by B. L. Wilde
“This jet doesn’t come with a bedroom, unfortunately,” he whispered into the crook of my neck. “If I’d bought this after I met you, I would have insisted on one.”
“You mean I don’t get to join the mile high club?” I pouted.
“Jade, the flight is only an hour and I have a few business calls to make, but I promise if you want to join that club, we can do it another time.” He winked with a smirk to emphasize his statement.
Once we were onboard, we took our seats and buckled in quickly. After the plane was up in the air, the stewardess came and offered us some refreshments.
Oliver had a light beer while I decided to have a small glass of white wine.
“Wine?” he questioned, pulling his laptop out of the bag at his feet.
“I thought I’d act a little sophisticated for once. After all, I am meeting your family this weekend.”
“You’re fine just the way you are.” He was thoughtful for a moment as he watched me.
“So, who do I have the pleasure of meeting this weekend?”
“Well, there is my uncle, Richard, who you already know. Then there is his wife, Claire—she is a sweetheart—and my twin cousins, Tom and Sam.” That was it? “Tom and Sam might not be home until the weekend, though. They’re away at college at the moment.”
“Which university?” I asked in interest.
“They’re both at Harvard,” he chuckled. “Richard wanted them to go to Yale because that’s the traditional ‘Kirkham’ education. I’m glad the boys got their own way.”
“Did you go to Yale?”
“Yes. I would never have gone against my father.” I could see admiration in his eyes as he spoke. It was clear he still idolized his dad.
“Hmm… Let me try to guess what you studied,” I mused, tapping my chin. He was hanging on my every word as his eyes were slowly exploring each inch of my body. I crossed my legs, knowing it would give him more of a view of my thighs. The pale pink cotton dress I was wearing was quite short anyway. “Was it business by any chance?”
“Jade, how on earth did you guess that?” he gasped, pretending to be shocked.
“I’m just that clever.”
“That you are.” Oliver’s phone rang just as he was about to continue. “Sorry, Jade. Please excuse me for a moment.” I nodded, gazing out the window and watching as the plane broke through the clouds. I loved flying—just taking in the world below me. It gave me a real sense of freedom to be so far up in the sky. “Yes, Abigail.” He listened for a few moments before responding. “I’m not interested in a meeting. I’ve already informed N.A.T.O. You can tell Miss Windom that I will not be doing business with her.” His tone was harsh and angry as he spoke. “I really don’t care what she says. It’s all a load of bullshit, anyway. They are my machines, and I will not be branching out with any other companies.” Jesus, he even looked sexy when he was shouting. “If she has a problem with that, tell her to arrange a meeting with me and I will tell her face-to-face next week!” With that, he hung up. “Sorry about that,” he stressed, running his hands through his hair. He was really worked up.
“Problems running your empire?” I murmured, standing up and moving his laptop before sliding onto his lap. Automatically, his wrapped around me.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” he said as his hands began to stroke down my leg. “Are you trying to distract me?”
“I only came over for a kiss,” I smirked, leaning down and pushing him against his seat as my lips locked with his.
“You have a very calming effect on me,” Oliver muttered against my lips, causing my stomach to flutter at his words. I was glad I could relax him.
Chapter Fourteen
The rest of the flight was relaxing. Oliver had to make a few phone calls like he mentioned earlier, so I gazed out the window and got lost in my own thoughts as we flew closer to his family home.
As soon as the plane touched down, butterflies began to fill my stomach. I’d done countless missions in the past, so why did ending this one feel so different?
“Remember what I said about my apartment in New York?” Oliver muttered into my ear as the limo pulled onto a side road. I nodded, frowning slightly. “The same goes for this mansion. Try to remember that I was born into this. It’s not who I am. I don’t want to scare you off with my wealth.” Just as he finished speaking, my eyes fell on the mansion.
Holy shit! It was huge. The building was set in grey granite, with two tall pillars at the front entrance. I had to stop counting the large bay windows after number fifteen because there were just too many. It was the kind of mansion you’d imagine royalty to have, and it took my breath away.
“This is your family home?” I managed to ask after a few moments.
“Yep.” Oliver looked at me coyly. “Do you want to take a look around? My family will be in the west side of the building, I suspect.”
“Are you going to give me the grand tour?”
“Of course,” he grinned, taking my hand and leading me inside.
He showed me room after room, making my head spin with all the information he was giving me—from stories about the antiques, to how many features in the mansion were originals. All that was running around my head as he spoke was, ‘This guy is so rich—stupidly rich.’
“This is my office,” he muttered, touching my shoulder and pulling my attention away from what I believed was an original Van Gogh. “Jade, are you okay?”
“Is that a Van Gogh?”
“Yes. My great-grandfather purchased it.”
“This place is amazing, Oliver.”
“You’ve only seen half of it so far,” he chuckled, opening his office by entering a code into the security panel on the wall. Using the year you were born as the passcode? Oh, Oliver, why are you making this all too easy? “There isn’t much in here, really. This used to be my father’s office.” He seemed lost in a memory as he spoke. “I used to love this room as a child. I would sit in his chair and pretend to be him.” As I looked around, my eyes fell on his computer on the desk; that had to be the hard drive I was looking for. The office itself was very dated and full of dark wood, but it had more of a rustic feel to it than anything. “Can you see what I meant about the desk?” His voice was husky in my ear. “I could lay you over this one so much better than the one in New York.”
