Black 21: (Golden Hills Legacy of Black 21 Book 1) (16 page)

Sweat ran down
his face. “Tell me you love me then! Do you love me, Daisy?”

“What’re you
talking about? I just said you’re my best friend. Of course I do,” her voice
matched his, trying to pull him into her but his hand stayed her.

“No, tell me
you...love...me. Now,” he demanded through gritted teeth.

She looked in
his eyes and let her head fall, her jagged breathing slowing down.

“You can’t, can
you? I know what lives in your heart, Daisy, and it’s not me. Oh, you may think
you want me right now, but tomorrow you’ll regret it. You’ll regret it the
minute it’s over,” he hissed, his eyes hooded, straining every muscle.

“So what? Love
doesn’t have to be part of this, does it? That’s not how my real father met my
mother. It was a sexual affair that turned into love later. What’s the
difference?”

“This isn’t
you, Daisy. You’re consumed with jealousy at the thought of someone else taking
my attention away from you, that’s it. And she did for a while. Yeah, that’s
right. God, she was hot. I think I might go see Jessica tomorrow night, too. No
strings attached,” he smirked.

She sat up and
stared at him. Pain flashed in his eyes. She spoke in a low tone. “You’re
right. Maybe this isn’t a good idea. Maybe we are just meant to be friends and
that’s it. I came home with the hope of something more building between us,
something real. I don’t know if I love you that way, Eric. I wanted to. Go be
with Jessica tomorrow." She wiped away a tear and kissed his cheek.

“I’m sorry,
Daisy. I wanted more for us, too. I just can’t do that to you. It’s not fair.
Please forgive me." His eyes were laced with love and pain at the same
time.

“I need to
forgive a lot of people, especially myself. Go back to sleep." She smiled
and fixed herself, then left the room.

She leaned her
head against the door and heard Eric sobbing quietly into his pillow.

Christian
tapped his fingers on the table, trying to absorb his father’s words in the
meeting. His mind drifted to his upcoming birthday, one without his Daisy.

William briefly
touched on the changes being made after the big day. “So, Christian will be
overseeing the corn processing plant and Golden Hills Electric. Mayor Anthony
Bishop said he’ll be able to be at the ball as well as the Chief of Police,
Albert Cohen. They’re all so proud of you, son,” he said, directing his
attention to Christian.

His eyes
glanced up and forced a smile. “I’ll do my best to keep it that way,” he said
convincingly.

“Good. Any
questions?” William turned to the men.

One blond man
spoke up. “Are we still considering changing the town name to Christian Shores?
It sounds so...”

“Godly?”
Christian chimed in.

The man cleared
his throat. “Well, sort of. It doesn’t depict who we really are.”

Christian
chuckled. “That’s for sure." He glared at the men. “I actually like the
name Christian Falls, more appropriate.”

Laughter
erupted at his little joke. William held up his hand to quiet the room and
smirked. “Have something else to add, son?” he asked, raising his brows.

“Nope. I’m
good." He sat back and swiveled in his chair, cocking an eyebrow with a
half smile.

William
continued. “I’m not thrilled about the name, either, gentleman. But my late
wife gave him that name and this will be his town. I’ll take a look at the
suggestions, but no promises." He returned to his son’s cold stare.
“Charlotte have her dress yet?”

Christian
stared at him. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her? You’re the one screwing
her.”

Hushed
undertones filled the room, waiting for William’s response.

“Aren’t you the
clever one? The truth is she cries about how she disgusts you, that all you go
on about is your precious Daisy. I only console her.”

Christian
scoffed. “She cries like a real human?”

“Don’t be
cruel. After all, she’ll be the mother of your children one day.”

“God help
them.”

William
snapped. “We don’t talk about God here, so stop referencing that shit.”

“Oh, right. I
forgot. Okay, Jack help them. They’ll only have to give them their souls. No
biggie,” he said, shrugging his shoulder.

