The Vine (11 page)

God knows he’s known a few
, I think to myself, but Luke breaks that thought by continuing, “The sooner you start seeing what I see, the happier you’ll be. That’s what I’m here for, Lizzy. It’s my job to ensure your happiness every single minute of every hour of every day.”

“Now let’s get washed and I’ll get you off to work,” Luke says smiling.

“Job well done then, Mr. Castle,” I say as I smile back at him, “because you make me extremely happy, always.” I pick up my Aveda shampoo, squirt it into my palm and start massaging my scalp and hair. By the time I open my eyes after rinsing the suds out, Luke has already finished washing with his signature Hermes
shower gel and is stepping out of the shower. As I apply my conditioner, I watch him grab a white, fluffy towel, wrap it around his waist and saunter off to the bedroom area. I quickly wash my body with his shower gel. He doesn’t know it, but sometimes I do use it because I like having a waft of Luke pass my nose as I move about during the day. Even when he’s not with me, it seems like he is, and I smile at my little secret. I rinse my conditioner and turn the shower off. Stepping out of the marbled walls and onto the heated bathroom tiles, I wrap a smaller white towel around my hair, a larger one around my body and pad off to the bedroom area.

Luke’s already dressed as I enter the bedroom.
Wow, that man looks hot in a suit. Oh, damn, no more of these sorts of thoughts! I’m not going down that road again.
Denying myself this time, I pull out some designer, silk lingerie from my top drawer; I step into the silky thong, and then slip my arms into the bra and fasten it. I don’t know what label this underwear is, as I’m not really into all the designer gear like Luke is, but he bought these for me and they feel seriously incredible against my skin, almost like one of his soft caresses.

I roll on some deodorant and sit down at the vanity. I apply some tinted moisturiser to even out my rosy skin tone, which is flushed from the hot shower—and the other shower antics. I smile to myself thinking,
definitely no need for any blush today.
A quick flick of the mascara wand and some lip-gloss and I’m done. I take the towel from my hair and give it a rough dry with the hairdryer. I tie it into a low side-ponytail that hangs down across one silk-cupped breast. I pull out a wine-coloured dress with capped sleeves for work. I step into it and zip up the back; it fits perfectly. Yet another trait of designer garments—they fit and cling in all the right areas. I glance at myself in the mirror.
I look and feel great, if I do say so myself.
I giggle at my confident thoughts. Maybe after six months Luke is finally rubbing off on me. I step into some shiny, black heels, and for my finishing touch, I spritz on some Valentino. Happy with myself for work, I head downstairs.

“Wow,” Luke says, “you look hot, Angel. You sure you’re just going to work?” He smirks, handing me my coffee in my pink thermos mug. I roll my eyes as he picks up his black one and I grab my bag with my free hand. Luke opens the door for me and we get into his car, ready for our journey to work.

Some days, Luke has a car take him to work, and some days he will take his Range Rover, but occasionally he will take the other lady in his life. Well, I don’t know if it is actually female, but he certainly treats it like one. I mean, I should really be jealous how much love he has for this car but I’m not, as it is a beauty.
Boys and their toys, eh!
I distinctly remember the day when Luke got his car a couple of months ago; it was delivered to his offices. He drove home, calling me on his way and telling me to be ready because he was taking me for a spin.

I remember feeling slightly put out because I’d just put on my joggers and a t-shirt, and was curled up with a blanket and my Kindle. I was getting near the nail-biting end of a good book I’d been reading. I’d had to quickly run upstairs to check my hair and face, and then ran back down to the mad beeping of a car horn. As I headed out the front door, I noticed Luke had parked the car on the drive with the passenger door near me. The windows were open and he looked across the seat out the window at me. “Well, here she is,” he said. “What do you think?” He had the biggest grin on his face and looked like a little boy on Christmas morning, rather than the hard-nosed businessman I knew he could be. “Isn’t she a beauty?” he asked. His smile was infectious, and I couldn’t help grinning myself.

I did think the car was fantastic, but all I really noticed was his beautiful, kind, handsome face, his hair mussed slightly and his eyes shining with excitement. Luke’s voice interrupted my thoughts, “Well don’t just stand there gawking, Angel, get in!” he shouted with delight. I laughed and got into the car, strapped myself into the red leather seat and we glided out of the gates from Luke’s home. “Well, you didn’t answer me. What do you think?” Luke
asked. Not quite knowing what to say to compliment a car, I just said, “It’s lovely, and umm, very white. What make is it?” I was trying not to sound like a complete bimbo.

