Black Promise (Obsidian Book 3)

by Victoria Quinn

  I couldn’t picture myself being a father. I was too fucked up in the head. But if Rome wrapped me any tighter around her finger, who knows what I would do. She practically had magical powers. “Would you like me to read to you?”

  “Maybe later,” she said. “I want to know more about you. You work where?”

  “Humanitarians United,” I explained. “It’s a nonprofit geared toward helping those in need in the state of New York.”

  “Sounds like a great program,” she whispered. “You volunteer?”

  “I work there,” I explained. “Employees get a competitive salary. Any extra cash goes back into the program to help those in need.”

  “That’s amazing,” she said. “If I had money, I’d give you a donation…but I don’t think I have any money.” Her eyes trailed away, and she tried to quantify her wealth. She never worked a day in her life because my parents got married very young. But she couldn’t remember any of that.

  I felt terrible for her. “Don’t worry about it. The company is doing really well right now.”

  “Is that how you both met?” she asked.

  I couldn’t tell my mother the story of how I met Rome. No one would ever understand. “Yeah.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Mom said. “Some people say you shouldn’t date someone you work with, but I think that’s a great idea. Where else are you going to meet someone?”

  In a bar where a woman walks up to you and slaps you.

  Mom asked Rome a few other questions about Humanitarians United. The two of them got along well, and I could tell that my mom would love her if she could actually remember her. She would be the ideal daughter-in-law. It was a shame my mother wouldn’t remember either one us of the following morning.

  Sometimes, I wondered why I put myself through this. Every time I looked at the glaze of confusion in her eyes, my heart broke. Every time I looked at the blank expression on her face, I felt disappointed. And every time I left, I felt like I didn’t accomplish a damn thing.

  So why keep doing it?

  The doctors said it would only get worse from here on out. There was no possibility of improvement, even with new research. But I hated the idea of my mother being completely alone with no one to visit her. She didn’t remember it anyway, but I still wanted to be there for her. I knew she would be there for me if the situations were reversed.

  Rome seemed to know I was struggling in my silence because she placed her hand on mine and gave me a look of remorse. She gave my fingertips a gentle squeeze, telling me she was there for me always.

  I gave her a slight nod, my poor attempt at showing my appreciation.

  Dr. Niles sat behind his desk with my mother’s chart in his hand. “How are you today, Mr. Owens?”

  I felt like shit. What was new? “Good. You?” Rome sat beside me in the other armchair. She had been planning on waiting outside, but I told her she belonged inside that room with me. I didn’t have any secrets from her—not anymore.

  “Great.” He flipped through my mom’s chart before he interlocked his fingers together on the desk. “I’ve been reviewing your mother’s status, and she’s in good shape. Strong reflexes, great speech patterns, and her lab results look excellent. Your mother is very healthy.”

  Other than the fact that she’d completely lost her mind. “Good to know. What about her memory? Can I expect it to get worse?” There wasn’t much room for her memory to become more impaired, but the brain was intricate. There could be other complications.

  He sighed before he answered. “That remains to be seen. But for now, everything seems about the same.”

  Rome leaned toward me and whispered. “Should you tell him about the last time you visited…?”

  Dr. Niles watched our interaction, his eyes narrowed.

  The event hadn’t slipped my mind. I just didn’t want to get my hopes up only to have the doctor tell me it was a fluke.

  Dr. Niles grabbed his pen and clicked the tab with his thumb. He pressed the tip to his notebook. “Would you care to discuss this incident?”

  Rome gave me a look of encouragement.

  I rubbed the back of my neck before I answered. “I came here a few weeks ago, and she thought she recognized me.”

  “And did she?” Dr. Niles had his gaze glued to my face, intrigued by the story.

  “She recognized me from somewhere but couldn’t recall specifically. Then she mentioned Rome…so she remembered her from the previous visit. But when we spoke with her today, she didn’t recognize either one of us. I don’t know if that means anything. Could just have been a fluke.”

