Surrender To Me (Surrender Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  Chapter Four

  For the dinner and reception we reconvene in another area of the luxury hotel, a beautiful venue on the top floor, chandeliers, huge windows, space to host all our guests comfortably. After the seven-course meal, more congratulations and gifts, I finally get to dance with her.

  The band plays “All of me” as we take the floor, a bit sentimental and yet perfect for the occasion.

  Penelope is warm and pliant in my arms, and a bit blitzed from all the champagne. The day has gone by in a rush, the meal, more champagne, music, dance, photographs, cutting the cake, an impressive five-story creation from a Paris-inspired bakery. On top sits the cake topper couple, two women in white dresses vaguely resembling us. That was a joke, of course. They are miniature versions, stunning in detail.

  There’s nothing to be concerned about. I still have to tell her about tomorrow’s plans though. I wonder what would be the right moment, before or after consummating the marriage…I hate to do this to her, but the circumstances require it. If anything goes wrong, not only my reputation, but someone else’s life will be on the line. With cases like that, I prefer to take charge myself.

  “So, how do you like being married?” I ask.

  “Very much so far,” Penelope confesses. “You could have told me though that we were going to be married by a Supreme Court judge. I’ve only ever seen her on TV before. That made me so nervous.”

  “I’m sorry. You didn’t have to be. You’re easily the most beautiful person in the room.” It’s more than a shallow nod to a woman who has spent hours getting ready, hair, make-up, dress—I mean every word of it. Penelope is beautiful in many ways.

  Compliments like this still make her blush, after everything. I like that, and she knows it.

  She leans into me with a happy sigh. “Thank you. I can’t believe that tomorrow, we’re heading for Bora Bora. I’d like to think nothing surprises me anymore, living with you, but the pictures were so beautiful. I didn’t imagine I’d ever make it there, let alone on my honeymoon.”

  About that.

  I don’t want to disappoint her, but there’s no alternative. I plan to make it up to her in every way possible—and of course, I’ll start tonight. I’ll wait for that conversation until we’re in private, and possibly start with the making up progress before she knows what this is all about, giving me a head start.

  I’ll be on the private jet tomorrow morning all right, and I have arranged tickets for Penelope, to follow me a couple of days later when there should be no more danger. We’ll spend a few days in Vienna before heading back via Switzerland. Little diversions and the adrenaline rush of hitting the bad guys where it hurts them—money—it’s a part of my life, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy some of it. The stories of the women involved are always dark, depressing, infuriating, but knowing they will be safe to tell them, leaves me with satisfaction. Except now that Penelope is in my life, everything is different, and I worry that she could find out too much. She has asked about getting involved already. I don’t want that.

  Trying to muster the courage to tell my wife the long awaited honeymoon trip is off for the moment, for reasons I can’t get into too deeply, I pull her close to me. “How about we leave the party for now? I’ll have some cake and champagne sent to our room.”

  “Sounds great. I look forward to getting out of these shoes,” she says. “No matter how expensive and comfortable heels are, at some point they are…heels.”

  “That’s the only thing you’re looking forward to?” I say, feigning hurt.

  Penelope laughs, and she’s not a bit shy or blushing when she tells me, “That and getting naked with you.”

  God, I can’t wait.

  We say a quick goodbye to our guests, thank them and wish them fun at the party—there is still much to do before we get on the way tomorrow. It’s not like anyone buys that explanation, but they all nod politely. Marlene and Nick will keep an eye on things.

  I need that time with Penelope now, as I don’t know how angry she’s going to be, and if she’ll even want to come to Vienna. We take the elevator to our suite a few floors down. Once the doors have closed, Penelope, blissfully ignorant of the conversation ahead, kisses me deeply, hands brushing over silk and lace, not finding any access to where they want to go. It takes some time to get in and out of a wedding gown.

  “Patience. We have all night.”

  “Says the woman who couldn’t even ask me out on one date,” she teases.

