Untaming Lily Wilde (35 page)

Ana placed a hand on Lily’s tensed shoulders, and nodded toward the drawing room. Her flight instinct was switching to ‘fight’. This wasn’t the time or place to confront Grayson about the contract. Not in front of Tom.
So why did she suddenly want to storm into that room and knock someone’s block off?

Silently, they walked the short distance to the drawing room, pausing in front of its closed door.
Ana twisted the drawing room handle, pushing the door wide. “I liked you. We could have been friends,” she sighed.

Lily was aware of Tom and Grayson inside the room, watching from adjacent sofas, but her eyes remained fixed on Ana.
She knows about Tom’s threats. She knows about the diary. She knows, and she hates me.
But Lily had never set out to jeopardize Ana’s reputation. It was a mistake. Surely Ana could see that?

“I - I’m so sorry. I never meant for Tom to see my diary.” She spoke softly though louder than a whisper. If Tom heard her, so be it.

Uninterested, Ana took hold of Lily’s hand and marched her into the drawing room. “Your diary isn’t the problem, Lily,” she hissed gently, still smiling, always smiling, backing up toward the door.

“I don’t understand.” Lily stood there, in the centre of the room, refusing to shift her gaze from Ana’s.

“The problem,” Ana sighed, “is this.” She threw a crumpled piece of paper at Lily’s feet, turned about heel, closed the door, and locked it.
Why did she lock it?!
Lily ran to the door, turned the handle, then yanked it. Definitely locked.

“Oh for God’s sakes, she’s such a drama queen,” Grayson piped up. “Lily, come sit down.”

Lily didn’t budge. She looked at Tom; his arms were folded, head cocked to one side, as he eyed her with a smugness which made her arm hairs stand on end. She looked away.

Grayson shrugged. He placed a full whiskey glass on the table, and Lily noticed a second glass next to it; this one drained. “Have it your way,” he said. “And if you’re wondering what
that
is,” he gestured to the mangled piece of paper, “Well - funny story - our cleaner was up in Seb’s room the other night - got a bit too vigorous with the feather duster. She knocks one of photos clear off the wall - smashes the frame - big commotion. Ana goes running in to help out, and you know what she finds? Solicitors papers. They’d been crammed down the back of the frame. The asshole wants a divorce. Did you know that?”

Lily didn’t respond. How long had they known?

“I guess I’ll take that for a yes. Good. Makes this bit easier.”

She stared at him, incredulous. It hadn’t been like that. Seb was never planning on just walking away. Nothing was set in stone. He wanted to make Ana an offer she couldn’t refuse, do the decent thing.

Lily shook her head. “You haven’t got a clue.”

“Oh, sweety, I’m afraid I do.” Grayson’s lips settled into a straight line. He shot a look at Tom. “Shall I fill her in?”

Tom shrugged, his eyes burning into Lily’s peripheral though she couldn’t bare to look back at him.

A pile of papers sat on a coffee table to one side of Grayson. He reached for the top sheet and his lips twisted into a smile. “We’ve hit a deal. Tom here has been extremely reasonable. He’s agreed to drop the issue, with a little compensation to help mend his pride. And as you're so sexually liberated now -”

“What?!” The blood drained from Lily’s face. “I'm not sleeping with him.” She stepped back, her shoulder blades pressing into the hard edges of the door.

“Actually, honey, we were hoping you'd say that. Tom and I had something less romantic in mind than straight-up vanilla sex. What would be the point in that? If he wants a whore, he can buy one for next to nothing. Are you following me, Lily?”

She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. Refused to compute what he was saying.

“Let me spell this out for you, Lily. Tom wants
revenge
sex. So your…
resistance…
would actually be beneficial to the arrangement.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” Her words were a gasped whisper, but Grayson’s smile told her he’d heard.

He lifted up the piece of paper he’d been holding, turning it so that Lily could just about make out the shape of the header, the paragraphs, the signature at the bottom. Her contract. “Nothing you haven't already agreed to.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. You said…”

“I say a lot of things.”

