"I won't go looking on porn sites for videos of you, Ivan. That's not even in my wheelhouse. Trust me on this, okay?"
"Thank you." He took my hand and kissed it before placing it back down and clasping it again. "Park's fucking demented. He's also breaking the law and I'm going to have him arrested eventually. None of what he's doing is legal. It's only a matter of time until he makes a critical error. The drone registration may help with that. And the fact I've got government security now attached at Donadea. I'd forgone it till now, but starting immediately, I'll have RaSP—that's Royalist and Specialist Protection officers installed at my homes in London and here. I had to let RaSP know what's going on at Donadea with the art, and about you working here indefinitely. On top of everything, I've got to deal with this barking mad lunatic chasing me around trying to do God-knows-fucking-what. Kill me? Burn down my house full of priceless paintings? Jesus, fuck! I'm sort of at the end of my rope with caring at this point. I just want him to stop his fixation with me. I need him removed from my side of the earth."
"Oh my God, no. He cannot know about the art. He's got to be caught and arrested. He can't do this shit to you. Death threats, Ivan? This is just insane what you're telling me."
"He is insane. And I really believe that in the literal sense, which is part of the problem. He's committed a long list of crimes by this point and up till now I'd just dealt with these intrusions via Ethan or on my own. But now with you here, things are much more complicated. I'm afraid he'll target you with his fuckery—to get to me of course—if he knows about you. Which is the main reason I had you sign a non-disclosure before you were in any sort of relationship with me—professional or personal. Do you understand now, Gabrielle, why we need to keep things secret? It's not for my protection, so much as it is for yours. I—I cannot have this touching you. I'll not allow it to happen, again. If Park gets his way and discredits me with another scandal that'll be the end of things for me."
"What do you mean? What happens if there's another scandal, Ivan?" My panic wasn't really for me so much, but for the hundreds of millions of pounds of art at risk. If this deranged Park Jin-ho gained knowledge of Donadea’s priceless collection which hadn't even been through any valuation yet, he'd try to steal it…or destroy it. I wouldn't allow that to happen.
"Well, it's damned inconvenient for the PM to have a sitting cabinet minister with sex tapes on a porn site. I imagine if it materializes this time, I'll no longer be a minister of cabinet. The PM will have to dismiss me whether he wants to or not. I'll return to the House of Lords and life will go on as it did before. I won't work in an official capacity in government anymore; it will be the end of my career in senior politics I suppose. There'll be no more appointments coming forthwith for Ivan Everley." He shrugged and looked over out the window at the stars. He seemed very frustrated and so dejected, which bothered me more. I did not like seeing him like this.
"So, what will you do if the worst should happen?"
"Same as before. My position in the upper house is secure unless I formally give it up. Being in the House of Lords is not even a paid position. We get an expense account of course for our hours served, but it's mostly a public service to Britain and for me the legacy of my birthright. I do it because I feel it is my duty, but my work there is not necessary for me to be a fulfilled person. I have other work that does pay the bills, so I'd be free to focus more on those ventures."
"The breeding of your world famous polo ponies?"
"Yes, among other things. Donadea is a working farm and attached to the grain fields is the brewery in Belfast which produces the beer. Have you ever heard of Hungry Horse Ale?"
"Hungry Horse is you?" Man, he was involved in so many endeavors. "I love Hungry Horse and order it whenever I see it on the menu. I always ask for it to be served in the bottle because I like looking at the label of the horse with his nose in the hay trough." I smiled at him hoping it might cheer him up a little.
"I'm honored you like my beer." He picked up my hand again and kissed it once more before going back to staring morosely out the window. I just hated seeing him down. This Park Jin-ho fucker was a true menace and needed removing from the equation by his balls with a large metal hook. If he tried to do harm to any of the paintings at Donadea, I swear he was going to be testicle-free for the remainder of his days. Crazy fucking asshole. I wasn't going to just let this go. My dad was a MetPol chief for fuck's sake. He had to know people who might be able to help with the investigation into what a North Korean national was doing stalking a senior cabinet minister of the British governm—
"The artist who created the label used Pontus as his model," Ivan said with a bit more cheerfulness, interrupting my violent thoughts for the moment.
"I can picture the portrait sitting now. Pontus paying zero attention to the sketch artist while he gobbled away at the treats in his trough." I tried to keep it light, but it was effort on my part.
"Pretty much," he said with a smile before leaning over to give me a soft kiss, his beard stubble scratching against the place below my lips in the most delicious way. "I'll take you there for dinner sometime if you like. There's a restaurant attached to the brewery. And the chef is truly brilliant. It just opened a year ago and took off right from the start, so there's that venture as well as the film production."
"You're a film producer too?" My God, what didn't Ivan do?
"Yes, indeed. Funding mostly but I got interested when Game of Thrones came here to film the show. Before Game of Thrones, Northern Ireland was not taken seriously as a screen industry hub in the UK. Now it’s taken seriously as a screen industry hub globally. It's a burgeoning business and there were opportunities for people like me to get involved, so I did. Anything to help out the local economies where I live. I'd like to be here at Donadea more, so maybe that will become a reality for me now. Point is, I have many irons in the fire. I'll be fine."
"I'm certain you will, Ivan. You're an industrious guy and obviously take great interest in all of your projects. All those businesses sound really interesting and like fun ways to spend your time without the headache of a government job, but you should be able to do what you want without some psycho stalking and tormenting you all the time. The defamation to your character alone has got to be worth a lawsuit or two—"
He shut me up yet again with another deep kiss. I had to admit his method was effective. It was impossible to speak when someone's tongue was in your mouth busy licking yours. He was also a really good kisser. I was content to let it go if he was. We needed to sleep at some point tonight.
"Thank you for championing me, kitten. It is very much appreciated, but I need to get off this train for the moment, okay?"
"Sure. We can."
"I just don't want you to run fleeing for the hills, if he starts up more fuckery. As long as you believe I am doing everything I can to protect your work here, as well as your safety when you're in London or with me, then I'm good."
"Then I'm good too. And don't forget about my dad, the MetPol chief. If this Park Jin-ho fucker tries messing with me he's in for a world of hurt and pain he'll never see coming. Rob Hargreave has zero tolerance for fuckery of any kind. My dad is a major hardass."