Jack placed her wedding band in her hand. “I think we should wear our rings while we’re there,” he said. “Purely to fuel the subterfuge.”
“Yeah,” Caroline said. “It’s not because you’re oddly romantic.”
“It would be too obvious for you to wear your engagement ring or that anniversary band. Much too flashy.”
“I’m glad you admitted that your taste in jewelry is a bit extravagant.”
“My discriminating eye is not even close to being over the top. But that engagement ring is recognizable.”
“Stop being logical.”
“Are you going to give me mine or not?”
She could have some fun with this. Her hair was still blond, purely for convenience while traveling, and Jack had grown a beard and obtained green contacts. “What if I’d rather be a married woman carrying on an affair with her handsome older lover, who has no qualms about parading her scandalous extramarital relationship around while wearing her wedding band in public?”
“Or you could give me my ring.”
What a spoilsport. She removed the chain from around her neck. “You’d better wear it the whole damn time, though.”
He slipped the ring onto his finger. “If I like it well enough you may not get it back.”
She had to admit, that gleaming platinum made him even more attractive. “Any other pieces to our carefully crafted plan?”
“Our new passports. Schroeder gave them to me today.”
“So, we’re citizens of California now?”
“Mr. and Mrs. O’Malley are.” Jack reached into his back pocket and handed her two passports.
“Michael Alfred O’Malley,” Caroline read. “How Black Irish of you. And…Diana Marie O’Malley. You didn’t like my fake French surname? Pascal sounded so cultured.”
“I thought maybe it would be okay if we could continue the ruse of a happily married upper class couple. With the same last name.”
Poor Jack. He looked so uncomfortable. “You thought I’d be mad, didn’t you?”
He fiddled with his wedding band. “Maybe.”
“Did you mean our happy marriage was a ruse, or the upper class part?”
“I only meant the same last name.”
“That’s so endearing for you to be concerned about my feelings.” She rummaged around the room. “Where’s that Simone de Beauvoir book I borrowed from Natalie? It has to be around here somewhere. I know I still have that one by Betty Friedan.”
“Caroline-”
“I thought I could do some light reading on the plane,” she said.
“You sure you don’t want me to do some light reading on the plane?”
That could work too. She gave him a little hug to let him know she was kidding. “It’s fine, Jack. It’s charming, actually.”
“It’s not like this is a legal name change. You’re still Caroline Joan Gerard.”
She sat down on the bed. “Do you think this is going to work?”
“I don’t see why not. We’re not traveling through American airspace, we have ironclad documentation, we have plenty of money, and I’ve been growing this damn facial hair for two weeks now.”
“Don’t forget those magnificent eyeglasses and color contacts you’ll be wearing.”
“Don’t remind me,” Jack grumbled. “If people talk us up in public, we’re a couple from San Diego visiting The Netherlands for a couple of weeks. A nice jaunt to the continent to reconnect. We won’t volunteer that information but will share if prodded. It’s not like folks have stopped traveling completely, especially between California and Europe.”
He seemed to have it covered. If that situation arose, she’d let him do the talking. “I plan on being as aloof as possible.”
“I plan on being the possessive, jealous husband who doesn’t let his wife speak to strangers.”
“I think I have a book on men who are too controlling. Maybe that’s the one you should read.”
He zipped his bag, tossing it next to the dresser. “Very funny.”
“We have to be careful, Jack. We don’t want to be memorable. We need to be benign. There’s a chance someone could recognize us.”
“Then we’ll have to make our movements quietly like any normal married couple, passive aggressively not talking to each other or anyone else. But that’s neither here nor there. How’s that tranquilizer working for you?”
Natalie didn’t want her to overuse them but hell, they sure worked. “I’m in a good place. Might pop one tomorrow. Easier for me to nap on the flight.”
“I was going to slip something into your drink if you got too chatty.”
“You’re mean.”
“You love it.” Jack kissed her cheek. “Are you nervous?”
“About the flight?”
“About everything.”
“That’s a pretty broad question.”
“You’ve been on those pills for a couple of weeks. How’s that going?”
“I feel a little more…evened out, if that makes sense. Have you noticed a difference?”
“You seem calmer. That doesn’t preclude nervousness about normal things, right?”
No, it didn’t. But it made it a lot easier for her to manage her competing stressors. “I’m nervous about flying. Nervous about testifying. Nervous about what comes after that. Right now I’m taking it one day at a time.” Caroline smiled. “That’s all you get.”
“You gave me quite a bit,” he said. “I’m going to do what I can to distract you and make this trip as enjoyable as possible.”
The California Republic had given them a small allowance for clothes. “We have to do some shopping. I know.”
“More than that. I owe you two years’ worth of completely unnecessary presents.”
She knew how to translate that statement. “Jack, you haven’t touched that account.”
“I got a small loan. Favorable terms. No point in having money if we can’t enjoy it. Just in case-”
He carefully examined his fingernails. Oh, that was a little ominous. Did he think something was going to happen? Was this their last hurrah? Maybe he could benefit from some pharmaceutical assistance as well.
