by Andra Lake
“This is my studio,” Dallon said and turned to push open the impressive double doors. For a moment, I panicked, thinking about how Sam would react to the bed in the middle of the room, but it seemed Dallon had already thought of that. The room looked mostly empty except for racks of clothes and the wardrobes.
“It’s a big space,” Luke said appreciatively.
“Can we see some of your work?” Sam asked, glancing around at the empty walls.
My cheeks heated and I glanced at Dallon, who stood impassively, hands in his pockets again. “Unfortunately I only have rolls of film and CDs at the moment. All my prints have been purchased or given away.”
“You don’t display any of them?”
“No, I do not.”
It was stated with such finality that even Sam backed off. I knew she thought it was odd, though; her teeth were worrying her bottom lip and her brow was creased.
Dallon moved out of the room, an indication that we should all do the same. This time, he waited and took my hand as we walked down the hall, toward the stairs. Instead of taking them, however, he continued to the empty room.
“The last room is a surprise,” he said, looking at me with twinkling eyes, his hand on the doorknob. A smile widened across my face as I realized what he was referring to. Even though I’d refused, he’d gone ahead and put it together anyway.
In the center of the room was the easel Sam and Luke bought me a few weeks ago, as well as an adjustable stool. The walls were painted a light teal, my favorite color of the moment. Along the entire left wall was a table that must have been custom made, its surface bare except for a box. The most striking feature of the room, however, was the floor to ceiling window that looked out on the same view as Dallon’s study. The view was much better than that of the guestroom, leading me to believe he had left this room empty for something important.
“Go ahead,” Dallon said softly.
I stepped into the room in awe and noticed an antique chest of drawers I hadn’t seen before. After glancing at him and receiving a nod, I opened the top drawer to reveal tubes of acrylic and watercolor paints. The next drawer held pencil crayons and pastels. The next drawers contained sketchbooks. The rest were empty.
“I didn’t know what you like to use,” he said, appearing beside me. “I bought these for now.”
I turned and threw my arms around him, burrowing into his chest. “Thank you. This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.”
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. “There’s more. Look at the desk.”
My heart skipped a beat as I got closer and saw what was in the box: it was a brand new MacBook Air. On the desk beside it sat a copy of Adobe Creative Suite.
Dallon stood behind me, his breath soft on my neck.
“I thought it would be good if you could practice what you learn in your courses at home as well. I’m not sure if your office uses Apple computers, but I prefer them myself. I’m sure the programs look the same on either computer.” He shifted uncomfortably, and I realized I had just been standing there, staring at his gifts. “Do you like them?”
I snapped out of it. “Sorry, I… I was speechless. Dallon, this is amazing.”
His answering grin made my heart melt. He looked relieved, but also triumphant, and another piece of the Dallon puzzle fell into place. What really made Dallon happy was to make people he cared about happy. He was looking at me the same way he looked at Brendan when they were shooting hoops, but his eyes were warm and wet.
I must have been looking at him with a similar expression, because he cleared his throat and began opening the laptop box to pull it out for me. It was then that I remembered Sam and Luke were still with us. I turned to see them standing in the doorway still and laughed. “You can come in, you know.”
Luke was the first to enter, a boyish half-smile on his face. “We didn’t want to ruin the moment.”
“This was a very nice surprise,” Sam agreed. Dallon looked up from what he was doing and gave her a nod in response.
Dallon had my Airbook up and running and I couldn’t believe my good fortune. It was the most beautiful laptop I had ever seen and so thin, I thought I might snap it in two if I picked it up.
“For now, let’s just leave it on the desk,” I told him, and he laughed.
“I’ll show you how to use it and install the software this weekend. It looks like it might be time for more wine.” Dallon took Sam’s empty glass from her hand and, putting his arm around me, led us back downstairs.
Even though we’d all had dinner, Dallon insisted we fondue. He had already set the dining room table with place mats, plates, two sets of forks and wine glasses. Red wine was decanting in a carafe at the center of the table. Dallon told us to sit and when he disappeared to prepare the fondue, Sam grabbed her opportunity.
“He’s head-over-heels for you,” she whispered excitedly.
I quickly took a sip of my wine, unsure how to respond to that. “You think so?”
She cocked her head to the side in her you-can’t-fool-me gesture. “And you’re head-over-heels for him.”
“I am,” I surprised myself by responding with no shrug or sigh. “I really am.”
Luke held up his glass. “Cheers to the two of you then.”
“I’ll help Dallon bring everything in,” I said and after we’d clinked glasses. When I entered the kitchen, Dallon’s back was to me, and I admired the view of his broad shoulders under his shirt and his ass in his jeans before he looked over his shoulder.
“Admiring the view?” he winked.
“Yes, actually.”
He laughed and turned around, grasping the counter behind him and crossing his ankles. “I’m admiring the view too.”
I sighed. I was wearing a jean skirt and a tank top, hardly anything special, and yet he was still looking at me like I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. I’d never been looked at that way before. I went to him and reached for his arm, running my fingers along the hairs on his arm.
“Thank you again for the gifts.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything, his eyes growing heated. My hand stilled and I moved to the stove, stirred the fondue. “I think it’s ready.”
