by Ebony Olson
While I sat there watching my fingers tap nervously on the glass, Alex cursed under his breath. "I really thought things had changed between you and Dad." Alex stood up, grabbing his jacket.
"It has, Alex," I protested, standing up to try to stop him leaving.
"Obviously not, Mora," Alex grumbled, stepping past me. "You know what, if you are not willing to have Dad there, I do not want to be there either. In fact, I do not want to hear another thing about you and Rafal until you have told our father."
Alex walked out of the pub. I took a deep breath to hold my disappointment in. I wanted to tell Marshall, but something was holding me back. There was a whisper in my head telling me I shouldn't let him know until the deal was sealed and it was too late for him to stop it. Listening to my instincts had served me well in life; I wasn't about to stop now.
Grabbing my winter jacket, I headed out to catch the train home.
I walked in the door to the smell of stew cooking in the kitchen. Steffen came out to greet me and take my jacket.
"Thank you, Steffen." I winced, removing my left arm, which was bruised from the rough sex that morning before Darius left.
"Have you hurt yourself?" Steffen asked, observing the black and blue band around my upper arm.
"Nothing to worry about," I assured him, following him into the kitchen.
"Did you get in a scuffle over a wedding dress?" Steffen gave me a humored look.
I rolled my eyes. "God, no. I was in a sex shop looking for falcon balls as a wedding present for Dare when—"
"I do not need to hear any more. Thank you." Steffen sucked in a deep breath and turned back to his stove. "Young people today. Why is sex not enough? Why is there this need for kink?"
"Desensitization," I replied with a shrug. "Though, in truth, I don't truly believe it's the young. The majority of kinkiness involves the middle-aged bracket. Both Dare and I have been involved with people in that age group for a few years, so we've sort of been inducted into their thing."
Steffen gave me a surprised look. I don't think I'd really surprised him until that point. "The atrocities we impart on the young." Steffen shook his head.
I smiled. "I don't think I'd go that far. I enjoyed what happened between Jasper and I, just as I'm sure Dare enjoyed what happened to him."
Steffen frowned while he continued to slice up a baguette and butter it.
"It is not like we were forced, Steffen. Darius chose his way of life, just as I've chosen mine."
Steffen stopped and looked at me. "He's told you about his work while at university? Does it not bother you?"
I swallowed. "He explained the circumstances. We aren't all born into money."
"As I understand it, you did not live the life of someone born into money either." Steffen didn't make eye contact. He kept preparing dinner.
"I lived in a nice house, went to a good school. I wasn't spoilt, but I never needed for anything," I clarified.
"So, you accept his previous profession?" Steffen changed the question.
I thought about it. "He's a very attractive and successful man. He could have slept with hundreds of women for free. I have to appreciate his business acumen that he had the sense to charge for the privilege and use God’s gift to help him achieve what he wanted in life."
"My previous employer was a client of his," Steffen revealed. He pulled the plates out to serve up. "She was a very successful English business woman who retired to Scotland. When her husband died, she was left quite lonely. A friend recommended the master's services. Did you know, by the time he was nineteen, he could set his own price and was able to close his books to any new clients and keep just a handful of high society clients?"
I shook my head. It didn't surprise me, but I was impressed just the same.
"My employer had to interview to be taken on as a client," Steffen smirked. "She was quite nervous. She effectively offered him double his asking price. He took her on, and the two days a week he visited her, she was the healthiest I had seen her in years. It was his massage skills and his company she ended up paying for in the end."
I sat there enthralled as Steffen filled in a piece of Darius’ back story for me. I watched him serve up our dinner, trying to feign disinterest in everything he was saying.
"He saved every penny he could. By the time he graduated university, he owned the brothel he was employed at." Steffen carried our plates to the table, placing them down before retrieving the third plate. "Greta, that was my mistress, she was very impressed with his drive. When he was accepted to study his MBA in London, he brought his business here, opening two more escort agencies."
"Nahum," I murmured, connecting the dots Tracey had begun to form during our flight to Munich.
Steffen's brows lifted. "Yes, though I am very surprised he told you about that."
Steffen paused as if waiting for confirmation Darius had been the one to tell me. I stood and moved to the dining table, keeping quiet. Steffen walked to the intercom and rang the number for Zander's room.
"Dinner is ready," Steffen informed Zander. Steffen sat at the table with me. "Greta introduced the master to Marshall Blake when she understood how driven he was. The last time he came to see Greta was just before he finished his MBA. He told Greta how he was starting his own event management company in the summer, and that Marshall Blake had agreed to support him in that move by hiring him to manage both his Halloween bonanza and also his December charity event.
"Greta passed away a month later. She had no children, and while the majority of her money went to chosen charities, my employment contract was passed to the master." Steffen smiled. "And that is how I came to know, respect, and eventually work for the young Mr. Rafal. I had only been working for him for two months when he brought you home from that December charity event."
I looked at Steffen agape. "Could Darius afford you back then? What if you didn't want to work for him?"
