With a soft moan she stretched her body in a way that could only be classed as seductive, the ample swell of her breasts pressing in to his chest in a way that made his heart speed up. It felt as though his body was still tingling from the night before, and he knew that should Myf given him even the slightest hint that she was ready he would roll her over and take her virginity in a moment.
In fact he was just preparing to wake her up and thank her for her amazing ministrations last night in kind, when he was rudely interrupted by the sound of the phone in the living room going off. Seeing as though it was only seven in the morning it could only be the doorman, and there was only one person that would be turning up at the time of the day.
Mattie was going to be pissed.
“I suppose I had better answer that.” Myf’s voice was muffled against his shoulder, and he couldn’t stop his fingers from stroking a soft line down her spine.
“I don’t really want to let you out of bed,” he said.
With a soft laugh she slid out of his arms and stood up, stretching in the early morning sunlight in a way that had him appreciating her curves. “What are you looking at?” She threw the question over her shoulder as she started to walk across the room.
“You are going to put some clothes on, aren’t you?” He leaned up on his elbows. “As much as I love Mattie I’m not preparing to share everything with him.”
She laughed again. “He should be so lucky.”
It was only a few minutes after she had left the room that Mattie, his eyes wild and his hair a mess, came storming in. “I thought you were going to wait?”
“I never said that.” Johann sat up properly in the bed, letting the sheets pool in his lap.
“We didn’t have sex.” Myf entered the room then, clad in a silk dressing gown, and she placed a gentle hand on Mattie’s arm as she passed him.
“Well, not entirely.” He couldn’t help but flash Mattie a cheeky grin at those words. “But close enough.”
“Well, don’t ever run off without me again,” said Mattie, sitting on the mattress by his feet. “This came for you this morning.” With that he took an envelope out of his pocket and threw it onto Johann’s lap.
The envelope itself was clearly recognizable as the stationary that his grandfather used for formal messages, and he felt a ball of anxiety plummet into his gut. Picking it up, he turned it over in his hands before cracking the seal and shaking out the letter within. It contained a single line and his grandfather’s flourish of a signature. A feeling very much like panic clawed its way into his throat, and Johann swallowed it down before looking up at the anxious figure Myf made by the window.
“We’re getting married.”
Chapter Twenty.
Sao Paulo was exactly as Myf had seen it on the television and movies. Hot and cramped, with houses and shanties built so close to each other that people within must have felt like they were living on top of their neighbours. She was here by Johann’s request. It was his twenty-third birthday, and it was only when he had told her that he would be spending it in Brazil for the Grand Prix that the fact that he was two years younger than her had sunk in. Not that it was a problem, it never had been in the past, but he just seemed to have had so much more life than she had experienced.
“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Grimacing at her own reflection in the full length mirror, Myf turned to look at where Mattie was seated on the huge leather lounge in the centre of the high end boutique he had dragged her too.
“What? You look amazing!” He lounged further into the white leather and smiled at her. “Absolutely gorgeous, I think we should put you in heels.”
Scowling at him she turned back to the mirror. “I look like an overstuffed sausage. Isn’t this a waste of your day off?”
“Watching gorgeous women try on dress?” He gave a soft laugh. “Never.”
There was something she had been dying to ask him for quite some time now, but had never really had the courage to broach the question. “Are you gay?” Blushing at the boldness of her question, she lowered her eyes quickly.
“I like everyone equally.” The leather creaked as he moved position. “Why?”
“I was just curious,” she said.
“Myf you are gorgeous and normally I would …” It only took a moment for her to work out what he was trying to say, and she swung to silence him.
“No!” She shook her head rapidly, loose strands of her thick black mane falling into her face as she did so. “I’ve waited six years for him to even acknowledge me, I won’t be doing anything to jeopardize that.”
He gave her a sly grin. “And there was me hoping you could get him into a threesome.”
Though she hadn’t thought that Mattie would ever verbalize it, she had been curious as to both his sexuality and his relationship with Johann. She was even concerned that maybe she was stepping into something already established, even if it was hidden from the public eye. After all she wouldn’t be the first woman to find herself in the middle of a relationship between a Prince and his bodyguard. The idea had even invaded one or two of her fantasizes over the past few months. “Really? You and Johann?”
Mattie’s smiled widened even more at that. “Not in the slightest, up until a couple of years ago I thought Johann was the straightest man in the world.”
Up until a couple of years ago, what did that mean? “He slept with a man?” The very idea brought a blush to her cheeks.
“Not sure if it ever went that far.” Mattie rested his elbows on his knees. “But I do know that he and your cousin dated for a while.”
Though her family was a large one, there was only one cousin that he could be talking about. Kynan Lloyd-Rees was her first cousin on her mother’s side. A year younger than her and Cat, he was a famous movie star and openly gay. He was gorgeous, sophisticated, and rich. “Of course he did.” Myf shrugged her shoulders. “Kynan is very good at getting anything he wants.”
And clearly very good at keeping his love life private when he wanted to.
