“You should know by now, Nash, that I’m a woman of my word,” she kept her voice low so that only I could hear her.
Christ, this conversation had to come to an end or else I was going to bust a nut in my mother’s kitchen. “I look forward to it,” I said, and left her to go and get drinks for everyone.
***
My family loved Velvet. They fawned all over her during dinner while I sat back and took it all in. It had been a different story with Gabriella; they hadn’t liked her from the beginning so this was new to me. It was good; good in a way I never thought would happen in my life. And to say it scared the shit outta me was putting it mildly.
“What do you do for a living, Velvet?” Jamison asked.
She struggled to answer this question which was odd. Velvet loved what she did, she’d told me numerous times, so I didn’t understand why she had that deer in the headlights look on her face. “I’m a stripper at Indigo,” she finally said but there was hesitation in her voice.
Perception was one of Jamison’s gifts. He leant towards her and asked, “Does it pay your bills, gorgeous?”
She blinked, obviously not expecting what he’d said. “Yes.”
He nodded. “Well hold your head high because there’s a lot of fucking bludgers out there who bleed the government dry rather than get off their ass and work. You make an honest living and pay your own way; it doesn’t matter how you do it.”
Erika raised her wine glass. “Cheers to that,” she agreed and took a sip while giving Velvet a kind smile.
Velvet’s shoulders sagged and she seemed relieved. “Thank you.”
I jerked my chin at Jamison and he nodded in response. I’d thank him for that later. For now, I slid my arm around Velvet’s shoulders and pulled her close so I could whisper in her ear, “We need to eat dessert really fuckin’ quick.”
She placed her hand on my leg, close to my dick, and purred, “But, Nash, I think your mum has a story about your childhood to tell me. We can’t be rude now.” She moved her hand up and down my leg slowly, teasing me.
“I fuckin’ knew it,” I muttered.
She turned to me in genuine surprise. “What?”
“I knew you two together were a bad idea.”
Her head fell back slightly and she laughed, and my dick dug his own grave.
Chapter 18
Pornstar Dancing ~ My Darkest Days
Nash
Monday morning rolled around fast, and I dropped Velvet back at her house after she’d stayed with me last night. She had treated me to a long night of sex and was worn out this morning. I couldn’t wait to get my hands back on her tonight.
After I dropped her off, I headed over to Blade’s warehouse to meet Scott who was waiting for me there.
I surveyed the warehouse in front of us. “Shit, brother, what does Blade actually do? This joint is huge,” I said to Scott.
“I’m still not sure what he does. He likes to keep shit to himself and I don’t ask.”
“You have much to do with him now, after all the shit with Black Deeds?”
“Not really, and that’s the way I like it.”
We were greeted at the door by a beefy looking guy who escorted us up to Blade’s office on the second floor. He was on the phone and motioned for us to take a seat. Blade ended his call and gave us his attention. “What can I do for you?” The intensity this guy exuded was off the charts. I wondered if he ever chilled; I highly doubted it. Even at Madison’s wedding, he hadn’t let his hair down and relaxed.
Scott spoke first. “Nash asked me for some help with a personal matter, and I suggested you might be able to help him.”
“With what?”
I answered him, “A friend of mine has an ex-husband who is trying to bully her into an agreement. I’ve only met him once but he seems like a real piece of work. He has a high public profile so I’m thinking we need to come up with something different to our usual way of dealing with this shit and I figure you could be the man to help us with that.”
“Who is it?” He wasn’t big on saying more than he had to which I respected.
“James Carr.”
His brows shot up. “Fuck.”
“You obviously know of him, then,” Scott said.
“Know him? I have a long, hard history with that family. They bully people into shit all the time so I can only imagine what he’s doing to his ex. I’ve got dirt on him that would send him to prison for a very long time.”
“I just need something to stop him harassing Velvet.”
“What’s he want from her?” Blade enquired, leaning back in his chair.
“He’s going into politics and wants her to sign an agreement that ensures she won’t talk publicly about him or their relationship.”
“Yeah, I bet she could tell a story or two that would shock that family’s adoring public,” he mused. “I’ve heard he’s got a violent streak where women are concerned.”
Anger pumped through me at the thought of what he’d done to Velvet during their marriage. “I’d believe that after the way I saw him treat Velvet.”