Monster (9 page)

Upon entering the penthouse, Dominic was greeted with silence. The door closed with a hush snick behind him, and as he toed off his shoes, his gaze instantly searched for her. Some morbid part of him wondered if she was hiding among the shadows ready to spring out at him with a butcher knife. With a wry grin at the conjured image, he ambled further inside the expansive penthouse, making a beeline for the living room where he’d left her. And there she was. He stopped short at the sight of her, curled up on the leather couch. Dominic was momentarily arrested by the contradicting image she presented.

Huddled as she was in the fetal position, she looked like a little girl, with wisps of her hair skimming along her slumbering visage, and her mouth parted slightly, her innocence struck him. But that was where the similarity stopped. From where he stood, Dominic had a spectacular view of the sexy curve of her ass and how enticingly high her dress rode up. If he tilted his head just a bit to the right, he could see her panties and how it sweetly gloved her cunt. His cock did not thank him when he decided to forgo his teenage inclination and instead headed to his bedroom to grab a comforter.

Ah yes, she was the sweetest thing, lying there so openly, on impulse he crouched down to her level and reached a hand out to her face. God, he’d missed touching her. Just the feel of her smooth skin beneath his fingertips electrified him like nothing else. His caress was feather light, barely skimming the surface of her skin, but it was enough to send blood rushing between his legs. He needed to stop, Dominic knew that he should stop; he knew that at any moment she would wake and look at him with those stunning citrine eyes and there would be hell to pay. But Dominic was all too willing to pay the price for another second of this. He could blame his imprudence on the alcohol…he could blame the kiss on the alcohol, too. The instant his mouth fell on hers, Dominic knew it would not be enough because the soft beds of her lips compelled him to deepen the kiss. He instantly stopped himself. Rising, he raised a hand to his face in frustration. He needed a fucking shower!

* * *

Eden came awake with a jolt, puzzled for a moment as to where she was. It didn’t take too long for the memories to come crashing down on her, and she cradled her head in her hands when it began to pound.

“Here.” Startled, she whipped her head up and regretted it when she felt a twinge at the base of her skull. But she recovered quickly enough, concealing the pain long enough to look up at him. He donned only a pair of dark blue jeans, slung low to display his immaculate physique. His hair stuck out around his head, slightly damp as though he’d recently taken a shower. She didn’t even know he owned a pair of jeans, Eden thought inanely, all the while staring dimly at the black mug he held out to her. “It’s only coffee, light on the poison and heavy on the cream,” he said wryly, reading her like a book. When she still refused to accept the coffee mug, his impassive features turned into a scowl. “Suit yourself.”

“I want to go home,” she said petulantly, glaring at his retreating back. “You can’t hold me here against my will, Dominic. Besides, I have responsibilities back in Amesbury.”

“Last time I checked you didn’t have a job anymore,” he derided.

Eden’s eyes widened. “So you admit it? You’re the one who got me fired?” Sure she’d suspected it. But to have her suspicions realized was awful.

“Obviously it was not the right working environment for you if your bosses were stupid enough to believe that lie.”

Eden sprang to her feet. “What gives you the right to think you can just unravel everything I’ve worked so hard to accomplish? You had no right to interfere in my life!”

“I believe I had every right.” He strode towards her barefooted, his own coffee mug still in hand. He stopped a few feet away and Eden was internally glad for it. “As I have said before,” he continued, staring pointedly at her, making sure that she understood everything he was about to say, “you are my wife and your place is at my side. I’ve indulged your little escapade long enough. It is high time you returned home,” he finished cuttingly.

“My home is in Amesbury,” she gritted.

“I’ve instructed my men to escort Liam and Jenna to the mansion in Langston, along with some of your things. I will leave the rest for you to sort out before I put your condo on the market.”

“You did what?”

“You are no longer living in your condo in Amesbury. As of today, your home is at the mansion.”

