Bella
After a quick stop at my room, I’m headed down the hall to meet Peter for tea. I don’t even drink tea, but I’ve seen him drink it a couple times, so I knew it was a good call.
I stick my hands in the front pockets of my sweatpants and roll the sleeping pill between my fingers. It’s been in my drawer since Peter brought it to me the day after Cal and I first had sex. It was a rare time that Cal was catering to my every need, and it was actually pretty sweet.
No matter how much my heart tells me that Cal is not this monstrous guy he wants the world to see him as, it still doesn’t change the fact that he’s keeping secrets. He should know by now that I don’t roll over when I suspect something is going on. I dragged him on so many wild goose chases when we were kids that there’s no way he’s forgotten. I once suspected the mailman was having an affair with Trent’s mom and made him go with me to peek in the window. It turns out it was her brother. I laugh at myself for being such a nosey little shit every time I see Trent’s Uncle Bob at his family gatherings.
Peter is sitting on a chair in front of the fireplace. Startled at the sound of my footsteps, he turns his head quickly. “Goodness, dear, I didn’t hear you come in.” He’s clutching a cup in his hand and brings it to his mouth.
“Sorry about that.” I reach down and grab my tea then take a seat in a chair on the other side of the fireplace. I stretch my hand out in front of me, feeling the heat of the flames from the blazing fire. “Feels nice.”
Peter nods. “It does.”
I take a couple sips as we sit there in silence, my anxiety getting the best of me. Maybe this is a bad idea. Knocking the poor guy out, disarming the cameras on this floor, and stealing his key just so I can go search his room for a notebook of passcodes. Maybe I am in too far over my head.
No. I have to do this. If I ever want to find it in my heart to move forward with Cal, I need to know the secrets he’s hiding.
“Peter, would you mind fetching me a blanket? Even with the fire, it’s still so chilly.”
My eyes follow Peter’s teacup to the small round table. “Of course.”
He stands up slowly and walks behind me. I peer over my shoulder, and once he’s out of the room, I get up quickly and walk over to drop the pill in his tea. It sinks to the bottom and I begin to panic when I can see it through the light caramel-colored liquid.
“Dissolve, dammit.” I look at the door and back at the tea. It’s still there.
Peter comes back in with a white blanket in his hand and I jump back into my chair. There’s no way he missed my speedy movements, but he doesn’t even bat an eye.
“Here you go.” He hands me the blanket and takes his seat again. He picks up the tea and to my surprise, he takes a sip without noticing.
I watch intently as the minutes go by and he drinks at the speed of a newborn baby, never once noticing the pill.
A few more minutes pass and Peter lets out a big yawn.
This could take a very long time, but I have to wait it out.
Watching Peter continuously yawn while he stares into the fire like he’s under a spell from the glowing embers, I yawn myself.
I’m about to just give up and go to bed because it’s apparent this guy is not falling asleep.
I look back at him again and notice his eyes fluttering.
It’s working.
The next thing I know, they’re closed and he still has his cup in his hand. I give it a few minutes, letting him fall into a deep sleep, then I stand up quietly and tiptoe over. I take the cup and notice there are just a few more sips left of tea so he must have drunk the pill. I set down the cup and take a deep breath before patting his pants pocket. I can feel the bulge from his phone, so I slide my hand and grab it, being very cautious not to stir him.
I breathe a sigh of relief when I see that his phone doesn’t have a passcode. It seems to be the only thing in this place that’s not protected.
After swiping through his apps, I finally find the one used to view live streams and saved footage. There are twelve different cameras, all numbered by floor. Once I’ve disarmed all three of the cameras on the eighth floor and the one on the sixth floor, I reach in his pocket and pull out the key. If I remember correctly, this is a master key. Right now, though, I only need it to get into his bedroom. I tuck his phone back in his pocket and haul ass out of the room.
Ignoring my rapid pulse and the sweat protruding from my forehead, I go straight to the elevator. I don’t even blink as I pass by Cal’s room. Hopefully he’s asleep. He looked exhausted, so I’m sure he is.
