Promises (19 page)

Then ride out the storm.

“Don’t know, I can’t really explain it. It’s as if you became a different person. I could almost imagine you in a boardroom.” She didn’t notice him wince. “I much prefer you in your jeans. Or better still, out of them.” With a coy smile, she ran her hand across his crotch, feeling the already growing bulge.

Sol pulled her close, his hand fiddling with the zip
. He slid it down her back and flicked the straps over her shoulders. The dress skimmed down her body and pooled at her feet. He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Tell me you’re kidding,” he said, hoarsely, at the sight of her. She was almost naked, wearing nothing but a pair of hold-up stockings, heels, and a large grin.

“
It was so damn tight, I didn’t want VPL.” She looked a little sheepish, like a naughty child, but expressed no regret. “And my bra would have shown.”

He shook
his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you walked down that aisle without a stitch on underneath.” He stared at her, realizing she hadn’t a clue how she looked. “Leave them on.” He nodded at her stockings.

“Come on
, baby,” she said, “I’ve got something for you.” Crooking her finger, beckoning, she turned and sashayed into the bedroom, her hips swaying seductively. She screamed when Sol scooped her up in his arms, his trousers already off. He bent his head and her hand brushed through his hair, pulling him closer till their lips met.

T
he kiss soaked into her soul. With ruthless intent, he plundered her mouth, his tongue swirling and dancing. He poured his love into her through every sweet seductive caress.

“Love me
, Sol!” she whispered, her hand cupping his face, her thumb rubbing gently. She gazed deep into his dark eyes, almost black with passion, as his big body covered her.

“S
ol, I’ve got to say it, you’re bloody amazing.” Alex lay on top of him, gazing down into his face. She noticed how his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, then winced at the crack of his hand across her naked backside. “Ouch, that hurt!”

“Shall I kiss it better?” he asked
, expectantly.

She gave him what she hoped was her serious look
. “Don’t even go there.”

“You said I could do anything I wanted to you behind closed doors
,” he reminded her with a cheeky grin.

“Hmmm
, I did, didn’t I?” She gave a low throaty chuckle and pressed a kiss on his chest. “Thanks for this weekend, Sol. I’ve had the most wonderful time of my life.”

“There’s going to be a lot more to come, trust me
.” He ran his hand through her hair. “You know, it pisses me off that a horny weekend in a hotel is the best experience of your life.” He dropped a kiss on her head. “From now on I’ll spoil you, show you how to love and live, honey.”

She
smiled. “Guess we’d better get up and make tracks home.” She still lay on top of him, making no effort to move, just happily enjoying the contact. Resting her head on his chest, she listened to the thud of his heart, the soft butterfly touches of his hand running soothingly up and down her spine.

“In a while
, honey.”

Alex gave a longing glance at the room they’d s
hared and knew she’d always retain the wonderful memories of these few days. She’d carry them to the grave with her.

Sol
was studying her and put an arm around her shoulder. “We’ll be back, honey, trust me.”

She
glanced up and nodded her head. “I do, Sol. I promise I’ll always trust you.” For the first time in her life she allowed herself to have faith and believe in someone.

The journey home was
made in a comfortable silence, excluding the occasional bursts of black smoke and loud bangs from the exhausts, along with Sol’s swearing every time it happened.

“I’d have thought you were used to it by now
,” observed Alex shrewdly, wondering why he kept the car if he so obviously hated the thing.

“Honey
, I’ll never get used to this temperamental heap of junk,” he swore. He yanked the handbrake up with a vicious tug, his frustration evident.

Alex laughed and wa
ndered up the path to her house. “See you later,” she said, aware he’d be back in her house as soon as he could.

Solomon felt his phone vibrate
. Grabbing it from his pocket, he glanced at the screen and saw it was Callum. “What’s up?” he asked as he strolled towards his own place, having decided to grab a quick change of clothing and join Alex.

“She’s landed and looking for you
,” Callum said quietly. Safely seated behind his desk, he watched the svelte, dark-haired woman march through his office. Sue had stomped into the hotel that morning, livid and demanding to see Sol. She had not responded well to the news that he was out of town. “Think you’d better get up here and sort it out, unless you want an unwelcome visitor. She’s in one foul mood.”

