Black Light: Scandalized

by Grant, Livia

  Nalani turned herself over completely to the sensations bombarding every part of her body, her surrender absolute as wave after wave of pleasure consumed her. Shane’s fingers joined the fun, pinching her swollen clit and detonating her strongest orgasm yet.

  “Christ, you’re fucking perfect!” His exclamation was accompanied by a growl as he finally stopped his thrusts, shooting hot cum deep inside her pussy.

  They were catching their breath when Nalani’s stomach growled loud enough to alert security. Shane chuckled as he pushed off her back.

  “Let’s get some food inside that tummy of yours, dirty girl.” He quickly released her from the restraints, helping her to right herself.

  “Um, you forgot to take that stuff out…”

  “I think it would be more fun to watch you squirm as we eat dinner.”

  He had a warped sense of fun.

  * * *

  The alarm buzzing on his phone told him it was time to get up and go. Shane had pushed snooze three times already. If he wasn’t careful, his phone would soon be blowing up with his assistant, his agent, and his hired driver for the day all calling.

  How did he get to the point in his career he was actually lying in bed, dreading going to the most prestigious of award ceremonies? To be fair, it wasn’t that he was dreading going to the Oscars.

  It was that he dreaded going alone.

  Hell, that even wasn’t the truth. Lying there, holding Nalani in his arms as she used his chest for her pillow, he had to be honest and admit that it was leaving her he dreaded. And that thought terrified him. He’d certainly felt close with other women before her, but something about her felt different.

  The first text of the day told him he didn’t have time to dwell on that. He’d have plenty of time to figure out his feelings later. Right now, he needed to leave.

  Shane sighed.

  “It’s okay. I need to get up and get to work, anyway,” Nalani mumbled against his chest, already awake.

  “You should sleep in. I kept you up late.” He hugged her tighter, placing a kiss on top of her mussed hair.

  He loved her playful giggle.

  “You mean, you kept me up late and woke me up in the middle of the night.”

  “Yeah, that too,” he admitted, remembering the sexy interlude fondly. He decided to make one last effort to convince her. “Please say yes to at least meeting me after the show at one of the after parties.”

  “I told you. I don’t have anything to wear.”

  “It doesn’t matter for the after parties.”

  “Of course, it matters! Don’t you read the gossip rags?”

  “Only when forced at gun point,” he groused truthfully.

  “Well, I do, and I can just see next week’s headline. ‘Shane Covington seen kissing woman wearing Target dress.’”

  He couldn’t help but laugh at her ridiculous joke, although he knew how brutal the gossip rags could be.

  “Fine, then take my credit card. Leave early enough to stop and pick up something.”

  “I told you, I’m not taking your credit card. I have no desire to reenact Julia Robert’s famous scene on Rodeo Drive, although the other parallels to Pretty Woman are hitting a little close to home.”

  “Oh? So, you’re a prostitute?” Shane joked.

  Nalani slapped his chest playfully. “You know what I mean.”

  “No, I’m afraid I don’t.”

  “Then let me spell it out for you. We’ve been playing house here at the mansion for over a week now, just like in the movie. Soon, the work at your house will wrap up, you’ll move back in, and the spell will be broken. I don’t need a new wardrobe to remember you after you leave.”

  Shane didn’t like where this conversation was going. He took charge, rolling them over until Nalani was on her back, and he towered over her. He loved how she opened her legs subconsciously, so his morning wood could nestle against her sticky and well-used pussy.

  “Listen up. I don’t know any more than you do where this is going, but unlike you, I’m not going to start putting an expiration date on us.” He paused when her eyes widened at the last word. “And yes, that’s right. There is an us, Nalani. So, if you’re not ready to come to the party tonight, that’s fine, but don’t you dare start pulling away from me. You don’t want to take my credit card shopping, that’s okay too, but know you can go to Marlina’s on The Drive any time and tell her who you are and that I sent you. Get whatever you want or need. Got it?”

  Nalani frowned. “What? Do you send all your whores there?”

  His own flash of rage surprised him. Shane reflexively yanked on Nalani’s hair, holding her head still to make sure she was paying attention.

  “Don’t you dare do this.”

  “Do what? Call you out on the truth?” she asked fearlessly.

  “No, pick a fight with me. I know what you’re doing. You’re scared of getting hurt, so you’re pushing me away. So, listen closely. Marlina is old enough to be my grandmother. I met her working in costumes on one of my earlier films. She was like a mother figure to me at a time when I really needed advice, and I never forgot it. When I found out her dream was to own a shop on Rodeo Drive, I financed her startup. That’s it. End of story.”

  He waited until she finally said a quiet, “Sorry.”

  “That’s not what upset me the most. You aren’t my whore, Nalani.”

  “But that’s what you said you wanted to call me.”

  “Sure, while I’m fucking you and doing all kinds of deliciously devious things to your body, but it’s just part of the game. No matter what we do together, I’ll never truly think of you as a whore.”

  “If not your whore, then what am I?” she asked quietly, tears welling in her eyes

  That was the million-dollar question. His snoozed alarm went off again as she waited for his answer. He slapped his phone to turn off the buzzing before he tried to lighten things up.

