“So, back to the important shit,” Natalie says, shifting her focus back to me. “I know that Anders thinks that he can keep things separate in his head, but do you really think that’s possible if he’s getting into your purple silky thong every night?”
I stick my tongue out at her. I actually don’t have a purple silky thong, only a lace one. Hmmm…Victoria Secret time. I bet Anders would love to pull that off with his teeth and then kiss his way up my…
Snap.
I jerk my head and look at Natalie, who’s just snapped her fingers in front of my face.
“Earth to Christine,” she says in a sing-song voice.
I stick my tongue out at her again. She ignores it again.
What are best friends for, after all?
“I really don’t know about this,” she says thoughtfully. “It does seem like using your body to get into a program all based on ethics is a bit…questionable.”
“But I’m not using my body! He’s told me so.” But inside, I’m dying a little. Because Natalie is saying everything that I’ve been worried about.
Everything that has been bothering me, even if it doesn’t seem to be bothering Anders.
“I’m just going to have to bring it up with him. Again,” I mumble into my gin and tonic.
No matter how much I didn’t want to.
13
Christine
“Home sweet home,” Anders says, opening up the door with a grand gesture in front of me.
Like Cinderella first walking into her prince’s castle, I enter slowly, my mouth agape. It was…gorgeous.
Fucking gorgeous.
Who lives like this?
Anders Trask does, apparently.
Dark woods and giant pastoral paintings and heavy curtains – it has an old-world charm to it that I hadn’t expected. And the entryway is larger than my living room.
“I had it remodeled using an old castle in France as the inspiration,” he says, coming up to me with yet another drink in hand, handing it to me as I wandered around, oohing and ahhing. I know that most people my age would probably like stainless steel and retro furnishings, but I’d always love the regal European decor.
“Come, check out my favorite feature,” he says, as excited as a little boy. He grabs my free hand and pulls me down a hallway and into a dark room. Flipping a switch, a few strategically placed lights turn on to a low glow, pointing straight at…
“Oh my god, Anders, really?” I squeal, heading straight towards the suit of armor.
“Early 1430s Italian armor,” he says proudly. “One of the oldest full sets of armor in existence.” Its dull silver glow in the dim lighting almost made it seem ethereal. I reached out and stroked the metal joints reverently.
“I love it,” I say softly. He stood behind me and pulled me tight up against him, wrapping his arms around me as I leaned into him. We stared at the suit for a long minute in silence. It just seemed to deserve that.
“Anders,” I finally say, breaking the peaceful silence between us. As much as I hate to, I have to. I just can’t live with myself if I don’t. “You’re going to be able to make a decision about the UN program even with…this,” I gesture to the air around us, “happening, right?”
He pulls me against him even tighter and begins to nuzzle my neck. “Even though,” he breathes down my neck, sending shivers down my spine, “I want to fuck you senseless,” he nips at my neck and down my shoulder, “every moment of every day,” he nips back across to the nape of my neck and down my other shoulder, “I can separate that from the UN program.
“Although,” he says in a teasing voice, pulling away from my skin and standing up straight, “I should use my power for evil.” He turns me in his arms and stares down at me with a devilish glint in his eye. “Tell you that the only way that you can get into this program is to fuck me like the little whore that you are.”
“Ohhhhh…” I breathe, staring up at him, biting my lower lip as I do. “I…well…I…” I stutter, unable to put a complete thought into words. “I would hate to lose the chance to be in the program, so if that’s what it takes…”
I know he’s teasing. I know he would never tell me something like that and mean it. But that didn’t mean it isn’t hot as fuck to hear.