Dane didn’t push it, but from the tension in his face, I could see he disagreed, but then he softened. “Enough of that for now,” he said and helped me stand. He placed his arms around my waist, holding me close. “Bed for you too,” he whispered against my ear.
I inhaled deeply imbibing the enticing scent of his aftershave.
“But it’s the middle of the day,” I half-heartedly protested. The burden of all that happened had left me drained. Undistracted, I would return right back to brooding, and it didn’t seem such a bad idea to sleep and escape into a dream. But then I looked at Dane. His eyes darkened with passion. Of course, I was pretending I didn’t know. There was nothing in his look or manner that led me to believe I was going to sleep.
Away from Dane, I thought there was no way we should be together, but when he was right in front of me, I couldn’t think of a good reason to be apart. Under his attention, I was pinned to the spot awaiting his next move. He made it by capturing my face in his large hands and studying me. “I want you, Gia. I know you want to be with me right now. Tell me what I can do to put you at ease with us together.”
Dane was being kind, but he wanted my consent. Whatever we did was my choice. I’d have to own it. This time more than just the two of us were involved.
“I don’t know if we should have sex,” I broached. “Angel is back now and—”
“And she’s my friend, and I love her,” Dane replied and bit into his bottom lip. “But I sense your worry isn’t just about that. Are you worried about how Elliott feels?”
I peered at him through my eyelashes. “I am.”
He bobbed his head a few times. “Trust me when I say Elliott is okay with us having sex.”
I bit my lip. Was I making a big deal of it? After all, we weren’t committed. “I care about you both. I just don’t want to hurt either one of you.”
“You won’t,” Dane assured. “What is it you want?”
I exhaled. “Yes, Dane. I’ll be with you.”
His face softened into a smile making the knot that formed in my stomach ease. He didn’t hesitate but took my hand firmly and pulled me along up the stone stairs to his bedroom. Right on the other side of the door, he stopped. I didn’t resist when he stripped off all my clothes.
“Stay right there,” he instructed as he placed them on a chair. The room was still dim, but warm enough that I didn’t chill at my nakedness. The balance of power between us shifted, and I was vulnerable but open to his command the way Dane liked for me to be. If I were to be honest with myself, I liked it.
My heart jolted, and my pulse pounded as his gaze slowly and seductively scanned me from head to toe. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Your beauty goes beyond your physical body. It’s the way you lead your business. The sacrifices you make for those you care about. That’s part of your beauty.”
I calmed and took a deep breath. “I may be hurting, but I’m determined to get past this.”
“That makes you stunning,” he said and brushed a gentle kiss on my lips before letting me go. His long fingers slid sensuously over my bare arm before closing around my wrist and binding them together with a piece of fabric. “I want to give you a positive experience of surrendering control.” He moved behind me, and I shivered as he kissed across my shoulders and ran his tongue up the nape of my neck. “I find it hard not to touch you.”
He ran his hands possessively over my breasts, pinching my nipples, which became stiffened and pointed. Breathing hard, I moaned from the pinching pain of his thumbs and forefinger, feeling my entire body clench. Then his hands glided down my waist, just stopping low on the curve of my hips, then moving down between my legs, pulling them apart, grinding his hard erection behind his jeans into my skin.
I moaned as heat flooded between my legs, and I gasped when he pressed two fingers inside but kept them still. He torturously slid the pad of his thumb against my swelling clit.
My impatience grew quick, and I wasn’t above begging. “Dane, fuck me, now.”
“Oh, I will,” he teased me, biting down lightly on my neck. He pushed a third finger inside and mercifully pumped into me. “Fuck my fingers, like you want me to fuck you.”
Our breaths grew heavier My inner muscles clenched around his fingers as I swiveled my hips to ride. My head fell back in bliss as he worked his fingers in and out of me, but this wasn’t enough. Dane was ready for more.
I complied with a smile, adoring the romance of his action. He swept me off my feet and laid me on the bed.
