Scarlet grasped and pulled out of his touch. “Don’t do that. You didn’t want me, remember? You wanted a week. That’s all you wanted from me. You contracted the damn thing. You made me feel like a whore.”
Her voice remained level, but the tears falling from her eyes weren’t anything other than hurt.
“I tore up the damn contract. It was the stupidest thing I have ever done. I told Lily, and she opened—”
“You told Lily? How could you do that? She didn’t know about our little arrangement. How could you have embarrassed me like that? You promised me it would stay between us.” Richard got to his feet and went to her. Desperation was clawing at him to keep her. He cupped her cheeks in his hands. He saw the hatred shining out at him, and before he stopped himself, he kissed her.
She struggled beneath him but soon wound her hands around his neck. A sweet victory for him.
Scarlet had to love him. His pleasure was short-lived as she pulled out of his hold. “You got the last bit of me. Now let me go.”
Richard tried to focus his thoughts. She was at his door and about to leave his world forever. “The last time we were together I didn’t use anything? You could be pregnant.” Not using anything had been a genuine mistake.
“You did it on purpose?” she asked.
He didn’t know what the best answer would be. “No. I wanted to be with you and inside you so damn bad, protection slipped my mind. I’m sorry.” He decided the truth would be best in this situation.
She turned back, and the hurt on her face was worse than anything he’d seen thus far.
“I asked one thing from you. I asked you to protect me from that, and you didn’t.”
“I know. What are you going to do?” he asked.
Her complexion was pale, and her entire body was shaking.
“As I’m sure you remember I’m used to taking care of other men’s messes.” The punch to the gut doubled him over. He stood and watched her gather her things and leave his life forever.
She’d asked one thing of him, and he’d f**ked up. Maybe she could have forgiven him for the contract, but forcing a baby on her? Could she ever find it in her heart to forgive him?
Richard didn’t know how long he stood watching the empty space. Eventually his friends Wayne and Tony came in. One of his partners had called his closest friends to help him.
“Come on, man,” Tony said, and together they helped him out of the building.
Richard went with them to his apartment. He ignored them and went straight for his strongest whisky. He pouted himself a generous glass and slung the whole shot to the back of his throat, the burn a welcome pain. He poured another glass and took it back.
“You got me back to my place. I suggest you leave,” he said.
“We’re not leaving,” they both said in unison.
“Why? I’m a f**king bastard who f**ked up. You know,” he turned to Wayne. “I criticised you for pulling that pre-nup on Lily? I pulled a contract of my own out of the bag.” The strong drink was going straight to his head. “I forced her to sign a contract, so I could f**k her. How shit is that.”
“Richard, I don’t think you should be drinking.”
“You don’t know what I need. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be me? My dad reckons the woman you want is for mistress material while the woman you hate is wife material. Shall I get Scarlet to be my mistress?”
Wayne went over to him and grabbed the lapels of his jacket. “Listen, you’re a better man that your father. You always have been and always will be. So you f**ked up. Either dwell on it and deal with the fact you’ve lost Scarlet, or you get up and you fight for the woman you love.”
Tears fell from his eyes, Richard never cried, but he felt them cascading down his cheeks, evidence of his weakened state of mind.
“Do you love her?” Tony asked.
“With my whole heart.” Richard broke down in front of his friends, the sobs shaking his whole body. He cried for the woman he loved and for the unfairness of life. The way his parents had controlled him to care what society thought of him.
After some time he saw his friends out with the promise they kept his emotions a secret. They did this. He recalled opening his door to a young Wayne as he’d taken a beating from his father and holding him while he cried to sleep. Richard had run to Tony when his parents wanted to send him to boarding school. The three friends who refused to allow the burdens of their parents to drive them apart.
So much had gone on among them. He loved them like brothers. When he was once again alone in his apartment he went to his safe and stared at the diamond encrusted dolphin. His heart and his life were laid in the woman who’d wear this ring. Richard picked it up and phoned the estate agent. He wanted to take charge of his own life. For the first time he was going to live it the way he wanted. The penthouse was going.
Chapter Thirteen
Richard went home to the place he had grown up. The house looked so harmless on the outside. He parked his car and stared at the house most people would dream about living in.
On the side of the house a basketball hoop lay. His mother had wanted it for decoration to show the neighbourhood they had children. Richard remembered when he, Wayne, and Tony had started playing ball. His mum had come out yelling and cursing at them. Once inside she popped the ball in front of them all and said they didn’t need to act like hooligans.
How could he have left Opal to all of this? She ran out of the house as soon as she saw his car. His mother was not far behind.
“Don’t run, Opal. You know it’s not ladylike,” she called.
Opal stopped, and his heart broke. She was already being designed into the perfect ideal daughter, not the person she was meant to be.
She stood in front of him and took his hand. “How are you doing, brother?”
“Don’t do that, Opal. Don’t let her break who you’re going to be.” He placed his arms around her shoulders, and they walked up to the house together. “Where’s dad?”
“In his office. Where else would he be?” his mother said.
“I couldn’t imagine why.” He went past her up to his old room.
Richard opened the door and the past. His bedroom looked spotless as if no one ever lived inside. A few trophies dotted the walls. Books from law school and certificates of his achievements. On the mirror pictures of his friends and Opal were placed at odd angles.
He frowned when he glanced at one with an old nanny he couldn’t recall what had happened to. Richard picked the picture off the glass. The woman had red hair, and she smiled down at him. What caught his attention in the photo wasn’t the woman, but the hand on the shoulder of the woman.