“Emma, wait...” I reached out to catch her arm but she pulled back from the contact.
“I have to go, your stepfather is expecting me home.” She flicked her eyes about her nervously and then turned and walked away.
I watched after her, frozen to the spot, completely flummoxed. What the hell was he playing at? She couldn’t mean that he’d arranged for her to see Dr Tate too. A growing feeling of unease set in. The suggestion that he sent all his women here was positively worrying.
I’d always believed these appointments to be the one caring thing my stepfather had ever done for me, giving me an outlet where I could vent my frustrations, talk about my deepest fears, feel like I wasn’t alone...
However, come to think of it, when had he done anything that wasn’t about his own gain? Would he sink as low as to use ashrink? It would be the perfect way to keep abreast of every little thing that went on in my world. But to what end?
And what about doctor-client confidentiality? Betrayal cut through me like a knife. Dr Tate was my safety blanket, I trusted him more than anyone else l knew. Could he really be capable of such duplicity? But even as I thought it, I knew it was true. After all, it was amazing what someone would do when you threw enough money at them. Life with Dad had certainly taught me that.
Suddenly, I felt bereft; the warm, fuzzy feeling that normally accompanied these sessions replaced with cold apprehension. What was I to do now? I couldn’t very well turn away and leave. Dad would know something was up and then I’d have to face that showdown, something I didn’t want to do until I knew the real reason behind these sessions, and anything else my stepfather might be keeping from me.
Mind made up, I locked the car and headed to the office, keen not to be late. Until I established the extent of Dr Tate’s involvement with my stepfather, I would simply have to watch what I said...
Chapter Six
By the time I got home, I was a boiling pot of rage. Each time Dr Tate probed, all I could think was that my stepfather was orchestrating the whole thing, extracting my innermost thoughts for his own perusal. I had managed to stave off giving much away, brushing over last night’s dinner with some mention of Daniel, and then spent the entire drive home second-guessing Dad’s intentions.
Now that I was home, I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with some painkillers and sleep off the dregs of my hangover, saving my troubled thoughts for tomorrow when I could hopefully think more clearly. But it wasn’t to be. As soon as I opened the front door, my stepfather’s raised voice reached me from the sitting room.
“It was embarrassing, Emma!”
“I didn’t see anyone else complaining,” came Emma’s defiant response. Even from this distance I could sense she was upset, the quiver in her voice belying the strength in her words.
“You were exhausted by the time I got to have you.”
Emma snorted. “With good reason.”
“It’s simply not good enough, I expect more from my women.” His tone had taken on a threatening edge that sent my blood cold. “You were given a strict regime of exercise to ensure you had the strength and stamina to be an adequate wife, I don’t appreciate you not fulfilling your side of the bargain.”
“But I have done, I work hard and do exactly as your trainer asks.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Surely he hadn’t set her up with a training regime in order to perform sexually? The idea was downright perverted.
“Then perhaps it’s with him I need this discussion. Go and change. Meet me at the gym in thirty minutes, let’s see if Mick can start you on a new routine this afternoon.”
I could hear movement and realized they were heading my way. I ducked out of the hall and into the nearest available room, realizing too late it was Dad’s study. This room was never left open, so to find myself in it was a surprise. The footsteps followed on my tail and I ducked behind the door just as my stepfather strode in, swearing under his breath.
I could hear him rustle about at his desk and then he left, pulling the door to behind him and turning his key in the lock, trapping me inside.
Fuck, now what am I to do?
Scouting about the study, I tried to think. Would he have a spare key in the room? I didn’t even know where to look. I hadn’t seen the inside of this room in years. But I couldn’t very well just stay here and wait for him to return. Moving to the desk, I started to rifle through the drawers and then it hit me, the reason this room was always locked. Everything he wished to keep private would be stored here. It was the perfect opportunity for me to uncover what he was up to.
Leaving the desk, I headed for one of the large filing cabinets that lined the walls of the room just as the sound of a cell phone ringing started up. The flashing device caught my eye from its position on the desk. Any minute now he would be coming back to retrieve it, he never went anywhere without it. I looked longingly at the filing cabinet and decided to risk a quick glance.
Pulling out the top drawer, I scanned the overwhelming number of dividers looking for anything that might be relevant. Spotting one that bore my mother’s name, I lifted it out and flicked it open. It was hefty, larger than I would have expected. It contained her death certificate, along with a copy of her will and a multitude of what looked to be financial documents and landdeeds. For a woman I believed to be penniless in her own right, this made no sense. I had always been encouraged to believe my stepfather had lifted her from nothing and gifted her an amazing life. And with no living relatives to speak of, I’d never been told any different...
Extracting the will, I started to scan the pages. It didn’t take long to discover the magnitude of my mother’s wealth and that she had bestowed a sizable chunk of her estate to me in trust. I stared at the words before me, shock and confusion taking hold as the meaning sunk in. I was an heiress. I had money and land. I wasn’t beholden to my stepfather. And he knew all this but kept it from me. Why?
The sound of hurried footsteps approaching spurred me into movement and I stuffed the file back into the cabinet, closing the drawer and positioning myself next to the doorway just as the key turned in the lock.
Adrenaline coursed through me as I watched him enter the room before me and head for his desk. I knew now was my only chance. Creeping around the door, I backed up to the entrance, my eyes never leaving him until I was safely past the threshold and I turned—
“Abi?”
Shit!
