by D. A. Young
“So, Nina really wanted Dominick to be her co-conspirator to break you and Casey up? That child needs Jesus in the worst way,” Avery scowled.
“I’m more concerned about Dominick,” Noelle said quietly. “Would he ever have said anything to you? I don’t like how he could smile up in your face and know there was so much more than what meets the eye. I know you want to believe the best, hell we all do but are you okay with his deceit?”
“Damn, Noelle! Can I live?! Sheesh, here it goes! I liked Dominick before I found out everything, and given his history, I understand his wariness. Do I condone it? No. I. Do. Not. But I get it. You don’t because no one has ever rejected you on the levels that we were. But I also think knowing what Casey is capable of is an added incentive. I still have to tell Lena about everything as well, but in the end, I want us all to find happiness or come as close as we can to it. My mother may not approve of my relationship with Casey, but that’s okay because it’s not her choice to make,” Sidra finished with a huff. “I’ll always choose Casey.”
***
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing, boo?” Sidra asked doubtfully as she watched Casey row the small boat effortlessly through the lake.
“Would you like to row instead?” Casey retorted.
“And miss out on you flexin’ those muscles? No thank you,” Sidra said as she leaned over and gave him a peck on his lips. “Did you miss me today?”
“I always miss you, sugar. How was it with the girls?” Casey pulled the oars into the boat.
“It was great, but they figured out I was pregnant,” Sidra admitted sheepishly as she trailed her fingers in the water. “Apparently, my having a cleavage was a big giveaway.”
Casey’s eyes roamed over her. In the setting sun, her dark skin, so rich and sumptuous, was set off by the cobalt blue off-shoulder eyelet dress. Her curls sparkled thanks to her playtime with Ruby and some tubes of glitter. She was flawless and as always, he was filled with a sense of pride that she was his woman. “I don’t think it’s too noticeable. So, this means we can tell people? You better say yes because it’s killin’ me to hold it in.”
She flicked water at him mischievously and blew him a kiss. “Yes, we can tell people. Want to hear something I made?”
“Lay it on me, baby,” Casey urged, and Sidra eagerly took her phone out. Soon the quiet air was filled with classical music that was soon joined by slow-grooving rhythm and blues with bits of joyous children’s laughter. The three components should have sounded odd, but instead, it created a lush melody that Casey found himself enchanted by. The song ended and another began, each song richer and more complex than the last, and when the last song ended, he was filled with poignant sadness and longing for more. Breathlessly, he asked, “What was that? It was fuckin’ awesome, baby! Play it again!”
Sidra flushed with pleasure as a shy smile crept across her face. “Do you really like it? I call it ‘Bean’s Magic’. It’s how I feel about the baby. I never knew I could love on a level like this, you know? I had to put it into music.”
“’Bean’s Magic’…I love it,” Casey said reverently with tears in his eyes. “Our baby is gonna have the best mama.”
“And daddy.” Sidra glanced around with concern. “Babe, the sun is going down and we should probably get out of here. Didn’t you see “Lake Placid” or any “Friday The Thirteenth” movies?”
“Nah, this is perfect,” Casey said, waving her concerns off as he looked around. “I always come here and do my best thinkin’. This is where I decided which college I would go to. What I would major in. Where to open my practice…I’ve never made a bad life-changing decision here.” Casey pulled his phone out and opened his playlist and selected SafetySuit’s “Never Stop” before shifting carefully and managed to kneel down in the boat in front of her as the song started. “That’s why I know that this is why I want to do this here.”
This is my love song to you
Let every woman know I’m yours
So you can fall asleep each night, babe
And know I’m dreaming of you more
You’re always hoping that we make it
You always want to keep my gaze
Well you’re the only one I see
And that’s the one thing that won’t change
Sidra was filled with joyous disbelief as Casey pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing the champagne halo diamond set in a gold twisted pave band. The stunning design of the ring left her breathless, and she had to force herself to concentrate on his words.
“Do you remember the first time we saw each other, and I was completely awful to you?” Casey asked in a tight voice that held a faint tremor. Sidra nodded wordlessly. “I still remember that day like it was yesterday and every encounter with you after that. Especially when you said my black suit matched my soul.”
And with this love song to you
It’s not a momentary phase
You are my life, I don’t deserve you
But you love me just the same
And as the mirror says we’re older
I want to look the other way
You are my life, my love, my only
And that’s the one thing that won’t change
Sidra released a peal of laughter as she wiped tears from her eyes as Casey continued.
“I’d never met anyone like you. So beautiful, untamable, and full of life and energy that you turned my life upside down. People are automatically drawn to you, and it made me so jealous because I wanted you for myself. Every laugh, smile, and touch you shared with someone else, I wanted to snatch back for myself. When you leave a room, it’s like someone turned out the lights and I’m left in darkness until you come back. I never thought I had a chance with you, that someone like you would even want someone like me,” Casey’s voice matched his tender touch as he wiped the tears from her face.
“Stop selling yourself short, Sullivan! I was just flitting through life, grinding and partying until you came along. In you, I found a steady anchor of love and kindness. I remember when you first came to visit me in New York, you yelled at me about my atrocious eating habits. After you left, I was so confused as to why you would care about something so dumb,” Sidra said tearfully. “You cared about my well-being instead of just getting in my panties, and that blew my mind.”
