by Wild, Callie
It would set in; she knew that without a doubt. She had gone and done it again, let her heart soften and she didn’t know if she would be able to firm it up again. Abandon came with a price, after all. And the price she’d paid last time had been far too high.
“Now can I feed you some Fettuccine Alfredo?” Serge asked in a husky voice.
Her jaw relaxed as some of the tension straining her muscles leaked away. Of all the things he could have said, that was a good choice. He was keeping it light, easy, and she was grateful.
He slid slowly from her body and turned her in his arms, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of her nose. “You are beautiful as you are, but a little more flesh on your bones wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
“You spend five years in the dungeon and see how much flesh you have left.” The words slipped from her lips before she realized what she was saying.
She never talked about the dungeon. Never! Why would she want to remind anyone how horrible she truly was? Especially a man she found so undeniably interesting and who—despite her earlier attitude—she wanted to think well of her?
“That part of your life is over now.” His tone held no pity or disgust. “You’ve left rock bottom behind.”
“I’m glad someone is sure of that.” She tried to pull away—feeling even more vulnerable with his eyes focused on her face—but he tightened his grip, tugging her against him once more.
Her breasts flattened against his solid chest, awakening a tingle of desire, though she wouldn’t have believed it possible so soon after the kind of release she’d just experienced.
“I’m sure of it and sure I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want you.” He dropped his lips to hers. The kiss was full of hunger, but laced with an underlying sweetness that made her feel soft inside. There was nothing soft, however, about the cock swelling against her thigh.
She chuckled as he trailed kisses down her neck. “That’s pretty impressive for an old guy.”
“I’m forty-one. I’ve got another good decade or two left in me.”
“I’m thirty-two, but I guess you knew that,” Kat said, reaching down to stroke his rapidly swelling erection.
“Actually, I thought you were older.”
“Jerk,” she said, sticking out her tongue.
“I just meant that you have an old soul.” He smiled, his eyes twinkling with a mixture of humor and lust that left her no choice but to smile back.
“Likely story.” She pressed a quick kiss to his lips, before she began kissing her way down his chest, her mouth practically watering for a taste of his cock.
Of course, if he kept teasing her about her age, she might have to torture him more thoroughly than she’d planned…
“Wait.” He took her upper arms in a firm grip and pulled her back to her feet. “Food first, then we can decide what comes next.”
Before she had time to protest, the water was shut off and her body tenderly wrapped in his towel He took her hand and led her back into the—thankfully—still-empty locker room.
After he was dressed, Serge stood lookout so Kat could dash to the women’s side without putting on her dirty gym clothes. By the time she’d moussed her hair, put on clothes and applied a little mascara and lip gloss, she had almost comes to terms with how excited she was to be going to dinner with Serge. He was an unexpectedly nice guy, and there was nothing wrong with enjoying herself sexually.
Who cared if he was the biggest slime ball in the Kingdom? Better a slime ball than an attempted murderess.
Besides, she’d known Serge’s reputation from the start. The first time she’d met him he was sharing a bed with three nearly naked boob monsters for God’s sake. He was the type of guy you had fun with, nothing more. Despite her earlier worries, she was fairly certain she would be able to keep her heart firmly in her chest.
Serge was the perfect candidate for a first foray back into the world of male-female relationships. He was casual, he was controlled, and he was excellent in bed—though they hadn’t technically hit the sheets yet. He wouldn’t be hurt. She wouldn’t be hurt. They were simply two rational adults enjoying a mutually pleasurable, no-strings-attached sexual relationship.
If she’d been in the mood to be introspective, she might have admitted that his honesty and understanding had won her respect and budding affection. But she wasn’t feeling introspective. In her post coital haze, Kat chalked her excitement up to a fabulous cock and the promise of Fettuccine Alfredo. She did like his cock, and pasta wasn’t bad, either, especially when topped with cheese.
Maybe she could convince him to coat his cock with cheese…
Now there was an idea that had her slinging her gym bag over her shoulder and heading out of the women’s locker room with a spring in her step, never imagining how fast she was going to fall for the man waiting for her just outside the door.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Two months later
Kingdom City Reporter
November 12th
Reality Television’s Latest Sensation
Real-Life Rules to Catch a King, the reality show that has the women of the Kingdom shining their tiaras and kings everywhere running for the hills, is a runaway success. One part “how-to” programming, one part game show, and one part soap opera, Catch a King has everything it takes to keep an audience coming back for more.
Now in its final three weeks, the show has become so hugely popular that a second season, showcasing all-new queens and all-new challenges, has already begun preproduction. This time, however, the producers had no difficulty signing some of the biggest names in the monarch business.
“They’ve seen how we work and they know they can trust us to be respectful, while still delivering the intimate details the audience loves to see,” Matthew Orlando, junior producer for Catch a King stated when asked why big names would put their reputations in the hands of a new production company.
