“Nice place,” Calum said, glancing around. “This is my first trip to Italy. I’d definitely like to see more.”
“More than the inside of a hospital or my parents’ apartment, you mean.”
He grinned. “Something like that.”
They quieted as the server wandered over with their drinks. Laurella sipped her coffee. She would have preferred a stiff drink, but keeping her wits about her was probably a better option. Her leg bounced up and down, and she only realized she was nibbling on her nails when Calum tugged her hand away from her mouth.
“Go at your own pace,” he said gently, as if talking to a frightened child. “There’s no rush.”
She nodded and swallowed. Oh God. This was awful. She’d thought all this was behind her. She’d told this story twice, and each time had been like slicing through her guts with a rusty knife. Telling Calum would be worse. She knew it.
Taking a deep breath, she began. “I started working at Spirito as an intern. Fresh out of college, I had a lot to learn. But I was hardworking and ambitious, and it wasn’t very long before I began to move up the career ladder. When I was twenty-six, I found myself temporarily transferred to Alberto Vorino’s department.”
She took another breath and, with trembling hands, drank a little more coffee.
“Actually, do you mind ordering me a whiskey?” she said, changing her mind. “I don’t think I’m going to get through this on caffeine alone.”
Calum’s mouth twisted with worry, but he simply squeezed her hand and called the server across. After her whiskey had been delivered, she drank a healthy mouthful. It burned on the way down but warmed her insides in preparation for the oncoming chill.
“Alberto was riding high at the top of his career. He’d catapulted Spirito into the big leagues with his brand definition and tight, targeted marketing campaigns.” She laughed bitterly. “There’s no doubting the man’s talent at least.”
She picked at a stray bit of fluff from her skirt. She needed to avert her eyes. Looking at Calum’s worried expression was making this so much more difficult.
“After about three months, he started to notice me. I found myself invited to senior-management meetings, asked to undertake projects that were way above my level of experience, but I’ve never shied away from a challenge, and when I successfully implemented them, more were forthcoming.
“Then one day, I received a meeting invite. It was for six that evening. Late, but not unusually so. We often worked into the night when deadlines had to be met. I assumed another large project was coming my way even though I already had a full calendar.”
She picked up her whiskey and studied the amber liquid swirling inside then drank another larger-than-recommended mouthful.
“I expected there to be other people, but when I arrived at Vorino’s office, he was alone. On his desk was a bottle of prosecco, a couple of glasses, and a few snacks.” She squeezed her eyes closed and breathed deeply through her nose. “I asked him what was going on, and he said it was a celebration, a thank-you of sorts, for all the hard work I’d been doing. He said I deserved a treat.”
From the way Calum’s face hardened, he’d already guessed where this was going, but maybe not the extent of it. He deserved the full, unedited truth, however disgusting and hideous it was.
“I felt uneasy. I should have listened to my instincts and left, but he was my boss, a very senior figure in the organization and the man who could make or break my career. So I stayed.” She shrugged. “At first, everything seemed fine. We had a drink and chatted about the latest project I was working on. He told me how impressed both he and his entire team were with me. How glad he was that I’d been temporarily moved to his department. He even joked that I’d soon be pushing him out of his job. I began to relax. I remember he topped up my glass, so I must have finished the previous one, although I can’t say for sure.”
She paused as their server came by to ask if they needed anything. Calum waved her away with an irritated flick of his wrist and a curt, “No.”
Laurella touched his arm. “She didn’t know it was bad timing.”
“Then she should learn to read body language.” His face softened. “Sorry. Go on. I mean… only if you want to.”
After a further sip of Dutch courage, she continued. “It was getting quite late. I was conscious that the floor beyond Vorino’s office had quietened, and outside, it had gone dark. I rose to leave. He asked me to stay a while longer, but I said that my parents were expecting me home for dinner, even though they weren’t. I headed for the door, and I almost got there when he lunged at me. He slammed me, face-first, up against the wall. His arm came around my neck, and I remember I couldn’t breathe properly. I panicked.” Hot tears burned behind her eyes, and she blinked to clear her vision. “He was like a man possessed. He told me I owed him for all the chances he’d given me to further my career—and that night was his turn to collect.”
