Masked Definitions (24 page)

“That’s not what I… I just thought you’d find it boring and say no.”

Shrugging, I respond, “I like being with you. Besides, you own the place so it’s a free bar.”

He laughs and gives my thigh a squeeze before putting the car into gear. “Let’s go then.”

Mum
:
Thank you for reaching out to me. You know I’m always here for you. If you need anything at all, just let me know.

Olivia
:
Thank you for coming as soon as I did. <3

“Things went well then?” Elijah asks.

I nod enthusiastically. “Really well. I finally feel as if I’m…” My teeth sink into my lip to stop myself from finishing.

“Go on,” he prompts, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

“It’s stupid.”

“You couldn’t be stupid if you tried.”

“I feel as if I’m finally… alive or something. I feel,” I bite on my lip again, hating how insecure I feel about my own feelings. “I feel happy.” Has Max truly moulded me so severely into what he wanted me to be that I can no longer feel comfortable about my emotions? Has it been so long since I was allowed to feel and speak about how I feel?

“Me too.”

I relax into the seat and shut my eyes. “I’m also horny.”

His answering laugh is contagious.

“Happy and horny, what an excellent combination.” I comment happily. “I feel as though I should blow you.”

“I have no objections to that feeling whatsoever.”

“Good.” I grin and give his belt a tug. It doesn’t loosen. “Is it welded shut?”

“Yes, to keep naughty women like you from trying to lead me around by my dick.”

My eyes roll heavenward. “I guess I won’t be able to play with you on the way.” His hand immediately starts to pull free his belt. I can’t fight the laughter. “You can wait until we’re there now.”

“Tease.”

When we arrive at the club it’s empty save for a few people mopping the floors and cleaning behind the bar. They say hi to Elijah but don’t leave their duties as he passes. I half expected them to form a little group to worship the owner and bring him everything he wants.

I guess being a club owner is not quite as glamorous as I expected.

It can still afford you a couple of cars and a mansion though.

“Any news on the house?” I ask Elijah when we first enter the manager’s office and he pulls out a plastic box full of small, thin notebooks.

His body visibly tenses. “Why?”

“Just wondered.” In reality, I don’t want to leave Elijah just yet but I know that I won’t have a choice when it comes down to it. Max has to be my priority and, regardless of whether or not I’m with Max, I can’t just move in with Elijah. It isn’t realistic. “I want to do my driving lessons and take a class or two to learn some new skills.”

“That sounds like a good plan. What class?” He thumbs through the pages in the first book and shakes his head before chucking it back into the plastic box.

“I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”

“What about a business and admin course?”

I add it to my list.

“Isn’t there anything you enjoy doing? What is it that you excel at?”

“I don’t really know. I was good at science in school. Physics. Kinetic energy and the likes.”

His brow quirks. “I didn’t expect that. What about an engineering course?”

“I was thinking of mechanical engineering.”

“Go for it. What’s stopping you?” He tells me and he’s right.

Feeling a sudden wave of determination, I sit myself in front of the manager’s computer and open up the internet. Elijah continues scanning through books as I put research into my future.

It’s after I email the head of a certain course in my local college that Elijah sighs heavily and drops the last book onto the desk.

“What’s wrong?” I ask softly.

“Just accounting issues. Money down. It’s not a huge deal, but it will be if I don’t fix it.”

“Can’t you hire someone for that?”

He doesn’t respond, though he does pick up his phone and start yelling at somebody about not properly booking stock and other mumbo jumbo I don’t understand.

It’s two in the morning before we get home and in reality we haven’t spent any time together at all, not that I’m complaining. Elijah is a busy man and I’ve only seen a small portion of what it is that he does.

Max holds out his hand to me as we assess the living space of our home. “I’ll let you pick the shit you like. You’re better at that than I am.”

“Thanks.” Three months ago I’d have told myself to be excited and I would have been. Now I can hardly smile. I have no intention of ever living in this house with Max. I have it all planned. I’ve spoken privately to Max’s therapist, who is aware of my predicament. He seems to think that convincing Max that we need a break is a good idea to get him used to us being apart. It’ll also be a way that they can monitor his stability and get an actual reading on just how extreme his thought processing might be. I hope.

I’m feeling a bit alone in this, despite the support, but I suppose that’s expected.

Elijah has helped financially but I haven’t seen him properly since the morning after he took me to the club with him. That was three days ago… not that I’m counting.

He has called me daily, only briefly, but we’ve spoken.

I think he’s separating himself more from the situation because he doesn’t like to see Max and I together. I understand it. I just hate it.