“You’re alright with this, aren’t you?” Mattie’s voice sounded concerned. “With his past with Kynan?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” She placed her hands on her hips. “At least Kynan has a brain to go with his looks. I don’t think I like this dress.”
The feel of Mattie’s hand on her shoulder made her jump, and she looked up at him in shock. “What’s wrong with it?”
There was something earnest in his expression, as though he wanted to say something to her but had thought better of it. She covered his hand with her own. “I think it makes me look lumpy.”
“Ok.” He smiled gently at her. “Let’s see the darker blue one.”
With that he strode over to the shop assistant who had been hovering off to one side of the store, waiting to be called on but not wanting to get in the way. Myf watched him go, suddenly feeling unsure of what was going on here, and for the first time since her courtship had been announced not quite sure of her place in this dynamic.
After a few moments the sales assistant handed her a gorgeous dress of flowing material in a blue so dark it was almost navy. “Oh, that’s nice.” She stepped back into the changing room and shut the door.
The first dress that Mattie had all but forced her into was form fitting and made of a tight light blue material that had absolutely no give. It had been hard enough getting into it in the first place, getting out was almost an impossibility that had her nearly falling on the floor in a heap. This new dress though was a soft floaty material of dark blue that showed off her curves without making her look frumpy.
The skirt came to mid-thigh, and though she hated showing off her legs she knew that a pair of heels would probably help her to pull it off. Her soft stomach was hidden by the layers of the dress, not that she thought anyone would notice with how low the neckline way. One wrong move and she would be showing her bra off to the world. With a deep sigh she opened the door to the dressing room and stepped out.
***
Myf had heard of Cornelia Braystone, of course she had, considering she was one of the most eligible bachelorettes of New York high society. She was beautiful, intelligent, and incredibly rich. Not only that but she was one of Johann’s best friends and long term lovers, so to say that Myf was intimidated was an underestimation.
She had promised herself that she wouldn’t get jealous, no matter what Johann did, however watching him while he quite obviously was flirting with the woman was hurting her heart. Across the other side of one of the more exclusive marquees, she found herself watching as they laughed and chatted together. They were gorgeous together. Far better suited than herself to be with easily the best looking man in Sao Paulo. Looking down at herself she grimaced at the silky white summer dress she was wearing, feeling tears prickle in the corner of her eyes.
“Hey.” Myf turned to look at where her best friend Emma had sidled up beside her. “What’s wrong?”
Myf hated how her every emotion seemed to show on her face, and to make it even worse Emma was incredibly perceptive. “Nothing.” She turned to look at the other woman before pulling her into a quick embrace. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
“Yes, well.” Emma looked past her to glare in Johann’s direction. “If you’re determined to marry him then the least I can do is be here to help when he inevitably fucks it up.”
“It’s not like that,” said Myf.
“Yeah, well, we’ll see about that.” Emma took her hand and started to lead her out of the marquee. “I’m still annoyed at you for not calling the whole thing off when you had the chance.”
“I think I want to go back to my hotel.” She was supposed to watch Tristyn’s race, but right now the idea of being around Johann and his mostly likely choice for a mistress made her feel sick.
“Has something happened?” Emma came to a stop, and because she was still holding her hand Myf did as well.
“I just …” She shook her head. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Well, Mattie is right, the dress is amazing.” Emma was reclining on the desk chair in the hotel suite. “Like stunning.”
“I think he’s in love with Johann.” It was the first time that she had spoken the words out loud, and she saw Emma’s green eyes widen in shock.
“What, Mattie?” There was amusement in Emma’s voice. “I always did wonder if something was going on between those two.”
“Well, apparently Mattie is bisexual,” said Myf, walking across the room to perch on the edge of the mattress.
“He slept with Kynan, you know?” Emma’s words weren’t exactly a surprise, after all her cousin was known for his sexual tastes and appetite. Mattie was an attractive man, and the rough and ready type that Kynan hungered after.
“Well, that’s interesting.” Myf felt a smile creep onto her face. “Because my understanding is that Johann and Kynan dated for a while.”
Emma’s mouth fell open in shock. “Holy shit, Johann is gay?” There was a moment’s silence. “Then again that would make a lot of sense, like he’s been overcompensating or something.”
Heat rose up her neck and onto her cheeks, especially when Myf thought of the ways that Johann had proved his sexuality to her. “No, not gay.” She shook her head. “I think Kynan just worked his magic and Johann was curious. Though I supposed I might ask him one day.”
“Yeah.” Emma rolled her eyes as she sat back in her chair. “I’m sure you two spend so much of your time talking.”
“Well, what do you think we do when we’re together?”
Raising an eyebrow Emma let out a laugh. “Well, I’ve got a fair idea.”
“Oh.” Myf found herself blushing again. “No … no we haven’t quite gone that far.”
“Well, how far have you gone?”
Myf had always known that Emma was nosey, especially about people’s love lives, and she should really have expected this. However, it was a little annoying that she was pushing her in this way. “It doesn’t really matter.” The truth of what had happened back out on the field sunk back into her gut. “He’s already found someone else to entertain him for the night.”
