by Marian Tee
“Don’t be stubborn. Just let go—”
“I don’t want to!” Her name was Jaike Hepburn, and she was almost as famous as Derek – but all for the wrong reasons. For over three years, students in Christopoulos University had known her as the quiet, studious, and extremely plain girlfriend of the Student Council President Angelo Valencia III.
As of yesterday, students knew her as TGTPCOBINDCGWAQM, an acronym that everyone only dared use behind Jaike’s back. It meant The Girlfriend the President Cheated on But Is Now Derek Christopoulos’ Girlfriend with a Question Mark. There were still a number of girls clinging hard to the hope that last night’s events were just a nightmare, and Derek Christopoulos hadn’t really admitted to the world he was indeed taken.
Curvy and dark-haired, Jaike was dressed in one of her standard spinster outfits: loose blouse, loose slacks, and boring-looking leather flats. She was definitely not the type to attract someone like Derek Christopoulos, and she had always known that. Unfortunately, Derek didn’t seem to think the same. Even worse, her body didn’t think the same either, with the way it burned at the parts that Derek touched.
Jaike tightened her hold on the door sill. “How many times do I have to tell you?” Her words were part demand, part plea. “I don’t want to—”
“But you don’t have a choice, koukla mou.” Derek was torn between amusement and exasperation. God, she was so hardheaded. Always had been from the start. If he hadn’t been born arrogant, her continuous rebuffs would have been ego crushing. While there were enough people in the world to get him on People’s Sexiest Persons Alive list, Derek had lost count of the number of times Jaike had turned him down for a date.
Jaike shook her head vigorously. If only she could shout at him. But of course, she couldn’t, not if she wanted to hide the fact that Derek had spent the night in her room. Everyone in uni knew how Derek was everything but a morning person. If they saw him now—
Her gaze strayed to him…and stayed there as Jaike found herself unwillingly captivated.
He still wore last night’s clothes, but somehow, Jaike thought despairingly, a rumpled-looking Derek Christopoulos only appeared more gorgeous and so much sexier in her eyes. Bed-mussed blond hair that would make any woman wish she could run her fingers through, a day’s stubble darkening his jaw that would make any woman wonder how it would feel like having it tickle their skin—
And oh God, his body. It was hell, sheer hell, knowing what she knew now. It was like she had developed X-ray vision overnight and now, even with the famous Greek playboy fully clothed, she still saw him as he was last night.
Naked, every inch of his smooth, bronze body exposed, every beautiful muscle defined, and his long, hard—
Derek was smirking at her. “Stare all you want, babe. I’m all yours.”
“You wish!” Turning red, Jaike resumed struggling with a vengeance.
Laughing, he resumed trying to pull her away. In truth, he could have easily done so if he really wanted to, but that wouldn’t be as fun as seeing Jaike hang on with all her might.
However, when another minute had passed—
Derek said in exasperation, “Just come with me.”
“I don’t want to. You said you were going to blindfold me!”
“Naturally. I wouldn’t trust you to keep your eyes closed.”
She said hotly, “I’m not the type to cheat—”
“True. But you also like doing everything I don’t want you to do.”
She opened her mouth then closed it again, deciding not to argue the point.
“So just let go—”
“Don’t want to!”
His smile disappeared. “If you don’t let go right this instant—”
“No, no, no—”
He let go of her hand. She started to sigh in relief, but the next moment she found herself shrieking instead as Derek suddenly hefted her up with an arm around her waist.
A silent gasp escaped her as she tried to wriggle free from his hold even as her legs kicked in the air. She wanted to shout at him but didn’t dare, not wanting the other students on her floor to wake up.
“Still not letting go?”
She shook her head fiercely.
“Are you sure? Because this position you’re in…” He gave her a thoughtful look. “Don’t you think if I reposition myself in front of you, my cock…your mouth…”
Jaike didn’t even have to think about it. “You can put me down now.” Ass.
