Chapter 5 #2
No matter how messed up things were now, I still felt tears prick my eyes at the looming inevitable. “This asshole turned my father and his co-CEO down a few times, until recently he decided he was all in on a joint hotel/casino.”
“What changed his mind?” Keith asked.
I looked up at him. “My father’s weakening and he got him where it hurts: me. He’s asked me out twice before and I turned him down each time. Now, he said he’d agree to this business deal if he could have my hand in marriage.”
Keith frowned. “Are you from a different culture…?”
I managed to snort at that. “No. Or maybe I am, because the culture of business and money can make people do some really fucked-up things.”
Before me, Keith lost his resolve. “Kennedy…”
I waved him off, not wanting his pity. This was my life. “So, last night was our big engagement announcement and party. I got overwhelmed and fled. I didn’t take my phone because I didn’t want to chance my mom tracking me down. Not that I can stay away for too long.”
“So what now, you’re going to really marry some old geezer?”
“He’s not that much older than me. He’s very successful and attractive. A lot of women would kill to be in my position.”
“So, outside of the whole ‘asshole’ thing, what’s wrong with the guy?” Keith asked curiously.
I stood firm in my stance. “I said no, and that’s all that matters. To go around me and force my father’s hand is psychotic.” And borderline controlling. “I don’t know how, but I’m going to put my foot down and get out of this. I know what I want, and what I don’t.”
Keith nodded. “Amen to that. Taking advantage of your dad now that he’s sick is some evil shit. And I know he’s not well, but your dad really shouldn’t put you in this position either.”
It was true, and another point I would bring up when I got back to Hampton Hills. They could do their business whatever way they chose, without me.
Cain Carter could not have me.
I shook off my irritation and focused on Keith. “What about you?”
“What about me?” he asked.
He was attractive, clearly hardworking, and a skilled lover. I hadn’t thought to wonder if he were seeing anyone. “Are you single?”
“Of course,” he said as if it should’ve been obvious. “I’m not that type of guy.”
I liked this answer, as if the idea of cheating was just completely unacceptable to him.He was almost thirty, and it was clear he wasn’t about to be one of those men who forever acted on impulses and behaved like a horny adolescent. Who “did them” and broke hearts.
“So…” I threw out. “I’m not a cheater, and you’re single. No harm, no foul.”
“No harm, no foul,” Keith repeated with a bob of his head.
I liked the sight of him in glasses. The serious look on his handsome face. The way his muscles bulged in his arms when he folded them. The way his tattoos complemented his skin and brawn.
Keith chuckled, a husky lullaby. “You keep looking at me like that, and you’re asking for trouble.”
I’d never been a rule breaker in my life, but suddenly I was down for all delinquency. “I like trouble.”
He tilted his head, studying me with pure amusement behind his glasses. “What you so far away for?” He gestured to the side. “C’mere.”
I felt schoolgirl silly just then. Too giddy to stop myself from obeying and crossing over and standing in front of him.
His manliness permeated the air. A heavy potion drawing me in and taking no prisoners. Keith was intoxicating.
A gleam hung in his eyes as he stared down at me. “You like trouble, huh?”
“Y-Yes,” I breathed out, anticipating his next move.
His hand came down hard on my butt, sending my sex clenching, and a gasp out of my mouth.
Shit .
Why did that feel good?
What more, Keith slid something in my back pocket. “Well, if you’re ever having car trouble, here’s my card. Give me a ring or somethin’.”
Or something .
“Okay,” I said.
Keith looked at the clock on the wall and came back to me. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Oh, so there’s the gentleman side you keep hidden away,” I taunted.
This remark was rewarded with another smack to my butt.
The whole way out to the garage I contemplated saying something else wise and witty to be smacked again.
“All right, just so we’re clear, a spare is only supposed to be temporary,” Keith instructed as I climbed in behind my wheel. He hung in the window after I’d rolled it down, staring at me as he gave me the warning. “Make sure you get a new tire soon, and watch where you’re drivin’.”
I saluted him, being a pest. “Yes, sir.”
He appeared to be fighting a smile as he stood back and gave me room to leave.
