by Cassia Leo
He finally composed himself, though he was still smiling. “Larissa, I’m not leaving you here for two months. I’m not even leaving you here for two days. I have a plane coming to pick you up tomorrow morning to fly you back to L.A.”
Suddenly, the walls began to pulsate as I realized he was finally through with me. He was sending me back where I came from and he was going off to Washington D.C. to find someone better, someone who wasn’t tainted by this scandal.
“So that’s it? You got what you wanted; now I’m being tossed aside like yesterday’s news? Is that what’s going on here?”
“What? No, that’s not what’s going on here.”
He stepped toward me and I stepped backward until the back of my legs bumped into the side of the bed, but he kept coming at me.
“Then what’s going on? Huh? Why did you fly all the way out here to tell Drew to back off if you were just planning to dump me in L.A.?”
He stopped in front of me so our noses were inches apart. “I’m here to tell you that I’m quitting.”
“You’re… quitting? Quitting what?”
“I have a meeting with the Speaker of the House tomorrow to discuss my resignation as president-elect. I’m quitting politics… for you.”
“You can’t do that. You’ve worked too hard for this. What are you thinking?”
He placed his strong hands on either side of my waist and pulled my body against his. “I’m thinking a spring wedding in L.A.”
“What? You’re talking crazy. Have you even slept?”
“When you told me Drew had a crush on you I realized that this façade I’m asking you to put on has put me in danger of losing you, and that’s when I realized I’d rather lose the presidency than live the rest of my life without you. It’s just as simple as that.”
“Oh, my god. You’re serious.”
“As a fucking heart attack. I’ve never met anyone as fiercely loyal, and trusting, and beautiful as you, Larissa. I want the world to know not just that I love you, but that you love me, because that’s what makes me the luckiest bastard in the world.”
“After what happened on Tuesday, I think everyone already knows that.”
He smiled as he scooped me up in his arms and gently placed me on the bed. He gazed at me for a moment, taking in the curve of my breasts and hips, before he lay next to me. He traced his finger over the bridge of my nose, over my lips, into the hollow of my neck, and between my breasts. I sighed as his fingers lightly caressed my belly. I had been craving his touch and here he was, giving me everything I craved and more.
His lips fell on mine tasting like the sweetest candy. His tongue explored my mouth the way it had explored my body so many times before. I felt as if I was falling into the bed, sinking deeper and deeper into a dream that wasn’t a dream.
I reached down to undo his belt and he pushed my hand away.
“That will have to wait,” he said, as he sat up. “I have a plane to catch if I want to make that meeting tomorrow.”
“That’s it?” I muttered, unable to hide the disappointment of my unfulfilled need. I wanted him inside me. I wanted to feel the weight of him on top of me.
He chuckled as he rose from the bed. “That is definitely not it. I have big plans for you when we get back to L.A. I already had your old roommate deliver your things to my house in Pacific Palisades. We’re going to have plenty of time to execute those plans once I join you there tomorrow evening.” He planted a soft kiss on my lips then made for the door. “I take it I can leave Drew to his schoolboy fantasies. I don’t have anything to worry about there, do I?”
“Of course not, but what about all the people who threatened to lynch me back home?”
“I’ve already hired a private security team. You have nothing to fear. I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh—wear that pink dress you wore to the AMA benefit.”
As he left the room, I collapsed onto the bed and stared at the vaulted ceiling above me. My crotch throbbed with unfulfilled desire. I slid the hem of my dress up a few inches then stopped. I could wait until tomorrow night.
Chapter 5
The plane landed in Los Angeles at five p.m. local time. As soon as I debarked, a helicopter was already on standby outside Chase’s private hangar. Drew carried my luggage across the tarmac and heaved it into the helicopter where two enormous fellows in crisp black suits, my private guards, awaited me.
“I guess you won’t be needing my services anymore,” he shouted over the thumping of the rotors.
“Thanks for not treating me like a prisoner,” I shouted back before we hugged.
He held on longer than I would have allowed him to otherwise, but I had to cut the guy some slack after the wrath I almost unleashed on him yesterday. He finally let go and I climbed inside the helicopter. As the chopper lifted off then banked toward the ocean, I breathed a deep sigh of relief to finally be home. The skyscrapers and the smog were my security blanket and these months on the road had taken their toll on me. I was exhausted. All I wanted was to get home, to my new home with Chase, and fall asleep in his arms.
The helicopter approached the hills of Pacific Palisades and one of the burly bodyguards turned to me. “Miss Jacobs, can you please put this on? Boss’s orders.”
He handed me a black satin blindfold. “What is this for?” I asked, as I took it from his hand.
“I’m sorry. Mr. Underwood didn’t share that information with me. Please put it on.”
I slipped the blindfold over my head and an anxious feeling settled into the pit of my belly as I felt the helicopter descend. The chopper soon landed and I unbuckled my seatbelt.
“I’m going to take your arm to help you get out,” the guard said, as he grasped the crook of my arm and guided me from the helicopter onto what felt like cool sand.
He led me forward and I listened for sounds of humans, but all I heard was the sound of waves crashing on my left. I trudged through the sand, trying to ignore the grittiness of the sand in my heels. We walked a few more yards before he stopped.
