Beyond Love Lies Deceit

by Melissa Toppen

  “Am I that obvious?” I let out a nervous laugh before finally meeting the older man’s eyes. They are a crisp blue, almost the same color as Luke’s, though they lack the intensity that his seem to carry.

  “No actually.” He drops his hand, shaking his head as he turns to stand next to me, looking out of the front window of the hotel style lobby. “I just know every tenant and most of their guests and I don’t recall ever seeing you here before. I took a guess.”

  “Good guess.” I glance at the side of his face before also turning my attention to the outside world.

  “Well whoever this friend is, he’s one lucky man.” I can hear the genuine kindness in his voice which immediately soothes some of the nerves raging through me at the current moment.

  “You don’t think it’s too much?” I ask, glancing down at my fitted black cocktail dress and four inch matching heels. I have no idea where Ryan is taking me and therefore had no idea what to wear.

  “I think you look lovely dear.” He glances at me out of the corner of his eye.

  “Thank you.” I answer immediately, for whatever reason just needing a little reassurance.

  This has to be one of the strangest conversations I have had and yet it feels completely natural, like I have known this man for years.

  “I think your friend has arrived.” He pulls my attention back outside and I immediately spot the expensive red sports car that pulls up and parks directly in front of the building.

  “How did you...” I trail off when he turns towards me and gives me a wide tooth smile.

  “I told you, I know everyone that lives in this building and most of their guests and I can tell you with complete certainty that I have never seen a car like that here before.”

  “You’re good...” I pause, glancing to his name tag. “Charles.” I tack on. “Thank you.” I give him a sweet smile. “For not ratting me out and for being so nice.”

  “It was my pleasure dear.” He nods, leading me to the front door.

  Without another word he pushes it open and steps out onto the sidewalk, waiting for me to step through before giving me one last smile and disappearing back inside.

  By the time I turn back around, Ryan is out of the car and crossing the sidewalk towards me, his eyes trailing down my body before finally meeting my face, a satisfied grin turning up the corners of his mouth.

  “You look gorgeous.” He smiles, leaning in to place a brief kiss to my cheek. I smile, trying my best not to seem too repulsed by his touch.

  “Thank you.” I get out weakly before following him to the passenger side of the sports car.

  I try once again not to cringe when his hand falls to the small of my back as he guides me into the car.

  It’s strange really, having someone as rich and attractive as Ryan have the exact opposite effect on me that I am sure he has on every other woman he comes in contact with. I guess the difference between them and me is that I know behind his smooth seductive smile and deep brown eyes lurks his true self.

  Climbing into the driver’s side, he fires the car to life, revving the engine slightly in a poor attempt to impress me with a car that probably costs more money than my childhood home did. Trying to push away my annoyance, I turn towards him just as he pulls the car out onto the busy street and hits the gas hard.

  “So can I ask where we are going?” I take a moment to actually look at his attire which immediately confirms that I made the right choice with the dress.

  He’s wearing black suit pants with a gray button down shirt, the top two buttons open revealing a white shirt underneath. He seems casual enough but still screams wealth. It’s almost like it seeps from his every pore, announcing to the world that he is someone of importance. I guess that depends on what you define as important. I see it as nothing more than another reason to despise him.

  “You’ll see.” He raises his eyebrows up and down as he throws me a quick side glance before turning his attention back out the windshield.

  He whips and speeds through traffic like he owns the road, tapping on the steering wheel in impatience and making a few noises of displeasure when someone gets in front of him that doesn’t drive fast enough. By the time we reach the water line nearly an hour later, I am so on edge my stomach muscles feel sore from clenching the entire drive over.

  When Ryan pulls the car off just to the left of a private dock entrance, I don’t hesitate pushing the door open and immediately climbing out, eager to escape the confines of the vehicle. Shutting the door, I look around at our surroundings, noticing immediately a huge difference between the boats that were docked at the front of the marina versus the ones now stretched before me.

  These aren’t just boats, at least not the kind of boat that someone like me encounters in their lifetime. Stretched out in front of me are some of the largest and fanciest water vessels I have ever seen. Ryan slips his arm over my shoulder, a pleased smile pulling up the corners of his mouth. He’s clearly pleased with my reaction, though he has no idea that what he views as me being impressed is really just me being in very unfamiliar territory and not really sure how to react.

  “They’re amazing right?” He leads me down a small path before stopping in front of the massive gate that blocks the private dock from all the others, thankfully dropping his arm from my shoulder to slide it open.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it.” I admit, stepping through the gate after he gestures for me to go first.

  “This is probably my favorite place in the world.” He admits, stepping past me to lead me down a long trail of massive yachts and luxurious houseboats.

  I find myself looking down at my feet for most of the walk, trying to make sure my thin heels do not catch in the small gaps between the boards that make up the dock. If it wasn’t obvious before that walking in shoes like this is completely unnatural to me, it sure as hell is now. When I do finally glance back up after several moments of looking down, I see Ryan watching me from the end of the dock, an amused smile lighting up his face.

