by Kim Black
As I entered my bedroom, I couldn’t help but feel completely out of place. This was my home, my bedroom, and yet, Jules had managed to take control over the entire estate with his presence, even while I stood in the bedroom completely alone.
Making my way to the center of the suite to the beige, king-sized platform bed, adorned with imported European cotton and silk bedding, I slowly removed my sundress. I allowed the thin material to fall to my feet before stepping out.
I looked down at my black lace panties and thought to change to white ones. I decided against it, not wanting Jules to be disappointed, should I not be ready for him in time. I quickly freed myself of the matching black bra and gently placed it on the nightstand.
It was quite silly how nervous I felt as I stood next to the bed, shifting from foot to foot. Jules hadn’t been specific as to where he wanted me to be, so I wasn’t sure if I should be laying down on the bed or standing. A part of me hated that I lost all confidence around the man. It was also what I loved most about him; his ability to exert control over anything and everyone, without so much as a single word.
When Jules and I met initially, it infuriated me to no end, how he’d demand control of me. I’d fought tooth and nail to never let on, just how much he affected me. Thinking about it now, maybe that was the reason why he’d never considered an actual relationship with me.
“Lay on your stomach,” I heard him say, pulling me completely out of my own thoughts. I was painfully aware of his strong, solid, beautiful frame at the door across the room.
I did as he asked; positioning myself on my stomach with my head tilted to the right.
“You disobeyed my orders, Charlette,” he hissed, as his voice became closer.
“Jules, sweetheart, I did exactly what you requested,” I whispered, hating the unsureness evident in my voice.
“At no point, did I tell you to leave your heels on,” he stated blankly, and I cursed myself for not removing them earlier. I had believed he would expect me in them and thought nothing of leaving them on. Apparently, I had been wrong.
“My apologies, Jules,” I again said, barely audible.
“You will refer to me as, Sir,” he commanded, as he stalked toward the bed and stalled at the foot of it.
I gulped and shook my head, “ Sir...”
Never before had a man commanded me this way. A small part of me questioned my sanity for allowing him to treat me this way, but another part... the part now throbbing in between my legs with a desperate need for him, enjoyed pleasing his commands.
“Come up on all fours and place your hands above your head,” he ordered sharply. I did as he asked, arching my back so my backside was propped up, waiting his touch.
He moved to the side of the bed before speaking again. “You are a stubborn woman, Charlette. I intend on showing you, your place in this arrangement,” he hissed. His hand trailed softly from my shoulder, slowly down the small of my back, causing me shiver under his touch.
His fingers lingered just above my backside, and I moaned with delight. My panties were soaked and drenched with need for him. My breathing was labored with the simple caress.
“Hmm... You seem to like that, don’t you?” he whispered, as he gripped my ass tightly, causing me to release yet another moan.
“Yes, Sir, I do,” I responded breathlessly.
He groaned as he removed his pants, allowing them to fall to his feet. He slowly climbed into the bed, gripping my hips once he was directly behind me. I exhaled when his cock nestled between my legs. It barely grazed my drenched panties, but it was enough to make me want to yank off my panties and plunge myself backward onto his thick, delicious shaft.
“Bring your hands behind you,” he ordered. I did what he asked, and squealed once he pulled on my arms and caused my upper body to be upright, his lips now at my ear. “You want this, don’t you?” he asked softly.
I couldn’t answer him, as his lips trailed soft electric filled kisses down from my ear to my shoulder.
“Look at how wanton you are, so ready for me to fuck you,” he growled, before gripping my long blonde hair in his hands and pulling my head back.
Our lips touched and the heat between my legs instantly grew to a smoldering fire. We hadn’t been together since the night of the ball. I was more than ready to feel him again.
“Hmm... Love it when you wear black lace for me. It always turns me on,” he whispered in my ear, before trailing kisses down my neck.
Panic immediately flooded my senses, and my body noticeably tensed as the reality of his words hit me. “Jules. I didn’t wear black lace when we were last together,” I hissed, before jerking myself out of his hold and scurrying off the bed. I grabbed my sundress, frantically pulling it on. I had been a fool.
Once again, Jules had reduced me to a foolish blabbering idiot. I didn’t need to guess who he had been referring to. It seems Ms. Emily had a thing with black lace. Jules, being a weak man, couldn’t forget her long enough to give me what I wanted from him.
“Charlette.”
I didn’t bother looking up at him. There was no point. He would never forget that woman. I would only be placing myself in the position to be humiliated. No more!
“Get out, Jules! Out of my room. Out of my life,” I shrieked, as tears streamed down my face. “Just... leave me alone.”
The last thing I heard before he collected his pants and strolled out of the room was, “Désolé.” Sorry.
The closing of the door behind him was my undoing. I allowed the deep sorrow in my heart to take over. Jules would never be mine.
Chapter Four
“What do you want Shane?”
I was in no mood to deal with my little brother. When he called, stating that he needed to speak to me, I told him to come over the house. I wasn’t sure what the hell he wanted, but whatever it was, I knew it wasn’t good by the disturbed tone of his voice.