“Are we here?” I asked, but no one answered. “Can I take this off now?”
I heard the distinct sound of sand crunching as someone approached on my right side. I turned my head instinctively, but couldn’t see anything. I flinched slightly as someone’s hands touched my head and slipped off my blindfold.
Chase stood before me in a black tux with no tie and a crazy grin on his face. On my left, rows and rows of white chairs were filled with sharply dressed people with their backs toward me. Candles and rose petals lined the aisle between the rows of chairs. Then someone waved at me from the altar. Even backlit by the gorgeous sunset, I still recognized the ravishing gentleman in the tux. Shane, my ex-roommate, was standing on the bride’s side. Teddy stood on the groom’s side wearing a knowing smile.
“What is this?”
Chase took my hands in his and looked me in the eye. “This, my love, is for you. I know we can’t legally get married until the divorce is final, and I promise to give you a huge wedding when that happens, but I wanted to show you I’m serious by declaring my love for you in front of all the people who matter the most to us. So… do you still want to marry me, even after everything I’ve put you through?”
I looked back and forth between the altar and Chase’s anxious face. “I’m not dressed to get married,” I whispered, referring to my sand-filled heels and the pink A-line tank dress he asked me to wear today.
“What are you talking about? You look radiant as ever. Do I have to get on my knees again?”
He started to kneel and I grabbed his arm to stop him. “No! You’ll ruin your tux.”
“Is that a yes?”
I bit my lip as I nodded.
“Woo-hoo!” he shouted, as he lifted me and spun me around.
I didn’t know it was possible to feel this deliriously happy. All I had known for the past two years was hundreds of rejections and low-paying jobs that eventually led to the mountain of debt and my job at the escort servi
ce. I thought back to the night before my first day as an escort. I had lain in bed and contemplated the wreck my life had become, how my parents were right all along. I wished they were here now to see this.
Chase put me down and grinned as he gazed into my eyes.
“What are you grinning at?”
“You’ll see,” he said. “Stay right here.”
He set off down the aisle, I presumed to take his place at the altar. When he reached the front row of seats, he bent over to speak to someone. An older gentleman in a gray suit stood up and turned around. My father’s face beamed as he caught sight of me.
I bit my lip so hard I almost drew blood as I tried to hold back the tears, but it was no use. He made his way toward me and I saw that he also was having trouble holding himself together. I raced to him and threw my arms around him.
“Dad!”
“Sweetheart. You look so beautiful,” he said, his voice thick with the pain of two years’ absence. “I’m so proud of you. You really let Diane Sawyer have it.”
I chuckled as I wiped away my tears. “Is Mom here?”
My father nodded as he held out his arm for me. “She’s right up front. Are you ready?”
I grasped his arm as a harpist began to play “The Very Thought of You.” I kicked off my heels and my feet sank into the cool sand. We began our walk down the aisle and I couldn’t believe how many familiar faces I found in the seats: Shane’s boyfriend, Jackson Kim; my old boss at the escort service, Jessica Broom (whose business was rumored to have doubled since the scandal broke); Chase’s campaign statistician, Isa, and his new wife, Nina; politicians I had met during the campaign. Drew winked at me from his seat. When we reached the front row, I was surprised to see Katherine Underwood sitting next to my mother and wearing what appeared to be a genuine smile.
The look on my mother’s face, a mixture of sadness and pride, made my heart ache as she blew me a kiss. After we reached the altar, my father kissed my cheek before he took his seat. Shane winked at me and I knew in his head he was screaming, “Jackpot!”
Chase held out his arm and an uncontrollable grin stretched across my face as I latched onto him. He kissed my forehead then leaned over and whispered in my ear, “So worth it.”
Our bedroom in the house on the edge of the cliff had the most gorgeous view of the moon over the ocean.
“I can’t believe you live here,” I said, as I walked through the master suite.
I ran my fingers over the smooth wood of the four-poster bed as I made my way toward the terrace. Chase followed me outside and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“I can’t believe you live here,” he said, as he nuzzled my neck and kissed my ear.
I turned around and all the desire I had been suppressing these past few days poured out of me as I kissed him. He kissed me back hungrily and I realized he had been waiting for this moment, too. Without warning, he scooped me into his arms and carried me toward a wooden staircase leading down from the terrace to the beach. I kissed his neck and tasted the salt-spray that had battered us during the ceremony. We reached the bottom of the staircase where he placed me on the sand and quickly unzipped the back of my dress as I unbuckled his belt.
The moonlight painted silver streaks across his strong shoulders, as we stood before each other completely nude. He pulled me close and his erection pressed against my belly as his lips fell softly over mine. The smell of the ocean and Chase’s scent mixed together were a heady combination and I wanted him inside me now.
“Take me,” I pleaded. “Right here. Please.”
“To the water,” he said, as he took off running toward the waves.
I chased after him, laughing as I tried to catch up. He beat me to the water and we both gasped as the coldness of waves penetrated down to our bones.
“It’s too cold!” I shouted, as I turned to leave, but he grabbed my hand.
“I’ll keep you warm.”
