by T. K. Leigh
There was a loud explosion and her parents’ crashed car blew to pieces. Jack’s eyes flung open as Thomas came running toward the SUV. The driver’s side door opened.
“Where’s Mary?” Jack asked, frantically looking at the car engulfed in flames.
Thomas hesitated.
“Where’s Mary, Thomas?” Jack asked firmly.
Thomas lowered his head, shaking it.
Jack cried out. “NO! No, Thomas. We need to go back for her!”
“No, Jack. It’s useless. She’s gone.”
Jack covered his face with his hands and his body shook. Thomas turned around and met Olivia’s eyes. But it was her Uncle Charles. Why was her father calling him Thomas?
“I’ll take care of you, Olivia. I promise you that,” Thomas said.
Olivia heard her father moan, apparently from pain.
“Shit!” Thomas said as Jack passed out. “We better get out of here.” Thomas turned the ignition on the car and sped down the road.
Olivia cried until she slipped into unconsciousness.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Olivia. Wake up. You’re crying,” Alexander said, shaking Olivia awake. She woke up suddenly, tears streaming down her face as she tried to catch her breath.
“Darling, are you okay? You were dreaming and muttering something about your father, I think. And then you started to cry.”
Olivia sat up and took in the room around her. She was in the den at Alexander’s place. They were watching Casablanca and then had amazing, mind-blowing sex. And then she fell asleep. It was after the accident. She was in the car. Someone shot the man that knocked out the green-eyed boy. Her Uncle Charles was there, but was going by the name of Thomas. And her father was alive. He made it out of the car wreck. And then he passed out.
“Please, Olivia. Talk to me. Was it the same dream again?”
Olivia stood up and walked over to her tee shirt and jeans. She pulled them back on, not wanting to feel so exposed anymore.
“Yeah,” she said, wiping the tears from her face. “That’s all it was. Just the same old stupid dream again. Every night of my fucking existence, reliving that crash over and over.”
Alexander sat up and stared at Olivia, the room eerily silent.
“Bullshit,” he said, breaking the silence.
“What did you say?” she asked, glaring at him.
“You heard me. I’m calling bullshit, Olivia.”
She stared at him wide-eyed, her mouth agape.
“If you think I’m believing that lie, you obviously think very poorly of my abilities.”
Olivia started to walk out of the den, not wanting to have that conversation. Alexander jumped off the couch and blocked her exit, distracting her with his very naked, very aroused body.
“You’re using your body as a weapon, Alex,” Olivia whimpered.
“I don’t mean to, Love. And if you don’t want to talk about it now, that’s fine. I understand. But you need to trust me. Trust that I’m not going anywhere and no matter what you say to me, I’m staying put. Next to your side.” He pulled her close. “It’s where I’m meant to be.”
She relaxed into his embrace, cherishing the closeness of his arms.
“Bed?” he asked after several moments passed.
Olivia looked up at Alexander and nodded. He bent down, swept her into his arms, and carried her out of the den.
“Alexander Burnham! You’re naked!” Olivia screeched.
“I know. That’s why I love living alone,” he said, kissing her on the mouth.
Olivia giggled as he carried her up the stairs and into his bedroom, the dream now a distant memory.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
THE OLIVIA
“WAKE up, Olivia. Time to get moving,” Alexander said, nudging Olivia awake the following morning.
She rolled over onto her stomach, trying to block out the sunlight, and groaned. “I don’t want to. I want to stay in this nice soft bed and never get out of it.”
Alexander smiled. “Well, that’s a nice thought.” He leaned down and nuzzled Olivia’s neck. “I could think of a few things we could do. Maybe I’ll just tie you to the bed and never let you out.”
“That would be great,” Olivia retorted sleepily, still not wanting to open her eyes.
“I agree, but you’ve got a marathon to run on Sunday. Get your ass up so we can have breakfast before we hit the road.”
