9781631054631ChoiceAffairsSalisbury (5 page)

“And what’s that
supposed to mean? I know him far better than you or anyone
else does.”

“Just keep your eyes
open, that’s all, Caitlyn.”

“What? Are you on her
side all of a sudden?”

Whatever had been
unfolding suddenly
ceased.
Apolo was at my side, taking me by the
elbow.
“Susan, I see you managed to make sure the
scum of the earth got invited. While I’d love to stand here and find out how
you managed that and how you managed to smuggle your dress in, I won’t. My
bride and I have a plane to catch and a honeymoon to start. S
o, if you’ll excuse us.”

He turned, guiding me
toward my father and his parents, who’d gotten their cues from Izzie.

“Caitlyn,” Helen
began. “Welcome to the family. Finally, I won’t be the odd woman out.” She
leaned over and wrapped her arms around me.

“Th
ank you,” I replied. “Once we get back, I’ll make sure one
of us lets you know.”

“Yes, please do. We’ll
have to make sure to get together before we go on our next adventure.”

“We will, I promise.”
I turned to my father, who’d been quietly standing there wi
th Apolo’s dad. Only now my mother had decided to join the
small gathering.

“I wish we’d had more
time to visit,
Pop
.”

“You’ll come see me,
of that I’m sure.”

“Mother,” I said
coolly. “I guess we’ll see you when we visit Ireland.”

“Perhaps,” she said,
with
an indescribable look.

I turned to Izzie, and
we just hugged. No words were needed. “I’ll call as soon as we’re back.
Remember what we talked to you about. Consider it, please.”

I felt Apolo’s hand on
the small of my back. It was time to leave. “Izzie, tr
y
to keep this lot under control,” he teased my best friend. He leaned down and
kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you for everything.”

“Uh, you’re welcome. I
think.” She seemed shocked at Apolo’s out-of-character display of public
affection.

He turned to me.
“If you’re ready, Mrs. Choice, my plane awaits us, as does
our honeymoon destination.”

“And where is it
you’re hijacking me to?”

He chuckled. “You’re
not going to trick me that easily, Caitlyn.”

* * * *

Apolo

My bride was
exquisite.
Breathtakingly
beautiful as she came down the staircase on the arm of her
father.
Getting married was something I’d never actually
associated with as happening to me. Not that I didn’t want it to. Don’t get me
wrong. Simply said, since my accident, I had dismissed it as
an option. Women seemed to see my disability and not the
real me. That is, until I met Caitlyn.

While I don’t
understand a woman’s romantic notion for having to have all the pomp and
circumstance that goes with a wedding, it also creates a huge headache fo
r the groom. The best way to get through it is to nod and
go along with whatever is being suggested.

Rather than have the
huge spectacle, my bride chose a more intimate and private affair. Had she
chosen the other, I would have moved heaven and Earth to se
e that the day went as smoothly as possible.

Susan made sure to let
me know, as quietly as is possible with the
woman, that
she wasn’t adhering to our ground
rules. I sent her off to a private spa, thought everything was under control,
and
wham
. The woman
blindsides me and
Jacob. How she breeched my security, I don’t know, but I pulled Jacob aside at
the party.

“I don’t know how she
got that dress smuggled in, Jacob, but find out where the source is. I also
want to know how
that
woman managed to get past ch
eck in and into the party. Find out. I want answers by the
time I return.”

“Already
working on it, Apolo.
You just go enjoy yourself with your bride. Consider it
handled.”

“I want whoever it is
fired. I will not tolerate behavior like this. It’s hard enoug
h to have to deal with Susan’s total disregard for the
rules—”

“Apolo, it’s handled.
Now, I’m telling you—go enjoy your party then take your bride away and relax.”

Jacob’s a good man.
He’s been with me for more years than I care to remember. Excellent at w
hat he does. Somehow always seems to be two steps ahead of
me. When he says he has it handled, I know it is.

There are, however,
some situations I just cannot leave to others. At least, I would rather take a
personal interest in assisting Jacob through the
situation. Point in case—Susan Pickett-White, my meddling mother-in-law.

It’s amazing what one
can accomplish simply by asking a woman to dance. Especially when you know said
woman won’t do anything while dancing that might give away the fact that the
con
versation with her dancing partner is anything but
delightful. Susan’s quite good at that.

“Susan, you’re truly
amazing.”

“Why, thank you,
Apolo.”

