Lazily, I turned to peer out one of the windows, ignoring the dream man in front of me. Why I looked out a dream window, I didn't know, but, yes, it was still snowing. The snow reached halfway up the windows now, and showed no signs of stopping.
The man in front of me cleared his throat. "Hello," he said. "Am I interrupting your nap?"
I yawned and stretched my arms above my head. My book rested against my chest, pushing into my breasts as I arched my back. When I brought my hands down, the book ended up resting just beneath my breasts, holding them up and putting on a show. What did I care, though? I was dreaming.
"Quiet little one, are you?" Lucent stared at my breasts. This, I thought, was how I should know he wasn't real. "What if I were looking for a book?"
"I hardly think it necessary," I said, yawning once more, "to deal with figments of my imagination."
"Is that what I am?" he asked, raising one brow. "I daresay this is news to me."
"I'm dreaming," I added. "I fell asleep in the library and I'm sure it's time to leave soon."
"Yes, well, don't count on that," he said. "I was trying to leave, too, except there's no way out. The subway system is shut down, my car is snowed in at the garage, and the taxi company laughed at me when I called for a cab. I would've stayed where I was, but the damnable building has an automatic power shut off for the weekends and I don't relish wandering around in a dark office for the evening."
"What?" I asked, sleep drifting away from me. Now that I thought about it, I didn't really feel like I was asleep. And, while mostly clean, this man's suit had a few telltale signs of an outdoor snow adventure. Damp, disheveled hair, too.
Tousled and handsome, close-cropped. Lucent glared at me, eyes glimmering with some devilish recognition. What did he see in me and why?
And...
"Oh my God," I said. "You're Lucent Storme."
"A pleasure," he said, offering me a curt bow. "And you are?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I just told you..."
"I don't understand. I..." My brain overloaded, forgetting how to function.
"We're surrounded by storefronts and office buildings, that, if you hadn't noticed, shut down for the day hours ago. This was the only, and nearest, place with a light on, and the door was open. There's nowhere else."
"We're trapped?" I asked.
He nodded. "Quite."
"You're Lucent Storme," I muttered again.
I realized then that I was sitting on a bean bag in the children's section of the library, a book beneath my breasts, propping them up for prime viewing pleasure, with my skirt... with my skirt...
I jumped up and away from him, bouncing to my feet. Pulling my skirt back down to my knees from its previous lascivious spot hiked high up my thigh, I tried to present myself with some appropriate appearance.
Lucent merely smirked at me. "You know who I am, but who, might I ask, are you?"
"Elise," I murmured, affectedly shy all of a sudden. "Elise Tanner."
"A pleasure, Miss Tanner," he said, holding out his hand.
I took it, thinking he meant to shake my hand by way of introduction, but instead he grasped my fingertips and brought the back of my hand to his lips, kissing me lightly.
I froze, staring at him in shock. His hand felt so warm and soft, almost sharp, like I shouldn't touch it for fear of hurting myself. And his kiss on the back of my hand sent a sting running through my skin, a jolt like a static electric shock.
Which it probably was, I told myself. Calm down, Elise! The carpets in the library were thick and anyone walking through them could inadvertently shock someone if they dragged their feet just a little bit. This made perfect sense except for the fact that Lucent wore shoes, which no doubt had rubber soles.
I pulled my hand away fast as if he were the burner atop a stove and I'd touched him while hot. While he was hot or I was hot? Was I hot? He was staring at my breasts, but I thought he was a dream, so did that count? What the hell? I didn't even want him to think I was hot! This wasn't about that! Ugh. Snap out of it, Elise.
In all honesty, I still didn't like Lucent Storme, and this was my first time meeting him, but I doubted that'd change much.
"So," I said. "We're stuck here, I guess."
"Yes," Lucent said. "It seems so. You work here, I assume?"
I nodded. "I'm the only one here right now."
