Web Of Lies (The Lies Trilogy Book 1)
Page 1
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
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Web of Lies
The Web of Lies Trilogy #1
J.G. Sumner
Web of Lies
Copyright © 2017 by J.G. Sumner.
All rights reserved.
First Print Edition: July 2017
Limitless Publishing, LLC
Kailua, HI 96734
www.limitlesspublishing.com
Formatting: Limitless Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1-64034-174-6
ISBN-10: 1-64034-174-9
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
Riley Bear, thank you for the wonderful years. You'll always be in my heart and mind. I'll meet you at rainbow bridge.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
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"A lie told often enough becomes the truth."
~Vladimir Lenin
Prologue
I was born into wealth. My family had a successful cotton plantation in the late eighteen hundreds and then later invested in oil. Davis was a prominent name in the South during the late 1800s through the early 1900s. As the need for oil become front and center, my ancestors moved the family to Texas, purchasing mass quantities of land for oil rigs. As a result, the Davises became one of the first families in America to reach billionaire status. My grandfather was very proud of this fact and let everyone around him know it.
By twenty-seven I had finished law school, passed the bar exam, and was starting my own firm with my best friend from elementary school, Porter Matthews. I was successful in my own right despite my family’s enormous amount of wealth. However, that wasn’t good enough. My father and grandfather felt it was time for me to settle down and carry on the Davis name. It couldn’t just be anyone I had to settle down with, it had to be someone worthy of everything the Davis name had to offer.
I had been dating Parker Matthews since freshman year of college. We both went to Yale and then I continued to NYU for law school. She followed me to New York and then we chose to move closer to our families in Boston. It seemed like a match made in heaven. Parker’s grandfather and my grandfather had been best friends, as were Porter and I. It seemed like the next logical step to settle down and marry Parker. My grandfather was delighted.
I use the security camera to watch my wife sleep. She’s beautiful and peaceful. Parker is the epitome of socialite wives. She’s drop dead gorgeous with her black hair, porcelain white skin, and navy eyes. She looks stunning on my arm at any event we go to. She’s kind and generous, and while she may not be the most perfect mom, she did give me three sons to carry on the family name. Fortunately, she has no idea the extent of what I’ve done. She has no idea that I consciously made a decision that will implode the bubble we’ve been living under for the past fourteen years.
I take another sip of scotch and flip to the camera in my oldest son Trent Jr’s room. He’s eleven now. Just had his birthday last week. I almost missed it because I was too busy getting everything I wanted, needed, and craved from her. I remember watching her on her knees with her mouth tightly wrapped around my cock and her big doe eyes staring back at me. I realized right then and there I could never say no to her. I was in love with her. I am in love with her. Unfortunately, she’s not my wife.
TJ has been asleep for a couple of hours and hasn’t moved an inch. His innocence brings tears to my eyes. I’ve worked so hard over the years to become a successful lawyer and provide the best of everything for my children. Now their world is about to collapse from beneath them. We’re going to lose it all; the house, money, family, and reputation. I did this to them. I am the monster who couldn’t keep his feelings in check. I am the one who allowed himself to get involved with another woman.
I alone am to blame.
I know I should hate myself, but I don’t. Although I hate that I’ve destroyed the lives of my sons and my wife, there is the side that is completely happy. I’ve never been more alive and free as I am when I’m with her. She’s my everything. She makes me complete. Unfortunately, she’s eighteen and I’m forty-one. Despite the fact that I love her, by many standards, I’d be considered a pedophile—a child molester and a monster.
Chapter 1
Trent
“That’s the doorbell. I’ll get it!” I call up to my wife Parker, who is putting the finishing touches on her makeup before our big date night out. It’s been months since we’ve had a date. Parker has been busy with charity work and I’ve been swamped with cases.
I open the door to one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen. She stands at about five ten, with long auburn hair. Her eyes an amber shade, her skin perfectly tan and toned. She looks to be in her early to mid-twenties.
“How can I help you?” I ask, not sure why this beautiful work of art is standing at my door.
“Are you Mr. Davis?” She looks around, presumably searching for the house number.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I’m Beth…your babysitter?”
“Oh, gosh. I’m so sorry. I was expecting someone younger. Parker said you were sixteen. Please come in.”
