Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding #2)(58)

"Yes, well a club." He came up beside her staring out across the establishment.

"You work at a club?" she asked confused.

"Uh no," he said scratching the back of his head thoughtfully.

"Do you…run security?" she questioned him trying to put the pieces together. Why would he have waited so long to show her this? It hardly seemed like it was something to be ashamed of. Sure he could be a vice president within Bridges Enterprise, but if he liked this then she couldn't say anything about it. It sure would explain why his family utterly detested his job though.

"No, Lexi, I own the club."

"You own this place?" she gasped despite herself. Suddenly so many things fell into place. Memories of a distant past began to fill her mind. Lexi and Ramsey meeting at a club in New York, and him claiming to prefer to do business there. The fact that his entire apartment had been filled to the brim with people partying on a Sunday night, because they couldn't on the weekends. Those were all employees of the various clubs he owned which also explained the stocked bar he constantly kept on hand. A strange conversation with a bartender at the 755 Club at Turner Field about his new employment. He must have worked for Ramsey at some point. The way Ramsey had edged out of conversations about his employment, and just claimed that it was his job to know people. He obviously had to know people to be successful in this town, and everyone likely wanted to know him.

"Among others," he said nodding.

"How many others?" she breathed.

"A dozen or so."

Lexi's mouth dropped open as her eyes took in the scene below her. Everything in that room he owned. The building itself was massive and must have cost a fortune. Not to mention the location directly downtown along with property taxes and a sea of other concerns. The lawyer side of her brain was taking over, and she was quickly measuring up the building from a different perspective.

"About what Bekah said," he murmured reluctantly.

Stopping her endless calculations, Lexi was transported back to reality. She had completely forgotten Bekah. Yet, there must be something else to the story. Bekah had mentioned whores, and Lexi wasn't putting two and two together. Was this how he had met women previously? Was this why everyone had been so surprised that he had a girlfriend? Was he really just a player and all his employees his whores? So many more questions floated through her subconscious as she waited for him to further explain.

"It's just that not all of them aren't this type of club," he managed to get out.

"What do you mean? What type of club are they?" she asked turning away from the window to face him.

He looked at her expectantly as if she was just magically going to come up with the answer on her own. When she just stared at him blankly, he reluctantly continued, "What other kind of clubs exist?"

Lexi stared at him for a minute longer before realization dawned on her. She gasped in surprise just as her cheeks flushed red. "Do you mean strip clubs? You own strip clubs?"

"Yeah see this is why I never have a girlfriend," he said miserably.

After taking a second to let the concept sink in, Lexi reached out and touched his arm. "Ramsey, I don't care. I still like you. Though, I'll be honest, I don't much like that you spend a good deal of your time with strippers," she said unable to keep the angst out of her voice. "Especially because I've been oblivious to the fact the whole time."

The thing she hated most about the entire situation was that he had kept it from her. He had hid a huge part of himself from her for nearly six months. She had no idea the entire time what he did or who he spent his time with. The fact that he worked with women who were paid to take their clothes off was obviously not ideal, but she wasn't going to change that. What was infuriating was his deception. He had so easily hid something so endemic in his life from her, and apparently only her.

All of his friends knew where he worked. Bekah and the rest of his family knew where he worked. Jack even probably knew what he did for a living. After all, he had been one of the first to warn her off of Ramsey. It had to have been for good reason…or at least for some reason. With all this in consideration, all she could wonder about was what else he was hiding from her.

* * *

Again, as always, thank you so much to all the people who review my work. It makes me want to write so much more (and faster) knowing there are people out there reading and enjoying my work. Awesome reviewers: Cupid's Psyche (as always, you rock), WyldeLoneStar, helena33139, Kelly Rogala, ssolomon08, Ms. Vengeance, sunbeam07, jennalizing, and LoveAlways03.

K.A. Linde

Upside Down

Maybe this is wishful thinking

Probably mindless dreaming

If we loved again I swear I'd love you right

I'd go back in time and change it but I can't

So if the chain is on your door, I understand

But this is me swallowing my pride,

Standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night

-Taylor Swift "Back to December"

* * *

Chapter 9: Present

As much as Lexi wanted to follow Ramsey's advice, it was damn near impossible. Jack had cold feet. It hardly made sense for him to be unsure about this wedding. He had made his choice. He had chosen Bekah. It was that simple.

Or at least, she had been telling herself that for a year now to keep from really thinking about him. Time and time again she had let him choose someone else over her. She had always been second best. She had constantly been behind another woman, a job, a fling, whatever. She had been behind everything. Only in their brief stint in New York City had they had anything resembling a relationship, and even then he had been preoccupied in starting his career and had ended up cheating on her with his roommate nonetheless. The thought stung, as it normally did, but it was dull compared to what he had done just a year ago.