Uncovering You 8: Redemption Page 4

  “Yeah, okay,” Fey says, linking arms with me. “Come on, Robin. It’s time to go.”

  ***

  It took a fair bit of haggling on my part. But an hour or so later, the three of us are sharing two adjacent rooms at the Revere Hotel Boston Common.

  The issue of staying here came down to cost. I said that I would pay for our rooms. Robin wouldn’t hear of it. He wanted to pay, as the only man.

  Of course, he does not have the income to afford even a night’s stay at a place like this. I know it. Fey knows it. And Robin definitely knows it.

  So there was a bit of an argument when I first named the hotel. It was one of those uncomfortable situations where nobody wanted to address the issue directly: Robin said the he had said to Fey that he would pay, before I suggested where to stay. It was the first I’d heard of it—mentioned only after I named the hotel. I insisted that I would do it. Fey, of course, understood what was going on. Trying to help Robin save face, she suggested going to a hotel that was closer, had great reviews on Yelp, and was decidedly cheaper.

  That last bit was never spoken out loud, though.

  But I was firm in my conviction that we would stay at the Revere. I needed to be close to Jeremy. I needed to be able to sneak off and have a secret rendezvous with him, if I got the chance.

  And so, cue the fireworks and impending explosion. The argument in the back seat must have sounded quite comical to our cab driver. Or maybe not. Maybe he’s used to this sort of thing.

  In the end, however, I achieved my goal by guilt-tripping them about ripping me away from my job in California—Oh! If they only knew the irony behind that reasoning!—and pointing out that among the three of us, I was the only one with an appreciable income.

  Robin still insisted he would pay half. I let him. If only to appease his stubborn man-pride.

  “Good night, guys,” I call out, just before closing the door linking our two rooms. “See you in the morning.”

  “Night, Lilly,” Fey says. Robin mumbles something with a toothbrush in his mouth.

  The door clicks shut. I turn the lock. Then, I just lean my forehead against the frame and try to take in everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours.

  My life is never what’s expected. That’s for sure. When Jeremy left for Boston, I thought I’d have the weekend free to catch up on some sleep and recover from the intensity of the previous week. Little did I know that I would never get the chance.

  Just over two weeks ago, Fey had called me with news of Jeremy’s interest in me. That precipitated everything. A few days after that—just when I thought I’d recovered—Jeremy came along and staged that elaborate stunt with his father—whom he keeps on his Board of Directors. Why? The incident made me question my sanity. Then he became cold and dismissive to further the illusion. I went to Maine, got robbed, met my mother, and repaired things between us—for a time—before fucking them up again. I came home. Demanded answers from Jeremy. Faltered in my resolve. Fell for my emotions. Fell for him. We fucked. I forgave him. In a way. I found out my mother’s boyfriend was on Jeremy’s payroll, found out her entire life was a lie, took issue with it—but not enough. I caved in to Jeremy’s pressure and relented on the promise I’d made him swear. The one revolving around the “L” word. That seemed to change him, again. To change his whole attitude toward me. That’s when he became caring and sweet again. I let myself think that things were on the right track…

  Then he left and I ran into Robin. And that began the whirlwind of events and revelations that led me here.

  I sigh and push myself off the wall. I’m exhausted. It’s late. I eye the bed, knowing that I need a shower but wanting to sleep so much more.

  Can I sleep, knowing that Jeremy is somewhere in this building, somewhere around me, right at this very moment?

  Then again, maybe he’s not. Most likely he’s not. He made it sound like he wouldn’t get a moment’s rest until the deal he’s working on either succeeded or fell through.

  Fuck it. I’m just going to sleep. There’s no need to be fresh for anyone. I’ll shower tomorrow morning to kick off the day.

  I turn off the lights and climb under the covers. My head hits the pillow. I’m about to close my eyes when I realize that I forgot to shut the blinds. Light from the city filters through the window. Light from the cars far below me and light from the other buildings in the downtown region.