His response wasn’t entirely unpredictable. Both of them were prone to it – they’d be having a bright, almost fluffy exchange and reality would creep into the room, burrowing into their psyches. Jack was more likely to let it choke his thoughts; his cynicism colored everything he did from travel plans to intelligence briefings. It was emotionally exhausting.
“You shouldn’t be borrowing against accounts we may never be able to access,” Caroline said.
“Diana and Michael deserve to go to Europe in style.”
And there he was, bouncing back up again. Caroline looked at her rather tiny rucksack. “Except in terms of luggage.”
“We’ll worry about that when we get there.”
He was striving for normalcy in a tide of uncertainty and stress. Touching but impractical. “You’re going to do your best to make this feel like a run of the mill trip, aren’t you?”
“Is it working?”
There were moments when she could pretend things were the way they used to be. That everything would reverse itself in some magical cosmic override. Like turning a light switch on and off only to discover the bulb had burned out. She’d replace it and the light would come back on, flooding her with warm comfort. Then it would flicker again and she’d be reminded that nothing, absolutely nothing was the same.
Tonight, however, Caroline would do her best to retreat to that moderately happy place in her mind where she thought only of the positive and let herself be loved. “A little.”
Jack put his arm around her. “What’s really bothering you?”
Her nervousness had little to do with why they were going, and everything to do with what she valued most. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. I feel like there’s a chance I can finally get everything that’s important to me and I don’t want it taken away again.”
“Caroline, we’ve got tons of security. California Bureau of Investigation agents. Jones, Gig, and Crunch. We’ve been guaranteed the highest security measures once we land in Amsterdam. We’ll be fine. I promise.”
He kept saying we when she was more concerned about him. “Let’s do our best to stay inconspicuous.”
“Hey, you’re the one who can’t seem to keep herself out of trouble.”
Caroline cuffed his arm. “Stop telling the truth. That’s really annoying.”
Jack kissed her. “You should get some rest. We’ve got a long couple of weeks ahead. In less than two days we’ll be at the International Criminal Court, where you can mingle with all your fellow ministers of justice.”
“I don’t think any of them are going to be American,” she said.
“Maybe that’s for the best. You love connecting with people who share a passion for your vocation. I hope it makes it easier for you to share your story with them.”
Caroline crawled under the covers. “Will you tuck me in?”
He gave her a deep, long, toe curling kiss before sliding into bed beside her. “I’m going to do more than that. I may wear you out enough that your tranquilizers won’t even be necessary tomorrow.”
She gleefully pulled the sheet over their heads. “Get to it, Mr. O’Malley.”
Chapter Four
“Flying to upstate New York is so much better than driving.” Caroline slipped out of her sandals and flopped down on the bed in the master bedroom. “I should have married you years ago.”
“Would have been hard for you to swing that.” Jack took off his shoes. “But I’m glad you enjoyed the trip.”
“I’d enjoy anything in a private jet.”
“You don’t think my personal aircraft is overkill?”
“Makes campaigning a lot easier.” She rolled over to face him. “The girls seemed to be in a good place, don’t you think?”
“Were you worried about that?”
“A lot has changed in the past year. I wasn’t sure if they’d want to go away.”
She could tell Jack was trying not to laugh. “Are you kidding?” he said. “It was the perfect chance for them to stop attending campaign events.”
“They didn’t like going to luncheons and fairs with us?”
Jack kissed her lightly. “They’re not as good at hiding their boredom as their mother is.”
Caroline sat up. “Is my ennui that obvious?”
“Probably not to anyone else but me. Maybe Katie and Christine.”
Looking distracted or even tepid on the trail would be an issue. “I’ll try harder.”
He kissed her again. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Everyone you meet adores you.”
Caroline grabbed his tie and pulled him on top of her. “You know, we have the entire summer to ourselves. Relatively speaking, that is.”
He placed his palms on the pillow, adjusting his position. “What did you have in mind?”
“Nightly debauchery. Constant perversion. Entire weekends of nakedness, schedule permitting. Does that work for you?”
Jack nuzzled her neck. “Absolutely.”
Maybe if she made a tiny effort, the debauchery could start immediately. “Oh, and next time we have sex on the plane.”
“Deal.” He kissed her again, deeper this time. “I don’t mean to tease, but I actually have some calls I need to make.”
Oh, hell no. Not just yet. Jack started to get up and Caroline pulled him back down. “No way. We’re finally alone and we’re going to have some fun first.”
“Sweetheart, I’m not kidding. We spent the past few days almost completely ignoring our phones and we have to get back in the swing.”
He was no fun at all. Surely she could get him to lighten up. “No,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around him. “I’m more important than your calls.”
Jack tried to pull away but didn’t fight her kisses all that much. “Stuff to do,” he mumbled. “We need to behave.”
“We’re alone in a giant house, child-free for the next eight weeks. The last thing we have to do is behave.”
“I mean it.” He tried to pull away again. “I can hear my phone in the other room.”
