Black Forever

by Victoria Quinn

“We split it down the middle. I’ll be everything you need me to be. And you’ll be everything I need. That’s more than a fair compromise.”

  Rome considered the offer, her fingers still in her hair.

  “Sweetheart, it’ll get easier. Continue to trust me, and I’ll make amazing things happen.”

  She nodded but didn’t seem to agree.

  “You always have the safe word. If there anything you don’t want to do, use it.”

  “But I want to be a good sub…”

  I cupped her face and forced her gaze on me. “There’s no such thing as a good or bad sub. You’re here with me, living in this moment with me. That’s all I want. If you ever say something is too much, I’ll never think less of you. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to try. We can work together on this and make it work. There’s gonna be things you love and other things you hate. That’s normal.”

  “I guess that makes me feel a little better. I’ve missed you so much, and I can’t bear it anymore. I miss sleeping with you every night. I miss cooking dinner for you. I miss…everything.” Her voice caught in her throat, breaking with emotion that was audible to my ears.

  “I’ve missed you too.” I pulled her to my chest and cuddled with her on the comforter, keeping her warm now that our activities had ceased. I grabbed the comforter and dragged and flipped it over onto her body in an attempt to make her comfortable. Instead of lying on this bed, I wanted to go home with her. I wanted us to both get some sleep for once. “You were the last thing I expected to see at Ruin tonight. But I’m so glad you were here. I don’t want anyone else, Rome. I meant that when I said it. You’re the only person in the world that I want to do this with.”

  She didn’t ask any questions about the blonde or ask if I’d been with other women during the week. She seemed to take my words to heart, her lids growing heavy with warmth. “I know, Calloway.”

  14

  Rome

  The sheets were soft against my skin, comfortable because they smelled exactly like the man I loved. Featherlight and silky, they felt like home. My old bed at Christopher’s place felt hard and uncomfortable since I hadn’t slept in it for so long. Calloway’s house had never been mine, but it sure felt that way.

  Calloway lay beside me in bed, his arms wrapped around my body in the exact position he always held me. One arm was draped over my waist, while the other rested in the crook of my neck. He spooned me from behind, his cock in perfect position to press against me in the morning.

  I was tired, but I couldn’t fall asleep. Everything about this moment was perfect. I was in the bed I once considered my own with the man I adored. After all the sleepless nights of the past month, it was nice to finally feel at peace.

  Calloway must have known I was awake because he spoke, the rough hair from his beard moving against my shoulder. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

  “I could ask you the same thing.”

  “Because I have a beautiful woman right in front of me. What’s your excuse?”

  My arm slid over his. “Because I have the love of my life behind me.”

  He pressed a kiss to my ear, a layer of my hair in the way.

  Being his sub wasn’t entirely what I was expecting. I knew he would issue orders and expect me to obey them without question. I knew he would be in charge, the ruler of the room. But I didn’t realize how hard it would be to lay down my pride and do as he asked.

  It was very difficult.

  But once I kneeled on the floor, finally submitting to him, I felt relieved. It was nice to give up my control and allow him to take charge. It was nice not to think or worry. I had no voice, so there was no point in predicting situations before they arose.

  All I had to do was listen.

  When he struck me, I wasn’t expecting it. When he fucked my mouth so aggressively, I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. And when he took me on the bed like I was a prisoner rather than a woman, I nearly broke.

  But I held on.

  A part of me enjoyed Calloway behaving like a dictator. He was strong and authoritative, and that turned me on somehow. But it also reminded me of the men who tried to do the same, who’d tried to rule me into submission.

  I had to keep reminding myself that the situations weren’t the same.

  There was one thing I knew for sure. Being hurt by Calloway in the playroom was far less painful than losing him. I couldn’t handle any more lonely nights. I couldn’t handle the possibility of him being with someone else. I couldn’t handle another cold goodbye from him.

  I just couldn’t.

  This was the lesser of two evils. Calloway said we could split our needs right down the middle so I wouldn’t be in his playroom every night. I would get what I needed, get to enjoy the man I’d fallen so deeply in love with. I just had to make a compromise to keep him.

  “Sweetheart?” he whispered.

  “Hmm?”

  “I want you to know I haven’t been with anyone.” He was explaining his interaction with the blonde, the woman who’d asked him to dominate her for the night and handed over her leash.

  I watched their encounter from the other side of the room and learned a few things. Women spotted Calloway and willingly wanted him to rule them. They strutted over there and point-blank asked for what they wanted. The blonde wasn’t the only one interested. I noticed lots of others looking his way.

  If I didn’t want to be his sub, he really could find a replacement instantly.

  He continued. “As in, I haven’t touched anyone.”

  When I saw him with that blonde, I feared what happened earlier in the week while I deliberated with myself. Even if I hadn’t changed my mind in time and he had been with someone else, I couldn’t hold it against him. I didn’t want to think about it either. But his confession made my body relax in a way it never had before. The air left my lungs, and I suddenly felt even more comfortable in that bed.

  He kissed the back of my neck. “Just you, sweetheart.”

  “Thank you.”

  “We’ll go by Christopher’s apartment in the morning and grab your things. My house is too empty without your knickknacks.”

