Beneath The Lies (16 page)

“How short are you?” I can tell he’s concerned by the tone he used, which has me hesitating.

“Kate. How much?”

I swallow then blurt it out. “Fifty thousand.” Gavin’s eyes go huge.

“That’s tuition and books for the next three semesters and room and board for almost two years.” My eyes dart around the room. I feel foolish for the need to justify the amount I need. I know it’s ridiculous to feel this way, but I do.

“According to your lawyer, you can sell this stock and you’ll have enough?”

“Yes, but here’s my dilemma. If I choose to sell to this one particular company I could sell a lot less because they are offering well over the amount the stock is worth. But they already own stock in the company. That means they must have a reason why they are that determined to buy more, right?”

I can see a slight scowl form on Gavin’s features. “How much stock do they own now?”

“I think he said The Jentar Group owns twenty-four percent.” I watch in horror as Gavin goes from concerned to angry in a blink of an eye. His body tightens and his jaw ticks.

“What?” I softly ask.

“The Jentar Group?” He practically growls his question at me.

“Yes? That’s what the email said.”

Gavin leaves me waiting in suspense as he huffs around before he finally stops moving and drops his bomb. “The Jentar Group is Leeta. I don’t know if she owns the company out right but she has her hands fairly deep in their pockets, either way.”

“Leeta?” I whisper in shock as chills travel down my arm. How is that possible? During our lunch dates and shopping trips we casually talked about SGS, but never—not even once—did Leeta hint around that she currently owns a large chunk of the company. If anything, the few times she offered to help me out if I needed her to was due to Gavin’s father’s knowledge of the company, not her own.

I look back up at Gavin as acid starts forming in my stomach. I’m not ready to admit—at least to him—that he might be right. That Leeta could have been using me all along.

“A few years ago, I saw something with that logo on it in her office. Since then I’ve seen several more papers with that name on it. Whatever you do, do not sell any stock. To anyone.”

“But—”

“No. I’m serious. If Leeta is looking for more stock then there’s a reason and if you sell to someone else she’ll go to them and offer a crazy amount then they will sell it to her.”

I didn’t want to sell my stock in the first place and Gavin is probably right. But if Leeta is connected to The Jentar Group and they’ve been seeking out my stock then I know there’s more to the story.

Another thought causes me to panic. I have to sell that stock if I want to come up with a way to pay for school. My panic doesn’t go unnoticed by Gavin.

“Don’t worry about it. I have some money put away that we can use to pay for your school. If things get too tight then you’ll move in here sooner than I planned.”

My mouth drops open. Gavin already had plans for me to move in? “Don’t look so shocked. How many times do I have to tell you that you’re it for me? We haven’t been together that long plus with Callie I didn’t want to rush anything, especially since you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Carly yet. But if this is what needs to be done then I’m okay with speeding up the inevitable.”

Gavin isn’t saying sweet words to me to make me feel better. I can tell he meant every single word he said by the serious look on his face. If I had known him for a little longer then I could understand why he would think moving in together is acceptable, but the reality is, I’ve known Gavin Loman for little over a month. As that thought travels through my brain, it feels like a lie. Because I feel like I’ve known him forever.

“I don’t think I can let you spend that kind of money on me. What if—” Gavin closes the distance between us then softly places a hand on each side of my face. “If the roles were reversed would you offer to do the same thing?”

His dark eyes are staring deep into mine. I want to deny his question, but he’s right. I would do exactly what he’s offering if he needed my help. “Kate, your dad wanted you to finish school and I know he doesn’t want my mother to have your stock. If you sell to anyone that’s exactly what will happen. Let me help you. As far as I’m concerned, we’re a team and that makes what’s mine...yours.”

My mother use to say that to my dad all the time.
Marcus, we’re a team. That means good or bad we stick together
. Now I’m a part of my own team with a man that makes me feel things I didn’t know were possible.

“Okay. We’ll work something out. I’m paid up on my apartment until the end of next month. That gives us almost six weeks before—”

“I’ll talk to your landlord. I’m sure you signed a lease. Maybe he’ll let you out of it if you move out before the next month begins. That way he has the chance to make double the rent off the same apartment. Either way I’ll take care of everything.”

“You’re amazing,” I blurt out. And he really is. Gavin is a natural caretaker wrapped up as a sexy bad boy. My words however have embarrassed him. “None of that, with me. If I recall correctly, someone said something like that to me once. I blush when you talk dirty to me and you get embarrassed when I give you a compliment. We’re quite the pair, but I think together we’ll get each other passed our hang-ups.”

Gavin’s look is growing from intense to hungry, which sends a shot of lust throughout my body. His mouth quickly finds mine and that shot of lust turns into full-blown desire.

Gavin’s arms reach around my waist, pulling my ass up and causing me to lift my legs and wrap them around him. We’re walking but our mouths are still attached to each other. I believe were heading to the bedroom but we’re stopped by someone banging on the door.

“Argh. Go away!” I giggle out a laugh at his reaction to the unexpected guest, but my laughter quickly dies.

“Open this door right now, you dumb mother fucker!”

Gavin’s arms tighten around me and he groans into my neck. “Are you ready to meet Carly?”

Carly? Oh lord...

Gavin reluctantly opens the door and I discover I was correct. Carly was the woman who was trying her hardest to get Gavin’s attention that night at The Hill. Today, however, she’s not dressed up and doesn’t look nearly as attractive as I remember.

“Hey, asshole. Did you forget to make a payment?”

An evil smile crosses Gavin’s face. “Nope. I didn’t forget to do shit.”

“My checking account says otherwise.” I start to take a step toward the hallway to leave the two of them alone when Gavin’s hand shoots out to keep me in place. This wasn’t missed by Carly, who turns her nasty sneer toward me. “Don’t get too comfortable, bitch. He always comes back to me. You’re just one of many.”

