Authors: Sam Crescent
“Yes. Even with the severe asthma. She’s asked for me not to interfere. It all happened a long time ago, and she just wants to forget about it.”
“Fuck, no. We can’t leave that shit alone,” Tony said.
“What happens if he starts hurting her?” Wayne asked.
“Which is why I think we need a little intervention,” Richard said.
Chapter Nine
The following morning, Richard woke with Scarlet in his arms. He lay and stared at her for the longest time.
After some time she opened her eyes and smiled. “Morning,” she whispered.
“Good morning. Lily is expecting us downstairs for breakfast,” he said to her.
She moaned and stretched out. “I’m sorry for unloading on you last night.”
Richard held her hand.
“Don’t be sorry. I love the fact you can trust me.”
He kissed her lips and cupped her face. In no time the kiss deepened, and his cock hardened. “I’ve got to stop. Otherwise we’ll be here all morning, and Lily wants to talk before they leave.”
“Well, you go down and make excuses for me. I’ll join you soon. I need to get ready and feel alive.” Scarlet kissed him of her own accord, and he waited until the bathroom shut to leave the bed.
Richard left her to get dressed and do her business, and he made his way down to the foyer. Tony and Wayne were waiting. Wayne looked guilty.
“What did you do?” Richard asked.
“What? Nothing?”
“I’ve known you for years. You’ve got that face that tells me you told. You didn’t?” Richard cursed. He couldn’t believe how easily he could read the guilt on his friend’s face.
“Lily heard the conversation last night. She wanted to find the guy and show him a thing or two. I told her we’ll take care of it.”
“You better have told her not to mention anything to Scarlet.” Richard knew she’d be mortified and feel like he had betrayed her trust if she found out he’d told his friends.
“She won’t. You know Lily.”
“Why are you two standing here?” Richard asked.
“Your guy was waiting at the bottom of the stairs when us we made it downstairs. We acknowledged him. I don’t think he’s going to let up,” Wayne said.
“I didn’t like him on first sight,” Tony told him. “He went into the bathroom. We wanted to make sure you had time to get your word across.”
David came out of the bathroom a little farther down.
“We also paid the toilet attendant. He knows we’re coming,” Tony said. Ready to do some damage, Richard charged to where David was staring at the stairs. Richard knew David was waiting for Scarlet.
The man would hurt his woman, had hurt her in the past. He wouldn’t allow it.
“Hey, David. I’ve got a bone to pick with you.” David stopped and looked at them. Richard knew they were large men.
Good.
He wanted the bastard afraid.
“What do you want?” David asked.
“I take it from you staring towards the stairs you’re looking for Scarlet?” A split second was all it took. Richard saw the realisation dawn on his face, and Tony and Wayne trapped him in.
“I don’t know what that little slut has been telling you, but she asked for everything she got.” David growled in Richard’s face.
“Big mistake,” Tony said.
Careful to make sure no one was watching, Richard charged at the man and pushed him through the toilets to the bathroom David had just vacated. Wayne and Tony followed inside to keep watch on the door.
“You dare to call Scarlet such vile, filthy names?” He rolled up his sleeves, ready as though he were in an old-fashioned bar fight. Holding her in his arms last night without making love had awakened him unlike any kick in the arse could.
“She was asking for it. What’s it to you? Why would you want a gash with a kid anyway?”
Richard’s fist connected with David’s nose. The other guy fell back. Wayne placed a hand on his arm to stop him taking more of his anger out of the man.
“You sick fucker,” David yelled. “You broke my fucking nose.” He got up off the floor and charged at Richard.
“You force yourself on a teenage girl, and
I’m
a sick fucker?” Another punch landed.
Richard was ready and waiting. David got in a few punches, but in no time at all Richard had him locked against the counter, a tight grip around his neck.
“Now you listen to me, you sick fuck. Scarlet is mine, and Harry is mine. You ever, ever come anywhere near my family again, and I’ll bring you down. No one would even give you the time of day.” Richard’s hand tightened. “Do you understand?”
“Scarlet put you up to this,” David wheezed out.
“No. Scarlet wants nothing to do with you. You ruined her life when you raped her. I’d gladly see you rot in some prison cell, but she’s refused to stand against you. I’m going to keep a close eye on you, and if I hear of any other girl from one of your schools suffering the same fate, I’ll find you. And you’ll be sorry.”
Richard slammed David’s face against the counter and walked outside the bathroom, A smug smile was on his face – until he saw Scarlet against the wall waiting for him.
She looked at him, and he knew he’d hurt her.
“She doesn’t look happy,” Tony said.
He watched her storm off, and without giving an excuse to his friends he chased after her.
“Scarlet. Scarlet, wait.” He ended up running up the stairs to catch her.
“You promised me,” she shouted at him. Richard followed her up the stairs.
“I couldn’t let it slide,” he said.
“You couldn’t let it slide? This happened to me, Richard. Me.” She pointed at her chest. “If I can let it go then you can.”
She stormed into their hotel room and went straight to their room where she began packing a bag.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m leaving. I can’t stay with someone I don’t trust.”
“You’ve still got a few days to go,” he said.
The contract.
Why did he have to bring that up? She slammed the lid down on her suitcase and threw it to the floor. Her anger was hot and explosive.
“How dare you throw that up at me!” She screamed and charged over to him. She slapped him round the face.
Richard captured her wrist before she lashed out again. “Is this what you want? To take your anger out on me?” he growled.
