Aeromancist, The Beginning (SECOND EDITION): Prequel (7 Forbidden Arts Book 2)

by Charmaine Pauls

  Disappointment surged through her. He hadn’t asked to speak to her. She forced a smile. “You take good care of me.” A thought occurred to her. “Alfonso, Lann won’t be back until Monday. Why don’t you take the weekend off? I can look after myself.”

  His eyes widened. “I’ve never missed a day of duty in my life, Miss.”

  When he turned for the door, she said, “Lann said you’ve been in his service for a long time.”

  He paused. “Many years, Miss.”

  “Do you ever take time off?”

  “Sir will only reside here for a month or two every year. When he’s not here, it’s my job to take care of his home, but I do have a lot of free time then.”

  “Oh.”

  The knowledge came as a shock. After this month, Lann would be off to wherever it was he went for his business, his work, his life, and she’d still be here, but he wouldn’t return for another year. By then, she’d have left Santiago. They’d never see each other again.

  “So, this is like holiday house,” she said.

  “Exactly, Miss.”

  “If this is his holiday house, then where is home?”

  “Why, New York of course, Miss.”

  He’d said it as if she should’ve known, but Lann had never mentioned that to her.

  Alfonso inclined his head. “If there is nothing else, Miss.”

  “No. Thank you.”

  She watched him leave. Suddenly, she felt inexplicably sad. Horribly depressed. So lonely. It had to be because she was all by herself on a Friday night. Missing Lann. Feeling uncertain. Excluded.

  Stop it, Kat.

  What she needed was to celebrate her week’s hard work. She changed into her bikini and swam a few laps. Lann had an excellent selection of music, but he preferred classical, and what she needed was something livelier to lift her spirits.

  She connected her phone to Lann’s central music system and chose an album she liked. Then she poured herself a Pisco Sour, and sipped it in the sun by the pool. Slowly, she felt the energy seep back into her brain. Her mind had been busy, but not her body. With the music and the drink, her mood lifted, and when she was bored with swimming and bronzing, she prepared a light dinner. If she’d asked, Alfonso would’ve done it, but she needed the distraction.

  She missed Diana. Maybe she was free. Lann had said she could invite her friends over. She dialed her roommate from her solitary place setting at the table in the kitchen.

  “Hey, stranger,” Diana exclaimed. “I miss you.”

  “Me too. In fact, I was wondering if you’d like to come over. We can invent cocktail recipes and watch funny movies.”

  “Where’s Mr. Tall, Blond, and Mysterious?”

  “He’s on a business trip and not due back until Monday.”

  “I was planning on going out, but why don’t you join me?”

  “What did you have in mind?” Kat asked.

  “Music. I feel like dancing. Remember that tango bar in Bella Vista? I can get us in.”

  “That sounds good. Give me the address and I’ll meet you there.”

  Kat took special care with her appearance. All week, she’d dressed in comfortable lounge pants and T-shirts, but tonight she wanted to feel like a woman again. She chose a turquoise dress covered in sequins and rounded the outfit off with her midnight blue heels. Applying her makeup, she went for smoky eyeshadow and daring red lipstick. She styled her naturally wavy hair into more obedient curls. When she was done, she dabbed her favorite perfume on her wrists, and stared at her reflection in the mirror. The dress had a high neck and a low back, the fabric draping softly over the crests of her hips, showing off the diamante detail on the elastic of her thong. She dropped the keys for the front door in her purse. She didn’t want to have to wake Alfonso by buzzing if she came back late. Then she dialed a taxi and slipped out the side door to wait in the street. She definitely didn’t want Lann’s guards to tail her all night.

  Diana was already waiting at the door when Kat arrived. Despite the early hour, the club was busy. They only got in because Diana’s new friend, Jack, was a tango dancer who performed at the club. He got them VIP tickets and a table near the dance floor.

  “This is so Latino,” Diana said over the music, sipping her Pisco.

  “How do you know Jack?” Kat asked.

  “I did a photo shoot for his portfolio last week.”

