Joseph Fallen (The Estate Series) (2 page)

Placing a single finger over her mouth, Joseph silenced
her.
 
“You are my wife.
 
If we conceive a child tonight, than it
is a gift of our marriage, a blessing bestowed on us on the night we were
married.
 
We are a family now, and I
do not fear building upon it.”

Arianna settled beneath Joseph and he brought his mouth to
hers once more.
 
His hands traveled
along the prickled skin of her stomach and torso, the rush of blood through her
veins pounding against his hand as he felt her skin heat and flush at his
touch.
 
His large hand came up to
cup the weight of her breast and a sigh escaped her perfectly pouted lips, now
swollen from the force of his kiss.
 
His fingers pinched the tip of her breast into a taut peak just as he
kissed his way down her skin, finally taking the nipple of her breast between
his lips and allowing his tongue to lave across the tip.
 
She pressed her body up into his face,
begging for more while he allowed his other hand to reach down towards the apex
of her thighs.
 
Finding that her
skin had already slickened with desire he worked her body into frenzied need,
until her breath came in erratic spurts and her heart could be heard pounding
against the walls of her chest.

When she’d come close to orgasm, he slowed down the actions
of his hands and mouth and looked up into her hooded gaze.
 
“I believe I’ll be taking you now, Mrs.
Carmichael.”

Her mouth formed a fevered grin and her eyes rolled back as
he began to push himself inside her in one slow, yet deft maneuver.
  
The wet heat of her body molded
over him like a glove, and once buried to the hilt, he stopped, checking her
face for any sign of discomfort before moving within her, building from an excruciatingly
 
slow rhythm to one that would send them
both over the edge into ecstasy.
 

The muscles of her core gripped at him hungrily and her head
fell back against the pillows.
 
When
her mouth opened to scream out his name, he released himself inside her,
claiming her as his.
 
He fell
against her, their sweat slickened skin creating a luscious and lustful
sensation across their bodies.
 
Their hearts pounded in unison and Joseph looked down at his sated bride
and almost wept at the beauty that lay beneath him.

They made love several times that night, lost in the
splendor and astonishment of their lust.
 
While falling asleep in the early hours of morning, Joseph’s eyes closed
against the tendrils of light that peeked around the curtains of the room, and
he held Arianna to his chest, the decision overwhelming his mind that she would
be his forever and he would build a kingdom worthy of her alone.

“Congratulations, Joseph.
 
For someone of your age, your
accomplishments within the company are a first.
 
Usually, a man needs to be greying and
wrinkled before finding a top seat within the executive offices.
 
Yet, here you are, not only running this
show, but taking it over from the owners.
 
I wish I’d had your enthusiasm and skill as a younger man.
 
It would have saved me many years
chained to my desk for those bastards.”

Joseph sat back in the soft cushion of his chair, the
leather groaning against his weight as he propped his feet up on the mahogany
expanse of the large wooden desk.
 
Behind him, a panoramic view of the city was portrayed through the picture
windows that encased the office that he’d recently acquired.

It had been a year since he’d married Arianna and his love
for his wife had pushed him up the corporate ladder due to his determination to
provide her with the lifestyle that would surpass the heiresses who’d spoken
ill of her when they’d first been married.
 
They’d not yet conceived a child, and, instead, used the time to worship
each other in the late evening hours they had together.
 
Although his days were spent in grueling
business meetings, his evenings were spent in her loving arms or resting on a
sofa in their modest home as she played her piano for him alone.
 
Her mastery of the instrument was
extraordinary and he’d encouraged her to play publicly so that people would
understand what true talent sounded like.
 
However, she always declined, preferring the seclusion of their home to
the fame that would come with unveiling her talent to the world.
 
Although he enjoyed hearing her play
classical pieces written years before by famous composers, it was the songs
that she wrote for him that brought his heart unfettered joy.

Snapping his attention back to the man sitting across from
him in his office, Joseph smiled, his hands folded across his lap as he eyed
the sharp-dressed business associate from across the smooth surface of his
desk.

“I intend to become a very wealthy man, Hamilton.
 
Every dime I’ve made, I’ve returned to
this company.
 
My
enthusiasm
is nothing more than well
thought out plotting.
 
I knew the
owners were close to retirement, and I bought out their shares as quickly as I
could.
 
In this business, it is
skill and careful planning that will lead you to the top.
 
