Cherry Girl (Blackstone Affair) (19 page)

“I see something worrying you on that beautiful face of yours.”  I traced her brow and then moved down her jaw, and finally to her lips, which were puffy and red from what I’d been doing to them for hours.  “What is it?”

“You have to drive me home
soon.”  She yawned sleepily.

Umm
…I have you naked in my bed.  Do you think I am fuckin’ stupid, beautiful girl?
  I couldn’t help the grin that spread over my face.  “Well, I think you must have forgotten something you said to me earlier then.”

“I’m sure I said a great deal of things to you earlier.
”

“
You did.  Things like ‘yeeees’, ‘don’t stop’, and ‘give me more of your big cock, baby.’”

She poked me in the ribs and tried to get in a tickle but I grabbed her hand, knowing I w
as in for a lifetime of sneak attacks now that she knew my secret.

“You
pompous idiot, I did not say that,” she laughed.

“B
ut this one I have in writing, Cherry.  You sent me an email at precisely 2:58 pm that said, and I quote, ‘if you think I’m allowing you to drive me home tonight you are dreaming.’”

She smiled
as understanding dawned and shook her head at me.  “You still haven’t worked it out quite right, mister.  What I actually said was that you were ‘bloody’ dreaming.”

I couldn’
t resist a kiss and gettin’ in a good handful of her perfect arse cheeks, pulling her against my hips so she could feel what her body did to mine.

“Ahh,
right you are.  So in deference to your earlier wishes, I’m going to have to turn you down now, on taking you home.”

“Hmm
…well, you are a very conflicted person then, aren’t you?”  She raised a brow and clucked at me.

“No.  Not at a
ll.  Why do you say that?”

“I seem to remember that I told you to ‘leave me alone’ as well, and you certainly ignored that request.”  She pointed her eyes down below my waist
where my cock was half-hard again.  “Obviously.”

She laughed
out loud, the sound of her making me so happy.  Hearing the easiness in her, knowing we could amuse each other with silly idiotic comments and teasing, was incredible.

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you,” she said.

“But I’m
still not taking you home.”

She frowned at me and pulled her lip into a pout.  “I have no clothes for work in the morning.”

“Where are your clothes from today?”

“
I suppose they’re still in my bag in the ladies locker room down at the training facility where you seduced me.”

I chuckled, realizing her sharp wit was going to give me lots of enjoyment from here on out. 
“You want me to go down there and get your bag for you?”

The warm feelings of amusement died a quick death when s
he glared at me like I had all of the intelligence of an earthworm.  “I can’t wear the same clothes to work as yesterday.  People will know.”  Apparently I had a great deal to learn about ladies clothing etiquette. She shook her head at me and yawned again, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

I pulled her close, pressed my lips to her hair, and stroked down the long silky length of it with my fingers.  I loved touching her cherry hair, and gratefully
, she already knew that about me, and had never minded my obsession.  “I’ll take care of it.  Go to sleep now, Cherry.”

She was soft and pliable in my arms, snuggling in and getting comfortable for sleep when I heard her tell me again
in a drowsy voice.  “I love you.”

The sweetest words.

The alarm on my mobile woke me.  It took me a moment to figure out exactly where I was, but the soreness of my body reminded me as soon as I stretched.  I looked around the
en suite
he had secreted back behind his office.  Was this one of those bachelor pads used for meaningless sex?  I had to admit, it didn’t fit Neil’s style from what I remembered, and yet, as I studied the pristine condition of everything from bed sheets to wall art, the place didn’t appear to be used very often, either.

Where was he anyway?

Regardless of wherever Neil was, I had to shower as soon as possible and dress in my work-out gear so I could hop on the train for home.  I couldn’t very well show up to my workstation in what I’d worn the previous day, and I certainly couldn’t wear trainers and sports bra with my skirt from yesterday either.  I needed appropriate clothes to work in, and even though it would make me late to go home and get them, it couldn’t be helped.  I looked at the time again and bolted for the shower.

Washing my body in Neil’s shower was almost something I didn’t want to do.  In a way, I was washing him away.  So much sex last night.  He’d made good on what he’d said to me in his office yesterday…
I want you in my bed so we can fuck all night long…over and over until you’re a slave to it—just as you used to be.

He’d gotten his
wish.  I
was
a slave to it again.  And we had.

I hurried in the shower, becoming more nervous about the time.

When I stepped back out in the bedroom I saw there had been a sneaky delivery.

The bed was made and laid out upon it was my Burberry wool dress,
brown on the top with a black skirt, boots, and my blue plaid overnight bag.  I checked the bag and found my brush and hairdryer, make-up kit, knickers, bra, perfume, tights…everything I needed to prepare myself for the work day.  Amazing.

He really was good.

I saw a note poking out from under the bag.

