Page 41 of Serenity
After disconnecting the call, I dialed Sheila She.
“Mr. Stepford, how’s the conference?”
Sheila’s exuberant energy percolated through the phone.
“Sheila, clear my schedule next week.”
“I can’t do that, Mr. Stepford. We have travel plans to Dubai next week and—”
“So, work on turning it into a trip for pleasure as well.”
“A trip for pleasure?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself. Good night, Sheila She.”
After tackling that list of duties, I showered and dragged my limbs back to bed. Depleted of energy caused by chills and a fever, I dozed off for the umpteenth time. My body needed the rest. The fever had taken its toll.
Somewhere between la-la and land, Serenity returned, utilizing the keycard I’d given her to gain entry.
“Duke?”
The silky, sugary notes of her tone wafted through my sleep-ridden ears.
“Hmm?” Pulling the covers higher, I tossed onto my side and dozed off yet again.
“Wake up. Wake up, Duke.”
Serenity’s soft and sultry voice stirred me again from my slumber. She was still dressed in the suit she’d worn to the conference. Still wearing me on her skin.
I stretched, groaned, and pulled her in bed with me. She laughed, fussed, and laughed some more before we both rose—me following behind her as she made her way to the kitchen.
The large brown paper bag on the counter was packed with “goodies,” she claimed. With an arsenal of herbs, teas, and tinctures, Serenity vowed I had all I needed to strengthen my immune system and get back to feeling myself.
“Enough to keynote tomorrow?” I asked, stretching and scratching my beard.
Looking in my direction, her face wore a blank expression. “Uh. Maybe. I’ll let you decide if that’s what you want to do based on how you feel.”
She turned to the counter where the oil of oregano was. Gracing me with a view of her rear, she opened the bottle to replace it with a dropper. With my eyes glued to her ass, I watched as she moved around, dissociating for a bit at how things between us had shifted.
A month ago, we were barely acquainted, and now the scent of her was embedded in my beard. Life comes at you fast.
“What the fuck were you doing in Genevieve?” I couldn’t help it. I needed to satisfy my curiosity.
“Watching you, obviously,” she shrugged as she turned to face me.
“Did you like watching me fuck somebody else?”
The perfectly manicured brows of her forehead furrowed. “No. I was…” She swallowed. “Jealous as fuck. Did you have me kicked out?”
“I did.”
Her face dipped into a frown. “Why?”
“To protect you.”
Genevieve was no place for a woman like Serenity. And I’d be damned if her people came back to me with some bullshit about discovering her presence that evening. I’d seen her in the audience. Like everyone else, she was entranced—trapped in a spell. My dick had superpowers. I was used to the awe it inspired, though I hadn’t expected to see her there. Hell, I wasn’t really supposed to be there.
That night, I’d been on my vindictive shit. Mya was in the crowd. She was ballsy, using my guest pass to gain entry. She had been doing so for months after our separation before I discovered her.