An Affair To Remember: A Ludlow Hall Christmas (3 page)

In his man-cave, Marc had watched the whole scene in the restaurant between Elena and her date unfold with interest.

At the point where Elena went to pour wine and came up empty, he kept one eye on her as he picked up his cell phone, slid down his contact list and pressed call. At the same time he toggled the car park cameras, watched Elena's
date
stroll to his car. He picked up a pen and made a note of Tom's car registration number.

"Hey, Andy. Who do you have on traffic duty tonight?"

Inspector Andy Bradshaw was the local Chief Inspector of police and a good pal.

The way Marc figured it, as the head of security for the Ferranti Group and based at Ludlow Hall, he had a duty of care to the local community and road users. If an asshole wanted to drink and drive that was the asshole's personal choice, but Marc wasn't going to have an asshole leave the bar at Ludlow Hall and killing or seriously injuring someone on his watch and on his conscience. The fact that it was a timely revenge on the dick who'd abandoned Elena right in the middle of the up-market restaurant at Ludlow Hall, in front of her colleagues, was just the icing on the cake.

"Gotta dark blue Volvo, registration number..." Marc gave the number. "Road's are icy tonight. He's had the best part of a bottle of vintage Chianti. And I have on camera the reception staff offering to phone him a taxi, but he blew them off." He listened to Andy sending a message to traffic cops only too happy to take another asshole off the road.

Andy returned his attention to Marc. "Hear you had an escaped mental patient on your hands this evening. Nico's asking for action, this is the third time David Evans has harassed Elena Kennedy. Nico's worried."

"Maybe I should speak to the hospital myself," Marc said. "It appears their security protocols are not up to speed."

"Budget cuts," Andy said. "Gotta go, thanks for the tip-off."

"My pleasure, if I don't see you and Susan and the kids before the big fat man climbs down the chimney, have a good Christmas."

Marc pressed end call, his gaze rose to the restaurant screen. He watched Elena rise from the table, wriggle the hem of her dress down, lift her purse, and stride out of the restaurant and into the bar.

His tongue stroked the inside of his cheek as she slid like melted butter on hot toast onto a high bar stool and wiggled her fingers at the bar manager. As that fine little butt hit the black leather seat, her dress had risen a couple of inches exposing a very nice length of lean and toned thigh. Very nice. Marc checked the time, he had half an hour before his shift ended. Thirty minutes. His eyes narrowed as a good looking guy approached Elena.

The guy leaned on the bar and slid, as far as Marc was concerned, too close to Elena.

Marc's eyes narrowed even further when he saw her smile into the guys face.

Oh no.

Elena'd had a bad night.

She'd had an escaped mental patient hit on her.

Her dork of a boyfriend had dumped her in the worst possible way.

Not that Marc was sorry for that, because it meant that, at last, he could make a play for Elena Kennedy with a clear conscience.

However, the girl was quite understandably upset.

Vulnerable.

Which meant that to make herself feel better, there was a possibility Elena Kennedy might be in a mood to tango with a stranger.

However, the man who was at this moment chatting her up, was no stranger to Marc.

He was a man that Marc knew would be more than happy to tango with Elena.

Not gonna happen.

Not on his watch.

Marc picked up a walkie-talkie from his desk, pressed the button.

"Neil? Can you cover for me until Steve signs in? I'll be in the bar. No, no trouble. Thanks."

Three minutes later there was a single rap on the door and Neil, aka The Hulk, entered.

"Yo, what's up, boss?"

Marc closed his laptop, locked it in the bottom drawer of his desk and turned to his deputy.

"I'm off duty until Monday. Any trouble you know the drill. I'll be in the bar."

He stood.

Neil slipped into his boss's empty chair, leaned back and the chair creaked dangerously.

"No probs. It's looking like a quiet night."

"Let's hope it stays that way."

"From your mouth to God's ear."

Elena Kennedy was a woman in dire need of a very stiff drink.

She wiggled her fingers at Scott, the bar manager and he moved to serve her.

"Hey gorgeous. What's your poison? A Pinot Grigio?" Scott mentioned her favourite tipple, polished the shiny bar with a soft white cloth and smiled into her face. Scott was not only a good-looking guy with a heart of solid gold, he was happily married with a baby daughter. Why was it all the good ones were taken?

"Nope, I need something a helluva lot stronger," she said in a tone that meant business and caused Scott's brow to rise.

"You don't have a head for the hard stuff," Scott reminded her.

Scott knew this because he'd known Elena since she was five.

Right there, Elena fumed, was the downside of living in the same small town all her life.

A strong shoulder nudged hers and a waft of very expensive cologne made her take a deep breath. Very nice. Elena turned to find a stranger checking her out with something like admiration, and was that attraction in his dark eyes?

Oh yes, it was.

