Surrender To Me (Surrender Trilogy Book 2) Page 14

  I don’t share these thoughts, but I’m still nervous. Given that two policemen came to our hotel just a couple of days ago and took her away in handcuffs, this seems much too easy, even for someone with as much money and influence as Carter has.

  I breathe a sigh of relief when we are in the air, L.A. bound. At this rate, I almost thought we’d never make it to Bora Bora, not that it matters so much as long as we can be together. I thought we’d be watching movies or maybe nap a little, but as soon as the flight attendant has brought the after-lunch coffee, Carter, back to her unshakeable self, leans back into her seat and says, “Okay, let’s do this now. Frankly, I don’t want to discuss these things over a cocktail by the beach. Please, ask me something.”

  I’m stunned. I don’t know where to begin. Well, maybe with the most pressing subject.

  “I’m aware that some of the things you do to help women must be outside the legal boundaries. That’s why the two policemen came.”

  “Women like Emilia and Aisha had the bad luck of getting involved with well connected men. Aisha’s ex, almost as much as Laydon, but unlike him, that family still has to keep some appearances, so that’s why we’re on our way now.” There’s anger in her voice as she speaks. “They’re not so different. For these men, women are a possession. Every attempt of them to speak for themselves, to be their own person, they see as an affront on their masculinity. Society coddles them, and the law does too. I won’t.”

  That makes me feel good—and worried at the same time. I take it all in, mulling over her words. “That’s a big risk.”

  “Everything that makes life worth living comes with a big risk. Love?” She laughs softly. “It’s terrifying.”

  I’m glad I still have a glass of champagne next to me. I’ve been asking for these things, though they are not easy to hear. “Terrifying?”

  “Not so much anymore, but yes, it wasn’t easy for me to go there at first. Of course, with you, I knew you were never in it for the money, and…here we are. You make me happy. I swear I wasn’t trying to distract from the matter at hand.”

  “That’s okay. I guess I just need to have more of a general idea of what it is we, you are doing. I know you have influence and good lawyers but this, seeing you get arrested, it scared me.”

  “It was only the first thing that scared you?” she asks softly.

  “I don’t know. The other time I was mostly trying to get away from the bad guys, so I didn’t have a lot of time being scared.”

  “You’re brave. I’ve always known that. I’m sorry I didn’t always tell you the whole story, but I hoped I could protect you. In any case, you wouldn’t have to testify against me now that we’re married, so if you really want that, I’ll give you all the information the next time.”

  “Thank you.” I admit, it’s a bit scary, but it’s also reassuring, a good feeling to know that she’s going beyond of what I’ve learned in my internship, shuffling around money for the greater good. There’s a ripple effect when a powerful criminal like Laydon goes behind bars, not just for Emilia and her family. “Nothing like this is going to happen on Bora Bora, right?”

  “No.” She takes my hand, squeezing it gently. “Since everything is settled, we don’t even have to meet Nick anymore. There was a lot of dirt to find on Aisha’s ex, and in the end Daddy had to admit it was wiser to step away. Nick took care of everything from his side. I swear, this is our honeymoon, nothing else.”

  “I’m glad. I like it when I have you all to myself.”

  Carter gives me a knowing smile before she takes a sip from her own glass.

  “I like that too.”

  Later, when she’s fallen asleep next to me, I flip through the book selection on my e-reader—after watching her sleep for a few moments, I admit it. I am crazy in love—and finally, we’ll have some time away from it all. We’ve traveled a lot these past months, but I wonder if I could ask her to go back to the place where she first brought me, just for a few days, for closure. There’s no hurry, and I know opening up about the secret project is a big step for her.

  I turn back to my screen, the book club list, realizing that there are fewer “book boyfriends” on it, and more suspense. I shake my head with a wry smile. That’s appropriate considering what my life has become. I’m with the person I love. We can make a change in the world. What could be better than that?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Carter

  We’re served a coffee at LAX while the plane is being refueled, when my mother calls me. This is a rare occurrence, so I pick up, an uneasy feeling in my stomach. We haven’t spoken much since the wedding, but I assumed meeting Penelope changed something, made her realize that I’ve made some good choices in my life after all. What could this be about?

  “Carter,” she says. “Your people told me you were on the way to your honeymoon.”

  “That’s true. What can I do for you?”

  There’s a long pause in which I fear all kinds of things. “Mom?”

  Penelope watches me with worry in her gaze.

  “Look, I can put two and two together. I have an idea of what you do, and I need you to do it for a friend of mine.”

  What?

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I ran into an old friend of mine. She always had a knack for picking the wrong guys, but right now, she’s in a bad situation. The police won’t do anything. I was hoping you would.”

  This is not good. We’re not talking on a secure line.

  “Mom, I can’t talk about this right now, but I’ll send Nick over, okay? Tell him everything you know. We’ll see what we can do for your friend. Is her life in danger right now?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve never dealt with this before, I thought you knew…”

  “Are you in danger?”

  “No,” she says without hesitation. “I just regret that I didn’t act sooner. I should have seen it coming.”

