Cards of Love: Ace of Swords

by Flite, Nora

  Sergio was walking over to me now, and although my perspective had shifted, I was still wary. He looked angrier than I’d ever seen him. “Care to explain to me why I’m here tonight, and not at home in bed watching the evening news?” he asked. “Marcus told me quite a few things already.”

  “Sergio, some of what Marcus said may be true, and some may not. I promise you I’m being truthful with you. I found discrepancies in your books; from the new accounts you had me look at. Someone had created phony vendors and they were siphoning money out of the company.” I grimaced. “I thought it was you. Before I confronted you, I wanted Marcus’s opinion, but then I realized he was the one ripping you off. And then he threatened me and he threatened Tatiana.” The memory of that made my blood boil. “You probably trust him more than me because you’ve know him for ages. And in a minute you’re going to trust me even less.” I took a deep breath, bracing for his fury, his fists, his disgust.

  “Why am I about to trust you less, Rolland?” he whispered. Sergio stared at me, silent and brooding, but I didn’t have another option. There was just one path.

  “Because I’m falling in love with your daughter. With Tatiana. And I’m going to tell her the next time I see her in person.”

  Sergio looked at me with the same expression that Tatiana had earlier in the evening. Like I was an alien. “Why are you telling me this now?”

  “I’ll admit, this isn’t an ideal situation,” I started. Sergio laughed sourly, but I continued. “I couldn’t continue seeing Tatiana while lying to you, and I can't stop seeing Tatiana. And I realize you may want to break my legs... but you’ll never break my desire to be with your daughter.”

  Sergio walked a few paces away. He ran a hand over his face, clearly exasperated. After a few minutes, he approached the security officer. They spoke with their heads together. With interest, I saw the officer approach the police car with Marcus in it. Then it drove off. To take him home? To the hospital? To jail? I didn’t know. This situation was unfolding before me and I couldn’t predict where it was heading.

  Sergio returned, his expression grave. What he said next left me speechless. “I trust you, Rolland.” He motioned at the cop. “Unlock this bastard’s handcuffs.” I bent forward and my hands were free. I rubbed at my wrists vigorously to get the blood flowing. “Walk with me, Rolland,” Sergio said, leading me towards his car parked across the lot. Maybe this was the part where he broke my kneecaps.

  “You really trust me?” I asked.

  “Marcus threw you under the bus. He told me he’d discovered you’d been siphoning off the money to run away with my daughter. It sounded like total bullshit. I expected to come over here and listen to you deny everything. But then you admitted it. Who would be dumb enough to admit to me that they were...” he trailed off, a pained expression crossed his face, “with my little girl.”

  I was glad he hadn’t completed that thought. It was enough that he trusted me, trusted my account of events; I didn’t need him to be comfortable about Tatiana and me. Yet.

  He jingled his keys, no longer looking at me. “I’ll see you here early tomorrow morning. We have a shitload of things to go through, a whole mess to figure out, and I expect we’ll need to involve the cops. I’ll need you on your A game,” he said, sliding in the driver's seat.

  Standing tall, I nodded sharply. “I’ll be here.”

  “I know you will.” He paused a second, finally looking up at me. “You really care about Tatiana?”

  “Yes,” I said instantly.

  “And this whole time, even though you thought I'd break your legs, you were seeing her?”

  My heartbeat quickened anxiously. “Yes.”

  Sergio crinkled his forehead, chuckling dryly. “Then I guess you can turn off your brain sometimes.” He revved the engine, shutting the door with the window down. “Good luck. She's as stubborn as I am.”

  He was right.

  But it was part of what I loved about her.

  Chapter Ten

  I always adored flying.

  Ever since I was a little boy and took my first plane ride with my parents to visit my granddad across the country. Taking a peek in the cockpit, seeing all the gauges and controls, the cool pilots who knew how to use those instruments, quickly calculating the data to keep a five hundred ton machine flying through the air, was thrilling.

  Now, as an adult and VP of Montalla Industries, I was enjoying the finer aspects of flying, specifically flying business class, internationally. The service and luxury were almost enough to stop me from thinking about the operations behind the cockpit door. And Wi-Fi on board allowed me to shoot off some emails for work. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

  My travel companion disagreed. “Rolland, we’re flying 35,000 miles above the earth and you’re still typing away on that stupid computer. Could you relax already?” she said as she snapped my laptop closed.

