The Fidelity World: Retribution

by Andrea Bills

He shrugged. Annie turned around, and Cole’s sour mood was forgotten.

  “You look beautiful, my Annie.”

  “You clean up nice yourself, my Cole.”

  “No time like the present,” he said, offering her his arm.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Annie

  “Think you can spend the night pretending to like me?” Cole asked her, catching her off guard.

  “What do you mean? I do like you.”

  “Fair enough, but tonight you have to love me.”

  “Oh yes. Our little arrangement. I can handle that.”

  The car rolled to a stop in front of the hotel. The entrance was regal and grand. Annie had never seen anything so fancy. The hotel had two gigantic pillars that covered a beautiful walkway up to their front entrance. A red carpet lined the entryway and people were crammed on either side of it. Most of them had cameras in front of their faces, snapping away at the people making their way in. Annie took a deep, shaky breath. She could pretend to love Cole for the night.

  Cole waited for the driver to come around and open the door for them. Annie found that odd since Cole didn’t seem like the kind of man who let others wait on him. Trey had been the opposite, he wanted anyone and everyone to wait on him hand and foot. Cole turned and offered his hand to Annie; she placed her trembling hand in his and stepped out onto the red carpet. Everything was suddenly different. She looked up, and the roof over them had beautiful gold artwork all over it, which shined against all the lights.

  For the past two weeks, Annie had mostly been holed up in Cole’s apartment, and now she was being thrust out in a world she didn’t even realize existed; hotels with fancy entryways, red carpets, and people who wore ballgowns and tuxedos didn’t exist where she was from. People were yelling at her and Cole to stop and take pictures, asking Annie who had done her hair, or who designed the dress she was wearing. Annie hadn’t the slightest clue who designed her dress she had responded, embarrassed. No one had touched her hair, it just simply looked that way. Cole smiled down at her, his features softer than usual, and his eyes twinkling with delight. The man could act, she’d give him that. The look he gave her made her feel adored.

  Once they made it into the hotel, they were ushered over to a grand ballroom, filled with people dressed to the nines. Cole couldn’t seem to gain any ground without someone stopping him to talk. He seemed to genuinely enjoy chatting with everyone who stopped him, but she could tell that part was an act. His grip on her hand was tight, and his jaw flexed when the person would finally walk off. Annie took in the hotel’s ballroom. The ceilings were high and filled with the same beautiful golden artwork as the entryway. There were chandeliers hanging, and the floor was marbled with gold and red.

  Waiters maneuvered throughout the guests, offering hors d’oeuvres and glasses of champagne. One stopped next to Annie and dipped his plate; Annie wasn’t sure what he had on his tray, but she plucked two off and offered one to Cole. He smiled and accepted it. Annie wasn’t necessarily a picky eater, but one thing she had learned from Trey was that rich people ate weird things. She prayed she wouldn’t embarrass herself as she popped it in her mouth. A rich cream filled her mouth, and she moaned with delight.

  Cole’s eyes snapped over to her. She gave him a thumbs up, and then quickly put her hand down. A blush covered her face; a thumbs up while she shoved her face full probably wasn’t acceptable behavior. Annie gave him what she hoped was an apologetic look. Cole winked at her and went back to his conversation. Another waiter stopped by and offered her a glass of champagne which she gladly accepted.

  Cole’s steady stream of people had finally died off, giving them a small semblance of privacy. Annie started to ask Cole where his family was when a deadly familiar voice called her name. Cole looked down at her, and he easily read her expression.

  “Annie?” Trey said again.

  “Cole.” She whispered, wishing the tears that were filling her eyes would disappear.

  Silently she begged Cole to whisk her away. She couldn’t face Trey again. Cole started to acknowledge Trey, but Annie tightened her grip on his hand, as her knees began to falter. Cole grabbed her waist and pulled her against him.

  “Cole Bennett.” Cole said, firmly extending his hand behind Annie to no doubt shake hands with Trey.

