Possessive Landlord: An Instalove Possessive Alpha Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 168)

by Flora Ferrari

  He clasps his hands over mine and rocks me as he looks into my eyes in the mirror.

  “The boutique, from downstairs. I already told you. What you want to call ‘plus size’ is a regular size for a lot of people. Years ago, before it was a thing… someone on my team had the idea and we ran with it.”

  “Is that what you like? Fat women?” I hear myself asking him, and his smile drops instantly, but his grip on me gets tighter.

  “Hey, remember what I said? That’s below the belt, Trudi. I don’t use that word and for your information…” he says, cupping my chest in both his hands, making me lean back moaning straight away as he kisses my neck.

  “I don’t have a preference for any women, unless they’re named Trudi and are in my arms right at this moment.”

  “Damn you Kane Barret…” I murmur. “Damn you for being so perfect…”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Kane

  Like where she used to live, what she used to do, before I decided to take her home, Trudi’s mindset about herself has me puzzled.

  She’s got so much going for her yet like so many people she only wants to see the bad things. All day long.

  Well, I won’t hear it anymore. I don’t want to overload her with work either, but she seems to have an eye for fashion too.

  “Have you considered fashion as something you’re interested in?” I ask her, slipping into fresh clothes myself after taking her back into my own room. Now that she’s had her privacy, getting showered and changed, I’m not letting her out of my sight.

  “I guess…” she says, trying to think but I can tell she’s staring at me more than thinking, and I’m a little guilty of that too right now.

  We really can’t keep our eyes off each other.

  Maybe we can talk business later, today’s all about a good time, remember Kane?

  As much as Trudi’s hung up being down on herself, my bad habit is work, work and more work. Since Trudi’s come along, I’ve only ever focused on it, up to sixteen hours a day, seven days a week.

  “I thought you wanted me to manage your apartment building?” she asks me, looking like she’s fearing an avalanche of work in return for our time together.

  “I want whatever you want,” I assure her, touching her face and pecking the top of her head with a kiss.

  If I touch her any more than that, I can’t be held accountable for my actions and we’ll get nothing done today. I only hope that once we spend some more time together, Trudi will feel more comfortable, that she gets the message that she’s really mine now, and everything I am, everything I have is hers too.

  “I’m just thinking out loud, baby,” I tell her, taking her hand once I’m dressed and ready, holding her back a little to take her in before we head out.

  I’d prefer to keep her all to myself, but I know at some point she has to go out into the world, but only with me at her side, for now. I won’t let anyone or anything come near her that I don’t approve of.

  I head over to my dresser, taking up my cologne, when she rushes over, pressing her hand over mine.

  “I want that smell, all over me…” she purrs and I cock my brow, thinking ‘ why not?’ I plan on being all over her anyways, so what’s a little more of me on her?

  “It’s a scent I had made for me, from Paris.” I mention, wincing at how pretentious that sounds, but it’s true, it’s the only smell I like and Paris is the only place that’ll make it for me.

  “Do you own that company too?” she teases me, spritzing the air between us and dancing through it, making me love my favorite scent even more now that she’s a part of it.

  “No, I don’t,” I answer her, tickling her again and holding her close, risking hardness but unable to keep from touching her holding her close.

  “I think it smells like you, as a personality, I mean,” she says, then looks worried again.

  “What?”

  “I’m waiting for you to ask me if fragrances are my thing now.”

  I shake my head, chuckling again. “You’re something else Trudi… now c’mon. If I can’t have my way with you, at least let me take you out for a walk.”

  She grips my arm as I move away, holding me back.

  “I do want to Kane… Y’know, do it… I just…”

  “I understand, Trudi. It’s alright. .. But…” I linger in the doorway, feeling the familiar pulse of my aching cock again.

  “But what?”

  “But if my dick turns blue and drops off… just sayin’,” and I give a little nervous laugh with a wink.

  I can see her thinking hard for a moment, then she smiles to herself, “Let’s see how the rest of today goes,” she adds cheerfully, “I’m yours for a few hours yet, right?” She reminds us both.

  A few hours? And a few more after that…

  She’s almost ready. I can feel it, and it gives me more confidence than ever that just like everything I want, I get in the end.

  “So where are we headed?” she asks as we step out of the elevator, back into the lobby and into the real world.

  “I have a watch I need to collect, it’s was being repaired.” I tell her, noticing how unexciting that sounds, her face showing it.

  “We can check out some other stuff there too, d’you wanna see the boutique? It’s just over there.” I ask her.

  “I don’t think I could afford any of this stuff, really Kane…” she starts to say and I have to stop her again, taking her by the elbows gently, looking down into her eyes.

  “Nobody’s charging you for any of this, Trudi. It’s all for you, don’t you get it yet? I’m sharing this with you, it’s yours, just enjoy yourself… please.” I almost sound like I’m getting upset by her being like this but it's more frustration than anything else.

  I’ve seen people get real possessive, real quick, thinking they own everything and the world owes them a favor, but Trudi seems to have the complete opposite going on.

  Life’s all about balance, and I want her to see, to find the balance between having the best, feeling her best and knowing that she has all that stuff inside her anyway.

