by Raven Dark
3
I couldn’t believe how much this man drove me crazy. I didn’t even know his name, but every moment I was near him, my blood burned with the need to feel his touch, to feel him owning me. In the elevator, when he’d been forceful with me, grabbing my chin like he owned me and promising consequences if I put myself down, I’d nearly dropped to my knees at his feet. No man had ever done anything like that to me, and I’d never wanted a man inside me so badly as I wanted him right then.
Of course, instead, he’d moved as far from me as possible, avoiding so much as touching me. He’d done it on purpose, watching me need him. Now, alone in his room, with his lips hot and hard on mine, my insides quivered, pussy clenching with the thought of what he might do to me.
Never in my life would I have thought of doing something like this before tonight, but I was tired of spending every moment of my life doing everything to protect my father, to keep our identities a secret. I was tired of always being guarded and careful, of being alone, of always wondering what it would feel like to share myself with someone the way Fran had talked about so many times. I wanted that freedom, that recklessness for myself just once. What better way to rebel against the mundanity of my life than with this sinfully sexy stranger in a single night of wild passion? Best of all, if he didn’t know who I really was, and I didn’t know him, there was less risk of any fallout over what happened between us. No matter how much part of me wanted to know him, to feel a deeper connection to this man, this anonymous encounter was the only safe way.
Heart beating a tattoo in my chest, I clutched at his shoulders, savoring the drugging feel of his mouth working mine. His tongue flicked between my lips, warring with mine, and I wanted to die right there in his arms. Never had I imagined a kiss would feel like this, as if my blood was on fire.
When he finally lifted his head, the smoky hunger in his grey-gold eyes made my pulse flutter. I bit my lip around a smile. “That’s amazing, Sir.”
I hated and loved the way his lips twisted in a satisfied smirk. He was so aware of his effect on me. The ease with which he carried me, cradled against his chest with one hand under my knees, the other across my shoulders, made me feel so feminine, I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. I didn’t get a chance to say anything though, because that’s when I noticed the room he’d carried me into for the first time.
“Wow.” I let out a low whistle. “So this is how the other half lives.”
I didn’t like displaying that I was impressed so easily, but I couldn’t help it. The huge suite boasted a thick, crimson carpet, plush white furniture, at least in the main room, and gold and crystal accents. Couches surrounded an oak table offering a meeting area, while a hall led to what I assumed was a bedroom. A half open door revealed a marble inlaid bathroom off to the side. A full window ran along the back wall, long, thick red drapes falling over them, lined with white lace. The full bar along another wall looked stocked with bottles that each cost more than my dad’s tractor.
The resentment I always felt around the rich hit me, and I quashed it. A billionaire CEO had ruined my father’s life and mine, pushing us into hiding and landing us in the poor house, but this gorgeous man in the room with me wasn’t responsible for that. He didn’t deserve my scorn just for being wealthy.
A low chuckle rumbled from my nameless lover’s chest as he easily carried me down a set of three steps, into the room proper. How the hell he carried me so easily, I had no idea. The implication of helplessness made my insides melt, and that annoyed me.
“You could put me down now.”
“Are you in a hurry to be away from me, girl?” His grip under my knees tightened.
“Of course not.” Yes. His closeness was way too drugging. “I must be heavy. Don’t exert yourself unnecessarily.”
“You weigh nothing, Anika. And I don’t want you away from me.” He walked slowly, further into the suite. “What if I carried you to my bed right now? Hmm?”
“Caveman.”
“Your point?”
Too bad my whole body hummed in agreement.
He let me down to my feet slowly, but instead of releasing me, he pulled me close, crushing me to his frame as if the feeling of having me in his arms was the best feeling in the world. I looked around the room again, anything to get my mind off the way he affected me.
“This room is fantastic.”
“Are you impressed, Anika?” His low rasp teased my ear before his lips trailed down the side of my neck. He was mocking me.
“Is that what you’re doing, Sir? Trying to impress me?”
“There’s that sassy mouth again.” He nipped my ear, and when I shivered with delight, squirming against him, he did it again, making me gasp.
“I assume after a hard day’s work, you’re hungry. You will need your strength for tonight, but if you would rather get right down to business, I can find a better use for that mouth right now.” As he spoke, he kissed his way up and down my neck, back to my ear. His hardness poked into my back through his slacks and my pulse jumped. “Is that what you want?”
Oh, fuck yes. I wanted to tell him to push me to my knees and make me suck him off right now. I’d never had a man in my mouth before, and the thought filled me with a strange mix of fascination, excitement, and a bit of trepidation. The notion seemed so dirty, so raw, and I wanted to feel him, to have him make me do what he liked, show me how to please him.
“Um, let’s eat first.” I pulled to escape his arms and head for the bathroom to freshen up, but he yanked me back. He pinned me to him so my back was to his chest, his arm around my waist like a steel bar. The muscles in his arm corded, flexing through the sleeve of his suit and silk shirt, awing me with power I wouldn’t have expected from a man who sat behind a desk all day.
