by Katie Dowe
“Are you sure?”
She pulled the t-shirt up and placed her palms flat on his chest. He released her and pulled the shirt over his head, his face intense with passion. He'd watched her sleep and not been able to touch her. He'd watched her suffering and had been helpless to do anything about it. She took her blouse off and unhooked her bra. His hungry gaze wandered over her full breasts, the nipples already hard. Even if she never came to love him the way he wanted her to, he would never be able to let her go. He was in too deep. His hands cupped her flesh, weighing them before ducking his head to take a pebble hard nipple inside his mouth. He felt like a starving man who'd finally been given his favorite meal to eat. He pulled on the flesh with a ravenous hunger that transferred to her. Kennedy arched towards him, her fingers digging into his scalp. His tongue swirled around the stiff nipple before pulling it into his mouth sucking on her, devouring her until she was crying out his name. He let go and stumbled to his feet, hurriedly taking off his shorts and underwear. He hadn't had her in almost a week and the desire was too much for him to handle. She took off her clothes and spread her legs for him. He bent to her and pulled her hips to him, entering her, his eyes holding hers, his penis going in deep. He lifted her legs and placed them onto his chest, holding her ankles together. He moved suddenly, slamming into her before coming out of her. He guided his erection back in, just the tip, before coming out of her again and rubbing it on her mound. The torment almost drove her crazy with a need that was so powerful it had her rearing up and reaching for him, her fingers digging into his flesh. He plunged into her again and, letting go of her ankles, he wrapped her legs around his waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on, her body shivering, her body vibrating.
“My love,” he whispered hoarsely as he spilled himself inside her. She followed after, tumbling with him, her face buried inside his chest as they waited until the trembling stopped.
*****
He took her to the bedroom a few minutes after and she curled into his arms as they lay on the bed. Her mouth made little patterns on his chest, giving rise to his passion that hadn't fully abated.
“Stop,” he said raggedly as he eased her away from him a little.
“Why?” she asked, looking up at him with an alluring smile.
“You know why,” he pushed the tangled hair from her face. “I have no willpower when it comes to you.”
“I like to hear that,” she teased him. “That means anything I want from you I can get it.”
“You already know that,” he said seriously. “What do you want?”
“I was kidding—”
“I wasn't,” he said seriously. “Anything I have is yours. Just tell me.”
“Nothing. Your money means nothing to me James. You know that.”
“I know, and I want you to know that anything you need is yours. Anything at all,” he told her soberly.
“I don’t deserve you,” she whispered.
“You do,” he told her urgently. “You are priceless and I would never make you feel less than a person. I hope you know that.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“You've been through a lot in the past and it's always been about me. You take care of me and put up with everything I do. What about you, James?”
“I'm fine.”
“James please don’t do that,” she told him. “Don’t pretend that what you went through is less significant than what I went through.”
“What do you want to know?” he asked her softly.
“Just—” she shrugged helplessly. “I've seen the scars on your back.” Her fists curled on his solid chest. “I'm assuming the abuse was physical as well as emotional.”
“The physical was just one time,” he curled his fingers into her hair. “I would have preferred the physical rather than the emotional. He would tell me every single day that I needed to be more, that I was weak if I showed any sort of emotion. I came home from school one afternoon with a black eye and he almost whipped me again. That’s when we started to learn karate. It helped me to channel my anger into something productive and I grew stronger and stronger, but not enough to lash out at him. He knew that every single time he belittled me, my mother and sister, that I wanted to strike back at him. He taunted me with it and I would go into my room and punch something while I pretended it was his face. I slowly learned to turn my emotions off and not show anything. That infuriated him and the insults became more intense until I didn't care anymore.” His fingers had tightened in her hair and she felt the pain but didn't say anything to him. She bent her head and kissed him slowly. It took a few seconds for him to respond and when he did he poured everything into it. His fingers eased up a little and his mouth moved over hers passionately. She broke off the kiss and looked down at him. He released her suddenly. “I hurt you.”
“Stop,” she told him huskily. “You think of me first and then yourself. As much as I love that James, your feelings mean something too.”
“You come first and you always will,” he told her.“I can't help it.”
She climbed on top of him and, reaching between them, she put his erection inside her. “I think we both need something else to think about,” she whispered.
“I think so too,” he said as he wrapped his hands around her waist.
*****
“He's protective of me,” Kennedy said contemplatively as she sipped the wine she'd poured for both of them. ”No matter how much resistance I put up, he still stands by me.”
“I can see that,” Joan said as she stared at her sister. It had been two days since she and James had returned home. He'd gone back to the office and told her he would come around later. She'd told him she would be okay but he'd told her he wasn't leaving her alone. She kind of liked that. “When are you going to say yes to him?”
Kennedy stared down into her wine. “I still have misgivings. I still see Conway’s face in my subconscious and I still reflect on the fact that I was such an idiot to stay with a man who abused me for two years.”