She folded her arms. This was madness. He was bluffing. He had to be. But whatever his game was, he wasn’t beyond risking her safety for his own gain. Christoph’s answer-phone message had taught her that much. Bile rose in her stomach and she fought it down. She couldn’t afford to be weak. “So I guess you won’t be getting your big pay-off from Christoph. That’s got to smart.”

His eyebrows momentarily drew together in confusion, but his smirk remained. “Fine choice of words. And no, I won’t. But don’t worry, honey. There are some things money can’t buy. A front row ticket at your dishevelment for instance…”

“What?!” Tom turned to Grayson. The sudden roar of his voice sent Lily’s heartbeat rocketing into her mouth. “You're just going to sit there and watch?” He said, a flicker of discomfort suddenly blemishing his confidence.

“Pretty much. I'm also going make sure you don't knock her about like last time.”

Tom flushed, shifting his weight awkwardly on the sofa. “I didn't. That was an -”

“An accident. Yeah. All the same, I promised her boyfriend I'd look after her, so this is the deal. Take it or leave it.”

Look after her?!
Lily could scarcely believe what she was hearing. Whatever Grayson was up to, looking after her was hardly up there on his list of priorities.

Tom glared at Grayson, momentarily outraged, his mouth aghast, jaw jutted out as though he might be about to fight the issue. Was he reconsidering? Lily wasn’t about to wait and find out. She turned and pounded her fists against the door as though her life depended on it, ignoring the pain sparking through her hands with each thump. She half shouted, half screamed, her voice scratching through the dryness in her mouth as she begged for help. No one came. A hand closed around her mouth. She knew instantly whose it was.

Tom’s hot palm pressed rough against her face. He jerked her head back so that his words hissed down onto her in a whiskey fueled stench. “Why are you doing this to me?”

A bubble of hysteria rose in Lily's throat. Was her screaming interrupting his good time?

“You can let her yell. Ana's sent the staff home.” Grayson sounded bored.

Tom dropped his hand. The pressure of his fingers still burnt against her left cheek. Eyes stinging, she turned to face him. Screaming hadn't worked so, God help her, she'd have to try reason. Folding her arms and forcing herself to stand tall, she tried to ignore the dull throbbing pain in her face. She levelled her eyes with his. Had his eyes always been so dark, so deep set? “What... What am I doing to you, Tom?”

“This!” Tom thrust a finger toward Grayson, who met Lily’s eyes with an amused shrug. “Whoring it about!” Tom yelled, spraying drops of spittle. “Sticking two fingers up at everything we had. I miss you. I fucking miss you, Lily. And you keep on rubbing my face in it.”

Blood thumped in Lily’s ears. How could she reason with him? He was drunk. Beyond sense. But he missed her. Maybe if she could just get through to him... But how could she argue without making him worse?

“You're gonna have to talk to me this time. We've both done things we're not proud of. I grovelled to you - fucking begged you to forgive me,” he said. “But you? Course not. You just keep on screwing about, laughing at me, don't you?”

Lily forced herself to breathe. He was right - she
would
have to talk. “I'm not laughing at you. I don’t… I don’t think about you. Not any more.” And she realised it was true. All that moping she’d done when he’d dumped her, and now she’d moved on and he hadn’t.

Tom’s eyes seemed to hollow out into black pits. “Just fucking say sorry! Say you’re sorry and fucking well mean it. Then I'll go - I'll walk away - end of.”

“Sorry.” She said, too quickly.

“Mean it!”

His anger engulfed her. She understood now. He was letting himself get like this. Wanting to lose control so that he could do what he needed to do. And there was no way out. He was already decided. Nothing she could say would make any odds. Her vision blurred as tears crammed her eyes. “Sorry,” she whispered. One last, desperate attempt to appease.

“Liar.”

Something inside her snapped. She closed her eyes. He had her cornered. He was stronger than her. She would have to be strong too. Headstrong. He’d lit something inside her. If he was going to hurt her, she’d go down fighting.

She looked up at him and, through her tears, felt a fierce darkness fall across her own eyes too. “You're crazy. What I do has nothing to do with you anymore.”

