The Virgin Secretary: A Billionaire Romance

by Cross, Veronica

  “Do not fret, Cecil,” Vivian told him, half turning to him but maintaining her loving gaze upon Alex. “Perhaps if you train harder, you will manage to get more points in future matches.”

  The two are most perfectly paired, Cecil thought sourly. Never have there been a more condescending duo in the history of time. Look at her treating me as if I am an afterthought.

  “I appreciate your vote of confidence, Miss Collier. I will keep that in mind,” Cecil replied, carefully keeping the annoyance from his tone. Vivian was not smart enough to detect the derision in his voice, but Alex would hear it easily.

  “Come along, darling,” Vivian breathed, her sweet honey voice dripping with eagerness. “I have something I wish to show you.”

  Alex grinned, winking conspiratorially at Cecil and nodded.

  “Is that a fact?” Alex replied slyly. “I wonder whatever it could be.”

  Vivian scowled and glanced at Cecil.

  “I would rather not discuss it in the presence of…company,” she replied, her fair cheeks turning pink.

  Cecil could no longer resist an obvious expression of disgust and found his brown eyes staring at the blue skies, smothering a smile. Vivian’s attempt to be covert was useless. It was no secret that Vivian gave herself to Alex both ardently and often. The two had been courting for almost six months, and Vivian was certain that she was to become Mrs. Alex Coville by year’s end. If Vivian had not been so poor at keeping their sensual relations a secret, Alex most certainly could not be trusted to keep his mouth closed.

  “She has more stamina than an ox!” Alex boasted to the men in the club. “She cannot be sated. I have never had another like her.”

  Of course, Vivian Collier’s sexual prowess was no secret among Houma. She had been with several of the town’s wealthiest in hopes of gaining the title as missus to a well-to-do man.

  Privately, Cecil hoped Vivian would become pregnant and publicly shamed, simply because he disliked her so.

  Alex likely has no designs to marry her, Cecil often thought. Should she become with child, he will be forced to do so, and nothing will please me more than seeing him put squarely in his proper place.

  “Excuse us, Cecil,” Alex told him, clapping his back with too much vigor. “I do believe my manly duty is calling.”

  “Alexander!” Vivian hissed, her complexion completely stained in red. Cecil waved as they two hurried off and turned toward the club.

  Perhaps if I pray to God devoutly, this will be the day she becomes pregnant, Cecil thought optimistically.

  “I daresay, that man becomes more arrogant with each passing day,” someone commented as Cecil walked. Whirling, he spun to stare at a stranger, lounging against the gate, examining his nails inconspicuously.

  “Pardon me?” Cecil asked, facing the man. The man chuckled and lowered his hand.

  “That is Alexander Coville, is it not?” Cecil nodded, his muscles slightly tense.

  “It is,” Cecil replied slowly. “And you would do well to remember that the Coville name bears some weight in these parts, Mr.…?”

  The tall, handsome figure lurched forward, extending a tan hand.

  “Vangess. Arthur Vangess,” he replied, and Cecil cautiously accepted the introduction. “And please, do not look so stricken. I have known Alexander since he was in nappies, unfortunately. I see that not much has changed in twenty-five years. But the apple does not roll fall from the tree, as the adage goes.”

  Cecil arched an eyebrow suspiciously.

  “You have known Alex since he was a boy and yet I cannot say I know your name, Mr. Vangess. I find that strikingly odd considering I have lived in Houma since I was in nappies as you say.”

  Arthur Vangess grinned easily as if he was envisioning a time when Cecil would have worn nappies.

  “Perhaps you do not know me now but you will, Mr. Green. You will very soon.”

  Abruptly, Arthur turned and stalked away toward the far side of the courts, leaving Cecil to stare after him strangely.

  How did he guess my name?

  “Oh heavens, more!”

  Vivian threw her head back, thrusting her hips upward. Her sopping depth swallowed Alexander’s fingers, urging him to increase speed.

