by Lucia Jordan
“Adam!” Avery gasped. “That’s enough.”
Adam peered at both of them and frowned. He didn’t like the hold Burke had on Avery—didn’t like how territorial he was behaving. Was he like this all the time? Did he keep Avery on a short leash? He’d have to ask her what was going on when he got her alone. “Let’s go to dinner. I’m starving.”
***
“Just one, then we’ll get out of your hair. I’m sure you have parties to go to,” Avery said as they entered the elevator to head up to Adam’s apartment.
“Parties don’t start for a while. Besides, I may not go out. I need to get packed and…”
“Oh, no! You aren’t going to miss out celebrating this momentous occasion with your friends by sitting at home and boxing up your stuff just so you can make it home a day earlier. Go out and have some fun.”
“But…”
“No buts,” Avery instructed.
“How about I hire a crew to clear out your apartment the day after tomorrow,” Burke offered. “That’ll give you the night to go out with your friends, and tomorrow to recover.”
“I can’t let you do that, Burke,” Adam protested weakly.
“I didn’t get you anything for your graduation. Let me do this for you.” Burke’s intentions weren’t entirely selfless. If Adam went out with his buddies, Avery wouldn’t feel obligated to keep him entertained and he could have her all to himself. Again. He still hadn’t given her her birthday present and he was dying to see how she would react.
“Thanks. I appreciate it,” Adam responded as the elevator doors opened.
As they exited on his floor and made their way down the hall, Avery saw something propped against his door. “What’s that?”
“No clue,” Adam responded as he reached down to pick it up. He examined the shipping label. “Weird. It’s addressed to you.”
Avery took the box from him and frowned. Who would send her a package at her brother’s apartment? “There’s no return address.”
Adam opened the front door and ushered them in. “What can I get you guys?” He went to the fridge and looked inside. “I have beer and…beer.”
Burke chuckled. “Since I’m driving, I’ll pass, but bring Avery a beer.”
Adam peeked over the door and looked at his sister for confirmation. He’d noticed all evening that Burke took control of things. He’d never known his sister to let a man order a meal for her or suggest her wine at dinner, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. Burke was nice enough, and he seemed to be completely taken with Avery, but what was his deal? He seemed very overprotective, very domineering. Avery hadn’t seemed annoyed or put out at all by Burke’s behavior but Adam was starting to understand what she’d said about him a week ago. He would definitely keep an eye on this when he got home.
“Avery? Beer?” He noticed that she wasn’t paying any attention to him, but was just examining the box. “Avery?”
“Yeah, sure,” she responded absently.
Burke’s phone rang and, as he pulled it from his pocket, he frowned at the name displayed on the screen. “If you two will excuse me. I should take this.”
“This isn’t from you, is it?” Avery asked as she jiggled the box.
Burke shook his head. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You get your gift from me later tonight.” He kissed the top of her head then left the apartment.
“This is so strange.”
Adam plopped down on the couch next to his sister and placed her beer on the coffee table as he took a swig of his own. “Stop trying to guess what’s in it and just open the damn thing.”
***
What the hell is she doing calling me?
When he was several feet away from Adam’s apartment door and was sure Avery wouldn’t overhear the conversation, Burke pushed the talk button and answered, “What do you want, Margot?”
“Hello, Burke. It’s so nice to hear your voice,” she cooed.
“I really don’t have time to…”
“I haven’t seen you around the shop in the last few weeks. Surely you haven’t found another antique dealer to work with. I’m the best. And I know you only work with the best.”
“Actually, I have found someone else,” he confirmed. “Someone less…treacherous.”
“Oh, Burke. It hurts me deeply that you would think that about me.”
Her mocking tone told him she was less than hurt.
“I’ll ask one more time what you want then I’m hanging up.”
“Tell me, how did Avery like her gift? I had it delivered to Adam’s apartment today just so she’d be able to open in front of both of you.”
“Excuse me?” Margot had sent the box? Why? What was in it? “And how did you know I’d be at Adam’s apartment today?”
“Avery told me. Besides, the two of you have been inseparable since you met. Of course you’d go to her little brother’s graduation with her. And, of course, I wanted to do my part to commemorate such a significant milestone in Adam’s life. I mean, I’ve known him for a decade. Which is about how long you’ve known them, right?” Margot chuckled lightly.
“Excuse me?” Burke’s worst fears were coming true. “How did you…”
“How did I find out? I was at a party a couple of weeks ago and oddly enough your name came up. It seems you have a very disreputable stepbrother who did something horrible about a decade ago. I believe he’s still incarcerated for his crimes, isn’t that right?”
“What have you done?” Burke’s voice was a whisper lined with steel.
“You know, it wasn’t very easy finding pictorial evidence of you from the trial. You were very elusive when it came to the press. But I found a lovely one of you entering the courtroom right behind Avery. It’s funny she didn’t remember you from all those years ago. One of the newspaper clippings I read said that you were in the courtroom every day of the trial. It took a lot of doing, but I put together a nice little reminder for her and Adam.”
