The Tycoon's Virgin Bride - Part 2 (The Corskovi Dynasty) (4 page)

Late in
the afternoon, Hannah sat on the patio of the rooftop restaurant on the fifth
floor overlooking the beautiful blue lake while scrolling through the
iPad
menu that the hostess had given her. It was so weird
moving her fingers on the screen to search through the various tasty entrees to
make up her mind on what she felt to eat. She’d never seen
iPad
menus at restaurants before.
Each customer had at least one
at their
table. This must be how the
uber
rich
lived everyday, she mused. Hannah felt so out of her elements, but tried not to
gape at her surroundings.

“Will
Mr.
Corskovi
be joining you today, Miss?” The lovely
Asian hostess asked as she placed an elegant pitcher of water on the table. The
hostess held a mini
iPad
in her hand ready to take
Hannah’s order.

Hannah’s
stomach took a tumble when she realized that she would be dining alone. Again.

Hannah
felt resentment and a pinch of humiliation. She’d been dining alone for a few
days now. “Oh, um…well, he—”

“Yes, I
will.” Andre’s smooth deep voice sliced through as he made his way over to
Hannah’s table.

She
tried to hide her relief though his silky voice always sent waves through her
belly. Again, Andre saved her face.

The
hostess bowed gracefully to
Andre which
puzzled Hannah
until she remembered that Andre owned the whole joint. He was the king of this
part of the world.

They
both decided on Fire-Grilled Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops with a savoury garlic
finish, served over rice. The hostess keyed in their meal requests and left the
table.

“Did
you enjoy your time at the spa?” Andre asked casually as he poured himself a
glass of water. The cool breeze whisked through his dark, thick hair. His
delicious brown eyes looked more hazel and glowing in the sunlight. He looked
positively gorgeous as usual. There it was again that light tingling feeling in
the pit of Hannah’s stomach. Then she remembered that she was royally pissed
off at him because he’d been so distant these past few days as his men hunted
for more information on this Elroy James character who had a potentially
scandalous video recording of them ‘going at it’ like animals in the wild.

“Yes,”
she said, sounding
more curt
than she had intended.
She tried hard not to growl but he really owed her an explanation. But by the
look on his face, he was not in a mood to argue with right now. “Everything
okay?” Hannah continued.

“Why
shouldn’t it be?” Andre answered scanning the wine menu on the
iPad
.

“Well…you’ve
been a bit distant these last few days.”

“Have
I?” He said, his eyes avoiding hers.

“Yes.”

Andre
placed the
iPad
down on the table and reached across
to Hannah. “I have a lot on my mind. Okay?”

“Like
what, Andre? Why is so hard to open up to me?” She’d wanted to say why was it
so hard for men to open up to women in general but was careful not to paint him
with a generic brush. The last thing she wanted to do was to arouse his anger.
But he was holding back something. Hannah didn’t know how she knew but she just
knew. Call it a woman’s intuition, but she felt it deep in her gut. Had she
made a mistake believing she could reach Andre emotionally? The man was so
closed up.

“Do you
really want to know what’s on my mind, Hannah?”

She
swallowed hard. Maybe she didn’t.

“Yes,”
she finally answered.

“You’re
fucking with my head. That’s what’s on my mind. Satisfied?”

“What?”
Hannah felt heat rise to her cheeks. She’d never seen Andre like this. “What’s
that supposed to mean?”

“Do you
want to know what else my men dug up?”

Hannah’s
felt her heart squeeze. “Y-yes.”

“Well…”

“Your
order, sir.” The pleasant hostess returned with two delicious trays of juicy
lobster, shrimp and scallops and had the waiter at her side set the table. A
candlelight shone in the centerpiece to create a romantic ambiance as the sun
set. Hannah should be feeling cosy right now but she was fuming inside, though
the delicious aroma of seafood wafted her nostrils.

Fucking with his head? What
about my head? This is just as crazy for me, too.

After
the hostess and waiter left the table, Hannah leaned forward, grateful they
were seated far from anyone else in their private area of the patio furnished
with tall potted green plants. “Well, what did you find, Andre?”

Why in
God’s name was he torturing her like this?

Those
luscious lips of his that once caressed her body and brought her to dizzying
heights of pleasure now delivered chilling words of accusations.

“Why
didn’t you tell me, Elroy James was your husband?” Andre asked casually, as he
dug into his scallops, not even looking at Hannah.

“What?”
Hannah shouted loud enough to turn some heads from other tables on the rooftop
patio.

“Do you
mind keeping it down, darling?”

