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That night she had not slept, rising early in the morning and moving downstairs to make herself a cup of tea. Sitting by the window, her mind in turmoil, she almost convinced herself that she would not meet Darius - that she would leave the two women to stew in the trouble they had brought upon themselves, almost convincing herself that she could ride out the publicity as a small hand tugged at her arm.
“Aunty Sara” The sweet child’s voice made her drop her head to smile warmly down on her little nephew, pulling him in for a cuddle as she looked closely at his worried little face. “What is wrong sweetie?” she asked softly as he clambered up onto her knee, Sara smiling at how loving the four year old boy was.
“I’m scared...my mummy says she might be going away...like daddy”, his small face stared back with such intensity, Sara’s resolve leaving her as she hugged the child. As much as she wanted to turn her back on her selfish mother and sister she knew that she could never turn her back on the little boy on her lap, holding him tightly as she sighed with the inevitability of her decision. She knew that at twelve that day she would be once more at the suite of Darius Garelli. “No. No David...I promise that your mother is going to be staying with you”, feeling David’s mouth curl in a smile against her.
Sitting in his study, Darius worked at his computer, his eyes flicking constantly to the clock on his wall. As the hour drew closer to twelve, he felt his body tensing. He was sure that she would show, that she would agree to his terms, not certain why he cared which form his revenge took. Sighing, he frowned, pushing himself back into the softness of the chair, his mind once more returning to the kiss; his hand moved across his mouth groaning feeling his body’s awareness of the woman, chastising himself. She was a cold-hearted using bitch, but still the kiss had been mind-blowing. Darius knew that he wanted to experience everything about Sara Balfour.
As the clock read twelve the intercom beeped, a satisfied smile filling his handsome features. “Sir, Miss Balfour is here to see you” Pressing down the button, he bit out the command to tell her to wait, wanting to make her sweat as she had him, a smugness filling him. For fifteen minutes she waited in the living room of the suite, alone save for his kindly and efficient secretary who typed at a computer at one end of the room. As time slipped away the secretary with an apologetic smile offered her a drink, Sara politely refusing. As the minutes ticked by, she felt the anger growing within her, knowing that he was playing more mind games with her, determined to remain calm as the woman once more flashed her an apologetic smile, promising that she was sure he would be free soon.
As the command for her to join him finally came, Sara stood taking a deep breath. She felt the curious eyes of the secretary follow her, knowing what a strange figure she made dressed in her jeans and baggy t-shirt, her hair allowed to fall around her unmade face making her look even younger than her twenty-four years. Entering his office she saw as his eyes narrowed at the sight of her before a smile filled his handsome face, a loud laugh leaving him. Standing, he moved closer to her, his look taking in everything about her appearance.
“Wow... did we just time travel back to when you were eighteen Sara?” his mocking voice making her furrow her brow. She hoped that seeing her like this would change his mind, would make him back away from having her in his bed, her small shoulders shrugging softly. “This is the way I like to dress...deal with it”, her look challenging as he moved around her, another low throaty laugh leaving him, Sara hating the way he seemed to be deriving such amusement from her show of defiance.
“Well fortunately for you little Sara Balfour...I have seen how well you scrub up...so I am sure we can do something about your appearance” Sara felt the seething anger fill her, her eyes daggers of hatred as they glowered at him, Darius once more laughing. “So, I take it by your appearance here that you accept my terms”, his voice smug as she clamped her mouth shut tightly, her feet shuffling as she cleared her throat nervously.
“There must be another way Darius...I am seeing someone...somebody I might actually have a future with” He looked back at her, his look sharpening as he shrugged, “This man is your lover?” Sara’s flush and shocked expression making him smile softly, “So...you are not yet lovers then?” Sara spluttered, her voice full of mortification, “We have only been seeing each other for two weeks!” Darius gave another laugh. “And who is this saint-like man...a man who does not drag you straight to his bed after only one day?”
