Know Her, Love Her: Daisy & Belmont, Book ONE (17 page)

“Don’t fight it, baby,” he whispers. “You’re going to get pregnant, so don’t fight it.”

I shove my hips against his dick. “I want whatever you give me.”

He humps me faster. We cling to each other, moaning and whimpering about how good it feels. I’m about to come harder than I ever had. I scream before my orgasm detonates, and suddenly I’m in a hospital gown, standing on a cold floor in a shadowy hallway.
 

“Mommy,” a girl calls.

My heart ties into a knot. “Joella!”

I race down the hallway and stop once I enter the room. My pulse is racing, my heart pounding. The incubator is in the middle of the room, and
ma fleur
lies inside it. She’s full of life as she giggles and shakes her legs and arms as I approach. I open the container. Her bright eyes welcome me. My eager hands reach for her. She smiles as I lift her and press her against my heart. Her sweet odor… Her softness… She’s warm with life. I weep uncontrollably, thanking God for my second chance with her.

“Hold it tight, Joe, and watch out for your fingers,” Daniel says.

My baby is out of my arms. I whip around. I’m out of the hospital room and in my old backyard. Daniel’s sandy-brown hair glistens under the sun. A little girl is helping him build one of our many doghouses. She’s not me, but she’s ours—Belmont’s and mine. She looks happy. He looks happy. I wave at them. They both smile and wave back. My heart is content, and I’m satisfied.

I’m lying on top of our bed in Malibu. The sliding glass doors are open, and the Pacific Ocean breeze coats us. Belmont is behind me, slamming my hips against his as his dick goes in and out of me. I try to squeeze a pillow, but it has the consistency of water. I’m moaning, and so is he. My orgasm is like never-ceasing billows of waves that pound the shore.

“Daisy!” He grunts as he lets loose.

I wake with a stop. The ceiling looks different. I scramble to sit up. Tree branches canopy over a patio where two chaise lounges surround a hot tub. Steam rises from the aqua water. I’m in a white tank dress that I left in the closet in Malibu. Why the heck am I wearing it? Am I dreaming? I squeeze my eyes shut, and when I open them, nothing’s changed—this is real.

“Daisy?”
 

I scramble to turn around. It’s Belmont, and he has a black eye and a bruised cheek.

“What happened to you? Where are we?” I ask.

He rushes toward me. Suddenly waves of shock ripple through me, and I curl up on the bed until the pain passes. I look at my ankle. There’s a bracelet clamped around it, and Belmont is wearing one too.

“Please maintain a distance of at least five feet while standing and ten feet while lying down,” a man says over a PA system.

Belmont and I look at each other, wondering what in the world is going on.

The Scene of A Crime

Angelina Beauchamp
 

One month ago…

“That’s not a bad idea,” I say.

I’m sitting on the rail of the balcony, watching Charlie pull up the ugly yellow ceramic tiling. We’re replacing it with wood. He’s sweaty, shirtless, and on his hands and knees. He’s so sexy that it’s almost distracting.

He glares at me. “Babe, can you get off the rail? You’re going to fall and break your neck.”

“No.” I shake my head. “I won’t break my neck. I’ll turn two flips and land on my feet like Catwoman.”

“Ha!” Charlie jumps to his feet and draws me into his arms.

I giggle as he nibbles my neck. “Listen, I think we should do it.”

“Me too…” He reaches through the side of my overalls and frees my tit.
 

I sigh as the stinging sensation of sensitivity is replaced by his sensual tongue on my nipple. “No, I mean lock them up and make them talk.”

He stops working on my nipple. “You’re talking about Jack and Daisy?”

“You said it, not me.”

“That’s crazy, Angel.”

“No, it isn’t. I can talk to Luc.”

“Dr. Luc Calvet?”

I smirk. “You were listening.”

“I listen to everything you say.” Charlie’s mouth finds my other nipple.

“Charlie,” I whine, “I want you to take me seriously.”

He sighs and presses his forehead against mine. “Babe, what you want us to do is crazy as hell.”

“I think it’s the only way they’re going to get back together and stay together. They’ve been medicating their problems with sex.”

Charlie sighs. “I know you think Jack is perfect—”

“I don’t think that. I think you’re perfect.” I grin.