  Kat lifted a brow. “And?”

  Diana laughed. “Nothing like that. I’m not attracted to him, but he may have friends, if you know what I mean.”

  The dance floor opened at midnight. Kat admired the salsa skills of the locals. The girls made it look easy, but she knew from experience the dance was deceptively difficult. Jack came to say hello, and returned a little while later with a group of friends.

  Diana was batting her eyelashes at Enrico, a young engineer, and Kat watched with a smile as he pulled her onto the dance floor for the first tango of the evening. Diana looked gorgeous in a short purple dress with silver straps crisscrossing her back. It was clear that Enrico was smitten. The poor guy didn’t stand a chance.

  The beat of the music changed. A reggaeton song came on.

  Jack held his hand to her. “Come on, Kat. You can’t sit on the sideline all night.”

  She shook her head and looked over his shoulder at the dancers on the floor. “I can’t dance like that. I’ll wait for another song.”

  “It’s dead easy. I’ll show you.” He grinned. “I’m not a professional dancer for nothing.”

  Kat allowed him to pull her to her feet and onto the floor. “Have you been dancing professionally for long?”

  He had to bring his mouth close to her ear to be heard. “Since forever.” Placing his hands on her hips, he rotated them. “Relax. You’ll get the hang of it.”

  Diana brushed up against Kat. “Hey, girlfriend. I’m going to get some drinks.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Kat offered.

  “No,” Jack said, “you’re just getting into this. Now turn.” He twirled her. She moved under his arm, and when he pulled her back, she collided with his chest.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I warned you. Better watch your toes. These heels are sharp.”

  “Shit,” Diana said.

  Kat turned to her friend. Diana had stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes fixed on the bar. Following her gaze, Kat froze. Lann leaned against the counter, and he was watching her with stormy eyes.

  Chapter 7

  Her Russian lover looked impossibly handsome in a black suit and open-neck shirt. The jacket stretched over his broad shoulders and the slacks hugged his narrow hips. His blond hair hung loose.

  The relaxed stance was faked. Even from the distance, Kat could see the frostiness in his eyes as he stared at Jack. The ruby in his ring caught the light as he straightened. Sensual lips pulled into a smile, but it wasn’t friendly.

  Oblivious to her consternation, Jack took Kat’s hand to pull her back to him. She glanced at him and shook her head. Lann was making his way to them, his stride predatory. She looked on with mounting anxiety as he crossed the floor with deliberate steps and stopped short of them.

  “Hello, Lann,” Diana said.

  Judging by Diana’s high-pitched voice, she, too, had noticed the daggers Lann shot at Jack.

  By now, Jack had his hand on Kat’s arm to get her attention.

  “Take your hands off her,” Lann said, his voice rising above the music. He wasn’t shouting, but the threat in his tone made Kat shiver.

  “Who the hell are you?” Jack asked, not backing off. He gave Kat an accusing look. “Is he your boyfriend?”

  Before she could answer, Lann wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, pulled her against him, and splayed his other hand possessively over the exposed skin of her back.

  Locking eyes with her, he said in a low voice, “I missed you,” and then he kissed her in a way that could leave no doubt in anyone’s mind what kind of relationship they shared.

 
; She was breathless when he finally let her go. Diana gaped.

  Jack gave her a cool look. “Next time, don’t lead men on if you’re taken.”

  “I didn’t lead you on,” Kat said. “It was only a dance, and you insisted.” Next to her, Lann tensed. She laid her hand on his arm. “Let’s go.”

  Lann didn’t budge. “Apologize to Katherine,” he said to Jack.

  “She owes me an apology.”

  “I think you misinterpreted her pity for interest,” Lann said in a measured tone.

  Jack narrowed his eyes. “Excuse me?”

  “Say thank you for the dance, and apologize for insulting her.”

  “She was wrong!”

  “The only one wrong here is you.”

  “Fuck you both.”

  Lann moved so fast, Kat didn’t know what was happening until his large hand was wrapped around Jack’s neck and the dancer’s feet were dangling in the air.

