by Faye Pierce
“I haven’t talked to him in a few days. We don’t even sleep in the same bed. It’s impossible to know what’s going on in his head at any given time. He believes in the concept of survival of the fittest. He holds this deep-seated guilt for what happened to you. He’ll never admit it, but we both know it’s true,” I inform.
She uncrosses her legs and stretches them with her fingers interlocked. “I didn’t know it was that bad. He doesn’t tell me anything. He thinks he’s protecting me, but he’s only pushing me further away. We should ambush him in his office and have a frank discussion about all of this.”
“You have to remember it’s not a good idea to push him into a corner. He’s apt to lash out. So let’s give this some thought before we decide on anything,” I say.
I can feel his presence every time he walks through the house. That craving for his touch has never left me, but I can’t do anything to encourage his bad behavior. He broods and is often quiet at dinner while picking at his food. It actually feels like a wall between us, but I don’t know the reason why.
I feel helpless, but I don’t want to tell him how much I desire to be with him again.
“Let’s agree to sleep on it. My eyes are getting heavy. Let’s go shopping in the morning,” Midnight says.
“I think that is a good idea. I’m sure things will be clearer in the morning. We haven’t had a good shopping spree in days. I’m sure that we can make a dent in one of his credit cards,” I say with a smile.
“It’s nice to have a partner in crime. Where have you been all of my life?” She asks before hugging me.
I sigh an unspoken concern for her well-being. She deserves to have a life of her own away from her brother. He should also trust her with the family business.
That is never going to happen.
Outside the window, I can see the flashlights and hear the snarling Doberman’s walking ahead of their masters. They’re taking no chances. The schedule is constantly changing, never staying the same for any longer than 24 hours.
It feels like Caspian is avoiding me, but I have no idea why.
Chapter Seven
Caspian
I’m not some lovesick teenager with visions of fumbling in the dark in the backseat of a car. What I feel is strange and somewhat intoxicating, but I can’t possibly put it into words. My business takes up most of my time, but I can’t help thinking about her whenever I have a spare moment.
It’s highly unusual for me to second-guess my decisions. Leaving her alone is for her own good. The last thing I want is for her to get caught in the crossfire. That’s already happened to someone I love, and I’ll be damned if it happens again.
Hugo Williams is a thorn in my side.
I know he’s out there waiting and plotting against me. It’s exactly what I would do if the roles were reversed.
Leo quietly stands by the door. The razor got a little too close to his skull, but he looks menacing. The little bit of gray in his beard is my doing. There’s never a dull moment.
The office is my sanctuary, where the decisions I make often affect those around me.
“I’m going to make a pact with you. You do know I’m grooming you to take over when I’m gone? This business isn’t for everyone. But, something about you convinces me this chair will be yours one day. I know that you will make me proud,” I say.
I can’t read him.
“I don’t want to hear you talk like that. Every precaution is being taken. The people working around the clock to protect you have been thoroughly vetted by me. I put them through a rigorous interview process. They have to be mentally strong as well as physically superior in every way. I don’t ask them to do anything that I wouldn’t do myself,” Leo responds.
I don’t want to admit feelings for Valeria. She forces me to be a better man. But, there are also moments where she tests the boundaries by trying to cross the invisible line in the sand.
I’m rubbing my hands together while thinking about the problem. Hugo will wait patiently. He’ll watch for any opening, no matter how small it might be. Whatever hole I have in my security has to be plugged - immediately. Leo will see that.
“You don’t feel that in the air. That makes you one lucky bastard. There is a Damocles sword swinging over my head. It doesn’t matter what security measures you have in place. He’ll find a way to get to me and will make it personal.” I say.
The spacious office has a huge glass-topped desk in the center of the room. This is where I do my best thinking. The ’Art of War’ is displayed. It’s the only book in the empty case next to the wall. The shelf is polished pine, and I should have great works of literature at my fingertips.
I run my fingers over the glass figurine of a ferocious tiger on my desk. Everything is in its place. The one thing I can’t stand is disorganization. I can’t tolerate when things are not done exactly as I like them.
The panoramic view of the backyard and the flowers I planted give me a sense of peace in a chaotic environment. Ironically, being with Valeria does the same thing. I forget about everything and get lost in the moment when I have my arms around her.
It’s something that I miss terribly, but I’m not going to admit that to her.
An audible click is followed by the unmistakable sound of her high-heels entering the room. Her perfume is a blend of pheromones to leave me breathless. Hiding my excitement is easy when sitting at the desk with my chair turned on a swivel to look out the backyard.
I can see what is happening in the reflection of the window.
