Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
Lillian
I can tell we’re getting close when there are more trees than buildings rushing past the window beside the back seat. Tension I hadn’t realized I was holding eases out of my limbs as the blur of green soothes my mind. I don’t mind the city too much. I mean, it’s bearable. I guess there are too many people, too many scenarios and variables and ways of being—depending on the situation. Without any eyes staring back at me, I can ease back into myself, stop reinforcing the walls around me.
I don’t have to be so vigilant.
I hungrily take in the leaves zooming by, grateful for the silence permeating the car. Now that the driver has stopped trying to engage me in conversation, I can try to prepare for this bizarre meeting.
I’m about to meet my billionaire boyfriend for the first time—soon-to-be fiancé, as a matter of fact.
I don’t know how this happened.
I guess it started when Anne walked in on me tutoring her grandson. Well, I was trying to tutor him. He was trying to get in my pants. No matter how many times I steered the conversation back to philosophy, he would keep prodding me in that hushed, insistent whine men use when they’re trying to get you to take off your shirt. As if saying, “Come on,” a third time will get me hot and bothered.
I was threatening to leave if he didn’t stop when Anne overheard us and barged in the room.
“ This is why you can’t keep your grades up? They’re going to kick you out, you know that, right?!” Her deep red hair made her seem all the more exasperated.
“Geez, Gramma, it’s not that serious!” her grandson exclaimed, throwing his hands up before deflating into his seat like all was lost.
Buddy, you weren’t even close, I thought.
“Come on, sweetheart. You don’t need to waste your time with this blockhead anymore. Let him figure it out on his own. I’m done trying to help.”
Anne gestured like she wanted me to gather my things, and I quickly did as she bade, not bothering to look at Lou for confirmation. He didn’t have a shred of interest in raising his grades, and I had more important things to do.
Anne continued to complain as she walked me through her house and to the front door. I listened sympathetically, nodding as we moved briskly.
“I’m really sorry about that. You’re probably our fourth tutor. Now I know why they keep leaving. God, he’s never going to amount to anything. Are you alright?” She turned her attention to me suddenly and looked me over worriedly, like she was searching for his handprints on my shirt. “Ohh, I hope we can just let this go. He’s just a young man, you know how they can be.”
I realized she wasn’t just worried about me. “It’s okay, no real harm done. I’m used to that behavior, to be honest.” I smiled reassuringly.
“Really? I can still pay you for the session,” she offered, making motion to turn around, presumably to fetch her purse.
“No, that’s okay! I can’t charge you if I didn’t get any tutoring done.” I laughed a little to put her at ease. I wasn’t even thinking about taking Lou’s advances personally. He was just some horny idiot. “College guys can be like that. You come to expect it.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” Anne said quietly, and I couldn’t read the emotion in her face. Disappointment? Regret?
I shrugged a little, feeling uncomfortable. “I don’t encounter it as much anymore now that I’m out of college.” For some reason, I wanted to console her. She was like a frenzied little ball of emotion and energy, and the situation with Lou was just another fire for her to put out.
“You’re not still in college?” she asked me, surprised.
“No, I graduated already. I do some tutoring still, though.”
“Ooh, you’ve got it all. Youth, beauty, brains… can’t believe that blockhead grandson of mine thought he deserved you.” Anne scoffed, then turned serious as she looked at me. I never know what to do when I’m complimented, so I just stood there awkwardly, waiting for us to resume our walk to the door. I had just remembered to at least say thanks when she looked like a bright idea struck her.
“Are you single?” Anne dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, hope gleaming in her eyes.
“Yes?”
I saw the gears turning in her head, then she wasn’t looking at me any longer. She was looking off into the distance, putting a puzzle together that I couldn’t even imagine at that moment.
“I’m not really looking—” I started.
“Good, keep it that way.”
I felt her hand then on my back, pushing me toward the door. We were walking briskly again. “I’m going to give you a call in a couple of weeks. Let me figure something out. And I want you to keep an open mind, okay?”
“About Lou?”
“Not about Lou. I can’t tell you yet, let me figure this out.”
By the time she shoved me out the door and closed it firmly behind me, I was already dismissing whatever offer she was cooking up. No way did I want to get set up with some random lady’s nephew or grandson.
But Charlie?
