by Lulu Pratt
She bit her lips and looked at me. “Some of the Design team call you The Dark Lord.”
“Fucking hell,” I laughed. “Come on, let’s find somewhere to eat.”
She took my arm, and we walked through the streets and then got the tram into the city center again, settling on the nearest gastro pub for some food. We were starving and our feet ached, but as I sat there being fed something that Effie insisted I absolutely had to try from her plate, I realized that I was happy. I was actually fucking happy.
Chapter 33
FREYA
THAT NIGHT, AFTER a great meal at a pub, followed by a pint of Guinness, Keegan and I walked back to the hotel in a light drizzle.
I loved Dublin. It was a beautiful city, and seeing it through Keegan’s eyes had made the city even more special.
As the light rain fell, Keegan held my hand and gently maneuvered me around puddles and low-hanging branches. I could have taken care of myself, but it was nice to have someone looking out for me. For a moment or two I mused if that what being in love with someone was, putting their needs ahead of yours. Of course it was, but I could pretend for a few moments that I was falling in love with Keegan and that Keegan was falling in love with me.
When we got to the hotel, I wondered what would happen. Would he disappear, and in the morning I would awaken to find that this had all been a wonderful dream?
As we walked along the hall to our rooms, I seized the moment.
“So, now what?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” Keegan looked at me for a moment with an inscrutable expression. My emotions must have shown on my face, as he smiled. He stepped closer and slipped his hands around my neck. The cool touch of his hands felt so good as my thick hair made the back of my neck hot. His thumbs tilted my head up, and he kissed me tenderly. My body reacted instantly.
He gently probed my mouth, and I could taste the beer on his tongue. One of his thumbs gently stroked my skin as the kiss deepened. I wanted him. I needed him. I snaked my arms around his waist, and I pulled him to me. The hardness of his cock pushed against me.
Keegan pulled back for a second. “Would you like to come back to my room?”
I nodded, not saying a word.
We walked to his room, and he fumbled for a moment with his key. Behind him, I quickly fanned myself. I was fucking Keegan.
He opened the door and stood back so I could go in first. I tried not to laugh as my eyes adjusted to the low light. It was a mess! Unfolded clothes on the dresser, the suitcase was half empty with a pair of jeans hanging out of it. I think the lampshade was crooked, and the contents of his travel kit were strewn across the counter in the bathroom.
Keegan closed the door behind me, and I turned to see him run a hand through his hair.
“Err, I was looking for condoms last night. I didn’t have time to tidy this morning.”
“Oh really?”
I stood there as Keegan gathered the clothing that was on the chair and dumped it into the suitcase. He picked up the seat cushion and smoothed down the fabric. He stood back. “My lady.”
I sat down and watched him take off his jacket, which he made a deliberate show of hanging up behind the door.
Keegan walked back over and held out his hands. I slipped my hands into his and he pulled me out of the chair. He placed his hands on my hips and our mouths locked together.
Still kissing and holding me, Keegan walked backwards towards the bed. When he reached it, he pulled me around and laid me on top of the covers. He kissed along my neck, his hand sliding down over my breasts, along my stomach, and gently gripping my hip as he hovered above me, dropping kisses into my neck and face.
I relaxed under the touch of his strong hands. He removed my shirt slowly, kissing the newly revealed skin as every button was undone. Once my shirt was open, he sat up and pulled off his T-shirt. The tattoos that fascinated me earlier in Boston were on full exposure. He had a Celtic triquetra above his heart, a Celtic ouroboros on one bicep, and a scorpion tattooed on the other. I traced the scorpion with my finger. He looked down at it and smiled.
“That was my first tattoo, which I got underage and while I was drunk, which explains the feathering around the tattoo. Just one more poor decision. Me, Kevin and Mick all got the same design and in the same location on the same day.”
“Why a scorpion?” I asked. “Were you all Scorpios?”
