CHAPTER THREE
Kane
I didn’t know I had the ability to be as furious as I was now, but dammit, I was seething. I’d followed that beautiful young woman into this restaurant and had been happy to realize that the seating arrangement allowed me to be close enough to observe without being observed.
Stalker much?
Yes, it was damn stalker, but I was so fucking drawn to her. To her smile and grace as she endured the continual insults from that horrible plastic Barbie doll that was apparently her mother.
And when Barbie talked about attempted rape so casually, every nerve ending inside my body snapped. Next thing I knew, I was pressing my lips to this precious person and giving her whatever comfort I could.
Now what?
Staring into dazed blue eyes, I pulled Eliana tighter to my side before looking across at Barbie. She looked equally stunned.
I stuck out a hand. “Kane Steele. It’s wonderful to finally meet the woman who gave birth to this glorious creature. I can’t even imagine how proud you must be of Eliana.”
Silence became a living thing as they both continued to stare at me.
Then Barbie’s eyes moved, flicking down my face and to the sweaty compression tank I’d worn for my run. Her eyes were the same color blue as her daughters, but they lacked the depth and warmth the younger woman possessed.
Tapping my chest, I said, “Sorry, I didn’t have time to change before heading over here. I was already running so late…” I lifted a shoulder as if that explained everything.
Silence.
This wasn’t going the way I’d hoped.
The blue eyes shifted from me to Eliana. “Who is this, my darling?” The bitch’s voice was as stiff as her forehead.
“Kane Steele,” I answered for her in case she hadn’t heard me earlier. I lifted Eliana’s glass and took a sip. Damn, that shit was sweet.
Setting the glass back down, I turned to the girl beside me. “You still have that headache from this morning?”
Eliana blinked up at me and seemed to come out of her daze. “Actually…” she smiled, and my balls tightened, “I’m feeling much better. Thank you.”
I gave her a squeeze. “You’re very welcome.”
“Eliana, why didn’t you tell me about Kane?” Barbie’s face didn’t move as she spoke.
Eliana didn’t miss a beat. “Because I wanted to surprise you, of course.”
Barbie showed a glimpse of teeth. “Well, you certainly did.”
Just then, the waiter came up to the table. “Can I get you any—?” The kid’s eyes widened. “Holy sh… crap. You’re Kane Steele, right? The beast of first base!”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Barbie’s entire demeanor change. When I was a sweaty nobody, I was dirt beneath her feet. I see how it is.
I stuck out a hand to the kid. “Sure am. Been to many games?”
His face fell. “Not many. Mostly watch on TV. Don’t miss a game if I can help it.”
“Glad to hear it. It’s fans like you who will help us break out of this slump.”
The kid’s entire face lit up.
“See that hat there?” I pointed at the stool. “Hand it over, and I’ll sign it for you.”
No one on planet Earth had ever moved that fast. I scrawled my name on the brim and handed it over, then took his name. “Are you free to come to tonight’s game?”
I swore tears welled in his eyes. He nodded.
Typing his name into my phone, I sent an email and got an almost immediate confirmation. “You’ll have two tickets at will-call. See ya then.”
“Th-thanks so much. This is the raddest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
I held up my fist, and he bumped it.
“If it isn’t too much trouble,” Barbie interrupted, her voice droll with upscale sarcasm, “I’d like a refill of lemon water.”
The kid blushed and apologized, nearly falling over his feet in an effort to get right on it.
“So, Kane, what exactly is it you do?”
“First baseman for the New York Beasts, ma’am.” Damn, it felt good to watch her lips tighten when I called her that.
“Please call me Alize.”
I grinned at her and gave Eliana a squeeze. “Yes, ma’am.”
She sighed, and before she could ask me another question, like my net worth, I kissed Eliana’s forehead. “What were you two talking about before I arrived?”
“Mom dearest wants me to attend the children’s hospital gala next weekend and was setting up appointments for me to get all dolled up beforehand. Hair, nails, the works.”
