by Kelly, Marie
“Maybe we should go and say hello” he had chuckled, seeing as his mistress had given both men a derisory look as the two had stood, Daniel moving ahead of his assistant.
Having carefully put the papers she had just signed back into his pocket, Dante had congratulated himself on how easy things were moving along. By that time next week the two of them would be married. His plan was to allow Samantha to choose from a variety of hideaway locations, careful to keep their forthcoming nuptials a secret ensuring that there would be nothing to stop the wedding from taking place.
Once more he had captured her hand and smiling had admired the ring, seeing as she had glowed with happiness. Raising his head Dante had frozen shocked to see the man moving towards him, the smile dropping from his lips in disbelief. Frowning, Samantha had looked at him in concern.
“Dante? What is it, what’s wrong” seeing as he had seemed to almost pale. However, hearing the voice behind her, she too had frozen, the disbelief filling her also.
“Dante.... imagine meeting you here” Daniel Trey had cried loudly, his eyes moving down to admire the back of the young woman in the chair, her face hidden from him.
“David just spotted you, or I would have been over earlier, thought I would come and say hello”.
His eyes falling to openly look with interest at Samantha
“And of course to your ...”
His voice had slipped, as she had turned in her chair, and both Daniel and Samantha Trey had stood in total shock seeing each other.
“Father” she had mouthed, her expression one of complete horror.
Daniel Treys face had reddened with the anger which filled him, as his eyes had travelled up and down her.
“Samantha! What the hell are you doing here?” he had cried loudly, as many of the dinners had turned to watch the commotion taking place.
Pausing for a second his eyes growing wider as he had looked at her then at Dante, the disgust filling them as he racked them contemptuously over his daughter
“You are his MISTRESS?”
His voice had risen even higher as Samantha had leapt to her feet, anger on her face.
“I am not his mistress”.
She had cried back, her eyes flashing, her chin raised defiantly.
“For your information father, we are getting married”.
“Married” he had spluttered, his eyes moving to Dante who had also risen, moving over to stand beside Samantha.
“Like hell you are” he had cried, his look once more returning to her.
“Are you doing this deliberately Sam...? Did you choose him just to get at me!!!” his voice reaching a crescendo of anger, his eyes blazing down at her “You are crazy Samantha if you think I am going to stand by and watch you marry HIM.”
Looking over at the man she loved, Samantha had felt the sickening feeling deep within her, her defiant look faltering.
“Y...you know each other” she had finally managed to mutter, seeing the way his eyes had flicked to her uneasily.
“I can explain Sam” he had said so softly, seeing as her lovely eyes had closed to hide the pain as her heart had broken into a thousand pieces.
Daniel Trey had turned to look at Dante, his face livid with the anger he felt.
“I will see you in hell before you marry my daughter” he had cried angrily, as Dante had ignored him, his eyes pleading with Sam, who seemed unable to look back at him.
Turning back to his daughter, he had grabbed her by the arm, ready to pull her from the room, Dante moving forward, his hands pulling her from her father, back by his side.
“Do not touch her” he had cried, feeling the strangest need to protect her, to protect his Samantha, this revelation confusing him even more.
He had seen as Daniel’s mistress had rushed forward, placing herself against him, reaching up to whisper into his ear, seeing as the older man had pulled himself together. With extreme effort, he had managed to laugh, looking around at the many other diners who were silently watching the spectacle taking place around them, before moving closer his eyes angry daggers.
“I will not stand for this” his voice had hissed, glaring at Dante and Samantha, his eyes full of anger and contempt, his mistress pulling him away from where the two stood.
Looking down Dante had seen as Samantha had stood so silently beside him, her features showing the shock of what had just happened. Frowning softly, he had felt the uneasy stabbing sensation of guilt.
“Are you OK?” he had asked softly, seeing as she had continued to look at the floor, struggling to hold back the tears which seemed to be perched on the edge of her eyelids.
“Ignore him, he...”
However, she had interrupted him, her voice almost inaudible.
“I want to go home now Dante”.
He had nodded, making to take her arm as she had moved away from him towards the exit.
Outside they had stood together as the valet had brought his car around, Sam stepping into the sports car as he had opened the door to her.
He had then expertly manoeuvred it around the city streets, his concentration on the traffic before flicking a look to where she sat so silently beside him, suddenly feeling wary.
“Samantha......about what just happened” he began.
Before her soft voice had once more broken in
“Please Dante........I really do not want to talk about it right now”.
