Starr Destined

Starr Destined

Book Two of The Starr Series

By G E Griffin

G E Griffin has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. G E Griffin has asserted her moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

First published in Great Britain in 2013

Revised 2020

Published by G E Griffin at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase a additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own very reasonably priced copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

ISBN 978-0-9576745-6-1

Copyright © G E Griffin 2015

Cover by ToMe Designs

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To all my wonderful loyal CG Blog followers, because without them I would never have had the courage to write my own book.

To Sue B for her proof reading skills.

To Jacqueline Crowley and Heather Murphy for their help with the chapter set in Southern Ireland.

To Jane Harvey-Berrick for all her help and advice about self-publishing.

To Lizzie Anders for all matters BMW related.

To Nick and Daniel for putting up with all my weird questions.

And of course a huge thank you to my husband and my three daughters for their support and encouragement.

Chapter 1

Prologue

Kimberley

I’ve always been a very determined and strong willed person, and I’ve always believed that if you want something in life badly enough, you should keep trying and not accept rejection.  Life is full of knock backs, but you have to keep plugging away until you get what you want.  That’s how I got myself through law school and then clawed my way to achieve my goal of getting a position with Lewis and Kirk, the prestigious law firm based in The Gherkin building in London.  Dogged and persistent is how I’ve sometimes been described, and I wouldn’t disagree.

When Liam Starr called time on our ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement, I admit I was disappointed.  Disappointed, but not deterred.  I’d been warned about him by Scott Franklin, my contact at the Butler’s Wharf fitness centre, when he’d passed his details to me.  Apparently, I was exactly the type of curvy blonde Liam liked, and according to Scott, Liam was exactly the type of tall and commanding guy I liked.

I’m five feet ten, I like to wear heels, and I'm not keen on short guys who end up being eye level with my boobs.  And I like a man who takes control in the bedroom.  I can't stand men who are hesitant and fumble around, unsure of what they’re doing.  I freely admit I like sex, but I can't be doing with all the preamble of dating and finding out if the guy is up for doing the kind of things that I like doing.  That’s why I prefer being up front and having a fuck buddy.  It keeps things simple if we’ve both agreed about what we want out of the arrangement.

I should warn you not to get any ideas about this one, Kim.  Liam’s your classic commitment-phobe, so you’ll be lucky to last a month with him before he’s ready to move on again.  Don’t take it personally though - it’s nothing to do with you, it’s just the way he is.  Scott told me.

You make him sound like the ultimate challenge, Scott, I mused.  But don’t worry, I’ve met his type before and I'm sure I can handle him.

***

I have three major boxes that need ticking before I would classify a man as being worthy of long-term consideration, rather than just providing me with some transient amusement.

It turned out that Liam Starr ticked all three of these important boxes.

Physically attractive - hell, yes.  Liam wasn’t one of those pretty boy sorts.  He was a proper man.  Six feet four, totally ripped and totally hot.  Tick.

Good in bed - hell, yes.  Liam was the best lover I’d ever had, without question.  Tick.

Successful and affluent - hell, yes.  Liam owned a penthouse apartment in Butler’s Wharf, and I knew they were worth millions.  Tick.

I also knew he ran his own extremely successful and highly profitable company.  A lot of men have issues with a career girl like me, because it makes them feel inferior if I make more money than them.  Being so successful and affluent meant I doubted Liam would have those kinds of issues.

Perhaps it was also something to do with my approaching landmark thirtieth birthday that made me look at him differently from all the previous guys I’d been with.  Did I really want to continue with my current lifestyle?  Or was it time to think about ‘settling down’, as my mother termed it?  If it was, looking at the cold facts made Liam Starr pretty much the perfect guy for me as we had so much in common, and were so well matched in our sexual experience and appetites.

And no question, he’d certainly be able to afford the huge diamond engagement ring I’d always thought I’d end up with on my finger eventually.

All I had to do was convince Liam that he needed me in his life as something more than his fuck buddy.  I knew this might prove challenging, but I had a few tricks up my sleeve.

Firstly, Liam might have been the best lover I’d ever had, but I have some pretty impressive skills myself.  I give great head, and can deep throat even the biggest guy, which was just as well because Liam was impressively endowed.

And I was happy with pretty much all of the kinky shit guys like, so whatever Liam wanted, I was up for, especially on the great Tantra sex chair he had in the well-equipped bedroom we always used at his place.  I had to hand it to him - he had everything perfectly organised to maximise sexual pleasure.

I was so glad that before I’d met Liam, I’d had my breasts enlarged, so now they were the perfect size that he preferred.  My boob job would be worth every penny if it helped me to land him.

So I was sure that I could keep him physically satisfied; it was just the other areas of his life that I needed to concentrate on.

