by Janae Keyes
“No Langston today?” I asked, thinking of Nate’s driver that I hadn’t seen in quite some time, but I knew his family was busy with the arrival of their newest addition.
“I gave him a couple weeks off to get acquainted with his new son,” Nate cooed sweetly. “Today, I am your chauffeur my darling.” I smiled at Nate, stepping up on my toes and giving him a soft kiss. I found myself relishing in those moments where my lips could meet his. I was excited about today and getting to spend time with him.
“Come on, get in,” Nate whispered against my mouth.
“Okay,” I whispered back as I reluctantly moved away from him and got into the convertible.
Once Nate was situated in the driver’s seat, it was only moments before we were zooming off down the lane and off the property. I loved the freeing feeling of being in the open car. Nate took every bend and curve with precision, he was a great driver himself.
I reached into my small purse and pulled out my sunglasses. Putting them on, I turned toNate, whoo gave me a soft grin as he continued to drive us along. My wild curls blew around in the wind as I took in everything around me.
The ride was only about an hour, and we arrived in a small village on the sea. Nate pulled the car along a curb and turned off the engine. I’d brought my camera, and I was excited to explore this seemingly sleepy fishing village.
I noticed right away that this village was much different from the one nearest to the manor. All the buildings near the manor were stone and seemed to blend in with nature, while the buildings here, along the sea were concrete and painted white and other light colors. Nate got out of the car and came around to my side, opening the door, and helping me out. He laced his fingers with mine and began to walk.
“I thought we could get a quick lunch first at the pub up the road,” Nate informed me.
“I’m always open to food,” I replied with a grin as Nate began to lead me up the road.
The two of us walked in relative silence as I took in the little village. It was quiet for the most part, except for the sounds of fishermen on the docks, seagulls in the sky, and the waves crashing on the shore.
We approached a small pub that sat on the road facing the sea. Nate opened the door and allowed me to step inside. He rapidly positioned himself right behind me, his hand on the small of my back. There was an older gentleman with graying hair behind the bar, he looked up at the two of us and smiled.
“Now there is a face I haven’t seen in awhile, Lord Branagan, a pleasure to have you here again, sir,” the man said kindly as he came around the bar and walked toward us.
“You know Tom, business keeps me busy, but I took the day off. I wanted to bring my girlfriend to enjoy the town, and of course to have the best fish and chips in all of England,” Nate proclaimed as he gave the man a firm handshake.
“A pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Tom said as he presented me with his hand. I was quick to shake it.
“Likewise,” I remarked sweetly.
“Any seat is yours, I will have Belinda start on those fish and chips. Would you like some drinks?” Tom asked the two of us.
“Do you like beer Darling?” Nate asked me. I fiercely shook my head and made a face. I’d never been a beer person. I tried at all the parties in college, but it was never something I could stomach.
“A pint of good ale for me and a pint of Strongbow for the lady,” Nate instructed Tom who gave a nod and was off. I watched the old man disappear through a door while Nate began to lead me toward a table.
The table we sat at was at a window and looked right out toward the sea. I watched the waves crash on the shore, and I itched to get out there and frolic in the water like an overstimulated child. I felt Nate take my hand into his. It had been nearly nine months since my ex, and I had broken up, we’d been together for four years on and off before it came to an end. As much as I’d loved my single life, I hated to admit, it felt good to be with someone again.
“Here we go, a Strongbow for the lady and ale for the Lord,” Tom said as he approached our table with two enormous glasses. One of them was filled with a dark beer that was placed in front of Nate and the other was filled with what appeared to be a light beer and sat in front of me. “Belinda is cooking up your food. Freshest fish in England of course only brought in about 20 minutes ago by my son-in-law.”
“We can’t wait,” Nate declared. Just then more people walked into the pub. Tom excused himself and went off to serve the newly arrived customers.
