Contract of Shame (9 page)

“You’re a little jumpy today,” Richard whispered against her ear.

“Just tired.”

She sipped the coffee she’d requested after the shots and prayed the shakes in her hand would subside enough for her to drink it.

****

Richard stared intently at the woman on his arm, concerned. She looked like a cornered animal. Lily kept glancing his way, and her eyes widened.

Scarlet was supposed to be a fuck. Yet every time he got her near a bed and was inside her body, he couldn’t even contemplate letting her go.

“None of my business about her past.”

“Just so you know, whoever that man is, isn’t a friend of Scarlet. She’s been jumpy since bumping into him, and the fear in her eyes is not fake. He scares her.” Lily took a beer for her husband and left Richard with his confused thoughts. Double dating with his friends was a big fucking mistake.

This contract that was his bright idea was also the biggest mistake of his life. No matter what he did, the contract was underlined in everything. He saw it written in Scarlet’s face as she was near him.

Richard moved back to their table and settled in next to her. He placed an arm around her shoulders and brought her close. The waiter came to take their order. The men had steak while the ladies ordered chicken. It was so refreshing dining with women who weren’t afraid to eat.

“I’m pleased, Scarlet. When I have to dine with Wayne’s business associates and their dates I’m stuck with women who eat celery sticks for a living,” Lily said.

“I think I’ve proven by the size of me I like to eat.” Scarlet smiled, but even Richard noticed it didn’t reach her eyes.

“I don’t care for the food. Once you eat a steak cooked by Lily there is no going back,” Wayne said and smiled at his wife.

Richard gulped down his beer at the love shining between them. He couldn’t do this. He wanted that kind of affection for him and Scarlet. All he could think of was that damned contract. Late at night, when they were both sleeping, he’d wrap his arms around her and bring her close to his body. In those moments when her barriers were down he witnessed the wonderful woman she was. Always a smile and time for him.

“You cook?” Scarlet asked.

“Yes. Every meal time. Apart from when he needs to dine to impress.” Richard could tell Lily really liked her. What would Scarlet say if he banished the contract? Tore it up and made this thing between them real?

“Wow, Scarlet Hughes? I thought I saw you here.” He felt and saw Scarlet tense as an older woman approached. He saw the man behind her and recognised him from earlier.

“Hello, Mrs. Buttons,” Scarlet muttered. The cup she placed back on the saucer rattled.

“It’s been too long.” The woman held out her hand. Scarlet took it, but everything about her reaction seemed off. “And you remember my husband, of course.”

The husband placed a hand on her shoulder, and Scarlet’s hands went to the edge of the table. Her knuckles whitened from the grip she had on the damn thing. There was exposed flesh on her shoulder, and Richard noted the man’s fingers caressing her flesh.

“We haven’t seen or heard a lot from you, but your folks still live in the same—”

“That’s good. Really good. Sorry to be a pain, but do you mind? We’re about to eat dinner, and it’s a special time,” Scarlet stopped the woman and stared forward. Lily looked concerned, and Wayne clearly had already made his judgment on the man. Richard didn’t like it one bit.

“Oh. Okay, sorry to bother you.”

They left, but an uncomfortable silence descended round the group.

“You know, I don’t feel hungry at all. I’m going to go to my room.” Scarlet bounded up, and in the process knocked over her drink into her lap of her pants.

“We need to eat,” Richard said.

“Then eat. I really can’t stomach anything, and I need to call my son.” She batted away a waiter and charged for the elevator. Richard quickly made his excuses to his friends and joined her before the doors closed.

She wouldn’t talk to him, and she stood as far away from him as the lift allowed. A few minutes later they entered the penthouse suite.

“Who was that guy, Scarlet?” he asked as soon as they got into their room. She ignored him and went to the phone.

Richard knew she was calling Harry. Everywhere they went she called her son. He admired her for the devotion, but right now he wanted answers. “Don’t call him.”

Her hands crossed over her chest, and she touched her shoulder where the man downstairs had laid a hand on her. She screamed an ear piercing squeal. Richard jumped and watched her go into a frenzy.

“Why did you force me to wear these fucking clothes? Is this to highlight my whore status to you? To let everyone know you’re buying me for a week?” Each scream brought about a tug and a rip of the clothes he’d bought her.

“I don’t think of you like that,” he said. A lump formed in his throat, and he hated how bitter his world tasted. He’d done that. He had caused Scarlet to think of herself as a whore.

“What then? What more could you possibly want from me?” She collapsed in a heap on the floor. “I want it all to stop,” she sobbed.

The dam had finally burst.

Richard picked her up in his arms and carried her into the bathroom. She fought him a little when he began removing her clothing. He soothed and made sure she knew he was only there to offer comfort.

He ran the bath and put plenty of lavender bubble bath in. Her sobs continued from the corner, and he hated the sound. She sounded so lost and afraid.

Once he seated her in the warm water he didn’t like how distant and vacant she became, and he divested himself of his clothes to sit behind her.

