The Collar of Sacrifice Read online

  THE COLLAR OF SACRIFICE

  By Alexandra Iff

  Copyright © 2018 Alexandra Iff

  All Rights Reserved

  No parts of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses and places are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  I dedicate this book to every woman who has the courage to step forward into growth and change her life for the better.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  CHAPTER 1

  I’m driving along the A3 in my Cloud Nine, staring blankly at the road in front of me and overtaking cars without any effort. I’m miles away, wrapped up in my own thoughts. For fuck’s sake. What is wrong with me? I glance over at my speedometer and see that I’m doing eighty miles an hour and, brought back to earth by the sight, I gently but firmly press on the brake pedal. I wonder if any speed cameras caught me. I’m sure they did.

  It’s been almost a month since we’ve come back from Nassau. A month since I’ve been engaged to Alexander. A month since I’ve told my mom about it and got only “Amelia, are you sure?” from her. Of course I’m sure! Only my dear babysitter, Mrs. Saunders, was happy for me. Genuinely happy. She’s looking at her own happy ending in my life. It’s a shame really, her family should have forgiven her by now. My dear Mrs. Saunders. I’m glad she moved in full time with us. Not for long though and she knows it. Only until I sort my life out, whenever that might be.

  Still, the most important people who should know, don’t. I haven’t told my nephews yet, and Alexander hasn’t told his son, too. I think we’re both afraid. Afraid they will reject us. And who wants that? Having to decide between our happiness as partners and one as careers is difficult. I don’t think anyone has the answer there. I don’t ever want to lose Michael and Jason, they are my life. Alexander is adamant I’d take full custody of them. He wants us to live as a family.

  Alexander has been back in San Francisco all this time. To sort stuff out, he said. He had to be present at the reading of Jack’s will. I still don’t understand why he’s in the will but then again, for the one time I’ve seen Jack, he acted as if he knew Alexander very well.

  I really miss him. He’s been gone for too long. It hurts being alone, without him. These past four weeks have been excruciating but at least I’ve had time to reconnect with my nephews. I’ve explained to them about their father and our relationship. It hurts me to think how some people don’t have any regard for what they leave behind.

  My mom didn’t want to talk about Alexander at all during the time she was here. She was worried I might get hurt. But don’t I deserve some happiness? A real, heartwarming happiness? I’ve never had that with anyone. I wish she’d support my decision. I mean, look how wonderful Alexander turned out to be! He has a son. I can already see us all as a family. Not soon, but one day, yes.

  “I’m coming in two days’ time.” He left a message on my answering machine yesterday. “I know how you want to get your hands on me but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait. I’m going to have my way with you first, all the way, and after, I’m all yours to take in….” and that pause with him shuffling about, I thought he forgot to put the phone down when I heard his low, husky voice again. “I just unbuttoned my jeans. I’m reaching in and ….Mmmm…I’m hard, Amelia. So hard.”

  It felt like he was whispering in my ear.

  “I’m stroking myself, uuup and dooown, oh Amelia, I’m getting harder by the second, knowing you are there and listening to my voice, your panties getting wet as I talk. I can almost see you next to me with your mouth open. Coming closer and taking me all in…and...oh Amelia, if only you could see me now…my veins are popping, there is a drop of pre-cum on the head, it’s like he’s crying for you. For your hot, wet pussy. For your tight ass….mmm…it wants to go home.”

  God, his groaning gets me going each time. The rest of the message was his moans getting louder and faster and him calling out my name until he came, there, on the phone. And he was right. He made me wet in a matter of seconds! He does play with my mind in a very satiating way but, as much as I’m drenched, yet again, thinking about Alexander reminded me of what I promised him. And the reason why I’m driving right now. I have to get Thomas to sign the adoption papers. That’s all. Not to say anything more. Alexander is coming back tomorrow and he’s adamant to get the ball rolling. I know I can’t put it off any longer. Maybe it would’ve been easier to tell Thomas over the phone but it’s only fair to tell him in person.