  Beautiful Tatiana looked down disapprovingly at me. That little scowl just made her cuter, but I didn’t dare say that to her. “If I work now, I’ll have more time to play when we land,” I said. I reached up to her neck and brought her mouth down to mine, kissing her and tasting her cherry lip gloss.

  She settled into her seat, picking up a glass of champagne and nibbling on the charcuterie platter she'd ordered. Suddenly she gathered the cashmere throw over her lap and let out a little squeal. “Who am I kidding, it's not like I'm relaxed at all, either!” she yelled, and I laughed and kissed her again to quiet her down. “I mean, five months ago my father threatened to disown me if I flew to South Africa, and here we are, business class to Cape Town, with his blessing!”

  It hadn’t been easy convincing Sergio to allow Tatiana to take this trip. When she'd received an email from her professor telling her a team member in Cape Town had dropped out and her expertise was needed, I knew I had to try. It took a lot of cajoling to get Sergio to agree.

  When I'd uncovered Marcus’s deception, we'd then discovered a host of undesirable characters had been connected to the Montalla Industries for years. Sergio was badly shaken, and his increased distrust made him even more protective of Tatiana. She’d been taking it easy on her father, considering all that had happened to his business recently. Sergio considered Marcus to be family, and his betrayal nearly broke him.

  But I could tell Tatiana was getting antsy, and it was only a matter of time before she started acting out from frustration. The timing was perfect for Tatiana to spread her wings, to show Sergio that she was an adult and could take care of herself. It was best for both of them.

  I laid out my argument to Sergio several times. I even made a handy flowchart, and I think that’s what finally got him on board. When he finally agreed, it was with one caveat: I had to tag along and make sure nothing happened to his little girl.

  How could I say no?

  So I was flying to South Africa with Tatiana, and she was right, my emails could wait. I tucked my laptop away and turned to her, brushing back her hair so I could see her megawatt smile as she looked out the window at the darkened sky. “What are you most looking forward to once we land?” I asked. I couldn’t get enough of this beautiful woman, and her excitement for this trip was contagious.

  “It’ll take me a while to get up to speed with the rest of the team, but once I’m caught up, I’m really looking forward to being part of something. I want to get my hands dirty in the field, have a goal for once and be part of a solution that will make a difference in people’s lives. I can barely stand it.” She was practically squealing again, but I didn’t have the heart to quiet her. It was a thrill to see her so happy.

  “Unfortunately I think it’ll be a couple of days before I meet up with Professor Hicks and the team,” she said, her mood suddenly more subdued.

  “Why’s that?” I asked.

  “Jet lag, Rolland,” she replied, turning her body to me and stroking my cheek. She continued in a whisper, “I’m the worst. I’ll need to spend at least twenty-four hours in bed. Probably
naked. Would you keep me company?”

  I swallowed hard, recognizing that look in her eyes. I lifted the wide armrest between us, scooting a little closer. “That sounds terribly boring, Tatiana,” I played along. “Hours like that in bed, with nothing to do.”

  “I’ll bet we could find things to do,” she whispered, hot breath on my face. I was suddenly aware of her beautiful long legs poking out beneath the cashmere throw over her lap. I glanced down her shirt, spied the swell of her breasts rising and falling faster. I ached to touch Tatiana’s skin, and I didn’t know if I could wait until we got to our hotel in Cape Town.

  Her knee pressed against mine and I spread the blanket over both our laps, moved closer still, and slipped my hand underneath. Her skirt was already hiked up a bit, exposing the tops of her thighs. I rested my hand on her silky-smooth knee. She shifted, anxious for more of what I had to offer.

  I loved these moments. The longer I held Tatiana in anticipation, the more intense the first touch always was. With a whimper, she lifted her ass upwards, forcing my hand to graze her cotton panties; they were already soaked. I slipped my hand underneath the elastic band, stroking her mound.

  “God, yes,” she panted.

