Chapter Twenty-Two
"I just can't believe that he'd have the cheek to even show up," Jessica growled underneath her breath, sipping on her glass of wine. She was wearing the most beautiful, glittery dress that showed off her long legs. Jess was truly magnificent, something to worship. I knew it. She knew it. Men knew it. "What is he thinking?" She gawks.
I chuckle. "He isn't thinking, that's what makes him, him," I sigh, also taking a mouthful of my wine and swirling it around my mouth to savour the taste. "He thinks that the world revolves around him and that everything has to serve a purpose for him, including people," I add, my answer had slid into the realms of a rant. Jessica didn't mind.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "I hate men like that, no." She held a finger before her. "Allow me to correct myself, I hate men. Period," She smirked across at me.
My gaze slid towards Wayne at her statement. He was standing beside my cousin and his wife. His eyes weren't focused on me like they usually were, but he looked tense. "Not all men are bad, Jess," I whispered in response.
Jessica must've followed my gaze because I heard her tut. "Girl, that is your vagina speaking, not you," She reaches for my free hand and links her fingers into mine. "Let's dance?" My gaze finally snaps to hers and she's smirking across at me, mischief in her gaze.
"Sure," I wouldn't usually agree but I wanted to take my mind away from my ex and my present boyfriend. "Why not," I sigh, mostly to myself as she drags me towards the main room of the house. It was similar to our dining room but much larger and a lot fancier.
My mother had a lot of wealth, mostly from her numerous boyfriends and husbands throughout her years, some from my grandparents that had passed a couple of years back. "How long until Wayne comes and steals you from me?" Jessica sings, beginning to wiggle her hips in a sensual movement.
I follow her lead and chuckle. "He wouldn't," I lie, but as my eyes find my fiancee again, he was already striding toward us. I suppress the heat threatening to spread across my skin. I suppress the giddy smile finding its way to my lips and I look straight at Jessica.
She must've noticed the glint in my eye. "He's heading straight toward us, isn't he?" She smirked at me. I rolled my eyes at her but nodded my head ever so slightly. Jessica held onto my waist now, dancing along with me, a sexual manner to her movements.
I chuckled, placing my hands on her shoulders. "What are you trying to do?" I whispered, training my gaze to remain on her and not on Wayne who would be close behind us by now.
Jessica giggled. "I'm trying to prove that you aren't just a business deal for him," She winks at me, and just as she winks, Wayne appears beside us. Jessica and I turn our heads to look at him. He's staring at me. He doesn't even glance at her, which is surprising considering every man seemed monopolized by her beauty.
Not Wayne though. Not my man. Wayne's looking at me as if I'm the only woman in the entire world, never mind the entire room. "Would you care for a dance, Lilliane Rose?" Wayne almost purrs at me. A mischievous glint in those caramel eyes.
I scowl up at him at the use of my real name. Wayne's smirk deepens. "I'm about to head out and speak to an... ," She pauses momentarily, trying to figure out what excuse she was going to use. "...an old friend anyway, I'll let you two have some alone time," Jess glances between me and Wayne before slipping away from us.
I watch her walk away before turning my attention to Wayne. He was looking at me as if he knew something that I didn't. There was a distant look in those usually controlled eyes, and I didn't know what it was. "If we're going to be married, you should know that I don't like to be called Lilliane, or Lil," I returned his smirk with one of my own.
Wayne glances down at my mouth, making me self-conscious suddenly. A moment later his gaze finds my eyes once more, confusion was written on the lines of his face. "You don't like to be called Lil?" He wonders, his tone just as confused as his expression.
"It isn't my favorite nickname, no," I say, rather formally.
Wayne dips his head, once. It was a controlled movement, steady and purposeful. He understood and wouldn't call me that anymore. It was refreshing to know that I could speak my mind and be listened to - I didn't have to beg for him to understand. He just did. "So, how about that dance?" And he places a hand on my waist, pulling me closer to him.
