FEVERISH UnbRoken

by Vasser, LaShawn

  Garrett leaned over her back and fucked her harder in this position. Imani felt her orgasm coming. Her eyes fluttered closed as she arched her back and pulsed around him. He felt it. His own release was near. Her body, hugging his, was enough to send Garrett over the edge. Thrusting deep . . . once . . . twice more before Imani shattered into a million pieces with spasms racking her body at the same time Garrett found his own release, shooting hot cum all over her walls.

  It took a minute before their breathing returned to normal. Garrett dropped onto the sofa twisting and pulling in such a way that Imani’s back was to his front, spooning.

  Imani snuggled into his arm. “Wow.” Garrett was the one, the only one, to finally give her the pitter-patter she had always craved. She had had one of the best orgasms of her life. Two weeks ago, she would have never guessed her life would have taken this turn.

  He held her tighter then gently kissed her by her ear. “I agree. I wish all of my meetings were this enjoyable.”

  She smirked. “Hmmm . . . Mr. Hadley, as long as those meetings are only with me, I’m fine with that.”

  Grinning from ear to ear he nodded. “Definitely. I’m fine with that too.”

  *****

  Imani was coming out of Garrett’s private bathroom when she heard his care-free tone of voice change. Gone was the man who took her higher than anyone ever had only to be replaced with someone she didn’t recognize. He had the phone on speaker.

  Garrett glanced up at her. “What the hell are you talking about? I thought this divorce was supposed to be simple. Your words not mine.”

  “Shannon wants forty-three percent share of GHI.”

  “She must be out of her mind. That would give her majority control. There is no way in hell that I’ll give her a 100 Grand candy bar let alone anything else. She signed a prenup. She’s lucky I had her shit boxed up instead of burned. I already agreed to give her five million on top of what the prenup stipulated for deciding to give me sole custody. I refuse to give her anything else. Not another dime!”

  Imani listened intently to the other voice coming out of the speaker. They were talking millions of dollars. She knew Garrett had money, but this was another level.

  His lawyer was silent for a moment. “Garrett, you may not have a choice.”

  “I always have a choice.”

  “If you don’t give her what she’s asking for, she’s threatening to take Garrett Jr.”

  “My son has only ever known my home. He’s not going anywhere. She signed away her rights for five million.”

  “I don’t know how to tell you this, but . . .”

  “But, what?”

  “Your divorce has hit a snag.”

  “Stop talking in riddles and tell me what’s up.”

  “As we were going through the steps of processing your divorce, it’s come to our attention that you were never legally married to Shannon.”

  Garrett had to sit down. “What?”

  “Apparently, she and Raymond were married two years before you met. Shannon filed for divorce, but the paperwork was never actually processed. Technically, you and she were never married.”

  Garrett finished his sentence. “Which means I’m not legally Garrett’s father.”

  “No, you’re not. Raymond has already filed paperwork to establish paternity.”

  “Shit!”

  “I hate to tell you this, but it’s highly likely the courts will grant it to him if he uses the defense that he’s only recently come to know that Garrett Jr is his son.”

  “Raymond wants me to trade my son for my company.”

  “Yes.”

  “What are my options?”

  “Shannon and Raymond have decided if you don’t meet their demands, they will go after full custody. And, Garrett, they’ve got a good shot at getting it. Unless . . .”

  “Unless what?”

  “Unless, you can prove your home is more secure; that it would be harmful to Garrett Jr. if removed.”

  “How the hell do I prove that?”

  “It’ll be hard considering one, you’re single, and two the courts are sympathetic to biological parents.”

  Garrett wanted to kill both of them and was afraid if he sat still too long, he would legitimately hatch out a plan to do it. He almost rubbed the skin off his forehead.

  “Draw up the paperwork. I won’t lose my son.”

  “I’ll take care of it right away.”

  Imani went over to Garrett and rubbed his shoulders. She leaned over him and rested her cheek on his back. “I’m so sorry. I wish there were something I could do.”

