Chapter 15 ~ Isabella ~
N ervously, I rummaged through the drawers of my desk. Wasn't there a piece of jewelry somewhere that I could wear? Without jewelry, I felt... a little naked. Of course, I wasn't naked. Just as Carter had requested, I was wearing the green organza dress I had worn to Fiona's bachelorette party. Again, I marveled at how it felt like that evening was an eternity ago. Yet only two nights had passed since then.
In the desk drawers, I found old pens, a partially used punch card for a swimming pool, two key chains without keys, some old receipts, and a lot of other junk.
But no jewelry. No necklace, no earrings, no bracelet.
Disappointed, I closed the bottom drawer and went to the bathroom to touch up my eyeliner. I had misplaced or probably lost my liquid eyeliner at work a while ago. Well, I could still use kohl pencil for my eyeliner. It looked almost as good. In any case, it was better than nothing.
The kohl pencil was dull. Very dull. I had meant to sharpen it a while ago. Back then, I couldn't find the sharpener. But it had to be in the white bathroom cabinet above the sink. I probably just hadn't looked properly at the time. I opened the left door. Nothing. The middle door. Still nothing. Disheartened, I tried my luck with the right door.
There!
The kohl sharpener.
And next to it... the necklace Joanna had given me! The green stone gleamed at me so innocently, as if it had been lying here the whole time. Right in front of my eyes.
That was probably the case. I must have put the necklace here shortly before the bachelorette party. I had probably wanted to sharpen the kohl. Why else would I have put the necklace here?
Anyway.
The main thing was that I had Joanna's gift back. This necklace meant more to me than any other piece of jewelry I had ever owned. At this moment, I was deeply grateful for my absent-mindedness for the very first time. If I hadn't left the necklace in the bathroom cabinet, it would be gone now. Forever. Because then the burglars would have taken it, and I would have had virtually no chance of ever holding Joanna's gift in my hands again.
Overjoyed, I grabbed the necklace and put it around my neck. The green stone was an absolute eye-catcher and matched the color of the dress perfectly.
And I no longer felt so naked.
Perfect.
Now I just needed to do my eyeliner, and I would be ready for my first evening with Carter. The thought made my heart race. Technically, it was our second evening. Our first evening had been the bachelorette party.
Isabella, hurry up and get ready! You don't want to keep Carter waiting. For once, you'll manage to be on time.
At that moment, the doorbell rang. Startled, I made a slightly too hasty movement with my right arm. Horrified, I stared into the mirror. The eyeliner I had just applied was completely ruined.
Someone was at the door downstairs.
And that someone could only be Carter.
Damn it!
What should I do?
I couldn't possibly go out like this!
I had to ask Carter to wait for me for a moment. As quickly as I could, I hurried to the intercom. "Yes?" I said.
"Carter here."
"I'll be right down. Just a moment," I replied and hung up the intercom receiver before Carter could answer. I hurried back to the bathroom. At this moment, I was glad I had only used a kohl pencil for the eyeliner and not a classic liquid eyeliner. Kohl was easier to remove. I reached for the makeup remover, put some liquid on a cotton pad, and carefully removed the worst of the damage. I then gently patted my eyelid dry and set about drawing a new line of kohl. First the left eye. Then the right eye. At that moment, the doorbell rang a second time.
I immediately lowered my hand. Now I had a half-drawn eyeliner. And downstairs stood Carter, who surely wanted to know where I was.
I quickly hurried back to the intercom and pressed the button. "I'm coming!" I called hastily into the receiver and hung it back in its place.
Damn it, Isabella! Do you have to keep Carter waiting of all people! Can't you be on time just once?
These thoughts weren't helping me now. I took a deep breath and looked in the mirror again. Then I raised my hand with the kohl pencil and drew the missing half of the line.
Perfect.
Satisfied, I lowered my hand and looked at myself in the mirror. But not for too long. I quickly put the kohl pencil aside. I could tidy up later. Now I wanted to get to Carter. I turned off the light in the bathroom, grabbed my spring coat and my handbag in the hallway, and opened the apartment door.
Ding!
Just as I was locking the door behind me, the elevator doors opened.
Carter?
Nonsense, Isabella.
Hayley stepped out of the elevator.
