Chapter 15
15
R AIN
It takes me several minutes to navigate a myriad of rooms and corridors washed in the morning light before heading downstairs and locating the dining room on the first floor.
Veronica greets me with a soft nod and shows me to the terrace, where a breakfast table styled with pressed linens and red flowers sits near the handrail.
James leans against the balustrade, one hand tucked in his pocket, the other holding his phone glued to his ear.
He wears a slim-fit, button-down white shirt, and tailored black pants with a sleek leather belt fastened with a silver-tone buckle.
The sun casts a bright light over his shoulders, adding depth to his dark-green eyes.
A smile creases his lips as I near him.
Holding his gaze, I round the table and stop in front of him.
He leans toward me slightly while I curl my arms around his neck and gently kiss his cheek.
His soft grin makes my heart flutter with excitement.
Cheeks burning, I tear away from him and take a seat.
“Okay… I’ll see you there,” he says on the phone before ending his conversation.
Locking my eyes briefly, he claims the second seat.
Spellbound, I drink him in.
“Are you going to eat or just stare at me?”
“I’ll eat, don’t worry...” I say, stealing another glance at him.
“I’ll be in New York tonight...” he says without much introduction. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
His words remind me that he is so much more than the man I shared the bed with last night.
“Okay,” I murmur, looking at my plate.
“Are you okay?”
“Mm-hmm,” I say without raising my eyes.
“Look at me, Rain.”
I tilt my head up.
“What’s the problem?”
“I, um… I can’t say.”
His smile dies out, a stern look sliding over his face. He clasps his fingers under his chin.
“I’m waiting,” he says.
I push my napkin to the side, weighing my words, and take a long breath before I speak.
“I want to get on a contraceptive, but I can’t see my family doctor or use my credit card without my family knowing about it.”
I’m out of breath and can’t look at him right now.
My eyes are trained on my plate, my face burning as I wait for his reaction.
I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. He doesn’t say a word for a few good moments.
“Look at me, baby,” he finally says softly.
I lift my chin.
My heart skips beats when he locks my eyes.
He looks at me tenderly, with an expression I’ve never seen on him before.
“You’ll get your doctor, money, and everything you need... All right?”
“Okay.”
“Is there anything else?” he asks seriously.
“No.”
I lower my eyes, my face still hot, a smile tugging at my lips.
“What now?”
“I’m sore as hell... I can barely walk.” I say, unable to hide my grin or make my blush disappear.
I raise my eyes.
A smile filled with lustful promises sits on his lips.
“You’ll get used to it,” he says, mischief and humor lining his voice.
* * *
RAIN
“No...” Eve says, washed with disbelief.
“Yes.”
“James Sexton, Alexander Harrington, and Edward Preston. The fucking Kings,” Eve says in a breath.
“Shh... Keep it down, please,” I quietly say, scanning the tables around the terrace.
Luckily, no one is within earshot.
“Are you ready?” the server asks.
“Yes. Molten chocolate cake for me,” I say.
“Key lime pie, please,” Eve adds before the woman removes the menu from the table, nods, and leaves us alone.
“You look good,” I say.
A white sleeveless summer dress with red piping highlights her tan. Her lustrous waving hair frames her sparkling eyes and beaming smile.
She’s never looked prettier.
“You too. And now I know why,” she comments, amused.
“Shh...”
“Oh… You’re blushing like a virgin. Oops, did I say virgin?”
She rolls her eyes––her expression is so funny I can’t stop laughing.
“How is your love life?” I ask.
“Good,” she says, her lips tinged with a soft smile. “School is not what I thought it would be, but going to college was the best thing that could have happened to me. Having a boyfriend is the greatest thing ever. Oh, by the way… Where’s the evil one?” she asks before pursing her lips and crushing a smile as the server returns and slides the plates in front of us.
“Mmm... This looks good,” Eve says.
“Thank you,” I say to the woman.
She strolls away as I sink my spoon into a soft, warm chocolate mound.
“She’s home now.”
“Why?”
“Their house is unfinished, and she doesn’t want to live with Nat’s family. He lives with us too. He travels a lot and only stays with us a few days a week when he returns from his business trips.”
