Authors: Michelle Love
Sabine smirked to herself as she watched the video footage her guy had sent her. His henchman rushing at Cosima Bedi with a knife, attacking her before her goons dragged him off, blood dripping from Cosima’s arm. She had told him to wound, not kill, and he had done a fantastic job. She sighed happily; that should unsettle the princess enough so that when Sabine put the next phase of her plan into action, she would start to crumble.
Trouble was…Sabine had no idea what to do next. Damn it. She sat in her hotel bedroom, twirling a pen around a piece of paper. She wouldn’t be able to afford to stay in New Orleans much longer, she knew so whatever she did, she had to do it quickly.
There was a quiet knock at her
door,
and she frowned. Who knew she was here? She moved cautiously to the door and then gasped as she opened it. Naveen. He smiled at her in that cool way of his.
‘Sabine, you’re looking lovely. May I come in?’
Cosima thanked the contractors, beaming at them. ‘I can’t believe how quickly and how well you’ve completed it,’ she raved, ‘I’m utterly amazed. Thank you. You’ll definitely be my go-to guys from now on.’
The foreman, Mack, chuckled. ‘Well, that’s good to hear. We’ve actually really enjoyed this project; you may be the best project manager we’ve ever had.’
Cosima flushed with pleasure. ‘Just make sure you tell my boss that; I think this was my big
try out
.’
‘Well, you all nailed it,’ Arlo came through the door, looking up at the resplendent new reception with its high ceilings, restored
features,
and new furnishings. The focal piece was the stunning metal work staircase, a behemoth of a structure which Cosima had lovingly restored by a specialist. Arlo put his arm around her shoulders and grinned at them all. ‘I just wanted to say to all of you; thank you from the bottom of my heart, you have made mine and Cos’s vision come to life. There’ll be a bonus for all of you in your
paycheck,
and I’d like to invite you all back
for
a champagne reception to celebrate the opening in a month’s time.’
There was a round of applause and then the gathering broke up, the final up clear up underway. Cosima kissed Arlo. ‘I have a surprise for you,’ she said, grinning. ‘Let’s go up to the penthouse.’
Arlo smiled. ‘You mean, our place?’
‘I do.’ She deliberately gave him a hot look. ‘Let’s take the fast elevator.’
He laughed. There was no fast elevator. ‘Let’s go, kiddo.’
As the elevator reached their floor, Cosima told him to close his eyes and she led him into the living room. ‘Okay.’
He opened his eyes and smiled. Cosima, who he’d given carte blanche to decorate, had painted the living room in neutral colors; navy, stone, duck-
egg
blue but had complemented the muted scheme with pops of color. Stuffed bookshelves, colorful prints and over the large fireplace, against the navy, she had placed three square prints of bright sari material in orange, turquoise and pink. Comfy couches for them to veg out on, a huge flat screen (‘Boys must have their toys’); the penthouse was
open
-plan,
so,
at one end of it, the spacious kitchen stood with its polished counters. Wall-to-ceiling windows gave a view of New Orleans that was
unequaled
.
Cosima watched Arlo take it all in. ‘You like?’
He grinned. ‘I love. When did you do all this?’
‘Well, the gang were working so well without me, I actually had plenty of time to do this, plus I had
help
of course. The rest of it is done too, want to look?’
She moved to show
him,
but he stopped her. ‘You mean…it’s ready to move into?’
She smiled. ‘I guess it is. I thought you would want to move in when it opened, is that right?’
Arlo pulled her into his arms. ‘If it’s ready now, I want to be in here with you, in our home. Right now.’
She kissed him and grinned. ‘There’ll still be work noise…just to warn you.’
‘I don’t care, I want us to be living together, why the hell wait? Is that what you want?’
She laughed, throwing her head back. ‘Of course! Hell yes!’ She shrieked with laughter as Arlo picked her up and twirled her around. She wobbled dizzily when she was finally put
down,
and Arlo steadied her, grinning. He pressed his lips against hers. ‘Welcome home, baby.’