“Oliver, you said this used to be your father’s office. We can’t do that here.”
“We could…” I felt his fingers trace down the side of my body and stop near the bottom of my skirt.
“I thought I was meeting your family,” I replied, slapping his hand away playfully.
“Fine. We’ll go find Richard and Claire, and then I’ll show you the master bedroom,” he winked, taking my hand again.
We found his aunt and uncle in the grand kitchen a few minutes later. Claire was exactly as I had expected—tall and elegant, with long brown hair and a caring smile.
“It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Jade,” she beamed, pulling me into a tight hug. “How are you finding the house? Not too daunting I hope?”
“It’s a beautiful place,” I smiled, looking toward Oliver, who was glaring at his uncle for some reason.
“We thought we’d eat in here tonight. The boys won’t be back until Saturday, so there is no point in using the dining room.” Claire looked at Oliver.
“That’s a good idea,” he replied, pulling me tight against his side. “I was just going to show Jade the outside and then the master suite upstairs.”
“Don’t let us keep you. We can have a proper conversation at dinner,” Claire beamed.
“It’s lovely to see you again, Jade,” Richard replied before Oliver led me out.
“What was that about?” I questioned as we ascended the grand staircase. He’d skipped showing me the gardens. I had the feeling he was too excited to get me upstairs.
“What was what about?”
“You and your uncle,” I continued.
“You noticed
that?” Oliver shook his head at me. “You’re an observant little thing, aren’t you?” He had no idea.
“I hope I haven’t…”
“Jade, it wasn’t about you,” he soothed, pulling me into his arms. “My uncle and I clash a lot when it comes to running the business. Don’t worry about it.” I couldn’t help but worry, though. Did Richard suspect me for some reason? Was he going to be keeping a close eye on me while I was here? That would make my mission a lot more complicated. I’d have to see how the next few days went before I tried to get into Oliver’s office.
“Here we are,” he announced, pushing the double doors to the master suite open.
“Jesus!” I gasped, walking in and noticing that our belongings had already been dropped off. The room was as big as Oliver’s bedroom in New York. It was an old style room, set in gold, light wood, and fine dark fabrics. “What is it with you and huge bedrooms?”
“I don’t care about the size of the rooms. It’s the memories made in them that count,” he mused, wrapping his arms around my waist. “How about we make some memories right now?” Oliver started undoing my dress before he’d even finished speaking.
Knowing how little time we had left together, I couldn’t resist.
“Are you sure I look okay?” I asked, checking myself in the mirror again.
“It’s only dinner in the kitchen, Jade,” Oliver chuckled. My eyes fell on his naked body as he began to get dressed in faded blue jeans and a grey T-shirt.
“I know, but I want to make a good impression. Maybe I’ll go for the pink dress,” I mused, looking back to the mirror and tilting my head.
“You look amazing.” He was suddenly behind me, his lips grazing down my neck. It had been a wonderful, lazy afternoon. We hadn’t moved from the large four-poster bed in hours, but were too lost in each other to really care. He was intent on making as many memories as we could before dinner.
“Does your uncle like me?” I asked, looking in the mirror at him behind me.
“Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know…I just…” I let my eyes fall from his, unable to finish my sentence. Oliver turned me around to face him, then brought his hand under my chin so I would look up at him.
“It’s me, Jade, not you. My uncle is skeptical about anyone I date. It’s worse this time, though, because he knows how I feel about you.”
“How do you feel about me?” I whispered. I had no idea why the question fell from my mouth, but once it did, I hung on his every word.
“You haven’t worked that out yet?” His eyes were soft as he cupped my face. “You must know that I’ve fallen for you, Jade.” I didn’t even realize tears were trickling down my face until he wiped them away with his thumb. “Hey, it’s okay,” he soothed. “I know all of this is a lot to take in. I’m not trying to rush you or push you into anything, but you have to know that no woman has ever made me feel the way you do. When I touch you, I feel as if I’m on fire. You make me come alive. I’m not just some rich, multi-billionaire boss anymore—I’m just me, and I can’t thank you enough for making me feel that way.”
“Oliver,” I whispered as the tears began to fall thick and fast.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
“I’m not the kind of girl you should put your trust in,” I sobbed. “I’ll end up breaking your heart.” I was completely losing it. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Now that’s not true. You can open up to me, Beautiful. Please tell me why you’re crying?”
“I…I…I’m not a good person, Oliver.” I pushed away from him. “You can’t have feelings for me—you just can’t!”
“It’s a little too late for that now.” When his troubled eyes met with mine, I tried to look away, but the force of his gaze had me immobilized. I knew that look; I’d seen it before. It was the look of a man in love. Shit! Shit! Shit!
It wasn’t the real me he had fallen for, though. Shy, insecure Jade had played her part well, and Oliver had fallen right into her trap. “You have to see what we could have, Jade. You told me you weren’t going to hold back anymore. Open up to me, please? Tell me how you feel.”
