Chapter Twenty-Seven
Nera
The centennial anniversary party for Crowned King Industries is held in the palatial Grand Ballroom of the Ritz, the most lavish hotel in London. The party itself is as equally grandiose as the chosen location.
The room is decorated with countless gold mesh floor lamps and lit with priceless and resplendent chandeliers. The subdued atmosphere of the lighting is luxurious and by no means the only sign of opulence. French art adorns the walls and champagne towers stand at all four corners of the room, two of the tables framing a makeshift stage. Acrobats in reflective gold uniforms hang from floating wheels, their bodies moving in slow, sultry dances above our heads as we walk in.
Clearly, CKI spared no expense to celebrate this landmark anniversary and the show takes my breath away.
My neck is craned, my face aimed at the sky as I watch the artists, when someone comes up from behind me and smacks my ass.
“Hey, hot stuff,” a seductive voice whispers in my ear.
“Ow,” I moan, gently rubbing at the still sore flesh to appease the stinging.
Thayer appears beside me with a sly smirk on her face. “Not the first time someone’s done that to you today, is it, Nerita?”
I roll my eyes at her and don’t fight the smile that pulls at my lips.
“Keep your hands off my wife’s ass, Thayer,” Tristan drawls, appearing on my other side and handing me a champagne flute. He presses a kiss to my temple and walks off to catch up with the guys.
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you to share , Tristan?” Thayer calls after him. “How about you get one cheek and I get the other? No?”
We both laugh when he pretends to plug his ears with his fingers, not even bothering to look over his shoulder and back at her.
“They’re so fun to mess with.”
“Who is?” Sixtine asks, appearing next to me. “Hi,” she says, kissing both of our cheeks.
“Our husbands,” Thayer answers.
“Oof. A word of advice — don’t mess with Phoenix tonight, he’s not in the mood,” Six replies.
“How come?”
“Wait, don’t gossip without me!” We turn to find Bellamy holding the hem of her black gown and racing towards us as best she can in her high heels. “Hi, so glad you guys could make it,” she says, flushed from the effort. “What are we talking about?”
“Apparently Phoenix is to be given a wide berth tonight,” Thayer explains. “Six was about to tell us why.”
“Astra came home from school with a Valentine’s Day card from a boy.” Six sighs. “Phoenix didn’t take it well. He’s been calling other schools all afternoon to try and get her enrolled in a new one by tomorrow.”
I hid my laugh behind my flute and catch Thayer doing the same.
“I’m surprised he was unsuccessful,” Bellamy comments.
“It’s Saturday . He was pulling people away from their brunch plans or their children’s activities, so they weren’t exactly in the mood to do what he wanted. And since he was threatening them over the phone and not in person, it was easy for them to just hang up on him and face the consequences later. You can imagine how much that thrilled him.”
“So where did you leave it?”
“I won in the end. I finally got him to agree to let her stay at her school,” Six answers proudly. “Oh, and to only threaten people Monday through Friday, and not on weekends. It’s common decency.”
I lift a brow at her. “And what did that cost you?”
Six blushes the color of her red dress.
“Not another “horseback ride”, I beg you,” Thayer says, horrified.
“No!” she replies, swatting at her. “He wanted… Do y— Do you know what free use is?”
This time, the three of us don’t bother hiding our laughter.
“Sounds like he won,” Bellamy says with a grin.
Six nods. “He did. I’ll be honest, I might not even make it a full day. He’s… Well, it’s only been seven hours and already five times . If he continues at this pace, you’re going to have to cart whatever’s left of my body around in a wheelchair by the time next Saturday rolls around. J’en peux plus .”
Bellamy looks over her shoulder at where our husbands are standing together on the other side of the room. Phoenix is speaking, hands buried in his pockets, looking as bored and unmoved as he usually does.
“Do you think he’s introducing them to the concept of free use as we speak?” she questions thoughtfully.
“If he is, no need for him to talk to Tristan about it. He’s already very familiar with the subject,” I note, taking a demure sip of champagne.
Six rounds on me. “You’ve been holding out on us!”
“It was his anniversary present last year. Remember that week we went away to Florence just the two of us? I’d planned an entire itinerary full of museums, wineries, restaurants, you know, the best the city has to offer,” I tell them. “We didn’t leave the room once for those five days.”
“I wondered why you didn’t get me a souvenir.”
“Yum,” Thayer answers with a smile. “But he needs to keep that concept far away from Rhys.”
“Really?” Bellamy asks, glancing at her. “I’d have thought this would be right up your alley.”
“He’s a professional athlete , B. Phoenix went five times in seven hours but if Rhys ever gets the greenlight from me on this, he’ll go seven for seven plus an eighth and ninth time for good measure and a tenth just to gloat. For my and my vagina’s sakes, let’s keep him to his normal appetites.”