He grinned. What was that look in his eyes? I remembered the rumors of a darker sexuality, but... no, that wasn't true, was it? Would he force himself on me, right here and now? What could I do if he did? We were trapped in a library, snow surrounding us. Isolated and alone. Together.
"Give me a tour," he said. "I've never been here, but I like the looks of it."
"What?" I stammered.
"You work here, don't you? Give me a tour."
"I'm not a tour guide," I said, meek.
"And?"
"I don't give tours. I'm a librarian. I work at the front counter and help people find books."
"Then let's pretend I've asked for every book and you're going to show them to me," he said. "Except skip the part about the books and give me a tour."
"Are you always this demanding?" I asked, the words slipping out of my mouth, surprising me.
"You have no idea," he said with a smirk.
...
I gave Lucent Storme a tour. I was giving one to him. I didn't give tours! Rob gave the elementary school kids a tour once a year or so, but that was it. We didn't have tour guides. It was a nice library, but not that nice. Not the kind of place with a gift shop or anything. Nowhere near as fancy as some libraries out there.
Still, I brought Lucent Storme on a tour and he admired everything with a certain sense of indignance. Outwardly, he appeared interested and curious, but I doubted it. He hummed, staring at things, listening to me talk about this and that. Occasionally he asked a question, but otherwise he treated me like hired help.
And this still made no sense to me. Lucent Storme, upper class businessman, the Director of Public Relations for the entirety of Landseer Enterprises. He had money. More money than me and more money than I'd make in a lifetime, probably. I should be swooning at his feet, I thought, acting like some smitten little girl. That's likely what he intended for me, but no, I wouldn't.
I wasn't smitten, first off. I didn't even like him. Yes, he was handsome, and, yes, I found myself staring at his jawline more than once, wondering what it'd be like to kiss him there, but that was normal. People did these things. If I saw an attractive man, I could admire him without fawning over him, couldn't I?
"Show me this room," he said.
I stared at him. He kept demanding things of me, not even asking. "That's the lounge," I said. "It's for people who work here."
"Show it to me."
"Look, Lucent..." I don't know why I called him by his first name. I shouldn't have called him by his first name. He glared at me with fiery eyes that could melt a path through the snow outside in an instant.
"Mr. Storme," I said, correcting myself. "You don't work here. That room is for employees only."
"Miss Tanner," he said. "We're the only two in here, and it's possible we'll be stuck here for awhile, so I would appreciate it if you showed me this room."
"I hope we're not stuck here for awhile," I muttered. "I don't think I can deal with you for that long."
"What?" he asked, his expression smoldering.
"I'm not going to," I said. I needed to put my foot down and show him he couldn't boss me around. "It's not allowed."
Lucent ignored me, walked past me, and traipsed into the employee lounge. Finding a switch on the inside wall, he flipped it and surveyed his surroundings.
"Was that so difficult?" he asked, turning about face and staring at me. He sounded angry, looked angry. Why was he angry?
I should be angry! "You're a visitor," I said, exasperated. "We have rules here."
"Extenuating circumstances call for drastic measures," he sa
id. "Also, I don't see what the huff is about. The room contains a table, some chairs, a sink, a refrigerator, a microwave, and a television."
"Thanks for keeping track of inventory," I said.
He gave me a stern glare, his dark eyes gleaming like nightmares personified. "I am going to turn on the TV," he said, his voice measured. "Is that alright, Miss Tanner?"
"I don't care anymore," I said. "Can you please call me Elise?"
"Elise," he said, tasting my name; not calling me it, but saying it. The way he said it made me feel dirty and sexual and debased all at once. Maybe I should've let him continue calling me Miss Tanner.
Lucent flipped on the TV with a push of the power button, then switched to the local news station. The news reporters warned everyone of a snow emergency and cautioned people to stay inside. The governor had called a statewide emergency ban on road travel, too, and urged companies to allow their employees to work from home this weekend if they could.
