by Lulu Taylor
‘Do you know …’ Otto looked up at her with a smile ‘… Christmas is only a few weeks away. I thought – what could be more romantic than Christmas Eve?’
Flora clasped her hands together in delight. ‘Yes, what a wonderful idea! I’ll have to ask Vicky if she can investigate for us. And there’ll be some red tape to sort out.’
‘It can be done,’ Otto said, with a sweep of his hand, ‘if only we wish it!’
They all dined together that night, Otto listening as the girls talked excitedly of dresses and colours and ideas for a Christmas wedding. Flora described the fittings she had already had at Roddy’s flat in the East End.
‘Such a strange place,’ she said. ‘Not what I expected at all.’
‘Horrible, isn’t it?’ Octavia said, wrinkling her nose as she speared some broccoli. ‘Pongs too. Really nasty.’
‘Pongs?’ Otto looked puzzled.
‘Smells,’ she explained. ‘Rather whiffy.’
‘And this where your wedding dress comes from?’ he said, surprised. ‘A smelly, nasty place?’
Flora laughed. ‘The dress is not at all nasty, I can promise you that. Just wait and see.’
When they went to bed, she was full of joy to have Otto close to her, in her own room. She went into the bathroom to clean her teeth and undress and came out again, trying not to feel self-conscious in her bra and knickers, carefully chosen to appeal to her fiancé. Otto was already in bed, his pale shoulders visible above the covers.
‘Come here, my darling,’ he said softly, and she went over. ‘You are very lovely.’
‘Thank you,’ she whispered. She climbed into bed next to him and he pulled her to him, pressed his lips against hers and began to push his tongue into her mouth in soft small stabbing movements, sometimes twirling it round a little. She opened her mouth to him, wondering if she was kissing him back correctly. It didn’t feel quite right.
He took his mouth away from hers then ran a hand over her breasts, cupping them in his hands for a moment and murmuring softly as he touched them. ‘Schön. Sehr schön.’
He had left on his boxer shorts and she could see that they tented where his erection pressed out at the front. She tried to put her hand down and touch it, but he pushed her gently away.
‘Not yet,’ he whispered. ‘Soon. Not yet.’
He returned to her mouth, kissing her in the same way, as his fingers trailed lightly down her belly and then busied themselves in the wetness between her legs, stroking and rubbing as he had before. He pushed his fingertip into her entrance, but only fleetingly, pulling away to return to her most sensitive place, tickling her delightfully until she shuddered in his arms, gripped by her climax.
‘And the best we will save for when we are married,’ he said, kissing her hair, as she relaxed. ‘Tomorrow we must go on a visit together. Is that all right?’
‘Of course, Otto. Where are we going?’
‘You shall see tomorrow.’
The first visit was to Hatton Gardens where a jeweller spread an array of dazzling stones before them, and Flora and Otto selected the one they wanted. Flora chose a solitaire diamond baguette in a platinum setting. The jeweller measured her finger and said it would take a week to make the ring. Otto paid the deposit and they came out of the shop, Flora laughing and excited.
‘Our next visit is not quite so romantic, I’m afraid,’ he said, with a touch of melancholy, ‘but at least it is close by.’
They walked through the biting winter wind, weaving their way through Christmas shoppers and office workers.
‘Where are we going?’ Flora asked.
‘To the lawyers.’ He gazed down at her tenderly. ‘My darling, I hate all that this stands for, but I’m sure you understand – I must protect my inheritance for those who come after me, even though I am certain that we will see our children and grandchildren in Schloss Meckensberg one day. My mother, though, would never forgive me if I did not take proper steps to ensure it remains in the von Schwetten family.’
‘I understand,’ Flora said, smiling. The words of Nick Falcon, the private detective, came back to her. He said I should get my agreement done in Germany. But I don’t see what difference it makes. It’s Otto who wants it after all. She had had an email from Nick with his company’s terms and conditions and an estimate of what her request to trace her mother would cost to carry out. Did she want him to continue? Flora hadn’t replied. She almost wished she had never gone to visit him at all, and she had promised Octavia that she wouldn’t pursue the matter any further. I’ll do nothing for now. I’ll wait until after the wedding and then decide.
