Happily Ever After: A Contemporary Romance Boxed Set

by Piper Rayne

  “Yes,” I said. “Tomorrow, I’ll tackle everything I need to. For now…I’ve had a long day.”

  9

  Lily

  The next morning, I was grateful I was staying at Antonio’s and not alone because I didn’t think things would get worse after catching Skar with Fiona. Nothing could have been worse than having Skar toss me out and fire me at the same time.

  * * *

  To see that girl having sex with him, although he was supposed to be with me. Nothing hurt as much as falling for someone only to be betrayed.

  * * *

  It did get worse. Much worse.

  * * *

  I woke up and walked out of Antonio’s room where I had slept in his bed for the night alone. He was up already, wearing a navy blue robe, typing away on his laptop at the dining table. “Hi,” I said. “I slept so soundly last night. Your bed…it’s so comfortable.”

  “Well, it’s probably the most luxurious thing I have,” Antonio said. “It’s memory foam that contours to your body.”

  * * *

  “I slept in a luxury suite at a five-diamond hotel this week, but your bed is more comfortable than that.”

  “I know where I should splurge,” he said. “Getting a good night’s sleep, it’s important to me so that’s where I splurge. Taking about splurging…I was looking at some places you might want to rent. But you said ‘low-rent’, and that would be difficult to find out here unless you find roommates. Or a roommate,” he pointed at himself.

  * * *

  “What? You can’t move from your mother,” I said.

  * * *

  “Not moving from me,” Mama said walking into the living room from her bedroom. “I’m moving out. Now that Antonio has grown up, found a good job, I can go live with my sister. She is not well.”

  * * *

  “What about Antonio?” I asked.

  * * *

  “He will be fine,” she smiled, looking at me and him.

  “Mama is serious,” Antonio said. “She’s already packed and is leaving this morning.”

  * * *

  “My sister lives in Florida by the beach. She has a nice house and a beautiful garden. She is rich and a widow. She wants to travel the world but doesn’t have anyone to travel with her so she calls me to ask me if I can come out to Florida to stay with her and we will go on a cruise tomorrow,” Mama said. “So I have to go off today.”

  “Oh, so that is why you’re in such a hurry,” I said smiling. “I admire your adventurous spirit, Mama!”

  * * *

  “You have one life, child,” she said hugging me good-bye. “Live it to the fullest. Don’t let anyone bring you down. Rise above it up, Lily. Like Antonio and I. We came from Italy as immigrants when Antonio’s father died. I worked hard running a small business that put Antonio through school and then law school. Now we are fine. Happy. What more can a mother want?”

  * * *

  “Mama!” I said, “Thank you for your kindness.”

  * * *

  “Take care of Antonio for me,” she said as Antonio grabbed his coat and car keys to drive Mama to the airport.

  * * *

  “I will,” I said.

  * * *

  Antonio came over to me and held me in his arms for a while before saying, “I’ll be back in a sec. The airport isn’t too far away. Have some breakfast first and wait for me to get back before reading anything online or watching television.” He looked anxious. Even worried.

  * * *

  Was something wrong?

  * * *

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  * * *

  Antonio gave a sigh before saying, “Something’s come up online and in the news. Just don’t panic about it. We’ll find a solution. I have to go, but don’t freak out until I get back.” Then he was gone.

  * * *

  Now I really was worried. Anyone would be if they were told not to panic.

  * * *

  To avoid whatever Antonio had warned me about, I noticed the plate full of bread, cheese, ham, and scrambled eggs, as well as a cup of coffee next to the plate. It wasn’t as fancy as Skar’s breakfasts with me or as sexy, but it was made from the heart and lovingly prepared. Antonio had thought of everything for a nice breakfast for me. If I didn’t meet Skar, had my first orgasm with him and more; I might have fallen head over heels for Antonio.

  * * *

  I tackled the breakfast plate first, hoping to be distracted long enough to avoid looking at my laptop or phone for the news. As usual, any food in Antonio’s household was delicious. I took my time consuming it, savoring every bite.

  But I couldn’t keep myself from wanting to check out what Antonio was trying to warn me not to check out, without him. It must be bad. Really bad.

  Finally, thinking I need to find out now rather than later so I could at least know what I was dealing with, I went online to check the news.

  * * *

  That was when I found thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of sites with my photos on display in the most negative and unflattering way. Photos of me standing in front of the hot dog stand, licking the two-foot hot dog. Photos of me walking the streets and looking into the black limo. Videos of me going into the lingerie boutique store’s dressing room and then seconds later, Mrs. Repp sneaking into the dress room. From the dressing room, there was a video showing me naked with badly blacked out areas of my breasts and private parts in the dressing room with Mrs. Repp’s mouth on my breasts. There were videos of me moaning and coming. There were audio of Mrs. Repp saying she really only married Repp for his money, fame, and access to powerful people. Everything I had recorded on my phone while I was in the limo.

