Crewe

Ariel sat with her leather notepad on her lap. A glass of scotch was on the table beside her, and she was on her second drink. Pias sat in the other chair, our main distributor who took care of the shipments before they headed off to international places. He was essential in my scotch business, and he was someone Ariel approved of.

One of the butlers came to my side and lifted the decanter of scotch. “Another, sir?”

I eyed the empty glass and didn’t struggle to resist. “I’d prefer a glass of water. Thank you.”

“Very well, sir.” He grabbed the pitcher and filled my glass.

Ariel lifted her gaze from her notebook and looked at me. It was obvious what she was thinking. She didn’t need to say it.

Pias gave us a report about the recent shipment to the Middle East. He was one of the foot soldiers that was responsible for packaging our quality product and ensuring it reached our clients in the perfect condition. That wasn’t something a factory of robots could do.

Ariel scribbled her notes. “I’m glad everything is going smoothly. Sales have spiked since the opening.”

I rested my fingertips against my lips. “No surprise there.” All of the nobility got to sample my scotch firsthand. It was a nice respite from all the French wines they drank on a daily basis. Scotch wasn’t just a man’s drink—it was everyone’s drink.

Ariel stared at me with narrowed eyes, her passive-aggressive attitude leaking from her pores. She was waiting for me to ask what her problem was.

But I wasn’t gonna take the bait.

Dimitri opened the door to the drawing room then came to my side. He leaned down to my ear and whispered his message. “Lady London is asking for you. Should I tell her you’re in a meeting?”

The second she was on my mind, I didn’t want to think about anything else. I wanted to circle my arms around her waist and kiss her, even if it was only for a few minutes. Then I would return to this dry meeting so Ariel could continue to shoot me glares. “I’ll see her.” I rose from my chair. “Excuse me. Carry on without me.”

Ariel looked like she wanted to kill me. “You can’t expect us to carry on when you’re the owner of this fine business.” She gripped her black pen until her knuckles turned white. With those black glasses on the bridge of her nose, she looked even more terse.

I didn’t care for her attitude. “That’s a good point, Ariel.”

She relaxed, like she assumed her words got to me.

“You can wait until I’m ready to return.”

Now she really wanted to rip her claws into me.

I walked out without looking back, knowing her anger would have tripled by the time I returned. I closed the thick door behind me and saw London standing near the staircase in pastel blue dress and nude heels. Dimitri arranged for her clothing to be put into the closet, and everything looked spectacular on her. She had the perfect figure, so everything fit nicely. She hadn’t noticed me yet, so I took advantage of the next few seconds to appreciate the sight of her.

She really was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

And she was mine.

I walked toward her with my hands in my pockets, playing it cool even though my heart was racing in my chest. She made my body tense and excited in a way no one else ever had. I was used to sharing my life with her, but now there was this indescribable electricity between us. I could feel it anytime I was near her.

When her eyes landed on me, they widened imperceptibly, but I paid enough attention to notice the small detail. She looked just as pleased to see me even though I’d only been gone for a few hours.

“Yes?” My arms circled her petite waistline, and I positioned her perfectly against my chest, my lips moving to hers in a sensual embrace. My mouth hesitated the second I touched hers, feeling that energy I’d become reliant on. I moved my hand into her hair, and I pulled her tighter against me as the kiss quickened on its own. I took several steps forward and guided her against the wall, getting her in a perfect spot she couldn’t slip away from—not that she would try.

Her hands started at my waistline where she fingered the loops on my pants. She gave a quick tug and pulled me tighter against her, wanting more of me even though I’d already given her everything. Her hands moved to my waist next then slowly slid up my chest until she felt my shoulders. I knew how much she loved my body because she touched me the exact same way every morning and every night.

The kiss went on for minutes, and while I was hard in my slacks, I didn’t think about taking her upstairs into our bedroom. I was content with this kiss, with this embrace that made my entire body come alive. I’d never kissed a woman like I did with her. Her mouth was enough for me. I was satisfied with so little even though I usually craved so much more. It didn’t make any sense.

I finally pulled away when ten minutes passed, knowing I couldn’t keep Ariel and Pias waiting forever. My hands remained on her tiny waistline, the perfect position to get a tight grip on her. My face pressed against hers, and I stared at her lips, not really thinking about anything. It was the only sense of Zen I ever received, the existence of absolute peace. She somehow bestowed it on me. “Did you need something?”

Her hands remained against my chest, and her words came out as a whisper. “Wanted to see if you wanted to have lunch together…”

“I’m having a meeting right now, but we’ll be finished soon.”

“Okay. I’ll see you then.” She kissed the corner of my mouth, her lips moving over the thick hair that had come in since I skipped the shave that morning. “Sorry that I interrupted you.”

