I looked out over the water and could see my family and friends gathered on the sand. Blake and Janet had asked to have their wedding here. They wanted something simple, far less formal than any Mason wedding has ever been. But times are changing and so are some of the old traditions. We were always a strong family, but now we have become even more so. Priorities have shifted, now that Libby and I are parents. Mom and Dad are devoted as grandparents. I've never seen them so happy.
Spencer had come, but he stood nervously on his own. It was still awkward for all of us, but we'd insisted that he come anyway. I watched as Ben shook his hand and sat down beside him.
Spencer had resigned from Mason the day after he'd admitted what he and Elaine had done. But it hadn't been until later that I'd found his handwritten note on my desk. It had been shuffled in amongst some others, as if he'd been too ashamed to face me…
It had detailed Elaine's plan, freely admitting to the wretched part he had played in the scheme. It described how she had seduced him into helping her and, not surprisingly, I had no difficulty believing him. He said he had no excuse for what he'd done, but was committed to repairing what damage he could.
He'd signed over every piece of Mason-Warner stock in his possession, to me and to my family. Though there was nothing he could do about the shares Elaine had purchased, his had been enough to tip the balance back in our favor. That, and a little research of my own…
As soon as the doctor had confirmed Libby's pregnancy, I'd begun to wonder… It hadn't taken long after that to confirm my suspicions. Elaine had kept receipts from her own doctor's visits throughout our marriage, and they'd been left behind in old file boxes after the divorce. In those files, I discovered the real reason she'd never conceived… a simple contraceptive injection, given once every three months. For years, she'd lied to me outright about wanting a child, and in the end had blamed me… And all the while, behind my back, she'd made damned sure there was never a chance of conceiving…
I'd confronted her simply, directly and she'd finally admitted the truth. While I couldn't force her to sell her holdings, I knew she'd no longer cause trouble for us. She wouldn't dare risk the scandal, if the truth came out. My attorney had made significant changes in our original divorce settlement and she'd signed without argument. She was already losing interest in the company., failing to show up for board meetings. The game was finally over…
and she knew she had lost.
I stood up and slipped on my jacket. Pausing for a moment at the door, I watched Libby lift our baby daughter to her shoulder and pat her tiny back gently. Our gaze met over her little shoulder and locked in promise. Nothing in the world would ever matter more than my family. I would spend the rest of my life making Libby as happy as she had made me.
In my wife's face I saw, not only the present and the past, but all the years yet to come. The sounds of happy children. Of skinned knees and birthday parties, first dates… and broken hearts. Thea on her wedding day, as lovely as her mother. And the faraway day when Libby and I would become grandparents ourselves. No matter the shifts and changes of life, no matter the passage of the time, Libby would always be as lovely to me as she was in this very moment. The love of my life, my friend, my wife, the mother of my children…
Mirrors set on either sides of the room caught her beauty, reflecting her back and forth into infinity. This one exquisite woman who had changed my entire world…
She had made every dream come true. Liberty was my family. And in the safety of her love, I was truly and forever home.
50
Epilogue, Pt. 2 - Liberty
Jack and I followed the bride and groom down the green satin path that led to the gazebo. It was simply done, wreathed in flowers and white twinkling lights. Blake was handsome in a dark slacks and jacket. Janet was radiant in her creamy silk dress. They looked at each other with such tenderness, I felt my eyes start to mist over. There was so much love in this amazing place.
There were only a dozen guests, mostly family. Moki scampered happily in the yard, excited by all the activity. We all stood around the couple… Janet's parents… and Vivian and Fletch. It felt as if the couple's commitment was ours, too. The promise to love and cherish one another extending to everyone present, not just to the bride and groom alone.
It was the simple kind of wedding I'd imagined for myself, sometimes. As if it had happened not by plan, but almost by happy accident. I clutched my little bouquet of wildflowers and watched Fletcher give his handkerchief to his wife. She gave him a grateful smile with years of love and devotion behind it.
