CHAPTER 10
Present Day
At dinner, I manager little more than to take a few bites of the seven-course meal. I couldn’t for the life of me get myself to look at Spencer or even speak a single word. The other six people at our table must have thought I was a deaf mute. But right now, I was beyond caring. Not only had I embarrassed myself by destroying a $70,000 vase and had in the process managed to manifest a whopping $70,000 in debt, I had been caught red-handed with Ipecac and had discovered that Spencer had somehow been cruel to my family.
Once dinner was finally over, there was dessert and dancing in the marquee erected in the rearmost garden. For all the wealth that was here, the servants and fantastic surroundings, the evening seemed casual and relaxed.
Although the sun wasn’t too intense, I decided to sit at a white damask-covered table with Jane and her husband under the marquee. There, I watched as Spencer whirled woman after woman across the dance floor. Was he doing that just to get back at me? If so, he was so beyond immature, and I didn’t care. Or at least I pretended not to care.
The band was marvelous and seemed to know exactly what to play to get the guests on the dance floor. I, however, didn’t feel like moving and was perfectly content to sit here and ignore how I was having the most miserable time of my life.
“My, he certainly has stamina,” Jane commented, her eyes following Mr. Dark Knight.
Stamina. I didn’t want to think about Spencer’s stamina in dancing… or in other physical activities. Instead of torturing myself by watching him dance with yet another woman, I sipped champagne and chatted with a few people who stopped by to strike up a conversation. Most of them, I had seen at Princess Harbor, and it seemed they were all connected to Spencer and his father somehow. Thankfully, none of them mentioned my dad.
I headed indoors to use the restroom, and just as I walked past an office, I heard an angry woman’s voice.
“Spencer. Why the hell did you bring her here?” said the woman’s voice.
“Don’t get all bent out of shape about it,” Spencer said.
“Of all the women on the planet, you had bring her? What, is this some sick game of yours?”
“You know I’m committed to our family,” Spencer said. “Everything I do is for a good reason.”
“She doesn’t belong here and you know it,” said the woman’s voice.
“Just chill your jets and trust me, will you?”
I passed the room, briefly glancing inside and saw that Spencer was talking to his sister. God, I had really walked into the lion’s den, hadn’t I? I didn’t realize I had this many enemies. What could I have done to make Spencer and his sister hate me so?
“You better not mess this up,” Spencer’s sister said. I heard her footsteps approach and scurried down the long, wide hallway and located the restroom. I relieved myself, and while washing my hands, I reminded myself again that after this evening, I’d never have to engage with the asshole or his family again. Just get your necklace.
I headed back to the marquee and sat beside Jane again, and I was starting to forget about my woes, about what day it was, and whose date I was, when Spencer took the microphone at the front. Immediately, the guests went silent.
“Welcome everyone. Just a quick announcement so I can get back to dancing…” Spencer said.
The audience members laughed, and I saw a few hopeful glances from young women who hadn’t danced with him yet.
“I am happy to announce that we’ve been able to raise one point three million dollars today for the Make-a-Wish Foundation,” Spencer said.
Applause ensued.
He continued, “I appreciate your generosity and your support for this great cause. As you know, when I was three years old, I was diagnosed with leukemia.”
What? This was news. My heart squeezed, thinking about Spencer at three years old struggling for his life.
“Through the love and care of my mother, and with the help of skilled and caring doctors, I was able to overcome this disease and have been in remission ever since,” he said.
More applause ensued, and I joined in this time.
“It has since been my mission to ease the suffering of the young, to give them hope when it seems all is lost, to bring joy to those who feel they are in a hopeless situation.” He held up a flute of champagne. “To those who are suffering and to their full recovery.”
The audience members chimed in agreement and we drank to that. I hadn’t seen this side of Spencer, the charismatic leader, the man who commanded the attention of every person here today, which couldn’t be less than 200. It was as if they all thirsted for his words, eager to hear whatever it was he was going to say. In my mind, somehow, he was still the boy who chased whatever pretty face he could get… whose only desire was to defy his father, whose anger would keep him from becoming a great businessman.
How was it I had seen him in such a limited light? Even so, he was cruel to me, and it would seem to other women, too. Yet here he was so eager to help the helpless. Who was this enigma of a man standing there?
“Now, please feel free to dance the night away,” Spencer said. “I won’t throw you out until tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.”
