Descent From Grace: A Luxe Novella Book 1.5

by Frost, H. Q.

Lilith bit her lip then quickly put a smile on her face to disguise the unexpected feeling of arousal.

  “Hi.”

  Able to read the unintentional vibe she was giving off, Ian glared at her disturbed.

  “Lily, this is Edward, my dad, and obviously he knows you,” he said, annoyed by the both of them.

  “Ashley talks about you like you’re her left arm.” Ed’s smile did unspeakable things to the area between her legs; with a blush, she looked away. “And you’re now employed through my son.” He slapped Ian’s shoulder again. They turned to walk into the condo. “And his fiancée,” he then said, causing Lilith to choke on a gasping breath.

  Ed looked over his shoulder at her and grinned. Lilith glared at Ian, wanting to push him down the stairs, and feeling her malicious grin on him, Ian kept his sight forward.

  Dive deep with Her fear

  I cannot believe this is happening. I cannot believe Ed Jacks knows I’m engaged to Ian, because I know the man knows Ian is with Karen! I want to lob off my arm. Fuck cutting!

  We step inside the condo that emanates class and beauty, and when inside, I see Ashley’s art covering the walls. I don’t want to look at him because I’m pissed, but I look at Ian confused. Obviously this condo has been around for a while.

  “I hope you like it, Lily. I normally rent it out, but Ian mentioned getting you a place, so I sold it to him.” Ed smiles at me and I let out a ridiculous huff-like laugh.

  Looking at the man makes everything below the belt pulse, and my god, he is Ian thirty years from now and I’m okay with that.

  I’m a little relieved Ian didn’t just go out and buy me a condo, but I’m still pissed his dad knows too much about us.

  “Anyway,” he says when I don’t say anything, and I don’t mean to be so rude. I’m still a little shocked. “Look around, it’s your place.” As he puts his hand on my arm, I feel my clit twitch. I cannot have this sexual attraction to Ian’s father!

  “It’s beautiful,” I finally say.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ian smile and Ed hands me yet another key.

  “This is to your car. It’s a six series. Red’s okay, right?”

  “Yes.” I nod, still looking around. I don’t want to look at him because the really messed up feeling that I want to fuck him right here won’t leave my head.

  “That too your fiancé bought.”

  My eyes go to Ed’s grin and it’s sexy, but I’m pissed and I feel my cheeks getting red.

  “Bathroom?” I ask with the fakest smile.

  “I’ll take you,” Ian blurts; of course.

  Damn you Ian; he’s only taking me because he knows I want to cut. Or hell, apparently I’ll bite myself now too. What the hell was that! What was I thinking? Because now my wrist is subtly killing me and that’s the most annoying type of pain.

  Ian takes my hand and when we round the corner, I pull my hand from his.

  “How could you!” I’m mindful of my tone so Ed doesn’t hear, but I am fuming Ian told him we’re engaged.

  “Don’t worry about it, okay?” He opens the bathroom door and gestures me inside.

  “What are you doing?” I ask when he closes the door behind us.

  “You gonna pee?” he says in the most dick-like manner.

  “Are you kidding me! Get the fuck out!” I almost yell this too loudly; I pull open the door. “Get out,” I growl, having a hard time controlling my anger, feeling like I could shove him.

  I see his eyes dance around the room before he leaves, like he’s checking if there’s anything I can hurt myself with. When he steps out of the bathroom, he looks back at me, and just to be a bitch, I part my lips and push my tongue to my canine tooth then slam and lock the door.

  “Lily!” I hear his hands smack the door.

  “Go away, Ian. I have to use the bathroom,” I huff.

  I don’t have the urge to cut anymore, now I’m just tired and feeling mentally exhausted. This morning has been treacherous and my mood swings are insane. I knew it’d be bad when we came home, but I didn’t think I’d be like this. I thought maybe I’d push through a little depression, but I’m going straight crazy. I’m not sure I can deal with what I’ve agreed to.

  I lean on the door and he loudly knocks. “Lily,” he says a little louder.

  God, my emotions are insane today. “Please, baby,” I manage to say, fighting back tears. “I’m okay.”

