Virgin's Dirty Boss

by Nicole Elliot

  By the time the town car pulled up in front of Terini Manor, Scarlett had gained a semblance of control. The chauffeur carried the bag to the door. Marcia opened the door, and Scarlett forced a smile. “I’m home,” she trilled in a falsely bright voice that grated on her own nerves.

  “Miss Terini.” Marcia inclined her head. “It’s good to have you home,” She moved aside as Scarlett came inside, dragging her case. “I’ll have Fred take that to your room.”

  “Thanks,” Scarlett said distractedly. “Where are my sisters?”

  “Upstairs.”

  Scarlett forced herself up the stairs and knocked on Lecy’s door. After a moment, it was opened by a harried-looking young woman who was unfamiliar to Scarlett. “Hello,” she said, frowning.

  The girl nodded, but didn’t speak as she had a mouthful of pins. Scarlett skirted around the open door and stared at the sight that met her eyes. Lecy and Chrys were both standing on platforms in the middle of the room. Three women were fluttering around them, tucking and pinning the dresses they wore.

  Lecy’s was lavender silk, with a flowing skirt, and a delicate under slip. However, it was Chrys’s dress that caught Scarlett’s attention. It was long, flowing, and white. The dress was obviously made for a bride. “No,” Scarlett said aloud, denying what her eyes were telling her. “He can’t make you marry him,” she said fiercely.

  Both sisters looked up, and Scarlett registered their shock. “The wedding is still on?” she demanded.

  Chrys burst into tears, “Yes!” She was clearly miserable. “I don’t want to marry him.” She acted as if Scarlett had never been gone.

  Lecy was stiffer and colder. “Chrys chose to do this. Father still needs money to pay the bills, and to keep us going, and Ralf still wants her. Don’t pity her too much.” She shot Chrys a scathing look. “It’s her own fault for not standing up to them.”

  “Please help me,” Chrys asked pathetically. “I don’t know how to tell Father no. I don’t want to be poor either,” she confessed tearfully. The seamstresses continued about their business, as if they couldn’t hear the sisters’ conversation.

  “You have to stand up to him,” said Scarlett. “I’ll come with you.”

  “What are you doing here?” Lecy asked abruptly. “I thought you’d disowned Father.”

  Scarlett shrugged, not meeting her sisters’ eyes. “Things didn’t work out with Carter,” she admitted blithely, trying to sound carefree.

  “Father won’t let you stay.” Lecy’s tone was full of pity. Scarlett only hoped her sister’s statement was not prophetic, or she would be homeless.

  Gathering her courage, Scarlett returned downstairs to face her father. She found him in the library, sipping herbal tea and reading a thick tome. “Father,” she said nervously.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I’ve come home.” Scarlett barely repressed the urge to cry. Terini Manor no longer felt like her home.

  “I thought you were ashamed to be a Terini?”

  Scarlett shrugged, but was saved from responding by Chrys’s entrance. The wedding gown had been replaced by regular clothing, but her hair and face were a mess. “Father,” she blurted out, “I don’t want to marry Ralf.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Rocco set aside his novel. “The plans are made. You’re only having cold feet, Chrysanthia.”

  “No, I really don’t want to marry him,” she wailed. “Even if I have to be destitute, I can’t marry him. He’s horrible and disgusting.”

  “Go to your room,” Rocco barked. “This marriage is taking place, and I won’t hear another word to the contrary.”

  “No,” Chrys yelled, and then scurried to hide behind Scarlett. “I won’t do it. I’m telling you no, and I mean it.”

  “I’ve had enough. First Scarlett turns her back on our family, and now you. I won’t allow it,” he shouted. “Do you hear me?”

  Chrys trembled, and Scarlett could see her weakening. “Be firm,” she said softly. “You’re twenty-one years old, and this is not the dark ages. Stand your ground.”

  Nodding, Chrys stepped out from behind Scarlett. “I love you, Father, but I’m not going through with this marriage.”

