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Chapter seven
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Eight
When the door slid open with a ding, she stepped out onto the rooftop garden where lounge chairs were clustered around various glass tables and a bartender was waiting eagerly behind a long, oak bar. The hostess, a young woman wearing a black cocktail dress, her blond hair slicked up into a high ponytail, greeted them then escorted them to a table near the glass wall that lined the perimeter. As they sat, Nate asked her for two coffees, and Mira mentioned she would like cream and sugar in hers. The hostess returned with their drinks a minute later. “So did you want to start, or should I?” she asked. “Ladies first,” he said with an amused smile. “Good,” she said, gathering her thoughts and trying not to get sucked into his alluring looks. He leaned back in his chair, tilting his head and eyeing her with interest that seemed to go far beyond the points she was preparing to make. “The Starlight trench,” she began, “runs through Bellevue, weaving between schools and residential home
Last Updated : 2024-10-29BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Nine
Nate didn’t want to let her go as he walked her across the red carpet outside the Escala and helped her into the limo, but it would be selfish to try to convince her to stay, and quite frankly, he was disturbed by all that she had brought to his attention. As someone who used to save lives on the operating table, the possibility that his pipeline could be detrimental to the health of an entire community was jarring. He closed the limousine door, pained to see Mira disappear behind tinted glass, and then watched as the limo rolled off down the street. It was a long ride up to the fiftieth floor, and when he reached his suite, Nate heard giggling through the door. Entering, he found his father, Porter Montgomery, fixing himself a drink at the bar in the far corner of the room, while two women who looked like models passed a cigarette between them from where they sat on the leather couch “What are you doing here?” Porter straightened his back then turned, facing him. His white hair w
Last Updated : 2024-10-29BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Ten
“Where have you been?” Carter filled the doorway of her motel room, his dark eyes probing her for an explanation. She had barely scurried from the limo to her room, breathless with anxiety as she made sure her entrance went unnoticed, and had changed into her jeans and a tee shirt before Carter had knocked and opened the door. “I had a meeting with the CEO of Starlight,” she said, feeling decent to be telling the truth. Her thoughts skirted over Nate his lips, the firm wall of his chest that she’d caressed, the way he felt inside her, the wild impulse they’d both succumbed to in the back of the limousine. “I got him to pause the project for the rest of the day.” “Meaning?” “Meaning, he’s going to review the possible hazards of the materials and reconsider.” Carter snorted a skeptical laugh. “Possible hazards? It’s common knowledge Davey uses toxic materials.” “To us it’s common knowledge. You know we’ve been fighting an uphill battle to prove as much. This is a good sign, Carte
Last Updated : 2024-10-29BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Eleven
Mira stepped out of the shower, glad that Carter and Layla had volunteered themselves to drive the chemical samples into Madison Alder’s lab, Krylotech Industries in Seattle. The rest of the team was getting antsy, but Mira had done a decent job of updating and motivating them by saying the results of the lab would give One World a strong advantage of not only shutting down the Starlight Energy Pipeline in Bellevue, but perhaps put Montgomery’s company out of business entirely. In the meantime, she delegated specific tasks to each member. Ronnie and Samantha were heading over to the site to take pictures of the construction workers should they engage in any activity. Jess and Malcom were drawing up an amendment to the class-action motion their attorney would ultimately file.And Dahlia and Molly were focusing on making arrangements for One World’s next project, exposing a water treatment facility in Nevada, which was suspected of adding unregulated quantities of fluoride to public dri
Last Updated : 2024-10-29BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Twelve
Soon she was feeling for his slacks, the button and zipper, working his pants open until they fell to his ankles. His thighs and hips felt hard against her, and she reached for the hem of his sweater next, as he undid her shorts, urging them down. All the while their kissing became a series of quick, urgent pecks between their efforts to strip down.He helped her tee shirt up and over her head and drank in the sight of her when it hit the floor. Her bra was black and basic and her panties matched, but soon he freed her, unfastening the hook and eye at her back and peeling the cups away.A hot rush of excitement surged through her when his hands squeezed her breasts then stroked down her stomach, tracing the soft curve of her body. She was tracing him, as well, feeling his arms, his muscles, as she brushed him, shoulder to wrist. “I want to spend hours with you,” he groaned. “Take my time.”She smiled and let out a breathy laugh, eyeing his boxer-briefs, the way they hugged his bulge,
Last Updated : 2024-10-29BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Thirteen
When he lifted up, their eyes met and he brushed her dark hair off her forehead. After a moment, he kissed her, then he eased out of her, rolling onto his back.Mira curled into him, asking, “What really happened at that party?” She felt Nate tense beside her, and he let out a stuttering breath.“I really don’t know. One minute I was sipping a glass of champagne and talking to the dean of medicine from Mount Sinai, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in the hospital. My dad says it was a psychotic break. I had been under a lot of stress.”Mira didn’t feel it was her place to comment, but she didn’t see how a psychotic break could cause him to act bizarrely with no recollection of his behavior, not to mention Nate didn’t strike her as the sort to have a mental breakdown in the first place.She was jarred from contemplation when her cell began buzzing on the nightstand. Reaching over Nate for it, she saw Carter’s name flashing across the screen. “It is one of my guys,” she said.
