Dangerous Temptations(39)

 

"So … how has he been able to get you to keep a secret all this time? I  mean, what's stopping you from running to the press with it?"

He sighed, obviously upset over the whole thing. "Honestly … my trust  fund. He holds it against me, only gives me enough each month to survive  until the next. He never fully signed it over to me, and without it, I  wouldn't have been able to finish school. That's why I had to move in  here until I found a job."

"Yeah, he seemed awfully glad you were staying. Even said he expected you to stay for a year."

"That's because he knows once I move out and can support myself, I could  easily share all the Lancaster secrets. But he'd just find something  else to hold against me." He shrugged, looking defeated. "He knows it'd  ruin my name too, once I do find a job. It'd be a ripple effect. He's  made sure of that."

"Wow … " My eyes widened in shock. I could hardly believe the words he was  saying. William had been good at deceiving me, at letting me believe  everything he was saying was truthful. "I've been pretty naive," I said  aloud. "I had no idea."

"It's not your fault, Mac. He's a professional. He's made lying his  career to get what he wants from people and to keep it that way. He's a  master manipulator."

I swallowed, my body shaking with the realization that I'd been with someone I hadn't truly known. I felt sick.

"Are you okay?"

I shook my head, not really knowing if I was or not. "I will be," I  reassured him. "Once this is out in the open, and I don't feel trapped  by his lies anymore. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What will you do about your trust fund? Aren't you worried?"

He shrugged. "Since meeting you, the only thing I've been worried about  is losing you. I knew I wouldn't make it here a year, living with you,  watching you marry him, so I've been putting money away in an account he  has no idea about. It's not much, but it'll hold me over until I find a  job."

I flashed a small smile of relief at him. "Are you afraid he'll somehow  jeopardize your chances of getting a job?" I asked nervously. "It's  obvious he has a lot of connections."

"No, I haven't really thought about it. But I don't think he would … he'll  have to play fair if he wants certain things kept out of the public."  The thought sent an anxious shiver down my body. I hated that William  had secrets I knew nothing about. But it didn't matter anymore.

He held me in his arms, keeping our bodies close and secure. I hadn't  realized until now how safe I felt in his arms. His body towered over  mine, making me feel comforted and secure.

"So, can you tell me the truth about your mom? Strictly out of curiosity … I can tell she meant a lot to you."

I felt him exhale before speaking up. "I was pretty young, so Dad and  Mom didn't think I knew what was going on, but I did. She grew up in a  high-society lifestyle like the one they were raising me in and she was  unhappy about it. She begged him to move to the suburbs, to work less,  to be home more. She was lonely. She'd spend days in bed, not talking to  anyone. Dad said he'd go to therapy with her, to work out their  ‘issues,' but he constantly canceled on her for work. A work meeting. A  conference. Something always came up and she felt less and less  important to him. She started getting more active in the community,  organizing events, charities, networking with other women. You could  tell getting involved made her happy. She still made sure to spend time  with me, be home when I arrived home from school. One day, the nanny  picked me up from school because I had been feeling sick. The school  called her since both of my parents were usually busy during the day.  The nanny tucked me in bed and said she was running out to get me some  medicine. Before she even left, I heard her screaming." He paused,  inhaling a deep breath. His eyes were closed, memories floating around  in his mind before he continued. "I rushed out of bed and found why she  had been screaming." He kept his eyes closed, breathing out in slow,  calculated breaths.         

     



 

I braced myself, ready to hear the words, but they never came. A slam of  the front door startled us both, making us jump. "Oh my god," I  whispered in panic. "William's home!"

William never came home early from business trips, which made my heart  race at an uncontrollable rate. It was possible he's called to let me  know, but I hadn't even checked my phone since early that morning when I  messaged Chelsea and let her know I wouldn't be coming into work today.

"He can't find us like this!" I jumped out of his bed, searching for anything to throw over my body.

"Mac, calm down-" He put a hand out to me, but I ignored it. "He's going to find out anyway."

"Not like this!" I hissed. "I wanted to tell him in a more respectful  way." Although now knowing what Alex told me, he didn't really deserve  that. But still, I didn't want him finding us now and kicking us both  out before we had a chance to make any plans.

"Okay, just relax," he soothed, embracing me in his arms. "He'd expect  me to be home, not you. So you stay in here and I'll go check it out." I  nodded, too shaken up to respond. He kissed the top of my head and  slowly opened the door, closing it gently behind him.

I found a pair of his boxer shorts and put them on. I sat on the edge of  the bed, waiting anxiously for him to come back. I listened for voices,  for any kind of evidence, but he returned quietly before I heard any.

"It's just the maid," he whispered, relief washing over me as I  collapsed on the bed. "She comes every Wednesday afternoon," he  explained, which I knew, but obviously forgot.

"Shit," I breathed out, waiting for my heart to stop pounding in my chest.

"Guess that means you'll have to hide out in here until she's gone." He smirked, walking over toward me.

"That will take hours," I groaned, but not really upset about it.

"Well … we'll just have to find something to preoccupy ourselves." He  leaned over me, placing his hands on the bed next to me. His face inches  away from mine, his lips lightly brushed mine.

"I'm sure you'll think of something."

And he did.





Chapter Twenty-Three



The maid finally left before dinner. Thankfully, she was a quick worker  and we were hardly home to really make a mess anyway. Alex and I ordered  in and sat on the couch watching movies. It was the perfect glimpse of  what we could be-of what it could be with him. I knew in less than  twenty-four hours, everything in my life was going to change.

I wanted to soak up as much of this as I could.

"What's your favorite movie?" I asked, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

"Anything with Terminator."

I snorted. "Of course."

"And yours? Something cheesy? Flowers and romance? Rainbows and kittens?"

I narrowed my brows at him, laughing. "Not exactly."

"Then what?" he prompted.

I hesitated before responding, "Con Air."

"You're lying."

"I'm not!" I nudged him in the ribs. "There weren't many options." He  looked over at me, curiosity in his eyes. "Growing up in shelters. We  only got to watch movies that were donated or from the library. And it's  not like my mom would ever spend the money to go to a theater. My first  time going was when I was nineteen. But Con Air was one of those movies  I could watch over and over again. I loved the action. And since the  shelters were blended with teens, men, and women, there weren't many  options that appealed to the majority. So basically, I grew up on war  movies, action, and thrillers." I smiled nervously in return.

"Well, at least it's a decent movie. We'd have to renegotiate this whole  thing if it were something else like … Casablanca." He chuckled,  obviously amused with himself. I just shook my head and smiled at him.

"I didn't watch a lot of romance movies, but I always loved the ending  when he finally makes it home and meets his daughter for the first time.  I cried every time that dang song, How Do I Live, started playing."
         

     



 
"Well, that explains a lot at least." He grinned.

"What's that mean?"

"Nothing bad," he reassured. "Just that most girls always have a  preconceived notion of what love and romance are supposed to be about."

I didn't grow up having any kind of notions of what love was supposed to  be about. I didn't read romance novels, or get sucked into Nicholas  Spark movies, or have girlfriends to gossip with. I met friends in my  fashion marketing classes and a couple from work, but by then, it was  almost too late. The couple of guys I had met before William couldn't  hold a candle to him. He was so powerful, so intriguing compared to the  rest, that I was immediately fascinated with him.