by Skye, M.
“Listen to me bitch, if you would learn to check your attitude then perhaps you wouldn’t be in this situation,” he said and walked out of the room.
She couldn’t believe he had pulled this on her. She was supposed to be the conniving one the equation, but he had sunk to a new low. She knew that showing up at the hospital was a bad idea at the time, but she couldn’t resist herself.
When she had learned that Meg was pregnant with Alex’s child, it sent her into a rage, and she had to speak her mind. She stormed up to the hospital and made such a huge scene that she was thrown out, but not before Maddie got a piece of her with her fist. Maddie, what a bitch, she thought as she gathered her photo album from the floor.
When she stormed into the hospital room, she unintentionally interrupted the girls and Gio planning for their mother’s funeral. When they saw her standing in the doorway, the insults started flying. Before she knew it, Maddie was on top of her pummeling her face.
She hadn’t come in intending to get into a physical altercation, but once the screaming started it went downhill from there. Alex was smart. He obtained statements from the hospital security and witnesses to use in their custody battle and turned them over to the judge sealing her fate.
She knew he would be arriving soon, but she thought she would have more time to pack up and flee with Allison. He had outsmarted her by throwing in the tip about Ben’s house being raided. The papers stated the judge felt that Allison was in an unsafe environment and that a social worker would be coming by to remove her and place her in Alex’s care.
She couldn’t believe it. Her plan was unraveling around her, but one thing puzzled her. How did Alex know to add that the police were coming if they had simply turned up two hours ago? She knew she had to get to the bottom of this.
If she was going to have any chance of keeping her hooks in Alex, she had to know every detail, and she knew just the person to call. First, she was going to make her way downstairs and soak up all the info she could on Ben’s situation before she made any moves.
Once she got downstairs, she realized the social worker had arrived and was talking to Melissa and Alex. When she got close enough, they all looked to her and the social worker started off in her direction. “I know the drill, here just take her,” she said and placed Allison’s bag in her hands.
Her lack of interest that her child was being carried away didn’t escape the woman’s attention. She gave her an awkward look before taking the bag. “Well Mr. Hanover, I don’t see any reason why she just can’t ride with you, considering you seem to be the only concerned party in the room,” she said and handed him the bag.
“Thank you Mrs. Galeotti,” Alex smiled at her.
“No, thank you Mr. Hanover. I will be over to check on her progress in a few days, and Mrs. Leonora, you can expect that this unpleasant meeting will be noted,” she said, and walked towards the door.
Bianca just watched and rolled her eyes as Mrs. Galeotti made her way out of the house. Bianca was relieved to see her leave. Now she could concentrate on her real goal, getting Alex all to herself by any means necessary.
Her obsession with him was growing stronger with every rejection. The announcement of his new child was driving her to extreme lengths. She had to have him, or she would go mad.
Alex was growing increasingly irritated by being in the room with both his mother and Bianca, so he swooped Allison up and advanced towards the door. Melissa was devastated that he didn’t let her say goodbye, but Bianca refused to let him go away so abruptly. When she started to chase behind him, he sped up and walked Allison to the door and told her to get in the car with Meg. Before he could close the door for good, Bianca stormed up to him and stood with her hands on her hips.
“You need to stop causing scenes in front of my daughter,” Alex said and stared her down.
“You know Alex, you should calm your tone in front of these officers. One might think you have a rage problem with the way you're carrying on,” she said sarcastically.
Her comments sparked a chord of humor in him and he began to laugh hysterically. “Your little mind games won’t work on me, I’m way ahead of you,” he said and turned to leave.
“I wonder what the judge would think if he knew that you had information on a crime and sat on it,” she said only loud enough for him to hear.
He heard her and stopped cold. How the hell could she have possibly known about the information he had? Only a select few knew, and he had been careful not to speak outside of the confines of his office or their home. Although it shocked him that she knew, she hadn’t figured out one part of the puzzle, and he was going to enjoy rubbing it in her face.
“You think you're so smart don’t you? Well since you know so much, you should know that I’m the one who turned him in,” he whispered and walked out the door. His admission stunned her, but gave her the exact answer she was hoping for. She didn’t think he was going to offer it to her so freely, but she was thrilled that he had. Now she could use it to her advantage.
Ben was still standing, watching the officers turn the house upside down when he started his loud ranting again. “I don’t know what you're looking for, but I can assure you that you won’t find it. I will also promise you that when you're done here I’ll have you dismissed from the force for desecrating my property.”
The officers ignored him as the continued their search. They didn’t show any sign of being shaken by his threats because they knew that it was only a matter of time before what they were looking for turned up. The anonymous tip they received stated there should be something there linking him to a case they were working on, and they would be damned if they didn’t find it.
Vanzetti was just about ready to pack it up and head outside to join the search of the grounds when one of the officers ran inside with his dog barking his head off. “What did you find boy?” Vanzetti asked and leaned down to pat his head.