Thea was asleep in my arms as I stood next to my husband and Reverend Harper began the ceremony. I looked up into Jack's shining eyes as he held his baby son proudly. Ryan was wide awake, his eyes already dark like his father's. He watched Jack, mesmerized, as if his dad's face was his whole world. I remembered the moment Dr. Tiller had told us we were expecting twins. Jack had held me, unable to speak until Dr. Tiller had slipped out of the room and left us in privacy. Later she'd told me, that she'd never seen a man so moved…
I glanced at India, who was stunning, as always. I tried to catch her gaze, but she only had eyes for Matt. He was looking at her the same way Jack looked at me… I glanced away, smiling to myself…
Alice stood next to him, nodding to me gently. She had noticed it too, and approved. We smiled and she looked lovingly at Thea. Alice was fast becoming a second grandma to both babies. She and India would be staying with them next month when Jack and I would be in New York for my second art show. They had also conspired to give Jack and me tonight, our first night alone since the twins had been born…
Jack took the flowers from me, dropping them so that he could hold my hand in his. I looked up into his face as we listened to the minister speak about the meaning of love.
I have everything I could have ever dreamed of… more than I'd ever expected life could offer. I wished with all my heart that my mother could have been there beside us. But her warm gold heart rested lightly on my chest, reminding me that perhaps… somehow… she is. Her love lives on in me, just as mine will live on in my own children. And one day, when they're old enough to understand, I'll tell them how much their grandmother loves them. How much she loves all of us. And that it was she… who taught me how to open my heart…
"Do you take this woman to be your wedded wife? To love her and cherish her, to honor and protect her for the rest of this life and beyond?"
"I do," Jack whispered into my ear, his eyes shining with love. "Today… and always…"
"And do you," the minister turned to Janet, "take this man to be you wedded husband? To honor and love him, to share all that you are with him, for the rest of this life and beyond?"
"Forever, Jack," I whispered only to him. "I do."
"With this ring…," Reverend Harper's voice drifted away as I felt Jack slip a ring onto my finger. I looked down to see a tiny, unending circlet of diamonds next to the emerald. "One for each of the babies we'll have," he whispered, his eyes sparkling with desire and delight.
"You may now kiss your bride," the minister said.
And taking me into his arms, babies and all, our love and happiness overflowing to envelop the whole world around us,
Jack did.
Bonus Book: Leashing the Virgin
A Bad Boy Romance
Love? I don’t know the meaning of the word.
It’s pain I understand. And control. Always control.
I’ve built an empire of destruction. One so enormous, no one can touch me.
I take what I want, and I can buy all the rest.
She’s a risk I shouldn’t take, but too f*cking tempting to deny.
Naked, sweet and perfect on the auction block, she’s the only virgin Club La Laisse has ever offered. Now she’s mine… to do with as I please.
One touch and I couldn’t stop. One taste and I nearly lost control. One unguarded moment and now she has the power to ruin me.
She’s
discovered my deepest secret. But I’m going to discover all of hers. I don’t care how deep I have to go…
But how can I live with myself?
When she’s suddenly become everything… I can’t live without.
1
Grace, aka Eden
This is my choice. Standing here tonight, naked under my silk robe, in front of more than a dozen of the world’s wealthiest men. The lights on the stage are hot, but I’m still shaking like I’m freezing cold. But I’m no fucking victim, that’s for sure. I know how to make the hard decisions. I’ve been making them since I was six years old. Now I’m twenty-two. A virgin who put herself up for auction. Tell me that doesn’t take some balls.
Not exactly innocent… I have friends who’ve done everything and talk about it plenty. When we were younger, they teased me till I cried. But I stopped crying altogether the year I turned thirteen. And I stayed a virgin. That’s why I’m here tonight.
