The room was thick with silence for long minutes. Nora didn’t even so much as breathe heavily or relent. I felt her standing there, boldly waiting for Alan’s reply.
Finally, he gave in. “Ask.”
“Your father was behind the hit-and-run, wasn’t he?”
“How could—” Alan started.
“Spare me your phony outrage and answer the question.” Nora cut in calmly.
“Yes.”
My hands balled into fists at my sides. That son of a bitch put Aaron in the hospital. He could have killed him.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Nora exclaimed, her voice shaking with emotion for the first time since entering the room.
“That bastard was on his way to holding a press conference.” Alan raged. “You wouldn’t give us the information, and he was about to take away our only advantage. Something had to be done!”
He knew about the press conference?
Only one other person knew about that.
And now I knew just how deep Bryan’s betrayal went. All. The. Way.
“So hitting him with a cab was your plan B?”
“You knew?” Alan intoned, his voice dropping a few decibels.
Nora laughed, disgust clear in its tone. “While I was lying there bleeding on the floor, I heard your phone ring. I heard you say it was time for plan B. Right after that, Aaron was hit by a car aiming for Carter. I’m not stupid, Alan, despite what you think.”
“You little…” He began, and I heard some commotion.
“You stay right where you are.” Nora cautioned, her voice a little less confident than before.
I shifted all the weight onto the balls of my feet, ready to launch into the room.
“Is this a setup?” he demanded. “Are you really here alone?”
Nora ignored his question and asked her own. “How did you get those sealed police records? Who did your father pay?”
“I’ve answered enough of your questions. It’s time for you to keep up your end of the deal.”
“And if I don’t? Are you going to hit me with a car, too?”
An angry sound ripped out of him, and the noise of chairs scattering clanged loudly. Nora shrieked, and everything inside me went on full alert.
The door hit the wall when I shoved it open, but no one noticed. Alan was leaning over Nora, who had fallen back in a chair.
“I recorded everything!” she blurted, holding a phone between them. “If you do anything to me, I will send your confession straight to the police.”
Alan smacked the phone out of her hand, and it went flying. “You stupid bitch.” He snarled. “My lawyer will have that pathetic confession thrown out in seconds. You can’t record someone without their consent.”
Bringing her knee into her chest, Nora propelled her foot forward to kick Alan right in the chest. He stumbled back, and she bolted from the chair. Alan roared, tackling her from behind.
“Get off!” Nora demanded.
I leapt over the first two rows of chairs, then swept the rest out of my way as I charged forward. Surprised, Alan looked up, but there was no time for any other reaction.
Launching myself right at him, I bulldozed into his side, knocking him off Nora. Both of us fell to the floor, him beneath me. We struggled, but I had the advantage, straddling his waist.
Without hesitation, my fist plowed into his face, rocking his head to the side. I hit him again and then again.
“Carter!” Nora called close by. “Carter, stop!”
“You and your father are scum,” I growled, hitting him again.
Nora grabbed my arm when I pulled it back again. “Carter,” she pleaded. “That’s enough.”
Breathing hard, feeling my pulse hammering in my veins, I looked at her.
Her eyes were wide and beseeching. “Stop.”
Shoving off the nutsack on the floor, I stood, looking her over. “Did he hurt you?” I asked. “Are your stitches okay?”
“I’m fine.” She assured me.
Alan stood, spitting blood onto the floor. “You’re going to pay for this.”
“Don’t you ever get tired of saying cliché shit?” I quipped.
Roaring, he came at me. I stepped out of the way, and he crashed into a few overturned chairs.
What a moron.
“Guess Daddy’s money didn’t buy you any coordination. Probably why you only ever try and beat on women, ‘cause they’re the only ones physically weaker than you.”
Alan flipped over, sitting up amongst the disarray. “The next time we send someone to kill you, I’ll make sure they finish the job.”
Nora gasped and rushed forward as though she was going to throw some punches of her own. Catching her around the waist, I towed her back. Her feet kept on running like they were still on the ground.
I loved when she did that. Like a little Energizer bunny.
“Stay away from him,” I said quietly. “Unless you want me to start punching again.”
Slumping against me, she nodded.
“Go get your phone,” I urged, gently guiding her to it, making sure my body stayed between her and Alan.
“It’s broken.” She stressed. “You broke it!”
Alan laughed. “So much for my confession.”
“Now there’s nothing to prove I wasn’t lured here and beaten by the CEO of Ansoft.”
Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out my cell and hit a button. A few seconds later, Alan’s voice filled the room.
“The next time we send someone to kill you, I’ll make sure they finish the job.”
Underneath the blood smearing his face, his skin went white.
“Big deal.” He fronted. “So I mouthed off after you beat me up.”
Tsking, I rewound the recording a bit further.
“Your father was behind the hit and run, wasn’t he?”
“How could—”
“Spare me your phony outrage and answer the question.”
“Yes.”
“I heard all of it,” I said, tapping the screen a few times. “And I just sent this recording to a few of my closest friends, so now they’ve heard it, too.”
