“No. My deal is with Mr. Beacon. Not with you. I’m not sleeping in the bed with you.”
“Yeah, you are.”
He was stern, but not harsh. In fact, the casual vibe he gave off told me he was completely confident and comfortable. He had me rattled while he was set like stone.
No, I wasn’t sleeping in a bed with him, but carrying on with this petty shit was above my pay grade. I would just move to the couch at night when he fell asleep, easy enough to do. Okay, plan in place, my mind settled knowing I would face it when the time came.
I blew out a breath. “What do you mean by break me?” There, I said it. No holding back. If I had to endure this new life for who knew how long, I was going to do it eyes wide open.
His smile turned wicked, sending chills down my arms and legs. It wasn’t happy—it was sinister. “That will be answered in time.”
“I’m not going to sleep with you.” Nor Mr. Beacon, if I could get away with it, which I had a sneaking suspicion wouldn’t hold true. It didn’t mean I had to like it, just endure it. But not from Garrett.
“Right,” Garrett said, moving out of the doorway. Coming out of the bathroom, my bag was in the bedroom and I went to it, picking it up and plopping it on the bed.
“You say I’m here for a month?”
“Or two,” he replied casually.
I’d brought a couple pairs of shorts and t-shirts; those would have to do on this excursion, including my bathing suits.
“Fine. Can I have some time alone please?”
“Nope.” He moved his head, coming to the left side of me. He was already infuriating. I wanted space. I wanted to breathe, dammit. I wanted to think. “You need any help?” he asked, like we were the best of friends as I folded a shirt and placed it on the bed.
Alright, buddy, if this was the game he wanted to play, then I was ready. I picked up a box of tampons. “Yeah. Make sure you look and see what kind these are. When I run out, you’ll need to get me the same brand.”
Garrett’s lip lifted in a small tip of the corner, and dammit all to hell it was very attractive. “That’s what the Internet is for.”
“Right. You have a harem of girls around here you attend to?”
“No. You’re the only one.” He didn’t elaborate about other women and why I wanted to know, well, I wasn’t quite sure.
“Great.” While I didn’t show that it gave me a small thrill, it was there all the same, but I still was not feeling this breaking me thing.
No one would break me.
Not break me to do whatever they wanted, nor would I be treated like shit. While I more than likely knew what Mr. Beacon wanted, it was still my choice. If I chose not to, my mother wouldn’t get the treatment. Therefore, I knew what needed to be done. This whole thing now with Garrett was out of the realm of everything I prepared my mind for.
My arrangement wasn’t about someone taking from me and breaking me. This was a give and take; I had to give in order to receive the help for my mother.
Mentally, I focused on that.
This Garrett guy, or Mr. Beacon’s lackey, wouldn’t get into my head. I was strong and would remain that way for the rest of my days.
“Do you need anything?” Garrett asked.
There were many things I needed, like a ticket home and away from this mess, but that wasn’t an option for me. My mother needed the meds. “I’m going to take a shower.”
“Sounds good.” Garrett wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I wondered what was going on in that thick skull of his. It had to be something naughty from his expression.
“Alone.”
Garrett gave me a full-on smile. “Damn, you take out all the fun.”
This man could take me very easily. This was becoming a dangerous situation, not that I thought being with Mr. Beacon would be safe, but this was danger on another level. Mr. Beacon was not attractive at all. Garrett whatever-his-last-name-was hit the hot-o-meter to the point it broke the scale.
Keeping my mind in check was going to be a problem, but I could do it. No, I would do it.
“You can go now.” I dismissed him, thinking I needed to prepare for another round of arguments that I might possibly lose like the finalized sleeping arrangements.
Only he surprised me saying, “Dinner’s in two hours. Meet me out on the beach.” He turned around and shut the door behind him.
I wasn’t sure what to feel. There were so many emotions running around me, and this day had been exhausting.
One thing was for sure, that tub was calling my name, and I hoped it would do all that relaxation stuff I’d seen on television.
Only one way to know—dive in.
4
Garrett
For a moment, I thought about going back into the bathroom, stripping down, and climbing in the bath with her.
Except, I made a critical error earlier.
I gave her my name.
Even though I knew better, I gave her a piece of the truth. When the day would come ahead and she would cry out her pleasure, I wanted my name to be on her plump lips.
Consequences be damned.
I knew what her deal was with Beacon. I was privy to every line of the commitment only because I dug deep to find it all. The shit would never hold up in court. There wasn’t a damn thing about it that was legal. Which was how I was going to turn all of this around to my benefit.
Selfish fucker with too much money? Why yes, that would be me described to a perfect T.
The thing was Charles Beacon was a narcissistic prick who needed to be taught a lesson, an expensive and painful one.
Since he decided to involve my family, I felt it my duty to be the one to deliver this lesson to him.
No amount of money would buy loyalty.
No amount of money would buy happiness.
No amount of money gave anyone the right to own someone else.
Period.
Now did I plan to share any of this with Enissa?
Not a chance.