  It’s weird, in the pale light of the setting sun he almost seems like a normal guy. Shrouded by orange and yellow and backed by the reflection of the water, for a brief moment I can see why so many girls fall at his feet. With a large smile, he extends his hand to me the moment I reach him.

  “Welcome to Scott’s Paradise.” He says, referring to the name etched along the back of the massive yacht docked at the very end of the strip directly in front of us.

  “This is yours?” I ask the obvious question simply trying to play into his clear excitement.

  “It is.” He confirms, helping me on board before climbing on behind me.

  The yacht is massive in size, stretching out for several yards in front of me, the entire floor resembling a hard wood that someone might use in a house. There is a curved couch that extends several feet along the railing to my right and six lounge chairs to my left, a small bar directly next to them. In the center is a large awning, a four person dining table and chairs located below it which I immediately realize is already set with two place settings, a bottle of wine chilling in the center of the table. Glancing back at Ryan, he is watching me intensely, taking in my reaction.

  “Do you like it?” He asks, stepping up next to me.

  “It’s beautiful.” I answer truthfully.

  I immediately envision what this would feel like if the man doing it for me was not Ryan Scott. If I was here in another life and time, and this moment was actually as magical as I imagine it could be. My mind briefly flips to Luke and I can’t help the heat the floods through me at the thought.

  “Come.” Ryan pulls me from my daydream and I glance up to find him gesturing towards the set table.

  Smiling, I immediately follow him to the center of the deck, sliding into the chair that he pulls out for me. I open my mouth to ask a question but then immediately close it when two young waiters suddenly appear from below deck, each one carrying a silver platter.

  One sets his platter in fro
nt of Ryan, the other in front of me, both pulling the lids off simultaneously revealing a beautiful arrangement of fish and vegetables drizzled in what looks like some sort of glaze.

  “Thank you.” I look up at the freckled face server who can’t be any older than I am, and I’m not referring to how old I claim to be.

  If I had to guess I would say he’s just recently graduated high school. I can’t help but wonder how one becomes a cook or server, whichever he actually is, on a private yacht for a very wealthy family but before I can think too much of it Ryan clears his throat, pulling my attention back to him as the two young men disappear as quickly as they appeared.

  “I know you’re not a fan of raw fish.” He jokes, referring to our conversation about sushi the first day we met. “I hope you don’t have the same adversity to cooked fish.”

  “Not at all.” I shake my head, plastering on the fakest smile I can muster. “It looks amazing. You really didn’t need to go through all the trouble though.” I gesture around the boat, for the first time realizing that there are soft white lights draped from the canopy above us, providing a soft intimate lighting.

  “No trouble at all.” He smiles, pouring us each a glass of wine before lifting his glass.

  “What are we drinking to?” I ask, retrieving my wine glass as well.

  “You.” He gives me a wide smile. “Thank you for agreeing to join me tonight.”

  “Thank you for inviting me.” I smile, finding some type of sick satisfaction knowing that he has no idea what my true intentions are.

  To him I am just another quest; another woman to mark down on what I am sure is a very extensive list. Knowing my real motives, gives me this weird pleasure. Like knowing a secret that no one else knows, I revel in the power that gives me over him.

  Most of the meal is eaten in silence and while the company leaves a bit to be desired, the food is exquisite. Ryan stops every few minutes to make a comment about the meal and how beautiful the night is, keeping the conversation light throughout the course of our meal. Before long the waiters reappear and clear away our empty plates, replacing our empty bottle of wine with a new one.

  Ryan refills his glass and then mine before settling back in his seat and taking a long drink. Not sure what else to do, I mirror his actions and take another drink myself, though I know I should stop soon considering I can already feel the effects of the wine working my purpose for being here out of the forefront of my mind.

  When someone says I am only human, there couldn’t be a truer statement. I find that to be exactly the case here. Sure, it’s easy to hate Ryan after everything he’s done but even I would be naïve to say that I am completely immune to his obvious charm. Add on four glasses of wine and he becomes more endearing by the moment. Even still, my resolve holds true.

  “So, tell me a little more about yourself.” I finally speak after a few long moments of silence.

  “What do you want to know?” He asks, taking another drink of wine.

  “I don’t know. Tell me your deepest secret.” I give him a challenging look, my smile playful.

  “I would but then I’d have to kill you.” He hits me with intense eyes and for a moment I believe his words.

  Something about the heat behind his gaze, even if he is smiling, tells me not to underestimate what this man is capable of.

  “Fine.” I playfully pout. “Then tell me your biggest regret.”

  “Not meeting you sooner.” He immediately answers, a sly smile stretching across his face.

  “Ha. Ha.” I sigh sarcastically. “Seriously. Tell me your biggest regret.”

  “A man like me does not go through life without accumulating a rather large list of regrets.” He sets down his wine glass on the table and crosses his arms in front of his chest.

  “Well then pick one.” I push.

  “Why do you want to know so badly?” He raises an eyebrow at me.

  “Because I want to get to know you. I find that a person’s mistakes and regrets will tell you a lot more about who they are then anything else.”

