Happy Ever After Read online

  “Aye, Queen. And I could ha’e done it. But why would I leave this? To go back to whining bairns, a witch of a mother-in-law and a disobedient wife who, while pretty enough, is no match for three fairy maidens.”

  The Queen nodded slowly. “Brute, if you are typical of your kind, then ’tis no mystery why Lucy’s desires brought her to us.” With all her might she grasped Jack by his jaw, lifting him bodily from the ground. “Guards!”

  Brey and Kale swooped in and grasped Jack’s arms, this time without a hint of silk.

  “Put him with the other slaves.”

  “Slaves? I dinnae under–”

  “Of course you don’t. You are but a foul, stinking beast. Did you think this an ordinary night? ’Tis Hallowe’en. The one night when our slaves, like your lovely Lucy, are given freedom to experience the life of the Wicked Fairies.”

  Jack glanced across at Lucy, his fear turning instantly to anger. “Why did you no’ tell me, wife?”

  “I warned you not to come for me. I foretold the danger. But you saw only your loss, and you came here with a heart burning in envy.”

  The Queen scratched her nail down Jack’s chest. “’Twas with love and devotion that Lucy tried to keep you safely in the human world. Though I’m sure she now wonders why.” She turned to Jack’s selfless wife. “You are now free, Lucy. Enjoy your young blacksmith. I’m sure he will be a fine father.”

  Lucy began to walk away, turning back at the edge of the meadow. “Fare thee well, husband. The work is not too hard, ’tis just dirty and neverending.”

  She stood still and looked into her husband’s eyes for the last time. The moment the sun’s rays touched her hair she vanished, back to her own world.

  The Queen dropped Jack heavily onto his feet. “Now, slave. Remember how I told you I don’t use that hole you were licking?”

  “Aye?”

  “I was lying. Open your mouth.”

  “What?”

  “You don’t expect me to just drop it on the ground, do you? I am a Fairy Queen.”

  About Willsin Rowe

  Willsin Rowe falls in love with a scent, a playful expression or an act of casual intimacy more easily than with physical beauty. When confronted by both he is a lost cause. He has done many things over and over. He has done even more things only once. He has half-done more things than he cares to admit. He visited Europe with the aching need to see Scotland, and succumbed to the clichés when he fell in love with Paris instead. He doesn’t yet know if he can ski, speak Italian or keep calm in a life-threatening situation, but he has his suspicions.

  He plays bass in a swampy blues band. He loves to sing and doesn’t let his voice get in the way. Since he became a parent the crises of employment have paled. He commutes to and from work on a motorbike. When he rides he is a lone wolf, a hunter. He is primeval, and for twenty minutes at a time, he is in control of his destiny.

  He loves the complications of English and the naturistic charm that results. He fears that streamlining it allows function to usurp form. Nature is beautiful without adherence to symmetry or consistency. He is intelligent but not sensible. He is polite but inappropriate. He is passionate but fearful. He is honest but reticent. He is not scruffy enough or stylish enough to be cool.

  A LOVER FOR CACHÉ

  By Dakota Trace

  Chapter One

  Caché Ululani stood in front of the wall of glass and stared down at the bustling street below. It was a surprisingly warm spring day and many were taking advantage of the nice weather after a long cold winter. But not Caché! She hadn’t left her penthouse suite in years, and though her exile was self-imposed, with the Internet and online shopping, there’d been no reason for her to leave. Everyone and everything else came to her.

  As the CEO of Ululani Beauty Products, she preferred to stay behind the scenes. So far behind, at times, most of her people mistakenly took her twin sister Thalie, for her. She smiled softly at the thought of her younger and much more beautiful sister. Even though she’d been born seven minutes ahead of Thalie, her younger sister had stolen the show from the moment she was born. She didn’t begrudge her sister the attention. Thalie couldn’t help the fact that the beautiful features that allowed her to be the chief model for Ululani Beauty Products had been significantly lacking on Caché. Her features were a softer, plainer version of her sister’s incredible beauty. Not to mention her sister was a lot sweeter and nicer than Caché could ever be. She had earned the name ‘The Beast of Ululani’ honestly. She was a tough competitor and astute businesswoman despite being almost a recluse.