  “Get out,” he roared at her. “I’ll deal with you later.” His voice scared Chrys so much that she fled with a howl. In the sudden silence, Rocco turned to Scarlett. “I know you’re to blame for this too. She was resigned until you came home.”

  Walking over to his desk, Rocco buzzed the kitchen. “Have Earl lock my daughter in her room.”.

  “Which daughter?” was the bland reply.

  “Chrys, for now,” Rocco answered. “She is to be fed three times a day, but she isn’t to be allowed out of her room for any reason until I say otherwise.”

  “You can’t do this,” Scarlett protested. “She has the right not to marry him. She’s your daughter, not a prisoner.”

  “Perhaps you’d like to take her place?” Rocco suggested coldly as he released the intercom button. “I’m sure Ralf would be pleased to have you. Even though you’ve been compromised, you are still the loveliest of your sisters, and Ralf appreciates beauty.”

  “How much is he paying you?” Scarlett demanded.

  “Five million has already gone into my account. After the wedding, and once Chrys gives him an heir, a virtually limitless supply will be made available to me.”

  “Return the money.”

  “I’ve spent most of it.” Rocco shrugged. “So you see why the wedding must proceed?”

  “How could you spend five million dollars so quickly?” Scarlett asked, aghast.

  “Revenge is costly,” he said ambiguously.

  “The fire.” Scarlett gasped. “You were responsible.”

  He rolled his eye. “Of course, but they won’t be able to prove it. I always use reliable sources.”

  “With the exception of Louis Venetta,” Scarlett shot back. “He sold you out without hesitation.”

  “Louis paid for his betrayal,” he said softly. “I saw to that personally.”

  “You murdered him?” Scarlett’s mouth hung open.

  “Money was tight,” he said without inflection.

  “Due to your fascination with gambling and other women. Even when Mom was still alive, you couldn’t give up your whores.”

  Rocco shrugged. “Your mother understood.”

  “How could any woman who truly loved you understand something like that?”

  “You’ve seen how far true love gets you.” Rocco laughed. “Now, if you want to stay in my home, I suggest you shut your mouth.”

  “I couldn’t stay here with you now, knowing you’re a murderer, and knowing tried to sabotage Carter’s business. I’m going to go tell him what I’ve discovered.” Scarlett headed for the door, and her hand was on the knob when Rocco spoke again.

  “He’s beyond caring,” he informed her.

  “What?” Scarlett asked, turning around. “What did you say?”

  “He will no longer get in my way,” Rocco replied cryptically.

  “No,” Scarlett denied. “You didn’t...?”

  Rocco smiled coldly, but did not respond. As her father maintained his cold silence, Scarlett tore from the study, knowing she had to warn Carter. She went through the kitchen and out to the garage, not even grabbing her purse. She took the keys from the rack and got in the Mercedes convertible, checking the gas gauge. It was full, so she used the remote to raise the closest bay’s door and backed the car out, speeding down the lane. She had to get to Carter. She would call him, but she realized she didn’t have her phone, or his number. How the hell had that happened? She lived with the man, but still didn’t know his number. Dammit.

  Scarlett pushed the car to her driving limits, often keeping the needle above ninety. She made it to Carter’s home in a little over ninety minutes. She screeched to a stop at the front door, threw the car in park, and left open her door as she got out. Scarlett pounded on the front door and waited for Edward to a
nswer.

  He opened the door and looked surprised to see her. “Miss Scarlett.”

  “Edward, is Carter here?” she demanded. “Or Darren? I have to warn them.”

  “No, miss,” he answered, his expression grim.

  “Where are they?” Scarlett grasped the lapels of his coat and practically shook him. “Tell me where they are.”

  “Seton Medical Center. The town car was run off the road, and they were both shot.”

  “Are they alive?” Scarlett asked weakly.

  “Mr. Braxton and Darren are both at the hospital. The driver died in the accident,” Edward said softly.

  Scarlett released her hold on Edward and returned to the car, driving as fast as she could.

  She hurried into the hospital, going straight to the front desk. “What room is Carter Braxton in?” she asked.