Alan scoffed. “Like I said, my lawyer—”
“Yes, your lawyer can have this thrown out in court. But what about public opinion? You were going to release those sealed records—the ones you probably bribed someone to get—into the media because of public opinion, right? Because you and your father both know a businessman’s reputation is more important than what any judge says in court. What do you think the public opinion will be of Regal Tech’s CEO and his successor when they find out you aren’t above bribery, murder, and assault?”
Launching off the floor, he charged.
Nora shrieked, and I put my arm out, blocking her while kicking him away. “I wouldn’t make things worse for yourself if I were you.”
“You bastard.”
“What we have here is a stalemate. You have info on me, and now I have info on you. We could both release everything we have and see which of us comes out on top, or we can stop this now and walk away.”
Alan snarled. I held up a hand. “Should I call your father and see what he has to say?”
“What’s going on in here?” a man yelled from the doorway.
Alan turned toward the hospital security that had finally decided to show up. I didn’t take my eyes off Alan, though. Only a stupid man looked away from his enemy.
“Arrest them!” he screamed. “Look what they did to me!”
The men moved farther into the room, coming around to see my face.
“Carter Anders?” one of the guards asked.
I nodded. “Sorry for the trouble.” I began. “This guy here has assault charges and a restraining order pending against him. He’s the reason my girlfriend has those stitches in the back of her head.”
Dutifully, Nora turned around and lifted her hair, showing the large bandage.
“Did this man come after you again, ma’am?” the
officer asked.
She nodded. “I was really scared.”
“You lying bitch!” Alan roared, taking a threatening step forward.
“Whoa!” The guards cautioned as I stepped in front of her.
“Call the PD,” one of them requested.
“I just came down to get a gift for our friend who was hit by a car yesterday.” Nora sniffled while gesturing to the gift shop outside. “I don’t know how he knew I was here.” As she held up her phone, her lower lip wobbled. “He broke my phone when I tried to call for help.”
I put my arm around her for comfort and hid my smile. Damn. My girl deserved an Academy Award.
“All right now, ma’am,” the guard said, trying to soothe her. “Security is here now.”
“You mind if I take her out of here?” I asked. “Seeing him is very upsetting.”
“Sure, sure.” The guard allowed.
I told them the room number we’d be in and left my phone number so they could contact us if the police had any questions.
“PD is on their way.” One guard confirmed, hanging up his phone. “There is a restraining order and arrest warrant issued for this one.”
“I never got a restraining order,” Alan protested.
“It will be served as soon as they get here.”
“You two go on ahead.”
“Thank you,” I said, offering my hand to the guard.
“Anytime, Mr. Anders. My kids sure do love your games.”
I grinned. “Glad to hear it.”
Alan was making noise about his lawyer and making a phone call when we stepped out of the room.
“What the hell did you think you were doing?” I scowled the second we were alone.
She seemed incredibly naïve and innocent when she replied, “Getting evidence.”
“You can’t just meet up alone with the man who put stitches in your head.”
“I wasn’t alone. You were with me.”
“Because I became that stalker you always accused me of being.”
Nora rolled her eyes. “You always were that stalker. That’s how I knew you would follow and I wouldn’t be alone.”
This girl was unbelievable.
Her eyes twinkled when she leaned close. “I did a good job pretending I didn’t know you were there, didn’t I?”
I’d never tell her she had me fooled.
I was still putting a tracker on her sneaky butt.
Glowering, I said, “That was dangerous.”
She took my hand as we turned the corner into a surprisingly empty hall. Directing me against the wall, Nora lifted her chin. “You didn’t believe it when I said I would betray you and hand over all my info on Zero, did you?”
The idea of it definitely punched me in the heart. But did I actually believe it?
I shook my head. “No. I trust you.”
“Do you really?” she pressed.
Spreading my feet so my back could slide down the wall and I was closer to her level, I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her close. “I trust you.”
“I think those words might mean more to me than I love you.”
Smiling, I said, “I love you, too.”
“I just wanted to help. I knew I could make him confess.” Dipping her head against my chest, she said, “I didn’t know we couldn’t use it in court.”
Tipping up her chin, I stared into her eyes. They were so blue it was like having a piece of the Caribbean with me even when I wasn’t there. “That confession was everything we needed. Lewis Regal will back off now. He doesn’t have a choice.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so.” Without a doubt.
Regal Tech wasn’t the leading tech company in this country because Lewis Regal was stupid. He would know it was time to back off, because if he didn’t, I’d bring him down. Even if it meant going down with him.
I’d do it because I wasn’t afraid. I could leave Miami in shambles and go back to our island with my girl and my best friend and never look back.
“It’s really over?” she whispered, looking for more reassurance.
Slipping my hands under her arms, I lifted, standing to my full height. Her feet dangled over the floor when I held her at eye level and pecked a quick kiss against her lips. “The drama with Regal and Ansoft? For sure.” Putting her back on the ground, I smiled. “But everything between you and me? That’s never going to end.”
