I move across and sit beside her and place my arm around her shoulder like we used to. She lays her head against me and it’s as if the years just melt away and we are those two children again, just us against the world.
“You do know you don’t have to go through with this, don’t you? I have someone who wants to buy Tobias out of the business and isn’t afraid of making him sell. I will always provide for you and mom; God only knows why and you don’t have to go through with this ridiculous arranged marriage.”
Anastasia nods and says in a small voice. “I know that. You know, we’ve always fought, but we both knew it was never serious. When you ran away, I always knew you would come back. Sebastian made it obvious that he wasn’t interested in me and just played at being the perfect fiancé in public. I never saw him outside of that and yet a small part of me hoped that if you never returned, he would fall in love with me.”
She laughs ruefully. “I’m such a fool. I just wasted five years of my life trying and now I’m right back where I started. Second choice and without purpose.”
“Is that what this is, you need a purpose?”
“Maybe.”
“But I can give you a job in the company if that’s what you want. You’ll be your own independent woman and free to meet and fall in love with the man you were always meant to find. Not an arranged marriage with the local criminal.”
She shrugs and says sadly. “You don’t have to spell it out, Angelica. I can google with the rest of them and know a lot about Tobias Moretti and not all of it’s good. I’m fully aware he’s just using me and is not to be trusted.”
“Then why?”
“Because I want to break free from this ridiculous life I live. If I stay here, mom will continue to control me and I’ll always be second best. If I marry Tobias, she can no longer touch me. I’ll be free to make a life of my own and I’m under no illusions that involves my husband to be.”
“What do you mean?”
“I expect he’ll just carry on as normal and wheel me out on the odd occasions like Sebastian did. The only difference between my past and future is that I will have chosen it. I’m happy about that because I doubt I’ll even see much of him. I will be free to pursue my own interests and my life will be comfortable and hopefully drama free. Don’t pity me, Angelica because I’m done playing the victim. You may not fully understand my reasons but know I’m doing this for me and no one else. Tobias Moretti will become my husband in name only and I am more than happy about that. You’ll be free to marry Sebastian and mom will have her future guaranteed.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes, why?”
I lower my voice and even to my own ears I sound desperate. “Tobias Moretti is bad news. He may be all charm and good looks on the outside but inside the river of hell runs in his veins. He’s a cold-blooded killer and I’m worried that he has plans for all of us that involve him gaining control of the company by making sure we are no longer around to challenge him.”
For a moment there is silence and then Anastasia laughs incredulously. “You think he’s some sort of mafia boss, don’t you? You believe I’ll wake up one morning with a horse’s head on my pillow and my coffin in the corner. This is the modern world now, Angelica, nobody can kill another without questions being asked, even Tobias Moretti.”
I feel so exasperated, I shout, “For goodness’ sake, wake up and understand the desperate situation you are in. Tobias may be the successful businessman in public but he runs the largest family outside of Italy. That man is mafia and you are about to sell your soul to the devil. Don’t do it, for god’s sake, please, I’m begging you because I think he wants to marry you to gain control of the company and that means getting me out of the way first. When he gets what he wants, he will have no further use for you and then your happy ever after will become the stuff of nightmares. Please Anastasia, trust me and let me handle this. I’ll make sure you are safe and secure and you can live a happy life without fear.”
I almost think I’ve got through to her when she looks at me with hope in her eyes and says in a whisper, “You would really do that for me, after everything that happened with Sebastian. I thought you hated me.”
The tears fall freely as I reach out and pull her to me and stutter, “I love you; I always have. It’s you and me against them all and I’m so sorry I ran and left you to deal with an impossible situation on your own.”
She starts to cry, and it breaks my heart as she says in a faltering voice, “I just wanted him to love me. I wanted him to look at me like he always looked at you. For once I wanted to be the center of someone’s world and not the reserve. I wanted the fairy tale, but all I got was the horror story. I’ve had enough, Angelica. I need to get out and if that’s from the frying pan into the fire, then I may as well get burned because I want to see what Anastasia can do without her family holding her back. Tobias may be taking me from one prison to another but I want to see what that means for me. I’ve had enough of this life and I want more. He’s rich and as I said, uninterested. I will make sure I travel; see places I’ve never dreamed I could visit. I will embrace my new life whatever it may bring, safe in the knowledge he doesn’t want me and won’t stand in my way.”
She breaks off and I see the determination in her eyes. I struggle to get my head around what she’s just told me and feel responsible for her pain. I make to speak and she shakes her head, saying firmly, “I know you want to change my mind and I know you have the best intentions for doing so. Maybe things would have been different if you’d stayed but I doubt it. You and I both know what it was like to grow up in this house and this is my escape plan. Don’t worry about who I’m marrying because it’s doubtful he will even remember I’m there by the time I’ve finished. No, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s how to play the game and this is one I’ve trained for all my life.”
She reaches out and grasps my hands, pulling me in for a hug. “Now go and be happy, Angel, you deserve that at least, we both do.”