  Thomas has been sheltered by John and Melanie O’Prey all this time and I still don’t understand why they paid his bail in the first place. And why they let him stay with them. Apart from being art dealers, I don’t know who they are and why they invest in him so much. Don’t they know what he’s charged with? He is not going to get a light sentence for attempted murder. We’ve talked on the phone a few times but each time I ask he avoids talking about them. He acts like nothing happened. That’s what’s scaring me. I have to remind myself constantly what he did. It’s so easy to continue my life not remembering. And, those quad bikes for his children, where did he find the money to get them? They must cost a fortune! I’m glad I returned them right away.

  I’m lucky my task was made much easier when he called today, asking to meet me. I must be honest; my plan to get him to sign the adoption papers is working out. I will do everything in my power to stay civil during our lunch; knowing how spiteful he can turn, those papers will never get signed. And if he has any inkling that Alexander is arranging his extradition he’ll kill me, I think.

  I reach my destination in Hammersmith, Thames Wharf Rainville and slow down, entering the parking lot of the River Café. The restaurant is beautiful, located by the river and is public enough to be surrounded by many people. That’s the only reason why I chose it, to feel safe.

  I park my car and, taking a deep breath, with my chin up, I open the door and head for the entrance.

  Lunch doesn’t start until half past twelve and nobody has arrived yet. I see rows of empty tables all set for service and Thomas, sitting at the farthest table in the corner, patiently waiting for me. There is a bottle of white wine on the table and two glasses, one of which is full. Clean shaven, wearing an expensive suit, god, I’ve never seen him looking like this, smart. It must have cost him a fortune. There is another person in there, sitting at the bar and drinking and as soon as the echoes of my heels reach him he glances over at me. I recognize him, it’s John O’Prey. He just nods at me and turns his back.

  Somehow, I already feel safer.

  “Amelia! You look great! How are you?” Upon noticing me Thomas stands up, greeting me.

  “I’m fine, thank you.” I stay civil. “How are you coping?” I say as I sit down opposite him at the table.

  “Coping? You must be joking! I haven’t been better!” An all-white grin is aimed at me, together with his nonexistent charms.

  “I’m sorry? With the imminent trial looming over your head…surely you don’t mean that!?”

  “Amelia, you are never going to believe what happened! How my life turned out to be!” he pours me a glass of wine and continues. “Once everyone found out I was in jail the demand for my paintings went th
rough the roof. I mean, everyone wants to have a piece of me!” he gives out a loud winning laughter. “In the past few weeks I’ve sold four of my paintings for $60,000 each! I mean, can you believe it?” he leans forward and, grabbing hold of my jaw with both hands, he kisses me on my cheek while I try desperately to pry myself out of his grasp. Now I know why the O’Preys are giving him a refuge. As long as they get to sell his paintings they’ll get their cut. “You know what this means, right?” as if nothing happened he sits back in his chair and continues talking. “I’ll find a great lawyer to get me out! Or at least to home confinement, so I can paint while I do my sentence!” he concludes like he has it all figured out.

  “What?” Oh my god! This man is dreaming. “You think they’ll let you go just like that? That’s never going to happen! You got put away on a murder charge, or have you forgotten that already?”

  “Hey! Didn’t you hear me? I’ve made $240,000 in a week! Money talks, Amelia. And they say...life is going to get good!” he leans over the table, looking at me. “And with you by my side, it will be great!” he smirks and makes eye contact with John O’Prey. Oh god, what lies have they been feeding him?

  “With me by your side? Thomas, you better forget about me! I’m moving on.”

  We stand still, staring at each other and his big grin gradually wanes. There is an awkward silence building between us, one you can cut with a knife.

  “You don’t mean that,” he finally speaks and reaches out to take my hand. I remove it quickly from his grip but still, he doesn’t give up. “I know you, Amelia, more than you know yourself.”