  * * *

  Everything was there. Everything except any ties I had with Slade PR. I was just a cheap whore lover of Mrs. Repp’s who didn’t even go for men, but women. Slade had planned for this public twist to Mrs. Repp’s scheme to take down Ronny Repp’s career.

  * * *

  To catch Mrs. Repp with a prostitute in action. Slade went to all the boutique stores in Beverly Hills and even the lingerie shop to catch Mrs. Repp in action. He had placed me on the street corner, dressed the way Mrs. Repp would go for, considering her taste for cute and girly. Slade even got me to trust him, to want him and to want me to want to have sex with him so I would be willing to accept the oral sex coming from Mrs. Repp in the dressing room. I went along with the sex in the dressing room because I thought Mrs. Repp was Slade. It looked like I was enjoying myself with her in the tape. Like we had been lovers for a while. I was enjoying myself because I thought it was Skar.

  Everywhere, I was known as the Prostitute who Proved Mrs. Repp was just using Ronny Repp, She disliked men so much, she never even had sex with Ronny Repp. As a result, Mrs. Repp’s allegations of sexual abuse from Ronny Repp was found to be false charges. She had herpes but never gave it to Ronny Repp so he tested negative to herpes.

  Evidence after evidence proved Mrs. Repp was guilty. The judge ruled in favor of Ronny Repp.

  * * *

  I was stunned. So everything I did this entire week with Skar was leading to acquit Ronny Repp of the sexual assault charges Mrs. Repp had filed against him.

  * * *

  If I wasn’t the Prostitute in those pictures and videos, I would have admired the brilliance of Skar’s strategy. But I was the Prostitute and was never told I would end up damaging my image and reputation after it was over and not even knowing what I was doing.

  * * *

  “That’s the spin Hollywood’s best publicist can do for a client,” Antonio’s voice said as he closed the door, back from the airport.

  * * *

  I put my hands into my face.

  * * *

  “I’m sorry you had to see all of that yourself,” Antonio said.

  * * *

  “I want all of it to be erased,” I said. “How can I get that erased from everywhere?”

  * * *

  “We
can fight it, Lily,” Antonio said. “I’ll take your case Pro Bono. My firm could go after Skar’s agency for everything and anything. What do you say?”

  * * *

  “It was a set up to get Mrs. Repp’s true self to get caught in the act. For that, it couldn’t be illegal, could it? Whether or not it was me or another girl, the truth would come out about her and her fake accusations against Ronny Repp.”

  * * *

  “It destroyed you and your reputation, though, Lily,” Antonio said.

  * * *

  “But I don’t know if destroying Skar and his agency would be the right approach.”

  * * *

  I leaned in to Antonio and said, “I think I have another way, but just in case, I am willing to take legal actions.”

  * * *

  Antonio leaned back in his chair and smiled. “Thank you for trusting me with your case and for letting me do my work. But most of all, Lily, thank you for letting me be part of your life.” He took my hands in his. “I know it must be difficult going through all of this. Just know you are very special to me, and I would be here for you all the way.”

  10

  Lily

  It took some time to plan my revenge, but now I was ready. I was dressed in one of the designer dresses Skar picked out for me for my new wardrobe when I walked out of the very elevator I had first met Skar. I walked up to Trish, who looked very surprised to see me.

  * * *

  “Hi Trish, is Skar in?” I asked.

  * * *

  “Hi Lily,” Trish smiled. Almost apologetically. “He’s in, but he’s with a client.”

  * * *

  “I can wait,” I said, sitting down in one of the seats outside.

  * * *

  “It might be a while,” she said.

  * * *

  “I can wait,” I said. “By the way, Trish, I love your outfit. You have such good taste.”

  * * *

  “Oh Thank you, Lily,” Trish said. “You are very sweet.”

  “I should have listened to you…your body language when I saw how you disapproved of me being with Skar. I was so naïve and innocent, thinking such a powerful and handsome man like Skar was really interested in me, the lowly intern who had nothing…no clothes, no food, no money.”

  Trish came over to sit next to me. “Poor Lily,” she said, reaching out to hug me. “Skar does things very brutally, doesn’t he? He’s brilliant but brutal, and doesn’t think about how he can hurt people.”

  * * *

  “I was just a pawn he could use to get what he wanted,” I said.

  * * *

  “Unfortunately, yes. Thanks to you, you won the case for Ronny Repp.”

  * * *

  “So, Skar should be grateful,” I said. “Did he see this coming? How many interns or employees had he used to win cases for his clients? One, two?”

