by Liz Andrews
“Look, I have powerful backers and we want to buy the mill back. How much is it going to take?”
“It’s not for sale.” Marc leaned back in his chair, enjoying seeing Hines squirm. He wondered briefly if Hines had made his mother feel like this.
Hines pulled himself up, confident now. “You’re a smart man, Gossnor. I’m sure you’ve heard of a hostile takeover. We only want the mill. If you’re not careful we could take a whole lot more.”
Marc laughed sharply before replying. “Do you really think comments like that will have me shaking in my shoes? I’m not some little boy you can push around. Or some desperate woman,” he added for good measure.
Patrick’s eyes flared for an instant before the cowed look returned. “Just remember what I said. We’re willing to negotiate. You better think about it.”
“I better think about it,” Marc repeated, humor laced throughout his voice. “Well, here’s something for you to think about. With a snap of my finger I can have your house, your car and your wife. And with a blink of my eyes I can have you dead. There’s no coming back from that.”
Patrick’s lips tightened in anger. “Don’t you think you’re taking this vendetta a little too far?”
“I don’t think I’ve taken it far enough.”
“Look, Marc, what happened all those years ago was an unfortunate mistake.”
“Oh, yes, it was unfortunate, and it was your mistake. And as for your offer, I don’t take kindly to threats of any kind. Go tell that to your powerful backers.” Marc spun his chair around to stare out the window, effectively dismissing Hines from the room. It seemed to take the man a moment to get the hint, but soon he was shuffling across the room. Marc heard the door slam before he looked up at Griffin and smiled. “Well, do you think I’m back in the game?”
“It’s about damn time.”
“Always there with a kind word,” Marc added dryly.
“You know they’re not going to take that lying down.”
“I hope not.”
“If you’re going to insist on seeing Lily,” Griffin paused when Marc shot him an evil look. “Then I suggest you beef up her security.”
“I agree.” Looking down at his phone with a frown, Marc debated on something else plaguing him. “I also think something drastic might be called for.”
“Drastic. Like what?”
“I’m going to call Steven Weller. I think if I can at least get her brothers to be on guard, she will be effectively covered.”
“Do you think that’s such a smart idea? They don’t exactly like you.”
“True,” Marc said, as he picked up the phone. “But they love their sister.”
Redemption: Lily’s Surrender
Chapter Nine
“That’s it.” Lily stormed into the diner. “I’m giving up dick.”
Samantha and Evelyn turned around on their stools and burst into laughter. Frowning, Lily shut the door behind her. Her comment might have sounded amusing, but she was definitely serious. Well sort of serious. Okay, maybe serious was too strong of a word. So instead of all dick, maybe she would just give up River Bend dick. It seemed to be the brand doing the most harm.
“I’m so glad we’re closed today.” Samantha handed Lily a shot glass and gestured for her to have a seat. “Or you might have scared off a few customers.”
“Or won you a few,” Evelyn replied, wiggling her brows, “depending on who was here. Those would have been words to warm Ms. Lincoln’s heart.”
“First, yuck,” Lily said, drinking the shot in one gulp. The liquor went down as smooth as silk. “I could have gone my entire life without having to know that.”
Evelyn sent her an evil grin. “You should see some of the books she checks out.”
“I’m never going to look at her snapdragons the same way again.” Samantha shuddered, pouring them another round.
“So, the rumors are true then. You’ve been seeing Marc Gossnor since you brought him over on Thanksgiving.” Evelyn leaned forward and Lily knew she was just waiting to hear all the good stuff.
“And obviously you’ve just been in a fight. So what’s going on, Lily?” Samantha swirled her drink around in the glass as she spoke, but she looked at Lily intently.
“Are you asking because you’re ready to give me good girlfriend advice, or because Steven sent you on a hunting expedition?”
“A little of both,” Samantha admitted. “But Steven is worried about you.”
“They both are,” Evelyn added, coming to the men’s defense. “Logan feels especially guilty because he wasn’t around for so many years. Now he is trying to make up for lost time by playing the overprotective big brother.”
“I’m an adult now. I don’t need my older brothers telling me who I can and cannot date.”
“It’s not so much the dating but the extracurricular activities they are more worried about.” Evelyn looked guilty as she spoke, and Lily had a sinking feeling she knew why.
“Evelyn, please tell me you didn’t happen to tell Logan about your suspicions from Thanksgiving?” Lily had been confused that day, but since spending time with Marc she realized now Evelyn had somehow recognized his dominant nature, and it was something she didn’t want her brothers knowing about.
“Logan tortured it out of me. I swear. Plus I didn’t know anything for sure.” Evelyn got a sly look on her face, “But if you’d like to confirm any of my ideas …”
Samantha started laughing uproariously and Lily realized the two women had been drinking a bit more than she’d first realized.
“You’re both a bad influence on me, I swear.” Lily figured if you can’t fight ‘em, then you might as well join ‘em and tossed back another shot.
Samantha poured another round, then got a serious look on her pretty brown face. “I promised good girlfriend advice, so let’s hear the problem.”