My body was plush against his now. I swallowed the anxiety within my throat. He placed his free hand in mine and we began to move with the music. It was a slow song, a slow and steady, peaceful song. "I can't dance," I offer him my condolences before he figured it out for himself. I'd never danced. Not like this.
Wayne chuckled. A low laugh. Low and deep. The sound vibrated in my bones and settled in the depths of my stomach. "That makes two of us, Lillie," He admits, but continues to take the lead for both of us.
"So there is something that you can't do?" I force myself to wither some confidence. My eyes meet his steady gaze. A small smile still tugged the corner of his lips. His gaze softened as I peered up at him. "And here I was thinking that you were programmed to be good at everything, I thought that was the purpose of robots?" I teased.
His jaw tightened. His eyes darkened for a moment. "Robots don't feel anything, Lillie. Do you believe that I can't feel anything?" His hand on my waist tightens its grip and I almost squirm. Instead, I raise my chin. I hold my composure.
"No, you're right," I lick my lips. "You're definitely not a robot, they don't have an ego." I continue, my smile finding its way to my eyes. Wayne doesn't smile though. I'd never seen him looking so serious toward me.
Wayne leans down, his lips finding my ear. "Do you think a robot could get hard when he looks at his wife? Do you think a robot could make his wife squirt all over his face? Do you think that a robot would feel possessive of his wife? Protective? Admiration? Hope? Do you think that I could feel all of that If I was a robot?" His voice is low against my right ear.
Goosebumps rise on my skin. "No," I whispered my response.
Wayne pulls away from me. Both hands resting on my waist now. His lips parted but before he could speak, a female voice squeaked from beside me. "William wants to dance with you, Lillianne," My mother grabs onto my arm.
"William?" I squeaked, coming down from the intensity of the moment I just shared with Wayne. Who the hell is William? My mother is staring at me as If I'd just asked her the most absurd question in the entire universe.
She rolls her eyes, glancing between me and Wayne. "William Harris," She stated in a duh tone. "He's the son of Andrew Harris, the man who owns the school that you went to," She continues, her eyes focusing more on me than Wayne now. "He's really rich and William is going to be taking over for his father eventually," My mother continues.
I release a breath and finally look toward Wayne. He was watching me with careful consideration as if waiting for me to make my decision. He'd hate it. He would hate watching me dance with another man, but he would let me. He wanted to protect me, but I knew he wouldn't control me.
Owned and not loved, I had said to him.
You are not owned, Lil, he had replied.
I knew that he respected me enough to mean that. "Okay," I finally give in to my mother, still staring at Wayne. His expression hardens at my answer but he offers me a small smile, understanding. He knew I was only trying to keep my mother happy.
And then that was all it took for my mother to drag me away from him. My husband. Nobody knew that we were married, nobody except Jessica, and I wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. That meant having a dance with William.
Chapter Twenty- Three
William was a nice man, or so he seemed it. "I heard that you're about to take over the University for your dad?" I wondered out loud after a few moments of silence. We'd spoke about a couple of things: our birthdays, our hobbies, our jobs, then It had fallen silent.
William shook his head, his blonde hair moving slightly with the movement. He had his hands on my hips, further up my body compared to where Wayne had held me not so long ago. "Technically, we share ownership of the business right now, he's just handing me the complete 100% soon," William explains.
He had a handsome voice, but it was nothing compared to Wayne's. I cringed as I realized how often I was comparing him with my fiancée. "Is there a reason for that?" I ask, my voice polite.
William stiffens at the question. "My father wants to retire from everything, he believes that he's worked really hard for what he has, it's his time to enjoy his life," His green eyes flicker in the dim-light. He was really handsome, in a cute way.
"You disagree?" Asking a man about himself was a sure way to keep the conversation going. They loved to talk about themselves, or most men did. With that thought, my gaze slides to Wayne. He wasn't where he was stood a few moments ago. My eyes searched the room, trying to seem as casual as I could.
William spoke whilst I looked for Wayne. "I think he's fifty-four, he's not old, but I think that if he wants to step back, I'm fine with that," He continued. He squeezed my waist lightly and my eyes shot back to the front, smiling up at him. "Is everything alright?" He wondered aloud.