I make it to Peter’s room on the sixth floor and slide the key in, internally cheering when it unlocks. As soon as I’m inside, I close the door behind me, flip on the light, and begin my search. It’s actually pretty empty, aside from a twin-size bed, a dresser, and a nightstand. There’s a somber feeling to his room. Poor Peter is so lonely.
I’m a terrible person for doing this. But, I do it anyway. It doesn’t take long before I find a notebook, well, it looks more like a journal, in his nightstand drawer. I begin flipping through the pages when I realize that this isn’t just any old notebook, it’s a journal. My eyes skim down one of the pages, reading the passage quickly to myself.
Dear Diary,
I saw him again today. My heart fluttered in my chest and the feeling of a thousand butterflies danced through my stomach. We sat at the tower and counted the stars while holding hands and sipping on a bottle of Father’s bourbon. Just as a star shot across the sky, he leaned over and kissed me. It was at that moment that I knew nothing would keep us apart. We were meant to live this life together, or we would die trying. Never in a million years would I imagine going against Father’s wishes. That’s what love does to you. It makes you crazy. You do things you never thought you were capable of. All I know is, I am crazy in love. Tomorrow we’re carving our names into the tree at the backside of the island. Maybe one day it will show proof that love existed here, and true love conquers all.
I clutch the diary to my chest and hug it tightly. Someday I hope to find a love like Peter and Carolina had.
I continue to flip until I’m at the very end and that’s when I see them. An entire page of passcodes with various hotel and island names. I search for Cori Cove and there it is. One passcode for one door. That’s all I need.
I memorize the numbers in my head, repeating them over and over again, as I put the diary away and close the drawer. Six-three-two-eight-eight.
With hurry behind my steps, I leave Peter’s room and go straight to the end of the hall where the door to the private elevator is located. I punch the code in, and the door buzzes. I shriek, looking behind to make sure none of the other staff heard it. The coast is clear so I go inside.
The elevator doors open for me, and I press the C, which I assume means cellar. I feel like such a rebel knowing that if Cal catches me, I’ll be punished again. After I’m done with my search, maybe I’ll get caught on purpose—assuming Cal isn’t some crazed killer or rapist. No, Cal is many things, but he’s definitely not a rapist.
When the doors slide open, I feel like my heart is about to jump out of my chest. My entire body is shaking and I’m suddenly afraid of what I might find. What if Trent is dead down here? What if there are others?
Cautiously, I step out. That’s when I realize I’m in another empty room. How many empty rooms does this castle have?
There’s a door straight in front of me. I creep over to it and I’m happy to see that there is not a passcode for this door, which is more modern than any of the others here. It’s all white with a silver knob. I give it a turn and slowly pull it open.
I never would have guessed that what I’m looking at right now has been down here this entire time. It’s so fancy and well-lit. Everything is blood red and crow black. Red lights are strung around the room. A large bed that looks like a triple-king-size is pressed against one wall. There are curtains separating one section to the next.
Keeping on my way, I take it all in. There’s a large swing hanging from the ceiling. “Oh my gosh,” I mumble, running my fingers down a floor-to-ceiling pole. There are three of them. Dancing poles. Velvet sofas are positioned around the room. A bar with a lit-up sign that says The Grotto. There’s even a dance floor. This looks like some sort of club, but not just any club. If I had to guess it’s some sort of sex club or swingers’ area.
A VIP club.
I keep walking deeper into the room. There are a few more private sections with small beds. All the bedding is either black or red. My fingers graze over the back of a chair and the touch of the velvety fabric gives me this sexy feeling inside.
I immediately stop walking when I hear voices. Someone is down here. It’s coming from behind a curtain at the end of the wall. I slowly walk a little farther but stop when I hear the conversation.
There’s two men, at least.
One is definitely Cal.
The other sounds like Byron.
The smell of cigar smoke invades my senses and I almost gag but stop myself. My biological mom’s boyfriend always smoked cigars and the smell alone makes me nauseous.