He frowned at the TV, looking petulant and naughty, like some boy in need of a spanking. I found myself staring at his backside and wondering what it looked like without pants. And maybe without anything else, either? Did he keep in shape? He looked fit, but it was hard to tell with the suit on.
Not that I should care, really. If I wasn't fit, why should I expect him to be? I was thin enough, but not by any real effort on my part. I should go to the gym or run, but I had school and I didn't want to, and...
Lucent turned around and saw me staring at his lower half while I daydreamed and made excuses in my head for not exercising more often.
"Like what you see?" he asked.
I snapped my head up, looking him in the eyes for a second before averting my gaze. "Sorry," I said.
He stepped forward and took my chin in his hand, tilting my head up so he could look at me. Our eyes connected, gazing into one another. He furrowed his brow, considering me.
I jerked my head away and slapped at his hand. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," he said. "I thought I saw something."
"What?"
"Nothing."
And that was that. He refused to elaborate.
~*~
You can find the rest of this story here: The Billionaire's Paradigm: His Absolute Purpose (The Complete Series)
Sample (Concurrent)
Please enjoy this sample from "His Absolute Arrangement," the beginning of the Jessika's Love Story: The Billionaire's Continuum series that follows alongside the events in Elise's Love Story, by Cerys du Lys
~*~
I sat at my desk, fingers tapping on the keys of my laptop, preparing to type. I didn't know what I wanted to write or how to start or where to end, but I needed to write some sort of story, so I forced myself to begin. My fingers moved slow in the beginning, testing and teasing at the keys like an awkward first lover, but soon I gained my stride and the story blossomed beneath my touch.
...
Asher and I escaped. That was the only way I could think to describe what we were doing. The media was in a frantic buzz over what had happened, not only with Landseer Enterprises, but his wife, his Director of Public Relations, and... me. I was a part of this now, a part of his life, and I wanted to be, but the extra stress that came along with it wasn't something that I could have ever planned for.
We were going to be married. It was so soon and sudden, but I felt like I'd known him for so much longer than I really did. We'd spent weeks together, which didn't seem like a lot, but weeks became months and months became years. We'd been together for over six months now, hadn't we? Thinking about that gave me pause, and then I thought about it more. I didn't have time for idle thoughts, though.
In an attempt to avoid the press and paparazzi, Asher and I fled to a small countryside bed and breakfast. We planned to get married at a pond nearby. They had a quaint gazebo built by the water for special occasions like this. I didn't think our wedding needed to be any more special than a summer picnic or a young couple's first declaration of love, but Asher wanted it to be special.
I didn't know how to explain how much I wanted to please this man. He was everything to me; he'd given me everything, including himself. I didn't deserve it. The media called me a homewrecker and a whore, though sometimes they used kinder sounding terms like illicit lovers and secret trysts. The whole thing made my stomach churn in anger and anxiety.
I never meant to do it. I never meant for things to turn out the way they did. Would anyone believe me? It seemed so odd to think thoughts like that, yet they were some of the only things I could think about right now. You'd imagine that on the precipice of one's wedding day, they'd only be able to think of love and marriage and being a bride, seeing the groom, but our wedding was quiet and private so it almost didn't even seem like it existed.
A little part of me wanted extravagance and luxury. I'd dreamed of being married ever since I was young. I think every little girl dreams of a love like that in one way or another. They want grandeur and perfection; or at least happy imperfection.
Wanting these things made me feel guilty, though. Asher Landseer, billionaire CEO of Landseer Enterprises, young, rich, handsome, reclusive and aloof. He was a little odd sometimes, I had to admit, but I didn't think he was too mysterious or strange. Or perhaps I didn't know him well enough to find him mysterious and strange. Was it possible to find someone more mysterious the more you got to know them?
The thought made me laugh.
"What are you thinking about?" Asher asked me.
We were in the bed and breakfast now. We'd checked in under the alternate names of Max Hollowell and Josephine Dunst, a fresh young couple prepared to begin a new and wonderful life together after their small wedding in this tiny little town.
