Genesis in Bloom (7 page)

But that way led to madness.

Genesis struggled to push her feelings aside and view their encounter as purely sexual. He was just another client after all, albeit an irresistibly sexy one.

There was a knock on the door, and then Captain Murdoch's tall, naked body filled the doorway.

"Forgive me for intruding." Murdoch averted his gaze. "I just wanted to use the facilities."

"Find other facilities," said Alex.

The captain cleared his throat. "Sylvie and I are going to her room. Goodnight to you both."

"Goodnight, captain." Genesis smiled at him. "And thank you for a lovely evening."

He gave her a rakish smile. "I should be thanking you, for it was certainly my pleasure."

Alex's mouth was set in a fierce frown, but he said nothing. He simply glared at the other man until Murdoch left the room and closed the door behind him.

Then he bent his head and took one of Genesis's taut nipples into his mouth. With a frustrated groan he murmured against her skin, "So you had a lovely evening with him?"

"Very much so, but the evening isn't over yet."

"No, it isn't." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her hard. "And you're with me now."

"And my cock is bigger than his."

"He's no longer erect, so how can you tell?"

"Actually, you're right." Her breasts bounced as she rode him faster and faster. "He's large, but you're much larger. Though I'm not sure how you knew the size of his cock."

"Just a lucky guess." He ran his hands over the soft contours of her flesh. "I can please you more than that drunken officer."

"He wasn't drunk tonight. Besides, this isn't a contest Alex."

"Perhaps not, but I wish to wipe him from your memory."

She sighed. "And will you wipe every man I sleep with from my memory? If so, you'll find yourself a very exhausted person."

* * * *

They lay on the bed, warm and flushed from the bath as well as the uninhibited sexual activity in the tub. Alex stroked her nipples and Genesis felt arousal begin anew in her body.

"I want to show you something, Gen." His rich, seductive voice caused a shiver of anticipation to shoot through her body.

"Gen? Have you given me a nickname?"

He nodded and his voice grew serious. "Gen is your name when we're together. It belongs to me and the other clients can't possess it."

She looked at him in confusion. "It's just a name."

"But it's mine. My way of possessing a tiny part of you which no one else can touch."

She was moved by his words and felt the sting of tears at the back of her eyes. "So what do you want to show me?"

"This." He lifted the blanket and showed her his erect member with its large purple head and thick-veined shaft. Her mouth watered as she stared at it in lustful appreciation.

"I had you just a few minutes ago, yet I crave you again." His green-eyed gaze held hers. "This is what you do to me."

"And what do you do to me? One glance at your majestic cock and I'm so wet I can barely stand it."

He chuckled. "Don't you agree we're perfect for each other?"

She didn't answer but simply gazed at him with hungry eyes.

He covered himself and she looked at him in surprise. "Why did you do that?"

"To tease you."

"You rat." She pulled on the blanket. "Uncover yourself this instant!"

"Or I'll be very disappointed."

He relented and she put her hand on his cock as she squeezed and stroked it. She lowered her face to take him into her mouth.

"Not yet." He pushed her down on the mattress, pinning her wrists above her head. "This is the way I want you. Pinned beneath me. That way I can do what I like to you."

"And what do you like?"

"Everything. I desire to do everything in the world to you." He kissed her throat and then moved down to her breasts. He kissed each nipple and rained fiery kisses down her abdomen, around her bellybutton, until he was poised at the soft triangle between her thighs.

"Most of all I want this. Your sweet pussy." He lowered his head to kiss her when suddenly he jumped off the bed.

"What the hell." He cursed as he ran around the room. "Something is stabbing me in the back!"

"Oh God!" Genesis watched in amazement as he jumped around the room with Napoleon's claws buried in his back. The cat looked like a giant black tick as he bounced around hanging on for dear life.

"Napoleon, no!" She reached for the feline who glared at her with cold eyes.

Alex winced in pain. "He's digging his claws in deeper!"