“That was under different circumstances,” I whimpered, trying to stop my sobs.
“What are you so afraid of?” He placed his hands on either side of my face and stared into my eyes. “I’ll never hurt you, Jade. You’re safe with me, I promise.” I believed every word he was saying. Oliver wouldn’t hurt me, but I would destroy him.
I couldn’t let this go any further, for either of our sakes; it had to end this weekend.
“Can we talk about this later? I’m already going to have puffy eyes when we go down to dinner with your aunt and uncle.” He sighed heavily but nodded, finally letting me go. I was quick to excuse myself, heading into the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face. Jade Phillips crying? Why couldn’t I control my damn emotions?
Oliver sat on the edge of the bed, watching me touch up my makeup in the mirror.
“What are you thinking?” I asked when a frown marred his handsome features.
“I just realized that I hardly know anything about you. Your job and love of The Killers is pretty much the extent of it.”
“There isn’t much to tell.” I turned toward him, smiling weakly.
“What about your family?” I froze on the spot with my lip-gloss pressed to my lips. My family wasn’t something I ever thought about anymore, and the reminder hurt. They were part of the past—not that it mattered. When you became a Seductor you had to leave everything behind, and leaving my family was the easiest part for me after what happened to my sister.
“I don’t speak to them anymore,” I stated calmly.
“You don’t speak to any of your family?” he gasped. “And you’re only telling me this now?”
“It isn’t a big deal, Oliver. You don’t know anything about it. Please, can we change the subject?” I pleaded.
“I wish you’d open up to me.”
“You can’t just throw all of this at me and expect me to accept it. You know all this isn’t really me.” I waved my arms around, trying to accentuate the bedroom I was standing in.
“I’ve always made it clear about my wealth. I told you to ignore it. I was born with it, but it doesn’t define me.”
“You say that, but could you really live without it?” I asked, turning to join him on the edge of the bed.
“Yes,” he murmured. “I could live without it. My line of work isn’t easy, Jade. I have tough decisions that I make on a daily basis. All I’m asking for is to have someone to come home to—someone to build a life with. I thought that was what you wanted. I mean, why else…”
“Oliver,” I placed my fingertips to his lips to silence him. “We don’t have to do this now. We have all weekend.” With what I hoped was a reassuring smile, I kissed him.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed against my lips. “I really don’t mean to be overbearing.”
“Let’s just go and have dinner with your family,” I suggested. A bit of distance from him at the dinner table was just what I needed right now.
“Richard tells me you’re in the interior design business,” Claire smiled, refilling my wine glass. Dinner had been amazing, and we were now sitting in a comfortable lounge on large, lavish black couches.
“Yes, I deal in artwork mainly,” I replied.
“That must take you around the world.”
“It does. I’m very lucky. I’ve been admiring all the pieces you have here. The Van Gogh is amazing.” As a Seductor, you were taught to steer the conversation, making sure to never give too much away.
“Oh, yes! I’ve been trying to get Richard to put it up for auction for a while now, but he won’t,” she grumbled, looking over at her husband.
“It’s priceless, Darling,” he replied. “We’re not selling it.”
“Doesn’t Oliver get a say in this?” she pouted.
Oliver held his hands up and laughed. “I’ve already told you—I’m
staying out of this one.”
“That seems like a wise choice,” I grinned at him.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to get your father on Sunday?” Richard turned to Oliver. “It wouldn’t be a problem. You don’t know what state of mind he’ll be in.” Oliver was thoughtful for a moment, looking out into space.
“Perhaps you’re right,” he finally said. “You really don’t mind?”
“Once he’s settled back in, we’ll come get you and Jade,” he offered. Oliver nodded, sipping his beer.
If Richard and Claire were heading out on Sunday, that would be the best time to try and get into Oliver’s office. I’d have to wear Oliver out first and wait until he was asleep, but it was the best plan I had so far.
“Your aunt and uncle are lovely,” I sighed, slipping into bed later that night.
“Thank you.” I watched Oliver strip to his boxers before sliding in next to me. I was only wearing a black silk nightie. “They seem quite taken with you.”
“Even your uncle?” I giggled, feeling his hands glide underneath the black, silk nightie I was wearing.
“We’ll work on him,” he whispered, pulling the silk from my body. “Why did you even bother to put that on?”
“Maybe I like it when you take my clothes off,” I winked.
“Mm…you do have a point,” he snarled, leaning down and pulling on my left nipple with his teeth. I arched up to him, my fingers finding a home in his hair.
His hands began to wander my body, leaving a fiery trail wherever they touched. I’d never burned so much for a man before.
“I need you, Jade.” The desperation in his voice was clear; Oliver wasn’t just talking about tonight. I answered him with an urgent kiss, knowing I couldn’t be truthful. Touch was all I had to show him what he meant to me.
His lips began to travel down my torso, not breaking away for even a moment. How many times had he gone down on me? I had no idea, but each time was more intense as he learned from my body. The feeling of his tongue as he licked across my clit was enough to make me bolt up from the bed. It was too much.