“I love the way you smile,” Dane praised. “Raise your arms and leave them up,” he commanded.
Lifting my joined hands above my head, he tied them to the wooden slats along the headboard. Then he straddled my hips before reaching over to a side panel and surprised me by pulling out a ball gag. With my heart pounding against my ribs, I took in a ragged breath. I was too turned on and too curious to panic. Besides Dane had earned my trust. I was so sure he wouldn’t harm me.
He fastened the leather strap to the back of my head, the silicone ball rested comfortably between my lips.
“Don’t come, or I’ll punish you.” He warned, his voice turning severe.
It was right then I heard the buzzing sound of a vibrator before I saw it. I shuddered as the concentrated sensation sent waves of intense sensation coursed through me as he pressed it right against my clitoris shooting me right up to the edge of climax. Rapt by the quickness of my predicaments, my pulse pounded in my ears. Oh, my God. There was no way I could stop myself from coming.
My eyes widened frantically as I shook, my whimpers silenced around the gag blocking my speech. It didn’t matter though once I looked at Dane. His pupils were dilated as he watched and studied my every move. I whimpered as he switched the vibrator from a high to a lower intensity.
I fought to hold on, but I could feel the ripple of pleasure through my body.
The buzzing stopped, and my skin went hot, as I spasmed. I braced myself, my lungs screamed for air, so sure he was going to strike my slick folds now to punish me.
He moved up to my head and wiped my chin. His expression, wicked. “Watching you try not to come made me hard.”
Dane took off his clothes and climbed on top of me.
He slammed into me. “You want me to fuck you hard, Gia?”
I moaned with a scream of pleasure. I did want him to, oh so much.
He was unmerciful, relentless, pulling out to the crown of his cock, then pushing in to the hilt, in hot, fast, deep thrusts.
My intakes of breath shallowed, I was inside another dimension, enjoying the sweet friction of his length. He set a devastating pace and didn’t stop. I tried to move, but he had my legs and arms strapped down tight.
Dane’s moans of pleasure only made me hotter. Doomed by his display of power, my heart ricocheted around my chest and my mind melted in delicious snaps of liquid fire. I gave in to a pleasure that rolled through my soul in a sensual hot wave: a sensation of wild ecstasy. He cupped my breasts and sank every inch of himself into my depth.
By his will, I was his.
He plowed on, my muffled cries served to fuel him.
He kept me on under his command, controlling my every response. My neurons, muscles, and tendons were his to manipulate. Once again, under his control, I could only take what he was willing to give. There was only sweet surrender, and he demanded it.
“You can come when you’re ready.” His authoritative voice was thick, unsteady. His pounding became a relentless drive of flesh against flesh. The coil unraveled. The climax was so strong. Dane restarted the vibrator back on my clit, and the intensity went on with force.
The sensation was ecstatic. I screamed around the ball gag, arching my back, my hands stressed in the restraints as my body quivered.
The vibrator stopped, and Dane was back, rolling his hips as he pounded his cock inside me. He jerked hard in his release, and I felt every twitch. We were blissfully synced.
I didn’
t move. I was ecstatically spent.
Laying back on top, he covered me, letting me feel his weight. It was as sure a claim as anything he’d done before. He wasn’t holding back what he wanted. He wanted me to be his, but what would that mean for Elliott? And why couldn’t I shake the guilt?
CHAPTER NINE
“What’s on your mind?” Dane asked later that night. “And trust me. You can tell me anything.”
I sighed and rested my head on my arms. “The more I spend time with the two of you, the more uncomfortable I feel when we have sex…like I’m cheating.”
He removed the hair that was covering my face. “It’s different when we have sex with you alone at first. You’ll get used to it if you give it time.”
“I don’t know,” I murmured. “It just feels unfair. You both are only having sex with me.”
“Would you be open to Elliott and me with someone else?” he asked. “If you’d like to see how it goes, we can arrange it, so it won’t be behind your back or anything like that. We’d all agree.”
