Trust Me (29 page)

“I doubt it, but it is going to take Aryana to convince her father to leave him alone.”

“You said she was pregnant. How pregnant is she?”

“About six months I think. That’s not the only problem with these two that they have to convince the old man to accept. Three months ago, Daniel and Aryana were married.”

“Oh lovely,” she snarled. “As if things couldn’t get any crazier. So how are you going to convince The Don to back off you? Do you think he’ll accept his daughter’s choice and leave them alone, or will he still want you to be a son-in-law? After all, you are a great catch for any daughter.”

“Or granddaughter?” He smiled reaching out and taking her hand, lifting her to her feet. “The Don is going to have to accept Daniel; their marriage is legal and it is more than obvious that it has been consummated. If he wants it annulled he will have to face a great deal of public embarrassment, which could affect his business.” He paused as he wrapped her in his embrace.

“Let’s talk about something else,” he said gently. “I would like to call your grandfather to ask for your hand, if that’s alright with you?”

“I think we should give it some time,” she said. Her head was starting to pound and her composure began to slip. The last thing she needed was to face questions and accusations from her grandparents and her sister.

“How much time?”

“Creighton you have to understand, my grandparents are very old fashioned. They didn’t fall in love after one date and rush into marriage. They knew each other for about two years before they were married and they never dated without a chaperone, it just wasn’t done. I don’t know what they would say if we told them we fell in love after one night of passion.”

“It was much more than one night my love, but if you don’t want to say anything just yet, we won’t. But I hope you understand that I am not a very patient man, a fact I believe I have already demonstrated. I want us married by the end of summer at the latest, sooner if you’re pregnant.” Sandra drew a deep breath. Pregnancy wasn’t something she wanted to think about on top of everything else that had happened that day. She pushed out of the man’s arms as Garman returned, a tray with two glasses of wine and a small platter of cheese in his hand.

“Supper will be served in an hour, sir,” he said as he set the tray on the small coffee table and left the two alone again.

“What are you thinking?” Creighton asked her once the Steward had gone. He sat on the sofa beside her, handing her a glass of wine and waited for her answer. Sandra sighed, taking a sip of her wine before turning to him.

“I am thinking that we’re rushing things a bit,” she said honestly, her tone a little sterner than she would have normally liked, but it had been a very long day and it didn’t seem like it was going to be changing any time soon.

“I don’t think we’re rushing it at all.”

“Of course not, you parents practically eloped. I come from a very, very strict family; Church on Sunday, work during the week, parents to obey and chores to do, we don’t get engaged and married while on vacation in the South of France.”

“Are you regretting saying yes to me?” Sandra stood and walked to the bar. She set her glass on the granite top and turned back to look at the man watching her.

“I am not regretting anything; I just need time to adjust to all the changes. I don’t move as quickly as you do, I don’t have mafia kings as business partners, I don’t hunt spoiled runaway brats and drag them back to their fathers and I don’t have an unlimited bank account where I snap my fingers and people jump. I am a librarian, for God’s sake! I am quiet and slow; I read books to children and beg for additional funding to keep the library open for another year. I don’t like making snap decisions.” By the time she had finished, she was nearly shouting at him; her head pounding and tears dripping down her cheeks. She was frustrated and angry and just really wanted to run away into the night. She turned her back to him, wiping her eyes with her hand and trying to control her sudden rage.

“Oh, what I wouldn’t do for a hot bath,” she moaned to herself, rubbing the back of her neck.

“What’s stopping you?” he asked, stepping up beside her.

“The fact that you only have a shower would probably be the best reason.”

“There is a tub in the guest bathrooms, whirlpools to be exact. Go take advantage of one of them while supper is cooking. I’ll bring your wine in a few minutes.” Sandra felt suddenly ashamed at having just screamed at him. It wasn’t his fault there was a madman after him because of the lies a spoiled little girl told her father. She nodded weakly, feeling the blush creep up her cheeks.

Creighton leaned in and kissed her forehead softly, laying his head against hers. The last few hours had taken its toll on them both, only she reacted like a crazed lunatic, while he remained controlled and calm. She drew a deep breath, smiling weakly.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I guess I’m just tired.”

“You’ve had a lot happen today; I’m not surprised you’re tired. I’ll bring you some wine, there’s some bath oil in the vanity in the blue bathroom down the hall.” Sandra frowned and he smiled. “I take my family on cruises every chance I can. Sabrina likes the luxurious side of life, so she keeps all sorts of smelly things in the bathroom. Use what you’d like.”

“And what if you don’t like how the smelly stuff smells on me?” He chuckled deeply as he kissed her lips, tracing the outline with his tongue.

“I’ll just have to wash it off you later,” he said, turning her around and patting her bottom as she walked down the hallway.

Sandra found the bathroom much larger than Creighton’s private one, but just as beautiful with the same rich dark wood, gleaming tiles and granite countertops. The décor was a light turquoise and white, with a trim decorating of real seashells. There was a double sink next to the bathtub and the toilet sat in a separate part of the room beside a porcelain bidet. The tub was big enough for two with a large rim surrounding it where several candles sat. It was beautiful and very inviting and she quickly turned on the faucets and measured the water’s temperature before looking in the cupboards.

She found the bath oil, along with a loofah, a pumas stone for rough feet; mud for a facial, cleansing salt for the skin, deep conditioner for the hair and several hair clips. She smiled thinking back on how Creighton had described his sister. She chose to use a little of everything, pouring the scented oil into the water and slipped her clothes off, hanging them on the hook on the back of the door. She blushed when she saw the full-length mirror, remembering how Creighton had given her the first of many lessons in the world of lovemaking.

