Beautiful Lover (The Masquerade Series)

by Maynard, Glenna

  Chapter 14

  Kingsley

  “I would have kidnapped you a lot sooner had I known you were such a good cook. A man could get used to being fed like this every night.”

  “That’s not even funny.”

  “What’s for desert? I could go for some Kingsley pie,” Royce grabs me around the waist and hoists me over his shoulder and begins packing me up the stairs.

  “Hey, “I smack at his rear. “I need to clean up.”

  “The dishes can wait. My craving for you can’t. I plan to take my time and enjoy every morsel of my desert.” He playfully licks the side of my face and I smack at him. “Oh, sweet pea don’t play hard to get. You know you like it when I taste you.”

  “Maybe, but don’t you feel guilty that my best friend is being held somewhere against her will and we are here playing house.”

  “Not even a little. I have it on a good authority that Tiffany is being kept in very comfortable accommodations. And I like playing house with you.” Royce kisses my nose and pulls his shirt over his head exposing his sexy tattoos and ripped muscles.

  I run my fingers over his smooth but hard chest. His breath catches, a hissing sound leaves his lips. I return the licking favor and explore every inch of his upper torso with my tongue. I lap my tongue in a circle over his pecks sucking on his nipples before I nip at them. My lips trail kisses down to the v in his center and eagerly I tug on his sweats wanting to have a taste of my own desert. On my knees now a gorgeous naked man stands before me and he is all mine to enjoy. With a quick darting motion my tongue licks up and down his shaft, a moan leaves my pouted lips as I take a pillow off the bed for my knees and I order Royce to sit on the edge of the bed.

  “Fuck,” he sucks a breath through his teeth as I wrap one hand around his base and cover the head of his cock with my mouth. My other hand rest on his thigh holding him in place while I have my fun tasting and teasing his length with my greedy mouth. “I’ve missed you so much. So fucking…beautiful…so close babe. Stop— I want to make love to you and if you keep sucking my dick like this I’m going to explode.”

  I press up off him and wipe my mouth on my shirt as I slowly bring it over my head. Royce grabs me by my hips nearly pulling me down on top of him. “Let me,” he takes over and jerks my pants down to my ankles in a rush. He places a single kiss on my stomach. “Dance for me.”

  “What?” I ask curiously.

  “I’ve never seen you dance at the club. I want you to dance for me. I want to be the only man you dance for from now on.”

  “Royce,” I say his name with hesitation. I don’t want to get into an argument about my job.

  “Babe, I don’t want to fight. Now dance for me!” He growls smacking my ass.

  I feel so exposed in nothing but my red lace bra and thong. Of course I have danced at the club for countless men, but its different here right now with Royce. At the club I’m Honey and no one knows me. Here with Royce he knows me inside and out. But I love Royce, he makes me feel safe. Royce takes his phone out and puts on the song ‘Hungry Eyes.’

  One song for the man you love Kingsley. I turn my back to him and glance over my shoulder at him. His eyes are burning with desire as he watches me. Slowly I peel one bra strap from my shoulder. My hips sway seductively to the music. Our eyes never leave one another’s as I dance for him. By the time the song finishes I am standing before him fully exposed inside and out. I know that Royce loves me and sees me for me, not some fantasy behind a mask like Parker Garrett sees me as. Royce doesn’t see Elizabeth when he looks at me. Maybe he used to but not now. I know he sees me for the woman I am, not for what could have been. I cross the short distance to the bed and straddle Royce. He enters me in one swift motion pinning me on my back on the center of the bed. The man has skills. Royce is a beautiful lover.

  His kisses are sweet but urgent at the same time. He makes me feel so wanted, so loved… so beautiful. My nails scratch down his back and I can feel his muscles tense as he thrust deeper inside of me. My hips buck and roll urging him to go deeper and faster. “I love you so much Kingsley. I want you so damn bad. I can’t get enough of you. I can’t lose you again.” As he kisses down my neck and over my breasts I can feel my orgasm building.

