by Alison Ryan
She also couldn’t stop thinking about Patricia Evers. There was something chilling about the woman and Arista couldn’t deny that her second thoughts about pursuing Barrett had a lot to do with his mother. Arista could only assume all the money in the world wouldn’t make life with Patricia as a mother-in-law all that tolerable. But then again, maybe Barrett wasn’t all that close to her.
It didn’t matter. Arista was over it.
As she was Googling the prices of apartments in Miami (great weather and plenty of rich men to seduce) she could hear the elevator moving, which meant either Barrett was back or another surprise awaited her once the doors opened. Arista could only imagine what was up next.
Instead of Barrett or his mother, out stepped an impeccably dressed older gentleman with salt and pepper hair and the walk and presence of someone who clearly was used to being the most important man in the room. He was handsome in the distinguished way men of a certain age are, where you can see the good looks of their youth still imprinted on their faces and bodies. Arista had sworn off older men but this gentleman had her rethinking her policy.
“Hello, welcome to Elixir. May I help you?” she stood, glad that she’d worn yet another Herve Leger dress today. This one was lavender, bringing out the color of her salon-tanned skin.
The man’s eyes raked over Arista’s body, making her want to squirm under his gaze. Up close he was even more handsome in his crisp suit, perfectly tailored to an athletic body.
“Good morning,” he said, his voice deep. “And who might you be?”
Later, when both of them would reminisce on this first meeting, he would say he’d known immediately she was special, that Arista Holmes was his second chance at finding real love. That he’d sensed their souls were connected from their past lives; though everyone would know that he’d been more connected to her bust and hip measurements than anything else.
“I’m Arista Holmes,” she said slowly. “And you, sir?”
“I’m Rhett Evers,” he said. “And, Miss Holmes, I’m looking for my son.”
Chapter Three
Scarlet and Barrett had eaten lunch out by the pool and retired to the bedroom for the afternoon. They were both exhausted from lack of sleep and though much was still on their minds, they slept peacefully in each other’s arms, content for a brief moment.
Barrett had woken before Scarlet, after a dream about Thisbe. He was walking hand in hand with her around Lake Tahoe, near his father’s cabin. Thisbe kept asking where her parents were and every time Barrett tried to explain to her that he was her father, Thisbe would cry.
The dream had shaken him.
Barrett walked over to the large bay window in his bedroom. In the distance he could see the Pacific Ocean. He turned to watch Scarlet sleep, her wild blonde hair fanned out over her pillow, the sheets barely covering her. One tan leg was thrown over top of them. She was wearing a pair of his boxer shorts and a camisole and seeing her in such a vulnerable state made him hard.
He pulled his t-shirt over his head and found himself hovering over her, his weight supported by thick, muscled forearms and biceps. Her mouth was slightly open and he looked at her perfect face, thinking how happy he was to be seeing it for seventh day in a row.
He hoped it was the seventh of thousands more.
Her eyes fluttered open, sensing his presence. She gave him a sleepy smile and he kissed her before she could speak, his intentions clear in the passion of it.
“Now?” she asked, feigning innocence.
“Now,” he growled, slipping her camisole over her head in one swoop. She was braless, and he immediately placed one of her large, firm breasts in his mouth, teasing the nipple with his tongue as his other hand yanked down her shorts. He put his palm against her sex, finding it already wet from her excitement.
She moaned against his mouth, thrusting her hips out to meet his hand but begging him for something else, “I want you inside me. Please.”
“I’ll decide when that happens,” he whispered into her ear. “Get on all fours.”
She obeyed him, her naked ass in the air as she leaned against her elbows. He spread her thighs apart, revealing everything. He kneeled behind her and she felt his tongue licking her in broad strokes. She gasped at the sensation and soon she was coming in his mouth, twice, before he grabbed her hips and thrusted his full length inside her. She called out his name and he fucked her hard and fast as she screamed her pleasure into the pillows.
She felt too good for him to stay in that position, so to ward off his own orgasm he flipped her back over to face him. She was sweating now, her nipples hard as glass.
“Please lick them,” she begged. “They’re aching.”
He traced circles around her rigid nipples with his tongue, making her beg and moan for him to suck them. Instead he slid himself inside her and threw her legs over his shoulders, penetrating her more deeply than before and she cried out as he pounded her, coaxing out her orgasms in waves.
They made love all over his bedroom. They had so much to catch up on, neither of them could get enough of the other, and there were years of going without to make up for. Barrett had forgotten how good she felt on his cock, how easily she came for him. Scarlet enjoyed his body, the hardness of it, and his strength. She made him take her in front of his full length mirror so she could watch him fuck all the power of his body into her, begging for his seed.
“I need your come,” she panted as he slid in and out of her. He was above her now, they were face to face and covered in perspiration and desire.
“Beg me, Scarlet,” he demanded. “Fucking beg me for my load.”
She screamed out as she came. Just his command and his voice could make her do it, such was his power over her. She opened her eyes and met his intense gaze. He was slowly fucking her now.
“I can feel it at the top of my shaft,” he said. “Beg me for it and it’s yours.”