  A knock on the door had her turning around. The only person who’d dare breach her ‘inner sanctuary’ was supposed to be thousands of miles away. Frowning, she walked over to the big plush desk chair where she oversaw the running of the entire Ululani empire. Sinking into it, she bade the person enter before spinning the chair around. She was in no mood to be stared at this afternoon. They had better have a good reason for the most unwelcome interruption.

  “Ms. Ululani?” The hesitant voice of her sister’s executive assistant was a surprise.

  “What is it, Lori?” Her brisk tone was impatient.

  “I’m afraid there’s an issue that’s arisen with Ms. Thalie’s schedule. There’s been a mix up and the reporter who was supposed to come next week is here now.”

  Stroking the scar on the side of her face, she prayed for patience. “Then simply reschedule the appointment, Lori. Problem solved.”

  “I tried that, Ms. Ululani, but...“

  “…I wouldn’t take no for answer.” The dark masculine voice had Caché cringing.

  “Oh, for the love of god!” Softly but not quite under her breath, she began to mutter. “This is the last thing I need today. All I wanted to do was curl up with Casey Addington’s book which I’ve been waiting for so impatiently, but now I’m stuck dealing with some intrepid reporter my sister’s dumped in my lap.”

  “Well the last thing I’ve ever been called is an intrepid reporter but I suppose I can play the role if you want.” As the masculine voice drew nearer, Caché had to close her eyes. There was no way she was going to give into the flirtatious offer she heard in his voice, even if it did have her nerve endings tingling.

  “I’m sorry, Mr…”

  “Stone. Caleb Stone.”

  “Well, Mr. Stone, I’m sorry but my sister is out of town. You’ll simply have to reschedule your appointment.” When silence grew longer, she thought he’d taken the hint and left.

  “You know, sweetheart, it’s terribly rude to kick a guy out without even looking at him.”

  “I don’t need to look at a person to tell them to leave. In fact most people I know would’ve cleared out already. Evidently you’re either denser than most, or more obstinate. My bet is you’re just more stubborn than most normal men would be, even when it’s obvious you’re not welcome.”

  “Well I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have if I weren’t a persistent ass.”

  Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Caché mentally went over her options. It was quite obvious the man wasn’t going to be run off by her fabled ‘charm’. Perhaps once he got a good look at her face, he might high-tail it out of her office. Spinning around, she reached under the edge of her desk to press the security button. It couldn’t hurt to have Enrique come up.

  “Listen Mr. Stone, I…” Watching his face for any disgust or pity, she was surprised when he cocked his head and seemed to examine her.

  “It’s Caleb, and you must know you look incredibly like your sister.”

  Gritting her teeth, she continued, “So I’ve been told. Caleb, I really don’t have the time or inclination to cross swords with you. The best I can offer you is rescheduling your missed appointment when Thalie’s returned. She’s the one who gives interviews. Although I’m surprised she granted you one. She’s notoriously bad about talking to the press under the best of circumstances.”

  “Yeah, she once referred to my job not being fit for
a cockroach, but a guy’s gotta eat.” As if on cue, his stomach rumbled. “I missed breakfast this morning, so why don’t you join me for a late brunch? We can get to know each other and you’ll find out I’m not that bad a guy despite my dubious job description. Besides it’s beautiful outside. I know this perfect bistro where they make the most delicious Mimosas.”

  “I don’t drink Mimosas.” Keeping her tone flat, she tried to deny her most surprising desire to join him.

  “Well then you can have a Mint Julep, or if alcohol isn’t your thing, they make a killer espresso. From what your sister tells me, you don’t ever go out. Don’t you get tired of being cooped up in this building?”

  A light bulb lit up in her head. Now she knew why her sneaky sister had granted Caleb an interview. He was the ‘yummy’ reporter that lived across the hall from Thalie. No wonder she’d broken her own rule and granted him an interview. His tawny hair shone with gold highlights and he had the most unusually colored eyes. They reminded her of wet pewter, but it was his crooked smile that had Caché’s heart racing. It promised all kinds of wicked things. Steeling herself to resist his ‘golden boy’ appeal, she shook her head.

