Unlawful Escort (Unlawful Series book 1)

by Morrison, Krystal

  “Actually it was quite fun”, his eyes shone devilishly and she swat him playfully on the arm.

  “You’re a bad, bad boy.”

  “You weren’t complaining very much a while ago”, he said rolling on top of her and she couldn’t think the moment his lips touched hers.

  “Breakfast is on you”, he said much later after they’d hauled themselves out of bed to shower and dress, “I think I’ve exhausted my limited skills in that department”.

  She laughed; following his lead downstairs.

  He planted a swift kiss on her lips as they reached the foot of the stairs. “I have to make a few calls. I’ll be in my study.”

  She felt bereaved as she watched him go. She couldn’t remember being this happy in her entire life and she couldn’t help wondering how long it would last as she made her way to the kitchen.

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  “COME SIT ON MY LAP”, PAIGE urged; patting her legs.

  “Arggh, how many times do I have to tell you? I’m not a baby anymore”, Joshua whined as he flopped unto her lap and she ruffled his reddish brown hair.

  “A man, are you? We’ll see about that”, she taunted good-naturedly, as she tickled his sides; careful of his swollen stomach and he dissolved into bouncing fits of giggles.

  “Stop…it”, he yelled between gurgles.

  She took the opportunity to plant kisses all over his face and neck until she felt Sebastian's eyes on her and her eyes flew to the entrance. Her heart hammered inside her chest; her skin tingling with awareness despite the uncomfortable situation. Her hands fell from Joshua’s side to circle his waist and he stilled inside her arms; his eyes following hers. How had he found her? How much of the truth did he already know? The damning questions bombarded her thoughts and she swallowed hard.

  “Paige, who is that?” Joshua broke the awkward trance.

  “Sebastian…” she choked around the knot in her throat.

  They had returned from Long Island almost a week ago and the passion they shared had intensified. Her anxiety that he would somehow discover the truth and guilt for misleading him had increased on the days following her return. However, as the days went by and she wasn’t discovered and the awareness between them escalated to an overwhelming high; she lost herself in the dizzying notion that he was hers, if only briefly.

  “And you must be Joshua”, Sebastian said casually, extending a hand to Joshua which he shook reluctantly.

  He smiled indulgently at Joshua. At least he wasn’t angry, she consoled herself.

  “What are you doing here?” She could hear the slight tremor in her voice.

  “I didn’t think I needed a reason to see my girlfriend”, he planted a swift kiss on her lips.

  Joshua cleared his throat noisily, “I know I act older than my age but I’m only ten and this at least PG thirteen”, he said smugly and they both laughed.

  A pleasant fluttering started in the pit of her stomach as she realized that he’d referred to her as his girlfriend, with no innuendos attached, for the first time.

  He sank into a chair opposite them. “Besides, it’s high time I met your family. Don’t you think?”

  She shifted uneasily in her chair. Where was he going with this? She didn’t, very much, like the idea of exposing Joshua to this whole twisted affair.

  She stood. “J. I’ll be back…”

  “So, Joshua”, Sebastian interrupted, “your sister tells me you love football?”

  Joshua’s ears perked up at that, “Yea. Liverpool for life”.

  “We’ll have to work on convincing your sister to join us.”

  “No way! You’re a Liverpool fan too!”

  He nodded. “I know you’ve been missing out since you’ve been in here so I got you this”, he reached inside his jacket pocket and produced a Samsung Galaxy Tablet.

  “Whao, cool”, Joshua’s eyes widened as he extended a hand to collect it but hesitated; glancing at Paige for approval.

  “Go ahead, take it”, she smiled encouragingly. How could she say no when he was obviously so excited?

  She listened, quietly seething, as Sebastian explained that Joshua could access unlimited football and sports along with educational and game apps. Her eyes stung with tears as she witnessed the flush of excitement in Joshua’s cheeks as Sebastian described something on the tablet screen to him. He had suffered so much; was still suffering, she thought. And worst, they had yet to find a donor and his condition was erratic at best.

