by Cynthia Dane
“Well?” Her voice was so weak that she barely heard herself speak. “You must be still hungry if you’ve invited me out for dinner.”
“So insatiable that I can’t stand to look at this food.” Monroe shoved aside his plate, still half full of food. It teetered at the edge of the table. Alice’s instincts told her to reach out and catch it before it splattered all over the floor for some poor employee to clean up. I know the type of people who have to clean up those messes. If he dared, then his value would only decrease in Alice’s eyes.
He did not dare. The plate stopped teetering. Monroe never stopped staring at her.
“I want you, Alice,” he said, a growl purring in his throat. “I want you tonight. I want you tomorrow night. If I could have you every night next week, I would be the most contented man in the world. I don’t know what it is about you, but you fill me with desires I haven’t fully explored in a long time. No woman has been worth my time until you.”
There he went, talking about his precious time again.
“Give it more time,” Alice said. “You’ll get sick of me eventually.”
“That’s what I thought too. But…” He snatched her hand with his, almost knocking over one of the candles. First food, now a fire? “There are three things my father made sure to teach me in my life. I’ve taken every one to heart.”
Alice did not want to think about Russell Monroe and the way he sneered in her direction. “What’s that?”
“Number one,” Monroe’s fingers slipped between her knuckles. His grip was so firm, so controlling that Alice slipped beneath a prickling spell even though he barely touched her. “Always do what’s right for the business. That’s why I went to Princeton and studied so hard. I wanted to be prepared to take over the company at any moment necessary.”
“Number two?”
“Number two, yes. Always do what’s right for the family.” He took a deep, satisfying breath. “Self-explanatory.”
Alice didn’t ask about number three. She was too busy feeling his grip tighten. The way he could be tightened around all of her. What’s it really like to be pinned beneath this guy? What’s it really like to make love to him? Their previous encounters didn’t count. That was sex. Or so she had thought.
“Number three.” Were they having sex right now? Because Alice very much felt like the man was thrusting between her legs. Even though they were clamped shut. Even though he sat on the other side of this table. “When you find the perfect woman to share your life with, you’ll know.”
Alice lived betwixt two worlds, including the one that told her this was the most terribly romantic thing ever told. Imagine that! The man of her supposed dreams declaring that he already knew she was his soul mate!
Then there was the other world.
The rational world. In no way, shape, or form, was this man serious. It was either an elaborate hoax, or Monroe was out of his fucking mind.
She thought she had an idea which one it was.
“There’s only one thing I want to find out first, Alice.” His fingers released her hand, raising to touch her cheek. So tender. So soft. So full of anticipation, desire, and something dark and dirty. Alice shivered. Arousal? Fear? God, she had no idea! “It’s a very delicate matter. Will you hear me out?”
She said the first thing to come to her mind. “You need a baby, huh? Well, my genes aren’t so bad I guess.” After she had taken birth control, too!
“Not quite. Or at least not yet. That can wait a while still.” He actually took her seriously? “No, it has to do with even more important factors that will determine our compatibility.”
A million thoughts swarmed her head, but at least she had the good mind to not vocalize them. She had to be the right religion. She had to be a natural blond. She had to be tested for fertility. She had to be willing to live in the depths of his big fucking mansion, never to be seen again, like the good little mistress.
One of those things was pretty close.
“I don’t just want a wife eventually, Ms. Culver.” They were back to that, and it was dead sexy. “I want a woman who can fulfill my every fantasy and give me everything I need and want. In turn? I want to offer the same thing to her. That is the only way I could be truly happy in a lifelong relationship of such strength.”
She waited for it. She even knew what she was waiting for. She had worked for his sordid club of rich depravity for a day, after all. It was enough to know.
“I hope you’re into BDSM.”
Chapter 11
Alice had no idea how to respond to that.
She had no idea how to respond at all to how this date had gone.
