Ian and Mason had confirmed that they finally felt they were in a position to present me with a solid case that Daron and Camilla were working together. About fucking time, Summer’s PR firm had already put together a statement for her and were ready to alert the media of an exclusive. She was getting more and more nervous about having to tell her parents. Mason had pencilled in a meeting for next week for us to review the findings and discuss how we were going to handle them, but another damn delivery had arrived this morning at her penthouse, this time, as we’d suspected would happen, with a single black rose, but only the one card, addressed to both of us.
I’d obviously called an emergency meeting, Ian confirming that we had approval to use the facilities of Davenport Technologies, to whatever extent they were required, which had made me smile. I owed him for this. Mason dropped his other cases and was on his way over. Ian was in his office, pulling everything together and Summer had given me until tomorrow morning to either put it to bed, or she’d have no option but to tell her parents and instruct the PR firm to release her interview to all media outlets and to have a news reporter at her building where she’d release a live statement that she’d rehearsed over and over. I couldn’t let her down. I didn’t want her parents to judge her, or be ashamed of what she’d done. Luckily Daron was filming his current leading role in London, so I’d tasked Lulu with convincing Daron to join her girl in a suite at The Dalton this evening, where I’d confront him, before flying over to New York on the Davenport private jet, to deal with Camilla.
But first I needed that evidence.
I sipped at the hot black coffee that was brought in for me, refusing the biscuits, as I looked out at the city, the noise of the second hand on the clock in the room making me want to rip it from the wall and hurl it out of the window. Finally both men came in and after a quick handshake, we sat down and got to business. Ian ran through what he and Mason had come up with.
We had proof that Camilla and Daron were sleeping together. Camilla had, as I suspected, recorded their sessions. Ian was amazed that they hadn’t upgraded their systems, since he hacked them to delete the recordings of me there with her last time, but it was a blessing that they hadn’t. We had sworn testimony from staff at The Domville, as well as the time stamped recordings, that they’d been fucking before the harassment of Summer and I started. We had phone calls from Daron to Camilla, recorded by Lulu’s device as well. The label maker used to make the messages, while common, was actually a standard machine for labelling of supplies in the Domville chain. Daron used Parkers, as evidenced by his credit card statements, to order all the flowers he sent to his various women. There was the flight plan of the plane that had taken him to Paris. The footage of his ear tug at the reception desk and he’d obviously not worn gloves when delivering the box of roses in Paris, as his prints were on it. We deduced that they’d seen that we were staying at The Domville in Paris, from one of the newspaper headlines, and it had been a rush job for Daron to fly over and leave our surprise. What I couldn’t understand, was why not simply wait until we got home, to follow the usual pattern with no risk of getting caught.
‘He’s either in love with her, or thinks he is,’ advised Mason. ‘He’s screwing other women, but his ultimate goal is Summer. He’d have wanted her to have these flowers on Valentine’s day, that’s why there was a red one, instead of them all being black. Black would have been the woman’s idea, a vindictive action. She hates Summer for achieving a relationship with you, where she failed. These two seemed to have hooked up by chance, earliest footage shows them at New York Fashion week together. You’re a celebrity couple now, they obviously discussed their respective relationships with you both. I’d wager that Camilla was the brains behind the operation. I don’t think she’s under the illusion that you’ll want her, Lucas, not after what you did, but neither did she want you to be happy. She appears to be used to getting her own way. Daron on the other hand wanted the path clear for him to have another shot with Summer. Two leading movie stars hooking up? It’s a cash cow which is an added bonus for him. He has a gambling and prostitute habit and is close to bankruptcy.’
