by Ally Summers
“I don’t give a shit if it’s a code rainbow,” I hissed. “I’m going out for a drink.”
“That’s not going to be possible.”
My chest rumbled.
Both men took a step back. Their eyes widened. Fuck. They had awakened the beast.
I cleared my throat, trying to cover up my impulse. I wanted my freedom back, but that wasn’t going to happen.
“Sir, there’s a bar downstairs. That will have to suffice until the code purple has been lifted.”
I raised an eyebrow. “In this hotel? The one without a mini-bar?”
They nodded. “It’s right across from the lobby. We will notify you as soon as the code purple is over.”
It seemed my options were limited.
“Then I’ll be in the lobby,” I muttered. “I expect you to brief me as soon as you have an update.”
“Of course, sir.”
I didn’t know who ordered the code purple, but whoever it was going to have hell to pay for locking me inside this hotel.
4
Sabrina
“Mas, senorita?” the bartender asked.
I shook my head, shooing the small man’s attempt to refill my drink. I was on another stakeout. I couldn’t let my body be swayed by too much alcohol.
I scowled at my phone. Why hadn’t I received an update from the newsroom? Jacques was pleased with the pictures he had submitted from our high-speed chase. I didn’t appreciate that he used my byline to sensationalize his pictures of the duke. There was a code journalist followed, but apparently Jacques didn’t know, or maybe he didn’t care.
What mattered was Luis was pleased he had something to run in tonight’s edition. Jacques and I were the first with the royal scoop. I was supposed to feel some kind of joy or success, but I didn’t feel anything but a sense of sickening regret. I wasn’t this type of journalist.
I pushed the swizzle straw around, squashing the cherry against the ice.
I didn’t feel good about it. Chasing celebrities wasn’t the kind of reporter I wanted to be. The only way to redeem myself was to try to land an interview with the duke myself. If I could speak to him one-on-one, I had a chance to humanize the story. Maybe he would actually open up about why he had traveled ahead of his security.
I had already sent a request through the royal office for an interview, but it could take weeks before they even considered it and by then I’d be on to something else. What happened today would be old news. It would be nothing at all.
The only option I had was to wait for the duke to pass through the lobby. He’d have to walk through here sometime tonight. It was a small boutique hotel. I should be able to easily spot him.
“Are you sure, senorita?” the bartended asked again.
“Si,” I answered. I didn’t need another drink. What I needed was to write something with merit. To write something that mattered to Galona. To write something I could be proud of.
The bartender ran his towel across the mahogany bar, irritated I turned down a second drink. His motions were fast and spastic. I scooted out of the way of the floppy rag, leaning back a little too far.
“Oh shit,” I whispered, losing my balance.
It happened in slow motion. There was nothing I could. My arms flailed around me, but I couldn’t stop it. My phone hit the floor, screen down. There was a heavy thud with the landing.
I hopped off the barstool and knelt. I cringed, leaning to pick it up. I knew it was cracked before I saw it. This was going to be my third screen replacement in a month. Crap.
I stared at the floor as one expensive leather shoe stepped into view and then another. The pair stopped short of where my phone had landed. I was afraid to look up. I should have listened to my gut instinct. Pretended I was so distraught by my phone I couldn’t be bothered. I should have let the designer shoes keep walking out of my path.
But I didn’t. I made the mistake of gazing upward into dark smoldering eyes. The kind of eyes that made me shiver. Eyes that made me forget my name. Eyes that made me forget I was a reporter. That I was trained to handle situations like this. Only right now I couldn’t do anything but gawk.
His hand reached forward. “Mademoiselle?”
I had another chance to move out of his range. To avoid being his target. To act like a voice like his had zero effect on my body.
Instead, my palm slid against his as he raised me to my feet.
Was I imagining that our skin singed when it touched?
I swallowed, realizing I was looking into the Duke of Marquis’s eyes. I was holding his hand. And my body was reacting in all kinds of ways it shouldn’t. I held in the holy shit that was on the tip of my tongue.
“Looks like you ran into some trouble.” He pointed to my phone.
“Uh-yeah.” The eloquence from TV reporting along with the public speaking classes I had taken evaporated from my brain. I could barely form a sentence.
“Hate it when that happens. I’ve lost two this month.”
“You have?” I managed a full question. It was only two words, but it was an improvement.
“I tend to live an adventurous lifestyle. Lost one mountain climbing. And another off my boat.”
“Those sound more interesting than clumsily dropping it on the hotel bar floor.”
He laughed and my insides melted. He had a beautiful laugh. Rich and deep. As if I were the only person in the room and had told the most hysterical joke he’d ever heard.
“Does it still work?” he asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. I haven’t checked.” I tapped the screen. The home screen lit, but I couldn’t activate any of the apps. I sighed. “I guess not. Looks like I will have to buy another one.”
“I know exactly what will fix it.”
“You do?”
“I have a remedy for these kinds of problems.”
“Unless you have a spare phone in one of those suit pockets, I don’t think so.”
“Trust me.” His gaze moved from me as he looked at the bartender. “Two Sangreaux martinis,” he directed.
