An Arrangement of Love (20 page)

“I’d rather deal with that when we return to the States.”

I opened an email from Dawn.

Jasmine,

While I welcome you to our unique family, you must be aware of the schedule and rules. Your hysteria and family problems have caused Chase to ignore the schedule. He has missed all of our days...

I stopped reading and forwarded the email to him. “Dawn is upset about the schedule.”

He knitted his fingers together. “She expressed that to me on the phone this morning.”

I bet she did
.

“Who’s days have you missed?” I asked.

“Let’s eat.” He narrowed his eyes at me.

“Answer me, please.”

“The night we went to the Lan was Wendy’s evening. The India trip were Lucy’s and Dawn’s. Today it starts back over, so I will be missing two more dates for each of them.”

“When is my day?”

“Dawn would like you on the fourth day since you have the least seniority.”

“Seniority?” I rolled my eyes.
They’ve made a business operation out of love.

“I want to enjoy Paris right now, not talk about this. I told Dawn I’ll make up the days when I return.”

“So I won’t spend time with you for at least a week?”

“Possibly.” He wrestled his thumb with his other one. “Which is why we should enjoy the time we have now.”

I tapped my feet and checked more emails. Before Chase’s plane had taken off, I’d sent an email to everyone letting them know I would be in Paris for a few days and not to worry. Apparently, Gabe had responded later with a list of restaurants I might like.

“Cool.” I smiled. “Gabe sent a bunch of restaurants. He placed the Michelin Star restaurants at the top.”

“Does he know you’re with me?”

“Of course not.” I browsed the rest of my emails.

“Why didn’t you tell him?”

“What do I say? I’m going on a trip with my boss who I’m now dating and by the way he has a fiancée and two other girlfriends?”

“He should know you’re taken.”

“I’m not officially taken. I can date other men. Remember?”

I opened my last unread email. The sender was labeled Anonymous
.

Jasmine,

Stick to our rules and you won’t get hurt.

Sincerely,

Highly Upset

“Someone is threatening me.” I showed him the email. All the food on the table, with its enticing smells and beautiful colors, could no longer hold my attention. Anger instead of fear pulsed in my veins.

If you’re going to threaten me at least do it without hiding behind an anonymous email
.

Chase snatched my phone and read it. A feral noise erupted from his throat as he shot up. His chair fell back to the floor. He wrenched out his phone and pressed a button.

“You threaten her through an email?” Chase roared and stomped out of the room. “I don’t care!”

I stood up and followed him. “Who is that?”

Ignoring me, he went into the bathroom and shut the door. The lock clicked.

“Then who did?” he asked. I twisted the doorknob to make sure it was actually locked. It didn’t turn.

“Stay on topic!” he yelled. I jumped back at the volume of his voice. Something slammed as if he’d hit it. “Then I’ll never come back with this behavior.”

I banged on the door. “Chase?”

“I’m not acting different,” he said.

Minutes passed. He shouted out sentences I didn’t get the context of. Then finally silence came. The door clicked. Chase walked out.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

He didn’t look at me as he stomped into the room. His voice was thick with rage and concern. “I’m adding two extra guards to you, but everything is okay.”

“Who was that?”

“No one.” He put his phone in his back pocket and returned to the table. “Don’t think about this again. It was someone’s anger, not a serious threat.”

“Then why two more guards?”

“I like to have you protected.”

“But you also think I’m in danger and that the email was a serious threat.”

“No.”

“You’re full of it.” I placed my hands on my hips. “Chase, I’m not going to—”

He got up from his seat, rushed to me, and grabbed my arms. “You run, and I’ll—”

“I’m not running.” I tried to shove him away. He captured my lips and dipped his tongue in my mouth. I twisted my face away from him.

“Do you think I can’t protect you?” He nibbled the curve of my neck.

“I shouldn’t need you to protect me.”

“You don’t.”

“Then why more guards?”

He blew out an exasperated breath. “Look. Three girls have died before. It’s a sad fact that I’m not comfortable with. Any little thing, whether it’s a big or small threat, I’m going to take seriously.”

I formed my lips into a grim line. “So you think I’m in some sort of danger because of the schedule?”

