by Geneva Lee
“Whatever you need, boss.” I lowered my voice to match his, immediately curious to why we were whispering.
“I’m taking Tori out on Friday,” he confessed. “We’ve mostly been hanging out at my house. She’s a saint with the girls. But I don’t know…I guess I want to be romantic.”
It would be impossible for him to be any cuter. I nodded for him to continue.
“Do guys still buy flowers?” he asked. “I’m out of practice at this, and I want to make her happy. As happy as she’s made me.”
“Yes, they do.” My voice grew thick, overcome with emotion. With all the crap going on in my life, I needed to see someone I cared about happy. “Tori seems like the kind of girl who would like tulips. Something different.”
Bennett scribbled the suggestion on his notepad. “Thanks, Clara. I keep waiting to mess this up.”
“You aren’t going to mess this up,” I promised him.
“I constantly screwed things up with my wife,” he admitted. “You realize all the things you never said after you lose someone. I don’t want to make that mistake again.”
I couldn’t form words. Losing Alexander felt like a distant possibility right now, but it was always there. The possibility. His scars proved how close I’d come once.
“I hope Alexander shows you how he feels,” Bennett said in a soft voice.
My mouth widened into a smile. The thought alone of Alexander—of how far we’d come together—vanquished the sadness creeping into my mood.
“What am I going to do without you?” Bennett asked thoughtfully.
I startled from my thoughts, laughing nervously. “I’m not going anywhere, unless you’re firing me.”
“I just assumed.”
Making assumptions seemed to be a common problem amongst my family and friends of late. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good,” he said with a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Bennett’s cautious smile stuck in my head as I made my way back to my desk. Everyone saw my life changing but me. Yes, I’d moved in with Alexander. Yes, we were wildly in love. But I hadn’t worked my way through a top university to catch a husband. I loved my job, which seemed to be hard for most people to grasp. A relationship with Alexander came with its own responsibilities. He’d begun to mention upcoming black tie dinners and charity fundraisers. I was certain my social calendar would be full soon. That didn’t mean I had to give up my career.
My worries faded when I saw the note sitting on my desk. I recognized the elegant scroll of my name. Snatching it up, I carefully broke the seal and pulled out a second envelope. This was new. My fingers trembled as I opened it to discover the schedule for an upcoming chartered flight.
The phone on my desk rang and I lunged for it. “Hello?”
“Pack light. You won’t need many clothes.”
I fell back against my chair, temporarily lost in the huskiness of his voice. “I didn’t know you still used the phone.”
“I missed your voice. I’ve been listening to oil negotiations all morning.”
The confession caught me off-guard. Alexander rarely called me. He preferred to express his desire in writing. “So we’re running away?”
“We need to get away.” The line went silent, but then he continued. “I’ve already spoken to Bennett.”
“You have?” No wonder my boss had mentioned my vacation days. I couldn’t help but think this was simply a ploy to put more distance between me and Daniel. A completely unnecessary, extravagant ploy. “I’d prefer to handle my own schedule. I’m a professional, X.”
“But you wouldn’t have agreed to come.”
“I still haven’t agreed to come. It’s not a good time to go away.” There were a million reasons to say no him. Not the least of which was that he occasionally needed to hear it.
“Poppet.” There was a trace of warning in his tone. “It’s been arranged. I think you’ll find Bennett as unwavering on this as I am.”
I threw down the paper schedule. “Where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said. I could almost picture the smug satisfaction written across his face.
“No clues? Do I need a coat or a swimsuit?”
“I thought I was clear on that earlier. You won’t need clothes. Not many, at least. I imagine you might want to wear something to the airfield.” He paused, before adding. “Although I wouldn’t mind watching you walk around in a bikini. Everything else will be taken care of.”
“Got it. Bikini and toothbrush,” I said dryly. “But this works both ways, X. If I’m going to spend the weekend mostly naked, you are too.”
“You’re bringing the only thing I need,” he responded simply.
