Taste of Cognac

Emma was fussing with preparations of tea in Ada’s kitchen, while Ada herself slouched on the stool, fingers gently brushing over the island countertop. It was white marble with black and gold veins throughout. She had chosen it herself. Everything in that house had been chosen by her, and everything brought her joy. The feeling of emptiness because she would never be able to do it in a home with her mate, was gradually growing a hole inside her chest. They would never have late-night snacks, cook for each other, have sex in the backyard pool, wake up from the sound of children’s feet running into their bedroom. She kept staring at the black and gold veins when a cup of tea appeared in front of her.

“Is it as bad as they say?” Emma asked with pain in her eyes.

“It is tolerable,” was Ada’s quiet answer.

“Did your father sign the papers and did you bring them?”

Ada pointed at her laptop bag with her chin.

Emma got into a dramatic pose and announced like she was at the center of a circus.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the new owner of the Chemical Division of Arca Corporations, Ada King. Please don’t hold your applause for this brave young woman who broke her mate bond for this. She gave up half of her soul. So you could say she sold her soul to the devil himself, none other than Andre King.”

Emma pointed an imaginary microphone to Ada’s lips and this time her voice was bitter and her face was angry.

“Tell me, Ada, was it worth it?”

Ada grimaced.

“It was necessary. We are not having this conversation again, Emma,” she whispered.

Just then her phone vibrated and her face scrunched up even more looking at the screen. Emma grabbed it from her hands and read the text message.

I will be at your house at 10 in the evening next Wednesday. Save this number.

Emma smirked and saved it under “Alpha Booty Call”. Ada sighed weakly and halfheartedly asked her friend to change it to "Damien" without expecting her to pay any attention. Chest pains were brutal by then.

******

In downtown, Damien was sitting in his office of the Black corporate building. He kept rotating the phone in his hands. What was he going to do when he went to visit her? When he made the offer of sexual visits because of his bond-crazed brain, he thought getting to speak to Ada regularly could end up being useful. 

The herbs his sister got from a witch at her university were actually helping with the chest pains. He had brought an extra dose with him to that meeting in case he got a private moment with Ada. But knowing the King princess, she probably already had her own methods to ease the pain.

******

A week had gone by both painfully slowly and in a blink of an eye. Damien was driving through a dark empty street leading to Ada’s remote house, so different from the busy streets of the inner city. His fingers were tapping his lower lip deep in thought, while the elbow rested on the car door. Would there be any attraction between them that night?

The attraction and desire to possess that woman had burst in him like a hurricane when he had seen her ten days ago in the conference room. 

She had seemed perfect. He hadn’t been sure if he had wanted to cradle her to his chest like she was a kitten or fuck her like a beast. Over the previous week, his anger at her had slowly calmed down. Probably with mate bond gone, not only love and lust but other emotions were dying out too.

He parked in front of a two-story colonial brick house. It looked nice with lights on and the forest in the background. It looked peaceful. As he was walking to the front door, a female silhouette in one of the windows caught his attention.

She was standing in the dining room by a small bar rotating amber liquid in a crystal glass. Artificial warm light bathed her lonely figure surrounded by antique dark wood furniture. Her body looked small among the tall walls and she looked almost fragile.

The darkness surrounding her lonely house made that room look like a painting. Her hair was down and shone like liquid chocolate. She was wearing a strange dress in the colors of a peacock tail. It was more like a silk robe that covered her everywhere to her hands and feet. Only a triangle of skin was exposed from the throat to some cleavage.

He felt a sense of relief realizing that physical attraction wasn’t gone. She still was a beautiful woman. He wanted to taste that small mouth with plump lips. He wanted those large green eyes on him.

Knuckles tapped on the front door and he anticipated her scent, but what hit him harder was the smell of alcohol. Her greeting was curt, and without waiting for a reply she turned around and started leading the way into the dining room. Her skirt swayed with her small steps and he thoroughly enjoyed watching the dress hug her waist tight before flaring over her curvy hips down to her feet.

He would need to examine those thighs when he got the chance. So far, no outfit showed much.

“Would you like a drink?” she asked stopping by the bar. She was nowhere near being drunk, but liquid courage was necessary for that night.

“I will have what you’re having.”

Ada poured a generous glass of Armenian cognac, internally frowning at her thoughts. Maybe if she got him drunk, he wouldn’t be able to perform or maybe he would finish faster and leave. She watched his large hand grip the glass and Adam’s apple move as he sampled what she had offered him. 

He was undeniably a very handsome man. The dark, almost black aura surrounding him added to the appeal. That thought made her wrinkle her nose in disapproval of herself. He found that gesture appealing.

“How are the chest pains?” he asked.

“They were gone within a few days, thank you. How about you?”

“Same. Why was your father present at breaking the bond?”

“Like I said it had nothing to do with you. You got what we agreed upon,” she answered indifferently. Then thinking for a moment added, “By the way, I haven’t smelled any Black clan wolves crossing my land.”

“Only a few of my clan members know about it for now. We will phase it in. Speaking of which, why wasn’t that part of the deal in the official contract?”

He was worried that she would try to deny granting them access as there was no proof of their agreement.

“The less information is disclosed in papers the better sometimes. No particular reason. And since this is a simple access to walk through, it didn’t have to be written down,” she said with absolutely no emotion on her face.

Almanac Academy ethics class taught them poker face for negotiations. Ada had perfected it.

She took a breath and continued, “Speaking of the agreement, how do you want to do this? I prepared a guest bedroom for… us. I would ask you to leave shortly after we are done… There is a shower adjoining that guest bedroom with fresh towels. I will leave to my bedroom once you are ready to shower.”

His button-down shirt sleeves were rolled up and she kept noticing his forearms. She wished the circumstances were different so the feeling of being a cheap whore wouldn’t follow her thoughts continuously that evening. He took another sip of cognac and she wondered what his mouth tasted like mixed with the aroma of the drink.

After putting down the glass he walked over to her. Her hair was pushed back and he leaned over to her neck making sure not to touch any skin and took a long breath. She still smelled mouthwatering. All of a sudden, he was aware of his resentment and anger towards her, but above all his lust. It was nowhere near the desire he had felt during their original meeting, but he wanted to do everything he knew about sex to her. 

He craved to find out how warm she felt, how sweat would cover her body in the darkness of that damned guest bedroom, whether she was vocal in her desires or he would have to learn her body by her gasps and moans.

She hadn’t moved and his body was reacting both to his thoughts, and her scent and proximity. His lips touched her cheek and he started drawing slow circles with the tip of his nose going from cheekbones to the jawline.

Ada felt an army of goosebumps rise over her upper arms. Inside her abdomen, a bubble of that sweet sensation had started the second he had inhaled her neck but these circles were building the sensation much faster than such an innocent act should. He smelled just as tempting as she remembered and she allowed herself a deep inhale.

“Are you a virgin, Miss King?” His voice was husky.

“Why do you assume that?” Her voice didn’t give away any of the sensations her body was flooded with.

“You never had a boyfriend during our academy years, and I don’t remember hearing rumors of the King princess dating anyone. I have a feeling your father wouldn’t approve.”

“I am a virgin.” Her answer was simple and steady.

“Hmm.” The tip of his nose went down to her neck and the goosebumps spread to her lower back. “I will see you tomorrow at the same time,” he whispered, took one final inhale, and left her house.

Watching him close the door on his way out, Ada finished her glass and thought, so much for matching underwear.