She smiled. ‘Welcome home.’
He ran his hands down her
body,
and she wriggled with pleasure but stepped away. ‘Not yet. If we’re really doing this
today,
then I have plans for you.’
Arlo grinned. ‘In that case…what do you need to bring your apartment?’
With Steve and Roger’s help, it took only the four of them to move her
meager
belongings. Cosima didn’t want strangers picking over her stuff so when Arlo offered to arrange movers, she shook her head. ‘No, I want to do it – it’s closure.’ Cosima took one last look around the place, her expression sad. ‘This was a nice place to live,’ she said, ‘Probably the last place I would have shared with Harpa. Damn, talking of which, I need to call Jack, tell him where I am.’
Arlo put his arms around her. ‘Not tonight. Tonight just let him think you’re staying with me – which you are. At my hotel – which you are – just not the one he thinks.’
She smiled but looked undecided. ‘Really?’
‘I promise it’ll be okay.’
Back at their new home, it was already
evening,
and the workmen had cleared out. They had food delivered and sat on their new couch eating it, relaxing. Arlo opened a bottle of red
wine,
and they toasted their new home. Cosima sighed happily. So good to be alone. ‘I can’t believe this is my life now,’ she said, smiling at Arlo, her eyes soft. ‘I’m so happy, Arlo, you can’t even imagine.’
He smiled and kissed her. ‘I can, beautiful, believe me. I love you so much, Cos.’
‘As I love you,’ she grinned as he pushed her back on the cushions, taking the carton of Chinese food from her hand and putting it on the table. He pushed his hands under her t-shirt and pulled it over her head, admitting the way her long, long dark hair tumbled over her shoulders.
‘I do believe,’ he said, his hands at the fastening of jeans, ‘that’s it’s your birthday next week, Miss Bedi and I’m trying to think of some way to surprise you.’
She chuckled as he yanked her jeans down. ‘And telling me that doesn’t hurt your cause?’
He shrugged, his fingers caressing her belly. ‘Probably.’
‘Twenty-nine,’ she grimaced, ‘Not sure I want to celebrate that.’
He groaned, laughing. ‘You’re making me feel old.’
‘Never,’ she sat up and moved so she was straddling him. She opened his shirt and kissed his chest, teasing his nipples with her tongue, ‘I’ll make you feel young again. Come to our bedroom and I’ll show you your present…’
She led him to the king-size bed, swathed in white linen. ‘Undress and lay on your stomach,’ she
ordered,
and he grinned.
‘Whatever you say, ma’am…’ He did as she
asked
and lay down on the bed, propping his head hand to watch her. ‘And what might that be?’
Cosima had taken a small closed basket from the closet and set it down on the nightstand. She grinned at him. ‘This, my darling lover, is a box of treats for us to play with. I do hope you haven’t got an early meeting in the morning because I have a feeling you’re going to be…
up
…all night.’
He laughed at her wicked grin then, as she slipped out of her underwear, watched as she took a small bottle of monoi oil from the basket. ‘We’ll start with this.’ She tipped a little of the oil into her chest then followed it down her body with her fingers until she
slicked
it into her sex, never breaking eye contact with Arlo. He blew out his cheeks, his arousal clear.
‘
Damn
, woman.’
She grinned and ordered him to lie flat, climbing on top of him. ‘Sensual massage, sir?’
He grinned. ‘Yes, please, ma’am.’
She poured some oil onto his back then smoothed her hands over his skin, up and down his back, her fingers working the knots in his muscles. Arlo groaned. ‘That feels so good, Cos…’
‘Hush now.’
She felt his laugh rumbling through his back as she worked on him. Her little hands roamed over his broad back, and she leaned down to kiss his ear, whispering ‘I’m getting so wet for you, Arlo, can you feel how hot I am?’
She pressed her sex against his
thigh,
and he moaned. Cosima smiled, pressed her breasts against his back while her hand slipped between his buttocks and her fingers massaged his balls. ‘I’m going to ride you hard all night, big boy….you can turn over now.’