William stared
at his son, causing the men to squirm in their seats. Christian stared back
with equal reprisal.

Christian
finally broke the silence. “Are we done here, Father?”

“Oh, I forgot
to tell you, son. Daisy will be at the ball as well, on the arm of Eric
Wessington,” he said with immense pleasure.

“Oh, really?
That’ll be nice seeing them again. We’ll get to catch up on old times. Thanks
for informing me." He stood, enjoying his father’s disappointment.

Christian
pulled the door closed behind him and shut his eyes. Daisy would be there. He
didn’t care if it was with Eric. He just wanted to see her again.

He zipped
through the restaurant, nearly skipping.

“What’re you
grinning about, Christian Stone?” Marianne asked. “It looks good on you, should
do it more often,” she said, winking.

“That’s the
plan, Mare.”

He clicked his
alarm pad to turn the truck on and ran in the hot August sun.

Not even
Charlotte could bring him down now. And he never once thought about using black
magic on Daisy to manipulate her feelings. He left her alone with her own
thoughts out of respect.

The thought of
Daisy...being there on Eric’s arm? It drove him crazy with jealousy. Why was
she still with him? It didn’t sink in until now sitting in his truck. Did she
love him? There was no way. But if she did, he would have to respect that. He
would know once he saw her, would see it in her eyes.

If he had to,
he would grab her and leave Golden Hills forever before he officially turned
twenty-one. He didn’t care anymore. She was in his blood.

To hell with
the town, with his father, with Jack. He knew there was the kind of good in
Daisy that could defeat Jack Red. She just had to believe in it.

***

Daisy had
gotten up early the next day and decided to search for a local church. This
need arose in her to find strength in what was ahead.

Eric had
already left, probably to go visit Jessica. She came to terms with that during
the night. They were good friends, nothing more.

The church that
she discovered came with a lovely story, with its second time being built after
The Great Chicago Fire destroyed the first. She loved what it represented, and
mimicked her in a way. It gave her hope and encouragement that nothing can
destroy you, not even a fire.

Even though it
was a Presbyterian church with slightly different views from what she was
secretly taught by a neighbor about being Catholic, it all went in the same
direction, to God. That’s all that mattered to her.

She remembered
Karen bringing her to church with her, and feeling so much love. Karen had also
given her a Rosary that she lost while in college. She smelled Gloria on that
one.

This church
carried a beautiful Victorian Gothic look purposely designed that way in 1912.
She read up on it when researching churches and fell in love. It whispered to
her heart.

She gasped as
she stood outside of its awe-inspiring structure. It wasn’t as big as St.
Mary’s, but equally striking. As she walked in, she inhaled its beauty, the
complete opposite of the decadent feel of Golden Hills Worship.

A few people
sat in some of the pews with bowed heads. She slowly walked past, not wanting
to disturb them, and found a pew far ahead of them. When she sat down, her gaze
fixated on the high arch above the light brown wooden altar, and the cross
carved into the wood. She closed her eyes and folded her hands.

She asked for
forgiveness of allowing Jack to have any possession of her, vowing to not allow
it ever happen again. A feeling of warm, white light flooded her soul,
transferring down through the top of her head.

A flash of
Christian picking out his tuxedo for his birthday popped into her head. He was
happy and smiling, even humming. She grimaced in pain to the vision. This told
her he was happy with Charlotte. She lost him forever. Maybe it was time to
really let go of him. She just needed to tell her heart that.

Happiness was
all she wanted for him. If Charlotte gave him that, then she would respect
that. She blinked away the tears and took a deep breath. Closing her eyes to
see any other visions, Eric formed in her mind. He was sitting with a pretty
blonde girl, Jessica, she presumed, and laughing.

She focused
more on hearing their words. “Don’t give up on her then. Fight for her if you
love her,” Jessica said to him. He shook his head and responded. “But she loves
someone else. I can’t compete with him, and I’m not really in that position.
You see, I was paid to bring her here, not something I’m particularly proud of,
Jess.”

