Black Forever

by Victoria Quinn

  The phone rang a few times before Jackson answered in a tired voice. “Hmm?”

  “Hello to you too.”

  His voice immediately perked up. “Hey, baby. Who’s this?”

  I cringed. “Baby?”

  “Yeah. You sound hot. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

  “Uh, Rome. Your brother’s girlfriend.”

  “Oh…” His voice flattened again. “Sorry. You have a sexy voice. Thought you were one of my ladies.”

  “Did you just wake up?” It was one in the afternoon.

  “Yeah. So?”

  “It’s after lunchtime.”

  “You know me,” he said. “I’m a creature of the night. So why are you calling me? I think you’re hot, but I wouldn’t cross my brother like that. And not just because he’s my brother, but because that guy is batshit crazy.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That’s not why I’m calling.”

  “Then what’s up?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about Calloway.”

  “Well, I’m not a good person to ask. I hardly know the guy.”

  “That’s completely untrue.”

  “I disagree,” he said. “We keep our conversation to a minimum. We talk about work most of the time, sometimes Mom. But we don’t have deep conversations about the meaning of the universe.”

  “Well, I don’t want to talk about the universe, so I think we’re okay.”

  “Then what’s on your mind, baby?”

  My hand immediately tightened into a fist. “Call me baby again, and I’ll kick you in the nuts the next time I see you.”

  “Jesus,” he said with a laugh. “You want me to call you ma’am?”

  “Rome would be just fine.”

  “Whatever,” he said. “What do you want to know, Rome? See, it doesn’t roll off the tongue.”

  I ignored the last thing he said. “I’m worried about Calloway.”

  “Worried about him in what way?” he asked. “He’s usually Mr. Grumpy Pants, so that’s pretty normal for him.”

  “Jackson.” I needed him to be serious right now because I was genuinely concerned.

  He sighed into the phone. “What’s the problem?”

  “He’s been really different lately. Quiet. Stern. Moody. He’s just not himself. I asked if something was on his mind, but he said he everything is fine. He just seems…cold. He seems distant. I can tell his feelings for me haven’t changed. I don’t think our relationship is at risk. But something seems off.”

  Jackson remained silent over the line.

  I waited for him to say something, but nothing seemed to be forthcoming. “Have you noticed that too?”

  “Well…I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know?” I asked. “Does he seem the same to you?”

  “Calloway is just complicated. I wouldn’t read too much into it.”

  Something in my gut told me Jackson knew more than he let on. I could feel it all the way to my bones. “Jackson?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Why do I feel like you aren’t telling me something?” Since he was Calloway’s brother, I understood his loyalty. But I was genuinely worried something serious was happening with Calloway.

  “I really don’t want to get involved in this. I suggest you talk to Calloway, not me.”

  So there was something wrong. “Jackson, please. I’m not above begging.”

  He sighed into the phone again. “It’s not my place, Rome. Confront him. Talk to him the right way, and he’ll open up.”

  “Jackson, I’m actually scared right now.” I stopped my voice from shaking, but barely. “My mind is running wild. At least, tell me what this is about. Tell me that he’s okay, that he’s not sick or something—”

  “Nothing like that,” he said quickly. “Calloway is fine. He’s just struggling with a few things.”

  “Like what?” I demanded.

  “Goddammit, Rome…” He paused over the line.

  I waited on the edge of my seat.

  “He still struggles with dominance. That’s all.”

  “So…he still wants me to be his sub.”

  “Rome, he’s always gonna want you to be his sub. He struggles to be what you want sometimes. I think he’s acting this way because it’s the only form of control he can attain.”

  The air left my lungs. I was both relieved and overwhelmed. I thought we’d put this in the past, but I suspected it would never go away. Calloway would always be a Dom no matter how hard he tried to fight it. “Thanks for telling me.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  I dragged my hand down my face and closed my eyes.

  “I know you don’t want my advice, but I’m gonna give it to you anyway.”

