Heat Vol. 5 (Heat: Master Chefs #5) Page 5

  His eyes darkened, but this time there was only hunger and no concern. He reached for the tie around his neck, unknotted it and slipped it off. Grasping my wrists, he pulled them behind my back and quickly bound them together.

  With a firm tug, he led me to the bed and pushed me, sending me face first in the pillows. He tore off my jeans, pulling them and my sandals off and tossing them aside, but when he saw the pale green thong, he slowed the pace. Running his fingers along the thin strap of fabric, he aroused me with the lightest touch.

  I wanted him. My whole body did. “Fuck me, Rial.”

  “Don’t rush me. I’ve been thinking of nothing else these past hours and now that I know you're okay, and I have you all to myself…” He bit the firm flesh of my ass and slowly peeled away my thong. “I want to savor it. I want to savor every single inch of you.” Running his tongue along my tingling skin, he groaned in hunger, and my own cry joined him, urging him on.

  But instead of relieving the aching need I had for him, he turned me onto my back, spread my legs apart and bound each ankle to the bedpost. Getting to his feet, he stood at the foot of the bed and looked at me, his eyes traveling over my body, lingering over my breasts, dipping into my waist and going down to the tips of my toes before riding back up to finally stop where my thighs met.

  With slow, unhurried moves, he removed his jacket and set it on the back of the chair then unbuttoned his shirt, slowly revealing his strong powerful chest. The white panels of his shirt hung loosely about his torso, giving me a glimpse, but not allowing me a full view of him.

  I licked my lips, eager to see all of him.

  His lips set in a smoldering grin, he kicked off his shoes and pulled off his trousers, briefs and shirt, then proceeded to set each article of clothing in a neatly folded pile on the dresser drawer.

  “Stop torturing me,” I said in a deep guttural growl.

  “The hungrier you are for me, the better it will be.” His large, hard shaft was just as ready and as hungry as I was. It stood erect and pulsated as he spoke. He crawled onto the bed and prowled up between my legs, his eyes steady and intent on my sex.

  I knew I was wet and ready for him, and I wondered if he could see just how wet I was.

  If he did, it didn’t change his pace. He took his time. Releasing one ankle from its tie, he brought my foot to his mouth and gently sucked on my toe. It tickled at first, but as he moved his warm mouth over my heel, up my ankle and onward to my knee, the tickling sensation subsided and a deep sense of arousal took over. His lips and tongue worked in perfect harmony, tugging and licking my skin in a way that was pure delight. Not only did my sex pulsate in anticipation, but my entire body.

  Licking my thigh, he sent his fingers up ahead to tease my sex, and when his lips finally caught up and settled on my clitoris, I couldn’t hold back. Almost instantly, he brought me to an outrageous orgasm that obliterated everything else in my mind. On and on, my orgasm pounded and throbbed while he maintained just the right amount of pressure.

  I thought I’d die.

  I cried out like an animal, assuaged and satisfied, but as the throbbing finally subsided, I realized I was not quite sated. I wanted more.

  After a few moments of reprieve, he worked his fingers over my clitoris again, slowly building up the next soft and delicious orgasm. As my sex throbbed in anticipation, he climbed up and slowly nudged his cock inside.

  “I love you, Lilly,” he said as he pushed all the way in. “I love you. I love you.” He stopped and grimaced, as he regained control. Letting out a long, slow hiss, he resumed with thunderous strokes that left me gasping.

  Reaching behind my back, he released my wrists, and I eagerly wrapped my arms around him, pulling him to me as my hips jolted up to meet him again and again, until his orgasm spilled the seed I was so hungry for.

  “I love you, Lilly,” he whispered as he fell over me.

  For a long moment, only the sound of our heavy breathing filled the air. Sweaty and satisfied, we held each other, as if breaking the embrace would tear us apart.

  “Does that give you a hint of just how much I missed you?” he said with a smile. He squeezed me tight. “I never want to let you go.”