“Why?” Burke couldn’t hide the desperation in his voice. “Why would you do something this despicable?”
“No one poaches one of my clients. No one! And especially not some dimwit who wouldn’t know the difference between a secretary and a credenza. You know, it’s strange, all the good Doms I know insists on honesty and openness in their relationships. And here you are, one of the most respected Doms in the community, and you’ve kept something like this from your sweet little submissive. Tsk, tsk, Burke,” she scolded. “Someone needed to tell her.”
“What the hell have you done?” he shouted.
“We’ve missed you at the parties. Maybe my gift will bring you back to the community where you belong.”
An evil cackle was the last thing Burke heard before the connection was broken.
***
Avery gripped the wrapping and pulled. Nondescript brown paper covered a nondescript cardboard box. She lifted the lid and peered inside. “It’s a scrapbook.”
Adam leaned in and looked. “Weird.”
Avery pulled it out as Adam removed the box and set it on the floor.
“Open it,” he said.
Her hands were shaking as the book sat in her lap. There was something very wrong with this—she could feel it in her gut. Whatever was on the inside pages of this book was something she knew she wasn’t going to like.
She opened the cover and came face to face with a picture of her parents. “Oh my god,” she gasped.
“What the hell?”
She turned to the next page and found the article about their parents’ death. The next showed the police arresting the guy who had killed them. Page after page was filled with newspaper articles and photographs. They showed Avery and Adam on the courthouse steps, heading into the courtroom, and walking away with tears on their faces.
“I don’t understand. What this is? Why would someone take the time to put this together and send it to me?”
As Avery continued to flip through the pages, Adam reached out and stopped at
one of them. “What the…” He looked more closely at the man in the photograph, and then went still when he realized who it was.
“Adam, what is it?” Avery questioned as she looked into her brother’s stricken face. When he didn’t answer, just pointed at the photo, Avery took a closer look herself and froze.
It was him. Burke. He was standing not more than a few feet behind her in the photograph. She read the article that was attached twice and, as the words started to sink in, an overwhelming nausea came over her.
Just as she stood to race to the bathroom, Burke came crashing through the front door.
He was about to tell her not to open the package but he realized it was too late. She’d already seen it. “Avery, baby, let me explain.”
Avery nearly fell over a chair as she backed away from him. “Don’t come near me. And don’t call me that.”
Burke stopped and stood in the middle of the room. He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching out for her. “Listen, I know what it looks like. Just hear me out.”
“What it looks like? What it looks like?” Avery cried. She picked up the book that she’d dropped on the floor and opened to the page that held his picture and thrust it at him. “What it looks like is you walking in right behind me at your stepbrother’s trial nine years ago! The stepbrother who killed my parents!”
“Avery, please. I was going to tell you, I swear. As soon as we got home, I was going to tell you everything.”
“I don’t understand. You…you’re related to that monster?”
Burke didn’t want to have this conversation right now. And he really didn’t want to do this in front of Adam. When he looked over at him, his fury was undeniable. Burke wanted to deal with one angry sibling at a time, and he needed to make Avery understand what he’d done and why. He didn’t think she would listen if she was going through this in front of Adam.
“Only by marriage,” he declared. “I wasn’t at the trial to support him. I was only there to make sure he went to jail for what he’d done.”
“But…did you know who I was…when you walked into Prentiss?”
Here it was. The moment he’d been dreading. Burke nodded slowly. “I’ve…kept tabs on you and Adam over the years. To make sure you were okay.”
“You’ve kept tabs on us? How? Why?”
Burke suddenly felt like a stalker. He knew how it was going to sound and it wasn’t going to be good. “When I couldn’t find you on social media, I hired…private investigators to find you. I just…wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“You…what?”
“I know how it looks, but I promise you I did everything with the best intentions.”
“You lied to me. You lied to me by not telling me who you were. And then I have to find out like this? Who the hell sent the scrapbook?”
“Margot.”
“What! Margot knows?”
“Yes. She was trying to hurt you, to hurt me.”
“Why? Why did you do this? Why did you come back into my life?”
“Honestly, I think I fell in love with you in that courtroom. You were so broken, so sad, yet so strong for Adam. You were…are…the most incredible woman I’ve ever met in my life and I wanted…needed…to be with you.”
Avery couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He’d deceived her in the most calculated fashion because he wanted to be with her? All based on a feeling he’d had about her a decade ago? “You know, the fact that Margot did this disgusts me beyond belief, but I would expect something this deplorable from her. But the fact that you lied to me, that you betrayed my trust after you demanded honesty from me…after we…get out.”
“Avery, please…”
“Leave. Right now. Get out of my life! I never want to see you again,” she choked as she ran to the bathroom and slammed the door.
Whipped Book 4
Avery couldn’t believe what Burke had done, how deceitful he’d been. Did he really think that she would welcome him into her life with open arms when she found out who he was? When he was family with the man who killed her parents? When his stepbrother had altered the course of her life so inextricably?