Charlie unlatches my overalls, leaving me topless for all our neighbors to see. “You’re perfect too, baby.”
 

He takes me inside. Once we’re in our room, he devours my nipples as he lays me on the bed.

“Charlie?”

“Humph…” He’s pulling off my clothes while maintaining contact with my breasts.

“Are we going to do this or not?”

“I’ll do what ever you want,” he says and sucks my nipple into his wet, warm mouth.
 

He kicks my overalls off from around my ankles, frees his erection, and gives it to me good.
 

I let Charlie murder my tits for as long as he likes. When he’s had enough, I call Dr. Calvet, who asks me a lot of questions, including if Daisy and Jack have agreed to treatment.
 

I say, “Not yet.”
 

He wants to know if they will undergo in-person treatment.
 

I say, “I’m not sure.”
 

“Angelina, my darling—”

“I know, Luc, but I have to ask you to break the rules for me. It’s for Jacques’s daughter. Don’t you love us?”

He tsks but tells me to give him the details once I have them. I call Maggie and convince her to get onboard. She’ll fly into town and meet us at the Westport Lounge on Saturday night.
 

I help Charlie rip up the rest of the tile, then we drink wine and take a stab at writing lyrics. He’s been hired to write two songs for a pop star named Sheena Riley. By the time we finish, we’re tipsy and sweaty. We take a shower and make love until we fall asleep.
 

I plan Daisy and Belmont’s sessions with Luc between rehearsals for a Broadway show at Harrah’s that my dad helped me book. Charlie and I hardly see each other during the day, but we make up for the missed time at night in our bed.
 

On Saturday night, Charlie and I take a cab to the lounge to meet Maggie, who’s late. I’m beat, but I have a solid plan that reads like a movie script. It even has alternative measures built into it.
 

Charlie reads through it with a wry smile. “You’re prepared to go all the way, aren’t you?”
 

“Did you read your parts?” I ask.

“I’ll try to convince Jack to see Luc Calvet. If that doesn’t work, then I’m supposed to have Stanley drug him?” He laughs.
 

“Isn’t he an anesthesiologist?”

“Yes, babe, but he can’t just knock Jack the hell out by sneaking up on him and sticking a needle in him.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know,” he says.

“How?”

“You’ve been watching too much TV.”

“I hardly ever watch TV. Charlie, you can’t know until you at least talk to him. Just present him with a scenario.”

Charlie sighs. He knows he can’t win this battle. “All right, I’ll see what he says.”

“That’s all I’m asking.” I grin.

Maggie still hasn’t shown up, so Charlie heads over to say hello to the guys gigging here tonight, and I go chat with a group of dancers from the show. They’re letting their hair down since our stage is dark for six days. After a while, my gaze gravitates to Charlie, who’s stroking a bass guitar. Delia, one of the dancers, watches him too. I’m never the only woman in the room with her eyes on him. Charlie looks up from his instrument, and his hooded gaze penetrates me. I smirk. I love that I’m the only woman in the world he has a thing for. We break eye contact when Maggie gusts into the restaurant as though she only has five minutes to give us before her next important meeting.
 

Charlie gives the bass guitar back to a musician named Rick, and I say good-bye to my colleagues. We sit at a table for four. I’m alarmed by how beat Maggie looks, and I can tell Charlie is concerned too. Her already milky skin is three shades whiter, and the whites of her eyes are pink. I haven’t seen her since Curtis’s wedding two months ago, and she had been at least ten pounds healthier then.
 

“What the hell. Should we take you to the hospital?” Charlie asks.

“I’m okay. I had a long flight.” She covers her mouth as she yawns.
 

“The way you look didn’t happen over a course of a flight. You look like shit,” Charlie says.
 

“So do you,” she snaps.

I tap Charlie on the shin with my foot. He stifles a sigh. He’s concerned about Maggie, as he should be.
 

“But, Mags, you don’t look like your usual self,” I say.

“Where’s Vince?” Charlie asks.

She closes her eyes and shakes her head. At least now we know who’s the source of her problems. Charlie and I give each other a look. He’s shaking his leg, which means he’s ready to bash Vince’s head in for whatever he may have done.
 

“Let’s just get down to business. Have you guys ordered?” Maggie asks.

