The Alpha's Assistant & The Dom Next Door: A Billionaire Romance Collection by Michelle Love, Eliza Duke (5)

Chapter 1

CYPRIAN

Pink and odd shades of green fill the sky outside the window of my hospital room. My father sits in one of the chairs, staring out the window, as do I.

“A hurricane,” my father says. “You’re being so stubborn, Cyprian. A hurricane is coming and you’re being released in a couple of hours and instead of coming home with me, you’re choosing to go to your place and not even taking a nurse with you. Are you trying to kill yourself?”

“No,” I tell him as I get off the bed and show him how well I’m getting around. “Look at me. It’s been two days and I barely feel a thing. I’m fine. And I’d rather ride out the storm at my place. I’ve called the staff and they have the necessary things in the house. Even if power is lost, I have a generator for the kitchen.”

He turns his attention to me, instead of the foreboding evening sky. “It’s the idea of you being all alone, Cyprian. At least let me come over. I get it. You don’t want to be around women when you’re unable to perform because of your injury.”

“It’s not that. It’s about my needing time alone. I’ve been going about things so very wrong. I’d like to get into my bed and read until I know how to make the changes I need to.”

“This sudden urge to become someone different is annoying.” My father gets up and gets his cup of coffee. “I don’t understand it. The woman you were doing it for has lost interest in you. Can’t you see that? You’ve been in this hospital for five days and she’s not even made an inquiring call about you. She has to know you’re here. It was on the news.”

I watch him take a sip of the coffee which is now cold. He makes a face and puts if back down. “Papa, you should leave. Go home. Relax and get ready for the storm to hit. They said it would be around ten or eleven tonight. Ashton is driving me home, anyway. He’s waiting outside for me. As soon as the doc comes to check on me, one last time, I’ll be set free.”

He nods and picks up his jacket. “I’m not making any headway with you anyway. You give me a call when you get home and settled. And if anything happens, you let me know. If you need anything…”

“I know,” I interrupt him. “I’ll call you. Now go home. Mother went back to Los Angeles yesterday. It’ll make me feel better to know you’re at home, having a hurricane party rather than sitting with me at my place, bored and lonely.”

With a pat on my back, he leaves me without saying another word. In his defense, he’s been trying to talk me into going home with him the entire day.

Going to the bathroom, I run my hand through my hair and look at my reflection. “Who are you trying to change yourself for?”

Shaking my head, I go back into the hospital room and sit in the chair my father left vacant. I don’t know how to explain to anyone why I feel the need to make changes in myself. Everything looks rosy, on the surface. Inside, I’m a mess.

Twice I’ve done sexual shit that’s gotten me on Cami’s bad side. I can’t seem to learn the difference between right and wrong. To have been taught that, early on, would’ve been helpful.

A lesser man would stand on the fact he was taught deviant sexual practices and that would be that. Women would comply or he’d simply not deal with them.

So, why am I so hung up on Camilla Petit?

She clearly doesn’t care for me. Leaving me like this, proves that much. But I still care for her. As a matter of fact, I need to try to call her to make sure she’s got somewhere safe to be, during the hurricane. If she’ll answer my call that is.

My cell phone is still at home. Once I get there, I will attempt to contact her and make sure she’s okay. I don’t care if she hates me or not, I will not let her anger stop her from being someplace safe for the storm. Her little duplex apartment is nowhere nearly good enough for her to ride the storm out.

The door opens and in sweeps the doctor. “Hey there, Mr. Girard. Are you ready to leave us?”

I get up and shake his hand. “I am.” Lifting up my shirt, I show him the stitches which look excellent. “See, it looks great, don’t you think?”

He nods and writes on a paper on his clipboard. “It does. If you can sign all these papers for me, I’ll get you a wheelchair and a nurse and you will be on your way. You’re doing so well. I think all that worry over having full time nurses around you was a bit too much. You’ll be fine. Did your staff at home manage to get you set up for this hurricane we’re about to have?”

“They did,” I tell him as I sign page after page of release papers. “I’ll be fine. The place is huge.”

“Oh, I know. I saw it just a couple of days ago. An ex-student of mine lives out that way. She and I met again when she was here in the hospital. It had been a few years since I had seen her and something just sparked inside of me when I saw her again. No longer my student and she was available, had me asking her out to dinner and she accepted. We had a nice night out. I’m hoping to see her again soon but she told me she’s just coming off a bad semi-relationship, she didn’t want to talk about.”

My hackles start rising as he goes on about this woman he’s looking forward to dating. I sign the last page and hand him back his clipboard. “So, she’s a neighbor of mine?” I ask him and feel my stomach going tight.

“Yes, she pointed out your estate. She said she heard about your hospital stay from the news and asked if I knew anything about how you were doing.”

When he says nothing else, I ask, “And you told her?”

He shakes his head. “I told her I wasn’t allowed to talk about my patients.”

With a nod, I find myself asking him, “And her name is?”

“Camilla.”

Mother fucker!

“I think she’s one of the cashiers at that convenience store at the edge of town. I think I’ve seen her before. Long, dark, curly hair, right?”

He nods and smiles. “Her hair is gorgeous. Her eyes are like jewels, don’t you think?”

“I really haven’t looked at her that hard. She’s a bit on the thick side,” I say, trying to get him to stop liking her.

“Her curves are incredible,” he says as he shakes his head. “And man, don’t get me started on her plump, completely kissable lips. Man!”

Suddenly, I feel terrible. “Guess I just didn’t look at her the right way. You think you two might hit it off?”

“I hope so. She’s a great girl. And a hell of a scientist. She will do amazing things one day, mark my words.” He walks toward the door to leave. “You have to wait for your ride out. But you’re free to go as soon as they come for you.”

He leaves and I sit on the bed and look out the window at the clouds that are starting to roll in quite heavily. All I can think about is she went out with someone else. She has to be done with me. And now a doctor is after her.

A normal man with money and a career. A great catch for a normal girl, like herself. And she should have a great guy. She really should. Who am I to stand in her way?

A male nurse comes in, pushing an old wheelchair. “Your chariot, sir.” He gives me a grin.

I take a seat and say nothing. My mood is grim, to say the least. He wheels me away as I think about Cami and my doctor and them having an evening out. Dinner, dancing, drinks, normal shit like that!

Jealousy is coursing through me, sending terrible thoughts into my head. Thoughts that shouldn’t be there. Things like going to get her and dragging her to my place where I’ll keep her until she teaches me how to be the man she needs.

If she’d write me a manual, then I could follow it and she’d never have to look for another man again. I’d be her everything. I’d be all she would ever need or want in a man.

The glass doors slide open and I point to the BMW, Ashton is picking me up in. “There he is.”

Ashton sees us and gets out of the car to open the back door. “Classy,” the nurse says as Ashton tips his hat at us.

“Thank you, sir,” Ashton says as I get up and get into the car.

Just as the door closes, I recall my doctor saying he met her in the hospital. That means she did come to see me. But what the hell happened? Did she meet him again and just blow me off?

That seems unlikely. But what did send her away without seeing me…?

Chapter 2

CAMILLA

“Do you have any more toilet paper in the back?” a woman asks me, excitedly.

“No, sorry. We’re all out,” I tell her as I scan the three cases of water she’s buying. “Are you completely out at home?”

“No, I’ve got about twenty rolls but you never know what might happen with a hurricane. It might be days and days before the stores open back up,” she says as she scans the store for anything else she might want to horde.

“I’m sure we’ll all be back up and running in no time, ma’am. Will this be all, today?” I ask her as I try to ignore the tons of other customers who are literally taking everything off the shelves they can.

The woman looks over my shoulder at the six cans of soup I bought myself before they were all gone. “Can I have those?”

“I bought them, already. So, will there be anything else?”

She pulls out a hundred-dollar bill and places it on the counter. “I’ll trade you this for that soup. All six cans.” Her dark brown eyes hold mine as she is dead serious.

Politely, I push the money back to her. “No, ma’am. Your total is sixteen, fifty.”

“I only have enough food at home for nine days. I may need that soup. Please,” she stomps her foot as she says the word, totally negating it.

“Nine days, you say! Wow!” I shake my head and pick up the cans of soup and put them in a bag and hide them under the counter so no one else sees them and tries to take the only food I’ll have.

Slamming a twenty down, she glares at me as if I’ve committed a horrible crime. I make her change and watch her leave, carrying all the heavy bottled water.

The next person in line steps up. “And I’ll be needing three hundred dollars worth of gas on pump 1. That’s me in the truck in that spot,” a small red-haired man tells me.

“I can’t set the pump for that amount. How about ninety dollars, that’s more than enough to get you through this hurricane.” I wait to see what he says as he seems to be getting upset.

“I have tons of old milk jugs in the back of the truck. I can handle the load,” he says. “Make the sales in increments. That’ll work.”

“No, it won’t. You see, I can’t allow you to get gasoline in a container that’s not approved for it. You can’t fill up old milk jugs with it. Sorry. I can let you fill up your truck but nothing else, unless you have an approved gasoline container.” I watch as he turns a shade of red I haven’t see on a human before.

“Look, I need that gas. So just take my money and turn the damn pump on for me. Don’t look at where I’m putting the gas. I won’t tell anyone about it.”

With a sigh, I shake my head and look out at the store that’s gone crazy. The cooler is bare, the shelves are too and the sudden onset of beeping tells me this man is really going to be upset. “That beeping sound means the underground tanks are empty. We have no more gasoline, sir,” I tell him and watch him explode.

His fit is huge and I’m reminded of Yosemite Sam in those old cartoons as he blows his top. Gina manages to get the loud beeping to go away but the effect it had on our customers is still going.

It seems to have sent them into a frenzy, even worse than they were before. A sudden crack of lightning has everyone going quiet. Then someone shouts, “Shit! It’s here!”

With no more time to waste, the man stops his fit and hauls ass out the door, presumably to get to another gas station before all is lost. I go into automated mode and scan things like a robot, taking money and making change like a champ.

Gina and I work, side by side, to clear up the customers and get them out the door. With a few more swipes of the last of the merchandise our store had, we are done.

I hurry to lock the doors and turn off the outside lights. Gina closes her register as I look at the empty store. “Man, the first day back is going to be a nightmare too.”

“It is,” she agrees. “But that’ll be day shift’s problem, not ours, thank God. Hurry up and close down your register. We need to get the hell out of here.”

Moving back to my register, I quickly take the money out to drop it in the safe and punch in the code to shut it down. The machine has worked more than it’s ever had to before, with all the sells it had to make on this crazy day.

Just as we get it all finished, the wind picks up. The howling of it makes me shiver and I find the rain is falling in sheets. “We’re going to get wet,” Gina says as we look out the glass door.

The windows have been boarded up and we were instructed to place a piece of plywood on the door before we left. It’s leaning against the wall next to it and I don’t see us being able to accomplish the act, now the wind has picked up.

Gina picks up the hammer and six nails that were left for us to do the job. “I’ll hold it up and you hammer,” I say as I pick up the heavy thing.

Then into the rain we go. Me with the heavy board and Gina with the things to put it up with. I can hardly see as the rain pelts me in the face. The wind has it coming at us, sideways.

Gina locks the door then I do my best to get the large piece of wood to the door and hold it while she hammers in the nails until all six are used. She tosses the hammer in the empty ice container and locks it up.

Finished, we can go home. So, we go to get into our cars, soaking wet and cold. “Good luck,” I call out to her.

“You too, Camilla. Hope to see you soon!”

Getting into my car, I’m a shaking, shivering mess. I start the car and ease out of the parking lot, barely able to see as the rain is coming down so hard.

We should’ve closed an hour ago but with the onslaught of people we didn’t make it out before the storm hit us, even though we were told to close the store early, we’re barely making it out at midnight.

I can go about fifteen miles an hour and even that seems too fast. The road is covered with water. The windshield wipers are doing nothing to help me see. I’m most likely going to end up in a damn ditch.

Am I doomed to spend this hurricane in a ditch with nothing between me and the storm but my car…?

Chapter 3

CYPRIAN

The rain is pouring and the thunder is rumbling so loudly, I can hear it before I open the garage door. I’m going out to get Cami. She hasn’t answered her cell phone for me at all. But I saw the hordes of people at her store and her car there, so I know she was merely swamped and not ignoring my calls. It’s midnight and I’d assume she’s made it home but I can’t let her stay there.

Taking the four-wheel-drive truck, I make my way out of the garage and am met with a torrential downpour. I knew it was bad out here but not this bad!

I have to go slowly down the driveway that has water flowing down it as if it’s a stream instead of a paved road. I have to roll my window down to punch in the code to open the gate and get soaked doing it.

As I pull out of the gate, I see a set of headlights to the left and turn toward them to see if that’s her. The car is barely moving as I go toward it. The rain’s so hard, I can’t tell if it’s her until I get right on it.

Rolling my window down as I see it is her, I wave at her to follow me and turn around and drive around to get in front of her. My large truck will shield some of the rain and make it easier for her to drive, I hope.

Going at a snail’s pace, I pick up my cell and call her. “Cyprian,” she answers the call.

“Follow me to my place,” I say in as a commanding tone as I dare to with the tenacious woman.

“I’m not about to argue with you. I’m freaking out right now. I was thinking I’d have to spend the storm in a ditch or worse. Your place sounds like Heaven to me. I also left the soup I got myself to eat, while I ride out the storm, at the store. So, I was going to be starving too. Thank you.”

Relieved to hear she’s grateful and won’t be a pain in the ass about my help, I say, “Good, and I have tons of food, just follow me, Cami.” I end the call as I want her full attention on driving and find myself smiling like an idiot as I look at her headlights in my rearview mirror.

I’m going to have her home with me and she cannot leave anytime soon as the hurricane will keep her ass trapped with me. I realize that sounds a little creepy but I’ll take her any way I can get her.

Finally, we get to the gate again and I’m soaked once more as I roll the window down to put the code in. The gate opens and in we go, all the way to the garage. I open two of the doors, so she can pull into a place I made for her, just in case I did manage to get her here.

Once I have the garage doors shut behind us, I feel so much better. Getting out of the truck, I realize just how wet I am and when I see her, I find she’s completely drenched. “My Lord, look at you!”

She gives me a frown. “I’m freezing, Cyprian. Do you think I could borrow some of your cozy pajamas?”

I nod and take her hand, leading her inside the warm house. “Of course. A nice hot shower is what you should take first. I’ll warm us up something to eat while you do that. You can sleep in the bedroom across the hall from mine.”

I catch her smiling. “That’s very nice of you. Thank you. Were you looking for me, or on your way out?”

“Looking for you. I tried to call you several times but I saw you were busy at work. I was going to ask you to come here, anyway. That little apartment of yours isn’t sturdy enough, in my opinion.” I lead her up the stairs and to the room across the hall from mine.

When I open the door, she looks around and whistles. “Man, this is a hell of a lot nicer than where I was going to spend this hurricane. I had planned on making the tub my bed for the duration of the storm. You know, in case parts of my house blew away.”

I shudder at the thought then say, “The bathroom is fully stocked and I’ve already taken the privilege of putting some things for you to wear in the closet and the drawers. I had bought you some things if you’ll recall.” I gesture for her to go inside. “I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re done. I’ll be waiting to eat with you.”

She turns to look at me with a quizzical expression. “You were planning on me staying, huh?”

“I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Your safety is more important to me than almost anything. I was prepared to throw you over my shoulder and bring you, kicking and screaming, if I had to.” Then I close the door and leave her alone.

I’m trying so hard to keep my hopes at a moderate level that she will see fit to forgive me. I know there can be nothing physical right now, anyway. That does take the pressure, to get her into my bed, off.

After changing into dry clothes, a dark brown set of pajamas, I go to the kitchen and open a bottle of expensive red wine and take a tray of lobster rolls, my chef left for me, out and pop them into the oven I already had heating up. I see a casserole dish of homemade mac and cheese and pop that into the oven as well. A salad is in another bowl and I take it out and place it into a nice crystal bowl and decide to set the table in the small dining area that has large windows, so we can watch the storm while we eat by the fire’s light of the fireplace that’s in that room.

I find long white candles in the cutlery cabinet in the room and find the set of dishes I want to use too. I smile all the while as I place a deep red table cloth over the small, round table.

White dishes accent it perfectly and I find the scene gorgeous and more romantic than any meal we’ve consumed together thus far. And I pray many more will come.

The sound of the oven timer beeping has me going back to the kitchen and finding the food is nearly ready. Our salads and wine, I take back to place on the table and then go back to get the dishes out of the oven.

When I walk back in, I see her, standing at the island in the middle of the large kitchen. Her feet are bare and she has on the deep blue, silk pajama set I bought for her on our day long date.

Her hair is wet and hanging in loose spiral curls around her freshly washed face. “You look gorgeous.”

She smiles and looks down. “I look like a drowned rat but thank you.”

Picking up the hot dishes with some pot holders, I nod in the direction of the drawer with the trivets in it. “Can you grab two of the trivets and bring them?”

She grabs a couple and follows me to the dining area. I hear her gasp as she sees how I’ve set it all up. “Cyprian, this is beautiful!”

