Starr Fated (25 page)

“Liam… I don’t
know. I mean…obviously I can't deny there’s some kind of strong
physical attraction between us, but that’s not really enough is it?
We hardly know each other after just a couple of weeks, and we have
absolutely nothing in common, in fact I don’t know that we even
like each other, do we?”

I was still
holding her tightly in my arms, not wanting to break the connection
with her.

“Well I like
you, so I think what you’re trying to say is that you don’t like
me, and I can understand if you don’t like the man I've been up to
now. Since you left, I’ve been taking a long hard look at myself,
and truthfully I don’t like what I see either. I’m not making
excuses, but I think I've been so driven, concentrating all my
energies into making the business a success, because I needed to
justify my decision to drop out of university after my father died.
But somewhere along the way I’ve lost sight of my humanity and
become a cold, heartless bastard, a poor excuse for a human being.
I really want to change, but I need you to help me. Please,
Seraphina, come back to London and at least give us a chance to try
and work something out?”

“Liam, it’s
not that simple, is it? Apart from having nothing in common, plus
all the other countless reasons why we aren’t suited, I can't come
back to London. I can't go back to sharing a house with Jamie, and
I have nowhere else to go.” Seraphina pulled out of my arms and led
me over to a wooden bench so that we could sit and talk
further.

“Of course I
realise you can't go back and share a house with Jamie, not after…
But if accommodation is the only thing preventing you from
returning, that’s easily solved. Some people choose to invest in
art; I’ve always preferred to invest my money in solid bricks and
mortar. So I own several properties in London, one of which happens
to be empty at the moment because the rental market is very flat.
It’s a small apartment in a very suitable area, and you would be
very welcome to use it for as long as you like.”

I’d pulled her
small hand into my larger one, and was gently stroking her delicate
knuckles with my thumb as I spoke. I craved any sort of contact
with her, having denied myself previously.

Before heading
to Ireland, I’d briefly considered offering to let Seraphina move
in with me, but I thought this would be probably be a step too far
for either of us at this early stage, so a place of her own seemed
a better option. I expected her to protest about this, but I’d
hopefully thought of some answers to counter any arguments she
might come up with.

“Liam, I
couldn’t possibly afford the rent on the kind of place you must be
talking about. I don’t even have a job, because I'm in limbo until
I graduate and find out if I’ve been successful on the exchange
program.” She turned to look at me as she spoke, and I found myself
brushing a wisp of hair from her forehead as I looked at her sweet
angelic face.

“You wouldn’t
have to worry about paying me rent, because you’d actually be doing
me a favour. It’s never a good idea to leave a property empty in
London, so you could look on it as being a house-sitter for me. The
place has excellent in-house security, in case that would be an
issue for you living on your own. And as far as a job goes, I have
a proposition for you,” I said. As I kissed her soft cheek, Sera
closed her eyes and drew in a sharp breath - she was just as
affected by the close proximity of our bodies as I was.

“Oh? What kind
of a proposition?”

At least she
didn't immediately dismiss it out of hand.

“You already
know I was very impressed with your designs, considering none of my
dedicated team had managed to come up with anything remotely
suitable . You’re also aware that Rob Lewis has left, so that
leaves a vacancy…”

“Stop right
there, Liam, because I can see where you’re headed with this. I'm
sorry, but even if I were to consider a position in your company, I
really don’t think I could work with a Team Leader like Simon
Draper. He’d never accept anything I suggested…”

“Seraphina,
just hear me out, will you? I agree that Simon would have issues
working with you but going forward, quite frankly it’s obvious to
me that he’s just not up to the job. You see, your designs have
inspired me so much that I want a vibrant new image across my
entire business portfolio which is going to be a considerable
undertaking. Simon got himself into such a state over the simple
enough task of converting your designs in time for my trip that he
ended up being signed off work with stress, apparently having had
some sort of a breakdown. So I’m going to offer him a decent early
retirement package, which I think will be best all round for
everyone. But it means I’m left with just Tom Johnson, who is a
good solid worker, very technically able, but without the creative
flare that you undoubtedly possess. I think the two of you could
make a good team, with the possibility of taking on other staff as
required. I’m offering you a decent package, with an official
contract, just as I would offer to any other potential employee.
You told me how much you enjoyed working on my designs, that it was
an area you would like to specialise in once you graduated. So what
do you think?”

