Take Me: The Complete Series (Power Play #1-4) (28 page)

Tingles run all the way down my legs, into my toes. My vision goes all blurry as I’m filled with absolute ecstasy. It’s one of the biggest orgasms I’ve ever had.

If only it were enough to make me forget everything else going on in my life, then it might just be perfect.

“Holy hell, Hannah.”

Isaac beams a smile at me from the side of the bed as he rolls away. I slide onto my back, laying my head against the soft pillow. A smile creeps across my face as I close my eyes, feeling another full load of him inside of me.

Thoughts about Declan and BMG are still rattling around in my head. No matter how many times we fuck, and no matter how many times Isaac makes me come tonight, nothing is able to take my mind off one simple fact: I have less than two days before Daddy’s pride and joy, his dream, is gone forever. Sold off to some faceless corporation that will use it for whatever they need and then get rid of it.

Am I going to lose my job, too? Do I even want it if it’s not BMG, anymore?

“What is going on inside that pretty little head of yours?”

Isaac’s question snaps me out of my daze. He scoots closer and runs a finger through my long, brown hair. He curls my hair around the tip of his finger before gently straightening it out again. He always knows just how to calm my nerves, even if he doesn’t realize that’s what he’s doing.

I give a frustrated shake of my head.

“I can’t stop thinking about everything that’s going on. Declan really pissed me off, today.”

“What did that wanker have to say?”

I groan, not wanting to retell it. Retelling it is only going to bring back all of those emotions I was feeling earlier—the ones I’ve been trying to escape ever since Isaac told me to come over.”

“Come on, kitten. I love you. It hurts me to see you pained like this. What can I do to make it better?”

“I don’t think there’s anything you can do…”

His strong arm squeezes me even tighter against him.

“Maybe just talking about it will help?”

He smiles down at me with that knowing little smirk that’s been driving me crazy ever since I first met him that night in the bar. His hair is matted and messy from all of the sex we’ve been having, but that somehow only makes him look even sexier.

I let out a soft sigh and then begin telling him about all of the things Declan said. I don’t go into detail about the hurtful things he said, because I don’t really want to think about them again. But I finish by telling him how the sale is going to be finalized on Monday morning, giving me less than two days to figure something out.

Isaac is quiet for a while afterwards, thinking over what I’ve said. Finally, his lips purse together and he gets a sour look on his face.

“Bloody hell. Bugger if I can think of anything…” A smile spreads across my face, involuntarily. He cocks an eyebrow. “What’s that for? I didn’t even do anything…”

It spreads even wider as I nestle myself against his bare chest.

“It’s just cute that you’re wanting to be so helpful. I appreciate it.”

He squeezes me tight.

“It’d be better if I could come up with a bloody solution. I’m a businessman… I should be able to figure
something
out.”

I give him another smile.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your problem. I’ll figure something out—I just need to think about it some more. There must be
something
I haven’t considered…”

Isaac’s brow pinches, tightly. The creases in his forehead deepen as he gives me a concerned look.
 

“Hannah, I love you. I hate to see you like this. And
that
makes it my problem.” He squeezes me tight to him. “You try and figure something out, but I’m going to do the same. Together we’ll come up with something brilliant.”

My heart skips a few beats as I squeeze myself into his hard chest.

“You’re too sweet for me.”

There’s a low growl in his chest before he responds.

“We’ll see if you say that the next time I have you bent over my bike…”

I bite my lip as memories of the night on top of the garage rooftop come flooding back into my head.

“Are you planning a repeat performance?”

“You bet your arse, I am.”

“Good. Don’t make me wait too long.”

He gets a wolfish grin on his face as another growl rumbles through his chest.

“You’re perfect in every way, Hannah. We’re going to have a lot of fun, you and I…”

The smile on my face spreads even wider.

“We’re already having a lot of fun.”

“Aye, we are. And it’s only the beginning for us.”