An ache stabbed
her chest. But who? Surely not Jack? Eric would never allow that to happen. She
strained to hear more, but the voices became mute, could only see their mouths
moving.

Bowing her head
in silence, she prayed for grace to do the right thing.

***

“Son, what was
that all about back there?” William asked Christian as he walked through the
front door.

“What’s that,
Dad?” he asked with a hint of a smile in his eyes.

“You know what
I’m talking about. Listen, I know we have our differences, but that was a
little disrespectful. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I would agree.
I learned from the best. You decided to play God...oops, I mean Devil’s
advocate, and control my life. I want nothing to do with Charlotte or running
this town. All I ever wanted was Daisy, and you talk of her as if she was a
fling to me.”

“What about
before Daisy came here? Did you still not want any part of this town?”

His voice
softened, knowing what this town meant to his father. “I honestly don’t know
what I felt. I think I was just going along with it to make everyone happy, and
felt numb. I was never asked what I wanted. But then Daisy came into my
life...again, and I just wanted her. She made me believe I could be happy here
as long as I had her by my side.”

“So you really
do love her?” his father’s voice softened.

Christian
nodded. “I do. Always will. But I had to let her go. She was changing, her soul
turning black just to be with me. I couldn’t let that happen,” his voice
cracked.

William put his
hand on his shoulder. “The same way I felt about your mother. When I first met
her, she had no idea of who I was. Came here from Pennsylvania with her parents
who, of course, wanted her to marry me. Jack had gotten to them and snared
their souls.

“Your mother
was like an angel. I loved her the moment I saw her. After she fell for me, I
told her the truth and she cried,” his voice faded as he stared off.

“But she
married you anyway.”

William’s gaze
returned to his. “Yes. She loved me that much. I was selfish, unlike you. I
wanted her anyway, knowing how much God meant to her. I didn’t care as long as
I had my Lana. And she tried. Even after what happened to our other son, Leon.
When she had you, she could endure anything, at least I thought.”

“You mean when
she started going to a church of God?”

“Yes. That’s
when I started to lose her. God took her away from me. I’ll never forgive
that,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Well, I would
never forgive myself if I did that to Daisy. She’s special.”

“Oh, yes. I
know how she’s special. A priest for a father with special gifts passed down to
him from his witch of a mother.”

Christian
nodded. “I wished I would have told her. She has no idea. I wish I never knew.”

His father’s
voice lowered. “You know about Eric living with Daisy, right?”

“What?"
His breath caught in his chest.

He hesitated
before he continued. “Sorry to tell you, son, but yeah...not sure what their
arrangements are, but I know it’s in some fancy hotel on Lake Michigan,” he
said, patting his arm.

“No, I didn’t
know. I haven’t seen him, but never thought he went with her,” he stared at the
floor, his jaw hardening.

“Get some rest,
son. Charlotte’s out shopping again, and will be back to try to change your
mind. I really don’t know how a healthy, hot-blooded, American boy can turn her
down,” he said, chuckling.

“It’s not as
easy as you might think. The battle rages in me. I sometimes want to just take
her and pretend it’s Daisy. Just close my eyes and see green eyes and red
hair." Now that he knew about Eric and Daisy, he didn’t know what to do.
“I can’t accept she loves him. I know what she felt for me, Dad.”

William sighed
and shrugged. “Do what you have to do then. Sexual tension is like poison. You
need to release it. Just close your eyes and pretend." He clapped him on
the back and walked back to the library.

Christian
digested his father’s words and climbed the stairs to his room to wait for
Charlotte.

After walking
along the beach across from the hotel, she decided to go back. Eric should
still be out. At least she hoped. Hotel guests were checking in. Bell boys
pushed carts with luggage. It was busy for a Thursday afternoon.

When she
entered their room, she found Eric lying on the couch with his eyes closed. She
wanted to go to him, hold him, and yet strangle him at the same time. She took
his glasses off and set them on the table. His arm snaked out and grabbed her.

