“No, not at all.” Ashleigh glanced down at the counter. “Yes, I tried to call her after I saw you talking to her at the CISS party, but I didn’t leave a message. I just needed her to know that you’re recovering.”
Anger penetrated deep within him at the thought of Ashleigh interfering. Was she telling him the complete truth? Or had she actually talked to Sarah?
“What’s goin’ on in here?”
Dylan turned to see Alex standing in the doorway. He was studying them both intently, probably curious as to why their voices were raised. Dylan didn’t want to go into details, but he needed to mull over this information for a little while. The fact that Ashleigh had sought out Sarah to help him through his … problems...
Was that what Sarah was doing now? Did she pity him? Was he some fucking charity case for her?
The idea did not sit well with him.
“Let’s eat,” Ashleigh stated, drawing him out of his thoughts.
Dylan forced Sarah from his mind, choosing to focus on the here and now.
A few minutes later, after the food was dished up and the three of them were sitting at the dining room table, Dylan took the opportunity to talk to Alex. He explained about his conversation with Trent, about the new club, about his desire to take the position.
“So what’s stopping you?” Alex asked, his fork hanging over his plate.
Dylan reached for his tea glass, looking Alex directly in the eye. “You.”
“Me? What the fuck?”
“I owe you everything,” Dylan said, keeping his voice low. “I let you down in a big way. I damn sure don’t deserve to move on to something else if you don’t approve.”
Alex looked sincerely appalled by the statement. But Dylan continued. “You’ve stood by me, but I haven’t done the same in return.”
“Bullshit,” Alex barked. “You don’t owe me shit. The fact that CISS is having trouble is not your fault.”
“Sure it is.”
“No. It’s not!” Alex got to his feet. “You don’t get to take this all on yourself.”
That wasn’t the reaction Dylan expected. “I fucked up.”
“We all fucked up, Dylan. It’s over and done. You need to move on. And yes, if you’re looking for my blessing to go work for Trent Ramsey, you’ve got it. I want what’s best for you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Dylan didn’t respond. He didn’t know what to say.
“Look,” Alex said, breathing deep, then exhaling slowly. “You suffered a loss that is unfathomable. No one knew it would happen. And you coped with it. Maybe not the right way, but no one blames you for that. The only thing we want is for you to be happy and healthy. That’s all that fucking matters.”
Dylan nodded.
“Please sit down,” Ashleigh whispered to her husband.
Alex lowered himself back to his chair. “I’m sorry,” he said to her.
“It’s okay. We’re all okay. That’s what’s important.”
Dylan agreed with that statement. It was what was important.
But was he really okay?
Or was he now jumping in the deep end? More importantly, was Sarah setting herself up to be his life raft?
chapter TWENTY-FOUR
Wednesday, January 25
SARAH WAS DOING HER ABSOLUTE best not to fidget, but that was harder than it appeared. She was about to officially meet Trent Ramsey.
“Relax,” Dylan whispered in her ear. “He’s just a man.”
The laugh that erupted from her chest sounded eerily like a frog. “A famous man,” she countered. “Like, one of the most famous men in the world.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that,” Dylan told her.
“What? Why?” Sarah stared back at him.
“He doesn’t like it.”
“Really?”
“No. I don’t know.” Dylan’s smile was mischievous. “He probably does. Go fucking nuts.”
Sarah laughed and the tension in her shoulders lessened.
But no sooner had she taken a deep breath than the most gorgeous actor to bestow the big screen stepped up to their table, and she lost her train of thought.
Thankfully Dylan had everything under control. He introduced her to Trent, and when the man kissed her hand, she thought she might faint.
“She all right?” Trent asked Dylan.
Sarah shook her head in answer. No, she wasn’t all right.
Trent freaking Ramsey.
Holy balls.
“She will be. She’s a little star struck.”
“I am not,” she stated indignantly, although she was definitely lying.
Trent grinned, his trademark crooked smirk, and Sarah nearly went up in flames. Dylan’s hand on her thigh was the only thing that grounded her.
She took a few minutes to compose herself while the waiter delivered drinks and then took their order. Trent and Dylan conversed as though they were old friends, talking about a little of everything.
“So, tell me,” Trent prompted, glancing from her to Dylan, then back, “what did you think of Devil’s Playground?”
“It was … nice.” Nice? Wow.
That wasn’t at all what she’d wanted to say.
“Nice?” Trent leaned back and smirked. “I like nice.”
Sarah closed her eyes and counted to ten. She heard Dylan chuckle, which only made her face heat more. So much for being calm, cool, and collected around this celebrity. She just wasn’t cut out for this. Seeing him on the big screen was one thing, sitting at a table with him…
“So tell me more,” Trent said, his attention on Dylan.
Dylan proceeded to give Trent the lowdown on the club, going into detail about the things he liked, the things he’d do differently. He sounded professional and Sarah couldn’t help but hang on his every word.
It was safe to say she was falling for this man. Hard.
“The club in New York is similar,” Trent noted. “I happen to prefer it over Vegas. However, I’m not interested in doing the same thing. I just wanted you to have a baseline. Something to compare to Devotion.”
Sarah picked at her salad, listening to the men discuss their next steps. Meetings coming up, plans to be nailed down, contracts to be signed. Oddly enough, she wished she was part of it. She didn’t know why, but it sounded like an adventure, something she could totally see herself doing.
Not that she had management experience. Certainly not in a club of that caliber.
“What do you think, Sarah? Would you be game?”
Sarah’s head jerked up and she stared at Trent. He’d clearly been speaking to her, and she hadn’t heard a word he said.
The man chuckled, probably thinking she was a complete loser.
“I … uh…” She had no clue what to say.
“I’m not sure she’d be interested in working for you,” Dylan teased Trent.
“Me?” Her eyes widened as she cut a glance at Dylan, then back to Trent. “Work for you?”
“At the club,” Trent added.
“What would I be doing?”
“I’ve got an idea,” Trent continued. “Why don’t the two of you come to Devotion tomorrow night. I’ll give you the full tour, show you the things I’m interested in incorporating into my club.”
Dylan’s eyes were on her face and Sarah found herself nodding her head. “We could … uh … do that.”
“Good.”
She turned her attention back to Trent. “What’s the name of your club, anyway?”
Trent shrugged, as though it didn’t matter that he hadn’t come up with a name at this point. “I’m still working on that. Why? You have some ideas?”