Fifty Shades of BDSM Trilogy (13 page)

“What if I told you that I don't want you to
see him tomorrow? Would you go anyway?” Jack's tone stiffened, and
I feared his anger if I told him the truth.

“He didn't come here on business. He came
here to see me. And I can't let him leave without the answers he
came for it.”

“Why not? There's only one answer. You're
mine. You're going to be my wife, and that's the end of it.” Jack
turned away and walked back inside, as cold as ice.

I stood out on the balcony for a while
longer, hugging myself as the tears came down. It felt like
everything Jack and I had worked towards was dashed away in a
matter of minutes.

He had gotten so possessive the second that
he figured out who Liam was. From gripping my waist to this new
declaration, I couldn't help but wonder if this was yet another
side of Jack Kemble. I had never seen him jealous before, but he
obviously was, and I couldn't tell if it was because he thought of
me as a possession or truly the love of his life. If only I could
see inside his head, it would make things so much easier.

Jack was so upset that he didn't even come to
tell me goodbye before he left. I had to listen to the
heart-wrenching sound of his tires screeching as he pulled out of
the driveway to know that he had gone. Perhaps he knew I would hear
it—knew I would take it as another sign of his discontent.

It was a sleepless night leading into a day
of nervousness. Jack avoided me by not even bothering to come to
his parents' house before it was time for Liam to pick me up. I
couldn't tell if I was happy about that or sad. At least, it kept
Liam and Jack from bumping into each other again.

“Are you ready?” Liam asked as I opened the
door to him. He wore an ear to ear grin, which I was sure was all
for show for Jack's parents, doing his best to seem as innocent as
possible, not letting on that he was actually a predator seeking to
steal their son's fiancé.

“As ready as I'll ever be,” I sighed as I
pushed past him.

For a moment, I hesitated to get into the car
with him, in fear that he might keep driving all the way back to
Texas. It was just my paranoia getting the best of me though. Liam
wasn't like that—wasn't that desperate.

“He's very . . . pretty.” Liam grinned to
himself as he started the engine.

“He is,” I admitted, though I somehow knew
that wasn't a compliment.

“I can't help but wonder which one of you
spends more time getting ready in the morning.” Liam struck another
jab.

“He's practically a celebrity. It's important
that he look his best at all times. Maybe you could take some
direction from him.” I smiled playfully, trying not to seem
hostile.

“I rather like my balls,” Liam replied, and
then he was silent until we pulled up to a small café down the
street.

It was the simplest dining experience I had
since coming to New York. There was nothing more complicated on the
menu than a muffuletta sandwich. I decided to stick with trusty old
turkey on wheat. It hadn't done me wrong so far.

We slid into a booth at the far side of the
café, away from other diners. Liam seemed more focused on digging
into his meatball sub than talking, so I followed his lead,
scarfing down my sandwich in preparation for the heated discussion
to come. Although my stomach was twisted in knots, I surprisingly
hadn't lost my appetite. I had never been uncomfortable eating
around Liam though, no matter what the circumstance.

“So you're really going to marry that
princess?” Liam asked after he had finished his sandwich.

“I'd really wish you'd quit demasculinizing
him.”

“I don't have to demasculize him. He does it
to himself.” Liam smirked.

“Like you're the personification of
manliness?” I glared at him.

“One of my biceps is bigger than his entire
torso.” Liam pointed, as if I needed a visual reference.

“That doesn't make you manlier.” I couldn't
help but laugh at his ridiculous pride for being ripped.

“My cock is probably bigger too.”

“Liam!” I gasped.

“Well,” he paused, “want to compare?”

“Oh my God, shut up.” I burst out
laughing.

“It's good to see you smile,” he said,
returning to a serious demeanor, and my heart melted. For as much
of a dick as he was being, I knew that his intentions were
innocent.

We fell into silence, and I could sense all
the things he wanted to say but was too scared to.

“How's your family?” I asked, trying to break
the tension.

“Good. They're good.” He nodded.

“You didn't come here on business, did
you?”

