by Cynthia Dane
Chapter 5
“Alice.” No matter how he said her name, whether with an edge, a softness often misconstrued for boredom, or a tone that implied she was in big, big trouble, Alice never tired of hearing Damon Monroe say her name. Especially if they hadn’t seen each other for a whole day.
“Hi.” She smiled at him as he approached, hand extending to wrap around her head and bring her in for a lingering kiss. For a moment, Alice forgot that they had an audience. Not only was Dee still in the room, but Monroe’s own bodyguard did his customary sweep of the apartment and nodded in approval. A few quiet words were exchanged between him and Dee, but otherwise, they did not acknowledge each other’s existence. “Did you have a good day?”
“It was what it was.” Monroe stood back, both hands still on her shoulders. Does he like my outfit? My hair? Alice was in the lacy mini-dress. The lace was so soft that it didn’t itch at all. Which was great, because that was the only thing covering her shoulders, chest, and upper arms. “You are absolutely stunning. They took great care of you downstairs, I see.”
Blushing, Alice tucked a stray hair behind her ear. After debating hairstyles with Tina earlier, they both agreed they should follow Monroe’s request for her to wear it up. Now it was in a stylish high ponytail, held together by a diamond band that clasped firmly in place. To give her hair more lift, Tina inserted short silver rods that Alice barely felt against her scalp. If I tried to do this myself, it would be so painful. She was getting way too used to this kind of pampering.
“By the way,” she dared to say. Dared, because it was quite likely she would ruin their nice mood. “You didn’t tell me I would make a new friend today.” Alice nodded toward Dee, who was on break and checking her phone.
“Ah.” Monroe dropped his arms. “Sometimes I forget not everyone has a bodyguard 24/7. Don’t worry, lovely. There’s nothing to fret about. Just a precaution. I hope she was agreeable.”
“She’s been very nice, yes.” I don’t want to get Dee in trouble. Well, Dee hadn’t done anything. Wrong, anyway. It wasn’t her fault Alice didn’t know how to deal.
“She’ll be relieved from duty as soon as we go. You don’t have to worry about that when I’m around.”
“Because you’ll protect me?”
“Absolutely.” Monroe smoothed the top of her head and lightly kissed the bridge of her nose. Tingles! Were those butterflies fighting for power inside of her stomach? Or was she merely in stupid love? “Now, I have something special planned tonight. Before we go to dinner, I want to take you across the street. Do you know what’s there?”
“No. I haven’t had much chance to get out and see things today.”
“It’s a jewelry store. One of the best in the country. I want to buy you two things tonight, Alice. One item is of your choice. Whatever you want. Consider it a souvenir of our time here.”
Alice didn’t know what to think about that yet. Only a matter of time before he started buying me jewelry, right? She didn’t count the jewels she had accumulated from the boutiques. As far as she was concerned, these diamonds were loaners.
“The other thing will be my choice. We’ll pick out yours first.” He held his arm out to her. “Shall we go? Or do you need more time to get ready?”
“I’m ready!” Alice grabbed his arm.
“Excellent. Tom, let’s go.” Monroe gestured to his bodyguard, who had emerged from the bathroom. “Thank you, Dee. You’re free for the rest of the evening.”
“Thank you, Mr. Monroe. Was a pleasure.” Dee smiled at Alice before taking her leave of the apartment. “If you need anything, you both have my number.”
On one hand, Alice was glad that Dee wasn’t going to see and possibly judge what this couple got up to in their personal time. On the other, was it really better to have a guy she didn’t know – like Tom – watching over them? Then again, Tom probably had a pretty good idea about what went on in his boss’s personal life. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse.
Monroe escorted her out of the apartment, down to the lobby, and across the wide avenue sweeping through this part of Chicago. Alice felt like they were going to the grand gala where she met those other billionaires.
She didn’t find other billionaires, though. Or if the men and women working in the expansive den of jewels and gold were billionaires, they certainly were making good money!
