MY SECRET LOVER

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

PROTECTING HER

LUCIEN'S POV

The moment Sophia stormed out of my office, the sound of the door slamming echoed like a gunshot.

Her anger was… amusing. I leaned back in my chair, fingers pressed together, replaying every second of her outburst.

A party.

She wants to host a party.

How odd. The thought of her dressed up and playing host in a party filled with hot blooded males, drugs and alcohol had my gut wrenching.

I closed the book on my desk, not because I was done reading it, but because I had completely lost interest in it.

“You are old.”

That part had me laughing internally.

She thinks I am old, but not old enough to not want me sexually. I see the way she looks at me.

I knew bringing Fayne would hurt her but it's for her own good.

Nothing good is bound to come out of any sort of relationship with her.

This would have been much easier for me if I had more control over myself back then.

Thinking about it still makes my heart squeeze uncomfortably.

I stood up, walking to the window of my office. The mansion grounds were quiet now.

Fayne was gone, abruptly escorted out after I slept with her.

She was too much drama, George was right, she's not a trouble I want to tangle with, it'll be most irritating for me.

I don't care what people think about me, but screaming out so loud at night while we were at it just got on my last nerves.

She wants to play dirty games with me and I won't let it stand.

Foolish woman.

Even after I had spent myself f*****g her, Sophia still occupies my mind. She is the only one who occupies my space without permission, who gets under my skin.

And she doesn’t even know it.

Not yet.

She can't. It will make resisting her impossible because she'll try to convince me and that would be bad.

The day dragged with business matters that demanded attention, but my irritation resurfaced every time my phone pinged with security updates about Sophia.

I had my men watch her every move.

I did think she was joking about the party, because she isn't a party goer, and has never been to any at all.

Now she's confronting people like she carried no danger on her shoulders, blithely inviting them to her party like some wannabe looking for attention.

As though she weren’t Romano’s daughter.

As though entire gangs wouldn’t betray their loyalties for a chance at harming her just to get to him. Or me.

My phone pinged again, I glanced at it and saw it was George. I opened the message and in it, George reported she was handing out invitations to every breathing college student. She even invited the boys in the football club, a whole pack of hormone-driven boys.

I sat behind my desk after signing the paperwork that needed my signature.

It was already evening when I concluded my work, so I sat lost in thoughts, swirling whiskey in my glass as the door opened without a knock.

George walks in, he doesn't seem to be angry anymore.

“George,” I drawled his name, smiling as he looked up at me, ever respectful, ever loyal.

“Lucien,” he says back with an incline of his head.

A greeting. We are okay now I guess.

Maybe sending Fayne away was a good idea.

“You sent the Vaughn girl away, seemed like a reasonable thing to do.”

He didn't gloat, just showed his approval with a few respectful words.

“Yeah, you were right. She's more trouble than she is worth,” I reply back, keeping my now empty whiskey glass on the table.

“Sophia is hosting a party, are you aware?” I asked him, standing up from my chair and walking towards the window behind me.

“Yes, she told me. I even had the invitation card printed out for her,” George replied back, keeping a gentle and even tone.

“The information you sent me earlier today is correct, right?”

“Yes, she has given out the invites already,”

“What about the venue for the party?”

“I am still looking into it, she left it to me to handle.

“Do you know why she is hosting this party? She has never been to any party before,”

“I have no idea, sir, perhaps you could ask her yourself.”

I turned and stared at George for a while. I sighed and sat back on my chair.

“This is quite risky, George, do you understand?” I asked him in a whisper.

“She is Romano's daughter, she has no idea just how many eyes are watching her. We can't afford to let anything go wrong with this party of hers.”

“What do you intend to do, sir? What would you have me do as well?” George asked, his voice gaining strength with the understanding of what is at stake.

“I will attend the party of course, and I want you to make sure that the venue is a secure one, and increase the number of guards that will watch her on that day.”

George nods at me and walks out of my office, leaving me to my thoughts.

Night crept over the city, the lights glittering like a thousand secrets. I loosened my tie and walked down the hall to her room.

I shouldn’t.

I knew I shouldn’t.

But when has restraint ever been part of my existence?

The mansion was silent as I approached her door. My hand hovered over the handle.

I could hear her voice, small, soft, frustrated.

Talking to herself.

“You are not a f*****g child. You deserve to have fun. He can’t stop you…”

I pushed the door open gently.

She gasped, jumping as though she had been caught stealing.

“Have you ever heard of knocking?” she snapped instantly.

I leaned on the doorframe, biting back a smirk.

“You’re talking to yourself?”

“That’s none of your business,” she answers in a snappish voice, her arms crossed defensively across her breasts.

I studied her face.

The flushed anger, the trembling mouth she tried so hard to firm. The way her eyes, no matter how furious, always held something delicate beneath.

Fragile.

Breakable.

I clear my throat before speaking.

“I have approved your party.” I stepped into the room, each word measured.

“But…” I say slowly, raising my index finger at her.

“You will follow my rules.”

Her eyes popped open wide on her face, her cheeks turning a beautiful shade of red.

It was so easy to push her buttons, to rule her. She reacted so easily and predictably.

She opened her mouth to protest, but I held a finger up.

“One: you will not go anywhere without my security. Two: you will not leave that party with anyone other than me. Three:” I paused and moved closer, enough that her breathing stuttered.

“You will inform me of every single person you intend to associate with there.”

Her brows scrunched in disbelief. Her eyes blazed deadly fire. I smirked watching these reactions cross her face.

“Who do you think you are? My father?!” she shouted, balling her fists as if trying to hold herself back from pummelling me.

“Something like that.” The words slipped quietly.

She scoffed.

“No. Never. You are just… some old man my father dumped me with.”

She thinks she’s stinging me. Cute.

I stepped even closer. She retreated until her back hit the edge of the table.

“You keep saying that word,” I murmured.

“Old.”

“Because it’s true.” She replied attempting to sound bold, but her voice wavered.

“My age doesn’t make me weak,” I whispered, looking straight into her eyes.

“It makes me the most dangerous man you will ever meet.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes at me.

“And that should scare you, Sophia. Very much.”

I turn to leave and something smacks my shoulder. I turned to see what it was and I saw it was her lotion bottle.

She threw her lotion at me.

I wanted to laugh hysterically.

She walked up to me, her shoulders visibly shaking.

“You have no right to tell me what to do!” she practically spits on my shirt.

“Don't you have something better to do with your time? something interesting to occupy yourself with? Why aren't you with Lady Vaughn?

I could see the red tint running all the way from her cheeks down to her shoulders.

She is definitely angry.

I let no emotion show on my face as I replied to her.

“When your father brought you to my house to protect you, Miss Sophia, you became my responsibility, so I have every right to tell you what to do,” my voice was calm, gentle as I talked to her.

I bent down and picked the lotion bottle she threw at me and held it.

“Because you are my responsibility, you are part of my schedule, so being involved in your business is part of what I need to do everyday in order to ensure your safety. The business between me and Miss Fayne is none of your business.”

I dropped the lotion bottle on her table and walked away quickly before she could say or do another fearless, foolish thing.