Joseph Fallen (The Estate Series)
Read Joseph Fallen (The Estate Series) Online
Authors: M.S. Willis
JOSEPH
FALLEN
(Estate
Series – Book 0.5)
By M.S. Willis
This
is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any
place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines
are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Joseph Fallen: Copyright © 2013 by M.S. Willis
All rights reserved. This book or any portion
thereof may not be reproduced, scanned, distributed in any printed or
electronic form or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written
permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book
review.
ISBN:
978-0-9894479-6-6
www.facebook.com/mswillisbooks
OTHER BOOKS BY M.S. WILLIS
Control Series
Book One –
Control
Book Two –
Conflict
Book Three –
Conquer
Estate Series
Book One –
Madeleine
Abducted
Coming in 2014
Because
of Ellison
Hope
Restrained (Estate Series #2)
Captured
(Control #4)
Changed
(Control #5)
There are stories that are too painful to tell.
Although, better left buried within the
deep recesses of the minds of those who lived them, those stories never truly
leave a person.
But they must be told,
because, even in their silence, they can affect and shape the future of others.
This is one of those stories…
You may think you know what happened, the supposed knowledge
acting as a warm and gratifying blanket that protects you from the darkness; A
seemingly innocuous barrier between a person and the truth.
You know how this ends and you must be acutely aware that
there is no anticipation of an uplifting and inspired ending.
But what you don’t know is why…
He was a good man.
One who envisioned the life of a successful businessman; a wife, a child
and a sprawling mansion so large, most could not help but envy the lifestyle
achieved by such a handsome, charismatic and intelligent person.
He was a genius.
He deserved his youthful
accomplishments.
But like every
sorrowful tale, that achievement became a poison; one that allowed darkness to
seep inside --- to imbed itself so far within his soul that reality twisted and
insanity followed.
His name was Joseph Carmichael and when he started The
Estate, he not only created Hell…
He ruled it.
“Joseph, you shouldn’t have.”
Laughing seductively, Arianna Carmichael lifted the golden
curtain of her hair from around her shoulders while her adoring husband, Joseph,
locked the clasp of a diamond necklace across the perfection of her sun-kissed
skin.
It was their honeymoon.
Much like when they’d dated, Joseph
lavished what he could on the woman who lifted his spirits. She was a balm; a
soul who could soothe the machinations of his brilliant mind, and a spirit that
infused him with so much beauty and light, he could barely function without
having her in his life.
When it
came to Arianna, there was no posturing, no political manifesto by which he had
to operate; it was simply love - pure, honest, and absolute.
With blue eyes that resembled dancing flames, she peered up
at him through the mirror of the dark wood dressing table.
Glancing down at her reflection, he
realized they were both lost to their bond, one that had been established only
a few years prior, but one that had driven Joseph to achievements not known by
most men his age.
Although only
twenty-three, Joseph had excelled in his education, had graduated early and was
in line to become a top-seated executive in the large corporation where he’d
accepted his first job.
It was while attending a holiday gala that he’d first seen
Arianna. She was the epitome of elegance when she walked into the room. She
attracted the attention of each man in attendance when the light bounced off
the champagne colored fabric of her gown.
Gracefully, she traveled the room,
her movement so fluid it appeared that she floated on air.
He wanted her the moment he saw her and
when their eyes met across the crowded space, the people in the room
disappeared from around them.
Their
love was instantaneous, their relationship was destined, and their partnership
was spoken about as an ideal to which every couple should strive.
Letting the necklace fall across her shoulders, he clasped
her hand and swept her up from her chair, leading her immediately through a
suggestive and provocative dance across the expansive bridal suite.
Music drowned the atmosphere and the
light swish of her wedding gown could also be heard from their movement.
A goddess dressed in white, Joseph
admired how beautiful she looked in the dress, but also anticipated the moment
when he’d remove it.
He’d not slept
with her before they were married, could not bear to tarnish the purity of a
woman he’d never felt he’d deserved. But now, she was his wife, and his body
molded to her while they danced, every nerve along his skin burning with his
need to feel her wrapped around him and the slide of her sweat-soaked skin
against his.
