Page 94 of Conquered (Highgate Preparatory Academ:y Compendium)
CHAPTER THREE
LILLY
O nce I’ve gotten over the fact that Loki just called his arsehole Gary— fucking snort —I get dressed in some navy lacy French knickers, soft colourful harem pants, and a dark red vest top sans bra.
Luckily for me, Tom brought in my hand luggage whilst we were otherwise— ahem —occupied, and I’d packed some comfy flight clothes knowing that we’ll be in the air for over eighteen hours.
I walk out of the bedroom to find Ash lounging on one of the curved sofa type seats, a drink, whisky on the rocks by the look of it, in his hand.
“Better, Princess?” he asks with an indulgent smile, and I sit right next to him, snuggling under his arm, and feeling all kinds of languid from my many orgasms.
“So much better,” I tell him, sighing and wrapping my arm around his chest. He has also changed into something more casual; soft grey linen trousers, a white linen shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbow, and black flip-flops that showcase his beautiful inked feet. “I missed you, Vanderbilt.”
He pulls me in closer, his arm around my shoulders, and I take in a deep inhale of that spicy scent that is all Ash.
“I missed you too, Princess,” he whispers, placing a gentle kiss on the top of my head.
“You didn’t…” I start, trying to tread carefully with what I’m about to say. “That is, I didn’t get any texts from you?”
I feel him stiffen ever so slightly underneath me, but as I make a move to sit up so that I can look into his eyes, he holds me tighter to him.
“Rubber duck was not needed,” he tells me in a low voice, and I exhale a long breath at his words, grateful that he didn’t feel the need to cut himself whilst back at home.
Just then, what I assume is Alisha, walks over in stiletto heels and a navy flight attendant uniform.
She’s an attractive blonde with a perfect hourglass figure, sparkling blue eyes, and plush lips.
Someone who looked like her would have intimidated me previously, leaving me feeling inadequate.
But not so much anymore. She’s carrying a tray of drinks, ice clinking in the glasses, looking at us with a broad smile and not spilling a single drop.
“Here you are, Mr. Vanderbilt,” she says, setting the drinks aside on a low table in front of us, and giving me a quick glance.
“Thank you, Alisha,” Ash replies. “May I introduce Lilly Darling,” he says, not moving his arm, clearly staking his claim.
“Pleased to meet you, Ms. Darling,” she says, her American accent husky as she gives me a quick smile, a slight blush stealing over her cheeks.
“You too, Alisha,” I respond, feeling my own face heat with embarrassment.
“Will that be everything, sir?” she asks, turning to face Ash, being the consummate professional that she is, and not acknowledging the DP that went on earlier, which she clearly heard.
“Just dinner in about an hour, please,” Ash replies in a business-like tone, and I get a flash of the man he is becoming, a leader of a multibillion dollar corporation.
“Of course,” she says and walks away.
I groan, slapping my palm to my forehead once she closes the door to presumably the cockpit. Ash just chuckles, the muff tickler.
We hear Loki and Kai laughing as they walk in, Loki’s gaze zeroing in on me snuggled next to Ash, and then the drinks.
“Perfect. Fucking always makes me thirsty,” he claims, reaching over and grabbing his bourbon whilst passing me a fruity looking cocktail. Yum!
Kai grabs his wine glass, which is filled with clear liquid.
“What’s that you’re drinking, Kai?” I ask, curious.
“It’s Yaegaki Mu, a junmai daiginjo sake,” he tells me as he takes a seat opposite us, next to Loki. He takes a small sip, savouring the flavour and heaving a contented sigh as he swallows.
“I thought sake was served warm?” I enquire, taking a sip of my own drink, the tart raspberry bursting on my tongue as I watch him swirl the liquid round in the glass.
“This is a premium quality sake, and it’s best to serve it chilled like a white wine. Regular sake is served warm to uncover the flavours in less complex brews.”
Learn something new every day!
“So, are there any pharmacies where we land?” Loki interrupts, and I choke a little on a sip of my raspberry cocktail. Fuck, I’d forgotten all about that, what with the picture of Mum, and the sex.
“Why?” Ash questions, his voice containing a hint of warning that makes me sit up a little.
Loki’s face flushes, one of his hands rubbing the back of his neck.
“I need to get Lilly the morning after pill,” he admits, almost cringing.
Before I can even blink, Ash is launching himself across the small table, and I hear the thud of a fist hitting flesh followed by a groan of pain.
“Ash! What the fuck!” I shout, leaping up, setting my drink on a side table to rush over to Loki, who looks like he didn’t even defend himself.