The audience members laughed.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have other affairs to attend to.” He returned the microphone to the singer and approached our table. He stared right at me.
“Come with me,” he said.
Reluctantly, I stood up, feeling as if something sinister was going to happen. But I refused to be intimidated by him. He might be the sexiest man on the planet, the most charismatic, the richest, and the most admired, but I wasn’t going to let him push me around.
“It was good to see you again Jane. Mr. Beauchamp.” I hugged Jane and shook her husband’s hand.
“Please do stay in touch.” Jane handed me a business card.
“I’d like that,” I said, reminding myself again that I needed to get to the bottom of what cruel thing Spencer had done to my family.
“Good evening, Spencer,” she said with a stiff smile.
He nodded toward her, then proceeded to march across the lawn. It was near impossible to keep up with Mr. Dark Knight in my high heels, but with iron will, I made sure I did. Once back at the mansion, he climbed the stairwell to the second floor. I followed him into a huge office with sleek, modern furniture, everything in black and white.
He sat behind the black lacquered desk and stared at me.
“Close the door,” he said.
I did as I was told. I was just wanting my necklace back, and I hoped my strategy of non-resistance would speed up the process.
He sat for a moment deep in thought, staring out the window at the marquee below. I twitched where I stood, unable to hide my impatience.
“First, my condolences about your father,” he said.
“Thank you.”
This brief interaction was followed by more silence.
“I realize the agreement was that you get your necklace back,” he finally said.
Wait… was he changing his mind?
“That is the agreement,” I said.
He pulled the Ipecac bottle out of his pocket, and very deliberately, placed it on the table’s shiny surface. Shit. He was changing the agreement.
“Tell my, Ellie. Why were you carrying an Ipecac bottle in your cleavage?” he asked.
He really had to ask me that. He made me feel like an errant 5-year old who had just been caught breaking one of his sacred rules. I mean, yeah, poisoning someone with Ipecac was in the near-criminal department, perhaps even legit criminal, but so was stealing my necklace.
“I wasn’t going to use it on you,” I said.
“Then on someone else, perhaps?”
“Can I just get my necklace back now?”
“Were you going to use it on me in case I didn’t give you your necklace back?” he asked.
“Listen, I don’t have time for this interrogation. My mom and sister are waiting for me. I need to go.”
He stared at me as if expecting an answer. I realized I’d get nowhere with him. He full-well knew how important this necklace was to me and he was going to use it against me to the fullest extent. I swiveled around and started toward the door.
He was out of his seat in less than a millisecond, and just as I yanked on the door handle, I felt the heat of him behind me. His palms pressed flat to the black door on either side of my shoulders, imprisoning me. I tried to hold onto my fury, but it slowly and surely gave way to his overpowering force.
When I felt his breath at the top of my head, a shiver of delight ran through me. God, he smelled divine. I was helpless to resist him now that he was this close, now that lust instead of anger was coursing through my veins.
How could I be so aroused all of a sudden when just seconds ago, I wanted nothing more than to rip his balls off?
“Face me, Ellie,” he whispered in a low, deep gruff voice.
My breath hitched at the surge of need I felt at his commanding, deep voice. His masculine frame exuded heat and desire, igniting my own hunger for him. My body wanted him. Bad. Even though reason told me nothing good would come out of this.
“I’d like to leave now,” I said as firmly as I could, which wasn’t firm at all.
“Since you’re not giving me an answer, I’m going to have to change the agreement,” he said.
At that, I swiveled around, and in an instant, my anger was back.
“You promised to give me my necklace back!” I said.
“That was before I found out what you were going to do to me,” he said.
“I never said I was.”
“Do you deny it?” he asked.
I looked away.
“So, as punishment…” he started.
“Punishment?!” I exclaimed.
“I’ll need you to accompany me to one more event,” he said.
“Why do you keep doing this? It’s obvious you hate me!”
“It’s true. I hate you. More than you’ll ever know. I’ll hate you forever.” And I could see the truth of that statement in his eyes.
“Well, the feeling is mutual,” I said. I hated him so much it hurt. And… the tragic thing was, I also wanted him so much it hurt.
“But you also amuse me, Ellie. And it’s hard to find a woman who amuses me. I like trying to break you. It’s…” He pressed his cheek to mine and his lips brushed my ear.
