by S. L. Scott
A knock on the door draws our attention. Aaron appears with an older gentleman in a gray suit. The man says, “My apologies. Traffic is brutal today.” He holds up a file. “I brought the contracts, and my signed affidavit confirming that both parties were in their right mind when they signed the agreement.”
Her father looks as if he’s seeing a ghost. Guess he is in a way. His past. It’s come back to haunt him. This is how karma should work.
Calmer, Winter says, “My mother may have put up with your shit, but she ensured I wouldn’t have to. As her designated representative, I have the right to take the company away from anyone mishandling it.”
“You can’t do that.” He has the balls to cackle.
“I can. And I am. You may have seen me as a nuisance, but my mother raised a warrior. Your five minutes is up. Get out.”
Their eyes stay locked for a time, but the chicken shit turns away first and starts rummaging through his desk.
Reegan clears his throat. “That’s company property.”
A vein bulges in her father’s forehead as he glares at him. He finally walks to the door. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”
“I look forward to it,” Winter replies, following him out. “If you can afford one.”
Braden comes running down the hall. “What the hell is going on?”
“You’re fired,” Winter says, and then snaps.
“You can’t do that!”
Reegan holds up the balled-up paper. “She can as the rightful heir and owner,” he says.
Her father grabs Braden by the arm, treating him like the toddler he is. “Come on. There’s so much debt that no one is getting paid, much less her.”
He catches up to his dad, a worried wobble to his tone. “I don’t understand. Why does she get the company?”
“Shut up, Braden.”
Her brother circles back and charges Winter. “Fuck that bitch!”
Just before he reaches her, I hold up my hand, letting his throat meet my palm. I push back and then squeeze. “Assault is a violation of your bail.”
Grabbing his arms and yanking them behind his back, Aaron subdues him and slams him down on the ground. “Oops. He fell.” I suppress a laugh. With a knee to his back, Aaron says, “Call the police.”
While Ethan makes the call, I walk over, putting the toe of my shoe right under Braden’s nose. “Better get used to this position. Have fun in jail, fuck face.”
Winter stands alongside me. Although we’re all enjoying the power play, she squats down and tilts her head to the side to match his. “The worst part is I can’t even shed a tear for you anymore.”
“I don’t need your fucking tears.”
“How about my help?”
His expression morphs. Pitiful. He actually looks hopeful. “You’d do that?”
Winter stands back up. “No. You’re an asshole.”
Her father hightailed it before Braden hit the carpet. It’s okay. Jail will sort him out as well.
She walks away and we follow, but Winter stops outside the door, looking around at the employees. “Are you all right?” I ask.
“He’s such an asshole.”
“He is.” Braden Nobleman makes me thankful for my brothers. Sure, we give each other shit, but we always have each other’s backs.
“You know,” she adds, her nose scrunched. “I thought I’d feel more satisfied, but no matter how much I wish he cared, he just doesn’t, and that’s the harsh reality.”
“Maybe the grand finale will give you peace of mind.” I take her hand, and we start walking.
“What’s that?”
We make it outside the building just in time to see them being led away by the police. When her father sees her, he yells, “You slut! You’re having me arrested?”
She shrugs. “Oops.”
Curse words are slung her way as we walk down the sidewalk toward the car. “How did that feel?”
“Very satisfying.” She smirks. “Even though it was her husband and son, I think my mom would be proud of me.”
I kiss her hand. “She would be so proud of the woman you’ve become. And let’s face it, I’m a catch, so she’d love me, too.”
Giggling Winter is one of my favorite sides of her. “Okay, movie star. You win. You’re quite the catch, and I fell for you the moment I saw you fake eyeing those macarons in the window.”
“You caught that, huh?”
“I caught you, which is better than any cookie.”
I chuckle. “Is this how life is always going to be with you?”
She winks. “Pretty much. Is that okay?”
“Pretty okay indeed for practically a stranger.”
“I can live with pretty okay.” I hold the door open for her as she climbs in, and asks, “What about awesome?”
“You’re right.” I pop an imaginary collar. “Awesome just feels better.” I climb in, and Lars shuts the door behind us before loading in the front.
Rolling her eyes, she laughs. “You’re nuts, you know.”
“Nuts for you.” I shake my head at myself. “That was so bad.”
“It was, but you’re still just as charming.” She rubs my leg. “So what do we do now?”
“I have a few ideas.”
41
Winter
I didn’t expect to spend June in Paris, but here we are. Again, I can’t say by choice. Kurt McCoy’s trial has lasted for almost two weeks. While his lawyer dragged me and whatever reputation I had through the mud, I had to sit there and take it from him, like I always did.
This time though, I will win. Just like how I won Nobleman Inc. I was traded to clear my father’s debts and to be used for Kurt’s deranged pleasure. His deceit was spun wide enough to trap us all in the McCoy’s web. All for money.
Sitting here as the officers lead Kurt away in handcuffs and chains, we’ve learned that what he had done to the Everest family and me was again only for shipping slips and cargo holds. He couldn’t care less about avenging his cousin. Guess all the McCoys were raised under the same umbrella of hate.
