And after she had decided to walk out of the relationship, he did not mind . Drake hadn’t come after her. He hadn’t even called her. It seemed to prove how little he cared about her and how their relationship would never lead to marriage.
But then, men like Drake Holt didn’t have to beg. They commanded and people obeyed.Walking into the available rest room on the floor . Luckily there was a mirror , she finally released her emotions as tears flowed down her eyes. This was not the life she wished for as at five years ago , things were not walking well at all. She knew she had to comply with Drake's contract regardless of the content if her father's surgery was successful or not.She would have loved to throw his agreement and his ten million whatsoever back in his face. She would have loved to tear up the money note by note and stuff the pieces down the front of his shirt. But she loved her father more than she hated Drake. Much more. Which was kind of scary because she needed to vehemently hate him in order to keep herself safe. But could she ever be safe from Drake? She raised her chin a fraction, unwilling to let go of her pride. '‘You might think you can cleverly blackmail me back into your life for three months but I will always hate you. Ten million, twenty million—even fifty million—won’t ever change that.’'Now she was beginning to talk to herself like a crazy woman. she felt dangerously close to tears, which annoyed her because she wasn’t a crier. She was a fighter not a crier. She gave as good as she got and never showed her vulnerability. She didn’t like showing her neediness. She fought against her emotional weakness. She’d taught herself from a young age when her mother died in her outstretched arms as if she couldn’t bear to be touched, let alone hugged, by her own child.Sarah turned her head to stare blindly out of the window, vaguely registering people coming and going from the hospital. People going through the various cycles of life: birth, death, illness and recovery, sadness and happiness and hope and loss and everything in between.Sarah wasn’t ready to forgive him. Her hurt was festering, pulsating and throbbing like a reopened wound. Old hurts and new hurts were twisting around each other like rough ropes tied too tightly against wounded flesh.She wiped her tears quickly before she walked out.Sarah turned and stabbed at the lift button but when she looked up at the numbers she could see it was still on the fourth floor. She went to the next lift and, just as she pressed the button, the doors opened and she came face to face with Drake.Just then her eyes caught the reporters.He took her hand and looped her arm through his. His expression was hard to read but the tensile strength in his grip was not. She would have to think twice before trying to outwit him. '‘Our first paparazzi follow up is about to begin,’ he said. ‘'Nice that you could join me for it.’'He said as he spoke to someone on his phoneSarah had no choice but to paint a plastic smile on her face as he swung her to face the press. The back and forth conversation was mostly in Italian so she could only pick up a few words here and there, but it was clear the press were delighted to hear the runaway wife of high profile billionaire furniture designer Drake Holt was back." Did you know about this ?"" No I swear.We can walk away quietly, there is just few of them here ."" okay .""the surgery was successful, the doctor wants him to rest. I need to get some things in the office and get back." Drake led her to where he’d parked his car and silently handed her into it. Sarah knew he was angry but she didn't know why. She could feel it simmering in the air like humidity before a storm. He got in behind the driver’s wheel and gave her a look that would have blistered paint. ‘You might have signed the agreement yet, and told your father you’re back with me and...."" I will comply with it." She blurted out ." I will go to Hawaii and thank you for standing by me ."With that said she felt so relieved for some reason ,now she could at least not have to worry about her dad anymore " drop me somewhere her , I need to get some things in the bodega." She said after a long while of driving ." Okay " he whisperedAs it was lunchtime she really wanted to go for a walk, clear her head, get away from the oppressive atmosphere that imbued her. In her undertaking she had not expected her memories to become so pervading, encroaching on her day, reminding her of her purpose but upsetting her at the same time. Envy bit at her as she watched the carefree people she passed, imagining