Latvis Security Services

by Lexie Ray

  So, generally, he would pick a name and set a physical aspect to it. Since meeting Mads and traveling around the world, the names he couldn’t put to a real person were quickly dwindling. Lately, he had been using Persephone, secure in the knowledge that it would likely be a while before he met one.

  Decided upon a name, he shuffled into a more comfortable position. His hand drifted lower, his nails scraping against his skin in a slow glide, but he didn’t make contact with his now aching cock. Not yet. This was his holiday and, as exhausted as he was, he deserved a treat. Letting out a long sigh, he took the time to fully develop the fantasy.

  He imagined himself unfastening a series of buttons, revealing heat-flushed skin and panted breaths. Soft hair brushing against his skin. Heated, languid, lazy kisses laced with the sweet taste of lipstick. With each fantasy, the ache in his groin grew just a little more. He wallowed in the sensation, relishing in the need that began to simmer through his body and set his nerves alight.

  Black hair, he decided. He yearned for black hair tonight. Long and rich and soft to the touch. Perfect. His breath quickened as he finally allowed the back of his knuckles to graze down the side of his cock. A staggered moan rattled from his throat, bringing with it the moan of Persephone.

  It took all he had to keep his hand from enclosing his shaft and squeezing. His neck strained as he struggled to keep himself in check. This was the best part. The anticipation. The need. The want. The way his every sense heightened, his nerves sizzled, his every cell ached and yearned. As exhausted as he was, he wanted to make this part last.

  Using only his fingertips in a feather-light touch, Jai began to stroke himself from base to tip. A shiver crackled along his spine. He bit his lips in a vain attempt to keep in a loud moan. Still, the sound echoed within his ears.

  With renewed need, he added more details to his fantasy. He imagined the lingering warmth from Persephone’s fingers as she undid the buttons of his shirt. He could imagine the touch so perfectly that he felt the phantom caress up his stomach and along his chest, gripping his shoulders and pulling him down.

  Licking his lips, Jai delved deeper into the fantasy. He could almost feel the way the body under him would meld to his weight. The gentle press of thighs as they wrapped around his waist. Fingers digging into his shoulders. Warm, wet kisses growing desperate and drifting over lips and skin. His stomach twisted as beads of pre-cum began to glisten against his crown.

  Unable to hold back any more, he spat into his palm and enclosed his fist around his throbbing shaft. His spine arched as pleasure exploded across his body. It was growing hard to keep his sounds to himself. His chest heaved. Sweat began to bead across his forehead. The slow pace was becoming torturous. His legs squirmed and his back arched. Each breath became rough and vocal, but he couldn’t bring himself to care anymore.

  Still, he took his time, savoring the way his insides were suddenly too small and too large all at the same time. A sweet voice. Something with a hint of a husky tone. His hand sped up at the thought. Maybe some dark eyes. Yes. Dark eyes. Bright and vibrant, sharp with intelligence, deep with mirth. His neck pulled taut as he added a twist to his stroke.

  The image in his mind began to take form and detail. He struggled against it, trying to push the image aside, but he couldn’t keep the image of Natalie from emerging in his mind’s eye. The last shreds of his conscious mind waited for the reality shock to sever him from the fantasy and pull him back to the knowledge that he was just alone in a bed with his own hand around his member. But instead, his cock throbbed and leaked at the thought.

  His hand sped up without his conscious effort. His thumb slipped over the head of his cock, spreading his pre-cum and letting him imagine that it was the tip of a tongue. Her tongue. Her hand. Her eyes watching him with lust and pleasure.

  Jai’s free hand balled in the sheets, clenching and twisting almost to the point of ripping them. Unable to keep Natalie from the forefront of his thoughts, Jai tumbled toward his breaking point. His hand grew faster, his grip tightening. He couldn’t catch his breath. A spring twisted within his gut. Tighter. Tighter.