  “Fair enough.” He picks up his wine glass and drains the contents, clearly thinking over my statement. “If I had to pick my biggest regret, it would be getting into the car with one of my fraternity brothers my freshman year of college. We had been drinking and we ended up in pretty severe accident.”

  “Really?” My intrigue is not fake; I truly want to know how he tells this story, knowing immediately that he’s talking about Sean. “What happened?”

  “Most of the night is pretty foggy. We had been bar hopping, you know, the normal college crap. Sean, which was his name.” He adds, causing my heart to hammer wildly against my ribcage. “He wanted to take my dad’s Ferrari out for a spin. I knew it was a bad idea considering how much he had been drinking but I agreed anyways.”

  “So he was driving?” I ask, immediately correcting the statement as to not draw suspicion to my comment. “I mean, after he had been drinking all night?” I tack on.

  “Yeah, I know it was stupid. Anyways, we got a ways out of the city and Sean really wanted to see what the car could do so he gunned it. We had to have been going well over a hundred miles an hour when he hit a curve in the road too fast and lost control.” He pauses, not realizing that just feet from him I am trying to stop myself from lunging over the table at him.

  How dare he...

  How dare he turn the accident on Sean and use it to play the victim. I can feel my restraint wavering and I do my best to hold it together as I push him to continue.

  “That’s horrible. Were you badly hurt?” I ask, like I have no idea of the outcome of the crash.

  “I got knocked around pretty bad. Luckily it wasn’t anything too serious. Unfortunately Sean was killed instantly.” He acts like this is such a painful thing for him to talk about but I can quickly see through it. I know better.

  “I’m so sorry Ryan.” It takes everything I have to say those words and even though I know it’s necessary, I can’t control the sick feeling that forms in my stomach as they leave my mouth.

  “It was a long time ago.” He shrugs. “Worst part of it all was that the cops tried to pin the accident on me. Not only had I lost one of my best friends but then I had to answer for his actions.” He shakes his head, not realizing that he just verbalized the fact that he viewed this being worse than his friend dying.

  “Well clearly you weren’t though. Surely they were able to prove that.” I say, refilling my wine glass and taking another long gulp.

  Lord knows I need it right now. Every part of my body is fighting against my natural instinct to defend my brother and what the man sitting in front of me did to him.

  “It all worked out in the end.” He gives me a lopsided grin and shakes his head. “Okay enough of that.” He sets his wine glass back down and quickly stands, his actions so abrupt they catch me off guard.

  “Would you like to dance?” He smiles down at me, holding his hand out to me.

  “Now?” I question, looking around, wishing there was a way to decline.

  The last thing I want right now is to be forced into the arms of this man, especially after the ridiculous tale he just told.

  “Why not?” He questions, his smile widening.

  Despite the fact that it goes against everything inside of me, I take his hand and allow him to pull me to my feet. He leads me to an open portion of the deck just a few feet from the table and pulls me into his arms, my shoulders stiffening slightly at the close proximity of our bodies.

  “Do you make a habit out of dancing with no music?” I try to keep up the charade, knowing the only way to get vengeance for Sean is to do exactly that.

  The thought strengthens my resolve and I look up to meet his gaze, letting the effects of the wine flood through me and ease what I am about to do.

  “Who needs music? I just wanted to hold you in my arms.” He lays on a line I’m sure he’s used countless times before.

  I let him believe I bought it, hook lin
e and sinker. I smile up at him, wrapping my hand around the back of his head. With the height of my heels, I only stand about four inches below him. Using this to my advantage, I guide his face downwards with my fingers threaded through the back of his hair until just a couple of inches separate our lips.

  Closing my eyes, I lean forward, closing the gap between us. The moment his lips meet mine, I can feel the bile rising in my throat. I try to shift my focus, imagine that he’s someone else, but as his tongue skirts along my bottom lip requesting access to my mouth, I’m not sure how much more I can take.

  But then it happens... Luke’s face flashes through my mind and I find the focal point I need. I deepen the kiss without another thought, my hand tightening in the back of Ryan’s hair as his needy hands roam my back, pulling me tightly into him as his lips work against mine.

  Chapter

  Nine

  Luke

  The moment the two people on the deck of my father’s yacht come into view, I freeze, unable to look away from the scene unfolding in front of my very eyes. When I came here looking for my father, the last thing I expected to find was my brother locked in a passionate embrace with Allie.

  I thought for sure my warning would have worked. She seems so uninterested in him and yet, here she is, kissing him like her life somehow depends on it. I just can’t seem to understand why.

  Ryan pulls her closer, his hands skirting down her back before clamping down on her hips. The sight is enough to make my stomach twist viciously. I know I should walk away. I should walk away and pretend like I didn’t see a thing. Allie is a big girl; she can make her own decisions. But knowing what I should do and what I am capable of doing are two very different things.

  Before I even realize my own actions, I step up onto the deck of the yacht and loudly clear my throat, the two people in front of me immediately breaking apart to look in my direction.

  “Luke.” Ryan immediately speaks. “What are you doing here?” He keeps his voice casual for Allie but deep down I know he is pissed that I interrupted.

  Smiling, I nod, knowing it will only further fuel his anger which is exactly what I want to do at this moment.