  What’s on the outside is just for show, it’s what makes us up inside that counts.

  “It’s just so… weird,” she says softly, squeezing my hands, promising she’ll try to get used to it.

  I kiss her on the cheek, stroking her hair back. “I know you will baby, everything takes time.”

  Just not too long I hope.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Trudi

  I can tell Kane wants to give me a whole bunch of stuff, clothes, and meals, even somewhere to live. I know he’s rescuing me, but what does he really want in return? Am I going to get what I really want?

  Maybe I don’t fully understand what all that means right now, Kane seems wiser to what he knows he wants, which is me. But for how long?

  Don’t all guys just pump, dump and run at some point. That’s what I’ve heard, anyway.

  Okay, it’s what I’ve imagined mostly, based on what I hear other people complaining about. But Kane doesn’t seem like that.

  One thing I do know is that he has access to some amazing clothes though, and I’m actually dying to check out his boutique, in his hotel, with him on my arm still.

  Oh my god… I’m dreaming still, I must be dreaming…

  Everyone working in the hotel, the lobby, the little shopping mall it has attached, they all recognize Kane and greet him formally, and he has a smile and a kind word for all of them.

  “You don’t think looking at clothes is boring?” I ask him, noticing him checking his watch after I’ve immersed myself in looking at clothes, selecting out what I like only because Kane’s ordered me to.

  “I’m happy watching you,” he says truthfully, “I’m checking this watch out is all. I might keep it too, it’s the replacement while the other one’s being repaired,” he says absently.

  “Why don’t you just buy another one?” I ask, he sure seems to have enough money.

  �
�Because, the one being repaired is the one I want to keep. I keep telling you, Trudi. I always get what I want, and when I have it, I keep it forever…”

  If I knew he wasn’t referring directly to me, I might be concerned. It sounds a little too possessive to have an obsession about things like that. But with Kane, I know he means it in the best possible way, that things worth having are worth keeping forever.

  Like the feelings we have for each other.

  Like the feeling I have growing by the minute inside me.

  I should’ve let him have me… He was right there, god I feel so stupid.

  “You don’t mind?” I ask him quietly, almost whispering in his ear, “About me wanting to wait, before we…”

  His low growl of approval as he shakes his head lets me know he doesn’t.

  “I’ll be ready when you are… We can have whatever you pick sent up to my place for later,” he says, giving me the cue that although it’s fun to watch Trudi shopping, he has stuff to do still.

  I want to have him take me right there and then, until I remember that’s how I felt up in his penthouse too.

  I hope when the time comes I don’t mess it up, and I can’t help feeling like I already did in a way, but Kane’s just too mature, to make me feel bad about it.

  The ‘watch shop’ as Kane calls it is the highest end jeweler in town. A small place compared to his hotel, and I know he doesn’t own it, but it’s still invitation only and the guard at the door tips his hat to Kane, holding the door open for us both.

  I almost have to shield my eyes when we step in, the amount of diamonds, gold and just general out of this world super overpriced shiny stuff is overwhelming.

  Looking at the watch Kane’s wearing, it’s not too showy. I don’t think he goes for showy pieces, but I think I do, with about ten things catching my eye straight away.

  “Have a look around,” Kane says with a sly grin. “If you see something you like, try it on.”

  I’m not touching anything… my god if I broke something, I’d be paying it off for ten lifetimes.

  One of the counter attendants seems on friendly terms with Kane, an older man with a kind face, he gets busty with Kane, taking him into another room to talk about his watch. I keep my hands to my sides and peer into the seemingly endless glass cases of diamonds, white gold and tiny, crystal and gold figurines.

  The whole place is like something from a dream, that recurring, waking dream I’m stuck in called ‘Kane’s life.’

  I start thinking though, I should really get Kane something. He’s given me so much already.

  I want something I can show him that I am grateful for him, so I tear myself away from all the girly stuff and start browsing the men’s jewelry.

  None of it is really Kane though, his watch is about it. It’s about as dressy as he gets.

  He is missing a ring though…

  Kane pokes his head around the green velvet curtain, smiling at me and ushering me with his eyes to look around before disappearing back to his watch, back to his guy stuff.

  Another counter assistant comes out, really friendly and welcoming, an older lady who introduces herself as Ruth. She tells me she’ll be right there if I want to try anything on.

  “How much is that?” I ask, stabbing at the glass, wincing when I notice the greasy smudge I’ve left.

  “The ring with the blue in it?” I ask, really not meaning to sound so ignorant, but also knowing I don’t have to be choking on water to be drowning.

  Kane… I’m drowning here.

  Ruth’s so polite, even chuckling to herself a little but in a friendly way. She’d know that I’m here with Kane, it seems like everybody who’s anybody knows who Kane is.

  “That a keen eye you have,” she observes, taking the ring out of the case for me to see closer.

  “This is a blue diamond, set in white gold with platinum bands. It’s stunning, isn’t it?” I feel my head pump and don’t want to make the same marks on it I left on her glass, but Ruth insists I take a hold of it, “Have a feel of it, see what you think.”