“Better not let them change the color of your hair,” I told her, and she grinned so wide, and with so much gratitude in her eyes, it made me feel like a hero. “I think God was thinking about sunshine and happiness when you were born.” I looked over at Barbie. “Where does she get these fabulous looks from? Aside from the eye color, she doesn’t resemble you at all.”
Barbie’s plastic face turned into cement. “Her father.”
“Well, good for you for banging such a good-looking guy.” I patted Eliana’s back as she choked. “You okay, baby? So back to that gala. Should I cancel the spa day I had planned for you? And can you still pick up my tux at the cleaners on the way home?”
Eliana sputtered but quickly recovered. “T-tux? Yes, of course. Thank you for the reminder. It’s been such an unusual day, I’d completely forgotten. Anything else you need?”
“Home?” Barbie asked, leaning forward. “Are you two living together?”
Eliana’s eyes went into full-blown panic, so I jumped in. “Not officially, but we might as well be.”
“And when was I going to be informed of this?”
“Now,” Eliana said, batting her long lashes. “Part of the surprise.”
Barbie narrowed her eyes and turned them back to me. “So, you’re planning on attending the gala? I didn’t know baseball players could afford tickets.”
I laughed. Not very subtle, but I’d go with it. “Well, this is the MLB. Major. League. Baseball.” I said it slow in case she needed to take notes. Then I went for the throat. “But my family’s been attending the gala for years.”
Her eyebrows would have risen had they been able to move. “Your family? Might I know them?”
“Probably. They attend most every major event, even though they live on the West Coast.”
This was actually kind of fun. I’d never hung my family name up like a dangling carrot before today. But I’d do anything to shut this woman up, I realized. And come to the defense of the one beside me. I didn’t know why I felt so strongly about Eliana when I didn’t even know her last name. But I did. I’d felt it from the moment I gazed into her blue eyes in that alleyway.
I didn’t believe in love at first sight or any of that shit. But I did believe in my instinct, and my instincts told me that I wanted to get to know this woman better. A lot better. And not just physically either.
“Kane Steele,” Barbie muttered to herself. “The Steeles of Steele Global?”
I smiled as the waiter came back with her water.
“I’d like to order a club sandwich and fries,” I told him and turned to Eliana. “How about you? You need more than that rabbit food to keep your fabulous shape. You know how I hate skeletal women. Portobello burger and sweet potato fries sound good?”
Tears gleamed in her eyes, but only for a moment because she blinked them away and melted closer to me, melding us together.
I kissed her hair, breathing in the scent of citrus and vanilla. Yes. I wanted to know her better.
I wanted to know why she fed homeless dogs.
I wanted to know what was up with her mother.
I wanted to know what her skin felt like.
But more than anything, I wanted to take her to a damn gala and show her what it was like to be treated like she deserved.
“So, about that spa day. Want to stick to your mother’s plans?”
She beamed at me. “Sure. And no hair color change, I promise.”
I stared down at her, into those clear blue eyes over that cutely freckled nose. I wanted to kiss her. Needed to kiss her. So I did.
I’d kissed her when I first sat down, but that was mostly to mask her surprise. This kiss was different, soft and wet, but it created some electrical charge inside of me that zinged through my system, landing in my balls. I grew hard. From one damn kiss, I was hard as a rock in athletic shorts. Thank God, I was also wearing compression shorts beneath them, or I’d have a tent as big as the Empire State Building for all to see.
Barbie cleared her throat, and I ignored her, turning more fully toward Eliana, changing the angle of how our lips met. She tasted like tomato and vinaigrette, and something uniquely her. Eliana’s hand crept up my arm, her fingers digging into my shoulder. She whimpered, and the vibration of the sound went to my toes.
Stop.
I needed to stop this shit now, or I’d fuck her in this booth, no matter how many rounds I’d had with the porn queen last night.
Shit.
That thought tossed cold water on my arousal, and I pulled away, ashamed of myself.
I’d fucked three different women this week, and here I was, molesting the mouth of this innocent girl. Well, she might not be virgin innocent, the hand on my upper thigh was evidence that she wasn’t pure in that sense of the word.
