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“I would’ve preferred the photo showing your pretty face.” He stroked my cheek and ran his finger over my lips. “I love seeing you when you come. These lips open and your eyes go all dreamy. You’re seriously beautiful, Manon.”
We locked eyes again, and I wished I could pause time so that moment remained forever.
He touched his thigh. “Here, come and sit on me.”
I lowered myself slowly over his dick and groaned all the way as the delicious stretch made my eyes roll to the back of my head.
Chapter 16
Drake
CarolineLovechilderemindedmeof Nigella Lawson, only she didn’t look like she was about to orgasm over a chocolate chip pancake. If anything, the head of the Lovechildes rarely smiled, only when she was with her boyfriend. Her lack of warmth didn’t worry me, however. What worried me more was why I’d been summoned.
My attention turned to paintings of horses, the sea, and landscapes that filled the yellow walls, then onto the many shelves of antique books. I might have been in a library or on the set of one of those murder mysteries my mother loved to watch, often set in mansions like Merivale.
Wearing a red fitted dress, she stood by the window that looked out at the sea, and on seeing me, she turned and nodded a greeting. I could see the similarity to Manon, giving me a glimpse of how Manon would look in thirty years.
Would I be around that long?
With Manon, it was anyone’s guess.
When she’d uttered those words of love, a mixture of fear and happiness had seeped through me. She’d given off a vibe of something else too. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but she’d seemed jumpy, and after I’d kissed her goodbye, she’d given me a strange look, like she had been trying to tell me something.
That could have been just Manon. She’d lived a complicated life. One that I was only just getting my head around. Her cutting herself had left me speechless. I’d heard about self-harming, but I’d never seen it firsthand. If anything, it had brought us closer, because I wanted to help her—to make it all go away by being there for her.
As I looked around that room filled with so much that one could never see everything, I tried imagining myself in that world. Manon had told me that, one day, she hoped to run Merivale and step into those very high shoes of her grandmother.
I loved how Manon’s cheeks fired up whenever she got excited about something, and I admired that she was striving for a better life, even if she was—in my unspoken, humble opinion—reaching for the stars.
My only aspiration in life was to stay out of trouble, make sure my mother was happy, and one day, have a family of my own. Simple stuff. As far as careers, I was still a work in progress.
Declan entered and kissed his mother before patting me on the arm.
“How was Spain?” I asked.
“Great. Too short. But I had to return for the party this coming weekend.” He looked at his mother.
“It’s important for Manon that family attend,” Caroline said.
A knock came at the door, and when Caroline saw it was Cary, her face brightened.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but there’s a parcel that requires your signature.”
She held up her finger for us to wait, then she joined her boyfriend, and he placed his arm around her. Even in their day-to-day life, the two looked seriously loved up.
After I embarked on some small talk with Declan, who spoke about the joys of flying and his new plane, Caroline returned.
She sat at her large desk and played with a gold pen. “I called you here to discuss the casino shooting.”
I looked at Declan, who returned an apologetic smile.
“It won’t get back to Crisp. Don’t worry,” he said.
“I know he paid for your silence. You did the right thing telling Declan. This will not go past this room,” she said.
The breath trapped in my lungs finally released.
“Tell me, have you seen this man?”