  Crying out, Kat grabbed Lann’s arm. “Put him down. He’s not worth it.”

  Jack’s eyes bulged. He clawed at Lann’s fingers, but his struggling had no effect on Lann. Dear God. Lann was going to kill him.

  “Lann,” Kat begged, “please, put him down.”

  Her lover glanced at her then, and after another second, unceremoniously dropped Jack.

  Lann turned to Diana, who had been looking on with huge eyes. “My apologies for the unpleasantness. The bill is on me.”

  The usually brave Diana actually cowered. Without another word, Lann took Kat’s arm and pushed her in front of him from the club and into the Jaguar parked on the curb.

  For the thirty minutes of the drive home, Lann said nothing. Too afraid to open the floodgates of his anger, Kat held her tongue. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Her stomach was in knots, and she hadn’t even done anything wrong.

  At home, Lann kept his hand firmly on her upper arm as he guided her to his bedroom. Inside, he slammed the door, released her, and stood watching her with his arms crossed.

  She hugged herself as she waited for him to speak. His silence was worse than his wrath.

  Not able to stand it any longer, she said, “Just say what your problem is.”

  His eyes shimmered. “My problem?” His muscles flexed. “You need to ask? I go away for a week and at the first opportunity, you seek out a boy to paw you.”

  Her jaw dropped. “He didn’t paw me. We were dancing.”

  “Looking like that?” He dragged his gaze over her.

  She propped her hands on her hips. “I’ve worked a long, hard week and I needed to go out and have some fun.”

  “Tempting other men?”

  Her anger flared. “I don’t fuck every man I meet, Lann. You’re the exception.”

  “Don’t make this about us.” His eyes narrowed. “This is about you breaking our agreement. He had his hands all over you. I thought you understood the rules.”

  “It was only a dance,” she said, exasperated.

  “Don’t you know what he was thinking?”

  “He was enjoying the dance, as I was. I wasn’t going to let him take it further.”

  “His dick was hard for you.”

  “Stop it!” she said, shivering with contained emotion. “What’s wrong with you? You don’t own me. You’re not even my boyfriend.”

  “We have an agreement, Katherine. You consented to the rules. Let me remind you, as you seem to forget easily, I said no touching other men while I’m fucking you.”

  She balled her fists at her side. “You’re acting crazily. It was innocent. I wasn’t going to fuck anyone. What do you take me for?” Indignity made her shake even more. “I don’t break my promises. Is it because I said yes to you too soon that you think I’m easy?”

  “I don’t think that,” he said in a heated voice. “And that’s not the issue.”

  “Then what is?”

  “I turn my back and you defy me. I had to leave an important business meeting to pull your very exposed ass from another man’s arms.”

  He left a meeting to come and drag her from the club? “Where were you, anyway?”

  “Buenos Aires.”

  “Argentina!” she exclaimed. “How did you get here so fast?”

  “Private jet.”

  She was at a loss for words. How did he know she was at the club? She hadn’t mentioned anything to Alfonso.

  She fixed him with a stare. “How did you know I was out? How did you even know where to find me?” When he didn’t say anything, she said, “Are you having me followed? Is that why the driver is always there, why I can’t walk out of this monastery without having him on my back?”

  The driver hadn’t followed her tonight though. She waited for his answer, but Lann said nothing. He only watched her with guarded eyes.

  A terrible suspicion started to grow in her mind. The thought was so disconcerting, she prayed it wasn’t true.

  “Tell me, Lann. How did you find me?” She took a step forward. “I know you’re a man of many resources. Did you have me tracked?”

  Still, he didn’t reply.

  “Oh my God,” she said as his silence told her the truth. “How did you do it? My mobile phone?”

  He regarded her cautiously. “No.”

  “What then? Did you plant something on me?”

  His eyes tightened. It was a slight movement, but it was there. Oh, God. That was it. It had to be something she always carried with her. If not her phone… And then it hit her. She lifted her hand slowly, fingers spread, to stare at the sparkling diamond.

