Masterpiece (The Masters of The Order Book 1)

by Verne, Jillian

  I owe you one, girlfriend, she thought as every set of male eyes in the room fell on her and stayed there. Indomitable.

  At the end of the table next to Nicolai, stood Jacques. She almost didn’t recognize him. His hair was slicked back and he was dressed more like Nicolai than the dark sex god she’d met at the opening. He looked great, but a hint of disappointment slipped into her mind. She and Nicolai were cut from the same designer cloth and that made them work, but something a little edgier would have been nice too.

  Copper eyes met her stare. “I didn’t have time to shed the suit, chaton. I hope you like it.” The tone in Jacques’s voice said he knew she did.

  As she moved to her chair, Jacques leaned over and whispered to Nicolai, “Although, I do believe our kitten would prefer me in leather.”

  “I know she would,” Nicolai replied with a grin.

  “Leather it is then, mon petite chatte.”

  The look Jacques gave her was potent enough to strip that white dress right off and a visible shiver shook her.

  Sexy with a capital “S.E.X.Y.”

  Nicolai cleared his throat to hide his laugh.

  Sabin picked up the conversation as they sat down. He was explaining some kind of a financial deal to the other men and she noticed that each had a stack of documents next to them.

  Oh right, she thought as her mind came back online. The Order isn’t only about sex. This was a side she knew existed, but hadn’t really experienced before today.

  As she focused her attention on what Sabin was saying, Nicolai leaned over and handed her a set of papers. “This might be something of interest to you, Julianne. Sabin and Jacques are forming a new company to create and sell alternative fuels. They’re offering us a chance to invest at the ground level. No obligation, of course, but their ventures have been very successful in the past,” he whispered as Sabin continued his explanation.

  “Alternative to what?” she asked.

  “Oil, darlin’. We’re taking on those fat cats down in Texas who run the world with oil,” Sabin answered. “Gonna save the planet.”

  “Said the oil man himself,” Darion chided.

  “Former oil man,” Sabin corrected. “My daddy may have left me a fortune from that dirty stuff, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use the money to clean things up a bit.”

  “Dangerous business, taking on such powerful men,” Darion warned.

  “Someone’s gotta stir the pot and who better than moi?” Sabin pointed his thumbs at himself.

  “Why would starting a new business be dangerous?”

  Jacques answered. “The oil barons earn a lot of money by maintaining the status quo, Julianne. People who challenge them take a very big risk. But our company won’t be public initially. We’ve secured private financing through a colleague in Japan. If you invest with us, you don’t have to worry about those things.”

  “Are you saying someone might actually hurt you if you compete with them?” she asked, somewhat shocked.

  “It’s not pretty, but it’s the way of the world.”

  “Can’t Xavier protect you? He’s a powerful man. He protects people.”

  She felt a pang of embarrassment as she said the words. The startled looks on the faces at the table told her that she should.

  “I know how to protect myself.” Sabin glanced toward the bodyguards who were standing off at a discreet distance.

  Well that explains the muscle.

  “You have no need to be concerned with Xavier,” Nicolai said calmly.

  Zut. The stone wall again. “What if I want to be concerned with him?”

  Silence exploded in the room. Nicolai’s eyes shot to Darion.

  “Why does that upset you? Is there something you’re not telling me about Xavier Talbot?” she asked, feeling angry and very nervous.

  Nicolai turned back to her with a schooled expression. “No.”

  “Then why did every jaw at this table drop when I said his name?”

  “Sometimes Xavier bites, darlin’,” Sabin joked to break the tension. “You just be sure to stay close to Nicolai at the Grand Ball so we can be sure he doesn’t bite you,” he said with a wink.

  *****

  You want this, Julianne. Just act like you know what you're doing.

  Nicolai opened the door and guided her into the playroom. She took one look, turned and bumped right into him, trying to get out of the very door they just walked through. Firm hands stopped her.

  “Look at me, my love.”

  Nicolai pulled her face between his palms and locked eyes with her. Despite the fact that this was her fantasy, she was scared and he knew it.

