by Cynthia Dane
“All right, Ms. Culver, I’ll humor you for a few minutes.” Monroe approached the bed. Alice’s legs conveniently spread in front of him. Oops. How had that happened? “I should be eating breakfast, though.”
“Can think of some better things for you to eat.”
“Be that as it may, we don’t have all day for me to give you the real attention you deserve.” Monroe plucked the string between his fingers. “Ask me again tonight. Nicely.”
He draped the toys against her leg. Alice sighed as they slowly descended toward her slit. Only a man like this could make her feel this sexual so early in the morning. Let alone after a night of very thorough lovemaking. Alice had been content to spend her day without the man she loved. As long as he promised to come home at night, she could be more than content.
She shouldn’t have been so surprised by a situation like this. Having Monroe lean her back on the bed and coerce two golden balls into her was the kind of breakfast she never thought she would have!
“This is… oddly romantic,” she said, eyes locked on his as the first ball slipped in. Alice sucked in her breath. “You knew that already, didn’t you?”
“I know a lot of things before you do, Alice.” The other ball slipped in, more easily than the first. “Like how you’re about to have a grand day and an even grander night. I promise you.”
He left her with a kiss and a reminder to keep her new friends inside of her unless he sent her a text detailing otherwise. Alice remained on the bed, long after he departed, wondering if now was a bad time to take up smoking. The rate things were going, she would end up a cliché for the ages.
Of course, Alice kept her sexy secret to herself. Dee was none the wiser, and every staff person and saleswoman they came across as Alice dilly-dallied the day away had no idea she was in a constant state of sexual arousal. Because those things inside of her? They didn’t become her friends. They became her best friends.
The pleasure they gave her was nowhere near the levels that Monroe could do with a single finger stroke. Her new friends weren’t supposed to be that good. Doubtlessly she was meant to feel nothing but the sweet sensations of the pleasure building up, up, up inside of her until it was time to take things to the next level. Sometimes they rolled within her, particularly if she shifted her weight or whenever she stood up or sat down. At first she worried that they would fall out whenever she stood or walk. But, as she soon came to find out, her body was capable of keeping her decent, even if she was currently in training to be a powerful billionaire’s sub, kegel strength and all.
Then again, I used to worry about tampons falling out. Alice may not be naïve now, but she certainly had been at twelve. The poor dear hadn’t even believed her school nurse mother when she said tampons would stay perfectly in there without a worry. Wore pads until I switched to the cup a few years ago. Tampons? What were those?
“You’re pretty chipper after what happened yesterday evening,” Dee said as they sat to have a late lunch in the hotel café. “Or have you forgotten already?”
Right. Dee knew little about the love mounting between her boss and her charge. For all Dee knew, Alice was a temporary lover for a man who was used to going through many a year. If only she knew the real Damon Monroe. Alice wouldn’t hold it against her. Nor would she hold it against Candice, who kept texting for deets and flip-flopping between telling Alice to go get more rich dick and insinuating that she was making a huge mistake.
“I haven’t forgotten.” Alice swirled the cherries in the Shirley Temple she ordered with her lunch. There’s a virginity joke somewhere. “There are other things on my mind as well. Just because I had to hear that terrible tale doesn’t mean I feel any less for Damon.” What did it mean if she felt comfortable calling him by his first name around other people, but he was always Monroe in her head? “I have no reason to believe he’s anything like his father.” God hoping. Alice didn’t want her heart broken any more than she wanted other things broken.
“That says nothing about his father, though. You get mixed up with this guy, you gotta deal with his dad too.”
Was Dee supposed to give her personal relationship advice to her charges? No? Then why the hell was she talking? How dumb did she think Alice was? “Damon is over thirty now. I should hope he’s able to stand up to his father about relationship choices.” Even so, Alice did not deny the threats that had been uttered in her direction. “His only real objection he could possibly have is that I’m not from an affluent family. So what? Do they need to make new connections that badly?”
“Ma’am, if I may intervene a bit,” Dee said, not invited to continue, “but I’ve been working for these types of families for a while now. They’re all kind of the same. They only think about getting more money. One of the best ways to do that is to marry into more money. Millions if not billions of dollars of money.” Dee shook her head, short hair glistening beneath fluorescent lighting. Those dark suits she wore must be sweltering in the heat. “Mr. Monroe is the only son – only child – in his whole family tree. He’s the only chance his family’s got to make more money. Of course his dad wants him marrying rich.”
“Thank you for your advice.” Alice looked away. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Whatever you want, ma’am.” The resigned tone in Dee’s voice sounded less than enthusiastic. “We can talk about the floral arrangements for your upcoming wedding, if you want.” Ah, there was the sarcasm again.
“First of all, Damon hasn’t formally proposed to me yet, and I’m not even sure if I would say yes. Even I don’t want to move that quickly.” Alice would cross that bridge when it was suddenly erected before her. “Floral arrangements are lovely, though. Think I’d like to have violets at my wedding.”
Dee sighed. Alice pretended to not be concerned, although the back of her mind was filled with shit like “Run far, far away, Alice! You’ve stumbled into a rabbit hole with no red queen, only the black king of death.”