I pushed the Start button and my Lexus came to life. Almost immediately I was assaulted by the loud rap sounds of 21 Savage. I shot Keith a glare, only to find him not hiding his gorgeous smile.
Nice move, Keith, nice one.
The only reason I went to my parents’ house right away was to get my cell phone. I also owed them a cursory acknowledgment that I was alive and well, but I wasn’t ready to have it out with them on my engagement.
But they lived in a gated estate and there was no going about it without speaking to them regardless. One step in the door and my mother was already waiting for me in the foyer with her arms folded and disappointment teeming loudly from her person. Everything about her appearance was in place, her hair styled and held back in a clip, her outfit crisp and designer, meaning we had company of some sort over. Not that she was otherwise a slob, but these days, she didn’t force it when all she wanted to do was be by my father’s side.
“You have some nerve.” Her tone was dry and tired. We weren’t about to argue; she’d had it with me.
I attempted to go by her to get my phone and forgo this dramatic confrontation. “Can we do this later? I do need to talk to Daddy.”
Her cold hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me back around to face her. “He’s with a specialist up there right now. So whatever it is you want can wait.”
My heart stung in my chest. This kept getting more real by the minute and I wasn’t brave enough to pretend I didn’t care. “Is he doing okay?”
My mother snorted, letting me go and shaking her head, causing her earrings to sway in her ears. “He’s not too happy with you, Kennedy. Cain?—”
“Mom,” I cut in. “Is he okay with his health?”
She calmed down for just a moment. Her forehead creased as she looked down at the marble flooring. “He wants to walk. He’s becoming frustrated with having to slow down and take a break. He’s angry and I’m doing all that I can to ease this for him.”
I hugged myself as I felt angry inside at the illness claiming my father.
“The Residence at Cartier is a dream project for him,” my mother went on, bringing up the joint collaboration Nichols & Wagner and Cain were creating here in Los Angeles. “I understand this is abrupt and hard for you, but couldn’t you please just try to make things less complicated for your father? Cain is incredibly accomplished for his age and he’s respectful and reserved.”
“He inherited the casino. He didn’t earn it like Daddy and Phil with Nichols & Wagner,” I countered.
My mother shook her head. “He was upset when you disappeared on him. He wants to have lunch today to clear the air and smooth things over. So, please, go get dressed and meet with him.”
I put my foot down. “I have to get my tire fixed. I’m riding on a spare.”
She reached out and took my key fob from me. “I’ll have it brought in. Oliver can drive you to the restaurant.”
There was no pleading with her.
My hands were tied and I hated it. I didn’t want to disappoint my father. I knew how much this deal had meant to him in the years he’d been campaigning for The Residence Hotel and Cartier Casino to create a new property here in California. If he were in better spirits, I knew he’d never put me in this predicament.
Maybe if I begged Cain himself he’d see he was being ridiculous.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll go get ready.”
My mother’s cold palm cupped my cheek, bringing my vision to meet hers. “Just try to at least get to know him.”
I wouldn’t. I would go to this lunch armed with a mission to convince him to drop this charade.
I dressed business casual in a white blouse, black slacks, and my favorite pair of black heels. I styled my hair, put on a little makeup, and half an hour later I was sliding into the back of our family driver’s town car.My phone was charged, finding missed calls and texts from my mother and Jadyn. Not to mention the influx of social media notifications and texts from casual acquaintances congratulating me on my engagement. The latest text from Jadyn was snooping on how things had gone when I’d seen Keith.
Oliver came to a stop and I put my night behind me as I faced the restaurant Cain had picked out. Etienne’s . The sign out front said it held a wide array of famous French cuisine. By the valet taking people’s cars in the lane around me, I just knew this was one of those obscenely fancy restaurants that gave guests large dinner plates with small servings along with decorative sauce on the side.Not my favorite, but Cain didn’t know me. Yet .
Despite my gut telling me to flee, I got out of the car and went inside. I went over to the hostess and put on my best smile and pretended everything was okay. “Hi, party for Carter?”
She scanned her reservation book and faced me with a bright smile. “Right this way.” She turned, preparing to lead me into the dining room, her braided ponytail swinging behind her.
