I stepped close to Lance, letting him wrap me in his arms and I laid my head on his chest. His breathing was rapid, but his heartbeat was much slower than a normal human’s. I guessed that was normal with vampires.
Lance held me for a few minutes, neither of us saying anything. I just listened to the beat of his heart and the rhythm of his steady breathing. “I hope you don’t mind that I intervened,” Lance finally said. “But they weren’t leaving, as you had asked.”
I took a deep breath. “No, thank you for that.” I shuttered to think of what would have happened if Lance hadn’t intervened. They were taking advantage of me in my weakened state. Between the nausea, losing Steven, and the emotional strain that I had suffered over the past few weeks, I was weaker than I normally was and they were determined to take advantage of it.
“Do you think they bought it? That I was just passing by?” Lance ask
Lance squeezed my hand as he sat beside me in the limo, on our way to Caprice Casino, his castle. Actually, it suited him well. I felt as if I was now living two lives: one was a Cinderella, rags to riches scenario; the other was in the normal world as a doctor. Now, the two worlds were starting to collide and I wasn’t sure how it was going to end. “I want you to do me a favor,” Lance said as he squeezed my hand. “I’m afraid I might be too tired for that tonight,” I teased, as a sly smile spread across my face. Lance laughed as he glanced out the limo, then back at me. “No, I want you to have fun this weekend. Everything else, we can deal with on Monday.” I forced a smile, nodding my head. “I hope it’ll be that easy.” “It will be,” he said, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead, still holding my hand. “Trust me.” I smiled then nodded. I really needed a mental vacation and I was determined to allow myself the opportunity to have it, so
Lance looked exquisite in his black Armani suit and crisp blue shirt underneath and matching silk tie. “You look wonderful in blue,” I whispered as he headed toward the elevator. “It compliments your lovely green eyes.”He smiled and bent down to kiss the top of my head, careful not to ruin my hair. “Thank you. You are too breathtaking for words.”He gave my hand a gentle squeeze when the elevator doors opened into Club Moroii. Every eye was on us as we walked the rest of the way down, taking the long staircase into Caprice Casino on the bottom floor. Even the people playing the slot machines stopped to stare. I felt very much like a fairy princess going to the ball. Within minutes, we stepped through the sliding glass doors of the casino and Lance’s black stretch limo was waiting for us outside, and his driver was holding the door open for us.“Thanks, Frederic,” Lance said. The driver gave him a slight nod
We walked through the huge dining hall and into a private room—a much more intimate setting—with the same china, crystal water goblets, wine glasses, and flowers. It took my breath away, for at that moment, I realized that he had booked a private room for us. Lance slipped the maitre d’ a one hundred dollar bill discreetly as a tip before he left.“Well, what do you think?” Lance asked, smiling as he held my chair for me and I sat down.“Lance you didn’t have to go through so much trouble. This is amazing.” I shook out my napkin and placed it on my lap. A waiter stood inconspicuously to the side, awaiting our beckon call.“I hope you do not mind, but I took the liberty of ordering the Chef’s Tasting,” Lance said, shaking out his napkin. The Chef’s Tasting was the best on the menu.“It’s perfect,” I said, beaming. I knew that it was a sampling of the chef’s favo
We walked into the hotel and a gentleman dressed in a tuxedo and wearing white gloves handed Lance a key card. He thanked him as we walked straight to the elevator. It was a relief not to have to linger at the front desk. As tired as I was, I would have fallen asleep in the limo if the hotel hadn’t been so close. Lance punched a number and the elevator opened on the top floor. A few short steps down the hallway, and we were at the penthouse.We walked into a luxurious living room, adorned with flowers and beautiful furniture. On the farthest side of the room was a door that I assumed led to the bedroom. There was also another door. “What’s in that room?” I asked pointing to the door.“It’s a mini salon,” he said, eyeing me with a mischievous grin.“Wow! You are really trying to spoil me, aren’t you?” I teased, too tired to check it out.Suddenly, Lance swooped me up into his arms and headed towar
I woke the next morning and the shades on the windows were already drawn in the hotel room. The shades must have been specially made, as there was no light streaming in through the windows at all, although it was clearly morning. Lance was still behind me, spooning me in his sleep as a broad smile spread across his face.I slid out of bed, careful not to wake him, then headed toward the bathroom and quickly showered. Afterward, I slipped into a luxurious white robe that was hanging behind the door, reminding me of the robe in Lance’s penthouse. I looked into the mirror and my cheeks were bright and rosy, my blue eyes wild, and my hair knotted, matching the wild look in my eyes. I laughed, deciding to look for a brush. I hadn’t packed much. Angela had taken care of the details and I had no idea what she had packed for me.I looked over and on the counter was a small travel bag. I opened it and inside was a complete brush set, blow dryer, my favorite shampoos
A part of me wanted to rest, but another part of me wanted to take advantage of his offer and shop while I had the chance. “Okay, you talked me into it. I’ll go.”A broad smile spread across his face. “That’s my lady,” he said, then crushed his lips down onto mine.“But when I get back, I’m going to rest,” I amended, rubbing my tummy, which was slightly bigger. I was already feeling tired and I hadn’t even left the hotel.“Leila, if you don’t feel up to it, I can bring the runway to you,” he stated, then gently kissed my forehead. “Also, be sure to get some baby clothes … whatever you’d like.”“You, my dear, are spoiling me,” I said, giving him a light peck on the lips.“That’s the whole idea,” he replied, then added, “but stay with the limo. My driver will stay with you today.”“I will.&rdquo
In the limo, I looked out the window, taking in the sites. It had been a long time since I’d been to New York. Steven had traveled here often on business and I was rarely invited to go with him, but I couldn’t blame him entirely. I was married to my work at the time. Looking back, it was a wonder that we had stayed married for as long as we had. Maybe that was why he had taken a mistress. Steven had needed someone that would be there for him. I quickly pushed those thoughts aside as we pulled down Fifth Avenue. My heart leapt with excitement as I spotted high-end stores, such as Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, De Beers, Gianni Versace, Bergdorf Goodman, and much more. Then, I spotted Prada. “Stop here, Clarence,” I said, and he quickly obeyed. There were no parking spaces and the street was crowded, so he said, “Dr. Reynolds, I’ll circle the block and will be right back. If you finish before I return, wait for me.” I nodded and wal
I froze, not quite sure what to do as my hand went instinctively to my stomach.The other man already had his hand around Clarence’s throat. It was then I noticed that they were both more than human, but not vampires. Their eyes were bright blue, and vampires’ eyes are green and, from the way this man was handling Clarence, they also had super-human strength. I waited, confused. “You, dear sir, are coming with us,” he said, looking directly into Clarence’s eyes.“He was compelled,” the man standing before me said in a low voice. Suddenly, he looked familiar.“How do you know about compulsion?” I asked, astonished. Obviously, these men weren’t human. If they were, they knew much more than normal humans were allowed to know.He gave me a weak smile. “My name is Garrett, and this is Patrick.”“Pleasure,” I said, leery of my rescuers.I looked over and Patrick wa