Nate picked up his glass and took a sip of his beer. He looked very satisfied with what he’d gotten. I stared down at my glass unsure of tasting it or not as I wasn’t much into drinking beer.
“It’s not beer. It is made of apples, more of a cider. I think you will like it,” Nate informed me. I trusted him, so I picked up my glass and took a tiny sip. It wasn’t bad at all. It reminded me of beer, but it didn’t taste like it. I gave Nate a soft smile before I took another sip. “I told you that you would like it.”
“Is this a place you like to come to often?” I asked Nate. “It seems like a quiet town.”
“Yes, I love it here. I like being near the water and the best part is the fact that it is quiet. The community is very tight, and there is no one to share my business. Everyone here wants to live their lives and serve their community as best they can. I admire them.”
“Nate,” I started as I allowed him to continue to hold my hand. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this, around us. It just happened so fast. I like it, I like it a lot, I’m just a little freaked out.”
Nate gave me a sweet smile and squeezed my hand for a brief moment. There was something about the squeeze as if he was also communicating his own fears to me. I’d never felt a connection with a person where a simple touch could say much more than words, it was electrifying and frightening at the same time. This kind of romance didn’t exist, it did in books and movies, but in real life, I’d always refused to believe it. I was starting to become a believer.
“We can slow down if you want,” Nate insisted. I shook my head. As fast as it was going between us and as much as it scared me, I felt slowing down would be counterproductive. I wanted to keep steaming forward.
“Did you kind of expect this?” I asked. I know I hadn’t expected any of this. Even after we met, I knew there was this overwhelming feeling that I got when around him, but I could never place it, until now.
“No, not at all,” Nate answered. “When I saw your art online, I was impressed, and I felt connected to your work. I was excited to know I could hire you and that you would come. I’d never seen a photo of you or anything, and when I met you on the plane, I don’t know what it was, but it hit me. I forced myself to fight it, I’d hired you to work for me after all, but you kept pushing my buttons and not backing down from me, I liked you even more. At dinner that first time, I succumb to every emotional I’d been having, and I had to have you. To have you wanting me, I couldn’t have asked for more. I did want more, I wanted you in my life, not some trophy from one night, but here with me, day in and day out.”
I had no words for him. I’d never had a guy just flat out tell me how he felt. It took a lot of prying, and it was never this much. As strong as Nate appeared to be on the outside and put off, he was vulnerable and the fact that he was willing to show the vulnerability to me, I could never ask for more.
“The best part was that you understand me so well. I don’t think anyone has ever understood my life and the pressure I’m under from my family. You related to my own problems so easy. I knew I would never find someone like you again and that I needed to make you mine as soon as possible. You accept me, my shitty attitude, and my preferences for how I like things to go in the bedroom. We will talk more about that later as there is more to discuss, but this isn’t the place. I want you to be comfortable and to know that I don’t want to hurt you, ever.”
“Fish and chips coming up!” shouted out a giddy female voice. Nate snapped his attention away from me and toward a
middle-aged blonde woman who was approaching our table. She sat down the steaming plates in front of us. Everything looked and smelled delicious.
“Thank you, Belinda, everything looks delicious,” Nate gushed to the woman who stood beaming.
“Always the best for Lord Branagan. You must be the pretty girlfriend Tom mentioned,” she noted as she looked in my direction. “Lord Branagan always gets the pretty girls.” I blushed at this mention. “Lord Branagan we wanted to thank you for those tickets you got Jason to the Man United match, he and Jamie had the best time in the box seats you had reserved for them, and Jamie is in love with the job you set up for her.”
“I’ve heard from the Manchester office that she is a welcome addition. Good companies deserve good people, and Jamie is one of the best,” Nate said proudly. “I’ve got to see Jason soon. Work has been busy, but I will make sure to give him a visit.”
“He is doing so well and as fit as he can be,” Belinda announced.
“Belinda, I need three orders of fish and chips,” Tom called out from the other side of the room.
