Dangerous Desires Novel

46 Down Memory Lane Luke.

The following weeks after the eventful breakfast at the Moon mansion moved slowly. No major event happened; it felt like a breather. Tia and | spent most of the tworking and coming hpretty late. She had got the hang of it, and the board members liked her. It was amazing how fast things were going for us. All my prayers concerning my marriage were answered, all except one. | really wanted Tia andto have children together. | just had to keep my fingers crossed.

It was Saturday morning, and Tia decided she wanted to visit her folks. | knew | would miss her because she would spend the entire day with them, but we had been married for five months, and she had not visited them in those months. It was only fair that I let her go, however lonely the house would get.

Thanks to Stacy and all the stories she concocted about me, | didn’t really have friends. People usually stayed away from me, so being alone beca habit. | tried dating a few ladies when | was sixteen, but everyone felt | was bad news. It seemed as if everyone knew that Caleb would be named the next Alpha because they had no respect for me. When | got older, ladies came, but it was for money and nothing more. | remembered how | asked Elisabeth out. She was so happy, and | thought she was it. We did everything together and were always together, but she always made it seem like she was doinga favour. When Caleb was named Alpha, her behaviour changed utterly. She would often talk down atand tellhow weak | was to let Stacy walk all over me. | honestly did not want the Alpha position, and | told her | wanted a peaceful life. Things were still lovely, and everyone saw us as inseparable. It was amazing how quickly everything changed. When we turned twenty-two, | asked her to marry me. She said she would think about it and started avoiding me. | went crazy for a month. Eventually, | had to confront her about it. She said she wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment, and | wondered why she just didn’t tellimmediately. | told her it was okay and that | could wait. Everything went back to normal, and she kept bleeding my pockets. She wanted expensive things and wanted to go to expensive places. Every twe had an argument, she would threaten to leave me, and | would plead with her, afraid of being alone. The height of it was when she said she wanted us to see other people. Initially, | wasn’t comfortable with it, but she insisted, and I let it be. She claimed she was only with someone else once when she got drunk, but | knew it was a lie. | honestly did not care and remained with her out of habit. By then, Stacy had gotten all she wanted, so | ran into trouble less, and it was good for a while.

One day my father tellsduring breakfast that | will be getting married to Tia Lockwood. | was stunned. Caleb wasn't at the table then.

FLASHBACK Seven months ago “What! isn’t she Caleb’s girlfriend?” | asked my father, and he did not say a word. “My boy is too good for that gold-digging piece of trash,” Stacy said and excused us from the table. | looked at my father, confused and sad at the stime. “Father, she is Caleb's girlfriend,” | protested. “I like her for you. | do not want your relationship with that Barnes girl anymore. Tia is smart and intelligent and finished second place among her set at the academy. She is a real Luna material,” he said with a straight face.

“Then marry her off to her boyfriend. He will be Alpha,” | protested. “I do not want her with Caleb. He isn’t good for her,” My father said, and | began to laugh out of anger.

“or she isn’t good enough for Stacy's son,” | said, pointing out the real issue, and my father frowned at me.

“We both know you are not in love with this Barnes girl. If you go through with this marriage, | will reward you greatly,” He said, and | could not believe my father was trying to bribeto marry Tia.

“And if | refuse?” | asked him, wanting to know how far he would go.

“Then | will cut you off,” he said, looking atangrily, “We both know the Barnes girl will leave you the moment she knows you are broke. You can’t survive out there with an Alpha Key mark and packless,” he said, and | realised how cruel my father was. He had leftno other choice. | had to accept.

Three days later, | bumped into Stacy, and she had her nose turned up.

“So | see you accepted the match. Thank you for your service, Luke. The Lockwoods had their designs on Caleb, but once your father offered them money to settle for you, they accepted immediately. You are Lucky, Luke, that your father can buy you a wife; that is the only way you can ever have one. Everyone knows Elisabeth turned you down. You should thank your father, “she said, and | walked away quickly.

END OF FLASHBACK.

My conversation with Stacy madego to Tia’s house and tell her a lot of nonsense about never touching or loving her. | was a jerk because | remembered how she stood and took it. Little did | know that she was being forced into this against her will and the Lockwoods’ options weren't so good. | was glad that instead of being miserable like Stacy wanted, we decided to try, and now we have something beautiful together. My father knew all along that she would be good for me. | was glad | was sensible enough to accept. The truth is Tia would have fallen in love witheven if | didn’t inherit Diamond corp or becthe Alpha heir. Elisabeth got pregnant because she knew | had inherited the company. | really should have kept my mouth shut. After | inherited the company, she started talking about being my mistress and building a life with me, but | could never disrespect my wife like that. The day | accepted the union with Tia, I let Elisabeth go. | thought it would be a painless break; that was why | had sex with her; | did not know she had plans for me. Now | see. If Tia wasn’t the way she was, | would have annulled the marriage and lost incredibly.

| sat on the porch of our Holiday hand thought of the past and everything that had happened that led us to where we are now. So much had transpired in so little time, but | wouldn't change it for the world. | hope Caleb finally moves on with Kimberly and learns to love her, just as Tia and | decided to try and found love in the process. | know my brother has a good heart and is madly in love with Tia, but he made his intentions known too late after he got Kimberly pregnant. Stacy was the real gold digger, and | now knew why she was always digging. Her blackmailer turned her into one. | hoped she would confess whatever it was to my father so she could be free.

| took out my phone and called Mike Crawford. He was my friend; | met Mike when | was twenty. We were best friends until Elisabeth said he made passes at her, and | ended the friendship. We hadn't spoken for a year, and | knew it was a bit out of the blues, but | figured since | was no longer with Lisa, it would be nice to rekindle the friendship.

