Beautiful Illusions Duet Bundle: Eighty-One Nights and Beautiful Ever After

by Georgia Cates

  She smiles and lifts her legs, locking them behind my arse. “Anything you want.”

  I bring my palms down against the sides of her hips, making a smacking sound. “That’s what I like to hear out of my obedient wife.”

  I position my cock at her entrance and lower my upper body to hers because I want to hear her gasp against my ear when I shove my cock inside of her.

  That sexy, breathy sound on the first thrust. There’s nothing like it.

  “Ahh.”

  Hell yeah. There it is. I love hearing that sharp intake of air so fucking much.

  I rise and watch Lou’s face while I move inside of her. Her green-brown eyes are locked on mine, and I know in my heart that no woman has or ever will consume me the way she does. “You have my heart, my soul, everything that makes me who I am. It’s all yours.”

  “As I am yours.”

  I feel something with Lou that I never felt without her.

  Complete.

  63

  Caitriona Hutcheson

  You know how it feels when you walk into a spider web and the more you try to pick the web off, the stickier it becomes? I’m going to be the spider who spins the web that is going to stick to Blair. Only she isn’t going to be able to free herself. The harder she fights to be rid of me, the more my web and I are going to cling to her.

  And what I find most satisfying? I’m an underestimated predator she won’t see coming.

  Bleu, Shaw, and I enter Bleu’s—I’m not sure what to call it. Office? That doesn’t feel like the right word. Evidence room? Maybe. That feels like a better fit.

  Photos attached to a wall. Colored strings tied from one pin to another forming a rainbow web. Stacks of papers on the table in the middle of the room.

  “Wow. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  “You can never tell anyone about this room or the things you see while you’re in it. We’re allowing you to be here because you’re Max’s wife and we have business. We’re placing our trust in you as an extension of the trust we have in him. It would be the worst decision of your life to betray us.”

  Fuck. I think my safety—maybe my life—was just threatened. “I understand and I will never tell anyone.”

  “Good. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get down to it.”

  Shaw pushes a stack of papers in front of me at least eight inches high. “My connection hit the golden jackpot of filth on that bitch. You can have your pick of how you want to blackmail her.”

  “What is all of this?”

  “Copies of her texts, emails, private messages on social media platforms… and on dating websites.”

  “She’s posing as a single woman?”

  Shaw laughs. “She’s posing as something, but it’s not a single white female.”

  “Then what?”

  Bleu places a photo of a man on the table and pushes it toward me. “Do you know this man?”

  Dark hair, a little thin on top. Brown eyes. The man is handsome—very handsome in fact—but I can’t recall ever seeing him. “He doesn’t look familiar to me.”

  “His name is Roman Kirk. He and Mina connected a few months before she was in the car accident.”

  Could he be Ava Rose’s father?

  I look at the photo again, searching for any similarities between the two. It’s impossible to see anything when Ava Rose looks so much like Mina.

  “Wait, I’m confused. You found these messages between Mina and this man on Blair’s computer?”

  “Yes. There are thousands of them,” Shaw says.

  Wow. Blair was helping Mina cheat on Hutch?

  “Everything that you’re thinking right now is wrong. The messages on Blair’s computer weren’t Mina’s to him. They were Roman Kirk’s to her.”

  I’m not following. “I’m sorry. I need you to explain what this means.”

  “It’s confusing, we know,” Bleu says and gestures to Shaw. “She’s about to explain everything.”

  “There can only be two possible explanations. One would be that Blair knows the man and she was allowing him to use her computer. It’s completely possible but very unlikely. The second option, which is the one that I’m leaning toward, would be that Blair was online impersonating this man.”

  Like catphishing? “You think Blair was messaging with Mina and pretending to be this man?”

  “There are thousands of messages between Mina and this man at all times of the day and night using her IP address. I absolutely believe that she was pretending to be this man.”

  “Why would Blair do that to Mina?”