“Enjoy your food.” She left us with a wave. I looked over to Nate, who’s face held a grand smile.
“Looks good,” I commented to Nate as I perked up at the smells entering my nostrils from the plates on the table.
“The best, eat up, and we can explore the town a bit more,” he instructed. I nodded, I didn’t need to be told twice to enjoy my food.
WALKING ALONG THE beach, I licked at a cone of ice cream that Nate had gotten me at a little seaside shack. We’d enjoyed our afternoon, lunch was fantastic, and I enjoyed every bite. Once we finished at the pub, we did a bit of exploring the town, and I frolicked along the beach while Nate watched on, laughing at me. Nate told me about how his parent’s had brought him to the village once as a child because the beach was quiet compared to other seaside resort towns. As he grew up, it became a favorite place for him to go and get away.
“Are you going to lick me like the way you are going at that ice cream?” Nate asked in a low growl in my ear.
“Maybe,” I answered with a sly grin as I continued to enjoy the cone of chocolate goodness. I looked out at the horizon, the waves stretching out as far as I could see. We were lucky that today was on the warmer side, and the sun was most uninterrupted by the few clouds that lingered in the sky.
As I finished the last bit of my ice cream, Nate pulled me toward a bench that sat all alone at the edge of the sand. I leaned my head onto his shoulder, he was dramatically different from my ex who seemed to be all about himself, if I wanted to go out and enjoy the beach or explore a new neighborhood, he found it childish and stupid. There was always a reason to do whatever he wanted. I loved him though, and was willing to sacrifice so much for him. That was a mistake I made that cost me so much time in my early adult years, four years of time.
Nate planted a kiss on my forehead and wrapped his arms around me. “I take it that you like it here?” he questioned.
“I love it here, I have a few new ideas for paintings also,” I informed him happily.
“Perfect,” he said before pulling away from me. His demeanor changed, he suddenly went serious. I’d learned this about Nate. He could change his attitude in mere seconds. “Taylor, we need to have that talk I discussed with you.”
“Okay,” I answered. I got that he liked to be a little more adventurous in the bedroom and so far I liked the adventure. Hell, I loved every second of the adventure. He already liked to be in charge of so many aspects of his life that he could have control over, it didn’t strike me as strange that he wanted that same level of control in the bedroom.
“There is more than what we did last night. I have a lot more items in that box, and I’d love to use them with you, but I need to make sure you understand some things. I don’t want to hurt you—” he began.
“I know!” I quickly said, cutting him off. “I know you don’t. Last night showed me how much you don’t want to hurt me. You were comforting and kept me informed the whole time. I appreciated that you didn’t just bust out some whips and chains on me by surprise. You kept it slow and talked me through it, you made me feel safe.” Nate grinned at my response.
“That is all I want. I want you to feel safe, and I am so glad I could do that.” He held my hand tightly as he spoke. “But as I said, there is more. That word you picked last night that is yours. If you ever feel uncomfortable or unsafe, please say it to me. If you say it, I will stop right away, and we won’t do anything else for the time being. I want to show my reverence to you through my acts and to give you the most pleasure you’ve ever felt. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” I noted knowingly.
“I’m glad. Now, there are a few other things, and I don’t want to overwhelm you, we can talk as we go. One thing I want to implement immediately is that when we are in that space, you will address me as Lord Branagan or my Lord. You will answer questions with yes or no and my title, is that clear?” During his explanation, I only grew increasingly horny for what was coming next. I twisted my legs together, I was shocked at the way my body responded to any of this. It wasn’t like I was some virgin or something, but I was relatively inexperienced since I’d only been with my ex and we’d never gotten anywhere near something like Nate preferred.
“Yes, my Lord,” I said slyly with a grin in his direction. It was going to be strange calling him by his title as I was so used to comfortably and casually calling him Nate. I didn’t know why, but I had this natural feeling urge to please him. I had the strongest desire to be his and only his. This was a part of being his, and I was completely willing to submit to his desires. Nate smiled and pulled me close before pressing his mouth to mine, nibbling at my lip, he enticed a moan from deep inside me. I wondered what was to come next.