Sandra shut off the tub’s faucets and turned on the water in the shower, stepping under the stream of heat where she quickly washed her hair and shaved her legs and underarms with the disposable razor she had found among the many items in the vanity.

Once clean she shut off the water and padded naked and wet across the floor to the vanity where she took the hair conditioner and applied a liberal amount to her long strands, before piling it on top of her head and clipping it securely. She took the facial salts and scrubbed her delicate skin and patted her face dry with a nearby towel; then opened the jar of green mud, sniffing the aroma of spearmint before smearing a liberal amount across her face and neck.

Sandra felt extremely pampered as she slipped into the hot water, gasping at the depth of the porcelain lining. She turned the knobs on the side of the tub and sighed as the jets came to life; bubbling gently across her tired body. She slowly reclined beneath the scented water and closed her eyes; she could easily become used to this she thought under the drying layer of mud.

Several long minutes passed before a soft tapping sounded at the door, making Sandra reluctantly open her eyes in time to see Creighton step across the threshold, the familiar thick blue robe across one arm and two glasses of white wine in his hands. He smiled brightly at her as he moved closer to the edge of the tub, tossing the robe to the nearby bench before sitting on the rim and handing her a glass.

“You look much more relaxed,” he said in a husky tone as he watched her sit up a little, trying to sip from the glass around a hard, crusted green face.

“I am really sorry for the way I snapped at you,” she said sinking back under the water. “I didn’t mean to be so rude.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he assured her, standing and walking to the vanity. He returned a moment later with a cigarette lighter, lighting the candles that sat around the back of the tub’s rim. “I understand completely. One more thing you’ll learn about me is that I don’t take offense to people who want to vent; even if I’m the cause.” He closed the lighter and walked to the door, shutting off the overhead light, illuminating the room in a soft romantic glow.

“So I’m safe from being thrown overboard?”

“I would never throw you over. I’ve already told you I’d consider keeping you hostage, though. You know how eager I am to tie you up.”

“And you’re very good at it,” she teased, grateful that the mud on her face hid her blush as he laughed.

“Shall I demonstrate a little more after supper?” Sandra smiled, but chose to ignore the question, at least for now.

“When are we going to be in… where are going again?”

“Hyères. We should be there in a couple of hours, but I’m not crazy enough to drive unfamiliar coastal roads in the dark, so we’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

“How long will it take to get to Paris?”

“We’re meeting Daniel and Aryana day after tomorrow, so we can take our time. I’ve already arranged for a car, unfortunately in order to hide from The Don’s boys; I put it in your name. I’ll pay of course, but for the time being, we’ll use your name for securing cars and hotels.” He slipped his hand into the tub and played with the scented water as he spoke.

“Won’t that be a problem? I mean, doesn’t the credit card have to be in the same name as the person renting it?”

“Yes, that’s why I’ve transferred some money into your account. I found your credit card in your wallet.”

“You were going through my purse?” She was shocked and surprised by the man’s intrusion. Nobody, even her own sister, went through her purse.

“Your phone was ringing, so I went to find it and your wallet fell out of your purse. I didn’t mean to intrude and I didn’t go through anything else, I promise. I just assumed the same as you and decided to transfer enough money for our trip into your name. I can reverse it back if it bothers you.” Sandra thought for a moment in silence. Actually, it didn’t really bother her as much as it should.

“So who was on the phone?” she asked and he smiled knowing she had forgiven him without admitting it.

“Your sister, she sounded annoyed as hell that I answered your phone.”

“What did you tell her?” She wanted to laugh, but her face was stone hard and frozen under the mud.

“I told her I had you naked and tied to the bed and indisposed to conversation. She wanted to know if you enjoyed yourself, so when you talk to her, remember to tell her you did, or I may have to spank you again.” She couldn’t help it, this time she laughed and felt as though her face was cracking.

“I will make sure to tell her that I was very well pleased, even though it has been at least two hours since you last shagged me.”

“That long, eh? How about I join you in that very large and very warm bath? I happen to give excellent back rubs.”

“Mmm sounds inviting but can I trust you to keep your hands strictly on my back?”

“You can trust me in every aspect of life, except that. So can I come in?” She reached for the washrag from the side of the tub and wet it.

“I was wondering if you were ever going to ask, or if you were just going to keep me at arm’s length the rest of the night.” She leaned forward, running the cloth across her face, washing off the green mud as he slipped out of his clothes and stepped into the water. She smiled under the washrag when she felt him sit down behind her, positioning his legs on either side of her hips, his hands slowly caressing her back and neck. Once all the green spackling was off her face, she turned to him and smiled.

“Beautiful,” he said. “But you always are, even when you’re green.”

“So tell me about Paris,” she began, his arms wrapped around her waist pulling her closer to his chest. “I assume my passport will cover me there.”

“Yes, it will take you anywhere you want to go in Europe. Let’s see, Paris. Well, it’s large, beautiful and busy and you would never be able to wear your running shoes into a store without people staring at you.”

“But all of my belongings are still at the hotel, whatever is left of them that is.” She realized she had not brought anything with her except her clothes she had worn the past three days.

“I called and reported the break in to the hotel manager,” he said softly. “They filed a report with the police, so if it was The Don’s boys I’ll deal with them when we get to Italy and make certain they pay you for any damage they caused. In the meantime, we’ll need to get you some different clothes. We’ll go shopping tomorrow when we get to Hyères.”

“I really don’t like the idea of you buying me clothes,” she complained. He leaned down and kissed her neck, his hands gently massaging her arms.

“I would buy you the world if you would let me. I like buying you things, as long as it makes you happy. As for the clothes, it’s a necessity. If it makes you feel better, you’ll pay with your own credit card.”