“Thank you. Can you place those on the table, so I can put these down?”

She hurries to do that and I set the things down and pull her chair out. She looks up at me as she sits. “Thank you. This is really nice. I was going to eat cold soup out of a can if the electricity went off. This is so much better.”

I take a seat and pour us each a glass of wine. “Being that we’re trapped here, together, all alone, I’d like to initiate a truce. No talking about anything we might argue over. I don’t want either of us to feel upset at all during this storm. Agreed?”

She nods as she sips her wine. “Agreed. We’re just a couple of people who are forced by nature to be together right now. We can talk about all kinds of things. Just not anything about us, as a couple, or anything that’s in our past, as a couple. Deal, Cyprian. So, tell me about your appendix bursting. Was it the worst pain you’ve ever felt before?”

No, losing her was.

In the vein of staying away from fights, I don’t utter the thought. “I have never been in more physical pain in my life. I thought I was dying.”

Her hand touches mine as her blue eyes find mine. “Cyprian, I did come to see you in the hospital. When I heard about you, the next night, I tried to leave work and get to you. But things went crazy for me. An all-night audit nearly did me in and I wanted you to know I was worried about you.”

“You were?” I ask as her hand moves back and forth over mine. “So, why didn’t you come and see me, Cami?”

“This may sound stupid but I got to your door and heard everyone talking and laughing. Nurses were mentioned. Pretty nurses. Pretty nurses who’d be taking care of you. It sent a bad taste to my mouth and I left.” She looks sheepish about her actions.

I want to bring up her date with my doctor but that will certainly be an argument, so I leave it out that I know that tidbit of information. “As you can see, I didn’t follow my parents’ advice. All on my own, might I add. I had to put up a fight about it but I won.”

She blinks at me a few times then points at one of the dishes. “Would you pass me that? It looks delicious.”

It seems she’s stifling something she wanted to say but I let it go and take her plate instead. “I’ll put it on the plate for you. It’s hot. Lobster rolls, mac and cheese, and salad is what I pulled out of the fridge my chef stocked for us, for the hurricane.”

“For us?” she asks as she looks at me with a surprised expression. “Just how long have you been making the plan for me to be here for this hurricane?”

“Since I saw the weather report that said it was coming our way. I had the staff working overtime to get everything taken care of so we’d be safe. I care about you, Cami.” I place the food on her plate and set it down in front of her, seeing a frown on her face. I don’t ask her why she has it, I think I know why.

There’re most likely things running through her head, she’d like to say to me but is thinking better of it. I pretend not to notice anything as I go about making my own plate. From the corner of my eye, I see her take a drink of the wine then she shakes her head as if shaking off her bad thoughts.

I hear her sigh then she says, “Well, I am glad you came to find me and I am glad to have your hospitality during this rough time. I am grateful for you and I want you to know, I care for you too, Cyprian. If things were different…”

I stop her. “No, no. No talking about anything like that. So, tell me how crazy people were acting at your store. I saw, on the news, some footage at various stores and it looked like a mob scene. Was yours that bad?”

She nods as she swallows a bite of food. “It was a nightmare. Gina was the only one with me. And just as we got the store closed, we had to nail a piece of plywood on the front door. That’s when we got drenched. People were acting insanely.”

“At least you made it out, unscathed, Cami. That’s what really matters. I saw one report where a cashier was pushed down when she was unable to make a gasoline sale to a small man who wanted to fill up milk jugs with gas. That was on the ten o’clock news.”

“A little man, with red hair?” she asks in surprise.

“I believe so,” I say as I watch her eyes go big.

“He was in my store. And boy did he have a fit when I told him I couldn’t sell him the gas. I guess I’m lucky he couldn’t get behind the counter to get to me.” She laughs then and smiles. “How funny, huh?”

“I suppose that’s one way to look at it. I’d have been one pissed off man if I’d seen him push you around.” I take a drink of the wine to calm my sudden onslaught of protectiveness.

I find her smiling as she takes a bite of the lobster roll. I smile too as I think how great it’s going so far. And wonder if we can both manage to keep our words and tempers under control for the entire hurricane. If we can manage that then maybe she’ll see fit to give me one more chance to prove I can be the man she deserves.

But what will I do if she doesn’t…?

Chapter 4

CAMILLA

As we walk up the stairs to go to bed, I notice Cyprian’s face go tight and his hand goes to just above his right hip. “Does it hurt?” I ask him as I put my hand on the small of his back.

“Up and down the stairs is the worst,” he tells me. “Other than that, it’s not really bothersome.”

I keep my hand on his back to steady him as much as I can until we get to the top of the stairs. The thought about telling him I went out on a date with his doctor, is banging at my brain. My conscience is telling me to speak up before he finds that out some other way.

We made the truce, though and that would be a fight for sure. So, I keep my mouth shut about that. Instead, I say, “Will you let me see to the wound, Cyprian?”

He nods as we get to his bedroom. “I have the stuff in here to take care of it.”

I follow him into his bedroom. The room where good times and bad times were had. His television on the wall is on and it reminds me of what I saw on it the last time I saw it on. My stomach goes tight and I have to shake off the bad feelings.

“Get into bed and I’ll take care of you,” I tell him as I help him into the bed.

After he lies down, I push his shirt up and see the small area where they made the incision to remove his appendix. Six stitches were used to close it up and it looks pretty good. “How’s it look to you, doc?” he asks with a grin.

“Excellent workmanship, but with Dr. Jenkins as your surgeon that’s to be expected.” I take an alcohol wipe out of the packet and find him frowning. “This burns, I know. It’s important to keep the area very sterile.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s nothing,” he says but I feel he does have something to say. “Go ahead.”

Just before I place the alcohol wipe on him, I find myself asking, “If you have something you want to say, you can say it, Cyprian. I promise not to get mad at you.”

“How’d you know my surgeon’s name?” he asks then grits his teeth as I press the wipe to his stitches.

Suddenly, I realize what I’ve said and panic. “Um, uh, I told you I went to the hospital. I saw him. I saw him come out of your room.”

“He doesn’t wear a nametag,” he says as he looks at me.

“No, I know he doesn’t. You see, he was one of my professors when I was a freshman in college. That’s how I know him,” I feel the guilt of withholding information to be too much as I put some of the antibiotic ointment on the area then place a bandage over it. “You should keep this covered. That way the stitches won’t catch on any material and it’ll stay much cleaner and actually heal faster.”

“Good to know,” he says then pulls his shirt down to cover himself. “Do you mind going into the bathroom and getting my antibiotic pills. I’m supposed to take one within this hour.”

I nod and go to get the medicine and find I’m mad at myself for feeling so torn about telling him about the date I had. The man has done much worse and we were not together, so there’s nothing to feel bad about.

So why do I then?

He’s sitting up in the bed when I come back in with the pill and a small cup of water. “Here you go,” I say as I hand him the things.

He takes them and swallows the pill with the water then places the empty cup on the nightstand. “Thank you, nurse.” He smiles and pats the place on the other side of him. “I don’t suppose you’d like to cuddle tonight. The storm is raging and we could lose power.”

As if he’s magic, a loud clap of thunder has us both looking surprised and the lights go out.

“Shit!” I say and have to put my hands on the bed to make my way to the other side of it. “We can keep our clothes on. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Climbing into the bed, I find his left arm wrapping around me. He pulls me close to him. “I could use the company too. That wind sounds a bit scary, doesn’t it?”

“It does. The lightning and thunder, the hard rain, and the winds combine to make chilling sounds.” I snuggle into his side, relishing how great it feels. “Cyprian, why can’t it always be just like this?” Then I realize I’ve spoken about something our truce has banned. “Sorry, don’t answer that.”

His lips touch the side of my head. “The answer is that it can be. It can be just like this or any way you want it to be.”

My heart hurts with how badly it wants to believe him. “Let’s talk about something else. There’s been something weighing heavily on me and I want to get it out in the open. Mostly because it was a one-time thing that won’t be happening again.”

“What’s weighing on you?” he asks as he strokes my hair and I catch him taking in a whiff of it then sighing.

“I went out on a date with your doctor.” I thought the weight would vanish but it’s still there, so I go on. “We went to eat and then he took me back home and we kissed at my front door.”

“Oh,” he says but I can feel his heart rate increase. “You said it was a one-time thing. So, I suppose the kiss wasn’t great.”

“It was okay but when I kissed you, it was much better. Do you suppose you’ve ruined me for anyone else?” I ask with a laugh.

“God, I hope so,” he says then kisses the top of my head. “Thank you for telling me that. I have something I’d like to get off my chest too.”

Now, I’m scared!

With Cyprian, the things he wants to get off his chest just might make me crazy with jealousy or sick. “Okay,” I say with much hesitation.

“I knew you went out with him. He told me just before he released me today. He had no idea I knew you, though.”

Leaning up to look at him as much as the lightning outside will allow me to see him, I ask, “So, you knew that?”

He nods and kisses the tip of my nose. “I was jealous if you want to know how I felt when he told me the name of the woman he was interested in. And you have yet to let him know you won’t be going out anymore.”

Lying back on his chest, I say, “I know. I told him I was coming out of a relationship. But I suppose he’s going to keep calling if I don’t tell him I won’t be seeing him anymore. He’s a nice man. A great catch. But I can’t be with someone who doesn’t stimulate me. I mean, he does stimulate my mind. We have tons in common in that area.”

“You mean, sexually, don’t you?” he asks me with a low voice. A silky, sexy voice.

“That’s what I mean,” I say then sigh as I move my fingertip over the soft pajama top he has on. “I see no reason to lead the man on when that kiss left me wanting no more of them from him.”

“You’re not just saying that for my benefit, are you?” he asks me as his hand caresses my shoulder.

“I’m not. I wish I was. If you want me to be honest, I think another man is exactly what I need, to get over you.”

“I don’t want you to get over me. I want you to tell me what it is you want in a man. I want to be whatever it is you want.”

I lie still and fight myself not to make this into an argument. We are just two people talking about what we like in a person who we see a future with. That’s all!

“You tell me what you want in a woman, first.”

“I never had any want for a woman, for more than one thing, until I met you. So, let me educate you on the perfect woman for me, Cami. She has to be my intellectual equal. She has to be caring, sweet, and supportive. She has to be beautiful, inside and out. Her hair has to feel like silk when I touch it and smell amazing when she’s lying next to me. Her voice has to be on the deep side, smooth as a Tennessee whiskey, and soft as cashmere. But that’s not all. She has to have these deep blue eyes that I could look into forever, without ever getting tired of it. Her juicy red lips must look pretty with a smile and a pout. She must stir places inside me nothing and no one ever has before. Tell me, Camilla Petit, do you know anyone like the woman I’ve just described to you?”

His words have my heart pounding and my eyes are tearing but I don’t want to cry. I have to swallow back the lump in my throat to answer him, “You are very good with words, Cyprian.”

“Those are my exact thoughts about you, Cami. They came straight from my heart. I meant every single word I just said. So, now it’s your turn to tell me the kind of man you’re looking for.”

“What if I told you that I have no idea what kind of man I want to spend the rest of my life with?” I ask him as I really don’t know.

“Is that why you’re always telling me to be who I am and you’ll like me or you won’t? Because you don’t even know what it is you want? That makes a lot more sense to me.”

“Good, so you be who you want and I can stop saying that to you. This was a great talk, I think.”

“For you, maybe. Not so much for me,” he says as he holds me tight as the wind picks up more speed. “Crap, it’s getting bad out there.”

“Why was the talk not so great for you, Cyprian?” I ask as I rest my hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating.

“I’m a person who has used books and knowledge to fill my brain and make me the person I am. I’ve never gone on instinct, alone. I take things very literally. I make decisions based on evidence and facts, never do I make them with my gut feelings. Until you came along. You hit me right in my gut and instinct told me I had to get to know you. I fought it, at first. I called it animal magnetism and lust. I lied to myself that was all there was.”

“So, I brought out this thing in you that you’ve never exercised. Instinct. Huh, that’s pretty cool. You see, as a scientist, I too rely on facts and data to make my decisions. In that way, we are alike. But I’ve also relied on instinct from time to time, especially in my personal life.” I lift my head to look at him and find him staring back at me.

Lightning flashes, making his eyes light up and I find my lips pressing to his without even thinking about it. Perhaps I’ve over-thought everything.

Our mouths move together, not in heated passion but in a hello kind of way. A way that says, I’ve missed you. A way that says, I love you.

When our lips part, I find him looking at me with softness in his expression. “Camilla Petit, I love you. I love you more than I knew I could.”

I gulp then say, “I love you too, Cyprian. But I don’t know if love is enough. I don’t know if you are capable of turning away from your old life and that style. I’m deeply afraid of you becoming bored with me. So afraid, it makes it hard to trust a relationship with you.”

“I cannot see myself ever getting bored of you, Cami. I don’t know what the future holds but I know what I want right now and I want you and only you. I know I’ve made huge mistakes, the likes of which you’ve never had to deal with. But I can make amends for them. I wish I could go back and change them but we both know I can’t. So, tell me what you expect. It may sound insane to you but I need to know.”

“Okay,” I say as I’m seeing more inside him than I realized was there. “I expect you to be faithful to me. I expect you to never bring into the bedroom anything we haven’t discussed beforehand. For a while, this trust me thing, you want, will have to end. Before you bring in any kind of thing into our love making, I want a heads up.”

“Got it,” he says with a sigh of relief. “I can do that. I can do anything. With you, Cami, everything feels so amazing, anyway. Just lying here with you and talking, is better than any night I’ve had at any party. I swear that to you.”

I graze his cheek with my hand and kiss him again. I know he can’t do anything sexual and am keeping the kiss chaste enough not to provoke that. Moving my lips off his, I lie back down, using his large bicep as my pillow and look up at the ceiling that sparks with the light show outside. “Cyprian, this will be the last chance for us. I can’t keep coming back.”

“I know that. But you have to know there will be disagreements. But I promise not to make huge mistakes, anymore. Okay?”

“Okay, I know fights will happen but leave the ladies out of things and I can handle almost anything else. So, we are agreeing to give this thing one more shot,” I say then find myself snuggling into his body and feeling more relief than I have felt in forever.

“Are you ready to try to sleep, baby?” he asks me with a kiss on my cheek.

“I am,” I say and feel better about everything.

How did we manage to find each other in the middle of a raging storm and come to such an agreement? How will this all work out?

Can I really believe Cyprian can be happy with just me…?

Chapter 5

CYPRIAN

Though a storm rages outside, I slept like a baby with Cami in my arms. Her soft snores leave warmth on my neck where she’s nuzzled her face. I slide my hand up and down her silk pajama covered back.

Content is how I feel. Happy, satisfied even more so than I knew was possible without any sex occurring between us at all. She has to be the one for me. I didn’t even know this type of feeling existed!

The proper amount of time to wait before proposing is foremost on my mind. The perfect engagement ring, the perfect venue to be married in are also right there. I wonder how long she thinks an engagement should last. I hope not a long time!

“Cyprian,” she groans as she stirs. Her hand moves over my chest and her lips touch my neck. “Are you awake, baby?”

“I am,” I say then kiss the top of her head, her curls a chaos of spirals and fuzzy ends.

She picks her head up and looks at me. “Have we survived the hurricane?”

“I’m not sure. I do feel like I’m in Heaven, waking up with you like this.” I kiss her red cheek where she was lying on it.

She smiles and puts her head down on my chest. I couldn’t sleep in the pajamas as I’m used to sleeping naked, so I got up and pulled them off sometime during the night. She begins to realize that fact as she runs her hand over my chest. She inches down until she finds out I’m totally naked. “Bad boy,” she murmurs.

With a low growl, I say, “Only with you.” I take her hand and kiss it and wish I could do more than that but I can’t.

“I’m going to go down and make us some breakfast. I’m going to bring it up to you. You can take a shower while I do that.” She goes to get up and I hold her still.

“You are forgetting, we have no electricity. The kitchen should still be running. If the backup generator came on. But we have a water well, that means if there’s no electricity, there’s no water. So, no showers for us until we get some juice back in this place.

“It’s still raining, isn’t it?” she asks as she pulls her head off my chest and sits up, looking toward one of the windows.

“Yep,” I say as I look out the window too. “But I bet those crews are already getting to work on restoring power. We’ll just have to make do with what we have.”

She runs her hand over her massive amount of hair. “No water! My hair!”

Stifling a chuckle, I get out of bed and hear her make a little groan as I walk, naked, to the bathroom. I wrap a towel around my ass to help myself not get too heated up and find the package of rubber bands I bought for her a while back. When I come back with them, I see a smile curve her lips. “I have saved the day.”

She takes them from me as she agrees, “You have.” She climbs out of the bed and hurries off to the bathroom. “I’ll get my hair tamed and go down to get our breakfast.”

“I can go down, you don’t need to bring it up to me,” I tell her as I pull my pajamas back on.

She stops and spins around, shaking her finger at me. “You will not. You told me the stairs were hard on you and I won’t let you go up and down them for at least another day. I will be waiting on you today, Cyprian.”