"Isabella. Oh! You look wonderful!" Hayley beamed at me.
"Thank you," I beamed back, enjoying the compliment.
"So you're meeting him now?" Hayley wanted to know. She looked at me curiously.
"Yes. But I'm terribly late. We can chat in detail another time. I'll come by your place and we'll cook something nice. Or at my place. Or we'll go out. I still owe you for your help." With Carter's money, I would soon be able to treat my friend to a fancy night out as a thank you for her support. The idea felt good.
"That's not necessary," Hayley waved off.
"We'll talk about this later," I called out as I squeezed past Hayley into the elevator. I had to leave quickly, otherwise Carter would probably be raising hell downstairs. And rightfully so. Or he might drive off annoyed.
This thought caused a strange twinge in my stomach.
When I stepped out of the elevator a little later and opened the front door, I was relieved to see that Carter's red Ferrari was still parked in front of the building. He was double-parked, earning the ire of numerous other drivers. But that didn't seem to bother him. As soon as he saw me coming out of the building, he got out of the car and gallantly held the passenger door open for me. He was wearing a suit. And sneakers. Just like last time.
"Hello, fiancée," he said in that deep voice that made my skin tingle again.
"Hello, fiancé," I replied, smiling at him. His bright blue eyes bore into mine.
"I'd kiss you like proper fiancés should. But then we'd probably be blocking traffic even longer." Carter looked at me steadily. His promising words sent another shiver down my spine. I quickly got into the Ferrari before Carter could notice what I was thinking.
What I was thinking about.
His kisses.
Our night together.
"I'm sorry I'm so late and you had to wait," I apologized when Carter was seated next to me in the car. "I had to look for a few things. Someone broke into my place yesterday and it kind of messed everything up." It was only half the truth, but Carter didn't need to know that. I didn't have to tell him right away that I was often late because, in my absentmindedness, I rarely found all the things I needed for an appointment immediately. And I certainly wouldn't tell him that I couldn't find some things at all because I had completely misplaced them.
"Someone broke into your place?" Carter probed. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?" The concerned undertone in his voice made me feel good.
Isabella! Remember everything you discussed with Hayley. This is just about fun. And Carter is probably only asking so concernedly because he wants to make sure you can play his fiancée and keep your part of the agreement.
"No, no, everything's fine," I assured him. I quickly changed the subject. "So you were able to pick up the Ferrari from the shop?"
"Yeah, it wasn't a big deal," said Carter, who nevertheless wouldn't be deterred from the topic. "So nothing happened in your apartment except for a bit of a mess?"
"Nothing valuable was stolen," I answered, touched despite myself by how much Carter cared about me. "It's just in complete disarray."
"It's the same at my place," Carter admitted at that moment. My eyes widened in surprise. Had I found a kindred spirit? Someone who found it as difficult as I did to keep things tidy? I wasn't like this on purpose, but actually wanted to put everything back in its place. I just couldn't manage it.
"Really? There's chaos at your place?" I marveled. Carter's penthouse hadn't looked messy at all last night. It had seemed quite tidy. Spotless, even.
"I ordered a new kitchen and the furniture was supposed to arrive and be installed the day before yesterday. But some part was missing and now the stove couldn't be properly connected. It's just sitting loosely in its place. My housekeeper is pretty upset about it."
"Oh," I said. New kitchen. Stove not properly installed. I wish I had problems like that. And above all, I wish I had a housekeeper. Then my place would look spotless too and I wouldn't misplace anything anymore.
Housekeeper.
That could take a while.
Maybe when I had my own boutique hotel.
That dream was in the distant future.
First, I needed to find a new job. Playing Carter's fiancée only gave me a reprieve. I couldn't forget that. It felt so good and natural to sit here next to him and drive through the streets of New York that the problems I had in my life seemed to disappear completely.
"Here we are," Carter interrupted my thoughts and stopped in front of the entrance of a very upscale-looking hotel. Thankfully, it wasn't the hotel where I had worked until recently. "There's a very good restaurant here and we're going to eat and have a good time now."
Contentedly, I leaned back in my chair nearly an hour later. The restaurant was indeed excellent. I had rarely eaten so well. A shrimp cocktail salad with tomatoes, avocado, green salad, and nuts for starters, and for the main course, a roulade with pesto, bacon, and sugar snap peas, along with some homemade potato gratin.
