Queen of Harte's

by Brooke Harris

  ‘Knowing you were alone in this hotel room when I could have been here with you…it was all I could think about.’

  ‘Shh…you’re here now. We can talk about everything later.’

  Julian caught the corner of the duvet and tossed it onto the ground behind them. His finger slid under Eva’s chin and she tilted her head back, guided by his gentle touch until their eyes locked.

  Julian leaned down and kissed her neck. His warm lips sent tingles of desire circling the nape of her neck. She’d never wanted him more. He caught the bottom of her sweater and she lifted her arms in response to let him tug it over her head.

  His finger traced a line from her chin, down the centre of her chest, and stopped just between her breasts. He dropped to his knees and dragged the lacy, cream cotton of her bra between his teeth. He tugged at one cup and then the other.

  ‘Let me see you,’ he whispered.

  Eva reached behind her back and unclasped her bra.

  Julian groaned in appreciation. ‘Fuck, Eva. The things your perfect tits do to me.’

  He swirled his tongue around one nipple and then the other.

  There was something so gentle about his touch; something so emotional in their connection. Eva had never felt so close to him before. Like they were the only two people in the world at that moment.

  Julian slipped an arm around her back and he pressed the other between her breasts, easing her back onto the duvet on the ground behind them. Eva relaxed back against the softness and never took her eyes off him.

  He unbuttoned her jeans, slid them and her underwear down her legs, and threw them to the side. He tapped her knees and she let her legs fall to either side, opening for him.

  ‘You’re soaking already,’ Julian said, watching her.

  ‘You have that effect on me.’

  Eva’s back arched and her hips drew up as he sucked her clit into his mouth.

  ‘Ahhh,’ she gasped taken by surprise at the intensity of the feeling. ‘Julian…oh, my God, Julian.’

  Her hands reached down, grabbing fistfuls of his hair. The tighter she gripped, the harder he sucked. One of Julian’s hands made its way around to cup her ass, palming her cheek as his other hand rested on her belly.

  She ground her hips, her body pleading with him to fuck her with his fingers. He lowered his hand from her belly, slowly moving down until he slipped two fingers inside her as he continued to kiss and suck her clit. A third finger followed, stretching her, massaging her walls.

  ‘You’re so fucking tight, baby.’ Julian whispered, his breath rushing against her tingling clit.

  ‘Ahh,’ she gasped again, louder this time as he pushed a finger into her ass.

  The sting took her breath away for a moment. She was so full and the pressure was mind blowing. She tried not scream but every time he curled his fingers to the front, just behind her pubic bone, teasing her spot, she lost control and his name passed her lips repeatedly.

  She ground her hips as forcefully as she could, over and over, not able to get enough of him.

  ‘Yeah, that’s it,’ Julian gasped. ‘Fuck my face. I want to hear you come.’

  ‘I’m going to,’ Eva cried out as she reached her peak. ‘I’m coming…I’m coming.’

  Julian didn’t give her time to recover. He was on his feet and pulled her up to stand in front of him.

  ‘Hold on to this,’ he said, bending her over the edge of the bed.

  Without her noticing him unbutton his jeans, he slipped inside her, thrashing his hips against her. She struggled to keep her grip on the edge of the bed as she caught her hips and rammed them back and forth on his rock hard cock. He slapped her ass and finally released.

  Breathless, Eva turned around to face him. She kissed him softly and scampered back onto the bed. She pulled out a crinkly t-shirt from under her pillow and slipped her head and arms though. Julian zipped his jeans back up and Eva tried to hide her need for him to take his clothes off and slip into bed beside her.

  ‘Are you leaving?’ she asked a little surprised with how suddenly making love had all ended.

  Julian nodded.

  ‘Are you going to disappear again?’ Her voice was breaking. Dammit.

  Julian shook his head.

  ‘Julian, it’s nearly one am. Why don’t you just stay? I promise I won’t ask any more questions – tonight.’

  ‘I’ve some important stuff I need to sort out,’ Julian explained.

  ‘At one am?’