“Now, how in hell did
you manage to get that dress smuggled into this house is what I want to know.
The secon
d thing I want answers to is how did that
woman crash this party?”

“There are some things
a woman never divulges the answers to. Take my dress, not happening. You and
Caitlyn had no business telling me what I could or could not wear. Grow a pair,
Apolo, or
my daughter will be your ruin. As for the
other situation, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Why don’t you ask
your lover yourself?”

“You’re good, Susan. I
have to give you credit there. But this is your daughter’s day, not yours. Why
you think yo
u have to be the center of attention, I
haven’t figured out. But I assure you, I will. I’ll find out every dirty,
little secret you may be hiding. You can go to the bank with that.”

“Get used to seeing my
smiling face, son. I’m not going anywhere. Not to I
reland.
Not to Florida. In fact, I’m going to be looking for a place in Washington
while you and Caitlyn are on your honeymoon. Never can tell when my daughter
might need my advice or help with something.”

“You wouldn’t dare—”

“Yes, I would, and I
am.”

“A
word of advice, Susan.
You’re playing a very dangerous game. I
won’t have you hurting Caitlyn with your selfishness. Back off. Go be the wife
you so love to pretend you are. Stay out of our personal affairs. Do I make
myself clear?”

“What was that you
said
, Apolo? I’m
sorry,
the band is so loud…”

The song was ending,
and so was my dance with the she-wolf, or rather she-demon, who was my wife’s
mother. I simply ignored her last remark, smiled, led her to the edge of the
dance floor, and left her to her own d
evious doings.

Looking around, I
spied my next partner, but she was in the middle of a conversation with a local
politician. Laughing and carrying on as though she belonged here. I decided,
instead, to find my bride. I would make my point with this one in
time, just as I had Susan.

I waited until the
time was right. Delpheine evidently had the same thought, and we set out to the
floor.

“Apolo, this is one,
huge, wonderful farce, darling. How long are you going to keep up this front?”

“Unlike you, there is
no pretending. What you see is the real deal. I love
Caitlyn, and she loves me. Something your cold, dark heart is incapable of.”

“Really!
Such tough talk for a new senator.”

“What I would like to
know is how you breeched my security and got in?”

She laugh
ed.
“Breech?
I didn’t breech anything, Apolo. I
merely came with Senator Langdon. You know him, don’t you? Wife died about two
years ago. Boring old man, but he does unlock doors for me.”

“So, you’re merely
using him.”

“To
get to you, Apolo.
It’s not over
between us. I give
this sham of a marriage less than a year. You won’t be able to stay away, I
guarantee that.”

“You know what,
Delpheine?
You and Caitlyn’s
mother, Susan?
The two of you need to go into business together.”

“Really?
Why would you say that?”

“You could call it
‘Bitches and Demons’ because that’s what you both are. Hear me and hear me
well. Stay away from me. Stay away from my wife. Do we understand each other?”

“Is that a threat,
Senator Choice? You really are so cute when you’re being seriou
s. However, I don’t see how you think you can make me bend
to anything you want.”

“No, no threat, just a
friendly word of advice.”

God, I needed a drink,
and not champagne, either. I suddenly also had the urge to go scrub my hands,
and perhaps the rest of
my body, with a strong
sanitizer.

Chapter
Four

What could be a more
perfect setting for a honeymoon than a tropical island? How about a private,
tropical island that your husband owns? No tourists, no family, no
commercialism of any sort. Just Apolo
and
me
, and all the hot, passionate sex the
two of us could stand.

We arrived late in the
evening on a neighboring island that had an airstrip. From there, we took one
of Apolo’s helicopters to his piece of paradise. That’s exactly what it
was—paradise. On
ce we were delivered to the villa via
jeep, Apolo saw to our luggage.

While he was seeing to
that, I kicked off my heels and walked outside onto the huge deck overlooking
the sea. The sky was clear, with a huge full moon and stars everywhere,
twinkling
the
ir
approval from above. As usual, the man had exceeded my expectations.

I heard the familiar,
quiet click of his shoes on the tile then on the wood. Then, he was behind me,
erotically wrapping his arms around my waist. I was still in my wedding dress.
When
it had come time for us to leave the reception,
Apolo was in no mood to wait around while I changed. Nor was he in the mood to
wait and leave in the morning, as my mother had suggested. He wanted as far a
distance between us as was possible.

