Cocky: A Reverse Harem Romance

by Ashlee Price

  I stare at the ceiling with eyes growing blurry with tears. I can feel myself growing hotter where he’s dipping his fingers, and some of that heat is oozing out. I feel the bulge pressing behind me and I shudder.

  Suddenly, his hands leave my body. Without him supporting me, I almost stumble. He breaks my fall, lowering me gently. I feel the cold floor against my back, which is drenched with his sweat and mine.

  Even with my mind muddled, I know what’s going to happen next. A faint voice in my head warns me, asking me if I should allow it to.

  I don’t have the will to fight it.

  Again, Reed’s mouth captures mine, and again, I surrender. I wrap my arms around his back. I give another shudder as he pulls off my soaked underwear.

  I grip his shoulders as he kneels between my legs, staring up at me as he fumbles with his belt and his zipper. His eyes are just as glossy as mine were, his pupils dilated, his face as flushed. His nostrils flare as he clenches his jaw.

  He pushes inside me slowly and my grip tightens. My nails dig into cotton and skin. My eyes squeeze shut.

  I feel a tinge of discomfort as he stretches me, but that fades. My body grows numb as soon as his cock is completely sheathed inside me.

  Then he moves his hips and the numbness is dispelled quicker than lightning. Every fiber of my body can feel him now. Every nerve tingles.

  My arms fall to my side. My fingers try to rake at the wood to no avail.

  Reed moves faster, and I feel myself sliding across the floor. I turn my head to the side as the heat in my body intensifies.

  He reaches between our bodies to stroke me and my body arches like the bow of a violin. Something in me snaps and my cry bounces off the mirrors as I shatter.

  He grips my thighs and keeps moving, faster now. Then he jerks and comes to a stop with a loud grunt. His cock spills inside me.

  After that, he stays still, a statue kneeling above me. I lie limply on the floor, too tired to move. The music is still playing, but the dance is over.

  And what a dance it was. Its performers are silent in awe.

  He pulls out and the backs of my knees hit the floor. He lies down beside me, our fingers touching.

  “Were you a dancer before you became a yoga instructor?” Reed asks as soon as he’s caught his breath.

  I nod. “I was one of Ariana Grande’s back up dancers during her tour. Before that, I was a gymnast. I won a bronze in London.”

  He lifts himself on his elbows. “No way.”

  I lift my leg. “Would you like to see how flexible I can be?”

  He grabs my leg and plants a kiss on my ankle, then turns to me with a mischievous grin.

  “Yes, please. After all, we have all night.”

  Chapter Eight

  Hector

  I don’t have all day.

  As I tap my fingers impatiently on the windowsill, I glance at my watch, which tells me Melanie’s replacement is already twelve minutes late. I frown.

  She is going to get it.

  I don’t care if she’s new or what her excuse is. I’m a busy man. I’m a businessman, a movie producer among other things. Time is money to me. Besides, punctuality is one of my rules, and I don’t like it when my rules aren’t followed.

  Finally, the door opens behind me.

  I take a deep breath as I clench my fist. “You’re late.”

  “Sorry,” a soft, hoarse voice replies.

  I turn around slowly, finding a woman younger than Melanie standing across the room with her hands on her knees. She is more beautiful, too, her hair lustrous and her skin rosy. Right now, her cheeks are flushed and a bead of sweat is trickling down her forehead. Her thin lips are parted to let out gasps for air as she tries to catch her breath.

  Ah. I haven’t done anything yet and she’s already panting, on the verge of tears.

  I touch my chin as a grin forms on my lips.

  Amusing.

  I banish the grin, though, as I approach her.

  “You’re Danielle Hoffman?”

  She straightens up. “Yes, but please call me Dani.”

  I lift my chin. “Dani, didn’t Melanie tell you how busy I am?”

  “She did. I’m really sorry.”

  “I’m afraid sorry doesn’t cut it.” I put my hands behind me. “Didn’t Melanie tell you that?”

  Dani’s eyebrows bunch up. “No.”

