A Ruthless Lust

by Raquel Belle

  “I agreed to do it because I was so angry and I hated you for what you did to my father, but I had no idea what really went on with our families’ history. It might not matter to you at this point, but I got to see the man you really are. You’re not who everyone says you are, and I fell for you, Damian. I couldn’t go through with their stupid plot. Even if you hadn’t told me the real truth, I wouldn’t have done anything to hurt you, no matter what,” she said, silently imploring him to believe her.

  Damian’s eyes never left her, and it was disconcerting standing under his piercing gaze as she clutched the sheet to cover her nakedness. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and then let out a sour grunt of laughter. “I’ll be damned. I was the prey and not the predator.”

  She gulped and braced herself for an onslaught of angry words, but what she got was worse.

  “And here I thought I’d won,” he said calmly. “Well played, Abby. Celeste taught you well.”

  That was all he said, delivered with an empty stare, and she broke down. Before he could witness her tears, she wheeled around and fled.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Damian

  He was back to feeling nothing again. Well, except for the ache in his chest that refused to go away. Damian sat up and eyed the empty bottle on his night stand accusingly as a wave of nausea hit him. He was in for a major hangover and he could already feel it. The slumbering redhead next to him received a dispassionate glance. He did a double take and then let out a snort when he noticed the dark roots above the dark red strands. She wasn’t even a natural redhead. She’d looked like one last night when he barreled into the back of his limo with her. Taking her back to his place had seemed like a good idea at the time.

  He’d broken a very important rule. He’d brought a one-night stand into his home. “Fuck,” he groaned, already regretting it. Two months had passed since Abby did something no one else had ever accomplished. She’d played him for a fool, ripped his heart out, and trampled it on her way out the door. Even destroying Caleb Aldridge beyond the grave hadn’t done a thing to make him feel better.

  Everyone knew the truth about his father’s innocence and Caleb and Celeste’s treachery. The piece of information that he’d tried to keep hidden had been revealed. It was known that Celeste’s husband had two children outside of their marriage, and like a fool, Celeste lied to cover it up. Once there was light shed on who Caleb and Celeste really were, everyone went digging, and everything came to light.

  Celeste was in hiding, probably with her family who were on the verge of going bankrupt. Damian had made sure of it. He was done. He’d done what he set out to do…and was more miserable than he’d been when he started. He groaned again, and the woman stirred beside him. She rolled over and opened her eyes to look at him.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  Damian sighed. And there he went again with the random women and the awkward mornings after. “Nothing good about it.” He peered down at the woman. In the light of morning, she appeared much older, and the heavy makeup didn’t do much for her. Compared to Abby’s natural beauty the woman came in at a very distant second. Damian mentally kicked himself for even thinking about Abby. But, that was why he’d picked up the woman, wasn’t it? Because he’d been thinking about Abby and the red head had caught his attention. If it were Abby beside him, he would have her in his arms, and she’d be talking his ears off. He’d pretend to be annoyed when secretly, he loved it. He’d probably say something to rile her up just to see her blue eyes gash fire, and then he’d make love to her.

  “For fuck’s sake,” he said. He had to stop thinking about her. She’d betrayed him!

  “Are you okay?” the woman asked, sitting up.

  Of course, he had no idea what her name was. “Fine.”

  “Who’s Abby?” You kept calling me that, not that I gave a damn,” the woman said. “And what the hell is a Querida?”

  Damian looked up to the ceiling and shook his head. If he weren’t so miserable, he would have laughed. “No one. Nothing. You should get going. Can I call you a cab or something?”

  She sat up and sighed. “Damn, I was hoping for another round. You’ve got a magic wand there, Damian.”

  His brows shot up. He vaguely remembered covering that magic wand before wielding it, thank god. “Thanks.”

  “Oh, no. Thank you.” The woman vacated the bed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll get my own ride. This isn’t my first rodeo.”

