The guy dropped Lola onto the ground and tried to make a run for it. I allowed him to make it all the way to the car before shooting him in the back of the head. He died instantly as well. I put the gun up and signaled for the guys to come down. I ran over and picked up Lola. I carried her in my arms back to the truck. I held her on my lap until we made it back to the clubhouse. The bag of money I had thrown at him was just a bag of trash. We wouldn’t have actually brought the money with us, since we had no intention to give it back.
When we made it back, I put Lola in the car and David drove us home. I took her inside and laid her on my bed while I ran her a bath. It was really hard to look at her face and to see the damage that they'd done to her without breaking down. When the water was perfect enough for her to get in, I dropped in a few rose petals and walked back into my room. She was sitting on the edge of the bed and was looking at me.
She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. I figured she wanted to talk, but was too tired or in too much pain, so I decided not to bother her about it. I took her clothes off of her and carried her into the bathroom. I sat her down inside of the tub and watched as she winced. I finally had my Lola back, and although she wasn't at her best, I was willing to nurse her back to health.
I watched her as she tried to relearn how to move her arms and legs. It was the saddest thing that I had ever laid eyes on and my heart broke even more, knowing that I was the one who put her in this type of danger. She learned fast. That's how strong she was. Just thinking about how strong she really was made me think back to the different moments that we had shared. Specifically, back to when all of this started.
I knew she wanted that kiss as badly as I did, and I knew that the kiss would definitely leave her wanting more. I didn't really have a meeting. I just wanted to leave her on edge. I knew even the strongest, most independent girl couldn't hold herself back. I knew my magic, and it only took a couple of days. I chuckled to myself and walked back to my desk, taking a sip of my coffee while looking out the view of the window. I had everything I wanted in the palm of my hand.
Lola made me feel young again. Being around her took me back to when I was around her age and just starting to discover what love was all about. That was a time when I was wild and adventurous. I had a lot of down time and I could really be myself without any consequences. That was why being with her was such a valuable time for me.
I felt as if she was really the one for me, and that was why it hurt me so much that she would betray me. I felt that, if her feelings were almost the same as mine, she would at least respect my privacy. Whether my email had been left open or not, it wasn’t her place to take a look inside.
That whole situation angered me so much, but I just couldn’t force myself to be over-the-top upset with her. I knew that showing extreme anger toward her would make me uncomfortable and I couldn’t bring myself to hurt her … that much.
My phone began to ring, disrupting my thoughts and making me slightly irritated. It was a call from David. I answered quickly because it was rare for David to call me in the middle of the day.
"Boss, you're not going to like this." His voice sounded frantic and I almost didn't want to hear what he was going to say next.
"What is it?" I kept my calm. Panicking just as much as he was wouldn’t help nothing at that moment.
"That lady who’s been chasing you down for years says she's coming after the girl and it’s not going to be pretty."
"The girl ...what girl?" I asked in confusion.
"The one you went out with the other night, you know? The one who found out about us," he said. There was a silence on the phone after that as I took a minute to think.
“How’d you figure that out?” I asked.
“She sent me an email from her husband’s account he had with us and said these words exactly:”
Dear David and crew,
Since Arsen stole the love of my life from me, I guess I'll have to take something from his as well. That girl—his new arm candy. My daughter has been telling me she’s seen them around town together and it’s more than just him taking her out to make himself look good. He has feelings for this girl and this is the perfect time for me to come in and make my move. I just hope you guys get a hold of her before I do.
"Arsen." Lola called out, breaking my train of thought.
"Yes, my love?" I got on my knees in front of the tub, willing to do whatever she asked.
“Why did you kill my best friend?” She looked over at me with wide eyes. Her knees were pulled up to her chest.
“Who told you that?” I asked, wondering how she found out.
“I heard the gunshots, and when they took me out of the building, I saw her laying there. Dead. Her mother said you did it.” She sniffled and I saw her eyes begin to tear up. “You killed her and her father.”
“Lola …” I started, and honestly, I didn’t know how to finish.
“You took her father away from her and you took her away from me! How do I know if I’m next?” She tried to speak louder, but I could tell it was putting a strain on her throat.
“Lola, I would never hurt you a day in my life,” I spoke.
“Prove it,” she said quietly. “Don’t hurt anyone else close to me, please.”
“Anything for you.” I nodded.
“Now tell me why? Why did you kill her? Why did you kill her father?” She looked down at the water.
“Well, her father was stealing money from us and giving it to other gangs who were against us. He was one of our best members and the entire time he was setting us up.” I lathered a washcloth with soap and started to clean her up. “As far as Anabella, her and her mother were plotting on hurting you in order to get back at me”
She looked up at me in disbelief.
“There’s no need for me to lie. The situation is over now.” I continued to clean her. “Your best friend was plotting against you.”
Things got quiet really fast. As I washed over her body with the cloth, the only sound between us was the light movements of the bath water. I grabbed the bottle of strawberry shampoo and began washing her hair. She sat there, staring into space. More than likely, she thinking about what I had just told her.
I finished washing her up and sat there. I reached for the drain to let the water out, but she grabbed my hand, stopping me.
