Secrets (Lords of the City)

by Alice Ward

  I pulled his head up to mine and planted a long, hard kiss on his lips before pushing him onto his back. He propped himself up on the headboard and I dove for his cock, licking the soft skin of his head before lowering my mouth down his shaft. Drake ran his fingers through my curls as I dropped a hand to his balls.

  “Ahh…” he gasped in pleasure as I cupped them in my palm. I sucked and teased until a hint of salty cum hit my tongue. Drake pulled me off him, gasping for breath.

  “I don’t want to come yet. I want to come inside you,” he begged. He cradled my face in his hand and covered my mouth with his. Drake tenderly bit my lower lip as I impaled myself on his shaft.

  “Oh God,” he cried out again, thrusting his hips upward. I moved mine in slow, clockwise circles and felt his cock tremble inside me.

  “Turn around,” he groaned, pulling at my hip.

  I grabbed his face and gave him another long, passionate kiss before obeying. I tightened my pussy around his cock, gripping him as I slowly revolved to face the headboard. I planted my hands on Drake’s knees, then rose and fell in a soft, steady rhythm. After only a few strokes, I felt a second orgasm growing within me.

  “Oh, Drake,” I cried out, lowering myself harder with every thrust.

  “Yeah, baby?” he groaned. He folded his legs behind him, rose to his knees, and pushed me onto my elbows. He licked and sucked at my neck as he pushed in and out of me.

  “I’m going to come,” he warned breathlessly.

  “So am I,” I cried out, clamping my pussy around him again. His cock quivered and exploded within me, Drake’s release triggering mine. I fell onto the mattress as waves of pleasure overtook my body. When the waves finally subsided, I realized Drake had moved beside me. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to his chest.

  “I love you so much, Chelsea.”

  “I love you too, baby,” I replied not just to Drake, but to the life I hoped we’d created.

  CHAPTER 3

  e

  A bell chimed as I pushed open the door of Shirley’s Diner. I spotted Piper in a far booth, her back facing me. I took a deep breath, crossed the tile floor, and joined her.

  “Hey,” she said as I slid into the booth. Her voice was flat, her shoulders tense.

  “Good morning. Thanks for meeting me.”

  “Look Chelsea, I know what you’re trying to do. You want to give me some big, long pitch about how deep down Drake’s a good guy and you were wrong to ever leave him. But it’s not going to work, not this time. If you’ll remember, I’m the one who’s had to pick you up every time he’s knocked you down. I had to tell you about the pictures of him and Valintina. I’m the one who had to sit back and watch you drive yourself crazy wondering the truth about Alex. I…”

  “You came to the beach house when I left him in Hong Kong,” I interrupted. “You took care of me after we broke up, when I locked myself in my bedroom for a week. I know what you’ve done, Piper. And I know what he’s done.”

  “Then how can you expect me to forgive him?” she asked impatiently. “How can you forgive him?”

  Before I could answer, a plump waitress with curly grey hair approached our table. She refilled Piper’s coffee and asked if we were ready to order. My stress levels had sent my appetite into overdrive, so I ordered the Big Breakfast Platter with coffee and juice. Piper asked for an egg sandwich and hash browns and the waitress walked back behind the counter.

  I cleared my throat and looked Piper in the eye. “How many times have you held Emma?” I asked directly.

  She sighed. “Three… and I know we all have Drake to thank for that. What he did for Emma, Stacey, and Oliver was incredibly generous. But I can’t believe you let him buy his way back into your life.”

  Piper dropped her voice toward the end of her rant as the waitress approached with my drinks. She set the coffee and juice in front of me and promised our food would be out shortly.

  “Seriously, Chelsea,” Piper hissed the moment the waitress turned her back. “Do you really believe Drake’s motives were genuine? I’m as happy as anyone that Emma’s doing well. But helping her was just a means to an end for him. You have to know that.”

