The Passion

Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

FLYNN

I ’m sure there is a track worn on the floor of my apartment, where I have been pacing from the moment I knew that Felisha was seeing her father.

She has kept so much to herself that I don’t even know what she is going there to say. It drives me wild that she isn’t letting me in as much as I want her to, but I do understand. Felisha has been on her own for so long and has never felt she could trust a man in her life. And sadly, she is still finding her way with me.

I hate it, but if I push too hard, she will back away, and then I risk losing her, and I won’t let that happen.

Of course, the traffic tonight is gridlocked in the city, and it’s taking forever for her to get here. Probably would have been quicker for her to walk, but that’s not her style, nor would I want her on the streets at night on her own in this vulnerable state.

Finally, the doorman calls to say she is on her way up, and I stand at the door waiting for her. I’m expecting, like every other time she has arrived here when there has been a traumatizing moment, that she is about to come through the door and fall into my arms sobbing.

But that is so far from the woman who storms into my apartment.

“The clock is ticking. His days are numbered!” She pushes past me and heads straight to my bar.

I don’t know whether I should talk or just let her do what she needs to do and wait her out.

I watch her take two glasses, pour the scotch, and turn to me holding my glass out for me. Walking toward her in silence, and with the caution of approaching a lion, I take the glass and try to look past the bravado to see how she really feels.

“Here’s to taking my rightful position at Kentwall Estates and cleaning out the trash.” Clinking her glass on mine, she takes the biggest gulp of the amber fluid which I’m sure burns on the way down. But maybe that’s what she needs.

“Cheers to that.” I take a much calmer sip of my drink and watch her shake off the tingle in her throat.

Leaning forward, I kiss the scotch off her lips and then continue to give her space. I can tell she is too keyed up to sit.

“Seven days and this will all be over. I called the meeting to expose and remove him. You should have seen his eyes when I told him I knew it was him who took the video. He couldn’t hide the panic from me, and I fucking loved backing him into a corner!”

Her words are forceful, and I know she needs to harness this energy to get through this, but it’s also not her. She may be a cutthroat businesswoman, but when it comes to her father, as much as she tries to stop it, there will always be a part of her that still longs for his love.

I’m not sure we were ready to play the card that we knew about his videos, but as I have said from the start, this is her life to make the choices on.

Seeing her take a deeper breath, I can tell she is trying to slow her brain down.

“What do you need from me?”

I’m not sure what I’m really asking her. Do I mean with her father, or for her right now? Honestly, it’s both.

“Love and support, something he never gave me.” It’s sad that she is now looking back at her childhood too and questioning if he ever loved her. Surely, he did. No man could look at the adorable little girl I’ve seen in photos and not love her. Shows the kind of man he truly is.

Taking the glass from her hand, I place it on the bar along with mine.

“You have both in spades from me and should never doubt that.” I pull her into my arms and wrap her up tightly, which she reciprocates.

There are no tears as she lays her head on my chest, but I can hear her breathing. And sometimes that is all you need, the moment to take stock of what is happening around you.

“Have you eaten?” There was no way I could eat, worrying about her, so she probably hasn’t either.

“Not since breakfast.” She looks up at me with her sheepish eyes, knowing I won’t be happy with her answer.

“Normally I would want to put you over my knee and spank you for that, but I will let you off today because I’ll confess, I couldn’t eat tonight either. But I’m fixing that right now.” Taking her hand, I start to drag her toward the kitchen when I hear a little giggle I wasn’t expecting from her.

“I didn’t know spanking was an option. Maybe I’ll have to misbehave more often.”

I try to conjure up every bit of restraint I have, not to stop and throw her over my shoulder and head for the bedroom.

“Be careful what you wish for, beautiful,” I get out with my gritted teeth locked tight together.

“Maybe I’m not hungry.” She is trying my patience now.

“Maybe I’ll tie you down and force-feed you. You want love and support, but you didn’t say how I had to deliver it. There is no way I’m taking you to bed and making you forget about your shit day without fuel for your body. Because let me assure you, you’re going to need every bit of energy you can find.” I lift her up and sit her on my kitchen counter, and the vision of her naked here the other night flashes in my mind, when I fucked her senseless after I ate the strawberries and chocolate sauce off her body. The dip of her head and flush on her cheeks tells me she is replaying it in her head too.