  “Those were different…circumstances.” Just because her hands don’t touch skin, it doesn’t mean she’s not making me incredibly hot. It’s on somewhat shaky legs that I step out of the elevator when we’ve reached our floor. “Come on. You’re right, let’s not waste any minute. Could you just give me a few minutes in the bathroom?”

  “You don’t want me to help you?” Her finger traces down the front of the dress’s corsage.

  “I won’t be long.” I slide the key card through its slot, and the door opens almost silently. “Marlene will be here with the cake in a minute, so if you could open to her…?”

  “Sure.”

  Penelope walks to the window, looking out at the city lights in awe. I’m privileged to get glimpses of the world through her eyes every once in a while. Then I don’t feel so jaded. She almost squealed earlier at the sight of the four poster king size bed, the romantic traditional décor of the room. When you’ve seen it all, these things don’t impress so much anymore, and you cease to notice them. Penelope is opening my eyes again, even though at the moment, my mind is wandering.

  Everything and everyone I need on this mission is in place. I can allow myself to be with her for some time, all the way, before I leave early in the morning.

  When I’m in the bathroom, I can hear a knock on the door, and Penelope’s and Marlene’s voices float over to me as I strip out of the dress and the remove the holster.

  “You’ve been wearing that all day?”

  This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. Penelope stands in the doorway, her expression wide-eyed shock. I can’t blame her. The last time she saw a real gun, a man pretending to be an FBI agent had taken her…and I had to shoot him in order to get both of us out of this predicament. I would have paid for the most renowned trauma specialist if needed, but Penelope said she was fine. Since we’re back together, there have been no flashbacks or nightmares. Hopefully, this unexpected discovery simply startled her, not more. In any case, this is confirmation to never get her involved in anything that’s not on the books.

  “Explain to me what this means,” she demands. “Did you expect anyone to come in shooting? On our wedding day? Oh my God, everyone I care for was in that room!”

  “Everyone was safe. The security staff took care of that, and no, I didn’t have any reason to assume anything like that.”

  “Then why…?”

  “Look, we would have security under all circumstances. I just…” This might as well be the moment. “I’m so sorry, but we need to delay our honeymoon.” I hold up one hand to stop her from speaking. “Hear me out, please. We didn’t receive any threats, but with what we do, one can never be too careful, especially on a day like this. I have to go to Vienna tomorrow. Give me a couple of days, and you can join me. While I do have to take care of some things, there’s no reason we can’t enjoy Europe at least, until we can have the real honeymoon.”

  “You’re not going to tell me what this is about, are you?”

  I reach out to touch her cheek, but she turns away from me.

  “This is what it’s going to be like. I’m not locked up anymore, but in some way it’s exactly the same. You’re still keeping secrets from me.”

  “To protect you…and us. Look, at some point you’re not going to be an intern any longer. You’re aware that with that signature today, half of Forbes Inc. is yours? I had all the necessary paperwork done with Gillian.”

  I assume she wasn’t aware as her jaw drops slightly. This is exactly why I h
andle things this way. “Please, don’t faint.”

  “I’m a sociologist,” she says in disbelief, sinking down at the foot of the bed. “I can’t possibly do this.”

  “You don’t have to do anything, at least not right away. You’ll learn. You can take business classes if you want, ask me anything, and of course we have a staff we can trust. I know what I’m talking about. There’s time for you to get used to all of this. Just in case something happened to me, I’d want you to concentrate on keeping all of it together. Just the business side of it, nothing else.”

  Penelope looks like she doesn’t know what to say, and it’s probably how she feels. I step closer to the bed, gently nudging her legs open so I can stand between them.

  “I don’t want you to worry, but you asked for those answers. Everything will be okay, we can do some sightseeing in Europe, and before you know it, we’ll be on our way to the real vacation.” She leans forward and into me, but I can feel how tense she is. This is something I can take care of.

  “Why didn’t you want me to sign a prenup? I kind of expected that.”