“You never interrupt me.” My hands cupped her face, and I gave her another kiss, needing something to hold me over until I was finished speaking with Ariel and Pias. I forced myself to step away before I kissed her hard all over again. Then another ten minutes would pass, and Ariel would only be angrier.

I walked back inside and felt the tension the second I entered the room. I knew shit was about to hit the fan because Pias was nowhere in sight. Ariel had obviously excused him so she could speak to me in private.

I knew it was coming.

“Crewe, I’m very concerned about you and that woman.”

“I can tell.” I drank my water to mask my irritation. I didn’t tell Ariel off like I normally would with someone else. She was a great business partner and deserved more respect than that. I wasn’t ignorant of her capabilities. But if she pushed me too far, I would come undone.

“I’m serious. You said she didn’t mean anything to you, but I see the way you look at her.”

“And have you seen the way she looks at me?” London couldn’t get enough of me. Every morning when I left the sheets, she begged me to stay with her. During our meals together, her hands were usually on my body—her eyes glued to mine. When we fucked at night, she was all over me. She took my cock like she wanted it as much as I gave it to her, and when we slept, she was wrapped around me like a child with a teddy bear. I wasn’t stupid.

I knew she loved me.

I didn’t know when it happened, exactly. But at that opening, she was fiercely jealous of Josephine—not that there was anything to be jealous of. She didn’t want to leave my side—not even for a second. I was the center of her universe. She was pissed that she’d been taken from her home, but now she didn’t care anymore.

I was home.

The realization didn’t bother me. I loved her infatuation, her obsession. I loved it when she demanded that I be faithful to her. Her need only made me need her more. I’d never been turned on by clinginess or commitment, but I liked knowing London needed me.

That she wanted me.

Ariel shut her notebook, her lips pursed and her eyes angry. “Crewe, you gave me your word that this meant nothing. You told me you would marry a suitable partner.”

“Who said anything about getting married?”

“Well, it doesn’t look like you’ve made any progress on finding a partner—unless you’ve chosen her.”

I drank my water again and considered pouring myself a glass of scotch. I’d been sticking to my new diet, but this interrogation made me want to slip. “Ariel, I don’t stick my nose in your business. Don’t stick your nose in mine. Who I fuck is none of your concern.”

“I don’t give a damn who you fuck. I give a damn who you love. Crewe, she’s not right for you.”

“I never said I loved her.”

“Are you saying you don’t?”

I stared her down.

She sighed and pulled her glasses off. “That woman is smart. She’s manipulating you, Crewe.”

“Manipulating me how?”

“She thinks you have a bomb in her brother’s head. Of course she’s playing nice so you remove it.”

I shook my head. “No one is that good of an actress. Her feelings are genuine.”

She rolled her eyes. “Come on, Crewe. I see right through her little act. It’s all a game.”

Ariel didn’t fuck her every night. “Let me handle my sex life. Worry about your own.”

“I don’t give a damn about your sex life. It’s repulsive, honestly. But who you marry directly affects my involvement in your business. You already know this, Crewe.”

“Like I said, I’m not getting married.”

“But you’re definitely on the path to a poor choice,” she hissed.

“Don’t worry about our business. We’re up by fifty percent since last year. We’re growing.”

“And we’ll plateau if we don’t keep working. The second you get comfortable, that’s when things go to shit.”

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, Ariel. You need to calm down.”

She looked like she might throw her glass of scotch in my face. “You have other avenues of wealth, an inheritance that most countries can’t even afford. I’m not so fortunate, Crewe. This is all I have. I’m not willing to gamble it.”

“I would never let that happen, Ariel. Our wealth will always be secure. The business will maintain itself even if I never get married at all.”

“But it’ll never grow unless you marry someone like Princess Leonida of Russia.”

I nearly crushed the glass in my hand. “You know I’d never marry someone like her.” I’d never have any ties to Russia as long as I lived. They were my enemy, as far as I was concerned.

“But you understand what I’m saying, Crewe. It can’t be some medical school dropout from Brooklyn.”

I’d already said this twice. “Again, marriage isn’t on my mind, Ariel.”

“For now,” she said coldly. “This woman is going to make a mockery out of you. You’re smarter than this. She’s distracting you from what’s important. She’s manipulating you, and you don’t even realize it.”

I couldn’t disagree more. “Ariel, enough.”

“No. She’s—”

I held up my hand. “Enough.”

Ariel shut her mouth, but her eyes burned like she had more to say.

“You’ve made your feelings perfectly clear. I don’t need to hear you repeat them fifteen more times.” I rose from the chair, my hand shaking with the urge to hit something. “Focus on your job. That’s what I’m paying you to do.”

I retreated into my office, the one place in the world that was solely mine. I owned lots of real estate, but I had to share that space with dozens of employees. My bedroom was occupied by London, who was probably waiting for me to tell her I was ready for lunch.