“I fucking hate you,” she yelled. She pulled and tugged to be let go.
“Do you really? If that’s the case take it all out on me. Show me what you’ve got to be angry about. Go on, hit me!”
Scarlet didn’t hit him. She pushed him and pushed him again, her little hands driving him away. The wall behind him stopped him moving.
“Why did you do this to me?” she cried out. “I was doing fine, and then you came along with your stupid fucking contract and ruined me.”
Richard was about to say something, but her lips slammed down on top of his. The move was so unexpected and so raw in its approach that he held on to her body.
Scarlet bit down on his bottom lip and pulled at her clothes at the same time.
Both stripped down, but when Richard picked her up in his arms and made to move against the bed she stopped him.
“No. I want it against the wall. Like they did in that movie.”
He pressed her against the wall and fucked his cock inside her warm cunt. She was so wet and melting beneath his touch.
Her cries were amazing to hear. “Harder,” she moaned.
He didn’t know what brought her change of heart, and he didn’t care. He was inside her body, and he intended to make her forget all about David.
Richard fucked her against the wall, bringing both of them to a screaming climax in a matter of minutes before he took her to the bed. His shaft was still inside her, and he wouldn’t pull out.
He kissed and teased her lips open for him. Richard felt a stirring begin in his groin even though he’d already climaxed once.
Her nails scored his back and neck. Her hands travelled down to his buttocks to grab.
“Hold it.”
Richard stared into her eyes and knew in his heart he loved her. He couldn’t describe how it happened, but he was sure.
“Stay here,” he whispered and pulled out of her body. He walked away from the bedroom with a chuckle when she cursed at him. His woman was turning into a little fire-cracker.
His office was on the opposite side from the bedroom. He opened the safe and moved a few bits around until he found the square box. Inside were contained a red ruby necklace and earrings, a purchase he hadn’t been able to resist two weeks ago. He hesitated when he glanced at the box with the engagement ring inside. Should he defy his parents and take that huge leap against their wishes?
No. He wouldn’t subject Scarlet to such scandal.
Richard took the box back inside. Scarlet sat up in bed with the blanket covering her.
“I want you to wear this for me,” he said and opened the box.
She gasped, her fingers going to the edge. “They’re beautiful.”
“Will you put them on?” he asked.
“I can’t accept anything like this.” She pulled away as if they burnt her.
“No. I bought them for you. Please, you’ll make me very happy to wear them. I wanted to see you in them,” he said with a smile.
Scarlet wouldn’t touch them, and he pulled them out of the box as if they didn’t cost a thing.
She lifted her hair and he fixed the clasp. “It’s cold.” She chuckled. “I can’t keep these.”
“I want you to have them.”
“Won’t you use them for the next woman?” Her question, so innocent, hit him in the chest.
“No. These won’t be for another woman.”
No other woman will come after you.
Richard knew he couldn’t hold off his feelings forever. It was only a matter of time before he would be taken out of the game.
Chapter Ten
Scarlet couldn’t believe how magically and beautifully the next few days passed. Richard lavished her with attention and gifts. She didn’t want them, but he loved giving them to her. His face would light up, and he’d give her an indulgent smile. The gifts were so personal. She loved the paperweight with dolphins inside he’d given her. No one but Harry knew how much she loved the sea creatures.
The calls to Harry upset and excited her. She loved and missed her little boy. However, when she was with Richard the contract became a distant thought, as if it had never existed. Soon Wednesday came, and he took her to one of his older houses. She was introduced to his housekeeper, Lydia. Scarlet fell in love with the old house instantly.
“I love this place,” she said.
“It’s been in our family for over four generations.”
“How come your parents don’t live in it then?” She knew he didn’t like talking about his parents, even though they were responsible for giving birth to him.
“This is considered a house for people lower than themselves. Everything has to be top notch and of the highest order.”
“Really? Who owned this house?”
“My great-great-great-grandfather. He bought this for his wife. My family originally came from peasant stock. I guess as we all got older it no longer became acceptable to live in this house. My parents were going to sell it last winter. I couldn’t let them and demanded they give it to me.”
“I’m glad you did. It’s so beautiful.” Scarlet followed him down to his study. “Even though I thought you said you didn’t stay anywhere but in the city.”
“I don’t, but sometimes I like to come here to dream of something I could have.”
Scarlet closed her eyes and shook her head. “You don’t make any sense when you speak like that. You can have anything you want.”
“No, I can’t.”
“You know you behave like you own the world, and then you come out with this yearning that you want. And I don’t know what to say to you.” She watched him go behind his desk and sit down. His pose looked so much like when he forced her to sign that contract.
She wanted to hate him so much, but if she hadn’t signed that contract she’d never know what it meant to love and maybe feel love in return.
He opened his mouth. Scarlet tensed and hoped she was about to hear something she’d wanted to hear for such a long time.
Richard had asked her a question a few days ago. If she’d have come away with him without the contract. At the time she’d answered she didn’t know, but she did. Being at work and seeing him every day had become so important to her. She’d rather watch him from afar than have nothing at all. As much as the contract had hurt her, she would have gone anywhere he asked her to go.
Her heart pounded whenever he was nearby, and her pulse raced. Richard was every part of her. When this week was up she knew in her heart she didn’t want it to end.
Nothing could stop the way she felt about it. Her eyes dropped to the piece of paper he held in his hands, and the smile froze on her lips.