  His insides trembled as time ground to a halt. For one lingering moment, he hovered on the edge between too much and not enough, and then he shattered, tumbling and flying. He clenched his teeth until his jaw hurt, but he couldn’t keep from screaming Natalie’s name to the rafters. Pleasure pulsed through him and over him, like waves against a sandy shore. His muscles melted against the mattress as he continued to stroke himself through the ebbing pleasure.

  Sweaty, spent, and no longer in possession of any bones, Jai heaved a few deep breaths. Eventually, he was able to summon up enough energy to blindly grope for his abandoned shirt. A few swipes were all that he could muster before sleep finally found him. He drifted off with images of Natalie still swirling in his head.

  Chapter Ten

  Natalie paced her room. Her dress felt too tight. She couldn’t bring in a decent breath. It hadn’t been a challenge to slip out without Jamie noticing. Either Mads hadn’t told them about the secret passages built into the walls, or Jamie had thought her above using them. Honestly, what had he expected her to do when he denied her access to her laboratory? But the passageways were twisted, and getting from one place to another wasn’t the simplest task. Her path took her along the wall of Jai’s room. She had expected him to be sleeping. He hadn’t been.

  Not knowing what else to do, she had returned to her room. Jamie was still unaware of her departure and apparently didn’t find it odd that she would take hours to get ready. It left her with all the silence she needed to continuously roll the events she had witnessed over and over in her head. As much as she had been waiting for it, it still surprised her when there was a soft knock on the door.

  “Natalie, can I come in?”

  Something fluttered within her chest at the sound of Jai’s voice. Memories flooded back to the last time she had heard him say her name. His voice strained, his muscles clenching, his cock spurting his release over his lower stomach.

  “Natalie?”

  “Come in,” she said swiftly.

  She turned away from the door as he entered. Not sure what else to do, she moved toward the small table she had on the far side of the room. It was as far away from him as she could get while still looking casual.

  “I don’t know if you lost track of time again, but it’s the afternoon. Your guests well be arriving soon.”

  “I am well aware.”

  “Are you okay?” Jai asked. “You seem pretty tense.”

  Lifting her chin, Natalie turned around to look at him, the fingers of one hand tapping against the tabletop. “It would seem that you have, against my persistent requests, continued with your fascination with me.”

  Jai’s brow furrowed as he crossed the room. Unable to meet his gaze, she let her eyes wander to his form. The standard black suit made his shoulders look broader and smoothed the lines to his hips. Mads must have let him borrow a tie, because the golden silk didn’t seem like something that he would own. He had smoothed his curls into perfect little ringlets. It baffled her how he could make curls look masculine, but she couldn’t deny that they framed his face to perfection.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Do you not?”

  “Nope,” he said with a shrug.

  He was at the table now and mimicked her motion of tapping it. It was infuriating and gave her the push she needed to meet his eyes.

  “You masturbated while thinking of me.”

  Jai somehow managed to go completely pale and flush at the same time. “What?”

  “I heard you.”

  Jai scrunched his mouth up and nodded slowly. “Of course, you did. This is awkward.”

  “It is not awkward; it is frustrating. I have not given you any kind of permission to think of me in such a way. If anything, this situation is grossly impertinent.”

  “Okay, well, um…”

  “Jai.
Perhaps you should keep your thoughts to Persephone in the future.”

  Turning on her heel, Natalie strode toward the door. She only got a few steps before Jai called out to her, “Stop.”

  Taking a moment to steady herself, she slowly turned, looking at him over her shoulder. “I am not accustomed to being talked to in such a matter.”

  In response, Jai kicked his foot out, sending the chair opposite him skirting out from the table. He pointed to it, his voice taking on a militaristic, authoritative edge that was both alluring and intimidating.

  “Sit down. I have a question.”

  Natalie’s feet began to move before her mind had decided on a course of action. Jai’s eyes were trained on her every step of the way. As she sat down, he took his own seat and put his clasped hands on top of the table.