“This little beauty is a Bentley GT Turbo.”

“Oh,” I said, “great.” Luke chuckled at me, and just as we hit the main road, he put his foot down.

Luke takes me to work and we kiss goodbye. He waits until I get to the door of the office building where Sinclair’s is situated, before he shouts, “Bye, Angel! Best shower ever this morning. See you tonight.” My cheeks flame as I turn toward him and shyly wave; when he sees he’s achieved the desired effect, he smiles that million-dollar smile, blows me a kiss and pulls out into the rush hour traffic on the way to his office. I’m surprisingly on time for work; it’s exactly nine o’clock. Normally, I just like to get in very early, enjoy my coffee and get up-to-date with emails while the office is all quiet.

The offices are buzzing with activity by 9am, so my day at work begins, and I feel a bit disorganised. With a smile, I think,
I actually couldn’t have asked for a better start to my day
. Because of that, I’ve got a spring in my step and an enthusiasm to work hard. I just want to get through the day and get home, because I’ve got a plan.
Oh, yeah, I’ve got a plan for my man
. Grinning at my silly rhyme, I get on with my day.

Just as I guessed he would—because it is very often the case—Luke called and said he has to work a bit later tonight, so I leave work on time, hail a taxi and rush home to set up his surprise. As soon as I’m through the door, I throw my bags down and run upstairs to turn the shower on. I really should stop all this rushing
around; I don’t want to get all red, hot and sweaty.
Well, not until later…
I giggle at my cheeky thought.

What a long way I’ve come. Luke seems to have done what therapy never could and given me my life back. Once undressed, I step into the shower. Thinking of this morning, my mind starts to wander, but I haven’t got time for reminiscing, so I get my head in check and wash the day away.

Once I’ve finished and am smelling of vanilla, I step out of the shower and pat myself dry. I apply my shimmery body lotion to create a sexy sheen on my tan skin—yes, it’s going to be
that
kind of evening.

Whilst my hair is still wrapped in a towel, I apply a little tinted moisturiser, I pinch my cheeks for a natural, sexy blush, I apply some mascara to my long lashes and lastly, I apply a berry lip-gloss. I look back at myself in the mirror and bat my eyelashes. I really don’t know what a gorgeous specimen like Luke sees in me, but at least I’ve got the naturally made-up look I’m trying to achieve.

I unravel my hair from the towel and rough dry it, throwing my head this way and that, and when it feels completely dry, I throw my head back. It looks slightly wild and sexy—just perfect for what I have in store—and I spray over some dry wax for the perfect shine. I forgo any perfume since the vanilla fragrance of my shower gel all over my body is enough; I wouldn’t want to overdo it and have Luke coughing and spluttering all over me when I’m trying to seduce him.

Seducing Luke—that’s a laugh. Just one look from him and that’s enough foreplay for me; to be honest, a lingering look from those eyes and it could be game over for this girl. I’m chuckling as I head over to the closet to retrieve the bag which holds the perfect box, and as I lift the lid, the perfect shoes glint and wink at me. I slip them on carefully.
Oh, my goodness!
They look and feel fantastic, and I feel so special. I walk back to my vanity—well, actually, I sexily strut, because that’s what these shoes do to me; I feel more sexy and confident with them on
my feet. I pull out a lacy thong and matching bra I think will suit the mood of tonight. I look at and feel the exquisite material of the underwear.

I am biting my bottom lip in thought, and with my new-found shoe confidence, I slowly place the underwear back in the drawer. Just as I do so, my phone pings, alerting me of a new text message. I pick it up, seeing it’s from Luke; he calls it his five minute warning when he drives home separately from me. I know he hates us not travelling home together, but very often he finishes up at work considerably later than me. So he always texts me when he’s five minutes away so I can be waiting at the door with his kiss and huggle; he always says he cannot go another minute without it.

Luke: Hey, Angel, be home in 5. You know what to do.

