“Alex! No!” Involuntarily, her hips pressed against him. Turning her head to the side, Maddy locked stares with two girls who didn’t look old enough to drink and who were wearing dresses that could have done double duty as bikinis. They were making their way down the hallway, all saccharine sweetness for Alex and nasty scowls for Maddy for being with such a gorgeous man.
God, she thought, if only they knew.
Her body was rigid, trying to push away the overpowering sensations. After nearly a full minute, Alex turned off the vibrator, and she sagged against him with relief.
“Do little subs get to say no to their Doms, Maddy?”
A soft cry escaped Maddy’s lips as he turned the remote back on, the intensity stronger this time, coming in long, steady pulses.
Her cunt was slicked with wetness, and she wanted to rub against Alex like a cat.
She couldn’t.
“There’s that blush again. I love seeing your skin go pink from my attentions.” He stopped the vibrations, then ran a hand over her cheek.
“Please,” Maddy whispered to him. The toy made her edgy with need. She pressed her hips against him, and though he had to be nearly as needy as she was, he didn’t show it.
“Please what, Maddy?” He let the vibrator start again, but for only one short, hard burst. Her fingers dug into Alex’s shoulders like claws.
This was all her own doing. Maddy knew this and couldn’t decide if it was the best or worst idea she’d ever had.
“Please let me come.” Pressing her hot face into the skin of his neck, Maddy inhaled the scent of Alex’s cologne and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he would have mercy on her.
“Since you asked so prettily.” He adjusted the controls on the remote, and the vibrator began to pulse in brutally intense intervals. Maddy could barely keep her face set in a pleasant smile, could barely swallow her cry as the need quickly coiled in the depths of her belly and then exploded.
She tried to swallow her panting as she came down from the high, staring into Alex’s eyes. “You bastard.”
As soon as she had her senses back, she looked around quickly. People were still coming in the front door; partygoers were milling about with their wineglasses. No one was staring at them. No one seemed to have noticed.
“I wish I’d brought a condom.” Alex reached surreptitiously between their bodies and adjusted himself the way she’d seen him do before, hiding his erection until it faded. “If I had, I’d bend you right over that piano bench for calling me a bastard.”
His voice was wryly amused, but Maddy had no doubt that he’d do it. Before he could urge her away from the wall and out into the crowd, she pressed her hips into him provocatively.
“Let’s find a room. A closet. Something. Let me take care of this for you.” She licked her lips to make sure he got her meaning, surprised by her own daring. “I . . . I’ve always had a fantasy of that. A closet, someplace public.”
Of you.
Temptation flashed over Alex’s face, and then he shook his head. “Later. Later I’ll strip you out of that dress and take you until you scream my name.” His voice was cocky, but she knew very well that he could do it. “I don’t want to be caught unawares in Santorini’s house. I just want to make nice, try to sweeten the casino deal, and get out of here.”
Maddy understood his rationale, but it didn’t help the ache between her thighs.
“By the way, my fantasy is you. You, in a sex swing, open so that I can taste every last bit of you while you scream.”
Maddy stared at him openmouthed. She had no words with which to respond to that admission. Pulling herself away from Alex’s distracting aura, she ran a hand over her hair to smooth it, though the encounter had been so discreet that it wasn’t as messy as it felt like it should have been. To clear her head of the lingering effects of her covert orgasm, she snagged another glass of wine from a passing tray and sipped.
The wine was sweet and fairly palatable, but it lacked the . . . finesse of the wines she’d shared with Alex. It was a good analogy for the two men themselves, Maddy thought as they wound their way into the main room, where people crowded tightly, some swaying to music, some simply drinking.
“What a clusterfuck.”
She followed Alex’s gaze as he looked around the room. Maddy felt a little conspicuous in her fancy dress, which, while the sexiest thing she’d ever worn, seemed like a nun’s habit when compared to the clothing of most of the other women in attendance.
