Mated By The Demon Collections: Paranormal Romance

by Riley Moreno

  "Miss" Roberta suspended her fingers mid-air and smiled her million-dollar grin at Henderson. His lips remained as flat and straight as an iron rod. Roberta would have her work cut out for her trying to win the Butler over. That was her secret; get the man that the boss cannot live without on your side and you will be golden.

  "So sorry Henderson"

  "Let's continue then" He abruptly turned and continued down the corridor. He reached a solid door that was closed like all the others, but for some reason Roberta felt drawn to it. Remembering her previous folly, she kept her hands firmly clasped at her side. She would show Henderson that she was quick to learn and would not make the same mistake twice.

  "Wait here" he commanded, then knocked three times and stepped back.

  "Enter" a throaty and commanding voice said. Henderson opened the door.

  "Sir, Miss Roberta has arrived."

  "Show her around Henderson, I simply cannot be interrupted at this time"

  "Of course" Henderson shut silently shut the door, not wanting to further disturb his employer and looked at Roberta, for the first time directly into her eyes. If Roberta did not know better, she thought that she saw a trace of apology in his gaze.

  Easy as pie. Roberta had always had this effect on people. She could get anybody that she wanted on her side. She was always popular in school and was never without a boyfriend throughout her teenage years. Other friends complained that men were jerks and always let them down. Men did not let Roberta down. She simple became bored with them. Bored that they were so pliable and easily gave in to her every request. Sometimes she thought that if she could ever find a man with a backbone unwilling to bend to her charms, she would be his for eternity.

  Henderson led her back down the hall to his own small but quaint office. It was adjacent to the kitchen, so that he could keep an eye on the kitchen staff as well as answer the service door when it chimed. He sat down at his desk and gestured toward the red leather nail-head chair on the opposite side. Roberta sat.

  "Roberta. You come highly recommended."

  She smiled.

  "I suppose it is no secret that Mr. Leon refuses to work with anybody but the best."

  "I also have high standards" Roberta replied.

  "Well let me outline your duties since my, I mean our, employer is otherwise occupied."

  Henderson went on to explain what Roberta already knew. Mr. Leon hired her to orchestrate an elaborate and private wedding ceremony. Roberta assumed Mr. Leon would be marrying the blonde in the white bikini from the photograph. She listened patiently. She did not want to offend Henderson and could tell that he was thoroughly enjoying laying out the details of Roberta's job to her. She sensed that he might not have much to do. The house was grand and employed dozens of staff to keep it running smoothly. Henderson had probably selected and trained each and every one. Paying them so generously, that they would never be tempted to leave. She knew that she had been offered three times her normal rate to plan the party and although she was asked at the last minute and had to shuffle around some prior commitments, she could not refuse because she felt so highly valued. She even had to put a few A-listers on the back burner; it wasn't just about the money. Roberta was intrigued to find out what kind of man would pay such a high price to ensure that his wedding was both elegant and secret.

  "When do I get to meet the future Mrs. Leon?" she asked.

  "You don't" Henderson answered, not quite looking her in the eye.

  "It's imperative that I meet face to face with my client. I have to be able to see their expressions." She said. It's funny how much people Roberta could learn by gauging their reactions. Words tell one story but facial expressions always tell another.

  "Mr. Leon is your client." Henderson answered gruffly.

  "But the bride-"

  "The wedding is to be a surprise."

  "A surprise?" Roberta had planned weddings for movie stars, politicians, business moguls, and even royalty, but none of those weddings had been a surprise. "So the bride doesn't want to know the date of her own wedding?"

  "The bride" Henderson said in a monotone voice. "is not even aware yet that she is getting married. It is to be a surprise in every sense."

  Roberta was stunned, and for the first time in her life, speechless. She blinked three times and took a deep breath to pull herself together. Henderson looked at her straight in the eyes now, as if he was daring her to ask another question.

  "Fine" she said, not willing to let the surprise get the better of her." I assume that there is a list of instructions that you are going to give me." Henderson stood up, unlocked a cabinet, reached in, and removed a leather binder, which he handed to Roberta.