Silence once more falling between the two, an uncomfortable tense silence that seemed to drag out forever.
Samantha had sat still her mind replaying everything. The perfect holiday she had won. The way he had pursued her, made her his, brought her back to live with him, slowly putting together the whole story. Feeling almost numb at the cold bloodedness of his plans, this man whom she loved so dearly, who she never would have thought capable of such actions, feeling sick to the pit of her stomach at how badly she had been used.
The sound of her soft voice as they had neared his home had made him quickly look over at her, seeing how calm and almost serene she had looked, feeling the disquiet rising within him.
“You planned it perfectly Dante”.
His hands gripping the steering wheel tighter as she had continued
“I always wondered why a prize holiday would be for three people.........I guess it was easier to separate one person from a group of three than just two”.
Dante’s mouth had set in a firm line as she had once more grown silent. A denial sat on his lip before anger at her accusing voice had made him look over at her. How dare she the daughter of his enemy speak to him like that, even though what she said was true, suddenly knowing that now was the time for the truth.
Looking fixedly at the windscreen he had bitten out.
“Like you said Sam easier to split up a group of three”
Moving the car into the underground parking, he had once more concentrated on the road as Samantha had said nothing to his words, silently turning to look unseeingly out of the window, the hurt flooding through every part of her.
As the car had pulled to a stop, she had pushed open the door, not waiting for him as she had moved to the elevator quickly using her key to select the penthouse suite, Dante quickly joining her, watching as she had stood with her back to him moving out quickly as they had reached their floor. As she had moved towards the stairs, he had finally caught up with her, his hand pulling her around to look up at him.
“Samantha, I am sorry that you got caught up in all this” he had began, seeing as she had given him an incredulous look.
“But It’s shouldn’t matter to us, like you said you and your father don’t get along so why should you care what he thinks. Let’s just put this all behind us and get on with our lives, nothing has changed. ”
Samantha could hardly believe what she was hearing. Forget what had happened, forget how they had met, how he had deliberately targeted her to get to her father. She had felt the tears once more rising to her eyes as she had looked back, the hurt s
tamped on her delicate features.
“Why?”
was all she could say, seeing as he had looked guiltily back, his hands dropping from her as he had pulled at his tie, one hand running through his hair.
“Your father and I are competitors” he had started, guiding her over to a chair so that the two of them could sit facing each other.
“He took my father’s business from him when I was a child. I was thirteen and my father couldn’t handle it.... and in the end he took his own life. My mother went to pieces, started to drink, she died when I was sixteen”.
He had paused to look at her, seeing no change as she had continued to look down at her hands in silence.
“I swore that I would get back what had been taken from us..........and I did. By the time I was 21 I had recovered everything that my father had lost. That was when Daniel, your father, started to really come after me”.
She had felt as he had shifted beside her, keeping her eyes averted.
“Then I realised that the only way to really protect myself from him and to get real revenge for what he had done was to take his business from him. Which was when I found out about you; found out that he had only one heir to his whole Company”
He had reached for her hands, but Samantha had pulled them from him as he had sighed.
“I thought that if you and I married that he would have no choice but to see me as his successor, and that finally I would have revenge on him and ensure the safety of my company”.
Sam had bitten her lip at the cold-bloodedness of his plan.
“I thought you would be like your friend Kate, like your father even, but you were nothing like I expected Samantha. I truly found myself caring for you, wanting you to be in my life. I don’t want us to be over...I want us to get past this.......we can if you want to. I still want you for my wife... and not because of your father Sam...because we are good together”.
Sam had looked up in disbelief, finally speaking her tone emotionless.
“You are unbelievable Dante” her voice bitter. Seeing his mouth open to speak she had continued, more emotion coming to her.
“My father is an abusive controlling animal and my mother left him to sleep with any man who could make her feel better about herself. But neither of them has treated me as badly as you have just done Dante.”
Feeling the prickling of tears at the back of her eyes she had glared at him, her eyes becoming harder, accusing.
“I thought you were special, I loved you. But you are no different from him.... in fact you are worse.
He had jumped to his feet, his face full of anger now.
“I am nothing like your father Samantha” he had bit out as she had nodded her head, her voice cracking with emotion.
“You are EXACTLY like him...You think nothing of using other people to get what you want. My father used your father and you used me. The only things that got hurt here were your pride...and me........so do not tell me that you are not alike...........you make me sick, just leave me alone”.
