A Deceptive Attraction: The Wilsons, Book 3
Page 10
It was time for her to take risks and grow.
Chapter 20
The mid-morning Provence sun warmed Violet’s bare arms as she settled back in her comfortable chair, sipped a glass of red wine, and admired the gorgeous garden that surrounded her. The days warmed up quickly here in the south of France, and by early afternoon she would have to retreat to the cool darkness of the Girard family cottage.
She might even take a nap.
Violet looked down at her left hand and enjoyed the way the sun glanced off the diamond engagement ring she was wearing. The facets glittered so brightly that when she closed her eyes, she could still see the spots dancing against her eyelids.
It had all worked out so well. Colette had secured her a limited lease on a small apartment near her own in Paris, and Violet had stayed there until September, just as Leon had asked her to. They had been together every day, and she had grown so familiar with his state of mind that she could almost predict his every move.
Almost. She hadn’t expected him to propose to her the day before she was to board a plane bound for Kennedy Airport in New York City.
They had been sitting on a park bench along the Seine on a warm, sunny fall day. Lovers strolled past, lost in their own romantic murmurings. Leon had actually knelt before her and took her hand before asking her, “Violet, will you marry me?” He had been so earnest. In fact, she could swear he was trembling. In all of her years living in New York, she had never once seen a man kneel in front of a woman to propose to her.
Of course she said yes.
There were arrangements to be made. Without a shred of regret, Violet contracted to sell Daylily to Troyesha on a long-term payment plan that her seamstress could afford. Their agreement set up Daylily as the exclusive supplier to Violet’s new couture design firm, which she based in New York City with offices in Paris. Colette had spread the word and clients were clamoring for her work on both sides of the Atlantic. Troyesha had expanded the shop and hired two additional seamstresses to take care of the tailoring and cash register while she concentrated on bringing Violet’s designs to life. The shop was in good hands.
Leon had kept his job with ESMA but had transferred out of undercover work and was now in upper-level management. His nearly flawless English had given him enough leverage with the agency to arrange to work part of the year in New York and the other part in Paris. After discussing the possibilities, he had agreed with Violet that they should keep her apartment on the Upper West Side to use when they were in Manhattan. A quick consult with Max’s accounting firm told her the place would be an easy tax deduction for her company, since its home offices were based in New York.
Violet had called Max the day after Leon told her he was an undercover investigator for ESMA and unraveled the mystery for her brother. Max had laughed when she mentioned that Hugh Steffans was undercover for the SEC.
“Typical cop,” he said. “Thinks he’s a genius, and maybe he is compared to the people he’s trying to catch, but that’s not saying much. Anyway, he’s been wasting the taxpayers’ money. Zetta Holdings has nothing to hide.”
On their first visit back to the States, Violet had taken Leon to Sunday brunch at their parents’ home upstate. His European manners had impressed her family from the moment he entered the house, and Max had whispered, “Nice work there, Vi,” in her ear when he thought no one was listening.
Yes, it had all worked out perfectly.
“Ah, Violet, your work ethic is suffering greatly since you came to Provence.”
She hadn’t heard Leon come up behind her, but she was too relaxed to be startled. His voice was as smooth and soothing as ever.
Without opening her eyes, she lifted her face to accept his kiss. “And yours has suffered damage as well, Monsieur,” she teased back.
He kissed her again, longer this time, with a hint of fire. Greedily, Violet returned the kiss and felt the familiar heat that coursed through her body whenever Leon touched her.
He straightened up, their eyes locked together, as if daring each other to take things further. After a moment, Leon reached for the wine bottle, refilled her glass, and poured one for himself.
“Perhaps a nap later?” he suggested. “Mademoiselle might be sleepy by the afternoon.”
“Indeed she might,” Violet said lazily.
“I will need to grow accustomed to calling you madame after we are married.”
“And I will need to stop drinking wine before noon long enough to design some dresses,” Violet replied.
She was designing her own wedding gown and had already ordered the beadwork from her secret source in New York. She still had to create the dresses for her wedding party, but they would go quickly. Her sister Amelia was her maid of honor, and Troyesha and Amy, Max’s wife, would be her bridesmaids.
She would have to share her beadwork source with Troyesha now that she was part of Violet’s supply network, she thought.
She raised her glass and clicked it with Leon’s. “Here’s to better relations between the Americans and the French,” she said.
Leon gave her a loving smile. “For me, they can be no better than this.”
