Scandalous Billionaire (Titans Book 5)

by Sierra Cartwright

  Perhaps stupidly, she already did.

  “Anything else you want to try?”

  “I’m curious about… Uhm…”

  “Talk to me,” he encouraged. “We need honesty for this to work.”

  She had never been braver in her life than at this moment. “Maybe I will try a blindfold after all.”

  “Would you like to choose one?” He slid open his third drawer.

  There were several nestled on crushed velvet. “Why do you have so many?”

  “They’re different. That one, for example, is bigger than the others and thicker as well. Total blackout. Others are made from different fabric, and they let in varying amounts of light. So it depends on the experience you want.”

  “I’m confused again. I thought the Dominant—or Top—always makes that decision.”

  “When we’ve been together for some time, I will. That takes trust, and it takes me knowing where your limits are.”

  She studied the selection again before selecting one from the middle. Not too thick, but one that would cover her eyes completely.

  “Excellent choice. If it becomes too much, use your safe word.”

  Lizzie nodded. “I will.”

  Next, he picked up a small flogger.

  Her heart stopped.

  No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t look away from it…or his hand.

  “Hold this for me, please?”

  For a moment, she stared at it, wide-eyed, as if it were a serpent. She wasn’t sure whether it was sent to tempt her or bite her.

  With his head cocked to one side, he waited for her compliance.

  This was a mind fuck. He had expectations of her, but she was able to say yes or no? After blowing out a breath that she hoped would clear the sudden fog in her brain, she accepted the handle.

  It was thick and sturdy but lighter than she expected.

  “Make a figure eight with your hand.”

  She did, and she watched the leather falls make a beautiful pattern.

  “Now do it a little faster.”

  There was a difference in the sound and the feel. She glanced up at him.

  “Yes. Exactly. It’s capable of so many different sensations. And it can be mixed up also. Variety. Never knowing what to expect.”

  “I think I understand.”

  “You will. Oh, you will.”

  She lost her grip on the handle, but he caught the implement before it hit the hardwood floor.

  After placing it on a shelf, he reached into the drawer for something else. “I have an additional suggestion for your first experience.”

  This was already too much to take in. How much wilder could he make it?

  Braden pulled out a box.

  Frantically she shook her head. “Candles?”

  “Before you say no, have you ever played with wax?”

  “When I was a kid, yes.” When I was younger and stupider. “I’d pour it into my palm and roll it around.”

  “It cooled off quickly.”

  “Almost right away,” she agreed. “But it stung like hell.” Even though it caused no long-term damage.

  “This is a different kind of wax. It burns at a much cooler temperature.”

  She pursed her lips. “I’m not convinced.” But she didn’t say no. Truthfully she’d enjoyed playing with wax, turning her hand so that the little melted puddle formed different shapes.

  “Let’s try this, then.” He shook one of the candles out, then picked up a lighter from the drawer and touched the flame to the wick.

  Obstinately she placed her hands behind her back, and he smiled.

  Then he extended his palm and drizzled a few drops on it before moving on to his forearm. He didn’t flinch even once. “Try it?”

  She was fascinated. Either he was working hard not to betray a reaction, or it really didn’t hurt.

  “Lizzie, you have a safe word. Or humor me.”

  “Fine.” She extended one hand, and cleverly he clamped down on her wrist so she couldn’t pull away.

  In scared fascination, she watched him raise the tapered candle and slowly tip it to one side.

  The first red drop seemed to fall forever. Then it landed, with the lightest, warmest of touches.

  “Well?”

  “My palm has thick skin.” She’d liked it. But she had no idea where he planned to do it next. “It has to feel different on my naked body.”

  “Does it?”

  Still holding her, he released another bit of wax, this time from a closer distance.

  Even though it was warmer than the previous one, it was nothing like she’d experienced when playing with candles on her own.

  Instantly the droplet hardened over.

  “It looks beautiful. Doesn’t it?”

  The husky approval in his voice arced straight through her. And he was right. The way it combined with the other one was mesmerizing.

  “Are you willing to try it on your forearm?”

  “Yes,” she whispered as she screwed her eyes closed.

  Even though Braden chuckled, he was undeterred.

  A tiny sting seeped into her, followed by another and another. She opened her eyes to see him stroking her with his thumb, making small concentric circles. “You were right.”

  He met her eyes. “How’s that?”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “What was the pain level, on a scale of one to ten?”

  “Not much over a two.” The way he was touching her, with possession wrapped around sensuality, was pretty close to a ten.

  “Should we add it to tonight’s play?”

  “I want to try it.”

  “Anywhere I want?”

  Breath vaporized from her lungs. Anywhere? It was about trust, but also about taking chances. A little part of her wanted to hold on to control. “I can still use my safe word if I change my mind?” She knew him well enough to guess where he was talking about.

  “Of course. Always.”

  “If you mean it…” What was she getting into? “Yes.”

  His smile of approval made her giddy. It was very much part of his charm, and already she was becoming addicted to it.

  “You’re ready?”

