Authors: Sarah Elizabeth Ashley
Loving Alex
Loving Alex
Part two of the
Alexandra Drake Series
Sarah Elizabeth Ashley
© Copyright Sarah Elizabeth Ashley 2013
LOVING ALEX
All rights reserved.
The right of Sarah Elizabeth Ashley to be identified as
the author of this work has been asserted in accordance the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, nor translated into a machine
language, without the written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names and characters are a
product of the author’s imaginations and any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, events and organisations is purely coincidental.
Condition of sale
This book is sold subject to the condition that it
shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise
circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is
published and without a similar condition including this condition being
imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Praise for Loving Alex
“
Don’t think for
a second this is just a love story, there is suspense and twists that will
leave you shocked…”
The Page Princess
“To me this is a
story of hope, love, family and courage. The courage to never give up or give
in. To move on...James what can I say ~ Strawberries!...”
A Goodreads
Reviewer
“I am completely
amazed by James and his devotion to Alex. Loved this book and am eagerly
waiting for the next book to see where these characters end up!!”
Dirty Hoe's
Book Blog
“I loved Freeing
Alex but loving Alex takes it to a whole new level. Girl power rocks this book with
strong determination, strength and will power…”
A Goodreads Reviewer
CONTENTS
The
Alexandra Drake Series
Part One – Freeing Alex
Part Two – Loving Alex
Part Three – Eternally Alex – Early
2014
With immense
gratitude to Clare, for listening to my ramblings and for letting me bounce
ideas off her and for making me cry with your comments. To Aconi’s Angels Kim,
Tracey, Clare and Jean for their support and honesty with the series so far-
thank you.
To my loving
husband and children who have stood by me and picked up the pieces when
everything felt as it was falling apart, and yes this has happened many times,
there have even been moments when I have cursed Alex and James and swore that I
would end their fictional existence immediately and vow never to speak of them,
ever again! And to my mum, my biggest critic and support, for your continued
and unending encouragement, yet again I say, “I’m sorry I kept you awake!”
To everyone who
has left reviews, sent messages, supported with blogging and your kind words.
Thank you and I
love you all.
Dedication
There was once a
very special man in my life. Unfortunately he was taken away too soon, much too
soon. The launch day of Loving Alex is his birthday, 8
th
November.
Wherever you are,
you will always be in our thoughts, in our hearts and in our memories.
I hope that I have
made you very proud.
“Gregga”
x
Avicii –
Wake me Up
David Guetta –
Play Hard
Avicci –
Levels
Swedish House Mafia –
Don’t you worry child
Simple Minds –
Don’t you forget about me
Andrea Bocelli –
Con Te Partico
Stephen Curtis Chapman –
I will be here
Labrinth –
Beneath you’re beautiful
Andrea Bocelli –
Vivo Per Lei
The The –
This is the day
Find
Sarah on Facebook:
facebook.com/AlexDrake
http://sarahelizabethashley.com
Twitter
@SarahEAshley1
Loving
Alex. Part Two of the Alexandra Drake Series.
Loving Alex
continues the story of Alex Drake, the formerly downtrodden and abused wife and
mother.
After receiving
the huge legacy from the woman she always regarded as Aunt, Alex finds herself
flung into a world she could have only dreamed of. A world where money is no
object, where she is loved, adored and worshipped by her lover, a younger man,
James. Her life is a million miles removed from her old “existence”, surely it
can only get better and better
1
I sit in the middle seat and hold
onto James’ hand tightly as we take off on our return flight to London. I’m
sandwiched between him and a podgy bloke whose arse somehow spills into my
seat.
I lean towards my lover, “I love you.” I whisper. I never,
ever thought I’d say that to anyone else ever again, but this past few days
James has shown me that it is possible to love again and to be loved, he’s been
kind and caring, he’s made me laugh and comforted me when I’ve cried, and there
has been some crying! He’s supported me when I miscarried our baby, although
prior to the actual miscarriage I didn’t even know I was pregnant and when I
met my birth father for the first time, checking at each step of the way to
make sure that I’ve been happy with everything. He’s instigated the lesson that
my soon-to-be ex husband, aka
the
bastard, received, although he won’t
admit it and most importantly he’s shown me that not all men are the same, that
some, like James, are truly loving and caring.
