He sank into her depths with a grateful sigh. “It sounds super to me.”
“Just go slow,” she said. “We don’t need to go falling out of this hammock.”
“I can do slow.” Clifford kissed the side of Annette’s neck. “It’s hard, because you feel so damn good, but I can do slow.”
Annette pushed her hips backward, setting a leisurely pace for their lovemaking. “I like slow.”
“God, so do I,” Clifford groaned. His grip on her hips tightened; in the morning, Annette would find a ring of small bruises. “This is so good. You’re so good.” He thrust a little deeper. “I think I’m falling in love with you, Annette.”
Hearing that took Annette’s breath away. She froze for a moment and then relaxed back into the rhythm of their lovemaking. “Me too,” she sighed, repeating herself as her orgasm approached. “Me too, me too, me too.”
Chapter Seventeen
The sun came up early. Annette and Clifford rolled out of the hammock carefully. They were both a little sore and stiff from a night sleeping outdoors. Annette was stretching when Hank came onto the back porch.
“You guys have to hide now!” he announced. “Hans will be here before too long. Don’t ruin the surprise!”
“I guess that means we’re not getting any coffee,” Clifford said to Annette. Hank said nothing, turning on his heel to re-enter his cabin.
“Don’t ask him for anything,” Annette said. “We don’t want him to change our mind and tell us to leave.”
Hank reappeared at that moment, carrying a mug of coffee. He thrust it into Clifford’s hands. “I will need that cup back because it’s my favorite cup,” he said. “So drink fast.”
Clifford took a sip of the coffee and winced. “Wow,” he said. “That’s hot and sweet.”
“Three spoons of sugar in every cup,” Hank said. “That’s what makes a boy sweet and strong.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
The sound of an approaching vehicle filled the air. “That is Hans coming!” Hank said. He snatched the coffee mug from Clifford’s hands. “You guys need to hide right now.”
Clifford and Annette positioned themselves on either side of the cabin’s back door. Clifford texted his police contact, showing Annette the message that said two units were on their way.
“Hank!” Hans said. “I have come to see you. Do you have the paintings I asked you to do?”
“This one is ten dollars, and this one is ten dollars, and this one is ten dollars, and this one is ten dollars,” Hank began.
“It looks like they’re all here,” Hans said. “I can’t stay long and visit with you this time, cousin. I have places to go and people to see.”
“But you’ll miss your surprise if you leave too soon!”
Hans’ voice grew very serious. “What surprise, Hank?”
Clifford took this as his cue. He opened the back door and stepped inside. “Hello, Hans.”
Hans paled. “Oh, my God. How did you find me here?”
Clifford shook his head. “The question you should be asking is how come Wilbur Ross’ goons aren’t here first?” He smiled. “Someday he’ll learn how to hire quality help.”
“I can get you your money,” Hans said. “Well, not all of it. But most of it. Sixty percent of it.”
“Somehow I don’t imagine you have that kind of cash on you,” Clifford said. “And I’m not willing to take a check.”
Hans was trembling. “I can get it though. Honest to God I can.”
Hank looked troubled. “This is not a good surprise.”
“You think?” Hans snapped at him. “You moron, you’ve ruined everything!”
Hank froze. His eyes filled with tears.
“Don’t be an asshole to him,” Clifford said. “He’s got a real genuine talent that you’ve been exploiting shamelessly. If anyone’s a moron here, it’s you.”
Hank had been following conversation carefully. He crowed with glee at Clifford’s pronouncement. “You’re the moron, cousin! Not me.”
“We’ll talk about that another time,” Hans said. He turned on his heel and started for the door. “I’ve got to go now.”
“What about my hundred dollars?” Hank wailed. “You said it was ten dollars for this one, and ten dollars for that one, and ten dollars…”
“Shut up!” Hans lost his cool and broke for the door. He opened it, only to find himself face to face with a Maine State Trooper.
“Hans Grüber, we have a warrant here for your arrest.”
“I have to say you clearly went above and beyond your job description,” Madison said, raising her champagne glass high. “A toast is definitely in order. To Annette!”
“Hear hear!” Moshe Feigenbaum was beaming. “I knew you were something special when you first came to work for us. But I never dreamed that I would be reading in the New York Times about you single-handedly capturing a dangerous fiend!”
“Well, it was hardly single-handed,” Annette said. She’d had more than a few glasses of champagne at this point, and it seemed very important to her that she be very clear about what happened. “Clifford was there. And the police did the actual capturing thing.”
“Pfft!” Moshe dismissed her concerns with a wave of his hand. “You are a star. Nobody can tell me different.”
Clifford laughed. “Don’t argue with Moshe, darling. He’s a very wise man.”
Annette blushed. She was still adjusting to Clifford acknowledging their relationship in front of others. It felt strange, but good. Also strange but good was the experience of checking her bank balance: since Madison arranged for the three million in reward money to be paid to her, Annette was a rich woman in her own right.
“I guess you’re right,” she said.