"Dessert?" Carter inquired, while I surveyed my surroundings for surely the tenth time. Floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto one of Manhattan's quieter streets. Since we were sitting on the first floor, I had the impression of being a little above the action outside while still being able to follow everything closely. Inside, there was subtle lighting with warm light, comfortable chairs with light gray leather upholstery, and beautiful decor with light pink artificial flowers. I stored everything in my memory. Who knows, maybe one day I would have my boutique hotel and then I could find inspiration in my memories.
"Thank you," I smiled at Carter now. "I'd love to have dessert. But I don't think my stomach is big enough for it."
Carter grinned. "That's a nice way of putting it."
I was just about to reply when we were interrupted by loud scolding from the next table. Involuntarily, I turned around. An older lady with particularly chic clothing, too much makeup, three thick necklaces, and purple hair was hissing at the waitress: "I've never eaten anything like this! You don't seriously think I'm going to pay for this, do you?"
"You could have complained right away," the waitress replied calmly. "But as I can see, you've eaten everything. So the food couldn't have been that bad." With these words, she pointed to the lady's empty plate.
"I only ate that out of politeness," the lady retorted. "But I won't be paying." She leaned on her dark wooden walking stick and rose from her chair with surprising agility. "Tell your cook he needs to learn how to cook properly first. The meat was far from well-done."
"It was cooked exactly as you requested." The waitress remained calm. I watched her with sympathy. I really wouldn't have wanted to be in her shoes. Did Hayley have to deal with such things in her job too? I hoped she was spared from insults and complaints, or at least didn't have to endure them too often. Eating something and then refusing to pay was truly the lowest of the low. Especially since the lady, judging by her appearance, certainly had more than enough money!
Undeterred, the woman now pushed past the waitress, using her cane to make way. At that moment, Carter stood up and blocked her path.
"Get out of my way, young man. I need to get through," the woman snapped.
"First, you need to pay," Carter reprimanded the woman. "Then you can go wherever you want. You ate here, so you pay. If you're not satisfied with the quality, you can certainly complain. But that doesn't give you the right to skip out on the bill. Besides, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the food here. I'm often a guest here, and everything is always excellent."
The waitress looked at Carter gratefully.
"Out of my way," the woman barked at Carter. But Carter didn't budge an inch and continued to eye the woman steadily.
"You're staying here until you've paid. Or until the police arrive." Carter was unyielding. The older woman with purple hair continued to stare at him, fiddling with her thick gold chains. After a while, she gave in.
"How much do I owe you?" she asked the waitress. However, in a tone that made it clear she was only paying to finally be left in peace and didn't really believe she owed anything.
Carter sat back down and signaled to the waitress. "We'll pay now too. And the food was absolutely delicious."
When the old lady had disappeared, the waitress came to our table. "I've never experienced anything like that before."
"It's outrageous," Carter agreed. "Unfortunately, people are becoming more and more brazen."
"At her age, the lady should know better. Oh well." The waitress shrugged and had obviously already mentally moved on from the incident.
As I stood up, Carter helped me into my coat and took my hand. The touch sent a warm shiver through my body.
"This is how engaged couples leave a restaurant, I've been told," he grinned.
"Surely." What did he mean by that? Was he just doing this to keep up appearances? Or did he really want to hold my hand? This man really drove me crazy time and time again. I couldn't read anything from his behavior. Or everything.
I was still thinking about Carter when we were back in his Ferrari.
"We're going to my place," Carter decided as he merged into New York traffic.
Wow. That was direct.
"I've prepared a contractual agreement that you still need to sign. It regulates the payment and your duties. One accompaniment to a charity dinner. That will be our dress rehearsal. And then my brother's wedding." At these words, Carter's brows furrowed. No wonder, given what he had told me about his relationship with his brother. Not a particularly close one, to put it mildly. Somehow, I was quite curious to meet the rest of Carter's family. What were they like? His parents? The grandmother?
"You're not saying anything. Do you feel ready?" Carter asked.
"What? Oh... yes, of course," I replied quickly.
Ready for what?
