Redemption (Complete)

17. Like Mother Like Daughter

Happy Thanksgiving for those in the U.S.- this chapter is early because I will be away on Thursday.

Carl had only seen Violet briefly at the baby shower so far. He was almost immediately pulled away from the party proper in order to be whisked away into Harry's study with other men.

Carl and Violet had gone out the previous Saturday but hadn't had a chance to see each other during the week. Violet had an essay on PTSD that was due on Thursday and was at home all night on Wednesday editing the final draft before printing it out on her printer to hand in on Thursday.

Along with a wrapped present for Constance's baby, he had brought some cigars and Scotch for Harry. He had thought of not doing so, but he couldn't help trying to learn more about his competition for Violet's affections.

Not that Liam was much of a competitor. Violet had already admitted that she had no romantic feelings towards the young man and that it was her father's idea for them to wed.

Carl's gut ached every time he thought about Violet marrying the man. If anyone was going to make her a wife and mother, it damned sure wasn't going to be Liam McCormick. Carl would make sure of that.

"Carl, why do you keep on looking at that door like it's going to open and some strippers are going to pop in?" Aiden asked him after the fiftieth time glancing at the door that led away from Harry's study and towards the baby shower.

"I was just thinking I might check on the ladies and see how they're doing out there," he told him quickly.

"They're fine out there by themselves. Have another scotch," Harry offered. They had made a good dent in the bottle Carl had brought with him and it was already half empty. Ramon may have drunk a quarter of it by himself. He had guts of iron.

"Only one more," he acquiesced. "I have to drive later on. I don't need to be wrapped around a telephone pole on a Saturday night."

"At least it would easy to recognize the body," Ramon said with a smile. "How many men in business attire get a reverse Prince Albert?"

Carl smirked at him.

"If that's how you're going to identify my body when I finally bite the big one, I'll make sure to bequeath all my genital jewelry to you," he told Ramon as Aiden snorted.

"Jesus Christ, how many damned bars and rings can you possibly own?" Ramon looked disgusted and curious.

"I have several," Carl told him. "Would you like to see which one I'm wearing today?" he asked as he went to unzip his fly.

"f**k no, man," Ramon objected quickly. "Keep the python caged for the love of God."

Harry laughed out at him and then decided that a trip to see the ladies wouldn't be such a bad idea. Mathilde had had the shower catered, and all the decent food was in the living room where the women were congregated.

On the way out the door, Carl stopped Harry for a moment. He asked to speak with him in private for just a moment.

"Word has it you're thinking of dumping your overseas ventures, old man," he told him with a tight smile.

"Not dumping, Carl," Harry told him, his hand raising his glass of scotch to his mouth. "Simply condensing."

"Condensing? How?" Carl's brows quirked up as if he didn't already know the man's plan.

"I'm in talks with my friends the McCormicks about merging some of our businesses," Harry told him. "I don't have the time and energy to go abroad at every little thing and Nate is just learning to the business in London. He'd be swamped if I put him in charge of Ireland as well. I just found it best to try and merge the companies. I still want the say in what goes on, but the McCormick's son Liam would be head of the business for all intents and purposes."

"Why not just liquidate or better yet- sell off the businesses to the McCormick's?" Carl questioned.

Harry shrugged and took another sip of the fiery liquid. "I like having money, Carl. Aiden doesn't pay me enough alone to keep Mathilde happy with all her engagements and parties." Carl ignored the indication that Mathilde would drain the man dry. He was sure Matty could do with a little less party planning if she had to.

"How would the merger go? How would you know it was being run as you want it?"

"Well, Liam- the man who Violet was dating during the holidays- would become my son in law," Harry said happily.

Carl forced himself not to react as his teeth clenched. He breathed out several times quietly to calm himself.

"And how does Violet feel about all this?"

"Well, she isn't too agreeable yet, but she will be," Harry stated on a nod. "Liam reminds me of myself when I was younger. I took one look at Mathilde and knew she was the one. It's the same with Liam. He's had a crush on her ever since I took Violet to Ireland almost three years ago. He's a smart man and would make a fine son in law."

"And what about husband?" Carl couldn't help but ask, a bit stiffly. "If Violet isn't agreeable to the marriage, how can she be happy with a man she doesn't love back? What kind of marriage would that be for her?"

"She'll be fine," Harry stated. "Just look at Mathilde and I. "We never dated. We had a semi-arranged marriage and here we are over twenty years later still going strong."

Carl swallowed thickly. He knew Violet could never feel the same for Liam as the young man did for her. He knew it in his heart.

"It may have worked for you, Harry," Carl told him. "But not everyone is you. From- from what I've seen of Violet, she doesn't remind me of Mathilde. She's your daughter through and through. Stubborn and headstrong. Mathilde is more easygoing, pliable. You'll never be able to force a love match with your daughter."

Harry seemed to mull over what Carl said before heading toward the door.

"I think I know my daughter better than you, Carl," Harry stated. "If I say she would eventually love Liam, you can bet your bottom she will."

******

"How adorable," Lily screeched as she watched Constance open a pastel green package to reveal a set of tiny onesies.

Violet shivered at the sound of the woman's voice. She almost wished she was a man just so she could sit in the other room as Constance opened her packages while Lily ooohed and ahhhed over every little thing.

Constance opened up another package, this one from Mathilde and Harry.

"Oh, just what I needed, another reminder that I'm nothing more than a walking boob," Constance said as she laughed. The couple had gotten her several items, this one being a breast pump.