Last Updated : 2024-10-29BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fourteen
One World gathered their gear at Mira’s instructions and drove off through the dark night towards the Starlight Energy trench. Carter killed the headlights on his Jeep as they drove the final mile down the dusty, rural road that ran parallel to the trench.“We’ll take pictures of everything,” Mira stated to the entire team that was now standing one hundred yards from the trench. Ronnie climbed out of the cube truck they’d rented to load the barrels into. “And remember, we are not stealing. This is a peaceful demonstration to prevent them from using this particular chemical, which we now know is deadly.” She made a point to touch eyes with every member of her team, then added, “As soon as we are in position, I’ll tell Ronnie on the walkie talkie. The second he backs the truck to the barrels, we will use the dollies to move them up the ramp. Do not attempt to roll the barrels on their sides. The chemical is highly toxic, and if the lids come off and it spills, it’ll be impossible to cle
Last Updated : 2024-10-29BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fifteen
“Blind?” Mira couldn’t fathom the magnitude of what she was hearing, and yet it resonated the deep sense of dread that had been forming in the pit of her stomach. “Permanently?”Nate’s hand felt warm and strong as he laced his fingers with hers, holding her firmly. It seemed to be his way of responding, as though words would be too small, insignificant, and unable to cut to the core of this life-changing event that no one could’ve seen coming.“It looks that way,” he said finally, but his timber waned, giving Mira an indication that he’d directed his response to her doctor, who had yet to address the prognosis.“We are going to have to take it day by day, Mira,” he said finally, nearing the foot of her hospital bed, while Layla fidgeted beside Carter on the other side of her bed. “The chemicals scalded your retinas in both eyes.We had the best doctors working, but our primary concern was preventing chemical burns across your skin, which would have killed you. After flushing your eyes
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Epilogue
EpilogueHe broke away, but his eyes never left hers as he said, ‘Hello, Connie.I have missed your cooking.’‘Don’t you “Hello, Connie” me. Where you been, eh? Worrying Mira half to death…’‘Were you?’ he asked. ‘Worried? You didn’t fancy being a rich widow?’Maybe he already knew the answer because he didn’t wait for it but looked down and said, ‘Hello, Toby. Been to a party?’‘Mmm.’ He gave Connie the balloon he was holding and offered up his goodie bag. ‘I have got cake.’‘Any to spare? I’m starving…’‘Later. It’s bath time,’ Mira said. ‘Can you take care of Toby for me,Connie?’‘I can take care of both of them if you like,’ she offered. ‘He’s going toneed help with his arm in plaster. No? You don’t want Connie?’ And shewent inside chuckling to herself. ‘Just you make sure you wash behind hisears, Mira.’ Then, ‘I call Matty and tell her Mr Dan is home.’‘What do you want first? Drink? Food? Bath?’He circled her with his arm as they walked up the steps into the house.‘I’ve go
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Seventy Two
‘If I fell under Matty’s metaphorical bus, you’d have to sell the house to pay inheritance tax. This way makes more sense. ‘It makes sense if you haven’t got a heart, but since we’re talking about the unexpected, let’s really go for it.’ She looked at him, demanding a response. ‘What’s on your mind?’ ‘This. We get married. You live upstairs in your little apartment. Me and Lame Ducks Incorporated are spread out all over the rest of your house. That’s what you have in mind, right?’ ‘Right.’ ‘Okay. Now tell me this. What happens when you meet the girl of your dreams and fall in love?’ Fran had to ask the question, even though the very idea of him falling in love drove daggers through her. ‘That’s the one thing that isn’t going to happen, Mira.’ His conviction shook her momentarily, but she pressed on. ‘Dan, I know you spend most of your life in the wilderness, chipping lumps off rock looking for oil and minerals—’ ‘Really it’s a bit more technical than that,’ he objected
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Seventy One
“She did what?” Mira was utterly beside herself that Layla had gone off on her own and once again acted recklessly, endangering others to thwart the pipeline. Carter had her by the shoulder from where she sat at Nate ’s desk, but it did little to comfort her.“She is in the county jail,” Nate explained. “I could overlook one attack that didn’t hurt anyone, but this time she used a grenade, blew out the side of our trailer, and put my father in the hospital. He’s going to presscharges, needless to say.”“Is he all right?” she asked.“He hit his head fairly hard and fractured his shoulder, but neither are life threatening.”Mira could hear his voice waver as though he was entirely beside himself.“How are you?” she asked urgently.“A bruised rib, but I will live.”Mira sensed Carter get to his feet, as his hand slipped off her shoulder.“I have to see her,” he explained. “Let’s get Harold on this if we can. Get her bail set.”“You can try,” said Nate . “I doubt she will be offered a ba
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Seventy