Leo tries to stop her without putting a hand on her.
She steps around him without missing a beat. The reflection of her stern expression leaves me with only one option.
“I told you this morning I wanted to talk to you. Instead, you mumbled something but never gave me a clear indication of when you would have time to speak to me,” she says.
I slowly turn to face her with my hands on the desk. “I can’t be bothered with every little trivial detail. My calendar is full. I can give you five minutes.”
I pick up the letter opener and begin a dangerous game of moving it between each finger. One wrong move and I could easily nick the skin. It’s worth it to see the look on her face. She thinks I have lost my mind. Maybe I have.
“I’m so happy you can make time for your bride. It must be a hardship,” she says sarcastically.
“I don’t have time to play 20 questions. So get to the point,” I urge with a dismissive wave of my hand.
Leo has returned to his usual position, motionless at the door. He is the most deadly man I’ve ever met in my life. The way he carries himself tells people around him never to underestimate his skills. Very few have seen him in action. He doesn’t resort to violence unless absolutely necessary. Diffusing the situation with words is preferable, but there are always exceptions.
“I haven’t seen my mother in days. I just wanted to inform you that I’ll be spending the day with her. I don’t want you to worry about me. I was debating on whether or not to tell you. I’m not even sure you care,” she says.
I scratch my chin. “What do you mean by that? You have everything you could possibly want and more. This is your castle.”
“It’s more like a prison. I can’t leave without first talking to you. Leo was very clear on that point when he spoke to me privately the other day. I’m your wife and not your prisoner. It’s about time you treat me with some respect,” Valeria demands.
“A couple of my guards will accompany you. This is not up for debate,” I respond nonchalantly when I know she’s itching for a fight.
My father did the same thing when I was younger, but I learned to turn the other cheek. It wasn’t always easy, but the alternative was messy with visits to the hospital. It was better to steer clear of him when his irrational moods made him look for somebody to lash out at.
I never want to be like him. I’m starting to realize there are different cases of abuse. Ignoring her is a mistake, but I don�
�t know how to speak my mind without making it sound like an order.
“I don’t know why I even bother. It’s not like you care one way or the other. You haven’t come to see me in days. It’s not like you say much when we do cross paths. I’m not stupid. There is this dark cloud following you around wherever you go. Everybody is on edge,” Valeria states.
She’s wearing a simple white and black striped summer dress. The straps over her shoulders are the only things preventing me from seeing her healthy assets. Sleeping is impossible when I know she’s sleeping right down the hall.
I stand up and straighten my dark blue shirt. “What I’m hearing is that you miss me. There is this need you can’t put into words. You want me to punish you when you misbehave.” I signal Leo to leave the room without saying a word.
I follow him to the door and purposefully, with malice, turn the lock loud enough to make her flinch.
Valeria
He leaves me speechless and unable to comprehend how he’s trapped me with no way out. A part of me desires to be alone with him, but I fear he will take it to a different level.
“I didn’t come in here for any other reason than to tell you about my plan to visit my mother. She asks about you all the time. We have canceled dinner plans too many times for her not to get concerned,” I explain with him behind me.
“I can read between the lines. The honeymoon isn’t over. We’ve been here before. Do you remember what it felt like to have me inside of you? That overwhelming and intense heat we generated on that magical night was inspiring. Do you think I’m blind? I know you have been watching me out in the garden at night and on my patio during those times I can’t sleep,” Caspian says.
I take a couple of deep breaths, but it doesn’t help cut through the sexual heat of the moment. The temperature has risen.
I feel suffocated by his presence.
I jump out of my skin when I hear the snap of the leather again. He grabs my arms and bends me over the desk until he has his belt secured around both my wrists.
There is no way to see the expression on his face, but I know he’s probably smiling behind my back. He’s got a firm hold of my hair with the other hand lifting the hem of my summer dress.
“I’ve been a little preoccupied. I can see how that would appear to be neglecting you. I never want you to feel deprived of anything,” Caspian says with a hook of his finger underneath my blood-red panties.
He peels it away from those wet and soaking lips. They stick temporarily to my skin until I can feel his finger tracing down to the bubbling cauldron of my excitement. He penetrates up to the first knuckle, and I involuntarily squeeze down on the invading object.
“This isn’t what I want,” I say.
“It’s exactly what you want, but you’re afraid to say the words. This is a safe place. Close your eyes and use your other senses. You’ll be surprised by how good it feels. I know what I’m talking about. Sex is a weapon if you know how to use it correctly,” Caspian says.
“I’m not going to justify that with a response,” I reply.
He nips my neck.“You forget who you’re talking to.”