We never really spoke about anything personal that wasn’t to do with our sexual arrangement when we hooked up.  Liam wasn’t the kind of guy to indulge in idle chit-chat, so we never discussed topics such as décor but in my opinion, although the layout of his penthouse apartment was stunning, the décor lacked any kind of character and was cold and bland.  I thought that he was probably just a typical guy, scared to try anything more adventurous.

So the next time I stayed over, I thought I’d make a few simple suggestions to show him how a feminine touch could liven the place up.  The addition of cushions would be an easy enough first step to break him in gently.  But the look of horror on his face when I made the suggestion showed that even cushions were a step too far for him to take as yet.  I supposed it was inevitable that a confirmed bachelor in his thirties was going to be resistant to change, and I was just going to have to find other ways to convince him that he needed me in his life.  I knew what he needed, even if he didn’t.

I tried a different tack.  Liam was obviously close to his younger brother Jamie, because he saw him every Sunday for lunch, unless he was out of town.  So I realised that if I wanted to get myself accepted into Liam’s life, I needed to get this brother on side.  Normally, it’s the mother you have to worry about with guys, but I’d managed to glean the fact that both his parents had passed away, so this made getting on with his only relative even more important.

On Sundays, I was expected to be out of Liam’s apartment well before Jamie was due to arrive, but this time I offered to stay and prepare lunch for them, as a way of getting to meet him.  Liam turned me down, but I thought with some distraction and delaying tactics, I could still work things so that I was around when Jamie arrived.  I was pretty curious to see him, to discover if he was anything like his big brother. 

I took extra care with my appearance and made sure my assets were displayed to their best advantage by wearing a clingy and very low cut wrap dress.  I’ve never understood why being an intelligent woman means that you’re supposed to dress like a frump.  If you have a great figure, why not flaunt it and use it to your advantage?  That strikes me as the intelligent thing to do, but it’s earned me some bitchy comments from other women.  Usually the butt ugly ones, so I put it down to jealousy and ignore them.

When Jamie arrived, I could see the family likeness to Liam, but he was a lot younger, like a softer, prettier, longer-haired version of his brother.  He definitely had potential though, and was a very good-looking boy.

Hi, I’m Liam’s brother Jamie, he smiled, staring at my boobs rather than my face.  I didn't mind though - that’s the whole point of wearing a low cut top, isn’t it?

Jamie’s eyes were a much softer blue than Liam’s, and he had a lovely warm smile.  He was casually dressed in low-slung washed out jeans, with a white linen shirt that was unbuttoned low enough to show off his black leather griffin-claw necklace.  It suited him, but I couldn't imagine his brother ever wearing something like that.

And I’m Kimberley, Liam’s friend.  I think he told me you were a student?  I smiled back, ignoring the way Liam was glaring at me.  He hadn't told me any such thing, but I’d made it my business to find out.  I always do my homework when I’m working on a project, and Liam Starr was my latest project.

Yeah, I’m at the LSE.  The London…

The London School of Economics, I finished off for him.  Wow, I’m really impressed.  You must be clever as well as handsome, I flirted.  I could tell Jamie was rather vain by the way he’d glanced at himself in the mirror in the entrance hall on his way in, to check his blonde surfer boy hair was in the correct state of careful mussed-up-ness.

Kimberley was just leaving, Liam said pointedly, as he handed me my coat.

Don't feel you have to leave on my account.  You could stay and join us for lunch, Jamie offered. Such a sweet boy.  I knew I could have him eating out of my hand in no time at all.

That won’t be possible.  Kimberley has a prior engagement, Liam insisted, as he started guiding me towards the door.

Let me just get my bag.  I leaned over Jamie to reach my bag, making sure he got one last good eyeful of my cleavage.  I noticed Liam rolling his eyes - okay, it was an obvious ploy, but it was my last chance to make an impression on Jamie, when I knew I was about to be bundled unceremoniously out of the place.

As we made our way through the entrance hall, I turned to Liam.

So, usual arrangement for next weekend?  That seems such a long time to wait when I know how insatiable you are.  And I have needs as well, so do you maybe fancy hooking up mid-week?  Liam glanced back nervously towards the living area where his brother was now sat sprawled on the sofa.

I’ll let you know, he said brusquely as he showed me out, and closed the door firmly behind me.

As I drove the short distance back to my place, I told myself that I’d given it my best shot with both of the Starr brothers today, so now I’d just have to wait and see what happened.

***

Shit.  What Liam let me know was that our arrangement had come to an end.  He thanked me and wished me well for the future, but he no longer wished to see me.  I'd pushed him too hard too soon and scared him off.  I’d played the wrong hand of cards.  But all was not lost.  I wasn’t giving up on that ginormous diamond ring yet.

