Billionaire Romance: MAXIMILIAN (An Alpha Bad Boy Contemporary Mystery Romance) (Mysterious Billionaires Book 3, Anthologies & Collections) (78 page)

“Well, good that one of them went after me, then,” Caroline replied, still confused about the whole thing. “Say, why did those things even attack you in the first place? Aren’t they something like your servants?”

“
Something
like that. They are synthetic creations capable of independent operation, but my kind can also directly assume control over one or more of them when need be. The fact that one of them went after you is a clear indication that this particular conspiracy involves more than one member of the Great Race.”

“Wait, wait, are you saying that some of your own have tried to…
off
you?”

“Indeed. We assume that one of them was angrier at you then Us, and this is why their plot failed. We have yet to figure out who that is, though,” he mused as he placed the robotic head underneath his right arm.

“
M
e?
What could anyone of yours
possibly
have against me?”

“I assume that it is bitterness about the lengths I went to to court you. Humans are not exactly considered a superior race, after all. Times are tough, and some disapprove even of our choice to interbreed with your kind, let alone of what We have done for you.”

“So, the reason you got hurt is because I didn’t want to come with you at once?” The more she tried to think about it, the less she understood. Regardless, she could feel something else toward the alien king, something she had kept under control before out of fear: overwhelming
desire.
The more he talked, the more she wanted him, the more she
had
to have him.

“Yes and no,” he replied, smiling. “The seeds to every rebellion start wi—“ his words got caught in the back of his mouth, intercepted by Caroline’s interposing tongue. Having completely lost herself to passion, she leapt toward him without separating from his face. Demonstrating his immense strength, Zorn caught her by the thighs effortlessly as she proceeded to embrace him with her legs.

“I
want
you,” she somehow managed to say between kisses.

Instead of saying anything, the alien king took charge of the situation. Still holding her, he worked his strong arms toward her ample backside, getting a good feel of every part he touched along the way. “This rough thing is interfering,” he commented as he ripped her workpants apart with zero effort. She didn’t even feel discomfort or pain as he did it, lost in the throes of passion as she was.

“Take apart everything you want!” she panted in his ear as the pleasant tickle in her almost-nude groin expanded to the rest of her body.

“We will hold you to your word,” Zorn replied before he drove his tongue into its proper place inside Caroline’s mouth. Then, as he buried his fingers deeper into her spilling buttocks, he forcefully placed her back onto the ground between the cornrows. Not wasting any time, he removed the garment from his waist in a single motion and exposed his throbbing manhood for her to see. It was immense, and covered in pulsating veins.

How is that gonna fit?
she almost said aloud, but her body didn’t care, and communicated its arousal to her with the dreadful feeling of emptiness between her legs. Without saying a word, she moved her panties to the side, showing him just how positively
soaked
she was. From the way he looked back at her, she could tell that the act had achieved the desired effect.

More like a wild animal than a supremely advanced extraterrestrial, Zorn quickly lunged forward and impaled her in a single motion. “Aaahhhh…” she moaned as the overwhelming pleasure drowned the last shred of rationality she still had. The electricity brought on by the alien king’s erect member kept spreading throughout her body, making his every touch feel almost as good as the thrust itself. Then, he retreated from her a little bit, right before jamming himself all the way in. The supreme bliss that this brought on was overpowering, and she almost fainted. But the firm hands that now held her by the breasts served as her anchor in reality, preventing her from leaving before the right time.

“It’s so goooood,” she barely managed to say.

He smiled in response, grabbing her by the thighs and
really
picking up speed. It was bearable at first, almost comparable to the performance of human males, but within a couple of seconds the alien king had sped up to such a degree that the entirety of her body shook. She wanted to say something, but the intensity of the experience made her unable to
think
, let alone speak. And he still kept pounding her harder and faster.

At first it was just strange and intense. Then, as she got used to the rhythm, even the ground started feeling good under her bare behind, and the pleasurable electricity returned to her body. This time, however, it did not flow; it exploded.

The torrent of sensations that overwhelmed all of her senses engulfed her in a heartbeat. She wanted to scream in pleasure, but control over her own body was long gone by then. She had drifted off into the land of bliss, and was not coming back anytime soon.

Epilogue

“Was it as good for you as it was for me?” The sight of Zorn’s handsome face was the finest sight she could ever hope to be greeted with.

“Oh,
better,
I think,” she replied with a smile on her face.

They were both on the ground, lying right next to each other, the tractor still turned to its side. The moonlight was intense, and every little detail of the alien king’s body could readily be seen. He was
impossibly
beautiful, yet for some inexplicable reason he had eyes for her and her alone.

“Did you get the time to think about Our offer while you were away?” he asked her with a smile.

“I didn’t get the time to think
at all.
But that doesn’t mean that I don’t know my answer, Zorn.
Yes.
Take me on your ship, then
take me
in every other way you can think of, and then some!” Caroline couldn’t keep the grin off her face as she spoke.

“It will be Our pleasure,” Zorn replied, unable to keep the outright glee from affecting his expression. Shortly, the glow in his eyes intensified before dying down to its original level.