“Make me,” she said, a hint of snarkiness in her voice.
Alexander looked down on Olivia sprawled out on his bed, her naked body covered only by a thin sheet. He pulled the sheet back, exposing her soft flesh. She turned her head to look at him as he stood over her wearing a pair of boxer briefs. “You’re going to have to do a lot better than that to get me out of this bed, Mr. Burnham.” She closed her eyes, returning her head to the pillow.
“Oh really? Is that a challenge, Miss Adler?”
Olivia giggled. “You bet it is. Give me your best shot.”
Alexander crawled on the bed and hovered over her, shivers running through her body at the closeness of his body to hers. She turned to look at him once more, wondering what he was doing.
“Face forward, Olivia.” His voice was stern and demanding. It turned her on.
“Yes, sir,” she mocked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“I love how snarky you are in the morning.”
He stared at Olivia’s ass and slapped it hard. She jumped and yelped out. It hurt a little, but it caused her heart to race even faster.
Alexander plunged a finger inside her. “God, you’re so wet, Love. Does spanking turn you on?”
Olivia turned her head again to look back at Alexander.
“What did I tell you, Olivia?”
“Sorry,” she gulped, turning her head back.
“Sorry, what?”
“Sorry, Mr. Burnham.”
“Good girl,” he said, sliding another finger inside of her. “Now, tell me, do you like getting spanked?”
“Yes,” Olivia replied breathlessly. Alexander slapped her ass again, even harder.
“Yes, what?” he growled.
“Yes, Mr. Burnham,” she said, raising her ass off the bed, squirming with pleasure.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you look from this view? God, Love. Your ass was made for me,” he exhaled, caressing her bottom. He removed his fingers from inside her before she felt Alexander get off the bed.
He walked over to the writing desk in the far corner of the bedroom.
“Olivia, come here,” he commanded sternly.
She turned her head and slowly got out of the bed, making her way over to where Alexander stood.
“I want you to lean over the desk here and hold on to the sides. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Olivia replied, bending her body over so her stomach was laying on the desk.
Alexander slapped Olivia’s ass again. “Yes, what?” he barked.
“Yes, Mr. Burnham,” Olivia whimpered, looking back at Alexander, relishing the severe look on his face.
Alexander slapped her ass again. “What did I tell you? Keep your eyes forward.”
Olivia snapped her head forward before she felt Alexander lower his shorts. He plunged into her from behind, a sudden invasion.
“Fuck,” Olivia screamed out as he thrust into her, setting a punishing rhythm.
“I’m not going to last long this morning, Olivia,” Alexander said, reaching around to touch her clit.
“If you keep doing that, either will I,” she breathed out.
“Good, Love. Good.” Alexander’s breathing became heavy and labored. Olivia was happy that the sweet, caring side of Alexander was nowhere to be found that morning. She needed him like this, not affectionate. The affectionate side scared her. She needed the dominant side of Alexander. The one that told her what to do. The one who stayed in control. Because she felt as though she was losing control of the very thing she said she would guard with her life. Her heart
.
“Come with me, Olivia,” Alexander said when he felt her begin to tense around him. She closed her eyes and immediately spiraled down, her orgasm coursing through her entire being. He thrust a few more times and then emptied into her.
He stood, holding Olivia’s hips as their breathing regulated. Once they both caught their breath, Alexander withdrew from her, leaving her exposed on the writing desk.
“Told you I could get you out of that bed, Love.” Alexander winked.
“You jerk,” Olivia joked, running to attack Alexander. They playfully fought until Alexander caught Olivia around the waist and drew her to him.
“I love waking up next to you,” he said, kissing her full on the mouth.
Her heart raced at his words. “You’re not so bad yourself,” she replied.
“Okay. Shower now.” Alexander slapped Olivia’s ass one last time, making her jump.
After they showered, Olivia quickly got ready and headed downstairs where Alexander sat at the kitchen island, reading the newspaper. Runner sat by his side, anxiously waiting for table scraps, even though there was no food being eaten.
