Monster (3 page)

“Get up,” the quietly voiced command was uttered against her ear, shocking Eden. He didn’t give her the option of refusing, and in the deafening silence of the room, she could hear the rapid cadence of her heart. Eden rose shakily to her feet, but he did not lead her away as she’d hoped he would. “Your knees.” The deadly calm of his voice belied the surge of emotions rampaging through him. Dominic needed to reestablish control. Right the fuck now. He needed to show his little wife exactly where she fitted on his payroll.

Large, beautiful eyes that could beguile him so effortlessly blinked bemusedly at him. “Wh...what?”

“Get on your knees.” There was no mistaking the directness of his voice this time and something sinister in him smiled when she jumped to obey. Jealousy was a petty emotion, but Dominic gave into it wholeheartedly, he allowed it to consume him as it festered uninhibited in his chest, growing larger. She was his! Like a child with a toy who refused to share, Dominic allowed other men to look, but touching her, fucking her, was his right. That privilege belonged only to him. Paddling now in the cesspool of his rage, Dominic wanted to make her suffer for daring to forget exactly who it was she belonged to.

There was the slightest moment of hesitation where Dominic believed she would refuse him, but she thrust her head up slightly as though resolving herself to this situation, ready for anything he would throw at her. When she fell to her knees and raised her long, dark lashes to deliberately meet his hardened gaze, the devil in Dominic welcomed her to his den of inequity.

He loomed over her and looked down with a keen, shrewd stare. He threaded his fingers through the slightly curled tresses, fingering the silky strands before anchoring his hand in the warmth. He cupped her face, caressing her cheek while his thumb indolently traced her bottom lip. “Cock sucking lips,” he mused, almost quietly to himself. His gaze roved over her upturned face, but the veil of her lashes hid those beautiful eyes from him. “Look at me, pet.”

Her eyes fluttered up. “That’s a good, girl,” he murmured, his smile without humor. Dominic released himself from his trousers with his free hand. “Show Bruce and Brandon how good you are at sucking cock, my sweet.” He pulled her head to his throbbing erection until the head of his straining cock bumped and slid across her sensuous, soft pink lips, leaving a slick trail that she instantly lapped.

She opened her mouth wider in blatant invitation and Dominic slid into the wet, welcoming heat. He felt her tongue on the underside of his cock, stroking expertly against the long vein while he dove in deeper. When he nudged against the back of her throat, she relaxed her jaw further to accommodate his girth. Dominic released the grip in her hair and instead trailed the hand to the nape of her neck until he was buried in the tight sheath of Eden’s throat.

He closed his eyes against the image of her sucking hard on his cock, her cheeks hollowing in the attempt to give him release. His hips began to thrust on their own accord, intensifying that burning pressure to find release. He felt the vibrations of her moans at the base of his spine and his thrusts took on a sporadic rhythm. He felt himself swell, his cock growing heavier, but Dominic would not come in her mouth, instead he withdrew and worked himself with his left hand and spraying her with his release. It was another mark of ownership, his come sullying her beautiful face. She turned her face up, cheeks ablaze with cooling passion, and lips glistening from her own saliva and Dominic’s orgasm. She looked debauched.

He dug his hand in her hair and tugged her head up. “Be very careful, pet, not to underestimate the extent of my generosity.” He bent down so that he was inches away from her face, his cold green eyes piercing her. “Now, go clean my come off your face and wait for me like a good little wife, hmm?” When she refused to answer, he gave her head a tug.

“I hate you,” she said venomously and he smirked.

“Well, then it’s a good thing I didn’t marry you for love.” He shoved her away from him. “Get the hell out of my sight, Eden.”

She shoved passed him and Dominic laughed at her hasty retreat. He tucked himself back into his trousers, ambled to the bar in the corner, and poured himself a generous amount of scotch. He turned to the two men and raised his glass. “I hope you enjoyed the show, gentlemen.”

