by Goode, Ella
“What must you do for that freedom?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know yet. I’m still getting a feel here.”
“Find me the girl in yellow, and I will give you enough money to be free without owing anything to your father or to Karin Vieth.”
Alex freezes. “Do you mean that?”
“I’ll give you money and property.”
She leans forward. “What did this girl do to you? Did she insult your mother? Commit a crime in your territory? Steal something? I’ve never seen you this desperate.”
“Yes, she stole something, and I want it back.” Even though I only held her for a few moments, she has awoken a hunger inside me. I need it appeased. I won’t be able to function until I sink my cock into her sweet pussy, until I feel her coming undone in my arms. She’s stolen my peace of mind at the very least and I want it—and her—back.
“Find her, and you can have whatever it is you want.”
“What if I want something you can’t buy?”
“There’s nothing I can’t buy in this world, Alex. I’m Sov Charmont. If you won’t find her for me, someone else will.”
She raises her hands in surrender. “Okay. Okay. No need to get testy with me. If Your Highness wants a girl, I shall bring her to you like a good little subject.”
“Excellent. You may go now.”
“Shit, Sov, I haven’t even finished my glass of champagne.”
I arch an eyebrow. She sighs and sets down her glass. “You were an autocratic bastard back in school, but you’re even worse now.”
Zero opens the door. Alex gets the hint and leaves, but not before grumbling loudly about my lack of hospitality. The moment the door closes, I turn to my man. “Find the girl in yellow before Alex.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m going to bed, and when I wake up, I want the girl in the living room.”
“Yes, sir.”
I retire to my room, satisfied that my orders will be fulfilled. I am Sov Charmont, after all.
Chapter Ten
Mackenzie
“What am I doing?” I mutter to myself as I sit in the basement. How is this less scary than all the things over my head? A man who could break my heart and Milly who could break every bone in my body if she truly wanted to. I touch my now cold cheeks to make sure they are dry. The last thing I wanted to do was to run into someone and be called out for crying. It could get someone killed.
My phone vibrates in my purse, reminding me that I have a pocket in my dress. I quickly find it, seeing I have a text from Jewels. I see a bunch of laughing emojis. I bet if she knew where I was right now she wouldn’t be laughing at all.
Jewels: You should have seen the way Sov dismissed Milly. I’ll never forget the look on her face. It was so good. God, I wish you were there to see it. Don’t worry I plan on re-enacting it for you over and over again.
I read the text over a few times. That can’t be right. I’d seen how they were together. Well, I hadn’t really but I heard them. Crap. What had I truly heard? The words Karin had told me many years ago pop into my head. How I should never truly believe something I didn’t see with my own eyes. The only thing I can think of is that Milly somehow got Sov to change his mind.
Me: What are they doing now?
I chew on my bottom lip as I wait for Jewels to text me back. Thank God she’s a quick texter, and the bubbles are already showing.
Jewels: She’s pouting at the bar.
Me: Where is he?
Jewels: With you? He disappeared not long after you did. It looked as though he was chasing after you.
Well, heck. If he wanted an easy lay, Milly was there for the taking. Then again, men love what they can’t have. He likely thinks I’m playing hard to get. To be honest, I have no idea what exactly it is that I’m doing. I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head and heart around the things this man makes me feel after knowing him for only a short time. Still, I swear I heard a woman.
“There you are.” I jerk my head up to see a tall, beautiful woman staring down at me. I try to place her, but nothing comes. She is breathtaking. Going off the dress she’s wearing, I’m guessing she was also here for the celebration. She looks to be a handful of years older than me. More Sov’s age than mine. Why do all my thoughts keep circling back to that man? It’s as if he has some sort of invisible hold on me that I can’t explain.
“We’ve been looking for you. You’re quick in heels. Much quicker than I could ever be.” I lift my dress to show the stunning woman my flats.
“Who is looking for me?” I stand, suddenly feeling silly for sitting on some tool rack looking thing.
“Sov. You ran when we got off the elevator. You know women tend to run toward him, not in the other direction.” She lets out a laugh. It sounds a lot like the one I’d heard on the elevator earlier.
“I didn't know he had company so I left.” I pretend to smooth my dress down, realizing I must have lost a few of the jewels.
“I was saying hello as he headed to his room. He was ducking out early as he always does. We went to school together.” I begin to relax with each word she says.
“So you chased me?”
“He might have offered up a nice reward to whoever could catch the girl who had somehow caught his eye.” As she says it, her eyes rake over me from top to bottom. “You’re different from all the other Vieth Orphans.”
I don’t respond to her comment. There is no need for me to.
“Reward?” She piqued my interest with that. Why would he be offering a reward to find me?
“Or maybe you aren't so different.” She smirks. “I don’t want to split it, but…”
“I don’t want anything.” I shake my head.
“Hmm.” She taps her finger to her lips. Is she wondering how she is going to collect her reward?
“What do you have to do to get this reward? Kidnap me?” I joke, but she doesn't laugh.
“I guess I could call him.” She starts to reach for the bag that is hanging off her wrist.
