The Pleasures of Autumn (37 page)

‘Yes. Every night. Starting tonight.’

He was serious. She was looking at a lifetime of being … his … his sexual submissive. ‘You are such a …’

She couldn’t think of a word horrible enough to call him.

‘Dom?’ Niall flashed a dark smile that promised wicked things, and stroked the length of her back. Her eyes drifted closed in pure pleasure. He had such big hands, and they were so very talented.

She remembered the night Niall had tied her to the bed and made her come until she was too limp to move a muscle. He would always want to be in charge, whether she agreed to this or not. But there was no way she was giving in easily. She was an O’Sullivan after all. ‘I was going to say pain in the ass.’

‘I can be that too.’ Niall agreed. ‘But only if you ask nicely.’

‘I’ll fight you.’

‘I’m counting on it.’ He grinned. ‘It wouldn’t be any fun if you didn’t.

The discreet buzzing of the hotel telephone woke her the next morning. Sinead stretched, luxuriating in the width of the bed and the warmth of the man she was cuddled against. She would never get enough of Niall.

Life was good. Proposing to Niall had been a terrifying gamble, but he had accepted and now she could look forward to a lifetime of waking up beside him.

Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that all she’d had to eat the night before was fruit. Niall had promised to feed her to replace the weight she had lost in prison. She looked forward to it.

The phone buzzed again and he reached out a long arm to pick it up. The muscles flexed and she couldn’t help smiling as he lifted the receiver to his ear. How had she managed to find someone so beautiful? And she was going to marry him.

‘Yes?’ He was plainly annoyed by the interruption.

‘Monsieur Moore?’ Sinead could hear the receptionist clearly. ‘There are some members of the police here who wish to speak to Mlle O’Sullivan. Shall I send them up?’

Police? Damn.

His eyes met hers. He shook his head to indicate he didn’t know why they were here. ‘Send them up in ten minutes, we’re still in bed,’ he said, then hung up.

‘Why?’ Sinead asked. ‘I was cleared of the theft, I was found not guilty.’

‘I’ve no idea, but unless you want to talk to the police in your birthday suit, I suggest you get dressed.’

She bolted for the bathroom, splashing through a quick shower and dressing as fast as possible. That was one benefit of her past as a burlesque dancer: she knew how to dress quickly. Thankfully, her cousin Summer had visited her apartment and packed a small overnight bag for her. She was pulling on her old conservative pants and unflattering jumper when they heard a knock on the door.

Sinead recognized the tall Swiss officer from the trial the day before, but the small brunette was French. She introduced herself as Antoinette St Michel and spoke in perfect English. ‘I’m sorry to question you when I know you must be tired,’ she told Sinead. ‘But you are a person of interest now.’

Sinead gestured the two detectives to the armchairs and she sat at the small writing table to give herself an advantage in height. Niall stood behind her, a subtle message to everyone that she belonged to him. His presence grounded her more than anything else.

‘Interest in what? I was cleared.’ She was proud that her voice was steady, and hoped that no one noticed the slight tremor that ran through her.

‘Yes, we heard about that. Congratulations on the outcome of the trial,’ the Swiss detective, Captain Cenis, said. He did not sound that pleased about it.

‘We are investigating the death of Maurice Verdon and
we have uncovered a possibility that you are involved with his murder,’ Officer St Michel said.

Sinead sucked in a breath. ‘No, that’s impossible.’

Niall put a hand on her shoulder, steadying her.

The French officer continued, ‘We have found CCTV footage of you running away from the shop on the night Monsieur Verdon was murdered, and an eyewitness says that he saw you coming from the shop at 4 a.m.’

‘That’s ridiculous, Maurice was my friend. I interned with him.’ Sinead fought the quiver in her voice. She wasn’t going to dissolve into hysterics.

‘Do you have a key to his premises?’

Sinead sat up straighter. ‘Of course not, I gave it back when I left his employment.’

‘So you have had his keys in the past?’ Officer St Michel continued.

‘Well yes, but –’ Sinead stopped. When she had been his intern, she had keys to the outer doors and to Maurice’s office. She was certain she had given them back. Of course she had. But could she prove it?

Niall straightened up. ‘Where is this going? You can’t possibly suspect Miss O’Sullivan.’

‘We have to investigate,’ Captain Cenis said, taking out his notebook.

Officer St Michel put a small recorder on the table. ‘Do you mind if I tape this interview?’