“No. I
mean, yes, I do mind? What are you talking about, Andre? I’ve never been
married!”

“You
know, part of me believes you.”

“But?”

“But if
that’s the case, then this Elroy James character is far more dangerous than I
estimated.”

“What
do you mean by that?”

“He
shelled out an enormous sum of cash to have you tracked down, claiming that you
are his wife and you’d ran off with some money and you’re from a tiny
principality in the Mediterranean.”

Heat
fired up through Hannah’s bloodline like a volcano erupted. She could not
believe her burning ears. This was sounding
more crazy
by the minute. Her jaw fell open and could not close.

“I
don’t believe this.”

“You’d
better believe it, Hannah.”

“But
who is this guy?”

“I’m
going to find out. I’m heading back to New York tomorrow morning.”

“So
soon? I thought we’d be here longer.”

“Oh,
you will be, Hannah. I will be returning alone. For now.”

“You’re
leaving me here? In Canada?”

“You’ll
be safe here. I have my people guarding you around the clock without you even
knowing it,” Andre said as he lifted his fork to his lips, tasting his a juicy
mouthful of lobster. When
his eyes met with Hannah’s
the familiar wave of pleasure slithered through her belly. There was just
something about his eyes that connected to her soul. What she could see in them
was raw hurt and pain. Her heart squeezed thinking of what he must be going
through and how much he wanted to protect her only to discover there was a
crazy man trying to screw with her life.

“I’m
going with you,” Hannah finally spoke.

“You’ll
do no such thing.”

“The
hell I won’t.”

“Hannah!”
Andre’s voice sounded commanding, chilling. Her spine tingled in a cold sort of
way.

Hannah
looked down at her plate and picked at her salad with her fork. Her appetite
was as lost as she’d felt.

“Fine.
Go on ahead without me.”

“You
don’t have a choice.”

“I
don’t?” Hannah shot back. This was utter
madness,
Andre
and her had been on edge since discovering they’d been filmed. What could this
mean to his business? His reputation?

Still,
Hannah missed the touch of his hard muscles and silk skin on her body. She
missed the heat and closeness of his royal sex and that oh, so delicious scent
of his aftershave.

Would
they ever be at ease to make love again? Her body still craved him like an
addiction. She needed to feel him inside her again but doubted that until
things cleared up, it may never be the same between them. The thought stabbed
at her heart.

“You
know what I mean, Hannah. I won’t keep you here against your will, but I insist
that you stay here at the condo until things are resolved.”

“How
long will that take?”

“Trust
me. We’ll get to the bottom of this sooner than you think.”

“Ooh, good for you, hon.
Your
first
real fight with Andre,” Lucy said over the phone to Hannah. “Nothing like
having angry sex to top of the evening. It’s even better than make-up sex,
girl.”
    

“Angry sex?” Hannah cocked a brow as she spoke to her best
friend and roommate back home in New York. Hannah leaned back in the soft
recliner chair in Andre’s penthouse suite in the study area, curled up with an
e-reader. She was so bored there was nothing else to do to keep her mind off
things so she read a Dan Brown novel while Andre tended to business affairs
back at his office.

           
“Sure,”
Lucy responded. “Girl, that’s the best kind of sex. You should make a move if
he doesn’t. Trust me. You won’t regret it.”

           
“I
trust that you’ve experienced this…angry sex you talk about?”

           
Lucy
chuckled. “Girl, it’s the next best thing. They call it primal sex with all
that adrenaline pumping through the blood.”

“Really?”

“Uh-yeah! So much pent up energy and tension just bursting
to be released.
Nothing like raw passionate sex.
Hell,
can you think of a better way to release pent up emotions?”

           
“Well
it does sound…um…great but… I doubt he’d be in the mood,” Hannah murmured.

           
Hannah
was grateful for Lucy trying to lighten the dark mood that she’d been in since
her argument over dinner with Andre earlier.

When Hannah first called Lucy after dinner, their
conversation had not begun so smooth. Lucy had told her about some of Andre’s
men over at their apartment combing through it for bugs and wires. It was
nerve-racking. Luckily nothing was found there. Andre’s men had made the
mistake of assuming Lucy could be involved since the place she shared with
Hannah was clean. But that was soon cleared up. Thankfully.

When Hannah mentioned the name Elroy James, Lucy said the
name did sound familiar but she couldn’t quite place it. That made two of them.

“Anyways, girl. As much as I love talking to you,
gotta
hit the books. Got a brutal
test coming up soon.”

“Oh, I hear you. Thanks for lending me your ear.”