  “If we knew the answer to that question then we’d probably know why Blair transferred ten thousand pounds into the man’s account.”

  I can’t believe I’m about to say this. “Blair is filthier than I expected.”

  “Blair left us a great online trail, and it proves many things, but it’s just an outline. You’ll have to go see Roman Kirk if you want to hear the full story.”

  Bleu rejoins the conversation. “And I suspect you’ll need to take plenty of cash when you do. I have a feeling this man isn’t going to spill the beans free of charge. Do you have readily available cash without asking Max for it?”

  “I have my own money.” Thank God.

  “Enough to pay this man off?”

  “I have more than enough to buy his version of the story.”

  “That’s good.”

  “I don’t want to do this alone.” I’m scared. And I’m scared to admit that I’m scared.

  “There’s no way in hell that we’d let you do this alone,” Bleu says.

  Shaw nods. “For sure. Not even a chance.”

  “You have no idea how much I appreciate your support. I don’t have a lot of friends. Only one really.”

  “I’m speaking on behalf of everyone, and I hope they don’t mind my saying so, but you have five new friends in Shaw, Ellison, Lorna, Westlyn, and myself.”

  “That makes me really happy to hear. Thank you.”

  I’ve never really been one for making friends. As a child and adolescent, I was too embarrassed to bring friends home. I didn’t want them to see my mom drunk or strung out. And after I came to live with Heidi and my dad, I was still ashamed. I didn’t want anyone to see how unloved and unwanted I was by my own dad and stepmother.

  I had one friend when I was a child in New Orleans, and then I was friendless until I met Rachel at The Last Drop. We’ve been peas and carrots ever since.

  “Can you get the money today?” Bleu asks.

  “I can get it within the hour.”

  “Then I say that we do this today.”

  Man, it would be wonderful to not worry about Blair anymore. Hutch and I could finally announce our marriage. No more hiding as though we’re the ones doing wrong.

  “I’m ready to put this to bed for good. Let’s do this.”

  Bleu bites her bottom lip and fist pumps the air. “Hell yes. This is going to be fun.”

  She goes to the desk, opens the drawer—and holy shit—takes out a handgun. “Don’t be afraid, Cait. I’m only taking my baby as a precaution.”

  Her baby?

  They’re Bella Mafia, Cait. And Bleu is a former FBI agent. Of course, she carries a gun. What did you expect?

  Bleu cocks the gun and looks down the chamber. At least that’s what I think she’s doing. I really have no idea. “Do you shoot?”

  “No.”

  “You should let me teach you sometime. And I can also teach you how to defend yourself.”

  “I know basic self-defense.”

  “I can teach you so much more than the basics.”

  “I would love that. Thank you.”

  Roman Kirk works in a kiltmaker shop?

  A. Kiltmaker. Shop. Yes, it’s one of the fancier shops where they tailor fit the customer and charge an outrageous price. But still, he spends his days catering to Scotsmen who see themselves as better than him.

  The whole thing is so damn puzzling
. From what I know about Mina, I can’t see her being with a man like him no matter how good-looking he is.

  “Good afternoon. How may I help you?”

  “Are you Roman Kirk?”

  “I am.”

  “My name is Cait and I’m hoping you can help me. I have some questions about Mina. But more specifically about her sister Blair.”

  His pleasant expression fades. “I have nothing to say about either of them.”

  I remove an envelope from my jacket pocket. “Would the stack of money in this envelope motivate you to have something to say about them?”

  “It would help. But I’m working right now.” He looks at the front of the store and then plucks a kilt from a rack, pretending to show it to us. “That isn’t a conversation I can have here and now. I’m engaged to be married to the owner’s daughter, so you can see how that might be a sensitive topic.”

  “Can you meet us after work?”

  He returns the kilt to the rack. “My shift ends at five. Name a place and I’ll be there.”

  I look at Bleu for a suggestion since I have no idea what makes a good location for a meeting like this.