  “Then I’m telling you now. I have rules, and I expect them to be obeyed. When they’re not, there are consequences that must be paid.”

  “Okay.” Her eyebrows go up. “I suppose you can deduct the time from my fee.”

  I chuckle. “Dani, do you think I’m a man who lacks money?”

  She looks around. “No.”

  “Therefore, financial compensation would give me no pleasure.” I walk towards the chair in the middle of the room.

  “I don’t understand. What would you have me do?”

  That is my favorite question.

  “You’ll have to be punished, of course,” I tell her.

  “I think that’s already been made clear. My question is how?”

  “The same way I punished Melanie.” I sit on the chair and crook a finger at her. “Come here.”

  She hesitates, that puzzled look still on her face.

  “Dani, come here,” I repeat.

  “Listen, I’m really sorry but…”

  I frown. “Dani, Melanie and I signed a contract. In it, she agreed that if ever she caused me trouble, I’d have to punish her. Now, since you are taking her place, the contract applies to you. Unless you don’t want to take her place.”

  She looks down at her hands. “Well, I do, but…”

  “If you refuse, I’ll have to call Melanie and punish her instead.”

  “No,” she says quickly.

  Just as I thought.

  “This is my fault, not Melanie’s. I’m the one working for you now, so I’m the one who should do as you ask.”

  I narrow my eyes. “And will you do as I ask?”

  Dani draws a deep breath. “I will.”

  “Then come here.”

  This time, she comes, though slowly.

  “Faster,” I order. “You’ve already wasted enough of my time.”

  Her pace quickens. In front of me, she stops.

  I hold her gaze. “Now, I want you over my knees.”

  Her eyes quiver. “What?”

  “Bend over my lap so that I can spank you,” I explain. “That is my punishment.”

  Some of the tint fades from her cheeks. “S-spank me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Like a child?”

  “It’s not something exclusive to children, Dani.”

  She fidgets with the zipper of her sweater. “But…”

  Let me guess. She’s never been spanked before.

  “Do you want me to punish Melanie, Dani? Or are you going to take her place?”

  “I…”

  “I won’t ask again. Bend… over… my… lap,” I stress each of those last words as I narrow my gaze at her.

  Finally, she obeys. She kneels on the floor beside me and bends down. Her breasts press against my thigh. Her head hangs from the other side, her hair forming a curtain over his face. She clasps her shaking hands behind her back.

  “Stretch your arms above your head.”

  She complies. Her arms dangle on either side of her head.

  “Don’t worry,” I tell her. “Just think of this as a new pose.”

  “Please, just…”

  “Uh-uh.” I wave a finger. “Not a word. In fact, I don’t want to hear a sound.”

  I lift the hem of her shirt to her waist so I can see her ass. The thin fabric of her black leggings clings to the mounds of flesh, small but firm just like her breasts.

  Staring at them, I lift my hand with my palm stretched out and let it fall right in the middle. It lands with a slap. The cheeks of her butt jiggle.

  I do it again and again, each slap harder than the
last.

  After the sixth, Dani lets out a gasp. After the eighth, a whimper.

  I move my hand lower and she whimpers even louder.

  I frown. Can it be that she’s sore? Is that why she’s late? Because she was getting fucked by her boyfriend?

  Somehow, the idea annoys me even more and I hit her harder, faster.

  She lets out a cry.

  “I said not a sound!” I tell her as I spank her again.

  I go on until I’ve counted to fifteen—one spank for every minute that she was late. Then I stop.

  “You can get off now.”

  She does, crouching on the floor.

  I get off the chair and walk to the window so I can catch my breath. And also so I can calm down. My rapid heartbeat is sending heat and adrenaline coursing through my veins.

  I’d forgotten how exciting spanking someone can be.

  When both have subsided, I turn back around and dust my hands. My palm still aches, but not unpleasantly.

  Dani is back on her feet now, although her face is still flushed. More than a few strands of her red hair are out of place. Her lips are redder, too. She probably bit them in an effort to hold back her voice while I was spanking her.