  Slowly, Garrett turned around gazing at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. “Maybe there is?”

  “What? I’ll do anything I can to help.”

  “Anything?”

  She nodded. “Short of murder, yes.”

  Imani could see the wheels turning in his head. She waited for him to answer.

  Finally, he responded. “Marry me.”

  *****

  Imani was nervous sitting in her car, in the parking lot of the park, waiting for Garrett and his son to arrive. This was going to be her first meeting with him. Garrett had just phoned to let her know they should be pulling up any second.

  She bounced her leg up and down holding the recently purchased stuffed animal she’d gotten for Garrett Jr. If she didn’t relax and stop holding it so tightly, while she anxiously waited for their arrival, it wouldn’t be in any condition to give to Garrett Jr. Finally, Imani saw Garrett’s black Mercedes pull up next to her silver Volvo.

  He got out of his car and opened the rear door. She could see him lean over and unbuckle the car seat, but Imani couldn’t see Garrett Jr.

  Imani took a deep breath and got out of the car. Garrett seemed to be a pro at handling babies. He juggled Garrett Jr. in one hand then slid his baby bag onto his shoulder with the other and closed the door.

  She smiled wide, a nervous and shaky kind of smile when he turned in her direction. “Hey.” Imani stood gaping like a fool at Garrett Jr. He was one handsome child and could have easily been a Gerber baby. “Wow. He’s real.”

  “Yep. He’s real.” Just like any proud father, Garrett looked on lovingly at his son.

  Garrett Jr. grinned revealing four teeth on the top and two on the bottom. He spoke to Imani. “Hi!”

  “Hello there.”

  He giggled and pointed. “Dog!”

  Imani realized he was referring to the stuffed animal she’d been clutching in her hands. “Oh . . . I brought this just for you.”

  His blue eyes were so bright. Garrett Jr. appeared to be as happy as they come. He reached out for it.

  Garrett prompted, “What do you say, buddy?”

  “Tank-you.”

  Baby talk. It warmed Imani’s heart. “You’re welcome.”

  Garrett was just as nervous as Imani about introducing her to his son. He prayed he was making the right decision. “Let’s go take a seat on one of the benches.”

  Imani nodded.

  The awkwardness quickly vanished. Garrett Jr. wasn’t about to sit still for very long on the bench. In short order, the three of them were climbing the jungle gym, running, jumping all around the park—and having the time of their lives.

  It was a little chilly, but after an hour or so, Garrett spread a blanket out on the ground. He’d had a picnic lunch prepared, and they ate, laughed, and talked. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world. They almost felt like a real family.

  After eating, Garrett Jr. yawned big and stretched. He crawled over to Imani and sat in her lap snuggling close and laying his head on her chest, just beneath her heart. His small hand reached up and touched her cheek.

  Surprised, Imani wrapped her arms around him holding him close and placing her cheek on the top of his little head. Within moments, Garrett Jr. was fast asleep.

  A lump formed in Garrett’s throat as he watched. He didn’t know if his son would ever know the love of a mother’s
touch. Watching him with Imani removed all doubt that he was making the right decision.

  She would be good for Garrett Jr. and possibly for him too.

  Imani knew immediately that she’d do whatever to protect Garrett’s little boy. He’d stolen her heart the moment he cupped her cheek with his chunky little hands.

  After Garrett had approached her with plans to keep custody of his son, Imani was skeptical. She was uncertain his plan would work and fully intended to tell him she couldn’t do it until she saw the incredible bond between Garrett and his son. Biological or not, that was his child. That little boy loved and trusted Garrett completely. Imani had never seen a man be so tender with a child, save for her own father.

  The aloofness that was a constant companion to Garrett disappeared when he was with him. The possibility they could be separated left her feeling sick to her stomach. However, the soothing balm to her soul came when Garrett Jr.’s intense blue eyes looked up into hers. Imani was lost. Yes, was the only answer she could give.

