Sweet Possession (Carson-Fox Resorts #2)

Chapter 27

Cora

I tossed and turned all night, trying to convince myselfthatI hadnothing to worry about. Fox had probably gone out at lunchtime with a client; he told me he didthatquite often. Schmoozing clients was part of his job.

Or maybe he and Nash had grabbed lunch.Justbecause he’d eatenat a restaurant with someone when he said he was working, didn’t mean he’d lied to me.

And as for the perfume, I was sure there was an innocentexplanation.

There had to be.

But no matter how hard I tried to switch my brain off from gettingcarried away, I couldn’t.

I eventually wore myself out with my fretting, and drifted off into arestless sleep.

“Cora!”Fox bellowed, waking me up. The sun was streaming inthrough the windows, and I looked at the clock.

Midday.

Oh no!

Becca and Andrew were arriving in exactly one hour to collect theircake, and I still needed to put the finishing touches to it.

Before I could leap out of bed, the bedroom door flew open,slamming against the wall.“Oh, thank god,”Fox said, his body slumping in relief.

“What’s wrong?”I said, getting out of bed and crossing to where helingered in the doorway. At some point, he’d taken his shirt and pants off, and stood only in his boxers.

He grabbed me, encasing me in his arms.

Holy hell, he still reeked of alcohol.

“I dreamed you were mad at me, and when I woke up and youweren’t in bed, it made it more real. Did I upset you last night?”he asked, his brows pulled together in concern.

“No. You passed out on the bed and I couldn’t wake you or moveyou.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask about the perfume and thereceipt, but with how panicked he looked, I couldn’t bring myself to ask. Besides, I needed to get my ass in the kitchen and finish the cake.

Fox swiped a hand down his face.“Fucking hell. I knew I shouldn’thave let Nash buythatlast round of tequila shots. I swear, sometimesthatdickhead thinks we’re still in our twenties.”I smiled at him, but it didn’t meet my eyes, something he noticed.“Are you sure I didn’t upset you?”

I was about to tell him the truth but the sharp tone of his phone rangfrom our bedroom. Fox didn’t move to answer it though, not until I’d given him an answer.

“Honestly, you didn’t, Daddy. You were funny,”I said, this time doingbetter at giving him a genuine smile, seemingly appeasing him .

“I don’t feel funny today, my head is pounding.”He glared across thehallway where his phone continued to ring.“If that’s Nash phoning to complainthathe doesn’t feel well, I’m going to kick his ass.”

He strolled into our room, and a second later, the phonestopped ringing. I chewed my lip, debating whether I should ask him about his lunch when he finished his call.But remembering I was on a deadline, I followed him into ourbedroom and grabbed some clothes, throwing them on before heading to the kitchen to finish the cake.

Several hours later, I sat on the bed watching Fox pack a suitcase.

The call he’d received earlier was from Nash. They had been eyeing up a casino in Singapore, and Nash had taken a call from the owners offering them first dibs on the resort…on the conditionthatthey flew out right away to view it and make an offer.

Fox wasn’t happy. While he knew the chance to buy the casinowas a good opportunity, he didn’t likethatthe owners were rushing them into making a decision.

He relented after Nash told him to stop being a stubbornasshole, but when Nashthentold himthathe wouldn’t be able to go to Singapore because he was flying out with Savannah to Milan the following morning, Fox’s mood soured again.

If it was possible, his mood plummetedevenfurther when he askedme if I wanted to go to Singapore with him, only for me to remind himthatI didn’t have a passport.

Atthatpoint, Fox had been in the process of dialing Nash back to tellhim there was zero chance of him going and leaving me alone, but I managed to snatch the phone out of his hand to stop him making the call.

I begged him to go, telling him I’d be fine for a few days on my own,and to not jeopardize his business because of me. After promising himthatI would message him every hour of the day and night, andthatI wouldn’t leave the house, or go near the pool, he eventually agreed to go.