She jumped.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to disturb you. Close your eyes again.”

“Sit with me.
What did you do today? I missed you this morning." He sat and made room
for her.

Still standing,
she crossed her arms in front of her. “Why? Are you paid to miss me, too?”

His eyes bugged
out. “What? Sit and talk to me. What’d you mean by that?" Concern set in.

She shook her
head. “Let’s just say I know these things. I heard you say you were being paid
to be here with me.”

Fear briefly
flickered in his blue gaze. He pulled her down next to him and held her hands.
He seemed in conflict with himself of what to say to her.

“Well?”

“It was William
Stone. He didn’t want you to be with his son, so he’s paying for all
this." His left eye twitched.

A coldness came
through his hands. She stared at him, and for the first time didn’t trust him.
“Why would William do that? He wanted me for his son to begin with.”

He shrugged. “I
think he really wants Charlotte for Christian now. She would help them run the
town, and he, well, likes her. I’m sorry, honey. I wanted to tell you, but I
was warned not to. I hate lying to you. You must believe that." He pulled
her to him.

That was the
truth. She knew he did hate lying to her and continued to do so. But why? She
had to play along. “It’s okay, Eric. I believe you. I know it must have been
hard to lie to me. You’re my best friend. Truth is important in friendship,”
she whispered in his ear and felt him nod against her face.

“I would never
hurt you on purpose, Daisy." He kissed her cheek, tracing his lips to
hers, and a vision of Eric speaking to Jack flashed in her mind.

She pulled away
and faked a smile. “Sorry, need to go to the bathroom. That time of the month,”
she lied.

“Are we okay,
Daisy? Last night you were all over me and now...”

“Yeah, everything’s
good. Just not a good time for me. I’ll make us something to eat when I’m
done." She stood and walked to the bathroom.

She closed the
door and banged in the drawers to sound like she was getting out Tampons in
case he was listening. Closing her eyes, she practiced that muscle Mark talked
about.

Nothing came to
her. She turned the bathroom light off and concentrated, this time touching her
cross. It seemed to help. Jack’s satanic face came into view. He called Eric
the night she told Jack she was leaving. Something about how he needs to go
with and he’ll pay for it all, but he must work on bringing her back to Black
Twenty-One.

Eric struggled
with the thought of deceiving her and didn’t want any part of it, but he did
want to be with her so he went along with it. Jack didn’t leave him with any
choice.

She opened her
eyes and saw the words ‘I Love You’ being written on her mirror in lipstick.
“Christian?" Then the word ‘Forever’ underneath.

Her fingers
reached out and touched the crumbly feel of the words. How was he doing that if
it was him? She knew he had some gifts, or black magic power as he called it.

Searching for
her lipstick, she gave it a try and scribbled back on the right side of the
mirror next to his words ‘I’m Yours Forever.’

A heart with a
picture of a daisy in the middle appeared next to his message.

She drew a
heart around her words and put an arrow sticking out each end.

He drew a
target on his side made for her arrow.

It was her
Christian. They could communicate without texting.

The words began
to erase and then he added more. ‘I’m marrying Charlotte so you can be with
Eric. I wish you well. I hope you both can still join us on September 5th for
my party.’

“What?” she
hissed at the mirror. She scribbled as fast as she could in anger ‘No, we will
not be there. I wish YOU well.’

How could he?
He just said he loved her. He knows she’s with Eric? What was she thinking? The
whole town probably knew by now.

She felt lost. Eric
was here out of pretense. Christian must have fallen in love with Charlotte, or
thinks she loves Eric.

He gave up on
her and that’s all that mattered now.

***

Christian
waited for Charlotte to get back from shopping. He needed to speak to her. He had
made a decision after talking to his dad.

When she came
whooshing in with multiple bags, he almost felt sorry for her. She threw the
bags down on the bed and tried to kiss him as usual.

