To Love Jason Thorn (Page 75)

I plopped down on the couch again and started massaging my temples. Alvin was still hovering around, but Devlin sat right across from me. He didn’t look any better than I did.

Frowning, I turned to Alvin. “Where’s Olive?”

“Look,” Devlin cut in before Alvin could say anything. “Look, Jason. You’re in trouble. Hell, I’m in trouble.”

“Explain,” I ordered, steeling myself. If he had done anything to Olive, if he had said anything to upset her—

“I’ve been questioning my staff, the ones that came in contact with you in the club. And— ”

“Why?”

“Shut up and listen. We think someone spiked your drink.”

“What?” I thundered and scrambled up to my feet. “Where is Olive, Alvin?” I yelled, ignoring my brain cursing me for the quick movement.

“We don’t know, boss,” Alvin answered quietly.

“What the fuck do you mean you don’t know? Her friends? Where are they? Ask them.”

“Look,” Devlin started again, and I took a step forward. If he said look one more time, I was punching his goddamned face.

“I was late last night. When I finally made it to the club and Devlin escorted me up to your private room, I found you being a little too friendly with one of Olive’s friends,” Alvin explained, stealing the words from Devlin’s mouth. “I don’t know what happened, but I know you wouldn’t cheat on Olive. Not like that.”

My eyes widened in shock. I raked my hands through my hair and turned to Alvin. Devlin was sitting with his head bowed, quiet.

“Are you fucking with me? Fuck! I wouldn’t. Never. I didn’t. Damn it!” I growled as I picked up a vase that was on the table close to me and threw it at the wall, bleakly watching it shatter into pieces.

“What did you see? What was I doing?” I asked through gritted teeth. I was trying to speak calmly.

“She was in your lap, man.”

Goddammit!

I started pacing and when the wall was right in front of me…I just punched it.

It seemed like a good idea in that moment. With the fury building inside me, I could’ve brought down the whole building down just with my hands.

Ignoring my bloody knuckles, I slowly walked back to the couch and sat down. My heart was racing out of my damn chest.

“Please explain,” I finally said when my breathing was under control and I didn’t feel like killing anyone and everyone.

Alvin sat down on the other end of the couch, keeping his eyes on me the entire time. “I don’t know much, Jason. That’s how we found you. Don’t you remember anything? She was in your lap and you were making out, I assume. I don’t know, man. Maybe not? Her hands were all over you and you were just sitting there dazed.”

“Which one?”

“Which one, what?”

“Which one of her friends?” I gritted between my teeth.

He glanced at Devlin so I lifted my head to look at him, too. “Lily,” Devlin said after thinking about it for a minute. “I remember Olive introducing her as Lily. One of the blondes.”

“No one was in the room?”

“Just you two. Could she be the one who spiked your drink? Because none of my staff would do something like that. I handpick them, you know that. And even if they could, why would they?”

“She is Olive’s friend for fuck’s sake, why would she do something like that?”

“Exactly how much do you remember?” Alvin asked again.

I thought about it. What the hell did I remember? I remembered going up to the private room with Olive. I remembered kissing her, wanting to do much more to her than just kissing. I could still feel her lips on mine, her hands in my hair. She always trembled when I kissed her, as if my touch sent small shock waves into her body, and I loved drinking it all down. I simply loved being near her, touching her…

I shook my head.

“Not much. I don’t remember Olive leaving. I remember talking to Lucy and Lily, but that’s it. Did you call her?”

Alvin grimaced, and I hated it. “We couldn’t find your phone, but her handbag was next to you, and her phone was in it. But,” he added hastily before I could explode all over again. “I called Lucy. She isn’t answering right now, but I’ll keep calling. Don’t worry, Jason.”

“Tell him the rest,” Devlin said darkly.

“What rest?” I glanced between them.

Another grimace. This one was worse. If I never saw Alvin grimace like that ever again, it would be too soon.

“Someone leaked photos of you and the girl. Every media outlet is running with the story of you cheating on Olive.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Olive

I contemplated getting on a bus, but I had enough money to hop on a plane. I was a damn bestselling author now; the least I could do was buy a plane ticket back home without counting every cent in my bank account.

So I did just that.

First, I raced to Jason’s house. Being married to a fucking actor had its perks, like how you didn’t have to carry your wallet with you when you were going out with said actor. The smallest clutch could hold your phone and maybe a lipstick, but that’s it, which is why I had to stop by the house to grab a few personal items, a change of clothes, and of course, my ID.

I didn’t want to think about it, but it was hard not to notice that he hadn’t come back home. Where he’d spent the night…I didn’t want to think about that either.

By 12:30 PM, I was in San Francisco.

At 2:00 PM, I was standing in front of the door of my childhood home, where this whole mess had started.

I took a deep breath and lifted my arm to knock on the door.

My dad opened the door, and we spent a few silent seconds looking at each other, which only caused my lips to tip down and tears to start flowing freely down my cheeks.

“Baby,” he sighed.

I wiped at my tears angrily. Why was I even crying?

“I know you are angry at me, but—”

I burst into more tears.

Pathetic, I know.

But then, I was in my dad’s arms and he was whispering the most beautiful words into my ear.

It was worth being a pathetic little wimp. There, I was safe.

It felt so good when he was hugging me so tightly. I could let go of everything and know that he would take care of his girl like he always did. Who could hurt you when your dad had his big arms around you? Who would dare break a little girl’s heart? Didn’t every woman feel like a little girl when their dad gave them a good hug? Didn’t everyone just want to stay there until the monsters went away?

No?

Well, good for you and your independence then. Pop some champagne and celebrate. Congrats, you made it into adulthood. Me, not so much. I would take my dad’s hugs over anything.

“Logan, who is at—Olive? Oh, sweetheart.”

When I heard my mom’s voice and felt her hand softly brushing my hair, I buried my face harder into my dad’s chest and let them love their little girl.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Jason

After living through the worst morning of my fucking life, we had finally found Lucy at the hospital with her boyfriend. She looked like a mess herself, and I couldn’t imagine what she’d gone through while waiting for her boyfriend to come out of surgery. I’d learned that Olive had been with her the entire time, which was progress since we couldn’t find her anywhere. She had left with Lucy and spent the entire night at the hospital while I was out of it.