by Faye Pierce
“I made some inquiries about what happened last night. I should’ve gone with my gut instinct to call for reinforcements. We know Hugo is just waiting to pounce on any little thing. We walked into the trap, but we did manage to take out a few of his mercenaries in the process. It’s a small win, but I’ll take it until I have him in my crosshairs,” Leo says with his arms crossed.
“You mentioned something about making some inquiries. Tell me what you found, and don’t leave anything out,” I address.
“I want you to remember this isn’t me saying this. I hate to be the one to tell you this. We have allowed a few things to slip through the cracks. Our attention was pulled away from the business to concentrate on Hugo. It was exactly what he wanted,” Leo adds.
I don’t like where this is going, but I need to get ahead of the things before they snowball. I shift in my chair, but I use the wrong arm. I bite my lip. It’s the only answer to the pain that suddenly makes dots appear in front of my eyes.
He gets up and wants to render aid, but I stop him with my hand in the air.
“Let me take a wild stab in the dark. Hugo has been playing two games at the same time. He wants revenge with my head on a platter, but he doesn’t just want to kill me. What has he done, and how do we fix it?” I inquire.
“A few business associates are not taking my phone calls. So I stopped by in person and found out they have an alliance with Hugo. I made sure to remind them about the penalty for betraying you. I might have set one of the warehouses on fire in a four-alarm blaze last night to send a message nobody is going to forget,” Leo says with a match in his hand.
His thumb sets it ablaze in one firm stroke. It’s something that I haven’t been able to learn. It’s nice to know somebody is looking out for my best interest. Leo can always be counted on to take the initiative without asking for my permission. He knows the business inside and out to understand examples have to be made.
“It’s a little extreme, but I would’ve done the same thing. What was the response?”
“We still have a lot of work to do. Others have decided it’s time for new blood with new ideas. Hugo has been very convincing. Losing the waterfront is a huge blow. It will take us time to recover. He continues his campaign against you. I’m doing my best to mitigate the damage, but he’s trying to undermine us by turning our attention elsewhere. It’s basically a magic trick. When you think you know what one hand is doing, the other one will surprise you,” Leo says.
I stand up using all the energy I can muster to once again become a formidable form to be reckoned with.
“I was wrong to depend on others to keep things running smoothly. If you want something done right, then you have to do it yourself. This is not the first time I’ve said the same thing to you. So, where do we go from here? How do we get Hugo to show his hand once and for all?” I ask.
“You don’t think anybody is aware, but I’ve heard through the grapevine the arguments with your bride are causing people to doubt your leadership. This constant fighting is going to give Hugo all the ammunition he needs. The man is a consummate chess player. He’s already toppled one good piece. Let’s call the waterfront the castle. It’s just a matter of time before he turns his attention toward the Queen,” Leo explains.
I know I have to make things right with Valeria. We can’t be at odds. People have to see us as a power couple.
Chapter Twelve
Caspian
I thought for sure a couple of pills would help me, but they don’t even let me rest in peace. Instead, the room becomes a prison of my thoughts as I stare at the ceiling and wonder where the next threat will come from.
I want to believe those that know me will fall in line, but some have already proven to hold a knife behind their backs. A few names don’t surprise me, but there are others I would have never suspected of betraying everything I’ve built.
My shirt is off, but I remain in my pants, lying on top of the bed. Counting sheep does nothing, and I begin to think that maybe I’ll sleep when I’m dead.
I turn my head, but she’s not there with a smile of innocence to keep me from doing something stupid. Valeria didn’t deserve the venom coming out of my mouth. It’s hard to think of the right thing to say. She’s strong and confident, but she’s also stubborn to a fault. She’s just like her father in many ways, but I’m very careful not to mention that to her face.
Sleep isn’t going to come until I find some way to turn off my brain.
I go downstairs and bypass the kitchen until I’m in the gym. Pumping weights helps me to think, but I can only sit there. The silence is deafening – with only the sound of my breathing and the clock on the wall ticking.
It’s louder than I remember, but in the middle of the night, every sound is amplified a hundred times. Every slight creak makes me wonder if this is Hugo. That man is never going to quit, but I can’t blame him when he feels slighted. Putting him behind bars was a blessing and a curse. He still sent me letters with very descriptive ways of how he was going to kill me when he found a way of escape.
I try a couple of push-ups. It hurts, and I stop.
I can see the definition of my body in the full-length mirror. It always makes me feel powerful and self-assured when I finish a workout. It stymies me the reason why I let one of my routines fall to the wayside, but I’m determined to keep it from happening again.
It’s going to take time to get back to it.