For a moment, we stand in silence, clinging onto the past. Two sisters who shared so much, bound on different paths. No more words are necessary because we both know where we now stand. However, as I make my way to join Sebastian, what Anastasia doesn’t know is I’m not the same girl who left here five years ago. I grew up and now I’m not alone. I have a family who needs a visit because if anyone can see a way out of this mess, it’s them.
Chapter 30
Sebastian
Something changed when Angel returned and I see the fire in her eyes along with something else. Acceptance. We left her family home after assuring Martha we would keep in touch and she was silent all the way to the freeway. After a while my curiosity gets the better of me. “What happened?”
She sighs and tugs at her hands. “She’s determined. Nothing I said would change her mind, and she’s adamant she’s going ahead with the wedding.”
“What else?”
She looks at me in surprise and I raise my eyes. “Something changed.”
She smiles gently. “Yes, it did. I found my sister again.”
My heart settles a little as I see how happy that’s made her and I wonder what went on in that room upstairs.
She looks out of the window and says with determination. “The thing is, Seb, since I came back, I’ve achieved the impossible. Somehow, we have resolved our differences, and it’s made me realize what a fool I was to run in the first place. When I saw Anastasia, and we actually had a civilized conversation, I realized the extent of the damage I caused.”
“You caused?”
“Yes, I ran from my feelings because I couldn’t face them. I never stuck around to fight for you—for us and in doing so, led Anastasia to think she could be happy in my place. However, she’s spent five years trying to fill the position I vacated, and it’s damaged her more than she was already. Now she’s taking this marriage as a way out and I’m solely responsible.”
“But your mother, surely s
he must take the blame along with your father?”
Reaching out, she grasps my hand and says sadly, “They were the initial cause but I was the one who let things escalate, which is why I need to be the one to put things right.”
Her words alarm me because of the adversary she faces, and she says firmly, “Let’s head back to your apartment tonight. You need to pack; we’re going on a road trip.”
“Where to?” I ask the question but with a sinking heart know the answer already, which is confirmed as she says happily, “I’m taking you home to meet the family.”
She laughs and I can tell the idea is making her happy, so I hold my reservations back and nod. “Is it far?”
“About three hours North.”
“Washington?”
“Spot on.”
She giggles and I smile to myself. Yes, it will be hard meeting the people she obviously holds so dear and if that beast is anything to go by, I’m in for a hard time but how can I not be curious to see where she’s been for the past few years?
We reach my apartment and I can tell she’s impressed as we pull into the underground car park of a sleek, modern tower block, on the more affluent side of town.
“The company is obviously paying you too well.”
She laughs as I raise my eyes. “If I existed on the pittance your father pays, I’d be out on the street.”
She looks surprised. “Then how?”
Grinning, I take her hand and lead her to the elevator. “We all have our secrets, Angel and this is one of mine.”
“One of them?”
Pulling her toward, me I claim her lips as I’ve wanted to do since they last left mine. Groaning, I push her against the glass of the elevator and she folds into me. Reaching down, I inch her skirt up a little and run my hands over her ass, pressing into her, feeling how hard she makes me. She pushes against my cock and grins, “Fuck me, I can’t get enough of this.”
Her hand finds my cock and rubs it hard and with a muffled growl, I raise her hands above her head and hold them in place. “Just wait until I get you home.”
She pouts petulantly and I swear the rest of the world tunes out, as with a low growl, I rip her panties off with force and free my raging cock. Her legs wrap around my waist and I drive in home where I always want to be. As I thrust inside, she gasps and moans, “That’s it, fuck me, Seb, own me, make me yours.”
I don’t need telling and as I feel her slick walks clenching around my cock, she squeezes every last bit of restraint from me, as without warning, I come apart inside her. Her screams fill the elevator as she shouts my name and I don’t even care that we didn’t use protection because if we’ve made another life here in this steel-clad, fuck room, I would be the happiest man alive.
The elevator reaches its destination and we quickly rearrange our clothing, grinning like high school kids doing what they shouldn’t. As the doors open, I lace my fingers with hers and pull her from the elevator toward my apartment.
As I place the key in the lock, I feel a surge of pride as I prepare to show Angel what I’ve done with my time since she left.
As we walk inside, she looks at me with an incredulous expression. “Oh my God, Seb, what the…?”
She stares around her in disbelief and I laugh. “Impressive, isn’t it?”
She nods and walks around her, looking in wonder at the panoramic view of the city that’s all around us. My apartment is on the top floor, some may call it a penthouse but it was never marketed that way. Every apartment in this building is impressive and was designed to take in the amazing view outside. She stands and stares at the view of the river sparkling below and the sight of blue sky and clouds rather than roof tops and bustling streets. Then her attention is taken by the modern fittings and touches that I paid a designer a small fortune to create. She turns and gasps, “But how… this place must have cost a small fortune?”