I nodded, we had proof of his financial decline with bank and credit card statements. Ian had matched a number of large cash deposits to one’s leaving Camilla’s account at a time that they were together in New York. We also had proof of payments to a porn site, featuring underage girls and evidence of his IP address having a fake social media account where he’d been grooming teenagers as well, and folders upon folders of child pornography pictures, of both sexes. I felt physically sick. I knew he’d been looking at gay sites, Ian had dug that up for me ages ago, along with reports of physical abuse on two girlfriends, so I hadn’t felt the need to dig further. This was all new disgusting information. This couldn’t just be used as a warning. He needed to be reported for this. I wasn’t surprised to hear that he had a large folder on Summer as well. Pictures taken of both of us had been cropped, removing me from them altogether. He was a serious sicko. I hadn’t liked him from the start, neither had Summer’s dad. I guessed our instincts had been spot on.
‘Lucas, you can’t bring this up if you confront him. We’ll bring this to the attention of the Police, making sure it can’t be traced back to you. He’ll be arrested, imprisoned and put on the sexual offenders list. Summer’s career might withstand the news that she hired you, but his career will be dead in the water. If he even suspects it’s you that’s leaked it, he’ll definitely hit back by telling your story,’ Mason advised. Just confirming the conclusion I’d already reached.
‘So how the fuck do I get him to back off and not release these damn pictures of me, if I can’t tell him what evidence I have on him? He already knows that I found out about his domestic abuse charges and looking at gay porn. He knows that I have the ability to find things out.’
‘Sorry, Sir, I can’t answer that one,’ sighed Ian, as he ran a frustrated hand over his shaved head. I resisted the urge to hurl my empty cup of coffee across the room.
‘I know, thank you,’ I sighed. ‘So, what we’re saying is if we get him locked up for his sick and disgusting acts, then all of this has been for nothing, the truth about Summer will come out regardless, because I no longer have any leverage to hold over him?’ I looked at them both, praying for a miracle answer, but they both shook their heads, Mason covering his face with his hands. ‘Fuck,’ I uttered, as I sank into a chair and did the same. Daron couldn’t get away with what he’d done, but by allowing the Police to arrest him, we couldn’t stop their intended aim. For a second, the briefest of seconds I thought to hell with it. Bribe him into silence. But the thought of someone doing that and one of my kids being his target nearly had me vomit in my hands. I thought of Summer, of what she’d say and I knew she wouldn’t even hesitate for a nanosecond. She’d call the news crew and make her statement and ensure that Daron went to jail. ‘What about Camilla?’ I asked Mason.
‘My advice would be to do nothing. She has nothing to gain once the news breaks, your blackmail material is only useful as long as you hold it. You play tit for tat and you’ve lost any leverage over her for good. You never know, the day may come when you, or someone you care about needs that. Use it then.’
‘I agree,’ nodded Ian. ‘If you release the information on her, she’ll have even more of a reason to come back at you and I get the feeling that this is one crazy chick who you really don’t want to fuck with.’
‘I’d say her fixation on hurting you by making Summer leave you, could escalate to hurting Summer to get back at you,’ agreed Mason. ‘I’d suggest leaving well alone too.’
‘Damn it. So basically we’re fucked either way?’ I asked, as my fist curled into a tight ball on the table.
‘You get to keep the woman of your dreams,’ shrugged Ian. ‘When you look at it that way, does it seem so bad?’
I sat quietly for a while as I looked at him, pondering that statement. I guess when you put it like that, it really didn’t.
Not to me anyway. I just had to trust that I was the man of Summer’s dreams, that backing her into a corner, where she had no choice but to tell the truth, wouldn’t end us.
‘I need to speak to her. Can you give me the room,’ I sighed, with a heavy heart. They nodded, throwing sympathetic looks my way. I waited until they’d gone and picked up my phone, my hands shaking.
‘Angel,’ I breathed, closing my eyes as I heard her sweet voice answer her phone.
‘How’s it going?’
‘Where are you?’
‘In the studio. Don’t worry Bailey’s here with me, showing my trainer some extra moves for the film,’ she laughed. She sounded so carefree, how could she be like that, today of all days, when I was beating myself up for pulling her into this fucking mess. ‘Lucas, what’s wrong, I can tell from your tone that you’re not happy.’