She steps past me when I wave her in. “I am sixteen. Why? How old do I look?”
My mouth drops open and I feel like a complete idiot. I look at her again from head to toe. Her perfect posture
gives her an element of sophistication. “I thought you were in your twenties.”
Beth gazes around the foyer. “You have an amazing house.”
I stand proudly, aware of how extravagant our house is and how perfect my family is. As she moves toward the grand room, I see her warm amber eyes grow large. I know immediately that my life is her fairytale. It’s every woman's fairytale, and I proudly and lovingly provided this life for Parker.
Before leaving on our date, I give Beth a quick tour of the house and instructions on how to get ahold of us if necessary. She quietly takes everything in. She attempts to pull her short shorts down to cover her legs and crosses her arms to cover the little bit of cleavage she is showing. Her fidgeting alerts me to her awkwardness with her new surroundings. It’s kind of cute.
When I end the tour in the great room, Parker makes her way down the stairs. She moves so gracefully it’s almost as if she’s floating. I stare at Parker. She’s a vision of perfection. There’s not a hair out of place, her makeup and clothing are flawless.
Parker smiles as she makes her way toward us. “You must be Beth. Your mom has told me so much about you.” Parker shakes Beth’s hand.
“My mom has had nothing about nice things to say about you as well. She has mentioned how you’ve helped her out with consistent jobs at your events. She loves working with you.” Beth continues to shake Parker’s hand rather nervously before I remind Parker about our reservation.
We leave without any incident, which is unusual with the boys. Parker is all smiles as we get into her Mercedes. I pull the car out of the garage and onto the street.
“So…” Parker turns to me, smiling, “what do you think of her?”
“Of who?” I keep my eyes trained on the road.
“Beth. She’s cute, huh? She seems to be good with the boys.”
“Is she only sixteen?” I ask, shocked that a sixteen-year old could look that stunning and mature.
I see out of my periphery the weird look Parker shoots at me. “Yes, but she’ll be seventeen in a couple of months. Her mother mentioned she was very mature for her age, I had no idea. I like her though.” Parker pulls down the visor and refreshes her lipstick.
“I think it’s a little too early to tell if we like her. Let’s see how she is by the end of the night.”
The drive doesn’t take long to our favorite French restaurant in Beacon Hill. I pull in front of the valet stand, leave my keys in the ignition, and grab the ticket, escorting Parker in. She eyes one of her friends. I silently beg that she doesn’t go to their table. I’m hoping for a night with just the two of us and no distractions. It’s been so long. A rush of relief allows me to release the air I’ve been holding in my lungs when she just waves and keeps on going.
We’re seated in the corner that I have reserved. It’s private and nestled away from everyone else.
“Thank you for not going over there,” I say as I peruse the wine menu.
“You know who that was don’t you?”
I shake my head, not caring.
“That’s Sandra Wilkinson. She’s the railroad heiress and one of my biggest donors. Her great-grandfather developed the train system that connected the East to the West. She is the last surviving member and the sole heir. Sandra has never married. Many think she’s a lesbian.”
I look up from the menu. “Should it matter that she’s gay?”
“Not at all, but who’s going to carry on the family name?”
“I suppose she can always adopt, or there are other ways. Maybe it’s not that important to her.” I place my hand over Parker’s. “How about we not worry about Sandra and focus on us this evening? It’s been so long since we’ve been out.”
Parker forces a smile. “This is what I do. These people are who make my events successful. I have to know everything about them so I can get larger donations.”
“Babe, the most important thing you do is take care of our boys. They need you.” The waiter comes back and I order a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Parker leans in a little closer, as if trying to keep the non-existent people around us from hearing. “I love spending time with the boys, but I need more. This makes me feel like I’m contributing to society. You got to finish law school. I didn’t get to finish medical school.”
And there it is. Parker quit school to plan our wedding after I proposed to her. At the time, she was happy with the thought of being my wife and raising a family.
“If you want to finish school, I don’t have a problem with that, Parker. But it seems like you’re investing an exorbitant amount of time asking people for money. Don’t you find it a little degrading?”
Parker takes a sip of her water before putting on her business face. “Perhaps you’re right. This is not the right time to talk about my charity work. Let’s enjoy our evening together.”