It was almost noon and the restaurant was fairly full as we stepped into the left side of the establishment. The smell of sauce and herbs hung in the air as light classical music set the tone. People around me were eating and enjoying their dates or business meetings. No one took notice of the young woman preparing to share a meal with the Devil.
Right away I noticed where Cain was already seated and waiting. Even more, he wasn’t alone. Two of his men were at a table not too far from where Cain was sitting. One was scanning the room casually and the other, the tall and heavy-set one was on the phone.
Run! I told myself as my bravery evaporated.
It was too late.
Cain had spotted me and we were too close to the table to turn around. Where Cain was seated was in a lone corner of the restaurant, as only four tables were in the area around him. Outside of his men seated at a table behind him, no one was in this section.
“Here you are,” the hostess said as she stood at the table and bestowed me with another big smile.
I tipped my head at her awkwardly before approaching a chair farthest from Cain at the square-shaped table. He’d stood up and appraised me, being a gentleman and waiting for me to sit before he did again.
I sat down and covered my lap with a tablecloth and tried to wipe my sweaty palms on it. Before, it was easy to form a plan to talk him out of this marriage. Now, being so close, recognizing that algid air around him, I could barely bring myself to look at him.
But I did. He was in another expensive suit—a suit he did wear well—as he sat across from me quietly.
“Good morning,” I spoke up.
Cain glanced at the watch on his wrist and back to me. “Morning.”
“Good morning!” A waiter came and interrupted us. A tall man with gold glasses that reminded me of the wrong person just then. Unlike Keith, our server, whose name tag read Max , appeared friendly. “Do you need more time to choose your meals? If so, what can we start you off with to drink?”
Cain had been here longer than me, so he knew what he wanted. “Can you bring a bottle of your best red wine?” He glanced at me. “Do you like red?”
I shook my head. “I don’t drink.”
Cain returned to Max. “I’ll take the wine, and she’ll have whatever she likes.”
In the end, I chose a simple glass of water with a lemon in it. By the time Max had swung back around with our drinks, I’d scoured the menu twice over in an effort to avoid talking to Cain.
Cain ordered the pan-seared foie gras, something that made my stomach lurch in guilt and disgust. I settled on a halibut dish and a side salad.
And then we were alone, awaiting our meals with nothing else to do but talk.
“Something came up,” I started saying, waving my hand dismissively on my departure from our party. “An emergency with my friend.”
Cain reached into his jacket. He brandished a small pad of paper and a pen and set it on the table. “Why don’t we get to know each other a little more? Starting with you giving me your cell phone number so I can get ahold of you in cases of emergencies .”
If he was calling me a liar, at least he’d been polite about it.
Reluctantly, I recited my cell number as I squeezed my fists shut under the table.
Cain jotted it down quickly before looking over at me. “You ordered the halibut—are you a big seafood eater?”
“I’m a pescatarian,” I told him.
He wrote this down.“I eat meat. Will that be a major problem?” He almost seemed sincere.
I cleared my throat, brushing off falling for his tone. If he were sincere, he would’ve asked me to marry him face-to-face, or taken my rejection instead of this. “I’m not a fan of foie gras, but typically, meat eaters don’t offend me.” On a rare occasion, I’d eat chicken with Jadyn.
“Favorite snack?”
“Cotton candy grapes,” I answered. “Which is ironic, since I don’t like cotton candy or the flavor for candy.”
Cain wrote all this down as if he were studying for an important test. One could argue at least he wanted to know things about me.
“Aren’t you going to ask me questions, Kennedy?” Cain asked as he brought his attention from his pad to me.
I didn’t want to get to know him, but if I were stuck in this, I supposed I should’ve tried to see if he weren’t completely terrible. “Why did you bring me into this deal with my dad?”
“I like turning nos into yeses,” Cain said simply.“I’m not a fan of asking for things, but if I’m approached on something, I want it worth my while.”
“I’m not a piece of stock,” I snapped.
My attitude didn’t deter Cain. His dark empty eyes took me in, examining me. “No, you’re not. Next question.”
