by Lucy Darling
“Fuck.” As much as that hurt, it was what I needed to see. It’s early in the morning, and he already has another woman coming to his room. The man obviously wastes no time. I have only been gone an hour. I take a deep breath and get myself together as I step back onto the elevator.
When I reach the lobby, my things are ready to go. I walk out of the building, away from Luke and into the SUV. As soon as I’m in, I text my sister that she better be living it up on her honeymoon. I know she has to be because Gerrit had planned a killer vacation for them. I smile at the thought of her finding her happily ever after. Gerrit is proof that men can change.
The difference between Luke and Gerrit is that there were no whispers of Gerrit burning through women as quickly as he burned through cash. Obviously Luke is a playboy who works as hard as he plays.
I go to my contacts and block Luke. It’s a childish thing to do, but I need to protect myself. My heart needs a moment to heal because I know without a doubt Luke Kane will be in my life forever. I need to remember he’s not mine. I heard him say he didn't want kids and marriage. I should have listened.
I’ll let myself dream for these few stolen hours.
5
Luke
I slowly come to. I don’t know when I fell asleep. I’d fought sleep, not wanting to lose a second with Kinley. I’d been a bastard. I knew it was her first time, but that hadn’t stopped me from taking her over and over again. Spilling inside of her each time and marking her as mine. I lost track of how many orgasms I gave her with my mouth. The woman is a damn angel with a heart of gold.
We soaked in the tub while she told me about some of the charity work she oversees. It’s the reason she is going to Europe. I hear a lot of people in wealthy groups talk about hosting events for charities, but she is hands-on, and now she wants to spread those hands to other places all over the world.
She also admitted to me it was time for her to find herself too. With her sister being married now, she wanted to really see who she was and how she stood on her on two feet. I don't want her to stand on any feet. I’d gladly carry her around, but this seems as though it’s something she needs.
It might actually work out well for us. It is time for me to come home too. In order to do that I’ll have to wrap some things up and make sure there aren’t any loose ends. I won’t go after her until I can guarantee the coast is clear. I don’t need the world knowing about Kinley and me. Especially the world I’m currently working in. There is no doubt in my mind if the information got into the wrong hands, it would be used against me. But once I am done, she is going to be all mine.
I reach for her. Most of the night she clung to me. As much as I loved being inside of her, I equally loved being skin to skin with her. I craved it. Her soft body is full of sweetness and light. She’s like a drug to my system, and I need more.
When I come up empty I sit up. I know in that instant that she’s no longer here. The only thing that remains is her sweet scent. She can run, but she’s not going to get very far. Did she really think this was a one-night stand? I’m pretty sure I told her this wouldn't be a one-time thing.
I hurriedly get dressed, my eyes falling to the bed. The white sheets are covered in our love-making and her virginity. My throat goes tight, thinking that this was only a fling. Did she not feel the same thing I had? This is the first time my reputation has worked against me. I grab the lamp on the nightstand and throw it against the wall.
It feels good to get some aggression out, but it doesn’t help with the emptiness. That’s still there. I think it’s been there this entire time. I knew something was missing in my life. There had been a void that I thought was boredom with work, but I’d been wrong. Kinley had filled it and now with her absence, there’s no denying what I’ve been missing. Her. There’s a deep ache inside of me. One that I know only she will be able to fill. I’m so fucked. When I hear the sound of the hotel room door opening, relief fills me. Maybe she only stepped out for a moment. When I round the corner, I stand there for a moment staring at the stranger that’s in the entrance to my room. She doesn't look as though she’s room service or a housekeeper. Especially not with the outfit she has on.
“I think you have the wrong room.” I run my hands through my hair, and the hollowness that I’ve been feeling comes right back. I never understood how you could need someone so much. Fuck, I haven’t even known her long, and I swear it’s hard to breathe thinking about her being gone.
“We met the other night. At the rehearsal dinner? I was your server.” I take a step back because that’s creepy as shit. How the hell did this woman get into my room?
“I don’t know how you got a key to my room, but I’m calling security.”
“Maybe this will change your mind.” She drops her coat revealing how little she really is wearing. The sight of her does nothing for me. I turn to give her my back. I’m not interested in anything she’s offering.
“Get the fuck out of my room!” I bellow. I don’t think I’ve ever talked to a woman like that in my life but her being here dressed how she is feels wrong. It feels as if it’s a betrayal to Kinley.
“Are you sure?” She tries to sound sexy as she asks.
“Yeah, I’m fucking sure.” I walk toward the hotel room phone.
“Fine.”
I don’t look back at her as I make the call, wanting answers to how this woman got a key to my room. I start tossing all my shit into my bag. I should shower but I know that will wash away whatever I have left of Kinley. I can still smell her sweet scent on me. When I’m finished getting my things together, I head straight for the front desk and find out that Kinley has already checked out.