“I actually did,” he replied, and my heart
sank with sudden unmerited disappointment. Perhaps Liam was just
here for a friendly visit after all, and all the tension between
Jack and I had been pointless.

“Well, I'm glad you stopped by to see me,” I
told him, though I wasn't sure if it was a lie or not.

“I couldn't possibly come to New York without
seeing you, especially when I wasn't sure if you were alright or
not.”

“I told you that I was.”

“And then you didn't return my calls or text
messages.”

Oh no, I was about to get lectured. “Things
were complicated,” I said, trying to avoid a fight.

“Things were complicated when you had me pick
you up from the airport too. If they're still complicated, then you
should come back with me once I'm done with my business here.”

“Jack and I have been working things
out.”

“In his dungeon?”

My cheeks flushed at the mention of it. If
Liam only knew all the dirty things I had done in Jack's dungeon.
The thought sent a hungry shiver down below.

“That's none of your business,” I answered
finally.

“It became my business when I picked you up
from the airport—when you wound up in my bed.”

My breath hitched, and I quickly looked
around the cafe to make sure that no one had heard him.

“You will never mention that again.” I glared
at him seriously. “That was a mistake. I should have never done
that.”

“Was kissing me a mistake too? Some whim of
overwhelming feminine emotion?”

“You're not being fair.”

“I'm being more than fair.” The muscles in
Liam's face tensed, and I knew that he was getting upset. “You're
the one who isn't being fair. You can't just run into my arms and
then leave me and not so much as return a phone call.”

“I'm sorry, Liam. You don't understand the
position that I'm in.”

“Oh, I understand it perfectly. You're in an
arranged marriage that you're not happy with. You're about to sell
off your entire life so that your greedy fucking family can get
even more money that they don't need. They're selling you off to
that pretentious prat like some expensive whore.”

“You are out of line,” I raised my voice,
taken back by the harshness of his words.

“You don't love that guy. I can see it in
your eyes.”

Could he see it, I wondered, and it instantly
made me doubt my feelings for Jack. Liam knew everything about me.
He would know if my eyes were lying. But he could also just be
saying that to gain an advantage.

“Come home with me, Melita,” Liam continued.
“You're supposed to be my wife, not his. We both know that. I've
made you happy for almost twenty years. I promise I can continue to
make you happy for as many years as either one of us has left.”

My mind was racing with so many things that I
couldn't even think to react when Liam dropped onto one knee in
front of me. The entire café stared as he pulled a small black box
from his pocket and opened it up to show me the glittering diamond
ring inside.

“Melita Nguyen, will you marry me?” Liam
asked, and I nearly choked on my own spit as I looked down upon
him. This wasn't happening—couldn't be happening. Not here. Not
now.

“No.” I shook my head and then had to stomach
the disappointment in his eyes.

Almost as suddenly as he had knelt before me,
Liam pulled himself up into the booth, the little black box
disappearing back into his pocket as if it had all been a
dream.

“You know it's not that simple,” I told
him.

“It could have been.” Liam shrugged, avoiding
my eyes.

“Why are you making this so hard on me?” I
buried my face in my hands, unable to look at him any longer.

“Because I love you more than any man ever
has, and more than any man ever will,” His voice was surprisingly
calm for having just been rejected.

“I need you to take me back,” I said,
ignoring his romantic words.

“Fine.”

The trip back to Jack's parents' mansion was
riddled with silence. Liam didn't even look at me as he pulled a
card out of his wallet and handed it to me. “This is where I'll be
staying until Wednesday. Give me a call if you change your
mind.”

I watched him pull down their driveway,
wondering if I would ever see him again. My response to his
proposal had been firm, and I would not be changing my mind. Still,
there was an aching in my heart with the knowledge that if I stuck
to my decision, our friendship would be over. I knew that Liam was
tired of me dragging him along. This was his final stand.