  “At least let me pay for a cab.” He watched in amazement as she slipped on her dress, gave him a wave, and sauntered towards the door.

  “No need. I got what I came for. I knew you’d give me a wild ride, and I was right. I’ll see myself out.”

  “Well, that was a first,” he said. Could the secret to a successful and drama-free one-night stand be to have them with an older woman? With a shrug, he got up. He was about to shower when he heard footsteps nearing. Perhaps the very calm artificial redhead had forgotten something. Quickly, he hauled on a pair of sweats hanging on the back of a chair.

  Camilla rounded the corner, her face full of surprise. “Oh, my god, mi primo. Please, tell me you did not bareback that.”

  Damian closed his eyes and prayed for patience. “Camilla, I’m your older cousin, don’t say things like that to me. Please. And no, I didn’t.”

  “Good because she looks like a lady of the night, and not even a classy one like I was.”

  Gritting his teeth, Damian ignored most of her comment and focused on the last part. “Was?”

  “Yeah, it’s a long story, but it involves a crazy, obsessive client who helped me see the danger of that lifestyle. Besides, I have all that I need to finish school, and I still have enough juicy stories to write my biography. All in all, it’s worked out well. I’ll miss the many all-expense paid trips though.” Camilla stared off into the distance and sighed. “I’m already over it. On to you.”

  Speechless, Damian shook his head. Camilla was like another version of Abby, a woman who never failed to shock him. “Good for you, and you should go away.”

  “And leave you to sulk? I don’t think so. Your mother sent me here to talk some sense into you. She felt you’d listen to me. And why not? I am wise beyond my years.”

  This time Damian laughed. “If you were all that wise, you wouldn’t have gotten into escorting.”

  “Hey, that was a social experiment. Mostly. And this is about you not me.” Camilla squared him with a determined look. “Damian, you need to stop this.” She waved her hands. “The random women, the salon created redheads, locking yourself away and drowning your sorrows. None of it will help you get over Abby.”

  With a scowl, Damian took off. “I got over her the minute she walked out the door.” Heading to the kitchen, he heard rapid footsteps behind him.

  “Liar.”

  He didn’t bother to refute her statement because Camilla was right. He could deny his lingering feelings for Abby all he wanted, to himself, but he wasn’t going to let Camilla have the satisfaction. He busied himself preparing a pot of coffee.

  “You fell for her, and it was the last thing you expected. You probably thought it was impossible, but it happened. She broke your heart, and you don’t know how to deal with it.”

  “I’m dealing with it,” he said.

  “The hell you are. You’re a hot mess. You haven’t even been going to your office. Your cute assistant, Jason, told me you’ve been working a lot from home. How come you don’t have a hot leggy female assistant like every other rich business mogul?”

  “Because the last one tried to jump me like a cat in heat,” he said.

  Camilla chuckled. “Good god. Say … is Jason straight and single?”

  “Don’t even think about it,” Damian said. Damn if he would lose the best assistant he’d ever had because his cousin couldn’t keep her pants on.

  She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine. Okay, back to you.”

  “I wish you’d leave. I have a headach
e.”

  “Talk to Abby,” Camilla said.

  Damian’s steps faltered and he wheeled around to face Camilla. “Have you lost your goddamn mind?”

  “No, but you will if you don’t give her a chance. I’ve thought about this a lot, believe me. When I found out what she was up to all along, I wanted to hunt her down and tear her apart. But then I thought, Abby had the chance to betray you, and she didn’t. She confessed. Maybe you two can work things out.”

  Giving up on playing nonchalant, Damian let out a long breath and sat down. He stared at Camilla across the marble island. “How do you think Mamá would feel about that?”

  “Damian,” Camilla said, annoyed. “Do you even realize that you’ve been the only one on your crusade for revenge all these years? Aunt Arlet could give two shits about Abby’s last name. She likes her even after I told her the story…which you refused to share with her. She thinks Abby is a nice girl who has genuine feelings for you. I agree. I saw the way you two looked at each other. That woman brought your cold, dead heart back to life and you know it.”

