Enthrall Him (Enthrall Sessions Book 3) (45 page)

Another angel hid behind a tree, watching this horrifying ordeal unfold. She too was naked and hugging a tree, as though it alone could save her. A while back, Cameron had told me the artist who’d painted it had been persecuted because this was the work of a woman. A travesty during the time when misogynists ruled the land.

Yet Cameron loved this painting. He’d admired the artist’s skill. To him, this painting represented a woman’s fear of losing her virginity. As though it reflected her worth, lessened with the loss of innocence, yet as Cameron had so succinctly stated, it was worldly women who were most likely to influence society for the better.

Cameron had taught me to read art. And people too. So it was no wonder I could now read him.

My thoughts ran back to London and that playroom, and I remembered the day Richard had turned up to claim me.

In that room had come Cameron’s dark monologue about why we couldn’t be together. It wasn’t that he didn’t want me, but rather his actions had set in motion my relationship with a man who did. That us being together was impossible. That Richard had been through too much.  

I’d accepted my fate, but in doing so I now had to endure Cameron’s heartbreak. Richard really did need me, even if he made strange decisions like taking Hope to that charity event.

There was only one way to deal with this.

Tell Cameron I had no feelings for him and let him move on. Just minutes ago, I’d read distress in his eyes. I couldn’t live with myself knowing he was destined to roam these endless hallways alone.

I nudged open the door and went back in.

Jasmine sat tucked against the wall and she was quite happily watching Shay and Cameron chat across the room, as though being in their presence was all she needed.

Cameron threw me a wary glance as he pulled on his gloves. Shay was whispering something to him and it was impossible to hear it from here.

I strolled closer, head high, ready to say my bit.

Cameron pulled down his mask to cover his face, as did Shay, and I was left standing there feeling awkward.

Shay turned his body in a fencing pose. “You might want to step back, Mia.”

“Just need a word with Cameron.” I folded my arms. “Master Cole.” The words rolled off my lips with sarcasm.

“I believe there’s nothing more to say,” came Cameron’s muffled reply.

“I never loved you,” I said. “Just so we’re clear.”

Cameron’s sword dropped to his side.

The squeak of a shoe came as Shay repositioned his pose.

Cameron, I didn’t mean it.

I’ve always loved you.

From the moment I laid eyes on you in Enthrall, and every second of every minute of every hour of every day, I think of you. You are everything to me and I can’t imagine life without you.

But I couldn’t say it.

Couldn’t take back my words.

“On guard,” shouted Cameron, as he turned towards Shay and lunged at him powerfully, his saber striking Shay’s chest and bending.

I stepped back, full of regret.

Jasmine waved me over.

Realizing I’d missed my chance, I knew there was nothing to do but wait. I needed to tell Cameron that dismissing me like that had addled my brain, bruised my heart, and sent me reeling.

Reeling still, I lowered myself to the ground and sat beside Jasmine and watched Shay and Cameron continue to spar, their fight aggressive.

On and on and on they warred across the gym.

Jasmine stared at them, fascinated. Hugging my knees, my eyes fixed on Cameron’s physique, the way his body moved with masculine control, yet it was graceful. A powerful maneuvering to avoid Shay’s strikes yet land his own right on target.  

Time dissolved, bringing with it a sense that winning was everything to both of them. That this was more than a match of skill and wits.

Inside Cameron’s office, I’d found a book on fencing. The one offering more than techniques. I’d plopped down in that large armchair of his and had become engrossed in the theory of why winning was so important. A trait I’d never developed apparently. The reward for the winner would be a chemical rush, an increase in testosterone, a rise in dopamine, and the high improved mood and stature.

Cameron was soothing himself with his favorite sport.  

And from the look of things, he was pushing himself as well as Shay, trying to get his all illusive fix.

Gradually there came a slowing in Shay’s steps, a faltering in his maneuvering, a tiring of his arm. Cameron’s swift strategies were winning him the game.

The door slammed to my right.

Richard stormed in and he was still dressed in a tux, his face full of rage, his walk now a run towards one of the spare sabers abandoned near the wall.

I leaped to my feet. “Richard.”

Cameron didn’t see Richard hurtling towards him until he was right on top of him. Richard’s point struck his chest, the blade flexed, coupled with a muffled grunt from Cameron.  

I let out a scream and Jasmine clutched me back.

Cameron compensated for the strike, readjusting his stance, reasserting control. This was a man of skill and Richard’s advantage wouldn’t last long.  

Shay leaped out of the way of the two friends sparring backwards and forwards. Richard was amazingly good at this. Someone was about to die.

Shay ducked to avoid Richard’s sword when he tried to help.

“You wait until I’m out of the house and then you bring her here?” Richard pointed at me.

“No.” I ran towards them. “I came here with Jasmine.”

“Shut up,” shouted Richard.

Shay yanked off his mask. “They’re here because of Jasmine.”

Richard lunged at Cameron again, thrusting his sword, and it bounced off Cameron’s shoulder.

“At least get a mask on,” said Shay.

Cameron pulled his off, his glare full of fury.

“You’re out maneuvering me,” said Richard. “I can’t play this game any more.”

“There’s no game,” said Cameron. “At least hear the facts.”

Richard dropped his sword. “Mia calls your name out in her sleep.”

This I did not know.

Cameron’s stare found mine. “That means nothing.”

“It means everything,” said Richard.