“Good thing I like you, then.”
I laughed.
“I’m tired of walking. Give me a piggyback ride back to the room?”
As I dropped to offer my back, my heart did a little tumble when she wrapped her arms around my neck.
So which was better? Fantasy or reality?
With Nora in my life, I had the perfect combination of both.
Nora
Reality vs. Fantasy Observation #6:
Sometimes reality is even better than fantasy.
Sun-kissed arms wound around me from behind, pulling me away from the railing and against a familiar chest.
Waves crashing against the private, white-sand beach carried through the balmy breeze, creating music I would now always associate with home.
“How did I get so lucky?” I asked, cuddling into the arms holding me tight.
“It wasn’t luck. It was fate.” His voice brushed against my ear, making gooseflesh rise along my arms and legs.
Rotating, I kissed him, licking the salty ocean waves right off his lips. No matter how many times I kissed Carter, I always wanted to kiss him again.
“Eventually, I’m going to have to go to work,” I said, my lips still against his.
Swatting my bottom, he scolded me. “I just got you back, and already you want to leave?”
Laughing, I hopped onto the railing to sit. The sea breeze blew my salty hair around my cheeks. “You’ve always had me.”
“But I had to share you with college. Now that you’ve finally graduated, I get you all to myself.”
Finishing my degree in graphic design was important to me, even though Carter tried to sweet talk me into staying at Ansoft and just accepting a permanent position.
I couldn’t do that, though. I wanted to earn a place at his company. I wanted to feel like I deserved the job. So for the last year, I divided my time between here and Georgia. It made Carter grouchy, but it wasn’t anything a few strategic kisses couldn’t fix.
The day I graduated, Carter showed up with a moving crew and packed our entire apartment (yep, Val’s stuff, too), and two weeks later, I was still here on the island and still partially dressed.
Despite my insistence for reality, I’d come to realize that, to me, Carter would always be Mr. Fantasy.
Not because of his island, his helicopter, or his money.
Because of the way he made my heart flutter. The way he turned my insides to mush, and most importantly, because of the two people he trusted on this planet… one of them was me.
“Tongues already wag enough because you gave your former summer intern and current girlfriend a permanent position on the special project team. Don’t you think people will really cry unfairness if I only go to work when you let me off this island?”
“I could give you Bryan’s unfilled position and really stir things up,” he teased, wagging his brows.
I laughed. “You still haven’t filled his position?”
He shrugged. “I’m in no hurry.”
“His betrayal really hurt you.” I empathized, wrapping my arms around his neck. I think out of all the chaos over Zero, Bryan’s betrayal cut him the deepest.
(By the way, Zero was an even bigger success than Carter had guessed. It launched Ansoft into a whole new playing field.)
“Bryan is the past,” Carter said. “I don’t want to talk about him. Besides, I’m sure he’s living it up somewhere with the pile of cash I paid him for his shares of my company.”
“What do you want to talk about, then?” I asked, nuzzling the side of his sun
-warmed face.
“There’s something in my pocket for you,” he whispered.
Chuckling, I pulled back. “I’m pretty sure that present in your pants was already given to me this morning.” I held up two fingers. “Twice.”
“Well…” He sighed regretfully. “If you don’t want the present I got you—”
“Wait!” I laughed, pulling him back. “There’s really something in there for me?”
His smile was wicked. “One way to find out.”
Plunging my hand into the pocket of his swim trunks, I let my fingers caress his cock. “This it?” I teased, eyes dancing with laughter.
“You’re in the wrong pocket.” His voice was dry.
Pulling back, I swatted at him. “You could have told me.”
“Now why would I want to do that?” He winked.
Delving into the other pocket, I fished around until my fingers brushed over something cool and small. My eyes shot to his.
He chuckled. “I told you.”
“What is it?” I whispered.
“Pull it out and see,” he whispered back.
Drawing my hand out of his pocket, I looked down at the object resting against my palm. The dainty gold band glinted under the rays of the sun.
My breath faltered. “What is this?”
Lifting the ring out of my palm, he held it up. The large round diamond sparkled beneath my gaze. “This is a promise,” he said. “to keep you and love you forever.”
It was a beautiful ring, a perfectly cut round solitaire centered in a thin gold band. But more beautiful than any ring could ever be were his words.
“Carter,” I whispered.
“Will you marry me?” he asked, a sincere, tender expression filling his eyes.
My heart was hammering. Tears shimmered in my eyes, and everything around us had a dreamy quality. “Is this real?”
“Very.” He assured me. “Mr. Fantasy needs his missus.”
I laughed, and a tear dripped down my cheek.
“An answer would be nice,” he quipped, waving the ring.
“Yes,” I burst out. “Yes!”
I nearly fell off the railing into him, but his arms were strong, holding me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist. Carrying me through the long, billowing white curtains, he laid me across the bed, his onyx eyes smiling into mine.
Mr. Fantasy: (A standalone romance) Page 29
