Chapter 23

ASHER

Nessa's lips are soft with just the right amount of friction to make my me hard. I have her backed up against a wall, away from the transparent glass wall that overlooks the city scape and of course in a blind spot from the camera in my office. Lust tingles my groin as I kiss her passionately while she writhes uncomfortably. Satisfied, I pull away and watch a crimson blush seep into her cheeks as she pants for air.

"I need to go, sir. Someone might walk in." She avoids my eyes coyly.

With a finger, I stroke her jawline. "I want to see you tonight." I stifle her protest with another mind-numbing kiss. "Tonight. The usual place." She concurs with a nod.

Someone clears their throat and we both look up to find Josh lounging by the door with a smug look on his face. His phone is up in his hand like he filmed us. Nessa wriggles from the caging of my arms and shaking like a leaf, she clasps her hands in plea. Josh enjoys a good throaty laugh at her pathetic whine for sympathy. Gritting my teeth, I order her to return to her desk immediately. While she scurries away, I return to sit behind my desk and adjust my tie.

"Asher Rollins, you and your brothers just can't help yourselves, can you?" Josh helps himself to one of the seats in front of my desk. His cocky grin frays my temper but I ignore it.

"I guess we can't help it. Like our father, we find it hard keeping it in our pants. You should be grateful father's no different or you wouldn't even be here." Now, it's my turn to laugh but rather than a throaty one, it's a low, deep laugh that manages to sound mocking and prideful at the same time. Josh grits his teeth.

"I guess we'll have to find out what father thinks of this video."

"Sure, go right ahead and tell him. Let me know when you plan to so I can bring Hayden Garcia along to that meeting." The mention of his former secretary smokes away the cockiness on his face. "You change secretaries faster than anyone else around here. Does father know why?"

Josh dumps an invitation card on my table. "My birthday party is in two weeks. You're not invited and I really don't want you there but father insists I be nice enough to invite you so make sure to come up with a good excuse to decline it." I flip open the card and skim through.

"Hmm. Looks like my schedule will be less busy by then. Can I bring a date? I can't guarantee it wouldn't be Hayden though." Josh wrenches the card away from my grasp and rips it to shreds in front of me.

"It's like you said. We Rollins men can't keep it in our pants. The only difference is that unlike you, I don't mix work with pleasure, in my office, during working hours."

"And giving back shots to married women in the backseat of your car at the parking lot is more honorable?" I lunge to my feet. "You better think twice before you try to come for me, Josh Randall. If I wanted to, I have all the information to ruin your image before the board so badly that even father can't overlook them." I chuckle softly. "The whole of Danvarr knows of the sexual prowess of my brothers and I. Heck, they've come to love us in spite of it. You won't achieve much with a stupid little kissing video. We'll turn the tables on you really fast. However, you're still pretty much a nobody and if a video of you leaks, people will bash you. Your poor mother will face backlash and be abused of not training you properly. They'll cast aspersions on your upbringing by a single parent and father will want no part of that stigma so he won't be in a hurry to claim you in public."

Josh only continues to grind his teeth in anger. "You know I'm telling the truth. Almost the same scandal but different outcomes for us. That's the difference between a legitimate son and a biological but secret bastard." I catch Josh's fist as it reels forward to deliver a punch up my jaw. "Delete the footage of me and Nessa or you'll be jobless and suicidal before the sun sets."

Grudgingly, Josh deletes the video in front of me before storming away.

"Happy birthday in advance, Randall." I call after him, earning a heated glare.

Alone, I run a hand across my temple as a small headache brews. The dizziness comes and goes. My phone rings and I frown at the caller ID. About time, I think. I lean back on my chair to take the call.

"Hey, Ash. What's good?"

"Do you have a death wish, Asher?"

I think about the brain tumor in my head that I have been ignoring for weeks. "I guess I do." Ashton breathes deeply on his end of the line.

"What the fuck were you thinking impersonating me in Demi's room this morning?"

"I have a better question for you, bro," I sit up to deliver this one with a curious look in my eyes, "Why does Demi feel more comfortable being around you than her actual husband? Have you been hitting it behind our backs and pretending you want her gone like the rest of us?"