  “Whether or not I leave my building is of little importance, Mr. Stone. Rest assured I’ll be talking to my sister about her discretion concerning my personal habits...” A knock on her outer door made her pause as Enrique, her personal security guard, who’d been with her family since Caché had been a small child, walked in.

  “You called, Miss Caché?” Despite the silvering at his temples, Enrique was a huge bear of a black man who’d never failed to make Caché feel safe.

  “Yes, Enrique. Mr. Stone here was just leaving and I don’t want him to get lost in the process. Would you mind showing him the way out?”

  “Of course, Ms Caché.”

  When Caleb looked like he was about to protest, Caché smiled at him sadly. “Thank you for the offer, Mr. Stone, but I’ll have to decline. I have a date with a book which I intend to keep. I’ll have my sister call when she comes back to reschedule your appointment.”

  “Don’t think this is the end of it, Caché. I’d like to see you again.” The look he gave her matched the determination in his voice. Caché couldn’t help but shiver with sudden awareness.

  “I don’t think so.” She nodded to Enrique who hustled the man out of her office. She was going to ignore the tugging in the pit of her stomach which told her she hadn’t seen the last of the delicious Mr. Stone.

  * * * *

  Fuming as he rode down in the elevator with the security guard, Caleb tried to cope with his unusually intense reaction to Caché Ululani. While she wasn’t a stunning beauty like Thalie, she appealed to him on a deeper level than any woman ever had. Even her waspish tone had turned him on. He’d wanted nothing more than to turn her stinging words into hisses of pleasure. It’d taken all of his considerable control to keep from dropping to his knees in front of her and giving her something to really scream about while he ate her, forcing one orgasm after another from her until she couldn’t berate him anymore.

  While she had the same dark hair as her sister, her jade eyes were a shade darker than Thalie’s emerald ones. Her features had been softer too. But it was the loneliness in the smile she’d given him before the brute of a security guard had escorted him out, which had made him realize what Thalie told him earlier about her sister being a recluse had been true. ”My sister refuses to come out of her tower even though I can tell she’s lonely, Caleb,” had been her exact words.

  He’d been so sure Thalie had been trying to set him up. She seemed to take his bachelor status as an insult. Besides, the way he saw it, there was no way in this day and age an attractive woman in her late twenties would willingly sequester herself, when she had the famous New York City nightlife at her fingertips. He’d thought he’d neatly escaped Thalie’s matchmaking attempts until she’d tempted him with the one thing he’d had his eye on since he’d met her—her one-of-a-kind espresso machine.

  Unlike most models, the one Thalie possessed made large quantities of the heavenly brew at once as opposed to the tiny four ounce serving his made. He’d been drooling over it since he’d helped her set up it up. When she offered it up in exchange for a date for her sister as part of a wager at their last poker party, he’d been unable to resist. He’d taken a chance with his pair of aces and kings, never realizing the conniving little witch across the table had a royal flush in her hand. Despite his protests, Thalie had held him to his word and set up the mock interview as an opportunity for him to ask her sister out.

  “Which miserably backfired, Stone.”

  “Excuse me, Sir?”

  Looking over at the guard, he shook his head. “Never mind, just thinking out loud.”

  The guard chuckled. “Ms. Caché has that affect on people. Most don’t know how to take her.”

  Caleb nearly groaned at the man’s words. He knew how he wanted to take Caché—hard and fast while she’s writhing and screaming under me and begging me for release.

  “You don’t say?” Caleb couldn’t help himself. He had to know more about the woman.

  “I don’t talk about Ms. Caché to just anyone, Mr. Stone.”

  “It’s Caleb.”

  “Ms. Caché is off limits. She’s been hurt enough.”

  “Aw, come on, Enrique, I’m not going to hurt her. I’m harmless as a fly. Thalie trusts me. Doesn’t her approval count?”