  “Darling, don’t stop!” she gasped, prepared to release in gushes against his probing hands but he stopped abruptly and peered at her, a leer touching his lips. Rolling his pink tongue alluringly against the bottom of his mouth he shook his head, withdrawing his digits from her center and tracing the juices about his smile.

  “Now that I have tasted you, you must do the same for me,” he told her, unbuttoning his trousers with his unsullied hand and exposing his rigid manhood to her lust-filled eyes. Moaning, Vivian dropped to her knees, immediately taking him into her mouth and Alex thrust inside her, holding her reddish-blonde hair firmly in a fist. She began to gag as he positioned his long shaft into her windpipe, grinding slowly but Alex did not stop, relishing her mild discomfort. She struggled against him, her hands pushing against his thighs and her gags turned violent. Smiling to himself, he withdrew, leaning down to seize her by the hips. Gasping, she clawed at the air as Alex pushed her stomach over the stall door, spreading her tiny cheeks apart and plunged deeply into her smaller opening.

  Howling like a deranged animal, she could only grip the door, her feet dangling off the barn floor as Alex ruthlessly climaxed into her, each stream a deeper thrust into her center.

  “You are so deliciously taut,” he groaned as his seed spilled endlessly into her. Whimpering, Vivian could only wait for him to finish before allowing her onto the ground where she collapsed, quivering.

  “Darling, that was fabulous,” Alex told her, pulling his pants on his broad, muscular hips. “I daresay you become more wonderful with each encounter.”

  “I feel the same about you, my love,” Vivian mewled, struggling to redress with shaking hands. She had not been expecting the unusual turn of events during their lovemaking. While Alex had often touched or kissed the area, he had never once dared do such a blasphemous act. She did not want to admit to herself that she had enjoyed it, despite being unprepared. Their sexual acts were constantly pushing limits of decency and Vivian was happy to oblige Alex’s voracious appetite.

  It proves how much he adores me, Vivian reasoned. Surely that is an act only that only man and wife share. It is only a matter of time before I become Mrs. Alexander Coville. In God’s eyes, we are already married.

  She watched her lover dress as she struggled to do the same, admiring his attractiveness for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

  It was not merely the shock of black hair against the summertime hue of his skin, nor the startling green of his emerald eyes. He was dashing in a way not physically noticeable to the casual observer. He radiated a sense of confidence which other men she had known did not, and Vivian Collier had known many men. She was not entirely to blame for her less than righteous reputation; she was merely apt to fall in love easily, and with that sense of adoration, it only seemed fitting that she bequeath the greatest gift she could offer upon her beloved. Her sensuous, lithe body.

  It does not matter what has happened in the past; Alex and I will be married, and I will never again desire another man, Vivian told herself, smiling at the thought. She knew she was mere days away from Alex requesting her hand, but her impatience grew.

  What is taking him so long to ask my father for my hand? She wondered. I may be forced to ask him if he takes much longer.

  Vivian chuckled to herself. She would not stoop to such an unladylike level. It was improper for a woman to demand marriage of a man.

  But if I were to become pregnant with his child…

  “Hurry along now, Viv,” Alex chided, eyeing her as she sat in the dirt and hay. “Surely a stable boy will be along shortly, and you will be caught in your underclothes.”

  Nodding, Vivian rose to her feet and finished the task of dressing, dusting off the debris which had fallen about the hoops of her b
lue gown. She tucked her small bosom back into her corset gingerly stepped away from the stall. A honey brown mare snorted, and she whirled to cast a glare in her direction.

  Only God can judge me! She told the horse haughtily. Enough with that knowing look or it’s off to the glue factory with you once Alex, and I are wed. We will make beautiful children together.

  As if she understood, the beast lowered her gentle brown eyes but neighed softly.

  “Darling, where shall we go now?” Vivian asked, quickening her pace to meet up with Alexander. He glanced over his barrel-like shoulder as if surprised she was still on his trail.

  “Oh…I have…work to do,” he told her hesitantly. Vivian paused in her tracks and stared after him, a slight sense of alarm growing in the pit of her stomach.

