COVET: Deceptive Desires (12 page)

It was dark; she let the tears fall freely. Closing her eyes, Raven made a wish.
No matter what tomorrow brings–Charlene…Grandpa–please let me always have Liam…
She blew out the candle.

CHAPTER 18

“I’ve been stood up. I just can’t believe…yes! Sybille said her precious baby girl was sick, whatever!” Elise spat into the phone, complaining about a cancelled spa trip. She sipped espresso the butler handed her and watched as he walked away with her Louis Vuitton canvas luggage. Her lips pressed into a line as she thought about the new swimsuit she’d planned to wear, not to mention the stress that should’ve melted after a month away.

She let her friend’s words sooth her ranting. “…Yes, let’s go shopping and talk about the Brinton Museum Gala that we’re hosting at the end of summer. Hold on—” Elise stopped, noticing the maid smiling at her in the archway of the living room. “
What
?”

“I found the most beautiful poems in the world. You should keep these dear to your heart, not in the attic.” Lucinda held the pages to her own chest as if she treasured each word.

The love seeping from Lucinda made Elise want to roll her eyes. Smiling instead, she knew the special plans that she’d one day have for this naïve, eager-to-please girl. Having mastered the art of manipulating maids at a tender age, Elise knew that servants who
thought
they were important were more devoted than maids who
knew
the truth. Pathetic. They were like mangy dogs barking for a bone. Every once in a while, she relented, tossed a “doggy biscuit,” and that maid radiated loyalty. Right now, Elise needed a loyal maid.

Speaking low into the receiver, Elise said, “I’ll have to call you back.” She pressed the “off” button before her friend had a chance to respond.

Once a month, Lucinda dusted and polished the antiques that had been sent by Papa during his travels. Any destination for Pierre spurted a search for heirlooms and antiques. For the life of her, Elise was unable to persuade him to stop shipping her old junk!
What were old love letters doing in the attic?
She thought back to when she and Jonathan had moved into the brand-new mansion. He’d kept these letters and hid them in the attic?

 Elise lengthened her swan-like neck, turned to the maid, providing her full attention. Lucinda was much like herself when she was younger;
always looking for love
. At first, Lucinda gave a look of trepidation. Their usual relationship consisted of Elise’s
commands and Lucinda’s quick reaction. Just to nudge her in the right direction, Elise gave the maid a peep of her pearly whites. Like magic, Lucinda began to jabber.

Wow! She’s chatty
. Elise held in her annoyance.

“…I didn’t know your husband wrote such…such art, Mrs. Delacroix Lemaître. I just wanted to cheer you up since you won’t be going on your trip.” Lucinda beamed, starry-eyed.

“Why, thank you, dear.” Elise smiled and took the poetry. Love letters that she’d never seen. She wouldn’t admit that the letters were for Charlene Shaw. Owning the fact would put her on the same level as Lucinda–just for a moment, though–without power.

 Lucinda’s eyes were on her, pleading for appreciation for the “good” deed. A frown almost took over.
I don’t need you yet!
It wasn’t necessary to be nice to the maid, but she felt that Lucinda would serve a purpose soon, so she had to put away her feelings of annoyance. With a shaky grin, she said, “That is all.”

