‘Thank you.’ He sighed and cupped her cheek with his hand. ‘As for the other thing, God, Lila, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. I know we’ve only been dating for a few months, but there’s no excuse for my behavior. I don’t know what I was thinking.’
Lila just nodded, a lump in her throat. Richard studied her. ‘Are you mad?’
She nodded but smiled, and he stroked his thumb across her face.
‘I’m mad at me too. What a douchebag.’ He grinned then and she chuckled, despite herself.
‘Complete tool.’
‘Numbnuts.’
‘Dill-hole.’
Both of them laughed then. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said again, and she leaned her forehead against his.
‘You’re forgiven.’
He smiled gratefully then moved onto his knees before her, his fingers on the buttons of her dress. He undid them all slowly then moved the fabric apart to reveal her breasts, her belly, and her underwear. He pulled one of the lacy cups of her bra down and took her nipple into his mouth. Lila sighed and relaxed back as he worked, his tongue flicking, teasing, and the gentle sucking of his mouth making her nipple hard and sensitive. As he tongued both breasts, his fingers slid into her underwear and began to massage her clit before his long forefinger slipped inside of her, finding the g-spot and rubbing it until she was gasping and shuddering.
‘I’m going to fuck you senseless, beautiful girl,’ he murmured, his mouth against hers and Lila moaned. He tugged down her underwear then pulled her towards him. His mouth found her sex and with an expert tongue, he brought her to a shattering orgasm that made her body buck and writhe. He gave her no time to recover before sweeping her down to the balcony floor and launched his cock into her. He was so hard that when he thrust inside her, it was almost painful, but Lila wrapped her legs around his hips and urged him on, deeper, harder, please…
They fucked late into the night, moving from room to room in the suite, taking each other harder each time. Lila barely had time to catch her breath before Rich was pressing her against the wall and thrusting his cock deep into her cunt from behind or pinning her to the bed, ramming his hips against hers then coming in great, thick white spurts onto her belly.
Dawn was beginning to break over Paris before they finally fell asleep in each other’s arms and Lila began to finally believe that everything would be okay…
Now…Lenox Hill Hospital
Noah Applebaum knocked once at Lila Tierney’s door and went in. ‘Hey there,’ he said cheerfully then stopped. God…she was beautiful, even with tubes sticking out of her arms and dark shadows under her violet eyes. She smiled at him, and Noah felt something shift inside him – a yearning, a need. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure.
‘I’m Dr. Applebaum, you’re Miss Tierney?’
‘Lila, please.’ Her voice was low, slightly gruff as if her throat was dry. He automatically got up to pour her some fresh water, and she took the glass with a smile. ‘Thank you. So, Dr. Applebaum, you’re the neuro god Dr. Honeychurch tells me about?’
‘Ha,’ he grinned, ‘She exaggerates – well, I pay her to exaggerate my abilities. But, seriously, Lila, yes I’m here to see if we can’t help you with some of the issues from your, um, stabbing.’ Who the fuck would want to kill this gorgeous woman? He tried not to run his eyes over her body; even in a hospital gown, he could see she had killer curves…ouch, probably not the best description, he said to himself. He felt like a teenager with a crush. Get a grip, man.
‘So, I just wanted to come see you, introduce myself and do a couple of quick tests. Then we can come up with a treatment plan. How does that sound?’
‘Sounds great, doc. What do you need to me to do?’
‘Let’s do a quick exam…do you want me to get a nurse to chaperone?’
She shook her head. ‘No, it’s fine.’
He checked her neck, sliding his fingers around to the back of her neck and asking her to move her head from side to side. Being so close wasn’t helping his composure; he could smell her shampoo, her soap. ‘Could you lay on your stomach if it’s not too painful; I need to check your spine.’
His fingers moved over the bumps of her spine, checking each vertebra. Her skin was so soft, he wanted to stroke it. Finally, he pressed two fingers against her sacrum. ‘Does this hurt?’
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘Quite a lot.’
‘Okay, I’m sorry, let me help you up. ‘
Awkwardly he helped her into a sitting position, noticing her wincing. ‘I’m sorry to cause you pain, Lila.’