“Luke?” Mike said, and | was silent a bit. | did not expect him to answer the call, but he did.

“How are you, Mike?” | finally spoke, and he sighed. “Great. By the way, congratulations,” he said, and | thanked him. “Do you mind grabbing a beer at Blues?” | asked him, “Yeah, sure,” he said, and | smiled internally because | expected him to say no, but with how he sounded, it wasn’t going to be awkward.

| got dressed and placed a call to Tia. She answered.

“Hey, Love,” she said with her soft, seductive voice. Even when she was angry, her voice was still soft. | exhaled.

“I am meeting up with an old friend at the Blues. You can cto meet us there when you are done. Make sure you slip into something accessible...” | said, and she giggled. “Will be there, Love,” she said.

“I love you,” | said and hung up. Tia sounded excited, and | wondered what she was discussing with her mother.

Somehow | suspected | was a significant part of that discussion. | arrived at Blues fortify five minutes after calling Mike. He was waiting forat the bar. Knowing my wife would be coming, | said we should head to the WIP section. The club was honoured to have me. It was amazing to see how the tables had turned. There was a tthey wouldn't treatlike royalty here, but | was a king suddenly. | liked it, and I got to enjoy every bit of it with my darling wife. “Out of the blue?” Mike said, sipping his drink, and | nodded. “Now that Elisabeth and | are no longer together, | figured | want my friend back,” | said, and he frowned.

“I thought she was your mistress?” he asked, and | shook my head. “Damn, Luke, that is what has been going about the city. About how much you love her that you could not leave her for your purchased wife,” He said, and | got angry. My anger was not directed at him but at the nonsense circulating town. | wondered how Tia must have felt hearing that every day for two months after we got married. No wonder she was cold towards me. She didn’t trust my intentions when | told her | wanted to try.

“That is not true. My wife and | are very much in love, and | do not have a mistress,” | told Mike, and he seemed stunned.

“But Lisa's carrying your baby, though?” he asked, and | was ashamed of myself. “Damn, Luke, | see she has got you in knots. How's your wife handling it?” he asked. “It is hard. She tricked me. Toldshe was safe and three months later calledand toldshe was pregnant.” | confessed. “Elisabeth had always been the sneaky type. You know she tried to makefuck her once?” he said, and | was shocked. “Yeah, Luke. At Ray's party.

The snight she told you, | made passes at her. It was actually the other way around. | tried to tell you, but you were too angry,” he said, and | felt like a fool. “I am sorry about it, Mike,” | said, and he leaned back in the chair. “No problem, Luke, We are cool,” he said, and a dark-skinned gorgeous girl cand ran her fingers through his afro. | was surprised at him. “Yeah, Luke, meet Natasha. She is my one. We are getting married in two months. Hopefully, our Alpha can grace the occasion with his Luna,” he asked, and | smiled and nodded.

“Sorry, | asked her to come,” he quickly said, and | told him it was okay and that Tia would be joining us soon.

“How did your brother take it, though? | heard she was his girl?” He asked, and | shook my head.

“They were best friends. Caleb is with Kimberly Miles,” | said, not wanting to sound like the big brother that stole his brother's woman.

“I guess we need to stop listening to gossip then,” Natasha said respectfully and sat next to Mike. They kissed passionately, and | began to miss my wife.

“Now that | know Lisa and you aren't together, | must tell you that she is seeing Joey,” he said, and | wondered who Joey was.

“I heard she moved into the mansion; well, you should kick her the fuck out. Because the law states if she is seeing someone, you are not responsible for her.” Mike said with a tinge of anger. Obviously, he didn’t like Lisa, and | could not blhim.

“Who is Joey?” | asked.

“Joey McBride. The guy that owns the Joe’s Car Wash,” he said, and | was stunned. “Fat Joey?” | said, and he began to laugh because that was what we called the guy.

“He has lost a lot of weight now. With muscles and all and the carwash business is doing good. He has money now,” Mike told me, and | was happy about this news. “They were dating before you got with Tia. She was cheating on you with Joe. Something about an open relationship. | thought you knew, and besides, we weren't on speaking terms then. You said | should never call you again. The last thing | wanted was you to have your father cutoff the mark. So | kept my peace. | ran into her a couple of times.” He said, and | felt like a fool. | had felt guilty for breaking up with her because | was getting married. Mike had just taken away whatever bit of affection | had for her. The girl was genuinely crazy.

Talking about how much she lovedand wantedback meanwhile she was with Joey. Good riddance.