"You haven't answered my question, Asher. You made the rules remember? You have no right to impersonate me without my knowledge and permission to fulfil your selfish ends."

"Selfish? Oh no brother, I wasn't being selfish. I went over there to confront her for the stunt she pulled last night. I don't know what the rest of you are on but Demi can't fool me. I went to get answers to the very question on our minds right now; why she is obsessed with finding the man who married her that night. I knew she wouldn't open up to me so I planned to play Ashley. However, it appears she's still miffed at him. I settled for her new friend, Ashal and it was going well until I noticed she wouldn't bare her heart to him. That was when an idea occurred to me."

"You pretended to be me."

"Don't think I haven't noticed the weird energy between the two of you. At first, I thought she was just afraid of you. Heck, who can blame her? Then, I noticed it wasn't so much fear as it was a crush. I don't know what you must have done to give her such courage but she's definitely got the hots for you, bro."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Actually, I do. The moment I claimed to be you and told her I was the one she met at Blue Cove, that woman kissed me more passionately than she kissed Ashley at the restaurant. She didn't have to be persuaded. It was of her own volition." I sigh. "Oh Ashton, she has definitely had sex dreams about you to be able to kiss a man like that. It was too good especially for a woman like Demi. Straight eight out of ten, points lost because of how brief the kiss was." I imagine Ashton steaming now at my audacity.

"You told her I married her at Blue Cove? Are you serious? What sick-twisted game are you playing at?"

"Relax, I only did that to get her to spill the truth about why she wanted to know who had married her that night."

"And?"

"And…she was too flustered and heartbroken to talk. She changed her mind, angry that I…I mean YOU cowardly left her to hang dry. Personally, I don't think there's any big secret behind it all. She failed to get any love from Ashley and has been feeling quite lonely nowadays. That made her recall having a moment or connection with the mysterious Ash at Blue Cove so she went on a spree to find her mystery man."

Ashton exhales deeply. "Why didn't you tell me about any of this? At the very least, I wouldn't have looked like a fool when she barged into my office this morning."

My ears prickle. "She what?" Ashton repeats himself and all I can think of is how my efforts aren't totally wasted.

"Listen to me Ash, I'll keep your secret if you allow me to shepherd this little fire between you two. If she stopped by yours this morning, she might want to pick up from where we left off. I need you to…

The line cuts. "Hello? Ash?" With a smirk, I stare at my phone. "You're so whipped for this one, huh, Ashton? I'm sorry but I am not done using you. You should have been smart enough to keep your feelings in check. This won't do, Ash. Demi still has to go and you might have given me a trump card to make that happen."

Absentmindedly, I recall the sultry kiss Demi had thought she was sharing with Ashton. It was nothing like Nessa's compulsive response laced with jitters and nerves. It's been a while since I enjoyed a kiss like that where I felt it in my marrow that every ounce of me was desired and not just because of my good genes and net worth.

Olivia.

She had given me a bit of a hard time when I tried wooing her. However, we had a great time after the ice had been broken. She gave me everything; her body and soul. I still feel it whenever she kisses me, like the last time at the penthouse. It's a shame my brothers get to experience all the good stuff while I race against time to secure their future.

My fingers hover over Olivia's number in my phone as I contemplate calling or texting her. I ditch the idea and dunk my phone on my desk. I had expressly forbidden her from calling me to avoid suspicions from Ashal. I can't alter that rule just to satisfy the hardness in the shaft of my cock. Ashton, the crazy, is already pissed at me. I can't have Ashal on my neck too, especially given his condition. He is utterly in love with Olivia. I guess I have to let them work out the tensions in their relationship somehow.

A small smile plays on my lips. If I can't get to Olivia, maybe I wouldn't mind keeping Demi around to explore her feelings for Ashton and the lengths they could go if either was bold enough to try. I know for a fact that Ashton wouldn't dare let Demi know how to distinguish him. He also won't explore whatever feelings he might have for Demi. That's the problem with being so damn predictable. I toss my head back with a bright smile as I wonder what Demi is like in bed.

