by Lan LLP
Lil doesn’t hear me until I toss my jacket and tie on the leather chair , which startles her. She turns her body to face me with a glum expression, bruising my heart instantly. Once again, we’re back to square one. Damn that Bianca straight to hell for this setback. I’ve been working so hard to move forward and now I might have to start all over again.
“How was work?” Lil asks as she stands up to walk around to meet me at the foot of the bed. No mention of Bianca, no emotional breakdowns and no blames like I anticipated.
Wrapping my arms around her, I reply, “Always long without you.” I gaze into her saddened brown eyes to find a vulnerable little girl trapped in my web of misery. I know what I should do, but I’m incapable of cutting her free. I’ll never be able to do that.
“Dinner should be ready soon. We’re having your favorite,” she reveals as she undoes the top two buttons of my shirt. Pressing her lips against my neck, she kisses me gently and asks, “Better?”
“Much,” I purr into her ear. “How about you? What can I do to wipe your bad day away?”
“It wasn’t all bad,” she replies with a forged smile. I know real from imitation. I’m a connoisseur of her stunning smiles. “I learned some new dance moves and had a delicious lunch with good company.”
“Why don’t you tell me about the bad part of your day?” I pry, persuading her to open up to me as I stroke the back of my hand along her face.
“I saw a cold-blooded demon who looked a lot like your Bianca,” she begins to tell me in a brave tone. “In so many words, she was relieved to be rid of me. She seemed happy to know I died in that accident.” Her voice weakens as she drops her head to hide her wounded expression. “Who admits to that? You would have to be such a heartless person. I know she hates me but to want me dead…,” Lil breaks down and begins to cry, revealing emotions she’s been keeping from me.
“Shh…baby. Don’t cry. She’s not worth a single drop of your golden tears. Save them for someone worthy, someone who has a beating heart. She doesn’t hate you. She hates the fact that I chose you and not her.” I attempt to soothe as I lift her chin up to face me. That Bianca is really hammering the last few nails into her coffin. Her days are numbered in my book.
“I’ll be fine,” she tells me with pursed lips and a snivel. “We shouldn’t keep our friends waiting,” she reminds as she breaks away from my hold to walk toward the door.
“Okay,” I agree with reluctance because for once, she’s finally opening up her feelings to me, and I want to keep them coming.
Lillian Ly
Surprised, we walk out to an empty room of missing guests. Everyone has dispersed without a word. Carson and I proceed to the dining room to find dinner romantically laid out for us. The carved meat looks amazing and smells delightful, but my appetite has diminished to nothing since I encountered Bianca this afternoon.
“Shall we eat?” Carson suggests as he pulls out a chair for me and then sits down across the table.
“Sure,” I agree and then pick up my fork and knife. The similarity of this moment reminds me of dinner at his parent’s place when Bianca came unannounced and ruined my entire evening. I sliced through my meat and moved it around like I’m doing now, trying to avoid eating it.
“Are you not hungry?” Carson asks while observing me from across the table with his concerned hazel eyes.
“Not really. I had a big lunch and helped Belle finished hers as well.”
“Take a little bite at least,” he encourages. Carson hates it when I deliberately avoid eating. “This roast is delicious, almost as good as Mom’s, or even better. But don’t tell her I told you that,” he compliments with a wink, attempting to lighten up my mood.
“I’ll let the chefs know,” I reply with an emerging smile and fork a tiny bite of meat into my mouth. Carson is right. Andrew and I did a great job with the roast. It has the perfect balance of herbs and salt. Carson appears pleased to see me finally eating.
“Lil, there’s a party I’d like for you to attend with me. It’s called Make It Magical.”
“What’s it for?” I inquire with curiosity as I take another small bite. The name captivates me. Nikki was absolutely right about Carson being generous. He’s involved with so many fund-raisers and charities that I can’t keep track of them all.