‘We’ve come up against a problem,’ I sighed.
‘Give it to me straight, don’t sugar coat it because I’ll be furious if you lie to me,’ she demanded. I did as I was told, recounted our findings from A to Z and heard her take a deep breath.
‘So pass the information to the authorities, my team were already prepped to go ahead with my statement in the morning regardless of what you found out.’
‘What?’ I stuttered, totally thrown.
‘Lucas, this is the sort of news that journalists would fight over, especially if my career grows, it could be headline news all over the world. We can’t keep it buried for ever. At some point someone will unearth it and it will come out. I don’t want to be constantly looking over my shoulder wondering when that will be. Worrying that my parents may find out before I have a chance to tell them. I’m going ahead with the announcement. If it kills my career then so be it. I’ve still have gained so much more, I’ll still have you.’
‘I can’t believe I’ve failed you,’ I uttered, my insides twisting in agony at letting my woman down.
‘Lucas, please don’t, you haven’t failed me. You’ve done everything in your power to try to protect me from this coming out. But at the end of the day you were just doing your job, I’m the one who sought you out, I booked you, I paid you. I need to take responsibility for that. And I told you before, I’m not ashamed of it. Even if everything goes to shit tomorrow, if I was offered a repeat of my life, I wouldn’t change a single thing.’
‘Do you really mean that?’ I asked quietly, wondering how the hell I’d got so lucky.
‘Actually, no. I wouldn’t wait fourteen months to agree to date you. I’d agree that Sunday morning you gave me that note and said you’d be holding your breath for me to call you.’
‘Angel,’ I whispered, my voice choked up with emotion.
‘We’re going to take that leap Lucas Steel, freefall together and if one of us gets hurt by the fallout, we’ll breathe for the other until they can breathe on their own again.’ I closed my eyes and smiled, she loved me as much as I loved her.
‘That was a beautiful speech, Summer. But what about your parents.’
‘I’d already asked if I could go and see them later, they said they were in all day. I’ll go and see them straight after I’m finished here.’
‘No!’ I snapped back quickly. ‘We’ll go and see them when you’re finished there.’
‘You can come on one condition, I tell them and you respect whatever decision they make as to whether they accept us in their lives still or not.’
‘They’ll always accept you, you’re their daughter. They may be upset for a while, but they’ll never cut you out of their life. I’m a whole different matter. Can you live with a man that your parents hate?’
‘Lucas Steel! I’m not leaving the man I’m in love with regardless of how my parents react and if you think I would, then you don’t know me very well. Now pack up and get your sexy as hell arse down here and we’ll go and face them together, with me doing all of the talking. Do I make myself clear?’
‘If your acting career is over, I’m thinking you’d be perfect as a dominatrix,’ I smiled, amazed at how strong she was being over this.’
‘See, now you and your perverted mind and insatiable sex drive is what got us into this mess in the first place,’ she teased.
‘Says the woman who booked a man whore to pop her cherry,’ I ribbed in return.
‘Please don’t speak about the man I love in that way.’
‘You’re sure about this?’ I asked, suddenly becoming serious. Not that we really had a choice, but I needed to know she was going in with her eyes wide open.
‘I’m sure. Come and get me. Let’s get this over with early. I’m kicking arse in these sessions anyway.’
‘I’ll be there shortly, Warrior Angel,’ I smiled.
‘I’ll go and clean up.’
‘Alone! Bailey waits outside the damn shower room door.’
‘Yes, Sir,’ she giggled. ‘Go, or it will take you even longer to get here.’
‘I love you, Summer. We’ll get through this.’
‘I know you do and I know we will.’
I sighed as I put the phone down and waved Ian and Mason back in, filling them in. Ian smacked me on the back as he nodded, his way of saying sorry. Mason told me to go, that he’d ring Lulu and call off her girl. I asked them to prepare the bill for their time and services and send it to me.
