Alveus (ABC's Inc. Romance #1) (4 page)

“With
all of the fine chocolates on this side of the Atlantic, you prefer American
chocolate?” the couture owner scoffed.

“I
will state it again,” Oma said haughtily, “peanut – butter – fudge!”

The
way she said it, as if there could be no argument, set the women laughing
uproariously. Lexi could not help but join in.

With
all of the happy bantering, there was no doubt when Lexi came out of her bed
chamber wearing
The Dress
. The room became silent. Tea cups paused in
mid-air, as every eye took in the perfection. The gown fit as if made for Lexi
alone. Oma ordered Frieda to fetch her pearl necklace which was then attached
to the back of the gown’s collar. Its antique ornate clasp served to weigh down
the strand so that it hung straight along Lexi’s backbone. One of the girls
pulled the hair up off of her shoulders, allowing one large curl to float
freely at the back of her neck. Lexi stared at the unfamiliar woman in the
mirror.

The
gown matched the color of the pearls perfectly, accentuating the stark white of
Lexi’s skin. Hugging her body, the front of the gown had a fold of material
flowing down from beneath the bust and ending with a small slit showing off her
left ankle. It gave her the look of an ancient Grecian queen. The only color came
from Lexi’s pink lips, pale blue eyes, and the deep auburn of her hair. The
image in the mirror reminded Lexi of a sea nymph, just emerging from a giant
clam shell. Sensing his presence, her eyes joined with Danes in the mirror’s
reflection. 

“The
jeweler in town may have some pearl accessories that will match your strand,”
the couture owner suggested. She pulled out her phone to take a picture of
Oma’s pearls.

“No
need,” Oma said, “Frieda, hand me the jewelry box.” As she began digging
through it, Dane came out of his stupor.

“I
suppose it’s time for me to try and make myself look worthy of her escort,” he
declared, heading out the door.

“I’d
be happy to assist you in that endeavor,” quipped one of the shop girls. Frieda
and the other assistant giggled, adding their offers of help. The shop owner
glared at her subordinates.

“You
may help by packing up the discarded gowns,” she advised. Lexi retreated to her
room to remove the gown and don a robe. She was uncomfortable with the
stiffening of her insides at the girl’s flirting words. Jealously? Had Dane
also slipped into her heart, unwarranted?

Dane
had done a very nice job of cleaning himself up – presumably all on his own. Lexi
had to concentrate to breathe, and every breath she took filled her nostrils
with the clean aroma of his spicy aftershave, infused with his own unique
scent. The fragrance caused her whole being to take on a possessive demeanor.
The tux he wore was definitely tailored for his physique, emphasizing his wide
shoulders and narrow hips. Perhaps Oma had offered her assistance, because he
wore a pale cream tie to match her own gown, as well as pearl cuff links and
studs. The limo arrived at the reception hall and Dane slid out of the seat. Reaching
inside, he assisted Lexi out and tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow.

Lexi’s
hand felt safe, protected, and completely at home there.

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

The
eyes of every male in the room zeroed in on them as soon as they’d stepped over
the threshold. Dane was used to the attention drawn to the beautiful women who
accompanied him to these droll functions, but took offense this time at the
open and, in some cases, lust-filled admiration roaming over Aly’s figure. He
felt a pause in her as her grip tightened on his arm. She was uncomfortable
with the attention. The discovery surprised him.

“Dane,
darling!” A tall, stick-thin blond insinuated herself between he and Aly,
trying unsuccessfully to break their bond.

“Penelope,
what brings you so far from London?” Dane greeted the woman, graciously
exchanging double cheek kisses.

“Why
business of course,” she answered, taking possession of his other arm.  Leaning
in close, she cooed as if sharing a secret. “Besides, you know me darling, how
could I resist visiting the famed gemstone town?”

Just
as his head was about to protest the sickening floral musk of her strong
perfume, she widened the gap between them enough to lead him into a group of
men. Of course she realized her faux pas when the attention was turned to Aly.
At the gentlemen’s bidding, Dane stiffly made introductions. They fawned over
her, pulling Aly from his grasp and kissing her hand. He found himself glaring
at them, irked – another new experience for him. It didn’t sooth his irritation
when she graciously fed their individual egos, leaving them panting after her
like puppies starved for affection. He slid his arm around her waist,
possessively. Penelope, being the pro that she was at angling attention back onto
herself, steered the conversation to business.

“Donald
and I are working on the Fairfield Project and are thinking about using solar
roadways,” she said, pulling her partner forward from the horde. “We heard that
Brighton was leading the pack with modifying their solar panels to increase
their resistance. How productive do you think they would be in Britain’s
overcast environment?”