I text back my usual reply, which consists of a smiley face, hearts, hugs and kisses so he won’t get suspicious, and then I have one last look at myself. I slowly step down the stairs before placing myself in his favourite seat. Luke always sits here if we’re relaxing, and very often, I curl up on his lap here too…but not tonight.

I twist my bottom slightly to one side, cross one lean leg over the other and relax my body back. I keep my arms loosely resting on the armrests, and that is when I start to panic.
What am I doing? Is this a good idea? What if he walks in with one of his brothers? Maybe I should just go and slip the underwear on—then I wouldn’t feel so self-conscious, and I really wish I had time for a quick glass of wine for a bit of Dutch courage.
My mind is so busy with all these thoughts that I almost miss hearing the key in the door.
Too late now
, I think to myself, so with a smouldering look to my eyes, I plaster a slight pout to my lips and watch as Luke walks through the door. I can see his brow is furrowed, as I’m normally at the front door waiting for him. He’s halfway through, shouting, “Hey, Angel, where—” when he spots me. He got the
Hey, Angel
bit out just before the rest faded into his jaw dropping.

“Hey, baby,” I say in my sexiest drawl, “I’m so glad you’re home. I’ve been waiting for you.” Luke’s shocked face is now changing as he delivers his knockout smile, but this time, his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes, as they are undoubtedly full of pure desire. He stalks over and stands in front of me, and as he does, I uncross my legs, place my hands on my knees and push myself up slowly so I’m standing right in front of him. Throughout this whole manoeuvre, Luke doesn’t take his eyes off of mine until I am looking up at him, but much more closely to being eye-to-eye in my heels. He is slowly looking me up and down, devouring me with his eyes, taking in every inch and just the way he is looking at me—with such love and passion—immediately makes my core clench.

I meet Luke’s eyes once more and slowly pull his loosened tie over his head, and then drop it to the floor. I return my hands to his shirt and start to unbutton it torturously slowly. God, I just want to rip it off, but here I am, slowing things down because I know if he touches me
there
…it will most certainly be game over for me.

I reach the lower buttons and pull the shirt out of his trousers, and as I pop the final button, I push my hands up over his taut abs, over his tight pecs and then up onto his shoulders, pushing the shirt off whilst Luke undoes his cuffs. The shirt is swept from his body, so now I just have his magnificent torso in front of me.
How is he keeping so calm and in control?
I am so turned on right now, and I’m so drenched with arousal that I can now feel the wetness on the tops of my inner thighs. In fact, Luke wouldn’t even have to touch me there; if he touches me anywhere I’m going to explode.

I start to give him light kisses while undoing his belt and zipper. When his suit trousers fall to the floor, he quickly whips off his boxers before we continue our kissing, which is steadily becoming more and more passionate. Luke holds my face in his hands and takes control of the situation, deepening our kiss even further.
Hang on a minute
;
I have got to get control back!
It’s odd for me to have the thought—as I normally like Luke taking control—but this is meant to be his thank you present, so I need to be back in the driver’s seat.

I slowly pull away from our kiss, and Luke looks me straight in the eyes. I can tell he’s slightly confused, but as I start lightly fanning kisses across his cheek and down his neck, his eyes widen knowingly. I bend slightly; taking my loving caresses down his torso, adding a few licks and nips along the way until I reach his belly button. I am just a bit too tall in these shoes for where I want to go, but I don’t want to take them off.

An idea springs into my mind, so I sit back down on his favourite chair, and
bingo!
I’m the perfect height, so I pull Luke to me with my hands around the backs of his muscular thighs. I know I’m acting like some sort of sex goddess who really knows what she’s doing, but I am actually really nervous. I am so comfortable with Luke, and our sex life is fantastic, but I do sometimes feel slightly inadequate, because as much as I don’t like to think about it, it’s a fact he is very experienced sexually.

At first, I used to think I wouldn’t be enough or know enough to keep him interested, but Luke is a very caring, considerate lover, so when I mentioned my worries to him, he put my mind at ease instantly, saying all the sexual acrobatics in the world wouldn’t turn him on as much as just being with me does. I remember him laughing, saying I just need to walk into a room to make him hard. Seeing me blush at this statement, he went on to describe the emotions he feels inside when we make love, explaining it’s like our hearts are in it too, filling with love with each movement. He said it felt like the love overflows during our orgasms, and I totally understood it, because that’s exactly how it feels for me.