by Gow, Kailin
Price; he was such a piece of work.
Even though I’d thought I’d lain with Price that weekend, seeing him now, with Peter, I knew I could never have anything to do with him. I had been willing to fuck him in order to help Serena, to keep him busy, while she took care of things on her end. And all while I thought I could keep tight control of my emotions. Peter, however, had made me lose that control. After one taste of him, I was his with full abandonment.
What had I been thinking? I’d overestimated myself. I’d underestimated the power and thrill of that weekend.
But now, looking at these two men, I knew I had to maintain full control. With Serena safe in Sebastian Sorenson’s arms, nothing tied me to Price and I refused to become involved in whatever he had planned. Question was, could I possibly have anything to do with Peter now that I knew of their friendship?
I hated the thought of ending everything right then and there with him. I wanted to know more about him; he was so intriguing, so sexy, so delicious, but I didn’t want to get burned again. I didn’t want it to turn into another story like with Jackson. This time I wanted the control. I wanted to be the boss, the master.
Staring at the pair of sexy and handsome men, I looked for a way out. I needed to clear my head and I knew rational thought would be difficult if I remained. I also knew I had to get out of there before anything happened, before the heat of sexual tension rose to an overpowering level. “I think it’s time I get going.”
With a huff of indifference, Price headed out to the balcony to answer his phone and I hurried to the elevator as chilled perspiration trickled down my back.
“Laura,” Peter said as he grabbed my arm. “Where are you going?”
Lost, I looked up at him. I wanted to throw myself into his arms. I wanted him to hold me tight and tell me there was some kind of mistake. “I don’t know, but I have to get out of here. I can’t be in the same room with that man.”
His grip remained firm. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about this. Things became more complicated than I’d expected and I had to have a change of plans.”
“What complications?”
“The fact that you didn’t remember us together. I knew I couldn’t just come and blurt it all out. You never would have believed me.”
He was right. I wouldn’t have.
“I knew I had to inch my way back into your memory. At the same time, I had to protect you.”
“From Price?”
He nodded and glanced back at Price still out on the balcony. His brow was creased with concern and worry when he turned back to me. “He wants you prosecuted for Michael’s death. He’ll do anything to protect Serena, and that includes making you the scapegoat.”
“But I was nowhere near Michael that weekend.”
“Can you prove it?”
I stared at him.
“Where were you that weekend?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Well, I do. You were with me. Thing is, I can’t testify to that if you don’t remember it.”
“But what makes you so sure they’d accuse Serena? I’m sure she had nothing to do with it.”
“Whether she did doesn’t really matter at this point. There’s evidence that you were involved with Michael, evidence that ties you to him. You weren’t in Irvine that weekend. None of your friends saw you, no one saw you around campus. So what are you going to say when the cops come knocking, asking questions?”
I spun around to face the elevator doors and pinched my fingers to my forehead. All this talk of accusations and evidence was giving me a headache. I’d wanted to become a lawyer to protect and help people and here I was in dire need of help.
“Laura, your future depends on your memory of that weekend. Think long and hard about that. And if that’s not enough, consider this; if you are found guilty of Michael’s death, how are you ever going to be able to save Serena?”
“Price is your client, Peter. Helping me is a conflict of interest. Can’t you be disbarred for this? For helping me?”
“I’ll drop him as a client the moment you tell me you want me to defend you. Don’t worry about the bar. I can handle that.”
I shot him a doubting glance. “Have you known Price long?”
“Long enough.”
“I don’t think so. If you’d known him long enough, you’d know that dropping him as a client could be a dangerous move. If he’s out to protect Serena, he’ll stop at nothing. You obviously have no idea what he’s capable of.”
“He doesn’t scare me.”
“You do know that he tried to kill Sebastian Sorensen, don’t you? That his obsession with Serena almost pushed him to murder?”
“I’m a big boy, Laura. I can take care of myself. This wouldn’t be my first fight. Not to toot my own horn, but I am an MMA champion. I can fight with the best of them, and if Price wants to take me on, I’d love to see him try.”
Wide-eyed, I stared over his shoulder. Price, his face tense with menace and his eyes wild with murderous rage, hurried to us. Peter’s reaction was swift as he caught my gaze and turned to his client.
“Price, I think her memory is back and we can have a nice long chat now.”
“Fuck the nice long chat,” Price spat.
The bell for the elevator rang and before Peter could stop him, Price reached out to push the button to send the elevator below.
“Expecting someone?” Peter said. Tension edged his voice.
“I just got an interesting phone call,” Price said, ignoring Peter’s question.
“A witness?”
“I guess you could say that.” He glared at me, his eyes hard and accusing. “Seems you two know each other… very well.” He cocked a knowing brow and looked to Peter. “As your client, Peter, don’t you think I should have been privy to that information? I mean, I hired you to find out what she knew, to find out more about her, and you never mentioned the fact that you fucked her to no end, that you guys spent a very heated and steamy weekend together fucking every which way.” With a calm and self-assured motion, he swept invisible dust off his sleeves. “Maybe I should take it up with the bar. I’m sure there’s some conflict of interest in there somewhere.”
