He asked why Blake wanted sole custody and she explained that she only let me have Riley so she could get her life together. Her alimony wasn’t enough for her to support two, so she got the job to supplement that. I wanted to tell her what a lying bitch she was. I countered by saying that I offered her joint custody and she wouldn’t accept it.
I hated the part of Riley that reminded me of Blake, yet I pushed that thought away. They were two different people. We started to talk about our homes and I presented the proof that I’d lived in the same house for four years now in a safe and quiet part of New York state. Blake had only owned the two-bedroom for a month in a questionable part of the city after living in the smaller unit before that. The judge looked over her finances, asking her what else she spent her money on. There should have been plenty to move somewhere more secure.
I watched as Blake’s eyes flashed and she tried to save herself. It felt good to watch her backpedal. I looked over at Lucy as Blake continued. She sounded worse and worse as she spoke, and Liam grinned at me all the while.
The judge asked about any romantic relationships that we had. Liam went first, introducing Lucy as my fiancée. He explained how we ran into each other after not seeing one another for twelve years. He outlined how close we were in the past and the whirlwind relationship that we were enjoying now. The judge asked Blake about any relationships that she had, and she faltered when she stated that she was single. She was relying on the fact that custody often went to mothers.
The judge called Lucy and I forward to the stand, and we held hands as we walked. The air felt heavy as silence settled over the court room and he surveyed both of us, seeming to smile at her nervousness. He asked how long we’d been together and I told him, knowing that it wasn’t a mark against me. He asked how we met and Lucy laughed as she told him that she moved in next door to me. She attested that she knew Riley and how sweet of a little girl she was. She told him how happy and well-adjusted Riley was and how much I focused on her in my life with shining eyes.
The judge finally asked Lucy if she loved me. She looked at me as she licked her lips. “I have always loved Max, your honor. I am blessed to have this second chance with him as well as Riley. She’s the icing on the cake.”
The judge nodded and looked at me. “Very well. And you?”
“I have always loved Lucy as well, though I was too young and stupid to know that twelve years ago. Meeting her now was a shock, but I knew that she was it for me. Seeing how she is with Riley made me realize how much of a perfect fit she was in my life and I thank God every day for bringing me back to her.”
The proceedings were ending when Liam asked for permission to approach the judge. He carried a folder to him and handed it over. We all watched the man that was in control of my life for a few more minutes read it before he gave Liam a nod. He looked over the small court room for a moment before standing and looking right at me.
He left the room. Blake stood with her lawyer to leave as well, looking miserable. I watched as she left the building, hoping that I’d never see her again. She didn’t deserve her own daughter. I joined Liam and Lucy in the hallway and grinned at him as I pulled her into my arms for a tight hug, kissing her softly. I asked Liam what he gave the judge and he smirked as he told he came across Blake’s criminal record, which included a DUI. I asked him why he didn’t bring that up right away, and he looked at both of us, telling me that he wanted to see us finally admit our feelings for each other.
We all left and I drove Lucy to my house, needing some quality time alone with her. I’d get Riley later and we’d do something together since I was certain that I’d won custody of her today. I unlocked the door and pulled Lucy through it, into my arms.
Lucy kissed me as she wrapped her legs around my body and I took us to my bed. It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders as I dropped her onto the bed and reached for the tie of her dress. Lucy helped me out of my suit and dropped to her knees to take me into her mouth. I reached for her wild curls. She was a beautiful woman, yet I could still see the girl that I knew all those years ago. I looked down, thankful for our second chance.
I moved her to her back, kissing her from her thighs to her mouth as she moaned my name. She was so hot and ready for me. I sucked on her nipples as I cupped her breasts. I could have sworn that her breasts were bigger as I drew her between my teeth and she let out a slow moan. “Max,” Lucy moaned as I moved to her lips and kissed her hungrily before sliding inside of her. We both cried out with feeling as I filled her perfect body. Lucy started moving with me and I realized that she’d been particularly eager with me as of late.
We rocked together as she wrapped herself around me, finding my lips as I continued to thrust into her. I was on the edge of coming when she tightened around me and screamed my name. I followed suit as she clawed my back and wept my name, coming hard right before I did.
We made love again before she dropped her face to my chest and laughed. “I have something to tell you, Max.”
“That you love me?” I asked as she looked at me with warm eyes before kissing my skin.
“That too, but I’m pregnant.” I pulled her closer as she laughed. “I’ve known for a week or so, but we had this court date and I wanted to focus on that. I was scared. I don’t know.”
I kissed her and slid my hand between us. “I’m so happy. We’re going to have a family. There’s no way the judge will give Blake custody of Riley. Still, though, I’ve been wanting to tell you that I love you for a while. Today was perfect.”
“It was,” she agreed as our lips met again.
