Black Obsidian

by Victoria Quinn

  Everyone respected that.

  When I reached her side, she immediately turned her brown eyes on me. They took me in with fascination, and like the obedient submissive she was, she quickly lowered her gaze and tilted her chin downward, bowing to me without bending her spine. “Master.”

  “Come with me.” I barked out my command and walked away without bothering to look behind me. I knew she was there, following me like the good submissive she was. I didn’t need a leash for her because it was unnecessary. This woman had been trained well. With the snap of my finger, she did exactly as I commanded—and she did so without complaint.

  She was the best submissive I’d ever had.

  We walked to the opposite side of the building on the top floor and entered my office. The furniture was black, and the large window behind my desk was tinted so the outside world couldn’t see within. They would never understand people like us. They would never understand our desires and our necessities. To them, we were just freaks.

  And I thought the same about them.

  My desk was carved from stained cherry wood, and the bookshelves on either wall were the same material. A lone lamp sat on the surface, and once I turned it on, we weren’t blanketed in the shadows any longer.

  Isabella fell to her knees in front of my desk, taking the position she was expected to maintain whenever she was in my presence. Her braid trailed down the middle of her back, ready to be wrapped around my fist the instant I wanted her.

  I leaned against the desk and crossed my arms over my chest. I took a moment to look at her, to appreciate her last moments as my submissive. For the last year, I’d been her exclusive Dom, making us one of the rare monogamous couples within our world. She pleased me exceptionally well, and she required no training. Perfect the way she was, she came into my life and gave me the satisfaction I craved. I never loved her and told her I never would, and she accepted that at face value. “Up.”

  She rose to her feet, her slender frame uncoiling from the uncomfortable position on the floor. One time, she stayed that way for nearly five hours while I entertained guests over dinner. She didn’t move an inch—not even to scratch her nose. Now she watched me with her big and bright brown eyes, waiting for a command she could fulfill. Her universe centered around me, the man she obeyed constantly.

  I pulled the black ring off my finger. It was snug before my joint, and I had to twist it until it came loose before I placed it on the desk beside me. A faint tan line marked the skin that had been covered for so long. Now it could finally breathe, finally see the sunshine.

  Her eyes widened when she saw my actions, knowing exactly what it meant.

  “I’m no longer your Dom, Isabella. And you’re no longer my submissive.” Our arrangement had an expiration date, and we both knew it from the beginning. Despite how long we lasted, we knew this day would come. Like the sun rising over the horizon, it was inevitable.

  In shock, she kept her same expression. To anyone outside of the two of us, they wouldn’t have a clue what her thoughts were. Her emotions were hidden deep like buried treasure beneath her permanent mask.

  I stepped toward her then grabbed her right hand. I pulled the ring off her finger, feeling the snugness before it finally came off. The band was plain and black, matching mine with the exception of its width. I placed it on top of my ring and made them a pair once more. “You can speak freely.” She was no longer mine to control, so she could do and say whatever she wanted. It wasn’t the kind of freedom she wanted, but she had to accept it.

  Her eyes took in the rings before she returned her gaze to my face. Large like the moon, both were glowing orbs that radiated mystical power. It was one of her features that attracted me to her in the first place. But now, they reflected her disappointment—and her pain. “I don’t understand…”

  I hoped she would take this separation as emotionlessly as I would. In the beginning, I made it clear what kind of man I was, and I would never change. She claimed she believed me, but perhaps she didn’t. “It’s nothing you did, Isabella. You’re just as perfect as you were when I first looked at you. But I’ve come to realize I want different things.”

  Her hands found each other in front of her waist, and slowly, her fingers started to fidget. Her shoulders weren’t as straight as they normally were, and the grace she once possessed had disappeared entirely.

  I wanted to command her to remain still, but I couldn’t. I’d lost my privileges.

  “We were fine yesterday. This is just so sudden… I thought you wanted me.”

  This kind of desperation was pathetic and annoyed me. But she’d been with me for a year, trusted me for an entire year, and I had to be patient with her. I owed her that much. “I’m sorry if it’s unexpected. But honestly, my decision is just as unexpected. I still think you’re gorgeous, and every man downstairs will fight for you once they realize you’re no longer mine. But I’m not going to change my mind.”

  Her thumbs continued to rub together anxiously, and deep in her eyes, tears started to form. Slowly, they coated the surface until they reflected my cold appearance.

  “Don’t.” I had to stop it before it started.

  She took a deep breath to steady her resolve, but the second she left my office, she would sob in the bathroom. I didn’t need to be psychic to figure that out. “Cal, is there someone else?”

  I knew this question would come up, but I didn’t know how to answer it. I wasn’t even sure what my answer would be. When Rome gave me her name, my balls tightened back into my body, and I nearly came then and there. No woman had ever conquered my sexual desire the way she did. Those three slaps were better than any blow job I’d ever received. Instead of being annoyed by her power, I craved it. I wanted to conquer her—and I wanted her to conquer me. “Yes.”

  She took another deep breath, her eyes watering all over again.

