LucienHe had guessed right, he thought, fury coursing through his veins as the cavalcade of cars roared down the streets. She had run to Handsome James, of course. The terse message from Schwartz informing him about her desperate plea for help had confirmed his suspicions.Handsome James Schwartz; Her Best best friend, as Proserpina laughingly called him.Lucien felt the familiar waves of jealousy flooding him. He knew that he, her husband and only lover, was older than her by a few decades, a fact that made him more savage in his lovemaking with her. To make her see that he was still the virile man he used to be. When he took her, he plundered her body, leaving love bites on her lush breasts and throat so that the world would know she belonged to him, only to Lucien Delano.Not that she had complained ever; Proserpina was the ideal submissive in bed. She followed his orders, obeyed him and her body was his to play with, he thought, feverishly. But he was astute enough to know that h
LucienHe clenched and unclenched his giant fists, fighting the urge to punch Schwartz and tear his woman out of his best friend’s arms.She was wearing a smocked yellow dress designed with rosebuds and looked achingly young in it. Simple and so very desirable, he thought, his eyes devouring her, the familiar longing spreading through him. But she took one look at him, her eyes blazing, the coffee-coloured eyes now smoky with pain and he knew he had lost her.*“Woman,’ he said gruffly, advancing.“We need to talk.’She moved away, out of Schwartz’s protective embrace and stiffened her shoulders.‘There is nothing to say,’ she said, her voice flat. She turned her back to the room but he could see that she was shaking with emotion.Being with this woman, having her in his life, had brought happiness to his otherwise hollow life; he had become a tycoon and a crime lord, taking women mindlessly, uncaring of the damage he left behind when he dumped them. Money, women, alcohol- they had be
ProserpinaShe said nothing, her arms crossed over her ample bosom, breathing fast as she stared at him. With a pang, he noticed the gleaming pendant that lay in the valley of her full breasts, the locket signifying that he owned her. He had gifted it to her, had put it around her neck, a thin gold chain with a small key as the locket, diamonds glittering against her warm skin. He loved to take it in his mouth as he mated her, tugging at it with his teeth, watching her face as he mounted her, and rode her. And then, sinking his teeth into her mounds, moving to her ripe, firm teats that had been suckled by his children, all six of them.F*ck he thought, his face darkening with passion, but he wanted to take her here, now, savagely, brand her so deeply with his hard c*ck, she would never look at another man, certainly not at Schwartz, not with that soft expression of appeal. The discomfort around his groin made him want to shift; instead, he moved towards her.Her plump lips tightened a
LucienHe stood before his woman, staring at her, her brown eyes drenched in tears although she was trying desperately to put up a brave front. He hated himself for being the cause of her hurt.Steeling himself to speak, he said hoarsely,“Woman, believe me.’She looked at him skeptically, contempt on her face. She did not need to speak to express her disdain with words; the look said it all.Believe him???He sighed and ran a hand through his thick grey hair as he went on,‘ I know, it sounds unbelievable.’ he said gruffly, ‘ But after I came to know…about breeding you…my son Claude...I have not slept with another woman.’Proserpina looked at him, disbelief etched clearly on her beautiful face. She looked as though she had grown older in a few moments, more mature and wan but with a beauty that made him want to pull her into his arms, to kiss away the hurt, the cynical look in her large brown eyes.He scowled and met her eyes and she stood up shakily, moving to stand beside the large
ProserpinaWe rode back home in total silence, Lucien and I. I sat, slumped in a corner, staring outside. I could have been in a stationary car for all I knew, my mind was abuzz with the thoughts I had tried to fight; reverberating with the things he had told me.Bethany, the favourite wh*re.He had sired a child with her.And now her sister and the son had turned up.I shuddered, taking a deep breath. I could feel Lucien’s eyes on me but I did not turn to look at him.Now I knew what hate was.*As we drove up to the house, Lucien said shortly,‘I shall come back later. I need to see…’“To go back to bed with your favourite wh*re?’I sighed wearily and slipped out of the car before he could respond. His face was thunderous but I ignored him and walked inside, nodding absently to the staff.Camille and Beatrice followed me; they knew I was upset. Bea took one look at my face and murmured,“Honey childe..’I could not bear it. I walked unerringly into the room where I spent my time wri
ProserpinaI stopped as I saw Lucien. He was at the bottom of the stairs and we stared at each other for a long moment. A bodyguard, big Noah, hovered hesitantly in the shadows, wondering, perhaps, if he should step forward and grab the Boss before he fell down in a drunken heap.My eyes took in the haggard lined face, the craggy features that I still loved, the muscular physique but with slumped shoulders now. I took the last step and he moved, swaying slightly, almost stumbling.Lucien Delano was dead drunk.*Without stopping to think, I reached out and grabbed his arm, my arm going to encircle his waist, propping him up, and steadying him. The familiar musk and spicy lemon smell of my husband engulfed me. And a rush of whiskey-laden breath hit me. I crinkled my nose in disgust. The man was drowning in drink.Suddenly, he pulled me into his embrace. Tight and possessive.I stood still, stiff and unresponsive at first. But my heart yearned to throw my arms around him, for I loved hi
LucienAt one point of time during the night, he became aware of the sound of a person retching. Still in the throes of his drunken stupor, he went back to his dreamless sleep and only awakened to find himself alone in the great bed when the sun was high in the sky and it was almost mid-morning.Sitting up, he scowled as he ran his large hand over his face. He had not gone on a drinking binge like this in a long while and it had affected him. His head was pounding and he stood up swearing. He was not getting younger, he thought, scratching his hirsute chest. And noticed his shoes lined up neatly.His Woman. She had done it; taking care of him when he had been too gone to even shed his shirt. He recalled her kneeling before him, smiling up at him softly as she took off his footwear. Damn, he did not deserve her, he thought, scratching his stubbled jaw, the familiar guilt flooding him.A feeling of disgust thrummed in his head as he remembered how she had reacted to his confession. The
RiaLike a besotted fool, she had rushed to the Club one evening, when she had just turned sixteen. She wanted to tell him that she loved him and wanted him to be her first lover.*Two years ago.Ria glided across the carpeted floor of the Club. She dived into the doorway as she saw Danielle Eton crossing the foyer and heading to the lifts. The last thing she needed was to have Dani see her, she thought, biting her lower lip nervously.She looked at her reflection in the mirror as she dashed across to the corridor that led to the residences of those who worked under her father, Lucien Delano. There were small cottages that had been built over the years and those who were in residence at the Club, related to work, had been allotted these houses. And Ria Delano was definitely heading to meet one particular person who lived there.If her mother got wind of what she was doing, she would be furious, thought Ria, biting her lip again, thinking of Proserpina Delano. No, distraught and disap