by J. D. Chase
She giggled. ‘No.’
‘Minx!’
‘I’ve been called worse. Come on Mr . . .’ She’d been about to call him Mr Rhodes but remembered his previous outburst in time. ‘Let’s go back to bed. I need sleep.’
*
All too soon they were on their way back to London and, despite their disturbed sleep, they both looked and felt refreshed. As he dropped her at her flat, he warned her that she probably wouldn’t see much of him during the week and then locked his gaze with hers and asked whether he could turn up at any time, day or night, if he needed her. His gaze was so intense and his voice so raw that she felt tears prick at her eyes, although she had no idea why. She reassured him that he’d always be welcome, whatever time it was, and she’d do anything she could to help him.
He smiled, told her that he didn’t deserve her and drove off, leaving a very emotional Isla standing in the car park.
Chapter Fourteen
The following day was hectic for Isla. As soon as she walked through the door, Belinda called her over and showed her the list of bookings that had been made online during the weekend. Isla grinned when she saw that many were using the museum discount code, and walked on air all the way to her/Xander’s office. She turned on the computer and, as she waited for it to start up, she toyed with the dice that she kept on the desk. Xander had accused her of putting them there to wind him up, since she insisted that she’d won the unforgettable game. But she’d refuted the allegation, stating that would be childish and that, unlike him, she didn’t play silly games. That had earned her a spanking but she’d put them there as a reminder of him and their time together – nothing more sinister than that.
She checked her emails, replying to the most urgent, and then went to inspect the progress of the contractors over the weekend. She was delighted to find that all bathrooms on the second floor had been completed. Bobbi’s team had made up all the beds on that floor with the new pillows, duvets and burgundy Egyptian cotton bedding that she’d ordered. Along with the new armchairs, lamps and luxury toiletries that now adorned the rooms, they made a real difference. She hugged herself in delight that the suites and superior rooms were finally able to justify the five-star tariffs that they were charging. And the work hadn’t been completed a minute too soon, judging from the amount of bookings that were coming in.
Work began that day on upgrading the bathrooms of every standard room on the whole of the first floor. Financial constraints meant that the old bedding and furnishings from the superior rooms had to be passed down to refresh the standard rooms. They had barely been used because the late-deal bookers almost always selected the cheaper standard rooms.
Confident that everything was on schedule, she popped into the restaurant to check that everything was in place for them to begin serving meals in the hotel restaurant that evening. She returned to her office with a spring in her step. She knew they’d soon have to take on more staff. She couldn’t continue to juggle the roles of general manager and assistant general manager, and the hotel needed proper management cover overnight and at weekends, as did the reception desk. She resolved to speak to Xander about it the next time she saw him.
She sat in the luxury leather office chair and bounced it gently back and forth. She was amazed at how smoothly everything was going. And Xander would be by her side any day now. But then she kicked herself – her mother had always said that nothing brought about bad luck like getting smug and complacent. So she turned her attention back to work matters lest she run the risk of becoming over-confident.
She popped down to see Dean at lunchtime and they had a brief meeting to check on the rearrangement of the furniture and the bar staff’s arrangements for ordering food from the restaurant next door. They’d managed to screen off part of the restaurant from the bar so that on Friday evenings – and any other evening once they were busy with residents – diners wanting a quiet table would not be overly affected from conversations at the bar. He was polite, friendly but a little more distant with her nowadays; it seemed he’d got the message that they would never be more than friends and didn’t hold it against her. Satisfied that all was in order, she returned to the piles of paperwork and bulging inbox that she never quite seemed to get ahead of.
That night there was no sign of Xander, but then he’d warned her not to expect to see much of him during the week so it wasn’t surprising. It didn’t stop her hoping that he’d somehow manage to drop by, even if only for a fleeting visit. Her little flat seemed empty without him, although he was hardly ever there – but when he was, his personality filled the space . . . that and his ability to fuck on or against any piece of furniture.
She lay in bed and imagined how life would change when he was with her. No more lonely nights and, once the two of them were able to concentrate their efforts on the hotel, she thought the sky was the limit in terms of its capacity for success. She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.
The following morning dawned warm and sunny so she dressed in a short strappy sundress and peep toe heels. She was pleased in one way that she had no marks from Xander that needed to be hidden so she could dress for the weather, but she missed them too. The sight of those marks triggered happy, horny memories and helped the time to pass more quickly between his visits and, when he saw them, it drove him almost wild with desire. She supposed it was a primal, animalistic instinct when he responded like that . . . and that it was hardly surprising since it matched his style of fucking, which had put them there in the first place.
Her mum had always said that it would take a strong, determined man to tame or control her. And Isla had to concede she may have a point. She’d never responded to any man like she responded to Xander. She wasn’t afraid to meet him head on when he was being arrogant or obnoxious, in fact she relished the challenge, knowing they each respected the other. And she was certainly not afraid to broaden her horizons when it came to sex. His distinct style of dirty talk aroused her faster than anything; especially since she knew it wasn’t all talk. He could walk the walk . . . or fuck the fuck too.
And his advice to her on that first night together, about not complicating sex with the expectations or opinions of others, had proved to be some of the best advice she’d ever had. Freeing her mind and her inhibitions had only served to increase her pleasure as well as his and they were doing nobody any harm. Yes, their public exploits were a little risky, particularly if they were to be discovered by someone with a weak or prudish disposition, but they were generally fairly careful not to be blatant about it.