I turned over and looked at the ceiling. Open relationships meant open for everyone, not just me. I had known things could lead here, I just selfishly hadn’t wanted them to. “I don’t know. You and Elliott with someone else would feel like cheating since I don’t have the interest in watching and only just tried the ménage. I’ll more than likely end up jealous. Is this where everything is leading with the two of you? Group sex?”
Dane didn’t respond right away, and I tensed.
He finally said, “I don’t mind sharing with Elliott because you have an interest in ménage sex. I like to watch and that works for both of us.”
I turned to my side and propped up on my elbow. “But…”
“But, I also have some sexual interest that we don’t share,” he said. “Such as pain-that I’d like to indulge in. On those occasions, I’d want to see someone else.”
He wasn’t being unreasonable, though it didn’t make me any less uneasy. “Would this involve sex and a separate relationship?”
“Maybe,” Dane answered truthfully. “If it progressed to that point, we’d discuss it first. Sex to me doesn’t always mean intimacy. What we are building is more than friendship, and what I hope in time is more than sex. That’s the way it has worked best for me in the past.”
“Is that what you had with Angel?” I asked. “Sorry, Loren mentioned some things.”
He scoffed. “Loren used her and covered up. I had spent a lot of time trying to keep people like her away, but that’s not what you want to hear right now. I reckon what you want to know is how Angel and I made our open relationship work?”
“Yes,” I replied. “Was the open part of the relationship just sex or did you have more relationships with others?”
Dane drew in a breath and slowly released it. “Angel and I tried an open relationship. We had casual sex with other people and separate relationships with our own partners. Where I think our relationship failed was that we didn’t spend enough time on just us together. Angel had an addictive personality. She went to the extreme, keeping multiple partners and engaging in several orgies, and I was right there encouraging her to explore her sexuality. What I realize now was that it brought too much conflict into our relationship. And our relationship wasn’t strong enough to handle it. I feel guilty for how things went back then. That’s why I know now I’ll need to do things differently—we’ll discuss what we both want instead of just going with our desires.”
My brows knitted in uncertainty.
Dane kissed the frown creasing between my brows. “We don’t need to figure everything out right now. I want you to enjoy New York. What would you like to do? I’ve some ideas.”
“I don’t know,” I replied, reluctant with the change of subject. Then again Dane had a lot on his plate right now.
“This is an unexpected vacation,” I responded with a shrug. “I’m still working with Astrid and Perfetto even if I’m not there. Right now, I just want to stay inside. I feel a bit too exposed.”
“I know, but hiding away won’t change anything,” he said. “You stood up and faced it head-on. You should keep going.”
“Well, there is something I’ve been thinking of doing,” I said, touching my hair. “I want a fresh start. A change in my look.”
He smiled. “If that will make you feel less exposed then I’m all for it. I’ll check for a place you can go tomorrow. I’m going to give the hospital a call now to check on the status of the DNA test. It’ll make moving forward with Melinda easier. Jaclyn has already said she’s recommending unsupervised visits but needs the results to support it.”
“Can’t Angel just tell them to forget it?” I asked rising. Dane walked over to a cupboard and passed me a towel.
“No. It’s too late,” Dane answered agitated. “Once the issue of paternity has been raised, it needs to move forward. Excuse me.” He walked out the room, and I went into the shower and decidedly put aside my thoughts on open relationships. I had made a big choice to date them. Now I had to face the possibility of them with other women. Who? When? I had handled everything up until now. Maybe I could just follow Dane’s lead and see?
The shower door opened and Dane with the corners of his mouth turned down.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Some mix-up,” he said with a kind of annoyance I could understand. “They said we’ll need to do new samples. Fuck.” He cursed.
“And you will,” I encouraged. “You didn’t come this far to give up. Isn’t that what you just told me?”
He smiled. “Yes, I did. It’s easier said than done.” He dropped his towel and came inside, then started soaping over my back.
“But we’ll get through it,” I said. “I’ll get through this negative press, and you’ll have Melinda.”
