Cold Deception (His Agenda 4): Prequel to the His Agenda Series Page 8

  Lacey shook her head vehemently and a smile crept over her lips. “Terence would never get violent with me. He’s not that kind of man.”

  “You can’t tell from the outside how a person will react when they don’t get what they want.” Lilliana tipped her head to the side. “I’m your friend. Tell me the truth. You say you still love him. But are you happy?”

  Lacey dropped her gaze to the table, found a scratch in the wood between her hand and her mug. She studied it for a long time, until a tear trickled down her cheek. She wiped it away as if it were intruding and looked up at Lilliana. “He’s my husband, the only man I’ve ever loved. But I can’t—” She swallowed a flood of tears. “I feel as if something is missing… a piece of me.” She looked down again and traced the scratch with the tip of her finger. “I just want him to understand, to support me and be there. He should love me enough to let me be myself. Why can’t he see that? I feel like I’m losing not only me, but us. I don’t seem to know how to hold on.”

  “You need to tell him this. Tell him exactly what you told me. It’s your life, and he should love and trust you enough to make decisions that make you happy.” Lilliana leaned back and took a swig of her coffee, draining the cup.

  “What he’s doing to you is unfair,” she continued. “You deserve a life too. If you ever want to help out here, you’re welcome anytime. You know we don’t pay much, but at least you’ll get a chance to get out of the house, to do something that gives you a sense of worth. Don’t feel you have to stay with him if he makes you so miserable.”

  “It hasn’t been all bad. We had some good times in the past and we still have them occasionally, but there’s always this thing, this big elephant in the room.” She missed the way they used to be before the baby, before Terence became so controlling. It had been so easy to look into each other’s eyes then, when nothing stood between them.

  “I know what you mean,” Lilliana reached for Lacey’s hands and gave them a squeeze. “If you want to stay in this marriage, you have to stand your ground and address that elephant as soon as possible. You deserve a life too, a few hours away from your home… space to breathe a little.” Lilliana withdrew her hands and scratched her right wrist, over her butterfly tattoo. “I know you might not like to hear this.” Lilliana lowered her voice when she saw another volunteer enter the hall. “But I think what you’re going through is emotional abuse. It really sounds to me like Terence is abusing you. I’m your friend and I want to tell you the truth. Please don’t let him do this to you. Don’t let him kill your dreams.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Lacey had stayed at Oasis longer than she’d planned. She ended up helping with the cleaning of the halls and chopping vegetables for the evening stew. It felt so good to be needed by someone who wasn’t her husband.

  When she got back home, she was surprised to find Terence already there. He asked her where she had been, and she told him the truth. A cloud swept over his features, but he simply nodded and told her he wanted to spend more time with her.

  They cooked lunch together, made love, and spent the afternoon relaxing in each other’s arms. In the evening he took her to a nearby deli for dinner. Before climbing back into the car to head home, he gave her a naughty smirk and told her he wanted to take her someplace else.

  “What do you have up your sleeve, silly?” she asked, laughing.

  He answered her question with a kiss. He pressed her against the SUV, pulled her into his arms, and cupped her butt with his hand. Fire spread through Lacey’s body at a breathtaking pace. Terence’s tongue slid into her mouth and he hardened against her. She pulled back before it could go too far.

  “So.” She touched her pulsating lips with the tips of her fingers. “What are you up to?” It felt as if they were dating again, as if they were back to the place she had loved so much.

  “Stop asking questions, woman. You’re coming with me.” He tipped her chin upward and lowered his lips onto hers again, but instead of kissing her, he slipped her bottom lip between his teeth and bit it gently, sending sparks flying to every corner of Lacey’s body. “Let’s go.” He pulled out the car keys.

  He refused to divulge his plans as they drove. Finally, he pulled up in front of a pair of high, metal gates. Behind them, a mansion was swathed in darkness.

  He slid out of the car and helped her out, holding her hand tightly in his.

  “What… where are we?” Lacey asked, perplexed. “Whose house is this?” House was the wrong word for it, she thought. The place was utterly enormous.

  Terence waved a hand at the mansion and a big grin split his face. “This is the kind of place our future home will resemble.”

  “Terence.” Lacey’s tone was disapproving. She was starting to get nervous. “What are you doing?”

  He shrugged and pulled her to the gate. “I’m making my lady happy. Anything wrong with that?”

  Lacey dug in her heels and refused to move forward. “Terence, seriously. What is this? Why are we here?”

  “Come on, don’t spoil it. Let’s have a bit of fun for once.”

  Lacey bit her lip as he thumbed some numbers into a little display and then pulled out a pair of keys from his pocket. She was scared, but curiosity beckoned.

  “Did you just deactivate the alarm?”

  Lacey’s chest tightened as she realized her husband was breaking into someone else’s home. Had he duplicated the keys? She released his hand and folded her arms across her chest, her gaze darting around, terrified someone might see them. “Terence, you’ll get us arrested. We can’t break into someone’s house.”

  “This is the Holt Estate.” He turned to face her with a grin and kissed her. “When we got married, I promised you the world. I want to give you a taste of how that world will look. I want you to believe with me.” He pushed open the gate and waved her in. “Come on, don’t be afraid. No one will show up.”