  The woman behind the desk gave her a friendly smile and typed on her keyboard. “He’s still in the operating room.”

  Scarlett sagged. “How long ago was he brought in?”

  “Two hours.”

  “Where is the operating room?”

  The woman gave her instructions to find OR 2, and Scarlett hurried to the bank of elevators. She cursed the slow elevator as it ferried her to the right floor, then she burst out before the doors were completely open. She found the waiting room for OR Two without difficulty and was surprised to see Darren sitting there. His arm was bandaged, as was his forehead. “Darren,” she cried, going to him. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, just a couple of superficial wounds. I got shot in my arm, and a bullet grazed my head.”

  “That’s good,” Scarlett whispered. Clutching her hands together, she asked, “Carter?”

  Sighing, Darren took one of her hands in his. “It’s pretty bad.”

  “Is he going to die?” Please no. She couldn’t lose him like this. Even if he never wanted her again, it would be bearable to lose him if he lived.

  “They don’t know,” Darren said sadly. “Scarlett, the bullet hit him somewhere above the neck. He’s still in surgery.”

  “No.” Scarlett shook her head. “This isn’t happening. My father did this,” Scarlett said. “He admitted it. Not in so many words, but he told me Carter would no longer be a problem for him soon.”

  “And you came back to warn Carter?” Scarlett nodded, and he squeezed her hand. “I knew he was wrong.”

  “What?”

  “Your father told Carter that you were working with him to get Carter to return the house and leave Terini alone. Carter believed him more than he should have, and that’s why he’d been such an asshole lately.”

  “He should have known I wouldn’t do that.” Scarlett frowned, feeling slightly outraged.

  “Terini told him you’d be leaving real soon, and today you left, confirming his worst suspicions,” Darren pointed out.

  “He asked me to leave,” Scarlett said defensively. “I was going to go visit my sisters, but only because I wanted to get some reaction from him.”

  “Carter is cold at times, and he’s a hard man,” said Darren. “You know that. Look how long he pursued your father. He’s tenacious, but he’s also reasonable. If you talk to him, I’m sure you can make him understand.”

  “If I can talk to him,” Scarlett said, feeling cold inside.

  Two coffees and over an hour later, a burly doctor in surgical scrubs came into the waiting room. “He survived the surgery,” was his first announcement.

  Scarlett sagged against Darren’s shoulder. “Can I see him?”

  “Only family is allowed in recovery,” the doctor answered.

  “I’m his fiancée.”

  The doctor nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. Right now, I wouldn’t let anyone in to see him.”

  “Why?” Scarlett asked softly.

  “Mr. Braxton pulled through the surgery, which is good, obviously. He’s still not awake, and his brain waves aren’t registering very high.”

  “What does that mean?” Scarlett asked shrilly.

  “He’s in a coma. I don’t know when, or if, he’ll awaken. When he does, he might be mentally impaired, or he might be just fine.”

  “Mentally impaired?” Scarlett asked with dread. “Will he know us?”

  “I can’t evaluate the extent of brain damage until he awakens. Keep in mind there might be no brain damage. I’ve seen much worse wounds where patients were up and around in a few days with no permanent injuries.”

  “I’d like to see him,” Scarlett said again.

  “Wait until he’s out of recovery, and up in a room,” the doctor said firmly. “That will be an hour or two at most.” She nodded and he left the waiting room.

  “What if he doesn’t know us?” Scarlett burst out as tears poured down her face.

  “We’ll deal with that if the time comes,” Darren said stoically.

  Just under two hours later, Scarlett sat beside Carter’s bed, holding his hand. He was breathing on his own, but his eyes weren’t open. She would give anything to see his baby blues again.

  “Please wake up,” Scarlett whispered, touching his face with her other hand. The nurse finally came for her an hour later, and Scarlett didn’t bother to protest her removal. She brushed a kiss on his cheek and whispered, “I love you,” in his ear before leaving.