  “Why would I? You’re not going to run away, are you?” She laughs softly, but I can tell those questions still weigh on her mind. “Besides,” I add, “it’s not like you could. Remember I have ties with the FBI? I’d find you anywhere.”

  Penelope smiles, knowing I’m yanking her chain—kind of. I would be able to find her, and I have a good relationship with one particular FBI agent, but it’s a moot point to bring up. Penelope isn’t going to run. She’s exactly where she’s supposed to be, here, with me. Even my mother acknowledged it, and that is huge. Not that I want to think about Brenda now. Marlene brought cake, and champagne in a wine bucket. We don’t need to get to that right away.

  “Let’s get you out of that dress,” I say. “It looks perfect on you, but I want to touch you, now.”

  Penelope is on her feet in an instant, and I sink my hands into her hair, disregarding the time it took the stylist to create the perfect bun. The hairpins come out one by one, and silky strands fall down to her shoulders. I turn her around, kiss her neck, her shoulders, then tighten a hand in her hair and give a tiny pull, not hard enough to hurt, enough to make her gasp. Her reaction causes a warm liquid jolt between my thighs. We’ll make tonight count, though it’s not enough. It will never be enough.

  I have enough sense to stop for a moment and hang the dresses, before I turn back all my attention to Penelope who’s wearing a dream of light blue lingerie.

  “I have something blue for you as well,” I mumble, my heart beating faster as I remember all my plans for her. She might be unhappy with me leaving tomorrow, but before that, I’m going to make her very happy. Penelope stands, waiting, her cheeks flushed, the change in her breathing revealing her excitement. I open the clasp of her bra, let it fall to the floor. I take in the raised peeks of her nipples—I can’t wait to brush my tongue over them, and she knows it, her eyes dark with lusty anticipation.

  Sweet surrender.

  The lace panties are next, and I can’t help myself, go off script for a moment and slide my fingers between the lips of her sex. Her body welcomes me. She moans, and I can barely hold back the same sound, but it’s not time for that yet.

  “Lie down,” I tell her. “Get comfortable.”

  “We still have to talk,” she says.

  “We will. In Vienna, I promise.”

  She lies back against the pillow, watching me with interest, probably remembering all the promises I made before. I open the drawer of the nightstand and retrieve a white silk scarf, letting it dangle from my fingers for a moment, making her guess. Then I move in to cover her eyes with it, tying it carefully in the back. Tying the knot. I take my time to kiss her, explore her body with my hands, then with my lips until she’s squirming against me. I place soft kisses on both her breasts, then finally suck a nipple into my mouth. Her hips rise. Not yet, baby. Not yet.

  Her hand goes for the blindfold when I get up. “No. Leave that alone.”

  Obediently, she lets her hands fall to her side. “Better?” There’s a hint of defiance.

  “Much better.” We’ve done some playing before, with ties and blindfolds, when I kept her behind closed doors in my Caribbean vacation home, and in a number of hotel rooms afterwards. She lets me tie her wrists above her head. The ankle cuffs are a new experience. I gently brush my fingers over her trembling thighs.

  “Do you trust me?” I ask.

  “I said I do.” She laughs, a bit breathless. “How much more proof do you need?”

  “I don’t know. You know I get insecure sometimes.” I join her on the bed and continue my explorations, so much sweeter now that she’s straining within the confines of the cuffs. “I love you,” I whisper. “I’m aware of what I’m asking of you, and you must know I’m not taking anything for granted.”

  “I know…” Words turn into unabashed moans as I feel her, my fingers meeting warm wetness gliding into her, then massaging her clit with the right amount of pressure to keep her close to the brink. Penelope was only vaguely aware of those fantasies before. I enjoy bringing them to the surface, making her experience them, the restraints and blindfold taking away every hesitation. I know that behind the soft cloth, her eyes are welling up with the overload of emotion. She pushes into my hand, and I can feel the velvety walls tighten around my fingers with each heartbeat. Almost.

