“What do you think, Phillip? I think we should. God will forgive us once, I’m sure.”
Elizabeth’s eyes were nudging me, so I gave it some thought. It made me upset that Cristoff was so unwilling to talk shop since I had flown halfway across the damn world to do this on his terms. I wanted to concentrate on this deal and hammer out specifics. I wanted those contracts signed before I left so I could get a head start on all it would entail. A country estate on the outskirts of Vienna was simply another distraction. But if Cristoff was comfortable there, then he might be more casual. Therefore, he might be more amenable to a deal in my favor.
I looked over at Cristoff and smiled before I nodded my head.
“Then it sounds like we’re taking you up on your offer,” I said.
“Wonderful! I’m glad your fiancée could sway your mind. You might as well get used to this now, but she will always be in charge of the house. You bring in the money, but she will always know what’s better for you than you do,” Cristoff said.
“I’m beginning to realize that,” I said.
“I’ll send a car for the two of you to get you from the hotel later this afternoon. Trust me, whatever accommodations that hotel has for you, mine will be that much better.”
“Oh, I would expect nothing less. We’re greatly looking forward to it,” Elizabeth said.
“Now get on, the two of you. Go get ready, and I’ll see the two of you there,” Cristoff said.
The ride back to the hotel was awkward, but the ride to the estate was unbearable. We were stuck in the back of a car without a partition, having to act like we were engaged because of Cristoff’s damn driver. That meant more touching. Sitting closer together. Her hand on my knee. We got away with the distance before and after church with it being earlier. A quick quip about a lack of coffee and a late morning seemed to tame the driver’s curiosity with us. But I knew it wouldn’t fly at three in the afternoon as we drove past the Vienna countryside.
Everywhere I looked, it felt as if Cristoff had someone studying us, trying to figure out if the two of us were really engaged.
I didn’t enjoy the feeling.
“Look at all those cows.”
“Oh, those rolling vineyards. I wonder what it must be like to be in the wine business.”
“Oh. My. Gosh. That’s such a gorgeous tree. I wonder how old it is.”
“Oh, the pond! They have a little gazebo by their pond. We should get a gazebo by a pond someday, Phillip.”
Elizabeth’s excitement at the passing countryside was muted by the fact that her thigh was touching mine. And every time she turned to face the front of the car, her hand fell to my knee. She stroked me lovingly, like any good fiancée would the man she loved. But it did nothing to tame my cock. It pulsed against my pants, forcing me to shift on multiple occasions. Her hand crept higher up my thigh as a devious look in her eye formed, but I reached down for her hand and threaded our fingers together. I slid her hand down onto the leather seat, away from my thigh and away from my fucking cock.
And finally, the driver pulled us up into the sprawling estate.
Perfect timing. Because I was about to grab Elizabeth and kiss her after being stuck in that damn car in such close quarters.
We rolled up the long driveway lined with plum and apricot trees. The lush green grass rolled for acres, and a massive fountain spewed water up into the air from the middle of a man-made lake. It had a dock with a boat, which meant it was probably stocked with fish. There was a gazebo underneath a massive group of trees at the corner of the property, complete with a porch swing. I watched Elizabeth’s eyes as they twinkled with delight. Again, she didn’t seem unnecessarily shocked, merely appreciative of her surroundings. The stone-and-brick driveway took us up to the seventy-thousand-square-foot estate, and the car stopped at a massive staircase leading up to the front entryway.
It was a beautiful place. But not as beautiful as its reflection in Elizabeth’s hazel eyes.
Chapter 10
Elizabeth
I briefly wondered if I should stop teasing my client, but it was too much fun watching him wiggle and squirm and get so silently perturbed. He really was an introverted man at heart. I knew he wanted me badly. I knew he was denying himself what was technically his for the week. What I didn’t understand was why he kept denying it. After all, I was bought and paid for to the tune of six figures that would dip into my pocket alone. Why wouldn’t a man who wanted me as badly as Phillip did take advantage of everything at his disposal?