Overdose: A British Bad Boy Romance

by Raven St. Pierre

  “Oh, Nessa, don’t shift the blame here,” Simon shot back condescendingly as he followed her every step. He moved close again when she turned, donning that sinister smirk once more as he whispered the next part. “Sneaking around with a patient? Tsk-tsk-tsk… you and I both know that’s against the rules.”

  Her heart raced, but she didn’t say a word.

  Simon moved closer, grabbing the envelope from the counter first. When he held it out, Vanessa eyed it.

  “Might want to take a look at this very closely,” he nearly sang.

  What did he have up his sleeve? Would he make her pay to leave the practice now? Front him money before he’d let her go?

  She could only imagine…

  Vanessa’s shaky fingers pulled the folded papers from the envelope and her eyes scanned them, quickly sprouting confusion as she tried to comprehend what she was reading.

  “Now… I want you to think long and hard about how civil I’ve tried to be throughout this whole process. At times, even allowing you to use me as your verbal punching bag,” he reminded her. “I tried to get through this divorce without getting ugly, but you didn’t want that. Every time I turned around, you made things harder than they had to be. You set this tone. You made sure we couldn’t part ways amicably.”

  Vanessa only half-heard him as dark ink on stark-white paper nearly had her hyperventilating.

  “I even tried reasoning with you, Nessa. Several times, I tried initiating conversation about what really went wrong between us, about what’s going on inside me, but you wouldn’t listen. Never,” he reiterated. “Now, as a result, I see very little reason why we should pretend there’s anything left between us but business.” His expression went dark. “So, that’s what this is. Business.”

  Words.

  So many words.

  None of which registered inside her mind. Some phrases stood out, but still… with her mind reeling, it may as well have been written in a foreign language.

  “I took the liberty of contacting my lawyer to draft a little contract of my own,” Simon snickered. “He was all too willing to take time out of his busy morning to help me translate my thoughts into legally binding terms. Terms he and I both agree are more than fair. You know… considering,” he added with a grin.

  “Considering what, Simon?”

  “Oh, I don’t know—becoming romantically involved with a patient, which, while it isn’t illegal, per se, it most certainly could cost you that precious, little license you worked so hard to earn. And let’s not mention how you’ve freely given this incredibly disturbed man access to our home, where my son lays his head at night, and—”

  “Disturbed?” Vanessa cut in. “You sat outside my house last night, waiting for me to show up with some man you weren’t even sure existed. And not only that, but you brought Ryan into this? For what? To turn him against me?” Her arms folded tight against her chest. “But Zander’s the one who’s disturbed?”

  Her hands coiled into rigid fists as she fought the urge to swing them. How dare he take her through hell and then pull this self-righteous bull, pretending to be some sort of saint or something!

  Unfazed, Simon boldly took a step closer.

  “Let me ask you something,” he said, purposely ignoring Vanessa’s question. “What do you think would happen if I were to, oh, I don’t know, report your behavior to the APA?”

  A chill ran down Vanessa’s back.

  “No answer?” Simon asked, holding back a laugh. “Well, allow me to paint this picture for you myself. I’ll go out on a limb and say your license would be swiftly revoked, thanks to these lovely pictures providing me all the proof I’ll need. Then, once you’re jobless and unable to outrun your marred reputation in the field after I spread the word, I’ll go for full custody of Ryan on grounds that you’ll be out of work and, therefore, unable to care for him on your own.”

  Vanessa’s heart leapt at even the thought of Simon trying such a thing. “That’ll never happen,” she hissed, but her response only brought out Simon’s smug grin even more.

  “Sure about that? Let’s not forget the handful of local judges for whom I’ve done favors over the years—discreetly treating them and their families, often times free of charge, building rapports with them.” His eyes narrowed. “You didn’t think that was all for nothing, did you? Be smarter than that, Nessa,” he laughed. “They owe me and I fully intend to collect,” he added. “That was always the plan. One day. Down the road.” His eyes went even colder when he added, “I just never imagined I’d have to pull this card on you.”