“Wow. I don’t
know what to say, Liam. Seems like you’ve got all of the practical
bases covered, but…”

“I appreciate
maybe you need some time to think this through, although I can't
deny I'd be delighted if you said yes straight away.”

“But Liam,
even if I did say yes to the job, that still doesn't change the
fact that as far as any kind of relationship between us goes, apart
from this physical attraction, we have nothing in common, in fact
I'd say we’re polar opposites, so how could it possibly work
between us?”

“I disagree,
because I think in a lot of ways we’re actually very similar,
although our skills may lie in different areas. There’s far more
between us than just pure physical attraction, and I really think
we could make things work between us, otherwise I wouldn’t be here
pleading with you. I recognise a kindred spirit because I see how
hard working and driven you are. Just like me, you’re driven to
succeed and that’s why we worked together so well - we understood
each other perfectly, didn't we? ”

“Yes, I can
see what you’re saying, but…” I put my finger over her mouth to
stop her speaking.

“Don’t give me
your answer yet, not if you’re going to turn me down. Take tonight
to think it over, discuss it with your grandmother maybe.”

The crazy old
bat seemed to be on my side after all.

“Meet me for
breakfast tomorrow before I leave, because I'm going to be away for
a week, and I'd really love to know I'd be coming back to start
working things out with you.”

“Liam, this is
all very well, but you seem to be forgetting something very
critical in all this.”

“What’s
that?”

“I’ve heard
enough about you to know that you are very experienced…sexually.
You know that I’m still a virgin. How can I possibly be of interest
to you when I’m so inexperienced and probably useless and clueless
at doing all the things that you would expect.” Seraphina was
blushing furiously and looking down at her feet.

I threw my
head back and laughed loudly, and then pulled her close up against
me.

“Do you have
any idea how exciting the thought of being your first lover is to
me? How sensual and erotic I would find it to be allowed to
introduce you to a whole world of incredible sexual pleasure? It
would be my absolute privilege to be your tutor, to show you how
wonderful the art of making love can be between a man and a woman.
With this incredible chemistry between us, I know it’s going to be
sensational. And you should know that I’ve never experienced
feeling anything like this before, so it’s all new and exciting for
me too,” I whispered. I kissed and nuzzled her neck, pleased to
feel her shiver in anticipation of what could be between us as I
let my hands slowly wander down her back.

“These
feelings just scare me, they’re so strong, and they confuse me,”
she whispered back.

“I know, and I
do understand, but we shouldn’t waste such powerful feelings,
should we? But let me make it clear, as much as I can't wait to
make love to you, if you agree to try and make things work between
us, I promise we’ll take things really slowly, Seraphina. You have
my word that nothing will happen between us until you want it to,
not until you feel totally confident that you’re ready. Your first
time should be very special, and I promise I will do my very best
to ensure it will be, if you trust me enough give me that chance.
Everything will be at your pace, and you’ll always have the option
to say no. But also be warned that in time, when you’re ready, as
your sexual mentor I will push you to experiment and try out all
kinds of new experiences , because I know that you’ll love them. I
can promise you that sex with me will never be dull or boring, so
you’ll have that to look forward to.”

Seraphina’s
mouth had dropped open slightly as she listened to me, and I hoped
that meant she was as aroused as I was. I tilted her chin up so
that I could kiss her, more slowly this time, as I slid my hand
under her loose top to touch her silky skin. I felt her breath
hitch as I moved my hand slowly upwards to gently brush against her
breast through her bra. She moaned as I lightly circled the erect
nipple I could feel through the lace with just my finger tip.

“See? I’ve
barely touched you and you’re already on fire for me, aren’t you?”
I whispered, as I removed my hand but then nipped her ear lobe,
which made her suddenly suck in her breath.