Though that sounds amazing, I have to protest some, just to make her spark a bit. “I can do it, Cami. You don’t have to spoil me.”

I sit on the edge of the bed and watch her as she walks back to me. Her hands move over my shoulders as she looks at me with serious eyes that speak to me. “I don’t consider it spoiling you. I want to take care of you. Please let me.” She ends her plea with a kiss on my lips that sends shards of pure happiness through me.

“Well, if you’re going to say, please, then I have to allow you to take care of me. No one, since my nanny, has taken care of me. It might be nice.” I lie back as she pushes at me, gently.

“Good, it’s settled. Now, since we’re on our own here, I’ll go into the library and get us some things to read. Any preferences?” She walks away to tend to herself and I think about what I’d like to read.

When she comes back out, I tell her what I want, “Would you bring that large book on the middle shelf of the first bookcase next to the door of the library? It’s full of Shakespeare’s plays. I want us to read Romeo and Juliet, together. That sounds fun to me.”

With a smile and a laugh, she walks out the bedroom door. “As long as you realize, we cannot act out the love scene, my Romeo.”

“I’m aware of my limitations, my Juliet.”

She leaves me alone but I’ve never felt less alone in my life. She’s here with me and I never want to spend another night without her. And I want her to quit that job which will keep her at work until late most nights.

It’s bad enough school is about to start up again. But those are day classes and I work days, anyway. Nights must be for us. And now I must figure out how to get her to do that.

Before I know it, she’s back in the bedroom with a tray of food and the book. “I have pineapple, orange juice, scrambled eggs, bacon, and milk to make sure you have some calcium. Whole wheat toast rounds out our breakfast.” She places the tray over my lap, as I sit up straight, then she kisses my cheek. “Will there be anything else, my lord?”

With a smile at her willingness to see after me, I say, “Only for you to climb up in this bed with me. I must feed my lady, so she too gains great strength. In only a month, I will bring you to my bed chamber with a goal in mind.”

She laughs as she climbs up on the bed, next to me. “A goal, you say? What kind of goal does my lord have for me?”

I bite my lower lip as I put a piece of bacon to her lips and she takes it into her sweet mouth. “The goal is to fill your belly with my seed, my lady.”

The whites of her eyes grow as her eyes grow large. She nearly chokes on the food and I find myself feeling bad about saying that as I gave her a bite. I hand her a glass of juice and she drinks some then says, “Cyprian, you’re joking, right?”

Shaking my head, I take her hand in mine. “I am not joking, Cami. I want to do this all the right way and I may have been kidding a bit about only a month from now. But I want it all with you. The whole enchilada. The marriage, the family, the whole thing, baby. It’s all I’ve thought about since we made up last night.”

She looks stunned and I find it hard to believe. Her lips open then close then do that several more times before she says, “I have a career I’m only just about to begin. I have one more year of college then I’m on to working in the field I’ve spent so much time learning about. Kids are far from now. Say, five years or maybe more.”

“We can wait on that then. Although, I’d really like you to consider doing that sooner than five years. But that’s negotiable. Everything is.” I give her a bite of eggs. “How long of an engagement would you like to have?”

Shaking her head, she swallows then says, “Cyprian, we’re just dating. That’s all we’re doing right now. We’re seeing if we can become people who know they can depend on one another in this life.”

“Haven’t we just proven that? I sought you out to be sure you were safe in a terrible storm and you want to take care of me when I’m down. What else is there to prove about how much we care for each other?” I ask her and offer her a sip of milk.

She holds up her hand, “Lactose intolerant. You drink that.”

I take a drink and watch her wheels spinning about what I’ve just said. So, I toss it all out there, since she’s incorporating it into her mind. “I want you to quit your job. I want you to move in with me, let that little place go. I want you to drive the car I gave you. Go to school and do no more than that. I will pay for everything. And I’ll give you your own account that I’ll make regular deposits to.”

“I don’t want to be a kept woman.” She shakes her head to emphasize just how much she doesn’t want that.

“It won’t be like that. I merely want to help you through, what will be the hardest school year. Once you begin your career, if you want no money from me, then I’ll stop the deposits and you can do with the account whatever you want. And if you do want me to keep putting money into it, I will do that. Whatever you want, Cami. Anything you want, I will give it to you, freely and willingly.” I take her hands in mine and smile at her as she looks shocked.

I can feel her hands shaking and see her body doing that too. “Cyprian, I’m afraid I’ll lose myself if I allow that.”

“How?” I ask her as she’s making too much out of it. “Your car will remain in the garage. You will have money and time to do what you need to in order to become the rock star scientist I know you’re on your way to being. I merely want to help make it easier for you to reach the stars you’re grasping at. Let me, Cami. Let me help you. It would be the only thing I’ve ever done for another human being. Please, let me!”

“I’ll have to think about it. My independence is a thing I cherish,” she tells me as she searches my eyes for understanding.

“I have been somewhat independent my entire life. I’ve had financial security but the security of people, I’ve lacked. I want to provide you the thing which has been provided to me. And from you, I want the security of knowing I have a partner in this life. I didn’t realize I even wanted one until I met you.”

“Cyprian, I feel as if you are making me your everything,” she says as tears glisten in her eyes.

“I am. And once our children come then they too will be part of our everything.” I kiss her cheek and find it warm. “Don’t be afraid of this. Don’t let fear of me finding you boring, do that to us. Have no fear of that, I don’t.”

“Just because you say not to have it, doesn’t make it stop. And now I fear you will suck me into a vortex that will turn me into a spoiled rich woman. Not a thing I ever saw myself being.” She looks at me with fear and I find it funny.

With a chuckle, I say, “I have money. When you get me, you get that too. We will share our lives. When I get you, I get love and companionship. No need to worry, we’ll share everything.”

She takes the juice off the tray and downs it like it’s a shot then looks off into space as she says, “I’m going to be driving a Lambo to school. I’m going to have access to more money than I ever have. I’m going to be Mrs. Cyprian Girard, one day.”

“One day soon, I hope. If you’ll have me,” I say then pop a piece of toast into her mouth that’s hanging ajar.

She chews it then looks at me. “I have nothing to offer you.”

Taking her by the chin, I give her a wink. “What you have to offer is more valuable than anything in the entire world. You see, love is what I’ve been poor in. All I need is your love and understanding as I grow into the man I will become with you by my side. You are the missing element in my world. Do you think that of me?”

She blinks rapidly as she thinks. “My life was missing something. I didn’t know it was. It wasn’t obvious. You see, I have always been one who falls in love much too easily. And men fall in love with me too easily as well. Cyprian, all my relationships, which have been but a few, have ended with the men leaving me. I haven’t broken up with anyone, except you.”

“And I have left you once too. That happened in the past. It’s over and we are something completely different. You were young back then. You don’t have to worry about me leaving you. I love you. I adore you. I cherish you. And I’m never letting you go. I will dance through hell to make you happy. I will climb mountains to get you the stars you want.” I stop talking as she looks even sadder.

“Cyprian, I hate your parents. This will never work,” she says as tears start to flow.

I laugh and hug her. “Don’t most wives hate their in-laws? Not a big deal. Hell, we won’t even spend holidays with them. They celebrate in ways we wouldn’t want us or our kids to be involved in.”

“My parents will love you, I think. I mean, you are very good to me. And the fact you saved me during this hurricane will show them more about your character than I could ever tell them. But a wedding would mean all of our families have to come together and that’s worrisome.”

“Then we will elope. There is nothing you can come up with that I will not have an answer to,” I tell her then move the tray of half-eaten food away and push her down and kiss her to let her know everything will be fine.

As long as we’re together, it will be fine, won’t it…

* * *

Chapter 1

CAMILLA

The lush foliage of New Orleans looms under us as Cyprian’s private jet flies over my hometown. He looks out the window, leaning over me as he’s given me the window seat. “It looks positively uninhabited down there. Where do all the people live?”

“Underneath the canopy of trees. Have you ever taken an airboat ride?” I ask him as he seems to be intrigued with the way the terrain looks wild and free.

“I have not. Do you think that’s something we could do? Does your family own one?” He looks excited.

I giggle. “No, but there are tons of swamp tours. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on one. Since my entire family is home for my last visit of the summer, I think one is in order. I hope you don’t find alligators frightening. The men who drive those things delight in trying to scare anyone they see the least bit afraid of the creatures.”

“I’ve never been around any before.” He wraps his arm around me and holds me tight. “Can I count on you to protect me, Cami?”

“Sure, Cyprian. I’ll do my best,” I say as we see the small, private airport near my family’s home break out of the trees. “Here it is. It won’t be long now. And there’s Papa’s car, waiting for us.”

“I am beginning to get nervous,” he tells me as he slips his arm off my shoulders and takes my hand. “Have you told them everything?”

With a nod, I say, “I have. I told them we’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months and moved in together two weeks ago. I told them about me quitting my job and how you’re going to pay my way through the rest of college and all that jazz. My father was a bit apprehensive but told me he trusted my judgment.”

“Okay, so there’s nothing I need to know other than that, right?” he asks as I shake my head. “What about my parents? What did you tell them about them?”

“Oh, well, about them.” I scratch my head as I kind of sugar coated them to my parents. “You see, here’s the thing, I kind of embellished them a bit.”

“Embellished? You mean lied, Cami?” He looks at me with fear in his dark eyes.

“Lied is too strong of a word. I told them your father is retired and lives alone in Clemson in a mansion. And that’s true. I told them your mother is the owner of a nightclub in L.A. and that’s true too.” I look at him to see what he thinks about that.

“It’s an adult nightclub,” he says. “And she is an ex-stripper.”

“Who cares about what she did in the past? Not me!”

He shakes his head. “And I am to leave that out, I suppose.”

“Please,” I say as we start to land. “They don’t need to know everything. If we play our cards right, we’ll be three kids into a marriage before our families ever have to meet.”

He smiles with my words and kisses me, gently. “When you put it that way, how can I argue?”

“You can’t,” I say and take a deep breath as the small plane starts to descend. “I hate this part.”

He holds my hand a bit tighter as we land and gives me that smile that makes my heart go pitter patter. The last couple of weeks have been so nice and quiet and completely amazing. I still worked, as I gave them my two weeks’ notice and had to give them time to hire another person. But now I’m officially free from that job and feel excited about being able to start school in the fall with nothing else to do but learn.

Once the jet lands, we get out and my father and younger brother get out of Papa’s Lincoln Continental to greet us. The warm, sultry air hits us as we go down the stairs someone from the airport has pushed up against the plane. I find myself waving like I’m in a parade as my father and brother watch us. “Hi!”

Papa meets us at the bottom of the stairs and picks me up as he hugs me tightly. “Mon canard, I’ve missed you,” Papa says with his thick French accent.”

“I’ve missed you too, Papa,” I say as he lets me go. Then I gesture to the gorgeous man to my right. “This is Cyprian Girard. Cyprian, my father, Thomas Petit.”

Cyprian extends his hand and my father takes it in a firm handshake as Cyprian says, “It’s an honor to meet the man who raised such a wonderful woman.”

Papa smiles at me then looks back at Cyprian as he lets go of his hand. “Call me Tommy, Cyprian.” He gestures to my brother, “This is Camilla’s younger brother, Carlyle.”

My brother shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you, Cyprian.”

“You too, Carlyle. Your sister tells me you’re going to LSU in Baton Rouge. She says you’re majoring in business.”

We follow them to the car as Carlyle says, over his shoulder. “I am.”

Cyprian looks at me, giving me a wink. “You should let me know when you’re ready for an internship. I can offer you one next summer at Libertine Investments if you’d like. It comes with a car and a one bedroom apartment while you’re working.”

I watch my brother’s blue eyes light up. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Cyprian says with a smile. “So, you just let me know before March of this coming year and I’ll get that approved by the board.”

Papa looks at us as he gets to the car. “Don’t wait, son. Tell the man, yes, right now.”

Carlyle smiles and nods. “The answer is yes, Cyprian. Thank you so much.”

Cyprian opens the back door, letting me get in first. He whispers, “I think this is going well, so far. Don’t you?”

“I do,” I tell him then kiss his cheek.

I see my father’s eyes glance at us and a smile moves over his face. “You two look sweet together. My daughter has never looked as beautiful as she does under your arm, Cyprian.”

I blush and lean my head on his shoulder. “Thanks, Papa.”

Cyprian sighs with relief, I suppose. Things are going well. It looks as if we’ll have no problems with my family. But he’s yet to meet my big sister. She’s always been protective over me. It was she who bawled out two of my past boyfriends when they dumped me. Both with no real explanation as to why they found it better to leave me than to try to work things out with me.

She thinks I’m perfect, I know I’m not. I know I can be hard to deal with at times. I know how I was with those other guys. Sometimes I was cold and distant. At times, I was bitchy. With Cyprian, I’m trying to watch out for those things. I’m really trying with him, more so than I’ve ever tried before with anyone else.

“Your sister arrived a couple of days ago, Camilla. Her husband had to stay in Cape Town to work,” my father tells me. “Do not bring up his absence as she gets teary-eyed when anyone does. I fear their marriage has hit a rocky patch.”

My heart freezes. If she’s having a rough time, she tends to make others have one as well. “Is she keeping it together for the kids, though? Not wearing her heart on her sleeve, is she?” I ask, hopefully.

My brother looks back at me. “She is doing well for who she is.” He looks at Cyprian. “Our oldest sister is a bit much at times. Her passionate personality can be somewhat hard to take. She is much more French than any of us, including our Papa. And your last name is French as well, Cyprian. Tell us how your family is. Is your father a passionate man? Is he married to a French woman?”

“My father isn’t married,” Cyprian says as he ignores my hand tapping on his leg to let him know to guard his words. “My mother is American and my papa is of French descent but he’s never been abroad. He was born in the states to a family who was third generation immigrants. He has no real connection to that country any longer.”

“So, your parents are divorced?” my father asks. “Mon conard, has been tight-lipped about your family.”

I lean over and whisper to Cyprian, “That’s his little nickname for me. It means, my little duck.”

He leans over and kisses my cheek. “I know. I think it’s cute.”

I blush as I seem to have forgotten, Cyprian is a very smart man. I seem to forget so much about him and who he is. Perhaps I have a problem getting to really know people. Maybe that’s what had my other relationships going south. I should pay more attention to what he says, I think.

“So, they are divorced?” Papa asks, again.

Before Cyprian can answer, I do, “No, they were never married. Can this inquisition end now? I don’t want Cyprian put on the spot about his family. His family is small. He, his father, and his mother makes up the little family who are very busy living their own lives.”

Cyprian gives my knee a squeeze. “I don’t mind answering your father’s questions.”

“I mind them asking too many things,” I say and peck his cheek. “Let me guard you a bit. Once we get home, you will be met with more than you will care for.”

“She’s right,” Carlyle tells him as he looks back at him. “Catarina is one hell of a big sister.”

Cyprian chuckles. “Is she now? A passionate creature who looks after her younger siblings. What’s not to like about that?”

“You’ll see,” I say as we pull into the driveway of my parents’ modest home on the outskirts of New Orleans. “For here we are.”

Why did I decide to bring him home to meet my family…?

Chapter 2

CYPRIAN

Teal eyes land on me as we enter the Petit home. Straight black hair frames her plump face, which is beautiful. Her bronze lips part as she looks me up and down. “You must be Cyprian Girard. Just so you know, I have already researched you. You were news, recently. How are you feeling after having your appendix removed?”

“This is my sister, Catarina,” Cami tells me as she gestures to the bold woman who continues to look me over.

I reach out for her hand and she places it in mine. I kiss the top of it as she narrows her eyes at me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Catarina. Your sister has told me much about you.”

“So you will understand when I dig deep into you, Cyprian,” she says, making a chill run through me.

Camilla has made it clear, I am not to go divulging too much about my past with women. She thinks her family would never allow her to be with me if they knew it all.

Cami shakes her head. “No, Rina. He is not to be bothered with your incessant curiosity. He’s been through surgery only a couple of weeks ago and I am fiercely protective over him. So, don’t push me.”

Catarina looks at her younger sister with a smirk on her face. “You will have to leave his side sometime, dear sister.”

Cami looks at me and winks. “Stay close, Cyprian. Lions await you.”

I nod and find another woman coming into the room. “And this is the new man in my baby girl’s life. It’s nice to meet you, Cyprian. I am Anashe, but you can call me, Ana.” Cami’s mother has a British accent, as do the majority of people who come from Cape Town, South Africa, I suppose.

I take her extended hand, delivering a kiss to the top of it as I bow a bit. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ana. I can see where your daughters get their great beauty from.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cami smile. The corner of my other eye catches, Catarina frowning as she says, “Spoken like a true, libertine.”

Cutting my eyes at her, I respond, “I see you know the moniker of the investment company my father started before my time. You see, he meant it not as the one definition that means a man who behaves sexually immoral. He meant it as the definition that means, free thinker. But you probably know that, if you read up on me and the company I am CEO of.”

She nods and smiles an eerie smile at me. “Of course, you would say that, Cyprian. You and I have much to discuss when we have a chance to. Perhaps wine on the back porch later will find us chatting about you and your past that’s shaded a bit more than some.”

