The kids who belong to the fighters always venture into the adult area, but for the most part it works out well, especially for the kids who are only here for the kids’ MMA classes.

Alex arrives shortly after seven and we begin training immediately. After an hour of warming up, we start working on some takedown defense moves. His opponent, Gavin ‘Stunner’ Fitzgerald’s strength is submission, while Alex’s strength is stand-up, his area of expertise boxing. Most fights Alex will win with a knockout but if his opponent gets him to the ground, he will be in trouble, and that’s what we need to prepare for.

“I can’t believe you are planning a wedding the month before your big fight. Talk about adding more stress.”

“Well, if it helps we are holding off on the honeymoon until after the fight so I won’t miss any training other than the day of the wedding… and the day after.” He waggles his eyebrows up and down giving me a wink. I use him being distracted to take him down, and before he can even think about his next move, I pull him into a quick arm bar forcing him to tap out.

“Fuck!” he says, standing up pissed.

“Just don’t think about fucking your wife during the fight,” I say patting him on his shoulder. “Oh, by the way; right after the wedding, I have to go visit my family for a few days. My grandmother is turning eighty and is demanding I am present. I have asked Bentley to train with you. You will learn some good moves from him. Make sure you work his stay-at-home daddy ass hard.”

“Thanks, man! Will do.”

I see Ashley walking into the gym out of the corner of my eye, so grabbing a towel, I wipe the sweat off me while heading over to see her.

“What are you doing here?” I ask giving her a sweaty side hug. She scrunches her nose up in disgust so I go all in giving her a bear hug.

“Ewww! Kaden, stop! You are so gross.” She laughs, grabbing my towel to dramatically wipe her face and neck off.

“Better get used to it, soon-to-be-Mrs. Scott.”

Her smile spreads across her face but she quickly straightens it out.

“Thank you for letting me sleep in. I definitely needed it.”

“No worries. I’m working with Alex right now and Caleb this afternoon but I will be home later. Want to order in for dinner?”

“Hey, Kaden!” Stephen comes over. “The guys and I are all going to The Hideout tonight, it’s ladies’ night. You in?”

Before I can answer, Ashley answers for me. “You should go. I am actually here to pick up Tristan.” Then she walks away without even giving me a chance to answer.

“Nah, man. I’m going home after work,” I say, my eyes never leaving Ashley’s ass as she sashays to the kids’ area to get Tristan.

 

I pull up to my house with Thai takeout and don’t see Ashley’s piece-of-crap car in the driveway, only the oil stain it left behind. It really does need to get replaced, but she would probably skin me alive if I tried to buy her a vehicle. I got so busy at the gym I didn’t have time to text her all day. Hopefully her and Tristan haven’t eaten yet.

“Honey, I’m home,” I yell out like I do most of the times I enter her house.

“Hey Kaden!” Tristan yells out from the living room, playing my PlayStation.

“You hungry? Where’s your mom?” I bring the bag of food into the kitchen.

“She’s at work.” It’s not Tristan who answers this time; it’s Brittany, his babysitter.

“Uhh, hey. What are you doing here?”

She looks at me confused. “I’m babysitting Tristan. Ashley went to work about thirty minutes ago.”

Oh. Hell. No!

“You can take off. Do you need a ride home?”

“No, I can have my boyfriend pick me up.”

I pull out some money from my wallet to pay her, her full amount since it’s not her fault I am sending her home early. Then I shoot a text to Caleb.

Me: Is Ashley working tonight???

Caleb: Yeah…

Then a thought strikes me.

“You know what, Brittany? Would you mind watching Tristan? I will give you some extra money for the mix-up. I need to run an errand.”

“No problem, Kaden. I will let my boyfriend know to pick me up later.”

“Thanks! And there’s Thai food in the kitchen for you and Tristan.”

I jump in a quick shower and get dressed in a pair of nice jeans and a button-down dress shirt. I throw on my shoes and quickly dry off my hair before heading out. On the way, I give Caleb a call.

“Hey man, I need a favor.”