  “What is your question?” Natalie asked.

  “Oh, that? I just wanted to ask you how long, exactly, did you watch me touch myself?”

  She hesitated. “Excuse me?”

  “I’m not saying I have remarkable stamina, but I took my time. And I distinctly remember saying Persephone at the beginning and your name at the end.”

  Caught off guard, Natalie licked her lips and stumbled out, “I still do not understand you.”

  “Keep with me here,” Jai said as he leaned back in his seat. “I really don’t think that my fantasy life is the main issue here.”

  “I do.”

  “Okay. But what about this? Stick with me. You came into my room, saw what I was doing, left, and then came back. Or you stayed and watched the whole show. In either case, you watched me in an intimate act without my consent or even knowledge. Yes, I thought about you sexually. But I never broke into your room and voyeuristically watched you pleasure yourself.”

  “That is not exactly–”

  “My actions may have been untasteful, but yours were borderline criminal. Seems like we should address that first.”

  “I did not spy on you.”

  “Then what would you call it? The walls are stone and the doors are heavy. It’s not like sound carries around here.”

  “I happened to be taking the hidden passageways to my laboratory. It is hardly my fault that the path took me by your quarters.”

  “Hidden passageways?”

  Natalie was quick to let her growing confidence show and offered him a superior smile. “They are all over the castle.”

  “Are they like the ones you see in the movies? Dark, dank, generally unpleasant?”

  “They were not built for comfort,” she scoffed.

  “So,” he drew out the word and she felt her gut twist, “instead of continuing your obsession, you opted to stand in an ‘uncomfortable’ environment to secretly watch me masturbate.”

  “It seems like you have gotten over your bashfulness.”

  “I’m a doctor. We bounce back quick,” he dismissed. “And now you’re critiquing my performance. Telling me that I should do the things that you find more appealing.”

  “You are twisting things.”

  “By all means.” He gestured to her with both hands. “Untwist.”

  “I am stating that you have no right to use people’s likenesses for your own sexual gratification.”

  Jai actually laughed. The kind of laugh people gave when they watched someone grasp at straws. Natalie clenched her jaw but refused to look away from him.

  “Where to begin with that one? Okay. If you believe that, why would you tell me it’s okay to think of Persephone that way? And why the jealous tone?”

  “I did not sound jealous.”

  He just shrugged.

  “I did not!”

  “Defensive,” he noted.

  Natalie tried to calm herself down. It was a task she wasn’t used to. She was always measured – sure in herself and her speech. Rational. Now it felt like she was freefalling into mortification and was desperately seeking something that would save her dignity.

  “Most people would get defensive when accused of something they are not guilty of.” She flushed with pride. She sounded rational. Calm. Regal, even.

  “Okay.” Jai smiled indulgently. “And for the record, you can’t control how other people think. You might not like it, but you have absolutely no standing to force them to change it. Free will and all that.”

  “Are you saying that you will continue to think of me when you…enjoy your own company?”

  Jai choked on a laugh. “Did you just get bashful?”

  “Perhaps I do not like to think about you engaging in such activities.”

  “No, you just like to secretly watch from dark corners.”

  “That was…” She couldn’t find the end of her sentence before Jai started to talk again.

  “And in answer to your question, maybe. But rest assured, just because I may possibly use your likeness doesn’t mean I’m thinking of you.”

  Natalie jolted. “What?”

  “A person can fantasize about certain physical attributes without incorporating the personality. Physically, you’re very attractive.”

  “But you don’t find my personality attractive?”

  “Not right now,” he scoffed as he stood up. “But I doubt that would bother you too much.”

  “I am still bothered.”

  A suspicious look came over his eyes, something she couldn’t quite place, and he put his hands into his pockets.

  “Your guests are waiting.” He took three steps before he turned around. Walking backward to the door, he continued, “And don’t worry. I’ll stick to Persephone. She doesn’t mind.”