“Only two more hours and then you’re mine,” he whispered in my ear, moving behind me to remove the pot from the stove, the other hand sliding under my shirt to touch my lower back briefly. I shivered, grateful he was too busy pouring the fondue into the pot to notice. I grabbed the platters of food he’d prepared earlier—French baguette bread and freshly chopped vegetables, as well as various spreads and dips—and followed him back into the dining room.
Luke and Sam were in a passionate embrace when we entered, and she quickly pulled away, face flushed. Apparently Dallon’s home had that effect on them as well; it was all a little much, the ambiance, expensive red wine and fondue. I caught Sam’s eye and we smiled at each other. It felt good to finally be in the same place as her.
Dallon lit the fondue candle and told them to dig in before filling their glasses with the decanting red wine. He told us the vintage, but I was too focused on his face as he poured, the slight determination of his jaw. It wouldn’t have mattered to me anyway; I enjoyed most wines, as long as they weren’t sickly sweet.
Sam took a sip and nodded appreciatively.
“So, I researched your company a bit,” she said, placing a piece of baguette onto her fondue fork.
I stopped mid-dip to flash her a look, but she continued unperturbed.
“Walters King… Walters was your step-father?”
Dallon acted nonplussed, focusing on dipping his own baguette, but I could tell from the tightness in his jaw that he wasn’t pleased. Meanwhile I was wondering why I’d never thought to research Dallon King. What did Sam know that I didn’t?
“Yes, he was my step-father,” Dallon said simply.
“What confused me was that you started the company after he passed away. Two years ago.”
“Yes, I did. He left me a rather large inheritance, so including his name was sort of a way for me to thank him.”
It was a nice gesture, but stated with an air of detachment, as if he’d only felt it was something he should do, not something he’d wanted to do.
“Were you close?”
I closed my eyes as Sam asked the question I was afraid she might ask next. Like me, she had picked up on his tone, but unlike me, she was going to go there.
Ever the gentleman, Dallon removed his dipped baguette from the fondue fork and ate it with a regular fork. He took his time before responding.
“Not especially. My mother left us for him when I was young.”
“I’m sorry,” Sam said.
I reached over and put a hand on Dallon’s leg, and he covered mine with his own, holding it there. “My family is not something I like to discuss.”
“Fair enough,” Luke said, turning the conversation to me. “So Amy, are you looking forward to your first day of work?”
I nodded. “I think I’ll start playing around with the software tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Dallon raised a brow at me.
“I mean, Sunday.” I heated at the reminder.
“I have a day planned for us tomorrow,” Dallon explained.
“Nice, what are you doing?” Luke asked.
“It’s a surprise for Amy, I’m afraid.”
“You’re full of surprises,” Sam stated in an unreadable tone, her eyes on the fondue as she dipped a piece of broccoli.
When she glanced up, Dallon smiled that trademark smile of his, the one that made him look smug and mysterious at the same time. “You have no idea.”
Sam swallowed hard, her hand shaking slightly as she brought her food to her plate, extricating the broccoli from her fondue fork the way Dallon had. Previously she had only been using the fondue fork.
Luke cleared his throat. “So, man, we know what you do for a living, but what do you like to do for fun?”
Dallon’s sexual predilections popped into my mind and I tried to pull my hand from his leg, but he only grasped it tighter, smiling pleasantly at Luke. “I have many hobbies, but photography is my passion.”
“Perhaps you can take some pictures of Amy,” Sam said.
Dallon’s cool gaze met hers. “Perhaps I already have.”
Sam’s mouth actually dropped open. It would have been funny if I weren’t completely mortified knowing she’d understood his meaning.
“Luke and Sam are into doing triathlons,” I said to change the subject. Sam frowned at me, but I ignored her and carried on quickly. “They’ve both done really well. I can’t even imagine doing something like that… I’d die.”
“Interesting,” Dallon said, turning his focus to Luke. “What triathlons have you participated in?”
Though at first Sam seemed reluctant to move off the topic of Dallon, eventually they became engrossed in their own stories and Dallon kept them talking. I was relieved to be able to just sit back and enjoy my friends getting to know my boyfriend. Pretty soon it felt like they had known each other for longer than a night.
“Would anyone like some dessert wine?” Dallon asked, standing and picking up the plates.
Sam and I both stood to help, but I told her to sit and followed Dallon into the kitchen.
“I think it’s going well,” I said, rinsing the first plate before putting it into the dishwasher. Dallon handed me another one silently, and I rinsed and put it away too before talking again.
“Don’t you think?”
“I have something for you.”
His voice was rough, and I straightened, turned to face him. He was holding a strange object in his hands. It looked like a plastic tube with different shaped ends.
“What is it?”
“It’s midnight,” he said, looking down at me with dark eyes.
I glanced at the clock and back at the object. His fingers were caressing it almost reverently. He stepped toward me and put a hand on my waist, holding me in place. The other hand slipped under my skirt and I felt it against me.
“Open your legs.”
I looked up at him, my breathing coming in heavy. “You can’t possibly be serious.”