“What about you, B?” I ask.
“Phoenix can feel free to gossip to Rogue about it whenever he wants,” she answers with a sultry smile.“I’m intrigued.”
Before we can say anything else, a woman in a sober black dress wearing an earpiece comes up to her and whispers something in her ear. Bellamy listens, nodding, then turns back towards us with a smile. “An issue with the canapes, if you can believe it. I need to handle this — I’ll see you guys in a bit.”
“That’s a mic drop exit if I’ve ever seen one,” Thayer laughs.
Bellamy walks off with a wink. She’s barely gone when a phone starts to ring.
Thayer grabs her clutch from where she has it held under her arm and pulls out her phone.
“I should take this, it’s the babysitter,” she explains, turning on her heels and walking off.
“ Et il n’en resta plus que deux ,” Six says, smiling at me.
I hook my arm in hers. “The OGs.”
Together we move closer to the dancefloor and the countless couples who sway to the soft notes of classical music. We stand off to the side, near one of the pillars.
“Can you believe this is our life?” Six asks. “We met in Hong Kong, we went to school together in Switzerland, and now we live in London. We’re godmothers to each other’s children and our husbands are best friends. Can you believe we got this lucky?”
Truthfully, the answer is no. For so long everything in my life seemed to be going wrong. I had bad luck after bad encounter in a constantly repeating cycle.
That all changed almost overnight.
I often pinch myself to make sure the last eighteen years haven’t been a dream.
I hold my breath before every pinch, scared this is going to be one time the result is different, but I’ve never woken up.
This is actually my life and I’m so grateful for it.
“I knew you were going to be by my side for the rest of my life the day I met you, but no, I never imagined that we could have everything else. I would have called myself unbelievably greedy if I’d even tried to ask for all of this.”
She squeezes my hand. “Same.”
I hesitate before I ask my next question, but only for a moment. “We haven’t talked about it in a while, and maybe that’s intentional, but I wanted to see if you had talked about adoption again? I know Astra is your entire world—have you guys closed the topic off entirely?”
“We talked about it recently, actually. We’re both on the same page that we don’t necessarily need any other children.” Six gets a thoughtful look in her eye that tells me that even though she’s taken a brief pause, she hasn’t actually finished talking. “For me, the subject of adopting another baby is closed. But, I’ll be honest — the more I work with high-risk families and see these abandoned kids going into the care system, the more it breaks my heart. If we were going to adopt, it would definitely be an older child.”
Six is the definition of a bleeding heart. She’s absolutely brilliant but that’s only part of what makes her a formidable solicitor. She cares about everyone equally, whether friend or stranger, and with a fierce, relentless passion I’ve never seen in anyone else.
Time and time again, I’ve watched her go to war in defense of children and their families and win. She’s truly the most selfless person I’ve ever met.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea and it makes so much sense.”
Her face softens. Relief crosses her features like maybe she thought I’d think otherwise. “Really?”
“Of course. There are so many children in care who need homes.”
“There are!” she exclaims, her passions igniting. “Phoenix actually just surprised me by making a very sizable donation to this charity called No Child Left Behind . I’d mentioned it to him in passing and he… well, they called and let me know they’re going to be able to open two new homes and house thirty kids full time until adulthood because of him.”
“I think he lives exclusively to find ways to put a smile on your face.”
“He’s very good at it,” she admits, the signature smile her husband loves to pull out of her blooming on her lips.
I look over at where the guys are standing and find Phoenix with his gaze pinned heatedly on his wife. She hasn’t noticed yet, too busy telling me about how they’re not rushing into adoption and ‘they’ll know’ if and when the right child comes along. Phoenix tracks every movement of her lips the entire time she speaks. He’s too far away to hear a word she says or even read her lips, but he stares anyway, his gaze unwavering. Rogue, Tristan, and Rhys talk animatedly around him but he pays them no mind.
When he sees me watching him, he tips his chin at me in a request to get his wife’s attention.
“Um, Sixtine,” I say, clearing my throat. The intensity of his gaze on her has me feeling flush via secondhand contact.
“Yeah?”
“I think Phoenix might be ready for round six.”
“What?” She lifts her head and looks around until her gaze connects with his. He tilts his head to the side slowly, his face settling into a peaceful expression but his eyes turning smoldering with possession.
“Yeah, he’s definitely ready for round six.”
A blush creeps steadily up her neck. “Oh.”
“ Go before he causes a scene. We can talk later,” I add with a laugh.
“Bye,” she answers distractedly, her feet already carrying her across the room to him.
Phoenix doesn’t let her do all the work—he leaves the trio behind and meets her halfway. He swallows her hand in his and tugs her after him, no doubt to find the nearest room with a locking door. This is a five-star hotel so one item this place has in excess is beds, but something tells me Phoenix isn’t going to have the patience to go through the process of checking into a room before having his way with Six.
