Chapter Six Jaxson

T he moment I step into the dimly lit lounge of the hotel, I spot Asher. He waves me over to where he’s sitting at a two-seater table on the far side of the lounge area. The small dark wood table accented with red pleather armchairs makes for a more quiet setting. To which I’m sure he is angling for especially since he was on the hot topic of selling the property.

“It’s good to see you, man,” Asher says once I’m seated.

“You’re looking good,” I respond. “Guess playing pro agrees with you.”

I’m tall at six feet, but Ash has four inches on me. And although we played football together in high school, along with Knox, Ash has always had the build for a quarterback with his wide shoulders and the muscle tone and height to match.

“Yeah,” he chuckles. “For the most part. I love the game, you know that. But sometimes, it does take too much out of you. ”

My eyes widen slightly at his words. It’s definitely not what I expected him to say considering how much going pro and living the life was all I ever remember him talking about. But I guess in a way, I can see where it could be taxing on someone.

I’d have been right there with him had I not tore my ACL in college. One wrong move and my football career was over. And though at one point, I thought it was the end of the world, it actually became my blessing. Because if it wasn’t for that incident, I wouldn’t have ever found my true calling. Cooking.

Though I can’t help but wonder if I had not, would I be living Ash’s life right alongside him?

“It’s good to have you back here, though. It seems like it’s been ages since I’ve last seen you.”

He nods, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he lifts his crystal glass of amber liquid to his lips taking a long sip. It’s in that moment that the dim lighting really highlights how run down Ash may really be. Regardless of his perfectly styled brown hair and well-dressed appearance, there’s a dark hooded gaze within his eyes—and bags underneath them to match.

“Yeah, it has. Shit’s been busy that’s for sure,” he replies, shaking his head. “I’m exhausted.”

We have lived different lives, but I’m all too familiar with how crazy things can get. And with Asher being a huge football player, he’s probably getting endorsements left and right for stuff. So between playing, practice, and other work outside… I don’t doubt he’s exhausted.

Which explains why it’s clearly written out by his facial expressions.

“Hopefully, you can get some rest while you’re here.”

His eyes turn to me and he laughs. “Doubt that too, but you never know. It’s definitely something being back here though. When I was on my back here… I kept thinking about Mrs. Kendall and why she wanted us here.”

The moment the waitress shows up, he stops talking. Both of us watch as she sets two whiskey glasses down on the table in front of us. My eyes meet his gaze with a lifted brow.

“I ordered for you,” he replies with a wave of his hand.

I open my mouth to thank him, but he continues, “Never in a million years did I think the old lady would leave us her property. ”

Clearing my throat, I lift my whiskey to my lips and nod. “Me neither. She’s always been crafty, so I just figured it was to have us all gathered around in her house one last time.”

“I think it’s going to be longer than that,” he replies with irritation in his tone as his green eyes narrow absently towards a blonde server walking by. “No one can decide what to do with the house, let alone a treehouse.”

“Right… And we all have to be in agreement.”

He scoffs, clearly irritated with my obvious comment. I knew he heard exactly what I did, but he needs to be reminded of that. It isn’t just what he and Dante want. It’s about what we all want.

And that makes things even more complicated because we haven’t done stuff as a group in years.

“Yeah, I know,” he finally grumbles. “Problem is, my schedule is hectic right now and I’m worried if we don’t get this situated… I’ll have to leave before it is.”

“I get it… I’m honestly in the same boat as you. But we just have to make things work.”

His eyes drift to mine for a moment before he lets out a heavy breath and nods. “Yeah, you’re right. Shit, man… I still can’t wrap my mind around being back here. It’s crazy how things haven’t honestly changed that much.”

“Yeah, except for it being more peaceful. We raised hell around these parts in our high school days.”

My comment causes us both to laugh, my mind drifting down memory lane towards all the shit Asher, Knox, and I used to get up to. From sneaking out to parties to sneaking into people's backyards to swim late at night without them knowing.

“It’s funny how time flies when you get older.”

Gazing back at Asher, I find him staring at me with a mischievous gaze in his eyes. “I still can’t believe it.”

“Believe what?”

“Jaxson Rivers is a fucking chef.” He laughs, waving his hand dismissively in the air. As if me being a chef is an impossible task. “I mean, I know you had to find something else to do after the injury… but I never thought you’d turn to cooking. ”

“Man,” I start, shaking my head with a smirk as I stare at him. “Did I say things like an arrogant ass when I was in my football days?”