  “Ian,” I hear Ed say, then I hear Ian’s footsteps as he walks away from the door.

  I take a few deep breaths before going to the mirror. The weeks when I was in Barbados I didn’t have to wear makeup. Nothing could bring down the bliss I felt, not even my mom in the mirror, but today I applied a full face, and looking in the mirror, I still see her. I know what I forgot, lipstick. Pulling my red lipstick out, I glide it across my lips then push them together.

  When I come from the bathroom and meet them in the living room, Ian’s eyes shoot to me and he crosses the room, taking my arm that I nonchalantly pull from his hand. I know he’s discreetly trying to check for marks.

  “You want to look around, Lily?” Ed asks me and I smile.

  When I look at him, I swear he’s flirting with me because I’ve seen this same look on Ian’s face, and I know damn well when he used it, he was trying to seduce me.

  “Well.” I say and glance around. “I’m going to be living here awhile, no reason I can’t look around later. I can’t exactly opt for a different place, can I?” I look at Ian and I know that was bitchy of me.

  “You don’t like it?” he asks and the hurt in his voice almost makes me cry.

  I’ve finally gone insane, I think. One second I’m trying to be a bitch and the next I want to cry because I hurt his feelings.

  “It’s fine.” I touch his arm and smile. “I like it.” With a nod, I rub my thumb across his arm then lower my hand.

  “You hungry, Lily?”

  I bring my attention back to Ed and the thought to say ‘yes, for you’ comes to my head. FUCKING INSANE!

  But I smile and force that thought away while nodding and say, “I am.”

  He takes my hand and is walking me out the door and toward my car.

  “You like seafood?”

  “Not particularly, but I’m up for something new. I eat some fish.”

  When he starts talking about the restaurant we’re going to, I glance behind us at Ian looking at his cellphone despondently, and I wonder if it’s Karen.

  “You drive your car and I’ll drive Ian’s.” Ed holds his hand out to Ian for keys and Ian looks at him like he’s insane. “Better yet, I’ll ride with Lily.” He grins sinisterly and Ian hands over his keys instantly. “All right then. You know where it is?”

  “Yeah.” Ian mutters, circling the car to get into the passenger seat.

  My car! My red convertible BMW!

  Did He hold too tight?

  Karen’s just texted me she fell out of the bed and is having a hard time getting up. I asked where her sister was, but she hasn’t showed yet.

  “Everything okay?” Lily asks while I text Karen’s sister.

  “Uh.” I look at her. “Karen fell out of the bed and hurt herself.” I’m not going to lie to her.

  “Ian!” she gasps and you have no idea how happy I am to see her concern. She’s been a Ferris wheel of emotions today, but this is the only one that is truly her.

  “I’m texting her sister.”

  “She’s not there?”

  I know I shouldn’t be smiling, but I’m relieved Lily’s still in there somewhere behind these muddled brown eyes I’ve been looking into all morning.

  “I guess not,” I huff and set my phone in the cup holder.

  “Should we go there? Or you, I mean?”

  “No, we’re having lunch with my dad.” I’m staring forward, hoping she doesn’t see my worry.

  “Ian, if she needs help, you need to be there.”

  “Lily, I don’t want my dad at the apartment. He’ll insis
t on coming up to see her.”

  “Then you go and I’ll go to lunch with your father.”

  I glare at her surprised. “You will?”

  “Yes. Apparently I’m an open book so there’s nothing I should be keeping from him. Which, by the way, thank you for opening that book without telling me.”

  “He won’t say anything.” It’s a stupid story how I accidentally came to tell my father I was marrying Lily but still dating Karen. I don’t want to think about it, but I know my father wouldn’t rat me out. “Will you please not look at my father with those eyes either?”

  “What?” She plays dumb.

  “If I weren’t there, Lily, you would have jumped on him.”

  “Oh my god, Ian!” She’s laughing because it’s true. “I would not fuck your dad.” Still with the laughter.

  “But you want to.”

  “Yes!” She laughs harder. “He’s very attractive, and damn him if he’s not a mirror image of a man I’m in love with.”

  I smile and look out the window, but it’s not really good enough. What if my dad seduces her? He’s a dog like that. I can regrettably say I wouldn’t be shocked.