“Bullshit. It's got everything to do with me. I played away from home and now this is your revenge. Well done. Now you're the bigger slut.”

Her arms were still tightly folded, a barrier between them. “Call me what you want. But whatever I've done has been for me. Just me.”

“Nice try, but I don’t buy it.” He took a step closer, pressing into Lily’s crossed arms, pushing her into the door.

“Do you want to frighten me?” She shouted. “It worked. I'm frightened.”

Pressing into her, Tom forced her arms apart. He brought a sweaty hand up to her face. Rough fingers stroked her cheek.

“Please don't do this.”

“Say your sorry.”

It was no use. Her left hand scrambled uselessly for the door handle, knowing it was pointless, trying anyway.

“Your choice.” He squeezed his hands in between them, yanking at the fly of his jeans.

“So what - you're going to rape me, are you? Because he's shown you a bit of paper saying it's OK?” She cried. “You think that'll stand up in court?!” Pinned against the door by his torso, she felt laugher ripple through his chest.

“I think you wouldn't risk damaging Lord Arsehole's reputation.” His jeans loosened, he began grappling with her skirt.

“Can’t argue with that kind of logic.” Grayson. He may as well have been filing his nails for all the interest he was showing.

Lily focused her eyes on Tom’s, willing him to soften. “Tom,
please
.”

He took a step back. For a fleeting second, she thought he might be seeing sense. The glint in his eyes told her otherwise.

“Take your knickers off.” He crossed his arms and looked her up and down, his eyes lingering on her breasts.

She shook her head. The man was insane. No more begging. No more being on the defensive, waiting for him to attack. Apparently, Grayson wasn’t going to let Tom knock her about. She wondered what he’d do if
she
attacked Tom.

The small space between them was just enough for her to throw her weight at Tom, digging her nails into his bare forearms and thrusting him back a few feet. Instantly, Tom’s clenched fist swung back to find momentum.

“Hit her and you’re out!” Grayson yelled.

Tom’s fist hovered for a moment then uncurled and dropped to his side. His expression was bull-like. She turned to run at the door, to rip it off its hinges if she had to, but in a split second he was on her. He enveloped Lily in a suffocating hold, wrestling her to the ground. She twisted beneath him, clawing at the carpet, crawling forward, determined. But his weight pressed heavy on her back, pinning her, compressing her lungs.

The room turned hazy. Grey flecks speckled the edges of her vision.
Don’t pass out. Please God, not now.
Tom forced her legs apart. She tried to kick, each movement costing her precious breath, but she was angled awkwardly. Her boots barely scraped his sides. Her lungs ached as she gasped for air. He yanked up her skirt. Cool air swept across the back of her thighs. His weight shifted. She felt a hand press into her back, fingers splayed. His other hand, hot and rough, groped for her knickers.
Keep breathing. Keep fighting
. The room was closing in on itself.

"And cut. OK people, that’s a wrap!" Grayson.

She could breath. Thank Christ, she could breath. Slowly, Lily turned. Her eyes struggled to focus on what was happening. With blurry eyes, she watched as Grayson’s hands gripped Tom's shoulders, hauling him upwards.

"All right, Romeo. That'll do." Grayson said. Then he turned, gesturing to someone or something behind him. It didn’t make any sense.

"What the fuck?!!" Tom shook himself free and, still unbuckled around the middle, made lunge at Grayson.

“Whoa there, sailor. Aren’t you gonna smile for the camera?” Grayson pointed behind to the wall. “Touch me, dick-wad, and our little home-movie goes public,” he laughed. “Try to bribe me or mine, and I’ll ruin you.”

Me or mine, Lily thought.
Ana. He did this for her.

The ugly pieces were crashing into place. Grayson had sat to one side the whole time, just out of shot. The whole thing was a set-up. A quick edit here and there, and he’d have the perfect weapon against Tom. The evidence that had been missing the first time Tom had hurt her. Proof he deserved that broken nose. How long had he been planning this. And at what point had he decided to punish her too; keeping her in the dark?