  He stepped even closer. “And I’m sure I could even craft a quick, child endangerment case against you, too, based on your friend’s mental health record. I’m sure it would be easy to convince the powers that be that Zander isn’t someone who should be around young, easily influenced children.”

  Simon shrugged before going on. “I mean, the likelihood of everything in my report being one-hundred percent true is slim to none, but, come on, who wouldn’t readily believe he’s a problem waiting to happen?” he added. “Then, once I have full custody of Ryan, who knows? Maybe we’ll relocate to someplace… safe. Someplace he and I can start fresh. Come to think of it, I may take my old pal Ted up on that offer to partner with him in France. He’s thriving out there and I’m sure our boy would just love Europe; don’t you think?”

  Simon finished speaking and stared, waiting for Vanessa to speak, but those words never came. They never came because she had already realized he meant every single word of this threat and would carry it out to the fullest.

  She had no one on her side. No army of crooked lawyers and judges she could pull out her pocket. It was just her and she knew Simon would stop at nothing until he buried her.

  Right then and there, her heart broke in two for the second time at the hands of the man she once thought she’d spend the rest of her life with. She should’ve known he was capable of this.

  She should’ve known.

  More tears fell, but they were filled with more anger and bitterness than sadness. This man had dictated the twists and turns of her life for far too long and now, here she was, once again at the mercy of his will.

  Her hands were tied.

  He had all the evidence he needed to ruin her. Sure, she’d put in a call to her lawyer to see if there was anything she could do, but… the odds weren’t in her favor.

  Never in a million years did she imagine Simon would stoop so low. To think, she’d only had a handful of sessions with Zander and she could possibly pay the ultimate price for falling for him. It wasn’t enough that she severed professional ties with Zander already. Simon was out for blood, so she didn’t bother to mention it.

  “Are you ready to sign?” he asked.

  Vanessa skimmed the papers again, letting the terms sink in. It was more personal than business, forcing her to sign away the right to make her own choices, forcing her to bend to Simon’s will for the foreseeable future in exchange for his silence. It was either that or risk losing her son to him in a battle that was sure to be bloody and well-fought.

  But the bottom line was: she would never win. She hadn’t even spoken with her lawyer yet and she already knew. Between these pictures and Simon’s snake of a lawyer, this didn’t look good.

  “And uh… it’s not stated plainly in the contract, but it should go without saying that your little… fling,” he stated in a tone that hinted toward a laugh, “it ends here. Trust me, if it doesn’t… I’ll know,” he threatened.

  And there it was; the final nail in the coffin. Vanessa swallowed hard as bile rose in her throat, trying to find some way to stall so she could come up with a plan that didn’t involve her losing everything. It wasn’t fair that Simon kept winning. It felt like, at every turn, that was the case.

  “I need to have my lawyer look this over first,” she replied through gritted teeth. “Otherwise, I’m not signing anything.”

  “Suit yourself,” Simon smiled. “But you should kno
w this offer expires at midnight. If I don’t have it in my hands, signed, I’ll be filing that report first thing in the morning.”

  Vanessa was speechless, trying to figure out how she ended up here, under his thumb once more.

  Simon approached her and leaned in. “If it makes this pill any easier to swallow, I was going to fight you on leaving the practice anyway. No, not quite this dirty, but you just made it so easy,” he chuckled, the sound of which had Vanessa cringing as her eyes slammed shut. “You and I both know I can’t afford to run the practice without you. I’d be in the red within six months if you left and I never planned to let you ruin me.”

  He spoke the words with so much conviction, but still Vanessa wasn’t convinced. This was about power, about control. Always had been. Thinking on it, something else dawned on her. It was no secret that Simon had an affinity for younger women, herself included. She imagined he found young girls easier to control, easier to fool into submission with his wit and charm. Without knowing it, she’d fallen into his web long ago.

