Again.
What on earth was wrong with me? It was like my mind and body kept going in this awful unbreakable circle where I would inevitably end up in Asher’s arms and regret it afterwards before winding up right back there in the same position, again and again. Worse still was how damn good it felt. I’d never experienced such pressing need, such wanton urgency, not with anyone else. That was the main reason I was still a virgin at eighteen despite the rest of my friends losing theirs at sixteen or seventeen (or fifteen in Mercedes’ case)—not a single guy I’d dated in the past had ever instilled in me the desperate need to give in and let it be stripped away once and for all.
But lord, I wanted to, and part of me still wanted it to be Asher who took it, no matter how much I hated myself for the thought.
When we reached the manor, Asher disappeared upstairs with nothing more than a smirk over his shoulder, and Robert patted my mother on the back. “I’ll leave you two to chat for a moment,” he said before looking over at me. “Chloe, I very much hope you’ll choose to stay with us here at Briarwood. I’d really like to get to know you, despite the awkward circumstances we find ourselves in.”
Awkward circumstances? Jeez, that was one way of putting it….
When he stepped into the sitting room, Mom rounded on me, her eyes flashing. “I can’t believe you ran off like that. And fighting with Asher already? In a maze, no less, where you could’ve been lost for hours if he hadn’t gone after you! I never…” She stopped for a second, sighed, and then continued. “I thought we talked about this. I thought you said you’d try.”
“That was before I knew who you were marrying.”
“Robert is a decent man. Very decent. I know he has a bit of a reputation, but that’s all for show. He needs people to think he’s ruthless and powerful in order to prevent them from undermining him. You know how business can be.”
“I do. But my problem isn’t exactly with Robert. It’s just this whole thing.”
“I realize it’s awkward, but—”
“God, you all keep using the word awkward as if it even begins to cover what’s going on here!” I cut in.
Mom drew closer, furrowing her brows. “Chloe, I know you think you’re so mature and grown up at eighteen, but you’re still a child. You can’t possibly see everything the way it really is. Now please just calm down and say you’ll stay.”
I folded my arms, narrowing my eyes defiantly. “No, you can’t expect me to stay here. How do you not see how messed up this is? You’re marrying a man whose ex-wife was allegedly murdered by your own husband. Ex-husband, I mean,” I said. “I know Dad didn’t do it, but you don’t. You think he’s guilty, and so do the St Clairs along with practically everyone else. How is Robert even okay with being near you?”
“Robert is perfectly capable of separating me from your father as a human being,” she replied stiffly. “He knows I had no idea of the relationship between your father and Catalina, and he knows I had no idea that your father killed her.”
“He didn’t kill her.”
“This isn’t the time to debate that, Chloe, and you’re embarrassing me,” she said in a low voice. “Please just go and check out your new room, unpack your things, and get a feel for the house. Whether you like it or not, this is where we live now. So unless you want to go back to being alone in that apartment—and I know you don’t—then you need to accept that this is where you will be for the next few months.”
I glowered at her, but she was right. There was nothing I could do. I didn’t want to go back to that apartment near campus until everything had died down and I knew it was safe again, and I couldn’t just go and get some hotel room for the next few months. Sure, I had a credit card linked to my trust fund, but Mom monitored my spending, and she would never approve. And it wasn’t like I could just go and rent another apartment, either—most realtors wouldn’t touch an eighteen year old with a ten foot pole, no matter how much money they had. I knew that for a fact, given how my father had owned and operated a major real estate company up until he was charged with murder.
“Fine,” I finally replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll stay.”
She gave me a tight smile. “Thank you. I know you don’t believe me, but I really am trying,” she said.
I didn’t reply to that, and Robert joined us a second later. “Everything all right?” he asked.
Mom and I both nodded, and he smiled. “The staircase to the wing of the house where you’ll be is over there to the right, Chloe. Your cases have already been brought in. Alex will help you with them and show you to your room.”
I nodded and headed in the direction he’d just pointed, and a tall young man with thick blond hair greeted me near the foot of the staircase. He looked familiar for some reason, but I had no idea why.
“Hey, I’m Alex Baxter,” he said with a broad smile, extending a hand to me. His eyes crinkled at the corners when he grinned, so I could tell it was genuine. “I’m interning for Robert this summer.”
“I’m Chloe. So you’re interning at the firm?” I asked, shaking his hand.
He shook his head. “No, here at the estate. I guess it’s more of an assistant job. I just do whatever he wants from day to day. Grunt work, really, but it’s a paid gig, so that’s good.”
“Plus the experience is probably good, too,” I said with a nod. “And having a St Clair on your résumé doesn’t hurt.”
“Exactly. Anyway, I’ll show you to your room. Let me grab these suitcases for you too.”
“Thanks,” I said, still wondering where I’d seen him before. He was just so damned familiar, but for the life of me I couldn’t place him.
I followed him and entered my new bedroom, staring around as I put my handbag down. The enormous room was dim but expensively decorated in an antique traditional style—obviously done by a professional interior designer. The dark walnut wood furniture matched the base molding and the finished hardwood floors, the king-sized canopy bed was perfectly made up with a white and gold brocade duvet and decorative cushions placed precisely near the headboard, and the thick drapes were a deep plum shade with gold trim and matching valances.
