Champagne Bubbles & Lipstick Stains: An Erotic Romance (Book 1)

by Janae Keyes

  “A plane?” I questioned out loud as we stood outside of the car.

  “Yes, you will be traveling with Lord Branagan to his Cumbria home tomorrow, which is where all the paintings will go, and you will be working from there,” he informed me knowingly. “You didn’t know that you would be leaving London?”

  “No, I assumed I was staying here the whole time,” I said in shock. “I guess I need to pack up my things?”

  “Yes, you will,” he said. “Lord Branagan prefers to leave early. The plane is set for departure at 8 AM. I will be taking you to the airport around 7 in the morning.” I nodded in response as I worked to process all of this new information. I assumed the home he spoke about was the Branagan Manor I’d read about.

  “Woah, I better get to work with my things,” I said as I started toward the house. Langston jogged up ahead of me and opened the front door, he seemed to do this everywhere we went, I liked the sentiment of it.

  PACKING IS WHAT my afternoon consisted of. Assuming that I would be staying here in London, I’d unpacked my things for an extended stay, but that didn’t seem to be the case. I tried to be as neat as I could with my stuff as I repacked them into my bright pink suitcase and polka dot backpack. I told my parents about the change in direction, they were slightly worried, but at this point, it appeared as if they trusted my judgment as an adult.

  Dinner was alone as always. The roast beef that the chef prepared melted in my mouth, I’d never tasted anything so delicious and succulent. I hoped that the food at Branagan Manor would be just as good.

  I lay in bed awake, jet lag was still keeping a slight hold on me as my body tried to figure out why I was in bed when it should be morning at home. I smacked my dry lips and parched mouth.

  Dragging myself out of bed, I slipped out of the bedroom and padded through the hall and down the stairs. I entered the kitchen, which was all aglow, the glow presented by some lights outside. I searched through the cabinets before I found the glasses.

  I took a bit of water from the faucet and sipped on it while I leaned against the counter. I looked around the kitchen that would be my roommate Anika’s dream. It was a complete professional kitchen with stainless steel appliances and large countertops. Looking above the center work area, there was shelving that had every pot, skillet, and saucepan one would need to create a delectable meal for any occasion.

  Finishing my water, I placed my cup next to the sink. I left the kitchen behind, butt stopped in my tracks as I heard the front door open. Standing as still as possible in the dining room, I listened in carefully to the footsteps and voices. I knew one voice belonged to Langston, but the other, I didn’t quite know.

  “What is all this shit?” growled an angry and deep voice.

  “Ms. Walker’s supplies. Well, what was delivered late this evening. Everything else has been transported to the plane, but the last of the supplies arrived late. It will be taken away to the plane first thing in the morning,” Langston explained to whom I assumed was Lord Branagan.

  I’d been so eager to meet the man, but tonight wasn’t right. I stood in the dark dining room wearing a tank top and very short pajama shorts, my hair was pulled into a bun and secured under a satin scarf. At the moment, I was a mess, and I wasn’t going to be introduced to a Lord while looking a complete hot mess.

  “Ugh, I cannot stand the sight of clutter,” Lord Branagan growled out fiercely.

  “I’m sorry, sir, I tried to have it moved, but I couldn’t get a lorry to come take it away after it had been delivered,” Langston said. Truthfully, from what I could hear, Lord Branagan sounded like a hardass, and it wasn’t right the way he was fussing at Langston about the mess. The store was at fault for being late with the delivery.

  “Whatever, I’m going to bed,” Lord Branagan's voice huffed out. I rolled my eyes at his attitude. Langston was a good employee and didn’t deserve the shitty attitude he was receiving in return for his hard work.

  “Good night, Sir,” Langston mused as I heard footsteps. The steps went up the stairs. After a few moments, I heard a door upstairs slam shut. This guy needed a chill pill.

  Only minutes after the door closed upstairs, the front door opened and shut, meaning Langston must have left. This was my moment. I tiptoed out of the dining room and into the entrance hall and up the stairs right to my room. I knew tomorrow I would most likely be meeting this Lord Branagan and after what I heard tonight, my nerves were on the edge even more.