  “Okay.”

  “Just do it, Rome. Be his sub.”

  I didn’t want to have this conversation with Jackson. It was my personal life, not his. “No. I’m not lowering myself to that level.”

  “Then you’re gonna lose him,” he said matter-of-factly. “Not today or tomorrow. But one day, you will. I can promise you.”

  My blood went cold. “Calloway loves me. We’ll make it work.”

  “I have no doubt he loves you. But he can’t change who he is, Rome. He’s tried a million times, and he keeps going back to his roots. Maybe he can control it for a while longer. But eventually, he’s gonna realize he has to choose. And he’ll choose dominance.”

  I didn’t want to believe it because the idea was too heartbreaking. I couldn’t lose Calloway. The last time we went our separate ways, I was completely lost. I put on a brave face and did my best to stay strong, but I was absolutely miserable.

  “I’m sorry, Rome. I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s true. I suggest you reconsider your beliefs. Because when it comes down to it, you’re going to have to choose between Calloway and what you stand for. So make sure your beliefs are really strong enough to sacrifice the love of your life. Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

  5

  Calloway

  Jackson asked me to come to Ruin to help him with something. I wasn’t sure if Isabella was behind it, trying to get me alone so I could dominate her. But if that was the case, I didn’t mind.

  I desperately needed to control someone.

  I wanted to watch someone obey my every command, not to flinch when I made an outrageous request. I could picture Rome in my mind while staring at Isabella. I’d done it more times than I could count.

  I walked into his office, the same office I used to occupy every night. “Do you actually need me? Or was Isabella working your strings?” I sauntered to the armchair then fell into the cushions. I crossed my legs then rested my cheek against my hand.

  Jackson looked up from his phone. He seemed to be typing a message. “I wanted to get you away from Rome.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she called me yesterday.” He tossed his phone to the side, finished with his message.

  I stopped breathing the instant I heard what he said. “Why? What did she say?”

  “She said you’ve been acting different lately. Wanted to know if I knew something about it.”

  I lowered my hand to my lap, shocked she took it that far. “When I got out of the shower the other day, I could tell she’d looked through my phone. Thought she was paranoid I was cheating on her.”

  “She was probably getting my number.”

  I was a little relieved. I didn’t want her to think I was sneaking around behind her back. She was the only woman who brought me to my knees. It was ludicrous to think there could ever be someone else. What I did with Isabella was simply about primal instincts. I didn’t lay a hand on her sexually, so it didn’t count. “What did you tell her?” I knew Jackson would never throw me under the bus, no matter how much he pretended to hate me.

  “Everything besides Isabella.”

  “Which is?”

  “That you’re a Dom, and you’re always going to be a Dom. She needs to be a sub, or it’s
not gonna work out.”

  I felt my heart race in my chest like I just ran a mile. “And what did she say to that?” Excitement burned through my veins at the prospect of her changing her mind. Maybe Jackson said the right words to make her realize she needed to submit to me—not just because it was one of my desires, but because it was one of my needs.

  “Same ol’ bullshit, man,” he said with a sigh. “That she couldn’t do it.”

  I shouldn’t be surprised by that answer, but I was still disappointed. “Goddammit.”

  “I didn’t mention Isabella,” he said. “But I told her she needed to change her mind. Otherwise, she’s going to lose you.”

  I would always struggle with my dominance, and that was a fate I accepted as long as I got to keep her. “She’s never going to lose me. I get what I need from Isabella. It’ll be fine.”

  “And when Rome finds out, you think she’s just going to be okay with that?”

  I shrugged. “She’s gonna have to be. It’s either that or…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. I couldn’t picture my life without Rome. But I couldn’t picture my life without being a Dom. If only Rome would reconsider, my life would be much simpler.

  Jackson gave me a look full of pity, something that didn’t happen very often. “What are you going to do?”

