Reign: A Romance Anthology

by Nina Levine

  “Welcome to Temptation,” the bouncer said. “You’re in the VIP section. The hostess will escort you to your table.”

  VIP? What the fuck?

  I nodded mutely and walked inside, my breath leaving me in a whoosh. This place was amazing. The lighting was moody, the music moving through me in an almost erotic beat. A young woman with blonde hair met me just inside the front door. When I gave her my name, she guided me through the club to a VIP area cordoned off with a red velvet rope. Unclipping one end from the pole, she smiled at me as I walked in. Surely, there had to be some sort of mistake. Darcy had said Baron was only the accountant for this place. Somehow, I found it hard to believe that his position would warrant the VIP section.

  I stood there for a moment, simply absorbing the club’s mood and wondering where I could get a drink.

  “Here,” someone said behind me, holding the stem of a champagne flute. I looked down at the tattoo-covered hand and spun around.

  “What are you doing here? Please don’t tell me you own this club, too?”

  He shook his head, his eyes giving nothing away, especially in the low light of the VIP section. “No, Evangeline wouldn’t sell it to me,” he replied easily. He gestured to the champagne again. “Drink?”

  I reached out and took the glass from him, our fingers brushing briefly. A small growl escaped him, but I had no other gauge of his mood. Taking me by the elbow, he guided me to the long couches set against the back wall. We were hidden on three sides—the wall to our back and one side and a partition on the other side that opened onto the bar. Although I knew we didn’t have real privacy, it certainly felt like we did.

  Bane drew his attention back to me with his hand on my thigh, his thumb caressing the skin just above my knee. I stared at his tattooed hand with his long fingers. His hand was bigger than mine, my leg looking so small compared to him. If he wanted to, he could just sweep his hand up and under my dress. A little breath escaped me as I tried to ignore the fact that it was what I wanted him to do.

  “What are you thinking about, Little Bird?” he asked close to my ear, his warm breath feathering against my skin like a lover’s fingers.

  I swallowed. Jesus, I felt hot all over but like my skin was too tight for my body at the same time. “I’m trying to figure out how Darcy got us into the VIP section.”

  His grip tightened on my thigh. “I thought you said you didn’t have a boyfriend,” he growled.

  “I don’t. Darcy is a woman and my best friend.”

  As soon as I said those words, he released the death grip and swept his hand a little higher. “Good. And in answer to your question, Darcy didn’t get into the VIP section… I did. We have this entire place to ourselves.”

  I looked around the private space one more time. There was a door on the far wall, a picture of a man and woman split by a line on a plaque in the middle. Well, at least I knew where the bathroom was.

  “How did you know I was coming here?”

  “I have my ways.” He picked up his glass of champagne and swallowed a large mouthful. I watched the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed down the gold liquid.

  “Have you been tapping my phone?” Indignant didn’t really start to explain the ferocity of my feelings. I could handle men who thought they needed to dominate a relationship, but I wasn’t up for a stalker-grade man, especially not one like Bane Rivera. He had money and resources on his side.

  A smile curved up the corner of his mouth. “No, Little Bird, I haven’t been tapping your phone.”

  I felt like there was more to be outraged about here, but I decided not to push. Not now. I understood what he was doing. He was proving to me that he could insert himself in my life in any way he wanted.

  “It’s not going to work, you know.”

  His eyebrow quirked up, and he took another sip of his drink, watching me over the rim. “What’s not going to work?”

  My eyes darted to his lips, wondering if they tasted like champagne now. “You proving that you can be everywhere I am. It won’t make me change my mind about the proposition.”

  “You’re right.” He shifted his body toward me, placing his face close to mine. “But my life would be a lot easier if you simply gave me what I want.”

  I shook my head. “How many women have you seduced into relationships with you this way?”

  “None.” His reply came out smoothly with not an ounce of deceit. “And I don’t have relationships. I fuck.”