I blinked. The Duke of Marquis had just ordered a drink for me. And I knew then, I wan’t getting my phone fixed any time soon.
5
Brion
My impulses were starting to become reckless. My bear was reckless. He felt impulsive when he was restrained. And to be honest, I didn’t give a fuck anymore. This beautiful woman had fallen at my feet. I was trapped in the hotel. It seemed like a perfect pairing. Like wines from the vineyard country and fine cheese from the northern region. She was meant to be mine for a little while.
I didn’t have to introduce myself. She knew who I was. I’d seen that reaction on women’s faces a hundred times. But damn it, for once I wanted to be a regular man. I wanted to meet a woman in a bar, take her to my room, and not give a fuck that there was security beyond the door or the press outside.
I slipped my hand to her knee, taking my time to explore her skin. There was a natural draw to her.
“Before you say anything, cher. Let’s play a little game.” I could cut this off before things followed the same pattern they always did. I could control tonight’s narrative.
“I don’t know how I feel about that.” Her green eyes seemed to glitter. She brushed her auburn hair from her shoulder. It was long and silky.
“It will be fun. I promise.”
“What kind of game is it?” she asked.
“I’ll show you.” I grinned. “My name is Brion. Nice to meet you.”
She opened her pretty lips to protest, “But—”
I touched a finger to her mouth. Her eyes flickered. “It’s our game. Meant for you and me.” I pressed the words. “Do you understand? My name is Brion. That’s it,” I warned. If she didn’t take the cue I’d walk away and sit in the corner. I could drink alone for the rest of the night if I had to.
She nodded. “I think so, Brion.”
“Good. Then you can tell me what your name is for tonight.” If she had any
doubt what my intentions were, that should have cleared them. I was taking her upstairs with me as soon as cocktail hour was over.
My bear was hungry for her. Ravenous.
I couldn’t get over her lips. They were plump and soft. It took everything in me not to drink the martini off them. I’d save that for later. I smirked, wondering if she preferred her martinis dirty. I hoped like hell she did.
“For tonight?” she questioned. “You don’t want to know anything else? You’re sure?”
“It’s the rules of the game we’ve just established. What do you want me to call you for tonight?”
I pressed my thumb against her thigh, relishing how soft her skin was. I wanted to keep exploring. Push her skirt to her hips as I discovered what made her moan. My cock twitched imagining her eyes closed as I tasted her pussy, with thirsty mouthfuls.
She looked at her palm. “I guess my phone is broken. Work can’t call. No one can call really.”
“No work. Zero interruptions. Sounds like you’re free for the night.” My cock was hard as steel. My bear was growing more impatient by the second.
She blushed. “No work,” she echoed.
That’s right. We were both off. The country would be fine without me for one night. It would function and run with the Duke of Marquis lost in nirvana with this girl in his bed.
“Bri,” she finally answered. “You can call me Bri.” There was enough hesitation in her answer, I wondered if she had made up the name. It didn’t matter. I had set the rules. Tonight, she could be whoever she wanted to be as long as she was with me.
“Well, Bri. Why don’t you finish that drink so I can take you upstairs?”
Her eyes darted to mine at the sound of my order.
“Night is falling fast and I don’t have much time. Would you rather spend it here, or upstairs?”
She gulped. “You’re serious about this? You want to take me upstairs? To your room?”
I leaned to her ear. “I want to kiss you. Between your legs. Your tits. Your entire body. How about that?”
Her blush turned a deep crimson. I had to laugh. “Too much? Too soon?”
“Maybe,” she whispered.
I chuckled. “I’ve heard we can’t leave the hotel for the night.” I wasn’t going to mention the code purple out loud. I was surprised one of the security squad hadn’t walked in with a briefing yet. I still didn’t know what had set off the lockdown.
“So it looks like you have a choice to make, cher. Spend it with me upstairs, or watch old Spanish sitcoms in your room. That is if the cable works.” I shrugged.
She twisted her lips together. “I-I’ve never played a game like this before. Never.”
“I find it’s always fun to try new things. Especially new games.”
“It feels like a dangerous gamble. More like roulette.”
“What I don’t know is if you’re the type of woman who likes to gamble. Should I ask how much time you spend at the Galona casinos.”
“I’ve never been there, actually.”
“Hmm. Then I think you might need to take a chance on something.”
She smirked. “A chance on one night with you, Brion? Is that what you mean.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.” I could feel the swell in my chest. My bear wanted to throw her over my shoulder and haul her upstairs, but the duke in me had more restraint.
She took the last sip of the martini. Her eyes met mine. “I guess I could learn how to play a Galonian game.”
I winked. I wanted to get out of here before the cold purple lifted and we had to face reality. For tonight I wanted to focus on her. “Then let’s go.” I grabbed her hand, eyeing the bartender as I lead her from the bar.
There was a member of my security detail by the stairs.
“Sir.”
I glared at him, daring him to try to stop me tonight. He fell into line behind us.
She turned to look over her shoulder.
“Ignore him,” I directed. “It’s part of the game.”
She nodded, clinging to my hand. “This game could be very eye-opening.”
