If I saw inside that room, my life would never be the same.
The taller of the two bouncers rested his hand on the door handle.
I reached out and grabbed Tobias’s arm, wanting to say his name and knowing that was forbidden.
From beneath those double doors the thump of a bass bled out and seeped all the way inside me, surging through my veins. A rush of jumbled thoughts as I judged which way to run.
They’ll stop you. And then give you back to me, Tobias had threatened before. “Turn around,” he said firmly.
My feet stuck to the ground.
Following Tobias’s lead, I feigned we were here for the party, hoping not to alert them to the real reason we’d snuck into their state room.
That chill found me and soaked into the depths of my limbs, my body trembling.
“I need you to trust me,” he whispered, pulling his necktie from around his collar.
I turned and waited, my breathing stilted, the ringing in my ears disorientating.
We’d gone too far with our ruse.
Fragile, more unsure than I’d ever felt, I was going to break apart if I didn’t relinquish to Tobias these remnants of faith I’d once guarded so fiercely, having doubted I’d ever let anyone this close. And this was more of a risk than I’d ever known, the equivalent of walking on hot coals, or skiing down a sheer ice face, or exposing the most vulnerable part of myself, the most sacred facet of my sexuality.
My breathing stilted as I reached back for him.
His warm hand rested on my nape and my skin tingled beneath his touch; with a gentle caress he reassured me.
Holding my mask in place I felt the material of his necktie wrapping over it to cover my eyes. A tug as he tied it behind my head.
The hard lines of Tobias’s body nudged up against me. “Do exactly as I say.”
I gave a nod.
“Don’t let go.” His palm slipped against mine and our fingers interlocked. “I’ve got you.”
The relentless thumping of the rave grew louder.
In a haze of dizziness, I gripped Tobias’s hand as though my life depended on it. And in a way it did.
This visceral revelation felt like an awakening and tonight without question, there was proof this really existed. My innocence, though not essentially pure, was under threat from what we were about to experience—
Had that brief time in Tobias’s home been when he’d studied me? Assessing if I would mold to his will and endure a night of debauchery at one of England’s most exclusive palaces?
My hand was squeezed tight by his, his thumb caressing my wrist as we walked through. The room felt warmer. Scented with expensive perfumes merging with richly textured colognes. Vibrations beneath my stilettos, crackling electricity surrounding us as though the air itself was magnetized, moans rising and falling—
I could hear the sounds of men and woman fucking all around us.
Tobias guided me onward, gently coaxing our way around tables, or perhaps lovers in the throes of passion, or goodness knows what, my imagination swirling with what I sensed unfolded from behind this makeshift blindfold.
And if removed...
A sea of bodies interlocked.
Low voices and moans carried around us, offering their demands of need, their squeals of laughter, proving that whatever they were doing was consensual, these men and women wanting to be here and from the sounds of pleasure that echoed their gratification was real and for some blindingly brilliant.
The sound of spanking. Erotic wails resonated.
My own arousal betrayed me and dampened my panties as if a Romanesque orgy was socially acceptable and their reckless lovemaking was normal for a weeknight.
To our left a scream of an orgasm tore out. The dreaminess of not knowing, never seeing. We paused for a beat and I froze.
“Almost there,” came Tobias’s low voice.
Coldness enveloped me and I sensed we were out as fading groans trailed behind until the doors closed and muffled the music and everything else, those rolling waves of lust now silent.
My heels clicked on stone.
Another door, another room and, warm again, I sensed we’d made it. My suspicions were confirmed as Tobias guided me to raise my arms into the air, the soft material of the beautiful Alexander McQueen gown being tugged over my body as he redressed me.
The blindfold lifted from my eyes. “Are you okay?” He studied my face.
I managed a nod and turned to the mirror to fluff my hair.
“That wasn’t part of the plan,” he said. “Obviously.”
Blinking, I watched him place his tie back around his collar.
He wrapped it into a neat bow. “I screwed up.”
It was impossible to show I wasn’t affected, my breathing ragged from walking through that lust-filled ballroom.
He threw me a look of apology, and I turned away and fiddled with my shoulder strap as though it needed it.
My shoulders relaxed and I exhaled a deep breath as though I’d been holding it the entire time.
“Let’s get outta here.” He took my hand.
Through the foyer we walked out into the night, the crispness welcoming our freedom and highlighting what we’d left behind.
To our left rolled a silver Bentley pulling out of its parking space. It drove our way.
Nervously, I stared at Tobias to see if he’d caught it.
The car idled in front of us and the side door flew open, and a young man with spiked short ashen hair climbed out. His face was friendly, his demeanor respectful toward Tobias, and I caught sight of his worn jeans and smart black blazer as he rounded the car and opened the rear door for us.
He handed Tobias a thick woolen scarf and Tobias wrapped it around his neck.
“Can I take my mask off?” I said.
“In the car.”
I hugged myself and sucked up the cold, secretly coveting his scarf.