their happy lives, as tears formed in her eyes.She took a longer than usual lunch, kept walking, tried to clear the things from her mind, seeking distraction and then she remembered...Her friend Eniola Johnson happened to manage a bodega not too far from where she was and talking to her was what she needed at that moment" Thank goodness you are here." Sarah said happily as she ran to hug her friend joyfullyShe needed that hug ,these past few days have been some sort of luggage she needed to offload and now she felt more better." I miss you too, if that's how you say it " Eniola Johnson smiled happily" Enny , my dad is finally leaving the hospital, andddddd I have a job now ." Sarah knew how excited Enny would be and so she wasn't surprised when Enny threw her up in the air like she weigh nothing. They have been friends since five years now and it seems like it been twenty years for them even despite their difference in races ." I will fall ." Sarah said admist laughter“ I am very proud of you, I will just pick my bag now and let go to a club to celebrate this .” she said dropping Sarah“ ohh no I will rather go home”“ you know I won’t take no for .......”“Okay fine , I need to let my neighbor know I won’t be home early.” Sarah smiled as Enny raced off to pick her back briefly her workers in a hurry . ************Even though the bar was thumping with loud music and the crowd was shoulder to shoulder, no one approached Drake Holt.He stood alone, an island of calm in a roiling sea of bodies. It might have been the “fuck off” expression on his face, or the crisp cut of his expensive tailored clothing that told people he didn’t belong in this neighborhood. It could have been because he walked with an arrogant swagger that made men get out of the way and women nudge their girlfriends with interest.None of that mattered. He wasn’t here to socialize.He moved past the bar, down a narrow hall to a back room. A man—tall, head shaven—stood in front of the door there. The guard wore sunglasses despite being indoors, a suit, and an earpiece with a black cord that wound behind his ear and around the back of his neck. His posture becoming alert, the bodyguard watched Drake as he approached.With a practiced ease, Drake swept the second and third fingers of his right hand over his shoulder and then rested them on his biceps in the exact spot where his tattoo lay under his clothing.The man nodded and stepped aside.Drake pushed the door open and strode down the stairs into the basement. Already there was a thick haze of cigar smoke above the large green octagon table set up in the center of the room. A buffet had been set up off to one side and was being ignored. Beer bottles and poker chips littered the table. Ah, Brotherhood night. His favorite night of the week. Drake gave the room a quick once-over. Everyone was here already; he was the last one to arrive. No surprise there.The men seated at the table were roughly the same age. All were clean-cut, fit and wore clothes that spoke of money. They all carried themselves with the confidence that success brought, though in some, the confidence was more swagger than anything.Beside the empty chair held for him sat Brown Brooke the scarred, silent real-estate tycoon, and Drake most trusted friend. Next to him sat Reese Durham, a young, brash man on the cusp of hitting his billion-dollar fortune. Beside him sat Griffin Verdi, English aristocracy and the ‘professor’ of their small group. Then was Jonathan Lyons, owner of Lyon Automotives and notorious adventurer and thrill seeker. At his side was Cade Archer, the philanthropist of their group.The five men barely glanced up from their cards as he entered.“You’re late,” Reese Durham told him, a cigar hanging from his mouth. He examined his cards, face impassive.Drake slipped his jacket off and tossed it into a corner, then moved to the only empty seat at the table. Cade raised a hand in greeting. Drake grasped it and then turned to clap Hunter Buchanan on the back. The man’s scars looked hideous in the dim light of the room.“About time you got here,” Cade said in a pleasant voice. “Reese was just asking about Angel .”Drake frowned, shaking his head as he sat down between the two men. “Angel who?”Reese grinned at him across the table. “You know. Stacked Angel with the big blond hair. I guess you’re not seeing her anymore? You brought her to the Stewart fund-raiser a few months ago.”Had he? Drake couldn’t recall. He hadn’t had a second date with anyone since . . . well, since Lilian .Hadn’t been interested enough and hadn’t made the time. “I don’t recall a Angel ”“So you wouldn’t care if I dated her? I met her at a party the other night and wouldn’t mind seeing her again.”