"Little girl, come here," Lucius said, and suddenly I realized I was lying naked in my bed, burning up. Of course I was going to go to him. I have to confess, girl: I wanted it. I wanted to surrender to him. I put on that new lingerie—white, seamless, nothing flashy, but it accentuated my body exactly as it is: small and firm. I grabbed a matching dress, short, provocative, and easy to slip off. My breath was coming in ragged gasps as I opened the door. It's only a few yards away, and I'll be all his, I thought.
But Annia saved me from my own weakness just in time. The two hours I'd asked for were up, and when she saw me, she grabbed my arm and pulled me back inside the cabin. She gave me a much-needed reality check.
"Not like this, Carmilla. Never like this," she said. "You're thinking with your body, not your head. Like I told you before, this is a game, and you can't just go running into his arms right now. Be smart so you can enjoy this to the fullest—so you can feel like who you really are: a beautiful woman who wants to experience everything about love without guilt. Look at yourself in the mirror!"
When I obeyed, I realized she was right. I never would have respected myself, dressed like that and knocking on a man's door in the middle of the night. Annia helped me strip off the clothes, pulled my sleep shirt over my head, and said, "Let's think this through. You love Killian, but you don't want to miss the chance to feel what Lucius is offering. That's the truth; we can't lie to ourselves. But imagine if Lucius wins this round so fast—what's going to go through his mind? He'll only want more, and he'll want it more intensely every time. If you let him win now, in two weeks he'll have you tied to the bed for a whole day... and wipe that damn smirk off your face! Of course I'd like that to happen to me at least once, too! The point here is that I think—and tell me if I'm wrong—you could develop a real addiction to Lucius, and you'd lose everything with Killian. Be smart."
I took a deep breath, thanked her, and said, "You know what the smartest thing a woman can do is? Recognize when another woman has her beat and ask for her advice. You're amazing. Let's call Evangelina right now; I want to hear what she thinks, too."
When the goddess of beauty and truth answered the phone, we told her everything. Yes, girl—I didn't even hide how pathetic I felt trying to imitate her.
She laughed and said, "There are eight billion people in the world; at least half of them would want to be in your shoes once in their lives. It's beautiful to be desired this much. We all want you—you know that. I agree with Annia: that 'Little girl, come here' bit sounds very exciting, but it's not enough for someone of your worth. Let's think a little bigger. Killian has treated you like a queen, at least so far. And while he hasn't written, it's our job to be a little trusting right now and assume something had him tied up. If I remember correctly, he was having dinner at his father's office. There you go—no more hard feelings toward him. Now we can focus on Lucius. Would you like to go to his cabin?"
I told her the truth. "Just thinking about him waiting for me right now makes me want to bolt out the door. He must be using some kind of spell, because his voice becomes a direct command to my body."
Evangelina got excited and added, "I have the solution: tell Killian to come get you. Give Lucius a dose of humility he'll never accept; force him to work a little harder for you. No, wait... Killian owes me. I'll ask him myself—tell him to take me to see Annia and to pick you up. He won't be able to say no after the presentation that's going to save him. Yes, I say we get Lucius's commitment to the cross-adoption, and then... we go back with Killian."
"He'll never give up," I said.
Evangelina smiled and shouted, "Exactly! And that's exactly what we're looking for. Postpone the pleasure. Lucius will come looking for you sooner rather than later, but this time he'll know he has to do better."
God, I was so right to call her. I thanked her, and half an hour later, she let us know that she and Killian were coming to Switzerland. I also had a message from him, apologizing a thousand times for not responding and saying his father wouldn't let him go. He told me he was coming back for me.
I replied, "Okay, thanks." And nothing else. I'm going to play the game.
I went out and knocked on Lucius's door. When he opened it, I said without even looking at him, "Give me your word again that you'll accept your brother's deal."
He replied, "I'll never accept you leaving with him. I'm doing this for you; believe me, you'll end up bored."
I interrupted him and clarified, "No, Lucius! I mean the agreement with Annia that you have to approve."
He grabbed my neckline to look at my breasts, and I allowed it for a brief moment, just to make the game—why not?—more interesting for myself. Then he said, "I'm not the one who would trade my brother or you for money. Even if I lose everything, I'm going to accept whatever makes Killian happy. Everything except him dragging you into the hell of monotony just to beat me."