  The decision had been made. Imani was going to become Mrs. Garrett Hadley and with that title came the role of mother. What she was about to do was not on any plan Imani had ever written, so of course, she had her doubts. But, she was going to go with her gut. There was something about Garrett that screamed he’s the one. Imani was taking a risk, a big risk, one that she hoped worked out for everyone especially Garrett Jr.

  Chapter 16

  Shannon Hadley was usually an early riser. However, this morning she slept in a little longer nursing a slight headache. She was also still a little fuzzy from the night before. It was entirely possible she’d had way too much to drink. Briefly, Shannon closed her eyes as she wondered what the hell she was going to do.

  Sitting at her desk, and still wrapped in a satin robe she pulled the belt a little tighter. The chill running throughout her body wasn’t because her bedroom was cold, but because she had made a huge mistake hooking up with Raymond. The coldness was coming from the inside. It was the realization that she should have never divorced Garrett.

  All the plans she made with Raymond were falling to pieces. From the moment they’d met, he had promised her the world and hadn’t delivered on any of it. They lived a comfortable life, but it wasn’t what she had dreamed. Shannon wanted the big house and to go to the best parties, to travel the world, and, for the hell of it, to change cars if it didn’t match her purse. She wanted to live frivolously and do whatever, whenever.

  At the beginning of their relationship, Shannon had lived the dream. Raymond was handsome and wealthy. He was also prince charming who just so happened to really love women . . . a lot. She needed to lock him down before someone else did. Shannon managed to do that by convincing him she didn’t believe in sex before marriage.

  They were married within three months of meeting. Shortly after the marriage, their carefree lifestyle came to a screeching halt.

  Raymond began to complain about the amount of money she was spending which made Shannon suspicious. She couldn’t understand why he was so concerned about money if he had the financial means he’d said . . . unless he didn’t have it.

  The final act that doomed the relationship and convinced her he hadn’t been truthful about his finances was when he put her on a monthly allowance. An allowance! That’s when she began to look into Raymond’s background. She could have killed herself for not doing it before they were married. The more she pulled on the little string of untruths, Shannon realized it formed a huge ball of lies and deceit. Hell, she could deal with a few lies because she’d told a couple of her own. Shannon could even deal with Raymond and his womanizing. What she couldn’t deal with was being broke. That was where she drew a line in the sand.

  Shannon learned that not only did Raymond not own properties all over the world but that he also wasn’t the majority shareholder of The Hadley Group. He was on the payroll for THG and deeply in debt. He’d been living it up on company credit, and someone turned off the spigot.

  Raymond McNeil duped her and was pretending to be someone he wasn’t. It was her own damn fault for not doing her due diligence. Shannon knew it would be impossible to live the life she dreamed if he were genuinely living from paycheck to paycheck.

  What pissed her off, even more, was how easy it had been to be manipulated. It was her own lack of curiosity when it came to Raymond’s business that allowed for it. She honestly didn’t care what he did as long as the money was flowing. But now, she understood why he tried his damnedest to keep Shannon away from his business and the real majority shareholder—Garrett Hadley. That’s who he was pretending to be. While he hadn’t taken on his name, Raymond was pretending to be Garrett.

  Raymond was still pretending only he didn’t even know it.

  Once Shannon learned the truth, she remembered thinking why be with an imitation when the original was so much better? Shannon never told Raymond she discovered the truth. She just divorced him or at least thought she had when she made a play for Garrett.

  Garrett was single and had the means to give her the lifestyle she craved. He was as different from Raymond as night and day.

  Garrett wasn’t interested in living the champagne parties, or the life that came with it. Shannon had to adjust to lure him in. It wasn’t easy, but she played along because he had the big house, only he wanted to fill them with children. Children weren’t really in Shannon’s plans. She pretended to be everything he wanted and it worked. Garrett asked her to marry him.