I bided my time and made sure that I stayed in touch with Scott to keep tabs on what was going on.  After a couple of weeks, he told me Liam still hadn't organised himself a new playmate yet, as far as he was aware.  I knew Liam was a control freak who was absolutely fastidious about safe sex, so it was highly unlikely he’d have sought out casual sex with just anyone.  And knowing what a high sex drive he had, I guessed he’d be feeling pretty desperate for some female company by now.  So I sent him a casual text, offering a quick hook-up if he needed it. 

No reply.

So then I hauled myself out of bed at the crack ass of dawn to head for the fitness centre, where I knew Liam swum and worked out every morning.  I planned to casually bump into him, figuring that actually seeing me in the flesh might prove more tempting to him in his current celibate state.  I made sure I wore my sexiest possible gym outfit, and looking at myself in the mirror, I thought any man gagging for sex, as Liam surely must be by now, would be unable to resist the unmistakeable invitation I was sending out.

But resist he did.  As our paths crossed and I shot him my best seductive smile, he just acknowledged me with a slight nod and then ignored me as he headed for the swimming pool.  I must be a glutton for punishment, because I couldn’t help myself.  I had to go and watch, and found myself literally drooling over his great body.  Big broad shoulders with muscles that rippled as he effortlessly swam several lengths.  As he got out of the water, I couldn’t help staring at his swimming trunks, thinking they looked just like the ones Daniel Craig wore when he played James Bond walking out of the sea.

I thought about the delightful contents of those swimming trunks, and it hit me that he’d totally spoiled me for other men.  After experiencing sex with Liam Starr, anyone else would seem second best now.

I had to find a way to win him back.

***

I hadn't heard anything from my usual source of info about Liam in a while - for some reason Scott wasn’t returning my calls - so a week or so later, I resorted to finding an excuse to call in at Liam’s apartment.  He’d been away on business - I’d found this much out from his PA when I’d rung on the pretext of being a business contact who wanted to set up a meeting.  I refused to accept that I was beginning to act like his stalker.  I was just giving the natural order of things a nudge in the right direction.

I’d wracked my brains to come up with a plausible excuse for needing to call in, finally settling on ‘damsel in distress’.  Liam had always been the perfect gentleman, showing impeccable manners to ensure my personal safety, insisting that if I didn't bring my car whenever I visited him, he would organise a taxi.

I don't want you taking any kind of risk to visit me, he’d insisted.  I’d thought that was very chivalrous and had loved it, even if it was rather an old-fashioned attitude.  So I thought I would play on that side of him.  And that was how I came to be outside his apartment one evening, to put my plan into operation.

Liam, I'm sorry to disturb you…  He’d be able to see on his video entry screen that I was wearing my running gear, and he’d hear that my voice was all quivery.  I knew he was home, because I’d been watching for his car to arrive back from the office.  Okay, so I was acting like his stalker now, but it was necessary behaviour to achieve ‘Mrs. Liam Starr’ status.

Kimberley?  What’s the matter?  Is something wrong?  That lovely deep voice of his sounded so concerned.  Perfect.

I was out running, when this man started following me and I got scared, so I just ran into your building, because I knew the security code to get in and the guy wouldn’t be able to follow me… but the concierge wasn't at his desk…  I practically sobbed.  When did I get to be such a good actress?

Naturally after this little performance, being the gentleman that he was, Liam let me in to his apartment, and he was great in the way he looked after me and comforted me.  He still looked as sexy as hell of course - he’d taken off his suit jacket and tie, and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his crisp white shirt to reveal a tempting glimpse of his broad chest.  Mm-mm.  He sat me down in his kitchen while he got me a glass of water, but I had to hastily back track when he started talking about checking the CCTV footage and calling the police.

No, there’s no need for the police, Liam.  I was probably just being silly and overreacted.

I really think we should call them, Kim.  It’s better to be safe than sorry, and you can't be too careful…

I think the police would say it was a waste of their time, and anyway I expect whoever he was is long gone now.

Perhaps next time you should wear less revealing clothing when you go out running.  Or not go on your own.  This is exactly what I was trying to warn… someone else about.  I felt a thrill run through me as Liam looked me over, but it was such a disapproving look that there was nothing in the least sexual about it.

I would run you home, Kim, but I have an important date… meeting in a few minutes.  How about I call you a taxi instead?

What could I say?  This wasn’t at all how I’d envisaged things working out.  I'd planned that as I wept on his shoulder, he’d take me in his arms.  I’d make sure he felt my boobs pressed up against him, and then one thing would lead to another, and we’d end up having great sex and that would be the resumption of things between us.

Instead, I was being shunted out again.  It was so frustrating, especially when he was being so nice to me.