I’d heard about him before Anne proposed on his behalf. It was a huge shock that he decided to go into politics so young, and after the announcement, it was hard to dodge news about him. So I knew about his relationship trouble—or lack thereof. The campaign was rock-solid, Anne eventually told me, except for a wife-sized hole.
I could be the one to fill it.
“Yes,” I heard myself saying to her. “I’ll do it.”
“You will!” Anne looked like she had been struck by lightning.
To secure my sister’s future, I would. It didn’t matter what happened to me as long as Amber could be happy.
I promised I’d take care of her.
“Miss? We’re here, Miss.”
The driver had been looking at me from the front seat, his eyes wide with concern. How long had the car been idling here?
“Oh! I’m sorry!” I fumble with my purse and pull out my cell. It’s 11, sharp. Damn . “Thank you for the ride!” I throw my weight into the car door and jump out. I want to tidy up my appearance, but I should have done that in the car instead of spacing out for so long. Inwardly chastising myself, I look up at the mansion before me and feel a chill ripple down my arms and legs despite the warm day.
The place is huge.
I’m struck by how many windows peer out of the white, refined exterior. And how tall it is. Its gray roof completes the serious tone it gives off, and not much green accentuates the paved ground in front of the door.
Could I really live here?
I groan with frustration directed at myself and propel myself forward, the frill of my dress whipping around my thighs. I look down at my white sneakers and suddenly feel self-conscious as I walk. I tried to play my dress down with casual shoes, but did I overdo it? Amber bought it for me a long time ago, and this morning when I didn’t know what to wear, it felt like a godsend: blue flowers against a white base with thin straps. It hugs my chest a bit tightly, then flares down beneath the bust, flowing enticingly.
But is it too enticing? Am I trying too hard?
I shake my head at myself. Regardless of whether he likes me, this is a relationship of convenience.
I raise my fist to knock on the door, but it pulls open before I can make contact. There stands a girl about my age, her tanned face flushed as if she’d been running around. Her brown hair is a thick tangle of curls around her face, and alert green eyes peer back at me.
“Lillian?” she confirms, already opening the door wide to invite me in.
“Yes—”
“You’re right on time. Follow me. I’ll take you to the conference room. Anne and Terry and Charlie should still be there.” She nods encouragingly, throws the door closed, and then we’re off, stomping down the pristine shining floors.
I don’t get the feeling she has any time for chitchat, but my mind is chaotic even if she did. I’m about to meet my future husband. Seeing the girl’s face, all business, brought the realization crashing around me.
This is serious.
I swallow hard and try to shove the nervousness away and summon determination in its place. I’m going through with this.
For our future.
“Here you are!”
One long hall, a left, and then another long hall later, we arrive at a closed door. She raps sharply at it, gives my shoulder a quick slap, then hurries off somewhere. She’s decked out in campaign merch, so I figure she has several other places to be.
Anne opens the door and gasps with pleasure when she sees me.
“Lillian! You look beautiful. Come in, come in!”
I grip my thin blue purse tightly and do as I’m told, feeling every bit a child in someone else’s home. In just a few steps, I’d be completely exposed, thrown into the light. I take a deep breath.
Anne stands to my right. I can feel her appraising stare fixed to me even as I look to my left. A man a little taller than Anne stands there, portly with silver hair. He nods at me and offers a polite smile. And on the other side of the long conference table, standing and looking expectantly at me, is Charlie.
My lips part without my permission as I suck in a sudden breath. Talk about a heartthrob. He’s tan and handsome, with thick brown hair and an easy smile. I knew what he looked like, but being this close to him, in the same room, is a different story. He practically radiates charm. And that lean, athletic build?
I have to look away, fast.
But I can’t.
“Lillian, right?” He’s moving toward me, flashing me his perfect teeth. I don’t know what my face is doing.
“Carter,” I say, extending my hand. What?
“Call me Charlie.” He grins at my flub as I screw up my face in embarrassment. I can’t apologize, either, because his huge warm hand is suddenly engulfing mine. My eyes snap open, and I try to retrieve my hand back, but he holds me fast. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Terry, we better let these two get acquainted!” Anne chimes in from behind me. I whip around to look at her, wide-eyed. She looks like a mom excited to marry off her son.
You can’t leave me alone with him! I plead silently.
But she does just that, taking Terry along with her, who gives us a quick wave goodbye.
The door shuts with a click.