  I wanted to be back home, but trepidation was in my heart. “Maybe we should give it some time first…” I wasn’t ignorant enough to believe that session was as bad as it was going to get. I was sure Calloway intended to do much worse. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to handle it in the end.

  “We’ll make it work, Rome. All we need is communication.”

  It didn’t matter how much we talked. I might just get sick of being whipped all the time. “I don’t want to rush into anything…see how it goes first. I’ve left your place so many times now. I don’t have the strength to do it again.”

  This time, Calloway didn’t push me. “Okay, I understand.”

  I tightened his arm around me, feeling his pulse through his skin.

  “We’ll talk about hard limits in the morning. I’m sure that will make you feel better.”

  “Hard limits?”

  “Things you’re unwilling to do.”

  “I didn’t realize I had a choice.”

  “Of course you do.” His deep voice came from behind me, deep and powerful. “I said you had all the power because you do. You tell me what you can and can’t handle, and I’ll work around that. As time goes on, you’ll probably lower your hard limits. This is why I wanted you to have an open mind in the beginning. It’s about pleasure, not pain. It’s something we can work out together, as a team.”

  “So, I can make requests?”

  “Yes. Do you have one?”

  “Actually, yes…”

  “I’m listening.” He propped himself on his elbow and looked down at me.

  “I don’t want to go to Ruin again.”

  He continued to stare at me like he expected me to say something else.

  “It makes me feel like one of the many. If I’m special to you, then I don’t want to be screwed on the same bed where you whipped the others. I don’t
want to be tied to the same headboard. I want to be different.” I looked into his dark eyes, hoping to find understanding rather than annoyance.

  “That’s fair.”

  Earlier that evening, he smacked me when I didn’t address him properly. Then he smacked me again for good measure. He was authoritative and borderline brutal. He was a completely different man from the one I spoke to in that moment. I was in love with the man, but I feared the beast. “It is?”

  “I’ll construct a playroom here. We don’t have to leave the house.”

  Now I didn’t have to look at the other women and wonder if they’d been in the same playroom that I had. I could have something none of the others had. “Thank you.”

  He turned my head toward him so he could lean down and kiss me on the lips. The kiss was soft and affectionate, containing the love of the man I preferred. He was there with me in that moment, exactly what I wanted him to be. “Let’s get some sleep. I’ve gotta be up in…” His eyes moved to the clock on the nightstand. “In two hours.” A quiet sigh escaped his lips followed by a quick chuckle. “Damn.”

  It felt like a normal day.

  Calloway and I went to work together, our hands joined together on his thigh as we sat in the back seat. He walked me to my office once we were in the building, and as usual, he kissed me before he walked away.

  Despite being sleep-deprived, I was able to get more work done than I had been lately because I wasn’t distracted. My heart wasn’t broken in two, and my breaths weren’t heavy with despair. I was actually happy for the first time in a month.

  At the end of the day, Calloway picked me up at my office. He leaned against the door and typed a quick email on his phone, his large fingers almost too big for the screen. His tailored suit highlighted all the exquisite parts of his body, his powerful arms and broad shoulders.

  A feeling of both sadness and joy flooded through me. The routine was something I took for granted, the silent understanding that we would leave once Calloway was finished in his office. He worked harder than anyone else there, so he was usually one of the last people to walk out.

  I missed the little things like this. “Ready to go?”

  He shoved his phone into his pocket. “Yes. Is my woman ready?”

  I loved being his woman. “Yes.” I grabbed my purse and walked out with him.

  His arm circled my waist, where it remained until we reached the door. Tom immediately drove us to his house.

  I hated to interrupt such a great afternoon, but I had somewhere else to be. “I’m gonna go home for a few hours.” I hadn’t said anything to Christopher about what was going on. He was probably worried about me even if he wouldn’t admit it.

  Calloway hid his disappointment well. He hit the intercom button. “Change of course, Tom. Let’s head to Rome’s apartment.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Calloway kept his fingers interlocked with mine for the rest of the car ride, his eyes out the window.

  Tom pulled up to the curb a moment later and opened the back door.

  Calloway got out then gave me a hand so I could get to the sidewalk without tripping in my black stilettos.

  I gripped his arms for balance as I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his now shaven face. His lips were soft despite his obvious ruggedness, and now I wished I hadn’t decided to stop by my apartment. “I’ll see you later.”

  “See me later?” he asked. “I’m coming with you.” He turned to Tom. “I’ll call you when I need you.” He raised his hand in the form of a wave then pulled me along.

  “Why are you coming with me?” I didn’t mean to blurt it out and sound so harsh, but I was sure he had other things to do.

  “I just got you back, sweetheart. You think I’m gonna let you run off for a few hours?”

  We entered my apartment a moment later and found Christopher sitting on the couch working. His laptop was on the coffee table, and he had folders spread out everywhere. He was probably working on a portfolio for a high-end client. He sipped his coffee and looked up, nearly doing a double take when he saw the two of us walk in together. “Packing up your things again?” He left the couch and shook Calloway’s hand.

  “No,” Calloway answered. “She’s staying put for now. But between you and me, I hope she’s not here very long.”