  “I don’t even want to ask what you have planned inside.”

  “I’ll tell you anyway. What I have planned, my love, is a little fun. I’d like to fuck you inside this mansion.”

  Lacey shed her inhibitions and giggled. She wanted to turn back, to be the responsible one and tell him to forget whatever plans he had, but she was secretly aroused by the adventure. “What if the owners come back?”

  “They won’t. The house is for sale.” He pointed at the sign. “Deloris Holt is in a senior home. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Lacey didn’t say anything more after that. She did what he loved most. She let him lead.

  The Holt Estate was the most beautiful house she had ever stepped foot in. Even though it was for sale, all the furniture was still there, waiting to be sold along with the house. The nearly sixty-acre estate was another world. All throughout the tour, Lacey was speechless. She even forgot they were trespassing. Her eyes danced along with the chandeliers as she took in the vaulted ceilings, stone fireplaces, and state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor kitchens. They held hands as they walked out onto screened porches, and looked out at the river that gurgled past the house. Terence took her upstairs to the master bedroom, the one with the leaky bathroom, a spacious wood-paneled room.

  Lacey’s mouth dropped open and, without thinking, she lowered herself on the massive bed, sucking in the luxury, letting it seep into her bloodstream. She stood and walked around the partition wall with a fireplace tucked into it and entered the separate sitting area. Terence stood at the small office area situated next to a door that led to a private balcony.

  He watched her with satisfaction. “I’d love for you to live in a place like this. You deserve to have a home as beautiful as you are. Want to see the bathroom?”

  She nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. Much as she loved being surrounded by luxury, deep down she felt this wasn’t her world. Excitement gushed through her, but still she found it hard to believe a home like this could belong to a girl like her.

  The bathroom was breathtaking, but Terence didn’t jus
t show it to her—he made her experience it. She didn’t object when he pulled off her clothes and then his. She squealed when he pulled her into the shower, under the jet of warm water. He ran his hands down the length of her body, pulled her to him, and made her dizzy with his kisses. He turned her around, raising her arms above her head until the palms of her hands rested on the marble wall. Then he wrapped an arm around her middle, pulled her toward him so she bent over. When he entered her, gliding in and out, first slowly and then at great speed, she cried softly.

  The moment was beautiful, one she would never forget. But she couldn’t help thinking about their life beyond the walls of the Holt Estate, their real life. Terence had dreams for them, dreams she might not even share. He had never asked her. If bringing her to the Holt Estate was meant to bring them closer, he had succeeded, but it also pulled them apart. It strengthened her resolve to take steps toward her own dreams. She knew exactly what she had to do in the next couple of days. But she would enjoy this moment, would relish having him deep inside her, before her decision broke them.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Terence

  When Terence quit his jobs two days ago, he’d had a fuzzy idea of what he wanted to do. George had only strengthened his decision. He wanted to work as a private investigator, but not just any old investigator. He wanted people to pay him to find evidence that their spouses were cheating. His online research assured him people would pay a lot of money for that kind of peace of mind. Marion could show Terence the basics. Terence would work alone at first, and then he would grow his business. He was in this to make money. Then one day soon, he would buy Lacey a home like the Holt Estate.

  “So, what do you think?” He pushed his hands into his pockets and looked at Marion. They were walking along the shore of Serendipity Lake. The temperature was low, but Terence was too fired up to feel the cold. Marion, on the other hand, was hunched against the cold wind. Terence had asked to meet at the lake. Ideas seemed to come faster when he was walking.

  “I think you made a mistake quitting both your jobs to enter an area you don’t know much about.”

  “You’re wrong,” Terence said. He had always been good at watching people. In fact, it was the one thing that had kept him sane during his childhood. He’d had a treasured pair of secondhand binoculars, which he used to spy on the neighborhood. At first he looked for happy families, watching TV together or eating a meal. In his mind’s eye, he placed himself among them, made himself part of their happiness. It had created a welcome distraction from his own miserable life. But soon he saw more than just the good. He saw the ugly side of family life, often similar to his own. Through the binoculars, he watched men beat up their wives and children, saw children cowering in corners. And now that ugly side of relationships was going to make him rich.

  “Whatever I don’t know, I can teach myself. Hand me the basics, I’ll do the rest. I didn’t ask you here to talk me out of it.”

  A twig snapped under Terence’s boot. He waited for Marion’s response.

  Marion sighed. “I’m not trying to talk you out of it. You might have a solid idea here. I only thought it would have been wise for you to keep the jobs you already had while your business found its footing. You have a wife to support.” He paused. “Frankly, I don’t understand why you don’t want her to work.”

  “That’s my business.”

  “You have to lose the attitude if you want my help.”

  “Got it,” Terence said. “What can you tell me about this business?”

  “What do you want to know?”

  Terence and Marion went to a nearby bistro to have lunch and talk some more. Marion gave Terence advice on how to get started, where to get clients online. Terence wanted to start working immediately, so Marion accompanied him to Jack’s Surveillance Shop, the only store in town that sold high-end surveillance equipment. They bought the necessities—binoculars, a small camera, a flashlight, and a few other bits and pieces. Marion gave him a cheap laptop he no longer used so Terence wouldn’t have to use their home computer for work.