“You have to see this sir,” the officer said as he pulled his dog back outside. When Vanzetti reached the scene that had the dog going haywire, he stopped in his tracks. He was expecting to find evidence, but what he saw threw him. There, lying wrapped up in a bundle of plastic wrap, was a bloody shirt and a ten-inch blade.
Vanzetti couldn’t understand for the life of him why Ben would be stupid enough to keep something so incriminating on the grounds of his own estate. Granted it was buried, but he had never seen a cockier bastard in his life. Once he pulled up the wrapped items, he sealed off the area and made his way to his cruiser to place a call to his superior to secure a valid arrest warrant.
After getting the go-ahead, Vanzetti smiled inwardly as he headed inside to reveal the big news to his officers and wipe that smug look off Ben’s face. His walk from the grounds to the house was one of the longest in his life. The sooner he got inside, the sooner justice could be done. That poor woman and her children deserved as much; two weeks after her death, they would finally have their murderer.
When he finally reached the steps, he paused to catch his breath before bursting inside. He found Ben instantly, standing over one of the officers yelling obscenities at him and he took great pleasure in being able to end it. “Ben Hanover it is my extreme pleasure to place you under arrest for the murder of Maria Cardoza.” As Vanzetti read him his rights, Melissa and Bianca looked on horrified.
Melissa knew Ben was capable of many things, but she never knew thought that he would have been the one who killed Maria. As long as they had been married, there wasn’t much interaction between the two. The situation was baffling to her, she couldn’t figure why Ben would do something so reckless to someone he claimed to love.
She had found out about Ben’s affair with Maria after Aiden was born and threatened to leave. He told her that if she left she would lose her son. His family was influential, so she stayed. Alex and Matt weren’t planned. Although she loved her sons unconditionally, they were a result of Ben’s cruel demands that she service him.
While thinking bac
k on her torrid past, the conversation with Alex jumped into her mind. He had said “everything he touches turns to shit,” now his statements were taking on a whole new meaning. Did her son possibly have the knowledge of his father’s secrets? Furthermore, was he the one to turn him in?
***
In the car, Meg was anxious to get home to ask Alex what was going on with the police at Ben’s. She was feeling hopeful for the first time in two weeks. Her mother’s funeral had drained her mentally and physically. She had been exhausted for days with everything going on plus her pregnancy.
Her doctor told her the first trimester would be the worst, and boy was she right. From the exhaustion to the morning sickness, this baby was keeping her on her toes, but she wouldn’t trade it for the world. She and Alex were finally going to have their dream: a family together. And with Allison, it would be complete.
When they arrived at their house, Alex gave her the keys to go unlock the doors while he unloaded Allison’s things. She quickly made her way to the door and stuck the key in, but before she could enter, she found an envelope taped to the door. When she looked it over, she found that it was from the private investigator they had hired to look for Maria when she was still missing. She hadn’t heard from him since they turned her journal over to him, so she was antsy to see what he would want to tell them.
“What’s that?” Alex asked as he made his way in.
“A letter from Elias, it was taped to the door,” she said and passed it to him.
He took the letter from her hand and looked it over before turning to Allison. “Alli bear, how about you go upstairs and let me and Meg talk. I promise we will play with you in a few minutes.”
Before she could head to the stairs, Marisol, their maid, offered to take her to town to run some errands with her, and she jumped at the chance. He watched closely to make sure they were gone and then pulled Meg down on the couch into his lap. “Baby, I know this has been a long few months, but there is something you should know. While Elias was looking for clues of where your mother could be and digging into her past with my father, he found out something about your father.”
Her nerves were getting the best of her and she couldn’t contain her excitement any longer. “Tell me Alex, please. Is my dad an ax murderer now? I swear, I can’t take any more surprises.”
He knew he needed to tell her, but he didn’t want to shatter her world any further after what she had already experienced. When she looked into his grief-stricken eyes, she decided not to make him tell her and she snatched the letter from his grasp. What she saw caused her to break down in his arms, weeping uncontrollably.
“I know baby, I’m here,” he said, while stroking her head.
“How could they not tell me this? I deserved to know the man that has raised me all these years is not really my father.”
“But he is your father; he loves you and he raised you like his own much like you're willing to do for Allison. Sometimes you can be better off without biological parents, look at my parents,” he said trying to calm her down.
“I know he loves me and I love him, I just don’t know why he couldn’t be my real dad. Maybe I’m just overreacting, but I feel cheated. My dad is some deadbeat who didn’t even stick around,” she said sadly.
“You were better off without him. Emilio has always treated you just like he treats your sisters. I think you two might be closer.”
“It’s just a lot to take in,” she said and put her head on his shoulder.
“I know it is, but I’m right here for you.”
“I want to ask a favor of you. I know it might sound strange, but I…”
“Anything you want, just name it,” he said cutting her off.
“Can you have Elias look into this Richard Leon? I would like to know about the man who left me and my mother to fend for ourselves.”
