Lucien
He stopped abruptly, holding me in his arms, laughing at my helplessness, at his power to reduce me to a weak and powerless mass of want, with just his kisses, rough and demanding.
‘Later, little sl*t,’ he growled arrogantly, sure of his hold over me; and I moved back, shakily, my limbs weak and trembling. ‘Later, I will come to you, for you to pleasure me.”
I turned away, breathing hard and he stepped behind me, his hands moving down my sides as he said in a hoarse whisper, ‘ Wait for me.’
I nodded and then he was gone, striding swiftly out of the room, leaving me trembling and vulnerable,
I shook my head. The man wielded the kind of power over me that made me dissolve into a gibbering idiot.
And this after so many years of marriage and having been together!
*
Ria
She stomped out of her brother’s room, her mouth a pout. She did not think for a minute that she was the kind of person who flirted. Okay, maybe once in a while, she batted her lashes and simpered, as she had read it being called in books of yore.
But…seriously?
As she passed one of her Pappa’s associates, she smiled at him and then saw the look of admiration, a quick look of something more that disappeared as quickly as it had come.
She walked on.
*
Philippe
He was issuing curt orders to his men for he was to be leaving for the Continent late in the evening. The Boss wanted him to meet an important dealer who lived in Azerbaijan. A new beginning, he had growled and Philippe had had an in-depth briefing as the Boss told him about the man he was about to meet, one of the most elusive, the most private of billionaires in the world, a man who hid away from the eye of the public. A noted arms dealer, he was also an old friend of Lucien Delano, a man who was passing on the reins of his empire to his children.
The summons from the Boss had come just a few hours ago and he had yet to break the news to Ria. The golden-headed beauty had stomped off in a fit of annoyance when he had gently reprimanded her for flirting. It was not so much her fault, he sighed, as he turned to see Mai, one of the women employed by Daniele, approaching him. Mai was of Vietnamese descent, pretty, and with a huge crush on him. She was two or three years older than him and Philippe had had to tell her that he was not interested in her.
He sighed. He so did not want to engage in a conversation with her, not now, when he was too busy to be able to resist her exploring hands and sidelong looks.
The way she fawned over him made him feel a sense of disgust. How could anyone keep coming when the object of their adoration was so plainly not interested? He raked his hands over his dark hair and watched the woman approach unsmilingly.
*
Ria had decided that maybe, just maybe, what Philippe had said was true. And since she had just heard from Piers that her Pappa was sending Philippe off to some remote part of Azerbaijan for almost a month, she was eager to see him, to kiss him goodbye before she returned home with her Mumma.
*
She quickly covered the small distance to the Capo’s office, shivering as the snow fell lightly on her shoulders. Quite a few of her Pappa’s men and the Capo’s crew were about although they drew back respectfully at her approach. But then, Albert, the man who was the Capo’s second in command, stepped forward.
“Ms. Ria, well…he Capo…he’s uh…busy in a meeting, I mean,’ stammered the man who was big and burly with as many tats as Philippe and who easily towered over Ria’s slight frame. She dimpled sweetly, her instincts on overdrive.
“Move out of my way, Albert,’ she instructed, her voice sounding a lot like her Mumma’s when the other woman was getting annoyed.
‘But…’ said Albert and then Ria saw, over his shoulder, a young and slender woman of Asian descent, step out.
Mai Chen.
She looked flushed and when she met Ria’s stormy gaze, she quickly turned and hurried up another path leading to the building. Her undue haste, the guilt on her face, made Ria’s temper shoot up and without another thought, she pushed the large man out of her way and barged into the Capo’s office.
*
Philippe turned in surprise, his gaze softening as he saw the woman he loved.
“Princess…,’ he began but never got further. Ria launched herself at him, scratching, kicking, hitting and he stood for a split second, taken by surprise. Then he grabbed her arms, lifting her off her feet effortlessly as he dumped her unceremoniously on the desk, sweeping the things onto the ground as he did so.
“The f*ck is the matter with you,’ he grunted as he bend her backward. Ria yelped as a very real fear coursed through her. He was not going to SPANK her, was he? She thought in horror. But he pressed to her, his hard muscular body against her back, her arm trapped behind her as he said,
‘Ria, do you think I want to even look at another woman?’ The sound of his voice, that of a man who was exasperated, made her slump in defeat. This was her Philippe, he would never hurt her. And she sighed.
‘I felt… I thought…’ he had spun her round so that they were now standing, their bodies against each other. Philippe had taken off his jacket and she could see the curling hair on his matted chest and she felt a sensation between her legs. A squeeze. Wetness.
She bit her lip, unable to meet his eyes which were molten and dark with passion. “The f…’ he said and turned away, his face clouded.
“Baby, I am leaving for Europe in a few hours. I wanted to see you and …’ Ria tugged him to her, standing on tiptoe to kiss him, her teeth nibbling on his lower lip, feeling his erection against her stomach as his hands slid up and down her sleeves, tenderly.
‘Philippe…’ she whispered and he groaned again,
“Baby, the Boss will be expecting me in five minutes.’
But he stopped as she unbuttoned her shirt, having discarded her jacket, exposing those pale globes of flesh which made him want to take her and hide her away. She batted her lashes and said sweetly,
“Capo? Can you please help me?’ and slid her hand down to her jeans, slipping out of them and her panties, and slipping a hand into her wet core.
With a feverish oath, his eyes glazed with desire, he was unzipping himself, revealing the large, thick mushroom head of his member which was already gleaming with precum.