Jacinda's Challenge (Imperial 3) (48 page)

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Jacinda quickly found the files she'd brought and thought about changing clothes before returning, but quickly dismissed the idea. Walking back toward the open door, she paused hearing Barek.

"You know that's going to cause a stir, especially among the purists. It's one thing for you to be
involved
with a woman from another House, but it's an entirely different matter for you to publicly
acknowledge
her."

"Be that as it may, there's nothing they can do about it."

"They can make Jacinda and her children's lives miserable."

"Then they will answer to me."

"Only if Jacinda tells you," Barek reminded him. "From what I've seen Jacinda is a very independent woman, Dad. She isn't going to come running to you if someone's rude to her. She'll deal with it herself."

"Here they are," she said pretending she hadn't overheard their conversation. "Stephan had several files and I haven't had time to go through them." She set them down in front of Barek.

"I'll read through them and see what I can find. You said you talked to Ethan about this?"

"Yes, Ethan now runs the Zhao Corporation for his father-in-law."

"They deal with producing mining equipment too, don't they?" Barek queried.

"Among other things, yes."

"Would he be willing to work with me? To answer questions?"

"I'm sure he would, he was quite upset with the deaths on Nuga."

"And Danton? Do you think Stephan ever talked to him about this?"

"I... that I don't know. They talked all the time, but Danton had just turned thirty when Stephan died. I don't know if Stephan would have discussed an ongoing investigation with him."

"I'll speak with him." Barek stood gathering up the files. "Jacinda, I just want to say how truly wonderful I think it is that you have entered our lives." He leaned down placing a kiss on her cheek. "If this old man gives you any problems, let me know and I'll take care of him."

"Old man!" Jotham exclaimed in feigned outrage causing Jacinda to laugh.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Jotham leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom and simply watched Jacinda and knew he never really appreciated watching a woman get ready for her day before. He had always been too busy getting ready for his own.

Jacinda slipped out of the room when Chesney had called. By the time he finished, she had showered and wrapped herself in a towel and begun rubbing lotion into her dewy, golden skin. She started at her feet, resting first one and then the other on the edge of the large tub he never used, slowly working her way up her legs.

Jotham had never seen anything as erotic as watching her hands glide over her own body. Seeing her fingers massaging the lotion into the golden skin, he groaned silently, torn between the desire to be touching that silky beautiful skin and watching her touch herself.

Where would those hands go next?

He found out as she moved on to her shoulders, working her way down her arms before she reached as far as she could over her back.

"Here, let me help you with that." His words had her head spinning around, her eyes widening as she looked at him; her long, gorgeous hair piled high on her head, exposing the delicate curve of her neck.

"I thought you were on the comm."

"I was. Now I'm with you." He picked up the bottle she set on the counter and squeezed a generous amount into his hand. The scent of roses that he always associated with her filled his senses.

Slowly, he began to spread scented lotion over the soft skin of her shoulders, working his way down until he reached the towel barrier. Slipping a finger underneath, it gave way exposing her slender back. Unhurriedly, he ran his thumbs down her spine the rest of his hands followed, caressing the outside curves of her generous breasts, and then narrowed in over her ribs and her svelte waist, before stretching out again to caress her hips. Hips that twisted slightly under his attentions.

"Do you know what you do to me?" he asked as his hands slowly made a return trip up her back. "I watch you walk in front of me, and I can't take my eyes off you. Off how gracefully you move, the gentle sway of your hips. It makes me so hard." Jotham couldn't stop from pressing his enlarged shaft against her buttocks proving it. "Even Barek noticed."

"What?" Jacinda asked breathlessly, trying to understand his words.

"He caught me watching this luscious ass as you walked into the bedroom." His hands had worked their way back down to knead said flesh. "And told me I needed to learn to be more subtle or everyone would know."

"What did you say?" she asked pressing back against his hands.

