Blackmailed by the Beast (2 page)

Leaving his hiding
place, he went in search of Lily’s father and mother. George and
Jessica Jones should be more than happy with what he had in mind.
After all, it was the expected outcome from families within their
higher circles. Once the hard times hit, it took George and Jessica
Jones years to accept their doomed fate and they continued to spend
money they did not have. Families who participated in marriages of
convenience, and all that nonsense, expanded their social
status.

Their marriage would
start out as convenience, but he wanted to ignite and consume the
passion he saw sparkle within her. Her own fire needed to be
stroked by him and him alone.

Chapter
Two

Shepherd’s pie, a
simple yet truly English dish. Lily held her breath as everyone
dived in. Her father glared daggers at her, along with Stephanie
and her mother. She didn’t have the first clue at what she’d done
wrong, but from the nasty looks, it would leave a bitter taste in
anyone’s mouth.

“Pass me the wine,
Lily,” Stephanie demanded. Swallowing against the lump in her
throat, she passed the bottle of wine and cringed at the cheap
brand. She noticed as Wayne sent a stern look at her family. What
had she missed?

“Who taught you to
cook?” Wayne interrupted the tense silence. He directed the
question at her.

For the past few days,
he’d been staying with them. He was the only one who tried to
include her in the conversation.

“Why, is it bad?”

“No, it’s really
good.”

“Oh,” she whispered.
The dinner continued in tense silence until Lily moved to collect
the dishes.

“Put those down, Lily.
Stephanie can handle those. Would you join me in the study with
Wayne and your mother.” A command not a question from her
father.

“Excuse me, but what am
I supposed to do?” Her sister fumed.

“Put them in the sink,
add hot water, and rinse them. Easy and simple, so you should enjoy
it,” Wayne said. He followed behind Lily.

A giggle erupted from
Lily before she could stop, and she clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Does she even know where the sink is?” he asked, and the giggle
came forth once again.

This shouldn’t be
right. She shouldn’t find him funny. She hated him, didn’t she?
Confused by her own thoughts, she followed all three, silent. They
entered her father’s study. The one place in the house she despised
more than others was her fathers study. The room stank of
superiority, and it made her stomach turn with sickness. She eased
down to sit on the edge of the seat and looked at her father. When
she was called to this room, it was usually to receive a punishment
for some crime or other she’d committed. Would he punish her for
simply breathing? Lily was shocked to see Wayne stand behind her
father, staring out of the window. Even her mother stayed clear of
the power of the desk. Wayne’s lack of fear caused her to relax a
little. Only a little. This was her family, and she knew what they
were capable of.

“Lily, I don’t know if
you’re aware, but our family has fallen on hard times,” her father
said. Did the man think she was thick? She may not have attended
university like her sister and the rest of them, but she still
excelled in school. Cheeky bastard.

The desire to go “well,
duh” was strong but she held her tongue. Lily had no desire for
Wayne to see the way her father treated her for running her
mouth.

“Well, these hard times
have come to a head, and Mr. Brown here has offered to help.”

“Oh, for fuck sake,
she’s twenty-one-years-old. She knows what’s going on for crying
out loud.” Wayne turned to the room, glared at her father, scolding
the man who still scared her, and then settled his gaze on her.
“There’s no money. Your father squandered the entire fortune passed
down through generations of your family. The house is up for
auction. The valuables inside will be pawned, anything to make a
profit on this place. To put it frankly, Lily, the amount of debt
is higher than anything you own.”

Licking her lips, she
glanced down at her hands clasped together. The news was worse than
anything she could have imagined.

“What will happen?” The
sea of uncertainty was unbearable for her to think about.

“You’ll be kicked out
onto the street. Do you have any work experience?” he asked. Lily
shook her head. The only thing she could do was cook. The other
thing was for her private pleasure, and no one would take it away
from her.

“I figured as such.
Anyway, I’ll let you continue telling her the outcome, George.”
Wayne didn’t go back to studying the gardens but sat in a chair off
to her left. She could see him if she turned her head slightly.

