Mrs. Belfort sniffed disapprovingly when seeing her black Harley t-shirt.
Ariel said, "What? You don't like it? Is it the flaming skull?"
"That's hardly suitable for a pretty young lady such as yourself. Makes you look like one of those--Brazen Hussies."
Ariel found it interesting that the prim Mrs. Belfort would know of the notorious all female motorcycle gang headquartered in Chicago. "Afraid I don't qualify as a Brazen Hussy. I don't have any tattoos--yet."
"Oh, that would not go over well with the Missus."
"Maybe I should get one then. You think Kiernan would like a flaming skull tattoo on my left back shoulder?"
Mrs. Belfort laughed in amusement and then shook her head. "What do you think? You better not keep her waiting."
Ariel made her way down the hall and knocked on the study door. Kiernan called out, "Enter."
Kiernan sat behind her desk staring angrily. Uh oh, Ariel thought. This didn't look good.
KIERNAN WATCHED ARIEL enter and stand casually in front of the desk. She pushed her chair back and raked Ariel up and down pointedly, stopping her scrutiny briefly on her chest, noticing with distaste the t-shirt she wore. She leaned back in her chair. "Well?" Kiernan asked, drawing the word out.
Ariel shrugged, assuming a nonchalant air. "Well--what?"
The impudence of this reply sent a rush of annoyance through Kiernan. She pushed up from the chair, sending it back, and stalked up to Ariel, "Don't you dare play games with me. You know perfectly well 'what.' I called your mother to see whether you were still visiting. She told me you left at one. Where were you for the last six hours?"
"I took a ride up to Lookout Mountain and stopped at some of the scenic overlooks."
"Where else did you go?"
Ariel's posture tensed, her gaze defiant. "That's none of your damn business!"
Kiernan ground her back teeth together and felt the pressure build in her forehead and temples. "Everything you do is my business. You remember that."
Ariel lolled her head to one side, directing her gaze upward as if this were all nonsense and boring.
This impertinent display grated, spurring Kiernan to push up closer, now in Ariel's personal space. She struggled to maintain her cool and her voice came out dangerously quiet. "You were with her--weren't you?"
"Her?" Ariel asked innocently, but her expression bordered on insolence.
"Don't you dare pretend with me!" Kiernan wanted to slap her.
"Yes, I dropped by to visit Mysha." Ariel's tone was matter-offact, but her posture tensed.
"After I told you not to see her ever again?"
"We had some things we needed to discuss."
Kiernan pushed up closer, now only a few inches away from Ariel. "Discuss? While you were in bed with her?"
Ariel's mouth shot open in shock. Taking a step back, she gave Kiernan an incredulous stare. "This is fucking unbelievable! Nothing like that happened!"
"Did you really go up to Lookout Mountain, or were you with her all the time, cheating? Cheating on me!" Kiernan's anger accelerated to the boiling point.
Ariel's eyes widened. "You're wrong. I didn't cheat on you, and nothing happened. We talked. That's all."
"Do you take me for a fool?"
"Yes! If you believe I did anything but talk then you're a fool!"
"Am I now? You admit you were with her."
"I wasn't even there ten minutes. I had to see her, to tell her--I had to put closure to our past. That's all."
One image seared through Kiernan's thoughts: Ariel and Mysha making love and Ariel giving to Mysha what should rightfully be hers as Ariel's wife. She grabbed Ariel by the upper arms, pushed her face close to Ariel's, and shouted, "You're lying! Never lie to me!"
"Take your hands off me!" She slapped Kiernan's hands from her arms, shoving her away. "Don't you ever again put your hands on me like that, or accuse me of lying. I'm not a liar--like some people I know." She accompanied this last part with an accusing glare.
Kiernan gulped in shock, appalled at how she'd let the argument escalate. Still, she couldn't help the jealousy and anger she felt because Ariel had disregarded her orders and seen Mysha.
Stepping back, she took a deep breath and scrutinized Ariel's expression and body language. Kiernan had to trust her own gut feeling which was that Ariel was being truthful. Ariel wasn't proficient in hiding her emotions or in subterfuge. "I'll accept that you're telling me the truth then. Did you reveal the reasons to--Ms. Leavill--for this marriage?"