“Girl, anything for you. Remember, it’s the friends that you
can call at two o’clock in the morning that matter. I’m here for you
twenty-four seven Hannah. Just don’t interrupt me when I’m studying for exams.
Hehe
.” Lucy was always good for a laugh or two. What would
Hannah do without her? She was always the bold one, the party-girl, the charmer
and the thinker but when it came down to hitting the books, she was all smarts
and nothing else. Lucy was hoping to be a nurse practitioner one day and work
as a travel nurse in poor communities or in rural areas like Canada’s northern
provinces in an aboriginal community or something like that.

Hannah had a hard time grasping how she could go from being
an ordinary nobody with
no
drama in her life to the
queen of high profile drama. That was unbelievable. Like she didn’t have enough
stress in her life already trying to get by in life, finish her grad studies
and balance work obligations while caring for her ailing mom. She combed her
fingers through her thick silky dark tendrils and blew out a sigh through her
lips.

Things had get better.

After her conversation ended, Hannah walked over to the
grand kitchen area feeling lost in the marbled, granite golden culinary space.
She looked around for a mug so that she could stir herself a fresh brew of
steaming black coffee. That should perk her up.

Part of her was glad the housekeeper was away. But another
part of her wished that Andre had left a map of some sort of the kitchen
layout, so she knew where everything was. It just dawned on her that the entire
kitchen area was the size of the apartment she shared with Lucy back in New
York. Talk about a difference in standards of living.

“I see
you’ve made yourself at home,” Andre’s silky tone sliced through her
concentration and she jolted at the smooth, unexpected sound of his voice.

“You’re
home!”

“You
seem surprised, Hannah. You know I live here.” His smooth grin and darkened,
dreamy eyes told Hannah that he’d been drinking. Something heavy. Like vodka maybe.
Okay, so he wasn’t angry with her anymore but he was well, sort of
intoxicated—though she knew Andre could hold his liquor. The question was
why was he drinking? He was supposed to be working late again at the office.

“Yes, I
know, but…”

“Listen,
Hannah…”

“No.
You listen, Andre!” Where did her sudden boldness come from? “You’ve been so
distant lately and I can’t stand it any longer. Then you want me to stay put in
Canada while you gallop off to New York tomorrow to handle
my
business.”

“
Your
business?”

“Yes.
My
business. Which may be all over the
internet
soon if we don’t catch the creep who filmed us. Not
to mention this guy you think I was married to…” Hannah’s closed lips fought to
imprison a sob. She tried to swallow the lump that lingered in her throat but
it was no use. Before long, she was in tears.

Andre
reached over to hug her. His tall frame and strong body squeezed her tight. The
scent of his delicious cologne sent waves through her body again. That was all
she wanted.
Closeness to Andre again.
Was the cost for
that to shed her tears? Was that what Andre wanted? Demanded of her? For her to
be his damsel in distress so that he could be the heroic prince charming saving
her every second of the day?

Andre
heaved a deep sigh. “Against my better judgement, you can come back with me
tomorrow.”

Hannah
pulled herself away from Andre and looked into his dark, delicious eyes. The
eyes that captured her soul and penetrated her every time they met hers.

“Andre,
I’m sorry, I…”

Andre
lifted his finger to her lips. “Say no more. The last thing I want is for you
to feel as if you’re my prisoner, Hannah. You know that. I was just trying to
protect you.”

Andre
went over to the bar in the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of wine. He paused
as he peered at the cork top of the uncorked dark bottle. Hannah could not see
which brand it was but she knew it must be very expensive.
Just
as everything was in Andre’s life.
Andre’s expression darkened for a
moment and Hannah searched his handsome face looking for answers. What was he
thinking now?

He
placed the bottle back on the wine rack. “Hannah, there is so much you don’t
know yet. About me and about…what is going on now.”

“I
know,” she said quietly.

“I
really wanted to protect you. This whole fucking week since the wedding has
gone from bad to worse.”

“But
it’s not your fault, Andre.”

“Isn’t
it?”

“No.
Even if you had taken me to the chapel, Gustav would have stood me up. Don’t
you see?”

“I
know. But I’m use to being in control, Hannah.
All the time.
I’m not a very nice man when I can’t have my way. I always get my way,” he
said, his voice dangerously low, “one way or the other.”

An icy
shiver snaked down Hannah’s spine at the chill of his words. It was the way
he’d said them.

He
loosened his silk tie and unbuttoned his suit jacket. “I can’t tell you too
much, yet, but there’s a lot going on that my men are looking into.”

“I
know,” she murmured, unable to meet his gaze.

“I’m
still not done with Gustav yet. There’s something dangerous about him.
Something I’m going to find out very soon.”