‘It’s okay,’ she gasped slightly, holding her belly. ‘I think my muscles are just getting used to moving again.’
He studied her. ‘Do you think you could try walking with me? I’ll hold onto you, of course.’
‘Okay.’
He held her hands as she stood, gingerly, then guiding her, she managed to walk across the room. ‘How does that feel?’
‘Okay,’ she said, wobbling slightly, ‘Except my feet feel like they belong to someone else. Pins and needles.’
‘Gotcha. Okay, well, you’re doing really well – ‘
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Lila stumbled, and he caught her in his arms. She looked up at him to smile sheepishly, and their eyes met and held. A beat, then she laughed softly, and the mood was broken.
‘Doc, I should tell you, I’m an artist so am prone to attacks of the ‘vapors’ like that.’
He laughed and helped her back into bed. ‘You did well, Lila, really. But I do think you would vastly benefit from a program designed specifically for your injuries. It’ll be tough, and there will be times when you’ll want to give up, or pound on me for making you do it but, I promise, it’ll be worth it. What do you say?’
‘I say, let’s go for it.’
‘Good girl,’ he smiled at her, noticing the way her dark hair tumbled in soft curls around her face. Adorable. His eyes dropped to her mouth, dark red, full lips. He swallowed. ‘Well, if you’re willing, and Doc Honeychurch gives the go-ahead, I say we start soon.’
‘Aren’t you supposed to go back to Seattle soon?’ she asked the flushed Doctor. ‘Dr. Honeychurch told me about you. I come from Seattle too.’
‘You do? Which part?’
‘Puget Ridge. You?’
‘Medina.’
‘Nice,’ she grinned, ‘you’re obviously from the same kind of family as my fiancé.’
Oh yeah, the fiancé. Currently sitting in jail for this gorgeous girl’s attempted murder. Noah tried to smile. ‘So just general questions…how’re you feeling? Physically and emotionally?’
‘Physically better, although I wish the pain would abate.’
He frowned. ‘Do you mind if I take a look at your wounds? You shouldn’t be in this much pain still.’
Lila shook her head and pulled her gown up. Noah lifted her dressings, noting some blood on them. He tried not to look shocked when he saw the pattern of scars on her belly. Nasty, vicious, brutal slices across her olive skin. Noah cursed whoever had done this; he couldn’t imagine the pain, the terror she must have felt. He touched her skin gently, pressing lightly, asking her where it hurt. When he pressed against the worst of her scars, the one that bisected her navel, she winced. He gently replaced her dressing. ‘You might have a little infection going on. It’s still very bruised and I’m concerned you may have a small internal bleed too. We’ll get that checked out. We’re going to do anything we can to help, Lila, I promise.’
He found Delia Honeychurch updating charts at the nurses’ station and told her what they’d decided. ‘I’m going to stay on for a few more weeks to help Miss Tierney through the worst of it.’
Delia looked impressed. ‘Wow, that’s great…weren’t you supposed to be on sabbatical after your visit here, though?’
‘Which is why I can stay…look, that young woman could use all the help we can give her.’
Delia smiled at him knowingly. ‘Noah Applebaum, are y
ou crushing on my patient?’
He grinned. ‘Now that wouldn’t be professional, would it?’
She laughed, nudging him. ‘Whatever, thanks for doing this. She’s a sweet girl.’
Later, Noah swung round to see Lila again, but she was asleep. Feeling intrusive, he nevertheless stood at the door for a few seconds, studying her. She really was something else. Who would hurt you? He shook his head and then walked away. Whoever it was, Lila Tierney, I promise you, he won’t hurt you again…
Then…Greenwich Village, Manhattan
Charlie Sherman sat back in his chair and stared at her. ‘Huh.’ Lila scowled at him.
‘This is to go no further than you two,’ she said to him and his partner, Riley, who was sitting beside him. ‘It’s to protect Cora, and I won’t see her hurt because you two have got sticks up your asses about Richard.’
‘Hey,’ Riley held his hands up, ‘Sounds legit to me. You have my word, funny face.’
Lila smiled at him gratefully then looked at Charlie. ‘Chuckles?’
A small smile spread across his face. ‘You know I hate that.’
