Chapter 11 Celeste
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CELESTE
"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind." - A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare
My eyes flutter open, smiling at the memory of last night.
I roll over, reaching over feeling an empty spot next to me.
I frown at being alone and not waking up to that handsome face.
Shifting, I feel an ache between my legs and my scalp.
Last night was amazing and I was hoping it wouldn’t end.
I smell like him and I bask in his scent, closing my eyes.
Footsteps cause me to open my eyes to a shirtless Alaric holding two cups of coffee.
“Good morning, beautiful. I figured you could use some coffee.” He gives me a smile before he comes to sit next to me in bed.
He hands me a cup and I take a sip closing my eyes. Starting this morning off right with this delicious devils brew is just what I needed. I wonder if he got the coffee blend from the coffee shop we met at. It tastes so similar to the one I order when I go there.
“Morning. Thank you for the coffee. What time is it?” I take another sip looking for the clock.
“It’s ten in the morning. I didn’t want to wake you. You looked so peaceful.” He brushes a strand of hair from my face before kissing my forehead.
Damn he must have done me good because I never sleep past six, even on the weekends. Then again, he made me feel so comfortable, making it easy to sag into his arms last night.
“Shit, I’m sorry. Don’t you have work?” I move to get out of bed but am stopped by his hands wrapping around me pulling me back.
“No, they gave us a day off. We don’t have any results back yet, so they told us to have a day to rest. Plus, I wouldn’t mind missing my shift if that meant that I can get more time with you.” He leans in and kisses my lips softly.
Before I can melt into his arms and stay here all day, my phone chimes. Groaning, I pull away, setting my cup on the nightstand to check it. It’s probably Antonio freaking out on the verge of sending a search party.
Antonio: I hate to disturb you with whatever the fuck you’re doing or who you’re doing it with but you have a meeting at noon. Get your happy ass to your car and get home.
Damn it, I forgot about the meeting today.
It’s not one I can reschedule considering we have a deal to seal with the military to be their weapon supplier.
Just another business I have to handle since taking over.
Clicking my phone off, I move the covers away and bend down grabbing my discarded clothes.
Slowly, I slide my panties up my legs causing a gasp to the side of me.
I glance to the side, catching Alaric watching my every movement.
“You keep putting your clothes on like that, I’ll rip them off those beautiful legs of yours and discipline you for being a tease,” he growls as he crawls over the bed to me.
That look in his eyes makes my pussy instantly wet. If he keeps looking at me like that, I may come without even being touched.
“As much as I would love for you to bend me over and have your way with me, I have a very important meeting to get to. Rain check?” I slide my dress on and shrug on my jacket.
He grabs me by the hips with his large demanding hands and pulls me towards him.
I lean into him savoring his needy touch, cupping his face and placing a slow patient kiss on his lips.
Sparks ignite throughout my body, giving me a feeling I’ve never felt before.
This simple kiss makes me want to say fuck it to my responsibilities and sink into normalcy for once.
But the vibrating from my phone reminds me I really need to get out of here.
“I really have to get going but maybe after work we can grab a bite to eat?” I pull away from him, collecting my bag and phone and sliding on my shoes.
“That sounds perfect. Just let me know once you’re free and I can come pick you up.” He slides off the bed towering over me, with his body flush against mine.
Hot damn. If I could just lick those abs and devour him again, that would be great. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to satisfy my craving.
“Let me know where you want to eat and I’ll meet you there.” I smile as I stand on my tippy toes, giving him a soft kiss before I break away from him.
He grabs my wrist spinning me back to him as his lips capture mine again as if he’s starving.
Like this will be our last moment together.
It takes everything in me to pull out of his embrace and walk away from him.
I don’t look back because if I do, I’ll get on my knees and let the bulge be free from his gray sweatpants he now has on and taste that giant cock.
Fuck, I really need to get the fuck out of here.
Sliding into the bathroom for a brief glimpse, I comb my hair out with my fingers so my evident sex hair isn’t on full display and head over to the front door.
As I open the door, I’m greeted by a man and women with badges on their hips.
Mother fuck, please don’t tell me they figured out who the bodies in the canal belong to.