I should have my head examined…
But I did my research. This club is exclusive even among the exclusive. It’s all about dominance… and submission. That’s why the money is so good. But that’s also where it stops. There’s no sadism or anything like that. Nobody gets hurt here. Not clients, not the girls. And from what I’ve heard, it’s not even always the girl who’s the submissive one. Some men will pay plenty, to wear the collar themselves.
I’m not at all sure which kind of man I’d be better off ending up with tonight.
I remember every single moment that led me here. To La Laisse… The Leash. I’m embarrassed a good girl like me even knows about a place like this… but a poor kid from Jersey can learn about a lot of things that she shouldn’t.
I’m waiting my turn on the auction block. Six have already been sold. Only one girl is left ahead of me. I’m the one they’re saving for last. All of tonight’s girls are naked like me, dressed only in jewelry. They’re the most exquisite pieces I’ve ever seen, loaned to us for the evening. And at La Laisse, I’m pretty sure these diamonds are the real thing.
“Gentlemen, may I present Dalia,” the madam says, although I’ve been told not to use that word. She’s Mrs. Sparr to new girls like me. To the ones who’ve been here the longest, she’s Mom. I don’t intend to be here long enough to call her that, and I’ve already got one mom too many. She’s the fucking reason I’m here.
“Dalia is one of our premiere girls,” Mrs. S continues. She’s dressed like a queen and plays the part to perfection. We live in her realm now and she rules us all. She’s even renamed us. Dalia’s real name is just plain Peg.
“Dalia knows a man’s darkest desires,” Mrs. S says dramatically, as the black-haired girl kneels and flashes her eyes, offering her leash to a frighteningly large man with black eyes seated in the front row. He wears a suit that must have cost more than Evelyn and I made all last year cashiering at Tony’s Market. This guy’s like all the men here. Millionaires, billionaires. Men from all over the world, who come here for just one thing.
“There’s little she hasn’t done. And there’s nothing she won’t do. Dalia’s hungry for a master who can teach her something new… something exciting… something exotic. Dalia’s a girl who always eager for that something more…”
The room is expansive, the ceilings high. Far too large for our intimate gathering. The stage and seating areas are draped in deep red velvet, the lighting is the color of champagne. La Laisse takes up the entire top six floors of an Art Deco era, Upper East Side townhouse. I can only see the faces of a few men in the front row. The rest seem to be absorbed in the darkness beyond.
“Down!” Mrs. S orders, and Dalia drops her chest to the floor. Her hips stay up, her knees apart. Dalia’s enormous breasts drop onto the marble tile and, in spite of myself, I look. Her nipples are dark and rock hard, pushed out by the jeweled clamps that circle them. I feel inadequate in comparison and push the feeling aside. The man takes Dalia’s leash with a smile and gives it a jerk. “Turn her,” he says, his voice soft. It’s the very softness of it that sends a chill through me.
Mrs. S calls the order and Dalia pivots her body. She’s incredibly graceful, even though her arms are tightly bound behind her. We each wear a pair of gold slave bracelets. They’re around the upper arms, just above the elbow and have small rings attached that can be used for leashes or chains. Hers, like mine, are used to bind our arms behind us. It thrusts our breasts forward, making them higher, rounder… more vulnerable…
Dalia’s turned around now, so that her sex is on display. The man stands up and takes a few steps forward. Because the stage is raised, Dalia’s pussy is almost level with the man’s cold features. He looks at her with a detachment that makes my blood run like ice water. I feel dizzy and the bright stage lights are making my vision spotty. I pull a deep breath.
I can do this, I tell myself. I have to do this. It can’t be worse than what I’ve been through already with Evelyn. And it’s only one week… only one week. Besides, all my friends say the first time is no big deal anyway. They said it was over almost before they knew what had happened. And it’s not like he’s ever gonna be the guy you end up with, twenty years down the line… Evelyn’s fifth marriage taught me that.