“Overcast
doesn’t mean the solar rays aren’t getting to the Earth’s surface,” Dane said,
“Once the panels are fully charged it’s just a matter of continued absorbency.
It would depend on the type of traffic running over them as to how much wear
and tear they could take before affecting productivity. We’re concentrating our
efforts on increasing the durability.”

“How
are you going to manage the higher costs, with the silicon shortages?” Donald
wanted to know.

“It’s
our top priority, right now,” Dane replied. “We’re looking into thin-film
processes to keep the cost down, but the efficiency is lower than that of
silicon.”

“What
about organic polymers?” Aly asked. The conversation paused as the group took
in the fact that she had spoken. It was unexpected to have a date insinuating
themselves into a business discussion. Eyes turned to her as if she’d grown a
second head.

“As
I said, it is not as efficient as silicon,” Dane gently rebutted her idea.

“I was speaking of the self-healing
polymers developed at the University of Illinois,” she continued, unfazed. “Even
electrical circuits have been successfully engineered with self-healing
properties.”

“How do you know this?” Dane was
flabbergasted at her intellect. Again he silently questioned her life choices.

“I read a lot,” she shrugged, “and I
know some of the scientists involved in the research.”

“The idea does have merit,” one of the businessmen
observed.

“Yes,” it was as if a light bulb went
off in Dane’s head. “Yes, it does.” He looked at Aly with awe; she had
suggested an answer to a problem that had been haunting him for months.

Dane
became distracted as several women converged on him, drawing his attention. By
the time he turned back to Aly, she had disappeared. He searched the room,
becoming agitated. After being waylaid by conversations, he figured he’d
inspected the room at least five times without spotting her, before he noticed
a door that lead to the outside patio. Stepping on to the terrace, he found her
in conversation with Armand Dupree.

“It’s
lovely,” Aly was saying.

“Have
you heard the story of the
Church in the Rocks
?” Dupree asked.

Dane
seethed as the rogue’s hand stroked Aly’s bare back. He gained some
satisfaction as she expertly maneuvered her body away from the roving hand.
He’d been enjoying the silky skin himself earlier, and she hadn’t moved away.

“Something
about two brothers falling in love with the same woman,” Aly recalled. As they
gazed at the softly lit church carved into the cliff, Dupree proceeded to tell
of the legend.

“Above
the cliff stand the ruins of a castle built centuries ago. Two brothers lived
there: Wyrich and Emich. Unbeknownst to each other, they both loved the
beautiful maiden Bertha, a Lady of Castle Lichtenburg (not too far away from
Oberstein.) She fell in love with Emich, and when Wyrich was absent from the
castle, consented to become his wife. Learning of the engagement upon his
return, Wyrich felt betrayed and being quite hot-tempered attacked his brother,
throwing him out of a window; the young man plummeted to his death on the rocks
some 450 feet below.

“When
he realized what he had done, Wyrich was overcome with remorse and fled the
castle, travelling for years seeking his own death in battle, until one day he
decided to return home. Bertha had died in the meantime – presumably of a
broken heart. At her graveside, Wyrich confessed his horrible deed to the
abbot. For a penance, this abbot bade him to build a chapel with his own two
hands, on the place where his brother's broken body had been found. Wyrich worked
at it like a man possessed, all the time praying that he might find
forgiveness.

“When
this labor was completed, it was taken as a sign that his penance was complete and
his sin forgiven, as a spring opened up within the chapel (a spring which
remains active today.)

“Wyrich
died at the steps of the altar as the chapel was being consecrated. He was
buried in the same tomb that he had hewn out of the hard rock for Emich – the
two brothers reunited in death.”

“That’s
so sad,” Aly said, her eyes moist with emotion. Dupree took both of her hands
in his as he turned to face her.

“Why
is such a beautiful, intelligent, and caring woman, with Dane Wellesley?” he pondered.
“It is common knowledge that he cannot return a lady’s affections. You deserve
so much better. Leave him and come with me to the south of France.”

With
the plethora of emotions Aly had run him through this evening, Dane was now
seeing red!

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

Lexi
was about to put the Frenchman straight about his unwarranted remarks, when
Dane came storming up to them.

“I
will ask you only once,” he growled, “to stay away from my fiancée!” With a
face full of rage, he grabbed Lexi’s hand and dragged her back into the
reception hall.

“We’re
leaving,” he said, digging out his cell phone.