  He must be occupied with his father’s work, she justified nervously, watching as he disappeared around the side of his family’s estate home. She tried to shove the worry from her thoughts, but she could not stop the nagging that Alexander was hiding something. His reputation as a lady-killer had not been covert news in Houma, but Vivian was confident that there was no other in town who could compare to her beauty.

  He could not ask for a better match than me. He would be daft to throw away what he has with me for a cheap hussy. It best not be another woman or they will both rue the day they set foot on this earth.

  As Alex rushed around the side of the house, he exhaled deeply. Vivian was becoming increasingly difficult to shake with each passing day. In the beginning, he had relished the attention which the loveliest girl in town had bestowed upon him. She was by far the most enticing and exciting woman he had ever courted, but as the entire town of Houma knew, Vivian had given herself to many men in her quest for a husband.

  I imagine it is unfair to fault her solely. After all, she did believe that each of those men was destined to marry her.

  There had been three of whom Alex was aware; the first one, Richard had died tragically in a boating accident not three days after putting a ring on her delicate finger. The second man, a widower named Marcus had disappeared suddenly. Some had speculated that he had gone west toward the gold rush, but he had never been heard from since. The third had been the new pastor, and he had succumbed to a heart attack which had left him paralyzed for two years.

  “She is a black widow,” Cecil had told him when their courtship had begun. “Everyone she touches meets an awful fate. Are you certain that you wish to hitch your horse to such a wagon?”

  “She is merely unfortunate in love,” Alex had replied. “I intend to change her bad streak.”

  Truly, it had been his intention, but as he spent more time in the company of Vivian Collier, the more he felt that perhaps she was not the one he was destined to marry. She was exceedingly needy and loathed to be alone. Alexander had been reared as an only child, and while he and Cecil had grown up thick as thieves, he preferred time to his own thoughts, something Vivian could not seem to willingly accept. He also knew that she was highly expectant of a proposal and he felt slightly trapped by the prospect.

  “She is a perfect match for you,” his mother, May had declared. “The Colliers are a well-to-do family, and she comes from childbearing stock. There is a strong bloodline there. Marry her at once and be done with your lady-killer ways, Alexander. You will soon be following in your father’s footsteps, and a wife is very much required for a man in your position. A banker needs a solid wife to help him with his affairs.”

  Alex understood the truth in his mother’s words, but it did not change the fact that but for an incredible physical attraction, he felt little else for Vivian Collier. Perhaps it was that Vivian was not overly intelligent, a feature that most men in his place would consider a virtue. Alexander did not think of himself as most men, however. Beyond his slight arrogance and confidence was a sensitive soul who felt rather deeply for music and art.

  Slipping into the house, his father called to him from the study.

  “Alexander, come in here please,” Harvey Coville called. Reluctantly, Alex paused at the solid double doors, inhaling before pushing his way inside.

  “Yes, father?”

  “Were you fornicating with the Collier girl in the barn?”

  Aghast, Alex stared at him, unsure of how to answer.

  That is a rather specific question. I imagine he already knows the answer.

  “Never mind, I assume by your expression that I have not been misinformed. Have you no shame whatsoever?”

  “Father I – “

  “You nothing! It is bad enough that you insist on seducing an innocent woman but to act like such an animal on my property? You are despicable.”

  “I am sorry, father,” Alex murmured, hanging his head in humiliation.

  Damn you, Everly. I am going to give you a walloping when I get my hands on you!

  He knew the stable boy had been the one to report his indiscretions to his father in hopes of a reward. He hoped his father had walloped him too for being so indiscreet.

  “You must change your whoring ways, Alexander. When are you to put a ring on the Collier girl’s finger?”

  “Soon,” the younger man murmured, averting his jade eyes from his father’s angry stare.

  “I insist that you do it sooner rather than later. I cannot bear listening to the vile gossip they speak of your wife-to-be in town.”

  “Yes father,” Alex muttered, his face flushing red. He was not sure which was more alarming; being caught committing debaucherous acts with a woman or his father referring to Vivian as his betrothed. Alex was certain it was the latter.