"Only my reasons--that I did it for my family. Don't worry. I didn't tell her your reasons."
"Did the possibility ever cross your mind the media might have been following and taking pictures of you entering and leaving Ms. Leavill's apartment?"
Ariel's eyes widened, then she recovered and returned to her regular guarded expression. "No one followed me."
"Are you sure?"
Ariel's eyes darted away with nervous uncertainty.
Kiernan continued, "You have to be careful where you go and who you're seen with. I want a list of all the places you intend to frequent and of all the people you intend to visit. I want you to keep me informed when you're planning to leave the house and grounds, where you're going, and how long you'll be gone. And you're not to see Mysha Leavill again. Do I make myself clear?"
Ariel's face flamed dark red, twisting into a mask of disdain. "Who the hell do you think you are!"
"And I don't want to see you wear that shirt again. It makes you look--trampy."
"What the--" Ariel angrily stretched out the front of her shirt. "Oh? Is it the skull? Tough ta-ta. I like it. I'm even getting a tattoo that matches it. What right do you have to tell me who I can see and what I can wear?"
"I have every right! I'm your wife, and I'm Kiernan O'Shay. You're an O'Shay now, and it's your responsibility to act the part. Until you learn to do that, I'm making decisions on where you can go and who you can see. You need to watch what you wear when you're out in public. And there will be no tattoos. I'll not let you dress like trash. For your own protection and the protection of my good name and that of Stellardyne I can't have you--"
"Oh, no! If you're under the impression you can treat me like one of your subordinates at Stellardyne, then you're delusional! We may be married, but this isn't the Nineteenth Century, and I'm not your obedient little wife! I'm outta here. I need some fresh air." Ariel brushed past Kiernan and stalked toward the door.
Kiernan knew she had lost control of the situation and was now desperate to find a way to change it to her advantage. She decided to risk a ploy. Everything could blow up in her face if this didn't work. But she was a gambler at heart and risks were what kept her ahead of the game. She schooled her features into a mask of cold hardness, one she used when dealing with stubborn business associates, and firmed her voice to that of authority. "The marriage is off. I'll see my lawyer and have the marriage annulled. That shouldn't be hard to do since the marriage hasn't been consummated. The contract will then be void. I'll have my lawyer file charges against your mother with the District Attorney."
Ariel froze in place and spun to face Kiernan. "You bitch!" She stood there indecisively, and Kiernan watched a myriad of emotions flicker by before Ariel said, "Fine. I'll do it--provide you with a list, tell you where I'm going. I swear I'll never have contact with Mysha again. But you have to promise to leave my mother out of it."
Ariel's eyes and face had somehow become desperate and stricken. Seeing that and hearing her plea, Kiernan experienced a moment of regret for her threat. But her anger quickly smothered the moment of compassion. "Very well. You need to remember the consequences of your actions before you go traipsing off to visit old girlfriends." Kiernan watched Ariel's expression change to one of relief, before adding, "I have business to attend. You may go."
Ariel left quickly, slamming the door behind her so hard that Kiernan jumped. She turned her back and walked to her desk feeling a pounding headache coming on. She sa
nk down into her padded chair and the anger seeped out of her gradually leaving her feeling weak and light-headed. She had wanted to end the conflict and prevail while she was ahead of the game, to let Ariel know she was serious when it came to her good name and Stellardyne. But it suddenly became clear to Kiernan that this wasn't a game she was playing at all. Ariel would end up hating her.
She let out a sigh. Maybe she had nothing to lose after all because it was pretty clear that Ariel already hated her.
ARIEL MUTTERED UNDER her breath, "Bitch" as she exited the room and slammed the door.
Anger filled her, and there was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach for allowing Kiernan to intimidate her on where she could go, and whom she could visit. Suddenly needing fresh air, she tramped down the hall, through the recreation room, and out the paned glass doors to the rear veranda, then down the steps to the garden.
Not caring the temperature was well into the low forties; she followed the garden path lit by the faint luminescence of the night-lights set low along the flagstone edges. Her steps carried her to an ancient oak tree where she sat on the cold, stone bench underneath the low branches with their fall leaves clattering together like dry bones in the whisper of the night breeze.