I find Cami, pulling at me to go with her somewhere. “Don’t mind her, Cyprian. Come with me, let’s put our things in my old bedroom.” We wheel our luggage down a short hallway. She opens the third door on the left and I find a pink bedroom.

“Your mother hasn’t changed a thing since you left, has she?” I ask as I go inside with her.

With a shake of her head, she closes the door behind us. “No, she’s left all of our bedrooms the exact same way we left them. Did my sister intimidate you, Cyprian? I’m sorry about her.”

“She loves you. I find it sweet. I can handle her, Cami. Don’t worry.” Taking her in my arms, I hold her tight and kiss her long and sweetly. Gazing into her eyes once I’ve set her lips free, I find her to look even sweeter. “Your family is gorgeous. Our children will have great genetics. We’re sure to have us a houseful of pretty kids.”

She smiles and bats at my arm. “A houseful is a bit too many. Especially with the size of your home.”

“I have room for at least nine kids. You can give me nine, can’t you, baby?” I tease her.

“Rogue,” she says as she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me more deeply than she’s done since my surgery.

Her tongue moves over mine as her hands move up into my hair and my hands travel to her rounded bottom. I pull her into me and find my cock springing to life. That can’t happen yet, so I pull my mouth from hers. “Naughty vixen.”

She smiles and lays her forehead against my chest. “With you, I am.”

I look at her small bed and see we’ll be sleeping nearly on top of one another. “This next couple of days will have me exercising my self-control, I see. You will lay nearly on top of me.”

She pulls out of my arms and giggles. “I can make a pallet on the floor if you doubt your ability to control your urges, Cyprian.”

Pulling her back into my arms, I kiss her again. “No way. I will sleep with you for the rest of my life. Nothing like my self-control will ever get in our way.”

She runs her hand over my cheek and I see my world in her deep blue eyes. Taking her hand, I hold it to my lips as I gaze at her and think about how lucky I am to have found her in this huge world we live in.

Is it possible to love someone so completely…?

Chapter 3

CAMILLA

The smell of chicken and dumplings fills my nostrils as Cyprian and I go into my mother’s kitchen. We find her, stirring a pot as my sister tosses flour coated balls of dough into a huge pot.

My three-year-old niece, Sadie, and one-year-old nephew, Sax, make their way to me but stop just short as they seem a bit shy about Cyprian. I let his hand go and pick them both up, holding one on each hip.

“My, my, those kids look good on you, baby,” Cyprian says with a chuckle.

“First things first, Cyprian,” my sister says.

“Shush,” my mother reprimands her. “Your sister is twenty-five, plenty old enough to be thinking about children. I’d like a few more grandkids.”

“I meant they need to be married before any talk of that happens. That’s all I meant by that comment.” My sister looks past me at Cyprian. “Is that in the cards for you?”

He laughs and sits at the small round table in the kitchen. “I’ll let that be a mystery for a while, Catarina. You are quite the big sister, aren’t you?”

“I am,” she says as she eyes him. “And you are an enigma, Cyprian.”

“You don’t trust me to do right by your little sister?” he asks.

I find their banter annoying and butt in, “It doesn’t matter what she thinks. Mama, can you please tell your eldest to mind her business and her manners?”

My mother nods as she stirs the pot of boiling deliciousness. “Camilla is right, Catarina. Leave her man be.”

I put the kids down and sit next to Cyprian who leans over and whispers, “I love being called your man,” He leaves a quick kiss just behind my ear, sending heat through me.

This celibacy thing while he heals is as close to torture as I’ve ever been. Sleeping with him each night has left me waking to him gloriously naked, while I keep my body wrapping in night clothes, afraid of what would happen if we were both naked.

He has been a rock of self-control, which I find amazing. The man seems to be transforming right before my eyes. His normal demeanor of raw sexual prowess has nearly disappeared.

I see him gazing at my niece and nephew who’ve gone back to playing at the little table my mother has made for them in the kitchen. “You remember me telling you the kids’ names, right?” I ask him.

He nods. “Sadie and Sax, right?”

“Yes,” my sister says. “My husband had to stay in Cape Town. My mother’s from there. Did Camilla tell you that?”

“She did. She and I have talked about so much these last two weeks. We now know one another inside and out.” He drapes his arm across my shoulders. “I’m sure your husband, Peter, misses you and his kids very much. He’s the manager of a hotel there, right?”

“He is. If he misses us, I have no idea. I’ve yet to speak to him since we got here a couple of days ago. He’s not answered my calls,” she says as she looks at the pot instead of us.

“Are you sure he’s okay,” I ask her as I’d never be okay with anyone not taking my calls after such a long trip.

“He’s fine. I called the hotel and his assistant told me as much. He just doesn’t want to talk to me is all.” She throws one last dumpling into the pot and walks over to the sink to wash her hands.

I get up and go to help them by picking up the bowl of flour, tossing out the unused portion and washing the bowl while my mother chastises Catarina. “Not in front of the c-h-i-l-d-r-e-n.”

“Why did you spell, children, Grandmama?” Sadie asks.

Cyprian fights himself not to laugh I see, as he holds his mouth shut. Then he gets up and goes to the little table where the kids are playing with a coloring book and colors. “My, my, how smart you are. Can you read, Sadie?” he asks her, diverting her attention.

My sister looks at me as I smile with his efforts. Her shoulder touches mine as she whispers, “I can see you think he’s hung the moon, little sister. Believe me, men are incapable of keeping up their act of being good. Because it’s just an act. Once they have you trapped, or so they think, in a marriage with children you share, then they go right back to who they were before you came along. So, beware, Camilla.”

I don’t say a word in response. She’s obviously unhappy with her marriage right now, that’s all. She’s always been happy with her husband. I have no idea what’s happened but I have no doubts she’ll be bending my ear with the details before the night’s over. She’s not one to keep her problems to herself, totally opposite of me.

I can’t help but watch Cyprian color with the kids as he perches on a tiny chair. Sadie, who was shy, is getting bolder with him as she reads to him from one of her children’s books. He seems impressed and she seems proud of herself.

Sax is looking at Cyprian from under his thick dark lashes. I can see his curiosity is getting the better of him as Cyprian is talking to his big sister. Before Cyprian realizes what’s happened, Sax has moved off his chair and is leaning on Cyprian’s leg, listening to his sister read and helping Cyprian color his picture.

Cyprian looks over his shoulder at me and gives me a grin that tells me he’s quite happy. “Looks like you’ve made a couple of new friends,” I say as I wipe my hands on a dish towel and make my way to him.

He nods and I see pink stain his cheeks. Then I recall how he’s told me he never made any real friends. Thanks to his father promoting school was for learning, not building friendships. Then work started and he told him the same thing. My poor Cyprian was held back from so many things.

I run my hands over his broad shoulders and stand behind him. Then find my sister looking at us and sighing just before she leaves the kitchen. My mother shakes her head as she turns the stove off and moves the pot to let the contents thicken. “She needs your help, Camilla. She’s not herself and she’s not telling us everything. Could you go see if you can get anything out of her? I’ll entertain your young man if you’d do that for me.”

I kiss the top of Cyprian’s head and give her a nod then go to find my sister who’s not quite herself. Into the living room I go and find her walking out on the front porch, so I go out there too and see her lighting a cigarette., “What the hell are you doing, Catarina?” I ask as I close the door behind me. “Mama and Papa will kill you if they see you doing that. You know that.”

“I have to do something to ease my stress. You have no idea.” She takes a long drag then I take the thing away from her, toss it on the ground, and stomp on it until it’s out.

“Killing yourself, slowly, isn’t the answer.” I pull her with me to sit on the rockers on the porch. “Talk to me.”

Her hands are knotting as she holds them in her lap. “Peter has taken on a mistress and expects me to accept that.”

“Whoa!” I say then let out a whistle. “Man, I have to tell you, it’s not completely unexpected, with his religion and all. Mama and Papa warned you, it could happen. But you said mistress, not wife. Is there a chance he won’t marry her too?”

“I suppose he’s testing the waters with her. I hate it. I hate all of it,” she says then I see the tears starting.

“Look,” I say as I run my hand over her leg to try to comfort her. “Maybe we could talk to him. Maybe we could get him to see reason.”

Shaking her head, she cries,” He won’t even answer my calls. I begged him to come with me and he told me this would be the perfect opportunity for him to get to be alone with this other woman, who he’s refused to allow me to even meet yet. So, here I am in New Orleans, knowing my husband is having sex with another woman in our bed.”

My gut turns on itself as I think about how she must feel. “Leave him, Rina. Don’t stay in that kind of a marriage.”

She shakes her head. “It’s not that easy. He’ll be able to keep the kids away from me if I do that. They are citizens of South Africa, after all.”

“You’ve dug yourself a real whole. You will have to come to terms with things. You married a man who can take more than one wife at a time. You knew this could happen. So, take that for what it’s worth. You took a risk and lost. Life goes on. It’s just sex, right?” I say, quoting Cyprian.

“If that’s all it is then why does it hurt so damn much?” she asks me as she tries to suck it up.

“I wish I knew.”

We both turn to see who’s coming outside as the screen squeals on them, we see it’s Cyprian. “Catarina, your son has a diaper that’s in need of your attention. Your mother sent me to tell you that. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news.” She gets up and rushes past him wiping her eyes. He takes her by the arm, stopping her. “You’re crying.”

She nods and tries to pull away. “It’s nothing.”

He lets her go and she hurries inside then he comes and sits in her empty chair. “Care to tell me about it?”

“I most likely shouldn’t but this might be an area you can actually be of help with. You see, her husband practices a religion that allows him to have more than one wife and he’s looking into taking another, as we speak.”

“Oh,” he says as he looks down then he looks back at me. “She had to know this might happen.”

“I told her that too but it’s hitting her hard.”

“When that’s practiced as a religion, it’s more about making more children than anything else, from what I’ve read. So, it’s just sex, really.” He looks at me as if I can understand the concept.

“She and I come from a family who believes there is not a thing, as just having sex. I have no idea why she married a man who could legally do such a thing as add another wife to his plate. She did, though. Everyone cautioned her but she did it anyway. Peter promised her he’d never do such a thing. Seems he lied.”

Cyprian nods. “Men lie to get what they want.”

I stifle a gasp as he speaks so openly with me. “You are also a man.”

“That I am,” he says then places his hand on my arm. “But I am a man who has spent over half his life having meaningless sex with more women than most. And I have found the one woman who brings out more in me than I knew was inside of this mind and body. I have no want for any other.”

“But someday I might not be enough. You have to admit that.” I watch his brow furrow.

“Please don’t think like that. I can’t predict the future. For all I know, it will be you who tires of me. You could be the one who cheats or lies. No one knows what will happen. All I can promise you is right now.”

I don’t say a word as I recall how much Peter was in love with my sister. He treated her like a princess. He gave her tons of jewelry and took her to Cape Town and bought them a huge, lovely home. And now he wants to add a woman into his life. And the same could happen to me, I suppose. Cyprian has been honest with me about being fine with two or more women.

“Cyprian, if I told you it would be okay, would you want to add another woman into our lives or our bedroom life?”

“Don’t, Cami. Don’t do that. This is a thing between your sister and her husband. A man she knew could take more wives if he wanted to. You and I don’t have that. We will have a traditional marriage. Leave us out of them, okay?”

“This is just a, what if, thing,” I say. “What if you were a man who was part of a religion that allowed you to have more than one wife? Would you want one?”

He moves off the chair and gets on his knees in front of me, taking my hands. “Camilla Petit, you are the only woman I have ever seen a future with. Don’t take paths that might be or could’ve been. We are on one path. That’s to marry and become a family of our very own. Don’t think any other way.”

As I look at him, I know he’s right not to let my mind stray into places that might be dangerous to our relationship. I see he has faith in us and that gives me some faith too.

So what, if my sister was foolish enough to marry a man she took his word he’d never take another wife, even though he would be able to if he wanted. I’m not her and Cyprian and I can’t be compared to what she entered into with the man she married.

She was warned. She shouldn’t have married him. She should’ve never trusted the man.

I look at Cyprian with his good looks, money, and charm. I should be wary of them. A woman can easily fall victim to all of that. A man like Cyprian could make a woman believe anything he told her to.

A man like him could break me into more pieces than anyone else ever has. He could take my heart and pull it apart.

But would he do that to me…?

Chapter 4

CYPRIAN

Though Cami has stopped trying to bait me with what if questions that pertain to her sister, I find her still being a bit on the standoffish side. Which is making it harder for me to do what I had planned to do on our visit to her parents’ home.

The dinner went smoothly enough. Her father seems to like me as does her mother. When Cami told them about me coming for her the night of the hurricane, they both looked at me with adoring eyes.

Her sister, on the other hand, looked at me with accusing eyes. She seems to be looking through the man I am becoming and seeing the man I am trying to leave behind.

The backyard is large and Cami and I are sitting outside, enjoying the night air as we sip on some white wine. The screen on the back door squeaks open then slams shut. It has us looking to see who’s joining us, rather than star gazing.

When her sister pulls up a chair, with a bottle of beer in her hand, I feel a definite chill. “Catarina,” Cami says. “Did you get the kids to sleep already?”

“I did. I want to get some advice from your man, Camilla.” She takes a long drink of her beer, while she waits to see if Cami will approve her request.

Without looking at me to see what I have to say about it, she gives her older sister a nod of approval and I feel prickles of heat run down my spine. What has she gotten me into?

Catarina looks at me as she lowers the tall brown bottle off her full lips. “Am I pretty to you, Cyprian?”

Oh, shit!

“That’s not a loaded question at all, is it?” I ask with a chuckle.

Cami nudges me. “It’s okay to answer truthfully.”

I weigh my answer, carefully before I speak, “You are very pretty, as is your mother and your sister. In fact, the whole family looks like something out of a movie.”

Cami smiles and leans in close to me as we sit on a large swing that’s hanging from an ancient oak tree. “Good way to say it, babe.”

Her sister eyes me. “You are good with your words. I knew a man like that once.”

Cami cautions her, “He isn’t Peter, Rina. Don’t go hostile on him.”

“If you had me, would you want anyone else?” Catarina asks me.

“Another loaded question,” I say. “I don’t know you. If you’re asking me, by your looks alone, would I ever want anyone other than you, I have to say I have been with many beautiful women and did want more. It wasn’t until I met this little beauty beside me that I found myself only wanting her.”

Cami looks at me with a frown on her face. “That’s not exactly true.”

“Okay, at first, it wasn’t. But then it became true. You know that,” I say then kiss the side of her head.

“Have you hurt my sister?” Catarina asks me then takes another drink.

“I have,” I admit. “I have hurt her deeply and I have to tell you that I am ashamed of the pain I’ve caused her and have made a vow to her and myself never to do that again.”

“Huh,” she says as she puts the bottle on the ground next to her chair. “How have you hurt her, Cyprian?”

“Never mind about that,” Cami tells her as she takes my hand. “That’s our business and that’s behind us. It’s taken a lot of work to get that behind us and I won’t be bringing it back out to banter about with anyone. Okay?”

The conviction in Cami’s voice makes my heart swell. It’s the first time I’ve heard her say anything like that. I kind of feared what I did would haunt us forever. But it sounds like she really means it’s behind us.

I give her hand a squeeze. “I love you, Cami.”

She smiles and bats her long lashes at me. “I love you too.”

Her sister, clearing her throat, has us turning our attention back to her. “I assume my little sister has let you in on my predicament.”

I nod. “She has.”

“Any advice on how to handle sharing my husband with another woman?” Her eyes glisten in the moonlight as she holds back her tears.

“You knew who he was and what he was capable of doing when you married him. Cami told me you two dated for two years, were engaged for one year then married and immediately started your family. Tell me, has he spoken to you about the number of children he wants?”

“As many as he can have,” she says then picks up her beer and drinks the rest of it.

“And you were okay with that?” I ask her as she doesn’t look to be fine with it.

The way her head shakes tells me she jumped into something without thinking it through. “No, I wasn’t. You see, I have committed what he called a crime against our marriage. While visiting my parents, when Sax was two months old, I went to a doctor here and got a birth control shot that lasts three months. I’ve visited them every three months to keep the shots up. I did this without telling him about doing it.”

“Oh, shit!” Cami says. “Why did you do that?”

“Obviously, I wanted a break between babies. I did the same thing after I had Sadie. Only now that I haven’t gotten pregnant again, Peter’s found me out,” Catarina says as she looks up at the sky. “I just wanted a small break between having babies, that’s all.”

“His religion doesn’t allow that,” I tell her. “I know you’re aware of that. I know me saying it doesn’t help a damn thing. But you made a commitment, knowing these things. Is the woman he’s thinking about adding as a wife in the same religion he is?”

She nods and Cami mumbles, “You’re fucked.”

I give her a look that tells her to have a bit more compassion. “Look, Catarina, there’s not much you can do but to accept this. Unless you want to give up any life with your kids in it.”

“I’ll never do that,” she says as I see her tears glistening in the moonlight.