Alex put my suitcases down and then opened the drapes to let some light in, and I stepped over to the window and looked across the spacious property below. From here I could see the hedge maze I’d just been trapped in, and now that I could see every intricate detail, I could trace the exact path to how I got lost and I knew exactly how to get out if I ever went in there again.
I probably wouldn’t, though, given the fact that during my recent trip between the hedge alleys, I’d encountered the fabled Minotaur of the labyrinth, otherwise known as Asher.
“Impressive place, isn’t it?” Alex said, watching me.
Despite my initial feelings of dislike toward the place, I had to admit that it was impressive, save for the occupants. Briarwood estate was one of the most obscenely large and luxurious properties I’d ever seen, and that was no mean feat considering my own family’s affluence and ties to high society. It seemed that the St Clairs were on another level of wealth entirely, making everyone else in the county look like paupers even if they sat on a six or seven figure income.
No wonder Asher was such a jerk. He’d been spoiled his entire life, and people who always got what they wanted tended to expect that to last forever. There was nothing they couldn’t have, no problem they couldn’t solve with money.
I nodded toward Alex. “I guess so. Shame about the people in it,” I muttered, twirling a strand of hair in my right hand as I absentmindedly checked it for split ends.
He smiled. “I get it. Asher can be difficult sometimes. And Robert…well, he’s always been great to me, but I can see why you’d have a problem with him.”
I sighed. “I know it’s not directly his fault my father went to prison,” I replied. “But he employs the lawyers who did it, and…well…”
“And it’s kinda fucked up that he’s marrying your mother
, considering she’s the ex-wife of the dude who allegedly murdered his own ex-wife?” Alex interjected.
For once, another person had said ‘allegedly’ when referring to my father’s charges. I liked Alex already.
“Yeah, you get it,” I replied with a small smile. “I know I’m acting like a petulant child about the whole thing, but it’s just so freaking messed up. It’s like a damn telenovela!”
“I think you’re acting fine. You’re shocked and upset. I would be too if I were you. I mean, I almost had a heart attack when Robert told me who he was seeing, so I can’t imagine how weird it must be for you,” he replied. “And look, if you ever need to talk, I’m usually around. Robert doesn’t always have my nose to the grindstone.”
He gave me a playful wink, and I nodded again before realizing why his shock of thick blond hair was so familiar. “Thanks. Hey, I just realized—I’ve seen you before today, and I finally remembered where. You went to my brother school. Wesley. Right?”
He smiled. “Sure did. You were at St. Mary’s?”
“Yeah. I think I remember seeing you at a few school functions,” I said, scrutinizing him closely. “So you must be around the same age as me. Eighteen?”
“I will be in a few months. I was a Christmas baby.”
“Oh, right. My best friend is too. Unlucky, huh? Less presents. She always bitches and moans about that.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, that’s always an issue. Anyway, I better leave you to unpack and settle in. The rest of your stuff is arriving tomorrow, yeah?”
“Yes. Thank you so much for your help, Alex,” I said. I meant it. It was nice to know there was at least one down-to-earth person around here.
“No problem. I’ll see you around. And don’t forget to let me know if you want to chat, or even if you just want someone to show you around the place.”
“Thanks.”
I watched him go, trying to force myself to feel something other than platonic emotion toward him. He was obviously a nice guy, and he was smart and motivated too, considering he was working all through the summer while most trust fund kids lounged around at the beach or exclusive country clubs. On top of that, he was cute as hell with that fair hair and those twinkling blue eyes, and I could tell his grey shirt hid a hot body beneath it. Unfortunately, I felt nothing at the thought of that. No twinge, no tingle.
Nothing.
Why on earth couldn’t I be attracted to a nice guy like him? It’d sure make my life a hell of a lot easier if that was the sort of man I was into. But no, my brain didn’t seem to work like that. Somehow I found myself still picturing Asher in my head and wishing he was here in my room, settling between my legs, despite all the dark and douchey things he’d said and done in the short time I’d known him.
I guess I really was a fool. I was just like all those other girls who went for the bad boys, only in my case, I knew he wouldn’t change for me. Asher didn’t seem like he’d change for anyone. He was a born and bred snake, just like every other St Clair seemed to be.
And now I was officially living in the snake pit.
After unpacking a few of my toiletries and clothes, I decided to wander around the manor for a while to get the lay of the land. If I was going to be stuck living here for the summer, then I might as well figure out where everything was, and considering how old Briarwood was, there was bound to be a secret room somewhere where I could hide from Asher and everyone else. Maybe there’d even be a hidden alcove behind a bookshelf, just like in the movies.
I padded down the hall and took the eastern staircase to the first floor. I’d spotted what appeared to be a library earlier, and I wasn’t disappointed when I found the correct door again and gazed into an enormous room lined with tall mahogany shelves. Each shelf was packed with books, some old and some modern, and they were even indexed according to category and alphabetical order.