  “And I never want to go.” I playfully ran my hand through his hair. “Despite everything that’s happened, we have so much to be thankful for, so many blessings, and I’m so grateful for all of it.”

  He nudged up onto his elbow and looked down at me. Clearing his throat, he ran a finger down between my breasts and back up to my chin. I’d never seen him so unsure and hesitant.

  “What is it, Rial?”

  “Well, speaking of blessing. I asked your father for his blessings… to marry you.”

  “But my father had already agreed to the engagement. Isn’t that what you told me?”

  “Yes, all those years ago, when you and I were both children. But, today… I wanted…” He got up and walked to the large dresser at the far end of the room. Reaching into the top drawer, he retrieved something… something small enough to fit in his hand. With solemn steps, he returned, but instead of getting back in, he knelt beside the bed.

  I sat up. “Rial, what are you…?”

  “Lilly, I want to make it official. I want to make it real. This is no longer an arrangement made by our parents. This is me, a man, asking you, a full grown woman, to be my wife. With all my heart, I want you, the most beautiful and precious person in my life, to marry me.”

  Chapter 7

  Speechless, I stared at him while he looked intently at me, waiting for an answer. I wanted to say yes, but the word wouldn’t come. It was lodged somewhere in my throat. Or was it in my heart? And why?

  A sudden knock at the door saved me from having to deal with the situation right then and there. I looked expectantly at Rial, but he ignored the knock at the door and continued to look at me.

  A second and more persistent knock was accompanied with a, “Sir?”

  “Now what?” Rial hissed. He leaned closer to me. “We’ll continue right after I deal with whatever it is that so urgently needs my attention.” Planting a quick, hard kiss on my lips, he got out of bed, threw on his slacks and headed to the door.

  After a quick glance back at me to assure I wasn’t overly exposed – I’d gathered up the sheets and had covered myself – he opened the door to find his butler there.

  “I’m in the middle of something. This better be important.”

  “It is, sir. You have visitors.”

  “Yes. Yes. I know that. Monsieur Cooke arrived well over an hour ago. He went down to have a look at the stables. If he returned, can you not tend to him in my absence?”

  “Sir…”

  “Hold on a minute. Did you say ‘visitors’? As in, more than one?”

  “Exactly, sir. The police have arrived and they wish to speak to Mademoiselle Lilly.”

  “Right. Tell them we’ll be right down.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Rial closed the door and looked at me. “You ready for this? I could ask them to come back tomorrow.”

  “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I want to get it over with.”

  “It’s going to be rough. You’ll have to explain everything that happened.”

  “I know, Rial, and I’m ready. Believe me. I can’t wait to tell them what those men did so they can go on to spend the rest of their lives in jail.”

  As I got out of bed, he came to me, his stride strong and purposeful. Cupping my cheeks, he pulled me in for a long, sweet kiss while his arms enveloped me. “You’re one hell of a woman, you know that?”

  Blushing, I smiled. “I’m starting to know it.”

  He reached for a lock of my hair as his gaze took me in, all of me. “You were a sex fiend just moments ago, and you now look like a woman whose wildest desires have been fulfilled, and to top it off, you're ready to face the difficult interview that is sure to come. You amaze me.”

  “I guess I sometimes amaze myself.” I shrugged. “But I ha
ve to do what I have to do. Then it’ll be over. We can move on.”

  “Right.” Biting his bottom lip, he looked hungrily at me. “You look so hot right now. Your hair disheveled and wild, you cheeks flushed with passion and your body glowing with desire. I want to start all over again and fuck you, but…” He grabbed my shoulders, turned me around and gave me a sound pat on the behind. “You need to shower, wipe the sex off your face and tame your hair. Then we’ll go down and take care of this.”

  I looked sidelong at the mirror beside the closet door. Indeed, I looked a mess; a wild and sex crazed mess. “I’ll be quick and join you in a few minutes.”