"Okay, then I have your word. Goodnight, Lucius," I said, and I turned around.
But I felt him grab my hand and spin me around to kiss me. I just opened my mouth and let the intensity of his fire burn me for a few seconds. Then I pushed him away and went back into my cabin.
Annia was already naked in bed. She said, "Come here and tell me everything."
I did, and we laughed, had a drink, and turned off the lights to make the time pass faster until Killian and Evangelina arrived.
We slept curled up together again. This time, besides her breasts against me, she slid her hand up my thigh, pretending to be dreaming. I didn't move it. What, girl? Don't look at me like that. And I hope you never abandon me, even if you realize I'm just a girl who likes being desired a little too much. And no, I don't have any erotic intentions with Annia, but her hand felt good there. I even intentionally shifted down a bit with the naughty idea of her touching me, but she had already fallen asleep. It's true—I'm not lying when I say I have no erotic intentions with her; I was just going to feel her fingers, close my eyes, and think about Killian or Lucius. But I didn't even get that tonight.
Evangelina came running in the next morning and threw herself onto us in bed. She had a gorgeous braid and a soft coat. She kissed Annia and looked at me with love, so I just reached out my arms, and she kissed me too, tenderly cupping my cheeks.
"I assume you two didn't make love without me?" she asked.
We both shook our heads and caught her up on everything that had happened. Killian walked in right as we finished talking, and I ran into his arms. We kissed, and it felt so good. I wanted to tell him how well I'd behaved, but he stopped me and whispered, "I just want to say that Lucius is a little hurt by all this. If he talked trash about me, it's only because I got out of the wedding and he didn't, and my father has realized I've been outplaying him for years."
I didn't clarify anything on the matter, and we left the girls alone to go to breakfast. In two hours, we'd be leaving Switzerland to take Annia and Evangelina home and then head back to Longfield.
If you could see Killian through my eyes: he looks like a movie tough guy—the hottest man in the universe—in his brown leather jacket, dark jeans, white T-shirt, and a gold watch that caught the light against his short, thick blond beard. His face couldn't be more beautiful. We ate hand in hand while he told me about Evangelina's show for the lawyers, and just when everything was perfect... Lucius arrived.
He pulled up a chair to our table. He didn't even look at me; he greeted his brother affectionately, saying, "You have my word. Evangelina did a good job. Unfortunately, I won't be able to use that trick with Sarah; the President will never accept his daughter taking our name through adoption. We could force him, but it would be a scandal that would make him lose power, and we need him strong to use his reach in our favor. It looks like there's no escape from my wedding."
Killian thanked him and told him we were heading back to Longfield immediately. Lucius didn't even blink. He wished us a safe trip and left as quickly as he'd arrived, bumping into my chair and knocking over my purse as he passed. He handed it back to me and disappeared into the crowd, leaving a trail of Mysore sandalwood and orris behind.
Back at the cabins, while I was packing my things, I noticed I had a message from him. It said: "Check your purse."
Inside, I found a small box with a gold magnetic card and a modern, coded gold key. I wrote back: "What is this? Why did you leave them for me?"
He replied, "Did you forget? You work for me now too, and the lab where we distill the fragrances is in Paris. Take it as an advance, because you're going to help me design a perfume that's as irresistible as you are."
I asked again: "I don't understand what this key opens or what this card is for."
He replied, "The key opens your new apartment—the one I bought for you to stay in whenever the company needs you there. It's one of the finest properties in the city, I assure you. Congratulations."
I was speechless. I locked myself in the bathroom and asked him if he was crazy, if it was a mistake, and all sorts of things. He told me, "I'm not giving you a gift. I just trust what I see and your singular talent. And since I know Annia must have tempted you with a contract, I can't risk losing you. By the way, don't get too settled at Longfield; in two days you have to go select the first fragrances for the product. You'll be there for at least a week."
I was so happy. Damn, he really could read me. Gifts make me feel guilty, but in this case, he wiped all that away. I know I'm good at this. I replied, "Okay, I'll give it my best. And what's the card for?"
Lucius replied, "I have a penthouse at the top of your new apartment building. I always stay there when I'm in Paris. That card gives you access to the private elevator that leads to me. Coincidentally, I'll be there that week. So now you know: if you think of me at night and it makes you feel guilty... come up. I'll be waiting to teach you a little discipline."