Alveus (ABC's Inc. Romance #1)

by Lara Earlman

  »ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

  Dane road the elevator to the fourteenth floor and stepped out into the reception area.

  “Good morning Mr. Wellesley; Mr. Ingram is waiting for you in his office,” the pretty young receptionist sang.

  “Thank you, liebling,” Dane pleasantly flirted. He was in a fantastic mood. Keith had come through for him! His friend had found a call girl willing to take on the assignment. He also assured him that the woman had breeding and class. Frankly he found it impossible to believe that the kind of woman his friend had described would offer herself up for money, but who was he to judge what brought a person to the point of demeaning themselves. He tapped out a joyful rhythm on the door before opening it.

  Taking two steps into the office, Dane stopped and stood dumbfounded! The woman seated stiffly in one of the leather chairs was breathtakingly beautiful. Her hair had the color and silky smooth shine of newly polished cherry wood. The unusual color coupled with her alabaster skin, mesmerized and drew him in. She glanced at him through the thick lashes of downcast eyes… shy? He felt something stir within him, penetrating through deep recesses. Impossible. Dane yanked his eyes away from the woman and locked onto his friend’s smug face. Keith broadened his smile.

  “Dane, I’d like you to meet your fiancée, Aly Pro… um, Prost,” he gestured to the woman, who stood up and offered her hand. “Miss Prost, Dane Wellesley.”

  The woman seemed to falter for a split second, but her chin came up and a pair of the palest blue eyes Dane had ever seen, locked onto his. The impact nearly knocked him over! Why would such an exquisite creature put a price on herself? He tried to imagine the kind of dire straits that could bring her to such a decision.

  Forcefully, regrettably, he pulled his eyes from hers and inspected the rest of the package. She was wearing a mint-green silk suit with a cream camisole, classy, and yet feminine. Its pleated skirt did nothing to hide her curvaceous hips, nor the shapely legs it caressed. Danes body responded as he imagined his hands doing the caressing. His eyes retraced their journey upward, to linger on her breasts. They prowled the thin fabric of the camisole, as if demanding it to reveal its precious cargo.

  “Ah-hem!” The clearing of his friend’s throat succeeded in wrenching Dane back to his surroundings.

  “I take it you approve, then,” Keith said. “Now, if you plan to get your fiancée settled in Oma’s house, you’d probably better get going; especially, if it’s your wish to introduce Frollein Prost to your grandmother before she retires for the day.”

  “Of course, thank you, Keith,” Dane shook his friend’s hand, sealing the deal. He turned to Lexi, “Your things?”

  “Already in the boot of the Phaeton,” Ingram said.

  “Pretty sure of yourself,” Dane teased, “and the paperwork?”

  “Everything’s in order,” his friend assured. “I didn’t get this position on just my good looks, you know.”

  “Looks and brains, how did I get so lucky?” Dane was in a mood to fuel his friend’s ego. It was beginning to look like things just might work out. Oma would be kept happy with the challenge of persuading his girlfriend to marry her grandson, and he might actually look forward to spending time with the beautiful creature posing as the love of his life. He couldn’t seem to wipe the grin off his face. Yep, perhaps it’s time to look into a raise, or at least a bonus, for his corporate lawyer.

  During the long drive to Oberstein, Dane tried to recruit his passenger’s help in concocting a feasible story for their fictitious relationship, one which would satisfy his wily grandmother. Unlike any of the other woman he’d spent time with, Aly did not chatter on insistently about herself, offering up tidbits of her likes and dislikes, family members and where she’d traveled. In fact it was a challenge to get her to speak in more than monosyllables.

  “Is Aly short for Allison?” he asked.

  “Okay,” she shrugged.

  “No, I mean… never mind.” He couldn’t help grinning. She is definitely unique. “You’re American, right?” He received a nod. “I make frequent visits to our New York City office; I’ve even got an apartment there. It seems like the logical place for us to have met. Are you familiar with the city?”

  “Yes,” Lexi replied.

