Secure Love (Wet & Wild 3)

Ash Worthington wanted her to keep him organized.

What a world it had become for her.

Even though Ash told her to bring her laptop and cell phone with her, she knew she could never afford the international plan. And depending on where they went in Bali, there was no guarantee that the internet would be strong enough to sustain the quality video feed she required for her videoconferences. So once she was done packing for her trip, she sat down and slowly began to clear her schedule.

“Yes, this is Kallie Semple calling. I was wondering if we could shift our videoconference to the beginning of next week.”

“Hello there, I’m so sorry to bother you. It’s Kallie Semple calling. I was wondering if we could shift our meeting to the beginning of next week? I’m sorry it’s such short notice, but a client of mine has an emergency and I promised them I would be there for them. Mm-hmm. Yes. Thank you so much for being so understanding. And yes, it’s a service I provide to all my clients.”

“Kallie Semple calling, how are you doing? I was wondering if we could move our in-office meeting to Wednesday of next week? Lunch is on me for the inconvenience, I’m so sorry.”

One by one, Kallie managed to chisel away at her schedule, clearing the rest of the week and weekend so she could be in Bali. After she talked to her last client and relieved herself of their requirements until the beginning of next week, she shut down her laptop and set it on her bed. She continued to pack, looking up the weather for Bali on her phone so she could pick clothes accordingly. She’d never been to a place like Bali, and the last thing she wanted was to stand out like a sore thumb.

Then, Kallie’s phone rang.

“I know it’s you, Eris,” she said as she put her friend on speakerphone.

“I got your text. Why the hell are you going to Bali?”

“Ash has hired me to help his life get off on the right foot again,” I said.

“Are you fucking kidding me? You know what he’s doing. He’s trying to get you out of the city and woo you back into his world.”

She cringed at the harshness of her words as their little tryst in her office came crashing back to her mind.

“Even if that’s what he’s trying to do, I’ve got fail-safes in place. I’ve made sure he’s booked us two hotel rooms instead of one, and I’ve got an emergency reserve of funds in place if I need to catch a plane ride back.”

“I think I should go with you,” Eris said. “You know, to keep him in his place.”

“You’d kill him if you saw him.”

“Exactly. I’d keep him in his place.”

“Eris, this is strictly professional. And in exchange for my help, not only is he paying me four times what I quoted him, but he’s also going to give me a video testimony I can use to open myself up to high-end clientele. He’s single-handedly going to drive me to a place I never thought possible with my business.”

“Uh-huh. And it’s worth being cooped up with him in Bali?”

“Yes, it is,” Kallie said. “It’s worth every second I’ll have to bat him off me.”

“At least you’re not going into this with any illusions.”

“Trust me, I’m not.”

“Though I think you do want things to work with Ash.”

“I do not,” Kallie said.

“You do. And once you admit that to yourself, then you can protect yourself. Just because you want things to work doesn’t mean they can.”

“I don’t want things to work between us.”

“Lying to yourself is what got you into this mess in the first place.”

“No, you pushing me to do things I didn’t want to do is what got me into this mess.”

“You can blame it on me all you want, but this has always been our friendship. I’m a soundboard for what you want to do, and then I have to convince you to do what you already know you want to do, so that if it backfires you have someone to blame. But not this time. This time, you need to admit to yourself what it is you really want, whether or not it’s achievable,” Eris said.

Kallie sighed as she shoved the last of her things into her suitcase. She zipped it up and sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. What the hell was she supposed to say? That despite everything, she still wanted to love Ash? Still wanted to try and make some sort of a life with him?