Love and Other Wicked Games (A Wicked Game Novel)

by Olivia Fuller

  “Money.” Ellie jumped up. “Now I understand…”

  “Exactly. Their money. What they’re most afraid of is losing money. They’re afraid that making changes will be too costly and will destroy their companies and investments. They’re so afraid that they won’t even consider letting anyone investigate it. In fact, they spend quite a deal of time thwarting any investigations into the topic before anyone ever has a chance to find out anything meaningful. So the inquiries have to be performed in secret. But even still there are risks…” Cal’s eyes were serious again. “Which is why I must ask that you never tell anyone about any of this. If you want to be involved you must promise to keep everything secret, everything I tell you and everything we do… This situation is… delicate…”

  “I promise,” Ellie said immediately and then paused. Her heart sank remembering the reason they were in this room in the first place. “Are you in danger?”

  “No. No, Ellie. It’s not like that.”

  “Then what is it like?”

  He shook his head.

  “Fine. If you won’t answer then I’ll answer for you. Investigating, finding answers: that’s what you’ve been doing,” she stated matter-of-factly. “And that’s why you’re running.”

  Cal rose from the bed and came to her. He clasped one of her hands in his and placed his other hand on her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb once more. She leaned her head into the motions.

  “I could say you’re too smart and too sweet and too caring, but I won’t. Because that would imply it’s a bad thing.”

  “It’s not?”

  “No.” He smiled at her once more before he dropped his hand. “Now where were we?”

  Ellie cleared her throat and tried to think but her brain was in a fog. This was something she was coming to realize. She might be smart, but whenever they touched, her brain turned to mush. “Something about investigations and money?”

  “Ah. Yes. The mill owners and their investors are terrified of losing money but their fears are simply unfounded. Whether they choose to acknowledge it or not, making changes does not have to be the death of their companies. I dare say, if done right, that making changes might actually help the companies, not just the workers. But information is needed in order to prove that. And once I have that information I can formulate a plan of action for changes in such a way—”

  “That the changes won’t destroy the companies or the investments… They’ll have no good reason not to make the changes if it can be proved. Especially if you can prove it will be better for them…” Ellie let her mouth gape. “Bloody brilliant. Turn the obstacle into the catalyst and beat them at their own game. Whose idea was that? Was that your idea? It was your idea, wasn’t it?”

  Cal shrugged. He sat back down on the bed and crossed his arms looking rather pleased with himself. “What can I say? I’m brilliant.”

  “You are. You clever man,” she nodded as she sat back down next to him. “And completely full of yourself,” she added with a playful shove of his shoulder.

  “Hey now,” Cal reached out to her shoulder as well but unlike her, he didn’t let go once he’d shoved her. “You set me up. That wasn’t very nice.”

  Ellie looked down at the hand that was now burning a hole straight through her clothes and into her skin. “That’s not very nice,” she mumbled, though she hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

  “What? Oh.” He looked at her shoulder in a way that said he hadn’t even realized he was still touching her, as if it was something that had just happened naturally. It appeared to fluster him a bit.

  “I didn’t say it was wrong or bad. I said it wasn’t… nice. There’s a difference.” Oh, Lord. What was she doing? Who was she and what had she done with Ellie?

  Cal raised his eye brows but didn’t say a word. Instead, he ran his palm leisurely over her shoulder, down across her shoulder blade, and to the small of her back where he let it rest. He paused for a moment, then pulled her in closer. Ellie squeaked and he grinned.

  “Will it be safe?” she suddenly asked him.

  His eyes lit up something wild. “Will what be safe?”

  “The rally. Will it be safe?”

  “Ah. The rally.” He bit his lip again and tilted his head. “I’ll protect you.”

  “Maybe I’ll protect you.”

  “I don’t need protecting.”

  “Well, neither do I.”

  Cal leaned towards her and spoke softly into her ear. “But what if a smart-mouthed rake tries to accost you?”