  FIVE

  THE MORNING CAME quicker than I expected. I’d set the alarm on my cell phone for 6 AM. I quickly showered and put myself together. I knew I would be meeting the man that hired me and traveling, I dressed in a fuchsia shift dress and paired it with black ballet flats. Letting my curls fly free, I picked up my tote bag and left my room behind.

  Just as the morning before, breakfast was waiting for me, but as always there was only one place setting. I dug into breakfast while Sara ran off to get me coffee. I wondered about the people who worked at the manor. I liked Sara, and now I would be meeting a new set of employees.

  “Here is your coffee, Taylor,” Sara said sweetly as she sat down the hot cup of coffee on the table

  “Thanks so much, and thank you for everything that you’ve done for me during my short time here,” I said to the woman who gave me a kind smile. Though I knew this was her job, it amazed me how some people could be so selfless when it came to their assisting of others. I enjoyed not just her assistance and constant care, but her instant friendship.

  “It is, of course, no problem,” she bubbled out with a grand smile plastered on her face. “Now eat up, Langston was going upstairs to get your things, and it will be time for you to catch your flight. You don’t want to be late, Lord Branagan does not like those who are tardy.” I wanted to laugh to myself at this piece of knowledge, Lord Branagan was starting to remind me of my mom who despised clutter and tardiness.

  By the time I took the final bite of the croissant, Langston was walking into the dining room, he was dressed as normal in a black suit with black tie. He gave Sara a wave as he entered.

  “How’s the wife?” Sara asked him. During our day shopping, Langston told me a little bit about his wife, she was pregnant with their third child, and the pregnancy was taking a toll on her.

  “Doing better, she tried that cold water trick you told me about, worked like a charm,” Langston mused out happily. I smiled at the thought of his wife doing well. Langston continued, “I am happy to see her and the kids today when we get up there.” That was a fact I didn’t know, his family was in the area where we were traveling to. I knew that Lord Branagan spent most of his time at his manor home, it only made sense that Langston’s family wouldn’t be far from his home.

  “Give her my regards,” Sara sweetly cooed out.

  “Taylor, are you ready?” Langston asked me.

  “I suppose so,” I noted as I took the final sip of my coffee and stood. I went straight to Sara and threw my arms around her in the biggest hug. Besides Langston, she was one of the first people I got to meet here, and I hoped I would see her again. “As I said earlier, thank you so much.”

  “You are welcome. I hope to see you in London again,” she sniffed out before giving me a kiss on the cheek. I let her go and gave her a final wave as I picked up my tote bag and followed Langston out of the dining room.

  I trailed Langston straight outside and to the car. He opened the back door for me and allowed me to slide in before the door shut behind me. I took a breath, ready for the next part of this adventure. I had no idea how far Cumbria was from London, and that scared me. Where was I going?

  “Umm Langston, where is the house we are going to?” I asked him as he pulled off the street and into traffic.

  “The house is near the town of Ambleside in northwest England, not terribly far from the border with Scotland,” Langston explained to me. I tried to envision a map of the United Kingdom in my head. We would be going up almost the entire length of the cou
ntry today. “My family lives in Ambleside, it is a lovely little town. You will be staying at the manor with Lord Branagan. It is a very beautiful house. I think you will like it. The staff there is limited as per Lord Branagan’s decision.”

  This guy seemed like some sort of recluse. Any information on him was very limited, and he liked to spend most of his time in a manor in the middle of nowhere without many people around. Everything about him intrigued me to meet this lonely fart.

  When we arrived at the airport, I was amazed that we were allowed to drive directly to the plane that awaited us. I looked out of the window at the private plane. This would be my first time flying in something that wasn’t commercial.

  Langston opened my door and allowed me out. He handed over my suitcase and backpack to a man that must have been in charge of loading the luggage. There was another man waiting near, Langston handed him the keys to the Mercedes before giving me a nod. I took that as approval to board the plane. I went up the stairs and stepped inside.