Cherry,

Thank you for staying.  For that
precious gift you gave to me.  I can’t ever take back what I said to you last night.  It’ll never change for me.  The evidence is inked onto my skin forever.  And onto yours too.  I love you, beautiful girl.

                                                          
xo N

P.S. I snuck
out and got some things from your mum so you can get ready for work.  I’m stealth that way and she loves me tons, plus she always answers my texts.  (don’t be jealous)

P.P.S.
If you’re wondering where I am, it’s down in the training facility [where I seduced you] having a work out.  I need to keep strong so I can continue to
take care
of you as a good man should.  XOX

I pulled his letter to my chest and held it there.  And cried for how happy my man had made my heart.

23

“Please tell me it’s safe to come in this time.”
  E stuck his head in through the door
after
he rapped on it.  “Are we behaving today?  And more importantly, do I need to secure some legal representation—you know, somebody specializing in sexual harassment in the workplace?”

I looked at him and gave him my best deadpan expression, letting
him continue on with his spiel, as he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

“
Although, you must realize it will be a bit tricky as legal just happens to be
related
to the woman you’ve been trying to shag at the workplace.”  He mimed a grimace.  “Sounds pretty bad, like you’re going down, mate.”  He stood there flapping his gob happily in the door way until I couldn’t stand it another second.

“All right, are you done yet?”

E came in and sat in one of my chairs.  “Do you mind?” he asked, gesturing to his shirt pocket where he kept the smokes.

“It’s fine,” I said, watching him light up and take a drag.

He grinned at me.  “Well, I’m waiting.”

“And you can keep on waiting too, because I’
m not talking.”

E cocked one brow at me.  “You christened the
en suite
too.  Impressive, mate.  When you jump, you really go in at the deep end.”

“Piss off,” I told him.  “
How in the goddamn hell do you know that?  Those suites aren’t monitored.”  He’d been harassing me for years about why I never used the
en suite
the way he used his.  I’d always told him it was a waste of money on me because I’d never take a woman there.  Now, he’d made me a liar.

He laughed.  “I saw Elaina coming out of yours, looking very…hmmm…how t
o describe her overall demeanor…”  He tapped two fingers to the side of his head.  “I know!  She looked very…satisifi—”

“
—Enough!  You been taking fuckin’ acting lessons there, E?  Better not hold out for a career in film though, because you suck at it.  Best to keep your day job.”

He ignored me and kept flapping on. 
“Come to think of it, you look a little more relaxed yourself.  Like you’ve worked some of the edge off.  Was the bed comfortable in there?”

“
You can stop now.  Please stop before I have to shut you up.  And, it will look very bad if I have to go to the brig for killing the boss, which nearly happened yesterday, by the way.”

He laughed some more, shaking his head, but then he gave
me a genuine smile, something he didn’t do very often.  “I’m glad for you, mate.  I really am.  She’s lovely and you both deserve this.”

“Thanks.”  I sighed deeply.  “Six years is a long time
to wait for someone.  But we’ve worked everything out now, and…well, I’m just not letting her out of my sight again.”

He
nodded thoughtfully, losing the teasing tone and becoming serious as he smoked his clove cigarette in my office.  “Six years…yeah, that is a long time.”  I could imagine where his mind may have taken him in the moment.  Poor bastard had been through the worst kind of hell and survived it intact, when most men would have ended the pain and taken the easy way out.  Lots of veterans came back with demons and did just that.  His experience in the war amounted to the very worst there was, but yet, Captain Blackstone still had bollocks of steel, and the Victoria Cross to prove it. 

“
You love her.”  He didn’t ask, but simply made a statement.

“Completely
.”

“
Ahh.”  After another moment of reflection he asked, “How did you know you loved Elaina?”

“It’s not something you have to figure out, E.  The decision is m
ade for you.  When the right girl comes along…you’ll already know.”

He shook his head in dismissal as if he couldn’t imagine such a thing ever happening to him.  Lots of women
had tried their best to catch him.  I’d witnessed it for years, but I’d never seen him even look at any of them beyond a shag or two.  Everyone knew Blackstone did not do repeat business with pussy.

I remembered to ask him why he’d come to find me. 
“Hey, what were you on about yesterday when you busted in here, anyway?  You never said what was so important.”

His expression
changed again.  This time to one of pride.  “Guess which firm got tapped to secure the RF at the Games?”

“Her Majesty?”
  I couldn’t help bolting up out of my chair in excitement for what this meant for BSI.  This was bloody huge.

“Yeah. 
They asked us to do it.”  Ethan was grinning from ear to ear.

****

TO:  emorrison @bsiltd.co.uk

How did you like your breakfast?   xo
N

Since Elaina ran the switchboard
, texts on her mobile were hard for her to manage.  So were calls, so our best mode of communication was going to be email when at the office.  Oh, I could still see her at her station via the bank of security cameras that played out doings all over the floors housing Blackstone Security International, but the most important one for me would always be reception area on the executive level, forty-four.   I had Elaina programmed to display on the biggest monitor in my office.