“And Angel,” he said softly. “I believe once she’s back here with me, her friends, and her family, she’ll get better.”
I nodded. In my heart, I wanted that too, which was why I decided to divert my attention to Angel’s homecoming show.
For the next few days, with Dane’s help, I was fully involved and partook in the event’s planning and production. The designers even agreed to include Perfetto’s makeup in Angel’s segment of Justus’ show. I was also at Bryant Park for an early walkthrough of Justus’ show. The practice wasn’t as glamorous as the final showing, but it kept me engaged. The energy was high at the show and time flew by quickly. The best part of being there was observing, and at times, going backstage with Angel’s mentor’s team. Thankfully, the subject of the video never came up throughout. Although correspondences from Stuart hinted that it was still circulating online.
When the rehearsal ended, I headed toward the place Tove had arranged for me to stand in wait for the car. Before the back of the hall, I was sure I saw Dane pass ahead of me. He had mentioned he’d try to meet me but had been busy with work and Melinda. I wondered if he had broken away to surprise me.
I weaved through the crowd to catch up to him. “Dane!” I called out, but he didn’t stop, he just kept moving with the crowd as if he hadn’t heard me. My brows knitted as I rushed to draw near him. He was about to cross into the open reception when I finally reached his side and touched his arm to call his attention. That was when I realized my mistake. The man had the same build with Dane, but he was older, his face lined and had grey hair at his temples.
I was deflated. “Sorry. I thought you were someone else,” I told him.
His silvery eyes widened, and a grin crossed his face. “You were looking for my son, Dane?”
I quickly grasped that he was Dane’s father, Walter Prescott. “Yes. Actually,” I introduced myself, and he did in kind by shaking my hand.
“I had hoped to run into him here. Since I hear there is to be an Angelica Browne show?” His voice raised questioningly, though I was sure he knew the answer.
Still, I nodded in agreement. “You know Angel?” I asked politely.
“I do
,” he answered. “Such a shame what happened to her.” His tone was empathetic though there was no change in his cheery demeanor.
I shook my head. “Yes, it is. Anyway, it is nice meeting you.”
I was about to move off when he suddenly gripped my arm. His mouth twisted into a smirk. “Was it nice meeting me? From your sour expression, I’d say you believe the stories. There are many sides to stories. You, of all people, should know that now.”
I tugged out of his hold, and he let it go. The way he looked at me now made it clear he knew who I was before I introduced myself. He must have seen the video.
My face heated, but I kept my head leveled with his. “What I know is that it’s not over and I’ll have my day in court to make whoever dared to hurt me and any of the other women regret it.”
“Courts aren’t about justice, little one. They’re about money,” he said in a haughty tone. “Connections, too. I hope the best for you.”
I squinted. “I’ve got both, so I don’t need or appreciate your arrogance. They’ll regret the day they met me and anyone else who tries to hurt me. I was being polite because you’re Dane’s father, but you’ve worn out that courtesy. Now if you would excuse me.”
His nostrils flared. “Careful. Unlike Dane, I don’t enjoy hysterics. Control yourself and stop causing a scene,” he glanced around like I had brought attention to the two of us, but found no one looking in our direction.
“Gia,” One of the male head organizers came rushing out of the crowd. “Would you please come back in? We’d love to get your feedback.”
Walter strolled away, not waiting for my response, to join another group of suits, seamlessly blending in. If there is something I could take away from the conversation, meeting him, and his demeanor, it’s that if he could have his life back after ruining the lives of many, how would I fare against other powerful men like him?
Would The Agency win?
***
It took another week before I chose a salon and settled on a new hairstyle. My almost jet black wavy hair was lightened to brown and flat-ironed straight, so it hung just past my shoulders. I did a double take when the stylist held up the mirror, then was overjoyed. I immediately reached into my bag for my phone, took a selfie and sent it to Astrid. Her response came back quick.
Dauntless (The Agency Dark Affairs Duet Book 2) Page 10