The problem, wow. It wasn’t like she could just blurt out “Marc likes to tie me up and spank me, and I like it.” Something like that needed to be worked up to. “Marc, he’s a little bit on the …”
Evelyn reached across the table, and caressed the fading red lines, which were still evident on Lily’s wrist. “Dominant. Oh, yeah, we’d know nothing about that.”
Shocked, Lily looked from Evelyn to Samantha, who were both wearing similar expressions of amusement. “My brothers like to …” Lily trailed off uncertainly. That was a bit more than she wanted to know about them. “I think I need another drink.”
“Hell, girl, you might need two.” Samantha handed her the bottle with a smile. “But get over your shyness and ask your question, because if you can’t ask us, who can you ask?”
Samantha had a point there; these women were the closest things she’d ever had to sisters, and from their knowing smiles they probably could answer her questions better than anyone else she knew could. “Okay, but first, let me just say this is embarrassing and gross, all at the same time.”
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about or grossed out about, so get with the talking, already,” Evelyn said, trying to rush her.
“So this dominating thing, do you guys think something’s wrong with me because I like it?”
Samantha patted her hand empathetically. “If there’s something wrong with you, then there’s something wrong with all of us.”
Taking a deep breath, Lily rushed on. “So you like it, too? You like for them to be in control?”
“The more control the better.” Evelyn added with a wink, “And there’s nothing wrong with liking it. To know your lover and you share a trust few people know is something to be proud of, not embarrassed about.”
“That’s just it.” Lily frowned. “Marc doesn’t trust me.”
The two women glanced quickly at each other before turning back to Lily. “Why do you say that?”
“Because, I know he’s hiding things from me. Like the night his building was vandalized. We were together when it happened, but when I asked him about it he just brushed
me off and sent me home. And I just sense there’s something else going on he’s not telling me. But when I try to talk about it I get … nothing.”
“That’s not a dominant thing, girl, that’s a man thing.” Samantha smirked, cutting into the chocolate cake on the counter. “Nothing will cure him but a foot up the ass.”
“You both make it seem so … normal. But I’ve always been afraid of letting a man have that much power over me.” Lily picked at the cake Samantha handed to her, too weary to even eat.
“Normal is whatever works best for you. Don’t let other people dictate to you what you should and shouldn’t do. Hell, if I did, then Steven and I never would have gotten together.” Samantha licked her fork to get all the chocolate icing.
Evelyn nodded her agreement. “Plus, you need to keep in mind you are the one who has all the power, Lily. You can always say no. Plus, a dominant man wants to cherish you and please you. And if things work out right, it’s he who will end up wrapped around your little finger.”
Lily giggled at the thought of Marc at her beck and call. She sincerely doubted that would ever happen. “So is that why Logan moved back into town and has turned into such a family man? Cause you have him wrapped around your little finger?”
“Of course,” Evelyn said, before sheepishly adding, “It just took him fifteen years to realize I had him wrapped around my little finger.”
The three women looked at each other before they all broke up with laughter.
“So what do you think it’s going to take to get Logan and Steven to be nice to him?”
“An act of God,” Helen said from behind them, startling them all into turning around.
“Mom!” Lily practically screamed, rushing across the room to hug her mother. “When did you get back in town?”
“This afternoon.” Helen hugged her daughter to her tightly before releasing her.
Pulling back, Lily stared at her mother in wonder. She looked wonderful. After weeks of badgering, Helen had given in to her children and taken a mini spa vacation, and now she practically glowed. Her once dull and lifeless eyes now shone with happiness. The lines of worry time and an alcoholic husband had etched into her face seemed to have melted away, revealing a beautiful woman.
“You look great,” Lily gushed, happier to see her mother than she would have thought.
“I feel great.”
“You do?”
Helen nodded, giving her a little squeeze, before peering past Lily to the other women. “Well, is there enough cake for me, too?”
“Of course.” Samantha smiled, grabbing another plate. “Welcome back, Helen.”
“Thank you. Evelyn called me and said you all were having a girl’s night out. Hope you don’t mind me crashing.”
“Heavens, no.” Evelyn said, walking over to them and embracing Helen. “We just got started a bit early.”
“How early?” she asked, walking over to the counter hand in hand with Evelyn. “Did I miss anything good?”
“No!” Lily practically yelled. She’d rather watch John Tesh live in concert than tell her mother they’d been talking about D/s relationships. “Just stuff.”
“Yeah, nothing too binding.” Samantha winked at Lily, causing her to blush. “Tell us about your trip.”
“There’s nothing to tell, really. I slept, I ate, I had some strange Swedish man slathering me with oil.” Fanning herself jokingly, she added in a breathless voice, “It was wonderful.”
“Sounds like it.” Lily was over the moon that her mother’s vacation had been great. If anyone needed a break in life, it was her mom. “So do you like your new apartment?”
The light dimmed a bit in Helen’s blue eyes. “It’s all right, but it’s strange to be starting over at forty-eight years old.”
“It’s not starting over. It’s a renewal.”