Hearing the details stated so blatantly, so coldly, made me nauseous. Singer stayed for a few days but flew home to spend time with her mother. Since she’s pregnant, the trial was too upsetting for her and being in the vicinity of a McCoy made her ill as well. Ethan stayed to see the trial through.
Twenty-five years in prison for the attempted murder of Chelsea. Ten tacked on for torturing me last November. The US has filed to try him for a list of additional crimes. We’ll see if they win the extradition.
My father’s and brother’s trials start next week. I’m not sure how I’ll feel, but I’ll be there in the front row to watch their demise. Yeah, I’m not above hoping for a little revenge myself. I’m still working on the anger issues I have when it comes to my ex-family.
I look at the hand that clings to me and give it a squeeze. Chelsea gives me a tight smile, but it’s a victory that should make her smile. “Guilty,” I repeat the verdict.
She’s a changed woman these days. After she was cleared of conspiracy, she began taking a couple college courses and works part-time at the Everest Foundation answering calls. It’s a job she takes seriously and has already helped other women get the help they need.
Lars, sitting on the other side of her, asks, “Are you ready to go?”
She nods. “So ready.”
We give each other a hug, and she says, “I’ll see you back in Manhattan. Lunch soon?”
“Yes, I’ll see you then.”
She’s strong and never looks back at Kurt when she leaves. I don’t think I’m weak. I’m just too in love to hide it from anyone, especially him. He stares at me as I give Bennett a kiss. But like any other time I kiss this man, nothing else in the world exists.
“Did you just kiss me to show me off to your ex-boyfriend?”
He’s quick, another thing I love about him. “I did.” We don’t lie about anything anymore, not even who ate the last fry. I wholehe
artedly admit I’m addicted to those delicious little carbs.
“I’m good with that. Let him live with that image of us for the next thirty-five years.” Bennett takes my other hand and stands. “I still don’t think it’s long enough.”
“If he’s made to serve the full sentence, it will do.” And it will, too. I don’t want to wear this anger around my neck anymore. I need to trust the system, and, as Bennett says, karma to finish her job.
While we walk out of the courtroom, Ethan says, “I’m flying back tonight. Are you staying a few days or heading home?”
I look at Bennett, and ask, “What do you want to do?”
“I think we’ll stay a few days.”
* * *
Sitting on the rooftop of Le Meurice Hotel under the summer sky, I sit back and enjoy the show. The Eiffel Tower sparkles like the stars above, and the most handsome man I’ve ever seen with the kindest soul sits across from me.
The champagne glasses are empty, but Bennett doesn’t refill them. Instead, he says, “I have a surprise for you.”
As if right on cue, “Dream a Little Dream of Me” begins to play, filling the sultry air, and he takes my hands. Twirling me out and bringing me back in. He catches me, and we begin to sway to my favorite song. “You know how to romance a girl.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet.”
“You always were a force of nature.”
“And you were a force to be reckoned with.”
“You reckoned all right, I reckon.” I wink.
“Funny girl.”
An arm tightens around my waist when he brings me even closer. I’m never more at ease than when I am with him. I even let him lead.
He spins me around until my feet come to an abrupt stop with my back to him. My breath catches, and my mouth falls open. “Bennett, what have you done?” Rushing forward, I stand in front of the small cart stacked with the books I collected when I was here in Paris, books that kept me company when I was so alone.
Picking up The Resistance, I hold it to my heart. Being able to escape to another world, to other characters’ lives rather than my own, kept me alive in some ways. These gave me moments of joy in a very dark time.
I can’t ever say this to Bennett because he might take this the wrong way, but I had a serious crush on Johnny Outlaw. Seriously hot book boyfriend material. And I remember thinking I had met my very own Jack Dalton as I walked back to the apartment the night I met Bennett. He may not be a rock star, but he’ll always be a movie star to me. “This is the book I was reading when we—”
“Were on our second date.”
“You remember.”
“Every minute,” he says.
My eyes fill with tears as happiness fills my heart. He wraps his arms around me, and I finally ask, “How did you get my books?”
“The trial is over, and they weren’t held as evidence, so they let Lars in. Was there anything else you wanted from the apartment?”
“No, this is more than I thought I’d ever have.”
“You’re more than I thought I’d ever have, Winter.”
When the next song begins to play, he kneels on one knee in front of me. I try to cover my mouth as it hangs open, but he takes my hand before I can. While “La Vie En Rose” drifts around us, he says, “We’re not atop the Empire State Building and it’s not Valentine’s Day, but I wanted to tell you that I love . . . God how I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
“I was captivated by your beauty when I first laid eyes on you. Drawn to the free spirit who showed me her Paris. I fell in love the first time we kissed because I’d never tasted love before. And I knew then that your soft lips were the only lips I’d ever taste again. I found my home in you.”
He kisses my hand and then brings out a ring box. “I once heard, from a very wise and beautiful woman, that if you make a wish, you’ll receive what you need.” He lifts the lid to the Tiffany blue box and then holds my hand. “I’ve made my wish, Winter. Will you do me the honor and spend your life with me, ma chérie?”
