Cade, page 4
“She asked for it and you need to wise up before some little whore comes and takes all my money.”
“It’s my money now. You are no longer a part of the company.”
“Semantics. I made that money. You wouldn’t be where you are if it weren’t for me,” his father chuckled. “I bet it eats you up, knowing that you are living off of my hard work.”
“What do you want?” Cade said through gritted teeth.
“I want you to get serious. You need to get married and make sure this company stays in the family. It’s past time for you to start training a son of your own.”
“What year do you think it is? I don’t need an heir and a spare. We aren’t royalty.” He’d roll his eyes if he wasn’t so confused by all of this.
“Might as well be royalty when it comes to business. Your time is running short to make an advantageous marriage, Cade. Move the company forward and do what you know needs to be done.”
“I have no desire to make an advantageous marriage and you have no right to tell me what to do.” His jaw ticked as he tried to keep his anger under control.
“Quit playing your games because you’re made at me and do what you know is the right thing here.”
“The right thing for me to do would be to end the call and not have to deal with your shit any longer. However, I’m still here for now.”
“Bad things happen to people that don’t follow the rules, Cade,” he threatened.
Oh, that got his attention more than anything else.
“Like fights on the street? Vandalism? Anything else?” Cade tipped his hand.
There was a pause as Cade imagined his father sorting out the facts that Cade must already know.
“I know about Lauren’s mother. If you think of trying anything like that again, I promise you I won’t bother trying to hide anything from anyone, and I’ll let you go down for your crimes like anyone else would.” Cade felt empowered for the first time in weeks when it came to his father.
“I dare you to try it. You have no proof of anything, and there’s nothing connecting me to whatever you’re talking about.”
Cade smiled. “That’s where you’re wrong. I know all about Lauren’s mother and the deals you made with her. She’s keeping her mouth shut for now, but I can only imagine how a little money might tip things in my favor. Or I could do one better and release the emails you sent her, complete with IP addresses. Here’s a tip for you. Next time, don’t use your fucking home computer to set up crimes,” Cade snapped.
Not waiting for a response, Cade ended the call and gripped his phone, barely holding back from tossing it across the yard, maybe into the in-ground pool.
The man had lost his mind. There was no other excuse for what was happening. A wife? An heir? Who the fuck demands their kid get married to carry on the legacy of their business anymore? He had so many questions.
With no one to vent to about it, Cade set his phone on the pool chair and went inside. He wasn’t answering it again this week, and he needed a fight.
Pausing for only a moment as he entered his home gym, Cade took a steadying breath and let loose on the heavy bag in front of him.
Chapter Seven
April
It was Monday night, and April was still at work, well past dinnertime. She hadn’t realized it until someone pointed it out, as usual. It wasn’t even that she enjoyed this job. She was just hyper-focused on everything she did. It was a bad habit when you didn’t have someone reminding you to take a break.
It was almost easier for her to work a dead-end job because people told her to take breaks. Here, they encouraged you not to. Wanted to eat? Then you should be taking a client out for dinner.
She arched her back again. The standard end of the day, work out the kinks she’d put there during the day movement that had become her routine.
A buzzing called her attention and April shuffled around the piles of paper on her desk, looking for her phone. It was on vibrate and loud enough to have other people looking over at her as it continued to rattle on the desk.
“How’s it going, April?” Mark, her boss, stopped by her desk.
“Just looking for my phone,” she told him, still trying to find the source of the noise.
He laughed, his too loud, annoying as anything laugh, and reached down on her desk, picking up her phone. “You’ll be partner before too long with this kind of dedication. No one wants to separate themselves from their phones anymore and you can never find yours.” He laughed again, his toupee in danger of falling off if he threw his head back any further at his own joke.
She took her phone and seriously considered looking for a cleaning wipe before using it. “Thanks. I’m about to head out for the night,” she told him.
“Really? I’m surprised at you leaving while others are still here. You’re usually last.” He sounded disappointed in her, and April had to remind herself that she didn’t care.
“I have dinner plans,” still making up her excuse, she tried to tidy her desk before leaving.
“Just the same, we prefer your full dedication,” he winked like it was a secret.
She didn’t gag, despite his best efforts at making her come close. He wasn’t hitting on her, so there was that. It was just that he really thought she wanted to work like this forever and she really didn’t.
“Understood,” April replied and gathered her purse, slipping past him. “I’ve really got to get going.”
“You aren’t going to take your computer?” He sounded shocked.
“I’ll be back here early in the morning, as always. At some point, I’ve got to get some rest.” She made her way to the elevator and pressed the down button, waiting for the doors to open as Mark followed.
“It’s a shame we have to sleep. It’d be so nice if those of us that were dedicated to our jobs would be able to get even more done. It’s definitely why we’re single, right?” He grinned again.
