Chapter 11
Penelope
Create my own dark romance.
Words to live by or be terrified of.
Little had Brittney known her cute statement had forged a highly creative idea.
I’d consulted with several authors, including Chantal Beauman, on if it was possible to create an alternative and very personal world for readers.
We’d thrown around several ideas from authors writing stories specifically designed for one person, me creating designs that would allow for more of an experience than simply being absorbed in a generic world.
I was quite excited about the possibilities, although there would need to be much more thought put into the idea.
But my friends had also been right in that putting work aside for a little while wasn’t a bad idea.
Maybe the weekend at one fabulous posh hotel in the heart of Louisville would do the trick.
There was so much going on, the early autumn keeping warmth in the air with cool nights easily enjoyed by a fire.
Plus, there were several ongoing festivals, including a fair only a few blocks away from the hotel.
From my fabulous room overlooking the city, I had a tiny snippet of a view of my favorite ride, the Ferris wheel, able to see the tippy-top portion over the line of trees and buildings. And cars. And people, and…
The wedding itself was simply stunning, the old world feel as if we were standing in Italy. At least three hundred guests were seated inside the church, the opulence carrying through to the number of white roses positioned seemingly everywhere.
As the two lovebirds read their vows, I’d allowed myself to wonder what it would be like to be the one so much in love I couldn’t imagine not spending the rest of my life with that person.
Something else occurred during their quiet revelation of shared love.
A sense of being watched.
Without warning, a strange tingle swept through my body, making me uncomfortable. It wasn’t from the longing I was experiencing in watching Brittany and Drake beginning their journey into the future, but something more insistent.
And eerie.
While the troll had been quieter as of late, that didn’t mean anything.
I’d felt something similar before. In fact, I’d sensed someone, as if my privacy had been invaded inside my home. Of course that had been impossible.
The doors and windows had been locked, nothing out of place and I checked in ways most people wouldn’t. Dust lines.
Even the best creepers weren’t the most brilliant of observers. Nothing had been moved.
That had led me to feeling as if I was losing my fucking mind.
But there’d been more. Or maybe my imagination was getting the better of me.
The air in my bedroom had changed. Just a couple of nights before, I’d breathed in, catching a faint, intoxicating trail left behind on the comforter and pillows in my bedroom.
It was clean linen mixed with a dark, smoky amber, completely muscular and entirely male.
In my mind, however romantic or perhaps out of touch with reality, the fragrance belonged to the mystery man.
A man whose hunger had caused him to travel a great distance, longing to learn everything possible about me.
Only if anywhere close to being correct, I should call the police, not fantasize about him almost every night. Breaking and entering a person’s home was decidedly unsexy. But to me, it was the epitome of obsessive desire.
Maybe I’d chosen the wrong career, all the reading I’d been doing warping my mind.
And while I didn’t know his name, his scent had lingered like a quiet promise, making my pulse thud against my ribs.
Just as it was doing right now.
With a lump growing in my throat, I casually glanced from one side of the church to the other. Given the late afternoon sun was creating prisms of colorful shimmers due to the stained glass, it was impossible to see past the first few pews.
I tried to shrug it off, including swallowing the lump in my throat as the vow continued, their happy faces burning into my mind. All while goosebumps shifted down both arms.
Refusing to fall prey to the ridiculous sensations, I concentrated on the exchange of rings. I’d never seen Brittney look so happy in all the years I’d known her. Another moment of jealousy kicked in.
But something continued to pull my attention until I was once again scanning the crowd.
In the few moments the light had shifted, allowing me a better view of further toward the back.
Finally, my gaze landed on a man sitting near the back and far enough away from others I suspected he’d arrived alone.
The distance was enough I couldn’t make out his features, but I was certain he was looking at me instead of the bride and groom.
The ceremony was a blur of pastels, but amidst the crowd, the one face stood out, the stranger.
I knew with certainty he was watching me with an intensity that felt entirely separate from the wedding festivities.
It wasn’t a malicious stare. Instead it was curious, almost magnetic.