  I must learn to be more cautious with whom I speak about Vivian, Alex thought, but he knew the damage was already done.

  “We are attending a ball on Saturday evening,” Harvey continued as if Vivian Collier was only one item on a list of subjects he needed to address. Alexander blinked.

  “I do not know – “

  “It is not a request, Alexander. A very important man has come to Houma with his family. It would be bad form not to make an appearance.”

  “Father, I highly doubt that my presence will affect – “

  “As I said, it is not a request. I imagine that the Colliers will be in attendance also.”

  Alex swallowed the bitterness in his throat.

  “Yes father,” he replied, turning to leave. On impulse, he spun to face his father who had returned to the ledgers on his desk.

  “Father, who is this important man?”

  Harvey Coville raised an eyebrow but did not lift his gaze from the books.

  “His name is Arthur Vangess.”

  Chapter Three

  Connie nudged Olivia in the ribs and gestured toward the door with her chin.

  “Do you see what is considered fashion in these parts?” she hissed in her sister’s ear. Olivia smiled and looked about the ballroom. Contrary to Connie’s distaste for the crowd, Olivia found the party goers to be a dazzling display of lace, tails, and jewelry. The women’s dresses fell flowingly to the marble floor, their sleeves ballooning proudly on the arm of the companions. The men were dressed in proper hats and jackets, their cigarette holders gleaming as white as their shirts. The vast room was lit with soft candlelight with the long, wide windows open to allow for a breeze from the terrace. Outside, Chinese lanterns adorned the tables, and guest mingled about, drinking and chattering.

  “The gala seems to be going well,” Olivia commented, but as she turned, she realized her sister had wandered off.

  Sighing, Olivia turned toward a servant bearing a silver-laden tray and accepted a glass of champagne.

  “Do manage to keep your wits about you,” Arthur hissed in her ear, and Olivia jumped at his unexpected nearness.

  “Father?”

  “Drinking? Olivia that hardly becomes you. I expect more from a daughter of mine.”

  “Father, it is but one – “

  “One leads to two, two to three. Put that glass down at once and mingle with the company.
It is bad enough that your sister is acting sullen. I will not stand for my entire family embarrassing me on such an important occasion.”

  Obediently, Olivia placed the goblet upon a table and smiled weakly at Arthur.

  “Yes, father. I understand,” she replied. Yet she did not understand. She could not determine the reasoning behind Arthur wanting to host such an extravagant affair to announce their arrival in Louisiana. There were strange undercurrents which Olivia could sense but did not comprehend, and it appears the entire room stared at her.

  You are being ridiculous, she told herself. Of course they are staring. They are interested in the new family. Father is right. I must approach the guests and be cordial.

  Inhaling, she stepped away from the hors d'oeuvre table and approached the nearest group. Two men and a woman stood chattering pleasantly.

  “Pardon the interruption,” she started. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Olivia Vangess, daughter of Arthur and Mary Vangess.”

  The trio turned to smile warmly at her and nodded.

  “Indeed!” The oldest man cried. “How lovely to see you again, Olivia. You were but a babe behind your mother’s skirt when I last saw you.”

  “Sir?”

  “I am Frances Green. Allow me to present my wife Vera and my son, Cecil.”

  “Charmed,” Olivia murmured, accepting their palms. “Forgive me, but you say we have met previously?”

  “Indeed, child. When you lived here, but of course you would not remember. You were much too young. That was twenty years ago now.”

  Olivia’s brow furrowed.

  “I am certain you are mistaken, Mr. Green. Our family never lived in Louisiana,” Olivia told him, but before Frances could respond, his eyes traveled toward the entranceway of the ballroom.

  “Ah, Cecil, the Covilles have arrived.”

  Olivia tore her eyes reluctantly from Frances Green’s face and turned to follow his family’s gaze. Paused at the outside entrance were two distinguished looking couples. The older man had piercing eyes which surveyed the room with sniper-like vision as if committing the scene to memory. His waif of a wife hung barely off his coat like an accessory, a pale, flittering image of anxiety.