Saving His Blackmailed Lover

Three

When Cecelia got back to her office later that afternoon, she found a giddy Simone waiting for her in the lobby. Cecelia loved Simone, she was one of her best friends in the whole world, but after the day she’d had—hell, after the week she’d had—she wasn’t really in the mood. She had to jump on this Bellamy job right away if they were going to make the grand opening deadline.

Simone obviously didn’t care, ignoring the stressed-out vibes Cecelia knew she was sending out. She followed Cecelia down the halls of To the Moon to her private office. “Have you heard the latest news?” Simone asked after she slipped into the room behind her.

Cecelia dropped her things down on her desk and plopped, exhausted, into her chair. “Nope. There’s news?”

Simone rubbed her hands together in excitement and rushed over to sit on the edge of her desk. “So,” she began, “word is that Maverick is at it again. A message went out on social media to everybody in the Texas Cattleman’s Club today.”

Cecelia held her breath as she waited to hear the latest news. She’d been too busy with The Bellamy project to check her phone. Had Maverick taken her money and spread her secret anyway? “So, what did the message say?”

Simone pulled her cell out of her purse and flipped through it to find the message. Locating it, she handed the phone over to Cecelia. The message was short and blessedly vague. It read: Someone in the Texas Cattleman’s Club is not who they say they are.

Cecelia shrugged it off and handed the mobile back to Simone, feigning disinterest. “That’s hardly big news. I’d say half the people there aren’t who they pretend to be.”

Simone returned her phone to her bag. “And to think that folks still believe we’re the ones behind the attacks!”

“I have to say I’m thankful this last message went out when I couldn’t possibly have sent it. I’ve got a room full of witnesses.”

Simone just shrugged. “That doesn’t mean they don’t still think Naomi and I are the culprits, that we’re all in on it together. If I had the time, I just might be the kind to do it. You’ve got to give the guy credit. Royal has been pretty dull lately. Maverick has brought more excitement to town in the last few months than we’ve had since the tornados hit.”

Excitement? Cecelia certainly wouldn’t consider extortion or extreme weather exciting. They were both terrifying in their own right. “You know, you might not want to act so excited when that stuff comes out. It makes us look guilty.”

“Hey, I thought you would enjoy this more. What’s wrong with you today? You don’t seem like your usual self.”

Cecelia wanted to shout, “Because the real Maverick is blackmailing me! That message was about me!” But she wouldn’t. Instead she said, “I’m just stressed out and tired. I had that big presentation today at The Bellamy.”

Simone perked up again. “So, how did it go? Did you dazzle Shane with your designs? Is he going to dump Brandee and run away with you? Please tell me that at the very least he wasn’t rude.”

“He was fine. And Brandee didn’t even come up. You could say that I dazzled him, since they offered me the contract. It seems I also dazzled his silent partner, Deacon Chase.”

Simone’s nose wrinkled in thought as she tried to place the name. “Deacon Chase. Why do I know that name?”

“Because,” Cecelia explained, “that was my first boyfriend in high school.”

Simone’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. “Are you kidding me? Is that Deacon Chase Shane’s silent partner? Didn’t you lose your virginity to him?”

Cecelia looked around nervously to make sure that none of her employees overheard their discussion. Getting up from her chair, she ran to her office door and shut it. “Say it a little louder, Simone. Yes, Deacon was my first.” Those weren’t exactly helpful memories considering he was in town at the moment, but they were true. Deacon had been the first boy she ever loved. The last boy she’d ever loved.

“Does Chip know he’s in town?”

“Does that matter?” Cecelia asked. “Chip and I didn’t date in high school. We didn’t even date in college. He’s got no reason to worry about Deacon.”

Simone wasn’t convinced. “Yeah, but he knows you two dated and were pretty serious. You don’t think it’s going to bother him that Deacon is back in Royal?”

If there was only one thing that Cecelia knew about Chip, it was that his ego was bigger than the state of Texas. In his opinion, Deacon was from a lower class of people. He wasn’t competition in Chip’s eyes, and never would be. “I don’t think it would bother Chip. I mean, I agreed to marry Chip. I broke it off with Deacon after graduation, so I don’t know why he would feel threatened by him.”

Simone shook her head. “Chip may not have been threatened by the Deacon we knew back in high school, but if he is Shane’s partner in the hotel, he’s done well for himself. That may change things.”