Why couldn’t they have a nice, romantic meal? Shit, she would’ve taken a trip to the movies or the opera or whatever. Shit! Going to his home and getting rough banged all night long was also an option! Still better than this!
This guy is crazy. Alice was glad he wasn’t touching her anymore. Oh, he was still smoking hot. Alice was ready to be a super dumb fool again and fuck him… except for that part where he said BDSM.
Of course he was into sadomasochism. Of course he was into bondage. Of course he was into domination! Why the fuck wouldn’t he be! This man was born super rich and had only gotten richer as he grew older. The guy barely had normal human interactions. I saw what went on at his club. It was an apparent fact that half of the wealthy elite within a short plane ride wanted to party at The Dark Hour. Alice hadn’t thought anything about it when she was making money off them for a hot minute. Actually being put in that position herself?
Then again… she had seen it coming because the man was 100% in control when it came to sex.
Originally, Alice assumed this had to do with his ego. Now she knew it went a lot deeper than that. This guy had a fetish for dominating women. Her luck she would find the one hot single billionaire who was into what the fuck ever those weirdos were into. I bet all those people at the fundraiser were pervs too. That Lana Andrews, especially. The perviest.
“Ms. Culver?”
The man looked like he feared he had overstepped their boundaries. Good. He should be afraid. He also shouldn’t be calling her Alice anymore. Ew. “I’m sorry. You spun out of control on me. We went from talking about Princeton and William and Mary to whips and chains.”
His positive demeanor broke. Monroe narrowed his eyes, arms pulling back toward him and getting away from Alice as quickly as they dared. “If that’s all you think it is, then I guess that answers my question.”
Until this douche I never even had sex. BDSM? Yeah, right. Alice sat up straight. At least she would have poise even if she had no shame. “Sure guess it does. By the way, here’s a tip.” Alice stood. This may be one of her only opportunities to lord over a man like Monroe, and she was going to take it. “Don’t spring marriage and BDSM at the same time on a girl during the first date. Pick one, if you must, but both? Come on.”
She grabbed her clutch, fully intending to leave. I’ll take a cab home. Lick her wounds and figure out if she could forget the weird shit and hang on to hot memories of the way this man fucked her.
“Wait.” Monroe stood as well. “I’m sorry. I got ahead of myself.”
Why was Alice stopping? Damnit. She glanced over her shoulder. The man was starting to look a bit disheveled. Over her? Sure.
“Forgive me, Alice. Or at least I hope you can forgive me for fawning over a woman such as yourself. You may not think you’re anything special… and you’re right. In the realm of the world, I suppose you’re not.” Wow. This guy was really a winner, wasn’t he? “That doesn’t matter to me. I’m usually a logical man, Ms. Culver, but I’m still human. I’m prone to romantic notions. Like love at first sight.”
Alice turned her whole body toward him. “You barely know me.”
“Like I said. First sight.” He straightened. “Are you telling me you didn’t feel such a connection when we first met?”
Of course I did. Because he was rich and handsome. And her boss, as
it had turned out. “No comment.”
“I’m sorry that I disturbed you. I assure you that it was not my intention. It’s… well, I’m rather at a loss for words here, Ms. Culver. That doesn’t happen often. Again, forgive me. I got ahead of myself. One thing at a time.” He gestured to the table. “Please. Finish dinner with me.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Then let me escort you home.” He closed the distance between them. Alice let him. Damn you. Damn your stubble and your cologne. “By home, I mean mine, Ms. Culver.”
She shivered. “No hinky shit?”
“I would never ask you to do something that you’re uncomfortable with.”
Alice took one small step forward. It was enough to dig her upward pointed chin into his chest. One movement of the arms, and she would be within them. “Promise?”
“You have my honor in your hands.”
If only he knew what he had of hers.
Chapter 12
Alice knew better than to expect to go to the same residence from last time. If anything, she hoped it would be a more intimate place with better lighting and fewer stoic people around. It was already a miracle that they were not accompanied by his entourage – apparently the assistants did have time off – but a bodyguard was still on standby. Alice couldn’t help but comment on this as they got in the limo.