  That hurt. That he tracked her secretly hurt, but what caused even more pain was that she actually believed, or maybe hoped, that that ring meant something. To her, it was a symbol of belonging, of affection of some kind. She felt violated and utterly stupid. Having an agreement is one thing, but having her privacy compromised is another.

  Lann studied her as the truth dawned on her. For a minute, he almost looked regretful, but when she started to wiggle the ring from her finger, he grabbed her shoulders and shoved her toward the bed. The momentum had her stumbling backward, but he broke her fall by catching her in his arms. When her back hit the mattress, he was on top of her.

  He cupped her face. “Listen to me, Katherine. The ring is for your protection. We can talk about it if you wish, after you’ve explained to me why you disrespected our agreement.”

  There was so much pain in his voice, it caught her off guard. “I didn’t disrespect anything. I wasn’t going to touch anyone, or let anyone touch me.” She paused. She moved her hand down between their bodies, finding his erection. “Not like this,” she said softly.

  He claimed her lips like a starving man. He kissed her roughly, his stubble scratching her skin, but she kept her caress light, until he slowed down to fall in with her pace.

  When he finally pulled away to look at her, his eyes appeared haunted. “I told you before, Katherine, you have the power to bring me to my knees. All I asked for were thirty days.” He rested his forehead against hers. “Seeing you,” he looked down at her dress, “like this, in his arms…” He shuddered. “I know what he was thinking, because I was thinking it too.”

  His confession softened her heart and dampened her anger. She laid her palm on his cheek. “What were you thinking, Lann?”

  “That I’ll die if I don’t have you.”

  “Then let me make it better,” she whispered.

  “We shouldn’t.” He shook his head. “Not like this. I’m too angry.”

  She tightened her fingers around his erection. His cock jerked in her palm. “Then punish me.”

  His eyes widened. “What are you asking me for?”

  She lowered her lashes. “I liked it when you spanked me.”

  “I know you did,” he said, his lips inches away from hers, “because it made you wet, but erotic spanking is for your pleasure, and I’m in no mood to give you pleasure right now.”

  “But my pleasure will be yours.”

  He laughed soft
ly. “If I punish you, it will be my way, and my pleasure.”

  His words made her shiver with anticipation. “I think you’re right,” she said, stroking his erection.

  He watched her with narrowed eyes. “About what?”

  “To have been jealous.”

  “Katherine.” His tone held a warning. “You’re playing with fire.”

  “Maybe I’d like to burn.”

  His face turned hard with desire, his shoulders tense, but he didn’t move.

  “I trust you,” she whispered. When he still didn’t react, she said, “This is my fantasy, Lann. Now make it happen.”

  It was as if her last words were the magic ones that broke his silent spell. He acted fast, holding her down with his body while his hands went to her thong. In one movement, he jerked it to her knees. In the next, he hitched up her dress. Her breasts turned heavy and aching, reflecting the need between her legs.

  He flipped her onto her stomach, and pushed down on her lower back with his palm, keeping her body in place. The buckle of his belt clanked, and then his zipper made a scratchy sound. He opened her legs with his knee, and when she felt his hardness at her entrance, she tensed with anticipation. She wanted it so much.

  He bent over her, brushing his lips against her ear. “Like this, Katherine? Is this what you want?”

  God, yes. She wanted to be at his mercy. “No. This is too easy, too predictable. Surely you can do better than that?”

  He grabbed her wrists behind her back. “Like this?”

  Her body tightened in response. “Yes,” she whispered.

  Instead of continuing to stage her fantasy, he took her hands, intertwined their fingers, and stretched her arms above her head.

  His breath was hot on her cheek. “I won’t hurt you, krasavitsa, but remember, you asked for this.” He pressed forward, the head of his cock entering her. “Is this what you want? Tell me now.”

  “Will you punish me?” she asked with a shaky breath as his cock stretched her, willing him to move.

  “Yes, your fantasy will be mine.”

  “How?”

  “By withholding you from pleasure.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a punishment.”