  “I tell you what, why don’t I leave you to look this over and you can get back to me when you’re ready,” he said casually, making his way toward the door. When he passed by, Vanessa didn’t turn with him. She kept her eyes trained out the kitchen window as her life unraveled more and more as the seconds ticked past.

  “Oh, and… word of advice,” Simon added. “Before you concern yourself with those papers, you might want to go talk to Ry. He was pretty upset by what he saw last night.”

  There went that heartbreak again, smashing her soul into a thousand pieces as she imagined what must be going through her son’s head.

  “Midnight,” Simon called out as a reminder just before slamming the front door.

  *****

  Vanessa ascended the steps with no idea what she’d say to Ryan. This was too much too soon. Honestly, even after making up her mind to let Zander know she was ready to take things to the next level, she fully expected to keep his existence a secret from her son for at least another six months. And even then, telling him she was seeing someone would be contingent on her evaluation of how he was dealing with the divorce.

  But now, she was headed up to his room to have that conversation far too prematurely.

  She knocked at his door softly, but didn’t get an answer. Turning the knob, she found him curled up in bed beneath his blanket. If it hadn’t been for the sniffling, she might’ve thought he was asleep.

  His small frame trembled every so often and Vanessa shook her head. He was crying and it was because of her, because he didn’t understand what he’d seen the night before.

  There was a chance he might not even want to speak to her. It would’ve been one thing for him to hear she’d been involved with someone, but seeing it? Seeing her hugged up with, and kissing, Zander like she had because she thought the moment was a private one? She knew that had to bring about a plethora of thoughts and feelings Ryan couldn’t even begin to understand.

  In Ryan’s mind, she was sure he held out hope she and Simon would one day get back together and they’d be a family again. Now, in one night, before Vanessa had the chance to prepare him, that hope had been snatched away. And there was also no telling what thoughts his father had spent the rest of the night filling his head with. If Simon was even half as vindictive then as he was a moment ago in the kitchen, she was sure Ryan now believed some pretty ugly things about her—lies she could only hope to straighten out.

  How could Simon have done that? Sacrificed their son’s feelings just to worsen the sting he wanted to deliver to her? She couldn’t even imagine using Ryan in that way, and Lord knows she could have on several occasions, starting with telling Ryan the truth behind why their marriage came to an end in the first place. But she knew better, knew he already had enough scars that needed to heal.

  “Can we talk?” she asked, entering the room slowly.

  Ryan didn’t answer. Still, only the sound of him sniffling could be heard.

  She moved closer, this time making it all the way to his bed where she sat beside him. Placing a hand on his back, she was surprised he didn’t snatch away when she rubbed him gently.

  “I know you saw some things last night you don’t quite understand, Ry, but I’d like to try to explain.”

  “No, I don’t wanna talk about it,” he managed to say in between sobs. “We saw you with that man and it made Dad sad just like it made me sad. He still loves you, you know. He loves you and you don’t even care!”

  The words left her son’s mouth in a harsh tone she wasn’t used to hearing him address her in, but she knew it was only because his emotions were undoubtedly running high. She wouldn’t fault him for being hurt and confused right now, but she would indeed fault Simon… the bastard.

  “Ryan, it’s—”

  “Dad says that man’s dangerous,” Ryan cut in, unknowingly spouting his father’s ignorance. “He said he could hurt you one day and that it might not be safe here anymore since he knows where we live.”

  ‘Damn you, Simon. Damn you to hell,’ she thought to herself.

  “Is that true?” he asked next.

  She touched the back of Ryan’s head, happy he wasn’t facing her because he would’ve seen how angry she was.

  “No, baby, that’s not true. Daddy just…” she paused to breathe, “he jumped to conclusions, which made him say and do some things he really shouldn’t have. You know I’d never put you in danger, don’t you?”

