Divided Control (The Control Series Book 2)

by Anna Edwards

  He pulled her into his solid body and their lips met.

  "So do you think you’re feeling ready for my fiery heat to surge into your parted heavens now?"

  "Only if I get to fly free before you do."

  "Always."

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Amy

  "Where is it? I can't find it. Mum! Help me. James get your lazy backside in here, and get searching." Sophie's voice got louder and shriller as she frantically searched for the garter belt that was both her something new and her something blue. Clothes flew in every direction as Miranda tried to calm her daughter down. Amy ducked as a shoe came flying towards her head.

  "Sophie." James appeared and handed her a glass of champagne. "Sit down, drink this. Amy and I’ll look for the garter. It’ll be here somewhere."

  "What if it isn't? I can't get married without that. Everything is going wrong. This marriage is going to be a complete failure." Amy began searching again as Sophie started hyperventilating. "What if Grayson has changed his mind? Did Matthew say he was still there this morning? Oh god. What if he stands me up?"

  Amy had heard enough. She knelt in front of Sophie as James turned away and raised his hands in the air in frustration.

  "Grayson will be at the altar. Nothing is going wrong. James and I’ll find the garter, and if we can't, I’ll help him bang on every door in the nearby villages until we can find one. Breathe and relax. You’re nervous. That is all. Trust us all to help make your day perfect."

  Sophie burst into tears. Not quite the reaction that Amy was hoping for.

  "I’m sorry," she sobbed through heaving racks of her body, Amy squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I’m such a bridezilla. Gray said we should have just eloped, but I wanted the big white wedding thing. I know I have been driving everyone crazy. I’m so sorry." Sophie collapsed into her mother's arms. James groaned, which earned a frown from Amy. Miranda brought Sophie to her chest and cradled her, telling her that nobody was upset with her. They’d find the garter, and in a few hours, she’d be married. Amy got to her feet and tidied the mess of clothes. The garter wasn't amongst them. She was on her hands and knees searching under a futon when she finally found it.

  "Got it."

  "Yes. Oh, Amy!" Sophie leapt from her mum's lap and almost flattened Amy as she rushed to embrace her. James mouthed relieved gratitude to her.

  "Thank you, thank you, thank you. James, you never let this one go you hear me?" She silenced suddenly. James must have told her about their split and all that it had entailed. It didn't surprise Amy, she loved the fact he was so close and honest with his family. She needed to lighten the mood before it descended into a chaos of tears again

  "It's alright, he hasn't annoyed me enough yet to warrant me leaving him. Although if he keeps leaving the toilet seat up…"

  "Hey. My house, Amy, maybe you should be leaving it up for me."

  Amy looked at Sophie and giggled, "And there are his gentlemanly manners, I really need to have a talk with him about them. "

  James appeared behind Amy and pecked her on the cheek. "I think you know only too well that I always ensure that I use my gentlemanly manners to ensure your satisfaction first."

  Sophie wrinkled her nose up in disgust. "Too much information. We need to change this conversation right now."

  Amy just laughed. "Do you have everything you need now? It is almost eight, the ladies for hair and makeup will be here soon."

  "Yes, I think I do." Amy could see Sophie looking over everything and mentally checking it off as all present and correct.

  "Yes, I have everything."

  "You sure about that my little dove? Aren't you missing the father of the bride?" The voice came from behind Amy's back, and she spun around as quick as James.

  "Dad." Sophie whispered in complete shock.

  Amy looked at James, and his eyes had gone dead. She shivered. James leapt forward and smashed his fist into his father's face.

  "Get the fuck out of here. You’re not welcome anywhere near this house." He followed up with another punch. Blood dripped from his father's nose.

  "Get James out of here." Amy wasn't totally sure what she was saying, but if Matthew didn't get James away from his father, he wouldn't stop until he had killed him. The last time they’d seen this man he was saying that James deserved his beating and that he was ashamed to call him his son. Part of her wanted to punch him as well.