I walk over to one of the chairs in the lobby and sit. My mind is racing. I can’t chase her to Europe right now. Well, I could, but I am so close to finishing my work. I’ve done my part. For years I’ve been giving Interpol information. I need to get through one last game and I am out for good.
It’s one I couldn't turn down. This is beyond money laundering and offshore accounts. This is to stop trafficking of hard drugs. That’s where it starts, then they move on to trafficking young girls. Something Clark wanted to get his hands into before it got that far.
I call Kinley, and of course it goes straight to voicemail. Then I text her. When I see that the delivered sign never shows on my phone, I know she’s blocked me. Why the hell would she fucking block me? I make another call.
“Plane is ready,” he says before I can get a word out.
“There’s a girl.”
“Which one? The one you took to your room last night or the one that showed up early this morning?”
“You know I could walk away from this. Hell, I never have to step foot back in Hong Kong if I don’t want to.”
The line goes silent for a moment.
“We’ll keep eyes on Kinley. I already have someone on the flight she got onto.” I relax at that. Knowing that she’s safe is one less thing I have to worry about.
“And you can’t just walk away.” I know I can’t. I would never be able to live with the fact I could have stopped this from getting worse. This shit needs to stop before it gets out of hand. That shit would eat me alive. “We do this, and you’re done. You can walk away.”
“Yeah.”
“I figured. Get your ass back to Hong Kong,” he says before the line goes dead. The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can start my life with Kinley. When I first started this, I thought men would just be tossed into prisons. Some have been. But that’s not always how it works. There are layers to this shit. It’s complicated.
This time around, I have a feeling it’s going to be different. No one is going to prison. This time we're cutting off the head of the beast. I don’t only mean one, either. No one is going to make it out alive at the end except for those girls. I don't need any of them tracking me down. They’ll be six feet under. That is the only way I can start a new life. That’s the plan, at least.
But does anyth
ing really ever go as planned?
6
Kinley
I sit in my hotel room asking myself What am I doing? At the moment I’m having a pity party for one while killing the mini bar and stalking my new brother-in-law. He made Page Six today in the gossip column.
I’m not sure if I should be happy or mad about that. It wasn't me that made it with him. It was the girl that I saw entering his room the morning that I left. I knew she looked familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen her before. Turns out she’d been the waitress that couldn't keep her eyes off Luke the night of the rehearsal dinner. I guess I wasn't the only one he handed out keys to his room to. That thought sours my mood. I take another sip of champagne.
Had he taken her back to his room that first night when I’d shot him down? Had Luke invited her back when he realized I had taken off on him? My stomach turns at the idea. I pop another overpriced M&M into my mouth.
I knew exactly what I’d been getting myself into when I spent the night with Luke. I think I’m mixing love and sex up in my head. That has to be it. At times he was so gentle with me and then others he was ravenous. I thought he felt the same pull that I had. He’d said those words, but for all I know those are the kinds of things people say in the heat of the moment. I could barely think straight when the man was touching me.
It wasn’t until my plane was in the air that I’d thought about protection. Or lack of it. How could I have been so stupid? If he so easily didn't use it with me, then that means he probably doesn’t use it with others as well. I would think he’d have a bunch of kids out in the world unless he knows he can’t get someone pregnant. I take a deep, calming breath and try to get myself under control. My thoughts are all over the place.
In passing I’d heard him say that marriage was not something he wanted. If you don’t want marriage one would assume that you don’t want children either. I long to have both of those things one day.
I close my laptop, needing to get some fresh air. I pick up my phone to see I have a few texts from my mother. I’m not shocked to see that she’s already trying to set me up on a date. I mean, the woman’s efforts have no bounds. Being in a different country doesn’t even stop her from trying to marry me off. That woman really hadn’t learned her lesson with Gerrit, my sister's husband.
Or that might be the problem. They feel that Gerrit is too unpredictable for them. They hadn’t planned on him actually falling in love with my sister, Kennedy. They thought it was an arranged marriage for business purposes that would ultimately benefit them. They’d been blindsided by Gerrit’s love for Kennedy. Now they know it would only take one word from my sister, and she could have their fancy, rich life crumbling to the ground.
Obviously my mom has set her eyes on me now. I got away from that house in the nick of time. I let out a stupid sigh when I see that there are no messages from Luke. I blocked him, so I'm not sure why I would be expecting any.
I shove my phone back into my purse before heading out of the hotel to do what I was supposed to be doing. Finding myself. Exploring not only this beautiful place but getting to know myself better. When I exit, I stand there for a moment looking both ways. There are so many new possibilities, but it feels overwhelming. This finding myself thing sounded a whole lot easier than it’s turning out to be.
I turn, asking the bellman in French where the closest art museum is. He gives me directions and it’s within walking distance. After a short walk, I enter the museum and immediately begin to get lost in the collections. I linger on each piece, trying to imagine what the artist felt as he created it. Each piece evokes a different emotion from me.
