There were no frills, no preliminaries. Just raw passionate sex. An outing of sexual tension that had simmered for days and finally boiled over. The force of his thrusts threw her across the desk, and he had to pull her back to him. She clung on, breathless, as he took them to the summit. When Marcella reached orgasm, she bit into his shoulder to prevent herself from screaming. Her pleasure turned into his, and she slapped his buttocks when she felt him flowing into her.
*****
The Earl spat the toast out of his mouth. His wife gave him a disgusted look. ''What on earth are you doing?''
''Having a bloody heart attack. Look,'' he said holding up the Daily Record.
Charlotte read the headline.
Earl's Daughter Sculpture Queen.
He began to read the article to her. ''This year's National Sculpture Competition has been won by Marcella Horner, daughter of the Earl of Harwood. Never in the history of the competition has the prize been won by a unanimous committee vote. However, Miss Horner managed to convince all twelve judges, that her bronze statue of an owl, was of such a high technical standard, that none of them voted for any other entry. Miss Horner is a student at the National Academy of Arts in London.''
The Earl put the newspaper down and looked at his wife. ''You're a fool,'' she said. ''An old fool. Go to your daughter and beg her to forgive you.'' He nodded.
*****
The Dean's office was plush. It was almost like stepping back into the Victorian era. The Dean sat behind a large mahogany desk and scowled at Peter. When Peter looked at the walls, he felt the eyes of many former Deans looking in a disapproving fashion at him.
''Peter, do you know why I called you to see me today?'' He leaned forward, peering at Peter over his reading glasses.
''I'm not really sure, no.''
''What is your relationship to Miss Horner?''
''I am her tutor, and I must say our relationship is cordial.''
The Dean put his hand to his temple and rubbed. ''Cordial,'' he repeated. ''I will tell you what I know, and you will then have the chance to deny or confirm it. Someone saw you having sex with Miss Horner. In your classroom, of all places. What do you say to that?''
Who'd seen them? They'd been careful. How did he know? ''Who told you that?''
''It doesn't matter. All I want to know is whether it's true or not?''
''Miss Horner and I are in love. And yes we had sex in the classroom. In fact all over her workbench and it was bloody fantastic.'' The Dean's eyes widened. He'd expected Peter to deny it. To play for time. He hadn't expected such an outing of honesty.
''You know what that means don't you?'' the Dean asked.
''I assume you're going to suspend me and then fire me.'' The Dean nodded. ''Well, you'd better get on with it.''
When Peter left the Dean's office, he called Marcella. When they met at the Blue Boar on Chester Street, Peter took hold of her hand across the table. ''I've been suspended, and I'll be fired soon.''
''Someone saw us?'’ she asked. Peter nodded.
''I was bullish in front of the Dean, but now I'm scared. I don't have another job to go to. I'll be broke soon.''
''You know since I won the competition, I've been inundated with commissions. It seems the whole world wants a Marcella Horner sculpture. Just before we met, the Times called. They want to do an interview for the Sunday magazine. My phone's red hot.'' Peter beamed with pride. ''I want you, Peter. Maybe some people disapprove, but we're both adults.'' She squeezed his hand and leaned across the table to kiss him. He closed his eyes and felt himself getting hard at the smell of her perfume. ''Come with me to my barge and stay. It looks like I'll be able to keep us both for a while. Why don't you start sculpting or writing?''
Marcella sipped her wine and wondered why Peter was only drinking water. Peter didn't want to drink alcohol again. He’d been dangerously near the edge, but now he had something more important in his life than booze.
''Shall we go?” Marcella asked.
He whispered to her. ''Only if you promise to take me to your bedroom and wear me out.''
''That's exactly what I had in mind.''
After the most strenuous love making session Peter had ever known, he pulled her to him and put his arms around her. Her hair fell over his chest, and he loved the feel of it. She was covered with perspiration, and he leaned down and licked her neck. She giggled. ''Salty,'' he joked.
''Jesus,'' Marcella cried.
''What?''
''My father.''
