TRUTH

by Sherri Hayes

  I reached out and touched his face. We stared into each other’s eyes. I understood the loss, the emptiness that he still felt. I wanted to help him, but I didn’t know how.

  The air grew heavy around us, and he leaned forward. He brushed his lips against mine before cupping my face and deepening the kiss.

  Although he’d kissed me many times, there was a raw emotion, a sadness that I understood. He was still mourning his parents just as I was my mom. It was something I doubted would ever go away for either of us.

  “Brianna.” He moaned against my mouth. There was something in his voice, almost a sound of desperation. I slid my arms around his neck and held on, letting him take whatever he needed from me.

  He snaked his hand up under the hem of my dress, lifting my backside. Stephan had barely finished speaking before he raised me up, positioning me farther back on the rock. Moments later, he was on top of me, his weight pushing me against the hard surface. He found my mouth again with his, and he hitched my leg over his hip. His arousal was pressed firmly against me. Only our clothes separated us.

  His hands were everywhere, roaming over my clothes and underneath the hem of my dress. I clung to his shoulders, his hair, anything I could get my hands on. I loved kissing Stephan, but our clothes were beginning to frustrate me. I wanted him closer. That we were outside didn’t matter. He needed me, and I wanted him to take what he needed.

  Our breathing became harsher as the intensity increased. My back scraped against the rock, and I briefly wondered if the dress would survive. He tilted my hips so I could feel more of him, and I forgot about anything else other than him.

  Stephan kissed down the column of my neck, buried his head in my shoulder, and began mumbling. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but I was so far gone I didn’t know if that was because he wasn’t making sense or if I wasn’t able to comprehend.

  He shifted us again until his mouth hovered over mine. Our breath mingled, and I could taste him on my tongue even though our lips weren’t touching. Stephan stared into my eyes. He ceased breathing for several seconds. Neither of us moved. It was as if time stopped.

  Our breathing slowed as we continued to look into each other’s eyes. The pained look that had furrowed his brow was gone. Pleasure filled me at the knowledge that I’d helped drive that haunted look from him. The love I had for him beat hard in my chest, and the need to tell him clawed its way to the surface. “I—”

  “Stephan?”

  We both turned at the sound of Dr. Cooper’s voice. To my surprise, Stephan laughed. “Well, I guess this will confirm any lingering doubts Richard has about our relationship.”

  He pulled away from me, and I instantly felt the loss.

  Stephan helped me to sit up. He checked the back of my dress and grimaced. “I should regret making out with you on a jagged rock like a horny teenager, but I don’t. Are you hurt?”

  “No. I’m fine.”

  He smiled and kissed my lips just as Dr. Cooper came into view. When I caught sight of Stephan’s uncle’s face, I knew he wasn’t going to keep silent. I only hoped they didn’t start fighting again. Not because of me.

  Stephan

  “Brianna.” My uncle’s voice was tight but pleasant enough as he greeted her. When he addressed me, however, there was a distinct edge. “Stephan.”

  I helped Brianna down from our rocky perch before turning us both toward my uncle. Brianna’s hair was a mess. The back of her dress had tears from where it had scraped against the rock. Luckily, it seemed her dress got the worst of it. I didn’t see any broken skin through the small rips, but I’d have to verify that once we got home.

  Pulling Brianna to my side, I addressed my uncle. “You were looking for us?”

  He pressed his lips together, and I could tell he was measuring his words carefully. Richard had promised he wouldn’t say anything to upset Brianna. For her sake, I was glad he was trying to uphold that promise.

  “I wanted to say good-bye. The hospital called. One of my patients was admitted, and I want to check on him before it gets too late.”

  I knew he wanted to say more. The small vein in his forehead was pulsing. It was a telltale sign of his agitation. I ignored it. “Thanks for letting us know. I hope your patient recovers.”

  My uncle dragged his attention away from Brianna’s disheveled dress and back to me. “I’m sure he will. From what they tell me, it was minor, but I’ll feel more comfortable overseeing things myself.”

  That was one thing my uncle and I had in common. I’d learned to delegate over the last two years, but it wasn’t something that came naturally to me. Richard was the same. It was probably the reason we butted heads as often as we did.

  “Stephan, may I speak privately with you for a moment?”

  Smiling, I kissed Brianna’s shoulder. “Do you think you can find your way back to the house on your own, sweetheart?”

  Brianna glanced up at me, worry in her eyes. I’m sure she had some idea of what my uncle wanted to discuss with me. She didn’t want to go. “Yes, I think so.”

  “Just follow that path there.” I pointed to the opening in the trees Richard had emerged from a few minutes before. “As long as you stay on the path, it will take you directly to the gardens at the back of the house. I’ll be there shortly.”

  She nodded and tentatively made her way over the rocky bank, past Richard, and up to the path. We both waited several minutes after we could no longer see her.

  “Stephan.” There was a mixture of anger, frustration, and exasperation in his voice. “What are you doing?”

  “I think it’s obvious.”

  He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Yes. It is quite obvious.”