  Matthew leapt to action and pulled James, shouting and swearing, from the room. She stepped forward to help James' father into a chair and handed him a towel to stem the bleeding. She may hate him but she couldn’t just walk away.

  "Miranda. Would you ring for some ice please?" Miranda didn't move, she was still rocking. "Miranda." Amy spoke with more authority, and James' mother jumped out of her reveries and called Mrs Aimes.

  "I guess my son doesn't want me here then."

  "He has good reason to be angry, Mr North."

  "Does he?"

  "I think you know he does." Amy needed to be civil to this man for Sophie's sake. This was her day. But come tomorrow Amy would offer him no kind words for the pain he was causing James. The selfish way he was showing up on his daughter's wedding day. He probably wanted the limelight of the showbiz wedding.

  "You don't have to call me Mr North. I’m Peter, Pete normally, though."

  "Mr North, I need to check on my boyfriend, if you’d excuse me." Amy turned to Sophie. "Sophie, this is your day and your decision. I’ll go and calm James down. He’ll be sorry. I’ll send Matthew back down. If you wish your father to stay, then let him know and I’ll inform James. If you don't, then have Matthew throw him out. The decision is yours and yours alone. This is your day." Sophie whimpered her understanding and Amy left them alone to talk. As she went out into the hallway, she could hear James still swearing.

  Her heart was breaking for him.

  "Matthew, go back to Sophie and obey her instructions with regards to their father."

  Amy collapsed beside James and brought him to her breast. "Talk to me?"

  "I have made so many errors in my life."

  "Errors?"

  "My father."

  "Your father made the errors on his own. He walked out on you and your family." He pulled away from her, his eyes calm but full of sorrow and fear, and he blinked repeatedly. His lip quivered as he tried to kept a check on his emotions.

  Tears welled in her eyes. He shook his head before resting his forehead against hers. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me. Trust, remember?"

  "I can't. I can't tell you about this. Not now. I need to get back to my sister."

  "I love you, whatever is happening I want to help you. Please, please talk to me, because until you do I won’t let you back in the same room as your sister."

  "My dad didn't walk out on my mum. I threw him out."

  "But you said?"

  "I lied. I lied to everyone. Mum was away on a spa weekend with one of her friends. I thought he might be lonely so I went round to their house to take him out for a beer. At first, I figured he wasn't in. Then I heard noises from the bedroom. The sound of sex. I went to the bedroom, and I saw him having sex with a woman who was not my mother. Someone you pay fifty quid a night for.”

  Amy shuffled closer to him, she needed to keep him from going crazy again, she needed to be skin on skin with him, she placed her hand under his t-shirt and on his toned stomach.

  "How did you know that she was that type of woman?"

  "I paid her to escort me to a function a few weeks before. I knew exactly who and what she was."

  Amy still hated to think of James' use of escorts for publicity events, but he’d had reasons for it. "What happened next?"

  "I went mad. I told him to leave. I told him to just go. I gave him money just to get him to never contact us again. He took it and ran off with the whore. I told Mum and Sophie he left with a younger woman. I wanted to protect them from the pain. I took the decision out of their hands. I chucked him out and
didn't even give them a chance to know what he was really doing." He closed his eyes to hide from the truth.

  Amy wrapped around him. "You did what you thought was right at the time, but now you must let your mother and sister decide what they want to do. You need to tell them what happened. If you don't want your father in your life that is fair enough, but Miranda and Sophie need to make that decision for themselves."

  "I’m never going to change am I, Amy?"

  "You mean your need to control?"

  "I do it to everyone." He looked down to the engagement ring at his neck, "I did it to you and nearly lost you."

  Amy pulled his face so she could keep all his attention focused on her, "But you didn't. You’re confusing the control, that is all. You see blind rage and react to it. That is because of your past and what you’ve tried to bury. You don't need to change; we just need to work together. Talk decisions through, not make them on the spur of the moment. You didn't have me then. You do now, and I’m never leaving you again. You hear that?"

  "You should."

