Contract of Shame (12 page)
Authors: Sam Crescent
“Don’t do this, Richard.”
Her hand shook inside his. “Marry me,” he asked.
Scarlet grasped and pulled out of his touch. “Don’t do that. You didn’t want me, remember? You wanted a week. That’s all you wanted from me. You contracted the damn thing. You made me feel like a whore.”
Her voice remained level, but the tears falling from her eyes weren’t anything other than hurt.
“I tore up the damn contract. It was the stupidest thing I have ever done. I told Lily, and she opened—”
“You told Lily? How could you do that? She didn’t know about our little arrangement. How could you have embarrassed me like that? You promised me it would stay between us.” Richard got to his feet and went to her. Desperation was clawing at him to keep her. He cupped her cheeks in his hands. He saw the hatred shining out at him, and before he stopped himself, he kissed her.
She struggled beneath him but soon wound her hands around his neck. A sweet victory for him.
Scarlet had to love him. His pleasure was short-lived as she pulled out of his hold. “You got the last bit of me. Now let me go.”
Richard tried to focus his thoughts. She was at his door and about to leave his world forever. “The last time we were together I didn’t use anything? You could be pregnant.” Not using anything had been a genuine mistake.
“You did it on purpose?” she asked.
He didn’t know what the best answer would be. “No. I wanted to be with you and inside you so damn bad, protection slipped my mind. I’m sorry.” He decided the truth would be best in this situation.
She turned back, and the hurt on her face was worse than anything he’d seen thus far.
“I asked one thing from you. I asked you to protect me from that, and you didn’t.”
“I know. What are you going to do?” he asked.
Her complexion was pale, and her entire body was shaking.
“As I’m sure you remember I’m used to taking care of other men’s messes.” The punch to the gut doubled him over. He stood and watched her gather her things and leave his life forever.
She’d asked one thing of him, and he’d fucked up. Maybe she could have forgiven him for the contract, but forcing a baby on her? Could she ever find it in her heart to forgive him?
Richard didn’t know how long he stood watching the empty space. Eventually his friends Wayne and Tony came in. One of his partners had called his closest friends to help him.
“Come on, man,” Tony said, and together they helped him out of the building.
Richard went with them to his apartment. He ignored them and went straight for his strongest whisky. He pouted himself a generous glass and slung the whole shot to the back of his throat, the burn a welcome pain. He poured another glass and took it back.
“You got me back to my place. I suggest you leave,” he said.
“We’re not leaving,” they both said in unison.
“Why? I’m a fucking bastard who fucked up. You know,” he turned to Wayne. “I criticised you for pulling that pre-nup on Lily? I pulled a contract of my own out of the bag.” The strong drink was going straight to his head. “I forced her to sign a contract, so I could fuck her. How shit is that.”
“Richard, I don’t think you should be drinking.”
“You don’t know what I need. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be me? My dad reckons the woman you want is for mistress material while the woman you hate is wife material. Shall I get Scarlet to be my mistress?”
Wayne went over to him and grabbed the lapels of his jacket. “Listen, you’re a better man that your father. You always have been and always will be. So you fucked up. Either dwell on it and deal with the fact you’ve lost Scarlet, or you get up and you fight for the woman you love.”
Tears fell from his eyes, Richard never cried, but he felt them cascading down his cheeks, evidence of his weakened state of mind.
“Do you love her?” Tony asked.
“With my whole heart.” Richard broke down in front of his friends, the sobs shaking his whole body. He cried for the woman he loved and for the unfairness of life. The way his parents had controlled him to care what society thought of him.
After some time he saw his friends out with the promise they kept his emotions a secret. They did this. He recalled opening his door to a young Wayne as he’d taken a beating from his father and holding him while he cried to sleep. Richard had run to Tony when his parents wanted to send him to boarding school. The three friends who refused to allow the burdens of their parents to drive them apart.
So much had gone on among them. He loved them like brothers. When he was once again alone in his apartment he went to his safe and stared at the diamond encrusted dolphin. His heart and his life were laid in the woman who’d wear this ring. Richard picked it up and phoned the estate agent. He wanted to take charge of his own life. For the first time he was going to live it the way he wanted. The penthouse was going.
Chapter Thirteen
Richard went home to the place he had grown up. The house looked so harmless on the outside.
He parked his car and stared at the house most people would dream about living in.
On the side of the house a basketball hoop lay. His mother had wanted it for decoration to show the neighbourhood they had children. Richard remembered when he, Wayne, and Tony had started playing ball. His mum had come out yelling and cursing at them. Once inside she popped the ball in front of them all and said they didn’t need to act like hooligans.
How could he have left Opal to all of this? She ran out of the house as soon as she saw his car. His mother was not far behind.
“Don’t run, Opal. You know it’s not ladylike,” she called.
Opal stopped, and his heart broke. She was already being designed into the perfect ideal daughter, not the person she was meant to be.
She stood in front of him and took his hand. “How are you doing, brother?”
“Don’t do that, Opal. Don’t let her break who you’re going to be.” He placed his arms around her shoulders, and they walked up to the house together. “Where’s dad?”
“In his office. Where else would he be?” his mother said.
“I couldn’t imagine why.” He went past her up to his old room.
Richard opened the door and the past. His bedroom looked spotless as if no one ever lived inside. A few trophies dotted the walls. Books from law school and certificates of his achievements. On the mirror pictures of his friends and Opal were placed at odd angles.
He frowned when he glanced at one with an old nanny he couldn’t recall what had happened to. Richard picked the picture off the glass. The woman had red hair, and she smiled down at him. What caught his attention in the photo wasn’t the woman, but the hand on the shoulder of the woman.
