"Then I"ve got to get a job."
"Do I need to blackmail you?" he asked. Ursula smiled at him.
"Depends on the blackmail." Her robe fell off one shoulder, her creamy shoulder tempting him to unveil more of her delicious body.
Stephen played along. "How about, if you don"t do as I say I"ll tie you to my bed and have my wicked way with you."
Her eyes dilated. He knew his suggestion turned her on. He pulled her robe open a little more.
"That sounds better than blackmail."
He chuckled. Never had a morning been filled with so much temptation.
"If you don"t stay with me I"ll make sure you get kicked out of college and not get work anywhere." He noticed she paused. The possessive need inside him made him aware of the fact he would do anything to keep her with him. Even if that meant using unscrupulous means.
"You wouldn"t do that," she said. He knew she was unsure, and he played on that.
He stood using his body to crowd round her. Everything he ever known about the men at his club and those that visited Ravage came through to him. The feelings of possession that verged on obsession were filling him. He would do anything to keep her with him.
"Test me, Ursula. See if I"m joking. You don"t everything about me."
He saw her swallow, then nod her head. The demon inside him was put to rest. He didn"t even know he could feel like this. She went up to the room to change, and he phoned Cadeon asking for him to be at Club Possession that night. He needed to talk to someone. He was forty-five years old, and he couldn"t believe he needed to talk to someone about his feelings.
Stephen dressed and waited for Ursula to come down the stairs.
Chapter Seven.
Ursula stared at her reflection. She wore the same clothes from the previous night. Her p.u.s.s.y ached, along with her nipples from Stephen"s lips. The way he"d spoken downstairs in the kitchen had intrigued her. He"d threatened to make her life difficult if she didn"t agree to live with him. She knew he was wealthy and would be able to do what he threatened in a heartbeat. Would he do it? From the look in his eye she truly believed he was capable of it.
Why am I not p.i.s.sed because of his warning?
Because you like him. You like what he does to your body, and you love spending time with him.
She let out a breath before leaving the comfort of his bedroom. He stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting. He wore black pants, a white, crisp shirt, and a leather jacket.
"We"ll get breakfast on the way," he said. She nodded her head as he didn"t ask her if that was what she wanted.
He grabbed her jacket and helped her into it. She felt his hands on her shoulders. His touch lingered. She closed her eyes enjoying his touch before he pulled away.
Stephen took her hand leading her outside to his car. She followed him without question. He opened the door for her and buckled her in.
"I"m not a child."
"I know. I just want to make sure you"re safe."
He kissed her lips then went round to his own side. She could easily become addicted to him if she wasn"t addicted already. He started the car, pressed the code for the security gate, and they were off.
Stephen took her hand as he moved the car easily along the road. She didn"t like driving. The roads were always too busy, and they lived close to the main city which was a nightmare to get through.
"What kind of music do you like?" she asked.
"Cla.s.sical."
"Cool." She turned on the radio and allowed the sounds of the piano to fill the car. Stephen chuckled, but he made no move to turn it off.
"How"s your p.u.s.s.y?" he asked suddenly.
Ursula turned to him in shock. "What?" Was he seriously asking about her p.u.s.s.y?
"You heard me." He pulled into a diner that served breakfast. "Your blush is s.e.xy." He kissed her cheek.
"What have you done with Stephen?"
"This is who I am, and, baby, you haven"t seen anything yet."
"I"m fine, and all my parts are fine." He got out of the car. She was out and closing the door before he got the chance.
"I wanted to help you out of the car."
"I"m perfectly capable of opening and closing my own door." Stephen pressed her against the car.
"Next time wait for me to open your door." He kissed her lips then led her up the stairs and into the diner.
Several people stopped him, giving him a hug before he led her to a booth in the corner.
"A lot of people like you," she said.
"I"m a likeable guy when I want to be."
A waitress came out with a menu and handed it to each of them. "It has been too long since you"ve been here, Stephen. We were starting to worry in case you"d gone missing."
"Sorry, Diane. I"ve been busy."
"Are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?"
"That depends. Are you going to scare her away?"
Ursula listened to the banter between the two, watching the different man Stephen transformed into.
"I won"t bite, but that depends on what she orders. I"ve seen the magazines, Stephen. I know the type of woman you date."
"In that case can I have the pancakes with syrup and bacon? Extra on the pancakes," Ursula said. "I"m Ursula Mills." She put her hand out to Diane.
The other woman observed her before taking her hand. "I like her. She won"t take any of your c.r.a.p. He can be awfully broody sometimes." Diane jotted down her order then left.
"You have a lot of explaining to do," Ursula said.
"What?" he asked. Diane brought them out their coffee before disappearing again.
"Stephen Knox, you"re a wealthy man with plenty of businesses under your belt, and yet you come to a diner and are more at home with them than you are in your own house." She"d noticed plenty of times the way he looked out of touch in certain rooms. Most of the time he looked relaxed in the kitchen.
"This is where my mum and dad used to take me for breakfast every weekend morning. They were always busy, but they never missed a day," he said.
