Chapter 22
LILY
An awkward silence fills the space as I sit across from Riley Timber.
Despite my original preconception of a man in his late forties, he’s objectively attractive.
However, as he smiles and charms the server, I’m left to fidget with my hands beneath the table.
I can now see why he’s already had two wives.
I gulp down half my champagne, trying my best to eat away the nerves.
I’m not nervous about being on the date, just about everything this entails.
I can see the domino effect. My father will try to pressure us into a quick engagement, ship me off into a loveless marriage, and force me to leave New York for Los Angeles, where Riley is based.
The restaurant has been entirely booked out, and we sit alone in the dining room, a clear show of his money. My only small comfort is the hound who sits outside in front of the neighboring restaurant.
I came here under my brother’s recommendation, but I hate being here. It’s not easy to shove it down anymore when all I want is to be heard. I feel my world shrinking, and even if I wanted to ask for help, who would I turn to?
The first person who comes to mind is Lorenzo, and I quickly try to shake away the idea of that.
Lorenzo isn’t someone who can quietly help me wipe away my problems. No, he’ll burn them to the ground in a devastating manner.
There is no in-between or balance with someone like Lorenzo.
And even then, it’s presumptuous to think he’d even care to help when he’ll so easily reject me and remind me it’s not part of his "job" or "mission. "
“That’ll be all, honey,” he says charismatically to the server. She bites her bottom lip, avoiding my gaze as she saunters off. I take a sip of my drink, needing all the help I can get tonight.
Considering my father is addicted to alcohol, I’ve never overtly liked it, but I do enjoy the freedom it gives me, even if it's temporary.
“So, I hear you have a cute hobby selling flowers,” Riley says. “Do you plan on selling the shop soon?”
I offer a polite smile that I know doesn’t reach my eyes. “Cute is an interesting word to describe my business.”
“Well, it is. And surely you don’t make that much money with it. Considering you went to Harvard, surely your skills are better utilized elsewhere. Not that you’ll have to use them if this date goes well.”
My manicured nails dig into my thighs as I bite my tongue. “And if this date doesn’t go well?”
His harsh gaze meets mine. He’s just like my father, sharing the same mentality toward women. I braced myself for it, half expected it. But I don’t have it in me to pretend or even hide my distaste.
Why am I even here?
I tried so hard to prepare myself for this, but it’s like all that energy of pretending has finally reached its limit.
The only person I can still care for is my mother. Because if I don’t have the fight in me anymore to pretend I’m the good daughter, and I'm cut from the family… what will happen to her?
Riley scoffs. “Do you desire more than simply a dinner at the restaurant I own for this date? Name your price. A helicopter ride over the city? Diamonds? Tell me what it is that impresses Henrith Taylor's daughter on a first date? No amount of money is too much.”
“The problem is she’s already taken,” a rough voice says from behind me.
Dread runs through me at the lethalness that hangs off each word. I slowly turn and face Lorenzo, who is dressed immaculately in his usual suit that doesn’t entirely hide the danger he exudes.
“And who are you?” Riley scoffs at Lorenzo.
My heart starts pounding, and it’s the first burst of adrenaline I’ve felt this entire evening.
I shouldn’t be surprised he’s here, but I didn’t expect him to get here so soon.
I thought I’d at least have until the end of the night.
I briefly glance in the direction where the hound was sitting, realizing he’s no longer there.
“Who I am is irrelevant. This woman belongs to me. Look at her again or try to contact her, and we'll have a problem,” Lorenzo growls. “Get up, we’re leaving,” he orders me.
I’m torn. I don’t want to be here, but I don't want another man telling me what to do, treating me like property.
That’s when Lorenzo’s dark-brown gaze slices over to me expectantly, and I can see the rage unfurling there.
I’m out of my mind for choosing to leave with the most dangerous man I’ve ever met, and yet, I find myself standing, as if charmed, a part of me almost grateful that someone came for me at all.