  “Thanks for making me sound like the uncaring bastard I’ve been labeled.”

  “You’re welcome,” Camilla said. “You’ve ridden the revenge train for a long time, Damian, and you ended up in Miserable Country. How about you try forgiveness this time around, and see how it works out?”

  Damian tapped the counter, all the while staring at Camilla while she watched him with hopeful eyes. His pride had kept him from going after Abby ever since she’d walked out, and he’d only fallen deeper into despair with each passing day. Perhaps he needed to put aside his pride. “You know, I hate it when you’re right,” he said.

  A smile that had smug all over it curved Camilla’s lips.

  Chapter Twenty

  Abby

  Abby rested her forehead on the steering wheel and blew out a tired breath. Hunting down her birth mother had been one of the most terrible ideas among terrible ideas. Wyatt—and even Elaina—had cautioned her against it, but she’d been relentless. Abby supposed she needed the distraction after Damian and the storm of attention her family had gotten when some reporter blasted Caleb and Celeste to smithereens.

  It was all Damian’s doing, she knew that, and she held no malice against him whatsoever. Both her father and Celeste deserved to have their dirty laundry aired. Since Wyatt had cared less about Celeste not being his mother, Abby supposed that things—in the end—had worked out just fine, except for the part where she was sick from heartbreak.

  Damian haunted her every thought, and in an effort to put him aside, she’d gone looking for her mother. It was a massive disaster and yet another heartbreak. It turned out that her birth mother had happily given her and Wyatt up. She was more than grateful for the chunk of change to get away from Caleb, who’d constantly made empty promises about leaving his wife to be with her. She’d made a new life for herself and she was none too happy about someone from her past showing up. It had all been pointless. Tail between her legs and feeling more miserable than ever, Abby returned home. It was back to her normal life—work, putting up with Elaina invading her space, and pining over Damian.

  She slid out of her car with another dejected sigh. Just as she turned to make her way towards the entrance of her building, the glimpse of a familiar car across the street caught her attention. Leaning against it was an imposing figure, unsmiling, wearing all black and dark glasses.

  An involuntary smile touched her lips…and Damian wondered why she’d thought he was a gangster. After her amusement relented, surprise kicked in. She stood frozen, staring at him just as he stared at her.

  He pushed away from his car and walked toward her. He looked amazing. Dark and handsome as ever, while she probably looked like something out of a Stephen King novel. Self-consciously, she reached up to smooth her windblown mane. What she would give for a bit of Elaina’s clown makeup.

  Damian stopped a few feet from her. Though she couldn’t see his eyes behind the sunglasses, she could practically feel his eyes sweeping over her in the way that always made her toes curl. “Bonita pelirroja,” he said with a slight smile.

  Her heart did a few back flips. She was still a pretty redhead. That was a good sign, right? It was strangely hard to find her voice. “Hi, Damian.”

  His glasses came off and she saw his bloodshot, sleep-deprived eyes. It seemed she wasn’t the only who had suffered from an onset of insomnia. “How are you, Abby?”

  “Uh ... alive.”

  “Your sister told me you went to see your birth mother.”

  “She did?” They talked to each other, and they were both still alive? Incredible.

  “I stopped by a few days ago and after having to beg, she told me you went to Arizona. She refused to tell me when you’d return, so I had to resort to waiting outside your apartment building every day. It was a real bitch move on her part if you ask me.”

  Abby was floored. She gawked at him, not sure what to say. He’d waited for her every day. What did that mean for them? Before she could ask, he stepped closer. He searched her face for a few seconds. “How did it go with your mother. Did you find her?”

  Pulling her trembling, lower lip between her teeth, she shrugged. “I found her. Let’s just say it was a waste of money hiring an investigator. I should have stayed home.” Her voice cracked just a little, but she was proud of herself for not giving into her tears. She sniffed. “On a scale of one to ten, how pathetic is it that I feel like orphan Annie, red curls and all, right now? I feel like I should be in a little red dress singing It’s a hard knock life.”