“This charity was founded about four years ago. My prom date with Emily inspired the idea for it. Emily’s battle with cancer was difficult and painful. In the end, all she wanted was to make it to prom. Over a period of six months, I worked at a bakery to save up enough money to give her the most incredible experience that I could afford with my parent’s help. I knew she loved the water so I planned our entire date around it.” He pauses, shifting his eyes sideways. They seem lost in reflection. I can sense that he’s getting choked up by the memories flooding in. “I’ll never forget how happy she was riding around town in the limo. The highlight of her evening was the dinner cruise I booked on a private yacht even though she couldn’t stomach any of the food. We danced under a dark sky lit with just a few flickering stars. Emily couldn’t stop thanking me for making that moment so magical for her.” He pauses again and places his fork and knife down on his dinner plate.
“Carson, you don’t have to finish if it’s too difficult for you.”
“I’m fine. This is an isolated part of me that I want to share with you,” he assures before continuing. “For years, I pretty much gave up on love, trying to find closure. I never did find it until I created this foundation. It helped me remember happier times with Emily, rather than that last painful day when I told her to let go. This foundation grants terminal cancer victims, young and old, a magical memory. They’re given an opportunity to leave their illness behind and find that one thing that makes them happy. At the same time, their family will also have that beautiful memory to warm their hearts for years later after that person is no longer with them.”
Tears gather in the frail pleats of my eyes while my body is covered in goosebumps hearing Carson’s moving story. A loss like Carson’s is hard to imagine. His solemn tone weaved in threads of sorrow tugs at my chest. I want to tell him I understand his pain, but I don’t really. Every loss is different. I don’t want to insult his feelings by saying I do. Instead, I get up and walk over to him to offer my embrace from behind.
“I’d be honored to go with you. It sounds like an incredible foundation that I’d love to be a part of eventually,” I tell him and place a kiss on his cheek like he often does for me when I’m down.
Loosening my arms around him, he moves me into his lap. “How can you be any more wonderful than you already are?” he asks with an impeccable dimpled smile. “I’ll never be able to catch up to you at this rate.”
“Oh please. It’s no competition. You’re Mr. Perfect who never misses a cue,” I trifle. “It’s me who’ll never be able to catch up to you.”
“How do we break this tie?” he asks with a deviant smirk as he squeezes me tighter into his chest.
“Four more days and then you can convince me,” I reply with the same smirk. “Oh, by the way, aren’t you worried people will recognize me at this party?”
“I already have that covered, babe. This year’s party theme is fairytales and that’s all I’m going to tell you.”
“You’re no fun. Always keeping secrets from me,” I pout.
“You’ll like this surprise. I promise,” he assures and then presses his lips into mine, making me forget everything else that I want to inquire.
Chapter 14
Wesley Montgomery
What are the probabilities of running into the woman my father is having me seek? Zero to none. But for once, fate was on my side and all the stars aligned in my favor. I was having a sulk and a drink, filtering my father’s deceptive plan, when Bianca Sorté emerged out of nowhere in her killer heels and a scandalous nude color dress at the Karma Lounge. The expression on her beautiful face was of a woman in pursuit of hot, raw sex while her blue eyes gazed directly
at me. I was her target and not the other way around. The scent of her desperation was apparent as soon as she sat down beside me, making my job too easy.
My only role in my father’s plan is to bring Bianca, Bradley’s ex-fiancée, to him. What a relief it was to hear him ask me for just that one favor. I honestly don’t want any part of his scheme to steal Bradley’s new bone drug. How much money is enough when you’re greedy? There’s no limit. For me, I’m perfectly content with what I have, and I don’t care if my wealth continues beyond my death. What’s the value of a legacy when you’re not around to bask in the significance of it?
