A shiver passed down my spine, once again confirming that there was far more to James than met the eye. He may have made his fortune by legal standards, but I was certain that a great deal of it had a criminal backbone, and he wasn’t the least bit ashamed of it.
“Is there anything else you can tell me about him?”
“He has a mistress in Warsaw. It’s something I overheard once, so I can’t really verify if it’s true or not. Her first name is Isabel. She is his prisoner, from what was said, kept behind lock and key in a flat he pays for,” I offered.
“He has taken no wife since your mother’s death,” James offered, gently but bluntly.
“She is of no express value to him. Marrying her will gain him nothing so it will ultimately never happen,” I answered.
My father was a cold, calculating man. He didn’t deal with love, only money and power.
I took several more bites, polishing most of it off in silence. James reached across the table and surrounded my hand with his. He squeezed it and I picked my head up to look back at him.
“Whatever comes, we’ll deal with it together, okay?”
“Okay,” I whispered tentatively.
His genuine nature was like a breath of fresh air. I finished up the rest of my meal and he refilled my wineglass for me one time before he ate the rest of his. We chatted about small things—favorite foods, drinks, places I wanted to visit one day. He asked questions that made it clear that he was listening to every word I said, and I couldn’t keep my heart from swelling with emotion.
When dinner ended, he swept the plates away and replaced them with small, covered silver platters. With a flourish, he took off the tops at the same time, revealing the most delectable pieces of apple pie I’d ever seen.
“This was my mother’s recipe. It’s been passed down in my family for generations,” he offered. I sensed his sorrow once more, but he quickly covered it up by preparing a forkful of pie and whipped cream and bringing it to my lips. Without needing to be told, I opened my mouth and allowed him to feed me.
I moaned as the sugary treat melted on my tongue. There were hints of brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and it all came together in a delicious combination that made me crave more.
He insisted on feeding me the whole slice. As much as I wanted to protest, I couldn’t bring myself to. A part of me was sincerely enjoying how he treated me like his queen.
I didn’t want to wonder what that might mean.
By the time we were finished, I was so full I couldn’t swallow another bite. He picked up my still full glass and grabbed my hand. We left the small dining room and walked down yet another hallway to a staircase that led down to the basement level.
After passing a few closed doors, we walked into a massive open space with an enormous projector screen. The floor was covered with pillows, blankets, and plush beanbags. Several luxurious couches surrounded the perimeter, and he led me over to the one at the center. He sat down, placed my wine on the table beside it, and pulled me into his lap.
I watched, curious as he turned on the system. He scrolled through a list of movie options, many of them movies I had heard about in development and many more that had yet to be released. I eventually settled onDeadpool.
“Good choice,” he whispered. He hit play and kissed my forehead. During the course of the movie, he would pass me the glass of wine so I could sip it from time to time. By the time the movie ended though, I couldn’t stop myself from yawning so wide that my jaw ached.
I curled in closer to him, wanting to go to bed but also not wanting to move.
He carried me to his bed that night. The room was dark, but his bed was soft. I fell asleep with his arm safely wrapped around my waist.
CHAPTER9
Kasia
I heard him rustling about in the room as I slowly woke up the next morning. The curtains were closed, but a tiny sliver of light burst through the center. I stretched with a loud groan and peeked through the slits of my eyes to catch him watching me. I pulled the covers up high enough to cover my breasts, which made him chuckle lightly.
“Wake up, sleepy girl. If you want to wash my seed from between your pretty thighs, now’s your chance,” he winked, and I opened my eyes more fully then.
“Or else what?” I sassed sleepily.
“Or else I’ll make you wear it all day,” he laughed.
I huffed, which only made him shake his head. The sparkle in his eye at my antics made me smile.
“Is there tea?”
“I’ll have a cup ready for you by the time you get out,” he offered, still smiling.