The elevator doors opened and I let out a terrified gasp as two burly men stormed out and hurried to us. One of them grabbed my arm while the other got a hold of Peter who immediately struggled to get free.
“Before you get the urge to fight them off,” Price said. “Be forewarned. They are armed.”
“What the hell do you think you're doing?”
“I think you’ve underestimated the importance of this, Peter. Serena is my world, my everything, and I’ll do anything and everything to have her with me.”
“You seem to forget that she’s put you out of her mind and has moved on with her life,” I spat. “She’s with Sebastian now and wants nothing to do with you… ever.”
Price chuckled and seemed genuinely amused. “Serena has always been hard to keep excited and thrilled. She’s a wild one. For now she’s found a temporary thrill in Sebastian, but that will hardly last. Sebastian doesn’t really have it in him to please her the way she needs to be pleased. I’ve witnessed it myself. She sucked my cock right there in front of him. That’s how impossible it is for her to resist me. But, I’m willing to bide my time while she tries to find fulfillment elsewhere. She’s found an amusing plaything, but soon she’ll be craving what only I can offer her. I can’t really blame her for playing the field a bit. Hell, I have my own stash of pussies to keep me entertained for the time being. Variety is the spice of life.” His eyes narrowed and he licked his lips.
My skin crawled and a creepy chill ran down my spine.
“My only regret it having missed a roll in the hay with the lovely Laura.”
He reached out to touch me, but I jolted back and away from his fingers.
“I’m sure it would have been very interesting,” he said with a chuckle.
I grimaced.
“Never.”
He clucked with indifference and looked to Peter. “I trusted you, Mr. Peter Townshend. I’ve been a client of your father’s firms for years, an important client. On more than one occasion your father’s firm has gotten me out of trouble, and the partners there have gone to great lengths to keep me happy and satisfied. I’ve always trusted them with my life, my business… my liberty. I came to you because of that trust. But what am I to do now, Peter? You’ve betrayed that trust.”
I felt Peter tense up beside me and the goons tightened their hold on both of us.
“You want to protect Laura by being her alibi, but I need Laura to keep Serena out of trouble. I’m sure you can understand, Peter, that I can’ let my Serena go down for the murder of that sick bastard, Michael. So who wins?” He took a menacing step closer to Peter. “I never lose, Peter. Never.”
Chapter 2
“Relax, Price. I think you’ve got it all wrong.” Peter sounded calm enough, but something told me this was a little more serious than his tone implied.
“My sources are never wrong, Peter. You should know that by now. I pay them well enough and they know better than to come to me with false or erroneous information. And their information has you and the lovely Laura…” He made a vulgar gesture with his hands, pumping his fists over one another.
I stared at the two men, confused and lost. I felt like a ragdoll being pulled in every direction and if they pulled any harder, I’d fall apart at the seams.
“You’re a lying bastard, Peter,” Price went on. “Not only that, you even took actions to hinder your own client as opposed to helping him. I’m sure there’s something illegal in that. Think we should check with the bar?”
“Price, she doesn’t remember anything about that period of time. I tried everything to get her to remember, that was what you hired me for…to find out what she knew.”
“Bullshit!” Price took a quick step forward and stood just inches from Peter’s face. “Everything that comes from that mouth of yours is bullshit. Ever since we were boys, you’ve lied to me. Every chance you had, you lied. When my bike went missing, you said you had no idea what had happened to it, yet a week later we found it in the field not far from your house. And when I asked you why Alison didn’t want to see me anymore, you just shrugged and said you had no idea, but you had already gone on a date with her, and you went on to date her for several months without saying a word to me.”
Price reached up to pinch Peter’s brow. “But do you know how I can tell that you're lying, Peter? This.” He squeezed his finger tighter. “Whenever you lie, you scrunch up here.”
“That’s called a frown, Price. Could it be that your actions simply have a way of making me frown? I’m sure I wouldn’t be the first.”
“Nice try, but I’ve seen your frowns of anger or unhappiness or disappointment. Your lying frown is a little more subtle.” He turned to me. “You should learn to recognize it, Laura. It could save you a lot of heartache.”
I gave a tight and unhappy grin, but it wasn’t for the life lesson Price tried to impart on me. It was the realization that these two men had known each other since childhood that shook me. With every passing minute, this sordid story got more and more unbelievable.
Price turned his eyes back to Peter. “You see, the thing is, you never really learned to lie efficiently, which is funny considering the apt liar your uncle was. You know I learned a lot from him, from watching him, from spending time with him. I can’t tell you the number of times I witnessed him lying, so sure of himself, so confident. No qualms. No guilt. No hesitation. Just… bang… out with it, as if it were the God given truth. There were so many times I was in his office and saw him call a client and blatantly tell them the very opposite of what he’d just told me. He was great at weaving a story. When he first saw me falter when I lied to get myself out of a bit of trouble I’d encountered, he gave me a few tips… a few really great tips.”
“I’m sure he would have been thrilled to hear you say that.”