  While he headed out to meet with the police, I hurried into the bathroom and took a quick, cool shower. After drying off, I opted to pull my damp hair back into a tight ponytail instead of wasting time drying it out. Then came the question of what to wear.

  Rial had arranged to have almost all my clothes brought over, but I couldn’t think of anything from my wardrobe that would be appropriate.

  I wanted to look fresh and in charge, but I wanted something demure and simple. Mentally going over my every item in my wardrobe, I headed to my room and threw open my closet.

  Once again, Rial surprised me. In addition to the clothes he’d had brought from my place, he had filled the closet with an assortment of beautiful designer clothes for virtually every occasion. Elegant and feminine suits for business meetings, fanciful summer dresses for strolls in the park and sexy little numbers for our intimate dinners for two. At the far right were a series of cocktail dresses followed by a few full length gowns. In the back of it all was a wall of shoes; spike heels, peep toes, sling backs, flip flops, sneakers, ankle boots… and on and on.

  “Rial,” I whispered. “There’s too much to choose from. I don’t know where to start.”

  Despite that moment of protest, I started on the left side of the closet, flicking one hanger after the other. Among the summer dresses were a few simple classic sheaths and I chose the deep green one. It hugged my curves without clinging to them. The effect was perfect.

  “You know your stuff, Rial.”

  I headed back to the racks of shoes and spotted a pair of delicate golden slippers. “Great.” Pulling them off the rack, something on the shelf off to the left caught my eye.

  Beside a pair of white satin pumps were a series of brochures; China, Japan, Egypt, and set on the floor below them were three Louis Vuitton suitcases. “Looks like you’ve already got the honeymoon in order.” I fingered the handle of the larger suitcase. A trip around the world would certainly be nice. Already I could just imagine the flavors and scents the world had to offer. It would be the perfect blend of business and pleasure; making love to Rial every night and hunting for special herbs and spices during the day.

  Engulfed with a sense of warmth and love, I picked up the brochure for Tahiti. It certainly was beautiful… the kind of place people dream about… white sand, clear blue water and endless sun.

  “Oh, Rial,” I said in a quiet hush. “It all looks so perfect… so heavenly. How can I refuse your proposal?” But then Bobby’s smiling face came to me, and I knew why I hadn’t immediately accepted Rial’s proposal.

  With a grunt of displeasure, I shook the images of Bobby out of my head and pulled the golden slippers on before heading out to meet the police.

  As I approached the sitting room, I could hear them talking softly among themselves. I stopped just short of the threshold and took a deep breath.

  “Hello, everyone,” I said as I entered the large room. “Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

  A man and a woman in uniform sat in the twin Louis XVI chairs that faced the long white sofa where Rial and my father sat. Before taking a seat between them, I gave my father a quick kiss, happy to see he would be there as I gave my statement. Rial gave me an affectionate and reassuring pat on the knee as I sat down.

  “Not at all,” the woman said with a grin. In her early thirties, she was thin, but with a strong athletic build, and shoulder length black hair that bounced as she spoke. “We’ve been enjoying your great culinary talent.”

  I looked at the spread on the coffee table and on the dessert tray set off to the side. Jars upon jars of jams and preserves I’d concocted were set out for everyone to enjoy.

  “This one is my favorite,” she went on. “Confit d’oignon.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” To look at the sitting room, one would have thought we were receiving royalty instead of the police.

  “You are a very talented young woman,” she said in a jagged English. “I can’t even begin to imagine how you came to formulate all these.”

  “Merci. It’s a lot of trial and error.”

  “Mademoiselle Cooke,” the man said as he got to his feet. Standing just barely taller than I, he seemed agitated and nervous for a moment, then he cleared his throat and was clearly in charge. “I’m Detective Daniel Fortier and this is Lieutenant Darlene Robier. How are you feeling this afternoon?”

  “All things considered, very well, thank you.”