  Over the questions screaming in her head, Natalie barely heard him say that he would wait for her outside. Who the hell was Persephone, and why was she so attractive?

  Chapter Eleven

  Mads cocked an eyebrow as he watched Jai coming down the hallway, Natalie trailing a few steps behind him. It was a pretty rare occasion for Jai to look annoyed, amused, and embarrassed at the same time. To see that expression on both of them brought up a few questions. Catching Jai’s eyes, he tilted his head. It was all that was needed to express his question, but Jai only shook his head.

  Not now.

  “There you are.” Filip shouldered past Mads and opened his arms wide like he honestly expected a hug. “You look marvelous.”

  “Yes, I have been told that my physical appearance can be considered passable,” Natalie said sharply.

  Again, Mads threw a questioning glance to Jai, but he was once again dismissed.

  “Malcolm finds you far more than passable,” Filip said.

  “I care very little about his opinion,” Natalie dismissed. She turned her solid gaze to Mads and lifted her hand. “Let us just get this over with.”

  Mads rested his hand under hers, taking its weight as he squared his shoulders and readied himself to meet the crowd below. The grand staircase was long and wide, offering the cousins a few moments to talk without being disturbed. Mads kept his voice low to make sure not to be overheard by the procession following behind them.

  “What has happened?”

  “There has been no threat to my safety.” Even as Natalie whispered, she managed to keep her voice solid and cold.

  “Should I remind you that I care for you beyond your safety?” Mads said.

  “If you feel that is necessary.”

  “What is bothering you?”

  Natalie tightened her jaw as they descended into view of the public. The main foyer had been set with dozens of small tables, each now crowded with professionals from all over the world. Waiters passed by with trays of hors d’oeuvres and champagne flutes. Mads had never seen so many people within the walls of The Mermaid. It was surreal to hear the silence so thoroughly broken.

  “Why do I feel like we have been invaded?” Mads said.

  “There is still time to take the evacuation passageway.”

  “And leave all your friends unattended?”

  “They are not my friends. They are people who happen to
be mediocre in a similar profession to my own.”

  Mads cracked a smile as they proceeded. People were starting to notice their arrival, and the crowd was beginning to grow silent. He could feel their attention like the air was beginning to thicken. Each muscle of his back began to grow tense until it ached.

  “So, there is nothing that you want to tell me?”

  “What could I possibly want to tell you?”

  Mads released a long breath and tried not to let his amusement show. For all the ways Natalie had learned to remain stone-faced, she still hadn’t managed to lose her tell. Any time she wanted to lie, her first instinct was to answer a question with a question. Mads had noticed it when they were kids and had resolved never to tell her. He liked knowing when she was lying.

  “You could possibly want to explain what got you so upset.”

  “Why do you think I am upset?” Natalie asked with a breezy air.

  They grew too near to the crowd, gathering too much attention for them to continue their conversation without an audience. But, in the final moment before they had to cling to their public personas, Mads noticed Natalie’s eyes shift. He followed her line of sight to see Jai joking around with Jamie higher up the staircase. It grew harder to hide his smile as he turned back to the crowd.

  ***

  Natalie finished off her third glass of wine and purposefully tried to ignore everything that happened around her. The conversation had dwindled into tedious topics such as personal lives and general interests. Faced with assured boredom, she retreated to her own thoughts, mentally working through her experiments and reassessing her findings. It would have been an easy but satisfying task if Jai hadn’t decided to become the most infuriatingly annoying man in existence.

  He lingered by the far side of the room, constantly surrounded by people, with a smile on his face and an easy disposition. He had to be asking them all to laugh because there was no possible way that he was that funny. A particular woman had been lingering in his presence for the better part of an hour. How Jai could procure such depths of patience was a mystery. Somehow, he managed to endure the woman as she kept touching his arm, flipping her hair, and general leaning into his personal space.