  “Between you and me,” Christopher responded. “Me too.” Christopher turned to me and put his hands in his pockets, obviously wanting to ask me about Calloway but unable to since he was standing right there. “Wanna get dinner or something?”

  “That sounds good,” I said. “I’m starving.”

  “Good,” Christopher said. “Since you haven’t eaten in a month, I’m not surprised.”

  My bag over his shoulder, we walked into Calloway’s house and headed upstairs to his bedroom on the third floor.

  Calloway stripped off his jacket and yanked off his tie the second we were in the bedroom. “Tell me what you want, sweetheart.” He came up behind me and yanked my purse off my shoulder, pressing his hard cock against my ass.

  “You.”

  “Be more specific.” He wrapped his arms over my chest, pressing right against my frantically beating heart.

  I turned my face into his neck, smelling his cologne and masculine scent.

  “Anything you want, I’ll give it to you. Any fantasy you want, I’ll fulfill it.”

  “Just the way I fulfill yours?”

  He pressed his lips to my ear. “Yes.”

  Now I could have anything I wanted. I did exactly what he asked, and now it was his turn to obey me. The scenarios weren’t the same, but now I was the one with the power for a change. “I want you to make love to me.”

  “Yes, sweetheart.” He kissed my neck as his hands groped my body, feeling my tits through my dress.

  “I want it to be slow.”

  “Yes, sweetheart.” He gave my tits a squeeze before he unzipped the back of my dress.

  “I want you to look me in the eye and tell me you love me.”

  “Yes, sweetheart.” He unclasped my bra and let it fall to the ground.

  I grew excited by his obedience. I was getting everything I’d wanted since the beginning of our relationship. Now it was happening. Really happening. “I want you on top of me. I want my legs wrapped around your waist.”

  He kneeled and pressed a kiss to my ass as his hands gripped my thong and pulled it down my legs. He kissed the back of my thigh, moving inward and back up to my cheeks. Slowly, he inched closer until his lips found the throbbing area between my legs.

  I pressed my hand to the wall and gasped the second his tongue met my clit. When it came to Calloway pressing his face between my legs, I lost my mind. His caresses were incredible, skilled with experience and mixed with passion.

  Calloway kissed me for several more minutes before he stood up and undressed himself, dropping his slacks and collared shirt. His shoes were kicked off, and his warm cock pushed between my cheeks.

  I remembered the way he fucked me in the ass the night before. My body suddenly flushed with heat.

  Calloway guided me to the bed until I was on my back with my head on the pillows. He moved over me, his chest a solid wall of strength. His waist led to V at his hips, his core hard and defined with powerful abs. He was all man, all fantasy.

  His pinned his arms behind my knees and separated my thighs, exposing my pussy to his anxious cock. He tilted his hips and pressed the head inside my channel, slowly pushing in and feeling the slick lubrication my body produced just for him.

  He slowly sank into me, moving inch by inch until he was sheathed deep inside me.

  “Calloway…” My arms wrapped around his neck as my legs hugged his waist. He stretched me until the pain started, but it was nothing compared to how wonderful he felt. He made me feel full, like every woman should feel.

  He began to rock into me, taking me with a gentleness he hardly ever showed.

  Giving him what he needed was worth it. Now I had exactly what
I wanted, had exactly what I dreamed about. My fingers moved into his hair, and I kissed him slowly, feeling his large dick move inside me over and over. I already wanted to come, but I wanted to let it build up even more. When Calloway had forced me to wait last night, I had the biggest explosion of my life.

  He moved his lips with mine without slowing his pace. He rocked into me with long and even strokes, his balls tapping against my ass every time he fit completely inside me. He breathed into my mouth with longing, feeling the same erotic satisfaction that I did.

  I didn’t think I could hold myself back much longer. My body was tightening in anticipation, squeezing his dick as the sensation began to sweep over me.

  Calloway broke his lips from mine and looked me in the eye. “I love you.” Sincerity was obvious in his tone, powerful in his expression. I could feel all of his love through those three little words. He didn’t just say those words because I asked. He said them because he felt them—in his heart.

  “I love—” I couldn’t finish because the orgasm hit me hard, striking me across every inch of my body. My core tightened, and the fire erupted in my veins, the erotic flames searing my skin. My hands dragged down his neck to his shoulders, and my nails buried deep inside his skin. I came all over his dick, my come gushing down his entire length.

  He moaned as he watched me come. “You look so beautiful when you come.”

  I gripped his ass and pulled him deep inside me, enjoying how thick his cock was. It always hardened just a little more before he released inside me, so I knew his release was fast approaching. “Come inside me, Calloway.”

  He pressed his forehead to mine as he shoved himself deep inside me, gushing inside my pussy and filling me up. His come moved past his length and dripped down my ass, hitting the sheets underneath me. “Jesus Christ…this pussy.” He kissed my neck then the corner of my mouth, reeling from the intensity we both felt. Then he slowly began to pull out.

  I grabbed his ass and dragged him back inside, keeping him deep within me. He was slowly softening, but I didn’t care. “More.”

  His eyes were dark with pleasure, but the corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “Yes, sweetheart.”