The Terms: Part One (The Terms Duet)

by Ruby Rowe

  “Good morning,” he says crisply.

  “You’re usually here at nine. Why are you early? Actually, where were you headed, seeing how my office is the other direction?”

  “I thought I should get an early start since it will be hectic around here today. I, uh, was going to make sure Camilla was awake since Emma will be here at nine.”

  “Camilla and I will be down soon. You can go back to your office.”

  “Of course.”

  He marches away, his irritation evident in his quick stride. I forgot all about Emma starting today, so I go back inside Camilla’s room to wake her.

  ***

  “Thank you for lunch, Irene,” Camilla says after she, Emma and Liam walk into the kitchen from the dining room. I’m pouring myself a third cup of coffee at the counter. Having a lot of work to catch up on, I ate lunch in my office.

  “Yes, thank you. It was delicious,” Emma adds. I look over as she pushes her black glasses up her nose, her short hair matching them.

  The doorbell rings, and since Irene’s hands are in a soapy sink of water, I tell her I’ll get it.

  I stride to the door and open it, and shit, it’s my cousin Greyson.

  “Hi,” I say. “What are you doing here?”

  “What do you mean what am I doing here? We have racquetball in thirty minutes.”

  “Oh, right. I forgot. If you want to wait in your car, I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  He smirks. “You’re not going to let me inside?” There’s a tug on my pant leg, so I look down.

  “Boss, who’s that?” Liam asks. “Shit,” I mutter before I lift my gaze to meet Greyson’s.

  His eyes widen, and his smirk morphs into a grin.

  “Now, I’m coming in for sure. Who’s the kid?”

  Puffing out a breath, I step aside and let him in.

  “Liam, come with me,” Emma says before she takes his hand and leads him away.

  “Uh, it’s a long story.”

  “And the woman?”

  Camilla steps into the foyer now, looking for Liam.

  “Holy shit, two women. This keeps getting better.”

  Camilla is stock-still, staring at him as Emma walks Liam up the stairs. It’s obvious Camilla doesn’t know whether she should leave or introduce herself.

  “Greyson, this is Camilla. Camilla, this is my cousin Greyson. I forgot we had racquetball, so we’ll be leaving soon.”

  Stepping closer, Camilla stretches her hand out for him to shake.

  “Nice to meet you,” she says.

  “It’s my pleasure, and how do you know Ellis?” he asks her, being his nosy self.

  “Oh, I’m Liam’s mother. Ellis is his—”

  “Father,” I blurt out. “I’m Liam’s father.” Their eyes widen in shock.

  “Ellis,” Camilla utters.

  “He might as well know now. He’s family, and we have to tell them at some point. Why don’t you go up to Liam’s room? We should keep an eye on Emma since it’s only her first day.”

  She stares at me, frozen in her spot. “Camilla, go. We’ll talk later,” I say assertively.

  She struggles to slide her gaze back to Greyson.

  “Again, it was nice meeting you.” Turning on her heels, she stomps toward the stairs. Damn, I’ll have to explain this, and it couldn’t be on a worse day since I’m introducing her to the guest house tonight.

  Looking back at my cousin, I watch him swallow and scratch at the back of his blond hair. He’s still wearing his grin like it’s superglued to his smug face.

  “You have a child?”

  “It’s a long story. One I’ll tell you in the car. Let me go change.”

  Camilla

  What in the hell just happened? Why would Ellis want to say he’s Liam’s father? Oh, the man has some explaining to do.

  No sooner than I start to enter Liam’s room, Ellis takes hold of my arm and pulls me aside.

  “I’ll explain later.”

  I jerk free from his hold. “What were you thinking starting a lie like that?”

  “I told you I’ll explain later. I have a good reason, so don’t stew over it all day.”

  He’s staring at me with sincerity and a touch of worry.

  “Fine. I won’t.”

  “Good. You and I are having dinner together this evening, and then I have something to show you.”