Looking closer he saw his father standing directly behind the woman. His dad had a hand on the woman’s shoulder, and his nanny had her own placed over his fathers.
Richard thought of his parents’ anniversary and of Wayne and Lily. He even thought about his time spent with Scarlet. People who cared about each other and loved each other. They couldn’t help but touch.
“You’d just won a football game in that picture,” his dad said from the doorway.
“I remember,” Richard recalled the game, but he couldn’t recall the woman in the picture. “Who’s the woman in the picture?”
“Woman? Oh, her name was Natasha, I think. Nice girl.” His dad looked uncomfortable. “Your mother said you were here.”
“So I am.”
“You haven’t been here in years.”
Richard stared at the picture. “Why are you lying?” he asked. Never before had he pulled his dad up on a lie.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Really?” He was tired of the lies. Thirty plus years, a grown man he didn’t need to be protected anymore. Richard slammed the picture in his father’s hand. “Because the last time I checked you’ve never looked so fucking happy in any of the pictures with my mother. What was it you once said to me? Keep the woman you want as a mistress? So I’ll ask you again. Who is she?”
“You clearly are in a bad mood and looking for a fight, so I’m going—”
“No. You’re fucking not. For too long you’ve left me in the dark. Who is this woman?”
Richard knew he wasn’t getting though, and his dad turned to leave. “I’m going to marry the woman I love. Her name’s Scarlet Hughes. She’s amazing and has a son whom I love.”
His dad stopped at the door, his hand out to grasp the handle. “Your mother would never accept it.”
“Do you think I give a fuck what she thinks?”
“Didn’t you listen to anything I’ve told you?”
Richard stared at the man he’d listened to his whole young life, the man whose rules he’d followed without question.
“I listened, and I ended up a miserable old bastard like you. If I keep listening to your wonderful advice I’ll be married to someone I can’t stand and wish to constantly be anywhere but at home. Isn’t that what you do? You’re with us, but you really want to be with her?”
For minutes Richard waited, but when his dad didn’t say anything he gave up. “Forget it,” he told him and went to walk out of the room.
His dad grabbed him and shut the door.
“I was already married to your mother, and you were born. I did it because my parents told me to marry her. I don’t know what happened along the way, but we went from completely earning our keep to marrying into more and more money. It’s why the Shaw name is as powerful as it is today. Natasha Glass was the first and only nanny we employed for you.”
Richard stood and waited.
“She was so beautiful and happy all the time. You were always happy. She used to sing and cook. I found I enjoyed coming home and got distracted at work easily thinking about her. I fell in love with her within weeks of her being here. The job was a live-in, and one day I walked into her bathroom. She was naked, and I couldn’t turn away.”
His dad was visibly shaking. “My life had turned into visions of her. She told me to get out, and then one night one thing led to another; and we became lovers. Natasha hated it. She hated the fact I was married, but she didn’t want me to divorce your mother. I was stuck. Of course your mum found out and made her life a fucking misery.”
“She lives in a house in the country, and I visit her as regularly as I can.”
“You’re a fucking coward,” Richard said. “To think I believed everything that came out of your mouth. Natasha deserves a man who isn’t afraid to cut the shit and admit he wanted someone much better.”
He charged out of the house without looking back. Moving forward to confess and find the love of his life.
Richard had fucked up once. Scarlet and Harry Hughes were his, and he wouldn’t let them go again.
Chapter Fourteen
“I was wondering if you could tell me where Scarlet Hughes is?” Richard asked the man behind the counter.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
He stood in a hotel reception in another city far away from where he lived. Richard couldn’t believe how easily she’d upped and moved from the area. It broke his heart to think he’d caused her to move so far away. He didn’t like to think of how he’d bribed this information out of John Barnes. Only because Richard had promised to bring her back home did John allow him to know she worked at this fucking hotel. He hated the look of the place on sight. His parents came to eat regularly here. “Look, I know you’re not used to men coming here, but I swear I only want to talk to her.”
“Scarlet Hughes requested for privacy. I can’t give any information about her. I suggest you go and eat a nice, cozy meal. John is a friend of mine.” The man glanced behind him.
Richard frowned at his choice of words. Giving up, he walked into the restaurant and decided to at least drown his sorrows in a whisky bottle.
The maitre d’ found him a seat overlooking the whole room. As he perused the menu the distinct scent of cinnamon overcame him, and he placed the menu down and gazed up at Scarlet.
“What can I get you, sir?” Her voice was still as addictive as ever.
She stopped and stared at him.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“You,” he replied.
“If you’re going to take the mickey then I suggest you leave.” She turned away and as much as he liked looking at that cute ass, he had stuff he wanted to say.
“Where’s Harry?” he asked.
She froze. “What do you care?”
“I care. I care a hell of a lot.” Richard stared out in the crowd and saw his mother and father staring at him. His dad looked impressed as he glanced at Scarlet, and his mother looked like she wanted to stab him.
“Go away,” she said. He caught her wrist and held her steady.
“I’m not letting you go this time.”
“Why?” she whispered.
“Because I love you.” She stopped and turned back. A few of the other couples had stopped what they were doing to stare at the commotion happening at the front of the restaurant.
“Don’t say stuff like that. You don’t need to be here.”
He got down on one knee, his heart open and bleeding for her to see what he was trying to say.
She yanked out of his hold, and Scarlet was walking away from him. Richard couldn’t allow it to happen. He loved her, damn it.
Without thinking he began to sing. Scarlet stopped and turned to stare at him. He was singing a tune she loved to listen to. He knew this. He’d listened to her humming and singing the song, admittedly off key, in the office. The song itself had no meaning whatsoever. But he noticed it grabbed her attention. Security had come around and were tapping him on the shoulder. He sang louder.