He tightened his arm around her. If only he’d known her then, he could have stopped her from being hurt. He’d happily kill Barry. But she’d had the guts to face the damage he’d done her head-on. Being a dominatrix wasn’t a career he’d choose, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate why she’d done it.
“Ally, you’re a strong, sexy, incredible woman. You deserve someone who’ll make you happy, not try to tear you down.” He stroked her cheek. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
She lifted her face to look at him. Her eyes were still lighter than normal, but he could see a hundred different emotions shifting and changing in their depths.
“I want to kiss you,” he whispered. Right now he’d never wanted anything so badly.
She swallowed, her eyes lingering on his lips. “Tell me why you freaked out, and you can.”
He gave a rueful grimace. Hell, the woman sure knew how to get what she wanted. Something else to admire, except when she used her super powers of persuasion against him.
Okay, here goes.
“One day, when I was fifteen, three men came to the door.” He hesitated. He still couldn’t quite believe he was talking about it. For two years afterward, he’d been forced to sit in a room for an hour a week with a therapist he’d come to hate. Mostly he’d pressed his lips together and refused to say a word. “My mother had ripped them off, disappeared with a bag of pills they said belonged to them. I told them she wasn’t home. I hadn’t seen her since the previous day, and didn’t know when she’d be back.”
“What did they do?”
“They asked if I knew where their pills were. I said I didn’t. So they asked harder.”
“My god,” she said faintly. Her hand traced the thin, raised line that ran along the crease of his belly. “They gave you this scar?”
“Two held me down, while the other one cut me.”
She let out a small sound of horror, and he stroked her arm.
“I kept saying I didn’t know anything, and after a while I convinced them. They locked me in a closet.” He closed his eyes against the flood of memories that rose up, stronger than he would have believed.
He might be able to push it to the back of his mind, but he’d never forget anything about that day. Not the pain when hard hands gripped him so he couldn’t move and the knife sliced into him. Not the terrible feeling of being trapped in a tiny space in complete darkness, or the hot, sticky feeling of blood soaking through his shirt. Blind, uncontrollable panic had flooded him. He’d been certain he was about to run out of air, and he’d thrown himself at the door, trying to batter it down. All he’d done was tear his wounds and lose more blood.
“What did you do?”
He took a breath, forcing his tone to stay casual. “At first I panicked. But when I finally calmed down, I could hear them tearing the house apart looking for their drugs. I tried to get the lock open, but I couldn’t.”
“Your mother didn’t come home?”
He moved his head to breathe in the scent of her hair. Apples. For some reason it helped him go on. “Unfortunately she did. But not for several hours, and by then they’d worked themselves up and they wanted payback. She gave them their pills and they still killed her.”
“Oh god.” She squeezed him with one arm. “That’s awful. I’m sorry.”
He was silent for a moment, surprised that he wanted to finish the story and tell her everything. He’d never dreamed he’d speak the rest of it out loud.
A day of firsts. She does have super powers, there’s no other explanation.
“The worst part is that I knew where she’d hidden the pills. If I’d told them they might have left, and my mother wouldn’t have died. But I was too damn stubborn. I was furious with Mom. I thought I hated her. I remember thinking, This’ll teach her, when she comes home. When she has to deal with them, she’ll realize what she’s been doing to us.”
Ally was still for a moment. Then her voice barely a whisper, she said, “You blamed yourself for what happened. But it wasn’t your fault.”
“Therapy was part of the service the state so kindly provided, so I’ve had a paid professional tell me the same thing.”
Except he hadn’t told the therapist that last bit. He’d never told anyone but Ally.
After all this time, saying it out loud hadn’t been as bad as he’d imagined. Maybe it was because he’d trusted her not to freak out and she hadn’t disappointed him, or because she felt so good tucked against him with her warm breath tickling his chest. Whatever the reason, right now he felt far less damaged by what had happened than he did when he woke in the middle of night thinking about it. Maybe the pain was starting to fade, the wound in his soul starting to heal? He hoped so.
At least there was one thing he knew for sure – playing Thomas would be easier now. Ally had made him face his fear of being restrained and he’d come out the other side feeling closer to her than he felt to anyone.
It made him wish they had longer together. Damn, did they really only have two more days? It didn’t seem like nearly enough.
Pity he was filming in L.A., or he’d be able to keep seeing her after their time was up. Only he couldn’t imagine having to make an appointment with her, that wasn’t his style at all. And he wouldn’t be able to deal with her having other clients—he’d never be able to share a woman he cared about. Was he really starting to have feelings for Ally? Hell, after what they’d just shared, how could he not? But that was dangerous territory. He couldn’t afford to go down that path.