  It took him a moment to answer and it killed her that he even had to think before responding, but eventually, he nodded his head.

  “Then that’s all you need to know,” Vanessa assured him. “I always have, and always will, put you first. Remember that.”

  When she paused, she thought of all Simon’s threats. The one that stood out to her most was the one he’d made about taking Ryan away. She would never let that happen, no matter what it cost her.

  Her thoughts flashed back to one thing in particular Simon made clear she’d lose—Zander. Part of the deal was that she’d have to sever ties with him and, with Simon on the warpath like he was, he’d find ways to check up on her to make sure she’d done just that. Actually, he assured her he would. There had to be some way around all of this, though. This couldn’t be the end.

  Couldn’t be.

  “You know I love you, don’t you, Ry?”

  The words left her mouth in a ragged tone as she choked them out. A cry threatened to break free, but she held it in, straining her throat to do so.

  Much to Vanessa’s relief, Ryan nodded. She kissed the back of his head and then rested her cheek there for a moment, trying to wrap her head around Simon taking him away. What scared her the most was that she fully believed he could pull that off if he really wanted to. And, from what she’d seen in him a moment ago, he really wanted to.

  “I’ll let you rest for a bit. I’m sure you had a long night,” she said to her son, kissing him once more. “If you want to talk some more, I’ll be in my room, k?”

  She waited for a second and then Ryan finally nodded.

  Standing from his bed, Vanessa struggled to keep her composure. In her hand was Simon’s contract, the one he was extremely adamant about her signing before midnight tonight. She only had until then to find a way around meeting his demands, but, the truth of the matter was, she had no ammo, no ace in the hole. There was nothing she could use on Simon that was even remotely as incriminating as the evidence he had against her. And, like he said, if he ruined her career, she wouldn’t be able to maintain a life for herself and Ryan, which would put her at risk of losing the single most important thing in her life.

  And she couldn’t bear that.

  She reached her room at the exact moment she realized there was nothing more she could do. Simon, unfortunately, held all the cards this time. There was no choice but to sign the damn contract, one that served as more of an agreement between them than it did as a legally binding document. He was demanding that she en
d what she had with Zander and stay at their practice, in exchange for his discretion where her ‘affair’ was concerned. If she failed to comply, then legal action would be taken—in the form of him having her license revoked and later, coming after custody of Ryan.

  Her pen made a dreadful scratching noise as she scribbled her first and last name across the bottom of the last page. Simon would get everything he wanted, including her freedom.

  She’d sold her soul to the devil.

  A text went out to Simon before Vanessa turned her phone off completely. It was to let him know she submitted by signing the paperwork and that the envelope would be underneath the mat outside the door where he could pick it up.

  He’d won.

  Again.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Thanks to a scheduling faux pau, courtesy of his secretary, Zander’s day had been much busier than expected. He was forced into back-to-back sessions that seemed to all run together. Upon seeing his last patient out to the lobby, he breathed a sigh of relief. The empty waiting room was a welcomed sight. His plan, from here, was to order takeout and then catch up on some reading. It wasn’t the most exciting plan, but it would pass the time.

  Not hearing from Vanessa these past few days forced him to recognize how his social life had all but come to a screeching halt. Outside of work, he rarely spoke with anyone other than her. Liam was in the wind again and Zander’s little black book was collecting dust somewhere in his nightstand. The solitude wasn’t an issue, per se, but he was definitely aware of it.

  Patience was not now, nor had it ever been, his strong suit. However, he’d done his best not to pressure Vanessa for a response. Their talk in Black Hawk was a heavy one. He knew that. But honestly? He didn’t expect it to take this long for her to reach a conclusion. Since it had, doubt managed to creep in and he fought against it almost constantly, telling himself it was probably best that she took her time considering all the possibilities. After all, he was well aware of the fact that being with him, dealing with him, was a lot to handle. So much so, he probably ought to have a disclaimer stamped on his forehead, but the wait was still difficult.