“Okay, feed me,” she whispers, and I step away, turning my back and adjusting my cock that is now hard in my trousers, and proceed to see what I have in the fridge that I can make quickly.

I pull out the ingredients for a beef stir fry and start to prep.

“Okay, let’s get it all out. Tell me everything that happened, and then we can forget it for the rest of the night.” I start chopping the onion and see her flinch a little at the thought of talking about it, but she pushes herself anyway.

Before long we had hashed it all out and talked about what we need to do the next few days to make sure that Ewan is watched. It’s the shitty thing about corporate rules. Having to wait seven days for the meeting gives him time to sabotage things, but we just have to hope the fear of being exposed as the lowlife he is will be enough that he might walk away gracefully.

My gut tells me that will never happen, but one can hope.

Wiping the slate clean of talk about Ewan, we are sitting down to eat when my phone rings. Normally I would ignore it, but it’s Rem, and he wouldn’t be calling on a Friday night if it wasn’t something important.

I pick up the call. “Rem.”

“Cherie is at the club, and it’s on.” I can feel the tension that I just tried so hard to get rid of crawl through my body. I can’t say I feel comfortable putting Cherie in danger, but Felisha took that decision out of my hands when she agreed to it and made the call for her to go ahead.

“Hang on.” Putting my phone on the table, I push the speaker button. Felisha is already sitting up straighter in her chair because she knows by me doing this, it’s something that involves her.

“You are on speaker now, and Felisha is here too.” Taking her hand, I wrap it in mine and squeeze tight to show we are in this together.

“Okay, Cherie has messaged me that Ewan just turned up at the club and she is going to take him on tonight. I haven’t heard anything further from her and won’t until she is finished. Using a phone in a room like that would be so fucking dangerous.”

“God, why did I do this? I don’t care about him, but I am sending a stranger into a place she could be hurt. I’m using her. Does that make me as bad as my father, using people as pawns in his game?”

“Stop that right now,” I reply more aggressively than I should, but there is no way she is anything like that man.

At the same time, Rem is trying to argue the point too. “Don’t even think that. I know Cherie, and she can hold her own in that room. I would be more worried about her hurting the others in there. Plus, she never would have offered if she didn’t want to help you. She’s one tough woman, and I think she sees the same quality in you.”

I want to reach through the phone and hug Rem for his words. Coming from him, it will hit home with Felisha more than anything I say right now.

“I feel sick thinking about it.” And I’m already guessing that the rest of her dinner is not getting eaten tonight, but at least I got some food into her stomach before the call.

“Sit tight for a few hours and it should all be over,” Rem says, trying to reassure her, but I know there is not a chance that the next few hours will be easy for her.

“Thanks, Rem, call as soon as you hear anything,” I say and then we say our goodbyes.

And now we wait.

CHERIE

Ivan is protective of me and makes sure he sits beside me to my right, and the other woman is on the left of me. Ewan and Fulton end up opposite each other which could not have worked out any more perfectly if I tried.

They are so worried about staring each other down that I’m off their radar in the game at the moment.

We are three rounds in, and I have just let them all settle in. Ewan won the first game which seemed to calm the storm that was playing in his eyes slightly, but there is still something raging inside him.

Then Ivan took the second, and the woman next to me managed to fluke one win. I’m not sure how because of the cards the others must have had, but her bluff worked well for her. She cleaned up a small pot with three of a kind. One of the other five people at the table had to have had a higher hand than that if my counting was right.

She is a bit of a chatterbox, and I can tell it’s irritating to Fulton who is trying to keep his composure, but he wants to win a game. I don’t know all his background, but with the media stunt and the little I heard about him that day with Felisha, I can tell there is something brewing between him and Ewan through their unspoken words in this room.

I need to get into the game, but it has to be the right time. The cards are dealt, and we start into the next game, with the bets starting at ten thousand pounds, because this game isn’t for the faint of heart, and although I don’t have that sort of money lying around, Remington has backed me with whatever money I needed, and he told me Nic was also ready to cover me too if he hadn’t. Felisha wanted to do it, but I don’t want any direct connection to her right now; the guys are a big enough risk. My plan is to walk out of here with more than I started with, but of course, that is never a guarantee. That’s the problem with gamblers, they always think they will walk out winning.