***

I can't believe I am here. With a quiet oath of disgust, I shoot a demeaning gaze at Demi's house, wondering how someone from such a humble background managed to move up in the world in one night. I turn off the ignition of my car and shuffle towards the door.

The Collins family look stunned as they open their door to find me.

"Asher." I put them out of their misery.

"Mr. Asher, you're welcome. W-We weren't expecting you."

"I'm sorry to show up unannounced, Mrs. Collin." By her side, her daughter ogles me so boldly. "I was hoping we could have a word?"

"Oh, yes, please come in."

"Right this way." Kira says, leading me across a narrow hallway into the crammed living room. I accept the seat offered and beam up at them.

"This is a cozy place you've got here."

Kira rolls her eyes. "You're too modest and kind. We know it's nothing compared to your mansion." Her mother concurs with a nod.

"I was hoping to discuss a delicate matter with you."

Mrs. Collins' eyes dilate in horror.

"What had Demi done now?" Her brows furrow in anger. "That wench! Why is she so ungrateful?" Mrs. Collins sinks into a couch and folds her hands angrily. "I have often told her what a lucky woman she is to be accepted as the daughter-in-law of a prestigious family. Everyone knows this. I wonder why she's the only one who fails to realize this."

Kira's demeanor mirrors her mother's disappointment. She follows through with more scathing remarks. "She's not even half as pretty as the women you and your brothers have been affiliated with in the past. Hers is a textbook case of a miracle. I really don't know where all that pride and arrogance emanates from, like being Ashley's wife is the most natural thing for a plain Jane in Danvarr."

I clear my throat. "My family and I have done all we can to welcome and accommodate her but for some reason, your niece refuses to accept us as family. It's almost like she holds a grudge." Something flits across Mrs. Collins' face. "I really hate to be the bearer of bad news but my family has been going through a lot emotionally because of Demi's actions. My mom was hoping to get a good daughter-in-law. She went to bat for Demi and defended her to my father. Their relationship suffered a strain just so Demi could join our family."

"Oh, dear heavens." Mrs. Collins clutches her chest. Kira edges close to my chair with a sympathetic tap on my knee. How brazen, I think but say nothing.

"I am the first son of my father and I believe it is my duty to keep my family glued to each other forever. I can't stand it when anyone tries to threaten the bond that holds us together. To this end, I need your help." Carefully, I trade glances with both mother and daughter. "I'm prepared to give anything to keep my family together. If Demi loathes being married to one of us, she doesn't have to stay married. I want to give her what she wants; a divorce."

Unsurprisingly, Kira's lips break in a smile. Her mother's face is however set in a tight line. The woman isn't necessarily worried for her niece but worried about losing her family's new cash cows.

"I always suspected she wasn't completely over her ex." Kira chimes in with a disgusted scrunch of her nose. "I can't help but wonder what she sees in him. Ashley is by far a dream. You all are. It's just unfortunate your family chose to accept the wrong woman who doesn't even worship the ground you walk on, as she should." Her eyes twinkle in my direction.

"Demi is clearly frustrated being with us as we are with her." I continue, facing Mrs. Collin. "We can't kick her out without hurting public sentiment. That's where you both come in. I'd appreciate it if you could find a way to get her to divorce my brother without any heat coming back on my family. I assure you that you'll be duly rewarded for your help."

"Rewarded?" Kira reiterates. "How so?" I instantly recognize the gleam in her eyes. She isn't thrilled about getting a financial reward. She wants more. A look at her mother and I can tell they're thinking the same thing. Like mother, like daughter, I think.

"Let's focus on handling Demi first. We can discuss the details of the reward once I see a significant effort on your part." I stand to bid them farewell and head for the door. Kira tags close with a naughty smile on her face. She waves me goodbye till I back out of the tidy little corner of their street. At the jarring sound of my ringtone, I answer the call without looking because I am only expecting one caller by this time.

"You there yet?" I ask Nessa with a naughty smile on my face.

"We need to talk."

I stare at the caller ID: Demi Branson