Derek chuckled. “I know what you’re thinking.” But even as he spoke, he was already gently lowering her to the floor.
He ruffled her hair. “Good girl.”
She didn’t answer, afraid that her voice would give her away. Why did it feel like she was emitting stupid pink hearts in the air just because of those two words? It wasn’t like she wanted to be a good girl for him, did she?
“Ready?”
Jaike started in surprise as Derek dangled a black silk handkerchief in front of her eyes. She nodded, and he started to wrap the silk around her eyes. As her world darkened bit by bit, Jaike couldn’t deny the shameful feeling of excitement that rose inside her.
God, she was so, so twisted.
Something hot suddenly touched her ear, and a delicious shiver traveled down her body as she realized Derek was licking her ear. “Derek.” But instead of a whispered protest, his name ended up sounding like a helpless whimper.
Red-hot desire, laced with a fierce sense of protectiveness, blazed through him at the sound of his name on Jaike’s lips – proof that the girl he had determinedly chased for such a long time was finally his. The girl he had been waiting for all his life was finally his.
As he held her hand, he told her half-seriously, “I should blindfold you more often. You sound so much more biddable—”
She growled as she tried to hit him. He dodged her easily, letting go of her hand, but she kept moving, trying to hit him—
Derek suddenly caught hold of her hand. “Not there, babe. That’s my cock.”
Jaike froze.
“But if you really want to touch it…”
Jaike shook her head quickly. “Of course not!”
“Are you sure? Because I can be easily persuaded—”
“Can you please just take me wherever it is you want us to go?”
****
Jaike was quiet throughout the ride, and Derek didn’t force her to be otherwise, knowing the girl next to him needed time to think. That was better than the state he had found her in this morning.
She had looked so broken and lost at the rooftop it had his chest squeezing hard. It had made him want to shake some sense into her. Why did she have to be so damn stubborn, forcing herself to be so independent when she clearly needed him? When would she accept that surrendering to him was her destiny?
“We’re here, sir.” The driver’s words pulled Derek out of his thoughts.
“Thanks, Dodson. Just wait here - we’ll only be for a short while.” Shaking his head when his driver-slash-bodyguard made a move to come down and open the door for him, Derek opened his own door and stepped out. He hated having people fuss over him, and he only tolerated it when he was in the public eye. There wasn’t really a need for it, not when his family had undercover bodyguards tailing him all the time.
Bending down, Derek took Jaike’s hand, who tried to pull away when he tried to assist her out. His lips twitched at her instinctive resistance. “Don’t force me to carry you out, Jaike.”
At the warning, Jaike reluctantly gave in, doing her best not to jerk as Derek’s hand gripped hers once more. She couldn’t remember being this sensitive to Derek’s touch. It was as if every brush of their bodies against each other made her remember last night. And every time she did remember—
Jaike’s mouth went dry and she swallowed several times. She was really twisted. She had never been like this with Angelo, and he had been her boyfriend for three years.
When Jaike got out of the car, she immediately reached for the blin
dfold to uncover her eyes. But before her fingers could reach it, Derek had slapped her hand away like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“That hurts,” she yelped. Actually, it didn’t hurt that much, but she was hoping she could guilt-trip him into releasing her.
Derek rolled his eyes, not even willing to dignify the words with an answer.
“It really did,” she insisted.
“Just a few moments more, we’re almost there,” he said instead.
Wind chimes playing in the air told her they were going through a door, and then she heard a male voice greeting Derek by name. He didn’t even sound surprised that Derek had a blindfolded woman with him, Jaike thought waspishly, making her snipe, “Do you do this often?”
Derek glanced down at Jaike in surprise. “Do what often?”
“Never mind,” she muttered, feeling silly for caring. She felt Derek cup her chin and though she tried to turn her head away, it was impossible.
Derek repeated the question. He had a feeling whatever it was bothered Jaike greatly.
