by Cerys du Lys
"Years?" he said. "I haven't kept track."
"You keep track of everything, though."
"Unfortunately, no. In this specific case, I've been preoccupied with the thought that I want to spank you and then have sex with you, Miss Tanner, so all other notions of spankings or sex have been removed from my mental itinerary in favor of that singular focus."
"Oh," I said.
"Alternatively, apparently I'm not against the idea of you spanking me and then having sex with me. That seems equally agreeable."
"Maybe," I said. "I like when you do it more. This BDSM stuff is difficult. There's a lot of work involved."
"You prefer to be on the receiving end?" he asked.
"I..." Did I? Yes, maybe. "Can we do that, though? I kind of just took it away from you. Can you take it back? Is that allowed? The switching thing?"
Lucent smiled at me. He moved from the edge of the tub to the floor, kneeling beside me. "Miss Tanner, there are no rules, except for those we make for ourselves. I admit, I would love to explore more with you. I love to see you bent over my desk, accepting punishment from my hand, then my cock. I enjoy seeing your red ass while I thrust deep inside of you. I like to tie you up, and I find it exciting to paint your body with hot wax and watch you shiver and shake. I would love to do all of these things with you, and more if you're willing to experiment."
"More?" I asked, uncertain. Because... we'd talked about this, but I just wasn't sure how much further more would go. What was more? I knew Lucent would tell me and explain things, but sometimes it scared me.
"If you want," he said. "And only if you want. But if you'd like to explore the opposite side, please know that I am yours, too. I want you. I want you to be mine, Miss Tanner. I like you very much, but I love you, too. Your playful curiosity is intoxicating. There's something to be said for stark control, but there's also excitement in playing it by ear, isn't there? With you, all the time, I feel like not only am I showing you new possibilities that you might find enjoyable, but I'm learning about new possibilities for myself, as well. If I can indulge you and your curiosities, sexual or otherwise, it would make me happy."
I blushed, turning away from him, suddenly shy. Odd, that, considering my upper body was covered in his cum.
Lucent smirked, then bent his head low. He flicked out his tongue and teased my nipple, then he popped it into his mouth and sucked. I gasped, and looked at him. Then I gasped again. That was... well, it was my nipple, and the one smeared with his cum.
"Do we taste good together?" I asked, feeling excited and embarrassed, conflicted at my thoughts about what was going on.
Lucent sucked a little harder, then pulled away, popping my nipple out of his mouth and sending my breast bouncing lightly. "Delicious," he said.
"For me?" I asked. Without waiting for him to answer, I moved in and kissed him.
I liked it. I liked kissing him. I liked everything with Lucent. Exploring, ideas, sexuality, sensuality, and intimacy. I thought that was what made today the hardest, because it seemed like he had more than me, more than I could ever give, and maybe that was true now, but...
It wouldn't always be. It didn't have to be, either. We could have the same amount, together, experiencing each other and ourselves. We could have so much, and we already did have a lot. The thought of it overwhelmed me, and his passionate kiss nearly sent me over the edge. I wanted him, but not just sexually. I wanted more than that. I didn't know how to explain it.
We stopped kissing and I just stared at him and smiled. Probably like an idiot, some goofy, silly grin, but I couldn't stop myself.
"We need to clean up," I said. "We've made a mess."
"Indeed," Lucent said. "We seem to have done that."
I looked for a towel. There weren't any. I saw some toilet paper, but there wasn't a lot. Everything in the bathroom was stocked low, probably because almost no one ever used it.
"We might have an issue," Lucent said, coming to the same realization as me.
"No, um... wait..." This wasn't good, but I thought we could figure it out, if only...
I saw my panties on the floor, discarded near my dress. I snatched them up and held them out, possibly overly satisfied with my solution.
"Your panties?" Lucent asked, lifting one brow.
"Do you have a better idea? We could use your underwear if you want. Mine are smaller, though."
