by Nic Saint
“Look, if you’re not going to the police, I will,” Dad said.
“It’s no use, Dad,” intervened Roland. “Scott attacked him first, didn’t you, Scott?”
Scott wondered how Roland had found out so fast, but then again, Roland was the head of security within the family, so it shouldn’t have to surprise him.
Dad fixed him with a fierce glare. “Is this true, son?”
“Yep,” confirmed Scott flippantly. “I threw the first punch.”
His father’s wrinkled face lit up, and suddenly he erupted into a booming laugh. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all year! You hit that scoundrel first?”
“Hit him squarely in the face.”
Dad squeezed his shoulder warmly. “Well done, Scott. Well done. I hope you managed to inflict permanent damage to that piece of shit.”
“Honey!” cried Mom sternly. “Language!”
“But he is a piece of shit!” hollered Dad.
“Dad’s right, Mom,” said Scott. “Ty really is.”
“That doesn’t mean we have to lower ourselves to his level,” insisted Mom.
“Guess that’s true,” muttered Dad. Then he brightened, and lightly punched Scott on the shoulder. “Tell me, son. How did it feel?”
“Jack!”
It wasn’t long afterward, that the hospital released him, and apart from a bandaged nose and a slight wooziness when he got up too fast, he felt fine. Roland took him home in his car, and all throughout the drive, gave him a stern lecture about not getting involved with Anna Moonstone ever again.
“That girl is bad news, Scott,” his brother insisted. “You met her only a week ago, and already you’re getting beat up by Ty. Stay away from her. If not for your own good, then do it for the family’s sake. We really don’t need any more trouble with the Montesquieus.”
Scott listened to Roland’s rant impassively. He had absolutely no intention of avoiding Anna. If anything, he couldn’t wait to see her. But he could understand where Roland was coming from. There was something about Anna. Her secret tryst with Ty told him that here was a girl with some serious issues. He just wished she’d confide in him so he could help her overcome them.
“I love her, Roland,” he said simply.
Roland pounded the steering wheel of his BMW. “Dammit, Scott! Of all the girls!”
“Tell me about it,” he said morosely, staring out the window at the customary Manhattan gridlock.
Roland muttered something unintelligible under his breath, and Scott had the distinct impression it wasn’t fit for print. He then wagged a finger in Scott’s face. “You better fall out of love. Cause you ain’t coming near that woman ever again, you hear me?”
Scott gritted his teeth but didn’t respond.
Roland looked over at him, his eyes furious. “Hey? You hear me?”
“I hear you!” Scott yelled, rubbing the spittle off his cheek. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“No, you don’t,” agreed Roland. “Just as long as you do as you’re told.”
Scott merely glared at his brother, wondering how it would feel to punch him as well. But then he remembered his damaged face, and thought better of it.
It only took him two hours to break his promise to Roland. When his phone rang and he saw that it was Anna, he was quick to respond. Half an hour later, they were both seated at a table over on Third Avenue in one of the delis he’d pointed out to her the day they met.
“You look terrible,” she said with a grin.
He chuckled. “Thanks. That’s exactly what I needed to hear right now.”
“Well, you do!” she said.
“I know. But you should see the other guy,” he quipped.
“I did,” she said softly.
He pursed his lips. He really didn’t want to talk about Ty de Montesquieu right now. Or ever again, for that matter. “Thanks for escorting me to the hospital.”
“It was the least I could do. After all, this was all my fault.”
He shook his head vehemently. “No way was this your fault, Anna. That… asshole insulted you!”
“I know.” She reached out a hand and placed it on top of his. “What you did back there is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
He felt a shiver of anticipation race through his system. If only he could kiss her now. “Any man would have done the same,” he murmured.
“Not any man, Scott. You’re the first.”
“It’s…” He wanted to say he loved her, but bit his tongue.
“I know you’re not gay,” she blurted out.
His eyes widened. “You do?”
“Susie finally came clean.” She leaned in. “Why didn’t you tell me, Scott?”
“I…” He hesitated, then decided to tell her the truth. “I… like you, Anna.”
“I like you.”
“It’s just that… You told me when we met that you were through with men. That you came out of a bad relationship and wanted to lick your wounds. I figured if you knew I felt that way about you, you would simply tell me to take a hike.”
She displayed the hint of a smile. “So you thought if you pretended to be gay you could worm your way into my life?”
He sighed. “If you say it like that, it sounds horrible. But yeah, basically that’s it.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “Fair enough.”
Her hand was still holding his, and this gave him the confidence to go on. “Anna, I—”
“You told me your secret, now let me tell you mine.”
He closed his mouth with a click. Was she going to tell him about Ty?
“I haven’t been totally honest with you about the reason I came to New York.”
“You haven’t?” Where was she going with this?
She held his gaze, and said, “I’ve come here looking for my father.”
“Your… father?”
“The problem is, all I know about him is that he has a tattoo of a fish on his lower back and that his nickname is Filou.”
A jolt of alarm shot through Scott at these words.
His father had a tattoo of a fish on his lower back!
