The Will To Love (Scarlet Fever Series)

by Selene Chardou

  “Go ahead but I can’t be at that meeting. I can’t…face them…knowing everyone will find out about my past—”

  “You’ll have to be there. We won’t tell them how you worked for Karl and he will protect you but you have to agree to this…otherwise, everything will far apart.”

  She looked toward the asphalt ceiling before she chewed on her lip. “Fine, I’ll be there. How will you contact Karl?”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of that.”

  IT WAS EASIER to contact Karl than Will had thought. The two men met privately and talked about the issue at hand before he in fact repeated the same threat he’d given to Laurel.

  “Sasha is a stupid cunt if she thinks I’ll allow her to humiliate Laurel. I’m over twelve years older than Laurel and I knew exactly what I was doing. She was only twenty years old—how many women truly consider their future at that age? I won’t let her take the fall for something I talked her into.” The man paced back and forth in his McMansion nestled in the hills of Summerlin.

  “So, was she…high…when she did all that work?”

  “Course not. I don’t like drugs. In fact, I despise my girls using them unless they are truly going to be snuff victims. I happily admit to using cocaine on more than one occasion but I meant every word I said. I will do anything it takes to protect her. That was a promise.”

  “Then I suggest a meeting be called between you, Sasha, Grant, Rory, Severin and Kaz.”

  Karl sat next to Will and glared at him with cold, blue-green eyes. “Yes, I’ve done some digging because that’s my job and it is true your lead singer is the son of Desmond Cox, the notorious leader of Lucifer’s Saints Motorcycle Club. The lead guitarist, Kaelan Cox is also his son too, yes? Why does he call himself Jaden?”

  “It sounds cooler than an Irish name many people have a hard time pronouncing.”

  “Oh…makes sense. Severin prefers Seven as opposed to his birth name. Leave it to me. I will arrange this meeting and we will end all of this drama before Christmas.”

  Will stood and began to walk out before he stopped and turned toward Karl. “Thank you for seeing me. I’ve been less than cordial to you because I know strong feelings still exist between you and Laurel. I thought maybe she’d want you back and I’m terrified of losing her.”

  “Is this because you’re a gay male and you realize you can’t compete against a straight man?”

  “That’s part of the issue, yes.”

  “Well, rest assure, I’m not straight. I’m bisexual…as are my brothers. We all believe sexuality is fluid and perhaps you’re not completely a gay man either. Maybe you thought you were because you’ve never been attracted to a woman but…you might be in fact bisexual.”

  “I don’t think so.” Will looked around the beautifully decorated home. “I’ve always loved men. Laurel is truly the only exception. I can say this with a clear conscience and no one seems to believe me when I say it. My parents thinking I am ‘conforming’ to society’s standards and have some sort of hidden issue with my homosexuality. I don’t. I know who I am. I prefer taking my own girlfriend from her ass and I like when she fucks me with the strap-on. Maybe it’s not the healthiest way to maintain a heterosexual relationship but I wouldn’t know since all of my bed partners have had dicks until I met Laurel.”

  “I never thought you were confused, Will. I did have my own reservations about how much you really loved Laurel but it seems like you are very much in love with her, and her happiness—it’s all I’ve ever cared about. Believe it or not, she is the only woman I’ve ever been in love with. My wife is very precious to me but…our arrangement is one that suits us both. It is very rare when you are able to marry the woman you truly love and I will never get in the way of what you two have together. You have my word.”

  Will closed his eyes and sighed out loud before he opened them and stared at Karl. “Thank you for everything. I used to believe that whole cliché, ‘Everything happens for a reason’ was bullshit but now I know better. I want you to know I hold no ill will against you and I hope you and your wife are happy.”

  Karl smiled slightly. “I love my wife and we are a compatible couple. That doesn’t mean I can’t still hold a torch for my one and only true love…even if she is off limits. See you soon.”

  He and Karl walked side by side until they reached the front door. Karl opened the double doors and Will stepped out onto the sidewalk. As he strolled leisurely to his Cayenne, he felt lighter and freer. He knew everything would be all right though he wouldn’t feel better about the situation until this whole fucking meeting was over and done with. When he was satisfied Laurel would be safe, and in reality, save both her parents, sister and Grant’s life, only then would he be able to breathe again without fear.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Laurel

  I HAD TO admit the whole feeling of having a “meeting” over my sex life seemed a bit off putting and over the top.

  I sat in a board room on the thirtieth floor of Vogue Hotel and Casino with Will beside me, along with Kaz across from me, Grant next to him and Sasha next to Grant. On our side was Karl to the right of me and on his right was Severin Krieger. It was quite disconcerting since Rory Krieger sat at the head of the table. Rory and Severin were identical twins and no one could tell them apart except their spouses and a few choice people; I happened to be one of those people.

  Rory was extremely charismatic and there was a reason why only he could have built a hotel, casino and spa in Vegas, and turn a profit the first year. He was good looking, dynamic, a social hurricane of lust and sexual attraction to both women and men. One look from those gorgeous blue-green eyes, and both men and women turned to mush.

