A Prior Engagement

by S. L. Scott

  Richard also stood up, his face falling as he watched his daughter’s hurt and disappointed face.

  She stared at him needing more, pleading with her eyes to correct her assumption.

  “I bought it to take him down. That’s what I’m not proud of. I bought it to get revenge on him. I bought it in a moment of weakness on his part, maybe on mine, too.”

  “Tell her about the books,” William added.

  Evie sat back down with the two men doing the same.

  Richard continued. “I had my accountants go over the books with a fine-toothed comb. They discovered he was embezzling money right out from under the company’s nose.”

  “His family has money. You know this. You’re friends with his parents.” Evie’s tears had stopped as questions flooded her thoughts. “How is that possible?”

  “I guess he didn’t tell his parents he needed help. It’s a white-collar crime, but this morning he had his bail revoked because he’s on suicide watch. They want to make sure he stands trial. There are some issues with taxes and the government won’t drop the case.”

  Evie knew she shouldn’t, but she did care—just a little. She remembered the good in him, the good times they had together before he changed, before she changed. She took a sip of her wine and then said, “I’m feeling tired. This was a lot of fun and meant more to me than you know.” She looked at her parents. “Thank you for supporting me and William.”

  “Are you okay?” Kitty asked her.

  “Yeah, it’s a lot to take in. I understand the sentiment behind what you did and I can’t say I’m upset over that. I want him to pay in every way possible, but killing himself . . . I just can’t believe it’s come to this.”

  The dinner was cut short, no one in the mood for socializing. They said their good-byes and William held her hand when they left. He let her have time to process the events of the night as they headed home. He walked beside her in the warm night air, but let her think.

  Several times she looked at him and they caught eyes. They smiled. Their relationship was easy, trusting, and blissful. Evie swung their hands between them, and said, “I don’t care about him in that way.”

  “I know you don’t.”

  “I’m in shock. I can’t believe he’d kill himself.”

  “He won’t.”

  “How do you know?”

  “He loves himself too much for that. He’s trying to garner sympathy.” William was positive of that.

  Evie stopped and tugged him to her. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know you don’t care about him. It’s that you care about people in general. Someone’s hurt and you don’t want anyone to be in pain. You tried to make everyone else happy at the expense of your own happiness. You’ve got a big heart and I know it’s not that you have feelings for Tom. It’s that you wouldn’t want anyone to hurt.”

  “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  “The bruises and stuff have healed, Evie, but you still have a lot to resolve, emotionally.”

  She was quiet in thought again.

  William didn’t want the night to end thinking about Tom. He didn’t deserve their attention. “C’mon on, pretty girl, I have plans for you and that big ‘ole heart of yours.”

  She smiled at the insinuation. “My heart, huh?”

  “Well, maybe not your heart in the physical sense other than making it race, but definitely this area covering your heart.” He pointed straight at her chest, circling his finger in the air.

  She stopped shocked by his sexual boldness, but she loved hearing him talk like this. “My boobs?”

  “Evie, you have incredible boobs and I still love that you call them boobs.” He pulled her along again until they were walking. “And yes, I’m going to do lots of dirty things with and to them.”

  “Breast is way too formal of a term.” She giggled. “I love you, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know.” That comment from him warranted a whack on the arm. “Okay, okay, I love you too, baby.” He laughed, making her laugh as well.

  Chapter 35

  Evie and William arrived home a little after eight-thirty at night. She felt like she had another pound of burden lifted from her shoulders with each step she took. Several times she looked down at William’s hand that held hers as they walked, still somewhat in disbelief this was it. They were now free from the monster and the past. They could now move on together and live their lives.

  As they rounded the corner to the apartment, Evie took off racing. William was right behind her laughing as he watched all her worries disappear. It was beautiful the way her skirt blew behind her and her hair flowed in the breeze. She was beautiful. He grabbed her by the waist right before they reached the front door of their building and spun her around, catching her before she lost her balance.

  They laughed and panted, trying to catch their breath. Freedom. This is what freedom felt like. It had been many years since Evie felt freedom: Freedom from him, freedom from the constraints of social standards and expectations, freedom to love, freedom to live and breathe and be who she was meant to be. Freedom was wonderful.

  She stood on her tiptoes and grabbed William by the face and kissed him—hard. She smiled, blushing, and said, “I want you to make love to me.”

  William didn’t wait. He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her in through the main door, up the flight of stairs, and once he unlocked the door, inside the apartment.

  They didn’t bother with lamps or lights of any sort. The light from the street was enough for them to see each other and their surroundings.

  They wasted no time and took their clothes off. Illuminated from behind by the dim light, she was an angel, a sexy angel wearing a necklace more befitting the occasion than could have been planned. The light highlighted the silver bird on the chain escaping its cage, gleaming in the low light. The monster kept her locked away, her own life like a cage. William freed her.

  She held her head up, looking at him wordlessly. Eyeing his body up and down twice, she lingered on his midsection which is when she raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t insecure with William. She was quite the opposite. He let her have wants of her own, to explore what she liked, and she wasn’t judged. She was confident when she was with him.

