She thought for a moment, then felt her face go numb in shock. “Y-Your one of the Newport Garrets?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Oh, my God!"
"See, I could be talked into the bordello stunt because Cathy knew I wouldn't want most women to know who I was right away. Playing Pluto gave me a chance to talk to you without revealing myself. Since you were used to visiting the bordello, I figured you wouldn't mind what Cathy had done once you found out.” He scooted closer to her. “I've heard so many good things about you from Ian and Cathy.” He took her hands in his. “I just had to meet you. Forgive me for the way I did it. But even with Cathy's and Ian's assurances, I was worried you'd be like a lot of other women who..."
"Have probably chased you all over the surface of God's green earth."
"Yeah. You've got it. I was thinking you wouldn't see me as a meal ticket, but I really had to be sure."
She looked him over. “You chose to be a fire fighter? With your family's reputation, I'd have thought you'd be in the wine industry."
He adamantly shook his head. “My family loves wine making and the accolades that come from it. I chose something else. I wanted a life where I thought I could help people. The same as you."
She began to understand everything. Thinking for a moment, his aversion to meeting her normally made a kind of strange sense. His family was known as the premier wine makers on the Eastern seaboard. They had vineyards all over Pennsylvania and upper state New York as well as other eastern states. She'd once sailed past the Garret mansion while yachting in Rhode Island. The place was more like a gothic castle, situated on a high cliff overlooking the ocean. She'd heard rumours of their wealth and power. As old as her money was, his was decades older. She'd even heard it said the Garret family had ancestors hailing back to British royalty, and that some of them still resided in the British Isles. The Garret clan was considered the cream of very old New England society.
He ran a hand across the back of his neck. “I know that playing Pluto was crazy. I've never done anything so outrageous."
"You knew the room's layout. That's why I thought you worked there,” she explained.
"I had to show up seven hours early for Monique's people to put all that elaborate makeup on me. Then, it took me another hour to figure out how to operate some of the mechanisms in the room. Including the lighting. I'm sorry I made you stand outside the elevator so long, but I was having trouble getting the damned switches to work. I only knew where you were because I could hear you moving."
She smiled, then began to softly laugh.
He grinned, too, when the mirth lit up her eyes. “What's so funny?"
"You actually let someone paint your, um...” She glanced down, toward his crotch.
"That wasn't my first option. But Monique insisted that the new theme room she was trying out was going to have a Pluto who looked every bit the part. And she swore the paint was hypo-allergenic. It took a special makeup remover to get the stuff off. Some of me was pretty raw when I got through scrubbing."
She shook her head in disbelief. “You went through all that just to meet me?"
He shrugged. “Cathy assured me I'd never regret it."
"You know, you had me going there when I first walked into that room. I started to think I'd been tricked into visiting an alternate reality right after I left the elevator."
"You sounded angry."
She playfully pushed him. “I was. You were beginning to scare the hell out of me."
He hugged her. “I'm sorry, Lisa. I really am. Can we start over? Like normal people?"
She hugged him back. “First, I have to apologise. If I said anything at the bordello to hurt you, it was because I knew you were different."
He pulled slightly out of her embrace and stroked her hair. “How do you mean?"
"There was something about the way you touched me. You held me like I was something precious right after we had sex. No man has ever touched me like that."
"That's because I wanted it to be more than just sex. You understand? I saw you and wanted you. I couldn't help it. I still feel that way."
"You do?” she whispered.
"Yeah."
She stared into his dark eyes for a long moment. “What if ... what if you stayed the night and we really started over from scratch. Would that work for you?"
"It would.” He kissed her forehead, then pulled her toward him. “But no matter what happens, I'll always think of you as the angel in my life. I'll always remember that night and want you. Every time I think of us together it drives me crazy."
He kissed her softly at first, then opened her mouth wider as the kiss became more passionate and demanding. When they finally broke the embrace, she felt as though the room was twenty degrees too hot.
"It's a good thing you're a fireman."
"Yeah?” he breathed.
"Yeah. I think my blood pressure is rising and I might need some special, physical attention."
"I'll render whatever first aide you need,” he promised.
When he suddenly stopped smiling, Lisa tilted her head and placed her hands on either side of his face. “What's wrong?"
"I'm feeling sort of possessive where I have no right to."
She brushed her lips against his. “What brought this on?"
"You. I don't think I'd want to know about you going back to that bordello."
She traced his full lower lip with the pad of her thumb. “Don't worry. Monique will miss me, but I won't be patronising that place again. You've spoiled me."
He grinned. “Then ... are we officially trying a relationship?"
She slowly nodded. “Welcome to my world, Devlin Garret."
"You think you could be happy with somebody whose tastes are pretty simple?” he asked.
She thought about long walks in the rain and quiet, close times with this man. “I think you're going to be very good for me."
"I'll do my best, Angel. I'll do my best.” He pulled her to him and began a slow, hot kiss that melted away time.
About the Author
C.S. Chatterly aka Candace Sams was a police officer for eleven years, worked on an ambulance for eight years as a crew chief, and is now an author. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Agriculture, worked as a police officer with the State of Texas, was with the San Diego Police Department, taught for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and with a law enforcement agency in Alabama. She is the senior woman on the U.S. Kung Fu Team, awarded the Medal of Putien from China and the Statue of Tao for martial arts, holder of several international martial arts titles, and is an award winning author of fantasy fiction. She also writes erotica under the pen name, C.S. Chatterly. Her hobbies include weight lifting, gardening, and looking after a family of pets who've adopted her. She and her husband, Lee, have been married for over two decades.
Email: [email protected]
C.S. Chatterly loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at www.totalebound.com.
Also by C.S. Chatterly
Sons of Olympus: Delos Descending
Sons of Olympus: Lydon's Exile
Uniform Behaviour: Tempting the Law
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