When Jack returned to his parents' mansion
for the social gathering in the afternoon, the tension hadn't faded
one bit between us. The ride over was painfully silent as he
ignored me in lieu of listening to the radio. At the event, I felt
alienated even further. Jack's mother showed me off to everyone
while Jack mingled with the crowd. I couldn't think of a time when
I ever felt so alone in a room full of people.

I was surprised when we didn't follow his
parents home afterward. Instead, Jack drove straight to his
mansion. I stared at the towering walls as the Lamborghini pulled
to a stop and Jack got out of the driver's side to come open my
door.

“Thank you,” my voice was soft and
unsure.

Jack shed his clothing as he walked towards
the dungeon, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for me to follow. I
could only assume that was what Jack wanted—for me to follow
him.

Once inside, he turned to look at me. “Get
undressed,” his tone was icy.

It was the first time I felt uncomfortable
disrobing in front of Jack. What Liam had said about me being an
expensive whore played in my mind as the sleeves of my gown slid
over my shoulders and onto the floor. Jack was looking at me as an
object, something that he could own and dominate, not like a
person. The knot in my stomach grew.

“I sent him away,” I whispered, trying to
knock some of the tension out of the air.

“Don't speak unless you're spoken to,” He
ordered in a more authoritative manner than I had ever heard
before.

Displeased with how slowly I was undressing,
Jack came to me, practically ripping my clothing off in jerking
motions. For the first time, I was frightened of him. There was no
gentleness in his touch, no kindness to his words, only anger.

“Jack, please calm down,” I begged.

He grabbed one of my nipples, twisting it to
the point that I let out a cry of pain. Then he tangled his fingers
in my hair, pulling me to him so that his face was only inches
away. “If you're going to keep being disobedient, then I'm going to
have to punish you.” Jack threw me to the floor, and I gasped as my
fear of him grew ten fold. “You knew I didn't want you to go with
him, but you went anyway.”

“I told you I had to go,” I turned back to
him with venom on my lips.

He pulled me to my feet, shaking me before I
had even gained my footing. “Do you want this to work, Melita? Do
you?”

Slap! It had happened so fast that I could
hardly believe my own actions. In an instant, I was gathering up my
clothes and running out the door, leaving Jack standing there
holding his face in shock.

I locked myself in the guest bathroom,
pulling my dress back on while I dialed Liam's cell number. Fear
and adrenaline coursed through my veins as I put on only what I
needed to make it out of the house without getting a public
indecency violation. No bra. No underwear. Just the dress.

“Come get me, now!” I told Liam. Then I
rattled off the address and hung up, wanting to get out of Jack's
mansion as quickly as possible.

When I opened the door, my breath hitched as
I saw Jack standing there, his eyes full of remorse. “Melita, I'm
sorry.”

I brushed past him, heading down the hall
towards the front door. Jack gave chase, but he didn't lay a hand
on me.

“I got a bit out of control. I was angry. I'm
sorry. Please forgive me,” he begged.

There was nothing left to say. Whether he had
acted out of anger or just gotten too far into his dominant
character, I didn't care.

“Melita, stop,” Jack commanded, but I wasn't
listening.

Goodbye, Jack.” I turned to him for a moment
before disappearing out the front door. Thankfully, he didn't
follow me, perhaps realizing that I needed space to think.

I walked barefoot to the end of the driveway
to wait for Liam, wondering if Jack realized the grave mistake he
had just made. His foolish actions had once more pushed me into
Liam's arms, and this time, I wasn't sure if I would return to
him.

Liam had a concerned look on his face as I
stepped into his rental car. I must have looked a mess, I realized,
thinking about how my dress was ripped and my hair was tangled from
Jack's rough actions.

“Did he hurt you?” were the first words from
Liam's mouth.

“No.”

“Because if he did, I'll go beat his
pretentious ass into a bloody pump. I don't give a shit who he
thinks he is.”

“Just drive,” I told him, trying to keep the
tears at bay.

We pulled into the parking lot of the
Broadway Hotel, and Liam escorted me up to his room where he sat me
down on the queen-size bed, sitting beside me and taking my hand
into his. “Now, tell me what happened.”