Bruce Barrett regarded the diminutive woman seated across from him with keen eyes. He had to admire her tenacity; it took guts to blackmail someone of his position and a cunningness he hadn’t realized she possessed. He’d completely underestimated her upon their initial meeting. He had believed, like everyone else in their circle, that she was nothing more than Dominic’s beautiful little toy, a toy Bruce had wanted to play with, but she’d quickly disabused him of that idea. Beneath those mesmeric honey gold eyes, and curves that were a temptation to any man, lay a conniving mind that was capable of many things. Bruce had a wife and kids and was also the mayor of Langston who had higher political aspirations.

It would be safe to say that if the press ever discovered his philandering ways, it would be quite detrimental not only to his political career, but his marriage as well. He hadn’t known until it was too late, too enraptured by the idea of a ménage à
trois to pay close attention. The presidential suite at the Piedmont was known for their discretion, and with the many times he’d been there, and the amount of money he’d spent, they were prone to turning a blind eye whenever Bruce came around while accommodating his every wish. The three women had been stunning, and with the abundance of alcohol and drugs, Bruce had been completely out of his mind with delirium. They’d recorded every sordid act, and Eden had been the mastermind behind it. It took her a week before she came to Bruce with the evidence of this current affair. She’d wanted his help and his full cooperation, in return she would keep his name out of the press and give him the micro SD card once she’d received the necessary assistance from him.

That was only a few months ago, and in that time, Bruce had done everything she’d asked without question. There was too much at stake for him to do otherwise. So far, all she’d had him do was trade the countless jewelries Dominic had given her over the years for some cold hard cash. She was smart enough not to pawn it herself, but getting Bruce to do it would not arouse any suspicion, especially from her husband. Nearly ninety thousand dollars he knew she had in her possession. He’d had his guy get her nearly exactly what it had originally cost. The fact that Dominic had no idea she was squirreling away this money was quite impressive considering the short leash he had on her. Bruce could only imagine his best friend’s wrath when he discovered her plans and Bruce’s involvement in aiding her. Dom would kill them both.

He should’ve gone to Dominic months ago, but the risk had been too high, it was still too high. He could very well call her bluff, but she was desperate now. Last month’s episode in Dominic’s office had undoubtedly pushed her over the edge. He could practically smell the desperation on her now. He watched as she emptied the contents of her bag on the glass coffee table between them. There wasn’t as much this time: a diamond encrusted ring, a ruby bracelet, and an emerald necklace. She had on those overlarge sunglasses, the ones that practically hid her whole face from the world.

“You have to get me the money by tomorrow,” she said quietly.

He scoffed. “How do you suppose I do that? It takes at least a week to—”

“Tomorrow, Bruce,” she pressed firmly, looking at him through those dark shades. “I also need you to arrange a flight for me.”

This was new. Bruce perked up a little realizing that this could be it. She was making a move, readying herself to leave Dominic. “Where to?”

“Italy.”

“And the SD card?”

“It’s safe and you’ll get it once I’m on the plane.”

“What’s to stop me from telling him where you are?”

The corners of her mouth turned up. “The death of your political career and a very expensive divorce. I’m not trying to hurt you, Bruce. I just want to get the fuck away from your sick best friend.”

“He’s going to find you.”

She stood. “I’m good at hiding.” Ambling to the front entrance, she turned. “You’ve been really good so far, Bruce, don’t do anything stupid. I want my money and my flight booked tomorrow.”

* * *

She’d wanted to wait a little longer, save a little more, and finalize her plans, but her homage to the porcelain throne just this morning alone proved that time was no longer on her side, and she needed to act now if she had any chance of pulling this off. The opportunity presented itself the week of his absence; the business trip overseas gave her a small window to act. Bruce had given her the money along with the plane ticket and with the nice little nest egg she’d stashed away, Eden had more than enough to live comfortably for a while. That was all she needed anyway; she could find a job when she settled down. She waited until the very last minute, beneath the veil of darkness when the mansion was dead quiet, Eden snuck out, taking with her only the clothes on her back and the money in her bag.
She’d left her wedding ring on his pillow, refusing to take any more than was necessary. She hopped in the green, beat up Camry waiting for her just around the bend.

