Damn. Thoughts like that are going to get me into trouble.
“I don’t recall Alabama offering a beer-brewing degree. What did you study?”
“Chemical engineering.”
“Wow. You’re an engineer?”
“No. I’m a beer brewer with a degree in engineering. Big difference.”
“How does one go to school for something like that and end up a beer brewer?”
“I bought a home-brew beer kit when I was a sophomore. Did some research. Toyed with the process. Found out I was pretty damn good at it. My best friend and I spent the next couple of years perfecting recipes. Graduation was approaching, and we both knew we wanted to make a go at a brewery. We found an investor and the rest is history.”
“It worked out.”
Not everyone is able to follow their dreams. And those who do often fail. “We were lucky.”
“And talented.”
“Talent is a part of it.”
“So your sister married your best friend?”
I consider Lucas one of my best buddies, but I don’t think that’s what Adelyn means.
“No. Lawry married the man who financially backed Iron City. And then together, they started Bohemian Cider Company.”
“Oh, okay. I think I have it straight now.”
I want to hear more about this preacher’s daughter. “How’d Birmingham become your landing pad?”
“Daddy was pastor of a church here when I was in high school. All my friends were from this place, so I stayed when he moved on to the next church. I lived with my best friend and her parents until I graduated from high school. I went to Alabama too, and got a bachelor’s in executive restaurant and hospitality management. And here I am.”
“And now you own an event-coordinating agency. Impressive for someone so young.”
“How young do you think I am?”
“Based on looks—”
“Careful what you say, Oliver.”
Her dimples are trying to make another appearance.
“I’d guess twenty-two according to appearance. But logic tells me you must be closer to thirty.”
“Good answer. I’m twenty-seven.”
“You obviously didn’t acquire your agency yesterday. How did you manage to pull off owning a company so young?”
“Same as you. An investor.”
I’m always interested in hearing another business owner’s success story. “How did you convince your financial backer to invest in you?”
“He was my boss.”
Sounds similar to our situation. “He must have seen your determination and believed in your drive to succeed?”
“No. He believed in fucking me. And owning me. And beating me when I no longer wanted to be his toy.”
Fuck.
I don’t know what to say to that.
She’s silent for a moment before speaking again. “I’ve stunned you.”
“Yeah, you have.”
“Being the investor behind my only source of income gave him power. It kept me close. Under his thumb you could say. He got off on the control he had over me.”
“Why go along with it?”
She has family. Surely, they would have helped her.
“It wasn’t always like that. Things were good in the beginning. I was happy.”
Isn’t that how abuse usually starts? Always good at the beginning? Otherwise, people wouldn’t get sucked in. They’d run like hell if they knew what was coming.
“I was fresh out of college and ready to conquer the world. Martin was older. Established. Respected. Very handsome. And my employer. I was used to horny frat boys looking for one-night stands. He wined and dined me like a gentleman. Didn’t push for sex in exchange for a steak dinner. It was exciting to have a mature, worldly man like him interested in me.”
He was grooming her. And she didn’t see it.
They rarely do.
“It started with sex, and damn. I was twenty-two. I’d never experienced anything like that but it wasn’t just sex. He knew shit, kinky shit, and it was good. I liked it. I liked it a whole fucking lot.”
I don’t want to hear this or how much she liked fucking a son of a bitch who abused her. It’s not right.
“We began an affair. I use the term affair because he wasn’t yet divorced from his fourth wife. But I didn’t know that until much later.”
Bastard.
“He financed the start-up of my agency. It was my dream and I was driven to make it a huge success. But success takes work, which takes time, and Martin didn’t appreciate being robbed of playtime with his new toy. That’s when the abuse started and it only escalated from that point. So fast forward through a year of being physically, verbally, emotionally abused. I’d had it. So I did what women do when they’ve had enough. I left.”
Too bad it took a year for her to come to her senses. “Good.”
“But he did what all possessive, obsessed, abusive men do. He came for me. And because he’s a coward, he did it when I was leaving the office alone late one night.”
Motherfucker.
“One look into his eyes and I knew his intentions didn’t include me walking away alive.”
Monster.
“Two things happened that Martin didn’t anticipate.” Adelyn holds up her index finger. “One, the surveillance cameras I had installed the day before, which Martin didn’t know about, recorded everything he did to me.” Her middle finger rises and forms a V. “And two, I survived.”
My hands are fisted. My teeth gritted. My muscles tensed. “Please tell me that bastard is under the jail and will never see the light of day again.”
Adelyn’s head oscillates. “The story takes an unexpected turn at this point, and you may decide you don’t think very much of me. But I didn’t press charges against Martin.”
Fuck. He got away with trying to kill her. Another victim without a voice. Another abuser goes unpunished. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. I’m actually not surprised.
“Abused women often don’t report abuse.”
“It wasn’t like that at all.”
It’s sad that she still believes that.
“That’s the abused mentality talking.”