“Shit!
” Sol brushed a hand through his hair, realizing he’d finally have to deal with it and make it clear they weren’t an item. The last thing he wanted was her meeting up with Alex, poisoning her mind. “I’ll be up first thing in the morning. Tell her I’ll see her then.”

Solomon considered telling Alex that he needed to go down to London, then changed his mind. She w
ould be working, so he reckoned on getting down there and back before she even realized he was missing. Telling her that he was going to sort out a misunderstanding with an ex-lover would be worse than saying nothing at all, where Alex was concerned. With a pang of guilt, he shoved that thought to the back of his mind. He’d do anything not to ruin what they had, and he needed to solve one problem before moving onto the next, the issue of his true identity. His insides criss-crossing in knots, he knew how she’d take it. ‘Not well’ would be an understatement.

He thought back to the hotel, how he hadn’t wanted to spoil the moment of that last morning in bed together.
He remembered the sheer closeness that he’d felt connecting them both physically and mentally, as if he were inside her thoughts and her heart as they merged into one being.

H
e knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was his other half, his soul mate.

* * *

“Okay, will do.” Callum clicked off the phone and noticed that Sue was in a rapt conversation with Sol’s secretary. Callum bided his time before relaying the message, only glancing up when she sauntered towards him.

“
Where is he?” Her question was harsh and direct. Her hands rested on ultra thin hips. Not an inch of fat covered her emaciated body.

“He said to tell you he’ll see you tomorrow morning
.” Callum tried to work out what the hell Solomon had ever seen in this vicious skeleton of a woman. He’d instantly warmed to the redhead, even wishing that Sol wasn’t serious so he could move in on her.

“What time and where?” she
asked, tapping her foot impatiently.

“Whate
ver time he gets here, I imagine. You know Solomon, he’ll be here when he’s ready and not before.” Callum deliberately reminded Sue who she was dealing with; Sol never played second fiddle to anyone. He did what he wanted when he wanted and to hell with the consequences.

She nodded her head in
understanding and hitched a slim hip on the desk, casually examined a bright red nail. “Where did you say he is?”

“I didn’t.”

“I hope he’s not with another woman. I really wouldn’t be happy about that.”

“It
’s got fuck all to do with you.” Callum was fed up with her attitude, as if she owned the man. In reality she only showed up at the hotel when it was convenient for her. Their relationship, if you could call it that, was one of mutual convenience rather than real affection and attachment. Callum thought she was angrier at the fact that he wasn’t here when she wanted him, like a child deprived of a toy, rather than upset over the prospect that he was with another woman.

S
ue rose, her steps precise and predatory. She spared a glance at Solomon’s secretary and gave her the merest of nods. Turning on Callum, she hissed, “It’s got everything to do with me.”

* * *

Alex rolled over in bed and snuggled into Sol’s muscular body, loving and trusting him completely. She’d never thought she’d ever feel this way about a man. Her whole adult life had been spent with Roger, safe and dependable unless his batteries ran out. She hadn’t been ready to focus on a relationship and all the emotional mess that went with it. But now she found she wanted it all, even babies. She imagined herself pregnant, then scrapped that thought to one side. The idea of herself huge and fat knocked off all her romantic images.

B
ut one thing she was certain of: she couldn’t live without Solomon. He’d invaded her soul, snatched her heart, and owned her body and mind. Everything she was revolved around him now, and she wondered how the hell she’d managed to live without him in her life. Except she hadn’t lived, not really. Her fear of relationships had kept her in the pages of books, safe and secure. She had been afraid to go out and really live, too accepting of what she didn’t have and too scared to do anything about it.

Her eyes f
luttered open and reality kicked in. It was another bloody Monday! The start of yet another week. After yawning and stretching, she gave Sol a brief kiss. “Sorry, baby, but I need to get up. Some of us have to work.” She moaned, wishing she could stay snuggled up to him forever. One whiff of his body, taste of his skin, and Alex wanted nothing more than for him to slide deep inside her.

“Ok
ay, honey, back to reality I guess.” He rubbed her shoulder absently, but his eyes remained closed.

* * *

Several minutes after that, Alex flashed Sol a sunny smile. Leaning over the bed, she gave him a swift kiss as her hand grazed his crotch. “Catch you later!” she said.

“
Count on it,” he replied, giving her a smack on the backside.