She growled in frustration. Kiernan had her trapped. She could use her threat of an annulment, and prosecution of her mother, anytime she wanted Ariel to do something. But, what could she do to stop Kiernan?
Ariel couldn't shut off her racing thoughts. She stared into the darkness, feeling near to tears when thinking about her meeting with Mysha. Then her thoughts replayed her encounter with Kiernan, making her both angry and fearful.
Mysha was now the past, over and done. But Kiernan's threats of annulling the marriage and prosecuting her mother were immediate, and at any time, Kiernan could use those threats to control her. Ariel wouldn't put it past her to do that, considering she already had.
Really, what choice did she have? There was only one thing she could do, and do now while her anger at Kiernan bolstered her courage. She would worry about the consequences later.
KIERNAN EXITED THE bathroom, padded across the bedroom floor to her bed, and slipped between the covers, feeling the Egyptian cotton slide silkily across her naked body. She pulled the top covers up to her waist and sank into the puffy goose down pillow. "Computer, lights off." She closed her eyes and sighed with exhaustion, her mind racing in circles, rewinding and replaying what happened earlier when she confronted Ariel.
A lingering anger nagged her. Not only at Ariel for disregarding her wishes and seeing Mysha, but also with herself for allowing another emotion to control her actions: jealousy, an emotion almost foreign to her. She couldn't remember when she last experienced it. That others were jealous of her she knew; jealous of her power, her wealth, her appearance, and a host of other things.
She knew Ariel probably still loved or harbored strong feelings for Mysha. After all, no woman could be expected to shut off those feelings in a few weeks. Kiernan couldn't expect Ariel to feel the same deep emotions about her in such a short time of knowing each other. Did she want Ariel to? Could she feel the same about her? Too tired to analyze what her answer might be, she twisted onto her right side, fluffing her pillow to get more comfortable, when the sound of someone entering her bedroom made her freeze. "Computer, bedside lamp on."
Shock and astonishment held her frozen as she watched Ariel glide sensually to the side of her bed. Sitting more upright and pulling the covers up over her bare breasts, she asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Do you want me to leave?" Ariel's voice and eyes held a seductive quality, her mouth slightly parted. She slowly let the tip of her tongue touch her top lip.
Before Kiernan could gather her wits and say anything, Ariel opened her robe, letting it fall from her shoulders to slip down her arms and thighs and pool around her feet.
Kiernan gasped as she beheld the absolute perfection of the female body displayed before her. The golden light from the bedside table spilled across full, firm breasts with coral nipples and down the torso tapering to a trim waist that flared to shapely hips supported by long, beautiful legs. Seeing the patch of blonde hair at the juncture of the thighs, Kiernan swallowed. Desire punched her hard in the gut and reverberated in her groin.
Kiernan wet her lips. "Oh my God." No. This wasn't right. Right? Wrong? In a voice hoarse with arousal, Kiernan asked, "Why are you doing this?"
"Don't you want me, Kiernan?" Ariel slid onto the bed, reached out and swiftly took her in her arms to kiss her passionately.
Kiernan couldn't catch her breath. She tried pushing away, but the sheet slid down her body. Ariel stroked a hand across her breasts and massaged the palm over an already stiff and sensitive nipple.
All reservations vanquished, Kiernan pulsed with desire. Ariel's touch was liquid fire racing out of control through her body. She pulled Ariel tightly against her, rolling them over until she was on top, and touched her tongue to that dark dot at the corner of Ariel's mouth that so tantalized her. Moving her mouth to those soft lips and opening them with her tongue, she plundered the sweetness within. Languidly, she moved against Ariel, feeling her breasts press against the bountiful firmness of those beneath her.
Breaking the kiss, she pushed herself up and straddled Ariel's hips. Her hands hungered to touch Ariel's breasts, and she stroked down their soft slope, over the coral nipples, and under them, cupping their fullness, lightly squeezing to feel their softness. She moved the palms to cover the nipples, feeling them harden. Her mouth watered with wanting to taste them.
Quickly lowering her head, she eagerly sucked one of the peaks into her mouth and swirled her tongue around it. The areola puckered and pebbled, and she opened her mouth more fully to take in the entire nipple, groaning deep in her throat as the taste and sensations sent a current of desire to her groin. Tearing her mouth from the nipple, she returned to Ariel's lips, kissing them firmly and feeling the press of teeth. Ariel opened her mouth, allowing her once again to plunder the warm interior, the current of desire now intense, making her moisture flow warmly from her core.