“You will sit down, Lily. Henrith promised me—”
With lightning speed, Lorenzo steps into Riley's space, and I jump at the sound of something being slammed into the table. Riley’s eyes and mouth widen, and as he goes to scream, Lorenzo covers his mouth with his hand, staring him dead in the eye, his back blocking my view of whatever just happened.
“You can tell whoever you want about this night, but know I will find you, and it won’t be pretty when I do.
You don’t come anywhere near her ever again.
You tell Henrith the date was pleasant enough, but that you can't continue seeing her because you’ve chosen to pursue the stripper you knocked up months ago. Do you understand?”
Riley’s eyes bulge as tears stream down his reddening face, and he shakes his head frantically.
It’s not until Lorenzo steps back that I see the fork embedded in Riley's hand and the blood spreading across the white table cloth.
My mouth gapes at the sight, and I’m reminded of the men in Italy. Flashbacks of other memories I try to shove back down. My mother’s face bleeding. My own cut hands…
“We’re leaving,” Lorenzo says, grabbing my hand and dragging me out.
“I’m not—” I’m swept from my feet and thrown over his shoulder. The shock of his gentle force shakes away the memories I struggle to force away.
“Not up for discussion,” he growls. I look up, facing Riley for the first time, but he’s not even looking at me. He’s weeping as he stares at his hand in shock.
A slight sense of satisfaction unfurls in my stomach, and I’m disgusted with myself for even having the feeling.
Lorenzo is a bad person.
I know this, and yet… I don’t fight him as he takes me away, tears welling in my eyes as an exuberant amount of relief washes through me.
It’s selfish, and quickly taken over by the reality of the situation. We’re already halfway up the street as the shock subsides and sheer horror about what’s to come creeps in.
My father is going to lose his mind.
“Put me down, Lorenzo,” I demand. He ignores me. “Put me down!” I knee him in the stomach and then curse as I hurt myself on his ridiculously hard abs. But he puts me down gently, and I’m humiliated at the few people who walk past us, staring.
“You have no idea what you’ve done,” I tell him, eyes wide. But it’s not just his fault. I'm just as responsible, because I found relief in the fact that he came for me.
My mother’s face comes to mind, and I’m terrified of how my father might respond to what happened tonight.
I’m petrified that my mother lives in that house with him.
If he has an outburst over this, she's the one who will face the wrath for my selfish actions. Even if I wanted to be taken away, it’s still only Lorenzo who has the courage to do it, and it only serves to remind me of how weak I am.
I can’t stand it. He’s everything I’m not.
"I’m scared." I can hear my eight-year-old self as a memory hits me.
"It’s okay. Everything will be okay," my mother says as she hugs me.
"Can’t we run away?" I beg, terrified of the monster my father has become.
"No, Lily, we have to stay."
And stay we did.
I push away the painful memories bubbling to the surface, and it only ignites the fire in my stomach. Anger toward my father. Toward Lorenzo. But mostly at myself. I push through the crowd, furiously trying to run away from my own self-loathing.
I’m still such a coward.
Like I'm hiding again with my mother, covering my ears and wishing for it all to go away.
Every step I take, I’m aware of Lorenzo’s that follow. I can’t breathe with or without him, but I don’t want him to see this part of me. I don’t need to be reminded of how much of a coward I am by facing a man who is anything but.
He takes what he wants. When he wants. Unapologetically.
And now I’m comparing myself to a killer.
I really am losing my mind.
Everything was perfectly set into routine. If I were the good daughter, then the monster was less likely to appear. But I can’t run away from it anymore.
“I’ve had enough of this, Lorenzo!” I swing around to face him, my eyes brimming with tears.
It’s too much. I can’t keep fighting everyone as the walls continue to close in around me.
“You just don’t get it, do you? My father is going to lose his fucking mind when he finds out what happened in there. ”
“Why don’t you make a decision for yourself for once?