“I’ll go with you.” I stop her. “But I want something in return.” She lifts her eyebrow at me. I don’t wait for her to reply. “All you have to do is agree to tell me about Sov. Things I can’t easily look up online.” I stick my hand out, waiting for her to shake on it. A smirk pulls at her red lips before she takes my hand.
“Shall we take the stairs?” she offers, and I know I don’t have much time. By the time we make it to the top floor, I’m not sure how I feel. Everything she says about Sov shines him in good light. It helps that she seems so surprised about his attention being drawn to a woman. The man has been lost in work and nothing more since he took over for his father. I’m really starting to think that maybe he’d gotten lost in the moment with me earlier on the patio. Then again, Alex might be getting paid to butter me up. I lay some trust in that fact that we’re both women. In my world that holds a heavy weight.
We both stop when a flood of security comes pouring out of the suite doors.
“Knock it off. You’ll scare her away.” Sov steps out, looking as handsome as always. His attention is focused on me. His eyes make me feel like I’m the only person he sees. When he offers me his hand, I take it, getting lost in the idea of being all he ever needs.
Chapter Eleven
Sov
“Do you have many ties to the city?” I offer Mackenzie a plate of small cakes. I could eat about a dozen in one bite, but my mother loves these tiny morsels and since she’s the only woman I’ve had contact with for any extended period of time, I use her as my frame of reference.
“Not many.” Mackenzie inspects the plate suspiciously.
“They’re not poisoned,” I assure her.
“We bring our own ingredients,” Parker says. I don’t need to look at him to know that he’s offended. These women are going to be the death of him.
I wave a hand. “Leave us.”
“But—” Parker starts to protest but gets cut off with a curt shake
of Zero’s head. He herds everyone out and then stands inside the door.
“You, too, Zero.”
His expression grows confused, as if he can’t comprehend what I’m saying. I fold my arms and give him a silent order. He glares back, but in the end, I’m Sov Charmont, so he leaves the suite, banging the door behind him.
“He doesn’t seem happy. Does he think I’m going to stab you with a fork?”
“There isn’t any cutlery on the table, so I believe I’m safe from death by utensil, but you are a Vieth Orphan, and they are known for their cunning.”
“I guess I should feel good, but I’m just an accountant.” She picks up a pink square and lifts it to her lips. Before she puts it in her mouth, she pauses. “Do you really bring all your own ingredients?”
“Yes.” I nod. “You can never be too careful. We bring everything from food to water wherever we go.”
“That sounds expensive and a lot of work.”
“Perhaps.” I don’t know nor do I care. “The end product is good, and that’s what matters.”
She chews on the small dessert, her pink tongue darting out to flick away the crumbs on her plump lower lip. I breathe heavily through my nose as an image of her licking her way along my cock flashes into mind.
“You must really be a prince,” she murmurs as she eats a second and then a third one. I vow to give the chef a raise.
“We don’t use titles.”
“That’s a yes then?” She finishes off a fourth bite before leaning back. She looks like a flower blooming on my sofa, and I want to go over and devour her.
“You may call me whatever you like.”
“You look like you were ready for bed.” She dodges my comment. “Already out of the monkey suit and into your jammies?”
“Jammies?” I glance down at my pants and T-shirt. “I sleep in the nude, darling.”
She ignores the endearment, too. “This is a fancy suite. I didn’t know this place had rooms like this.”
She’s adorable. I push aside the tray of cakes and pick up a velvet box. Should I give it to her now? Her naked neck demands attention. “This is for you. My hand makes a better necklace, but this will have to do for now.”
Mackenzie’s jaw drops as she takes in the yellow, white, and pink diamond choker. “What is this?”
“Something small.” I pluck the necklace off the silk padding and circle around to the back of the sofa. Her hair is still mostly up off her neck, making it easy for me to drape the choker in place. I fix the clasp and let the jewels drop into place. “Beautiful,” I murmur, but it’s not the necklace I’m admiring but the elegant line of her neck. My fingers drop to trace the knobs of her spine. She shivers but doesn’t move away.
I close my hand around the base of her neck. She feels fragile and vulnerable. “Mackenzie, this is a gift that I’m giving you because this dress deserves decoration. You do not have to sleep with me to keep it. I like the idea of a beautiful flower like you wearing beautiful things at all times.”
“I’m not beautiful,” she whispers.
“Oh? Then magnificent?”
She twists in my grip and frowns at me. “I’m an accountant. If you think I look good tonight it’s because two actual Vieth Orphans dressed me up and did my hair and makeup. I don’t look like this. I’m ordinary.” She touches her throat. “This is for someone else. Not me.”
Her fingers fumble with the clasp. I clasp them in mine to stop her and raise the trembling digits to my lips. “No. This is for you.” I draw her hand down and press it to my aching cock. “As is this. You can leave now and take the necklace with you. I won’t bother you again,” I lie. “Or you can spend the night with me wearing nothing but that necklace while we fuck each other until we’re too exhausted to remember our own names. This is not something that I, Sov Charmont of the Charmont family offer to you, a member of the Vieth organization. It is an invitation from Sov, a man, who took one look at you across a ballroom floor and knew I had to have you. It is that simple, Mackenzie. I want you, and I believe you want me.”
