After The Dark (Billionaire In Love 3) (3 page)

Chapter 5

“Do you think I did the right thing?” Scarlett asked her mother as they were relaxing. Steve was sleeping and the two of them were sharing a hot chocolate in the late evening.

“Part of me wants to say that whenever you come across a man who looks like that and is a billionaire that you should do anything you can to land him. But I know it's not as simple as that,” Janice said. Scarlett still hadn't told her the truth about his secret and she had no plans to. “I think the most important thing in a relationship is trust, and if you can't trust him, then there's nothing you can do about it.”

“But it's so hard. We were so good together and then he had to go and ruin it. Maybe I should give him the chance to explain? I'm just so afraid that he'll lie to me again. How can I trust him?”

“Sometimes these things take a leap of faith. It's never easy giving your heart to someone, but the fact that you're so torn up about it tells me that you have deep feelings for this man. You're talking about him in a way that you never talked about Matt, or anyone else. You really love him, don't you?”

Scarlett's eyes glistened as she nodded. “Yeah, and I hate it. I wish it could be easier.”

“I thought you'd have known by now that life is never easy,” Janice said, chuckling. She reached out a hand and placed it on Scarlett's, squeezing it softly. “Look, you're a smart girl and I've watched you grow into a strong woman over the years. You've always had a good head on your shoulders, so I know you'll make the right decision. But right now, it seems to me that you really have two choices. Either you forget about him completely and move on, or you hear him out. Being stuck halfway between isn't doing you any good and it's only going to make the situation drag out.”

Scarlett knew her mother was right, but it meant that she had to make a decision, and that was one thing she wasn't sure she was ready to do. It either meant putting her heart on the line, ready to be broken, or saying goodbye to the only man she had ever truly loved.

“Did you and Dad ever go through anything like this?”

“No... no, not really. We got together so young that we never had the chance to do anything that would be secret from each other. We both made a conscious effort to share things. Sometimes we had to tell each other things we rather wouldn't, but when it came down to it, talking these things through always brought us closer. I think secrets just create distance between people, and Jack should have been honest with you from the start.”

Scarlett's skin crawled for she knew that she was being dishonest to her mother by not telling her that Jack's wife was the other driver. Could she blame Jack for keeping that from her? She tried to imagine how she would have reacted had Jack told her straight away, but she couldn't put herself back in that situation. Too much had happened now, too many emotions had exploded within her. And now, when she thought of the night her sister died, there was no longer a faceless driver coming in the other direction. It was another person, another life, and somehow the rivers of fate had contrived to bring her and Jack together after all those years.

“I've missed this,” her mother said, smiling softly. The light of the moon danced in her eyes, and in the tired illumination of the night Scarlett realized how old her mother looked. Taking care of Steve, and the stress and worry that came with it, had aged her dramatically.

“Me too.”

“I know that you had to leave but sometimes I wished that you had stayed. I hate the way time moves on without any thought or consideration. But I'm glad you didn't go traveling after Lisa left us. I think that would have killed your father and I.”

“I thought about it, but there was no way I was going to leave you. Do you think Lisa would be proud of me, of the life I lived?”

“Scarlett, your sister worshiped you. She would have been proud of you no matter what.”

“I don't know about that. She always wanted to do different things than me.”

“And why do you think that was? She knew that she could never be as good as you, so she went in the complete opposite direction. She wanted to do all the things that you wouldn't, so that when it came down to it, the two of you had lived a complete life. You should really have been twins. You were so close.”

“I know... sometimes I think... oh god... is it really bad that sometimes I wish it had been me in that car instead of her? I just think that she would have really thrown herself into the world. She had such a big heart.”

“I've done that too. I think we all have. It wasn't right that she went before me and your father. She was supposed to grow old, to live her life and figure out her place in the world. It’s a thing you won't know until you have children, but it was just precious to watch her—well, both of you—grow up and turn from girls into the women you ended up being. It was amazing to see how you changed over the years, and she had so much life left in her and it all just turned to nothing.” The last words turned into a sob as Janice choked on her breath. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I don't think I'm ever going to be able to speak about her without crying.”