“I failed,” said Cameron. “I wanted Mia to be my finest work. I’d convinced myself she was. Instead she’s my biggest disappointment.” He gestured to me. “Take her home. I can’t bear to look at her.” He threw his sword down and it echoed a clang.

Casually, and without looking back, Cameron walked from the room.

Shay gestured to Jasmine. “Time to leave.”

Richard spun round, grabbed my arm, and led me out of the gym. We moved along the hallway and out into the night.

He shoved me into the front seat of his jeep. Jasmine climbed into the back. Loud rock music played all the way back to Malibu.

By the time we got home, Hope had gone to bed. A note left on the kitchen counter thanked me for letting Richard take her to the event.

Sipping from a glass of water, sitting beside Winston in the kitchen, I tried to suppress my tears, sucking back the grief of Cameron’s words and the pain they’d brought.

Shaken by the danger both men had faced, I was full of shame over being the cause.  

Richard came into the kitchen and knelt before me, his tie hanging loose, his hair ruffled from the drive back. “How are you doing?” he said softly, that kindness back in his eyes.  

“Oh fine.” I forced a smile. “Winston needed a top up.”

“Thank you for taking such good care of him,” he said. “He really is my baby.”

I scratched Winston’s chin. “He’s mine too.”

“I just stabbed my best friend with a sword.” He chuckled. “That’s what you do to me. That’s how much I love you.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “Please call Cameron. Make things okay between you and him.”

“Already have,” he said. “We’re all good. Cameron’s laughing it off, telling me I could do with some lessons. Shay’s offered to improve my flunge.”

“Your what?”

“A hop and a skip past my opponent.” He arched a brow. “Yeah, not gonna to happen.”

“I didn’t know you could play.”

“Apparently I can’t.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Jasmine came here because of that stuff going on with Willem.”

“I know that now. Though it would have been good for that note you left me to have explained that so I didn’t make a complete ass of myself.”

“It was my fault,” I said. “Everyone will know that.”

Richard rose to his feet and held out his hand. “You didn’t know you were living with Errol Flynn, did you?”

“Had no idea,” I said, forcing a smile to hide my terror. “You have quite the moves.”

He pulled me to my feet.

Hand in hand, we wandered into the bedroom.

There, on the ground to the right of our bed, was Jasmine, and she was fast asleep lying on a pallet covered in blankets.

“Why is she in our bedroom?” I whispered.

Richard frowned at me. “Jasmine’s permanently immersed in the scene.”

“But why is she in here?”

“Hope has the other room.”

“How about the living room? The couch?”

“Mia, she’s been through a terrible ordeal tonight. She can’t sleep alone.”

I stared at him in utter astonishment.

Jasmine stirred and rolled over. That blanket covering her nakedness had slipped and revealed her breasts. Her nipples hardened from the sudden chill.

Richard arched a mischievous brow.

No, this wasn’t okay. This was not happening and I wasn’t going to allow it.

“Get ready for bed,” he said. “It’s been a long day.”

“How am I meant to sleep with her in here?” I whispered.

“She’s on my side of the bed.” He strolled over to Jasmine, bent down, and pulled the cover up and over her.

My jaw fell.

Richard rose to his full height and glared at me. “If you don’t want to be lying where she is, with her in the bed instead of you, then I suggest you hurry along.”

CHAPTER 40

IT FELT INCREDIBLE.

A tongue leisurely circled my sex and hair tickled my thighs. That slow, deep thrust of two fingers inside me worked me into a frenzy of shudders. I blinked through this perfect way to wake up.

Mmmm.

I lifted the bedsheet and saw Richard’s head bobbing down there, his muscled forearms taut with the tension of holding his own weight.

“Oh God,” I said, and my head hit the pillow.

I crooked my neck to see if Jasmine was awake, though from this angle it was impossible to see.

I also remembered I was on an orgasm ban and it crossed my mind to let one slip in.

Richard’s kisses found my belly and began their way up. He rose above me, and his mouth met mine, kissing me passionately.

Glancing left became a gesture of concern we weren’t alone. Richard lay by my side and hugged me into him.

This too was a wonderful way to wake up.

Though it was tainted by having a supermodel lying close by.

Putting on my best stony faced attitude, I left the bed and waded into the kitchen to get some water, my legs heavy and my heart heavier.  

Morning brought with it all the usual activities of getting ready for work and getting to know our houseguests better over breakfast.

Taking a few minutes out for private contemplation, I headed into the bathroom and stared at my stunned reflection, recalling Cameron’s words last night that I was his biggest disappointment.

Why yes
, that it a saber sticking out of your chest, Mia, in case you were wondering.  

It was impossible to not take those words to heart, and as the day progressed with Jasmine hanging out with us at home and Enthrall, and Hope choosing to stay “Just one more week,” it was hard to think of anything other than getting through the day without breaking down and embarrassing myself as the jealous girlfriend.

No one was going to see my cry, I promised myself.

After a thorough Google search on Jasmine’s current scandal, I read the British news in astonishment. Willem had been vindicated and apparently those slutty photos of Jasmine had been put on his phone by a famous hacker who’d somehow wrangled his way out on bail. The issue really was resolved. Willem’s political career was back on track, and as he’d dealt with the entire spectacle with grace, he was England’s new blue eyed boy. As was his wife.

Jasmine was being compensated, but apparently I wasn’t meant to know that. She’d whispered it to me in a corner of Enthrall, telling me another master was being sought out for her. For Jasmine’s sake, I hoped it wasn’t Senator Deluca.