Sinead looked at it as if it were a snake. ‘Do I need a lawyer?’ she asked the French detective.

Officer St Michel switched the recorder on. ‘Of course not. We are just investigating. There is evidence that links you to the murder. Your fingerprints were found at the
scene, and we have unconfirmed reports that Monsieur Verdon was brokering an auction for the ruby you were accused of stealing.’

There was a stunned silence as they digested that. The police actually thought that they had a case against her. She had drunk coffee with Maurice, and touched various pieces in his office. Her fingerprints would be all over the office.

Officer St Michel asked, ‘Do you have an alibi for that night?’

‘I – I –,’ Sinead stuttered.

She remembered that night. Niall had accused her of lying and it was true, but he hadn’t known what she was lying about. That evening, he had taken painkillers and gone to bed, leaving her watching television in the lounge alone. She had fallen asleep in front of the box. The lounge was closer to the apartment door than to his room. She could have sneaked out and he would never have known.

And Niall knew it.

More and more, she regretted not telling him about Lottie from the beginning. If she had, they might have spent the night together, and Niall would be her alibi.

As it was, there was no one who saw her that night, and no one who could vouch for her presence when poor Maurice was murdered.

Could they arrest her for that? She hadn’t killed him, but she hadn’t stolen the Fire of Autumn either and look what had happened since then.

No, she couldn’t tolerate being arrested again.

Niall’s hand tightened on her shoulder.

‘She has an alibi,’ he said. She turned to stare at him. His eyes were calm, as if he were telling the truth. ‘She was with me all night.’

‘All night? Are you sure, Monsieur?’

‘Absolutely positive. There are some things a man does not forget. Sharing a bed with Lottie LeBlanc is one of them.’ There was a trace of irony in his voice, but she hoped she was the only one who would pick up on it.

‘All night?’

Niall nodded.

Captain Cenis closed his notebook. ‘If you are certain, Monsieur, then it appears we need to interview the other Mlle O’Sullivan.’

‘An excellent idea.’ Niall gestured them to the door. The two detectives stood up and shook hands with him and Sinead. ‘Do you know where she is?’

Captain Cenis shook his head. ‘No, but we shall find her.’

In the silence that echoed when they left, Sinead turned around. She leaned against the door and pinned him with her magnificent eyes.

‘You lied,’ she said simply.

‘I –’ Niall stopped. There was no point denying it. It was true. ‘I know you didn’t do it,’ he said instead.

She didn’t move, but her eyes shone more brightly, as if through tears. ‘No, of course I didn’t, but I can’t believe you lied for me.’

He stepped closer, so that he was looking down into her upturned face. Her beloved face. ‘You are mine now. I
would never let anything happen to you.’ He tipped her face up to his. ‘Do you believe that?’

She smiled, her lips quivering slightly. ‘Of course. You always tell the truth. But what about Lottie?’

How could she do it, pin him on the one thing he hadn’t wanted to talk about? He shifted, trying to gather his thoughts. He had thought about little else for weeks but was still searching for the right words. Lottie still had the power to turn his mind upside down.

‘For years I’d had a thing about Lottie. Flynn and I used to joke about how one day we’d get lucky and get a BJ from Lottie LeBlanc. In my mind, I had turned her into this superwoman, an impossible vision of perfection. I never actually expected to meet her.’

He stopped and grinned at her. ‘Mind you, I did try. I used to go to all her shows, and would wait outside afterwards, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. And when she stopped dancing, I tried to track her down. No wonder I couldn’t find her, she was in the Rheinbach museum in Geneva, the one place I never looked for her.’

‘But you know Lottie isn’t real, don’t you?’

He tilted her chin higher, forcing her to meet his eyes. ‘She is real. She’s a part of you. She’s just not what I was expecting. But this is better. She’s not a figment of my imagination, she’s a living, breathing woman who kisses like a dream and has an ass I want to redden.’

Sinead gave an outraged gasp. ‘Saying something nice might help you more here.’ But there was a sparkle in her eyes that told him she was interested.

‘Look, I was an asshole when I found out. I couldn’t
get over the fact that you had been lying to me. That you didn’t trust me.’

She put up her hand and held onto his wrist. ‘I wasn’t lying so much as not telling you. I’ve spent years keeping Lottie and Sinead separate. It was a habit that I didn’t see any reason to break. And the thing is that as hot and sexy as you were, I’d only known you a short time. I didn’t have reason to trust you.’