She swallowed and closed her eyes, only opening them again when Calum’s warm hand covered hers.
“You don’t have to say any more.” His voice might have been calm, but his eyes burned like coal.
“No, I’d like to finish.” She grimaced. “I always thought I’d be the sort of girl who’d fight in a situation like that. But when it came to it, I froze. I can still smell his foul breath as he panted in my ear. I can feel his hands, roughly tearing at my underwear. I remember how painful it was, even though I wasn’t a virgin.” Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and trailed down her cheeks, but she didn’t brush them away. She straightened her spine. “After he’d… finished, he told me that if I breathed a word to anyone, he’d tell them I offered him sex to further my career—that I was so ambitious I’d do anything to climb the ladder. I was desperate to get out of there, so I agreed I wouldn’t tell anyone.
“When I closed the door to his office, and he remained on the other side, I can’t begin to describe the relief I felt. I didn’t even wait for the elevator. I ran into the stairwell and out onto the street. My parents’ apartment was only about a twenty-minute walk from Spirito, and a stroll I’d often taken, but I ran the whole way home. I was so scared he’d come after me. I’d have taken a cab, but I left my purse in the office.”
A nerve ticked in Calum’s cheek, and his hands were curled into fists, showing his fury. “And did you tell anyone?”
“Not right away, no. But the following morning, I broke down and told Papa. I’m sure you’ve seen over the past week how close I am to my father, but even so, telling him was one of the most horrific things I’ve ever had to do. To tell a man who adores the very bones of you how another man had violated you, done terrible things to you, and then see something change behind his eyes, something you know will never go back to the way it was… that’s what broke me.”
“Jesus, Laurella,” he muttered, pressing her hand between both of his. “I’m guessing you didn’t go to the police, because that fucker is still walking around.”
“I couldn’t.” She shook her head violently. “I couldn’t do it. Papa plays golf with the CEO of Spirito, and so, with my agreement, Papa told him. The CEO removed Vorino from his post that very day. I don’t know what was said or agreed, and I didn’t want to know. All I cared about was that he was gone from my life, and I could go on working for the company I’d grown to love.”
Calum’s face darkened, and then a look of absolute disgust distorted his features. “Fuck. I accused you of trying to seduce him. Oh God, baby, I’m so sorry. So, so sorry. No wonder you ran. How can you ever forgive me?”
She squeezed his fingers. “You didn’t know.”
“That doesn’t excuse my behavior. I should have read the signs. I was so flippant with you back in New York.”
She chuckled, and it felt good. “Calum, you’re you. You don’t read signs.”
Her teasing didn’t bring on a smile. “I don’t deserve you.”
“I won’t lie. It hurt that you thought me capable of such a thing
, but none of that matters now. You know everything, and it feels good not to have to hide it from you anymore. I love you. And loving someone means you forgive them. I could have told you everything then and there, in New York, but I didn’t. It’s not all your fault, Calum.”
“And you never heard from Vorino again?”
“Not until he walked into the boardroom last week.”
Calum covered his face with his hands and rubbed hard. When they fell back into his lap, a faint tinge of red stained his cheeks, and a muscle flickered in his jaw. “You sat there, with that… that… animal for an hour. An hour. Jesus Christ.”
She shook her head. “I was determined not to let what happened ruin my life, and by going on, by being successful, I win. I’m not a victim. I’m a survivor.”
“You’re amazing.”
She smiled. “My trip to Italy wasn’t running away, Calum, but it did give me time to think. I can’t work with Vorino. I’m sorry.”
His eyes widened. “Fucking hell. Of course you can’t work with him.”