His face brushed
across her hair as they spun, and his heart swelled when her delicate scent
wrapped around him like a soft caress or a tender touch.
In a wistful tone, he teased, “Have I ever mentioned how
much of a gift you are?
You may
have made a mistake today,
Mrs.
Carmichael
, by marrying a man not worthy of your perfection.”
The responsive laughter was a delight to his ears.
She smiled up at him with an expression
that revealed the truth of her exhilaration in that moment.
Her head fell back as he dipped her low
to the ground; sweeping its way across the burgundy carpet before being pulled
back to her body when she was once again lifted and held against his
chest.
“I don’t know about
that.
There are rumors that I am
not worthy of you.
Apparently, I’ve
failed to pay my dues to your society, not having come from old money and not
having the education granted to the women whose fathers can afford it.”
He brought her arm above her head as he spun her softly
along the floor, and when her back was to his, he pulled her to him so that he
could rest his mouth softly against the rim of her delicate ear.
“Jealous bitches…all of them.
They wouldn’t last one day with me with
their inane babble and superficial bullshit.
But, if you want, I could see to it that
we never hear from them again...”
His mouth twisted up slightly at his
mischievous suggestion.
“…Maybe I
could pay someone to intimidate them into silence.”
His brows bounced, making Arianna laugh
loudly.
Turning towards him, she slapped her hand against his
shoulder, and said, “You wouldn’t do that, Joseph. You are far too intelligent
to do anything stupid because of the opinions of petty and pathetic women.
If they were in any way happy with their
own lives, they wouldn’t waste their time trashing mine.”
He twirled her again then held her apart from him so that he
could look deep into the blue depths of her eyes.
With a wicked grin, he responded,
“You’re absolutely right.
Intimidation would be stupid.
Death from an unfortunate
accident
will be a more permanent
approach.”
Arianna laughed again, her hair flowing behind her while she
was danced through the room.
The
music slowed, faded off into silence, and Joseph chose that quiet moment to
take her mouth with his.
What
started as a gentle and heartfelt kiss quickly grew in its intensity; their
fingers entangled into each other’s hair as the two lovers became desperate to
converge with the person they desired.
Pulling away from his bride, Joseph’s eyes traveled down
over her skin, down further along the lace bodice of her gown and the white
satin that danced like deliquescent pearl along her hips and legs.
She was stunning and his heart beat
furiously at the sight of her while he attempted in vain to shake the prickling
anger in his mind towards the women he knew spoke poorly of his wife.
Ferocity and tenacious anger flooded his eyes when he looked
into her face once more.
“Those
women, I can’t stand what they say about you.
I’ll let it go for tonight, but I won’t
allow them to continue their attack once the honeymoon is over.
I don’t care what type of money,
society, or esteemed family they come from;
you are now my wife, and as such, you
are a part of me.”
His words startled Arianna in their sincerity.
Quietly, she responded, “I don’t need
your protection, Joseph. I’m perfectly capable of ignoring their rumors - as
long as I know the truth behind their lies, than what they say doesn’t matter.”
After brushing away the hair that had fallen in her face
when they’d danced, he said, “Let’s forget about them.
That is not what this night is
about.”
Forcing a smile on his
face, he watched as Arianna beamed back in response.
His hands reached behind her to find the tiny white buttons
that trailed along the center of her gown.
Frustrated with the amount of buttons he’d encountered, Joseph
dramatically rolled his eyes as he openly lamented how long it would take to
remove the gown from her body.
“You
would think that the designer of this particular dress would have a better
understanding of how quickly it is meant to be removed.
How many buttons are there exactly?”
A giggle escaped her rouge stained lips, and Arianna stepped
back, nearly tripping over the train of the gown.
“Here – allow me.
Buttons such as these are meant for a
far more nimble finger.”
Watching his bride reach behind her back, a soft growl
emanated from his chest as the bodice of her gown gave way.
With each slight motion to her arm, the
dressed peeled down, no longer acting as a second skin to her incredible form,
but becoming nothing more than the clothing used to attract the attention of
her intended betrothed.
As the
dress descended to the ground, it puddled at her feet creating a barrier she
had to step over to be completely freed of the fabric.