“Wow.” The lights were dimmed for this after-hours perusal, but gemstones and gold bands still twinkled in their cases and on top of their displays. The bodyguard stood back as a man in a coat and tails spoke quietly with Monroe to get a gleam of what they were shopping for.
“Ms. Culver will be taking home whatever she wants,” Monroe flippantly said. “The other thing can wait until she’s made her decision.”
“Very well, sir.” The man gestured to the first display case. “Does the lady have a preference in style or color?”
Not the first time she was asked that today. “I don’t even know where to begin,” she admitted. “I’ve never done something like this before.”
Monroe nudged her. “Let’s take a walk. I’m interested in seeing your tastes, Alice.”
She hid a happy grin. “So you can keep spoiling me, right?”
“Naturally.”
They took a tour of the showroom floor. Actually, tour doesn’t begin to cover it. Every display case had its own salesperson, dressed in simple yet stylish black, ready to explain in great detail the origins and quality of every piece in the case. There were gems from all over the world, polished, cut, and placed with great precision in masterfully crafted settings. If Alice wanted to get a ruby and garnet gold necklace from Bulgaria, she could damn well get a ruby and garnet gold necklace from Bulgaria! How about one of the most expensive synthetic sapphires in the world, forged in a sterile Japanese lab? A tiara glistening in an array of royal diamonds?
“Fit for my beautiful queen,” Monroe muttered in her ear, with a touch to her chin.
Alice could never get something so audacious. “When would I wear something like that?”
Monroe’s expression remained poignant. “It would be perfect for a royal wedding day.”
She attempted to laugh that comment off. Monroe still did not change expression.
“Hey, look, rings.” They weren’t diamonds. Phew.
Alice spent more than a few minutes peering into a large, long case boasting nothing but rings, all ready to be sized to whichever finger she liked. Instead of humoring her boyfriend with trying on ruby rings on her left ring finger, however, Alice tried them on her right. Sapphires glittered against her pale skin. Amethysts held her thoughts for longer than she usually would have liked. But the one that made her gasp the moment it graced her finger?
A sizable marquise cut emerald, so bright and pristine that Alice could see her own reflection when she held it up right. The stone was still small enough to not look ostentatious. The gold band already fit her perfectly. Sighing, Alice held her hand out toward Monroe and asked, “Is it me?”
“It’s perfect.”
Her smile was enough to make him buy it for her.
She continued to wear her new emerald ring while the man in coat and tails retreated to fetch whatever Monroe wanted to personally shop for. The salespeople dispersed, some of them finally going home while others disappeared into a back room. Aside from the bodyguard lurking in the shadows, Monroe and Alice were left alone on the showroom floor.
“You like emeralds, hm?”
Alice could barely pry her eyes off her present. “Green is my favorite color. I told you that, right?”
“I believe so. It also happens to be mine.”
“What a happy coincidence.”
“Yes.” His hand pressed against the small of her back as the man in coat and tails approached holding a large box. “Many sweet and happy coincidences between us, aren’t there?”
“Guess so.”
The man waited until they were finished conversing before holding up the bo
x. “Is now a presentable time, sir?”
Monroe glanced at Alice with a warm look. “Now is fine. Let us see them.”
Alice couldn’t deny the curiosity building inside of her. What could be so precious that Monroe had to arrange something else to be delivered at the end of their jewelry shopping date? The staff had been dismissed. This was private, whatever it was.
Oh, no.
It wasn’t an engagement ring, was it? Shit!
As Alice began to panic, the man opened the case.
Three choker necklaces looked back up at her.
“What…” Monroe picked up a silver choker and held it up to Alice’s throat. “Damon, what is this?”
“Don’t be alarmed. Gustav is a very discreet man. Not that this is something I feel we should have to be discreet about.” The choker moved away, replaced by a golden one in his hand. “As you have probably noticed, Alice, I’m a public man when it comes to my intentions for you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Don’t you?” The golden choker matched Alice’s hair. Still, Monroe pulled it away, a disgusted, displeased look on his strong demeanor. “I’m training you to be my most important partner in life, Alice. A man has to mark what is his, somehow.”