  Grumbling to myself, I pull another pillow over my eyes. I’ve gotten used to sleeping in pitch blackness. Nothing else feels right anymore. But I’m too lazy to stand up and walk all the way across the room to fix that now.

  My thoughts turn to Jeremy. I wonder about the acquisition he’s working on. I wonder—for my own curiosity, and nothing more—what all the constituent parts of Stonehart Industries might be. There are probably hundreds of them. Hell, if you get all the way down to the small, boutique subsidiaries, like Corfu Consulting, there are thousands. In all types of different industries, most likely stretching through dozens of countries throughout the world.

  And one man is at the center of all of it. One man, who built it from the ground up. It’s astounding to think about, really, that I am the only person in the world he’s chosen to share it with.

  How much does he himself know about all that goes on in all the different branches of his company? He can’t know it all. There’s not enough time to know it all. He obviously delegates.

  But, to whom? Who are his trusted advisors? Who does he value in his professional life? If I am to get back at him, eventually, those are the things I must know.

  But revenge now seems a long way off. I’ve got to deal with the present situation. I have to do away with all the surrounding uncertainties and carve out a firm, permanent spot for myself. In both Jeremy’s personal and his professional life. All these little surprises, revelations, uncertainties. All of them need to be dealt with. Only then, after I’ve reestablished some stability in my life, will I be in a position to consider the important things. Like vengeance. Like my father. Like my future, and exactly how it will continue to revolve completely around a single man.

  Chapter Five

  I open my eyes when I feel a presence in the room.

  A shadow moves across the wall. My heart leaps into my throat. Fear takes a stranglehold on my chest.

  The bed shifts. A weight is lowered next to my foot. Blood is thundering in my ears, drowning out all other sounds. I am consumed by the terror of nightmares.

  And then I hear his voice. Low, deep, and masculine.

  “Lilly.”

  The panic vanishes. But the same cannot be said for the adrenaline that has me wide awake.

  “Jeremy,” I breathe. “What are you doing here?”

  “Making good on my promise,” he says, “to come see you.”

  There’s just enough light in the room for me to see the reflection of his eyes.

  “How did you get in here?” I ask.

  He tilts his head to one side. “Isn’t it obvious?” he says, turning his body toward me. “It’s my building. I have the key.”

  Well, duh. I think.

  Maybe my mind is fuzzy from too much sleep—or not enough sleep. I don’t understand what he’s doing here until his hand comes under the covers and slides up the length of my leg.

  “I’ve missed you,” he says. The hand stops just inches from my core. “I’ve missed…this.”

  His fingers brush over my pussy. I shiver as thin tendrils of pleasure snake over me from his touch.

  He lies beside me. His hand continues up, grazing over my lower tummy, up the side of my hip. It’s a light touch. That makes it all the more erotic.

  “Relax,” he whispers. “You’re so tense.”

  “I can’t help it,” I say. Blood is still pounding in my veins from being so abruptly woken up.

  “I can,” he says. His hand slips back down. His touch feels sinful on my skin.

  He probes me with one finger. My breath hitches. His
fingers are cold. I take his wrist in both my hands and try to push him away. “Jeremy…not now.”

  “Yes, now,” he growls. He starts rubbing my clit. “Now, because I came for you, Lilly. Now, because I’m here. Now, because I said so.”

  I yearn for his touch. Why am I fighting it? There’s no point in resistance. I have no desire to fight. It’s probably just a remnant of the memories from when he came onto me like this last time he locked me away in the dark.

  He starts working his hand between my legs. Sure, persistent, and steady. He knows exactly what I want. Better yet, he knows how to give it to me.

  His fingers rub me up and down. My body starts to melt into the sensation. I arch into him, losing myself in the feelings he elicits. My mind goes blank. Nirvana takes over.

  Jeremy’s breathing deepens as he strokes my core. I look over at him, there beside me. There’s a stark focus in his eyes, a deep intensity as he works to get me off.

  “Oh, Jeremy.” I close my eyes and bring my head to him. My forehead rests against his shoulder. I squirm, pressing my legs together, feeling the first hints of the oncoming orgasm.

