The Deception series boxset: FaCade, Cadence, Beneath Innocence (23 page)

“Star.” I swallowed hard before I shifted my gaze to him. His face was soft, causing me to frown. Was it part of his game; give me a false sense of security before he beat the feisty out of me? “Baby, I have never, nor will I ever in this lifetime or the next slip my dick into the doc.” He took my hand, running his thumb softly over my knuckles. “Yes, she has a thing for me… I mean who wouldn’t?” he joked. “And the only reason I was slipping my shirt back on was because Delia is using me as a guinea pig for one of her drug trials.” My brow creased when he stood up, slipped his jacket off then started to unbutton his shirt. He turned marginally and lifted his arm. A small suturing stitch sat just below his armpit. As though checking it was real, I reached up and ran my finger gently over it.

“Oh.”

He lifted a brow. “Are we okay now?” He re-dressed then slid back into his seat, continuing to watch me as he took another drink.

“Why was she slipping her panties back on?”

A waitress appeared beside us and I blinked up at her as though she’d appeared out of thin air. Heat flooded my cheeks, hoping she hadn’t overheard my question. She turned to smile at me. One of the plates slid from her hands and crashed onto the floor, her mouth as wide as the area the food covered on the plush carpet. “Oh my God,” she choked out. “It’s…”

“What the fuck?” Dante exploded as he shot upright. “You stupid bitch!”

Bernard hurried over, his round head shaking from side to side. “Gabrielle!” he barked. “Clean this mess up at once!” He turned to Dante, his palms crushed together as though he was praying… maybe he was. “I’m so, so sorry, Mr. Troy. Gabrielle is feeling a little under the weather today.”

“Miss Avery,” Gabrielle whispered.

“Miss Avery!”

Someone shouted from the masses as I stepped out of the limo. Cameras went off everywhere, their flashes blinding and somewhat annoying. “Faye!” various people screamed as I placed my feet on the long red carpet.

“I love you!”

“Please, marry me.”

“You’re so beautiful!”

“Faye!”

“Faye, can I have your autograph?”

I blinked furiously at the screams, the lights, the noise, the atmosphere, all of it overwhelming but usual.

“Keep moving, Faye,” Frank urged as he slipped an arm around my waist and directed me into the building, Tony flanking the other side as Dave led our group.

“Good evening, Miss Avery,” the head of house greeted, her large, white toothy smile almost as blinding as the camera lights. “If you’d care to follow me, I’ll show you to your seat.”

We continued behind her as she looked over her shoulder to me. “I must say, I’m rather excited about this showing.”

I smiled at her. “Thank you.”

“We’ve seated you next to Mr. Troy.” She gave me a wink and I clenched my teeth.

Frank’s arm tightened. “Keep it in, Faye. They don’t know nothing, it’s just gossip.” I nodded without looking at him. I liked Frank, he was a father figure, a friend, and I trusted him implicitly.

A woman rushed out from nowhere and before I could blink I was covered head to toe in a mass of what looked and smelled like egg and milk.

“You whore!” she spat. “You will burn in hell!”

My eyes, although sticky, widened on her when Frank and Tony wrestled her to the ground. Security guards from everywhere stormed the foyer.

“A woman’s body is holy, she must never reveal its secrets,” she continued to rant as they pulled her away. “You spill your secrets to the world. You are going to hell!”

I smiled at her and rolled my eyes. “For fuck’s sake,” I murmured with a weary sigh to Frank. “Anyone would think I’d filmed a porno.”

He chuckled, his head shaking from left to right. “You never know, Faye. Things might be looking up.”

I elbowed him in the ribs, his laughter growing as Theo rushed over to us. Frank’s laugh stopped immediately as his body tensed. “Oh watch out, here comes, Jack.”

I shushed him, trying to hide the giggle at his Jack the Ripper nickname he had christened Theo with.

“What the hell happened here?” Theo barked at our escort.

“Someone needs to help Miss Avery out of her ruined dress,” a voice said from behind me. I tried to hide the smile from my face before I turned to see my fiancé looking at me with a quirked brow. I knew he found all this amusing and I glared at him.

“Thank you, Mr. Troy. I’ll get right to it. Please excuse me.”

“Are you sure you can manage on your own?” he asked, his eyes lit with laughter as they roamed over my now yellow and white red dress. “There are a few guys out there who would love to help.” He gestured with his thumb to the crowd outside.

“You smell adorable,” he whispered in my ear when he leaned into me. I shook my head and sighed.

“Be grateful I’m not jumping you here in the foyer.”

His tongue pushed into his cheek as he nodded. “I’m game, baby.”

“Ssh.” I giggled as I followed our escort’s lead into one of the side rooms. Her eyes and ears didn’t miss a thing.

“You and Mr. Troy make an adorable couple,” she gushed as she helped me out of my dress.

“We’re just friends,” I said quickly.

“Of course you are.” She winked back at me.

“For fuck’s sake!” Dante’s loud voice broke me from the memory. “Get this cleaned up and bring us some more food.”

Bernard nodded eagerly. “Yes, thank you, sir. The meal, of course, is now on the house.”

“I should think so. And don’t expect a recommendation!” Dante fumed. I blinked, looking around for our waitress but she had disappeared.

“I’m so sorry, baby.” Dante growled. “I wanted tonight to be special.”

My gut twisted at the tone in his voice, it was angry but also sad. “It will be.” I smiled at him, I was learning who I was. “It was only the starter. By the time we get to dessert, Bernard will need a new carpet.” I winked at him, trying to lighten the situation.

