Ash shook his head. “She didn’t. And regardless of how shitty she may have treated me in the past, I do realize that she didn’t really have a choice. Mom wouldn’t have allowed anything else. She seems sincere now, and if she is, then I’ll do whatever I can to help her. I don’t care what my parents and other siblings think of me. Brittany hasn’t gotten to that point yet, but she will.”
“Other siblings? How many do you have?”
“Three including Brittany. I have two older brothers who are both in their forties and neither one of them can support their families without help from my parents and the old man.”
“That’s sad. So if you don’t have anything to do with them, how did you make it? I mean you’re obviously successful.”
“I think it’s your turn,” he pointed out. “I’ve spilled my guts and so far all I know about you is that your dad is an asshole and your mother passed away after a long battle with cancer.”
“I’ll let you ask a question as soon as you answer my last one.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Then I get two because you’re already over quota.”
Her lips twitched in amusement. “Do you have any idea how sterile this conversation is with all the talk of keeping score?”
“It doesn’t have to be. And okay, I’ll answer, but this is the last one until you catch up.”
“Deal,” she said with a smile.
“I became friends with Gabe Hamilton and Jace Crestwell in college. Jace’s parents were killed in an accident when he was twenty and he had to take over caring for his much younger sister. Our focus changed after that. Before we had a fuck-it attitude and while we made the grades, we were more concerned with beer and women. We formed our business as soon as we were out of college. We started with a single hotel. Poured our heart and soul into it, and every penny we could scrape up or borrow. We waited a year before we expanded. Using the first hotel as collateral, we were able to secure financing for another property. From there, using the early hotels and their success, we expanded rapidly and began to have an easier time finding investors.”
“So your family had nothing to do with your success, then.”
“None whatsoever,” he bit out. “I wouldn’t take a dime from them. Didn’t want the strings attached. And I wanted them to have no part of my business.”
“Guess they didn’t take that very well,” she murmured.
He grinned. “Nope. They were pissed that A: I made it without them and B: I don’t give them money. It’s kind of like if your dad showed up tomorrow and wanted you to be one big happy family.”
Her eyes grew stormy and her lips tightened at the mention of her father.
He leaned forward, sliding his hand across the table to cover hers once more. A muscle jumped in her arm and she shivered, chill bumps forming and racing across her skin.
“Now it’s my turn to ask you twenty questions.”
“Hey, I didn’t ask you twenty.”
“Close enough,” he muttered.
She sighed. “Okay, okay. Ask away.”
His gaze immediately went to her neck. To that pale ring where the collar had rested. It had been the first thing he’d noticed when she’d walked out of the pawnshop, and he hadn’t dared to get his hopes up. But the fact that she’d accepted his dinner invitation, even if he’d blackmailed her, and that she didn’t wear the collar tonight as a barrier between them, told him that she was at least intrigued by this thing between them. Whatever the hell it was.
“Why aren’t you wearing the collar?” he asked softly.
Her free hand went immediately to her neck, and consternation shone brightly in her eyes. But she remained quiet, lips firmly pressed together.
“Josie? Why aren’t you wearing the collar?”
She sighed. “I’m not seeing him anymore.”
He had to work hard not to react to that piece of news. He’d suspected as much, but he hadn’t wanted to jump to any conclusions.
“What happened?”
She pulled her hand away from his, dropping it into her lap. She looked down, refusing to meet his gaze. He waited, not letting her off the hook. This was too important. He wanted to know everything.
“Did you break it off or did he?” he finally asked.
“I did.”
“Want to tell me why? What happened, Josie?”
Her head popped up, her eyes flashing. “You’re what happened, Ash. You.”
chapter seven