“Uhh, is Alaric here?” the female asks as she gives me a once over and plasters on an annoyed look.
Please tell me she's not his girlfriend and he’s just been caught sleeping around.
“Yes, he should be down the hall,” I respond with confusion. Footsteps approach from behind me and the presence of him can be felt from my back.
“What are y’all doing here?” he asks quickly as if he’s just caught in sin.
Well, this is fucking awkward. I’m not trying to be part of this throw down. There’s clearly an issue here since there’s a really annoyed female standing outside his door. Well, it was fun while it lasted.
“Uhm, I’m going to head out, have a great day. Excuse me.” I push past them and hurry down the hall, aggressively pushing the button to the elevator.
Once the door opens, I slide in and punch the buttons hoping they will close quickly before they can turn around and come back.
I’m so confused as to why they’re here but on the other hand, he’s an FBI agent so it may be normal for people to come in and out.
The look on the female's face when we were face to face bugs me though. As if she was disgusted by our meeting and the panic in Alaric’s voice.
Maybe it was a good thing though, because now I can slip away from him and I won’t have any potential issues considering my line of work.
Once I catch a cab back to my car, I hit the call button on my screen to see if Leonardo can do me a solid and grab me a set of clothes and a makeup bag. I can’t go into this meeting looking like a hooker. Because that’s what I look like right now with my smeared makeup and disheveled clothes.
“Have a fun night?” No hello, no good morning, just a snide remark from the king of one-night stands.
One-night stand, is that what it was? At least it was fun and I got something out of it. My heart betrays me, even when I try to convince myself that it was for the best anyways. Damn, I haven’t had these conflicting thoughts in a really long time. I’m not sure how I feel about it.
“Ha. Ha. Very funny. Can you do me a solid and grab me clothes—” Before I can finish, he cuts me off.
“Oh, sweets, you think we would let you come looking like a hot mess? Antonio will meet you at the coffee shop, he has a suit, heels, make up, and a brush for you. Hurry your ass up and get there. He bought you an extra twenty minutes.” He hangs up, letting the silence fill the car.
Antonio rounds the SUV through the military base gates, flashing a badge without rolling down the windows and the barrier lifts granting us access to the base.
We round passing M35s and M939s loading up and passing by us.
We make our way further down until we come to a field with targets.
Another large vehicle waits for us as it holds the supplies we have to offer.
Antonio gets out before me, coming to my door and helping me out. Squaring my shoulders, I lift my chin high as I walk towards the Sergeant Major. He schools his face but his eyes show disappointment. As if he was waiting for a man to appear, not a woman. Typical male.
“Sergeant Major,” I address him once we come to a stop.
I look to his left, a command sergeant, and to his right a sergeant major, joins his side. They each look to be taken back by my presence as well as all the men who stand behind me.
“You must be Hansley. Little taken back as I expected to…” Before he can finish, I tilt my head and lift my hand.
“You weren’t expecting a female, you were expecting my father. Sorry to disappoint, but my father has passed, leaving me with his duties as head. I’m just as effective, only better. Now, shall we?” I gesture toward my men unloading the weapons.
He nods without saying a word but you can tell he doesn’t fully trust that I know what I’m doing.
“From your conversation with my father, you were interested in our machine guns for the tanks as well as the AR-15s and the Sig Sauer. We have also brought sniper rifles that are state of the art, .50 caliber that can travel five miles.” I gesture toward one of my men and he immediately hands me the sniper.
This thing is such a beauty. Too bad I prefer to play with knives.
“What makes you think that we need a sniper rifle? We have our own. We’ll just stick with the inventory we had spoken with your father about.” He smirks, waving it off.
“From my understanding, you were having issues with yours. Misfires, bullets getting stuck, want me to keep going? I can take these elsewhere if I’m wrong.” I study his face, moving to give the rifle back.
I knew he was a difficult bastard, they always are. Which is why I did my research, looking into their weak points.
“If you’re so confident, why don’t you give us a presentation. If you can handle such a weapon, then we’ll make a deal with you.” He crosses his arms over his chest challenging my education and experience.