  Jeremy’s efforts intensify. He strokes me harder, faster, deeper. I bring one hand to his face, running my fingers over the stubble covering his powerful jaw. My fingers tangle in his hair. I push his head toward me. “Kiss me,” I say, in between gasps.

  “Come for me,” he counters. “Come for me first.”

  The raw power, the unapologetic command of his words, opens something within me. A void, kept locked away and out of consciousness for my entire life. His voice reaches in and pulls it out of me. Like the rays of the sun hidden behind a fortress of clouds.

  The clouds part. The rays shine through. In an instant, the climax floods over me, spurred on by Jeremy’s words.

  Then his lips are on mine. Before I can even come down from the high his fingers brought me, my mouth is being consumed by his in a toxic mix of passion and unabated fury.

  He pulls back. His hand comes up between our faces. “Taste,” he commands.

  I suck his index finger and his ring, licking my own juices off. He draws his hand from my mouth slowly, and does the same.

  “Delicious,” he comments. Then, without another word, he rolls off the bed and stands up.

  “Wait!” I say, suddenly reeling. “Where are you going?”

  “Back to work,” he tells me. He adjusts his suit, straightening the jacket. It’s hard to tell in the dark. But I’m pretty sure I can see the bulge of his impressive erection straining the confines of his perfectly tailored pants. “Consider this…a chapter in the education I aim to give you. You did well, Lilly. I’ll see you soon.”

  With that, he walks away.

  “Wait!” I cry out again, scrambling up in bed. “You can’t just—leave! So soon, so suddenly! Please!” I beg shamelessly. “A few more minutes…”

  “Oh, how you tempt me,” he chuckles. He opens the door. The shape of his body is outlined by the intruding light. “Good night, my sweet Lilly Flower.”

  And with that, he leaves me in the dark.

  ***

  Morning comes. I’m wakened by a banging on the door.

  Groggy, I open my eyes. After Jeremy left me last night, I fell into the deepest, most perfect sleep.

  I look at the main door. Then I realize the knocks are coming from the door connecting my room to Fey’s.

  “Hey, Lilly!” Fey’s voice filters through the wall. “You up yet? It’s almost eleven!”

  Jesus! Shit.

  I bring a hand to my face and brush the hair out of my eyes. “Yeah, I’m up.” I call back. “Just now. Give me a minute.”

  I look around the room, searching for evidence of Jeremy’s visit. There is none. Good. I don’t want Fey or Robin to know.

  I stumble over to the door, yawning, still half asleep, and crack it open.

  Fey whistles. “Jeez, look at you. Rough night?”

  “No, actually,” I say, stifling a yawn. “I slept really well. But you remember what I’m like in the mornings.”

  She laughs. “Yeah, I do. You’re a monster. I’ll leave you alone to wake up fully, then? Robin and I already went downstairs and had breakfast. We brought you back a few buns.”

  “Thanks,” I say.

  “Sure. No problem.” She pauses for a second, considering something. “Listen, Lilly. I’m sorry for…you know… springing all of this on you. Robin and I talked. He convinced me that maybe I am meddling too much. But hell, I was worried about you.

  “I don’t know,” she continues. “When you were in California, with Jeremy, last week, and I was in New Haven with Robin, and I heard your message, and I couldn’t get ahold of you…my mind just started dreaming up the most horrifying scenarios. I guess I have an overactive imagination.

  “But now that I’ve seen you again—in person, in the flesh—it doesn’t actually seem that bad. I mean, I’m worried. But you’re still… you. You know? I shouldn’t have doubted you. You’re still Lilly. You’re still in control. You’re still the same girl I have so much respect for.”

  “Thanks, Fey,” I say. “That means a lot.”

  “Sure.” She smiles. “Robin’s waiting for me downstairs. He wants to go check out the city. We were going to invite you. But I think you’d rather be left alone for a bit.”

  “Yeah,” I say. “I’ve got to shower and eat and stuff.”

  “Okay,” she says. “I’ll leave you to it. We’ll be back in an hour or so.”

