“I’ve got a plan.”
Since they lay spent and sweaty on his silken, woven bamboo sheets, she could be fairly sure his plan didn’t involve another way to make her scream her way to ecstasy. Then again, if any man could wring an ounce more of pleasure from her body, Fabian could.
“Is it a devious plan?” she asked as she rolled to her side so she could see him. She never tired of staring. His rugged looks were sexy, but it was the intelligence behind that truly intrigued her. Businessman meet criminal mastermind. The ultimate bad boy, at least in her books.
And he’s mine. At least for the moment. They’d yet to talk of the future, although he did make remarks to the effect that he expected her to stick around for a while. Like when he asked her opinion on what color scheme to use in the dining room. She laughed when her first suggestion—medieval dining hall with a large wooden table, benches, and intricate tapestries for the wall—made him wince but still agree with a sighed, “If that’s what you want.”
Lucky for him, her tastes ran to more contemporary styles, something they had in common.
Just one of many things they shared, such as their love of billiards, which they played almost nightly with fanatic enthusiasm.
Like this evening’s game.
“If I win, you give me mind-blowing head.”
“And if I win?” she’d asked with a smile.
“I give you toe-curling licks.”
“Is it me, or do you win either way?”
His smile held devilish promise. And so they played. She got the first shot. The tip of her cue cracked the white ball hard and sent it careening into the pile. Colors shot off in all directions.
She chose striped. Sank the green. Then the red. And then, while holding his gaze, sank the eight ball. “Oops.” A technical loss, and yet, as her sated body could attest, she wasn’t a loser.
“You’ve got that look in your eye again,” he said, drawing her from the erotic reminder.
She also had a tingle in her pussy. But it would have to wait, as he’d woken her curiosity. “So what is this plan of yours?”
“We are going to throw an engagement party.”
“For who?” she asked.
“Us, of course.”
She blinked. She then stared at him. He stared right back. “Um, I think I misunderstood.”
“No you didn’t. We’re going to announce to the world that you and I are engaged. We’ll have a picture sent to the papers. I’ll have my media consultant—”
“You have a media consultant?”
“Of course I do. Image is everything. How is the world supposed to know I’m badass if no one announces it? Anyhow, like I was saying, we’ll get the news out and invite everyone in the shifter and underworld to the party. Friends and enemies alike.”
“You are going to invite them all here? Are you insane?”
“Not according to the tests they made me take in college.”
“Okay, let’s say I go along with this plan, one problem. I don’t have a name.”
But in the end the name didn’t matter, not once his marketing team was done with it. Pictures were taken, invitations sent out, and it didn’t take long before everyone was frothing to meet Fabian’s mysterious fiancée.
However, the real question was, would someone who recognized her come forth, and would the person who wanted her dead show up?
Fabian was banking on both. She hoped his plan worked, but of more interest to her was the fact that her lover treated the engagement as if it were real.
Just look at the giant rock on her finger, a beautifully cut diamond that he presented to her during dinner.
Of course, he didn’t attempt anything so pedantic as getting on a bended knee. He had it delivered to her on a silver platter, domed of course, the lid of which Fred swirled off with a flourish. The black velvet box screamed, Open me!
She did and couldn’t help a pleased, “Oh my.”
Since she didn’t have anything for him, she made him later groan, “Oh my,” her tight hand around his shaft catching glints from the overhead light making the ring sparkle.
But a ring didn’t make their engagement real, and while she might find herself outspoken on many subjects, asking him if it meant anything more proved impossible.
Because I’m scared. Scared that the man she loved would tell her it truly was only a sham.
For the moment, she’d rather pretend it was real and she was truly engaged to this intriguing male who really tempted in his black tux with its crisp white shirt.
“Do we really have to go downstairs?” she asked as she minced toward him in her mermaid gown, the shapely fit flattering but definitely not conducive to taking big steps. She ran a finger down his chest. “I could think of other things I’d much rather do.”
He caught her hand before it hit his belt buckle. “Don’t tempt me. You look good enough to eat in that dress, and I look forward to peeling it from you later. The keyword being ‘later.’ Right now, we have a killer to unmask, an identity to reveal, and a party to host. Are you ready, vixen, to dazzle the movers and shakers of the under- and animal worlds?”
With him at her side, she could do anything. However, that confidence didn’t mean a certain trepidation didn’t grip her as they made their grand entrance. While Fred announced them, in his snootiest tone, they stood at the top of the stairs leading to the large foyer, which opened on to the massive living and dining room, a perfect backdrop. Hand tucked into his arm, she adopted a cool, composed mien, one that didn’t show the inner tremble.
For his part, Fabian appeared utterly relaxed, to those who might not know him. But she knew him now, knew him quite well, and she noticed his rapier gaze as it sought out anything untoward in the guests milling below.
As to personal introductions? He smoothly countered those by saying he would formally introduce her shortly. He seemed intent on simply having her see as many people as possible in the hopes of triggering a memory. Anything.
About an hour into the party, his plan worked.