  I didn’t have a clue. “No idea.” I rose out of the chair and walked to the door. “Let me know if she calls you again.”

  “Alright.”

  I walked over the bridge then looked down at the bar. Sure enough, I spotted Isabella there. She sat alone with a drink in front of her, her jet-black hair hanging down her back. She wore a black, backless dress with a matching choker. Her eyes were tilted to the counter, uninterested in anyone else around her.

  Even if what I was doing was wrong, I couldn’t stop myself. Every time Rome defied me, it just made me angrier. I couldn’t control her, and that made me lose my mind. It made me doubt who I was as a man. If only she would just do as I asked, I could have everything I’d ever wanted.

  But she wouldn’t listen to me.

  I walked downstairs and approached Isabella from the side. I pushed her drink away because I didn’t like a drunk sub.

  She met my look then quickly turned away, becoming submissive instantly.

  “Upstairs,” I commanded. “Now.”

  “Yes, Sir.” She abandoned her drink and slid off the stool, her heels tall and her dress short. She walked up the stairs and across the landing as I walked behind her, exerting my presence without her being able to see me.

  We entered a playroom and immediately got down to business. I intended to take Isabella even further tonight, to push her into a new realm of pleasure and pain. I needed to exert all my frustration, all my longing for the woman I couldn’t have. “Take off your dress.” I needed to see that bare skin before I slashed it. “Now.”

  I sat on the couch as Isabella got dressed. My eyes were averted because I wasn’t interested in her physique. Her curves used to drive me wild, her pale skin used to make me excited. But now I didn’t feel anything. All I cared about was her obedience, having the power to make her strike herself with force.

  That satisfied my craving.

  I drank my brandy and stared at the opposite wall, feeling so relaxed I could do this all night. The itch I’d felt had been relieved. The pain in my gut had been removed. Now I could return to Rome without wanting to grab her by the neck and force her to her knees. I could be the boyfriend I promised myself I would be.

  Isabella slipped on her heels then approached the couch. She was about to sit right beside me and have a drink herself.

  “No.” I didn’t want her anywhere near me. She wanted me to fuck her, and that was never going to happen. I didn’t want her skin to come into contact with mine. We had a strict no-touching policy.

  She stilled at my command.

  “Sit on the floor.”

  She didn’t hesitate before she got comfortable on the dark hardwood floor.

  I poured her a glass and handed it over, careful not to touch even her fingers.

  She stared at me like she wanted to speak.

  Since playtime was over, I gave her some freedom. “You can speak freely.”

  “Good,” she said quietly. “Because there’s something I’d like to say.”

  I flicked my hand, telling her to spit it out.

  “I want Rome out of the picture. I want you and me to be what we were before.” Confidence shone in her eyes like she might actually get what she wanted. What was more concerning, she spoke like she thought she deserved it.

  “No.” I didn’t bother with an explanation. I didn’t need to tell her that Rome was the only woman I wanted in my bed. Isabella was just a toy, something I used to satisfy my sinister urges. She didn’t mean a damn thing to me. I wasn’t going to be so cold as to remind her of that reality.

  “Yes.” Her words came out with a bite, a sharp ring. “Calloway, leave her or else.”

  My eyes narrowed on her face, my body tensing at the threat. “Or what, Isabella?” What could this woman possibly do to me?

  “I’ll tell her.”

  I didn’t react to her words because I needed a few extra seconds for them to sink in. “And what will that accomplish?”

  “She’ll leave you.”

  “And even if she does, I’ll never be your Dom again.”

  She tilted her head, attitude in her eyes. “What are we doing now?”

  “I’m using you. You know that.”

  “And if Rome weren’t around, you’d bend me over the bed and fuck me.”

  Maybe I would. Maybe I wouldn’t. With Rome in my life, I couldn’t picture myself with anyone else. It was difficult to determine what I would really do since it was impossible for me even to get hard for her. “Who knows?” I drank my brandy and let the alcohol burn down my throat.