"You loved your parents?"
"Yes. They loved each other, and at times I felt like an outsider. They did love me though. I know they did." He was smiling.
"You should smile more often. So, why do you hate your home so much?"
He paused as Diane placed pancakes in front of them. She ruffled his head then left.
"It"s not my house. At least, it has never felt like my house. It"s a building that"s pa.s.sed down through generation, and because I"m the only child of the previous Knoxes the house was pa.s.sed down to me."
She nodded, biting into the pancake. "Why don"t you redecorate?"
"I"ve never thought about it. If I redecorate then someone impersonal will be changing everything. I don"t want anyone else touching my parents" house."
They ate for a little while.
"Why don"t you redecorate? You could do it yourself. You work from home. Can"t you have one of those phones in your ear while painting a wall?"
"Eat your food." He pointed at her plate.
Ursula didn"t pursue her line of questioning. People kept approaching the table and asking how he was doing. From the bits of conversation she heard, she knew he hadn"t been to the diner since his parents" death.
"How long since your parents pa.s.sed?" she asked.
"A while."
"Is that why you don"t come here?"
He nodded his head.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For bringing me to the place you shared with two people you loved. I appreciate it."Stephen reached across the table and took her hand. "Thank you," he said.
Together they finished their food and sat drinking coffee. When Diane cleared away their dishes, Stephen paid the bill and ordered her once again to put her money away. Once they were in the car she turned to face him. "I think packing some clothes and my college stuff would be easier. I can put the furniture into storage for later."
"Why? I"ll arrange for my people to collect your furniture, and we can put it round the house. Whatever you don"t want we can sell later on," he said.
"What happens when this." She gestured between them before finishing. "Doesn"t work out?"
"Do you think I"m going to make you leave? It will work out between us." He started the car, but Ursula wasn"t convinced.
"Nothing is set in stone. What if it doesn"t work?"
"It will work." He sounded so determined that Ursula almost believed him. He turned the key in the ignition, and the car purred to life. Seconds later they were on the road in the direction of her apartment.
"I"ve seen a new side of you today," she said.
"Yeah? Do you like it?"
"I don"t know. I"m use to the brooding, alcohol-driven depressive who stands with me while I cook. This will take a while getting used to." He chuckled. The sound of his chuckle went through her body making her nipples harden and her p.u.s.s.y melt. She had never known so much desire for a man. Since she"d met Paul she had seen several men, been attracted to them, but she had never gone through with it. The moment she met Stephen every other man went out of the window. He held her constant attention and made it hard for any other man to get a look in.
Maybe she should go out to a bar and make sure she wasn"t on some kind of rebound. For some reason, she didn"t think she was.
"Stop thinking so hard."
She smiled and leaned back in her chair to enjoy the ride. All of her problems would still be there when she thought about it.
Stephen didn"t know why he took her to the diner. He had seen her walking down the stairs towards him and knew he wanted to take her some place he"d never taken any other woman. The last time he visited the diner had been the week before his parents pa.s.sed away. They were two souls in the same pot. He manoeuvred the car round morning traffic. Diane had been a kind woman to him. She was over sixty and still running the place. He took Ursula"s hand, replacing the bad thoughts with the sweet ones from last night.
He knew there would come a time when he would have to tell Ursula the truth about himself, but until he needed to he was going to enjoy their time together. Club Possession had to be kept in utmost secrecy. It was one of the main rules his father had been sure to pa.s.s down to him.
They arrived at her apartment thirty minutes later. He parked outside the building and followed her up. When he pa.s.sed a mirror with the pair of them their reflection made him pause. She looked so much younger than he. He noticed the way he held or touched a part of her body, his hand at the base of her back leading her up. She didn"t protest his touch. The image in the mirror hit him square between the eyes. The possessive way he looked and how he touched her reminded him of the men at his club.
It had to be possible.
He moved with her up the stairs to her room. There was no sign of damage on the outside of the door. He took the key from her, opening the door. They saw Paul gathering his stuff.
"I"m leaving," Paul said.
"Whatever." Ursula grabbed Stephen"s hand, leading him through to the bedroom. She opened suitcases. They packed as much as possible. While she gathered her college work he made a quick call to his security team to over look the movement of all her furniture. Paul was cursing as they went back into the main room.
"You"re telling me to leave, but you"re not even living here." He looked red in the face. Stephen wanted any excuse to hit him. One word out of his mouth and he was taking the f.u.c.ker down. Paul stared at him for several moments before storming out.
"a.s.shole. Come on. I"ve got to get to college by eleven. Would you drop me off?" Ursula asked.
He grabbed her bags then walked down to the car. There was work he needed to attend to.
"I"ll put my clothes away when I get back tonight."
"Okay. I"ll put them in my room." He didn"t know if she"d have some kind of order to her clothes.
"You want me to sleep in your room?" she asked.
He turned in his seat, cupping her face in his hands and brushing her lips with his own. When she was breathless he eased back. "You"re mine, Ursula. I want you in my house, in my room, and in my bed."