And was that a tingle in the region of her ovaries?

Yes, there was a definite buzz low in her pelvis.

Elena found herself smiling.

And Hello, Mr. Tall (very tall. Woo Hoo!) Dark And Handsome.

"Bad day?" Mr. TDH asked.

Elena did a quick mental scan of the stranger.

Nice voice, too, deep and masculine.

Sharp suit.

Expensive tie.

White teeth.

Strong jaw.

A Kirk Douglas dimple in his smooth chin.

Nice.

"Do you count being flashed by an escaped mental patient and being dumped by your boyfriend a bad day?" she said, telling him the truth and nothing but the truth.

Dark eyes danced merrily into hers, and she realised he thought she was kidding.

If only.

Her battered and bruised ego perked right up.

"What you need," he said. "Is an After Shock."

Elena didn't have the first clue what he was talking about, but she took a wild guess.

She smiled.

"Are you offering to buy me a drink?"

For the first time in her life Elena Kennedy was openly flirting and she liked it.

She liked it an awful lot.

Now Mr. TDH smiled right back at her as he turned his very fit body into hers.

And her tingles had tingles.

"I'd be delighted to buy you a drink." He held out his hand. "Odin Jensen."

He had long fingers, nice nails and his hand felt smooth and cool.

He had a strong grip.

Nice.

"Elena Kennedy, lovely to meet you." She turned to Scott, who'd been watching the exchange with wary eyes. "I'll have an After Shock, trust me, I need it."

"Are you sure, Elena? It'll blow your head off."

Elena knew Scott was besties with two of her brothers and could feel her siblings' overprotective influence in the tone of his voice and in the way that Scott was looking at her with watchful eyes.

Well, fuck that.

She wanted a drink and by god she was going to have one.

"I'm not driving. Just serve me the drink, Scottie. In fact, make it a double."

The nickname from childhood did the trick, the bar manager looked at her for two beats too long before he turned a very polite face to her benefactor.

"And what can I get you, sir?"

"Glenmorangie Signet, a double please and put the drinks on my tab."

Elena's eyes went huge when a shot glass was placed in front of her, Scott struck a match and set her drink on fire.

Bloody hell.

When the flames died down, she simply stared at the glass without a clue what to do next.

"You down it in one," Odin whispered in her ear.

Scott was staring at her, his eyes just
daring
her to drink it.

Elena's chin jerked in a reckless way that had her companion laugh softly.

She lifted the glass and turned to the lovely Odin and gave him the benefit of her best eyelash flutter.

What was the worst thing that could happen to her?

She'd already had the night from hell.

They clinked glasses.

"Cheers," Elena said, throwing caution to the wind and knocked it back in one.

The glass fisted in her hands, she could feel blood leaking from her brain as heat set her throat alight and burned a searing path down to her belly.

Ooooh boy.

Her eyes watered.

Her nose watered.

"Breathe," Odin suggested, obviously enjoying himself.

"That was a single," Scott informed her in a silky I-told-you-so voice. He leaned on the bar and right into her face. "Sure you can manage a double?"

Pig.

Now, in the normal course of events, Elena Kennedy was not a stupid person.

In her professional life, she was renowned for keeping a cool head in a crisis, good judgement and a healthy dose of common sense. If she had a single weakness it was stubbornness. And Elena knew she was being stubborn now. After the night she'd had there was no way she was going to back down.

Plus, she was feeling absolutely fabulous,
dahling
!

Euphoric.

The scenes with David and then Tom, felt like no big deal.

No big deal at all, baby.

"Gimme me a double," she said with a bravado and a glitter in her eyes that would have made her brothers run for the hills.

She didn't see Odin shake his head at Scott and mouth
'Single'
.

While Scott poured her drink, she didn't notice her dress creep up another couple of inches either as she turned to her new companion, who was fast becoming her bestest friend in the whole wide world.

She grinned up into his gorgeously gorgeous face.

"So, Odin Jensen. Isn't Odin the name of a Viking God and father of the great and glorious Thor with the Big Hammer? And didn't Odin have one eye?"

Odin laughed, and at the same time slipped a glass of water into her hand.

"Drink this. It's good for shock, too."

Elena did as she was told.

The water tasted delicious.

Strangely enough she was feeling a little... hot, all of a sudden.

Now Odin slid his arm around her waist and Elena leaned into him companionably. He smelled fab so she took another sniff, this time of his neck. Her eyes dropped to his mouth. A wonderful mouth, she decided. Kissable.

Odin waited until she'd drained the glass of water to respond.

"Well done, not many people know that Odin is, indeed, a Viking god. He's also the god of ecstasy. He makes people do things they don't normally do."

"Naughty things?" she whispered, and licked her lips.

Who was this woman?
A voice in her head demanded to know.

Elena had no idea, but she just
loved
the new woman who'd taken over her mind, her body.

