Chapter 29 #2
“Oh, Lord have no fury like a local council on a tear,” Ewan sighed. “We painted our house in Berkshire a very similar color of pale green and they came after us for thousands.”
“It wasn’t even our house,” Cate said. “It was our pool house. Who even cares about a pool house?”
“I wasn’t aware that my German partners were running amok,” I followed the script from my attorney. “They cut corners and lied to me about it. This will be litigated, I can assure you. However, we have secured new investment and just want to proceed by the book.”
“You need us to let you off scot-free as if the rules do not apply,” Fritz said under his breath. “That’s very British.”
“I would say it’s very American. In America, we’d call that being creative,” Lanie joked.
To my surprise, everyone else at the table chuckled at her perfect timing.
“Your father was a good man, Lady Osgoode,” Fritz offered. “He may be the last bastion of altruism the US can point to. He was charitable and fair.”
“I think there are other good men. My brother-in-law was his protege and certainly embodies those principles. My oldest sister runs the business like a boss and still cares very much for charity. My baby sister is the most benevolent person I know,” Lanie said, unafraid to tangle with him.
No one was sure what to say to Lanie. She ate her potatoes in peace and sipped her wine in silence. Her self-control amazed me.
“Did you ever meet my father?” Lanie followed up.
“I did. When he was building out their concept in Munich. I was a young man working for the Chancellor’s office.”
“Interesting. I don’t even remember him building in Munich, other than him being gone a lot. Of course, I’d barely hit puberty,” Lanie said.
I snickered, unable to hold back. It wasn’t what she said as much as her brilliant delivery that worked. Fritz set his jaw, annoyed, but Lanie merely sat pleased with a sweet, calm look.
“Well, you’re grown now. Although, one does question how you ended up with someone old enough to be your father,” Fritz pointed his butter knife at me rudely. “He is older than I am.”
“Well, if Baz was old enough to be my father, I would have been conceived before he could have legally driven in your fair nation, so that seems a stretch,” Lanie clapped back. “But even if that were the case, I don’t think it should bother me.”
“People might wonder what you have in common with your husband, Lady Osgoode. He is known to despise politics and diplomacy.”
“I am not sure why that matters, Mr. Becker.” Lanie said.
“Well, you’re family moves in those circles, do you not?”
“I suppose, yes, but my sister openly chides me for being politics averse. I wouldn’t say I am apolitical. The next season of my show might scandalize some, but I don’t seek out debates. I leave that up to Cal and his sister Chloe. They say enough, but I support them.”
“One needs more to make a marriage work, though.”
His candor wore on me.
“Lanie and I are aligned on many things. Namely, family and business. She is a shrewd negotiator and ruthless at times. I respect that.”
Lanie blushed and sipped wine.
“He is very flattering,” Ewan said. “But I thought you’d never marry, Baz.”
“I never found the right woman,” I said.
In a way, it was no lie. Lanie was perfect for what I needed and accepted what I gave.
She asked for little more. Was our union so different from every political or aristocratic marriage on the society pages?
Apart from our small, quiet wedding, we were doing what others did—just with fewer rules.
Neither of us planned to cheat and lie about it.
“She is remarkable,” Fritz salivated over Lanie more than his meal.
By the end of dinner, Lanie had unexpectedly charmed even the most annoying German holdout. He appeared to let bygones be bygones and I was immeasurably grateful. But, as we took to the drawing room for a nightcap, Fritz pulled me aside.
“I will let this go. I will do what I can to ignore your failure and write off this development as a foreign mistake mended quickly.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“But I don’t do it for you. I do it because your pretty wife doesn’t deserve to have her newlywed period marked by scandal and regulatory fines,” Fritz said. “And don’t think I will not think of her moving forward. She may be your saving grace. She’s also very stimulating.”
The thought of him getting off to Lanie provoked nausea.
“I’d rather not discuss my wife that way,” I said. “She is a living, breathing human, not some sort of moving image you’d wank to, Fritz.”
“Doesn’t mean I cannot do it anyhow. It makes me wonder if I should trade my wife in for a younger model. How do you even manage her?”
I was appalled. “I bet your wife would love to hear that, Fritz. Where is she this evening?”
“Ms. Strauss is busy with her book club. She doesn’t enjoy this sort of thing. It’s a relief your wife does. She will be your glittering trophy for a few years—well until she is wasted producing children. They all get so bitter. Avoid that as long as you can.”
It further angered me, but I held back. The man was even more of a rake than I. His wife didn’t deserve that sort of treatment.
“Well, we’ll have to agree to disagree on that. Now, I appreciate your willingness to forgive and forget, but as this is interrupting our honeymoon and I owe my wife some time alone with her tonight, I think I must leave you all.”
I left him to tell Ewan we were departing.
“Ewan, it was a lovely evening. Thank you for hosting. However, we’re off. I haven’t given Lanie any of my time today and she’ll have my head if we continue on.”
Ewan patted my back. “Oh, I’d not want to get in the way of that. I hope it was fruitful.”
“It was,” I said. “And she appears to have enjoyed meeting Cate.”