But she was pure in other ways.
Even if she was the daughter of Cruella, who was staring daggers at us both.
I glanced back down to the lush curve of her mouth, remembering her sexy ass and how it filled out those skinny jeans so perfectly. The clear eyes, sweet smile. Generous and giving spirit.
Baseball.
I needed to be focused on baseball, and all I could think about was taking Eliana around the bases at lightning speed, scoring a home run as quickly as possible.
She deserved better than that. Better than me.
But I’d intruded in her life and was now taking her to the children’s hospital gala. I’d be the perfect gentleman as her escort, protect her from her mother’s machinations and this Winston asshole who might get a punch in the face if I ran into him.
We could “break up” afterward. She would then go her way, and I’d go mine.
Yes, that was the plan.
But even as I thought it, a restless, edgy energy burned through me. The sort of tension I was familiar with. With Eliana, I needed to cage it. She wasn’t that type of girl, of that I was certain.
I inhaled her scent again and caught the vanilla undertones. Yes, innocence and vanilla. That wasn’t how I enjoyed being with a woman.
Sweet wasn’t on my menu.
Sweet girls had expectations.
I couldn’t — wouldn’t — offer anything more than a night of hard, fast sex. I went to bed with women who knew the score. Women I could make beg, bring a blush of pink to their flesh. Women who would surrender to my every desire because they already knew what those desires were.
Besides, I needed to fucking focus. I had a damn losing streak to break. An entire city counting on my brains working at first base and my brawn causing a little white ball to fly over a fence.
Plus, I wasn’t around a lot. I played 162 games a season, didn’t have more than a couple days off from spring through fall and those days were used mainly for travel.
And I couldn’t fuck this up. I wanted a World Series win under my belt before I tucked tail and went back to California to step into the family business. Which was another problem. I didn’t need to be in any relationship that I couldn’t walk away from.
Dammit. Why was I protesting so much?
Eliana’s hand squeezed my thigh. “Are you okay?”
Was I?
I felt lost suddenly, like my internal compass was spinning and kept only wanting to point at one destination. Her.
I was grateful when the waiter came with my club and smiled when Eliana dug into her Portobello, eating the sweet potato fries with great relish under the watchful eyes of her mother. I was even more grateful when it clearly became time to end this mockery of a meal.
Barbie looked at her phone, which must have been the cue to leave because Eliana reached for her bag.
“Well, Kane, it was very nice to meet you.” I wanted to snarl as she extended her hand in a limp-wristed shake. She looked at her daughter. “Perhaps we can take care of the other purpose of our tête-à-tête later. The mail, perhaps?”
Their tête-à-what?
Eliana stiffened and thrust her hand into her bag, pulling out a matching Prada wallet and turning to the checkbook section, yanking a pen from its holder. People still wrote checks? “No, let’s take care of that now.”
As I watched, she scribbled out “One thousand dollars.” She noted “September rent” on the bottom and signed her name with a flourish before ripping it off and sliding the small slip of paper across the table, drawing her hand back quickly as Alize reached for it, looking embarrassed.
Eliana has to pay rent to her mother?
“Thank you, darling.” She cleared her throat. “So, I shall see you at the gala? Remember your appointments and be sure to pick out your gown with plenty of time for alterations.”
I was still stunned by what I’d witnessed. “Will Eliana be paying for those things or is all of this a gift from you?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
Barbie blushed and took a sip of her water. “No, no. This is a gift for my darling Eliana. I’ll have Carlos send you an email with instructions on how to prep for the waxing and other treatments.”
Eliana opened her mouth then snapped it shut, crossing her arms over her chest in a look of pure mutiny.
I wiggled my eyebrows at her. “Brazilian? Excellent choice.”
She blushed a bright adorable red, but a smile played at the corners of her mouth, easing the tension.
I realized I enjoyed making her blush. I enjoyed making her laugh.
I’d do that through the gala, then… let her go.
Why did I feel like someone just punched me in the gut?