“I’m going to assume it has something to do with Ashley working tonight. You know I am not getting in the middle of that shit. It was bad enough I was stuck on the couch for over a week for not telling Hayley before. I am finally back in my bed and getting laid again.”

“I just need you to book her for a private party for tonight. If she has any other parties, give them to someone else.”

“Fuck, Kaden,” Caleb groans.

“I will pay.”

“You know damn well it’s not about the money. It’s about fucking with Ashley. She’s good for my business and I am hoping she will eventually manage this place. Pissing her off isn’t going to help with that.”

“Just do it.”

He groans louder but agrees.

I arrive at Assets a few minutes later and am let in right away. Caleb has us all on his VIP list so we never have to wait to get in. When I walk through the restaurant I don’t see her so I head upstairs to the bar area. She is up on the main stage in only a thong barely covering her pussy, as she moves her body up and down the pole. She is breathtakingly beautiful and every man watching her is entranced by the way she dances so gracefully on the stage. Unlike in some of the trashier clubs, Assets doesn’t allow men to stick bills in the girl’s underwear or throw it up on stage. Girls take turns dancing a couple times a night but it’s mostly to advertise themselves. Seeing them on stage is what makes a man want her to perform for him up close. I can’t even imagine the amount of men that request Ashley.

Waitresses aren’t allowed to give private dances, which is why, according to Caleb, Ashley left Double D’s to work here, for him. As a dancer, she can make money from the private dances and parties.

Once she is done dancing, the curtains close around her so she can grab her clothes as she heads out back. Caleb sends me a text letting me know which room to go into, so I go straight there to wait for her.

I get comfortable on the couch this time and wait for the music to start for my private performance. A few minutes later, the music begins and she is back to climbing and grinding that pole, only she is in a different outfit this time. A light blue dress with a matching bra and panties. When she’s done, I make it a point to clap loud and slow. She looks past the bright lights and sees me sitting there. Throwing back on her sexy see-through dress along the way, she walks toward me until she is standing in front of me.

“What are you doing here? When Caleb said VIP, he didn’t mention you.”

“The real question is what are you doing here?”

She looks around dramatically mocking my question like I’m an idiot for even asking. “I. Work. Here,” she says slowly enunciating every word.

Grabbing her by her waist I bring her on top of my lap so she is straddling me. “You are my fiancée. You aren’t working as a stripper.”

“I’m your fake fiancée.” She makes sure to emphasize the word fake. “And I have to work so I can pay you back and get a place for Tristan and me.”

“We will discuss that in a moment. Why didn’t you have Tristan stay with me?”

“I thought you were going out tonight. I didn’t want to cock-block you.”

“One, you said I was going out, not me. And two, there’s nothing to cock-block, unless you want to deny me, yourself.”

I don’t know what comes over me, maybe it’s her accusation that I would rather be out trying to find an easy lay than home with her when the truth is I haven’t fucked a single woman in God knows how long, but I bring my hands up to her head and pull her into me, smashing her mouth to mine almost violently. She tenses up at first, but I can feel it when she gives in and starts kissing me back; I pull her down so she is straddling me and her hands slide around my neck as her hot pussy begins to grind against my already hard dick through my jeans causing me to groan into her mouth.

She begins grinding against me harder and seconds later I am lifting her dress up and over her head throwing it to the floor. Next, her bra is removed, and then I am grabbing her ass changing our positions so her back is on the couch and I am hovering over her. My mouth goes to her taut nipple, sucking it roughly. She grabs my hair, moaning loudly at my assault, spurring me on. I continue to suck her tits for a couple minutes before I head farther south straight to her hot sex.

I place an open-mouthed kiss through her thin panties, her ass jerking upward, bringing her pussy closer to me at my touch. I can feel how drenched they already are. Ripping the thin strip of material, I dive right in to taste her. My tongue hits her clit as my fingers test out her sex to see if she’s ready. She is. She is dripping fucking wet. Sticking one digit in, then another, I begin finger fucking her while my tongue continues to lick her clit.

