“Aurora? Are you okay, has he hurt you?”
I shook my head, then realized he couldn’t see me. “No, he hasn’t. He’s actually been quite the gentleman.”
“Doesn’t sound like him. Is he making you do this?”
“No, I wanted to call you myself. The only reason he’s holding me right now is to protect himself, and he’s been treating me well too. He’s a good person dad, whether or not you believe it, and I’ve heard that the person who hired you isn’t. Can’t you call this off?”
“Are you sure he’s not putting you up to this? Because I can still get you out of there darling. I’m going to.”
I was becoming a little frustrated, even though I knew that all my dad wanted was the best for me. Couldn’t he just listen to me and call things off already so we could just go back to our lives?
“He’s not. I just really want things to end.”
My dad sighed. It was a sad sound, and that’s when I realized that things were probably more complicated than I realized.
“Aurora… I can’t. Not right now at least. Now that Liam knows you exist… he pulls my strings in more ways than one. He’s frightening, my dear, and I don’t want him after you to get back at me.”
“I’m sure Malcolm can work something out—”
“Maybe he can, but I haven’t seen any proof of that yet. And Liam has powerful connections. Besides, I just can’t forgive the fact that he’s taken you hostage.”
“If you knew him like I do—”
“Aurora, I want you to think long and hard about how much you really know him. I’ve been in this business long enough to know what goes on behind closed doors, to know what people do when no one is watching, and what they cover up from those they want to trust them. Malcolm’s a dangerous man, my dear, and he’s done things you would never even dream of. I’ll get you soon, I promise.”
With that, he hung up, and my head was left a swirling mix of emotions yet again. Who was I supposed to trust? And what was I supposed to follow, my head? Or my heart?
Chapter Twenty-One
Malcolm
Aurora looked so torn when she handed the phone back to me. Her whole face was downcast, in a way that it hadn’t been before she had called her father.
“Aurora, what happened?” I asked.
“He doesn’t want to listen to me,” she said. “He says you’re a bad person, too.” She was shuffling her feet as she spoke, refusing to meet my eyes.
“Aurora, look at me,” I commanded, a hand on her jaw to guide her gaze. That seemed to do the trick. She looked into my eyes, waiting for me to speak. “The world is not as simple as you want to believe. Right now you’re seeing things in terms of black and white, good or bad, but it’s not like that. Good people do bad things all the time, and bad people do good things. I don’t even know if we should really classify people as good or bad, most are a mix. What’s important is that you decide the parts that matter to you.”
“How am I supposed to decide when I know practically nothing about you?”
I shrugged. “Maybe you trust me to tell you things in time. And let your instincts tell you if it’s right for you.”
She laughed, a half-hearted little sound that made me want to press her close to my body and never let her go. “My instincts have never been very good.”
I had to stop myself from reaching out, touching her again, tracing the outline of her face and kissing those plump little lips. I wanted to kiss all the traces of tears away and make her so happy that she never cried again.
She had my insides twisted in all sorts of ways, and I had no idea what to do with her.
She looked up at me then, understanding crossing her features as she saw the struggle in mine.
“Have yours always been good?”
I laughed. I wished that they had. Maybe then I might have saved my brother. Maybe then I could have stopped a lot of unfortunate things from happening.
“I think they’re things that you can really only hone with experience. Unless you get out there and experience the world, you’ll never really know how to use them.”
“Hmmm.” She looked tired like she might fall asleep at any moment. Her eyelids were slowly fluttering and her expression was becoming more indistinct.
“You need some rest, you’re still healing,” I said, wanting to change the subject.
“Oh? Yeah, right.” She stumbled a few steps towards me, and I caught her, supporting her from one side as I walked her back to her room.
Being in such close proximity to her, touching her, smelling that special intoxicating scent of hers; it was making my heart race. I had never felt this way around anyone else before, and sometimes I really didn’t know how to approach it.
When we arrived at her room, I didn’t know if I wanted to let her go. I was glad when she asked, “Stay with me?” in that incredibly cute, sleepy voice.
“Of course,” I said, kissing her forehead.
She led me to the bed, and immediately crawled under the covers, then scooted over to make some space for me.
I lifted the blankets and got in behind her, pulling her close to my chest.
“I’ll be here when you wake up,” I said, “So just get some rest.”
She hummed in acknowledgment, wiggling around in my arms to get comfortable and then, slowly, fell asleep. I knew because her breathing gradually slowed, and then I could no longer feel her heart racing. My arms were around her, so I couldn’t very well leave her, and I wasn’t tired either, so I didn’t want to sleep just yet.
I knew that my shirt and pants would be crumpled, and my hair would be messed, but I didn’t mind it.
The fact that she asked me to be there for her in this way… it was more than I could have hoped for. I know I said that I didn’t want to involve her, but at the moment I just couldn’t imagine a life without her.
