“You’re a sadist. I know you’re enjoying this. I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of being scared of you.”
“Enjoy this?” Søren leaned in close and put his mouth near Wesley’s ear. “Forgive me, young man, but you really aren’t my type.”
Søren’s fingers pressed into his neck tighter, and Wesley inhaled in silent terror.
“Or maybe you are...” Søren whispered. And then, as suddenly as he started, Søren let go and stepped back.
Wesley rubbed his throat and took heavy gulps of air. “If she comes with me, I’ll do everything I can to make sure she doesn’t come back,” he vowed.
“She always comes back to me, Wesley. You know that.”
“You haven’t seen my world. You’ve got a church. I’ve got a castle. You’ve got a vow of poverty. I’ve got more money than God. You can’t even be seen in public with her. I can stand in front of a thousand cameras with the whole world watching, and kiss her.”
Taking a deep breath, Wesley turned and stared at Søren. He saw something then in his eyes.
A flash of fear.
Suddenly there. Suddenly gone. But Wesley had seen it. And it gave him the hope he needed. If Søren feared Nora would stay with him in Kentucky, then Wesley knew he had a chance.
“Fine. Yes. I’ll take Nora with me to Kentucky. She can stay with me forever if she wants. I’ll keep her safe, but since you won’t be there, that kind of goes without saying.”
“Very well. Once she returns to the city, I’ll send for you.”
Wesley turned to leave Nora’s house…their house.
“I won’t let her go back to you,” Wesley said. “Fair warning.”
Søren narrowed his eyes at him and smiled. “Won’t let her?” he repeated. “Why, Wesley, you’re starting to sound like one of us.”
“Wesley?”
Shaken back to the present, Wesley spun around and found Nora standing behind him, holding a horse by the bridle.
“Nora…what are you—”
“Can I have him? He’s cute.”
Nora grinned at him before turning her head and kissing the horse on the snout. The animal exhaled as he shook his mane.
“His name is Spanks for Nothing. It’s destiny. We belong together.”
Groaning, Wesley walked over to Nora and took the horse by the bridle. “Nora…you can’t go around taking horses out of their stalls. That’s kind of frowned upon around here.”
“He followed me.”
“He did not.”
“No, but I did.” The voice came from behind the horse. Wesley looked over the back of Spanks for Nothing and saw a tall, handsome man of obvious Middle Eastern descent smiling at Nora.
Wesley’s eyes widened. Nora giggled. The man came around the horse and stood beside her.
“Wesley, this is my friend—”
“Talel bint Nassar II,” Wesley said, extending his hand.
“You’ve met?” Nora asked, smiling at first him and then at Talel.
“That’s what I was going to ask you.” Wesley saw Talel wink at Nora. Wink? One of the sons of a Middle Eastern king just winked at Nora? “You’ve met?”
Nora nodded with a grin. “Oh, yeah. We’re old friends. Talel and I go way back.”
“How is the car treating you, my dear?” Talel spoke beautiful English, more fluent in the language than a lot of Kentuckians Wesley had encountered. Not surprising, considering his Oxford degree and the years he spent in the United States. Everyone around the racing industry knew Talel.
“Still purring like a kitten, as is her owner. Wes…Talel’s the friend who gave me my Aston Martin.” Nora gave him a sidelong stare. Nora had once hinted that a client of hers, a member of Middle Eastern royalty, had given her the sports car as a thank-you gift after a beautiful week together. Of course it would be one of the sheiks involved in horse racing. Talel was nearly as tall and handsome as Søren, although his opposite in some very key areas—dark-skinned where Søren was pale, black hair in contrast to Søren’s blond. And if he really was a client of Nora’s, that meant one thing and one thing only—the man was a sexual submissive.
Wesley suddenly had a vision of Talel on the ground with Nora standing on his back with a riding crop in her hand. The image gave him a perverse moment of pleasure.
“And how is it that you know the Prince of Kentucky, madam?” Talel asked as he took Nora’s hand and kissed the back of it gallantly.
“Wes and I used to live together. I’m down here visiting him for a while. He’s my—”
“Boyfriend.” Wesley said the word firmly and in a tone that brooked no argument. He waited for Nora to contradict him. She probably would. He didn’t even know why he said it other than Talel seemed a bit too happy to see Nora and Nora seemed way too happy to see him.
“Yes,” she said as she let go of Talel’s hand and reached for Wesley’s. “My boyfriend. Emphasis on the ‘boy.’ I’m having a Mrs. Robinson moment.”
“I’m not complaining.” Wesley kissed Nora on the top of her head. He loved kissing her there. She was a shrimp of a thing compared to him. She might tower over him with the size of her personality, but at least he had her beat on height.
“Nor should you, young man.” Talel reached out and shook Wesley’s hand. “You are blessed indeed to have such a great woman in your life. We are mere princes, you and I. But she is a queen.”
