Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Phillip walked down the steps to greet the guests who had arrived. The day was beautiful and people had been arriving all day. Not the woman he was waiting for with bated breath, but others. Smile firmly in place, he finished navigating the final few steps to meet Mr. Caulfield.

The man looked at him, expression still a bit unsure and suspicious.

“Afternoon, Mr. Caulfield. I am glad you were able to make it.”

They shook hands then Phillip pushed his deep into his pockets as he watched his guest.

“I appreciate the invitation. Must say, I was surprised that it came.”

Phillip shrugged like it didn’t make one bit of difference to him. “I thought it a good idea to meet the other business owners and plantation owners in the area.” He gestured with a hand. “All of that will be mentioned at the evening meal. Get settled in and, if you would like, there will be drinks in two hours in my library. I have some other guests to greet.”

With a nod, Phillip walked off, feeling incredibly smug that he hadn’t actually punched the bastard in the face. It burned to know that man would be under the same roof as his Fyre. The only thing making it bearable was that the woman in question would be under his roof and not somewhere else.

Especially with that asshole around.

He stepped outside and moved around the terrace, looking out over his fields. The sound of children laughing gave him a moment’s pause before he walked to the end of the porch and stared in that direction.

Fyre’s nephews and niece were out running in the open space, laughing and making up games. There was a ball, but it had been left behind and they were engaged in what looked to be a rousing game of tag.

He leaned against the corner pillar and watched them enjoy being outside. Eventually they coaxed Mr. Tennemin’s children into the game as well. Mr. Tennemin was a plantation owner from a nearby island. One of the farthest ones away.

And he is here before Fyre.

Deep in his gut, Phillip would admit, he was scared Fyre would not come to the party. He squashed that because she had told him she would be there and his woman did not lie to him.

“My lord.”

“Keating.” He didn’t turn away from the playing children. In a way, they reminded him of Lucien’s and Rafe’s children, playing as they did.

“Everyone has arrived with the exception of Miss Gwen.” The man cleared his throat. “I was thinking I could send a footman with a carriage to see if she needed a ride.”

That got him to turn. He smiled at his butler, who stood there as if he were carved from stone. “You do care about her, Keating. This proves it.”

The man sniffed. “She is late and we have a schedule, my lord. That is all.”

Wiping the grin from his face, he nodded. “Of course, my mistake I am sure.” He pushed his hands into his pockets again. “Send a carriage.”

“Very good, my lord.”

Understanding hit him. “You already sent one, Keating, and this is your way of telling me I should have sent one sooner.”

“Far be it from me to argue with you, my lord.” The man walked away, leaving him alone with his need to laugh.

He could admit that he felt much better knowing a carriage was on the way to bring her here. He didn’t want to think about the fact her brother had arrived without her.

* * * *

She still had not arrived by the time they had the evening meal, and Phillip had become beyond worried. At the head of the table, he looked out at those gathered. People of all skin colors and backgrounds who had one thing in common now. They owned businesses. His initial guess of ten people had nearly doubled. Even with the women who had married the businessmen away from the table, there were still females there.

He knew his staff would be run ragged and for that reason, he would be offering them a bonus.

“I want to thank you all for coming. I only have one goal to come from this week of getting to know the others who own businesses in the area and on surrounding islands. I want to look into coming to one another for supplies instead of paying some of the larger companies that charge more. If we are able to help one another out we can not only increase our own profits but also make a stamp on the world by showing our products to be superior.”

Mr. Tennemin leaned forward. “Then the rumor you were looking to buy us out is not true?”

“Buy you out? Mr. Tennemin, I have enough work right now, thank you. I want us to form almost a coalition. That would mean we look out for one another. If we see something we know could help a fellow owner, we let them know. If we are moving a small or even a partial shipment, reach out and see if another has something ready to ship in order to help share the cost, instead of paying for a full load when we are not using all the space.”

Phillip set down his fork and took a drink from his glass. “If you look around, you will see that everyone around the table has one main thing they are known for. Sure, some of us have secondary items as well, but obviously there is one thing that works the best for us, because that is what we move mostly. I have been looking at the numbers and it hurts to see how much money is just tossed away because we are too proud, or arrogant, or whatever reason for not being willing to work together.”

There were some murmurs but no one argued outright.

“I am not sitting up here saying you have to do this or I will kick you out of the events that are happening this week. I only ask that you think about it. I have some time set aside for us to discuss it, otherwise there will be a slew of other activities going on. I will say this, though.” He paused while everyone looked up the table to him. “I will not work with people who still use slaves and refuse to pay their workers a salary. So if that is your belief then please, feel free to get up and leave right now.”