  “Saved by the bell.” He grinned down at her before adding, “We can talk about the answer to that question later when I call you tonight. I can have my driver on standby, waiting to swing by and pick you up.”

  “We’ll see. Right now, I need to get up and get to work so I can try to get out of here early enough to get home to watch the pre-show on TV.”

  “Oh? You know you could watch me walk the red carpet, standing next to me.”

  “No, thanks.”

  He didn’t know why she kept refusing. Most women he knew would jump at the chance to go to the Oscars—just one more reason she was so different.

  His phone ringing put an end to their discussion. A glance at his phone told him it was his driver. Shane picked up the phone and answered with a gruff, “I’ll be down in five,” before hanging up.

  He could see the same sadness he felt being separated mirrored in her eyes. Shane leaned down for a long, last kiss.

  “I gotta run, but I’ll call you later, kitten.”

  Chapter 14

  She was running so late. Nalani wished she’d remembered to bring her last clean uniform to Shane’s room the night before so she could just hit the ground running after her shower. As it was, she’d need to head down to the employee locker room on the first floor to change.

  It was honestly a blessing they’d have that night to be apart. She hadn’t been home to her tiny apartment in days. If nothing else, she needed to do laundry and water her plants. She was thinking how depressing that was as she opened the door to Shane’s suite and literally ran into Henry Ainsworth, who was passing by.

  “Well, what do we have here?”

  Nalani’s skin crawled where the older man touched her. He had the audacity to pull her against him instead of stepping away like any normal gentleman would. As he raked his gaze over her, she realized how damning this encounter was—an employee, in street clothes, her hair still damp from the shower she’d taken in one of the guest rooms.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Ainsworth. I didn’t see you there.”

  “Oh
, don’t be sorry. I’m happy to see Covington is done with you. I heard the fun going on in there last night as I walked past and wondered which beauty he’d snagged for his nightly debauchery. Little did I know, it was the goody-two-shoes housekeeper servicing him. I have my room until noon. Let’s head there, and you can service me next.”

  Her heart rate spiked as she yanked as hard as she could, attempting to extricate herself from the older man. He was ready, digging his grip into her arms so hard, it hurt as he held her firmly against him.

  “How nice. I love a good struggle. It makes it so much more satisfying when I have to fight to get a whore tied down before I finally sink my cock into her pussy. I don’t normally like to take sloppy seconds, but for you, I’ll make an exception.”

  Nalani’s panic was palpable. She frantically glanced up and down the long hallway, praying another guest would appear. It was still too early to hope Madison might be in the office down the hall on a Sunday morning. Could she be lucky enough to have one of the guards down in the security office notice she needed help on their monitor?

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I need to get to work now.”

  “Why yes, you do,” he said as he started pulling her back toward the Hong Kong suite.

  She’d seen and heard first-hand what kind of things happened to women in that suite. If she were honest, they weren’t that terribly different from the things Shane did to her nightly. But the portly movie executive was not Shane, and she wouldn’t willingly go with him.

  “Red!”

  “Oh, I’m not into that BDSM game shit.” The asshole’s laughter mocked her. “I know exactly what you need, and I’m gonna give it to you. You’ve been a naughty girl, whoring yourself out to guests. Well, it’s my turn now, and while I’m at it, I’ll be happy to punish you for your transgressions. I’m helpful like that.”

  Nalani flailed in his arms, fighting to get away. As they neared the door, he had to release her with his left hand to reach into his pocket for his electronic key card. She took advantage of the moment and yanked as hard as she could while lifting her knee, connecting with his junk.

  She wasn’t sure which one of them screamed louder. Ainsworth finally let go, dropping to his knees, howling with pain as he fell to the expensive carpet, curling into a ball.

  Nalani took off running at a full sprint down the hall in the opposite direction. She heard a bedroom door opening behind her but didn’t stop to see which guest had come out of their room to check out the commotion.

  She ran to the Runway office, praying someone would be there, but the office was empty. Too afraid to return to the hall to get to the stairs to leave, Nalani slammed the door closed and threw the lock, finally stopping long enough to take a few deep breaths.

  Her mind raced. What should she do? He was sure to make a complaint against her. There would be a witness back there, comforting him right now, getting his side of the story of how the insane housekeeper had attacked him for no reason whatsoever. She was going to lose her job.

  Tears fell down her cheeks as she weighed her options. Oh, how she wished Shane had still been at the mansion. He’d have come out into the hall and kicked her attacker’s ass. The tabloids would love to get ahold of that story.

  A-list actor fights with movie executive over whore.

  The headline made her cringe. Shane’s words of warning from just the hour before came back to her. What would he want her to do?

  Nalani forced herself to walk to the desk and pick up the office phone, her fingers trembling as she reached out to press the button marked security.

  “Hey, Madison, what’s up?” the masculine voice on the other end of the phone asked.

  She fought down the urge to hang up.

  “It’s Nalani.” She finally choked out. “I need help.”

  The man at the other end of the phone got serious quickly. “What’s wrong?”

  Should she say it? She knew her life would never be the same if she did. It would be his word against hers. Who would believe her?