Niall nodded. It seemed that they had spent a lifetime together, but it had only been a few weeks. She was right. He hadn’t given her a good reason to trust him. ‘And now?’

‘Now I know you’d go to the wire for me.’

He couldn’t resist kissing her. ‘I’d walk on coals for you. Go to hell and back for you. Even eat bread for you.’ She laughed, as he had hoped she would. ‘But please, don’t feed me bread too often.’

‘I promise.’ Then she was serious again. ‘Have you forgiven me for not telling you about Lottie?’

‘There’s nothing to forgive. Sinead and Lottie are both fantasies of mine. I’m getting two for the price of one. It’s every man’s dream. And now that I’ve found you, I’m never letting you go.’

Her mobile phone rang and Sinead glanced at the display. It was Gabriel. He had visited her every week at the prison, trying to keep her spirits up. The last time she had seen him was at the courtroom, where he’d been swallowed up by reporters and Lottie supporters.

‘Have you seen the papers,
chérie
? Your fans are delighted that you’ll soon be wielding your whip again.’

Sinead laughed. ‘Do you think it will protect me from Niall?’

‘You have never been a woman in need of protection, only love.’

How well Gabriel knew her. She glanced across the room at Niall, who was tapping the keyboard of his laptop. Sinead lowered her voice. ‘Thanks, Gabriel. For everything.’

It was an acknowledgement that their relationship had changed again. Over the years they had been friends, lovers, friends with bens – or as Gabriel called it ‘
une aventure
’ – and friends again.

‘For you, anything, always.’ His voice sounded husky.

‘Silver-tongued Frenchman,’ she said, trying to lighten the moment. ‘So, what’s new?’

‘A certain American has made us an offer.’

‘Oh?’

‘Three months in Las Vegas as part of his Legends of Burlesque revue.’

‘You know I don’t …’ She had been about to say ‘share a stage with another woman’, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She had lost her job at the museum and she hadn’t seen Arnheim’s legal bill yet.

‘Relax,
chérie
– you will have your own stage. Two shows per day, three days a week, and you haven’t heard the best part yet. As I am no longer pretty enough to be on stage, I am to be your new choreographer.’

‘That’s not true. You are still pretty.’

She heard Gabriel’s sigh over the phone. ‘Your eyes are blinded by friendship. You know I can’t dance on stage any more. Not without a mask.’

She wanted to reject his words, but they were true. She listened as Gabriel recounted the conversation with the American producer. This was an offer she couldn’t refuse. Even factoring in the time it would take to develop a new show, the whole thing could be done in less than six months. She would clear her debts, get some money behind her and move on with her life.

There was no way she could refuse it, but how was she going to tell Niall?

‘When do they want me?’
Please say a week. Let us have a few more days together.
She prayed.

‘As soon as possible,
chérie
. There’s a flight leaving Geneva tonight at 8 p.m. How many seats shall I book?’

Sinead glanced over at Niall. How could she leave him so soon? Regretfully, she sighed. She had no choice. ‘Two. I’ll see you there.’

She disconnected the call.

‘Everything okay?’ Niall asked.

‘Not really. There’s good news and there’s bad news.’

He patted his knee. ‘Come here.’

‘I think I better –’

‘I said come here.’ The edge in his tone warned her not to argue and she crossed the room and perched on his knee.

‘Who was that?’

‘Gabriel.’

‘And it wasn’t good news he was giving you. What’s the story?’

She cuddled into his embrace. God, she would miss him so much. She didn’t know how to tell him.

Niall gathered her into his arms. ‘This is about money, isn’t it? Are you broke?’

As he gazed at her, her heart flipped. Of course, he knew. She hadn’t had a salary cheque for months, but the bills still needed to be paid. She owed him €38,750 for sapphire earrings that she could no longer afford and her legal bill would hit five figures, maybe even six if she was unlucky. The kind of lawyers Tim knew didn’t come cheap, and she wasn’t willing to let her uncle pay her legal bills. Not after everything he had done for her. She needed to deal with this herself.

‘Apart from some jewellery in London and £50,000 worth of costumes in Paris, I am pretty broke. Arnheim –’

‘I can take care of Arnheim.’

She shook her head. ‘No. I’ve already cost you enough. But thank you.’

‘So what did Gabriel say?’

‘Lottie is in demand. I can make enough money to pay
all my bills and have a nest egg to start my own business. But I’m going to have to travel.’