She struggled to remove the obese cat without hurting him, but there was no way around it. Napoleon's claws were buried deep in his flesh and it took patience to get them out. Once free, the cat leapt for the window sill and then disappeared into the darkness beyond.

"What the fuck is his problem?" Alex shook his head in wonder. "Is he in the habit of attacking people?"

"He's never done that before." She gasped when she saw the scratches on his back. "You're bleeding!"

"That doesn't surprise me. It hurts like a son of a bitch."

"Wait here." She threw on a robe. "Sylvie has medical supplies in her room."

Moments later, the women burst into the room. Captain Murdoch followed, wearing only his trousers.

"Jesus Christ!" he said when he saw the bleeding scratches on Alex's back.

Sylvie's eyes widened in horror. "Genesis, what have you done?"

"I didn't do it!" she protested. "It was Napoleon. For some reason, he attacked Alex."

Sylvie began to clean the wounds. "Maybe he's jealous of him."

"He didn't scratch
me
when we were together," Graham pointed out.

A secretive smile played across Sylvie's face. "No, he didn't. Perhaps now he has a reason to feel jealous."

"You're talking nonsense," said Genesis. "The cat is obviously insane. That's all there is to it."

Alex grimaced in pain. "When I said I wanted pussy, this is not what I had in mind."

"Lord Alexander, please accept my apologies for what that naughty cat did to you." Madame Colette's voice was quiet and conciliatory.

He sat across from her in the beautifully furnished office lined with bookshelves.

"I'm sure I'll be fine." Alex leaned forward and winced, as if the pain was excruciating and unbearable. He saw the concern in her dark eyes and knew he had her where he wanted her. The queen was in check.

"How can I possibly make this up to you?" She spoke the words he had waited to hear.

"Perhaps I might enjoy a week in Genesis's company?" He raised an eyebrow. "Exclusively, with no other men allowed to see her."

Colette's eyes sharpened as she studied him. "That might be arranged. It seems Captain Murdoch has transferred his affections to Sylvie, therefore, I see no problem with your request."

He moved in for the kill. "On the house, of course."

"On the house? Surely, you're joking." Her eyes widened in shock. "Do you realize how much money I'll lose? I must still pay Genesis for her time while receiving nothing in return."

Alex narrowed his gaze. "I needed three stitches to close one of the deeper cuts. The pain is a constant reminder of my encounter with
your
cat. Would you care to look at my back again?"

Madame held up her hand. "Please, no."

She sighed deeply as she studied him. "All right, a week on the house. And it's only because I value your business."

"As I value a certain lady in your employ."

She gave him a tight smile. "My instincts told me there would be trouble with this girl. For once I didn't listen to the inner voice and now I'm paying for it."

"You're not the only one, madame." Alex gave her a mocking smile. "I started paying the moment I saw her beautiful face."

* * * *

Alex stood next to the bed and watched her sleep. There was no longer the urgency he felt when he knew he only had one night with her. Now he could take his time and court her properly. The information Gregory discovered would come in useful toward that end. He sat the lovely vase of roses on the dresser alongside the books he had purchased at a local bookstore. There were volumes on archaeology and ancient Greek legends, which he hoped she hadn't read yet. He had also found the English toffees she loved so much, at least according to Sylvie. They were wrapped in a pink and white striped box, and he couldn't wait until she awoke and saw the gifts.

His heart melted as he gazed at her. Genesis looked as innocent as a child in the simple, cotton nightdress she wore.

Innocent and sweet like the first dew on the morning flowers. She smelled of lilacs and desire. Later he would tear the soft, white gown from her body and feast upon her luscious flesh. But for now, he was content to study the lines of her exquisite face and dream about the future they might have together. A few stolen moments watching her, desiring her, loving her. His heart was ensnared as surely as if it were caught on a lure. There was no escape for him unless he tore the organ from his chest.

His memories were drawn back to a time when he owned a particularly wild, untamed mare. Headstrong and skittish, the horse was determined to remain free and not submit to the saddle. Alex had slowly tamed the beautiful animal by gaining its trust day by day, wearing down its defenses a little at a time. Eventually, the animal had responded to his love and given hers in return.