Actually, yeah, I probably did sound just like Ash.

My comment causes Asher and I both to laugh as he shrugs his shoulders and takes a sip of his drink. “I mean… you were my wingman back in the day. But even after all that shit with you happened, you still came out as a very wealthy man.”

“Wealthy?” I scoff, shaking my head with a smile. “I’m comfortable.”

“Comfortable my ass.”

“Yeah, and you’re not doing so bad yourself,” I remind him. To which he gives a touché gesture.

Grinning, we toast each other for our good fortune and business sense. He waves at the waitress to bring us another round of drinks. The conversation flows from everyday nonsense that we had gotten up to into all the batshit crazy things I’ve done in search of excitement.

“You went skydiving where? ” Asher gasps, eyes wide and a smile spread from ear to ear.

“Africa.”

“The fuck… like with elephants and shit?” I can’t help but find amusement in his words at the shock at all of my adventures since we last hung out. I might not play football anymore, but I’m still chasing the same rush.

I want adventure, while still doing what I love.

“Well, I didn’t see elephants during that part of my time there,” I reply, sipping on my drink. “But the guys and I did one of those sightseeing safaris afterward. You should try it.”

Shaking his head, laughter erupts from his throat. “I’m okay on that front. Though, from the sounds of it you’ve been everywhere haven’t you?”

“Not everywhere,” I reply with a shrug of my shoulder. “I have a bucket list I’m slowly checking off.”

“Well, it’s good to have you back here. I don’t think it would have been as… enjoyable if you hadn’t been here.”

Raising a brow, the corner of my lips perks up as I shake my head. “I’m sure there is someone else here that would have preoccupied your mind. Or, from your reputation, several someones. ”

His eyes meet mine, speechless. Almost as if he is pondering over his words carefully before he speaks. “They’re ours for the pickings, am I right?” He gives a sardonic little salute with his glass, his tone surprisingly flat.

It was fun for a while, taking a different girl home every night, but it got boring. And honestly, I don’t think I can see Kylie, Sam, or… The thought of Madi’s gorgeous eyes staring up at me stops me in my tracks once more. Why is it that every time I think of this woman my cock twitches as if expecting her to warm it?

“I’m not here for that,” I tell him, clearing my throat. “I tried the whole just for fun sort of thing when I played ball and especially after I made a name for myself as a chef. Once they knew I had money, they were all over me, hoping to cash in on a rich bachelor to make their lives easier.”

But it wasn’t just the women. The worst part of fame and fortune is never knowing who your friends really are. Do they like me for me or what I can give them? I finally figured out that none of those people would be there for me unless I called them up to take them to the next exclusive club, the next VIP event, or the next sold-out sports event. It might be my money or it might be the popularity perk that comes with having a billionaire friend, but rarely were they hanging out with me because they genuinely wanted to.

From Ash’s tone and the wry gleam in his eyes, I get the feeling he feels similar.

“I got tired of that shit,” I admit. “And when I tried to settle down and really commit… Damn, did I choose the wrong girl to try and build a relationship with.”

Ash nods, and I can see he understands me. It looks like he’s tired of playing the field too. Hell, it’s a lot of fun at first, but the high of popularity clears and reality sets in after a while.

“I take it you had a run in with a bad situation?” he asks, not really fishing but making casual conversation.

“Something like that…” I mutter. “Caitlin, the girl I was seeing, seemed like the right girl at the time. Hell, she’s gorgeous and comes from a rich background in the same industry as myself, so I didn’t think she was after me for my money. At the time.”

He grimaces at my comment, shaking his head. “You want to talk about it? I’m sure that couldn’t have been easy.”

I hadn’t planned to come down and talk about Caitlin when I agreed to this time with Ash. But now that I was here with him and had a few drinks in me, the idea seemed appealing. I hadn’t had the opportunity to really vent how I felt after she did what she did.

She was the first girl I really took an interest in after I decided to stop chasing every skirt that came my way. The first girl I wanted to open myself up to, and in the end… she was just like the rest of them out there.

Before I can say anything, the waitress comes over with a few menus handing them to Ash and I. Though I wasn’t thinking about food before, it’s late, and with the amount of alcohol that Ash and I are putting down, it’s probably a good idea to eat something.

