Time For Pleasure (12 page)

Chapter Nine

“You’ve been avoiding my calls.”

 
“I know,” Mackenzie said with a nod.

Ashton sent her a disgruntled look as he took a seat at the bar. “Why didn’t you tell me Kaelyn was the same deranged chick who was suing the dealership?”

Mackenzie popped the cap off a bottle of beer and plunked it on the bar in front of him before replying, “Because you didn’t ask. And from day one I told you not to go there.”

He glared at her standing behind the bar with a hand at her dainty hip. “You see what good that did.” The second he spotted the raven-haired beauty on stage, he knew he’d be a goner.

“So what happened?”

His body tensed. “She overheard me on the phone with my brother talking about the dealership,” he muttered, then cursed under his breath.

“Oh,” Mackenzie said and seemed clearly amused. “I wish I could have been there for that!”

Ashton raised the bottle to his lips and took a sip before answering coolly, “No you don’t. It was quite heated.” He shook his head and muttered, “I had no idea she was a pistol.”

 
“You should have seen her in college when a jock made a pass at her,” Mackenzie began and chuckled. “You could hear Kaelyn going off clear on the other side of campus.”

Ashton shook his head again. When he had swung around on the deck and found Kaelyn standing there, he had immediately ended the call. He’d barely got his clothes on before she was shoving him and his toolbox out the front door with a slam. Ever since he’d been trying to get her to talk to him, but after three days, Kaelyn still refused to listen to anything he had to say.

“She accused me of pretending to be interested so I could sweet talk her into dropping the charges.”

Mackenzie folded her arms and leveled a look at him. “Yep. That sounds like Lynn, but can you blame her?”

Ashton sucked in a deep breath.
No
. Once he’d had a chance to think about how the weekend had played out, he couldn’t blame her at all.

“Trust is hard for her. Her father walked out on her. Even her last relationship ended badly,” she explained.

He felt his jaw clenched. “What do you mean by
bad
?”

Mackenzie hesitated then leaned over with elbows on the counter. “She was with this guy for almost four years when he decided to break it off a week before their wedding and marry someone else.”

Ashton shook his head as anger seeped inside. “Damn.” When he thought of her with any other man something possessive and territorial came over him, especially if that person hurt her.

“Kaelyn really thought they had a future. But he’d been lying to her for years. That bastard already had a two-month-old son.” Mackenzie released a few choice words as she grabbed a frosted glass. “Ash, you should have been honest with her.”

Ashton drew a deep breath. She was right. He should have told her from the start who he was instead of allowing her to continue to think he was just a delivery guy and part owner of Kilmer Appliances.

“I fucked up,” he admitted.

Mackenzie poured beer from the tap, filling the glass and nodded. “I agree. So how are you going to fix it?”

Ashton sighed. He didn’t have a clue. By the time he’d made it into the office the next morning, he still hadn’t figured out a plan.

Ashton waved at his assistant, then walked back to his office and tried to take his mind off of Kaelyn by burying himself in his work. He had several financial reports to review and he was planning to accompany Glen at an auto auction later that afternoon. Anything to get him to stop thinking about her. He was reviewing last month’s impressive sales report when there was a knock at the door.

“Excuse me Mr. Kilmer, do you have a moment?”

He looked up to find one of his long-time mechanics, Rafael Cavazos, standing in the doorway. “Hey, come on in.” Ashton waved him into the room, glad to have a momentary distraction. The short Hispanic man shuffled slowly into the office. Ashton could tell whatever was bothering him was heavy on his mind.
 
“What’s going on?” he asked and leaned forward with steepled hands on the desk.

He wet his lips nervously. “Mr. Kilmer, I don’t know how to say this, but… I was paid to tamper with that Volvo.”

A fist knotted in his gut, just like someone had punched him. “What did you just say?” he said slowly and noticed how Rafael backed up slightly and dropped his gaze to the floor.

 
“For the last year I’ve been rolling back odometers and passing cars that shouldn’t have passed inspection.”

Ashton’s nostrils flared slightly and his chest rose and fell more rapidly. “Who paid you?”

Rafael glanced guiltily back up at him. “I-I know what I was doing w-was wrong, but I-I needed the money.” Ashton was well aware of his mother’s battle with cancer. He had done everything he could to get him time off, but that was no excuse.

He slammed his palms on the desk and Rafael flinched. “Who paid you?” Ashton repeated impatiently.

Trapped in the angry, heated gaze, Rafael swallowed and replied, “Glen paid me.”

Ashton sprung from the chair and stormed down the hall, then opened the door to Glen’s office with a force. “What the hell have you been doing?” he barked.

Glen’s head whipped around in surprise, then a curious look marred his face. “What are you talking about?” he asked and had the nerve to look clueless.