“It’s going to be hard to go back to shopping for surrealists after such an adventure,” Moshe said.
“I’m looking forward to it. And there is an artist I want to talk to you about, Moshe. We discovered him in Maine. He’s a little different, but very, very talented.”
“What artist isn’t different?” Moshe said. “If you think his work is interesting, it’s probably worth taking a look at.”
“We’ll bring a few pieces down next week,” Annette said.
“Don’t fill up your calendar just yet, darling,” Clifford said. He set his phone down, looking very serious.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“That was Wilbur Ross, of all people.”
Madison’s eyes went wide. “What did he want?”
“He’s calling for help.”
“We can’t help with the Hans situation,” Madison said. “He’s going to have to go through the same process we did to recover his money.”
“No,” Clifford said. “It’s not that. Someone’s stolen his entire collection of Warhols right off his walls.” He turned to Annette. “And he wants us to find them.”
THE END
I Will Make You Mine
A College Love Triangle Romance
Serena Silver
I Will Make You Mine
Copyright 2017 by Serena Silver
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to a person, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Warning: Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older, and all acts of a sexual nature are consensual.
Prologue
&nbs
p; Lucas Sawyer spent most of the evening not thinking about Ella Scott. In other words, Lucas Sawyer spent most of the evening trying not to think of Ella Scott. He did spend around thirty minutes not thinking of Ella before she came into his vision and his resolve crashed there and then.
Lucas was tall with dark black hair, which much like himself never seemed to cooperate. He was handsome, with a strong jaw and a long, straight nose. He had an easy smile, a crooked grin and an air of arrogance around him though deep in his heart, he was a good person. His tall demeanor was perfect for a basketball player. He had been elected captain while he was a freshman; something that had never happened before in the history of the university. He was also an eloquent writer. His articulate talent for writing combined with his passion for basketball was what made him so alluring to women. That, coupled with his good looks and distant conduct made them swoon over him.
Lucas watched as Ella walked hand in hand with Patrick, their backs retreating as they walked away from where he stood. Ella’s blonde hair swung as she walked. She seemed to be in an intense conversation with her boyfriend. This was the first time he was seeing her in two months. He had been away on holiday with his family and had barely had any contact with her during the holidays. His gaze lingered on her for a moment. Lucas turned away as he brought the cigarette to his lips. Inhaling deeply, he allowed the smoke to engulf him. Instantly feeling better, Lucas started to head towards the ground where he knew his best friend Adam would be waiting.
Meanwhile, Ella Scott wished she was anywhere but where she currently was.
“I love you,” Patrick had said, only minutes earlier, shattering their perfect moment. They were sharing a fantastic kiss before Patrick had pulled away and decided to confess his love for her.
Love. Love was great. Love was fantastic. She certainly liked Patrick a great deal. He was gentle and unassuming. She liked the way his hands rested on her hips when he kissed her. She liked how he had been extremely respectful in front of her parents when they met him in the summer. He was absolutely gorgeous, with smooth brown hair, tender brown eyes and a charming smile that was never used with bad intentions.
She liked Patrick.
She loved someone else (though she did not know it yet).
Ella sighed. “I can’t say that back,” she told him. Patrick had guessed that much when he saw the confusion in her eyes during the thirty seconds between his confession and her reply. “I mean,” Ella pressed on. “You know how I am. I can’t say that back until I’m sure I absolutely mean it. I like you, Patrick and I care about you a lot but until I truly, completely, unconditionally meant it—”
“I understand,” her boyfriend smiled down at her though he looked dejected.
“We’ve only been together a month,” Ella tried to explain again.
“I know. I was just telling you how I feel. I wasn’t expecting a reciprocal, Ella.”
He kissed the top of her forehead and started to walk again, pulling Ella along. She noticed how quickly he had brushed off the disappointment and moved on. Adding that to his list of admirable qualities, Ella continued to walk with him.
Ella Scott didn’t care much for drama. In fact, she cared so little that she would barely know of any taking place around her had it not been for her best friend Mary Shields, who, contrary to Ella, lived for gossip and drama. Ella’s first instinct was always to roll her eyes and consider it to be childish when people talked about drama as if it was the next NASA discovery of life on Mars. And that is precisely what she did when she walked through the corridors of the Astronomy department of her college and heard of the latest scandal of some poor guy and girl who had no idea they were going to become the topic of discussion the next morning. Patrick had gone off for his classes, leaving Ella to attend to her own.
Meanwhile, Mary Shields had her arms around Stebbins’ neck as they shared a kiss. They had found themselves in a small bathroom in the early hours of the day. Stebbins had accidently turned the tap on a few times, and Mary’s panties seemed to be missing but other than that, the experience was well worth a few bruises. Stebbins grinned at her as he fiddled with his belt. Mary sat on the sink, feeling light-headed and blissful. It was only the first day of classes, and she was already missing them in favor of having sex with her boyfriend (was he even really her boyfriend?). All promises of ditching boys for studying had been forgotten this morning. But Mary still believed she could stay on track. Smiling happily, she exited the bathroom alone (Stebbins had exited a few moments earlier) and headed for her first class.
