by West, Sinden
The distinguished man looked at me again and grinned. I shifted self-consciously under his gaze, “Nora must be spitting tacks. He being good to you, honey? I can always take you off his hands if he ain’t.”
Aaron placed coffee cups in front of the two men, a small smile on his face. “Do you really think you could?” he challenged.
I watched for the man’s reaction. He stared at Aaron for a moment before relaxing into a smile. “I’m into more…willing women anyway. Not broken dolls that get off on being ordered around.” His eyes flicked back to me. “No offence, honey.”
Aaron’s smile disappeared. “Rachel, go upstairs and take a shower. We’ve got some stuff to discuss.”
I went to move, tugging at the bottom of my t-shirt.
“Wait a minute. I haven’t introduced myself.” The man gently took my hand, and I watched in surprise as he lifted it to his lips. “I’m Antony.”
“Paige,” I said shyly, my eyes wide at his politeness.
The man raised an eyebrow. “Paige?”
“Her name’s Rachel,” Aaron cut in tersely. The man looked at me for a moment before flicking his eyes back to where Aaron stood. Then he swung his eyes back to me and gave me a soft smile.
“Anyway, they’re both beautiful names for a beautiful girl. Hey!” His face brightened like he had a good idea. “You should bring her tonight to Alexa’s dinner party.”
My mouth twisted. Another party?
Antony saw my reaction. “Don’t worry. My sister-in-law always means well, and she loves entertaining. She always invites her single girlfriends over to set up with the single men.”
“Except with you,” the other, non-Soprano man said with a laugh.
Antony let out a short laugh. “Yeah. She gave up on me a long time ago. But she’s got her eye on Aaron here. No matter how much of an asshole he is. If he brings you, she’ll probably give up.”
“We’re not going,” Aaron said.
“Alexa’s expecting you, and more importantly so is Luca.”
“I doubt Luca’s cares that much about a dinner party.” Aaron rolled his eyes.
“No,” Antony said. “But my brother cares about his wife being pissed off. A lot. Think about it.”
“Rachel. Go upstairs. Now.” Aaron ordered.
Antony released my hand as if reluctant. “It was nice meeting you, honey. Hopefully, we’ll see you tonight. Talk this asshole into it, would you?”
I nodded slightly before heading back up the stairs, feeling his eyes on me as I went.
I showered in the small bathroom off Aaron’s bedroom. This too was clean and white with a glass window at eye level that gave a view of the sea. I took a long shower to try and sort through everything in my head, but my mind still felt fuzzy. I ended up resting my head against the cool tile while the hot spray rained down on my back. When I started to feel faint from the heat, I turned off the water and wrapped a thick white towel around me.
Aaron sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for me with a bag in his hands. As I stood in front of him, he offered it to me.
“Nora was worried you wouldn’t have your things.”
My phone sat on top, and I grinned at the sight of it. But my grin dropped as I saw the clothes beneath it.
“What?”
“These are slutty clothes. I only wear them for her,” I muttered. Still, they were better than nothing. I pulled a cropped top over my head; it clung to me like glue and the outline of my nipples were evident. I pulled on the skirt, and it covered my ass cheeks. Just.
I looked up at Aaron, humiliated and waiting for a nasty comment. But none came. He just looked at me, expressionless.
“I have clothes at my apartment. Could I get them? I’d come straight back, I promise,” I ventured.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me forward, so I stood between his spread legs. “I know you would,” he murmured. His hand stroked over my ass lightly. Then he stopped abruptly and stood. “Let’s go then.”
The car he had this time was black and sleek. Like his bedroom, there was no personality to it. No music, no fast food rubbish, not even a crumpled receipt. It was clean and sterile, with only the scent of the leather permeating my senses. He drove in silence. I didn’t have to tell him where I lived because he already knew. That didn’t surprise me.
He followed me up the stairs, his footsteps quieter than my own. Michael sat in front of the TV.
