“Thank you,” Kane said, bowing deeply to Franklin. Everybody in the conference room applauded, but for some reason, instead of feeling relieved, Kane simply felt heavy. His virgin fiancé. His farce. As much as he cared about her, and fuck, did he care, it just couldn’t happen. He had gotten far more than he had bargained for, and now he was going to have to face up to his mistakes one last time before getting rid of Lia once and for all.
18.
“From this moment forth, the power will be transferred to Professor Kane Desmond, destined to wed young Lia Turner. Lia, by the power of your purity, may Kane Desmond be blessed with righteous wisdom in the course of his leadership. Now, and for all time.”
The crowd cheered, and Lia blushed painfully. She had been led to believe it would just be a small ceremony, but it felt like the entire town of Stonybrooke was witnessing Kane receiving his position as the head mentor of SU’s students.
She caught Courtney’s eye in the crowd and winced as her friend gave her a thumbs up. She was holding onto Eric’s arm in the crowd. After her weekend away, Kane had grilled her until the truth came out, but somehow, he wasn’t quite as furious as Courtney thought he would be. He had demanded she bring Eric home for dinner, though; a prospect that terrified them all.
“You did great up there,” Courtney teased when everybody was finally filing away. Kane had disappeared behind the scenes to receive more information about his honors, and Courtney had promised to drive Lia back to the house.
“Sure, I did,” Lia said, shaking her head. “Now all of Stonybrooke knows I’m a virgin.”
“Don’t worry, most guys would find that pretty hot,” Eric said. Courtney elbowed him in the ribs and he laughed. “Just saying.”
Lia shook her head. It didn’t matter what most of the guys in Stonybrooke thought. She just wanted to be with Kane. But Kane had been shutting her out ever since the night they’d nearly had sex. And now that the ceremony was over…
She tried not to let the thought bother her as they drove back to the Desmond household, but when they arrived, they found Lia’s things already out of Kane’s room and packed and stacked neatly on the living room floor. There was a note on top.
Now you can finally get out of here.
“That’s weird,” Courtney said, reading the note and flipping it over. “Did you and my dad have a fight or something?”
Lia’s eyes filled with hot tears and she swallowed hard.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Would you mind driving me to campus? I’m going to see if my dorm room is still available.”
“Of course,” Courtney said, furrowing her brow. Eric helped her to move Lia’s things to the car, and soon, she was back on campus, trying to put the whole experience behind her.
***
It wasn’t until about six months later that Lia heard a soft, urgent knock on her dorm room door. She lived alone, and listened cautiously at the door, afraid. The shifters had won the vote against the reform, luckily, but the incident with Max had left her afraid of her own shadow. Especially without Kane there to protect her.
“Who is it?” she asked nervously.
“It’s Kane.”
“Kane?!”
Lia opened the door quickly, her eyes immediately filling with tears as she took in the beautiful sight of him. It was bittersweet, really. She had wanted nothing more than to speak with him one last time, for so long. She had been beating herself up for months, wondering what in the hell had happened with him. She’d cared about him. Maybe even loved him. But to be treated so callously, after sacrificing so much…
“We need to talk,” Kane said, sinking down on Lia’s bed. He looked like a wreck, and she frowned at him.
“So talk.”
“I…” Kane trailed off before he even began and then tried again. “I haven’t loved…anyone. Not since my wife. Caring about you scares the shit out of me. Not just because of the normal things, you know. You being younger, or a virgin, or whatever. But because I’m terrified to love again. More afraid of losing it. Does that make sense?”
Kane’s dark eyes were serious upon her, and she saw, suddenly, the agony he must have been in the entire time they had been together. He had done his best to keep himself in line, not only for himself, but for his wife.
“It’s okay to let her go,” Lia said, going to him and holding his hands tightly in hers. “And you can mark my words, I’m not going anywhere.”
Kane’s handsome face looked vulnerable, and then strong again, and he held her close to his body, sending a deep thrill down her spine.
“I love you, Lia. I’ve loved you for so long, and too afraid to admit to what it was. Please, forgive me for being an asshole.”
“I did a long time ago,” Lia whispered. “I love you too, Kane.” They were silent for a few moments as they held each other close, as if to convince the other that they were in it for the long haul.
When they pulled apart, their eyes met, and suddenly, Kane’s lips were upon her, hot and eager, his hands gripping her body and tugging at her clothing. Fire ignited her loins and she gasped as Kane’s hand wedged itself between her legs to feel the heat of her middle through her jeans.
She wasted no time in stripping Kane’s shirt off, revealing the broadly muscled torso that had left her longing for more so long ago. Now, he was here again. And there was nothing left in their way.
“Fuck!” Lia hissed as Kane ripped her bra off and sank his mouth onto her nipple. A flood of warmth surged through her body, and she arched her back as Kane continued to devour her. She could feel the urgent pressure of his groin against her leg, and knowledge of it drove her wild with desire. Soon, they were both naked, with Kane on top of her, his dark eyes glittering with need as he slowly began to press his shaft against her middle, sending hot tendrils of ecstasy coursing through her.
