Trust Me (52 page)

“Not
really. It’s a scary thought and we should have been more careful, but actually, it doesn’t bother me as much as it should. I like kids, having one of my own would be a dream come true.”

“Let’s
say you aren’t pregnant,” he said, kissing her head again. “Do you want to try again next month, or do you want to use something to prevent it?” Frowning, Sandra remembered how Cathy had told her to get on birth control before she came to France, but it was her choice to opt out of it; now she was faced with the same decision again. She didn’t really like the idea of using birth control; she thought she had more than her fair share of hormones already but she also felt she should get to know Creighton better before they brought a child into the mix.

“What
do you want to do?” she asked shyly.

“If
you start your cycle, we’ll discuss it further. As for now, I’m content to think of you being pregnant. I’m not getting any younger, you know, and I do want a large family.”

“How
many bedrooms does this house of yours have?”

“Five
or it will have. There are six technically, but one is very small. I want to incorporate that into the master bedroom and make it a bit larger.”

“So
four bedrooms for children?”

“I’d
still like five or six children and we can always enlarge the place. Plus the attic is completely accessible so we can convert into rooms if necessary.”

“You
said the place was pretty run down,” she said trying not to think of spending her marriage barefoot and pregnant. “What kind of work does it need?”

“The
windows need replacing for beginners; neighbor kids have busted out most of them over the years. When Miriam left Yorkshire, the boys from the neighboring farms started pulling pranks on the old man, so there’s been some damage. Things settled down after he went back to Germany, but the place has been a local hide away for many years.”

“Are
we going to have problems with safety?” she asked with a frown.

“No.
The boys who caused the problems have all grown up and most of them either moved away or have families of their own. It’s just kids doing what kids do; a place to smoke and drink and have sex. Once we’re there, everything will calm down.”

“Alright,
besides the windows, what else needs to be done?”

“The
usual, wallpaper, roof; but that will be replaced with solar panels. The stairs are old and needs rebuilt, the plumbing and electrical needs updated and the kitchen needs of all new appliances. For the most part, it’s in really good shape, just needs some TLC.”

“You
said it was once the largest property in the county,” she said, leaning her chin on her hands across his chest. “How large is large?”

“About
ninety hectares.” Sandra frowned, tilting her head to the side.

“That’s
about two hundred and twenty acres, right?” Creighton smiled and nodded. “Is it good land for animals or crops?”

“Both;
Yorkshire is wetter than most other areas, which makes it perfect for animals. My parents have about two hundred sheep, a few dozen cows, some pigs and loads of chickens. We can still grow a garden of course, maybe some barley, but I would rather concentrate on livestock. Are you all right living on a farm? I mean, do you know much about raising animals?” Sandra laughed.

“My
grandfather grows wheat and corn and raises horses and cattle. We have chickens and pigs and a few sheep as well. I definitely know how to live on a farm.” Creighton smiled, caressing her cheek.

“I
knew you were the right girl for me; for more reasons than that incredible body.” Sandra blushed, leaning down and kissing his chest. She frowned when she heard his phone buzz and he groaned when he pulled away.

“I’m
going to take a shower,” she told him as he tossed the blankets aside to get up. “Join me?”

“Let
me take care of this and I’ll be in.” Sandra walked to the bathroom and shut the door, giving him some privacy. She couldn’t help but smile again, wrapping her arms around her torso, feeling like jumping for joy. She was getting married, she was in love and she wanted to shout it to the world.

Sandra
quickly gathered together her items for the shower and began brushing her teeth; she wanted to spend as much time as she could with Creighton before they had to take Aryana to her father and she didn’t want to waste a moment of it. She was about to turn on the shower when Creighton joined her; irritation reflect on his handsome face as he set the phone on the counter next to her.

“Call
Cathy,” he ordered sternly. “She has called Michelle six times over the past day. She’s threatening to come to France to find you herself.” Sandra drew a deep breath and turned to look at him.

“Who’s
Michelle?” she asked.

“My
personal assistant; Michelle Dubois.” Creighton took his toothbrush and applied a liberal amount of mint flavored white paste on the bristles as they spoke.

“I
met her at the hotel in Cote d’Azur,” Sandra said, her tone reflecting the jealousy she felt. “She was in the photo from Kansas. She’s really quite beautiful.”

“Yes
she is,” he said with a sly smile.

“Isn’t
it difficult to work with an assistant who looks like she just walked off the front pages of Sports Illustrated?” Creighton laughed, tipping her chin up to stare into her bright green eyes.

“Not
really,” he said honestly. “I don’t care much for the fake blonde, fake boob kind of girl. Besides, she has a partner who is more jealous than you are; and
she
keeps her on a very short leash.” Sandra looked at him wide-eyed as he kissed her briefly before putting the tooth brush in his mouth.

“Oh,”
she said, picking up the phone; what else could she say?

Sandra
pushed the button on his phone; dialed Cathy’s number and hopped up to sit naked on the counter, crossing her legs. She waited while the line connected; two rings later and Sandra heard her sister’s voice on the opposite end.

“Where
the hell is my sister, you son of a bitch?” she yelled into the phone, causing Sandra to remove it from her ear, biting her lip to keep from laughing. Creighton didn’t look all that amused and began brushing his teeth with much more vigor.

“I
swear to God, if you have done anything to her, I will hunt you down and cut your balls off and serve them to the sharks.” Sandra covered the receiver of the phone and looked at Creighton with an amused smile.