“Oh, I cared about that too,” Casey laughed when she pinched him but caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm.
You still get my heart racing
You still get my heart racing
You still get my heart racing
You still get my heart racing
For you
“Darlin’, you are the love of my life and the bright star that is my future. You challenge me, annoy me, and love me like no one else can. You set my soul on fire, and in that fire is where I am most at peace and feel alive.” It was getting harder to speak because he was getting so emotional, but Casey persevered in a slightly wobbly voice. “My last thought when we go to bed is that I can’t believe you’re mine, and the first thought in the morning is that I can’t wait to see your face. I’m not a perfect man, but I know I’m perfect for you as you are for me. My love for you knows no bounds, and I promise to be the best husband and father to you and Bean if you’ll have me. Sidra Jane, love of my life, would you do me the honor of becomin’ Mrs. Casey Sullivan?”
“HELL YES!” she shouted ecstatically. “Always yes to you!”
Casey slipped the ring on her finger, and they marveled at how perfectly it fit.
“So now you’re stuck with me no matter what,” Sidra proclaimed, doing a happy shimmer and rocking the boat precariously. “That means I can relax my maintenance now.”
“Well hold on now,” Casey cautioned as he eyed her suspiciously. “What exactly do you mean by ‘relax the maintenance’?”
“I mean that I’m going to let my toenails grow so long that I’ll be able to sit in a tree and catch your dinner in the w
ater,” Sidra teased him.
“The hell you will!” Casey growled as he pulled her to him for a kiss.
“Damn, Kat does excellent work,” Sidra said breathlessly when they broke apart and she admired the way the ring sparkled in the disappearing sunlight.
“Yes, she does. I didn’t think it would be ready in time for this visit. I’m still wonderin’ how she pulled it off,” Casey shook his head. “I should have known not to bet against a Romankov.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kat watched her childhood friend Magnus inhale a third helping of spaghetti carbonara. The slurping sounds he was making were the only noises in the Romankovs’ formal dining room. She looked to her left at her father who was wearing his usual impassive expression and then across at Holt’s deliberately bland one. With a sigh, he reached over and took the plate from Magnus.
“Hey! I wasna finished!” Magnus’s indignant cry filled the room.
“Yeah, you were, and the sight of the way you eat was makin’ me sick,” Holt said disgustedly. “Pigs at a trough are more dignified than you. Now, I want you to tell me the story again.”
“I already told you!” Magnus retorted. “I was being blackmailed to obtain information on Mrs. Romankov’s clients. They kidnapped my girlfriend Jackie and threatened to kill her if I didn’t cooperate. I had to get a message to Kat, so I hacked into her emails under the guise of ruining her business, and she knew it was me!”
Kat returned Magnus’s happy smile, and Holt growled softly, causing the younger man’s smile to disappear. She glowered at Holton who bared his teeth at her in a semblance of a smile. “Magnus has OCD tendencies that won’t allow him to deviate from certain patterns even if he tried,” Kat explained to Holt and Alexei. “I once teased him about all his letters being written in the same formation and he said-”
“Well, at least you’ll always know it’s me!” Magnus finished cheerfully. “And brilliant girl that she is, Kat figured it out!”
“Clever girl,” Alexei murmured to his daughter who’d unknowingly helped them in their search. He turned to Magnus. “You’re sure that you were able to undo the damage you did? They have nothing?”
“Nothing. They have hackers, but they’re not like me. I set up viruses that would destroy their system if they attempt to retrieve anything,” Magnus assured him. “Just as you asked, I warned them that if a hair was harmed on Jackie’s head, they wouldn’t be able to even access a Commodore 64 without me destroying it.”
“That’s good to know.” Alexei steepled his fingers. “Often times, we are blinded by what we want to see instead of what is really there. We’re infatuated by the illusion they create. Do you understand that?”
Kat’s eyes were held captive by Holt’s. She wanted to look away but get lost in the turbulent blue waters at the same time. The truth of her father’s words resonated deeply with the doubts she was already having about him. She was no dummy and knew that his shit was on a whole other level that she wasn’t prepared for if her father had trusted him to bring back Magnus.
“I believe I do, Alexei,” Magnus said cautiously. “Why are you saying this to me?”
With a look of regret, Alexei reached for his briefcase next to his chair and placed it on the table in front of him. He opened it, withdrew a file, and stood up. He walked around the table to place it in front of Magnus before walking back and taking his seat.
Kat watched Magnus open the folder, and he blanched as he stuttered, “S-S-Surely there…m-must be a mistake! This is not Jackie! She would never wear this much makeup or dress this provocatively! It’s a bloody lie!”
“For your sake, I wish it were,” Alexei replied grimly. “Jacqueline Tusseau, age twenty-six. Born to a Scottish mother and French father. The man you saw her in bed with is her boyfriend Douglas McNall. He’s part of a small ruthless Scottish gang run by his cousin Ermines McNall, who is looking to make a name for himself. This particular gang is extremely ambitious and associates with three syndicates that I am familiar with. Douglas and Jacqueline have been extremely hot and heavy for the last three years. She wasn’t kidnapped, Magnus. You were her mark. She found you, stalked you, and reeled you in to do the gang’s dirty work.”