“And you are punishing this absolutely gorgeous man because of that prick,”
Kennedy stared at her sister for a moment and then nodded. “You're right. He wants us to go public and I think I want to. He wants us to go to some restaurant opening on Saturday.”
“So go!”
“I don’t have anything to wear and I refuse to ask the man I'm seeing to buy me an appropriate outfit.”
“You have money, so splurge.”
“You know I'm very careful with money,” Kennedy protested.
“Oh for heaven’s sake, go out and buy yourself something sexy and expensive and wow that man of yours!”
*****
The dress was basic black but there was nothing basic about it. She refused to think about how much it had cost and told herself that it was worth every penny. It had a dip in the bosom that made it hard for her to wear a bra. Thin straps came over her shoulders and crisscrossed at her back, which met just above her buttocks. She'd stared at the scantiness of the dress and worried about buying it. Conway had wanted every part of her covered. But in defiance to the awful memories she'd bought it. She'd also gone to the hairdresser for a trim and shaping and he'd cut some of it off and styled it for her. She'd bought big silver hoops and a silver necklace that nestled in her bosom. James was coming to pick her up like a normal couple going out on a date because she'd wanted to get dressed at her own place. She applied more makeup than usual, using the nude eye shadow and mascara she'd bought. She hesitated a little before putting on the coral lipstick. She picked up the stole and her clutch and headed for the door as soon as she heard him opening it. He stopped and stared at her, unmoving. He was wearing a black tux and his hair was brushed back from his face. He looked handsome and virile and damned sexy!
But the silence went on too long and she started to get worried. “Is it too revealing?” she asked him anxiously. “I can go and change—”
&n
bsp; “How can you possibly be more beautiful?” he asked her huskily. “How is that even possible?”
Kennedy felt the relief and pride at his words. For the first time in her life she felt like she could be herself. She wandered over to him and brushed invisible lint from his lapels. “Thank you,” she whispered as she leaned into him. “You look handsome.”
“I have something for you.”
“James,” she gave him a warning look.
“I know you don’t want me buying you things, but I'm afraid it's part of the deal,” he told her softly.
“What deal?” she asked him suspiciously.
“The deal where you're my woman and I'm your man.” He took a dark blue box out of his pocket. He saw the look on her face and smiled down at her. “It’s not a ring, at least not yet.” He opened the box and she gasped at the sheer beauty of the diamond suspended on a platinum necklace.
“I can't—It’s too much—” He ignored her and, taking it out of the box, put it around her neck and took the other one off. Kennedy stared down at the diamond winking up at her before looking up at him.
“I want to give you so much more if you'll let me,” he said huskily.
“James.” She fought tears and, moving forward, she buried her face in his chest. He held her tightly to him and stroked her bare back.
“Hey.” He moved away and tilted her chin up. “No tears, and if we don’t leave now we're never going to. I'll end up tearing this beautiful dress off you.”
“You'll get to tear it off me when we get back,” she said tearfully.
“I like that.” He bent and kissed her lips softly.
*****
He never told her that he was being recognized for his contributions to the food industry. As soon as they got out of the vehicle photographers crowded around them. “Mr. Zhang your restaurants have been chosen for three years in a row as being the most popular Chinese restaurants in the country. What's the key to the success?” a reporter asked as they made their way into the hotel.
“Very good chefs and ambience,” he said with a smile. He kept her hand tucked into his firmly. The reporter laughed and turned to look at the beautiful woman at his side.
“And you are a friend of Mr. Zhang's?”
“More than friends.” James pulled her closer to him and wrapped his hand around her waist leaving, them little doubt as to the nature of their relationship. “This is my lady, Kennedy Clarke.” He felt her stiffen and then relax against him. He hadn't told her that there would be reporters and that he'd be putting her on the spot, but he wanted the world to know who she was to him.
“Do we hear wedding bells?”
“Not yet.” This time it was Kennedy who answered. She started to move away and he followed her. “A heads up would be nice,” she whispered heatedly.
“And you would have refused to come.”
“I've had enough of men trying to run my life James, and you know that,” she told him angrily.
“I love you and want the world to know. Is there something wrong with that?”
She didn't respond and he knew there was going to be an argument when they got home. They smiled at the people there and he chatted with associates while keeping her hand in his. His sister Julia was stunning in a strawberry gown that suited her petite frame and the long dark hair flowing behind her. She came over as soon as they came into the room and linked her hand through Kennedy’s. “Let’s allow my brother to go and do his rounds Kennedy while we get some champagne.”
*****
He looked reluctant to let her go but Julia pulled at her. He gave her one last look before letting her go.
“James is head over heels,” Julia murmured as she plucked two flutes of champagne from the tray and handed her one. “I've never seen him like this before,”
Kennedy sipped the champagne and stared around the room, fascinated by the powerful people present. “He's very good to me.”