“Then accept your fate. You went into that marriage with your head on straight. You looked at the odds and thought you could handle them. But I would offer you this bit of advice. Consider getting off that birth control and giving your husband what you promised him you would. Before making such a drastic commitment, though. I’d ask him if he’d consider not taking another wife if you’d do that for him and your marriage.”

“I don’t want to do that. I want to stay on birth control and when my children are grown, I’ll leave him then.” She looks at me as if to ask me if that’s even possible.

“He can divorce you and keep the kids anyway if you go with that plan. You must realize that,” I tell her and watch her melt into a puddle of tears.

Cami gets up and goes to hug her sister, shushing her and telling her things will be okay. It doesn’t sound as if they’ll be okay but who am I to point that out at this moment?

Cami looks at me and her eyes go bright as she does. “Catarina, let me talk to Cyprian in private. If he agrees then I’ll tell you my plan in the morning.”

Her sister nods and sniffles as she tries to pull herself together and I give Cami a look that says, I have nothing I can do about the man or their marriage.

Cami comes and takes me by the hand, leading me back into the house and all the way into her old bedroom. “Cami, there’s not a thing I can do.”

“What if I told you there is something you can do?” she asks as she begins to change into her night clothes.

I start ditching my clothes and make it into the bed first. She eyes me as I do. “I’m not going to even attempt to sleep in pajamas, baby. It’s humid as hell here.”

She nods in agreement and finds a thin nightgown out of a dresser where she has left some of her clothes. I sigh as she pulls it over her head. How I wish the one month mark was here already.

I pull the blanket back and she slips into the little bed with me and leans up on her elbow, looking down at me. “Okay, hear me out before you say a thing, please.”

I nod but know there’s no plan that could possibly work out for her sister. I wish there was but there just isn’t a thing anyone can do. Her sister made her bed, now she has to lie in it.

And maybe with another woman too…?

Chapter 5

CAMILLA

“So, you see it might work. Peter’s not a bad man. I think what my sister pulled, left him thinking he had no other choice but to take another wife. If he was around us more, I think he’d find it in his heart to allow her a few years between children. I think it’s being in his home country that has him wanting to save face.”

Cyprian looks away then back at me. “He’ll only be allowed a work visa. That means he’ll have to leave the country at least once a year.”

“And that’s when you’ll have him take a month in France to give that manager a vacation. He can take Catarina and the kids with him for that month. It will work, I know it will!” I am over the top excited that I came up with such a great plan.

“You do realize this requires me buying two hotels. Plus, hiring another manager for the France hotel. And I’m not even in that business. I’m in investments,” he says as he looks doubtful.

“So, you buy two hotels and hire managers to do the rest. You are rich and you did tell me whatever I wanted, you’d give me. Well, I want two hotels to help my sister keep her family.” I look him square in the eyes and ask him for the first thing ever and wait to see if he will give it to me.

“Might I have a meeting with this man first, before I go getting into the hotel business, baby?” he asks me then pulls me to him and kisses the top of my head. “I will do it for you. I just want to see if I have to hire a real manager to oversee him or if he knows what he’s doing.”

I clap and giggle and kiss his face all over. “Thank you, thank you!”

He laughs as I kiss him then holds me back. “I suppose you want the American hotel to be in Clemson, so they spend more time with us, correct?”

I nod and he smiles at me. “I’m beginning to be able to read you like a book.”

“You are,” I say and cuddle into his side. “Man, this bed is little.” I have to readjust and end up lying on his left side or I’ll fall off the bed.

“I’m happy to have your attitude being more positive. It makes my heart go all bumpy.” He pulls me up even more on top of him and I hug him tight.

So, I’ve asked him for something huge and he’s agreed to it. Maybe this thing between us really is going places.

But should I really be incorporating my family into it, so soon…?

Chapter 6

CYPRIAN

“That’s a grand gesture,” Cami’s father says after we’ve told everyone our plan for keeping Catarina’s family together. “Peter is a smart man. I can assure you he’ll work hard for you, Cyprian.”

I find the whole family is all smiles and then I go and do a bit more. “I’m not a man who knows a thing about the running of hotels. I can make the investment but that’s about all I can do.” I turn to Carlyle. “Can I count on you to assist Peter with this endeavor? That can be your internship and if you like that kind of work, I can make you a permanent part of the business structure.”

He nods and I see his father looking at him with a ton of pride in his expression. “I sure would love that opportunity. Thank you!”

Catarina looks a little worried as she says, “But he’ll ask about where we’ll live.”

“In the hotel,” Cami says. “We’ll have the top floor, renovated to accommodate your whole family.”

Catarina nods then looks at me. “Are you some kind of an angel, Cyprian?”

I laugh. “Far from it.”

Cami looks at me as she laughs too and I know she knows I’m no angel. “Well, we’re off to go on a swamp tour. Does anyone care to join us?”

No one comes forward, so she and I leave her family behind to go see some alligators. We hold hands as we go out to borrow her father’s car and I open the passenger door for her. “My lady.”

She kisses my cheek then gets inside the car. When I get into the driver’s side, I find her gazing at me. “I love you more than you can imagine.”

“Baby, you’ve given me more in my life than anyone ever has. I feel like a part of a real family, for the first time ever. And it feels awesome.” I take her hand and kiss it then run the back of it over my cheek. “Thank you.”

“Thank you, Cyprian. Thank you for everything. The hard times and the good times. I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

Watching her smile like she is, has my heart doing flips. “This really is the best feeling. Do you think we can really get your family around us in Clemson?”

Then her head falls and she looks down. “My mother and father will never leave my grandparents, alone. And they’ll never leave.”

“I’m sorry,” I say as I lift her hand back up to my lips. “But we can always visit a lot. I love them, Cami. They’re great. Next to visit is your grandparents. We can go see them after our swamp tour.”

She gets happy again as the smile returns to her pretty face. “Maybe things will go this well when I meet your parents.”

I nod and drive away but I have a feeling things won’t go as well as they’ve gone with her family. My parents are nothing like hers. She has a real family and I have a couple of people who never fully developed as grown-ups. That’s painfully obvious to me now that I’ve been around a real family.

“Can you be brutally honest with me, Cami?”

She nods. “Sure.”

“Do you think I’ll make a good father?”

She looks at me with a smile and sighs. “I do. I really do.”

“Can I ask you another question then?”

“Sure.”

“When do you think you can let me become one?”

She laughs and I find it a lighthearted sound. One that tells me she’s not that far off from the idea. “We’ll just have to see about that, Romeo.”

I shut my mouth and bide my time. She’s coming along much faster than I anticipated. Becoming a father might not be years and years away like she said it would be. Especially if we have aunts and uncles around to help care for our brood.

I look over at her and picture her with a swollen stomach, full of my baby and my cock stirs. I look away as that’s still a no, no. Damn this recuperation is taking forever!

Can I really wait that long…?

Chapter 7

CAMILLA

Our stay has extended to two more days, so Peter can fly in and meet with Cyprian. He’s having him flown over by private jet and Peter sounded impressed when I overheard him talking to Catharina on her cell.

Cyprian, Catarina, and I are using Papa’s car to pick up Peter from the small airport we flew into a few days ago. My family has taken to Cyprian better than I imagined they would.

“Is it odd that I’m so excited to see my husband?” Catharina asks us. “I mean, I know he’s had sex with another woman while I’ve been gone.”

“Let it go, Rina,” I tell her. “Trust me, you can get over it.” I look at Cyprian who goes pink with embarrassment.

My sister leans up from the back seat and pats him on the shoulder. “I could tell you were a bad boy. But you seem to have grown out of it.”

“Great,” he says as he seems at a loss for words.

We laugh a little as he pulls up to the airport and we see the black jet pulling in too. “Just in time,” I say as we stop.

We all get out and in moments my sister is hugging her husband as Cyprian and I watch them. “What a married couple can get through, huh, baby,” Cyprian says as he pulls me close.

“All I know is, you better never put my ass through that.” I pinch his butt a little and he smacks mine, lightly.

“Nor you.”

“Agreed,” I say as my sister and brother-in-law stop hugging and kissing and come toward us.

Cyprian lets me go as he steps forward, extending his hand. “Hello, Peter. I’m Cyprian Girard, CEO of Libertine Investments. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Peter says then stops shaking his hand to give me a hug. “How’s my gorgeous sister-in-law?”

“I’m fine.” I pat him on the back as we end our hug.

“Shall we?” Cyprian asks as he gestures to the car. “I’ve made lunch reservations at someplace called, The Grill Room that Cami has assured me is excellent food and a great place to discuss our business.”

Peter gives him a nod as he opens the door for my sister who gets inside, all the while gazing at her attractive husband. It’s no wonder she doesn’t want to share him. He’s an exotic beauty, that man!

I scoot across the seat to sit right next to Cyprian as my sister and her husband begin to make-out in the back seat. “Sorry about this,” I whisper to Cyprian as I turn up the music, so we don’t have to hear the heavy breathing coming from them both.

He leans over and whispers. “Get out your cell and make them reservations somewhere crazily expensive in the French Quarter for the next two nights. I think they need to rekindle their romance.”

I do as he says and find myself smiling all the while. Cyprian is surprising me more and more with each passing day. He’s insightful and helpful, and just plain wonderful!

“I love you,” I tell him after I’ve received confirmation of the reservations at Ritz-Carlton.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wad of cash. “Slip this to your sister when you get a chance. I don’t want to leave them downtown without any money.”

When I count the money, I shake my head. “Baby, this is too much.”

He shakes his head right back at me. “No, it’s not. Just give it to her.”

I place the cash in my purse and think he’s nuts but he has more money than I have an imagination of just how much it really is. If he wants to splurge on my sister and her husband, who am I to stop him?

As we pull to a stop in front of the restaurant to let the valet take the car, my sister has to pull herself off her husband and we get out and go inside. I find them both glowing and think I was dead on right with my idea of bringing him to her.

Once we’re seated, Cyprian begins to let Peter know what he has planned. We don’t want Peter to think this is just something to get him to do what my sister wants him to do. Cyprian tells him the plan and asks for his help.

Peter thinks he’s negotiating but he has no idea Cyprian will give him more than what he’s asking for. Just as Peter looks as if he’s trying to make a decision about what to do, I open my mouth, “He left out the most important part, Peter. You will be getting a share of the profits each quarter and that will go all the way down to your children when they turn eighteen. Fifty percent of the profits, to be exact.”

His dark brown eyes narrow as he looks at me. “You are kidding, aren’t you?”

Cyprian chimes in, “She isn’t. I wanted her to tell you. You see, I’m an investor, not a person who knows how to run a hotel. That’s why I’m willing to give you not only a salary but a percentage as well. Plus, I like your kids and want to give them something they can reap from what you sow.”

“This is much too nice of you. I can’t let you do this,” Peter says, making us all stop and look at him.

Cyprian nudges me. “Take your sister to freshen up, will you?”

I nod and tilt my head toward the ladies’ room. “Come on, sis. The men need to talk business.” As soon as we get out of earshot, I let her in on Cyprian’s gift. “My man has set you up good, Rina. You and your husband will be staying two nights at the Ritz.”

“What?” she says as her eyes grow in size.

We slip into the ladies’ room and I open my purse. “Here, put this in your purse. Cyprian gave it to me to give to you. He said you’ll need some money to have fun while you have a little vacation. I’ll help Mama with your children. Don’t worry. Reconnect with Peter and see if you can get him on board with this venture.”

“What if he doesn’t want to do it, Camilla?” she asks as she seems worried he might not.

“Do your best to talk him into it. It means a lot to the kids too. This will set you all up for your whole lives. If you do smart things with it, that is. But I’m sure Cyprian will help out with great ideas about how to make the business work. He keeps saying he knows nothing about the hotel business but the man can read things and instantly become an expert. He’s the smartest man I’ve ever met and I know brilliant doctors and scientists!”

“I hope he can talk Peter into taking this offer. I don’t know what I’ll do if he won’t take it.”

I don’t know what she’ll do, either…

Chapter 8

CYPRIAN

“Man to man, no judgment,” I say to Peter. “Why would you not accept this offer?”

“I have my reasons for wanting to stay in South Africa. It’s my home country. I want my children to be raised there. I want them to know my religion and heritage,” he says, making valid points.

“Clemson has a community where they can get that as well. You see, your children are half-American too. Shouldn’t they get to experience and learn about this culture as well?” I ask him.

His eyes keep darting to the side and I think he has other reasons to want to stay right where he’s at. “My family is back in Cape Town as well.”

“You’d have lots of vacation time. Anytime you needed or wanted to go for a visit, not only would you be able to take that time off, you’d have access to the company’s private jet to make the trip.” I pile it on thick as I can see this man has that other woman on his mind.

He looks at me for a moment then says, “I suppose my wife has informed you all about me taking a mistress.”

I nod. “That has nothing to do with this offer. You see, I am planning on marrying Camilla. I’ve never had a family and I’d like to help ensure your family has everything they need. Think of me as a brother, Peter.”

He nods. “I have many, many brothers, Cyprian.”

“I am sure you do. That’s wonderful for you. Such a large and loving family,” I say but find him shaking his head.

“Loving, no. Just large. But that’s all I know. Can I be honest with you?” he asks me as he looks over my shoulder for his wife, no doubt.

“I wish you would.”

“I am facing a lot of flak from my extensive family about my wife and her slowness to fill our family with more children. They’ve set me up with another woman. She’s more than willing to make sure I have as many children as possible. So, leaving my home now would cause a rift in our families. This woman is a cousin of one of my brother’s wives. A close family we’ve traded with for many generations.”

“While I see your dilemma, may I ask you if you love your wife?”

He looks at me for a long moment. “Where I come from a wife is an asset. Love shouldn’t enter into that agreement. She married me, agreeing to bear my children. As many as we were given. When she took birth control, she voided our agreement. I haven’t divulged that information to anyone. Nor will I. You want to know why that is, Cyprian?”

“Let me guess, because you, my friend, love your wife.”

He nods but says nothing as he takes a drink of his wine. After a long time, he says, “But I have never told her those words.”

“You should. You should live your life for you and no one else except that woman and your children. I was also brought up in a family who thought love had no place in our existences. They were wrong. I had been living life almost the same way as you’ve described. I used women for sex and gave them nothing in return. Until I met, Camilla Petit. She opened my eyes and my heart to a different, more fulfilling way to live. You should forget about what you’re leaving behind.”

“Can I even do that?” he asks. “I’m not sure I can.”

“When you have sex with your wife, have you found it more enjoyable than when you had sex with this new mistress?” I ask him as I hold his eyes to make sure he tells me the truth.

“I didn’t feel a damn thing when I bedded the mistress. Except shame. That’s the truth.”

“Here’s the deal, Peter. I love Cami and I love her family now too. Your family will leave you the hell alone about this. Would you like to know why that is?”

With a nod, he says, “I’d love to know why you think that.”

I wink at him. “Because you will be sending so much money home to them, they wouldn’t dare say a bad word to you. You know, afraid you’d stop sending them anything.”

“Just how much money do you think I can make off that hotel, anyway?” he asks me.

“Well, there will be two of them, actually. There will be another in Paris. You will only work there one month out of each year. But you and your children will get fifty percent of the profits off that one too. So, how much money you make is all up to you, my friend.”

“This is too good to be true,” he says and I nod. “See, I told you it was.”

“I do have a private condition for this,” I tell him.

“And that is?” he asks as he leans forward.

This is the whole reason I sent the women away. I’m not sure Cami nor would her sister approve of my doing this. But I feel protective over her and her family, so I will do what I think I need to, for their protection.

“You and I will have a side agreement, signed and kept in my attorney’s possession. Only you, me, and my attorney will know a thing about it. It will state that, at any time, you take on another mistress or wife, you will lose everything to your current wife, Catarina. You will be deported, without a cent and without your wife or children. That’s my one condition. As long as you live by that agreement, you and your entire family will benefit from it. If you don’t, then you will go back to South Africa, penniless, without your family.”

“You’re a man who has more dark than light,” he says as he looks me over.

“I have a darkness, you don’t’ begin to have. You see, I have lived a life even worse than your own. I could’ve had love and companionship the whole time but it was kept from me. Now that I have it, I will do anything to make it stay in my life. Cami is my life and her family means the world to her and that means it does to me now too. So, I will protect them all, the same way I will protect her.”

“If I walk away, accepting nothing, then what?” he asks me.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that, Peter. Like I said, I will do anything to protect them.”

“Does that include having me killed?” he asks.

Shaking my head, I say, “Surely, you wouldn’t let it come to such a drastic thing. I am offering you wealth beyond your wildest imagination. A beautiful wife, who is willing to give you children. She’s merely asking for a small break in between them. A very fair thing to give, in my opinion. You will be beyond happy, Peter. Do the right thing, man.”

He drums his fingers on the table then looks up at me. “I have no choice, Cyprian. I will take your offer.”

I hold up my glass of wine and he holds his up as we tap them together. “Here’s to many years of being brothers-in-law, Peter, as well as business partners.”

He doesn’t say anything as he knows I have him by the balls. When my family is threatened, I’m finding I can turn into a ruthless man. But then again, isn’t Peter the same way.