  “But what about Liam?”

  “Beatrice will be here. I hired them both. Emma will work days, like we agreed, and Beatrice will be here late evenings and some overnights. There are times you and I won’t be in the house, so someone has to be here to watch him.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’ll show you tonight.”

  “You’re full of secrets today.”

  “That I am. I’ll see you later.”

  Ellis

  I’m riding with Greyson in his silver Rolls-Royce Wraith. Our family comes from old money, but we all work hard to make new.

  Greyson’s an attorney, but he also invests in real estate, particularly commercial development, and it has paid off well for him.

  “Do you honestly think I’m going to let you sit quietly over there?” he asks.

  “All right, here’s the story; Tony introduced me to Camilla several years back. We had sex, parted ways, and she wasn’t sure who the father was. Then, she showed up at Tony’s visitation, and we reconnected. After talking, we realized Liam might be mine.”

  “So, you’re not sure.”

  “Well, I’m pretty sure. Did you not see the kid? He straight up looks like a Burke. He could pass as yours.”

  He chuckles. “No, he looks like you, not me. Light brown hair, blue eyes … besides, I’m not stupid enough to fuck a chick without a condom.”

  “Don’t call me stupid. It was a heat of the moment kind of thing.”

  “You were probably drinking. We both know you’re a pussy when it comes to holding your liquor.”

  I punch him hard in the bicep, and he pulls his arm in toward himself. “Ow, shit. OK, I deserved that. Well, what’s with the women being in your home?”

  “Emma is the nanny, and Camilla and I are … dating. She and Liam are living with me, and we’re trying to make it work.”

  “Damn, so you really like this woman.”

  “Yes.”

  “I can’t believe you didn’t confide in me when you found out. I thought we shared everything, man, and had I known about this before you moved their asses in, I would’ve advised that you get a paternity test first. You should still do that before things get serious.”

  I consider what he said. I never thought to question whether Liam was Tony’s child. I assumed Camilla was sure since she showed up at the funeral home with the photo, and of course, because he looked like my family.

  Maybe it’s something I should do before I set up Liam’s trust fund from Tony’s estate. My brother couldn’t have hated me too much since he left me as the sole beneficiary.

  The thought of Liam possibly not being Tony’s disturbs me. I don’t want Camilla to have a reason to leave.

  ***

  “How is your back today?” I ask Camilla. She’s across from me as we share a candlelit dinner at the dining room table. She doesn’t look up and is using her fork to play with the food on her plate.

  “It’s much better today, but the doctor insisted on running some tests.” Her eyes meet mine. “I panicked since I didn’t have insurance any longer, but I was told by the office clerk not to worry about the bill. I’m guessing you had something to do with that?”

  “I forced you to leave your job, so I’m paying your medical bills.”

  “Oh, and I really need to use my own vehicle. I didn’t appreciate having to cancel my appointment to get my birth control pills all because Fletcher had to be somewhere else for you.”

  “Uh, yes, I’m sorry about that.” To change the subject, I point toward her plate with my fork. “You haven’t eaten much of your dinner.”
>
  “I’m nervous about what we’re doing later, and I’m wondering when you’re going to explain to me why you want your family to believe Liam is yours.”

  “I apologize for today. I had planned to discuss it with you first, but then Greyson showed up, and I was put on the spot.” I sigh. “My father cheated on my mother soon after I was born. Tony was conceived from that affair.

  “The woman was an escort and refused an abortion, so my father put her up in a luxury apartment. He provided medical care throughout her pregnancy until Tony was born. He then paid her to give up custody, and my mother raised Tony as her own.

  “Even after the unspeakable betrayal my mother endured, she chose to stay married to him, and I can’t help but think she did that for me. For that reason, I can’t bring myself to tell her my father now has a blood-related grandchild.”

  “It’s sweet you want your mother to believe Liam’s her biological grandson, but it’s still a big commitment to make for only that reason.”