Desperation landed her here, and she needed to learn a lesson herself too. No amount of struggle was worth signing your life away. A lesson I planned to teach her personally, but not in the ways she had created in her mind. While I imagined her judgment was clouded in fear, grief, and love for her mother, she needed to learn where to draw lines. I had to admit I admired the woman for her loyalty. There were few willing to give up their life, their body, and everything they knew to be normal all to secure better healthcare for their dying mother. It was commendable.
The moment my eyes landed on her, well, let’s just say some parts of my plan changed in an instant. That was one of those things for me to know and her to, well, find out. Later. Much later.
To occupy my mind from the woman upstairs who was most likely naked at this point, I decided to go in the kitchen. Daydreaming of running my hands over her curves wasn’t getting me anywhere. I had a teacher once, Ms. McDowell, who sent a note home once that I had a problem daydreaming. Ha! I didn’t find my fantasies to be a problem at all. Especially because I was a driven man. The kind of man who would make every fantasy become a reality. All in due time, that was.
I could be a patient man.
A taste of her was in my future.
I would wait for it because I simply knew that taste would be worth it.
The house had a chef’s kitchen that Ellen Sue made sure was stocked before she departed back to Dane’s home. That was our life, Ellen Sue handling our homes on a rotation, adjusting as necessary. Thankfully, Ellen Sue swore her roots were set with us boys and not in a single location. She kept every home we frequented stocked to the brim with all our individual favorites.
I took some chicken from the freezer earlier to thaw out, knowing that she would be hungry and wanting to feed her my favorite dish. Moving it from the fridge to the island, I let it sit out while I gathered the rest of my ingredients.
Yeah, I was that man, the kind who could be wooed with food. I knew my way around a kitchen and w
asn’t shy about it. I loved food, good food, so I made sure I could provide it.
From the pantry, I grabbed olive oil, Panko breadcrumbs, flour, basil, and a fresh garlic clove. In the fridge I snagged tomatoes, onions, parmesan cheese, eggs, and fresh mozzarella balls.
From the cabinets under the island, I pulled out the stockpot and began to fill it with the jarred sauce Ellen Sue made last week using the same recipe my grandmother used to make traditional red sauce. Thankfully Ellen Sue knew how to can things, so she regularly made batches in bulk to store for me. In all the years I’d had this home, never once before had I used a single thing in this kitchen, until tonight. While the sauce heated, I chopped the onion and garlic and set the oven to preheat.
Next, I slid the chicken breasts one at a time in a plastic freezer bag and pounded them with a meat mallet to an even thickness. Cooking soothed something deep inside of me. I could lose myself in a kitchen making meals. It always took me back to the happier times in my life.
A smirk built on my lips as I whisked the eggs in a separate bowl, thinking about the memories of my grandmother teaching me to cook as a young boy. I loved to mix eggs. Sometimes I dropped shells in the bowl, and Grams would dig the small white pieces out with a smile on her face. I could still picture it today.
All of my memories, she would have me in the kitchen beside her. I was blessed with a few pictures where she had lifted me on the counter in her kitchen as a toddler to stir something. While I didn’t remember everything, the fondest of my memories came from cooking with her. Thankfully, she made recipe cards and left them in a safety deposit box at the bank for me to retrieve when I was older. That safety deposit box was all I had left after she was gone.
Ellen Sue had digital copies of every single one. The originals were in the safe at my office because I hoped to one day pass them on to my kids.
I mixed the Panko and parmesan together in a bowl. Then I began to lay each piece of chicken out to sift the flour over the meat before dredging each piece in the egg wash and then into the breadcrumbs and cheese.
With a skillet out, I heated some olive oil and added the chopped garlic and onions. Smelling the food permeating the air around me, I kept at my tasks. Once the garlic and onion were softening, I added the chicken breasts to the skillet. Cooking the chicken to golden on each side, my stomach growled as my hunger grew.
Once the chicken was basically seared, I pulled out the baking dish. Layering each chicken breast in the dish over a cup of the tomato sauce with fresh basil and parsley along with cubes I cut of the mozzarella balls, I set it all up. Sprinkling the top with parmesan cheese and olive oil, I drizzled just a little more of the sauce before popping the dish in the oven. I didn’t make the pasta I normally would with this dish since I wasn’t sure Enissa would want something heavy on her stomach after her travels.
While dinner baked, I set the tray with our plates, wine glasses, and silverware. From there I carried it down to the terrace where the table was. Once everything was in place, I made my way upstairs with a perfect glass of wine.
Inside my room, I headed straight to the bathroom door. Opening the door, I looked directly to the tub where Enissa promptly sat up, sloshing water all over the floor as she shrieked.
“What are you doing!” she yelled, frantically trying to cover herself. Her wet hair came down, covering the globes of her ample tits while allowing the tips of her nipples to poke out.
Instantly, I was hard.
“Bringing you wine,” I muttered on a smirk.
She opened and closed her mouth like a fish without saying a word as she shifted her arms, trying to maintain some modesty.
“I don’t want any wine.” She looked around again like she was begging for an escape. “The door was closed. I can’t believe you just walked right in.”
