Ripple Effect (Effect 1)

Trigger shook his head as he muttered about damn anonymous names.

My phone rang, and I answered it without looking.

“This is Adam.”

“Adam, Gerald with S&P Associates. Do you have a second?” His voice sounded forced and on the verge of unfriendly.

Shit.

Hearing him brought back the desire to pummel his ass into next week.

Might as well get this over with and talk to him.

I responded, sounding detached, “I’ve got about five minutes before my next meeting.”

“Good. That's all I need. We want the Club Envy account back Adam, and we'll do whatever is needed to earn it.” Gerald reminded me of a greasy car salesman.

Fuckwad.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and lied, “Gerald, this was a business decision for the club, and it’s the direction Brandt wants to go. We appreciate everything S&P did, but I have to respect my partner’s decision.”

I would let Brandt know what I’d told Gerald. Brandt would go along with it to protect Ainsley. It made sense since he was the one who had broken the news to S&P.

“Okay. I appreciate your time, Adam. I’ll talk with Brandt. Do you have any complaints that would keep you from switching back to S&P?”

“I’m a business partner, Gerald. I’m going to support my partner like you support your law firm. I trust Brandt’s decision.” My tone was businesslike and unattached.

“Thanks for your time, Adam. On a personal note, I wanted to check on Ainsley. I know she was upset at the party. It’s been hard on her since her mother and I split.”

Here came more lies as anger bubbled beneath the surface of my mind. I hated sugarcoating shit and playing nice. I wanted the situation to be handled and dealt with, but in this case, it would cause problems for Ainsley.

“Gerald, divorce is hard for anyone. I think it takes time to adjust.”

He was pleased. “I thought you’d understand. I appreciate your time, and I’m sure we’ll be in touch soon after I talk to Brandt.”

No fucking way.

Matching his tone, I said, “Thanks for the call.”

“Good-bye.”

I hung up the phone and texted Brandt. I didn’t want him to be caught off guard, and I needed him to keep up this lie. If Gerald thought Ainsley was the reason, I was afraid it would cause her unneeded stress.

Me: Gerald might call you. I told him that it was the direction you wanted to go. I hate pussyfooting around the topic, and I would rather tell the bastard where he can go, but I don’t want Ainsley to get any heat from my decision.

Brandt: No problem. I won’t take his call until we talk.

Me: I appreciate it.

Brandt: Anytime. He’s an asshole.

I went to work on the room and put new red satin sheets on the bed. I had added a Tantra Chair, sex swing, and a chest that had a few essentials, such as cuffs and rope. Ainsley and I could add to the collection as we found additional toys we liked.

My phone vibrated.

Trigger: Flower guy is here. He’s a little out there. I’m sending him back with Snake.

Me: Someone said he was the best for this sort of thing. Thanks.

Trigger: Put me down in the negative column for getting pussy-whipped.

Me: Fuck off, asshole.

Trigger: That’s what I’m planning to do with this sweet piece of ass.

For whatever reason, a smile was emerging on my face.

Bastard.

Before I had a chance to respond, the flower man came back, wheeling a cart full of white flowers from the florist.

“Mr. Ryker?” He had a strong French accent.

I gave him a nod. “Yes, that’s me.”

The dark-haired man with a mustache looked around the room. “Is this the place we are setting up for your mademoiselle?”

I pointed to the room. “Yes, I want flowers covering every surface.”

“Oui. This is going to be beautiful for your girl.” He kissed his two fingers together as if he could already picture what he was going to do.

I rubbed my hands together as the nerves began setting in. It had been a while since I put myself out there like this. “I hope so.”

The florist began arranging the flowers. He sprinkled white rose petals on the red satin sheets, floor, and every other surface in the room. Vases of flowers were arranged around the room. I had to admit that he was good at his job. The mood of the room was changing from a sex haven to a lovers’ nest.

He turned to me after placing the last of the unused flowers on the cart. “Does this meet your expectations, Mr. Ryker?”

“Yes, it does. Thank you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ryker. I’ll send the bill in the mail. We will go unless there is something else you need.”

“I’ve got it from here. Have a good day.”

He gave a nod. “And the same to you and your mademoiselle.”

He left, and I was making a few last-minute adjustments when Brandt strolled into the room and whistled.

“Whew, you’re going all out tonight. What time is Ainsley due here?”

Looking down at my watch, I responded, “About two hours. What’s up?”

Brandt had one of those shit-eating grins on his face, and I rolled my eyes.

“You’ve got it bad for this girl. I think she’s good for you. She came by before her test today to thank me for giving you Jason’s name. She said she had tried to stop by earlier in the week, but I wasn’t here.”

I walked back into my office to get a drink. “Yeah, she texted me that she was finally able to see you.”

Brandt sat down and threw his arm over the back of the chair. He was wearing a Thrillhammers T-shirt that had hammers going around in a circle.

“Have you decided what you’re going to do about your parents’ anniversary party?”

I sat down, too, in the chair across from him. “I think I’m going to go, but I’m not ready to commit yet. I’m thinking about bringing Ainsley with me, but I don’t know since Jake will be there. I still have four weeks.”

Brandt cracked his neck. “Do you not trust her?”

“Yeah, I do, but I don’t want that asshole touching any part of my life. Ainsley and I are in a good place. Jake has always tried to ruin things for me.” I scrubbed a hand down my face, thinking about all the shit he was probably going to try

when he knew I had someone.

“Yeah, he’s a prick. He’s always been jealous of you. When we opened up the club, I lost count of how many times he tried to report us. I get it, but at some point, Ainsley’s going to want to be a part of your whole life.”

When I thought about taking my relationship with Ainsley to the next level, it terrified me. I liked when the progress naturally happened and wasn’t planned.

“Yeah, I’ll cross that road when it comes. We’ll see. Have you thought anymore about telling Nikola you’re better and explaining what happened, like your counselor suggested?”

He cracked his neck to the other side. “I royally fucked up. I heard she’s dating someone. Nikola deserves to be happy. You know what I put her through—hell, what I did to everyone. It’s what I deserve. Let’s not talk about it.”

I held up my hands in surrender. I could always tell when Brandt’s mind was made up. “That works. It’s your decision. Just keep your options open.”

I knew he still thought about her. It was why he had only slept with one person since their horrendous breakup. I knew he still loved her, but that was for them to sort out. I’d keep nudging Brandt to talk to Nikola, and it would either happen, or it wouldn’t.

Brandt stood up and ran his hands down his jeans. It was a nervous habit of his. Obviously, thinking about Nikola had put him on edge.

He changed the subject. “On the Gerald thing, you need me to decline going back to his law firm for some bullshit reason that has nothing to do with you or Ainsley, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t want her to get blamed for something I decided. I’m sorry to put you in that situation.”

He gave me a don’t-be-ridiculous look. “You’re not putting me in a situation. I don’t want Ainsley getting any unnecessary shit either.”

“Thanks.”

He stretched in a way that caused his back to pop. “That staffing agency is sending over three candidates. Also, that Matt guy Hampton recommended will be here in twenty minutes. Do you want to interview them with me?”

I stood, too. Brandt knew the answer to that.

“Yeah. I know you’re against having someone else for security because you like doing it, but we need some additional help if we want lives outside this club.”