“Charlotte,
stop. We need to talk." He grabbed her wrists from wrapping around his
neck.

“Why so
serious?” she pouted.

He steered her
over to the settee and sat her down next to him. “I will marry you after my
birthday–”

She squealed
and clapped her hands, jumping up and down.

He put his hand
up. “Stop. I’m not finished. You must know by now I don’t love you and never
will, right? I just want to make sure this is purely an arrangement for the
town." He stared into her black eyes to be clear.

She sighed.
“Christian, I know you don’t love me now, but some day maybe…”

He shook his
head. “No someday. I love Daisy, but she seems to be happy with Eric. They’ll
be coming to my party together, and I need to respect that. But you must know
how I really feel. I owe that much to you.”

“Fine, I can
accept that. Will we...”

“Have sex? For
our marriage to be legal, we’ll have to consummate it, I suppose.”

“You say it so
coldly. Don’t you desire me at all, Christian? She couldn’t have been that
good,” she said, running her hand down his chest to his navel.

He pushed her
hand away. “It’s not that. I feel like I’m cheating on her if I’m with you. I
know that sounds strange, but I do. Believe me, you’re extremely sexy and
sometimes question my sanity. I’m almost afraid after I come into my full
powers what will happen to me. Maybe that part of me will forget Daisy,” his
voice drifted, a sadness overwhelming him at the thought.

“What, the good
part? I get the bad part then? I only deserve the monster in you? Is that what
you’re saying?” she hissed through tears. “You know what, then I’ll take it.
You used to love being with me before Miss Perfect came into our lives. We
fucked every day if not twice a day. You were insatiable. I really hate her for
that,” she cried.

“Charlotte, I’m
sorry…” he tried soothing her.

“Don’t touch
me, not unless you want to touch my whole body. I dream of you every night
coming to my room and finally realizing what a fool you’ve been, how you’ve
missed me, but nope. It’s not even in your eyes anymore. It’s like you’re dead
inside. I just want you to want me again. I want to feel your hands on my skin,
your lips on my breasts, your tongue inside me.

“I even turn
your father down because I just want you again. I think if I’m in your father’s
room and that’s the night you’ll come to me and I won’t be there, so I stay. I
roll around with my own hand pretending it’s you. I’m surprised you don’t hear
me, because I get pretty loud.”

“I hear you.”

“You do?”

“Yes. That
beast in me wants to go in there and make you scream like that.”

“Then why don’t
you, Christian?” her voice cracking.

“Because you’re
not Daisy,” tears choked him.

She stood and
slapped him, spit at his feet, waiting for him to get angry. “You can’t even
respond to that!”

Christian sat
there feeling the heat of her handprint on his cheek. He deserved it. He knew he
hurt her deeply.

“Fine then.
I’ll marry you, and I will take the monster Christian. It’s better than no
Christian!" She grabbed her bags and ran to her room.

He sank his
head into his hands and allowed the tears to come.

***

Charlotte threw
her bags on her bed and paced her room, fuming at his words. He didn’t love
her, never would.

Didn’t love
her, never would.

She pulled her
hair and slapped at her arms, tearing at her shirt.

This was the
room Daisy slept in before she left. Daisy seemed to like to bite her nails
because several were found on the floor right after charlotte moved in.

She laughed and
poured them out of a bowl onto her dresser. She had also found some of her long
red hair and collected that as well.

It had allowed
her to do some black magic.

She had fun
smashing that glass in Daisy’s kitchen to scare her. Poor Eric was about to get
some. And the mess she made in Daisy’s room was a blast, driving her into
Eric’s arms for the night.

And when she
first wrote on the mirror, she nearly peed in her pants at Daisy’s reaction.
That was exhilarating.

An idea came to
her to get Daisy to stay away from Christian for good. She went to the vanity
mirror once again. She closed her eyes and whispered a chant, holding her hands
out to the ceiling.

Grabbing her
lipstick, she began to write ‘I Love You...’