  She tenses as if expecting me to delay her orgasm further. I have no intention of doing so. A moment later, she whimpers as I press my fingers deeper into her, her back arching. I keep up the motion, then slow down as she sinks into the pillows. I lie on top of her, kiss her, feel her tremble underneath me.

  “How’s that for starters?”

  “Starters?”

  I don’t answer, not with words anyway, but kiss my way down her body.

  “Okay,” she relents. “I see. Whatever you like.” There’s no defiance, or sarcasm in her tone now, just acceptance.

  “Don’t worry. I know you’ll like it too.”

  She shivers at the intimate touch of my tongue, still sensitive, turned on once more. I’m spell-bound. I could play with her all night, but I’ll have to review some documents on the flight tomorrow, so I should catch some sleep…to hell with that.

  “Just let go…leave it all to me.” All mine. Her attention is focusing inwards. I don’t think she even notices when I open the drawer once more. “Remember I promised you something blue?” Well, she can’t see it, but the small vibrator is indeed light blue. When I switch it on, she tenses in anticipation. I tease the tip against her clit, giving her time to enjoy every single sensation. She sighs softly as I slide it into her, making sure the clit pleaser stimulates her most sensitive area. I adjust the setting and then gently brush my hands over her body as she climaxes, her beautiful features going slack with the intense pleasure.

  I feel the stirrings of my own orgasm, close, that is how much I like to do this to her.

  First though, I remove the restraints, take the toy to the bathroom where I clean it and put it back into its box. Penny has not removed the blindfold, waiting for me. She’s blinking when I take it off of her.

  “You’re feeling really guilty about delaying the honeymoon, aren’t you?” Realizing that she’s struck a cord, Penelope hurries to explain. “Don’t. I didn’t mean it. I’m not happy we can’t leave together, but if you say it’s important, I believe you. I don’t want to break the mood either, because this was…amazing isn’t enough to describe it. Just tell me one thing, is it similar to my case?”

  “I swear, I will tell you when I can.”

  It’s not her fault, but the mood isn’t exactly the same as before. The case. They are all bad, but this one decides whether two children will have the chance to grow up with their mother or become the pawn in a dangerous game.

  “Would you like some cake?”

  We had to talk with so many people earlier neither of us had the chance to have more than a bi
te.

  Penelope regards me with concern. “Don’t you want to…?”

  “Sure I do, but give me a moment, okay?”

  The combination of alcohol and sugar pushes all unpleasant thoughts further away. I know how to deal with misogynist assholes, even if they have power and money. I don’t have to invite them into my bedroom.

  “I know you like things a certain way,” Penelope says, “but you have to let me do my share too. Obviously I can’t do it with money. I do have other ways.”

  “Really?” I lean back against the pillow, glass of champagne in hand. I guess it doesn’t take much to get me interested after all. She does that to me.

  “You want to finish that?”

  She points to the glass as she’s pulling down my slip in one swift move.

  “Yeah, why not?”

  I take a sip and then a deep breath as Penelope is kissing her way up my leg, slowly, her lips caressing my inner thigh, then stop to start on the other leg. The soft tickling sensation of her hair brushing over my skin makes me shiver in anticipation. The first touch is only with the tip of her tongue, then the warm pressure increases. It’s not often that I allow my mind to go completely blank of all responsibilities and worries, but she leaves me no choice. I sink a little deeper, give her more access, and she moves with me, fingernails pressing into my thighs. The glass falls from my hand, barely making a sound on the soft carpet. I brush my fingers over her hair, encouraging, not guiding her, because Penelope knows what she’s doing. Each brush of her tongue brings me closer to the magic moment as my toes start to curl. Pleasure takes over, I’m writhing against her mouth at the height of it. When the overload of sensation has retreated some, I give her hair a gentle tug, and Penelope moves up to lie beside me, kissing me deeply.

  We lie entwined, the covers somewhere on the floor, and we fall asleep that way.

  When my cell phone alerts me that it’s time to get up, Penelope is still deeply asleep, and I think it’s better that way.