I chose to hide out in here instead.

There was a light knock on the door before London stepped inside. She took one look at me and immediately knew something was wrong because she shut the door and walked inside without being invited. She walked to my desk then took a seat on the edge, crossing her legs and facing the large window behind me.

I didn’t look at her, my ankle resting on the opposite knee and my fingertips against my lips. I swayed slightly from left to right, replaying my conversation was Ariel over and over. I understood she had a personal interest in her investment, but she was blowing this out of proportion.

“Anything I can do?” London knew me well enough that she understood not to ask me what happened. When she pushed for details, it just pushed me away instead.

“No.”

She looked out the window and pulled her hair over one shoulder. Even out of the corner of my eye, she looked beautiful. It was hard not to believe we’d just kissed so passionately thirty minutes ago. “You want me to leave you alone?”

Any other time, I would have immediately answered yes. But I didn’t want her to go anywhere. Her presence sheathed my anger. Her beauty made me feel calm. I straightened my legs then patted my thigh. “No.”

A slight expression of surprise came over her face before she straddled my hips. Her dress rose up her thighs when she spread her legs, and her arms wrapped around my shoulders.

My hands moved to her hips, and I stared at her without saying a word. Direct eye contact was usually an act of hostility, but looking into her eyes made my irritation wash away. I could hold the intimate look and feel better, not worse. I didn’t care if she could read my emotions because I had nothing to hide—not from her. “I got into a fight with Ariel.” London hadn’t asked me anything, but the words came out anyway. I didn’t see her as a woman who was in my captivity anymore. She wasn’t just some woman I was sleeping with. I saw her as something much more than that—saw her as a friend.

My closest friend.

She watched me in silence, never asking for more than what I gave.

“She thinks you’re a distraction.”

“Well…she’s not totally wrong. I interrupt you when you’re working all the time.” Her hands slid down my chest, and she watched her own movements. “I won’t do it anymore.”

I loved it when she interrupted me. I lived for those moments. When she slipped me a note and invited me upstairs to fuck her, I was harder than a rock. “No. I look forward to those interruptions.”

“Maybe I’ll take a break for a while…get on Ariel’s good side.”

She could never get on her good side.

“I can try talking to her. I don’t want to make your life more stressful.”

I already knew how that conversation would go. “That wouldn’t do any good. She doesn’t trust you, thinks you’re manipulating me.” I didn’t accuse London of anything because I didn’t suspect her in any regard. I knew Ariel was wrong, so I didn’t need to question London about it.

London stared at me, her eyes unblinking. “Manipulating you…?”

“Trying to soften me to get your way. I told her to knock it off. I’m sick of listening to her paranoia.” I didn’t mention the part about marriage. London and I hadn’t had a conversation about our future or where our relationship stood, and I wasn’t excited to have one either.

Her hands slid down my chest to my stomach, where her fingertips gently pressed against my collared shirt. Her eyes were downcast, and she was quiet.

I knew how she felt about me, so this conversation was probably offensive. But I made it clear I didn’t share Ariel’s beliefs. “The only reason why I put up with Ariel is because she’s good at what she does. The best, actually. She’s entitled to her opinion, of course. I just get sick of listening to her criticize my sex life.”

“She’s just looking out for you.”

I raised an eyebrow, surprised London would defend her.

“That’s also her job, being honest with you even though it’ll make you angry. I know it’s annoying, but she’s loyal to you. Any criticism she gives comes from a good place. She has your back, Crewe.”

I stared at her in surprise, unable to believe that London could say something good about Ariel when Ariel had nothing but mean things to say about her. That only convinced me that Ariel was being overly paranoid. “Hungry?”

“You know the answer.”

I rose to my feet and lifted her with me, her body light as a feather. A simple conversation with her had completely flipped my mood. She was the only person capable of making the impossible happen.

I held her against my chest with her legs wrapped around my waist. My hand gripped her ass, feeling the smooth skin underneath her dress. I had an appetite just a moment ago, but now I was in the mood for something else.

Her eyes darkened like she could read my mind.

I laid her down on my desk, aroused by the stark contrast between her fair skin and the dark mahogany wood. I’d never taken any other woman in my office besides London. She was the only one to have the pleasure of infecting my entire life.

I pulled her panties off and hiked up her dress to her waist. My slacks and boxers fell to my ankles, and I positioned her ass slightly off the desk. My cock was already twitching, and I knew her pussy was wet without even checking. I shoved my dick inside her roughly, wanting to claim her as soon as possible. My eyes honed in on her reaction, watching her cheeks flush and her breathing hitch.

She gripped my wrists as I held on to her thighs. Her nails dug into my skin the harder I gripped her, and nearly silent moans escaped her lips before I even moved.

This was not just an act.

This was all real.

I knew it.