When I get to a portrait of a man staring down at a woman holding her close as she throws her head back in laughter, my heart feels heavy. His eyes are on her as she laughs. They are filled with love and he’s smiling. I’d like to think it’s because he could make her laugh so hard. It is more than endearing. Love isn't always flowers and jewelry; it’s the small things really that matter most.
My eyes sting with tears, but I’m unable to look away. I’ve always known one day I would want children and a husband. It was something I thought I’d want more as I grew older. Now Luke had changed that for me. He came crashing into my life and broke my heart.
I’m not sure I’m cut out for this dating thing. I think I fall too easily. I only spent one night with Luke, and look how much it’s affecting me. I know that dating would only end in one heartbreak after another for me.
I pull my phone out and text my sister. I should leave her alone. She’s on her honeymoon, but there is only so much sex a girl can have. I can still feel the small ache from Luke between my thighs. My phone dings with a message from her as if she were thinking of me at the exact same time.
Kennedy: I miss your face.
I pull the phone away and take a picture of myself for her and send it.
Kennedy: You look beautiful but why do your eyes seem so sad?
I should have known she’d pick up on something like that. No one reads me better than my sister.
Me: You really think I should try this fling thing?
I don’t know why I feel shy at times when it comes to Luke. He's an anomaly that I can’t figure out. More than anything I miss him. That sounds so ridiculous considering that I don’t even really know him.
I stroll back toward the hotel. It’s getting late, and I stayed at the museum as long as they would allow. I should make a list of things to do so that I don’t sulk around. I have work to do, but that’s only a few meetings. I’d already laid most of the groundwork for this project, and now I’m just here to make sure that it all comes together.
As I step onto the elevator I swear I sense him before I see him. Before the doors close, I see a big hand stop them. I’d learned every inch of him a few nights ago. There is no mistaking that Luke is here. The only question I have is why?
He pushes the doors back open. I don’t get a word out before he’s all over me. My effort to resist him is pathetic. I should stop him, I should push him away, but I don’t. Instead, I draw him closer.
7
Luke
Fuck she tastes good. She only fights the kiss for a moment before her tongue is tangling with mine. She lets out the sexiest moan as I lift her into my arms. When the elevator dings, I carry her off, heading straight for her room. I pull the key out of my back pocket to open her door.
She tries to ask me how I got the key, but I decide to distract her with my mouth. It’s been way too fucking long since I’ve touched her, since I smelled her scent or heard her sweet voice call out my name as I brought her to orgasm. I was beginning to feel as though I was coming undone at the seams. I toss her ass onto the bed, not wanting to wait another second to take what’s mine.
“Clothes off now.” I start to strip off my own. She lets her swollen lips part as if she’s going to give me a hard time, but I give her a look that has her hurrying to do as she’s told. It doesn't take either of us long. I grab one of her ankles, pulling her down the bed and burying my face between her thighs. She moans my name loudly. Cum leaks from my cock as it begs to be balls deep inside of her sweet cunt. It hasn’t been that long since I last saw her, but any amount of time without her is too long.
I push two fingers inside of her, pumping them in and out as I lick her clit. I have no clue how the hell she is still so fucking tight. I took her so many times that first night. She pulls at my hair while trying to close her thighs. She always does the same thing when she’s about to cum. A second later her sweet juices are filling my mouth. I suck and lick every last drop before I stand up.
Her legs dangle over the side of the bed as she tries to catch her breath. I put one knee on the bed, grabbing her under her arms to lift her to the center of it. I need inside of her more than anything else in the whole fucking world. It’s why I am here. My head hasn’t been in the game at work. I can’t seem to think of much else but her, which could be deadly for me. So I booked a private flight,
and here I am.
“Condom,” she says.
“I don’t carry condoms. Why would I?”
She sits up on her elbows. “I saw some in the minibar area.”
“Why were you looking for condoms in the fucking mini bar?” I grit out, knowing she probably saw them in passing. I suck in a breath. Those icy blue eyes narrow on me. “That’s great for the minibar and all, but I’m taking you raw.”
“You’re an asshole,” she snips out.
“I know. Controlling, obsessive, and fucking addicted to you too, if we’re making a list.” Her lips twitch. “I don’t know what you think is funny about any of those things. You’re the reason I’m acting this way. Blocking my number and just leaving.”
“I saw that woman go into your room.”
I close my eyes, running my hand down my face. I try to get myself together. Thinking about the hurt she must have felt seeing that is almost unbearable to me. Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“I didn't invite her there, and the maintenance man at the hotel was fired for giving her that fucking key.” Her mouth forms a perfect O shape. “It’s only you, Kinley. I don’t care how far away we are from each other; it will always be you.” I don’t want her to have any doubts about us. This is already going to be hard enough as it is with physical distance between us. We don’t need any other barriers.
“There are rumors.”
“Fuck rumors. Most are bullshit or planted.” I position myself between her legs, making her spread wider for me. Cum drips from my cock onto her cunt as I line myself up with her. I can’t wait much longer, but I want her to tell me to take her. I lean down, taking one of her nipples into my mouth and sucking hard.