Vow of Surrender

Chapter Twelve

TWHACK!

Kai struck the ball with his club, sending it soaring over the green. It was an impressive putt, and Adam knew he was getting his ass kicked. He had to push back his lunch with Kai since he was exhausted all morning. Caedance hadn't been exaggerating about sub drop.

Earlier that day, he'd woken up feeling depressed, guilty, and anxious. He forced himself to get up and drink some water then decided to text her. Their short conversation made him feel ten times better, and he knew he'd picked the right woman to train him.

"Nice shot," Adam said.

"I've done better. You, on the other hand, are off your game."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm a bit distracted."

"Does a woman have anything to do with it?"

Adam struck another ball, and this one went a little further but still not as far as he'd done in the past. He couldn't stop thinking about Caedance. Her silky hair, her sweet scent, her perfect ass. But more importantly, he remembered how thoughtful she was when giving him aftercare. And how she'd come to his rescue without hesitation.

He'd texted her first since he couldn't wait to hear from her. He felt like a kid waiting for his crush to call.

"Maybe," he finally replied.

"You totally took her home, didn't you? It's about time you got laid. Nothing better than birthday sex."

"We went to the house, but we didn't sleep together. She doesn't do that on first dates. We talked for hours, and before we knew it, it was 2 am."

Kai scoffed. "Doesn't do it on a first date. I bet you had blue balls the rest of the night."

Adam hesitated before speaking. "I said we didn't sleep together. That doesn't mean we didn't fool around."

"Hot damn! You got a blow job!"

"Can you be any louder?"

Kai laughed as he struck another ball. The two hadn't been close until they were in their twenties. Kai saw him as an annoying kid brother, and Adam didn't know how to connect with him. At forty-eight, Kai was still what people considered a ladykiller. Sure, his long, jet black hair was now peppered with grey streaks and he had small crow's feet around his eyes, but he was still handsome.

Adam always admired Kai's confidence with women, and he wished he could be half as sure of himself. Now he was finally taking charge of his sex life, and he looked forward to the journey.

"She's the one man," Kai said. "I can feel it."

"How so?"

"You're already different. You're smiling more, and you can't putt for shit. You weren't like this with the others."

He was different, wasn't he? And it wasn't all because of Caedance. He was coming into himself and becoming who he was always meant to be. It was freeing.

"Don't get your hopes up. We're just casual for now."

"Whatever. Just make sure you enjoy your vacation."

"Why? Is shit hitting the fan without me already?"

Kai leaned on his club for support suddenly going quiet. "Listen. Whatever happens, you didn't hear it from me."

"Jesus, Kai. What's going on?"

"The thing is . . . the casino isn't doing as well as we thought. Pops is in debt, and he isn't sure how to get out of it."

Adam's stomach dropped.

"That can't be true. I check the numbers every damn day. I would have seen if we were in the hole!"

"That's because pops got a loan. Remember the upgrades you did with the carpet and the TV's?"

"Yes. Pops okayed everything and we were $10,000 under budget."

"Yeah, well . . . he was hesitant to do it because he knew we couldn't afford it. And here we thought he was just attached to the carpet. Anyway, he got a loan and hoped the renovations would bring in enough profit. Well, it didn't. And now the billers have come to collect."

Adam rested the club on the back of his neck, walking away so he could calm down. How had this happened? He was the assistant manager. His father had no right to take out a loan behind his back. They were supposed to be partners.

"If we owe money, how have I not gotten any bills? I check the mail every morning at each location."

"It was a personal loan. Pops knew you wouldn't approve."

"Damn right I wouldn't! I would have found other ways to work around the deficits. Holding off on renovations for starters. How much do we owe?"

Kai sighed. "$400,000.

Adam let out a humorless laugh. This was too much. Almost half a million in debt, and it was all under his nose. What a mess.

"F*** my vacation. I'm sitting down with him after Sunday dinner and we're going to come up with a plan."

"Too late, brother. He's already found a solution. He's going to sell the franchise."

"WHAT!? Kai! What the hell is going on? Why didn't he tell me this?"

"He feels ashamed. He knows how much you've put into the business. How much grandpop put into it. His plan was to sell and carry on as if nothing happened. We would still manage the casinos, we just won't be the owners anymore."

Adam muttered in their native tongue. His father thought he was being sneaky by sending him on vacation while planning to make a major life changing business decision behind his back.

"Do we at least know who's offering to buy?"

Kai looked away.

"Akai!" Adam demanded.

"It's Benjamin's company."

"Son of a bitch. That motherf****er used our sister to get the company, didn't he? I knew I hated him for some reason!"

"Calm down . . ."

"CALM DOWN? Oh, I'm calm. And I'm going to be just as calm when I go to his house and stick his offer in the ass crack!"

He gathered the rest of the golf balls then packed up his clubs. He wasn't kidding about paying Benjamin a visit. He would take some time to get his emotions under control then he would pop that bastard in the jaw. No way was he buying his way into the family.