Charlie is still holding my hand. It’s like he has a firm hold on my brain, too, because I can’t think of anything to say. I just stare at our hands, giving little tugs. He doesn’t release.
“We don’t even know each other, and now we share a secret.”
Secret?
I look up at him sharply and try to decipher his meaning, now tugging hard at my hand. He’s just grinning like there isn’t a thing wrong with the situation.
“What?” I ask dumbly.
“You agreed to pretend that we’ve been in a relationship together. You can’t tell anyone else that. You haven’t, right?” He laughs at me, tightening his hold on me.
“Oh. Right. No, I-I haven’t.” I frown and muster my strength to give one last final tug.
And he releases me.
I let out a short scream as I topple backward from the force of my effort, arms flailing to grab on to something. Charlie watches me without moving. I land hard on my ass, and it feels like my tailbone has shattered. I wince and press a hand to the sharp pain, waiting for it to settle and dissipate. It eventually subsides. Thankfully, nothing feels broken. It just hurts, badly.
I glare up at Charlie. He’s looking down at me intently, his head tilted to the side.
“Bows?”
“Bows?” I repeat, annoyed that he isn’t even moving to help me up. He let me go at that moment on purpose. What kind of immature?—
Bows?!
I look down and see my dress is hiked up, displaying my frilly white panties. He’s referring to their pattern of multicolored bows.
I scramble to cover myself up, feeling my cheeks heat up, and rise to my feet, wincing in pain again. I’m opening my mouth to accuse him of doing that on purpose when I feel cool air on my upper thighs.
He’s lifting the hem of my dress.
I slap his hand away, feeling scandalized.
“Excuse me?? What do you think you’re doing?!” I step away from him.
“I wasn’t done looking,” he replies casually. “Show me.”
“I’m not going to show you anything! What do you think I’m here for?”
“You’re my long-term girlfriend. You should be used to this kind of thing by now.” He talks to me like what he’s saying is the most obvious thing in the world.
“Just because I’ve agreed to be your girlfriend doesn’t mean I’ve agreed to become a piece of meat for you to ogle and fondle all you like.”
He hasn’t looked me in the eyes since I stood up. His eyes are on my chest. “What else is a girlfriend good for?” he asks flatly, approaching me with his hand outstretched, reaching for the hem of my dress again.
“I’m here to save your campaign!” I remind him, slapping his hand away again. I look around me incredulously. Did Anne set me up? Is this some kind of prank?
“Yeah, save,” he repeats in a mocking tone, not deterred by my resistance. I back away, and he follows, sizing up my hips, my thighs. But it’s not lust or hunger in his eyes. He’s inspecting me indifferently.
What the hell is going on?
“I’m leaving.” I turn for the door behind me, just wanting to get as far away from this situation as possible, and then his body is pressing against mine, making me stumble forward until my shoes come up against wood. He flattens me against the door. I feel his warmth seeping into me.
Panic flares up in my chest. I can’t struggle against him—he’s too strong. He bends down, coming close to my ear, and I feel him reach for my hands. I try to tuck them away from him, but I’m too tightly pressed to the door. My heart is thudding as he secures a grip around each wrist and plants my arms to my side.
“You’re not going anywhere.” His breath is hot against my ear. His scent washes all over me, his presence demanding my full attention.
My mind goes quiet. I stop resisting.
Who knew Charlie, the neighborhood billionaire, would do a thing like this to a girl he’d just met?
I can’t help it.
It makes me laugh. And I can’t stop. My body shakes against his, and I feel him go still. As I keep laughing, he releases his hold on me, then steps away. I picture him on the news, on magazine covers. I hear him getting flattered by reporters old enough to be his mom.
And I keep laughing.
“What are you laughing at?” he says, all the mirth gone from his voice.
“You fucking fraud,” I deride, flipping around. One look at him kills the laugh completely. There’s cold murder in his eyes. But I’ve gained a bit of purchase, and I can’t lose it now. “I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised you went into politics. Politicians are all slimy like this.”
Shitfuck!
Did I really just tell him that?
We’re staring each other down. His wide stance emphasizes his broad shoulders, and as he slips his hands into the pockets of his dark tan pants, the casual look of him, with his fitted button-down tucked in, seems all the more threatening. It’s the darkness in his eyes. They bore into mine for the first time, making my mind go blank.