  “When you have my family’s degree of wealth, bloodlines mean everything. My mother deserves this, but if you give me a valid reason why it’s important for them to know he’s Tony’s child, I might change my mind.”

  “What will we tell Liam if everyone else believes he’s your son?”

  I look down at the table. “I haven’t thought that through yet, but we have a little time.”

  “Are you also wanting to do this to spare Tony’s reputation? Because if so, it’s going to tarnish yours, and I don’t believe he would’ve done the same for you.”

  Dropping my fork, I cross my arms.

  “We need to talk about the elephant that’s always in the room. What did my brother tell you about me? And I want the truth.”

  Laying her fork down, she sits back in her chair.

  “This is all so confusing. You want to get back at me for not telling Tony about Liam. I know you do, but you’re struggling to follow through. And as much as I should want to hurt you for making Liam and me live here, I can’t bring myself to try.

  “If I tell you what your brother said about you, it will hurt you, especially if it’s false, so can we save that conversation for another day? So much has happened in only a short amount of time. You can’t deny that. I mean, it’s been a whirlwind.”

  Camilla has a grace and kindness to her that’s unmatched by any other woman I’ve met. I’m beginning to wonder if she had good reason for keeping Liam from Tony. I can’t see her being so callous otherwise.

  Wiping my mouth with my cloth napkin, I scoot away from the table and stroll around it. I hold out my hand for her to take.

  “We can wait to discuss my brother. There’s something more important to attend to … a place I want to show you.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Camilla

  Lust flickers in Ellis’s eyes as his hand reaches out for me. He’s handsome as always in a pair of dark jeans and a thin black sweater. Placing my hand in his, I stand and gaze up at him.

  “Here’s the deal,” he says. “Since Liam doesn’t know Beatrice well, I’m going to have us do what I have planned now before it gets too late.

  “She has my number, so if there are any problems at all, she can reach me. We’ll come back inside in an hour or so to put Liam to bed. I already promised to read him a bedtime story.”

  He smiles, and the way his eyes display happiness when he speaks of his nephew does something to my heart. This man is an enigma I can’t stay away from.

  “OK, and thank you for thinking of him.” As we leave the dining room and reenter the grand hall, I hear the TV in the family room where Liam is watching a movie with Beatrice.

  It’s difficult to resist stopping in there to give him a kiss, but I’m trying to learn to coddle him less.

  “Wait here,” Ellis says before striding away. As always, I stand in awe in the amazing space. The staircase we take every day is across from me, and the sun is setting through the windows behind it, casting an orange glow over the magnificent room.

  Ellis strolls back with a black trench coat and hands it to me. “Go to your room, and undress until you’re nude. Put on a pair of heels, and return in only this coat.”

  “Are we going out in public?”

  “No. Now, do as I said. I want plenty of time with your nakedness.”

  His words open the gate for my nerves. They scurry beneath my skin, multiplying as the word spreads about the party we’re about to attend. Not wanting to appear eager, I delay running up the stairs until I’m out of his sight.

  Once undressed, I go to my closet and find black heels that match the coat. Thankfully, I have a few pairs from working at Octavia. I cinch the belt around my waist and head back downstairs, taking each slick step carefully.

  A faint smile edges from his lips as he eyes me. He takes my hand and leads me toward the back of the home until the sound of the television has faded away. We stop at two glass doors, and turning back to me, Ellis cups my cheeks.

  “We’re going to my guest house. It’s a playroom, but you can think of it more like our little hideaway, where I can do with you as I please.”

  “Is that why there were workers back there? Were they getting it ready?”

  “Yes. Ever since I told you the terms.”

  “You’ve known for that long what you were going to do with me?”

  “Yes, and I’ve fantasized about it every day since, especially after having a sampling of you. Now, once we step out this door, don’t question me. You do as I say. Understood?”

  “Yes, Sir.” Where the hell did that come from? Yes, Sir?

