Epilogue
EPILOGUE
ANA
T he stench of alcohol and money hits me as I head inside the bar. Soft music plays through hidden speakers and loud laughter punctuates the air. It’s busy – crowded even, and as I push through the suited bodies, I have only one destination in mind.
The bar rises up before me like a mirage. It’s definitely an unusual sight for me and one that fills my heart with delight.
I am free.
It certainly feels like that as I step up to the polished wooden counter, just because I can.
This is the first time I’ve traveled out of Russia unguarded and I owe it all the fact I’m in disguise.
Titus attempted to assign a guard to me, but I fiercely argued against it.
It would be too obvious and I’m happy to say, I got my wish.
I am alone and free and determined to make the most of it.
I arrived this morning on the overnight flight from Moscow and I’m happy to say my papers checked out perfectly. It pays to be a Romanov because intrigue is something we excel at and my new name, Annabelle Starling, checks out with a history that would pass the most stringent investigation.
“What can I get you?” The bartender smiles as I slide onto a stool and I confidently ask for a vodka martini.
I always knew this would be the first thing I’d do if I ever got the chance. To make my own choices and not consider any of the consequences. In Russia there are always consequences. I must honor our family name and play the dutiful daughter and sister to one of the most powerful families in the country.
Not here. Definitely not here and tonight I’m going to go wild just because I can.
“Can I get you anything else?” The guy smiles, a cheeky glint in his eye, and I smile flirtatiously.
“Another one.” I knock back the first as he raises his eyes.
“It must be guy.”
“Wrong.” I lean on the bar and smile sweetly, my freshly dyed blonde hair tumbling forward, confusing me for a moment.
“It’s called freedom.”
“From a guy?” He winks cheekily, causing me to smile.
“Why do you assume it’s a guy?”
“Because it always is.”
He leans on the bar, his face mere inches from mine, and stares into my eyes with a smoldering promise. He is not easy to ignore. His curly brown hair is messy on top of his head and his brown eyes twinkle with seduction. He is wearing a twisted, braided bracelet on one wrist and a matching one around his neck. His black t-shirt accentuates his muscles and his biceps are decorated with an interesting tattoo.
“What if I told you it’s to celebrate?” I say, flirting with him like crazy.
“A birthday, divorce perhaps, or a new job?”
“A new life.” I raise the glass he set down before me and sip from the small straw, staring into his eyes as he stares deep into my eyes.
“Whiskey, neat.”
An irritable growl diverts his attention and I swing my gaze to the right.
A man is tapping his fingers on the bar and appears at war with the world, his dark navy suit indicating he’s fresh from the office.
I sip my drink as I surreptitiously study his reflection in the mirror above the bar and note his angry glare as he stares at his phone, his strong jaw tense as he reads the message.
Unlike the bartender, he is all man, successful for sure due to the expensive watch on his wrist. His shirt is loose at the neck along with his tie and the dark smattering of hair on his chest causes me to shift on my seat.
He is just my type. Strong, powerful and angry. Just how I like them. Not that I have many opportunities to indulge my desires. My brothers have made certain of that. In Russia I am closely guarded, here I am not and with one night to make my dreams come true, I am wasting no time .
I watch his hand close around the glass and fantasize about those hands wrapped around me, pulling me close and kissing me hard and deep. I wonder what his chest would feel like against mine, and I sense the heat rising as I indulge my fantasy.
“Bad day?” I ask, my voice husky and edged in the confidence two vodka martinis give you.
He stills and then lifts his eyes to the mirror, catching mine in the reflection.
He takes a moment and then turns, staring directly into my eyes and then rakes his heady gaze the length of me.
“Every day is a bad day.” He says coolly and I shrug.
“Then you should search for another job.”
“Who says it’s my job?”
“A woman then.” Fuck, I sound like the bartender, who is now flashing sulky looks in my direction.
“Never a woman.”
He appears irritated and my heart sinks.
“A man then?”
I’m in America; I’m guessing that’s a possibility.
“No. Not in the way you’re thinking, but yes, a man.”