With that she had turned, running upstairs, Dante sitting back down, letting his head fall into his hands, guilt filling him. After ten minutes he had heard her moving back down, knowing that he had to make it right, had to find a way to make up for what he had done to her, knowing that he didn’t want to lose her.
Looking up Dante had frowned. Samantha had changed from the dress she had worn for their shopping trip, to jeans and a shirt, her bag which she had brought on holiday with her pulled over her shoulder. As she had moved wordlessly to the door, he had leapt up moving in front of her making her stop in her tracks.
“What the hell are you doing?” he had asked in confusion, Samantha looking up at him.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” she had replied, her voice taut.
“You wanted your revenge Dante; please do not think that I’m going to be stupid enough to stay so that you can enjoy finishing what you started. To use me to get to my father and his business”.
He had placed his hands on either side of her shoulder looking into her eyes, trying to make her see his sincerity.
“I said I was sorry Sam.....Please, we can move past this...I want you to stay. We don’t have to get married...let me prove to you that it is you I am interested in...please”.
She however had looked silently at one of his hands, her message so clear as he had removed them from her. She had then looked back at him, and he could see that she had been crying, her eyes red, and her voice now sad.
“I don’t believe you Dante, you are a liar and a user.....I loved you and you used me.......I can’t be anywhere near you now”.
He had felt anger rise within him, along with what felt like panic as he had stepped back, stung by her words.
“Fine......then leave”.
His hand rising to point to her
“But I warn you ......you walk out that door Sam and we are over”.
For the first time she had stopped, her face once more showing all the hurt that she felt as she had sadly looked back at him.
“No Dante.......we were over the minute we met, I was just so stupid, so in love not to know it. I’m only glad I found out before...”.
Her voice had cracked once more, the hurt deep within tearing so deeply at him, as she had been unable to finish her statement.
Looking at her hand, the ring they had chosen only that morning had sparkled brightly as though in mockery. Feeling the emotions tearing through her once more, she had pulled it from her finger, dropping it on the small table by the door the happiness that had filled her that morning nothing more than a distant memory.
Moving forward once more, she had pulled the door open and stepped out of his home for the last time, the tears now streaming unchecked down her face as she moved down the lift to the taxi she had called.
Dante had stood in disbelief. He wanted to run after her, to make her see that he cared about her, but pride had kept his feet rooted to the spot. She would be back he kept telling himself, no women ever left Dante Durant.
Chapter Four
Four years later Sam had stood before her friend smiling.
“God Sam, look at me ... did you ever think I would be the one walking down the aisle first”.
Kate had chuckled, her whole complexion shining with happiness. Sam had grinned moving forward and hugging her.
“You look amazing Kate” she had smiled.
“Kei is a wonderful man and also a very lucky one”.
She had seen as the other woman’s face had become softer, a dreamy look in her eyes.
“Yes he is...but I’m the lucky one Sam”.
Reaching out and holding her hand.
“I guess I never really realised what a mess my life was until I met him” her eyes so soft.
“He never gave up on me”.
Sam had smiled back nodding.
“I am so happy for you both” she had grinned, Bella moving forward to join them.
“Hey no group hugs without me” she had laughed, as the three girls had moved together to hug, before Sam had stepped back making final adjustments to her friend’s dress giving the other two girls encouraging winks.
“Now let’s do this thing”, hearing as the music had began the wedding march filling the church.
Samantha had walked alongside Bella, behind Kate keeping the same pace, so happy to see her friend so happy, liking Kate’s fiancé very much. As they had made their way down the aisle she had concentrated on her dress, making sure not to step on the long train, unaware of the one set of eyes that had been focussed solely on her.
From the middle of one of the pews Dante Durant had watched the bride moving down the aisle, his eyes quickly moving to take in the woman moving slowly behind her, his eyes narrowing. She was as beautiful now as she had been four years ago, her curvatious figure showing well in the Grecian styled bridesmaid dress she wore. Her long auburn hair was loosely pulled up at the back, gathered and then allowed to fall down her neck,
the pearl head pins holding it up away from her face showing off her long graceful throat.
His gaze had fallen to her bare shoulder the dress only covering one, showing the slender curve, her skin so smooth, his mind full of memories of kissing that skin, Dante needing to look away at the way his body reacted to those thoughts. Beside him his date had grabbed his hand, grinning vacantly up at him, her eyes adoring as she had made a small sighing noise, making him grit his teeth with annoyance. Why did weddings always bring out the worst in women he had thought, his eyes once more falling onto the woman moving down the aisle, correcting himself, well not all women.