Acquisitions and subsequent sales of
struggling companies comes a close second to the finesse required to keep an operation
such as this performing at its peak.”

A single eyebrow rose above Hamilton’s eye, revealing that
the man believed himself more apt for the position taken quietly by Joseph
within the company.
 
Although Joseph
had started his career with the best of intentions, he’d quickly learned that a
touch of cutthroat maneuvering had been required to best his peers in their
race to the top.
 
His morality had
been placed aside when he undertook buying failing companies with the promise
of building them up, but instead, stripping them of their assets so that his
company continued to profit off the sweat of those less intelligent in
business.
 
Morality had no place in
his position, a lesson learned quickly as Joseph positioned himself for
success.

Hamilton settled back into the wing-backed chair in which he
sat.
 
His jaw ticked furiously even
though he attempted to disguise his jealousy and anger at having been bested by
a man twenty years his junior.
 
“I
look forward to the ball this evening.
 
I’m sure you must be nervous being the guest of honor at a gathering of
such powerful men in the field.”

Joseph knew Hamilton was attempting to shake him, but
laughed to himself realizing that Hamilton’s words only revealed the anxiety of
the man who was so obviously aware of Joseph’s superiority.
 
He was nothing if not a good judge of
character.
 
He never listened to a
man’s words, but rather he watched his actions, his body language, anything
that would unerringly reveal the true thoughts of the person he was observing.
Running his hand through the silk of his ebony hair, Joseph relaxed against the
leather seat, eventually returning his hand to the desk to idly play with a pen
that sat on the surface of the wood.

Flippantly he responded to Hamilton’s attempt at ruffling
his feathers.
 
“Actually, I’ve been
looking forward to it.
 
When rubbing
elbows with men of such wealth, it is entirely possible that some of that money
will be rubbed off on me.
 
And we
both know that the more money I have, the more powerful I will become.”

A scowl lit Hamilton’s face.
 
Straightening his posture, he opened his
mouth to speak again but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Come in.”
 
Joseph’s baritone voice was brusque while giving permission to the
unexpected visitor to enter.
 
The
bottom edge of the door brushed across the carpet and Arianna peaked her head
around, her blue eyes seeking out the familiar grey of her husband’s.
 
When she spotted Hamilton sitting across
from Joseph, she gasped and her hand reached to her mouth in surprise before
her eyes shot back to Joseph.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.
 
I didn’t know you had…”

“Don’t be silly.
 
Come in.”
 
Standing
immediately from his chair, Joseph stepped quickly through the room to greet
his wife.
  
She was dressed
modestly in a knee length, A-line skirt with a buttoned blouse tucked at the
waist and he couldn’t help but marvel that, even in her casual clothing, she
appeared like a jewel sparkling in the early morning sunlight that filtered in
through the windows of his office.

Arianna’s eyes wandered over her husband, her admiration of
the way his suit fit over his muscular form apparent in the gleam in her
eye.
 
Even though they’d been
married for a year, he still caught her hungry stares and secretive glances.
 
He couldn’t hold it against her though; because
when she was in his presence, he was unapologetic in the way his eyes remained
glued to her.

Without glancing back at his waiting colleague, Joseph said,
“Hamilton, I’m afraid you will need to leave.
 
Something important has just come
up.”
 
He winked at Arianna, causing
her to chuckle quietly.

Hamilton rose from his seat, pulling his jacket down from
where it had gathered at his waist. “Of course.
 
I’ll see you both this evening, I’m
sure.”
 
When Hamilton approached the
doors, Joseph reached out for his wife’s hand, pulling her towards him to give
his associate enough room to exit. His other hand reached out to close the door
as soon as Hamilton was fully outside.

He wasted no time in pressing his wife’s small body up
against the wall of his office, his hand moving quickly in its quest up her
skirt.
 
She laughed but was rapidly
silenced when he settled his fingers against the apex of her thighs.

Lowering his head, he pressed his lips against her ear while
circling the sensitive flesh between her legs.
 
“What a pleasant surprise, Mrs.
Carmichael.
 
Please tell me you’ve
come to give me good news.”

A responsive moan escaped her glossed lips and Joseph bent
lower to bite along the sensitive skin of her neck, pressing his hardened cock
against her leg as he trapped her between his large body and the wall.
 
She trembled against him and a smile
escaped the corners of his sculpted mouth as her overtook her.
 
