Unbreakable (7 page)

“You are
so
bad,” I said and smiled when he bent down to kiss me.

“You love it,” he replied with a grin.

He was right. I did love it.

I loved
him
.

We arrived at Claire and Michael’s home about thirty minutes later. I had quickly fixed my hair, tucking loose strands back into my bun, and finished my makeup. Then we took the BMW to their home in another one of Nairobi’s gated communities where many of the foreign doctors, businessmen and professionals lived.

Their home was amazing. A sprawling rancher with a closed in swimming pool and patio, a wide expanse of lawn and several mature trees, it was very nicely appointed and decorated. Everything was perfect. I could tell Claire took a lot of pride in her home, the garden, the furnishings and decorations. There were delicious canapés and a large bar with every kind of drink you could hope for.

About twenty people mingled in the living room and dining room, spilling out onto the porch. I glanced around and saw Sam, dressed to the teeth with a sexy black dress, which highlighted her stunning long platinum blonde hair and blue eyes. She stood at the side of the living room with a drink in her hand and if looks could kill, I’d have been dead in an instant. Camille stood beside her and I could only imagine what they said about me. I felt underdressed compared to her, and smoothed out the skirt, which had become rumpled in the car on the way over.

“Relax,” Drake whispered in my ear. “You look ravishing. And I’m going to ravish you,” he said and nibbled my neck, seemingly unconcerned that we were being watched by practically everyone in the room. He took my hand in his then leaned in once more to whisper again. “When I give you the signal, I want you to go in search of the bathroom at the rear of the house. Go into the far bedroom and wait for me.”

I glanced up into his eyes, searching for whether he was serious. “Are you sure about this?” I said, my voice breaking from nerves.

“Completely,” he said and raised his eyebrows.

“What’s the signal?” I whispered.

“You’ll know it when you see it.” Then he placed my hand on his arm. “Now, let’s get a drink and start to circulate.”

So we did, each of us getting a glass of wine and then Drake took me around to visit with all his students and colleagues. I stood beside him and listened to each of them say how sad they were to see him go, recounting stories of the OR or classroom. Drake was very popular among his students and they all seemed genuinely sad that he wouldn’t be staying to teach in the fall semester.

Then, about an hour in, I heard Michael’s voice at the front door and turned to look.

Sefton
.

What the
hell
? Had Claire purposely invited him to the party to upset Drake and me?

“What the fuck is
he
doing here?” Drake said under his breath. I could practically feel the anger radiating off him as he stood beside me.

“Claire must have invited him,” I replied, my voice low. “Trust her to try to ruin your goodbye party.”

Drake turned and met my eyes. “As long as he doesn’t try to take a poke at me in revenge, forget him. He’s history. In three days, we’ll be gone and he’s gone as well.”

I forced a smile and took in a deep breath. I saw Sefton carrying a big flat package that looked like a large canvas wrapped in brown paper. Sefton carried it inside and handed it to Claire, but not before he glanced around the room and caught my eye. He smiled when he saw me, and dipped his head slightly.

Drake and I stayed where we were and I watched as Sefton and Claire discussed the painting. Claire took the canvas over to the dining room table and laid it flat then removed the brown paper wrapping.

“Oh, look,” she said out loud. She and Sefton held up the painting together. The canvas was about five feet wide by four feet tall. It was of the savannah, similar to where we were on the art safari.

It was also a painting of me.

I stood in the right side of the painting, my face in profile, my hair wild as if blown by the wind, one hand up to keep the hair tucked behind my ear, my shoulders bare, my pale skin sunburnt. With the other hand, I was shading my eyes from the sun and staring out into the distance.

“It’s lovely,” Claire said. She turned to Drake and me, her face expectant. “Isn’t it lovely? Drake, Kate, come over and see what I commissioned from Sefton. It’s for you, Drake, as a going away present.”

Drake squeezed my hand and led us over to the dining room table where Sefton and Claire stood. Several students and guests joined us and we stood and examined the painting.

It was very good, all shades of yellow, the bright sunlight glinting off my chestnut hair, tall stands of dried yellow grass surrounding me, almost reaching my elbows. Although my face was shaded, it was clearly me. He’d caught my likeness very well.