“And for you, sir?” the petite blonde asks, batting her lashes.

“Let me just get the steak, medium rare, seasonal vegetables, and a house salad.”

She pauses for a moment, as if expecting me to say something else before she finally turns to leave.

I don’t miss the way that she was attempting to flirt with me, but at the same time—I couldn’t care less.

“She’s cute…” Asher’s words make me wrinkle my nose and curl my lip in distaste before shaking my head.

“With desperation. No, thank you.”

He laughs. “Well, continue with what you were saying… What happened with this girl?”

“It was a complicated situation. I work long, hard hours to make sure my restaurant and reputation don’t suffer. And she seemed to understand that, in the beginning. In fact, at first, she was very supportive and always offered to help, if she could. But then she… changed.”

“She changed?” he asks, furrowing his gaze. “What do you mean?”

“Well, she was very controlling and could be vindictive, too. One time, Caitlin and I were arguing over the fact that she wanted to take a trip to Bali since her family was going. She told me that I didn’t need to be at work all the time, and they would be fine without me. But I explained to her that there was an important charity event at my largest restaurant coming up and I wanted to make sure it went flawlessly. ”

Ash scoffs, shaking his head. “I take it she didn’t appreciate you telling her no?”

“Nope,” I chuckle. “She sure didn’t. In fact, she was livid. Started telling me that I must be seeing someone on the side because no man in their right mind would turn down going somewhere like that with a beautiful woman. I tried explaining to her again why I couldn’t and that if she wanted to go with her family she could, but that only set her off more.”

“It was a fucking charity event!” he exclaims in a hushed way, his eyes darting around the room. “What did she expect? That stuff takes time.”

“I know,” I reply, shaking my head.

“So, what did she do?”

I think back to the night that shit fell apart with her and how she had acted. Her dramatic entrance into my restaurant that night.

“She went ballistic in the kitchen of my restaurant, accused me of having an affair with an intern, and demanded the girl be fired. Turns out she had been giving the intern a hard time for a while and I didn’t even know because the poor girl was too scared she would lose her place with me. I’ll just say we didn’t last too much longer after that.”

“Well fuck,” Ash says with a low whistle as he shakes his head. “At least you dodged a bullet before it had time to burrow too deep.”

“No kidding,” I laughed, shaking my head. “I only found out after that she was planning a half million dollar wedding and buying a shit ton of other stuff without me knowing. I mean, money isn’t an issue but typically when you plan shit like that your partner is involved.”

We’re both quiet as the waiter brings us another round. The last thing we want is for someone working here to hear the details of the next bit of juicy gossip to splash across the tabloids.

“On a side note,” Ash says the moment the waitress leaves, “Sam looked so fucking good today.”

The sigh that exits his lips at his statement is quickly followed by a soft mutter that doesn’t miss my ears: “Fuck, I can’t believe how much I still miss her.”

I blink at the change of topic, pretending to not have heard his mumbled response. “I dunno, man. She looks the same as she did in high school. ”

“Exactly.” He nods in reply. “She’s barely aged a bit. But she still looks hot as hell.”

I disagree with a slight shake of my head. “I think it’s Kylie and Madison who look totally different. I mean, did you see the curves on Madison?”

“Yeah, she’s filled out a bit from school. But she’s still a loud-mouthed brat.”

We both laugh at that, but I don’t find her attitude offensive. It’s just her personality, and if there’s one thing we can count on with Madi, it’s that she won’t leave you guessing what she thinks.

I was surprised when I saw her, though. When I told Ash she’d really filled out, I meant it. Back in high school, she was a stick. So thin that the girls were able to toss her in the air for tricks during games. The flier of our high school cheerleading team. But now… She’s a knockout now. No longer the stick I once knew. Instead, Madi has curves in all the right places. A firm voluptuous ass and big perky tits that accentuate her tiny waist. It was all I could do not to stare at her at Mrs. Kendall’s house, imagining her in front of me once again.

Glancing down at my phone. How did it get so late?

“Well, bro, I need to take off,” I say, standing and tossing some bills on the table to pay my tab.

“No problem,” Ash stands and shakes my hand. “Don’t let this be the only time we get together. We need to do it again.”

“Sounds like a plan. Hit me up, and I’ll meet you.”