“Wayne has offered us a
solution. He’ll pay off all of our debts and keep us in a life of
reasonable comfort, providing we live within our boundaries.”

“Well that’s nice,” she
said. Nothing so wonderful came without a price.

“But there is a
condition. A condition which concerns you, Lily.” Okay, not the
direction she was expecting.

“What can I do?”

“Marriage, Lily.”

“What?”

“Wayne will pay all of
our debts and write everything off. Our name will remain firm but
with the exception of your hand in marriage.”

Had she stepped into an
alternative universe?

“No, I can’t do
it.”

Lily got up from her
chair and moved away from the group. Her hands were shaking. “Can’t
you just agree to pay the debt, and we’ll pay you back?” she asked
him.

“How will you do that?
With buttons?”

“What you’re suggesting
is barbaric and old-fashioned.” Caged in the tiny study was too
much. She ran shaky fingers through her hair.

“There is only one
solution here. Marry me and I’ll make your life worth living. Don’t
and I leave today and won’t come back,” Wayne warned.

“Leave then.”

“George, Wayne, leave
me alone with my daughter.” Jessica stood. The two men looked at
the older woman but decided better than to argue. They left the
study and once again, Lily was alone with a woman who despised
her.

The full accusation of
her stare levelled on her. “So you’re going to be a selfish bitch
once again.”

Lily knew this was
coming, the hatred for her clearly written on her mother’s face.
“‘A selfish bitch?’ When have I ever been a selfish bitch?”

“Personally, I think he
should have chosen Stephanie. Look at you—fat and ugly—nothing at
all like your sister. I can’t believe we’re being blackmailed for a
lesser woman.” Each word cut into Lily, but it wasn’t anything new.
After all, her mother spent a great deal of times over the years
telling Lily how much of a disappointment she’d become.

“She can have him. I
want nothing to do with him,” Lily said each word even though her
body told her she lied. Every time he was around, it was as if she
felt him deep inside, and she didn’t want to let go. Even if she
did hate him at certain points.

Her mother moved next
to her. She took Lily’s chin in a vicious hold. Some time had
passed since the last time she’d been up close to her mother, but
she could see the aging take effect, the signs even Botox couldn’t
hide. “Now listen to me, you little bitch. You’ll marry Wayne
Brown, and you’ll do it with a smile on your face. You’ll fuck and
play happy family with him. Don’t and we’ll all be out on our
arses. Am I making myself clear?” Tears formed in Lily’s eyes, the
pressure from her mother’s grip started to take hold and hurt. “I
didn’t hear clearly, Lily Jones. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, perfectly,” she
whispered. Her mother let her go with a shove. Lily fell back and
caught herself in time before she hit her face on the floor.

“Hopefully, Wayne will
see the disappointment in you and shift his attention to Stephanie.
Until then you’ll be the picture of acceptance.” Her mother sneered
and left the room.

Lily touched her face.
She felt to see if her mother had broken anything. Once she was
sure, Lily slowly got to her feet.

“What are you doing on
the floor?” Lily cringed when she heard his voice. Before he turned
up, everything was going fine, and now, she was left with nothing
but blackmail.

“I think the floor is
comfortable.” She lied. Nothing about the study gave any indication
of comfort.

“Witty comments. I’ve
been told you have an answer for me.” Lily stood and put her back
to him. She knew from the dull ache near her jaw that the marks
would resemble her mother’s touch, and like every other time, shame
built inside her. She needed to keep the marks hidden. “Look at me,
Lily.”

“Yes, I’ll marry you,”
she said.

“Turn around, Lily,” he
repeated his request.

“Why?”

“I want to see the face
of the woman I’m going to marry.”

Lily took a deep breath
before she turned to face him. He gasped, and instantly, her hand
went to her face. The marks weren’t that bad, surely.

“Why me?” she
asked.

The marks didn’t
matter. What she was going through didn’t matter but this did.

“What are you talking
about? Who did this to your face?” He came over and reached out to
touch her. He didn’t lay a finger on her. Her flinch kept him
away.