Had he taken a photo of me without my knowledge?

“It’s very good,” Drake said and stepped closer. “Thank you Claire.” He turned to Sefton. “Thank you to the artist as well. I was sad I didn’t get to go on the safari with Kate so this will make up for it.”

To my surprise, he extended his hand. In response, Sefton stepped back and held his hands up as if in surrender. Then he smiled and held out his hand and they shook.

“Wasn’t sure what you were going to do there, for a moment,” he said in a joking tone. “Given our history…”

“The past is the past,” Drake replied.

“Good,” Sefton said. “I hope you both can enjoy the work. I enjoyed painting it.”

Sefton turned to me and smiled. “I hope you keep up with your art when you go back to Manhattan. It would be a real shame if you let it drop.”

I shook my head, my throat dry. “I won’t let it drop,” I said and cleared my throat. “If anything, I’m even more determined to keep painting. Maybe take a studio class or two.”

Sefton nodded, his blue eyes meeting mine.

Then, Drake pulled me away. “Thanks once again,” he said and stepped back. “Let’s get a fresh drink for you,” he said and I was glad that he made the excuse to leave. I didn’t know what else to say, and didn’t want to have to make polite conversation with Claire and Sefton.

“That was smooth of you,” I whispered when we were far enough away to be out of earshot. “Thank you for being so diplomatic.”

I heard Drake chuckling beside me. “He’s lucky I didn’t clock him one,” he said and pulled me against him possessively. “I imagine he was wishing he had you there in person so he could use you as a model. Probably naked…”

I grinned up at him. “You men and your minds always go to the same place.”

“They do,” he said and smiled. “That’s why there’s still a human species in existence. Did you know about this?” he asked softly, his voice light.

“No,” I said firmly. “He must have taken a photo of me when I didn’t realize it.” I thought back to the safari. Sefton did have a big camera and was snapping photos during the entire time we were there. “He had a camera along with him so I guess he used that for the painting.”

“It’s really very good,” Drake said. “I hate to admit it, but he’s talented.”

“He is,” I said and poked Drake in the ribs, “but he’s a jackass.”

“That’s true, but I have to tell you, I’d like to smear my face with war paint and dance around a bonfire with this burning on top.”

“Drake!” I said and laughed. He pulled me closer and kissed me suddenly.

“I’m incredibly jealous,” he said. “I didn’t realize he’s so good. I was hoping he was just a lot of hot air.”

“He
is
talented,” I said. “He’s really big in South Africa, from what Claire said. He has shows all over the world so he’s famous in the art community.”

“Well, I hope you put it in your studio. I don’t want it in our apartment in any prominent place because it’ll make me jealous every time I see it.”

I laughed at him and watched as he went to the bar to get us fresh drinks. While he was there, I thought about the art safari and the disastrous evening that Sefton tried to kiss me and Claire found us alone in the tent. It felt like a betrayal, when he hit on me like that. I had finally imagined he saw me as more than just a young woman to hit on – that he actually saw me as a fellow artist – and his attempt to make a pass threw all that in the trash. I hated it.

Yes, I wanted him to respect me as a fellow artist, but that was all.

We returned to the living room and I glanced around the room. We still hadn’t spoken with Sam, which was a relief. She spent her time talking to Camille or Claire or Michael and didn’t seem to circulate much. I felt as if she was waiting for us to go to her, but Drake didn’t seem interested in seeking her out.

We were talking to one of Drake’s fellow faculty members about the food in Nairobi when Drake turned to me and made a comment about how delicious the canapés were. Made from a local recipe with spices native to the area, they were tasty bits of fish with a spicy sauce on a puffed pastry.

He caught my eye and licked his bottom lip slowly and suggestively.

I realized that it was ‘the signal’ and felt a surge of desire flood through me, for I had forgotten all about Drake’s plans for me, caught up as I was in the discussion of local cuisine.

I took in a deep breath and turned to Drake. “If you’ll excuse me,” I said and squeezed his hand. “I need to freshen up.” I smiled at Drake’s colleague and left the two of them standing at the treat table.