I sighed. "I was just looking for a friend," I lie.
William nodded, smiling down at me. "You're already spoken for, aren't you?" He questioned, his tone wasn't harsh, but he sounded disappointed. Understanding intoned in his low voice as well. I smiled, a sad smile.
"Kinda, it's complicated," I chuckled, glancing down at the space between us. We were dancing. My hands were on his shoulders. His hands were on me. Yet, we were nowhere near one another.
Williams stepped closer alerting my attention. "Would he hate if we seemed to be getting along?" He dared, his eyes flickering with mischief. I let out a small laugh at his question, understanding that he was allowing me to use him to make my man jealous.
"He would probably murder you," I joke.
William chuckles, standing back again. "I'm about to become a millionaire, wouldn't want to risk losing that sort of wealth," He jokes back. I laugh. A real laugh. William was nice. He was nice but he wasn't Wayne. And there I am, comparing the two again. "Well, Lillie, it was lovely to be able to share this dance with you," He smiled down at me.
I returned his smile with one of my own. "I enjoyed it," I lean up, pressing a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Could've been worse, I guess," I joke, pulling away from him.
William chuckles again. "He's watching," William tells me, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes glance behind me, and I follow his gaze, looking over my shoulder. Wayne was leaning against one of the walls, his legs crossed at the ankle, a glass in one hand, his other hand hanging loosely in his pants pocket. He looked delicious.
And his eyes were heavy with jealousy. I could see the flicker in them from across the room, and I hated that it turned me on. "He's always watching," I reply, mostly to myself. I turn back towards William. It said a lot that William could tell that Wayne was the man in question just by the way he was watching us.
It was attractive, in a dangerous way. "Have a lovely rest of your birthday," William leaned down, pressing a kiss on my cheek this time. I shut my eyes, allowing his kiss. "Go and apologise to him for daring to be in the presence of such a handsome young man," He whispered against my skin.
Again, we laugh in synchrony this time.
"Good luck with your business, William," I squeeze his arm before he turns and walks away with a friendly smile on his face. I suck in a sharp breathe before turning on my heel to face my fiancée again. He hadn't moved an inch. So, I moved instead, meandering towards him with a slight sway of my hips.
Wayne watches me with careful admiration. His jaw was hard with anger and jealousy. And as I got closer I saw how dark his eyes were. "You look lonely," I purr, stopping just before him. He still didn't move. He just held my stare. I could smell him; that scent that felt like home to me was stronger than usual tonight.
"You looked like you were having fun with him," Wayne finally spoke. His voice as cold as death itself. "Don't let me stop that," His words were kind, but there was no kindness in his voice, no kindness in his features.
Tilting my head to the side, my lips turn into a smirk. "Are you jealous, Wayne Williams?" I questioned, my own voice laced with temptation. "It doesn't suit you," I lie. Jealousy suited him. Anger suited him. Everything fucking suited him.
"No?" He finally pushed himself away from the wall, rising to his full height before me. The tips of our shoes were touching, that's how close we were. He towered over me, staring down at me with that predatory gaze.
And just then, his phone rang.
Wayne shut his eyes, breathing deeply. And when he opened his eyes again, he was controlled and focused, just like he usually looked. He continued staring down at me as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone and pressing the green button before placing it against his ear.
"Yes?" He growled down the phone, his eyes still on me.
But whoever spoke, whatever they said, had Wayne looking down at the ground between us immediately. I felt my eyebrows crease, my nose crunch up, my heartrate picked up speed, even more than the rapid beat it had previously.
"I thought I'd hear from you sooner of later," Wayne sounded evil. He was still looking down at the floor, though. I could tell from his voice, he was smirking. "You ready to listen to me now?" Wayne added. His head lifted again. His eyes finding mine, and for the first time his gaze didn't soften as he looked at me.
He looked at me like a prize, like I'd just done something for him.