  "Mr. Leon has specified every detail."

  "I will begin as soon as I return to my office."

  "I am afraid that I cannot let you return to your office." Henderson said "It is expected that every detail is perfect, but what is most important, is that the wedding remains secret."

  "Meaning?"

  "We have prepared a room for you here. You will of course have access to a laptop, high speed internet, and a business credit card with no limit."

  "But I have to stay here until the wedding is over?" Roberta guessed.

  "Precisely"

  "It's not a problem" Roberta maintained a professional exterior. "Of course I will need to call my assistant. Mariana will need to cancel my other engagements and run to my apartment to gather my things. I also need to call my boyfriend and let him know that I will be MIA for a few weeks."

  "You have ten minutes. Let Mariana know that I will dispatch our chauffeur to pick up your belongings. Of course she will be generously compensated for the extra time of cancelling your appointments and the hassle of packing your things." Henderson said "I will leave you to make your calls in privacy, then show you to your room."

  "Do whatever you gotta do baby" Her boyfriend Tore said when she told him the news. Roberta knew that he would not dare be confrontational. He never was, but a little part of her was disappointed that he did not protest. Wouldn't he miss her for two weeks? Wasn't he worried about her sudden departure and mysterious excuse? She had been growing more frustrated with Tore's easy-going manner for a few months now, but had been too busy to do anything about it. This last condensation to her will was the straw that broke the camel's back. She was going to have to end things with Tore. He needed to be with somebody that would appreciate his willing-to-please attitude. She needed to be with somebody that would fight back. She decided that she would end it once this whole mysterious secret wedding business was over. She hung up and then dialed Mariana

  "I thought that you would be back by now Roberta, you have clients waiting" Mariana was not as pliable as Tore had been. That is why Roberta had hired her, and why she had grown more dependent on her over the years. Mariana had gone from irreplaceable assistant to irreplaceable best friend. Roberta explained the situation to Mariana.

  "I don't think it's a good idea Bertie." Mariana said, "it's not like you need the money, you have a six month long waiting list."

  "Mariana, it's not about the money, I don't really know why I need to see this job through, but I feel an irresistible pull to this place" An Irresistible pull to that man she had seen in the photograph. That soft hair that she had wanted so badly to stroke. Those beautiful brown eyes. They were beautiful, but unfriendly, and they enchanted her. Roberta shook her head. Those thoughts were unprofessional. He was engaged, and rich, and so head over the hills in love with that skinny white woman that he would throw her a lavish surprise wedding.

  "I'll pack your things, and cancel your appointments," Mariana conceded.

  "Then go on a nice vacation darling". Roberta was feeling generous, but she also had an inexplicable desire for Mariana to be far away. Mariana was the only one who would ever be able to talk Roberta out of going through with this crazy scheme. Roberta did not want to risk being talked out of it.

  "...I do have some frequent flier mil
es that are serious in danger of expiring. The beach, a tropical drink and gorgeous tan bodies might just be what I need." Mariana was convinced. "Good" Roberta thought. "That girl deserves a vacation.

  Henderson had shown Roberta to her room.

  "I think that you will find everything you need Miss."

  "Call me Roberta honey; I'm not your teacher. Although I could probably teach you a thing or two" she said and then winked saucily at the stiff formal man. Henderson blushed, then turned and left. He had given Roberta a security badge and pass code, as well as her own key to the room. She took the key out and fit it into the lock, then pushed the door open.

  Her room was gorgeous, gorgeous. Roberta hired a designer to decorate her apartment. The designer had done a good enough job. The apartment was sophisticated. It was everything that she had asked for, yet she had been a little disappointed. She had expected the designer to deliver something beyond her expectations, something that really wowed, but it had just been fine. Beautiful, but fine. Expensive, but fine. Her apartment looked like it belonged in a high-end home decor magazine, but it feel like home.

