by Dani René
Silence greets me, and I know she’s really considering what I’ve said. Most women would laugh it off or counter before they’ve even really thought about it, but that’s where she’s different. Arabella is nothing like the other women or girls I’ve come across. Perhaps it’s because of her upbringing. Maybe it’s because of her past, but she’s mature beyond her eighteen years.
“Perhaps, but they tend to change you in a good way,” she tells me.
“So, then you’re agreeing with my statement that it’s not an unconditional love?” Once more, I throw out a challenge while I enjoy our conversation.
“Not entirely no, but it can be. If someone accepts every part of you, then yes, it’s most definitely unconditional. Like I said, it depends on the person you’re with.” I’ve not been this intrigued by a woman in a long while. And I don’t see her as a teen, even though she is. No, right now, this is a grown woman who’s got a mind of her own.
“And what about when that love fails?” I challenge as I close my eyes, only to picture her right now. I want to be the asshole who asks what she’s wearing and if she’s on her bed. I want to make her feel things she’s only probably read about in books, but I also ache to ensure she experiences things she couldn’t dream up.
“Love fails when the two people in the relationship no longer deem it important. If you’re with someone, you stay faithful. You open up about your darkest secrets and deepest fears.” Her voice falls into the silence over the line, and I wish I could reach in and pull her out. I want her in my bed.
“I want to know what your darkest fantasies are,” I tell her when she doesn’t continue. “I want to know what makes your pretty cunt wet with need. What makes you touch yourself in the dead of night. That’s how I’ll learn your heart and mind, and that’s how I’ll figure out just how pure that soul of yours is.”
“What makes you think it’s pure?” she throws back easily, her voice firm. With every turn, she shocks me. She makes me question just who the fuck she is.
“I know it is because you haven’t seen my darkness,” I return easily.
Her breath stutters over the speaker, before she says, “Then show me.” The challenge lingers between us, and my body turns hot, molten with the need to have her beneath me right fucking now.
I would say I’m too old for this shit, but I’m not. Far from it. I ponder her request for a moment before I drop my voice to a husky whisper and tell her, “Let’s start this slow. What are you wearing?” It’s the oldest line in the book, but it’s going to show me if she’s willing to take this seriously.
“My yoga pants and a tank top, which I might add are both extremely tight fitting.” I can hear the amusement in her voice, which does nothing to calm my blood from simmering in my veins.
Ignoring the lightness in her words, I ask, “And underneath?”
For a few seconds, I’m met with silence before she tells me, “Black polka-dot panties with a matching bra.” The image of her in those fucking scraps of material makes my cock thicken.
“Polka dots … Is that your favorite pattern?” I can’t help but smirk.
“No, but these are so soft against my smooth skin.” She’s toying with me. The fact that she said smooth only earns her a growl from under my breath.
“Close your eyes and lie back on your bed or sofa, or even on the carpet.” The order is nothing more than a murmur, but I know she heard me because I’m met with a soft whimper in response. I hear material shuffling, so I’m guessing she’s moving to wherever she needs to be.
“Okay,” Arabella’s response is a slight moan.
“Good girl,” I appraise her before continuing. “I want you to slide your hand over your neck. Allow your fingers to dance over your skin. A delicate flutter.” Another moan is my only response. “Over your tank top and feel how your nipples harden under your touch. Now I want you to imagine that’s my rough hand moving over your tits.”
“Elian.” She moans my name, causing my dick to leak with the need to be inside her. Or just to fucking see her, but the anonymity is fun … for now.
“I want you to take one nipple between your thumb and forefinger, and I want you to tweak it, gently at first.” I know she’s obeying me because her sensual sounds echo over the line toward me. “Now twist it hard. I want to hear you.”
A stifled moan falls from her lips and finds its way through the speaker to me, which only makes my body rigid with the craving to feel her under me.
“Harder.”
A scream, loud and clear, greets me.
