Read Blackmailed by the Beast for Free Online Page A

couldn’t determine if she had a smile on her face or
looked sad.
    Slowly, so as not to
disturb her, he moved to the farthest end of the pool and
waited.
     
     

Chapter
Seven
     
    Lily knew he was there
but didn’t know how best to approach him. It was as if he knew
every part of her already. Whereas, she knew next to nothing about
him.
    He was cruel and named
the “Beast”, and from what she’d read, for good reason. A truly
callous man, who treated women like casual flings rather than show
them respect.
    Was that the type of
man she wanted to give her virginity to? To spend the rest of her
life being dictated to?
    She kept her eyes
closed and soaked up the sun. Autumn and winter were fast
approaching, and she looked forward to the chance to decorate and
immerse herself in the seasonal spirit.
    Excitement built inside
her thinking of picking out a tree and then searching for the right
turkey. Her family wouldn’t be with them for Christmas. They all
despised the festive season, preferring the New Year celebrations
of drink and partying.
    “What are you
thinking?” he asked, and Lily knew she couldn’t put it off anymore.
She turned in the water and walked to where he stood.
    “I was thinking about
Christmas.”
    “A little premature,
don’t you think?”
    “I figured as a
business man you’d be all over it.”
    Lily saw him shrug, and
she giggled.
    “I’ve got employees to
worry about that.”
    Yes, she imagined he
had an employee to worry about every little detail of his life.
    “What’s going to happen
about the wedding?” Lily didn’t really care about the wedding. Her
ideal marriage would have been to a man she could imagine devoting
to, not this man who got off on hurting people, throwing out
ultimatums as if he ruled the world.
    “Misha is coming
tomorrow to talk about it. You and she can organise—”
    “I don’t want any part
in it. Just get her to organize it.” Lily knew how harsh she
sounded but any protective layer she had left needed to be used to
her advantage.
    “This is your wedding,
and you need to have a say, Lily.” He sounded so cross.
    Closing her eyes, she
moved away and swam. It had been so long since her last bout of
freedom in water, and she relished the waves as her arms glided
through the water. Her mind was at peace being on her own, no
thought of punishment.
    Thinking about her
wedding, there remained one aspect she wanted to keep to
herself—picking out the perfect wedding dress.
    “I’ll help with the
arrangements of the wedding,” she said.
    Wayne nodded, and for
some reason, Lily knew he was glad of her decision.
    Maybe she’d be able to
come to terms about her predicament.
    ****
    A few hours later,
after taking a leisurely meal where they discussed more important
topics, Lily couldn’t believe how much they had in common. Their
political views were the same and they both voted for the same
party. They liked similar movies, books, and music.
    “You seem surprised?”
Wayne chuckled as he drank down another glass of wine. Lily hated
the vinegary taste and stuck with juice.
    “You like that famous
vampire trilogy? Most guys hate the stuff that makes a girl go
mushy.” Their conversation turned from books to film.
    “What can I say, I must
be in touch with my feminine side.”
    Lily laughed. “I don’t
think anyone would mistake you for being feminine at all.”
    She picked up a
strawberry and bit into the delicious sweet fruit. “I use to grow
these in my garden.”
    “Why did you grow and
do all that stuff?”
    Lily raised an eyebrow
at his ridiculous question. “Wayne, you knew my family’s state of
affairs. We were broke and anything to keep costs down was
paramount in our life.”
    “If that is so, why
were the rest of them still going to restaurants and ordering fine
wine?” That was a revelation to her. She prided herself on keeping
the shopping bills down, and they still went out and spent what
little remained of the money. “I’m sorry I