Chapter One
“Luke!” Ella called out. Lucas, who was leaning on the pillar as he watched Adam and the rest of the team play, turned around at the sound. Ella was jogging towards him. He felt himself cheer up against his will as he watched her approach. “Luke!” she said again before throwing her arms around him. Lucas laughed at her enthusiasm as she hugged him tightly. Her soft blonde hair brushed against his cheeks, and he noticed that they smelled of rosewater. His arms wrapped around her waist.
“Whoa, missed me?” he asked her.
“Was positively lost,” Ella said as she released him. As she stepped back, he finally got a good look at her.
Ella Scott had straight, blonde hair that fell to her waist. She had a pretty face with brown eyes and a golden nose ring which went nicely with her facial structure. She was almost as tall as Lucas. She had pulled back her hair with a black hairband which matched with her black outfit. Ella wore black a lot; in fact, sometimes it seemed as if her whole closet consisted of black items and nothing else.
“I haven’t seen you in two months. You need to tell me all about Italy,” Ella said.
“Eh, there isn’t much to tell.”
“Oh come on!” Ella’s eyes were twinkling. “I’m sure there are a few stories. I’ve heard Italian women are very pretty.” She raised her eyebrows meaningfully.
Lucas laughed.
“I saw you earlier,” he said, changing the topic.
“You saw me, and you didn’t come up to meet me? Even though we haven’t met in two months?” Ella feigned anger. “Is this what our friendship has been reduced to?”
“You were with Prince Charming,” Lucas replied. Prince Charming was the name he had come up with for Patrick out of bitterness at first, but now it had become somewhat of a private joke between the two. Patrick was the old fashioned, gentlemanly type who was literally the Prince Charming of any girl he dated.
Ella rolled her eyes. “Prince Charming dropped a bomb on me today.”
“How amusing. What was it?”
“He said he loved me.”
Lucas’s heart skipped a beat, but he tried to tell himself he doesn’t care anymore. “Good for him,” he replied, without a hint of anything he felt.
“I didn’t say it back, though,” Ella continued. “I couldn’t say it back.”
“What did you say, then?”
“I told him I can’t say it back.”
Lucas smiled inwardly at that. It was such an Ella thing to do. Some girls would feel pressurized to say it back and end up lying. Others would not respond. Ella would answer and tell him she can’t say it back. Lucas also felt a vicious happiness at that. Ella didn’t love him. That should mean something good for Lucas.
Lucas Sawyer and Ella Scott had been friends since high school. It didn’t start off too smoothly which was partly because of Lucas’s extreme arrogance and his belief in his undeniable charm. Lucas Sawyer was as popular as any teenage boy can hope to be. He was every girl’s dream; basketball player, poet and the son of a big business tycoon. Lucas relished in the attention and admiration he received. So naturally, Lucas felt as if he was going to get any girl he set his mind on. In his haughty teenager phase, Lucas had asked Ella out multiple times. Normally, her harsh replies always amused him since he was convinced that no girl would want to deny Lucas Sawyer and that she was only playing hard to get. It became more of a game to Lucas: How to get Ella Scott to say yes to him
. He was obsessed with playing this game. It was only later that he realized somewhere along all the games, the intense but interesting arguments with her and the rare, calmer moments when they weren’t arguing, he had fallen for Ella. He didn’t tell her, though. Once he stopped asking her out at every opportunity he had and deflated his ego a little, which happened in the summer after high school, Ella and Lucas developed a close friendship. As fate would have it, they even ended up at the same college.
Adam jogged to where Ella and Lucas were continuing their playful banter.
“Ella Scott,” he greeted.
“Adam,” Ella sang giving him a one armed hug. “Why haven’t I seen you all summer?”
“I can ask you the same question.”
Adam looked around at the stands which had a few onlookers watching. Most of them were girls whose only interest in the game was Adam. He seemed to be enjoying that greatly. Adam Murdoch was handsome, to say the least. He was like the hero of several clichéd romance movies. Careless, trouble maker and mysterious, Adam Murdoch was the most popular one from the two friends. He had probably kissed every girl he had ever known at some point in his life, and his idea of female friendships was physical more than anything else. His dark hair fell into his eyes, and his tall frame had just the right amount of muscles and build.
Ella left the boys on the basketball court as she headed back to her apartment but was met with Mary at the exit.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Mary told her. “Should have guessed you were with Lucas.”
“Came to say hi.”
“Lucas had grown even more handsome after the summer.”
“You’re not allowed to sleep with Lucas, Mary,” Ella said sternly. “He’s one of my best friends, and that would just ruin everything.”
Mary rolled her eyes. “If I had a ‘best friend’ half as good looking as Lucas, I would be sleeping with him right now.”
The Virgin Secretary: A Billionaire Romance Page 32