“I’ll leave you young people alone,” Barbie said, then waited. Was she waiting for one of us to tell her she was young too? What a vamp.
“We’ll see you at the gala,” I said and tossed my Am Ex Black on the table. “My treat.”
Her eyes gleamed as she looked at the card. “Thank you.” She slid from the booth and waved her fingers. “Ta ta.”
I waved my fingers back and turned to Eliana, ignoring Barbie completely. The tap tap of her heels told me she was finally leaving.
Eliana just looked up at me until the door closed, then she laughed, a beautiful sound that made me smile. She flung herself at me, her arms wrapping around my waist. “Thank you so much! That was awesome! Incredible!” She laughed again. “Absolutely perfect. Thank you, really.”
I twirled a loose strand of hair that had fallen out of her tight bun around my finger. “You were a champ, recovering so quickly after I jumped in on you like that. Well played.”
She preened, batting her long lashes, making me laugh again.
“Seriously, you were brilliant,” I told her. “And I was serious when I said I’d take you to the gala. It’s an off day for me, and my grandmother has been begging me to go. I won’t have any trouble getting tickets.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? What you just did was enough. I could tell Alize that we had a fight and broke up. Or I could just pretend I’m sick and dodge the entire bullet.”
I leaned closer. “Or you could go with me. You could enjoy your spa day and new dress on your mom’s tab. It would be fun. I’ll dote on you all night. We’ll dance and eat expensive food, and if we’re lucky, you’ll get to watch me break that Winston guy’s face.”
Her eyes clouded, and I felt like a shit for bringing up his name.
“Sorry that happened to you. It happened to one of my sisters too; it haunts her to this day. And when your mother blew it off like that, it just…” I shook my head, my teeth grinding together. “I couldn’t sit there any longer.”
She laid her hand on mine and our fingers automatically linked together, as if we’d been holding hands for ages. “Thank you. It really was perfect. I appreciate you being my white knight.”
I laughed. “I’m no hero, and I have a confession.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that?”
“I followed you here. We bumped into each other at that alley, and I…”
“Followed me. Why?”
She really doesn’t know how beautiful she is.
“I don’t know. Why do flowers turn to the sun?”
Holy fucking shit. Why did I just say that?
“And your ass in those jeans,” I said quickly to cover my embarrassment. “You have a fine ass, Eliana.” She blushed. “Besides, I was fascinated that you were feeding the homeless and taking care of the dogs. I guess I just wanted to see what you’d do next.”
Her thumb traced a circle on the back of my hand. “So here you are.”
“Yeah. Here I am. And I’ll pick you up next Saturday at seven. Type your contact information into my phone.” I unlocked it and handed it over, regretting doing so when she unlinked our fingers to add her info. She handed the phone back, and I sent her a text. Her phone pinged. “There, now you have mine.”
She slid her finger across her screen and added me as a contact. Tapping on the camera icon, she held her phone out and leaned closer to me. “Smile.”
I did, and she snapped our selfie. It was cute. We looked good together. She added the picture to my contact. “There, you’re my official fake boyfriend now.”
Why did the fake part feel wrong?
Looking back up at me, she licked her lips, and my cock responded to the action. “I better go,” she said in a low voice. “I need to get to work soon.”
“Where do you work?”
Her face brightened. “Right now, I’m working for a woman who has a dog grooming business. It’s only part-time, but I love working with animals. My dream is to become a veterinarian, and I was going to start vet school this fall, but…” She swallowed hard and looked down at her fingers.
“But something happened with your mother?” I guessed.
She nodded.
“Is that why you have to pay your mother, who is clearly very rich, rent?”
She nodded again, still looking down.
“What happened?” I asked gently, unable to stop myself. I hadn’t even known this girl an hour, but I wanted to know everything about her. The good and the bad.
“You’re being nosy,” she said with a grin.
“Hey, I’m your fake boyfriend, I’m allowed to be nosy.”
She nudged me with her shoulder. “Okay, fake boyfriend. I’ll tell you why. Alize hated the idea of me being in the ‘working class’ as she calls it. She says it’s embarrassing.”