Of course, to get that life, I would first need to solve the problem that was at hand. I had known, deep down, that her talking with her father wasn’t going to work, but I still hoped. Now though, it seemed I was out of options.
I could release her, and hope that Kline might not kill me after realizing how good of a person I was, but that was unlikely.
He wasn’t a notorious hitman for no reason, and I knew Liam had to be paying him good money, so there was no way I could just change his mind. There was a possibility that Aurora might have some more ideas about what we could do, but I wasn’t about to wake her up just to discuss that with her.
Though, it would be a good excuse to go on another date. There was an expensive restaurant I knew that might be her taste, and I would do just about anything to see her in a fancy dress again.
Since she had been injured, she was mainly just wearing shirts and sweatpants. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that— she looked just as sexy as she always did— but I also wanted to see her in formal wear again.
I made up my mind. I would call some of my connections, and the next day I would take her to have dinner in a fancy restaurant.
With that out of the way, I settled in next to her and felt myself slowly drift off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Aurora
The next day Malcolm informed me that he had somewhere to take me.
“I want to make things up to you,” he explained as we were sitting together. “You’ve been through a lot recently, and there are some things that we should talk about.”
“Like what?”
“Well, how to get out of the situation we’re in for instance.”
“You really think there might be a way?”
He shrugged, giving me one of his signature grins. “There’s no harm in brainstorming.”
Kylie brought by another dress for me to wear. This one was another formal gown, but it was long, with a slit that traveled up my leg. It was made out of the most beautiful midnight blue silk I had ever seen, and embroidered all over it were galaxies and constellations. It had blue velvet accents on the h
emline, waistline, and wide straps. Kylie also gave me a blue velvet choker to wear with a little golden circular charm.
“It’s beautiful,” I gasped when I tried it on.
She winked. “I think I may have outdone myself with this one. There’s no way he’ll be able to resist you in this. I expect to be receiving my invitation to the wedding soon.”
I blushed in spite of myself. “How did you do it?” I asked, trying to change the subject as I admired all the handwork that had been put into the dress.
“Well, I figured Malcolm would be asking me for something like this sooner or later, so I had my best assistants set to work on creating the pattern and doing all the needlework. It was the only way I managed to finish this on time, as Malcolm called me last night and demanded a new dress.”
I giggled a bit. So this had definitely been a last-minute plan. It humanized him for me. “Does he always give you such short notice?”
She shook her head. “No, I swear, it’s just with you. There must really be something special about you for him to go through all this trouble. Usually, he never lifts a finger, and I haven’t even met one of his girls before. Normally he tells me not to bother and just sends down an assistant to do the fitting.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I mean, how could he keep things from me for so long? I’m practically his aunt and I want grandbabies already.”
Now I was blushing. I was trying not to imagine what it would be like to have a child, or children, with Malcolm, but now I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“Don’t worry, I’m only teasing,” she said with a smile. “Partially.”
I didn’t know how to respond. It felt like my whole body was overheating at just the thought.
And despite how much progress had been made, and how much I knew I was really attracted him, I just couldn’t commit to Malcolm at the moment. Something still felt wrong, I still wanted things to be explained. And on top of that, I knew that he was dangerous. I knew that he had done bad things. And I couldn’t ignore the fact that being with him would likely put me in danger.
So I let her escort me down to where Malcolm was waiting without another word. I wore flats this time so that I wouldn’t strain my leg. Even still, I needed Kylie’s help to make it down the stairs.
Each step burned, despite the fact that I had recently taken pain medication.
But when I saw Malcolm, all of those thoughts went away.
He looked handsome, in a dark blue velvet suit that matched my dress perfectly. His silver hair was combed back stylishly, and he had crossed his hands in front of him as he waited for me.
The moment he saw me, I could tell that he was trying to control his emotions, but he was failing.
“You look beautiful,” he said as I reached him, gingerly taking my arm from Kylie. “Are you going to be okay for the night?”
“As long as I don’t walk too much,” I said. “I’ve been taking my medication, so it’s mostly okay. Stairs are just a bitch.”
He laughed. “I can always carry you around if need be.”
My heart did a little flip in my chest at the thought of him carrying me, close to his chest, holding me tight.
“Shall we get going?” he asked, and I just nodded, not trusting myself to say the words I wanted without getting all tangled up in a knot.
He escorted me out to his car—some luxury sports car. What brand, I had no clue, just that it was expensive— and he helped me to get into the front seat.
He closed the door behind me, and then came around the other side to get into the driver’s seat.
He was a very good driver, which wasn’t that surprising, but he was also a very safe driver. He didn’t speed, or race, or otherwise do anything to show off. Instead, he kept the car going at an easy, steady pace in a way that set me at ease.
I had been in a few car accidents when I was younger, and so I really appreciated it when people knew what they were doing and didn’t take any unnecessary risks while driving.
