The Arrangement

by Cassie Verano

  “Semira,” my father said in a warning tone.

  “No, Gaurav. This is going too far. I’ve stood back and allowed this to go on for too long. Our daughter is not happy. I cannot back you on this.”

  “Semira, you’re out of line,” my father argued.

  “I may be, but so are you. When you married the first time, it was an arranged marriage, and you grew to love her. But you told me on our wedding night that you were thankful you’d had a second chance and that this time you didn’t want to miss out on genuine love. How can we not give our daughter that same opportunity? She was born from love, not an arrangement!”

  “She has made a fool of us!”

  “No, she hasn’t. You’re making a fool of yourself making this stance, Gaurav!”

  My father turned his gaze back on me.

  “I have one question, Xiomara.”

  “Yes?” I hated the way my voice trembled.

  “Do you want Sheffield Tech?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you will marry Russell Darden, and we will make this right!” he declared, jabbing his finger at the floor. “Is that understood?”

  I swallowed.

  What if Lake didn’t feel how I did? Chasing me might have been a game to him. What if he didn’t come through for me the way I wanted to believe that he would?

  The risk was too great.

  Lowering my eyes to the floor, I replied, “Yes, sir.”

  When I dared risk a glance at my mother, I could see the hurt and disappointment in her eyes.

  Turning to leave my father’s presence, my steps felt heavier than they had before. But there was nothing I could do because Lake wasn’t a guarantee.

  CHAPTER 23 – LAKE

  I DIDN’T INTEND TO scare Xiomara but to free her spirit. The only thing that I could hope when this was all said and done was that she would cast off the expectations her people’s cultures had cast upon her.

  My time until her wedding was dwindling, and I know that I had little of it remaining. She’d answered my calls the next day after I’d left Prestige.

  It was hard, but I’d convinced her we needed to talk, one final conversation, and I would leave her alone. But she had to do it my way.

  When she’d asked what that way was, of course, she’d balked at meeting me at Prestige and taking part in what I had in mind. She’d read me the riot act about what happened with her and her dad. She’d offered to meet me somewhere else.

  Of course, I’d known taking her to the Christmas villa would be risky, but I’d chanced it anyway, thinking that we wouldn’t get caught. Never would I have expected that someone would catch us in the act and post it to social media or send it to the news stations. As expected, she wasn’t happy about it. And I’d had to change plans to meet at my house and make dozens of promises that no one would be the wiser.

  She’d agreed to meet me on my terms. However, she’d said we would have to say goodbye after our encounter, but I knew it wouldn’t be goodbye, thanks to a conversation with her best friend, Chanda.

  I now understood what Xiomara needed to feel secure, and I could give her that.

  Impatience ran through me until I heard the doorbell ring.

  I made my way to the door and pulled it open, my eyes drinking her in as she stood there looking so beautiful.

  “Lake?” Her voice trembled.

  “Hey there,” I replied.

  When she stepped inside and handed me her coat, I almost lost my breath.

  The black latex dress she wore clung tightly to her curves. The choker collar flowed to a keyhole opening from which her breasts poured. Six-inch black heels made her ass and calves stand out more than normal.

  Xiomara’s outfit was subdued but sexy.

  I led her to the den before heading upstairs.

  “Senait told me you went away for the weekend with Russell.”

  “I know,” she said softly.

  “Listen to me and hear me out before you go on. You promised me you would give me every chance to change your mind until you either came to me willingly or you walked down that aisle. I’d like to think that hasn’t changed, but I’m not sure what happened over the weekend with you two. I only know you returned none of my calls or text messages Saturday night or Sunday.”

  “I had promised Russell that I would go away with him and discuss our impending marriage. It was a conflict with the date you’d chosen, and until the last minute, I wasn’t certain what I was doing. But then I knew that I couldn’t keep running from the problem the impending marriage proposed. So, I went with an open heart and mind.”

  “Z, don’t make a decision you’ll regret the rest of your life. I love you, and that will never change. You’re all I want, and that won’t change either. I told you I wasn’t ready to settle down but that I wanted a chance with you to explore this thing between us. I wasn’t playing with your emotions then or now; I would love to spend the rest of my life with you, Z.”

  “Lake, I don’t want you offering me promises just to keep me away from Russ. I want to be with you. I love you, but I can’t take it if you’re going to hurt me again.”

  “That’s not what this is. I want you forever.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me as if she were trying to detect if I were telling the truth or not.

  I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her against my body.

  “I want you, make no mistake about it. Never doubt that for a minute. I can’t see my life with anyone else other than you. Trust me; I’ve had time to contemplate it.”

  “And that’s what you came up with?”

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “Turns out, you being gone away for a weekend with him drove me crazy. It made me realize that you’re the most important thing in my life. Especially when I couldn’t reach you and thought that I’d lost you again.”

  A smile curved her lips as her eyes met mine. Pushing up on her heels, she pressed a kiss against my lips.

  “Sorry about not returning your calls.”

  “Never scare me like that again.”

  “I won’t,” she promised, kissing me again.

  “Come with me,” I said, reaching for her hand.

