Black Light: Scandalized

by Grant, Livia

  Her face fell, tears springing to her eyes. He moved closer and despite her slapping him away, managed to pull her into his arms. He held her tight until she stopped wiggling.

  “Listen,” he whispered softly against her ear. “Early in my career, I let fame go to my head. I’m not proud of it, but I was pretty promiscuous for a couple of years in my early twenties. I had women throwing themselves at me everywhere I went and was too young to understand they were just using me—either for my money or to get their fifteen minutes of fame. But I used them, too, to try all kinds of kinky shit and figure out what I liked and didn’t.”

  “So, all of those stories in the tabloids are true?”

  “Fuck no. But they aren’t all wrong either. Nothing is ever that black and white, baby.”

  “Okay.” She sniffled before adding, “I asked. It helps to understand where I stand.”

  Shane yanked out of their hug in a flash.

  “Now wait just a damn minute. My answer to that question has nothing to do with where you stand with me.”

  “Of course, it does. I’m just one of a long string of…”

  He clamped his hand over her mouth to keep her from finishing that sentence.

  “Let me set you straight. That shit was in my past. I’ve been focusing on my career for the last several years, and yes, while I’ve been in a few relationships, they weren’t that serious. And for the record… none of the women I would have considered a girlfriend ever let me rim them.”

  She didn’t answer, but he noticed the slight nod of her head to acknowledge his answer. The vulnerable look in her eyes woke a protective side of him he hadn’t seen in a long time. He’d started the game, planning to ask her all kinds of sexy questions that would make her blush, but at that moment, a better—more important— question popped into his brain and wouldn’t let go.

  The knock on the door announced their food and wine had arrived. He decided to drop the question before he answered the door.

  “My turn. I’ll go get the food while you think about your answer. Ready?”

  Nalani nodded, her eyes growing wider as she saw how nervous he’d gotten.

  “Nalani… will you go to the Oscars with me one week from today?”

  Chapter 10

  She had to have heard him wrong. There was absolutely no way the playboy, Shane Covington, had just asked her to attend the most important Hollywood event of the year. She sat on the sofa in stunned silence as Shane took the tray from Avery at the door. Nalani was relieved he hadn’t let her friend into the room far enough to see that Nalani was there… in a robe… looking well fucked.

  Shane carried the large room service tray over to the coffee table between the couch and the roaring fire. The pizza smelled heavenly, and Nalani’s tummy rumbled. She hadn’t eaten much before heading to meet Shane at Black Light. She’d been too nervous.

  Unfortunately, she wasn’t any less nervous now. On the contrary, she felt like she was about to jump out of her skin.

  “Here you go. Take a few swigs of wine before you answer me.”

  Nalani did as she was told, gulping half her glass down as he pressed her.

  “So? Say, yes.”

  “I need you to repeat your question. I think I misheard you.”

  “You didn’t.”

  Nalani laughed manically before replying.

  “Won’t your current date be a bit upset by you inviting me?”

  He grinned slyly, placing the platter of pizza between them on the couch.

  “Is that your sneaky way of asking me if I’m dating someone?” He didn’t wait for her answer before taking a big bite.

  “No. It was my not-so-sneaky way of telling you that you’ve lost your mind.”

  She picked up a slice of pizza and took her own bite to avoid saying more.

  “For the record, I have no date planned. I’m not that big of an asshole, I’d ditch someone this close to the event if I had a date lined up. I took my mom last year, but my parents had the nerve to go on a cruise this year, so she’s not available. I was gonna just go alone.”

  She vaguely remembered seeing pictures of Shane with his mom on the red carpet as she’d watched coverage the year before.

  “Why in the world would you go alone? You could snap your fingers and have a thousand dates tomorrow?”

  He took another bite before answering.

  “I don’t want a thousand dates.” He pinned her with a devilish grin. “I just want you.”

  “You’re crazy! You don’t even know me.”

  “I know you blush beautifully when I push you out of your comfort zone, and I know you make this really sexy sound when you come. What more do I need to know?”

  That mischievous grin he was flashing her should be outlawed. How the hell was she supposed to keep her wits about her with that?

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe my last name for starters? My favorite color? That I’m not a crazy mass murderer?”

  “Okay, I do want to know your last name, but only so I can have my assistant get all the arrangements made for next weekend. And I’d love to know every little thing about you, including your favorite color, but it’s hardly a matter of national security.” He snuck another bite of pizza in before ending with, “I’m pretty sure anyone who gets woozy when they cut their own palm on a shard of glass wouldn’t be able to handle the blood a mass murder would need to. In fact, I’m feeling pretty confident we can rule out the entire class of felonies where you’re concerned.”

  Holy shit. Her heart skipped a beat at his stray comment. She tried to control her reaction. There was no way he knew shit about her, it had just been a random comment. And there was no fucking way she was talking about that part of her life, not with Shane Covington, and not here, where she worked.

  “So?” He pressed her, opening a bottle of beer for himself.

  “So, what?”

  “Will you go with me?”

  “Absolutely not! You’re insane for even asking.”