“Sure I can, now would you let me walk you up and take you to bed? You look exhausted and I need my babies in tip-top shape.”
“You’re too good to be true,” she said and wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her up the stairs.
“You just remember that seven months from now when you're in labor and calling me every name in the book,” he said and chuckled.
“I’ll be too doped up to call you anything because they are going to hit me hard with the drugs,” she said and giggled.
Once they reached the room, he placed her on the bed gently and bent down to remove her shoes. When he started to rub her feet, she laid back and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling. She was in heaven. His hands were working wonders on her tender feet. When she opened her eyes, she caught a glimpse of him staring at her with one of those soul- searing looks, and began to melt instantly.
She couldn’t explain it, but the pregnancy seemed to increase her sexual cravings. He was sitting at the foot of the bed looking gorgeous in a black button down, and she couldn’t help imagining him without it on. She sat watching him, the way he let his hands creep up her calf, over her thigh, and finally to her wet center.
He had her dress bunched at her waist, and even through her lacy panties he could feel her need for him. Before she could react, he caressed her there and entered her, immersing his fingers in her warmth. She drew in a deep breath and allowed herself to relax around him.
He took her gesture as an all-out invitation and withdrew his fingers, slipping her panties down with his teeth. She could feel his breath against her skin, and it sent a shiver through her. She wanted him and if she didn’t have him soon, she was going to go insane.
He saw the impatient look on her face and decided not to make her wait any longer. As soon as he spread her thighs, he plunged his head between them. He wanted to taste her, and he did just that. He hadn’t been able to do this in so long.
He wanted to take full advantage of feasting on her delicious body. If he had his way, there wasn’t going to be one inch of her he hadn’t delighted with his tongue when they stopped. He explored her body like it was the first time, and the feeling was indescribable.
Thank goodness for Marisol taking Allison into town, because if she had been there, she would have thought he was killing Meg by the way she was screaming out. He couldn’t deny, her responses were one of his favorite parts of their lovemaking. She always got into him and gave him all of her, just as he gave everything to her.
His thoughts were driving him to do the most erotic things to her. He had moved up her body to draw imaginary lines with his tongue, causing her to writhe beneath him. He could tell she was close to climaxing and he wanted her to welcome it, because it would be one of many. He made up his mind, he wasn’t giving up until he heard that adorable scream of hers and she drifted into a deep slumber.
He shed his clothes quickly and before she knew it, her dress was tossed somewhere across the room. It all happened so fast, she didn’t have time to see where it went. He took her nipple into his mouth and then he slid his fingers back inside her now dripping wet depths and she let out a yelp.
He knew she was right there and it wouldn’t take much to trigger the first one. He began to thrust his fingers in and out; with a few strokes, he felt her let go. Feeling pleased with himself, he let go of her nipple and tore his fingers away.
To his surprise, she rolled him over and claimed a position on top of him. He wasn’t expecting the aggression she had, but he would have been powerless to fight her even if he wanted to. When she lowered herself to cover him with her, it was he who let out a scream.
He had never felt anything so good in his life. Pregnancy had enhanced their sex life. When she started her rocking motion, he nearly lost it right there. She seemed to know exactly what she was doing. Her little smirk brought him back from the brink of no return and he was more determined to provoke yet another orgasm from her.
She was moving her hips above him at a rapid steady pace, driving him into oblivion. When he gripped her hips and began to go with her, she drew in a deep breath and leaned down to brush her bre
asts across his chest. His first instinct was to pleasure her with his tongue as they went flying into euphoric bliss.
For what seemed like an eternity, they moved together, causing the most sensual friction they had seen in the past few weeks. They acted as if they had just made love the night before, and not over a month ago. She felt herself soaring over the edge and she paused to savor the moment.
When she did this, he took it as a chance to regain some control. He flipped her to where her back was against his chest and slipped inside her. When he began to move within her once again, she started to breathe in short shallow breaths. He looked at them in the mirror as he thrust in and out of her; the way her face contorted and relaxed with each movement almost made him crumble.
He was driving them both into the stars with his slow deep strokes. With her breasts cupped in his hands, he put his mouth to her neck and kissed her there. She couldn’t hold it any longer. As soon as she felt his mouth, everything shattered. He felt her convulse, and then he heard her let out a loud moan that sent him reeling.
Before he could get a hold of his senses, he exploded within her. Spent and sated, he slid out of her and held her to him. Her chest was still heaving rapidly, but she seemed to be relaxing under his touch. He was elated they had made love after so long, but even more so that he could make her forget everything. Even if only for a short while.
She laid comfortably in his arms, just quietly staring ahead for over ten minutes before either of them spoke. Meg lost herself in thoughts about everything she had learned today. Although she loved Emilio more than any daughter could love her father, she felt like things would never be the same between them once he came back to town.
How was she supposed to ignore the awful truth that they had deceived her all these years? She was still reeling when Alex suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and turned her to him. The look on his face was a mixture of love and admiration, which caused her to forget every thought of anything but him and their life.