Alex left the house and
strolled down the road. Swinging her bag as she walked, she broke into a soppy smile and attempted a tuneless whistle, eventually giving up. The sky, as usual, was a wide blue expanse and the sun warmed her. She glanced over her shoulder back at the house, her eyes lighting on the room Sol slept in. Their bedroom.

Her phone tinkled a
nd she hit the switch. “Hey, Tanya. Yep, we got back last night.” She giggled. “Trust me, I had the best time of my life. I still can’t believe such a good-looking guy could fall for someone like me.” Another girly laugh snuck out. “Yeah, I know. You sound like my Sol, now; he thinks I’m beautiful too. Okay, catch you later.” She hung up still wearing her soppy smile.

Solomon
’s gaze was hooded. He was unable to shake off the feeling of impending doom. Something was wrong, or soon would be. He felt like a freight train racing out of control towards a busy crossing. Pushing his anxiety to one side, he swallowed and went back inside. After collecting his car keys he left for London.

Th
e traffic was abysmal as usual. The matrix switched to fifty miles an hour and depicted an accident, judging by the pixelated image of an upside down car. He tapped his hand on the steering wheel and checked his watch. It was rolling past the estimated two hours he’d told Callum. Suddenly the matrix changed to clear and he put his foot down on the pedal. The indicator for the engine heat began to move up as he accelerated. Once it hit red, he realized he’d have to pull over. Thankfully the services were only a mile away and Sol was able to push the sputtering car forward till it rolled into a gas station parking lot.

H
e stabbed at the buttons on his phone and waited for the connection. “Callum, this Goddamn car has broken down!” he spat. “And where the hell is Sue?”

Raising
his eyes to the heavens, Callum sighed. “Don’t know. She hasn’t gotten here yet. Probably a late night. You know how she is. Where are you?”

“At some bloody services, but shift you
r ass and come and pick me up. I’m not driving this piece of shit any farther,” he yelled with irritation. He checked the junction and shouted its direction to Callum. “And hurry!”

A short while later they
rolled into the undercroft of the towering glass building. Callum was driving and Solomon was chomping at the bit. He continued to fret anxiously, feeling uneasy yet unable to put his finger on why.

As he s
tormed into the building towards his office, he spared a glance at his phone. No call from Sue, in fact no sign of her. He stared at Liz, his secretary. “Do you know where she is?”

Liz shrugged her shoulders.
“Thought she was with you, to be honest. She said she was going to surprise you.” Liz frowned. “Er, you did intend on meeting up with her?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, his stomach churning
.

“
She wanted to know where you were, so I told her. And then she said she needed the address, and voilà!” Liz blanched at his furious expression. “You didn’t want her to know, did you ….” She closed her eyes, her voice dropping to a whisper as she realized too late her mistake.

“Dam
n right I didn’t. You’re fired, Liz!” he snapped. She’d been his secretary for over ten years but now he felt like throttling her. The thought of Sue anywhere near Alex made him feel physically sick and his stomach twisted wildly.

“You don’t mean that
.” She paled.

“Trust me
, I do.” He turned and barked at Callum, who stood open mouthed and afraid to say anything. “Give me the Goddamn keys to my car!”

Callum threw them in the a
ir and Sol caught them in one snatch. His face was hard, his eyes resembling cold sapphires, blue and splintering. His one focus was getting to Alex before Sue poisoned her mind.

* * *

Alex rubbed the back of her neck and stretched, her eyes aching, and tried to work out how much sleep she’d had over the weekend. She grinned; it had been worth it. With a look of longing, she gazed at the hands on the clock, glad that her shift was coming to a close. Rising from behind the desk, she realized that no one had even visited the library that day. After locking up, she ambled home wearing a silly smile and wondering just what Sol had planned for her this evening.

Reaching
the house, Alex frowned when she noticed the rusty wreck was missing. She shrugged her shoulders, guessing he was catching up on some shopping. Then she paused, sparing a glance at the dark-coloured coupe before dismissing it and walking inside.

Quickly stripping out of her frumpy library clothes, she slipped into a
yellow sun dress and brown sandals before moving downstairs and wandering outside. Enjoying the feel of the warm sun on her bare shoulders, she sank into a chair, picked up her book, and returned to the page from days before. She wondered what other snippets of advice she could glean from it to surprise Sol in the bedroom.