''Where?''
''Outside. I just saw his face through the porthole.'' She jumped out of bed and put on a robe. ''Stay here. I have no idea what he's doing here. He never comes here.'' Of all the times, he would have to show up now, she thought.
''Hasn't changed at all,'' the Earl said, looking at what used to be his mother's boat. ''You know she bought this barge after father died. We all thought she'd gone mad. But she loved it.''
Marcella handed him a cup of tea. ''What do you want?'' she asked.
He looked at her. She was beautiful, as beautiful as his wife. ''I want to say sorry.''
Marcella swallowed hard. ''You want to say sorry? That's not at all like you.''
''I read about your success in the newspaper.''
''Ah, now I'm successful you're interested all of a sudden? Well, it's too late.''
''I was wrong. I don't know what else I can say.''
''How about I love you. I've never felt loved by you.''
The Earl looked shocked. He wasn't able to show his love for her; he never had been able to. But he did love her. He'd had some misguided notion that she should enter a profession. He'd ignored her feelings. ''I do love you. All I wanted was the best for you. Now I can see I was wrong.''
''You were,'' Marcella wasn't going to let him off very easily.
''Why don't we start again?'' he asked.
''I don't need to try. You do.''
He laughed and turned his cup around. ''Okay. Will you let me start again?''
Marcella wanted to hurt him more, but she wasn't able. A grin came over her face. ''Alright, daddy,'' she said. She hadn't called him that for a long time.
''This is for you,'' he handed her a white envelope.
''I don't need your money now.''
''I know you don't. Open it.''
Marcella read the letter inside. ''Really? It's not a joke?'' she asked.
''No. The Marcella Horner Foundation of Sculpture is something I came up with. I hope you don't mind.''
''Mind? How could I mind?''
''I've managed to get charitable status for it, and I've bought a building in Ealing. I thought we could give disadvantaged kids the chance to learn to sculpt. All the smaller details need finalizing, but I've put a million of my own money into the fund to get you off to a start. We'll need a manager.''
''I have just the right man in mind,'' she said.
Peter had fallen asleep by the time the Earl left. When he felt Marcella's naked body slide next to him, he woke, rolled over and kissed her.
''I've got a great job for you,'' she whispered. ''Something you will enjoy more than anything you ever dreamed of.''
''What?''
''I'll tell you later. Make love to me again.'' Peter wondered whether he could, but Marcella was very insistent, and his body responded to her soft touch.
*****
THE END
PARANORMAL Shifter Romance – To Lure a Mate
Chapter 1
“Kerri Geiser? Mr. Lane would like to see you now.” Kerri stopped typing mid-sentence before looking up at a well-dressed blonde woman standing in the doorway. Kerri felt her skin prick with sweat as she became nervous. Why did the boss want to see her? Had she done something wrong? Kerri got up, a little flustered.
The secretary looked at her, noting her anxiety, but said nothing. She had escorted many people to Mr. Lane’s office, and it was seldom for good reason. The secretary predicted that this girl would soon be packing up her thing
s. Mr. Lane was always so brutal. You were never safe with him. He could love you one moment and fire you the next.
“O…okay…” Kerri finally muttered as she ran her fingers through her bright red hair. She looked at the secretary with big blue eyes, biting her lip. Her heart was pounding in her chest.
Kerri tried to focus her mind on the clicking of the secretary’s heels. She followed the sound down the hallway, all the way to the end. In front of her now was a large black door with the letters ‘Mr. Lane’ tacked to it. They seemed to be made of gold.
Kerri had worked for Lane Industries for six months now. She was making decent money, enough to afford an apartment and a good life. She couldn’t lose her job.
The secretary moved forward now and opened the door. Kerri looked at her, again biting her lip. Hesitantly, she walked into the large, luxurious office. She looked around for a moment, seeing the central desk empty. The whole room seemed to be empty. Where was Mr. Lane?