“I know what you’re doing. You know what you’re doing, and it ends now,” I hear Cal say in an aggressive tone.
“It’s all for fun,” Byron laughs, “besides, I think she’d be a good fit next to this ass here.”
There’s a quick sound of skin slapping skin, then a girl howls. “Damn, baby. Do that again.”
My heart jumps in my throat. There’s a girl with them.
“You just do what you’re told and keep sucking her clit, then maybe I’ll give you a little attention.”
A moan ripples from behind the curtain and I have the nagging desire to look and see if Cal is with another girl.
“Mmm. That feels so good.” It’s a different girl and it sounds like Serena.
That bitch is still here.
I creep closer until I’m only inches away from the thick curtain. It’s the only thing separating me from them. The only thing hiding me. If I’m caught, I could be forced into the receiving end of Byron and Cal’s little sexcapade. I grip the key in my hand so tightly, the sharp edges dig into my skin.
This could be Cal’s entire reasoning for me being here. He wants to train me to be one of their little toys like these girls are. With a club like this, there has to be more of them. Hell, it wouldn’t surprise me if this is going on beneath every one of the Ellis Hotels.
“One more stunt and you’re gone. This is the last time I’m telling you,” Cal finally speaks up. “She’s off-limits and will never be part of the club.
“Never know, she might love it. These two sure do.”
There’s a small opening and I lean over to try and get a better look, and that’s when I’m able to see Byron and the two girls. He’s fucking one from behind, moving at a slow pace while sucking on a cigar, while another girl is spread out on the bed with her legs bent at the knees. The girl he’s fucking is feasting on the other girl’s pussy.
“She’s not ready. And when she is, she will only be with me. You touch her, you’re a dead man.”
Something doesn’t let me stop watching. It’s not that I’m into that sort of thing; in fact, a small-town girl like me has never even seen it. But, my body reacts in a way I can’t even explain to myself. I can feel my panties dampen as the girl begins swirling her tongue at Serena’s entrance while Serena squeezes her own breasts.
“You can throw out all the threats you want, Callum. We both know I’m your only friend and you need me.”
“Need you?” Cal laughs. “I don’t even like you. You’re not a friend to me. Not anymore.”
I try to get a better look to see where Cal is and I’m terrified that I’ll find him in a similar position as Byron, so much so that a lump lodges in my throat.
Leaning over a tad more, I see him.
He’s there. Sitting all by himself in a chair, watching Byron and the girls with a cigar of his own.
“Like me. Hate me. Doesn’t matter to me. Doesn’t change the fact that I’m one-half of the beneficiary of your entire estate and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it. I helped you, remember?”
“Oh, but there is. Once Bella is my wife, you lose that title.”
My hand claps over my mouth, muffling the sound of my gasp. His wife?
“Yeah. Good luck getting Mary Magdalene to marry you. Even with the contract, you’d have to drug her to say, ‘I do.’”
“If needed, that can be arranged. She will marry me and then she will give me a child.”
Ignoring all the moans and groans, I think about what I just heard.
I back away from the curtain slowly. Marry him and give him a child? Am I some sort of business transaction? Is this all about his revenge against the people who he claims hurt us? Whatever it is, it’s not love.
It’s never been about love.
I’m on the verge of breaking down when I hear a phone ring.
“Yeah,” Cal says. “What? Well, you better fucking find out why.”
“What’d she do this time?” Byron asks.
“Cameras are out on the sixth and eighth floor. Peter is passed out in the sitting room.”
“That bitch is trouble and you’re a fucking idiot for even thinking about marrying her.”
“Shut your damn mouth,” Cal shouts. “I’m warning you. Now get your dick out of her ass and do something productive or get the hell off my property.”
I tuck myself into the corner, between a couch and the curtain, and hide when Cal storms past me.