“Can I stay in here a little longer?” she whispered. I nodded and still drained the water.
“Anything you want, my love. Let me just run you some fresh water.” I slightly smiled, trying to make her comfortable and ran her some more warm water.
“I’m going to go take a shower in your room, if that’s okay?”
She nodded and I got up to leave. Before I left, I grabbed my phone, turning on some soft music at a low volume and sitting it on the sink for her to listen to. Maybe the music would help her calm down. She’d been in the same position since she got in.
As I cracked the door, I saw her relax her body. She pulled her legs down from her chest and stretched her arms out. She lowered her body into the tub, so that the water touched her neck. It made me smile that she felt at home.
I grabbed a fresh towel and a pair of sweats to wear to bed and headed off into her room. I took off my clothes and got into the shower. I hadn’t had a good shower since the day Lola had gone missing.
I made sure the water was hot and the shower was steamy. That way I could really relax and become one with my thoughts. I began washing over my body slowly, being sure not to miss a spot. I washed my hair, then stood under the water for a few minutes, soaking up the heat before I went back into the chill air of my bedroom.
When I got out, I dried off my body and threw on my sweats. I took a deep breath and walked back to my room. Upon entering, my eyes fell upon Lola, who was in my bed, laying on her side. It looked like she had a gown on. She must’ve gotten it out of her room when I was in the shower.
She looked so peaceful. Just when I was about to turn to go sleep
in her room, I heard her voice.
“Arsen,” she whispered.
“Yes, angel?” I asked, walking over to the edge of her bed.
“Stay,” she commanded in a light voice.
“You sure?”
“Yes. Please don’t leave me. Sleep with me, please,” she whined.
“All right.” I climbed into bed next to her and turned off the desk lamp, which was the only light on.
The moonlight shone inside of the windows as Lola turned to face me. She cuddled up to me and I wrapped my arm around her. I was so glad to have her back next to me.
THE END
Quartet
An Alpha Billionaire Romance
The note hung in the air, pure and clear. As it faded out, the singer drew in a deep breath, then brought her hand down. The crowd leaped as one, moving with the swell of the beat, arms in the air, the sweltering heat of the auditorium pulsating through their limbs.
He moved through the crowd, never taking his eyes from the beautiful brunette at the front of the stage. Despite her small size, her command over the audience and her presence were palpable. Their eyes met and held. A shock passed through him, his breath caught, and his groin tightened. Time stopped.
As quickly as it happened, she looked away and he realized that in this melee, in this beautiful old building—Seattle’s Paramount on the corner of Ninth and Pine, she could have been looking at anyone. He watched the band, the brunette, the blond guitarist who looked faintly familiar, and the huge, bearded drummer who was grinning madly as he pounded the drums. They were all so different he thought, his gaze returning to the singer. Her dark hair tumbled down her back, strands sticking to the sheen of sweat on her lovely face, her smile joyous and infectious. There was a woman, he thought, who was doing the thing she loved the most, her reason for being, her passion.
That was the moment Tomas Meir fell in love with Bay Tambe.
Quartet #1
Fire for You
It had been his idea, his dream, and his vision. Nearing forty and bored as hell at his own successful law firm, Tomas Meir had woken night after night with the crushing feeling of disappointment in his own life and the sense that somehow it was all slipping away with nothing to show for it. It was a typical mid-life crisis, he’d tried to reason. After all, he was Harvard-educated and only in his twenties when he’d started the entertainment law firm that had made him a billionaire before thirty. He knew where it had stemmed from, this feeling of dissatisfaction.
It had been his thirty-fourth birthday and he’d gone to Boston. He’d gotten together with his three best friends—his buddies from Harvard: Sam Hamilton, marketing guru to the fashion industry, and Otis and Roman Ford, twin geniuses from old money, superstar surgeon and businessman, respectively.
It had been a riot, a night of busting each other’s chops, catching up, and reminiscing.
It had only been later when they’d settled into Tom’s hotel lounge with heavy glasses of sour mash in their hands that Sam had told them.
Cancer. Six months. Their hearts were broken.
In the end, it was only four months, the cancer spreading through Sam’s previously athletic body like wildfire. At the funeral, Sam’s only living relative, his younger brother Dash, had pleaded with them to stay in touch. They were his only link to his family.
They’d done more than that. Tomas had had the idea to start the record company, a seed that had been planted in their Harvard days when they would commandeer one of the music rooms and jam for hours when they should have been studying. They were obsessed with music—ate, slept, and drank it every minute in which they weren’t being primed for a life of law and medicine by their ambitious fathers.
After Sam’s funeral, Tom stayed in Boston to talk to Dash. He told him that he and the Ford Brothers were starting a new venture together—a record company—and they wanted Dash to join them. He’d barely gotten the words out before Dash had said yes.
Now the fledgling company was competing with the big boys. Tom’s unerring eye for talent had secured him some of the best new acts around and for the last two years, he’d been so busy with them that he’d pushed his scouting to the backburner. It itched at him, though, the thrill of discovery. When his assistant, Meg, had mentioned a weekend in Seattle and seeing, as she had put it, “the most rocking covers band I’ve ever seen,” he hadn’t been able to resist.