  “Trey Pennington.”

  The voice was just as Annie had remembered. It sounded soft and sweet to others, but Annie picked up on his underlying tone. The one that had promised her harm once they were safely behind closed doors. Trey was boring his eyes into Annie’s back, and as much as Annie hated herself for it she wanted to run.

  “I see you know my Annie.” Cole said assertively.

  Annie looked back up into Cole’s eyes. She saw his reassurance and his confidence. Trey didn’t scare him at all, but yet Cole didn’t know Trey and what he was capable of.

  “Your Annie is it?” Trey challenged.

  “Annie, I’ve been worried about you.” Trey said again, ignoring Cole.

  Finally, Annie turned around to face Trey. Everything she had endured for two years rushed back to her. The man who had terrorized her was standing directly in front of her, and he wanted to continue his torture; she could see it in his eyes. Cole’s arm weighed heavily on her body, reminding her that Trey could no longer cause her harm. As affluent as Trey was in society, Cole seemed to have just as much clout. He also had just made a very public spectacle of claiming Annie in front of everyone there.

  Annie smiled, because just as Karen had predicted, Trey could no longer touch Annie. Her smile had the exact effect on Trey as she had hoped.

  “I didn’t realize you possessed the gene required for worrying about someone other than yourself, Trey.” Annie snarled.

  Trey took an aggressive step forward.

  “I’ll end you, right here, right now if you so much as blink wrong.” Cole said in a deadly, hushed tone.

  A chill ran up Annie’s spine. Her eyes snapped over to Cole, but his eyes were locked firmly on Trey.

  “Until next time then, Annie.” Trey sneered and then strolled off as if nothing was wrong.

  Annie’s legs finally gave way, but Cole was quick. He quickly whisked her out of the ballroom. He found a small janitor’s closet and ducked inside, kicking the door shut behind him. He didn’t let go of Annie until she steadied herself.

  “Is that him?” Cole asked, his jaw flexing as his hands dug into her hips.

  She pried his hands off her hips and held them in hers. His hands were so large compared to hers. It made her feel safe; Cole made her feel safe. The sudden change in his demeanor when Trey had stepped toward her had told her that Cole was every bit as deadly as Trey.

  “Yes.”

  “How did you meet him?”

  “We met in college.”

  “How long?” Cole asked, still not in control of his temper, but Annie knew it wasn’t directed at her.

  “Two years.”

  “Jesus, Annie.” Cole growled, tearing his hands from hers and slamming his fist on a nearby wall.

  “I’m safe now. That was how I ended up with Karen. A neighbor of mine is friends with her, and he snuck me out one night. Karen picked me up, and you know the rest. I say a prayer for my neighbor every day. God only knows what Trey did to him for helping me.”

  “You couldn’t go to the authorities.” Cole said, it had been a statement and not a question.

  “No.”

  “That’s why Karen paired us together. She knew I could protect you from him.”

  “Yes, the money I make from our arrangement will help me protect myself and my family from Trey. Until then you protect me by being who you are. Our relationship will be too public for him to do anything.”

  “I ought to go out there and slam my fist into the bastard’s face.”

  “As much as I would love to see that, we’re here because you need me to help you as well. We should get back out there.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that, Ann
ie.”

  “I’m okay. We can’t lose sight of what you need to accomplish just because my ex is an ass. Besides it’s kind of nice to have him want to hurt me, but for once not be able to.”

  Cole finally looked calmer. He was looking her up and down as if he wanted to make sure she was okay. The last of the bruises Trey had left on her had faded to almost nothing over the past weeks. Annie realized that for the first time in over a year she didn’t have any bruises on her body.

  “Stay by my side the rest of the night.” Cole demanded.

  “Yes, sir.” She said, jokingly saluting him.

  “Annie, I’m serious.”

  “I know.”

  Cole turned to open the door, so they could rejoin the party.

  “Cole?”

  He stopped and looked down at her.