She writhed beneath him, her pussy slippery from her arousal. She’d never needed him so much and she was almost in tears as she pleaded, “Please, Barrett! I need your come inside me, I need to feel it and know that I’m truly yours. Fuck me and use my body to come, baby. Please. There’s nothing else I want more.”
It was all she needed to say. He yelled out, “Scarlet! Fuck!” as he came deep inside her, filling her with his seed while having what felt like the longest climax of his life. He growled as he continued to thrust, wanting to give her every ounce of it. She moaned underneath him, coaxing him to give her all of himself.
Afterward as she lay in his arms, blissfully asleep, all he could think about was how the hell he had ever made it five years without her.
Chapter Four
Barrett hadn’t looked at his phone in days. He’d texted Scarlet and that was it. But the next morning he knew he needed to start doing some damage control.
To his surprise, his mother had left him alone. But his father had filled his phone with at least thirty texts, numerous emails, and a few dozen missed calls. Barrett knew it was time to get in touch and, anyway, chances were Rhett Evers wasn’t anywhere near Patricia. Such was the way with his parents.
He began with a text:
Sorry I’ve been MIA. I’m in San Diego at the moment.
His father replied immediately:
I’m aware. On my way to your house now. My plane just touched down.
Barrett sighed:
Not a good time. Scarlet’s with me.
His father again:
Also aware. We still need to talk. Be decent by the time I get there.
Barrett tossed his phone onto the bed and ran his hands through his hair. He wasn’t interested in speaking to his father, much less seeing him right now. Besides, how much did Rhett know about Scarlet? What if he was in on this somehow? He’d been with his mother when they’d both blindsided him at boot camp graduation. Barrett just hoped his mother wasn’t using his father as a weapon against them.
Scarlet was stirring now. Barrett slipped into bed n
ext to her, kissing her forehead.
“Hey,” he said, smiling.
“Hey,” she gave him a sleepy smile, pulling him by his shoulders, beckoning him to mount her again. “Have me again.”
Barrett shook his head, “I want nothing more but I have bad news. My father’s on his way over.”
Scarlet’s face fell and he could see her trembling under the sheet. He took both her hands in his.
“You don’t have to see him,” he assured her. “I’m going to talk to him downstairs for a little bit. Then he’ll be gone and we can go get some dinner and talk about what should happen next.”
“No,” she said, sitting up. “I’m not afraid to see him. I’m tired of cowering in the presence of your parents. It’s just him?”
“I’m pretty sure,” Barrett said. “If my mother dares to set foot on this property I’ll have Mark escort her off. I don’t ever want to look at her again, much less talk to her. But I don’t know how much my father knows about any of this. He wasn’t with you that afternoon was he?”
Scarlet shook her head, “No. It was just your mother. But I’m sure he had to have known.”
Barret sighed, “You may be surprised how little two married people can know one another. Throughout my own life I can count maybe a dozen times I’ve been with them at the same time.”
Scarlet stretched her slender arms and yawned, “That’s so strange. My parents are glued together.”
“That’s because your parents are normal, functional, decent people who married one another because they loved each other,” Barrett said. “Remember, that’s not how my parents work.”
********
Rhett Evers’ town car pulled into Barrett’s driveway about thirty minutes later. Barrett was at the front door, his arms crossed. Scarlet was behind him. Once it was clear that Rhett was alone, she exhaled the breath she’d been holding.
“There’s my boy,” Rhett smiled as he stepped out, buttoning the bottom of his Tom Ford blazer. Rhett Evers was a striking figure. Barrett got his athletic body from him and it was hard to believe someone that looked like Rhett could have children as old as his own were. He had the George Clooney-esque looks that just get better with age.
“Hello, Dad,” Barrett said. “I don’t have a ton of time to talk, but I know I’ve been out of touch.”
“Its fine,” his father said, waving his hand. “Once I knew you were with Scarlet, I understood. Is she here?”
Scarlet peeked around Barrett’s shoulder. She said nothing, still positive Rhett Evers couldn’t be trusted. Her scorn was painted all over her face.
“Oh, yes. It appears she is,” Rhett smiled. “Good to see you.”
“She wishes she could say the same,” Barrett replied for her. “What’s going on? Why the need to fly here?”
Rhett looked at Barrett, confused, as they all stepped back into the mansion and walked slowly toward the living area in the back of the house.
“Well, I didn’t know what the hell was going on. You don’t answer your texts or your email, and you cancelled all your meetings. That’s not like you,” Rhett explained. “So I flew to Las Vegas first. I figured Nancy would at least know what was happening but she never answers my calls so I figured I’d show up in person. And that’s when I met Arista.”
“Who?” Barrett looked at his dad, confused.
“Your receptionist,” Rhett explained. “Come on, how can you forget who Arista is? Scarlet really does have you under a spell. Arista is possibly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life. And kind to boot. She told me you were in San Diego with Scarlet. And I won’t lie, what a shock that was.”
Barrett sighed, “Well, once you knew where I was and who I was with, shouldn’t that have been enough? If you’re here to try to fuck things up even more, don’t bother. Your wife was here and already attempted to drop her bombs.”