His flight to New York was due to take off in an hour. Once he arrivedin New York, he’d have two hours to kill before his plane to Singapore departed. He was adamantthatas soon as he’d seen the casino and made a decision on whether to put an offer in, he was getting straight on the plane to come home.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay, baby girl?”he said for the millionth time.

I rolled my eyes.“I’ll be fine. Besides, what trouble could I possiblyget into? I’m only going to have a little party with a few male strippers and a couple of ounces of cocaine, that’s all.”

He paused from zipping his case up to look at me, scowling at findingme biting my lip to keep the grin from breaking free.“Absolutely no strippers, Cora.”

“But cocaine is okay?”I raised a brow, freeing my lip and letting thelaugh out when he suddenly pounced on me, pinning me to the bed with his body and tickling me.

“Okay, okay! No cocaine either,”I managed to say through fits oflaughter.“You’re no fun. ”

He grinned down at me before clambering off the bed to finish zippinghis case.“Are you sure you don’t want to stay at Nash and Sav’s tonight?”

“Nope,” I replied, jumping off the bed and following him down thestairs. “There’s no point if they’ve got to be up early to fly to Milan. Besides, I’m going to order pizza, curl up on the sofa, and binge-watch Grey’s. I’m looking forward to a night ofjustme and McDreamy. ”

“Wish I’d never mentioned that damn show to you now,” Fox grumbled, before winking at me.

I giggled as we made our way to the front door, a cab loitering outsideready to take him to the airport. The driver rushed to the door to take the suitcase from Fox before putting it in the trunk.

“You’ll make sure your phone is always charged, right,”Fox said,grabbing my hips and pulling me to him.

“Yes, Daddy.”

“And you know to ring Nash if you need anything tonight, and Brian ifyou need something when they fly to Milan, right?”

I beamed at him.“Yes, Daddy.”

“And you know there’s-”

“Money on the side, along with your bank card if I need to buyanything? Yes, Daddy,”I said, interrupting him.“I’ll be fine. Believe it or not, I’m used to looking after myself.”

He pulled me against his chest, stroking a hand down my hair.“Iknow, baby girl. Butjustbecause you can look after yourself, doesn’t mean you should have to. That’s my job.”

“I know,”I replied against his chest, smiling to myself .

Cupping my face, Fox kissed me lightly. It ended far too soon for myliking though.“I’ll call you when I arrive in New York, it shouldn’t be too late.”

“Okay, Daddy. Have a safe flight.”

I waved to him from the door as the cab trundled down the driveway.As soon as the car disappeared, a hollow void filled my chest. How could I miss Fox already when he’d onlyjustleft?

My phone dinged from where I’d left it on the side. Shutting the frontdoor, I grabbed it, smiling when I saw the message.

Miss you already, baby girl. I love you xx

I quickly tapped out a reply.

Miss you too, Daddy. And I love you lots xx

He didn’t text me again until his plane was about to take off,promising methathe’d call the second he landed.

For the first few hours after he left, I watched several old episodesof Cake Boss , imaginingthatone day, I’d make cakesthatfeatured in my own TV show.When hunger pangs hit, I ordered pizza before settling in to watch Grey’s. I didn’t have to wait long until the doorbell chimed with my order.

Excited to dive into my Hawaiian pizza, I skipped to the door, mystomach falling to my feet when instead of the pizza delivery man I’d expected to see, someone else stood there.

Someone I’d only seen in a photo but would have recognized a mileaway.

“Hi, Cora,”Lily said, giving me a fake smile, her eyes raking up and down my body.

“Wh…what are you doing here?”I stuttered, whenreally, I shouldhave told her to go away and slammed the door shut .

“I don’t want any trouble. Ijustwant to talk,”she said softly, holdingher hands up in a peace offering.

“I don’t want to talk to you,”I said, attempting to close the doorwhen my senses kicked in.

