by E. M. Gayle
“Fuck yes. Tighten on me just like that again. So damned hot.”
I clenched, my inner muscles spasming out of control at his words. His dirty talk continued to drive me wild and I’d do anything for more.
His free hand went on the hunt for my clit, easing through limbs and wild, jerky movements to stroke me in the one place I needed it the most. In one second flat I went off like a rocket, all the pressure exploding deep inside me. The violent climax shook me from head to toe, limbs straining, muscles quivering until he too followed me into the pleasurable abyss with lightening pulses of heat.
Together, we collapsed onto the floor our heavy breathing the only sound either of us making.
“Jesus,” Alex murmured when he caught half a breath. “No wonder I can’t stay away. You’re fucking amazing.” He pulled away from me and headed to a bathroom I presumed.
Half out of necessity and half from the need to please I pulled myself back into the kneeling position and waited for him. It felt like the right thing to do. Something that gave me immense pride.
Alex stopped when I heard him enter the room. “I have got to be the luckiest man on the planet right now.” He moved to my side and pulled me into his arms, ripping off the blindfold as he carried me into the bedroom. In the dark my eyes adjusted quickly, but the light was too dim to give me much of a sense of what his apartment was like. Hopefully there’d be plenty of time for that later.
Just like before, he adjusted me into a spooning position on my side and curved himself around me with his leg tangled between mine.
Protected.
That was the word I was looking for. Cherished too.
That’s how he made me feel. Exhaustion quickly stole over me. I was so sleepy now. Neither of us had said anything for long moments so I slid my eyes closed and relaxed.
“I’m going to want to put a collar on you—soon.”
My eyes popped open. Oh God, Jeremy had warned me of this. But a collar? Me? I’d never worn one. Had never even thought of it. Sure, I’d heard of them. I knew how some people really got into the protocols and such. I’d just never pictured myself as one of them.
He must have sensed my wariness. “How about we start with a subtle necklace with a small lock as a symbol and see how it goes? That way while you’re learning to love everything about your submission, I get to show the world your mine.”
“I’d really like that,” I whispered.
“Me too,” he added, pressing his lips to the back of my neck, his arms tightening around my waist.
There were no guarantees in the future, I of all people knew that, but he gave me hope and that was all that mattered.
Chapter Fourteen
Harper
For the seventh straight night, I slid into the back of the black town car after work and relaxed into the leather seat as Gerard drove me back to Alex’s penthouse. I had been right about it being an over the top opulent palace like apartment. Although apartment was definitely not the right word to describe his enormous home. It took up the entire top floor of his building and was several thousand square feet of space. Yes, his building. He owned that too.
The man owned everything. Or his family did. In fact, after just a few weeks of dating him, I’d come to learn some uncomfortable truths. He was actually richer than God. He didn’t like talking about his family. And he was probably the next best thing to a prince when it came to his place in New York society.
I was in way over my head with him and I knew it. It was past time to come clean with him about my past. I had no idea how he would take that information or what it would do to our budding relationship, but I knew if the press got a hold of the story first, the damage would be far worse.
So far other than the yacht party, we’d avoided public situations that would invite scrutiny. He was very particular about his public appearances and explained how he liked to control the narrative that got printed about him. All of that fine by me.
However, last night he’d mentioned an upcoming charity event he wanted me to attend with him.
I closed my eyes and let the comfort of heated seats sink into my tired bones. It had been a longer than normal day and I was exhausted. I had tomorrow off from work and I wanted to plan something special for us. I wanted to cook for him. Of course he would argue that I cooked all day and that I needed to let someone else handle the work at home. He preferred my attention elsewhere.
I smiled thinking about where exactly that was. Preferably his big cock. I covered my mouth to hide my smile even though I doubted Gerard paid any attention to me. It didn’t matter either. I was having the best sex of my life and I wasn’t afraid to admit it. Well, not to Gerard. That was not his business.
I groaned. Obviously the thought of Alex’s big member was getting my brain all squirrely. I needed to think of something else.
Yeah right.
In a fortuitous bit of good timing, the car came to a stop and I realized we were home. My hand hovered at the door handle as I considered my thoughts. Had I really just thought that? This was not my home and it was dangerous to even contemplate it.
Lost in thought, the door I was leaning on opened and I barely caught myself before falling out.
“Sorry, Miss Harper. I assumed you were waiting for me to open the door.”
“It’s all right, Gerard. I’m a little distracted tonight.”
“Too much work will do that.”
I whole heartedly agreed. “That it will.” I stepped out onto the sidewalk and grabbed my purse and coat.
“Will you be needing the car again this evening?”
It was so weird to have a driver at my beck and call. “I don’t think so. I’m too tired for anything other than a good night’s sleep.”
He nodded. “If you need to go anywhere, please call or text. Mr. Woodman wouldn’t want you going out alone.”
While I thought his comment odd, I was too tired to question it. I said my goodnight and proceeded into the building. Although halfway up the elevator I did get a brilliant idea. If Alex wasn’t going to be home until late, now would be the perfect time to catch up with Zia. She'd been bugging me for an update on my new love life.