“Your boyfriend, brother, or a business associate?”
I raise my eyes and he lifts his whiskey to his lips and his eyes burn into mine.
“My brother.”
“What’s he done?”
“He is still breathing.” Is his angry response and I wince.
“Harsh.”
“You don’t know him.”
He turns and gestures to the now sulky bartender.
“Another whiskey and whatever the lady is drinking.”
Wow, three vodka martinis! I am living the dream and I reach into my purse and slide a fifty-dollar bill across the bar .
“I’m buying.”
This time he raises his eyes and as the bartender reaches for the bill, I say without breaking eye contact with my stranger, “Keep the change.”
The tension is thick between us and I’m not sure who moves closer, him or me, but I can feel the heat from his body as he says huskily, “How much do you charge?”
I’m not sure whether to be upset, angry or excited and I choose the latter because this is fun.
“I’m not a whore.” I shrug and sip my drink, staring deeply into his velvet eyes.
“My mistake.” He shrugs and grips the tumbler of whiskey and cocks his brow.
“Forgive me. I’m only used to whores coming onto me in bars. Not attractive women who should know better.”
“Is that right?” I shrug. “Why is it okay for men to do the same but not women? Answer me that.”
I’m putting this all down to the alcohol running freely through my veins and whatever happens next will be down to that. I sense it. I know it’s coming, and he leans closer and whispers, “You make a valid point. So, what’s your plan?”
I swear every part of me is fired up as I sense a wild night to remember and gaze up at him through my lashes and whisper, “I am celebrating my freedom. This was my plan.”
“Drinking alone in a bar?”
“Don’t knock it. This is my last night of freedom and the only night I’ll allow myself to let go and I intend on making the most of it. Do you want to help with that, or should I ask my friend behind the bar to oblige?”
He sets down his glass and frowns at his phone, that is lit like a Christmas tree, and then says with a cheeky smirk, “One night of freedom sounds good. Do you mind if I join you?”
“I thought you’d never ask. ”
James
This is unexpected. A rare treat I’d be a fool to pass up on. One for the road is turning into something far more interesting and as I guide the woman out of the bar, I cast an appreciative eye on her ass. She is stunning. A beautiful woman with a wicked spirit. I don’t meet many like her and I couldn’t resist the invitation.
As we step outside, the fresh night air almost brings me to my senses and I wonder if it’s done the same for her.
If she’s unsteady or slurs her words, I’m putting her in a cab but she turns and her eyes sparkle in the night sky as she whispers, “Let’s take a walk.”
“You want to walk in those?”
I nod toward her high heels and she chuckles softly. “I can walk in heels. I can do a lot of things other women find difficult.”
“I bet you can.”
I laugh softly as she wraps a well-manicured hand around my arm and we head off, strolling through the street as if we are lovers, not strangers.
“May I ask you a favor?”
“Of course.”
I prepare myself for the catch, but all she says is, “No names. Let’s be mysterious strangers tonight. It adds to the excitement.”
“If you insist. Where are we heading?”
“My hotel.” She grins impishly, and it makes me smile.
“I’m booked in there tonight because my apartment isn’t ready. Apparently, the last tenant made a mess of it and they haven’t had time to repair the damage.”
“That’s tough. So, mysterious lady, where are you from?”
She turns and places her finger against my lips and whispers, “Strangers, remember? No strings, no recriminations, just fun.”
“Suits me.”
For some reason, my earlier surly mood has evaporated in a glass of whiskey and as we reach the Connaught Rooms, she stops and nods toward the revolving doors. “Home sweet home.”
“I’m impressed.” I glance at the swanky hotel that costs a month’s salary per night, and she shrugs.
“Don’t be. It’s only a hotel.”
I’m surprised and if anything, it intrigues me more. If she’s not impressed with this, she must be extremely wealthy.
A rich princess out for thrills. I know the type and if that’s what she’s offering, I’m up for it because I’ve had a shitty day and any excuse to forget is fine with me. Not to mention the fact she’s the most attractive woman I’ve seen in a very long time.