  But who wouldn’t be?

  They just walked into what looked like a medieval torture chamber. Darion’s playroom, or rooms, if you assumed similar rooms were hidden behind all of those heavy doors, filled the entire basement of his villa. Looking at the light, sunny exterior, you would never expect to find such a dark place at its core. She had no idea what most of the scary looking contraptions were for, but the things she did recognize were pretty frightening. If she thought she’d been intimidated by Darion before, Ha! She’d never look him in the eye again.

  “Trust me, Beauty, it’s still me. Even here. I will take care of you.”

  “So will I. I promise, kitten.”

  Jacques joined them in the doorway and she practically jumped into Nicolai’s arms.

  How can I be surprised Jacques is here? Of course, he's here. That's the whole point.

  “I’m sorry,” she said with a mental kick. “I didn’t mean to disappoint either of you.”

  Jacques didn’t respond. Nicolai did. “The only thing that could disappoint me would be for you to run away instead of talking to me. Please tell me how you feel right now.”

  How many times did she have to hear that before she started abiding it? Their lifestyle required many things, but perhaps the most fundamental was the ability to communicate. A room like this was a testament to why that was true.

  She drew in a deep breath, unsure how to begin, but determined to try. Openly expressing herself was still difficult. She’d only found the courage to talk to Nicolai about ménage after he plied her with wine, tied her naked to a dining room chair and tickled her with an ostrich feather until she confessed her dirtiest fantasy to him. Even then, she only asked about Jacques because she knew he wanted the same thing.

  She had to close her eyes before blurting, “I don’t want you to do anything that makes me ugly.”

  “Okay, Beauty, but to my eyes, nothing in this room could make you ugly so I need you to be more specific.”

  That sounded like a question. Well, it was. Sort of. It was a Nicolai question, which basically meant it was an invitation. But it wasn’t what she was used to when dealing with conflict. It wasn’t a direct order, a command to keep silent or a punishment for expressing displeasure.

  Of course, it wasn’t, you fool. Nicolai is your lover. Now grow up and talk to him like a woman.

  She looked over at the wall of masks and ball gags. “I don’t want you to cover my face or mouth.” Then she remembered being blindfolded in the studio and added, “Not with those anyway.”

  Nicolai smiled a knowing smile. “I assume silk would be okay.”

  She nodded and glanced around, not sure what to say next. The things surrounding them were overwhelming. Half of them scared her. The other half looked kind of interesting. She would have liked some time alone to explore, but it was too late for that.

  “It’s mostly about the imagination, Beauty.” Nicolai swung an elegant hand around the room. “A place where you can leave the taboos and the guilt and the restrictions on your sexuality behind. Another time, we’ll come down here and I’ll show you around. For now, let’s make this a bit simpler.”

  He tugged her hand and led her farther into the room. Stopping in front of a huge bed, he pressed her hand into the mattress. It was very firm and covered in leather, but it was just a mattress.

&
nbsp; “This is where I planned to put you,” he said.

  She blew out a sigh of relief. There were no pillows or blankets and the canopy over it was an iron grid, but it was just a bed.

  I can handle a bed.

  “If anything becomes too much, just say so. Neither Jacques nor I have any interest in forcing you. You always have a choice.” The voice was firm and sincere.

  “I know. I’m sor...”

  Nicolai stopped the apology with a kiss. Everything about the way he did it told her he was happy with her. Very, very happy with her. No apology necessary.

  She’d almost forgotten they weren’t alone when Jacques interrupted them. “My turn.”

  She turned to look at Jacques just as he leaned in and took her lips. Both hands grabbed either side of her head and he kissed the ever-loving-shit out of her. Nicolai gripped her wrists, locking them behind her.

  The fire started. But the spark didn’t come from Jacques’s exotic taste or the demand of his hands in her hair. It came from the hands on her wrists and the hard press of her man’s pleasure against her back.

  “Parfaite. Just relax and give yourself to him. You are so sexy, Beauty mine. I want to see him with you. Tasting you. Fucking you.”