I dug my phone out of my purse and tapped out a message.
So. It turns out I have the night free. You wanna come over?
She answered right away.
Hell yeah. Am I bringing the pizza? And am I going to get all the dirty details?
You’ll be my best friend forever if you do. Don’t worry about wine. Alex has a few bottles here for you to choose from. And I might be willing to divulge a few things.
Perfect. I can’t wait to hear everything!
I rolled my eyes at the series of eggplant emoji’s that accompanied her last message. Pretty soon I would be the one having to play matchmaker if she didn’t hook up with someone new soon. Otherwise her constant questions and sexual innuendo’s were going to drive me insane.
Less than an hour later Zia had arrived. Hugs had been given. Pizza and wine had been consumed and we were now lounging on Alex’s rooftop balcony.
“This is the life,” Zia mumbled, her words slurring slightly from the copious amount of liquor she’d consumed.
We might have gone a little overboard on that front, but when I’d shown myr friend Alex’s wine room, she’d practically swooned.
“I can’t believe Alexander Woodman turned out to be your mystery man. Girl, he’s the shit. Loaded, hot as hell and from what I hear he has the biggest damn dick on the east coast. It’s totally not fair for one man to be so blessed, you know?”
Blood rushed to my face at her mention of Alex’s penis. I did know. Intimately. What I don’t think I wanted to know is how she knew that. I could only imagine what kind of reputation he might have. Especially with women. I wasn’t naïve, how could I be? I’d met the man in a sex club. That kind of said a lot about his experience.
Not that I felt an ounce of judgement over any of that. I’d much rather have a man wi
lling to put his sexual proclivities right there in front of me than discover them down the road when the police come knocking at my door.
Whoa. I looked at my glass and then set it down on the table between us. That was enough alcohol for me.
I also slammed the door on that train of thought and locked it up tight.
“Here, you look like you could do with some more of this.” Zia leaned over to pour some more wine in my glass and I yanked it away.
“Nah. I’m good.”
“You sure about that? Turning beet red over a little comment about the size of your boyfriend’s dick is a little extreme even for you.”
I narrowed my eyes and gave her a look. “Stop obsessing, Zia. It’s not pretty.”
She threw back her head and laughed. “You know I can’t help it. Up until a few weeks ago your level of apathy toward the opposite sex was driving me crazy. Now you’re in bed with literally the most eligible bachelor in New York and you think I’m not going to talk about his dick? Come on. Have you met me? You have got to give me something.”
“I was not apathetic.”
She leveled another glare at me.
“Okay, okay, maybe a little. But you have to admit I’ve been a little busy for a while now. Priorities, right? Our chosen profession is stressful. Who knew opening a dessert bar in midtown would result in all out chaos?”
“Excuses,” she pouted, tapping her fingernails on the side of her glass. “That’s all I’m hearing.”
“Oh for God’s sake. I’m practically living with the guy now, isn’t that enough? Plus, you saw the gift he gave me for our first date.”
She grinned. “I know, kinky right? It’s definitely a good start. I mean look at this place. A girl could get used to it.”
“This from the woman who’s about to open a restaurant in some posh casino resort in Las Vegas. Don’t they put you up in a fancy suite every time you fly out there?”
“If you think that compares to this place, you have got to get out more. In fact, you should come with me the next time I have to go. We could hit the strip, go to some parties…”
“I would if my boss wasn’t such a slave driver. She keeps me so damned busy I barely have time to come home to my boyfriend’s enormous dick.”
Zia choked on her wine. “Bitch.”
I sat back and smiled while downing the rest of my own glass. Screw it. If she was going to grill me all night about Alex I needed to fortify.
I might have been way past tipsy when Alex came in because I didn’t even hear him. Not until he bent down and whispered in my ear.
“Hey, kitten. Did you miss me?”
Startled, I tried to jump up and couldn’t move. Apparently, my arms and legs were pinned down by a heavy weight that turned out to be his big body.
“Did you have a good time with your friend?” He leaned down and licked the side of my neck, sending a chill straight down my spine.
“Zia’s a little crazy, but yeah, I really like spending time with her.”
“Good,” he grinned before nipping at my lower lip. “Gerard mentioned the two of you might have drank a little wine.”
A giggle slipped from my mouth. “Did Gerard tattle on us? That isn’t very nice.”
“Gerard is here to take care of you when I can’t. And apparently when your friend drunkenly tried to hail a cab, our doorman intervened and called Gerard. He drove her home.”
I wasn’t sure how to take Alex’s words right then. Was that censure in his voice or was I too drunk to recognize it? I struggled again to move from under him, but he wasn’t having it and I wasn’t able to budge.
“I’m sure that wasn’t necessary. Zia’s a big girl. We both are. We know our way home.”
Alex frowned and suddenly stood. “You belong to me now, Harper. That means I set the rules on your safety, not you. And that extends to any visitors you invite into our home.”
