Heated Secrets (Rose Garden Apartments Book 1)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Right after, Albert entered, with his wife, Jennifer, as well as their son and daughter. Lilly watched, wondering how all three of her siblings had managed to create such perfect families. Two children a piece, even Sylvia, and all six children wore darling outfits with their hair slicked back, like royalty.

  Lilly tilted her head, wondering if that’s how her father perceived his family. Did Bernard Von Deuch consider himself and his family “American Royalty”? Probably, she thought. And Janice certainly ruled over everyone, just like the Queen Mother did with her family.

  “Lilly, you look lovely! That shade really brings out your eyes!” Jennifer gushed, standing back to admire the dusky blue of Lilly’s outfit.

  “Thank you, Jennifer. You look beautiful too,” she replied, even though Lilly thought that the linen shift in tan with matching tan, strappy sandals clashed badly with Jennifer’s blond hair. It completely washed out her complexion. But it was the perfect color for a social event on Sunday morning.

  Lilly wished she’d worn her flowered dress, just to up the ante on her rebellion.

  Rebellion? The word startled her. And yet, it seemed to fit her mood. Is that what was happening?

  No, Lilly corrected. Rebellion implied that she was trying to get a reaction out of her family. Instead, Lilly was simply dressing as she preferred. The dusky blue dress made her feel pretty and confident.

  “Should we join Mother and Father?” Sylvia suggested.

  As a unit, everyone moved into the formal living room that was, thankfully, large enough to seat all ten people comfortably.

  Oh, how she longed for a family that bunched up onto the couch, practically piled on top of one another as they watched a movie, or shared funny stories.

  “Oh good, you’re all here,” her mother smiled, standing up from her favorite damask covered chair.

  The doorbell rang and Lilly looked around, wondering who would dare to show up on a sacred Sunday morning.

  “I’ll get that,” Albert announced, turning as he moved back out of the living room.

  Lilly felt her mother’s perusal, and her immediate disapproval. What in the world was wrong with a blue dress, she wondered? It was a beautiful color!

  Betty arrived with a tray filled with mimosas in champagne flutes and tall glasses of bloody marys, including the vibrant green celery stick.

  Everyone politely accepted a cocktail. Betty offered Lilly a drink while, at the same time, Albert stepped into the living room, laughing with two newcomers.

  As soon as she saw the two men coming into the formal living room, Lilly knew exactly what was going on. She was being set up! Oh, how ridiculous! But at least Lilly was being given a choice of men! She almost laughed at that thought.

  Her mother must have recognized the look in Lilly’s eyes because she stood up and smiled. “Lilly, could you spare me a moment?” she asked, but her eyes conveyed that it wasn’t a request. “I have something for you.”

  Lilly knew better than to argue, but for a brief moment, she wondered what her mother would do if she refused.

  With a sigh, she followed her mother, purse in one hand and bloody mary in the other.

  “I thought you preferred mimosas,” her mother commented as she closed the door to her office behind them. It was opposite from her father’s darker, more masculine office. Her father’s space was paneled in dark wood with heavy drapes and one wall was filled with books, none of which he’d ever read. But they looked impressive! Her mother’s space was the complete opposite. It was done in shades of white and barely there blue with a delicate antique desk that any queen would be proud to sit behind.

  There were two chairs placed strategically in front of that desk and, although there were bookcases behind her mother’s desk, they displayed beautiful pieces of glass, sculpture, or paintings with a few books with pretty covers at odd intervals. There were no plants here, or anywhere in the house. Lilly knew that her mother hated indoor plants because the leaves fell off or became dusty. She disdained anything that didn’t look picture perfect at all times, just in case a reporter arrived unexpectedly. That had never happened, but Janice entertained a great deal. So every room was a showpiece and a backdrop.

  “What’s up?” Lilly asked, knowing that her mother hated slang. Hmmm…perhaps that was a bit of rebellion, she mentally chided herself.

  “This…man you’re seeing,” Janice began. “I don’t think he’s right for you, Lilliane.”