Cecelia wasn’t sure about that, but she didn’t really have time to worry. “Well, I’m sure that Deacon won’t stay. He will be long gone once the hotel is finished. Speaking of Chip, I’ve got to get out of here. He and I are meeting for dinner tonight at the club. We’re celebrating my new contract with the hotel.”

“Excellent. I’ve really got to get out of here, too. I just stopped by on my way out of town to share the latest gossip. I’m meeting Naomi at the airport. We’re flying out tonight to that fashion show in LA. We’ll be there for a couple of days. You be sure to keep us posted if anything new happens with Maverick.”

“I will, although I’m not sure you’d be so excited about his next attack if he were blackmailing you.” Cecelia certainly didn’t feel that way now that she was his latest victim.

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll get to me eventually. He’ll get to all of us eventually.”

Simone practically skipped out of Cecelia’s office as if Maverick’s threats didn’t bother her. Cecelia hadn’t been bothered, either, until a few days ago. Now the worry was front and center.

He had to be alluding to her in his latest message. She had wired the money the way her dad had instructed her to, and yet he hadn’t backed off. It was exactly what she was afraid of. Once you stepped into the cycle of blackmail, there was no good way to get out of it. She wouldn’t be surprised to see another message tonight asking for more money. Despite what her father had told her, Cecelia knew she had to use a different tact with Maverick.

Her parents didn’t want her to tell Chip the truth, but that might be her only option if Maverick didn’t back down. Chip’s family was not only wealthy, but they had connections. If she confided her secret in him perhaps he could help to protect her. The Ashfords could crush Maverick like a bug...if they wanted to. She hoped they would, because she didn’t know who else to turn to. She would have to tell him tonight at dinner before things got worse.

She was counting on him to be her savior.

* * *

Cecelia was a ball of nerves as she pulled her BMW into the parking lot of the Texas Cattleman’s Club.

The club wasn’t where she would’ve chosen to have this important discussion with Chip, but he had made the arrangements without asking her. Inside, she found Chip seated in the far corner booth of the dining room. She let the host escort her back to the table. Chip got up as she approached and gave her a short embrace and a chaste kiss on the cheek. “There you are, kitten. You’re late. I was starting to worry.”

Cecelia looked at her watch as she sat down and it was exactly five thirty. She wasn’t about to argue with him, though. To Chip, if you didn’t arrive five minutes early, you were late. “I’m sorry. I got hung up with Simone. She wanted to talk to me before she left for California with Naomi.”

Chip settled into the booth across from her and smiled. “And what did the lovely Simone have to tell you today?”

Cecelia considered her words. “Well, I wanted to wait to talk to you about this until after we ordered.”

“I already ordered for us both,” Chip interjected. “I got you the grilled mahimahi since you’re watching your weight for the wedding.”

Cecelia tried to swallow her irritation. She hated when Chip made decisions for her. Especially when those decisions were based on imaginary weight she had no intention of losing, thankyouverymuch. It was a portent of her future with him that she tried hard to ignore. She feared she would be going from spending all her time trying to please her parents, to trying to please her husband.

“Then I suppose I don’t have to wait,” she said, ignoring his comments. “Simone told me that Maverick is blackmailing somebody new.”

Chip nodded thoughtfully and accepted the gin and tonic the waiter brought him before placing a glass of white wine in front of Cecelia. “I saw something come up this afternoon, but I was too busy to pay much attention to it. What does that have to do with Simone? Is she his latest victim? I wouldn’t be surprised if she got into some trouble.”

Cecelia steeled her nerves, thankful for the glass of wine even though she would’ve preferred a red. She took a healthy sip before she started the discussion. “No, he’s actually blackmailing me.”

“What?” Chip shushed her, leaning into her across the table. “Not so loud, people will hear you.” He scanned the dining area for anyone who might hear. Fortunately, it was still early for the dinner crowd at the club. The closest table was involved in a lively discussion about steer and not paying any attention to them. “What is going on?” he asked when he seemed certain it was safe to continue their discussion.

Cecelia followed suit, leaning in and speaking in low, hushed tones. “I got a message from him. It seems he found something out about me from a long time ago, and he’s trying to blackmail me with it. Well, I supposed he’s been successful since I’ve already made one payment to him, but it doesn’t seem like it was enough, given the post this afternoon.”

Chip’s expression was stiff and stoic, without any of the sympathy or concern for her that she was hoping for. “What is he blackmailing you about? You told me you had a squeaky-clean past. It’s absolutely critical, if you’re going to be the wife of a senator, that you don’t have anything in your life that can be detrimental to my career.”