She gulps once and then twice. Her fingers twitch against my cock. I surge into her palm.
“I’m a virgin,” she says. “I don’t know what to do.”
A wicked grin covers my face. “Leave everything to me.” I reach over the back of the sofa and lift her into my arms. The jewels of her gown cut into my skin, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I kick the bedroom door open and stride across the large expanse to deposit this gorgeous flower in the middle of the four-poster bed.
Chapter Twelve
Mackenzie
My heart pounds in my chest, making my dress stretch tighter against my skin. It has been racing loudly ever since he called me magnificent. His words had made everything inside of my chest explode with warmth. The sweetness of the little cakes quickly faded away, and my hunger for something entirely different is growing. Nerves take flight in my stomach as I consider his proposition. Do I want to do this? As I stare up into Sov’s dark eyes, my mind and body scream a resounding yes. What am I waiting for? It’s not as though I get many offers. At the rate I’m going, I’m going to die a virgin. Plus, I want him in a way I’ve never wanted another.
But do you want to die with a broken heart? My heart chimes in. I do the reasonable thing and ignore it. I took a chance when I went with Karin Vieth years ago. I rolled the dice and have never regretted that decision. My life changed that day. She is always telling me to trust myself when it comes to making decisions. That I have to take some chances in life. What if this is one of those times that could change everything for me?
Sov stares down at me with a look of pure need on his handsome face. One I’ve seen on many men’s faces when they get a glimpse of one of the Vieth Orphans, but it’s never been directed my way. I suddenly feel confident in a way that I never have before. I’ve heard the other girls talk about this happening. It courses through my veins, giving me a sense of power. I know it’s him that’s making me feel this way, and I’m drunk off it. I don’t want to lose this feeling. So I let him have me.
I lift up on my elbows as Sov’s hand goes to my ankle. His lips twitch when he sees that I’m wearing flats. The hungry look never leaves his eyes as he slips them off my feet as though they were as sexy as five-inch heels. His fingers softly stroke my skin as if he’s trying to touch every inch of it.
“It’s a beautiful dress, but I know there is something even more breathtaking underneath.” I gasp when he reaches for the dress, giving a hard tug. Jewels go flying in every direction as the sounds of the material ripping fill the room as the dress leaves my body.
My hands reach up to cover my breasts as my boobs spill free. The only thing I still have on are my panties and the necklace that weighs heavy around my neck. It’s a weight that I find myself liking. It makes me feel as though Sov is claiming me with it.
“I need to see it all.” He grabs my wrists to pull them away, and I don’t try to fight him. I can’t. His words are rushed. They are laced with that need again. One that he’s made clear that I can only fix for him. That rush of power fills me again. “You’re definitely not a Vieth Orphan. You’re something else completely. I’m not sure there is a word for it.” His eyes roam over my body as he hovers over me.
“Magnificent?” I say then let out a small laugh because it’s a silly thing to say. His head jerks up, his eyes locking with mine.
“Are you teasing me, or do you truly not know how precious you are?”
“No?”
“My Mackenzie,” he says before his mouth claims mine making me forget about anything we might have been saying. I’m lost in him. He only has to put his mouth to mine and I only think of him and me.
“I need to taste more of you.” He breaks the kiss. I’m speechless, lost in the moment and the way he’s making me feel. I close my eyes as he begins to kiss down the column of my neck. With each touch of his lips to my skin, the throb between my thighs grows. “Open your eyes, darling.”
I obey his command seconds before he sucks one of my nipples into his mouth. “Sov.” I moan his name. My hips lift off the bed, trying to get the friction they need. He releases my nipple to go for the other, his tongue flicking back and forth. I get my fingers into his hair. “More,” I beg him.
He starts to move more down my body. “Wait!” I shout when his fingers slip into the top of my panties. His nose flares, and I can tell it takes everything in him to stop, but he does.
“Take off your shirt or something. I want to see you too.” I’m about to be naked in his bed, and he still has all of his clothes on. It only seems fair, if you ask me. He reaches over his head with one hand, pulling the shirt off and over his head before tossing it away. I stare at his broad chest. My eyes follow the fine line that dips down into his pants.
“Don’t look at me like that, darling. I’m barely holding on to my self-control as it is.”
“Don’t hold on then.” The first time he kissed me I thought he wanted something easy, but now I’m learning I test his control. More than anything I enjoy the thrill of doing so. The words barely leave my lips and he’s back on me. My panties are gone in a flash, and his mouth comes down on my sex.
It’s shameless, but I don’t care. The first orgasm is fast. My body is too on edge to hold out. All these feelings and sensations are so new. Sov eats the first one down and keeps going, demanding more of me. His tongue thrusts in and out of me, trying to lick up every drop of my orgasm all while pushing me toward another. His mouth is relentless.
When he latches on to my clit again, sucking hard, I come again, his name pouring from my lips. His hands pin my hips to the bed.
“More,” he growls against me. I shake my head no as my fingers dig into his hair, not wanting him to go anywhere. He doesn't. He takes what he wants, and I do as he asks. I leave my pleasure in his hands.