Scarlett comforted her mother and they continued to sit in silence as the night dwindled, until it was time for both of them to get to bed. They went to their separate rooms and Scarlett pulled the covers tightly around her body. At first, she thought of Lisa and how she wished she could have had just one more conversation with her, just one more minute. As always, she imagined the sound of screeching tires as the two cars hit each other, the metal frames cracking and crumpling in the collision. But this time, she thought of the other driver. She thought of Jack's wife. Was she okay? Did she survive? Had Jack been through the same things she had been through? What was it like to lose a wife instead of a sister? There was only one man who knew the answers... and she knew what she must do.

After she figured that out, she finally fell into a deep sleep. Her body twisted around the covers and her lips parted. Deep breaths slipped through them and her heart beat quickly as Jack invaded her dreams. He was there in front of her, then behind her, then suddenly his lips were on her exposed skin and she was tied down to a stone slab. A tribal drumbeat thundered all around, but as she twisted her head she could see nothing but darkness around her. She struggled and writhed against the restraints but there was no hope for her to escape. Jack's body was painted and his muscles glistened and his erection was ready for her. His hands were all over her body with their fiery, electric touches.

In bed, her body pulsed and the thoughts were so intense that they shook her awake. Panting, she looked around and got her bearings, but all she could see was Jack in her mind. She reached down and felt her sodden clothes, for sweat had poured out of her. And then, unable to stop herself, she reached down and closed her eyes again, playing with herself while she thought of Jack, gasping and moaning sharply. Melting into the bed, she toyed and played with herself, biting her lip to stifle the loud moans that were aching to escape so as to not wake her parents. Her fingers slipped inside her body, bringing her ultimate pleasure, with the bittersweet knowledge that it wasn't Jack giving her the pleasure directly. But everything that happened in her body, every sweet sensation and every thunderous tingle was down to him. It was all because of him.

Chapter 6

“’Morning, Dad. How are you feeling?” Scarlett said chirpily as she entered the room with the breakfast on a tray. Steve was sitting up in his bed, watching the television. The curtains were still drawn, so after setting down the tray, Scarlett went over to open them and let the morning sun fill the room.

“Oh I'm fine, but these people are idiots! All they talk about is how to fix the world, but none of them ever do anything about it. They think they're all so smart. Hmph. I wish I could get paid millions of dollars a year just for sitting in front of a camera and spouting off a bunch of rubbish.”

“Yeah, you do that anyway, you might as well get paid for it,” she said with a teasing glint in her eye.

“Watch it! I may be handicapped but I'm still your father.”

“You're hardly a handicap.”

“I bloody well feel like it stuck in here. What I wouldn't give to go for a run right now.”

“A run? You didn't even do that before!”

“I did, occasionally... I saw that guy, by the way. Who was he? Another ex that I have to knock out?”

Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him. “I appreciate what you did, but I don't want you getting into any more fights. God... I can't believe I have to say that. Anyway, he is my boss and the guy that I kind of got involved with.”

“Ah, yes, Jack.”

“I guess Mom told you.”

“She mentioned it, yeah. Anything I can help with?”

Scarlett sighed, and repeated what she had said to Janice. Steve listened carefully as his daughter spoke of her troubles.

“Secrets are dangerous things, but it seemed like he kept it from you for your own protection. By all accounts he's a good man, so you should put it into the context of the rest of the things he did. Did he treat you badly? Was he unkind to you? Was he rude?”

“No, actually he was one of the few people at work to pay attention to my ideas, and when we were together, he always listened to what I said and always seemed interested in me.”

“Well then. Sometimes people do bad things for good reasons. Life isn't so black and white as we'd like it to be. It doesn't make him a bad person. And hey, if he's going to pay for the medical bills, then he's all right in my book,” he joked, but then he reached out to take Scarlett's hand and his tone grew a little more serious. “But look, Scarlett. Things like these, they don't come along in life that often. Sometimes you have to take a risk even though you might end up getting hurt by it. It can often be worth it in the end. Do you really want him to just walk out of your life?”

“No... I don't, and I think I've decided what I need to do. I just wish it was easier.”

“Don't we all? But hey, life throws different challenges at all of us. You think I like sitting on my ass all day? Being in this condition makes me realize how good it is to be alive. When I get better, I'm going to be a changed man. I'm going to go on day trips with your mother and really enjoy life. You should do the same. I know you value your job and we're all proud of you, but there's more to life than working. You need to be happy. I've looked at you for a long time now and it's made me sad that you haven't been happy.”

