“You have never given me a reason not to trust you, Creighton, and I highly doubt you ever would.” “No, I wouldn’t,” he assured her, slipping her hand into the stretchy band and leaning over her, securing her wrists together between the rungs on the headboard. He sat back on his knees above her and smiled. “Have I mentioned how much I love you?” he asked her, looking deep into her bright green eyes. “Not within the last twenty minutes,” she told him. “I must be slipping,” he said with a firm tone, his hands cupping her breasts, gently squeezing them with his palms as his forefinger and thumb began to pinch her nipples, tugging on them until they were hard and erect. He reached to the small pile of items awaiting them and took the nipple clamps, holding them up for her to see and smiled as she bit her bottom lip again. “We’ll use these very gently tonight,” he said. “I just want you sensitive, not sore.” “But I thought you wanted to love me until I couldn’t walk?” “Yes, but I d
Creighton continued to slowly massage her body with the soft buzzing sensation of the wand, pressing it upwards when he reached the opening of her vagina, the glass vibrator thrust further against her cervix. Sandra cried out again, struggling against the restraints holding her firm and relentless to the mattress. Her inability to move made the frustration and desire reach new heights and she heard herself scream out his name, her lungs heaving for air.His actions slowed for a few brief moments to allow her time to calm. The vibration inside her stopped, the ball of the wand moved to massage her inner thighs and she found her throat growing dry as she panted wildly for oxygen, beads of perspiration lay across her naked body like a damp sheet. She was amazed at how easily it was for her to experience such deep orgasms, over and over again.“Ready for more?” he asked, and she shook her head, smiling.“I need a drink first.” The humming of the wand ceased, and the glass tube was remove
Sandra woke the next morning and frowned, the room was still very dark, and she had no idea what time it was. Having no windows in the room certainly did make it easy to sleep. The soft sounds of her husband beside her made her smile, then cringe a little as she stretched her sore legs and arms. Being this man’s lover certainly made her realize how much she needed to strengthen her muscles, especially for encounters like their wedding night.She glanced up to the clock on the bedside table. It was ten after seven and she realized the reason she had woken so early. She moved the covers aside as carefully as she could, so not to wake Creighton, then padded barefoot and naked into the bathroom, feeling her way through the darkness. She closed the door quietly behind her and flipped on the switch, blinking her eyes to adjust to the light. After using the loo and brushing her teeth, Sandra realized she was now wide awake. Going back to bed would only cause her to toss and turn waiting for
“You are definitely getting braver,” he whispered. “I thought you liked clothing that was accessible?”“I do, very much and the thought of your bare bottom rubbing against that soft material all morning makes me hot as hell.” He slapped her backside and turned her toward the stairs, walking up them with his arm around her waist.“We don’t have time to play like you want,” she told him with a wide smile as they stepped into the bedroom. Creighton flipped on the switch near the door, bathing the room in a soft glow.“There’s enough time for one dance and a quick romp.” Sandra giggled, watching him unfasten his pants and pull his legs out as she sat on the edge of the bed.“So, you’re going to dance for me?” she teased, leaning back on her elbows. “I approve, sir.” Creighton kicked his pants and undershorts across the room, smiling seductively to her. “I could do that, but it wouldn’t have the same effect.”“It would for me,” she said with raised eyebrows. “If we are going to have a ma
“That’s one way to look at it.” They continued talking as they walked up the new driveway to the front of the house, the excitement of seeing so much improvement in such a short time shone in his dark eyes.“Will we still be able to move in when we get back from our honeymoon?” she asked.“Everything will be ready when we are. At least the major repairs are completed. There are still a few minor details left to finish though.”“Like what?”“Like paint, wallpaper, window covering, that sort of thing,” he answered.“I suppose we should find something to go with our two toasters.”“Maxine has a few ideas,” he said with a grin. “I’m sure she can find something to coordinate with the china and bath towels.”“Who is Maxine and why can’t we choose our own? We have some things from our trip to Paris and I’m sure even England has shops we can look at. If not, we can go back to Kansas, I have a full apartment worth of stuff in storage.”“Maxine is the designer who did my flat in Chelsea and in
“That’s a question that has yet to be answered. He blamed me for his losing his job, which was rightly so, since I approved his dismissal, but he was so stoned when the police caught him, he barely knew his own name. I guess he thinks I owe him for sending him to prison, but that too was the result of his own stupidity.”“Well, I can’t wait until your team catches him. A creep like that shouldn’t be on the streets.”“I don’t want you to worry about this,” he insisted. “We’ll find him and put him back where he belongs.”“I’m not worried. I trust you and I trust your people. Besides, my grandfather taught me to fight and to fire a gun, so I’m pretty sure I can defend myself.”“I have no doubt of that,” Creighton laughed, stepping up to the front porch of his parents’ house, holding the door open for her. “You have a lot of bottle.” “Irena,” Emma was saying as they entered the kitchen. “Go to the cellar and collect some preserves. Sabrina, you and Cathy go set the table. Derek, Andrew s