“Yes,” she
whispered, as she squirmed restlessly against me.

“You know
it’ll be unbelievably good between us. We can work all the
practicalities out, they’re just minor details. What really matters
is how we feel about each other. There’s no problem we can't find a
solution to if we really want to. Just say yes, say you’re brave
enough to let me seduce you every night if that’s what you want,” I
breathed the words slowly in her ear, aware that I was playing
dirty now, using every trick in the book in my desperation to get
her to agree to be mine.

“Liam…” I
silenced her with another kiss, as I held her head in place with my
hands and let my tongue slowly and gently slide in and out of her
mouth to mimic the act I so desperately wanted to introduce her to.
Her lips were so soft and inviting, her mouth so warm and wet … I
knew I had to break away before things got too heated and I’d break
the trust I was trying to build up between us.

“Please,
Seraphina, just come join me for breakfast at the Perryville Hotel
tomorrow morning, and I’ll answer any questions or doubts you have.
It’ll have to be quite early though, because I’ve got to leave by
nine thirty to drive up to Dublin for my flight. Come over at about
eight?” I pleaded, as I held her tightly, reluctant to let her go.
I liked how I could easily wrap her up in my arms, and I loved the
feel of her lovely breasts pressed up against my chest. But I knew
I had to let her go, for now anyway.

“Yes,
alright,” Seraphina replied breathlessly. “That doesn’t mean I'm
agreeing to anything yet though, just that I’m thinking through
what you’ve said. It’s a lot to take in, and I’m feeling slightly
overwhelmed, as if you’re trying to railroad me into agreeing.”

“I can't deny
that I really want you to agree, but the final decision has to be
yours. I just want you to be brave enough to agree, and take on all
the challenges I’m offering, both in your career and in your
personal life, rather than hide yourself away in this undeniably
pretty but unchallenging backwater. You deserve so much more, and
that’s what I'm offering you. Please, just think about it at
least?”

That was as
far as I could push her for now, so reluctantly I walked her back
to her Grandmother’s cottage and kissed her goodnight, before
returning to my solitary hotel room.

I
think I
was still in a
state of shock even after Liam had walked me back to Nana’s
cottage, kissed me again, then made sure I was safely inside before
he left. I couldn’t help myself; I felt drawn to watch him out of
the window until I couldn’t see him anymore.

I’d never
expected him to turn up here in Kinsale in a million years, and his
huge presence seemed totally incongruous, especially in the pub
where he’d stood literally head and shoulders above most people.
The Big Guy. Of course poor Finbarr who’d just been trying
unsuccessfully to get me to go on a date with him hadn't been at
all happy to see Liam, and as I knew he could be hot headed at the
best of times, I'd tried to defuse the situation as quickly as
possible.

The instant
Liam had touched me, I felt the usual magical spark of electricity
between us. As I looked up at him, I found myself staring at his
strong face with his high cheekbones, piercing blue eyes and
sensuous mouth, wondering why I’d ever thought Jamie was better
looking than Liam. I even liked the scar he had at the corner of
his mouth, and I wanted to touch it for some reason, just as I
wanted to touch that thick spiky hair of his. Basically, I just
wanted to touch him – everywhere. He was simply dressed in a plain
white T shirt and faded denim jeans, and I liked seeing him out of
his usual office clothes and more casually dressed. In these
clothes, I could see even more clearly how broad and muscly he was.
As he’d murmured in my ear about us having unfinished business, I’d
felt his rough, bristly cheek brush against mine, and caught his
unique smell as he came close. Masculine. Everything about him was
so undeniably masculine.

When we went
out into the pub garden together he’d immediately kissed me, and
I’d struggled to think coherently because of his sheer overwhelming
physical presence and magnetism. But as I looked into his deep blue
eyes, I saw how sincere he was about his feelings, about how he
wanted to change. And he’d come all this way to see me, altering
his incredibly busy business schedule in order to do so. All this
combined with his undeniable sex appeal, meant that I’d nearly
melted on the spot, but part of me had managed to hang on to some
sort of reason to remind me that this was total madness.