Surrender To Me (Surrender Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  I haven’t even left the room yet, but I already miss her. Sometimes, money and responsibilities complicate life more than most people imagine.

  Chapter Five

  Penny

  I can’t say I’m terribly surprised to realize Carter is gone when I wake up. She left me a ticket to go to Vienna in two days, first class of course, and apologizes for having to take the private jet. We’ll both return on it.

  With a sigh, I stretch out in the sheets that still have the scent of sex on them, the memories making my body wake up with a happy jolt. It’s 7:45, and I’m hungry, but I decide to shower and clean up a bit first. Even though the prices in this hotel should include the staff’s discretion, I’d be too self-conscious if I let anyone in here now. I get up and walk to the bathroom, regretting Carter isn’t here to share this beautifully tiled shower with me. It’s likely that the hotel room she booked in Vienna will be similar, first class service, luxury accommodations. I’m not used to all of it yet, maybe I’ll never be, because part of me keeps thinking this might be the last time.

  No one can be this lucky.

  This is more than winning the lottery. This is so much better, because all the wealth came with Carter—my wife. I look at the diamond ring she put on my finger yesterday, the precious stone sparkling in the light. It’s bigger than anything I ever envisioned for a wedding ring, but still elegant, not clunky.

  As I walk around, a twinge in a sensitive place reminds me of details regarding last night’s play, the cuffs, and the vibrator. I might have had the occasional fantasy before, but this is different. I wouldn’t have known how to ask for any of it. When I’m with her, my body knows it’s safe to let go, and the outcome is stunning every time.

  After I deem the room presentable, I call room service and order breakfast, croissants with jam, eggs and bacon. It’s unbelievable that I’m hungry again, but then again, yesterday I was so nervous I didn’t eat all that much.

  Getting married in a flurry of flashing cameras. By a Supreme Court judge. I get nervous all over again just thinking about it. The girl from room service brings my breakfast only a few minutes later, leaving the cart by the sitting area in front of the huge panorama window. Her demeanor is nothing but friendly and professional, but I wonder how she really feels, if she wishes she could trade places with me or any of the guests who pay those ridiculous prices like it’s nothing. I know the feeling. I used to be a waitress in a place that makes your weekly Starbucks run look cheap.

  I wonder what I’m going to do with myself during those two days, in order not to make myself crazy with worry. The time after the FBI agent, Colette Grady, brought me back, was odd after all those intense experiences, but they seemed unreal at the same time.

  Then I was back together with Carter which made all the bad stuff irrelevant in a heartbeat. I didn’t dream about the gun the pretend agent waved in my face, or what could have been, because all my dreams were filled with her. I opened my eyes with my body awake and wanting…

  We’re not together now, for two days, and I don’t know what’s going on. In a situation like that, a newly-married girl turns to her best friends—who else?

  * * * *

  I know Haley and Lara have both taken a day off after the wedding, so it’s not a surprise I reach them at home. The surprise is on their side, of course. I should be on a plane right now.

  “Carter had to go away on a business trip. It was urgent, so we had to postpone the honeymoon…I’ll join her in a couple of days, but I thought we could have a shopping day.”

  “Is everything okay?” Haley sounds doubtful. “She couldn’t postpone that trip?”

  “We’re talking millions here. I’m okay, I just don’t want to spend the time all by myself.”

  “All right then. Let’s meet at B&N?”

  “I’ll be there. I’ll call Lara, and then I’ll have to make a short stop by the office. How about eleven? We could have lunch later.”

  “Sure.”

  Lara is disappointed on my behalf, but she, too, promises to join us for a shopping trip.

  I take a cab home to change outfits, and from there I drive my new car to the tower that houses Forbes Inc., not the office I’m working from. At the reception desk in the lobby, Alina greets me with a smile.

  “Good morning, Ms. Elliot.”