It’s not the kind of exercise I really want when there are far more pleasing ways to put my body through its paces. Thrusting my hips with my arms outstretched over her in several different positions comes to mind. The thought makes me smile and cringe at the same time. I touch the bandage and grimace.
I take a hot shower with a particular part of my anatomy rising under the steam. The very thought of her gives me ideas of rushing into her bedroom unannounced ready to show her how I feel with actions instead of words.
Nobody is up at this hour, and I can roam freely without bumping into anybody from the staff.
I check on Leo to find that his bed is empty as usual. He’s never there and is always working behind the scenes on my behalf.
If I didn’t know any better, I would swear he was plotting against me, but I know never to question his motives.
I walk upstairs, where the temperature rises a few degrees until I’m standing on the balcony outside the kitchen. The solar lights illuminate the flowers. They are sleeping, but the colors still make a soothing embrace. It’s nice to see all of my hard work come to fruition.
My mother is watching from above with a smile on her face. Working in the garden was something we did together to my father’s chagrin. He always thought I should be doing something manly like working on cars and playing sports, but there was no reason why I couldn’t do all of those things.
I walk among the blooms and kneel to caress the petals.
It feels like somebody is watching, and I suspect I know who it is. It’s confirmed when I look up to see her at the window. I can barely make out her features, but I can see her fingers wrapped around the curtain. They are delicate and sensual, with a way of taking my breath away.
I motion for her to join me, but I’m not sure she takes the hint until she disappears from the window. Then, a light comes on and then another until she’s stepping barefoot out onto the balcony overlooking the garden.
It’s breathtaking to see her come down the stairs into the garden.
“These are my babies. You don’t know about this particular pastime. I come out here for peace and quiet when my mind is racing”.
“They’re beautiful. It takes patience and love to bring these flowers to life. I always thought they were here when you moved in, but I stand corrected,” she says while kneeling on the ground.
She’s creating a vision of her cleavage glistening with humidity.
I can’t stop looking at the swell of her bosom. She makes me angry at myself. I can’t control the urges and this desperate
need to have her at my mercy, begging for more.
“These white tulips are my favorite. It takes a lot of work, but it’s worth every painstaking moment. They require more attention than the others. You have something in common with this one flower,” I mention.
“I know I’m probably going to regret asking this, but what could I possibly have in common with this flower?
“It requires a delicate but firm touch to make it bloom into something spectacular. Your beauty is natural, but you’re looking for validation every time we make eye contact. You try to fight it, but I know what you want most of all. I’m not an ogre. I would never force myself on you, but a little dominance can be enticing,” I say with my hand grabbing her toward me, her erect nipples poking holes into my chest.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is a marriage of convenience. I don’t even like you very much. What would make you think that I want anything to do with you after treating me so badly in front of others? I’m not a piece of property. Nobody owns me contrary to your big fat ego,” she defends, but her words pale in comparison to her sultry lips painted with strawberry gloss.
It’s making her more appetizing.
There’s no reason to say anything when my hands convey a message of sexual need. Her eyes widen when she feels the way that my member unfurls in my pants. Just being close to her is enough to raise the mast to its full potential.
She pushes away from me and turns her back. “I’ve always been curious how you made your money. You’re not what I thought you were. I see you. I really see you.”
I’m afraid of opening up, but the words are on the tip of my tongue. “Most people are correct when they assume I made my money gambling. I was also a hitman for hire. I still have nightmares about those days. I’m not what you would consider a good man, but I do feel it’s important to have a code of honor to protect those that I care about.”
Valeria
It’s nice to hear how he regrets certain things in his life. The heat between us is undeniable and has nothing to do with the temperature outside.
“I’ll never judge you for the past. I believe in living in the present. Here and now are what matters. Besides, my family is not exactly saints. The stories you heard about my father are true. There are others he never wants to talk about, but he does when he drinks to excess,” I say.
I spin around and squeal with Giddy anticipation. We both know where this is heading.
His eyes are on fire for me, and I feel an otherworldly bubble surrounding us. Everything else is forgotten for a moment of passion on the lips and the feel of his hands holding me close.
“Words fail me at how beautiful you are,” Caspian whisper
“I hope you know you’re playing with fire. Let’s hope you don’t get burned,” I say.
He carries me up the stairs and into the house without showing an ounce of discomfort. Nobody has ever done something so romantic in my life. It makes me feel compelled to give him my body and soul. His hands are underneath me, and I feel weightless, waiting with a hungry desire to consume me.
He kicks open his bedroom door and quickly deposits me onto the bed before going after my clothing. In his haste, the strap of my night down is torn, but his animal urges are tempered when he gives that shoulder soft buttery kisses.
