He took a swig of his Bud and motioned with the bottle. “You were about to tell me why you’re drowning your sorrows.”
“Bad news I’m afraid.”
She finished her beer and put the empty bottle on the table. When she tried to gain the waiter’s attention by snapping her fingers, Colt took her hand in his. “I’ll get you one in a minute.”
Her fingers relaxed in his grasp, and it took her awhile to focus on him. When she did, her hazel eyes looked sad and unguarded. The woman looked defeated by life.
“Go on,” he urged, stroking the soft flesh of her palm with his thumb. It seemed to calm her.
“Momma left her entire estate to a cat charity. Can you fucking believe that?”
It certainly sounded a little harsh. He’d been left his father’s ranch when his parents had died in a car crash some three years ago. Not to be left anything would have felt like a kick in the teeth. Given the same circumstances, he guessed he’d have felt pretty pissed, too.
“Didn’t she leave you anything?”
She shook her head. “Not one cent.”
He continued, “Perhaps it’s because you didn’t keep in contact with your mother.”
Kat just stared at him. “I telephoned my mother all the time, Colt. I even had her visit on occasions. Now I’ve got until Friday to leave the house I grew up in.”
“That’s too bad, Kat.” He really felt sorry for her. “At least you don’t need her money. You’re a successful woman in your own right. That beautiful Jaguar you nearly ran me off the road with is proof of that.”
She shook her head and burst into what he could only describe as hysterical laughter. “That’s just smoke and mirrors.” Kat bit on her bottom lip and removed her hand from his grasp. On the verge of tears, she breathed in and said, “Look, Colt, thanks for the help, but I really should be going.” With that she stood and began moving away from him. Occasionally she clung onto a chair to steady herself. Just at the exit, she stopped, and he watched her fish a set of keys from her purse.
He shook his head and drained the last of his Bud. He’d seen her Jag outside. Now it looked as though he’d have to babysit her some more before she hurt herself.
Chapter Three
No sooner had Kat opened the driver’s door, than the keys were wrenched from her grasp.
“I’ll take those.”
An all too familiar deep voice assaulted her senses. Colt just couldn’t resist bugging her. She spun around and glared at him. “You again. Give those back. I need them.”
“Not a chance in hell,” he ground out.
In defiance she placed her hands on her hips. “Fuck you, cowboy, how am I supposed to get home without a car?”
Colt smiled benignly, a wicked twist to his lips. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn, but something protective inside of me wants to stop you from getting into even more trouble.” He took a deep breath as he stared at her. “We’ll leave your car here, and I’ll drive you home.”
Kat had met his type before. Her whole life had been full of men like Colt Donahue. “Oh I see. You think that by driving me home, you’ll get me into bed. Well, I’ve come across your sort before, and it just ain’t gonna happen.” She’d had her fill of being used. At the age of thirty-four, she was wise to it.
“Let’s get one thing straight, lady. I don’t take advantage of women, especially ones that can’t hold their liquor. Besides, I prefer my sexual partners to be a little more, shall we say, submissive, and less confrontational.”
When her mother had first mentioned that Colt Donahue was running a sex club, she’d looked it up on the Internet. Club Fusion boasted pleasure pits, spanking rooms, dungeons, along with a nightclub that offered plenty of BDSM and public humiliation. It had certainly piqued her interest when she’d looked at photographs of the amenities. Racks, whips, and ropes hung in abundance from the walls. Now they held a fascination she wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge. What would it feel like to let go and put complete trust in someone else? Well, she’d learned over the years never to trust a man. They always let you down.
Trying to quell the fascination she had with his BDSM lifestyle, she retorted angrily, “Being submissive is not my style.”
“I can tell.” With a hand on her back, he guided her over to his BMW, and without a word, opened the door for her. Within a few minutes he was driving her back to her mother’s place. With the silence between them developing, she studied his profile in detail. He had a strong jawline and full lips. His dark hair was cut to taper in at the neckline. Everything about him commanded her attention, from the expensive designer watch he wore to the light smattering of masculine hair on the back of his hands. His long fingers expertly guided the car as they turned into a side street and headed for her mother’s house. His featherlight touch on the steering wheel was a sure sign that he was relaxed and at ease with himself.