* * *

It didn’t take long for it to dawn on Eden that she’d naively contributed in her own downfall. This had all been strategically connived from the start, and she had stupidly fallen into the well laid trap. There were no coincidences when it came to Dominic. He was painstakingly methodical about everything he did. He didn’t make a move unless he’d carefully considered all possibilities, weighing the consequences until it was within his favor, and only then would he act. So Eden understood that everything that had transpired so far had been his doing. But what truly bothered her in all this, what infuriated her most, was that she’d made the stupid mistake of sending those letters to Jenna with her name on them. One thoughtless mistake, and she’d given him the gun with which ’he now used to hold her hostage. That gradual realization was a bitter pill to swallow, and it didn’t go down easy at all. She leaned her head back against the headrest, the Rolls that had brought her to the penthouse the night before was now en-route to take her back to that place. Regardless of the manner in which she was returning to the mansion, Eden still felt like a prisoner being carted away to the penitentiary. She didn’t want to think about the memories that awaited her, or the degradation she’d faced in nearly every room of that gilt prison. The one comforting prospect in all this was that she was thankfully left to wallow in her humiliation alone. In his typical charming manner, after ordering Eden to the mansion, he’d informed her that he had business to see to, and she was not allowed to leave until he returned. Eden had tuned him out after he’d told her where Liam was.

The thought of seeing her baby boy again brought a smile to her face. Liam was her Achilles’ heel and that was the only reason she’d agreed to return to the mansion in the first place. He’d lured her with her son.

…he is my best arsenal against you…

The conversation in his office came back with a flash, taunting Eden with her failure. Liam was certainly his best defense against her, and for now, Eden would give Dominic that, she would allow him to believe that her resignation was permanent. With his ego being the size it was, stroking it further would only benefit her in the end.

When the car rolled up to the circular driveway, Eden did not wait for the driver to come open the door for her. She jumped out and made a dash up the three half-moon granite steps that led to the frosted glass entrance. Before she could reach for the brass doorknob, the door flew open and Eden was faced with Jenna’s grinning face. She didn’t even have time to collect herself when her best friend jumped into her arms and embraced Eden for all she was worth. It was silly that they were hugging like they hadn’t seen each other in years, rather than the day and a half it had been, but all the same it felt good to see a friendly and familiar face.

“I’m so happy to see you in one piece, Eden!” she breathed, taking a step back to look at Eden critically. “You are in one piece aren’t you?”

“Well, that depends on who ask. But I’m dealing, I guess.” Eden closed the door behind her as they stepped further into the mansion’s foyer, large as it was with its massive skylight just above. “Where’s Liam?”

“Taking a nap in the living room.” With their arms linked at the elbow, they walked side by side through foyer and down the hall. “He’s been a good boy, but I think he missed you.”

Eden knew she’d missed her son, too, but she didn’t know how profoundly until she laid eyes on his slumbering form. Jenna had made a bed for him on the plush carpeted floor, adding Liam’s own fleece and down blankets to provide extra comfort for him. He looked so peaceful. She blinked back tears as she detached herself from Jenna’s side and quickly made her way to him, toeing off her shoes in the process. Gingerly she knelt at his side, careful not to wake him, she bent down and pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead, taking an infinite second to inhale his sweet scent. He jerked for a brief second as though aware of his mother’s presence before settling back into sleep, the slight frown that had creased his brow disappearing in the process.

“Did he eat?” she asked a moment later, staying at his side, making sure to keep her voice low. Going nearly on two days since she’d last nursed, her breasts were engorged. The only relief she’d gotten was ridding herself of the excess in the shower earlier. But more than anything, Eden missed the bond they shared in doing something so natural.

Jenna nodded, understanding written all over her face. “Yeah, he had a bottle just a little bit ago, and he’s freshly changed.”

Eden looked at her friend with a watery smile, unable to contain herself. “Thanks, Jen,” she said quietly.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Jenna was instantly at her side, another hug at the ready. “Eden, you know I’m you’re road dog. I would do anything for you and the butterball,” she quipped. “I’m just so sorry I couldn’t prevent this from happening. Everything happened so fast, one minute I’m holed up in the apartment with Liam, and the next, they’re telling me to open the door and come with them or something bad was going to happen to you. I couldn’t do anything about it.