She started to shrug, but stopped when Derek’s lips suddenly covered hers. She struggled right away, not knowing where they were and who might be looking. But it was no use. Derek’s lips moved seductively against hers, his tongue shaping her lips but never quite going inside until she found herself tiptoeing. She didn’t want to, but the way he kissed her—
Derek, sitting naked on her bed, his dick jutting proudly, big, strong, and hard—
Derek, saying in a voice made harsh with desire, “Say you’re mine.”
And Jaike, naked in front of him, shaking with desire for him, whispering, “Yours.”
Her fingers clutched his shirt, a wordless plea for him to kiss her the way she wanted – the way a girl like her wanted to be kissed.
He whispered against her mouth, “Tell me what you were thinking.” Before she could answer, he continued, in a voice that promised forbidden pleasure, “Tell me and I’ll kiss you the way you want me to.”
Derek licked her lower lip, slowly, thoroughly.
Jaike gasped.
“Tell me.”
Her eyes closed against the blindfold. “I was wondering if you constantly bring girls here blindfolded.”
“Why do you think that?” Derek was bemused. Of all things, he hadn’t expected that.
“Because…the other guy…he didn’t seem so surprised that I’m blindfolded—” She stopped talking when she heard Derek chuckle.
“You were jealous.”
She could hear the pleasure in his voice, underlined by his smirk. It had her struggling against his hold, but his arms only tightened around her.
“Let me go—”
“Nope. I wouldn’t want you to think I don’t keep my promises.”
“I don’t want—”
And then he was kissing her again, but this time it was that way. His tongue pushed between her lips, forcing them to part, and passion exploded inside her as their tongues touched. Her fingers clutched his shirt desperately, the only thing that kept her from falling to the floor. His kiss made her feel so beautifully weak, so wonderfully hot. It made her feel breathless and mindless—
Derek forced himself to slow down, to put a stop to the kiss and pull away. If he didn’t, he would end up making love to Jaike, never mind where they were. “Later, baby,” he promised before kissing her forehead.
Somehow, that kiss felt even more intimate, making her feel vulnerable.
She felt Derek touching her hair. A second later, the blindfold was off, and she blinked against the bright incandescent light shining down at them. At first, Jaike thought she was inside a really classy boutique, with its luxuriously elegant interior and its smiling attendant, a middle-aged gentleman with a genuine Rolex on his wrist, dressed in a suit and tie.
But then she saw the walls. Those cream-colored walls, with its expensive wallpaper, and…whips.
Various lengths, designs, but they were just that: whips.
The attendant caught sight of where she was looking and said proudly, “All of them are handmade, and only the finest leather’s used. The handles are gold-plated and if mademoiselle is interested, these whips also come with matching cuffs.”
Her stricken gaze followed the attendant as he walked towards one of the display cases. Inside it was an assortment of handcuffs, and all of them were studded with gems.
Next to it was another display case, and that was the real clincher. It was filled with butt plugs, and none of them even looked like it would fit her mouth.
Jaike made an about face and headed for the door. “I’m going.”
Derek laughed, easily catching hold of her hand and whirling her back to his side. “And that’s why I thought I had to blindfold you to get you here.” Looking at the store’s attendant, he asked, “Are they ready, Finlay?”
The older man beamed. “Of course, sir. If you would excuse me for a moment…” He headed towards a metal door, placing his hand on a scanning pad. A green light blinked on top of the door before it opened.
Such level of security had Jaike glancing nervously at Derek. “You’re not going to give me a…”
He understood right away what she couldn’t say and didn’t know whether to be insulted or relieved. “Marrying me is that bad?”
She said seriously, “Someone like you will always be bad for me, Derek. And vice versa.”
He shook his head. “You’re wrong.”
