“She was asking for it. What’s it to you? Why would you want a gash with a kid anyway?”
Richard’s fist connected with David’s nose. The other guy fell back. Wayne placed a hand on his arm to stop him taking more of his anger out of the man.
“You sick fucker,” David yelled. “You broke my fucking nose.” He got up off the floor and charged at Richard.
“You force yourself on a teenage girl, and I’m a sick fucker?” Another punch landed.
Richard was ready and waiting. David got in a few punches, but in no time at all Richard had him locked against the counter, a tight grip around his neck.
“Now you listen to me, you sick fuck. Scarlet is mine, and Harry is mine. You ever, ever come anywhere near my family again, and I’ll bring you down. No one would even give you the time of day.” Richard’s hand tightened. “Do you understand?”
“Scarlet put you up to this,” David wheezed out.
“No. Scarlet wants nothing to do with you. You ruined her life when you raped her. I’d gladly see you rot in some prison cell, but she’s refused to stand against you. I’m going to keep a close eye on you, and if I hear of any other girl from one of your schools suffering the same fate, I’ll find you. And you’ll be sorry.”
Richard slammed David’s face against the counter and walked outside the bathroom, A smug smile was on his face – until he saw Scarlet against the wall waiting for him.
She looked at him, and he knew he’d hurt her.
“She doesn’t look happy,” Tony said.
He watched her storm off, and without giving an excuse to his friends he chased after her.
“Scarlet. Scarlet, wait.” He ended up running up the stairs to catch her.
“You promised me,” she shouted at him. Richard followed her up the stairs.
“I couldn’t let it slide,” he said.
“You couldn’t let it slide? This happened to me, Richard. Me.” She pointed at her chest. “If I can let it go then you can.”
She stormed into their hotel room and went straight to their room where she began packing a bag.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m leaving. I can’t stay with someone I don’t trust.”
“You’ve still got a few days to go,” he said.
The contract. Why did he have to bring that up? She slammed the lid down on her suitcase and threw it to the floor. Her anger was hot and explosive.
“How dare you throw that up at me!” She screamed and charged over to him. She slapped him round the face.
Richard captured her wrist before she lashed out again. “Is this what you want? To take your anger out on me?” he growled.
“I fucking hate you,” she yelled. She pulled and tugged to be let go.
“Do you really? If that’s the case take it all out on me. Show me what you’ve got to be angry about. Go on, hit me!”
Scarlet didn’t hit him. She pushed him and pushed him again, her little hands driving him away. The wall behind him stopped him moving.
“Why did you do this to me?” she cried out. “I was doing fine, and then you came along with your stupid fucking contract and ruined me.”
Richard was about to say something, but her lips slammed down on top of his. The move was so unexpected and so raw in its approach that he held on to her body.
Scarlet bit down on his bottom lip and pulled at her clothes at the same time.
Both stripped down, but when Richard picked her up in his arms and made to move against the bed she stopped him.
“No. I want it against the wall. Like they did in that movie.”
He pressed her against the wall and fucked his cock inside her warm cunt. She was so wet and melting beneath his touch.
Her cries were amazing to hear. “Harder,” she moaned.
He didn’t know what brought her change of heart, and he didn’t care. He was inside her body, and he intended to make her forget all about David.
Richard fucked her against the wall, bringing both of them to a screaming climax in a matter of minutes before he took her to the bed. His shaft was still inside her, and he wouldn’t pull out.
He kissed and teased her lips open for him. Richard felt a stirring begin in his groin even though he’d already climaxed once.
Her nails scored his back and neck. Her hands travelled down to his buttocks to grab.
“Hold it.”
Richard stared into her eyes and knew in his heart he loved her. He couldn’t describe how it happened, but he was sure.
“Stay here,” he whispered and pulled out of her body. He walked away from the bedroom with a chuckle when she cursed at him. His woman was turning into a little fire-cracker.
His office was on the opposite side from the bedroom. He opened the safe and moved a few bits around until he found the square box. Inside were contained a red ruby necklace and earrings, a purchase he hadn’t been able to resist two weeks ago. He hesitated when he glanced at the box with the engagement ring inside. Should he defy his parents and take that huge leap against their wishes?
No. He wouldn’t subject Scarlet to such scandal.
Richard took the box back inside. Scarlet sat up in bed with the blanket covering her.
“I want you to wear this for me,” he said and opened the box.
She gasped, her fingers going to the edge. “They’re beautiful.”
“Will you put them on?” he asked.
“I can’t accept anything like this.” She pulled away as if they burnt her.
“No. I bought them for you. Please, you’ll make me very happy to wear them. I wanted to see you in them,” he said with a smile.
Scarlet wouldn’t touch them, and he pulled them out of the box as if they didn’t cost a thing.