I hope you’ve been okay since the last time we met up?  Liam’s deep blue eyes bore into me with what seemed like pity rather than lust, as we waited in his apartment for the taxi he’d called to arrive.

I’ve been just fine, I lied, my self-pride kicking in.

I apologise if I seemed rather abrupt in the way things ended between us.

That’s the way it goes with our kind of arrangement, I shrugged.  God knows I’d done the same thing myself to guys countless times before, but it was odd when the shoe was on the other foot, and I didn't like it one bit.

It’s just my needs… well… they’ve changed.  I’m no longer interested in the kind of arrangement we had, and I’m not in contact with Scott anymore.

Oh, I see.  That explained why I hadn't heard from the guy.  From the scowl on Liam’s face at the mere mention of his name, my guess was that they’d had some sort of a falling out.  Although I was curious to discover what that could have been about, I knew it would be pointless to ask Liam - he’d never open up enough to tell me something like that.

It wasn’t long before the call came to say the taxi was waiting for me downstairs.  As we made our way out of his apartment towards the lift, I reached up to kiss Liam’s cheek.  It was bristly because he needed a shave, but I liked that rough, masculine feel.

Thanks for taking care of me.  God, the man smelled good.

My pleasure, he smiled back, and then the smile froze on his face.  I glanced behind me to see what he was looking at.

Standing there was a girl, probably in her late teens or early twenties.  She was pretty, petite and slim with very long dark curly hair.  She looked shocked for some reason.

I’ll be back in just a minute, Liam said to her, as he frowned.  Is this who his meeting was with?  He’d mentioned something about a date, but that must have been a slip of the tongue.  This girl couldn’t possibly be any kind of a date for Liam - she wasn’t his type at all, so I thought she was probably just a runner from his office, bringing over something urgent for him to sign maybe. 

Liam escorted me down and then saw me safely into the taxi, as he’d promised.

You know you can always call me anytime, Liam.  We were pretty good together, and I miss that.  I tried one last shot.

Thanks, Kimberley, but as I told you, I'm not looking for that kind of arrangement any more.  But I really do wish you all the best.  And remember what I said about dressing more appropriately when you go out running.  I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.

He smiled and I realised that I’d hardly ever seen him smile.  He’d always looked so serious before, which I’d found broody and sexy, but actually he had such a great smile that it made him even sexier.

Damn.  How had I let Liam Starr slip through my fingers?

However, a few days later, I got a phone call from Scott, which gave me fresh hope that all was not lost.

Chapter 2

Liam

I’d told Seraphina that I had a very busy schedule, but I was surprised when she hadn’t rung me, or made an appearance in my office for our usual daily meeting by lunch time, especially as we’d not seen much of each other recently because I'd been away so much.  I thought she’d be as keen as I was to spend some time together. 

After dealing with a last-minute unscheduled visitor, I rang Sera’s office to find out where she’d got to. 

I was surprised when Tom told me that she wasn’t there.

What do you mean, she’s left? 

Sera was unwell, so she headed off a few minutes ago.  She looked dreadful, she had a sudden migraine apparently, and said she needed to go home and lie down, he informed me.  I offered to take her, but she said she’d get a taxi.

I felt a sharp pang of worry.  Sera had never mentioned suffering from migraines before when I’d asked her if there was anything I should know about, following her panic attack at The Shard.  And why hadn't she let me know she was ill and needed to go home?  I became even more concerned when she didn't answer her mobile.  She knew I expected her to keep in contact at all times - we’d gone over this enough times - so why wasn’t she answering her phone, or replying to the text I sent?

Are you ok?  How bad is your migraine?  Call me.

When there was no reply, I decided I really needed to find out what was going on.  I sent another text.

I’m coming over to check you’re ok.

I picked up my car keys, and made my way out of my office.

Something’s come up.  I’m going out, and don't know when I’ll be back, I told my PA.

Joy looked at me as if I was mad.

But Mr. Starr, you have back-to-back meetings this afternoon.

Cancel them.

But it’s such short notice…  Joy protested.

Just do it, I said through gritted teeth as I headed out of the door.  For fuck’s sake, all I was asking her to do was her job.

All kind of thoughts were churning through my mind as I drove over.  Maybe going on the pill had brought on Sera’s migraine, in which case it was my fault, because I'd insisted that I didn't want to use condoms.  So it was my responsibility to make sure that she got herself checked out immediately, preferably at the private clinic where they would see her straight away.  But what if it wasn’t just a simple migraine?  What if it was something more serious?  I told myself to calm down, as I tried calling Sera again using the Bluetooth in my BMW, but when there was still no answer, my gut instinct told me something definitely wasn't right.  I knew I had a tendency to overreact when it came to Sera, but I just didn't understand why she hadn't let me know what the matter was, when she knew how much I worried about her. 

As I parked my car