4Author Note: Hope you like this one. Introduces (reintroduces) two of our principles. Just to show you what they were like. From now on til I give you a new time reference assume that everything happens in chronological order from the previous time stamp. OK! ENJOY!
Archer woke up groggily as the pilot came in over the intercom.
"Sir we're ready to land. Just waiting for your go ahead."
Cursing the damn man silently in his head for interrupting his much needed sleep, he leaned out of his leather chair and hit the reply button on the table.
"Mike it's still dark outside. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"We're arrived sir." Max replied sounding a little taken aback by Archer's irritable tone. "We entered British air space about thirty minutes ago. It's 4:50am now, Greenwich mean time."
"Yeah well I'm still running on Rio time and whether it's half past four here or half past two there it's still too early to get up."
"Yes sir. Sorry sir."
Archer sighed.
He really disliked it when people said that. He liked Max, he'd been his family's jet pilot for as long as Archer could remember. He had a wife and three kids and was a nice guy on the whole. But sometimes he just wished Max would fight him or swear at him or flip him off for being the asshole he knew he was being.
But he was too important for that.
People just didn't do things like that to him. He had the power to ruin a man's life with a single phone call, and he wasn't even eighteen yet.
He was tired but that was no excuse to take it out on Max. Sighing he pressed the intercom again.
"Don't worry about it Max, it's my own fault. Take us in."
"Yes, sir." Max said simply before the static cut off and the cabin was returned to its serene quietness.
Sighing Archer fastened his belt and reclined into his leather seat, closing his eyes, trying to fall back to sleep.
"What's up sweetie? We landing?"
Well so much for that plan.
"Yeah, we're coming into Heathrow. We should be at Kingsbane by seven." Archer called, opening his eyes and staring angrily at thin air. He heard the door open and close behind him followed by the sounds of Prada heels coming closer and closer.
The voice's owner leaned in and gave his lips a quick caress with her own, before taking the seat opposite Archer and fastening her belt too.
She was tall and lithe with a body like sin and a dark hair that fell in a fine silky sheet over one shoulder. She was already dressed in her uniform which showed off her prominent curves and assets perfectly.
"Cool. I was just changing. How do I look?" She gestured to her body and Archer knew he was expected to complement her.
"You look amazing as always, babe." he said.
It was the standard response he gave whenever she asked him that stupid question. There was no way on earth she would allow herself to look anything but perfect, so why bother asking his opinion? It's not like she'd go and change if he said she looked bad, nor would she go off crying in a self conscious depression spiral. She would probably hit him, but that didn't really appeal to Archer at that point, so he decided not to test her patience.
"Thanks, sweetie." she smiled, before turning her attention to the makeup bag in her lap. She took out a mirror and a lipstick and began touch-ups. Archer turned to gaze out of the window, leaning his chin on his hand. He really didn't see why she needed all that crap on her face. It couldn't be good for the skin and she was so flawless anyway he didn't see point.
"Hunny?" she said, gaze still fixed to the mirror in her hand.
"Yeah, what is it Lydia?" Archer said, tiredly. He wished they could just land, he was sick of the plane; it was too small for the both of them.
They felt the plane begin to descend, the familiar sensation of the soul being dragged up into the chest distracting Archer momentarily.
"I really like the ring you picked out for me."
"Hm?" he murmered. turning his face back his Fiancée.
"The ring." Lydia repeated, holding up her left hand to show him the engagement ring she wore. It was pure silver with a large diamond prominently placed in the centre surrounded by four smaller diamonds in decreasing size.
Archer nodded and gave her a tired half smile.
"It's fine. It was traditional to give you one and it suits you quite well."
Lydia gave him a smile worthy of Miss USA and turned her gaze out of the window too, absentmindedly playing with the ring in her lap.
"So what do you think the colour scheme should be for the wedding? If we're having it in summer I think white and leaf green and gold. It would go really well with my hair and skin, and Phoebe would look darling in a green strapless dress. But if you wanted to wait until September or October then I think we should have red and gold. Or do you think that's a bit to Christmassy? I don't want my bridesmaids looking like Christmas presents….."
There she goes again. The fucking wedding planner has been unleashed.
Archer sighed and leaned back closing his eyes, and using the hum and whirr of the plane's engines to drown out Lydia's continuing drabble. He was sleep deprived, hungry and would kill for a few hours away from Lydia. She'd been going on about the wedding and the engagement and their arranged marriage for the last five days of their holiday. He had only been able to leave the company for a week to have some fucking rest before returning to school, and then he'd decided that then was a good time to give her the ring. What a waste of a week in Rio.