  Regret stabbed at her heart for not being able to spend every waking moment of each day with him. He deserved every ounce of happiness he could get, she decided, her anger cooling significantly. It didn’t matter what happened to her, she resolved, as long as Joshua had a fair chance at life. And she would do it all over again, without the slightest hesitation.

  The knowledge bolstered her courage and she lifted her chin haughtily. She had done nothing wrong; except deceive him. And she wasn’t aware of deception, in and of itself, being punishable by law. He had reserved the right to break the contract at any given time during the contract period but she would still be in receipt of the full contracted sum. Not that it mattered. What if he decided to exercise that right?

  The idea of not seeing him again triggered an overwhelming sadness inside her heart. Yet, how long would the burning passion they shared last? Sebastian Bradley would never be satisfied with one woman; not when he could have his pick of so many. She scuffed silently at her thoughts. The fact that they had earth shattering sex didn’t mean that he thought of them as a couple. Her heart constricted painfully at he thought and she hauled her mind to the present.

  Her anger resurfaced as she saw how Joshua hung unto his every word; her worst fear materializing. This was the exact reason she had remained celibate all these years. Because she didn’t want to take home a guy who would walk out on her and Joshua. And that’s exactly what Sebastian would do.

  She waited, with clenched teeth, until finally Sebastian told Joshua that he had to leave but he would be back as soon as he got the chance. Preoccupied with his new tablet, Joshua made no comment as she kissed him on the cheek and promised to return in the morning.

  “What the hell was that about?” She demanded hotly as they entered deserted parking Lot, “And how did you know that my brother is here?”

  Even if the original Paige Sinclair had resurfaced or he had discovered the truth about her, she couldn’t see the link with him finding out about Joshua’s illness.

  “Is there anything I don’t know?”

  Was that his way of telling her that he knew that she wasn’t whom she claimed to be? Panic rose inside her, wilting her courage but she stiffened her spine.

  “Leave my brother out of this. He’s just a child and I don’t want him to be affected by my decisions. You had no right appearing like that without talking to me first.”

  “Can’t I do a kind deed once in a while without rousing suspicion?”

  “No Sebastian”, she was almost shouting now but she didn’t care, “because you never do kind deeds. You manipulate people for your own selfish gains. Stay the hell away from him!"

  She was so angry she marched to her car, ignoring him as he bellowed after her, and sped from the parking Lot.

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  PAIGE SURVEYED THE ROOM THAT resembled a mini shrine of Sebastian. There were pictures of him everywhere, along with medals and plaques. Helen had called earlier inviting her to one of her female social group gatherings. She’d conversed with the women for a short while before excusing herself to use the ladies room, afterwhich, she’d stumbled upon this.

  Her eyes bugged as she caught sight of a photo apparently torn from a magazine of a magnificently nude Sebastian; both hands covering his genitalia. She tore her eyes from the captivating picture to study the others in the room. There were a few photos of Sebastian as a child, with a blond girl and more as they grew into adults. She was very beautiful, Paige noted, with startling blue eyes an
d smooth alabaster skin.

  It had been three days since her argument with Sebastian and she hadn’t seen him since. He had sent a text message that same afternoon informing her that he would be going on a business trip overseas. And she had to admit, she missed him terribly. Later that night, following their argument, long after her ire had cooled and she was lying in bed; guilt prickled at her conscience.

  What if he was just being kind as he’d said? Aside from his insults; he’d never been cruel to her. Besides, between taking care of her when she’d been drunk and after she’d almost frozen to death, she figured they were even. Eaten up with remorse, she’d called him, reluctantly, the following morning; explaining that she’d overreacted and that she was just sensitive about Joshua.

  He accepted her justification quite gracefully; immediately shifting into flirtation mode and she’d flirted right back. They spoke briefly each day, between long meetings and late night paperwork and she marveled at how effortlessly they shared intimate details about themselves that she’d otherwise feel uncomfortable discussing.