“Why so angry, Kat?” he asked eventually. “I know it can’t be pleasant being snubbed by your own flesh and blood, but surely as you’re financially sound, you can at least get on with your own life.”
Her hands clenched into fists. Colt had it too easy. Maybe that was why he was so dismissive of her situation. “Things are not what they seem, Colt. The designer clothes and the Jaguar back at the bar are all bought with borrowed money.” She looked directly at him. She could see the surprised expression on his face. “I don’t have a cent to my name.”
A frown creased his forehead. “Then why did your mother leave you penniless?”
She took a deep breath. “I don’t really want to explain, but here goes. I’ve been spinning my mother a yarn for the past seventeen years. I made out I was doing really well. That I’d achieved a lot in my life.
“Once a month I’d telephone my mother. What I lacked in personal success, I’d more than make up for with exaggeration. A thousand dollars would become ten thousand dollars. A job at Walmart would become a personal assistant to a big hotshot lawyer in the city. A small one-room condo would become a large apartment, complete with a private swimming pool and sauna.”
He shook his head. “Why? And why borrow money to come back here after all these years?”
“I wanted to be seen to be doing well. I didn’t want to return to Fairfax after seventeen years as a failure.”
“So you’ve got yourself in debt, pretending you’re something you’re not.”
“I know it’s ridiculous, but I suffered when I was younger. I felt like an outcast here. I wanted to show them all that Katrina Masters has succeeded in life.”
Colt maneuvered the car across an interchange, and then turned back to her. “You’re good at one thing, that’s for sure.”
“What’s that?”
“Lying. You lied so well, your mother thought you didn’t need the money and left you with nothing.”
If Kat hadn’t been so tight, she’d have cried. “Yeah, the irony of it all.”
Colt nodded. “So how much do you owe?”
“A hundred thousand dollars, plus interest.”
He let out a long, slow whistle. “How are you managing the repayments?”
“I’m not. I’ve already missed the second one.”
“Then you should think about selling that car. It’s far too powerful for you anyway.”
“I can handle it. But I know you’re right. It has to go.”
Colt parked the car outside her mother’s house. “I guess you’ll be returning home soon, so I probably won’t see you again. Where is home these days?”
“A trailer just outside Pasadena. I haven’t got any plans made. Everything I’ve done recently has centered on mother leaving me an inheritance. Now I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do next. Besides, apart from the trailer, there isn’t anywhere I can go. Guess I burnt all my bridges when I left Pasadena. I’ll find a job somewhere local and rent myself a small place. It’s got to be better than where I was living.” She held out her hand. “Keys, please. You haven’t just taken the keys to the Jag, the house keys are on there, too.”
Colt took her keys from his jean pocket. “I can always offer you a job, Kat.”
“Doing what?”
“I need someone to run the reception for me at Club Fusion.”
She shook her head. “I’m not standing around wearing nothing but a leather thong.” Colt’s gaze swept over her from head to toe, and she knew he was picturing the imagery in his head. Flippant remarks with a man like Colt could get her into some serious trouble, and she answered irritably, “Besides, I told you I’ll never set foot in the place.”
He grinned, showing his dimples. “So you did, but that was before I found out you’re desperate for money.”
“Not that desperate.”
“You really have the wrong idea. You should come to my club and take a look for yourself. You’ve already made up your mind, but you know absolutely nothing about Club Fusion. I promise you, it’s not nearly as depraved as you think.”
“Thanks, but no thanks.” She fiddled with the house keys in her hand. “Colt, thanks for being a nice guy. I know I’m drunk because I don’t usually reveal anything about my private life.” If she weren’t careful, she’d say too much. Working on instinct, she kissed his cheek, and then slid from the car. She smiled as she walked to the front door.