  I shook my head. “You don’t understand, Piper. Drake didn’t help Emma to get me back. He didn’t finish Oliver and Stacey’s penthouse to get them on his side. He wouldn’t even answer our calls so we could thank him. The night we got back together, he was getting ready to leave the country. He’d given up on us and he planned to leave without saying goodbye.”

  Piper narrowed her eyes, her face scrunched with doubt. “That seems a little farfetched, Chelsea. Why would Drake leave the country?”

  “Because Rebecca’s outdone herself.” I took a long sip of my coffee and then explained Rebecca’s latest antics. When I finished, Piper frowned and stared down at the table.

  “Jesus, I knew the woman was evil. But she’s really setting Drake up to go to prison? Are you sure you know the whole story here, Chelsea? Maybe Drake’s guilty and he’s just blaming Rebecca to get himself out of trouble,” she suggested. The thought had never even crossed my mind.

  “Drake had no reason to cheat on his taxes and he’d never even heard of the company he supposedly had inside information on,” I insisted.

  “He says that,” Piper corrected me. “He also said that Alex was just an old family friend and the nondisclosure forms were only a rumor. I don’t know how you can take him at his word after all of the lies he’s told you.”

  “Yes, Drake lied to me. But only to protect me,” I said, echoing Stacey’s words from a week before. “When we fell in love, he realized the mistakes he’d made in the past. He didn’t want me to have to make peace with them.”

  “He’s married, Chelsea,” she snapped. “And if his latest story is true, Rebecca’s going to do whatever it takes to keep him that way.”

  The waitress returned to our table, her arms laden with our breakfast plates. She set the food in front of us and promised to check back soon. I lowered my voice and studied Piper as she doused her hash browns with ketchup.

  “Drake’s marriage was a scam,” I reminded her. “A scam pulled on him by the one woman he was biologically wired to trust. I don’t care if he’s legally bound to someone else. That’s temporary and what we have is forever. I know you don’t trust him, Piper. But I’m asking you to give him one more chance. For me.”

  “You’re asking a lot,” she insisted, shoving a corner of her sandwich into her mouth.

  “I know I am,” I agreed as she chewed. “And I’m afraid I’m not finished.”

  She swallowed and took a long sip of ice water. “Let me hear it.”

  “The feds have already frozen Drake’s bank accounts. He has funds in the Caymans that we’re diverting to me, but he’s going to have to be very frugal until this is over. It’s only a matter of time before the IRS, the SEC, or both of them seize the rest of his assets. My dad is handling his case and he says that they’ll allow Drake to keep one home as his primary residence, pending the outcome of the investigation. Drake designed the beach house and it would kill him to lose it…”

  “I see where this is going,” Piper interrupted. “Once they take the penthouse, Drake won’t have a place to stay in the city. And if he’s broke, he can’t afford a hotel. You want him to stay with us.”

  “Not all of the time,” I assured her. “Pete’s letting me take indefinite leave at work. I’m sure Drake and I will spend plenty of time at the beach house. But when we need to be in the city to deal with the case, or to be with Emma…”

  “He can stay there. I don’t care.”

  That was easier than I thought it would be.

  “Are you sure?” I pressed.

  Piper nodded. “If you’d been home in the last week, you’d have realized that I’m hardly ever there. I’ve been spending most of my time at Seth’s place. I don’t agree with what you’re doing, Chelsea. And I’m still afraid that Drake will hurt you again. But I’m not going
to force your hand and make your life more difficult. The apartment’s as much yours as it is mine. If you want your boyfriend to stay there, who am I to say no?”

  “Fiancé,” I corrected her. “And thank you. I know you don’t trust Drake. He’s given you every reason not to. But I promise, Piper. If you give him another chance, he’ll prove to you that he’s worthy of forgiveness.”

  “I hope so,” she said, her voice dripping with doubt. “Now, eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”

  ***

  After breakfast, Piper and I parted ways. She hailed a cab and set off for work while I took off on foot. Drake and Oliver were with my dad and the rest of Drake’s defense team while Mom sat with Emma, giving Stacey time to go home for a few hours of sleep. There was nowhere I had to be and nothing I had to do, so I decided to window shop and clear my head.