She noticed the time and quickly grabbed her handbag and flew out of the door. Daydreaming about Xander was becoming something of a habit, and lately it was happening more and more. She supposed it was because he was at the peak of whatever battle he was fighting so she saw him less – but the time until they could be together was growing less too. She couldn’t wait and, although she knew she shouldn’t be behaving like a besotted teenager, she felt she could excuse it by explaining it as the initial stage in a relationship where you were intoxicated and your every thought was about the other person.
She shook her head as she neared the tube station. I’m doing it again! Would that man ever stop invading her thoughts? She found herself smiling but suddenly didn’t care what anyone thought. She was happy and she wasn’t afraid to show it, so she flicked back her wavy red hair, held her chin up, and almost walked straight into Jamie.
Jamie! What the fuck is he doing here?
‘Hey, Isla. How are you? You’re looking well,’ he said, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
‘Jamie,’ she acknowledged with a nod. ‘I’m good, thanks.’
They stood there, each seemingly unable or unwilling to look at each other. Jamie seemed to find the pavement surrounding his feet very interesting and Isla found herself studying the tube station sign over his shoulder. She heard him draw in a breath as if he was going to speak but then didn’t. Irritation that she would miss her train took over
and she couldn’t stand it any more.
‘What are you doing here, Jamie? I don’t see you for what . . . it must be eight months now, and then, in the space of a few days, I see you twice. That’s no coincidence, is it?’
He looked up as she spoke but didn’t reply. She found herself thinking that it was odd that he looked more uncomfortable and unsure of himself now than when she’d confronted him for cheating on her. And while she was annoyed that he was interrupting her morning and threatening to make her miss her train, she was glad he was there because looking at him now, he looked like a mere boy when compared to Xander.
‘Jamie, I’m going to miss my train. So if you’ve nothing to say, then I think it’s best we go our separate ways.’
She walked past him but he said flatly, ‘Isla, stop.’
She turned, her lips pursed and her eyebrow raised, leaving him in no doubt that she was getting pissed off.
‘It was a shock to see you in Brighton on Saturday. I didn’t expect to see you,’ he said.
‘I have to admit, it threw me for a second too, but we were over a long time ago. I guess it was just because it was the first time I’d seen you since . . . and, well, I didn’t expect to have to go all the way to Brighton to bump into you.’
He nodded. ‘Yeah, I saw you stumble when you recognised me and I knew it must’ve been a shock to you too. All I could think of was what a bastard I was to you and that I hoped you didn’t hate me. And then I saw who you were with and I couldn’t believe that of you.’
‘You couldn’t believe what of me?’
‘That you’d be seeing a married man, after the shit you heaped on me for having an affair with a married woman. I lost my home and had to endure workplace gossip for months because of your supposed intolerance to cheating and now, here you are having an affair with a married man.’
She laughed. ‘I’m not having an affair with anyone. I’m seeing someone but he’s not married. Not that it’s any of your business but you’ve got the wrong guy, so you can cut the sanctimonious crap. And as for the shit I heaped on you? You’ve got a nerve. You made a choice and you deserved what you got. What did I do to deserve my world being turned upside down? I mean, the fucking letter from the solicitor telling me that you would force the sale of the flat? That was turning the knife, Jamie. I’d done nothing. So please, do us both a favour and fuck off.’
As she turned to walk away he said, ‘Oh you poor cow. Xander Rhodes is married and you didn’t even know.’
She froze at the sound of his name. When she turned back, Jamie was walking away.
Forcing her legs to move, she managed to get into the station and on to her train just before it pulled out of the station. Her mind kept repeating the same sentences over and over again.
Xander can’t be married. He wouldn’t do that to me.
But by the time she’d reached the hotel she felt numb. The same almost disabling numbness that she’d felt when she’d found out that Jamie was cheating on her. She walked straight into the office and opened the cupboard containing the drinks. She poured herself a neat gin. And then another.
*
It took her an hour of searching an online database of the marriage register in England and Wales to find the record. Thankfully, because of his uncommon first name, it made searching easier. The words leapt off the screen . . . Xander David Rhodes . . . Spouse: Taylor.
Of course, it could be the wrong entry – she didn’t know Xander’s middle name. Or he could have divorced. But Jamie was so sure of himself that when she searched for a record of a corresponding divorce, she knew she wouldn’t find anything.
So she sat and the realisation that she’d been cheated on again began to sink in. This time it was worse. Xander knew about Jamie and yet he’d still led her to believe that he was against cheating. Then Xander’s words flew into her mind: Cheating happens, Red. It happens to everybody at some time or another . . . And if they’re going to do it, there’s fuck all you can do to stop them. And if you’re really lucky, you never find out you’ve been cheated on.
‘Bastard,’ she cried, refusing to acknowledge the pain in her chest. ‘You really are a player after all.’
She picked up the dice from the desk and threw them across the room as angry tears flowed down her cheeks.
A small smile began to form on her face as she remembered that the hotel was in her name. ‘Well, you picked the wrong girl to play this time, Xander Rhodes,’ she muttered as she reached for the phone.
All will be revealed in The Redeemer: Part Two of the Rouge Passion Series – coming autumn 2014
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Thank you for sharing the first part of Isla and Xander’s journey with me. I am humbled that people enjoy reading all that my shamelessly smutty imagination comes up with. Each time I read a new review or receive a message from one of my lovely readers, I feel like doing a little dance!
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More books by JD Chase
The Hunter (Orion the Hunter Part One)
The Hunted (Orion the Hunter Part Two)
Hunting Lust (Orion the Hunter Part Three)
Hunting Truth (Orion the Hunter Part Four)
Orion the Hunter: The Complete Anthology