“Don’t worry, ladies. We’ll all get a little piece of what that bastard owes us.” Byron lets out a deep grumble and I can hear the sound of him smacking the girl’s ass again. She moans loudly and I find myself looking again. He’s moving at lightning speed, ramming her from behind. Her mouth drops open as her tongue slides up and down Serena’s pussy. Her fingers spread her lips farther apart, in the shape of a V, and she uses her other hand to shove three fingers inside of her.
They all three expel cries of pleasure as their orgasms tear through them. The sudden urge to touch myself has me looking away. No. I can’t.
If I watch any longer, I just might cream my panties and come right along with them.
Just as I go to get up, I hear Byron. “Get your asses cleaned up and go out the back door. Callum will have a fit if his girl sees you around again.”
His girl? Or his forced, future wife?
Bile climbs up my throat.
I sit there waiting impatiently while they all get dressed. I can’t risk leaving this spot until they’re all gone.
Once the girls are gone, Byron walks past me, leaving out the door I came in. I stand up, stretching my body that’s tense from being curled into a ball in the corner. I play it safe and give Byron a minute to get farther ahead of me before I leave.
Using this time, I look around the place. It’s most definitely some sort of sex club. If what I just watched wasn’t proof enough, then the wall-sized shelves of lube sure are.
I’m not bothered by this. If anything, I find myself curious. What bothers me is all the secrecy and lies. I’ve dealt with enough shady people in my lifetime. I refuse to let one of them into my heart. Cal plans on us getting married, but at this point, that’s impossible.
I turn around to leave when the door behind me flies open. I gasp when I’m face to face with a very large, very angry-looking man.
“Don’t be scared, little girl, I don’t bite…hard.” A devilish smirk spreads across his face and alarms sound in my ears.
He’s at least six-foot-five with a full beard, yellow teeth, and a mullet cut. His arms are three times the size of my thighs and if it comes down to having to fight this man off, I will lose.
“I was just—”
“Just what? Coming down for a little fun?” He grabs his dick and shakes it. “I’ve got some fun for ya right here.”
“Get away from me,” I say, taking a few steps backward. My legs hit the end of a bed, and I fall into it.
I’ve seen this guy around. He’s the new guard Cal hired. He keeps coming closer, and fear sweeps over me.
“Mr. Ellis is going to come down here. He’s going to find me.”
The guy laughs. “Mr. Ellis is searching outside. No one’s coming down here, baby. They’re all looking for his little runaway.”
His knees hit the bed and I scooch backward until I can’t go any farther. He crawls to me with a scary smile on his face.
“I’ll scream.”
“I like when they scream. Make it loud for me, okay?”
The sound of his zipper dropping has me holding my breath. The next thing I know, his hard but small dick peeks out.
“Stop.” I hold up my hand, not letting him near me. I’ll die before I let this man touch me.
With a hoarse breath, he grabs me by the waist and fights to pull my pants and underwear down. “Stop,” I scream, tears rolling down my cheeks. The scent of stale beer and cigarettes rolls off him and repulses me even more.
My legs kick and my hands flail around, but he’s relentless. They make it all the way to my ankles and, at this point, it’s no use. The full weight of his body crushes me. His gross dick, ready to go in. I pinch my eyes shut and internally cry tears of hate for the world. Hate for him. Hate for mankind.
“Get off me,” I scream again. Using the key in my hand, I bring it to his face and scream as I slide it down, digging as deep as I can while leaving a trail of blood.
Suddenly, a loud pop-pop rings through my ears, and he drops down on top of me. It’s not until I open my eyes that I see Cal standing there with a gun at his side.
He jumps onto the bed. “Jesus, Bella. Are you okay?” He rolls the guy onto the floor, but I’m frozen in place.
I go to speak but nothing comes out as I look down at my sweatshirt and see the round blotch of blood. My stomach sucks in, trying to stop the liquid from seeping into my skin. My hand clutches the key in my hand as if my life depends on it.
“Did he…” Cal turns his head and bites his bottom lip, “did he touch you?”
“He…he touched me, but he didn’t…you came just in time.”
Cal scoops me into his arms and lifts me off the bed. “Dammit, Bella. What were you thinking coming down here?”
