Because, it would’ve killed her and I didn’t want to see her hurt. My relationship with Ashlyn was out of control. I was in a dark and bad place at that time. Thank God Isabella came into my life when she did. Listen, Dad, Lou has this under control. I don’t want you to worry about it. Hopefully, it’ll all be over soon.”As he turned around, he looked at me and smiled. “You’re right, son, and I’m sorry for what I said.”I gave him a small smile as he walked from behind his desk and patted me on the back. I opened the door and Isabella was standing there.“There you are. I wondered where you had disappeared to,” she said.“Sorry, Isabella. I had to steal my boy and go over a few things with him. Now where’s that granddaughter of mine?” My father smiled at her.As we walked out to the backyard, we heard screaming. I looked over to my right and saw Camden on the ground, kicking and screaming at the top of his lungs. I started to go to him and Isabella grabbed my arm. “Richard , don’t.”J
Ashlyn struggled and managed to break from my grip as she pushed me off of her.“I’m going to f**king kill you, bitch! It’s something I should have done instead of burning down that building!” she screamed.She came at me and grabbed my hair, knocking me down as I hit my forehead on the table. I heard Anita scream as she tried to grab her. Suddenly, the door flew open and two men came running in. Richard grabbed me from behind and Denny grabbed Ashlyn and restrained her.“Isabella , you’re bleeding,” Richard said as he wiped the blood from my head.“She threatened Julia,” I said.“What?!” Richard yelled as he looked at her.Anita went and got a cloth from the bathroom and handed it to Richard as he held it over my cut.“You’re in big trouble,” Richard said as he applied pressure to the wound.“How did you know I was here?” I asked.“We aren’t talking about that now.”“Believe me, we’re talking about it, Richard.”Two police officers walked into Ashlyn’s apartment and took her from De
And talking to you, may I add,” I said with irritation. “You know Isabella, and you know how she can be. She’s pissed off, and she told me to leave the bedroom because she needed space.”Denny got up from the chair and started walking towards the elevator. He stopped, turned around, and shot me a look. “You’ll feel like an ass soon enough.” He smiled.“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I yelled as the elevator doors shut.As I sighed and walked over to the bar to set down my glass, I heard the elevator door open. At first, I thought it was Denny, but I was pleasantly surprised when I looked over and saw Mason and Julia.“There’s my baby girl.” I smiled when I took her from Mason’s arms. “Did you have fun at the park?”“We had a fabulous time. She has made the most amazing friends and all the mannies love her.”I looked at Mason in confusion. “What?”“Once a week, I meet the other mannies with their babies in the park. You wouldn’t believe the stories they tell me about the fami
Isabella ,” I heard Connor whisper as he opened the door and walked in.He climbed into the bathtub, behind me, fully dressed, and wrapped his arms around me.“I’m so sorry, baby,” he began to cry. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through today. I just wanted to shield you from the scariness of the world. I wanted to protect you, Isabella . I need you to try and understand why I did what I did and why I behaved the way that I did. I love you so damn much.”Bringing my arms to his, he loosened his grip around me and I turned around to face him. He tilted his head as he stared at me and tried to wipe away the mascara stains from under my eyes. Bringing my hand up to his face, I gently wiped away each tear that fell from his eyes.“Look at you; your clothes are soaking wet.” I smiled softly.“It doesn’t matter as long as I’m holding you.” He smiled as his hand softly swept across my cheek.“Do you forgive me?” I asked.“Of course I forgive you. Do you forgive me?”“Yes, I love you w
“Hel—Richard , why is the princess crying like that?”“Mason, I need your help. I’m taking Julia to the office.”“By yourself?” he interrupted.“Yes. I’m stuck in traffic, and she won’t stop screaming. She won’t take the pacifier either.”“You gave her the pacifier? Does Isabella know this?”“No, and you’re not going to tell her either. Help me; I don’t know what to do.”“Do you have any classical music with you?”“I don’t think so.”“Look in the diaper bag. There may be a CD in there.”Reaching in the back, I grabbed a hold of the diaper bag and, as I was bringing it up to the front, items started falling out onto the floor. Julia was still screaming, and I was about to have a nervous breakdown.“There’s no f**king CD in here!” I screamed into the phone.“Richard , I’m sorry, but there’s nothing you can do until you get to the office.”After hanging up, I looked at my phone and had an idea. Still stuck in traffic, I downloaded some classical music onto my phone. Beethoven’s “Ode to J
What?” I smiled.“Nothing. I’m just admiring your beauty before we part ways in a couple of hours.”I spit in the sink and rinsed my mouth before walking over to him and placing my hands on his bare and sculpted chest.“I hate the fact that we aren’t going to see each other until tomorrow.”“I know. Me too,” he said as he held my face and kissed my lips.“So, what are your plans?” I asked casually.“I’m not telling you a thing. You’re so secretive about your party, so I’m being secretive too.”“You do realize you sound like a baby, right?”“Yes, but only your baby,” he whispered as he licked behind my ear and then slapped me on the ass.I giggled as I packed the last of the things I needed for the party. When Richard was done showering and getting dressed, he grabbed my bag and we took the elevator down to the parking garage, where two limos were waiting for us.“You’re limo, my love,” Richard said as he opened the door.“Thank you, darling.” I smiled.He wrapped his arms around me an
We sat at the table, waiting for the show to start. Anita was already drunk and so were a few of the girls. I needed a drink and didn’t want to wait for the waitress, so I excused myself and walked up to the large bar that was shared by both sides of the club. As the bartender approached me, I ordered a shot of Jack. He put the shot glass down in front of me and I threw it back, allowing the burning sensation to coat my throat. Suddenly, I was startled by a voice in my ear.“Well, isn’t this a coincidence seeing you here. It must be fate,” the deep voice whispered as his scent captured me and his hot breath warmed my neck.Once again, my heart started beating rapidly as the lower half of me started to ache. “Are you following me?” I asked without turning around.“I was just about to ask you the same question. Do you always come to strip clubs?”“No. I told you before that it’s my best friend’s bachelorette party.”“Ah, that’s right,” he said as he traced little circles on my shoulder
While Isabella grabbed her bag, I took mine from the hall closet and grabbed my keys. “I forgot to tell you that I’m driving us today. Denny called me this morning, and he’s not feeling well.”Isabella turned and looked at me. “What? What’s wrong with him?” she asked with concern.“I’m not sure. He just said he wasn’t feeling well and that he’s sorry, but he couldn’t work today.”“Denny is never sick,” she said.“I know. I’m a little worried about him, but I’m sure he’s just picked up a bug. People at the office are sick.”“I hope he feels better soon.”“Me too, baby,” I said as I put my arm around her and we headed to the gym.After our workout, Isabella dropped me off at the office and took the Range Rover with her. I told her that I’d catch a cab home this evening. Valerie followed me into my office, rattling off all the meetings that were scheduled for today. As I sighed, I set my briefcase down on my desk and looked out the large window that overlooked the city. My mind wouldn’t