Elijah
:
I’m thinking about the first time I laid eyes on you in that dark room and you bent so far over you were essentially folded in half.

Random. I smile at my phone, checking to make sure that Max is distracted by the nozzles supplying the gas fireplace. “So how do I light it?” Max whispers to himself.

Olivia
:
I could recreate the scene if you’d like, my Lord Duke?

Elijah
:
I’ll hold you to that later.

I glance at my husband, who is far too enthralled by whatever it is he’s doing to look my way.

Olivia
:
Make sure you do. I’ll put on something nice.

“I’ll figure it out later,” Max grumbles and stands just as I tuck my phone into my back pocket.

“What time are you at work tonight?”

“Six, why?”

“No reason. I was just trying to decide what time to start dinner.”

He steps into me and pulls my body flush against his. “Are you cooking for me?”

“Noodles.” I joke.

“You know I like noodles so that’s fine with me. They only take a few minutes. It means I’ll have time to bend you over the kitchen counter.”

“I have my period,” I lie, pouting as though it’s a disappointment.

His face falls. “Never mind. You can give me a blowjob instead.”

“I’m cooking you a feast fit for a king. I won’t have time.”

His face lights up. “Really? What are you making?”

Not a clue. I’m making this up as I go along. “You’ll see. Let’s go. I need to do some shopping on the way home.”

“Yuck. Can I not just leave you at the market and head home?”

Once upon a time I’d have been annoyed at having to do everything myself, but now it appeals to me so I immediately respond, “You’ve been working hard. You go home and chill. I’ll deal with the shopping.”

“I am literally the luckiest man on earth.” His lips meet mine. I force mine to comply, ‘force’ being the key word here. He doesn’t notice.

I stir the mixture in the pot and slide it back into the oven. It smells divine, a mixture of warm garlic, onions and lamb swirling in the air.

Just as I close the oven and place the mitts on the side beside the stove, arms wrap around my middle and lips immediately find my neck.

“I’m not in the mood, Max,” I snap, harsher than intended.

“Hmm,” the deep, male voice mumbles against the side of my throat. “I should be offended that you’ve confused me with your husband, but I can only express my happiness that you’re not in the mood for him.”

My body instantly relaxes and tingles trickle through my limbs.

His hand slips into the front of my trousers and finds the seam of my lace knickers. “But I know for certain that you’re in the mood for me.”

“Elijah,” I admonish in a whisper. “We shouldn’t, Max…”

“I’ll hear him coming.” His long, soft fingers dip into me, under the lace. I release a sharp gasp as my head falls back to his shoulder. His lips and tongue trace delicate patterns on my neck, making me clench and pant in my need for more. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

“I got you a gift,” he murmurs, still teasing between my legs with soft movements.

I spasm, unable to control the moan that comes with it. The burning is spreading and I know that if he doesn’t stop soon, I’ll be a crying, orgasming mess on the kitchen floor. There is no way I will recover enough to finish dinner.

“If it’s this, I don’t want it until later,” I breathe, shuddering when I feel him grind against my rear.

“I got you another gift then,” he corrects, bringing his hand up to tease my breasts over my shirt. He squeezes one and then the other. “Your body is delectable. In clothing, out of it… you could be covered in mud and I’d still want to bury myself inside you and never want to leave.”

“Smooth talker.” I smile and it comes before I can stop it. His fingers rub and tease me straight over the edge. My legs give out. He catches me and holds me easily as the pulses of my orgasm hit me, wave after glorious fucking wave.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” he chuckles in my ear. “I can’t say that I’m unhappy about it. Now I want to fuck you even more.”

He’s suddenly gone from my back, leaving me to steady myself on the side with trembling hands.

“I thought I heard you, Elijah.” Max steps into the room and I realise just how close we were to being caught. “Haven’t seen you in a few days.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“I bet.” Neither of us are ignorant of the strange, malevolent tone in Max’s voice. He seems to be harbouring some kind of anger towards Elijah, though he has yet to mention anything to me.

Elijah and I share a look. I know this is something we’ll be talking about later.

“Will dinner be ready soon?”

“Thirty minutes,” I respond and move away from him towards the fridge.

“We went shopping,” Max tells his brother, who just gives him a curious look. “It’s not your food that she’s cooking, just in case you thought we were helping ourselves.”

“It makes no difference to me. Take whatever you like. Let Mildred know if there’s something you need.”

“I can provide for my wife,” Max spits and my eyes shoot to his fists clenching by his sides.

I wonder if he suspects something is happening between Elijah and I. The rational side of me knows that if this were the case, he wouldn’t be so secretive about it. He’d be very open with his jealousy and anger and definitely his possessiveness.