  Taking my hand, she says, “I love you, Ian.”

  I press her hand to my lips and kiss her fingers then the wrist she maimed in the Luxe bathroom.

  “When can we get married?” I ask and when she looks at me, she’s no longer smiling.

  She yanks her hand away. “I don’t know, Ian. Can I just get through today? Through you going to take care of your girlfriend while I, your fiancée, has lunch with your father?”

  That shut me the hell up. Her insane mood swings are because of what I’m putting her through, and I know I can’t be upset about it. I just wish we could spend the night together and I can reassure her everything will be okay.

  She pulls up to valet and gets out, handing her keys over.

  I see my dad by the doors smoking and I turn to Lily. “I’ll be fast,” I say to her and she rolls her eyes.

  “Don’t.”

  “What?” I look at her, thinking maybe I shouldn’t go.

  “Don’t go there and rush, Ian. Fuck. If you want this to work can you please continue to act how you normally would with her? I’ll be fine with your father.”

  I think I see her grin when she glances over at him, and fuck me, now I don’t want to go. She’s going to fuck my dad! She wouldn’t fuck my dad, but my dad would try and fuck her.

  I gotta get to Karen.

  *LUXE*

  Ian almost leaned in for a kiss, but stopped himself. “I’ll call you,” he said quietly and touched her hand.

  Expressionlessly looking up at him, she muttered, “I’ll be fine.”

  “This is a treat.” Ed grinned while escorting her inside. “We can get to know each other without the interruption of my son.” He stared at her like he wanted to get to know her well; she sweetly smiled then nervously looked at the hostess seating them.

  After sitting, Lilith crossed her legs and looked over at him to observe how uncanny their resemblance was.

  “You’re a very attractive woman, Lily. You’re going to be in high demand at Luxueux.”

  “Well that’ll make me some money, won’t it?” She smiled.

  “More than some.” His charming smile reddened her cheeks. The waitress approached and he pulled his glare from coy Lilith. “What’ll you drink?”

  “Water please.”

  “I’ll take a scotch on the rocks,” he said, making Lilith instantly think of Sloan. Quietly clearing her throat, she looked away. “You sure you don’t want a drink, Lily? Just one?”

  “I’ll have a glass of the 2009 Sassicaia,” she quickly read from the drink menu.

  A pleased grin lit up his face. “You’re a wine drinker, eh?”

  “Not at all.” She smiled, knowing that’d let him down, but she didn’t want to mislead him.

  With his chair pushed out from the table, he crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knee, not caring he was blocking the isle way. His arrogance wasn’t the spitting image of Ian.

  “So how’d you and Ian meet?” Feigning ignorance wasn’t his best suit and it annoyed her.

  “In my building, which incidentally is Karen’s building.” Looking away, she rolled her eyes, suddenly not feeling the flutter he was giving her stomach five minutes prior.

  “And you moved out?”

  “I did.” She nodded. “I lived there with my ex-boyfriend. We’re no longer together.” It took every ounce of control for her not to tell him to cut the crap.

  Smirking, he picked up his menu. “I’d hope not.”

  Cocking her eyebrow and fighting a snarky tone, she asked, “Would there really be a difference from me dating someone or Ian still being with Karen?”

  With a degrading laugh, he responded, “I’d think so.”

  “I don’t agree. I’m allowing him—” She stopped and thought her words through, then decided against voicing her opinion.

  Narrowing his eyes, he looked up from his menu at her. “Ian will give you the world, Lily, you couldn’t possibly offer him the same.”

  Literally biting her tongue, she took a few deep breaths, trying her hardest not to tell Ian’s father off.

  Unable to hold back, she leaned into the table. “I can offer him more than the world. Trust me.”

  His perverse eyes drifted to her breasts and he smirked. “You can definitely offer something.”

  Her plan backfired and she didn’t even say what she wanted to, but it was her first meeting of her future husband’s father, she didn’t want him to hate her.

  “I’d say I’m being more than generous.” She sat back, lifting the menu. “You’re buying lunch, right?”

  Ed shook his head with a grin. “Of course, dear.”