Suddenly, coherency returns. “Are you saying this is my fault?” My words come out in a hushed choke.
“No. God, no. This isn’t your fault. If anything, it’s my fault.”
“I…I’m sorry, I—”
“Don’t you dare apologize. I’m taking you upstairs and drawing you a bath. I’ll have Peter… Never mind, Peter is passed out. But you probably know that, don’t you?”
I don’t respond. My words keep getting away from me and I’m not sure I could explain anything right now.
“You can sleep in something of mine tonight.”
Cal carries me up the winding staircase to his room and I stuff Peter’s key into the front pocket of my hoodie. My head rests gently against his chest, and as angry as I am with him, I feel safe. He killed a man to protect me. Aside from the whole arranged marriage talk, I think he really does want to keep me safe. Or at least, away from all other men.
The image of that man’s face keeps popping into my head as I soak in the bathtub—Cal’s bathtub. In his room. Every minute or two, he pops his head in the door and checks on me, but my response is always the same. “I’m fine,” I tell him when he does it again.
Am I, though? Will I ever be fine?
Cal plans on us getting married, which means one of two things: he planned on keeping me forever. Or, he just needs the title for his self-image, and/or final will. If that’s the case, it’s possible he planned to let me go as long as I maintained the title of his wife.
“Cal,” I holler, calling him back in here. I’m soaking under white suds with only my head above the water. It’s the perfect temperature and seems to be helping me calm down. I’ve never seen a dead body before and I’m not sure I’ll soon forget what happened. I was centimeters away from being raped and the thought alone makes me never want to leave Cal’s side again.
“I’m here. What’s wrong?” His eyes are alert, and I can tell he’s ready to take action at whatever I need.
“Tell me about the contract.”
He steps through the opening of the door and into the bathroom. “You got a copy. You’re free to read it.” Pressing his palms to the sink vanity behind him, he watches my hands as I scoop bubbles and drop them down, repeating the process.
“It’s over a hundred pages. You know damn well I didn’t read that thing. Honestly, I thought I knew the terms after it was made clear I wasn’t here for just a job. Lay out the main points. Why am I here and for how long?”
Cal grazes his chin with his thumb and thinks before he finally speaks. “You’re here as long as I decide for us to stay.”
“Ugh,” I growl, “you’re so frustrating. Just tell me the damn truth. Do I have to marry you?”
He looks stunned. Completely caught off guard. “Why do you ask that?”
“I was down there while you were talking to Byron. Also saw him fucking your old flames. Now tell me the truth.”
“Yes,” he says point-blankly. “You will be my wife.”
“And if I don’t marry you?”
“Then you breach the contract and pay me a lump sum of two million dollars, plus punitive damages.”
“You know, I could fight that. I was coerced into signing the contract.”
“You could,” he shrugs, “but good luck finding a lawyer that will top mine or a judge that’s not on my payroll.”
Fuck. He’s probably put so much thought and planning into this that I really will have to marry him.
Cal pushes himself off the vanity and takes slow strides toward me. His sweatpants hug his hips so perfectly and the eye-level bulge in his pants has my nipples puckering beneath the suds.
“Is the thought of being married to me really that bad?”
I laugh in a sarcastic pitch. “You just shot one of your men, who was trying to rape me. I just found a secret swingers’ club in your basement and you have a secret staircase that takes you to it. For all I know, you’re sneaking down there and screwing girls every night. I don’t trust you anymore and I can’t marry someone I don’t trust. And let’s not get started on love.”
Kneeling, he puts his hands on the ledge of the clawfoot tub. “You don’t love me?” The way he asks the question—the look in his eyes—it’s like he thought I loved him all along.
Maybe I did.
Maybe I do.
“I’ve always loved you. I’m not sure I ever stopped. What we had as kids wasn’t your normal elementary/middle school friendship. We were closer than that. We were closer than siblings. It’s like you were my—”
“Soulmate?”
I nod. “Yeah. Exactly.”