She grinned. ‘Yes, yes I do. Seriously, though, we good? Can we all get along now?’
‘Can I reserve judgment?’
‘No.’
Charlie shrugged. ‘Okay then, if that’s his story.’
‘Argh!’ Lila threw her hands and Charlie chuckled.
‘Kidding, you sap. I’m with Riley; that does make sense, and his blood came back clean, so…’
Lila was startled, and Riley rolled his eyes. ‘So much for keeping that a secret, dude.’
‘You did a drug test on him?’
Charlie sat forward. ‘He volunteered one.’
‘When?’
‘A few weeks ago.’
‘And none of you thought to tell me?’
‘You’re not the only one with secrets, Lila. He didn’t want you to be mad at me, so he decided to prove he wasn’t a junkie. Never mentioned the sister, though.’
Lila sighed and put her head in her hands. ‘You boys drive me crazy.’
Riley squeezed her arm. ‘We’re all good now, though, Lila, right?’
Lila looked away from Charlie’s gaze. ‘Right.’
Later, Charlie gave Lila a ride home. Richard was in Washington at a conference, and so Lila invited Charlie in to hang out.
She handed him a cold beer from the fridge. ‘What’s been happening with you?’
Charlie grinned. ‘Nice of you to ask. I’ve been seeing someone.’
The bottle stopped halfway to Lila’s mouth. ‘No way, really? Who?’
Charlie made a big deal of taking a drink before he answered her. ‘Tinsley.’
Lila smiled. ‘Oh, Charlie, that’s great, how long?’
‘Couple of weeks. She’s a good girl.’
‘And drop dead gorgeous. Oh, I’m so happy for you.’ She clinked her glass against his. ‘To love.’
‘To really great and long overdue sex,’ Charlie shot back, and Lila laughed.
‘Definitely.’
She felt so much better now; for the last couple of months, Charlie, and their friendship seemed to be slipping, his distrust of Richard marring their time together. She sighed happily now.
‘Chuck, my old friend, I have this feeling things are going to be great for both of us.’
Then…Woods, Carnegie Compound, Westchester
It didn’t last, of course. A few months later, just as Richard and Lila were celebrating a year of being together, Cora, to whom Lila had been growing closer, had a meltdown and smoked a joint at a local music festival. A paparazzo bored out of his brain at the gathering, got a few shots of her, and that was that. Front page news. The daughter of tech scion, Richard Carnegie Sr. was a junkie – they managed to find out everything, even confidential files from the place she had attended rehab.
Cora was destroyed, and Richard was losing his mind from worry. Lila, at first, didn’t know how to help, but then, when she was alone with Cora one day, Cora asked her a simple question.
‘How did you…I mean, what was it like growing up without a family?’
Lila looked surprised. They were walking in the woods near the Carnegie mansion in Westchester, with Richard Sr.’s beloved spaniels racing ahead of them. The day was warm for fall, and Cora was throwing tennis balls for the dogs to chase. Lila considered her question.
‘It’s strange; I never knew family life at all so it’s hard for me to say or make a comparison. I can tell you what it was like being in a children’s home; sometimes fun, sometimes awful.’
Cora nodded. ‘Same with family. Sometimes I love them all to distraction; other times…I wish I were alone, without all the weight of expectation, responsibility. Without being judged.’ She looked away from Lila’s gaze.
Lila suddenly understood. ‘Is it Judith again?’
Cora nodded. ‘She won’t leave me alone. Keeps telling me I’m destroying Mom, that I’m reckless and selfish – and I know I am but it’s almost a daily thing now. Texts, phone calls.’
Lila stopped her with a hand on her arm. ‘You mean, she’s waging a campaign? Seriously, C-Belle, that isn’t right. What’s her problem?’
Cora smiled sadly. ‘I’m an easy target. She hates Richard too, but she knows he’ll fight back. I’m not good at that.’
Lila shook her head. ‘I don’t understand what she gets out of behaving like that.’