He didn't know why the little circle of metal meant so much to her. Their marriage had been arranged by their parents since they were children, a merger of two of the biggest shipping companies in the world that would be sealed with their matrimony. She knew that as well as him, so why did one little piece of metal suddenly turn her into Bridezilla? He'd only given her the ring because her and his father wouldn't lay off him about it. Now he wished he'd thrown it in the sea when he had the chance.
He'd never objected to the arrangement. It had been the best move strategically for their company and he liked Lydia; but hell, if she said one more thing about wedding cake cherubs or groomsmen's trousers he was going to lose his sanity.
"…So what do you think?" Lydia finished.
Archer's gut wrenched as he realised it was his turn to speak and yet he had no idea what she'd just said. Mind spinning for all it was worth he blagged for his life.
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea." he said, praying that that was the right answer.
"Yay! I'm do glad you agree. So September 8th next year it is. Oh it's so romantic, having it exactly a year after you proposed to me."
Archer swore inside his head.
What the hell did you just agree to, boy?
This hadn't been the plan. They had been planning to wait at least until they finished university.
Crap.
He didn't dare argue though. Partly because it would reveal that he hadn't been hanging on her every word (which would be bad for his chances of having children), but mostly because she was a girl on a mission. Once she'd reached a decision there was no alternative. Though maybe he could talk her out of it later. It had worked with the football match when she'd been practically begging for sex yesterday.
They arrived at the school just after 8. Traffic had been incredibly bad and even with Andrew's- his driver- adept skills he'd had to apologize for their lateness.
They made their way down the familiar school drive not really talking. Other students we're all making their way in too, all with their own fashion of transport.
Most arrived in Bentleys or Aston Matins etc. like them but the buzz from over by the tennis courts told Archer that more then a few students had decided to take helicopters in. They would of course all be guys; girls- or at least this school's girls- would be too afraid of messing up their hair or having their skirts blown up to go anywhere near one.
That was the thing about Kingsbane, it was a school for the rich and famous, for those with money and power who weren't afraid to throw it around. Archer sighed, some things never changed.
Then his attention was caught by a figure just up ahead of them.
What caught his attention straight away was that she was walking. With her leather school satchel swinging from one hand she was striding with purpose up the long straight drive that lead to the school.
Archer leaned back in his chair to get a good look at the girl as they passed without her being able to see him.
She wasn't overly tall and her clothes weren't anywhere near as fitted or provocative as Lydia's were. This girl was actually adhering to the school dress code: knee length skirt, blazer and everything. She had pale skin and long dark brown hair that fell to her waist but was currently tied in a low ponytail at the base of her neck. There was no styling on it, no evidence of the hairdressers most girls used for the first day of school. It was just a practical way of holding hair in place. As they drew level and passed the girl Archer got a glimpse of the girl's profile.
She was actually quite pretty, with sparkling blue-grey eyes and pink cheeks and lips, tinted by the cold no doubt.
It was so odd, she was so different and out of place it bugged him. If she hadn't been wearing the uniform he would have thought she'd come to the wrong school. And even then there was no way the guards would have let her through the gates without her valid student I.D. But here she was staring up at the large imposing figure of Kingsbane's main campus.
Very odd.
"Arch? What's wrong, you look tense."
Archer looked over to Lydia who was sitting next to him with a mixture of concern and suspicion in her chocolate brown eyes.
"Nothing." he replied, sitting back and taking her hand in his. He didn't need her getting all jealous on him and throwing a tantrum.
"Well I know something that will make you feel better."
And without another word she pulled her seatbelt off and moved to straddle his hips. Within seconds she was ravishing his lips with hers, exploring his mouth with her electric eel of a tongue. Andrew put up the black screen to give them a little privacy and Archer decided to take advantage of the situation. Taking Lydia by the hips he pulled her closer to him, forcing her tongue out of his mouth and into hers with his own.
She bit him.
Archer withdrew sharply and hissed, the pulsing heat in his groin becoming a little too much to ignore.
"Ah ah." said Lydia, a wicked smirk on her lips as she shook one long, French manicured finger in his face. God she was infuriating, but still Archer let her play.
He didn't really have a choice.
