“Oh!” She turned right into my arms then. “You’d do that? For Sam?” Her eyes glistened. “You’d do that for me?”
“Yes, Toni. I’d do that for you.” Her face was turned up to mine, her lips parted, her face flushed. I felt my cock jerk, I had to take her soon.
“Will I be able to see him, so he’s okay?”
I smiled. “You could work with Lawrence, choose the right program for him, help him settle in.” I felt her relax.
“Oh, that would be wonderful. He deserves better than the diner.”
“Yes, he does.” I pulled her closer, “and so do you.” I dropped a light kiss on her forehead and then stepped back a little. Her nearness was uncomfortable, I had to keep a bit of distance.
“So, Toni. Have you decided to do this, to accept your birthright and have me and my team be able to help you become successful? You deserve a good, comfortable life, among people who can respect you for who you are and what you can achieve.” I looked into her eyes. The doubt and indecision were fading and she looked determined.
She turned to the windows again, and I gave her time to think.
“Thank you. Yes, I will. If you promise to help me with my idea, and promise that it stays mine. I want to earn my own security.” Her pride was evident in her eyes, and her relief when I nodded was palpable. I wondered idly what her idea was.
“Thank you, Toni. You won’t regret this. You deserve so much.” I put a finger under her chin. “But I do need you to make a definite commitment. I have to insist that this isn’t something you’re going to change your mind about. I know you’ve proved in your life that you stick at things, like you looked after your mother even though it wasn’t the way you’d planned things, and you’ve stuck at that hellish job. So I think you can commit and work at this. But I need you to promise me that you will do this.” I looked down at her, her serious face and wide eyes as compelling to my body as her arousal.
“Yes, all right. And you promise to help me with my thing.”
“I already have.” I dipped my head in acknowledgement. “Thank you, Toni — Antonia. Welcome to your new life.”
She giggled a little nervously. “I’d rather be called Toni. Is that allowed?”
I smiled, and took her elbow. “I’ll sometimes call you Toni and sometimes Antonia. I’d like you to get used to either. Now let me show you where you’ll be staying.”
“Oh, yes.” She sounded a little breathless, a bit worried at the speed of events. “What about work tomorrow? How will I get there from here?”
I set my jaw. “You won’t be working there any more, Toni. I’ll make sure that the owner knows and receives financial compensation to allow you not to go back. And I will arrange for your belongings to be collected.”
She jerked her head up, startled. I didn’t react to that, and she didn’t comment.
Toni
I couldn’t believe what I’d done. I must be mad. I’d just agreed — committed — to becoming a lady, to staying with a man I hardly knew, to marrying him and becoming the wife of an Earl. Thoughts were flying around my head, but all I really knew was that he was so hot and so attractive, I’d have agreed to anything he wanted, so long as it meant I could stay near him.
I hoped he couldn’t tell, but I was just a puddle of longing, my panties were damp and a deep throbbing need between my thighs was making it hard to think. He patted my hand.
“One moment,” he said and he went over to his desk and pressed a button on what looked like an intercom. He spoke quietly to someone, and I vaguely heard instructions being given about the diner and my job.
But I wasn’t really listening. I just stood there, hoping I didn’t have a goofy grin on my face. At least I’d had the presence of mind to insist he helped with my app and would allow me the credit. But all that seemed less important this evening, even though I knew I’d be back on track tomorrow.
“All right, that’s all sorted out now.” James came over. “Time to show you to your room.” He took me back to the huge hallway, up the wide sweep of stairs, along a short landing, opened a white door, and ushered me in.
It was hard not to stand open-mouthed in awe. This wasn’t a spare room, this was a complete suite. A comfortable sitting room, and a doorway leading through to a bedroom, all white, with a king size bed piled high with pillows. Just looking at it, I was sure I’d never want to get up in the morning. I wandered through another doorway from the bedroom to a large bathroom. An enormous roll top bath stood in the middle of the room, and half the room was taken up with a walk-in shower area. Twin sinks and enough marble countertop to build a Roman temple, and a stack of the softest-looking towels I’d ever seen. There was a walk -in closet as large as my whole room back at the apartment block, and a wrap around balcony which I could access from the sitting room and bedroom.