Crewe

When the plane landed on the strip, London was noticeably more relaxed. I’d flown with her several times, and her attitude was always the same. She was tense, uncomfortable, and nearly terrified the entire flight.

I found it interesting because she was a strong person in every other regard. When she first became my prisoner, she never showed a single ounce of fear. All of my remarks were met with insults, and even when I grabbed her by the neck, she didn’t cower in fear. If she fell, she got back to her feet even stronger than before.

But a plane was enough to make her uneasy.

Didn’t make any sense.

We got into the car and drove from the airport to the castle at the edge of Edinburgh. London had slept for most of the plane ride, so she was rested. I’d been on the phone or taking care of emails, so I’d been awake most of the time. I’d fucked her when she woke up and took a short nap before we landed.

Now I was about to pull up to my house at three in the morning. Ariel wouldn’t be there, so I had a few hours before I had to tell her the truth about London. She would be insanely pissed, and our heated argument would last for several days before she finally accepted my choice.

Or maybe she would never accept it.

Ariel was one of the few people I trusted in the world, so a part of me felt guilty for doing something she was so strongly against. She’d been right about London to begin with, but I was still bringing her back.

I knew I looked weak in Ariel’s eyes.

When we pulled up to the house, London stared at it like she’d never seen it before. She stepped out of the car and stared at the lights that glowed outside the walls. The fountain in the front splashed with water that echoed in the clearing. A slight breeze moved through her hair, pulling it in front of her face.

The men grabbed the suitcases and carried them into the house, leaving the two of us alone to admire the stone walls of the ancient structure that had been refurbished ten years ago. When I remodeled the place, I preserved as much as I could while maintaining the integrity of the foundation.

I came to her side and stared at the two enormous front doors. “Feels like home?”

She crossed her arms over her chest, her thin jacket not heavy enough to keep her warm. “Actually, it does…”

I let her admire the castle for another moment before I grabbed her hand and took her inside. Since she’d been gone, I hadn’t changed much. The only difference was the rug and the walls in the hallway where I’d been shot. Everything had to be changed because of the bloodstains. I purposely took her in a different direction so she wouldn’t have to revisit the memory from the past.

We entered the royal chambers, where our suitcases sat inside the walk-in closet. The bedroom was exactly how I’d left it when she left. I hadn’t used the bed or anything else in the room. It turned into a storage facility for my clothes and watches.

“It smells different in here.”

I stripped off my jacket and placed it on the hanger. The left side of the closet was for the maids to pick up for dry cleaning, so I placed it far to the left and shut the door. “I can have the maids clean it again.”

“No, it’s not that. It just…doesn’t smell like you. A hint of your cologne was always in the air. I remember it always smelling like wood and smoke from the fireplace. Something is just off. I can’t explain it.”

I unbuttoned my shirt and tossed it in the hamper. “Well, I haven’t been living in here for a while.”

“I guess that’s true. You have been in America for the past week or so.”

Ever since she’d left me, I hadn’t used the bedroom. I slept in different quarters down the hall. The sheets and bedding had been washed, but she and I were the last people to have enjoyed the bed. Every time I tried to come back, the pain washed over me. Everything reminded me of her, and it was impossible not to think about her when her presence was still heavy in the walls. Sasha and I stayed down the hall because I couldn’t fuck her in the bed I used to make love to London in. Just couldn’t do it. “I haven’t slept in here since you left.” I turned my back and unfastened my watch, an excuse to hide my face. My expression remained stoic, but my eyes always gave me away.

“Then where have you been sleeping?”

“Down the hall.”

Silence followed my words. London didn’t speak again, probably because she didn’t know how to respond. I never told her how devastated I was when she left because I wouldn’t even admit to myself that I was in pain. That was the biggest confession I ever could have made, that I missed her so much I didn’t want to tarnish my last good memory of her.

She came up behind me and rested her face against the area between my shoulder blades. “Why?”