He holds my hand tighter, “Not as much as I love you! You
complete me Alexandra Drake.”
“Don’t call me Alexandra!” I slap his arm playfully.
“Okay……Blossom!”
I frown, “That’s worse!”
We sit quietly as the aircraft ascends to its cruising
level, once we’re levelled out and the cabin crew start their drinks service I
think it’s time to ask a question that’s been hovering at the back of my mind
for the last few days.
“James,” I draw his attention to me, “how would you feel
about giving up the General Manager’s job at Reid’s?”
“No way! I’m not freeloading off you Alex, I work for my
keep!” He’s very defensive.
“I wasn’t suggesting that you would give up work and
freeload
.
I was thinking more of creating a new role, someone to still run the hotel but
in a more
senior
position.” I explain.
“As what?” He’s abrupt.
“I don’t know. I did say that I wanted to stay close to the
hotel, to be involved, not like Maggie, my - distant. But, I’ve so enjoyed
these last few days away it’s given me time to think, and I
want
to be
involved still but I really don’t want to be there all the time, so I need
someone to do it for me - you!” I look at him, he’s listening intently, taking
everything in. In my mind I’m willing him to say “yes”.
He stares at me, blankly giving nothing away, “I enjoy my
job, I can’t think about it now.” He’s dismissive and, unlike James doesn’t
sound too sure of himself.
I look longingly at him, “Please!”
He turns his terribly handsome face towards me, “I promise,
I’ll think about it, but really Alex, I don’t know?”
“Your main issue being?” I press for his rationale behind
this refusal.
I can see him thinking, formulating his response, he opens
his mouth as if to speak but stops, the cogs continue to whir around under that
stunning hair. “The main issue being that people will think that I’m being kept
and I don’t like that, I don’t want it!”
I lean forward and look out of the window, seeing the white
clouds, I huff. “Will you at least think about it some more. Please?”
“I will Alex and that’s it. End of conversation.” He dismisses
me turning his face to the window.
I root around for a magazine in the pocket in front of me
and flick through the pages as the flight attendant approaches us with the
drinks service. “Can I get you anything?” She asks looking at the three of us
in the row.
The podgy man asks for a whiskey and soda, peanuts and a bar
of chocolate. The attendant completes his transaction and then looks at me,
“Anything for you Madam?”
“Do you have any champagne?” I ask.
“We’ve some Prosecco.” She pulls on the metal drawers from
her trolley and shows me a small bottle of fizz.
“That’ll be great, thank you.” She places two plastic cups
on mine and James tray and a small square napkin on each. “You don’t have
anything strawberry flavoured do you?” I ask quietly, I know it’s probably a
stupid question, but worth asking.
“No,” she says looking puzzled, maybe is
was
a stupid
question, “I’ve got some nice chocolates!”
“They’ll be fine, thank you.” She places the little packet
of luxury chocolates on my tray and I hand her my Coutts debit card. She looks
at it, looks at me, smiles and swipes the card, her hand held machine whirs
producing a slip which she presents to me for signature.
I nudge James and hand him the bottle, he opens it and pours
us each a glass. “To us, to the future.” I say raising the tumbler towards my
handsome bloke. He smiles and kisses my cheek, “God, I love you!”
“I’m going to be free James…Free. Can you believe it, can
you really believe it?” I’ve such an excited feeling in my stomach, I want to
run around waving my arms like a mad woman, I really do. The bastard is on his
way out, I have an amazing lover and a new best friend in James – What more
could a girl want?
“You deserve nothing more Blossom, really and truly.”
We sit sipping our fizz holding on to each other’s hands, so
happy just to be in each other’s company. I open the little bag of chocolates.
“Want one?” I ask offering James first choice.