“Dead serious. You’re going to keep this inside you for the rest of the night.”
“Why?” I whispered.
His eyes narrowed. “Are you really asking me that, Amy? I thought the deal was for you to obey me for one full day.”
I swallowed and opened my legs, my cheeks heating as he pushed the object inside me before moving my panties back in place to keep it inside.
“What if it falls out?” I whispered, my heart racing.
He smirked. “Don’t let it.”
He pulled something out of his pocket, held it up. “This is the remote. With a simple click, the vibrator will turn on. Don’t do anything to upset me, and you won’t have to worry about it.”
I didn’t move, still in shock as Dallon began pouring the dessert wine into four new glasses. He picked up two and handed them to me to take into the dining room. I was really regretting my decision to stop Sam from helping.
Dallon leaned down and kissed me on the nose. “Don’t worry; it’s one of the expensive silent ones. No one will know.”
Bullshit, I wanted to say to his retreating back. How would I manage to act normal with a vibrator going off inside of me?
Walking the short distance to the living room was torture as images of it falling out danced through my mind. Dallon handed Sam and Luke each a glass and I quickly slipped into my chair before handing Dallon one.
“Are you all right?” Sam asked me.
“Mm hmm,” I said, my mouth full of wine, even though I was supposed to be sipping it. The idea that the vibrator could turn out at any moment had me on edge.
“You look a bit… flushed.”
“It’s the red wine. It always happens.”
Sam raised her eyebrows and smiled, taking a sip of her own wine and studying me as she drank. When she put down her glass, a half-smile tugged at her lips, one I’d seen many times before. She was up to no good.
“So, Amy, tell me about these pictures Dallon took of you.”
I almost choked on my wine. She was grinning mischievously at me over the rim of her glass.
“Yes, Amy, tell her about our photographs,” Dallon said, turning to smile at me as well, a twinkle in his eye.
“Um, they’re very good. Dallon is talented.” I kept my gaze on the tablecloth, knowing I was bright red.
Sam laughed. “I suppose I don’t have to ask the nature of the photographs.”
I peeked up to see Dallon smile coolly at her.
“I’m sure you’ve already deduced what you wanted to know. It’s interesting that you ask about them though, because photographing Amy is on my list for tomorrow.” When he turned to look at me again, his eyes were burning. “What do you say, Amy?”
I didn’t respond right away, and the vibrator turned on. The feeling shocked me and I cried out slightly and then coughed to cover it. Luckily it wasn’t set at a very high level and Dallon had been correct that it was silent. He turned it off quickly.
“Sure,” I said meekly and slipped lower in my chair.
Dallon patted my leg, his hand slipping up my bare thigh toward my skirt. I risked a glance at him and saw a trace of a smile on his lips.
Sam looked back and forth between us and her eyes narrowed. She tilted her head to the side and began spinning the base of her wine glass, looking contemplative.
“So now that you have the new job, will it change your living arrangements?” she asked without looking up.
“Sam,” Luke chided softly.
What the hell? I glared at her. What was she trying to do? Beside me, Dallon stiffened.
“I’m going to stay here,” I said softly.
“And what were you saying to me upstairs?” She looked up at me and our eyes locked, and I could tell that she was trying to get
me to stand up for myself. Unfortunately, she had no idea of the predicament I was in.
“Didn’t you say you were going to start paying rent?”
The vibrator started again and I grabbed Dallon’s leg and squeezed, willing him to stop. It was too much; my heart was racing and I was dangerously close. The fear of being exposed was a heady aphrodisiac.
Luckily, Luke had turned on Sam with the last comment, scolding her under his breath, and they were too preoccupied to notice us.
Dallon turned to look at me, his expression hard.
I held his gaze. “Please,” I whispered.
He shook his head slightly and it was like a mask lifted. The vibrator switched off.
I was now breathing heavily, my limbs shaking.
“Are you okay, Amy?” Luke asked.
“Yes, I think I just had too much wine,” I lied, putting a hand to my head.
He nodded and stood. “We should get going.”
As Dallon said goodbye to Luke, I pulled Sam aside. “What were you doing back there?” I demanded in a whisper.
She sighed. “I’m sorry. At first I was playing but it got carried away. He’s just so… controlling of you. I feel like there’s more to him than meets the eye, and I want you to be careful. Set some boundaries.” She paused for a moment, as if unsure how to proceed. “I worry because of Michael.”
I pulled her into a hug. “I know you do, and I love that. Just don’t torment him. It will only egg him on.”
Sam frowned. “Okay. You know better than I.”
I hugged Luke goodbye and Sam held her hand out to Dallon. “Thank you for the nice evening,” she said to him, but there was some hesitance in her voice. In contrast, he pulled her into a hug, apparently in good spirits that she’d played into his hand.
Dallon closed the door behind them and spun on his heel to face me, a predatory smile on his face.
“Can I take it out now?” I asked immediately.
He cocked his head to the side. “That was a silly question, wasn’t it? And you didn’t call me ‘Sir’.”
He pulled the remote out of his pocket and held it up before turning it on. This time, the intensity was doubled, and I bent over.
“Stop,” I panted. “Please.”