His lips twisted before he started to chuckle. “Then I think we need to get to the main course.”

I frowned at him. “I need a starter first.”

He ignored me and stood up, pulling his jacket back into place. I stared wide-eyed, my jaw dropping when he took a big breath and dropped to one knee by my side. He took my hand and slowly looked up at me.

“I know we’re already engaged but I need to do this, to once again signify our relationship. We’ve been together since the beginning of my memories, Star. I can’t lose you, I refuse to lose you. I know the past few weeks have been… challenging and I promised, as I still promise, to get us through to our future. Because that’s all I see, a future with both of us in.”

My heart thundered in my chest. My throat was restricted, making it difficult for my lungs to do their job. My mind was a chaotic mess, making everything hazy and dreamlike. He reached into his inner pocket and retrieved a small blue velvet box. When he flicked the lid open, I peered at the gold band, a huge blue sapphire glued to the top. It was hideous. It wasn’t me or my taste. I recognized my memories failed me but I knew I would never have gone for anything so gaudy.

“What…?” I took a deep breath. “Where’s the other ring?”

He blinked at me, his teeth grinding so hard I could hear the scrape of them over each other. But he ignored my question. “Marry me, Star. Give yourself to me, all of you. Show me you love me.”

His selfish proposal stuck in my throat. What happened to his previous adoring one, the one my memories actually allowed me to remember? His loving words, his worship as he slid the ring onto my finger down a piece of string?

“I want you to propose like you did last time. When the time is right. When I know who I am.” I hadn’t wanted to say it but my brain hadn’t told my mouth.

“Like last time?” He echoed my words, his eyes turning black as his face paled. His eyes were curious, almost accusing as his head tipped to the side and he scrutinized me like I had stabbed him in the back.

I nodded faintly, aware I had pushed too far.

“I remembering little by little. I remembered a number earlier when you answered it’s all coming back Dante I just need more time.” To stall! I didn’t voice the last part. He stood up slowly, his action causing my body to brace itself. He brushed at his suit, his fingers sweeping the material as though removing lint that wasn’t there.

“You know,” he said quietly, too quietly. “The previous proposal is forgotten, Star. I don’t care how I proposed last time; I was trying to make a fresh start here.” His voice was growing louder, his tone deeper, his fury higher. “But as usual, you have to spoil it, just like you ruin every other – fucking – thing – I – try – to – do.” I squealed loudly when he snatched a large handful of my hair and hauled me out of the chair. “I’m sick and tired of your selfishness.” My hands lifted to his as I tried to prise my hair from his fingers, the pull burning my scalp. My knees thudded on the floor as he dragged me across the room.

Bernard stared at us with shock, his huge round eyes and the other diners’ following our journey out of his restaurant. Davies smirked as though amused at my refusal.

“Dante,” I hissed when my knees scraped over the cobbles. I attempted to stand, but his powerful hold pushed me back to the floor. “I will,” I cried. “I’ll marry you. I’m sorry.” My hands clawed at the stones beneath me until I resembled a dog on all fours scurrying along beside him.

He scoffed and shook his head. “I’m not sure I want you anymore. You’re nothing but a selfish whore! And in front of fucking Davies of all cunts to be there. He will find this so funny!”

“I’m sorry!” I choked out as tears blinded my way, not that I needed to see where I was going with Dante’s stern navigation. A man outside a bar, smoking, gawped at us as we passed.

“Hey!” he shouted. “Are you okay?”

Dante stilled immediately then turned, his body tensing further. “Keep out of this.”

The guy stepped forward. “You’re hurting her. She’s not a dog!” His voice was low, accusing but confident. “Let her go and we’ll forget all about this.”

Dante scoffed, a cold chill emanating from him. “I don’t think we will forget all about this.” Malik suddenly appeared behind us. Where the hell had he come from?

I gasped as the guy held up his hands when Malik pulled out a gun and trained it on the guy’s head. “Whoa!”

“Malik!” I wheezed. “What are you doing?”

His eyes shot to mine and his brow creased as he struggled with his own actions. He shifted his gaze to Dante, then back to the random. “Go back inside if you want to continue living.”

This wasn’t Malik. He was suddenly cruel and as twisted as Dante. “Malik. Put the gun away!”

I was flung upright, my body heaving with Dante’s manipulation. “Shut the fuck up! You’ve caused enough trouble tonight!”

I never found out what happened next. Dante’s fist crashed into my head and everything went black.

“IT HURTS SO MUCH,” I sobbed.

“What can I do, Faye? I feel so helpless.” He crawled up onto the bed I was lying on. His warm protective body curved around mine. “You didn’t have to go through with this, Faye. He would have done the right thing.”

I moved my arm to grip on to his. “I couldn’t do this to him. He has a future, this would have ruined it. What if he didn’t do the right thing? You know how he can get.”

I felt his disapproval varnishing me. “Then I would have.” It was a whisper falling forbiddingly from his lips. My eyes closed, refusing to let my mind wander into that impossibility. I turned to face him. He was so beautiful …Dante?

“Yes it’s me. I’m sorry Star.” My eyes fluttered open; he was older than he was in my dream. A throb on the side of my head began a steady thump. My knees screamed for some relief. “I’ve got the doctor coming to dress your knees. I lost it. I’m sorry. You pushed me… you just keep pushing.” Exhaling the breath I’d been holding, I didn’t look directly at him

“I don’t want that woman touching me. I can see to my own needs.” My stomach stirred and I knew I couldn’t swallow down the rising vomit.