  We stood staring at each other for an extended period of time. His opinion of my relationship with Brianna didn’t seem to have changed.

  Running his hands over his face, he sighed. “I know there is nothing I can say to make you stop doing what you’re doing, Stephan, but I’m still worried. I’m worried about her and how she’s dealing with what happened to her. She seems to be getting better, but is she really, or is she just learning to rely on you?”

  Before I could comment, he continued. “And what about you? What happens if this gets out? What you’re doing. What you . . . are.” He whispered the last word as if he were sharing some well-guarded secret. In a way, he was, but no one was around. Even if there were, they wouldn’t have a clue what he was referring to. “You have a reputation, and people—a foundation—that depend on you. What about them?”

  “I understand the risks, Richard.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes.”

  He shook his head and looked down at the muddy ground before making eye contact again. “What would your parents think?”

  It was like a blow to the gut. I couldn’t believe he’d gone there.

  “They’d want me to be happy.”

  “At the expense of others? No.”

  “It is not at the expense of others. I’m not hurting anyone.”

  “I think that’s a matter of opinion.”

  “We’re done here.” I’d had enough. I wasn’t going to continue to listen to his misguided condemnation.

  I walked past him. He didn’t try to stop me.

  When I reached the tree line, however, his soft tone halted me in my tracks. “I don’t want to fight anymore.”

  Tilting my head back, I looked up through the canopy of trees to the barely visible sky, and took a deep breath. “Neither do I.”

  “I know you’re not my son, but I do love you like one, Stephan. I don’t like what you’re doing. I don’t understand it. But . . . I won’t say anything more.”

  I glanced over at him. He looked defeated. “Thank you.”

  He nodded.

  I waited a few more seconds and then continued up the path to find Brianna.

  Monday morning brought with it the usual headaches. Jamie knocked on my office door around nine with a stack of mail and al
l the paperwork I needed for my two afternoon meetings. I hurried to get through everything so I could take a break before being trapped in a conference room for the rest of the day.

  I was just getting onto the elevator to go grab some lunch when I caught sight of Lily. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” She looked happy. I could only imagine the reason for that since Logan had been home this past weekend. “You heading to lunch?”

  “Yeah. I need a break before this afternoon.”

  “Mind if I join you?”

  Lily and I ended up at a café two blocks from the office. We found a corner booth and sat down with our lunches.

  “I spoke to Brianna this morning.”

  I nodded and took another bite of my sandwich.

  “I’m leaving the office early on Wednesday so she and I can go shopping. She told me you want her to get waxed, too.”

  “Yes. I do.”

  Lily cocked her head to the side, considering. “Does this have to do with Saturday?”

  I smirked. “Partly.”

  She huffed. “I hate when you and Logan do that, you know.”

  Laughing, I took another bite of my lunch. Dominants talked to each other, and it was rare they included their submissives unless it was to talk about limits or trying something new in a scene. My guess was that Logan hadn’t told Lily much past asking her if she would be able to concentrate on the scene while Brianna and I watched. That, and perhaps that we wanted her to talk to Brianna both before and after so she’d know it was all completely consensual. Lily knew how it worked. But because we were friends outside the friendship Logan and I shared, she occasionally liked to push. Didn’t mean she’d get anywhere, though.

  “You know I’m not going to tell you anything, so I’m not sure why you ask.”

  “Because I want to know.”

  “Why? Do you not trust Logan?”

  “Of course I do.” She seemed offended by the suggestion.

  “Then why are you asking something that is his concern, not yours?”

  “Because he won’t tell me anything. All I know is you and Brianna will be there.”

  “Then that’s all he feels you need to know.”

  She threw her fork down on her plate, not happy that I wasn’t giving up any information.

  I laughed. “If you want to know something, ask Logan. Stop trying to go behind his back and ask me. You keep it up, and I’ll have to share this information with him.”

  Her eyes got wide, and I suppressed a chuckle. Needless to say, after that she changed the subject.

  At home that night, Brianna was quiet. I asked her if something was wrong, but she said no. Given her conversation with Lily, it was likely she was nervous about her waxing appointment on Wednesday. I decided to let it go for the time being. If it didn’t get better, or got worse, I’d confront her about it.

  As I was leaving the office on Tuesday, our new CFO caught me in the hall. “Do you have a minute?”

  I glanced down at my watch. “Sure. I need to make a quick call, and then I’ll meet you in your office.”

  Quickly dialing Brianna, I let her know I was going to be a little late. “Okay. I’ll turn the oven down.”

  “No. You go ahead and eat. I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

  “Okay.” She sounded disappointed.

  “I’ll be home as soon as I can.” The urge to tell her I loved her sprang to the surface. It was getting harder and harder to keep inside. When we were making out on the rock by the creek Sunday afternoon, I’d let it slip. I didn’t think she’d heard me, though.

  Tucking the phone back into my pocket, I said goodnight to Jamie and went to find out what Michael needed.

  When I knocked on the door to his office, he was looking down at a stack of papers and rubbing the back of his neck. “Mr. Coleman.”

  “Mr. James.” I walked into the room and took a seat across from his desk.