  Nicolai’s dirty talk ignited the inferno. This particular midnight fantasy had tempted her since the first day she met Jacques. Scary room aside, she wanted this. Jacques’s kiss left no doubt that he wanted it too. But more than anything else, her artist voyeur wanted it. This was Nicolai’s favorite kink and she was determined to meet his darkest desire head-on. A little fear of the playroom wouldn’t stop her. In fact, the setting seemed to be enhancing the experience. The hint of apprehension it created had her wondering and that had her insides clenching tight. Perhaps she’d been too quick to judge. She surrendered her hesitation and moaned against Jacques’s lips.

  She wasn’t the only one getting carried away. Jacques’s kiss intensified and Nicolai’s breath picked up. Nicolai’s erection pressed into her back as Jacques’s pressed into her belly. Both men seemed to move in time with one another and she knew it wasn’t a coincidence.

  They're giving me a taste of my future.

  Slipping his arms around to bring her closer, Nicolai locked her against his chest and pinned her arms at her sides. “We don’t need any of the things in this room, Beauty mine. No leather or metal can trap you as well as I can.”

  He grazed her neck, his teeth scraping over the smooth column with the promise of a kiss.

  Or the threat of a bite.

  Feeling that hard body behind her did things to her. She was so much smaller, petite and fine-boned, and always felt alternatively protected and undefended against it. But never quite so much as right now, when Nicolai held her at his mercy and offered her to another man.

  As if he could feel her body’s reaction to what he was doing, he added, “Taste her, Jacques. Taste the sweetness between her legs.”

  Jacques smiled against her lips as he accepted Nicolai’s invitation. “It would be my pleasure. J'ai le plaisir extrême.”

  Nicolai’s grip cinched tighter, bending her off balance, as Jacques eased down her body to his knees and raised her skirt over her hips. He didn’t take it off. Hands slid up the back of her thighs beneath the fabric to cup her bottom. Somehow, she felt more vulnerable being dressed and exposed, rather than stripped naked. Jacques raised her feet off the floor and draped her legs over his shoulders.

  Nicolai was right. They didn’t need any of the things surrounding them. Their bodies were restraint enough.

  “Open for him, Beauty. Let him taste what is mine.” The voice was a velvet rasp. Goading, challenging, primitive, and so divinely dominant.

  The first touch of Jacques’s mouth wasn’t tentative or gentle. His face came up hard between her thighs and he plied her open with a French kiss to her sex. The hot sweep of his tongue over her folds was followed by long, slow stabs in and out of her channel. He penetrated her, over and over again, drawing her essence into his mouth. Every press of his tongue went deeper, felt more intimate, as if he couldn’t get far enough inside of her.

  Suspended between them, she couldn’t anchor herself and the rapture of Jacques’s mouth swept her up. It happened so fast. The frantic force of the orgasm ripped through her. No warning. No permission. No control. The tight pull inside of her body just exploded into a dripping climax. She trembled as Jacques lapped her cream off her skin.

  Instead of easing her down, he increased the intensity and kept at her sex with renewed focus. Lashing at her. Licking her. Taking what he just had. The barrage of stimulation was unbearable so soon after that crushing release and her body bucked.

  Both men held fast, offering no escape from the intimate kiss.

  “He’s not going to stop until I say so and I have no intention of letting you go.” There was a bite in Nicolai’s voice to match his constricting grip.

  Jacques continued to devour her sex, sucking and invading her with more demand. The struggle to draw breath in the tight clasp of Nicolai’s arms heightened the feeling of being defenseless against the demanding press of Jacques’s mouth. Sweat broke out over her skin and her breath labored in the vice of those steely arms. She squirmed, trying to free herself, and slipped down Nicolai’s chest.

  “This body belongs to me. Do not fight him.”

  The sharp command sent chills through her as Nicolai hiked her higher on his body. Jacques’s tongue never veered from its course. The second orgasm plowed through her, contorting her body in the trap of theirs.

