by H. Q. Frost
Robert was happy to see her and in her normal state she would have been pleased to see him, but her demeanor was more of a walking corpse. Luckily the first few hours all she had to do was sit still and look beautiful, which she did well. At seven, Robert escorted her from the convention and to the waiting car.
"I'm glad you were able to join me for the convention." His hand rubbed hers.
"Is it all week?" she asked, wanting to know what they'd be doing for the next four days in Paris.
"Only today." He looked out the window.
They went to his hotel and he talked about his job, his family, what he'd been doing since he'd seen her last and she listened. It was easy enough. At nine, he wanted to go dancing so she followed him to the hotel ballroom for an impromptu orchestral performance from Ruthless Jabiru. She had a glass of champagne with Robert and began feeling lightheaded because a lack of food. While dancing she had to stop and sit down.
"Are you sick, Lily?" Robert asked with heavy concern.
"I think so." She brought her eyes to him, forcing a contrite expression. "I'm sorry, Robert."
"Let my driver get you back to your hotel." There was still three hours left of his date, but he was persistent she get rest because she didn't look well.
"You will be comp'd. I am so sorry."
He took her hand, escorting her to the car.
Lilith leaned in kissing his cheek. "I'll be well for the morning. I'm sorry."
The perplexed look on his face made her feel guilty. Perhaps Ian was going to bitch at her for ending the date three hours early. After all, Robert Tanaka was paying a large sum of money to date her in Paris, but keeping her eyes open any longer wasn't an option.
When she walked into the hotel room, Ian wasn't there. She actually felt relief. The thought to call him was pushed away with the want to be alone. Her torpid state had her feeling so low she didn't even have the urge to cut. She leaned against the shower wall closing her eyes.
Another pill from Caesar and fifteen minutes later she couldn't see straight, but straight enough to dial Justin.
"El," he breathed. "Fuck, princess. El, I miss you so much."
"I miss you, Justin," she whispered, her voice thick with exhaustion.
"I'm so fucking sorry, El. Goddammit, please believe me. Shit was so…it was just so… Fuck! I don't fucking know. I don't even understand. Let's get together. Let me talk all this out. Explain it thoroughly. Fuck, I just…I just fucking love you. So much, and what I did was stupid. So fucking stupid, but I'm—" There was silence for a moment. "I'm just fucked up. I never meant to hurt you and I tried to forget about you seemingly breaking up with me with my stupid fucking dick!"
Her lip quivered as thoughts of Rayne foggily invaded her mind. "You're seeing the actress?" The drone in her voice gave away her inebriation.
"No, I have, but I'm not dating her. I don't fucking want her, El!" He gripped a handful of his hair to get his curls out of his eyes. "I want you, only you, ZP."
Her head began to shake and tears started to roll down her face while her brain convinced her if it were true he wouldn't have gotten with Rayne Bronson.
"God, Justin," the words painfully left her throat in a whisper before she hung up.
She cursed the pills Caesar gave her because they weren't doing their job. The pain from her breakup was ripping her apart and the hard sobs into her pillow weren't abated until Ian climbed into bed with her and pulled her to his chest. Lilith fell asleep without speaking a word and slept until early afternoon; jet-lag was taking its toll.
She sprang from the bed a frantic mess. "What time's my date?"
Ian looked up from the table where he was on his laptop. "You don't have a date today."
"You said I had a date every day we're here." Anger and confusion contorted her expression.
She was hoping going on the dates would make the time in Paris pass quicker so she could go home and inundate herself with work to try and get over Justin by having no downtime to think about it.
"Not today. It's Thanksgiving."
"We're in France," she muttered, walking to the bathroom and shutting the door more forcefully than intended.
Ian stared at the tabletop; she was miserable and it killed him Justin had the power to do that. At that point he knew she was in love with Justin.
When Lilith walked out of the bathroom he closed his laptop. "What do you want to do today?" He smiled brightly; it was their first holiday together.