  Ordering the most expensive thing on the menu, that she had no intent on eating, she ended up with steak and lobster.

  “You’re famished, Lily?” His nonstop condescending tone irked her to the core, but she kept her cool.

  With a sweet smile, she replied, “Not at all.”

  He let out a chuckle, entertained by the game she was playing. The remainder of lunch she let him subtly belittle her intellect but overzealously compliment her looks.

  As they got into her car he looked over at her. “I like Karen,” he said; Lilith politely smiled at the random comment. “But she’s no Lily.” Placing his hand on her knee, he doggishly said, “I like Lily.”

  After lifting his hand from her knee, she said, “I enjoy your company as well.” Offering a kind smile, she continued. “But I don’t really care if you like me more than her because your son does and that’s all that matters to me.” Immediately, she felt guilty, but she put up with so much of his haughty behavior through lunch, her sweet layer was melting into a sugary pile capable of causing a cavity.

  “Oh, well,” he impertinently boasted. “That’s a fact. He’s bought you a car, a condo, and a two hundred thousand dollar platinum diamond ring. He’s enamored by you, dear.”

  Lilith’s eyes shot to her ring and a sick feeling washed over her.

  “That’s how us Jacks show love.”

  The confusion on her face made him smirk.

  “Money.” His impudent attitude and devilish tone churned her stomach.

  “Where to, Mr. Jacks?” she asked through the queasy upset of her stomach.

  “Lily.” He conceitedly laughed at her. “We just spent a lunch together and I told you I like you. Call me Ed.”

  Lilith gave him a forced smiled; all the prior feelings of lust she felt for him were officially gone. Long gone. On the same note, she didn’t detest him because she imagined that personality had gotten him where he was, and where he was, was a very attractive, very rich, product engineer for BMW.

  Can She save Herself from Herself

  I don’t know what I’m doing here. I’ve dropped Ed Jacks off at his boathouse on the pier and now I’m approaching Sloan’s apartment building
with my mace ready in my pocket if needed. What do I want? I think I just want to see him, see if he’s in jail. I kind of want to know if I have a shit storm of legal trouble coming my way.

  “Ms. Lily!” Spencer could not sound more delighted and it’s a nice sound, the best I’ve heard since Barbados. I hug him tightly. “We miss you here, Ms. Lily.”

  My face stretched into this smile feels refreshing, it feels like a workout because I haven’t smiled like this in at least three days.

  “I miss you guys too, Spence.”

  “Up to Mr. Mac’s?”

  Looking to the elevator I silently nod. When I step into the cart, I automatically think about what I did with Ian in this elevator and it makes me smile and squeeze my thighs together. My brain is telling me not to go, but my legs won’t stop traveling the route to his door. The echo from my knuckles hitting the apartment door makes me jump and I hear shuffling inside. My brain was hoping he wouldn’t be here. The door opens and I’m shocked at what I see. He has a beard and he looks like hell! I barely recognize him, except when he smiles and his eyes light up.

  “Lil,” he breathes my name and it turns my stomach. I hate Lil.

  Though I’m staring at him, I don’t see him, he’s a blur. With no idea what to say I lose myself in my head where I’m asking myself ‘why the hell are you here?’ and I’m fighting an urge to cry.

  “Come in.” He steps to the side and before I enter I look inside the apartment, mentally begging myself to get out of here.

  “Do you still have my Tiki mask?” I ask as if that’s the reason I’m here while he closes the door behind me.

  “Um.” He looks around clueless.

  My second mask is sitting right where he left it eight months ago when he said he’d hang it the next day. Nothing’s changed; the apartment’s still spotless and almost boring. I walk over to the dusty mask sitting on the bookshelf then notice a picture he has up of us. When I slowly turn to him with the mask in hand, I’m no longer sick to my stomach, I feel an overwhelming sadness sweeping over me. He’s unshaved, he’s lost at least twenty pounds, maybe more, and he looks sick.

  “Are you well?” I stupidly ask; he smirks.

  It’s obvious he’s uncomfortable; he’s looking around like he’s trying to avoid eye contact. “I’ve been better. Can I get you something? A drink?”