Page 157 of Lust

I pull him up so he's kneeling again, blood staining his left shoulder.

"Well, that's not really how it works. I mean, you can tell them you're not going to pursue them, but I could still get prosecuted. And for what? Making sure you didn't do to Clarissa what I did to you? I mean, I don't really think it's going to trial. And why is that?"

I grip a handful of his hair and yank his head back with a crack of his neck. "B-B-Because you h-have f-f-fuck you money."

"Very good! Look at you learning. So... tell me again, what are you going to give me if I take it easy on you?"

"I... I'm not going to press charges and... and... whatever you want. Please."

I whisper into his head. " And you're not to hurt another woman again. Because I'm telling you now. I'll find them. I'll find every single one of them. And I will have what you did to them done to you, but so much worse. So, so much worse, Pat. Do we have a deal?"

He nods like a bobble head. "Yes. Okay."

"Good. And you're going to release a statement that you're going to donate $500,000 to a women's shelter."

He tries to shake his head, but I'm still holding it. His pupils narrow instead. "That's... too much. Please. I don't have much left…"

I smile a smile that doesn’t reach further than the corner of my lips. "Make it $600,000. Keep talking. I can count all the way to fifteen million."

"Okay! Okay...."

I let go of his hair. "See how easy this was? We're almost done, Patrick. We have had a lot of fun here, haven't we?"

I sink into the sofa while he kneels there, drooling, dripping down one side of his face as his lip swells, a look of both fear and loathing in his eyes.

"Just one more thing." I put my phone on the table before sitting back, arms folded. "I want to know everything that Gerry said to you. Every single fucking word."

When I leave an hour later, Patrick is no worse for wear. Maybe his thighs are a little tired and his finger a little sore. That can happen if someone drops a paperweight on it. I liked that thing. I took it with me.

My head aches from all the things he told me about Gerry, his plans, his renewed motivation to make sure that Kingsley never takes his rightful place as CEO of Baxter Enterprises. He tells me things that turn my stomach. And those are just the things that Gerry would tell a slug like Patrick. What else he has planned, is going to come out of nowhere...

I hand Dmitrik the envelope with the pictures and testimonies of the women who agreed that it was okay to release their stories.

"Wait until he releases the statement and then send those out."

He nods.

I change my mind. "Actually, you know what? Send those out now. Fuck him if he still wants to come after me after that."

Dmitrik nods and tucks the envelope into his jacket. "You okay? It got serious in there."

We stop under a street light, waiting for Kevin to return. "Has someone ever hurt someone you loved?"

His eyes darken.

"Then you know. There's not such a thing as too serious."

Chapter 52

Clarissa

Allinall,Icouldn't be prouder of my risk.

But what's the point of joy in your achievements when you don't have someone to share it with?

Although Matthias and I haven't formally announced a break up, it's been weeks since the last of our public sightings and the tabloids are rife with theories about what has happened.

It's a sunny summer day when James comes back after a weekend away. He's excited because he came first place in a national bartender competition and is going on to compete in the international heats in a few months.

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