  “We’ll wait for you at The Landing Strip on High Riggs. We’ll be there at 5:30. The three of us and that envelope of money will be gone by 5:35 if you don’t show.”

  Command, strength, power. The three ooze from Bleu’s voice.

  One shouldn’t toy with Bleu. That’s very evident. And I’m relieved to have her on my side. Hell, I’m relieved to have all of the Bella Mafia on my side. Those five women are to be feared.

  “You don’t have to worry. I’ll be there.”

  We leave the shop and it’s only a minute until Bleu’s driver arrives to get us.

  “I want to go to The Landing Strip about as much as I want to eat glass,” Shaw says.

  “I know it’s sleazy, but it’s safe because it’ll be occupied by friends of our husbands.”

  “Someone tell me what The Landing Strip is.”

  “They call it a gentlemen’s club, but it’s actually a place where men, who are not actually gentlemen, go to watch topless dancing.” Bleu frowns and point to her stomach and crotch. “You know. That kind of landing strip.”

  “Ohhh, I see now.” Gross.

  “It’s a very seedy place that exploits women. There’s no doubt about that, but there is zero risk associated with meeting him there. I can call ahead, reserve the VIP room and leave instructions for him to be searched at the door.”

  Bleu is completely confident in her ability to call this club, book a room, and give orders to the men working there.

  Damn. That’s badass.

  “You think Roman Kirk could be dangerous?” Shaw asks.

  “I don’t think he’s dangerous in a physical aspect, but we certainly have reason to not trust him. If my suspicions are right, he could be capable of doing something worse than physical harm if given the opportunity. We can’t be too careful with this man.”

  I’m trying to gather enough courage to ask Bleu about her suspicions when Shaw closes the door of opportunity. “I say we go over to Duncan’s and have a drink while we wait for the kiltmaker to finish his shift.”

  “I could go for a whisky.” Or three. Hutch wouldn’t complain. He loved what followed my drinking excursion with the Bella Mafia a few nights ago.

  “I should probably text my husband.”

  “You haven’t changed your mind about telling him what you’re doing?”

  “No way. I may be a new wife, but this is a clear case of forgiveness being easier to obtain than permission.”

  LOU: I’ll be late tonight. I’m out with Bleu and Shaw.

  HUTCH: Having drinks?

  LOU: Maybe.

  HUTCH: Can I fuck you on top of the table when you get home?

  LOU: I was thinking we’d do something else. Maybe make out in the backseat of the Benz.

  HUTCH: By “make out” you mean fuck, right?

  LOU: We’ll see.

  HUTCH: Yeah, trust me. You mean fuck.

  LOU: OK.

  HUTCH: Have a good time. Love you.

  LOU: Love you too.

  I feel a little bit bad about doing this behind Hutch’s back but not bad enough to change my mind about going through with it. In the end, we’re going to win against the Lochridges, and he’s not going to remember how we got there. I hope.

  Three whiskies later, I’m feeling looser. Braver. “I don’t know about you, ladies, but I’m full-on ready to interrogate the kiltmaker.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  “It’s almost time. We should probably be making our way over to the not-so-gentlemanly club.”

  We enter the club and the first thing I see is a young woman on stage dancing around a pole. She’s topless and wearing only a tiny G-string. I’m not sure why she bothered with the scrap of fabric. It leaves nothing to the imagination when she parts her legs. And these men are loving it.

  Making the decision to become an escort was painful for me, but the choice to do this must have been a gut-wrenching decision for this woman. Surely, she didn’t choose this profession because she had other options.

  Poor thing.

  I’m puzzled by the way the men react when they see us walking through the club. Catcalls. Whistles. Pinches or pats on the ass. I expected any of those things, or all of them, but these men are lowering their heads.

  Bowing.

  Bowing to show respect to these members of the Bella Mafia.

  Bowing to their queen.