“No. I think one of them is mad that you messed up their dates. They want to scare you, but just in case I’m wrong, you’ll have four guards just for my and your sanity.”

Tension hardened around my shoulders. “Who did you just call?”

He averted his eyes. “Dawn. She was the most upset by the trip and all the running after you.”

“You think she emailed me that?”

“She tends to do irrational things when she feels our relationship is threatened.”

Your relationship?

A tiny pang of jealousy hit me.

“She thinks I’m falling for you too quickly and that I’m treating you differently,” he admitted.

Are you?

The words clung to the tip of my tongue, but I kept them in my mouth.

He rubbed his forehead. “We should cut the three-day trip I had planned to two days.”

I forced myself not to frown or pout. “So we’ll leave tomorrow night?”

He nodded.

I struggled with relaxing and not lingering too long on any of my anxious thoughts—the threatening email, Dawn’s hold on Chase, how he felt about me, or what his shortening of the trip truly meant.

“Jasmine, are you okay?”

I have four guards monitoring my every move. Relax.

“Yes. Let’s enjoy this while we can.” I slipped out of his arms. Several emotions bundled together and dropped to the pit of my gut—jealousy, annoyance, and anxiety for the days to come. I shoved them to the back of my mind and promised myself to not think about them again.

Chapter 21

T
o my dismay,
the hours in Paris raced by. Each instance I collected a mind-blowing memory. Celebrities lounged in the Ritz lobby and strolled the hallways. Holding in shrieks and screams, I warred with myself to not ask for autographs. Besides, Chase always remained next to me in a composed and cheery mood. If he didn’t seem star-struck, I wouldn’t either.

Throughout the day, we rode bikes all over the city and visited shops, sampling food to my heart’s content. Chase had to drag me out of a cheese shop where I’d attempted to taste every item in the place. Next was a store dedicated to varieties of honey products, from lavender honey nougats to a spicy honey mustard that scorched my tongue. In pastry shops, I gorged on macaroons sandwiched with a sweet ganache or butter creams that came in many flavors—rose petal, vanilla, salted caramel, and pistachio. But my true undoing was when we arrived at Dubernet Foie Gras and I spotted several types of foie gras stacked from floor to ceiling, pates in combinations I’d never imagined, and sausages that beckoned me to come and try them. Chase had literally slung me over his shoulder and carried me out after god-only-knows how long we’d been in there.

By mid-day, food packed my stomach until I feared I would burst and Chase yawned with each pedaling of his bike. So I dragged him back to the hotel room to take a nap and promised I would remain with my guard at all times while I explored the city.

Alone with my guards, I visited the Louvre Museum, but only stayed for an hour because I wanted to surprise Chase and bought him a special surprise to get him in the mood.
There’s no way we’re not having sex tonight.
With only one night in Paris, I decided I might as well enjoy myself to the fullest.

Later that night, the limo stopped in front of a restaurant Chase had found. He kissed me on my cheek and then squeezed my hand. “Can I see your dress now?”

“No.” I wore a gray coat that fell to my knees. The material was thin so I wouldn’t get hot, but long enough to shield my surprise. “You’re so impatient.”

He touched my coat’s bottom edge. “Although this is a nice coat, I need to see what’s under it.”

“Are you worried I’m dressed unfashionably?” I let the chauffer help me out of the car.

“No.” Chase climbed out after me and pulled me into him so his body pressed against my back. “I love the way clothes fit your body and rather enjoy drooling over the swell of your breasts when they peek out of your low-cut tops.”

“You’ll get to see what’s under it later.”

“How much later?”

“We’ll see.”

He grumbled. “What are you hiding?”

“Nothing special.”

“I don’t believe you. How can anything not be special when you’re wearing it?” He smirked.

“Welcome, madam and monsieur.” The host held the door open for us. “Madam, may I take your coat?”

“No thank you,” I said.

“Let him take it.” Smiling, Chase crossed his arms over his chest.

“No thank you.” I frowned and Chase chuckled to himself.

“I’ll be just a moment.” The host ventured off.

“So you plan on wearing that coat all through dinner?” Chase asked.

