And again.
I didn’t trust myself to speak. I knew my words would betray me.
“No words, Anais?”
I still didn’t respond.
“Such a shame. After all, I’m enjoying you in this position.”
Another slap met my flesh. There was no way that my ass wasn’t turning pink by now.
“I think we’ve reached an understanding now, don’t you?” His words flew across me like a weighted blanket as his hands started a war on my body. They massaged the places he’d hit as they made their way to my center. Damien shifted my shorts and my underwear to the side letting a small breeze tickle my pussy. He slid two fingers inside of me and chuckled at what he found.
“You’re soaking wet. I think you enjoyed that quite a bit. And I’d bet you enjoyed the show you put on for me yesterday too.”
Before I could even think to speak, his hand started moving faster. A moan fell from my lips, the first sound I’d made in minutes. My breathing came out in pants as I tried to control my body’s reaction to his motions, but it was useless. My body hadn’t orgasmed in months and it was primed and ready for one right now.
“Are you close?” he asked.
All I could do was nod my head as I buried my face into his thigh. The sensations were so intense that it took all of my control to not roll off of his lap.
“I could stop right here and end it all.”
When he stopped moving his fingers, I screamed, “No! Please don’t stop.”
He let out a noncommittal grunt and slapped my ass again before sticking his fingers back inside me. It was almost as if he hadn’t stopped and I was ready and revving to go once more.
And it was then that he laid one last strike on my ass that sent me soaring and it was only because of my face being stuck in his lap that my scream was muffled this time. I hadn’t expected to feel the rush of emotions that came about as a result of him playing with me on my living room couch.
“I’m in control of all of this. Next time you go against my orders, there’ll be plenty more slaps and you’ll count each one out loud. Now let’s go.”
There was no way both of us were going to make it out of these next twenty-nine days intact.
12
Anais
It took a few moments for me to pull myself together after Damien let me up. I headed into my bedroom to put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Then I threw some clothing in my bag. I figured an overnight duffle would be enough for now. I could return to my apartment in a few days to get more things. I also grabbed my work bag, thankful that I hadn’t bothered to take anything out of that and threw it over my shoulder. Just as I was walking out of my bedroom, Damien hung up the phone.
“Glad to see you’re finally listening to directions. Better late than never. Let’s go.”
I bit my tongue as he walked to my front door and opened it. I snatched my phone off the coffee table and followed in his footsteps. Once I had locked up, I followed Damien down to the car where Rob was patiently waiting.
Rob helped load my things and opened the door to let me in. I quickly scrambled into the car, making enough room for Damien to fall in behind me, and raised an eyebrow at him when he didn’t.
“I have another meeting that I need to attend not too far from here. Rob is going to take you to my place so you can get settled. I’ll check on you after the meeting is over.” Part of me wondered what kind of meeting he could have on this side of town. I didn’t ask, scared to think that it might be something I didn’t want to know. I saw his face as he left me in this car. Between the furrowed brow and the darkening of his blue gaze, I worried for the safety of anyone who was on the other end of the conversation with him. I nodded my head, and Damien took a step back, allowing Rob to close the door. When Rob pulled off, I strained my neck a little to look behind me, to see where Damien was. He had already started walking down the street, like a man on mission.
It didn’t take long to get us back to Damien’s. Rob opened the door for me and offered to grab my bags, which I accepted. Once we were inside, Rob turned to me and said, “Here’s the key to the front door and my business card. I’ll take your things up to your room.”
Rob brought my bags through the foyer and down a hall where I was able to get glimpses of Damien’s home. From what I could piece together, his home was impersonal. There were no family pictures or books that I could see. It almost seemed as if he just came here to eat and sleep before hopping back up to conquer the next company.
The enormous TV I saw hanging on the wall when I glanced into the living room looked to have all the bells and whistles and screamed bachelor pad. I followed Rob until he stopped at an elevator and I gasped. Of course, Damien would have an elevator in his home.
When we entered, Rob pressed the number four, and the elevator took us to that floor. Neither one of us said a word. When we stepped off the elevator, Rob showed me to my room and placed my bags inside and then went back to stand in the hallway.
“You are not to go to the top floor at any point. Let me know if you need anything.” And with that, he was off.
His warning followed him out of my room and when the door clicked shut, silence crept in, creating an unsettling feeling. The bedroom I was staying in looked like a dream come true with its wooden floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a king-size bed that required me to climb into it. It resembled a hotel room and that I was okay with. If my ten-year-old self could see this bedroom, I knew she would describe it as a bright neutral-colored room that reminded her of a princess room without the frills. The room was decorated in whites, grays, blush, and other neutrals. The room had a few abstract paintings in those colors hanging on the wall and the bed was piled high with pillows. I loved the ivory roses that were sitting on one of the end tables. Who wouldn’t want to stay here if the circumstances were different?
