“I want you to see it in my eyes when I say that I am so willing to try, and so happy that you are too.” He kissed my hair. “And I want you to pick a word. Something you can say to me if you need to leave because you’re scared or if I do something you don’t want to happen.” He held my face to his. “You just say the word and I’ll stop, or I’ll take you home. Just please don’t ever walk out like that again.”
“Like a safe word?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes. Exactly like that. I need you to trust me. I need that, Brynne. But I need to trust you too. I can’t—I don’t want to feel like that again. When you left me that night—” He swallowed hard. I saw the movement of his throat pulsing and knew this was something important to him. “—I don’t want to feel how I felt when you were gone.”
“I’m sorry I left you like I did. I was overwhelmed by you. You overwhelm me, Ethan. You need to know that because it is the truth.”
He pressed his lips to my forehead and spoke. “Okay, but just tell me when. Say your word, whatever and I’ll back off. Just don’t leave me like that again.”
“Waterloo.”
He looked at me and smiled. “Waterloo is your safe word?”
I nodded. “That’s it.” I looked over at the food set out on the table for our lunch and inhaled. Chinese from what Elaina had said, my nose agreeing. “Are you going to feed me or what? I thought I was getting lunch out of this deal.” I poked him in the chest. “A girl needs more than just an orgasm you know.”
Ethan threw his head back and laughed and delivered a firm smack to my ass. “Off you go then. Let’s get you fed, my beautiful American girl. We have to keep you in top form. I have big plans for you tonight.”
He flashed me a wicked wink. I knew I was lost.
10
My phone rang as I packed my overnight bag. I saw who was calling and looked at the clock. Ethan had said he would be here by seven to pick me up. It was quarter to right now. “Are you having second thoughts and crying off for our sleepover tonight, Ethan?”
He laughed. “No chance of that, and I hope you have your bag ready, baby.”
“So why aren’t you here to whisk me away?”
“Yes, well I had to send a car to collect you. Some business related emergency pain in my ass. I’m so sorry. The driver’s name is Neil and he works for me. He’ll get you into my apartment and I want you to just make yourself at home until I get there. Will you do that for me, my darling?”
“I guess so.” My mind was spinning with the implications of me on my own in his house. I wasn’t really scared, but the idea did not thrill me either. “Are you sure, Ethan? I mean—we can do this another night if you’re busy—”
“—I’m sleeping with you tonight, Brynne. In my bed. End of discussion.”
“Oh boy.” I smiled into the phone. “Can I start dinner for you then? Is there food in the house or should I have your driver stop at the supermarket?”
“No need to stop. There’s food and even some things in the freezer. My housekeeper cooks meals and freezes them. You choose whatever you like—excuse me.” I heard muffled voices and Ethan speaking to someone. “I have to go, baby. I’ll see you as soon as I can get there.”
I said goodbye, but he was already off. I stared at my phone for a moment before setting it down, lost in the surreal, and feeling like Alice in Wonderland again. My life seemed to be careening in fast-forward with me unable to switch modes. I’d gone from single girl to girlfriend in just over a week with no sign of a slow-down. At all.
My phone lit up again with no screen ID on display. “Hello?” I answered.
“Ma’am, my name is Neil McManus. Mr. Blackstone instructed me to pick you up. There’s a black Rover waiting down at the curb for you now.” The smooth English accent formed the words efficiently.
Neil. I remembered what Ethan had said about the driver. “Sure. Be right down.” I slung my bag over my shoulder and made it out to the street at a quick clip. The car that waited looked exactly like Ethan’s Range Rover, but I skidded to a halt when I got a load of Neil-the-driver; huge, muscular, bleached blonde, spiked-haired with very dark eyes.
“You!” I said, completely shocked. It was the guy with the Jimi Hendrix tat from today.
“Yes, ma’am.” He held open the passenger door for me, his expression giving away nothing.
“You were following me around today!” It was no question as I am sure Neil realized. I dropped my bag to the ground, folded my arms beneath my br**sts and went for a Mexican stand-off instead. “Give me one good reason why I should get in that car with you, Neil.”
Neil smiled briefly and looked down to my bag on the sidewalk. “I work for Mr. Blackstone?”
I gave Neil my best stone face.
He tried again. “He will fire my ass if I don’t get you delivered to his apartment per his instructions?” He looked back up at me, his black eyes sincere. “I very much like my job, ma’am.”
My head started spinning with more wild thoughts of what I was doing, what Ethan was up to, how many people were involved in my business, and my list could have gone on and on. Man, oh man, did we need to have a discussion or what! Still, it wasn’t fair to take out my frustrations on Neil, who for all appearances was just doing his job.
“Fair enough, Neil.” I picked up my bag and got in the back seat. “But the deal’s off if you keep calling me ma’am, got it? My name is Brynne. And if Mr. Blackstone doesn’t like it you can tell him that he can kiss my informal Yankee ass. He should know that American girls despise being called ma’am!”
Neil tilted his head at me and cracked a grin as he shut my door.
He started driving as I seethed in the back seat. The silence just irritated me so I figured I might as well get it all out in the open. “So Ethan hired you to stalk me around London, huh?”
“Protection, ma’am…ahhh…Brynne. Not stalking you,” Neil answered.
“Protection from what?” I demanded. “Are you watching when I go for my runs in the mornings too?”
Neil looked up at me through the rearview mirror. “The city can be a dangerous place.” His eyes went back to the road. It had started to rain and the buzz of the windshield wipers dragged rhythmically back and forth. “He’s just very watchful is all,” Neil said quietly.