His voice was tight with anger. “You know what the hell I’m talking about. Rolling back the odometers on my cars!”

The smile slipped from his lips and Glen turned pale the moment he spotted Rafael standing in the doorway.

“I-I can explain,” he stammered.

“How about you explain this fist in your mouth!” Ashton growled, then hopped across the desk and his fist caught Glen in the jaw. The two fell onto the floor and Ashton groaned as his shoulder hit the end of the desk.

“
Are you crazy?”
Glen shrieked with disbelief.

“No, but I’ll show you crazy!” His fury spiraled out of control. Ashton swung again and Glen went down holding his nose and crying out in pain. Rafael stepped between them.

“Boss, no!” Rafael shouted and helped him off the floor.

“You’re finished at this company, you hear me? You’re done!” Ashton raged and jerked away from Rafael’s grasp.

Hugging the wall, Glen rose slowly to his feet. “We’ve been the top dealership in the region for the last two years. I made that happen! I did that,” he reminded, his lips curled in a surly twist.

“By deceiving our customers? Are you serious?” Ashton shouted with disgust.

Shaking his head, Glen looked at Ashton as if he was the one being ridiculous. “But don’t you see. I was just trying to keep us on top!” he cried. “That’s all I was trying to do!”

“You have ten minutes to pack your shit and get the fuck off my property before I have you arrested,” Ashton said in a menacing voice, then he turned and stormed out the office.

Damn him. Damn him to hell
. Whatever it took, he was going to find a way to make things right with Kaelyn.

Chapter Ten

In the last week Kaelyn wrapped up her business with the Chamber of Commerce. Photographs had been edited and processed for the new brochure. The commission had been quite impressed with her work and had given her a nice bonus. Word traveled fast, because since then several offers had come through via e-mail, including a phone call from Jabarie Beaumont for her to do a family portrait on canvas. She smiled, pleased at how well business was going. Things couldn’t be better.

That wasn’t completely true, she thought, as she slumped back in her office chair. She missed Ashton like crazy. And hated herself for it. How could a man appear so loving… kind, and goddamn sexy, and be such a liar?

She took an angry bite of her cinnamon roll and sipped her coffee. When she’d decided to take his picture, Kaelyn had no idea she was going to walk in on the tail end of a conversation she would have preferred not to hear. But the second she discovered Ashton’s true identity, her entire body tensed and she forgot to breathe.

Abruptly, she sprang from the chair and stormed down the hall to the kitchen, clenching the coffee cup so tightly tension traveled up her arms. She was furious and had every right to be mad at him and Mackenzie for not telling her the truth. Kaelyn called her only seconds after slamming the door in Ashton’s face.

Mackenzie wasted no time explaining. “You liked him so much, I didn’t have the heart to tell you the truth.”

“But you’re supposed to be my friend!” she had cried into the receiver.

“You’re right. I am, which is why I’m staying out of it.” With that Kaelyn heard a click and the phone went dead. Of course it only angered her more because she was certain the two were conspiring against her.

Ashton Ray Kilmer was the owner of Platinum Pre-Owned Automotive. He knew all along who she was, yet he had kept his identity a secret. He had played her and she hated feeling like a fool. She shook her head as confusion swirled inside. She was still having a hard time believing the sweet man who had the ability to make her entire body come to life with a single kiss was a snake! Why would he do something like that? That was the part that was so unclear. She thought Ashton cared about her. She wanted so much to believe there was a logical explanation.

 
Well, maybe there was if she had given Ashton a chance to explain.

The moment he spotted Kaelyn standing behind him, Ashton ended his call and immediately tried to explain. Only she didn’t give him a chance. Instead she flung his clothes at him and wasted no time putting him out of her cottage. Since then she’d refused all of his calls and attempts to contact her. She had even skipped karaoke night and she never missed Fridays at Spanky’s.

And to think I thought I was falling in love.

Story of her life
, she thought as tears welled up in her eyes.

Always jumping into relationships, wearing her heart on her sleeve and look where it had gotten her.

Damn him!

Last night, she’d tried to look on the bright side. Ashton had helped her out of her sexual drought. In fact, Ashton was responsible for giving her the best sex of her life.

Damn him to hell!

Now her body was going to crave what only he could offer. As far as she was concerned, Ashton was no better than Tip. Both had used her, taking what they needed and lied to her.

The enormity of his betrayal suddenly hit home. With a violent gesture, Kaelyn flung the plastic mug across her kitchen, and it hit the wall, bounced off the counter, then fell onto the floor. She then slumped into a chair at the kitchen table and cried, sobs racked her body. “
Why
?” she whispered. “
Why does this keep happening to me
?”