"I was asked first, both by my mistress before she made her will, and again by my new master when the will was read. I was happy to be transferred. As for my salary, my mistress took care of my wages for the next five years. Mr. Rafal didn't have to pay me a cent until that money ran out. Greta felt five years would be long enough for the master to make his fortune. Indeed, he made his first million before he finished his MBA off his own back."
Zander entered the kitchen and took his seat. "Good evening, everyone. What is the conversation tonight?"
"How everyone met and came to live with Darius," I answered for Steffen.
Zander froze. "Oh. Well, I met Dare at university. We were both there on scholarships. He moved in with me and Warren when he came to London to do his MBA. We lived in a shitty apartment on the outskirts back then. I joined the military reserves while at university and was considering joining the military properly. Darius asked me to work for him. Initially, I was A.K., checking off guest names and making sure no riff raff got in, then I progressed to conducting risk assessments on event security, and, as the company grew, I became head of security."
I smiled at the very summarized story. Inhaling deeply, I blew out a painful breath. "I met this wonderful guy at a charity event a month after arriving in London. He was charismatic, handsome as hell, and so intently focused on me. He made me feel like the only woman in the room." I fidgeted with my cutlery.
"He made me feel wanted for the first time in my life. I made the spontaneous decision that he should be my first. I didn't expect anything more from it, but afterward, before he fell asleep, he told me I was what he'd always wanted in a woman. He promised that when he was ready to settle down and start a family, I was the woman he'd do that with."
Steffen and Zander were listening intently. I met Steffen's eyes, because he'd been there that night.
"I was terrified by how much I wanted that, to marry and start a family with him. I was so focused on getting into Cambridge, I'd not really considered what would happen after I graduated. I laid there for an hour after Darius fell asleep, p
icturing our life together. Then I remembered that he’d said 'when he was ready to settle down.' I realized I was fantasizing about something that might only happen years in the future. That's when I remembered I didn't even know Darius, that he could say that to all the women he brought home."
"You freaked yourself out." Zander leaned forward, watching me. "You could not believe that your night together was as special for him as it was for you. "
I nodded sadly. "I didn't want to wake up in the morning and have him ruin that fantasy for me, so I left. I took that fantasy with me, and eventually, that was all I wanted."
"The fantasy?" Zander frowned, confused.
I smiled and shook my head. "To marry a man who adores me, loves me, and to have a family together. To be a good mother." I swallowed. "The problem was that I'd fallen in love with Darius that night. When I tried dating, he was the measuring stick I held every other guy against."
"Jasper must have passed the test?" Zander stood up and collected a bottle of red from the wine fridge and opened it before collecting three glasses and coming back to the table.
"Did you know I worked for Jasper for two years?"
Zander shook his head, stunned.
"I worked the bar at JJ's to pay my way. I wouldn't take my father's money, so I worked through my degree," I explained. "Jasper used to laugh at the guys at the club hitting on me and me not even paying any attention. He was already thirty, and I never even considered him in that way.
"Then Alex started his business with Stuart and asked me to come and work for him. After we scored our first big contract, we went to JJ's to celebrate. A guy started hitting on me and wouldn't take no for an answer. Jasper stepped in and told the guy I was his and to back off, then Jasper kissed me." I shrugged. "I won't deny I'd been drinking and I might have taken the kiss further than either of us expected."
"Mr. Jones measured up?" Steffen nodded in understanding.
I blew out a breath. "I'd given up long before that, believing that no man was ever going to compare. But, Jasper was dominant, driven, and charismatic as hell. I'd watched women fall all over him for years, seen them go into his office with him and come out smiling. I'd never even contemplated being with Jasper like that."
Zander finished his first glass of wine and poured another. "So, you jumped on board the Jasper train?"
"I tried." I took a mouthful of the wine. "Jasper took me to his office and we kissed a lot, but when things started heading for third base, I grew a bit hesitant. Jasper realized and asked if I'd been with a guy before. I admitted it was only the once. Jasper disentangled himself from me and told me that when I was sober, if I still wanted him, to give him a call. The next night I came back, walked up to him, told him I wanted him, that I needed him. We were together after that."
Zander shook his head, humored. "Jasper was a man whore and you tamed him."
I laughed. "I did no such thing. He still screwed around during the week, but what we did together was different to just a quickie in the nightclub office. Don't get me wrong, our nights usually started in the office, but the weekends, well, they were more." I felt myself blushing but couldn't stop it.
Zander frowned. "You spent time with him in his office on New Year’s Eve."
I paused to look at Zander over the top of my glass. His eyes were accusatory. I put the wine glass down. "I did, though I'm surprised you noticed."
"It’s my job to notice," Zander answered unhappily. "I have not told Dare. He is very possessive of you and things have finally settled between you two, so I did not want to unsettle them again."
I rolled my eyes. "Jasper and I broke up five months ago and we stayed friends. We haven't had any kind of sex since he hooked up with his ex."
Zander and Steffen looked at each other as if unsure they believed me.
"Oh, for heaven’s sake! Do you want to know what happened in that office?" I glared. "Jasper warned me off Darius, and yes, I would have assumed he was jealous if my brother and father hadn't already advised the same. They are all so very sure he's going to break my heart." My voice broke on the final word.