  But this room left Roberta breathless. The luxurious pink Turkish carpet was intricately patterned with intertwining roses and felt like velvet beneath her feet. The gilded wallpaper shimmered in the light. The canopied bed was covered in a pale pink duvet and aqua dupioni silk pillows. On the wall was a gilded mirror that looked as if it had hung in the Palace of Versailles. Roberta walked over to it and peered into it, half expecting to see Marie Antoinette looking back at her instead of her own beautiful brown face. She took a closer look at herself and ran a finger across her cheekbones. Her nighttime regimen of applying moisturizer had not let her down. Her face was as smooth as silk. Roberta would always be grateful to her mother for insisting that she take special care of her skin. Her mother had also encouraged Roberta to love her body.

  "Your curves and hills will encourage men to want to explore every inch of you Roberta." she had said. "Only boring men like the skinny twigs, but a real man will appreciate your soft roundness. A real man will want to put his hands all over you and discover what makes you purr." Roberta had had plenty of lovers, but so far, no man had ever made her purr. She was beginning to think purring had been a slight exaggeration. She certainly felt good in the arms of other men. She had felt her body responding as they stroked her smooth brown-sugar skin, but a purring sound had never come out of her mouth.

  Upon further inspection in the mirror, Roberta decided that she could use a little freshening up. She knew that she should get to work right away. There was after all a strict deadline. Pulling off the surprise wedding of the century would be no easy feat and Roberta had to go into battle reinforced with lotions and perfumes the way a knight was reinforced by his armor. Only, she didn't have any of her lotions or perfumes with her.

  Roberta padded across the pink rug through an open door that she had assumed was the bathroom, but she could not be certain because the room was pitch dark. Her feet fell from the velvety carpet onto the cold marble as she fumbled for the light switch. She flipped it as light flooded the room. If Roberta had thought that the bedroom had been suitable for a queen, than the bathroom was for an empress. Pure white Carrere marble covered the floor and walls. The faucets and fixtures were pure gold and the mirror on the wall looked like the mirror in the bedroom's older and grander big brother. She ran her fingers along the claw-footed tub and noticed the bottles next to it. Roberta uncapped one and inhaled the scent. It was flower and citrus mingled with something earthier, almost animal and slightly pungent, yet when intertwined with the other scents, was perfect. She turned the faucet on, poured in the scented liquid, removed her clothes and climbed in.

  Roberta closed her eyes and luxuriated in the bath until her water was no longer hot. It cooled to room temperature and Roberta began looking around for a towel. She couldn't see one. Why had she not taken the time before she climbed in to locate a towel or a robe to dry herself? She had assumed that because every other luxury she had ever desired had been present in the room, a towel would be as well. A soft, fluffy white towel that was so large, she could wrap it twice around her generous body. Roberta closed her eyes again and tried to plan her next move. She did not want to drip on the pink Turkish carpet and risk soiling it. Roberta felt something soft brush her face and abruptly opened her eyes. She saw the pure white towel from her imagination and almost believed that she had willed it to appear. The towel dropped and Roberta's eyes met the most piercing blue eyes she had ever seen.

  "I thought you might need this." A feminine voice said. "Stand up and I will help you."

  It was the blonde-haired woman from the picture. Her future bride-to-be. Roberta flushed with embarrassment and began to apologize.

  "Stop," the voice commanded. "I hate it when women apologize. We are always saying sorry for this and sorry for that."

  "I'm sorry" Roberta said again and began to laugh.

  "Henderson is good but he will never be able to fully anticipate the needs of a woman. That silly man placed this towel in the wardrobe. A man might be able to resist taking their clothes off and climbing into this beautiful tub. Not a woman."

  The blue-eyed blond held the towel open and ready for Roberta without averting her gaze. Roberta was embarrassed but sensed that even if she waited for her water to cool as cold as ice, the woman still would not leave her in privacy. She took a deep breath and stood up. The woman wrapped the towel around Roberta. It was soft and absorbent and probably cost as much as Roberta's rent. The woman's hands lingered for a second and then her index finger territorially touched a droplet of water that lay on Roberta's collarbone. She then placed her finger in her open mouth and licked it with her cat-like tongue. It sent shivers down Roberta's spine.