This game is shaping up to be the beginning of the run I need, I think.

Only Ewan, Fulton, and I are left in the game, and they are oblivious to me. Neither of them wants to give in. The stakes are rising quickly, and the last bet Ewan made was a hundred thousand pounds, and Fulton matched it. Both of them now look at me, waiting for me to fold, but instead, I want to push them and gain their attention.

I push my chips forward. “I see your bet and raise you one hundred thousand pounds.” I see both of them give the slightest look of shock but only for a split second, and then they regain composure, their poker faces back on.

I know what I have, and they can’t beat it with the cards that have already come out of the deck. So, I’m calling their bluffs.

They both push their chips into the pot one after the other, both calling on the bet. Now as the last card in the center of the table is revealed, it’s time to show. Both the men lay down their cards, Ewan having two pairs and Fulton having three of a kind, but the straight I have beats them every day of the week.

Not giving them any reaction, I just lean out and scoop the chips toward me, but I can tell neither of them are impressed. Ewan more so than Fulton, who holds his finger in the air for another drink.

This went on for five more games, with me winning three of those games and folding on two of them, even though I’m sure I could have won them too. As I won the last few games, I became a little more vocal and dropped the comment, “Sorry, I’m sure it must be annoying being beaten by a woman.” Which of course brought a grunt from Ewan.

But it comes down to this hand. Fulton has just folded on the last round and has very few chips left on the table. I’m left with Ewan who has fallen for my deliberate fidgeting, thinking I’m feeling nervous about my bravado and have now backed myself into a corner.

In his gruff voice, he says the words I’ve been waiting all night for.

“All in.” He pushes every chip in front of him into the center of the table.

I try to look a little stressed and indecisive, and then after a few moments, I push everything I have into the pot too.

“I call.” My words bring a smirk to his face because he thinks I’m out of this game once we reveal our cards. I know it won’t be me, otherwise I wouldn’t have gone this far.

The dealer signals for us to show our cards.

Both of us lay them down at the same time, and I watch his face screw up in pure anger.

I can’t believe he went all in on three of a kind, that was crazy, but I know it was more about him thinking he could bluff me. Too bad for him I have a full house, and I happily pull the whole pot toward me.

“Oh, that must really be embarrassing to be beaten by me, a mere woman. And now you have nothing left to bet with. Looks like I get to walk away the victor for the night—unless you would like a loan.” I start to push to stand, knowing full well he’s not ready to let me walk away yet. He has just lost a million pounds, and yet he can’t let it go.

“I always have something to bet with. You will play again,” he snarls with his bossy attitude that makes my skin crawl.

“Oh, so you do want a loan from me then. Just know, nothing from me comes cheap.” I sit back in my seat a little from the table to show I’m ready to negotiate.

“Sweetheart, I don’t bow down to anyone.” His reply is so condescending that it makes me laugh out loud.

“I’m sure you believe that, but I have a differing opinion. You want to play? What do you have to offer me, and I will see if I’m happy to accept your deal. Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like you are the one begging for the chance to try to beat me, although I highly doubt it’s possible.” Trying to play the bitch in the room, I turn and wink at Fulton to keep him in the game with me, of riling up Ewan.

“Well, are you going to take the challenge, Ewan? Think you can match this beautiful lady here? Or are you just wasting her time, because I’m sure I could make better use of it back at my place.” Fulton winks back at me, thinking he is in with a chance later. My skin is crawling at the tone in his voice and obvious flirting in his body language.

“I don’t beg!” Ewan hits his fist on the table and gains the attention of the hired muscle standing around the room, leaning against the walls.

“Deal the cards, and I will bet with assets I have. I’m the wealthiest man in this room, I don’t need stupid betting chips. You name the amount, and I’ll place a property on the table.” The aggression in his voice tells me I have done exactly what I intended. Brought the toxic man to the surface.

“That’s a bold statement in present company.” Fulton takes a sip of his drink and glares at Ewan.

“Shut the hell up, Anderson. We both know I will always have more than you, including my daughter. Nice try, but I told her I forbid her to be with you.” Ewan is starting to become unhinged, and it will be a fist fight between them shortly if I don’t get this under control.