But many wonder if the second season will be as riveting without the more colorful queens. Would we enjoy the “choosing the bait” challenge as much without the drunken antics of the former Queen of Pleuvaria? Would the “first night in the castle” challenge have the same punch without the two ex-wives of Carl the Younger battling it out for the bedroom of their choice?
And can a second season hope to capture our imagination without the presence of the most surprising of the contestants, the former Queen Katarina de Barden? Watching this ex-con and would-be murderess charm her way to victory in seven of the eight challenges thus far has been the most fascinating aspect of Catch a King. Is she really a reformed sweetheart, or is this the same façade she used to capture her first king? Could this be the charm that convinced a woodsman with no prior criminal record to attempt to take the life of the beautiful Snow White?
These are the questions on the Kingdom’s mind as we tune in to episode after episode, hungry for clues that will give us the final verdict on the former Queen of Mean. Is Katarina de Barden—now using her maiden name of Masterson—going to show her true colors before the final challenge? Will we finally be certain she deserved her early release from the dungeon? And will she win a proposal from one of the eligible kings judging the competition?
Luckily for the show’s producers, the Kingdom can’t seem to get enough of king catching, or of the unlikely star of this reality blockbuster, Katarina de Barden.
****
Serge
Life was good, almost too good.
Serge had a blockbuster show on his hands, two more in the works, money flowing in hand over fist, and a gorgeous woman in his bed. He had managed to keep his identity a secret from the rest of the contestants, keep his relationship with Kat between the two of them, and made sure Catch a King proceeded without the slightest hint of scandal.
He should be content, relaxed, satisfied.
Instead, he was sitting on the couch in the corner of his bedroom, watching the sun come up, struggling to understand the feeling of dread that had awoken him in the middle of the nig
ht. He didn’t do dread and had never let that ugly stepchild of fear affect his life or his decisions.
But here he was, awash in the unfamiliar feeling and losing sleep for the first time in fifteen years.
The first rays of daylight spilled through the twelfth-story window of his apartment, creeping onto the bed where they found the red hair spilled across his white pillowcases, setting it aflame. Kat was beautiful in the morning, her face soft and makeup-free. Another unfamiliar emotion washed over him as she shifted in her sleep and one small but perfectly shaped breast slipped from under the covers. Then she started to snore, a feminine snuffle that made him want to laugh every time he heard it.
You think her snoring is cute. You’re done for.
He vaulted from the couch, running anxious fingers though his hair, and turned to watch the city come to life. How many times had he stood here, looking out at Kingdom City, filled with the silent determination to do whatever it took to rise to the top? His goals had been clearly outlined, simple, and achievable.
But now…
“You’re up early. Couldn’t sleep?” Her voice was husky, sexy, sleepy, and enough to make his cock thicken before he even turned around.
“I couldn’t seem to quit thinking,” he said, telling her the truth without thinking twice about it. The tension in his chest built, making it hard to draw a long breath. When had intimacy grown so easy and the thought of hiding from Kat so hard?
“I told you not to eat the entire box of truffles. Too much caffeine.”
“I had to keep my energy up.”
“I think you’re addicted to Quinn truffles.” Grinning, she propped up on one elbow, letting the sheet slip down to her waist, baring her breasts. “Do your friends know you have a womanly love for chocolate?”
“No, and I’m trusting you to keep my secret.” He returned her smile, unable to help himself. Even in the midst of the anxiety that plagued him this morning, he couldn’t look at that grin and be unaffected. Katarina was beautiful no matter what expression graced her face, but when she smiled, she was enough to make a man sell his soul.
“And what if I don’t? Will I be punished?” Her grin turned wicked as she crawled from beneath the covers to the edge of the bed. “I hope not, since my wrists are still sore.”
“Say it isn’t so,” he said, taking her wrists in his hands and lifting each to his mouth for a kiss. They were a bit chafed, but he knew she wasn’t in pain and that she loved the games they played together.
He’d never come as hard as he had with Kat, never felt like his entire being would dissolve from the strength of his passion. If he was addicted to anything…
Well, it certainly wasn’t chocolates.
“I’m fine, I just have sensitive skin.” She looped her arms around his neck and hugged him closer, until her bare skin was pressed against his chest and his erection threatened to burst through his thin pajama pants.
“Why did you put these on?” She tugged at the tie at his waist, easing the pants down over his throbbing cock. “You knew we’d just be taking them off again.”
“I was standing at the window.”
“Worried about Peeping Toms?” She kissed a trail down his chest, over his stomach and further down until he felt her breath hot against his shaft. “I thought you enjoyed the thrill of possible discovery.”
He groaned at the memory her words inspired. “That’s only when I’m having sex.”
They’d had sex in the shower at the gym, the dressing room at his favorite clothing store, and she’d given him a blowjob in the garden of one of the castles they’d visited on a shoot. He had never been into risking getting caught before, but with Kat it made him insanely hot.
“And only when I’m having sex with you,” he added softly.
“Because I’m your girl?” She followed the words with a swirl of her tongue across the head of his cock.