  Dr. Niles bit his bottom lip as he jotted everything down, scribbling his notes with suppressed enthusiasm. His glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, slowly sliding forward because he kept his head bent for so long. “That’s very interesting…”

  “Do you think it means anything?”

  He finished writing and set the pen down. “Has she ever done this before?”

  “No.”

  “I’d say it’s a good sign. Perhaps she can form new memories but can’t recall old ones. I think you should visit her every day, if you can, and perhaps that will make a difference. Sometimes a strong stimulus can change the chemical reactions of the brain. How often do you see her now?”

  “Once every few weeks.” I didn’t go as much as I should, and not because I was lazy. It was just too painful sometimes.

  “Try to go every day, and see if that changes anything. The brain is like any other muscle in the body. The more you use it, the stronger it is,” Dr. Niles said.

  “But she doesn’t remember her nurse,” Rome said. “And she sees her every day.”

  “But there’s no emotional connection there,” Dr. Niles explained. “With the two of you, it could be different. Calloway is her son. She does have memories of him, even if she doesn’t realize it. They’re just buried deep inside.”

  I could make time to see my mother every day. I had a lot of things to do, but if there was even a small hope that Rome and I could help her, we had to try. “We’ll give it a shot.”

  I sat at my desk and pinched the bridge of my nose, ignoring the documents I needed to sign and the flood of emails that were hitting my inbox. I’d been working nonstop since I arrived that morning, and now I needed a mental break. My mother’s illness was weighing on my shoulders that afternoon, plus my current conflict with Rome. I wanted more than vanilla, but she wouldn’t give it to me. Also, I feared Jackson was letting Ruin go to shit without me there to hold his hand. Hank was still a problem, as far I could tell.

  Everything was going to hell.

  The only positive event going on at the office was the fact that my employees finally got their shit together and were treating Rome like a human rather than a prostitute. I was glad they took my threat so seriously because I would have fired every single one of them if they continued to behave like assholes.

  My secretary’s voice came over the intercom. “Mr. Owens, Isabella is here to see you.”

  I dropped my hand from my nose and stared at the intercom on my desk. I only knew one woman by that name—and she better not be inside this building. I hit my finger against the button. “Isabella what?”

  “Not sure, sir. She said she’s from Ruin.”

  Fuck, it was the same Isabella. I knew it wasn’t smart to ignore her. Whatever she came down here to say was obviously important. If I didn’t give her the attention she wanted, she would get it some other way—by showing up at my home. “Send her in.”

  “Of course, Mr. Owens.”

  I didn’t get up from my chair because that was too much work on my end. This had something to do with seeing me at Ruin last week. Maybe she still thought there was hope for us to resume that relationship.

  I had to squash that fantasy.

  The door opened, and Isabella walked inside, head held high with confidence. She sauntered into the room as she shook her hips, looking like a model on the catwalk rather than a normal person
stopping by someone’s office. She was in a tight black dress like she’d just left the hottest club in town.

  Any man would think she was beautiful. Stunning, even. She really did have amazing features. High cheekbones, full lips, and almond-shaped eyes that made her features even softer. The first time I looked at her, I thought she was one of a kind. It was strange to look at her now and not feel anything, so contradictory. “Is there something I can help you with, Isabella? I hope you aren’t looking for a position. My staff is full.” I kept the conversation light because she would take it to a dark place the second she took the reins.

  She sat in the leather armchair facing my desk. She crossed her long legs and flipped her hair, clearly trying to capture my sexual attention with her beauty. She’d tried this tactic several times, and I wasn’t sure why she kept bothering. “I was just in the neighborhood.”

  My temper was getting more difficult to restrain. “I’m at work, Isabella. I don’t have time to keep you company.”

  She ignored the last thing I said. “Jackson tells me you’re still with that plain girl.”

  “Trust me, she’s not plain.”