Alicia Roberts Is Also The Author Of:
The Wilsons, Contemporary Romance Series
The Pink Rose: Secrets, Love & Betrayal (Download for Free Here)
Picture Perfect
A Deceptive Attraction
The Billionaire's Contract Trilogy, Adult Romance Series:
The Billionaire's Contract: Proposals (Download for Free Here)
The Billionaire's Contract 2: Considerations
The Billionaire's Contract 3: Aftermath
The Platinum Society, BDSM Series:
Invitation to the Platinum Society: The Billionaire’s Secret BDSM Club
Auctioned off at the Platinum Society
Initiation into the Platinum Society
Entertainment at the Platinum Society
Farewell to the Platinum Society
Keira's Journey: The Billionaire's Submissive, BDSM Romance Series:
Keira's Punishment: The Billionaire's Submissive
Keira's Visit
Keira's Past
Keira’s Humiliation
Stella's Submissiveness Challenge Trilogy, BDSM Romance Series:
Provoking the Dom: Stella's Submissiveness Challenge 1
Punished by the Dom
Pleasured by the Dom
Punishing His Accountant, BDSM Romance Series:
Punishing His Accountant: Caught Stealing
Punishing His Accountant 2: Hard At Work
Punishing His Accountant 3
Bride By Design Trilogy, Adult Romance Series
Bride By Design: Flights of Fancy (Taken By The Billionaire)
Bride By Design 2: Manchala On The Mind
Bride By Design 3: Manchala Nights
Secrets and Seduction, Adult Romance Trilogy:
Secrets and Seduction: Solacia Cellars
Secrets and Seduction: Dilemmas
Secrets and Seduction: Ghosts of the Past
She is available on twitter and enjoys chatting with readers; her username is @AliciaRRoberts
She blogs at http://aliciarroberts.wordpress.com
Her email address is aliciarights@gmail.com
Extract From "Invitation to The Platinum Society: The Billionaire’s Secret BDSM Club"
Description:
Vicki was thrilled to be accepted into her dream law school – it’s just too bad she can’t afford to go. Unless…
A chance encounter with a handsome stranger leads to her discovering certain things about herself, like her desire to be dominated and spanked. It’s funny how fulfilling her desire to be used and humiliated might also lead to her receiving enough cash to pay for her tuition in full…
Extract:
I told him my street address, and Nate raised the window again, so that we were in our own private space. “So Vicki, tell me about law school.”
There
was something about the way he looked at me, the way his eyes seemed to take in everything, that made me trust him and feel flushed at the same time. He moved to sit closer to me on the limo seat, and a strange warmth began to spread through my body.
“It’s warm in here,” I said nervously, undoing the top button of my shirt. Nate’s eyes travelled down to my fingers, watching as I parted the neckline of the shirt a bit more.
And then his eyes travelled further down, and I realized that my nipples had hardened, and were poking through the thin fabric of the shirt. I blushed – my body was reacting as if I was aroused.
Later, I would learn that Nate was a member of the Platinum Society, an exclusive and secret BDSM club for billionaires. As a member, he wore their signature scent – a heady cocktail of pheromones and other chemicals that made some girls feel ridiculously aroused.
Turns out, I was one of the girls who reacted that way.
But right then in the limo, I didn’t know about the pheromone scent. All I knew was that I was behaving strangely, and my body seemed to be out of control. I could feel my panties getting moist, and I hoped desperately that I would get things under control soon.
Extract From The Billionaire's Contract: Proposals (free download from Amazon.com)
Description:
Sparks fly when Brad and Alexis meet. Brad is the new heir to Reinehart Industries, and Alexis is a cynical college drop-out.
They live in completely different worlds, and under normal circumstances, their passionate encounters might have been shelved as "mistakes". But circumstances are far from normal, and Brad has plans that could change both their lives - if only he can convince Alexis to come along for the ride.
Extract:
"What do you think?" he asked at the end, his dark blue eyes piercing mine.
"It's a bit spooky without people," I said, and though I didn't think it was that funny he laughed, a surprising low, belly laugh.
A strand of his hair fell over his forehead, and I wondered again if he was single. His face was square and muscular, his lips thin and delicate.
He took the folder and bag from my hands, and placed them on an empty shelf. "Well, we're here, aren't we?" he asked, tilting his head.
I gulped and wondered what to say. My work was over, but he seemed to be expecting something more. Come to think of it, why was he here to begin with, why hadn't he sent some lowly office peon, the way Mr. Neilson had sent me?
His hands were on my face now, tilting my head back so that I met his eyes.