“You’re wrong. I was his victim for over a year. But I had no intention of becoming a victim of the justice system. I knew I could show the video to the police, and he’d probably be charged with attempted murder. But being so wealthy, Martin had money to hire a defense attorney who could get him off the hook. Best-case scenario? He’s convicted and serves how many years? Let’s be honest. Probably no more than five with good behavior. So instead of pressing charges, I chose a more proactive approach.” She grins as one brow lifts. “I sent him a copy of the tape and asked him what it was worth for it to not find its way into the mailboxes of all his business associates. The local news. The authorities. Turns out it was pretty important to him. And that is the story behind a twenty-seven-year-old woman solely owning one of the most successful companies in Birmingham.”
That’s a lot to wrap your head around. “You’ve stunned me again but on a much larger scale this time.”
“Didn’t expect that out of a Baptist preacher’s daughter, did you?”
“Fuck no.”
“I don’t share that story with people. In fact, you’re only one of four who know it. Martin and me being two of the four.”
It’s risky telling me something like this. What she did to her abuser is blackmail. A crime. She could be prosecuted and get jail time for something like that. “Why tell me?”
She looks down at the bottle in her hands and takes a deep breath, as if preparing herself. When she finally looks up, the sadness in her expression grieves me. “It weighs so heavily on my chest at times that it feels like I’ll suffocate if I don’t talk about it. Today was bad.”
I understand that more than she can imagine. Is it possible she senses that about me?
“I have this coping mechanism called baking. It usually works to take my
mind off it, but it was no help today.”
“So it’s not a good thing when the baking bug bites.”
“Not at all.”
“Do you feel better after having talked about it?”
“I do.”
“Then I’m glad you told me.”
“Do you think I’m a horrible person? A monster?”
Is she for real? How could I?
I’ve known horrible monsters up close and personal, and she’s not one of them. “No. I think you’re a survivor. A fucking brilliant one.”
“Maurice is the one who found me. I would have lain there and died if he hadn’t come back to the office for his bag.” Adelyn laughs. “I guarantee not another person on this earth can say they were saved by a gay man’s handbag.”
“Grateful for Gucci.”
“It was a Gucci, a fake one, but Maurice never has to carry a designer knockoff again. He can have as many Chanels, Guccis, Fendis, Pradas, or Louis Vuittons as he wants. I’ve made sure of that.”
Maurice is Adelyn’s hero. I don’t know him, but he just earned some major respect in my book despite the feathers and false eyelashes.
“What made today bad?”
“It’s the anniversary. Four years since he left me for dead in the parking lot of my business.”
“Four years since you survived.” Suffering and perseverance. Nothing new to me.
She is a survivor like Lawry. Perhaps it’s the reason my sister has so easily bonded with Adelyn and taken a liking to her. Kindred spirits.
“It’s not just the anniversary. Every year I have to see Martin on the news being praised for his enormous annual donation to a haven for abused women and children. A stipulation of our agreement. I’ve fixed that bastard so he won’t ever finish paying for beating my ass all those times and nearly killing me. I want him to remember every slap, every kick, every punch when he’s forced to open his wallet to those abused women and kids.”
This feels like a dangerous game she’s playing. “Are you not afraid he’ll come for you again?”
“I wish he would. I’m not the same defenseless toy I was five years ago. I would beat his ass into the ground. But he won’t come for me; I have insurance policies in place to ensure all blame would fall upon his head if any harm comes to me. He knows this.”
This woman is beautiful. And frightening as fuck.
A part of me wants to pull her close and stroke my hand down her hair. Tell her to not worry because she isn’t suffocating. Let her know she can talk to me about the things weighing heavily on her chest and I won’t judge.
Another part of me wishes she hadn’t told me anything beyond growing up in lots of places as a Baptist preacher’s kid. Filthy thoughts about a preacher’s daughter are more fun than the echoes of her words about kinky sex with her former abusive lover.
And then the last part of me? Well, he just wants to fuck her.
4
Adelyn Maxwell
I’m so, so, so screwed.
What the hell was I thinking spilling my guts to Oliver about Martin?
It’s clear. I wasn’t thinking at all.
I always get a little crazy every year on the anniversary of my almost death. I think it’s evident to say this year borders on deranged. Oliver must deem me insane, probably criminally insane, and Lawrence will too when he tells her. I’m not foolish enough to believe he won’t.
But Oliver didn’t bolt. He didn’t tell me I was wrong for what I did. He called me a survivor. A fucking brilliant one. Those don’t feel like the words of a man who is harshly judging me for my wrongdoings.
Yet he must. Normal people who’ve never experienced that kind of abuse don’t understand what it’s like.
Four loaves of sourdough bread. A dozen blueberry cupcakes with lemon cream-cheese icing. Two batches of buttermilk biscuits—from scratch. I’ve baked all morning without a shred of relief and now I’m out of flour and eggs.
I drop the mixing bowl in the sink of soapy dishwater when the doorbell chimes.
No. Go away. I don’t need visitors today. I can’t handle it.
I’m unmoving. I don’t know why; my kitchen is at the back of the house. No one at my front door can see me.
I wait for the next chime but it doesn’t come. Instead, it’s a tap against the glass pane of my patio door.