He thought of Genesis that way—spirited, skittish, unwilling to submit to the desires of her own heart. But perhaps if he was patient.

* * * *

Genesis hadn't had the dream in years. Even as she slipped into the nightmare, she tried to wake herself up before it grew too intense.

Wake up! Wake up!

Her mind wasn't listening. The dark man appeared in front of her as he had done so many times in the past. When had she first had the dream? When she was nine or ten? What did it matter now? It always began the same way. The man threw a dark shroud over her head and she groped around blindly as she sought a way to escape. She pulled at the shroud, but it wouldn't budge because it was too heavy. She tried to scream for help but her mouth seemed packed with cotton. No sound escaped her throat.

She stumbled and fell. She fell through space, wrapped in the shroud, falling further and further down. Screaming for help, yet no sound emerged from her mouth. Then the dark man was on top of her, pushing his weight against her chest, forcing the air from her lungs. He was so heavy she couldn't catch her breath. Her lungs ached as they begged for air. Then he was gone, but her relief was short-lived. She was now buried in a box under the earth. What seemed like a ton of dirt pushed down on her coffin. Even if she could escape the box, she would never be able to crawl through all that dirt. She would suffocate before she reached the surface. Yet, she still clawed at the box which confined her. Sharp splinters of wood lodged under her fingernails. Her fingertips were worn to bloody stumps and still she clawed.

Alex, please help me!

* * * *

Her cry of terror made Alex jump and turn away from the window. Only a moment before she had been sleeping peacefully. Now she clawed at the bed covers and tossed her head violently from side to side.

"Let me go!" she cried. "Help me!"

"Gen, wake up. You're having a nightmare." He spoke softly as he held her in his arms and stroked her hair. For a moment, she stiffened against him. Then she began to weep with loud sobs which wracked her entire body.

"I was so scared," she managed to say. "I haven't had the dream in a long time. Why did it come back again?"

* * * *

Alex spoke soothing words as he held her against his chest. When she felt she had no tears left to shed, she looked up at his face. He was freshly shaved and smelled of some spicy, masculine cologne. His concern for her was apparent in his furrowed brow and intent gaze. Suddenly, she felt lonely and pathetic. She had no one to give her comfort except a stranger who pitied her. She looked away from him. Better to suffer in silence than be an object of pity.

She sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed. "I need to get dressed. What time is it?"

"Eleven. I let you sleep because you seemed tired after last night's adventure."

She slipped into a robe. "How's your back feeling?"

"It still gives me the occasional twinge, but not enough to curtail my amorous activities." He gave her a leer and she couldn't help but smile.

"Does anything ever curtail a man's amorous activities?" She walked across the room and noticed the fresh flowers on the dresser. Then she saw the books.

"Oh my!" Genesis picked up one of the thick volumes. "Do you know how long I've waited for his latest work to be published? He's
the
authority on all things Egypt."

He gave her a wide smile. "I hoped you'd like them."

She lovingly fingered the books. Then with a squeal she threw herself into Alex's arms and hugged him tightly against her chest. "Thank you so much! I can't wait to read these."

After a moment, she looked at him suspiciously. "How did you know what I liked?"

"I have my spies."

She put her hands on her hips. "Who? Has Madame Colette been talking about me?"

"You know better than that. It would take a crowbar to extract information from her."

She laughed. "Then who?"

He gave her a guilty grin. "My friend Gregory obtained some information from one of your friends. Her name is Gigi."

"She's no friend of mine. In fact, I don't think she likes me at all."

"Nevertheless, she wasn't averse to sharing a bit of gossip about you for a steep price."

"And what's this?" She couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice when she saw the beautifully wrapped package resting on the dresser.

"English toffees. Sylvie said they were your favorites."

Genesis looked at the box of delicious sweets. She thought she had no tears left to shed, but discovered she was mistaken. A single tear slid down her cheek and plopped on the colorful box.