  Lilly stared at her mother, shocked that she’d said something so…straightforward!

  “I thought that you and Father considered Gataki Industries to be a powerhouse.” She sipped her bloody mary. “Father even praised Drako for his financial decisions.”

  Her mother waved a hand dismissively. “Yes. He’s an excellent businessman. There’s no doubt about that. And I even acknowledge that he’s a very…virile sort of man.” Her mother shuddered delicately. “But for a husband, he’s not right for you, Lilliane. You can do better.”

  Lilly didn’t realize that her mouth had fallen open. But she was completely aware of the fury that rose from her belly, almost choking her! “Let me get this straight,” Lilly said, her voice deathly quiet. “You approve of Drako’s money and business prowess, but you don’t approve of him?”

  Her mother contemplated that summary for a moment, then nodded sharply. “Yes. That’s exactly right.”

  Lilly was momentarily speechless. Then her indignation rose up, giving her strength. “Why?” she gasped, not sure how her mother could be so wrong. In Lilly’s mind, Drako was perfect!

  “Lilliane, Mr. Gataki is a very…handsome man,” she explained, although Lilly read between the lines and knew that her mother didn’t think that Drako was “handsome”. “But he’s a bit…raw.” Janice glared at her daughter, daring her to contradict her. “Crude,” she continued when Lilly continued to stare.

  “The man that I’ve been working for, my friend and employer, is crude?” she gasped, then snorted, shaking her head. “How hypocritical of you, Mother.”

  Janice dismissed her daughter’s objections. “Your father and I have researched options for you and I’ve invited two very appropriate men here for brunch today. You should make their acquaintance and choose one of them.”

  Lilly’s head reared back as if her mother had slapped her! “Choose…one of the men that you’ve invited? Here?”

  She glanced at the closed door, remembering the doorbell ringing and the two men who had entered with Albert. Those men were…weak and…slick and…perfectly handsome in utterly forgettable ways. Ick!

  Lilly waved vaguely toward the living room. “Mother, those men are…they aren’t my type.”

  Janice pushed away from her desk impatiently. “That’s enough of this childish behavior! It’s time for you to marry and settle down. Your siblings did the right thing and married appropriately. They are responsible adults. It’s time that you followed the same path and found someone that will benefit you. Someone who will bring you under his wing and show you how to be more…demure.” Her eyes moved over Lilly’s dress. “That’s a lovely shade of blue, Lilly. But it doesn’t suit you at all.”

  Lilly stared at her mother, shocked and…nope, not hurt! Wow! She really wasn’t hurt! How strange! How wonderful!

  Lilly straightened her shoulders and smiled confidently. “You’re wrong, Mother. This color looks wonderful on me. You know it. And I know it. The problem with my dress,” she continued, stepping forward into her mother’s personal space, suddenly realizing the whites, creams, and beiges colors that all of the women in her family chose, “is it might outshine the men we’re standing next to!” That was it! That was why she’d been raised to choose more subdued colors! She could see the truth in her mother’s eyes.

  “Good grief, Mother! In this age of political power for women, why in the world would you put yourself second? Why would you suppress your hopes and dreams in order to make Father more powerful?”

  Janice’s temper snapped. �
��You just don’t get it! You don’t understand the power that I hold! Your father might be the senator in this family,” she hissed, leaning in as her features mottled with rage, “but I’m the one who does the entertaining! I’m the woman who introduces the powerful people in this world to each other.” She was livid now. “I hold the true power! Your father only thinks that he has control. But I’m the one that rules this household! And you, my dear, will walk out there,” she visibly struggled to calm herself, rein in her temper, “and choose one of the eligible men that I’ve selected for you.”

  Lilly’s eyes widened. “I thought Father had selected them,” she replied, fascinated because she’d never before seen this side of her mother. It was terrifying, and explained so much!