“Filou means scoundrel in French,” she explained.
He didn’t respond. His world had just come crashing down around him.
He stared across the table and couldn’t believe his bad luck.
The woman he loved… was his own sister?
Chapter 12
Anna was glad Scott showed such an interest in her quest to track down her father. Though she hadn’t even begun to figure out how to go about this, it felt good to confide in someone.
“I never knew him,” she explained. “Mom is from New York, originally. Lived in Brooklyn her whole life. She worked as a model for a little while, and that’s how she met my father. He was her boss. He seduced her and when she got pregnant dismissed her out of hand.” She shook her head. “From what I can gather, he was a very brutal man. Very rich, but also very mean. He severed all ties the moment he learned of her pregnancy. Mom moved in with her aunt in Chicago, and that’s where I was born.”
“This… rich man, what company did he work for?”
“No idea,” Anna said. “Mom has always refused to talk about it. And when I told her I wanted to track him down, she was anything but supportive. What little I know is from stuff she divulged over the years, mostly in unguarded moments.” She winked. “That means when she had too much to drink.”
Scott shuffled nervously in his seat, and suddenly withdrew his hand from the table. “She called him Filou?”
She nodded. “Scoundrel. I guess he took great pride in his nickname, because all his girlfriends used to call him that.”
“All his girlfriends? Your mom wasn’t the only one?”
She laughed. “Oh, no. According to her, he was one of those guys with a girl in every port. Only instead of ports, he had them in every borough.”
“I see,” he said softly, avoiding her eyes.
He was acting all spooked all of a sudden, and she wondered why. “Can you think of anyone who would fit that description?”
For a brief moment, he hesitated, and it told her all she needed to know. “You know this guy, right? You know what I’m talking about.”
“I’m not sure,” he finally admitted.
She leaned in, excited. “Who is it? Tell me.”
He shook his head slowly. “I… can’t be sure,” he repeated.
“Doesn’t matter. Anything that might put me on the right track.”
But to her frustration, he refused to budge. “Let me just check something first, and then get back to you, all right?”
She slumped, disappointed. “Sure,” she offered. “But I still think you should just tell me now. I mean, we’re friends. We should trust each other.”
He seemed to wince at those words. Friends. He didn’t respond well to the notion. Of course, he wanted to be so much more than friends. “Listen. You’re a good man, Scott.”
“Thanks. I guess.”
“Remember the other night? When we had… sex?”
“How can I forget?” he said, looking sad all of a sudden.
She gave him her brightest smile. “Why don’t we try again?”
Her question seemed to startle him. “Try… again?”
“Sure. I like you, Scott. I like you a lot. Perhaps… we got off on the wrong foot? Sexually, I mean. It’s been known to happen. Sometimes it takes a little time for a man and a woman to find common ground in sex. It’s not always like in the movies, you know, where they jump into bed and have wild and crazy nookie from the get-go. Perhaps we just have to get to know each other. Get accustomed?”
“I—”
“What do you say? You wanna have sex with me?”
Stunned, he stared at her across the table, then suddenly rose to his feet with such rapidity, that he sent cups and plates and the salt and pepper shakers flying.
Raking his fingers through his hair, he stammered, “I—gotta go—I’m sorry, Anna, I—”
He stared at her wildly, then abruptly took off without another word.
He left her shocked and horrified, and she had to hold her heart to keep it from leaping from her chest. Tears sprang to her eyes as she watched him hail a cab and be whisked away in seconds.
What had just happened? Had she just offered herself to the most decent man she knew and been spurned by him? What was wrong with her? What was it that turned all good men into jerks the moment she laid her heart at their feet? Why did they all feel like trampling all over her?
She hated Scott Harris. Hated him with all the power of her being. She wanted him wiped from the face of the earth. Zapped from her life like a fly struck down by lightning.
And yet…
She loved him.
And he hated her…
Chapter 13
Anna had been roaming the streets of New York for hours, when she finally found herself in front of The Capital. Still dressed in her casual clothes, she nevertheless presented herself to the bouncer. He gave her one look, shook his head, and turned away from her.
“I’m a friend of Ty,” she told the sturdy figure. “A very good friend.”
His eyes swiveled back to her. “Name?” he barked, looking her up and down.
She offered him her name, and after consulting with what Anna supposed was his supervisor, he reluctantly ushered her into the club.
Like a zombie, she walked straight on through to the bar. She hadn’t come here to dance, so she ordered her first Martini of the night, scanning the crowd for Ty. If Scott didn’t want her, she’d just have to settle for Ty instead. At least he liked her for who she was. He treated her like shit, and that was exactly what she deserved.
She gulped down the drink and instantly ordered a refill. She needed to clear her head from Scott. He hated her—wanted nothing to do with her. Nor could she blame him. She was a filthy little slut, wasn’t she? Offering men her body? First Franklin, then Scott and now Ty? She was just a dirty whore. No wonder Scott had run away from her. Not walked—run. As fast as his legs could carry him, he’d left her hanging. He knew she was no good.