  Damian fought to swallow his laugh, but it erupted. Taking her by surprise, he covered the distance between them and engulfed her in a tight embrace. “Oh, Abby, I’ve missed you.”

  She held onto him, and for the first time in months, she felt comforted. “Y-you did?”

  “So much. My days and nights have been unbearably miserable without you around to add a little color.”

  Reluctantly, she stepped out of his arms to study him. “But, I …”

  “I know,” he said. “I had ulterior motives when we met, as well.”

  “Damian, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. There aren’t words.”

  He shook his head. “I feel like I should apologize for causing you further grief by making your family’s secrets public. But, I want you to know that I kept the part about your parentage to myself, Abby. I may not have cared about the rest of your family, but I cared about you. I still care about you.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “For trying to protect me even after what I did to you.” Blinking rapidly in an attempt to hold back the tears that kept trying to break through, she averted her gaze. “We’re both remorseful, but so much has happened. Your father is dead, and so is mine. Our relationship has been tainted by the murky past. We were doomed from the beginning. Star crossed lovers.”

  Damian groaned. “For god’s sake Abby, this isn’t some tragic romance. Last I checked, either one or both of us have to be dead for it to become that. Since when did you become such a pessimist?”

  “Since I spent months wallowing in self-pity and grief,” she said.

  Fingers grasped her chin, forcing her to look into his dark eyes. “You once told me that you focus on the epic romances and not the tragedies. Why can’t you do that now?”

  Abby nearly swooned, nearly dissolved into a puddle at his feet. He’d actually remembered that. For all of his toughness and coolness, Damian was the sweetest guy she’d ever met. “You really want to have an epic romance? Something ... real?”

  He visibly swallowed. “Yes. I hope you were being honest when you said you fell for me…because I fell for you too. Hard, Abby.”

  “I really did fall in love with you, Damian.”

  “I want us to start over. No games, no lies, no family drama. Just you and me.”

  There wasn’t the slightest hint of uncertainty in his eyes as he held her gaze. After doing a mental happy dance, she no
dded. “Okay.”

  He let out a breath. “Good. Come home with me. I know you want an escape from your sister.”

  “God, she’s driving me crazy in that tiny apartment. I’m one argument away from strangling her.” She glanced toward her apartment building and then at Damian. “Should I drive?”

  He took her hand in his and pulled her towards his car. “Leave your car. I intend to hold you prisoner for a few days.”

  “But, my clothes.”

  “You won’t need any.”

  “I have to return to work in two days.”

  “Then we’ll get you some clothes in two days.”

  Abby laughed. “Is this what it’s always going to be like, being your girlfriend?”

  They stopped at his car and he dipped his head to give her deep, bone-melting, knee-weakening kiss. Abby was left dazed and slightly swaying as she peered at him through her lashes.

  “Yes, Querida,” he said. “Get used to it.”

  “Still so arrogant …” she said. She was grinning from ear-to-ear because she loved him just the way he was.

  The End.

  An excerpt from “Business or Pleasure?”

  He’d never met anyone like her. She stood at the bar exuding confidence like a regal queen. Only her profile was visible—enough to show her beauty. She turned, her gaze jumping over him to glance at the entrance. A slight frown marred her face, and she glanced at her watch and exhaled. He watched her for a few more seconds, as she turned around to speak to the bartender. No one joined her, so he did. Even if she was with someone, he had to get a closer look at her.

  With a quick inspection, he took in her bare shoulders, and his eyes moved directly to her left hand. No ring. That didn’t have to mean she wasn’t taken, but he didn’t particularly care if she was. He stopped beside her, noting how her sun-kissed skin glowed even under the dim lighting of the room. Sensing his presence, she turned to look at him. Slanted, sapphire eyes peered at him with interest—with a hint of hope and underlying sadness.