Alice’s eyes widened. “Marking me?”
“Perhaps I will buy you a ring soon, if that’s what you want.” He glanced at the emerald ring. “A different one. One that is more suitable for a woman of your current and future standing.”
“What standing is that?”
A black choker bedecked in tiny diamonds now graced her throat. Monroe stood back, his smirk infectious – and dangerous. “My future wife.”
She was speechless. He’s serious about that? Alice touched the choker around her throat, encountering a small silver loop hanging from the center. It fit perfectly. Almost too perfectly.
It wasn’t a choker, was it?
“Outstanding.” Monroe turned to the man holding the case. “This is the one. Thank you.”
The man bowed. “Shall we engrave it, sir?”
Monroe was reluctant to take the collar off Alice’s throat. Her hand wrapped around where it had been. “If you would. We’ll wait until it’s finished.”
“Right away, sir.” Gustav absconded with the choker to a back room. Something about it only taking fifteen minutes. Master craftsman waiting to engrave. Something. Something.
“Are you all right?” Monroe turned Alice’s head toward him. Her vision was too foggy to see him clearly. “I didn’t think I was springing that on you, but you must understand, my lovely, that a man like me must do what he can to protect the one he treasures the most.”
“Uh huh…”
She was still speechless when the collar was returned. Inside, right where it rested above Alice’s collarbone, was the inscription My Beloved.
“This is yours to wear whenever you’re with me, and whenever you got out in public. I don’t care if you wear it or not when you’re home without me, but it’s meant to remind both you and everyone else that you are mine, Alice. It’s much more effective than a mere ring.” He caught the look in her eyes. “If you truly do not like it, we could find you another one, but it’s customary for me to pick out your collar for you.”
“I see.” Alice took in a deep breath. “This is going to take some getting used to.”
“I’m sure.” Monroe took her hand. “Why don’t we further discuss it over dinner? I have reservations at a French restaurant downtown. Have you ever dined on French cuisine before?”
Alice cocked her head in utter disbelief. “You really are something else, Damon.”
“I don’t mind being many things. ‘Something else,’ included.”
He led her out of the restaurant and into the back of his limo. More than a few people on his payroll glanced at the collar around Alice’s neck. This was going to take more than a little while to get used to. It could very well take half her life.
***
Alice couldn’t say if she ever consumed French food before. She had certainly never been to a French restaurant before. I wanted to go with Matt on our anniversary, but he insisted on Italian. Back then, Alice didn’t think much about it. Now she wondered if she could ever make a restaurant request to Monroe. A part of me wants to see him eat at Taco Bell. Another part of her cringed at the thought.
Didn’t help that the menu was completely in French. Alice and Monroe sat at a table in the far back of the restaurant, completely sectioned off from the main gallery, which was already sparse and quiet. Candle lights offered a romantic mood, but Alice kept stealing glances at the bodyguard standing over by the door, ignoring the server and host who came in and out at ten-minute intervals. Does he see this kind of stuff all the time? Does he have something he needs to tell me about his boss? “Hey, Ms. Culver, you might want to know that your boyfriend does this about once a month. He’s got another potential fiancée on standby. Run with your payday while you still can.”
Alice continued to touch the collar around her throat. Eventually, she had to give up on ordering food. As much as she didn’t want to, she asked Monroe to help her pick something out. At least he didn’t order on her behalf. Guy doesn’t know me that well yet. But even as he attempted to explain the different dishes before relying on the server, Alice was still lost. It didn’t help that her brain was elsewhere.
“Have I offended you?” he asked after the server left with the menus. “You’ve been acting differently ever since we left the jeweler’s.”
“I’m fine.” Alice held out her right hand. “Thank you again for the ring. I love it.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Something remained in his voice. “We should discuss what happened.”
“I’ve never owned emeralds before.” She pulled her hand back and admired the marquis cut gemstone on her finger. “I used to have pearl earrings. I think I used to have a genuine ruby necklace. Never an emerald, though.”
“Alice.”