I pulled up on the leafy street in Chelsea, and glanced over at Summer looking radiant, even without any makeup, her freshly washed hair tumbling around her shoulders. She’d dressed in her jeans and a black eyelash jumper, with her converse trainers. She’d said she wanted to be comfortable for the most uncomfortable discussion of her life. I squeezed her hand, as she just stared up at her parents’ glossy black front door.
‘I like this area. Large houses, private gardens. It would be handy to have one set of grandparents just down the road,’ I nodded.
‘Are you trying to put me in an early grave?’ she exclaimed, turning around and smacking my thigh.
‘Just breaking the tension,’ I smiled.
‘By adding more,’ she laughed.
‘We need to think about looking for a house together, one that will accommodate your wardrobe.’
‘And a gym for you and your clients.’
‘I may give that up, I could just live off my movie star girlfriend.’
‘Or I’ll be living off your personal training, not that any married women will be allowed to come and train with you when their husbands discover what you used to do,’ she added. I frowned, that wasn’t even something I’d considered.
‘Come on then, you know your mum, she’ll have been twitching the … shutters, seeing who’s outside and wondering why we’re sitting here.’
‘I know,’ she nodded with a sigh. I picked up her hand and kissed it.
‘We do this, then we’re going into hiding for a while, until it all blows over.’
‘I have work, assuming I still have a job. We’ll have to hole up in my apartment. At least there’s security preventing access upstairs.’
‘No, regardless of what the film company decides, you have two weeks off. I rang Brian and asked him to tell them your news, so they had time to react before the shit hits the fan tomorrow and I negotiated a break for you while they consider their options. The way the PR firm have worded your speech, I doubt they’ll fire you. They’ll look totally insensitive.’
‘I have two weeks off?’ she looked up at me amazed.
‘We have two weeks off and as soon as you’re done here we need to head back to pack. The minute you’ve done your news feed in the morning we’re going to the airport.’
‘We’re going on the run? Like Bonnie and Clyde,’ she laughed.
‘We’re flying to Scotland. Dan and Ellie are over in San Francisco, so he’s offered us his house for the next two weeks. It will just be you and me, on an island in the middle of nowhere. Roaring fires, cosy blankets, books, films, walks and sex. Lots and lots of sex.’
‘Sounds heavenly,’ she sighed wit
h a smile, as she reached up and gently ran her finger over the scar on my brow. ‘Can we go now?’
‘No,’ I laughed. ‘Two big speeches and we’re done. Come on, I’ve got your back, and if your dad passes judgement, I’ll just flatten him for you.’ She laughed again and leaned over to kiss me, her sweet delicate lips tasting mine softly. I grasped the back of her head and kissed her back properly, reluctantly pulling away as my cock started to wake up. Getting caught fucking in a car on the street in Chelsea was the last thing we needed on top of everything else.
Summer
We were met with open arms, Mum asking why we’d been sitting outside for so long, I saw Lucas trying to contain a smile. He’d already sussed her out. She went to put the kettle on, Lucas asking for a still water, no ice and a slice of lime. She always kept some in the house now, she knew it was his drink of choice. Dad kept us busy talking about the fight training, he loved action films and asked if he could come down to watch me train one day. I gulped, I wasn’t even sure I’d be going back.
‘I’m sure Summer would love that, Mr. Beresford.’ Lucas chipped in, knotting our fingers together as he held my hand.
‘Mr. Beresford,’ Dad tutted with a flick of his wrist. ‘We’re practically family the amount of time you two spend together. Call me Charles, or Charlie if you prefer. The Mrs. is Emily, or the old ball and chain as I prefer to call her.’
‘I can hear you, darling,’ Mum called, as she reappeared with a tray, setting it down on the coffee table. She sat on the edge of her new armchair, I could tell that she still didn’t feel at home yet. I’d taken them shopping for new furniture and fixings and it was taking them some adjusting to.
‘Didn’t doubt it for a second. Ears like a damn elephant,’ Dad whispered behind his palm at Lucas.
For the Night - Complete Box Set Page 59