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‘You
know I’m in love with Nate, right?’ His face darkens, probably not a good time
to mention my hot detective boyfriend.

‘You
want that good, Sophie?’ He warns.

‘Yeah,’
I zip my attitude up tight.

‘Then
I suggest you try real hard to make me believe I’m the only man in the world.’
He is majorly pissed, his tone dark. 

I
lean my hands flat on his chest, suck in a deep breath and concentrate on how
my lips will feel on Nate’s when we, hopefully, reunite. I run my palms up and
move one into his thick hair, the other to rest on his broad shoulder.  I
focus on his eyes and fist his hair hard, urging him down to my awaiting
lips.  I close my eyes to focus on my imagination.  I nibble on his
bottom lip before running the tip of my tongue across the seam of his
lips.  He is a cool character, not a reaction to be had.  I plant my
lips and stroke my tongue, encouraging him to open up.  He finally does,
he tastes of champagne.  Imagining Nate, I push myself against him, his
arm tightens around me as his other leaves the mantelpiece and slides across
the top of my backside. Our tongues tangle, teeth nibble as I grind against his
evident erection losing myself in the moment.  His fingers of one hand
fork my hair pulling tight, causing my whole body to cover with goose bumps as
he cups the cheek of my backside to urge me closer.  I hear myself moan,
deep in my throat. 

It’s
the equivalent to having a bucket of cold water poured over my head.

I
jump back with a screech, what the fuck am I doing? 

Luke
looks as staggered as I by the passion in our kiss.

‘I’m
sorry,’ I breathe, my hand touching my swollen lips.

‘Fuck!’
His eyes move over my face, ‘well,’ he smiles a wolfish grin, ‘that just made
the next few days incredibly interesting.’

‘No,
look I’m sorry, I got carried away,’ I excuse myself.

‘Why
are you apologising?  You certainly made me feel like the only man in the
world,’ this pleases him.

‘I’m
jet lagged,’ the guilt sears through my entire being.  I love Nate, I was
pretending Luke was Nate, but I got a little too involved in my fantasy.

‘Go
to bed, Sophie, we’ll pick this up in the morning,’ he turns to depart and
within a couple of minutes,
smiler
is standing, waiting to escort me to
my room.

I
thought I would toss and turn after what happened with Luke after dinner, but I
wash my make-up off, brush my teeth and am asleep within minutes.

********

I
am sitting at the same table as last night eating breakfast when
smiler
enters the room.

‘Mr.
Ericson has been called away on business, he asked me to notify you that he
will be back for dinner tonight.  He says you are welcome to use the TV
room or library. After breakfast, I will show you where they are.’

‘Do
you know when the money is expected to change hands?’  I probe.

‘No
Ma’am,’ he shakes his head. 

‘But
it is expected at some point in the day,’ I ask.

‘You
will have to ask Mr. Ericson about that,’ he abruptly turns and leaves the
room.

The
day drags, I am waiting patiently for Luke to reappear and set me free as
promised.  When Kane, which turns out to be
smilers
real name,
although I’m not sure whether that’s his Christian or surname, informs me to
dress for dinner, I am perplexed.  Did my father not come through with the
money?  Has he let me down again? A darkness cloaks me.

I 
dress what I deem appropriate for dinner,
a blue flirty
skirted short dress and heels before meeting in the dining room.  Luke
isn’t there when I arrive, I stand by the window, which shows me only hills and
mountains.  In Colorado, there are a lot of hills and mountains, I knew
that was why I was privy to them, there would be no way of tracking where we
were at a later date.

I
turn to a sound of someone entering the dining room, ‘Sophie,’ Luke calls, his
alert eyes to my appearance, ‘as stunning as ever,’ when he reaches me, he
leans down and kisses my cheek in greeting.  ‘Sit!’ he orders.

I
sit, biting my tongue from asking him in no uncertain terms, why the fuck I am
still here.  But, I don’t want to antagonise him.

‘Everything
okay?’ I ask, instead.

