Devotion (The Seductors Series Book 3) (19 page)

“There will be a few minor changes within the company that have already been discussed with the founder. The government has selected a Seductor to be a liaison officer who will report directly to me and help assess all the missions. Jade Phillips.” My head snapped up at hearing my name, and I saw that everyone in the room had turned to look at me. “You have been selected as the candidate. You’ve been chosen due to your skills and knowledge within this company. You’ll be leaving headquarters immediately. You will be based with Intelligence and are now working directly for the US Government. You are no longer a Seductor.”

“Holy shit!” Georgie gasped from beside me.

“If you would quickly collect your belongings and say your goodbyes, there is a car waiting for you outside. You’ll receive further instructions there. ”

“Jade, what if I never see you again?” Georgie pouted, tears filling her eyes.

“
I’ll try and call you as soon as I know everything.” She flung her arms around me. Molly and Drew were gazing at me, both stunned. “See you guys soon.”

“Jade, is this safe? What’s going on?” Drew looked worried.

Georgie touched his arm. “She’ll be fine, Drew. We can let her go.” Her eyes were wet with moisture, but I was sure they were happy tears. She knew Oliver had kept to his promise. He’d set me free.

“Be safe, Jelly Bean,” Drew muttered, kissing me on the cheek. Molly was sobbing and hugged me quickly as I stood up.

“I’ll miss you, Jade. Contact us as soon as you know anything.”

“I will. Love you guys,” I whispered before I began to make my exit. Would I ever see them again?
 I made my way through the crowd of Seductors, hugging the few other faces that I’d become friends with. Mario and Alicia were just standing there gawking at me as I finally hugged Zara goodbye and left the main room.

I’d never packed a bag so quickly in my life. I was just about to get into the taxi when Sonia called me.

“I have the strangest feeling Mr. Kirkham may have had something to do with this,” she seethed, crossing her arms.

“I have no idea, but if it is him waiting for me wherever I’m going, I’ll take it.”

“He might kill you. Look at what you did to him. You stole from him. What if you’re walking into a trap?”

“He loves me. I love him. Everything I did, I did to keep him safe. I’ll make him understand that.”

“You do realize you’ve become my boss now, right? I have to report to you with every mission we undertake.”
No!
Was she serious? “All our hard work has been ruined!”

“You became greedy, Sonia. The Seductors never should have taken the larger missions. You brought this all on yourself.”

“He changed you. You weren’t the same Seductor after your first mission with him.”

“I fell in love, and if he
is
waiting for me, I plan to spend the rest of my life with him.”

“Love. You’re a fool, Jade. You could have owned the world with The Seductors. You were almost there. I saw you taking over for me when the time came. It’s such a waste.” She was delusional. I shook my head, stepping toward the car.

“Goodbye, Sonia. I guess I’ll be in touch.”

“Watch your back, Jade. You’re not under the protection of The Seductors anymore. Think about all the enemies you’ve made over the years.”

“I’m a big girl, Sonia. Like you said, it would appear that I'm your boss now. I think I'll be just fine,” I smirked, opening the car door. She still didn’t look like a Jennifer to me.

“Is something amusing to you?” she glared.

“Not really. I was just thinking about how you don’t really look like a Sonia.” I watched the blood drain from her face.

“W…what do you mean?”

“Oh, I don’t know, but to me, you look more like…like…a Jennifer.”

“That son of a
bitch
! He found you didn’t he? This is Oliver Kirkham’s handy work.”

“Well, what did you expect when we both found out that you’d set us up? You were never going to give me my Jade Gibbs identity, were you? You ordered Alicia to sabotage my mission.”
  

“How?”

“Your entire system was hacked. He knows
everything
. You’re lucky he let you get out of this so easily. I wouldn’t have been so kind.”

“I did it for you, Jade. You’re better than all of this. Falling for a rich man…is that really what you want?”

“I don’t love him for his money. He’s the only person who’s ever made me feel good about myself. Even after learning what I‘d stolen from him, Oliver still wanted me. He didn’t blame me. He knew I was just doing my job.”

“Well, I hope you get your happy ending, Jade. Just remember…fairytales aren’t real.”

“I don’t need fairytales. All I need is Oliver.” I got into the car. “I’ll be in contact soon, but remember, I’ll be watching you and every mission you undertake. I suggest you keep that greed of yours under control before it gets you into more trouble.” Sonia gazed at me, speechless as I slammed the car door.  

There was a note and a bouquet of red roses waiting for me on the seat of the cab.
Oliver!
Smiling
to myself, I opened the note as the driver pulled out of the gates.

Jade,

I’ll meet you in London at the Savoy. I’ll be waiting for you in the bar at 8pm. You can use my NEW private jet to get there. It’s already waiting to take off. (You’re welcome.)

P.S. I told you to trust me.

xxxxx

He was a smug asshole even on paper, but my insides were bursting with love. I was on my way to London, to the place where we’d first met, and this time, I’d never have to let him go.