“I've…” she began but Steve cut her off quickly, holding up his hand.

“Scarlett, I may not always be on the ball, but you're my daughter and I can tell when something's wrong. You know as well as I do that you used work as an excuse to hide away from life and now you can't do that anymore. This thing with Jack... this is your life. It's happening around you now. It's not going to wait for you. It doesn't work like that. All I want in this world is for you to be happy, and if the way to do that means swallowing your pride and going after him, then that's what you'll have to do.”

Scarlett thanked him for the advice and turned the television off as she left the room.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I thought you were getting annoyed at it, so I figured you wanted it turned off!”

“No, no, leave it on! Getting angry at them gives me something to do.”

“Well, just watch your blood pressure, okay? If you feel yourself getting angry, go watch some cartoons or something,” she said, and flicked the television back on. She left the room to the sounds of her father huffing, and chuckled to herself.

Throughout the morning, things were playing on her mind and she found that she couldn't concentrate on anything. She wanted to call Jack but she didn't know whether he'd want to speak to her after the previous day, and she had no idea what she was going to say to him. So around lunchtime, she made an excuse to leave, saying that she had to go to the office to check on a few things, hoping that Jack was there.

She'd only be gone for a few hours, and her father was better now, so she knew that her mother could cope in her absence. She took longer getting ready than she would have if she had just been popping into the office, and applied the perfect amounts of makeup and perfume, just in case she ran into Jack. She assumed that he would be there if he knew that she had been on leave.

Going back to the office filled her with trepidation, and not just because of the thought of seeing Jack. Given what Mandy had told her, people didn't have a high opinion of Scarlett and they had been spreading vicious rumors in her absence. That had to stop. Scarlett clenched the steering wheel of her car until her knuckles went white, determined to bite back at everyone that had been spreading rumors about her.

As the elevator rose up to the office, she expected to make a grand entrance, imagining that everyone would stop what they were doing and stare at her, completely dumbfounded. Yet, what she found was a place in disarray. Everyone was running about, and a million conversations were happening at once. Phones were ringing and the printer was churning out document after document. In the conference room, Sam was gesticulating wildly, while some of the others held their heads in their palms. Everyone seemed to be in a panic, and Scarlett's return went unnoticed. She walked through and heard snippets of conversation, but it wasn't until she made her way to Mandy's cubicle that she got the full story. Mandy pulled her aside.

“What the hell's going on?” Mandy asked. Her face was flushed and her eyes sagged. She didn't look like she had been getting much sleep.

“What do you mean? I've been at my parents' and I come back to this? How am I supposed to know what's happening? You tell me.”

“You mean you really don't know?” Mandy said, looking at Scarlett with disbelief. When she was met with a blank look, Mandy continued speaking. “The company is being sold, Scarlett. Jack is leaving.”

Scarlett staggered back. She looked around at everyone as they scrambled to make sense of the situation. Was this because of her?

“H-how? When?” she asked.

“We just got the news yesterday. I thought you would have been e-mailed about it. Apparently it's just a transition and none of our jobs are going to be affected, but nobody really believes that. We're all worried and it's come out of the blue. No one saw it coming… did you, Scarlett?” Mandy said, grabbing Scarlett's arm. “Did you know anything about this?”

“No, I had no idea...” she said, and couldn't believe that Jack hadn't told her about this when he had seen her yesterday.

“Is Jack here?” she asked.

“No, he just made an announcement last night and told us that we would be hearing more details soon. Sam has been trying to get a hold of him. Everyone is going crazy. I've never seen people like this. They all kinda blame you for it as well. I'd keep out of sight if I were you.”

“Me? What did I have to do with it?”

“They're all convinced that you and Jack had something going on, and they just put two and two together and made five. You know what people are like. They're panicking and they want someone to blame.”

“Sam has always had it out for me,” Scarlett said.

“Yeah, so just go into your office and wait for it to blow over, or go back home and be with your father. You don't need to be here right now,” Mandy said softly.