He laughed. “It sounds silly, but yes. My birthday’s November eighteenth. Mick was born on Halloween, and Kevin’s was November second.” He smiled in remembrance of his friend. “And to be honest, my ma’s a Scorpio too.”
“Perhaps this was written in the stars,” I laughed. “But I’m one too.”
Keegan smiled. “When is your birthday?”
“I’m also the eighteenth, but I’m probably a few years younger than you.”
“Interesting, Effie.” He bent down to kiss my neck. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a better birthday present than you.”
The use of my nickname snapped me to what I was doing and with whom. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh.
“Something the matter?” he asked as he continued to kiss me.
I shook my head and pushed the repercussions out of my mind as my body continued to react to Keegan’s kisses.
He leaned forward and moved my face to the side to expose my neck. He kissed the sensitive flesh and began shifting down to my breasts. I arched my back in pleasure, willing him to touch them.
He sat up and placed his hands on his knees. “Take your bra off.”
I blushed and sat up. I unhooked it in the front, and Keegan slid the straps down my shoulders. He whistled and said, “You are beautiful, even more so naked and with your hair loose.” He stroked aside a strand of hair, and the brush of his fingertips on my skin felt like electricity.
He stood up and took off his jeans. He wasn’t wearing underwear, and his cock was already erect. I tried hard not to stare. I started to take off my pants while laying on the bed. Keegan assisted with pulling the jeans off my ankles.
Laying there in just my panties, I felt a little embarrassed. I secretly thanked myself for packing a couple of pairs of fancy panties, instead of the granny panties that I – or rather Effie – wore to work. When I went to cover my breasts with my hands, Keegan moved them away. He knelt beside me and kissed me. He moved down my body again, briefly licking my erect nipples and rubbing them with his thumbs. He moved further down. He kissed along the lace edge of my favorite purple set of panties. He hooked a finger under the waistband, and not wanting to stretch the fabric, I raised my hips. In one swift movement, he had my panties halfway down my thighs. With one hand he pushed the panties down further while he pinned me to the bed, his large hand spread out on my stomach. With his face hovering above my center, I could feel the wetness of my arousal.
Keegan lowered his head and kissed my hip bone, then kissed across my pelvis to my other hip bone. His hand came up from my knees between my thighs, and I instinctively opened them for him. I had never been so forward or bold with Jason, as he had never made me feel wanted or desired. Keegan looked up at me, biting his lip to try to hide his smile.
He shifted down and also continued to move his hand up my thighs. I could feel the heat radiating from my center, and I needed to feel Keegan inside me. He moved one of my legs to the side, and then dragged a single finger along my skin to my opening. I barely breathed as I silently begged him to enter me. The finger reached my center and he gently ran it along my lips, spreading the slickness. Leaning on his elbow, with his other hand Keegan spread my lips apart and began lapping at my clit. I moaned in pleasure. In the past, I had been quiet, mainly because I felt little to no arousal, but with Keegan I felt I could be myself, uninhibited and a fully sexual being. He pushed one finger and then a second into me, and with a steady rhythm, he thrust again and again. His tongue danced on my clit, and he used his thumb to rub me when he stopped to kiss my thighs.
My walls started t
o tighten around his fingers, and he groaned with pleasure as he could sense my building orgasm. He increased his focus on my clit, and his fingers plunged into me deeper and deeper as he twisted his wrist a little.
A strong orgasm tore through me. I fisted the sheets and moaned and bucked. Keegan continued his finger thrusts and the lapping of my clit. It was the longest orgasm I had ever had up that point, and it seemed to go on and on. Afterwards, I lay there for a few moments, trying to catch my breath as my heart rate began to slow.
Keegan looked up between my thighs, smirked, and started kissing up my body towards my face. When he finally reached my mouth, I could taste myself on his tongue, and I wanted nothing more in that instant than to feel his cock inside me.
Reading my mind, Keegan produced a condom from the top of the nightstand. He started to tear open the package, but I took it from him and placed the unrolled condom on the tip of his cock. I rolled it on for him and marveled at how large and long he was. His cock bobbed in agreement, and I lay back and ran my hands along his strong forearms.