I turned to the dresser and found several pieces of paper and a pen. I took my time reading through the document and saw that it was two copies of a contract dictating that Damien would wipe my father’s debt clean if the conditions of our arrangement were met. His signature was on the last page. He had kept his word. Feeling wary about signing a contract that a lawyer hadn’t looked over, I did it anyway and placed it back on the dresser.
I began unpacking and neatly placed my things in one of the dresser drawers. After that, I took a step back before pivoting to head to what I thought would be a closet. When I opened the door, I gasped in both surprise and horror.
The closet was filled to the brim with women’s clothes. Clothes in all different colors and styles, including dresses, slacks, jeans, and T-shirts. It was much more than I could have ever dreamed. I could only imagine how much these things were worth. I pulled out a red dress and checked the tag. I was shocked that he got my size right, and then I was shocked it was Valentino, which I knew could retail for several thousand dollars. Had he bought these specifically for me or were these hand-me-downs from another mistress?
I picked up a white cashmere sweater and felt the material between my fingertips. This was without a doubt the real thing given how soft the fabric felt and I knew this sweater alone had to cost a couple hundred dollars. What was the point in buying me these clothes? To make sure that I fit neatly into his world? Although I enjoyed having new clothes like the next person, irritation rose in my body, because I didn’t know what the purpose of all of this was. Thoughts of whether or not I should switch rooms crossed my mind because it would irritate him, but I decided it wasn’t worth the hassle. Plus, I loved the room that I was staying in so that solidified my decision to stay.
I grabbed my phone from my back pocket, snapped a picture, and sent it to Ellie. After debating the idea in my head for a moment, I waited to talk to Damien about all this in person the next time I saw him. I tossed my phone onto the bed and continued unpacking, but it didn’t take me long to get settled, since I didn’t bring much. As evidenced by the wall-to-wall clothes in the closet, I didn’t need the
little I had brought.
Once I left the bedroom, I debated going downstairs to the living room or going upstairs to his bedroom and looking around. Curiosity got the best of me and I listened for any sounds. I softly strolled over to the stairs. Hearing no one, I walked up the stairs when I reached the top level, my eyes ventured off to look at the only door that was closed. Something told me that that was the master bedroom. I approached the door and tried the doorknob, but it didn’t budge.
I rolled my eyes. I should have known he would have locked the door, given that he was forcing me to move in here and he knew I would be alone in the house at some point. Part of me wanted to pick the lock, but I didn’t want a charge of breaking and entering on top of whatever punishment he would dole out. His punishment was meant to “correct” my behavior, but the opposite happened. The spanking made me feel more alive and aroused, something that I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years. It was the quickest I had ever found my release, wonderful in theory, but I hated the idea that I wanted to do it again.
I turned around and headed back down the stairs. As I reached the landing, I heard the front door open. I nearly jumped out of my skin at how close I’d been to having to explain myself to Damien.
I put a hand on my heart as I tried to slow my breathing down and walked over to the stairs to meet Damien. Once I reached the next floor, the man of the hour looked at me with a raised brow.
“What are you doing?” His voice was thick with suspicion.
“I was walking back from my room. Last I knew, I could do that without having to run it by you.” Technically, what I said wasn’t accurate, but he didn’t need to know that.
He shrugged, accepting my answer. “You should have everything you need. I’ll take you on a tour of the rest of the house and if you need anything, Rob is the person who you should call.”
“Okay.”
He nodded and checked his watch and looked back at me. There was something brewing behind those crystal blue eyes, but I knew he wouldn’t tell me. “Lunch should be delivered in about an hour.”
“Sounds good.”
Damien started to leave but stopped as he reached the door. He turned to look at me over his shoulder. “Anais, if you ever try to open my bedroom door without permission again, you won’t like the consequences.”
With that, he left me standing there speechless, wondering how he knew I had ventured to the top floor.
Damien had to take a call from work, so I ate lunch alone. I was glad. It gave me some breathing room, something I so desperately needed after having to shift my entire life to fit his. It was quite lonely, and I had only been here for less than a day. I usually took lunch meetings or would get lunch with a coworker so not having anyone around was strange. I looked around some more, purposefully avoiding his bedroom because there was no way I was getting in there anyway with him being home.
The sights I saw earlier barely scratched the surface of everything there was to do in Damien’s home. I found out that he had a chef’s kitchen, a gym, and what I’m sure might become my favorite room in the house, the wine room. Although the house looked compact on the outside, due to it being a townhouse, it had more amenities than anyone could ever want on its five floors, and that didn’t include the terrace on the roof. Plus, it was in a prime location in NoHo. I could see why he wanted this place.
I daydreamed about what it would be like living here full time before shaking my head. There was no way that I could live with Damien. Now, if he moved and decided to leave me the house that would be a different story. How I wasn’t about to crash from pure exhaustion right now was beyond me, but I knew I was running on pure adrenaline. I decided to go work out in his home gym.
When I got back to my room, I realized that although I’d worn my running sneakers over, I hadn’t brought any workout clothes. I walked over to the giant closet that was filled to the brim with clothes. I searched around and found something appropriate to work out in and threw on a black sports bra and black workout leggings. The clothes fit well, almost like a second skin, and the fabric was breathable.
