Trust Me (57 page)

“A
man approached me outside my office in London as I was leaving, sticking a gun into my side. I acted quickly and irrationally and fought him, knocking him to the ground. I thought I had managed to disarm him and turned to go back into my building when he shot me three times, twice in the back and once in the leg. I remember lying in the street, bleeding, praying for my life. When help finally got to me, I was delirious with the loss of blood and I thought I was going to die. Once I recovered, I hired Clark, Parker and Harvey to keep me safe; they are ex-military friends of mine from Mont Rose and skilled sharp shooters.

“The
only thing that made me start living again was a dream I had; not the night time kind of dream, but the dream that I wanted something more. I wanted to fall in love and have a family. Up until then the only relationships I ever had were perverted; filled with bondage and whips, videotapes and pornography. It wasn’t until I went to Kansas that I found something strong enough to fight for, something worth changing my life for, something worth living for again.

“When
we first got together, you said you wanted an adventure. I thought about everything my money could buy that would give it to you. When your room was broken into, and I saw Demarco and Silvano in the hotel lobby, I was certain they had done it, but I got a call from the hotel manager last night who told me six rooms had been ransacked at the same time; all with people who had not been there the day before. When I saw the boys, I knew I could give you the romantic novel adventure that you craved, particularly after you thought The Don was a mafia king. What better than running across Europe to bring out the passion and live out a fantasy, normal life didn’t offer?” He paused for a few moments as he looked into her eyes, examining them for any sign of rejection.

“The
guards are here to protect us, especially now that the press is interested in our relationship. I’m not a coward; Clark, Parker and Harvey have spent a great deal of time making certain I know how to shoot and fight in order to defend myself and anyone who is with me. They aren’t going to interfere or come close enough to interact with us unless they find it necessary; they don’t need to. I’m sorry if you think I lied to you or deceived you; I never meant to hurt you. I’ll understand if you don’t want to go to Milan with me, but I ask that you take the time to think about what I’ve said before you chose. I love you and I want you by my side; but not if it means that you are going out of a sense of duty and not with any more secrets between us.”

Creighton
stood and walked out of the bathroom, allowing her time to be alone with her thoughts. Once the door closed Sandra realized she had tears running down her cheeks, her throat felt thick and her heart ached. The man had just exposed himself to her; shown her his heart and laid his soul out for her to inspect. She thought about everything he had told her and everything they had done and said to each other over the past week. It would be very easy for her to walk away right now; he gave her an out, but she knew in her heart, she didn’t want to take it. She didn’t want to leave the man, who owned her soul.

When
Sandra returned to the bedroom a half-hour later, she found Creighton’s clothes on the back of the chair, but he was nowhere to be seen. She stepped to the door and heard the tone of his voice, knowing he was on the phone. She gathered together the pale pink negligee and robe and quickly slipped them on before taking the courtesy laptop to the bed and sat down against the pillows. She opened up the Internet, typed in the address to the Kansas State government and penned her message, short and sweet.

To whom it may concern,

Affective
immediately
I,
Sandra
Elizabeth
Dennis
hereby
resign
my
position as
Librarian
to
the
City
Library
of
Hoisington,
Barton
County,
Kansas,
USA.
It
is
my
recommendation
that
Raymond
Humphrey
be
promoted
to
the
position
of
H
ead
L
ibrarian,
given
his
years
of
dedicated
work
and
knowledge
of
the
library
and
the
patrons.

She signed it with an electronic signature and pressed the send button, smiling as the confirmation check-mark showed on the screen. She then took a few minutes to e-mail her sister and grandparents about her decisions and after fifteen minutes, she shut the computer and replaced it on the desk; determination embracing in her mind as she pushed the send button again.

Sandra stepped back into
the living area to find Creighton sitting at the dining table, his laptop open in front of him, a serious expression holding his face stern. He was shirtless, his legs stretched under the table, hidden beneath the layer of blue jeans, his feet bare and crossed at the ankle.

“Am
I bothering you?” she asked, watching as he glanced up at her. His expression changed immediately and he smiled a guarded grin to her.

“Not
at all, I was just catching up on some work.”

“You’re
not going to make a habit out of this are you? I mean the staying up working late every night after I go to sleep. I expect you to get up with the kids occasionally, especially if you want six of them.” Creighton’s eyes widened, as he listened to what she told him then smiled with a sigh of relief.

“I
promise to leave my work at the office, even if that office is in the house.”

“Good,
because I don’t want work interfering in our family time.” He stood and walked to her, lifting her chin with his forefinger so she was forced to look into his eyes.

“You’re
sure?” he asked and she nodded.

“I
don’t have a choice now. I just resigned my position at the library and e-mailed my grandparents and Cathy to tell them I’m not coming home. I need to go back and pack, but that shouldn’t take more than a few days and I can do it anytime. Perhaps I could find a strong, good looking, perverted stalker to help me go through all my junk.”

“I’m
sure we could find someone suitable,” he said, leaning in and kissing her lips tenderly for several long seconds.

“Now,
tell me about this dessert of yours. I’m getting hungry,” she asked him a few breathless moments later. Creighton chuckled, pulling her into his strong embrace and kissed her neck.