  This was exactly like in the movies. All of the seats were a tan leather and on the headrest was the coat of arms I’d seen on the letterhead. There was a long seat that was shaped more like a couch and a table right in front. This wasn’t anything like flying commercial.

  I spotted the top of a head just peeking over one of the seats that were facing away from me. Langston strode through the plane and to that seat, he bent and began to speak to whoever was there. I stood in my spot nervously awaiting any instructions on where to sit and what to do.

  The person in the seat stood. I was taken aback. The man I was greeted with had shaggy dark brown hair that hit his shoulders. He also had a beard that was scruffy and unkempt. The thing I found odd was this man stood in a very expensive looking gray suit with black tie. He wasn’t a terrible looking guy at all, he needed a good shave and maybe a haircut. It was apparent by the way he moved that his body was built well, and he had some strength on him. I couldn’t exactly explain it, I didn’t immediately find him attractive, but there was something about him that made my heart miss a beat and my stomach flutter. I hadn’t felt anything like that in a long time, I was drawn to him in an unexpected way. I tried to shake it away, but with each lingering second, the intensity grew.

  “Taylor, this is Lord Nathaniel Branagan,” Langston announced to me. I knew at that moment that my jaw had fallen to the floor. This couldn’t be Lord Branagan. First, he looked a mess and nothing how I’d expect a Lord to look except for the expensive suit. Second, he was incredibly young, possibly in his late twenties. I’d lost words to respond. I was expecting some old man who wanted to have some hip young art, but not this at all.

  “Does she speak?” questioned Lord Branagan to Langston, who appeared as if he wanted to laugh at the inquiry. I felt my cheeks growing warm, a smile spread across Lord Branagan’s lips.

  “Yes, sir, she speaks,” Langston answered clearly trying to contain laughter.

  “Er, yeah... Hello,” was all I could manage at the time. His eyes looked directly into mine, they were an intense olive green, and I was taken by surprise at how demanding his gaze was. I felt as if I was a prisoner to his glare. A tingling took over between my legs as I stood entrapped by only the look in his eyes.

  “Well, sit then, it is nearly time for our planned take off. I like to keep a proper timetable,” he spat out to me before sharply turning away and taking his seat once more. I was taken aback by how his mood shifted on me in a single moment.

  My heart pounded, and my cheeks went warm, I was embarrassed and quickly plopped myself in a seat. My shaking hands worked quickly to buckle my seatbelt. I didn’t like the way he made me feel, it was as if I was some annoying and petulant child. He hired me to come and paint for him, and he instantly treated me as if I had no value. I knew I was going to have to find my end point as I would not allow myself to be treated in such a fashion.

  “Lord Branagan,” squeaked the voice of a young stewardess. She stood, obviously nervous with a phone in her hand, it seems he treated everyone in a way that made them appear as if they would crap their pants in any second.

  “What?” he growled out at her.

  “You have a phone call,” she noted as she shoved the phone in his direction. I saw his hand snatch it away from her before he dismissed her away.

  “This is Nathaniel Branagan,” he said in a firm, businesslike manner. There was a quick moment of silence before the explosion. “What do you mean they cannot do it? I was assured this would get done exactly the way I specified!”

  “Asshole,” I muttered to myself. This was going to be interesting, to say the least.

  FOR HALF THE flight, I sat listening to Lord Branagan make business calls. He didn’t sound to be a pleasant man at all. He was constantly making orders to those who worked for him and didn’t seem to be apologetic in any way. I went from being very excited about this job to not very excited at all. This man was brash and rude, though I found myself secretly hoping there was a softer personality underneath his armor.

  I sipped on a cup of tea the stewardess had brought me between her taking care of Lord Branagan’s needs. I looked up to see Langston coming my way. The tall man took a seat in the leather chair right across from me.

  “Enjoying the flight?” he asked.

  “Not too bad,” I mentioned truthfully. I enjoyed flying, and I spent my time on the flight looking out of the window at the green landscape below me. My sketch pad sat on my lap as I’d gotten the urge to do some sketching to pass the time and get some of my ideas down. I leaned in toward Langston and lowered my voice. “Is he always like that?”