She didn’
t care for me spying, so I didn’t advertise the fact to her, but I sure loved to be able to look up and see her while I was at my desk working.  It just made me happy to be able to see what she was doing, who came into the offices, watching her move around and talk to people.  I’d been starved for so long; it was painful to have to look away sometimes.

TO: 
nmcmanus @bsiltd.co.uk

I loved the cherry scone
, but I loved my clothes most of all.  Thank you for the note too.  You made me have tears.  P.S.  Good ones     xxE

Her sassy comebacks made me smile, and made me hard.
  I would have gone out to reception and picked her up, carried her back to bed and made love to her again, if I could have gotten away with it.

TO: 
emorrison @bsiltd.co.uk

I have an important question to ask you.  xo N

I knew she would hit me with something snarky and hilarious right back.  That was the fun part.  Anticipating what she would say, and knowing it would be a surprise anyway.

TO: 
nmcmanus @bsiltd.co.uk

Well mister, you should know that I always say ‘no’ first, to anything and everything, as a general rule.  xxE

P.S.  You should also know that it is not pleasant to have to imagine the texts that went back and forth between my mother and my man last night.  Bleh.

That’s the Cherry Girl I kne
w and loved. 
Christ, if she only knew how many times I’d stopped by her house to help her mum when she was still away in Europe.  If Ian had been off on a business trip somewhere, her mum would ring me and ask for help.  And I was always happy to stop by and help the woman who’d welcomed me as a son from the very first time we’d met.  But, what nobody ever knew about was how I would go into Elaina’s bedroom and look around.  Sometimes, I’d touched her things, even smelled them, to see if I could find any trace of her still left behind.  I didn’t like remembering that part, but felt that it was too important of an experience to ever forget.  If I remembered how much we’d lost, then it would help me to make sure it never happened again.

I still had more of
my plan to put into action, and wouldn’t stop until it was fully executed.

TO: 
emorrison @bsiltd.co.uk

You’re going to want to say ‘yes’ to this one.  Trust me.  As for the texts between your mum and me?  Don’t think about them. See?  Easy.  xo N

She got busy with some clients who came through, and it was a while before she could respond.  I loved to listen to the sound of her voice speaking in Italian or French on the international calls, too.  It was sexy as hell, and made me so proud of her for what she’d made of herself with no help from anyone, just her own initiative.

TO: 
nmcmanus @bsiltd.co.uk

I think you forgot to ask
me the question, Captain. Focus, please.  :P

I couldn’t wait to get her to my plac
e that night.  First time.  My real bed.  Total privacy and the luxury of knowing where in the hell she was and what she was doing for the whole night long.  And, how she was getting to work the next morning (with me), and how she was getting from work back to my place again (with me).  Huge fuckin’ window, with a city lights view of London.  Just thinking about it got my cock throbbing.  My Cherry Girl and I had a date in front of that window coming to us.

TO: 
emorrison @bsiltd.co.uk

M
ay I drive you home tonight, Cherry?

Her reply came back to me instantly.

TO:  nmcmanus @bsiltd.co.uk

Yes you may.  (
I love it when you drive me)  *blushing*

I checked the time and
blew out a sigh.  Five more hours.  Five more hours before I could make good on my promise, and have my blushing Cherry Girl right where I wanted her.

“When may I
look?” I asked impatiently.  “I want to see everything.”

“In another moment.  Almost there.”  N
eil had a hold of my hand, leading me through his flat.

I kept my eyes closed, well…
only because he told me to do it.  One of the unspoken, but clearly understood quirks about us—an element of that made us work so well—was the way in which he was never indecisive with me.  He always knew what he wanted, how to ask for it, demand it, get it, or if he must, how to take it.  This combination of his large, commanding presence made the whole package of Neil a devastating elixir.

He liked to surprise me
with little things and to spoil me.  He’d helped me pack enough clothes to last through the next few days of work, without the panic of one of those weird nightmares where everyone has clothes on but you.  Hate those.

After leaving my house
and kissing Mum on the cheek and thanking her for allowing him to take me away, he’d wined and dined me at
Gladstone’s
, being the romantic, thoughtful man he’d always been, and still was.  The wine, and the mouthwatering vision of him across the table, had left me a little intoxicated, and I knew I couldn’t be in safer hands than his.  But, at that moment, he had my scarf over my tightly closed eyes and was leading me along blind, to something inside his flat he wished to show me.  

“Now?” I asked again.

He stopped us and moved behind me, placing me where he wanted me with his hands on my upper arms. Next, I felt the silk of my scarf being untied from the back of my head with his large fingers tugging gently on the fabric.  I loved Neil’s fingers.  They worked a kind of magic on me.  He touched me with them and I became a hot mess, desperate for him to do other things to me with more parts of his body.

My eyes were still closed.

“You can open them now, Cherry.”