  “I love you Royce, I’m not going anywhere.” We look deeply into each others eyes as we simultaneously reach our climax. Both of us are covered in sweat but the only thing that matters is being in his arms as he spoons me, whispering sweet nothings in my ear as I fall asleep.

  **

  “I hate leaving you here but it’s the safest way. I need to make sure everything goes smoothly on Kline’s end. Jake will be here so you aren’t alone. I know you don’t like him but I feel better knowing he is watching over you. He won’t bother you. You won’t even know he’s here.”

  “I know you have to do what you think is best. I trust your judgment. I’ll be here chewing my nails off waiting for my brother to kicks some ass and for you both to get my best friend back.”

  Royce kisses my forehead and leaves me here with Jake. Tonight is the big night we have been waiting for. Tonight is my brother’s rematch against Brent Miller. Kline is fighting for a lot more than a title. He is fighting for me—for Tiffany. There is a lot riding on his win. The odds are against him winning a second time. This whole thing is just so crazy.

  I go into the kitchen for a snack and try to calm my nerves. I have been a stress eater since I was kid. After Charlie would beat on Kline and me I’d eat my emotions. It’s a habit I never really broke. Jake walks into the kitchen and he has a weird expression on his face making me wish I had thought to go upstairs and get Royce’s gun. I know Royce trusts Jake but I get a really bad vibe coming from him.

  Weakly I smile at him. “I think I’m going to take this upstairs and watch a movie.” I hold my apple up at him innocently. Everything in me is screaming something is off… I look to my left looking for any type of weapon. Where did I put that knife I had for my apple. I really don’t like how close Jake is getting.

  He reaches behind me and takes an apple off the counter. “Relax Kingsley, I don’t bite. I’m sure everything will work out just like it is meant to.” He winks at me and it makes me feel uncomfortable. I have to step around him to get out of the kitchen. Once I am past him I make the mistake of turning back to look at him. If I had been smart and made a mad dash for the stairs he wouldn’t have gotten the chance to knock me out with his fist. I may have been able to get to Royce’s gun and protect myself.

  When I come to I am in a tight dark place. My mouth is taped shut and my wrist and ankles are bound. It occurs to me that I am bouncing around and I am moving. Holy shit! I am in the trunk of a car. But why? Did Jake double cross Royce? Or was this all planned from the start. I’m so hurt and confused. The car stops and I hear muffled voices talking. I panic; I hate not knowing who has me or where I am. I feel my chest growing tight. I can’t breathe. I can’t see.

  The voices stop and the latch to the trunk clicks. I try to feel around for anything I can use as a weapon but there is nothing within my reach. It’s pointless. I don’t even know how much time has passed. Has it been minutes, hours, or days since I seen Royce? Did Kline win; did he lose is that why they took me?

  Tears well up in the corner of my eyes as fear takes over me and all my rational thoughts leave me. The trunk opens and Jakes sneers looking down at me with contempt. He laughs as he takes a black tie and covers my eyes.

  “It’s about time you got here.” I hear who I recognize as Brad and now I am terrified that this was all part of their plan and Royce set me up.

  “Well I had to wait for lover boy to leave.” Relief floods over me that Royce isn’t behind my being taken. They are going to have hell to pay when he realizes they have me. But then it crosses my mind that could have been an act on his part too. Was he lying about Parker? I don’t know what’s real anymore…

  “You didn’t hurt her did you? We will get our asses handed to us if you put a scr
atch on her.”

  “Maybe just a busted nose, but nothing too detrimental.”

  A needle is shoved into my arm and it burns so bad. What are they doing to me? I don’t have time to think of anything more as I doze off into a drug induced slumber. I can barely feel my body being lifted from the trunk.

  Chapter 15

  Kingsley

  The scariest feeling is being awake but not. I can’t hear or see anything but I know I am conscious. I keep trying to open my eyes but they won’t cooperate. I try to open my mouth to scream but my lips won’t budge. I am left with nothing but my thoughts and fear of what is to become of me. Am I dreaming… am I even alive. Did they kill me and I am now just floating and drifting aimlessly in limbo?

