Killing Time (Ties That Bond Trilogy #1)

by SE Chardou

  I looked into his mesmerizing aquamarine eyes and never broke contact. “Tell me, what was it like when you and Trésor first began to date?”

  He smiled slightly. “First of all, we never dated because I don’t ‘date.’ We fucked one another because we were attracted to each other and wanted to get off. I was a bit wary of the age difference since I didn’t want someone who would become clingy or overly emotional. I needed her to understand she was there for my needs, not the other way around. Her feelings weren’t important to me and . . . she seemed perfectly happy with that arrangement.

  “I could never know it was because she was just as afraid of commitment as I was and that is why she never pressured me. That photographer really did a number on her and he killed a part of her soul when he did that to her. She was never quite the same after that. It took a while to wear her down but that came from the relationship we had. She was my submissive and she thrived while I was her Dom. I was very proud of all the work we did together and it really made me feel like I could give as well as I could get.”

  I lay my head on his chest again. “What does that mean? Were you not always a Dom?”

  “I was but for a long time I could be dominated as well by stronger Doms than myself. It might surprise you to know I have had consensual gay sex before and after the ‘Hamburg incident.’ It’s the lifestyle. You do have those who are strictly hetero or won’t participate with men while they don’t mind a bit of girl on girl action but most of us are bisexual.

  “Once Trésor and became exclusive, I withdrew from the life for a while. I participated in enough club functions to throw Severin off or cause him not to become suspicious but it was just the two of us in our relationship. I lied to her and told her it was because I had to break her down until she eventually became a good slave but I had absolutely no inclination to make her my pet or treat her like a slave. It was an act because I realized your sister wasn’t good with half-measures. She lived her life in extremes and she had to believe she would have to be reduced to the lowest level to comply.

  “You can rest assure the worst it got for us in our TPE was the whole chastity belt thing. That was a sadistic piece of equipment but ironically; she was the one who suggested it to me. She said I wasn’t giving her harsh enough punishments and what good was it for me to leave her in the cage when she could cheat and get herself off? I told her it was about trust but she didn’t get it. She told me I should never trust her and if I was smart, I would make it so she had to suffer more than the humiliation of the cage.”

  Rory sighed. “I realized then Severin had been impersonating me and probably told her I was too soft on her and she took advantage of my generosity. I bought the damn chastity belt and she had never looked so grateful in her life. She wanted me to use it immediately and because I was a bit reluctant, she found a reason to disobey me on something extremely trivial therefore I would have to punish her and use the chastity belt.”

  “Is that what Severin meant when he talked about falling in love?” I inquired.

  “Yes and no because . . . I wasn’t in love with Trésor,” he responded in a soft voice. “I was very fond of her—don’t get me wrong—and I admit I loved her very much. However, there is a big difference between being in love and loving someone. I have thought for a long time I was incapable of falling in love with anyone. My last great love . . . I was eighteen and stupid. She didn’t deserve my love and she is the catalyst I use why I got into the whole BDSM lifestyle in the first place when in reality, it was probably always there.”

  “What happened between you two?”

  He clicked his tongue. “Do you really want to hear about this? It’s all so impossibly dreary and boring. It’s worse than an album by The Verve when it comes to all the angst.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You know all about Renaud, my long lost great love. I think I want to hear about the woman who broke Rory Krieger’s heart.”

  “Fine but I’m only telling you because well…it is you. And I feel like I can tell you anything without judgment. Her name was Mathilde and she was gorgeous: tall and statuesque with olive skin, long honey-blonde hair and the most gorgeous gray eyes I’ve ever seen until I saw your eyes for the first time. Yours trump hers by a mile because they are my favorite colors: green and gray.”

  “Hmm, I would have assumed your favorite color was black. Most of your clothes are at least.”

  “Black is a favorite too but when it comes to eyes, I have always had a weakness for gray and green eyes. Anyway, her coloring came from being a quarter Turkish although three out of four of her grandparents were ethnic Germans. We met at university and she was the apple of my eye.

  “Our relationship was very vanilla for about the first six months until she took me to an exclusive BDSM club she belonged to in Munich. I didn’t realize that is why she wanted me to dominate her in bed. I wasn’t doing what she wanted so she took me there. I had to watch Severin fuck her in full view of the patrons of the club to understand what she wanted from me. I was beyond humiliated and my feelings bordered on hatred but she seemed to crave and need my anger.”

  I wrapped a leg around his waist. “I’m starting to see a pattern. Do you ever have a woman to yourself or do you always have to share with your brother?”

  Rory grabbed my face and made me look at him. “Listen to me: he may have fucked you up the ass but he will never fuck you the same way we just did, do you understand? Your pussy belongs to me and don’t you ever forget it. If he even looks in your direction just tell him what I’ve told you and he will back off.”

  “That’s great in theory but what if I don’t want to do anything sexually with him ever again? No hand jobs, no blowjobs and no backdoor love. Absolutely nothing,” I explained in a rational manner.

  He stared at me intensely. “I’ll make sure he gets the memo and he will never touch you again. Is that clear? And because you know what to look for with him, don’t you ever let him trick you into thinking it’s me?”