  ‘It’s not one am in the rest of the world, Eva.’

  ‘Work stuff?’

  ‘Read your letter, okay? And get some sleep.’ Julian walked around to the head of the bed and kissed her softly on the forehead. ‘I love you.’

  ‘I love you, too.’

  Chapter 18

  Eva was expecting the hangover from hell. But she woke up feeling surprisingly okay. Someone was knocking on the door and it took her a moment to get her bearings and remember where she was.

  ‘Coming. Coming,’ she called, grabbing the dressing gown from the back of the bathroom door as she passed.

  ‘Good morning, Miss Andrews. Your breakfast.’

  Eva looked at the trolley between the young waiter and herself. A full Irish fry, fresh fruit, orange juice. It smelt like heaven.

  ‘I didn’t order…’ Julian. Eva sighed and rolled her eyes, standing to one side to open the door a little wider. ‘Come in.’

  Embarrassed she only had small change for a tip, she passed some coins into the waiter’s hand and closed the door behind him.

  She gulped down the orange juice, almost drinking the full glass in one go. She was thirstier than she thought and a headache was starting to kick in. She munched on some hot toast and sat on the edge of the bed. She picked up the white envelope with the slightly tattered edge and was about to open it when she was distracted by beeping from her phone. She had a few missed calls and texts, but she read the most recent one from Julian first.

  Meet me 4 dinner 2nite.

  She smiled brightly and put the envelope back down.

  OK Where?

  It’s a surprise.

  Anthony will pick u up @7pm

  But I don’t know what 2 wear.

  I left my credit card 4 u.

  Go shopping…

  C u l8r

  Eva devoured some delicious bacon, taking a moment to decide on her next text.

  R U going 2 answer my questions?

  She hit send with determination and Julian’s reply came back almost immediately.

  I’ll have all the answers u want.

  And 1 question.

  Bubbles of excitement popped in Eva’s belly like sparkling champagne. Was he really going to propose? She didn’t even have to think about what her answer would be. But what about Mia? She didn’t want to be engaged to a man who still married to another woman. Marriage of convenience or not, Mia was still the one parading around as Mrs. Harte and Eva was still the other woman.

  OK I love u

  I love you 2

  Read ur letter!

  Oh my God, the letter. She’d almost forgotten about it – again. She was surprised she’d fallen asleep last night without reading it first. She took the knife from beside her plate and slid it across the top of the envelope. Her fingers were shaking, but she didn’t know why.

  She slid out the pages from inside and unfolded them, shaking her head as she scanned the words. It was all legal jargon and complicated paragraphs. She might as well have been reading ancient Latin, until she got to one word she did understand. Nullity. She almost dropped the page.

  She read and reread every word. Absorbing as much as she could, occasionally consulting the dictionary app on her phone. Julian said he didn’t need a divorce from Mia. And he was right. Eva held the paper to her chest almost hugging it. The fancy words decreed that Julian and Mia’s marriage was annulled just days after the date of their vows. Julian was telling the truth. Their marriage was null and void. And this piece of
paper was proof.

  Eva turned on the television and flicked through the channels, settling on an American news station covering the latest on the Da Luca’s case. The family had hired some hotshot lawyer trying to make a name for himself, but the judge had denied bail. Eva smiled and tucked into the rest of her breakfast, listening to the report intently. There was no mention of Melissa or Julian. The station wasn’t known for its discretion so if they had Julian’s name, it would be splashed about like water at a pool party. Julian had obviously done a very good job at making damn sure his name stayed out of the papers. No one would ever know he was a hero. Her hero.

  Eva glanced away from the screen at Julian’s credit card. She thought about a day indulging in the most delectable boutiques Graton Street had to offer, but she slipped Julian’s credit card into the desk drawer for safe keeping and turned her attention to her own card with a scant limit. Something simple and paid for herself would do just as well. She wanted to take his breath away later, but on her terms. Maybe she’d splurge on some simple lingerie for underneath.

  She grabbed a quick shower, threw on yesterday’s clothes, and hoped she’d catch a bus without a long wait.