Tobias’s eyes reflected intrigue. “Sure you’re okay?”
“Oh yes, used to belong to a book club. Every Friday night we’d end the evening in a full-on orgy. Books everywhere. You can’t imagine the horror of a damp paperback.”
He laughed and his eyes lit up with joy.
I let out a wistful sigh. “Just wished we’d had more time to enjoy the art.”
“I know.” Tobias gestured for me to get in. “Cooper will take you home.”
“Where are you going?”
“Another appointment.”
“We’re not riding together?” I cringed at my awkwardness.
“No.” He gave a nod to the driver.
Cooper ran around the front of the Bentley and got back behind the wheel.
“Did I do okay?” I whispered.
Tobias snapped his attention back to me. “You were great.”
Peering over his shoulder, I yearned to return on a day when the activities were more conducive to enjoying its vast collection of art. “We did it.”
“We did.” He peeled out of his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. Again.
And I couldn’t help but feel enraptured each time he did that, every show of kindness endeared him to me more, despite what he’d put me through.
I beamed, secretly knowing I’d have an excuse to get his jacket back to him.
“I’ll have it collected,” he said. “Cooper will come get it.”
Disheartened, I broke his stare and peered at the ground. “Thank you for watching over me.”
“Thank you for trusting me.” He gave an assured nod. “I’ll pass on my thanks to Adley, and request an invoice first thing tomorrow.” He glanced at his watch. “This morning, I should say.”
“Sounds great.” Though now I only had a few hours of slee
p ahead of me before I’d have to get up for work. “I’ll send Adley your regards.”
“I appreciate that.”
“What about my car?”
“I have the keys,” he said. “We’ll get it back to you tomorrow. You usually take the tube into work, right?”
I gave a nod, wondering how he knew that, and ducked my head low to get in—then thought better of it.
I eased out and stood facing Tobias again and stared directly into his eyes. “For the record, Mr. Wilder.”
“Yes?”
“It’s never just a painting.”
He pulled off his scarf and placed it around my neck, and then used it to pull me closer to him. Tobias leaned in and kissed my forehead.
This man’s allure was unending, and as I closed my eyes I allowed myself this one last moment of his affection, a ripple of excitement.
He broke away.
Trying not to swoon, I remained still as he wrapped that soft scarf snuggly around my neck, weaving it neatly around my throat.
“That was quite the adventure,” I said.
“Yes, it was.”
I climbed in, dragging my gaze from his, and settled in the backseat, the scent of leather filled the car, the welcome warmth of the heating having been on for a while. Relief washed over me when I saw my handbag on the backseat. My house keys were in there. Cooper had obviously stopped by Tobias’s house to grab it for me. Though my car keys were still back at his place.
I peeled off my mask and rested it near my bag.
Tobias shut the car door and headed away with his hands tucked inside his pockets. I watched him stroll over to his Aston Martin. He opened the door and climbed in.
I breathed a sigh of relief he wasn’t going back into the palace. Our Bentley pulled away.
Tobias’s Aston Martin sped past us and raced on ahead; leaves and debris spun out behind his car. This dreamy sense of having been caught up in his world had left me remarkably untainted.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m afraid I live in Notting Hill. It’s a bit of a drive.”
“I have your address, ma’am,” soothed Cooper in his American accent and he smiled at me in the rearview. “Got you up on the GPS.”
“You know my address?”
“Of course.”
“How?”
“My boss, ma’am.”
“Call me Zara.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
I was too exhausted to correct him. “How does Mr. Wilder know where I live?”
“I believe he obtained it from your company.” Cooper must have read my dazed expression because he added, “Mr. Wilder wanted to make sure you got home okay.”
Peering into the night, I took in the rolling fields now covered in a blanket of sprawling mist, obscuring those large lakes from view.
I’d probably never see Tobias again. The mission accomplished.
The client seemingly happy.
And then I realized as I spun round in my seat to look back at that striking palace fast fading on the horizon—
Tobias had forgotten to ask me if the painting was real.
8
Sleepy eyed after dozing off in the Bentley, I slipped into my babydoll nightdress. I eyed that Coco de Mer lingerie that I’d stripped off and thrown onto the bed, hoping that wasn’t going to have to go back when I returned Tobias’s jacket and scarf.
The Alexander McQueen hung elegantly from a hanger on my bedroom door, and it was hard to pull my gaze away from the satin gown adorned with intricate crystals. That would have to go back, as well.
I picked up his black jacket and buried my face into the lining, sniffing Tobias’s cologne, and imagined him looking at me the same way he’d adored La Maja Desnuda.
This infatuation was going to be short-lived.
I tried to tame my excitement from such a whirlwind evening, a decadent adventure I couldn’t wait to tell Clara about.
It felt good to be home.