  I passed boutique after boutique full of baby clothes, cribs, and strollers and couldn’t help but fantasize about my future. Based on period math, I knew there was no way I’d already gotten pregnant. But my heart raced with excitement as I imagined myself telling Drake I was carrying his child. I thought of the way I felt with Emma in my arms and wondered how it could be possible to feel love any stronger. I lost track of where I was going and before I knew it, I was in front of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.

  Father Peter gave me such good advice. I’ll just pop into the church and light another candle. If he happens to be there, I can tell him that Drake and I are back together.

  I climbed up the cathedral steps and pulled open the heavy door. A group of tourists were gathered in the entryway. I pushed through them and continued into the sanctuary. A choir was rehearsing in the loft, with organ music bellowing from the enormous pipes. The music vibrated through the building and I was filled with a sense of peace.

  “Back again,” Father Peter said as I struck a match. I lit a candle and turned to face him.

  “Good morning, Father.”

  “Good morning, Chelsea. It’s nice to see you here again. If you’d been an hour earlier, you could have joined us for morning mass.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” I told him with genuine sincerity.

  “You lit another candle,” he pointed out, gesturing to the flickering lights. “Another prayer of thanks, I hope?”

  I sighed and sat down on the nearby pew. “A prayer for thanks and a prayer for strength,” I explained as he settled down beside me.

  “If you feel like elaborating, I’m always here to listen,” he offered.

  “Drake and I have reconciled,” I told him. “We love each other, Father, and I know he’s my soul mate. All I want is to spend the rest of my life making him happy. But there are people in our lives who want the opposite. They don’t want us together and they’re doing everything in their power to destroy us. I want to believe that Drake and I will overcome the obstacles they’ve put in front of us. I want to have faith. But it’s hard.”

  Father Peter nodded, his eyes full of understanding. “You’re being tested with fire, Chelsea,” he explained. “And it seems you’re up for the challenge. I know that it’s hard to have faith that good will prevail when you’re being bombarded with nothing but evil. But if faith was easy, it wouldn’t be worthy of reward. It speaks to your character that you’re praying for strength. Most people pray for their desired outcome instead of the fortitude to handle whatever may come.”

  “Thank you, Father.” I hesitated for a moment and then asked the question that had been nagging at me since Drake and I reunited.

  “My brother and I weren’t raised in the church, but Drake was,” I explained. “If we wanted to get married here, would you…”

  “I’d be honored to officiate your union,” he said before I could finish the question. “And if you or anyone else in your family is interested in learning more about religion, I hold adult classes every Wednesday night in the rectory.”

  “And my niece?” I asked. “If I asked you to say a prayer or a blessing over her…”

  “Name the time and place,” he replied. “There’s nothing I love more than welcoming God’s new children. Has her condition improved?”

  I nodded. “She’s doing better than anyone ever expected.”

  “Then you’ve seen firsthand how the Lord can work miracles. Think about that whenever you feel discouraged by your current problems.”

  “I know God had his hand on Emma. But what if she’s the only miracle we get? Bad things happen to good people all the time. What if luck, or fate, or whatever just isn’t on our side on this one?”

  “Then you will have the strength to deal with it, as you’ve requested,” he said softly. “You’re absolutely right. Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. But everything happens for a reason. You have to believe that, even when the reason isn’t clear. That’s where faith comes in.”

  “This is awfully complicated,” I observed with a frown.

  “The moment you let go of your worry and hand it over to God, everything becomes very simple,” he assured me.

  I stared down at the carpet, my heart heavy with guilt. I believed I was a good person and I’d always tried to lead a respectable life. But I wasn’t sure how God would feel about the fact I was involved with a married man, however fraudulent the marriage may be.

  “Father… would God be more likely to listen to my prayers if I followed more of his rules?”