We head through the hotel lobby into the elevator and I waste no time in pushing her back against the wall and smearing her smile with my hungry lips.
She moans as our tongues twist together and my hand edges under her skirt and pushes it to her waist.
I run my thumb across her panties and the fact they’re soaked gives me the confidence to see this through.
I kick her legs apart and ease aside the sodden underwear as she pushes her hands inside my jacket and under my shirt.
Her nails rake my skin as I plunge two fingers inside her wet heat and she gasps as I pump them inside her, loving how her walls clench around my fingers.
I bite her neck and she groans as she fumbles with my belt, intent on returning the favor.
The elevator stops and we spring apart as the door opens and a couple head inside and the look of disgust the woman directs at my mysterious lady makes her giggle as she catches my eye.
She’s like a naughty teenager caught necking her high school crush, and it’s strangely endearing. The appreciative looks the man directs her way are followed by a jealous one in my direction.
This couple know what they interrupted, and she obviously doesn’t give a fuck what they think about her, which I like.
We travel in silence and when we reach the fourteenth floor, she grasps my hand and pulls me into the carpeted corridor.
“Come. It’s not far.”
The doors close on the disgusted guests and she almost runs toward a door in the middle while fumbling in her purse for the key card.
As the door opens, we crash inside the room and waste no time in stripping our clothes off in haste.
I love the wild look in her eyes as she pushes me back onto the bed and sits astride me, her hair dusting my chest.
I reach for it and wrap it around my hand, crashing my lips to hers and biting down sharply on her plump lips. I spin her around and push her back on the bed, trailing my lips across her skin, stopping only to swirl my tongue around her nipple before I travel lower. I don’t stop kissing her heated skin until I reach her thighs and then push them apart and swipe my tongue up her slit.
She claws at the bedsheets as I suck her clit, savoring the taste of her, loving her scent.
“Oh God.” She cries out as she bucks under my tongue and gasps, “That is so good.”
She can’t help herself and comes apart with a scream as I plunge two fingers inside her to capture her release .
As she falls back on the bed, I rub her climax on my cock and she gasps, “Wait.”
This time she spins me around and we share a deliciously dirty kiss, as she tastes her arousal on my tongue.
Then she repays the favor and travels down my body, sucking, biting and kissing every inch of my skin. As my cock weeps for joy, she takes it into her mouth and as her teeth graze against the soft skin, it blows my mind.
“Fuck, that’s good.” I groan as she sucks me like a lollipop and I swell inside her mouth. She moans as I hit the back of her throat, my fingers tangled in her hair as I thrust harder and deeper. When she gags, I pull out roughly and she gasps, “Condom?”
“Fuck!” I hiss, wondering why I never plan ahead for the eventuality that a hot, desperate woman rips my clothes off.
“Okay.” She pulls back and breathes deeply.
“There must be a machine in the lobby in the men’s restroom. You’ll have to go and get one.”
I groan at the thought of any interruption, but her eyes flash and she says harshly, “I’m not ordering one on room service. It’s that or nothing.”
For some reason, it makes me laugh and as I scoot to the side of the bed, I fix her with an impatient sigh. “Wait there. I won’t be long.”
I pull on my pants and dress quickly and she lies back against the sheets and smiles up at me.
“Don’t be long.”
“You can count on it.”
As I head out of the room, I swipe the keycard from the table and wait impatiently for the elevator that is not playing fair.
It takes forever to travel down to the lobby, locate the restroom and then fumble for change to release a pack of condoms .
By the time I reach the room, I am so turned on knowing that tonight will be one to remember and yet as I enter the room, my heart sinks because curled up and sleeping soundly, is my mysterious woman who appears to have passed out where she fell.
As I stare at the beauty spread out for my pleasure, I lift the corner of the sheet and carefully drape it over her perfect body.
My disappointment kicks me in the balls because as nights go, this one promised to be epic.
But I’m not that man. I know when I should leave and, as I set the condom packet down on the table, I regretfully walk away.