  In spite of all that, her shoulders are held high and she meets my gaze squarely. In them, I see her determination to not let what just happened affect her, to go on as if it didn’t happen at all.

  A fighter.

  My excitement returns. I want to spank her again, maybe even harder and longer this time. No, I want to do more.

  I take a deep breath, though, and tell myself I have to control my urges. Hopefully, yoga will help me with that.

  I walk towards Dani with a smile. “Shall we proceed with the class?”

  ~

  In the end, the class didn’t help me calm down.

  Seeing Dani bent over in various ways only made me think of all the things I could do to her. Seeing her sweat only made me hotter for her.

  As I watch her cross the front lawn towards the gate through the window, I frown.

  I almost didn’t want her to leave, but I had to let her go.

  For now.

  I grab my water bottle and head to my office, grinning.

  In truth, Melanie and I didn’t have a contract. That was a lie just so I could see how I could bend her to my will, to see how much fun I could have with her.

  And as it turns out, there is a lot of fun I can have with her.

  Maybe I should offer her a contract. After all, it’s been a while since I took a sub.

  Too long.

  And something tells me Dani is just perfect.

  I’m already drafting the contract in my head as I walk, but as soon as I reach my office, my personal assistant, Phoebe, interrupts my thoughts.

  “You have a call from Mr. Sutherland, sir,” she informs me. “I put him on hold on Line 1 since he insisted on waiting.”

  “Thank you, Phoebe,” I tell her.

  She bows her head.

  I would have taken her as a sub a long time ago if she wasn’t so damn submissive. Yes, sub is short for submissive, but I’d rather have someone with a defiant streak, like Dani, someone not as easy to break as that last girl. Otherwise, what’s the pleasure in making her submit time and time again?

  I step inside my office and pick up the phone.

  “Larry? Sorry to keep you waiting. I was… busy.”

  “No worries,” he says. “I know you’re a busy man, but hopefully you’re not too busy to hear my news. After all, you were the one who told me to chase down the heirs of that author.”

  I sit down in my leather chair, my curiosity piqued. “They’ve agreed to let us make the book into a movie?”

  “Yes. There were others after it, too, but I got it. The movie is ours to make.”

  I sit back as an ear-to-ear grin forms on my lips. “Tell me more of this good news.”

  Chapter Nine

  Dani

  “Shut up!” Melanie’s voice rises a notch as she grips the edge of the table and leans across it. “You’re giving yoga lessons to Kaleb Wilson?”

  “Shh.” I hold a finger to my lips and quickly glance around the cafe.

  Thankfully, no one seems to have heard us. The woman at the nearest table is engrossed with her magazine.

  Melanie sighs. “I am so jealous. I thought it was just that Tom who wanted yoga classes. If I’d known it was…” she looks around and lowers her voice, “…Kaleb Wilson, I probably wouldn’t have retired.”

  I pull my eyebrows down. “Aren’t you engaged?”

  “Yes.” She shows off the diamond ring on her finger for the hundredth time. “But that doesn’t mean I can stop admiring other guys, especially those as hot as KW.” She props her chin on her elbow and looks dreamily at the ceiling before turning her gaze back to me. “He is hot, isn’t he?”

  Out of nowhere, the image of Kaleb’s bulging dark chocolate pectorals and shredded abdominals comes to mind and I have to resist licking my lips. I purse them instead.

  “What?” Melanie asks.

  “Nothing,” I tell her.

  I’m not about to tell her that I kissed Kaleb, or more accurately, that Kaleb kissed me. Not when she’s already turning green from hearing that I’m giving him yoga lessons.

  Melanie doesn’t look convinced, though. Thankfully, as she opens her mouth to say something, the waiter interrupts.

  “Grilled cheese sandwich?” he asks.

  Melanie raises her hand and he puts the plate in front of her.

  “Rose tea?”

  “Mine, too,” Melanie says.

  He sets down the glass beside her plate. “Nice ring.”

  “Oh, thanks… Scott,” Melanie reads his name from his tag. “I just got it, actually.”