Placing my jacket on the back of the chair, I smile proudly. “When you left, I was destroyed. I couldn’t believe what happened and for a while drifted, not knowing what to do about the whole sorry mess. Then I woke up one day and made a decision that until you came back, I would work on our future. I started studying the markets and even went to night school to learn the basics. Every second of my time was spent poring over stocks and shares and learning to spot the trends. I made my first investment with the small amount of money I had saved and it doubled in size almost overnight. I reinvested that money and kept on doing so until I had a year’s salary in one month. I quickly realized I had a knack for it and started to offer my services. A few months in and I had many new clients approach me as word spread at how good I was with their investments.”
She shakes her head. “Wow, Seb, that’s some story, I’m impressed.” Reaching for her, I pull her beside me on the couch and sigh, “Then my father died, and I had to take up his position at Johnson’s plastics. Your father insisted I learn the business from the bottom up and that took most of my time. I still found time to work on my investments in my spare time and threw myself into both jobs one hundred percent. The only time off I allowed myself was when I had to escort Anastasia to an event and the club.”
“Blacks?”
She looks a little put out and I nod. “Yes, I used that place to get rid of my frustration.”
I laugh as she rolls her eyes and reaching out, stroke the side of her face and kiss her lightly on the lips. “It was always you, darlin’. Those other women were there to serve a purpose, but they never got inside my head, or heart. Blacks saved me from going mad and made me learn the importance of control and domination.”
She shivers and whispers, “Domination?”
“Yes, I learned that to fully control something, or someone, you need to understand how it all works. In the case of Blacks, I had to learn what makes a woman respond and place her own needs above mine, knowing that giving her pleasure would ultimately give me pleasure. In business I was ruthless and controlling, learning how it worked and manipulating it to my advantage. So, between all three things in my life, I created a monster.”
Her eyes soften and she shifts closer. “You were never a monster to me, unless you count the day I woke up and found my prince was marrying the ugly sister.”
She looks concerned as the pain in my eyes tells her a different story and she whispers, “However, like all fairy tales, there’s a happy ever after in the end. At least I hope there is.”
Lowering my lips to hers, I taste my future. She kisses me back and as I taste the sweetness of this woman in my arms, I forget what happened before. It’s what happens next that matters and even if Johnson’s plastics doesn’t have the future we think it will, I have made enough money and contacts to ensure ours is a very comfortable one.
Chapter 31
Angel
If Sebastian’s nervous he’s keeping it to himself. In fact, he has proved to be the hardest rock in my hour of need and it feels good to have him by my side where he belongs.
We are heading toward the Rubicon in his sports car, having left the pickup back at the cabin. Laughing to myself, I remember Snake predicting I would only be back for a visit, maybe he saw what I was blind to what seems like months instead of just a few days ago.
“You know, Seb, a lot has happened in a very short time.”
“It sure has, although this couldn’t be over quick enough for me.”
“Why not?”
“Because I want to get on with living our lives together with no cloud hanging over us. We have a bright future ahead of us and once this... business, is sorted we can move on.”
“And just what are you planning in this bright future of ours?” I grin, knowing the answer already. I know in my heart that Sebastian and I have it all to look forward to and it’s inevitable we become a couple in every way possible.
“If I told you that, I would have to kill you.”
He raises his eyes and grins wickedly and I laugh out loud. “You stole my line.”
“You stol
e my heart.”
We grin at each other like idiots and I almost have to pinch myself. How can something so good come out of so much hurt and anger?
However, all conversation stops, as I direct Sebastian onto the trail that leads to Hell. A rough piece of ground that promises a dead end - for some, anyway.
As we make our way gently down the track, I feel nervous about what Sebastian will think of my family. They are rough, crude and unforgiving, yet love even harder. They won’t make it easy for him if they sense he’s not genuine and I just hope they can see that I’m a different girl than the one who left here frightened and afraid at what she would find.
Sebastian’s quiet beside me and as we pass the trees that line the route and head into the yard that holds the machines that wreak fear and destruction to those they visit, I swallow hard. I’m home.
As we park the car, I see the yard’s almost full. I had hoped they would be out on a job because seeing the guys in a crowd is a lot to take in. Sebastian is looking around him in disbelief and I feel edgy as he says in horror, “You lived... here?”
Immediately, my defenses are up and I snap, “What’s wrong with it?”
Shaking his head, he looks at me through troubled eyes. “I’m sorry, Angel, I never realized it was so...”
“You know shit, Sebastian, save your judgment until you know the facts.”
I make to leave the car angry with him and he pulls me back and smiles ruefully. “I’m sorry, darlin’, you’re right and I’m quick to judge. I just don’t understand this world and am looking at it on first impressions.”
Relaxing a little, I say urgently, “Leave your judgment in this car because the guys won’t take kindly to you looking down on them. I’m guessing you’ll be thinking differently when we leave, so shut the fuck up and don’t say a word, or even look at them the wrong way because those guys will eat you for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
Completing Beauty: Books 1-3 Page 15