The rest of the night continues without incident, however, there is very little chatting until the bottle of wine is finished. I can tell Parker is tipsy because she starts flirting with me. We haven’t flirted with one another for a very long time. It seems as of late, we’ve become distant toward one another. I arranged this evening in attempt to get us back on track.
When we leave the restaurant, we stroll hand-in-hand down the street until we come to a little jazz bar. We step inside, order a couple more drinks, and sit down to enjoy the music. Before long, Parker pulls my hand and leads me out to the dance floor. Although dancing really isn’t my thing, how can I refuse my gorgeous wife?
We spend the rest of the evening dancing and laughing. It reminds me of the days in college when we would go line dancing with friends. Parker was the cutest cowgirl I had ever seen. We were carefree with no worries, much like tonight.
We finally get home a little after one in the morning. Beth is asleep on the couch. I’m not sure I should wake her, but Parker nods for me to go ahead. Beth is in need of a ride home, and like a dutiful husband I take that obligation seriously. There’s no way I’m going to have Parker drive Beth home.
The car ride is mostly silent. Beth is still half asleep. I can’t stop glancing at her. I catch a glimpse of one of her legs. It was more covered before, but now her shorts are pushed completely up her thigh. I wonder if she notices as I continued to stare at her shapely tan leg. It takes a few seconds before I realize what I’m doing and pull my eyes away. This is wrong. Very wrong…
I look back, unable to keep my eyes off her exposed flesh. It’s innocent, right? I’m just looking. It’s bad if I start touching. Excuses float through my mind, the angel and devil on my shoulder conversing back and forth.
“Do you like what you see?” Her voice is soft and seductive, something I would never expect from a sixteen year old.
I focus my attention on the road. “I’m sorry?”
“I’m not blind. I know you’ve been staring at me.” She stretches out her legs. “Do you like them?”
I glance over at Beth. Her smile is coy and self-assured. I quickly focus my eyes back on the road and grip the steering wheel for dear life. My heart is fluttering and there is a large knot in my stomach. Thrill and excitement countered with fear and dread. The air grows thick and stifling and I reach for my collar to unbutton it another notch.
I clear my throat. “So, uh, what are you studying in school?”
“Mr. Davis, I’m in high school. I study general ed.”
My attempt at changing the subject made me nothing less than a bumbling fool. “Yes, of course. Do you plan to go to college?”
“I haven’t decided. I’m keeping my options open.” Beth shifts in her seat.
I continue to stare ahead but notice her movement in my peripheral vision. Just a couple more miles before I’m at her house. Beth’s street can’t get here fast enough.
She places a hand on my leg. “I’d like to see what opportunities are presented to me. I’m young and there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun.”
Her hand inches closer to my groin. I bite down on my
lip trying to fight the arousal despite my strongest desire to curb it. I take her hand off my thigh and gently place it back in her lap.
“There is nothing wrong with having a little fun as long as you don’t do something you might regret later.”
In the most sultry voice I’ve ever heard, she responds. “Life is too short for regrets. I just want to do what feels good…what feels right.”
I pull into her driveway, grab fifty dollars out of my wallet, and thank her for watching my children. That is it. This will be the last time we will ever see each other and that will be good.
Chapter 2
Trent
A week later, and I’m stuck in the office preparing for a big case for the following Monday. I’m just about ready to leave for the day when my secretary announces my dad is on the line. My dad never calls me at work. My mind goes wild with possible scenarios of what could be happening.
“Jonathan, what can I do for you?” Jonathan Davis has always been a strong man who has shown little emotion. His primary role in life is to maintain the family name, as well as keep the family business flourishing. He was absent most of my childhood with various business ventures. Fortunately, I was raised by a wonderful mother who instilled compassion, humbleness, and generosity in me. Otherwise I might have become a replica of my father.
“Trent.” He pauses. “How’s Parker?”
I wonder why he’s asking. He’s never been too interested in Parker or the grandkids. His workaholic lifestyle has made it so we only see him on major holidays, when he plays Dad and Grandpa for a day or two before going back to being the shrewd businessman he is.
“She’s fine. Why do you ask?”
“How about Porter? How is he doing?”
“Dad, what’s going on? Is Mom all right?”
I sit back in my chair and rub my hand over the scruff that has formed on my face throughout the day.