“So, you’re what, in some sort of open relationship?” Emma shrugged her shoulders. “Makes sense with a man like Johann.”
“I have a feeling that what is going on isn’t exactly what you mean by an open relationship,” said Myf. “Instead I feel like I’ve simply stepped into his lifestyle and things are happening around me. And I’m such an idiot, I thought that he had changed. He promised me that he wanted to try and make this work between us.”
She watched as Emma’s face fall. “Are you talking about him and that Cornelia woman?” Myf nodded. “How can you be sure he’s sleeping with her though? You know I’m not Johann’s biggest fan, but do you have any evidence that he’s fucking her?”
Evidence? When it came to a man with a reputation like Johann, what kind of evidence did she really need? Seeing him touching and laughing with a woman that she knew he had shared himself with multiple times was quite as much evidence as she wanted. “I don’t need any evidence.”
“Maybe you should talk to him.” Emma leaned forwards onto her elbows.
“About what?’ Myf stared at her in horror. “I can’t ask him if he’s still sleeping around, that would make it seem like I want more out of this than he does.”
“Which is what you do, well, by the sound of it anyway,” said Emma.
Myf had had enough of this discussion now. She had never had to talk about her love life with anyone before, because she had never had a love life to talk about. It was embarrassing though, to let someone else know that she was apparently so pathetic that she couldn’t hold a man’s attention for longer than a few weeks. “What should I do with my hair?”
With a grimace Emma shook her head and then and stood up so as to approach her. “I think you should leave it down, you’ve always got it in a bun or a braid. Having it loose will drive everyone mad.”
“Who am I trying to drive mad?” Myf scowled up at her. “It’s Johann I’m marrying.”
“Yes.” Emma’s grin was almost predatory. “But if he’s going to be having his fun somewhere other than between your legs.” Those words made Myf flush again. “Then you should be getting yours riding someone else’s dick.”
“Emma!”
Chapter Twenty-two
“I really should have picked her up and escorted her here.” Johann rubbed his hands nervously as he looked up at Mattie. “I’ve barely seen Myf since we got here, I think there might be something wrong.”
Mattie rolled his eyes at him. “I think you’re being paranoid.”
Under normal circumstances Johann would agree with him, however he was beginning to feel incredibly uneasy about the way Myf seemed to be avoiding him. “No. What if she’s thinking about calling the whole thing off?”
“You’re an idiot, she’s crazy about you.”
Johann had thought the same thing, or at least that things were heading in that direction, however there was still the sinking feeling in his gut that she was with him only because she was duty bound to be. “I think that I might be kind of crazy about her.”
“Like that wasn’t obvious.” Mattie grinned at him. “You’ve been like a lost puppy the last two days without her. Then again, you seem to have got over that relatively quickly.” He nodded his head towards the dance floor of the nightclub that had been hired out for his birthday party.
Johann followed his gaze to see where Cornelia was dancing with some of her friends. They were all dressed in what could only be described as scraps of sequined cloth with so much makeup on that it couldn’t be healthy. Just four months ago he would have been over there trying to get them into a foursome with him, but now he wanted nothing more than to
see Myf walk in the door. “What are you talking about?”
Mattie shrugged his shoulders. “Cornelia, it’s no secret why you invited her to your birthday.”
“I invited her because she’s been a friend of mine for a long time now, since Cambridge.” Johann looked up at him in surprise. “You know that.”
“Yeah, but she’s not just your friend is she?” Mattie’s voice was suddenly harsh, as though he was angry about something.
“What?”
“You’ve been fucking her for long enough.” Mattie wouldn’t even look at him. “If you’re not getting what you want from Myf then it’s only fitting …”
With an angry wave of his hand Johann cut him off. “I get plenty from Myf, I can wait for the rest. It’s not a huge deal.”
Mattie raised an eyebrow. “It’s always been a huge deal in the past.”
“And that was the past,” said Johann. “I care about Myf, why would I sleep with someone else?” A sinking feeling landed in his gut. “You don’t think Myf has got this idea that Cornelia is only here for me to get my leg over do you?”
An expression that was similar to sadness came across Mattie’s face. “It would explain why she’s been keeping out of the way.”
“She’s coming tonight, right?” Johann was sure that it wouldn’t take much to prove to Myf that he wasn’t interested in anyone except her once they were face to face.
“As far as I’m aware …” Mattie’s words trailed off and his eyes widened, causing Johann to look past him.
The sight that greeted was one that completely took his breath away. Though he had known since the first time that he had seen Myf again after so long that she was beautiful, he hadn’t expected to see her so incredibly stunning. A dark blue dress with a plunging neckline and a layered skirt hugged her curves like an old friend. The hemline came to mid-thigh showing off the length of her shapely pale legs, made even more so by the silver heels that she was wearing. With her long curtain of thick black hair flowing down her back to just above the hemline, she was easily the most gorgeous woman here today.
Dusk (Equinox Book 1) Page 11