A loud knocking on the door pulls me out of my thoughts, and when I make my way to the front of the house and open the door, two cops are standing there, staring at me with a look I can’t quite make out.

Taking off his hat, one cop asks, “Is this the home of Richard Campbell?”

“Hey, boss. That clown you call your friend is asking for you.”

“I’m finishing up,” I tell Max as I sign off on a few orders. “How long has he been here?”

Standing in the doorway to my office, he answers, “Not long. Half an hour or so.”

I don’t say anything as I finish up my paperwork and toss my pen on the desk, leaning back in my chair with a deep sigh.

“Everything okay?”

“Tired,” I say as I look up at my friend. Max has worked for me for a few years now. He serves as security ever since business picked up at the bar after I bought it out from its previous owner. He’s a good guy and extremely loyal, which makes him a commodity I can’t afford to lose. Beneath his shaved head and insane build that intimidates most people that walk through the doors here, he’s got a big heart.

“Call it a night, man. It’s late, and you’ve been up here all day.”

“Yeah.” I push back from my desk and stand up, making my way out of the office. When I pass Max, I clap his back, saying, “I’m gonna go talk to Gav then head out.”

Max follows as we walk down the stairs and into the bar that I’ve owned since I graduated from the University of Washington. This place has become a second home to me. It’s where I spend most of my time.

Bumping shoulders through the crowd of people, I spot my old college buddy, Gavin, tossing back a bottle of beer.

“Ryan, dude? Where the hell have you been?”

“Working.”

“Mel!” he shouts over to one of the bar girls. “Get this old man a beer.”

“No, Mel. I’m good,” I tell her, and she just shakes her head at Gavin, knowing what a partier he is.

“What’s up with you tonight?”

“Tired, man.”

“You not staying?”

Before I can answer, a tall blonde catches my eye as she starts making her way through the crowd and up to the bar. She steps next to me and leans over the bar top to get Mel’s attention, and when I eye her, Gavin mumbles, “Yeah, you’re staying,” all too knowingly.

“Ryan, right?” the blonde asks as she turns to look at me, and when I nod my head, she introduces herself with a slow, “I’m Gina,” trying to sound sexy, but it’s lost on me ‘cause I couldn’t give a shit what her name is. Girls like her are an almost daily occurrence.

“Have we met before or something?” I ask since she already knows who I am.

“Not officially. I’ve seen you around though.” She grins at me as she says this, but her fake tits are too distracting for me to focus on her face. It’s when she giggles that I snap my attention up. “You own this place, right?”

I nod my head again. One thing about me, I’m not much of a talker. I’m a pretty quiet guy for the most part, but with chicks especially, I don’t talk. There’s no need to. I don’t care to delay the inevitable. I’m a straight shooter, and being as tired as I am, I cut the shit and say, “Wanna get to know me better in my office?”

Her smile grows, and I take her hand, leading her to the back stairs. I spot Gavin trying to nail his own bait, and he gives me a cocky grin when he sees me pass by.

We walk into my office, and I close the door, pinning her up against it, clasping her wrists in my hand above her head while I run my other hand up her skirt and between her legs. Letting go of her wrists, she works with my pants, anxious to get them off.

I fumble in my back pocket, and when I retrieve the condom, I quickly rip it open with my teeth, spitting out the shredded foil as she tugs my pants down. I waste no time. Closing my eyes, I shove her panties to the side and take her against the door.

I never care to look too much at the girls I bang. Honestly, I don’t want to connect in any way.

This is me—disconnecting.

Screwing chicks as they come along. I don’t talk. I don’t watch. My escape lasts for as long as it takes for me to get off, then I move on. I’ve been this way my whole life, from a fifteen-year-old freshman in high school to a now twenty-eight-year-old man. I’m emotionally messed up, and I don’t even try to hide it.

Clinging herself to me, legs wrapped around my waist, I bury my head in her neck, and the thick perfume she’s wearing makes me screw her harder, wanting to finish up so I can go home and wash this shit off of me.

Pouring another cup of coffee, trying to wake up before heading out to the gym, my phone starts to ring. I know it’s my mom before I even look. She always calls first thing Sunday morning—predictable.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, honey. How’re you doing?”

Taking my coffee, I walk over and plop down on my couch as I say, “Good. Nothing new.”

“What time do you think you’ll be here tomorrow?” she asks.

“Around two,” I tell her. My mom still lives in Oregon at the same beach house that I grew up in down on Cannon Beach. After high school, I moved here, to Seattle, to go to college, but I still go back home often to visit. “Tori’s gonna come too. Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. Is that cool?”

“Of course. Is she bringing the kids?”

Taking a sip of my coffee, I laugh and say, “No. She’s going crazy. That’s why I invited her to hang with me for a few days. She’s desperate to escape. She said that Connor has been a nightmare lately, throwing crazy temper tantrums. So she’s going to leave the kids home with Trevor.”

“Oh, dear. Four is such a rough age. I remember when you were four. You were always embarrassing me. You hated wearing pants, so it didn’t matter where we were, you would just strip down bottomless in public for all to see.” She starts laughing, and I can’t help joining in with her when she continues through her chuckles, “I would be so embarrassed, but when I tried getting you to pull up your underwear, you just screamed and drew even more attention.”

“I don’t remember that,” I laugh.

“Well, I do. Eventually, I had to tell you that it was against the law and the police were gonna come get you and throw you in jail if you did it again.”

“Great parenting, Mom!” I say as I shake my head in pure humor. I love hearing these funny stories of my past since most of my memories are ones I wish I could forget.

“Well…” she squeaks out. “I didn’t know what else to say, so I went with scare tactics.”

“Did it work?”

“No,” she says with a soft giggle. “Well, it’ll be great to see the both of you.”

“You too. I’m gonna go hit the gym, but I’ll call you when I’m on my way tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay, dear. Drive safe, and I love you.”

“Love you too, Mom”

I go upstairs to change before I head out to the gym to meet up with Max. We’ve always worked out at the same gym; that’s how we first met. Making sure everything is locked up, I hop into my jeep and make the short drive to the Athletic Club. Max’s car is already in the parking lot when I pull up.

“Hey, boss,” Max shouts through the empty gym. Nobody is ever here on Sunday mornings, so we make it a point to get together at this time.

“What’s up?” I say as I walk over to him. “You been here long?”

“Nah.”

We head towards the indoor track to do a quick run before lifting.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you, but I’m going out of town for a few days, so Michael will be at the bar all week.”

“Going to see your mom?”

“Yeah. Mostly plan on surfing with my cousin,” I say as we make our laps.

“Well, when you get back, I need your help.”

“With what?”

“Traci is moving in, so I need you to help me with her furniture.”

Looking over at him, I question, “She’s moving in?”