I laughed. “And doctors of veterinary medicine are considered working class in her world?”
She finally looked up and smiled. “Yes. In her world, only models and actors, artists, can work without being disgraced. Everyone else needs to be socialites with family money. That’s what she wanted me to be. A mini-me of her. A little girl she could flaunt to society and preen over. She wanted me to be a model, but I wasn’t pretty enough for that. An actress, but I hate being in the spotlight.” She shrugged and took a long drink of her tea.
“I think I hate your mother.”
She choked on her tea, spitting the sweet stuff out on me. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, blushing furiously as she wiped me off. I wished she’d sprayed me on the crotch instead of the thigh. The softness of her hand on my skin was making me hard.
I covered her hand with mine before I embarrassed myself. “It’s athletic gear. It’ll wash. Don’t worry about it. Finish your story.”
She breathed in deeply. “Alize — her real name is Helen Jean, by the way — was born on a farm in Tennessee but was ‘discovered’ when she was on a school trip in Nashville. She became a model when she was fifteen or so, and was even in some soap operas and pretty awful movies. She met my dad, who was in his sixties by the way, and got pregnant with me when she was nineteen. He was very rich, and they got married, but he died when I was just a baby.”
“And that’s how you became wealthy,” I stated, the puzzle coming together.
“That’s how she got wealthy. My father hadn’t set up a trust for me or anything like that, so all the money is hers. That money, plus all the money she’s gained from marrying rich four more times. She never lets me forget that it is her money that buys — well, used to buy — my apartment, clothes, paid for my education, blah, blah.”
I whistled, and Eliana nodded. “Yeah. My mother has made a career out of marrying well. I’ll never be like that. I do live in the apartment she bought just because the rent is so crazy around here, but as you can see, I do pay rent. Well, my roommate and I pay the rent.”
“What happened that you couldn’t start school this year?”
She blushed, but it wasn’t from embarrassment this time. Anger and disappointment combined to just make her look sad. “Alize was going to pay for school, and I had everything ready. I’ve been accepted, and my class schedule was set. On the last day tuition was due, Alize changed her mind. She said that she, in good conscience, couldn’t support me in tossing my life away.”
“The bitch.”
Eliana laughed, but the sound was bitter. “Yeah. The thing is, if I’d known she was going to go back on her offer to pay for school, I could have made other arrangements. Scholarships. Loans. Found another job. But because she pulled out on the exact day of the deadline…” she lifted a shoulder.
“You were screwed,” I finished for her.
She nodded. “Pretty much. So now I’m working and saving every penny that I can. I’ll also apply for loans and scholarships. I have expensive clothes and purses,” she pointed at the one beside her, “that Alize bought, and I’ll try to sell. I have options. It will just take me a little longer to get started.”
“Did you ever consider moving to Tennessee and staying with your grandparents? You could go to school there.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I’d love that more than you’d ever know. I stayed with them every summer. I wanted to live with them full-time and go to high school there, but Alize thought people would feel poorly about her if she didn’t bring me back.”
Right. Image is everything.
“My grandpa was a vet, and I got to be his ‘assistant’ when I was there. They were both so wonderful, and they were going to fight Alize for custody, but there was a fire, and…” She shook her head sadly, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders again.
“Why homeless animals?” I asked in order to change the subject.
She sniffed hard and her forehead wrinkled. “One day about a year ago, I was passing by an alley and heard this man screaming and a dog barking like crazy. It turned out that somebody reported the man to the local humane society, claiming there was no way he could take care of the dog on the streets. The man, his name is Joseph…”
Ah. Joseph and Target.
“He was devastated and crying so hard, it cracked something inside me. I went to the shelter and adopted Target and took him back, promising to feed him every day. After that, I noticed more homeless dogs and…”
“You take them all food. Treat them for fleas. Stuff like that.”
“Yes. And if I can’t for some reason, my roommate, Zoe, does. She’s going to vet school too. She actually did get to start this year, so I help her study which helps me better prepare for when I get started. It works out great.”
