15. April 11, 2023 #2
She wiped her fingers on her napkin to remove any chocolate or cream, and then she served the tea. She poured a small amount of milk into Demon’s cup, then poured in the tea. After filling her own cup and Zion’s, she added sugar to hers.
Zion leaned back in his chair and took a sip from his cup.
“Thank you, my dear. Well, I’ve tried to make sure that every comfort is at your fingertips while you’re here.
I must admit I’m surprised by your visit, bèl fi .
After all, you’ve gracefully refused me for years.
Then suddenly you message me that you’d like to bring your new husband to visit me.
While I’m delighted, I can’t help but wonder if there’s some ulterior motive for your visit? ”
She affected an embarrassed look as best she could, hoping blushing cheeks accompanied it.
“Soufrière has always been one of my favorite places to visit, and Ciarán has never been here, so I thought it would be a perfect place for us to visit on our honeymoon. So romantic and all. Plus, you know how much I hate hotels—too many strangers too close together. I never feel quite as… private… as I’d like to be. ”
“So you choose to visit family on your honeymoon? That’s even less private than strangers in a hotel,” he teased.
“Yes, well, I have another reason for seeking you out, but it can wait. I’d rather get my bearings and relax a little. Do some sightseeing with Ciarán, visit with you, before I bring up business.”
“Business? I’m intrigued. However, I won’t press.
Speaking of business, I mentioned in my email that I have some associates coming in tomorrow.
They’ll be leaving by Monday, but there’ll be a formal dinner tomorrow night, some dancing, the usual party atmosphere, before we have our official meeting on Sunday morning.
” His attention turned to Demon once more.
“Do you have a tuxedo, or should I call my tailor in the city and have you fitted?”
“I have my own, thank you. Esme made sure I was prepared. We’d love to join you, as long as it’s not imposing on your business function.”
“Absolutely not. There will be plenty of socializing over the weekend, including a luncheon at the plantation on Sunday afternoon. Definitely something not to be missed.”
Cherry glanced at Demon. “The plantation really is fabulous,” she assured him.
He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, brushing a kiss across the back of it. “Then I look forward to it.”
“Excellent.” Zion finished his tea and stood, buttoning his suit coat.
“I must apologize, but I have a few phone calls to finish up before dinner. We will eat here on the gallery at eight. It will be very casual and light. In the meantime, please relax and enjoy yourself. If you need anything at all, Rayon will be happy to assist you. If he’s not readily available, you can press the green button on any of the house phones, and it will go directly to him.
When you wish to go to your room, I’ve put you in the west wing in the silver suite.
You’ll have the best views of the bay from there.
Rayon can show you if you’ve forgotten the way. ”
“Father’s suite,” she whispered.
Zion frowned. “Will it be too painful to stay there, bèl fi ? I can move you?—”
She smiled, forcing cheer into it. “It’s fine, Zion. I doubt Ciarán would be very comfortable in my suite from when I was in my teens.”
“Exactly my thinking.” Zion looked at Demon. “It’s a lot of pink and flowers. Like someone stabled a unicorn there. I have a tendency to put my least favorite business associates in it to make them uncomfortable.”
They all shared a laugh.
“Very good. I’ll see you both at dinner.” With that, he left, his expensive Italian shoes clicking on the marble floors, losing volume with each step.
She waited until there were no more sounds, pretending to be interested in the pastries. After selecting one, she turned to Rayon. “I think it’s just a little too warm for tea. Could I have some lemonade, please?”
“ Sètènman, madanm .” He turned on his heel and headed toward the kitchen.
“That’s going to taste terrible combined with chocolate in that croissant,” Demon commented.
“I know, but I needed to get rid of him, and there was nothing else on the table,” she whispered.
Standing, she gave a slight tilt of her head to him and crossed to the marble balustrade, looking down and out over the fountain below in the gardens.
He met her there, stood behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, his mouth dropping to her ear.
His warm breath passed over the shell, and she shivered when his lips made contact, repeatedly kissing her neck. “What’s going on?”
She arched her neck to give him more room and closed her eyes.
Ugh. Why couldn’t this be real? If someone watched them, they wouldn’t guess her pleased expression was fake because it wasn’t.
Demon kissed like he reviewed injuries on a patient.
