Enthrall Him (Enthrall Sessions Book 3) (30 page)

Cameron frowned over at him then his attention fell back on me.

Thankfully the kitchen counter prevented anyone else getting a peek as I lifted my dress above my waist.

Cameron blinked at me, his gaze sweeping from my eyes and down between my thighs.

I dropped my dress back down.

Grazing my bottom lip with my teeth, I tried to fight off this burn of embarrassment.

“Let me take a wild guess,” whispered Cameron. “Richard?”

Cameron’s shoes were shiny. I wondered if he’d polished them himself. They looked expensive.

But of course they are, you idiot
.

Cameron whispered, “You okay, Mia?”

“Yes.”  

He leaned into my ear. “You didn’t need to remind me what you look like, sweetheart. It’s easy to remember. The feel of your clit against my tongue, your taste, the way you tremble against my mouth when I make you come.” He lifted my chin to look into my eyes. “Do you remember what that feels like?”

I tranced out.

“How my cock feels when it’s buried deep inside you? Remember that? How your body shudders with each thrust?”

I grabbed the edge of the counter, my head yearning to rest against his chest but stopping short.

When my eyes found Cameron’s again, he was glaring at Richard.

“Put the wine glasses on the table please, Mia.” Cameron pointed to a cupboard. “They’re in there.”

He rounded the bar and headed over towards Richard.

Cameron took the remote from him and pushed a couple of buttons and Christmas music replaced Adele. Cameron whispered into Richard’s ear.

I collected the glasses from the cupboard and finished setting the table, placing a glass beside each place setting. I went on to place a Christmas cracker by each one too.

My blush didn’t make any sense. Cameron had seen me down there so many times before. I put it down to other people being in the room. Even if they hadn’t seen anything.

From across the room, Stephen’s focus was locked on me.

“Won’t be long now,” I told him. “It’s going to be delicious.”

He wandered over to me and faced the table. “So, seating plan?”

“Um, not sure. It’s all very informal.”

“Save yourself, Mia,” said Stephen softly. “Only then can you save them.”

“Excuse me?”

“Can I have a word please, Mia?” said Richard. “We’ll be right back,” he told Stephen.

I looked back at Stephen and he gave me a knowing a look.

Following Richard out of the sitting room, past the kitchen, and down the hallway, I hoped he’d keep the drama at bay.

He took my hands in his. “Apparently, I owe you an apology.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“I’ve been a bastard to you since I arrived and I want you to know this isn’t me. It’s not who I am. When Lance sent me those photos—”

“We don’t have to do this now.”

“No, we do. When I auctioned you off, it blew my mind Lance would betray us like that. It’s like he has a personal vendetta against me or Cameron or both of us.” Richard ran his fingers through his hair. “And you and I are both trying to piece our lives together. I’m still reeling from my past and so are you. But we can make it, babe. I know we can. We just have to trust each other. Be honest with each other.”

“I agree.”

“Let’s have a great evening. Let me spoil you. Let’s savor every second of being in London.”

“I love that idea.”

“So we’re all good?”  

I reached up and caressed his face. “We are.”

He hesitated as though not quite convinced. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“Please, don’t flaunt me in front of Cameron like that.”

“It kind of backfired.” He shrugged. “Despite everything you say, I still have some reservations about how far I can push you.”

“Push me,” I said. “Take me as far as you believe I deserve to go.”

“God you’re breathtaking.” He pulled me into a hug. “If the others weren’t here, I’d be fucking you up against the wall right now.”

I took his hand and tugged it. “We have crackers.”

He threw his head back in a laugh.

Together, we returned to the sitting room.

We joined the others and were soon dining on roasted rosemary chicken with gravy, roast potatoes, carrots, cauliflower cheese, as well as Yorkshire pudding.

The meal was delicious and everyone stared in amazement as I scooped more  potatoes onto my plate. They were crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. The Yorkshire puddings tasted like a slice of heaven.

I’d never eaten anything like this. Cameron was a talented chef.

His and Stephen’s conversation went over my head a few times, but now and again I caught the gist of what they were saying. I savored sitting with these four interesting men, all of them different, yet their common denominator was how smart they all were.

Glasses clinked, knives and forks struck plates, and laughter roared from everyone as Stephen retold his coming out story.

“I was eighteen and shagging my boyfriend inside the closet,” he said. “We fell out right in front of my roommate.” Stephen laughed. “It was a coming out to remember.”

He really was adorable.

“It’s a good thing Mia’s open minded,” he said. “It’s also good we have our yin to balance out our yang.”

“I’ll say,” whispered Cameron.

“Did you know Monopoly was invented by a woman?” said Stephen. “Elizabeth Magie.”

“In 1904,” said Cameron with a nod. “And solar heating was also invented by a woman.”

“What about the fire escape?” said Richard. “That was invented by a woman too.”

“Makes sense,” said Shay. “She was probably thinking how she was going to escape the room if her husband walked in and caught her with her lover.”

We all laughed at that.

“Let’s make a toast to the divine feminine,” said Stephen, pushing his chair back to stand. He raised his glass. “The divine female is bold, she is righteous, and she is brave.”

“Here, here,” said Cameron, raising his glass and taking a sip. “To the sacred feminine.”

Blinking up in awe, blushing wildly, I felt Richard’s hand rest on mine.

“To Mia,” said Richard, raising his glass too.

Shay pushed himself to his feet and threw his drink back.

“Medical syringe,” said Cameron. “Letitia Geer.”