“Don’t be a stranger in London,” Ewan said. “Lanie is delightful.”
I didn’t like his tone, but took it on the chin as I approached the women.
“Lanie, darling, I think I owe you some peace and quiet this evening,” I said. “I must be greedy, Cate, and steal her away.”
“Of course. You’re newlyweds.Very exciting!” Cate brimmed. “It was so lovely to meet you, Lanie.”
“And you as well,” Lanie said.
We departed to the car with Jeremy who had spent cocktail hour on emails in the Ambassador’s study.
“We leave tomorrow,” Jeremy said. “The jet is back. It should depart at 10, so don’t sleep in too late. Lady Osgoode, is that fine with you?”
“Please don’t expect an early wake up out of me every Saturday,” Lanie sighed. “But yes. I would like to go back to London. My mother and sister are waiting to interrogate Baz.”
I winced. “Let’s not think of it until tomorrow.”
We arrived at the hotel.
In the lift, I whispered to Lanie, “Slip into whatever makes you comfortable. I want to pay you back handsomely for the job you did tonight.”
She smiled. “I will.”
Lanie strode back into the room, leaving me with Jeremy.
“Jer, I know we’ve had an agreement about you entering my room and having a key. It doesn’t bother either of us, but it bothers Lanie. It is not that she doesn’t like you, she simply prefers more privacy. So, I’d kindly request you ring her first or ask me before you assume it is alright.”
“I think it is appropriate if I knock and ring the room,” Jeremy said. “Someone can let me in. I’m sorry about that. And really, I did not want to see the two of you shagging in the bathroom. I was mortified.”
I snickered. “I am sorry. Things… escalated. I haven’t seen her in a couple of days.”
“You know, Baz, for this being some sort of silly agreement, you certainly do appear enamored of her.”
“Everyone is,” I sighed.
And I got off on the fact that she was mine alone right now.
“Goodnight.”
LANIE
Baz appeared in the bedroom, already loosening his tie.
He threw his jacket in the corner chair and focused on his cufflinks.
He was motivated. Something drove him to want me.
Perhaps it was what got interrupted in the bathroom or maybe it was the win I landed for him?
Either way, I loved the bravado and wanted him to dominate me.
“I don’t want you to demand a goddamn thing until I make you cum,” Baz growled, kicking off his pants.
He left his boxers on, as if preventing me from getting anywhere with him.
“What if I don’t?” I toyed.
“You always do. Have I ever left you unsatisfied, love?”
“No,” I answered.
“Then you’ll cum like a good girl—all over my face and until you are spent. Then, I will let you have me, and I will get what I want most.”
“Which is?”
“You’ll see,” Baz forcefully parted my legs.
There was nothing gentle about the way he licked and sucked my clit. I didn’t want gentle. Baz knew that. He sensed I wanted to be owned by my behavior alone. I held all the cards this evening, but now I deferred to him. I saved him. He’d let me. And now? I was at his mercy.
I pulled his hair, but he batted me away. “No, Lanie. Be a good girl and play with your nipples.”
I took the order, but couldn’t do so for long before I gripped one breast with my right hand and clung to the bedspread with the other. In an infuriating turn of events, Baz disappeared.
“What the fuck?” I demanded.
“Touch yourself. I need to get something.”
I tried to follow that order, but all I wanted was to fuck his face and get off. I’d been so close!
Baz returned with a towel. “I am sorry, but I didn’t want a repeat of the debacle last time.”
“You really think you’re going to make me squirt?” I asked.
“Oh, I will,” Baz said. “You begged. I wanted to reward you.”
I centered myself on the towel, unsure that he could make this happen so quickly a second time.
Baz focused again on my clit, digging right back into his work. I pulled his hair again—on instinct—and he once more batted me away. In the end, I loved when he got angry.
“I warned you, Lady Osgoode, did I not?”
Oof. His invoking that only made it hotter.
“Sorry.” I kept my hands to myself.
Baz didn’t go back with his tongue. Instead, he slid two fingers inside to find my swollen G-spot.
Slowly, he rubbed that blissful area, tickling it until it grew more desperate for release.
I gasped and threw my head back. The response was uncontrollable.
I was dying to feel the full-body orgasm once more.
I wanted Baz to be right. Once he realized I was near the edge, Baz worked my clit with his tongue and tickled my g-spot with his fingers.
Clinching my pussy around his fingers, I let him know not to stop.
I pressed my hips to his face, demanding release.
And, with just a few more strokes of his fingers, I came.
My climax again overwhelmed me, but now I focused on every feel.
I wanted to know exactly where I felt myself go.
I wanted to feel every twitch and impulse.
As I writhed and screamed Baz’s name, I focused on how my center pulsed and my face flushed.
I luxuriated in how he made my body tingle.
I felt spent, washed clean, and welcomed this elation.
“Don’t ever tell me what I can or cannot do, Lanie,” Baz said. “I will always send you flying. And you will always come back to me as I get you off like no one else can.”
“Yes, baby,” I panted. “Yes.”