She doesn’t say anything. I don’t blame her. She went through a full scene with me, and she did it beautifully – minus that one hiccup. But if I were going to pick any roadblock in a scene with someone like Katie, it would be watching her completely lose her mind to pleasure in that capacity.
I came close to it as well.
Fuck, I’m spent. All I want to do is drag her into my arms and go to sleep with my nose in her sweet smelling hair, but she needs aftercare after a scene like that. As soon as I have the strength, I kiss her, lightly, reaching into the nightstand to find the lotion that’s perfect for the marks I left on her ass and thighs.
“Call me your darling,” she mumbles into my chest, my fingers working the lotion into her skin. “Call me anything.”
I chuckle. My senses are returning to me, not that I want them to. However, now I can give her the due attention she deserves, and then some.
“Love.”
I don’t know why I picked that word. Yet I whisper it into her ear, letting my teeth and tongue tease her earlobe as I fantasize about what we’ll do in the future. This is only the beginning, Katie. You did well.
I tell her as much.
There aren’t many words to exchange now. Katie is drifting off to sleep again, and I would love to join her. As soon as I am able, I turn off the light and draw her deeper into my embrace, my mouth planting easy kisses on her skin as she begins to lightly doze against my arm.
She looks like an angel. A princess. A goddess. Her blond hair circles her head like a halo. If it weren’t for the pink and red all over her midsection, I would think she’s some virginal creature here to taunt me.
Oh, she’s taunting me. She’s making my life hell.
No.
She’s enriching it.
I don’t want to let her go. I’ll keep her here forever. The outside world won’t miss her. I’d miss her presence more.
The words are on my lips, but I can’t bring myself to say them. It’s not the right time.
Yet when I hear her lightly snoring against my pillow, I take my chance and unleash a phrase I’ve almost never said in my life.
“I love you, Katie.”
She doesn’t respond. She’s asleep.
Soon, I am too, and I wonder if my feelings are only a dream.
Chapter 14
IAN
If I hadn’t seen Ken’s cock numerous times at The Dark Hour, I would think he was overcompensating for something with this beyond stupid car of his.
Look, I’m used to rich guys having ridiculous cars. My car wasn’t exactly cheap either, although in my family we tend to stick to nondescript sedans that are more flawless function than style. However, I’m not immune to a convertible here and there.
One of these days I fully intend on sticking Katie in my car and watching us be the envy of every man and woman looking upon us in traffic.
Anyway, Ken Andrews has pulled up to The Grand in his souped-up convertible, this giant Penis-Eating machine that makes even Dominic Mathers sigh in disbelief. To be fair, Lana doesn’t look too proud that her husband owns something lime green and isn’t afraid to drive it around downtown in front of protestors and the occasional reporter.
“I’m so glad he was able to make this a farce,” my father mutters as we get ready to welcome Ken and go inside to sign the papers finalizing the sale.
Okay, so the sale isn’t finalized yet. That should go through by next week, after which we will be given the keys and can start the real work on the hotel.
I’m not going to get much rest once that happens.
Ken’s barely to us when we hear the first vocal protestor on the other side of the street, where the police have designated a protected protest zone. We managed to get them off the private property, but apparently the guy who runs the business across the street is a sympathizer for… something.
“I hope you sleep well at night on your bed of money, you capitalistic pig!”
Cheers erupt from the other dozen or so protestors who turned out today. What do they think they’re going to accomplish? We’re still buying the hotel. We’re still remodeling. We’re still opening it as a bustling business in the community. Is it because we’re corporate? Is it because everyone thinks we rich bastards only want to destroy everything? Well, I don’t know about the Andrews, but I don’t think my father really cares about that. He gets his kicks from chasing women, not kicking the little guy while he’s down.
Some things are the same between us, I guess.
Ken ignores the protestor and waltzes into the building without us. Oh boy. Here we go.
I’ll be glad to be done with these people in the business sense. All the preening and mind games and bullshit has me so on edge that I keep waiting for another shoe to drop while we’re in our meeting. Our lawyers are present, displaying the paperwork we’ve all agreed to. The down payment has already gone through. All that’s left is to sign a few documents and then wait for them to be processed.
It should be routine, and it is, until the meeting is over and we’re shaking hands.
“Ian,” Lana says sweetly, bringing me in close. Great. Here we go again. More flirting. “We’re looking forward to the final meeting next week. However…” Woo! Here we go! “We’re looking even more forward to the festivities we have planned afterward.”
“Is that so…”
“Why, yes. Don’t tell your father, but after we have the celebratory drinks that afternoon, Ken and I would like to treat you and Kathryn to a trip up in the mountains.”
“Kathryn, huh?”
“Naturally. We were awfully hard on her these past few weeks. Not her fault, really, but we would like to make it up to her. Besides…” Lana puts her hand on my shoulder. Her classic move, not that her flirting works on me. “The party we have in mind is more her tastes than your father’s, if you get what I mean.”
I snort. “Up in the mountains, huh? I can only guess what you’re planning.”
“You’ve been to Le Château, right?”
“Once or twice.” Any rich Dom has been there. It’s a notorious place for the elite kinksters, where for one night you can hire a pretty woman to be your sub or Domme. Everyone knows that the on-call services of one of those girls are reserved for the Andrews.
Now they want to take Kathryn and me with them to this house of debauchery. Well.
Well.
Well.
“Then you know what a great place it is to relax and take a load off… if you know what I mean.” Lana pats my chest and winks at me. She’s too much.
“What are Kathryn and I supposed to do there?”
Lana laughs. Cackles, really. “After we’re done being entertained, you’ll find something to do.” Her sly smile makes me uneasy. “For example, maybe you could finally get that pesky sexual tension out of the way. Ken and I have been gagging on it these past few weeks.”
My lip is twitching, but it’s more important that I keep my decorum with a business associate than correct her. “Who said it was tension?” Oops. Too late.
The smile goes from sly to you sly dog you. “That so? Interesting. Well, you guys make a cute couple.”
I don’t respond to that. “I don’t care one way or the other about going to the Château after you hand over the keys. Take it up with Kathryn, though.”
“Why don’t you, since you two are such good pals now?”
Before I can answer, my father signals me to join him on the other side of the gutted hotel lobby. I take my leave of Lana and go to my father, who has arranged for his driver to pop around the corner so we can avoid the protestors on our way to lunch.