  I return the smile. “It’s Penny.” Everyone calls me that, except Carter. She insists on Penelope, something that makes me feel a lot more adult, sexy, daring. Like Persephone who’s caught between walking in the sun and the temptation of a darker, different world. No, actually Persephone’s story wasn’t as thrilling and romantic as mine, but there are some similar themes. Kidnapping.

  “Can I help you with anything, Ms. El…Penny?” Alina asks, startling me out of my thoughts.

  “Oh, no, sorry. I forgot my sunglasses in Ms. Forbes’ office. She said I could come get them whenever I have time.”

  “Of course. You can go right ahead.”

  She doesn’t mention the change of plans, and I wonder if she knows Carter isn’t in town. It will take me a while to understand how all of this works, if I ever get there. At least I don’t feel so out of place anymore. In the expensive business suit I’m wearing, complete with the heels, I fit right in. I have a key. No one would suspect anything if I just took a look around, trying to find a clue as to what Carter is doing right now…The thought is tempting, but it’s not really what I’m here for.

  After letting myself into her office a couple of minutes later, I take a moment to absorb the atmosphere of this place, the center of power. I am thrilled and also terrified that she wants to involve me more in her business dealings. I’ll be out in the open, visible as someone who married money and has little idea of what it all entails. People will look at me with envy and judgment. Do I care? I shouldn’t. I didn’t ask for any of it, and I’ll do whatever I can to make the best of the situation.

  I can’t help it, I try one of the cabinet doors, then another, but of course everything is locked.

  Something springs to mind, and I say my thoughts out loud, “Okay, we’ll have it your way. I won’t try to figure out what this trip is about until you are ready to tell me. I can’t wait to see you.”

  There are security cameras everywhere in the building—of course there’ll be some in here.

  I brush my fingers over the soft, smooth surface of her dark teak desk, and then I leave to meet the girls.

  * * * *

  It’s strange and unreal to walk the shelves in a bookstore now. For most of my life, I dreamed about going crazy in one with unlimited funds at my disposal. Technically, now, I could. There’s still some common sense that’s holding me back, that, and the fact that I have access to a library bigger than this store at home. There’s more than I could read in a lifetime.

  “Let’s go look at shoes,” I say, half-jokingly. “You know you could always come and get anything from the library.

  “Not everything.” Lara grins, reminding me that the library is more designed to Carter’s and my tastes, and she won’t find enough “book boyfriends” in there.

  “Oh, come on, how many of those can you possibly read?”

  “As many lesbian romances and mysteries you can read. Will you even have time for that now? It must be so exciting. Do you sometimes wake up and think you’re dreaming?”

  “All the time.” Come to think of it, shoes, clothes, anything, I have it all and more. The thought should be comforting, I find it rather unsettling. There’s not enough you can give back. Maybe Carter feels that way, too, and that’s why she’s pulling strings of a covert operation in Vienna rather than lounging on a beach with a cocktail.

  “Okay, who’s the book boyfriend of the month? I’ll pay. After, we can hang out at the Café Vienna for a bit? I always wanted to come back as a customer, haven’t had the time yet.”

  “Just because you’re crazy rich now, it doesn’t mean you have to pay for everything,” Haley protests.

&nb
sp; “Really? I kinda hoped it did,” Lara chimes in, and we all laugh, the tension dissolved.

  I take out my credit card and pay for their purchases, and mine, a lesbian novel I think we don’t have in the library yet. Afterwards, as promised, I take the girls to the Café Vienna where Marcie, my ex-colleague, greets me with a hug. I haven’t seen her since I came here briefly to tell the manager I was quitting for good, and no, I wasn’t abducted, it was all some big misunderstanding.

  It’s hard to misunderstand the diamond ring on my finger.

  “I saw photos online. Congratulations, Penny. You hit the jackpot.”

  “You’re right.” Out of the corner of my eye I see Haley frown. I shouldn’t go there, not now, not ever, raise even more questions, but her behaviour irritates me. Can’t she see I’m happy? Shouldn’t she be happy for me?