  Her mother paused, one hand on the office door, but she turned back to face Lilly. “I selected them, Lilliane. I am the one who ensured that these two potentials had the correct political ambitions, as well as the talent to follow through on those ambitions.” Her lips curled into an almost sinister smile. “And I will control their fates going forward. So be warned, Lilliane. I will not tolerate any more of this rebellion. You will marry a suitable man, have two children, and continue the legacy of the Von Deuch family!”

  Janice was halfway out the door before Lilly had the guts to ask the next question. “What if I don’t?”

  Her mother turned, her smile victorious. “Then I will crush Drako Gataki,” she replied. There was no heat in her tone now. It was a simple statement of fact.

  And that made her threat even scarier!

  Lilly watched her mother return to the living room, her head high and her shoulders pulled back. Regal as ever.

  Lilly stood there for a long moment, her body flashing hot and cold. Her mother would hurt Drako’s business? Did she have the power to do that?

  Probably. Lilly watched as her mother glanced her way, silently ordering Lilly to follow her and join the polite, pre-brunch conversation.

  Lilly moved, but her feet felt like they were encased in concrete. Hurt Drako? He had built up his company from nothing! Literally, he’d been a street kid in Greece when he’d been hired on by one of the street vendors. He’d built up his business, making strategic moves that were both brilliant and ruthless.

  But had he overcome a predator like Janice Von Deuch? Lilly didn’t know. Her mother didn’t play fair. Drako might be tough and ruthless, but he played fairly.

  So instead of walking out of the house as she wanted to do, Lilly followed her mother into the living room, perching on the edge of a chair. It might appear as if she were bowing her head demurely, but in reality, she was trying to figure out how she could protect Drako.

  And yes, she loved him enough to protect him by marrying…she looked up, eyeing the two men who were talking and laughing with her father. They were both blond, bland, and looked absolutely boring. One of them was about twenty pounds overweight, with a slight roll coming over his belt. The other was in better shape, but he looked her over as if he were sizing her up, calculating her worth.

  Like she was a prized pig.

  He excused himself and moved towards her. With every step, Lilly cringed inwardly, aching to run away and hurry back into Drako’s arms.

  But she couldn’t go back to him. In fact, she suspected that her mother would require her to quit her job and marry this…this white bread, bath-water, bland, no-flavor jerk in a quietly sophisticated, family-only ceremony within the next month. Ugh! An August wedding! It would be hot and miserable.

  “Hello,” the bland jerk said, sitting down in the chair next to her. “I’m Rob.”

  Lilly glanced over at her mother, saw that Janice was watching her with an eagle eye, so she turned back to “Rob” and took his hand. “Lilly Hami…Von Deuch,” she corrected, noting that his hands were soft. Sticky. A bit sweaty. Gross!

  Four hours later, Lilly let herself into her apartment and slammed the door shut. For a long moment, she didn’t move. Her eyes squeezed shut and she sank to the floor, her heart aching as the sobs poured out of her. The beautiful dress that she’d felt so pretty in only hours ago, was a limp, wrinkled mess. With a rage unlike anything she’d felt before, she ripped her shoes off and flung them across the room.

  Jimmy had seen the anguish in every part of her body as Lilly rushed up the stairs and an anger built up inside of him. It had been years since he’d been this coherent. But Lilly was hurting and he wasn’t going to let this slide! Not this time!

  “What happened?” Maggie asked, rushing over. Eddie hustled over too and all three stared up at the closed apartment door.

  “I’m not sure,” Jimmy replied. “I saw her leave in a pretty blue dress earlier today and she was smiling.” He turned and looked at the others. “Do you think he hurt her?”

  “Is everything okay?” a woman with soft, blond hair asked, holding a trash bag filled with clothes.

  Eddie shifted around. “Molly, this is Maggie,” he explained, introducing the two women.

  Maggie extended her hand, noting the big trash bag. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!” she gushed.

  “Right back at ya!” Molly replied, grinning hugely. But her happy expression quickly faded. “What’s going on? Is someone hurt?’

  “Yeah,” Eddie replied. “But…I’m sorry, Maggie, I told Molly about the apartments. Molly is the new manager down at the Center. She’s looking for a place to live, but…well, you know that the Center doesn’t pay a whole lot.” He shuffled his feet. “I know that you’re particular about…”

  “Say no more,” Maggie interrupted.