“I’m not Stephanie. You
could have any number of girls. Stephanie would be more than
willing to be anything you want. Why me? I’m not good—” She
stopped, unable to bear the years of hurt brought by the people who
were supposed to love her the most. Ironic really, the amount of
pain family could produce.

“Stephanie isn’t
you.”

“She’s pretty and
slim.”

“I don’t want to fuck a
bag of bones.”

Lily gasped. His words
were crude, vulgar, and strangely erotic. “There is no need for
that. I get it. You want me to fuck. Fuck the fat Jones girl, is
that it? Take one for the team?” She started to shout, and the
tears she’d held in so long suddenly overflowed and poured down her
cheeks.

“Don’t you dare talk
about yourself like that,” he growled. Wayne took her in his arms
and held her against his chest.

Lily pushed him away,
lashing out, and hit him.

“I don’t want to marry
you. I hate you and everything you stand for. I hate you,” she
screamed. She raved and through it all, he let her. When she was
finished and exhausted, he held her close. No words were
spoken.

“You’ll marry me
because I demand it. One month from today, you’ll be at the church
where we decide, putting a ring on your finger, and you’ll belong
for me for better or worse.”

“And if I don’t?” Lily
couldn’t believe the rebellion in her. Why was she attacking the
man who was prepared to give her the whole world?

“If you don’t, I’ll
make your life and the life of your family a living hell. I’m a
beast, Lily. You should have heard about my reputation by now. I
take and take and very rarely give. Take this opportunity as the
gift it is.”

Yes, she’d heard about
his fierce reputation in the boardroom and the bedroom. The Beast
with his face like sin, he tempted everyone and everything. Oh, the
power and pleasure he could give. What would it feel like to be the
one to receive such pleasure? Lily gazed up into his handsome face,
struck again by the magnetic green of his eyes. She could sink into
their depths without a care in the world. His lips were firm but
Lily imagined they held the promise of pleasure and sweetness. The
pages in magazines and papers were always prepared to dish out the
latest kiss and story on Wayne and his current girlfriend. Wayne
was built, his muscles showing he didn’t spend all of his time
behind a desk.

“That’s blackmail,” she
accused. Lily was trapped in a corner, no way to get out. Any other
person would tell their family to go fuck themselves after her
treatment, but she couldn’t do it couldn't leave her family high
and dry after everything.

After all the insults
and years of torment, she still loved them.

“It’s what I call life,
sweetheart. And sometimes we have to make decisions we don’t like,
so deal with it.” Wayne threw his hands up in the air and walked
away.

“Can’t I have time to
decide? This is too much to take in.”

“You’ve got until I
walk out of the room.”

“But that’s too soon. I
need time to think.” Lily moved away and faced the shelves of
books. Useless material, her father didn’t even know what they
possessed.

She jumped when Wayne’s
hands came down on her shoulders, spinning her around. He pressed
against her, trapping her between the wood and the hard length of
his body.

“Life is full of hard
decisions and now is the time for you to make some, Lily. Will you
marry me and save your family along with this mausoleum, or will
you reject me and leave your family and yourself to rot?” Lily,
about to answer his question, got cut off by the position of his
lips on hers in a heart stopping first kiss. Lily gasped. Before
she could stop herself, Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and
gave herself over to his ownership. The way her life had been for
the last few years, she’d never dated many boys. Interaction of a
physical nature always consisted of a peck on the cheek or a brief
press of lips. Wayne wasn’t a boy but a man. Pure, dominant, and
masculine. Lily moaned as his tongue pressed against her lips,
seeking entrance. Without question, she opened and when her own
tongue met with his, she moaned. His taste erupted on her tongue,
coffee and mint exploded inside her mouth. Wayne pressed her up
against the shelves. His hands intertwined with hers and locked
them above her head.

Lily cried out when he
moved away, and his lips travelled down to her neck. He bit into
the delicate, sensitive flesh between her ear and collarbone. Heat
pooled at her centre, her panties soaked with cream. She screamed
as his hand landed at the apex of her thighs through her simple
dress.