“Those are lies,” Magnus said brokenly, and Kat shot her father a furious look that he ignored.
“For such an intelligent man, you were easily able to fall victim to her plot, but that is our weakness as men I suppose,” Alexei conceded, raising his eyes to the ceiling. “And now, I will make you an offer that you cannot refuse. Come work for me, and with my protection, you will be able to exact your revenge against those who trespassed against you.”
***
Upstairs, Vivienne stared up at the starry sky from a guest room balcony. Below her, she could hear the small army of men patrolling the grounds with those huge bear dogs. With the beautiful scenery and heavy presence of security, she should have felt secure and at peace, but instead, her mind was raging with the secret she’d kept all these years. For so long, she’d tried to contain it, but it was now unavoidable. The blackmailer was now going after her business, but it wasn’t just hers. It was Jackie and Ian’s business as well. She couldn’t let them be collateral damage for a bad decision that had altered all of their lives.
“What a fucking mess I’ve created,” she spoke aloud with self-loathing.
“Indeed it is,” Alexei concurred from behind her, and slowly she turned to face him.
Quietly, he closed the bedroom door. “May I ask why your things are in this room if I specifically ordered them to be placed in my room?”
“I’m sorry, Lex, but it just felt very surreal to me,” Vivienne said carefully, watching his blue eyes darken with irritation as he approached her. “I haven’t set foot in this house in twenty-four years-”
“And whose fault is that?” Alexei shot back at her angrily, cutting off her explanation and infuriating her. “You left me, Vivi! Not the other way around. That was your choice to walk out those doors. Now, you’re back in my bed where you belong, and that is where you will stay! When I give an order, I expect it to be obeyed. Do you understand me?!”
“And THAT is what I don’t miss! Your high-handedness! You may not believe this, but for twenty-four years, I managed to eat my vegetables, tie my shoes, look both ways before crossing the damn street, and keep a human being alive without your assistance!” Vivienne snarled, jabbing her fingernail into his chest.
Alexei glowered into her furious face, torn between wanting to kiss her and throttle her and couldn’t help himself. He bent and scooped her over his shoulder and smacked her ass hard. His anger at his beautifully stubborn wife receded slightly with her outraged shriek as her fists pummeled his back viciously. Amusement growing at her predicament, Alexei rewarded her with another hard smack and winced as he felt her teeth on his back through his dress shirt. He headed for the door and threw it open, intent on showing her exactly where she belonged.
“Put me down, you bastard!” Vivienne screamed loud enough to wake the dead as her soon to be ex-husband chuckled. “You are so dead, Romankov! I am going to smother you while you sleep!!”
Alexei chuckled and awarded her with another stinging smack that caused her to wiggle frantically as her pointed heels stabbed his abdomen and they stopped at the stairway landing. “Watch it, Vivi. My men don’t take well to threats of my demise.”
The blood was rushing to her head, making her very dizzy. “I promise to God, Alexei, that I’m going to bite IT off first chance I get-”
“OH. MY. GOD. Did you really just say that, Mama?!” Kat’s words echoed throughout the foyer, and Vivienne tried to raise her head as Alexei paused for her to answer their daughter. The effort made her dizzy, but she could make out her daughter and-
“Oh, hi, Kat! I didn’t see you standing there…and Holton…and of course Magnus,” she finished weakly. “Lovely evening, isn’t it?”
Holt grinned at the sight of the normally impeccably-groomed Vivienne Romankov
hanging upside down from her husband’s shoulder. “It’s certainly one for the history books, ma’am. Enjoy your night.”
Vivienne gritted her teeth at his teasing and jabbed Alexei harder with her shoe, and he grunted in response. SMACK! And down the hall, they continued. “I cannot believe you did that! What are you doing?!”
Alexei didn’t answer as he reached under her skirt and ripped her panties off. Trailing his finger against her damp puffy nether lips and chuckled. “Well, look who’s wet. Shut up, Vivi. I am over your stubbornness, so now it is time for your punishment.”
They reached his room, and he opened the door and slammed it shut with his foot. Alexei quickly undid his pants and kicked his shoes and socks off as he tossed her on the bed.
Vivienne was stunned from the lack of blood circulation, and Alexei took advantage of it. He lay down on the bed and grabbed her by the waist, positioning her pussy above his hungry mouth as he felt her cool breath on his engorged manhood. The sight of her, opened up for him, aroused him painfully, and he could feel himself dripping as he treated her to a long leisurely lick of his tongue. She moaned in ecstasy as her tongue touched his swollen head and lapped up his precum. Alexei groaned with pleasure as he encouraged her. “So, bite me, Vivi! Do your worst.”
As her mouth was now full, Vivienne didn’t bother responding to his taunt.
***
Kat watched in shock as her father strolled off with her mother slung over his shoulder like a caveman. “Holy shit! I hope he’s still alive in the morning.”
“She could very well be the death of him,” Holt said softly next to her. “But what a way to go.”