“Chocolates! I didn’t see you get those!” He grins.
“Umm, they didn’t have anything strawberry flavoured so you’ll
have to make do with chocolate.” I say as I pop a Bailey’s truffle in my mouth.
“What is it with strawberries anyway?”
“The ancient Greeks thought of them as the fruit of
temptation and seduction.” He says with an incredibly sexy smile. He bends towards
me and places as chaste kiss on my lips which earns us a filthy look from the
bloke sat next to me.
“Really, well I never knew that. I know that they can be
used to clean your teeth, but I didn’t know the Greeks had any form of
mythology about strawberries.” I’m surprised, I really am.
“Well, they say that when Adonis died the Goddess Aphrodite
wept with such passion that her tears fell as small red hearts, strawberries,
as the years passed they became associated with temptation and seduction…and
anyway I love them, but I really like the British ones, when they’re in
season.” He says as he takes a deep swallow of his wine and another chocolate.
I look at the bag, “There’s only three left!” I complain, “How many have you
had?” I look at him sternly.
“Only two or three.” He mutters.
“Two or three! There were only eight in there to start off
with and I’ve had one!” I tease him. Honestly, I’m not overly bothered about
the chocolates anyway and only got them for the Bossman.
“I need the loo,” I whisper to him, “won’t be a moment.” I
look around and see that the toilet at the front of the aircraft is vacant, the
podgy man next to me is now dozing as I squeeze past him and into the aisle.
It’s a small aircraft with several seats unoccupied, the cabin crew are at the
rear of the plane continuing with their service. “Wait,” I hear James hiss from
behind me. He stands and puts his arm around my waist, “Want to join the
mile-high club?” He whispers.
I look at him shocked, “Really?” I gasp.
“Really! Come on, no-one’s looking.” He speaks so softly, so
quietly, his smile is playful and mischievous.
I squeeze forward as James follows closely behind me. I open
the door of the toilet and check again, nobody’s watching us, I wink at James and
we both cram into the tiny cubicle giggling and laughing as we do.
Once the door’s locked he pulls me close and holds on to me
tightly. He plants his firm soft lips on mine kissing me deeply, his tongue
lapping at my bottom lip, prising my lips apart. I throw my arms around his
neck banging my elbows against the walls of the cubicle and sending a bottle of
hand soap flying. His hands drop towards the waistband of my jeans and he
undoes the top button quickly. He reaches for the tab of my zip and pulls it
down, all the time his mouth upon mine, my jaw and my neck. His hands slide
into my jeans and he eases them down over my bum, I wriggle out of the denim,
kicking my shoes off and pushing the legs of my jeans over each foot with the
other. He undoes his own jeans and I help push them as far as his knees, I
shove his boxers down as his huge cock springs free straight at me. I laugh, “I
thought the mile-high club was a myth?”
“Well, we’re going to be part of it!” He mumbles as he lifts
me up and places my arse on the edge of the sink, “You’re going to have to hold
on baby, I don’t want you to fall.”
I put my arms around his neck as he holds me and wrap my
legs around his waist as he finds my entrance, he thrusts forward, filling me.
“Good God Alex, you’re so fucking ready for this!” He murmurs, “It’s going to
be hard and fast baby, no time for anything else! You ready?”
“Very ready Boss.” I gasp.
He pounds into me as I cry out, “Quiet Alex, you’ve got to
keep it down.” He whispers.
“You try being fucked hard without making a sound then!” I
snap back as he continues to drive into me harder and harder.
I gasp again “God James, Hell!”
“Sssh,” He whispers again to my ear. “You’ve got to keep it
down baby. Be quiet!” He grumbles.
I dig my fingers into his shoulders, my lips against his
ear, “I can’t. James, you’re a bloody arse, you can’t expect me to be
silent…not when it’s this …Oh James, James!” I try my hardest to restrain my
voice.
“It’s all about pleasure baby, all about pleasure.” He
growls as I shatter around him, as he releases holding me so tightly, I feel
him pulse in me over and over again. We hold onto each other. Our breathing
rapid against each other’s neck and cheeks.