I shuddered.
“Thinking about breaking you gets me hard every time,” he whispered.
My breath caught and I quivered at the thought of him breaking me, and also being hard for me. I was appalled that what he said excited me so much that I wanted him to do his worst.
“One more event,” he said. “You behave good and I’ll let you have your necklace back.” He was bent over me now, and he gripped the curve of my waist, almost as if by instinct. There was little room to maneuver, and I scarcely dared to breathe.
My gaze dropped to his mouth and I licked my lower lip. He moaned, tilted his head, and firmly pressed his mouth to mine. His lips were surprisingly soft. I parted my lips and he took full advantage, slipping his glorious tongue into my mouth where my own met him. His kiss was more confident than I remembered, more skilled, too, and just the right amount of forceful to turn me on madly.
My fingertips brushed his jawline and moved to the back of his head where I pulled on his black strands. I drew him in closer, deepening the kiss, and he stroked my tongue with his in slow expert moves. His chest rested against mine, and I could feel his heart racing, a sure sign he was just as affected as I was.
He slid a hand behind my back and drew me with him away from the door and into the room.
“I want you, Ellie. I’ve wanted you since I can remember.”
And I realized I had wanted him for a long time, too. Although it was my body talking, not my sensibility. Being pressed against him like this, intently aware of every hard inch of him, I kissed him in return as if he was the water to my desert. A deep throb was building between my legs, and I realized that he’d been the only one who made my body respond this way.
“Jesus, Ellie,” he hissed. “What you do to me.” He reached a hand to the back of my head and pulled at my hair gently. A raw current of need traveled at lightning speed from the nape of my neck to the deepest part of my core.
He took my mouth again in a bruising kiss, and his hand reached between my thighs. I was so wet and ready, and ever so willingly, I opened my thigh to the side, giving him access. He dipped a finger into me, and his eyes widened.
“You’re soaked,” he said.
A knock at the door startled me out of my daze. It took me a second to gather my thoughts, but when I did, I stepped away and adjusted my skirt. There was another knock at the door and this time, he seemed to register it, too.
“Who is it?” he said, not taking his searingly hot stare from me.
“It’s your father. Mr. Robbins is looking for you,” he said from the other side of the door.
Spencer cursed beneath his breath, then exhaled sharply.
“I’ll be right out,” he said.
I heard footsteps, then all that was left was the sound of our labored breaths as we looked at each other. Spencer seemed as shocked as I did, that we had somehow managed to get caught up in a passionate moment. He reached around my neck and I thought he was going to kiss me again. But instead, he unclasped the necklace he had lent me and slipped it into his coat pocket.
“I’ll call you.” Just as he passed me, he stopped. “Better pick up this time on the first ring… or else.” He marched toward the door as he was wiping his lipstick smeared lips with a white monogrammed handkerchief, and a second later, it closed behind him with a bang.
I stood on shaky legs for a moment, still light-headed by what had just happened. I was so confused I had no idea where to begin to unravel this enigma. I hated the man. He hated me. We had said it out loud. And here we had this insane attraction and chemistry that almost made me do something I knew I’d majorly regret. I was furious with myself for letting him kiss me… touch me… but it was as if I didn’t have a choice. I was still aroused even though my fury was building. I wanted him so bad it hurt.
In an attempt to come off the high, I adjusted my dress again and fixed my hair as best I could. Once I’d fixed my smeared lipstick in the mirror by the door, I headed into the hallway. The chauffeur was waiting for me at the end.
“Mr. King asked me to take you home,” he said.
“Thank you,” I replied.
Of course. He wanted to get rid of me at the earliest possible moment. Why did I care? I didn’t. The less time I spent with my Dark Knight, the better.
On the way home, I tried to figure out what it was Jane had alluded to. What cruel thing had Spencer done to my family? And why? Had we ever offended him or his family in any way? All growing up, Spencer’s father and my dad had seemed to be on good terms. Whenever I’d seen them spend time together at Princess Harbor, they were smiling and laughing.
So, was it me? Had I done something offensive? I tried to recall any moment where I had done something horrible. But all I could remember doing at Princess Harbor was spending time with my family and trying to stay the hell away from Spencer and his crowd.
Jane’s words came back to me. She said to ask my mom. It was obvious that my mom was still keeping things from me. It was time to confront her and get some answers to my questions.