  Shaking her head, she rubbed the back of her neck and said, “I don’t know.”

  “Please. Trust me. I won’t hurt you, Z.”

  I could see her weighing her choices, and I gave her the space to think it over for several seconds. When her eyes met mine, and that beautiful smile took over, I knew what she’d decided.

  “Tonight, we’re going to play a little game on my playground. I want you comfortable, Z. I may press your buttons, but I won’t cross boundaries you don’t want to be crossed. If shit gets too uncomfortable for you, let me know. One thing remains the same as always,” I said, taking her hand and leading her upstairs to one of my guest bedrooms.

  “I must keep an open mind at all times,” she breathed, her eyes meeting mine.

  “Exactly,” I said, opening the door to the room.

  I watched as Xiomara’s eyes roamed the room, taking in the various equipment.

  Tonight, Xiomara would have to trust me with her body, her mind, and her heart.

  I planned to test her body, taking her to the limits.

  “We can use all of these, some of these, or none,” I said, walking further into the room and pointing to the bondage swing I’d had erected in one corner and then to the table behind us. “It’s your choice.”

  Xiomara’s eyes lit up with fascination as she took in the swing before she turned back to me.

  “I’m open,” she said, still standing in the doorway.

  “Come here,” I said, beckoning her with a crooked finger.

  My eyes casually feasted on her breasts, pouring from the keyhole opening, but my fingers toyed with the laced midsection that created a corset appearance.

  Slowly, I released the corded string that laced the front of her dress closed until her breasts popped out. Xiomara’s nipples were hard, and I want
ed to lick one. This would be a lesson in self-discipline for me as much as it was for her.

  Her breasts heaved up and down as I took my time removing her dress until she stood in nothing but her heels and thong.

  “Choose your toys,” I commanded.

  She gave a subtle nod and turned to walk to the table.

  I walked behind her, watching her eye the table where I had various kink equipment laid out to select what she’d like to experiment with.

  Xiomara’s body tensed.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is for you, Liltee.”

  Xiomara chewed on her bottom lip, walking from one end of the table to the next, anxiously touching everything. Picking up the handcuffs, she smiled as she clicked one around her wrist and left the other dangling.

  Looking over her shoulder at me, she offered a suggestive wink before returning her attention to the table.

  Her hands grazed over the flogger, paddle, and whip before returning to the paddle.

  “You sure?”

  She nodded. “I’m a big girl. I can handle more than you think that I can, Lake.”

  I accepted the paddle she passed over to me before she turned back to the table.

  After she’d selected her toys, I explained the rules to her, prompting her to choose a safe word.

  “If you need to use a safe word and can’t speak, simply shake your head ‘no’ that you don’t want me to do something, and I’ll stop instantly. I will never...ever compromise your safety, Liltee. Do you understand?”

  She nodded once more.

  Xiomara walked to the bed where she lay down, watching me expectantly. Grabbing the feathers she’d chosen, I climbed onto the bed with her and sat on top of her, first cuffing her wrists to the bedpost and then taking my time running the feathers along her sides.

  “How does that feel, Z?”

  “It tickles,” she giggled.

  I continued trailing them across her body, dipping them between her legs and crossing them over her thong.

  “When was the last time that you were this happy?”

  Biting her bottom lip, she appeared to be thinking when she finally said, “The night when we made love out back.”

  The laborious way that I moved the plumes over her increased while I watched her smiles turn into a frown as she twisted and turned at the tickling sensation. I could tell it was getting to her, so I stopped.

  Reaching to my side, I grabbed the violet wand and waved it at her.

  “Are you sure that you want me to use this?”

  “Yes, I’ve seen how it works.”

  “Have you ever felt it?” I asked, jealousy rising inside of me.

  “No, but I’m sure that I can handle it,” she challenged.

  “This is a low-current, high voltage electrical stimulation. The electrical charge that’s created will ignite the gas inside of the ball.”

  I placed the ball against her skin, showing her how the electricity goes inside of her as the prongs lit up with a lavender light when I touched her dark skin.

  Xiomara flinched; although I knew that it didn’t hurt her, she reacted to her expectations. After a few more moments of that, she relaxed, falling into a false sense of calm.

  I continued to run it over her body. When a smile eased itself onto her face, I pulled the wand back slightly from her breast, shocking her as the electricity searched for a ground to go to.

  Xiomara jumped at the sensation, her eyes widening.

  “How do you feel?” I asked, lowering my face to hers and brushing my lips over hers.

  “Excited. Nervous. Scared.”

  I pressed a kiss to her breastbone before climbing off the bed and grabbing the mask and pulling it into place over her eyes. Then I grabbed the whip.

  Cracking it, a small smile of pleasure came over my lips as I watched her flinch and every muscle in her body tighten. This was the one piece of equipment she hadn’t selected.

  “Z, did you kiss him?”

  “No.”

  “Don’t lie.”

  “I’d never lie to you.”

  I cracked the whip against the bed close to her body.

  “Did he touch your body?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  I cracked the whip again and drew nearer to her. Sliding it across her legs, I slid a finger inside of her thong, rubbing it across her slit.