“Anyone see you?”

Eden shook her head as she tugged the seatbelt across her body and clicked it in place. “I don’t think so.” She hoped not. Everything she’d worked for, the humiliation she’d endured, would’ve all been for nothing if anyone alerted Dominic of her escape. She needed to be at least five steps ahead of him before he found out.

“Man, I would hate leaving all of that behind.” Jenna was looking at the disappearing mansion through the rearview mirror. To her, Eden was being stupid, reckless, leaving all of the material trappings because she couldn’t deal with a little roughness in her marriage. Jenna was a ride or die chick; she was the sort to stand by her man, regardless of what occurred. Hell, she’d been with Asshole Alex since she’d been sixteen, despite the fact he occasionally treated her like a punching bag. Eden had met the pair at the club. Alex had been one of the bouncers and Jenna had been the one to show Eden the ropes. They’d formed a friendship of sorts after that, although with her marriage to Dominic, they hadn’t spoken much. But Jenna was good people. Eden trusted her in spite of her skewed opinion. She’d been instrumental in getting Eden this far, and she’d promised to do anything she could to help her further along. Eden was counting on that. Rifling through her bag she found the ticket that Bruce had booked for her. “Everything you need is in there.”

Jenna hesitantly reached for the ticket. “You sure about this?”

Eden nodded. “I need him to believe that I’m the one who got on that flight. It’ll give me a head start.”

“Damn… Italy.” Eden could hear the blond woman’s grin and was silently glad to have made Jenna happy with this small gesture. “Alex is going to shit bricks.”

“You can’t tell him…”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. Can’t tell him where the tickets came from. Don’t worry, babe. I’ll come up with something.” She turned to look at Eden, her coffee brown eyes bright with concern. “What are you going to do? Do you know where you’re going?”

Eden reached over to pat Jenna’s thigh reassuringly. “Don’t worry about me; I always land on my feet. It’s better if you don’t know where I’m going, that way if he ever asks you, you won’t have to lie.”

She couldn’t give away her trump card, regardless of how much she trusted Jenna. Dominic had ways of getting to people, making them do things they didn’t want to do. Eden needed to keep Jenna in the dark about her location, not only for her own protection, but for Eden’s peace of mind. This was all happening too quick; she’d given herself a deadline and was a year too early, but she couldn’t turn back now.

Unconsciously her hand settled on her abdomen. She couldn’t feel anything, it was still flat, still unnoticeable, but all the same she knew that life grew there. There was a tiny little creature thriving just beneath the layers of clothes and skin. Her heart thudded against her chest at the thought. She was going to be someone’s mother. She remembered the visit to her OB just two weeks ago. It’d been a regular checkup, nothing unusual, but then a few days later, she’d received a call from Dr. Carlson’s office, asking her to return for a follow-up. She’d been just a day shy of eight weeks, and Eden had gotten sick right then and there from the shocking news. She’d been sent home with prenatal vitamins and lollipop to settle her stomach.

In the days following, she’d contemplated long and hard on whether to tell Dominic of his impending fatherhood, but Eden had already known what his answer would be. That was the main reason why she’d enacted her plan this early. Dominic had never wanted children. He’d told her as much on the day he’d married her and had repeated it often over the last four years of their marriage. He would tell her to get rid of it—in those exact words, in that cold and detached voice that Eden had come to despise—and would arrange for her to have it taken care it. Getting pregnant didn’t fit into his sadistic agenda, because how could he possibly abuse her, humiliate her and parade her around like a prized show bitch when she was growing fat with child? Eden scoffed to herself; pregnancy wasn’t even a thought to Dominic. But it was reality to her now. Fear was a real thing, the idea that she now had someone else to consider, someone that would inevitably rely on her for everything, frightened her like nothing else.