Rhett shook his head, “What? Patricia was here? I haven’t spoken to your mother in ages. No, once I knew you were with Scarlet, I was happy. I never understood why you broke up in the first place, and I know it tore you up. Hell, it made you enlist!”
Barrett and Scarlet exchanged glances. They weren’t sure what to make of this and Scarlet was always waiting for the other shoe to drop when it came to the Evers family.
“So you have no idea why Scarlet left?” Barrett said. “Mom never mentioned that she threatened her life and promised to ruin her if she stayed with me? That never came up?”
Rhett looked at both of them with genuine confusion on his face, “What the hell are you talking about?”
Barrett knew his father well enough to know when he was putting up a front. And he could tell, just from his father’s mannerisms, that Rhett Evers legitimately didn’t have any clue about his mother’s lunch with Scarlet five years ago.
“We have a lot to catch up on,” Barrett said, looking at Scarlet. “You might want to have a drink for this one, Dad.”
Chapter Five
Patricia Evers left San Diego with the delicious satisfaction of knowing her bombshell would obliterate any chance Barrett and Scarlet had of making their relationship work. Barrett wouldn’t be able to forgive Scarlet, not for getting rid of his child. She knew her son well enough to know that. It had been her backup plan all along, knowing Scarlet and Barrett might find one another again. She’d known just when to use that weapon. It couldn’t have been more perfect.
Not that she enjoyed ruining people’s lives, exactly. But really, what the hell was Scarlet Bloom thinking? Most people knew and accepted their place. Some needed to be reminded. Others, the obstinate ones like Scarlet, needed the lesson to be painful in order for it to stick. Barrett was from a different station in life, he was made out of better stuff than Scarlet and Patricia would not have the Evers name and family line tainted by a Bloom.
As she settled into the plush seating of her private jet, a glass of champagne resting next to her, she sent a text:
Thanks for the heads up on Barrett and Scarlet. Has she left yet?
The reply was instant:
She stayed at a hotel last night. She’s back at the house now, but I haven’t seen them in hours.
Patricia was agitated now. She’d stayed overnight in San Diego to make sure things would go as she’d wanted them to. The fact they were still in the house together, talking, made her nervous. Maybe she’d overplayed her hand this time.
Let me know when they leave the house. Stay in touch.
Chapter Six
Given his wealth and position, Rhett Evers was insulated from most surprises. This one, however, was a complete blindside.
“I have a granddaughter,” he said out loud. “Thisbe. Well, it’s not a name I would pick for her, but Scarlet, you gave her life, it’s only fair you pick, I suppose.”
Scarlet sat next to Barrett on the massive sectional in his living room, clutching his hand, not sure what to say. She didn’t like telling Rhett about Thisbe. She still wasn’t positive who she could trust and had argued with Barrett about how much he should reveal. But Barrett was positive his father wasn’t in league with his mother, and he needed as much as help as he could get from him.
Barrett wanted Thisbe back, despite Scarlet’s protestations.
“Well, the name has meaning to us,” Barrett replied, squeezing Scarlet’s hand. “But, Dad, we need to have your assurance you won’t go to Mom with this information. Not yet, at least.”
“Not ever,” Scarlet pressed. “She can never know.”
Rhett and Barrett looked at Scarlet, who was trembling. Just the thought of Patricia finding out about Thisbe made Scarlet sick to her stomach. It was a fear that had weighed heavily on her these last few years, constantly afraid of being found out. And now too many people knew. Scarlet was beginning to think maybe she shouldn’t have told Barrett after all.
But she would have lost him, had she not. And she’d already lost so much.
Rhett Evers leaned forward, his eyes solemn, “Scarlet. You have nothin
g to fear. Nothing is going to happen to Thisbe. I promise you that.”
Scarlet wanted to believe him, but the only person she trusted to want the best for her daughter was Barrett.
“How can you promise me anything?” she asked. “Your wife made it clear…”
“My wife can go straight to hell,” Rhett bellowed, surprising them both. “She makes people’s lives miserable, including mine. She enjoys it, I think. Don’t you worry about her. The one person who can hurt her where it counts is me. And I would sooner let her go down in flames than have her win this battle.”
Scarlet felt a small amount of relief in hearing Rhett’s proclamation, but it still didn’t make her feel all that much better.
********
Rhett left about an hour later, back to Las Vegas for some unfinished business.
“What’s going on in Las Vegas?” Barrett asked as they walked him outside to his waiting town car.
Rhett smiled, “Just something that came up. No worries, I’ve got it handled. What’s your next move? You going to get Thisbe?”
Scarlet looked at them both, “That’s not happening. She has a home, we’re not snatching her from it. Jesus, what is with you people?” She turned away and walked back into the house.
Rhett raised his eyebrow at Barrett, “She really thinks you’re going to let someone else raise your child?”
Barrett shook his head, “It’s complicated, Dad.”
“Well,” Rhett sighed. “Life often is. Anyway, I’ve got a plane to catch and a woman to take to dinner.”