He found both of her hands and pulled
them above her head, pinning them to the wall above her head.
 
When his lips continued their assault of
the skin along her neck and jawline, he could feel her chest pounding against
his from her lungs growing desperate for more air.

“Jo…Joseph – how can I talk when you’re doing
that?”
 
Her voice was breathy and
her body relaxed against the wall, her submission to her husband an
instantaneous thing.

“Will you stop me?”
 
His deep voice brushed across her skin like static electricity,
heightening her desire as the vibration of the sound rattled along her nerve
endings.

Peeking up at his ever-watchful face through the thickness
of her lashes, she smiled sweetly.
 
“Have I ever?”

Releasing her hands, Joseph reached down to grab his wife’s
legs pulling them up and around his waist.
 
He was appreciative of the loose skirt, allowing him access to every
part of her.
 
Reaching back to bury
his finger slowly, yet deeply, inside her, he continued talking to her,
enjoying her raspy responses to his questions.

“Do you have news for me, beautiful?
 
I know your appointment was this
morning.
 
I expected a phone call,
but this will do as well.”
 
He
continued working her toward an edge he’d seen her tumble over so many times
before.
 
He observed her lips
moving, as if to speak, but no sound came forth except for her needful panting
and tortured moans.
 
When her eyes
rolled back in her head, Joseph gave her the release she sought, his breath
catching in his lungs to watch a sated expression fall over the face of an
angel.

When she’d regained herself, Joseph smiled down at her.
 
Grasping her body within his arms, he
pulled her from the wall and carried over to the couch where he sat her
down.
 
Her head rested against his
chest and their legs entangled where they hung over the side.
 
Finally reaching a point where she could
speak again, a saddened look came over her features when she looked up into his
face.

“I’m not pregnant, Joseph.
 
My, well, I’m late, but the tests came
back negative.”

His shoulders fell as the expectation in his body blew out
on his released sigh.
 
He wanted to
give in to his own disappointment, but when he viewed the look on Arianna’s
face, he forced himself to step up to reassure her.

Holding her chin in his hand, he smiled down at her.
 
“Then I guess we’ll try again.
 
Over and over, until it takes.
 
Some of the best things on Earth are the
things you must wait for.
 
This only
tells me that our child will be special…a gift given to us when we least expect
it.”

Grinning up at him, a single tear escaped her eye and Joseph
reached over to wipe it from her face.
 
“Don’t cry my love, it will happen, and when it does, I’ll scream out my
triumph over the entire city.
 
Every
person will know that the love of my life is pregnant with my child.
 
You’ll be the most beautiful – and
round – woman out there.”

Her melodic laughter washed over him, and he continued
teasing her to bring her back from her threatened despair.
 
Finally, when all sadness had been
vanquished from her eyes, he pulled her into his lap, resting his head against
hers as he reminded her of their plans that evening.

“Are you looking forward to the ball tonight?”

Arianna nodded her head.
  
“Yes. It’s not often that my
husband is the honored guest.
 
I’m
very proud of you Joseph.
 
For
everything you’ve accomplished and have yet to accomplish.”

He nodded.
 
Yes;
 
he would accomplish everything he’d
hoped for and more.
 
Technically, he
already had it all, but he wasn’t yet satisfied.
 
His wife deserved a castle, if that is
what she wanted, and he was determined to give her everything and anything her
heart could ever desire.
 
“I will
accomplish even greater things with you by my side.
 
I’ll give you everything, I’ll give you
the world, whether you like it or not.”

She smiled, her expression telling him that she knew he
spoke the truth.
 
But Arianna was a
more humble soul.
 
She didn’t
require wealth to be happy, she didn’t need the biggest house or the fastest
car to feel special about herself.
 
She was content living a meager life, if it meant that she had her
husband.

“I’ll never need those things, Joseph.
 
All I’ll ever need is you.
 
Don’t let the idea of extraordinary
wealth tear you apart from me.
 
I’ve
seen how those high powered husbands leave their wives behind in shadows while
they step out into the limelight.
 
Don’t lose yourself in your determination to shower me in money and
fame.
 
I prefer you over anything
you could ever offer me.”

Placing his mouth over hers, Joseph started soft, but
gradually deepened their kiss until both were left breathless and panting.
 
He wanted nothing more but to continue
forward, to lay her out underneath him on the couch where they sat, but he had
business to attend to
 
- for
her.