  Dragging my finger down her labia, not venturing inside just yet, I watched her watching me, trying to command me with her eyes alone to touch her right there, right where I knew she wanted my fingers so badly. But I had my own timetable, and this flight to South Africa had hours left. I was going to take my time.

  “I think the first thing I’ll do when I get you in the hotel room is rip off this shirt,” I said, leaning close to her face so we couldn’t be heard. “I want to feel your nipples in my mouth. I want to suck on your tits until you’re screaming, right on the edge of climax. Does that sound good to you?”

  She barely managed a nod. I cupped her more forcefully, and drug my middle finger up and down her crease, coating it in her slickness. My cock throbbed, and I wished the blanket were bigger because I was dying to touch myself. She kept her gaze forward, trying to maintain a neutral face, but I knew all her tells. Her lips were parted, her tongue rested gently against the back of her top teeth, and she gripped the armrest by the window.

  I brought my finger back up, finally swiping at her engorged clit, caressing one side, and then the other. “I think I also want to taste this,” I said, inserting my finger into her tight pussy. “I want to get down on my knees and devour you, sling your leg over my shoulder and eat you out until you can barely stand.” My finger was back to making slow loops around her clit, and she was starting to wriggle, chafing at my leisurely pace. I stilled her by putting two fingers inside her, and just then a flight attendant passed, bringing a drink to the passenger behind us. I kept my fingers buried in her pussy while the two behind us spoke. Tatiana was grinding her hips, trying to ride my fingers.

  After a minute, the flight attendant left, and I withdrew my fingers from her pussy and started another slow circle around her clit. Around and around I went, applying pressure evenly, until I passed a spot that made her gasp. I felt the tension in her body wind up tighter. I returned to that magic spot and worked it.

  I put my mouth right up to her ear. “You make me so damn hard, Tatiana. And I can't handle your beauty when you come.” She gawked at me. My fingers worked quickly over her greedy pussy.

  She lifted her heel and pressed it against the bulkhead in front of us. This allowed her hips to lift just an inch; I corkscrewed two fingers to the knuckle inside her cunt until her toes curled. Her pussy was squeezing around me, and in the silence of the cabin, you could hear her heavy breathing. The bulkhead in front of us creaked.

  “Come for me, Fun Girl,” I urged, caressing slippery clit, stroking faster inside her. She suddenly pushed back on the headrest, biting into the blanket to muffle the sound of the orgasm that jolted her in her seat. Her face contorted with the pleasure and I felt my heartbeat pounding in my cock, my balls begging for release.

  The air around us was scented with sex. Her thigh muscles tensed around my hand, and then I felt them relax. I stroked her walls softly, enjoying the aftershocks of her orgasm. When I withdrew my hand from under the blanket, I passed it discreetly under my nose and across my lips. Tatiana leaned over and kissed me deeply, running her fingers through my hair before tucking the blanket around her and resting her head on my shoulder. “You're so perfect,” she yawned.

  I watched her until she was sound asleep. Before I’d met her, I was only seeing half the picture.

  When she drew that Ace of Swords card, I thought she was silly. Why would I need a change in perspective? My intellect had gotten me far in life. I thought feelings and instinct would only complicate things.

  I was partly right, those things did lead to complications. But since broadening my horizons, experiencing the world in a new way, I’d gained so much.

  I had Tatiana. I couldn’t image needing anything more.

  Smart men may not sleep with their boss’s daughter...

  But smart men also don't ignore love when it finds them.

  Thanks for reading!

  Ace of Swords is just one of the many stories in the Cards of Love Collection.

  Which card will you choose next?

  www.cardsofloveromance.com/

  ~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

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  Nora grew up as a giant nerd in the tiniest state there is. Never quite fitting in, and suffering multiple career (and relationship) failures, she ran away to restart her life. Luckily for her, second chances are real. She now lives in sunny Los Angeles with her wonderful husband and their adorable son. Her days are spent writing, stuffing her face with sushi, and chugging copious amounts of coffee. She doesn't know what sleep is.

  Check out her website, www.NoraFlite.com

  Also email her at noraflite@gmail.com if you want to say hello! Hearing from fans is the best!

  -Nora Flite