  Chapter 19

  Eva looked into the shopping bag dangling from her finger. After two indecisive hours of shopping, she’d finally settled on a red bandage dress with lace three-quarter length sleeves. She hadn’t tried it on, but she bought a size smaller than usual, vaguely remembering Shelly’s concerns that she’d lost weight recently. She’d grabbed some black stilettos to go with it and a silver clutch. The only coat she had was Shelly’s oversized parka. It definitely wouldn’t match, but she didn’t want to spend any more money. She was conscious of every penny, which reminded her that she needed to take a moment to email Pam about work.

  She grabbed a takeaway coffee from a tiny corner cafe and leaned up against the outside wall of the cafe to give her attention to her phone. She hit send on brief but professionally worded resignation email and tried not to panic that she was now unemployed. She was certain HTK wouldn’t pay for any further hotel accommodations once she was no longer an employee. She hoped Shelly’s offer to stay with her for a while still stood.

  Eva’s phone vibrated in her hand and she was surprised to see her mother’s name appear on the screen.

  ‘Hello,’ Eva answered.

  ‘Hi, Eva. I wasn’t sure I had the right number for you,’ her mother said.

  There was an awkwardness hanging over the line. Eva realised they hadn’t spoken on the phone in more years than she could count.

  ‘You do. This is me,’ Eva said.

  ‘Are you busy today?’

  Eva looked at her shopping bag. She was hoping to take some time to chill in the bath back at the hotel and put a lot of effort into her hair and make-up before she met Julian later.

  ‘No. Not really,’ Eva lied. ‘Is everything okay?’

  ‘Can we meet?’

  ‘Are you still in Dublin?’ Eva’s voice was an octave higher than usual. ‘You told me you were going back to New Jersey. I thought I’d missed you.’

  ‘We took a trip down the country. Did some sightseeing,’ Samantha replied so quietly, it was almost apologetic.

  Sightseeing? What? This conversation was too surreal. Eva tried to hide the sting of jealousy that her mother and sister had paraded around the country on some sort of overdue family vacation without her.

  ‘I left you messages and voicemails, but I didn’t get a reply. That’s why I thought maybe I had the wrong number,’ Samantha said.

  Guilt thumped on Eva’s chest. She’d been ignoring most of her calls, and she hadn’t listened to any of her voicemails.

  ‘I’m sorry. I’ve had a lot going on. I was going to call you. I thought you had gone home…I would have called you…’ Eva trailed off, realising she was lying.

  She wouldn’t have called. Even if she’d known that Samantha and Melissa were still in the city. Was there even anything left to say?

  ‘Where would you like to meet? I’m in the city now. Are you near?’ Eva said.

  ‘I’m in the hotel,’ Samantha said. ‘But I can meet you anywhere. Our flights are booked for this evening.’

  ‘Let’s say Haley’s Bistro in an hour,’ Eva suggested, surprisingly calm. ‘It’s nearby. Ask at the hotel receptionist for directions.’

  ‘Okay, sweetheart. See you soon.’

  Eva hung up and stared at the ground. Her last conversation with Julian ran through her head. He wanted to send her back to America to be with her family, yet she'd spent two weeks in the same hotel as them and the only conversation they’d had was crouched over her father’s grave. They were so fucked up; they’d been under the same roof for two weeks and Eva hadn’t even known. Eva was more certain now than ever that going back to New Jersey or New York was not an option.

  Chapter 20

  Eva sat tapping her foot against the restaurant table as she waited. She waved to her mother as soon as she came through the door. Samantha looked like a little-lost child. Eva recognised her expression because she’d worn the very same one when she first came to Dublin. Alone in the city with a strangling metaphorical weight around her neck. Despite how daunted Samantha looked, Eva was glad to see her on her own. Eva really didn’t fancy more cold shoulder from Melissa.

  The conversation was broken and stilted as they sat with their heads down perusing the menus lying flat on the table. They chewed over the weather, gave the hotel room services a mention, but they avoided anything of real depth.