She glanced up. “I don’t mind it,” she insisted, referring to the collar. “I used to wear chokers all the time in high school. Went through a silly punk phase my junior year.” God, how embarrassing. Here she had forgotten all about that until this point.
Monroe reached across the table and grasped her hand. The ring continued to sparkle beneath the chandelier hanging above their heads. “If you have misgivings, you should tell me. Part of my role is to help you understand and transition smoothly into your new life.”
My new life… Whoa. Things really were moving quickly. “You do know that I’ve never done something like this before, right?” She could barely look him in the cold amber eyes. “I’ve never been in this kind of relationship. I barely even know what it is you’re into.”
“I realize that. It was foolish of me to move this quickly. I should have held off.”
“No, no…. it’s fine.”
“You don’t have to wear it for now. Take your time easing into it. We could get you one that’s not quite as tight.”
“That’s not a problem.”
“Are you ill at ease, my love?”
Alice was caught off guard by that. My love. Shit. Shiiit. “Maybe a little. I guess I want to know how deep this goes with you.” She lightly touched the ring hanging from the center of the collar. “I know you say you’re really into it. What does that mean, though, exactly?”
He lightened his grip on her hand, shoulders also relaxing and visage calming. “Perhaps it says a lot about who I am as a man and the privileged life I’ve had. I don’t do relationships in the same way other men do. There’s a reason BDSM play and lifestyles are so big with the wealthy and powerful. Every day we live with power imbalances. Usually, we’re on the end of the powerful. We live and breathe it every day. Either we wish for greater balance, and search for someone who will take the power for a while… or we strive to exert control over every aspect of our lives. It gives me comfort to know exactly what to expect wherever I go. That includes home. I
want a woman who will fit into my vision.”
“You think I could possibly be that woman?” Alice shook her head. “You barely know me, Damon.”
He chuckled. Genuinely, absolutely chuckled. Alice rarely heard this level of amusement from the man. “Do you believe in fate, Alice?”
“Don’t know. Never really thought about it.”
“I didn’t used to. It was a great cosmic coincidence I was born into this life. Perhaps, though, it was a bit of fate. I started seeing signs when I first went to Princeton. Signs pointing me toward my ultimate happiness. I started following my gut more than my head in matters of education and business. My father and I had a few rows about some of my decisions, but they never steered me off the course I was meant to be on.” Monroe released Alice’s hand. “It was only recently I started following my gut more in the matters of love. I’m tired, Alice. I’m not a man meant to serially date. I prefer stability. I don’t date a woman unless I think there can be something more with her. My father has tried to set me up on multiple dates over the years. He’s very concerned about the state of our bloodline and won’t pass on from this world until he’s seen at least six grandchildren be born.” What an awkward grin. “Joking, of course, but it is something I need to think about, particularly now that I am in my thirties.”
“Of course.” Alice tried not to think about things beyond dating and marriage with this man. One. Thing. At. A. Time. As soon as I marry him, the whole family will expect me to start popping out babies. Was Alice even ready for that bullshit? Having kids was such a faraway thought. She still barely felt twenty! Let alone the kids I would have to raise for this man. Nannies, tutoring, boarding schools. Monroe said so himself. He liked stability… and being in control. He would insist on certain things. Why wouldn’t he? He was paying for all of it. If he wanted to send Damon Jr. to the same upstate boarding school his whole lineage had attended, Alice would probably have little say in it.
“So I thought… if my gut lent so well to me in terms of business and finance, then why wasn’t I listening to it in matters of love? I was drawn to you from the moment I saw you, Alice. That’s not unusual. I’m drawn to many women. I separate sex from love fairly well. Most of them I approach as nothing more than a potential one night stand. Perhaps, if I enjoy her company enough, I will meet up with her many times, but it’s still not a serious relationship. I usually tire of those women quickly. In truth, they tire of me as well. They’re either only interested in my money or run the moment I bring up BDSM. That’s fine. But you haven’t ran. For that I am grateful, because I feel things for you I have yet to feel for any other woman I’ve met, Alice.”