While
informing the driver of their departure, Dane continued to pull her through the
crowded hall to the exit. People stopped their conversations to stand
paralyzed, gawking at them. It was clear that they had never seen Dane
Wellesley behave in such a manner. Lexi had the presence of mind to stay quiet
until they were in the limo and on their way home. She then turned to confront
him.

“Fiancée?”

“We
will speak when we get home,” Dane said.

“I
cannot believe you made such a scene…”

“I
said – when we get home!”

Lexi
leaned against the door of the car, widening the space between them. She
crossed her arms and huffed. Was he crazy, acting like that in front of their
peers? You just don’t go off in an emotional tangent; it could greatly affect
ones reliability as a businessman! She had been to plenty of these gala events;
they were all about being seen and putting your best foot forward. What you
wear, what you say, and what you do is all recognized as the face of your
business.

Back
at Oma’s house, Dane led Lexi into his grandfather’s office and firmly closed
the door.

“You
belong to me,” he said. “You agreed to become my wife if necessary, and for the
duration you belong to me – understand?” The old Lexi with her red-headed
temper, resurfaced.

“I
understand,
Master
!” she countered insolently. “But you have no right to
blame me for whatever it is that got stuck up your crawl, tonight. I behaved
admirably!”

“Oh,
right, you showed great decorum by sneaking out to be alone with that French
gigolo!”

“I
grew tired of waiting for you to untangle yourself from the female leaches you
were
decorously
playing kissy-feely with, and went out to the terrace
for some fresh air – alone. Armand introduced himself after he came out,
presumably for the same reason as myself. Had I been aware that you would think
it more
decorous
, I would have shoved him over the railing rather than
hold polite conversation with him!”

Dane
grabbed Lexi’s shoulders and locked his lips onto hers. Startled, she gasped,
froze, and then heated up as his tongue caressed and tasted her lips, before
gaining entrance into her mouth. Never having been kissed like this before, she
was naive as to what to do. He pulled her in closer, fitting their bodies
intimately together like two puzzle pieces. His hands stroked her bare back. Lexi
became enveloped in a multitude of unfamiliar body sensations, vying to be
sated. Hesitant at first, she answered his kiss, responding instinctively.

With
a groan Dane pulled back, allowing Lexi’s gown to fall to her hips. Before she
could ponder how he had managed to unclasped the garment, his tongue trailed
down her neck to her collar bone, sending shivers through her body. His hand
took possession of one of her breasts as his tongue made its way to the other.
Lexi’s legs weakened and turned into jelly, a strange combination of a sigh, a
moan and a purr emitted from deep in her throat. The sound brought out a
responding growl from Dane, as his touch grew possessive. He took a step back, hands
still teasing her breasts. His eyes locked onto hers.

“You
belong to me,” Dane declared again.

Greedily,
his eyes roamed her body. His fingers slid down to her hips and beneath the
gown still clinging to them. With little resistance he aided the dress on its
journey to the floor. Lexi watched his eyes devour her scantily clad body, and
froze. Dane’s face brought back memories of Bert and his chum’s salivating
lust, as she withstood Cass’s inspection.
Dane owns me
, she reminded
herself. I am simply a possession to him. It was as effective as acid in
dissolving the growing emotions inside of her.

As
if sensing the change, Dane drew her against his body and again placed his lips
on hers. He became more insistent when she didn’t respond. Lexi stood stiff in
his arms, an invisible iron-clad armor separating her from the rest of the
world. He pulled away from her, angry. His eyes fired lethal darts into hers,
but with no effect. Lexi felt nothing. She was empty again. He turned and left
the room.

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

Dane
Wellesley was losing his mind.

After
an ineffective cold shower and hours of pacing the floor, the only release he
could think of was work. He called the Frankfurt office and left a message
informing them of his imminent return, realizing that he would probably be at
his desk before anyone heard it. He would have rung up Keith, but his lawyer
was in the States working out a legal matter that had popped up at the New York
office.

Waking
Bruna, he asked her to convey his apologies to Oma for leaving so abruptly, but
something important had come up at the office. He would be in touch. They both
knew that he was avoiding an inevitable interrogation from his grandmother. A
self-deprecating smile appeared across his face at the thought of the
satisfaction Oma would receive if she knew how torturous the drive to Frankfurt
had been for him.

No
matter what Dane put his thoughts to, they always came back to Aly – and more
accurately, the semi-nude Aly.  Admittedly, he had seen more than his share of
beautiful women without their clothes, but none like her. Her skin – her
breasts, were the color of porcelain without a blemish or freckle. The areolae
at the peaks of her perfect sized mounds were the palest pigment of pink. Dane
shook his head, he must be remembering wrong. Oh, how he longed for another
look.