Arlo flipped over, grinning up at her, his cock huge and rigid against his belly. Cosima took it in her hands, stroking and caressing, drawing the tip up and down her sodden pussy. Arlo gripped her hips hard as she guided him inside her, sighing as he filled her completely.
‘Christ
, Cos…you are so fucking beautiful…
god
…’ He moaned as she thrust hard, taking him in deep, her hand behind her, still massaging his balls, urging him on, loving to see him so blissed out. She loved the feeling of him inside her, filling her; it was when she felt most alive, most beautiful. She wasn’t a vain
woman,
but she loved that Arlo thought she was beautiful.
His hands were on her breasts, his thumbs sweeping over her nipples, back and forth, back and forth until the nubs were almost painfully sensitized. Cosima moaned softly as his fingers swept down her belly, circling her navel then slipped between her legs to caress her clit.
Their
love-making
grew so intense that the rest of the world seemed to slip away. When Arlo came, they bucked and moved together as he pumped streams of hot semen into her, and Cosima threw her head back and let out such a lovely moan, that his cock, still inside her, grew hard again. He cradled her as he flipped her onto her back and drove himself into her. She cupped his face in her hands.
‘I love you so much,’ she
whispered,
and he pressed his lips to hers.
‘You are the love of my life,’ he said
simply,
and they continued on until dawn spread its fingers across the sky.
‘Good morning.’
Harpa opened her eyes and smiled at the gorgeous man who stood by the bed, a white towel around his hips. Mikah grinned down at her. ‘You should always be naked, you know that?’
Harpa laughed and rolled over onto her back, stretching luxuriously. ‘I think it might raise a few eyebrows at work, not to mention Health and Human Services.’
Mikah sat down next to her, running a hand down her side. ‘Are you kidding me? Your bookings would quadruple.’
She laughed then smiled shyly. ‘I had a great time last night.’
‘Me too, beautiful.’ He bent down to kiss her. ‘What are you doing today?’
‘I have to work this evening but for the rest of the day – ‘
‘Spend it with me. I’d like to take you to lunch then maybe we get to know each other better. Have you had a chance to really see the city since you got here?’
She pulled herself up into a sitting position. ‘Not really. I haven’t even been to the Space Needle.’
‘No way…’ Mikah pulled a face. ‘Dude, we need to go there first
and then
maybe a cruise around the Bay, maybe see some
Orca
.’ He stroked her face. ‘Harpa Bedi…where did you come from?’
She felt a pang; affection mixed with sadness. Soon she would have to tell
him
about her past, her constant protection, and the restrictions that she’d gotten used to. She wanted to be just a girl who met a boy for a little while longer.
‘You okay?’ Mikah shifted so he could pull her closer. She rested her head on his broad shoulder.
‘Absolutely, although I kind of feel I’m dreaming.’
She felt his laugh rumbling through his chest. God, he smelled of soap and fresh air. ‘Believe me,’ he said, ‘This is real.’
Later, as they left his flat, Harpa glanced quickly at the black sedan parked across the street and sighed inwardly. There was no getting away from who she was, the threat to her but
,
God
,
sometimes it made her feel caged and irritable. As Mikah opened his car door for her, she smiled up at him. It was strange, she felt so comfortable with him, her nerves of the previous evening gone. She thought back to what Cosima had told her about her decision to just go with it in the Maldives when she met Arlo…Harpa grinned to herself. At least she and Mikah had known each other’s real names.
‘Something funny?’ Mikah, easing the car into traffic, grinned at her.
‘I was just thinking about my sister.
She
met a guy this year when she was on vacation, had a fling then when she came home, he came looking for her. She told me the best decision she ever made was to just go for it.’
‘And so we did,’ Mikah nodded thoughtfully. ‘I’m looking forward to getting to know you better, Harpa Bedi.’
Harpa glanced in her side mirror; saw the black sedan behind them. ‘Be careful what you wish for,’ she half-smiled, ‘there’s more to me than meets the eye.’