Shit. It’s Oliver. And he’s looking right at me.
I can’t hide. Or escape. He’s given me no choice but to come to the door.
“Hey.”
“Hey. I just wanted to check on you and make sure you’re okay.”
Oliver’s eyes leave mine and focus on the spread of baked goods across my kitchen island. Caught red-handed. No two ways about it.
“I see the baking bug has been biting hard this morning.”
No need in lying or backtracking. “Yeah. The little bastard is riding my ass hard.”
“Are you all right?”
I see what I think is concern in Oliver’s eyes. “Not at all.”
Oliver comes to me, takes the dish towel from my hand and tosses it onto the counter. “I want you to leave that nipping son of a bitch here and go for a ride with me on my bike.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle?”
“No.”
“Are you afraid?”
“No.” Yes. But not of metal and rubber or the speed in which the two will carry us.
“Then go for a ride with me. We’ll cruise around the block and if you don’t like it, I’ll bring you right back. Promise.”
I look at Oliver’s attire and then mine. Shorts and tank top probably aren’t ideal for riding. “Give me a minute to change.”
“Okay.” He grabs a biscuit. “Saving these for anyone?”
“No. Have as many as you like. Jam is in the fridge.”
I return wearing faded skinny jeans, a fitted black V-neck T-shirt, and black combat boots. I have no intention of brushing my hair for an hour to remove a bazillion knots so I’ve gone with a fishtail braid. “Ready.”
“Wow. You look like one badass chick.” I hold out my foot to better display the lace-up boots Maurice calls shit-kickers. “But you don’t just look the part. You are a real badass.”
Oliver’s words are a reminder of last night’s blunder.
“Yeah, about that.” Do I own it and roll with the badass perception he has of me? Or do I apologize for going there? Was it TMI?
I can’t decide so the words don’t come.
“I understand more about what influenced your decision than you might think. Don’t be sorry you told me. And don’t be freaking out about it.”
“I’m not freaking out about it.” Lie. Lie. Lie.
He points at the spread of baked goods that says otherwise. “You are totally freaking out about telling me. But don’t. If there’s anyone who gets it, it’s me.”
If there’s anyone who gets it, it’s me. Something has happened to this man. He knows pain. “Tell me about it.”
I don’t have to flesh it out. He knows what I’m asking for.
Hook, line, and sinker. I’m sucked into the storm spinning out of control behind the dilated blackness of his blue eyes. What I see there confirms that I’m right. Something bad has happened to Oliver Thorn.
“I’ll tell you. But first, we ride.”
“Deal.”
Matte black. Dark and sleek. Polished to perfection. I’ve seen Oliver’s bike from next door but it’s a much more impressive-looking piece of machinery up close. “It’s lovely.”
He stops and stares at me. “It’s a custom Ducati Monster 821 Stealth. It’s not lovely. It’s badass.”
Boys and their toys.
“It’s a lovely badass.”
“Maybe you’re the lovely badass,” he counters.
Damn. There’s that smile again. I bet he can use it to get anything he wants from women.
Lovely. I’m accustomed to compliments from men. I’m often
told I’m sexy. Pretty. Beautiful. I once took pleasure in hearing those things from men, especially Martin, but now I receive those words with a grain of salt. And I will this time as well since I’m unsure if Oliver makes a habit of using flattery on women.
However, badass strikes a different chord in me; it’s a reminder of the things I told Oliver last night.
He holds up a black leather jacket. “It’ll get a little cool even though it’s May. Especially if we’re still out after dark.”
I turn and slip my arms into the sleeves. I spin around and he surprises me by closing the zipper teeth and pulling the clasp upward until it stops at my breasts. “A little snug.”
I suck in but it makes my chest rise bigger. No way the zipper is going any farther like that.
It’s obvious the jacket belongs to a woman smaller than I am. “I guess my boobs are bigger than your ex-girlfriend’s.”
“Breathe out and relax your shoulders.” He pulls the leather together and then yanks the zipper clasp up and over my D-cups. “Your boobs are bigger than my sister’s. This is her jacket.”
“Oh.” I smile on the inside, not daring to let him see me delight in him noticing my boobs. Or my relief in knowing he hasn’t put me in something belonging to an old girlfriend.
“Next.” I take the all-black helmet he offers and slip it over my head. I study his eyes as he works on adjusting my chinstrap.
“I feel like a little girl being dressed by her daddy.”
He grins but avoids eye contact. “There’s so much I could say to that.”
“I suppose there is.”
“Feel okay?”
“Despite being squeezed like I’m wearing a corset, yeah.”
He grins and grabs the end of my braid, twirling the end around his finger. “I love red hair. It’s my favorite.”
“I used to despise it. I’d bleach it blond with drugstore hair color.”
“Never. Do. That. Again.” There’s an alpha-like tone in his voice, almost growly, and it sends a sharp tingle down my body. I haven’t felt that in years, and I welcome it.
“Don’t worry.” I’m happy to be wearing the helmet so he can’t see the full extent of the smile beneath it.