Cecelia sighed. How did this become about him and his career? “I know. It’s not really something I think about very often. It was completely out of my control. My parents chose to keep it secret to protect me, but in the end, I don’t think it’s that bad. It’s hardly a skeleton in my closet, Chip.”

Chip eyed her expectantly, but she hesitated. She hadn’t said the words out loud in thirteen years. Only ever said them once, the night she confided in Deacon. Somehow she wasn’t sure this would go as well. “I’m adopted,” she whispered.

Chip flinched as though she had slapped him across the face. “Adopted? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Cecelia gritted her teeth at his reaction. She could already tell this was a mistake. “No one was ever to find out. I was adopted by the Morgans when I was only a few weeks old. They decided to raise me as their own child and have never told anybody about my history...because of who my mother was.”

“What’s wrong with your mother?”

“She had a drug problem. I was taken away from her when I was only two weeks old. My parents told me that she was so distraught, she overdosed not long after that.”

A furious expression came over Chip’s face. “Are you telling me that your mother was a junkie?”

There was no way to make that part go down easier. “I guess so. She was never a part of my life, but yes, my mother had a serious and deadly drug problem.”

Chip didn’t appear to even hear her words. “I cannot believe you would lie to me about something like this.” He flushed an ugly red with anger. She’d never seen her polished and professional fiancé like this. “I thought you were like me. I thought you were from a good family and would make a perfect wife. But you’re nothing but an impostor playing a role. How could you agree to marry me when you were keeping something like that a secret?”

Cecelia’s jaw dropped open in shock. She thought he might be surprised by the news, maybe even concerned about the potential backlash, but she certainly didn’t think that he would accuse her of deceiving him. “I am not an impostor, Chip Ashford. You have known me my whole life. I was raised by the Morgans in the same Houston suburb you were. I went to all the best schools like you did. I am nothing like my birth mother, and I never will be. I couldn’t control who my mother was any more than you could.”

Chip just shook his head. “You can dress it up, but a liar is always a liar.”

Cecelia’s blood ran cold in her veins. “Chip, please, don’t be like this. I didn’t intentionally deceive you. My parents just thought it was best that no one know.”

“Thank goodness for Maverick,” Chip said. “Without him I never would’ve found out the truth about you. You and your parents would’ve let me marry you knowing that everything I believed about you was a lie.”

Her eyes welled up with tears she couldn’t fight. Was Chip about to break up with her over this? She couldn’t believe it, but that’s what it sounded like. “Chip...”

“Don’t,” he snapped. “Don’t look at me like that with tears in your eyes and try to convince me that you are a victim in this. I’m sorry, Cecelia, but the engagement is off. I can’t marry somebody I can’t trust. You’re a liability to every future campaign I run, and I’m not about to destroy my career for a woman who is living a lie.”

Cecelia looked down at the gigantic diamond-and-platinum ring that she’d worn for the past six months of their engagement. She hadn’t particularly liked the ring, but she couldn’t say so. It was gaudy, but it was as expected for someone of his station. She didn’t want to keep it, not when his words were like a knife to the heart. She grasped it between her fingers and tugged it off her hand, handing it across the table.

Chip took it and stuffed it into his pocket. “Thank you for being reasonable about that.”

At least one of them could be reasonable, she thought as the pain of his rejection slowly morphed into anger. She never would’ve confided in Chip if she’d known he would react like this. Now, all she could hope for was damage control. “I hope that I can still count on you to keep this secret,” Cecelia said. “Odds are it will get out eventually, but I would prefer it to be on my terms if you don’t mind. For my parents’ sake.”

Chip got up from the table and shrugged it off. “What good would it do me to tell anybody? I’ve wasted enough time here. Have the waiter put dinner on my tab.” He turned on his heel and marched out of the restaurant, leaving Cecelia to sit alone with their cocktails, a basket of bread sticks and an order for food they wouldn’t even eat.

A hollow feeling echoed through her as she looked at his empty seat. Cecelia thought she would be more upset about her broken engagement, but she was just numb. The truth was that she didn’t love Chip. Their relationship was more about strategic family connections than romance, but it still smarted to have him dump her like this when she was at her lowest point. They had planned a future together. They discussed how after The Bellamy deal they were going to sit down and make some solid wedding plans. Instead of finally getting one step closer to the family that she longed for, she was starting over.

