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2024-10-29 19:42:56“She’s here, isn’t she? I got her back. I’m not going to be that dumb again, I swear.” He huffs and squeezes me a little tighter. Sylvana scowls at him, then her face drops, and she heaves a sudden sigh, remembering her dilemma.
“This is what the so much worse is.” She flaps her hands with a dramatic sigh. “Marissa is here. In the sitting room.” She grimaces and both Jake and I tense up instantly. My breath catches painfully, but Jake is the first to speak.
“What the hell for?” He sounds angry, no, he sounds pissed as hell. Meanwhile I just feel sick, and emotional, and about ready to cry and storm away. This is turning into the day from hell for me.
“She’s staying with her family for the weekend and just showed up asking to see me and talk about things … She’s carrying my grandchild r
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The Carrero Effect 213
“You’re all adults, Jake. Let the past stay in the past. Emma is here with you. You have all got to get it together, for the sake of these babies, they will be siblings after all.”Her comment hits me this time and I swallow hard, tears threatening. She’s right, as much as this is killing me she’s so very right; my baby has a sibling already and as much as I hate the girl in the next room I can’t hate the part growing inside of her that belongs to Jake. His eyes on me as I stare at my stomach and a tear rolls down my cheek involuntarily.“Go see her, Jake. I’ll be upstairs.” I pull out of his arms and head away, but he catches me and hauls me back against him, lifting my face to his with that no-nonsense expression set in.“Hell. No.” He kisses me gently on the nose and wipes my face with his thumb, keeping me close, reassuring me with his hold. “I’m sorry, Mamma, but I’m not cha
The Carrero Effect 214
As much as I try to prepare myself by pulling on my most efficient PA Emma face none of it truly prepares me for the blast of sickening pain when I am finally faced with one Marissa Hartley.Walking down the stairs and into the dining room I don’t take in the beautiful room, elegant settings, or wonderful smells of food. I just see the girl with the long, curled, brown, highlighted hair. The seductive, Latino looking face with sensual lips, wearing an overly tight floor length animal print dress, fully emphasizing her bust, curvy figure, and undeniably compact baby bump protruding at her front. I also can’t ignore the way her eyes devour Jake hungrily as he walks in behind me with a guiding hand.She exudes pure sexual energy, every movement calculated for maximum impact, hips swinging and cleavage swaying. Her pouting and hair flicking mannerisms all made for pure seduction.
The Carrero Effect 215
“Actually … I was talking about Emma’s baby.” Giovanni leans back with a wolfish grin and satisfied glint in his eye. The clatter of cutlery as Marissa drops her fork and gapes at me with open-mouthed shock. I realize she’s not the only one, Arrick’s girlfriend is practically bug-eyed gawping my way and no one is holding cutlery now except me.“Fuck’s sake…” Jake snaps, raising a hand to pinch his brow, his elbow hitting the table to hold his arm up. He knows the shit is about to hit the fan and he’s waiting on it.“Dad, you’re an asshole.” Arrick cuts in, instantly, and Marissa erupts.“What the actual fuck?! Since fucking when?!” She throws her napkin down on top of her food, glaring at him then me, focusing on one after the other with sheer fury across her pouted mouth. She does
The Carrero Effect 216
“That’s not what fucking happened, and you know it.” He yells at her and I cringe in fright pulling myself back in my seat, my heart rate going crazy, my mind a swirl of emotions of images of him and her. I don’t even know what to believe in. She seems to find pleasure in sitting up straighter, meeting his fire head on and I seriously start to wonder if there was more between them that night. My doubts and insecurities filtering in as I try to get a handle on the pain in my chest.“I’m surprised you can even remember, Jake darling, seeing as you were obviously high on God knows what and probably can’t remember exactly what happened. You were an absolute mess if I remember rightly.” She purrs and flutters at him. I feel sick to my stomach, my head a mass of confusion, I look to him and her and back again in painful panic. I don’t want to believe her, I shouldn’t.I can trust him. He’s been proving tha
The Carrero Effect 217
Jake, Sylvana, and Giovanni are locked in the sitting room with a lot of yelling and banging as I sit in the kitchen with Arrick and try not to self-implode. It’s been only minutes since we left the dining room and my nerves are completely done in. Sitting so tensely my body aches with the effort and I’m on high alert.“Here.” He hands me a mug of cocoa and slides into the chair beside me at the kitchen table with a supportive smile.“Thanks.” I accept it gratefully, still picking at the plate of food he warmed for me, trying to ignore the noise echoing down the hall. All the house staff have retired for the night and the place is eerily empty. Arrick’s girlfriend is either in his room or gone, so here he is, babysitting me at his brother’s request, because Jake didn’t want me left alone to ponder everything.“I guess I sh