And my body went cold. "Yeah, you heard correct," Wayne continues, speaking to the person on the other end of the call. "You fell off the face of the earth twenty-five years ago, it's lovely to know that you're still alive," Wayne chuckles, a deep, harsh chuckle. And with that sentence, Wayne turned and walked away from me to carry on his conversation.
Leaving me with this empty feeling in my chest, something was wrong. I knew Wayne too well not to be able to notice when there was a change in his emotions.
I watched as my fiancée walked away into the crowd, leaving me alone and confused.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Wayne
"You're marrying Lilliane Rose?" His voice rang through the phone. I hadn't heard his voice since I was a child, but I knew about him, my father had known about him; about what he did, what he does. "One of my boys just informed me that you're at her birthday party, looking pretty cosy with her," He sounded calm, but I knew better.
I smirked, finally looking at Lillie again. "Yeah, you heard correct," I confirmed. "You fell off the face of the earth twenty-five years ago, it's lovely to know that you're still alive," A chuckle escapes from the pit of my stomach.
Lillie looked sick, terrified. And just at that moment, my stomach turned. She wasn't supposed to have gotten this into my head. I turn and walk away before I can think too much about it, about her. This would break her, if she found out why I'd hired her that day.
Rose was her last name, she'd told me, peering up at me with those confident eyes.
"What do you want?" Christopher Rose simply hummed down the phone. I chuckled, heading out of the building, my eyes search my surroundings quickly before landing on the car that had Jared's dead body inside. "How the fuck did you find her?" He asked, his tone more agitated now.
I laughed at that. "Oh no, Chris," I glance over my shoulder to make sure that she hadn't followed me. "I didn't find her, actually, she found me," I offered him the truth. "You thought that disappearing would protect her from your fucking mistakes in the past, huh?" I chuckled again, I couldn't help it.
Twenty-five years ago, this man had destroyed my entire family, and when he got a woman pregnant, he fucking disappeared. He was a piece of shit, but he didn't want to put his daughter at risk, I'll give him that.
I lied to Lillie about why I wanted to marry her. I had no family - no parents. Yes, I had my brother, but that was all that I had. This bastard had killed my parents when I was just a little boy, right in front of my fucking eyes.
"What. Do. You. Want?" Chris roared down the phone.
I didn't laugh. "I want to see you," I replied, a simple response. It was his turn to offer me a harsh laugh. "I'm not fucking around, Christopher, I have the only thing you fucking care about. You were fucking worshipped here, by everyone, and you vanished just to save people knowing about her," I spoke slowly.
A long moment of silence. "If you hurt her, I swear to Go-", I rolled my eyes.
"You what? You'll kill me?" I smirk to nobody but myself. "I'd like to see you fucking try," I growl.
Another moment of silence.
"You're going to regret this, Wayne," Chris spoke, his voice calm again. I should've been terrified, I knew how much power this man back in the day, but he wasn't feared anymore, I was. He was a nobody. "If you touch one strand of hair on my daughters head-"
I laugh. "Oh I've done way more than just fucking touch her, Christopher, " My stomach twists at the admission. I shouldn't have let it get this far with me and her, I just... I shake the thoughts out of my head. "I've had her screaming my name, mate," I add, lowly.
"You piece of shit!" His voice breaks with rage.
I laugh. "Tick. Tock. I'll be seeing you?" I question, but it was rhetorical. He knew that because he was the one to end the call. I knew he'd be doing whatever he can to plan to take me down, to get his daughter back. Poor thing had no idea the monster he had created all of those years ago.
"Wayne?" I hear that soft, angelic voice.
I whip around to face her. She's standing in the doorway, smiling down at me gently. She was out of earshot over there. "Is everything alright?" She sounds worried.
I force a smirk on my face. "Missing me, baby?" I purr.
Lillie blushes and rolls her eyes. "Never," She giggles as I make my way towards her, pushing my phone into my suit pants pockets. I lean down and press a harsh kiss on her mouth. I hate myself. I fucking hate myself for doing this to her. It isn't her fault.
She doesn't deserve any of this.
But I meant it, I'd keep her safe. From everyone, except me.