Penmort Castle

Chapter One Negotiation

Cash Fraser sat in the back corner of the pub. A small cranberry red bottle of sparkling water was on the table in front of him, a glass of ice beside it.

He hadn’t yet bothered to pour.

He was considering leaving.

His being there he knew was a ridiculous idea. How he’d let James talk him into it, he couldn’t fathom.

But he had.

And now he was there.

And she was late.

Cash didn’t have a great deal of patience for anything including, and perhaps especially, waiting.

He’d made the decision to leave when the door opened but he hesitated at what he saw. He knew it was her the minute his eyes hit her. He knew this because James had exquisite taste.

And she was definitely exquisite.

She was wearing winter white. A loosely-knitted, woollen, white beret was pulled down low over her head covering her ears. She was wrapped in a white, well-tailored, wool overcoat that was nipped in at the waist. You could see the winter white turtleneck hugging her throat through the soft, white pashmina tucked stylishly in the lapel of her coat. She was wearing a chic pair of very high, dangerously thin spike-heeled, snakeskin boots and on her hands were grey leather gloves. The strap of a slim, sleek, expensive bag in matching snakeskin was on her shoulder, the bag tucked under her arm.

From his distance Cash could see that even without the heels she was quite tall. She had thick, long, blonde hair bursting out from under the beret, flawless skin and her rounded cheekbones had been made rosy from the bitter cold outside.

Cash took in her elegant clothing and good looks distractedly.

It was her presence that captured his attention.

She was not the kind of woman you looked at twice.

No, she was the kind of woman who, when she caught your attention, it didn’t move away.

And she was also the kind of woman who knew this as fact.

She tugged off her gloves as her eyes scanned the patrons. They stopped when they found him.

He watched her body go still and even though her face remained bland he thought for a moment she was going to turn around and leave.

Instead, she moved both gloves to one hand and pulled the beret off her head, her long, shining hair exposed dramatically with the movement. She walked toward him, her fingers plunging into her hair at her forehead and pulling it back. She lifted it at the back of her head, grasping it in a fist, flicking it out and dropping her hand, her hair settling to frame her face magnificently.

It was an effective show, drawing your attention to her extraordinary face, her glorious hair as well as the long length of her body.

And she had Cash’s attention as well as every man’s in the room.

She walked with a natural grace even in those absurdly high heels and he stood as any gentleman would when she made her final approach.

She stopped a foot away and tilted her head back to look at him.

Her eyes, Cash noted, were a warm hazel.

He found this warmth surprised him. She was the physical definition of cool.

“Cash,” she said softly, warmth also in her voice.

“Abigail,” he returned.

Her full, glossed lips tipped up slightly at the ends, not a smile, not even a grin, just a nonverbal affirmation.

That’s when she leaned into him. Her fingers curled around his upper arm and he felt one of her breasts press lightly against his chest as she tilted her head back further to touch her cheek against his.

Her perfume, he noted, was complicated and sophisticated, musky, yet vaguely floral.

The scent suited her.

When she moved away she murmured, “Abby.”

“I’m sorry?” he queried.

Her eyes met his. “Call me Abby.”

He didn’t respond verbally but lifted his chin.

She didn’t look like a woman who had an uncomplicated name such as “Abby”. “Abigail” also didn’t fit her and he wondered if this was her real name.

“Drink?” he asked.

“Red wine. A glass of pinot noir if they have it,” she replied and Cash realised she was an American.

James hadn’t told him that.

He also noted she was an alto, her accented voice pitched low and soft.

“Certainly,” he replied to her request and stepped away to go to the bar.

He watched her as he ordered the wine. She took off her coat and scarf and he saw that she wore a snug-fitting, thin, winter white turtleneck and a matching body-hugging skirt that ended just above her knees and clung to her thighs, hips and bottom. She had a pair of pearl studs in her ears and a gold watch at her wrist, no other jewellery.

Again, he noted her attire absent-mindedly.

What held Cash’s attention were her curves. She had full breasts, a tiny waist, rounded hips and a rather generous backside, all of this with those long legs and, he observed, superb posture.

She sat with her side toward him and crossed her legs, her head bent to her bag which was in her lap. She pulled out her mobile and he saw in profile her expression change when she slid it open, hit a button and looked at the display. At first he thought she was annoyed. Then a line of white teeth were exposed when she bit the side of her lower lip as if she was undecided about something.

Cash felt another small hint of surprise mainly because the minute her teeth caught her lip he thought she looked rather adorable.

He watched her make her decision, she released her lip, the tip of her tongue slid out to wet the upper one as she pressed and held a button on her phone. Once it was turned off, she thrust the mobile back in her bag, tossing it on the chair with her coat.

At that instant the bartender gave him her wine, Cash paid for it and walked back to the table.

When he came close, she looked up at him over her shoulder, her shining hair gliding along her back, her graceful jaw jutting out, her full lips slightly parted, her warm, hazel eyes locked on his.

She’ll do, he thought as he set the wine in front of her.

“Thank you,” she muttered politely.

He sat opposite her and as she looked at him he noticed there was something in her eyes, something he couldn’t exactly read. It was something deep and intriguing, something she meant to hide but was not quite successful in doing it. Something that, Cash thought as he kept his eyes on her, looked an awful lot like pain.

Nevertheless, his decision was made and as usual he didn’t waste any time.

She was taking a sip of her wine when he asked, “How much?”

His bluntness startled her and it looked like she had difficulty swallowing as she blinked at him.

“I beg your pardon?” she enquired.

“James explained things to you?”

Her gaze held his and she replied, “Yes.”

“How much?” Cash repeated.