“You can’t be too sure—”
“You may think that we’re both bad for each other, but that could be a good thing, too.” He bent down and tweaked her nose as if in punishment. “And to think you seemed so smart.” Straightening, he asked, “Tell me, if two negative forces are combined…”
An exasperated smile touched her lips when she realized what he was implying. But she protested anyway, “It doesn’t work like that—”
“It does. Now, stop arguing since Finlay’s back with what I’ve ordered.”
Derek turned them both around to face Finlay, his arm around her waist preventing her from bolting once more when she saw what was inside the opened velvet box the attendant was carrying.
“Derek!”
It wasn’t a ring.
It was something…more.
For both of them, at least, it was something more.
She brushed her fingers against the circle of metal lying on the bed of white velvet. It was cold to touch and black as midnight. “What’s it made of?”
“Onyx.” He took it out of the box. “May I?”
The fierce light of possession burning in his stormy eyes made her swallow and nod. Oh God, how could she refuse him when he was looking at her like that? He was dying to own her – to call her his. And if she was honest, if she had been honest from the very start, she had been dying a little each day, too, not being able to belong to him.
Derek’s heart hammered against his chest as he slowly lowered the choker, circling it around her throat. With one loud click, he had the silver clasp locked in place. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he gently turned her around so they could see her reflection on the gilded full-length mirror mounted on the wall.
“Do you like it?”
She nodded. “It’s…b-beautiful.” And it was. The kind of beautiful that called out to her soul, a melody that only he could hum and she could hear.
Derek couldn’t stop gazing at Jaike’s reflection. His voice gravelly with desire, he demanded, “Do you know…God, do you know what this does to me, seeing you wear something that symbolizes you’re mine?”
His hand on her waist started to move up, caressing her back as it reached her nape, making her shiver, and then he was fisting her hair, the action making her mouth dry. The gesture was unbelievably primal, but somehow it felt heartbreakingly tender, too, and she didn’t resist when he used his hold on her hair to guide her head sideways. Her neck arched towards the right.
Derek lowered his head, and she whimpered when he kissed the
skin between the choker and her face. “Mine,” he whispered.
He extended his other hand, and Jaike’s eyes widened as Finlay walked back to them, bearing another tray with a smaller jewelry box this time. She watched Derek flip it open, and her eyes started to tear up when she saw that inside it was a matching ring. The body made of silver like the clasp of her necklace, but with a piece of onyx embedded in the middle.
Derek turned her around again, this time Jaike facing him. He placed the ring on her hand.
Understanding his silent command, she took the ring and carefully slid it on his finger.
Over her head, she heard him speak. “From here on, baby, I’m going to wear this with pride. I’ve always wanted to belong to you, and I have never been so damn happier when it came true.”
She started to speak, but he shook his head.
He touched her throat, his fingers moving down to her choker. “But this one, we’ll put aside for now. Wear it when it’s the right time. I can wait. I want to wait for the day you’ll be proud to let everyone know that you’re mine.”
Jaike couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He was a terribly impatient man, but here he was, offering her a reprieve of sorts. “Why?” Her voice shook as she looked at him with a mixture of fear and confusion. “Didn’t I already become yours when we—”
“Last night?” He shook his head when she nodded. He touched her heart and felt it throb and slam against her chest. Good. He was affecting her a lot more strongly now. “You’re not mine where it counts, baby. And you know how I am.” He kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips, the side of her neck, and finally, he lifted his hand off so he could place a kiss on her heart. “I want everything of you.”
His lips twisted. “So hurry, dammit, and start falling in love with me.”
Chapter Two
Jaike’s phone suddenly rang, and she couldn’t answer it fast enough. “Hello?” Oh my God, she could barely hear herself over her loudly beating heart.
Someone at the other end of the line answered, but her mind only heard gibberish. It was still whirling, unable to process what Derek Christopoulos had just said.
What happened didn’t really happen, did it? It couldn’t. And if it did – surely he didn’t mean it? Because if he did, didn’t that mean Derek Christopoulos as much admitted…to loving her?