  His wife, a French-American journalist turned Pulitzer Prize winner, was not only gorgeous but extremely gifted in the same charismatic school as her husband. They just oozed personality and they truly were a breath of fresh air. Their parties were legendary and everyone clamored for an invite. However, Aurélie Segler-DeMarche Krieger was known for more insidious reasons than her looks.

  Her sister, Trésor DeMarche, had suffered a horrible tragedy the previous year before Thanksgiving and it was a major story around the world, mostly because it involved a supermodel, scandal, sex, drugs and lies. All the perfect ingredients for a racier HBO made for television movie—which, ironically, was in the making as we all sat in the same room, minus Rory’s wife.

  Severin Krieger had a heart of stone and matching blue-green eyes that were virtually soulless. It was ironic he was the one who’d turned out to be the closer of the two, to Trésor, especially when at the time of her death, she’d been dating Rory.

  The eyes, they never told untruths, and truly were windows to the soul. They were always how I could tell Rory apart from Severin.

  Not that any of this made one damn bit of difference at that moment. Right now, I had an inquisition to get over with if I wanted my sister and future brother-in-law to see another holiday season.

  I shifted in my chair and wished I had worn something other than skinny black jeans and an oversized, pale gray cashmere sweater. Of course, my leather Birkin matched my jeans and four-inch shoe boots but I still felt underdressed while my sister sat across from me looking like an exotic Audrey Hepburn in her winter white vicuña sweater dress, Chanel Mary Jane heels and her favorite Hermès Kelly black tote bag. She held her Ulysse Nardin like it contained precious cargo and her look was one of utter defiance.

  “Kasper, sorry to bring you in on this meeting but the reason why it’s been called is there seems to be some sort of…fracture in the group.” Rory leaned on to the oak table and placed his hands together. “There is a situation involving rather incriminating evidence against Laurel Munsen, which is being held by her sister, Sasha Munsen.”

  “Oh, really?” Kaz turned toward Sasha who continued to glare at me with hard amber eyes.

  “Aren’t you the Press Manager for both Scarlet Fever and Winter’s Regret?” Rory’s
eyes turned toward my sister while she finally tore her gaze away from me and looked at the hotel owner.

  “Yes, I am. However, what transpires between my sister and I has nothing to do with my job.” She chose her words carefully and precisely, never raising her voice or losing one ounce of control. “The situation that has arisen is a personal matter—one pertaining to our family—and it is my duty to report it to our parents. Her actions are in direct violation with the Trust that has been set up by our parents and therefore, she will be written out of it. She knows this and so do I.”

  “The situation is a bit more complicated than that, Ms. Munsen.” Karl turned toward Rory. “Permission to speak?”

  “Granted,” Rory replied like a judge presiding over a case.

  “The evidence that Sasha has gleaned against her sister not only affects Laurel but it also affects Severin and I. We were the other two parties involved and due to our home lives—the fact that we have wives and children—we both think it is inappropriate to drag our names through the mud because Sasha is greedy and would like to inherit her whole family’s Trust.”

  Rory stared at his brother with a look unreadable to any of us. “Do you have anything to add?”

  “Yes. I think my wife has been through enough trauma and pain to last her a lifetime. I don’t give a shit about Trusts or any of that crap. The fact remains what I did four or five years ago is my business and I don’t want anyone outside this room to know about it. It’s as simple as that.” Severin’s eyes left his brother and concentrated on Sasha.

  “If I’m not mistaken, this…confession…was forced out of Laurel by Grant MacMullen and not Sasha, is that correct?”

  “Yes, that is correct. However, Mr. Krieger, you don’t understand. My fiancé was looking out for my best interest—”

  “Unfortunately, Ms. Munsen, your fiancé has just violated a major part of the contract Scarlet Fever signed. Nothing criminal, derogatory or inflammatory may be published or repeated, even if hearsay, by a member of the band against any of the executives here at Vogue Hotel, Casino and Spa.”

  Rory paused and uncrossed his hands though he held them together. “My concern is your allegations are against two of the men who sit on the Board of my hotel. It can cause some unsavory headlines for the hotel. If that happens, I lose money and if I lose money then I will have no choice but to cancel Scarlet Fever’s contract and sue the band as well as Introspect Records. I’m not sure how well Dominic would take something like that. Tell me, is your Trust enough to cover the monetary damages a hit like that would cost the band?”

  I smiled slightly though nothing was the least bit funny but watching my sister’s mouth gape open and closed like a fish had its benefits.

  “Mr. Krieger, I had no idea this was going on.” Kaz’s face was a mask of pure rage and controlled anger. “Sasha, if you do not hand over the evidence you have against these men and our photographer to Rory then I’m afraid you’re fired.”

  “It’s on her phone.” My voice was low but loud enough everyone heard me perfectly. “According to her, Grant taped our conversation on the phone she’s holding.”

  Sasha set the phone down in the middle of the table and bowed her head in defeat.