“Enjoy this?” Søren leaned in close and put his mouth near Wesley’s ear. “Forgive me, young man, but you really aren’t my type.”
Søren’s fingers pressed into his neck tighter, and Wesley inhaled in silent terror.
“Or maybe you are...” Søren whispered. And then, as suddenly as he started, Søren let go and stepped back.
Wesley rubbed his throat and took heavy gulps of air. “If she comes with me, I’ll do everything I can to make sure she doesn’t come back,” he vowed.
“She always comes back to me, Wesley. You know that.”
“You haven’t seen my world. You’ve got a church. I’ve got a castle. You’ve got a vow of poverty. I’ve got more money than God. You can’t even be seen in public with her. I can stand in front of a thousand cameras with the whole world watching, and kiss her.”
Taking a deep breath, Wesley turned and stared at Søren. He saw something then in his eyes.
A flash of fear.
Suddenly there. Suddenly gone. But Wesley had seen it. And it gave him the hope he needed. If Søren feared Nora would stay with him in Kentucky, then Wesley knew he had a chance.
“Fine. Yes. I’ll take Nora with me to Kentucky. She can stay with me forever if she wants. I’ll keep her safe, but since you won’t be there, that kind of goes without saying.”
“Very well. Once she returns to the city, I’ll send for you.”
Wesley turned to leave Nora’s house…their house.
“I won’t let her go back to you,” Wesley said. “Fair warning.”
Søren narrowed his eyes at him and smiled. “Won’t let her?” he repeated. “Why, Wesley, you’re starting to sound like one of us.”
“Wesley?”
Shaken back to the present, Wesley spun around and found Nora standing behind him, holding a horse by the bridle.
“Nora…what are you—”
“Can I have him? He’s cute.”
Nora grinned at him before turning her head and kissing the horse on the snout. The animal exhaled as he shook his mane.
“His name is Spanks for Nothing. It’s destiny. We belong together.”
Groaning, Wesley walked over to Nora and took the horse by the bridle. “Nora…you can’t go around taking horses out of their stalls. That’s kind of frowned upon around here.”
“He followed me.”
“He did not.”
“No, but I did.” The voice came from behind the horse. Wesley looked over the back of Spanks for Nothing and saw a tall, handsome man of obvious Middle Eastern descent smiling at Nora.
Wesley’s eyes widened. Nora giggled. The man came around the horse and stood beside her.
“Wesley, this is my friend—”
“Talel bint Nassar II,” Wesley said, extending his hand.
“You’ve met?” Nora asked, smiling at first him and then at Talel.
“That’s what I was going to ask you.” Wesley saw Talel wink at Nora. Wink? One of the sons of a Middle Eastern king just winked at Nora? “You’ve met?”
Nora nodded with a grin. “Oh, yeah. We’re old friends. Talel and I go way back.”
“How is the car treating you, my dear?” Talel spoke beautiful English, more fluent in the language than a lot of Kentuckians Wesley had encountered. Not surprising, considering his Oxford degree and the years he spent in the United States. Everyone around the racing industry knew Talel.
“Still purring like a kitten, as is her owner. Wes…Talel’s the friend who gave me my Aston Martin.” Nora gave him a sidelong stare. Nora had once hinted that a client of hers, a member of Middle Eastern royalty, had given her the sports car as a thank-you gift after a beautiful week together. Of course it would be one of the sheiks involved in horse racing. Talel was nearly as tall and handsome as Søren, although his opposite in some very key areas—dark-skinned where Søren was pale, black hair in contrast to Søren’s blond. And if he really was a client of Nora’s, that meant one thing and one thing only—the man was a sexual submissive.
Wesley suddenly had a vision of Talel on the ground with Nora standing on his back with a riding crop in her hand. The image gave him a perverse moment of pleasure.
“And how is it that you know the Prince of Kentucky, madam?” Talel asked as he took Nora’s hand and kissed the back of it gallantly.
“Wes and I used to live together. I’m down here visiting him for a while. He’s my—”
“Boyfriend.” Wesley said the word firmly and in a tone that brooked no argument. He waited for Nora to contradict him. She probably would. He didn’t even know why he said it other than Talel seemed a bit too happy to see Nora and Nora seemed way too happy to see him.
“Yes,” she said as she let go of Talel’s hand and reached for Wesley’s. “My boyfriend. Emphasis on the ‘boy.’ I’m having a Mrs. Robinson moment.”
“I’m not complaining.” Wesley kissed Nora on the top of her head. He loved kissing her there. She was a shrimp of a thing compared to him. She might tower over him with the size of her personality, but at least he had her beat on height.
“Nor should you, young man.” Talel reached out and shook Wesley’s hand. “You are blessed indeed to have such a great woman in your life. We are mere princes, you and I. But she is a queen.”