  “She’s vanilla,” she hissed.

  “Vanilla, yes. But not plain.” There was a big difference. If Rome could keep my attention with vanilla sex, then it was insulting to Isabella who couldn’t get me to stick around with whips and chains. “And yes, Rome and I are very happy.”

  She propped her elbow on the armrest and set her chin above her slender fingertips. “How long is this really going to last, Calloway? You’re just going to hurt the poor girl.” Her condescension filled the air, like she was superior to Rome.

  “A very long time.” It was difficult to imagine it ever ending. The month that we were apart, I was insanely depressed. Couldn’t remember the last time I was that low. I went through my entire liquor cabinet and had to have Tom restock it because I was too drunk to do it myself. “I hope that’s not why you’re here. I assumed you moved on from me.” I saw her with that man in the hallway. I couldn’t be sure, but he seemed like a Dom. Very few men went there who weren’t Doms.

  “What we had was too great just to forget about.”

  “I never said we should forget it. Just move on.”

  She continued to watch me with her almond eyes, her slender neck soft. I remembered the way it used to feel when I grabbed it. “I know you better than anyone, Calloway. I know exactly what you’re into. I know exactly what you need.”

  “You aren’t the only one.”

  “She doesn’t accept you for who you are. She doesn’t appreciate you for the man you’ve become. But I do, Calloway. I understand exactly what you need and can give it to you. Eventually, you’re going to hit a wall in this relationship. You’re going to realize you can’t keep up with all the sissy shit she’s into. You’re going to break her heart and waste your time in the process. But with me, you could get exactly what you need.”

  After all this time, she still wouldn’t give up. “Out of respect for what we had, I’ve been patient with you. But my patience is nearly gone. You and I will never be together again, even if Rome was long gone. Do you understand me, Isabella?”

  “Yes.” She dropped her arm and continued to stare me down. “I understand you so well that I see the future even better than you do. Calloway, you need to tame your dominance if you want this relationship to work. If not, you’ll blow up at the most unsuspecting time. I can fix that for you.”

  Now I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.

  “Let me be your sub, Calloway. Give me commands to obey. Make me submit. Be the Dom that you were meant to be.”

  I couldn’t deny that I missed it. When she asked me to dominate her, I felt a rush of energy soar through my body. Rome wasn’t willing to compromise with me, and the one time she allowed me to take control, I nearly lost myself. “I’m committed to Rome.”

  “I realize that,” she said coldly. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t be a Dom with me. That doesn’t mean I can’t be on my knees, the perfect sub. If you tell me to kneel, I will. If you tell me to be silent, I will. We can have what we both want—and you can have what you have with Rome.”

  She wanted me to be a boyfriend to Rome—and a Dom to her. I hated myself for being tempted by the offer, to exercise my need for control in some way. If I had this with Rome, I wouldn’t feel any temptation at all. But that was never going to happen for us.

  “There doesn’t need to be any sex,” she said. “Any touching. Just pure domination.”

  My right hand formed a fist, tight and painful. I kept a stoic expression, but I was coming undone inside. With all the shit I was going through, I needed to let my inner Dom come out. I needed to vent my frustrations and feelings in the best way I knew how. “No.” As much as I wanted to say yes, it would be wrong. Rome would see it as an act of betrayal even though she refused to give me what I needed. And I couldn’t hurt the woman I was so obsessed with. I couldn’t hurt the woman who slept in my bed every night. She meant far too much to me. “That’s my final answer. Don’t ask me again.”

  Isabella’s eyes moved to my hand on the desk, the one was clenched tightly in a fist. Her gaze lingered for a long time before she met my look again. A small smile crept on to her lips, like she knew something I didn’t. “You know where to find me when you change your mind, Cal.”

  “I won’t change my mind, Isabella.”

  She rose from the chair and walked to the door, sauntering like a model once more. “You say that now. But you’re going to crack, Calloway. Eventually.”

