Secure Love (Wet & Wild 3)

She set her beer down and walked toward the door. And when she peeked through the peephole, her heart slammed against her chest. She ripped the door open to find none other than James Rathbone standing at her doorstep.

And he was livid.

“What the fuck is this?” he asked.

A piece of paper came crashing into Kallie’s face as her hand tried to catch it.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Kallie asked.

“I’ve been slapped with a fucking defamation lawsuit, and it’s naming you as the complainant.”

Kallie looked down at the piece of paper and furrowed her brow.

“Well I didn’t file a lawsuit against you, not that you don’t fucking deserve it, you worthless piece of shit.”

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that. You deserved every single solitary word that was said on that broadcast. You think I used you, but you used me in return.”

“I’m not going to even respond to that, other than to say that this is typical of you. You can’t have what you want so you meltdown and throw a tantrum about it. I’m glad someone’s suing you. Every piece of garbage you spewed in that interview was false. Those text messages were faked. They were never sent. And you deserve every ounce of embarrassment that comes your way. But I didn't file anything against you, no matter what these documents say. You’re not worth that kind of energy, James Rathbone.”

She could tell he was taken aback by her words. She’d never used such a strong tone with him before. But as she flipped through the file of paperwork that came crashing down into her face, she saw her name on every single document. Who in the hell was suing James on her behalf?

Was that even legal?

“You have no idea who you’re messing with, Kallie. My family has more money than you could ever imagine. We’ll bury you. By the time I’m done figuring this out, your business will be toast. You’ll be driven out of this city. No one will open their doors to you. You’ll be just another pathetic excuse for—”

Kallie reached out and shut the door in his face. She locked the door as James’s fist came down onto it, but she blocked his idiotic threats out of her mind. She was too busy scanning the documents. Looking for any proof as to who could be behind all of it.

What the hell was going on?

Chapter 25

Ash

Ash left his lawyer’s office secure

in the decision he’d made, even if it was a bit scary. He still wasn't sure how this was going to pan out, but he knew he had to do it anyway. All he had to do now was set the remainder of his plans in motion. He walked out to the town car Clyde was driving and climbed into the back seat, then took out his cell phone as he pulled away from the curb. He contacted his public relations firm and talked them through his plan and what they needed to do, then he took a few meetings to secure everything in place. He hopped from location to location, trying to get everything set up to work in his favor.

There was so much to do before the weekend, and he couldn't waste a second of his time.

Ash spent the entire week making the necessary preparations. Slowly but surely, his plan was unfolding. The pieces were fitting into their spots exactly as they needed to, and nothing had hit the news that didn’t need to be there. He spent the entire week running behind people and double-checking his plans in his last-ditch effort to win Kallie over.

Because if this didn’t work, he didn’t have anything else.

Once Ash was secure in the decisions he’d made, he decided to do a little bit of shopping. It was time to get the ball rolling. He ducked into a few shops and ran his hands along designer dresses, feeling the fabric and checking to see if they had any dresses Kallie would enjoy in her size. He went to five dress shops before he found the perfect cocktail dress for her. A mixture of salacious and conservative that always crept into her wardrobe. The high-low design of the skirt would hit Kallie just above her knees while covering the backs of her legs all the way to her midcalf. The deep-red material of the dress would cling to every inch of her curves until the material broke around her chest. Enough room for her luscious bosom to sit in, the sleeveless dress clung tightly around the owner’s neck before opening up to a back that would be showcased before the material around the waist blanketed the backside of the wearer again.

It was a dress that almost looked tailor-made for Kallie, and he bought it for her the second he saw it.

The store gift wrapped it for him and he went ahead and bought the matching shoes. The heels were a little higher than he’d seen Kallie wear, but the saleswoman assured him they were the most comfortable heels anyone could own. But just in case, he bought a matching pair of flats in the same color. The last thing he wanted was to give Kallie any reason to reject his final gift to her.

He set the presents in the back of the car before walking across the street to the jewelry shop. Kallie wouldn’t need a necklace with the high neckline of the dress, but he saw a dainty bracelet and a pair of earrings that went well with the outfit. The dangling pearl earrings were accented with the smallest rubies he’d ever seen cut, and the dainty bracelet had miniature pearls strung on the delicate white gold chain that were separated by the shining red gem. He had the store gift wrap those as well, tying the box off with a red bow that matched the dress he’d purchased for her.

All Ash had to do now was bide his time until the big reveal on Saturday.

He put the jewelry in the trunk of the car along with the dress and the shoes before one last store caught his eye. A lingerie store that had a beautiful black set showcased in their display. But was that appropriate? Would that be too much? The idea of seeing Kallie in that black lacy lingerie made his legs grow weak. But would she appreciate it?

He decided that if he was going to go all-out, he might as well really throw himself into it.

So he walked into the shop, bought the black bra-and-pantie set, had it gift wrapped like the others, then walked out of the store with it.