I swallowed hard at the thought of a weekend of Alexander’s glorious body on full display.
“I’ll be taking care of some things late this evening before we leave. Norris will stay at the house with you.”
“Now you’re being cruel,” I pouted. “Putting naughty thoughts in my head and then not coming home.”
“Antici…pation,” he breathed.
I hung up the call, squirming in my seat. A mid-day call from Alexander was bound to be bad for my work ethic.
Alexander might not take no for an answer, but that wasn’t going to stop me from giving Bennett grief. This time I strode into his office without knocking.
“Yes?” A smile twitched on his lips.
“I was going to tell Tori that you’re a catch, but now I’m rethinking my stance,” I informed him.
“You need a vacation before you work yourself to death,” Bennett said, his face growing serious. “Remember what I said earlier? You’re never going to regret missing a day of work, but you’ll regret the happiness you don’t take.”
“I can be happy in London.”
“It’s going to rain here all weekend. Go be in the sun. I can put it on your to-do list if that’ll help your guilt.”
“I don’t feel guilty,” I argued. “I just don’t need a vacation.”
Bennett raised an eyebrow, and I realized that I had been shouting.
“Okay, maybe I do need one.” I pinched my fingers together. “But just a short one.”
“See you next week,” he called as I bolted for the door, slightly embarrassed.
Tori caught me in the hall, carrying take away. “Have fun.”
“Don’t start,” I warned her.
“You do realize most girls would kill to be swept away by a prince, right?”
She had me there. “Maybe. I hear you have plans of your own on Friday.”
“I do.” Her face lit up, a sign that Bennett wasn’t the only one who was smitten. “Oh, there was a woman waiting for you in the lobby.”
“For me?”
“Blonde. About our age,” Tori confirmed.
There was no reason for Belle to visit me at work, except to grab lunch. Stopping by my desk, I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs. I knew I should call Norris and let him know I was planning to leave the building. But since I wasn’t going out alone, I decided against it. As soon as the lift’s doors slid open, I realized my mistake.
Blonde? Yes.
Belle? No.
Pepper turned and our eyes locked. I fought the urge to step back into the lift. Whatever reason she had for visiting me at work had to be a good one, relatively speaking. I sincerely doubted anything involving Pepper was good, but I couldn’t wait to hear why she’d shown her haughty face here.
She leaned causally against the reception desk, tapping her polished fingernails relentlessly. Only Pepper would wear a leather mini-skirt and strappy platforms into an office building. I tugged at my sophisticated, but modest wrap dress, feeling overdressed in comparison. Every man who entered the lobby did a double take. It was almost comical to watch their heads swivel to stare at the leggy blonde.
Steeling myself, I approached her. She was up to no good. That much was apparent.
“Clara.” She smiled warmly at me. �
��They’ve been phoning your desk.”
“I was in a meeting,” I said, playing along and allowing her to air kiss my cheeks in greeting. The last thing I needed was for someone to snap a picture of a catfight between me and Pepper Lockwood.
“Is there somewhere we can talk?” she asked.
I held up my purse. “I was on my way to pick up some lunch. Walk with me?”
From the outside no one would suspect how bitterly we loathed one another, but I felt it. Hate roared through me, and it was all I could do to keep a smile on my face as we stepped outside.
Norris exited the Rolls, which I assumed had been parked in front of the building since he’d taken me to work earlier this morning.
“Miss Bishop, do you need me to drive you?” he asked in an uncharacteristically clipped tone. Maybe I wasn’t the only who despised Pepper.
“I’m fine,” I reassured him. “We’re popping around the corner to grab a bite.”
He nodded and waited for us to continue. He’d only be a few steps behind us, which was probably more important for Pepper’s safety than my own. I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t throttle her in the next twenty minutes.
“Alexander does keep a short leash on you,” she noted. The false friendliness had faded from her voice even though she still wore a sickeningly sweet smile.
I let the comment slide, preferring to keep our interaction brief. “What do you want?”