For a moment, the bustling room faded, and I felt the weight of his singular attention, a sudden jolt of electricity that made me hyper-aware of every breath I took.
I’d lost track of time until suddenly, the priest was announcing the couple, everyone now standing in preparation of cheering the bride and groom. As the bridesmaids turned, watching them leaving the chapel, I took a deep breath to try to dissuade the rapid beating of my heart.
When I finally looked back and found the corner empty, my chest didn’t loosen with relief. It seized. The silence of his disappearance was a blade against my neck.
Never forget you belong to me.
The deep voice from my dream from days before whispered in the darkest reaches of my mind, awakening another wave of desire that was completely inappropriate for the situation. And I was fully aroused, my nipples aching from the slightest swish of the satin dress as I moved.
My pussy was throbbing and I squeezed my legs together, longing to be anywhere but here. I touched my lips as if the kiss in the dream had been real. Oddly enough, my bottom lip was slightly swollen. Sadly, not from anything remotely considered passionate, merely caused by a nervous habit.
I searched the crowd again, completely disappointed.
Whoever he was, he’d been lost in the sea of people.
The watcher was out there, and the terrifying part was not knowing if he’d stepped away or had stepped closer.
* * *
Christian
Life was so fragile. Here one minute, gone the next.
Personal experience had been an excellent teacher.
You could learn a great deal about your personality and what you’re willing to tolerate as a human being while suffering a significant loss.
I’d reminded myself of that simple yet poignant fact more than once over the last few weeks. Yet even in doing so, the heavy burden of what had truly crowded my mind I was unaccustomed to dealing with.
Craving a woman.
Not just any woman, but one who’d captured my attention, refusing to let go.
Granted, I’d enjoyed capturing my prey beginning all those years ago. I couldn’t consider myself a man of any means had I not enjoyed both deflowering and dominating some of the most beautiful and powerful women on the East Coast.
However, I now found the contest and undertaking completely different than before.
Perhaps the years of concentrating on building my empire had taken the edge off the dark game, the act of filth and seduction no longer holding the same appeal.
My longing for her was a quiet kind of torture, heavy and persistent.
I carried the weight of it in the silence of my room and the crowded noise of the streets.
The substantial weight felt like a thirst that only grew the longer I went without, an elegant but agonizing ache that had settled deep into my bones.
I’d even tried to pass it off, returning to my full work schedule, but as with every time before, my buddies had refused to allow my ideas to vanish.
They were already embroiled in sinful acts of their own.
We’d never taken stalking lightly or the play by play and careful calculations needed.
The one real difference was that during the opportunities we’d forged in college, every outcome had allowed us to gain power.
We’d been born of privilege but forced to prove ourselves to our respective fathers.
We’d excelled at capturing and controlling the darkness, all three gaining access to the family kingdoms at an early age.
And all three hungering for more than every goal surpassed.
In this case, there was no such alternative prize.
By all rights, I should consider the chase boring.
That wasn’t the case.
In learning more about her, I’d become even more perplexed.
Why? Being the master observer, I knew when only part of the story was being told.
During her employment at Covington Enterprises, from all I’d been able to discover, she’d done excellent work.
Including being responsible for obtaining a lucrative client for the company, a loss for mine.
All because the owner of the three delicious properties in the Caribbean had enjoyed her social media posts.
If I had to guess, I’d say she’d used her feminine wiles to get what she’d wanted for the company.
Men were creatures of habit, their dicks taking control of almost every decision.
Had she used her skills on me?
I should hate her for keeping me captivated, but I was further intrigued by her sudden departure.
No fanfare. No announcement. And I’d yet to be able to hack into their computer system to read her personnel file.
Perhaps that should be next on my agenda.
There was a secret there and perhaps one worth discovering.
But first things first. Having powerful information on anyone meant nothing without leverage.
I stood in the grand ballroom, admiring the exquisite decorations provided by the Galt Hotel, the largest and most opulent in Louisville.
And not one of my properties.