Deception and Lace
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Authors: Katie Ross
Deception and Lace
Katie Ross
Deception and Lace. Copyright © 2015 by Katie Ross
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For information contact; address www.mritchi.com
Book and Cover design by RBS Publishing
First Edition: March 2015
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Contents
L
eanne Wilson looked up as they parked in front of the large home. Looking up at the massive white column of the porch she sighed. It had been years since she started paying back the loans her father had inflicted on their family with his gambling problem. She loved her father because he was her father but greatly dislike the man himself. He had been happy at first when he was winning big but the problem was he didn’t know how to stop when he was ahead. He had dipped deep and eventually the losses started adding up. In the end he had lost everything. His day to day job, home and his wife. He had eventually even lost her respect for him. Because of his gambling addiction Leanne had been forced to care for her little sister Denise since she was a young girl. At the tender age of 16 Leanne had packed her things with Denise’s and had left. She couldn’t keep watching him kill himself and she refused to let her little sister be taken down with him. She didn’t think he would even notice they were gone until he got hungry.
Things were finally beginning to turn around for the two women. They were both adults and free from the burden of her father and their past. Denise had even got a scholarship to medical school and had just started this past year. She had fought hard for her grades with Leanne’s guidance stating over and over that she would make something of herself. She wouldn’t end up like their father. They didn’t know where their mother had gone when she left and hadn’t seen her since she packed her bags and walked out the front door. Yes, things were starting to look up now. Or so she thought. This was until a few months ago when she received a call from her sister in the middle of the night. John had shot himself in the head when he lost a game at the poker tables in Atlantic City. He had been playing against Antonio Delvinci. Antonio was the youngest son and member of the Delvinci crime family in New York. Although her father was dead he still passed his debt to his daughters in death. His debts were not considered paid and once again Leanne was picking up the mess for a man from the grave.
L
eanne had called the number they gave her sister and setup a payment plan with another member of the family. The person was the middle son of the family named Demarion Leonard Delvinci. Of course the terms proposed were outrageous and she didn’t know how she would survive on her meager salary after paying the amount but she agreed in order to keep her sister safe. Leanne finally came to the conclusion that she couldn’t make the payments anymore. Her bills had piled up and she was tired of eating soup from the can and ramen noodles. She had lost 10 pounds and was exhausted all the time from picking up a second job. She knew if she kept going like she was she would be with her father in the ground soon.
Getting up the nerve she had dialed the number she left on the magnet on the refrigerator.
“Mr. Demarion? Hi this is Leanne Wilson and I am calling you to tell you that I will not pay you another cent. This was my father’s debt not mine.”
“Doesn’t matter Ms. Wilson. You are next in line and if you refuse there will be consequences. Think before you say anything else. You are making a big mistake. Come see me at my home and we will discuss it. Tonight at 8 and don’t be late.”
“No thank you. I don’t have anything else to say. I have said it! I won’t be paying you anything else.” She heaved a sigh as she had hung up the phone just as he started talking.
She had just stepped out of the shower and put on a pair of yoga pants and t shirt when there was a knock at her door. Getting up to answer it she was surprised when two men in dark expensive looking suits pushed their way inside.
“Mr. Delvinci would like a word with you Ms. Wilson.”
“Well you tell Mr. Delvinci that I have nothing to say to him.”
The men took a step towards her and one slung her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing at all. Before she knew what was going on she was carted downstairs in her building and put inside the back of a limousine. She struggled the best she could but they had over powered her easily. They had placed something over her eyes and had gagged her so it saw easier. She waited for the ropes to tie her up but they never came. She beat on the man’s back as hard as she could and he just walked down the hall like she was merely a fly.
Now after they had removed the blind fold and gag she stood looking up at the massive house feeling quite small. A man wearing a dark suit came out to greet her.
“Ms. Wilson please follow me.”
Suddenly feeling like a child who was to be punished she lashed out “What if I say no? I don’t want to be here and you are holding me against my will Mr. whatever your name is.”
The look she got when he turned back around towards her was murderous. The man looked like he could be dangerous. He had dark colored eyes that were almost black and stood to be well over 6 feet and he didn’t have one strand of hair on him except the goatee he had which was dark black.
“Well it’s simple. I will have John here flop you over his shoulder again and cart you into the house for me. And my name is Mick. No mister just Mick.” The smile he gave her didn’t meet his eyes as he turned around and walked towards the house up the stairs. Glancing at John and his smirk she huffed and flung around to follow Mick inside.
She knew where she was and didn’t want to be there or have any part of it. This was her father’s world not hers and she would do what she needed to keep her sister safe. Squaring her shoulders and raising her head up another notch she followed the man in the house with the other two right on her heels. The inside of the home was massive and beautiful. She looked around at the marble floors and dark wood furnishings. There was a large aquarium that was the size of one wall. How did they clean that thing? She was still staring at it when they led her into another room. There was a large desk on one side of the wall and two chairs in front of the desk. She was led to one of the chairs and she watched as the men walked out the door.