"There's something about you," he growled, "I've been thinking about you since I left the law firm."
I felt one hand leave my face and slowly travel down my neck, stopping only when it found my breast. He pressed down as his hand moved in slow circles, and I began to wonder if this was all real.
As I closed my eyes, I felt his lips on mine, his mouth gentle but insistent. God, he tasted so good, and his hand felt so nice as it pressed down on me. I wanted more of him…
Wait, what am I doing?
The thought hit me suddenly, and I wondered why I trusted this man. I should just scream and run out of here.
His fingers started to toy with my nipple, quickly making it stand up and strain against my lace bra. His lips left mine and began to chew my ear, nibbling at the soft flesh and licking the sensitive skin just below my earlobes. I felt his hand slide across to my other breast…
I hadn't realized we'd been moving, but now I felt myself pushed down onto one of the low tables. My brain tried to flicker to attention one final time: this is your last chance, it said.
I tried to lift myself up and push him off me, but his hands felt heavy on my shoulders. He began to kiss my neck, my skin burning wherever his lips touched me. He undid my buttons as he moved downwards, trailing his lips along as he parted the shirt. When he got to my navel, the shirt was gaping open, revealing my lace bra, my nipples visible through the thin fabric.
He raised his head and stared into my eyes, "You can leave if you really want to."
I felt sparks fly along my spine as our eyes met. My answer was obvious as both of us felt the electricity, and he ran his hand down my skirt. The hand retraced its movements, this time pulling my skirt up till it was hitched around my waist.
His fingers trailed along my inner thigh, setting my skin on fire, till they found my moist panties. His hand pressed down, and I moaned out loud, aching for more.
Extract From "Keira's Punishment: The Billionaire's Submissive"
Description:
Keira Jones is in trouble. She's accidentally approved a press release painting her boss, Connor Hastings, as an elitist snob and she knows she'll get fired. Unless she agrees to beg for forgiveness and accept her punishment - a choice that seems simple enough.
At Connor's hands, Keira discovers humiliation and pleasure. Soon, she finds herself tempted by Connor's dark ways and the glamour and excitement he offers…
Extract:
His face was inches from mine and he said softly, "That day, all I really wanted to do was take you over my lap and give you a good, hard spanking."
He leaned back and suddenly the words came rushing into my head. Images popped up unbidden - myself, lying across his lap, my ass bare, his hand lifted, coming down…
My breath quickened, but I pushed those thoughts away and looked up to meet his eyes. I didn't know what to say. Though I was wearing a demure business skirt and white button-up blouse, I suddenly felt naked, as though Connor knew exactly what I looked like undressed.
Connor's eyes were speculative, and he stood up suddenly and moved to the window. He looked out and asked, "How badly do you want to keep this job?"
I gulped. "Very badly, sir."
"Mike says I should fire you. Legally, that's my best choice"
I started to speak but he held up his hand to silence me.
"I like you," he said softly, and I breathed in deeply with pleasure and hope. "I don't want to fire you." He turned to look at me again and the light reflected off his dark mahogany hair, his formal white shirt hinting at hard muscles underneath. "I like you very much." His voice sounded speculative, and again, I felt as though my clothes were transparent. There was something so powerful in his gaze, I felt as though he could see everything.
"If you're ready to do anything to keep your job, I'll ignore my lawyer's advice and not fire you."
I felt thankfulness flood through my veins, and my eyes widened with relief.
"I'll do anything," I said confidently.
"Well then," he smiled, "Come here and beg for forgiveness."
I looked at him, surprised.
He pointed to a spot on the floor, just before his feet. "Get on your knees," he commanded.
I noticed now the bulge in the front of his pants, and he ran one hand over it, emphasizing it, making it obvious what I was about to do.
I had a few seconds to make my decision. It was an easy choice to make - I went over and kneeled before him.
"Unbutton your blouse."
His voice was harsh and commanding, and I felt the humiliation bubble up inside me. With trembling fingers, I undid the buttons slowly, staring at the floor, not daring to meet his eyes.
When they were all unbuttoned, I let the shirt hang loose, hoping I could keep it on. Connor reached down and pushed the panels apart, exposing my bra-clad breasts. I felt embarrassed, and hoped this was it, that I wouldn't have to take anything off.
But Connor gazed at me for a few seconds, and then reached down again. He pushed the cups of my bra down, and my breasts spilled out over them. The fabric pushed them up from below, making them stand up, my nipples hard and pointing out. He cupped my breasts from the side, and said, "You're already aroused. Good. I like that."
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