Her concern ate at me and I felt the tears slip down my face. “Oh, Gretchen, I’m helping Dominic pay off a debt he owes.”
“What did that fucker do now?”
Telling her seemed like more trouble than it might be worth. I couldn’t have her interfere, but she was my friend and deserved the truth. “He made a deal with the loan shark he owes money to.”
“And what’s the deal?” I could tell by the tone of her voice that her brows were narrowed down over her eyes.
“I . . . umm . . . I have to stay with the loan shark for the next three months,” I rushed out, fumbling over my words.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she yelled. “That’s it. I’m calling the police.”
“No!” I panicked. “Please, Gretchen, I need to do this.”
“So he trades you like that chick off Indecent Proposal and you think that’s okay?”
“It’s not like that. Ashton doesn’t expect me to sleep with him. And if I don’t stay, they’ll do awful things to Dominic.”
“Asshole deserves it,” she mumbled.
“Please, Gretchen, you have to promise me you won’t say anything. If you’re my friend, you’ll do this for me.”
“This pisses me off.” She paused. “I won’t say anything—as long as you promise me that if this guy tries to hurt you in any way you’ll call and I’ll come get you.”
“I promise. Thank you. Look I have to go. Ashton wants to show me something. I’ll call you later.”
“’Bye, Elena. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do.”
“Be safe.”
The call disconnected. I was just about holding it together, nearly succumbing to the tears, when there was soft knock at the door.
“Elena, is everything okay?” Ashton called.
Putting on a brave face, I stood and opened the door. “I’m fine.”
“Good,” he said softly. “Now, let’s go. I have a surprise for you.”
I was hesitant to say the least. The last time someone surprised me, I’d ended up tied to a stranger for three months. I’d had enough surprises to last me a lifetime. But it didn’t seem like I had much of a choice.
Ashton led us through the house until we reached a door.
A garage.
He grabbed a set of keys off the hook by the door and opened the passenger side of a sports car for me. I climbed in and waited.
Ashton backed out of the garage and down the drive. I was so nervous my hands were shaking and I gripped the sides of my seat, my fingers biting into the soft, supple leather. “What kind of car is this?”
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “It’s an Aston Martin DB9.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
I twisted my hands around in my lap. “Where are we going?”
He smirked. “You don’t like surprises?”
“Not after the last one. I thought Dominic was taking me out to dinner. He told me to pack a bag. He hadn’t had to correct me very much lately. I thought he might be rewarding me. Not once did I expect to be traded for his debt.”
I couldn’t believe I just admitted all of that to a stranger; a man I’d only met the day before. Dominic didn’t like me to talk to other men, so I wasn’t normally that comfortable around them, particularly in such close proximity. Yet, for some reason, I found Ashton easy to open up to.
“I’m sorry I didn’t think about it that way. I’m taking you to a spa. Figured you’d never had the chance to be pampered.”
“A spa day? You don’t have to do that. We already owe you enough money.”
“I’ll say it again, Elena.” His voice was firm. “Your husband owes me the money, not you. Besides, this is something I’m doing for you. Did you pack much in that bag of yours?”
I looked out the window, embarrassed at not being prepared. “Just what I have on, plus the dress from yesterday.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Yeah, I’ll need to use your washing machine tonight after you go to bed, if that’s okay?”
“No.”
My eyes opened wide as I turned my face to him. “What do you mean? What am I going to wear?”
“I’m having a personal shopper meet you at the spa. She’ll take your measurements and have clothes sent over to the house for you to try on later.”
“Ashton, please, you can’t keep spending money. I won’t be able to pay it off.”
“I don’t expect you to pay it off. These things are for you, nothing to do with the money Dominic owes.”