Continuing on my path to her, I kneeled down at the tub. Lifting the glass to her lips, I tipped, all while ignoring her last remarks.
“Drink. I swear this will be the best wine you’ve had in your life,” I told her as the liquid touched her lips, and I found myself suddenly jealous of the fermented grapes.
Tenderly, she swallowed the liquid, and a moan escaped her lips. I could see her hesitation, and I wanted to erase it from her features and fill her with satisfaction.
“Relax,” I whispered.
“You aren’t going to leave me alone, are you?”
“Not a chance in hell.”
She huffed, still trying to cover herself. “Garrett, I’m not sure what you expect from me nor how you plan to break me, but relaxing simply won’t happen. This isn’t a vacation for me. I made a deal with the devil, and I’m here to keep my end.”
Rather than address her statement, I sat the wine glass on the edge of the tub. From there I moved to the head of the tub and reached out to her shoulders. Immediately, she jumped at the contact. I remained steadfast in my task and began to massage her shoulders.
“You are tense. Enissa, I’m not here to be your enemy. I understand your fears. Truly, you should be afraid.”
She tried to pull away, but I kept kneading her neck and pulling her back to me.
“If you’re trying to get me to relax, telling me I should be afraid is not the way to do it; just sayin’.”
Oh that spark in her was fun.
“I’m a lot of things, Enissa, but a liar isn’t one of them.” I gave her the truth, still trying to ease the tension in her body.
Putting her hands on the sides of the tub, she pushed up and away, standing and putting her ass right in my face.
Damn, what an ass she had.
“NO!” she cried out, getting out of the bathtub and grabbing the robe I left in the room. “Stop the antics. You aren’t here to be my enemy, but I should be afraid. It’s day one of my contract, and not a damn thing is what I expected. I don’t need a mindfuck more than I’ve already gotten myself into.” She moved to stand in front of me with the robe tied tightly. “There will be boundaries between us, Garrett. I may have to sleep in your bed, but you do not get to barge in here as you please.”
She was feisty and fierce. Damn, I loved a challenge. When was the last challenge I had in life?
“Noted,” I simply stated.
There would be no boundaries between us, but alas, this was her first night. I came in here only because I was bored waiting on her so we could have dinner.
She was a convenient plaything, I had to admit.
In the end, she would hate me. It was a price I was willing to pay, though.
Before I could torment her further by untying her robe, the alarm on my phone went off letting me know dinner was done and ready to be devoured.
I could daydream that she would be my dessert.
5
Enissa
Dinner.
I could do this.
If my stomach wasn’t growling every two damn seconds I would’ve skipped it and stayed in the bathroom, this time locking the damn door. Except, I needed to stay alive for my mom, and that meant eating to sustain myself.
He couldn’t give me time alone to take a bath. He had zero boundaries and was going to have to learn some if this were going to work.
Mr. Beacon said nothing of this man when we spoke and ironed out this deal from hell. Part of me wanted to know the story there, while the other part of me just wanted to go home.
I already had to worry about my mom, dad, and Mr. Beacon, and adding Garrett to the mix was really screwing with my head.
Coming here was the only option afforded to me. My father’s insurance didn’t cover the treatments putting them in debt. Even with me living with them, helping out whenever I could, it really wasn’t much compared to the amount owed. Mom beat the cancer once, but this time her options were more limited and not just for financial reasons. The new treatments were far beyond our budget.
Getting them clear of the debt and my mom the help she needed was the goal, no matter what I had to do.
That being said, Garrett an
d I would be having a chat during dinner.
Entering the kitchen, the smell of basil and garlic filled the air. It was like walking into a posh Italian restaurant. The space was immaculately clean, and there was no way a meal was prepared in here. There wasn’t even a dish in the sink.
Walking out to the terrace, a round table with two chairs, plates, utensils, glasses and a canary yellow rose in the center sat on the beach. It wasn’t far down from the landing, but it would be in the sand.
Ditching the shoes was a good bet, but I probably should’ve worn shorts and a t-shirt instead of this white dress. It was one of the few I brought and why it called out to me to wear tonight, I didn’t know. I should’ve listened to my brain for a change and went with the shorts. Slipping off my sandals, I prepared to go down for the meal.
“Are you hungry?” Garrett asked from my left side, and I jumped about a foot, hand clutching my chest.
“How the hell did you do that?” I bitched.
“What?”
“Just show up out of the blue.” My arm went out, waving at the entirety of our surroundings.
His smile was killer. Hell, it was lethal. “Came through the side door and over to you, kitten.”
“Would you stop calling me that!” Hands on my hips, I felt my eyes narrow. This didn’t faze him one bit as he grabbed my hand, held it down the wooden planked steps and into the pure white sand.
My toes dug in the softness, feeling the coldness underneath the top layer. Every once in a while a shell would jump up at me, and I’d kick it just a little.
“Have a seat,” Garrett said, going over to a chair and standing at the back of it, waiting for me to sit.
Screw that. I went to the opposite chair, the one he wasn’t at, and sat my ass down. Garrett shook his head and tsked under his breath. What was he going to do? Lock me in a dog cage and feed me cat food?
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