Unlike Alice, though, Dee probably didn’t have some sweet lover to go home too. She more than likely spent all of last night tossing and turning, having one nightmare after another regarding what Julia Johnson-Monroe had to say about her abuses.
Alice didn’t want to think about these things. At all. So she didn’t, simple as that. If I don’t think about it, nothing will ever come true. That’s how it works, right? There were things to occupy her mind with, anyway. She may be traipsing around Chicago with Ben Wa balls in her pussy, but she was traipsing on the road to a new personal stylist.
Now it was easy to let go of her insecurities and let herself be pampered. Whatever these women styling and dressing her thought, they would keep it to themselves. Monroe paid them thousands of dollars a session to make women like Alice look the most beautiful at any party. It didn’t matter if Alice had fried hair, pimpled skin, or an ass the size of Jupiter and no frame to justify it. These women would make her look good. Even at her most insecure, Alice could not deny that the woman looking back at her in the mirrors was worth at least ten million dollars. Maybe more.
They took inspiration from her emerald ring and dressed her in a dark, luxurious green silk that hugged her thighs and accentuated her bust while showing no cleavage. Indeed, the dress was rather simple – a round neck plummeting to a cinched waist and a pencil skirt that highlighted her calves as they emerged from two green pumps. One of the stylists pulled a diamond-studded belt around Alice’s waist and tucked in some excess green silk, creating the illusion of an emerald wave overflowing from her aura.
“Wow,” Alice said with a smile, as they pulled her hair up into an intricate twist. Green ribbons were threaded through the folds, a simple pair of emerald and diamond earrings dangling on either side of her head. They forewent a necklace in favor of a diamond tennis bracelet. The centerpiece of her look was the emerald ring on her right hand. “I do look like I’m ready to go to a wedding.”
“If you’re not the best looking woman at the ball tonight, I’ll ea
t my gloves,” said the older stylist.
“Ball? I was told it was a party.”
The women exchanged glances. “We were told to dress you for the Senator’s Ball.” When Alice didn’t react, they continued, “It’s one of the biggest events of the year. Politicians from all over the world will be there. Men like Mr. Monroe, too.”
This time Alice’s “wow” held a little more oomph.
“What do you think?” she asked Dee at the end of the dress-up game. The bodyguard had spent the past two hours sitting on the side of the room, looking more bored than a child at the stuffiest wedding in the world. Speaking of weddings… “Do I look like I’m ready to go to a ball?”
“Nah,” Dee said matter-of-factly. “Dress ain’t poufy enough. You need about fifty more yards of tulle or whatever that stuff is called. I haven’t seen Project Runway in a while.”
“Do you think Damon will like it?”
“If he doesn’t think you’re gorgeous, then he’s a bigger fool than anyone in this room.”
Alice wasn’t sure if that was a backward compliment or not. “Thanks, Dee. I feel pretty too.”
They both had a surprise when they went to catch the limo later. When the driver opened the door to let Alice in, she stepped back to see Monroe already waiting for her inside.
“Precious,” he said, extending his hand to help her in. Dee showed herself to the front section where her boss’s bodyguard already sat. “You are absolutely radiant, as always. Did they take care of you in there?”
Grinning, Alice slipped into the seat beside him and waited for the door to close before answering. “Not nearly as well as you take care of me… sir.”
“Speaking of,” he gestured to her neck, “you seem to have forgotten something.”
“No I haven’t.” Alice popped open her clutch and pulled out the collar. “Didn’t want it to interfere with their work.” She handed him the collar.
Monroe gently clicked it into place around her neck, the now familiar sensation of something pressing upon her throat returning. It’s my reminder that he’s never far from me. The collar sent a message to the world that she was Damon Monroe’s. To her? It sent the message that she was always cared for. Something I need in these trying times, apparently.
“Much better. Are you ready to go?”
The limo was already moving. “You didn’t tell me we were going to something so important.”
“I suppose it’s important. I’m only expected to put in an appearance. Cut a few checks to some senators for their reelection campaigns. It’s mostly sitting around talking about absolutely nothing at all. Truth be told, I’m glad you’ll be there with me. You’ll keep me… amused.” His hand slipped over her knee and up her skirt. “I trust that you’re still training yourself, my love.”
“I haven’t stopped once today.” She was to the point she almost didn’t feel her little friends at all. “Every time I feel them, I think of you.”
“Good things, I hope.”
“Very good things.”
He kissed her cheek, hand squeezing her thigh. “When I take you later, I think we’ll both be pleased with today’s training.”
“I do not doubt it, sir.”
Alice had no idea what to expect from a gathering of politicians fundraising for their personal causes. She also had no idea how to act around such important people. On the flipside, she was Monroe’s date, and that carried a lot of weight as it was. From the moment they stepped out of the limo, they were inundated with valets, assistants, and reporters dressed in tuxes. Alice couldn’t imagine what they wanted to do with her and Monroe… until they took four steps and had voices shouting in their direction.
“Who’s the lovely lady with you tonight?”
“Care to talk to us about this November’s election?”
“What do you have to say about the recent downfall of Jacobson Electrics?” What the hell is that? “Weren’t you a huge investor?”