  “I think I’ll have had sufficient practice by then to refuse his advances. Should I—should I—” Ellie exhaled shakily. “Should I choose to, that is.”

  “But you won’t, will you?”

  “Maybe—Maybe I would.”

  “Would you?”

  Cal pressed his cheek against hers. The rough hairs of his face scraped her skin, making it tingle. She felt his teeth grate against the top of her ear and then her earlobe, ever so slightly, before soft lips brushed along the line of her neck just barely making contact with her skin. They tickled the petite hairs that were already sticking up. Tiny convulsions began to shake in her belly and move lower and lower down her body. She inhaled sharply with a tiny gasp. He responded by pressing his hand more firmly into her back, the weight of it heavy and strong. They leaned their bodies against each other. She rubbed her cheek against his, wanting. He smelled of musk and earth and mystery.

  “What about now? Would you still refuse?” His breath was warm yet she shivered. The words danced on her skin.

  “No,” she purred. “Not now.”

  He pressed his lips to her face; carefully, slowly, just in front of her ear, warm energy growing and building to a peak. And then, just as her heartbeat rose up into her throat, just as the shivers reached a sensitive and secret place, just as every cell of her body lit up like the stars in the night sky … he pulled away and looked around the room. He used his thumb to wipe away the chilly marks he’d left on her face. “No. Not now, indeed.”

  She exhaled slowly, only now realizing that she’d been holding her breath, and relaxed back on her elbows. She knew what he meant. That they were strangers. That this was completely mad. That the timing was not right and neither was this place. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t disappointed. All she wanted was to be back in his arms. Right or wrong. Good or bad.

  She didn’t understand any of this and she didn’t want to. Maybe not ever. But certainly not right now. The real world outside these doors could change them in an instant. This might be the only time they felt this connection with each other. This might be the only time they ever felt this way in their entire lives. And maybe this feeling was worth the risk of doing something mad.

  She looked up to him. She parted her lips to tell him. But he interrupted her.

  “It’s time.”

  “What?”

  “It’s time for us to go,” he’d said. But it wasn’t Cal’s voice that Ellie heard right now.

  It was Mandy’s voice, drawing Ellie out of her thoughts, and she didn’t sound pleased at all.

  “It’s time for us to go. Now.” Mandy grabbed Ellie’s arm before she could protest.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Having a stroll.” She cocked her head sideways. “What do you think? We’re looking for you.”

  “We?” Ellie looked over her shoulder and sighed. She hadn’t noticed Amelia at first. So much for hurrying home before anyone noticed her absence. It seemed her mother had sent out a search party after all. Well, that is if two people counted as a party.

  “Were you meeting a man?” Amelia ran up alongside Ellie, eyes opened wide with mischievous wonder.

  “God, no! Have you lost your mind?” Mandy interjected with a tone so forceful that Amelia bit her lip and look down at the ground. “Ellie’s far too sensible for all of that nonsense.”

  Ellie sighed and shrugged as Mandy continued to pull her along. Was this some sort of new gam
e? Drag Ellie around the city at a quick pace? She hadn’t really minded it when Cal had been the one doing the dragging. Who was she kidding? She’d enjoyed it immensely with him. Now though, she was growing rather tired of Mandy’s participation in this unusual sport.

  “Maybe I’m tired of being sensible and ordinary.”

  Mandy looked at Ellie with the same reprimanding glance she had just given Amelia. “Nothing wrong with being sensible and ordinary.”

  “There is when you’re sensible and ordinary.”

  “So, you were meeting a man, then? I mean that has to be it, right?” Amelia asked once more, hopefully.

  “Ach! Enough with this nonsense, Amelia. I’ve already said—”

  “Am I really that predictable and boring?” Ellie jerked her arm away from Mandy and stopped dead in her tracks before smoothing her skirt and plaiting her fingers.