The maid gave a satisfied smile, as if acknowledging Elise’s soft side. Cold as ice, Elise read each line. She imagined herself being the recipient. Jonathan hadn’t been that affectionate since Liam was born, and then it was merely the hunger of pure sexual appeal.
For years, he had kept these letters!

~~~

The Lemaître’s state-of-the-art kitchen was every private chef’s dream, with stainless steel appliances, mosaic tile in natural tones, and barrel-vaulted ceilings. Jonathan sat in the kitchen, analyzing transcripts for a case. He scented Elise’s strong perfume. It was from her mother, Estella’s, line of perfumes. It actually smelled great, if his wife didn’t bathe in it.

He turned toward the arched entryway. A mauve silk robe was tied around her thin body, blonde hair hidden underneath a matching scarf. She held a thin stack of papers in her right hand and returned his stare.

Hand on slender hip, Elise spat, “Good morning, dear. Late night at work, again?”

 “Yes. I’m preparing for a settlement this afternoon. We’ll go to dinner and celebrate later?” Jonathan stood, tried to give his wife a kiss on the cheek, but she turned her head.

 “Still keeping love letters for Charlene?” Elise slapped the papers onto the marble countertop.

“Where did you find those?” Jonathan looked at them as if another person had written them. That was a long time ago. If he was correct, a poem should’ve
surprised
Charlene about his acceptance to USC and a promise to run away together was amongst the papers.

“The maid found them in the attic. Silly girl thought they were for me. Obviously not.”

The eyes never lied. The heiress’s eyes were a covetous shade of green. Oh, how she loathed the man but loved to fuck him, on occasion.

“Elise, those are old. Not to mention, I haven’t seen Charlene in over eighteen years.”

“You’ve written so many letters for that whore. You’ve
never
written me
anything
!”

 “Don’t call her that. Don’t you dare!”

Elise flinched. Jonathan was certain she was afraid of the look in his eyes. She stopped arguing as Jonathan tightened his fingers by his side. She backed against the center island.

“Elise, I bet you don’t feel invincible, like the daughter of a billionaire that gets
everything
she wants, at least not at the moment,” Jonathan whispered, stepping closer to her, flexing and releasing his hands that itched to be wrapped around his wife’s tiny throat.

~~~

“Want to come in?” Liam pulled his keys out of the engine in front of his parents’ mansion.

Raven sat in the passenger seat, wringing her fingers. They were at the brink of locating her mother. She glanced at the airline tickets on the dashboard and shook her head.

“I’ll be back in a minute.” Liam shut the door.

He hurried past the lotus water fountain, ascended the steps to the towering front doors, and let himself in. Hearing his parents bickering in the kitchen, he tiptoed up the right side of the double staircase toward his childhood room. Opening the custom drawer of the now-empty aquarium, he put his arm inside until he felt a wad of cash hidden behind an old container of fish food. Sneezing from the dust, he put the money in his wallet as he walked to the door.

Heading down the stairs, Liam heard the level of his parents’ argument escalating. He tried to ignore them, but could have sworn he heard them mention Raven’s name…and then again. As quiet as could be, Liam ambled down the hallway. He stopped just outside the entryway to listen. His mother ceased her usual screaming, making hearing her a difficult feat.

“You still care about her, don’t you?” Elise’s voice was shaky.

 “I love you, Elise. Charlene is gone! Get her out of your mouth. Get her out of that sick fucking brain of yours.”

Liam almost walked into the room to confront his parents and to clear up his confusion of what his father meant about caring for Raven’s mom. His heartbeat quickened, and he had to will himself to keep breathing as his mother yelled a reply that set fire to the love he felt for his Raven.

“Bullshit, and what about Raven–your
daughter
!”

Tiny, imaginary insects engulfed his body as Liam hurried outside. He gripped the handrail that led down the extended terrace. His legs wobbled as he neared the marble fountain. Leaning over, he threw up into the turquoise water. Moments later, he looked toward Raven in the car on the other side of the fountain. She had her head laid back in the headrest.

He sat on the ground for a few minutes, willing the coiling of his abdomen to subside. The girl that he loved was his
half
-
sister
. Head in his hands, Liam prayed to the Lord.
Don’t let it be…

Finally, he understood his mother’s intentions. Elise had tried to prevent him from the heartbreak of being
in love
with the love child of his father. Sending him to Paris all those years ago, after seeing him kissing Raven, had been for a reason. Raven was supposed to be untouchable.

Liam stood up, no longer as comfortable as he had been when he first put on his most expensive pair of shoes. Taking a few cleansing breaths, he got in the car. The sound of the flow masters was dimmed in his mind as he turned the key in the ignition.

“Hey, babe, are you ready?” Raven opened her eyes when he started down the hill. She yawned. “I don’t know why I’ve been so sleepy for these past couple of weeks, but I’ll try to be better company. I promise.” She leaned over and touched his hand on the gear.

If he hadn’t been watching her from the corner of his eyes, he wouldn’t have known it, didn’t feel the stroke.

 “Yeah.” He tuned out her voice, thinking about the hotel Villa Milan in Santa Monica. After all the fun they had at the beach yesterday, he didn’t want it to end, and took the opportunity to reserve one of the most expensive, romantic hotels. The travel agent said that the suite had sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and it would be perfect,
romantic
.