  Amy resolutely shook her head.

  "You have an overwhelming urge to control? Take me into the bedroom. We will work it out in there and then discuss how to proceed."

  "You might never leave the bedroom."

  "So be it."

  "They’ll be so angry at me."

  "They’ll love you."

  A cough came from behind them, it was Matthew.

  "Sorry, sir, may I have a word with Miss Amy?"

  "It’s alright Matthew; you can speak to us both."

  "Miss Sophie has requested that Mr North be allowed to stay for the wedding. Your mother has agreed."

  "Is he going to give Sophie away?"

  "No. Miss Sophie wishes you to do that still."

  Amy reached out to take her lover’s hand. It was shaking.

  "We will be down shortly. Could you ensure that only Miranda and Sophie are in the room, please? He needs to speak with them alone."

  "Of course, Miss Amy."

  Matthew left, and Amy wrapped her arms around James' shoulders.

  "If you need to vent your stress at him being here, then you find me. Tell your mother and Sophie everything, and let them make the decision. I’ll be beside you the entire time." James had a wrong to correct and she’d be there holding his hand the entire time.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  James

  “Mum, there is no easy way to say this.” James stood in front of his mother and struggled to find the words he needed to say. Amy was a reassuring presence behind him. “I found dad in your bed with another woman. I told him to leave. He didn’t leave of his own accord. I’m sorry I lied to you.” James’ heart was his in mouth as the words tumbled from his lips. All the colour drained from his mother’s face.

  "You took an enormous burden on yourself. Your father should never have put you in that position." She put her arms around him to ease his pain.

  Sophie joined in the embrace, and the heat of Amy's body slid further away allowing them just to be a family for a moment. They needed it, and he loved Amy even more for the way she had been with him today. He was her safety net, and she was his. Whenever one of them fell they were caught by the other.

  As he led Sophie down the aisle and handed her over to Grayson, James couldn't have any prouder. He adored his little sister and was so glad to see her so happily settled and in love. Sophie hadn’t always been the confident woman that she was today. She had hidden away from herself for most of her youth.

  Grayson would treat her well. With his half Native American looks and her quintessential English rose features any children they had would be sure to be stunning. He took a place next to Amy for the rest of the ceremony and couldn't help but wonder what any children they’d have would look like. It was an entirely alien feeling. He had never even thought seriously about children before.

  He reached into his pocket and found the remote control of Amy's clitoris clip. This would be fun. Just as Sophie was tearfully saying her vows, he pressed the button. Amy grabbed hold of his hand, her manicured nails pressing into the flesh of his palm. He stopped and then pressed again. She let out a little-hushed moan of longing. His mother turned to face them, and James let go of the button.

  "I think someone is a little caught up in her emotions." He put his arm around Amy and tried not to flinch when she elbowed him in the ribs, as hard as she could.

  The rest of the ceremony passed without any issues and despite being the middle of winter the sun shone brightly for the photos.

  “Can I get the bride’s immediate family please?” The photographer called out and James stepped forward. Amy let go of his hand as he did and shuffled backwards.

  “Amy?”

  “Immediate family. Just you and your mum for her.”

  James nodded and turned back to his sister who was standing next to his father. Hell no!

  “I thought it was immediate family.” He couldn’t keep that to himself.

  “Please. I want dad to be in it too.” From behind him, Amy took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

  “Sophie’s day.”

  “What about Amy?” If he was going to have to stand alongside his father for posed pictures he needed Amy by his side to ground him.

  “Of course, she’s a part of our family now.”

  “It’ll be wonderful to get a picture of all the family together again. It has been a long time.” His father spoke as they took their places. James set off the clip vibrating again. Amy drew blood with her nails gripping into his palm this time.