“Promise you’ll never leave me again,” Kane said. “Promise you’ll marry me and I’ll give you whatever you want.” He pressed the head of his cock just outside of her, his eyes dark and sensual. “I’ll take whatever you want.”
The words made her shudder. The truth was, she had never pictured herself with anybody the way she had with Kane. She’d wanted to hear those words since the moment she’d laid eyes on him.
“I promise,” Lia gasped, crying out in bliss as Kane slowly slid himself partly inside of her body, without breaking her hymen. “I’ll marry you. Please, just take me.”
“As you wish,” Kane whispered into her ear. He pushed the rest of himself inside her and Lia cried out. It hurt a little, but it also felt better than anything she had ever experienced. She could feel every inch of him inside of her, and they both knew it as soon as her hymen was broken.
“Are you all right?” Kane whispered, stroking Lia’s hair lovingly. “I shouldn’t have waited so long. I just…”
“It’s fine,” Lia said, stroking Kane’s cheek. “I understand.”
They kissed passionately, languidly, as Kane began to thrust gently inside of Lia, their bodies entwined as they seemed to find their own sensual rhythm. Lia moaned deeply as Kane introduced her to parts of herself she hadn’t known existed, and their bodies embraced as they became joined together in harmony. Lia had never felt so whole.
She bucked her hips up against him, inviting him to unleash his full power upon her, and Kane’s eyes grew dark.
“Are you sure you’re up for that?” he whispered, kissing the nape of her neck gently. “It’s your first time.”
Lia arched her brow at him, and he unleashed a growl. The wolf inside him was clearly present, and she cried out in sudden ecstasy as Kane began to unleash the deep, repressed passion he had been keeping locked away ever since his wife had been killed.
Lia shuddered in bliss as, again and again, Kane brought her closer to her climax, until finally, with sudden power, Lia gripped Kane’s arm and moaned as her body began to shudder beneath him. She could feel herself closing around the powerful muscle inside of her, contracting a
round it as he gave one final burst of powerful thrusting. A sudden explosion inside of her intensified her orgasm, and Kane continued rocking his hips until every last drop was spent inside of her.
They collapsed on the bed together, panting and holding each other tightly.
“I never want to be without you for so long again,” Lia whispered as Kane held her close to his chest.
He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tightly.
“Courtney said you should move back in tonight,” Kane said. “She’s waiting with Eric in their truck.”
“What?!” Lia exclaimed.
Kane laughed and kissed her again, deeply, passionately.
“Welcome to the family, kid,” he said, the twinkle back in his eye.
Lia’s heart soared. It was everything she had ever wanted. She was about to go home.
THE END
Be Sure to check out all the other STONYBROOKE SHIFTERS stories on Amazon!
Billionaire Romance
What the Billionaire Needs
Leela Ash
Copyright ©2015 by Leela Ash. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Thank you so much for your interest in my work!
CHAPTER ONE
It was another day in the Wall Street boys club; a term I don't use lightly. The stock world is a testosterone driven arena where men assert their masculinity by driving through deals and collecting commissions. I guess with no more lions to kill or Spartans to battle they've gone from swords to the mobile devices they wave around like old west "shooting irons".
For those of us who were born without "Y" Chromosomes things are different. Men who push hard are deemed "tough businessmen", but when we do it we're called "bitches." We couldn't even expect support from the few women who had made it. They were too busy watching their own backs to worry about some lowly junior stockbroker in a skirt.
I was one of those junior brokers, cold calling potential clients, hoping to pull in enough commissions to make the one-year evaluation standards. Fifty percent of us would be cut loose after the first year. Seventy percent of those cut loose would be women.
I didn't deserve to be doing so much time at the lowest rung. I had graduated at the top of my class, with gleaming endorsements from my professors. But there had been one little slip up that continued to haunt me, I'll go into that later.
***
"Have you considered investing in stocks?" I said, using my best selling voice, "Currently we have a tremendous opportunity available…" but he cut me off in mid-sentence.
"Yeah, you can save that crap. I saw that Leonardo DiCaprio movie and I know all these stock calls are just scams. Don't call me again or I'll report you." And with that my latest potential meal ticket hung up.
I pulled my headset off and sat back. I’d been rejected probably fifty times that morning, and it wasn't even ten o'clock yet. One cold call, however, had stayed on the line. But I realized he was more interested in what I was wearing than in what I was selling. Maybe I should start a side business, a 976 number where you can sexually harass a marketer for ninety-nine cents a minute, I thought to myself. It would have meant a raise.
I glanced up in time to see my supervisor Jeff strutting by.
"What's up Stewart, you taking a coffee break? Come on, time is money," he said and continued on to torment the other junior brokers.
I graduated at the top of my class… and this is what it got me.