“There
is?” Hannah swallowed hard. Just to think she was about to be married to him.
“Does it matter? I mean, he’s already married and probably illegal in the
country.”

“That’s
just it. He isn’t.”

“He
isn’t?”

“No. We
found out that his marriage was a front. Whoever that woman was, she was
probably paid to tell you she was his wife.”

“And
the argument they had?”

“The
argument was staged, Hannah!”

“Holy
shit! What is going on?”

“I’m
going to find out very soon and all hell will break loose when I do.”

“Okay,
so you say that Gustav was not the one who had us filmed?”

“No.”

“Well
who did then?” Hannah’s heartbeat raced hard and fast in her chest. She held
her breath waiting for the answer.

“When
we get back to New York tomorrow, we’ll find out.”

Hannah
shook her head and hugged herself walking over to the large ceiling to floor
window of the penthouse overlooking the now dusk sky, the darkest stage of
twilight of the evening.
 
The
Toronto skyline looked beautiful amongst the dark marine blue sky fading into a
deep rich purple hue. The view was breathtaking, the colors warm and romantic.

“So
there’s more than one person who wants to screw me over?” Hannah finally
uttered through tightened lips.

“It
seems that way. But there is a connection.”

Hannah
shook her head as she gazed out the window. “What connection? Why am I getting
the feeling that you’re holding back from me, Andre?”

When
she turned around, Andre was standing behind her. He placed his hand on her
shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze and she felt electricity pulse through her
body. God, she loved how he made her feel.

“If you
must know. I’m waiting for an important email from my source in New York. We’ll
know who was filming us and we’ll find out why and how Gustav is linked to you
getting hurt. Another
matter
to deal with.”

“Oh,
great!”

“Right
now, Hannah,” he said as he rubbed his nose into her beautiful dark hair. “I
want you.”

She
felt his breath quicken and her sex pulsed.

Was he
getting aroused?

God,
she hoped so.

She
hadn’t made love to him in days. It seemed like forever. He’d been so
distant…preoccupied in his business and in her security and God knew what else
he had been up to. It had been one crazy week.

It was
ironic that she’d known Andre since they were teens and yet this was the most
drama they’d ever experienced together. It was very weird. But Hannah could not
think about that now. She felt her nipples tighten at his touch as he caressed
her neck with his lips. Oh, God!
Those luscious lips of his.
And his hot
breath
on her skin. The magical feeling
was appearing again. Andre was no longer cold to her. He wanted her just as
much as she wanted him.

“Come
on,” he whispered in a low voice as he kissed her neck. “Let’s go the bedroom.”

Hannah
moaned and took his lead.

Just
then, his BlackBerry buzzed.

Shit!

Andre
looked at the screen with a flash of anger in his eyes.

“Is
that the email you’ve been waiting for?” Hannah’s breath stopped.

Andre
sighed. She could tell he was aroused when she glanced at his tented crotch in
his suit. He then powered down the device and glanced into Hannah’s eyes. He
threw the phone down on the couch and lifted her up to her surprise.

“
Ms
Steeles
. We have business to
attend to,” a cheeky grin played on his lips. Hannah wanted to know who was
calling him or pinging him on his cell phone but one kiss of his soft lips and
she melted into his arms as he carried her into the room as if carrying her
over the threshold.

Andre
had Hannah on the bed in no time. The lights were dim and oh, so romantic. She
inhaled the scent of French vanilla candles that he recently ignited. He really
knew how to set the mood. For some reason poetic lyrics she’d read somewhere
seeped into her mind.

There
is a candle in every soul

Some
brightly burning, some dark and cold

And
there is a spirit who brings a fire

Ignites
a candle and makes his home

It was then that Hannah knew that Andre was like a candle that lit her
soul. It was so weird for her to feel poetic like that.

Then he pressed his remote to start his iPod speakers and the song by
Michelle Wright played through with its beautiful piano playing and melody,
Your Love
. It had been ages since she’d
heard that song. But she loved it. How did he remember it was her song?
Their
song.

She mellowed at the sound of the tune and the lyrics “
There’s nothing in all the world I need…when
I have you here beside me…
.I
couldn’t ask for
more…Your love is the greatest gift of all…In your arms I found the strength
inside me…in your eyes there’s a light to guide me, I would be lost without you…”

The beautiful words to the song spoke exactly how Hannah had felt about Andre.
She knew then that she’d be completely lost if she no longer had Andre in her
life. It was as if he’d breathed a living joyful spirit into her
again—after years of suffering and taking care of others and striving to
get ahead.