  7

  Rome

  I finished up my day and had nothing else to do, so I decided to go to Calloway’s office. Everyone knew I was dating him, and since they were all finally being nice to me, I decided to just do what I wanted without worrying what they were thinking of me.

  I told his secretary I was outside and waited for him to allow me inside. Once she said it was okay, I opened the door and walked in.

  Calloway was in a bad mood. I could tell by the darkness in his eyes and the tightness in his jaw. He didn’t stand up to greet me like he usually would. He remained behind his desk, annoyance emitting from him in waves.

  “Is this a bad time?” I approached him slowly like he was a wild animal.

  “You don’t need to ask my secretary if you can walk in, Rome. Just come inside.”

  “You might be in the middle of a meeting.”

  His look intensified. “It doesn’t matter what I’m doing. You’re always welcome.”

  I would consider his words to be sweet if I didn’t feel such hostility at the same time.

  He watched me with the same cold expression and didn’t move toward me.

  I knew he was under a lot of stress. He was worried about his mom, about Ruin, about Hank, and everything else under the sun. The only time he seemed to be in a good mood was when we were having sex.

  I walked around his desk then stood behind him. My hands dug into his powerful muscles and I massaged him, trying to rub the tension out of his frame. Through his suit, his muscles were even tighter.

  When he spoke again, his tone wasn’t so harsh. “Did you need something, sweetheart?”

  “No.” I moved around him then swung one leg over his lap, straddling him and taking a seat. I ran my hands up his chest and noticed the absence of his hard-on. I couldn’t remember the last time I was this close to him without feeling his erection. I hoped it would arrive soon enough. “I’m done for the day, so I thought I would hang out in here until you’re finished.” My arms circled his neck, and I leaned in and pressed my face to his.

  His cock hardened underneath me—right on cue.

  At least his anger was going away.

  “I don’t think I’m going to get anything done now…” He gripped my hips then kissed me on the mouth, his kiss hot and seductive. He pulled my bottom lip into his mouth then squeezed my ass through my dress.

  Now that things were
heating up, I understood the error of my ways. When he kissed me like that, it always led to passionate sex. It was inappropriate for the office, but Calloway wasn’t the type of man to care about professional conduct.

  He undid his belt and zipper so his cock could be free. My dress was yanked up, and my panties were pulled to the side. He adjusted my hips and pulled me onto his length, making me slide down until I reached his balls. He pressed his face into my neck and kissed me, his chest rising with the deep breath he took. “Fuck yeah…” His hands returned to my ass, and he guided my hips in just the right way, making me sheathe his length over and over.

  The second he was inside me, I forgot about the rules we were breaking and what the consequences would be if someone walked inside. I watched the desire take over his face, the intensity grow in his eyes, and I was lost.

  He nicked my collarbone with his teeth then nibbled on my earlobe, his breath warm and seductive. He touched me everywhere before his hand migrated to the area between my legs. He rubbed my clit aggressively, giving me more pleasure than I needed.

  I bit my lip so I would remain quiet. His secretary was right outside his door, and I didn’t want to embarrass us both for all eternity. But with every touch and every kiss, he was making it impossible for me to stay quiet. I was used to the luxury of privacy, of being able to scream as loud as I wanted when he made me come.

  “Come for me, sweetheart.” He spoke into my ear, his cock thrusting deep inside me.

  I buried my face into his neck and dug my nails into his fine suit. The climax rocked through me so hard it was practically painful. I bit his shoulder as I stifled my moans, feeling my pussy drench his throbbing cock.

  “Sweetheart…” He pumped into me a few more times before he found his own release. He was silent, unlike me. He exerted his tension by gripping me tighter, holding on to me so tightly he nearly squeezed the air out of my lungs. His cock continued to move inside me, slowly coming to a stop as he finished giving me all of his come.

  I didn’t want to move because I was comfortable against his chest, his cock softening inside me. “Looks like I can’t come in here anymore.”