  I take the envelope from my bag and place it on the table. “The adoption papers. Sign them in your own time.” Scared, but brave enough to hold my ground, I keep talking. He needs to know. “If you don’t, Jason and Michael will end up in a foster home in England. And we don’t want that.”

  “A-adoption papers??!”

  Slowly, a realization comes upon him and his eyes drift off behind me, but nevertheless I continue.

  “I probably should have moved out a while ago. It was never a good idea living with all of you in the first place and…..Thomas, there is no going back from where we are. Please sign the papers.”

  “But, Amelia, I-I can’t! I love my children! Why are you doing this?” he continues, slowly getting riled up. “I said I’m sorry, don’t you remember?”

  “I’m with Alexander now.” I didn’t plan on telling him. But he was going to find out sooner or later. I think.

  “WHO?”

  In an instant his boiling point reaches its peak and he transforms into a beast, ready to kill everything in its path. I cringe in regret. He stands up, enraged, and in a flash I see a chair flying across the room, hitting the pillar between the glass walls and breaking against it. Breathing angrily, he is staring at me intensely.

  “I should have killed him when I had the chance!” John O’Prey is already on his feet and grabs Thomas’s upper arm, whispering sternly into his ear. “Don’t do this!”

  “You’re still with him? That Reeves guy?” he looks at John. “Your trusty benefactor!” he sneers and turns to me again. “You can’t be! You’re lying!” he is tugging his arm away from John but he’s holding him firmly, thank god.

  “Thomas, stop it!”

  “And he’s not in England anyway! I don’t think he’ll be coming back either! He left you didn’t he?” he looks at John. “I’m right, you know! I checked him out, I had to make sure no one is going to take her away from me!” And then he looks at me again. “That’s the guy right? The one who left you! The one I should have killed when I had the chance!”

  At this point my teeth are grinding. I’m mad. He has not left me! He will never leave me and god, I want him to know!

  “Thomas.” I lift my chin, my jaw is clenched in anger and I talk through my teeth. “As soon as you sign the adoption papers we’re leaving for San Francisco. All of us!”

  He suddenly pries free from John’s grip and grabs the table from underneath, managing to flip it upside down while John is desperately trying to hold him. He is furious; if he gets to me I’m dead.

  “You are my fucking property! Are you listening? And they are my children! MY CHILDERN!”

  “Not anymore!” I shout and, amid the broken glass and the mess he made, I run out of the restaurant, straight into my Cloud Nine and lock the doors from the inside. Shit! I can hear my heart beating and I’m shaking from the adrenaline. Why did I have to tell him? He’s not going to sign the papers now. I’m done with him! My lawyer will have to finish the job.

  The ringing of my cell phone echoing in the car startles me and quickly, with shaky hands, I pull it out of my bag and look at the screen. It’s him. How...? Never mind. Try to be calm Amelia!

  “Alexander!” I say breathlessly.

  “Fuck, I love it when you say my name!” his voice calms every high strung wire in my body. “Say it again, Amelia.”

  “Alexander.” I whisper. I need a few more seconds to steady myself.

  “Mmm, yes. That.” He soothes. “I need you, Amelia. I need you so much.”

  “Is everything all right?” I close my eyes and try to focus on his life rather than mine.

  “No,” he sighs. “There’s so much going on.”

  “You’re coming back tomorrow, Alexander. You’ll tell me all about it then.”

  “And today,” he continues as if he hasn’t heard me, “Today I’ve unearthed information about my past I’m not even sure how to process.” I don’t remember if he’s ever sounded so uncertain, scared, almost. “I know I said I’ll be back in London tomorrow but right now, I’m not so sure.”

  Thomas said he’s not coming back.

  “What did you find out?”

  “I’ve seen my father, Amelia. Fuck, it’s been like the past fifteen years were all crammed into that one moment.”

