“I don’t want to go back,” he told her, and at that moment, he meant it.
Why not? He asked himself. What do we have to lose by going here?
Elena placed her open palms against his face, drawing him close to her. When their lips met, Aaric was sure he had never sampled such a sweet kiss.
She is exquisite, he thought, laying her back against the pillows, his mouth falling into her chest. She smelled of vanilla and Aaric could not get enough of her.
Slipping the straps of her cream nightie over her arms, Aaric’s tongue jutted out to meet her erect nipples.
Elena exhaled and closed her eyes, arching her back to allow for the delicate material of her nightgown to be lowered over her calves and flung carelessly aside.
He lowered his head over her flat stomach, his tongue doing slow laps over the gooseflesh of her skin. Elena’s hands laced into his thick, blonde head and she moaned softly as he found his way to her center.
His fingers teased the moist opening, his mouth working inside her thighs, eventually plunging his index finger into her opening.
Elena gasped and sat up, watching him as his lips contacted her throbbing nub. In and out he slid, his tongue licking vigorously at her button.
Feeling her tense beneath him, he added his middle finger to the core and Elena cried out, biting on her lower lip, falling back against the bed as she began to tremble.
His endless suckling was rewarded as she released a hot gush against him, his fingers working faster to ensure she finished fully.
Content that she had reached the apex of her orgasm, he removed himself from her middles, recapturing the path up her body with his mouth that he had taken down.
At her face he paused, their eyes meeting and Aaric could read the awe in Elena’s expression.
“Turn around,” he urged, and she obliged immediately, placing herself on all fours.
Aaric dove himself into her, yanking her vertical so his finger could continue to manipulate her clit.
Elena reached back, her arms encircling his neck and drawing his lips to her shoulder as he pushed into her, his hips grinding circularly.
Aaric placed his free hand on her hip, struggling to keep his balance upon his knees, delving deeper into her and relishing the sound of her growing gasps.
“Are you going to cum for me again?” he whispered, and he felt her melt against him, her core growing hotter with the words.
“Yes,” she breathed, bucking her hips backward, encouraging him to pound her harder. With the movement, Aaric could feel his heavy, yearning sack preparing to blow but he wouldn’t go yet – not before she did.
“Cum for me, darling,” he implored. “Cum all over me.”
Elena sighed, her arms tightening around his neck and Aaric was worried he was about to lose control. He could take no more, thrusting into her with such great force, he knocked them both to the bed. Pinned beneath him and the bed, Elena was sandwiched, moaning with pleasure as he hammered into her.
He could no longer contain himself, her cries escalating as he jabbed her ruthlessly, his seed spurting forward in scalding, even streams.
They groaned in unison, a quivering puddle but neither moved.
“Aaric?” Elena murmured after a few moments.
“Hmm?” he replied, his heart still racing.
“What does this mean?”
Suddenly, his pulse quickened again.
Oh lord, what have I done? He wondered silently. You should never have touched her. You’ve opened a can of worms you can never contain!
He said none of those things as he pulled out of her, onto his back. His eyes firmly planted on the dark ceiling, he searched for a diplomatic answer.
“What do you want it to mean?” he finally asked.
Elena flipped onto her stomach and peered at his face searchingly.
“I think this means we’re a real married couple.”
Aaric chuckled and glanced at her through his peripheral vision.
“I suppose it does,” he agreed.
It had never occurred to him that Elena would develop feelings toward him. How could it? She had never portrayed anything but disgust toward him. She was the perfect fake wife…wasn’t she?
You can’t screw this up, Aaric, he warned himself. The company depends on you displaying yourselves as a happily married company, and ICE is watching. You have to keep her happy.
“Are you sure?” Elena asked, and Aaric could read the doubt in her eyes.
What will she do if she learns that I only did that out of a moment of weakness? He asked himself.
He stared at the sensual brunette.
Will it be so bad to keep her happy? She is fairly low maintenance.
“Of course, I’m sure,” he told her. “I have wanted to do this since the first time I laid eyes on you.”
Elena settled back against the blankets, and he could see her mind working.
“Agent Dane came by a couple days ago,” she told him, and Aaric felt his back tense.
“What does he want this time?”
“He showed me pictures of you and that escort who was here a few months back.”
A foreign dizziness overcame him, and he did not know how to respond. Never in his adult life had he needed to hide his comings and goings. Overnight, it had all changed.
I must be more careful, he thought worriedly, trying to read Elena’s thoughts.
“You can’t do that anymore,” she told him quietly. “Or that’s it.”
A spark of fear coursed through him and he knew she was not making empty threats.
Too much is at stake for her to walk away now, Aaric thought panicked. He forced a smile on his face.
“I won’t need to, will I?” he told her, pulling her close him. “I have everything I need at home now.”
She seemed terse in his embrace, and Aaric stifled a sigh. She was too street smart to fall for the usual platitudes he used. He would need to do something dramatic to keep her loyalty.
It was time to bring out the big guns.