  »ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

  Lexi had visited New York City with her parents when she was a child. More recently, her friend Fani had lived there. They used to Skype, and Fani was full of adventures to share with her. Lexi lived vicariously through her friend, imagining being in her place. Especially on her mother’s difficult days, the days when she would yell at her as if a stranger, cruelly demanding that Lexi get out of her house. She glanced surreptitiously at her companion.

  Dane Wellesley was yet another chafe against the empty wall of her emotional core. He didn’t recognize her. Daney had been her first love, her first crush at the tender age of twelve. Actually, her feelings for him started years earlier when she’d first met him. He and his grandparents had been guests in their home when the business moguls got together. The Brightons and the Albertons had been friends long before she and Dane had come along. Alex Alberton, Henry Brighton and Fani’s father, Lee Carsten had risen into powerful businessmen at the same time, and with the support of each other. They had called themselves the ABC’s.

  Lexi really couldn’t fault Dane for not recognizing her. She might not have identified him, had he not been introduced by name. His arrogance was also forgivable. He was, after all, a formidable businessman – if the media could be trusted. God given, drop-dead good looks, added to the package. Admittedly, Lexi had seen the pictures online of him escorting beautiful women around New York City, but the photos did not do him justice. His light brown hair was cut short and professionally styled, except for one rogue curl reaching down his forehead toward amber eyes. Dressed casually, his blue long-sleeved Henley emphasized the bulging muscles of his arms, not to mention a rippling chest. As she scrutinized the man beside her, Lexi could envision the boy he had been, though he had changed. She never would have dreamed that boy would grow up to treat human beings, women, as objects to be bought and sold. Another dream crushed.

  As Dane drew a picture of their fictional love story, the irony wasn’t lost on Lexi. She’d lost count of how many nights she had fantasized being in this very situation.

  Lexi eyed the beautiful old estate as Dane stopped the car at the front entrance. Handing the keys over to an awaiting servant, he quickly strode around to her side of the car, opened the door, and reached in to assist her. Pulling her out, he eased her against the car in an embrace.

  “I’d venture a bet that Oma is watching from the front sitting room,” he said into her ear, proceeding to nuzzle her neck affectionately.

  Lexi wasn’t prepared for her physical response to the gesture. The tingle it ignited spread through her body and brought forth an involuntarily gasp. Dane pulled back and searched her eyes, a puzzled expression on his face.

  “Don’t be afraid,” he said, misreading her reaction to the intimacy. Leaning in close, he placed his lips on hers in a gentle kiss. “Oma will immediately fall in love with you. Anyone who can put up with me goes straight to the head of the class, as far as she’s concerned. Come on.” Before Lexi could get a grasp on the startling new sensations she experienced at his innocent gestures of intimacy, Dane took a hold of her hand and escorted her into the house.

  »ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

  Chapter Three

  “Guten tag, Frau Brighton; it is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  Dane hid his surprise as Aly greeted his grandmother in her native language. The words flowed smoothly out of her mouth with barely an accent.

  “You are German?” Oma said, her brow creased in confusion. “I cannot distinguish your accent.”

  “No, Oma,” Dane quickly intervened, “Aly’s an American.”

  “But you speak the language so well,” she persisted. “Your family is German?”

  “Not that I’m aware of,” Aly said,
still speaking the tongue. “Languages come easy for me. I spent some time in this country, as a child.”

  “I see.” Dane recognized the calculating look on his grandmother’s face. Apparently his fake fiancée had peaked her interest. “You may speak English in this household, Daney prefers it.”

  Aly shot him a teasing smile at his grandmother’s use of the childhood nickname. The look caught him off guard – so in character, yet so real, so honest, so intimate. It very nearly knocked his feet out from under him. He gave her an embarrassed grin and kissed the top of her head. Noticing Oma’s scrutinizing gaze on him, Dane suddenly felt like a child again. He’d met that look many times whenever he tried to hide a misdeed.

  It seemed the tables had turned. With that one act, Aly had won Oma’s favor, and now his grandmother would be putting his sincerity into question.