  “Very well. This meeting is now terminated. Severin, please take Ms. Munsen to our Tech Department. Make sure they delete all incriminating information while leaving Ms. Munsen’s phone in working condition.” Rory stood and smiled blandly at me. “If that is all, have a nice day, ladies and gentlemen, and a pleasant Christmas. I look forward to the New Year’s Eve Ball next week, Kaz.”

  I’d won.

  I officially beat my sister at her own game.

  But at what cost?

  Chapter Sixteen

  Will

  WILL COULDN’T WAIT to take Laurel out to celebrate but even a nice quiet dinner at the Boca Park location of Gordon Biersch in Summerlin couldn’t cheer her up completely.

  They sat outside so he could smoke while he enjoyed their famous Czech Pilsner. Meanwhile, Laurel opted for the Märzen.

  The outdoors area was cozy and although the sky was a clear blue and the sun shined as it made a slow descent to west, it was only fifty degrees. Heat lamps, placed strategically around the outdoors area along with holiday decorations, kept the restaurant cozy and it had a romantic feel even if they were dining together in the middle of the afternoon.

  “Babe, I know you don’t like to play dirty and it must have been hard to see Sasha like that but it had to be done. This is your life—your reputation—we’re talking about.” He swigged from his pilsner and sat back as he put out his cigarette.

  “I know but…she looked so…so broken.” Laurel faced him after she drank down half her Bavarian lager and placed the glass back on the table.

  Will’s face scrunched up in annoyance at the thought of Sasha being broken in any way; she was s sneaky bitch and a damn good actress. “I honestly don’t know what about. She wouldn’t have the faintest clue of what you’ve been through and yet, you’re still so strong. She should be commending you, not trying to take away your fortune.”

  “Well, welcome to the lifestyle of the rich, privileged and prestigious crowd. Sasha has this warped sense she deserves our parents’ fortune more than I do. I didn’t go to a prestigious university—like her—and I hated high school. She doesn’t believe I’ve done anything with my life but squander every chance our parents have given me and as far as she’s concerned, I merely made a bit of money by laying on my back doing the kind of poor trash shit the less than cash rich ‘society kids’ do to make it. I ended up with you, didn’t I?” She finished the rest of her lager and ordered another one from the waiter while she continued to study the menu.

  “So what if you did, Laurel?” Will leaned forward on the table. “I’m not gonna sugarcoat the situation for you but you did what you thought you had to do to survive. I know what that feels like and even though I have money now and am in one of the hottest rock bands on the planet, I can’t escape my upper middle-class background.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with being upper middle-class, Will. Besides, you’re aware of the double standards for men and women in society. What I did qualifies me as a skank, whore, slut—whatever you want to call me. You did what you had to do to get by. It’s a big difference.” She sighed again as her finger traced around the rim of the glass.

  “Listen, you were the one who told me we can’t change the past. We only have the present and the future. Everything between you and Sasha isn’t broken beyond repair. You two can still have a functional relationship. Grant and I—well, we’re bandmates—and I’ve had a stickier relationship with a certain member of Scarlet Fever. Jaden and I don’t get along at all but when we play together, it’s complete magic. We complement each other in terms of our playing and we have great on stage chemistry. Too bad it’s a lie.”

  “True.” Laurel clapped her hands together. “I don’t want our holiday season ruined by my own personal drama. Do you want me to see if we can have Christmas dinner with Syd and Kaz? I can ask if they don’t mind.”

  “No. I want you to talk to your sister. Grant will be your brother-in-law soon and we all need to be able to get along…with each other. We can’t continue this cold war between us all. You have to face her eventually so why don’t you just…swallow your pride and just mend bridges? I’ll work on Grant tomorrow if you work on your sister. Deal?”

  Laurel rolled her eyes. “Fine. We have a final dress fitting for Syd’s wedding tomorrow. She insisted Christmas Eve since she and Kaz are tying the knot on the thirtieth.”

  “That’s perfect. Use the time to at least apologize for the embarrassment she faced today and hopefully she will realize the error of her ways. Today didn’t have anything to do with you but her messing around with the wrong people.”

  “I’ll do that, honey.” She grabbed his hand and clutched it tightly. “How did you get so intelligent?”

  “Hey, I just want you to enjoy t
he next two years we’ll be here and I don’t want you fighting with your sister over something so trivial. You’re the one who reminds me of how life is so fleeting. I want you to marry me because if we only have each other for the rest of our lives then that is fine with me. I love you Laurel Munsen.”

  Will reached into his pocket as Laurel’s eyes widened, her hazel-green eyes gorgeous and bright with unshed tears.

  “You’re shitting me.”

  “No, I’m not.” He placed the Cartier box on the table and pushed it toward her.

  She picked up the box and opened it to display a beautiful platinum band surrounded by diamonds and a solitary diamond at least three carats surrounded by miniature diamonds, identical to the diamonds that covered the platinum band. She held it with delicate fingers before she handed it back to him.