“I was so looking forward to a nice chat. Do you really want to skip straight to business?”
“Nice chats are for friends and neighbors, not us.” I wasn’t interested in playing pretend with her. Pepper was a snake waiting to strike, and the less time I spent with her, the better.
“I wanted to give you a chance.”
I raised an eyebrow. “A chance to what?”
“A chance to run,” she said in a low voice. “We both know Alexander’s duties lie elsewhere. Eventually he’s going to toss you out with the rubbish. Why wait around to be hurt?”
“How thoughtful of you.” I stopped in front of a small sandwich shop. “But you needn’t concern yourself with Alexander or his duties.”
“What can I say? I’m loyal to the monarchy.” A wicked smile crept over her face. “I already warned you that I had information that could destroy him. Believe me, when I say it will destroy you, too.”
“So let me see if I’m following you. I break up with him and this information goes away?” I clarified.
“Exactly.”
I studied her for a moment. As ugly as she was on the inside, I couldn’t deny she was beautiful. Most women would find it intimidating just being near her. Everything about her screamed sex, but I’d seen her tone down her sensual appeal in favor of fitting in with the aristocracy. She was all too willing to play the part of perfect consort to Alexander. Too bad that I wasn’t about to let her. When we’d first met, she’d overwhelmed me, but now that I saw her overeagerness I only felt sorry for her.
“Do you think if I leave him, he’ll run to you?” I asked her bluntly. “Let’s be honest for a moment. I left him this summer. Did he seek you out? Did he come running into your arms?”
Pepper blinked, her prim nose tilting into the air. “You don’t know Alexander at all. You don’t know what he’s capable of, and you don’t know what he needs.”
“I know that no matter how hard you try—no matter how often you throw yourself at his feet—he’ll never need you.”
She recoiled, visibly stung by my words, but Pepper wasn’t the type to cry. Instead she simply walked away, pausing a few steps from me to toss one more threat in my direction. “Remember this moment, Clara. Remember the moment you destroyed him.”
Chapter Twenty
Alexander
Clara’s eyelids fluttered, and I wondered what she dreamed of. The steady vibration of the aircraft had lulled her to sleep nearly as soon as we’d taken off from the private airfield in London. Her cheeks flushed in her sleep, hair spilling across her face. She had never looked more delicate. My chest constricted at the reminder of her fragility. Clara was strong—emotionally, psychologically, but not physically. In the few seconds before I’d managed to pull Daniel from her, I’d glimpsed her one weakness and it had shaken me to the core. I’d been afraid to love her, afraid to allow myself to claim her body and soul. Every woman I’d ever loved had slipped through my fingers. I never saw my mother’s smile one final time. Sarah’s blood covered my hands as she died in my arms. I’d convinced myself that she would be safer if I always kept her at a distance. Then I would never have to face the prospect of losing her, too. But seeing her with Daniel’s hands around her throat, the wall I’d erected between us crashed down. Losing her was an impossibility. In that moment, I was too selfish not to love her. It was why I couldn’t allow her to go unprotected.
My thoughts returned to the exchange I’d shared with my father only yesterday. The crown would not offer her the same protective services it would employ if one of the monarchy was under threat. It hadn’t surprised me, but it had disgusted me. Daniel might have been a threat from her past, but it was our high-profile relationship that had enabled him to track her down. And now he was free, thanks to an ambitious young barrister who paved the way for him to be bailed out. My own lawyers assured me he would be tried and sentenced, but that hardly mattered to me if he was allowed to walk the streets in the meantime.
The glass in my hand cracked, and I looked down in surprise to discover blood streaming from a cut on my palm. I hadn’t realized I was squeezing it so tightly, and when I relaxed my grip the pieces shattered on the tray table. Clara startled, awoken by the sharp clink of glass fragments hitting the plastic.
“What…” Sleepiness faded from her voice when she saw. “Oh my god, are you okay?”
“An accident,” I said dismissively.