In another moment, we were joined by his heavier associate.
“Dice, Huffman said he can’t pay you in full,” the man said as he leaned down toward Cain’s ear.
Cain blinked, but no emotion came to his face. “We gave him a lot of… chips . Tell him I want all that they’re worth.”
The man accepted this. “And if he can’t bring it in?”
Cain traced his finger along the rim of his wineglass, face a blank canvas. “Then I hope infant-size coffins are cheap.”
I choked on my air, unable to play off my blatant fear.
There it was. That darkness I’d sensed about him from the moment I first met him. He was a killer. A coldblooded one at that.
We were at a public restaurant, not within earshot but he still spoke of taking a life as if he were debating an Armani suit versus Tom Ford.
Cain peered at me. He lifted his hand, releasing his worker. “Beans? Don’t interrupt my meal again.”
Beans took a look at me and nodded before returning to his own table.
Cain’s gaze was cast on me. “I’m sorry about that. I won’t make it a habit to discuss business during dinner or when we’re together.”
“W-What do you do?” I stammered to ask.
Cain almost grinned it seemed. “I run a casino, Kennedy.”
I wasn’t that na?ve. “And…?”
“And that’s all I’m going to say on that,” Cain said as he gathered his wine and took a sip.
He wasn’t just a casino owner. I should’ve left well enough alone, but if I was stuck with him, I wasn’t going to be kept in the dark. “Do you really have to be so…”
“So what?” he demanded to know curiously.
“ Ruthless ?” I asked. “Are you really going to kill…” I couldn’t say what he’d alluded to.
A corner of Cain’s mouth quirked up. “It’s elementary to believe kindness makes the world go ’round.”
“And it’s pessimistic to believe it won’t help it,” I shot back.
That smile twitched again. “Next question.”
It was clear he wasn’t about to discuss his secular business ventures with me. And just then I didn’t want to pry any further. Didn’t want to get soot under my nails just talking about it. “Why do they call you Dice ?”
Cain didn’t mind answering this. He leaned over on his hip and dug into his pocket and soon pulled out a set of clear red rolling dice. He set them on the table in front of me. “Wanna give ’em a roll?”
I declined to touch them. “No.”
Cain shrugged and put them away. “I’m a gambling man. It’s in my blood. The name comes with the territory.”
“Were you close with your father?” I dared to ask.
Cain shook away the slight gentleness his face once held. “My father and I met for a very short time.”
“Long enough for him to make you heir.”
He thudded his finger onto the tabletop. “I deserved it.”
Touchy . James Carter was a sore subject. “Will I be meeting your mother, then?”
Cain eased back in his chair. “My mother is deceased.”
“Any other family?”
Cain looked over at Beans and the other associate before returning to me. “I don’t have any.”
The air was thick and uncomfortable. I didn’t feel safe. All my suspicions had been confirmed and he sat before me so nonchalant. I couldn’t focus, let alone eat. Not even ten minutes later when our food arrived.
The halibut looked so good and delicious, as did the asparagus and potato it came with.
“Why didn’t you marry that football player?” Cain wanted to know as he cut into his foie gras. He noticed my watching and frowned just a little. “I won’t order this again in front of you.”
How nice. A murderer had a conscience for his dates. “I was twenty-two and overwhelmed. It was my first ever real relationship. Guy’s a sweetheart, but I wasn’t ready to be so wrapped up then.”
Gaius was young too, and I guessed I feared he’d somehow get caught up in the fame of being a new and highly admired NFL player. That he’d get bored with me. I loved him, I did, but when things got too heavy, I ran.
“Do you like the Sharks?” I poked at my halibut, wondering if Cain was even into sports.
“No, I prefer the Raiders,” he said.
Of course .
“Are you from Las Vegas?” I attempted to eat a piece of my fish, to distract myself. The dish was tasty, but I hadn’t a true appetite to enjoy it.
Cain’s finger tapped on the table as he pondered over my question. I could tell my line of inquisition wasn’t his favorite. His short and simple answers a pure testament.
“No,” he said after a long pause.
I moved some asparagus around my plate. “Interesting.”