“No sense of wasting time with hellos, I see,” he jested, as he walked through the door holding a manila folder in his hands.
Dressed in a tailored blue suit and white shirt, I knew that he had been to the office, and I couldn’t help but feel annoyed.
Motioning to the living room, he ambled over to the couch and had a seat, while I sat directly across from him. He didn’t look directly at me. Instead, his eyes roamed over the place as if he saw it for the first time.
“What’s going on?” I asked, growing impatient. I had too much on my mind to deal with one of Shane’s crisis. His idea of a problem normally involved strippers and a trip to the closest abortion clinic.
Shaking my head at the thought, I leaned back into the couch and waited for the inevitable.
“How much do you trust that wife of yours?” Shane asked, in a low tone, too low, actually.
I cocked my eyebrow, wondering what he was getting at. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Shane rose to his feet and began pacing my living room, his hands firmly in his pocket and his face frowning in deep thought. I followed his pacing, watching him move from one side of the couch and back, until finally he stopped.
“I discovered something while I was handling things at the office. Something I just couldn’t ignore. I wanted to bring it up to you before, but thought against it since you had so much on your plate at the time.”
I nodded my head, remembering the fact that I had caused Emily to get into an accident, my heart breaking each time I looked at her still body at the hospital. It was, indeed, a rough time.
“What is your discovery?”
Shane released a heavy sigh and resumed his pacing. “Someone is releasing information to The Ivy, man. I just fucking know it. Some of the minutes I reviewed spoke about our overseas projects. I know you and our father well enough to know, that you both keep a tight lid on any project that hasn’t been solidified,” he began, before turning to face me. “I have the paperwork here, something about this isn’t right.” He finished before stretching the file toward me.
/>
Standing to my feet, I grabbed the file out of his hand, angry at the thought that someone at Belmont Industries could have possibly turned to the other side.
After everything I had done to ensure that my employees were treated as partners, I thought to myself, shaking my head.
I had devoted all my time and energy into making the company what it was today. The thought that a mole was in our midst made me angry.
I slumped back into the couch, ready to see just what Shane had discovered, when a thought came to mind.
This isn’t your problem, anymore. According to your dear father, you no longer worked at Belmont International.
Grunting, I threw the file back at Shane, the papers scattering on the floor as I did. “Take it to Father. It’s his problem to deal with, now.”
Shocked, Shane picked up the papers. “You’re not even going to look them over?”
I shook my head, all the while clenching my jaw. I had to accept that I was no longer a part of Belmont International. Just as I needed to move on from Emily, so did I need to move on from the family business.
Who knows? I could even start my own chain of exclusive hotels.
“Look, I know you’re upset about what Dad did. Heck, I was upset by it, but don’t let the old man keep you from what you’re good at. Shit, I could have never turned that company into a multi-million dollar corporation, but you did,” he began, before placing the files he had picked up from the floor back on the couch. “Just think about it, bro.”
Shortly after Shane left, I decided I needed to get some air. Being back in my home only brought me turmoil.
Memories of Emily still haunted the space, making me want to be as far away from it, as possible.
I knew I couldn’t stay at Charlette’s either, since the woman was fucking upset with me.
What was it that women wanted? This had been the question swirling in my mind, as I came to a complete stop after hitting the heavy California traffic. Initially, I had been genuinely sorry for upsetting Charlette, but as the night ended and morning came, I became angry.
What had she expected of me? Due to Charlette’s outlandish, childish, and dangerous behavior, I had just lost the most important woman in my life. She seemed to think, I would be able to completely erase Emily out of my heart. It was fucking impossible. I had tried it before and failed. I would never forget! Never forget what we shared. Charlette would either have to come to grips with that and accept it, or release me of my marital contract and go on her merry way. Emily was not a woman I could easily remove from my life. Even though, it hurt to no end that she hadn’t thought the same of me.
Punching a few keys into the dashboard console, I dialed Charlette’s driver; we needed to talk and clear things up, once and for all.
“Sam, is Ms. Delacroix currently on the estate?” I asked the second he answered. I needed to know her whereabouts, before I gave him instructions for the evening.
When he confirmed that Charlette hadn’t left the house since I departed, I rolled my eyes, but continued. “Inform Charlette, that we will be having dinner with my father tonight, at eight. I will text you the address. Please be sure to stress that this is a non-negotiable meeting,” I informed him before hanging up.
It had been several days since the hospital, and I had not attempted to repair my life. Instead, I had been living on autopilot, going through the motions and trying my best to push all thoughts of Emily out of my mind. Tonight, would be the start of a new life for me—one without Emily. Though, I may not have control over my memories... Her scent, her laugh, her breathtaking smile, the feeling of her core clenching around my cock as I buried myself deep inside her sweet, tight, delicious pussy. One thing was for sure... I needed to move on with my life. To do that, I needed to be the Julien Belmont I once was, and not the pathetic man she had created.
The fact that my father fired me, when I refused to end my relationship with Emily, still pissed me off. I had made the business what it was today. Without me, Belmont International wouldn’t have the expansions it had today. Nonetheless, my father chose to use my love of my work as leverage to make me yield to his command. It wasn’t a hardship for me at the time. I believed Emily and I had a future, but now... given the circumstances, her betrayal, I needed to rectify the situation.