As the chair slowly turned towards her she caught her breath at her first glance of Demarion Leonard Delvinci. He was gorgeous in a rugged sense. He had dark hair that laid in an array around his head to lie over the top of his ears. His eyes were the darkest blue she had ever seen. She glanced down and saw his dark tan hands. They looked to be very strong. Not a sissy’s hands that were dainty and smooth manicured. His hands looked like they were working man hands. At the sound of someone clearing their throat she looked up to his eyes. They were remarkably familiar. For some reason he looked like someone she might have known but there was no way. She had grown up on the streets and he apparently had not.
“M
s. Wilson you are a very stubborn young woman. I told you to heed my warning but you refused to listen. I have however come to another arrangement that might suit you better should you agree to it.”
Before he could go any further she blurted out to him. “You know this is illegal right? You can’t just kidnap me. And furthermore I am not scared of you. If you wanted me dead I would be so get on with it and tell me what the hell you want so I can say no and go home.” She was happy with herself for keeping the shakes that were running through her body out of her voice.
She watched as he raised an eyebrow at her. Giving him her best go to hell look he did the last thing she would have imagined. He leaned his head back as his chest erupted from laughter. She sat there staring at him looking dumbfounded. He was laughing at her. She thought he might scream at her maybe even hit her but never laugh at her outburst. She sat back against the back of the seat and waited for his laughter to subside.
“You my dear are a delightful little package. So unlike the people I have to converse with daily. It is refreshing to see a woman as beautiful as you are with a backbone. Yes I think we will do nicely.”
“What the hell do you mean we will do nicely together? I am going home.”
As she stood to leave she trembled at the voice booming around her. It was like they were in a theater it came from all sides. “SIT DOWN!” She turned to see that all laughter had been erased from his face. Not wanting anymore confrontation she sat gingerly on the edge of the seat ready to run if she needed to. “My proposition to you is to marry me. I need a wife and you should do fine. This will also pay off any debt that is owed by your father to the family.”
“There is no way in hell I am marrying you!”
“Stop and listen. You will be staying with me for a couple days. Mick will take you to your room that is already furnished with clothing. I will give you this time to make up your mind. But do remember Ms. Wilson that if you do not pay this debt unfortunately they will look to your sister. Here is some information to help you decide.”
“You stay the hell away from my sister. Do you understand me? And furthermore why do you want a wife? And why me?”
“You will know soon enough. Please take the envelope.” He laid a large manila envelope in her hand just as Mick came back and escorted her to a bedroom upstairs. She didn’t even pay attention to where she was going just followed behind him like a lost puppy dog.
When they reached a closed door he unlocked it from the outside and opened the door. Inside was a beautiful cherry wood bed with four tall and skinny corner posts. There was a large chest in one corner of the room and a long dresser with a massive mirror on the other wall. Her whole apartment would have fit inside this one room.
“Please have a good night Ms. Wilson. Mr. Delvinci wishes to see you in the morning for breakfast at 8 o’clock. Don’t be late. There are clothes in the closet.” She stared dumfounded as he shut the door then she became pissed as she heard the lock turn in the door. She flung the folder on the dresser and picked up the nearest thing which was a glass bowl on the dresser and flung it at the door. Unfortunately she didn’t feel any better as she watched it shatter into pieces. She turned to look at the room in general gazing at the furnishings. The room was elegantly designed with white and red roses everywhere from the paintings on the walls to the bedspread. It really was quite beautiful. Sighing deeply she sat on the edge of the bed. There was no way she was marrying that infuriating man downstairs. She would have to get a third job but she would pay him back if it was the last thing she did. She had to keep them away from Denise. There was a quiet knock at the door.
“What is it now? I thought you said I could go to sleep? What do you want to rub in my face how much my father owes you? Arrogant son of a bitch.”
The door cracked open and a young woman’s head popped through the door. “Mam? I came to clean up from the crash. I heard it downstairs. May I come in please?”
Ducking her head slightly Leanne felt the blush rise into her cheeks. “I am sorry. I will clean it if you get me a broom and dustpan. There is no reason for you to have to clean up after me.”
“Oh no mam. It is no trouble at all. I will have this stuff cleaned up in no time.” The woman looked to be very petite and stood only maybe a little over 5 feet. She had long brown hair held in a high pony tail. Her temples were tweaked with grey that streaked through her hair. She smiled towards Leanne as she swept up the broken glass. Leanne suddenly felt foolish for her childish temper tantrum.
“I am sorry.”
The woman walked over and gave her a smile. “No need my dear. I probably would have thrown more than that if I was in your position. My name is Maura. I am the housekeeper and your personal assistant if you need anything. I hope you do not mind Mr. Delvinci will be looking for someone younger for you when you are married.”
“I don’t need a personal assistant but I thank you. And I am sorry but there will be no wedding.”
“Listen I know that I may be out of place but you could do a lot worse. I know that you may not know Mr. Delvinci but he really is a good man. He is not like the rest of his family.”
“That may be so but I will not be tied to a man I don’t know. I have a life.”
“I understand my dear but just think about it.” She smiled at her as she patted her hand. Maura picked up the bag she had put the glass in and walked through the door. Leanne listened carefully as the lock was turned.