  Nothing has ever been clearer.

  “Good evening, Randall.”

  The man lowers his head. “Good evening, missus. The VIP room has been prepared for you.”

  Prepared for you. I wonder what that consists of. A good cleaning with bleach, I hope. Twice for good measure.

  The man leads us to the room and wow. Just wow. Elegant red damask wallpaper. Luxurious red leather tufted sofas. Rich red and gold carpet. Warm, glowing light dancing around the room from the flame inside of the fireplace. It’s gorgeous. And I’d want to bring Hutch to this room if it weren’t inside of this vile-ass club.

  Damn. I wonder if my husband has ever been in this room.

  I probably shouldn’t wonder about that. Or ever ask.

  “Shall I bring your guest back when he arrives?”

  “That would be perfect. And do ensure that he is thoroughly searched at the door.”

  I walk the room inspecting the décor, touching nothing. “This room is quite lovely. It’s unexpected compared to what it looks like out there.”

  “It is lovely, but its beauty will never mask all of the ugly that happens inside of these four walls.”

  I wholeheartedly agree with that.

  The door opens and Roman Kirk is led into the room by a man who is every bit as large as Raith who guards the entrance into Inamorata. “Will you be requiring my presence?”

  Bleu pats her hip. Her gun. “No, Seamus. We’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll be readily available if I’m needed.”

  “Thank you.”

  Roman Kirk looks at Bleu, and then Shaw, and then me. “Who are you people?”

  “Who we are is not important. And it’s definitely not the reason you’re here.” Bleu gestures to the sofa. “Take a seat. We have lots to discuss.”

  He moves to the sofa across from us and sits, his legs spreading wide, and his kilt falls between them. “You said there was money?”

  I remove the envelope from my jacket and toss it at him. “Twenty thousand pounds. It’s yours if you give me the answers I want. If you don’t, you’re not walking out of here with a single pound of that money.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “How do you know Blair?”

  “I met her at the shop when she came in with her husband for a custom kilt. She returned to the shop later without him and told me that she’d give me two hundred pounds if I’d let her take my picture. I thought it was odd but I needed th
e money, so I allowed her to photograph me with her mobile.”

  “When did you see her again?”

  “She came back about a month later.”

  “What did she want the next time you saw her?”

  “She had created a profile on a dating website using my name and picture. I was pissed off about it and demanded that she take it down. She told me that she couldn’t and wouldn’t. And that’s when she offered me a thousand pounds to let her continue using my name and profile on the site. I didn’t want to do it, but I work at a kiltmaker shop. I don’t earn that much.”

  “Are you aware that she was pretending to be you while she was messaging back and forth with a woman from the dating site?”

  “Aye.”

  “What happened next?”

  “She asked me to meet the woman. Mina. And I got more money for taking her out on a date.”

  “How many times did Blair pay you to see Mina?”

  “I couldn’t put a number on it. It was many times.”

  “Did you have a sexual relationship with Mina?”

  “It became sexual.”

  “Because you wanted it to or because Blair paid you to?”

  He hesitates a moment. “Mina wasn’t my type. She was a rich bitch just like the customers I deal with every day. I didn’t like her at all, but I couldn’t turn down that kind of money.”

  “Did you make her believe you loved her?”

  “Aye. That’s what I was paid to do.”

  “Did Blair ever tell you why she orchestrated a fake relationship between you and her sister?”

  “She never told me why and I didn’t ask. Because I didn’t care.”

  “What happened the last time you saw Mina?”

  “She told me she was going to have my baby and I was aff my heid. I told her everything about how I’d been paid by Blair to be her pretend boyfriend. She ran out of my flat and I haven’t seen her since. That was almost two years ago, and I’ve been biding my time, waiting for her to show up with a bairn on her hip.”

  “Mina isn’t going to be showing up. She’s dead.”

  His eyes widen. “What happened to her?”

  “She got into a car accident after she left you.”