“What the hell are those?” he fumed, trying to keep control over his voice.
Belle looked up, eyes wide. She stumbled over her words, “P-paragraph 14, page 4,” she stuttered as she looked back into her lap.
“Not the contract. What the fuck’s on your arms?” His anger rose as he began to lose control of his temper.
Belle quickly pulled the sweater back around her. She stood and started to back up towards the door, looking as if she would run out. She laughed nervously, “Oh, it’s nothing…”
“Bullshit.” Aleks got up and walked towards her. “Don’t move.”
Belle stood still, arms still wrapped around her, despite the heat. Aleks could tell she wanted him to ignore it but he couldn’t disregard those hideous marks on her arm — or the rage at who had harmed her.
He uncrossed her arms and placed her hands at her side. He carefully pulled the shoulders of the sweater down and allowed it to drop at her feet.
He took her left arm in his and pulled up the sleeve to expose the entire bruise, running his fingers along the marks. He could clearly make out a large hand print covering each arm, each finger causing purple and black marks with what looked like the beginning of healing cuts where finger nails would be. He placed his own fingers on them, seeing they were close to the size of his hands. Looking at the placement, he deduced someone held her down.
“Who did this to you, Belle?” He already knew the answer. He wanted her to say it.
She bit her lip and looked towards her side. He couldn’t get over his anger at the person, obviously much larger and stronger than she, who grabbed her. Again. Hell, he was fuming at the thought of another man touching Belle, let alone leaving marks.
“I’m going to kill him,” he promised, already imagining what he was going to do.
Belle looked up, placing her hands on his chest as she pleaded, “Please, don’t.”
“Did you want him to touch you?”
She looked down, and he realized he needed her to deny it.
“Answer me.”
He grabbed her face in both hands, forcing her to look at him. She visibly swallowed, her dilating pupils indicating her desire. “I didn’t want him to touch me.”
Her eyes shone, amber flecks amongst the deep brown, drowning him in their depths. He took in her features; the delicate shape of her jawline, the high cheekbones, her perfect, creamy complexion, her full, pink lips, glistening with the last remnants of her gloss. Unable to help himself, he pulled her in to kiss her.
She gasped into his lips as they touched, but didn’t pull back, her lips soft and smooth against his. Her body tensed and relaxed, as if she allowed herself this moment.
She moaned softly, and he felt one hand in his hair, the other around his neck, pulling him into her. She opened her mouth wider to allow their tongues to dance around each other. He deepened the kiss, wrapping both arms around her waist and pulling her into him.
Lowering his hands and cupping her behind, he lifted her legs up and around his waist. As she began to kiss him harder, he walked them towards the desk and sat her on top. The close proximity of her pussy had him hard as steel.
He leaned her back and broke away from her mouth, drawing out a small cry of protest, which ceased when he kissed down her neck to her collarbone. When his lips trailed to the crook of her neck, she moaned aloud and tightened her hands in his hair. He smiled to himself. Ah, found her sweet spot.
He lingered there for a moment, licking and sucking her skin as he trailed his hand up her leg. Her breath hitched as his thumb grazed between her thighs. He wanted to rip her panties down her legs and thrust himself into her. Instead, he allowed his fingers to caress her over the fabric. Heat emanated from her, warming him.
He kissed down to the hollow of her neck once again and back up the other side, continuing to pay special attention to her reactions. As he reached her chin he backed away, opening his eyes to look at her. Her amber irises were molten gold. Moving his hands back to her thighs, he pulled her hard against him, shoving his hardened length against her center. She closed her eyes as she moaned. Fucking hell, she’s a lusty one.
Her hands twisted his hair as she whispered, “Aleks, we shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Yes, we should,” he replied, his mouth finding hers again. He wanted to consume every sensual sound emanating from her lips. He continued to move against her, pulling her into him with each thrust. He grunted softly, which only seemed to increase her desire. Her breaths increased as she used her legs to meet each of his movements. He needed her to come undone against him. As she kissed him, her body tightened against his; experience indicated she was close.
“Your 11 a.m. is here,” Sirena broke through the intercom. Aleks ignored the call but Belle pulled back looking embarrassed. No, fuck no!
“Aleks, I can’t. I’m at work,” she muttered, not looking at him, yet not moving her legs from around him.
“It’s okay, I’m your boss,” he soothed, leaning in to kiss her again. When she placed her face in her palms, he knew he said the wrong thing.
“Exactly, I cannot be kissing my boss. Especially on my boss’ desk,” she mumbled into her palms. Aleks knew the moment was over.
He had had other women in this office, on this very desk, but nothing compared to the heat and passion of the last few minutes.
He backed up, allowing Belle to stand and adjust her dress. The vision of the marks on her skin shifted with her movements, bringing the issue back to the forefront of his mind. Aleks gently rubbed the bruises on her arms with his palms. He lifted her chin to force her to look up.
“Tell me what happened. I need to know.”
He kept quiet as she described Gabriel breaking into her home. He could tell she was frightened and embarrassed. Reigning in his fury, he did the only thing which would keep him from murdering Gabriel.