"I told him I
planned
on everyone knowing. I'm not going to hide how I feel about you, Jacinda. About how much you mean to me." His hands, slick with lotion, slid around and up to cup her breasts. "How much I want you."

Jacinda's head fell back onto his shoulder. "Ancestors, Jotham! That feels amazing!"

"It will only get better," he promised squeezing her breasts one last time before his hands arrowed down her soft stomach to the curls between her thighs, pulling her back against him, his cloth-enclosed shaft pressing up between her cheeks.

"I'm going to hold you to that." Reaching behind her, she turned her head as she grabbed the back of Jotham's neck and pulled his mouth down to hers for a searing kiss.

Jotham turned her in his arms, lifting her as he did, setting her on the vanity, causing her to shriek at its coolness.

"Jotham!" she cried out even as her legs wrapped around his waist.

"I will never give you up, Jacinda." Ripping open his pants, he set the tip of his shaft at her wet entrance. "Never lose you." Slowly he pressed into her, his muscles shaking with restrained desire. "You are mine!"

"Yes, Jotham!" Tightening her legs, she pulled him home. "Yours!"

Shouting out, they found heaven together.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Barek frowned over what he found in Stephan Michelakakis' files. How could this have been going on for so long undetected? Ethan had been right, at the time Stephan had compiled this information. Sokol had been awarded
every
major contract for over ten cycles. It had been nearly another ten since then, was it still true? He needed to find out.

Rising, he went to find the one man that could help him, his father's aide, Chesney.

"Good morning, Mister Chesney," Barek greeted, walking into his father's outer office.

"Prince Barek!" Chesney was instantly on his feet. "I didn't know you were on planet."

"Permanently, Chesney."

"Excuse me?"

"Has my father not told you yet? I have left the Coalition and will now be working along with my father in the ruling of our House."

"Really? No, the King has not yet informed me of that." As he spoke, a smile broke out across Chesney's face. It seemed Jacinda was having a bigger effect on Jotham than he'd thought.

"Well, I'm sure he will be but right now I need your help."

"Of course, Sire. What can I do for you?"

"I need to contact Ethan Michelakakis and don't have his code."

"I can find that for you, Sire."

"Thank you. Could you also compile for me a list of all the mining contracts for the last ten cycles and send them to my comm?"

"The last
ten
cycles, Sire?" Chesney couldn't hide his shock.

"Yes. Also, I'm going to need my own aide since I'm going to be here full time."

"I will compile a list for you, and you can interview them."

"Great, thank you, Chesney. I'll let you get back to preparing for your day."

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

"I... Umm..."

Ethan frowned as he heard his secretary stuttering into the comm as he entered his office. Honeycutt was the most unflappable person he knew. What could have her in such a state?

Relief filled her eyes when she saw him. "He's just walking into the office, Sire. If you'll hold for just a moment, I'll transfer you to his comm." Pushing a button, she put a hand over her heart. "Thank the ancestors you're here."

"What is going on?" Ethan demanded.

"Prince Barek is on the comm for you."

"Prince Barek?"

"Yeesss," she hissed at him. "So get into your office and answer your comm!"

If Honeycutt hadn't been with the company for over twenty cycles, and someone he utterly relied on, he would never allow her to talk to him like that.

"Alright. Calm down, Honeycutt."

"Calm down? Have you ever
seen
the man?" She fanned her face with her hand. "He's gorgeous."

Ethan's eyes widened in shock. Honeycutt was old enough to be the Prince's mother. Honeycutt's next words told him Ethan had spoken out loud.

"That doesn't mean I don't have eyes. Now go." She shooed him on.

Entering his office, Ethan sat down at his desk. Taking a deep breath, he composed his face then pressed the button that would connect them.

"Prince Barek, sorry about the delay. What can I do for you?"

"I had first meal with your mother this morning," Barek said getting straight to the point.

Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise. It was still quite early, barely eight and Barek was obviously in the Palace. How could he have had first meal with his mother? Unless she was at the Palace....