  “I’m . . .” He took a deep breath. “I was going through some paperwork this weekend, and I came across this.” Michael handed me the papers he’d been looking at, and I recognized them immediately.

  “Where did you get these?”

  “They were on my desk, underneath the second quarter financial reports.”

  I tried to think back to last Friday when I’d returned the reports to his office. There was no one to blame here but myself.

  “I have to ask, Mr. Coleman. Who is Ian Pierce, and what does he have to do with The Coleman Foundation? I can’t find any record of him, and believe me, I’ve been trying after seeing that mess.”

  “He doesn’t.”

  Michael blew out a breath he appeared to have been holding. “That’s a relief.”

  His response had me intrigued. “Why do you say that?”

  “Well, it’s quite obvious there is some illegal activity going on there. I did my research on this organization before interviewing for this job, Mr. Coleman. Your parents were good people, and from what I can tell, so are you. It was bad enough finding out someone was skimming, but this . . .” He pointed to the documents in my hands. “That is something altogether different.”

  “Are you saying you can follow this? You can prove there is illegal activity here?”

  He looked confused. “Of course.”

  “Mr. James, I need you to do something for me, and I need your assurance that you won’t speak a word of this to anyone.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “I need you to go through this with a fine-tooth comb, and tell me everything you can find that is questionable.”

  “All right,” he said reluctantly. “But I don’t understand. If this man has nothing to do with The Coleman Foundation, why am I looking into his bank statements? Shouldn’t this be something for the FBI?”

  “If you can prove illegal activity, then I’m sure they’ll be involved at some point. Right now, I just need to know.”

  “Can I ask why?”

  I handed the statements back to him and stood. “Because he hurt someone I love.”

  Chapter 23

  Stephan

  I was an emotional mess by the time I arrived home to Brianna. Michael’s news both thrilled and worried me. I was taking a gamble having our new CFO go through Ian’s bank statements. What he would do when he discovered, if he hadn’t already, that my name and bank account were on there as well, I didn’t know. Given what I knew about him, and that he’d noticed something neither Oscar’s experts nor I had, I doubted it had escaped his attention.

  Brianna was on the couch reading another one of her library books when I walked through the door. She immediately laid it down on the coffee table and came to me. As always, having her in my arms again calmed me. We’d deal with whatever came, no matter what it was.

  Leaning down, I brushed my lips against hers. “Did you eat?”

  She nodded. “I made a plate for you.”

  Brianna sat beside me on the couch while I ate the dinner she made. Maybe it was my conversation with Michael, but the dining room seemed too far away from her. I needed her near me.

  When I was finished, I laid my plate aside and pulled her onto my lap. “Tell me about your day, sweetheart.”

  “Lily called. She’s picking me up tomorrow at three.” Brianna glanced up at me, and I could see she was worried about something. “I won’t be home to make you dinner.”

  I smiled and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I think I’ll be able to fend for myself for one night.” She still appeared unsure, so I decided to move on. “What else did you do today?”

  Over the next hour, Brianna told me about her new book and a phone call she’d received from Jade. Cal’s girlfriend wanted Brianna to go grocery shopping with her. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, although Jade’s reaction to Brianna’s meltdown the previous Friday was encouraging. “When does she want to go?”

  “Thursday. She says she doesn’t have class that day.”

  “I want you to call me before you leave and the
moment you return home.” It was the only way I wouldn’t drive myself crazy with worry. Knowing she was out with someone I barely knew was going to be bad enough.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Giving her a kiss to show her my pleasure, I let my lips linger against hers. It would be so easy to forget about everything else and take her to bed, but there were things we needed to discuss. I chose the easiest first. “Did Lily say anything to you about this weekend?”

  She shook her head.

  “You and I are going to be going over to Logan and Lily’s Saturday afternoon.”

  I waited for that to sink in. “Okay.”

  Running my hands up and down her arms and back, I was hoping to detect any adverse reaction she might have to my next bit of information. “You know Logan and Lily have a Dominant and submissive relationship.” She nodded. “I’ve asked them to perform a scene for us.”

  She was quiet. When she met my gaze, I could tell she was confused as to my meaning. “I don’t understand.”

  “Brianna, you and I have talked about you being my submissive, correct?”

  “Yes.” The muscles under my hands tensed as her anxiety increased. I tried my best to comfort her without changing our position or breaking eye contact.

  “I know the idea still scares you, sweetheart, and I want you to see a couple you know and trust engaging in a scene.” Wanting to reassure her, I continued. “All we’re going to do is observe. You’ll be with me the entire time. I want you to watch, and if you have questions before or after, you may ask them to any of us, all right? I want you to be comfortable with this, Brianna. With us.”

  Her lower lip began to tremble before she pressed them both tightly together. Running my thumb over her lips, she gradually relaxed them.

  “Talk to me.”

  “Is . . .”

  “Go on, love. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

  “Is he going to hurt Lily?”

  “No. I promise you, he won’t hurt Lily. It’s what I’ve explained to you before. Everything they do together, everything he does to her, she has consented to. You remember your safewords?”