  “You must be tired from all of the traveling, ein bisschen,” Oma addressed Aly. “Bruna will show you to your room. I must speak with my grandson for a moment, before I take my rest.” Aly took the elderly woman’s hand in hers.

  “Thank you, Frau Brighton…” she began, but Dane’s grandmother interrupted her.

  “You must call me Oma,” she said. “After all, you are soon to be part of the family.” She gave Dane a challenging look. Aly leaned down to kiss his grandmother on the cheek, and then turned to follow Bruna.

  “What about me, liebling?” he asked, with an exaggerated pout. To his delight, she changed direction and planted a tender kiss on his cheek.

  “I’ll see you later, Daney,” she cooed in his ear. Her husky voice sent wake up signals to his groin.

  Pulling away, she met his eyes with a mischievous glint in her pale blues. After throwing an embarrassed glance in Oma’s direction, Aly followed the housekeeper into the corridor. Dane stood staring at the empty doorway. The room felt vacant after her departure and he ached to run after her. What the hell was happening to him?

  Shaking himself out of his stupor, Dane turned to face his grandmother.

  “What?” he asked, defensively. Her look was chastising, coated with a glimmer of wickedness. “Does Aly not meet with your approval, Oma?”

  “She’s lovely, but not really your usual type, now is she?”

  “And what would you know of my usual type?” he quipped.

  “There is no need to take that tone with me, jungen!” Oma leaned her head back, as if weary. “Sitz,” she commanded, pointing to the chair. Dane automatically obeyed, putting an end to his agitated pacing. “Danke,” she sighed.

  “To answer your question – I am not now, nor have I ever been blind, Daney. Yes, she is beautiful, as have been all of the females you’ve escorted, but unlike the others this one has an unassuming beauty. Hers comes from within.”

  “Okay, so then what’s the problem?” Dane didn’t know why he was feeling so defensive under Oma’s watchful eye.

  “The problem is you, jungen,” she answered sadly.

  “ME?”

  “When you entered manhood, I watched as you hardened your heart. You allow no one to get close. It has saddened me greatly and cut into my soul that you have made it impossible to find what your Opa and I had. Liebling, your soul must soar, your heart must be free to cherish and be cherished. That is why I desire for you to marry. There is no living without love.” Oma coughed and pointed to her water glass. Dane passed it to her and waited until she drank.

  “Daney, this girl you have brought home to meet me, I can see that she has already made progress in cracking through the iron-clad veneer you have placed around your heart. Do I approve of her? Oh, yes. She is special. So special, that she is oblivious to it. A part of me already loves her, but my liebling, are you ready to allow her in?

  “This girl, this Aly – she is already broken, Daney. If you let her in, you can heal the both of you. If you keep her out you will both survive, but if you hurt her… well, I don’t know.” Oma shook her head.

  Dane wasn’t sure what to think about his grandmother’s ramblings. It was a bit melodramatic. He had always valued her ability to get into the soul of an individual. Hadn’t Keith mentioned something about that? It’s true that she’d never cared for his friend. Dane smiled. Keith avoided any opportunity to be around Oma. Still, she was getting old and her health isn’t what it once was. Her mind is probably failing as well.

  “So, what rooms have you put Aly in?” he asked, preferring not to comment on her dissertation.

  “Those across the hall, attached to the front sitting room,” she answered.

  “What? I’ll have her moved into my wing. We might disturb you here, with our comings and goings.”

  “She will stay where she is; you know how I feel about your shenanigans under my roof.” Oma closed the subject. “Now, before you leave me to my rest, do you still wish my help convincing her to marry you?”

  Dane didn’t bother to answer as he stormed out of her room – she probably didn’t expect an answer! If she was so smart you would think that she’d realize that one woman messing with his head was enough!

  »ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

  Lexi was exhausted. Visiting with Dane’s grandmother had brought her back to a time when she had been happy. When she was a child, the Alberton home had been filled to the brim with people and laughter, especially during the summers when the private schools were closed. Her parents would host the ABC’s and their families. Dane and she had no siblings, but the Carsten’s had two sets of fraternal twins! They called them the Bobbsey Twins after the long running series of children's novels, by Laura Lee Hope. Dane was the eldest, three years older than Greig and Gretchen Carsten, then Lexi at two years their junior, with Stefan and Stefani as the youngest, one year younger than Lexi.