It’s ironic how enormous this world is and yet, we’re all connected in some form or another. This Carson has really become a pain in my ass in more ways than one. First, he was involved with the devastation of my NeoMed Company The dinner cruise, which I’m still trying to dig myself out of and now he’s moving in on my woman. Several days ago there were pictures floating on the internet of him with my Bridgette having a private dinner in Hong Kong. After seeing those photos, I had no qualms about fucking his ex-fiancée senseless. Frankly, I think I met my match that night. Bianca was a freak between the sheets. She screamed “Carson” several times by mistake; I assumed. The scar on my right hip fascinated her, but she never explained why. She kissed along there and licked it like it was a fresh wound. Her behavior was peculiar—almost disturbing even for me.
“Are you sure you’re not Carson?” she asked. “You look and fuck just like him,” she told me repeatedly that night.
“Is that a good or bad thing?” I inquired because I knew she wanted me to—not because I gave a shit. Who enjoys being compared to someone else when you’re fucking that person? What a blunt bitch. The highlight of my evening was when I was given a purple silk scarf to seal around her mouth right before she asked me to fuck her from behind. What the fuck? I thought I had seen it all until I met her. She’s one crazy bitch.
Regrettably, the next morning when I woke up with scratches all over my body, I discovered that my revenge fuck was all done in vain. Bianca told me Carson doesn’t love her, but she’s working on changing his mind. He gave his heart to a young woman named Lillian, who recently died in a mysterious car accident in St. Croix. The hostile tone in her voice as she spoke of her hatred for this Lillian made my stomach churn. She seemed inappropriately too happy when she spoke of this woman’s death. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had something to do with that accident, judging from her demeanor. I can’t imagine what my father would want with a deranged woman like her. All I can say is good riddance to Bianca after I hook her up with my father in two days.
Carson Bradley
I’m really enjoying this new trend. Lil and I have had three peaceful days of uninterrupted happiness. Her mornings and afternoons are spent with a varying combination of Nik, Andrew, Luke and Belle while I work at Steward Lab. Our evenings have been filled with stories from our childhood. We agreed to share two stories every night. It was Lil’s suggestion for us to get to know each other inside and out.
“We both recognize we love each other, but I want to know how you became the person that I love,” she explained. “I want to understand you on the most intimate level—be able to cross your t’s, dot your i’s and beat you to completing your sentences without trying. The commitment I make to you is one that I’ll always work to improve because love never stops growing. The more we put into it, the more we get out of it,” she shared with me the other night.
How could I deny such an endearing request? Of course I willingly offered the first two memories that stood out for me. She couldn’t resist laughing after I told her my mother made me and Dad wear matching outfits with her, and I didn’t give my baby blanket up until I was in middle school. In fact, it’s kept in a storage compartment here in the penthouse, but I didn’t disclose that information to her. In return, she revealed she secretly sucked her thumb until she was almost seven. Her second story wasn’t so lighthearted. I discovered why she’s so fearful of heights and tight spaces. Lil and her mom were trapped in a burning apartment building when she was four. She watched a fireman fall off a ladder that was intended for their rescue. The frightened look on his face is what still feeds her phobia to this day.
My heart sunk deep into my chest after learning how tough she had it growing up. Everyone handles challenges differently. I understand this better than anyone. Some people hold them accountable for their failures while others use them as stepping stones to advance forward. I’m proud to say that my Lil is a fighter. What she’s accomplished and gained in wisdom has surpassed most people her age. I’m amazed by her every day and so are my parents. We finally had dinner with them last night. I was wrong to keep them from seeing Lil, assuming that she’s frail.
__________
“Carson, should we bring something over to your parents? It’s customary with my mom to bring a little gift when someone invites you to their home,” Lil considerately suggested.
“It’s not necessary with my parents, but if you’d like to bring something, I won’t dissuade you.”
“Can we stop by a pastry shop on our way? I’d like to buy a dessert.”
Obviously, I smiled when she mentioned the word dessert. “Baby, anything for you if dessert is involved,” I encouraged.
She turned to face me and nudged me in the arm with a crooked smile. “Always such an opportunist, aren’t you?” I captured her in my arms and savored my indulging dessert before dinner by nuzzling my face into the crook of her neck. “Stop,” she demanded while giggling. “Your stubble tickles.”