  That makes it pretty clear what I’m going to do. “Look, I’m on the other side of the country right now, but Nick will help you figure this out. Let me give him a quick call, and then I can call you back before we take off, okay?”

  “That’s more than I hoped for. Thank you, Carter.” She seems surprised. It’s a little…disappointing.

  “You’re welcome.”

  I end the call and find Nick in my address book. He picks up before the first ring ends.

  “You can’t take a vacation to save your life, can you?” he grumbles.

  “I’m going to take my vacation. I got a job for you.”

  “Why am I not surprised? What’s up? You must be on the way to Bora Bora soon? Gillian just told me there were no further complications to be expected, please tell me we weren’t kidding ourselves.”

  “It’s fine. I need you to go pay a visit to my mother.”

  “Okay…”

  “Linda will stay in Paris for a bit longer, so why don’t you take Sharon with you. One of Brenda’s friends needs help. I want you to check this out and do what needs to be done…It would take me a lot longer to come all the way back, and I know you can take care of this.”

  “We sure can. Enjoy your honeymoon.”

  “Thanks.”

  Penelope listens as I tell her the story, as little as I know of it. If Brenda’s asking, that’s good enough for me. For a long time, she never asked anything of me, as if unsure how to deal with the way I turned out, not at all the woman she imagined.

  “Do you want to go?” Penelope asks, and I can tell she’s absolutely serious. How did I ever deserve this beautiful crazy person? If I asked her to go to the moon with me, she probably would.

  “That’s not necessary. I have to call her though and tell her Nick’s on his way.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I am. She didn’t ask for me specifically to come. It will be okay.”

  I call Brenda’s number, and she picks up right away. “I made the calls,” I say. “They should be there in a couple of hours
at the most.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

  I understand, more than she knows. It’s not easy to ask for help, especially when you’re used to taking care of yourself, and others. Mom and I have more in common than she is willing to admit—after Dad died, she had to take care not only of three half-grown kids, but also the business, which she did for a while, successfully, before she sold it with a profit.

  “You really don’t need me there?”

  “Don’t be silly. This is not about me. How long have you waited to take your wife to this place? I’m sure I’ll enjoy talking to Nick. He seems like a nice fellow.”

  “He is. If you’re worried about anything, you tell him, but you can always call me too.”

  “Enough,” she says, the subject is getting too emotional. “I’ll see you when you’re back.”

  “Yes. We can stop by on our way home. Take care of yourself.”

  “You too. Bye, Carter.” She hangs up.

  I can’t help it—I worry, and Penelope knows it. With Baxter out of the picture and new arrest made, there’s not much Laydon can do anymore, but I do remember Colette’s dire predictions.

  However, by the time we land, exhausted and jetlagged, there’s a text message from Nick that says, “All good. Enjoyed talking to your mom.”

  I shake my head with a smile. I live an extremely privileged life, and I know it. It’s the greatest privilege to have people you can trust with your life, and those of your loved ones.

  Maybe, after this, mom and I can even see each other more often, acknowledge that common ground. Penelope did all of this for me. There’s no way in the world I could ever thank her enough.

  After we take the ferry to Bora Bora, a shuttle brings us to the resort, and we can finally retreat to the famous accommodations, officially on our honeymoon. Yes, money buys me travel to wherever I want to go, but this is still special. This is our time. We spend the first hours of it sleeping, enjoying the soft surface of the bed after all the time in plane seats. Even in a private jet, they get less comfortable at some point.

  The 24 hour room service provides us with a delicious dinner that we take in the sitting area by the open screen doors, and later cocktails on the deck while we watch the sunset.

  All of this, it’s not just about spending money, but I sure appreciate the fact that I’m able to put this expression of wonder on Penelope’s face. She sits on the lower part of the deck from which a ladder leads into the water, dipping in her feet.

  Beautiful. All mine. No one’s ever going to challenge that—or if they ever try, I’ll make sure they’ll regret it.

  About the author:

  Raven J. Spencer, lesbian, married, loves everything sensual and indulgent which led her to write erotic romance and fantasies. When she’s not writing, you can often find her on Pinterest in the pursuit of inspiration. http://www.pinterest.com/ravenjspencer/

  Other works:

  Surrender Your Heart (Surrender Trilogy 1)

  Novelettes:

  The A Perfect Dream series:

  A Perfect Dream

  A Second Chance

  Off Screen

  A Sweet Deal

  An Intimate Case

  A Complicated Arrangement

  An Unexpected Development

  Truth or Dare

  The Italian Apartment

  The Intern (Valentine’s Day short)

  www.amazon.com/author/ravenjspencer

  Coming soon:

  Surrender Forever (Surrender Trilogy 3)

  The dark erotica novel Soulless

  Coming soon:

  Surrender Forever, the final book in the trilogy

  Read an excerpt now:

  Chapter One

  Carter

  You know the expression people use when something hits them in the face after a particularly wonderful experience? The honeymoon is over? Well, it truly is. I spent the past few days catching up, making my friends and staff jealous for my tan. They don’t know they have so much more to be jealous about, though I assume they have some ideas. The reality of it will be forever in my memory, the crystal clear water, the stunning sunsets, and Penelope, surrendering body and soul to me. We may joke, play around, but this is a deep profound experience neither of us had before, with any other person. Meant to be.