  “Thanks for caring.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Cole

  Fuck yes, Cole cared. He cared enough that he didn’t give a damn about his agenda for the evening. All he wanted to do was take Annie back his apartment and then come back and kick the coward’s worthless ass. Annie squeezed his hand as they entered the ballroom again, reassuring him.

  “Cole?” Barry Allen said, as he approached Cole.

  “Mr. Allen, it’s a pleasure to see you.” Cole said, getting back into character as they shook hands.

  “Mr. Allen, this stunning woman next to me is my girlfriend, Annie.”

  “Annie, such a lovely name. My wife is around here somewhere. She saw some of her country club ladies, and they were off to gossip or whatever it is they do.” Allen said with a laugh.

  Cole gave him a small chuckle. He saw Annie’s backbone straighten out of the corner of his eye at the old man’s sexist comment. Cole shot her a wink and squeezed her hand.

  “Mr. Allen is on the board of my grandfather’s charity foundation. He also runs a very successful beard oil business down in the Theatre District.” Cole told Annie.

  Annie extended her hand to shake Barry’s and offered him a smile.

  “What exactly is beard oil?” Annie asked.

  Barry launched into the specifics of his business, while Annie appeared to be listening rather intently.

  “That’s fascinating. You should take that stuff down to West Virginia; you’d make a killing.” Annie said with a laugh.

  “You think so?”

  Cole could already see the wheels turning in the businessman’s mind. Barry was never one to joke about making money.

  “Oh sure, it’s like a requirement for men who live in West Virginia to have a beard.” Annie replied.

  “She’s not really lying there. I went to school down at WVU, and they actually require their mascot to grow a beard. It’s a whole thing to see which candidate can grow their beard the longest. The month of November is referred to as ‘no shave November.’”

  “Fascinating, maybe it’s time I expand.”

  Another gentleman approached them. Cole recognized him as Stephen Wright, yet another member of the board. The introductions were made, and Cole threw himself into the discussion. This had been the reason he had decided to endure the miserable event; he had to become one of them. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by several of the board members. The conversations were going well, and Cole felt that they were fully embracing him, then his parents approached.

  “Hello, son.” His dad said, holding his hand out.

  “Father, Mother.” Cole said, shaking his dad’s hand briefly.

  “Rob, why didn’t you ever tell us what an astounding mind Cole has? He’s a true patriarch. Your grandfather would be proud, son.” Stephen said.

  “We’re all proud of Cole.” His father emphasized.

  “Of course. Cole you’ll make a damn fine board member. I look forward to hearing your thoughts for the foundation at the next meeting.” Barry said, before he wandered off to find more booze.

  The rest of the group dispersed as well.

  “Where’s the lovely Annie?” His mother said, looking around sarcastically.

  Cole suddenly realized he hadn’t felt Annie next to him for a while. Cole scanned the room, searching for her blonde curls, but he didn’t see anything. His eyes landed on his driver, standing at the entryway, watching over everyone. Cole didn’t bother excusing himself from his parent’s presence.

  “Keith, have you seen Annie?”

  “She just stepped out to the ladies’ room I believe sir. Is something wrong?”

  “I hope not.” Cole said, rushing off toward the ladies’ room. The one right next to the ballroom had an extensive line, and Cole didn’t see Annie in it.

  He grabbed a waiter walking by.

  “Where’s the next set of bathrooms?” Cole asked.

  “Down that hall there, sir and to the left.”

  Cole darted off, worry thick in his gut. He had told her to stay by his side. Cole threw the women’s bathroom door open, expecting to find Trey terrorizing Annie. Instead Annie was standing in front of the mirror doing something to her hair.

  “Cole, what’s wrong?” She asked, dropping her hands and making her way over to him.

  “I told you to stay by my side.” He growled.

  “Am I not allowed to go to the bathroom?”

  “You should have told me.” He yelled, his heart rate still not down from having thought she was in danger.

  “Cole, for heaven’s sakes! You’re acting crazy.”