I hold back a moan with my eyes staring straight ahead. “I don’t forget anything,” I say through clenched teeth.
His finger begins to move back and forth, making me wet. My words don’t convey what my body is saying loud and clear. Being unable to move is an aphrodisiac. My excitement has peaked. He knows it without me having to say it.
“I have opened you up to new possibilities. Let me show you what you have been missing the last couple of nights. You’re not the only one in desperate need of satisfaction. The ache you feel will soon be gone. I can’t promise that it won’t return, but you won’t have to go very far to get your fix,” Caspian states with his tongue in my ear.
It was a mistake to walk into the lion’s den.
I hear his zipper, and I know what is coming next. It’s not like I don’t want it. I just don’t want him to know how much I want it.
The warmth of his knob wipes the length of my slit. It has me anxious and hungry to be taken.
He presses but doesn’t pierce my womanhood. He wants me to say the words.
I’m biting my tongue, but I’m not sure how long I can deny what I really want.
“There’s something about the way that you roll your eyes when you’re fighting the inevitable. I’m going to give you what you came in here looking for under the guise of letting me know you want to go and visit your mother. Next time just come out and say it,” Caspian mocks.
He’s leaning over me with his hands on my shoulders. It has become apparent he’s using the sense of touch to guide his progress. The head nudges with insistence. It brings back those feelings the first night we were together. He finally cleaves into me like a knife through warm butter.
“God damn…you are tighter than you were the first night. You can fight me, but I know you don’t want to. Just let it happen naturally. Let go and stop this act of defiance,” Caspian insists.
I stay still, wanting him to believe this isn’t what I want. I don’t cry out with enthusiasm.
He begins grunting with every thrust. His pants are around his ankles. He’s in between my legs taking what he wants. There is no way to replicate his movements.
I’m devastated that my body demands this kind of instant gratification. It’s definitely complicated. His thrusts become more urgent, but he slows down when he begins to feel the moment of truth. I know it’s there simmering under the head buried deep within me. There is no going back when I want to go forward.
It’s my prerogative to change my mind, but my body tells me there is no better place to be at the moment. The way that he angles his hips strikes a match to my libido. My legs begin to tremble, and that feeling spreads to the inside of my thighs.
He suddenly stops and pulls out only to sit on his desk in front of my salivating mouth. That same smug grin makes me want to turn my head away from him, but I can’t do that. His knob - slick with my juices, touches my lips. A deep sigh gives him the opening he’s looking for.
The large imposing head slides effortlessly into my mouth. It’s not like I’m in a position to stop him from plumbing the depths of my throat in one long and unending stroke. I do gag, but this seems to please him until he’s fucking my skull with wild and embellished strokes. It takes my breath away.
I should be appalled and sickened by this display. Anybody else would walk away numb and feeling used. But, it’s not like that. Something happens when I feel him inside of me, bulging with a desire to unload the burden from his balls.
I want to tell him to stop.
The words are on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t seem to say them. The way that I strangle his instrument with my tongue curled around the great beast has him on the edge of his seat.
“I’ve never met a more responsive woman in my life. I can’t decide where I want to shoot my load. That has never happened before. You have only yourself to blame for coming in here acting all high and mighty. We both know you had an ulterior motive. You can’t fake this kind of infectious enthusiasm,” Caspian says.
He pulls free, but he doesn’t give me a chance to be disappointed. Instead, he roughly manhandles me until I’m on top of him on the desk. He bites my nipples through the dress while I am bouncing up and down on his lap.
My head snaps back, and I groan with the intensity of my orgasm, gripping him at the root.
He explodes with the spurting reminder of his manliness.
Finally, he crawls out from underneath me, and I walk in a daze toward the door. He places his hand out and stops me from disengaging the lock.
“I will make you admit how much you want me. Just you wait and see,” Caspian says.
I leave in this fugue state, unable to comprehend what I’ve done.
Chapter Eight
Caspian
“I don’t know what he’s waiting for. This is what he wants. I know that in my head, but the o
ther shoe is going to drop eventually. It’s best to keep up with appearances. The last few weeks inside the estate hiding sends the wrong message. Hugo can’t know that he’s getting to me,” I say with my fingers around the letter opener sticking out of the custom-made case.
“You have to get out of your head. Hugo doesn’t realize that the longer he waits, the better chance we have of catching him. I have people watching and listening. He’s inevitably going to stick his head out of whatever hole he’s hiding in.” Leo informs.
I throw the letter opener in my frustration, and it barely misses Leo, but he doesn’t even flinch. The invitation to the gala is there mocking me on the desk.