“Your fag friend came looking for you,” he called out, not bothering raising his eyes to look at me. “I told him you left yesterday looking like a hooker.”
I ignored him and went straight to my room. Aaron sat on my bed while I got my stuff together, looking around in distaste. I felt oddly offended by his expressions.
“How long am I staying with you for?” I sat down gingerly beside him. “What’s going on with us? Is this like before? I do whatever you say or else, or–”
He stood up abruptly. “Pack a dress for that stupid dinner. I’ll wait outside.”
I rolled my eyes at his back, before throwing my stuff in a bag.
He was sitting in the lounge with Michael, who was on the edge of his seat looking alert and uncomfortable. Aaron lounged back, his eyes on the TV. Michael’s eyes darted to me with relief as Aaron stood and walked out the door. I thought about saying something to him, but then didn’t bother as I followed Aaron out the door.
The dress I wore to the dinner party was simple and black. It brushed the top of my knees, and the V-neck didn’t dip low enough for cleavage. I felt more covered than I had for a long time. When I took too long getting ready, Aaron grunted to me that he’d be waiting in the car. And he was, with the motor running, but at least he wasn’t revving the engine.
This wasn’t a sex party house, although it was just as opulent and magnificent. Framed photos lined the walls with a picture perfect family with a blonde, petite wife, a darker, older husband, and three idyllic looking children.
Alexa was welcoming and warm. She was beautiful with her hair in an elegant chignon and her figure clad in a white dress. She embraced me in welcome as Aaron introduced me as Rachel. After I complimented her dress, she giggled.
“Can you believe it? I’m wearing white! I had to make sure the little bastards were in bed before I got changed. If I ever wear pale colors, they zero in on me with their chocolate covered fingers.” She turned to Aaron, embracing him in a hug, which he returned stiffly. “I was scared you wouldn’t come. I was so glad when Antony told me you were bringing someone. Although, I must say, there is going to be one disappointed lady at my dinner table tonight.” Alexa released him and winked at me. “Girls are always attracted to the asshole effect. But now I’ll have to sit the poor thing next to Antony, and he’s a little too much asshole for anyone to take.” She rolled her eyes.
The table was beautifully set, everything shiny and expensive looking with numerous spoons, knives and forks. “Outside in,” Antony whispered to me from where he sat to my left. Aaron sat to my right.
“Thank you,” I whispered back. Antony spent most of his time speaking to me, even though an elegant looking redhead sat on his other side. Aaron, who was seated to my right, barely said two words to me. Most of his attention was taken up by Luca, Alexa’s husband. He was a reserved man, in sharp contrast to the playboy Antony. He had greeted me politely and hadn’t scanned me up and down like men usually did. Still, I could tell he was a dangerous man. He had the same air about him that Aaron had.
After dinner, the men went to Luca’s study to discuss ‘business’, whatever that was. While I stayed with Alexa and the other women in what she called the ‘drawing room.’ Alexa was the perfect hostess, flitting between her guests. She tried to encourage conversation between myself and the red head but I felt the woman’s cold eyes on me and made excuses to get some air. Alexa smiled like she understood and directed me outside to a stone balcony that overlooked a manicured garden. It was lit by numerous lights dotted around which resembled glow worms or fir
eflies. The effect was magical and I placed my glass of wine on the stone railing as I gazed out at it.
The door behind me opened, and I turned as Antony stepped out, a glass of whiskey in hand.
“Nice, huh? Alexa drove my brother crazy with her perfectionism; she went through about a hundred gardeners before she got it just the way she wanted. I’m pretty sure he was tempted to firebomb it before she was through.”
I let out a laugh, and he grinned, pointing one of the fingers that held his glass at me.
“And there we go!”
I frowned. “What?”
“A real smile. At last. You’ve been giving me polite smiles all evening. I’ve been waiting for the real you to show through.
“Oh.” I didn’t know what to say to that, and I cast my eyes downward.
“No, don’t do that. Don’t do that submissive shit. I know it gets a lot of guys hard but not me. I don’t go for that.”