“What was that?”

“Our ride.”

It didn’t take longer than fifteen minutes. A glowing, metallic thing descended from the heavens, taking up much of the cornfield. A metallic buzzing shortly followed, and she recognized it instantly: it was the same sound that she heard during her initial abduction. For a moment she hesitated, but Zorn took her by the hand and provided an encouraging smile.

“Do not worry, Our beloved. You will love it there,” he said.

“What about the conspiracy? Or—or my parents?” she asked while she was getting up.

“The conspiracy We will weed out effortlessly now that We are no longer in danger. As for your parents, We would like to ask: is it not usual for one to leave one’s parents’ home upon reaching adulthood?”

He is right.
She smiled, gave him a kiss, and turned to see her home one more time. Everything was dark inside. Their field was sizeable, and the sounds they’d made earlier had not managed to wake everybody up. At least, not yet.
Goodbye, Ma. Goobye, Pa. Be good.
She waved toward the house, turned around, and grabbed the hand of the alien king.

“Let us go, Zorn. I
know
that you have a lot to show me,” she said, smiling, while a small tear appeared in her left eye.

Gracing her with a smile himself, he gestured for her to follow as they both stepped toward the alien craft, ready for their ascent into heaven.

THE END

London, England, Ashdown manor

Autumn, 1814, early morning

“Great news, Lillian!” A woman’s voice woke the girl a moment before her bedroom doors slammed open.

“M—Mother?” She opened an eye, keeping her cover over the lower half of her face, just the way she was taught.
It is unladylike to let anyone see your visage before you are presentable,
the same voice echoed inside her head.

“They told me it was impossible! They said no one would touch us anymore, but I knew! I
knew
!” Her mother practically danced across the room as she made her way toward Lillian’s bed. The woman was nearing thirty-two, but was still healthy and beautiful. Her complexion was flawless, yet the gold of her hair was visibly mixed with silver, and the angles of her mouth showed hints of lines. She wore a fashionable, purple dress, and did it with an impeccable sense of style. Something was in her left hand.
An opened letter?

Slowly and gracefully, Lillian straightened herself into a sitting position. Most of her was still under the cover. “Mother… would you care to explain just what is going on?” she finally said.

“Why, you are getting married, of course, dear! To a young man of very high birth, to boot! Congratulations!” Her mother sat next to her, embracing her with both arms.

Married?
Lillian blushed with exhilaration. She started raising her own hands to embrace her mother back. Just as she was about to actually do so, though, the woman abruptly stood up.

“Lillian! Have you already forgotten what I had told you about that cover? Oh, woe is me! Surely, the Ashdown line will expire if my own daughter cannot do as little as display
proper
bedside manner!” She placed the back of her hand on her forehead, posing dramatically as she spoke.

Lillian thought about voicing a protest, but it would most certainly do no good. “I am sorry, Mother,” she said, all while lifting the sheet back over herself.

“As you should be, Lillian. It is for your own good, you know! Your future husband will not be
half
as understanding as I am about these things, and you do know how men are.”

Actually, I do not, mother.
Lady Claudia Ashdown was so protective of her daughter that she had barely let her see a boy, let alone a man. Speaking to one was out of the question, let alone anything else that might allow her to learn.
What little I know comes entirely from what you have told me.

Paying no heed to her daughter’s silence, the Lady Ashdown kept talking. “A man is never satisfied with anything, despite how much you might try to meet his fancies. Yet, despite this, a man is—“

“Absolutely necessary,” the two of them spoke in unison. Still trying to keep a stern expression on her face, Lady Claudia could not help but reveal a hint of a smile in her eyes.

“Care to grace me with the identity of my betrothed, then?” Lillian asked politely.

“Oh, aren’t we impatient! Fine, I will tell, even though I
did
want to play the guessing game with you for a little while longer. Sadly, I simply cannot force myself into tormenting you like that! You are to be married to Lord Martin Stanbury, the Lord bless him and his father!”

H—Him?
Lillian’s expression said more than her words ever could. She took a long yet discreet breath, and hoped that her mother would not notice. As usual, no detail was ever beneath that woman’s attention.

“Am I to understand that you are displeased with the notion, Lillian?” Lady Claudia’s icy blue eyes froze Lillian in place. Although she had a similar-looking pair herself, she never had learned to use them in such a manner.

Lillian took a moment to think about what she was about to say. She knew that she had to yield before her mother’s wishes, but this time she found it difficult to do. 
This is my life,
she told herself.
If I am to do this for the sake of the family, I deserve to know more.

“But he is a rogue! Even I have heard of the things he did! Things he still does!” Lillian’s cheeks blushed somewhat as she voiced her protests. She knew that they would not avail her, but perhaps they would help loosen her mother’s tongue.

“You have, now, have you? I do wonder who you could have heard those venomous rumors from. Ah, but it matters not. In this case, they appear to be factually correct,” her mother ruminated while she still stood above Lillian’s bed.