Oliver’s
new
plane was very luxurious. It had a spacious bedroom, which I was definitely going to be having words with him about. I had once told him
not
to buy a new plane, but the bedroom did give me a place to get ready. Wanting to make the best impression I could when I walked into that bar, I had opted for a tight red dress. He loved me in red, after all.

A limo was waiting for me when the plane landed. When I didn’t find him waiting for me, I was a little disappointed. We’d had some fun times in the back of a limo in the past. Not having him there only added to the anticipation I felt. I half expected that was his plan all along. Why else would he fly me half way across the world? He was making me wait, knowing that I’d be desperate for him by the time we met.

I wandered into the Savoy following the porter that had collected my luggage. “Did you have a reservation, Madam?” the receptionist asked.    

“I’m not sure. I’m meeting someone in your bar.”

“What was your name?”

“Jade Phillips.”

“Oh, yes, Miss Phillips. We’ve been told to expect you. You can leave your luggage with me and I’ll get it moved to your suite. Please make your way to the bar. Our guest has been waiting for you.”

I walked into the restroom first to freshen up. After checking my reflection in the mirror, I added a touch of lip gloss.
Jade, you’ve waited long enough! Go and get your man!

With a deep breath, I held my head up high and began to walk toward the bar. Oliver wasn’t difficult to spot. He was seated at the bar with his back to me. My heart leapt out of my chest at the sight of him. He was really here. As if he could feel my presence, he turned toward me. His gaze struck me down.
Whoa, that was the look of love!
I felt giddy, my legs trembling as I walked closer to him.

“Oliver.” It was all I could force out. I was so overcome with emotion.

“It’s okay, Jade. I’m here.” He stood up, pulling me into his embrace.

“What the hell did you do?” I gasped, inhaling his scent while playing with the collar on his shirt.

“I held a meeting with the world leaders and told them what The Seductors almost stole. That got their attention. It was decided that the organization needed to be monitored, hence General Johnson turning up at your headquarters. How did that go, by the way?”

“It was stressful. I thought something had happened to you.”

“I told you to trust me, Beautiful.”

“Am I really working for the U.S. Government now?”

“It doesn’t need to be permanently, but I suggested that General Johnson use you to help decipher the code names and gain an understanding of the Seductors system.”

“I’ve become Sonia’s boss. Do you know how crazy this all is?”

“It was all necessary at the time to set you free.”

“I need a drink. It’s been a long few days.” Oliver chuckled, motioning to the bartender while I took a seat next to him.
 

“What happened to your face?” he asked, stroking my cheek.

“Oh, that’s nothing. It’s in the past.”

“Did someone hit you? Did it happen at Headquarters or before that? ” He was furious.

“It was Adam. None of that matters now, though. He didn’t get what he wanted.” I brushed off his concern.

“It matters to me. I want to go and break his fingers for even touching you!”

“He’s not worth it. All of that is behind us now,” I beamed, pulling myself even closer toward him.

“You never have to go back to that life, Jade…ever again,” he whispered, running his hand through my hair.

“Thank you.” I leaned in and pecked his lips. I wanted to do so much more, but we were at the bar.

“You don’t need to thank me, and I don’t want you to feel that you’re tied to me just because I set you free. If you need to find your feet first, I understand. This is a lot to take in.”

“You’re amazing, did you know that? Oliver, there is no place I'd rather be than right here with you.”

“I’m not so sure about amazing. I’ve done this for my benefit as much as yours, remember?” he chuckled. “And I want you here with me, too. Forever.”

“I like that idea.” I leaned in, about to kiss the breath out of him when he suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, you need to sign this, and keep a copy for your records.” He pushed a document over to me.

“What is it?”

“That’s your freedom, Jade.”

“My release papers?” I beamed. Oliver nodded. “I can’t
believe
this!”

“It’s happening, Beautiful. Now, hurry up and sign those papers so we can skip dinner and go straight to our suite.”

“You mean you don’t want to relive our first date? I thought that was why you flew me out here?”

“It seemed like the right place to start again, but right now, all I want is to strip you out of that dress and make love to you all night long.”

“Well, since you put it that way…” I quickly signed my name on the documents and passed them back to him. “…you better lead the way.” A playful grin spread across his face.

I wa
s having a serious case of deja vu as we rode the elevator to our floor. How we kept our hands off each other, I don’t know. The atmosphere around us was thick with desire.

He pinned me against the wall once we were inside the suite—the same suite he took me to that first night. “How do you feel about a little wall sex before we start the heavy love making in the bedroom?”
 

“I love wall sex,” I groaned, feeling his hands run up underneath my dress.

“I love
you
,” he whispered, capturing my lips with his.

After everything he had done for me, I had no doubt in his words. Oliver was here with me, and he’d freed me from The Seductors. I couldn’t wait to see what lay ahead for us, but most importantly, I had a love that I never had to let go. Someone who loved me for who I was.

Okay, I had to leave my life as a Seductor behind, but I was gaining Oliver. From the first moment we’d been together, that was all I had ever wanted. I wasn’t afraid of the future when I knew he was part of it.

“I started falling for you the first time you took me against this wall,” I whispered as he kissed down my neck.