I watch, knowing I’m next, anxiety building in my chest in spite of the big brave words I tell myself. But that’s what I’ve learned to do. Stick out my chin and deal. It’s all that got me through my childhood. I need it to get me through this.
Shit. I’ve never been naked in front of one man before, let alone this… audience. I watch as the huge man looks Dalia over. He’s careful not to touch. That’s not allowed… not until the gavel falls.
I hear the bidding start. The voices seem far away. They’re soft and distant somehow. Business is taken care of quickly here, the veneer of class and money lending it all an air of refinement and sophistication that belies the real reason we’re all here tonight. This place promises Executive Stress Management. But the women want money. And the men want to control us. That, or totally lose control themselves.
International consumerism on a hot, twisty date, I think, and swallow a touch of hysteria.
It’s over faster than I expect, the irony not lost as the cold in my veins reaches my heart, my brain. Dalia went for sixty thousand, for one single night. I’ll go for far more, Mrs. S tells me. Virgins always do, though I can’t figure why. You’d think these guys would want a woman who knows what the hell she’s doing…
I remind myself again… that I’m the one getting the better end of the deal.
I’ll be here for seven nights. And tonight is the one that will bring the most. If I’m up on the block again for the other six, I’ll go for less since I won’t be a virgin anymore. Still, I’ll get what I need. And Evelyn and I will have some kind of future…
It’s a relief, not to feel anything now. I can just watch my virginity be sold to the highest bidder, and I don’t have to feel a thing. It’s only a week, I repeat in my head, and I’ll have enough for the lawyers. And even for rehab after that. Evelyn’s promised that she’ll stop for good this time.
I’d feel sick, if I could still feel, remembering her coming home smelling like gin, with the windshield smashed and the front end of the car all dented in. She said she didn’t remember how it had happened. But the police showed up two days later at work and arrested her. They said she hit and killed the wife of some important politician… and that there was a witness. I feel my cheeks go warm with anger and shame.
But Evelyn is still my mom, no matter what… And this is the way I can give her one more chance. The way I can give us both one more chance. I’m tired of being the adult in our relationship. But if there’s any chance that she could clean up, and be the mother I always needed and never had…
Shit. To feel taken care of... to feel safe for the very first time? What wouldn’t I do for that?
Mrs. Sparr comes to me and takes my leash so gently it threatens to break through the cocoon of numbness that I’m counting on, to
get me through the next seven days. “It’s time, Grace,” she says softly, leading me forward when I nod to her that I’m ready. I watch as the man with black eyes leads Dalia away. She raises her head up enough to give me a wink. Her smile is warm, seductive. She looks like a sleek cat, well pleased with herself. I look away.
“The ones that will bid on you are longtime members,” Mrs. S says in my ear. “I’ve known them for years,” she soothes. “They’re good men, respected, very wealthy. The one who bought Dalia is the only gentleman here I don’t know personally.”
I try to relax as we move to the center of the stage. She leaves me alone now, and moves to the podium to reclaim her role as queen. I try to focus, knowing I chose La Laisse because Mrs. Sparr takes care of her girls. For a place with no limits, there are still things Mrs. S won’t stand for and I’m relying on that. I shrug my shoulders and let my robe fall back onto the chain binding my arms. I try to still my shaking knees as the air hits every exposed nerve ending all at once.
I look out into darkness of the audience, knowing there’s one man out there who will buy me for the night. This time tomorrow, it’ll be easier. It just has to be. I lift my chin, look out over the tops of their heads and listen to my heart trying to pound its way free of my chest.
All I need to do is hold on and remember… I’m not selling my body as much as I’m buying my future.
“Gentlemen, I’m pleased to announce your long wait is now at an end,” Mrs. S says, her voice regal. “You’ve all read tonight’s program I’m sure, and are eager for the bidding to begin. I offer you the grande finale of La Laisse’s finest evening. From the very garden of original sin itself… Gentleman, I give you… Eden.”
Best Friend's Little Sister Page 80