  Jacques didn’t relent. Not in the slightest. She cried out when she realized he wasn’t going to and thrust her hips up. Caught in the masterful predicament, the movement only pushed her more firmly against that wicked tongue.

  The erotic onslaught continued and the coil started to wind again. She fought the urge to succumb. If she came again, she might not survive it and Nicolai hadn’t really touched her yet. Another orgasm and she would spin out of control.

  There it was: the moment she lived for. The moment that defined her. It hadn’t happen when she accepted Nicolai’s offer for a ménage with Jacques or walked into Darion’s dungeon with him. It hadn’t happen when Jacques kissed her lips or her sex. It happened right now. When every instinct sought escape and she denied herself. When she chose to endure any erotic experience that Nicolai offered. When she put her trust in him and took a leap of faith.

  Excitement surged up from between her legs and over her mental barricades like a tidal wave. The rush ripped the demure lady from the moorings of her self-control and thrust her forcefully into the shadowed lusts that lurked within her. Her cry of abandon echoed off the stone walls.

  “There’s my girl. Surrender to me and I will never let you fall.” Nicolai’s voice was edged with masculine pride.

  She went boneless, tears of release falling from her eyes as all the resistance spilled from her body. Jacques’s groan of approval sent vibrations deep into her. His lips seized her throbbing bud and sucked hard. The sensation consumed her. She’d thought Jacques was talented before, but the devouring pulls of his mouth blew her mind. His fingers pushed into her, seeking her other magical bundle of girl nerves, and began to swipe over it. The pleasure soared.

  “I’m still going to punish you for the other two, but this one is mine. Give it to me, Beauty.”

  The sound of Nicolai’s command overpowered even Jacques’s talented touch and she flew apart between her two lovers. Without reserve or ego or shame. She jerked and shuddered with the exhilaration that came from freeing the wildness in her, rather than controlling it. This place demanded that freedom. There were no limitations here. And even though this was only the beginning of their scene, she gave everything inside over to the release.

  When she opened her eyes, she was staring up at the iron grid over the bed. Nicolai was underneath her. She couldn’t remember lying down. She couldn’t remember Jacques removing her clothes either, but she was as naked as the day s
he was born and he was standing over her with her dress in his hand.

  “I think we handled the tasting part pretty well. Let’s see what we can do about the fucking. Come here, kitten.”

  He pulled her off Nicolai, circled around to the side of the bed and scooted into the center. He removed his shirt and unbuttoned his leather pants. The ones she knew he wore for her. His head turned to her, the copper gaze latching on with a carnal intent. The look was dirty, dangerous and one of the sexiest damn things she’d ever seen. He patted the mattress beside him.

  She climbed onto the bed, very conscious of Nicolai watching every move, and crawled to Jacques. She knelt in front of him, but didn’t touch him. The room may have been a bit of a shock, but Nicolai didn’t bring her here completely unprepared. He explained that Jacques was a more formal Dom who enjoyed strict protocol. Most importantly, he told her what Jacques disliked. Touching him without permission would insult him.

  Nicolai didn’t command her to become something she wasn’t for Jacques, only asked her to respect his preferences when they were together. Even though the formal behavior was new to her, it felt natural. To her mind, showing respect to Jacques was equivalent to showing respect to Nicolai and everything she did was about pleasing Nicolai.

  “Aren’t you going to touch me, kitten?” Jacques asked, testing her.

  “Only if you give me permission, sir.” She dared a quick glance into those intense eyes.

  Jacques smiled. “Very nice, mon chaton. I think before you punish her, Nico, we should reward her good behavior. Ask him if you’re allowed to come while I fuck you, kitten.”

  “Nicolai, may I come while Jacques fucks me?”

  The instant obedience sent a shockwave through Jacques and she felt his arousal spike.

  With an amused chuckle, Nicolai answered. “When you put it that way, Beauty, how can I refuse? Yes, please do. As many times as you’d like.”

  Nicolai reclined at the end of the bed to watch with pride glittering in those amazing crystal eyes.