The room was quiet until Mr. Caulfield spoke almost cautiously, like he expected to be tossed out for speaking. “I notice not all of the people on the island are here. Is this something we are trying to keep from them?”

“Not at all. I will be reaching out to the others. But I wanted to start smaller to see if this was something that could get going. Then once it is set, we bring in more.”

He looked around the room at them all, noticing how most nodded at him. Even Elonne seemed like he was on board.

“And the women?”

Phillip glanced over to Mrs. Chari and gave her a smile. “You are a business owner. I want you here.” He pushed his plate to the side, giving the footman who picked it up a slight nod. “Waiting for things to arrive from England and other places can be unpredictable. And expensive. When we order something and it gets here, there are times that the price has nearly doubled.”

Everyone nodded in agreement about that. The problem was this was something that was happening more and more often, so the people of the island weren’t able to get all the items they had requested without spending nearly double what they had expected to spend.

This was his home and these were becoming his people. He wanted to protect them. And himself.

“How would it work?” Mr. Larson posed the question.

“I do not see anything changing other than we go to one another first. Like if I need building materials, I go to Mr. Oler and see what he can provide for me instead of putting in a huge order to England and waiting for months to get the items at a higher rate because of the distance.”

Mr. Caulfield nodded. “And if I had a crop ready to ship out and had the passage booked, but because I am a smaller plantation and won’t take up all the cargo space I see if, say, Mr. Tennemin had a shipment ready to go and then we split the cost of the ship.”

Phillip leaned back in his chair with a grunt. He may not like the man but Caulfield was getting the point of this. “Exactly. Needs will still be met, but we will no longer be working against one another. Mr. Caulfield and Mr. Tennemin do not sell the same thing. Again, they are not, nor should they consider they are, working against each other.”

Small murmurs of discussion broke out as those gathered talked about and mulled over what he had proposed. Pushing away from the table, Phillip gave them all a nod.

“That is the main reason for us gathering here, but it is also to get to know one another better. There will be drinks served in the sitting room in about an hour. I have a few things to attend to but I will see you there.”

He walked out and immediately found Keating’s sharp gaze. The man gave him a slight negative head shake and his gut dropped.

Where was she?

* * * *

Fyre wrung her hands together as the footman pulled down her two pieces of luggage and placed them on the ground. It was late. Too late for her to be arriving at the earl’s estate for a party. Darkness had already settled across the island.

Davie paused beside her as the carriage rolled away. “Miss Gwen?”

“It is late. I should not have come.”

“Nonsense. He has been worried about you. Your room is ready.”

Two other footmen came down and picked up her bags, leading the way to the door. She followed, paced by Davie. Unease was a tumultuous storm in her gut. She tried desperately not to think about Davie’s proclamation that Phillip had been worried about her.

I have to stop all this fancy in my head. He is an earl, and not for the likes of me.

Keating’s was the first face she saw when she stepped through the door. His cool gaze brushed over her before he inclined his head.

“Miss Gwen.”

“Mr. Keating. I apologize for my late arrival.”

“You are a guest, Miss Gwen. Your apology is not necessary.”

She forced a smile to her face. “Either way, it means you and more of your staff have to go out of your way to accommodate me and I do apologize.”

A maid arrived and Keating gestured to the stairs. “Please show Miss Gwen to her room.”

“Right this way, miss.”

Her smile to Davie was not the least bit faked. “Thank you, Davie.”

His cheeks flushed. “It was my pleasure, Miss Gwen.”

She lifted her skirt and hurried up to the second floor after the maid. The young woman didn’t speak, just walked to a door off to the left and opened it. Peering inside, Fyre noted her bags had already been taken up.

“Would you like me to put away your things, miss?”

Fyre didn’t realize that the maid was asking her, for a moment. She blinked and shook her head. “No, thank you. I will do it in the morning. I think I have kept enough people in the house awake. Thank you.”

“Abbie, miss. If you need anything just pull the cord and I will come right away.”

“Thank you, Abbie. I will be fine tonight. Could you make sure I am up by six please?”

“Of course.”

Fyre knew she should wake by then but wasn’t positive her body wouldn’t protest the early wakeup. She did not want to be the last one to anything.

After assuring Abbie that she would be fine getting ready for sleep on her own, she got the girl on her way. Washing up, she swiftly changed and crawled between the crisp sheets of the bed. Never had she been on anything so soft.

Getting up in the morning would be difficult for sure.

Eyes closing, she drifted off into a dream world that she didn’t want to retreat from.

* * * *

As she’d requested, Abbie was there to wake her in the morning.

