I unbuckled myself, throwing caution to the wind, and kneeled on my seat as I bent down, the gearshift digging in my ribs, and slowly unzipped his khaki pants. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw William tightening his grip on the steering wheel as color flooded the crests of his cheeks. I smiled, drugged with him and freedom. I didn’t care that there were cars around us or that someone could easily see us out of their window. I took him in my mouth and his musky flavor and thickness filled me again and again. The sun on my skin, his taste on my tongue, recklessness ran through my veins, wetness gathered between my legs.
His chest rose with each breath. “I’m going to crash the car, woman.”
I laughed, kissed the tip of his cock, and whispered in his ear, “Then pull over,” I nipped his earlobe, “and fuck me.”
I heard him curse before he pulled over to the side of the highway. I laughed as I removed my thong as fast as I could. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me on top of him, impaling me in one deep thrust. It was fast. Hard. Needy. Indecent. The steering wheel dug in my back, my knees hitting the door and the gearshift. It didn’t matter. We climaxed quickly and intensely and as one.
I knew William had been adopted by a family with a lot of money, his name alone told me so, but I couldn’t give two fucks about it. I was in love with William. If anything, I found his wealth to be intimidating. Some of the gifts he’d given me in the past could probably feed a small nation.
But as the iron gates that protected his family estate opened to let us in, and we traveled on a winding road up a hill full of trees and rolling green grass, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was in over my head. We had been dating for more than a year, and things were getting serious between us. Yet, as we approached the sprawling, majestic manor, I felt only panic and fear bubble inside me. What if his family didn’t like me? What if they didn’t think I’d be good enough for the heir of the family? I knew my worth, but as I stared at the huge house in front of me, I began to doubt whether I was the right woman for William.
I licked my dry lips, William’s flavor still lingering on them, as I tried to smooth my simple, plain day dress. What did one wear to meet American Royalty? I pictured his grandmother and sister dressed in country club attire while I showed up wearing a puffy ball dress. I laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
I turned to look at William, his blond hair messy from my hands, his lips swollen from my kisses, and I wondered if his smell remained on my body like the shadow of his touch.
“Nothing.”
We stared at each other, and I saw all the love he felt for me. And that love gave me strength to face his family and whatever happened next.
We found his adoptive grandmother, his adoptive sister and her husband, and a friend of the family on the veranda having lunch al fresco. There were two large umbrellas shielding the guests from the sun. Crystal glasses brimmed with lemonade or champagne, and plates filled with every delicacy imaginable to man.
As soon as the matriarch of the family saw William, she smiled tenderly at him, pride and love shining in her eyes. She appeared to be in her late seventies, with perfectly coiffed ice-blond hair and porcelain white skin unmarred by the sun. Loretta reminded me of winter. When her eyes met mine, I felt like an errant child under her appraising gaze, and I knew she found me lacking and underserving of her grandson.
His sister, so very blond, so very tall and so very rich, inspected my dress, probably realizing right away that I had purchased it at a discount store two seasons ago. I tucked a strand of my unruly hair behind an ear, feeling like show cattle. William must have sensed my discomfort because he reached for my hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze.
“There you are, William. Come and give this old woman a kiss.”
With my hand in his, William walked around the table to where she was sitting. He let go of me to bend down and kiss his grandmother on each cheek as she watched him closely. “I haven’t seen you in a very long time. I thought you’d forgotten all about me.”
“How could I forget my first love,” he replied suavely.
“Oh, save your pretty words for someone else. They don’t work with me,” she said, appearing to enjoy his words nonetheless.
He straightened, smiling ruefully. “I’ve been busy. But I’m here now, and I’ve brought someone very special to me for you to meet. This is Valentina, Grandmother.” He reached for me and brought me to stand in front of her. “And, Valentina, this is my grandmother Loretta.”
I extended a hand, but she dismissed it. “Come, let me kiss you since you’re my William’s sweetheart.”
William’s sweetheart, she’d called me. And my heart was happy. But I should have known then that one day that’s all I would be, and all I would become. Not Valentina, but William’s sweetheart—his possession and nothing else. A person without an identity except for the one bestowed on her. I bent down, and as her lips landed on both of my cheeks, I felt an unwelcome chill spread throughout me.
“What about us, Will? Won’t you introduce her to the rest of your family?” his sister teased.
He introduced me to his sister, Gwyneth; his brother-in-law, Christian, who was too busy drinking and eating his lunch to notice me; and Julie, a longtime friend of Gwyneth and William’s.
As we sat down next to Julie, something about the way she looked at William gave me the idea that once upon a time they had been more than friends. Oddly enough I didn’t feel any jealousy, but then again, I wasn’t the jealous type.
“How was your drive?” Julie asked William, pretending I didn’t exist.
“Bumpy.” I placed a hand on his leg, my touch reminding him of what happened in the car less than an hour ago, and smiled at William as he started to choke on the champagne. “But uneventful.”
Maybe I was the jealous type after all.
“Where are you from, Valentina?” Gwyneth asked with a sweetness that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“A town near Albany.”
“Oh, really?” Gwyneth perked up. “Where exactly? We might have some acquaintances in common. My ex lives there, you know? He’s the governor of New York.” She laughed carelessly as she studied my face and attire down to my gently worn flats. “But then again, I doubt we run in the same circles.”
“Gwyneth,” William warned her. “I think you’ve had enough champagne.”
“Julie, tell William to stop being such a fucking bore. I’m just trying to break the ice with—” She pointed toward me with a crystal flute full of champagne. “What did your say your name was? It’s hard to keep up with William and all of his gol—”
“Gwyneth! That’s enough,” William said firmly.
Her words hit me like a bucket of freezing cold water. I wasn’t expecting a warm welcome, but this hurt, especially coming from William’s sister.
“Let’s go, my love, I’d like to show you the rest of the house.” He looked at Gwyneth as though she was the dirt beneath his shoe. “I’ll deal with you later.”
She pretended to shiver. “Oh, I’m shaking.” She focused on her husband. “I’m bored, Christian. Take me home.”