“This one will surprise you,” said Shay. “A woman also invented beer.” “Really?’I said.

“I think Mia would make a fine doctor,” said Shay. “What do you think Stephen?”

“Absolutely,” agreed Stephen.

“You have to be smart to be a doctor,” I said.

“You’re smart,” said Cameron.

I frowned at him.

“Leave her alone,” said Richard. “Mia wants to be a fashion designer.”

“Really?” said Stephen. “Why is that?”

“I like fashion,” I said.

Richard piped up. “Let’s not expose her to the horrors of science.”

An argument ensued, with Shay, Richard, and Cameron discussing the pros and cons of working in fashion compared to medicine. With their voices raised and the tone turning dark, I sank in my seat.

Stephen leaned over to me, offering one of those Christmas crackers. “Hold that end and pull.”

I clutched the ruffled paper edge of the cracker, trying to ignore Richard raising his voice at Cameron.

Stephen grabbed the other end and pulled.

CRACK!

“Fucking hell!” I yelled. “You made me buy bombs.”

Laughter roared from them, and after recovering from the mild explosion, the smell of gunpowder up my nostrils and my heart stuck in my throat, I collapsed into giggles.  

Stephen was crying with laugher.

The conversation was now less frazzled.

Stephen regaled us with tales of his time at Harvard and even went on to tell us about his first impressions of meeting Cameron. He’d seen something special in his student even then.  

I leaned forward, mesmerized.

Cameron told Stephen to change the subject.

But it was Richard who did, saying, “Will you please excuse us? It’s double-decker time.” He beamed at me.

“But I made apple crumble,” I said.

“We can have some later.”

“You can’t leave now,” said Shay.

Richard looked incredulous. “What do you mean I can’t?”  

“Sorry,” said Shay. “What I meant was I’ve called off my security team. They’re probably half wasted by now. And I’ve been drinking too.”

“We’ll be fine,” said Richard.

“Go first thing tomorrow,” said Cameron. “Let’s just—”

“I really need some alone time with my girlfriend.”

Stephen sat back, his eyes bouncing from one person to the next.

“Shay, go make a call,” said Cameron. “See if any of your men are available.”

“It’s Christmas eve” said Shay.

“I’ll pay them double time,” said Cameron.

“Please don’t make this some huge inconvenience,” said Richard. “You’ve spent the last two days touring London with
my
girlfriend. How come when I get here I’m a prisoner in my own house?”

“Make the call,” said Cameron.

Shay pushed himself away from the table and headed off.

“What’s the fascination with riding on a double-decker, Mia?” asked Stephen.

“Oh, it’s something I’ve wanted to do ever since I learned about London,” I said. “Do you think we can go on an open roof one?”

“Sure,” said Richard. “At least Cameron left me one thing to do with you.”

Cameron rolled his eyes.

Shay reappeared. “I have one man. The rest are willing to cover but can’t drive.”

“That’s all we need,” said Richard. “For goodness sake, what do you really think Lance is going to do?” He looked over at Stephen. “Seriously?”

“These are unusual circumstances,” said Stephen. “Any idea on Lance’s motive?”

“He’s an arrogant bastard,” said Richard.

“There is something,” said Cameron thoughtfully. “But I’m not one hundred percent sure.”

“His daughter?” said Richard.

Cameron waved it off. “We’re moving into HIPAA territory.”

I leaned forward. “What does that mean?”

“Patient privacy,” said Stephen.

“You treated his daughter?” I said. “Arabella?”

“More wine anyone?” offered Cameron. “Richard, are you sure you don’t want to stay with us for some of Ms. Lauren’s famous apple crumble?”

“No thank you. Mia, grab your coat. We’re going out.”

It was too fricken cold to go out without underwear on.  

After giving Cameron, Stephen, and Shay a big hug to thank them for dinner, I ran upstairs to change.

CHAPTER 24

LONDON APPEARED ETHEREAL.

Sitting beside Richard on the right side of the double-decker bus, I couldn’t pull back on this grin.

Cameron had purposefully saved this for when Richard could take me, and I knew he’d done it so as not to steal Richard’s thunder.

We’d waited an extra twenty minutes for an open top bus, cuddling outside Waterloo Station were the Rolls Ghost had dropped us off. We’d clambered on and found front row seats at the top.

The bus had taken off into the night and I was glad for the heat at our feet keeping us warm. Somewhere out there was one of Shay’s men watching over us. I felt a little guilty we were making him work.  

Richard took his phone out and held it up. “Selfie time.”

We crushed our faces together and I beamed into the camera. Two more photos later and he’d captured the one he liked.

“Send it to me,” I said.

He pulled me into a hug, his fingers twisting and sweeping down my hair, soothing me. I wrapped my arms around his waist.

“I missed you,” he muttered.

“Missed you too,” I said, staring into his ocean blue eyes.

“You’re missing the view.”

“View’s perfect.”

Richard melted into a smile. “I’m going to be a better boyfriend. I promise.”

“And I’m going to be everything you need.”  

“You already are.”

Richard pointed to this landmark and that, sharing what he knew about each one and I listened intently to him as he explained the lesser known facts of London. I learned that the Metropolitan Police, whose headquarters were based at Scotland Yard, started off with no power to investigate crimes. They merely had to arrest the public if caught in the act, which I found strange. Beneath the Guildhall lay the ruins of a Roman Amphitheatre. He went on to tell me that behind St. Pancras Station, right in the heart of London, was a two acre wild green area sitting on the banks of Regent’s Canal.