Apart from the occasional woman who clearly had more sense than the rest, the women were clad in a very loose definition of formal wear—that is, most were at least wearing dresses and skirts, but they were of the short, tight vinyl variety, paired with bustiers and sheer blouses. The men, clearly business acquaintances of Massimo’s, mostly wore dark suits, which made the women stand out like exotic birds.
The attire was not so different from what might have been found at In Vino Veritas. At the club, however, it fit. In fact, the club was far classier than this event, which, while supposedly a business function, was teetering on the edge of the line between dance club and frat party. Maddy tried not to be judgmental, but the entire gathering made her feel dirty.
“What kind of business is Massimo in, exactly? Does he own more than the one casino?”
“He owns the one casino, which is actually quite lucrative. He’s eager to sell because, as rumor has it, he’s in a little over his head with some people.” Alex’s words were light, but she didn’t for a moment believe that he was interested in a casino solely based on a rumor. “He also owns a hotel. Nothing that would let him afford his kind of lifestyle, which lends credence to the rumors.”
Maddy eyed Alex as she thought it over. “If he has dubious connections, then is it smart to buy something from him?” She didn’t know the first thing about business deals, but she did know that the man made her nervous.
“Normally, I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole.” Alex’s voice was flat. Clearly he had no love lost for the man. “When he approached me with the deal, my first inclination was to turn him down. But the more I looked into it, the better the deal looked. He needs cash badly enough to sell for far below value, and the casino itself does quite a steady business. It will need a face-lift, but I think it would do very well, attracting people who are curious about the Vegas experience but don’t necessarily want to pay Vegas prices.”
“Alex, why do you need another business?” She winced as he raised an eyebrow at her question. “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry. But . . . you’re already successful, aren’t you? Why do you need more?”
Alex artfully pulled her out of the way of a skinny brunette who reeked of rum and couldn’t stand without clutching the arm of the man she was with—a man who winked at Maddy and ran his tongue over his lips when he caught her looking.
Maddy recoiled, and Alex pressed his hand to the small of her back.
“I want you to wait right here.” His breath was warm on her ear, and she became conscious of the fact that she still wore the butterfly vibrator and that he still had the remote.
Using his fingers to press against the bare skin of her back, Alex guided Maddy to a bookshelf that stood against the far wall.
“I am going to go speak to Massimo quickly. I want you to wait right here. I will have my eye on you the entire time.” Alex pressed a quick kiss to Maddy’s forehead before approaching a podium on the far side of the room. A large plush chair was on the podium, and Massimo sat on it like he was a king in his throne. A petite redhead was on his lap, her breast enclosed in one of the man’s hands.
Shifting his attention from Alex to Maddy, Massimo smiled, and it wasn’t a friendly expression. Maddy knew that there had to be something more between the men, but she couldn’t imagine what—Alex didn’t seem the know the other man outside of the potential business deal.
Maddy shivered and broke eye contact, turning toward the shelf, running her eyes absently over the dust catchers and the single framed photograph th
at sat on it.
She couldn’t wait to get out of there.
• • •
“Mr. Fraser.” Alex couldn’t help but judge the man who couldn’t be bothered to rise from his chair to greet him. Then again, Alex thought as he watched Santorini’s hand slide up the inner thigh of the redhead on his lap, the man was otherwise occupied. “Welcome to the party. I see you brought your . . . lady friend.”
The girl looked to be barely legal. Contempt rolled through him, and he pinched his lips together with disgust. “She has nothing to do with you.” Alex didn’t want Santorini’s eyes on Maddy, didn’t want her to speak to him. He was regretting even bringing her, but he hadn’t known that the party would be so quickly dissolving into a drug-fueled orgy.
Santorini looked taken aback; then, rather than trying to make nice as he had been, his lips curled into a sneer. “Let’s get to business, then. Will you buy the casino or not?”