Zander reached across the table and took my hand. "Mora, I am biased, you know that, so me telling you otherwise will probably be useless, but I know Dare loves you."
I squeezed his hand. "Tell me they're wrong, Zander. I need someone I trust to tell me this is going to work."
"It is going to work, Mora. Dare loves you. He will marry you and you two are going to spend the rest of your lives having amazing sex and beautiful babies." Zander put his other hand over our clasped hands. "I promise you, if he breaks your heart, I will break his face. That way, he'll remember that he was an idiot every time he looks in the mirror for the rest of his life."
I chuckled and sobbed at the same time. His words weren’t an assurance, but they were full of hope; his hope, my hope, and Darius’ hope.
Zander kept hold of my hand as he stood up, pulling me into his arms for a comforting hug. "Mora, it does not matter what anyone else thinks. Only you and Dare can make this work. If you want it to work, it will. Ignore everyone else and trust your heart."
I smiled against his chest. "My heart says jump."
Zander kissed the top of my head. "Then jump."
Chapter Seven
I woke to the sound of music playing. I picked up my phone, smiling at Darius’ profile picture. "Hey, there. I thought you'd forgotten about me," I sighed as I rolled onto my back.
Darius called me every night he was away, but tonight I'd crawled into bed at eleven without hearing his voice. He was with his family in Scotland, so I wasn't upset. I knew how much he missed his family and that every minute spent with them was precious.
"Like I could ever forget you, Mora." Darius sounded tired.
I looked at the clock; it was five in the morning. "Are you on your way to the airport?"
"I want you to come meet me. I have to go straight to the office this morning, but I’ve missed you and want to see you first." Darius sounded stressed.
"I can do that. What time do you get in?" I asked, throwing back the quilt.
"Clark is on his way to get you now. He should be there in twenty minutes," Darius informed me. "Mora, I have really missed you."
"I've missed you, too." I smiled into the phone. "I'll be there soon. Need me to bring a suit or anything?"
"No, just you," Darius sighed deeply. "And, baby?"
"Yes?"
"Wear something easy to get off." I could hear the smile on his voice.
"Will do my best." I hung up and rushed to the bathroom to freshen up, planning my outfit while I did so.
I was dressed and waiting by the curb, dancing on the spot in the cold, when Clark pulled up.
"Sorry, Miss Ellis. I didn't realize you were waiting out here for me. I called upstairs to tell you I was nearly here," Clark apologized as I slid into the back seat, shivering.
It was snowing and dark outside, and the icy air breezed through my thick coat. I wore heels so they could come off easily, but after five minutes waiting in the cold, I wished I’d chosen boots. Once the car door shut, the heated interior started warming me, and I felt better.
"What time does his plane land, Clark?" I enquired.
"He landed an hour ago, Miss Ellis. I’m taking you to meet him where he is," Clark explained. He pulled the car out and started heading north.
I sat quietly in the back for the forty-minute drive, oblivious to my destination, until Clark pulled over to the side of the road and hopped out to open my door. "Here we are."
I stepped onto the footpath and looked up at the apartment building. I swallowed, recognizing the place Darius brought me back to six years ago.
"He is in the apartment..."
"I know the way, Clark." I smiled, stepping forward. Clark nodded and slid back behind the wheel.
I stepped inside the apartment building and made my way up the stairs to the first floor. It was an entirely different experience to walking into Darius’
current apartment. I went to the door, noting it was new. Six years ago, the door was white and badly in need of painting; now it was a glossy blue.
I lifted my hand and knocked softly. The door opened and Darius stood smiling at me. He wore a suit, top button undone and tie nowhere to be seen.
"Finally, you came back," he teased.
I smiled. "This isn't the same door."
Darius nodded. "We are not the same people." He stepped back for me to enter.
I walked past him, stepping straight into the living room. It was different than I remembered. Same furniture, but different setup. This was a family home now, with pictures on the walls and kids’ toys strewn across the floor.
"A family live here?" I observed.
Darius shut the door. "They do. I’ve paid for them to go on a family vacation. Not something they could normally afford."
I frowned. "Are they subletting from you after all these years?"
Darius smirked. "I own it. It was the first place I owned. I rent it out now, fully furnished."
I nodded and turned to face him. "Is there a reason you've brought me back here?"
Darius nodded, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I've been very careful over the years, not trusting women who approached me, thinking they were interested more in my money than me. Zander called me last Friday night. He told me you were getting a hard time from your friends and family about dating me, that it was raising your insecurities."
I exhaled in annoyance. "I didn't want you to know about that. They'll come around once we are married."
Darius met my eyes. "They don’t believe I truly intend to marry you?"
I nodded. Darius smirked then dropped to one knee in front of me. He took my hand and pulled a ring out of his pocket. It was a delicate platinum band with a large oval diamond seemingly floating on top of it. My stomach clenched and made breathing impossible.
"They are wrong, Mora. I want you to be my wife. Marry me?" Darius looked up at me and I could see tears in his eyes.