Postponing the inevitable had just become the demise of everything he ever loved. He needed time to think, time to determine how to tell Raven exactly who she was.

CHAPTER 19

Raven exited the plane tunnel at the Los Angeles International Airport. She quickened her pace, mirroring the other people. This was far from Bellwood, North Carolina. Looking around at the various restaurants and gift shops, she wondered at these
prices
, who would wait until they got to LAX to buy a gift? Her pace slowed, and a man in a three-piece suit, sunglasses, and a cell phone glued to his ear bumped into her. She was horrified that he kept a lengthy stride, not stopping to apologize.

Raven hurried to catch up with Liam. He was acting odd. Very quiet on the plane, and now as they traveled toward baggage claim, he had kept a distance.

~~~

In the suite, the windows were open to an amazing view of colors as the sky began to fade to night. Raven pointed to the Santa Monica Pier off in the distance. “That place looks fun. We should go!”

She ran to Liam as he set down the luggage just inside the door, kissing his cheeks. “Thank you! This place is beautiful!” When he didn’t reply, she assumed he was tired.

Like a busy bee, she flitted around. Going into the bathroom, she shouted that the towels were an inch thick. She snort-laughed at a baby elephant-shaped face towel on the marble counter. “Hey, the tub is like a Jacuzzi!” She ran out of the bathroom and fell back onto the pillow-top mattress of the Cal king bed. Her body sank into the mattress and rolled side to side.
Wow, Charlene must have been in love with this place!
The palm trees, the ocean, the people. The jam-packed drive down Hollywood Boulevard. This beat lazy ol’ Bellwood. She grabbed one of the chocolates on the white pillows. Eyes closed, she let the sweet taste calm her anxiety, while Liam disappeared into the bathroom.

“Are you hungry?” Liam asked.

Opening her eyes, she wasn’t aware he was standing near, watching her. How long had he been there?

“You must like what you see. Come here. I
am
hungry,” Raven looked at him up and down, licking her lips. She reached for his T-shirt, wanting him to straddle her on the bed, but Liam sidestepped her.

“Let’s go see what this place has to offer. I’m starving.” Liam patted his flat stomach.

 “Okay,” Raven mumbled.
I’m supposed to be the one that’s nervous about talking to my mom tomorrow.
He was always guiding her and helping her, but today he was cold. “Let me call Granny and let her know I’ve made it,” Raven added as Liam walked out of the bedroom.

Pulling out her cell phone, she speed dialed Annette, grateful that the call zipped straight to voicemail, just as it had earlier when she revealed that she was on her way to L.A. “Hey, I made it. Tomorrow we’re going to find Charlene. Love you, Granny.” Raven felt hesitant as she pressed the end-call button. How was Annette doing? Most importantly, how was Grandpa Otis?

~~~

The allure that Los Angeles had when she arrived had diminished. Either that, or Liam hated the place. During dinner, Raven kept the conversation going for most of the night. She asked him if he was okay, tried to comfort him even though she was the one who needed comforting. Then she stopped talking, too.

Back at the hotel, Raven took a hot shower. Alone. Then she slipped on the cream-colored Egyptian cotton robe with the hotel’s initials scrawled on the front left in gold script. She flipped the defogger switch and watched as her reflection came into view. Her butterscotch skin was flawless, azure gems for eyes, a perfectly contoured nose, plush pink lips. Long raven hair.
What the fuck is wrong with me?

Liam was being so distant since the plane ride. Come to think of it, ever since they drove away from his parents’ home that morning. Maybe his mother had said something about her when he went into the house? Maybe Liam was coming around to Elise’s way of thinking? Maybe he didn’t want a poor girlfriend anymore? Maybe status was beginning to be important? Something was definitely wrong.

She twirled her hair at the nape of her neck and tied it with a rubber band. Opening the door, soft snores from Liam caused her heart to deflate. She slid underneath the feathery comforter onto the cool linen, cuddling him from behind. She wrapped one arm over his waist and shook him slightly. He didn’t respond, and she felt like smacking that groove in the back of his head. Instead, she closed her eyes and spent half the night trying to fall asleep.