  How long have I been like this? Am I alone? Will I ever see those I love ever again? Is this truly how it is going to end? I can’t accept these thoughts as true. Open your eyes, damn it. I want to cry but the tears don’t fall. My thoughts turn to Kline. Does he know I’m gone? I can’t feel our connection but then again I feel disconnected from my body. He has always been my rock my other half. Not feeling his spirit is disheartening. I must be dead.

  And Tiffany, what’s to come of her? They have me— no had me there is no longer any use for her is there? Did my best friend live? Will all of my secrets be known? Will I ever get to tell her about Parker and of my feelings for Royce? Royce… my heart hurts. I love him more than I ever could have imagined loving another person. I can’t wrap my head around the thought that he can be the one behind this. He did say that he worked for the Garretti brothers. Did he screw up and lure me in to cover his own ass? No… the man I know and love, he wouldn’t do that…he wouldn’t.

  Splash… “Rise and shine sunshine,” the acidic voices calls to me. Splash… I awaken from the haze… Jake is dunking my head in a bucket of water. “O-okay,” I sputter the words and choke up the water that has entered my nose.

  Before I am able to get a grip on myself and take in my surroundings Jake is dunking my head into the icy water once more. A towel is placed on my head and my face is dried. I try to kick out my feet and end up on the hard floor, my feet are still bound and so are my wrists. That did not go the way it played out in my head. “Why are you doing this Jake?” He doesn’t answer me. He simply picks me up off the floor and sits me in a chair and secures me to it by placing bungee cords around my waist. My wrists feel raw and chaffed. My ankles don’t feel too bad the rope is touching my pants and not my skin.

  “Jake!” I scream his name as he leaves me alone. The only thing in the room with me is my chair and the bucket of water. I feel like I have been here before. Then the memory hits me. I haven’t been in this particular room before, but I know now I am in a storage unit. The light that hangs overhead is a lantern. The floor is concrete and the walls are metal. Looking at the floor I see stains that look like rust, but something tells me they aren’t from rust but from blood. Tears prick my eyes and I hope to God those stains aren’t from Tiffany.

  Minutes pass by and those minutes turn to hours. I must have drifted back to sleep because I am awakened again by my head being dunked into icy water. “St-op,” I choke the word out. ‘I-I will do whatever you want, please just tell me why you are doing this! Royce is your friend, why would you double cross him?” My throat is burning and dry.

  My pleas are met by laughter from Brad. “Do you even hear yourself Kingsley? Think about it…why does anyone do anything?”

  “Money, of course.” And I don’t have any. Brad uncaps a bottled water, “Here tilt your head. Drink.” Graciously I accept the water, my lips are dry and my tongue feels coated.

  “Where is Tiffany?”

  “Your friend is fine. It is you that you should be worried about.” With those words he is gone and I am left alone with my thoughts. And he is right I am no good to anyone in this chair. I need to find a way out of this. But how? My options are pretty limited. There isn’t a weapon handy and these ropes and cords aren’t going to cut themselves. All I can do is what I have always done—daydream that I will be rescued by a white knight.

  **

  “You came for me,” I whisper to my white knight.

  “Of course I came for you. I told you to call me when you were ready to grow up. I wasn’t expecting a call for ransom though.”

  “Ransom? You paid to save me. Why? You barely know me?” I look at Parker questioningly not that I’m not happy to see him, but I was sure I would be dreaming of Royce coming in with guns blazing to rescue me. Though I suppose it would make sense to dream of the handsome millionaire swooping in to save the day with his money bags. This is his doing. I get a bad feeling that he planned this whole thing. Did he think if he rescued me I would feel indebted to him and my panties would melt off? Does he think I am just going to willingly ride off into the sunset with him?

  “Are you injured? Did they hurt you?”

  “The only thing wounded is my heart and my pride.”

  “Good, I’m going to get you out of here and then you can explain to me what in the hell is going on.” The room goes black and my white knight has vanished.

  When I come to I am no longer tied to a chair but lying in a bed. “What the? Where am-?” I start to ask, but Parker tells me to sleep. I don’t understand why I am with Parker. Was I not dreaming about him rescuing me? Did he save me? My muscles ache and I feel so weak.