  They stood in front of each other with their emotions and bodies exposed and vulnerable and yet they felt none of that. They both felt loved, powerful, and comfortable like this, together.

  Reaching out, she dragged her palm down his chest, winding her fingers through the light hair that adorned his skin and stopping at his belly button, twisting her wrist to where her fingers faced down and moved lower.

  William’s breathing picked up and she felt his heavy breath against own skin. He leaned forward and kissed her, his hands grabbed a hold of her hips, and he moved them to the bed. “Come here, baby.”

  Crawling onto the bed, she lay down next to him, his hands roaming her body as she closed her eyes. William watched her chest start to rise and fall as his fingers slid between her thighs. This was still so surreal to him that he got to be with her at all, much less touch her in such provocative and sexual ways.

  She opened her eyes as his fingers found the place that sent shivers through her body.

  Leaning down, he kissed her on the lips once then on her cheek, forehead, temple, then made his way down her neck and back up toward her ear. His warm breath made her skin pebble as he tugged her earlobe between his teeth. “William.” She moaned as her hands found his skin hot to the touch and she gripped him to her. “You’re teasing me.”

  He stilled his fingers and his mouth. “Oh, baby, I’m sorry,” he whispered in her ear. “I want all of you at once, but still want to savor every part of you, starting here.” Increasing the pressure beneath his fingers tips, he also nipped harder.

  She became of puddle of goo beneath his hands and lips, beneath his words.

  He smiled against her neck, a chuckle followed closely after. They had made love many times since the first time and
he was happy to give her what she wanted and what she needed. William reached over into the drawer of the little table beside the bed and pulled a condom out. He slipped it on and touched her at the apex of her thighs. As he rubbed little pressure-pointed circles, he moved into position between her legs.

  William stopped touching her, holding himself above her and looking down into her eyes. He could tell she felt safe and trusted him. He could also see how much she wanted him and hoped she could see the same reflected from him. He positioned himself while taking her hands, bringing one at a time to his lips to kiss then placing above her head. As he held on tight to her wrists, he pushed into her.

  Her head pressed back into the pillow beneath her, and his dropped from the overwhelming sensation and they groaned each other’s name in unison.

  Opening his eyes, he watched her writhe below him in pleasure then let his eyes drift to where they were connected, feeling the intensity of their bond.

  She wrapped her legs around him, encouraging him for more, her body moving of its own volition in tune with his every movement. Not long after starting, they finished together, cuddling and whispering words of love and devotion, the future, and forever.

  The next day, Evie woke up bright and early, mainly due to the fact that the blinds were left open from the night before. She turned her head and saw William facing her with his eyes still closed, his face beautiful and rugged, content with a slight smile curled on his lips. She kissed him lightly so as not to disturb him before rolling out of bed.

  William grabbed her by the elbow, and muttered, “No, stay. Bed. Me.”

  “I love you, but I’ve got to shower, honey.”

  A grunt of disappointment was all she got in return.

  It was Monday morning and as they walked out of their building, her dad was waiting in front of his town car, which was parked at the curb. They stopped, somewhat surprised to see him, somewhat happy, and somewhat nervous. “Dad?”

  “Good morning, Everleigh, William.”

  “Good morning, Richard,” William replied, holding tight to Evie’s hand. This was an odd time to visit, especially since they all saw each other last night. He was guarded and feeling very protective of Evie right then.

  “There’s been a strange discovery, and I need your opinion, Everleigh.”

  “Okay.” She was cautious.

  Richard glanced to William. He was well aware nothing was kept a secret between the two of them, so he didn’t request privacy. He also got straight to the point. “Mr. Whitney put some of his assets in your name. They were hidden in a side account. His company, now my company, has no rights over them since his name is not listed as the primary holder. I need to know how you would like to proceed with these accounts.”

  She stepped forward. “I’m confused. Why would there be anything in my name?”

  “I don’t have the answers. I only know what we’ve found. I’d advise you to come by this afternoon and look the papers over. I can have my accountants and lawyer there if you have questions. It’s several large sums of money. You should act quickly,” Richard said, closing the gap and embracing his daughter. “How are you?”

  She smiled as she hugged him back. “I just saw you last night, Daddy.”

  “I know, but I missed you.”

  She felt such happiness in her father’s arms, realizing the name ‘Daddy’ slipped out.

  “Evie,” William started to say as he stepped forward, “you don’t work today. I think you should go after class and settle this sooner than later.”

  She turned around, and asked, “Will you come with me?”

  “I’m out at three today. I can go with you then. Are you sure you want me there? I know this is a personal matter.”

  She smiled at him, turning and taking his hand in hers. “I want you there. I have no secrets. We have no secrets.”

  He nodded.

  Turning back to her father, she said, “We’ll be there at three-thirty.”

  “I’ll see you then.” Richard leaned forward and shook William’s hand. “Good to see you as well, William.”

  “Did you miss me too, Sir?”