My brain tried to process his words, but it was a little slow on the uptake. Plus, it had kind of zeroed in on the last two words, ‘our home’. Did he really mean that?
I reached up to rub my eyes and take a moment to focus. “What are you saying, Alex?” Was he inviting me to live with him officially? Was he crazy?
“I’m saying I take your safety seriously and you should too.”
I shook my head slightly. “Not that. The other. You said our home. What is that supposed to mean?”
He brushed his hand across the five o’clock shadow of his jaw and shook his head. I could see the frustration building in his eyes and I imagined a mirror image in my own.
“Jesus, Harper are you even listening? I’m trying to explain the safety protocols.”
I sat up. “I got that part just fine and we’ll get there in a minute. But first you need to explain the other. I don’t live here. I have my own apartment.”
“Not as long as you wear that necklace you don’t.”
“Excuse me?” I could feel my blood beginning to boil.
He leaned down onto the couch and touched his fingers to the small lock resting at my throat. “This right here means something, Harper. You know that. I’d even go so far as to call it an implied contract. As long as you wear it, you’re mine. That means I set the rules and you follow them. When we’re together and when we’re not. And a big part of that is your safety. In my world, there are dangers you aren’t used to. I don’t take unnecessary precautions or unnecessary risks. As for the rest of it, it’s pretty simple. I need you here. With me. We both have insanely busy schedules so we need to make it as simple as possible to grab some time together as we can. How can that happen if we have to coordinate our locations every night?”
I took a breath trying to keep some semblance of calm. What exactly was he trying to say? I didn’t have the full capacity to understand if this was just his control freak talking or if there was something more at play.
“So you expect me to live here?” I asked.
A slow smile crossed his face as he leaned in closer. “It’s not so much an expectation as a desire.”
“Are you going to try and stop my going to work too?”
He leaned back and gave me a harder look. “No. That’s ridiculous.”
“Well, how am I supposed to know that?” I cried, my voice raising higher than I’d intended. “All of a sudden you’re making demands like it’s your right.”
He sighed, rubbing his chin. “Let me finish.”
This wasn’t how I imagined our night going. I’d gotten tipsy and somehow instead of making that more fun it had put me on edge. “Maybe now isn’t the best time to be talking about this. I may have drank a little too much wine.”
Another smile broke over his face giving me that reminder of just how beautiful he was. We were still fairly new at this and arguing over where we spent our night seemed frivolous. He had the equivalent of a mansion. I had a third floor walk up that would fit in one of his bathrooms. Why was I arguing about this?
“Come here, kitten.” He grabbed my waist and pulled me against him. “Either I’m not saying this right or you’re taking it the wrong way. Either way we don’t have to argue about it. I’m not trying to take over your life if that’s what you’re worrying about. I just want to maximize our time together when we’re not working. The idea of stifling either one of us into a situation that isn’t perfect for both of us holds no appeal what so ever.”
I sagged against him, relief washing over me. “I’m sorry I got so touchy. I’ve known from the beginning how you feel about control and I enjoy giving it to you. But I have to have my own life too. I can’t just be someone’s play toy.”
He grabbed my shoulders and pulled us apart. “Look at me,” he demanded.
I did. Of course I did. Whatever he had to say I wanted to listen because I truly needed to understand what he wanted from me.
“Don’t call yourself a toy. Jesus, Harper. I don’t ever want to hear something like that again. The last thing I want to do is stifle who you are. All the pieces of
you are what makes up the woman I can’t get enough of.” His voice went low, near to a growl. “I never want to change it,” he leaned closer and nipped at my neck. “I plan to enjoy it. But first…”
He pulled back down on the sofa and tucked me against his big, warm body. He was still dressed in a dress shirt and slacks, but had lost his jacket sometime before now.
He always looked so perfectly put together. Expensive suits, killer shoes, gleaming cuff links. And the cologne he wore… I loved that scent and I loved it even more that I could smell it everywhere in his apartment when he wasn’t here. God, I was so addicted to everything about this man.
“Are we done fighting?” I asked.
“Yeah, we’re done.” His voice sounded heavy and that worried me.
“Long day?”
“Long day,” he repeated.
“We both work too hard I think.”
His low rumble of laugher vibrated through me. “You’re probably right. All the more reason for us to be together here, don’t you think?”
My stomach tumbled at his words. The idea that he wanted me here all the time was actually kind of sweet once I thought about it. I’d jumped to conclusions and that sucked. I wanted to be honest about my feelings, but it wasn’t easy. I’d been an idiot once before and I struggled with the fear of doing that again.
Alex isn’t Bill, I told myself. Not even remotely.
But the truth was, despite my big plan for a free night of sexual adventure, this had turned into something so much more.
“I think I’m falling in love with you,” I blurted without thinking. “And that scares the hell out of me.”
I felt his reaction instead of seeing it. His body stiffened next to mine. His fingers stilled where they brushed my arm. And I was almost positive I’d heard a sharp intake of breath.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What had I done?