by Dani René
“Jayce brought it. There’s been meetings between your family lawyer and Claudia.” The temperature in the office is Arctic. Luke is radiating anger.
“She’s fucking responsible. Who got this?” He turned on Jayce.
“The team we set up a few days ago. It’s legit, Luke.”
“I need to call him to find out what the hell she was doing there. Jesus Christ, this fucking woman is a bitch. Cass, baby, I am going up to my office, pack up here. We need to leave in an hour, I need to go to the house and get a few things from my dad’s study.” I nod. There wasn’t a chance I could argue that I had work to do. “Jayce, can you come by my place later? We need to talk about what we will do. And if your sister is involved. I am not sparing anybody if they’re working together. I have had enough shit to deal with.” Lucien’s eyes flit between me and Jayce, guilt tugs at my heart and mind.
“Yea, anything you need Luke.” When Lucien closes my office door, I glance up at Jayce and I see the concern in his eyes, sky-blue shining with emotion. “I better go; I guess I will see you later?”
“Yes, I will be there.” I offer a small smile. Watching him close my door, I pick up my phone and call Kenna. I needed her to be there tonight. There will be way too much tension.
“Cass, babe! How are you?”
“I am okay; are you busy tonight?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I have a late night we have an important show this weekend so I need to work. Why what do you need?”
I slump into my chair, trying to find the words.
“Well it looks like Claudia was meeting with Luke’s dad’s lawyer. Jayce and Luke will be at his apartment later and there is no question Luke wants me there.”
“Ouch. Um, I will try to finish early, but I can’t promise anything babe. I am sorry. Just stand between them, they both love you so they can’t hurt you.” The fact that she’s trying to make light of the conversation makes me smile, but then her words sink in. She’s right, Jayce looks at me the same way Lucien does.
“Kenna, that’s not even a tiny bit funny.” I admonish her. “Can’t you distract Jayce? I mean he’s really hot, and good in bed.”
She chuckles on the other end of the line and I realize she’s considering it when her reply isn’t immediate. “I do think he’s rather sexy. Maybe. Let me have a think about it. Good in bed you say?”
I nod. “Yes.” I giggle at her gasp.
“I am sure I can tear him away for a while, a day, maybe more. How good? Does his cock hit the right spot? Like earth shattering?”
“Kenna!” She didn’t have a filter sometimes, and that’s why I love her.
“Ugh fine, don’t tell me. I will find out for myself.” Her giggle is obvious even though she’s trying to hide it. “I better go; these idiots have no idea how to drape material. Call me later, Cass.”
“I will. Don’t work too hard.”
“Not a chance in hell.” She laughs and I hang up.
Lucien
I hit send on my last email and sit back, this will be a difficult time. The only thing keeping me sane as I prepare for my father’s funeral was spending time with Cassie. The knock on my office door pulls me out of my thoughts. “Come in.”
“Mr. Verán.” Robert steps into my office. He walks around the office, and I watch him with confusion. With my head cocked to the side, I stare at him.
“Robert—” He silences me with a stare. I stand up, following Robert to the small bookshelf at the corner of the office. He points to the shelf and I see exactly what he’s showing me. They can hear everything in the office. I should have known. So Claudia knows that Cassie’s mom is alive. Shit! This will be a disaster if Claudia tells Cassie, I need to talk to her, explain everything.
I mouth, “follow me” to Robert and we make our way into the en suite bathroom. Once I have opened the tap and closed the door, I turn. “Robert, I need to get Cassie home.”
“Yes sir, I will take her, but with the agreement in place with the lawyer, you need to make sure Claudia knows that you’re sticking to it.” The paperwork that’s laying on my desk from the lawyer, states I need to be single to be named CEO. This is ridiculous. I can’t lose Cassie. The worst part is the clause added by the bitch trying to take my father’s company. It’s a threat to everything I worked so hard to build, that once I am named CEO I am to marry Isabel.
“We need to find the original papers. Please, Robert.”
“We will sir, trust me.” I nod. Once we’re back in the main office, Robert leaves and I stare out of the window. My mind is whirling with thoughts of everything they’ve heard so far.