“Goodness, surprising you must be hard to do. You’re so curious and controlling.” I turned and checked to see if anyone was around us. “Do you want to see now, impatient man?” I undid my belt.

“Yes,” he said, his voice thick with anticipation.

I pulled the coat apart enough for him to get a peek. The sheer black bra and panty set I wore left little to the imagination. A satin garter belt hugged my waist. Stockings rose up to my thighs and were bordered with lace. Chase’s name was written on the front of the belt in white gems.

“Satisfied?” I closed the jacket.

Chase stood in a frozen position. He still kept his gaze on my body, even though my coat was shut tight.

“Chase?” I smirked. He raised his arm and gestured for a waiter to come over.

A tall man with blond curls rushed our way. “Monsieur?”

Leaning over to the waiter, Chase whispered something in the man’s ear, dove his hand in his own jacket, and pulled out a thick clip of money. Chase must have handed him at least five hundred dollars.

A red tint spread across the waiter’s face, but he took the stash anyway. “This way, sir.”

“Come on.” Chase clamped his hand on mine and towed me in the waiter’s direction.

It was hard to keep up with his pace. I cursed myself for wearing the god awful six-inch heels I had on.
Sure they look sexy, but who in their right mind could wear these torturous things all the time?
“Chase, where are we going?”

He glanced over his shoulder at me. His eyes strayed down to my coat.

“Are you going to answer me?” I asked. “Or just stare?”

He grunted and turned back around.

O-Kay.

We arrived in a dark hallway with velvet maroon walls and black carpet. The waiter opened the women’s bathroom and motioned for two ladies to leave immediately. With shocked expressions, they scurried away. I peered inside. It was a posh and luxurious powder room done in shades of cream. White velvet chairs were in front of a long vanity that extended over half the room. The wall behind the counter was also all mirrors. White carpet covered the floor. Paintings of nude women draped in colorful fabric decorated the walls. A door was in the corner. I figured it led to the stalls and sinks.

“Here you go, monsieur.” The waiter positioned himself by the door. “I’ll remain outside until you are . . . done.”

Oh God.
I walked past him and tried not to show the waiter how embarrassed I was.

“You’ve lost your mind,” I said in a low voice.

“Who could blame me when you have nothing but sexy lingerie on for dinner?” Chase tugged me further inside. The waiter closed the door. A click sounded as Chase locked it. “You’re lucky I didn’t know that was what you had on in the limo. Now you’ll pay for that.”

I giggled. “Will I now?”

“I’m going to take you right here in this restaurant and I won’t hold back. I won’t stop until you’re moaning so loud the chefs in the kitchen have hard-ons.”

“I doubt that’s possible.” I leaned my weight on one foot.

“Take off the coat.” Chase undid his shirt. His voice sounded hoarse.

I smiled. “And if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll fuck you in that coat.” He took off his shirt. “I was prepared to stay with my challenge and not touch you. I wanted to show you how much of a gentleman I am.”

“So now what are you going to show me?” My coat slipped off my body with ease and dropped to the carpet. He charged my way and caught me by my waist. His soft fingers stroked my skin. My heart beat fast, like I was sprinting. Anticipation coursed through my bloodstream. I rose up to my toes and kissed his yummy lips.
God, he’s so hot.
He picked me up and I straddled his waist with my legs. Hunger saturated every pore of my body.

“You look so damn sexy I thought my cock was going to burst through my pants.” He squeezed the softness of my ass and carried me to the counter. “I was afraid to talk or move too much.”

Chase laid me on the counter. The cool surface pressed against my back as he gazed down at me. And there was a lusty yearning that surfaced in his eyes and blew me away. He looked hungry and wild, so unlike the confident and controlled man I was used to seeing. My nipples perked from his attention. I bit my lip as he ran his fingers from my shoulders, over the peaks of my breasts and stiff points, and then paused at my garter belt, where his name adorned it.

“I love this.” He bent over and kissed my stomach, clasping his hands to my panties. The material tore apart as he ripped it away. Cool air brushed the area between my thighs. He spread my legs apart and a tiny whimper left his lips. “I want my name on your panties next time.”