"The answer will be me."
"You got it."
I stand up and look straight into her eyes. "You are my girlfriend, Rika. There's nothing fake about us."
She smiles and kisses me. "I knew that already, but I'm glad you said it."
And I let her lead me off to another room, then another, and another. We do everything two people can do together with only their bodies and various pieces of furniture. Rika and I don't need toys. She's the most inventive woman I've ever been with, and I discover I can be awfully inventive too when I have her body as my inspiration.
And yes, Rika shags my brains out.
It feels bloody incredible.
Chapter Fifteen
Rika
I spend the next several weeks watching Dane Dixon open up and bloom like a big, sexy flower. Maybe that's not the best metaphor, but the facts are irrefutable. Dane still gets stressed out sometimes, but he lets himself relax and enjoy life too. Every time we go out on a date, he smiles and tells jokes that make us both laugh.
Sure, we're doing this for publicity. And yeah, the occasional photo of us shows up on social media or in the society section of a newspaper. When someone on social media names him The Dirty Dixon, my boyfriend seems uncomfortable with the title, but he quickly decides to roll with it. Chance and Reese get mentions too, but only as The Dirty Dixon's brothers. Their names are rarely mentioned.
Dane and I might have told each other in words that we're a real couple now, but our actions speak everything we don't say about the depth of our feelings for each other. We hold hands in public and in private, like in the elevator that takes us up to his suite. And my uptight Brit now loves to make out with me in all three of the suite's elevators. He shocks me, however, when he seduces me in one of them. It's so hot and fun that I beg him to do that every time we go to his hotel.
And he always gives me what I want.
We haven't used his toys yet, not even as foreplay. I insist we don't, though he keeps suggesting we should, because I'm not sure if he's over his fear of me liking his devices better than I like his body. Maybe in another week, we can play with his toys.
About ten days after we first had sex, Dane and I are in his office taking a coffee break. Yes, Dane takes breaks now. But for us, a "coffee break" means I sit on his lap in his chair and we kiss. A lot. Dane also loves to tickle me in places where I had no idea I was ticklish, like behind my left ear and in the centers of both palms. He's blowing a raspberry against my throat, making loud giggles burst out of me, when Celeste Arnaud marches into the office.
Well, we had left the door open. Noah has gotten used to our antics, and Dane even tells jokes that make Noah laugh.
Celeste stops on the other side of the desk, plants a hand on her hip, and raises her brows at us. Her lips kick up in a self-satisfied smile.
Dane peels his lips away from my throat but keeps his arms around my waist so I can't get off his lap. Not that I want to.
"Good afternoon, Celeste," he says, sounding so cheerful that it seems to knock her off kilter for a second or two, based on the way her mouth falls open a touch. "What can we do for you today?"
Her surprise melts into a delighted little smile. "I knew you two would hit it off. Am I a matchmaker or what?"
"What are you talking about? Rika and I found each other on our own."
"But I hired her to be your personal assistant. I knew she'd be an excellent match for you professionally, and I hoped she might turn out to be your perfect match in love too."
Dane's expression goes blank as he stares at Celeste. After a moment, he grins. "You do have great taste, in everything. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you picked the right woman for me even if you didn't set out to do that."
"A happy accident." Celeste winks. "Or was it?"
Did she seriously hire me because she thought Dane and I would make a good couple? No, even Celeste isn't that sneaky. We do have to give her credit, though, for bringing us into each other's lives.
Celeste sits down across the desk from us. "I'm glad to see you happy, Dane, but you need to prepare yourself for what's coming. The buildup to the re-launch kicks into high gear next week. That means public appearances---and I don't mean just having dinner with Rika at a fancy restaurant."
Dane groans and slumps in his chair, with me still on his lap.
At least Celeste and Reese took Dane's face off the packaging and changed the brand name so it no longer says "Dane's Delights" on the boxes. But I know Dane is not looking forward to press conferences or whatever it is Celeste and her marketing team have in mind.
"What do you want me to do?" Dane asks, sounding like he's about to be arrested instead of about to become filthy rich.
Celeste vowed she'd make him a billionaire, but twice he told me he's not sure he wants that.
"Haven't you checked your email?" Celeste asks. "Reese sent you an itinerary half an hour ago."
"Oh, I, uh---" Dane squirms like he's trying to sit up straighter, but my body is holding him down. "I've been...distracted."
Celeste glances at me. "I can see that."
Dane reaches around me to bring up his emails on the computer on his desk. He seems to be trying to print the one from Reese, but once again, the fact I'm on his lap is complicating the task.
I shoo his hand away from the keyboard. "Let me do that."
A few clicks later, the printer spits out the itinerary. I lean way over to grab the sheet out of the printer, then I hand it to him and loop my arms around his neck. Sure, this has become a business meeting, but I know Dane wants me to stay right where I am. He loves cuddling, especially when he's about to get news he won't like. I didn't mean to peek at the itinerary, but it was kind of inevitable. What? I had to look so I could make sure I printed out the right email.
Dane scans the list of events. He groans and shuts his eyes. "A fashion show? Why do I have to go to one of those? It's not like the models will be demonstrating my devices." His eyes fly wide. "Please tell me you're not having them do that."
Celeste laughs in her usual boisterous way. "Dane darling, you are so charmingly suspicious. No, your devices will not be featured at the fashion show. You will attend, with Rika, to show how hip and stylish you are." She eyes him with her analytical gaze. "I'd better send you over to Armani to get a decent suit. You can't show up to a fashion show wearing a suit from a discount store."
He glances down at his suit. "What's wrong this one? I got it at Marks & Spencer."
"Which is a department store in the UK." Celeste clucks her tongue while shaking her head. "Honestly, my dear, you need to dress that gorgeous body in the proper clothing. Rika will help you choose a suit. Won't you, darling?"
"Uh, sure," I say. I know nothing about designer duds, but what the heck, I'll give it a try. I think Dane looks hot in anything, so I may not be much help. In my opinion, though, he looks best in nothing at all.