  Raymond lost his mind when he found out. Shannon had to convince him it was all about the money in order to keep him quiet. The truth of the matter was, it was mostly about the money, but the sex with Garrett was incredible too. Security and great sex? It was a lethal combination that Shannon would be crazy to give up.

  Shannon manipulated Raymond into not blowing it for her. After a night or two to think about it, she presented him with a deal. She would pay him for his silence. Raymond agreed to her financial proposition only adding one stipulation. Shannon would have to resume their affair. Shannon was all right with it. What was a little sex with Raymond every now and again? If she were honest, combining Raymond and Garrett would have made the perfect man.

  For over a year, everything worked well. Raymond got a perverse sense of satisfaction knowing he was sleeping with her. It was dialed up even more when Shannon got pregnant the month Garrett had been gone to Japan working on a project. Instinctively, she knew the child wasn’t Garrett’s, but Raymond forced her to secretly take a DNA test that proved he was the father.

  The moment the baby was born, Raymond called him the Golden Child and began to hatch a plan to take over The Hadley Group. He wanted it all—Garrett’s business, his wife, and his son. He had two out of three already but wanted to go for the trifecta.

  Shannon hated knowing that on any day of the week her world could have been blown to pieces, so she agreed to go along with Raymond’s scheme.

  She was lucky that Garrett found out about the affair and filed for divorce on the same day that Raymond took over his company. If Raymond had known that Garrett filed for divorce, her ass would have been on the streets.

  Garrett packed all of her things and sent them to Raymond’s apartment. But, he wouldn’t allow her to take their son. Shannon didn’t want too. He was a better father than she was a mother. She hadn’t ever wanted to be a mother, not at this stage in her life. Garrett Jr. was probably closer to the nanny than he was to her.

  In Raymond’s excitement of finally beating him, Raymond told Garrett that he was the father of their son.

  Shannon hated to see Garrett look so completely broken. It wasn’t anything she’d ever seen before. His despair quickly turned to rage. On that day, she thought he was going to kill Raymond and almost did.

  Since then, their perfect plan had gone to shit in just a week. How did Raymond miss the fact Garrett was transferring assets?

  Raymond was out for his daily run, and she was thrilled for the time alone. He’d been
unbearable to live with, and it had been pure hell. He was still reeling from another perceived loss to Garrett. Raymond was obsessed with destroying him. The more she thought about it, Shannon should have done more to make her marriage with Garrett work. Raymond wasn’t half the man Garrett was, and it was too late now.

  More and more she contemplated just leaving him. She had eight million dollars in the bank from her divorce settlement. Shannon could just leave. But, when her lawyer called with the news that she and Raymond were still married, new thoughts ran through her mind. A new plan was quickly hatched. There was no way she could leave hundreds of millions of dollars on the table.

  Shannon continued to scroll through the newspapers on her laptop and came across a headline that had her choking on her coffee.

  Surprise! Garrett Hadley Re-Marries!

  After a three-week whirlwind affair, billionaire Garrett Hadley marries Imani Jones in a stunning ceremony fit for a princess! Who knew he’d divorced his wife of three years, Shannon Hadley, whom he’s been in a fierce custody battle over their young son, Garrett Tristan Hadley, Jr.

  He met the blushing bride when her company was commissioned to decorate the offices of Rusche Towers.

  Shannon looked up at the exact moment Raymond walked through the door. “Garrett is not going to hand over ownership of his company to us. He’s going to fight for his son.”

  Out of breath and sweaty, Raymond shook his head. “He wouldn’t take the chance.”

  “Really? Then why would a man who has never done an impulsive thing in his life marry a woman he’s only known for three weeks?”

  “You’re lying?”

  She turned her laptop towards him. “It’s right here on page six of the Chicago News Tribune.”

  Raymond read the article. He looked up with an ominous smile on his face. “This time my brother is going to lose. Either way, his son or his business, I win.”

  Chapter 17