Epilogue – Lucy
The decision came in a week and I hugged Max as he told me that Riley was ours. We were starting to go to hospital visits for the new baby and Riley couldn’t have been more excited once we told her about it.
We had a BBQ to celebrate everything a few weekends later. The neighbors and our parents came with plenty of food to go along with the meat that Max was grilling. I made an apple pie in his forgotten cast iron pan as well as some salads and Max smiled at me as he walked into the kitchen for a beer and the platter of chicken, tri-tip, and sausages.
We decided to keep his current house. It had four bedrooms we could work with for now and it was in a perfect place for our kids. We were in the process of moving my things over from the apartment, though Violet assured us that she wasn’t going to be renting it out any longer. Since I came here with so little furniture, I sold what was in a storage unit and we kept Max’s things.
The party ran late into the night, with kids swimming, adults drinking and talking, and music playing through the air. I sipped my sparkling water and watched it all happen, happy beyond belief.
Once everyone started drifting home for the night and we tucked an exhausted Riley into bed, he took me back outside. I looked at him as he surveyed the yard, messy with play and the party. He licked his lips and looked back at me. “This is the best day of my life,” he told me. I agreed and nodded. “I want this for the rest of my life, Lucy. I want this with you.” He dropped to the grass on one knee as I gasped. “Will you marry me?”
“I already said yes,” I told him as I showed him my ring finger.
“I know, but I want to do this for real. I want you to know how much I love you and want to marry you,” he said as he pulled something out of his pocket. “I bought that ring with court in mind – it looked like you. I want you to keep it somewhere. But I bought this new ring for Lucy, the love of my life.” He opened the box and I saw another ring of small diamonds with a square stone as the focal point and a matching diamond band. It had a vintage look to it. I smiled at him as he reached for my left hand.
“This is so me,” I agreed as I kissed him softly. “I love you.”
“I love you. We’re setting a wedding date soon. I’m sick of waiting,” he told me and I laughed. We switched rings and made our way back into the house, locking the door and going to the bedroom so he could prove to me how much he love
d me.
*****
THE END
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Charlize Starr
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Description
“Without manners, we all turn into animals,” he said.
“And what’s wrong with animals?” she whispered.
Sylvia
All my life I’ve been on my guard, looking over my shoulders because my dad’s a mobster. And now he has made me a prisoner in one of his friend’s homes. Fedor Volkov, the big Russian mafia boss.
I expected a cold-hearted monster, but he’s sexy as hell with a beard that sets my belly on fire. He stands for everything I despise, yet I can’t stop thinking about him. I want him to be the one to take my virginity. Especially since that would royally piss off my dad.
But I got way more than I bargained for...
Fedor
Every two years I take a vacation in my holiday home, alone. But this time, Will Stern has begged me to take in his daughter and protect her against his enemies. I couldn’t say no. Will is one of my best friends.
I didn’t expect her to be all grown up, though, a sexy young twenty-three-year-old with endless legs and a cleavage to drive me mad. But I can’t break the code, I am her guardian. I know I should stay away from her, but it’s almost like she’s out to make me fall.
How much longer can I resist?
Chapter One - Sylvia
“I don’t understand what the need for this is!” Sylvia stood aside while her father threw open the doors of her cupboard and started flinging clothes into a large duffle bag that he had brought with him.
“Think of this as a vacation, sweetie,” Will Stern said, barely looking at his daughter while he continued the task at hand - packing his daughter’s belongings.
“A vacation? I don’t need a vacation, dad! I just got done with college. I need to find a job.” Sylvia took a few steps in her father’s direction, trying to follow him around the room, but he now laid an arm on her dresser and just swept all her makeup and boxes of little trinkets into the bag. Sylvia shrieked with fright.
“Be careful with those, dad!” she yelled, but he wasn’t really paying attention. He had only one thing on his mind, and he didn’t look like he was going to take a break.
“I’ll get you a job when you come back. It’s just for a couple of weeks. It’ll be a nice break for you, after all the hard work you’ve put into your studies. You’ve never been to Puerto Rico,” Will said, finally zipping up the bag. He thought he had packed everything, but Sylvia had already made mental notes of all the stuff that he hadn’t put in - her shoes, the scarves, her prized collection of perfumes.
“Okay, dad,” she said softly, hoping that a gentler approach might work better. She walked towards him as he stood bent over the duffle bag and put a hand on his shoulder. Will Stern whipped around with a crazed look in his eyes.
“Dad, I thought those days were behind us,” Sylvia asked, the color rising in her cheeks. She was so tired of this. All her childhood had been spent running away, hiding, always looking over their shoulders to see if they were being followed. It was what had killed her mother. All that nerve wracking will to survive, to live. Her father had been a small-timer then, he worked for someone else, one of the Russian mob bosses. But now that he had a gang of his own, his own security, his own source of income, Sylvia thought that those days of looking over their shoulders were over. That their lives were never going to be in danger anymore.