So, who is to say what I’m doing is wrong…?

* * *

Chapter 1

CAMILLA

Pulling up to the college in the red Lamborghini, I feel more than a bit ostentatious. Everyone looks at me as I get out of the attention attracting door that lifts up.

“Whoa,” a young dark haired guy says as he stops and looks at the car. “What do we have here?”

Closing the door, I hit the button on the key fob to lock it and take a step back to appreciate the car with the guy. “We have a pretty nice car my boyfriend gave me.”

He cuts his eyes away from the gorgeous car for only a moment to say, “You should marry that man.” Then he’s right back to looking at the car.

Walking away, I think about what he’s said and wonder why it is Cyprian has yet to ask me that all-important question. We’ve been living together for a bit over a month and he talks all the time like we’re definitely going to get married and he mentions having kids a lot too. But the actual proposal and an engagement ring have yet to be heard or seen.

Not that I want to rush anything but I am beginning to wonder if I’ll get a real proposal or if one day, out of the blue, he tells me to pack a bag and whisks me away to Las Vegas. I don’t know how I’d feel about not having a real proposal.

Maybe I should let Cyprian know that. No, that’s much too forward. I’d better just wait to see what he has up his sleeve.

Making my way into the lab for my first class of the new year, my last year, I find the smell of formaldehyde, stinging my nostrils and get ready to get back into the mindset of learning all I can, while I still can.

Checking my phone, before I shut it off for class, I see my sister has sent me a text, asking me to meet her for lunch. She, her husband, and kids are staying in a house, Cyprian rented for them while they scout out a great place to make the new hotel.

Catarina is over the moon about it and must have something she wants to show me or talk to me about. I text back that I’ll meet her for lunch and turn the phone off to get down to business.

This year is going to be so different with no job to go to every night. And I have Cyprian to thank for that. He’s such a good guy, now that his past seems to be behind him.

CYPRIAN

“Thank you for meeting me, Peter,” I tell Catarina’s husband who’s stepping off the elevator at my office building. “Follow, me. My lawyer is waiting for us in the small meeting room.”

“So, you really had the contract drawn up?” he asks me as if it was ever a question.

I stop and turn to him and look him over. The man is tall, dark, and mysterious looking. I can see why Cami’s sister fell for him. He’s a charismatic man and seems to be used to getting his way. He’s not a bit happy about the contract that’s the main part of our deal.

“Peter, would you do right by her, if there was no contract?” I ask him as he looks at me with a blank expression. It tells me he wouldn’t.

“Catarina and I made our vows and she’s well aware of what they were and what she can and can’t do and what I can and can’t do. I do not feel this contract is a thing I need, to do right by my wife and family.” He shoves his hands into the pockets of his expensive Armani suit I had delivered to him, along with top of the line clothing for his wife and kids.

I gave him and his wife cars to drive, I’ve already started his salary for managing the hotel that’s not even purchased yet. I’ve set them up in a nice home. I’ve done all that and he still thinks I should merely trust him to do what his wife feels is the right thing to do.

Peter is obvious to me. I can see right through him. If I don’t make him sign this contract, he will go back to South Africa and add that other woman into his life, as well as Catarina’s. I know it would break that woman.

Taking him to my office, instead of the meeting room, I decide to give him two offers. “Let’s stop off at my office for a minute. I have something else I’d like to offer you.”

He follows me into the office and I close the door behind us. “Good, I’m glad you’re seeing things my way,” he says.

With a chuckle, I say, “Far from it, Peter. You see, I’ve found a part of me I didn’t know I had. Seeing Cami as my future, has me seeing her family as my future too. Protection for them has begun to course through my veins and that has me thinking you should be given a chance to change your mind.”

“About?” he asks as I gesture for him to take a seat in the chair on the opposite side of my desk while I go take a seat in mine.

“How would you like to start fresh?” I ask him and see a puzzled expression could his face.

His dark brows furrow over his dark as night eyes as he asks, “I would like to know what you mean by that.”

Lacing my fingers and leaning my chin on them as I place my elbows on the desk, I tell him what I mean, “Divorce your wife. Leave her and your children here and I will see they never do without a thing. You can go back to your country and live life the way you want to. I’ll pay you to do that.”

“Leave my wife and children?” he asks as he shakes his head. “Do you think I could even do that? They belong to me!”

“Then what’s the big deal about what I’m asking from you? All I’m asking you to do is accept my gravy job offer and take care of your family. You’re making it out like I’m asking you to do something you don’t want to do.”

“I should be able to take another wife if I want to. It is in my religion, after all,” he says, and I find myself getting pissed at him.

“And you can, but divorce Catarina first. Let her go. It’s not her religion to do such things,” I tell him as he looks at me with a stubbornness in his eyes.

“She is mine. The children are mine. I’m not about to let them go,” he says through gritted teeth.

“Then you’re saying you will, willingly, sign the contract that states if you marry another, you will be sent back to South Africa, alone, leaving your wife and children here.”

“Fuck! I guess I can sign the damn contract but I would not call it, willingly. I would call it, you forcing me to.” He glares at me and I find a smile creeping across my lips.

“Peter, you’re a very lucky man. You have a beautiful family and now you’re going to be a very wealthy man. It’s more than most dream of,” I tell him as he looks grim. “So, let’s go get that thing signed and then I’ll take you to look at a building I think might be perfect for the new hotel. I’ve come up with a name too, Catarina’s Quarters. It is because of her that you have anything, after all.”

He slams his fist on top of the desk and growls. “I cannot do this! I will not allow this! She is my wife and those are my children and I am going to take them home. I am not a man who can be pushed around. Fuck you, Girard!”

I let him get up and walk to the door, then I say, “Have it your way, Peter.”

He stops and turns back to me, slowly. “You don’t mean to let me leave this building without signing that contract, do you?”

“If you walk out the door of the main lobby, without having signed that contract, I’m afraid a terrible accident will happen to you. But that’s your choice to make. It doesn’t matter at all to me.” I lock eyes with him to let him know I’m the one who’s calling the shots, not him.

Getting up, I make my way to the door and open it, walking out, I find him following me. I assume he’s made his decision. It’s too bad he had to be made to do the most basic thing in a marriage, be faithful.

As I open the door to the meeting room and see my lawyer sitting at the table, waiting for us, I notice a smile is on Peter’s face. Maybe he’s decided to be happy about things. He should be. He’s getting more than he’s ever dreamt of, after all.

I hope I’m doing the right thing…

Chapter 2

CAMILLA

“I’m meeting Catarina for lunch, you should join us, Cyprian,” I tell him as I’ve called him to see how his day is going. “I don’t have another class until two, so I have a couple of hours to kill.”

“We’ll meet you two then. I have Peter with me. I took him to see a building I think might be good for the hotel. Meeting with you girls will give me the opportunity to let you in on the name I’ve chosen.”

“Great, see you soon then.” I end the call and pull up in front of my sister’s house and honk the horn.

She hurries out, leaving the kids with a nanny she found soon after moving to Clemson. She looks happier than I’ve ever seen her as she gets into the car. “God, this car is so badass!”

“It turns heads, let me tell you,” I say as I pull away. “Our men are meeting us at the restaurant. Text yours, tell him where we’re going.”

She pulls her cell out of her purse and taps in the information then puts the phone in her lap and sighs. “I’m so happy, Camilla. Happier than I’ve ever been.”

“Good,” I say and give her a smile. “It makes me happy to see you this way, Catarina. It’s been a week since I’ve seen you. How’s it all going?”

“Great.” She nods as she looks out the window and sees people pointing at the car. She waves at them like they can see her, which they can’t through the darkly tinted windows. “Peter has been a bit cloudy-headed with all the changes but he’ll come around. He’s never been given such an opportunity before. I think he’s kind of blown away by it all.”

“Cyprian has been very generous, I admit.” I look over at her as I’m stopped at a red light. “But I have to tell you, it makes me love the man, even more, knowing he’d do anything for me and my family. He’s a keeper, that’s for sure.”

Taking off from the light, I find a car full of young guys pulling up next to us and gesturing for Catarina to roll her window down. She giggles as she sees them too and rolls it down. “Hey, boys!”

They laugh and hoot and holler. She laughs and rolls the window back up. “You have a fan club, Camilla.”

“I know. So, has Peter said anything about Cyprian? You know, does he like him?” I ask as Cyprian’s not said much.

“I suppose he likes him. Peter’s never been the type of man who lets me in on things. He’s reserved and I have to say, I like it that way. The man remains a mystery to me and that keeps my interested in him. But, I’m sure he likes all the things Cyprian’s doing for him.” She pulls her lipstick out of her purse and pulls down the visor to look in the mirror.

“Cyprian’s good at talking and telling me things. But he’s not said much about Peter, even though they’ve spent some time together, looking for places to make the hotel. Cyprian doesn’t know how to make friends. It wasn’t a thing his father thought was good for him. He was groomed to take over his father’s role as CEO of his company. Making friends would’ve gotten in the way of that.”

She puts her lipstick away and looks at me. “Camilla, have you met his family yet?”

“No,” I say and don’t want to say any more about it. I’ve kept Cyprian’s family and past, hush, hush.

The restaurant comes up and I pull into the valet lane and find Cyprian’s BMW pulling up behind us with Ashton at the wheel. Two men open our doors and I look the one, who will be driving my baby, right in his eyes. He nods before I say a word. “Got it, ma’am. Be extra careful with this little beauty. No need to worry. I’ll treat her like she was my own.”

Placing a twenty in his hand, I say, “Please do.”

Catarina laughs at me as we step up to the entrance and watch our men get out of the car behind mine. “You’re moving into the role of a wealthy wife quite easily.”

“It’s weird, I know. But being with Cyprian is rubbing off on me. Is that a bad thing?” I ask her.

Shaking her head, she says, “I don’t think so. He’s a great guy. I hope he rubs off on Peter, to tell the truth.”

Our men meet us with kisses to our cheeks and we all go inside. Cyprian’s arm runs around my waist as we’re led to a table by the hostess. His lips touch my ear as he whispers, “Did you miss me, baby?”

A chill runs through me and I smile. “I did. And you?”

“I did and I have great news. I had my follow-up appointment this morning and have been set free. Prepare to be devoured tonight, all night long.” He leaves a bite on my earlobe and I go all wet in an instant.

Holding the chair out for me, I sit down and find him sitting next to me and moving his chair so close to mine, our legs touch. His hand runs over my thigh, resting on my knee and making me crazy for him.

The month has been long and I’m more than ready to spend a sleepless night with him, even though I have classes tomorrow. I move my hand over his leg too and take in his musky aroma and find myself breathing harder than one should while sitting at a table with her sister and brother-in-law.

When I look away from Cyprian, I find Peter watching us. “We found a place today,” he says. “Cyprian has named the hotel. He’s named it after your sister. What do you think about that, Camilla?”

I turn to Cyprian to find him smiling. “What’s the name?”

“Catarina’s Quarters,” he tells me, making me and my sister smile but Peter’s face remains emotionless.

“How sweet, Cyprian!” Catarina gushes as she runs her arm around Peter’s. “I love it.”

“I thought you might,” he says and leans his shoulder against mine. “Do you like the name, Cami?”

“I do. I think you have to be the nicest man I’ve ever known.” I kiss his cheek and he looks at me with gleaming eyes.

“To make you happy makes me happy,” he says then kisses the tip of my nose.

“He is the absolute sweetest,” Catarina says and I catch Peter making a quick frown.

“That, he is,” I agree and give Cyprian’s knee a little squeeze.

“Baby, I have something to ask you and you can say, no, but I really want you and I to make an appearance,” Cyprian says. “It’s my father’s birthday. He’s having a party, which I don’t want to stay at but maybe an hour or so. We should go for a short while.”

“A party? At your fathers?” I ask, hesitantly.

“Camilla, what’s wrong with you?” My sister asks me then looks at Cyprian. “Of course, she’ll be happy to go with you.”

He looks at me, though, waiting to hear it come out of my mouth. “Baby? What do you say?”

What can I say?

“Okay, I guess it’s time to meet your family.”

He pulls me in for a hug and kisses the top of my head. “I can’t wait. He’s been wanting to meet you.”

“Is your mother going to be there too?” I ask as meeting the two people who screwed him up isn’t a thing I want to do.

“She will,” he says. “So, you can get meeting them both out of the way. I can’t wait!”

His enthusiasm doesn’t help me at all. I don’t know if I can control my mouth with them. The fact they didn’t want him to have friends is huge, when you add in the fact they taught him to be a sexual deviant, well, there’s no getting over the damage they did to him.

Can I actually hold my tongue with them…?

Chapter 3

CYPRIAN

Despite the signing of the contract, Peter seems to be handling it well enough. The main thing is Cami’s sister looks happy about things. As lunch wraps up, we all go back to get in our cars and get back to work.

“Can Catarina catch a ride with you guys?” Cami asks. “We hung out a bit too long and I have to make my next class.”

“Sure,” I tell her then give her a kiss goodbye as Ashton pulls up. “See you at home around five. We’ll be expected at Papa’s at eight.”

The frown on her face was expected. I didn’t think she’d be down to going but I need her to. I need her to show my parents that she loves me. They’ve both been on my ass about how much I’m doing for her family. They think I’m jumping the gun.

I don’t, though. Nothing has ever felt this right. It’s like I’ve finally stepped into the man I could’ve always been. A family man who handles things with ease. The man everyone looks to, to make sure everything is okay.

I let Peter and Catarina get into the car first then slide in, sandwiching her between us. Peter whispers to her, “Did you get what I asked you to?”

“I did,” she says and seems like she doesn’t want to talk about whatever it is. In front of me, anyway.

“Good,” he says then places his hand on her leg.

She cuts her eyes at me and I see something in them that tells me she’d like to say something. “So, how are you liking Clemson?”

“I like it. I really do. It’s great. What you’re doing for us is great. I’m so glad you came into my sister’s life. She’s needed a man like you. She’s had nothing but shit heads.” She stops and looks at Peter who’s frowning at her. “Sorry. A bunch jerks who broke up with her without seeing fit to give her any reason why.”

“I honestly can’t see why any man would ever break up with her. She’s amazing.” I look away as I can’t imagine what she could’ve possibly done to make three men just dump her. It makes no sense.

“In her past, she’s acted very differently with men than she does with you. In my opinion, it was her way of not giving all of herself to them that ended them all. She was reserved most of the time. I’m glad you think she’s amazing,” Catarina says then pats me on the leg. “She’s as lucky to have you and you are to have her.”

Peter clears his throat and I see him looking at her hand as she taps it on top of my leg. She quickly moves it and seems a little nervous. “On another note, what do you think about getting online to look for a place to buy in Paris to make a hotel there too, Catarina? I want it to be small, quaint, like the place I found here. No more than fifty rooms. Both will be exclusive places to stay. We’ll cater to the rich. So, look for something along those lines, will you?”

“That sounds fun,” she says as she pulls her phone out to start searching, no doubt.

I smile as she looks so excited then Peter says, “I will do that when we get home.”

“Of course, you’ll have the last say, Peter. But I’d enjoy looking too,” she says as she continues to tap in what she wants to search for.

“When we get home, I’m going to send the nanny home and you will need to see to the children,” he says.

He sounds irritated with her for some reason. And I find that not making me happy at all. “Let the nanny stay for a while. What will that hurt, Peter?” I ask as I look past her, at him.

He shuts up and looks out his window. No one speaks while we make the rest of the ride. When we pull to a stop in front of their house, he gets out and she quickly follows. “Thank you, Cyprian. I’ll send you links to what I find,” she says as she looks back into the car.

“Come!” Peter says and she hurries to walk a step behind him.

As I watch them go into their house, I have to wonder if he’s always treated her that way or if it’s something new. She doesn’t seem the type of woman to put up with that. I know her sister isn’t.

As we drive away, I find Ashton looking at me through the rearview mirror with that expression on his face that tells me he has something he’d like to say to me. “You have something you want to say, Ashton?”

“It’s none of my business,” he starts to say.

I finish his sentence for him, “But you’re going to say this anyway.”

“I am,” he gives me a nod. “You should stay out of their affairs, Cyprian. I can see you not liking how that man treats his wife. It’s written all over your face. But she married that man, so she knows who he is and what comes along with him. You need to butt out.”

“She is going to be my sister-in-law, it’s my responsibility to make sure she’s happy.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “Cyprian, that’s not your responsibility. She’s a grown woman who has made her own decisions. This will not end well if you get between them. I don’t suppose you saw how dominant he is over her. You will only make things harder for her if you don’t stop butting in.”

“I have Peter where I need him. If he’s mean to her, I’ll find out and deal with him,” I tell him as my insides begin to quiver with anger at how obvious it is he’s dominating her.

“What does that mean?” Ashton asks with concern etched into his voice.

“It means, I have the man handled.”

He goes quiet and says no more as he drives me back to the office. I know he must have an idea about how I have handled Peter. But he’s not asking anything else about it. I wouldn’t tell him, anyway.

I won’t be telling anyone about that…

Chapter 4

CAMILLA

After a nice long, hot bath, I feel a bit more relaxed about meeting Cyprian’s parents. The half bottle of wine didn’t hurt, either!