The Carrero Effect 218
Jake climbs into bed minutes after I do. I’m lying awake staring at the semi-dark ceiling lost in thought when he comes in. He strips off, without looking over, and climbs into bed sliding up against me, pulling me into his arm. I can’t help but smile that he did come swiftly along when Arrick intervened on the drama with his father.“I’m awake,” I utter quietly, turning toward him so I can face him, melting into his body heat and feeling glorious against him. Its dull in here but not pitch dark so I can see him.“You okay?” He leans in and kisses me soundly, mouth molding to mine, hand running up my spine delicately. I can’t help the tingles he ignites or the way my inner thighs tense deliciously at his touch.“Surprisingly fine,” I say when we finally break apart. My desire aching to strip off the rest of his clothes and start licking every inch of that taut smooth tattooed skin. I’m starting to
The Carrero Effect 219
We’re walking hand in hand, fingers entangled, along the sunny pavement in the crisp morning air toward the house Jake wants to buy. It’s almost a replica of the Carrero family home, yet instead of warm sandy brown roughing on the outside it’s brilliant white with palm trees gracing the front of the manicured lawn in an arc, it’s beyond gorgeous and postcard picture perfect.Two storeys high with modern clean lines and large windows under a sloped tiled roof. It looks so much bigger than the Carrero family home because of the bright colors and straight manicured lines of the surrounding lawns. It’s neat and modern looking in contrast to the flower beds and bushes of Sylvana’s gardens.It reminds me of Jake’s apartment in small ways. His neat masculine style and bold edgy taste but somehow this has a much homelier quality and a long sweeping drive up to a very beautif
The Carrero Effect 220
“So, when do you move in?” Leila lounges across the bed in Jake’s old bedroom and takes a grape from the platter of food between us; snacks and sandwiches including lots of fruit, courtesy of Mamma Carrero and her constant care.Sylvana is the perfect host and she’s been doting over me when the house is empty during the week, when the men are at work or doing whatever the Carrero men do when not glued to their women folk. She enjoys my company and Leila has flown to see me when I finally drummed up the courage to tell her about the baby.To say she was ecstatic is an understatement and the five-foot teddy bear suspended on helium balloons, in the middle of the bedroom floor over the massive hamper of baby products, was her arriving gift, humped in by two very good-looking men.It’s been four days since the house viewing and Jake had to go into the city to oversee some business details and deal with the house sale. He’s been go
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The Carrero Effect 271
The Carrero Influence ~ The Dance ~ Jake shifted in his seat for the millionth time and tried once more to get his brain to focus on the laptop on the highly polished walnut surface. He just couldn’t keep himself on track lately. The sound of a female clearing her throat startled him to look up and the impatient stance of Margo waving a piece of paper with a raised eyebrow suggested she had been talking to him while he was zoned out. “Sorry. What?” He frowned and sighed heavily, pushing himself back into his molded leather chair and rolled up his shirt sleeves in agitation. “For God’s sake, Jacob. I’ve been here for three minutes talking at you. You need to just bloody well call her.” Margo’s stern tone did nothing to help his current mood, and he just shifted forward again to try to ignore that intent, chastising glare. He went to his laptop, ducking his head in an attempt to dodge her blue eyes and typed something aimlessly. “Don’t k
The Carrero Effect 270
The Carrero Influence~ The Elevator Scene ~Jake walked out of the boardroom meeting without any clue as to what he had just sat and endured for the last hour. Margo had been glaring his way and nudging him with her foot under the table every few minutes and making him all the more aware of how ‘out of it’ he was. He had been this way ever since his father’s email had come in, informing him that Emma was back in his building; Back within reach and he had no idea how to handle it. He didn’t know if he should be happy or panicked that he could just see her around his building again, he wasn’t sure how the hell to feel about it but couldn’t deny the slight feeling of hope in his chest that he could bump into her.If he was being honest, he hadn’t had his head in the game for weeks, not since he had sent her away and today was just another prime example of how ‘not well’ he was doing without her in his life.