“And you’re able to pay for all this on your own? Grooming dogs?”
She smiled. “Long Islanders are crazy about their pooches and pay a crazy amount to make sure Fluffy’s fur is perfect. The business is incredibly lucrative.”
The pride in her eyes made me smile too.
“You seem very determined.”
“I am. And I actually like that I get to do it on my own. One less thing I’ll feel indebted to my mother for.”
“And when you graduate?”
“I’ll open my own clinic and offer free services to homeless dogs. Then I’ll get to do more than provide a meal.”
“I’ll talk to Katrina Delaney about what you’re doing. She’s the Beasts’ PR director, and I’m meeting with her this afternoon. She’s always looking for stuff the players can do for the community.”
Dammit. I hated thinking about my stupidity of last night, the real reason I was meeting Katrina.
Eliana’s smile lit up her face. “That would be wonderful.”
An idea sprang to life. “What time do you get off work?”
“Not until about nine tonight. One of my dog moms needed a late appointment. Why?”
“Well, I was going to leave you a ticket at the will-call booth. If you were able to come to the game tonight, I’d introduce you to Katrina. Hell, I would have introduced you to Ace Newman too. He does a bunch for homeless vets, and I heard him talk about pet therapy for vets with PTSD. I’m not sure, but there might be some way shelter dogs could be trained to help?”
“That’s brilliant!”
“Maybe another night? I’m leaving tomorrow for a nine-game road trip. There will be a couple home games before the gala. Maybe you’ll come then?”
“Yes, I’d love that. I’ll go online and look at the schedule to see if something works. Could I bring Zoe too?”
“Of course. Just text me, and I’ll leave you both tickets. Don’t eat beforehand because there will be tons of food available in the suite.”
“Suite?”
I grinned at her. “Yeah, it’s where all the players’ wives and fake girlfriends sit.”
She bit her bottom lip, and I realized I was jealous of her teeth. I wanted to be biting it, sucking on it, slipping my cock... Shit. My ability to concentrate was whacked.
“And…” she said, looking worried, “if I’m able to come to a game, we just go in? Start munching on the buffet?”
“Yep. Eat, watch the game, then I’ll introduce you to Katrina and Ace afterward.”
“That actually sounds like fun.”
It was my turn to preen. She laughed. “Good. Then we can work on our ‘how we met’ story before we hit the red carpet.”
I hadn’t even noticed that the waiter had taken my card until he brought it back with a ticket for me to sign. I paid for our meals but wasn’t yet ready to say goodbye.
“Well, I better go, dear,” she said. “I have a labradoodle in twenty minutes.”
Reluctantly, I slid from the booth and extended my hand to help her out. Our fingers linked together as I walked her to the door. At the entrance, an older woman was smiling at us both, and she gave Eliana a long wink. “You two have a good day.”
“Thanks, Helen. You too.”
On the sidewalk, we were still holding hands, and I was still reluctant to let her go. “So… see ya soon?”
She nodded, another blush creeping onto her cheeks. “Yes. And thanks again. For everything. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for what you did in there.”
I took a step closer and bent down, placing my lips to her ear. “Get that Brazilian at the spa.”
She gasped and giggled and coughed all at once. Pulling back, she looked up at me. Even in the heels, the top of her head only came to my shoulders. “I didn’t think fake boyfriends got to even see things like that.”
My cock twitched. “Maybe we can break the rules?”
Her eyes darkened until the sky turned into the sea. “Well, I’ve heard that’s what’s supposed to happen to rules.”
“I’ve heard that too.”
She lifted herself up to her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine. “I’ll let you know next Saturday.”
Then she was gone, leaving me with a hard-on and a view of that swaying, very sexy, ass.
And I knew I was totally screwed.
***
Yep, I was totally screwed.
Katrina Delaney was tapping her nails on her large mahogany desk as I stepped into her office. She didn’t even smile when I flashed her my most brilliant one.
She pointed at a chair. “Sit.”