“And he constantly wants to please you,” Julia smiled . “My brother went through hell with our bastard of a father, and took the brunt of the punishment onto himself for me and mother. He's doing the same thing now.”
“You think I'm punishing him?” Kennedy asked heatedly.
“I think he's in love with you and is doing all he can not to lose you. He's bending over backwards to try and show you that he isn't the man who beats up on women and showing you that is top on his list, even above his company.”
“I'm not stopping him from—”
“Not deliberately, but you need to cut him some slack. He's trying and you're not.”
“How dare you—”
“He's my brother and I think he's been hurt enough, don’t you?” Julia asked her silkily as she put the empty glass away and chose another. Kennedy had just taken a sip of hers. “I've never seen him look at another human being the way he looks at you. I know you've been abused and that is something that is pretty deep, but he's been abused for almost all his life and still he puts your feelings above his all the time. Cut him some slack and give him something.”
Kennedy stared at her for a moment and then stared down into her drink.
“Ah, here he comes. He's probably thinking that I'm saying something nasty to you and he's come to rescue you.” She turned and smiled at him. “She's still in one piece darling,” she said and walked away.
“You okay?” His eyes searched her face and his hands reached out to hold her arms. Julia was right, he always thought about her no matter what.
“I'm fine.” She took his hand with hers and snuggled up to him. “Now that you're here.”
He hugged her to him and she closed her eyes as she rested her head against him. He was a wonderful man and she wasn't sure she deserved him.
She sat at the same table as his sister and several others when he went up to give his speech.
“A reporter asked me when I was coming in what makes our restaurant so successful and I jokingly told him very good chefs and the ambience.” he waited for the laughter to die down. “My father started Zhang’s Dynasty with a limping restaurant that his uncle owned and turned it into a well sought-after one. Before long he had two and then you know the rest. He taught me something when I was a boy growing up. He told me that people are what make a business successful. Not the amount of money you channel into the business or the amount of capital you have. The people you serve must come first. Find out what they like and keep on building on that. The more the demographics change the more you need to change with them. Find out people’s likes and dislikes and work from there. Our restaurants are not the regular Chinese restaurants that are dotted all over the place. Ours combine fantastic cooking and ambience, as I mentioned earlier. We stand by that and even when my father died and I took over I never let that fall. I want to thank you for choosing our restaurants for this privilege and also want to encourage you to continue to eat at our restaurants all over! Thank you.” He held up the trophy amidst the applause and stepped down. He came right over and as he sat next to her he leaned in and kissed her full on the lips, not caring when the cameras went off. She clung to him and felt the tears as she realized that for the first time in her life she was in a healthy relationship that could lead to something wonderful.
*****
“Have I told you how very proud of you I am?” she asked him dreamily as he slid the straps off her dress. They'd gone straight to his apartment and he was helping her get her dress off. She turned in his arms and put her hands around his neck. He'd taken off his jacket and loosened the buttons of his crisp white shirt.
“Are you tipsy?” he asked her teasingly. He'd been expecting that she would be angry with him over what he'd done with the reporter but instead she was congratulating him.
“A little bit.” She looked up at him. “You're a very handsome, successful man and I could feel the resentment of every woman there except your sister. They were looking at my man.”
His heart thudded in his chest. “Your man?” he asked her lig
htly.
“My man.” She spread her fingers over his shoulders. “I'm proud of you.”
“Thank you. That means the world to me.”
“I know and I find it hard to take in that what I say or do means so much to you.”
“Why do you find that hard to believe?”
“You know why.” His face must have shown his frustration. e. “I'm not going back down that road James, I'm just saying.”
“You're a valuable person, not just because I'm in love with you but because you're a wonderful, beautiful, smart woman,” he said passionately.
“Thank you kind sir.” She stood on her toes and touched her lips to his. “I'm so proud to be your woman.”
Chapter 8
“It’s a boxing tournament at the club,” he told her lightly one night in bed. They'd been going out for the past eight months now. She knew he wanted more of a commitment from her but somehow she wasn't able to give it to him yet. She spent a lot of time at his apartment and had finally decided to accept whatever he bought her, which was piling up. She would come by his place to see boxes on the bed and little jewelry boxes on the dresser. No matter how much she protested he didn't stop. She tried to be there for him by going to functions with him where they were photographed. She still went to classes and group meetings but she was getting better and better and knew it had nothing to do with either place, but a lot to do with him. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to come?” She rose up on her elbows and looked at him. “What are you not telling me?”
His intense dark eyes held hers for a moment and then he shrugged. “I'll be participating Kennedy. It’s something the wives of the members of the club put on to raise money for charity and I'll be fighting.”
“So?”
“You'll be seeing me in a very different light. I will be physically beating up on people. I'm the star of that particular event.”
“I've seen you in action before,” she reminded him.
“You've seen me with you and the other ladies at the classes and you've seen me training at home. This will be different.”