  He said the words with zero inflection like he didn’t give a damn one way or the other. Placing my flute down, I stood. Bane looked up at me, his expression amused. If he was trying to push my buttons, top marks for him.

  “Where are you going?”

  “The bathroom,” I replied, moving off toward the door at the back of the VIP area. I pushed inside to find that it was just one stall inside the room along with a marble sink and a small armchair upholstered in velvet. I turned to lock the outer door when Bane pushed inside, slamming the door shut behind him. He slid the lock into place with finality, and I glared at him.

  “Do you mind?”

  “Yeah, I do,” he growled, coming at me like a starved man. Wrapping one arm around my waist, his hand went to my neck, holding me in place. A rush of excitement skittered through me, the warring emotions of fear and arousal wreaking havoc with my thoughts. Bane pushed his erection into my belly, making me moan.

  “This is what you do to me, Wren.” He flexed his hips again, rolling them with frustrating slowness. “Why do you have to torture me?”

  Me torture him? My fingers tightened around the lapels of his jacket as he thrust against me again.

  I was suddenly breathless as I realized this was exactly what I wanted.

  I wanted him.

  Unleashed.

  Uncaged.

  Savage.

  Tilting my face up to his, I silently begged him for what I needed, for what only he could give me. With a growl that lit up every single one of my nerve endings, he kissed me. I was braced for the same kind of savagery that he seemed to operate on daily, so I was stunned when his lips and mouth were soft against mine. I was struggling to put together the rough, demanding Bane I’d seen and this version here with me now. He backed me into the bathroom countertop, lifting me one-handed over the edge. His other hand was still wrapped around the base of my neck, his fingers tight and demanding.

  Pushing my knees apart, he stood between my legs, dominating my space. I ran my hands over his shoulders and down his back, fucking praying we got to do this again when we weren’t fully dressed. I gasped when his fingers found the edge of my panties. He hooked them out of the way, sliding a finger straight into my drenched pussy.

  He growled against my mouth, the sound vibrating through me, pushing me higher.

  “Fuck, your cunt is so wet.”

  “Yes,” I moaned, lowering my head to kiss his neck. He tasted of that same cologne and something else. I couldn’t place my finger on it, but I knew I would always remember him. Pumping the digit in and out, he slid in a second finger, curling on the upstroke. It felt like electricity was arcing through me, a live wire without grounding. I felt him everywhere. He was everywhere, from his fingers inside my pussy, his taste on my tongue, and the sound of his groans that ratcheted up, matching my moans. It was one erotic scene I had no hope of erasing because once this was done, I knew it would haunt me for the rest of my life.

  Retracting his fingers, he forced my head back and pushed the digits that had been inside my pussy past my lips and teeth, making me taste myself. Greedily, I sucked myself off him, swirling my tongue around the digits. Bane’s eyes darkened, and he pulled my mouth closer, replacing his fingers with his mouth. We kissed like we were about to be separated for a hundred years, both of us unable to stop.

  “I want to see what that mouth of yours can do,” he said in a graveled voice. “But I need my face down in your cunt even more.”

  A whimper escaped my throat. I was surprised I w
as enjoying this dirty talk so much. All my other sexual encounters had been as vanilla as you could get, but this—Bane—was something else.

  Dropping to his knees, he shoved the bottom of my dress up, exposing my pussy to him. He tore at my panties, pulling the stitching free and dropping the pile of lace to the tile floor. He dove in without preamble, urging me closer to the edge of the counter to give him better access. Wrapping his hands under my ass, he held me teetering on the edge while he lapped, sucked, and licked at my pussy. Throwing my hands out, I held myself steady on the walls, my heels digging into his shoulders. Bane growled as he ate me, a starving man in front of a long-desired meal. I threaded my fingers through his hair, holding him against me, grinding my face against his stubble.

  My orgasm caught me by surprise, making me thankful I was already sitting. I screamed out Bane’s name, the syllable ebbing off into a low groan as he teased every single last orgasmic shudder from me.