I sit on his bended knee, hug him, and tuck my face into the crook of his neck. Staring down at the stunning ring—classic with a diamond befitting a giant’s wife—I reply, “You had me at Tiffany’s.”
Under a chuckle, he says, “So that’s a yes?”
“I don’t need the Empire State Building on Valentine’s to know that you’re the only man I want to spend the rest of my life with. So that’s most definitely a yes. Yes. Yes.” Dragging my hand down my throat, I teasingly moan, “Oh, God. Yes.”
Popping to his feet, I’m also set down on mine. He readjusts his pants. “On that note, I’m ready to head back to the room. Did you pack the French maid’s uniform?” He’s so fun to tease.
“No. How do you feel about spies?”
As we walk to the door to leave, he asks, “Good spies or bad?”
“Always good.”
“Do you think you can handle great?”
Stopping me, he pulls to him. “I can handle anything thrown our way.”
I wrap my arms around him, and say, “Good because this is just our beginning.”
Epilogue
Bennett
“How do you feel?”
“Like a million bucks,” she replies.
“How about four?”
My joke makes her laugh—the best sound in the world. She really did get the last laugh. After Ethan bought Nobleman Inc. from her, she walked away with a cool four million, which she negotiated for shares in Everest Enterprises. With the last three deals I’ve sold, those shares are already worth more. Under the buyout, all Nobleman employees were absorbed into ours and given raises since they were underpaid. Everyone came out a winner.
Except for her father and brother.
Winter fulfilled her goal. She wore her mother’s broach or the locket every day of their trials. Fifteen years for attempted murder, ten years for kidnapping, another five for blackmail, and fifteen for money laundering. Who knows if they’ll live or die behind bars. It doesn’t matter because good always prevails in the end.
One week after the sentencing and in a private ceremony with our closest friends and family, we exchanged our vows at the library.
Even though my net worth is over seven hundred million these days . . . I mean our net worth; we skipped a prenup. I mean, the woman is worth millions, so I totally scored. I give her a wink.
Just a few hours later, Winter rolls to her side, and asks, “Is this real life?”
“It’s our life.” I take her hand and kiss it.
“I love our life.”
“Me too. I have to admit I was surprised by your choice of honeymoon locations, but I’m really digging it.”
“I thought you might.” Getting up, she straddles my waist and wiggles. When she bends down to kiss me, she says, “There’s no place like home. Are you tired?”
“I’ll never tire of you.”
“You know . . .” She reaches over and hits a button to make the blinds close followed by the curtains. “It’s only noon, but I’m always up for another round. How about you?”
“Best honeymoon ever.”
“Your only honeymoon ever is more like it.”
Flipping her over, I settle between her legs, definitely ready for more. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
“All the time,” she replies with a soft giggle. “But tell me again.”
I kiss her chest. “I thought I had everything and then you came along and turned my gray days blue.” I continue to recite the vows I wrote for her while kissing between her breasts. “I promise to give you all my truths and nothing less than my best.”
Kissing her stomach, I say, “To spoon you at night and feed you all the carbs you desire.”
She sits up and pinches my ass. “And cheese,” I add, chuckling.
“You are so ridiculous, Ben.”
“Fine, I’ll get back to the real vows now.” When she falls back, I go lower and
drag my tongue around her belly button. “I promise to love you. God, how I love you. To cherish you. To treasure you always.” Goose bumps cover her skin, and I palm her breasts until I reach her sweetest spot. She sucks in a breath. “In sickness, health, and even under gunfire, I vow to not just stand by your side, but shield you with my life.”
Her fingers slip into my hair, and she tugs, her signal that she wants more. I flatten my tongue and slip a finger inside her, causing her back to arch and sending that sweet moan to my ears. It’s like a lightning rod to my dick, hardening even more than it already was. I can’t help but start to rush the words we once exchanged. “To love you morning, noon, and night. I, Bennett, give you my heart for eternity.”
I need her—to lose my mind inside her.
With deep tongue kisses, I’m able to elicit the start of her orgasm. Coaxing it, I hold her still and focus on the delicious torture between her soft lips.
“Oh God, Bennett.” Her legs tense, squeezing my head between them. She tugs my hair. I push deep, so deep, I can taste the blue skies of her heaven inside. Her body gives me everything, and when her mouth falls open from the ecstasy, I move back up and kiss her again. She says, “I take you. All of you and give you all of me in return.” As I sink into her, her body embraces my erection and holds me tight.
When her breathing catches up with her, we start making love as she recites her promises. “I didn’t know I needed a movie star until you walked into my life. I’d lost hope until you slowly and purposely restored it.”
Kisses are scattered over her neck and mine. “I promise to always stand by your side as your best friend, lover, your wife, and your forever. I give you my heart for eternity.” I lick and then suck the soft spots where she loves me. She deviates from her script. “Thank you for walking me to the corner of that street. If you hadn’t shown up when you did . . . ” Cupping my face, she says, “You’re six foot three of solid gold insides, Bennett Everest.”
“Built to love you, and love you I do. With all of me.”
