Chapter 4
Chapter Four
F redrick
Her taste still lingers on my lips, intoxicating and addictive, as I head down the stairs. I thought giving in to my desires would finally satisfy the hunger gnawing at me for so long, but it’s only strengthened it.
The way she responded to my touch, the way she moaned and arched her back in ecstasy, it was like a drug coursing through my veins, leaving me craving more. I can't shake the feeling that this is just the beginning, that there is so much more to explore with her and more pleasure to discover between us.
I head for the door, ready to call my driver. It’s been a night. As I’m walking down the hall, Callum stops me. “Fredrick. Haud on. Can you give me a moment? ”
“Certainly.” A flash of guilt has my hand involuntarily swiping my face, hoping to remove any faint traces of his decadent sister from my mouth.
“Great,” he says. “Let’s talk in the hall.” I follow him through the doors.
The Burnes’ Norse Garden Estates staff are second to none. The party has only just ended and this room has been cleared, the decorations have been removed, and the hardwoods are gleaming. We sit across from one another at the massive oak trestle table and discuss our nemesis.
The Hoax is a gang which, up until recently, had kept their diabolical people-trafficking ring to the city of Glasgow. With the help of the only disloyal islander in Callum’s home, they tried to establish themselves on the shores of the family’s island.
Callum and his co-captain, Bayne of the Kings Mafia, who has kept the island safe and isolated from outside crime for nearly a decade, decided it would be best if the Kings created another branch of their crime organization in Glasgow to monitor and, hopefully, one day defeat the Hoax.
Thus, Callum Burnes began the Glasgow arm of the Kings Mafia. Cailean Bayne, known simply as Bayne, rules the island.
Callum recruited young adults from the island who wanted to explore the city to work as eyes and ears for the Kings. As a partner, I’ve been pulled in, offering my distillery bar and club as hosting grounds to employ the islanders as plants.
I tapped my eager apprentice—a bit of distillery humor for you—and whisky connoisseur Alex to run the distillery. Sabrina Lopez, a sharp-minded young lady who grew up with five older brothers and thus takes shit from no one, has taken my place running the day-to-day management of Frisky Whisky.
Declan, Callum’s right-hand man and a soldier of the Kings, will head the ear-to-the-ground surveillance we run from the West End club, Level Z, where all the players of Glasgow come out to party.
As time has passed, we’ve recruited trusted locals to join us, and we're united in our efforts to stop the Hoax.
People from all walks of life in Glasgow enjoy my business and delicious whisky.
The warm liquor loosens their tongues and spills their secrets to our pretty plants, who spy for us and report any essential information and minute detail they think might be important or valuable.
Callum and I meet weekly, if not daily, so I can fill him in on my team’s findings.
Our conversation lulls. The crackling fire in the Great Hall fills the brief silence. The flickering flames dance shadows on the white walls.
After a moment, Callum brings up the topic at the forefront of his mind.
Freya.
“I’d do anything to keep her safe.” His green eyes search my face for understanding.
Being a single child born to a man who thought children were just small-sized adults, I can’t fully understand his sibling loyalty.The Kings are the closest thing I have to family. Knowing Freya, though, I fully understand his devotion to her.
"Callum, you worry too much about Freya," I say as I lean back in my chair, the dimly lit room casting shadows across the long table between us. I think of her demanding her panties back from me. “She can hold her own.”
Trust me.
"I can't help it, Fredrick," Callum replies. "She's stubborn and reckless, always putting herself in danger without a second thought. I must find someone to protect her and make her see reason."
Callum's piercing green eyes bear into mine, his expression tense with concern for his beloved sister. “I tell her to take the car, and she walks. I tell her to keep her phone on at all times so we can trace her, and she purposefully leaves it in her office when she goes to lunch. I’ve got eyes and ears on her as much as possible, but it’s not enough. Not with the Hoax’s numbers growing.”
I nod slowly, knowing Freya's independent nature and stubborn refusal to heed warnings all too well. "Aye, brother," I reply, my voice grave with concern. “Freya is a force to be reckoned with, but even the sharpest sword needs a shield."
“I’m the one who’ll need a shield when she finds out what I’m planning.”
I want to laugh, but his face is lined with despair, so I don’t. “Everything is in place. As we discussed, I’ve found the perfect piece of real estate in Inverness. Bought it months ago. I’m just having Sabrina do her final run-through on the staff we’ll be transferring to work for us there. ”
“You’re a true friend, Fredrick. When I came to you asking for help, I thought ye’d think I was a wee bit mad. I’m lucky to have you come to my aid.”
We momentarily contemplate the crackling flames, listening to the wood shifting as it burns. "I'll do what I can to help you, Callum," I finally say, reaching across the table to grasp Callum's hand in solidarity. "We'll find someone who can match her fire. Who is strong enough to stand up to her. Someone who can protect her.”
Callum gives me a grateful smile, squeezing my hand in return. "Thank you, Fredrick. Your support means the world to me. Tell me about this prime piece of real estate you’ve purchased for us."
“The estate was first built in the 1800s—” I’ll have to fill him in on the details of the property later because, at this moment, the heavy wooden doors of the Great Hall swing open and Freya strides in, her ice-blonde hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. She wears a black silk robe over her slender body and puffy pink slippers on her feet.
There’s a rosy flush riding high on her cheekbones, and a cat that’s gotten the cream smile rests on her beautiful face—a look put there by my expert tongue. The secret knowledge turns me on.
Her green eyes flash in surprise to find me here with her brother, and the relaxed look is quickly replaced with distrust."What are you two plotting?" Freya asks, avoiding my gaze.
I hold back from tasting my lips as I watch her.
Callum clears his throat, exchanging a glance with me before speaking. "We were just talking business.”
Freya arches an eyebrow at her brother, clearly skeptical as she ignores me. "Is that so?" She crosses her arms over her chest, her expression daring him to continue. “Callum, this little fireside chat better not have anything to do with our conversation before the party.”
“Just work talk, Freya.” Callum, clearly ready to be out from under her investigative gaze after our conversation, stands, stretching with a yawn. “Fredrick, I’ll go find Declan. He can drive you home.”
“I’ll call my driver.” I stand to follow him from the room, bidding her, “Goodnight, Freya. Sweet dreams.”
Her arms stay crossed over her chest, one hip and her slim chin jutting out at me with defiance as she finally acknowledges my existence.
“Stay,” she demands. “I want to talk to you.”
Callum leaves us.
“Alright.” I remain standing, casually slipping my hands in my pockets. “What’s up?”
She pulls one arm from her chest to point to heaven. “What happened upstairs?”
“Yes?” A sly grin pulls at my mouth as I drag my tongue over my lips for a final taste of her.
“That…” Her arms go back to crossed, a shield to keep me out, but she can’t stop the blush that reddens from watching my lips. “Will never. EVER. Happen again.”
Having had her say, she turns on her pink-slippered heel like she’s wearing five-inch stilettos and strides from the room.
I can’t resist her. I can’t ignore the heated tension that tugs and pulls between us, no matter how hard I try. Freya is a temptation I can no longer deny, a forbidden fruit I must taste again, even as I assist her brother in finding her a husband.
I need more Freya.