Irena stared at her mother, mouth agape as though she couldn’t understand why she was being punished.“You heard your mother,” William said in a soft, deep tone that warned her to obey immediately. Irena turned and stormed from the room, mumbling all the way up the stairs until the slamming of a door echoed through the house, assuring all that she had done as ordered.“Cathy, I am very sorry for what Irena said,” Emma began, apologizing for her daughter.“She meant no harm,” Sandra interjected, surprising even herself for her bravery. “She was merely defending me, and I appreciate it.”“As do I,” Creighton added quickly. “That being said, I think we should all consider getting things moving before the guests start arriving,” Nana insisted.“Yes, I agree,” Emma added, her tone filled with uncertainty. “Derek, go help Kristin with the children so she doesn’t overexert herself. Sabrina why don’t you show Sandra her outfit for the party and Andrew you can get changed at your brother’s ho
“Sabrina, we were just talking about you,” Creighton said, causing his sister to raise a single, slender eyebrow. “Can Sandra borrow your runners? We need some air and want to be alone for a while.”“Of course,” she answered. “I have a jogging suit if you’d like to borrow it as well?” Creighton looked at Sandra and grinned.“Thank you,” she told Sabrina with a smile. “I will borrow it.”“I’ll get it.” Sabrina hurried out of the room while Creighton turned to his wife and kissed her forehead.“I have some jeans here,” he told her, lifting her to her feet. “I keep them for when I visit. They make milking easier than a suit.”“But you’re already wearing jeans.” “These aren’t running or working jeans,” he argued, looking at the black material covering his long muscular legs. “They don’t move as well as I need if I were to exercise.” He stepped to the old dresser and pulled the top drawer open, removing a pair of faded blue jeans and a worn brown tee-shirt, as the door opened again.“Here
Sandra hung up the phone with a slam, then glanced to her grandparents who were sitting at the kitchen table. She was starting to get angry with all the rejections and dead-end avenues. She called Davies and told him she wanted him to get the plane ready to go to France, only to be told the police had restricted his flying. They were concerned that whomever it was that had killed her husband would try and sabotage the jet.She was getting frustrated and felt like she was being held back. If she didn’t know better, she would think she was being placed under lockdown. She could understand the police’s concern, but she had more men around her then they had at Fort Knox, and she would be willing to take all of them with her if she needed to.“I can’t leave the house, I can’t go to France, I can’t even gather eggs,” she grumbled as she joined the older couple. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t sit here and wait until doomsday to find out what happened to my husband.”“Honey, you’re going
The room was warm as the setting sun shone through the blinds. Two detectives sat on the sofa, watching as the man continued to pace the floor. Trying to keep him calm was growing increasingly harder with each hour.Creighton could only assume the horror his family was going through, not to mention Sandra. They had been having difficulties, but this made all of that seem trivial. He had to call her, he had to contact her somehow and let her know he was alive, but the police were refusing to allow him the chance. They had to keep him concealed for the time being, though it was steadily becoming impossible. The man was acting like a caged animal, anxiously trying to find a means of escape.“How much longer do we have to sit here?” he growled, looking to those gathered around.“We need you to remain patient for a little longer,” a bald-headed man told him. “Monsieur Ashford, we understand what you’re going through…”“Like hell you do,” Creighton snapped. “I have a pregnant wife at home w
“I know she’ll be happy when it’s over,” Emma said, returning to the room, her eyes red from the tears she’d been wiping away. “She can’t let Brandon go to school, and she has to keep the children inside instead of letting them go out to play.”“I’m sure they are going stir crazy,” Cathy said with a frown. “Especially Grace. That little girl is used to having the freedom of the farm to run and play.”“The only good thing is the weather,” William told them. “It’s been really wet, and she doesn’t like getting her dresses dirty.”“Sounds like her aunt,” Andrew said with a soft chuckle.“Maybe we should take this meeting over to my sister’s,” Cathy suggested with a sideways grin.“Let me call Derek and Kristin,” William said, standing and walking to the phone on the wall. “They wanted to know what you found out.”“Just have them meet us at Sandra’s,” Andrew told him. “We can discuss this all there.”“I thought Sabrina and Irena would be here,” Cathy said, looking at Emma who was wrapping
Parker and Harvey held off the reporters for as long as they could alone, then eventually had to call NHT’s security. Within a few short hours, there were enough burly looking men to scare off anyone trying to get near the house. Sandra kept her children inside, though it really wasn’t difficult. The rain had eased by supper, but just like the past several days, it picked up again this morning.Max growled as he laid of the entry. The noise of cameras clicking, and the soft hum of voices mingled among the breezes of the day. She had tried to watch television, but every station was reporting on the accident. Eventually, she had no choice but to surrender and put on Grace’s favorite princess movie. At least it kept them from listening to those who insisted that there was no hope in finding any answers this soon.Sandra drew a deep breath as she wiped the moisture from her forehead. She had decided to keep herself busy and baked two apple pies, along with nearly a hundred sugar cookies.