  On some level, she knew they’d already started, but she appreciated him being so purposeful. “I am.” Her voice warbled so much that the words were almost unintelligible.

  Lizzie drank in a little breath as he rewrapped her wrists.

  Then, holding the ends of the tie, he drew her toward his bedroom. At the sight of his broad, strong back, her mind reeled. Being led like this—a true act of submission—was mind-blowing. Nerves collided with sensual awakening and shot a flood of heat through her.

  When they reached the foot of the bed, he stopped. But her body hummed with anticipation. He was her Top, and she was his very willing bottom.

  “I want you to stand here without moving.”

  His words were phrased politely, but they had barbed wire beneath them, strong and pointed.

  Lizzie remained where he indicated while he fetched the other toys from his closet and placed them on a nightstand. He left her alone in the room and then returned a minute later with a thick sheet of sorts.

  Intrigued, she watched while he spread it on top of the comforter. She expected him to tell her to climb up onto it, but he didn’t. Instead, he crossed to a chair and sat. “Come to me, Elizabeth.”

  The use of her full name startled her. He’d done it on purpose, she knew. He was changing their relationship, making it more formal, and it had a dizzying effect on her.

  Her feet were leaden as she covered the short distance to stand before him, hands secured in front of her, exposed in a way she’d never been before.

  “Good.” He smiled again, and she took a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

  His kindness gave her courage.

  “Spread your legs wide.”

  He offered no assistance. Instead he sat there, expecting her obedience.

&n
bsp; This whole thing was more emotionally challenging than she’d imagined it might be. But after hesitating for only a fraction of a second, she did as he said.

  “I adore your trust.” He trailed a finger up the inside of her right thigh and continued until he reached her pussy.

  Lizzie moaned when he pulled away.

  Then he rubbed between her labia. She wanted to hold on to him and bury her face in his shoulder. As if he knew that, he placed a restraining hand on her hip. With her hands tied, she was powerless to do much more than wiggle.

  He stroked her and teased her, bringing her to the point of arousal again. Already he knew how to coax responses from her body.

  “Now for your first spanking.” He released the silken knot before assisting her over his lap. “Touch your fingers to the floor.”

  Once she was in position, he jostled her so that she was awkwardly perched, her rear end thrust into the air. Blood rushed to her face, and she knew it was more from embarrassment than from being upside down.

  She tensed her muscles, anticipating his first spank and the sear of pain that would come with it.

  As always, he surprised her. He caressed her thighs and buttocks, making her relax in ways that words would never accomplish.

  Then he delivered dozens of small taps that turned her on.

  “Do you like this?”

  It was too humiliating to admit how much he was arousing her.

  “Elizabeth?”

  He paused as he waited for her answer. Cheeks heating, she nodded, but he still didn’t continue. “Yes.” It was a whisper, a confession.

  He began rubbing her skin again, this time a little faster and harder than before. “You’re doing well. Don’t struggle against whatever is happening to you. Go with it.”

  Was he part mind reader?

  He spanked her again, harder, then harder still. When she was whimpering, certain she couldn’t take any more, he stroked her pussy, then slid a finger inside her.

  “Oh!” She moaned. This was amazing. The spanking pushed her somewhere deep inside her mind, but the way he toyed with her brought her back into her body. The combination was powerful. Suddenly she understood why so many people sought this out.

  With slow strokes, he slipped his finger in and out of her, making her wet. She wriggled in a vain attempt to get him to go deeper inside her or bring her to orgasm.

  “We’ll go at my pace.” He trapped her legs between his much more powerful ones, leaving her helpless.

  She whimpered, and he rewarded her with another sharp dozen spanks and then going back deep inside her again with two fingers spread apart.

  Overwhelmed, she cried out his name.

  “Enough?”

  “No!” Not even close.

  From her peripheral vision, she saw him pick up the flogger. She tensed. But he did nothing more than trail the soft leather strands over her shoulders, down her back, across her thighs and ass cheeks before dangling them between her legs.

  Then abruptly he tossed the toy onto the nightstand. Then, without speaking, he continued fucking her with his hand until she shattered, coming for him.

  Her fingertips could no longer hold her up, and she collapsed, her palms on the floor for support. Tenderly Braden turned her over and gathered her against his chest.

  Suddenly chilled, she snuggled into him.

  “That was your first spanking.”

  Not wanting this heady feeling to go away, she remained where she was until her breathing returned to normal.

  Before she was quite ready, he helped her up.

  “I’d like you to sit at the foot of the bed, Elizabeth.”

  That tone… It was as uncompromising as it was forceful. Already, he had the ability to make her mind whirl into a place she’d never been before.

  A little unsteadily, she managed the few steps that took her to the middle of the room. Braden remained where he was, watching her. Were her buttocks red? With as tender as her skin felt, they had to be.

  Once she was perched on the edge, he stood and walked to her. “Scoot back a little.”

  With a little hip shimmy, something she was certain looked ungainly, she did.

  “A bit farther, until your bottom is about eighteen inches from me.”

  Once he had her where he wanted her, he took hold of her shoulders and eased her down.

