Page 22 of First Time Rush
Only problem is, the phone was dead when I gave it to her. She hasn't charged it.
"Goddamn it." I slam my fists down on my desk just as the door opens, and Allister steps inside. I notice he’s careful as he does it. He probably doesn't know what to expect anymore.
"Boss." His face is gray. He's been up with me since the fire, working every angle to find my May so I can get her to safety.
I try to keep my tone level. Can't manage it. "What?"
He's been downtown, chatting up some of our friendly bureaucrats and judges. Owning a club puts you in a position where you come across certain information. The kind some husbands wouldn't want their wives to know about. Comes in handy when we need a favor.
"I found him." Allister drops into the chair in front of my desk. "Victor Galletti. Son of Simon Galletti. They own a couple Ferrari dealerships. Some other small-time real estate investments." He waves a dismissive hand. "But they've been managing the Morgan estate since the matriarch died in a car accident years ago. That's where their real money comes from.The Morgans had two daughters, and one of them is named Maribelle."
Maribelle. May. My May.
My flesh crawls, and I want to skin that fucker alive. Slowly. With the dullest knife I own.
"You have an address?"
Allister nods.
"Let's go. Now."
I'm getting my girl.
10
May
Ifeel nothing.
Simon is scribbling on a pad of paper, and Victor is texting someone. As usual.
This office was where my father worked. Walnut panels. Bookcases stuffed with hardbacks. Everything from Plato to Jane Austen. He instilled in us a love of books from the time we could read. Now this room feels foreign. Cold. I just want out.
"It's settled. It may not be the fairytale wedding of your dreams, but it's the way it needs to be." Simon finishes whatever he's writing and looks up. His eyes have as much life as a shark's. "Tomorrow, the judge will come here. We'll have a civil ceremony, and if you like, we can have a toast or a celebratory dinner, whatever, before you head to the airport."
Victor grunts next to me. It's not really a response, and even I know it's not a sound a groom should be making the day before his wedding. Resignation or disgust? I have no idea. I just want to scream.
"As soon as you produce an heir, your half of the estate is freed. Your half will be in the hands of your husband." Simon winks at me, and I want to punch him in his fat nose.
First kiss, first orgasm, first cock — all of them are mine.Deck's voice cuts in. I close my eyes for a second. Open them. Simon's still there.
Somehow, Simon figured out I'd slipped out. Probably has a camera outside our room. I thought I'd planned it perfectly. Down the back terrace stairs, through the unmonitored gate near the service garage.
So now he's decided the wedding needs to happen tomorrow. He asked me a whole bunch of questions about where I went and what I did. He even threatened to have a doctor come and look at me. The way he talked about it, there was something sick in his voice. I felt violated.
Now I understand. I understand everything. Everything they've done, all the ways they've kept us here, under guard. If one of us gets married and produces an heir, the conservatorship's grip slips, and Simon's free. One half of the inheritance will be released, but not to that sister. No. It goes straight to that sister's husband.
Apparently, my going out has them in a panic. Because maybe I've managed to get a baby in my belly in that one night. What they don't know is, the very thought has my girl parts tingling. Imagining Deck's enormous erection aimed right at me. Ready to bury itself inside me and fire.
The irony is, I probably could have done just that if Deck and I had had more time. But it doesn't matter, because Simon's made himself clear. If I don't marry Victor, I'll never see my sister again. I don't know exactly what he means by that. But I believe him.
So here we are.
"Are we done? Because you two are wearing me out with all this frivolous celebration." I tap my toes together as Victor grunts again, and I snap my head around. "Do you know any actual words?"
He looks at me with dead eyes that match Simon's, then right back to his phone.
"Words like yes, no, maybe, would-you-like-fries-with-that? There's a whole alphabet of options."