  The next day, Marion helped Terence create a simple website—built on lies, of course. The clients had to believe he knew what he was doing, that he had plenty of experience in the area. Marion also showed Terence some online forums where he could find both clients and cheating spouses. Terence soaked up all the information like a sponge.

  Over the next few days, Marion helped him out with his first assignment. Together they visited the places a father of three said his wife might be. They watched her when she left work at Serendipity Memorial, and got some great shots of her entering another man’s house. The man turned out to be Terence’s client’s cousin. The paying client was furious, but glad to know the truth. Terence got his money, and the client was free to do whatever he chose with the evidence.

  After a few days of exposing cheating spouses, even Marion agreed that maybe Terence had entered the right field after all. What he didn’t know was that every time Terence discovered a cheating wife, a dagger rammed itself into his stomach. A few times he got physically close enough to the women that his blood boiled, and he had to fight the urge not to strangle them with his bare hands.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Lacey

  When Terence told Lacey over breakfast that he had quit his jobs and was now working as a private investigator, she was concerned. Until he showed her the money. He had earned more in two weeks than he’d earned in a month working his two old jobs. When he announced the news to her, he also presented her with a pair of beautiful gold earrings. She wanted to be happy for him, to celebrate with him. He had found a job he loved, and it was one that brought in more money. But her smile was forced, and her stomach had cramped at the news. He’d gotten a better paying job to dissuade her from wanting to work. Why didn’t he understand that for her, a job meant more than money?

  After breakfast, Terence left the house to meet with clients. He also had an assignment later in the evening. He might not be home for dinner. Lacey welcomed his departure. She was afraid that now that he was his own boss, he would be working from home. Her fears thawed when he told her he had rented a small office space in town.

  “Working from home would be a bad idea,” he’d said. “You are too much of a distraction.”

  “I try to be,” she’d responded, trying not to show her relief on her face.

  Today she was especially glad he would be out of the house because she was going job hunting. She would keep her mouth shut until she found a job.

  She thought first of waitressing. Not only was she good with people, she loved feeding them. Her only problem was her lack of experience in a restaurant setting. Some restaurant managers didn’t consider dishing out meals to the homeless to be sufficient experience—she found that out quick enough. Three small restaurants turned her away, then a pizzeria, a steak bistro, and a fish restaurant. She stayed away from the medium to large restaurants. They would surely show her the door.

  On the third day of finding nothing, she started to rethink her plan. Serendipity was a tiny town, and she had pretty much approached all the small restaurants. She had two choices. She could quit the search and resign herself to being a housewife, or be brave and walk into the big ones. She could end up failing, but at least she would have tried.

  The fourth day, she woke up with a heart that wouldn’t stop racing, and a determined voice inside her head pleading with her not to approach any big restaurants, to save herself from humiliation. But determination trumped fear.

  After Terence left the house, she put on a pair of black pants, a dark purple button-down sweater, and the only pair of pumps she had. They would have to do. She brushed her hair until it shone, and clipped on the earrings Terence had given her a few days ago. She completed the look with her mother-in-law’s infinity necklace. She didn’t look expensive, but she looked good, and that gave her confidence.

  By midday, her confidence was fragile. One restaurant manager, a woman w
ith a tight ponytail and fake eyelashes, told her they were not looking for a waitress. Two other restaurant managers listened to her, but decided she didn’t have any of the skills they were looking for.

  Maybe Terence was right. Maybe she should remain a housewife, or take Lilliana’s offer and go back to Oasis.

  She took a long walk in the bitter cold, then decided to stop at Mel’s Delights for coffee and a muffin. She would have asked them for a job as well, but she had never seen anyone but the owner, Melisa, working there.

  Before she headed back home, she decided to try one more restaurant. Classico had a “Help Wanted” sign in the window. They were looking for a waitress. Lacey expected to be turned away again. Before entering, she paced outside for a few minutes, watching elegantly dressed people enter and leave. Finally, she pushed open the door.

  The interior screamed luxury with its dark reds and creams, and the air smelled of expensive wines mixed with spices.

  Trying not to feel out of place, she approached a tall, pretty brunette wearing a maroon and black uniform. She carried a leather-bound menu.

  “Good evening,” the woman said in a smooth, kind voice. “Welcome to Classico. Do you have a reservation?”

  Lacey stretched out her hand. “I’m Lacey Pirone. I saw in the window that you’re looking for a waitress. I’m interested. Who can I talk to?”

  The woman moved the menu from her right hand to her left and squeezed Lacey’s hand with a warmth that went straight to Lacey’s heart. For the first time since she began looking for a job, she felt welcome.

  “I’m Florene Rowser. You’re right, we are looking for someone. One of my colleagues went on maternity leave. You should talk to the restaurant manager. You’re in luck, she’s here tonight. Follow me.” They walked past the bar and Florene exchanged a few words with the bartender, who nodded and winked at her.