"Mister Josh, Master Josh would like to see you now. " Jade Baker, Asher Josh's father's P.A., informed him at his office.
" All right, thank you for the notification," Asher said with his lips curved into a faint almost invisible smile.
Jade smiled and nodded. She walked out the door of his office before sticking her head through it and whispering, " If he talks about marriage again, tell me so, and I'll knock some sense into him."
Asher shook his head and choked back a laugh. " Head to work, Jade, before Father suspects we are chit-chatting again."
Before she left, Jade gave him a little grin.
When she was gone, Asher scowled. He never had a very positive father-son connection with his father. Despite his severe parenting style, Robert Josh adored and had great expectations for his children. But, Asher didn't particularly enjoy being pestered into marriage by his parents.
Jade was always there to stand up for him; that's when his mother wasn't present; of course, Gabrielle Josh could be a very intimidating woman. Asher was more comfortable with Jade than his mother.
Jade was forty-eight and a spinster. She'd worked as a Reverend sister in a Catholic Church throughout her twenties before finding a purpose for her life in The Josh's empire. She'd met Asher when he was just nine.
Prior to being promoted to Robert's P.A., she worked as Asher's nanny.
Asher walked through the sliding door of the lounge area only his father occupied at the time.
Robert was seated on the enormous blue sofa, occupying at least 30 square feet of the large room, yet there was still plenty of space. He popped a cherry in his mouth and watched with an expressionless face as his son sat beside him.
" Quite a show, wasn't it? "
Robert's brows motioned for the ruckus that had happened the previous night, which was displayed on the television.
Asher watched how the blonde poured dirt on his name publicly. He didn't have the pleasure of seeing her face clearly yesterday but now he could see her.
Freckled nose. Brown eyes. Full lips. Average-sized figure. That face.
One thing was certain, he hated that face.
" She called the son of the Josh's family an asshole." Robert laughed somewhat happy about it. " I'd like to see her face-to-face. At least someone has the guts to step up to your curt attitude."
Looking from the television to his lap, and his father's face, Asher frowned.
" Is this why you've called me? To talk about the bullshit that happened yesterday?"
" Frankly speaking, you should be lucky that's not why I called you here. Unless I'll make you go out and find that woman, then you'd apologize to her in my presence."
Asher's brows furrowed. " Apologize for what— You know what, never mind. Why did you ask to see me?"
Robert popped another cherry into his mouth and sat straight, ready for business.
" Just so you know, Angelica is returning to New York in three months—"
" I have told you to stop talking about that bitch."
" Language!" Robert snapped.
Asher was glad he looked like the father who had trained him into the narcissistic, sophisticated businessman he was today.
Asher was never comfortable seeing his father smile or act friendly in front of him because he never saw any of that trait in his father while growing up.
" You know the kind of woman she is."
" She may be a careless woman, but she is carrying your three-year-old daughter, and you have no choice but to marry her."
Asher looked away. " I will marry a woman I love and that woman is certainly not Angelica."
" A man like you is incapable of loving someone. What makes you think you'd ever get married if you go on this way?"
Asher stood and scowled down at his father.
In a cold tone, he hissed. " Exactly."
Asher left the lounge.
He didn't return to his office and neither did he tell Jade about his conversation with his father. Instead, he phoned his business partner, Josiah AI-Nasser.
" Let me guess, someone pissed you off at work and you need me to give you moral support?" Josiah's frivolous voice added a layer of anger to Asher's already overflowing pile.
" Are you in New York?"
" Come on, dude, I returned to New York with you this Monday. "
Of course, Asher knew that.
Josiah's personality was always one to draw a crowd's attention. He couldn't go a minute without shutting his mouth or coming up with a sleazy joke. But when it came to business, Josiah was a completely different person; that's why his father, who is the Sheikh of Ajman, had entrusted him with handling all his business enterprises in America till he found a wife and returned to UAE.
Josiah's father was Arabic while his mother was a Hebrew woman who loved America more than her husband. So it wasn't surprising when, two years after their marriage, they got divorced, and Josiah's mother moved to New York where Josiah met Asher in elementary school.
" I know. I'm just asking a stupidly obvious question like you did— But, don't start smiling like an ass; I don't need your moral support. All I need is lights, alcohol, and music."
" Oh, is someone finally ready to take alcohol for the first time in his youth?"
" If I get drunk, I'll kill you." He switched the position of his phone to his other ear. " Fifteen minutes. I'll be waiting for you."