“We need to get gone,” He laughs as he lowers me to the
floor. I’m feeling dishevelled, satisfied but wrecked! “I’ll go first.” He
pulls his boxers and jeans up, rearranging himself, checks himself in the
mirror, running his fingers through his gorgeous curls and opens the door
slightly. “Clear.” He slips out of the cubicle and I lock the door after him. I
try to reassemble my clothing and make myself look a bit presentable, if
nothing else.
I use the toilet and splash some water over my face.
Dressing awkwardly in the cramped confines of the tiny cubicle before I leave.
There’s a lady waiting as I exit, I’m sure I look flushed, she smiles sweetly
at me,
she knows
I think to myself. I continue to mess with my hair as I
return to James squeezing past the still sleeping podgy man as I go. I drop
into my seat and fasten my seat belt as James leans forward and kisses my cheek
so softly, “You’re amazing Alex.” I smile back at him, there’s no need for
words.
The flight passes quickly and we’re soon dropping into
London City Airport. “You did ask Archie to pick us up?” James nudges me.
“I did, I gave him the flight number and all the details.
He’ll be there, you know he’s ultra reliable.”
We pass quickly through the airport and after we’ve
collected our luggage, which I am not permitted to carry, we exit through the
automatic doors and find Archie waiting for us. As usual he’s impeccably turned
out in his silver grey suit his dark blonde hair groomed to perfection, he
smiles warmly as we walk towards him, “Good trip Mrs. Drake, Mr. Aconi?” He
asks, his bright blue eyes twinkling as he opens the door for me.
“Great thanks, and please it’s Alex!” I smile. He
acknowledges me with a nod. Archie is so prim and proper, insisting that things
are done the
right
way. Will he ever call me Alex?
I climb into the back of the Mercedes and reach for the door
to close it but am beaten to it by Archie who shuts it and walks to the rear of
the car to help James with our cases, although James seems perfectly capable of
doing this himself, I think it’s an
Archie
thing, the desire to help
with every little thing!
Once were all settled he pulls the car away and we’re soon
into the heavy mid-day London traffic but, unlike me who detests driving in
London, Archie makes it look so easy, we move smoothly, negotiating the day to
day obstacles with ease, the cars pulling out in all directions, pedestrians
stepping out from footpaths, the bicycles, the heavy goods vehicles and the
huge red London buses, not to mention the black cabs.
“Can you drop me at the hotel before you take Alex home?”
James asks.
“Of course,” replies Archie from the front of the car.
I frown at The Bossman sitting next to me in his jeans and
customary white t-shirt, “I thought we would be both going home before you went
to work? You said you were taking over from Robbie this evening.” I mutter
sulkily.
“I am, but I need a hand-over from him too! I can’t just
rock up when he finishes later on and simply take over; I need to know what’s
been going on, who’s booked in, if any rooms need special preparation. You
don’t own a bed and breakfast Alex; you own one of London’s finest!” He
explains whilst looking out of the window as we move along, our route now
deviated towards the hotel.
“I know that! But does it take a whole afternoon to do a
hand-over? Surely nothing major will have gone wrong or changed?” I’m whining
now, I know I am, I look out of the window, I know I’m sulking and to be
totally frank, I don’t care! I’ve had the most wonderful few days with my lover
which couldn’t have come at a better time and now he’s dumping me to go to
work!
Yes, the last few months have been horrendous, such a lot
has happened, including relocating to London, and Lewis - my deranged soon to
be ex who seems hell-bent on making this divorce as messy and protracted as
possible, until some
kind
person broke both of his legs, now he’s laid
up and I assume still being bloody awkward about everything imaginable. I also
discovered that my Aunt, my benefactor, was in fact my birth mother and that
her sister and brother-in-law adopted me when I was very young, raising me as
their own. It’s been a maelstrom of events but the catalyst for change, the
huge legacy allowing me to walk away from my twenty-two year abusive marriage
to Lewis and begin what I hope will be a new life.