  It was only when she realized if she didn’t say something, she’d end up having to quit anyway because she would never be able to work in a place where she might run into Henry Ainsworth at any moment.

  “I was just attacked by a guest in the hall.”

  “What the fuck? Seriously?”

  “No.” Nalani lost her temper. “I just thought I’d play an April Fool’s joke in February.”

  “Sorry. Don’t move. I’ll be right up.”

  The two minutes it took for security to knock on the door felt like a lifetime. Her pulse spiked, afraid to open the door, fearing Ainsworth had found her.

  “Nalani, I’m gonna use my retinal scan to get in. It’s just me.”

  The guard’s voice calmed her slightly.

  She’d been holding it together pretty well until the door opened, and it was Roger. The sight of a man she had known over a year and trusted as a friend shattered her bravery, and she melted into an emotional, sobbing mess.

  “Hey, there. It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

  He held her as she let the fear and anger out. Roger helped her to a chair when her legs felt like spaghetti and grabbed several tissues, handing them to her before squatting down to be at eye level.

  “Tell me what happened? Whose ass do I need to go kick?”

  Nalani took several deep breaths before being able to speak.

  “Henry Ainsworth.”

  Roger’s eyes widened. She knew she hadn’t been exaggerating the seriousness of the situation when she saw him evaluate his options. To his credit, he didn’t try to change her mind about her accusation.

  “Okay, that totally sucks since he’s a VIP. Hold tight. I need to call this into Miguel. I’ll lock the door behind me. Don’t leave, okay?”

  Little did Roger know, she couldn’t have walked out there, knowing Ainsworth was still on the property, even if she wanted to.

  The room was suffocatingly still after the security guard left. She managed to calm down enough, she could listen intently for any commotion on the other side of the door. Five long minutes later, she heard shouting in the distance. She thought she could make out Ainsworth’s voice, but there were too many other shouts to know what was being said or by whom.

  The phone ringing on the desk right next to her scared the shit out of her. The caller ID identified the caller as Miguel Rodriguez, head of security for the property. She dreaded having to tell her story, but she knew it had to be done. She picked up the phone and heard him calling her name.

  “Nalani!”

  “Hello.”

  “How are you doing? Roger’s detaining the asshole while we wait for the police to get there.”

  Police?

  “Oh my god, not the police.”

  “Fuck yeah, that’s how this works. Assholes who try to hurt anyone on property, especially one of our employees, get a free trip to the police station.”

  “But you haven’t even asked me what he did.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You’ve worked here for over a year. I’ve seen you handle unruly guests just fine. If you say he crossed a line, that’s good enough for me.”

  “But he’s a VIP.”

  “He’s also an asshole. We all know it. I’ve always told my guys to keep an extra eye on him. Did he…” His voice trailed off before he ended with the million-dollar question. “Did he hurt you? Force himself on you?”

  “He just grabbed me in the hall and said terrible things. He was dragging me into his suite when I kicked him and got away. I ran into the office and called Roger.”

  “Good girl. Just so you know, he’s accusing you of coming on to him first and getting angry when he wouldn’t give you money. I know it’s a total load of bullshit. I have the guys pulling the security footage, so we can take a look at it and hand it over to the police.”

  What a nightmare.

  “Do we really need to involve the police? Can’t we just kick him out and never let him back on property?
” She was worried about the implications of the story getting out for herself, but she turned the tables and added, “We don’t need to have that kind of negative PR.”

  “I don’t know. I’d love to see that asshole spend some time behind bars where hopefully, someone worse than him could turn him into their bitch for a change.”

  As much as she’d like to imagine that, the thought of having to give an official statement of what happened… about why she was at the mansion so early on a Sunday morning, coming out of another guest’s room… Nalani shuddered.

  “Please. Just throw him out and don’t let him come back. Ever. That’s the best thing for all of us.”

  Miguel was quiet on the other end of the phone while he weighed his options.

  “I know you are going to hate this, but I just can’t do it. I know this isn’t what you want but I take keeping the women on property safe. That includes you and everyone else who works here. I can’t have something like this go unchecked.”

  “But can’t you just ban him from the property? Never let him back in?”

  Nalani’s heart was racing. She hated all of the options available to them.

  “Hold on. I’m getting a call from Peter in the security office. He was pulling the tape.”

  It seemed like she had to wait forever for Miguel to come back to phone.

  “Nalani, still there?”

  “I’m here.”

  “There is absolutely no damn way we’re letting him just leave. Honestly, I can’t believe you’re even asking for it. The tape is clear. Even without audio, there is absolutely no doubt that he harassed you and was trying to drag you back to his suite. I’m gonna let the police and D.A. sort this out.”

  “But… isn’t Jaxson going to be angry?”

  She was going to get fired. She just knew it.

  “Screw that. Jaxson is going to feel exactly as I do when he sees the tape.”

  “Thanks, Miguel. I really appreciate it. I especially…”

  “What?”

  “You haven’t even questioned my story. I was worried no one would believe me. I mean, he’s a VIP.”

  “So? And you’re family. No matter how this shakes out with the police, he’s banned from the property. Still, I want someone escorting you to and from your car for the next few weeks. Got that?”