Her eyes met Odin's and saw that they were laughing, in a good way, in a nice way.

"Baby, I'm the god of ecstasy, what do you think?"

Scott cleared his throat, loudly, and placed another shot glass in front of her then set it alight.

"Elena, honey. I don't think this is a good idea," Scott warned her.

His warning fell on deaf ears.

Elena stared at him, gave Scott slitty eyes, a pouty mouth.

And managed to stop herself, just in time, to give him two fingers, because that would most definitely be something that a
guy
would do to another guy.

Not ladylike behaviour at all.

Oh no, tonight she was going to be all woman.

Then Elena lifted her shot glass and knocked it back.

Her fist punched her chest once, twice.

She was,
woman, hear her roooaaar!

Scott turned his head to look toward the entrance to the bar and was that relief in his eyes?

"Thank you, Jesus," Scott said.

Elena turned her head to see who had Scott all excited, but the room spun and Odin's arm tightened around her waist.

"Evening, O," Marc said as he grabbed Elena around the waist and hauled her off the stool. For some reason the muscles in her legs were confused because they wobbled and went all noodly. "Thanks for looking after my girl. She's had a bad day."

Because she was just loving the way a big strong man was holding her, Elena missed the way two alpha males eyed each other over her head, missed the way Odin nodded once, lifted his glass to Marc and settled himself into Elena's empty stool.

"Take good care of her," Odin told Marc. "She's a special lady."

For some reason Elena didn't mind being dragged away from the god Odin, she raised her hand in the air, wiggled her fingers.

"Bye, bye, god of ecstasy. Thank you so much for the After Shock."

"God of ecstasy?" a voice said in her ear.

She blinked up into Marc's face, saw him run his tongue inside his cheek.

If she thought Odin smelled amazeballs, it was nothing, nothing, compared to the
deeelicious
scent of Marc Atelier. His strong arm held her close as he supported her to the cloakroom and checked out her coat. As he helped her into a warm coat of the finest cashmere and buttoned it right up to the neck, Elena just let her body fall into his.

She buried her nose in his neck and took a deep inhale.

"You smell amazing. You always smell amazing," she told him and smiled up into his face.

She was bombed.

Marc checked her hazel eyes.

Yep.

Bombed.

He bit his lip as he read adoration and lust for him in those big hazel eyes.

She looked wild, wicked and wanton.

She looked like a woman who needed very badly to get laid.

Marc wasn't stupid enough to take it personally, since she'd looked at Odin in exactly the same way. His ego took a little knock, but Marc told himself to get over it.

His shaft jerked, reminding him that he'd had a constant hard-on all night since he'd seen her walk into the restaurant in that dress.

It was a damn shame Elena wasn't sober or he'd be acting on that need.

Marc hadn't been with a woman, hadn't wanted a woman, since his father had passed.

Now he settled Elena in a chair with her purse on her lap. He pulled on his coat and prepared to trudge up the well-lit path, a five minute walk, from Ludlow Hall to Elena's coach house. There was no point in calling a taxi. And he couldn't drive her there because he'd left his car at home, a house situated less than a hundred yards from hers.

Elena didn't resist when he took her small purse, opened it and found her door keys.

Marc stuffed her purse in his coat pocket.

The walk would probably do her good.

He hoped.

Outside, he knew the temperature had dropped like a stone, so he wound his cashmere scarf around her neck and hefted her to her feet.

"Let's go."

His arm wound around her waist and her arm wound around his.

The crazy giggle that came from her throat was yet another reminder that she was absolutely wasted.

The Elena Kennedy he knew, the one who manned reception, had never giggled in her life.

As they left the warmth of the hotel and hit the path Elena took a deep breath and then another.

Her feet in her high heels stumbled and Marc steadied her.

"You okay?" He bent his knees to look into her face.

Her hand went to her head.

"'kay," she said. "My head's spinning."

His arm went around her waist again as they moved forward.

"Yeah, well a couple of After Shocks on top of wine will do that."

"I don't have a head for alcohol."

"You don't say," he said.

"Yep. I'm rubbish at drinking competitions, too." She went quiet for a moment. "Marc?"

"Elena?"

She sniffed.

"Do you see me as just one of the guys?"

He stopped dead, bent his knees again to look at her face to see if she was yanking his chain.

And saw with something like shock that Elena was deadly serious.

Big brown eyes were filled with what looked like hurt, looked like confusion, as they stared into his.

No way could he lie.

"Baby, I regard you as one hell of a sexy woman."

Her eyes filled.

Oh shit.

Marc Atelier might be a tough guy, but female tears terrified him.

Elena gave him a pitiful attempt at a smile.

"Thank you so much for saying that, Marc. You're a very nice man. That was a very nice thing to say," she said, as if he was spinning her a line and she didn't believe a single word.