  They laughed. “Yes, well, I guess I did.” They continued laughing.

  William met Evie outside the English building just after three. She was sitting on the nearest bench and was stunning in the autumn afternoon. The sun was golden and bright, revealing the different colors highlighted by the waves she now wore, shades that were hidden when she lived in darkness all the time.

  They took a cab to the financial district and walked through the lobby of the high-rise. William felt underdressed and tried to straighten some of the wrinkles out of his shirt as they entered the elevator.

  Evie walked with confidence past the three gatekeepers and straight into her father’s office without knocking.

  After a quick greeting, two of his accountants and his legal advisor joined them and they set up at the large table by the window. They went through and explained how they thought Tom was scamming by trying to hide the money from the government in some way. The silver lining is the auditors had been contacted, and if Evie pays the due taxes on the new accounts, she could have full claim to the remaining dollars.

  As they walked back out the building an hour later, William asked, “Hey, for old time sake, you want to go for a ferry ride?”

  “I’d love to.”

  They caught the next ferry, but remained in a bit of a daze from the meeting.

  “Evie?”

  She turned to William and just seeing his face made her relax. She cuddled into his side, the wind blowing around them as they stood on the deck of the ferry and the sun started to set. “How are you?” she asked, tilting her head up to see the truth in his expression.

  “I’m fine. How are you?”

  “Believe it or not, I’m great. He set those accounts up to dupe the government and used me to take the fall. My dad said he’ll help me pay the taxes to make the accounts legal if it means Tom will never see a penny again.”

  William didn’t fear Tom. William feared him having any part in their lives, including his money. “What are you going to do with it?”

  She looked back down, resting her cheek on his chest. “I don’t know.”

  That would have to suffice for now for both of them.

  “Is it silly to feel this good?” Evie asked William once they made it home and climbed into bed later that night.

  “No, not silly. Not silly at all. I feel the same.” He rolled onto his side and wrapped his around her.

  She rubbed her hand up and down his arm, feeling his muscles as they flexed under the skin.

  William sat up, easing his brow with his fingers. “I don’t want us to change or for his money to come between us.” Looking down at his bent knees, he sat there quiet in thought.

  A minute passed, and Evie was anxious from the silence, so she said, “It won’t. On the ferry tonight, I realized I want the money to mean something and make a difference to someone. It means nothing to me. It’s a bad reminder of him, so I’m giving it to the women’s shelter that I helped to raise money for at the fundraiser.”

  William lay back down next to her. “I think that’s a great idea.”

  “I’m going to have my father make the transfer in the morning, an anonymous donation. I don’t want the glory. I just want it to be used for something good.”

  “Evie, you don’t know what that means to hear you say that. I know four million is a lot of money, but it’s blood money—”

  “I have no problem ridding him from of our lives. I want no part of anything to do with him ever again.”

  “He’s out of our lives for good now. Our future can now begin.”

  Chapter 36

  In early November, William surprised Evie by meeting her after class. He talked her into taking another ferry ride despite the chilly weather. She thought they were going to visit his family, but they got on a different ferry—the ferry that took passengers around Manhattan.


  William wrapped his arms around her, her back to his chest and they watched the cityscape before them. As they rounded the curve of the river, when they were just about to be shaded by the skyscrapers, he got down on one knee, held her hand in his, and asked her to be his forever.

  After wiping her tears away, she pulled him to his feet before grabbing him around the neck and saying, “Yes. Yes. A thousand yeses.” As he slid a delicate gold band with a small inset diamond on her finger, she gasped. Her sentimental side recognized the ring and she was overcome with pure joy. Evie kissed him again. “Is this my great-grandmother’s ring?”

  “Yes, your mother gave it to me in case I was planning something like this.”

  “My mother has fallen in love with you. She’s been trying to get you into the family since she met you . . . well, since you came to dinner that first time.”

  “She made it easy for me. She said you would like the ring. I hope you do.”

  “I love it. My great-grandfather came from a fortune, but he hadn’t inherited it when he married my great-grandmother. This ring was all they could afford. It cost him twenty-eight dollars in 1926, which was his entire savings. They were our age when they married.”

  William smiled at his soon-to-be bride. “I was hoping we could marry right after your graduation. Is that too soon?”

  “It’s never too soon to start forever with you, my love.”

  When they docked, they took a cab straight to her parent’s home to share the news with her family. He called his family on speakerphone to join in the celebration. The moms started in on their elaborate plans, but this time Evie would have her fairytale wedding. It wouldn’t be conventional for her family’s expectations, but instead be everything she wanted and nothing she didn’t.

  In mid-December, both of their families gathered at her graduation. They stood and cheered as she walked across the stage to accept her degree. William and Evie had a private celebration just the two of them at the apartment over Mexican food and tequila.

  She decided tonight was the night to reveal the only secret she had been keeping from him for his own sake and sanity. So, after two shots and a full stomach, she tried for casual, and said, “We need to talk about money, but I’m afraid you’ll get upset.”