  “What an atrocious ordeal you went through,” Darlene said. “And you're such a dainty and sweet looking young woman.” She reached out for a pastry filled with a cranberry and pecan concoction I’d just recently put to market. Taking a huge bite, she chewed while giving me a thumbs up of approval. “Delicious, but they are so expensive. I can never afford these on my salary.”

  “Then, by all means, take a few jars with you when you leave,” I offered.

  “Perhaps, we should get to the matter at hand,” Detective Fortier said.

  “Yes,” Rial said. “I’d like to get this over with as quickly as possible. I’m eager to see Lilly move on with her life.”

  “Your father was just telling us about a similar ordeal you went through as a girl,” Darlene said.

  “Yes, it was quite difficult. Traumatic, you could say.”

  “You seem to be holding up well this time,” Daniel said.

  I looked to my father and reached for his hand, then looked to Rial. “As I’ve told Rial, I refuse to allow those men to ruin my life again.”

  “That’s very admirable,” Darlene said as she finished off the pastry and glanced at the tray, contemplating another. “People of your status… from such an aristocratic family… it’s insane that such a thing should happen. N’est pas?”

  “Indeed,” Rial said.

  Detective Daniel looked down at his notes. “We already know that you were snatched from Monsieur Errol King’s restaurant, right in front of dozens of patrons. Could you tell us what happened once they took you out of the restaurant?”

  For the next twenty minutes I told them, in as much detail as I could remember, every little thing that had happened.

  “If I may say,” Daniel said, “you are a very attractive young lady.”

  Rial immediately snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Did any of those men try to take advantage of… the situation?”

  Rial’s arm tensed. We hadn’t discussed that possibility and I could sense his fear as he awaited my answer.

  “No. None of them touched me.”

  “Are you sure? I know this may be difficult to discuss. Perhaps you would rather talk this out with Darlene, in private.”

  The young lieutenant smiled. “That’s what I’m here for.”

  “No, really. There’s nothing to say. I mean, one of them might have insinuated and…” A chill ran over me as I found myself once again sandwiched between Horace and Constantine in the limo. “One of them put his hand on my knee.”

  “Only your knee? Nothing more?” Darlene said with gentle understanding.

  “He did try to go a little higher, but the older man told him to stop.”

  “Godfrey?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who touched you?”

  “My eyes were bound at that time, but I’m sure it was the man named Constantine. He
was the one making crude remarks. And I believe Godfrey mentioned his name when he reprimanded him.”

  “You poor thing,” Darlene said. “For one to come out of the convent for so many years and have to go through something like this. I will tell you, Mademoiselle Cooke. I will do everything within my power to make sure these men spend a good long time in jail.”

  “I hope they will.”

  “You were in a convent?” Detective Daniel said.

  “Yes, Detective…”

  “Please, you can call me Daniel.”

  “Daniel, I was at Sainte Anne’s for a number of years. I even considered becoming a nun.” I smiled at them all, hoping to erase the look of pity that seemed to cling to their faces. “Those years made me strong and prepared me for the trials and heartache of life… probably much more than I had ever thought. I guess I have a different perspective on life than most people, and I think it’s that perspective that got me through this. I was able to overcome the fear.” I looked to my father. “Much more than I was capable of doing back then. You see, bringing me to that convent was a good thing after all. It taught me how to draw on my inner strength.”

  He gave me an affectionate squeeze.

  “They’ve attempted to blame you for the whole fiasco,” Daniel said. “They say you brought it on yourself, but it’s clear they’re fighting a losing battle. They won’t be able to talk their way out of this one.”

  “And we’ll also be looking into those embezzlement charges, Monsieur Cooke,” Darlene said. “It might be of little consolation, but these men were very good at what they did, and you weren’t their first victim.”

  “You mean, they’ve done this type of thing before?” I said.

  She turned to me. “The men who kidnapped you are only a small part of a very large criminal ring. That ring has been running operations in France for over fifteen years now, but they're also very strong in certain parts of Asia, like Hong Kong, China, and a strain is branching out in the United States.”