Sadness seeps into my voice.
“What is it?” she asks, her gaze filled with concern.
I place the spoon on the plate and glance away.
“I don’t know...” I murmur, staring out the window before swinging my eyes back to her.
“What’s the problem?” she asks again.
“This whole thing... It doesn’t feel right.”
“James?”
“No... No. It’s not about him... I mean, it is, but not in the way you think. It’s more about life. And my life. A lot of things didn’t bother me before I met him. I was happy living at home with my parents. I wanted to have a career as an author. I never thought about my future––not seriously anyway––let alone about making money, having freedom, and being in control of my life.”
“What are you talking about? You wrote a book that will be in bookstores this fall. You’re a published author at not even twenty years old. You’ll drink lattes and sign autographs while I’ll be sweating over some stupid test or waste my time learning information that will never get me a job once I finish school. You think that’s freedom?”
“I don’t know what freedom is. At least you and Daria live away from home and have a life. I’m still living with my parents in their house––on their dime. They agreed to let me stay with them and not go to college because I wanted to become an author. That’s fine, but my chances of making a living with it are slim. I’m not authoring commercial books. And even if I was, it would still be a crapshoot. I suspect they know all this. They probably thought I’d stay with them while building this sham of a career before getting married and living with someone else. I don’t have any money of my own, and frankly, I’ve never given it much thought until now. It didn’t bother me until I wanted to do something without their knowledge and realized the situation I was in.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Everything is theirs. Their rules meant little to me because I wanted nothing from them all these years. But now that I want a life of my own, I don’t know how to go about it. A job won’t give me enough money to live independently––not far from them, anyway. I’ll always need their help. I wouldn’t even be able to afford the car I’m driving right now, let alone a place of my own, if it wasn't for them.”
She looks at me, puzzled.
“Why is it suddenly so damn important for you to be independent?”
I take a deep breath.
“They don’t know about James.”
Her eyes widen with surprise.
“What? No. Why didn’t you tell them? Women would kill to be with him.”
“Yeah, they would. But in my case, my parents would say I’m too young, and James only wants to sleep with me. And even if he doesn’t, he’s not marriage material. And I’d be living on the edge with him. That sort of thing. Besides, it’s all true. The man doesn’t believe in love and, sure enough, is not interested in marriage. Not now, and not ever. Not with me or someone else. And to be honest, I’m not interested either.”
Her mouth falls open as she looks at me, perplexed.
“But why?”
I look away, shrugging.
“I don’t know. It’s how I feel.”
I move my gaze back to her.
She can’t make much sense of my words.
“So, anyway…” I continue. “To my parents and my sister, I’d be nothing but a young, stupid slut. Maybe my parents wouldn’t put it that way, but they would think it anyway.”
“What about your dear sister? She slept around quite a bit, and they’ve never had a problem with it.”
“Yeah, she did. But she married a man they both liked. Someone who is marriage material. Plus, she’s in college. Once all is said and done, she’ll be back home, get a good job in the finance industry, have a couple of kids, and live happily ever after.”
“I don’t know what to say... Your parents seem open-minded and laid back.”
“They are good as long as I don’t cross lines with them.”
“But you didn’t even try to talk to them.”
“Talk what? Tell them I plan to live with James Sexton in his mansion, be there for him whenever he comes back from the office, his business trips, or his nightclub? And then what? Live off his money? What would that make me if not a whore on a retainer?”
“Damnit... Rain. I don’t even know what to say. So what do you plan to do? What did you tell him?”
“I told him I can’t start a feud with my family, and he understood. He’s not a fan of drama, anyway. He has a life and doesn’t want to get caught in the shit storm threatening my life. Spending time at his place was only possible when my family was out of town, but now they’re back. I can’t leave my place in the evenings. And I can’t spend the nights out. He’s busy during the day.”
Walls of panic grow around me.
She mulls over my words.
“It sucks. I don’t know what to say. He’s probably the only one who can help you,” she says.
I shake my head.
“No, he can’t. And I don’t want his help or to be the woman who depends on him. He’d get bored with me, and he might get bored anyway. Plus, where would that leave me if it all ends at some point? Back with my parents? Starting from scratch away from home?”