I looked up at him in alarm. “I don’t want to get you hard.”
He shook his head and grimaced. “Sorry, that was a bad choice of words. I’m a little coarse sometimes.”
I moved away from him, grabbing my wine and taking a sip.
He gently touched my hand. “Sorry.”
I shrugged. “You haven’t done anything. You don’t need to be sorry.” I took another sip.
“I made you uncomfortable. I didn’t mean to do that.”
“It’s fine.”
Both our eyes swung to the opening door as Aaron stepped out. His eyes darted between us for a moment before saying, “C’mon, we’re going.” He turned, and I moved to follow but Antony quickly took my hand again.
“Hey. You look out for yourself, okay?” I nodded at him and went to leave. His grasp on me tightened though, and he leaned in close to whisper in my ear. “You need to look out for yourself around him, you know? He’s my friend, but…don’t let your guard down, okay?” He released my arm. “You should go. Good night, Rachel..or Paige.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Aaron didn’t speak to me on the way home. I leaned my head against the window and thought about what Antony had said. It was something that I knew already, of course, but it was nice of someone to warn me, I guessed.
Once inside Aaron told me curtly to go to bed, and I did gladly. After I slipped off my dress and folded it neatly on a chair, I slipped on a tank top that I normally wore to bed and contemplated briefly putting on my shorts as well, but it was too hot for that already. Once under the covers, I stared at the bedside table beside me for a good while. There was nothing personal in this room, or this house, whatsoever. No photographs, only his clothes and minimal toiletries in the bathroom. All that told me was that he liked to use expensive shampoo; that may have been the explanation as to why his hair always smelt so nice.
I finally worked up the courage to open the drawer beside me after casting a look at the closed door. I inched it slowly open. A handgun sat on the bare wood, keeping it company were a bundle of cable ties and a pocket knife. I slowly shut the drawer before lying down and clutching the covers to me. I wasn’t really surprised. I turned on my side and listened for him. He didn’t come until much later, and I lay there stiffly waiting as he stripped off and showered. Water from his damp hair flicked off wetting me as he slipped in beside me, and I flinched at it. I couldn’t pretend to be asleep any longer after that.
I turned over so I faced him. He lay on his back, staring at the shadows cast on the ceiling. Moonlight lit the room, and in its glow his sharp features seemed to be cast of stone. He was too pretty for what he was. He should have been twisted and deformed so everyone could see what was inside him. I thought of the red headed woman who had been earmarked by Alexa to be his date for the evening. What if I hadn’t been there? Would he have taken her home and fucked her conventionally, pretending to be charming and sweet, or would his darker side have emerged? Maybe she’d like that, the darkness. Maybe normal would never work for her…
Finn’s smiling face danced before me. I thought of him and Melody, the perfect blonde couple who would probably go on to have perfect babies and live in a perfect house...I bit my lip hard at the thought.
“Stop thinking. And stop staring,” Aaron’s words intruded.
I kept staring at him for a good few seconds longer before I reached over and touched his cheek. His head turned in my direction, and it was too dark to read if there was surprise in his eyes. I held his cheek to keep it turned toward me and then I leaned over and kissed him. He stayed still as if made of the stone I had imagined before. I became more aggressive and still nothing came from him and I tried to coax a reaction by gently nipping at his lower lip. When that didn’t work, I full on bit.
He shoved me away as his blood entered my mouth. His hand slammed into the light switch, and he was illuminated as an angry mix of dark red blood and golden features framed by black hair. I sat there and licked his blood off my lip, not even flinching under his glare.
“What the fuck, Rachel? You throw a tantrum like a kid if you don’t get your own way?” He wiped his mouth with the palm of his hand. Blood had transferred onto the white sheets, staining them with bright red now.
“You should have kissed me. That’s all I wanted.” My voice was even.