I liked Katrina, although I didn’t at first.
Rhett had hired Katrina just before spring training began, then sent her down to Florida with the team to babysit us, which essentially meant that she was supposed to keep us out of the tabloids.
Yeah, her job sucked from the very beginning.
But she turned out to be a hard worker, which had been a surprise considering she was Bobby “Spaceman” Delaney’s daughter — another kid born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
Turned out, her silver spoon had gotten lodged up her ass when her baseball icon father lost it all at the gambling table, forcing her to find work for the first time. But it turned out alright. She and Todd Morris, our catcher, ended up falling in love and were now disgustingly happy.
She wasn’t happy now.
Still giving me a blank face, she reached into her drawer and pulled out a box of Clorox wipes. When she tossed them to me, I caught them, my eyebrow raised in question.
“Scrub.” She pointed at the wipes. “Scrub your hands, your mouth. Everything you touch in this office. Hell, take them home and scrub your…” she growled but didn’t finish.
I rolled my eyes and she growled again.
“I didn’t know she was in porn,” I began my defense. “She—”
“Divine? You didn’t have some inkling that a 44DDD bleach blonde with artificial everything and a name like Chelsie Divine might possibly be in the business?”
Well, when she said it like that…
“I didn’t know her last name,” I said, grasping at straws.
She tapped her fingernails again, and I deflated.
“Okay, I know what you’re going to say. I shouldn’t be having relations…” I nearly snickered as I coined Nana’s phrase, “with women whose last names I don’t know.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Well, that’s a start.”
Her fingernails were going a mile a minute now, driving me crazy.
“Did you even bother to google Chelsie Divine?” she asked, but didn’t give me time to answer. “No, of course you didn’t because you were probably never properly introduced to anything other than her…” She snapped her mouth shut and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
“Katrina—”
“Hush it. I’m not done.” I tipped an imaginary cap, not daring to laugh. She narrowed her eyes at me. “This isn’t funny, Kane. Over the past three years, Miss Divine has created nearly two thousand films. Want to know what the last one was?”
No! No, I do not.
“It was a bisexual production where she had sex with two guys who were having sex. And you know what…?”
Please God, don’t let her tell me.
“One guy is screwing another guy in the ass, and he pulls out, and she gives him—”
I jumped from my seat, my hands held out like I was trying to stop a truck. “Stop it.”
“Head!”
I slumped back down.
“Apparently, ass to mouth is big in the business. Did you kiss her? Huh? Huh?”
I pulled a Clorox wipe out and scrubbed my mouth, then my tongue. I was going to be sick.
“I really didn’t know,” I said lamely, “but you’re right, I should have thought it through.”
Katrina pushed her hand through her hair and sighed. “Kane, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said all that, but it freaked me out when I saw your picture with her in the paper. I like you. I want what’s best for you.”
“It’s okay. You’ll be a great mom someday. I feel about nine years old right now.”
A smiled played on her lips. “Any suggestions on what we can do to help restore your good name in society?”
I thought immediately of Eliana.
“Actually, I met this girl today.” Katrina’s eyes narrowed, and I went on quickly. “A good girl…”
By the time I’d finished my story about following and meeting Eliana, Katrina was smiling.
“We should hook her up with Ace and see if there’s anything we could do about matching homeless dogs with vets. Ace mentioned that dog therapy was important.”
Katrina nodded. “Yeah, for amputation victims and PTSD.”
“Right. Those dogs probably need special training, but I was also thinking about just having a pet. Isn’t there some research or something that talks about the healing quality of just petting a dog for ten minutes or something?”
Katrina’s fingers begin flying over her keyboard. “Yeah, healing physically and emotionally. Kane, I think you’re on to something.”
“So… am I forgiven?”
With a long exhale, Katrina opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a card. She slid it over to me. “Make an appointment and get a full STD screening and I’ll forgive you.”
I thought about Eliana again. Her sweetness and innocence. No way would I do anything to harm her. No way could I stay away from her.
I tucked the card in my pocket. “Consider it done.”