“I’m glad your friend finally left,” a voice calls from behind me.
I turn to find an attractive man with blond hair and blue eyes, a lean build, wearing an expensive tux standing before me. He gives me a charming smile.
“I’ve been waiting all night for a chance to get you alone.” His eyes rake languidly down the length of my body and back up. He hums appreciatively. “That’s a very beautiful dress.”
I’m wearing a burnt orange designer gown with an embellished illusion bodice. The peplum style top is crowned with a sweetheart neckline. It narrows at the waist and flares at my hips before dropping into a straight, floor-length skirt. With my pitch-black hair pinned away from my face and straightened into a glossy mane down my back, I know I look both elegant and beautiful.
“Thank you,” I say, and because I’m not in the mood to extend this conversation any longer than is strictly necessary, I add with a decided lack of subtlety, “My husband is going to be ripping it off me later tonight. I’d wager with his teeth.”
I get a real kick out of watching the man choke on a sip of champagne. He brings his glass down from his lips and coughs, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Well, that’s certainly one way to tell me you’re not interested.”
“Would you like to hear another?” inquires a dark voice at my back.
A chest presses against me from behind and ignites a fire low in my gut with the barest of touches. The heat of his body envelops mine and makes my heart clench violently in response to his presence. I’m not surprised; Tristan is never far from me at these events, no matter what it may look like. He lurks close even when we’re separated, always at the ready to intervene if needed.
And clearly, right now he feels it’s needed.
My pulse flutters when I feel the dominant press of his hand on my waist. A wave of arousal washes over my skin, tightening my nipples and causing a raw ache to throb in my pussy.
He curls me territorially into his side and I can’t help but moan softly at the feel of him against me, at the way he overtakes my senses.
Similarly affected, Tristan makes a quiet noise of pure male satisfaction when I lean closer still and daintily cover his left hand on my waist with mine.
The man’s eyes drop down once more, this time registering the large diamond ring now visible on my fourth finger.
“Apologies.” He inclines his head in a conciliatory manner, his tone amiable. “I didn’t realize she was taken.”
“My wife very much is,” Tristan answers, not without bite. “And now you know, so leave.”
The man puts his hands up in a universal sign of surrender and backs away, eventually disappearing into the crowd.
Tristan waits until he’s gone before he spins me in his arms. His hands find my ass in a way that’s completely inappropriate for polite company, but he’s never been one to care much about society rules anyway.
“Good girl.” He massages my flesh, taking in and enjoying the way I wince at the soreness. “You’re such a good girl,” he purrs approvingly.
The lowered pitch of his voice sends a tremor coursing through my body.
“Why?”
“You told him to fuck off so creatively.”
He smirks, an arrogant smile that tells me he’s going to take his time with me later, then releases my ass and steps back. He extends a hand towards me, smiling in a way that makes him look devilishly handsome.
“May I have this dance?”
“Always.” I place my palm in his and he pulls me to the center of the dance floor. His arms circle my waist as mine do his neck and we turn about the room staring into each other’s eyes.
“He was right about one thing.” Tristan’s wolfish eyes drag slowly down from my face to my body before coming back up to my eyes. “It’s a beautiful dress. Can I really tear it off you later?”
I press closer until every inch of me is glued to him.
“I wore it for you.”
He delivers a sharp swat to my ass in the middle of the dancefloor. “Behave,” he orders. “We have to stay until the speeches are over.”
I look up at him from beneath my lashes. “Yes, chef.”
He groans and spins then dips me, eliciting a gasp from my lips. “You know what it reminds me of?”
“What?”
He pulls me back up and twirls me. When I’m held snugly back in his arms, he says, “The dress you wore to the Mackley Library grand opening all those years ago.”
My mouth drops. “How do you still remember that?”
“It was a memorable night,” he answers. “The dress. The forest. The chase.” In an instant, his eyes turn smoky with arousal. “The moment I caught you.”
The temperature of the room feels like it inches up ten unbearable degrees.
“ You behave,” I murmur.
“Impossible when you’re in my arms, in that dress, and I have a movie of that night playing on loop in my head.”
The sound of the music stopping and metal clinking on glass saves me from answering or finding whatever broom closet Phoenix and Sixtine went off to and getting our turn in next.
Fanning my face with my hand, I turn in Tristan’s arms and look towards a makeshift stage at the far end of the ballroom.
Rogue holds a mic in one hand and a champagne flute in the other as the room comes steadily to a quiet. Bellamy stands next to him, smiling out into the crowd. Her eyes search for mine and twinkle when they find them.