  “I know—or you would’ve never made it up to Caché’s penthouse.”

  Caleb’s jaw almost hit the floor.

  “She told you?”

  Enrique turned and smiled at him. “Of course she did. She knew I would never let a strange man within a hundred yards of Caché without checking him out. While I don’t agree with the way she got you to do it, I know Thalie loves her sister. Plus I happen to agree with her about Caché’s self-exile.”

  “I just can’t believe she told you after swearing me to secrecy.”

  “There are few secrets in this family which I don’t know about, Caleb, or about anyone who happens to enter their inner circle. I told Thalie having you meet Caché as a reporter would do nothing more than get her sister’s back up. She doesn’t do interviews and damn seldom sees even company people.”

  “Unfortunately it’s what I do. I can’t change the fact I write for a living.” Caleb knew he sounded defensive but he didn’t care. Whether it was writing for the paper or writing his novels, he loved his job and wasn’t about to apologize for it.

  “I never said that. If you’re still serious about taking Ms. Caché out, I have an idea which just might work.”

  Caleb grinned. “Lay it on me. What do I have to lose?”

  “Only an arm, if Ms. Caché finds out.” Enrique kept his face solemn.

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  “Good, a man who doesn’t mind risking a woman’s ire is a ‘rara avis’ these days. You’ll do.” The elevator doors opened and Enrique escorted him to the door before pitching his voice low enough only Caleb could hear him. “Meet me around the corner at LaGarnia’s in fifteen minutes.”

  Nodding, Caleb stepped out into the sunshine.

  * * * *

  “Did he give you any problems, Enrique?”

  Caché was still sitting where he’d left her before escorting Caleb downstairs. Spying the book on the edge of her desk, he knew he’d have to be smooth, but it wouldn’t be an issue as long as he could distract his sharp-eyed employer.

  “No problem whatsoever, but I do believe he’s smitten with you, Ms. Caché.”

  Arching an eyebrow at him, he could tell she didn’t believe him. She rarely did when it came to her appeal to the opposite sex. No, she wasn’t as beautiful as Thalie, but she was no dog and he’d like to shove his foot so far up Mr. Ululani’s ass he’d have been tasting leather for weeks for implying even before her accident that Caché was dull as dish water. He could still remember his employer’s horribly hurtful words when Felipe ha
d turned away from his daughter after seeing the carnage the accident had left on her body. “Pathetic. You were barely passable before the accident. No man will want you now.” The terrible accident had killed his wife and left his daughter broken and needing the father who betrayed her with his words. If the heart attack caused by the same accident hadn’t taken Felipe Ululani mere hours later, he’d have hunted the man down himself.

  “You’re always nice to me, un ami, even when it’s not warranted. I’m comfortable with my lack of appeal to the males of the species.”

  He nearly cursed when she reached for the book on the corner of her desk. “I’m going to LaGardina’s for lunch. What you would like? My treat.”

  She glanced up at him and he knew he had her. She absolutely loved their quiche lorraine and tiramisu. While her eyes was focused on him, he slipped the book into the deep pocket of his suit coat.

  “I’d kill for some quiche lorraine.” Her smile was contagious.

  “Quiche lorraine it is.” He grinned back at her, turned quickly and left the room before she realized he’d just snatched her new book right out from under her nose.

  * * * *

  After a filling dinner and relaxing conversation with Enrique, who’d just left, Caché was ruffling through the papers scattered on her desk and looking for her book. Surely she hadn’t misplaced it already. She hadn’t even read it yet! After

  looking for a third time, her eyes narrowed. The only person who’d been in her office today, other than herself and Enrique, had been Caleb Stone. Enrique had never expressed any desire to read it and even if he had, he would’ve simply asked her if he could borrow it. That ruled him out. So why would Caleb Stone take her book? Caleb was as masculine as they came and she couldn’t see him reading an erotic romance novel. Playboy maybe, but not Casey Addington’s newest book, especially an advanced copy.

  Pressing the button on her intercom, she barked at her secretary. “Samantha, get Caleb Stone on the phone. Immediately!”