She lifted her hair and he fixed the clasp. “It’s cold.” She chuckled. “I can’t keep these.”
“I want you to have them.”
“Won’t you use them for the next woman?” Her question, so innocent, hit him in the chest.
“No. These won’t be for another woman.”
No other woman will come after you.
Richard knew he couldn’t hold off his feelings forever. It was only a matter of time before he would be taken out of the game.
Chapter Ten
Scarlet couldn’t believe how magically and beautifully the next few days passed. Richard lavished her with attention and gifts. She didn’t want them, but he loved giving them to her. His face would light up, and he’d give her an indulgent smile. The gifts were so personal. She loved the paperweight with dolphins inside he’d given her. No one but Harry knew how much she loved the sea creatures.
The calls to Harry upset and excited her. She loved and missed her little boy. However, when she was with Richard the contract became a distant thought, as if it had never existed. Soon Wednesday came, and he took her to one of his older houses. She was introduced to his housekeeper, Lydia. Scarlet fell in love with the old house instantly.
“I love this place,” she said.
“It’s been in our family for over four generations.”
“How come your parents don’t live in it then?” She knew he didn’t like talking about his parents, even though they were responsible for giving birth to him.
“This is considered a house for people lower than themselves. Everything has to be top notch and of the highest order.”
“Really? Who owned this house?”
“My great-great-great-grandfather. He bought this for his wife. My family originally came from peasant stock. I guess as we all got older it no longer became acceptable to live in this house. My parents were going to sell it last winter. I couldn’t let them and demanded they give it to me.”
“I’m glad you did. It’s so beautiful.” Scarlet followed him down to his study. “Even though I thought you said you didn’t stay anywhere but in the city.”
“I don’t, but sometimes I like to come here to dream of something I could have.”
&n
bsp; Scarlet closed her eyes and shook her head. “You don’t make any sense when you speak like that. You can have anything you want.”
“No, I can’t.”
“You know you behave like you own the world, and then you come out with this yearning that you want. And I don’t know what to say to you.” She watched him go behind his desk and sit down. His pose looked so much like when he forced her to sign that contract.
She wanted to hate him so much, but if she hadn’t signed that contract she’d never know what it meant to love and maybe feel love in return.
He opened his mouth. Scarlet tensed and hoped she was about to hear something she’d wanted to hear for such a long time.
Richard had asked her a question a few days ago. If she’d have come away with him without the contract. At the time she’d answered she didn’t know, but she did. Being at work and seeing him every day had become so important to her. She’d rather watch him from afar than have nothing at all. As much as the contract had hurt her, she would have gone anywhere he asked her to go.
Her heart pounded whenever he was nearby, and her pulse raced. Richard was every part of her. When this week was up she knew in her heart she didn’t want it to end.
Nothing could stop the way she felt about it. Her eyes dropped to the piece of paper he held in his hands, and the smile froze on her lips.
Please, god, no.
****
Scarlet smiled at him, and his whole world became clear. She was younger than he, and he’d fucked up with this shit contract. He had it in his hands right now. Richard had purposefully brought her to his little hideaway to see how she’d react. Since her trust in him with her secret and claiming her and Harry to David he knew what he wanted most in life. He wanted to have a family to come home to. To fall in love and not worry about what the world thought. The time to react was at his fingertips. He’d be forever miserable if he didn’t show Scarlet how much he loved and cared about her.
This wasn’t about sex but about the rest of their lives. In life there are only a few moments, and split seconds to make decisions and he had to act now.
“I want—” He was stopped when Lydia came into his office with the phone.
“Sorry to interrupt, but it’s for you, Miss Hughes.” Scarlet took the phone and smiled at his house keeper.
“What?” she sounded panicked. “Of course, I’ll be there right away.”
Scarlet dropped the phone and ran out of the house. Her hands were shaking, and she dropped her car keys three times before she managed to get the door open.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
“Harry, he’s had an attack, and they might need to operate. They’re not sure. Lily was a bit hysterical.” Richard stopped her and called for his driver. In no time at all they were at the hospital and rushing toward the paediatric wing.
Lily and Wayne sat in the waiting area looking frantic. Scarlet passed them, and Richard knew she’d pulled away. Everything about her was different.
He followed her.
John Barnes stood waiting.
“What happened?” she demanded.
“Everything is all right. Calm down. Harry is stable. His inhaler didn’t work, and he couldn’t catch his breath. We’ve got him on oxygen at the moment, and he should be fine. I’ll need to prescribe another inhaler.”
Richard stared past the doctor’s shoulder to the room. He saw Harry lying in the bed, weak.
He rubbed a hand over his face, and John stopped him from going further. “Only family is allowed.”