“Runner, nobody likes a beggar. Just because we’re sitting at the breakfast bar doesn’t mean that we’re eating.” The dog twisted his head at Alexander.
“Oh, come here, boy,” Olivia said, walking over to the kitchen counter. She opened a cookie jar and took out a treat. “Here you go.” Runner sat, wagging his tail, waiting for Olivia to hand him the treat. He gently took it in his mouth and ran off to enjoy his doggie biscuit.
“What would you like for breakfast?” Olivia asked as she made herself a cup of coffee.
“Please, allow me,” Alexander replied, standing up and ushering Olivia out of the kitchen. “You go relax and I’ll take care of breakfast.” He placed a kiss on her cheek and walked her into the living room. “Stay off those feet. You’ve got quite a few miles to run this weekend.” He winked before turning and heading back to the kitchen.
Olivia just stared at Alexander as he made his way through the kitchen, pulling a few pans out. Over the past few months, Alexander had become accustomed to Olivia’s tastes in food. She ate relatively healthy, liking to splurge on something decadent once in a while. It was a big weekend for Olivia, so he made her one of her favorite breakfasts: egg white omelette with tofu, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, and feta cheese.
“This is fantastic,” Olivia complimented a few minutes later as she sat at the breakfast bar next to Alexander, savoring the taste of her meal.
“I’m glad you like it,” Alexander replied. “Are you looking forward to getting out of town for the weekend?”
Olivia took another bite of her omelette. “Actually, I am. I’ve never been to Newport before.”
Alexander stared at her, wide-eyed. She really had no idea about her past. “Oh really?” he asked after a long pause, trying to gather his thoughts.
“Yeah. Weird, I know. I’ve lived in Boston off and on for almost the last decade and I’ve never been to Newport. So it will be nice to have the extra time there to walk around a bit. You’ve been before, I’m assuming?”
“Um, yeah, I have.” Alexander remembered when Olivia mentioned she would be going to Newport that coming weekend. He didn’t know what to think about that. Olivia still had some family in Newport, mainly on her mother’s side. What if someone recognized her? He knew it was nearly impossible that someone would recognize this beautiful twenty-seven-year-old woman as that same six-year-old little girl who died in a car crash, but that still didn’t settle his nerves.
Regardless, Alexander was worried being back in Newport could trigger some more memories and he wanted to be there to do damage control if it did. He felt guilty for keeping the truth from her, but maybe that was what had been keeping her alive.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Holy crap. This is a great car,” Olivia exclaimed, getting into the passenger side of Alexander’s Maserati Gran Tourismo convertible after packing their things and making their way to the basement garage of his building.
“Well, it’s supposed to be a great weekend, so I figure we might as well take the convertible.”
“I think the valet guys are going to cream themselves when you pull up with this bad boy,” Olivia joked.
“I love how you sometimes speak like a trucker. Glad all that private school education and those etiquette classes paid off,” Alexander laughed.
“Yeah, sure. I hated all that shit in high school. It was ridiculous. Imagine if my head mistress could see me now. Slumming it on Comm Ave in Boston. Oh, the horror,” Olivia joked, knowing she lived in one of the most upscale areas of Boston.
Alexander pulled onto I-93 heading south and they rode most of the way to Newport in relative silence, the wind making it difficult to hold a conversation without shouting. He drove through the harbor town and gradually made his way down America’s Cup Boulevard before pulling into a marina.
“Where are we?” Olivia asked.
“We’re at the marina, Love,” Alexander replied, smirking.
“Well, I figured that much, smartass. But what are we doing here?”
“You’ll see.” Alexander had a huge grin on his face as he pulled up to an awning attached to a building that read “Newport Yacht Club.” He threw the keys to the valet and instructed him to hold the car there for someone to come for the bags.
“What are you up to, Alex?” Olivia asked.