  All of us indulge in fancy pastries and specialty coffee, and then Lara excuses herself. For several uncomfortable moments, the silence between me and Haley continues, then I can’t take it any longer.

  “Something’s obviously on your mind. Why don’t you say it?”

  “Maybe I don’t know how,” she says, holding my gaze. “I don’t want to hurt you…or for you to think I’m jealous. I’m not.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “What’s wrong? You fell off the face of the earth under strange circumstances, then you come back and say it was nothing. A few weeks later, you’re married, but your wife already called off the honeymoon. The same woman who was investigated by the FBI, because of your disappearance.”

  “Oh come on,” I say, uneasy. “We met, right here, actually. We hit it off and she asked me to come on a getaway with her, which I did. I’ve never done anything crazy in my life, and for once, I wanted to know how that felt like. I’ve told that story so many times now, why can’t you let it go?”

  “That’s exactly what I mean. You tell the same story, almost word by word. It doesn’t seem…real. I’m worried about you.”

  “You think I’m lying?” Because that’s exactly what I’m doing—and I feel kind of bad about it. On the other hand, she doesn’t know what’s at stake. I would never put Carter, or what we have together, at risk.

  “I think she might have something over you. I don’t know that I can trust her.” Haley is brutally honest.

  “Of course she has something over me. I love her. That’s the secret.” I can’t help it, I blush hotly at the memory of how exactly Carter weaves her spell over me. My sex life was never this intense with anyone else.

  “Did she make you sign a prenup?”

  “Wow. That’s really none of your business, but if you must know, there’s no prenup. Now that we’re married, I own half…” I shake my head, as the thought strikes me as really absurd. “I know, that’s crazy. I haven’t absorbed it yet, and for sure I didn’t ask for it, but that’s the way it is. I’ll be taking business classes in the fall, get more involved. I have a lot to learn…and that’s the understatement of the year.”

  Haley smiles, but I can sense she still has doubts. “I don’t know what to think. All of this was so sudden. No one could believe that you would just take off for a few months.”

  “I was checking in with you, and my parents, remember?”

  She sighs. “Please forget everything I said. It was a crazy time, and after you came back, you seemed…changed. We were concerned.”

  “I appreciate that, but it’s all fine. You have to believe me.”

  Lara returns from the bathroom, ending the conversation. I’m relieved. I hope that at some point, I can stop telling that story, and we all get to live in the present.

  * * * *

  Late that night though, the present becomes unexpectedly daunting. I take my dinner, prepared by Marlene, alone in the living room, read for a bit afterwards before I retreat to the master suite.

  Every single detail of this house was designed with lots of love, and the sheer luxury of it is stunning. A quick shower, and I slip under sheets made from Egyptian cotton, crying for no reason. Maybe the fact that my wife left me right after the wedding night would be reason enough, but I’m not that melodramatic. Tomorrow, I’ll get on a flight to Vienna, and I get to spend some time with her in Europe. I always wanted to go, but between tuition and rent, there was never much of a chance to save up.

  It might be the reminder of almost getting killed not so long ago that has me this emotional. I don’t even remember being scared so much in that situation. Everything went down so quickly.

  However, at this moment, I see the man holding a gun on me very clearly. He wasn’t going to kill me there and then, but the fate he had planned for me was probably worse.

  I wish Carter were here, if only to tell me that he isn’t worth losing a minute of sleep over…and to take my mind off these moments that marred the near perfect time we had together.

  Eventually, I fall asleep, but my rest is interrupted by dark, vague dreams. I can’t wait to be with her again. Vienna, the Caribbean or home, this is where my heart is. Yes, that’s corny. So sue me.

  Against all odds, this line of thought makes me smile—these days anybody had better be careful trying to sue me. I can get the best lawyers in the country.

  * * * *

  Marlene, of course, is aware of my plans, and she knocks on my door when I’m dressed and combing my still wet hair.

  “Ms. Elliot, your breakfast is ready in the dining room.”

