by KB Winters
My heart.
“Livvie.”
It was one word, but that was all it took to destroy my wanna-be calm, collected exterior. Before I could fully launch into a tirade, Mitch and Kaylee stepped into view over Remy’s shoulder.
“Hey, Liv,” Mitch said, with a slight wave.
“What the hell is going on here?” I said, skipping over Mitch’s greeting.
Remy stepped back and waved me inside. I stalked in, my hands shaking as I cast a heated glance between my two employees—people I’d considered friends—right up until this moment. Seeing them in Remy’s house was jarring and I wondered what they were doing here.
“Livvie, I can explain,” Remy started.
I whirled back around. “I sure as hell hope so!”
“Calm down. I’m trying to help you. I’ve been working with Kaylee and Mitch for the last twenty-four hours and we’ve made quite a bit of progress,” Remy continued.
“I’m sorry, you what? Progress? You had no right to do this, Remy!” I exploded. “How could you guys go along with this? Without telling me?” I practically yelled at Mitch and Kaylee who were now huddled together like scared puppies.
“Livvie, we had to promise to not tell you,” Kaylee answered, her voice soft and sad.
“All right, slow down. Before you go off, let me explain,” Remy added. He reached for my hand but I pulled away and took a step backwards, bumping into an out-of-place file cabinet. “Livvie, please?”
My eyes darted frantically between the three of them. Kaylee mouthed, “It’s okay,” and I looked away, back at Remy. His eyes were intense but soft around the edges. Right now was not the time to melt. My heart was already pounding in my chest just looking at him and listening to his deep voice.
“Give us a minute,” Remy directed to Kaylee and Mitch. They nodded and disappeared down the hall. Remy watched them leave before turning his attention back to me. “I know you’re mad. But, I swear, this is only for your own good. Come here, I’ll show you.”
Without waiting, he started walking away and I had to do a half-jog to catch up. He led me into a room that had a couch, TV, and a few bookshelves filled with old books and fancy knick knacks. I wondered if he’d decorated himself, or if all the items contained on the shelves had been meticulously selected by a designer.
Once the door was shut, Remy took a deep breath. “I don’t need your staff to hear the nitty gritty here, if you don’t mind. God knows that the last thing I need is for word to get out that Remington Maddox is a broke joke.” He let out a sharp laugh at his own statement.
“Broke?” I repeated, arching a brow at him. “I hardly doubt that. I mean, what, broke in your world means you can’t upgrade your half a million dollar car on an annual basis?”
He didn’t so much as crack a smile at my joke and I got the feeling that I’d hit a little below the belt.
“I gave it all up. I told my mother to fuck off and I’ve officially been cut off from the family money. I drained my trust account and the personal savings I’d set aside and moved it to a separate account. I’ve distributed half of it to cover my general living expenses and such, of course, and the other half is for your business.”
“My—my business?” I stuttered, suddenly feeling the need to sit down.
“I have a slide show, if you want to see,” Remy said, turning my attention to his phone.
“Wait, slow down. I mean, back up. I don’t understand,” I said. The room was spinning and I really, really needed it to stop before I got sick all over his priceless carpet.
Remy rubbed the back of his neck. “Right. Well, truthfully, I was in talks to buy a restaurant with my personal savings—and that’s nothing to sneeze at. I told you, I’m not just some pretty boy, rich jerk. I’ve wanted a restaurant for a while now, I’m sure you can tell I’m kind of a foodie. I mean, how many guys have you gone out to dinner with that know what a flourless cake is? Or the right kind of wine to drink with Italian food?”
“Yeah,” I said, grinning. “I did notice you were a little more passionate about food than most, but what has this got to do with Conquer?”
“Well, I had an extensive three-year plan built around that dream. But, right now, you need it more than I do and I want to be a part of your dream. So, I pulled the money out of my project and invested it, for you.”
My chest felt like a truckload of bricks had been dumped on it, all but stopping my heart. I stepped closer and lowered Remy’s arm with a gentle push, forcing him to look at me. “Wow, you seriously did that for me?”
“Yeah, I did.” His voice came out thick.
“I don’t know what to say,” I replied.
“All I need is a thank you,” he replied, offering me a smile.
I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to tell him it was too much. The gesture was too grand, too extravagant, and too risky. But my mouth was dry and my mind was tangled with possible responses to the point where nothing came out when I tried to speak. I turned away and walked to the large-paned windows and stared out at the city streets below.
“Liv, I was kidding,” he said with what sounded like a slightly forced laugh.
“Kidding?” I snorted. “I—I just don’t understand, I guess. I’m trying to process it all.”
I felt Remy step closer. He joined me at the window, leaving barely an inch between us.
“Livvie, talk to me. What’s going on? Why aren’t you happy?” he asked, his voice a little shorter than before.
I snapped my attention back to him. “This was my dream, since I was a little girl. And I know I was kinda sucking at it big time, but it was mine, ya know.” I turned around to face him. The dark green flecks in his eyes nearly melted me on the spot. “I really didn’t want to take your help when you first offered it, but I knew it was the best shot I had—the only shot I had. So now, for you to do all this just feels like too much. It’s too heavy, way too much responsibility. Now, it’s not just me that’s on the line, it’s you, too, and…” my voice cracked. “Ugh. I’m grateful, but I think you made a mistake. I think maybe you bet on the wrong girl.”