His grey eyes clouded and he sighed.

‘Where to this time, and for how long?’

‘Vegas,’ she whispered. ‘For three months, four allowing for rehearsals.’

‘Ouch,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a job starting in London next week. The client asked for me personally. And your uncle wants me and Flynn to sort out some security issues in Buenos Aires after that. I had kind of hoped that you’d come with me.’

Misery bubbled up inside her. This wasn’t going to be easy. Another separation on top of the one they’d already had would be devastating.

Niall’s arms tightened around her. ‘When are you leaving?’

‘Tonight.’

He seemed to stop breathing.

‘Tonight?’

She couldn’t restrain the tears that threatened.

‘I’m sorry.’

Time stood still for what felt like an eternity, though it was just a few seconds. Then Niall gathered himself.

‘You can go, on two conditions.’

More conditions. She mustered a half smile. Even when he was down, Niall never gave up control. ‘Anything.’

Niall picked up her hand and kissed it, never taking his eyes off her face. ‘We get married six months from today and we spend the rest of the day in bed. What do you say?’

Her fingers were shaking slightly. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Surer than I’ve ever been. I’ll travel to Vegas every chance I get. All you have to do is say yes.’

She wound her arms around his neck. ‘In that case, take me to bed and prove it.’

Even though she had challenged him to do it, she was startled by the speed with which he scooped her up in his arms and headed for the bed. He lowered her onto it, and followed her down for another deep, drugging kiss.

There were so many things she had wanted to tell him about her life, about Lottie, but they were running out of time. Would Niall ever grow bored with her? Lottie was a part of her, but only a small part. At heart she still felt like Plain Jane Super Brain, the timid girl who hid in corners at parties and envied the confidence of her cousin, who could charm a room with a smile and a wink.

Niall had been fascinated by Lottie for so long. Now he had the real thing.

‘I haven’t had a string of lovers, you know,’ she blurted out before she lost her nerve. ‘And the Omani prince did offer me diamonds, but I didn’t accept them.’

He had been ripping off his shirt, but her words stopped him. ‘So we’ll have to do without the diamonds? Bummer. That would have solved your money problems.’ His voice was light, as if it was all a joke.

‘And I did bathe in champagne at that party, but I was wearing a thong.’

He leaned over, holding her face between his hands. ‘What’s all this about? I don’t care what you wore.’

His face was stern, the dim light making his cheekbones
harsher and his mouth a firm slash. She had never seen anyone so beautiful. How could she compete? Or even keep up?

‘I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. Everyone thinks I’m some sort of temptress, but I’m not. I’m just plain Sinead O’Sullivan. I’m ordinary.’

He threw back his head and laughed. The movement caused the muscles in his stomach to flex, highlighting the chiselled abs and the tight line of hair that disappeared into his pants. ‘Ordinary? Have you seen yourself in a mirror? You’re the least ordinary person I know. You’re beautiful and you’re smart and you turn me on.’

‘Really?’ She knew she sounded pathetic.

‘Oh yeah. No doubt.’ His eyes pinned her, allowing no escape.

She tried to lighten the atmosphere, not sure if she could cope with what she saw in his face. ‘You’re just saying that to get your way with me. But don’t worry, I’m a sure thing.’

He held her still. ‘You are. I’ve never been more sure of anyone in my life. But never doubt that you are a temptress. I’m just grateful that you hide so much of your beauty so that I’m not fighting off every man we meet. It’s bad enough worrying about Bertrand and warning Andy to keep away from you –’

‘Andy?’ As if she would be interested in him when she had Niall.

Niall kissed her, a swift, punishing kiss. ‘Forget about him. This is between us. You turn me inside out, and I’m determined that I’ll be the only man you do that to from now on.’

Sinead hooked her arms around his neck. ‘Then how about I do some of that now?’ She tugged him down on top of her. She only had control for a moment, then he took over the kiss, ravaging her mouth, pressing her back into the bed and leaving her nowhere to go.

‘Mmmm,’ she purred, revelling in the strength and passion of the man who seemed bent on dominating her.

His kiss became more gentle, nibbled at her lips, teasing her with licks and nips so that she raised her head, determined to deepen the pressure. But Niall was in charge, and he was intent on showing her that.