"Normally I'd be at Peachey's helping her make food that we'd take to a homeless shelter." She sounded resentful that he kept her from that; that wasn't her antipathy.
He inhaled, surprised by her tone and when he exhaled, his mouth turned to a small frown. She saw his sadness and didn't want to be the cause.
"What do you do on Thanksgiving?"
"My mom usually has dinner and after I would go to Karen's." He looked away from her.
"Are you still seeing her?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I mean at the hospital? Are you still visiting?"
"No. I haven't. I stopped and that's when I deposited the money into her account."
"And when does the remaining four hundred thousand go into her account?"
Definitely hearing the snarky tone, his eyes shifted to her. "The end of the month," he said cautiously. "It's just to get rid of her."
"I know what it's for, Ian," she snapped.
"Baby." He approached her and pulled her into his arms. "What's going on with you? Is this because of Justin?"
The shake of her body came with her exhale then she was breaking down in whimpering sobs that filled him with anger more than sadness.
"Why'd you fall in love with him?" he finally whined after a few minutes.
She inhaled a sharp breath that she held and backed away from him.
"Fuck you, Ian." The words snapped from her mouth before she rushed to the bathroom.
"Goddammit!" he screamed, rushing out the door.
Lilith tried to call Ashley when Ian didn't return after an hour but she didn't answer. She called Caesar and he didn't answer. She called Peachey but she didn't answer. She just needed to talk to someone that knew her well.
Miserably working from Ian's laptop, she looked up when he walked into the room with a black garment bag and laid it on the bed.
"Is this a suit?" Lilith walked over to the bag wondering if he had plans she didn't know about.
As he sat in the chair he logged onto Luxe's system. "You don't have a date with Robert Tanaka again. Yesterday was the only date."
"Why did you tell me I did?" Her pissed off tone was only because she didn't understand why he'd lie.
"To get you here."
"We can't really be taking vacations right now, Ian!" she shouted. "You are dishing out a million dollars! We don't have money for a week long vacation in Paris! I could have flown in yesterday alone and left today!" The harsh glare she pegged him with, looking at him like he was insane, made him sigh.
"It wasn't a vacation." He stood. "It was our wedding."
A swirling sensation of pins and needles coursed through her making her hair stand on end and give her goose bumps.
"Everyone is flying in today. We're supposed to get married tomorrow. I have an elaborate wedding planned, something I thought would give you the greatest memories of our wedding day. It was all going to be a surprise until the morning. You were going to wake to that." He gestured to the garment bag. "You would be surprised by your friends and family and I thought you'd be happy, excited to get married, but I don't know anymore. I'm not sure if your heart lies with me or Justin Borg." His thumb and index finger pushed into his eyes as his face scrunched. When he pulled his hand away he walked past her to the bathroom.
At a loss and too shocked to say anything, Lilith walked to the bag and partially unzipping it, she looked in at the dress she saw with Ashley months prior. The dress she loved. It was the sixty thousand dollar Ossie Clark vintage wedding dress. Her eyes filled
with tears and her shaking hand went to her mouth to silence the cry she was afraid would escape. Zipping the garment bag she grabbed her purse and coat, shaking too hard to pull it on as she left. The cool air blew across her face making her gasp for a breath.
Hotwire IAN'S heart
Do I cancel everything? Lose out on all the money my father and I put into this wedding, or do I proceed with a party for the guests who I just flew to Paris?
I didn't see this coming. At all. I'm feeling lost, completely stupid, not sure I've felt worse in my life.
What will I tell everyone? What will I tell my mother? I told her she had to come to Paris. It was imperative. I told her she'd leave happy. Having my mother attend an elaborate party in Paris is not going to have her leaving happy. She won't be upset, but she will be confused and think I've gone insane. I guess I could spin it all into Ashley's second birthday party. A birthday party for my twin who currently despises me. Everyone else invited knows it's for my wedding, our wedding. I'm not sure what I'll tell them. My fiancée won't marry me because I let her fall in love with another man. That will go over well, they'll all understand.