They were startled out of their discussion by a loud ringing. Samantha jumped off the stool and grabbed the phone. Listening to the one-sided conversation, Lily could tell it was Steven on the other end.
“Yes, she’s here. Why?”
Uh-oh, Lily thought, watching Samantha’s smile slowly slide off.
“Wait for you? What’s going on? Fine.” Samantha hung up the phone with a puzzled look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Evelyn asked, concerned.
“Steven asked if Lily was here and then told us to wait for him because he was going to make sure she got home okay tonight. Didn’t mention me getting home okay, the bastard.”
Samantha clapped her hand over her mouth and glanced at Helen, who just laughed. “Don’t worry on my account.”
“Ugh, big brothers are a pain in the ass. My car is just parked across the street. I really don’t want to deal with him tonight.”
“Lily, don’t go; you’ll get me in all kinds of trouble,” Samantha pleaded.
“Well from our conversations, it sounds like you like to get into trouble.”
They all laughed again as Lily got up to leave. Hugging the three women, Lily said her goodbyes and left the diner. She walked out the door and across the street to her car, still parked in front of Marc’s building. As she dug around in her purse for her keys, someone touched her arm and she screeched before realizing it was Griffin. Lily hauled off and smacked him on the arm. “You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing skulking around out here?”
“I was waiting to talk to you.”
Lily crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, yeah, let me guess. Stay away from Marc, right?”
“Actually, I have a proposal for you.” Griffin pulled a manila folder out from beneath his coat. “I have some information I’d like to offer you.”
“What kind of information?” Lily felt really out of her depth here. She had no idea why Griffin would want to talk to her.
“Information about Marc and his business deals. I have his financial records for all the transactions he has done here in River Bend. You could take this to the right people and put him out of business.”
“Right people? Who do I know?” Lily was really confused now. Why would Marc’s best friend be offering to sell him out? Anger poured through Lily’s body at his actions. How dare he betray Marc like this? And what the fuck made him think she would even listen to this crap?
“Well, your brothers probably know the kind of people I’m talking about. Those people who could stand to lose a lot if Marc keeps doing business the way he has been.” Griffin was tapping the manila folder in his hands while watching her with his probing gaze.
“Look, I don’t really care about whatever information you have on Marc, so you can take your proposal and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine. You’re supposed to be Marc’s friend. He’s going to kill you when he finds out you pulled this shit.” Griffin started to speak, but Lily cut him off. “Oh, and don’t think he won’t know, because I plan to tell him as soon as I get home.” Lily was fuming. She knew she and Marc had argued, but he could do nothing that would make her turn on him like Griffin had.
Griffin watched her as if trying to decipher her or something. “You looked pretty mad at him when you left the office today.”
“How I was or wasn’t isn’t any of your concern, Benedict Arnold.” Pulling back her fist, Lily put all of her rage and indignation into it and slugged Griffin in his stomach for all she was worth. “I hope he fires you. No, kills you, then fires you. Traitor!”
Lily turned away, intent on getting in her car and running over the bastard when she heard Griffin chuckle from behind her.
“Bravo.” Griffin started clapping his hands as Lily turned back to face him. “You passed the test.”
Flipping open the folder, Griffin showed her the inside, which was filled with blank papers.
“Test.” Her rage returned tenfold. “Test. You bastard. How dare you? I’m not some stupid little …” Lily froze in mid-speech. A horrible thought popped into her head, forcing tears to her eyes. “Did Marc send you to do this?”
“No.”<
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“I don’t believe you,” she shouted, ready to punch him again. Of all the low down, dirty things. If Marc thought she was going to take this lying down, he had another “think” coming. “When I get my hands on him …”
“Calm down,” Griffin said, reaching for her arm. When Lily pulled back from him and sneered, he held up his hands as if to admit defeat. “I swear, Lily, Marc had nothing to do with this.”
“Then why?” Either Griffin was the most efficient bodyguard she’d ever met, or he had some serious issues.
“Because it’s my job to protect him.”
“From me?”
“No, from himself.” Griffin ran his hand tiredly through his dark hair. “I’ve never seen him throw caution to the wind like he does with you. He should know better than to trust anyone …”
“Who isn’t you?” Lily questioned. She watched Griffin cautiously. There was something about him that made her want to comfort him and beat him in the head at the same time. As if she would ever betray Marc. As if she could.
“It’s not what you think.”
“I think you love him.”
Griffin flushed. “Not like you’re implying.”
“I wasn’t implying that.” She couldn’t help but see the humor of the situation. Men could be such homophobic idiots. “I think you love him like a brother, or a son. And you only want what’s best for him.”
“I had to know,” he stated firmly, staring into her eyes, beseeching her to understand. “I had to know if I needed to protect him from more than financial harm.”
“Betrayal is the only thing that could harm Marc.” Lily stared at Griffin thoughtfully for a moment before making her decision. “So it’s a good thing we’re going to keep this just between the two of us.”
Griffin nodded his understanding. Just then the door behind her opened and Lily heard her mother call her name. Turning, she saw her mom, silhouetted in the light from the diner. “Is everything okay?”