by Penelope Sky
Father’s eyes darted away, like he couldn’t handle the words I’d just said to him. He looked out the window instead, his left hand tightening into a fist. He didn’t seem angry, but my words obviously struck a chord with him.
I waited for a reply, but the longer the silence continued, the less likely I believed one was coming.
“I believe he loves you. But other than that, I fail to see the qualities you find so desirable. I never want you to forget your own worth, Vanessa. Not only are you smart, beautiful, and talented, but you come from a strong family. You could have any man you want. Don’t ever forget that.”
“I’m not settling, if that’s what you think.”
“I’m not sure what I think.” He tapped his knuckles lightly against the table. “It’s hard for me to understand your relationship, especially when it seems so deep. But I remind myself that your mother loves me with all her heart…and I’ve never understood why.”
My father was the greatest man I’d ever known. Silent and strong, he showed his softer qualities only to those who deserved them. “I do.”
His eyes shifted back to me, slightly soft.
“I don’t think it matters who you used to be before Mama came around. All I’ve ever seen is two happy parents who would do anything for each other. I see the way you love her every day, the way you look after her when she’s not watching. I see the way you fall more in love with her as you age. Bones reminds me of you in that regard. He may not have been the best man when we met, but he’s come a long way. He loves me very much…the way you love Mama.”
My father kept staring at me, speechless for one of the first times in his life.
I knew the conversation was over and my point had been made. A seed had been planted, and now I just needed to let it grow. I walked out and entered the hallway. When I reached the end, I came across Sapphire. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
She hugged me, turning her stomach slightly because it was starting to get in the way. “Conway is helping your mom with a few things. We’ve kinda made this trip into a family vacation. He’s finished his new line of lingerie, so he has some free time.”
Knowing my brother designed sex clothes for women was a little awkward, but I never teased him for it. He was talented at what he did, and I was mature enough to accept it. My parents never blinked an eye over his choice of profession. “I’m sure it’ll be great.”
“He’s going in a new direction this time.” Her hand moved across her stomach. “A whole maternity section…”
Now it was really getting awkward. “Let’s have lunch and talk about the baby.”
“The baby?” she asked. “I think we have something bigger to talk about besides the baby…” She grinned at me before we headed to the restaurant.
I knew she was referring to Bones.
We grabbed a seat on the terrace, away from the other tables that had guests. I had an iced tea and she had water, and after we ordered our entrees, the bread was served.
Sapphire kept staring at me, a knowing grin on her face. “So…you wanna start talking? Or do you want me to start asking questions?”
“What did Conway tell you?”
“Everything your father shared with him. That this relationship has been going for a long time…” She gave me an accusatory look. “I was surprised by that part.”
“And I’m sure you understand why I had to keep it a secret…”
Her gaze softened. “Yes, I do. Conway has been pretty upset about it, even after you guys talked.”
“My brother is just as protective of me as my father.” I stirred my drink with my straw. “And more stubborn, on top of that.”
“I know,” she said with a chuckle. “I’ve heard all the reasons why they hate Bones and don’t trust him. But there’s something else I’ve heard too…that they all think this guy really loves you.”
At least they could see the truth of that. “Because he does.”
“And I’ve also heard he’s hot.”
My jaw nearly dropped. “Who told you that?”
“No one said those exact words…but everyone has said he’s got great looks,” she said with a chuckle. “Even Conway said it. So, if Conway, your father, and your mother all mentioned it…then he must be pretty damn fine.”
I dragged my hands down my face, thinking about the way he’d made love to me that morning. “You have no idea…”
“The sex is incredible?”
“Again, you have no idea…”
She tried to hide her smirk, like she was keeping a comment to herself.
“But it’s more than that. I love him. I understand why my family hates him. I don’t judge them for being so hostile about it. But we need to let go of the past and move on. He’s not a threat to anyone, and he just wants to be accepted. I know in time, they’ll even start to like him. They just have to keep an open mind.”
“The fact that he’s still around tells me they’re keeping an open mind. If Conway weren’t, he would have shot him by now.”
“I know…”
“I think they’re worried he might flip and change his mind, that we’re all in danger.”
“He would never hurt anyone. But maybe they’ll believe that in time…”
She dipped her bread in oil and balsamic before she placed it in her mouth. “Honestly, it’s hypocritical for Conway not to give Bones a real chance. I shouldn’t tell you this…but he’s not the most noble man in the world.”
I raised an eyebrow, not sure what Sapphire meant by that.
“But I love him that way. I love everything about him, our entire story. I wouldn’t change any of it for any reason. And from what I can tell, your father and uncle weren’t much different when they were young. So…it’s a pattern with the Barsettis.”
It was hard to imagine my brother doing anything remotely wrong, considering how high-strung he was. “What are you talking about? And leave the gross stuff out of it.” Sapphire was my friend, and if she were seeing someone else, I’d probably want to know all the details. But since this was my brother, the man who lit my dolls on fire when we were kids, I didn’t want to know anything about his personal life that wasn’t relevant.