He pulled her back and rested her body against him. Not saying a word they lay in the bath until her tears subsided. Richard was falling in love with this woman. He stared down at her head, and knew in his heart how much she’d come to mean to him. The contract had been a fuck-up on his part. He didn’t like waiting. The act had been nothing more than a child throwing its dummy out of a pushchair because mummy had said no to sweeties.

“That man downstairs is Harry’s father,” she whispered.

A pause and her hands rested on her stomach. He waited for her.

“In high school I was a mess. I looked a little like Opal. Over developed for my age, and the only attention boys gave me was to tease me about my size. Then one day a handsome young teacher came to the school, and he showed me so much respect. I thought I’d fallen in love with him. No other girl held his interest but me.”

Richard’s heart twisted in his chest. Already, from her reaction he knew he wasn’t going to like the ending to this story.

“By the end of term we were sort of dating. We’d hang out, and one day we kissed. So magical, at least I thought at the time. Nothing happened, just a kiss, and I was on cloud nine. Then about six months later his wife came back to town. She’d been away on some training or something. I didn’t know he was married.” Scarlet took a deep breath.

“I ended it. I hadn’t known he was married, and I refused to help a man destroy his marriage vows. That same night when my parents were out I let him in, so we could talk. How fucking stupid was I? We argued; and then I said something, and before I knew what was happening he’d fought me to the floor.” Her tears returned in full. Richard held her, and his heart bled for the young woman she’d been. Nothing more than a child.

“He was your first, and he didn’t take you willingly.” He knew she couldn’t finish the story.

“Nine months later Harry came.”

Richard fisted his hands. The bastard who’d been touching her downstairs had raped his woman. He wanted to find the bastard, cut his balls off and feed them to him, personally. Wait until he found the disgusting piece of shit.

“Don’t think about it,” she whispered.

“What?”

“It won’t do any good. Like he said back then, who’d believe me over a professional teacher? Even now I’d be scorned and called a slut. I’d rather just leave him to his wife and give Harry all of my love.”

Richard held her in his arms and tried with all of his might to tell her how he felt. He was in love with Scarlet Hughes. For the rest of his life he wanted to love and protect and never leave her alone.

“Does that mean when you and I had—”

“Sex?”

“Yes. Does that mean it was your first time?” She nodded. His head was running rampant with so many thoughts. The comment she’d made about no one believing her over a teacher struck a chord with him. In the office before she’d signed the contract hadn’t he said the exact same thing? Richard cursed.

Scarlet didn’t dispute it, and he knew in his heart he’d hurt her more with that comment. In fact, he had probably hurt her as much with the comment on the same level as the contract.

“How did you cope? I’ve heard of women having breakdowns and everything going wrong for them?”

“When it happened I think I just functioned. I didn’t try to think but keep busy. I saw him every day, but made sure I was never alone with him. Did homework, studied, worked my ass off, and I started to feel normal. Like I could forget about it as a bad dream. When I found out I was pregnant with Harry, I couldn’t believe it. I got sucked under by the responsibility, and everything sort of happened at once. I graduated and had Harry at eighteen. I gave birth after I graduated from high school.” She stopped and ran a wet hand over her face. “I don’t know how I did it. Being pregnant and feeling him for the first time and then seeing Harry on the ultrasound was the most amazing thing in the world. I didn’t see him as a result of a horrible act but as my salvation. Every day I look at him I know in my heart, I survived.”

“You really are an amazing woman,” he whispered and kissed her temple.

“Not really.”

Richard held her for the longest time. When the water became too cold to stay, he let the plug out and picked her up in his arms. He loved having her in his arms. His heart broke for the pain she must have been through. No woman should ever be forced to live life afraid and forever looking over her shoulder.

The bastard had blatantly touched his woman. Richard wouldn’t let it slide.

He dried her and carried her through to his bedroom to rest. Richard tucked her in and stroked her hair. “Thank you for telling me.”

He extracted his hand and walked out of the hotel suite. Wayne had booked a room, and he’d been told Tony was currently staying there as well. His other friend hadn’t been able to come to dinner with them at the time. He phoned through to Wayne to make sure Lily wasn’t awake. Richard needed to see and talk to his friends. Half an hour later after checking to make sure Scarlet was still fast asleep, he moved down the hall to where Wayne had booked a room.

Richard swirled the liquid in his glass and thought about the best way to tell his friends. “You know that guy from earlier, the one who stopped by our table?”

“The guy that made Scarlet look terrified?” Wayne asked.

“Yes. I got her to open up to me. You’re not going to like what I’m about to tell you.” Wayne, Richard and Tony despised violence against women. Never would they hurt anyone. He told them everything. How David had charmed her and what happened when she discovered he had a wife. The fact he’d raped her because he didn’t like her refusing him. Once he was done, his two friends looked ready to commit murder.

“The bastard raped an underage woman and then threatened her?” Tony looked livid.

“My god, no wonder she looked frightened. And she’s raised Harry all by herself?” Wayne asked.