  She was drained and didn’t argue with Darren when he insisted on taking her back to the house to rest. Scarlett wanted to spend every moment at the hospital until he woke up, but she knew that might never happen. It was better to pace herself so she would have the endurance to go through this for several...she stopped thinking, refusing to speculate how long it might be. She hated hospitals, but Carter was too important to her to let her phobia keep her away.

  20

  Scarlett

  A week passed with no change in Carter’s condition. The steady beep of the heart monitor was driving her insane, but she continued to sit beside him and talk to him for as long as the hospital would allow it. Darren would faithfully drive her to and from the hospital, and he seemed to have shifted his bodyguard duties to include her. His arm bore a scar, but the graze on his temple was already well on its way to healing.

  Scarlett fell into bed each night, exhausted, to sleep for five or six hours before rising to repeat the process. On the sixth night of Carter’s coma, she received a call at three in the morning and was instantly awake when Edward tapped on her door. She snatched up the phone, praying it was the hospital, but Lecy’s voice was on the other end. “What’s wrong?” she asked wearily.

  “There’s been a fire at the house,” said Lecy in a voice thick with tears.

  “Did Chrys get out of her room? Was she still locked in?” Scarlett demanded.

  “Yes, I got her out, but Father refused to leave Terini Manor. He was trying to put out the fire when we were forced to leave because of the smoke.” Lecy’s crying, made some of her words garbled.

  “Did everyone else get out?”

  Lecy took a deep breath. “Yes, but Father didn’t,” she said again. “He never came out of the house.”

  “I hope he turns up,” Scarlett said, feeling hollow. Despite everything he’d done, he was her father, and she loved him. She was ashamed of his actions, but she hadn’t wanted him to die. “Call me if he shows up.”

  “I will,” Lecy promised. “What are we going to do now?” she asked helplessly.

  For the first time, Scarlett didn’t try to solve her sisters’ problems. They were older than her, and she couldn’t help them anymore. “You’ll figure something out,” she said gently. “I’m glad you made it out all right.”

  “Did he cause this?” asked Lecy.

  Scarlett knew what she meant without further clarification. She was angry, but her voice came out weak and resigned. “Carter has been in a coma for the last week, so he couldn’t have had anything to do with the fire.” She ended the call and turned off the light, huddling under the covers. Tears surprised her by leaking from her eyes. She wasn�
�t sure if she cried for Carter, her Father, herself, or for everyone.

  Carter

  He was floating, he thought. Maybe he was getting swim lessons from Pop, out in the crystal blue of the Aegean. He’d taken to swimming like a duck in water, but he’d always had difficulty relinquishing control, so he’d never been able to float. “I finally learned how, Pop,” he said.

  It wasn’t Pop who was with him. He was alone in perfect darkness, except for the sound of a voice. He knew that voice. Carter wanted to respond to Scarlett’s soft murmurings, but he couldn’t seem to work up the energy. Sometimes she seemed very close, and other times she was so distant he couldn’t hear more than a hushed whisper. Rarely could he make out the words, but the sound of her voice kept him from floating completely away.

  She sounded very close this time, and he could tell she was crying. Some of the words came through to him, but in a disjointed way.

  miss

  doctors

  fire

  dead

  gone

  He could not make sense of what she was saying. His brain felt sluggish, and he just couldn’t seem to form any words. She seemed even closer now, and Carter wondered if he was floating to shore. He plainly heard, “I love you,” and knew he had to respond to that. He forced his eyes open, and though things were blurry, he could make out Scarlett’s face.

  21

  Scarlett

  She was telling Carter about her day, not really paying attention to what she was saying, as she stroked his hand. The doctor had told her it was a strong possibility that Carter could hear her, and she refused to leave him in there alone if there was the smallest chance he could. So she’d been there almost every day for a month. Spending all her free time with him.

  Scarlett stopped speaking abruptly as Carter’s hand tightened weakly around hers. She looked down, expecting it to be a muscle spasm, but hoping for more. His eyes were open, and he was staring at her. He didn’t seem to be too confused, and she was sure he recognized her. Before she could react, even to press the call button, Dr. Goff came hurrying in the room.