“This is unbe
lievable, Apolo.”

“Hmmm, it is, isn’t
it? Perfect, I’d say.”

“Why don’t you spend
more time here?” I asked, snuggling back against his hard body and drinking in
his scent.

“No time, but perhaps
now, I’ll find a reason. We can make this our own getaway.”

“S
ounds perfect.”

“I don’t know about
you,” he said, turning me around to face him, “But it’s been a long day. One
I’d never trade, nor soon forget. Why don’t we retire for the night? There are
some things I want to show you, wife.”

“Sounds naughty,
husband,
and yes, I’m more than ready to get
comfortable.”

His hands cupped both
sides of my face as he lowered his head and slanted his mouth over mine in a
scalding kiss. Not like the kisses of earlier in the day. No, this was a toe
curling, exploring, wanting,
needing
kiss of a lover.
My lover.

I responded, dueling
with his tongue, then sliding mine inside his mouth and exploring the depths.
All the while, one of his hands trailed slowly down my body.

“I believe you were
going to show me where the bedroom is?” I
reminded
when we parted.

“Hmmm, so I was,” he
replied, our mouths mere inches apart, our eyes locked on each other. “Shall
we?”

“Yes, lead the way.”

He cupped my ass,
pulling me against his already hard cock.
A reminder.
Taking me by the hand, he led me b
ack inside and up a grand staircase. It was open, and all
the rooms were wrapped around it, giving visitors a spectacular view of the
house and the sea outside.

In the bedroom, Apolo
poured us each a fresh glass of champagne. He was bare footed and my mind
wandered with things I wanted him to do to me. He handed
me the flute, picking up his in the process. I gently tapped his with mine
before kissing him softly on the lips.

“Come,” he said
hoarsely. “I intend to spend the remainder of the night very slowly
and very thoroughly making love to my wife.”

I twisted away from
him so that he could unzip my dress. He complied, nuzzling the back of my neck,
then my shoulders, as he slowly let the zipper down. As my arms fell out of the
dress, I took it in my hand and
gently stepped out of
it. Walking over to a nearby chair, I placed it there and then unfastened the
front clasp of my beige, lace bra.

Turning, I watched as
Apolo unbuttoned his shirt, throwing it on the floor. I slid up on the bed and
lay on my back. I g
azed at him, still wearing my
beige, lace thong.

After removing the
last bit of his clothing, he joined me on the mattress, hovering over me. He
leaned down to kiss me, more passionately this time than before. I opened to
him and greedily responded. I need
ed him to taste me,
just as I needed to savor him. My legs were already spread in anticipation and
need.

He started by kissing
my face then moved on to my neck, dragging his tongue slowly down my body. He
nipped and sucked my breasts, causing me to arch my
body underneath him. He continued his trek across my stomach and finally to my
sex.

Slowly, he ran his
tongue along my mound, causing me to moan and lift myself to him. He grabbed my
thong and yanked it off me, the material tearing. Quickly, his tongue da
rted between my wet folds, over and over. He stopped only
to blow against my clit before gently nipping and licking me to the brink of
orgasm.

I could stay here all
night, letting him eat my pussy. With every swipe of his tongue, my hips lifted
off the mat
tress, and he chuckled. My hands were now
intertwined in his hair. He slowly continued to savor me until he reached my
nub. Wrapping his tongue around it, he sucked until
I
spasmed in my release.

Raising himself over
me, he inserted a couple of fingers thi
s time. He
found my mouth and began ravishing me. I wanted to taste myself on his tongue.
I knew he wanted me to know that I was his and that the two of us were bound
together.

“I want you, Apolo. I
want you inside of me now,” I begged.

“And you will have
me, darling.
Very
slowly, until you are filled with me.”

He propped himself up
and aligned his cock at the soaking wet entrance of my pussy. He teased me by
entering ever so slightly and then withdrawing again. Bending down, he savored
one more kiss, stari
ng at me. Then, he buried himself
balls-deep inside.

He took my mouth again
and plunged his tongue inside, mimicking his thrusts as I squeezed around his
cock. It wasn’t long before I became unhinged, crying out as another orgasm
overtook me. That was Apol
o’s end. Furiously, he
pushed deep inside me before exploding, his own release consuming us both.

Collapsing on top of
me, he quietly shifted the bulk of his weight as he tried to regain his breath.

I ran my hands along
his back, rubbing gently. “I love yo
u, husband.”