Ever so slowly she leaned in, never taking her eyes off his. She kissed him gently then took his bottom lip between her teeth, biting down 'til it hurt. Then she released him, kissing him again before trailing kissed across his jaw and down his neck to his sensitive spot where his collarbone met his neck. The feel of her hot tongue against his naked flesh sent ripples of pleasure down his spine. The moment she kissed that spot he was putty in her hands and she knew it, and always took advantage of it.
Archers need swelled as her lips danced across his skin, her hands squeezing her prominent hip bones needily. His desire was becoming carnal, primitive. It was a reaction to her touch more then her herself. All the same it made him want to kiss her back. He turned his head trying to recapture her lips. She bit him again and this time he threw her off him.
"I'm not a chew toy, Lydia. If you want something to bite so badly go find a bone." he spat at her.
"You are my bone." she smiled, the innuendo thick in the air between them as she knelt between his legs and pushed her body ever so slowly across the part of him that ached to be touched.
Archer gritted his teeth as her eyes met his again and he saw the enjoyment in them. She really could be a bitch when she wanted to be, playing with him and knowing that she had no intention of pleasing him.
Frustrated and ticked off by his fiancée he moved aside, pushing Lydia out of the way so he could regain his position looking out of the window. He was riled up and wanted to be sated, but if she wanted to play games then she could do it in her own time when he wasn't so edgy.
"I'm not in the mood." he said, hoping that his mind could convince his body. He didn't really want to get out of the car while standing at attention.
"That's not what your body's saying." cooed Lydia, retaking her seat next to him and nuzzling up to his neck. There was nowhere to go so Archer gritted his teeth and bore it. It was so frustrating having a woman your body wanted but your mind didn't.
Trying to take his mind off her breath on his neck he scanned the view outside.
They were almost at the school.
Kingsbane High School was a large Edwardian building that was formerly the mansion in a large private estate. But at the turn of the century it had been converted and was now the leading school in Britain. The long stone construction had four floors as well as servant rooms above and below. It had to be at least a quarter of a mile from end to end and continued outwards from the back into a U shape containing a sheltered garden and courtyard. There were over 500 long white windows providing light to the multitude of rooms the mansion contained, and with only 1500 students the size seemed wasted somewhat.
They pulled up at the front gates finally and Archer wasted no time getting out. He turned and held a hand out for Lydia.
However he may feel towards Lydia in private now he had obligations. They were the perfect couple; he was the son of the head of an international shipping company, she was the daughter of a Japanese trade firm. They had been paired together in everything since before Archer could even remember: schooling, play dates, holidays.
It was surprising Archer didn't view Lydia as a sister, the amount of time they had spent together. But then he'd seen something in her and now sincerely regretted it.
And now the news would have gotten wind of their engagement.
Everyone who was anybody would know by now and everyone here counted as somebody.
This was a school for the rich and famous; a school renowned across the world for its famous students and first rate education. There were children of actors and actresses, models and celebrities, dancers and singers. There were people like Archer, billionaires since before they were born and heirs to the biggest corporations and businesses on the planet. There was even royalty among the student body. As such the security was second to none. Bodyguards were as frequent and numerous as the students themselves. The walls that surrounded the 300 acre estate were ten foot high and had electrical components inside them to alert as to anyone who tried to climb them. There was a 24 hour security team who patrolled the site with dogs or on horseback. They had permission to kill intruders if necessary to keep these students safe.
Lydia took the hand Archer offered and got out. Andrew closed the door, then turned and tipped his cap to Archer.
"Sir, yours and Lydia-hime's luggage was sent on ahead and should be waiting for you in your rooms."
"Thank you, Andrew. Also can you get someone to bring my Lamborghini here and park it in the student car park?"
Andrew nodded then strode back to his open door and drove away.
Archer watched him go.
Andrew was getting old, he would have to make arrangements for the old man's retirement soon. Otherwise the man might actually try and drive himself to death.
Andrew was loyal to a fault.
Then Archer saw her again. The same girl with dark hair and pale skin. She'd nearly reached the turning circle outside the main gates. For some reason Archer was fascinated with her. He didn't realise how fascinated until he heard the murmurs among the students milling around the entrance.
Yes they defiantly knew alright.
And so it begins.
Just for reference, because Lydia is from a high and powerful Japanese family she is sometimes referred to as Lydia-hime. This is an endearment meaning princess (not in the literal western term but a woman of nobility and high status)