  Xiomara arched her back as though she yearned for my touch.

  “Please,” she moaned.

  “Tonight, it’s all about discipline. You abandoned me, Z, and I don’t take to that easily. You’re going to get punished because you’ve been a bad girl.”

  Xiomara jumped as the air cracked with the sound of the whip popping.

  “Lake, please don’t deny me what I need.”

  “You need to have your ass whipped like the bad girl that you are.”

  I cracked the whip again.

  “I didn’t choose the whip, though, Lake.”

  “And I didn’t choose your disrespect, Z.”

  I smacked the whip against the bed, causing her to draw her legs up. Climbing onto the bed with her, I licked the inside of her thighs.

  Tugging at her thong again, I pulled it over her ass and down her legs, dropping it over the side of the bed.

  “Look at you. You want me so bad your pussy’s dripping wet.”

  Xiomara released a loud moan.

  “Does Darden know where you are tonight?”

  Shaking her head, she muttered, “No.”

  “Does he make you wet the way that I do?” I asked, stroking her clitoris and then smearing my tongue with her juices.

  “He’s never made me wet.”

  “Are you lying to me, Z?” I asked, cracking the whip again before getting off the bed.

  “Nobody’s made me as wet as you, Lake.”

  “Then why don’t you belong to me, Z?”

  “I do.”

  “Good,” I said, exchanging the paddle for the whip. “I’m about to let you go, but you promise you’ll be a good girl?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t make me hurt you,” I warned.

  “I’ll be good.”

  I released the handcuffs and flipped her over onto her stomach, cuffing her again.

  Grabbing the paddle, I smoothed the black leather across her ass.

  “Z, I think you’re playing with me,” I said as I issued a hard swat across her ass.

  “I’m not playing,” she moaned with her face in the pillow as she arched her back.

  I issued two more swats to her ass, causing her to wiggle and moan before I dropped the paddle.

  Drawing my hand down her back, I cupped both of her ass cheeks before spreading them apart and slipping a finger into her hole. Xiomara moaned and wiggled around my finger.

  Using my other hand, I unzipped the black leather pants that I wore and pulled my dick out, rubbing my hand up and down it while I fucked her ass with my finger.

  “Are you fucking anyone else besides me?”

  Jerking her head off the pillow, she cried out, “No!”

  “Good. I think you have every intention of marrying that man, and I think you plan to keep me on the side because I fuck you so good,” I said, resting my dick on her ass cheeks.

  “Mmm,” she moaned.

  Leaning over her, I whispered in her ear. “I will be no one’s bitch, Z, especially not a side bitch. With me, it’s all or nothing. The only way that I engage in threesomes is when there are two women. I canceled an ongoing arrangement that I had with two beautiful women for you. I’d been fucking them for several months until you returned. Then, for some damned reason, I didn’t want them anymore. All I wanted was you, but you can’t decide. I’m tired of playing these damned games, Z. Tonight, you choose Darden or me.”

  I pulled back, my dick hard as a rock, as I grabbed the paddle again and applied another lick to her ass. A thrill ran through me as she clenched those globes tight. Lean
ing down, I bit her ass cheek.

  “Open it for me.”

  Slowly, she unclenched, and I hit her ass again with the paddle.

  “You’ve been a bad girl, Z. You’ve been playing games and stringing me along,” I said, smoothing the paddle across her ass as she fought to keep her ass unclenched.

  “I’m not,” she moaned.

  “Something tells me you like the way this feels,” I said, rubbing the red spots on her ass as I slid a finger inside her slit.

  Grabbing the paddle again, I spanked her. “That ass is getting spanked tonight, and any other time you act up. This is what you’d better prepare for.”

  As I unleashed on her, she tried pulling her knees up to her chest, but each time she did, my hits grew more intense. I marveled at the sight of her juices, increasing with each strike. She liked this, which only turned me on more.

  Walking to the top of the bed, I grabbed my penis and rubbed it across her jaw, leaving a trail of pre-cum on her cheek.

  Xiomara turned her head and stuck her tongue out. I rubbed my cock across it, reveling in the velvety smooth feel of it against the surface of my dick.

  I climbed onto the bed, positioning myself between the headboard and her with little space. Wrapping her hair around my fingers, I jerked her head back and grabbed my dick, sliding it across her lips.

  Xiomara opened her mouth wide.

  “You want this dick?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You’ve gotta swallow. Can you swallow for me like a good girl?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Slowly, I eased myself into her mouth, and her lips closed around my tip. I felt her tongue licking around me in circles. Pulling back out of her mouth, I reached up and removed her handcuffs.

  Xiomara slid up onto her knees before I grabbed the back of her head again, lowering it to my lap.

  Relaxing under her ministrations, I closed my eyes as she slowly sucked me further down her throat.

  Her mouth was just what I needed to bring relaxation and peace to the tension I’d harbored over our non-relationship. I grabbed her mask and removed it from her eyes, staring into them as she swallowed me whole.

  Pumping in and out of her mouth as she drooled all over me, I felt myself rocking on edge. But I wasn’t ready yet. With all the restraint that I could muster, I pulled back, freeing myself from her mouth.