I can’t believe I have to do this. I hope she doesn’t hate me. The pain my heart rips into me, leaving me breathless. This is more than I can bear right now. Cassie may never let me forget this. Robert will explain it. I know he will, but will she be able to stand by me through this? As soon as my office door opens, I realize it’s show time. My back is to the door, but I can smell her perfume from where I am standing. The sweet scent of her lavender perfume fills my office.
“Luke?” I turn to face her, hoping she can see the pain that is so clearly etched on my face. I need her to see into my soul for the first time I am opening myself to her. “What’s wrong?” Her voice trembles and I need to hold her.
“We have a problem.” In two strides I am in front of her tugging her into my embrace. Her heart is racing, and I hope she can feel mine. “I love you so much darling. So much.” My whisper is a plea for her to understand, if not now, once she walks out of the office.
She pushes back against me, when our eyes lock, I try to tell her how much I love her with a glance. “What is wrong? You left my office a few minutes ago.” I can’t meet her intense stare. The air is thick and I can’t find the words to tell her what I need to. “Is it me? You can’t deal with the fact I was with Jayce? It wasn’t anything Luke. I love you. You’re my soul mate, my other half.”
“Cassie, stop.” My tone comes out harsher than I expect. She doesn’t understand, but I can’t mess this up. I need Cassie safe. That’s the only thing that matters.
“No, I will not stop. Do you not want me because I moved on when you pushed me away? You’ve done this before Luke. I am sorry about everything.” Tears spill from her eyes and it takes all my fucking restraint to not pull her into me and hold her. “Lucien, you can’t push me away, you said you love me. I was there when your father died Luke!” I grip her hips, my stare imploring her to understand. I mouth the word ‘please’, but she shakes her head.
“Cassandra, you need to go home. Robert will escort you.” I lean in and whisper in her ear. “I don’t want you alone right now. There will be a member of the team watching your apartment.” Her pulse thrums against my lips. Before I lose control, I step away, with my back towards her. I take a deep steady breath. Cassie drops her bags on the chair and suddenly she’s behind me. Her hand on my shoulder almost breaks all my resolve. She rounds on me, looking into my face. Steeling myself to her intense gaze, I need to keep emotion from showing. This needs to sound as real as possible.
“Does this have to do with the past? I told you all my secrets Luke.” Her voice is so soft. I can barely hear her. I need her to leave, or this plan will not work. If they’re listening, which I am sure they are, they need to hear that I am leaving Cassie. The bug is picking up every word. Before my resolve crumbles, I tell her to go.
“Cassandra, I suggest you leave now. I can’t do this anymore. It’s best that you forget about me. I can’t give you what you want.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I turn to her, my eyes never meeting hers. I hope to God that she can see I am lying. My eyes rake over her face, the realization in her features calms me somewhat and I offer a small nod.
Cassandra
Under any other circumstances I would have believed his words, but at that exact moment I realized he was lying. The reason I knew that was because he wouldn’t meet my gaze, not once. Lucien has never lied to me. He always loo
ked into my eyes when he spoke. It made little sense for him to push me away after the last few days. This was a complete contradiction. I held on to the hope he wasn’t looking at me because he was lying. I challenged him on it.
“You’re lying, you don’t even believe the shit you’re spewing, so I suggest you look into my eyes and tell me that. If you can do that, then I will leave, and when I walk out, I will never come back.” When he turns again my heart constricts. Sure I have just blown it when he shakes his head. He places a finger on my lips to silence me. Cocking my head to the side, I fix him with a questioning glare.
“Cassandra, like I said, you need to leave. Don’t make this harder on yourself.” A frown creases my brow, and he offers me a small smile. Turning to the desk he picks up a piece of paper and his fountain pen. In his neat script he writes the words ‘Will explain later, trust me.’
Those green eyes that disarm me every time finally lock on mine, he’s hurting as much as I am. There is a flicker of pain in his eyes and I recognize a mix of emotion. When he reaches out, my anger fades, and he tugs me into his arms again, holding me close he plants a silent kiss on my head. A knock at the door startles me and Lucien steps back. “Come in.”