“Not so fast.” His other arm slid around my front, his giant palm cupping my chin. Holding my face in place while he kissed his way along my cheek and jaw. A light stubble on his cheek grazed my skin, rough and making me hotter. “You want something, you don’t tell me, you ask nicely for it. Is that clear?”
I couldn’t seem to get my breathing under control. I hated how easily he left me panting. His words suggested control and I liked that about him, but I swore they also indicated something more menacing. A deeper, more long term control I wasn’t sure I was ready for. Part of me wanted to rebel against the implication of him controlling my most basic needs, and yet my head buzzed with dizzying need. “Yes…”
“Yes, what?” The threat in his voice made me want to scream for him to fuck me.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Are you hungry, girl?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“What do you say?”
“May I eat, Sir?”
Jesus, he wouldn’t deny me food. I knew that, just by the way he confessed wanting to pamper me earlier, but somehow, knowing he had the power to control when I did things, had the power to refuse, and yet that he wouldn’t, made me incredibly wet.
“Yes, you may.” He released me. “Go wash up. I’ll order room service. Any preference?”
“Surprise me.”
I hated surprises, but I was too lazy and high on him to think about whatever fancy dishes this place might serve. Most of them were probably the sorts of expensive dishes I wouldn’t know how to pronounce anyway.
“You got it.” He pulled out his phone.
I went into the washroom and shut the door, then leaned against it, glad for the opportunity to regain control of my breathing, my heartbeat.
Wild desire careened through me and my whole pussy burned, begging for attention. I almost undid my pants and stroked myself to release right there in his bathroom, the way I so often had when I was alone. My mystery man had made it clear he liked to control things. Somehow I knew he wouldn’t be pleased if I took my pleasure without him. The thought of what he might do to me for it only made me want him more. I nearly groaned and settled for running my hands under the cold water, splashing it on my heated face.
“Food’s on its way.” He gestured for me to come to him, merely a flick of his fingers, and yet that single action held the same power as it would have if he’d ordered me to his side.
“What did you order me?” I kicked off my runners and tried for a slow seductive walk toward him, hoping I didn’t look as clumsy as I must have seemed.
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, would it?”
Right, I’d told him to surprise me. When I stopped in front of him, he took my hand and pulled me onto the couch beside him.
“You don’t ask for anything, do you, Sir?”
“No. That’s not how I’m wired.” One hand drove through the side of my hair and he leaned in. An instant before his lips brushed mine, a knock sounded on the door. I licked my lips when he halted and his mouth twitched in a smirk. That look gave me the sense I’d escaped something. Something I wasn’t sure I wanted to get away from.
“Hold that thought.” He stood and touched me under the chin with his fingertips, a slow, feather light gesture that felt somehow threatening and made my pussy tighten with the possession in it. Oh, the things he’d do to me.
When he strode to the door, I watched him, fascinated by the smooth, cat-like grace with which he moved. Who was this man? He didn’t move like a billionaire, but rather like someone much more dangerous. Someone trained for violence.
There was a click as the door to the hotel opened. His voice, and what I assumed to be the waiter’s, talking low. The waiter would probably say his name, and I strained to listen without thinking, forgetting the rules about anonymity. It didn’t matter, they spoke so softly I couldn’t make out what either said. Damn. A moment later the door closed and instead of letting the waiter wheel in the food, he did it himself. To eliminate the risk that the man might say his name?
“It smells good. Steak?” The faint aroma of cooked beef with some kind of gravy filled my nose and I inhaled deep. He nodded and took the silver lid off a platter of rare steak. “Wow. I haven’t had that since I was a kid. You went all out.” Again, a certain annoyance leaked into my voice. My father was about to lose his farm, and this meal probably cost two month’s rent.
He straightened and cocked his head at me, questions swirling in his eyes. He didn’t ask, but seemed to put them away for later.
“Sorry. I’m just cranky. Long day.”
He nodded and served up plates for both of us, then set mine on the coffee table in front of me. “Wine?” He lifted up a bottle of expensive looking red wine.
I shook my head.
“You don’t drink?”
“No.” I resisted the urge to tell him why, that alcohol lowered inhibitions and risked my letting my guard down. Something in his eyes told me he knew.
“It’s better that you don’t. If you had said yes, I would have to be a little more vanilla with you than I like.”
My heartbeat sped up and my skin hummed with the promise in his words. “What exactly are you planning to do to me, Sir?”
He seated himself beside me with his plate, cut himself a piece of steak and put it in his mouth as he looked at me. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
Irritation bit into me, but it mixed with arousal at the level of careful control he maintained over the evening. He wasn’t going to give me a hint, nothing that might give me a chance to gain purchase. I shook my head and leaned forward, digging into my food.
The most tender steak I’d ever eaten flooded my taste buds with flavor. It was well done and seasoned to perfection. Stuffed mushrooms with clouds of potato over them stood off to the side. The steak on his plate looked pink inside, almost red.
“Did they mess yours up?” I couldn’t believe someone would eat meat that rare.
“Nope. I like it like this.”
“It’s raw. Yuck.” I laughed.
