Page 25 of Ruthless King
“Don’t touch me! Get out. I never want to see you again.” Tears forced their way from the corner of my eyes and ran down my cheeks, once again blurring my vision. Drowning in my grief, I crumbled in a heap on the floor, sobs racking my body. When I felt a firm hand on my back, my arm flew up with a serious warning. “Don’t. Just go.” Without another word, I watched from my devastation as Courtland King wiped his eyes and trudged out the door.
Chapter 19
Courtland
It’s been two months, three weeks, and five days since I last laid eyes on her. She wouldn’t take my calls or answer my texts. I had really fucked up this time. I’d blown up my brothers’ phones trying to find out how she was doing.
Jackson had been little help since he was at the bar most nights. He told me she, Lucy, and Tess were in a couple of Saturday nights. They usually had dinner and a few drinks, but she always left alone. Thank fuck.
According to Ben, she took a break from her night gig. I sure hoped she didn’t stay away too long. She had so much talent; it would be a waste. He said Julia visited a couple of weeks ago, and there was some guy, I think his name was Ian, with her. The four of them spent the evening there, but once again, she left alone.
Knight had been in and out of town more than usual lately, but he told me Molly took a week off after the breakup. She was back now and seemed to be doing well. I left town the day after my confession and hadn’t been back, although I’ve kept up with all things Molly through my brothers.
Dad was approved for the drug trial in Peru, so after a quick trip back to Manhattan to finalize another merger, I arranged for my private jet to fly me to Lima. I couldn’t stay in Stone Creek, where she would be around every corner. She didn’t want to see me, and I wanted to respect her wishes. I still loved her, and I probably always would, but right now, the only thing I could do was offer her space and pray one day we found our way back to each other.
My days were filled with waiting room stays and supporting my mom while Dad underwent his treatments. Nights were spent drinking myself into oblivion until exhaustion took over and I fought for sleep. Most nights, I jacked off to memories of silky blonde locks spilling around the most perfect firm breasts, long legs wrapped around my waist as her hot, sweet pussy pulsed around my tortured cock.
It was the same every day, a scratched record set on repeat. My greatest fear was that, over time, her sweet scent would be lost to me. Vanilla and honey mingled with her decadent natural essence.
I left Lima on a bright July day. Dad was released from the program, and the doctor was pleased with his progress. He would most likely be in remission by Thanksgiving, if not sooner. My office looked untouched since my swift departure three months ago. Melinda and Nick kept things running with little disruption. There was a special operation we were working on, and things were shaping up nicely. It should be completed before Christmas. At least, that was the goal I’d set.
I didn’t make it back to Stone Creek for the fourth, but I planned to visit next week. Ben told me Molly was going to New York to visit Julia, so I knew it was safe to go and not chance an unexpected encounter with her. I still missed the hell out of her, but I didn’t think she was ready to see me yet. I appreciated the updates my brothers provided, but with their chaotic schedules, I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. That’s why I hired a PI who reported that she kept a pretty routine schedule and always came home alone. That gave me a sense of comfort, knowing at least she hadn’t moved on in that way.
As for myself, I couldn’t entertain the thought of another woman. She was it for me, and if I had to spend the rest of my life celibate, I would do so gladly. After having her, no one else would do.
I was sitting in my Bentley Recliner with a scotch in my hand when my phone rang. Jackson. “Hey, Jack, what’s up? Is Dad okay?”
It was the first time I had spoken to him in weeks. We ended up telling my brothers about Dad’s trial, and at first, there was a ton of pushback because we didn’t include them in the decisions, but they quickly recovered when Mom stepped in the gap to run interference like she always did when we were growing up.
“Hey, Court, yeah, Dad’s good. Listen, I’m sorry to call so late, but I wanted to talk to you about Molly.”
My heart rate shot into overdrive at the mention of her name. “What about her, Jack? Is she okay?”
Something in his voice gave me pause. My brother didn’t just call out of the blue after weeks of radio silence unless something was wrong. “She’s fine, Court. Well, physically, at least. She and the girls were at the bar tonight, and she didn’t look too good. When I pulled Lucy aside to question her, she basically told me to mind my damn business.”
Didn’t look good? I had murder in my voice when I replied, “What the fuck? Did you find out what was wrong?”
“Well, after I was shot down by Lucy, I cornered Tess when she was coming from the ladies’ room.”
“What a dick move.” I could see myself doing the same thing, hypocrite that I was.
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t my finest moment, but spare me the lecture. Anyway, I was able to get her to talk.”
“And?”
I was dying here. Buttercup was hurting, and I couldn’t be there to help her.
“And, basically, she’s miserable. Tess wouldn’t elaborate; she just said that she and Lucy were concerned she wasn’t taking care of herself, working too hard, and avoiding dealing with her feelings.”
“I’m sure glad she didn’t elaborate.” I deadpanned.
“Anyway.” My brother ignored my biting comment. “She’s going to spend a few days with Julia in Manhattan, and after that Tess wasn’t sure. She asked Knight for a leave of absence from the music store, and of course, you already know she hasn’t been playing at the Lux since…” His voice trailed off.
Of course, I knew she wasn’t playing, and I knew why. I was the reason. I thought by not telling her the truth I was protecting her feelings, when in reality, I was a coward, only trying to protect myself. Well, it was time to man up and face the consequences. Time to fight.
“Jackson, can I call you back tomorrow? There are a few things that need my attention.” He didn’t question me, and we ended the call.
My next call was to Nick. He picked up on the first ring. “Hey, man. We need to move up the timeline on that Southern project. Yeah, get me the details and coordinate the team. Thanks, I owe you one.” With that out of the way, my next move was clear.