Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
R upert
I was in a good mood. All my lab work back home had come back positive, and I was fucking in love. It’d been three weeks since Veronica got the phone call from Katharina and officially accepted the position of Cashmere’s brand ambassador. We’d been sailing around Greece, stopping at different islands, visiting the most incredible places and enjoying spectacular food that Suzanne cooked for us on a daily basis.
I was living the dream with Veronica, wishing that this would never end, but in a few days, we’d be going back to London. It was the beginning of September, and my brother was due to return pretty much at the same time. We hung out on the yacht and then later sailed into Zakynthos so I could take Veronica to the temple of Zeus.
“I think I must have put on at least five pounds since I’ve been with you,” Veronica complained when I helped her get onto the boat.
She had no makeup on, her nose covered in freckles. I wanted to kiss every single one of them, but she was still a little self-conscious about showing her beautiful face without an ounce of makeup.
“I fucking love your curves, and I don’t care if you put weight on or not. I’ll love you no matter what.” I slapped her arse when Suzanne arrived with the fruit punch.
The woman blushed a little, pretending she didn’t see anything.
“Rupert, behave yourself,” Veronica warned, then playfully smacked my head.
Suzanne handed her a towel. I’d already been in the water this afternoon and I even had to admit that I’d put on a few pounds since July. Last week, we’d both spent all afternoon in the sun and ended up getting ill for a few days, so frankly, it was time to head back to London.
The heat was relentless here, but the memories we’d made on The Dreamer were unforgettable.
We made love every night and planned to never stop doing that. She was mine, and I was ready to introduce her to my whole family. I also wanted to propose to her, and nothing or no one was going to change my mind. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself, but I wanted to have kids with this woman. She was incredible, and every time I looked at her, I felt joy like no other.
“I’m sorry, Suzanne, but this man is untameable. He knows we aren’t the only people on this boat,” Veronica said when the woman came back with a platter of melon slices.
She had been spoiling us, preparing all the meals from scratch, and I considered taking her back with me to the UK so she could feed us at home.
“Don’t worry, Miss Veronica. Mr. Rupert is a gentleman, and you’re in love. It’s refreshing to see such a great dynamic in a relationship,” Suzanne commented with a wink before walking away.
“She’s right. I’m a gentleman, but not in the bedroom, so now please let’s go to the cabin so I can fuck you until you’re unable to sit down tomorrow,” I said, grabbing her thighs and lifting her over my shoulder. She weighed almost nothing. I slapped her arse again.
“Rupert, food. I’m hungry, and these melons look so juicy,” she complained as I carried her towards the main bedroom.
“You can eat later. The doctor recommends fucking on the last afternoon, and I want to feast on your pussy,” I growled, throwing her on the bed. The sex with this woman was fucking great, and she had incredible stamina. It was hard for me to admit it, but sometimes I couldn’t keep up with her.
“Which doctor? I have never heard of it.” Veronica giggled when I took off my shorts, then boxers. She licked her bottom lip, seeing my hard erection.
“Stop asking questions and lick it. Come on. I know you want it, you cock-hungry whore,” I teased, clearly promising her an eventful afternoon.
“Rupert, darling, what a surprise. I didn’t expect to see you so soon since your return,” my mother said as she opened the door and greeted me with a tight hug.
Veronica and I had come back to London a few days ago, and we’d both been busy since we’d stepped back into English soil. Today she had her meeting with Katharina, and I’d decided to visit my parents. Dad needed to cash out on our bet that I’d won. I also had to speak to Matthews about the changes in the club, too, but for some reason I felt like I wanted to share my great news with Mum first. She’d been determined to set me up with the right woman since she’d learnt that Spencer was officially dating Laura, and I needed to let her know she didn’t have to worry anymore now that Veronica was in my life.
My brother, James, was due to be back from his assignment tomorrow, and I was hoping he had more information about the CCTV recordings that I had given him almost a month ago.
“Hello, Mother, it’s lovely to see you, too,” I replied with obvious sarcasm, walking into the house.
“Oh, stop it. You know I’m only teasing, but I have to say I’m surprised. I thought you were going to be too busy to see your mother, as usual,” she continued as we walked into the kitchen.
Dad was reading a paper in the lounge, so I waved to him when I passed by. I made up my mind not to see him after my serious conversation with Mum.
“I thought I’d stop by to share some good news with you,” I said, smirking.
My mother was in her late sixties, but she’d always been an elegant woman, and she was a true homemaker. In the past few years, she’d also been rather involved in each of her four sons’ lives, sometimes maybe even too much so.
She gave me a curious look.
“I’m all ears. Iced tea?” she asked, pointing at the pitcher.