“That’s merely a precaution. My father isn’t a likeable man.” Monroe relaxed in his seat. This might be the first time I’ve ever seen him slightly slouch. “He made some enemies in his youth. I’ve had a bodyguard since I can remember. My apologies if it unsettles you.”
“No… I’m simply not used to something like that.” Made some enemies? Unlikable person? What kind of family was she getting mixed up with? “I think I met your father the other day.”
Something bristled beyond the corner of her eye. Monroe? He was the only one over there, but imagining a man like him bristling was nearly impossible. “Is that so? When was that?”
A certain edge stung his voice. “The other day when you… asked me to come over. I saw him on the way out. I didn’t know who he was, so your driver told me.”
Monroe glanced at the front seat. “Did my father say anything to you?”
“The truth?”
“I would only ask for the truth, Ms. Culver.”
Alice sucked in her breath, hands kneading her lap. “He told me to not come back.”
“I see.” That was all Monroe said on the matter. Must have been about what he expected.
The limo took a wide turn, slowly, but enough to make Alice slide toward Monroe. His hand grazed her outer thigh. Alice’s instincts told her to retreat back to her seat, but what was the point? They had already fooled around twice. What was stopping them from…
She realized the issue. We’ve never done anything romantic. Was this romantic? She thought the dinner had the potential to be, but that went south. Plus, this moment wasn’t super romantic either. Monroe didn’t pull his hand away, but he didn’t offer any romance either. All he did was sigh to have his hand against her skirt.
“I want to formally apologize once again for any discomfort you have felt because of me,” he said. “I understand that I am not the most conventional man. Mind you, I’ve had to have other people tell me that. This includes my peers.” He must have meant those other billionaires, who, for as high in the clouds as they were, still had a semblance of humor and, oh, humanity to them. If even those types of people had to tell Monroe he was a standoffish asshole, then it probably said something about him more than anything else. “I am busy. I know you’ve had to live on my schedule, and I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to tell you, though. To be around me means that’s the way it is.”
Alice shrugged. “You think I don’t know that? You’re an important guy doing important things. What am I compared to that? Although…” She chuckled. “You should probably pull back on the whole bothering me at work thing. It’s gonna cause some problems.”
“My apologies. I simply had to see you, though.”
“So you keep saying.” Alice leaned more into the leather seat, not one to brush her hand against his leg, but certainly thinking about it. It’s this damn cologne! Pulling me in. Again. “I don’t know why you’re so into me, Damon, but I’m going to guess this is a phase for you. I understand. I don’t expect anything more than what we’ve already done.”
He tilted his head, ever so slightly. “I assure you I do not take such things as dating lightly. I class random encounters and dating quite differently. I’ve considered you someone that I am dating from the moment I asked you out to dinner.”
“So I graduated from on-call honeypot to your date? Nice.”
“I’m assuming that’s sarcasm.”
“Your assumptions would be correct.”
Monroe sighed. The limo slowed down. “I don’t want you to feel tense around me, Ms. Cul… Alice.” Such a striking difference between how he said her last name and her first name. From harsh, demanding, sensual to soft and slightly flirtatious. “If you have a grievance, please air it. I get tired of the mind games and passive aggression in my everyday life. It would be nice to be around someone I could trust to speak their mind.”
She still couldn’t look him in the eye. Not until we’re totally alone. I’m not succumbing to sex in the back of a limo with a mindful bodyguard up front! “Is that another perk to being someone you’re dating?”
“For you, it would be.” The limo came to a complete stop, although Monroe did not hurry to get out or otherwise insinuate they had to vacate the back of the car. “I want to get to know you better. I’m hoping that this won’t be our last date.”
“So you’ve said. Something about marrying me.”
“Forget I said anything about that.”
