Page 1 of Desperate Vows

Chapter One

CLAIRE

Smoke and alcohol mixed, filling the air and burning my nose. As the daughter of a highly respected, upstanding pillar of society, this wasn’t my usual hangout. The daughter of Franklin Benoit wouldn’t dare darken a place with the reputation this one had.

“Claire Benoit?” a familiar voice startled me. Damn.

I slowly turned to face Regina Tilton. “Hi.”

We’d known each other since we were toddlers. Only her father didn’t seem to be the controlling type, or at least not as controlling as mine. She got away with near-murder, and I was on the verge of being murdered. Maybe not in body, but in soul. Not that I had much of one left. I slammed and locked the door on that memory, forcing it to stay in the dark.

Her blonde hair dangled past her shoulders, swaying as her gaze drifted over me. “Of all the places I thought we’d run into each other, I can confidently say this wasn’t it.”

Forcing my face to mask the fear, I smiled. “That art class I’m in. I’m supposed to study architecture this week. He gave out a list of places, and by the time I landed on one, this was my only option. It’s part of my final grades this semester.”

Located in the West Loop district, Lykos was a restaurant and bar shrouded in rumors and owned by an infamous Greek family with a last name that means butcher. It didn’t escape me that the name of the restaurant means wolf. Predator killer. What did that say about Lucas and his family? I wouldn’t dwell on that, though.

Based on what I’d read, things go on at this club at night that people like me don’t associate with. Dark things. Criminal things. I’d be out of Chicago and away from my father, so I didn’t need to know what went on inside this place.

Even in the hours before it flipped its switch from restaurant to bar, it still felt heavy. There was a good chance my reason influenced that feeling. Despite the rumors of past violence, the West Loop area felt safer than it had in years. News reports claimed crime was steadily declining, with whispers of vigilantes patrolling the streets. But if anyone knew anything, they weren’t talking.

The interior of Lykos was beautiful, with dark wood accentuated with ornate carvings, tasteful decorations, and a couple of large chandeliers. Booths lined one wall, and tables that could be pushed together littered the dark wood floor.

Regina’s eyes narrowed. “Right.”

Oh yeah, she knew, without a doubt, I’d just told a big-fat-whopper of a lie. I did have an art class, but I still had to sell it. If it got back to my father that I was here…I shivered. I’d been careful the last six months since my mom died, avoiding his wrath, dotting my I’s, and crossing my T’s so that I didn’t have to hide the evidence of his disapproval when I left the house.

I pushed my lips to the limits, smiling as broadly as I could. “Seriously. You really think I’d be here if I wasn’t forced?”

What I couldn’t explain was that the force was coming from the threat of an arranged marriage. I called it a threat. I was turning twenty-one in three weeks, and my father had promised my hand to a man who’d been leering at me at every party I’d attended since I was twelve.

Regina’s arms crossed over her chest, her hip cocked to the side, along with her jaw. She harrumphed. “Then why didn’t you come earlier in the day?” My not-quite-a-friend had chosen a different path from mine. Well, because she had a choice.

“I couldn’t. I have classes.” That was a lie. I’d planned this visit. It was a Monday, busy but not like it would be during the weekend or later in the evening. I knew the man I came to see would likely have to divide his attention, and I wanted to increase the odds that his focus would remain on me.

There was another harrumph in response to my explanation. A lanky man a few inches taller than her sidled up next to her and draped his arm across her shoulders. “Who’s this little uptight?”

I wanted to balk at the descriptive word, but I was. My clothes screamed it, but it wasn’t like I had a choice.

“Claire Benoit. My uncle is her father’s business partner.”

Damn. Now, two people knew I was in a bar. If this got out…“ I really do need to look around. I’m sorry, but Daddy expects me to be home by nine.” I’d use father, but Daddy was a force of habit when I was out in public. Using the word father put a degree of separation between us and appearances, even the slightest, was important to him. P’s and Q’s, and I didn’t stray.

Regina’s skinny friend with the scruff leaned in. “Think she’d be interested in partying?”

The tension broke as Regina laughed. “She’s as Mary Jane as they get. You’ve gotta better chance getting the Pope to party.”

His laugh was the epitome of unappealing. What did Regina see in this loser? Or any of the losers she dated? We both come from money, lots of it, and she could have her pick of anyone in Chicago. It was beyond comprehension to me that she chose creep after creep.

“See ya around, Claire.”

Relief flooded me as my nerves tingled. I needed to keep my cool. I’d practiced what I was going to say, making sure I showed respect and delivered the ace that Lucas Kalantzis couldn’t possibly reject. In three weeks, when I turned twenty-one, I would gain access to my trust fund, and it was massive.

I did nothing but study this man since I learned about the trust fund and my father’s plans to force me to marry. Lucas was thirty when he’d taken over the business three years prior, after his father was killed. That put him over a decade older than me. His Aunt Helen was the only matriarch remaining, and from what I’d learned from my diligent research, she was still informed about her family’s business, but she wasn’t in it. When I’d searched for a picture of her, there’d been nothing.

The moment I spotted Lucas at the back of the restaurant, my breath caught. Even from where I stood, I could tell his suit was tailored and expensive. It fit and flattered him in all the right ways. The dark color suited him, but I couldn’t tell if it was black or blue. Not that it matters.

His cannon-sized arms were crossed over his broad chest, and he was locked in what looked like a deep conversation with a man who could look him in the eyes. The vision of two six-foot-three men who oozed danger should be enough to make me pirouette and take my butt home. Desperation kept me rooted. I was on a mission. There was no way I was marrying a man my father picked.

---