“That I don’t just live in the city. I have a country house too. And a mountain house, a ski house… a beach house… and an island house… just so you know.”
I watch her eyelids flutter and she pretends to faint all over again, collapsing onto my lap and I stroke her hair, watching her breathe rise and fall, feeling the fluttering of her heart through my robe.
“It’s not gonna be overwhelming, I promise. We’ll take it slow, like that time I claimed you, remember?”
She looks up, faking a dark look.
“We can do it however you want, Trudi. No pressure from me. Even if you don’t want to do anything, I’m okay with that too, but I think once you get a few projects of your own going, you’ll get the bug.”
My biggest concern is once she does get going, is that I might not have as much time with her as I’d like. Which leads me to the next piece of advice I have for her.
“Me? I delegate pretty much everything. I have people to do the legwork, I just give them the ideas and then pay them for their time and effort, plus a cut of any dividends. They like it and they work hard for it.”
“Can I delegate to you?” she asks.
“No.” I tell her flatly, “And I’ll never delegate to you either, we’re a team.”
“Like king and queen?” she asks.
“Exactly,” I tell her, and I squeeze her tight again, feeling her through her robe and she feels me becoming hard for her all over again.
“Can you delegate that?” she asks, in her most serious voice.
“That, has a mind of its own I’m afraid, and totally uncontrollable when you’re around.” I tell her truthfully.
I’ve taken charge of the situation and have Trudi right where I want her again, for the third or is it fourth time today, when the phone rings again. Which is odd.
Most of my calls are directed through my main office.
Calls to my house are rare but not unheard of, so I pick up.
It’s Detective Sloane, he wants to talk about Marco, the Super from Trudi’s building.
I flex my hand at the mention of his name, making a fist and then relaxing it again as I picture his face.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Trudi
Hearing Kane talk to detective Sloane brings it all back for me on the one hand, but makes it all feel like so long ago on the other as well.
Covering the phone with his hand, Kane asks me softly, “Sloane wants to know if you’re pressing charges, the whole nine yards?”
I look awkwardly at my feet for a second, not sure how I even feel about it anymore.
“I think we’ll get back to you on that, it’s been a traumatic day for the tenant, for the whole building really… I’ll have my team look over the evidence we have regarding the suspected abuse of funds as well, get back to you on that-”
He stops, listening as Sloane interrupts.
“Okay, sure, I understand that. Thanks for your time Detective, no. Not a problem. Thank you.”
Kane breathes out through his nose, then makes a clicking sound with his tongue before he hangs up.
“I’m not sure I want to send a guy to jail, not over something so… well. It’s not like he really hurt me or anything…”
I feel Kane tensing up again and I know he’s reliving this morning over again in his mind, maybe not in the same way I am.
My morning memory is filled with a huge, handsome man coming to my rescue, sweeping me off my feet and delivering me to the life of my dreams.
“Kane?” I ask him, turning my attention to his face, which has grown dark for real this time, his jawline’s like a wire and his eyes have narrowed.
“I’ll let you decide what you want to do, Trudi,” He says, starting out formal sounding, but then smiling, rubbing my back to reassure me everything’s alright.
“Sorry, baby. But the thought of that guy manhandling you, it just drives me nuts… Sloane says I can expect a counter charge, but I doubt that will hold much water.
“You mean you’ll be charged as well?” I ask.
“Sure,” Kane says, “I can’t go around bopping people, even if they’re being assholes. It’s the law.”
I feel myself frowning, taking a very different view of Marco the super and this morning now.
“But…” Kane says slowly, and I look over to him again, seeing a mischievous look in his eyes, and his face.
“But what?” I ask, feeling the suspense in my own mind becoming unbearable, wondering if it’s going to be now…
“If I can tell a judge the man was threatening my future wife… my fiancé’…”
I gasp, then I squeal out loud, then I cover my mouth with both my hands.
“Wait. You mean me, right?” I ask him excitedly, and he leans back smiling.
“I even have a ring,” he says smugly.
“Kane Barret, are you proposing to me?” I ask him, hearing my voice crack. I can’t believe any of this is happening, but it will round out the most extreme day in my life’s history.
Fired, assaulted and evicted, swept off feet by a millionaire, lost my virginity and now proposed to?
Hell yeah!
“I might be,” he says dreamily, spreading his arms out before hooking his hands behind his head, leaning back like he’s just scored the world’s biggest hole in one.
I feel myself starting to hyperventilate.
He can’t be… he wouldn’t. I must be hearing things…
I start in my mind with the whole a rich older, sexy guy like him could never fall for a girl like me routine.
Before I know what’s happening, Kane’s on one knee in front of me, having taken the large velvet box from his robe pocket. I hear myself squeak, and cover my mouth again.
Don’t cry… I won’t cry…
“Trudi… I’m being serious now, I really am,” he says and
