by Sam Crescent
“I left Club Kink behind. I’m here for you, and I’m going to start a new life with you.”
His words would have meant so much to her over a year ago. Now, his words fell on deaf ears.
“What happened to my replacement?” she asked.
“I was stupid and scared, okay?”
“What could you possibly be afraid of?” She was getting angry. This was not the way she wanted to spend Friday afternoon. She was supposed to be meeting her friends at Wade’s club. Connie was supposed to be singing as her friend was trying to build her confidence.
“You’ve got no idea, do you?” he asked, staring at her.
“I’ve not got time for this. I need to get ready.”
“Five minutes of your time, Amber. Please, I need to see you without Heather or the others being around you.”
She nibbled her lip, hoping he’d just leave. He’d never been to her apartment before. All of their interactions had taken place at Club Kink or his old penthouse, which he’d sold, according to Heather.
“You really shouldn’t be here,” she said.
He took a step closer. “Please, pet.”
“Don’t. I’m not that thing anymore.”
Pushing the door closed, she unlatched the chain and opened the door. The only way to get rid of him was to let him have what he wanted. Rubbing her palms down the front of her jeans, Amber walked toward her kitchen and finished pouring herself a coffee. She made sure to pour Elijah a coffee.
She heard the door close and tried not to tense. Turning around she saw him stood at the far end of the counter. The silence stretched between them. Amber moved closer to him and handed him the cup she’d made.
“I don’t know how you take it.” She’d never been given that privilege of knowing more about him.
“Amber, why did you leave?” he asked, taking the cup she offered.
“It was time for me to move on. You should know that. I saw you with Blondie, and I knew it was time for me to move on. I’m not really for that scene, and I never should have been there in the first place.”
He moved quickly, trapping her against his hard body and the side of the kitchen counter. Elijah took the cup from her fingers.
“What are you doing?” she asked, nervous.
“You’re a submissive, Amber. I’ve known it for a long time. I never should have spanked or fucked you when I did, but I couldn’t stop myself. You call to a part of me I try to keep buried.”
He cupped her cheek making it hard for her to turn away. His dark brown gaze had always fascinated her. She didn’t know why. His eyes were only brown. There was nothing fascinating about brown eyes.
“Stop this,” she said.
“No, I’m not stopping this.”
****
Elijah stared into her green eyes and knew he’d do everything in his power to make things right between them. He’d hurt her badly, and only he could fix what he’d broken. When he’d arrived at his sister’s door several months ago he’d lied. He loved his sister deeply, but the real reason he’d come around was because of Amber.
She’d left him over six months ago. One moment she’d been a member of Club Kink, and then she’d been gone, like she was never there. At first he’d tried to move on and take another sub, but none of them were like Amber. The woman before him understood him. She got him and never pushed for more.
“Why did you come back?” she asked, tears in her eyes.
He hated causing her physical pain. Spanking her, tying her up, and being a dominant was different from literally hurting her with his presence.
Leaning down, he brushed his lips across hers and moaned. She tasted so damn sweet. Would there ever be a time when he wasn’t so taken by her?
Her hand went to his chest. She tried to push him away. He felt it in the shoves until eventually she fisted his shirt, tugging him close.
Gripping her waist, he lifted her up on the counter. The movement sent her coffee cup flying, spilling the contents over the side and the cup clattering to the floor.
“I need you,” she said, moaning, whimpering with need.
Elijah gripped her waist, slamming his lips on hers to bring her closer to orgasm. This is what it was always like with them. The burning heat and the sizzling fire blazed thicker than ever before. He truly thought he was going to get burned or the fire was going to burn out. With Amber, the passion and flames only seemed to burn forever brighter.
All too soon, Amber shoved him away. “No, I’m not doing this. You shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t be coming here.”
He stepped back and watched as she started to clean up the mess from the coffee and the cup.
“We need to talk.”
“No, no more talking. I’m not your pet or your sweet Amber. I’m me, Elijah. I’m Heather’s best friend and someone you barely know.” She threw the cup in the sink. Going up behind her, Elijah nibbled on her neck, banding his arms around her waist as he did.
“I know you better than Heather. I’m the only person you’ve ever allowed to see the real you, and do you know what I see?” he asked, pushing her like he always did.
Amber was such a contradiction of submissive fire. She could do as she was told and walk through any scene he put her through. He could tan her ass with the coiled whip and she’d still not scream out. If he made her uncomfortable or she didn’t want his attention then she’d curse, scream, and fight until he backed down.
Her passionate nature was how he knew when she screamed red, he was taking things too far. When she’d witnessed him with the thin, blonde woman, Erika, he’d pushed her too far. He didn’t know what he was hoping to achieve by her seeing him with another woman. An outburst? Some hint that she cared about him? He was looking for anything to convince him that he meant more to Amber than a Dom. Not once in all the years they’d been together had she talked about her feelings. He wasn’t attracted to Erika at all. She’d been someone he used to try to get closer to the real woman he wanted. His plan backfired, and he’d lost Amber.