Ariel was too passive though, holding her in a weak embrace. More, Kiernan needed more. She wanted to feel Ariel's hands caressing and stroking her as a lover. Drawing her mouth away from Ariel's, she whispered hoarsely, "Touch me, Ariel. Make love to me."
Ariel drew in a sharp breath, then growled angrily. She rolled them over and straddled Kiernan's waist, took hold of her hands, and pinned them above her head. Savagely Ariel descended on her mouth with a bruising kiss. Kiernan moaned as her arousal rapidly accelerated. Ariel jammed a knee up against Kiernan's wet core, and the effect was electrifying. Kiernan sucked in her breath.
Ariel tore her mouth away, hot air fanning Kiernan's face, and said in a voice both raw and menacing, "Make love to you? No, Kiernan, this is all you'll get from me." Once again, Ariel savagely descended on her mouth, ravishing her lips and demanding entrance with a forceful thrust of her tongue. A flash of rage struck Kiernan but the force and passion behind the kiss stoked her desire and overrode her anger. Her stomach and groin muscles spasmed and clenched. She tried to remove her hands from the grasp that held them, wanting to pull Ariel fully against her. She wanted to feel Ariel's heat and softness, the fullness of those luscious breasts pressed more firmly against her own. But the grip on her wrists was too strong.
Ariel broke the kiss and moved her head down, taking an aching nipple in her mouth to suck, tugging at it with her teeth. Kiernan loved the feeling in her nipple being a perfect balance between pain and pleasure that shot down to impact in her center. The beginnings of her orgasm erupted. She knew she soon wouldn't be able to hold back the impending tidal wave.
Ariel continued to nibble and lick the sensitive nipple, then moved to the other nipple, already hard and puckered, laving it with rough attention. Kiernan needed to free her hands to hold Ariel close to her as she orgasmed. She was so close now. With a gasp of effort, she pulled her hands
free from the firm grasp, buried them in the blonde hair, and clutched Ariel tightly against her breast as the wave hit her.
Ariel slid from Kiernan's body and to her side while continuing roughly suckling and biting her nipple. Then a warm hand was on her stomach, trailing down to the tangle of coarse hair. A gliding touch to her engorged clitoris made her gasp. A finger penetrated her and Kiernan gasped again. A second finger worked into her wet opening. Ariel moved her fingers slowly but forcefully, in-and-out, in a steady rhythm. Kiernan threw her pelvis up against the hand and cried out in a voice strained with passion, "Faster."
The rhythm increased. Ariel's palm slapped against Kiernan's heated flesh. This drove Kiernan toward her release. Her orgasm was building fast, the first wave exploding forth, forcing her to cry out hoarsely. Ariel did not slow or soften her thrusts, and Kiernan was again pushed into the throes of orgasm. This one was even more intense, making her breathless. Still, Ariel continued until Kiernan said, "Enough." Ariel did not stop, and Kiernan peaked again. This time the release brought not only pleasure, but also pain. She tried to push Ariel away. "No more." Kiernan gasped slightly at the removal of fingers from her tender core and the release of her aching nipple from a hot mouth.
Ariel straddled her thigh, placed her hands on each side of Kiernan's body, and leaned into her arms. Kiernan felt the sensation of the rough brush of hair, and warm, wet flesh stroking along her upper thigh. Ariel increased the pressure and thrusting. Kiernan raised her thigh in rhythm and placed her hands upon the full breasts. She cupped them, rubbing her thumbs over the firm peaks. A feral expression shaded Ariel's features. Her hair was tousled carelessly around her face and shoulders, her mouth open, and breath harsh. With every thrust of her hips, she expelled a grunt.
Kiernan knew she needed help in her release. Sliding her hands down the slender waist, she placed them on each side of the hips and pulled the straining woman firmly against her thigh. Throatily she coaxed, "Come for me, angel, only for me." Ariel groaned loudly, her thrusting frantic. "Now, Ariel, come for me," Kiernan commanded in a husky voice.
The Dreamer, Her Angel and the Stars Page 18