I settle my head back on his chest. I don’t think there could have been anything better he could have said to me in that moment. It’s a gentle reminder that, even though part of my life feels all crazy and like it’s falling apart, another part of my life is just taking off to someplace magical. It’s important that I not forget that.

Sunday is an unreasonably beautiful day in the city. It’s oddly appropriate for the hell that I’m about to put myself through. I can’t remember the last time I did what I’m about to do. It’s something I’d told myself I would never do, again. But when I woke up this morning, still curled in Isaac’s arms, it was the only thing I could think to do. It’s a long shot, but I don’t have any other options.

The drive out to the Hamptons is longer than I remember it being. Probably because I’m filled with a sense of dread the whole way. The rental car I picked up earlier this morning is a nice Beamer, but even its luxuries can’t take my mind off what I’m about to do. Maybe I should have let Isaac come with me, after all? At least he’d be able to distract me from my own thoughts for a while.

The drive only takes a couple of hours, probably because it’s Sunday and everyone’s heading back into the city, rather than out of it. When I make a final turn onto a familiar street I’m met with a rush of memories from my childhood. Memories that I’ve kept buried and forgotten for a long time. The road twists and winds its way through the countryside until it finally rounds a bend, revealing my mother’s enormous Hamptons estate.

It’s the first time I’ve been here in years, but it doesn’t look like anything has changed. The landscaping is still impeccable, and the vines snaking their way up the brick facade makes reminds me of when I was a little girl and would try to climb them like they were ropes. Reflecting back on those childhood memories brings renewed anxiety into the pit of my stomach.

I pull to a stop in the circular roundabout in front of the house. I’m overcome with a nearly overwhelming urge to flee as far and as fast from the house as I can, but I battle it down. I force myself to climb out of the car and gaze up at the enormous house.
 

“You can do this,” I say, out loud.

With one more heavy sigh, I take the first step toward the door. Then the next. Before I know it, I’m pressing my finger into the elaborate doorbell. A soft chime echoes from somewhere inside and I’m overcome with another wave of the desire to run as fast and far as possible.

It isn’t long before the door is opened to reveal a face that I recognize from my childhood. Elsa has worked for my mother for as long as I can remember, and she was always good to me when I was growing up. The years haven’t touched the affectionate smile she gives me as soon as she opens the door.

“Hannah!” Her almond-colored eyes open wide in surprise. But they quickly tighten with concern. “What are you doing here?”

“Elsa, it’s so good to see you.” I give her a warm smile. “I’m here to see my mother. Is she in?”

“Yes, of course…” She gives me one more nervous look before shaking herself and opening the door wider. “Where are my manners? Please, come in. She’s on the veranda, I will take you to her.”

“I can show myself back there,” I say, stepping into the gigantic house for the first time in years.

“No, ma’am, please, you mustn’t. Your mother would not be happy with me.”

My stomach gives a tiny lurch at the thought of being a
guest
in my mother’s house. Once upon a time this had been my home. Now, it feels like enemy territory.

Elsa leads me through the house. I’m surprised to find that I barely recognize anything as we make our way down the master hallway, past the kitchen and through the dining room. The family pictures that once hung on the walls have been replaced by pictures of my mother and her socialite friends, or by pictures from vacations taken around the world.

I can’t help but notice that I don’t see a single picture of Daddy.

Or myself.

When we step out onto the veranda, my eyes immediately lock onto my mother. She’s sitting at the little outdoor dining table arranged near the open fire pit where we used to roast marshmallows as a family. She’s looking out over the crashing waves on the beach far below the house. There’s a gentle breeze that wafts her highlighted hair as she sips what looks like one of her cosmopolitans.

“Ms. Davenport?”

It’s odd to hear Elsa say my mother’s maiden name.

Mother’s head jerks over to us, startled by our sudden appearance. But the look on her face turns to one of outright surprise when she sees me standing next to Elsa.

“Ms. Davenport, you have a visitor.” Elsa continues as though nothing out of the ordinary is going on.