  “Is there a question I can ask about you only you would know?”

  “Yes. When did I break up with Mathilde? He believes it was in the spring but it was actually in the winter. December twenty-ninth. She would have never told him and he doesn’t know.”

  I leaned on my elbow as I sat up. “How can you be so sure he doesn’t know or she won’t tell him now?”

  “Because she’s dead. She died on my birthday. I had planned to get back with her but when I found out about the accident, I couldn’t believe it. She was the first death in Munich where Severin was a person of interest.”

  “When is…your birthday?”

  Rory suddenly tackled me on to my back and kissed me deeply. “You’ll know soon enough but that isn’t something you need to be worried about at the moment.”

  I laughed and settled into the comfort of his embrace.

  Part Two

  Discovery

  Chapter Thirteen

  RORY AND I WERE ONLY supposed to stay at the Waldorf for a day but business kept him in Manhattan for longer than we would have wanted. The police still hadn’t completed the inquiry and would not release Trésor’s body until the autopsy results had come back.

  It got to the point where not only did my family become involved but Rory had to call both Gabriel and his family’s personal attorney just to get any news on the investigation. This spurned the department in action and we were promised her body could be flown to France in several days.

  By this time, we had spent more than a week and half in a city I had grown desperate to escape. I didn’t want to explain my resignation from CNW and I sure as hell didn’t want to run into Grayson or any of the Compston family to be honest.

  No one was more surprised about my change of residence or status than I was and I thought it only fair to tell my parents what had happened. In typical Gallic fashion, my mother wasn’t the least bit phased by the change of events. She’d never liked Grayson and although she had her suspicions, she kept most
of her opinions to herself.

  “I take it you haven’t met Johann and Lorelei yet?” she inquired out loud in rapid French.

  “No, not yet. We are still in Manhattan and his parents are back in Germany. You don’t . . . think what I am doing is a bit . . . I don’t know . . . it can’t be copacetic in the least bit,” I paced in the sitting room of the elaborate suite I’d called home for almost two weeks.

  “What do you care what I think or anyone else thinks for the matter, Aurélie? It’s your life. Your sister is dead and it isn’t like you took him from her although it’s probably good you two didn’t meet while she was alive. It sounds like he is crazy about you and with Rory that is a rare characteristic,” she explained.

  “Maman, did we ever hang out with the Krieger children when we were young?”

  My mother was silent. “What makes you think that? There are a lot of adults your age, Aurélie. You two being the same age shouldn’t have anything to do with your decision and whether you want to make a life with him.”

  “That isn’t what I asked and no one ever said anything about a life. We are talking about a very adult relationship where we enjoy having sex with one another and that is it.”

  “If you say so. Perhaps the Krieger children showed up to a seventh or eighth birthday of yours but that is about it. Your birthday is at the end of September and the twins are at the end of May or the first part of June. I’m not good with birth dates—you know that.”

  “Maman, I am starting to think you aren’t good with anything that doesn’t concern you directly,” I said in quick French as I turned around to face Severin. His eyes gave him away as usual and he looked less than pleased.

  “Well, we’ll see you two soon, right? I’ll make a Sunday dinner and you two can come by. How about it?”

  “That sounds great, Maman. Did you two get the…money from the estate yet?”

  “Yes, Gabriel handled it quite quickly. Your father and I were able to pay off our little cottage and we are very happy. After Trésor’s funeral, we are taking a holiday on the Norwegian Cruise Line. We’re going to Alaska.”

  “Sounds like fun, Maman. I will talk to you soon. Love you.”

  “Je t’aime!” she exclaimed and I immediately pressed the off button.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask you the same but with you having such a charming conversation with your mommy dearest on the phone, I didn’t want to appear rude,” he greeted as he looked around before he sat down on the sofa.

  There weren’t many places in the suite Rory and I hadn’t christened so my face burned with embarrassment as I sat beside him. “How can I help you?”

  “He sure did move fast with you. In fact, I haven’t seen my brother move quite so fast since . . . well that quarter Turkish bitch that wasn’t good enough for him. That little pain whore got exactly what she deserved and now, I must watch history repeat itself. He’s making the same mistake with you—he’s falling far too hard and much too fast. I wouldn’t be human if I wasn’t worried about him.”

  I stood and walked over to the bar. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “It’s a bit early for booze. A bottle of water is fine.”

  “San Pellegrino or Evian?” I inquired out loud as I grabbed the French brand of course.

  “The same as what you’re having.”

  I grabbed two Evian waters and walked over to Severin before I handed him a bottle of water. “Are you merely here to intimidate me? It’s the vibe I am getting from you, after all. You’re fully aware Rory isn’t here.”

  “Yes, I know exactly where my brother is. I didn’t come here to see him, I came here to see you.”

  I bit my lip and set my bottled water on the glass magazine table. “What could we possibly have to talk about?”

  “Oh you would be surprised what we have to discuss. You should know this up front, sweetheart, if you break his heart, I will fucking kill you and not bat an eyelash.”