Emily had chosen to, yet again, walk away from what we shared. She walked away from me. Though my heart still fought to beat for her, I could never allow my head to follow it, again
I had allowed my heart to lead me to this painful place, trusting that I would be with the woman I loved, but love was no longer here.
After punching another set of keys into the dashboard, my father’s voice rang through the car. “Mon fils, my son. I hear you’re coming to your senses and are no longer behaving like a vagabond,” he boasted, with what I knew was a grin on his face.
“Father. Nice to hear from you, too,” I grunted. “Are you available to meet for dinner tonight, around eight?” I asked, keeping my voice as even and calm, as possible. A task I had learned to perfect when dealing with my father.
He agreed happily, no doubt believing that his ploy had been successful. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction, since I couldn’t very well admit to the man that Emily had left me. That would be completely unacceptable, and I would never hear the end of it.
Although, I didn’t want to admit to him earlier, he had been right. My business had been the one thing in my life that I had excelled at. God knew my relationships were all a horrid mess. But the company... that had been my calling.
For now, I would meet with him, take back my position within the company, and attempt to mend things, as best as I could, with my wife.
God, I hate referring to that woman as my wife.
Remembering, Shane’s earlier question about Charlette, I made a mental note to check out the papers he had left behind.
The plan was simple, and yet if any part of it fell apart, we would be screwed and possibly thrown in jail. We needed to be sure that we followed the course of the strategy to the letter. Shane had gone over the plan with me several times over the last few days.
“If we want any chance of this working, we need to get my father on board. I have already spoken to him, so he’s as good as a go. Julien never mentioned it, but one reason that bitch took my father’s deal had to do with the fact that her company was going under quickly, after her father’s passing. My guess is, if we can convince him that Charlette is trying to destroy the company, then he will destroy her for us,” he smirked. He brought his glass to his lips and winked, as we sat at a table in a, far too fancy, rooftop restaurant.
Shane had insisted I allow him to take me out, since I hadn’t eaten much since leaving the hospital. He picked an uppity place, much like the one I used to work at but in a more discreet part of Los Angeles.
The place wasn’t anywhere near filled to capacity but had enough people that the murmurs filled the room.
The décor was perfect and jaw dropping, with long, dark wood plank flooring throughout. The cream colored square columns went from the high ceilings to the floor, and a warm vibe from rich wood tones enveloped the entire restaurant. Stunning contemporary, single lit, wooden fixtures cast a warm glow over each table. An open floor plan lead to a dining patio, which offered fireside dining. It was absolutely breathtaking.
Shane may have not been the ‘successful’ Belmont brother, but he sure enjoyed the finer things in life, despite the fact that he lived a very carefree party filled life.
“We can’t risk the media thinking that I have stolen you from my big brother,” he joked, when I asked him why we were going an extra hour away. There were plenty of restaurants we could have gone to, mine included.
My mind drifted to Julien, and the possibility that he was home alone, right at this very minute, drinking day in and day out, since the breakup. It would have been great to come to a place so exquisite with him, instead of Shane. But, I had broken his heart; cast him aside, so t
hat I would be free to rid our lives of the one thing standing in our way.
According to Shane, Julien had been looking to buy out The Crown Ivy, a chain of hotels that had not been doing well. It had been a rival company since the very start of Belmont International.
For years, they had been poaching Julien’s staff, offering the thankfully loyal employees everything from better wages to company cars, in hopes that they would obtain insider information. They had even gone as far as sending in a mole into the company.
When Julien found out, he was livid, but somehow, he didn’t react though he took their tactics very personally. He had decided to play it smart and waited for the right opportunity to get them where it hurt. He worked hard on revamping Belmont International and spent millions on a new and improved marketing team. This led to an outstanding increase of business and to a decrease of revenue for The Crown Ivy.
The takeover of The Crown Ivy wasn’t public knowledge since the attorneys for both sides had yet to agree on the terms. Apparently, The Crown Ivy had been resistant, but appeared to be close to caving. Only Julien and his father knew the details of this. Shane only found out about it during the time that he filled in for Julien, right after my car accident. If Belmont International acquired the chain, it would officially make them the biggest and the richest chain of hotels in the entire world.
Shane believed that if we could make it appear that Charlette’s sudden interest in Julien was merely an attempt to steal their business venture, then their father would go for blood.
It seemed that Mr. Belmont didn’t take too kindly to people stepping on his toes. In order for our plan to work, we needed physical proof.
Shane had already started the first phase by obtaining the documents he needed from Julien’s office and bringing them over to his home. Going off of the appearance that Charlette was seeking revenge on Julien, for attempting to take her company away from her, Shane believed his plan to be ironclad.
I had been surprised to learn of Julien’s plan to force Charlette to sign his divorce papers and thought it was sweet of him to attempt to force her hand. There was no doubt that the woman was bat-shit-crazy, since the fucking woman tried to kill me not long after receiving the papers.