  “I didn’t touch her. Don’t worry about that.” Isabella was the only submissive I was monogamous with, and that was because I made a promise to remain faithful to her. I always kept my promises, no matter how much I wanted to break them. With our relationship, there was respect and friendship. I would never betray her, even though my cock was eager to be disloyal.

  “When did this happen?”

  Just the night before, but it felt like a lifetime ago. I had no understanding of what I was doing or why I was doing it. The second I laid eyes on Rome, my entire world changed. I wouldn’t consider myself to be happy, but I was certainly content. But the second she slapped me, I felt distraught over what I didn’t have—her. “Last night.”

  “Oh…” She rubbed her hands together, her fidgeting never stopping. “If you didn’t touch her, why are you ending this?”

  I wasn’t sure. All I knew was I couldn’t be with Isabella any longer, not when my cock was this hard and my mind was this obsessive. Now, I only wanted one woman to be underneath me, the creature with the intense green eyes—and it wasn’t Isabella. I wanted her to fight me until her back hit the sheets. Then I wanted her legs to wrap around my waist as she begged for more. While love wasn’t in the mix, I respected Isabella too much to lie to her. We had a relationship based on trust—and that was something I would never sacrifice. “Because I can’t stop thinking about her.”

  3

  Calloway

  I entered the office on 155th Street. The lobby was pristine, with its granite countertop in the rear, along with the receptionist who guided visitors to the correct floor. A fountain was in the center, emitting the calming sound of running water at every hour of the day—even when the doors were locked. I buttoned the front of my suit, greeted the girls behind the counter, and then took the elevator to my office.

  The doors opened, and I walked to my office tucked in the corner. My assistant handed over my itinerary along with my messages before she handed me my morning coffee—black and bitter.

  Once I was in my leather chair with my black laptop in front of me, I searched through the messages, hoping to s
ee something from someone in particular—but there wasn’t. I opened my computer and worked through the countless emails that required my attention. Sometimes, I wondered if I was the director of Humanitarians United or if I was just a puppet moving through paperwork.

  An hour later, Shaylen beeped into my office through the intercom. “Charles is here to see you, sir.”

  About fucking time. “Please send him in, Shaylen.” I shut my laptop and watched the doors open as Charles walked inside. He wore the same brown leather jacket I saw him wear every single day. It was thick and old, holes and stains marked all over the place. He wore dark jeans and heavy boots to fight off the New York chill. “Nice to see you, Charles. Do you have something for me?”

  He tossed the folder on the table, his bushy eyebrows giving him an appearance of constant annoyance.

  I opened the folder and realized it was empty. I quickly shut it then held it up. “It’s obvious you did this on purpose. But it’s not obvious why.” I tossed it in the recycling bin beside my desk.

  “I couldn’t get much on your girl.” He loomed over the front of my desk, never taking a seat even when I offered him one. At Ruin, he did a lot of digging into people to make sure they were trustworthy. Not just anyone could enter Ruin and be one of us.

  “What little were you able to dig up?”

  “She went to Harvard for her bachelor’s in social work before she got her master’s in sociology. She has a small apartment on the west side, and she runs a small nonprofit called For All.”

  I recognized that organization. They’d done a lot of work around New York for the homeless and juvenile runaways. They were small but very respectable. “What else?”

  “That’s it.”

  “Does she have a boyfriend?” More than anything else, that was the answer I needed. If she was taken, I would be respectful and back off. Nothing irritated me more than when someone chased a person who was unavailable. But even if she was seeing someone, my obsession would still linger—unfortunately.

  “I don’t know.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “How do you not know? What am I paying you for?”

  “This woman covers her tracks. Other than her credentials, that was all I could find about her past. I don’t have a clue where she was born, when she was born, and who her relatives are. Her record is wiped clean. This woman literally has no digital footprint.”

  Now I was even more intrigued. “How is that possible?”

  “She must have changed her name.”

  She was married? “People get married all the time, but their past isn’t erased.”

  “No, that’s not what I mean. She must have acquired a new identity.”

  I’d seen a lot in my lifetime, but I’d never heard of that.

  “She has secrets—secrets she’s trying to hide.”

  What a coincidence—I have secrets too. “Anything else?”

  “She’s in serious debt. About three hundred grand deep.”

  “How?”

  “Student loans and the nonprofit she owns. She must dump a lot of her own money into it.”

  Just on paper, this woman fascinated me. Judging by her natural strength as she walked across a room, I would assume she wasn’t afraid of anything—that she didn’t have skeletons in her closet. The fact that she had a double life, a whole other existence, made me wonder what she was hiding from.

  “She’s attending the Governor’s Charity Ball this Saturday.”

  That party was such a bore, but I had to attend because I was usually given the Philanthropist Award—but they really should give someone else the spotlight. My company did a lot of amazing things, but it wasn’t the only one. It was a great opportunity to get donations from other affluent people in the city. Free advertising. “She is?”

  “Yep. And you aren’t the recipient of the Philanthropist Award this year.”

  My eyebrow rose in interest. “Yeah?”

  “Rome Moretti is.”

  It was nearly midnight when I walked into Ruin and entered the back office. I had paperwork to deal with, payroll, and a bunch of other bullshit that made me hate being a business owner. When I took over the company, it was with excitement. But lately, I’d only been excited about one thing.

