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Rex stared down at his cock being sheathed and unsheathed by her cunt and he decided to wait a moment and enjoy the view before he argued the point. She was milking him hard and fast, and even while his body readied to let rip inside her—to flatten her to the floor and fuck her senseless—he knew without a doubt that a month of Carmen Shelby would never be enough.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“WELL, I WASN’T expecting to see you in this early today.” Estelle Black, the managing director of Objet d’Art, stopped to take a good look at Carmen as she arrived in the offices on Monday morning. Estelle had her coffee cup in her hand and appeared to be going to the kitchen for her first caffeine shot of the day.
Carmen’s heels clicked as she walked down the corridor to join Estelle. She glanced into the open office doorways as she passed, waving in greeting when she caught anyone’s eye.
“Came back last night, as planned.” Carmen smiled. “I gave you my word. I’m determined these property negotiations aren’t going to interrupt my day-to-day working schedule.”
Estelle looked at her thoughtfully. “We can manage. This is an important family obligation you’re dealing with. The world won’t fall apart if you take some time away from the business.”
“I know that.” Carmen knew what she was thinking. Estelle had been the managing director of Objet d’Art for many years, and had worked with Carmen’s mother before her. She was always nagging Carmen to take some time off and have a proper holiday. When Charles Carruthers passed on and his will presented an issue that had to be dealt with, Estelle had once again suggested Carmen take time away. They were dear friends as well as close business associates. In many ways, the employees at Objet d’Art HQ were Carmen’s family now.
Estelle stepped closer and scrutinized Carmen, smiling as she did so. “I must say, the country air seems to have done you good. You have quite the healthy glow about you.”
Carmen’s thoughts immediately flitted to Rex. It wasn’t just the country air. She’d just had the most stimulating weekend of her life, at Rex’s hands. “The Oxfordshire countryside is very good for a girl’s complexion, as you’ll soon see. Once I get the house in shape you’ll have to make plans to visit.”
“Sounds heavenly.”
“Bring the kids, they’ll love it.” It was what Carmen wanted most of all, Burlington Manor filled with visitors and happiness.
Estelle pouted. “Can’t I leave them at home?”
Carmen chuckled. “Believe me, if you bring them with you they’ll have so much to explore you won’t even know they’re there.”
“It’s a deal, then.” Estelle nodded at her coffee cup. “Give me a mo. I’ll bring you your espresso.”
“Thanks.” Carmen headed into her office.
Was it really only a couple of days ago that she was last here? It felt as if so much more time had passed. She deposited her personal belongings on the table inside the door and strode over to the desk. Before she sat down, she glanced out at the view, as she always did. The offices were in a busy part of Kensington, in an old Georgian building that had been divided up to create practical commercial offices in the 1980s. Sylvia Shelby had invested in the building and the company now owned all of it, occupying one-third and renting out the rest of the space. The interior had been remodeled twice since then, and had a much lighter, airy feel than Carmen’s first memories of the place, when she was brought in here as a child to see Mummy’s office.
It was a very different type of Georgian building to Burlington Manor but the similarity always struck her, poignantly. It was the reason Sylvia Shelby and Charles Carruthers had met, their appreciation for Georgian architecture. Sylvia had gone to a lecture at Oxford University. Charles had been there to talk about Burlington Manor. At the coffee session afterward, they chatted. Charles had invited her to visit the manor and their shared interests had become the foundation of a beautiful relationship.
Now Carmen was dividing her time between the two places, so similar yet so different. Like Rex and me. The notion made her smile. There had been familiarity, but there had also been so much to learn. They’d both changed in between, and there were aspects of each other that they never knew about. So much more to discover, perhaps.
Despite the fact they were sleeping together, she felt as if they were scratching the surface. They were definitely at odds, and keeping each other at arm’s length while they negotiated. Did I really sleep with him for Burlington Manor? On the one hand, it was an inconceivable method of doing business. She considered herself morally upstanding in such matters. On the other hand, he was right. They had to burn out the attraction they felt for each other all those years ago, that which had been left unfulfilled for so long.
It certainly wasn’t unfulfilled now.
Carmen had begun to face the fact that the nature of the exchange was thrilling her. Aside from the sexual fulfillment, and the end reward—the manor itself—she felt empowered. Gloriously female, somehow. It never would have occurred to her that offering herself, and exploring her sexuality under such circumstances, would make her feel enriched, but it had. She felt more powerful, more feminine and more aware of herself in every way.
Was that what Estelle had noticed?
Do I have a healthy glow? Carmen stepped into her adjacent bathroom and checked her reflection. Well, it wasn’t every weekend she spent at the hands of a sexual master, and Rex Carruthers had totally proved himself in that department. As she allowed herself to linger on the pictures of him she’d already stored in memory, the week ahead suddenly stretched endlessly like a barren wasteland. Her body already ticked faster in anticipation of Friday night and their next encounter. It was going to be hard to keep her mind off it, but she had to be practical. This was her life, and the arrangement with Rex was short-term.
She had to keep a handle on that because once he was satisfied he’d be gone in a heartbeat. Like he had all those years ago when he’d got bored with the manor and everything it entailed. For a while there, she felt sure he was beginning to bond with the place again. When they had walked the grounds, she’d noticed him looking around with fondness. His lineage was perhaps making him feel a tad guilty. By the end of the weekend, however, he only seemed concerned with her and their ongoing arrangement.
“Friday night,” he’d repeated as they said their goodbyes, and it had sounded like a promise, “we’ll pick up where we left off.”
“Twenty-five percent deposit exchanged,” she’d said, trying to match up to his cocky attitude. “Three more weekends and the manor is mine.” She reiterated the terms to see if he reacted.
“Three more weekends,” he repeated, looking her over as if he was anticipating everything that might occur between them. “I look forward to it.”
He stood by as she got into her taxi, and then he climbed into his Maserati Gran Turismo, ready to depart. The Maserati had overtaken her taxi a while later. The fact he hadn’t lingered at the manor after she’d gone reassured her that this was just a diversion for him and he had no long-standing doubts about selling to her.
The erotic nature of their relationship was the biggest surprise. She’d always known he would be a good lover, but the kinky dynamic that had developed between them was something she’d never experienced. It was a sexual nirvana that would be hard to forget, after the affair was over. Then again, she’d never forgotten him all these years, anyway.
Had she always had an obsession? If she was honest with herself, yes. But he was right that this was what they needed, to burn that old flame out. For Rex it was simply a game, and he would walk away. She just had to stay focused on the fact it was a trade-off for the house. She would remain emotionally safe, if she stuck to the plan.