He trailed kisses across her face, up to her eyes, where he muttered a complaint about her ridiculously long eyelashes, and down to her ears. He swirled his tongue around the contours, making her giggle and twist. ‘Hold still,’ he growled, then nipped the lobe of her ear.

She squealed and jerked, but he held her still and did it again.

‘Oh god.’ The things he was doing should be illegal. She couldn’t bear to look away from him, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open. The sensations that washed over her were coming too fast; she had no control over them.

His long fingers traced down her collarbone, along her sides, up around her breasts. She held her breath, waiting for them to touch her nipples, but instead they dipped down to her belly button. She gasped. When had that turned into an erogenous zone?

Those tormenting fingers continued on their path, touching lightly on areas where she wanted more pressure, skating around places where she would have welcomed any pressure at all.

When he just grazed her mons for a fleeting second, leaving her bereft and aching, she opened her eyes and glared at him. ‘You know, if you are not going to get on with this, I can find someone else to take over. Andy, maybe.’

Niall’s eyes darkened, the playfulness replaced with something much more dangerous. ‘Oh no, darling, you’re mine now. Now and forever.’ He traced a line from her hip to her nipple. ‘This is mine. Soft and delicate. And mine.’

He grazed her nipple, making lightning flash through her, but took his thumb away too soon. ‘Mine. Get used to it.’

Sinead had to look away from the naked possession in his gaze. The sheer strength of his will was overwhelming. But she wasn’t going to let him have everything his own way. ‘You think so?’ She was proud her voice didn’t shake the way her insides did.

‘Oh yeah.’ He nudged her thighs and, helpless, she allowed them to fall apart, granting him access to anything he wanted. He stroked up the seam of her lips, forcing a moan from her. ‘This is mine.’

He moved back just far enough to unfasten his belt and shove his trousers down. His erection sprang free, hard and fierce.

Sinead followed it with her eyes. She had done that to him. Niall’s control was legendary. If she could make him that hard, she had power over him, too. She reached for it.

He caught her hand. ‘Not this time. I’m going to show you how much you mean to me. And you are going to lie there and let me.’

‘I am?’ She tried to sound challenging.

‘Yep. Now lie back and let me work.’

She couldn’t help it; she giggled. He sounded so much like a surly workman. But she lay back obediently.

He gave her a mock glare, then caught her hands and wrapped them around the bed frame. ‘Keep them there,’ he told her, then proceeded to drive her out of her mind.

He kissed and licked and sucked, moving from one sensitive spot to another, never letting her catch her breath. His hands were equally busy, caressing and teasing and stroking.

She twisted, trying to contain the pleasure he was lavishing on her. Her eyelids would not stay open, as if her brain were unable to process all the stimulation and operate her eyes as well. It seemed impossible that he was only one man. She registered a nip on her neck, a pinch on her nipple and a lazy circle on her inner thigh. The Rangers were known to be resourceful, she thought dimly, before abandoning the effort.

The heat that emanated from him was a caress in itself, and she ached to be closer to it. She let go of the bed frame to reach for him, but he caught her hand.

‘Please, I need to touch you,’ she pleaded.

He held her hand in a strong grasp. ‘Not this time. I need to concentrate on you.’ His voice was strained.

Even while he caught both her hands in his and held them above her head, she exulted. She was driving him to the edge of his control, and she would drive him to lose it.

He drove his tongue into her mouth in a possessive, dominating kiss. She allowed him to exert his command,
then she sucked delicately on it, tangling her own with it and shifting so that she rubbed his chest with her nipples. The feeling of his hot skin against the hard points was almost too much for her, but the groan that ripped from his chest was worth it.

She undulated against him, caressing his rock-hard cock with her belly, and she treasured the muttered curse he couldn’t conceal.

‘You’re a bad girl, Sinead,’ he said.

‘I know. What are you going to do about it?’

‘This!’ That was all the warning she had before he moved between her thighs and surged into her in one smooth, powerful movement.

All the breath left her lungs. Her nerve endings went into overload. How had she forgotten the size and strength of him? The heat and power? He filled her, completed her. She wanted to spend the rest of her life like this.

‘More,’ she managed.

‘Yes, ma’am.’ Then he was moving, slowly at first, the friction so deliciously dizzying that she forgot how to breathe. He sped up, going faster and faster. She twisted, desperate to hold onto him, but he still held her hands, so she gripped his hips with her legs and drove him on with her heels.

Niall had obviously intended this to be a slow seduction, but he was no more able to resist her than she was him.