This southeast flat had once been owned by my mother before she’d married my dad. After her death, Dad had rented it out and then rarely visited it. There was comfort drawn from knowing Mom spent time here. I walked the same pathway she’d taken from the small kitchen to the bedroom or the living room to the bathroom. I wondered if she, like me, ever read in the tub or sipped her morning tea while watching the world awaken.
So many memories had been lost to time.
There were boxes upon boxes back in Dad’s old place that I still had to go through, all of them secured in the basement, and I had the only key. A task I’d put off over countless weekends.
I’d renovated this place back to its original glory of Victorian splendor, with its whitewashed walls reaching high to meet the elaborate crown molding. I’d gone for a fresh vintage decor, with crisp, clean pastels that were charmingly cozy and merged exquisitely with the more modern pieces.
I loved padding around barefoot on the hardwood floors or burying my toes in the faux fur rugs. I’d bought that large blue sofa from another favorite store lost to the spiraling costs of living in this city. The large mahogany bookshelves I’d retrieved from home. The place now poised to go on the market as soon as I was ready to let it go. Though the house was restored, the worth of the land it stood on was remarkable.
My thoughts carried me back to Blandford Palace and a sinking feeling washed over me at my naivety. Still, I’d felt safe beside Wilder and had drawn strength from his tenacity and even now I felt the wake of his charisma.
Tobias no doubt sparked chemistry in every woman who met him. It was his assuredness, his confident swagger, his ability to command without question. That Ivy League education had forged an already brilliant mind and gave him an unfair edge. Money and brains was a heady combination and Tobias wore it well. That arrogant curve of his lips, his bossy bastard demeanor, the way he crushed his body next to mine...
Tobias Wilder was the perfect storm.
And I was glad my feet were back on dry land, home safe, where I belonged.
After folding his scarf into a neat square, I placed it next to his jacket on the back of the chair, near the door. I’d take it into work tomorrow. I should have just handed it over to Cooper tonight and braved the cold from the Bentley to my flat, but I’d been too sleepy to think straight.
Writing my report for Adley was going to take some finagling. The big reveal of Goya’s painting turning up out of the blue was going to set the entire office alight with excitement. Tobias could now bid away with confidence when that portrait went on sale.
I wondered which house he favored more: Sotheby’s or Christie’s.
I’d peeked behind the curtain of aristocracy and still couldn’t believe people dared to get naked in front of each other. Tobias hadn’t blinked an eye at all at that debauchery, though it seemed nothing much fazed him.
Only in the art world could the most decadent of parties be topped by the revelation of a Goya concealed behind another painting.
First thing tomorrow, I was going to make some discreet inquiries into that Goya’s paper trail. It might also explain why a multimillion-dollar piece was hidden away.
A knock at my front door startled me.
At 2:00 a.m. it could only be Cooper. He’d probably realized I’d strolled off with his boss’s jacket and scarf and had come to collect it.
I made my way to the front door and decided with each step there was no way I was mentioning the underwear. The Coco de Mer would serve as my consolation prize.
That thought made me smile.
Peeking through the eyehole I almost bit through my lip. After sliding off the catch I opened the door ajar.
Tobias’s grin widened. “Hope I didn’t disturb you?”
“No, it’s fine.” I’d forgotten how
disarming his smile was. “I’ll get your jacket.” I closed the door and headed back toward the chair and lifted off his coat and scarf.
I yelped—
Tobias stood inside my flat with his back pressed against the closed door. “Bad time?”
“I was going to bed.” I blinked at him. “Have to be up early.”
Oh dear God, I was wearing my skimpy nightdress and the hem was dangerously short. If I bent over he’d be treated to a peep show.
His gaze swept over me.
“Were you happy with everything?”
“Yes.” He stepped forward.
“You left suddenly.”
“Sorry I didn’t drive you home myself. Coops is very reliable, though.”
“Where did you go?”
“Prior engagement. A meeting I couldn’t cancel.” At my look of doubt, he added, “Canterbury.”
Whoever he’d visited sounded important to him.
Tobias seemed to sense what I was thinking. “Sarah’s in her seventies.” He looked like he wanted to tell me more but shrugged instead.
“You’re here for your jacket?”
“No, to see you.” His expression softened. “To thank you for lending your expertise.”
“Oh right. Of course, it was my pleasure. I was happy to help.” I drew in a deep breath and hugged his jacket. “So, your painting has a pure signature, which lends itself to the expected precise downward sweep.”
Tobias stepped forward and gave a nod of approval.
I continued confidently as though I wasn’t wearing merely a babydoll. “The layers of paint appear consistent. Perhaps we can x-ray at the Courtauld. I studied there.”
“I remember.”
“We can borrow their equipment.”
He leaned in and gently kissed my neck. “Good to know.”
Where his lips brushed my skin he ignited heat, my heart thundering, my body trembling, each and every cell sparking from the thrill of being this close to him.
His lips pressed against my naked shoulder. The strap slid down my arm, loosening the cup of my nightdress, revealing a hint of nipple.
The Chase Page 9