“Long story short, I left his modeling company and tried to take off on my own. I was grabbed by traffickers and sold at the Underground, a place where men bid on enslaved women. Conway was there, and when he saw me, he bought me for a hundred million dollars so no one else could have me.”
My jaw dropped. “He has that kind of money?”
“Apparently.”
“And what was my brother doing at the Underground in the first place?” I refused to believe my brother would participate in the slave trade so openly.
“He and Carter run a business. Families pay them to rescue their daughters from the Underground. They pay for the women and then deliver them back to the families. He was there buying someone else when he saw me.”
“Oh…that sounds pretty noble.”
“Well…when he took me back to the house, he said he owned me. He said he could do whatever he wanted with me because he paid so much for me…including sleeping with me. I was a virgin, so that made him want me more. For the first few months of our relationship, that’s how it was between us. Master and slave.”
I covered my open mouth. “Seriously?”
She nodded. “I was never his girlfriend. I only told you guys I was so I would have some leverage over him. I said if he didn’t treat me right, I would tell his family the truth, that he was keeping me as a slave.”
“Oh. My. God.”
“Yeah…”
“And you just fell in love?” I asked incredulously. “How do you fall in love with someone like that?”
She narrowed her eyes at me, like she couldn’t tell if I was being serious.
That’s when I realized what I’d just said. “I guess that’s a hypocritical thing for me to say.”
“A little,” she said. “And it just happened. Conway st
arted to show me the good side to him, and the more I saw it, the more I wanted it. We became close, became friends as well as lovers, and I never wanted it to end. I fell in love with him. When I told him, he said he didn’t feel the same way.”
“That’s why you went to New York…”
“Yeah. Until he came after me. The rest is history. My point is, it wasn’t a fairy tale. Conway’s behavior was unacceptable by most standards. But that’s how it happened…and I wouldn’t change anything.”
“Does my father know any of this?”
She nodded. “Conway told him everything.”
My heart started to slam painfully in my chest. It pounded like a steel drum. “And he was just fine with it?”
“Sounds that way.”
“Let me get this straight…” My hands were starting to shake because I was so angry. “Conway forces you to sleep with him because he paid for you, and my father is just fine with that? Because Conway was the man and you were the woman? That’s fucking bullshit. Sexist bullshit.”
“He never forced me,” she corrected. “It’s not like I didn’t want to be with him.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I snapped. “He wasn’t a gentleman. He didn’t take you out to dinner like a normal person. He just went for what he wanted.”
“I guess…”
I threw my napkin on the table. “I understand that raising a son is different than raising a daughter, but my parents never treated us differently. They raised us to be exactly the same. It’s wrong that Conway isn’t held accountable for his actions, that my parents encourage your relationship, but Bones is put on trial.”
“You’re their only daughter, Vanessa.”
“Whatever. It’s wrong.”
“Conway and I fell in love…so I guess that’s why it’s okay.”
“And Bones and I haven’t?” I asked. “It’s a double standard.”
“But you were the prisoner, Vanessa. Conway wasn’t. It’s different.”
“Different, but not right.” I sat back in my chair, feeling the pulse in my neck throb from the rage. “It’s not right at all.”
Sapphire stared at me with a look of sympathy. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you…”
“No, I’m glad you did. You made a good point. Barsettis are all the same. I’m no different. The men in my family are dark and powerful, and that’s why I want a man just like that. Makes perfect sense to me.”
She kept staring at me, her gentle eyes regarding me with concern. “If he’s really the man you want, don’t give up on him. Even if I had a family that told me Conway was no good for me, I wouldn’t have walked away. I know he’s the man I’m supposed to be with.”
Bones was the man I was supposed to be with. “I’m very close with my family, so I always dreamed of having a husband who could be another member of my family. But now I realize my vision of my family isn’t really accurate…they aren’t who they say they are. They ignore their own crimes and judge Bones for his. It’s not right.”
“They’ll come around,” she said. “Just be a little more patient.”
I didn’t think I could be patient any longer.
Bones drove the truck back to the house, and I looked out the window of the passenger seat. I wasn’t really in the moment because I was thinking about my conversation with Sapphire. Things seemed to be going well with my father, so that was why I didn’t confront him about it.
I didn’t want to provoke him.
Bones glanced at me every few minutes, taking his eyes off the road to look at my scowl. “I’m listening…whenever you’re ready.”
“What makes you think I have something to say?”
“I can tell when you’re pissed, baby. You’re practically seething.”
My man knew me so well. He could read my mood like a thermometer could detect a change in heat. “I went to my father’s office this morning and thanked him for trying so hard. I know it’s difficult for him, but he’s really making an effort. I wanted him to know how much I appreciated it.”
“Why would that make you upset?”
“It didn’t,” I said. “But when I spoke to Sapphire later…that made me upset.”