‘A
few hiccups, but nothing for you to worry yourself about,’ the waitress arrives
and begins to pour champagne into our glasses. 

I
wait for the waitress to leave before I enquire, ‘the money?’

‘It
seems there’s been a delay on the money,’ his eyes hit mine with a warning not
to push the subject.

‘Oh?’
my face must expose my shock, ‘he won’t pay it?’ I gasp, ignoring the
forewarning glare.  Fuck!

‘Let’s
just say there are conditions to him paying it, we are in negotiations,’ he
lifts his flute to mine and chinks.  ‘Drink!’

I
drink, sub-consciously, gulping frantically at that the idea that my father
could get me killed with his business dealings.  ‘What does he want?’ I
manage to ask.

‘Leave
it, Sophie,’ Luke growls, ‘I am dealing with it. Meanwhile, I would like to
forget my stressful day and enjoy your company, agreed?’ The last word holds
what sounds like a threat.

I
nod, subserviently. 

We
chat throughout our meal, but I am distracted by the information that I may not
be as safe as I first considered.  I had hoped it would be a case of my
dad paying my brother’s debt to Luke, and Luke allowing me to go home to Nate,
apart from the price of a kiss, which it had to be said wasn’t much of
hardship.  A kiss was a kiss, no harm done and I would be thinking of Nate
throughout every second.

Me
being released after the kiss, I now knew was never going to happen.

‘Do
you remember what I insisted upon having with you, Sophie,’ Luke’s voice is
pissed as it interrupts my deliberation.

I
glance up, my eyes wide.  What did he insist on having with me?  I
couldn’t think straight.

‘I
don’t like repeating myself,’ he reminds me briskly, I suddenly think of Simon
and his punishment for making Luke repeat himself.  The trauma must have
jolted my brain because it suddenly occurs to me what he is referring to. 

‘You
want my undivided attention if we are in a room together,’ I recite from
memory.

‘Can
you give me that?’ he questions, although I know he is demanding it rather than
requesting it.

‘Yes,
I’m sorry,’ I turn my candid gaze to his, ‘I am incredibly worried about my future
if my father refuses to pay the money.  Where will that leave me?’ My
voice is breathy through fear.

‘I’m
not going to hurt you, Sophie,’ he announces, ‘we can work something out.’ 

‘Okay,’
I feel such relief at his words, I provide him a smile of gratitude, not for a
minute contemplating what that
something
will be.

‘That’s
better,’ he rests back against his chair, his eyes running over me hungrily. 

That’s
when it all clicks into place, he has no intention of ever handing me back to
Nate.  The price of my life is me, he wants me in payment of my brother’s
debt. 

As
this scenario settles in my brain, I feel compelled to bury all my concerns in
the impenetrable emotional vault of my mind.  Call it self-preservation.

I
drink the majority of the champagne, having acquired a taste for its
refreshingly tasty bubbles, it’s numbing effects blurring the seriousness of
the situation.  I find myself becoming more and more talkative as my
anxiety spikes.  Luke begins to loosen up as I chat about something and
nothing, eager to keep the communication between us.  I ask about his family,
and he closes down, but he recites a few stories about his college life. Surprisingly,
I find out he is a qualified prosecution lawyer and has represented some high-profile
clients. He doesn’t inform me of whom, or why, but he shares a few amusing
stories about his time in the courtroom.

Like
the night before, we travel into the lounge where he sits beside me on the sofa. 
I prevent myself from stiffening as his leg brushes mine.  We share a
nightcap of brandy and sit and watch the hypnotic flickering of the flames.  As
the brandy seeps into my already alcohol-fogged brain, a companionable silence
falls over us.  Remembering the kiss of the previous night, I blurt out, ‘you
never did tell me how old you are,’ I accuse, mildly.

‘You
still haven’t guessed,’ he reminds me, softly, his voice hinting at amusement.

‘Oh
no, I’m not playing that one again, I will lose,’ I smile.

His
eyes go soft, ‘would that be so bad?’

He
appraises me with the same intrigue that Nate used to, and in that moment I
realise that he is never going to allow me to walk away. My stomach squeezes at
this realisation.