“Kaden… Oh, shit. Kaden!” Ashley’s body tenses up as the impending orgasm builds. I feel her close, so taking her clit between my teeth I bite down softly then suck on it. Ashley’s back arches up, her hands fisting my hair as she grinds her sex against my mouth trying to fuck my mouth with her pussy. I continue to lick and suck on her clit as she face-fucks me. Her moans get louder and her hands fist my hair tighter, then her entire body tenses, her thighs clenching around my head. “Oh. My. God!” She screams out. After a few seconds, her body goes completely limp as she comes all over my fingers and tongue. I don’t stop licking and fingering her until I feel her come completely down.

“Hol-y shit,” is all she says and she says it so softly I almost miss it over the bass of the music. Moving my fingers out of her pussy, I unbutton my pants and pull them down to my knees, taking my briefs along with them. I line my cock up at her entrance but stop when I look at her wide eyes.

“What’s wrong?” She shakes her head but her face tells me otherwise. “What’s wrong?” I repeat.

“We shouldn’t be doing this. I keep putting myself in this position with you and I know there’s only one way this is all going to end. Badly. This engagement isn’t even real. The marriage will be fake. I am a stripper for God sakes. Men see me naked almost every day. I know we aren’t together for real but it would feel like I was cheating on you if we get together and I continue to work… and I will be continuing to work. I promised myself I would never be with a guy while I am stripping.”

Ashley covers her eyes with her hands. “Geez, I’m such a freaking tease. This is the third time I have stopped us from having sex. I’m so sorry. If you want to be with someone else, I will understand. You have needs.”

I remove her hands from her face. “What are you talking about?”

“I just can’t have sex with you. I don’t want to lose you.”

I pull my jeans and briefs back up, tucking my dick back inside, pissed. Not pissed that we didn’t have sex but pissed that she would insinuate I would ever be with another woman while being engaged and married to her, real or fake.

I stand up from the couch feeling my blood boiling. I need to walk away. I shouldn’t be this hurt by such a simple comment but I am.

“I can’t believe you would think I could ever think so little of you that I would cheat on you. I gotta go.”

“Kaden, wait.” Ashley jumps up from the couch still completely naked. “Have you ever had sex with a woman more than once.”

I want to say yes. I had sex with my wife exclusively for many years, but I don’t say that. I can’t say that. That would raise too many questions I don’t want to answer.

“No.” I give her the half-truth. Since my wife left me, I have never spent more than one night with a woman.

“Don’t you see? If we have sex, it will change everything. I am attracted to you and I know you’re attracted to me, but you don’t do commitment, and even if you stay faithful to me during our fake engagement and marriage, once it’s over, you will move on, and where will that leave us?”

“I could never just drop you, Ash.”

“Kaden, right now I am your best friend, and our friendship works because sex isn’t a part of it. There’s no commitment. If we step over that imaginary line, there’s no going back. I couldn’t take it if you stopped talking to me. You can say you never would do that, but your actions speak for themselves. You have never been with a woman more than once. I can’t take that chance.”

I don’t know what to say. I know she’s right to an extent but it’s different with Ashley. There’s nothing in this world that would keep me from being a part of her and Tristan’s life. But I can see she is hurting over this and I don’t want her hurting.

“I’m pretty sure my tongue and fingers in your pussy was us crossing over the line.”

“And I don’t think we should do that anymore, but if we had sex, it would definitely be crossing the line. We could never come back from that.”

Not wanting to continue this argument, I say, “Ok, but can you at least quit dancing? Once we are married, you are going to be rich. You don’t need to strip.”

“I am not taking your money, Kaden. I am going to keep my job and pay you off. I am not ever going to owe anybody again. I can’t take your money. The last time I depended on a man, he nearly destroyed me.”

She will be taking this money but there’s no point in going back and forth with her.

“I’m going to go home and relieve Brittany from babysitting.”

“Ok.”

I start walking out as Ashley calls my name.

“Kaden…Are we ok?”

I turn around to face her. Her eyes are hooded and her lips are curved down into a frown. Her hands are covering her chest because she never had a chance to put her clothes back on. I ignore her nakedness, closing the distance between us and wrapping my arms around her tight. “We will always be ok, Ash.” I pull back enough to give her a chaste kiss on her forehead then I head home to relieve the sitter.