April shuddered but was saved from replying by the ding of the elevator arriving. “Have a good night,” she said as the doors closed behind her.
Did people really think she was dedicated to her job instead of dating? She wasn’t, intentionally. At some point, she’d just given up on trying to date and work had filled her time.
Shit, he was right. This wasn’t what she wanted for herself. It was the farthest thing it could be from what she’d imagined her life would be now.
The saddest part was that it was Cade that had sent her down this path. At one point, all her future dreams had included Cade, and she’d just never bothered to come up with new ones when he left.
It wasn’t lost on her how lame that sounded. As she stepped out onto the ground floor, she checked her phone, wondering who was calling her earlier. Kayla was her only missed call and April pressed send on her contact as she climbed into the back of a cab.
Driving around the city wasn’t worth the headache of parking, so she’d sold her car several years ago, opting to have someone else drop her off.
“You’re still at work, aren’t you?” Kayla said as she answered the phone.
“I’m not,” April defended herself.
“I hear traffic. You just left, didn’t you?” Kayla asked.
“Maybe,” April answered sheepishly.
“I’d fuss at you, but I don’t think it’s doing any good. I called for another thing, though,”
“Oh?” April waited for her friend to get to the point.
“I want to know what happened with your date. And before you give me anymore of that nonsense, I want the actual truth. I know it was something more than you’ve been telling me because neither of you will talk about it or give it a second try.”
“Kayla—”
“No,” she interrupted. “Business aside, I want to be your friend again, April. We never get to talk anymore and I know something is going on. I just wish you’d talk to me.” Kayla’s sad voice was quieter than usual. “I miss you.”
April missed her, too. She wanted to talk to someone about all the things that were going on in her life and have them listen and give a damn.
“Drinks?” April asked.
“Working,” Kayla answered.
“Ironic,” April couldn’t help pointing out.
“Come here. I’ll order some food and you can talk to me,” Kayla offered.
“You’re working. I don’t want to interrupt.”
“I’m the owner. I can do what I want. Come on by. I’ll order food now and see you soon.” Kayla ended the call before April could argue again.
She needed her friend, and it was time to let her in. April leaned forward and gave the driver updated directions. Leaning back, she let herself smile as she thought about finally letting someone in.
It was a quick trip to the restaurant, much closer than her house. Walking in, she avoided everyone’s gaze as she slipped past them and headed for the stairs that led to Kayla’s office.
“I should have figured you just left work. I thought you’d be a little longer,” Kayla greeted her as she entered her office. “The food is on its way and it’s not salad.”
“I would have just eaten salad. Let me know what I owe you.” April reached into her purse for her wallet.
“First, absolutely not just a salad. I got meals and desserts. I don’t know what’s been going on, but we have a lot to catch up on. And second, why would I ask for money from you? I swear it’s like my friend completely disappeared.”
April offered a sad smile and dropped into a chair. “She might have.”
Kayla took the seat next to her. “Oh, honey. What’s wrong?”
“I hate my job. I hate it so much. I’m good at it. I never leave, but I don’t want to do it. They keep talking about partner options and I don’t want it. I don’t know how to say I don’t want it anymore without losing my job and I just want to quit, but I can’t afford it.” April rushed it all out.
Kayla stayed quiet, knowing her friend well enough to know she wasn’t done yet.
“And the date. It was all fake. I figured it out the first night and we decided to follow through with the date so you wouldn’t know.”
“You know Cade?” Kayla asked.
She nodded. “Remember when we met, and I was going through that nasty breakup?” April waited for her friend to put the pieces together.
“That asshole was not Cade. There’s no way.”
“I promise you it was. It wasn’t until we all met at Catherine’s that I saw him again. He disappeared really good and then all this time goes by and suddenly he’s there again.”
Kayla pulled her into a side hug. “I’m so sorry. I never would have set you two up if I had known. I thought with the way that Cade was watching you that he was into you. And you never need to hide anything from me, ever.”
“I know. I just didn’t want to be the cause of any friction between friends. It didn’t seem right, especially as it was so long ago. It’s not even important enough to worry about, so please don’t tell anyone.”
“No. You’re important. Your feelings are important and don’t you let anyone tell you any different.”
April smiled at her friend.
“Food,” a man called from the top of the stairs.
“Oh!” Kayla jumped up. “I’m so glad I ordered dessert now.” She ran to meet him and grabbed the bags before bringing it back to her office.
The scent of grease hit her in the face. She never ordered fries anywhere anymore. It was too easy to eat too many. Tonight, she wanted them all.
“Tell me what happened on the date,” Kayla said as she pulled the food out.
As they unwrapped their burgers, April explained it all. The lie, the rudeness, her misinterpretation of everything. By the time the fries were gone, April had shed more tears than she had in years and felt equal parts completely drained and re-energized.
“Thank you for coming,” Kayla said as April made to leave.