“What are
you
doing here?”

My back straightens at the harsh tone in her voice.

“Good to see you, too, Barbara.” I still refuse to acknowledge that she’s my mother to her face. She stopped deserving that title a long time ago, and I want to make damn sure she’s aware of it. “We need to talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

With all of my mother’s attention focused on me, Elsa takes the opportunity to excuse herself back to the safety of the house.

“Tell me something I
don’t
know.” Her eyes widen a little more, indignation plain on her face. “But we have things to talk about, anyways.”

She rises out of her seat, turning to face me.

“You dare come into my home and start insulting me? Who do you think you are?”

“The girl that used to be your daughter. Or maybe you’ve forgotten about that, out here in paradise with your big house and all of your fancy vacations…”

She gapes at me.

“Money? Is that what this is about? You greedy little girl. Don’t come in here acting like you haven’t lived a life of privilege.”

“A
life of privilege
? Is
that
what you call it?”

“You’ve never wanted for a thing a single day in your life.”

“Nothing besides a mother that was actually there for me, a mother that actually loves me.”

The scowl on her face deepens as her nose scrunches, indignantly.

“You can’t act like that was all
my
fault.”

“Whose fault do you think it is?” I yell.

“It’s not like there was anyone beating down my door to see how I was doing. You’re not a kid, anymore. It’s time you start taking some responsibility for your own life.”

“For my own life? You abandoned us! I was a little girl and you’re saying that I should have come chasing you down?”

She gives me a look.

“Abandoned you? Is that what you think? Figures your father would go filling your head with lies as soon as I wasn’t around.”

I pause, my brow tightening in confusion.

“What are you talking about?”

“It was
your father
that didn’t want anything to do with me. He was the one that told me to keep my distance.”

I shake my head, outraged. How dare she try to pin this on him!

“He caught you
cheating
on him! He didn’t fill my head with any lies. In fact, he didn’t keep anything from me at all… He told me all about the guy from Italy. He told me all about how you would tell him you had to go somewhere for some benefit or some gala. And he told me all about how you’d really be going off to meet up with some other man. Don’t you dare try to make this his fault. You brought it on yourself.”

My pulse is racing as I give her a hard stare. She’s quiet for a long time, with a stunned look on her face.

“Well, still. It’s not like I
abandoned
you. Your father didn’t want me to have anything to do with you… What was I supposed to do?”

“And what about after he died? Do you want me to believe that he was still keeping you away, even then?”

She purses her lips together with an uncertain look on her face. Then gives a shrug of her shoulder.

“I didn’t think you wanted anything to do with me. It’s not like you ever tried to include me in your life.”

My eyes widen even more.

“
You’re my mother!
I shouldn’t have to talk you into being a part of my life!”

My heart is pounding in my chest so loudly that it’s nearly drowning out the noise of the waves crashing against the beach below. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea? Maybe I should have just stayed away? The only thing coming out here did was make me even angrier with her.

“Well…” she says, trying to compose her thoughts. “I don’t see how that changes anything. What’s done is done.”

“So that’s it? That’s all you have to say for yourself?”

“What do you want me to say, Hannah? I don’t have a magic wand that will make everything all better.”

“What do I want? An apology would be a nice start…”

She gives me a defiant stare. After a few moments it becomes painfully obvious that she has no intention of saying she’s sorry. She probably isn’t sorry. She probably doesn’t even realize that she did anything wrong. Typical. Make a mess and then blame it on everyone else.

“This was a mistake,” I say, throwing my hands into the air. “I don’t know what I was expecting…”

I spin around on one foot to leave. I can’t stay here any longer. I thought I might be able to enlist her help, to talk some sense into her, but it’s clear that she doesn’t want to be a part of my life. She’s too selfish to want anything but what’s best for her. She’s too spiteful to see through all of the lies she’s been telling herself all of these years.

“I’m sorry!”

My mother’s strained voice freezes me in my tracks.