Fixing him with eyes which contained both embarrassment and anger she raised her small chin. “He is a doctor...and a good man...are you a good man Darius? There was a time that I thought you were” Her soft words hit him hard, his eyes losing the teasing light and becoming dark and dangerous. “Is that a fact little Miss Balfour? So good a man you fired me as a thief?”
The words hung over them as they stared at the other, his look cold, hers defiant, Darius finally moved closer to her. “Well the past is the past is it not Sara...but you have your future to worry about...and that of your family. So let me be very clear. The only offer on the table is the one which I made you yesterday. So what is it to be...you in my bed or your sister in prison?”
Sara dropped her look from his; her small shoulders slumped forward as she gave a defeated nod of her head. “You win ...but I have a proviso of my own”, her voice was soft as he raised an eyebrow. “Oh...such as?” Unaware as her fingers pulled at each other she lifted her chin once again. “I need a timeframe...I can’t live with ‘until I get bored with you’...I need a definite time scale”
Darius watched her for a few seconds, seeing an almost panicked expression in her eyes. “OK”, he finally replied, “I leave here to return to Italy in two weeks...so for the time I am here you will remain my companion. Although I still reserve the right to kick you out sooner if I want to”
To his surprise, rather than the anger he expected she seemed relieved, giving him a short nod, Darius wondering why the time had been so important to her. “While we are on the subject of provisos...I too have some”, Sara silently nodding as he moved even closer to her. “I expect complete obedience from you. If I tell you to be somewhere then you go there. If I tell you to go at a certain time then you are not late...understand?”
With a sardonic twist of her lips she gave a nod, her hand gesturing a salute to him. “Yes Sir” His lip twitched at her impudence. “Oh and one final and most important thing. I expect complete honesty. If I ask you something I expect both an answer and the complete truth from you” At this, she frowned, her look concerned, “You expect me to answer any personal questions you might have...to give up any and all secrets I have?” her tone disbelieving as he gave an arrogant return smile, his voice mocking.
“Of course when you put it like that that seems unfair...my apologies. I tell you what Sara. You can have one secret...one thing that you don’t have to tell me about...but only one”, his tone mocking as he stood dominantly over her. She frowned before raising her eyes, her head nodding seriously back, the smile leaving his lips as she spoke so quietly, “Done”
Darius now wished that he had not given her the one concession, for the first time feeling that he missed something very important. With a sigh and a calming breath Sara realised that the deal was struck and that she had promised to be the sex toy of a man she hardly knew, a man who thought the worst of her, for possibly the next two weeks, her stomach churning alarmingly.
“So...how does this work...do we strip off and have at it on your desk and then you can lock me up in my own little room somewhere till needed again?” She tried to keep her voice light, but the quiver could be heard by them both. His deep laugh sent strange shivers down her spine as he shook his head.
“You will stay with me for as long as I want you, and will accompany me to some engagements which I have coming up as my ‘companion’. In the meantime I am sure we can ensure that you are at least comfortable”, the words spoken with innuendo. Sara knew that he would take pleasure in parading her as his latest acquisition to the entire crowd whom her mother held in such high esteem. She however, cared little for their opinions of her, her reputation already tarnished by lies, a small self-deprecating curve of her lip formed as she thought, “What was one more?”
Turning, she caught him watching her intently, feeling as the small blush once more dusted her smooth cheeks. “I do think that we should make sure of one thing”, he said softly, before moving forward and cupping her cheeks in his hands, he dropped his mouth to kiss her. As the previous night, the moment his lips touched hers, she responded with a need that was both unfamiliar and shocking to her, her hands fanning softly by her side for a few seconds before finally resting gently on his hips, this smallest of touches causing him to jump slightly, his kiss deepening as he pulled her in even harder against his body.
As passion erupted between the two his arms wrapped around Sara, she unaware as she writhed against him, their tongues seeking and demanding the other. As his thumb gently ran along the tip of her nipple she felt the jolt of white searing heat shoot through her quivering body and pool low in her groin, a moan escaping her lips.