It had been two weeks since she and Aaric had made love for the first time, but the sense of unease did not leave Elena easily.
Why would he say we’re really together if he didn’t mean it? She asked herself reasonably. We didn’t go into this thing with the intention of getting together. He wouldn’t lie and say he cares about me if he didn’t.
Yet no amount of logic could shake the feeling that Aaric Buckley was toying with her emotions somehow.
The night after they were together, Aaric went to Canada on business for five days, leaving Elena to overthink their relationship.
When he returned, he had been pleasant enough, but he once more disappeared to Miami, never spending another night back on Fisher Island.
He’s avoiding me, she decided, but she couldn’t understand why.
She could only assume that he regretted what they had done and what he had said but didn’t know how to recant his words.
I have to give him an out, Elena decided. When he comes home for our interview tonight with Forbes, I will talk to him and let him know that he’s not on the hook for what he said.
The thought filled her with grief, but she willed herself to remain strong.
You can’t force a man to fall in love with you; she reminded herself. You wouldn’t want to be with a man under those circumstances anyway.
Her cell phone chimed, and Elena picked it up.
You home? Aaric texted. She was surprised. He rarely reached out to her when they weren’t together.
Yes, why? She responded, staring at the screen in anticipation. She hated that she was waiting for his response so eagerly.
Be home in twenty. Get dressed. We’re going for dinner before our interview.
She gazed at the words, initially believing she had misread them.
Ok, she responded. She was tempted to ask him how she should dress but she opted not look a gift horse in the mouth and instead took the stairs two at a t
ime to the master bedroom.
She had since moved all her belongings into the master bedroom, the room she had spent her residency now only a bed and empty closet.
Inside the walk-in, she agonized for a long while, not sure of what to put on.
Little black dress, she thought. You can never go wrong with the little black dress, right? Isn’t that what Vogue says?
She truly had no idea; she could not quite fall into her new socialite life easily. In her mind, Elena was still just the daughter of Italian immigrants, working as a housekeeper. Billionaire wife was taking a while to register day-to-day.
There were six little black dresses to choose from, the personal shopper Aaric had hired doing an excellent job of filling the closet which was almost the size of her former bedroom.
There were dresses, shoes, blouses, skirts, jeans, pants and accessories to choose from. Jewellery overflowed from a towered box, and there was not an inch of the closet which was not filled with something expensive and becoming to her svelte frame.
Elena was overwhelmed by the opulence which had been bestowed upon her, and she sometimes longed for her old Levis and Lulu Lemon tank tops.
Yeah, complain that you have too much to wear and watch yourself wake up from this dream you’re living, Elena thought wryly, pulling an Oscar de la Renta mini dress from a hanger.
She slipped out of her track suit and pulled the tight material over her body, observing her slender figure in the full-length mirror.
You can pull off this rich wife persona, she told herself, eyeing her reflection critically. She was lovely enough, certainly. Her chestnut waves fell in long layers t rest atop her breasts, and her dark brown eyes popped naturally under her black lashes and against her high cheekbones.
She could easily be mistaken for an aspiring actress or model, especially when she did her makeup.
Elena realized her palms were sweaty and she wiped them on a towel, not wanting to ruin the fragile material of the garment.
“There you are!” Aaric announced, poking his head in the vast dressing room.
“Oh, I’m not ready yet!” Elena exclaimed apologetically, and Aaric grinned.
“Are you certain? You look stunning!”
He appeared behind her, his hands encircling her waist and they stared at each other in the mirror.
He’s touching me, Elena realized, her heart pounding in her chest. Without urging or encouragement. Have I been worried for nothing? He is a busy man, after all. He doesn’t have time to dote on me all the time.
“I would still rather put my face on,” Elena laughed, reluctantly pulling away. “Give me ten minutes?”
“Take your time,” he told her. “This is a celebration after all. You must be ready to celebrate!”
“A celebration?” Elena asked from her spot at the vanity as she toyed with makeup brushes. “Something good happening with the company?”
Aaric watched her, his gray eyes glimmering.
“It’s better than that,” he told her. “Much better.”
Elena turned to look at him. She had never known anything to be more important to Aaric Buckley than his company.
“You can’t keep me in suspense!” Elena cried. “What is it?”
Aaric wagged his index finger back and forth, shaking his head.
“Ah ah ah,” he told her. “Good things come to those who wait. Or at least in this case that is true.”
Elena’s brow furrowed and a feeling of sheer dread flooded her.
Did his paperwork come through already? Did he pull strings in immigration? Is he filing for a divorce?
Aaric seemed to sense her distress instantly.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded. “You just went opaque!”
“Is it your paperwork?” Elena asked dully. “Did you get your citizenship?”
Aaric’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“No, of course not, Elena. That won’t happen for a long while. Those things take time.”
Elena could not shake the worry from her, and she continued to stare at her husband.
“Darling, what is wrong?” he asked again, drawing close.
“What is it?” she pleaded. She did not want to hear devastating news in a public place where she would be forced to maintain her composure.