I followed the hallway to the back of the house and the last bedroom, which looked like a girl’s bedroom. Pink with a frilly canopy bed and white French Provincial furniture, it looked like something I would have liked when I was twelve.

I went inside and walked around, checking out the pictures on the wall and the books on the shelf. Young adult books about vampires, witches and other supernatural creatures.

The door opened and I turned, my heart in my throat. It was Drake, a look of mischief in his eyes.

“Ms. Bennet, what are you doing back here?”

“Master D, I seem to recall an order to go on your signal. I took you licking your lips as the signal. Was I wrong?”

He chuckled and closed the door behind him. “No, you were absolutely right.”

He came over and motioned to the bed. “Now lie back on the bed and spread your legs wide. I’m going to eat you until you come.”

I heard some voices from the living room – loud laughter – and felt a thrill of fear.

“I’m not so sure about this,” I said and swallowed hard.

“Shh,” Drake said and pushed me back so that I fell onto the bed. He pushed up the skirt of my dress and wrenched down my panties. “Spread.” When I did, he smiled carnally and knelt down at my feet. “Put your leg over my shoulder.”

I heard another loud laugh from the living room and closed my thighs. “
Drake
…”

“
Katherine
,” Drake said admonishingly. “Do I have to discipline you?”

I took in a deep breath. “Sorry, Master,” I said. I lifted a leg and placed it over Drake’s shoulder. He leaned in and spread me wide, then ran his tongue all around me, lapping at my folds without actually touching my exposed clit.

It drove me wild with lust and I had to bite my lip to keep from groaning out loud. When he finally stroked his tongue over my clit, I shuddered, my thighs closing around his head. I raked my fingers through his hair and closed my eyes in pleasure.

“Oh, God,” I whispered.

“You like that, Ms. Bennet?”

I bit my lip again. “You know it.”

I kept watch on the door, torn between the delirious sensations Drake was eliciting with his tongue and his fingers, and the door, praying that it didn’t open to admit anyone.

What would I do if Michael walked in?

I knew that my worry was distracting me from what Drake was doing, so I shut everything off, and focused on the sensations, keeping my eyes on Drake as he licked me and slipped his fingers inside of me. The sooner I came, the better.

He tongued me and sucked on my clit and soon enough, I felt the familiar ache that proceeded my orgasm.

“Master, I think…” I managed and he stroked inside of me, pressing his tongue flat against my clit and that sent me over. Pleasure filled me, almost blinding me with its intensity and I began to spasm around his fingers.

“There you go,” he said and continued to stroke inside of me while I clenched around his fingers. “That’s my girl.”

When I was finished, I lay back on the bed with my eyes closed and breathed in deeply. Drake pulled my panties back on for me and smoothed down my dress. Then he lay on top of me, resting between my thighs, and kissed me.

Just then the door to the bedroom opened and one of Drake’s students poked his head in.

“Oops,” the man said and caught my eye. “Sorry.”

The door closed and I covered my mouth with a hand. “Oh, God, Drake…”

“That was Chris Dawson,” Drake said. “He’s a good guy. He won’t think anything of it. Don’t worry.”

Drake kissed me again, his mouth curved in a wicked smile. “He’ll probably tell one of the other residents and word will spread like wildfire that Dr. Morgan is lying on the bed with
his fiancée.”

“That’s what you wanted, right?”

“No,” he said and shook his head. “What I really wanted was to have you obey me and risk being caught. It shows me that you’re ready and willing to do what I say even if you feel uncomfortable.” He kissed me once more. “We’re perfect for each other, in other words.”

“We are.”

I smiled as he kissed a trail down my throat to my breast, which he cupped over the fabric.

We
were
perfect for each other. Sam, Claire, Sefton and any other doubters could all go to hell.

I was his and he was mine—body, mind and soul.

Of course, we entered the living room together, hand in hand. Drake had the biggest smile on his face as if he was making a point with everyone there –
look at us. We’re inseparable.

My cheeks were hot as we walked up to the canapé table and refreshed our drinks. When I glanced around, there were quite a few grins on the faces of those who were present. Sam, however, was not smiling and I felt triumph that she got the message loud and clear.