Chapter 18 #2
And as I stare at the man standing before me, looking like he’s ready to burn every inch of the world that dared to harm me, I do the unthinkable at a time like this.
I laugh.
The action has Luke stilling before me, head tilted in confusion. Damien’s cut off from wherever I left him in his unnecessary rant.
“Something funny, wifey?” Damien sneers.
“I’m not your wife, and I never will be.
So call off your dogs and get your story straight.
And by story, I’m referring to a little thing most humans with a soul call the truth.
You were left at the altar. We are no longer getting married.
And if you’re feeling extra charitable, tell the people of New York that you’re also a lying piece of shit.
But feel free to run the wording by your chief of staff. ”
Damien is scoffing in my ear, at a complete loss for words. But I’m too focused on the sexy-as-fuck grin on Luke’s face.
He places his hands on the island, bracketing me in his arms without touching me.
“Hang up,” he mouths.
“Not yet. I’m having too much fun now,” I mouth back, swinging my legs back and forth.
“You’re out of your depth, Daisy,” Damien says, his voice much less confident than when we started our call.
“There will be repercussions for your actions. This is larger than you and me. There are powerful people backing me to ensure that I’m in that governor’s mansion after this election.
Now is not the time to throw a damn tantrum.
And if you think you can take me down, don’t expect to come out of this unscathed.
Your big brother isn’t the only one with connections.
Do you really think I can’t have you painted out as the villain in this story?
It’s so easy to pit women against one another.
How long do you think until the internet trolls are out for your blood, Daisy? Hmm?” he spits.
My confidence starts to waver. I know how vicious social media can be. It nearly sent my friend Isabella into hiding for a few years to escape the worst of it.
But the alternative? Marrying Damien and standing by his side for the rest of my days, or at least as long as he deems me helpful to his image?
Absolutely not.
I hum and decide to go for the jugular instead.
“Ah, yes. Go ahead, Damien. And tell me again how the optics of a white man in power going after his Latino vote—my apologies—Latina fiancée and trying to dismantle her impeccable reputation is going to go for you and the liberal voters you’ve tried your hardest to convince you’re one of? ”
“You fucking bitch!” He all but screams into my ear.
Luke tries to take the phone, mouth already open, but I easily dodge it, leaning my head on his shoulder, my satisfied gaze clashing with his ruthless one.
I click my tongue. “Yeah. Well, it’s a good thing I like the ring of ‘bitch’ much better than Mrs. Fischer anyway. Have a good life, Damien. Or don’t. Needless to say, I won’t be voting for you. Goodbye.”
I hang up and drop the phone to my lap and release the biggest breath known to man, landing in Luke’s warm embrace in the process.
He speaks into my curly hair. “Daisy, I am so fucking proud of you. You—you… God, I think I’m speechless.”
I chuckle into his chest. “You’ve never been accused of being a man of many words.”
He pinches my side, and I erupt into a fit of giggles as he continues his merciless assault.
I manage to slide off the kitchen island and escape, putting a hand up between us before he attempts to come at me again while I catch my breath, walking backward toward the living room.
“Hold on. I need to make one more phone call before my life potentially goes up in flames.”
Luke cocks his head. “Your father? Am I getting a front-row seat to that verbal lashing as well?” He rubs a hand over his chest. “Not going to lie, Daisy. You telling your ex off… it was doing things for me.”
I look down quickly, wondering if what he felt was physical.
He quirks a brow. “Caught ya.”
I shrug. “As you said, nothing I haven’t already seen.”
His jaw actually drops at my comment, and I feel unstoppable.
But before we take this any further, I need to clue my brother in to the media shitstorm coming our way.
Nick picks up on the first ring. “Need the chopper?”
I pause. “You have a helicopter? Actually, don’t answer that. I’m calling because I just got off the phone with Damien.”
“Shit. Luisa!”
I roll my eyes. Of course my brother is looping in his wife. He knows she would rake him over hot coals if he failed to retell the conversation accurately and wants her to hear it straight from the source.
“It’s Daisy. She spoke to Damien,” he says, slightly out of breath. Sucker probably ran up the ridiculous number of stairs in his brownstone.