  “Thanks, Marlene. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”

  After the wedding, I’m still Ms. Elliot. Nothing much changed around here, though. Marlene has always treated me with respect, even when I wasn’t free to come and go as I pleased.

  I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to have breakfast after that crazy night, but the scent of coffee convinces me.

  “Have you eaten yet?” I ask as I sit down.

  She shakes her head. “Not yet. Ms. Forbes said to make sure you wouldn’t miss your plane or leave on an empty stomach.”

  “Well, that’s not going to happen now. Why don’t you sit down with me? This is all more than one person can eat anyway.”

  She hesitates, but finally gets herself a plate. I’m so immersed in the delicacies she has prepared it takes me a moment to realize that Marlene, too, has something on her mind.

  “I want you to know I’m very happy for you both,” she says. “That made me realize I never really apologized to you. I’m so sorry for everything.”

  “You couldn’t have known. He went through the screening process.”

  The fake FBI agent who infiltrated the house in the Caribbean and was planning to deliver me to his boss, the trafficker, had come far too close. Lucky for me that Nick and Carter noticed something was off, and kept an eye on him. He had made friends with Marlene’s husband and got himself a job on the premises. The memory makes me shudder.

  “We will be more careful in the future. Whatever it takes to protect you and Ms. Forbes.”

  “I know that. Don’t worry, no one blames you.”

  One of these days, I’d like to talk to her longer. I’m sure her story is an interesting one too—Marlene has worked for Carter such a long time, and she seems to have no qualms following her wherever an excellent chef and housekeeper is needed. Her husband stayed behind on the Caribbean island where Carter has her vacation home.

  Having eased Haley’s and Marlene’s mind, it’s now time to think about me. Even though I expected lounging on the beach, cocktails and swimming in turquoise water, this will be fun, too.

  I take some schoolwork and my e-reader with me on the plane, but end up watching movies instead. First class accommodations are ridiculously comfortable and as quiet as space on a plane possibly can be. I nap a little, have lunch with an excellent wine and a glass of champagne a few hours later. The closer I get to my intended destination, the more excited I am. We haven’t had that much time to adjust to this next level in our relationship, marriage.

  Only last year I thought I
might be single and happy for the rest of my days, as long as I could manage to finish my studies and get a job that wouldn’t require working extra hours at the Café Vienna.

  I didn’t even know for sure if getting married was a dream, a hope of mine, but now that it has come true, I guess it’s safe to admit it. It’s such a gamble, so many variables involved in finding that one person that it’s foolish to expect it could happen.

  I’m in a mood and ask the friendly flight attendant for a refill which she promptly provides. Life is good. I keep telling everyone to stop worrying and be happy—now it’s my time.

  Chapter Six

  No matter how comfortable, eight hours and more on a plane will do a number on you, especially when the time zones mess with your inner clock. I feel like a nap again, or maybe a cocktail before dinner, but it’s bright mid-day when I arrive in Zurich. After the splurging on my flight, I don’t really feel like having more food, but I have a coffee at the Starbucks while counting the minutes. Carter said to wait at the hotel. She didn’t tell me when she’d arrive.

  Another flight of an hour-and-something, and I arrive in Vienna, so tired I can hardly stay on my feet as I wait at the baggage claim. The sun is setting already, even though I feel it should be much earlier. A driver is waiting for me with a sign that has my name on it. He brings me to a luxury hotel that almost stretches over the whole block, the architecture beautiful. I’ll admire it some more once I’ve slept. Inside, it’s all marble and shine. I confirm the reservation made by Ms. Carter Forbes, barely able to listen any longer to the young woman who explains about room service and wishes me a pleasant stay. Once the double doors of the suite close behind me, I waste no time getting into the shower once more and putting on a comfortable tee and skirt. I lie on top of the blankets, happy to have a soft surface beneath me, and once again drift away into dreamland. No bad dreams this time.

  On the contrary.