  Mandy turned to look at her and sighed, brushing the back of her hand over her damp brow. “I’m not trying to insult you, dear. I’m only trying to say that you have far too good a sense of—”

  “Well, maybe I’m tired of being good too.” Ellie crossed her arms and tilted her chin upwards.

  Amelia’s lip twitched into a small smile. “Is he handsome? I bet he’s handsome—”

  “Amelia!”

  “Well, as a matter of fact—”

  “Ellie!”

  “Ooooo! Oooo!” Amelia clapped her hands and jumped up and down in place. “I knew it. I knew it! Is he your secret lover?”

  Mandy’s eyes were the size of saucers. She looked back and forth between Ellie and Amelia as if she couldn’t decide which one to scold first. Eventually she threw her hands in the air and shook her head.

  “Heavens me… I don’t know why I even try.” Mandy braced her left hand against her side and motioned her right hand in Ellie’s direction. “We might as well have it then.”

  “Have what?”

  “The answer to Amelia’s question.”

  “Oh.” Ellie’s lips twitched and she looked down at her hands, which she was now wringing together until her knuckles turned white.

  “Well?” Amelia prodded. “I mean he must be handsome, right? Or else you wouldn’t have been meeting him.”

  Mandy scoffed. “There are other more important things about a man besides looks that can make him desirable. I hope to God that Ellie has at least that much sense left in her head.”

  Amelia winced and tilted her head. “More than looks? I don’t know about that. But maybe you’re right. I mean she was keeping him secret. Maybe he’s hideous.” Her eyes widened again as she turned back to Ellie. “Is that it? He’s hideous. He’s hideous isn’t, he? Maybe he has a huge scar across his face. Or worse: maybe he’s bald!”

  “He doesn’t have a scar and he’s not bald! He has a full head of hair… And he’s not hideous either!” Ellie finally said causing her cheeks to burn.

  “Oh, I knew it. I told you!” Amelia pointed her finger at Mandy and then put her hands up to her cheeks as she looked back to Ellie. “Oh, my. You’re making me blush too.”

  Mandy shook her head disapprovingly.

  “So?” Amelia asked, slightly composing herself. “What’s he like? Tall? Strong? Thick hair? What color is it?”

  Ellie felt the edges of her lips curl up into a smile as she recalled the features she’d noticed earlier. She soon realized how difficult it was to concentrate only on his looks, because she knew more about him than what he looked like; she also knew what he felt like. And it was becoming near impossible to separate those feelings from the facts.

  She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to pull out the details, but to no success. All she could think about was how everything felt: the thickness and silkiness of his raven hair as it ran between her fingers, the softness of his lips against hers with the tickling hairs just above his mouth, and the heat of his skin touching hers and how it burned straight through her.

  She cleared her throat and motioned her hand above her head. “Well—he has sort of—its kind of the color of—”

  But Amelia, who seemed to be living vicariously through Ellie, interrupted her once more. “Is he your lover? Is that why you didn’t say anything? I mean it made sense if he was hideous but now you’ve said he’s not and—”

  “No,” Ellie interrupted her with a small laugh. “He’s not my lover. I’ve only just met him. Today was only the second time we’ve even spoken.”

  “But you’ve kissed him, right? Tell me you’ve at least kissed him!” Amelia threw her hands against her side and stomped her foot on the ground. Ellie smiled wondering what Cal would have to say about that.

  “Well,” Ellie gulped as she tapped her fingers together in front of her. “That’s kind of a long stor—”

  “Please just tell me that you at least know his name.” This time it was Mandy who interrupted.

  “Oh. Of course. Yes. Of course.” Ellie bit her lip. “I know his name.”

  “And?”

  “And what?” Ellie raised her brow as if feigning ignorance would somehow turn back the clock where she could force Cal to tell her his full name.

  “What’s his name?”

  “Cal,” she answered curtly. “It’s Cal.”

  “Cal?”

  “Yes?”

  “Oh, that’s all now, is it? Just the one name?”