“Fuck your phone,” Caroline said, reaching to unbuckle his belt. The one drawback of him wearing khakis. No suspenders. Maybe he’d throw on a pair tomorrow. “Just a quickie. Five minutes at the most.”
“You insult me.”
He might have sounded moderately amused, but she knew she was pushing it. She didn’t care. They were going to spend the bulk of their time campaigning as the summer wore on. Caroline could hardly be faulted for wanting a few more hours of couple time. “Ten?”
Jack shoved to his feet, adjusting his polo. “I have to work, baby. I promise I’ll be back in a little while and you can be as perverted as you want.”
He was serious. He needed to work. She didn’t care. She started working at his belt again. “I want to be perverted now.”
“Caroline,” he said, but it was more of a groan. Good. Her hands produced the desired effect. “You’re being naughty.”
What a cute turn of phrase. Had he ever worded it that way before? “I like to misbehave.”
His expression darkened. “Naughty girls get spanked.”
Wasn’t he a kidder. She’d meet that challenge any day of the week. “I highly doubt you’d spank your own wife.”
Jack yanked her up and swatted her ass hard. Caroline stumbled forward. His firm grip was the only thing keeping her from losing her balance. There was a sting to his action, but she didn’t know if it came from pain or shock. She closed her eyes and let out a harsh breath. “I doubt you have the audacity to do that again.”
He moved so swiftly that it took her by surprise. Jack took her over his knee on the edge of the bed and slapped her backside three times in succession before pulling her up to a sitting position next to him.
“I’m a man of my word,” he said.
Indeed he was. No, she didn’t feel pain. And she wasn’t entirely sure it was shock. But she was more than a little turned on. “I can see that.”
Maybe if she asked he’d do it again. Clothed, naked, in the bedroom, in the living room, in the backyard. Anywhere. Jack kissed her a final time, smiling as she attempted to pull him on top of her again.
“Sorry, baby. You have to wait. I’m going into the office to make some calls. Maybe you should slip into something more comfortable. I might get bored in there all by myself.”
Caroline shook her head, still dazed. Oh, she could definitely come up with something. “Just you wait.”
*****
She debated how long to give him. He wouldn’t have left the room unless he legitimately had work to do. But he’d made it clear he wanted her in his office at some point. He’d spanked her. Her husband had spanked her. She hadn’t expected him to make good on his threat but now that he had…she wanted to know what it would take for him to do it again.
Caroline found her sexiest merry widow and thong set, garters and all. A spectacular sapphire blue with black trim. He’d take his time removing it since it was one of her favorites. The look on his face when she sauntered into his office told her all she needed to know. A figurative jaw drop if there ever was one.
“My God,” he said. “You weren’t kidding.”
“You thought I wouldn’t show up?”
He steered her toward his desk, sitting her on his lap. “I knew you’d show up. I just wondered what outfit you’d greet me with.”
Caroline gestured toward the corset. “I’ll have you know that this is not, in fact, all that comfortable, but I thought it would turn you on.”
“Define comfortable.”
“A hoodie and sweatpants.”
“I guess I could find that attractive under the right circumstances. If those particular items were on the floor right after I’d ripped them off of you.”
She was willing to sacrifice some clothes for the team.
“So, you’d prefer me totally naked?”
He gave her hip a squeeze. “All the damn time.”
Caroline undid the top button on his polo, kissing his collarbone. “Did you have fun making your calls?”
“I was begging people for money. So, no.”
“I wish I’d been in here. I like hearing you beg.” She tugged at the bottom of his shirt, untucking it.
“Oh, really?” Jack forced her arms behind her back. “I like hearing you beg, too.”
That bite to his voice turned her on in all the right places. “What did you have in mind?”
He brought his lips to her ear. “We have all sorts of restraints in the bedroom. I know how difficult it is for you to keep your hands to yourself.”
“I don’t know if I can be taught,” she said.
“I think you can, with a little help. Shall we continue this conversation elsewhere?”
“Absolutely.”
Jack took her hand and led her into the master suite, closing the door.
“Afraid someone’s going to come in?” Caroline asked.
He laughed. “Force of habit, I guess.”
He’d spanked her. He’d alluded to tying her up. She had to make sure to cover all her bases, just in case. Everything was still so new. “You don’t have any cameras planted in here, do you?”
“I would never do anything like that without your consent. I don’t want to share you with anyone else.”
Good. Cameras were a no-no, particularly since they were so often photographed in public making kissy faces at each other. They’d have to be careful.
Jack slid her underwear down her hips. “I don’t think you’ll be needing these.”
Thank God. She hated thongs with the passion of a thousand suns. Caroline stepped out of her panties and leaned in closer to Jack.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
He must have noticed the slight tremble in her step. The hitch in her breath. “I’m a little more excited than I should be,” she said.
Jack bit her earlobe. “I’m going to make you come so many times you pass out.”
A hell of a threat. “Is that even possible?”
“I certainly intend to find out.” He trailed a finger down her breasts, wrapping both hands around the corset and pulling her closer. “You liked when I spanked you.”
Triumph (The Bellator Saga Book 6) Page 3