  “I love it,” I say, thinking it’s just the thing for Kane, even though he’s not a show off with jewelry.

  “How much?” I ask, ready for a couple of credit card transactions.

  Ruth smiles, “We don’t usually have a set price, but something like this piece will retail for around two hundred and fifty,” she says, smiling.

  It’s a no brainer for me, and I do have an eye for a bargain after all.

  “Sold!” I announce, fishing for my bag, which I realize with horror I left at home. I came out without anything but the clothes I had on, and they’re crumpled by Kane’s couch.

  “We can set this aside for you, Mr. Barret has an account with us,” Ruth explains patiently, reading my mind or my face, I’m not sure which feels more panicked.

  “Would you like to see some of the ladies rings, we have some new neck pieces in too, you have such lovely skin,” she observes, and I absently clutch at my naked neck.

  Nobody’s ever said anything so sweet to me, and I know she’s not trying to sell me anything either.

  “Sure,” I say, relieved we’ve broken the ice and she walks me through a tray of what look like really expensive diamond necklaces, but they must be fakes. Everything’s only three or four hundred dollars.

  Still pricey, but I guess they have to pay the rent on the high street.

  “How are things going out here? Hello Ruth,” Kane says, stepping out from the next room, his eyes widening as he spies me with a necklace I picked out, more like a collar. It’s not heavy, but it looks like a disco ball, it has so many of these cheap diamonds in it.

  “Good Afternoon, Mr. Bennet. Can I get you something to drink? Tea, mineral water?” Ruth asks, and Kane opens it up to me.

  “I’d love a soda.” I say, then make a face, not sure a place like this would have any ‘soda’.

  Ruth’s a doll, and returns with a gleaming tray with a glass of soda.

  “Found something you like,” Kane observes, turning me to face him, then back to the mirror again so he can admire me from behind.

  “I was trying to find something for you.” I admit, lowering my voice a little, Ruth takes her cue and leaves us to have some privacy.

  “Really?” Kane asks, his eyes shining with warmth and he squeezes me.

  “What’d you pick?” he asks, and I feel like I don’t want to ruin the surprise.

  “If I tell, then it’s not a surprise,” I tease him, but then his look changes, like he’s realized how serious I am.

  “What’d you choose, Trudi?”

  “A ring, I was gonna use my credit card to pay for it, but I left my purse at home… we left so suddenly… I feel stupid…”

  Kane walks over to the other counter, leaning over and picking up the box, opening it and letting out a low whistle.

  “This ring? Wow. You sure have an eye.”

  “That’s what Ruth said,” I chime, happy I’ve made a dent in Kane's world.

  “And how much did Ruth say she would charge you?” Kane asks.

  I flush a little, but he probably knows how much all this stuff costs anyway.

  “Only two hundred and fifty,” I tell him, wincing at how expensive it is, but vowing I’ll find the money somehow.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Kane

  I could just kiss her. I will. But I think she ought to know. It’s easy to understand, for me it is, how she might be confused about the pricing in a place like this.

  I cross the floor, clutching the ring in its box.

  “You picked this for me?” I ask her again, feeling a real rush of warmth, like she’s touched my soul for the second, maybe the third time today.

  Her head hammers a series of nods and I can see she’s proud of her choice, and I know Ruth wouldn’t have misled her deliberately. I do shop here sometimes, and money’s no problem. But…

  “It’s two hundred and fifty… thousand, Trudi. All this stuff,
it’s real. It’s a high end jewelry store.”

  I can see her face fall in a second, she’s crushed. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but it’s the truth. This is an expensive place to shop. My watch is over a hundred grand, half that again to have it repaired.

  “I love it though!” I tell her, which is true, I love her for choosing it.

  I just love her.

  Rings be damned.

  I watch her lower lip tremble again, the silver of tears forming in her eyes. She tears herself away from me when I try to hold her, making a horrible croaking sounds like she wants to scream or something.

  “Let me go, just get away from me,” she says loudly.

  “I knew this was all too good to be true, I suppose you think it’s funny that I think stuff like this would be so cheap, like me? Is that it?” she spits out.

  “Trudi! No!” I say, trying to get a hold of her to calm her down but she’s half way out the door, with the security guard grabbing hold of her now.

  I make a pleading face with Ruth, who knows I’m good for the whole store if need be, and with a sharp nod, she lets the guard know he can let go of Trudi, who’s running off down the street.

  “I’ll be here, Mr. Barret.” Ruth says, looking less than impressed as she purses her lips, waiting for her jewelry to be returned.

  “Well?” She asks me coldly, “What are you waiting for, you do love her don’t you?” She asks, shocking me awake, like ice water’s been thrown in my face.

  “I do! I do love her,” I announce, surprising myself with my own conviction.

  “Then go get her!” Ruth says loudly, practically shouting, and I can hear her laughing to herself as I scramble past security too, forgetting I’m still holding the ring as well.

  Pumped with adrenaline at the thought of Trudi not understanding what I meant, or worse yet, not being able to find her at all, I run out into the street. I look both ways but I can’t see her.

  I clench my jaw, kicking the sidewalk with my heel, kicking myself for not realizing so many things.

  If anything happens to her…