We didn’t go that far from the mansion, and the moment we pulled up I knew that it was a very fancy restaurant we were going to. The outside of the building was modern and sleek, with a bit of an art deco-period style.
Surprisingly, the parking lot was completely empty. And when Malcolm drove up, he had a valet take the car after helping me out of the passenger seat.
To me it was absurd, but I knew to him it was probably just another habit that he didn’t think much of. Especially if he had grown up with that kind of money.
“Shall we go in?” he asked, offering me his arm.
I took it. “Why not?”
When we entered, I took a moment to admire the decorations and the beautiful lighting, before realizing that the place was completely devoid of patrons except for us.
“What… is this?” I asked, not sure exactly what I should think.
“I wanted us to have some time alone together, so I pulled a few strings and got the whole place for the night.”
“You… you what?” It was unfathomable to me, especially the way he shrugged it off so nonchalantly.
I couldn’t help but be a little impressed.
“I told you, I booked the place. I’ve been wanting to spend some time with you, alone.”
I felt special, to know that this gesture was for me. And a little guilty too. I knew he planned this at the last minute, so he must have moved quite a few people’s reservations at least.
A waitress came up to us then, rescuing me from my thoughts. “Sir, Ma’am,” she said, nodding to each of us in turn. “Shall I show you to your table.”
“Please do.”
No sooner had Malcolm said that than the waitress was already leading us away from the entrance and to a table set for two in the middle of the restaurant. It had the most beautiful white tablecloth I had ever seen and several lit candles on top.
There were more candles scattered around on nearby tables, giving the place a really nice atmosphere.
There was an expensive bottle of wine waiting for us, and two crystal-cut glasses: the likes of which I had never seen before.
Real silverware, polished enough so that I could see my reflection, rested beside artistic plates with veins of real gold running through them.
Malcolm pulled out my chair for me, and I gladly took a seat. I hated to admit it, but my leg was killing me and I wanted to get off my feet.
He pushed me in, and then went to take his own seat.
“I’ll be right out with the appetizers, let me know if there is anything else you need,” the waitress said before disappearing.
“This place is beautiful,” I said, taking another second to absorb everything.
“I thought you might like it,” he said with a smile, leaning ever so slightly forward. “It’s almost as beautiful as you.”
I blushed. “Being cheesy doesn’t really suit you.”
“Is that so?” He raised his eyebrows. “Is there a different image you hold of me in your head then? Do tell.”
“I don’t know, you just seem more put together, suaver.”
He threw his head back in laughter. “Is that so? I guess it comes with age. Once you’ve been through enough, you figure out what the right thing to say is.”
Of course, he would remind me of the fact that he was much older than me.
I found myself not minding it as much recently. It gave him a certain aura of mystery and sophistication, and it meant he knew what he was doing in the bedroom. But it was also something that I worried would keep us apart. I knew, for one, that my father would never approve.
And would Malcolm ever really take me seriously? He probably viewed me as some silly child.
“Well then, shall we get down to business?” he asked, still wearing that dashing smile.
I groaned aloud. The last thing I wanted to do was think about the situation that we still had to fix.
“I guess I’ll take that as a no, though we do still have to talk about
it, unfortunately.” He wagged his finger at me in a disapproving manner. “It is the whole reason I brought you here, after all. You should make my investment worth my while.”
“Isn’t it already,” I teased, leaning forward to show off a little more cleavage.
His eyes went down to exactly where I knew they would, and he seemed fixated for a few seconds. “It might have been, just to see you in that dress, but the more we can get out of this evening the better.”
His tone made me shiver with anticipation. It suggested more than just mere conversation, though I didn’t know what else he might have planned. With Malcolm, there was never a dull moment.
“Well, do you have any ideas then?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Unfortunately we’ve already tried all of my ideas. Besides getting your father in the same room and having a very serious conversation with him.”
“Can you out-pay Liam?” I asked.
“Already tried that. He won’t be bought that easily. I’m beginning to suspect that Liam has something else on him.”
“He did mention something about him pulling his strings, especially now that he knows I exist.”
Malcolm stroked his chin, deep in thought. “That is unfortunate and unforeseen. If we could figure out what Liam has over your father, I might be able to deal with that, and then offer you and him a new life somewhere else.”
“Would I really have to leave behind everything?”
“It would be the only way if Liam was still out there. I wouldn’t want him getting to you.”
As he said this, the waitress came back with a plate full of assorted appetizers.
“I’ll leave this here,” she said, setting it in the middle of our table. “Is there anything else you two will be needing before the main course?”
Malcolm waved her off. “We’re all good, thank you.”
My mouth watered at the delicious display in front of me. There were exquisite looking versions of things I had eaten before, like calamari, stuffed grape leaves, and fresh bread with toppings, as well as plenty of new things I had never seen in my life.
My Dad’s Billionaire Enemy Page 11