Pulling on a deep blue dress, I find some heels to match it and turn to find Cyprian has finally come home. “I thought you’d be here hours ago.”

He smiles and comes to wrap me up in his arms. “I went and picked up some naughty things for later.” The bag he was holding drops to the floor behind me and I turn to look at the things he brought home.

But he catches my chin, stopping me from seeing into his bag of goodies. “I have to approve of everything,” I tell him as I eye him to let him know I mean I will be looking over everything to determine if it’s a thing I want or not.

“I promise you, I’ll never do anything to hurt you again. I swear it,” he pulls me close and kisses me not so soft or sweet but hot and demanding.

His tongue moves into my mouth as he maneuvers my hands until he has them behind my back and holds them with one of his. I can see we’re headed for a night of restrictive touching, on my part. When his mouth leaves mine, we’re both breathing heavy and my heart’s racing.

He moves me backward, still holding my hands behind my back until we get to the bed. He sets me down and goes back for the bag. The first thing he takes out is a pink silk bra and panty set. He doesn’t say a word as he holds the panties up and pulls the crotch and I see it split open as Velcro sides split down the middle. He tosses them to me with a grin on his handsome face.

“You want me to put these on now?”

He nods and shows me how the bra opens in the front and tosses that to me too. “And that. And one more thing.” He reaches back into the bag and pulls out a silver ball. “We’ll start with one for tonight. I want you to put this inside you, to keep you stimulated.”

“You certainly are setting things up, aren’t you?” I ask as I walk toward the bathroom.

His hand on my shoulder stops me. “Let me help you.”

“That’s kind of nasty, Cyprian.” I look at him with more than a bit of apprehension.

He shakes his head. “Not nasty. Just dirty.” He chuckles as he pushes the sleeves of my dress down and undoes my bra. He looks at my bare breasts then runs his hands over them. “I can hardly wait to feel these in my mouth.”

“Cyprian!” I say as he stares at my tits like they’re made of gold or something.

He ignores me as he puts the new bra on then pushes the dress all the way off and takes my panties down with it. I step out of them and hold up one foot so he can put the quick release panties on me, only to find him shaking his head.

Picking me up, he lays me down on the bed, pushing my legs up until my knees are bent. His eyes stay on mine as he takes the ball and inserts it. I gasp a little with the cold and the odd weight of it. Then he puts the panties on and picks me up.

He holds me close, our lips but a breath apart. Then he moves me back to where my dress is on the floor and has me step into the middle of the pool of fabric. Moving his hands down both sides of my body, he goes all the way down and grabs my dress, slowly moving it back up to cover my naughty underwear.

My body is hot and I would like nothing more than to forgo the evening with his parents and climb right into the man’s arms and stay there for the duration of the night. “Cyprian.” His fingers touch my lips, stopping me.

“Shh. I’d like for you to remain perfectly silent. I want to hear only one word from you tonight. When you’re asked anything, I’d like you to answer with one word. Do you want to tell me what word it is I need to hear come from those juicy red lips?”

“You want to hear the word, yes,” I answer him and watch his light brown eyes light up.

He nods and pulls me close, hugging me and making me wonder what all this is about. But it seems he really wants me to keep it quiet until he asks me something. Which seems kind of steamy and intriguing, so I’ll play his naughty game.

Anything will work tonight, anyway. I don’t even need a game to know I’m going to melt in the man’s arms, no matter what he wants to do. I’ve been hungering for him since he came to find me the night of the hurricane. Keeping my mind in the right place, so he could heal, was an exercise in self-control.

Leaving me alone, he goes to shower and change and I decide to take a peek to see what else he has in his bag. I find a set of handcuffs with soft, velvety pink fabric, covering the steel. I gasp a bit as I see a small whip and pick it up. The leather is soft and glides over my palm, leaving a heat behind the strands of leather.

I look over my shoulder to make sure he’s not back in the room. Seeing that he’s still busy in the bathroom, I pull my arm up and slap the whip against my leg. I giggle as I see it doesn’t hurt at all. It’s just too soft.

It’s the idea of it, is all it really is and that’s cute to me. He’s going to play like it’s me giving into his wants and needs. In reality, I have just as many wants and needs as he does. But he has a like for the games and fantasy. Who am I to tell him, no?

I put the things back in the brown paper bag and sit on the bed, turning on the television to watch it while he gets ready. My phone rings and I see it’s my sister, so I answer, “Hello.”

“Hey, you are going to Cyprian’s father’s party, right?” she asks me.

“Yes, nosey.” I roll my eyes as if she could see me.

“I just wanted to be sure. I feel in debt to the man for all he’s done for us. I just wanted to exercise my big sister hold on you to make sure you give the man what he wants.”

“You know he’s doing what he’s doing for you and the kids, right? I could tell by the way he acted at lunch that Peter isn’t his most favorite person,” I tell her as I look at my red painted nails and try to recall if I have ever gone for a manicure before Cyprian started taking me to get my nails done each week.

“Well, Peter doesn’t try very hard to be likable, in Cyprian’s defense. As a matter of fact, here lately, he doesn’t seem to care if I or the kids like him, either. I think all of what Cyprian is doing is making him feel somewhat less of a man.”

“Why do you say that?” I ask her as I watch Cyprian emerge from the bathroom and go to his closet to get dressed. Seeing him with only a towel wrapped around his waist sends a torrent of heat straight through me and I have to close my eyes to focus on what my sister is saying.

“Oh. He’s got this dominating man thing going on. He must need to know he’s still the one who wears the pants in the family,” she says, pulling my mind away from the naked man in the closet.

“Dominating? Like how?” I ask her as I turn away from the closet and stop trying to catch another glimpse of him.

“Like, he’s bought me a chastity belt I have to wear all the time and once the kids go to bed, he has me wear a slave collar. That kind of thing. Bathe him, wash his hair, and file his nails. You know that kind of stuff.”

“Huh? Are you shitting me?” I ask as that sounds nothing like my sister. “Do you like that?”

“Like it?” she asks as if she doesn’t know if she does or not. “It’s never been my cup of tea. But, on occasion, he’s needed me to be submissive to him. He’s always come around, once he knows I know my place in his life.”

Red flags are filling my head as I think about Peter, lording over my sister. “You don’t have to do those things if you don’t want to. You do know that, right?” I ask her as Cyprian comes out of the closet, dressed in a tux and looking like a million bucks.

“He needs me to, right now. I can do it for him. Don’t tell Cyprian, please. He already looks at Peter like he wants to tell him off more often than I’d like. I can’t have Cyprian starting a battle with my husband over how he treats me. I’m used to it.”

“Because he’s beat you down to accept it,” I say as my hackles have risen.

“Shit! Don’t tell me you’re going to be a problem too! I only wanted to talk to you about it. I don’t want anyone to say a thing to Peter. Please.”

“You ready?” Cyprian asks me.

I smile as I recall him telling me he only wants to hear the word, yes, come from me tonight. “Yes.” I turn my attention back to the phone call. “Got to go, sis.”

“Okay, bye, you guys have fun.”

I put the phone in a gold clutch he’s handing me and take the arm he’s offering me. As we leave the bedroom, I’m filled with worry for myself and my sister.

Are we both fools over men…?

Chapter 5

CYPRIAN

I’ve never been more nervous in my entire life!

My palms are sweating as I grip the small box in my inside jacket pocket. My father is looming ahead and Cami is looking a little frantic as she takes in the blue lights that are reflecting off the disco ball that still hangs above the dance floor of my father’s ballroom.

He’s smiling as we approach him and I find my mother swooping in from the right. “Oh, you can speak freely, Cami.”

She looks at me and winks. “Do you really think I didn’t know that?”

I laugh, nervously as I watch her eyes grow bright. “Damn, I love the shit out of you.”

Her mouth quirks into a half smile. “And later you will show me.”

“You have no idea how much I’ll show you.” I make a growling sound as she runs her hand over my ass.

My father meets us with his hand extended. “Corbin Girard, Camilla. Nice to meet you.”

She shakes his hand and nods but can’t say anything as my mother is next to him in a second with her hand extended as well. “Coco Mason.”

“It’s nice to meet you both,” she says as she shakes my mother’s hand.

“My son tells me you’re going to be a scientist someday,” my father says.

I pick up a couple of drinks off a passing tray and hand one to Cami. She looks at me with thankfulness in her pretty eyes then looks back at my father. “I am going to be doing something in that field, yes sir.”

“Such a beautiful woman, she is Cyprian,” Mother tells me. “I can see why you like her.”

“I more than like her, Mother.” I look at Cami and push a few of her curls away from her face. “I love her.”

Cami’s hand on my cheek sends tingles all through me as she caresses it. “And I love him.”

“How strange, huh, Corbin?” Mother asks as she looks at us.

“He does look happy.”

Cami smiles as she turns to look at them. “Does he?”

They nod and it makes her laugh. I take her in my arms and spin her away as a song comes on that I like and take her out to dance with me. “You make me happy, baby.”

She giggles as I touch her bottom and moves my hand up to her waist. “You make me happy too, naughty boy.”

Nuzzling her ear, I hiss, “You have no idea. Now, back to no talking, wench.”

She giggles then goes quiet as she looks into my eyes as I spin her around the half-empty dance floor. Silently, we gaze at each other as I think about what I’m about to do.

The music slows as the DJ changes the song. I pull her in close, she leans her head on my shoulder and I see a throng of women cascading into the ballroom. The escorts have arrived and I wanted to be long gone before they got here.

It’s been a good while since I’ve been at one of Papa’s parties. No one ever discusses people who aren’t present, so I know none of them has been told that I’m off limits. My presence in the middle of the dancefloor has several of them targeting me.

“Shit!” I hiss as I try to dance away with Cami before any of them can get to me. I hurry, moving Cami backward until I get to the stage, then I stop dancing and take her by the hand and go up on the stage with her looking at me with complete confusion.

“Cyprian, what the hell are you doing?” she asks me as I wave at the D.J.

I grin at her. “No talking except when I ask you something, remember?”

She nods and looks around at all the people who’ve shown up, suddenly. The DJ comes to me and I whisper, “Can you end the music for a moment? I need to make an announcement.”

He gives me a thumbs up and the music stops, immediately as he explains, “Cyprian has something he’d like to say.”

Looking at Cami, I can see she’s nervous as hell. Her eyes are the size of saucers. I give her hand a gentle squeeze to try to calm her down a bit.

She jumps as cheers come at me from the women who have crammed themselves near the stage. Shouts come from them, asking me to pick them. One flashes her tits and I decided it’s time to quiet them all down. “Ladies, and gentlemen, I have something I’d like to tell you all.”

“You’re hosting an orgy in your bedroom and all are invited!” one of the women shouts.

Cami looks at me like she thinks this is insane, which I know now, it is. “It’s okay, baby.”

“It’s not,” she whispers.

As I hold her hand, I look out at the crowd of people and say, “The lady next to me has done an amazing thing.”

“I can do amazing things too, Cyprian. Let me show you,” another woman calls out.

“No!” I shout. “No, don’t show me anything. Let me finish. You see the amazing thing this woman, Miss Camilla Petit, has done without even trying to, is show me a man who was hidden inside of me.”

“I knew he had to have more men inside of him,” another lady shouts. “There was just no way only one man could bring that much pleasure to so many!” Laughter follows her words and I find Cami tugging at my hand.

“Just be patient, baby,” I say as I hold her tight, not about to let her flee. “Okay, ladies, and I use that term loosely, how about you let me finish my tale?”

“Shush, everyone,” my father calls out from the back of the crowd.

A hush falls over them all and I go on, “This woman has brought out things in me I never knew I was capable of. She’s brought out love in me. True love, the likes I didn’t know existed until I found her.”

“Aww,” the crowd moans.

I reach into my pocket and pull out the little box and get on one knee, looking up at Cami. Her hands fly to cover her mouth and I see the tale-tale signs of tears pooling in her eyes.

Reaching up for her left hand, she gives it to me and I find it shaking. “Camilla Petit, you are a gift from above. Your kind heart, gentle spirit, and take-no-shit attitude have won my heart. It will forever be yours. So, I’d like to make this thing we have official. Camilla Petit, will you marry me?”

Her whole body is shaking and the room is so quiet you can hear a cricket chirping somewhere far away. Cami shocks me as she gets on her knees in front of me and nods as she says, “Yes.”

Slipping the ring on her finger, I say, “You have made me even happier than I was before. You are indeed an amazing woman and I am blessed that you’ve chosen me to spend your life with.”

Kissing her has everyone clapping and I lift her up as we kiss. When our mouths part, she looks out at the crowd with a huge smile. “Ladies, this man is mine! So, keep your hands to yourself, or you’ll have me to deal with. I do not share!”

Laughter fills the room and I gesture to the D.J. to get back to playing music. As we exit the stage I find my mother and father have made it to the front and are waiting for us.

“I never thought I’d see the day when my Cyprian would settle down,” Papa says as he pulls Cami into his arms for a hug. “Be good to him, please.”

“Not to worry,” Cami tells him. “I love him and will always be good to him.”

Mother grabs her up next as my father lets her go and shakes my hand. “Being married carries many responsibilities, Cyprian. That’s why I stayed the hell away from it. But, I suppose you’ve thought that all out. I suppose that’s why you’ve invested so much into her sister’s family. I hope that all works out for you.”

“Thanks, Papa.” I see my mother letting Cami go and tears are in her eyes for the first time ever.

She takes me in her arms and whispers, “Congratulations, my son. I hope you don’t plan on making me a grandmother anytime soon. That would spoil my reputation.” She laughs to show me she’s joking but I bet there’s a lot of truth behind her words.

“I am going to do my best to make you a grandmother as soon as I can talk that little spit fire into it.” Cami hears me and shakes her head. I nod and take her hand. “And now she and I must go. See you guys later in the week.”

They watch us as we leave and so do most of the guests in the room. Just as I think we’ve made it, one of the women from my past steps in front of us “Hey.”

“Trish, right?” I ask as if I don’t know

“Come on, Cyprian. Introduce me to the woman who has stolen you away from us all.”

“This is Cami,” I say then step to one side.

Trish takes Cami by her shoulder, making Cami stop and look back at her. “Can I help you?”

“I just want to know one thing, Cami. How’d you do it? How’d you get him to want you and only you?”

Cami looks at me then back at Trish. “I didn’t. It just happened.”

“That’s not true,” I say. “She stole my heart and she keeps it under lock and key.”

Trish cuts her eyes at me and frowns. “I’m sad to see you go, Cyprian.”

Cami looks down and I pull her close, wrapping my arm around her. “Everyone should grow up, sometime, Trish. Goodbye.”

Taking Cami, we walk away from the ballroom I watched parties going on in since I was a child. A thing no kid should’ve ever been able to watch. And I am happy to be walking away from that life. Happier than I’ve ever been.

How long can elation really last, I wonder…?

Chapter 6

CAMILLA

The ring on my finger weighs a ton. The diamond is huge and the platinum band is wide and full of smaller diamonds. “I suppose my finger will build muscle to be able to hold this monster up.”

Cyprian smiles and kisses the ring he’s placed on my finger. “I suppose it will have to because it’s never coming off you.”

As Ashton pulls away from Cyprian’s father’s mansion, I look at all the cars that have come in after we did. The place was filled to the brim and that was a weekend normalcy for the man who’s sitting next to me.

It’s not lost on me what all he has given up for me. Not one ugly woman was in that ballroom. All willing to give their bodies to Cyprian for the night or longer. And he only wants me. That’s hard to believe.

“Can you really walk away from that life, Cyprian? Can you really only ever want me?”

His fingers touch my lips. “Let’s go back to the no talking thing. Only say yes when I ask you something. I don’t want to talk about that place or that life. I want to talk about our future but, for tonight, I don’t want to talk about anything. I want to experience you and you, me. It’s been an eternity since I’ve let myself really feel you. So, what do you say to that?”

“Yes,” I say with a smile and find his mouth on mine.

Ashton drove us in the limousine, so we have complete privacy as he takes us home. The ride is about a half hour and from the way Cyprian is maneuvering me around, I think he has plans on starting this in the car.

Hoisting my dress up, he moves me to straddle him as I sit on his lap. His mouth leaves mine only long enough for him to say, “Set me free, baby.” His hands move mine to undo his pants then his move to my panties and he pulls them open. The Velcro snapping, loudly as he does. “Push.”

I do as he says and feel the ball he placed inside me, slip out. The weight of it had me staying acutely aware of my sex and now that the object is gone, I ache to be filled with something much larger that can move.

Lifting me up, he puts me back down on his exposed erection and we both moan. He keeps me perfectly still as my body stretches to fit him and I find myself shaking with raw sexuality. My stomach is tight as he lifts me, slightly.

“Cyprian, yes,” I moan as I feel his silky cock move inside me and nearly fall apart with how damn good it feels. “Oh, how I’ve missed this.”

His lips press against my neck for the longest time as he holds me still then moves me again. “I have to go slow. My body has never been celibate this long and it’s threatening to erupt much too quickly.”