While Mira sat in his exam room and endured similar tests as those he had conducted a few days prior, Nate stepped out to make a few calls, the reason for which he had been somewhat secretive about. As Dr. was finishing up, she asked, “What do you think the likelihood of Nate finding me donor eyes will be?” The doctor released a sigh then said, “I really couldn’t tell you. I have never endeavored anything so ambitious. All I can tell you is the likelihood of whether or not your body will accept or reject your new eyes, and the degree to which you might be able to see once they are in.” “So what’s the likelihood?” “I’ll have an idea once I examine the photos I’m taking. I should know in a day or so. Bear in mind, though, that we have three battles. The first is making sure the donor is, in fact, a match. I explained to you earlier that this aspect could be tricky to navigate. Then your body has to accept the eyes. And then after the nerves attach and heal, we’ll have to closely m
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty Nine
Chapter 69.He broke away, but his eyes never left hers as he said, ‘Hello, Connie.I’ve missed your cooking.’‘Don’t you “Hello, Connie” me. Where you been, eh? Worrying Mirahalf to death…’‘Were you?’ he asked. ‘Worried? You didn’t fancy being a rich widow?’Maybe he already knew the answer because he didn’t wait for it but lookeddown and said, ‘Hello, Toby. Been to a party?’‘Mmm.’ He gave Connie the balloon he was holding and offered up hisgoodie bag. ‘I’ve got cake.’‘Any to spare? I’m starving…’‘Later. It’s bath time,’ Mira said. ‘Can you take care of Toby for me,Connie?’‘I can take care of both of them if you like,’ she offered. ‘He’s going toneed help with his arm in plaster. No? You don’t want Connie?’ And shewent inside chuckling to herself. ‘Just you make sure you wash behind hisears, Mira.’ Then, ‘I call Matty and tell her Mr Dan is home.’‘What do you want first? Drink? Food? Bath?’He circled her with his arm as they walked up the steps into the house.‘I’ve got
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty Eight
Angry with herself, she turned off the television, got to her feet. Dan might not be rescued for months. Was she planning on spending every hour in front of the television in case there was the slightest snippet of news? It was the last thing he would want. Catherine would let her know the minute anyone heard anything and in the meantime there were a hundred things that needed doing. She still hadn’t settled on the final layout for the slender catalogue that was going to be mailed out to all their customers, as well put as an insert in one of the Sunday supplements. It was going to cost a fortune. It had to be right. She caught sight of herself in the hall mirror. What a wreck. She needed to take a shower, wash her hair, change. Get her mind back on the job. On her family… But when she opened a drawer, searching for underwear that would stretch around her expanding belly, she found herself staring at the tiny silk box that contained the wedding ring Dan had put on her finger and she
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty seven
Chapter 67.She returned a few moments later with a cardboard box that she placedon the floor and when she opened it the small silky brown and white headof a spaniel puppy appeared. Then a body wriggled free of the blanket andhe looked up at her and whined to be lifted out.She was lost for words. Dan might have left Catherine to pick outChristmas gifts, but this could only have come direct from him. Proof thathe was thinking of her… She caught herself. Thinking of Toby.‘I made the woman at the kennels promise she’d take him back if youdidn’t want him. Men have these great ideas…’‘When? When did Dan ask you to do this?’‘Oh, months ago. In fact, I think he called from the airport… It wassupposed to have been Toby’s Christmas present, but since he was soparticular it had to wait until the right spaniel produced the right pup.’ Sheshrugged apologetically. ‘You know Dan. He’s never satisfied with less thanperfection.’‘No?’ Her heart lurched uncomfortably. ‘No,’ she agreed.‘
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty six
Chapter 66.Mira felt as if she was grieving all over again.She’d pulled into the garage and finally given way to the dammed-uptears she hadn’t been able to shed for Natein a mind-clearing storm ofguilt and loss. And when it was over she finally understood it all. That theirmarriage of convenience had been entirely for his expedience, not hers.Not cheap. But then this wasn’t about money. It was about control. Tobywas all the family he had. His heir. The boy who carried the family name.Marriage was the simplest and most effective way of stopping her frombecoming involved with someone else, giving him some other man’s name.Which answered any question she had about what was in the letterNatehad written to him. He had been a less than perfect partner, a lessthan perfect anything, except father. Relaxed to the point of being comatoseon most things, he had been uncharacteristically firm in his insistence thatDan be added to Toby’s name.Too late she saw that all that stuff abou
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty Five
Chapter 65.The other was that he had simply decided that, despite his fine words,his promises, he expected payment in full for his investment in an unwantedhigh-maintenance wife. Why else would he be planning to move into herhome when, as she had just discovered, there was no need?How could he ask her to forgive him, when he wouldn’t be able toforgive himself?Instead he picked up her jacket, handed it to her in silence.‘Bathroom?’ she enquired, so quietly that he could barely hear her.‘Through here.’ He opened the door to his bedroom and the untouchedbed, just yards away, seemed to mock him. ‘You’ll find everything you’llneed.’Soap, hot water to wash him from her body.She ducked through the opening, leaving him to straighten himself out.Consider a future that was suddenly bleaker than he could have imaginedeven a week ago. An hour ago. Then he’d had some hope.He began to fasten his shirt, discovered that several of the buttons weretorn from it, and dug a fresh one out