“Good girl.”
Fuck, this girl is a delicious distraction. Even though I shouldn’t be doing this, I can’t stop myself.
“I want you to slide that hand over your taut stomach, under those yoga pants, but not under your panties.” There’s silence this time, and I can’t hear the path of her hand trailing to obey, but in my mind, I’m picturing her every move.
“Yes,” she finally hisses in my ear.
“Press down on your clit. Make it tingle for me.” I keep my voice a deep drawl, a murmur drenched with desire. “Circle it like you do late at night to those dark fantasies that run through your mind.”
“Oh god.” Arabella’s voice drips with hunger, and I can’t stop the smirk from curling my lips. “Elian.”
“Are you all wet for me, little deviant?” I ask, knowing the answer, but I want to hear her say it. I want her to admit what she feels. My hand trails down to my crotch, my cock hard under my touch, and I squeeze, allowing the pain to send prickles of need down my spine.
“Please, let me come,” she pleads in a soft whisper, which sets my body alight. I want my hand wrapped around her throat while I feel her cunt pulse around my dick.
Grinning, I respond, “No. Take your hand out of your pants right now.”
“But—”
“Right. Fucking. Now.” There’s no argument because she knows if she doesn’t obey, this is over. I made myself clear when I told her what I wanted. And she cannot refuse.
A frustrated sigh is her answer. “That was mean.”
“I know. I’m not a nice man.”
“Clearly,” she sasses me, which makes me chuckle.
“At eight tonight, I want you to walk to the gate of your aunt’s house. From there, you’ll exit the property, turn left, and walk down to the stop sign before taking another left.”
“That’s going to take me toward the mountain,” she informs me like I don’t know.
“Yes.”
More silence before she asks, “But why would I do that?”
I can’t help but smile at this girl’s confidence. It’s sexy. “You’ll be wearing nothing but that tight little tank top and a pair of shorts. Nothing underneath. I’ll be waiting for you a few yards down the trail.”
“Okay.” Her voice is light, agreeable, and I wonder if she’s nervous. I want her to be trembling, and soon enough, she will be.
“I’ll see you later, Arabella,” I tell her before hanging up. Time to get everything I need to play up on that mountain with her. When I first moved to town, I explored every part of that place. Well, every part that’s accessible. And I know all the hidden corners where I can enjoy her for a few hours.
Pushing to my feet, I head toward the hallway, right to the end of the east side of the house where my office is private from the rest of the home. Once inside, I inhale deeply. The scent of lavender hits my senses, calming me before I make my way to the desk. I open the laptop and click on the emails. It’s time to set the wheels in motion.
I shouldn’t be doing this, but I can’t stop myself from wanting her. Hopefully, after a few evenings with the beauty, I’ll be able to walk away. I need to get her out of my system because I’m playing a dangerous game.
I tap out the message with instructions which are precise, and I make it clear they must be followed or there will be consequences. Once I hit send, I make my way out of the office and lock the door.
The house is sile
nt. It’s nothing like the home I grew up in. I’ve always craved the quiet but never got it. Now that I can choose my own path, that’s what I revel in.
But as I move through the house into the kitchen, I find myself wanting to hear her voice. Arabella’s feisty words replay in my mind, her intelligent debate, her soft whisper. It’s strange to think about someone like her in my life.
Most women have been a quick distraction from my mundane job, but with her … she’s everywhere. And I’m going to make sure when I finally have her, I’m the only thing she’ll ever fucking crave.
My little deviant.
22
Arabella
I can’t believe I’m doing this. As I step out of the house, I shut the door behind me, hearing the click of the lock. I used to sneak out of the house when I was younger. At sixteen, I knew how to navigate our house without being found. Coming and going when I pleased. Even though I knew it was wrong, I did it anyway. Maybe if my Dad weren’t gone, I would still be home and trying to make him proud. But I’m no longer his princess. I’m nothing more than a woman who’s broken beyond repair. In my search for belonging, I’m going to meet my teacher in the dark.