It was a stupid question because she knew the answer. I couldn’t fuck another woman on a bed I considered holy. I couldn’t brush my teeth and not expect to see her reflection in the mirror. I couldn’t open a drawer and be indifferent to her panties and socks sitting on top. But I didn’t say any of that. I gave the simplest response. “Because I loved you just as much when you were gone as I did when you were here.”

She pressed a kiss against my skin, her soft lips sticking to my body like glue. She left her mouth there for a few seconds before she pulled away, keeping her hands on my triceps. “Crewe…” She rested her forehead against my back, her breathing uneven. “I missed you so much. When you told me we were done…I was devastated.”

Initially, her tears had made me happy. I’d wanted to hurt her the way she hurt me. But now I didn’t ever want to cause her pain. “I was just angry.”

“I know that now.” Her arms circled my waist as her face remained against my back. “When I went back to New York, it didn’t feel the same. Nothing had changed. The crowds were the same, the buildings were the same, my morning coffee tasted the same…but everything was different. I tried dating, but I never liked anyone. When I touched myself, I thought about you…”

I closed my eyes at her confession, picturing my woman touching herself and thinking about me. I’d witnessed it before, and it was definitely the hottest thing I’d ever seen. I’d touched that clit a hundred times, but I loved watching her do it herself.

“What do we do now?” she whispered.

“About?”

“My living situation, Ariel…everything.”

We’d just walked in the door, and I certainly didn’t have a plan. “Ariel will know before she gets here tomorrow. The only reason she doesn’t know now is because she’s asleep. I’ll handle her.”

“Would it help if I spoke to her?”

It’d just make it worse. “Unlikely.”

“Is there anything else I can do?”

I turned around, feeling her arms snake around my body as I moved. My hand moved into her hair, my favorite place to grab her. With a slight tug, I arranged her face exactly where I wanted it, her mouth easily accessible. “Fuck me.” One of the things I missed most was waking up to her riding me in the morning. Sometimes I woke up to her mouth around my dick, and that was just as good. She was talented at taking the reins, being in charge of my fantasies. She had a confidence unlike any other.

She held my gaze as her hands moved to my belt and stripped it away. She didn’t kiss me, but this was just as intense. I felt the belt slide out of my loops and hit the floor next to my feet. Her hands undid my fly and buttons next, getting me free from the material.

Her hand wrapped around my length, and she stroked it without blinking.

My hand loosened from her strands, but my eyes didn’t leave her face.

She finally rose on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to my mouth, a light one that lacked tongue. She purposely kept her distance, wanting to keep our eyes focused on each other instead of our mouths.

She pivoted me toward the bed then pushed me, making my body fall back and land on the bed.

The only reason why I moved was because I fell before she even touched me. I wanted that beautiful body on top of mine, to feel her take me as roughly as I took her.

She didn’t give me a chance to remove my shoes and the clothes around my ankles before she shed her jeans and panties and straddled me. She didn’t bother with her top, assuming it would take too much time.

She pointed my cock at her entrance and slid all the way down, her pussy soaking wet. She didn’t need much time to get ready, which made me wonder if she was ready anytime I was in her presence. Her attraction matched mine.

I held myself up on my elbows and watched her move up and down on top of me, taking my length with even strokes. Her hair flowed with her movements, and my feet pushed against the ground when I thrust back. I yanked up her shirt and bra so the bottom half of her tits were visible. They were one of my favorite features, so I needed to see them. I needed to grab them whenever I felt like it.

“How this?” she said through her heavy breathing.

I already wanted to come. She was taking me all the way to the hilt before she rose up again. My dick was smeared with her arousal, and her pussy was tight around me even though she hadn’t come just yet. “Fucking perfect.” I wanted to do this until morning, but when she fucked me this well, I knew I wouldn’t last. It wasn’t the end of the world—I loved coming inside her anyway.

All I could do was move my hips up and down while she did the rest. Of course, she looked absolutely stunning while she did it. Every woman that had ever ridden me looked breathtaking, but there was something different about London. It must have been the look in her eyes—because she loved me.