  She kicked off her shoes and dropped across the bed. Lexi allowed herself a few moments of contentment, feeling safe and protected in the familiarity of her memories. As kids, they would swim, bike, camp out on the grounds, and oh the pranks they would play on one another! One time the boys scared the girls into thinking their tent was being attacked by bears – seriously in the suburbs of Washington D.C.? The girls retaliated the next night by waiting for the boys to fall asleep and then filling their tent to the roof with blow-up bears! The guys had torn the tent down digging their way through them to find an exit!

  Dane was always taking up for Lexi. It evened things out somewhat when the Carstens teamed up against them. Lexi was petite, even shorter than Fani, and she had despised her red hair, especially when they began calling her Pippi after the Pippi Longstockings books. The nickname turned into Pipsqueak, covering both of the features she hated most about herself; but no one had dared call her that to her face! Young Lexi had lived up to the stereotype of redheads with a volatile temper. She suspected it was Dane that started the nickname, but just couldn’t accept that he would be that mean. It seemed Lexi loved him from the moment she could recognize his face, and it had torn the twelve-year-old up when Dane left for college at the age of seventeen. She never saw or heard from him again – until today.

  Lexi was startled awake with a kiss! She opened her eyes to Dane’s smiling face.

  “Wha…what are you doing?”

  “I thought Sleeping Beauty was supposed to be woken with a kiss,” he answered coyly. His hand brushed her neck and stroked her collar bone. Lexi shuffled her way to a sitting position, putting as much distance between them as possible with him sitting on the bed. His grin only widened, as if enjoying a game.

  Reality slammed into her chest – Dane owns her!

  Sure it was against the law, but the threats Dane’s lawyer had spoken came rising up in her gut like bile.

  “You will make yourself available to him for whatever he wants, do you understand? My friend has needs and you will fulfill them. If he is dissatisfied, then I will be unhappy. If I’m unhappy I will see to it that you’re unhappy. My friend will get his money’s worth and mark my words, you did not come cheap. He will have no qualms about returning you to the selle
r and it’s my understanding that the next highest bid for you came from the Middle East.”

  »ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

  Dane watched as Aly’s eyes widened with fear and then became haunted. If possible, her face turned even paler. What the hell just happened?

  “Are you okay?” he asked. She nodded. “Well, I just wanted to tell you that dinner will be served in the sitting room. You have time to freshen up, if you’d like.” She nodded again. Weird chick. He exited through the door to the sitting room.

  Dane had entered Aly’s room with innocent intentions. She hadn’t answered his knock so he peeked inside. When he saw her asleep on the bed he lost control over his feet. They instinctively walked over to her and he tenderly kissed the beautiful smile that was on her lips. She was so relaxed and happy – and God, so beautiful.

  He reached in his pocket to pull out his phone – no, on second thought he wouldn’t call and question Keith about her tonight. Maybe she’d just gotten disorientated. He put the phone back in his pocket.

  Who is Aly Prost and, more importantly, why did he care? Dane paced the sitting room and stared out the French doors leading to the balcony. No woman had ever taken over his thoughts like the fragile little red-head in the next room. Did he just describe her as fragile? Broken, Oma said the girl was broken. He didn’t need this! She brought herself into the deal. She knew what she was getting into! He’d made it clear that he was hiring a wife. Well, she damn well better drop the excess baggage, he wasn’t running a clinic for the emotionally distressed!

  Dane stopped pacing and drew in a breath. Business, I’ll focus on business, he decided. His eyes lit upon an object on the floor. Bending down, he picked up the lacey little cloth – Oma’s handkerchief. She always had one tucked into her sleeve. So, he’d been right, she had been watching his and Aly’s arrival! Smiling down at the evidence, Dane felt a warmth of emotion arise in his chest. That wily old lady was the only one he allowed a place in his heart.