Her eyes slid to the side and Cash didn’t know what to make of this. It would disappoint him if she tried to be coy. It would irritate him if she tried to fleece him.

Her eyes came back to his. “You want what James explained?”

He wanted more than what he knew James explained but he’d get to that in a moment.

“Yes,” he answered.

Without hesitation she said, “Ten thousand pounds.”

Again she’d surprised him. He’d expected her to ask for more, indeed he knew without question she was worth more. He’d definitely pay double that. He’d even consider paying triple.

Not one to let a good deal slide by, he nodded immediately, “Agreed.”

He watched with no small fascination as her composure slipped and several emotions one after the other chased across her face.

They went by so fast he couldn’t read them all but he could have sworn he caught disappointment and even alarm before she gained control so swiftly it was as if it never happened at all.

“Done,” she held up her wine glass, “shall we toast on it?”

“I’m not finished,” he replied.

She regarded him a moment, her eyes shuttered. Then she took a sip of her wine, set it on the table, sat back in her chair, her gaze returning to him and she waited.

He didn’t make her wait long and he didn’t sugar-coat his question.

“I’d like to know how much more to fuck you.”

The minute he’d finished his query, with interest he watched her jaw get tight as did her entire body and her obvious negative reaction surprised him yet again.

He continued calmly with the raise of an eyebrow, “Is that not part of the service you provide?”

“I’m not a prostitute.” Her low, soft voice now held a hint of displeasure.

“I’m sure James explained to you that this deal includes you sleeping in the same bed with me,” Cash reminded her.

“Sleeping,” was her quick retort.

Cash thought about her hesitation at the door, remembered her teeth catching her lip in indecision, the fleeting loss of poise when they started talking money and he had an uncomfortable suspicion.

“Do you have other clients?” he asked.

“Yes,” she answered promptly.

“In the U.K.?” he pressed.

Her eyes locked on his “No.”

“The States,” Cash pushed.

“Are you needing references?” she returned, her tone slightly sharp and he nearly laughed.

Abruptly he leaned toward her and repeated, “How much to fuck you?”

He watched as her stare turned into a glare and realised immediately there was fire behind that ice.

Cash found this very interesting.

“How much?” he asked again.

She frowned and her eyes started to narrow.

“I’ll double your fee,” he told her.

“I don’t think so,” she replied with disgust.

“Triple,” Cash returned.

“Absolutely not,” she snapped, her eyes fully narrowed.

She was, it appeared, getting angry.

And he knew immediately he liked it.

She was also not making a single move to leave.

“I’ll give you fifty thousand pounds,” Cash said.

He didn’t have to wait for her response to his generous offer.

She leaned toward him and he knew she’d lost her temper even before she hissed, “You couldn’t afford me.”

“Then James didn’t explain who I am,” Cash retorted.

“I know who you are,” she bit out. “Everyone knows who you are.”

“Then you know I can afford you.”

She didn’t reply.

He got closer and she held her ground, something which said a lot about her. He was close enough to smell her perfume again and close enough to see there was a slight peach sheen to the gloss on her lips.

He wanted her.

Simple as that.

And he was going to have her.

He decided to finish the negotiation. “One hundred thousand pounds and that buys me unlimited access to you throughout our arrangement.”

She made an indistinct angry noise in the back of her throat before suggesting, “Perhaps this isn’t a good idea.”

He pulled in breath through his nostrils then sat back.

He kept his eyes on her for a second that led to two then slid into three before he said, “Perhaps not.”

He thought he’d called her bluff.

Instead she turned, grabbed her things and stood.

She looked down on him. “It was a pleasure, Mr. Fraser,” she stated however the way she said it he knew it most definitely was not.

This amused him and Cash smiled.

She glared.

This amused him more.

She turned to leave when he stood quickly and his fingers wrapped around her upper arm, halting her retreat.

He pulled her to him gently and his mouth went to her ear where he murmured, “Two hundred thousand.”

Her body jerked then froze and she hesitated, indicating to Cash indecision.

Finally her neck twisted so she was looking at him before she said, “Two hundred thousand and we don’t consummate this part of the arrangement until we go to the castle.”

Cash was impressed.

She was very good.

She’d started at ten thousand and finished getting twenty times that.

“I like you,” he told her.

“Well, I don’t like you,” she snapped back.

This made him smile again which also made her eyes drop to his mouth.

He decided he liked her eyes on his mouth. He liked it a great deal.

Cash ignored his body’s pleasant reaction and commented, “That should make your job more difficult.”

Her gaze returned to his and she replied coldly, “Don’t worry, no one will suspect.”

“Including me?”

Her brows snapped together. “Pardon?”

“I’m not paying you not to like me. I’m paying you to like me.” He hesitated and his voice dipped lower when he finished. “I’m paying you to like me a lot.”

She stared at him a moment and he wondered what she was thinking.

Then she moved. Her upper body swayed into his and her hand touched him at his waist. She leaned up and her mouth brushed his softly as her breasts swept his chest.

His body reacted pleasantly to that too.

Not moving her mouth from his, her eyes open, she murmured, “You won’t suspect either.”

Then she moved back, only inches, her hand went from his waist and she did something that surprised him yet again.

She lifted her hand and used her thumb to wipe her lip gloss gently from his mouth, the whole time she watched her thumb’s movements.

It surprised him because it was not something a woman did to a man she’d only just met. It was also not something a woman did for a man she did not like.

It was something a man’s woman did for him.

Before Cash could react, she was walking away, swinging her coat on as she went, yanking her hair out of the collar with a casual movement of her arm.

He watched her hair tumble down her back as she walked out the door.

Yes, Cash thought as he reached for his own coat, she’ll do.