“It
means you’ll have to get cleaned up again.”

“Why?”
He released her, kissed her lips one last time and walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge.

Sandra
followed his movements with interest glanced to his laptop after it made a soft binging sound to alert him to an incoming e-mail. She gasped at the pictures that slowly flashed across the screen. He had made a screen saver out of the photos Chang had taken as well as those of her modeling Sabrina’s gown and she sat down in the chair, looking at them for the first time.

“Like
them?” he asked stepping up behind her.

“They
are beautiful.”

“You
are beautiful, when are you going to realize that?” Sandra looked at the pictures as they passed before her eyes and smiled.

“I
plan on using one of them for each of my offices.”

“Which
one?”

“Maybe
this one,” he said, shuffling through them and pulling up the one of him removing the thin panties to reveal his initials for the first time.

“You
can’t put that on your wall,” she gasped. “That’s X-rated and not for public display.”

“I
love that picture; it's my favorite one. I was thinking of using it as my phone’s wallpaper.”

“Absolutely
not!” she snapped.

“Then
you’ll have to pose for another picture,” he said boldly. “I want to see my initials every time I answer my phone.” She turned around with an expression of disbelief, looking into the eyes that stared down at her, emotion dancing in the dark depths.

“You’re
teasing, aren’t you?” she asked more hesitant than she had intended, causing him to laugh while he closed the lid to his computer.

“I
do want a picture of my initials on your lovely body, but yes I’m teasing. I don’t want strangers staring at my wife’s beautiful body; that's my privilege.” Sandra visibly relaxed under his intent gaze.

“You
had me worried,” she said honestly.

“
I know you don’t like to be stared at, so why would I put something so personal and private out where everyone could see it?” He smiled as she stood up, lifting the small container of chocolate sauce and can of whipped cream up, so she could see them.

“
Peinture de carrosserie
,” he said with a wicked grin.

“What
exactly does that mean?” Sandra asked with a frown.

“It’s
French for body painting.” She gasped again, her face a scarlet red as he turned her toward the bedroom, patting her bottom through the thin material. A strange thought occurred to her as he closed the bedroom door behind them; they were going to play with food!

Creighton
set the chocolate sauce and whipped cream on the bedside table and walked into the bathroom. He returned a few moments later with a thick towel and pulled the blankets to the end of the bed as he spread it out across the sheets. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to his bare chest, his lips claimed hers in a deep passionate kiss, his tongue teasing and exploring the hidden depths beyond. Sandra moaned into his mouth, tasting the sweet remains of wine on his tongue. Slowly, he withdrew from her arms and slipped her robe down her slender frame.

“I
want you, like I’ve never wanted another woman,” he said in praise of her delicate body. “If you’re tired, we can make this quick.”

“No,
I’m not that tired.” He smiled at her eagerness, slipping the straps to her gown off her shoulders, allowing the material to drift over her breasts and down her hips to fall on the floor around her feet. Creighton bent over and lifted her in his arms, laying her gently across the towel.

“You
have to hold very still, or you’ll make a mess of the bed,” he warned her with a wicked grin. “If you don’t hold still, I’ll have to restrain you.”

“I
can’t make any promises,” she said, causing him to chuckle.

“I
know what you’re hinting at, but I am not going to cuff you just yet. I want you to fight the urge to wiggle; once you feel helpless beyond control, only then will I cuff you and really go wild with this lovely body.” Sandra blushed, feeling the nerves of excitement burning through her veins.

“Ready?”
he asked and smiled when she nodded. He stood up and removed his pants and underwear, before taking the familiar brown plastic bottle that read
Hershey's sirop
. He flipped the lid open and slowly began to dribble the cold, thick syrup across her nipples, smiling as she gasped.

“Remember,
you have to hold perfectly still. This is a lesson in control. While I am enjoying myself, you have to force yourself to remain steadfast.”

“You
are asking the impossible,” she moaned, the chocolate melting under the temperature of her breasts and slowly running down the round globe to settle in her cleavage. Creighton leaned over her and licked the rich syrup with the tip of his tongue. Sandra moaned again; cool, warm, hot all mingled into a wonderful, passionate mixture of sensations.

“You’re
moving,” he warned her; his warm hand pressing against the initials, stilling her hips with his touch.

Creighton
took the brown bottle and again dripped the thick, cold liquid across her opposite nipple, this time trailing a thin line down her torso and filling her navel with chocolate. She tried fruitlessly to still her movements, her head falling to the side in desperation. Creighton leaned over and dipped the tip of his tongue into her navel, licking the sticky sauce off her sensitive skin and gently tugging on the blue stone at the end of the silver chain. He ran his tongue up her torso, licking the syrup off and smiling as she moaned again.

“Please,”
she whimpered, causing him to chuckle as he pressed her down across his initials again.

“Not
yet,” he told her. “You still have a little resistance left.” He took the cold syrup again and dribbled it across the hairless initials, tracing the curves of the letters with the chocolate before leaning over and slowly licking each one. Sandra moaned again, her legs spreading slightly on their own, her body begging for his touch.