“I want you.” He lowers the other strap and then bends to nip at the exposed nipples one after the other.
I throw out my chest and toss back my head with a moan of invitation. He listens and reacts until I’m naked, watching him drop his pants and underwear until his magnificent piece of real estate is in my hand. I stroke life into it with a dollop of sweet cream appearing on the tip as I move closer to the heat of his arousal pressed tightly in my fist.
He rolls on his back, and I find a space between his legs with my hand still wrapped around his turgid flesh. He grabs the pillow and holds it tight when my lips touch the head.
I draw him in one inch at a time. I’m letting his length slide with slippery ease across the surface of my tongue. I feel the full weight of his instrument at the back of my mouth with my hand wrapped around the base.
“I don’t know where you learned to do that. It feels like you are milking me slowly. It might sound crass, but I don’t know how to describe it any other way,” Caspian announces with his head turning back and forth in frustration.
This is the power I exude over his orgasm. It’s a simple matter of wanting what he’s going to give me. Waiting for it will build up the climax of the moment until he won’t be able to sit still. I stroke the length with my mouth sealed at the top, but my tongue doesn’t remain idle. It circles one way and then the other to keep him guessing what’s going to happen next.
I open up my throat to see the look of stunned shock in his eyes when I bury him deep. It feels incredible to devour his heated column of flesh down to the root. Pulling back takes a lot of willpower, but I continue to tease him to breaking point.
He pulls my hair, and I come off of his stick of dynamite with a pop of my lips.
There’s something in his eyes that scares and excites me at the same time. He growls and throws me down on the bed with his mouth inches away from kissing me. My hands are above my head, and his knees separate my thighs with the plum-sized head of his manhood touching those lips.
I help to guide him with my legs locked in place around his waist. I’m holding him to the fire. There’s no reluctance when he plunges into the inferno of my lust. He’s making it impossible to speak.
He lifts me until my lower half is suspended with the blood rushing to my head with him on his knees striking a match to my libido.
“You’re captured with no way out. So what are you going to do? My pussy is wrapped around you and won’t let go,” I announce hotly into his ear.
“I’m going to show you what I’m going to do,” he replies.
The bed starts to move, but he’s in no hurry to finish what he started. I can feel every inch touching areas where no man has dared to go before. His knob rubs against my G spot with every stroke. The moans get louder, and his momentum quickens until he’s grunting while biting into my shoulder.
He rolls me over until I’m in the dominant position with my hands planted hard and with insistence against his chest. I ride slowly, letting those sensations build to a crescendo. I dig my nails into his chest for leverage with my knees on either side. My body is bouncing up and down in his lap. The friction alone is more than enough to corral my full attention.
The heat begins to spread throughout my body. The flush of my chest moves in a downward trajectory. I’m able to bear witness to the way that his face morphs into a mask of euphoria.
He doesn’t have to say a thing when his body is screaming in volumes. He rises to the challenge with his hands on my hips until I lie down against his chest to let him take me to new heights of pleasure.
“I don’t know where you have been all of my life. This might’ve started as an arrangement, but it’s gone way beyond that. I don’t want to put words in your mouth,” he says, obviously trying to get me to speak.
There’s no way I can deny him when he has me in the right frame of mind.
Holding back is no longer an option. Being high in the saddle injected with his healthy specimen is more than I can ever hope for.
The strangling force of my orgasm has him fighting the inevitable. I ride the waves of ecstasy with my head in the clouds. His screams are lost in translation, but I feel the boiling evidence of his need for me pumping me full of his sticky seed.
It makes me quiver and trembles with tiny convulsions that continue long after he unloads the burden from his balls. It’s satisfying beyond contemplation. There’s no reason to hurt him by allowing him to think this isn’t what I want.
“Don’t let this go to either one of your heads, but I’ve wanted you from the moment we met. You’re right about one thing. This is more than an arrangement. I don’t want to use the four-letter word, but I don’t
know any other adjective to describe the way I feel about you,” I say.
I lie there on top of him, trying to catch my breath. It’s a perfect moment.
Chapter Thirteen
Caspian
Nothing makes sense anymore.
Waking up in her arms feels right, but I can’t justify being with her when the threat looms ever closer. There are consequences for my actions. Doing the right thing isn’t always a good idea. Having principles gives people ammunition to use against me.
Hugo isn’t going away. His numbers are growing, and I’m doing everything I can to mitigate the problem.
She looks so peaceful lying there next to me.
Her words touch me in a way that I’m not expecting. It’s not okay to have her underneath the same roof. Just being with her is putting her in danger. The hunger in her eyes last night is nothing compared to the moment when she told me that she wants me as much as I want her.