‘She hates us, plain and simple, and by bullying me, she gets a cheap thrill. She hates that she’s not in Daddy’s will – why would she be? Mom told them when she married him that his money was his money. Mom’s not even in his will – at her own insistence. He doesn’t like it, but that’s what she wanted. She’s not exactly poor herself, and they agreed that she would provide for Judith and Flora out of her own money. But then the crash happened, and Mom lost a lot of money. Judith doesn’t earn her own money – she believes she can gad around, doing her ‘self-improvement’ and Mom will keep on funding it.’
‘I do hope one of her self-improvement courses deals with how not to be an absolute fucking bitch,’ Lila was angry now. She hugged Cora. ‘Cora Belle, I will deal with Judith, I promise you that. You just concentrate on recovery.’
Cora hugged her tightly. ‘You’ve been more like a sister to me than they’ve ever been, Lila Belle.’
Lila kept her promise. So incensed was she, she didn’t tell Richard, or Delphine what she was going to do. She confronted Judith at her holistic spa – a front for Judith’s catty friends to gather and bitch about how unfulfilled and empty their lives were and how their husbands didn’t understand them.
Lila walked straight past reception, ignoring the woman who called to her and marched straight to Judith’s office. She didn’t bother to knock. Judith looked up shocked as the door slammed open. The woman sitting opposite her looked vaguely scared. Lila pointed at her. ‘You. Out. Now.’
The woman cast a quick look at Judith and fled, Lila slamming the door behind her and leaning back against it. She stared Judith down.
‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Lila?’ Judith’s voice was pure ice, and she stood up and walked around the other side of her desk to show Lila she wasn’t scared of her. Judith was a tall woman, dwarfing Lila, but the smaller woman didn’t back down.
‘I’ve come to tell you, Judith, that you will stop your harassment of Cora this minute. That if you ever, ever try to bully her again, I will personally see to it that you are punished.’
Judith threw her head back and laughed. ‘This is about the little junkie? Oh, for goodness sake, what has she told you? Are you so stupid you don’t realize you can’t trust a drug addict?’
Lila stepped towards her and to her satisfaction; a flicker of fear came into Judith’s eyes. ‘I’ve been in situations you wouldn’t dream of, Judith. Unlike you, I grew up in children’s homes and when I was sixteen, on the streets. You have no idea who you’re dealing with, or what I know, and I’m t
elling you, leave Cora alone. Do you understand?’
‘Who the hell do you think you are? Just because you’re fucking Richard does not mean you are a part of this family. The Carnegie’s don’t need a whoring little gold-digger like you, Tierney.’
Lila’s smile was cold. ‘Like I said, you don’t know who you’re dealing with, and you forget Judith, you’re not a Carnegie.’
‘Get the fuck out of my office, you little tramp, or I’ll have security throw you out.’
Lila snorted. ‘I’d like to see you try. Anyway, I’ve said what I came to say. Leave Cora alone.’
She walked out of Judith’s office, slamming the door behind her, and smiled grimly to herself. She knew she had gotten to Judith, she had seen it in her eyes.
She walked to the nearest subway station and rode the rail back to the Village. Her cellphone rang. Delphine. Well, Judith had run to Mommy fast. Steeling herself, she answered the call.
At first, she thought the older woman was crying, all she could hear was gasps and squeaks but then, she realized, Delphine was laughing. ‘Oh, Lila Belle, I just keep thinking of you and your tiny fists waving in Judith’s face.’
Lila chuckled. ‘I’m sorry, Delphine, I had to do something.’
‘Oh don’t apologize…how stupid of Judith to tell me…now, of course, I know the whole story. I hope you don’t mind, Lila, but I double-downed on your threat. If Judith doesn’t leave Cora alone, then she’s going to find her life very difficult. Honestly, I think the thought of having to get a job frightens her more than anything.’
‘I’m glad. Bullying doesn’t sit well with me.’
Delphine sighed. ‘Cora doesn’t really have any girlfriends, so I am so grateful you and she have bonded. Come over for dinner tonight, you and Richard, and we’ll thank you properly.’
The dinner was a riot, and Cora really did seem better. Judith had sent her a huge bunch of flowers with a simple note apologizing – in a roundabout way. Lila had rolled her eyes, but Cora laughed. ‘For Judith, that’s practically rubbing gravel in her hair.’
His Sweet Torment: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 84