Rage curled through Alex’s gut. There was only one thing keeping him from upending Santorini from his chair and escorting Maddy from the premises as quickly as he could. And that was his charitable foundation. He wanted the proceeds of the deal to start the foundation for teens whose families rejected their alternative lifestyles. He could afford to start the foundation now, certainly, but if he waited, turned the potential gold mine around, and used those proceeds, it could and would be so much bigger and better.
Delayed gratification. It was a rule he lived by. He would put up with Santorini’s sleaze until the deal was signed for that reason alone.
“I want another fifty thousand knocked off the asking price.”
Santorini’s eyes narrowed, and Alex could have been fresh out of business school and not missed the rage that entered the man’s demeanor. Alex held up his hand, effectively silencing the other man. “Your gambling debt has cast a shadow over the business. It’s not worth what you’re asking. Also, I’ll be paying you cash up front. We both know that was one of the reasons you came to me in the first place.”
“You owe it to me.” The other man spat the words out; then, as if trying to demonstrate that he thought Alex was beneath his respect, Santorini lifted the skirt of his companion and bestowed his attentions on her.
Alex swallowed a grimace, making sure to keep his expression set, even a little scary. As one of the owners of In Vino Veritas, he wasn’t a stranger to public sex, but this wasn’t one with pure intention. This was Santorini trying to show Alex that he wasn’t worth him interrupting his pleasure.
All Alex saw was the poor girl, who was clearly high on something and was being used as an object, but Santorini wouldn’t see it the same way, he knew.
“Fifty thousand, Santorini, or the deal is off.” Turning, Alex stepped down from the podium, wanting Maddy in the safety of his arms. He shouldn’t have brought her here—he should have known.
“Take a look at the photo your lady is looking at!” Santorini shouted after him. Alex ignored the man, moving unerringly toward the woman who had somehow become the center of his world. “You’ll see why you owe me.”
Santorini’s words slurred a bit, and Alex shook his head, wondering if the other man was high as well. Hell of a way to do business.
“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Though he didn’t want Santorini to know that his feelings for Maddy ran much deeper than the sexual, he needed to touch her. He settled for lacing his fingers through hers, enjoying the warmth of her skin.
Maddy was studying the shelf, which carried a vase that, unless Alex was unusually wrong, was a knockoff Ming vase. It also held a photo in an ornate, gaudy rhinestone frame.
Maddy gestured to it before allowing herself to be pulled back into the crowd.
“Is that Massimo’s wife? She’s too pretty for him.” Though he wanted to get Maddy out of there, something about the photo, a posed glamour shot, caught his eye.
The woman in the picture was a beautiful blonde, though a slightly hard edge painted her features. It had been years, but the woman’s face tugged at something in Alex’s memory.
“Fuck.” He didn’t realize he’d stopped, but he understood in one big rush why Santorini had always been so aggressive toward him—why the other man had approached him in the first place, why he whined whenever Alex cut down the ridiculous asking price.
Years earlier, Alex had met the woman in the photo, Alessandria. She’d been a member of In Vino Veritas, one who had briefly caught Alex’s eye. They’d had a short affair, in which she’d never wanted more than sex. Alex had respected her wishes and hadn’t gone digging into her past, since she hadn’t made moves for anything beyond what they shared in the club.
“Alex?”
Beside him, Alex felt Maddy tense. He felt out of control, off balance, having had this thrust upon him. Why hadn’t he known about it?
“We’re leaving.” Urging her ahead of them, Alex held his breath until they were outside the house.
Alessandria had had scars on her body, ones that she wouldn’t tell him the cause of. He understood now that she was tied to Santorini. She must have been his wife, or his longtime girlfriend. He was likely responsible for those scars, and Alex hadn’t done anything about it.
He waited until the valet brought the Turbo back up to the house. Then he crowded Maddy against the passenger’s-side door, boxing her in with his arms.
She looked up at him, eyes wary, as if she’d picked up on his agitation.
“The scars on your legs, Maddy. The picture in your locket. What are you keeping from me?” He wanted to punch the car with frustration when her eyes shuttered and her lips pinched together.