“Mr. Verán, the car is ready to escort Ms. Winters back to her apartment.” Something passes between the two men and now I am confused and intrigued. Robert needs to explain what’s going on, or I might explode.
“Thank you Robert, she’s ready. Goodbye, Cassandra.” His eyes don’t meet mine and his words hold nothing, no emotion. I turn to retrieve my bags from the chair and walk towards Robert. When my backward glance falls on the man I love, I realize that there is something wrong and I need to be strong. My decision is made when I see tears brim in his beautiful eyes. He’s playing a game, but I will have the last word.
“Don’t you dare come near me again.” I spit the words at him and I can see his heart shattering into tiny pieces. The pain on his face makes me falter, and he shakes his head.
“Ms. Winters, we need to leave.” Robert’s voice pulls my gaze from the man I love and I follow him to the elevator. As soon as we step into the car and it descends, I round on Robert. I don’t care if he works for Lucien. He will tell me what the hell is going on.
“What the fuck just happened?” His trained gaze falls on me and he shifts.
“Mr. Verán spoke with the lawyer. There is a clause in place to take the company from him. Certain conditions have been added to the new paperwork, that Lucien is to marry Isabel. We realize that this is Claudia’s doing, since we know that she met with the lawyer on numerous occasions. The original will and testament is missing. We need to locate it before next week when the new one that the lawyer has, is read. We can push the reading out to January if we need more time, but there is another condition in place that Lucien has to be a single man before being named as CEO, if he is not, the role will fall to his step-mother. She will then retain control of Verán Industries.” When Robert finishes the elevator has stopped at the basement parking and I am reeling. This was her plan all along, she wants me out of the picture, I still don’t understand why she hates me so much.
“But, what was that in the office, why didn’t he tell me?”
“The office is bugged. We need to play along for now. If they figure out we know, they might force our hand and push up the timeline. Lucien will lose control of his father’s company. I will now escort you to the apartment, you will use the back entrance and wait for him there. Please do not leave at the front, there might be people watching the building.” Robert opens the door and I slip inside. My head hurts and so does my heart.
I pull out my phone and see a message from Luke.
*Most difficult thing I ever did. See you soon baby. Robert will explain. Love you forever*
My heart soars and I realize that it was all an act. The only problem is, he was too convincing and even though I know he didn’t mean it, my heart was still in shreds.
Robert pulls up to the apartment moments later and helps me into the apartment. It’s so quiet and cold without Lucien here. My mind replaying what happened at the office. The first place I stop is the bar, grabbing a glass and pouring a whiskey, I down it in a quick gulp. The burn intensifies all the way down and I pour a second shot.
I hear the garage door opening and closing. Luke is home. I slip into the chair and wait, the two shots of whiskey I had, have my body buzzing in frustration and sadness at this whole situation we are forced into. “Baby?” His voice echoes through the penthouse.
“In here.” I slip off the stool and walk towards the entrance. Luke scoops me in his arms
“I am so sorry, I had no time to warn you. It was the most devastating thing I have ever had to do. I am so fucking sorry baby.” He seals my mouth with his and the pain and anguish wash away. His tongue licks along the seam of my lips, requesting entry and I give it to him. When my mouth opens, I tease his tongue with mine, earning the sexy growl I want. My fingers tangle in his messy hair, holding him against me, savoring him. His fingers stroke my spine, placing a hand at the small of my back, he presses my body into him. His arousal is evident as it pushes against my stomach.
Lucien breaks the kiss and stares into my eyes. “I need a drink and we need to sort this out.” He rounds the bar, grabs a tumbler and pours a generous amount of whiskey for himself, then fills my glass. “Let’s go to the living room gorgeous.”
Once we’re seated on the sofa, I cross my legs under me and face him. “So what happened?”