After the third Martini, she started feeling light-headed, and she knew she was in a good place. This was Ty’s club, and he loved her. Loved her enough to take her upstairs and fuck her brains out. Which was exactly what she needed right now. To be taken hard and without a hint of tenderness.
It was only after the fifth Martini that she suddenly spotted Ty’s familiar features. He was chatting up some fat bimbo, so she scooted over and slung her hands in front of his eyes.
“Yoo-hoo!” she hollered over the pounding bass of the techno music. “Guess who?”
Whirling around, he caught her off-balance and she almost fell to the floor. Grinning in what she hoped was a seductive gesture, she said, “Hey, there, Ty. Remember me?”
His face split into a wide grin, and he looked so much like a cat about to munch down a mouse, it was all she could not to run and hide. He was going to take her, she just knew it. And in spite of herself, she shivered in anticipation.
“Your little buddy not with you?” he shouted. He gestured at his cheek, where he sported a dark bruise.
“No, he left me,” she hollered back. “Like the slimy rat that he is.”
That seemed to amuse him even more, for he suddenly pulled her in, and pressed his lips on hers—hard and unrelenting. Then he barked a single command. “Come!”
The fat woman hollered something, and in spite of her intoxicated state, Anna thought it was Petit Filou. She knew this should mean something to her, but she didn’t have time to think about it. Ty forcefully grabbed her arm, and yanked her along.
Moments later, they were back in that little room upstairs. To prevent him from tearing up her blouse again, she quickly unbuttoned it herself, and stripped down to her slip and bra in seconds. From across the bed, he devoured her with his eyes.
When he finally spoke, he startled her. “You’re Thornton’s bitch, aren’t you?”
“Thorn—who?”
Like a dog, he bared his upper teeth in a snarl. “You’re Thornton’s bitch and now you’re mine.”
“I—”
She was tipsy, that much she knew, but he still wasn’t making any sense. But then he suddenly lunged for her, yanked her down on top of the bed. “Now you’re my bitch!” he growled, and slapped her hard across the mouth.
Her lips burst, and she tasted blood. She cried out when he ripped her panties from her body and slammed her down on the mattress. “Open your legs, bitch,” he grunted. “Let me show you who’s your master.”
Her head was swimming, but still she obediently opened her legs wide for him. In spite of the violence, she knew she was wet already. And when he entered her, she couldn’t help but cry out—in ecstasy.
“That cocksucker Thornton doesn’t know how to treat a woman,” Ty said in his gravelly voice. “But I do.” He then took her by the throat, and squeezed so hard she thought she might suffocate. Simultaneously, he pounded into her cunt with that monster cock of his. Her body was a rag doll, being pushed and shoved this way and that, and all the while she couldn’t help but enjoy the experience. He finally released her and she drew in a shuddering breath. She only had a second to recuperate before he hit her again. This time she was sure he was going to leave a mark. And for the first time, the thought occurred to her that she might not survive this night.
Nor did she want to. If Scott thought she was so disgusting, perhaps this was all she deserved… Like her father, he’d left her. Like Brad, he’d dumped her. Like Ty, he’d treated her like dirt.
“Fuck me,” she said hoarsely, and was startled by the vicious glint in Ty’s eyes.
“Oh, don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll do more than that, Thornton whore.”
It took him only seconds to reach his climax, and he pumped all that cum straight into her cunt this time. She could feel his hot seed spraying inside her belly, rea
ching her womb. This time, she hadn’t even come once. She liked men to be rough, but even for her, this was too much.
“No,” she cried, when he lifted her from the bed by the scruff of the neck. “Let me go.”
For a moment, she dangled as he lifted her clear from the floor. The pain in her neck was excruciating, and she could feel his cum drip from her cunt, oozing down her legs. It seemed to amuse him.
Then, suddenly, she became aware of other men crowding into the room. Glancing around warily, she saw that the bouncer was one of them, as were two more heavies. Dread flooded her consciousness as she realized what they were about to do. “No!” she croaked. “No, please!”
Just then, Ty turned his back on her, and her eye fell on a small tattoo of a fish placed directly above his tailbone. Her eyes widened in horror and shock. But before she had time to let the horrible truth sink in, he instructed his men in a low, throaty growl, “Treat this Thornton bitch with all the respect she deserves.”
Then he flung her onto the bed, and she cowered against the headboard while he left the room and slammed the door behind him.
“No. Please!” she pleaded with the three hulking men. “Please. Don’t!”
Their only response was to bare their teeth, and slowly unzip their pants.
Chapter 14
From the deli where he’d left Anna, Scott had taken a cab straight to his father’s home. He had to know the truth. Had to know if she was his sister…
“Dad,” he said when he finally found his father munching down a turkey sandwich in the kitchen.
“Hey, Scott,” said the old man jovially. He studied him carefully. “You know? Your face is looking even worse than before.”
“Thanks, Dad,” said Scott impatiently. He didn’t have time for small talk. His father must have noticed his intensity, for his smile immediately vanished.
“What is it, son? Something wrong?”
“I… met this girl, Dad. You would like her. She’s beautiful and smart, kind and lovely. She—”