So what is wrong with him then?

“I have no doubt.” Elijah states, rubbing his hands together, drawing my attention to the hand that was just down my trousers. “I’ll leave you both alone. I have a few calls to make in my office. Also…” He stops in the doorway. “I have a business meeting in two days at one. It’s rather important. I’d appreciate it if you’d both keep the noise down for the duration of it.”

“We’ll make ourselves scarce,” I say softly.

“That’s not what I was asking.”

“I know, but this is your home and your work…”

“We’ll be out of your way,” Max states and inhales deeply. “Something smells amazing.”

“Stew?” Elijah asks and I nod.

“She makes the best lamb stew.”

“I do,” I proudly declare. “Or at least I make the best stew I’ve ever tried.”

“I can’t wait to taste it,” Elijah says but his words are said in a way that I know he’s not only talking about the stew. “I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”

I give him a warm smile, still tingling from the orgasm. His hand adjusts his trousers and I see evidence of a bulge there and grin secretly. At least I’m not the only one suffering.

We sit down to dinner together but the tension coming from Max rests heavy on our shoulders. Dinner is amazing but even good food can’t calm the atmosphere. I wish I knew what is going on but when I ask Max, he just tells me he’ll have answers in a couple of days.

It’s not until he has left for work after a particularly sloppy kiss to my lips that I finally get the chance to turn to Elijah and question him.

“He hasn’t suddenly gotten bitter for no reason.”

“Perhaps he suspects?” He voices my first thoughts on the matter but I’m quick to dash that possibility with the same answers I gave myself. “Then I don’t have a clue.” He shrugs but the way his eyes flicker set a deep seed of doubt in my belly.

Max’s paranoia must be rubbing off on me. I mentally laugh at myself and shake it off.

“Where’s my present?” I ask, straddling his thighs. His hands grip the backs of my legs as his body relaxes into the wide sofa.

“It’s in the breast pocket of my jacket.” I glance to my right and see the jacket slung over the arm of the chair.

His thumbs move in circles deep into my skin as I reach across and snag the jacket by the collar. My hands move over the expensive material as I feel the pocket and pull out a long, grey envelope with my name written on the front in a beautiful scrawl.

“I’m intrigued.” My eyebrows bunch together as I try to guess what is within. “I assumed you’d be gifting me some type of lingerie that I can model for you.”

His teeth flash in the glow of the dim lighting. “I admire your mind as much as your body. This is me extending a branch to you.” I peel open the envelope and empty the contents onto my palm. “I want to travel with you. I want to know you better.”

I stare at the one way tickets to New York City. My hands begin to tremble. “This is…”

“In six months, I have to oversee the opening of my newest clubs. I’ve taken the first two weeks off but after that, it’ll be a long-term thing. I want you with me.”

Tears spring to my eyes. “Why?”

“Why?” He seems perplexed that I’ve asked.

“I’m… I’m nothing.”

“You make me happy.”

The first tear falls as the realisation of this sinks in. “I can’t believe this… I feel as though I’m in a fairytale.”

“Does this mean you’ll come?”

I nod. “Yes. I… of course I’ll go with you.”

His smile is overwhelming. I feel his happiness mirror my own and it’s not until I’ve said the yes and his tension melts away that I realise just how nervous he was beforehand. This is a dream come true. He wants me to go to America with him.
America
.

“We wouldn’t just stay in the city; we’d explore. I don’t know when we’d be back for long periods of time.”

“I’ll be with you so I don’t care,” I assure him and press my lips to his. “You have no idea… no idea how happy I am.”

“Pulling you back to what you said before I gave you this… would you not be offended if I purchased lingerie for you to model?”

My eyes blink as his question registers. “No. I’d find it quite exciting.”

“You’re one of a kind.”

“Or you’ve just been with all of the wrong women.” I find it hard to think of any woman who would be offended by this. Having her man buy her lingerie for his viewing pleasure is quite empowering. It’d make me feel sexy.

That’s when doubt hits me like a freight train. It makes me jolt from it. My own words set a new form of sorrow in me that could be unshakeable.

What if my words are true? What if he’s only attached to me now because I’m not of his world? What if he meets somebody else and…?

“I can see straight into your mind right now. It isn’t happening.” His warm hands smooth up my sides. “Your hooks are in deep. I give my word… my soul that I will never hurt you that way. I’ll always be honest with you. I will never cheat on you.”

“Promise?”

Sitting up, he presses his chest to mine and wraps his arms around me to hold me tight. “I promise.”

This alleviates some of my worries but I doubt I’ll ever fully rid myself of this niggling feeling that I have.