I punch the wall. Thank god they're sturdy, I don't want to pay for a hole in the wall in a Paris hotel room.
I can't return this fucking dress. I have a sixty thousand dollar wedding dress that will never be worn by the woman I want. My sister told me about the dress the day Lily saw it in the shop window and I didn't hesitate to buy it. Ashley made it seem like Lily loved it and it didn't matter where we were getting married, she was going to wear that dress.
I think I've fucked up and I don't know how to fix it. Why is she finding it so damn hard to be with just me? What am I lacking? Because I'll fucking get it. I'll buy it if I can!
When Ian's mother arrived in Paris, he met her for lunch. Ashley refused to see him because she blamed him for the entire breakup between Lilith and Justin. Which meant she blamed him for Lilith's misery.
"Will you please tell me what is going on? Are you launching a new location?" Aurora urged.
"No, mom," he huffed, rolling his eyes. "I've fucked up."
"Oh, what else is new, Ian," she snickered. Ian pushed his hand to his nose bridge and she actually felt bad for the outburst. "Oh, Ian." She reached across the table, pulling his hand down. "I'm sorry. It was a long flight. I'm exhausted and in Paris. I hate Paris." She scowled at the city of love, the city her ex loved.
"I have a girlfriend." He stared her in the eyes to watch her reaction.
"What do you mean? A new girlfriend? Not Karen, right?"
"Not Karen." He lowered his voice. "I met a woman while I was still with Karen and I cheated."
"Ian," she breathed his name, putting her hand to her forehead and shaking her head. "You know what your father did—"
"I know, mom. It's not like that. I mean it is, I cheated, but I love this woman insanely and I asked her to marry me."
Aurora's eyebrows sprung up with her gasp.
"We've been engaged a little while—"
"A little while!" she shouted. Ian quickly glanced around hushing her. "You've been engaged? You just recently broke things off with Karen!"
"I asked this other girl to marry me while I was still with Karen." Saying it made him feel disgusted.
"I don't understand."
Ian explained. Most of it. The arrangement. How his girlfriend fell in love with another man. She knew everything but the names and details of Lilith's takeover at Luxe.
"Who is this woman? Not Heidi?" She gasped again.
"No! I can't stand that woman, mom."
"Who is she, Ian?"
"That doesn't matter!"
"You love her? I don't understand this. How could you stay with Karen and her? What is wrong with you?" She scowled at him with repugnance.
"I know what you're doing with dad." He glared at her. "I suppose it runs in the family."
Aurora's scowl loosened and she knew she was the pot calling the kettle black. She had her fair share of infidelity and unconventional relationships.
"You want to marry this woman still?"
"Yes, mom!" he huffed, wondering if she'd listened to a word he said.
"This poor woman. I don't know any woman that would put up with such arrogance. I have a feeling I wouldn't want this woman as my daughter-in-law anyway. And I don't mean because she's doing what you did to her. I mean because she put up with your shit. You're a charlatan and that's what's most embarrassing. You're your father and you get what you deserve. She'll resent you the way I did your father. Do you know how long I hated your father for claiming to love me and another woman? A cold, cold hatred, Ian. I could have set him on fire and watched him burn. The only reason I didn't was because of you kids. I tried and tried but after so many years of his bullshit I couldn't take it anymore." She shuddered at her own mistakes. "Let her go now, Ian, because she will end up leaving you and you'll end up with two children that hate you like mine do me—"
"Mother," he huffed.
"Let her go, Ian. Let her go before you waste your life. I can't believe she agreed to let you keep that psychotic nut job as your girlfriend," she muttered. "She's fallen in love with another man and you deserve that." Her words were like lashes with a razor tipped whip.
He left feeling worse than he did when he arrived to the late lunch.
The dark hotel suite was lonely and uninviting without Lilith there. When she came through the door, he was relieved. She'd been gone almost six hours and she'd left her phone. He thought for sure she left him and flew back to the states. He checked her bank account six times to see if she purchased a ticket.