As the wrought-iron gates slide closed, I glance around, noticing just how quiet this town is at night. Most people will probably be in their homes, or they’d be in town. The main strip has a movie theater and restaurants, boasting an array of cuisines. Thankfully, even though it’s smaller than I’m used to, there are a number of things to keep people occupied.
I wonder briefly what it would look like in winter. With the snow thick on the ground and the trees bare from the cold weather. A shiver races up my spine as I make my way to the corner where I take a left.
I find the trail easy enough, and as promised, there’s a car waiting for me. I notice the gleaming paint finish under the weak yellow light streaming down the entrance to the gravel road. The silver Aston Martin Vanquish is stunning with the license plate that reads Donati. It’s different from the car he drove to the party, the night he drove me home, and I wonder just how many vehicles he owns.
Rolling my eyes, I step up to the passenger door and pull it open to find Elian sitting back, watching me slip into the seat. His blue eyes aren’t as cold as they are in class. Now they’re burning hot like an inferno raging through the forest.
“Hello, Mr. Donati,” I greet, a smirk curling my lips in a playful gesture.
He takes me in, trailing his heated gaze from my head to my feet, then snapping back to my steel-gray eyes. “You look beautiful.” His murmur is nothing more than a soft compliment, but I can’t stop the blush from heating my cheeks.
“Thank you.” I turn my attention to the front of the car before asking, “Where are we going?”
“A place I’d like to show you,” Elian responds with a hint of amusement in his tone. “Did you enjoy our game earlier?” His question turns my body hot with a reminder of his words and just how much he turned me on with a mere phone call. I wonder briefly how it would feel if it was real. When I feel his words whisper along my neck, my cheek. “Arabella?”
“Yes, sorry.” I glance at him, noticing how he grins at my shyness. This man does things to me I haven’t ever experienced, and I don’t even know him that well. “It was a new experience for me.”
“You’ve never played over the phone?” The shock in his voice makes me laugh.
I have to be honest with him. “No. Actually, I’ve only ever sent text messages, but nothing like what we did,” I admit openly, wanting him to know this is a first for me, even though it’s most probably not for him. I can’t be jealous. We both have pasts, and I must live with the fact that I’m not going to be his first anything.
“Mm,” he responds before pulling over and killing the engine. This time, he twists to look at me directly, and even in the dim light of the car, I can practically feel his eyes raking over me. “Tell me something,” he starts. “What is it that you think we’re doing here?”
I ponder his question, trying to figure out just what this is. I’m not sure because even though I know I want him, I’m still confused at how it will work. I’m not someone who can easily hide her feelings, that much is clear. And what we did earlier replays in my mind, reminding me that he can turn me inside out with just a few words.
“I don’t know,” I finally answer. “I wish I could tell you that this is normal, and I won’t be one of those annoying girls who wants your attention, but …”
“But you have daddy issues,” he finishes, causing me to snap my gaze toward him. The corner of his mouth tilts playfully, and for a moment, I consider slapping him and kissing him all at the same time. “I’m not judging,” he tells me. “I’m the last person who should judge someone for their wants and needs.”
“What are your wants and needs?” I ask, hoping to change the topic from me to him. I’m not comfortable delving into my psyche with him just yet.
Elian smiles, his eyes casting down toward the stereo instead of pinned on me like they usually are. “I like challenging the woman I’m with. I like pushing her boundaries and testing to see just how far she’d go to enjoy herself.”
“Do I need a safe word for this?” My brows shoot up, my eyes wide as I regard him as he chuckles. The sound of his laugh is deep, and I wonder how it would feel if his chest were against mine.
“No, unless you’d like one.” He lifts his gaze to meet mine. There’s nothing in those blue orbs to scare me, but I can’t help the shiver that takes hold of me. “What I did earlier, on the phone, that’s only the tip of the iceberg,” he informs me. “I like things … dangerous.”