His eyes danced, his jaw working on another bite. I watched him cut another piece, a deft, single swipe of his knife. It hit me that the slice was perfectly square. Was he OCD? I glanced at the shoes he’d taken off and set beside him. They sat side by side, perfectly aligned. I frowned, curiosity piqued with this surprising revelation about my lover. What else would I learn about him? Regret pulled at me at the thought that I wouldn’t learn more after this night.
When he cut another piece of steak, the watch on his wrist flashed, the diamonds on it catching the light. I almost gasped, noticing the fine line of stones around the face. That watch could probably pay off my dad’s debts to Gavini, and then some.
“Holy shit. Is that thing real?” I turned his wrist up without thinking, staring at the watch. He looked at me, dark brow quirked.
“It is. I don’t do pretense, I told you that.”
“Jesus Christ. I’ll bet this meal costs a lot more than I’d make in a day, too.”
He drew back, his jaw tightening. “Do you have a problem with money, Anika?”
I sighed. Shook my head, hating that I’d showed an uglier side of myself. “No. I’m sorry. I just…I’m under a lot of stress.” We’re about to lose everything, and I don’t know what to do.
His look turned calculating. He must have seen more in my expression than I intended, because he slid his hand over mine on my knee, and the knowing in his gaze twisted my heart.
“Anika, if you’re in trouble, let me help you.”
I scoffed. “No. I am not getting you mixed up in my shit. No attachments, remember?”
“So you are in trouble then.”
“I…er…I…” It shocked me that even for a moment, I considered telling him. I considered asking him for the money we needed. I’d never been the kind to ask anyone for help, much less some rich pretty boy I didn’t even really know. My dad was right, the last thing we needed was to borrow money, and it didn’t matter if it was a bank, or him. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to borrow it without telling him more about myself than I could risk. “Can we not talk about this, Sir? Please?”
For a moment, with the way his eyes searched my face, I thought he was going to press. I’d been too secretive, too mysterious, and he wanted answers. Instead, he slid his palm over my cheek, gently pushing my hair back. Then he nodded.
“Come here.”
Swallowing, I moved closer and he turned a little, framing my face with his palms, his heat radiating through me. Drugging me. My hands trembled as I ran them up his chest and I licked my lips.
“Nervous?”
I nodded. “I’m sorry. I must seem so clumsy to you. I want to please you, but I don’t know how.”
One of his palms slid to the back of my neck, cradling my nape in warmth. A secure grip that somehow felt both commanding and reassuring at once. “Don’t worry about that. Just do as I say and leave everything else up to me.”
“It’s not easy for me to let go, Sir. To trust someone else like that.”
“It’s only for a night. I won’t push too hard, I promise. Just relax and let me take care of everything.”
I rested my forehead on his, or perhaps he rested his on mine. “You like to control things, don’t you? Everything around you?”
“Yes.”
I gave a shaky sigh. I needed this as much as him. I needed to let go and let someone make the decisions just this once, just as much as he needed to make them for me.
“How do I please you, Sir?”
He smiled, a warm look that softened the brutal angles of his face and warmed my heart. “You’re perfect, you know that?”
“No I’m not. I—”
“Shut up.” He cut off my habitual attempt at self deprecation, his l
ips crushing mine.
Whatever the hell I’d meant to say was gone from my head the moment our lips collided. Instant, intense heat filled me, searing my skin like fire and I groaned into the kiss. His mouth dominated mine, prying my lips apart before his tongue flicked inside, teasing. A rumble of desire shook from his chest, and his hand cupped the back of my head, allowing him total control and deepening the kiss.
Instinctively, I let go, relaxing into him. Opening for him, tilting my head back to let him take all that he wanted. He made it so easy to just forget about whether or not I kissed him right, and just trust that he’d take care of both our needs. So easy to forget that I didn’t know his name, and shouldn’t be here with him, with this stranger in a hotel room that would have made my dad fall over with the price of it.
My mystery lover kissed like a god. His tongue danced over mine, every flick making my muscles coil tighter, my pussy hotter. He angled my head, teeth scraping mine. Fuck this was intense.
When he finally stopped, it was only to let his lips trail down the front of my throat, a fist in my hair pulling my head back to give him access. I panted and let my eyes roll closed, heartbeat loud in my ears.
“I love the way you taste.” He nipped at my throat, hauling me hard against him until I swore he could feel the hammer of my heart against his own. “Every inch of your body is mine to do with what I want, Anika, you understand that?”
“Yes.” I didn’t even hesitate, and that scared me more than the way he affected me. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good girl.” He turned my head to the side and devoured my ear while both of his hands shoved under my shirt and pushed it up passed my breasts. For just long enough to peel off the shirt, he stopped, tossed it aside and yanked the cups of my bra down, letting my breasts spill out over them.
“God, look at these perfect tits.” He groaned and bent, taking one nipple into his mouth.
The sudden heat of his hot wet mouth on my nipple made me gasp. He sucked on it with long, hard pulls that sent jolts of pure need throbbing between my legs. I ploughed my hands through his hair, head lulling back, arching my back to give him a better angle. He switched to the other nipple, nipping and sucking until it almost hurt.