“You have no control over her. Clearly evident in the way she is naked all over the internet.” Fulton throws out the words he thinks will get an effect, but little does he know, Ewan was the one who put her there.

“Gentlemen. Are we playing the game or am I leaving with all my winnings? I don’t care about who’s got the bigger bank account, or other things that you are trying to prove.” I stand to catch both of their attention.

“Sit down, I’m not finished this game,” Ewan growls at me. Normally I would tell him to get fucked, but I can’t.

“Then tell me what collateral you are putting up to encourage me to stay.” I remain standing with my hands on the table and look straight at him, ignoring Fulton for the time being.

“I’ll give you shares in my company, but I doubt you will win, your luck must have run out. I have been just playing with you up until now.” Holy shit, he went there straight up. I thought he would offer me the title deed to a property, but no, he went to the share in the business. He is really on the edge and wants to prove a point he can beat me.

“How do I know your company is worth anything? You could be using stock that’s not worth the paper it is printed on.” I’m alleging that he is trying to bluff me.

“You have no idea who I am, little girl. I have enough wealth to blow you out of this room if I want to.” He is so fired up that I can see the pulse in his neck is rapid.

“Words have no value,” I goad, continuing to provoke him.

“Kenneth here can confirm that my word is solid.” The owner of the bar and who controls the game steps from the shadows of the room, giving me a nod. Ivan also nods to me that it is okay to continue.

“Well, it looks like you have one more chance to take my money for the night, but then I must leave, regardless of the outcome. Is anyone else in on this game or just the two of us?” They all just shake their heads at me that they were out, even Fulton, but nobody leaves the room, obviously wanting to watch this unfold.

Taking my seat, the dealer starts the game, and I pray to the God I gave up believing in a long time ago to help me out with this hand.

I have made my final bet of the million pounds that I have won from him already, and he has confirmed in front of all these witnesses that he has bet a million pounds’ worth of shares in his company.

Watching Ewan show his two cards onto the table is the longest three seconds of my life. This is either going to go very badly or be the victory we need, giving Felisha a small feeling of justice for what he has done to her.

Holding my breath, I see the king of spades and the five of hearts placed down and know he only has one pair of fives. A very low hand.

Although I knew most of the cards, there is still risk in what I do because I never get to see everything.

Keeping my straight face, I place my cards on the table which weren’t great either, but it’s enough to beat him again. Two pair, nines and sixes.

The look on his face is of stone, and the laughter that erupts from Fulton is not helping the situation.

“I’m going to need something in writing, and I would like you to speak up nice and clearly for my video so I have proof of my winnings, sir. Looks like we are going to be seeing a lot of each other going forward. I’m sure you’re not a sore loser, because I would hate to have to go public with all this.”

I hold my phone in the air and point it at him.

“Now repeat after me. I, Ewan Kentwall, have gifted one million pounds’ worth of shares to the woman who sent me here tonight, my boss, Felisha Kentwall, to be signed over immediately.”

“You little bitch, how dare you trick me. She will get nothing from me.” He tries to stand up, but one of the security guards steps forward and pushes him back into his seat.

“Say it.” The owner’s big gruff voice echoes in the room. “Sign it.” He also pushes a piece of paper in front of him that Kenneth had ready for him.

I doubt they want any publicity about these games and also don’t want a reputation of having players who make false bets in their rooms.

His face is red, his eyes bulging and looking around the room at everyone, trying to find an ally.

Not one person has said a word, and I can still hear Fulton sniggering under his breath, trying to contain himself so he looks dignified.

Ewan starts mumbling words that are almost illegible but repeats the words as I asked him to and then signs the paper.

Taking the paper from him, I place it into my handbag with my phone.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you. Enjoy the rest of your evening, and I will see you at the next shareholders meeting. Oh, that’s right, no, I won’t, my boss will.”

As I stand and back away from the table, Ewan starts yelling all sorts of profanities at me, and I can tell he has now lost his composure.

I need to get out of this room and to safety. I don’t trust him or any of the people in this room. But just as Ewan stands and starts to try to come at me, Ivan steps in front of him and flicks his head to the door, telling me he has my back and to get out of here.