I closed my eyes every now and then as I suppressed the urge to dump all my seed inside her. I’d fucked her less than twelve hours ago, but it felt like days. I could feel all the come in my balls, all the essence I wanted to give her.

She gripped my shoulders as she rode me harder. “Trying not to come?”

“Yeah…”

“I want you to come. I love feeling you inside me.”

Jesus Christ. I used one hand to adjust her body, to tilt her forward so her clit rubbed against my pelvic bone. I didn’t need clit stimulation to make a woman come, just when I was in a hurry.

And I was in a big hurry now.

I sucked two fingers into my mouth then placed them at her back entrance. I’d fucked her in the ass and knew she liked it. My fingers weren’t as thick as my length, but they would do. I pushed inside and fingered her from behind, activating all her nerve endings to make her come hard.

Her breathing sped up, and she dug her hips into me harder, rubbing her clit against my body. She increased her pace and nearly cut my skin with her nails. Once her hips began to jerk on their own, I knew she’d reached her climax. She let out a scream as her movements slowed down, and she took my hard cock slowly. “Oh god…”

My fingers pulsed inside her ass, and my cock felt her tightness. I was in heaven, watching this beautiful woman get off to me. She was my fantasy, and I loved being hers. My cock throbbed until it was nearly painful, and I knew I couldn’t keep my orgasm back. “Here it comes, Lovely…”

She increased her pace again, taking my cock hard.

I fingered her ass harder, moving with her as she bounced on my dick. “Fuck…”

Her hands dragged down my chest and cut into my pecs.

The slight amount of pain pushed me over the edge. I came violently, moaning as I filled her small pussy with all of my seed. I loved claiming her as mine again, giving her so much come it wouldn’t fit inside her.

I was disappointed it was over, but too satisfied to really regret it.

She leaned down and kissed me, a long and sensual embrace that involved a lot of tongue. My fingers pulled away from her ass and gripped her cheek, and I felt aroused by the kiss she just gave me.

She pulled away then lifted herself, pulling my length out of her. My cock slapped against my stomach once he was free, still slightly hard. That’s when the come oozed out of her body, white globs dripping down her thighs.

Now I had to fuck her again.

I’d only been asleep for a few hours when my alarm went off.

London was dead asleep and didn’t even stir at the sound ringing from my nightstand. I turned it off then got into the shower to start my day. I’d worked while I was in New York, but I still had a lot of catching up to do. I shaved the scruff off my face and put on a crisp suit before I headed out the door.

Ariel knew London was there with me. That woman knew everything about the business, and since my personal life involved the business, she knew about that too. I rubbed the back of my head and sighed as I took the stairs to the main floor. My office faced the courtyard, and she would undoubtedly be there waiting for me.

And she was.

With arms crossed over her chest, slender glasses on her face, and an attitude that reached every corner of the room, Ariel projected her anger directly into my skin. Without saying a single word, she told me off.

Which was pretty impressive, if you asked me.

“Morning.” I walked past her and sat behind my desk, refusing to absorb her ferocity. She was waiting for me to make the first statement. That was how she always played this game. I opened my folder and looked through my checklist of things I needed to complete. “I have a meeting with Pias in fifteen minutes. You can sit in if you want. Afterward, I’m gonna stop by the distillery in Edinburgh. Are you coming or do you have other matters to attend to?”

All she did was stare—coldly.

I met her gaze and waited for a response. When I didn’t get one, I moved on. “I’m going to take that as a yes, then.” I opened my laptop and ignored her altogether.

“Goddammit, Crewe.” She slammed her fist down on my desk, making everything shake.

“Here we go…” I shut my laptop and leaned back in my chair, getting comfortable for the long conversation ahead.

Her hand moved to her hip, where her gold bracelet hung on her petite wrist. “I’ve already made my feelings perfectly clear, and I don’t want to repeat myself—”

“Then don’t.” I respected Ariel’s opinion, but she needed to back off. This was my life—I was gonna fuck whomever I wanted.