He shook his head in dismay.

He was a
very nice
man, was he?

She couldn't be more wrong.

Marc Atelier didn't have a
nice
bone in his body.

As soon as Miss. Elena Kennedy was sober, they'd be having a very long talk.

By the time they arrived at her door, she was shivering.

The porch light was lit.

And behind thick curtains, the sitting room light was on, too.

As he held her up with one hand, Marc unlocked a large oak door with the other and shoved her through and into the warmth.

It didn't escape his attention that Elena hadn't engaged the security alarm.

Marc frowned.

He'd be having a little chat about that, too.

A woman living alone couldn't be too careful.

Closing the heavy door behind him, he turned to fiddle with the central heating thermostat to turn it up. Then he opened the oak door into the open plan sitting room/kitchen and settled her into a large comfy chair next to the wood-burner, which burned low in a vast fire-place. Elena was tidy. The place was immaculate. The interior design in the coach houses was impressive. He shrugged off his coat, loosened his tie, as he looked at the cosy and snug seating arrangements. Set around a chunky coffee table, there was a big sofa in crushed velvet the colour of dark chocolate. He dumped his coat on the arm of a chair. The serving table that sat behind the sofa and divided the eating and dining space had two glass lamps with shades matching the curtains placed at each end along with a huge vase of fresh winter flowers with springs of red berries woven through it. There were two fat chairs covered in a tartan check design in russets and creams that went well with thick interlined curtains in silk the colour of old gold at the window and French doors. Marc had seen plenty of Ferranti senior staff quarters around the world and gave this designer ten out ten. Hand crafted wooden shutters kept the heat in at the kitchen window. Six hand thrown terracotta pots on the kitchen window ledge held a variety of herbs. It appeared Elena liked to cook. Although it also appeared Elena didn't go in for girly cushions and candles and dust catchers. However, she'd crammed the heavy oak mantelpiece and every available surface with family photos of her father and brothers, interlaced with sprigs of fresh holly in a nod to the season. The place had a lovely warm and comfortable vibe.

Marc turned his attention to the woman sprawled in the chair, hazel eyes flickering with gold as she stared unseeing into the glowing log burner. He added a couple of logs to keep it going through the night.

"Let's take your coat off," he said in a friendly tone. "Are you still cold?"

She blinked and looked a little surprised to see him.

Her wide smile made him smile, too.

It appeared Elena was a happy drunk and Marc thanked heaven for small mercies.

At some point, she'd kicked off her heels.

Now when she stood, the top of her head came under his chin.

He inhaled the scent of her floral shampoo, warm woman and eau de After Shock.

For the first time since he'd met her, Elena appeared slight and very vulnerable.

As he took her coat, goose bumps rose over her smooth, creamy flesh. And Marc's hands itched to touch, to taste. He tried very hard not to notice how her nipples strained against the fine fabric of her dress. He grabbed her coat, and his, and moved to the tiny hall to hang them on the wall hooks. When he returned to the room Elena was standing in exactly the same spot, swaying on her stocking feet.

With gentle hands, he pushed her down into the chair.

"Why don't you sit down, sweetheart." He wrapped a handy woollen throw around her for warmth, to hide all that skin and to stop the whisper of temptation in his ear. "And I'll get you a hot drink. What would you like?"

Eyes filled with nothing but love and affection for him met his.

Common sense told him she was sloshed, not to take any notice of how she looked at him or what she said, but something clicked in the region of Marc's carefully guarded heart.

He cleared his throat.

"Are you hungry? Fancy a sandwich?"

Fancy me?

She shook her head.

"Tea would be nice."

Elena had a wide and sensitive mouth that just begged to be kissed.

His shaft went rock hard.

He'd kiss her tomorrow, Marc promised himself fiercely.

The cupboards and appliances in the kitchens of the coach houses, all six of them, were organised in exactly the same way, which made doing the inventory check-list for breakages etc., before and after a person moved in, easy to maintain.

Marc switched on the stainless steel kettle, grabbed a couple of mugs, noting that she'd replaced the standard issue white with her own. They were large and the colour of ivory with tiny lilac flowers. Girly. He grinned. Her teapot matched the mugs and he warmed it with boiling water before placing two teabags in the pot and adding boiled water. He placed the mugs, a jug of milk and sugar and teapot on the tray and moved into the sitting room. Without asking her, he poured the tea, added three teaspoons of sugar and milk to the mug and handed it to her. After pouring tea for himself, Marc settled down to watch the myriad of expressions crossing her beautiful face.

She was staring and smiling into the fire and Marc wondered what she was thinking.

He didn't have to wonder long.

"Marc, since the very first moment I saw you walk into Ludlow Hall," Elena said in a dreamy voice as she stared into the fire. "You made my lady bits tingle."