They went to an office in Chancery Lane, up some winding stairs in an old Tudor-style building to where a stressed-looking solicitor was waiting behind a desk. He talked quickly throughout the meeting, pushing long and complicated documents in front of them both and giving them very little time to read anything.
‘It’s all quite standard, and straightforward,’ he kept saying. ‘No nasty surprises here.’
‘It’s all right,’ Otto said quietly to Flora, as she stared at the masses of printed words that seemed to be blurring in front of her eyes. ‘I’ve had everything checked by my people. It’s all fine.’
‘Should I have it checked as well?’ she asked, wondering if she should send the papers to Mr Challon, the family lawyer.
‘That is what Mr Landray here is for. He’s acting in your interests,’ Otto explained.
‘Oh. I see.’
When she was passed a slightly leaky ballpoint pen, Flora signed obediently what felt like a dozen times, on various dotted lines placed all over the document. Otto signed too. Mr Landray and his secretary, called in from the outer office, witnessed it.
‘All done,’ Landray said with a smile, and a moment later Flora and Otto were emerging into the daylight outside.
‘There,’ Otto said, taking her hand. ‘Now there is no obstacle to our marriage. Soon you shall be my wife, and I will take you to our home in Germany.’ He pressed his lips to her cheek. ‘I can’t wait.’
‘Nor can I!’ Flora said with all her heart. Then, at last, real life will begin.
44
Ethan took Octavia to The Wolseley for dinner, and then to The Ivy Club. During dinner they made small talk – he told her about his flat in the city, his boyhood in Australia and his family back in Sydney – but their glances said a lot more than they could about the attraction burning between them. When the coffee came, Ethan said, ‘The traditional time for business,’ and brought out a file of papers.
‘The good news is that if you want to buy into Noble’s, you can,’ he said. ‘And as a seasoned venture capitalist, I have to tell you that I think they’re a good opportunity. I’d advise any client to consider them. But you’re in a special position. You’ve got a lot of money to spend, and Noble’s is crying out for cash, oodles of it. They’ve got a great big debt to service and it’s crippling them. Any sensible shareholder would want you on board. But …’
‘But what?’ Octavia crossed her legs, admiring her gold python Louboutins as she did. She’d really pushed the boat out tonight, and was wearing a shimmering gold mini-dress covered in hundreds of square sequins. It was sleeveless, showing off her smooth golden skin. She shook out her hair and balanced her chin on her hands, displaying her slender wrists to Ethan, who was looking even more handsome than she remembered. She could hardly take her eyes off his mouth, she was so eager to kiss it again.
‘Well, to be honest, your lack of experience is going to play against you. You’re so young and have never worked in the industry – or any industry. That’s not going to help your cause. So here’s my idea …’ Ethan leant forward, his dark blue eyes intense. ‘I suggest we form a new company. It will be your company, and I’ll be on the board as your business advisor. And we’ll also recruit some other people who know this industry, to be the voices of experience and reassure the shareholders. I know a few likely people and I’m sure you will too.’
/> ‘That’s a brilliant idea,’ Octavia breathed. ‘I’ll ask Iseult if she’ll join us. She’s so incredibly talented.’
‘I know a guy who’s worked in some of the major luxury brands, and I’m sure he’ll know some other key names too.’ Ethan gave her a sideways look. ‘You’ll have to be prepared to invest quite a lot in this. You’ll need to pay people well if you want them to join us. Talent doesn’t come cheap.’
‘Money is no object,’ she said swiftly.
Ethan raised his eyebrows at her. ‘I have to admit, I’ve done a bit of research on you. You really are staggeringly rich, aren’t you?’ He took one of her hands. ‘I wish you weren’t quite so loaded. Because it means that when I take you to bed, you might think it’s your filthy lucre I’m after instead of you.’
Her insides somersaulted in a deliciously exciting way.
‘Are you going to take me to bed?’ she purred, hoping that she sounded sophisticated and knowing. She ran a fingertip along the length of his index finger.