  “So, you’re the new manager, huh?” Molly asked, nodding with approval. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Maggie grinned. “You’re sort of the talk of the neighborhood,” she countered. “The new activities that you’ve doing at the Center are great! The whole neighborhood is singing your praises.” She shook the other woman’s hand.

  “Thank you,” Molly laughed. “I’m flattered.”

  “Do you really think that you can get a medical clinic set up at the Center?” Maggie asked.

  Molly shrugged. “Yeah. I’m pretty sure that I can. It’s going to be an interesting challenge, don’t you think?”

  “Probably,” Maggie agreed. Then the two women sobered, looking up at the apartment. “Unfortunately, right now, Lilly needs our help.”

  Molly dropped the bag of clothes, her gaze turning steely. “Lilly’s one of my best friends. What’s going on?”

  Jimmy shook his head. “It’s Sunday. She used to go to her parents’ house for brunch.”

  Maggie crossed her arms over her chest. “That was before she started seeing Drako,” she pointed out. “He’s really good for her.”

  Jimmy grunted. “It seems our Lilly is also good for him.”

  Molly nodded. “If her family hurt her again, then we need to do something.” They put their heads together and started brainstorming.

  Chapter 16

  Drako glanced at his watch, irritated that Lilly hadn’t called by now. It was mid-afternoon and…!

  His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket, relieved. He’d started to worry that something was wrong.

  But it wasn’t Lilly. And that sense of foreboding intensified when he realized that it was the doorman calling him.

  “Yes?” he answered abruptly.

  “Sir, I’m sorry to disturb you on a Sunday, but there is a gentleman here who insists on seeing you.”

  “Get rid of him,” he snapped, unable to think about anything besides Lilly. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones.

  He was just about to disconnect the call when the doorman added, “He has your card, sir.”

  That stopped him. Drako didn’t give out his card to just anyone. So, if someone had his card, then they had a connection to him.

  Lilly!

  “Send him up,” he ordered, then walked over to the elevator, entering in his personal code. Two minutes later, Jimmy stepped out of
the elevator, looking better than ever. He was wearing clean clothes that didn’t have holes in them, although nothing was ironed. And his eyes looked sharp. Alert. What the hell had happened to him over the past few weeks? Whatever it was, the man was completely transformed.

  “Lilly is in trouble,” Jimmy began without preamble. “She left this morning in a pretty blue dress, and she had a bounce to her step. When she came back about an hour ago, she looked as if she’d been beaten.”

  Drako tensed and stepped forward, grabbing the man’s shirt. “Is she hurt?”

  “Yes!” Jimmy replied, gripping Drako’s wrists. There was strength in his hands. Not much, but the man was coming back to the world of the living. “Not physically. She’s hurt, but I don’t think anyone touched her.”

  Drako’s fists slackened and he thought for a long moment. But there was just one person who could wound Lilly so deeply.

  Before he could say anything more, his phone rang. Drako loved facts and data. But there was nothing better than intuition to guide him. And right now, his gut was telling him that this phone call was about Lilly.

  He was wrong. “Drako,” the man on the other end of the line said, not bothering to introduce himself, “it’s starting. The pieces are in play.”

  That was all the news that he needed to hear. “I’ve got everything set up,” he said, still looking at Jimmy. To the man on the phone, he continued, “Make sure he doesn’t win. I’ll work this from my end.”

  “I’m on it,” the man replied, hanging up without wasting time with goodbyes.

  Drako looked at the ex Navy SEAL, trying to determine the man’s cognitive abilities. “Jimmy, how sharp are you right now?”

  The man bowed his head for a moment and took a deep breath. Drako watched as the man, who looked to be in his sixties, straightened his shoulders, then lifted his chin and took a deep breath. “I’m not one hundred percent,” he admitted honestly. “But I’m getting there. And if you need something, anything, to help Lilly, then I’ll get it done.”