I hunted down the art section, hoping to get my hands on a few interesting reads which might prepare me for the start of college, and I did indeed find a few great books that I could hopefully keep on my bedside table for the next few weeks. Robert surely wouldn’t mind me borrowing them. After all, it was the least he could do if he wanted to make any sort of attempt at making things less awkward and screwed up around here.
Then again, I wasn’t sure anything could make things less screwed up. Just the thought of my mother marrying Robert made me cringe, and the thought of my father discovering the news of their upcoming nuptials made me want to vomit. I hadn’t been to see him since his sentencing—he’d asked me not to come, as he thought I was too delicate to handle seeing him in prison right now—but I knew I had to tell him about Mom’s major life decision eventually. If he found out from reading the society pages of the newspaper, then that might break him even more than prison already had.
I decided that right now was as good a time as any to see him and break the news. I knew Mom didn’t want me visiting him (she agreed with him that it wouldn’t be good for me to do so and had thus banned me from going to the state penitentiary for at least six months, meaning phone calls were the only way to keep in touch) but she was so busy settling into the house and sucking up to Robert right now that she probably wouldn’t even notice if I sneaked out of my room and left for a few hours. All I had to do was walk down the long driveway without being seen, and then I could catch an Uber from the front gate before taking it upstate to the prison. As long as I was careful, Mom wouldn’t find out where I’d sneaked off to, and I’d be able to fill my father in on everything.
After taking the art history books up to my room, I left them on a table and grabbed my purse and a jacket in case it got colder later. Then I headed downstairs again and found Alex, sorting through some paperwork in a spacious study.
“Hey, got a sec?” I asked.
He looked up at me with a smile. “Sure. What’s up?”
“About that little house tour you offered me earlier…would you be able to show me where all the side doors are? I want to go out, but I don’t want to go through the front door in case anyone sees me.”
“Why don’t you want anyone to see you?”
“Let’s just say my mother doesn’t exactly trust me right now. And if she knew where I was going, I’d probably be in a bit of trouble. So I need to sneak out.”
Alex regarded me with a blank expression, and I swallowed hard, realizing with horror that he might go and tell Robert what I was up to immediately. Perhaps I’d misjudged how cool he was earlier. But then his face broke into a smile again, and he nodded. “Trouble, huh? That’s way more interesting than all this filing that needs doing. There’s only one door in the house that doesn’t creak loudly when it opens and closes. I’ll show you. And if anyone asks where you are, I’ll tell them you went to explore the gardens.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, my shoulders slumping. “I knew I could count on you.”
Alex took me through the extensive hallways and led me to a small side door, shutting it as quietly as possible after I stepped through it. Through a nearby open window, I could hear Mom and Robert laughing and chatting from the main sitting room on the first floor, and my pulse sped up as I realized one of them might glance outside and catch me sneaking out at any second. I quickly ducked down and crept under the window before heading around the corner which would take me to the front of the house and subsequently the driveway.
As I rounded the corner, I nearly had a heart attack when I ran smack-bang into another person. “Sorry,” I automatically gasped out before looking up and realizing with a sinking feeling that the mountain of tanned muscle I’d just bumped into was Asher.
He smiled down at me and arched an eyebrow.
“Going somewhere, princess?”
Seven
Asher
I grinned at Chloe like the proverbial cat that got the cream. She looked guilty as fuck, and I could already tell she was doing something she shouldn't. Oh, I was going to have fun with this. I’d picked the perfect moment to come
outside, and I mentally congratulated myself on the great timing.
"Well?" I said. "Do I have to repeat my question?"
She glared at me and made a move to push past me and get away, but I wrapped my fingers around her wrist gently. I wasn't going to let go just like that. "Come on, princess," I groaned in her ear, leaning closer and blowing against her skin, making her pull against my grasp. "Where are you going all alone?"
"None of your damn business," she replied. She sounded angry, but there was a certain kind of breathlessness in her voice that made me think this was having more of an effect on her than she cared to admit. "Now let me go before I scream."
"All right." I winked at her, letting go of her hand. She pulled out her phone from an expensive purse, and I followed closely behind as she walked away from me. "Let me just call my dad and make sure you get there safe—wherever it is you're going."
I pulled out my phone too, and Chloe was next to me in a split second, wringing her hands and giving me desperate looks. I stopped what I was doing, my fingers lingering on the screen of my phone.
"Don't call him," she said, and she sounded so desperate I almost wanted to do her a favor and stop being the bastard that I was. But at the end of the day, I was Asher St Clair and I was there to make her life difficult until she finally submitted.
And what a beautiful sight that was going to be.
A slow smile spread over my face, and I winked at her. "What do I get?" I asked, and her tiny fist slammed into my chest, making me laugh. "That’s the second time today you’ve tried to beat me up. Such a violent little thing. Come on, Chloe. I want to help you, but you're gonna have to let me in if I'm going to do that."
"You're such a dick," she huffed, her eyes going to the ground and her cheeks blushing a deep shade of red. She hesitated before speaking again and it made me wonder what she could be up to. I knew she didn't have a boyfriend, so where else could she be sneaking off to?
Scandal (A Dirty Money Novel) Page 6