  “You need your rest, we will talk soon.” Parker kisses my forehead and once more I am sleeping.

  I’m not sure what time it is when I awake or where I am but one thing is clear— I was not dreaming about Parker being my savior. I am in a luxurious bedroom. The bed I am lying in is bigger than my entire apartment. Is there such a thing as a custom double king bed, because I am pretty sure that’s what this one is. On the night table to my left are a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin. The bottle is sealed letting me know that it is safe to consume the pills. When did I change clothes? I wonder as I look down at the white silk negligee I am dressed in. Looking at my wrist it is safe to say I have been unbound for a few days. The raw chaffed skin has started to heal and has been treated. I peel back the bandages to find my skin a healthy pink.

  Getting up from the bed I do a once over trying to find a phone. I need to call Kline and find out what in the hell is going on. No phone, so I try the door. There has to be a phone here somewhere. To my astonishment the door is locked. Am I a prisoner here? Pounding my fists against the door I scream for someone anyone to answer my cries for help, but no one comes. There is a set of French doors that seem to lead to a terrace. I try to open them but they seem to be locked from the outside. What is going on? Did I imagine Parker? Have the Garretti brothers decided to keep me in luxury. Is this where Tiffany was kept? Royce said she was very comfortable.

  My head hurts… there are too many thoughts and memories coming to the surface at the same time—all of them demanding my attention. I pop the cap on the bottle of pain medication and peel the foil back before tossing two pills down my throat. Chasing the pills with the water reminds my stomach how hungry I am. When was the last time I ate?

  Frustrated and starving I begin combing the room for anything of use but I keep coming up empty handed. Finally there is a knock on the door and a click of the lock. Parker enters the room. “You’re awake.” It’s more of a statement than a question.

  “I want to go home. I want to call my brother.”

  “Of course you do, but you’ve been through a traumatizing series of events. You need to eat then we will talk.”

  “Are you telling me I’m not free to leave? Because that would mean you are holding me here against my will Parker.” The throbbing pain in my head is beginning to dull and the fuzz is beginning to clear and I can now focus on one thought at a time.

  He chuckles lightly, is he mocking me. What about this situation is funny? I do not like him very much right now. “Kingsley, you are my guest. I merely meant that you should eat something and then we can talk about
how best to handle the delicate nature of your situation. The cops have not been involved up to this point. I am sure you can understand that a man with my stature would like to keep such things quiet. I get enough of a spotlight from the press as it is. If they caught wind of this…well it will only be a matter of time before you are the topic of a made for TV movie.”

  Parker’s words should comfort me but they don’t. The way he talks down at me really infuriates me. “Though I do suppose you will want to change your clothes first,” His gaze lingers over my breasts. Typical male behavior, I sigh bringing his attention back to my face. “I am sorry if the locked doors alarmed you. I was only thinking of your safety.” I nod to acknowledge his apology. I should be thankful for his rescuing me, but he seems to just piss me off every time he opens his mouth. “I’ll leave you to change. There are clothes in the closet that should be to your liking.”

  He wasn’t kidding. The closet is like a dream, it is fully stocked in designer clothes and accessories. But what is he doing with them? Deciding on comfort I pick out a pair of jeans and a tank top. Finding a whole drawer full of hair twist and bands I sweep my hair into a low ponytail. Before joining Parker to dine I make my way to the bathroom and take care of my other pressing urgencies.

  Chapter 16

  Kingsley

  Stepping out of the bedroom door I am met by the elderly gentleman from Parker’s office. “This way, Mr. Garrett is waiting for you.” Now I know where I am—the casino. I recognize the décor from one of the nights I have stayed here previously. This must be one of the high roller suites. Knowing I am so close to going home makes me feel slightly better. A few weeks ago I dreamed of being taken, seduced by Parker Garrett, but now I can’t wait to get away from him. I want to go home and hug my brother’s neck. I want to see Royce and demand the answers I deserve. Most of all I want to know that my best friend is alright. The butler or whatever he is leads me into a dining room where Parkers is all ready having breakfast. His choice in food reveals the time of day.