As I reach him, Loki makes another grunting sound as Kai’s fist connects with his ribs.
“Kai!” I scold, seeing Kai pull his fist back and pick up his glass, taking a large sip. His face is set in a scowl, glaring at Loki.
“When did this happen? Why the fuck didn’t you wrap up?” Ash practically roars in Loki’s face, his chest heaving and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Loki just sits there, looking ashamed, his lip starting to swell and bleed. I sit down next to him, turning to glare at Ash.
“Hey, it’s not just his fault. It takes two to tango, cunt whiskers,” I snark at Ash, and his lips twitch slightly at the insult, although he’s clearly still pissed as all hell, his cheeks flushed and his nostrils flaring.
“It was Christmas morning and I fucked up. I’m sorry, okay?” Loki tells them, his hand running through his hair and not looking at me.
“Hey, it’ll be fine, Loki. We’ll grab a pill, and it’ll all be gravy,” I try to assure him, placing my palm gently on his cheek, and turning his head to face me. I wince at his split lip, grabbing one of the napkins that Alisha left to dab at the blood trickling from it.
“Well, by the time we get to Bali, that’ll be over forty-eight hours. The morning after pill becomes less effective the longer you wait, going down to around fifty-eight percent chance of success,” he tells us, his fingers dancing over the screen of his phone.
Ash growls and looks like he’s about to hit Loki again.
“Fucking cool it, Vanderbilt,” I tell him firmly, narrowing my eyes. “It’ll be fine. Chances are I’m not in that part of my cycle anyway.”
“Where are you in your cycle, Lilly?” Kai asks with no hesitation, looking up at me.
“Fuck’s sake, Kai! I don’t know.” I can feel the blush returning to my cheeks, which is ridiculous given that he was in my arsehole less than an hour ago.
Fucking stupid patriarchial society making women feel embarrassed about periods.
“It can be a bit random, and I don’t really check, so… ” I trail off.
“Well, I’ve got someone meeting us when we land with the pill, so let’s hope it works,” he says gently, then turns to glare at Loki.
Desperate for a subject change before it turns violent again, I blurt the first thing that comes into my head. “So, there was a photo of my mum, with all of yours in Loki’s dad’s office.”
Really?! That’s what you choose to go with? FML.
“What?” Ash yells, grabbing my hand and pulling me away from Loki, dragging me back to the sofa opposite like some cave dwelling Neanderthal. Or, like Loki can’t be trusted not to try and impregnate me. Sigh .
“Yeah, Lilly’s mom was standing with all of ours, at some Black Knight Gala or some shit,” Loki tells him, taking a sip from his glass which he somehow managed to keep from spilling when Ash punched him.
He pulls his phone from his pocket, scrolling a bit, and then leans over to hand it to Ash.
On the screen is the picture. Mum’s dressed up in a midnight blue beaded evening dress, holding a champagne flute and smiling for the camera, surrounded by four other women, all in similar states like that of my mum.
My gaze flits back to my mum, who looks so young but no less beautiful than when I knew her.
As I stare at the photograph, I can’t help feeling that although she looks happy and is smiling, there was something that was not quite right.
Maybe it was because of the tightness around her eyes, and the death grip she has on the glass in her hand.
“Did she ever mention Highgate, Princess?” Ash asks me, handing the phone back to Loki, then pulling me in close again and tucking me under his arm.
“No,” I reply, frowning. “But she didn’t tell me about my uncle either, so…” I trail off, still feeling hurt at the things that she withheld from me, a painful tightness in my throat.
“Your uncle came to Highgate, didn’t he, Lilly?” Kai inquires, rubbing his chin as he looks at me.
“Yes, he did.”
“So, maybe she was just visiting him?” Loki suggests, taking another sip of his drink and wincing when it hits his split lip. “He was in our parent’s class, wasn’t he?”
“I think so, although I don’t think he’s ever mentioned them, or anything really,” I tell them, pursing my lips in thought.
“Well, it’s probably that then,” Ash says, not sounding convinced at all, and when I look up at him, his own brows are dipped, and he’s sharing a look with the others.
“What?” I question, sitting up so that I can see him fully, his arm dropping from around my shoulders. “You think that it doesn’t quite add up?”
“I just don’t trust my dad, or any of the board, as far as I could throw them,” Ash tells me, reaching out to brush some hair out of my face. “And your safety and well-being are my top priority. Our top priority.”
He leans in and places a gentle kiss on my lips, leaving me feeling all fuzzy and tingling whilst helping to lessen the unease that I was starting to feel. It doesn’t disappear completely, though, and I can’t help wondering what else my mother has kept from me.