Elaris POV
Darius dropped back from me; his expression shifted so fast from one of pleasure to that of intense calculation. His brows narrowed on me; he nudged his chin at the door. I straightened, gathering my nerves immediately.
My voice sounded low and strangled on the first words but calmed down after. "Who is there?" I asked, leaning to rest my back on the wall while still fighting the power of the orgasm I'd almost had safe for a goddamn knock on the door.
There was a pause like the person hadn't heard me. I asked again. "Who is there?"
Now, we got an answer immediately. A soft feminine voice echoed from outside. "Good afternoon, my lady. I came to inform you that Alpha Karl requests your presence immediately. He says something about finalizing the paperwork of your deal or something," she said.
Darius nudged his eyes to the door and then to me. That was a signal for me to send her away. "Okay. Tell him I will be on my way immediately," I said.
We both waited for the soft totter of feet to fade completely, and then he looked at me. His brows are still tight with concentration. Sometimes like now, he scared me. Because he looked at me now, and even though I was still completely naked, there wasn't an iota of lust in his expression, or maybe there was, but it was completely swallowed by an intense, calculating expression.
Even after five years, I suspect he still hasn't revealed the true content of his plans and why he was helping me, even when he believed Father was guilty of the crimes.
"You should go see him immediately, Ela. We don't want him to be suspicious. And remember, he is going to try to seduce you, and—"
"I understand," I cut him off with a soft, dramatic grunt. "We have already gone through this a million times already." I paused, waiting for the seriousness to thaw out of his expression, but it didn't. "A few minutes of lateness isn't enough to make Karl suspicious, is it?" I said, glancing down at my naked body. My orgasm, though, had ebbed in my core; thrill thrummed with a need to live again. I wanted him.
The tweak in his expression to a smile told me enough that he understood my reference. Still, he went for my clothes on the floor, picking them up. He approached closer, brightening his smile to the point it was glaringly placating. He handed me the clothe, which I grudgingly took from him. Our fingers brushing each other was enough to send a wave of need through my already tortured core.
He held my chin and stroked gently. "We need to play it safe, Ela. We can't risk being caught, or else it is both of our lives on the line."
"I understand, Darius, but—"
His smile brightened more, lips pressed to a flat line to boost the smile more. I wondered how it never really occurred to him how patronizing he looked. "But trust me, Ela. Just trust me. I know what I am doing." He said.
I wanted to argue more. But I know I couldn't win this war, nor can I refute the fact that at some level of understanding, he was completely right. I enjoyed and savored the warmth of his hands as he held my face, and then I breathed out a hard sigh. "Okay, Darius," I said, and carefully, I began to dress. "I guess my orgasms would have to wait then." I muttered grudgingly under my breath.
"We'll have plenty." He said, eyes brightening more.
I made him a stiff smile at that; a strange heat claimed my face. Why did he even hear that? I bit my lower lip softly in gentle reproach.
I fetched another pair of panties in the closet since he had torn the first one. And then once I was done, he escorted me to the door and watched me leave.
"I'll check if the coast is clear and then inform you if you—"
He smiled. "You don't need to, Ela. I already have that covered with Alex."
"Well, good." I forced on my own smile, and then I pulled the door open and left. I inhaled and exhaled hard as I strolled down the corridor for Karl's office.
A delta and guard led me down the long corridor, carpeted with a long, exquisitely designed Persian rug, that led to the large oak door that bordered Karl's office.
By the time the guard pushed the door to let me in, I had already gotten myself composed and ready to meet him, putting everything about Darius at the back of my mind.
I stepped in, and Karl rose to his feet immediately. He wasn't that cold, grumpy man he was at the jet this morning. Nonetheless, he was still calculating; he just hid it behind a façade of smiles this time, rather than showing me outright that he hated my guts after our exchange on the jet.
"Welcome, Dr. Ela." He said.
"Thanks, Alpha Karl." I responded, a little cold. He might be so good at hiding his schemes behind his smile. I had no reason to do that to mine.
He pushed a couple of printed papers across the table in my direction. "I need your signature on these documents, and then we can officially be partners in bettering the health of this pack, and you can be considered an official member of this pack."
"What about my retainer?" I asked.
His response came in another bout of smiles. "Of course, it's included." He said. "What gentleman would I be if I didn't include that immediately for the Miss?"
Darius wasn't wrong. He really would try to seduce me, since he'd seen that he couldn't control me. I'd never known this side of him before five years ago; perhaps it was time, or perhaps he was always a flirt like this but just hid it well all those years ago.
"Why don't we stick to Doctor?" I said.
A bite of hurt flashed past his perfect smile, but he hid it well. "Whatever you say, Dr. Elara."
I took my seat on one of the swivel chairs on the visitor's end of his office. I pulled the documents closer, scanning through them, one after another. I didn't read every detail, but I knew Darius must have done so, since he was the one who must have prepared the documents himself. If there was anything I needed to know. He would have told me already. But I did skim through though, glancing fast through the lines, and since I didn't spot anything suspicious, I leaned out my hand. "Pen," he demanded.
I didn't need to see the heat in his eyes; I felt it. There was a long moment of silence between us, a long moment of his jaw ticking, and him contemplating what to do. I was testing his resolve, and hell, I will continue to do so until he reaches his breakpoint and he fights back.
I didn't look up to his face; looking away made it sting more.
"Perhaps you should be a little more polite with your requests, Dr. Elara." He said, his teeth almost clenching on the words. His tone sounded very much like a threat.
I pretended I missed that, and I looked up long enough to take the pen from him. I forced on a smile in reply. It sealed off the mockery. I heard his gentle grunt, and I leaned closer to the large office desk, and I signed the documents.
I threw the pen across the table, unbothered about the rage bobbing in his eyes. Which, to my surprise, he quickly substituted for another fake attempt at a smile. "Why don't we celebrate our partnership with a drink? Do you care for champagne, or—"
"I don't see why we need to celebrate, but champagne would suffice," I said, cutting him off.
He ground his teeth so hard I heard it, and he turned for a makeshift bar in the large opulence of his office. He came back with two champagne flutes and a bottle of champagne. He handed me one of the champagne flutes and filled it for me, then he filled his.
I took a sip, letting the ice-cold liquid sting my throat in the good, refreshing kind of way. I stared up at him above the rim of the glass. "So do you charm all of your partners like this, or is it just me?"
It was unimaginable how he could be enraged just a moment ago and still smile at me like he was genuine. "Just the beautiful ones," he said.
Or the female ones. I whispered in my head, though every instinct screamed for me to say it out loud. I continued to sip at the whiskey, following his gaze, which settled unflinching on me, a dark smile tugging at his lip.
"Will you be free tomorrow night? I would like to show you around the palace myself," he said. "Consider it my treat."
I would have turned him down outrightly, but the plan with Darius demanded that I edge him on, him unsuspecting. So I cracked up a mess of a smile at him. "I will have to check with my itinerary for that."
"I'll take that as a yes, then." He smiled.
"That doesn't necessarily mean—"
"I'll come for you by nine pm tomorrow night; make sure you are ready, Dr.," he said, cutting me off with a smile.
I wanted to argue, but I stopped, knowing defense was as useful as attack. "Okay, that's a date then, Alpha Karl," I said, poured the rest of the champagne down my throat, slammed the wine glass to the desk, and headed for the door.