Killing Time (33 page)

Although he was of average height and just shy of six feet, he had a beautiful body from years of swimming. Crystal blue eyes complimented sandy brown hair, a peaches and cream complexion and perfectly masculine yet classical French features.

I’d never told my best friend but I knew for a fact he’d worked his way through university as a male escort despite not needing the money since he was on a full scholarship. Although I could have ruined his engagement and later, marriage, to my best friend with the embarrassing news, I kept it to myself. Whether or not Renaud was bisexual had not ended our relationship though his lies and social-climbing arrogance had put the final nail in the coffin.

I knew right away Rory did not like him because he’d avoided conversation with my ex-boyfriend and Nicole’s husband all evening.

“We don’t know how long we intend to stay however our comings and goings are no one’s business other than our own,” he replied as the maid brought out dessert.

I sliced off a large piece of Soufflé a la Vanilla and quickly placed it in my mouth to avoid adding anything further to what Rory had already said.

“But . . . I thought you would be here for a while,” Nicole responded in a weary voice.

“Listen, I am here as long as the research permits me to be. Remember, this trip isn’t about settling anywhere. It’s about solving my sister’s murder and if I have to make somewhere else my home base after six months here then so be it,” I said in a quiet tone.

“Well, that is disappointing to say the least.” My best friend eyed me with cool blue eyes. “I was led to believe over the phone we would have a chance to let bygones be bygones. I desperately want your friendship again but it is quite hard to maintain such a friendship if we never see one another.”

“Perhaps this isn’t the best time to discuss this.” Rory set his fork down, obviously hungry for something other than the succulent, rich dessert. “After the funeral, you two will have plenty of time to discuss your friendship.”

That was the end of the conversation and I was grateful it was over.

Shortly after the conclusion of dessert, Nicole and Renaud left. Rory closed the door behind them and turned toward me with a devilish look in his eye.

Chapter Twenty-One

Rory

RORY COULDN’T WAIT UNTIL NICOLE
and Renaud left his premises. He barely bothered to watch as they’d walked to their vehicle—a late-model pale cream Range Rover. Instead, shortly after they climbed into the vehicle, he closed the double doors and locked them.

He turned around just in time to face Aurélie as she walked up the stairs to their bedroom.

His personal chef, Jordane, had left shortly after he’d prepared dessert and the maid had followed after she’d presented dessert. The dishes would be taken care of the very next day when she arrived for her shift so there was nothing for either of them to do other than go to bed.

Well, not bed exactly since they wouldn’t be sleeping just yet. He’d purposely chosen her outfit because it reminded him of the first time they’d had intercourse with one another. Granted that first time had been quite painful for her, unfortunately, and in hindsight he regretted his rash decision. He’d initiated her into his world by giving her the first lesson in proper anal intercourse. While it had been quite pleasurable for him, he realized his decision could have backfired badly.

However, tonight would be different.

He’d make sure they were both pleasured in every way and to be honest, he never wanted to see her in pain, not really. It was a very difficult precipice where he found himself since she’d entered his life. It had only been a short while since he’d shared her with his brother, Severin, for a second time, but lately, he felt himself becoming more possessive and extremely jealous.

Rory couldn’t admit to Aurélie how much he loved and desired her. She was no longer a plaything or a mere submissive though he sometimes liked to treat her as one. He truly felt his admiration for her courage, intelligence and beauty down to his very marrow. She was his to control but not to use or abuse. It had gone past the simple relationship a usual Dom shared with his sub. He never wanted her to be frightened of him and to know she trusted him implicitly was paramount to their arrangement.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to keep her as a simple lover and girlfriend. She had begun to symbolize someone greater than that to him and he cherished her more than anyone or anything in the world. No, he wouldn’t be satisfied until she was his wife and he knew he owned her completely: mind, body, heart and soul.

To do that, he had to vanquish the memory of Trésor and their relationship from her mind. He was willing to let her go on her fishing expedition to find out who murdered her sister because he found himself to be curious as well but that was as far as it went. He’d never been in love with Aurélie’s sister and the ultimate betrayal she caused cut deep—all the way to the bone.

Trésor had played him for a fool, a weak Dom and bottomed him out like she mastered a game of chess. He’d never been anything to her but a meal ticket and the key to his brother’s affections. She’d gotten pregnant with Severin’s child and they’d decided to get married. How his slaves would have taken this was anyone’s guess.

After what she endured, Trésor had not only excelled, she’d become a master and a Domme in her own right. She would have definitely liked the feeling of controlling others the way she had allowed herself to be manipulated and controlled to further her own agenda.

This wasn’t just a hunch or a feeling—it was sheer intuition. She played the wanton sex kitten and sub to the hilt but underneath it all was a quiet strength waiting to be released. No doubt Severin planned to teach her to become his sub-Domme to control his slaves and she would have had a lot of fun with both Hans and Ingrid.

Now that she was dead, he could see his brother slowly and irrevocably starting to fall apart.

Emotionally, he’d started to come undone.

Instead of a continual progression, Severin had started to regress. There was no way a sub like Ingrid could replace a beauty like Trésor. Not only couldn’t she hold a candle to the young woman in the looks department nor did she possess Trésor’s cunning, manipulative skills either. That would eventually become a major point of contention for Severin whether he wished to admit it or not.