“No, I do need to be here,” Scarlett said as she strode towards the conference room. Mandy tried to pull her back and get her to stop, but Scarlett was tired of sitting back and letting everyone else tell her that she wasn't good enough for the job. She was tired of all the rumors and the gossip that was spreading about her, and there was no way she was going to be made a scapegoat for this latest turn of events. She flung the doors to the conference room open and everyone stopped and stared at her.

“I don't care if he said there's going to be no change. There's obviously going to be a change. That's what happens when companies go through this. I'm not going to sit and watch my career be thrown down the toilet. I want answers and I want them—” Sam was in the middle of a rant on the phone when he noticed that everyone had stopped talking. He followed their gaze to the door where he saw Scarlett. People from outside had gathered behind her, sensing that something big was going to take place. His face twisted into an ugly snarl as she moved into the room and stood at the end of the conference table.

“You,” he sneered. “This is all because of you. I don't know what you did, but you're costing everyone in this office! There's going to be a shakeup now and people are going to lose their jobs. It's going to happen, despite what they say.”

“Sam, shut the hell up,” Scarlett said. The simple command rang around the room like the tolling of a bell. Sam was taken aback, so too was everyone else in the room. Scarlett smiled at the satisfaction she was feeling. Before, she had wanted to keep a low profile and not make any waves because she was the new girl, but things had spun out of control and she could restrain herself no longer. She paced around the conference table, letting her fingers dance on the backs of everyone's chair.

“I know you think I had something to do with this. You've all had it out for me from day one and I have a theory as to why. When I started working here, I thought that you'd all welcome my input, that I'd be part of a team. But instead, you all shunned me, and when I actually showed what I could do, you belittled it by saying that I only got the job because I slept with the boss—which I'd like to point out that you have no evidence for, and I could easily bring this to the attention of the new owners because I'm sure they'd be interested in knowing what a toxic work environment you have fostered here. And more to the point, I've been away tending to my sick father who had a heart attack, and some of you have been intimating that I took time off because of the rumors that were going around.

But I'm here to set the record straight. I don't give a damn about what you think of me. Whatever I do on my personal time is none of your business. What is your business is the work I do, and none of you have ever given me any respect. From the first moment I walked in here, you've made me feel isolated and unwelcome, and it's like you all have your little think tank and nobody else is allowed in. Maybe if you welcomed a fresh perspective you might find that we can hold onto our best clients. You have a right to be worried because the future isn't going to wait for you, it's here now. I'm looking forward to seeing what our new owners are like because I have plenty to share with them.”

By this point she was standing face to face with Sam. Everyone else looked \ admonished and none of them dare spoke out against her, for they knew that she was correct. However, Sam was angry and the rage boiled over.

“I know exactly what you are. You come in here, climbing up the ladder by any means necessary. You've had your eye on my job from the start, but I'm warning you now that it's not going to be that easy. I don't know what you said to Jack to get him to sell the company, but you're not going to get away with this. You're not going to get my job.”

“I don't want your job, you fool. Not everything in this world is about you, but I hope whoever the new owners are will see you for what you really are. You're a sad, pathetic little man who is trying to cling on to his youth when it’s long behind him. You're a relic, and the time will come when others realize you're obsolete. All you're doing at the moment is riding on the waves of everyone else’s good ideas. So sure, have your little rant and your little meeting, but I'm going to be around here far longer than you are. All I have to do is wait you out.”

Sam was impotent with anger and Scarlett waltzed out of the room, sauntering back to her office as everyone watched in awe. Sam shook with rage, trying to think of a good comeback, but before he could do anything, she was gone.

“That was amazing!” Mandy said, shutting the door to Scarlett's office behind her.

“It feels good to get it out of my system,” Scarlett replied, and sank in her chair, letting the adrenalin settle. “I can't believe this is actually happening though. Does anyone know anything about the new owners?”

“No, nobody has any idea. Jack literally just came in yesterday, told us all that he was selling the company, and that no one should worry about their jobs. Then he left before he could answer anyone's questions.”

“That does sound like him...” Scarlett said, then trailed off. She did think he had something on his mind yesterday, perhaps this was it.

“What is it?” Mandy asked, sensing that Scarlett had something else on her mind.

“Oh, it's nothing. It's just that I saw Jack yesterday.”

“I have to ask… was this because of you?”