Gavin warned me that Carly would say horrible things to me, but I still wasn’t expecting her words to pierce my shield as quickly as they did.

“Cut the shit, Carly. When you picked up Callie yesterday, you informed me she wasn’t my daughter. After you left, I called the bank and stopped my weekly auto-payment to your account. Now, Callie is either mine, which means I’ll pay your worthless ass child support, which also means that I not only get to see her when I want, but I have a fucking say in what goes on in her life, or I’m not her father, as you so nicely said yesterday in front of my daughter. You can’t have it both ways.”

Carly’s ugly expression causes a shiver to run down my spine. I can’t imagine what Gavin ever saw in her. “Like I told you yesterday, get rid of your whore and you can see Callie whenever you want to.” I suck in a shocked breath, causing Carly’s hateful attitude to turn on me. “That’s right, you are—”

“Enough. Carly, like I told you yesterday, you don’t have a fucking say in how I live my life.”

“Then why the fuck do you get a say in how I live mine?” she screeches back.

Gavin looks ominous. He’s definitely not someone I would want to mess with right now. And when he speaks his tone is harsher than I’ve ever heard before. “I don’t give a fuck what you do with your pathetic life, as long as it doesn’t involve my daughter. Instead, you’re pawning her off on strangers and taking her around drug dealers, which, fuck yeah, I have a problem with.”

Carly’s arms flap around while she responds to Gavin. “Really? You run an illegal fight club for God’s sake. Quit acting like you’re better than everyone else because you’re not.” Gavin’s chest heaves as he takes in her comment.

“No, Carly...I run a business. A successful business, at that. I have a stable income and home, and if you think for one second that a judge won’t see I’m the better fit for Callie then you’re fucking crazy.”

Carly is clumsily and hesitant with her reply. “You...you think a judge will take her away from her mother and just give her to some guy?”

I gasp as Gavin starts right back in. “You think you have it all figured out? Well, think again. I’ve made weekly child support payments that transfer automatically from my account to yours. I’ve made sure I had proof of every cent I paid you for this exact reason. If you so much as try to prove that I’m not her biological father, then I’ll sue you for every penny I’ve paid you.”

Carly changes tactics by turning to me. “Is this what you want? To come between a father and his child?”

“Don’t you fucking dare make it sound like this has anything to do with Kate. You’ve been a deadbeat mother since the day Callie was born and unfortunately it took me this long to finally stop putting up with your shit.”

I’m quietly standing next to Gavin while they continue to stare each other down. Carly breaks first. “I’m her mother. Not that whore over there. You better remember that.” Carly’s hands are shaking and she seems upset that Gavin didn’t bow down to her threats.

“Then maybe you should start acting like it.” Carly huffs in frustration, but thankfully, she turns and walks out, slamming the door on her way.

Gavin is standing halfway between the doorway and myself with his back to me. I don’t have to see his face to know how upset he is. My natural reaction is to leave him alone, especially while he’s angry, but I know he’s not upset with me, which gives me the courage to walk up behind him and wrap my arms around his waist. After I give him a squeeze, I feel the tension in his muscles draining away.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t listen to anything Carly has to say.” I can hear the pain in his voice.

“I won’t. I promise.”

I want to ask him what in the hell he ever saw in her, but I know now’s not the time. “When do you get Callie again?”

“Right now I don’t fucking know. I’m supposed to have her every other weekend and two nights during the week, but lately I’ve had her whenever Carly is out whoring around. Needless to say I’ve had her more than my scheduled time, but it’s not worth arguing with her. Not as long as she gives me Callie when she takes off. Which, again, has happened a lot lately.”

I’ve been working out some shit that’s going on in my life. Shit I didn’t want to blow back on you.

That’s what he said that night he saw me out on a date with Devon. He was taking care of Callie and protecting me and Callie from Carly’s wrath. “I can handle Carly. And as long as we’re always honest with each other we’ll be fine.”

Gavin turns and looks down at my face. “Lately I’ve had Callie a lot and with...with you moving in here, that will affect you...us, as well.” Sheesh he’s seems determined that I’m going to move in with him, which I’m not certain is a good idea.

“I understand. And the only effect it will have on us will be a positive one. I love kids and Callie is adorable and more importantly, she needs you in her life. Without you God only knows what could have happened to her already.”

Gavin’s eyes shut in pain. Without a doubt, that’s his biggest fear. “We’re a team now, remember? Together we’ll make sure Callie always has a safe place to land.”

When Gavin’s eyes open, I swear I can see love shining in them. Love for Callie, or maybe if I’m really lucky, it’s love for both of us.

****

“Leeta?” I left Gavin’s to come back to my apartment with the idea that I would start boxing up my stuff. Gavin is pushing for me to move in and I know it’s not completely due to my money situation but for now I’m going along with it. What I wasn’t expecting, especially after learning about Leeta and her possible connection to The Jentar Group, was to see her here waiting for me.

“Darling, I thought I would stop by and see your new apartment.” I’m watching her closely for any signs that she’s the evil mother Gavin makes her out to be, but all I see is the same woman who’s been nothing but nice to me.

“Oh, gosh. I should have invited you over by now. I apologize. Yes, please come up and we’ll visit.” Leeta smiles as she wraps her arm around my waist as we head inside.

“My house has been terribly lonely without you. I wished you’d...” Leeta trails off as her eyes take in my small and probably crappy by her standards apartment.

“Oh wow. This is...I mean...” Leeta’s nose is turned up as she gives me a fake smile. “This place is just peachy.” I bust out laughing, which in turn causes Leeta to relax.

“I know this place leaves a lot to be desired, but I wanted to explore life on my own.”