"Wouldn't it make more sense to use mine, then?" he asked.
"Yes, perhaps, but if we use mine, it'll be easier for you to keep them in your pocket. Or were you a liar before, Lucent Storme? You said that you'd protect my underwear at all costs. I distinctly remember you saying that."
He took my panties from me and rolled his eyes. Turning on the water from the sink, he splashed some onto my undergarments, then started dabbing at my chest.
"You're going to have to go around without underwear now. You do realize that?"
"Maybe Jessika has some I can borrow," I said. "I'll ask her in the morning."
"Why not go ask her now? She said if we needed anything—"
I burst out laughing. And I was far too loud. I clapped my hands over my mouth, trying to quiet myself, but it barely worked. Lucent grinned at me while I started to cry from pent up amusement.
I hit him. I slapped his shoulder and punched him, but he just kept grinning at me.
"Don't... don't do that!" I said, finally controlling my laughter, at least somewhat. "That was funny, though. Don't make me laugh like that. We'll wake up Jessika and Asher. I doubt they'll be as amused. I liked it, though. I like when you're funny, Lucent."
"Do you?" he asked.
"You have a different kind of sense of humor that I really enjoy."
"I enjoy your humor, as well," he said, kissing me. "I think you're all cleaned up."
"Do you think I'm funny, too?" I asked. I grabbed my panties from him. "I'll clean you, alright? Stand up, please, if you will," I said, trying to sound like a professional at this. Not just anyone could clean a penis with wet panties, you know?
"Yes, of course, Mistress Tanner," Lucent said with false sincerity.
He stood and I started cleaning his softening cock. "You're going to keep these in your pocket, right? I want them back sometime."
"I could purchase you more underwear," he said.
"No, Lucent," I said, giving him a look. "I want these back. This exact pair."
He sighed. "Yes, Miss Tanner. I'll hold on to your underwear and you'll get them back at some point in the future. Washed, dried, and folded."
"Yes, that's good, then."
We were cleaned. Good. I put on my bra, then slipped on my dress. Lucent helped zip me up and we were good to go, except he still had no clothes, because we'd left them in the living room. It shouldn't matter, so I opened the door and we went to leave.
Or, it shouldn't have mattered, except a tired looking Asher Landseer popped out of the bedroom at just that moment and started heading towards the bathroom.
"Lucent!" I hissed. The bathroom door was open, the lights were on, and I really didn't see how we were going to get out of this.
Lucent took a deep breath, then grabbed my hand, squeezed it tight, and waltzed out of the bathroom as if nothing was amiss. He nodded to Asher in greeting, and we continued on our way to the living room.
Asher stood there, staring at us, Lucent naked and me not at all naked. I tried to pretend everything was fine, but I peeked over my shoulder before Lucent and I turned the corner into the living room. Asher kept blinking and staring at us, but finally he just grumbled something and went into the bathroom.
...
Lucent dressed. He neatly folded my panties and placed them in his pants pocket, too. I had my purse, and I fully realized it made more sense if we kept my underwear there, but I wanted him to keep them with him.
As a reminder? Or a promise? I didn't know, but it made me feel good. Better, safer, and closer in a different sort of way.
We lay cuddled togethe
r on the couch, him on his back with the cushioned armrest as his pillow, and me atop him, on my stomach and my side, with my head on his chest.
I thought this was it. No more words, just sleep, and preparing to deal with our problems in the morning. I felt like we'd dealt with a big problem already. I disliked the idea of Lucent's illicit activities and our fugitive status (or somewhat fugitive, at least), but I disliked the idea of disliking him and being apart from him even more.
He couldn't leave me. He couldn't be a bad person. I wouldn't let him.
I closed my eyes and started to drift off to the sound of his heart beating and his quiet breaths.
"I love you, Elise," Lucent whispered to me in the darkness. "Very much."
I smiled and opened my eyes to look up at him. "I love you very much, too, Lucent."