  I didn’t doubt the severity of his words though the reporter in me immediately forced her way to the surface. “Is that what you did to Mathilde?”

  “Ah, he told you the bitch’s name? That fucking slut didn’t deserve Rory’s love and he thought her ass was lined with gold. I hated her from the moment I met her, similar to the way I feel about you.”

  I was taken aback by his attitude. “What have I done to you to make you think I am using your brother? Furthermore, how could you hate me when you don’t even know me?”

  “I hate how you’ve stepped into Trésor’s place and replaced her in his mind’s eye. She should never be forgotten yet he is slowly losing himself in you. What I find so distasteful about the whole situation is he wasn’t in love with her though she was perfect for him. According to Rory, she had some kind of ‘flaw’ he found rather unsettling and he felt he could never truly trust her. However, he can fall in love with you though we both know this relationship is a disaster in the making,” Severin explained as he leaned toward me in anger.

  I didn’t even know how to address his words of venom. Furthermore, I wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted from me. Something inside me screamed he had no right to accuse me of trying to steal my sister’s memory from Rory because this wasn’t the least bit true.

  I wasn’t jealous of my sister and the relationship I had with the man who had been her former lover was nothing like what they’d had together. We didn’t practice domination and submission anywhere except in the bedroom and that wasn’t every time we made love. I had no wish to be a submissive and he didn’t expect me to be one. He was more than happy to accept me the way I was but I couldn’t explain that to Severin because frankly, it wasn’t any of his business.

  “Severin, I have no doubt you care for Rory very much and I am sure you have his best interest at heart but I am not trying to take your brother away from you nor am I trying to replace my sister. Their relationship is over because Trésor is dead. I am not going to supposition what you felt for her either because it truly isn’t my place but…your concerns are unwarranted and unfounded. Rory and I are both grown adults and what ever goes on between us has nothing to do with you.”

  “That is where you are wrong, darling, because it has everything to do with me—he is not only my brother but we are also business partners. Did you persuade him to sign over his ownership of the clubs to me? He didn’t ask for money—he merely asked Gabriel to transfer all his interests in the clubs to my name solely. The only piece of property he still has is Vogue Hotel, Casino and Spa and that was always just a ‘fuck you’ property to our parents because they consider places like Macao and Las Vegas uncouth and wouldn’t be caught dead gambling outside of anywhere other than Monte Carlo. They’re terrible snobs you know.”

  The feeling hit me as if he punched me in the stomach. So that was why he’d asked me about my employment at Vogue—he owned the goddamn casino for Christ’s sake!

  I cleared my throat and never wanted a cigarette so badly in my life though I’d managed to quit and hadn’t had one in over six months with the exception of my slip-up the night I found out my sister had died. I stood and smoothed down the black body-conscious vicuña sweater I wore over a pair of indigo skinny jeans. The outfit had been a recent present from Rory who never tired of buying me anything I wanted. It was nice but I could have gotten the same items from Grayson so it had nothing to do with why I’d chosen Rory over my former fiancé. I walked to the window and looked out at all the buildings and a clear view of Central Park.

  “How well do you know Astrid Schmidt?” I finally wondered out loud after a vast moment of silence between the two of us.

  “Why are you suddenly so interested in Astrid? She has nothing to do with what we are talking about,” Severin shot back in a defensive manner.

  I turned to face him since I didn’t trust having my back to him. “She was the Human Resource manager at Vogue Casino and apparently, she purchased Rory’s Park Avenue penthouse. Don’t you f
ind that the least bit strange?”

  His aquamarine eyes were bright though cold as ice. “She’s our cousin and her relationship with Rory has always been a close one. They met up today for lunch which is how I knew he wouldn’t be here.”

  “He called her a ‘fucking bitch’ when he found out she had visited his penthouse that night after we left the precinct. Why was he so angry with her?”

  “Probably because he found it highly distasteful she would view his apartment the same day Trésor’s body was removed. He probably found the whole situation a bit insensitive on her part as if his lover dying meant nothing to her. Or at least it didn’t register enough for her to wait until the following day to schedule a viewing. Where are you going with all of this?”

  “No where to be honest…he doesn’t discuss your family very much and I would like to get to know who you all are and how I factor into the equation. I would hate for everyone to think I am just some fraud who wants to take over my sister’s place in his life. This wasn’t supposed to happen at all but it did and there is no turning back.”

  Severin stood and strode over to me. “When you’re ready to leave, let me know and I’ll be happy to help you pack.”

  The double doors closed and I had never been so happy to see Rory in my life. I walked over and embraced him warmly before I whispered in his ear, “He’s been here for about twenty minutes and he’s quickly becoming a major pain in my ass.”

  Rory stared at me and smiled before he kissed my lips and slipped an arm around my waist. “What are you doing here? Isn’t this a bit out of the way for you since you’re out in Tribeca? Why didn’t you join Astrid and I for lunch?”

  “No particular reason. I just wanted to come by to see your new love. She seems happy and healthy…are you trying to replace her so you don’t have to remember Trésor?”