“How did he know my size?” I asked the empty room, not expecting an answer. The thought troubled me, but there wasn’t much I could do about it at the moment.
I checked that my French braid still looked decent and grabbed my phone before walking toward the stairs.
I walked downstairs to the gym. There were quite a few machines including an elliptical, an exercise bike, and a treadmill, which was what I was hoping for. I also found some water bottles, some towels, and an extremely fancy water dispenser. I did a mental high five because I didn’t need to go back upstairs to the kitchen to retrieve the water I had forgotten.
It didn’t take me long to grab some water and to get set up on the treadmill. Once I had a podcast queued up and I finished my workout warm-up, I was ready to go. I was in the zone as I ran and listened to the words of social media leaders talk about the latest trends. It provided a great way to ignore that I was jogging in place versus actually being out and about on hilly terrains and smooth walkways.
Exercise was great for my brain and allowed me to feel as if the fog that was around me was clearing up. Once I finished my cardio, I hopped off the treadmill and wiped it down. I grabbed my towel and wiped the sweat from my body. Then I started doing my abdominal exercises on the floor in one corner of the room. I closed my eyes as I let the movements take over and tried to breathe deeply while I was performing each move.
“This isn’t how I expected to see you, on your back.”
Damien’s voice was louder than the podcast episode and I jumped, interrupting the groove that I had going.
“Don’t stop on my account.”
“I was just wrapping up anyway. You can leave now.”
By my tone, anyone else would have backed away, but Damien took several steps closer. He was in my personal space and acted as if it were his own.
“Don’t you have something to do outside of bothering me?”
“I’m not bothering you because I own you. I tell you what to do, remember? Or do I need to remind you?”
I huffed. “What do you want?”
“I was looking for you because I wanted to. Your sessions start now.”
“Nope. You don’t get to order me around whenever you please.”
He reached out with his hand and gently grazed my cheek. “That’s exactly what I get to do.” He dropped his hand as if my cheek burned him. “You have exactly twenty minutes to shower and when you are done, you are to be naked, facedown, ass up on your bed.”
“And if I’m not?”
“Don’t test me. You won’t like the consequences, Spitfire.”
13
Anais
I stood in front of the mirror looking at myself. If I had any sense of self-preservation, I should be walking into my bedroom and presenting myself to Damien. In part, the thought of that made me sick. What made me want to shake myself was that being with Damien made me…excited, and I hated him and my body for it. The thought of him putting his fingers inside of me again made me wet, but I’d never admit that to him. I tightened the robe that I threw on after my shower and heard my bedroom door open.
I knew I was in trouble.
“You refuse to do as I say at all costs, don’t you?” He was leaning on the door frame of the bathroom and I stared at him through the mirror. “Let’s see if you understand this. Go stand near the bed.”
I turned around and he moved out of the way, barely giving me enough room to get by him. When my body brushed up against his, my desire for him grew, even though I couldn’t stand him. This time I did what he asked, and I stood near the foot of the bed.
“Spitfire, now was that so hard?”
“Oh, go fuck yourself.”
“No. I’m going to fuck you. Do you know how long I’ve waited for this moment? I’ve been very patient with your smart mouth, but maybe now it’s time I fuck it.”
He looked at me, studying m
e like he was a predator, and I was his prey. I knew I was about to meet my end. He was still dressed in his suit and put his hand on his bulge, feeling himself through his pants. I wasn't sure if I’d ever seen anything more mesmerizing.
My heart rate quickened, and my breathing became more and more heavy to the point where I wondered if I was going to hyperventilate from watching him touch himself. He hadn’t whipped his cock out yet but based on the bulge that had formed in his pants I knew he was hard. He took measured steps toward me and when he was finally standing just inches away, he placed his index finger under my chin and lifted my head up so that I looked at him. My eyes were drawn to his lips and lingered a bit before they made their way up to his eyes. I gasped when I realized that this man had given me an orgasm, yet our lips had only touched once.
Until now.
I had never been one to get hot and bothered over kissing.
Until now.
When his lips landed on mine, my mind lost all thoughts of anything except Damien. My primary goal was now making sure that Damien Cross, one of the most powerful men in New York City, lost control.
The kiss became harder and he captured my lips between his teeth, tugging on my lower lip before consuming me once more. It caused my temperature to spike and sent my pulse racing as we both tried to get as close as we physically could to one another. With his body on mine, his hard body against my softer one, I was eager to rip his clothes off. That thought jolted me since I couldn’t stand Damien, but I chalked it up to not having sex in months. A few seconds later, he slipped his tongue between my lips and groaned in response as our tongues declared war with one another, neither one of us wanting to be the winner for fear that it might stop. The sweltering heat that this kiss brought to my body was enough to send me off and we hadn’t done anything else. Yet.
Savage Empire: An Enemies to Lovers Dark Billionaire Romance (Broken Cross Book 1) Page 9