"There's more to it than that, but open the packaging later on," Mathilde said with a wink. Of course, Constance being Constance, she had to open it now.

Her face flushed and she looked up at Mathilde with an odd look on her face as she pulled out a red and black negligee.

"You do know this is a baby shower and not a bridal shower right? I mean you did arrange this whole thing."

"Yes, but I figured that once you give birth, it'll take a while before you get your old figure back. None of your other lingerie will fit!" Mathilde told her knowingly.

"Mom!" Violet cried out. "Who in the world gives an 8-month pregnant woman lingerie for her baby shower?"

Mathilde gave a lazy shrug of her elegant shoulders.

"I do," she simply stated and sat back with a glass of wine in her hand, smiling.

The women had a good laugh at that and Constance went back to opening gifts.

The men came in a few minutes later and Violet excused herself to use the bathroom.

After using the hallway bathroom and washing her hands, she went to walk out of the bathroom door and was instantly halted as she walked into a firm chest.

Looking up, she didn't realize she was being moved back into the bathroom until Carl was speaking low and urgently to her.

"Sweetheart, tell me you don't want to marry Liam," he said as he closed and locked the bathroom doors, flipping on the light before walking over to her.

"Wha- of course not!" Violet objected. "Where in the world did you get the idea that I would want to marry him?"

"I spoke with your father just a few minutes ago," Carl stated as he put his arms around her. He picked her up and set her onto the top of the counter next to the double sink, nudging her thighs apart so he could stand between them. He kissed her before speaking again.

"He's determined that you marry that little Irish prick," he bit out as he pulled her long flowing dress up her thighs and put his hands between her legs. He rubbed along the silky material of her panties and she moaned out at the touch of him so close to her core.

"He won't have you, Baby," he told her as his hands pushed aside the fabric of her panties. "You belong with me."

He told her that as he traced a finger down her slit and then pushed through her folds, searching for her c**t.

"Tell me you're mine, Kitten," he told her, his breath fanning across her cheek as he circled a finger around her nub. She immediately became wetter, and his fingers worked her faster as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling Carl closer to her body.

"I'm yours," she told him and she breathed out moaning a bit.

"That's what I thought," he said and Violet looked up at him. His face had a hungry yet satisfied look. Violet wondered why she wasn't protesting to his fingers playing with her p***y. She was at a party with quite a few people less than fifty feet away.

Carl pulled his fingers away and she groaned at the loss of contact before closing her eyes.

"Carl, don't teas- holy s**t!" Violet sputtered out as she arched her back at the unexpected contact of Carl's tongue on her c**t.

He had dropped down to his knees in front of her the moment her eyes had closed. With one hand he swept the silken fabric of her panties aside and had used his other hand to pull her forward on the counter until his mouth was a hairsbreadth away from her glistening lower lips.

Violet's teeth sunk into her lower lip and she hissed out as he gave her a soft swipe of his tongue along her slit.

"f**k," she whimpered as his tongue flicked out again. Her back arched a second time and she muffled a moan into her hand.

Carl was watching as his Violet bucked her hips towards his face and pressed his mouth deeper into her p***y, his tongue licking between her folds with varying pressures. He flicked at it twice before giving her a long lick from her opening to her c**t and circled her with his tongue.

"s**t, that feels good," she moaned out and thrust her pelvis onto his mouth before holding back a squeal. Carl had taken her c**t in his mouth and was now sucking on her. One of her hands was holding her upright on the sink while the other ran through his hair, pulling gently at the roots.

Carl moaned as he let his tongue swirl around her c**t, sending wracking shivers up and down her body at the vibration.

"Oh f**k me, damn that's amazing," Violet bit out as Carl let her go with a soft pop. He licked down her slit to her entrance before sliding his tongue in. He put his tongue in as far as he could go before flicking upward, brushing his g-spot. He felt her tighten around his tongue.

"Baby, don't stop." Violet tilted her head back, pressing her groin further into his mouth.

Carl continued to thrust his tongue inside of her until he felt her tighten around him so much it was difficult to get inside her again. Instead of forcing it, his mouth wrapped around her c**t again, adding friction with his teeth as he felt her legs start to shake.

"Oh f**k, I'm gonna come," she groaned out breathlessly, her chest hitching between words. Carl groaned and the vibrations pushed off over the edge. Her orgasm ripped through her as Carl pushed his whole mouth over her mound, adding more suction and drawing out her soft moans.

When she finally came down from the dizzying heights of her climax, Carl pulled himself erect, a definite bulge in his pants that he had to adjust. Wiping at his mouth, he came up between Violet's legs again and placed his hands on her hips, steadying her at the edge of the sink.

He kissed up her neck and back down before sucking gently on the soft skin at the crease where her shoulder and neck met. How he wished he could suck harder and leave his mark for all to see. Carl supposed he would get to do that- eventually.

"I- I don't want to know how many women you've had to sleep with in order to do that with your tongue down there," she said, her voice still hitching as she struggled to steady her breathing.

"Not as many as you would think," he told her gently. "I rarely go down on a woman unless we're in a relationship. And haven't had one of those in years."

Violet blinked. She supposed she was in some sort of relationship with him. She wouldn't have let him down there if she wasn't, right?

"I would have f****d you as well if I had a condom and we had the time," he told her, his breath blowing gently against the shell of her ear. "When I do take you, I plan on taking my time with you. I don't want some quickie in a bathroom for my first time with you. That might be okay with some women, but you're too good for that, Love."

With that, he adjusted himself again and left her in the bathroom, thoroughly overheated and struggling to keep her heart from skipping straight out of her chest.