  “No, you’re being careless.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, and Cole decided to silence his menace. He captured her mouth in a kiss. Her body molded against his, and her mouth welcomed him in, her tongue stroking his passionately. He growled at the passion she offered him. He had started the kiss in anger, but she consumed him, diminishing his anger with her soft whimpers.

  Cole backed her up against the wall, forcing their bodies even closer. Annie’s hands wrapped around his neck. His hands found the opening in the back of her dress that he had been dying to touch all night. She purred under his touch. Cole tore himself away from her and took in the sight of her lips, red and swollen. Her eyes were deep blue and heavy with lust. Cole had no idea how Annie had managed to have such a hold on him in such a short amount of time.

  “We’re leaving.” He said, turning toward the door and tugging her along behind him.

  “What about the event?”

  “I think I’ve peopled enough for the night. There’s only one person I have any desire getting to know any better tonight.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Annie

  Just as fast as Annie had been submerged into the glitz and glam of Cole’s world, she was yanked back out. The car ride back to Cole’s place was silent, but the tension was palpable. Annie had never been kissed the way Cole had kissed her. She had never felt so freed and yet tied down at the same time. Something had changed inside of her when Cole kissed her. He had freed her from her past. With every stroke of his tongue and touch of his hand, she forgot about all the pain Trey had brought. At the same time, she realized that whatever connected her to Cole was chemical, and it had bonded. To separate the bond now was going to be painful.

  Annie wanted to berate herself and tell herself city girls didn’t get affected by men like she was with Cole, but she didn’t. She should have told herself it had been the champagne or the fact that Cole had saved her from Trey, but she knew that was a lie. The moment she had laid eyes on Cole the spark had been there; that spark she had read about in her romance books and seen on television her whole life. Annie had thought it had been fake.

  The driver pulled up to Cole’s apartment. This time Cole didn’t wait for him to open the door. Cole threw the door open and pulled Annie out right after him. He barely acknowledged the man holding the door to his building either. He slammed his code into the elevator and once the elevator doors parted, he placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her inside. The doors quietly closed, and Annie suddenly felt like everything between her and
Cole was about to combust. Good or bad, Annie looked over at Cole and decided she didn’t care.

  She grabbed his necktie and yanked him down to her and kissed him. The second kiss was just as outrageously arousing as the first one had been. Cole allowed her to be the aggressor for a minute, but then he took charge. He grabbed her ass and lifted her up against him. It wasn’t the first time Annie had felt his erection but knowing that this time things would progress farther made her dizzy with pleasure. The elevator door dinged breaking them out of their haze. Cole let her slide down his body.

  Even as they moved from the elevator and into his apartment, she felt hungry for his touch. Cole kicked the door shut and then leaned up against it, taking Annie with him. She slid his tuxedo jacket off and started to work on his buttons.

  “Annie, the bedroom.” He said.

  Annie backed away from him and then turned and headed toward Cole’s bedroom. As she entered, she took in how masculine it all was; how very Cole it all was. He had plain colored bed covers; the dark blue looked crisp up against the soft color of his wooden headboard. She ran her fingers along the matching foot board. Even though she had been in it countless times since her arrival it seemed different somehow.

  Cole stepped closer to Annie. She could feel the heat radiating from his chest, her body already itching to lean back into his strength. A graze of his fingers on her back stole the breath from her lungs. No touch had ever affected her the way Cole’s did. Cole slowly unhooked the dress and slid the zipper down. Annie tried to remember how to breathe. She clutched the front of her dress, not because she was having second thoughts, but because she was afraid he would ruin her for anyone else after him. It wasn’t just one night of stolen kisses or heated passion, it would be for a year. Could she survive a year of a man like Cole and move on after?

  “Annie?” He asked.

  As always, he had been able to detect her emotional swing. He was naked from the waist up, but he looked relaxed. He looked dangerously erotic. Annie dropped her dress.

  “God, woman. You’re beautiful.”