“But don’t you see? This means that I’ll have to leave Necron. Which means I’ll also have to leave New York. Without a job, I’ll lose my work visa.”
Calum leaned forward and gripped her hands. “You’re not going anywhere. I will not have that man chase you from your job, your home. From me. I will sort this out with Zane.”
“No!” She yanked her hands away as panic swelled within her. “You can’t tell him. I don’t want people judging me, looking at me differently. Feeling sorry for me.”
“Take it easy,” he said, his voice steady and mild. “I won’t tell him anything, but you have to let me talk to him.” He reached for her hands once more. “You’re the woman I love. You belong with me. Zane trusts me. Can you?”
A fluttering set off in her abdomen. “So you still want me, after… now that you know?”
His nostrils flared, and he stiffened his spine. “Did you really think I wouldn’t? That what he did to you would change one thing about how I feel about you?”
She nibbled at her bottom lip. “I wasn’t sure what you’d think.”
“Oh, Laurella.” He rose from his chair and tossed some money on the table. “Come back to the hotel with me. Nothing has to happen, I just want to hold you. I don’t want you out of my sight. Not tonight. Not ever.”
Relief rushed through her. She took his outstretched hand. She hadn’t lost him. He still wanted her. “I’ll come back with you—on one condition.”
He frowned, worry lacing his handsome features. “What?”
“That something happens.”
Chapter 27
Calum and Laurella fell through the door of Calum’s hotel room. Her lipstick had smeared where he’d put his mouth on her during the elevator ride, and his shirt had come loose from his jeans where she’d snaked her hands up his bare back and scored his skin with her nails.
She tore open his shirt before he’d even kicked the door. Buttons bounced off the nearby wall then hit the floor. He kicked off his sneakers when her fingers went to his zipper. She dragged his jeans down his legs, turning them inside out in her haste to get them off.
“Slow down.” He grabbed her hands, stopping her. “We’ve got all night.”
“No. We haven’t. I need this. I need you, and I need it fast, Calum. Please.”
There was a kind of wild desperation in her eyes, almost as though she was testing him and waiting for him to fail but praying like hell he didn’t. Despite his verbal assurances, it was the physical evidence she needed to fully believe he still loved and craved her the way he always had.
“All right, beautiful. Your way. This time,” he added with a grin.
She crossed her arms over her body and tugged her T-shirt over her head. Her skirt followed, as did her lingerie. Then she appeared to lose her nerve, or wonder what her next move should be, because she stood there, slightly trembling, nibbling on her fingernail.
Calum lifted her, hooking her legs over his hips. He pressed her up against the door he’d slammed shut less than two minutes before. He crashed his mouth down on hers, hard, and thrust his tongue inside.
She moaned, her hands digging into his hair. She tugged hard until he feared she’d pull it out by the roots. It didn’t matter, though. However she needed to do this was the way it would go down.
She twisted her head to the side. “Now,” she gasped.
He pushed inside her, one quick movement. She cried out. He paused in case he’d hurt her.
“Don’t stop,” she muttered.
He thrust into her again and again. Her thighs clenched around him, clinging on so she didn’t fall. Not that he’d ever let her fall.
“More,” she said. “Harder, please. Faster.”
He dug his fingers into her ass and gave her what she demanded. What she needed.
And then a tremor racked her. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, even though she wasn’t looking at him. Her legs trembled, her orgasm taking her to a place he wanted her to never leave—because wherever that was brought her ecstasy.
She buried her face in his shoulder, her teeth lightly grazing his skin. “I love you,” she whispered in his ear.
Her declaration was all he needed. He came, the urgency and speed of his own climax surprising him with its intensity. He pressed his mouth to her neck, tasting the perspiration on her skin while he waited for his cock to stop jerking.
Slowly, he lowered her legs to the floor. She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze.
“Thank you,” she said.
“For what?”
“For letting me be me.”