“So, you’ve heard of his despicable habits? And you will let me marry that—that
scoundrel
? For goodness’s sake, Mother,
why
? Am I not a good daughter to you?” Lillian was so invested in her speech that she almost let go of her cover again.
Almost.

“Lillian! You are
the best
daughter a mother could possibly ask for!” Lady Claudia said, putting her hands around her daughter while still standing. Doing so in a corset was not easy, but she made it seem that way. “And it is exactly for that reason that I have arranged this marriage in the first place. I am worried about your future, dearest! You know of our position as well as I do. Without a husband, we—
you
will lose everything! Without an heir, the family name will die out! Surely you understand your importance in all of this!” She stared into her daughter’s eyes again after she ended her embrace.

“And whose fault is that?” Lillian asked coldly.

The sharp slap that rang out was answer enough. As the numbness started to spread over her cheek, Lillian covered it with the palm of her hand. The Lady Ashdown turned away from her daughter, and darkened the room by standing in front of the window.

“Mother! I…” She wanted to say something that would undo what she had blurted out a moment ago, but nothing good enough came to mind. Instead, she turned toward the mirror, and used the fact that she was unobserved to check the damage.

The lean beauty of alabaster skin that stared back at her was the picture of splendor, despite the rather unsightly red spot on her cheek. Lean, straight limbs that radiated grace extended from a thin yet shapely torso. And then there was her face: not unlike that of a porcelain doll (even without the make-up), yet visibly alive and sensual. Her nose was thin and straight, her lips full and red, and her eyes a piercing blue. Crowning her was a full head of long, golden hair that curled at the ends. Yet the red was still on her cheek, and it offended her with its presence.

“Do you enjoy hurting your mother, Lillian? Do you take pleasure in wrapping your hands around my heart, only to plunge your nails deep inside?” Lady Ashdown spoke, still with her back turned. Lillian’s stomach tightened at the words, despite the fact that she was not wearing her corset yet.

“Mother, I am sorry. I have indeed crossed my boundaries, and for that I apologize,” Lillian replied.

“You say you are sorry, yes. Yet your actions speak otherwise. Why else would you, after all the two of us have been through, pour salt on your mother’s old wound? Have you already forgotten how much of a laughingstock the family name has become?” Lady Ashdown turned around, letting her daughter see her face. She was crying, and twin streams of black ran down her cheeks.

“Of course not,” Lillian said as her attention involuntarily drifted toward her own thoughts. She could clearly recall the way everyone talked, both to and about her. Her peers ascribed her practically no value at all. “We are seen as little more than plebes playing at being highborn.”

“And why is that so, Lillian? Can you tell me that?”

“Because we have no money anymore, mother.”

“Indeed. But you are skimming around the subject, dear. Look around you! See your home for what it is and what it should be. Imagine what it
could be
again! Then, press the sides of that little head and tell me why, as the residents of an opulent manor such as this one, we are deprived of something as lowly as
currency
. Or better yet, don’t! I will do it for you, like I do most everything else! We are in this mess because we do not have a man of the house!” Her mother seemed to have stopped crying, although her make-up still trickled down her cheeks a little bit.

Lillian had wanted to keep her mouth shut. Yet her mother’s insinuations toward her lack of intelligence drove her to say what she did not want. “My answer will not change, mother, regardless of the angle you try to spin your story.
Whose
fault is it that we do not have a man of the house?”

At first, Lady Ashdown did not say anything. She merely bit the inside of her lip, staring into her daughter’s eyes with the intensity of a blizzard. Then, as the moments passed and her fury slowly subsided, she managed to collect herself enough to say but two words. “His own.”

Lillian went silent.
She still refuses to face what had happened.

“Whatever might have occurred, and regardless of your own opinion of it, our situation remains unchanged. We need this marriage, Lillian. The future Lord Stanbury will provide you with stability, and will care for all your needs. What more could you possibly ask for?”

“Perchance that he love me, and only me? That he not drink himself silly every night, nor undress others with his gaze while I am still with him? Is that too much to ask?”

“As a matter of fact it is, Lillian. Men are
like
that
,
and the sooner you learn it, the easier your life will be.”

“Well, I do not like it,” Lillian concluded, the look of disapproval evident on her face.

“That I can see. Still, you will thank me one day,” her mother replied as she turned toward the door.

“What about that other man?” Lillian asked just as the Lady Ashdown was about to exit her room.

“Why, just
what
are you talking about, my dear?” Hints of a chuckle could be noted in her mother’s voice.

“I am referring to Captain Hawkins, of course. He has only been asking for my hand for the last half a year or so. Given how long you have led him on without a proper response, I find it rather difficult that you could have forgotten.”

“Ah,
that
man. I thought you disliked him thoroughly, my dear. Just where does this sudden interest come from?”

“Oh, I would still rather take a stroll through a rookery than spend a day with that brute. Still, it is just not decent for me to marry someone else right under his nose, don’t you agree?”

“You ought to let me worry about that, dearest. You make yourself pretty for tonight. Work your magic and hide that unsightly thing on your cheek. The future Lord Stanbury will want you at your best!” Her mother exited the bedroom, closing the doors behind her.