Looking down at my
face, he replied, “I love you, too, wife. I love you more than anything else in
this world.
Always and forever.”

We stayed like that,
connected as one. I felt myself wanting him again and soon we slowly began
making love. Th
is time was more about coupling. He
gathered me in his arms as I lay next to him. Neither of us spoke, we simply
enjoyed this quiet, intimate moment we were sharing.

Thinking he must have
dozed off, I enveloped his cock in my hand, awakening it once more.
Then, I was straddling him, rubbing myself against his
flesh.
“My turn, husband mine.”
I heard him groan.

I could feel his stare
as he looked down to watch me. Our eyes met as I sucked him, taking him in and
out with deep pulls.

“Fuck, don’t stop,
baby,” h
e whispered. I continued my assault until I
began to feel his balls hardening. He started to go for his cock to help me,
but I pushed his hand away.

Instead, I lowered my
mouth back over him as he came, his hands holding my head firmly in place until
I had
sucked him dry. Then, he eased up, pulling me
up to his face, kissing me tenderly.

“Thank
you, wife.
You certainly know how to take care of me.”

“My
pleasure.
And there’ll be lots more where that came from over the next week.”

“Is that all?” He
pouted.
“What about after that?”

“It’ll never stop,
Apolo, never. I love you, baby.”

“And I love you,
Caitlyn.”

I awoke the next
morning to an empty bed. No Apolo. Shaking my head, I sat up and swung my legs
over the side. He no doubt had gotten up hours ago to do
business before I awoke. The man might think he was fooling me, but he
forgot how well I knew him.

Looking around, I
spied my robe on a chair. I knew better than to ask how it got there. It was
all part of Apolo’s world. I tied the sash around me and head
ed downstairs to find my husband.

Husband.
Now that was going to take some getting
used to. Stealthily, I made my way to the edge of the stairs and peered down
into the rooms below. As expected, I spied him sitting at a table on the
terrace, coffee mug nex
t to him, computer in front of
him. He was in the middle of typing something.
Probably an email.

The man had promised
me he was going to relax, and I was going to make sure he did just that.

If his back had been
to me, I might have been able to surprise hi
m, but as
quiet as I was, he caught me coming. He quickly typed something then shut the
lid on the laptop.

“Good morning, wife,”
he greeted me. He was out of his chair and by my side in a flash. He made a
quick attempt to kiss me, but I rebuffed him, slidi
ng
into a chair to his left. It had a magnificent view of the water.

Leaning forward, I
grabbed the carafe and poured myself a cup, watching him out of the corner of
my eye. He’d sat back down with an odd look on his face. I’d made my point
without saying
a word.

“I apologize. I know I
promised no business while we’re here, but there were some unfinished matters
that required my attention.”

“Apolo, I don’t know
about you, but I’m on my honeymoon, which I intend to enjoy to the fullest. If
business can’t wai
t this one time, so be it. I simply
don’t want to hear about it or see any reminders of the real world.
Understood?”

“Yes,” he replied,
trying to put on his sad face. It wasn’t going to work this time. “I promise if
I have to, I’ll make sure to do it early
in the
morning.
Deal?”

“I thought we had an
agreement. However, what you do before I get up in the morning is your
business. I don’t want to know.”

I could see his mind
clicking away. He realized I was giving him the okay without saying so. A
subtle smirk
crossed his face.
Compromise.
It was all about the compromising, the
deal, with him. He picked up the computer and moved it to another spot on the
table, along with the phone.

“There’s some
breakfast over on the table against the house, if you’re hungry.”

I glanced. I was
hungry. I hadn’t eaten anything since… I couldn’t remember. My stomach was
suddenly letting me know of its annoyance at only being fed champagne.

“Starving,” I replied
as I got up. As I passed, I leaned over to kiss him. “You better get a
plateful and recharge yourself. The day is just beginning,
you know?”

He gave a low chuckle
before he spoke, “What are you implying, wife? That you intend for us to stay
locked up in the bedroom?”

Grabbling
a plate, I thought for a second about a
really g
ood comeback. “No, I didn’t think staying in
the bedroom would be necessary, since this is your island. Surely, there are
areas where we can be completely alone?”

I began opening the
various covered dishes and selecting what I liked. Seemed like a lot of f
ood for just the two of us. He joined me, whispering, “Oh,
we’re completely alone, my dear. My staff knows how to make
themselves
invisible.”