“It’s decided then. You’re coming to stay with me. I’m going to keep you safe.”
At first, Belle thought he was joking, but the seriousness in his eyes convinced her otherwise.
“Thank you, but no. I can take care of myself.”
“Look at your arms; listen to what you’ve been saying to me. His behaviors are obviously escalating, Belle. He’s going to continue to hurt you. The way I see it, you have two choices: let me take care of the situation, or let me take you out of it by minimizing his access to you.”
Belle didn’t want to leave her home, but he was right; she was in danger. Gabriel couldn’t and wouldn’t face any consequences in their small town.
“Belle, you’ll be safe. Besides, I have a number of servants living with me who can address your every need. Well, almost every need. What they can’t address I certainly can,” he finished with a devilish smile, which only proved to her why living with him would be a bad idea.
She couldn’t trust herself around Aleks — the last few minutes had verified how much she craved him — and moving in with him would prove disastrous for her self-control.
When she didn’t answer, he simply narrowed his eyes and commanded, “This isn’t a discussion. I’ll have my driver take you home to gather your belongings and bring you back to me.”
She had a suspicion he would use her bar as leverage if she declined. It was bad enough she was now being coerced to live with him, but to command her to have an escort as if she were a child?
“I don’t need a driver.”
Aleks turned back around, looking cross.
“I don’t trust that Gabriel won’t try to visit you tonight, with or without your consent. I insist on having my driver escort you. Go home and collect your belongings. I’ll see you for dinner.”
Hands on her hips she stared at him, debating if she was going to give into his demands or stand her ground.
The expression on his face softened. “I promise I will keep his hands off of you.” He took her hands, kissing her knuckles tenderly. “I can’t promise the same for myself.”
His words caused a
knot in her stomach; his idea of protection was to control her. He wouldn’t physically hurt her, yet she was having trouble seeing his actions as anything different than Gabriel’s.
Chapter Eleven
“What the hell was I thinking?” Aleks muttered to himself on the ride from his office to his home.
He never allowed a woman to stay a night in his home, let alone weeks. If he did bring someone back, a rarity in itself, he ensured his butler, Lucien, secured a ride for her before he fell asleep.
As angry as he was at Gabriel for the marks, Belle had left him hot, bothered, and unsatisfied. He spent the weekend with two very willing, and agile ladies who nearly wore him out, yet one look at Belle today and everything they’d had to offer paled in comparison to her. He debated calling one of his regular hook-ups, just to gain some composure.
Sighing, he called ahead to alert the staff to prepare for Belle. He hoped his staff would remember how to entertain a guest as it had been quite some time since he had anyone over he cared to impress.
“Lucien, I need you to make up one of the master bedrooms — we will be having an extended visitor, a female guest. I would like the bedroom to be comfortable for her.”
“A female, sir?” His butler sounded shocked. “How extended should we arrange for? The weekend?”
“No. For a few weeks. I want to ensure she has all the amenities she may need. Please ask Ms. Adelle to ensure her room is complete with anything a woman might need.” Aleks thought he heard a gasp, but Luc didn’t question it further.
“Yes, sir. Consider it done. I shall have it all finished within the hour.”
Aleks closed his eyes as he grasped himself over his pants, thinking of their moment in the office, anticipating all of that and more would be happening in the near future. Unfortunately, his mind vividly remembered the reason he commanded her to stay in the first place — the marks on her delicate skin which had caused him to see red. He sat up, clenching his fists at the thought of him touching her. His mind reeled with images of Gabriel in front of him, the desire to decimate him was so much more than anything he had ever felt for any of his opponents.
He hadn’t fought in almost two years, but still trained nearly every day. His usual workout consisted of sparring with a massive tree wrapped in gym mats.
On the ride home from the cruise, he’d fought the need to drive to Gabriel’s house and hurt him. He had envisioned his fists in his face as the blood poured out, knowing Gabriel wouldn’t stand a chance.
He had returned home that night and headed straight for his tree. Images of Gabriel’s fingers inside of Belle, holding her against her will, of her asking him to stop, flowed through his mind.
This imagery continued as his fists connected with the covered oak. The familiar surge of energy rushed through him as he let his instinct take over, relishing in the pain caused by the unyielding structure. Each hit a perfect mix of pain and pleasure; blow after blow, imagining it was Gabriel he was striking, until finally spent, he’d gone inside to bandage his badly bloodied knuckles.
He flexed his fingers at the memory of that night. The cuts on his hands were almost fully healed. Seeing Belle’s bruises had increased the desire to pummel Gabriel ten-fold. It would be all too easy to have his driver take him to Gabriel’s house and beat the man senseless. But he’d promised Belle he wouldn’t. Why she didn’t want some kind of vengeance on him was incomprehensible. He couldn’t help but think as much as she denied it, there was a part of her that wanted Gabriel.
As the car pulled into the driveway, Aleks lowered the privacy screen between him and the driver.