Alexander grabbed her hand and pulled her into his body. “Patience, Love,” he whispered.
He led her down a dock as she gazed over the beautiful crystal water and all the boats. Stunning yachts were all lined against the docks. Olivia was mesmerized by the size of each one. She couldn’t even fathom how much one of them would cost to buy and then maintain. That was some serious money.
He stopped at the very end of the dock next to a yacht and turned to Olivia, beaming.
“What is this?” she asked skeptically.
“I don’t want you to freak out, so just let me explain. This is my boat.” He glanced to the enormous vessel behind him.
Olivia raised her eyebrows. “I don’t know if you could call that thing a boat. It’s more like a floating kingdom. That thing’s got to be over a hundred feet,” she marveled.
“Yeah. It is,” he answered excitedly. “And I named her after my childhood best friend, who you recall shared your name. I didn’t want you to freak out, but I really wanted to share this with you.”
Olivia’s heart raced as she looked into Alexander’s brilliant eyes. There was an excitement in them she had never seen before.
She returned his smile and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you for sharing this with me, Alex,” she whispered.
He grinned as he clutched Olivia’s hand in his, leading her toward the gangway. Martin appeared on the main deck and Alexander dragged Olivia up the ramp to where Martin stood. Olivia was surprised to see him there. She made a mental note to ask Alexander what his job description was.
“How was your drive, sir?”
“Great, thanks. Please go get our things out of the car. The valet is holding it for now.”
“Yes, sir.” Martin walked briskly off the yacht and onto the dock.
“After you, darling.” Alexander led Olivia into the main cabin, his hand on the small of her back. He gave her a brief tour of his yacht. To the left sat the living room, which Alexander referred to as the salon. It was rather large with gorgeous wood flooring throughout. Just past that was an exquisite dining room complete with a state-of-the-art kitchen. To the right led to a small hallway with a rather large master bedroom. There was another small bedroom across the hall, as well as a study.
Downstairs, there were three guest rooms and the crew quarters. The upper deck housed another lounge area in addition to an outdoor dining area. The entire yacht was rather spacious and Olivia was floored at the largess of it all. She immediately felt overwhelmed by Alexander’s wealth.
As they st
ood admiring the view off the main deck, she turned to him. “So, um, business must be good.”
Alexander laughed. “Yes. You could say that. Lots of people needing my trained mercenaries,” he winked. “But don’t call them mercenaries. The U.N. doesn’t really like that word.”
She hung onto his arm as he led her toward the master bedroom suite. “Don’t worry, Love. Your secret’s safe with me,” she said, mocking Alexander’s term of endearment.
“Are you mocking me, darling?”
“I would never,” Olivia replied in faux shock.
“You better run, Olivia. I have plans for you.”
She squealed and ran down the hallway into the owner’s suite, tripping over Martin as he was dropping off their bags.
“Oh, Miss Adler. I apologize.”
“Don’t worry about it. Blame your boss.” She laughed.
“I’d rather keep my job,” he winked.
Alexander appeared in the doorway.
“Thank you, Martin. Please co-ordinate with Carter. I have additional security arriving later in the day.”
“Yes, sir.” Martin turned to Olivia. “Enjoy your day, Miss Adler.” He walked out of the master suite and down the hall into the study.
Olivia looked at Alexander when she was sure they were alone. “Additional security, Alex?” She raised an eyebrow at him.
“Yes, Love. Sometimes it’s an occupational hazard.” He shrugged.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“I can’t really talk about it, Olivia.” He turned to his suitcase and began unpacking his things. “It’s nothing important and you shouldn’t worry about it at all. It’s more of a precaution than anything.”
Alexander hated misleading Olivia. The additional security had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her. He always made it seem as though someone could come after him for a job-related issue, but the chances of that were slim to none. However, Carter had seen a black sedan tailing Olivia several times now. He wanted additional security in Newport, just to be on the safe side.