Keegan shifted position, the head of his cock teasing my entrance for a second, and then he drove into me. He kissed my breasts and groaned into my neck as he quickly established a steady rhythm. I raised my hips to take him deeper, and he grabbed them to take command of my body.
Gasping with pleasure, I felt another orgasm build. I never had multiple orgasms. I had been lucky in the past to even get one by myself. My walls clenched around his cock, and Keegan groaned. He lifted himself to his knees, so that I was resting on my shoulder blades. With one hand strongly gripping my hip, his free thumb began to rub my clit, and I lost control. I arched my back and seemed to forget to breathe. The orgasm shook me, and I realized that my walls were milking Keegan.
“Fuck, Keegan,” I whispered as I started to come down.
His eyes were half closed, and I could see a sheen of sweat on his body. He groaned and released himself inside me.
He slumped forward and kissed my collarbone as our hearts began to slow down. He rolled off me and pulled me close, so I was on my side, nestled under his arm.
I fell asleep to him running his fingers through my hair.
Chapter 34
FREYA
IT WAS HARD TO get back onto the plane. I felt like I was leaving behind some other life where Keegan and I were this easy, uncomplicated thing and everything was going to be okay. But as I hid my passport from him while we waited to board the plane, it all came back to me how different things were going to be back home. I had been glad of the company of Beverly and her chatty family when I was heading to Ireland, but now on the way back I was tired and wanted to be with Keegan for as long as possible, so the constant chatter and noise just made me feel lonely and frustrated. If I couldn’t be alone with Keegan, then I wanted to be alone with my thoughts of him and everything that had happened in Ireland.
I went to the sleeping area and curled up on a recliner, gazing out the window at the endless sky and thinking about the ocean below us, and how this place, in between two different lives, was going to end soon. Keegan came in behind me carrying a blanket and said nothing, but budged me over and curled his body into mine, pulling the soft blanket over us and sighing. It felt strange to have his arms around me when he was wearing his office clothes, like he was a different person. We lay like that for most of the flight, and I suppose I must have dozed at some point, because the time seemed to fly by even though I wanted every moment to last a year. Keegan slept quietly behind me, and I smiled to myself because I knew exactly why he was so tired. We had spent our last night in his hotel room exploring one another’s bodies and talking, barely sleeping at all until the sun was almost up, and then we had been late for the flight because he had run a bath and we had shared it.
Boston was rainy and gray, and my place felt cold and empty and unfamiliar. Keegan had had a car drop me home, as he had to get straight back to the office. I flicked on the lights and the kettle, put my phone on charge as the battery was dead, and dragged my suitcase to the bedroom. If I didn’t unpack immediately, I knew I wouldn’t unpack for a week. I sorted through the clothes and made a mountain of laundry. Having something practical to do somehow helped the constant buzz in my head when I thought about Keegan. Once I had tidied everything away and made myself a sandwich, I sank into the couch, turning my phone on and listening to the beeps of notifications coming through. I paused, thinking it was really a lot more beeping than I expected. Then the phone was ringing. It was Beatrix. I couldn’t face her questions right now, and let it go to voicemail. I checked the text messages and found a string of messages from Taylor, all sent hours ago.
Major Clover House drama – WTF?
Call me ASAP
Girl, pick up your phone
Some serious shit going down
Dark Lord conquered!!!
The last message caught my attention, and I called her. I didn’t even have to speak.
“Who are you, Effie?” she sounded flat.
My heart sank. “What?”
“Who the fuck are you?” she repeated.
“Taylor…” I pleaded, my mind racing as I tried to work out how she had found me out.
“Couldn’t you have told me?” she asked, and I detected proper sadness in her voice.
“I couldn’t,” I said. “But I wanted to!”
“Well, the game is up.”
“How did you find out?” I asked.
“What do you mean? You don’t know? Hold up, why did you call me?”