“That’s because I am and you are mine. I told you, Bella, fate brought you back to me. I’m righting my wrongs while you’re doing the same. Words can never explain the pain I felt the day you left me. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get past it. Even once you arrived, I still felt the sting of that day. But I found a way to move on and it’s in my own selfish way, but it’s the only way. Marry me, Bella.”
“But why? What does marriage solve?”
“Because I have to get married and you’re the only person in the entire world I’d even consider taking as my wife. And because it will allow me to finally forgive you while also getting my revenge on the people who hurt us.”
Each day I get more and more confused. The more I learn, the more confusion I have. If I’d just stay in my room and ignore all the cracks and crevices in this damn place, my mind wouldn’t be going a million miles a minute, trying to decode what this man is saying.
My head rests back and it hits me that Cal just proposed to me and I totally blew him off. I’m not even sorry because it was the worst proposal in the history of proposals. “Please stop beating around the bush. Just say the damn words.”
“If you were downstairs when Byron and I were talking, then you heard about my will and how he’s one-half of my beneficiary. Vincent never intended to leave me a penny. Everything was left to some woman he knocked up years ago and his bastard son that Delilah never knew about. Byron wasn’t only Vincent’s attorney. He was also his business partner.”
“Business partner? Byron’s only like five years older than you.”
“Nine. He sees a damn good esthetician and has the best plastic surgeon in the country. Anyways, eight years ago, I went to Byron’s office and I struck a deal with him. Change Vincent’s will and leave me everything, continue the 20/80 partnership, and pay him a lump sum of three million dollars. It wasn’t enough for him, though. He called me reckless and savage and was sure I’d get myself locked up or killed before I turned twenty-one and the business would suffer. He countered and requested he be the sole beneficiary on my will. I agreed to his demand with a clause that rescinded the deal if I were to marry.”
“You’re saying when you die, Byron gets everything?”
“Half of everything. Peter is a joint beneficiary. Everything will be split between the two of them.”
“And you hate him that much to go to all this trouble just to get him out?”
Cal leans forward and the expression on his face sends chills down my spine, even in the one-hundred-degree bath. “Byron’s playing dirty, Bella. I caught wind of some shit he’s involved in and if he’s not out soon, I risk losing everything. I didn’t take this empire from Vincent. I earned it, and I’ll be damned if some washed-up attorney, who fell into luck, is going to take it from me.”
“You’re scaring me, Cal.”
“I’d die before I let him or anyone else hurt you. I promise you that.”
The look in his eyes, the expression on his face, I believe him.
There is still so much I don’t know or believe, though. His answer to this question could make us or break us. “Did you kill Trent?”
There’s a long beat of silence as Cal stares at the floor. He knows the answer, so his hesitation has me wondering if I should even believe what he says.
“No. I didn’t kill Trent.”
I’m not Trent’s biggest fan but a rush of relief washes through me. “And the club downstairs?”
“They’ve been part of Ellis Empire long before I came along. We’re known for our top-notch resorts as well as the unique experience we offer. Sex is a natural and beautiful thing, Bella. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“But with complete strangers?” It just seems odd to me. Granted, I’m a small-town girl who’s been blind to this lifestyle. It just seems degrading. Then again, I did see Byron with those girls and there’s a part of me that was slightly turned on.
“Some guests just like to watch, some prefer to engage, and others prefer not to take part in the club aspect at all.”
“I know for a fact I’ll be avoiding that part of the hotel once it opens.” At least as a participant. I’m not completely opposed to watching—maybe learning.
“It’s not for everyone and I actually prefer you stay away from there. We do extensive background checks on members but it doesn’t mean I trust them.” Cal rests a hand on my thigh and looks at me with a quizzical expression. “Unless, of course, it’s you and me.”
My interest is piqued. “While others watch?”
“Or while we watch them.”
My heart jumps into a frenzy at just the thought. The thing is, I’m not sure if it’s because I’m surprised he’d suggest such a thing or intrigued because I’m interested.