A Note from Cerys
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~*~
A lot happened in this story, and I'm really happy with the way things are progressing. It took a little longer than I expected, but I also think it's a better story for it, too.
One of the things that's a little difficult with a story idea like this is tying everything together, you know? I'm much more used to writing stories where it's more straightforward with what's going on, but my concept for both Elise's Love Story and Jessika's Love Story in The Billionaire's Continuum was to tangle their stories together in a sort of inextricable way. Both sides are noteably different, and yet there's a lot that keeps the two of them connected, too.
It might sound weird, but one of the things that's not only really enjoyable to me, but also kind of difficult, is making sure that all of the small things work out and make sense. I did leave a few secrets in here, with some open-ended answers, but I'll be coming back to those, too. But... basically what I mean by making sure the small things make sense is the fact that the time between the two leading ladies is different, yet the same.
At the end of His Absolute Insistence, I had a scene where Jessika suddenly receives a phone call from Elise, who's alone on the streets and in tears over something Lucent did. That scene played out on the other end of things for His Absolute Betrayal, of course. But... when His Absolute Betrayal began, Elise didn't have her phone. It was fun and interesting to figure out how she would have gone back for it, though. It also added into a scene that I wanted to write, too, with Elise being followed in the parking garage.
I think there are a lot of big and interesting things going on for both Elise and Jessika, but what I like the most is how they connect in the small ways, where it's potentially easily missed and normal, but becomes intriguing because of their situations, you know? Jessika had no reason to believe Elise wouldn't have her phone on her, but what Elise went through just to get that phone, well...
Anyways!
I really enjoyed writing this part, and I loved connecting everything together like that. I want to make sure that the stories mesh in such a way that they're almost inseparable. (I also want you to be able to read one or the other fine without needing to read both, but I think if you read both you're really going to gain a lot from the story!)
There will be plenty more where this came from, too. Elise and Lucent have a lot to deal with in the morning. As well, there were some hints about some things that are coming on Jessika and Asher's side of things. Their problems are going to clash very soon, and it's going to be interesting to see how that pans out, I think.
If you're enjoying the series so far, I'd love if you rated and reviewed it! I appreciate all of my readers and I enjoy reading thoughtful reviews a lot. It's not only helpful to me, but it's helpful for others who are looking at picking up the books, too.
I hope you've enjoyed everything so far and there's definitely more to come soon. Keep an eye out for it!
~Cerys
Sample (Concurrent)
Please enjoy this sample from "His Absolute Insistence," the second part of the Jessika's Love Story: The Billionaire's Continuum series that follows alongside the events in this story, by Cerys du Lys
~*~
I stood in the elevator at Landseer Tower, riding upwards. Soft music spilled through the speakers above me, barely more than quaint murmur in the background. The elevator car rose high, higher, heading towards...
I didn't know. I didn't remember getting into the elevator. It seemed like one moment I was somewhere else, then suddenly I was here, standing, waiting. Alone. Being alone in the elevators at Landseer Tower wasn't altogether a strange occurrence, but for some reason it felt ominous and dark now. How, though? I didn't know that, either. The bright lights above, shimmering and shining, illuminating the entire car, stood in stark contrast to the shadows lurking in my mind.
I looked towards the buttons to see which one I'd pressed. All of them. They were all lit up, but the elevator didn't stop. It just kept going higher and higher. We passed the fourth floor, then the fifth, sixth, seventh. More. Where would it stop? There were fifty floors at Landseer Tower and I passed by most of them before the elevator finally came to a halt.
I didn't remember which floor I'd just gone past. I didn't know what floor I was on. I looked up to check the blinking red sign above the elevator doors to see where I was.
The sign flashed at me, over and over. No numbers, nothing that made sense, nothing good at all.
WHORE. WHORE. WHORE.