  "Delicious" the woman declared, then turned and left before Roberta could respond.

  Roberta put her own brown finger on top of the skin that the light thinner finger had just touched. Her skin still burned. She looked around, half-wondering if it had been a dream. As she lifted her eyes up toward the ceiling, she noticed something that she had previously overlooked in her anxiousness to bathe. A tiny black video camera was in the corner.

  "Marianna, I have decided that this is crazy. I mean who agrees to be a prisoner in their Client's home? I know that the rate is incredible but I just..."Roberta trailed off.

  "Are you in danger? Did something happen?"

  "No"

  "Then snap out of it Bertie. I cleared your schedule and told your clients that you were recovering from mono. I booked a ticket to St. Bart's that leaves in an hour and I barely had time to pack myself because I had to send your things to you. I love you hon but if I have to choose between watching you pace around the office in boredom and watching some bronzed foreign Adonis play volleyball, I'm choosing the Adonis. "

  Bertie was silent.

  "Come on girl, it's not like you to be scared away from something. If you are not in danger then what is the hurry? You love a challenge. Can you imagine what will happen to your business if you pull this off? Your waiting list will explode from 6 months to 6 years."

  "It's a secret wedding Marianna" Roberta reminded her assistant, whom she admired for not backing down. This is why she had suggested a vacation. Marianna was a hard worker, but an even harder player. She needed a break every now and then. Roberta knew that Marianna would come back to the office refreshed, invigorated, and ready to work 80 hours a week.

  "It's only secret now, afterwards EVERYBODY will be talking about it. Look I didn't want to tell you this before you left, but I don't know if you fully grasp how rich this Mr. Leon is. He is filthy rich Roberta. He could buy Bill Gates ten times over. If you satisfy his quirky desire to surprise his girlfriend into marrying him, you will be so in demand that you will be able to name your price and there will be a line of filthy rich people just chomping at the bit to hand their cash over to you. Forget vacationing in St. Bart's honey, you could own your own island.<
br />
  Mariana had a point. She would not let this little mishap scare her away. She would have to try and assemble her professionalism. Maybe Mr. Leon and Henderson would never know of the incident with the blue-eyed beauty. They didn't even want Roberta to meet her in the first place. She would throw herself into her work and plan a wedding so beautiful and magnificent Mr. Leon and his blue-eyed beauty would think that they were living in a fairy tale.

  Roberta hung up her cell. She didn't want to keep Mariana any longer. She looked at the bed and noticed her suitcase. She unzipped the Louis Vuitton bag and found a pair of blush pink silk pajamas laying on the very top. It was just like Mariana to anticipate the perfect wardrobe, even for sleeping in. She put them on and began to feel more comfortable in her own skin. Her stomach grumbled and Roberta realized how late it was. She wasn't used to skipping dinner. In fact she couldn't remember the last time that she skipped a meal. She thought it a bit odd that Henderson hadn't mentioned if and when dinner would be served. He had seemed so meticulous that it seemed out of character for him to overlook something as basic as a meal. She would just have to make her way to the kitchen and sneak a little something to tide her over until breakfast.

  Roberta walked stealthily down the hallway. Her slippered feet were silent and made her step lighter than her black pumps had when they first traversed this long and seemingly endless corridor. She found her way back to Henderson's office and noticed that the door was shut. Henderson must have retired for the night, she thought. She silently opened the kitchen door and slipped in.

  "Good evening"

  Roberta jumped.

  "I apologize. I did not mean to frighten you." It was Mr. Leon. He had aged a little from the photograph that Roberta had seen in the hallway. The wrinkles around his eyes had deepened, and his hair had a few streaks of gray, but it still looked soft. Roberta had to will her hand not to reach out and stroke it.

  "I was hungry." she admitted.

  "Henderson set you out a light supper. He was going to bring it to your room, but I told him not to."