“I got your messages…”
“So, you don’t know what’s happened?” she asked, incredulous.
“No, I have no idea what’s going on, or how you know about… about me.”
“The police were waiting for Keegan when he got to the office. Sean has had meetings with all kinds of suits since you two were gone, and today, the shit hit the fan. They took Keegan away. That’s when I messaged you; I didn’t know then that you were in on it. He let us all go early… I shouldn’t even be talking to you.”
“Can I see you? Please, I want to explain properly.”
She hesitated, and then reluctantly agreed. “Okay, sure.”
We met at Antoinette’s café, and she told me again what had happened, and how Sean had told Frank that I wouldn’t be back in, that I was part of this and he couldn’t explain because he didn’t want to prejudice any legal proceedings. I was quick to tell her the whole truth. I wished I had done it weeks ago.
“One question,” she said, after I had shared the whole sorry story.
“Anything. I will tell you whatever you want to know,” I nodded.
“Okay then, two. First up, all of this…” she gestured at my hair and clothes, the baggy harem pants and vest top combo that I had planned to lie around the apartment in, and the messy bun on top on my head, wrapped with an old head scarf. “Is this you – the real you – or is the real you those goddamn pantsuits?”
“This is me, the real slobbish me,” I smiled, allowing myself to assume that she was going to forgive me. “The pantsuits, and the hair, were my sister’s invention. Second question?”
“Phew,” she feigned relief. “Okay, question two. This guy who you’re fucking, is it Keegan, or did you meet some other Irish hunk?”
“Taylor!” I shushed her, looking around to see who might have heard. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, I might not know the real you, but I know you well enough to know that something happened, and I need to know if you are fucking the Dark Lord. Because, you know, if you are, then this whole situation just got a lot more complicated.”
I looked at her in shock, hovering between bursting into laughter and bursting into tears, and said nothing. My silence was enough.
“Sleeping with the enemy.” She shook her head. “And the others said you were boring. But I say more power to you, Effie. Hold on, is Effie your real name?” she asked with one eyebrow raised.
“My real name is Fre
ya Hamilton. Effie was my family’s nickname for me when I was little. So, I was Effie, and Hancock is my mother’s maiden name,” I said, sniffing. “And I’m not convinced Keegan is the enemy!”
“Ah babe, you weren’t cut out for the spy life, were you?” she smiled, taking my hand in hers.
“No!” I said, real tears filling my eyes as I smiled back at her. “And I have fucked up so bad. What if he thinks I did this?”
She had no answers for me, but she somehow managed to reassure me that if I were sure Keegan had done nothing wrong then he would be free, and I would have my chance to explain. She urged me to take time to think it all through, not to do anything hasty. I left feeling better, and as she disappeared in a colorful blur of blowing kisses and waving, I was so grateful for her friendship, and told myself that if nothing else good came of this whole situation, at least I had found Taylor.
My phone rang as I headed toward home, and I decided I couldn’t avoid my sister forever. Beatrix knew nothing about any of this and was simply wanting to hear about my trip.
“Arrested?” she squealed. “What do you mean arrested?”
“You know, arrested, by the police?” I said testily.
“How? How did you do this?” she asked, excitedly. “And why aren’t you happy?”
“I didn’t do this,” I said. “It had nothing to do with me. I’m as surprised as anyone else – I thought he was innocent. I still think he is innocent.”
“This doesn’t make any sense, Freya!”
“Beatrix, they know who I am.” I said it quietly, as though it was something I had done wrong, but I had been thinking about it the entire time I was with Taylor, and I could not figure out how they had discovered me.
“Shit,” she said. “Well, it isn’t a crime to take a job at a rival firm. And you didn’t look at anything you weren’t permitted access to, did you?”
“Err,” I said, hesitantly.
“Freya?” Beatrix’s tone was suspicious.
“Okay, so I have some files at home. It’s just some internal reports. I didn’t have time to look through them while I was there. I thought maybe we could go over them together, but then there was the Ireland trip.”