Without another word, Remy wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled my body against his until my curves were melted up against the hard, firm lines of his torso. My lips parted, ready to object, but Remy’s mouth descended on mine before I could utter a sound. His hungry fingers searched my body, sliding down my waist and over my hips, anchoring me to him with a firm grip. He released me long enough to grab a fist of my hair and pulled my head back to expose my neck and collarbone, which he then inspected with his lips, tongue, and teeth.
I moaned as he made his way south, over the outline of my breasts, his hot breath steaming through the thin fabric of my shirt.
“Remy.” I whispered. My body wanted more.
Remy’s hands went up the front of my tee, over my stomach and traced a circle around my navel before skimming over each rib as he made his way to the lacy edge of my bra.
“I don’t want you to wear bras anymore. At least, not when you’re with me,” he growled, his fingers working to shove aside the silky cups. “These are too damn beautiful to keep in a cage anymore.”
“Are you talking about my tits or caged animals…?” I almost giggled but Remy’s lips closed in on my nipple and I sucked in my breath.
He continued his exploration and I arched back, pressing against him, desperate for relief. His tongue ran between my breasts to taste and tease my other nipple and I shivered, moaning at the feel of his hot tongue on my body. The sound of my own pleasure stirred me back to reality. I stilled my hands on his firm back muscles as he bent over my chest. “Remy! We can’t do this right now. Not here,” I said, although my plea was admittedly weak and breathy-sounding. Not at all convincing.
“Yes, we can,” Remy insisted, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me up into his arms. He ignored my protesting whine and resumed the intense search of my body as he walked over to the couch, clutching me against his chest.
He tore off my shirt and laid me out on the couch before returning his lips to my nipples. My brain turned off as my body took over, wriggling and writhing under Remy’s slow teasing when a noise from the other room startled me and broke my concentration.
“Shit,” I gasped, jolting to an upright position.
The noise stopped, but I pulled my shirt back on and gave Remy a delirious but sheepish look as I gathered my hair into a messy ponytail over my shoulder.
“That was a little crazy,” I said, smiling over at Remy.
“That was not even close to crazy. But, once we get rid of your friends out there, I promise to give you crazy,” he murmured into my ear before nipping at my earlobe.
“Shhh! Remy!” I squealed and he grabbed a handful of my ass and pulled his hips up against me before capturing my lips in another deep, hot kiss.
“We should probably get out there and finish up the work then,” I breathed against him as we rested our foreheads together in the aftermath of the insane kiss.
He let me go, and I straightened out my shirt and picked at the hem for a moment before tracing my eyes back up his body. I wanted more. So much more. My whole body pounded, filled to the brim with anticipation and desire. His eyes were wide and dark, the green all but hidden by his dilated pupils. His expression was that of a starving animal glaring at its prey.
And I was more than ready to fill his appetite.
Somehow, we both managed to keep it together for the rest of the evening, discussing business plans, marketing strategies, and reviewing potential office spaces, all while doing a magnificent job of not letting on what had really happened—but we were ready to jump one another as soon as Kaylee and Mitch went home for the evening.
And finally, three hours, twenty-five minutes later—I counted—we were alone and free to fully enjoy the rewards for our patience.
Chapter Eleven — Remy
“Where are you going?” Livvie asked, propping herself up on the pile of pillows at the head of my bed and giving me a serious pout.
We had spent three days fucking, talking, fucking, laughing, fucking, eating, and, well…mostly fucking. And God, could she fuck.
“I have to run an errand. Please, stay here if you’d like. I shouldn’t be gone for very long,” I replied as I started to pull on a pair of jeans that had been discarded to the corner of my room at some point over the long weekend.
Livvie sighed. “No, I should probably go home and get some real sleep. You aren’t exactly the best at letting me rest.”
I flashed her a wicked smile and she burst out laughing. “I didn’t hear any complaints last night. In fact, if memory serves me right, you were the one who started round three.”
A crooked little smile slid across her face and she shrugged, trying her best to play innocent. I wanted to kiss her all over again right there.
I pulled on a long-sleeved shirt and then went on a hunt for a pair of socks in the unfolded laundry pile on my dresser. Since saying goodbye to my trust fund, I’d been forced to suspend some of my normal luxuries, which regrettably included my laundry service.
“Where are you going, anyway? It’s almost nine o’clock?” Livvie asked as she slipped out of the bed and started to pull on her own clothes.
I watched, hypnotized, as she dressed. My cock stirred and although I’d been inside her less than an hour before, I wanted nothing more than to pull her back into bed and claim her again.
But, no. I had to get some things straightened out first.
“I have some important things stored away at Madge’s. She’ll be out of the house tonight, so I figured it would be a good time to go get everything without the chance of a bitch-fest,” I explained.
Livvie stopped dressing and her lips formed an “oh” as she registered my reply. We hadn’t spent a lot of time talking about my ever-so-complicated family dynamics, but Livvie knew the basics and understood why I wouldn’t want to run into my mother.