“Wait, Cora. Please. It’s important,”she said, sticking her foot in thedoor to prevent me from closing it.

Against my better judgment, I pulled the door open again.“What doyou want?”

“Can I come in?”she said, hope filling her voice.

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea,”I replied, internally cursingmyself for leaving my phone on the sofa. If I had it on me, I could’ve dialed Nash and put the phone on speaker so he could hear what was going on.

“Fine, have it your way,”she said, the kindnessthathad been in hervoice disappearing in an instant, only to be replaced with a coldness.“Fox is cheating on you.”

My heart stopped beating at her words as ice slithered throughmy veins. I stared at her for a few seconds, only the numbnessthattried to take hold was pushed away by something else.

Anger.

“How dare you. How dare you keep trying to sabotage what Fox and Ihave, all because he broke up with you. Nice try, Lily, but you’ll have to do better thanthat,”I said through gritted teeth, surprising myselfthatfor the first time in my life, I was standing up to someone.

“Where do you think he was yesterday?”Lily said, a smug smirktaking over her face.“We had an incredibly romantic lunch together atLe Voile, andthenhe took me up to the penthouse suite in Onyx and spent all afternoon fucking me senseless.”

My world stopped spinning .

Fox’s words from last night flashed through my head. ‘I had the bestnight. I was celebrating,’

Celebrating getting back with Lily?

“You’re lying,”I choked out, tears welling in my eyes.

“Am I?”she said cruelly.“He was drunk when he got home last night,wasn’t he? That’s because he didn’t want to come home to you, and the only way he could face it was to drink his sorrows away.”

Pain lanced through me like someone hadjustcarved my heart outwith a blunt knife.

“I tried to warn you what kind of a man Fox was. My friend told you atthe party, but you chose to ignore her. You only have yourself to blame,”she continued, not caringthatshe was plunging the knife in over and over again.

My knees began to buckle as a sob lodged in my throat.“No…he…hesaid…”I tried to force the words out.

To challenge what she was saying.

Fox had told me what Lily had said when he spoke to her after theparty. About how she’d fallen out with Annaliese, how she was seeing someone new. How she was completely clueless about what had happened.

And I believed him.

“Do you need more proofthathe is lying?”she said, not yet done withdestroying me. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, shoving it under my nose after she’d tapped on the screen.

Bile churned in my stomach, creeping up my throat and threatening toexplode out of me as I looked at the photo on the screen.

The photo of Fox and Lily in bed.

The same bed we’d had sex in after Nash and Sav’s party.

The two of them were naked, lying side by side with the cover pulledup to their stomachs. Lily held the camera in one hand above them while her other hand covered her breasts. Her head rested on Fox’s chest as he held her against his side.

My heart shattered into a billion little pieces. I could deny her wordsall I wanted, but there was no denying the photo. My legs finally buckled, and I hit the floor hard, tears pouring down my face.

“Maybe now you’ll get the hint, Cora. Fox doesn’t want you. It was mehe only ever wanted. Do us all a favor. Pack your bags and get the hell out of our lives. Let me and Fox be happy.”

I numbly watched Fox’s house grow further away as the cab made itsway down the driveway. The housethatbecame a home. The place where I fell in love.

The place where my heart was broken beyond repair.

I didn’t feel anything anymore. Numbness had seeped into my bones,right down to my marrow.

And that’s where I wanted it to stay.

Cocooned in numbness so I never had to feel anything ever again.

“Where to, miss?”the cab driver asked as the security guard lifted thebarrier for us to leave Fox’s estate.

I didn’t know where I was going, onlythatit would be far away fromhere. I’d packed a bag, and taken the cash Fox had left behind, andthatwould have to keep me going until I came up with a plan.

Without thinking, I reeled off my old address. At least I could lay lowthere for the night now my dad had left Vegas. It would give me time to think.