From the very beginning, Heather’s eighteenth birthday, their time together had been a struggle. They’d never come clean or been on a real date. Nothing between them was conventional. They gravitated toward each other like two magnets that really were the polar opposites.
“What do you see?” she asked. Her body was rigid and tense.
“I see a beautiful woman who is unsure of where the future will take her. You’re lonely, Amber, and I can take that loneliness away. I really can.” She snorted, but he continued. “We can be together.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “We can’t be together. It’s impossible.”
“You’re running from me,” he said, getting angry with her.
“No, I’m not running at all.”
He nibbled on her neck, trying to get her to relax against him. She remained tense in his arms. Letting out a sigh, he spun her to face him, getting covered with soap as he did.
“What happened with the blonde?” she asked, before he got a chance to say anything.
“What?”
“The blonde? The one you were intent on fucking and claiming as your sub. Tell me, Elijah, Sir, were you going to tell me before or after you made it official?”
She was trying to make him angry. He saw her deflection and hated the fact he’d been the one to cause it. She didn’t deserve that.
“I was never going to claim that woman.”
“Don’t try and fool me, Elijah.”
He cupped her face, staring into her eyes. The pain reflecting out at him drove him insane. There was a time, not too long ago, when Amber did nothing but smile and laugh. Those times were long gone.
“I’m not trying to fool you, Amber. Nothing happened between me and Erika. She was talking. I wasn’t doing anything other than flirting.” He’d not even been tempted by the other woman.
All he’d tried to do was get Amber close to him. Instead he’d pushed her away. When Tyler had come to him a co
uple of hours after he’d talked to Erika to tell him Amber’s request, he’d been shocked. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to give himself time.
“I can’t do this,” she said, tugging out of his arms.
“Why are you always running from me?” he asked, following her through her apartment. She stopped in the center of the sitting room.
Her apartment was quite spacious.
“I’m not always running, Elijah. You’re always following me around, and I can’t deal with this. I don’t want a relationship with you. I never did.”
Her words cut him deeply. Years of keeping his emotions locked away helped him not to show any reaction.
“Don’t try and kid yourself. I know what you want.” He took hold of her hand, bringing her in close. “You want me.”
“How big can your ego possibly get?” she asked, storming to the door. “I want you to leave.”
“No.”
“Heather and the girls are coming. We’re going out, and I don’t want you here when they come and get me.”
“You’ve never told them about us?” he asked. He’d wondered for the longest time if Heather’s hatred of him was because of what he did to Amber all those years ago. The biggest mistake he’d ever made was putting Amber over his knee. Since that moment she’d been over his knee a fair few times.
“Never. We’re a secret, remember? No one is to know about us.”
She opened the door, averting her gaze.
“This isn’t over,” he said, seeing no other choice but to leave.
“It has been over a long time, Elijah. You’re the only one who doesn’t see it.”
Amber slammed the door behind him. Resting his palm against the door, he waited for her to do something else. He didn’t know what he expected, but he got silence as an answer.
Chapter Two
Dealing with Elijah outside of any social setting always unnerved her. He had the power to destroy her, and he didn’t even realize it. Amber brushed the gloss over her lips giving them a nice clear sheen before adding more mascara and some blusher. After he’d left she’d done nothing but cry. Elijah wasn’t wrong when he said she wanted him. She really did want him. There was no chance for them at all.
The extra makeup would cover up the splotches caused by her tears. Standing under a cold shower helped to numb her body. She needed to be numb, as otherwise she’d go insane. For the last seven years Elijah and his brand of domination had been part of her world. From the moment he put her over his knee, he’d cemented their future together. No other man would ever be good enough. She’d enjoyed his hard spanks more than she liked to admit. Amber liked his spanks so much she’d gone out of her way to get them. They’d been alone a few times before she went in search of Club Kink.
Elijah had helped her when she didn’t know what to do. Taking a deep breath she stared at her reflection seeing the six months’ worth of denial written all over her. She’d not been submissive to anyone or gone on a date with another man. Her time was divided among work, friends, and reading. She loved to read because it distracted her far more than anything else she could think of.
A couple guys at work had asked her out for drinks, but she’d turned them down. She’d felt uncomfortable at work and handed in her notice. Ashley had quit not long after. Amber now worked in a law firm as a secretary whereas Ashley worked in a bar.
No one spoke to her at the law office. She liked it like that. Dealing with calls, typing letters, and seeing clients to the lawyers was all she was required to do. It was taxing but stopped her thinking about everything else.
The door sounded interrupting her thoughts. She fluffed up her hair before walking to the door.
Ashley, Connie, and Heather stood waiting for her.
“We got her away from Julian. She’s ours for the night,” Ashley said, laughing.
Smiling at her friends, Amber grabbed some money, which she slotted down her bra. She hated looking after a purse.
“Are we still headed to Wade’s place?” Amber asked.
“The one and only. He’s going to make me sing tonight. He did warn me,” Connie said, grumbling.