When I had picked up my phone to video Ewan, I saw a message from Rem to let me know he will be waiting at the front door. I’ve never been so relieved to see his face as when I come pushing through the bar and out onto the street. He takes my arm and pushes me down the street and into a white van with tinted windows, closing the door as he climbs in with me, and the driver takes off.

I don’t speak, as I’m just letting him do his thing. We drive two streets, turn into a parking garage, and then go straight to the first level. He then opens the door, signaling me out, and we go straight into the stairwell, while I hear the van reverse out of the spot and leave. We go up a flight to the second level and into his Range Rover that is parked next to the stairs. He drives straight the other end of the garage and down and out the entrance on the other street, different to where we came in. He pushes me down in the seat so I can’t be seen through the front window.

“Get your wig off.” Those are the first words he speaks, and I have no problem with that, also stripping off my clothes, down to my underwear. Rem has seen me in sports wear before, and he isn’t even looking at me.

Reaching behind him with one hand as he speeds through the streets, he grabs his sweater and track pants from the back seat, and I slip them on and look at him to see if I can move.

“You’re clear.” He motions for me to sit up, and I feel like I can finally breathe again.

“Fuck me dead, that was intense, but I fucking got him, Rem, I made him pay.” Laying my head back on the headrest, I can see the building where Flynn lives coming into view, and I know he isn’t going to make me tell him everything until we are with everyone else.

“I don’t give a damn about that, I’m just glad you are safe. And don’t think you are ever doing something like that again. Because I don’t give a fuck how tough you are, that shit is serious, and they don’t play nice. You have a target on you now, and I’m not happy about that.”

“You’re just pissy because I’ve given you work to do now. I’ll let you off tonight, but you know the rules, don’t try to contain me.” I have a small smile on my face as he looks at me and just groans.

“You’re killing me, woman.”

We both start laughing, and I’m sure it’s part of the adrenaline wearing off and a way of releasing the tension.

We take the elevator up to Flynn’s apartment. I don’t know who I’m going to see, but I hope like hell Forrest isn’t here. I couldn’t take his macho bullshit tonight. That man has a problem with me, and he needs to back off.

The doors open, and standing there are Felisha and Flynn, looking like they have had a hard night. She’s been crying and her makeup is smudged, but she doesn’t look like she cares as she lunges into my arms before I can say a word.

She repeats the same words over and over. “You’re safe, you’re safe, you’re safe. I’m sorry, I should have said no. I’m so sorry.”

Flynn steps forward and pulls her out of my arms and into his, then he leans forward and kisses me on the cheek.

“Glad to see you safe. Come in and let’s talk.” He leads a crying Felisha into the living room, and Rem drapes his arm around my shoulder. I truly feel safe for the moment. Let’s just hope it stays that way.

I told them straight away the end result of the game, then started at the beginning, giving them a blow-by-blow description of what happened. I finally show them the video on the burner phone and watch the mix of emotions that Felisha is going through.

Revenge is not always the best feeling.

Yes, she is making him pay for what he did, but the old saying of two wrongs don’t make a right still rings true. She needs to balance her conscience now and be able to sleep at night. If it was me, I would be sleeping like a baby tonight.

I have no problem with what we did.

“Time for me to head home for the night.” I stand from the couch and look toward Rem who will need to take me.

“I can never repay you for what you did for me.” Felisha stands and hugs me tightly.

“Just be happy, that’s all I want for you.” And it’s true. All I have been doing for years is helping people heal the best way I can and to find happiness. “Start looking forward. What’s next for you?”

Pulling back, I look into her tired and sorrowful eyes. “A board meeting to remove him from my life for good.” Her voice is weak and uncertain.

“Rem, I think she needs to be my next client.” I wink at him and Flynn. “Now, let’s try that again and mean it.” Holding her by the shoulders and looking into her soul, I try to pull out her fight that has slipped down into the depths.

Felisha pulls her shoulders back and stands taller. “To remove him from my life for good!”

And that’s what I wanted to hear.

“Stand up and take your life back. You deserve nothing less.” Giving her one last hug, I walk to the elevator, because to be honest, the fight in me tonight is just about gone.

But I’ll never admit that to anyone.