“We should find a bandage. Where’s the flight attendant?”
“I sent her to sit with the pilot,” I informed her, maintaining a level head. I’d learned the importance of controlling my own reactions around Clara, knowing my mood too easily colored her empathetic spirit. “I didn’t want her to disturb you.”
Clara crossed to the storage units near the aircraft’s door and began to search them. Wrapping a napkin over my wound, I joined her.
“Here we are.” She pulled a first aid kit out. “And look what else we have.”
Next to it was a full box of condoms.
“I suppose they’re okay if their clients join the mile-high club,” she said with a giggle.
Her laughter in that moment was the sexiest sound I’d ever heard. There’d been far too little of it in the last few days. I had suspected that the farther we got from London, the more she’d return to me. And I needed her far away from London—from him. I needed to hear her laugh, needed to watch her face as I devoured her. Perhaps here I could finally show her how much I loved her. Fear had held me back for far too long, and now it tainted the time we shared together. This weekend would release us from that, even if only for a moment.
“Would you like to join that club?” I asked her, moving to press her against the cabin’s walls.
“Yes,” she said breathlessly, “but not while you’re bleeding.”
I stepped back, allowing her room to find the supplies she needed. Clara reached for my hand and gently cleaned the wound. I watched with silent awe as she dressed it and then pressed my palm to her lips.
“And a kiss to make it better,” she whispered.
“I can think of other ways to make me feel better.” Slipping my good hand under the waistband of her blue jeans, I fondled her cunt, pleased to discover she was ready for me.
“How much longer is this flight?” she asked with a moan as my fingers stroked her cleft.
“Not long enough.” I withdrew my hand quickly and unbuttoned her pants, pushing them to her feet in one swift motion. My craving for her consumed me—not just her magnificent body but the whole of her. Inside her I found solace.
The more that I accepted her love and allowed myself to feel my own, the more possessive I became of her. I’d wanted her since the moment fate threw us together, but now I knew that even as I claimed her body, she ruled my heart.
She posed no resistance as my compulsion took over. Instead her ass circled against me with a delicious willingness that made my cock push harder against my trousers. My fingers clutched her panties, twisting the thin elastic before ripping the flimsy fabric from her hips, exposing her lower half to me. Gripping her hips, I twisted her around, crushing her against the wall, as I unbuckled my fly. The pain in my hand faded as hungry desire overtook me, but I restrained myself, allowing it to build. Love for her washed over me, and I nudged against her soft folds. They parted to envelope my crown, and I paused. As much as my body demanded her, I wanted to draw out her pleasure by giving her the dominance she craved. The dominance she needed to be free. “This weekend, you will wear no clothes. I want your cunt naked and waiting for me at all times.”
“I guess we won’t be sightseeing.” Longing tinged her words, and she wiggled her bare ass to welcome me.
My hand smacked against her left buttock with a satisfying whack that made my palm vibrate. The sting only turned me on more, making it more difficult not to sink inside of her. “You will strip as soon as the door locks behind us,” I continued with my instructions, noting how she sagged against me. “And I will spend the weekend attending to you. Would you care to voice any further objections?”
She shook her head and I pushed inside her slippery sex another inch. Clara whimpered, and I watched as her soft pink entrance stretched over my cock.
“What do you need, poppet?” I asked her silkily.
“I need to be fucked.” Her voice was small and pleading.
“And I’m here to give you what you need.” I thrust into her, relishing the cry that escaped her lips as I filled her. My hips bucked, plunging my cock faster and deeper against the warm velvet of her channel. It welcomed me, pulsing and contracting as I continued to fuck her with long, powerful strokes. I wanted more. More of her. Clara naked and on her knees for me. Clara’s lips wrapping warm around my cock. I’d spent the last week in a perpetual hell, worrying about her every moment we were apart. For the next few days I planned for us to be apart as little as possible. I wanted to devour her and fill her, draining away her fear and my own in the only way I knew. By being joined to her both body and soul.