  “Part your legs so I have access to your pussy.”

  Fighting off the instinctive embarrassment, she followed his order.

  “Perfect. You’ll be rewarded with extra spanks for that.”

  “What?” Extra spanks for behaving?

  He left her to reach for the tie, and she turned her head to the side so she could follow his movements. While she watched in fascinated fear, he wrapped its length around one hand, then slowly unwound it before returning to drop it next to her waist.

  Then he picked up the blindfold and offered it to her. “Put it on, Elizabeth.”

  This part was scarier than she’d imagined. Holding on to a vision of him, she placed the elastic band around her head, then secured the soft black material across her eyes.

  “That’s sexy. Now place your hands above your head.”

  Slowly she did, wondering where he was, what he was thinking. She was more aware of her body than she had ever been—her hard nipples, the waltz of goose bumps, the dampness between her legs, the scent of sex on her.

  He tied her wrists together. “Go ahead and test the bonds.”

  She did, and there was very little slack. He slipped his finger between her skin and the fabric. Checking the fit for himself?

  Light, stingy kisses assailed her, and she thrashed about.

  He had to be using the flogger, and he was using it on every inch of exposed skin—her shins, ribs, shoulders, even her breasts. Not knowing where the tips would land was maddening. “I love it.”

  “And leather loves you, Elizabeth.” He let the strands fall on her pussy—not hard, but enough to make her suck in her breath.

  Then his mouth was on her, and he was licking her clitoris and pressing his tongue into her.

  She needed to touch him and couldn’t. She tossed her head from side to side, unsure if she was trying to escape or asking him to fill her completely.

  His oral skills undid her, and she came against his mouth. “Braden!”

  Relentlessly, he used the flogger there again, then soothed the hurt with another orgasm.

  She lost track of the climaxes and hundreds, even thousands, of bites from his flogger. Lizzie was panting, begging, pleading, offering her whole body to him. She was his to take and use as he pleased.

  Then suddenly his voice penetrated the now familiar place his sex games spiraled her into.

  “Are you ready for what’s next, Elizabeth?”

  Lizzie froze. How could anything possibly exceed what they’d already done? No matter how apprehensive she was, she wanted to experience everything he had planned for her.

  Chapter Five

  Damn. Before he pushed away from the bed, Braden took a moment to sweep his gaze over Lizzie’s lush, naked body, pink from his flogger. Her long hair was sexy in its mussed disarray. In this moment of wild abandon, Lizzie was even more fucking spectacular than usual.

  She tugged against her bondage as she sucked in shallow breaths, and she wiggled about, wordlessly seeking his touch.

  His cock throbbed with incessant demand, but he forced himself to ignore it in favor of pleasing her.

  He’d never interacted with anyone in quite this way. His reputation was well earned. Braden knew it, and while he wasn’t proud of it, he’d done little to change it. When he scened, he did so with submissives at the local club, and when he dated, it was only with women who understood who he was and made relatively few demands on his time. He was happy to provide lavish gifts and expensive trips, but he’d been unfailingly frank about his decision to remain single.

  Braden now realized it wasn’t just his heart that he kept caged. He’d also
extended the bars of his self-imposed jail around all of his emotions. Anger was a rare occurrence. He siphoned the energy from it and channeled it into making money. He spent time with Rafe Sterling and other Titans, members of the Zeta Society. But for the most part, he was content running his business and working out.

  But Lizzie was different.

  From the moment he saw her in his closet, something had been different for him. He wanted her with a fierceness he’d never experienced before.

  After he kissed her, he realized it was more than that. The scent of her remained in his room and on his body.

  At the party, she’d been every bit as in charge as the planner had been. She was competent and coolly collected. No doubt those were traits that made her great in her job as well. But they’d also be fabulous in a wife.

  Fuck.

  A wife?

  Not once had he considered getting married. A few of his friends had fallen in love. Jaxon Mills had been the first to go, and damn, he’d toppled hard. He’d even heard rumors that Jack Quinn was smitten with Sinead O’Malley, an up-and-coming musician and songwriter from an enemy clan.

  While Braden celebrated with his friends when they started looking at diamond rings, he silently questioned their sanity. Why bother? Half—or more—marriages ended in hellishly expensive divorces. And how many of the ones that lasted were happy unions? He had to look no further than his own parents for that answer. Married over thirty years. Living in separate houses for more than two decades. Not for him.

  But Lizzie…

  When he’d needed a break from his grandparents’ celebration, he sought her out. Kissing her was spectacular. Her responses were honest and uninhibited. He couldn’t wait to get her alone, and their connection grounded him. He liked having her in his house, and in his life, and especially his bed.

  What would it take to keep her there?

  Taking care not to tug on her hair, Braden removed her blindfold.

  She blinked against the light and fixed her gaze on him before gifting him with a slow, soft smile.

  “I want to watch your reactions.” He stood to light the tapered candlestick. “Keep your legs spread. Unless you would like me to tie them for you?”

  Frantically she shook her head, but she didn’t protest or use a safe word. Which meant she trusted him.