  ‘Does your friend still want his story?’ Samantha said oddly out of context.

  ‘What?’ Where in the hell did that come from?

  Samantha picked up the menu resting in front of her on the table and held it close to her face but her eyes were peering out over the top. Eva lifted her own menu, ignored her mother’s staring, and tried to choose something. She was actually really hungry despite her huge breakfast earlier.

  The waiter appeared at their table wearing a bright smile, a crisp white shirt, and slightly too lose black bowtie. A bright, white towel draped over the arm he kept folded across his chest.

  Eva took a quick look around. They were noticeably underdressed compared to the rest of the clientele. The restaurant was deceptive from the outside and Eva hadn’t realised how exclusive it was. And expensive, she thought, glancing briefly at the wine list.

  ‘Are you ready to order?’ the waiter said, leaning across the table to pour some water.

  ‘Yes?’ Eva looked at Samantha, questioning. ‘We’re in a hurry,’ Eva blurted.

  Samantha’s face fell and Eva realised how she had inadvertently let Samantha know she could only offer her a small window of her day. It wasn’t how she’d meant it to appear, but Eva was conscious of the time, and she didn’t want to be running late when Anthony came to pick her up later.

  ‘What can you recommend that’s quick and delicious?’ Eva asked the waiter, but she was smiling at Samantha to try to ease the sting.

  The waiter dropped his pertinacious swag and reverted to a thick Dublin accent. ‘I’d go with the gourmet beef on a warm sesame bum with hand-cut potato strips.’

  ‘Burger and fries,’ Eva laughed.

  ‘Exactly.’ His smile grew more genuine and Eva liked him. ‘Wine?’ he added.

  ‘Yes. I’d like a glass of house red please and…Mom?’

  Samantha shook her head as if Eva had just asked her to sample rat poison.

  Shit! Eva realised she had no memory of Samantha with a drink in hand – ever! Of course. With her father’s issues, her mother was probably scared shitless of the stuff.

  ‘Actually, you know what? Never mind, I’ll just stick with my water…as I said, we don’t have a lot of time,’ Eva said.

  ‘No problem. I’ll let the chef know to put a rush on the order,’ the waiter obliged.

  ‘Thanks.’

  Eva waited until they were halfway through their meal before she spoke again, partially
because she was so hungry and partially because she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know where her mother was going with all this.

  ‘So....are you going to tell me?’ Eva said, curiosity finally getting the better of her.

  ‘It’s good,’ Samantha replied, between mouthfuls of delicious beef.

  ‘Not the burger, Mom. The story. What can you tell Nathan that he doesn’t already know?’

  Samantha’s chewing passed painfully slow as Eva waited with bated breath for her to gulp down the last bite.

  ‘A lot. Your friend might be one of the worst reporters I know.’

  Eva was surprised by how offensive that sounded, but she hid her distaste for her mother’s comment. ‘He actually knows more than you think. He could have written an article and shamed us all. But he didn’t write anything out of respect for me, Mom. But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t.’

  ‘Do Irish papers print complete nonsense, then?’ Samantha snapped.

  The waiter was back at their table clearing the plates and enquiring about dessert. ‘Just the check please?’ Eva dismissed, not meaning to sound so abrupt.

  ‘The bill, of course.’ He skulked away quickly.

  ‘No. They don’t print nonsense. Of course, they don’t. What are you talking about?’ Eva said, angrily.

  ‘Good. I’d be disappointed if they did. So does he want the real story?’ Samantha asked gently, dabbing the corners of her lips with her napkin.

  ‘The real story?’ There’s a real story? ‘I don’t know if he’d be interested anymore.’

  Eva did know. She knew Nathan would jump at the chance of an exclusive from Samantha. Eva just wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear more. ‘I can ask him, I suppose. Will I give him your email, then?’ Eva said.

  ‘Email?’ Samantha sounded appalled. ‘God, Eva. I’m barely able to use my phone to make a call. I don’t know much about email. No. Ask him to meet us at the hotel in, what? Will we say an hour?’