  The door opened and shut behind me. “Asshole, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day.”

  I didn’t turn around as I leaned over my desk and searched for the mail. “Congratulations. You finally succeeded.”

  Jackson walked around the desk then plopped down into the leather chair—my leather chair. He looked up at me, his blue eyes identical to mine. They were piercing and cold, just like the icicles that hung from my roof in January. “I heard you broke it off with Isabella.”

  I’m sure the whole fucking club knew by now. I opened the first letter, aware of his gaze still burning into my face like hot lava.

  “Did you hear me?”

  “Yes.” I skimmed through the bill and left it off to the side. Then I grabbed the next envelope in line.

  “And?”

  “And what? Is this gossip hour?”

  “Just tell me what the hell happened.”

  “I don’t owe you an explanation, shithead.”

  He snatched the letter from my hand and slammed it on the desk. “What the hell happened? You were her Dom for nearly a year.”

  “I’m aware.” I was there, after all. I leaned back into the chair and stared him down. “All things come to an end, right? It’s not worth talking about. I’ve had many subs in my lifetime, and she’ll have many Doms.”

  His gaze narrowed on my face, his irritation seeping from his pores. “She said there was someone else.”

  Why couldn’t she keep her mouth shut? I didn’t deny it because lying wasn’t my strong suit. If a man couldn’t be honest, then he wasn’t a man at all. “Yes, but I’m not seeing anyone.”

  Jackson gave me the most quizzical expression I’d ever seen. “What? You aren’t seeing her?”

  “I met her a few nights ago in a bar. Haven’t stopped thinking about her.”

  “Is she a sub?”

  “Unlikely.” She had way too much fire in her eyes and too much strength in those sexy hips. There was no way she could follow a command without giving some attitude. Maybe that was why I found her so attractive—even though that was the exact opposite of what I wanted.

  “Then what’s the deal? You asked for her number or what?”

  “No.” She slapped me three times like a goddamn pro. “I only got her name. I broke it off with Isabella immediately afterward. It didn’t feel right anymore. Isabella trusts me, and I still want to be worthy of that trust.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes shifting back and forth between mine. “What does that mean? Are you going to make her your new sub?”

  If I’m lucky. “I’ll see where it goes…” She wouldn’t be easy to break. I could tell. But I was always up for the challenge.

  “Dude, Isabella is the hottest chick in this place. You’re going to give her up?”

  When I first laid eyes on her, I wanted her. We started fucking, and the sex was explosive. Not long after that, we became an exclusive Dom-sub, which shocked everyone who knew me. Isabella did everything I asked, and she did it well. I was content with her, even happy. But when I set eyes on Rome, it was as if the past year never happened. I saw the world in technicolor, and she was neon green. I had to have her—at any cost. “Yes, she’s perfect. It’s time for us to both move on.”

  Jackson pressed the back of his hand to my forehead. “You must be dying of syphilis or something.”

  I smacked his hand away. “Shut the fuck up, asshole.”

  “So you don’t care if I go for her?”

  If he’d asked me that a week ago, I would have turned over my desk with a roar and knocked him out cold. But I didn’t feel anything—not a hint of jealousy or an ounce of rage. I didn’t feel possessive toward her. Strangely, I didn’t feel any type of attention or affect
ion toward her. It was like she’d never meant anything to me—at all. “No.”

  “Seriously?” Both of his eyebrows rose to the sky.

  I hated it when he spoke like a goddamn teenager. “Seriously.”

  “Because I’ll do it. I’ll wipe away all trace of you.”

  “Go ahead.”

  His eyebrows deflated, and he finally believed me. “Damn, who is this woman?”

  Charles wasn’t able to dig up much on her, just more mystery, so I didn’t have a clue. “Not sure yet. But I’ll find out.”

  4

  Rome

  Christopher and I entered the lobby of the hotel. He wore a black suit with a matching tie, looking like he belonged with the crowd. He actually did his hair, wore a nice watch, and acknowledged the people around us with a smile. When I introduced him, he was polite—which was rare.

  We entered the ballroom where the charity event was being held. The chandelier hung from the ceiling, sparkling under the dim lighting of the room. Round tables were spaced across the floor, ivory tablecloths with candles and centerpieces on the surface.

  Christopher whistled under his breath. “Fancy, huh?”

  “It looks really nice.”

  His head turned toward the bar in the corner. “Now that looks really nice. Full bar, right?”

  I tried not to roll my eyes. “Behave yourself, alright?”

  “If you wanted someone who would behave themselves, you shouldn’t have asked me to come with you.”

  “If you don’t want to be here, just go.” I stepped off to the side and looked him in the eye, seeing the brown color that reflected the lights from the chandelier.

  “And make you go stag?” he asked with a laugh. “I may be an ass, but I would never do that to you.”

  “I don’t mind going alone.” Almost everything I did, I did alone. Not having a man on my arm didn’t give me anxiety. I didn’t care that I was single and living in a small apartment in solitude. When people asked if I planned on settling down soon, like that’s where I should be in life, I usually smiled then excused myself from the ridiculous, mundane conversation and found something better to do.