” he asks simply, and his gaze narrows when I scoff at him.
“Don’t scoff at me like that. You can’t stand it when I tell you that because you know it’s the truth.
You’re so scared to break out of your safety net, to explore the real world on your own.
Who would Lily Taylor be if she weren’t under her father’s thumb? ”
I flinch and then lock my body into place because all I want to do is shove him. Hate him. Curse him for being so imposing and pretending like he knows anything about me.
I turn and continue walking, ignoring anything he calls out behind me. Droplets of rain begin to fall on my face, but I don’t care as I continue through the sea of people that begin to sprout umbrellas.
The rain is refreshing as I charge on, no idea where I’m going. Will I go home to repeat the same routine?
I bump into someone, and immediately apologize to the teenage boy who’s dragging a sign.
“Sorry. Did you want in?” he asks, almost embarrassed. “The movie started ten minutes ago, and no one else showed up, but I can reopen it if you want?”
I look from him to the sign. A cinema? I look down at the board that showcases the old-school romantic film playing. Lorenzo will hate a black and white romantic film.
“I know exactly what you’re thinking, Sunshine,” he growls behind me. “We’re not done with this conversation.”
“Yes, please,” I say to the teenager and then make a beeline for the cinema. I hear Lorenzo curse behind me as he handles paying for tickets.
“Theater three,” the teenager calls out from behind as I step into the small cinema. A popcorn machine sits empty, a few snacks behind the counter. The woman behind it seems surprised to see a customer but points in the direction of the screening room.
The first two theaters are closed, and I walk into the third.
There are rows of empty seats, the black and white film already playing.
I can’t even remember the last time I went out to see a movie.
I step into the middle row, skirting across numerous seats until I get to one that feels central to the screen.
I fold my arms over my chest as Lorenzo comes to sit beside me, his imposing size filling his seat, his arm pressing against mine.
“There’s literally a roomful of seats,” I growl.
“The only seat I ever need is the one beside yours,” he says, making himself more comfortable. I hate how my heart skips a beat, longing for what? A confession? Something deeper with Lorenzo?
My scowl returns. There’s just no reasoning with this man. And unlike the other times I took him to a place I knew he’d hate, he’s pretending to actually enjoy this.
The man infuriates me. More than words can even express. He’s an asshole. Demanding. Rude. Arrogant in every way. Just once, I want him to look at me as more than a pitiful woman trapped in her own life.
I hate how he shoves it in my face.
I know I can’t keep living like this. I need to stand up to my father, but the last time I tried that… I hide away from the memory, the scar between my shoulder blades acting as a cruel reminder.
I just want to live for me. What I want. When I want. How I want.
I side-eye Lorenzo, who pays me no attention. He looks stoic as he watches the screen, even when I know he’s interested in anything but the film. I uncross my arms, exhausted by myself, and rest my hand beside his. It’s so much bigger than mine.
My gaze roams down his suit jacket and lower. He’s always well-dressed. In fact, I haven’t seen him wear anything other than a full suit. It’s as if he never stops, constantly in impeccable shape. But he’s only human, right? Surely, he has some kind of weakness.
My lips part when I notice the bulge in his pants. When I look back up, he’s staring at me, and I swallow. “I didn’t think the movie was that exciting,” I jab.
“Your bratty attitude seems to excite my cock. It’s becoming a problem,” he says matter-of-factly.
My eyebrows furrow. I never know how to read Lorenzo. I don’t understand this magnetic pull and tension between us, but I know my body yearns for his in ways I’ve never felt with anyone else. He infuriates me, yet it seems to wreak havoc on my body.
“You’d better stop biting that bottom lip, Sunshine, before I do something about it myself,” he growls, trying to focus on the film.
I take a harsh swallow, that bundle of fury and anxiety needing a release. I'm tired of fighting the tension that runs between us.
“What will you do about it?” I daringly ask, pushing him as much as he’s been pushing me. “Will I be punished?”