“Yes, because you’re my girl.” The words were affectionate, but the hand he fisted in her hair wasn’t gentle. “Now open your mouth.”
“Why?” She teased him, licking up his shaft before he tightened his grip at the base of her neck.
“Open your mouth, Kat. Now.”
She obliged, parting her lips and taking him deep into her wet heat with a moan. He sucked in a breath against the pressure building in his balls, determined to make this last longer than it had the last time.
“Harder,” he commanded, urging her on with gentle pressure at the back of her neck, managing to maintain control for a few more delicious thrusts. Soon, however, the sight of her bottom in the air—her hips squirming as her excitement built—was too much to resist.
He pulled out and spun her around, tugging her knees off the edge of the bed. She arched as he drove into her already slick pussy, crying out in pleasure. He tried to go slow, but soon he was pounding into her with abandon, fingers digging into her hips.
“This is mine. You are mine,” he said, voice rough. He accompanied the words with a stinging slap to the pale flesh of her ass. “Tell me, Katarina.”
“I’m yours,” she cried.
Almost immediately he felt her begin to pulse around him. She ground back against him as she came, her hot juices coating his cock, easing the way for him to move faster, harder. In seconds he joined her, groaning her name as he came.
They rolled onto the bed together and he pulled her to his chest, muttering things in his mother tongue he was glad she couldn’t understand.
“I love mornings that start like that.” She sighed against his chest, snuggling closer.
“I love everything I do with you.” He kissed the top of her head, his heart pounding faster as her breathing slowed and she drifted back to sleep.
Love. He’d said it, and what’s more…he’d meant it.
He couldn’t deny it any longer. He was in love with her. He was in love with a woman he wasn’t even sure he knew, at least not completely.
Kat was so many different people. She was the charming contestant who had won over the crew and the Kingdom, the feisty, smart-mouthed hellion who handed him his tail when he stepped over the line, the generous lover, and the companion who touched his heart like no one else. She had let him see the scared, vulnerable woman behind her mask, the woman who regretted her mistakes so deeply, and he loved her for it.
But those mistakes…
Such big mistakes.
He wasn’t proud of it, but he’d finally read the file Matthew had compiled after Katarina was signed to the project. He hadn’t bothered before. In his mind, there was no reason to know every detail of her past. He had known what the public knew and that was enough.
At least it had been until he started thinking about Kat in ways that weren’t purely professional, and imagining a future for them that went beyond a reality television show.
He had heard the stories, of course. She’d hired a woodsman—who also happened to be her pixie dust dealer—to kill her husband’s lover, but had later called off the hit. Her second thoughts had kept Snow White from death and Katarina from a life sentence in the dungeon. But what Serge hadn’t known was that Kat had been a pixie dust abuser for years. No one except the dungeon doctors knew that Kat had almost died from withdrawal during her first month as an inmate.
Not even her late husband—who had passed away while Kat was in the second year of her sentence—seemed to have had a clue about the severity of his wife’s addiction, though they’d had magic mirrors in every room of their home. Magic mirrors were the only way pixie dust could be transformed into its highly addictive liquid form. The man must have been a fool not to see the connection.
Still, Serge had to give the king the benefit of the doubt. He hadn’t thought it possible for such a strong woman to succumb to addiction. Learning Kat’s secret had made him want to change the way he ran his businesses. He had stopped selling pixie dust, and made plans to sell the dance clubs in the near future.
He was tired of being known for his seedier endeavors. He was r
eady to clean up his act and start fresh.
That, of course, was where his problem lay. Katarina was an unknown. He had never been intimate with an addict, let alone one who had once been in deep enough to allow her addiction to cloud her judgment so profoundly. She had tried to kill another human being; there was no way to sugarcoat it. And though he believed in second chances, what he’d read in the file had raised questions he didn’t want to answer.
Kat had been in and out of treatment facilities since her eighteenth birthday. She had given in to her addiction again and again. Sure she’d been clean for five years, but how much of that was simply due to the fact that she’d been in the dungeon where pixie dust was hard to come by? How long would she be able to resist the temptation to fall back into old habits? She had only been free for a little under eight months. It wasn’t long enough to know if she could go the distance.
Could he build a family with a woman like Kat? Could he deal with his children being known as the ex-con’s kids? It would be bad enough being the offspring of a seedy strip club owner, but having a seedy strip club owner and a would-be murderess for parents would doom his kids from the cradle.
It was the kind of stuff that could ruin a person’s life before they even got started.
He ought to know. He’d gone through hell trying to fix his parents’ mistakes, finally choosing to immigrate when he couldn’t break free of the mob life he had been born into. It had been hard those first years, but he had succeeded, and built his own empire here in sprawling Kingdom City. Sergei Sokolnokov came from a long line of losers and hustlers, but he’d made something of himself within the confines of the law.
Was he willing to risk all of that for a woman, even a woman he loved more than any other he could remember? Was he willing to jeopardize his own security, the very thing he’d worked so hard to achieve, in order to make a life with someone he wasn’t sure he could trust?