  “Take your time,” I say. “I’m in no rush to go anywhere.”

  Some more privacy will give me the chance to collect my thoughts.

  “Okay,” Fey tells me. “See you later.”

  “Bye.”

  Fey leaves. I wander into the bathroom, lock the door, and turn on the shower.

  I don’t get in right away, however. Instead, I look at myself in the mirror… and consider what’s going on.

  Fey said that I’m still the same person she met at Yale. Thank God for that. It means that things might go a little bit smoother when the inevitable meeting happens with Jeremy.

  I wonder if he got any sleep last night, or if it was straight back to work for him. My money’s on the latter.

  The man is a machine when he needs to be.

  Fey also said that Robin convinced her. Could he be the ally that I need? It was Fey’s concern that brought me here, after all, not his. I mean, he obviously sided with her. But he does not have the leverage over me to actually pull me here. Fey does. And she did.

  It’s her opinion that matters. She’s the one I need to convince, unequivocally, that I am safe with Jeremy. All her fears need to be laid to rest. There cannot be any lingering doubts that would leave her in a position to do something as rash, as unexpected, as showing up in California looking for me.

  I also want to know more about the things Robin found about Stonehart Industries. He alluded to shady dealings. However, he never said, straight out, what they were. It might seem irrelevant. But it’s not. Stonehart Industries is an extension of Jeremy. It’s not like a CEO running GM, with no emotional attachment. The things Stonehart Industries does are a direct reflection of the man Jeremy Stonehart is. If I can further my understanding of him…well, it would mean that this trip was not entirely wasted.

  I’m in and out of the shower in a few minutes. Then I go to my room, leave a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door, do the same to Fey’s and Robin’s, and make the beds. Mindless chores like that give me something to do while I wait for whatever comes next.

  After the rooms are clean, I drink the coffee and have my cold breakfast. I wait for Robin and Fey to come back. I’m itching to do something, to go somewhere, but I don’t want them to come back to two empty rooms and freak out.

  My cell phone? I haven’t touched it since receiving Jeremy’s last text. I don’t know if I ever will again. Not until Jeremy swears that he will no longer monitor my calls.

  So, with nothing b
etter to do, for the first time in ages, I turn the TV on.

  My brief exploration of talk shows and sitcoms is interrupted, however, when I hear a knock at the door.

  I tense. I made sure to put those signs on both doors. Robin and Fey have their own keycard. They wouldn’t knock. They would just enter their own room.

  Who could it be?

  The knock comes again. It’s not urgent. It’s more…persistent.

  I get up. Surely I’m allowed to entertain visitors now, as a free woman. But living so long bound by Jeremy’s rules has made me naturally apprehensive about unexpected situations.

  The knocking continues, grating on my nerves with its insistence. I get up and walk to the door

  I stop in front of it and peer through the eyehole.

  It’s Hugh.

  Shit!

  I spin around and press my back into the door. Hugh.

  What’s he doing here? Jeremy’s father! Why did he come?

  He knocks once more. Each thud runs through my body.

  Okay.

  I take a deep breath. I need to deal with Hugh before Fey and Robin get back. No matter how unwelcome the intrusion might be, I don’t want the introduction of Hugh to complicate things even further.

  I slide the short security chain into place so the door will not fully open. Then I unlock the door and peek through the crack.

  “Lilly!” Hugh smiles up at me. It’s odd—jarring—to think that a man so short produced a son as tall as Jeremy. But there’s a slyness to him. An undercurrent of danger that I would be

  “What are you doing here?” I hiss. “I did not invite you!”

  “I’m sorry,” he says. “Where are my manners? For that matter,” a peculiar smile crosses his face, “where are yours? It seems my son still has lessons to teach you in proper etiquette.”

  I start to close the door. There is no reason I have to stand here and take this type of shit.

  He puts his foot in the gap, stopping my effort. “I’m sorry,” he says again, quickly. “That was rude. Mr. Stonehart will not be happy if word of what I just said reaches his ears.” He peers up at me, and I see something new—a challenge?—reflected in his eyes.