“It’s never truly behind us,” Will said, sitting down at the edge of her bed with a thump. He looked exhausted.
Sylvia put her hands on her hips, standing with her legs apart. She could feel the rage rising up her shoulders, she was exhausted too. When would she ever be able to lead a normal life?
“You have the money now, dad. You can pay off people. Frighten them…I don’t know what. You can do something. You don’t have to run away!” Sylvia breathed in deeply, nearly pleading with her father. She didn’t want to leave New York. Not when she was just beginning her job hunt. No matter what promises her father made, the kind of work he’d find her was not the kind of work she wanted to do. She wanted to get away from the mob world, away from the world of money laundering and thugs and stories about people getting killed or beaten to pulp for not paying their dues.
Sylvia wanted to lead a normal life, work at a startup, have a regular desk job, get a cat.
“I’m not running away. You’re going to Puerto Rico by yourself. I just don’t want you to get caught up in this. I don’t want your life to be in danger,” Will said, running his hands through his closely cropped dark curly hair. Sylvia noticed the graying of his sideburns. She hadn’t realized before but her father was getting old. But this didn’t mean that she wasn’t still angry with him. For trying to snatch a normal life away from her, again!
“Well, I’m not running away either. I’ve had enough of this. I’m staying right here. What the Hell am I going to do in Puerto Rico of all places?” Sylvia folded her arms across her chest, and then she saw the shift in her father’s eyes. He was determined. She had seen that look in his eyes very often in the past. She knew it scared people, but it didn’t scare her. She looked back at him directly, defiantly.
“You’re going. You’ll be staying with my friend. He owns a mansion there. He’s on holiday there and he’s agreed to take you in for a few weeks. You’ll be safe with him.” Will stood up from the bed and picked up the duffle bag up. Sylvia could feel tears bubbling up in her eyes, from the rage. She knew she had lost the fight. There was no convincing him now.
“I know what all your friends are like. They are all like you. Dirty criminals. You’re all alike. You’re all disgusting!” Sylvia screamed after her father as he left the room, expecting her to follow him as he went.
Sylvia clenched and unclenched her fists, she stamped the floor repeatedly, and then breathed out deeply to calm herself. This was not going to work. Her father would eventually get his men to physically drag her to his waiting car outside if he had to. Her struggle, her reasoning was useless.
So instead, Sylvia just opened her cupboard again. She pulled out one of her Louis Vuitton bags and started stuffing in the shoes her father had forgotten to pack, and then her scarves and her perfumes.
Just a few more weeks of this life, she told herself as she packed. Then it’d be over. Then she’d be done with this life and would start afresh. Maybe she’d leave the country. Maybe she’d move to London or Sydney or somewhere else where her father couldn’t hunt her down. Sylvia could feel the blood boiling in her veins, but she knew there was absolutely nothing she could do about it now.
Chapter Two - Fedor
Fedor Volkov swirled the glass of Scotch in his hands. It was only midday, but he was on vacation now, so he allowed himself the treat. Back in Chicago, he didn’t take his first drink before all the day’s work was done, not before midnight. He needed to be thinking straight at all times.
He definitely needed this break. Puerto Rico was good for him. His mansion was isolated, well-guarded and he never invited any of his friends or associates along. A few weeks at his getaway meant just that: a getaway. In complete isolation. It gave him somewhere to think, to actually think.
But Will Stern might have spoilt it all. He had called on his direct line the previous night, sounding crazed, afraid. If Will sounded afraid, it had to be something big. He nearly begged Fedor to hide his daughter, to give her protection till he could sort out t
his gang war. Fedor couldn’t say no, he couldn’t say no to one of his closest friends. Will and he had both risen through the ranks together. Will was an outsider, he wasn’t Russian, but he had the guts to play with the big boys. They always had each other's backs, and this poor girl didn’t even have a mother anymore. He couldn’t possibly say no.
“Boss, she’s here,” he heard Pyotr’s voice say in Russian behind him.
“Bring her in,” Fedor replied and folded one leg over the other, sinking a little further into his leather chair.
He heard the clicking of heels on the marble floor outside, and he immediately had an impression of Will’s daughter. She definitely walked with a lot of confidence. He hadn’t met her since her mother’s funeral. She was only twelve then. She was twenty-three now, practically a grown woman.
Pyotr opened the large oak doors of his study and Fedor looked up from the glass in his hand. When she walked in, she brought with her a sharp all-encompassing scent of her perfume. It was unmistakably musk, but a gentle feminine musk that tickled his nostrils.
Whatever image of a twelve-year-old little girl he had in his head went hurling out of the window. Sylvia Stern was a woman now and what an absolutely gorgeous one she was, at that.
She walked directly towards him, with her back straight and taking large quick steps in her high heels. She didn’t need Pyotr to make introductions or show her the way.
Doctor’s Fake Fiancée Page 8