  “There you are”, she jumped guiltily at the sound of Helen’s voice, “the ladies have been gushing on and on about your apple pie. It was delicious.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I see you’re admiring my collection.”

  “Yes…I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, not at all.”

  Her eyes drifted back to the photos, “Is the blond woman your daughter? She’s very beautiful."

  “No, that’s Elizabeth; Sebastian’s ex-fiancé.”

  “Oh…” she said lamely. So this was the mysterious Elizabeth, Paige thought.

  “I’m sorry. Me and my big mouth; I thought he told you about her.”

  “That’s ok”, Paige smiled wanly.

  “I should probably remove these”, she said, retrieving the pictures of the blond woman.

  She wondered what had ended the relationship between the two childhood sweethearts and if that was the reason Sebastian was hesitant to enter into a real relationship.

  “Would you like to see some more pictures?” Helen asked as she fished a family album from a cabinet.

  “Sure…” Paige murmured as Helen led her to a sofa in a corner of the room.

  They spent the next few minutes cooing at beautiful baby pictures of Sebastian and all throughout his childhood into adulthood. There were also photos of his mother and grandmother and she had to acknowledge that he was the spitting image of his mother and grandmother.

  “What are they doing with guns?” Paige exclaimed as she saw a photo of Sebastian, Brandon and Matthew, lying flat on their stomach, riffles in hand.

  “Oh that was the summer Sebastian turned sixteen and decided he wanted to enlist in the army and they went for a pre-course as they called it”, they both laughed.

  “And what happened to that dream?”

  “William took them to a war turf in the Middle East for a week and they returned with a drastic change of heart”, the laughed harder.

  “Did you put together all of this?” Paige asked.

  “Well I gathered the earlier pictures when I married William when Sebastian was sixteen and most of the others I took myself. Photography was my passion when I was younger. Now I’ve settled for selling art.”

  “Really, I’ll have to stop by sometime.”

  “You should”, she smiled encouragingly, “you should also consider exploring your talent some more. You’re really a great cook.”

  “I plan to finish school and who knows what might happen afterwards”, she laughed lightly.

  Helen suddenly grew serious, “I don’t mean to pry but I know Sebastian is sometimes a bit difficult but deep down, he’s a good person”.

  She nodded mutely, her conscience prickling.

  “He’s like the son I never had and I love him dearly”, a wistful expression crossed her features as she spoke and Paige’s heart softened towards the older woman.

  They went through a few more pictures of Sebastian; mostly at work and she felt a glimmer of respect at his hands-on approached. She’d always pictured him in an elaborate office and seeing him, gears and all, on a work site, though shocking was admirable.

  “He loves his job and works very hard too”, Helen supplied proudly.

  “Yea.”

  “I remember when he told William that he wanted to expand the business into construction and he objected”, her expression creased with disapproval, “Sebastian was livid and I felt so proud when he stared William in the face and told him he would leave the company and do it on his own. He did and when William realized that he would only return on his own terms, he agreed to a merger.”

  “Wow. I had no idea”, her heart swelled with pride at the knowledge.

  They talked for a short while longer before Paige left with promises to visit again in the near future. The encounter with Helen had left her feeling raw with emotion and consumed with guilt. Viewing the photos had felt like reliving the precious moments of his life and she hated deceiving Helen.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  PAIGE SUNK INTO THE JACUZZI TUB WITH A FORLORN sigh; her tense muscles relaxing. It had been a long, horrible day. She’d almost had a heart attack when she returned to the hospital this morning, after receiving a call that Joshua was asking for her, to find his bed empty. She had rushed to the nurse in a trancelike, state which she hadn’t been able to shirk, until the nurse carried her to an elaborate room with Joshua lying on a bed in the centre.

  Only then did she hear the nurse’s explanation that Mr. Bradley had requested that he be moved to the Bradley’s wing of the hospital. Her mouth had fallen open in shock. The Bradley’s had a wing at the hospital! She hadn’t had much time to ponder the matter or be angry with Sebastian for his meddling as Joshua’s moaning had brought her rushing to his side, where she had remained for the entire day.

