* * *
I woke alone in bed just covered with a sheet. I could smell her scent in the room. I brought my arm up to see the face of my watch and then panicked. It was nearing on nine o’clock. I pushed the sheet back and called out.
“Gabriella?”
She walked into the bedroom dressed and holding a cup of coffee for me. “Ah, you’re awake. I need to leave; I have a taxi waiting. Got to get back to work and I want to head home first.”
I took the coffee and swung my legs over the bed. “Can you wait fifteen minutes and I’ll drive you?” I asked.
She patted my cheek and then sat beside me. “Don’t be silly. I have a taxi waiting. I wanted to see your smile before I left. I had an idea to wake you seductively, but I’ll save that for another time.”
“Seductively, huh?” I enquired taking a sip of my coffee.
“Anyway, my Lord, I need to get going.”
“Gabriella, wait. I’m going to drive you. Just give me fifteen minutes to shower and dress.” I placed down my coffee cup and stood.
As I did, she stood and raised herself on her tiptoes. “I had the most wonderful night, I’m sore in all the right places, and I’m big enough to get a taxi home. I’ll call you later,” she said, kissing me briefly on my lips.
“You are infuriating,” I said. She smirked, raised her eyebrows, and nodded in agreement. I laughed as she left the apartment.
I took a shower, not wanting to wash her scent from my body but knowing I had to. I called the office to let them know I was on my way in and requested a car, and then dressed. I had a second cup of coffee and rinsed my mug, leaving it on the drainer beside hers. I stared at the two mugs for a moment. I couldn’t recall the last time I saw two of anything in my flat.
Gabriella had obviously cleared the dishes from the abandoned dinner and at that thought, my stomach rumbled. I opened the fridge to see the pasta in small plastic containers. I grabbed one, along with a fork, and headed out. I sat in the back of the car eating the cold pasta, grateful for the carbohydrate refill.
While en route I checked through some emails on my phone and smiled when I saw a text pop up from Gabriella.
I’m home, showered, missing you already, my Lord ;) xxx
I chuckled at ‘my Lord’ and wondered why she chose to call me that. Perhaps she’d make a better submissive than she gave herself credit for. I laughed at the thought. She was the perfect sub in that she called the shots, for sure. She was demure when required, and a tigress when needed. If ever the perfect sexual partner was designed for me, it would come in the form of Gabriella.
I silently cursed myself for sounding shallow and crass. I didn’t want to just view her as a sexual partner. I wanted more but knew I was the one holding back. It had been just a few months since we’d first met and that morning, having slept beside her for the whole night in my apartment, I felt bitter disappointment that she had to leave. I wouldn’t ask her to move in with me, though. She was too independent for that, and the niggle that just wouldn’t leave me kept telling me not to make it permanent, she could leave at any time.
By the time I arrived at the office, my earlier jolly mood had soured a little. I needed to give myself a talking to in the lift on the way to my floor.
Mackenzie was waiting by my office door chatting to some members of staff. He straightened up and smiled when he saw me approach. “I’m hiding from Mary, she’s on the rampage. Apparently, I forgot to mention a dinner at your old haunt tonight and, according to her, I don’t have a clean dinner jacket.”
I frowned. “Don’t you have one at home?” Surely, he had more than one.
“Yeah, but I didn’t give her an itinerary of what suits I had at home so now she’s in a flap making sure I have a clean version in the ‘wardrobe’ just in case I work late and don’t get time to change. As for this meeting, I think you should come.”
“What’s it about?” I asked as we entered my office.
“The current government wants me to be a business ambassador, or something, help ease UK and US relations. But there is the small matter of a very lucrative military contract that I don’t want to lose. I think it wouldn’t be prudent for me to be their ambassador. But you on the other hand... You’re the Lord, after all.”
“Mmm, not sure. Other than you, I don’t really like many Americans,” I said, and then chuckled.
“Only me?” he teased.
“Only you and one other, to be precise.”
“I wondered why the pair of you were late in this morning.” He winked and I shook my head.
“I have absolutely no idea what you could mean, and I won’t be tricked into divulging what a fucking fabulous evening I had.” I widened my eyes in mock innocence.
He laughed again. “Here’s what I was thinking. Either I do the ambassador thing and you be the front man for the military contract, that way, I’m separated from it. Or, I don’t do the ambassador thing full stop.”
“Is there a benefit to this role?” I asked.