“We’re here.” Eden looked out of the passenger window, and sure enough they were already at the Langston Transportation Authority station. She took a deep breath; there was no turning back now. She’d resolved to put her past with Dominic behind her and although the uncertainty of her future seemed utterly daunting at this point, Eden needed to rise to the challenge. Not just for herself but for the baby that would arrive in just a few short months. She gave Jenna a hug that lasted a beat too long, and when she pulled away, it was with a watery smile. “Thank you, Jenna.”

“God, Eden, take care of yourself, okay?”

Eden could only nod before drawing away and heading inside the station. She stood for a moment to peer at the large travel board high up in the rafters, finding her destination she ambled to the service window, and with Dominic’s card, she bought a ticket to New York and one to New Orleans. The third ticket she purchased with cash. She gave away her first two tickets and the third she kept with her. An
hour later, Eden boarded the passenger train headed to Amesbury, only a few hours out of Boston and settled in for the three hour ride. Sometimes the best place to hide was in the most obvious. He wouldn’t look for her this close to home.

* * *

She was looking at perfection. Ten perfect, pink little toes. Ten perfect, pink little fingers. Two perfect eyes. One perfect button nose. Liam Bennett Mercer, born exactly two months ago today, was his mother’s pride and joy. He cooed a little, his fingers balling into small fists, his face scrunching in what was the beginning of a tantrum, but just before he could release that heartbreaking wail, his mother cradled him close to her overlarge bosom and he quickly latched on. Eden was completely in love. She set the wooden rocker in motion and watched him eat, a smile on her colorless lips. She’d never realized she could love someone so much that it could hurt so good. Her Liam was wrapped in and around her heart so tightly, so intricately that no one could even begin to unravel the bonds of that love.

From that first moment of birth to this moment now and forever more, Liam was her everything. It brought tears to her eyes that she’d nearly lost him, during those first critical two weeks when physical and mental exhaustion had been so prevalent, her hormones running rampant, one careless mistake had nearly cost her this precious little gift. All she’d wanted was a small nap, just to rest her eyes for a few minutes but then those few minutes had bled into an hour and then another and by the time she’d woken up, Liam had stopped breathing. Eden unconsciously whimpered as the memories assailed her. She looked down to check if he was still breathing and even though she could feel the strong pulls of his mouth at her nipple as he greedily fed, she still checked, she still needed to see for herself. Assured that he was just fine, the rapid beats of her heart tempered and she exhaled.

God, but she’d never known true fear until those eternal seconds when she’d tried to resuscitate him. It’d been her neighbor who’d ultimately saved Liam’s life. Eden owed so much to Wes Courtland. His swift actions that day had saved her child’s life, and Eden was forever indebted to him. His experiences as a nurse had enabled him to get Liam to breathe again. He’d driven a frazzled Eden to the hospital soon after and had stayed with her the two days it’d taken to clear Liam. He’d been there over the last two months, buying her groceries, cooking for her, and providing stimulating adult conversation when she’d needed it most. Eden had a sneaking suspicion that he liked her, but she couldn’t really say for sure, considering the amount of women she saw coming in and out of his condo when he was home. But regardless of his unclear personal life, he was a great friend to Eden, and she appreciated his friendship. It was really all she could manage anyway; Liam was the only love she would allow in her life. She came to her feet, gently humming gently so he remained asleep. Eden carefully put him down in his bassinet and stood over him for a long while, caressing the tuft of jet black hair he’d been born with. This was among the other attributes he had not inherited from her. But she quickly shook her head, refusing to think about him.

Instead she pooled all of her focus on her day tomorrow. She was returning to work at Banks and Ronald, the real estate firm she’d been a part of since moving to Amesbury. She’d worked there temporarily as a receptionist while attending real estate classes, and the instant she’d received her license, they’d offered her a full time job as an agent. It was a small firm, fairly new, but was growing increasingly fast due the rising real estate market, so they’d needed all hands on deck and Eden had readily jumped on the offer, grateful to the two women who’d given her the amazing opportunity.