“Trust me, I know,” Eden returned with a reassuring smile, pulling away and wiping her tears in the process. “Dominic’s an asshole like that. No isn’t part of his extensive repertoire. He rarely ever gives you a choice when he’s got you down.”

“So are you staying here for the time being?”

Eden looked at her. “
We’re
staying here for the time being. At least until I can come up with a way to get us back into our condo.”

“I don’t know if he’ll let me stay, Eden, with what I’ve experienced so far, the man doesn’t seem like he wants any sort of obstacle standing between you and him.”

“You’re staying, Jenna…that is, if it’s what you want.”

“Of course I want to stay with you and Liam. You guys are all the family I have, but—”

“But nothing. If you want to stay, then you’re staying. There’s no one else I trust more than you. We’re in this together, all or nothing.”

* * *

A little while later Eden, Jenna and Liam were in the kitchen. With Eden refusing the cook’s help in making them something to eat, both women were left in peace to fend for themselves. A task that presented very little challenge for the cooking-inclined Jenna who managed to make them pesto chicken pasta for lunch with the extensive ingredients in pantry. They ate in amiable silence that was intermittently broken by Liam’s fervent coos, clearly happy to have his mother back.

“Alex has been calling me,” Jenna injected soberly, playing with Liam while Eden washed their dishes. She noted the slight pause in her friend’s movements before the other woman quickly recovered and turned to her with brows raised, waiting for Jenna to continue. “He’s the one who told Dominic where you were. I haven’t spoken to him directly, just listened to the voicemails. He’s been bragging about it. Apparently Dominic gave him a lot of money for the information. But knowing Alex, he’s probably blown through it by now. He wanted me to join him in Vegas.”

“You’re not thinking of going…are you?”

At Eden’s lingering stare, Jenna looked away guiltily, too ashamed of what had been a momentary bout of weakness to look at her best friend. “I thought about it,” she admitted ruefully. “Seven years of bad habits are extremely hard to break, I’ve learned.” She gave a deprecating smile before continuing. “And he’s really good at telling me what I want to hear.”

Eden frowned, set the dish she held on the veined marble countertop, and hurried over to Jenna. “Jen…”

“I know what you’re going to say, Ede, and trust me it’s the same things I’ve been telling myself for years. But don’t worry; I’m not ready to be used as a punching bag again. I think he actually knocked some sense into me the last time he beat me. He’s a habit I have to kick; I’m not deluding myself into
thinking it’s going to be easy, but being away from him and that atmosphere has been really good.” She leaned into her friend’s one shoulder hug with a smile. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for a while.”

“Please, like I’m ready to get rid of you.” They laughed, and while Eden grabbed Liam, Jenna stood to retrieve a fancy bottle of water from the stainless steel subzero that blended perfectly with the black kitchen cabinetry. The kitchen, massive in size and stocked with an extensive array of food was equipped with state of the art appliances and kitchenware. It was modern, clean and simple in its aesthetics, yet it screamed class. Its best feature was undoubtedly the center island with its beautifully veined black and white marble countertop.

It had been quite overwhelming for Jenna the first time she’d laid eyes on the mansion and had continued to be blown away once she’d stepped foot inside. She’d never once imagined herself in this sort of place and was still coming to grips with the sheer splendor of it all. Casting blue eyes on Eden who was too preoccupied with Liam to notice, Jenna was assaulted with a slight twinge of envy that rapidly went away the second it arose. She flushed guiltily, hating that she’d even conjured the emotion. Eden may have been surrounded by luxury and had an über-wealthy husband, but that didn’t mean it was a good life. All of this opulence undeniably came with a price and its own set of problems which Eden had to deal with now. But still, Jenna thought quietly to herself, it must be nice to have a mansion over your head while she contended with those problems.