Aaric shook his head, sighing in annoyance.
“You are impossible,” he grumbled. “Why can’t you simply accept that I have good news without questioning it?”
Elena did not answer, watching his face for implications of guile.
“As you know,” Aaric said reluctantly. “I went to Toronto last week.”
Elena nodded.
“What happened in Toronto?” she asked.
“I didn’t go for business,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken.
Here it is, Elena thought, falling against the wrought iron dressing chair. He’s in love with a Canadian girl, and he’s leaving me for her.
As these thoughts are flowing through Elena’s mind, she could hear the instability of her thoughts, but she could not get a grip. She was waiting for the fragile hope she had put into her relationship with Aaric to shatter into a million pieces.
“Why did you go?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. She did not want to hear the answer, not really.
“Medical reasons,” he answered evasively, and Elena was sure she was going to faint.
“What? What happened? Are you sick?”
Aaric held up his hand as she jumped from the chair.
“Tell me what’s going on!” she yelled and Aaric nodded.
“I will sit down!” he ordered, pointing at the chair. “Take a deep breath. I told you, this is a celebration.”
He took a deep breath and studied her concerned face.
“I found a kidney for your father,” he said simply. “He is going in for surgery in the morning.”
In one euphoric moment, Elena was filled with every incredible emotion known to mankind; relief, gratefulness, hope, and love.
“You – how did you do that?” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Aaric shifted his eyes downward.
“I’d rather not get into the specifics,” he told her and Elena realized he had found it on the black market. She did not open her mouth to ask, the appreciation she was feeling taking her breath away.
He found a kidney for my father. Dad had a death sentence, and he has given him more years. And he did it for you.
Any doubts that Aaric loved her dissipated through her toes and into oblivion.
He loves you. There is no doubt that he loves you.
Elena threw herself into his arms, burying her face into his chest as sobs of happiness spilled from her body.
I am the luckiest woman in the world. As Vince said, I truly am Cinderella and Aaric is my Prince Charming. Who would believe that fairy tales can come true?
Chapter Nine - Two Years Later
Veronica removed the dishes from in front of Aaric and he barely shifted his newspaper for her work.
“Can I get you anything else, Mr. Buckley?” the housekeeper asked. Aaric grunted in response.
“Mrs. Buckley?”
Aaric heard Elena dismiss her from the far side of the dining room table.
Why does she have to sit with me for every single meal? He asked with annoyance. We have nothing to say to each other and yet she beats a dead horse.
The feelings he had toward Elena were nothing short of resentment, knowing that she had him between a rock and a hard place with their arrangement.
She really milks it, doesn’t she? Squeezing every second of the day, I am trapped here.
He was infuriated that Fisher Island, the place which had once been his haven had become his hell.
He kept an apartment in Miami where Ilona was a permanent fixture, but Aaric found he was growing tired of the escort also.
Too many women in my life. Lilyanne at the office, Elena in my house, Ilona in my apartment. Where is my escape?
I
t did not occur to Aaric that he had the power to restrict the mayhem in his life. The truth was, he thrived off the drama.
“Are you going to be home tonight, darling?” Elena called from across the table. Reluctantly, he lowered the newspaper and flashed her a charming smile.
“I am not sure, sweetheart. I have a lot of work to do.”
She nodded, disappointment coloring her face and Aaric tried to ignore the smidgen of guilt he felt in his bones.
She needs to find a hobby, he thought, not for the first time but it wasn’t a fair notion.
Elena was days away from graduating with an associate’s degree in business and had plans to start her bachelor’s in September.
She helped Veronica around the house and had taken up sailing as a pastime when he was gone. He had learned the last fact from Wen, not his wife.
“You should see her instructor,” Wen said wickedly. “He’s built like a Greek god.”
Aaric wondered if the description was meant to instill jealousy in him. If so, it worked, and Aaric found himself sneaking out of the office early to observe Elena one afternoon.
She looked so free out on the water and from what he could glean with his well-honed sixth sense, the instructor was no threat to him whatsoever.
Of course, he’s not threat, Aaric scoffed. I have no interest in who Elena beds. If she wants to sleep with the sailing instructor, she’s got my blessing; as long as she doesn’t do it where anyone can see.
But that simply wasn’t true. While he ensured that they slept with each other enough to keep Elena placated, he admitted he enjoyed their sexual escapades. She gave herself to him freely and without reserve.
It had become dangerously clear to Aaric that Elena was in love with him and he wondered what he could do to deter her.
Elena has no place in your life, he told himself over and over. She is merely a means to an end.
Yet Aaric did nothing to stop the adulation seeping from his wife, and while he pretended to distance himself, he relished the way she doted on him.
“Why don’t I come to meet you in the city tonight after class?” Elena suggested. “We could do dinner and a show. We haven’t done that for a long while.”
Aaric looked at her sharply, checking his temper.
“Love, I just told you I have work to do. If I stay in the city tonight, it is because I am busy, not because I don’t wish to come home.”
The Lost Seal: A Seal Romance Page 24