  “That’s bullshit. We’ll have fun.”

  “No, we won’t. I’d be a nervous wreck.”

  “But…”

  “Shane, we haven’t even gone out to dinner yet, let alone go to one of the biggest events of the year—where hundreds of photographers will be circling like sharks.”

  “I’ve never heard a more accurate description of the media circus. Well done.”

  “So, why would I want to subject myself to that? No, thanks.”

  She knew in her heart she was doing the right thing, but that didn’t stop a small part of her from wondering what it must feel like to attend the Oscars on the arm of someone like Shane Covington, hob-nobbing with the movie industry’s rich and famous. She shook her head, trying to get the picture out of her brain. It would be insane to go on the red carpet with Shane.

  “Fine, but I’m going to keep working on you this week.”

  “Didn’t you already have to turn in your RSVP?”

  “Probably, but I’m Shane Covington. Every once in a while, that has benefits. Now… what is your last name?”

  “How many questions do you get each turn?” she teased him.

  “As many as I want. Didn’t you hear? I’m Shane Covington.” God, that grin should win its own gold statue.

  “You might have mentioned that,” she deadpanned.

  “Does that change your mind about next Sunday?”

  “Sorry, it’s actually working against you, to be honest.”

  “Ouch. Brutal.”

  “Yes, that’s exactly how the paparazzi would be to me if I showed up with you.”

  “Oh, you’ll wrap them around your little finger. With your beauty, they’ll trip over themselves, trying to get the dirt on you.”

  There it was again. Her heart lurched, understanding for the first time just how dangerous spending time with Shane Covington was for her. Her brain shouted at her to get up and walk out—right now before she fell even harder.

  Unfortunately, the rest of
her body disagreed with her brain, and her body won the battle. She couldn’t leave—not yet.

  But she couldn’t go out in public with Shane either.

  “So, I think you should stick with the easy question. My last name is Ione.”

  “That’s nice and easy. Nalani Ione,” he said, trying her full name on for size.

  She was desperate to change the subject, taking another bite as she scrambled to come up with her next question.

  “I know you get to travel a lot. What’s your favorite place you’ve ever visited?”

  “New Zealand. Hands down. It’s breathtaking. I’m trying to get back there.”

  She knew next to nothing about New Zealand other than it was very far away, but seeing the glee in his eyes as he talked about it, well, it made her want to go there too. She’d have to settle for Googling it when she got home.

  “My turn.” She knew she wasn’t going to like the question coming by the gleam in his eye. “What’s your favorite thing I’ve done to your body so far?”

  She could feel her face burning red, in part because the fire was making the room extra warm, but more because he’d reminded her of all intimate things they’d done together. She’d thought she hated some of it as it was happening, but looking back, she’d loved every single minute of their time together.

  “Nalani…”

  “What? You know already I…”

  “Loved when I did this…?” He reached across into her robe to squeeze her breast, tweaking her nipple. He abruptly moved his hand lower, opening her robe, reaching for her pussy. “Or did you prefer when I was touching here?”

  She closed her eyes, letting her head fall back, enjoying his hands on her body, then those talented fingers were gone.

  She opened her eyes to see him grinning again. “Not yet, baby. I need to learn a few more things about you before we get to play another round.”

  Frustrated, she reached out for another slice of pizza.

  “Fine. But it’s my turn.”

  * * *

  Two hours and dozens of questions later, Nalani had almost succeeded in forgetting she was sitting on the lap of Shane Covington, the Academy Award-winning actor. He’d been true to his promise, opening up to her, sharing everything from his own favorite color, green, to his biggest dreams, and everything in between.

  For the most part, she’d been open with him too, only holding back when he’d tried to learn more about her childhood and family. She wasn’t ready to share that part of her life with him yet, so she hedged. It wasn’t necessarily that she didn’t trust him—in spite of all the crazy things he’d done to her body, she did.

  She tried to hide her yawn. She was having so much fun, she didn’t want their night to end, but she had come to the conclusion it would be too dangerous to sleep over. Having sex and pizza with Shane was precarious enough. Actually sleeping with him… waking up in his bed… just seemed too intimate.

  “I should get going.”

  “Don’t you dare make me chain you to the bed. Don’t think for a minute I won’t.”

  “Shane…”

  “Don’t Shane me. You have two days off. You aren’t leaving tonight. Anyway, it’s not safe for you to be out and about. It’s almost midnight.”

  “I don’t turn into a pumpkin at the strike of twelve, you know,” she said, secretly pleased he was so adamant about her staying. She didn’t really want to leave. She just didn’t want to get her heart trampled when whatever this was happening between them ended.

  And it would end. He hadn’t hidden that he’d been with more women than he could count. He was a player, a Dom—larger than life.

  She was a nobody—a housekeeper, scratching out an honest living. She didn’t doubt Shane enjoyed playing with her since making her blush was a turn-on for him, but that would be all there was to this relationship. They would have some fun, then he’d move on. The best she could hope for was to not get her heart broken.

  While she’d been pondering their future, or lack thereof, Shane got busy loosening the tie of her robe, groping and pinching until Nalani broke out into a fit of giggles.