“Care?” Drake snorted. “I can’t even recall her face. She’s all yours.”“Did you know she’s a friend of Lilians?” Reese asked.“Then you’re more than welcome to her,” Drake said, his voice cool. “If she’s a friend of Lilian’s, she can burn in hell for all I care.”“Thought you’d say that,” Reese said cheerfully.“Just do me a favor and don’t bring up Danica again,” Drake said , with his tone friendly but with a touch of warning.The last thing he wanted to do was discuss a money-grubbing gold digger Angel. She was in his past, and he had no intention of dwelling on her.She has behaved like every other woman trying to make him father someelse child before he met her friend Lilian Red .And that grated more than anything.“So what took you so long?” Brown pulled out a stack of chips, glancing over at Drake.A smooth, effortless change of subject. Drake turned to Drake and gave the scarred man a check for his share that evening. Brown added it to the bank and shoved the pile of chips in his direction.“I am getting married ” Drake said. “His tone implied that it was natural but his friends look was more than artificial“ married?” They all screamed at onceThe look Eniola gave Sarah could have shriveled ducks from a mile away. She moved closer to Sarah, and her voice lowered to an angry hiss." You are joking, right?" “I have signed the contract Enny, I seriously can't believe myself either and the last thing I want is a bunch of paparazzi mucking up around me. "Eniola sips her glass of wine slowly with a look that says speechless" Are you really not going to say something?" "That's a potential way to say you are getting married, and the Drake I know is never going to put a ring on any woman ."Well, that explained the growly bear act. Eniola put on her most charming smile. “Congrats, love. Let's just drink for now ,hun?”“You can't let me get drunk, I have to go to the hospital very early tomorrow.”“Now, that would be a shame. I’d have to drink all by myself and wouldn’t find it fun?” Eniola’s smile remained easy despite the menace she was throwing down. “I’d hate to see you drink alone, I will just have a glass or two.”Sarah’s gl
Morning sunlight struck her eyelids, drawing sleep back to the suppressed piece of her brain and effectively awakening her. Slowly, blue orbs were exposed to the dimly lit hotel room, and as they adjusted to the light pouring into them, as well as to the feeling of being cast from the dark recesses of her once sleep-stricken mind, objects in the room began to show up through the faintly blinding sunlight.A dresser was cast across the room sat beside a door she could only faintly remember belonging to a bathroom used to it's full capacity the night before. Set across from the doorway to the bathroom sat a balcony.The curtains connected to the balcony, shielding the sunlight only slightly, blew faintly through the minuscule crack between the glass door and the wall keeping it in place. Like a silk blanket, the warm smell of cinnamon, sex - or rather passion and love mingled together in one wonderful scent - and what almost seemed like...A brief and tired smile struck her lips as she r
" we leave tonight." Drake said to her face immediately she entered his office" You can't just order me around." She flared up with anger" If this is about your dad Sarah,I have everything in control, I want you to go back home and pick few things you consider important.” Sarah gazed at him for a long moment, trying to decide what to do. She hadn’t noticed him look this heartless before. Not only that but he was also inconsiderate.Then, she is so regretting her decisions now." You have something to say?" Is this about last night?"Drake almost lost balance on his chair as he coughed profusely“ Drake can I at least spend some time with my dad?”" I need you to get back home Sarah. We don’t have time , and like I said I have everything in control."Without any other word she walked out immediately with a face that reads regret, she knows him to be heartless but never this worst .Bad Shit, she looked terrible. All woebegone and miserable, and she felt so damn bad that she