Scarlet turned round, and he waited for her consent. The look she gave him stopped him in his footsteps. “I don’t want you here.”
In those words his world died. Their time together meant nothing in face of that binding, fucking contract. John gazed at him with pity.
“Everything is paid for. Send the bill straight to me,” Richard said.
“I’ll do what you ordered, but my first responsibility is to my patient. If Scarlet asks about payment, I’ll tell her where it’s coming from.” John flipped his papers over and walked away.
“I’m so sorry, Richard,” Lily said walking over to him. “We didn’t know what to do, and she gave us the hospital details and everything. He couldn’t stop coughing, and getting his breath back was difficult.” He calmed her down and stared at Wayne.
“Sorry,” he said over her head. Richard nodded. He didn’t blame his friends. There was nothing they could do.
“I think it best you go home. I’ll handle everything.” His friends offered to stay and keep him company, but he refused. There was nothing else to say or to do.
All he could do was wait it out. Hope and pray Scarlet forgave him. He should never have taken her away from her son. Richard cursed himself.
For hours he waited outside the room. Scarlet didn’t move from beside Harry’s bed. He wanted to go in and see her little boy. To see with his own two eyes that Harry was safe.
The nurse came by and offered him a coffee. He refused.
When the sun went down Scarlet came out of Harry’s room and moved toward Richard. “I thought you’d have left by now,” she said.
“I wanted to make sure you and Harry were safe.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t make out you care about us. The only thing you care about is what you want and how desperate you are to get it.” Her voice rose with every word.
“I care, Scarlet.”
“Really? You see, I’ve been thinking about it, and to be honest you’re no different from David.”
“Stop right there. I’d never force myself on you. I’m nothing like that snivelling little shit.” Usually from his upbringing he didn’t like to cause a scene. He knew where this argument was going to lead, and he had to stop it and nip it in the bud.
“You’re right. At least David only forced himself the one time. You, you forced me to sign a fucking contract giving you complete access to my body. You wanted me, and you couldn’t just ask me on a date like a normal person. Tell me, Richard, what is so fucking wrong with me that men can’t ask me on a date? They make demands and force their way into my life?” The tears were pouring down her face, and his gut twisted.
At any time in his life, if he ever had any doubt about his feelings with regards to this woman, in that instant they were wiped clean.
Scarlet Hughes, the woman he’d been the biggest bastard to, was the very woman who owned his heart.
He knew the look in Scarlet’s eyes. This was it, and they were over.
“There’s nothing wrong with you,” he said. I’m the screw-up.
“I think you should leave.” She brushed away her tears.
“What?”
“I want you gone. I want nothing to do with you anymore. Consider this the end of it.” Scarlet turned to leave. Richard couldn’t leave it like that.
“What about your job?”
“I quit. I’ll come and collect my things when I’m back at work next week.”
She walked away and shut the door behind her.
He ran a hand over his mouth and through his hair. In a second he’d wake up, and it would all be some nasty piss-taking dream.
Richard slapped his head.
The door still remained closed.
Not bothering to look up he left the hospital and drove home.
Chapter Eleven
“Darling, you should have brought a guest with you.” His mother false kissed his cheeks in a sort of French style. Richard knew he looked a mess. He hadn’t eaten, and the only reason he’d turned up is because his sister had begged him to.
Scarlet hadn’t called or sent any word, and what little information he’d gotten out of John Barnes had been the boy was stable. She refused his telephone calls, and the gifts he had sent to her were sent back. Today was Saturday, and at least he’d see her at work on Monday. He prayed she wouldn’t quit.
“You know me, Mother.” The woman didn’t have a clue about his son.
“Well I have to say I’m
pleased you didn’t bring that frump you’ve been seen round with.”
Richard tensed, his fists forming. “What did you say?” he asked.
“That woman I’ve been getting reports on. A small fat girl with blond hair. Please, darling, you can do so much better, and remember image is everything. I mean I know Wayne’s fallen far from the tree, but that’s to be expected. and Opal has finally gone on a diet....”
He placed a finger over her lips. “Don’t say another word if you don’t want a scene at this anniversary, even if this whole load of shit is false.” Richard smirked when his mother glanced around to make sure no one had heard him shout the last word. “Another warning. Don’t throw any of your sluts in my direction.” He grabbed a shot of whisky from a passing waiter and went to join Lily and Wayne at the table farthest away.
Lily looked behind him, hopeful.
He sat down under their scrutiny.
“She still not phoned you back yet?” Wayne asked.
He shook his head.
“Wayne, would you take him and give him a change?” Lily handed her son over to his dad. Wayne chuckled, and Richard wanted that. He wanted to be a dad.
Contract of Shame Page 8