  “I mean it, Calloway.”

  “And I’m calling your bluff.”

  “You really think I won’t do it?” she asked coldly. “Think again. Leave her, and she never has to hear about these nightly sessions. Or do nothing, and I’ll tell her the truth myself. What’s it gonna be?”

  “Do whatever you want, Isabella.” I finished the brandy and left the glass on the table. “But in either scenario, you aren’t going to get what you want.”

  6

  Rome

  Calloway came home that night in the same mood he’d been in for weeks. He was cold and distant, hardly acknowledging my presence when he walked into the bedroom. He stripped off his t-shirt and jeans until he was only in his boxers. His watch came off next, but his ring stayed in place.

  I sat on my side of the bed in one of his t-shirts. I was reading on my Kindle and trying to watch him out of the corner of my eye at the same time. I hadn’t confronted him about what Jackson told me because I didn’t know how to approach it. And now that he’d spent the evening with Jackson, I was sure he knew about the phone conversation.

  Calloway got into bed beside me and snatched the Kindle out of my hand.

  “Uh, do you mind—”

  He crawled on top of me and pinned me down, my hands stuck to the mattress on either side of my head. His knees spread my thighs until his cock pressed against my pussy through our underwear. He stared me down with the kind of intensity that burned right through my skin. “If you want to know something, just ask me.”

  I knew exactly what he was talking about. “I did. You didn’t give me an answer.”

  “I didn’t give you the answer you wanted to hear.” His hands tightened around mine. “What do you want me to say, Rome? I need more than what you’re giving me. That’s the truth, and that’s always been the truth. Unless it’s gonna change, why talk about it?”

  “Does it really bother you that much…?”

  His eyes shifted back and forth between mine. “Sometimes. Some days, I’m fine. Some days, I’m not.”

  “Are you saying you aren’t happy with me?” It was diffi
cult to ask these questions because I couldn’t bear it if he gave an answer I didn’t want to hear.

  “You’re my world, Rome. You know that.”

  “You didn’t answer the question.”

  He pulled the front of his boxers down so his cock could be free. Then he dragged my panties off until the apex of my thighs was available to him. He positioned himself between my legs and pressed his hard cock against my lips, rubbing through them and across my opening. “I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t happy, sweetheart. Sometimes I struggle to control myself when I’m around you. That’s when I go dark.” He tilted his hips and slid the head of his cock inside me, pushing through my tightness.

  Like always, I moaned.

  “But make no mistake.” He kissed me hard on the mouth before he spoke into my mouth. “You’re the only woman I want to be with.” He rocked his hips harder until he shook the bed.

  When he was inside me and we were connected like this, I didn’t think about anything else. My hands broke free of his hold, and I gripped his shoulders, my nails almost piercing the skin. I rocked my hips and took his length quicker, wanting more of that huge cock.

  I should be concerned about what he’d just said. I should use logic to understand that this relationship was in jeopardy. After the year we’d been together, we still weren’t perfect. He hadn’t walked away from his old lifestyle because he still needed it. I wasn’t willing to sacrifice what I wanted, and neither was he. What kind of future could we have under these conditions? Would we be husband and wife someday, but still unhappy? Would Calloway resent me the way he was resenting me now?

  But I loved this man so much that I didn’t care. I turned off my brain and let my heart guide me, because what we had was too beautiful to walk away from. I’d rather keep working on this broken relationship than find a normal man who didn’t need to hit me to feel good. I would rather cry a million times with Calloway than smile with another man.

  Calloway joined me in the shower the next morning, his perfectly chiseled body flawless under the warm water. He grabbed the bar of soap from the shelf then rubbed it against my chest, lathering my tits and stomach with the suds. His eyes met mine with the same intensity he had last night. “You have the most beautiful body.” Both of his hands grabbed my tits and gave them a gentle squeeze. His hands were large enough to cover my breasts completely.