  “Yes.” Ellie tried to make her voice even as if to say that she didn’t find anything odd about this at all. It didn’t work. She bit her lip again.

  “What sort of man doesn’t tell you his whole name?”

  “Maybe he’s a criminal on the run… or a spy… or a prince in disguise!” Amelia fanned herself. “Oh my. This is all so mysterious and romantic.”

  “And ridiculous,” Mandy added turning to Amelia and giving her another disapproving glance. “This isn’t some story in a book.”

  “And who said it was? This is all possible!”

  Mandy put both of her hands on her hips. “When have you ever in your life heard of a real event in which a woman meets a mysterious man—a man who won’t tell her his full name—and he turns out to be anything other than a lunatic or a rake? Which, mind you, may actually be one and the same…”

  “Well, it could happen. Maybe it’s happened to Ellie. You never know.”

  “Amelia, Mandy’s right. I highly doubt he’s a prince.” Ellie laughed and then crossed her arms, remembering the money and his story. “Although…”

  “Although, what?” Amelia ran up to Ellie and clasped her arms with both hands. “What is it?”

  “Well, he does come from money…”

  “Money! See?” Amelia shot a look behind her at Mandy and then back to Ellie, now completely absorbed in the story she was imagining. “Maybe he is a prince. He could be!”

  Now Mandy had really had it. “Seriously? Handsome, mysterious, secretive. And he comes from money, too… Who told you that part? Him?”

  “Well, not exactly…”

  “Don’t tell me. He was also being followed. And he just so happened to need your help in escaping and he whisked you away…” Mandy trailed off, laughing, the moment she saw the look on Ellie’s face. “Oh my dear. It sounds as if your mystery man has been reading more books than Amelia.”

  “Trust me. I know how it sounds,” Ellie conceded. “And I thought the same thing at first but it’s not like that…”

  “That’s what they all say…”

  “But it’s not. Really it’s no—”

  Mandy rolled her eyes. “Alright then. That’s enough of this. We need to pick up that parcel since I see you still haven’t managed to do that, and then head back to the shop before your mother begins to wonder what’s happened to all of her seamstresses.”

  “Oh. So, you haven’t told her?” Ellie hadn’t expected this. “About today or—or yesterday?”

  “Yesterday?” Mandy and Amelia questioned at once.

  Oh, drat. There she went again. Rambling on all nervous and flustered, e
xcept this time Cal was not here to enjoy it.

  “What happened yesterday?” Amelia asked, eyes sparkling again.

  “I thought you said, you were held up by a protest and had to take another path.”

  “Nothing. Nothing happened,” Ellie said quickly looking to Amelia. And then to Mandy, “And—and I was held up by a protest. That’s how—you see that’s how I ended up meeting—”

  Mandy sighed. “No. I didn’t tell your mother about today—”

  “What about…” Ellie began.

  “Nor will I tell her about yesterday… Now, I’m not saying I approve of whatever it is you have going on. Not at all.” Mandy added with the wag of her finger. “And I still think you’ve lost your bloody mind—but you’re smart. And you’ve got a knack for understanding people, you always have, so I guess I have to trust that you understand him.” She waved her hand in front of her. “And you’re a grown woman, for heaven’s sake, whether you want to believe it or not. Your mother doesn’t need to know everything.”

  Ellie smiled. Mandy was right about that. All of it. Ellie sometimes had a difficult time letting herself feel like a woman and not a girl. These past few days were reminding her that there was nothing wrong at all with being just who she was, in every sense. Cal was bringing out that feeling in her. His was bringing it out without even trying.

  “Besides there was nothing to tell her anyway except that you were late coming back from your errand. And you were. Nothing special about that these days with all the protests. So, I saw no sense in worrying her without cause.” Mandy paused a moment in thought. “And I… Ach…” She waved her hand again and Ellie saw her lips jerk into a small smile which she immediately hid. “Let’s get going.”

  “And… what?” Amelia pried, ever the one ready to make other people’s business her own.