The Carrero Effect 269
The Carrero Effect~ The Holiday: Part 2 ~Jake was searching under the water, too dark to see anything and scrambling with his hands at anything that felt like it could be Daniel. Panic gripping his stomach as he frantically surfaced for air and dove again. He had hit the water without a thought the second he knew Danny was in here. No cares that he was maybe too drunk for this and just endlessly searching despite his muscles aching and being so heavy he could barely move anymore. It felt like it had been hours instead of minutes and he still hadn’t found him. He wouldn’t give up on him, he wouldn’t lose his best friend this way.Surfacing for air quicker this time he took a moment to drag more into his burning lungs and wipe the water from his eyes. He could hear yelling from the deck, crying from Leila and other voices but he was fully zoned-in on the surface of the water looking for any signs of him.“He’s here, Mr. Carre
The Carrero Effect 268
The Carrero Effect~ The Holiday: Part 1 ~Jake strolled into his apartment and threw his bag down on the couch. It had been a long trip and an even longer week, but he suddenly felt restless at being back. Normally, getting home brought him all kinds of joy, but this time it felt slightly empty, and he actually wished they’d stayed at that damn dance just so he could still be with her right now. Pacing to the window and looking out across the New York skyline he ran his hand through his hair and cracked his neck in a bid to release some of the tension building up his spine. Flexing his arms over his head and straining the jacket holding him tight. He needed to get out of this monkey suit they called a tux and get comfy, maybe he just needed to feel less business-like and properly relax. Maybe he needed a drink.He needed to stop fixating on Emma; it wasn’t healthy, and the constant stream of thoughts he had about her was getting harder to control. S
The Carrero Effect 267 - Bonus Chapters
The Carrero Effect~ The First Meeting ~Jacob Carrero stood in his room in front of the large mirror over the vanity and warmed hair wax between his fingers, smirking at the familiar black and gold branded product on the wooden surface. His father was still lording over the decision to start a male grooming line with Jake’s face all over the advertising campaign; not that he cared. He was used to being publicly owned, always on show, and every woman’s idea of a fantasy male.Which guy wouldn’t? Women falling at your feet every day. Hell yeah.He rubbed it through his hair expertly and spiked it up toward the center and forward in its trademark style. He was never really one for much fussing over his hair, this kept it sorted and then he never had to care for the rest of the day or mess with it unless he ran his hands through and mussed it up. If he had his way, he would shave it all off, but he had done that in his teens and he
The Carrero Effect 266
I catch sight of some of my favorite women on the right-hand side of the aisle. Margo is wiping a tear from her eye and nudging Wilma in her side as both woman wave to me. They’re blowing their noses and crying as Donna throws tissues their way. My crazy trio of motherly hens. Donna’s mascara is pouring down her normally flawless face and I spot Rosalie wave from behind a very handsome man, grinning wildly and looping arms with him, a look of radiant happiness on her pretty face. I beam back at them with a tiny wave before moving on in time to the music, slow steps, with Giovanni leading the way.I catch sight of the Huntsbergers, my new extended family sitting close by and smile warmly at them. The row of adopted children and Huntsberger father looking so proud of his family. Ben and his baby son are near the end of the row. He’s is cuddling him proudly and looking every bit the doting dad. He is now the soul parent o
The Carrero Effect 265
“My son was in pain and hiding from what he wanted most,” he says so factually, looking down at me, “I put you back in his path, so he would stop being a coward.” Giovanni grins and all words leave my brain in an open-mouthed silent gawp; realization dawning on me so suddenly that I am literally rendered speechless.He sent me back to Carrero House? Making me believe that he was going to fire me if I didn’t … an ultimatum that led us to where we are now.Giovanni is admitting to maneuvering me back into Jake’s building, so we would end up back in each other’s arms, crafty jerk that he is. He giggles like a schoolboy at my obviously shocked expression and pats my hand tenderly over his inner elbow. That self-confident effortless look on a man who always sees all and knows everything.“No need to thank me, Emma.” He
The Carrero Effect 264
I smooth my hands down my ivory wedding dress. It’s classy elegance and understated top is lined with a simple sleeveless fitted bodice and tiny pearl detailing. It has a full wispy floating skirt, and layers and layers of chiffon puffing out to a full-length cloud of loveliness. It’s a fairy-tale princess dress and matches beautifully with the elegant engagement ring twinkling on my hand, sparkling in all its shining glory.I admire my flawless natural make-up in the mirror, touching up my nude lipstick. My tawny hair is wild and curled in its loose romantic style, tiny tendrils hang around my face and I appraise my reflection with pride.I look beautiful! I feel beautiful and serene. There is no fear whatsoever.I look like a woman hopelessly in love, about to marry the man of her dreams.I am that woman.I slide on my satin ivory stilettos that almost mirror the shoes I used to adore so much. It feels weird to be ba
The Carrero Effect 263
I am getting so frustrated at myself, my inner anger rears up. I’m surrounded by the song that gave me two of the happiest moments of my life, when he gave me his all, and yet here I am lying here, my sub-conscious holding me back from what I deserve. It’s like the beginning of our relationship all over again. I’m back to the defiant, closed-off Emma who never let him in, always holding back when he needed me most.No! I am not doing this to you, Jake. Not anymore, I won’t!The song is a reminder that he doesn’t always need to be my strength, but a prompt to show me that sometimes I need to be his too. I need to build my own force to find my way back. I need to hold him up and face whatever reality comes when my body wakes up. Maybe that’s why my mind doesn’t want me to wake up. It’s afraid that what Ray did to me will make me hide in the shadows again, that I won’t be able to love Jake and le