“Did we miss anything?” Six asks, reappearing besides me with her hair decidedly more disheveled than the last time I saw her. Phoenix is on her other side, his hand clamped possessively on her waist.
“Nope,” I answer, wetting my thumb and running it under her eye to clean up the smudge of mascara I see there.
“Thanks,” she says with a laugh.
“Sorry about that,” Thayer says, breathless. “Ivy wanted me to— Six, what the hell happened to you?” Her eyes move from our friend’s rumpled appearance over to the proudly smug husband standing next to her and she puts two and two together. “Never mind. Six times ?” she mouths at her, holding up that many fingers.
When Sixtine nods, Thayer gives her an impressed thumbs up then looks around helplessly.
“Where’s my—”
“I’m right here, love,” Rhys answers, coming up behind her. Thayer melts into his embrace, settling back into his chest the way I am with Tristan.
Rogue cuts an impressive, intimidating figure on stage. He’s unsmiling, his sharp and cutting eyes without a trace of humor as he looks out coldly at the hundreds of people who’ve all gathered to worship at his altar.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight to celebrate Crowned King Industries’ centennial anniversary.” He pauses as the crowd breaks out into polite applause, many of the attendees, including ourselves, clients of the company. “It’s been almost eighteen years since I took over the business and a lot has changed in that time.” He smirks, the expression as ice cold as the rest of him. “Your portfolios are proof that change has been for the better. Most notably, I’m proud to announce that in tandem with our hundredth anniversary, we’re also celebrating CKI crossing the one hundred and fifty billion pound threshold in revenue.” This time, the applause is anything but polite. The crowd cheers loudly, whooping and praising the significant growth they’ve seen in their personal bank accounts.
Rogue looks unmoved by it all, sounding about as emotionally invested in his news as he would be reading out the specials menu at a random Mexican restaurant. He’s a predator, no matter where he is or what he wears, and a tux does nothing to calm the violence that thrums off him in waves.
It’s only when he glances over at Bellamy that the mask pulls back and his face softens. If I hadn’t seen that very same look on his face almost every day for the past eighteen years, I would find the transformation unbelievable to witness. Even now as the crowd quiets, I can hear the titters of conversation from interested onlookers rippling around us.
“I’m far prouder to announce news that’s infinitely more personal and important to me,” he continues, extending his hand towards Bellamy who takes it. “And that’s that after what feels like a lifetime of begging on my hands and knees, I’ve finally convinced my brilliant wife to join CKI as our Global Chief Counsel.”
He tugs a smiling Bellamy into him and crashes his mouth to hers, kissing her in front of a roomful of people, seemingly unaware or uncaring of the fact that we all hear his happy moan because he’s still holding the mic up.
They break apart and she wipes the lipstick off his mouth with her thumb.
“Cheers, sweetheart,” he murmurs with charming sincerity, turning back towards the crowd with her hand still clasped in his. He starts talking about the value she’ll bring to the company, but I don’t listen.
I glance at Six to find her beaming at them.
“How do you feel about this?”
“Oh, I’m so happy for them both,” she answers, grabbing my hand in hers before looking back at our friends. “I’ve had her for twelve years, it’s his turn now. I mean look at him.” She motions at Rogue with a tip of her chin. “Have you ever seen him so…content?”
Rogue’s speech finished, he and Bellamy are walking down the few makeshift steps to rejoin their guests. Rogue goes first, looking back to help his wife down with a possessive hand on her hip. His eyes stay pinned on the stairs to make sure her feet don’t get caught in her dress.
Once she’s safe on the ballroom floor next to him, his gaze moves up to hers and he laughs. He laughs like I’ve only ever seen him do maybe a handful of times in my life, every past time in similar reaction to something his wife said. His face relaxes and transforms, all the demons and violence and anger wiping away like they were never there.
“See?” Six says, eyes twinkling. “He needs her more than I do.”
“Are you going to rename the firm then?” Thayer asks.
“Definitely not. B wants to keep doing some pro bono work through us so she’ll still be involved. Even so, we would never drop her name. We started it with her and nothing changes that.”
“You’re not?”
The six of us turn to find Bellamy and Rogue behind us. They worked their way down the sides of the ballroom to find us so we didn’t see their approach.
“Course not,” Phoenix answers in his usual straightforward fashion.
Tears well in Bellamy’s eyes and she does her best to blink them away. “That… That means a lot to me. Thank you.”
“Of course!” Six says sincerely before giving her one of her famous hugs.
Thayer doesn’t wait to be invited; she joins in, her arms wrapping around the both of them. “Congrats, B!”
Never much of a hugger myself, I find I can’t resist the pull. I’m the fourth to join and they open up their arms to make room for me. We hug for a long time and when I crack open an eye and peek over Thayer’s shoulder, I find our four husbands staring fondly back at us.
***