His heart squeezed. Christ, he loved her. Bending his head, he gently kissed her soft lips. “Let’s go to bed, beautiful.”
Calum waited until he was certain Laurella was fast asleep. Then he eased her head from beneath his arm. She stirred but didn’t wake. He carefully tucked the covers around her and padded out of the room, closing the door behind him.
The minute he had space to himself, anger bubbled within him, leaving a burning trail so fierce only retribution would put out the flames. Vorino had to pay for what he’d done to Laurella. Every time Calum thought about what had happened to his woman—his fucking woman—sickness churned in his stomach, and murderous thoughts consumed his mind.
He wouldn’t be able to get Vorino removed from the Sorensen’s account without sharing what Laurella had told him, but he’d made a promise to her, and he wouldn’t break it. No, there was only one way to get Vorino off that account. The man himself had to resign and agree to leave New York.
And to get him to do that, Calum needed help. Which meant he had to share Laurella’s story with one other person. Someone he trusted with his life, who would be discreet and understanding, who would never let him or Laurella down.
Cole.
He checked the time. If Cole was pulling a day shift, he’d be finishing right about now. He dialed his brother’s cell. It rang out once, twice, a third time. Calum was about to hang up and redial when Cole answered.
“Hey, bro. How’s Italy? Great news about Laurella’s dad being on the mend.”
“Yeah. They released him from the hospital today,” Calum said, speaking in hushed tones in case Laurella woke up.
“That’s really great. When are you coming home?”
“I’m not sure yet. There’s a bit of a complication.”
Calum recounted how Vorino had attacked Laurella. He kept it brief and shared relatively few details, but even so, bile burned his throat, and he kept having to take deep breaths to stop himself from throwing up. He thought of her suffering, of how much pain that bastard had caused, of his cocky fucking expression as he’d sat across the board table from her, knowing what he’d done. Fuck. Calum wanted to maim, to kill, to destroy the bastard. Vorino had taken a piece of the woman Calum loved. Well, fuck him. Calum might never be able to help her get that piece back, but he’d be damned if Vorino was getting away unscathed. That fucker had to s
uffer.
Cole didn’t interrupt once. Only when Calum fell silent did he speak. “What do you need?”
“I want him gone. Out of New York. Once that’s happened, I’ll think of a way to make him pay, because he’s not getting away scot-free. But my first priority is making Laurella feel safe, and the only way to do that is to get him as far away from her as possible.”
“Okay, I hear you. Let’s catch up when you get back, and we’ll come up with a plan.”
“Thanks,” Calum said. “I knew I could rely on you.”
“In the meantime, I’ll talk to Draven.” When Calum began to interrupt, Cole continued. “Don’t worry. I won’t share any details. Plus, Draven’s perfect for this type of job. I swear he only joined the police force so he could legally shoot people.”
Calum laughed, the heavy weight that had been riding him hard since Laurella’s horrific revelation momentarily lifting.
“Okay. Let me talk to Laurella. I’ll be in touch.”
“Morning, beautiful.” Calum brushed Laurella’s hair off her face and bent to kiss her.
She stretched and made a wonderful contented sound. “Morning. How long have you been awake?”
“Long enough. You hungry?”
“A little.” She leaned up on one elbow, her other hand curving around his neck as she stole a second kiss.
“I’ll order room service, then I want to talk to you.”
The lightness disappeared from her face, and her expression grew shuttered. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “Trust me?”
She blinked and nodded. “Okay. Coffee and a croissant for me.”
He dialed room service and returned to the bedroom. Laurella had the covers pulled up to her chin and was gazing at him warily.
“I want you to come back to New York with me.”
Her face paled. “I don’t think I can.”
“I’m not leaving you here, and I’m not letting you give up your career because of a piece of shit like Vorino. Look, don’t be mad, but I spoke to Cole.”
Against All Odds (A Brook Brothers Novel Book 2) Page 20