Slow. Methodical. Gentle. It didn’t help that she could tell he was cataloging each response, comparing reactions, subtly changing pressures, all to find the places that would bring the most pleasure.
Keeping her voice low, she told him, “Rayon and Matthew are not his normal staff. He’s always used locals, but these men are different.
These guys look like security personnel.
In the past, he always had a housekeeper, not a butler.
Claimed that male servants were too egotistical to run a household.
Plus, he never had boys on staff. If he had male staff, they were always older and were typically grounds crew, not house staff. ”
“Maybe with his important guests coming in, he’s pressed them into service to handle luggage? ”
“Maybe,” she agreed, “but I’m sure it did not go unnoticed that Matthew was packing a Beretta.”
He turned her in his arms so that she faced him and framed her jaw between his hands, his green eyes gazing into hers.
She felt as if he were trying to sink inside her soul.
Heart racing, all she could do was watch as he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her in between words.
“I noticed that. Does Uncle Zion really need protection?”
His actions would destroy yet another pair of expensive panties if he continued.
How did she ever think she could play at being involved with him, even just for a few days?
With the barest grasp on reality, she slid her hands up his arms, then curled them around his neck to hold him close.
“I suppose, given his rise to the richest man in the Caribbean, he might have some enemies. But it seems odd that he would send his personal security guard to pick us up at the airport when a flunkie security guard, because you know he’s going to have more than one, would be more logical. ”
“Maybe because of who’s going to be here this weekend?”
She heard a soft groan in the back of his throat as she relaxed against him, and instantly, she felt his hard length press against her. At least she wasn’t alone in reacting to the chemistry between them.
“Is this too much?” she asked, her hips arching gently against him.
“Never too much,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“Just don’t expect me to control my body’s reaction to you.
I’ve spent a good portion of the last six years hard around you, and I refuse to apologize for it.
You’re fucking gorgeous, and I’ll take you in my arms any way I can get you. ”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind. I’ve gone through more pairs of panties in that time frame than I want to count.”
He groaned again, this time sounding even more in pain.
“You really should not have told me that.” His fingers threaded through her long red hair, and he tilted her head to meet his lips in a prolonged kiss.
When his teeth nipped her bottom lip, she gasped quietly at the sharp sting.
He licked at the spot to soothe her, then dipped his tongue shallowly into her mouth, the tip delicately tracing the inside of her lips, sipping at the tea and cream flavors left from her sampling of the pastry.
When he drew back and hugged her, she laid her head on his pectoral muscle, her face turned the opposite way from the house.
She felt him tense for just a moment as if to reset himself, then he settled back in.
She whispered, “I counted seven men, besides Matthew, between the entry at the gate and the front of the house. All of them look very comfortable here, like they’ve been a part of the household for a while, not just hired guns. ”
His hands never remained still, caressing up and down her spine, teasing her with soft touches.
“I saw them. We’ll have to assume there are more.
I also spotted a camera system. Well hidden in the black marbling of the building, but there all the same.
Same for the hallways, where they blend into the features. ”
“So the question is, why does he feel the need for such stringent security? Is it business-related or safety-related?”
“We’ll have to tread carefully,” he warned. “No conversations inside the house without the signal jamming system in place, and nothing at all in any vehicles or around any staff. I doubt he’s looking closely at us, but we can’t be too careful. We could really use Waters’ spidey senses right now.”
She tipped her head up to look him in the eye, schooling her face into a sultry mask, appearing for all the world like she was propositioning him to go to their room. “He knew I had another reason for being here. Not much gets past him.”
He disentangled himself from her arms and took her by the hand as they heard Rayon approach.
Turning, he accepted the drink from the butler and passed it over to her.
“ Mèsi . We’re going to head upstairs and freshen up.
Esme has been fighting a headache since we landed.
Would it be too much to ask to get a call an hour before dinner so we can be sure to be ready? ”
“ Sètènman, sè . Do you need me to escort you to the suite?”
“No, thank you, Rayon. I remember the way,” she told him .
Cherry took Demon’s hand and led him back inside toward the staircase to their suite.
She felt Rayon’s gaze on her the entire time until she was out of sight, but the feeling of being watched didn’t go away.
Who was still watching? Zion? Or his security?
She wasn’t sure which made her more uncomfortable.