  I was panting when I finally came back online. I looked down at Bane as he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, wiping away my arousal.

  “Fuck, I need to do that again,” he rumbled, leaning back in between my legs.

  9

  Bane

  I was in fucking heaven.

  Wren tasted like champagne, and I couldn’t get enough. She was edging closer to her second orgasm after only rocking and shuddering through the first about five minutes ago. I was relentless as I attacked her cunt with my mouth. I needed it. I wanted it. I wanted her to be shoved so violently off the edge that I would be the only man alive who could give her this. I needed her addicted to me.

  Her fingers tightened in my hair, her nails scraping against my scalp sending pulses of erotic pain through me. It seemed my Little Bird might enjoy the kind of sex I did if the way she took direction and then just as quickly took charge was any indication. The sounds of her whimpers spurred me on, drowning out every single fucking thing I had going on in my head. When I was with her, I forgot all about the club and the drugs and my dealers. All I could think about was Wren and whether I was making her feel good.

  Her thighs started to quiver as her orgasm approached, and then at the right moment, I slid two fingers into her drenched opening and started to pump them.

  In.

  Out.

  In.

  Out.

  Driving her higher.

  Pushing her…

  … to the edge of ecstasy.

  “Bane,” she whimpered, drawing out my name in one long, guttural moan. I flicked my tongue faster against her clit, curling my fingers inside her, teasing out her orgasm. Her inner walls began to pulse, squeezing, and I got a fucking fantastic idea of what it would feel like with my dick inside her.

  Later.

  That would come later.

  Tonight was all about showing my Little Bird what she was missing out on. Her refusal to take up my offer had stunned me. I thought with her brother’s life on the line, she would do whatever it took. I know if the situation had been reversed, I would’ve done it for Bianca. There had to be more to the story. More than what she was saying.

  When her body finally stilled, I removed my fingers and brought them to my mouth. Her eyes flared with awareness as she watched, but everything about her was relaxed like I could do whatever I wanted to her right now, and she would accept it. Happily.

  Her gaze tracked me as I rose to my feet, hungry for more. I straightened my jacket, pulling the sleeves of my cuffs down. I’d been so crazed by her in her tight fucking dress that I hadn’t even had the forethought to take the damn thing off.

  She slid off the countertop, shimmying her hips to get the fabric of her dress to smooth down. The movement did nothing but jack me up a little higher. Grabbing onto her hips, I spun her around, so she was facing the mirror. I ground my aching cock against her ass, smiling when her eyes shuttered closed. Pushing the hair from the side of her neck, I kissed her there, nipping gently with my teeth.

  “Think about my offer, Wren.”

  Her eyes flared wide, then a frown formed on her face. “That was about the offer?”

  The hurt in her question was like a gunshot to the chest. It had been about the offer, but it had also been because I couldn’t keep my fucking hands to myself. I told her as much because I always believed honestly was the best policy, even if it hurt.

  “I need it in writing, Bane.”

  We were back to that?

  “No.” If my word wasn’t enough, a fucking piece of paper was a moot point.

  Slowly, she turned back around to face me. “I need to know that Hawk’s debts will be gone after these two weeks. I don’t care about what happens between us…” I stiffened at her words, but she pushed on. “I don’t need a Christian Grey-style contract where all the limits are set out.”

  “Good, because that was fucked up. It took all the mystery and fun out of their fucking.”

  Her eyes widened. “You’ve seen the movie?”

  I grunted and folded my arms. “Read the books.”

  The smile that pulled up her lips made my heart stutter. It was amazing. Incandescent. And I had to get her to do that more often.

  “My sister made me.” Her smile widened, and I couldn’t help but lean in to kiss her. “Stop grinning at me like that.”

  “You just caught me by surprise, Bane Rivera.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t fucking say a word to anyone. I’ll deny the shit out of it.”