I nodded.
“I officially have a girlfriend, so I think you need to stop trying to match me up with all these women because I’m ready to introduce you to her,” I said.
My mother was grabbing some ice from the freezer. As soon as I’d said that, she dropped a few cubes on the floor. I smirked, leaning down to pick it up and tossing it to the sink. She was surely not expecting it, especially from me.
“Rupert Banks, this isn’t funny. You know I don’t like jokes like that,” she scolded.
“I’m not joking, Mum,” I said. “It’s Veronica—she’s Laura’s roommate. She’s been travelling with me throughout Europe in the past three weeks, and we’re very much in love.”
I had never shared anything like that with my mother before, and as expected, she looked totally bewildered. She frowned, opening and closing her mouth, obviously lost for words. I had been a bachelor for as long as I could remember. I didn’t know why my mother was so determined to find me a wife. Maybe it was because of my childhood struggles, but who knew what motivated her?
“You’re serious?“ she asked, her voice small.
I laughed.
“Yes, Mum, I’m perfectly serious, but Spencer doesn’t know yet. I told him I was going to sail with a few friends because at the time, things were complicated between us,” I explained. “Anyway, she’s incredible, so how about dinner Sunday? Maybe I can bring her then?”
My mother was quiet, and I wasn’t really sure how to take it. She was still probably trying to process the fact that her youngest son was in a relationship with a woman. After I’d broken up with Rose, things had been unsettled and I’d partied a lot, trying to forget about the woman I’d thought I was in love with. Mum kept nagging me that I was pushing myself too far.
“Are you serious? You have fallen in love with Laura’s roommate. Spencer’s Laura? How did this even come about?”
“We met two years ago in Greece, had a great time together, but then she vanished without any of her contact information,” I explained, thinking about my day ahead. I still had to go see Matthews. We had a few things we needed to discuss.
Mum poured the tea into my glass and raised her left eyebrow.
“I’m happy for you, Rupert, but are you sure about this girl? You hardly even know her.”
I had to take a step back because I couldn’t even imagine what I was hearing.
“Wow, this is not the reaction I pictured in my head. Weren’t you the one who insisted I needed to find myself a wife?” I asked, shocked that my mother hadn’t jumped with joy upon hearing the news. She was acting strange, as if reluctant to hear more about Veronica.
“Rupert, honey, you’re so young and have your whole life ahead of you. Maybe you shouldn’t be hung up on this one woman,” she said. “I … I just think you should be sure. Be careful…” she stammered.
I was ready to smash the glass as my blood pressure rose.
“What the fuck is going on, Mum? What the hell do you know that I don’t?” I asked, knowing that something didn’t feel right.
“Language, Rupert,” Mum snapped, then she walked across the kitchen. She took the phone that was charging and opened it.
I needed to get out of there because it looked like I was wasting my time. I had to call Spencer and figure out if he’d said anything to her, but my brother wouldn’t snitch on me. Besides, he would do everything to keep Laura happy.
“I knew something was going on with you so I asked the private detective to look into this girl after I heard that you started seeing her,” Mum explained, showing me pictures of Veronica on the phone.
There it was, Veronica getting into the black limo, Veronica with another client, laughing and dining. Veronica coming out of the Ritz hotel. My blood rushed to my head as I clenched my fists. This was the reason why none of my brothers were willing to share anything with Mum—because she did shit like this, stuck her nose exactly where she shouldn’t have.
“I know Veronica used to be a call girl, but she’s not anymore because she quit right before she went away with me,” I snapped, heading to the door.
“Rupert, wait, where are you going? You know I only want what’s best for you,” Mum said, following me. “I … I just don’t want you to get hurt. Not just your reputation, but more… Think also about your brother. There are things about her you don’t know about…”
I turned, ready to blow up, but I took several sharp intakes of breath into my lungs and kept my voice even.
“This is none of your business, Mum. You're wrong about her. I told you before that you’re poking too much into my private life, and this … fucking hiring a private detective … who knows what kind of bullshit he has been feeding you just to get your money? I will continue seeing Veronica, and I won’t be introducing her to you, so you can call off your dog or I’ll take care of it myself.”
“Rupert, darling. I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
“No, Mother, I’ve had enough. We have nothing else to discuss,” I said and then left without looking back.
My mother shouted after me, but I wasn’t listening. I couldn’t believe she’d hired a private detective to look into Veronica’s background. Suddenly, this whole situation appeared fucking diabolical. There I was, thinking that Mum would be delighted that I was finally in love and happy, but no … instead she’d ruined it all. I was fucking pissed off, so much that I was ready to cut my mother out of my life for good.