"I'm sorry, Asher, but I don't deserve any of this," I told him. I sat on the bed, wringing my hands together, staring at my wrists. "I don't deserve you. I don't think we should get married. I should leave. Forever. You should... I don't know. I'm sorry. I really don't know. I know it's not fair to you, but..."
He came in close and touched my chin, holding my face lightly in his hands. With one knee on the bed, he leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips. A soft kiss became a harder kiss, harder still, and without realizing it I found myself laying on the bed with Asher's knee nestled between my legs, pressing hard against me.
I moaned into his kiss as he pressed against my crotch with his knee. All thoughts escaped me and the only thing I could think about was kissing him back, giving myself to him, loving him. I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to go away. I still didn't think I deserved him, but I did want to get married. I wanted to stay, I wanted to try, I wanted to love and be loved. I wanted...
Some small part of my mind reminded me that this was probably why the media called me a homewrecker and a whore. I gave in to Asher too easily, except I didn't in a way, too. We gave in to each other, which was to say that I'd honestly never felt a connection like this with anyone else before. We'd done things that I certainly wasn't entirely proud of, but I could say with absolute honesty that I wouldn't have done these things with anyone else, either.
I didn't want to do them with someone else. I wanted to do them with Asher. I didn't need a big wedding, but I'd always dreamed of one. Except now—right now—if I told anyone I wanted a huge wedding with all of the trim and loveliness that I'd always dreamed of, they'd think me a moneygrubbing gold digger. They'd say I was only marrying Asher for his money, that I didn't actually love him, that I didn't care about him.
I did, though. I cared so much. How could I not? This beautiful, passionate man, who I'd once agreed to become an egg donor for. He was in a loveless marriage with an infertile wife and all he wanted was a child. Why would someone think I was selfish when all I wanted to do was give him his hopes and dreams? I didn't even want anything in return. He offered money, but I couldn't even remember how much. He'd offered stability and security, but my thoughts were only of that current point in time, of helping him and
giving to him.
We'd gone too far, and I regretted it, I felt anxious all the time after, I felt worried and hurt and...
"Stop," he said with a smile, kissing from my lips to my nose, then once on each of my fluttering eyelids. "I love you, Jessika."
"I love you, too," I said. "Asher, I really do. I love you so much. It's just so... it's difficult, and..."
"I know," he said, whispering into my ear. "It might always be difficult, but if so, I'd like to deal with it with you. I want both of us to deal with our problems together. I know I have more than you, and that I'm kind of pulling you into things that are bigger than you've had to deal with before, but we can make it work. I promise."
I laughed. Was he really saying that this was his fault? I felt the same way, that it was me who was to blame, but I was fairly certain my ideas concerning the guilty person in this situation were the right ones.
I didn't have time to contest his statement, though. Asher unzipped my pants and shimmied them down my legs far enough so that he could place his palm against my crotch. His fingers crept beneath my panties, inching towards my sex, and he kissed me, kissed me more, while delving downwards with his hand. His fingertips curled alongside my lower lips and he settled them there against my folds. I gasped and bucked up, not expecting this, but he pressed firmly downwards, keeping the core of my body pinned against the bed.
"Asher," I said, my voice light and airy. "We're supposed to wait until after we're married. This isn't—"
He didn't let me finish. He plunged a finger inside of me and latched his mouth onto mine and any complaint or concern I had melted away at the impassioned sensation he immersed me in.
...
"Wow, our wedding was that depressing, huh?"
Startled, I snapped away from my laptop, nearly crashing into Asher as I pushed my chair out, ready to jump from my seat. He laughed and wrapped his arms around me, leaning into me and leading me back to my chair. I nuzzled against him instinctively, conflicted between feeling confused and feeling calmed.
His Absolute Assignment - Elise's Love Story: The Billionaire's Continuum (#1) (A Contemporary Romance Novel) Page 16