  The speeches were the funniest part of the day. James recorded the whole thing for posterity and, of course, blackmail purposes later. He was sure Grayson would love to keep the story of his first horse ride and the pile of manure out of the press. He was going to enjoy having a brother-in-law. They’d had an immediate rapport with each other and a certain degree of one up-man-ship which certainly entertained their millions of followers on social media accounts. It was one of the only times that James allowed himself to be scrutinised by people he didn't know. Everything else was kept very private, and only information he chose was leaked. But the bantering with Grayson was different.

  He stood at the bar drinking a whisky as the dance floor was prepared. Amy and the other girls had all gone to change into different outfits for the evening part of the celebration. He was so completely lost in his thoughts that it wasn't until his father chinked his glass in a toast that he even noticed he was there.

  "She seems like a really nice girl. How did you meet her?"

  James turned his head. His father was shorter than he remembered, and he had greyed a lot. He looked old, not like the strong man he always remembered him as from childhood. He didn’t want to do this, but this was Sophie's wedding day, and he needed to be polite.

  "She’s more than just nice. She’s perfect. And I met her in..." He couldn't say their previous safe word. "The Canary Islands."

  "You got building work out there?"

  "I took a holiday."

  "Really."

  "It happens occasionally."

  "How long you been together?"

  "Why don't you just say what it is you really want to say, dad? Do you really want to know everything about Amy or are you just looking to find out if she’s another whore you can fuck?"

  "She has the measure of you. That is why I wanted to know more about her. She seems to be the only one that won't take shit from you. But as we seem to be talking about it. I’m not going to walk away from my family this time. No matter how much money you try to give me or what arguments we have."

  "That is their decision, not mine or yours. But know this, if you hurt mum, I won't be responsible for my actions." James' eyes narrowed in threat.

  "You will kill me? Is that it?" His father didn't seem bothered by his threat.

  "I can do worse things than kill you."

  "And you do them every day to yourself. Quit judging me by what they ma
de you feel. I made a mistake. Your mother and I were going through a rough patch, and I used a prostitute. I’m not proud of it; I have regretted it every day since. You may never forgive me for what you saw, but don't ever think I’d intentionally hurt your mother. I love her, and I’ll do everything that I can to make it up to her."

  "Why didn't you come and talk to me, rather than go to that woman."

  "Why do you think? You’d shut down.” His father placed his drink down on the counter and looked back at his son, let out a heavy sigh, and walked away. James still had his whisky in his hand. He just looked down at it, he didn't know for how long, but the spell was broken when Amy slid her hand over his.

  "Penny for them?"

  "What?"

  "Your thoughts?"

  "I doubt they’re worth that."

  "No, your thoughts probably make billions." She giggled. It was a joyous sound. "Are you ever going to dance with me?"

  "What with my two left feet?"

  "You can't be that bad. Come on." Amy led James to the dance floor and after she had had her feet crushed by his massive size ten's a few times they both agreed that maybe they should leave the dancing until after she had given him some lessons.

  "Shall we get out of here for a bit?"

  "Our room?"

  "No. I thought a walk by the lake. You will need a coat."

  They grabbed winter jackets and stepped outside. As they did, flakes of snow began to fall all around them.

  "Snow?" Amy caught one in her hand.

  "Fake, I’m afraid. I don't control the weather.... yet."

  "Well, you’re just about useless." The snow was settling all around them. Amy bent down, picked up a snowball, and threw it at him. It hit him square in the chest.

  "You know, two can play at that game."

  You will have to catch me first." She made a sudden dart for the lake.

  "I don't need to catch you." He shouted after her and pulled the remote control from his pocket. "I can stop you with a press of a button."

  Amy ground to a halt and let out an aroused moan. Her eyes were already dark and full of lust. James had kept her at the brink of an orgasm all day, and she was ready to tumble over her zenith. He pressed the button and took his finger off repeatedly as he strode purposefully through the snow to reach her. By the time James got to her, she could barely stand. He took her into his arms and carried her to a nearby orangery, it would give them the privacy they needed. He looked over his shoulder and saw Matthew and Sonia able to stand guard, at a discreet distance, of course. He needed to give them a few days to themselves when they were in Vegas. They certainly had earned it.