  “Congratulations,” he tells her before turning to me. “And I guess the double espresso vanilla macchiato is yours.”

  “Guilty,” I say.

  He places my mug right in front of me.

  “My friend here is Dani,” Melanie tells him. “And unlike me, she’s single.”

  I throw her a scolding glance but she ignores it.

  “Well, hello, Dani.” Scott offers me his hand. “I’m Scott, but you already know that.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I tell him.

  “Dani loves coffee,” Melanie offers. “And yoga. And sappy romantic movies.”

  I glare at her. I swear she’s getting back at me for being Kaleb Wilson’s yoga instructor. Thank goodness I haven’t told her Kaleb kissed me or she’d probably give away my phone number.

  “I can write down her favorite numbers, too, if you lend me your pen,” Melanie adds.

  Seriously?

  “What’s next?” I fold my arms over my chest. “Are you going to tell him the color of my underwear? Or that I can suck his dick?”

  Melanie’s eyes narrow.

  “Um, I better get back to work,” Scott says as he grips his empty tray. “If there’s anything wrong with your coffee, just let me know.”

  I give him a smile. “Thanks.”

  As he walks away, I lift my mug to blow on the steaming surface.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Melanie asks me.

  “Nothing,” I say again.

  I know what she’s thinking—that in the past, I’ve always been eager to give my number to good-looking guys and yet, all of a sudden, I’ve grown some self-respect. Well, not exactly. I’m just not single anymore.

  Or am I?

  Sure, Reed hasn’t sent me a single message since last night, but he could just still be sleeping. After all, we did go at it for a few rounds.

  Or maybe he’s busy… doing whatever it is he’s supposed to be doing that I’m ashamed I haven’t asked. He must have a job to be able to afford such a big house in a fancy neighborhood, right?

  At any rate, I’m not a virgin anymore. That I’m sure of.

  Melanie pouts as she takes a bite out of her sandwich and a pang of guilt hits me.
>
  What am I doing acting all snobbish with her when she’s the one who gave me her clients? If not for her, I wouldn’t have met Reed.

  I set down my mug and reach for her hand. “I’m sorry, Mellie. I’m just… tired, I guess. All of a sudden, I have so many clients.”

  “You’re welcome,” she says.

  I place my hand on my chest. “I really am grateful for them, even for Hector, even though I have to say I hate him.”

  I still can’t believe he spanked me, but I know he did since my butt still hurts.

  I shift in my seat. “He is insufferable.”

  “Well, he is cold,” Melanie agrees.

  Cold? I’m tempted to ask her about the contract Hector spoke about so much but decide against it as I take a sip of my macchiato. It’s embarrassing, after all. I completely understand why she didn’t mention it before. I wouldn’t if our roles were reversed.

  “But he is also kind of hot,” Melanie adds. “For an older guy.”

  Now, that I have to agree on. Grudgingly. Even though I was busy trying to catch my breath after my failed attempt to get to his house on time, I did have a moment to admire his dark brown hair with just a few streaks of silver, the slight cleft on his chin, and his broad shoulders that he held in the most confident way possible.

  I thought, Now, here’s a man. A real man.

  That was before he spanked me.

  “I still hate him,” I tell Melanie.

  She chuckles.

  How can she not hate him if he did the same thing to her that he just did to me?

  “And what about Noah?” Melanie asks.

  I frown as I tap a finger on the rim of my mug. “About that, I… kind of messed up.”

  One of Melanie’s eyebrows goes up. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I think he doesn’t want to see me anymore, not after I barged into the wrong room and saw him naked.”

  Melanie clasps her hand over her mouth as her eyes grow wide. “You what?”

  I just nod. I know she heard me the first time.

  “Then what?”

  “I ran out,” I tell her. “Then when I had calmed down and realized what a terrible mistake I’d made, I circled back to apologize but I couldn’t get past the gate anymore. He changed the codes, and frankly, I don’t blame him.”

  “Did you speak into the speaker on the machine?” Melanie asks me.