Lost in thought, the journey was over in a blink of an eye, and wewere coming to a stop at my old house. The windows were now boarded up, the front door barely hanging on by its hinges. A far cry from the luxury home I’d grown used to.

It wasn’t safe to stay there, but I didn’t have it in me to care.

Maybe someone would come by and end this miserable life I’d beencursed with.

“Are you sure this is where you want to go?”the cab driver asked,concern in his voice as he looked from the house back to me.

I didn’t have the energy to reply. Instead, I thrust some bills at himand grabbed my bag, not looking back as I made my way through the overgrown garden to the door.

Knocking it open with my foot, the door swung open easily, anominous creaking sound echoing through the tiny house. As I stepped inside, I was hit with the stench of stale smoke, mold, and a thousand memories of days gone by.

None of them good.

Whoever had been looking for my dad had done a damn good job ofsearching the place. Furniture had been tipped over, floorboards yanked up,eventhe stuffing from the threadbare sofa had been ripped out.

I didn’t bother going anywhere in the house but up to my oldbedroom, the placethathad once upon a time been my safe haven.

But not anymore. Like downstairs, it had been torn apart in search ofmy dad. At least the mattress was still intact enough for me to get some sleep.I threw my bag down as dejection hit me like a freight train. I neverthought I’d be back here, yet here I was .

Only, itseemedworse. Before, I had hope.

Now, I had nothing.

“Cora,”a voice hissed, scaring the life out of me. I spun, my heartkicking to life, pounding at an unbearable rate as my dad stepped into the room.

He looked different from the last time I saw him. He’d lost weight, hishair had grown longer and looked like it hadn’t been combed for weeks. His beard, which was greyer than the hair on his head, was tangled with crumbs of food stuck in it, and his clothes were filthy, much like every part of his visible skin.

“Dad…what…what are you doing here?”I managed to get out,cringing at the stench emanating from him.“I thought you left Vegas.”

An accomplished grin spread over his face.“I did. But I came backthe day after I made it look like I was gone for good. No one thinks to look under their own noses.”

I gaped at him, surprisedthatmy dad had managed to evade peoplefor as long as he had.

“The question, daughter, is what are you doing here? I sold you,”hesneered, his eyes traveling up and down my body, taking in my clean clothes.

The mention of him selling me struck a nerve. All the hatred I’dharbored for him over the years flared to life. Maybe it was because I was sick of people thinking they could treat me like shit and expect me totake it.

Maybe I just didn’t care anymore.

Either way, I stepped forward and slapped my dad around the face,the sound of my palm crashing into his cheek reverberated around every smashed surface in my bedroom.

His head whipped to the side. Stunned, he slowly turned his evil eyesback on me .

“You sold me,”I said, unable to hold back my anger any longer.“Yourown daughter. You sent me to be sold to dirty perverts who would have raped and tortured me. How could you dothat?”My words broke off on a sob.

He rubbed his cheek, his eyes assessing me.“I did sell you. And youknow what, Cora?”he said, stepping towards me.“I’d do it again in a heartbeat. In fact, you turning up here has given me a way out of my current predicament.”

Suddenly, he lurched forward, roughly grabbing my arms in abruising grip. I screamed, trying to shrug him off me, but he was too strong.

So I did the only thing I could think of doing.

I raised my knee, hitting him in the groin.

He grunted, doubling over and letting me go. I didn’t wait to hangaround, I darted passed him, forgoing my bag with my clothes and money, and making my way as quickly as I could down the stairs.

But I wasn’t fast enough.

Footsteps followed behind me, my heart beating faster as the frontdoor loomed ahead of me. I managed to reach out and grab the handle when hands grabbed me again.

My dad spun me around, his snarling face snapping inches away from mine.“Fucking little bitch! I hope the next man I sell you to teaches you some goddamn discipline!”

Without warning, he reared back and punched me hard in the face. A ringing noiseblared in my head, my vision blurring as nausea crept up my throat.

And then my world went black.