Page 80 of Black Mark's Heart

Chapter Sixteen

Two Months Later

"You've got the number of the hotel?" I asked Bill.

"Mora, I've got this. Jacob, Willow, and I are going to watch some old school wiggles then they will go to bed while I work on my thesis," Bill assured me. "Steffen will be my back-up if they try to cause too much trouble. Won't you, Steffen?"

"Of course, Mr. Smith," Steffen concurred. "Enjoy your wedding night, Mistress."

"Seriously dude, you have to stop calling her that. It's creepy," Bill grumbled.

Steffen looked unfazed. "It is what one calls their employer in this position," Steffen told him for the umpteenth time. I'd given up trying to get him to call me Mora, or even Mrs. Rafal.

"If I called her mistress, everyone would think she's my bit on the side." Bill winked to me and waved goodbye as he walked into the kitchen to shit-stir Steffen. Those two had bonded immediately. Steffen never had a son, and he really liked having another young man in the house.

I kissed my babies goodbye and went out to the waiting car. "Clark," I greeted.

"Mrs. Rafal," Clark smiled, closing the door after I slid in.

Clark, Warren, Zander, and Wendall all moved to Scotland with Darius. Warren and Sophie took over the lease of the penthouse apartment Darius rented when he first moved here. Zander was living with them and flying home to see his newest girlfriend every weekend. He and Sally split several months ago, and Sophie assured me that the new girl is a lot nicer. Sophie set him up with a harpist from her orchestra. Wendall and Clark were sharing a flat elsewhere.

A lot of the staff transferred when the new office opened in Edinburgh last month. For those that chose not to transfer, Alex offered for them to interview for positions with Horizon, which had nearly doubled in size since I worked there.

Darius was still working overtime to interview and replace the staff he lost. He managed to keep the good ones like A.K., and Lynwood kept a local office open in London. It was small, only twenty employees, but it was a place for Darius to still meet clients personally once a week when he flew down on Tuesday mornings. Occasionally, he'd needed to stay overnight, but for the most part, he was home with me every night.

My phone started ringing. I looked at the screen and smiled. "Cass."

"Hello, Mora. I have a question."

"Shoot."

"If Jeremy and I move closer to you and Dare, would we be able to have a foursome on occasion?" Cassandra asked politely.

I burst out laughing, "Cass, I haven't even had sex with Dare in like seven or eight months. Can I please at least get back on the horse before you start making those offers?"

"Horse, nice association," Cassandra giggled.

"Are you seriously thinking about moving here?" I asked.

I missed Cassandra and having our kids play together. She was due to have her baby in a matter of weeks now. It was another girl. Cassandra was ecstatic. She was already planning the sleepovers with Willow, and she's still planning Jacob and Ashelynn's wedding.

"Dead serious," Cassandra squeaked. "Jeremy paid the deposit for the place two houses down from you this morning. We are going to be neighbors."

They'd come to visit a few weeks ago and had been really impressed with the estate I lived in, right in the middle of a prestigious golf course. I couldn't care less about the golf, but Jeremy was in man heaven.

"It's the seven-bedroom place with the staff quarters."

"Oh my God!" I cried out happily. "That will be wonderful. When are you moving up?"

"Not for two months," Cassandra sounded happy. "Jeremy is going to open another recording studio there. He's going to scout for a location after the baby is born. He's not allowed to leave London until that happens now."

"I'll let Dare know. He'll be thrilled," I cheered.

Sophie had already moved up, and we saw each other regularly to plan for her wedding. If Cassandra and Jeremy moved up, I'd be over the moon.

When I left London five months ago, I felt isolated. All my friends had slowly faded out of my life again. Jeremy and Cassandra had been the main stayers, and the Fehu were going to force them to stop spending time with me too. It was amazing that now, those people were following Darius and I to another country.

"Good. Now, it's been two months. Why aren't you back on your husband again?" Cassandra asked, all serious.

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