He bit out a laugh. “What you wanted? Since when has that mattered?” He stared hard at me for a moment, and then he was moving. He pushed me down, so I was on my stomach and held down flat by his weight on me. His fingers searched in my panties, and he started to stroke me softly. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you what you really want, shall I?”
His stroking intensified at a perfect pace, and I tried to wriggle to press harder down on his fingers but he hindered my movement. Like everything, he controlled this too. But soon I didn’t care anymore. I started to clench and moans escaped me as I was so close to coming. His fingers picked up the pace, and I was practically panting and then–
He stopped.
His hand was withdrawn and he rolled off me to the side. He stood up as I looked at him through mussed hair in confusion.
“What?” I spat.
He shrugged. “You really hurt my lip. I don’t think you deserve to cum. Maybe tomorrow. If you’re nice to me. ”
My mouth opened. “Are you kidding me?”
“Don’t get mad at me. You’re the one who turned nasty first. Anyway, get up. I need to change the bedding, you got blood on the sheets.”
He disappeared down the hall to the linen cupboard and returned a few seconds later with neatly folded fresh sheets. I helped him spread the sheets out and tuck them in, although I was sullen and silent. He seemed amused, happy almost.
After we lay in bed again, he turned off the light and lay with his back to me. I lay in the dark with my eyes closed and thought about his blood caused by my teeth. He bled just like everyone else, and for some reason this turned me on. I flipped over so I lay on my stomach as my hand snaked between my legs and took over the stroking that he’d abandoned. I envisioned his face: wounded, maimed, bleeding and pained. I ground myself down onto my hand as a moan escaped me. I remembered licking his blood from my lip like a bloodthirsty vampire, and I ground harder.
My eyes flickered open slightly, and then they widened, and I stopped. Even in the dark I could tell he was on his side facing me and resting his head on his hand. His teeth flashed white. “No, no, no,” he told me.
He pushed me onto my back and straddled me before he reached over to the side table and switched on the lamp. The black cable ties appeared, and it was a mere second before my hands were fixed firmly to the headboard.
He sat back, still sitting across my legs and watched me. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you? I told you that you couldn’t cum.”
All I did was glare up at him, frustrated as fuck. He reached out a hand and slowly dragged it down over my breast. “You know, all those times I had you restrained like this, I really wanted to do this. It was so hard not too…”
/> His hand was on my other breast now, frustratingly slow, when all I wanted was for him to pinch my nipples hard. I arched my back up to push them further into his grasp. This made him grin, and he rolled one nipple between his thumb and finger. “You want this, huh? Is this what you’re squirming for?” His grip became firmer and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. I closed my eyes, enjoying his touch. His weight moved off my legs, and he nudged them apart before smoothly sliding into my soaking pussy.
He pumped into me hard as he gripped onto my ass. He shoved himself up to the hilt as he finished. “Fuck! That was good,” he panted.
“For you, maybe,” I said clearly, disappointment evident. He laughed as he collapsed down beside me.
“Don’t be like that,” he rested his head on his hand as he looked at me where I lay still bound.
He leaned over then and kissed me with his wounded lip then he suddenly drew back and hissed in pain as it started to bleed again. It was my turn to laugh again.
He raised an eyebrow. “That’s not very nice, considering I hold your pleasure in my hands.” And to illustrate the point he traced circles around my clit. He made me cum. He fucked me again.
And then we had to change the sheets one more time.
I made him breakfast in the morning, even though it felt wrong to sully the pristine kitchen. He was quiet again, so I stayed silent as well. Until I told him I had to go to work.
He looked confused. “You want to go to work?”
“No, I have to go to work. I’m on my own. I have bills to pay. I can’t take time off work.” This wasn’t strictly true. I actually had a small nest egg in the bank thanks to Nora and her ‘gifts’.
He dropped me off for my afternoon shift and grunted that he’d pick me up at ten when I finished. Thomas gave me a relieved hug when I came in.
“Are you okay? I’ve been so worried. I sent you a million texts and even went to your apartment.”
“I know, I forgot to charge my phone. Anyway, it’s fine.”