Rory sighed as he climbed the stairs. It was none of his business what happened in his brother’s life as long as Severin stayed firmly out of his. Though with them living so close to one another, Rory thought the situation might turn out to be tenuous and impossible to manage. Though he would do his best to keep his twin under control. He doubted he would be successful with his accomplishments.

He entered their bedroom to find Aurélie at the vanity table removing her makeup with cold cream. She’d just scrubbed the last of it off and turned toward him in an expectant manner with those gorgeous green-gray eyes of hers. They were one of her best assets but unlike many women, she was equally stunning without makeup as she was with it pasted on.

She was quite lucky because her skin was smooth and the rich olive tone would leave her ageless for years to come. She’d never suffered from acne as a teenager and her pores were still small and barely distinguishable. Although a lovely package on the outside, it was the inside that counted, and she had most women beaten in spades
there
too.

Every orifice on her body was nice and tight. She had the qualities of a young teenager as opposed to a thirty-two year old woman. Nothing about her was loose and if he wanted to wax poetic about how wonderful she was on the inside, she was also a truly decent human being. She tackled every project or obstacle with gusto and gave her all in everything she’d accomplished throughout her life. There were no half-measures with her.

There wasn’t a deceptive bone in her body and that made her all the more wholesome and pure. Her former fiancé, Grayson Compston, understood she’d never loved him though she was “fond” of him and he’d been willing to marry her anyway. She would never profess something she didn’t feel or believe was true. Hence the reason though he’d begged her on quite a few occasions, she’d yet to say she loved him. She wouldn’t allow herself to confess it, not yet at least.

Rory knew why—Renaud had done a number on her—and that bothered him deeply.

Not because he knew it to be untrue but because he knew she did love him as much as he loved her. However, due to the treacherous cretin that had turned up at his home, it might be a while before she openly admitted her feelings to him.

Renaud had deeply scarred her in such a way she would never be all right with trusting her emotions again. Although she might have once or twice admitted feelings of love to Rory, it wasn’t said with real emotional impact. There was always something
about
him she loved but she’d yet to declare the words, “I love you.” Only half-hearted measures in the heat of the moment meant to placate him yet that was no longer good enough for a man in his position of power. He wanted her to say it and feel it in her bones the way he felt his love for her and nothing less would suffice.

It was the main reason why he so carefully had planned that night. He wanted to show her something he’d only partaken in with one other woman—his first love, Mathilde. He could admit he loved her, the feelings he had for Mathilde were downright immature and adolescent in comparison to the way he felt about Aurélie. If there were truly a God above that could fully explain why, he would be terribly interested in hearing His theory.

Rory did not believe in gods, deities or anything man had created to be honest. He believed in himself, in logical thought process and in the humanistic qualities of what knowing people had shown him over the years. Human beings were, by and large, intrinsically evil; they would happily partake and revel in enacting ways of hurting their fellow humans just because they could. Sometimes animals were better because at least when they loved, it was pure and true. They acted out of sheer instinct and self-defense; human beings—on the other hand— could be cruel and horrible because they simply enjoyed it. Sometimes, there wasn’t a valid reasoning behind their actions what so ever.

Aurélie smiled as she stood and strode over to him. She’d taken her shoes off but still wore her dress. She knew him well enough by now to know he’d want to remove it when he was ready.

As she sat on his lap, she slipped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips ever so softly. “My darling heart has a secret he wishes to share?”

“Maybe but only if it’s something you feel like you truly want to know about me.”

Aurélie’s eyes never left his. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to know. You understand me well enough by now to know games and I aren’t the best of friends. What ever you want, you know I will do so why play coy with me now?”

“Okay,” he began softly. “Remember when you dominated Severin and I?”

“I don’t quite remember it that way since I didn’t get to use a cane or paddle your asses but if you say so then yes, I do. My memory is far from failing me at the moment.”

“I want you to dominate me. Tonight.”

Her gray-green eyes lit up but there was a searching quality behind them. “Dominate you? How, may I exactly ask?”

Rory stood and walked over to the armoire. It was a special bureau filled with toys, lube, and various sexual devices; everything was neatly organized. He took out an expensive nine-inch penis made of glass. Although it was made of such a material, it was very realistic, including down to the bulbous head and the bulging veins. He grabbed a bottle of vanilla scented anal lube and set the two items down on the bed.

“Undress me,” he whispered to her.

She did as she was told and first slipped off his dress shirt, unbuttoning all the way down until his flat stomach and chest was displayed before she slipped it off his shoulders and set it on the chaise lounge at the foot of the bed. Then her hands went to work on his pants yet her movements were fluid, seductive. Her fingers didn’t shake and as she knelt down and gathered the pants which had fallen to his ankles, she picked them up and also set them on the lounge though she remained in a kneeling position.

“Very good, my beautiful
chérie
,” he whispered. “Now take my cock into your mouth but you control your movements. The way your tongue glides over my skin and how much of me you decide you want to taste and touch.”

Aurélie leaned forward and kissed his flat stomach, inhaling his scent before she grabbed his cock with her right hand and slipped the mushroom head—oozing with pre-cum—between her perfect lips. She sucked hard and teased the head of his cock with her tongue.

God, she gave the best head jobs and if he could, he would have her swallow him whole but that wasn’t the point. This was just a warm up for the real show to come.

She slipped her mouth off his cock before her tongue began to tease the veins along the side, making him harder. Then her tongue flicked underneath and ran up and down the length of his cock and he thought he might explode from the pleasure of her warm, wet tongue working his dick like a first-class mistress of her craft.