He’d eat me alive without a second thought.
At first, I was too intimidated by how handsome he is to be alone with him. I feel pretty average, too average to be associated with him. And I was immediately suffocating under the radiance of his celebrity status.
But now.
Now I feel the threat of his masculinity.
I notice the hint of his muscular arms in his sleeves and recall the easy strength of them, how they bound me. I shrink under his tall stature, feeling all of his body engulfing mine again.
A man has never been so close to me like that.
And I liked it.
“What about you, Lillian?” he asks softly, his voice like velvet encasing hard steel. “You agreed to lie with me before even meeting me. Maybe it was because of my money.”
Step by slow step, he’s getting closer. My heart is pounding. My back hits the door, its coolness doing nothing to stop the heat rising along my skin. I can’t look away from him.
“Maybe you wanted the status.” He’s close enough to whisper, close enough for me to see the pink wet tip of his tongue touching his teeth. His half-lidded gaze lazily wanders my face, down to my lips. “Maybe you wanted to get fucked by a man like me.”
I flinch and hear myself take in a shaky breath. My head is hot and swimming. I can’t force the denial out. It’s not even forming in my mind. There’s only Charlie.
He removes his hand from his pocket and runs his fingers beneath one of the thick braids resting on my shoulders, his thumb gently sliding over the smooth cord. The backs of his fingers graze the exposed flesh of the top of my breast.
“You ever been fucked by a man way out of your league, Lillian?” I feel his breath on my face as he scoffs lightly. I catch the sweet scent of it.
And I’m doused in shame. Tears of embarrassment begin to prick my eyes. I finally look away from him and try to shrink further into myself. He keeps stroking my braid, the heat of his fingers making my nipples hard in my bra. And to my horror, the back of his knuckle nudges past my arousal, deliberately.
I can’t breathe.
“No, you haven’t, have you? You couldn’t let an opportunity like me pass you by. But when did I ever say I’d fuck you, Lillian?” His mouth draws closer to mine when he emphasizes the word. I taste his breath, feel his words against my lips. I regret ever insulting him as he reduces me to nothing. I turn my head away from him and close my eyes, just wanting this to be over.
“I-I’m sorry,” I whisper back, hoping to get him off of this topic. My face is burning at his taunts. I didn’t even think about the two of us together, not like that. He’s Charlie Carter . I’m…
No one.
“You’ve got your reason for coming to me today. You’re like a dog at my dinner table, trying to get some scraps.” Charlie’s hand pauses near the end of my braid, his pinky catching my hard nipple, spreading his warmth into me. I shudder, and he continues whispering directly into my ear. “Tell you what. If you play your role well in public, we can both get what we want. I’ll get my position in Congress, and you’ll get to sleep near the foot of my bed, in your own little cage. Like the bitch you are.”
I can’t bear the filth he pours into my ear like honey. Chills are racing down my neck, the skin prickled with goosebumps, but I’m on fire. I whimper, the mix of emotion, revulsion, shame—and something else—making my chest ache. Or is that my pounding heart?
“Aren’t you going to say anything? Try, ‘Thank you, Charlie.’”
The closeness of him assaults my entire body. I’m on full alert, trembling as my focus zeroes in on his pinky lingering on my nipple and his lips, almost close enough to brush my ear. There’s no way I can speak.
Maybe he knows that. Because, gentle as a lover, he takes the peak of my breast between his thumb and forefinger. And starts to stroke.
I gasp, the sweetness of the pleasure making my stomach flip. It feels so wrong coming from him.
“You’ve realized it, right? You’re just as slimy as I am. That’s why you’re here. So say it. Say, ‘Thank you, Charlie,’ and I’ll be nice to you.” His circling touch makes my pussy bloom like a flower.
The door vibrates with sudden quick knocks. I gasp and shove Charlie away, whose face cracks into a grin.
“You guys done getting acquainted? Are we moving forward with the plan?” Anne’s hopeful, muffled voice comes through the wood of the door.
Charlie strides toward me, and I duck out of his way, spotting my purse lying forgotten on the floor. I retrieve it as I hear the door open.
“Looks like it’s going to work out!” he declares, the ease back in his voice.
I straighten and turn around to face Anne. Her expression is a question aimed at me.
“Yeah, can’t wait to get started!” I chirp brightly.