“I’m not going to talk about that.” Not I don’t want to but I’m not going to.
“Maddy, I’ll give you one more chance to answer my question. Tell me what you’re keeping from me.”
Alex fisted his hand in her hair and tugged, exposing her throat. He ran a finger down the length of the chain of her locket. She shivered, trying to hold still, before flinching away, her hand flying to cover the pendant protectively.
“I see.” His voice was dark.
To his surprise, instead of opening to him, Maddy’s eyes sparkled with tears, but it was the outrage in her voice that jolted him.
“What about you? You have secrets, too, like why I couldn’t go upstairs with you the other day. And just now, what was that? You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
This time it was Alex who glowered in the face of the pointed questioning, not accustomed to being questioned or having to account for his actions.
It was a strange sensation, one he wasn’t entirely certain he was comfortable with.
“You expect my life to be an open book, but it goes two ways. Trust, Alex. Remember preaching that?” A flush of anger rose in Maddy’s cheeks, and Alex slowly backed away, knowing better than to try to touch her in that moment.
He had nothing that he could say. His biggest secret wasn’t one he was willing to share with anyone. For her safety, he couldn’t.
“Well, then.” His heart gave a strange thud, and he frowned at the physical pain.
“I guess there’s nothing more for us to say.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Maddy was an emotional wreck by the time she arrived home. It felt like days had passed since facing off against Alex outside of Massimo’s house.
She’d tried to take a cab home, but though he’d just ended their relationship, Alex had threatened to handcuff her to a pole if she didn’t voluntarily wait for Declan to come get her.
She hadn’t had the energy to argue. Now she stood in the front entry of her apartment, looking down at her fancy clothes, wondering how in the hell the evening had gone so wrong.
Something had set Alex off—but what? Had she done something? Said something wrong?
She’d started the day as happy as she’d been in a long time. Now she was far worse off than she’d been before.
Drawing in a great ragged breath, Maddy wished she’d saved some of th
e wine that Alex had sent her weeks earlier. She needed some. And that wasn’t all that she longed for a taste of. Alex had opened up new worlds to her.
From inside her tiny evening bag—the one Alex had chosen for her—came the ring of her cell phone.
She thought it might be Alex. Suddenly furious, she tore into the bag, ready to answer the phone, to scream and yell.
Instead she froze.
Impossible as it was, her night had just gotten worse.
She wasn’t in any frame of mind to answer the phone, but as always, her guilt wouldn’t let her ignore it.
“Hi, Nate.” She suppressed tears that came at the sound of the familiar voice on the other end. God, but she could use someone to lean on. For so long, she’d forced herself to go it alone.
“Maddy!” Her heart sank when she heard the slight slur in his words. “S’ good to hear your voice, honey.”
Maddy forced her own tears back. Next to what Nathan had gone through, her problems were trivial. “How are you doing, Nate?” If he’d had a few too many beers, then she knew he wasn’t doing well. Nathan drank only to combat the blues.
“Little lonely tonight, Maddy. You know?” Oh, did she ever. “I’ll think I’m moving on, think I’m doing okay; then out of nowhere it hurts all over again.”
Maddy winced and let Nathan go on a bit about Erin, about her smile and her laughter. It actually felt good, for a moment, to talk about the things that they both missed about her sister—to share the pain.
But when she managed to end the conversation and hang up, the guilt rolled in like a fog that never quite lifted. It chilled her from her bones out, making her fingers numb, prickling her skin with gooseflesh.
On top of the debacle with Alex that evening, it was too much.
She needed to alleviate some of her guilt, which was building up inside of her like carbonation in a bottle. She needed a release.
Punishment.
She thought of In Vino Veritas and of the things she’d seen there. Could she go without Alex?
The idea terrified her; still, she was angry enough to do it. Narrowing her eyes as the idea took root, Maddy lifted her fingers to her locket.
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