“He’s totally in love with you, Connie. He’ll do anything to get a piece of your fine ass,” Heather said, giggling.
Amber looked at Connie and saw the other woman blushing.
“Wade’s being nice.”
“He wants a piece of your ass. It’s all any man wants,” Ashley said.
Locking her apartment door, Amber followed them down to the foyer. A limo was waiting to take them to the club.
“Julian wouldn’t let me out without a personal driver.” Rolling her eyes, Amber put her arm through Heather’s as they walked to the waiting limo.
They climbed inside, giggling at the extravagance.
“Your man has got too much money,” Connie said.
“Yep, and I think he makes more every minute. The guy can sneeze, and he’d be making a few bucks out of it,” Heather agreed, smiling.
Amber watched as Heather smiled. She was the only one in their group who was settled down. Julian Goff was Heather’s boss. She’d tried to quit work, but Julian wasn’t having any of it.
Seeing her friend with Julian had once given her hope that there was a chance in love. With Elijah back in the picture, she doubted there would ever be a good time for her to be in a relationship.
“I need to find me a man tonight. It has been too long since I had a good dick to ride,” Ashley said.
“Ew, Ashley. We don’t need to hear about all your personal details,” Connie said, shaking her head.
Amber chuckled. Out of all the group, Ashley was the most open about everything. She’d been the first in the group to lose her virginity and tell them all the details, which were not that great.
Thinking about sex brought her thoughts around to Elijah. He’d been her first and only fuck. The man knew how to get her off. She loved every second of her time with him. Squeezing her thighs together, she looked out of the window trying to distract herself from her erotic thoughts.
There was nothing he wouldn’t do to bring her off.
“What’s the matter, Connie? Not used to a woman getting what she wants?” Ashley asked, smiling. “You’re my best friends. Why wouldn’t I share it with you?”
“We’ve never met any of your boyfriends,” Heather said.
“They’re not worth it. I don’t introduce you to them because I don’t want them to spoil our time together. We’re all together. We come first above everything else.”
“Of course,” Amber said.
They put their hands on top of each other and screamed “girls”, raising their hands over their heads and laughing. It was childish, but it took her back to when they were younger.
“We’re here,” Heather said, knocking on the window.
Amber climbed out as Heather thanked the driver. The guard at the door let them in. She knew Wade had given the guards permission to let them in before anyone else.
Her gaze went straight to the bar where Wade was serving Julian. She tensed when she saw Elijah sitting with her friend’s man.
Crap, what was he doing here?
“For fuck’s sake. If you were fucking Wade all your men would be here,” Ashley said, making her jump.
“What? What do you mean? I’ve not got a man here,” Amber said.
Her friends looked at her like she’d done something silly.
“We know. You need to get laid,” Ashley said. It was her answer to everything.
Rolling her eyes, Amber headed toward the bar with the other three. Glancing up she saw Elijah was staring at her. Lowering her gaze she wondered how she was going to get out of this. It was a total nightmare.
After his visit that afternoon, she didn’t know if she could handle much more of him. Seeing him with that blonde had opened her eyes to the life she’d been living. She kept it locked away like a dirty little secret. She hated dirty, and she hated secrets. Stepping away from it al
l had been the best decision of her life, or at least she’d thought it had.
Would she forever be cursed to want and to love this one man?
****
Elijah watched her walk toward him, and he got stiff at the sight of her. She wasn’t dressed for sex, but her outfit did it for him. It was a part of her he never got to see. This was the casual, open Amber she gave to her friends, to his sister. Once again he was jealous of his sister. Heather got to see a side of Amber he only glimpsed at from afar.
Seeing Julian and Wade at the club didn’t help ease him. He knew about Wade’s crush on Connie, and Julian was dating his sister. It was the best excuse he could have to be in the same room as Amber. Why the fuck did he need an excuse?
He’d seen every single part of Amber. There was not a part of her he didn’t own. Elijah had made sure he was all of Amber’s firsts, and she’d loved every second of their time together.
No more she doesn’t.
Lifting his bottle of beer, he took a long swallow, needing the liquid to quench his thirst. When it came to Amber, his thirst would never be sated. He’d learned that much with their time apart.
“What are you doing here?” Heather asked. Her arms were folded as she looked at him and then at Julian.
“We’re having a drink, right, Elijah?” Julian asked, lifting his glass of whiskey. It was an excuse, and Elijah needed it.
“Of course.” Clicking his bottle to Julian’s glass, he chanced a look at Amber. She wasn’t buying it. Her arms were by her side.
He took the time to admire her body. The jeans molded to her curves in all the right places. Her shirt clung to her large tits and emphasized her small waist in comparison to her tits and hips. God, he loved this woman, and yet he’d never said the words to her. He’d kept them to himself without speaking.
Amber didn’t know the truth, and right now, she wouldn’t believe it.
“I’m not dancing with you,” Heather said. Her words were directed at Julian.
“Like I said, I’m staying here getting to know my brother-in-law. We’ve got a wedding to plan.”