“Thank you for making me. I needed this.”
They hugged again, and April headed out to the waiting car that Kayla had called for her. She wasn’t sure what happened next, but she knew she felt like the weight of her thoughts was getting lighter for now.
She decided to do one last thing before she made it home. It was only fair that Cade knew that Kayla was aware that they knew each other now. She sent a quick message and silenced her phone, not caring if he wrote her back.
April: I told Kayla everything about us. Sorry.
Chapter Eight
Cade
Cade picked up his phone again, looking at the message from April. He hadn’t opened it yet and couldn’t preview the entire thing. It had been there since last night and he still couldn’t decide if he wanted to know what she had to say.
Before she messaged him, he had convinced himself that he was never going to hear from her again, even if it meant one of them avoiding all mutual social situations. Whatever she wanted now probably wasn’t good news. The side eye that Lauren gave him this morning pretty much confirmed it.
“Lauren?” Cade hit the mic on his desk.
“Yes, Cade,” Lauren replied.
“Did my next meeting cancel?” Cade checked the clock. It was already five minutes past.
“I would have told you if I had that information,” she said, annoyed.
“Thanks. Just checking.” He let go of the mic and leaned back in his chair. He needed to see what April had said so he could start his own damage control.
Cade swore and grabbed his phone again, just as it started to ring. Half expecting it to be her, he looked at the unknown number and knew it wasn’t. It was his father again.
He declined the call and unlocked his phone, going to his messages to read hers. Before he could read it, the phone rang again from the same unknown number.
“What?” Cade said, answering the call and putting the phone to his ear.
“I’ve already told you about answering the phone like that,” his father’s scolding voice came through the speaker.
Cade bit back a swear and gripped the phone tighter. “I’ve also told you to leave me alone.”
“I will not. You are my son and, like it or not, you have responsibilities to live up to. One of them means getting married and carrying on the family legacy.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Cade ground out. “This isn’t the dark ages and things don’t work like that. I don’t need to get married or produce an heir and a spare.”
“Just because you refuse to accept it doesn’t make it less true,” his tone had gotten calmer.
Cade sighed. “I’m not doing with you. I am not getting married until if and when I want to. Leave me and my friends alone.”
“If you want me to leave them alone, then you need to do what I want,” he replied, his tone even and calculated.
He’d walked right into that one. “Ah, so you admit that you are behind all of this?” Cade asked, trying his best to sound nonchalant.
“I’ve done nothing of the sort. Now, Amanda is a brilliant choice in a wife and I will send you her contact details.”
Cade’s mind hatched a plan, and the words were out before he could overthink things. “All you want is for me to get married?” he asked.
“Almost. You need to bed her fully and produce an heir,” his father said matter-of-factly.
“I can’t guarantee how long that will take. Is the marriage enough to get you to leave all of us alone, me and my friends, their partners, and my sister?”
“You let me worry about your sister,” his father pushed back. “The rest, yes, for now.”
“Fine,” he gritted his teeth even as he agreed to the nonsense.
“Good. It’s about time you showed some good sense. I’ll send Amanda’s contact information over and she will be waiting for your call.”
Cade didn’t argue. He had absolutely no intention of contacting her, but his father could believe whatever made him happy.
The call ended and sure enough, a contact was sent via message shortly after. Cade opened it so it would show read, but then closed it back out.
He went over his plan in his mind a few times before returning his thoughts to work. Ignoring April’s message for the moment, he finished out his next meeting. The message notification teased him as he tried to ignore it for now.
It was a damn good thing that his client was late as it was because Cade had also been late to the meeting and was completely distracted. His plan would work. It had to. He tossed the ideas around in his head as the other man talked business and looked for flaws in it.
He was playing a dangerous game, and he knew it, but there was little he could find to fault the plan. Now, to convince the other person might be a little more difficult.
One more meeting to get through and he’d be free from work obligations for the night. Taking the chance now, he read April’s message.
Cade let out a loud laugh as he read it. She’d told Kayla that they knew each other. It was almost too good. Everyone would be slightly less surprised by what he was about to ask her then.
He sent off a quick message to her before his next meeting showed up.
Cade: Meet me tonight.
No sooner than it sent, bubbles appeared from April. He didn’t get to see the response as Lauren interrupted to let him know his last meeting was here.
“Send him in,” Cade replied, setting his phone face down and getting down to business.
The meeting ran longer than expected, partly due to the fact that Cade wasn’t focused. He had to remind himself more than once to take his eyes off his phone. This was an important contract he needed to stay on top of.
“Cade, is there something going on?” the older man across from him finally asked.
Taking a deep breath, Cade decided it was now or never. “Actually, you can be the first to congratulate me on my impending nuptials.” He pushed a smile across his face.
The man stood and took Cade’s hand, giving it a firm shake. “Congratulations, son. I know you’ll make some lady very happy.”