  He swallows hard, and it’s satisfying to see I have an effect on him, too. Gripping my hand, he leads me into the cool air and onto the patio. Since I’m seeing it for the first time, I survey the area.

  There’s a fireplace encased in stone and plenty of outdoor furniture. What looks like a bar is set up, too, and I wonder if Ellis even uses this space since he’s not someone I envision hosting a party.

  Once we’re off the patio, we walk along a sidewalk to the guest house that’s tucked away to the left, about one hundred feet behind the main home.

  He pulls a set of keys from his pocket, and as he sticks one in the lock, I lose my breath and fear my heart might beat out of my chest. The feeling reminds me of the first time I danced at Octavia.

  He steps inside and pulls me behind him. A light is switched on, and I’m surprised when I see a small kitchen and a dinette set to my left. There are stainless steel appliances, like in the main home, and the counters are a sleek black.

  Beyond the kitchen is a living room with a black leather sectional that is covered in red and grey pillows. A glass table sits in front of it, and there’s a large television hanging on the wall.

  Still clutching my hand between his, he brings it up and kisses it.

  “Come on. There’s more to see.” He starts down a hallway and points to the first door on the right. “Spare bedroom.”

  Straight across from that room is another door, and Ellis pushes it open. Stepping inside, I’m first surprised by the size of it, especially the length. It stretches far back, maybe forty feet to the right.

  I look to my left and eye a wall of hanging contraptions. I can identify several of the items from having worked at Octavia.

  Many of the dancers at the club engaged in BDSM with our clients off-site, so they would often tell stories and show me things on their phones when I was curious as to what they were speaking of.

  I can’t say I haven’t been intrigued, but never have I thought it’s something I would enjoy. That is, until Ellis blindfolded me.

  I never dreamed I’d like it, but I did. My senses were beyond heightened, and I can still recall how his cock felt in my hands and mouth.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asks.

  Strolling over to the wall, my fingers glide over a flogger.

  “How your cock felt in my hands and tasted in my mouth the day you blindfolded me
in my study.”

  My arm is grabbed, and I’m spun around. Yanking me to him, Ellis smothers my mouth with a kiss. A hand fists my hair while the other squeezes my ass through the coat.

  Groaning, he comes up for air and pierces me with a look of anger, something I wasn’t expecting.

  “You’re to relinquish control in this room, not try to gain it.”

  “I was only answering your question honestly. I’m sorry.” My gaze drops to the floor as I feel shame for disappointing him.

  He unties my coat and peels it over my shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. I begin to tremble, feeling cold, as well, but I resist the urge to cross my arms.

  “Your body is sensational, but there’s something I want you to wear over it.” Walking away, he goes to a dresser at the right where we came in.

  While I wait, I view the room before me. I’m standing on a shiny black floor, and most everything in the room is either black, grey or red.

  Crimson roses are in glass vases on two dressers and a nightstand by the bed. Picking up a black velvet box, Ellis strolls over to me.

  “This is a gift, and you will wear it every time we’re in this room.” Taking it from him, I steal a glimpse at his eyes, trying to gauge his mood. He doesn’t seem angry now, but tonight he’s serious Ellis.

  Popping open the long box, I cover my chest with my hand as I discover a stunning necklace. A pear-shaped ruby is dangling below a sparkling round diamond. It drops from a platinum chain and is exquisite.

  “It’s beautiful … Sir.” I lift my eyes again, and although he doesn’t speak, the appreciation is evident in his gaze. I’ve yet to figure out all the reasons I want to please him, but I can’t stop myself from making the effort.

  “Turn, and I’ll put it on you.” Doing as he instructs, I pivot and hold up my long hair. As soon as it’s clasped, I can’t resist touching it at my chest. “Let me see.”

  I turn back, and his eyes fall to it. He’s staring keenly, and I wish I knew his thoughts. “It was made for you,” he utters. “Let me show you around.”