‘Once we leave here,’ he said, looking around the dimly lit club where actors, supermodels, businessmen and glamorous girls were talking, laughing and sipping drinks, ‘I’m going to take you back to my place, and when we get there I’m going to do my best to seduce you.’ He grinned at her. ‘I thought I should lay my cards on the table.’
‘So there’s no one else in your life right now?’ Octavia said carelessly.
‘No one who matters,’ he replied, and touched his lips to her hand.
Oh, God, I wouldn’t care if he had six wives, Octavia thought, shivering inside, he’s so gorgeous, I would let him have me right here if he wanted.
But that wasn’t necessary. They finished their cocktails with almost undignified haste, now that they both knew what awaited them. In the taxi back across London, it was all they could do to keep their lips from touching. They were both breathing hard, Ethan’s warm hand on Octavia’s smooth thigh and the tell-tale bulge in his trousers showing that he was more than ready for her. He paid the driver with a couple of twenties, not even bothering to look at the meter or wait for change. Instead, he and Octavia hurried through the door of his apartment building and into the lift. In the mirror inside it she saw their reflections: they were both hot-eyed and flushed with the force of their lust for each other. The moment the doors closed, his lips were on her, his arms pulling her tightly to him. By the time the doors opened on the fifth floor, his shirt was open and her dress had already slipped down to the ground where it lay in a sparkling golden puddle around her shoes, leaving her in just a pair of turquoise satin panties and hold-up stockings.
‘Thank God there’s no one here to see me like this,’ she gasped, bending to scoop up the dress.
‘I can’t think of a nicer sight,’ said Ethan, taking her hand and leading her across the corridor to his front door. A moment later they were inside. As the door slammed shut, passion gripped them again. They kissed hard, hungry for each other, and Ethan slipped off his shirt, revealing a body that both excited and scared her. It was a proper man’s body: his shoulders were broad, his arms and pecs heavy with muscle. Dark blond hair curled all over his chest up to the base of his neck, with a thick trail curling round his navel and down below the waistband of his trousers. Octavia’s pulse raced. His masculinity was overwhelming. Beside him she felt soft and small and intensely feminine.
He swung her up into his arms and carried her through the flat, pushing open a door with his shoulder and taking her into his bedroom, where he laid her on the bed. She lay, writhing a little with pleasure as he quickly stripped off, his white briefs revealing an almost terrifyingly massive bulge above rugby-player thighs covered in more dark blond hair. As he took off the briefs she was scared to look at what was beneath, and then she did: a huge, upstanding cock met her gaze, its domed head smooth and purple, its great veined shaft rearing up out of a thick nest of hair. Below it his balls hung dark and heavy. She felt her mouth go dry: this was something different from holding Brandon’s erection or feeling Ferdy’s sweet but slender penis inside her. This thing looked like it could split her in two. But she wanted it more than anything she could imagine …
Then he was lying next to her on the bed, sucking at her nipples and kissing her, biting her neck and running his hands through her hair and over her skin. It was electrifying: her body felt as though it had come alive in a way she had never known before. This was sex, real proper sex, and it seemed as though everything else had been mere adolescent fumbling by comparison. He moved down, kissing and licking her with a mixture of hot lust and pure reverence, muttering in between times how beautiful she was, how hot and sexy. It was revving her up, and she could feel her pussy swelling and gushing with soft slipperiness. Then she realised what he was going to do, and pulled in a sharp breath. Oh, God, he’s going to kiss me there … For a second, she didn’t think she would be able to stand it, she was already on fire, but then he pulled down her wet panties and discarded them, opened her thighs gently, and bent his head to her swollen lips. The sensation was glorious as his tongue slipped gently into her pussy and then up over her clitoris, moving around it and nipping it gently so that it buzzed and sparked almost unbearably. And yet, with all that incredible sensation, there was something amazingly soft and gentle about it as his tongue lapped and lapped at her.
She threw her head back, her arms over her head and holding on to the rails of the bedstead. ‘Oh God,’ she cried, wanting to open to him as far she could. Her voice was high and breathless. ‘Oh my God, Ethan!’