“Not yet.” I take Charlie’s hand under the table. I want him to stay calm. We can discuss what kind of jerk Vince is at home while Maggie sleeps in the guest room downstairs.
 

Charlie waves our waitress to the table. We order, and Charlie asks her to put a rush on it. Exhausted or not, Maggie’s brain is sharp. Before we’re halfway through dinner we have a key and contingency plan in place.
 

Then Vince unexpectedly shows up. Maggie’s eyes water as she watches him like a deer trapped in headlights. He appears stunned by her physical condition as they hug. I wonder what in the world has been going on between them.
 

“Don’t say anything, babe,” I whisper to Charlie.
 

“I won’t,” he mutters, but he’s clearly not happy about keeping quiet.

I stand to give Vince a hug, and Charlie shakes his hand. Regardless of how frail Maggie looks, it appears Vince can’t resist her sex appeal. He continuously massages her shoulder as I fill him in on the entire scheme. Like Charlie, he’s hesitant but not resistant.
 

***

Belmont Lord

Forty-eight hours ago…

Belmont met with Matt Silver in an office on Columbus near Randolph. It was neutral ground. Herald Doe, Belmont’s right-hand man, accompanied him. Matthew had two colleagues with him. The fact that neither side greeted the other indicated that the meeting wouldn’t be cordial. They sat around a small table. There were no secretaries or coffee or muffins.

“You’d better make damn sure you want to take it there before you take it there,” Matt said.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Belmont said.
 

Matt sniffed disdainfully. “This morning, I offered Voyager a bonus on top of our initial offer.”

“Great, because I’m not offering them a penny more than my initial bid,” Belmont said.

The men stared daggers at each other. Belmont noticed how old Matt looked, but they were nearly the same age. Perhaps doing the bidding of a dirty bastard like Holden Reece put those extra lines on Matt’s face. Holden didn’t mind getting blood on his hands in order to grab the next dollar. Belmont had never backed down from a tussle with a man like Holden Reece, but the last time he had been forced to take it this far, he wasn’t married. He had to be careful and read the clues to see just how far he could get with option one. Option two would knock Reece Holdings out of existence, and Belmont would only be that ruthless if Daisy’s safety was at stake.

“Where did you get your information?” Matt asked.

“You’re assuming I’m the one who dug up your dirt?”

“I heard about your tactics, Jack. You’ve gotten away with it by hiding behind your daddy’s name.”

Belmont clenched his teeth. “My father’s dead.”

“I think you want to join him.”

Belmont narrowed his eyes and held his composure. “If that’s how you want to play it, then one of us just might.”

“That would be too bad for your wife. Didn’t she lose her brother? I heard he was playing in a busy street and got run over by a car. He must’ve forgotten to look both ways.”

Belmont stared daggers at his opponents. He hoped his expression conveyed to all what he refused to say. Matt had just made the mistake of jabbing an angry bear with a spear. There would be no absolution from that moment forward. If Matt were an intuitive man, then he would’ve seen his demise in Belmont’s stone-cold expression.

Matt broke eye contact with Belmont to glance nervously at his partner. “Listen, Jack, this doesn’t have to get ugly. Give us twenty-four hours, and we’ll let you know what we’re going to do next.”

Belmont shook his head. “No need. You’ve convinced me. I’m out.” He stood, and Herald, who looked thoroughly confused, did likewise.

Matt also appeared astonished. “You’re backing out of the bidding?”

“I am,” Belmont said.

Matt stood. There was distrust in his eyes, and there should have been. Belmont had found his next big project: the destruction of Matthew Silver and Reece Holdings. Belmont held out his hand to shake on it.

“That’s it?” Matt asked.

“That’s it.”

Matt chuckled. “Then I’ll be expecting to hear from Voyager.”

Belmont nodded. “You will.” Belmont seethed as he and Herald walked down the hallway. Before they walked into a crowded elevator, Belmont said, “We’re going Grey.”
 

Herald nodded. He knew exactly what that meant. “When?”
 

“Immediately.”

“I’ll get on it.”

They parted ways on the ground floor. Belmont exited the rear of the building to meet his car, but it was nowhere in sight. His cell phone dinged before he could call the driver. The message read,
“Traffic control instructed me to park in Level P6. The car will be waiting by the elevators
.”