“Oh, no, you can’t take that back.” Was Alice getting more comfortable already? Helped that this guy now had more layers to him than a single-ply paper towel. “A girl is never going to forget a guy saying that, let alone on what is technically their first date. You’re following your gut instincts.” The driver came around and opened Monroe’s door. “So happens they’re leading you to me.”
Monroe waved away the driver and bodyguard. “Indeed they are. Shall we? At least let me treat you to a nightcap. I think you’ll like where we’ve ended up.”
He came to Alice’s door before she had the chance to step out. Whoa. This was a guy who always had assistance moving about… for himself! The driver also raised his eyebrows, confirming that Monroe helping a woman out of his limo was a strange sight.
Alice couldn’t be concerned with that, however. From the moment she stood up outside, she was hit with fresh, cool air. Where the hell were they? By the river?
Close. They had pulled up to the private end of the city marina, where everyone who gave a shit owned a yacht or other recreational vessel. Monroe took Alice by the hand and, upon seeing her shiver in the cool breeze, removed his own suit jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. The driver and bodyguard exchanged perplexed looks. This isn’t helping.
The jacket was so soft and silky that Alice couldn’t believe it was anything but clouds touching her bare arms. And the scent! If she ever thought it was overpowering before, she could have sworn that Monroe laundered all his clothes in perfume. Shit, maybe he did!
“Do you like the water, Ms. Culver?”
“I…” They took tentative steps toward the wooden walk leading to the nearest private dock. “I don’t feel one way or the other about it.”
“Better than not liking it.” He motioned for the bodyguard to keep a respectful distance. Is that guy going to follow us all the way to wherever we’re going? “I don’t plan on pulling up anchor, but I would like to show you my yacht.” Monroe stopped after they stepped onto the walk. “To be sure, my downtown home would be more comfortable… but my father is currently staying there.”
“I see.” He didn’t have to tell her that. No, really, he didn’t.
“So, this will have to do. Unless you would rather grab a hotel room? That can be arranged as well.”
“This is fine.” Her hand was still locked in his. His grip wasn’t torturous, but it definitely wasn’t gentle either. The things they talked about at dinner kept echoing in her head. “Are you into BDSM, Ms. Culver?” She shivered. Was it from the breeze? Was it from those thoughts? Probably both.
He carefully led her and her pumps down the steep wooden stairs and to the dock giving access to a large, multi-story yacht. Monroe punched in a key code into the nearest security gate. The bodyguard caught up and opened the gate for the couple passing through. Alice thanked him. Monroe stopped to talk to him as well.
“Please follow us until we reach the second level. That should be satisfactory to all involved.”
“Yes, Mr. Monroe,” the man said with a gravelly voice. “Understood.”
Okay, so… It wasn’t enough the assistants arranged his booty calls and followed him to sex clubs. His bodyguard also had a front seat to the boss taking women home or to his yacht for some sexy times. What an arrangement.
They encountered a security guard at the lower entrance to the yacht. Monroe exchanged pleasantries and asked him to humbly continue his duties while guests were in for the night. The guard said nothing other than to confirm the instructions. Monroe and the bodyguard brought Alice up the nearest flight of stairs, the view of the city unfolding beyond the river and the expanding bay leading to the sea.
“I’ve never been on a yacht before,” she said when they reached the second level of the yacht. Monroe nodded to the bodyguard, who stayed behind while the boss led his lady friend through a polished door. “This is fancier than I was expecting. Then again, you can afford the fanciest, can’t you?”
“I afford whatever style and amenities I want, yes.” Monroe locked the door behind them and turned on the nearest light. Soft yellow lamps came on, revealing a master suite complete with king-sized bed bedecked in cream-colored accessories and an entertainment center that looked like it could host a Super Bowl party. Not too far away was a wet bar, a door leading to a more secluded deck, and a few closed doors that were probably closets and the bathroom. Do they have bathtubs on yachts? That seems silly. Nevertheless, how many people could say they bathed in luxury while on a million-dollar yacht?