Even if Chip kept his word and didn’t spread her secret all over town, it would be embarrassing enough for everyone to find out about her broken engagement. Everyone would speculate about why they broke up if neither of them was talking. She wondered what Chip would tell them.

In the end, she was certain that her secret would come out anyway. One way or another everyone was going to find out that Cecelia was the adopted daughter of a junkie. Royal was a place where everybody was always in everyone else’s business. They had all the drama and glamour that the Houston society provided, with all of the small-town nosiness that Cecelia could do without.

When the truth came to light, she wondered who would still be standing beside her. The members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club were supposed to be like a family, but they were a fickle one.

Then there was the matter of her real family. How would her parents ever recover from the fallout? They’d built their lives on maintaining a perfect facade. Would their family, circle of friends and business contacts ever forgive the decades-long deception?

Reeling from the events of the evening, Cecelia picked up her purse and got up from the table, leaving a stack of bills to cover the tab. She could’ve let Chip pay for it all, but she didn’t want to face the waiter and explain why she was suddenly alone with a tableful of food coming out of the kitchen.

As she got into her car, she leaned back against the soft leather seat and took a deep breath. At this moment, she needed her friends more than ever. But as Simone had said earlier, she and Naomi were already on a plane to California. They wouldn’t be back for several days.

She couldn’t talk to her parents about this. They would be more distraught about her breakup with Chip than how painful this was for her. She loved her parents, but they were far more concerned with appearances than anything else. She was certain that when word of her broken engagement got around to them, she would get an earful. She could just imagine her mother scrambling to get back in the Ashfords’ good graces.

At the moment, Cecelia didn’t really give a damn about the Ashfords. If they couldn’t accept her the way she was, she didn’t want to marry into their family anyway. So what if she wasn’t of the good breeding that Chip thought she was? She was still the same person he had always known. The woman he had proposed to.

As she pulled her car out of the parking lot of the club, she found herself turning left instead of right toward the Pine Valley subdivision where she lived in a French château-inspired home. There wasn’t much to the left, but Cecelia was in desperate need of a stretch of road to drive and clear her mind.

After a few miles, she realized that maybe all this was for the best. Perhaps Maverick was doing her a favor in the end. It was better that she and Chip break up now, while they were still engaged, than to have a messy divorce on her hands. And God forbid they’d started a family. Would Chip reject his own children if he found out that they were tainted by their mother’s inferior bloodline?

Cecelia shuddered at the thought. The one thing she wanted, the one thing she’d always wanted, was a family of her own. She longed for blood relatives whom she was bound to by more than just a slip of paper. People who would love her without stipulations and requirements. Her parents did love her, of that she had no doubt. But the Morgans’ high standards were hard to live up to. She had always strived to meet them, but lately she wondered how they would feel about her if she fell short. Would they still love and protect their perfect Cecelia if she wasn’t so perfect?

As she made her way to the edge of town, she noticed lights on in the distance at the old Wilson House and slowed her car to investigate. She didn’t realize anybody had bought that property. No one had lived in the large, luxurious cabin for several years, but someone was definitely there now.

She wasn’t sure why she did it, but she turned her car down the winding gravel road that led to the old house. Maybe it was Maverick’s secret hideout. There, out front, she spied a fully restored 1965 Corvette Stingray convertible roadster. She knew nothing of cars, but she remembered a poster of one almost exactly like this on Deacon’s bedroom wall in high school. That one had been cherry red—his dream car.

This one was a dark burgundy, but she knew the moment she saw it that the car belonged to Deacon. Instantly, she realized there was no place else she wanted to be in the whole world.

Deacon had known the truth about her. Years ago when they were in high school and completely infatuated with one another, they had confessed all their secrets. Cecelia had told him about her adoption and about her mother. She had even shown him the only picture she had of her mother. The old, worn photograph, given to her by her parents on her thirteenth birthday, had been found in her mother’s hand when she died. It was a picture of her holding her brand-new baby girl, just a week before she was taken away.

Cecelia had spent a lot of time staring at that photo, looking for the similarities between her and her mother. Looking for the differences that made her better. She’d always been mystified by her mother’s happy smile as she held her baby. How could she throw that all away? Every now and then she pulled the photo out to look at it when she was alone. Deacon hadn’t judged her. Deacon had accepted her for who she was—the rich, spoiled daughter of the Morgan family and the poor, adopted daughter taken away from her drug-addled mother. Deacon had loved her just the same.