“Ms. Lahela will be waiting for you at the office. You are to take her home and wait with her while she gathers her things. She is not to be left alone. When she is ready, you will bring her back here to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Aleks waited until he could no longer see the car and hurried inside. The ride home had only served to fuel his desire and anger. He traded his office attire for workout clothes and headed for the backyard.
As Aleks’ driver brought her closer to his home, panic settled in, the gravity of the situation hitting her. What am I doing?
She was more frightened of what she wanted to do than of what could go wrong. Five minutes on a boat and I jumped him, how am I supposed to live with him?
She was certain he would continue to try and seduce her. She was also certain she wouldn’t be able to deny him much longer. The kiss in his office was … indescribable. The way he touched her, the taste of him, the feel of him in-between her legs — she shuddered at the memory, knowing she wouldn’t ever be able to forget it. Hell, if just his kiss is that good, he’s probably right; he could ruin sex for a woman.
More determined than ever not to give in to her desires, she allowed herself to become angry; angry at the way he assumed control over her, angry at his arrogance, and angry she didn’t stand up for herself. She wouldn’t be one of the many women he left in his wake. She would control herself.
She broke the news to her father later that night, hoping he would refuse to allow her to leave.
He looked up with concern, yet didn’t make an effort to change her mind. “Are you sure this is what you want to do? Move all the way to the city?”
“It just makes sense, daddy,” she lied, having practiced her excuse on the way home. “It’s a long drive to and from every day, and with schoolwork and only being here on weekends for work, it seems like a good idea.”
“Do you feel safe living with this man, your boss? If he does anything inappropriate you call me in a second.”
Belle swallowed hard, “Dad, no. He’s perfectly safe.”
Pierre got up from the couch where he was watching television and kissed her forehead. “Alright, princess. You better come home when school is over though. I’m not ready to admit my baby girl’s completely grown up, you hear me?”
Belle stared out the window, debating if she should insist the driver take her home or simply go along with the hand fate had dealt her. When the driver passed the ramp that would take them back to the city, she sat up, surprised. Rather than driving into Manhattan they were headed to a ritzier part of Jersey. Belle looked around in astonishment at the luxurious properties they were passing along the way.
The car stopped briefly to gain admittance through a gated entrance before moving up a winding driveway. The grounds leading up to his home were wooded and she couldn’t see much through the thick brush. After several moments, the trees gave way to a sprawling green lawn and an imposing grey-brick structure.
When the car stopped and the driver opened her door, she couldn’t hide her amazement. The building in front of her offered architecture of varying heights and angles. When she spied the rounded tower near the far back, she could only come to one conclusion.
This isn’t a home, it’s a freaking castle!
The driver retrieved her bags and led her through the front doors where a tall, lean man in a simple black suit waited.
“Good evening, Miss. I’m Lucien and will be escorting you to your room tonight. You can call me Luc.”
Belle immediately picked up on his French accent, the words gliding over her with ease. She noted he seemed relaxed, a smile on his face and eyes which crinkled in the corners as he spoke to her.
Once inside, she looked around the large foyer and marveled at the white marble floors and walls, the cathedral ceilings, and the large grand staircase. A plush red carpet snaked up the stairs. Two large marble statues of women dressed in robes stood guard at the ends of the handrails. Figures the manwhore would have nymph statues in his house. The staircase rose up a flight before splitting, each fork leading to another set of stairs and a wide hallway beyond. Beyond the staircase, an entire two-story wall of windows draped in brocaded curtains gave view to more lawns.
Judging by the entrance alone, Belle wondered how easy it would be to get lost in this place. She’d never felt more out of place in her life. Welcome to the
other side, Belle.
“If you will, Miss, I can show you to your room.” Luc bowed slightly and motioned for her to follow him up the stairs.
He led her up the staircase to the left, then down a long hallway past a number of rooms, turning down another hallway, then another, before finally opening the door to the room she would be staying for the next few months.
“Dinner is served at six o’clock. You have just over an hour to settle in.”
He must have recognized the look of alarm on her face and continued. “Don’t worry, I shall return to escort you.”
Before leaving, he took a long look at her. “Ms. Lahela, we are very excited to have you as our guest, please do not hesitate to ask if there is anything you need.” He offered another slight bow and shut the door behind him, leaving her alone.
She stood just inside the door, trying to convince herself she wasn’t dreaming. The room was something out of an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Two windows spanned the height of the room, overlooking the side yard. Her eyes lingered on the four-post canopy bed in the center of the room. It was larger than any king-size mattress she had ever seen. A matching settee ran the length of the footboard.
A door on the right side of the room led to a walk-in closet larger than her whole bedroom at home. A second door on the opposing wall led to a bathroom which held a multi-headed shower encased in glass, a double sink, a separate mirrored vanity, and a Jacuzzi tub big enough for at least three people. I could live in this bathroom alone.
Belle returned to the bedroom and couldn’t help herself. Smiling, she ran and jumped onto the bed, landing on top of the lavish comforter and blankets. She flipped to her back, and stretched, allowing herself to sink into the softness underneath. Hands above her head, she closed her eyes as she sighed. A girl can get used to this.
Stealing Beauty (Fairy Tales After Dark Book 1) Page 10