I
look over at him, ‘Luke, please’ I call, softly.  My eyes are pleading him
not to do this.

‘Guess!’
he instructs, ignoring my appeal.

I
sigh, he isn’t going to let it go, ‘forty-nine,’ I murmur, quietly, mentally
crossing my fingers.

He
grins that grin that informs me immediately, I lose.  Why the hell did I
mention it? If I hadn’t had said anything he maybe wouldn’t have remembered. 
Then a sadistic laugh appears in my mind, of course he would have
remembered.  He is playing with me like a cat plays with its prey.

‘Okay,
how old?’ I roll my eyes in resignation.  This can go two ways, I continue
to play this game with him, or I roll over and die.  I can’t die, Nate
promised me forever.

‘Oh
no, this is my evening entertainment,’ I hear a chuckle, it sounds surprisingly
good, like he doesn’t do it enough. 

‘You
have a good laugh,’ I tell him, knowing this is the only way.

His
eyes move to mine, ‘yeah?’ he flirts, ‘you want to get over here and pay your
dues?’

‘Luke!’
I say softly, begging him with my eyes to stop this.

He
shakes his head, his gaze sobering, ‘Sophie, please don’t make me regret my
decision,’ he warns, his voice arctic.

Alarm
hits my gut, ‘okay,’ I place my glass on the side table and shimmy over towards
him. 

‘On
my lap,’ he directs.

I
almost complain, but decide I have argued enough with him tonight.  I lift
myself onto his lap, where his hand instantly moves to cup my hip and he leans
in. 

‘Pull
my hair, like last night,’ he instructs.  I sieve my fingers through his
hair and fist hard, my eyes hitting his and seeing the desire apparent within
their depths.  Jesus, how can I have such power over him?

As
soon as my lips touch his, he takes over the kiss.  It isn’t like last
night where I set the pace, his tongue strokes deep, his teeth nibble hard on
my bottom lip as he seduces my mouth entirely.  ‘what’s my name?’ he
growls against my lips.

I
am giddy with the force of his desire.

‘What’s
my fucking name?’ He roars.

‘Luke,
it’s Luke,’ I pant before he crushes his lips back to mine. 

He
knew last night I was thinking of Nate.  He wants to make sure I know who
he is.  His hand holds my jaw while his mouth brutally assaults mine in a
most delicious way.  I can’t believe that I am doing this, allowing him to
make me forget my name.  His fingers are in the flesh at my thigh stroking
tiny circles just below the hemline of my dress sending shots of desire to my
sex.  The confusion that hits me doesn’t resonate in my brain as I push
down into his lap against his hardness.  How can I want this?

‘I’ll
give you the good,’ he growls, as his hand moves up under my dress to my hip
and back in a hypnotic rhythm, but I want more.

‘Luke,’
I pant, for what reason I do not know.

‘Fuck,’
he growls against my lips, ‘going to fuck you hard, Sophie.’ 

I
sit up, without moving my lips from his and straddle his lap, pushing down to
soothe the ache in my sex.  I know that this is what he wants of me, the
only way I get to stay alive.  I am going to fuck a monster to keep my
heart beating.

‘Fuck,’
he repeats, his fingers moving aside my panties. He strokes along the folds of
my swollen lips, pushing two fingers deep inside.  ‘Ride them,’ he
commands, I comply as he pushes the straps of my dress and bra down to expose
my rounded breasts.  He sucks hard on my nipple, brutally, the pain feels
good.

He
releases his cock and impounds me down onto his fucking huge length.  I
cry out as it fills me completely, my head thrown back in complete ecstasy. I
lift off him before slamming back down hard, punishing myself for doing this. I
fuck him hard, over and over at a brutal pace, until I come spectacularly
around his hard cock. 

He
stands, still inside me and leans my back over the arm of the sofa, my head
low, my hips perched high.  He pushes my legs wide slamming into me
ferociously, drilling me harder and harder until he comes deep inside me, with
a groan.