Her eyes widened immediately. “We lost four men because of her.”

“She told Joseph not to come, but he did anyway.”

“And you believe her?” she asked incredulously. “The woman who staged a coup behind your back?”

“She didn’t stage a coup—”

“She fucked your brains out until you trusted her—”

“Don’t. Fucking. Interrupt. Me.” I rose to my full height, provoked and angry. There was nothing I hated more than disrespect. While Ariel was vital to my success, she worked for me—not the other way around. The scotch was mine. The royalty was mine. She was just a partner—an employee. “I’m aware of all the ramifications surrounding London. I’m aware she lied to me. I’m aware of everything she’s done.” I worked my jaw to control my anger, feeling the need to spit fire at her. “But I want to be with her. She loves me, and I love her. She has no other motive to be with me other than love, so I trust her. She won’t interfere with our business. And she would never be disloyal to me ever again.” I watched Ariel’s face darken in more anger as she held her tongue. “That’s how it’s going to be, Ariel. You may as well accept it.”

“I don’t accept it, Crewe. How can I do business with someone who thinks with their dick and not their brain?”

My hands gripped the edge of the desk. I was much gentler on her than I was on other employees because she was a woman, but if she wanted to play rough, we would play rough. “Then maybe you should leave.”

“I think I will.”

I continued to wear my poker face, but the statement was like a punch to the gut. She and I were a perfect team. She was just as ruthless, determined, and ambitious as I was. I’d never met a more intelligent businessperson in my life.

“I could’ve dealt with that little whore being your wife, even if she ruined my chances of capitalizing on our business. But after what she did, I can’t tolerate it. I can’t work in the garden every day when there’s a snake slithering around.”

“Don’t call her that again.”

Ariel held her ground, unflinching. “What’s it going to be, Crewe? Her or me.”

“There’s no choice. She’s my lover, and you’re my partner. I don’t have to choose.”

“Yes, you do. I can’t work under these conditions. I don’t trust you, Crewe Donoghue. I no longer trust your judgment. It’s completely impaired. The second a hot piece of ass walks by, you can’t think straight. I need a partner more focused than that.”

“I’m still not going to choose.” I kept my voice steady even though I wanted to scream at her. “If you want to leave, that’s your decision. I’ll pay back your investment in the company as well as a severance. What’s it going to be?” She believed in my scotch and in my intelligence organization. She knew I was an exemplary business partner, London excluded. She was walking away from both wealth and security.

“I’ll be back tomorrow with my lawyer.” She turned around and walked to the door, her hips swaying.

I called her bluff and realized it wasn’t a bluff at all. My eyes watched her walk away, but I kept a straight face. “London did nothing wrong.”

Ariel stopped at the door and turned around. “How can you say that?”

“She did what she had to do to survive. Neither one of us can judge her for that.”

“But I judge you for allowing her to survive. You should have sold her to Bones because she fucked with all of us.”

“If I remember correctly, you were in handcuffs and London freed you.” London didn’t owe Ariel anything, but she helped her when Ariel had been nothing but cold to her. That kind of compassion was nearly nonexistent.

“And if I remember correctly, she was the reason I was in handcuffs in the first place.”

“She took me to the hospital. She could have just left me to die, but she didn’t.”

“But she let you get shot in the first place.”

All of her responses were black and white. “She asked Joseph not to hurt me or any of my men. It’s not her fault he didn’t listen.”

She released a cold laugh. “No, Crewe. Everything is her fault.” She threw the door open and stormed out.

I slowly sank into my chair and stared at the open doorway. Her heels clicked against the tile of the grand entryway, and I listened to the sound until she walked out the front doors. When she was gone, I knew she wasn’t coming back.

My best employee just quit on me.

I’d been a businessman long before she came around, and I would still be a great one with her gone. But that didn’t erase the scar her departure left. Her words sank into me like bullets in the flesh. My life was uneventful before London got off that helicopter. But the second she was a part of me, everything began to change. I lost my judgment, and now I lost someone close to me.

It made me question everything.