  “What happened?”

  “I.. I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it. I need time to figure it out.”

  I sigh. “It’s okay. Take as much time as you need.”

  “Is everything okay over there?”

  I sigh again. This time louder.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Thomas won’t sign the adoption papers.”

  There is a sudden silence on the other end of the line. After a few moments that feel like minutes, he finally speaks.

  “Why not?”

  “I told him about us. Um…I mean…..I didn’t really but he got the idea.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I said, as soon as he signs those papers we’re going to San Francisco.”

  “We?”

  “Me and my nephews. And you.”

  “Does he know that?”

  “I think he does. But he knows you’re not in England. He said he had you followed. That you left me already and you’re not coming back here.”

  “What?” his voice nearly pierces my ear drum and I wince, moving the cell away from my ear and placing it back on it in seconds. I hear nothing but his heavy breathing.

  “Um...You are coming back, right?” Damn Thomas, he made me doubt Alexander.

  Next thing I hear is some kind of bashing and, soon after, the line goes dead. I knew he would get mad. But not this mad. Within seconds, my cell rings again. It’s him.

  “Why are you acting like this?”

  “Quinn will pick you up tomorrow morning at eleven o’clock. I need you to be at Heathrow Airport for me when I arrive.” His voice stern, determined.

  “Of course. But, you said..... Hello? Alexander?” The line is dead.

  ~

  I’m a girl who wants to have snow in winter and sun in summer. And got neither of that for three years! In a few weeks it’ll be November and even though the weather is getting cold, the winters in England are very mild. Dressed in my short skimpy dress, it doesn’t bother me one little bit. I’m used to the cold and, besides, I want to look good for Alexander. He loves me wearing dre
sses.

  After four long weeks the waiting is finally over, my lover is coming back. I wish I could tell Quinn to drive faster but I don’t want him to see my excitement. Instead, I try to focus on the car I’m in. This one is new. Or rented, who knows these days, but I like it. It’s just like my Cloud Nine except it’s white, with black tinted windows and really cool alloy wheels. I could drive this car better than he does. Easily. It looks like it could be my Cloud Nine’s partner. A mean piece of machine. Shame he made me sit in the back. I think Quinn knows about my mecophillic nature and is trying not to encourage it.

  Oh god, we’re here.

  With my mind on the car, I didn’t notice when we had arrived. Already driving inside the airport, I still wonder how on earth Quinn bypasses security so easily. It feels like they all know him but, how can they? He works for Alexander.

  As we make our stop in front of the Gulfstream G550 I see Alexander standing at the top of the stairs, dressed in an impeccable grey suit with his hair sleek and neatly combed, looking at us. My heart is racing as he starts walking down, one hand in his pocket and the other raking through his hair. Handsome, powerful and mouth-watering, even from a distance.

  Quinn runs around to open the door for him but I’m not waiting in here. I tug on the door handle to come out and give him the most wanton embrace but the door is locked. Locked? I gesture to Quinn through the glass to open the door but he can’t see me. The windows are tinted. Instead he greets Alexander and reaches for the door, the one I’m sitting next to, opening it with a slight nod and after waiting for him to get in safely, he shuts the door behind him.

  Before I know it, Alexander is sitting next to me, his presence swathing my senses; the fire radiating out of his eyes is enough for me to know what’s coming. He hastily grabs me by my waist and lifts me up on his lap. I lean in to kiss him but he doesn’t take notice of what I do. Instead, he takes both of my hands behind my back, holding them tight and with his free hand he pulls up my dress and, revealing my lace panties, he moves them aside. I moan as his hardness presses into my cleft. He is not talking to me but moving very fast, like there’s no time left on earth, and as fast as he can, he unbuttons his pants and frees his cock, springing it out in all its glory. In a frenzy of lust and desire and without any waiting, he lifts me up by my waist and positioning his head on my opening, thrusts into me, groaning loudly.