We sat in relative silence. His finger drew invisible circles in my palm while we watched the waves together. While we sat, I couldn’t help but wonder about the girlfriend that broke his heart and the pretty girls he’d brought to the town. I wanted to ask him, but I didn’t feel it was appropriate to do so, but an ache to ask him burned inside me.
“What’s wrong?” Nate asked right away as he stopped his mindless drawing of circles and took my hand into his.
“What do you mean?” I asked him.
“I could feel it. Something is bothering you,” he insisted. I let out a sigh before glancing up at him. I enjoyed the connection we shared, it was going to keep things open between us. “You can tell me. I prefer honesty at all times. So please, be honest with me and tell me or ask me anything.”
“I was wondering about the pretty girls you’ve brought here with you and if one them was the girl that broke your heart,” I told him truthfully. There was no reason for me to not be truthful with him. He looked away from me and out at the water.
“I haven’t brought anyone here in a long time. In my university days, I’d always bring girls I was dating here, that was a mistake on my part. Those girls only wanted me for the title that came with me. They wanted to live out some fairy tale they’d concocted in their minds. I did have one girl, I loved her dearly. We’d come here often. She left me, for a guy with a bigger title, of course, it is always about the title and not the love.” He turned back to me, I could see the pain in his eyes. I placed my hand on his cheek and rubbed it softly as he’d done to me frequently.
“Doesn’t always have to be about the title. I’d still be here without it. I like you for you,” I told him with all honesty. Nate was one of a kind, and it didn’t matter if he was Lord Nathaniel Branagan who lived in a gorgeous manor of just plain Nate who could live in some cramped apartment. He’d showed me so much more than his title. Nate looked directly into my eyes and grinned. “Can you be honest with me about something?”
“About anything Darling,” he insisted as he took the hand I held on his cheek into his. He gave my hand a soft squeeze of reassurance.
“Your toolbox, did you use it with with your ex?” I
questioned. I figured he must have, I’m sure he’d used it quite often.
“I did, with her and other women,” he said giving me his truth.
“Oh,” I answered. I knew there had to be others, but I didn’t want to think about others, only me and him. I fluttered my eyes away from his and looked down into my lap. Nate was fast to place a finger under my chin and lift my head up.
“I can tell you, it has never been as special as it has been with you. I promise you,” he reassured. I pressed my lips to his softly for just a moment. I leaned my head back to his shoulder and peered out at the waves for a few minutes, relishing in our perfect silence.
“I was also wondering, who are these Jason and Jamie people?” I asked intrigued.
“Jamie is Jason’s mum, she is Tom and Belinda’s daughter. He is the little boy who had leukemia. I would play around their pub when I was young, and that is how I met them and Jamie. When I learned her son was sick, I had to do something about it. She was also out of work, and I got her a job at Branagan Shipping. They are a great family. I wish my family could be more like theirs sometimes.” This made me eager to learn more about Nate’s family. He rarely spoke about them and mostly only when I’d asked. He kept quiet on that front. I’d let it go as I knew not everyone had the best relationships with the people they shared DNA with. We stayed quiet for a few more moments looking out at the gray-blue water in silence.
“I understand the heartbreak and betrayal. I was with my ex for a long time, and I put aside a lot of my aspirations for him only to find out he was sleeping with my best friend or who I thought was my best friend. Now, I can smile about it, I’m the one with a fantastic guy, and she is stuck having bad sex with a loser.” I found myself laughing at the end. Nate joined in with me. He quickly stood and pulled me up with him.
“Let’s get back to the house. I want to remind you of all the good sex you are getting,” he growled in my ear. I looked up at him, his eyes were blazing with passion. I nodded, ready to go and jump into the fire with him.