The door closed behind her, and Kerri jumped. She heard a chuckle coming from the left-hand side of the room. Her head snapped in that direction, and she saw Mr. Lane standing at the back counter apparently making himself a coffee. Kerri looked confused. Wasn’t it his secretary’s job to fetch him coffee? Kerri watched as he gathered some tea leaves and steeped them in hot water. Kerri didn’t expect him to be a tea drinker.
“No one can ever make tea to my liking, so I just do it myself.” Mr. Lane turned now, looking at the girl. She looked nervous. He knew that look well, and he grinned to himself. “Please, sit.” Kerri’s eyes widened at his words. Before she could make a fool of herself, she quickly sat down on one of the nearby couches. Mr. Lane took another moment to perfect his tea before sitting down.
“You must be wondering why I called you here today,” he said after taking a sip of his drink. Kerri nodded her head, averting his eyes. Mr. Lane’s eyes were intense as he looked at the girl. “Well, I just wanted to personally congratulate you on your new promotion.” He smiled, seeing the girl’s expression.
Kerri looked up at him in shock. Her cheeks reddened, nearly obscuring the freckles that adorned her face. Had she heard correctly? She was getting a promotion? She couldn’t believe it. Her boss looked at her with a grin on his face.
“Y…you mean you are really promoting me?” She asked, her voice meek. Mr. Lane nodded.
“Indeed, you are now head of the IT department.” Kerri’s eyes widened. She was in a state of shock.
“T…th… thank you!” She stuttered after a moment. Her heart was beating quickly as she thought about her promotion.
“You move into your new office next week.” Kerri blushed, thinking about herself in her own office. She had worked in a cubical all her life; now she had her own office.
“Thank you!” She said again.
Chapter 2
After Kerri’s exciting day at work, she rushed to get home. She quickly changed into comfortable clothes before flopping onto her bed. She grabbed her phone and dialed her best friend’s number, impatiently waiting for him to pick up.
As she waited, she looked at her favorite teddy bear. Her best friend had given it to her on her 12th birthday, and she had never slept a day without it. She was playing with its paw when she heard the sound of someone picking up the phone. She didn’t even give her friend enough time to say hello.
“Patrick!” She squealed at a very high-pitched volume. Patrick, on the other end of the line, had to keep the phone away from his ear to keep from going deaf.
“Damn… what is it, Kerri? Are you trying to make me deaf? How am I supposed to be a musician if I am deaf?” He joked around, his deep chuckle coming through the phone.
“Sowwie…” Kerri muttered back in her apologetic voice. Patrick grinned. She could be such a child at times. “But… but… but… guess what?!” She yelled into the phone again before she could stop herself.
“What?” Patrick answered once he thought it was safe to put the phone to his ear again.
“I got a promotion!” She said excitedly, jumping on her bed.
“No way! That’s awesome! I’ll be right there!”
Soon enough, Patrick was knocking on her door with a bottle of champagne in his hand. Kerri smiled widely as she saw her friend and hugged him tightly. Patrick leaned down and scooped her up, carrying her into the apartment. He playfully tossed her onto the bed and before pouncing her.
“Oh no! Big bad Patrick got me!” He grinned and looked at her.
“That’s right! And do you know what big bad Patrick is going to do?” Kerri shook her head as she looked up at her friend with large eyes.
Patrick grinned wildly. Suddenly he tickled her. She squealed in surprise, curling up into a tiny ball. She tried to get away, but her friend, nearly six feet tall and well-built was too strong for her. Suddenly he pulled her into a bear hug while smiling to himself.
He held her for a moment as his heart beat quickly inside of his chest. There were untold emotions hiding in his heart, and he thought about them now as he held her close. He looked down as he felt one of her delicate fingers trace a tattoo on his arm.
“You got a new tattoo,” Kerri said, looking up at him. “And when are you going to shave off that beard?” She whined at him playfully. He chuckled.
“What do you want me to look twelve again?” They both chuckled.
“You were definitely cuter when you were twelve.” She giggled as she said this, looking at her best friend. Patrick looked like a typical bad boy, with tattoos decorating his arms and chest, and a well-trimmed beard. In reality, however, he was a softie and Kerri loved that about him. They had been friends since the second grade, and she couldn’t imagine her life without him.