His breath caught, his eyes left unblinking as a shudder
trembled a path along his skin, through his muscles and into his bones.
He’d known she was beautiful, but to see
her standing in nothing more than the corset bra and delicate silk panties
she’d worn under her dress, it caused his body to quake in anticipation and to
marvel at her transformation from splendid innocence into mesmerizing
temptation.
Stepping forward, Joseph brushed the back of his hand along
her face, down along her jaw, past her shoulder, to finally rest just above the
swell of her breasts and over her rapidly beating heart.
The steel grey of his eyes remained
locked to the infinite blue of hers; he noticed how her chest heaved and how
her skin prickled in expectation of what was to come.
Refusing to look away from the eyes of the woman that had
bewitched him years before and who had held him in wonderment since the day
they’d first met, he said, “When I take you tonight, you will finally and
completely become mine.
I’ll never
fail you, I’ll always protect you and I will give you the life that only a woman
of your caliber deserves.
Thank
you, Arianna, for giving me a reason to live, a reason to breathe, and a reason
to succeed.
If it is you that I am
allowed to care for, I can achieve anything, even if it breaks me apart to do
so.”
The low light of the room sparkled brilliantly off the
diamond ring on her finger when she reached up to place her hand over his.
Rapidly, her blood surged through her
veins and they both felt the beat of her heart against their joined hands.
Her eyelids fluttered; her body
overtaken by the anticipation of his touch mixed with the remnants of the
alcohol they’d drank at the wedding just hours before.
He watched the full pout of her lips curve when she spoke,
the moisture glistening in the light, making him imagine what those lips would
feel like along his heated skin.
“We’ll take care of each other, Joseph.
Not one above the other, not one weak
and one strong – but beside each other.
My love for you knows no bounds and I
will give to you everything that I have and accept from you everything that you
are willing to give.”
Their words closely resembled the vows they’d just spoken at
the alter of the cathedral church where’d they’d been married. Joseph reached
his arm around her waist, pulling her against him as he allowed his fingers to
slowly travel down her back and over the fine silk of her panties.
When her body trembled beneath his hold,
his breath was wrenched from his lungs.
His head moved forward, his lips taking hers, as his body moved to
possess her fully.
Lifting her into his arms, he swiveled towards the large bed
that sat unrumpled in the center of the room.
Placing her on the bed, he pulled her
into a sitting position and reached around in another attempt at freeing her
from her clothes.
When his large
fingers slipped easily over the small clasps of her bra, she laughed again and
shook her head in amusement.
Their
eyes met, hers crinkled at the sides from her mirth and his, wide-opened in
astonishment at the depth of his feelings towards the woman before him.
Her legs slipped open where they hung
over the edge of the mattress, he pressed closer between them, watching while
she removed the lacy boned garment from her breasts.
When she’d been freed of all but the small triangle of silk
stretched taut between her thighs, his pants tightened while his eyes took in
the smooth expanse of her naturally tan skin.
Stunned momentarily, he sat frozen
before her, a man sitting in reverence of a woman unlike any other he’d known.
“You are the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen – and
to think that you are mine, always…”
“…And forever.” She smiled shyly.
Eyes the color of polished steel widened when she completed
his statement. “Yes, Arianna…forever.”
Taking her mouth with his, he licked along the crease of her
lips demanding entry as his hands traveled to his shirt to slowly and deftly
undo the buttons.
Never allowing
his lips to leave hers, he slowly peeled off the shirt, dropping it to the
floor beside him.
Pushing himself
up from his crouched position, his hands came to her shoulders and he moved her
back to the center of the bed and finally released her kiss so that he could
remove his pants.
He noticed how
her eyes watched as he undid the button and lowered the zipper, eventually
freeing himself of the offensive material that was the only thing keeping him
from burying himself in her at that moment.
Her breath caught when he was finally
completely bared to her and he slid what remained of her undergarments from her
body.
Lying over his bride, Joseph shimmied himself between her
legs, positioning himself to finally and fully take her as his.
“I don’t want this to hurt you, tell me
if it is too much.”
She smiled up at him, however her nervousness could be seen
as a sheen in her beautiful blue eyes.
“Will you use protection?
I
could get pregnant…”