Price chuckled from deep in his throat. “He might not have been so thrilled to hear what a lousy student you turned out to be. I guess you didn’t pick up on the subtleties of a good lie. Or you just didn’t take what he was teaching us seriously.
“Maybe it’s because I didn’t have a father to mentor me that he affected me so. Or maybe it’s because I didn’t have it as easy as you did.”
“You're going to pull out the poor old orphaned boy story again Price?”
“Spoken like a real trust fund brat, like a man who’s never been hungry, who’s never been cold at night. Well, if my poor old orphaned boy story is what made me the man I am today, I can’t really complain. I mean, with your uncle’s help, all brought on by pity for that little orphaned boy, I’m a billionaire now. Just look at the empire I’ve built, and all because I learned how to play with the big boys, Peter. I learned the rules and tricks of playing in the big league, something you seemed to have missed. I guess that silver spoon got jammed down your throat one time too many and you choked on it.”
He turned a sweet and alarmingly charming smile to me. “And keeping an angelic expression on this boyishly charming face didn’t hurt any.”
My gut tightened and I wanted to gag. The angelic face and demonic demeanor were a frightening combination in the worst possible way. It was so easy to be lured in by that face, that sweet smile and those engaging, warm eyes, but I knew the death hold he could have on the people who got too close to him.
“My father never completely approved of his brother’s ways,” Peter said. “On more than one occasion he got away with his lies by the skin of his teeth. And there were a fair number of occasions when he barely escaped disaster.”
“Tsk, tsk,” Price hissed. “High morals have no place in the world of big business. Even you must know that by now. Then again, I can’t help but wonder why you didn’t take advantage of all the wisdom your uncle was so eager to bestow upon both of us. Maybe if you’d listen a little more, maybe if you’d paid attention to what he was teaching us, you’d have your own firm now. Your career as an MMA fighter wouldn’t have been put on hold so that you could make a little money.”
I could hear Peter’s breath seep out between his tight, angry lips. I tensed up, waiting for his next move, waiting for what would come next. Hating how helpless I felt, I struggled in vain against the hold Price’s brute had on me.
“Instead of being the world champion, you're a measly little lawyer trying to do good in the world. Well, Peter, the world doesn’t care about the good you want to do, it only cares about the dough you can pull in.”
Price arched a commanding brow at the brutes who held us, but Peter was the one who reacted to the command first. Before the men could do anything, Peter broke free and charged Price. His large, strong fingers wrapped around Price’s throat, quickly cutting off his air supply. Within seconds Price was beet red then deadly white.
“Call the goons off,” Peter hissed.
His eyes wide with surprise and horror, Price only managed to gurgle a few unintelligible words.
“Call them off.”
Price shot a glance at his men. After a second’s hesitation, the goon at my side released his hold of me. I immediately rubbed the sore spot, not so much in the hope of reducing the pain, but with the desire to erase the sensation of the big man’s hands on me.
“Back up to the wall,” Peter ordered the men.
They stood immobile, their eyes on Price.
With the fury of ten men and the strength of countless, Peter rushed Price up to the wall, pressing his palm into his Adam’s apple while lifting him off the floor.
“I’ll snap his neck like a twig,” Peter grunted over his shoulder.
Solemn and disgruntled, the men backed up to the wall.
“Palms to the wall.”
They obeyed.
Peter looked to me. “Grab their guns.”
Anyone and everyone who knew me knew just how anti-gun I wa
s. I’d lost count of the number of protests I’d attended; how many times I’d lobbied for stricter laws.
“Laura, get their guns.”
As cold as a robot, I reached into their jackets and pulled out some pretty impressive pieces. Holding them up and out as one would hold a stinky rag, I turned to Peter.
He reached his hand back to me. “Slide one into my hand and hang onto the other one.”
I wanted to argue. I didn’t want to hang onto any gun. But I remained silent and did as he told me. Under the circumstances, I figured I could put my aversion to guns aside for a few moments.
Peter quickly brought the gun to Price’s temple. And glanced back at me. “Open the door.”
I set my hand on the doorknob and turned it, but held the door barely ajar as I held my breath and waited. My heart pounded so hard, I thought it would burst, but somehow I managed to keep steady.
“I strongly suggest you not follow us, but I know you’re not going to take that advice so…” He gave Price a final squeeze on his throat, leaving Price white and limp.
Releasing him, Peter watched his childhood companion slide down the wall to the floor.
Shocked, I stared at him. Had he just killed Price? As much as I hated the man, I didn’t want to see him dead.
“Don’t worry,” Peter said as he caught the concern in my eyes. He grabbed my elbow, yanked the door open and shoved me out. “It’s just a momentary lack of oxygen. He’ll be back on his feet in no time.”
He rushed me down the hall to the elevator, but we barely had time to hurry in when the door to the penthouse busted open and Price’s goons ran out.
Chapter 3
Peter pushed me into the elevator so hard that I smashed up against the wall while he pressed the button to close the doors that sent us down a few floors.
“Why don’t we just go all the way down to the lobby? Peter, shouldn’t we call the police? This is serious.”