First her father betrayed her, making false promises and then over the years one man after another whispering false words of love and affection. And each and every time she vowed never to be that vulnerable again, to harden her heart to the next man, only she never could.
I’m just not wired that way
, she decided with a shaky breath.

Kaelyn sat there sobbing and getting it out of her system. Sometimes all it took was a good cry before she chalked it up as a learning experience and moved on. After a few moments, she rose, picked up the mug and warmed up another sweet roll. Fifteen minutes later, she was licking icing from her fingers and feeling somewhat better.

Back in her office, Kaelyn forced herself to get to work. She had things to do and the last thing she was going to do was allow Ashton Ray Kilmer to continue to distract her from her work.

For the next hour she busied herself loading samples
onto her website.
Over
the years she had created a great reputation, and
Chamber House Design
s
was starting to blow up.
As she scrolled through the most recent photographs she had uploaded from her SED card, her breath stalled when she saw a photo of
Ashton
that evening standin
g on the balcony
.
Gaw
d
, he was gorgeous
!
He had her itching to place her hands on the computer screen and trace over
his
back and butt among other
things.
 

Bastard
!

Kaelyn was selecting the photographs for deletion when she heard gravel spinning and practically jumped from the chair. She raced to the front of the house, peered out the window and spotted a beautiful Volvo pulling onto her driveway. She slipped her feet into a pair of flip flops, then hurried off the porch to meet a short Hispanic man as he was coming up her driveway.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“Are you Kaelyn Chambers?”

She nodded.

“I have something for you,” he said and handed her a key.

“What this?” she asked. Her brow rose with puzzlement.

“The
 
key to your new car. It’s yours,” he replied and pointed out into the driveway.

“What?” Kaelyn was stunned as she stepped off the steps and walked over to the car with her mouth wide open.

“What? How… why?”

“It’s from Mr. Kilmer.”

“Uh-uh, I don’t want anything from him!” She held out the key, but he shook his head and refused to take it back.

“I was also instructed to give you this envelope.” Reluctantly, Kaelyn took the small white envelope and what she saw inside made her gasp. “This is a check for $5000!”

He nodded. “ Yes ma’am. The same amount you were suing for.”

“So he really was guilty,” she mumbled and her shoulders sank with disappointment. Part of her had hoped that it had all been a misunderstanding. “Thanks,” she mumbled and started to walk away when he called after her.

“Ma’am, before I leave I’d like to apologize.”

Kaelyn swung around. “For what?”

“I was the one who inspected your car.”

Her brow bunched with confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“I was paid by our sales manager to pass cars even if they weren’t up to par--in order to receive top dollar,” he repeated slowly, softly.

“Did Ashton have any idea what was going on?”

“No ma’am.” He cleared his throat. “If I could have a glass of water, I would be happy to sit and explain.”

With growing curiosity, Kaelyn nodded. “Sure, come on inside.”

* * *

Ashton ordered a pizza then tossed his phone onto the coffee table with a weary sigh. There was an annual car show in Rehoboth Beach with high-end vehicles from all over. He attended every year and looked forward to the event. But not now. There was only one place he wanted to be and that was with Kaelyn at her cozy little cottage, instead of his dreary condo.

His eyes scanned the bare walls. He had planned to buy some of the photographs she had taken while they were walking around town so he could have them framed and displayed throughout his place, hoping to bring life to the place the way it had done to hers. Yet after the incident he couldn’t even get her to return his calls.

He flicked through the television channels thinking about Kaelyn. Wondering what she was doing. If she was curled on her comfy couch or in her office editing photographs. Or lying in her bed they’d spent so much time in making incredible love.

Ashton felt his body stir and he shifted uncomfortably on the recliner. Ever since she’d stepped onto that stage, he’d been dealing with a constant hard-on. How could he resist with thoughts of her delicious curves, wild hair and sensual smile? He growled at the throbbing increasing at his loins.

Another cold shower for you.

Trying to get her off his mind, Ashton surfed the television some more but every raven-haired woman reminded him of Kaelyn.

It had been hours since Rafael had delivered the car and as instructed he called as soon as he pulled out her driveway, relaying every detail of their conversation over lemonade. Since then Ashton had been watching the phone, waiting for her call. And yet there was still nothing.

“Hell!” he cried.

What was it about that woman he couldn’t get out of his head? Why couldn’t he go five minutes without thinking… wanting… needing her. Kaelyn was like a drug he couldn’t live without. Was this love? It was definitely different from what he’d felt with his ex-wife. It was more powerful, addictive. And one thing for sure, he wanted more.

Reaching for his phone, he dialed her number, and just as he thought she didn’t answer.

“… Kaelyn, you have two days and then I’m coming to get you.”