  “That tickles!”

  His mouth clamped down on her neck, sucking hard enough, she suspected he was leaving a mark. She welcomed it. Like the cut on her palm, his mark would help remind her this fairytale weekend had really happened.

  Nalani wiggled, trying her best to make the tickling stop but ended up flipped over Shane’s lap on her tummy. She struggled to free herself, but he was too strong, wrestling her into submission without much effort, but then again, she wasn’t really fighting that hard.

  The cool air of the room hit her bare ass a split second before she registered the circle of fire where he’d spanked her right butt cheek, followed by a paired smack to her other cheek.

  “Now… it’s time to show you how I handle naughty submissives who try to slink off into the night when they know perfectly well they’re supposed to be warming my bed. I mean, who the hell is going to suck my cock in the middle of the night when I wake up with a hard-on? That’s your duty, young lady.”

  His fingers moved lower, grazing her pussy and reigniting their chemistry. With each passing second, her resolve to go home weakened until his probing fingers reduced her to a melting pile of goo.

  He was an artist, strumming her body until it was humming with need. Then it stopped, and those wet fingers moved in for a different target.

  Nalani went wild, struggling as he clamped her tight against his body as his wet fingers breached her private pucker. She’d had the butt plug out just long enough, the new insertion stretched her uncomfortably.

  “Please! Not there!” She flailed as best she could, to no avail.

  “Oh, kitten, we’re gonna have to work on training this hole.”

  His probing wasn’t actually hurting her, per se, but it made her feel uncomfortably full.

  “But… it feels weird! And it’s—”

  “It’s naughty, just like you are,” Shane cut in, finishing her sentence. “If you relax, I can make it feel so good. In fact…”

  She couldn’t see his face in this prone position.

  “You missed the golden opportunity to ask me questions about some of my more edgy kinks. I thought sure you’d ask me about those.”

  He had to have at least two fingers inside her ass; she could feel him scissoring them, opening her wider and wider until the uncomfortable feeling turned to pain.

  “Shane! It’s too much. Please!” she cried out.

  “What color are you?”

  His question slammed into her. Only then did she remember she was in control.

  So, what color was she?

  She could lie and call red. He’d stop—of that, she had no qualms—but did she really want him to stop? The answer deep down surprised her.

  His fingers left her ass just long enough for a volley of quick swats to her bottom, accompanied Shane’s lecture.

  “I asked you for your color. I need a verbal reply, kitten.”

  Her “Green” came out as a whisper, but he obviously heard it.

  “Good girl. Now, since you didn’t bother to ask me this question during our game, I’ll just have to give you a bit of bonus content about what makes Shane Covington tick.”

  His fingers were back inside her, toying with her casually as he ratcheted up his naughty vocabulary.

  “I’ll start you out nice and easy, but before long, you’ll be taking my cock where my fingers are, and you’re gonna love every minute of it.”

  “I highly doubt that,” she whined, trying to wiggle her ass to dislodge his digits. Not only did it not work, she felt another finger being inserted, stretching her wider. She resumed her flailing, although it only made him yank her against him harder, holding her securely.

  “I’m beginning to think it might be time to pull some rope out of my bag and get to work tying you down. I saw how much you enjoyed watching the Shibari scene downstairs and suspect it’s the only way I
’m going to be able to make sure all your holes are available to me.”

  Her face flamed with shame as she internalized his words. She’d love to deny it, but the thought of him tying her up was a huge turn-on—something she’d imagined in the privacy of her own bed when she’d turned off all the lights.

  It happened so fast, she didn’t know what was happening. Shane thrust his fingers into her thick hair and yanked her head back so hard, she had to arch her back uncomfortably as she laid across his lap. There was a feral quality in his hazel eyes that made her feel like his prey.

  “Say it…”

  “Say what?” He’d lost her.

  “You want me to tie you down, don’t you? To take the power away from you, so you can still be the good girl made to do all kinds of dirty things against your will.”

  When she didn’t answer him, he reached out with his other hand to pinch her nipple so hard, it took her breath away.

  “No!”

  “Liar. Do I need to punish you for lying too?”

  “I’m not… I mean… I don’t want…” She stumbled her way through several starts to her protests, but they all died before she could get them out. It felt wrong to lie to him. She shivered despite the room being warm, courtesy of the fire only a few feet away. Her heart raced a million miles a minute, making it impossible to form coherent sentences.

  Shane Covington was either a damn fine actor, or he really meant business.

  “I’ll remind you one more time, you can either use your safeword or answer my question. One or the other.” He waited a good ten seconds, giving her ample time to cry out red or even yellow, but neither came.

  He was on his feet in a flash, carrying her folded over in front of him as she wiggled like a fish at the end of a hook. She couldn’t see much through the veil of her long hair, but what she could see, she loved.

  Shane dropped her in a heap at the end of the king-sized bed she’d made earlier that day. As soon as she was out of his arms, he started barking orders as he yanked the robe off her body, leaving her naked.

  “On your knees. Face down on the bed. Arms behind your back. Legs spread as wide as you can.”