“No, it’s about assuming you knew what I would want. You did this, claiming it was for us when it was for you. You can’t stand the idea that your little sister has something you never would. It was bad enough when I felt like I was competing with Creighton for your attention, but now I’m watching you compete with Sandra for the mother of the year award.”“Stop comparing me to Sandra!” Cathy screamed. “It’s not my fault she’s perfect. She’s always been everyone’s favorite. I can’t tell you how many boyfriends I’ve dumped after I found out they were using me to get close to her. I didn’t want Creighton, but after he chose her over me, it made me angry. I was competing with her again, and she was too stupid to realize it. He chose that simple, no makeup, no fuss girl over me. She shares his bed, when I’m a better lover then she would ever be. She has his money, his admiration, your parents’ admiration, even my grandparents enjoy spending time with her over me. She even has a perfect body
“Maybe Michelle heard from him,” the boy said hopefully.“I haven’t spoken with her, but I want to call in the morning. She may know something more than the police do.”The two were silent for a long time as they considered their own thoughts, until Sandra realized the tea was gone. She looked to Brandon who looked like he was finally able to fall asleep, then stood and took the cups to the sink.“Come on, son,” she told him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. “Let’s see if we can get some sleep.”“Mum, can I come sleep with you?” Brandon asked once they reached the second floor of their house.Sandra smiled and hugged the boy, nodding as he looked up to her.“You can sleep on your daddy’s side,” she told him. “Just don’t tell him I let you in our bed. He may get jealous.”Brandon smiled as he walked with her into the bedroom. Sandra helped him between the covers and tucked him in, then left to check on Grace. The house was silent and soft snores of her little girl could be heard
Sandra paced her bedroom trying to stop her mind from racing through the events of the day. Derek had come home after his mother called him, insisting on picking up Brandon from school. Sabrina called to say the reporters were going crazy with the news of the Tornado’s fire and that she and Giovanni would be home as soon as they could get there.Irena spoke with her parents and insisted on calling in a prescription for Sandra’s nerves, though she refused to use it. She needed to stay alert and concentrate in order to determine what was going on. The last thing she needed was to surrender to the effects of a drug.After speaking with Andrew, William informed the rest of the family about Cathy’s surgery, though he wouldn’t go into detail. He assured them he would check into the reports from his end and stay abreast of the investigation. Once Cathy felt like traveling, they would drive out to Yorkshire to be with the family.Nana tried to get Sandra to let her stay overnight, but she was
Sandra opened her eyes and looked around. She was in her bedroom, yet she couldn’t remember laying down. The house was silent and the soft pattering of rain outside reminded her that the dog had made a muddy mess of the entry. Then she remembered her grandfather and William coming over, and slowly began to piece together the last thing she remembered.There had been an accident on the Tornado and three bodies were found. She knew in her heart it wasn’t Creighton. She couldn’t even begin to guess who would have been on their ship, or how it ended up at sea, but she knew her husband wasn’t the one killed. Now all she had to do, was convince the others into believing her.Sandra stepped down the stairs to hear Grace talking to her great-grandfather, the dog running from one room to another as he chased his rope and the smells of food drifting out of the kitchen. She stepped into the living room and saw Papa sitting beside Grace, one of her own books open in front of him as he listened to
Sandra stared at the two men for a long moment as their words began to sink in. When she spoke with her husband earlier that morning, he was still at the hotel. He didn’t mention having plans of returning to the yacht. Why would he go back there when he told her he was packing to come home?Then she thought about the bodies found. One was female. Who was it? Did Creighton lie to her about not being involved with Garcon’s assistant? Had he gone there to meet with her, perhaps a final rendezvous before coming home to his family?“Did you hear what we said?” Papa asked her.“It’s impossible,” she began, her anger taking over her words. Sandra looked down at Grace who was trying to wipe the muddy water from her little dress. She hadn’t understood what her grandparents were saying. All she cared about was her soiled outfit.“Sweetheart, go upstairs and find a clean dress,” Sandra told the little girl. “Put that one in the hamper and warsh your hands. We’ll make lunch when you’ve finished.