Page 11 of Wicked Lord

“Why are you shouting, Lorelei?”

“I need to talk to you before Brock and his father get here.”

Huffing out a breath, he tucked his copy of the Wall Street Journal under his arm and shuffled down the steps. “What’s this about?”

Smoothing down my floral Lily Pulitzer sundress, I steeled my nerves as he approached. “Let’s sit down.” Motioning to the sitting room off the main entrance, I flopped down on the white couch.

“This sounds serious.” Dad’s silver brows furrowed as he folded down onto the armchair across from me.

“It is.” I swallowed hard, the weight of my father’s stare suddenly stealing my resolve. All the words stuck at the back of my throat as he studied me expectantly.

“Well, what is it? The Havershams will be here shortly. We don’t have all day.”

Damn it, Lorelei just spit it out!

“Right. About that… Please don’t make me marry Brock.” The words spilled from my mouth on a sharp exhale. There.

“What? Why in the world not?”

Because he’s an abusive asshole, borderline rapist who gets off on degrading women.

How could I admit that to my father? “He’s not as perfect as he seems.”

“Lorelei…” He threw me a disapproving glare. “I’ve already told you how important this union is for our family. Lloyd Haversham has promised me a significant dowry in exchange for your hand in marriage along with my vote against the upcoming bill on restricting oil refineries. Without this influx of funds, we’ll lose everything.”

Geez, how much was he giving us anyway? A million, two? I couldn’t imagine how much money was needed to sustain our lifestyle. Extravagant vacations, multiple homes, a slew of staff, not to mention my mother’s designer shopping expenditures.

“There has to be another way,” I muttered.

His pale blue eyes tapered at the edges. “Are you willing to drop out of Stonewall University? Get a job?”

Ugh, the visual of me slinging burgers at the local diner made my skin crawl. “What if I could find another way to get us that money?”

“I’ve tried everything, Lorelei.” He dragged his hand through his graying hair. “We’ve been barely treading water for over a year now. I didn’t want to tell you and your mother because I had hoped I’d find a way to resolve this, but there is none. You must do what’s best for our family.”

It wasn’t fair. Why did I have to sacrifice everything?

I squeezed my eyes closed and ghostly fingers closed around my throat. The scent of chewing tobacco singed my nostrils, and my stomach heaved.

“He’s a monster,” I blurted, tears burning my eyes. “You have no idea what he expects of me?—”

My father raised his hand, cutting me off. “Please, Lore, spare me the details. And don’t pretend you’re some innocent little virgin. I’ve seen you with those fraternity boys at Stonewall. If you can get on your knees for them, surely you can suck it up now for the good of our family.”

A gasp erupted from my lips. A slap in the face would have hurt less. A tremor raced through my body, and my flight reflex kicked in. I slid to the end of the cushion, my feet compelling me to run.

How could he speak to me like that? Worse, how did he know about the guys? He’d never met Killian and to my knowledge, had no idea of the things he made me do.

But after seeing how different Killian behaved with a woman he actually loved, I realized I deserved more, too. I didn’t want to be treated like garbage for the rest of my life.

My mind churned, my gut roiling at the idea of an eternity in misery.

Fuck no. I refused.

“I can’t go on the yacht for a week with Brock,” I blurted. “I have to go to summer school.” The lie fell so easily from my lips I surprised myself.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m behind on my business classes and if I don’t take a few over the summer, I won’t graduate next year.”