Crawling with reluctance from the comfort of the bed, Fyre yawned and stretched.

“Would you like a bath, miss? I can have one brought up.”

“It sounds divine. Thank you, Abbie. What about others? Are they up yet?”

She shook her head. “No, miss. Only you and the staff are up right now.”

“Thank you.”

“I will have it here right away.”

True to her word, Abbie had a steaming bath waiting for her within a short time. Once she was alone, she stripped and sank with a moan into the heated water.

Oh, this is heaven.

“Those moans, baby. You are killing me.”

She turned with a gasp that morphed into a low groan as Phillip’s mouth captured hers, his tongue dipping with familiarity between her lips.

“What are you doing here?”

His hot gaze moved over her as if she weren’t beneath the water, hidden from his view.

“I missed you and you got in late. Everything okay?”

“My lord—”

“Phillip.” He dragged his hand over her cheek and down her throat.

Nipples tight and the throbbing between her legs picking up its pace, she swallowed back her whimper.

“This is improper.”

“Want me to leave?” His lips followed the path his hand had just taken, nipping and laving her skin, leaving her more flushed than she had been.

“No.”

“You are such a fucking temptation sitting here. God, I know you are naked and I want to plunge my hand below the water and feel you come apart around me again.” His lips were at her ear. “I relive that moment every night when I jerk myself off to the memory of how you bowed your back and cried my name.”

Head against the edge of the tub she was in, she watched his face. The raw need there was a thing of beauty.

He pulled back a tiny bit but she felt it. Everywhere.

“Why were you so late?”

“I had to help Mrs. Marta with a few things. I did not think it would matter when I arrived.”

“I was worried.” He unpinned her hair from where she’d gathered it on her head. He thrust his fingers into the strands and she didn’t care about the ends landing in the water.

“I am fine.”

He huffed. “I am allowed to worry about my woman.” She widened her eyes at his statement and he shook his head. “Are you going to argue with me?” He captured her chin. “Because if you are, we really need to have another discussion.”

“You need a woman befitting your station.”

“I am looking at her. Right now.” He slid his hand under the water and in her periphery, she watched him grip the edge so hard his knuckles paled beneath his tan. His shirt sleeve instantly soaked, molding to the powerful muscles in his arm.

He locked his gaze on hers, refusing to release her. Beneath the water, he skimmed his hand up her thigh and wedged it between her legs. She widened her thighs for him without him saying a word, and gasped as one finger dipped into her heat.

“Oh, Phillip.”

The moan tumbled from her lips without thought or care to who may hear it. His lips were there the next second, covering the cry that slid free as he pushed another finger inside her, his wrist pumping with leisurely strokes.

Like it wasn’t scandalous for him to be in her room as she sat in a bath. Like no one would say anything if they were discovered with his fingers deep in her pussy, kissing her like he owned her, heart, body, and soul.

Even though he did.

“Fuck, baby. The way you moan my name makes me want to claim you in a way that will make you never want another man.”

She had already crossed that threshold.

Pulling his mouth from hers, he kept their foreheads touching. “Tell me you know this, Fyre. You are my woman and I am going to claim you. For all fucking time.”

“It is—”

He thrust his fingers deep and her protest gave way to the gasp of pleasure that poured from her.

“Mine,” he growled, curving his fingers just so to hit that spot in her that tumbled her over the ledge and into blissful oblivion.

Knock knock.

“Fyre. Open up. It is Elonne.”

Panic flared but Phillip didn’t even remove his fingers from her slit. No, the infuriating man continued to pump them, waylaying her thoughts.

“One moment, Elonne. I am just getting out of the bath.”

“Hurry.” His snapped response earned a growl from the man who touched her body with such reverence and hunger.

“You have to stop,” she whispered. “And hide.”

“Stand up then.”

Her eyes grew round. “You are here.”

His smile made her toes curl. “I am, and if you do not want Elonne to see us like this, you should probably stand up and get in a robe.”

“Phillip, please.”

“Fine,” he groused, thrusting deep once more before pulling his hand from between her legs. He didn’t leave but held the robe for her to step into.

After Phillip planted another mind-blanking kiss on her, she tied the robe’s sash and went to the door, opening it to find her brother there and the man who had turned her weak gone from the room behind her.

“We have to talk.” Elonne tried to walk into the room.

Fyre countered, “I am not dressed, Elonne. Brother or not, you can do me the courtesy of waiting until I put on my clothing.”

He scowled. “You really were bathing?”

She rolled her eyes and swung the door open for him to see the tub. “Yes. Now give me a moment to dress.” She closed the door on him and turned back around, hoping that the earl would be there again. He was not.