He pulled me further in and my eyes widened with shock as each icy wave crashed into me. We slogged through the squishy sand until we were waist deep. He lifted me and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He slid into me and I moaned, suddenly forgetting all about the temperature of the water.
“Oh, Chase. I’ve been waiting for this.”
He leaned me over so my back lay across the surface of the water as he slipped slowly in and out of me. “Ah,” he groaned, as his hand glided over my belly and he cupped my breast with his hand.
He rolled my nipple between his fingers and I screamed with pleasure. His cock filled me so perfectly and completely. The ocean ebbed beneath me, delivering me toward ecstasy as he plunged in and out, drowning in me in pleasure.
“I don’t want to come yet,” he said, as he slid out of me.
I was floating on the swaying ocean as his warm lips covered my clit. He licked and sucked and hummed as the water carried me in its arms, rocking me back and forth, bringing me to the brink of bliss, then he stopped.
“Come on,” he said, as he led me out of the water.
His hand caressed my backside as he led me across the sand to an outdoor shower beneath the staircase. He turned on the shower and the warm water felt stingingly hot against my breasts. Within seconds, my body adjusted to the hot water as we rinsed the sand and saltwater off our bodies. His hands caressed my body, making certain there was no sand hiding in any crevices. He reached my slit and he stroked slowly as he looked me in the eye, watching my reaction.
My legs turned to jelly and he slid his arm around my waist to keep me from collapsing as he continued to rub my clit gently. I arched my back and he took my nipple into his mouth, sucking and nibbling, until I exploded with pleasure. He held onto me tightly until my body released a final shudder.
“Oh, my god,” I said, as I tried to catch my breath.
He held tight to me, kissing and licking every inch of skin on my neck and shoulders until I regained my strength. His erection was stiff against my belly. I knelt before him and he plunged his hard shaft into my mouth. I held tightly to his ass as the tip of his cock hit the back of my throat. I pulled my head back and lightly kissed the tip, eliciting a pleasurable chuckle from him.
“Oh, baby. Don’t stop.”
I took him fully into my mouth again as I slid my finger between his ass cheeks, caressing him. He groaned loudly and I took that as a sign to keep going. I bobbed my head faster as I slid my finger inside him.
“Oh, fuck,” he cried out, and his body shivered under my grasp.
I teased the tip of his cock again, licking and kissing the delicate ridge as I massaged the sensitive spot inside him. I took him into my mouth again, sucking and savoring every inch of him. He let out one more rapturous groan before he came. I swallowed his juices and licked my lips clean, relishing his delicious flavor, which I had grown to love.
“That was amazing,” he said, as he pulled me up and buried his face in my neck. “I want to devour you. I want to feast on you every day for the rest of my life.”
His hands roamed over my ass and I couldn’t believe I still wanted more of him—now.
“Let’s take this upstairs,” I said, as I grabbed his cock and he immediately became hard again. “Hubby.”
He smiled as he placed his hand over mine. “As you wish, princess.”
Epilogue
The mailman rang our doorbell at a few minutes past noon. I signed for the thick manila envelope and my heart jumped when I saw the return address.
“Chase! Honey! It’s here!” I shouted from the bottom of the staircase.
No doubt, he was upstairs in his office negotiating a large business deal, and I was most certainly interrupting him, but he told me that no matter what he was doing, I was to notify him the moment this package arrived. Within seconds, Chase came tearing down the floating staircase, making it appear as if he were truly flying—my superhero. He tore the envelope from my grasp and savagely ripped it open. He opened the blue folder within and we skipped a bunch of unimportant stuff
before we got to the most beautiful sentence I’d ever seen, and we both read it aloud.
“It is therefore ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the marriage relationship existing between Chase Allen Underwood and Katherine Ingrid Johnson should be and is hereby terminated and dissolved, both parties released therefrom.”
We jumped up and down like massive dorks, unable to control our glee. “You know what this means, right?” I said, as he kissed the paper and tossed it to the floor so he could throw his arms around me.
“What does it mean?”
Chase knew I had been waiting for this day to come so I could finally start planning our real wedding, but things had changed since the day of our beach ceremony.
“It means that we can get married before the baby’s born.”
His eyes widened, but he remained silent. My heart sank deeper into uncertainty with every torturous moment I waited for his response.
“Chase? Say something?”
His posture relaxed as he took my face in his hands. “There’s only one thing I want to say to you right now, and that’s… thank you.”
“Thank you for what? For being fertile?” I teased him.
“Well, besides that, thank you for giving me everything I ever wanted. Thank you for making this house feel like a home. Thank you for opening my eyes to what is truly important. And most of all…” He kissed my jaw and worked his way down my neck to my shoulder before he scooped me up into his arms. “Thank you for not wearing panties with that dress.”
THE END
KNOX
About Knox
Rebecca hasn't seen or heard from her mob boss father in four years, but she's about to receive a message from him that will throw her life into chaos. She thought she left the crime family, and the painful memories, behind when she went into law enforcement. She never expected to be abducted by a smoking hot stranger. But when this stranger makes Rebecca an offer too tempting to refuse, she finds herself dragged into one of the most ruthless vendettas of the century.