Bones drove with one hand on the wheel, his large size taking up his entire seat. He shaved that morning because his scruff was getting too thick. He seemed to do it on the days he wanted to bury his face between my legs. His coarse beard aggravated my inner thighs sometimes, so it was easier to do it when his face was cleanly shaven.
Whenever he stepped out of the shower with a clean chin, I knew what was coming.
“And what did Sapphire say?” Bones pulled off the road to the dirt pathway that led to the house. He parked the truck on the side and then hopped out, his weight shifting the truck the second he was out of the seat.
I shut my door then came around, reaching his side. “She told me about her relationship with my brother…which wasn’t what it seemed. Basically, most of it was a lie. She was never his girlfriend…just his prisoner.”
We entered the house, and Bones immediately took off his shirt once we were inside. “His prisoner, huh?”
“Basically. He paid a lot of money for her at the Underground so he was entitled to her virginity…and her freedom. He never meant for them to be anything more, but it just happened. He slowly began to change until he fell in love with her the way she fell in love with him.”
“Are you really surprised?” He stepped into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of scotch. “I told you the men in your family aren’t saints. They’re definitely sinners.” He poured himself a glass but didn’t offer me one. “And I say that in a nonjudgmental way.” He smiled with his eyes before he took a drink.
Bones had been right all along. All the men in my family weren’t what they seemed. They had tainted pasts, memories they weren’t proud of. My brother’s actions were excused because he loved Sapphire now. But why didn’t that exception apply to me?
“Does your father know about this?” He pushed the glass across the counter toward me.
I stopped on the other side of the counter, looking at the glass but not taking it. “Yes.”
Bones didn’t seem surprised. He gripped the edge of the counter with both hands, his muscled frame hard from working long hours. His arms were a little thicker from lifting all day, and his thighs bulged a little more. “Your father doesn’t care what Conway did. And that upsets you.”
I nodded. “Since Conway is a man, it’s perfectly fine. But with me…it’s unforgivable. It’s a double standard, and it pisses me off. I would have confronted him about it, but since our last conversation ended so well, I didn’t want to make him angry. He seems to be leaning toward accepting you, and I don’t want to screw that up.” I grabbed the class and took a drink, letting the burn blaze a trail down my throat and into my gut. It wasn’t smooth the way wine was, with a refreshing taste of citrus and oak. It was just liquor, stripped down to its basic form. I pushed the glass back toward him.
Bones stared at me for a long time, more interested in my expression than the booze sitting in front of him. He cocked his head slightly, his intense gaze piercing. The man never smiled, and he had a special way of looking at me that made me feel so small. He was doing it now, staring at me like he could see right through me. “You’re right, it is a double standard. But double standards exist for a reason. You’re held to a higher level because you deserve better. I’m not happy about this situation either, but your father is right to be upset. I wouldn’t have understood his thoughts six months ago, but now that I love a woman, I get it. You’re the queen of my heart, and if some man treated you the way I treated you…” He turned his gaze away, his jaw clenching in anger. “I’d kill him. We fell in love, but that doesn’t justify the way I treated you. Your father only wants the best for you. This situation is frustrating, but you can’t get mad at him for that. You’re very lucky you have a father who cares so much. Not every person is so fortunate.”
My anger slowly f
aded away, and I stared at this man with a new set of eyes. Not once did he try to turn me against my family so he could keep me. He always put my self-interests first, knowing how much my father meant to me. He really loved me, and I hoped my parents would understand that someday. He sided with my father even when no one could hear him do it. He was pragmatic even when it didn’t serve his best interests. “That’s sweet of you to say.”
“I’m not trying to be sweet. Just honest. I want your parents to accept me, but I understand why they may not be able to do it. And if that’s the case, I’ll walk away. I want to keep you, but I can’t be treated like shit every day for the rest of my life. I need to be in an environment where I’m accepted for the man I am, not criticized every other minute. And you deserve to be with a man your family can welcome with open arms. Hopefully, that’s how this ends…when we both get what want.”
“That is how it’s going to end,” I whispered. “My parents have made it this far. This wouldn’t have happened if they weren’t really trying. And if they keep trying, they’ll finally see you the way I do. I know they will.”
He grabbed the glass and finished it off. “Hope so.”
“I know so.” I told my parents how much this man meant to me, and I wouldn’t feel this way about anyone else. Bones didn’t treat me right in the beginning, but I quickly forgave him for it and fell in love with him…because of his darkness. I liked that he was rough around the edges, dangerous at all times, and so intense it made the air difficult to breathe. I loved his power and strength, the way he owned a room the second he walked into it. My father was a terrifying man, but Bones didn’t hesitate when he faced him. He was a fearless man, so powerful that even bullets couldn’t slow him down.
Instead of pouring another drink, he grabbed the bottle and dragged it toward him. “Get naked. I want to pour this scotch on your tits and suck it off your nipples. I want to drench your pussy and devour every last drop. The two things I love most…booze and my baby. I want to enjoy them both.”