“The hell with it, baby. Get this one over with and out of the way. I know you can build up, quickly.” I move faster and push his shoulders back, so he can watch me ride him.

He pushes my dress off my shoulders, it pools at my midsection. He pulls the bra apart in the middle as the Velcro comes apart, unleashing my tits and his hands move over them as he groans, “My God, I’ve missed these.”

His large cock rubs parts of me that have been left alone far too long. It has me going over the edge before he does, but the spasms my body is making has him coming along for the ride. Simultaneously, we moan out, “Yes!”

Pulling me to him, he kisses me long and softly. Making little pecks, he says, “I love you. I love you so damn much.”

“I love you, Cyprian. More than you will ever know.” I feel his cock stirring back to life inside of me and move my body to encourage the growth.

More kisses we pepper each other’s lips with and before I know it, the easy kisses have turned passionate. He moves and I’m on my back on the floor. His movements are hard and pounding as he takes me.

I am his for the taking. This man can have me any way he wants me. For the first time, I have completely given myself away. Mind, body, and soul, yet I’ve never felt more free in my entire life.

With one chance meeting, I found the man who was the missing part of me. And he has me to fill the place in him that had lain empty all this time.

His movements are harsh and so is our breathing. The last of the street lights leave us in the dark and he hurries to meet his end, taking me to mine. With a grunt and a groan, he’s spilled himself inside me once again. “We’re about to be home.”

Getting up, he pulls me up with him and we secure our clothing. My hair’s a bit of a mess, so I know our little escapade will not go unnoticed by Ashton when he opens the door for us. As we pull up to the gate, I see we’ve both managed to put all our body parts back where they belong, beneath our clothes. “We did it!”

Cyprian laughs. “Did you think we wouldn’t?”

With a nod, I slide onto the seat and lean my head on his wide shoulder. “I had my doubts. You’ve made me feel so much better.”

“And it’s not over yet,” he kisses my cheek as we come to a stop in front of the house. Cyprian pushes a button that rolls the middle between us and the driver down. “I got it from here, Ashton. Thanks, see you in the morning.”

“Yes, sir,” Ashton says and I find myself feeling elated, I don’t have to face him with my hair wild and him well-aware of what we’ve been up to while he was driving us home.

As soon as he has me out of the car, Cyprian picks me up like I’m already his bride and carries me to the door. “Punch in the code, baby.”

I punch it in on the keypad that’s attached to the doorframe and in he takes me. All the way up the stairs and straight to our bedroom. Placing my feet on the floor, he steps back and spins his finger in a circle, a gesture for me to turn around.

As I turn around, I feel him move close behind me, pushing my hair to the side and kissing my neck. “I’ve missed you.”

His tongue travels up the length of my neck until he reaches my ear then he nibbles on the lobe. My body sparks and I’m ready for him again. How, I don’t know, but I am.

Unzipping my dress in the back, he lets it fall to the floor. Then peels away my clothing until I am naked and he’s still dressed. Taking a step back, he looks me up and down and makes a growl as he points to the bed.

I walk away from him and get on the bed, lying back and waiting to see what he’s going to have me do. He makes his way to me, picking up the bag he brought home earlier and dumping the contents on the bed. I watch him as he picks up the small whip. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” I tell him as I’ve already tested the little thing. It’s not that I don’t trust him. Wait, that is exactly why I tried it out! But he doesn’t need to know that.

“Get on your hands and knees and bring your ass to the edge of the bed, wench.” He smiles to show me he’s not really being a prick.

I smile too and do as he says. Without a word, I wait for him to do whatever he’s going to do to me. One hand he runs over my ass, I quiver with desire and fight the urge to beg him to hurry things along. How he has me aching for him, I have no clue but he does!

I hear the sound of his zipper as his hand still roams over the hills of my bottom. The rustle of clothing lets me know he’s finally joining me in being naked and soon my eyes will fill with his fine form.

Pressing his cock against my ass, has me shivering with need for him. “Cyprian,” I moan as he toys with me.

A smack with the whip is what I get as he says, “No talking, wench.”

“Yes,” I say but it comes out sensual and he moans and smacks my ass with the whip again. “Yes, yes!”

“You like that, wench? You like it when I punish you?” He hits me with the soft leather again and I find myself soaking wet with how excited it makes me.

“Yes.”

“Do you belong to me?” he asks me and hits me again.

“Yes.”

With a growl, he runs a finger into me. “Are you all wet for me, baby?”

“Yes,” I moan out as I press my ass back to him, so his finger goes in deeper.

“Would you like me to fuck you now?” he asks as he wiggles his finger.

“Yes! Yes!”

Pushing me down, he flips me onto my back and yanks my legs until my ass is at the edge and I am facing him. My eyes roam over his perfect body. His washboard abs are taut as are his pecs. His hands move to each side of my ass, his biceps bulge with the effort and he goes into me with one deft thrust of his hips. “Better?” he asks me.

My body relishes the way he feels inside me. So perfect, so right, so damn fulfilling. “Yes,” I moan as my hands move over my breasts and I look at him as he moves his body to make mine feel more pleasure than should be legal.

“Do you agree this pussy is mine and mine alone, forever?” he asks me as he thrusts hard, making my breath shoot out of my lungs with every one of them.

“Yes!”

“Good, girl.” He pivots my body up a bit, making him hit a new place inside of me as he lifts me only a little.

“Uh!” I grunt as he seems to be hitting some amazing place inside of me and my body starts quivering as it nears the edge of a fantastic orgasm.

Harder he thrusts as he pulls me to meet him each time. It feels like he’s bottoming out in me and I can’t wait any longer. I fall apart as he goes so deep inside it seems impossible.

I scream as I let it all go and he goes that much harder and faster. My legs are shaking and I’m writhing with the intensity of the climax. It’s not stopping and he’s going at me furiously until his body goes into an orgasm that has him groaning so loud, I can feel the vibration coming through him and into me.

I watch him as his eyes close and his face flushes, making him glow. He’s beautiful, amazing, and he is going to be my husband!

How did I get so damn lucky…?

Chapter 7

CYPRIAN

“Cami, don’t you dare be fucking with me!” I say as I lie in bed and look down at her after a night of fantastic sex and lovemaking, as well.

“I’ll stop taking the pill, immediately. I want to have your baby, Cyprian. I want to give you the one thing you can’t give yourself.” She bites her kiss swollen bottom lip as a tear slips down one of her pink cheeks.

“Baby!” I pull her into my arms and hug her like there’s no tomorrow. Peppering kisses all over her until I find her lips, yielding to mine and sending me into a passionate kiss.

She’s going to have my baby!

CAMILLA

The drive to class has me calling my sister to tell her my big news. “Morning, Camilla.”

“And a very good morning it is, Catarina. Cyprian asked me to marry him last night and I accepted, of course. And guess what else?”

“You’re going to Vegas this weekend to do it?” she asks.

“No,” I say. “Well, I don’t know that for sure but who knows with Cyprian. Anyway, I’ve made the decision to start a family with him, right away.”

“That’s fantastic. My kids will finally have some cousins!”

“Is my breakfast ready?” I hear Peter ask, gruffly, in the background.

“He’s a bear in the mornings, huh?” I ask.

“Here lately, yes. I need to go.”

She hangs up without another word and I find myself feeling upset about it. Just as I tap the phone to call my parents and tell them the good news, I see a small black car zoom up next to me.

I ease off the gas as the car has some more daring individuals, wanting to race the Lambo. My phone rings and I see it’s not a number I know but I answer it anyway as it might be a professor telling me something about a class. “Camilla Petit.”

“Camilla Petit, I need you to pull to the side of the road. I have important business with you. It concerns your sister and her children. I’m in the black BMW behind you. Pull into the next parking lot,” a man’s voice tells me.

“Um, no,” I say as I speed up a bit. “You can tell me anything you need to, over the phone.”

“I cannot. The phone may be bugged. Your sister and her children are in danger. I need you to make your new fiancé stop his interference in my brother’s life. Or it will cost your family much.”

“What does Cyprian have to do with this?” I ask as I speed up a bit more.

“He made my brother sign a contract yesterday. If he takes another wife, he will be sent out of America and have to leave his wife and children behind. This is a thing my family cannot and will not allow. So, you see how important it is to get your fiancé to see reason. And I have one other thing you need to know.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything else. I will handle my fiancé.” I’m so pissed I can barely speak. How could he do such a thing!

“You need to know this, Camilla. My brother is already married to the other woman he told Catarina about. He married her three months ago and she is pregnant. So, you see why this cannot be tolerated. He has to come back to take care of his responsibilities. And we will never allow his children to be taken from him. Your sister may not be happy with things the way they are but she entered into a marriage with him and had children with him and she and those children belong to him now. Make your man see reason or you and your family will never lay eyes on your sister and your nieces and nephews again.”

“Surely, something can be done. My sister was beyond upset that he was even contemplating taking another wife, this news will devastate her.”

“Catarina knew what she was doing. She was never forced or even coerced into becoming my brother’s wife. Let your fiancé know this. If he doesn’t tear up the contract and stop trying to intimidate my brother into doing what he wants, the same thing he’s threatening my brother with will happen to you, Camilla.”

Then the call is ended and I watch the black car in my rearview mirror slow down and turn off onto a side street. Changing my plans for school, I head to Cyprian’s office to find out just what it is he’s done to make a war between my brother-in-law’s family and us.

And just what could he have threatened Peter with that could happen to me…

* * *

Chapter 1

CYPRIAN

My secretary buzzes me on the intercom at the same time the door to office flies open. Cami’s face is beet red and she’s panting like a lunatic. “How could you?”

“How could I what?” I ask as I get up and go to her, pulling her into the office and closing the door, so my gawking office staff can be left in the dark about whatever her problem is.

Her body is shaking as I attempt to pull her into my arms. She’s having none of that, though, I find out as she shakes me off and steps away from me. “Don’t! Cyprian, what the hell were you thinking?”

“Baby, you’re going to have to calm down to speak to me. You’re not making any sense.”

“Peter!”

What does she know about my dealings with Peter?

I don’t jump the gun and divulge more than she may know. “What about Peter?”

“You tell me and tell me right now. I’m going to give you only one opportunity to be truthful with me.” I watch as she takes the engagement ring, I barely put on her finger last night, off.

“What are you saying?” I ask as I feel more than a bit shell-shocked by her tirade.

“I’m saying that you have one chance to tell me what it is you’ve done if you want things to stay the way they are. Because, in order to marry you, I have to trust you in all ways.”

“How about you tell me what’s happened to upset you?,” I say and watch in disbelief as she walks over to my desk and places the ring on it.

“I see,” she says and tries to walk out of my office.

Taking her by the arm as she walks past me I look into her eyes and see pure anger there and know she’s been told about the contract. I have no choice. “I made Peter sign a contract that said if he ever takes another wife then I’ll have him deported without your sister and the kids.”

“Well, I can’t be deported and I was threatened with, one of Peter’s brothers, said was the same thing you threatened Peter with.” She eyes me and I know the jig is up if I want to keep her. And I want to keep her.

“Damn it!” Holding her arm, tightly, I take her back to the desk, pick up the ring and hold it out. She shakes her head and continues to look into my eyes. “Fuck! Okay, so I threatened him with death.”

“Cyprian! Why would you ever do such a terrible thing? He’s the father of my sister’s children. Her husband. He’s to be your brother-in-law one day! Why would you do such a thing?”

“I’ve told you the whole truth. Can I put this ring back on your finger? It’s making me nervous not to see it on you,” I say as I hold it out to her.

“First, tell me why you did that.”

“Because I see him as a bad man. A man who needed someone to make sure he was held accountable to your sister. She will be my sister-in-law soon and I feel a certain amount of responsibility to make sure she and all of your family is happy and treated well.”

Her eyes soften and she holds out her hand. I slip the ring back on before she changes her mind then sit in the chair next to the desk and pull her onto my lap. Her forehead touches mine as she mumbles, “What am I going to do with you?”

“Love me,” I whisper then kiss her cheek. “I did it for you, Cami.”

“You have to tear up the contract. You have to allow him to leave. And you have to know my sister will be going with him. She has to or he’ll take her and the children and we’ll never see them again and apparently, I will be killed.” She pulls back to look at me. “Do you see what you’ve done? You should’ve talked to me about what your idea was and I could’ve explained to you why that would be a horrible idea.”

“So, you don’t really care if your sister has to accept all that shit?” I ask because it was her who asked me to give him a job that would keep them here.

“I’m afraid my sister has to face the fact she married a man who could take more than one wife. She is the one who purposely took birth control in order to not give him child after child, the way he expected her to. And it’s too late to change anything, anyway. His brother told me Peter married that woman already, months ago. They are expecting a child. My sister has to accept that now. No matter what. And Peter has to go back to South Africa to take care of that other wife.”

“She’s going to be blown out of the water with that news, isn’t she?” I ask as I play with a dark curl that’s sprung loose from her bun.

“She is.” She runs her hand through my hair. “Can you promise me that you’ll never do anything like this again?”

“I can. I’m sorry. I was only trying to help.”

“Make a mental note of what I’m about to tell you,” she says as she takes my chin in her hand. “Threatening anyone with murder is a huge no, no.”

“Noted,” I say and feel my cheeks heating with embarrassment. “I guess I lack something in my brain that makes me understand things like that. I felt protective and with Peter being so dominating, it had me thinking I needed to dominate him, so your sister could be happy.”

“My sister will have to make her peace with the life she’s chosen.” She eases her lips to mine and the kiss she gives me sends the butterflies that had swarmed my stomach into submission.

Everything will be fine. She’s not going to leave me over this.

When will I ever learn…?

Chapter 2

CAMILLA

With the contract in my hand, I leave Cyprian’s office and make my way to give it back to Peter and try my best to smooth things out. Cyprian wanted to come with me but I explained how things would probably not go well if he was around.

All I want is for things to go back to normal. My sister and the kids come to visit a few times a year and most likely we’ll never see Peter again, which is fine too. Now that I know he has another family.

I rehearse what I’ll say all the way across town then find I’m on their street and see the black BMW that was following me, parked in the driveway behind my sister’s car. I stop and wait and think about what I should do.

With no idea about what’s going on, I give Catarina a call. “Camilla!” she answers the phone.

“Catarina, is everything okay?”

“No, did Cyprian tell you what he did to Peter?” she asks me then I hear shouting in the background.

“He did. Who’s yelling?”

“Everyone. Did he call it all off?”

“He did. I was with him in his office when he made the call to leave Peter alone. I have the contract that’s not worth the paper it’s written on as it’s totally illegal. It was a scare tactic but I wanted to give it to Peter, so he would feel some relief with it in his possession. I thought he might like to tear it up, himself.”

“While that’s really nice of you. I think it’s best if you stay away from here. Three of his brothers arrived late last night. They’re not in great moods with their brother’s life being threatened.”

I feel terrible my poor little niece and nephew are having to hear all this and it was Cyprian who caused it all. “Please let me try to smooth things out.”

“Catarina, who the hell are you on the phone with?”

“Peter, just leave me alone. It’s my sister,” she says with a defeated voice.

“You tell her to come here. I want to have words with her.”

Ending the call, I can’t wait any longer for my sister to tell me I can go inside of their very chaotic home. Grabbing the paper, I get out of the car, keys in hand, locking the door behind me with my purse in the car.

As I get close to the back door, I plan on sneaking in, I find so much shouting going on and can’t believe my sister hasn’t put a stop to it. Instead of sneaking in, I throw the back door open and shout, “There’s no need for all this! I have the contract and Peter is in no danger, what-so-ever!”

One of his brothers rips the paper from my hand, the other two have me on the ground, face down, before I realize what they’ve done. I don’t see Peter or my sister anywhere and hear the kids crying somewhere in the house.

“You did just what Peter said you would, foolish woman!” one of them says as my hands are zip-tied behind my back.

“You need to let me go!” I scream and find my sister running into the kitchen where I’ve come in.

“Let her go!” she shouts just before Peter comes in behind her. “Go back to the room and take care of my children. They are crying, Catarina. I will deal with your sister.”

“Peter, please!” she shouts.

I see her shaking and looking nowhere near the big sister I know. “I’ll be okay, Catarina. I’ll explain how things have been handled.”

She turns to leave, not looking back at me and I know I have to do something to get her out of this hell hole she’s managed to get herself into. I’m lifted up and sat on a chair from the dining set, I helped my sister pick out and Cyprian bought.

Peter pours himself a glass of milk then takes a seat too. “The man you brought into our lives has to be dealt with. Simply giving me back the contract and calling off the goons who were told to kill me if I did what it is my right to do, isn’t enough. He must learn he can never do such a thing again.”

“He knows. We talked. He’ll never do anything like this again. I swear it to you, Peter. Please!”

“I can’t allow you to marry him,” he says as he looks me in the eye. “If you insist on keeping him in your family then mine will never visit again.”

“Peter, please. Cyprian had a childhood that had him not learning how to form friendships. He’s learning now. With time, you can expect a full apology. Now, it would be nice if you had them untie me. That’s a thing he’ll hate to see when I go back home.”