Josiah arrived in nine.
Two minutes on the road, Josiah was singing along to 'Another Love' playing on the drive.
Asher stared out the window, holding a smile.
" Oh, come on, Ash, I know you want to sing along."
" Shut up."
" Look at your leg; you are already moving to the beat."
Asher sneered at him. "What beat? This is a freaking depressing song."
" You can't hear the beat because your heart's been broken one too many times!"
Asher ran his hand through his face, laughing as he shook his head. " What woman would see a man like me and want to break my heart?"
Josiah scoffed. " And they say I'm a narcissist."
Within less than an hour in the bar, Josiah was wasted. Asher had only one shot of alcohol and knew he was never going to take it again.
Asher frowned over the bar table as he remembered what his father had told him. He has a daughter. Sure. He loved his daughter but Angelica refused his right as a father until he decided to get married to her.
Asher buried his face in his palm, remembering the first moment he saw his daughter's face in the labor room.
" Hey dude, look at that chick. She's been staring at me since we got here."
" What should I do with that information?" Asher groaned, running a hand through his hair.
" Well, you are on your own because I'm going to meet her. " Josiah got up from the bar stool, grabbed Asher's shoulder, and brought his lips to his ear. " Plus, she has a sexy friend; you can go say hi to her or continue acting like a depressed teenager."
Josiah left him.
Asher slowly took his face away from his hand and glanced at Josiah. He watched as he approached a lady who was dancing with a familiar-looking blonde woman and a ginger guy.
Asher stared at the blonde with furrowed brows. He could swear she resembled someone he'd seen on television an hour ago.
He needed to take a good look at her to be sure.
While Josiah took her friend away, it was only her and the ginger guy dancing together.
Asher's frown lines grew with number as he inched close to her. He watched as she danced so carefreely. Throwing her hands back and forth. Screaming. Rocking her hips. She was almost naked in the strapless tight crop top and yellow miniskirt she wore.
Asher was barely two feet away from her and he could very well recognize her now. The woman who dared call him names in public.
Asher didn't get enough time to seethe when the music changed to a sensual hip-hop song and Lena wrapped her arm around his neck and pressed her backside against him as she danced.
" Go, Lena!" Raymond cheered. " Rock that ass."
Asher sucked a breath. A sharp breath. Immediately, he felt Lena's backside moving hard against him; there was a bulge in his pants. Lena released a low moan when she felt his bulge on her.
She rocked even harder on him. Asher grabbed her hand with all the strength he could muster to push her away but she spun around, facing him.
" Hello, stranger." Lena smiled so brightly that Asher's bulge grew even bigger.
Asher came to a realization that she didn't remember him, or at least she was too drunk to. She swayed her hair left and right, dancing seductively on his body.
By the time the song was over, they were both breathing loudly and their nose were touching. Lena didn't take her hand off his neck. There was a burning fire in her that she needed to quench and she could feel it in him too.
She took a hand off his neck to graze his lips. " Make me forget." She closed her eyes and cupped his cheeks with both hands. A tear fell out of her eyes as she closed them. " I don't want to be the one who starts giving first."
She grabbed his large veiny hand and placed it on her breast. Her eyes were pleading, he could see she wasn't just asking for sex. Something was disturbing her greatly but there was no cause to give a damn. As far as he remembered, she disrespected him, he shouldn't have mercy on her.
" You want me to touch you?" He took his hand off her chest and grazed her parted lips. He frowned as he saw the bruises on them as well as the ones on her jaw.
" No, I want you to make love to me." She grabbed his hand to place it on her chest again, but he jerked his hand away.
A part of him didn't want to touch her but a bigger part of him wanted to. He wanted to punish her. He wanted to see if she could handle the ferociousness of his body pounding into hers.
" Turn around for me," Asher ordered, his eyes devoid of emotions.
Lena complied.
He placed a hand on her waist and the other on her neck then brought his face close to her neck. Another bruise.
His jaw clenched.
" Let's be civilized," he whispered on her neck.
A silent moan escaped her lips when his breath fanned the bruise on her neck.
" Mhm."
" What's the most civilized place to have sex in this place?"
It took two minutes for them to reach th
e bathroom. One minute for them to be naked. Thirty minutes of foreplay and twenty minutes of Lena screaming and begging for Asher to keep on hurting and smashing her.
Then, three minutes later, for him to realize, something was definitely wrong with her.