Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
“You can fly over with your father and me and perhaps we can have lunch while we’re there,” she continued. “I know you’ll be busy, but I would love to see you more often. I don’t want the only times we see each other to be about you having to calm me down and use your connections to solve some terrible crime.”
“Of course,” he promised, his brain already working. He didn’t like coincidences. Not at all.
He would be in London. Taylor would be in London. Now his mother would be there, too.
It felt like someone was moving pieces into place.
She gave him a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Good. You can bring along your friend. I feel like it’s been ages since I saw Lydia. I’m afraid I scared her the other night.”
“She doesn’t scare easily.” Lydia had probably told his mother he would be in London soon. She played the eager assistant well. “She was worried about you. I’m sorry I didn’t pick up that night.”
“Were you with a woman? I know you said you were visiting some friends, but I got the feeling from Lydia that you were.”
He frowned. “How would she know who I was with? I assure you she doesn’t schedule that part of my life. And no. I was with some old friends, although one of them is a woman. She’s someone I worked with a few years back. It was good to see her again, but she’s married now. Why would Lydia think I was with a woman?”
He hadn’t told Lydia much about what he’d be doing while he was gone.
“Oh, she didn’t say anything, but I know that tone.”
“Tone?”
She seemed to think for a moment and then leaned forward, a soft look on her face. “You need to put that poor girl out of her misery. You have to know she’s been in love with you for a long time, Drake. She sounded jealous.”
His mother was reading way too much into this situation. “We’re friends. Nothing more. I assure you Lydia isn’t in love with me. She’s been my assistant for seven years, and she’s dated plenty of men. She’s mostly annoyed with me.”
His mother didn’t look convinced, but she stood anyway. “I’ve watched her, you know. Just think about it. You’re not getting any younger, and I would like grandchildren before I’m too old to enjoy them. She’s a pretty girl, and you two seem to get along. Sometimes friendship can turn into something more if you let it. Your father should have the car pulled around by now. I’ll send you our flight information. I know the department will put you on a plane, but I promise mine is nicer. You can bring Lydia along and I’ll see if I’m right.”
He shook his head, a little horrified that his mother was thinking of him having kids. He was too young to have kids. Also, now he wouldn’t get to fly in with Taylor and would have to bring Lydia. He couldn’t exactly explain that the DoD knew nothing about his trip.
“I thank you for the ride, and you’ll see you’re wrong about Lydia.”
She gave him a real smile and strode away.
He missed Taylor. He slid his cell phone out and looked to see if she’d texted him. Nothing. She was probably working on the many evaluations Brad seemed determined to put her through.
She’d apparently managed to take down Kyle, though she’d refused to spar with his stepfather or uncle. She’d told him Big Tag had recently had his balls kicked in by Kyle’s girl, and she really liked Chef Taggart’s food, so she wasn’t risking pissing him off.
Kyle had sent a text detailing all the ways Taylor was mean and would be fine on the op because she did not respect his masculinity at all.
He wished he’d been there for that session.
He wished he was there right now.
Drake glanced down at his watch. Could he hop on a plane and see her before he needed to be back here? Maybe he could come up with a reasonable excuse to get out of going into London with his parents. If he could make it out to Wyoming tonight, he could maybe fit in one more session at Sandra’s, and then they could play on Taggart’s private plane and he wouldn’t care who knew about it. The truth was no one but Brad would care. Tucker and Jax had been around the D/s lifestyle for years. Jax was around actual crazy threesomes most of the time. Kyle would gag and ignore them.
Brad would point out all the reasons having sex on an airplane wasn’t sanitary or some shit. Sex wasn’t supposed to be sanitary. It was supposed to be dirty and glorious, and if he didn’t get his dick inside her soon, he was going to die.