He didn't know what to say to her and she wasn't speaking. She crossed the room to her phone; no one returned her calls probably because they were all flying there for her wedding. Lilith rolled her eyes at the thought, more so because he kept it a secret. She glanced at him and his attention was back on the computer. The grown man she loved looked like a little boy sitting in timeout. Like he was sorry, but not for what he did.
She set a box on the bed and removed her coat to reveal red lingerie and a garter belt around her waist holding up black thigh highs. Her red lips and black hair made the red lingerie sizzle on her silk skin. The see-through lace balconette bra pushed her breasts together and the matching underwear tied up her ass similar to a corset. She stared at him, he stared at the computer. She strutted toward him.
"Have you talked to Tash?" he asked, and when she didn't answer, he glanced at her then jerked his head to take in the unexpected view.
Sitting up straight, he felt his heart flutter with a mix of emotions. Confusion was one of the emotions; was she just being cruel, was she giving him one last look? What was her intent? Because he was rock hard and terrified at the same time. She stood only feet from him with her hands on her hips, glaring at him like he was a cool rain on a scorching day.
"Wow," he managed to say and rubbed his legs nervously.
"I have something for you."
"Yes you do," he breathed as she grabbed the collar of his shirt.
After pulling him to the bed, she pushed him back to fall onto his elbows, not wanting to take his eyes from her. He wondered if that was when she'd set him on fire and watch him burn.
Straddling his legs, she pulled him to a sitting position and he hesitantly put his hands to her sides. Shoving his hands down, she pulled his shirt off before her fingers delved into his well-groomed hair and she clamped down, yanking his head back so she could get to his neck. The twitch of his cock on her thigh made her smile while she kissed softly up his flesh to his chin. Letting him go, she lithely moved from his lap to the bed and slid the box toward him, setting it on his legs. At his back, she began to rub his shoulders, confusing him while he sat there turned on and scared, unsure whether to enjoy the massage, open the box, or run away.
"Lily."
"Open the box." She pressed her lips to the back of his neck, leaving lipstick kisses as she trailed down his sho
ulder.
He quietly moaned. "Lily, I need to defend some parts of myself. I've done things and said things—"
"Open the box, Ian." Her lips didn't stop traveling.
After removing the lid from the box, he glanced at her over his shoulder, able to see the eagerness on her face. She looked like his Lily, wide-eyed and excited for what comes next. He shifted so he could see her better while he opened the card. A boy and girl kissing on the front of the card made him smirk; the inside was blank but she wrote: 'I DO'.
He looked at her not sure if he was understanding, but he knew for the first time in days she smiled the beautiful smile he fell in love with. He grabbed the back of her head and kissed her. Red lipstick smeared over his lips making her giggle when she pulled away.
"This isn't my normal red." Still wide-eyed and wearing her genuine smile she encouraged, "Finish opening your gift. This is my wedding present to you."
"This is enough of a gift." His hands grabbed her, shifting her to straddle him before sliding to her ass, tugging the string tying up her lacy underwear.
"Please open it." She put the box on his chest in front of her.
Ian pulled the tissue paper from the box and felt the book. He sat up and she scooted down his legs so he could sit comfortably. Pulling the book from the box, he studied the deep red cover that had a silhouette of a woman sitting on a bed across it. He looked at her with a confused smirk.
"Open it!" She giggled.
Twenty-three glossy pages held the most artfully provocative images of Lilith, causing his erection to throb. The first picture in the book was her in white lingerie and a veil holding a sign that said 'I DO'. The images that followed were an array of playful, sexy, serious, beautiful, exotic, erotic, and darkly gothic. The very last image of the book was a black and white side shot of her completely nude body straddling a chair. Her wrists were tied to the back of the chair in white rope. With her head dropped back it gave the most erotic curve to her posture, pushing her hipbones out and her pointed toes braced her body to pivot in a way the lighting made her skin softly glow.
The room was silent while he studied each page thoroughly. On the last page of the book she wrote in silver pen 'You're the only poison I want to keep'.