At the eight-hour mark I headed home. Some of the juniors would stay on, cold calling during the dreaded "dinner hours" when customers were at their most resentful. I just didn't have it in me tonight.
I stepped out of the building and walked through the now empty financial district. It always amazed me how quickly Wall Street went from a swarming beehive in the morning to post-apocalyptic after six o'clock. Most of the boy's club had adjourned to the districts bars where they'd boast about their deal-making prowess and do bumps of coke in the men's room. Did you know most insider trading is just cocaine induced babbling by brokers? Sad but true.
I was coming up on the Fulton Street station when I spied a limousine cruising behind me. My first guess was a couple of drunken brokers out heckling women. The perfect end to a perfect day. The limo pulled ahead of me and stopped. The driver climbed out and stood waiting as I approached.
"Ms. Stewart?" He asked politely.
I took a moment to appraise the situation. There are two kinds of limo drivers. There are the frumpy rental limo guys struggling to appear classy in cheap ill-fitting suits. They usually have an accent from either Eastern Europe or the depths of Queens. This was the other kind, pressed, well-tailored and immaculate, someone who worked for only one discerning client. This guy stood straight and tall like a US Marine, which he probably had been at some point in the not too distant past.
"Yes I'm Rebecca Stewart. Can I help you?"
"My employer asked me to pick you up. He would like a meeting with you."
"And who is your employer?"
"Mr. Peter Drake, I believe you’re familiar with him."
"Peter Drake?" I replied in disbelief. Drake was probably the most successful businessman in America. He'd made billions, primarily as a "corporate raider", buying up businesses and then gutting them for their assets. Drake had diversified into electronics, aerospace and a myriad of other high-risk sectors, always earning a profit where others failed. I had written my college thesis about Drake, exploring the psychology that drove him to success. It was equal parts clinical analysis and schoolgirl crush. "Why would Peter Drake want to meet with me?"
The driver reached into his jacket and handed me a bound document. I stared at it for a moment in disbelief… it was my college thesis.
Without another word the driver opened the door and politely gestured for me to climb in.
CHAPTER TWO
Twenty minutes later we arrived at Drake International's headquarters, a fifty story building on the Brooklyn side of the bridge. Some claimed Drake chose the location to take advantage of the burgeoning Brooklyn real estate market. Others say he just liked the view of Manhattan.
The driver escorted me through the still bustling lobby. Drake's various enterprises didn't keep to any traditional schedule.
We walked to a private elevator. The driver entered a key-code and stepped back.
"This will take you directly to Mr. Drake's private offices. I'll be waiting down here to drive you home."
My mind raced as I rode up to the fiftieth floor. Drake's private offices were legendary… in that so few had ever seen them. I've heard rumors that even heads of state were denied access.
The door opened, and I stepped into Drake's private domain. I'm not an art lover, but I instantly recognized works by Dali and Picasso decorating the foyer. Handmade bookshelves lined the walls. I studied the shelves as I passed, surprised to find priceless first editions alongside battered Raymond Chandler paperbacks. Obviously Mr. Drake's books weren't just window dressing.
The view through the full-length windows was stunning, showcasing the priceless beauty of the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset. Beyond it lay Manhattan in all its glory. I wondered how often Drake stood here looking out… master of all he surveyed.
"Weaker men meditate on the complexities of terms like moral, ethical and legal. But the true conqueror whether in business or government does not allow these terms to impede his actions. To him these are issues to be sorted out later."
I turned; shocked to hear my own words being quoted. Peter Drake stood fifteen feet away, hands folded behind his back, his blue eyes studying me.
"Your own words I believe?" He added, "I hope I didn't misquote them."
"No," I replied, trying to sound calm, "I think you got it exactly right, actually."
"Very insightful for such a young woman," He said, approaching me, "And quite unfashionable in the politically correct world of academia. Most people frown on my tactics, but you understand and embrace them."
Up close his eyes were even more clear and penetrating. There were flecks of gray creeping into his tousled brown hair, but from his strong features it would be impossible to guess his exact age. His suit was immaculate, carefully tailored to his lean body.
"Sadly I haven't had the chance to act on them given my job," I said. I instantly regretted mentioning my mere peasant status.
"True, your talents are being wasted in your current position."
I was nervous, not only was I meeting someone I idolized professionally, but I also found Drake incredibly attractive. I'm not ashamed to admit that after long days of researching him I had occasionally let my libido take charge after dark.
"You stated that to succeed in the world of business a person had to make moral sacrifices, and that the ends justified whatever means were required. Do you truly believe that?" His gaze never wavered as he spoke.
"Yes I do," I replied, "The corporations of today are on the scale of ancient empires, and all empires were built aggressively. Any short term damage done is overshadowed by the growth and prosperity that rises in its wake."
"I've studied you very carefully," He said, turning to the full-length window, "You're a fascinating, intelligent and very attractive young woman."
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