“Alright. Let’s get going,” I reluctantly agreed.
Mom and Dad anxiously waited for us by the window when I drove my Bugatti up their driveway. Their two heads peered through the curtains with bright grins. Ignoring the cold, Dad sprinted to meet us without his coat as we exited the car.
“It’s good to have you both here,” he told us with a firm pat on my back and a cautious squeeze around Lil’s shoulders. Lil handed me the pastry box we picked up at La Patisserie. She circled her arms around my father’s waist and hugged herself against him like a magnetic pull. My heart felt an immediate surge of warmth as I witnessed Lil’s sincere affection for my father. It was obvious that Dad welcomed it too by the euphoric smile on his face. Mom met us halfway to the house, heeded my caution and waited for Lil to speak first before she responded.
“Kat…,” Lil began to say in a fragile voice but couldn’t finish. Mom wrapped her loving arms around her and said nothing. She rubbed Lil’s back and stroked her head, offering just silent encouragement.
“We better get out of the cold or we’ll all be sick,” Dad suggested to end the heartfelt moment as he led the way into the house.
Instead of making one of my favorite meals, Mom made Lil’s instead. She called me the other day to confirm. I told her linguine in a light, buttery clam sauce. Mmm…the palatable aroma filtered through my nose, making my mouth salivate with hunger. Hands down, my mother is one of the best cooks in the world.
“What’ll it be for you, son? Can I get you a glass of wine, dear?” Dad offered before we sat down for dinner.
“I’ll take the usual, Dad. Bourbon on the rocks.”
“A small glass of wine will be great, Mr. Bradley,” Lil replied.
“None of this Mr. Bradley nonsense. You and Carson will be married soon. Why don’t you try ‘Dad’ on for size?” my father suggested with a wink. Without knowing, my dad helped pressure Lil into marrying me sooner. What a guy. I can always count on him for his honesty.
“Dad, it might be too soon for Lil,” I intervened knowing that calling someone Dad is completely foreign for her. That topic was especially sensitive when she admitted she didn’t care if her father was dead or alive. I didn’t believe it for one minute. I saw more hurt than hate in her eyes when she spoke of him.
“Alright. No pressure. Mike will do for now, dear.” Lil took her glass of wine from Dad and smiled timidly at him in
response.
“Dinner is ready,” Mom announced as she took a full glass of red wine from my father.
It was almost déjà vu. Lil and I sat in the same seats as last time while Mom and Dad reclaimed theirs. Ms. June, Mom’s housekeeper, brought plates of salads and served us our desired amount of pasta with grated cheese and fresh ground pepper. The doorbell chimed on cue. Lil’s eyes darted in my direction for an explanation. I’m positive it wasn’t Bianca.
“It’s Nikki,” Mom assured as she noticed the panicked expression on Lil’s face. “I invited her because she didn’t have any dinner plans for tonight.” Lil’s tensed shoulders dropped in relief from the mention of Nikki’s name.
“Surprise, surprise…Nik is late again. She’s a Hudson, Lil. Hudsons are notorious for their tardiness,” I explained to Lil with a smirk. I knew I would get a rouse from my mother with my comment.
“Easy there, Carson,” Mom warned me with her eyes playfully narrowed in my direction.
“Hello everyone,” Nik hailed from across the room and then walked over to Mom and Dad and kissed them both on their cheeks. “Lovely to see you Aunt Kat and Uncle Mike. Thanks for the invite. Hey you two inseparable love birds,” she acknowledged us and took a seat next to Lil. “The food smells delightful, Aunt Kat,” Nik complimented my mother, flaunting her overwhelming charm.
“It’s not every day that we can have all three of you join us for dinner. This is a special occasion for us,” Mom reveled with a blissful glow.
Nik and Lil carried on as if they were the best of friends which I knew would happen once they met. Their easygoing personalities blend well. My favorite three women in the world were all together and bonding. What more could I ask for?