  The mood that had been lightened suddenly dimmed. “But you’re not going to be able to give me what I want, are you?” She looked at me with such sudden disappointment that the urge to move fucking heaven and earth for her gripped me.

  No woman had made me feel like this before, not in such a short amount of time. I would do anything for my sister, but she was family. Wren was not. But fuck, I wanted her to be more than just something to play with for two weeks. It would be a start, though.

  “It’s too dangerous to have a piece of paper lying around with this sort of shit on it. If the cops got a look at it, I’m fucking done.”

  Fuck, there was that look again.

  Wren wrapped her arms over her chest, her eyes downcast. “Then… there is no deal. I’ll figure out another way to get you the money Hawk owes you.” She walked past me, unlocking the door but not yet opening it. I turned my head to find her studying me, trying to see what, I didn’t know. Wordlessly, she tugged on the handle and let herself out. As the door shut again, the sound of the music throbbing outside in the club was crushed like my fucking hopes that Wren would finally agree. I knew that if it were under any other circumstances, she wouldn’t have me. She was too smart to get tangled up with someone like me, so this deal was all I had left.

  This deal or I let her go.

  But that was never going to fucking happen.

  I rinsed my face of Wren’s cum, then took my time drying it before walking back out into the VIP section. Wren was gone, not that I was surprised. She was a woman who had a fucking backbone, though, and each denial she gave me only made me want to chase her more.

  “Bane,” someone called. I looked over my shoulder to find Evangeline standing there. “Leaving so soon?”

  I shrugged. “My business meeting didn’t go as planned.”

  A small smile flexed the corners of her mouth. “Maybe you shouldn’t conduct business in the private bathroom, then.”

  Fuck, of course, she knew. Evangeline was a ball-busting bitch, and one I considered a friend, but she saw everything.

  “I’ll take that under advisement.” Turning, I left the club and stepped outside. My phone began to ring, so I pulled it from my pocket. It was Dagger.

  “Yeah?”

  “You need to get down here. Syn has lost the fucking plot.”

  Fuck. “On my way.”

  I looked up and down the street for my car, cursing when I saw Andy wasn’t there. I told him to cut laps of the block since I hadn’t intended to stay all that long tonight. As I swung bac
k to look the other way, the town car appeared on the far side of the block. When it pulled up to the curb, I got in, told him where I needed to go, then sat back into the soft leather seat for the return trip.

  When we arrived back at The Dollhouse, I strode through the club and up into my office, ducking to the side when a paperweight came flying at my head. I dodged another projectile, then grabbed Syn around the waist, turning her around, so her back was to my front, and wrapping my other arm over her chest. Why the fuck hadn’t Dagger done this already? I looked around and found him bleeding on the floor. His eyes were pain-fogged as he clutched at his thigh. Blood pooled on the floor beneath him, squeezed out from between his fingers.

  “What the fuck happened?” I roared, trying like hell to contain Syn who was bucking against me wildly.

  “She’s fucked up,” Dagger replied, hissing a little. “She came here looking for you. I told her you were out. She started yelling something about some bitch you were seen talking to earlier, then she hopped on the crazy fucking train and broke the brakes.”

  Goddammit. And this was exactly why I didn’t fuck my Dolls. They think it means something it doesn’t, or in this case, it created a delusion of fucking ownership.

  “Like I fucking need this right now?” I barked at Dagger. It looked like he’d been stabbed in the thigh. Hauling Syn onto the floor, I straddled her waist and pinned her arms above her head. I didn’t want to hurt her. Causing pain to women was not my thing, but if one were going to come at me with a paperweight and a fuckton of jealous energy, then I’d do what I had to.

  “Wendy!” I barked, the use of her real name rather than her stage name snapping her out of her rage. She blinked at me, and the fight drained out of her. Tears welled, and she started to cry.

  “Why, Bane?” she howled. “Why don’t you want me?”

  And there it was. The exact reason I didn’t want her. She was too fucking emotional. Too demanding. Too needy. She was just too much.