‘Don’t come yet, baby,’ he said, glancing up from her pussy, his face shiny with her moisture. She could see the great ramrod between his legs, stiffer and more powerful-looking than ever. She wanted to kiss it, slide it between her lips, lick it and touch it. But not yet. Now Ethan was on his knees between her open legs and she knew what he was going to do.
‘Yes,’ she begged. ‘Please …’
He didn’t need a further invitation, putting the great purple head at the entrance of her pussy, looking for the spot where he would be able to get inside her. An instant later, he was pushing the huge rod into her with exquisitely small movements, tantalising and teasing her until she was dry-lipped and desperate for him to fill her up completely. When, finally, he was engulfed in her, his balls heavy against her bottom, she felt utterly replete, as though he was filling her belly as well. Then he began to move, slowly at first and building up. She wrapped her legs around his back, and the next moment the fucking overtook them entirely so that they were rolling over in the bed, changing their positions every few minutes, unable to get enough of one another.
He pulled out of her, turned her round on to all fours and pushed into her from behind, thrusting so hard that her whole body jerked and she gasped out with the force of his hips pushing his cock deep inside her, while he reached down with one hand and tickled her swollen clitoris with his fingertips. Eventually, she pulled away and sank down on his body, taking as much of his cock as she could manage into her mouth, licking her own juice off his shaft, playing the end of her tongue over the head of his penis, rubbing it over the hole on the tip. She never wanted this luscious voluptuousness to end; her whole body felt alive and made for pleasure as they pressed their hot skin together, revelling in their desire for each other.
Then, at last, he rolled her on to her back, and began the endgame: they were both so hot and ready it took little time to ride the last great stretch; as she rushed up the wave of her climax, she realised that she was crying out loudly, begging him not to stop before she was lost inside the whirl of pleasure, flying through the blissful spasms as Ethan drove her onwards, exploding in his own fierce climax as she began to end. Finally, they collapsed, panting and sweating in one another’s arms, utterly and happily spent.
‘This is damn near perfect,’ Ethan said lazily. They had recovered from their exertions and he had collected cool drinks from the kitchen for them and brought them back to bed, where they lazed in the l
amplight.
‘It is, isn’t it?’ Octavia said, propping herself up on one elbow to look at him. He really was beautiful. Her stomach flipped every time she looked at him.
‘You know, I think we’re pretty good together.’ He grinned at her. ‘I don’t just mean the sex, though that is fantastic.’
‘My thoughts exactly.’ Octavia put a hand on his chest, idly stroking the hair that curled there between his nipples.
‘You know …’ Ethan rolled over towards her and gazed into her eyes ‘… I want to see you properly. I want us to have a relationship. I really like you, Octavia, and I think you like me.’
Her insides turned to liquid. ‘Oh, yes,’ she breathed, ‘I do like you.’
‘And I can help you. I can help with business, money … your whole life. If you want me to?’
‘Of course I do,’ she said, delighted. ‘I need someone to guide me.’ The more time she could spend with Ethan, doing the delicious things they’d just done to one another, the better.
‘So you’re agreed we should work together? As well as … play?’ He picked up her hand and interlaced her fingers through his.
‘Yes,’ she said firmly.
‘Then I’ll get started forming our company right away.’ He kissed her fingers and smiled.
45
The wedding day was set for Christmas Eve, and Vicky was doing everything she could to make sure things ran smoothly. Otto was sometimes there to help direct things, and sometimes not. His business called him away every few days. He would vanish on a plane to some far-flung spot, reappearing a day or two later, a little travel-worn.
Octavia found herself more and more bemused by him. She liked him well enough and yet it seemed odd to her that the quiet family wedding he had decreed was growing by the day, with all the names he was adding to the guest list. Vicky showed them to Octavia, most of them were foreign, reflecting his business interests perhaps, along with grand-sounding titles – Dowager Lady thises and thats, Barons, Baronesses, Counts and Princes with von and zu before a string of odd place names.