Over and over, accusing me of infidelity, accusing me of immorality, accusing me of everything. The doors to the elevator opened and an invisible force pushed me forward, sending me crashing into the halls. My knees scraped against the rug and I scrambled to stand and climb to my feet but something or someone kept forcing me down. Trying to get away, crawling on hands and knees, I stumbled down the hallway.
Doors opened as I crawled past them. Every door, every single one, and employees of Landseer Enterprises stood there, watching me struggle. I looked at them, or I tried to, and they laughed. I couldn't see their faces; I didn't know if they had faces. I couldn't lift my eyes above their waists, couldn't see anything more than the shoes of men and women staring at me, laughing at me.
They shouted. The doors in front of me opened. I didn't know if the doorways themselves or the people standing in them were berating me. Some laughed, and others screamed. Accusations echoed through the halls, clamoring against shouts and shrieks and laughs.
"Whore!"
"Slut!"
"Homewrecker!"
"Gold digger!"
I didn't know who said what or where the shouts were coming from. Everywhere, from everyone. They sounded far off and quiet, then up close and right in my ear. I cried, tears streaming down my cheeks and falling to the floor. Cuts and scrapes on my knees pressed against the salt of my tears on the rug, sending stinging pain through my legs. Up ahead, I saw the door to Asher's office. Gold light pointed the way towards my sanctuary, towards freedom from this harassment, and I tried... I tried so hard to get there, but it didn't matter.
Someone opened the door to Asher's office. It was Asher, my husband. He looked towards me and smiled. He was coming for me, he was coming to help me, to save me. I kept crawling, wanting to bridge the gap between us sooner rather than later. He stepped towards me, tall and purposeful.
And then he walked past me. He didn't look at me. He said nothing.
I tried to turn my head to stare after him but I couldn't. My mouth refused to open, no words or shouts or screams could escape. I could do nothing but stay there on my hands and knees, crying, while everyone around me berated me for being a whore. Or, I could move forward, to nothing. What was the point, though?
...
I shivered as I woke, cold trembling through my body. It wasn't real cold, just a memory of coldness; the thought of it. When
I realized I was awake, my mind settled and my body followed suit, falling into forced relaxation. What a horrible dream. I didn't know what to think about it.
I was Jessika Landseer, wife to billionaire CEO Asher Landseer, powerful in my own right even if I didn't feel like it all that much. None of that made me immune to nightmares, though. If anything, I supposed I was more prone to them now.
Where was I? This seemed like my dream, but different. I expected to wake up in my bed, at home, with Asher, but some of that was missing. This wasn't my home, first off, and this definitely wasn't my bed. Asher lay behind me, spooning with me. That part was correct, at least.
My chilled body warmed to the heat of the room and the blankets covering me and Asher laying behind me, his breath soft against the back of my neck. Suddenly, I remembered. Oh. Just like that, it all came back to me.
The hospital. I wasn't sick, nor was Asher, but he'd taken me here last night after I had a panic attack on the front lawn. Which parts were a dream and which weren't? I sorted through the memories in my head, trying to figure it out. Part of me worried and my heartbeat thumped hard against my chest, making me worry even more.
Elise and Lucent were... dead?
No, no, they weren't. They were alive. But somewhere else. The police thought they started the fire at Asher's mansion, that was it. They didn't, though. They couldn't, right? I didn't know. I doubted it, and the police should realize as much, but from what I remembered Asher telling me, that wasn't the case.
Why, though? It didn't make sense to me. Lucent's suit coat, yes, but...
Asher shifted behind me, pressing against my body. I sighed and pushed back against him, settling perfectly into his arms. He held me tight, one arm wrapped around my side while his other lay beneath the curve of my neck. I nuzzled against his sleeping form, content and happy just to be near him.
Behind me, he breathed softly, shallow, clearly asleep. Also behind me, he pressed forward with his hips gently, rocking. Just a little, not enough to disturb me if I was sleeping. I wasn't sleeping, though.