And how had she let herself get so involved with him? Why had she let him do all those things to her?
Because she wanted him—she wanted him to do those things to her…with her. She still wanted him.
Every part of her body ached, including her heart. She missed Burke and hated him all at the same time and it was driving her crazy.
She and Adam had been home for over a week and his time with her was quickly coming to an end. He would be leaving for his internship in just a week and Avery hated that she was acting so down in the dumps. She wanted their last days together to be fun and easy. Instead she was moping around, teary eyed and lost.
“How are you doing?” Adam asked as plopped down beside on her on the couch.
She shrugged. “Fine.”
“No, you’re not. Is there anything I can do to help?”
She shook her head. “No. It’ll just take time, that’s all.”
“Yeah, it’s hell to be in love and have your heart broken.”
“In love? I’m not in love. And how would you even know what it feels like? Have you ever been in love?”
“No, but you look and act like Parker did last year when his girlfriend dumped him. I thought it was going to kill him but he eventually got over it. He came out a little wiser about women, too.”
“Well good for Parker,” she grumbled. “But I’m not in love with Burke. We hadn’t been seeing each other that long and…”
“Avery, stop,” Adam protested. “Why can’t you just admit that you love the guy?”
She shot off the couch and started to pace. “Because…I can’t be in love with a man who…Mom and Dad…his…” She couldn’t breathe with the weight of it all.
“Calm down. Sit.” Adam took her hand and pulled her down to the couch. “He didn’t kill Mom and Dad. His stepbrother did. You can’t punish him for someone else’s actions.”
“It’s…not just that. He…lied, Adam. Lied about who he was, lied about knowing me, us.”
“He didn’t actually lie. He didn’t give you a false name or anything like that. He just didn’t tell you about his connection to us,” Adam rationalized.
“Just? Adam, that’s an important piece of information to exclude. And he may not have out and out lied but what he did constitutes the same thing.”
“Oh, come on. There are always things people keep from the other in the beginning of a relationship. Granted, this was a pretty big omission, but still, all new relationships have some secrets.”
“Not this relationship. It was crucial that we be honest with one another, that we didn’t keep secrets from each other. He demanded openness and honesty otherwise it wouldn’t have…” She stopped when she realized what she was revealing. Adam didn’t know, couldn’t know what sort of relationship she and Burke had. He wouldn’t understand.
“Demanded it?”
“It…we…honesty is the cornerstone of what we built the relationship on.” At least, that’s what he’d made her believe.
“Well, you said it yourself, you hadn’t been together all that long. Maybe he wanted to wait until the relationship was stronger before he dropped that bombshell. You clearly weren’t ready to find out when you did, otherwise you wouldn’t have tossed him out of your life without hearing him out.”
“Tossed him…hearing him out? Whose side are you on?”
“Yours, Avery. Always yours,” Adam soothed
“Then why are you defending him?”
“I’m not, but I do think you should’ve let him explain. It may not have been as bad as you’ve made it out to be.”
“Why are you pushing this?”
“Because you were the happiest I’d ever seen you when you guys were together. Now you’re miserable.” The doorbell rang and Adam got up to answer it. “Besides, I think you’re punishing him for more tha
n just not being truthful with you.”
Was she? Did she somehow hold him accountable for what his stepbrother had done? Yes, he’d been dishonest. Yes, he was the one who told her that honesty was the only way their type of relationship would work. But was his deceit so egregious that she wanted to throw away what they had? She just didn’t know.
“This is for you.” Adam handed Avery a large manila envelope.
“What is it?”
“No clue. A courier just delivered it. Looks like it’s from a law office.”
The last time Avery opened a surprise package, it had sent her life into a complete downward spiral. She wasn’t sure she wanted to open this one. She handed it back to her brother. “You open it.”
Adam did as she asked and pulled out a University welcome packet complete with a class schedule and a letter from the Dean welcoming her. “What is this? When did you enroll in school?”
“I didn’t. Let me see that.” Avery took the packet and read the letter. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why would a law office be sending me a class schedule and new student packet from the University?”
Adam looked inside the envelope again and found another letter. This one was from the law firm. “Says here that it’s been arranged for you to start classes next week.”
“Who would have…Burke.” It had to be him. There wasn’t anyone else who’d have done this for her.
“Wow. Some parting gift. Usually when I break up with a girl all I get is a boat-load of tears or maybe a slap in the face. Not a college education.”
“I can’t accept this.” It was very kind but way too much. Why had he done this?
“What? Of course you can. You’ve wanted to get your college degree forever. Here’s your chance.”
“But it feels like…I don’t know, a payoff or a bribe or something.”
“Maybe it is. Maybe he’s trying to tell you how sorry he is and throwing his money around is the only way he knows how.”
No, that wasn’t Burke’s style. He’d never used his money to try to impress her, to buy her off. “I can’t…”
“Yes, you can. You deserve this chance. You’ve sacrificed everything for me. If someone wants to do something nice for you, for whatever reason, just take it. Do something for yourself for a change.”