“Well, I spoke to the lawyer. He’s got the paperwork in place for my step-mother to gain control of Verán Industries if I don’t comply. I am supposed to be single the months leading up to the board meeting that will name me as CEO. Then,” the gulp he takes of his whiskey makes me shudder, I know this is the worst part. “There is a clause, that I have to marry Isabel. If I don’t Claudia will gain control of the company and be named CEO.” His gaze falls on me again. “I know my father had a will drawn up which had none of this shit in it. So I need to find it. I have got Robert and his team working on it. Until they can find it, I basically need to appear single. The office is bugged that’s why I had to say those things to you. I meant none of it.”
“I see.” Knocking back the whiskey, it burns on its way down and I am breathless for a moment. My thoughts are filled with what Luke has just told me. Why would anyone do this?
“Baby, I am not letting you go, we will just have to be discreet. Just until Robert can find the original will, I doubt it will take that long, but, I need you to know I am not letting you go ever.” Lucien pulls me to him. He lifts me allowing me to straddle him. I cup his face in my hands and lean down, placing a kiss on his lips. His hands stroke my back in slow circles, calming me. My top is soon tugged from my pants and finds its way onto the floor. A low growl rumbles in his chest when he sees my sheer black lace bra. My nipples pebble against the soft fabric. With the pads of his thumbs, he teases them, tugging them gently, sending delicious waves of pleasure straight to my core. My head drops back, I close my eyes and a small whimper escapes my lips when his mouth comes down on them sucking them through the fabric into his warm mouth. “Luke, I need you, please?” I whisper. His fingers deftly unclasp my bra; he drops it on the floor along with my top.
“Stand, baby.” I stand in front of him, his fingers undo the zipper of my pants and tugs them down. A wicked smirk curls his lips when he sees my sheer thong. “God, you’re fucking beautiful.” His thumbs grip my panties, and he shreds them from my body. He strokes my slick sex with the pad of his thumb. “I need you baby, I want to be inside you.” I glance down into his green eyes and nod.
His fingers unbutton his shirt quickly, and he shrugs it off. He rises and his body is flush with mine. I hear his zipper and the shuffle of material. I can’t tear my eyes away from his. Without looking, I reach out, and feel his hard cock, gripping it in my fist, stroking him up and down. His eyes darken with lust and I smile. “Hold on baby.” He r
asps. My hands grip his shoulders, his hands grab my ass, lifting me against him and I wrap my legs around his taut waist.
He turns and walks up the staircase into the bedroom, laying me on the bed, he kisses his way down my body. His hands press my inner thighs open, splaying me to his hungry gaze. I glance down and see his eyes shining with lust. His thumbs open my slick folds and his tongue is at my core. I watch his tongue laving me, his lips are glistening. I am so turned on. “I love when you’re open for me and so fucking wet.” His words are laced with primal hunger. I cry out when his tongue slides into me, taunting my wet pussy. He continues his assault on me as my release coats his probing tongue. “Mmmm, like fucking honey.” His voice is hoarse as he licks every drop I have to give him. “I love tasting your cunt, baby.” He releases my thighs and sits back watching me with a hooded gaze.
“You want this baby?” His hand grasping his rigid erection is one of the most erotic things I have ever seen and words fail me. I watch him stroke it, and I buck my hips as an invitation to him. A deep chuckle rumbles in his chest and I watch his glistening lips curl into a sexy smirk. His lips glistening with my arousal has my body trembling.
“I need you, Mr. Verán.” My voice a whisper.
“On your hands and knees.” I roll over and kneel in front of him. Suddenly Lucien drives into me, and I cry out. Filled with the man who fits in me like no one else can or does. He stills inside me, allowing me to get used to the feel of him. “Look at me.” Turning my gaze back, our eyes lock and I arch my back. His hips roll into me, pushing him deeper. When he slides almost all the way out, I whimper. He slams back in leaving me breathless.
“I love you, Lucien.” My words falter when he drives in hitting the spot inside me that has my core tightening and I clench around him. His grip on my hips tighten.
“I love you, baby, I always will.” He moves slower, the torturous movements keep me on edge and I need to find my release. I push back against him. “Slow baby. I love having you on my cock.” His slow unrelenting drives are taking me to the precipice and I need to jump.