"She told me she had spoken to you about the Sokol Corporation," Barek continued.

"Yes," Ethan's tone was noncommittal.

"I've read through your father's files and have compiled the same information to date. I am not happy at what I am learning."

"The Palace must sign off on all those contracts, Sire," Ethan told him stiffly.

"And we both know my father takes the recommendations of the Committee. It's their job to review and choose who’s the best fit for each project."

"Yes, that's how it
should
be."

"What I'd like to know is why haven't
you
ever brought this to the attention of the Palace?"

"And who would I report it to, Sire? Assemblyman Pajari, who heads the committee? To do so is business suicide. He would block us from
any
contract and inform others he was 'displeased' with our company. I have over a thousand people and their families that rely on me for their livelihood. I will not jeopardize them. I play the game, submitting an honest bid so everything appears legal, knowing it will never be accepted, and go on."

Barek was silent for several moments looking at the information before him, then he frowned. "You say you've been submitting bids for contracts?"

"Of course. If you don't, Pajari won't throw you any crumbs, especially to the Zhao Corporation since my Union to Kasmira."

"Your Union? Why would Pajari care about that?" Barek demanded.

"Because to him, I am not truly from the House of Protection, and as such shouldn't be allowed a contract."

"You were born into this House, as your father was."

"But my mother wasn't, and to Pajari's way of thinking, that means neither am I."

"Well he's wrong," Barek told him outraged that an Assemblyman would act in such a way, "and I want you to know I don't feel that way."

"That's good to know."

"Do you have copies of those contracts?" Barek asked changing the subject.

"The ones we submitted?" Ethan asked confused.

"Yes."

"Of course. Why?"

"Because in all the files I've read, I haven't found one recorded bid submitted by the Zhao Corporation."

"What? That's
impossible
! I personally delivered every bid, Pajari demanded it."

"He demanded that of everyone or just you?"

"Just me."

"And your father allowed this?" Barek couldn't believe it.

"I never told him. It's for me to handle."

"You are a great deal like your mother, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your mother. She is an amazing woman. Independent. Strong. Living her life on her own terms. It must have been... fascinating... being raised by her."

"It had its moments."

"I can imagine. You do realize she's now facing the biggest challenge of her life, being with my father."

"So you know." Ethan gave him a sharp look.

"Yes, and I heartily approve. The changes I have already seen in my father are truly amazing. I've never seen him this happy or relaxed." When Ethan didn't immediately respond, Barek frowned. "You don't?"

"I'll admit I was shocked when she told us." Ethan sat back in his chair looking Barek in the eye as he did. "I am still not fully on board, even though she says she loves him."

"Why?" Barek demanded.

"Because my mother is going to be the one that bears the weight of this relationship. She's the one that's going to be criticized and judged, and not just by the purists. It's going to upset her, even though she would never say it. I don't want her upset. She's my mother."

"She will be protected, Ethan."

"You know as well as I do that you won't be able to protect her from what people say. She will be the first companion of an unwed King. None of the normal courtesies will be followed."

"I hadn't considered that." Barek frowned not liking the thought of what might be said.

"I can assure you my mother has. Nevertheless, she's not going to let it deter her. When she loves someone, there's no length she won't go to for them."

Chapter Thirty

Jacinda stepped back, crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. It was perfect, just like she knew it would be. Kasmira had done an amazing job framing Brett’s drawing making sure it shined. She couldn't wait for Jotham to see it.

"It truly is a masterpiece, Jacinda," Myesha told her standing at her side.

"It is, Brett is going to have an amazing future."

"I believe you," Myesha said. "Oh, Palma called earlier. She wants you to call her back."

"Alright." With one last look at the portrait, Jacinda picked up her personal comm and walked into the garden. It was a beautiful day and she wanted to sit outside and enjoy it. Palma answered on the second ring.