  “Like what?” Langston inquired. It appeared that Langston had been working for this guy for too long, this guy was some sort of maniac.

  “Forward and rude?” I questioned. Langston let out a chuckle.

  “He can be intense, but he is a nice guy, trust me,” Langston said. I wanted to believe him, but I wasn’t quite sure if I should. This guy didn’t seem like the person anyone would want to be employed by.

  “I think I’m a nice guy!” a voice called out. My entire body froze up at his words. I would be lying if I didn’t admit to liking the sound of his strong voice that was laced with his perfect British accent. I took a shallow breath at my humiliation. I glanced up at Langston, who simply gave me a smirk before he stood from the seat and made his way back toward Lord Branagan’s seat, where the two men began to chat in low voices. I fogged them out and stared out of the window onto the lush landscape below.

  MY NAME WAS being called out, and I was being shaken forth. My eyes shot open, and I glanced up to see Lord Branagan standing right over me. His olive eyes met mine right away, and he gave me a slight smirk as I sat up and wiped away the cool drool from the side of my mouth. I was slightly mortified at him seeing me that way.

  “Sorry to wake you, but we have arrived,” he announced to me.

  I jerked up and looked out of the window. The plane had landed and everything. We were sitting on the runway, and I spotted Langston outside loading my bright pink suitcase into the trunk of a Mercedes similar to the one he had driven in London.

  “Oh,” I murmured out before covering my mouth in preparation for a yawn to escape.

  I hadn’t realized it at first, but his hand was still on my shoulder from when he shook me from my slumber. His grip on me was firm and demanding, yet oddly protective and gentle in a sense. He glanced down, his eyes just meeting mine before he quickly removed his hand. At the instant loss of contact, an involuntary shiver ran down my spine.

  Without another word, Lord Branagan left me alone on the private jet. As quickly as I could, I gathered my things and scurried off the plane and down the stairs to the car where Langston was waiting with the door open.

  I slid into the car and there I was seated right next to Lord Branagan. I inhaled sharply, I could smell his scent, it was robust and captivating. He smelled like fresh pine with a hint of myrrh, I found it alluring in a way.


  The moment my seatbelt clicked, Langston was off. We left the airport behind us quickly and went off onto the roads. I glanced out of the window, too nervous to make conversation with the man next to me. I was sitting next to this man that there seemed to be an air of mystery around. He was demanding and a tad bit controlling in a sense, but he also put off a warmth about him, I was confused, royally confused, pun completely intended.

  “So, Ms. Walker,” came the voice of Lord Branagan. My head turned rapidly in his direction once again making eye contact with the scruffy man.

  “You can call me Taylor,” I insisted of him as I did with everyone. It felt so strange being called Ms. Walker, it was as if I was a teacher or in trouble with someone.

  “Taylor, I came across your work and was very impressed with the way you worked with color. My home, we are going to, Branagan Manor, has been in the family for a couple hundred years. The artwork in the house is fine, but the entire place is outdated, and I want to add some flare. I didn’t know what I was looking for until I came across some of your pieces. I think your artwork is exactly what the house needs,” he indicated. I was amazed that he was so impressed with what I did. I caught myself smiling at his words.

  “I don’t know what to say … Lord Branagan,” I beamed out. For the first time, in a very long time, I felt valued in what I did.

  “Please, Nathaniel is fine,” he insisted with a soft smile. I don’t know what it was about this moment, the man I’d found myself dreading working for, he now made me feel secure, and I felt like I knew him. I scrunched my nose up at his name. I didn’t know what it was about the name Nathaniel, maybe it sounded a little stuffy, but it was much better than Lord Branagan. “Is there something wrong with my name?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m not sure,” I confessed. He let out a chuckle at my response. “Does anyone call you Nate?”

  “Wow, I haven’t been called Nate since University,” he said with a grand smile. There was something about the way he smiled that showed me he missed being Nate. Maybe Nate was a little more carefree and fun than this Nathaniel or Lord Branagan.