  At least a little color had returned to his wan cheeks and he was fidgeting with his tablet before she'd left earlier, she consoled herself. Her eyes jerked open as her cell phone buzzed incessantly, a few paces from the tub, where she’d stepped out of her jeans. She groaned as she stretched slightly over the bath and grabbed her cell phone from her jeans pocket. Her heart did a tap dance in her chest as Sebastian's name flashed accross her phone screen. Hurriedly, she opened and read the message.

  'Hey babe. How's your day going?’

  A thrill of excitement ran through her at his endearment and she decided to keep the conversation light. Moreover, the less she spoke to him of Joshua, the better.

  ‘Ok. Yours?’

  Lame, lame, lame, she thought; tapping her forehead, exasperatedly.

  ‘Meetings all day but all I could think about is your naked body sprawled on the boardroom table.’

  Desire slammed into her as her mind conjured the image. She was thinking of a response when another text message came in.

  ‘Are you at the penthouse?’

  She decided to tempt fate; her heart racing at what she was about to do.

  ‘Yes. I’m naked, in the Jacuzzi.'

  ‘Hmn…Slippery and wet…’

  ‘Pity you can’t join me. The water is so warm and relaxing.’

  ‘Was that an invitation?’

  ‘Certainly…’

  ‘I’ll be there in one hour. I sent you a packet. Collect it at the front desk.’

  ‘OK…I’ll be waiting’

  What had she done? She questioned herself as she lugged out of the Jacuzzi to the bathroom and stepped into the standing shower where she quickly washed her hair. Her knees wobbled as she donned a bathrobe and dried her hair and catapulted down the stairs, after ringing the front desk to send the package to her.

  She had barely received the item and closed the door before she retrieved the box from a pink designer gift bag, loosened the knot and tore open the lid. A flurry of neatly folded red lace and black trimming greeted her, a single red rose placed atop the pile. She inhaled the fresh scent of the rose a
s she rushed up the stairs and dumped the contents unto Sebastian’s bed.

  Her mouth fell open as she sifted through the articles to find a red lace teddy with black trimming and matching crotch-less panties, black stay-ups and black pumps. A naughty smile spread across her face as she fingered the items and she made a quick call to room service. Her body thrummed with sensual heat as she retraced her steps below stairs to collect the requested item.

  Returning to the room; she smeared strawberry flavored cream on her skin and doused her body in a mist of the same flavor before carefully donning his gifts. Her fingers shook as she brushed her hair and her bravado flew out the window. She glanced at the clock as she climbed onto the bed. Sebastian would be here any minute now, she told herself as she shifted into several positions before lying still.

  Sebastian took the stairs two at a time in his haste to be inside her; he was as hard as marble. He’d hoped these four days away from her would quench his insatiable desire for her, instead, it had intensified.

  He was burning for her.

  He entered the room and froze, dead in his tracks, at the sight of her. She was lying on her back across the foot of his huge bed; her flaming red hair strewn about her in delectable disarray. His blazing eyes followed the length of her body to her stocking clad legs, which were stretched towards the ceiling and crossed along the bedpost. The room smelt distinctly of strawberries, nature and woman and he wanted to immerse himself into her soft heat and forget the existence of the outside world.

  A sense of wild abandon overcame Paige as Sebastian entered the room; chasing out every inhibition. She caught and held his gaze as she slinked from the bed and sauntered slowly towards him; chest out, one leg before the other as she slid the lace teddy from her shoulders.

  He felt as if his breath was trapped in his lungs as the skimpy negligee fell to the floor and her full breasts sprung free; her eyes shining with desire. He stood, lips parted; immobilized, as she pushed the shirt from his shoulders and undid his pants. She exclaimed sharply as his hardened member stood proudly before grasping his hand and leading him to the bed.