But she’d been more than a little exhausted when they had pulled up to the hotel but seeing Brown Brooke walk towards them almost took away her tiredness , she was grateful it had stunned her to turn around and see the man she’d once crush on before she met Drake right at her elbow.He was just as good-looking as she’d remembered, too. Handsome, with that dark hair, chiseled jaw, and those gorgeous eyes she could stare into for hours.He was also shorter than she remembered. That had been disappointing, No one wanted to date a string bean, as she’d been told a million times before. But her dream guy hadn’t commented on her height at all. In fact, he’d kissed her hand, charmed her figurative socks off, and invited her to dinner and then ended things in the room. And now, here she was with less than four hours of sleep, after the trip down here .“ Drake wants me to bring Sarah with me .”“But he just left without me.” Sarah answered sharply as Ashrof muttered something on his pho
Drake’s date was impossible to miss in the busy lobby.A half head shorter than every other woman in the room, she was also the most acutely uncomfortable. Her pretty cheekbones were stained with a red too mottled to be blush, and she kept fidgeting with the impossibly low collar of her short, flimsy dress. The thing was bright red and barely covered her ass, and it was clear that Sarah was uncomfortable as fuck in it.It surprised him to see her in the odd choice of clothing. After all, she’d seemed shy, and from what her friend had said, she was old fashioned. The woman in that dress didn’t look like old fashioned a bit. She looked like she was gunning for cock tonight.Which . . . didn’t make sense. He blinked as her braless breasts swayed as she headed toward him, tugging at the hemline of her tiny blousy dress. She wasn’t exactly dressed appropriately for where they were going, and her shoes were a pair of ugly black heels that made her feet look enormous.He said nothing, th
The boat ride ended far too soon, and they made it to Le Poisson, a ritzy little restaurant near the docks of a neighboring island. Chinese paper lanterns lined the docks and white table clothed tables lined the patio, and there was the faint sound of live music from inside.As they walked into the restaurant, he watched her visibly tense and her hands went to hold her short, floppy skirt down. He’d known that was coming. Le Poisson was a black-tie sort of place and she was wildly underdressed. Still, if she acted like she owned her look, no one would think anything of it. But judging from her hunched shoulders and unhappy expression¸ that was too much to hope for.Drake put a hand to the small of her back in solidarity and guided her forward. “No backing out now.”Sarah looked over at him, startled. “Oh, I wouldn’t. That’d be rude. And I want to be here .” Her smile grew overbright, and he wondered if that was Sarah’s version of flirting. It was awfully toothy. And was money the onl
It was a long fucking boat ride back.Sarah puked all the way from the restaurant back to the boat. She spent the entire ride back to Seaturtle Cay with her head over the railing, violently ill. When they made it back to the island, she was so exhausted from puking that she did little more than curl up in the backseat of the car and dry heave, her head in his lap. And even Drake , who wasn’t the most sympathetic of people even on a good day, felt sorry for her. He stroked her hair while she wept and heaved and generally made a mess wherever she went.By the time they got back to the lobby of the Seaturtle Cay Resort, they were both exhausted. Sarah had fallen asleep and so Drake carried her inside. Her body was long but her form was light, and it was no trouble to haul her up the steps. First stop: the front desk, to get a key for Sarah’s room. He knew the room number, but his date was asleep. If he woke her up to get the card, he suspected the vomiting would start again, and neit
Drake waited until after noon, and then he texted Sarah ’s phone.You dead?Her response came a few minutes later. Feel like it.He laughed. Couldn’t help it. She wasn’t even pretending that she was fine, which was kind of adorable. He decided to skip the texting and called her instead.“Mmmello?” Sarah’s voice was husky, blurred with sleep.“Glad to see you survived last night.” God damn, he sounded cheerful. Regular fucking sunshine right over here.“Surviving is debatable,” she said. “My head feels like it wants to abdicate from the rest of my body.”“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you mix wine with the hard stuff.”“Never again,” she moaned. “Never, ever again.”“Eat some crackers and drink some water,” he told her. “I’d tell you hair of the dog, but I don’t know if your stomach could handle it.”“Crackers. Got it.” She sighed heavily. “Now to find some crackers.”“I’ll have the front desk run some up to you.” Or one of his assistants. “Don’t get out of bed. Just