  * * *

  Trish sighed. “In my time here, Skar has used his employees to do stunts like what you did. He’s a genius at getting people to do what he wanted. He had another intern worked a client’s case, but it didn’t end well,” Trish said.

  * * *

  “So I wasn’t the only one?”

  * * *

  “The girl was nearly raped, but she quit before Skar could get anything for his client. You were his biggest success, but of course, it came with a huge price, didn’t it?”

  “Yes,” I said, nodding. “Why did he…” I didn’t want to tell Trish that Skar nearly made love to me, but she guessed. “To make you think he was in the dressing room so you’d let down your inhibitions and let Mrs. Repp act in his place. I’ve been with Skar for years and even knew him when he was a teen when I dated his older brother. I don’t know if it helps, but Skar has never let anyone get that close to him. He had never let anyone sleep next to him the entire night. He had never acted like he wanted to punch another man just for looking at a girl he was with, as he did with you, Lily.”

  “So,” I said. “The relationship between Skar Slade and me was real?”

  * * *

  “As real as it gets with a man like Slade,” Trish said. “You see, Slade can’t seem to love anyone. The only people he loved – Stephen, my ex, and his parents, died when he was just sixteen. That’s why I’m like his older sister. We’re closed because I lost the love of my life when his brother died, and he lost the only people he could trust and was close to. And when his father was alive, he didn’t get along with him at all. They were from England, an aristocratic family, and his father didn’t approved of Skar wanting to work with celebrities in Hollywood. He felt it was beneath him and was afraid what it would do to their family name. As it was, worrying about keeping his family’s name spotless, was ingrained with him so much that he became a publicist because of it.”

  * * *

  “A very good one,” I said. At that moment, I received a text message from Antonio.

  * * *

  Antonio: Can we meet downstairs for coffee? I’m in your building. I’m meeting with a client there for the firm but have some time before the meeting.

  * * *

  Me: Sure. I’m waiting to meet with Skar, but he’s with a client. I’ll see you downstairs.

  I looked at Trish, who had noticed who sent me the text and said, “I have to meet someone downstairs. I’ll be back, but can I get a copy of my personnel records?”

  Trish got up and walked to her desk. She handed me the personnel file on me and said. “Take the entire thing. I was going to shred it anyways, but since it’s about you, you should have it.”

  * * *

  “Thanks,” I said. “I’ll see you soon.” Then I left in a hurry.

  * * *

  I rushed over to Antonio, who was dressed so nicely in a dark blue business suit and tie, I couldn’t believe it was him. “You look so handsome,” I said smiling and admiring his wavy dark hair that was slick back off his face, his warm brown eyes, his high cheekbones, and full kissable mouth.

  He looked me over, too, admiring how my beige beaded dress looked molded to my body. “You’re so beautiful,” Antonio said, barely a whisper. He moved closer to me, his hand touching the back of my shoulders. “Lily, you’re free now. Free of Skar and any men. Give me a chance to be with you.” He brushed his lips against the back of my neck. “I found some things on Slade PR that we can use against Skar.”

  I whispered back. “I’ll take a look later. If we need to use it, I will, but for now, I’m going with my own plans.”

  “Whatever you wish,” Antonio said, brushing his lips to my cheeks as he moved his body back. His gaze on me was dark, almost hungry. He took my hands in his and said, “You know how I feel about you, and it isn’t all pretend like the other guy so…”

  * * *

  A large hand pulled him away from me, pushing him away, while grabbing my wrist to pull me towards him toward the elevator. It was Skar.

  * * *

  “How dare you!” I said, twisting my wrist out from his grip.

  He walked up to me to take my wrist again, but I kneed him in the groin. He let out a groan. “Lily…”

  * * *

  “You are not touching me,” I said. “You have no right.”

  “Lily, please,” Skar said straightening back up. “I don’t know what came over me when I saw that Mama’s boy’s hands all over you.”

  * * *

  I stood back away from Skar and crossed my arms. “Don’t give me that jealous act. You don’t own me. You never did.”

  * * *

  “Lily,” Skar looked at me, his eyes taking me all in. “You’re so beautiful still.”

  * * *

  “I don’t believe anything you say,” I said. “So stop acting like you like me or care for me.”

  * * *

  “You came to see me,” Skar said. “Did you miss me?”

  * * *

  “As you can see,” I said giving him a look of annoyance. “I have a man with me now who is crazy about me. Who makes m
e breakfast with his own hands. Who cheered me up when I was down…Why would I miss you?”

  * * *

  Skar’s face turned red as his hands bunched up into fists. “It’s only been a few days, and he’s already done all that? Moving fast, aren’t we?”

  * * *