  The new, alternate reality hits me hard. It’s not possible. I refuse to believe it. Maybe I’m in denial—no, I know better.

  “I’m so sorry,” Nick says, sounding sincere. “I had to bring this to you right away.”

  “I understand,” I say, even though I don’t. I’m mad at him, irrationally, for even suggesting that what the pictures on the screen seem to say, could be true.

  “Good. You know that there are precautions we have to take. I talked to Linda, and she’ll send someone to dig into this.”

  “Who else knows?”

  “Just Linda, you and me for now. I don’t want her to suspect anything while we’re investigating this. It’s important that you don’t slip up either.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?” I snap. “This is ridiculous. There must be another explanation. Somebody is setting this up.”

  “That was my first thought, of course.” Nick shifts uneasily in his chair. “There’s more, Carter. We have phone records that show she received several calls from a Catherine Laurier. That person doesn’t seem to exist. We ran her through the face recognition software and found she goes by a variety of names, has been arrested before on accusations of major credit card fraud, and, get this, money laundering. Somehow, she always got away. Remember Marcie, the waitress at the Café Vienna? She says she knows Catherine. She started coming around about the same time we started staking out the place. How much of a coincidence can that be?”

  “That’s…inconvenient.” I almost laugh at the inappropriate term, but then I might cry, and that would be so much worse. There must be a rational explanation, something, anything that makes Nick’s theory fall apart in a heartbeat. I know it isn’t true. It can’t be.

  “This is serious. It’s not just about a few millions rerouted. You could be framed for a crime!”

  “We’ve been there before.”

  “Before, we saw it coming.”

  I get to my feet, almost instantly assaulted by vertigo. The sensation nearly makes me sick. It’s never a good idea to come to the office without breakfast.

  “Are you okay?”

  When I built this business from the ground, Nick was there for me almost all the way. He knows the company inside out, the risks, the rewards, and I know I can trust him with my life. This changes everything.

  “No, but we’ll get to the bottom of it. Whatever it appears to be, there’s no doubt someone is trying to steal my money and make me look bad meanwhile. You do what you have to do. I’ll give you a week, then I’ll talk to Penelope.”

  His expression tells me clearly that he disapproves. Nick knows he won’t change my mind. He will try anyway.

  “Carter…”

  “Where are we on Mom’s case? Is everything still quiet?”

  Before Penelope and I went on our delayed honeymoon, my mother called me about a friend of hers who was in trouble. Nick took care of it as ordered. The woman who was in a bad situation, dating a guy with dark secrets, is safe and sound now, living life out of the abuser’s reach.

  “All went according to plan as you know. This is not your problem.”

  I give him a laugh that’s convincing no one. “That’s what I have you for, right, to take care of the problems? By the way, while you’re at it, can you get down to the kitchen and get me breakfast? Eggs, bacon, a bit of fruit. Black coffee.”

  My stomach is growling. I’m not even sure I can handle food after what I’ve just heard. It’s not true. In less than a week, we’ll have found the explanation.

  “Trouble in paradise?” he asks.

  “No. Stayed in bed past the alarm,” I shoot back at him which shuts him up. He finally goes
to order my breakfast from the kitchen. I could have done this myself, but I need a moment.

  I agree with Nick in one thing—it might be better if Penelope never knows. We’ll clear this up, and it will be as if the shadow of suspicion never existed.

  I know she would never do this to me.

  Penelope has a full day with classes at the university and her internship in the philanthropy department. On top of that, I promised to be more transparent about some projects Nick and I started a while ago—you could call it philanthropy too, but these are off the books, like the quick intervention for Mom’s friend. This morning’s alarming news won’t change anything. I have to act as if nothing has happened, and so far, it is nothing.

  My breakfast arrives, and I use the excuse to stall a little longer. I have to look at the evidence and assess it, take measures to protect my business.

  It’s going to be a long day. Already I wish I could rewind to the moments before the alarm rang, waking Penelope in a way we both enjoy so much. Instead, I have to deal with this rude awakening.

  It’s unthinkable.

  * * * *

  Penelope comes by to get me for dinner. Between meetings, catching up with Nick’s progress and assuring my mother that her friend will never have to worry again, the day flew by. I promised Nick to stay quiet for a week.

  I don’t know if I can do it.

  Penelope breezes into my office, all excited about how her day went.

  “I think the test went well,” she says.

  “I’m sure it did. You studied hard these past days.”

  You also received five phone calls from Catherine Laurier, a person with many aliases. Why?

  “That’s not even the best news.” She leans over the desk and kisses me. I catch a whiff of shampoo and perfume, my body easily overriding the worries in my mind. Not worries. Not doubts. The security camera from the store in Paris, showing Penelope talking to Laurier…It could be completely innocent.