Now as he filed out with rest of the audience into the cold Seattle night, his heart was pounding, his senses in overdrive. He knew without a doubt that they were the ones—the band he would personally champion to superstardom. He had found them.
He had found her …
Bay stood under the shower in the dressing room, letting the hot water soothe and cleanse her tired body. She massaged shampoo into her long, dark hair, feeling the water glide through the wet strands. Friday nights at the Ninth & Pine club were never boring. The band’s reputation in Seattle now was such that people booked well in advance to see them. Bay shook her head, smiling. She couldn’t get over it—they were just a local covers band, for Christ sakes, but their gigs, every second Friday after midnight, were always packed.
Bay stepped out of the shower and quickly dried and dressed. A loud rapping sounded and her best friend, Kym, the band’s guitarist, stuck her head around the door.
“Stu says the guy’s waiting for us in the bar.”
“I’ll be two minutes.”
“Cool.” Kym’s head disappeared. Bay sighed. She hated anything to do with Stu Lawson, Kym’s long-term English boyfriend. Oily, smarmy creep. Bay grinned to herself. Whoever this latest guy was that Stu wanted them to meet—to further the band’s success, he’d put it—was bound to be another low-rent shyster looking to exploit them. Bay dried her hair quickly, pulling it into a messy bun at the nape of her neck, then smoothed her tea dress down over her curves. She glanced at the clock. It was after two a.m. now and she would meet this guy, then head home. The store would have to be opened at eight. She calculated she would have about four hours of sleep, maximum, and the thought made her faintly nauseous.
She pulled the dressing room door shut behind her and made her way slowly to the bar. Pete, the big bear-heart of their band, met her halfway, throwing a huge arm across her shoulders. He had about the same regard for Stu as she did and they exchanged a loaded grin now as they walked into the bar. Stu was standing at the bar, his back turned as he chatted to the record company guy. Bay felt a little flip in her stomach as she realized who it was. The guy from the crowd. She’d seen him before, at their last two gigs. She could hardly miss him, he was so tall he towered over the rest of the crowd. Tonight, as she’d sung the final notes of the song, their eyes had met and she’d felt it …everywhere. A sledgehammer to her chest and a frantic pulse between her legs. She took a deep breath in now as they approached the men who turned to greet them. Stu made the introductions, but she barely heard him except for the guy’s name—Tomas. Tom smiled down at her, his green eyes intense and focused entirely on hers. He didn’t rake his eyes up and down her body in that sleazy way Stu always did, but kept his eyes locked on hers. It was incredibly sensual and Bay could imagine him leaning in, pressing those cool lips to hers, and …
“Hey, space cadet,” Kym nudged her and Bay blinked. “Let’s grab a table.”
As they made their way to one of the booths, she heard Stu remark, “Sorry about that …it’s her artistic temperament.”
Turning to shoot him a death stare, Bay flushed at Stu’s rudeness. Tomas’s eyes narrowed at Stu before he smiled down at Bay. ““Nothing to apologize for. I’m always daydreaming—best way to filter out the crap some people talk.”
Bay snorted with laughter and Tomas grinned at her. They all sat down in one of the booths and Bay couldn’t help the little thrill passing through her as Tomas deliberately put himself between her and Stu. Sitting so closely together, she could feel the heat of his body and his big thigh against hers in the cramped table. God, she wanted to
touch it—wanted him to touch her. She’d been exhausted after the gig, but now every cell in her body was alive, sparking with excitement and arousal.
Tomas began to talk about his project and suddenly she was interested. He wanted to champion the band into a major recording deal.
“The fact that your gigs are always packed has gotten a lot of buzz in the industry,” he told them. “Nowadays when the recording industry is flooded with manufactured, plasticized bands or whiny, little mean girls …”
Bay had to laugh at that one. Pete grinned too.
““What we’re looking for is to develop a band that’s innate talent is …well, I’m not going to say wasted, not after that incredible gig …but whose talent could be developed into something quite extraordinary and lucrative. I don’t see why there can’t be both music of real quality and genuine talent to go along with record sales.”
Bay was impressed and she looked over to Kym and Pete, who both looked excited.
“And you think we’re the band to do that with?” Pete asked Tomas, who nodded.
“Absolutely. If one gig can have that effect on me …” He looked back at Bay now and a smile creased his handsome face. She felt her stomach do that flippy thing again and pressed her hand against it to quell the sensation.
“What label are you with?” She felt like she was gibbering, so distracting was this man. Before he could answer, Stu cursed loudly.
“For fuck’s sake, Bay, do you have to be so clueless? Tom is Quartet Records.”
Tom narrowed his eyes at Stu. “Watch your mouth, Lawson. Remind me again what it is you do?” As he came to her defense, a squirming Bay felt his hand close over hers, hidden by the table. He held it for a brief second—I got your back—then let it go. Her skin burned where he touched her and she smiled at him gratefully.
“I’m the band’s manager,” Stu said in a mock-patient voice. “I brought you in, remember?”
His Beautiful Revenge: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 64