“Like?”
“Let’s go for a walk,” he tells me, pushing open the driver’s door and exiting the vehicle. I follow suit and find him waiting at my side of the car with his proffered hand. I take it, lacing my fingers with his as he tugs me up the hill toward the same spot Ahren brought me to on our date. It seems like a lifetime ago because all I can think about is Elian.
The high trees cocoon us, swallowing us as we venture deeper into the woods surrounding the town and toward the bottom of the mountain.
“I have tracking on my phone,” I joke as we take a left onto a path which snakes away from the ledge where I kissed Ahren.
“Good,” he tells me. “At least you’re being safe while being reckless,” he teases. He doesn’t stop, and our footfalls are the only sound on the detritus underfoot. When we finally come to a stop, Elian gestures with his hand toward a small cave sitting in the rock, which is only lit by the full silver moon above us.
“This is very remote.” My remark is met with a chuckle.
“It is, but I thought we would need more privacy since we’re not actually meant to be together late at night while you’re wearing clothes that make my dick hard,” he tells me nonchalantly, making my cheeks flame with embarrassment.
“You can’t blame me for that,” I sass him as we settle on a smooth rock ledge which is on the other side of where Ahren brought me, overlooking the opposite side of town. I didn’t realize there was more to see, but from here, I can just make out the road that leads to Black Mountain. The heat of his shoulder and thigh warms me as we sit in silence for a long moment. I want to ask him so many questions—about his past, about his job, and his family, but I don’t. Instead, I silently ponder just why I came out here tonight.
Ahren likes me, I know he does, and I could be with him right now. It would be so easy. I could walk around in public with him, hold his hand, and even kiss him, but instead, I chose a man who’s against the rules.
“A penny for your thoughts,” Elian says.
“I’m just wondering why I chose you,” I tell him honestly. Even if I wanted to lie, it wouldn’t make a difference because he needs to know what I’m thinking, or this won’t work. I’ve seen too many relationships fall apart because of lies and secrets.
“Because you like a challenge. You like doing things that are against the rules.” He doesn’t sou
nd surprised, and he doesn’t even sound disappointed at my thoughts. “It makes sense. The forbidden is always that much sweeter,” he tells me.
I have to agree. I’ve always been someone who enjoyed going against the grain. Even when I was a kid who didn’t realize I was being bad. It started with little things, but by the time I turned sixteen, it became more. So much fucking more.
“Tell me about your family,” Elian says suddenly.
“I grew up in the public eye. My father was a senator, as you know,” I start my story. Even in the darkest night, I’ve never truly spoken about my life to anyone. “He loved me. I was his little girl, which only pissed my mother off to no end. She would spend her days smiling like the dutiful wife, but at night, in our home, she was cold as ice.”
“So, you didn’t get along,” he says. “Nothing new. Most kids have their favorite parent.” There’s a hint of sadness in Elian’s tone, but I don’t look at him because I don’t want to stop him from talking, and I have a feeling if he felt my gaze on him, he’d shut himself off and turn to sex to cover up his heartbreak. “I learned all I know from my dad. Everything, including how to treat women. I watched his marriage break down. Before my mother divorced his cheating ass, she said one thing that always struck me as strange.”
This time, I do look at him. “What was that?”
“Your son will never be like you,” Elian responds, his voice thick with agony and pain.
“Why would she say that?”
“Because at the time, I was in love. I thought it was forever.” My heart skips wildly in my chest at the thought of Elian with someone else, married to someone else. I can’t explain it because I hardly know him, but I can’t see him with another woman. For some reason, I just can’t picture it, and it has nothing to do with jealousy.
“What happened?”
“She was the one to cheat on me. I was loyal. One thing my father always taught me, even though he didn’t do it himself, was to be loyal to those around you.” Elian looks straight ahead, his voice becoming nothing more than a pained whisper.