“Shit. Daisy, are you okay? Do you need us to come up there?” Luisa asks.
Luke’s booming laugh takes us all by surprise. “Oh, she’s fine, all right. She told him to fuck off and threatened him if he decided to smear her name in the media. Which he probably will find a way to do, given that he’s a grimy excuse of a man.”
Silence.
“Did Coach just laugh?” Nick whisper-shouts into the phone.
Luke rolls his eyes. Looks like I’m rubbing off on him.
Well, I actually did this morning.
“Anyway,” I say, more to myself than anyone else.
“I wanted to give you a heads-up. And he also admitted to fucking his secretary and models who are fond of cocaine. And he mentioned that dad was playing some role behind the scenes in keeping me compliant for him. So all in all, it was a pretty informative phone call.”
“He fucking cheated on you?” Nick shouts through the phone. “He dared disrespect you and put you at risk for—fuck. Daisy, do you want us to send a doc—”
“No need. They never fucked,” Luke says, a bit too smug for this conversation with my brother.
“I—what? I don’t know how I feel about knowing that information. Luisa, how do we feel about this?”
She clears her throat. “Well, first, we feel relieved. I will have follow-up questions, answers to which I will not be sharing with you, my dear husband. But honestly…” She pauses. “There was no way Daisy was getting dicked down with the way she’s been acting all year, so I guess it tracks?”
I feel my cheeks go bright red as my brother goes on about not needing to hear those words in regard to his little sister ever again.
While Luke runs his thumb over his bottom lip, lost in thought.
When his heated eyes meet mine, I can only imagine he’s thinking about his wake-up call this morning.
“Yeah, so this has been great. But I’m gonna go now and act like that last part of the conversation didn’t happen with my brother on the line. Okay? Cool. Thanks. Love you guys. And sorry in advance for whatever shit Damien slings our way. Bye!”
“Wait!” Luisa says, sounding more businesslike. “Thanks again for setting up the new pitching coach with everything he needs, Luke. Especially since you’re the one who unexpectedly took time off for the first time since you signed your Monarchs contract.” There’s a sly tone in her voice.
I look at Luke. “I thought you guys were off because of weather delays?”
“We are,” Luisa answers for him. “But that doesn’t mean the team doesn’t have scheduled practices and tapes to go over with their manager or that they don’t have to come up with strategies for the lineup of teams on their calendar.
C’mon, Daisy, you’ve been around long enough to know that the boys don’t just show up on the field on game day. ” She chuckles.
“Right,” I draw out as I look at an unapologetic Luke.
He shrugs, even though she can’t see him. “Gotta use that time off at some point, right, boss?”
“Mm-hmm, sure,” Luisa singsongs.
“My ears are still covered. Are we still on the dicking down conversation?” Nick asks.
“And that’s my cue to go. Bye, guys.”
“I’ll update the girls via the group chat” is the last thing Luisa says as I hang up and toss my phone on the couch.
Luke takes a step closer to me. “Did I mention how proud I am of you, Daze?”
I lift my hand, halting him in his tracks. His brows furrow, but I need to ride this high I’m feeling and do what needs to be done before I’ve wasted any more valuable time in my life.
“Ask me.” I take a breath for courage. “Ask me what I want, Luke.”
His face shifts into his signature, unreadable mask.
Cautiously, as if holding his breath, he asks, “What do you want, Daisy?”
I flip my left hand over so it’s facing him. “I want to take this atrocious, gaudy-looking ring off my finger and never set sight on it again.” I pull the ring off in one single tug—it was never sized correctly to begin with—and let it drop to the floor with a clink.
Silence greets me as his entire demeanor shifts.
I know exactly what I’ve done.
I’ve thrown down the gauntlet.
He said he wouldn’t touch me while I still wore another man’s ring, and now I’m going to test if those words ring true.
“Ask me again.”
“Daisy—” he rasps, his voice barely recognizable.
“Ask me.”
His jaw clenches beneath his beard. “What do you want, Daisy?”
I stare at his lips as I reply. “I want you to kiss me.”