  He chuckled lightly and took my hand. “That’s not how God works. He knows the intentions of your heart and he hears your prayers before you’ve even thought them. Your niece is thriving because that was His plan long before she was thought of. He has a plan and a destiny set out for us all. If you and Drake are truly meant to be together, you will be. Nothing you do will improve your odds, just as nothing others do will defeat you.”

  “I just have to have faith,” I said, letting his message sink in.

  “Precisely,” he agreed. “And in the meantime, I’ll always be here to listen. If you’d like, bring Drake next time you stop by. We can discuss the details of your wedding.”

  I’ll do that… just as soon as his first marriage is annulled.

  The tourists had made their way around the church as Father Peter and I spoke. Several of them hovered nearby, eager to talk to the priest. I pulled my purse onto my shoulder and rose to my feet.

  “Thank you so much for your advice, Father. As usual, I feel much better after speaking with you. I won’t take up any more of your time today.”

  “Stop by whenever you’d like, Chelsea.” He pulled a card from his pocket and passed it to me. “If you ever need to talk and can’t find me here, just give me a call.”

  “Thank you,” I said again. I gave him a quick hug and he turned to the patient tourists while I set off for the door. I stepped out onto the sidewalk, checked the time, and decided to pay a visit to our thriving little miracle.

  ***

  I stared into the NICU window and waited for Stacey to see me. After a few minutes of rocking Emma, she looked my direction and smiled. She gently laid Emma back in the incubator and stepped out into the hallway to greet me.

  “Chels, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the meeting?”

  “There was no reason for me to be there. And listening to all of the worst-case scenarios is bad for my nerves. I should ask what you’re doing here. I thought Mom was taking the morning shift so you could get some sleep,” I said, hugging her hello.

  “Emma had a good night, so I was able to get plenty of sleep here. I went home for a shower this morning and then your mom left to meet some old friends for an early lunch. Come see the baby. I’m the only parent here right now. The nurse said you can come in.”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice,” I replied quickly. I opened the NICU door and followed Stacey inside. A nurse took my temperature and then presented me with a paper gown. I pulled it over my arms, crossed the room, and lifted my niece.

  “Hello, sw
eet girl,” I cooed as her blue eyes focused on me. “I think you’ve grown since yesterday. If you keep this up, you’ll be home in no time.”

  “I just hope you and Drake are above us when she moves in,” Stacey said, nervously wrapping her arms around her chest. “I’m so nervous about taking care of Emma alone. We have around-the-clock care here. What if something happens and I can’t take care of it?”

  “Sit down,” I instructed, nodding toward the rocking chair. Stacey obliged and I laid Emma in her arms. They both instantly relaxed as Stacey rocked back and forth.

  “You’ll be able to give Emma anything she needs,” I assured her. “And you have everything you could possibly need to take care of her.”

  “I’d just feel better if I knew you were right upstairs. I hope your Dad is able to get this mess cleaned up before it gets any worse.”

  “I hope so too,” I agreed, turning toward the incubator. The construction paper animals Stacey and I made had been replaced with bright, intricate drawings of castles, spaceships, skyscrapers, and boats. I recognized Drake’s smooth lines and clean angles immediately.

  When in the world did he have time to do all this?

  “Drake brought those yesterday,” Stacey explained, following my gaze. “It was so cute. He showed them to her one by one and made up stories to go along with the pictures. I know I should stop spying on people while they’re holding my baby, but I just can’t help myself.”

  “I don’t blame you. I wish I could have seen that. Drake… he asked me to stop taking my pill,” I confided. I knew if anyone understood what I was feeling, it would be Stacey.

  “What?” she gasped as a wide smile filled her face. “What did you say?”

  “I told him I would.”

  “Oh my God, Chelsea! This is so exciting. If I didn’t have my arms full, I’d be hugging you right now.”

  I bent over her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. “You really don’t think it’s a terrible idea?”

  “Of course not,” she insisted as I backed away. I pulled another rocking chair in front of her and perched on the edge of the seat.