“But, I’m taking you out for dinner tomorrow night,” I said, changing the subject before Livvie could ask more questions. I wasn’t used to sharing more than a night with a woman, and while I was happy with Livvie and my new situation, it was still foreign to me. It actually made my heart palpitate and I felt like I wanted to throw up, so I was doing my best to take it all in stride.
“Sounds fun. I guess I should go out and get a new dress.”
“What about that sassy one you wore the night we met?”
Livvie snorted. “Oh, God! You mean Tessa’s dress that was two sizes too small for me? Yeah, right. That dress is personally responsible for all this…well, whatever we have going on here.”
I laughed at her hapless gesture. “Exactly.”
“You’re impossible.” She rolled her eyes but I’d never seen a more beautiful smile cross her full lips.
“Maybe.”
We said goodbye a few minutes later and I sped out of the city, up into the hills. The dread inside me built up more and more with each passing mile, but I knew there was no other way.
My mother’s house was dark and vacant when I pulled past the iron gate and down the long driveway. The lanterns along the front walk were the only thing illuminating the front of the house. I let out a sigh of relief as I got out of my car and started up towards the porch. Even though I’d had a large penthouse all to myself, there were still some things I’d chosen to keep stored in the family vault. It was mostly documents and legal papers, but there were a few of my grandfather’s antique watches and other heirlooms stored there as well. Now that my relationship with my mother was fucked, I wanted to move my valuables to my newly acquired safety deposit box before my mother did something regrettable with them.
So, I’d bid my time and waited until a night of one of the biggest high society functions of the year—the débutante ball.
I knew Madge would be front and center, reminiscing about her own début once upon a time, and mentally critiquing each girl and sizing them up to her overly inflated memories of herself at that age. God knew that if I’d been with her, she would have been busy making some kind of twenty-first century arranged marriage as well.
I shuddered at the thought as I unlocked the front door. “Huh. Didn’t change the locks on me. Now see, that’s real love,” I murmured to myself.
I pocketed the house key and started walking through the dark house. It was an odd sensation to feel like some kind of home invader in the house you spent eighty percent of your childhood in, but it was like making more noise would conjure up my mother and send her flying at me like a banshee out of the worst kind of horror movie.
Paranoia.
I went up the main staircase and had nearly reached the top when the sound of voices froze me in place, one foot poised over the top step. I hunkered down and peeked around the banister in the direction of the voices. At the end of the hall, a light was filtering out into the darkness. I hadn’t seen it from the driveway because it was on the other side of the house, overlooking the backyard. It was the study that had been my stepfather’s sanctuary all throughout my childhood. My mother never went in there when they were married, and it had been essentially boarded shut since the day he left her.
Why was the light on? And who was in there?
I held my breath and took the last step, praying nothing would creak as I started down the hallway. The voices got louder and my blood got colder the closer I got.
One of the voices definitely belonged to Madge…and the other…
No. It couldn’t be—
“I want to know what’s going on. Christopher, you promised me that you would have this taken care of,” Madge’s voice sounded strained and my veins froze entirely at the mention of Christopher’s name.
That son of a bitch was in my house.
“I do have it taken care of. I assure you.” His smarmy voice flooded the hallway.
“You were supposed to break them up, not push them together! Christopher, this really should have been very simple,
” Madge countered.
“It’ll be fine. I know they’re working together now, but that will play right into our hands. It changes nothing of her feelings for me. She still thinks I’m her guardian angel or something. It’s actually kind of pathetic,” Christopher boasted.
“Did you have sex with her?”
“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.” He laughed.
“Well, she is a tramp. I’d be surprised if she didn’t throw herself all over you.”
I swallowed hard. Livvie would never have had sex with that slimy punk. I needed some air. Their words and the mental image of their faces as they spoke about Livvie twisted my stomach in knots.
“She’s just a pitiful little girl with big dreams. And she’s too stupid to realize I’m stealing her business right out from underneath her, and without those bands, she doesn’t have a business. Besides, Remy will lose interest eventually. When has he ever stayed with a woman longer than a week? He’ll get bored, move on, and come back to you when he runs out of money.”
Madge made a harrumph sound, obviously less than convinced by Christopher’s speech.
I wanted to bust in and demand an explanation, but I stayed quietly in the shadows, listening.
“Madge, I promise. You’ll get your son back before you know it, and he will be so desperate to get back in your good graces, he’ll agree to anything.”
There was a long pause and I held my breath.
Finally, Madge released a long, dramatic sigh. “You’re right, Christopher. Of course. I know this must be just a phase Remington’s going through. I’ll honestly never know why he insists on thinking with his…well, you get the idea,” Madge replied, stopping short of finishing her crude thought.
Christopher chuckled. “I do. I had my guy do a little digging. Here’s all the dirt. Little Miss Sanders is hiding. Quite the array of colorful secrets.”
My hands fisted by my side and my anger fed me as I visualized the image of crushing Christopher’s face in with one sickening punch. I had no idea what he was talking about. I hadn’t known Livvie that long, but she’d hardly seemed like the type of girl with a closet full of skeletons.