Twenty minutes later, we entered the penthouse. Again, I marveled at the elevator that led directly upstairs. Although this time we weren't coming from the street, but from the underground garage. Still, just stepping out of the elevator right into his own living room was something special. Carter had pulled out his phone in the elevator and quickly answered some messages.
Who was he texting?
Were there other women in his life?
After all, I was just a temporary figure for him too.
Wasn't I?
Now Carter placed the smartphone on a sideboard that looked both simple and elegant. In fact, I particularly liked the furniture in Carter's penthouse. Timeless, modern, elegant, and not overcrowded. I'd love to live like this too. But unfortunately, I wouldn't have the money for that in the foreseeable future.
Slowly, I took off my spring coat and laid it over the sofa.
"The view here is really wonderful," I remarked quietly and stepped up to the fully glazed window front.
"Indeed," Carter agreed. Then he suddenly stepped in front of me, blocking my view. He fixed me with his bright blue eyes. "A particularly wonderful view," he murmured and traced my jawbone with his index finger. With the touch came the memory of Carter's body on mine. In mine. My skin began to tingle and I swallowed hard. Carter first caressed my cheeks. Then my neck. After that, he traced my décolletage with one finger. Just as he had done in the hotel.
I closed my eyes and gave myself completely to this touch.
You're allowed to have fun now, Isabella.
"That's a beautiful necklace," he remarked.
"Mhm..." was all I could manage. I couldn't form a coherent sentence at that moment. My core was already burning slightly and everything in me screamed for more touches from Carter. For more intense touches.
"With nothing on but the necklace, you'd surely look even better," Carter whispered then. He stepped closer to me and undid the zipper of my dress. The delicate green fabric fell to the floor. Carter moved even closer to me and pressed himself against me so that I could feel his arousal.
"Oh yes," I moaned. It felt so good to feel so desired. Carter's hands caressed my back. Gentle yet firm. He unhooked my bra. The burning in my core intensified, and I could feel myself getting wet. Very wet. I had never been this aroused in my life before. Now I was wearing only my necklace. Just as Carter had wished.
Slowly, I ran my hands over Carter's chest. It was unfair that he was still fully dressed while I wore nothing but my panties. Quickly, I slipped Carter's jacket off his shoulders and started working on the buttons of his shirt. I wanted to feel him. Everywhere.
Carter helped me, and soon after, his clothes fell to the floor. Right after that, I was completely naked too.
Carter placed his hand on my hip and pulled me close. Finally, I could feel his skin. His muscles. His athletic body now pressed against mine. Carter's bright blue eyes burned with desire, and that look aroused me even more. I moaned softly. At that exact moment, Carter pressed his lips to mine, and we kissed. Wild. Passionate. Our tongues intertwined, separated, and intertwined again. When Carter pulled back a few millimeters, another moan escaped me. A loud moan.
I had never wanted a man so badly before.
If our night at the hotel had been as wild and passionate as sex could only be with a lot of alcohol, this was now... as wild and passionate as sex could only be when you still couldn't get enough of each other after a long night.
I grasped Carter's cock with my right hand and began to massage it firmly and energetically. What an incredible feeling. To feel him getting harder and harder under my touch. A deep, full moan escaped Carter's throat.
"Oh yes, Isabella!"
I continued massaging and playing with Carter's cock and balls. Exploring his body. I had lost all sense of time and couldn't say how long we had been standing like this when Carter took my hand and gently but firmly removed it from his cock. He pulled me to the black leather sofa, sat down, and lifted me onto his hips.
"Oh yesss," I moaned and leaned far back as I felt him filling me completely. I leaned back as far as I could and began to ride Carter. Slowly at first, then faster and faster. Carter moved in the right rhythm, and so we drove each other towards climax. Carter's cock was deeper and deeper inside me.
God, I had never felt this good in my life. What I was experiencing here was more than just great sex. It was entering a completely new universe.
Carter grasped my hips and pushed me down on him as far as possible.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
On the fourth time, a massive wave of pleasure shot through my entire body. I came like I had never come before. There wasn't a millimeter of my skin that didn't seem to glow.
"Yesss," I moaned, long and drawn out.
Carter pushed me down onto his hips one last time.
"Oh Isabella," he moaned loudly and panted as he found his release inside me.