“You have no idea, cher.” I pressed a kiss to her neck, leading her up the lavish staircase.
6
Sabrina
This had to be the most insane, impulsive thing I’d ever done. But I couldn’t say no. My head thought it, but my body screamed and shouted yes before I could process that the Duke of Marquis offered me a one-night stand.
And it wasn’t any kind of one-night stand. It was a one-night stand masked in secrecy and games. We were pretending to be people we weren’t.
I was supposed to be covering this event in an entirely different way. I should be interviewing him. Asking him questions. Grilling him on his business in Sangreaux. The king had narrowly had his irrigation agenda passed by the royal council. There were pressing issues I could extract and turn into a news story, despite what Jacques said. I had a chance to shove this entire thing in Luis’s face. I had a chance to rebuild my name in the newsroom.
But I was a walking live wire, dying for this dark stranger to touch me. And the promises of his kisses covering my body wasn’t an invitation I could turn down. Maybe a saner, more rationale woman would be able to build stone around her hormones and keep them from spilling out when he spoke, but I wasn’t that kind of woman. This was a fantasy I didn’t know I could indulge. How could I deny myself a night like this?
I was in a romantic town, being seduced by a duke. I didn’t know how to tell my body to say no to that. And I didn’t want to have to tell him no. I wanted this. I wanted him. I wanted to look in his eyes and feel his lips on me.
We began to take the staircase, when he stopped. “Change of plans. Let’s go to your room instead.”
“Mine, but why?” I didn’t understand.
He motioned to the man following us. I knew they were part of the royal guard. We both knew, but we were going to pretend until the sun came up that Brion wasn’t royal.
“It’s a lot easier to play the game when the reminders aren’t in the way,” he explained. I thought I saw his eyes cloud with something sad, possibly dark.
With only one night together, I doubted I had time to analyze his motives, or learn about his past. I didn’t have time to try to dissect why one of the richest men in Galona cared so much about evading his security. In the few minutes I’d spent with him, I learned he was a risk-taker. A thrill seeker. And now I was going to find out how far that went behind closed doors.
“All right. We can go to my room.” I turned the corner at the top of the stairs. “It’s the next one.” I pointed ahead.
I fumbled with the heavy key the front desk had given me. The hotel was one of Sangreaux’s oldest buildings. It was steeped in romantic charm, all the way down to the ornate keys. I wondered how many couples pushed the limits of decency inside these walls. How far was the duke willing to take things?
He didn’t make me wait long for an answer. As soon as the door closed behind us, his hands cupped my cheeks, drawing me in for the most tantalizing kiss I’d ever experienced.
I tried to push the deadbolt in place, but my palm plastered against the wall, trying to find support.
His lips brushed over mine with sexy hunger before devouring me in a single breath. I gulped as his tongue twisted along mine. I wanted to savor and remember every touch.
His hand slid along my thigh, dragging my skirt to my ass.
Shit. This wasn’t going slow. It was fast. As fast as he drove through the streets. But I wanted it. I loved the speed. The force of his acceleration.
I moaned into his lips as he pushed my panties to my thighs. His hands roamed freely between my legs as his fingers curled between my slick folds. Holy shit, I was soaking wet.
“Perfect,” he growled, working his fingers back and forth. I jutted my hips forward into his strokes. “You’re so wet.”
The lace stretched around my legs, keeping me from spreading my legs wider. It was torture. I
wanted him to touch so much more. I needed him deep. I could fuck his fingers if he’d just move the damn panties.
I whimpered with greedy need. I’d never felt like this.
“You need something, cher?” he teased.
“Y-yes,” I mewed. I tried to wiggle them off my legs, but he yanked my wrists over my head, pushing me into the wall with primal control.
“No,” he whispered. “I love seeing your pussy glisten just like that. Getting wetter and wetter for me because you can’t have what you want. You’re dripping for me, aren’t you?”
I moaned, nodding in agreement.
“And if I slide them down another inch, what can you do? Show me how badly your pussy wants me.”
He pushed the lace slightly, rubbing the backs of my thighs and I let out a long hiss. My legs spread open more and he rewarded me with generous touches, flicking my clit. I knew I coated his fingers with my wetness.
“Oh shit.” My head rolled back into the wall.
“Baby, you’re even wetter.”
What was he doing to me? I was drowning in this foreplay. Losing my mind and I was still dressed.
“More,” I begged.
“More what?” he taunted.
“Another inch, please?” I looked in his eyes. He was as hungry for this as I was. When I looked into the coal-colored gaze I saw lust and longing.
“Turn around.”
I did as he asked, moving so my back was against his chest. “Good girl.”
His hand ran over my breasts, stopping to toy with my nipples through my shirt before sliding over my belly and between my thighs.
I held my breath as he ran a finger through my folds, creating a trail to my panties, which he pushed another inch away from my heat.
“Oh shit.” I leaned into him, rocking my hips forward with slightly more range of motion. He had given me a little more.
His fingers pushed to my entrance and sank inside me, stretching me with rapid warmth. His voice vibrated against my ear.