“C’mon, let’s celebrate!” Patrick grabbed the bottle of champagne and opened it, the foam spilling onto his hand. He slurped it up as he heard Kerri giggle. He watched as she ran out of the room before coming back with two glasses. He poured the champagne before lying in bed with her. They then watched a movie together.
Eventually, Kerri fell asleep on Patrick’s shoulder. He looked down at her and gently kissed the top of her head. He missed spending time with her. She was always so busy with her new job. They rarely spent time together anymore. Patrick thought back to high school when they were inseparable. He missed those days.
As he thought about this, he looked around and noticed the time. It was still early. He nudged Kerri awake.
“Hmm?” She asked confused as she rubbed her eyes.
“We haven’t eaten yet, do you want to go to my place? I’ll make dinner.” Kerri’s face lit up.
Soon they were at Patrick’s apartment. It was shabbier than Kerri’s. Patrick was an up and coming musician. Therefore, he made significantly less money than she did. However, he made the most of what he had.
Kerri was sitting at the kitchen table watching Patrick cook now. She smiled to herself as her eyes followed his every movement. For someone so big, he moved elegantly. While Kerri was admiring her best friend, there was a knock on the door.
“Do you want me to get that?” Kerri asked. Patrick nodded. Kerri walked over to the door and opened it to find a beautiful woman standing in the doorway. She looked confused when she looked down at Kerri.
“Um… does a guy named Patrick live here?” Kerri nodded after a moment of hesitation. The girl smiled brightly. “Great.” She made her way inside and followed her nose to the kitchen. “I see you are cooking dinner for us.” Patrick looked at the woman confused.
“Do you know this girl Patrick?” Kerri asked, her voice barely a whisper. Patrick shook his head. The unknown girl hit his arm playfully.
“Of course you know me! I’m your date remember!” Patrick turned bright red. Recently, he had signed up an online dating site: Truematematch.com. This much have been his blind date. Patrick looked embarrassed. Kerri looked upset. Patrick was about to explain himself when Kerri stopped him.
“I hope you two have fun,” she said politely befo
re making her way out of the apartment. As she made her way down the stairs, there were tears running down her face.
Chapter 3
Kerri was soon on the streets of Gloster. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she walked down the cracked sidewalk. She didn’t know where she was going, but she felt like she needed to get away.
She didn’t know what these emotions were. Could it be that she was feeling jealous? Why? She didn’t like Patrick, did she? Emotions took over making her feel weak. She was forced to stop and lean against a nearby wall. She looked around and noticed the dark, vacant streets. A shiver went up her spine. She knew how dangerous the streets could get at night. Fear suddenly overwhelmed her as she felt very vulnerable.
She tried not to hyperventilate as she stood there, hugging herself as the cold air wrapped around her, biting against her bare skin. As she stood there, her mind reeled back, bringing forth harsh memories. At that moment, she thought of her last boyfriend: Jerimiah. It was a relationship she wanted to forget.
As she thought about her bad breakup,, her mind brought back Patrick. She thought about him now. She knew deep down that she had feelings for him, but she was scared. She didn’t want to mess things up with him. She didn’t want to destroy the beautiful friendship they had together. She didn’t want to fall in love again and get hurt.
All these thoughts and emotions swirled around in her head as she leaned a cold brick wall again. Up the road, a group of men started to walk toward her. She started to panic, but she couldn’t move. She was frozen with fear.
At that moment, a sleek black car appeared before her. She looked at the car and recognized it instantly. She bit her lip, her gaze shifting from the group of men to the car in front of her. Eventually, she was forced to pick the lesser of two evils. She got in the car.
The car drove off once she was safely buckled inside. She refused to look at the driver. She looked out the tinted window instead. She didn’t know what to do.
Romance: Young Adult Romance: The Perfect Game (A Highschool Football Romance) (Bad Boy Nerd New Adult Romance) Page 18