“Pay them no mind, my love,” Monroe muttered, arm firmly around Alice’s waist, and hers around his. “They’ll leave us alone once we’re inside.”
Inside wasn’t much better. They checked in with a doorman and then checked their coats, but along the way they met no fewer than four men in suits who wanted to chat with them. Monroe kept Alice moving with a deft hand and defter words. She was lucky that her boyfriend had such a commanding presence that everyone deferred to his requests and orders.
He did, however, stop in front of a few people he claimed to have gone to Princeton with. After a few cordial greetings, one man asked, “Who is this gorgeous creature, Monroe? Another model?”
“She could be a model, couldn’t she?” Monroe’s hand tightened on Alice’s hip. Great. Perfect time to get aroused, huh? Her little friends inside of her agreed. Could these people see her nipples hardening through her dress? “Allow me to introduce you to Ms. Alice Culver, the love of my life.” Alice blushed to hear him say this in public.
“Love of your life! Listen to this guy.” One of his old buddies patted Monroe on the shoulder. “Five months ago you were saying you wanted nothing to do with love. What’s changed?” The look in his eyes asked “Is her pussy that good?”
Monroe remained soft-spoken around such an enthusiastic man. “I met Alice. That’s what’s changed.”
“Surprised your dad let you get away with this.”
Monroe’s demeanor faltered. “We must be going. Speak with you later.”
Alice didn’t ask what that was about. She didn’t have to.
Alice’s mother always said that if you spoke of the Devil often enough, the Beast himself would appear.
Both Monroe and Alice stopped in the middle of the grand foyer, surrounded by men and women dressed in tuxes and cocktail dresses, everyone talking politics and other pleasant high-society matters. They stopped because a lone man suddenly appeared in their way.
“Damon,” Russell greeted with a practiced expression. “So good to see you, son.” His glowing, rancid eyes turned toward Alice. The choker around her neck tightened. “You too, Ms. Culver. It’s been too long. Truly.”
Alice could have sworn that two golden balls disappeared from her body, because her inner muscles squeezed them so damn hard.
Chapter 11
“Father,” Damon said, extending his hand to his sire. “I did not expect to see you here.”
Russell lightly shook his son’s hand. Much to their mutual chagrin, he extended his hand to Alice as well. “Flew in this morning to speak with Senator Smith over lunch. Decided to stay the night and speak to some old friends.” His hand almost crushed Alice’s. She grimaced, and couldn’t pull her hand away fast enough. “I take it the trip has been going well so far?”
“Very well, thank you.” Monroe pulled Alice into his embrace. More than a few people around them covertly looked over their shoulders, curiosity brimming on their plastic faces. He’s making a show out of me in front of his father? Monroe definitely knew something. “Alice and I have been having a wonderful time. When I’m not working, of course.”
“Of course.” Russell took a step back and waved to someone behind him. “Son, I must introduce you to one of the most lovely families I have ever met.” An older man and a younger woman appeared. They both bowed their heads to Monroe and Alice before lightly shaking their hands. “These are the Matsudas, from Osaka. Have you had the pleasure of meeting either Satoshi… or his lovely daughter Natsuko?”
The young woman straightened up, her fine, young face carrying a hefty weight of knowledge within it. Wow. Alice was not often stricken to silence around women. There was that stint in college where she wondered if she may be bisexual, but that petered out when she met Matt. Things were starting to replay in her mind right now, though. She’s beautiful. Sharp, angular features to match Monroe’s, and clever amber eyes. They looked like a match already.
“I have not had the pleasure, no.” Monroe briefly introduced himself before turning to Alice. “This is Alice
Monroe. My girlfriend.” His eyes flitted toward his father when he said that.
“It’s lovely to meet you,” Alice said, trying to keep her voice level.
The young woman, Natsuko, replied first. “Thank you,” she said. “This is my first time in Chicago, although my father has been here several times before. It’s a beautiful city, yes?”
“One of the most beautiful in the world.” Russell gestured to his son and another empty spot a few paces away. “Excuse us, but I need to speak with my son for a moment. Alone.” That was directed more at Alice than the Matsudas.
Monroe reluctantly released Alice and went with his father to a corner. Alice remained where she was abandoned, shifting her weight and clearing her throat alongside a well-to-do father and daughter. The father took a phone call and began speaking in rapid-fire Japanese that Alice didn’t have a hope of understanding. The daughter checked her watch.
“Is it your first time in America?” Alice’s attempt at petty conversation was… pretty bad.
Natsuko forced a smile. “No. I’ve been many times before. I studied at Brown.”
“Oh.” Alice slightly turned. So much for that.
“…The Matsudas are one of the richest families in Japan. They have ties to the emperor, for fuck’s sake,” Russell said only a few feet away. Did he know that Alice could hear him? Probably. He wanted her to hear. “You’d be a fool to not speak with Natsuko later this week. I’ve already arranged a lunch between you and her.”
“To talk business, of course,” Monroe glibly replied.
“Of course to speak business! When you’re done sharing your portfolios, you can ask her out to the opera. Take her home and fuck her for all I care, but don’t let her father find out.”