“What
is it with your balls that people want to serve them to sharks?” she asked and he narrowed his eyes, spitting the toothpaste into the sink.

“Are
you listening to me, you bastard? Where the hell is Sandra?”

“If
you calmed down, I’d be happy to speak with you,” Sandra said, her tone filled with amusement and humor.

“Sandy!”
Cathy yelled over the phone, relief filling her angry tone. “Are you alright? Has that son of a bitch done anything to you? So help me if he even…”

“Cathy
shut up,” Sandra said loud enough to get her sister’s attention.

“What
did you say?” Cathy said in shocked tone.

“I
said, shut up. If you want me to talk with you, then quit yelling at me.”

“Fine,
I’ll quit yelling, but I have a lot to tell you about that
boyfriend
of yours.”

“Alright
Cathy, tell me what you know and then we can compare notes.” Creighton reached for his beard trimmer and started to touch up the hair on his chin and upper lip.

“Did
you know that he is the one who came here to build that factory last year?” Cathy asked her tone filled with her usual,
I know something you don’
t tone.

“It
was two years ago actually and yes I am aware of that,” Sandra replied calmly, smiling at the audible gasp she heard on the other line.

“You
knew?”

“Yes,
of course, Creighton told me. What else do you know about him?” Cathy stuttered as she tried to compose her shock.

“Well,
I…that is…”

“Okay,
since you don’t seem to have your notes at hand, let me tell you what I know,” Sandra began. “Creighton has four siblings; his grandfather was a very successful horse breeder in England; he owns several companies, including the one that supplied the security system for Hoisington’s government offices. You already know he comes from Yorkshire and has a flat in London, what you don’t know is that he is a very kind, loving, caring man whom I have enjoyed spending my time with. He has treated me like royalty and yes; I have broken the cardinal rule and fell in love with him and here’s another little secret for you, Cathy, so listen close. Creighton is my lover and he’s very, very good at it. I spend most of my time either in bed with him or dreaming of being in bed with him. He has turned me into an orgasm-crazed female, so much so that I have agreed to marry him. I have to go now Cathy, but I will call when I can; Creighton is taking me to Milan tomorrow, so I am going to be busy for the next few days. Oh and one other thing, we made love on the Eiffel Tower last night. It was quite erotic and I’ll do it again if I get the chance; or maybe the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Anyway, I have to go now. Gather your notes and we’ll discuss anything I may have left out when I call you later. Love you Cathy, good-bye.” Sandra shut the phone off before she could hear her sister’s response and wiggled her feet with excitement.

“You
liked doing that didn’t you?” he asked with an amused smile, listening to her giggle as he replaced the trimmer to the stand on the counter.

“Very
much; I finally got the last word in and I put her in her place. I don’t know if anyone has ever done that before.”

“How
did it feel?” He watched the excitement mount in her eyes as she jumped off the counter, spinning like a little girl in the middle of the bathroom floor.

“Incredible!”
Sandra stopped and jumped into his arms, hugging his neck and laughing while he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her close.

“I
am so proud of you my love,” he told her. “I think you have finally come into your own.”

“Thanks
to you, I have grown up a lot; and I’m ready to face the world without Cathy.”

“Thanks
to me, you’re also an orgasm-crazed female,” he laughed, looking at the expression on her face turn to one of lust.

“Want
to make love in the bathroom?” she asked as he lifted her back to the counter and spread her legs.

“I
am obliged to please you, my love.”

The
Musee du Louvre was a dream come true for Sandra, as she and Creighton strolled along the many halls looking at the paintings, statues and exhibits of one of the largest museums of the world. Sandra nearly exploded with joy when they saw Leonardo Di Vinci’s
Mona Lisa
. It was something that very few people in Kansas had ever seen, outside of magazines or the Internet. To look upon this magnificent work of art was amazing and Sandra nearly cried with overwhelming emotion.

They
spent four hours touring the museum before leaving in search of lunch. They by passed the Louvre’s café and strolled the streets of Paris instead; looking through the many shop windows at the displays and the models; the clothes, the furniture, the artwork; everything anyone could possibly want was there. They stopped in front of the interior designer shop they had passed the day before and looked closer at the furniture; discussing what style to decorate their new house. They agreed on several items in the window display; a sofa painting of Paris in the spring, a large upholstered sofa of browns, blues, pinks and greens all mixed into a menagerie that resembled a garden, with two matching wingback chairs. They chose two walnut end tables, a matching coffee table, a large secretary style desk and chair, a dinette set of highly polished mahogany with enough chairs for fourteen people, a china hutch and buffet and finally an old style grandfather clock. They looked at the massive, king size bed on display, examining it closer than they had the day before and agreed they wanted it. It was made of cherry wood, with four posts elaborately carved with vines and blooming flowers that swirled their way along the headboard, footboard and up the posts to the canopy top. Beside it set two small side tables, each with the same carvings along the legs and a matching dresser and mirror. Creighton took out his phone, dialed a number and spoke French to the recipient for nearly five minutes.

“They are all ours,”
he told her as they strolled away.

“Just
like that?” Sandra asked. Creighton looked at her with a raised eyebrow, humor shining in his eyes.

“Get
used to it darling,” he said. “As my wife, you’re going to be privy to half of everything I have, including the clout money brings. When you want something, you call, and it’s yours; it’s just that simple.”