“Is that so?” he challenged.
I gathered my water and took a drink. “It’s going to be a fun year getting to know you, Cain. I can just tell.” Controlling, and invasive yet secretive? Oh, I pictured a great time ahead.
His finger tapped against the table once more. He shook his head, heaving a sigh as he traced his fingers around the rim of his mouth. “I know what you’re doing, holding off the wedding like this. I’m not stupid. Just don’t embarrass me.”
“Embarrass you?” I felt bold enough to laugh at him. “God, as if you shouldn’t be embarrassed already after forcing this on me. Because your ego was bruised.”
“Careful,” Cain warned.
“Or what?”
Cain went back to his plate. He meticulously cut up his foie gras like the psychopath he was. “Be nice, and I’ll make it worth it.”
There was nothing in the world he could buy me to make a marriage worth it. To make twisting my father’s arm okay.
“You’re a bastard,” I declared.
Cain shrugged as if it the insult were nothing. “I’ve been called worse.”
Why did he want me? Was this really some power play? A show he could have anything he set his mind to?
“The reason I bring up the athlete is because I’m curious,” Cain began speaking after a few bites into his meal. “Has he been in contact with you since news broke of the engagement?”
I thought back to getting my phone and sifting through my messages. Gaius had sent me a text.
Gaius
Wow. I know we haven’t spoken in a while, but I’m in shock right now, Kenn. Regardless, I’m happy for you. I’ll always have love for you, no matter what. Congrats on the engagement! G.
He’d been heartbroken when I broke up with him. Unlike Cain, Gaius would never force me to do anything I didn’t want. He was good to spoil me and treat me like a princess.
“Yes,” I admitted. “He congratulated me.”
Cain took a drink of his wine, humming at the news.“I’m going to be straightforward on this. If you’re seeing someone else, I sincerely hope he’s bulletproof.”
Time stopped all around me as his threat froze me in my chair. I didn’t dare ask him to repeat himself. He’d looked me right in the eye and said it plainly and clearly. He would kill a man I was cheating on him with. Which left me asking, “A-And me?”
Cain frowned. “I’ll keep you barefoot and pregnant, and then you’ll be too busy to think of someone else.”
“I’m on the pill.”
“I’ll crush every one.”
“I’ll get an IUD.”
“I’ll rip it out.”
A sob escaped from my mouth as my vision blurred. He was a monster. I couldn’t. I couldn’t go through with this.
Cain stood up and came and sat in the chair closest to me.
“Stop crying,” he demanded, watching me blankly. “I told you not to embarrass me.”
His cruelty drove the tears faster down my face.
Cain was so close to me I began to shake as I attempted to clean up. All the while he watched me.
“Where is your ring, Kennedy?” He’d noticed I wasn’t wearing it.
Honestly, I should’ve chucked the thing out the window when I was on the highway.
“I-In my purse at home,” I said.
There his finger went tapping the tabletop again. “The next time I see you, I want you wearing it.”
It wasn’t my style or desired type of ring. “And if I don’t, you’ll break my fingers?”
He chuckled and examined my hand until I snatched it away. “That would be a pity, wouldn’t it?”
“Abuse isn’t love,” I mumbled.
He reached out and touched my cheek. “You should write Hallmark cards.”
I closed my eyes at his sarcasm and bit back another cry. He wouldn’t get away with this. “My father will never let you hurt me.”
Cain barely registered the comment as he angled his head to regard me. “You mean the one that’s bedridden and dying? Stop, you’re scaring me.”
I glared at Cain, hating him more than I’d ever hated anyone in my entire life.
“Don’t pout, Wife,” he said dryly.
“I’m not your wife,” I ground out.
He smirked, a ghost of a smile on his face. Soon, he was leaning close, his dark eyes boring into me. “In case I haven’t made myself clear, you belong to me.” He rose from his seat and lifted his hand, signaling for Beans and the other man to get up as he stared down at me. “I intended to be good to you. You’re making this hard.” He straightened out his suit and tossed me a pitying look. “Save your tears. I fucking hate seeing women cry.”
Without another word, he walked away with his demons trailing behind.