She lifted her face to look at him. “Your reward, like I promised.” She wriggled up slightly to offer him her lips.
I shouldn’t kiss her. Shit, I’m getting in too deep, and kissing her will only make it worse.
But her lips were tantalizingly close, and his need to taste them too strong to fight. Any man would go crazy looking at them, anticipating the feel of them, the softness, the warmth. They slowly parted, and he couldn’t stop a low groan. He crushed his mouth against hers.
He’d have bet his entire fortune that he couldn’t possibly get aroused again, not so soon after the most epic lovemaking session of his entire life.
He’d have been wrong.
8
Ally woke up tucked into Max’s body, his hand resting on her waist. It felt so good, she sighed and snuggled in further. Then her eyes flicked open. Crap. In spite of her resolve not to, she’d fallen asleep and spent the whole night in his bed.
First she’d kissed him, and now this. But at least this was a mistake she could rectify if she got up quietly without waking him.
She eased gently from under his hand and slipped out of bed. It was still early and Max was sound asleep. She gazed down at him, her heart twisting. Sure he was gorgeous, but now she’d gotten to know the man underneath those devastating good looks, she’d discovered he was beautiful all the way through. He’d gone through hell when he was a boy, and not only had he’d managed to come out the other side, he’d become a strong, confident, successful man. The way he’d opened up and told her the terrible thing that had happened to him had broken her heart.
How many times had she seen one of Max’s ads or billboards and had no idea how incredible he really was? If his fans only knew what he’d had to survive, and what an amazing person he’d become, they’d love him even more. He was both tough and tender, strong and gentle. Not just perfect, but perfect for her.
Only she couldn’t have him, not for keeps.
Max sighed in his sleep and the sound bought a smile to Ally’s lips, even while a sharp pain pierced her heart. God, it was going to hurt when she said goodbye to him. Tomorrow would be their last day together, and the thought of never seeing him again was already close to unbearable.
Now she knew what it could be like spending time with a man like him, could she really be happy again? It wasn’t like she’d ever meet another Max Oberon. And if she had to publish her stories about him, he’d know she’d lied about who she was, and he�
�d never forgive her.
No, she couldn’t think about that now, after what they’d experienced together. She’d keep hold of the happiness she’d found with him for as long as she could. Push the thought of the agony to come to the back of her mind. At least she’d always have these memories, and they made her bad memories of Barry easier to deal with. Max treated her like she was beautiful, smart, and worthwhile. He’d done a lot to cancel out the damage Barry had done to her self-esteem. Max had helped her believe in herself again.
Ally tiptoed to her own room to shower and change. It felt good being in a room that was clean and tidy, with her clothes arranged neatly in the closet. She liked being organized. When she got back to the room Geena was letting her stay in, she’d get her life under control. Not just clean up the pigsty she’d made, but she was going to create a budget and plan exactly how and when she was going to pay off all her debts. She’d rank all her overdue bills in order of importance, figure out how much she could afford to pay off each one on a regular basis, then call her creditors to tell them how soon each would be paid. No more ignoring her phone and email messages. She was going to be up-front with everyone about the fact she’d gotten herself in a financial mess, and let them know exactly how she planned to get out of it.
She’d been so afraid of being honest about her situation, but she was heartily sick of lies. Her big, terrible lie to Max would be her last—she never wanted to deceive anybody again.
She washed, and then opened the wardrobe to find something to wear. The corner of her laptop jutted accusingly from the clothes she’d hidden it under. Crap. She’d promised herself she’d write a story every day. Today she was supposed to write her fourth. She forced herself to tug the laptop out of its hiding place. She carried it to the bed while it booted up, and sat with it on her knees.
A blank white screen came up, ready to be filled with traitorous, hurtful words. Ally stared at it for several long seconds.
I’m a Judas. But I have to do it.
Her fingers found the keyboard and she forced herself to press the keys. My Week With Max Oberon - Day Four.
She hit the Return key and focused on the blinking curser. Then her fingers moved by themselves.
I think I love him.
Ally took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, staring at what she’d written. Five tiny words, that was all. Five words, and a whole world of heartbreak and pain. Five words that she could never say out loud to anyone, let alone Max. How could she?
Unless… Maybe she could delete all her stories and start a new career as a real dominatrix so he’d never find out she lied to him? Oh yeah, great idea. A Domme and a Movie Star are bound to have a happy ever after, no problem.
Slowly, letter by letter, Ally deleted what she’d written. She powered off the laptop and hid it back under her clothes. Whichever way she looked at it, she and Max didn’t have any kind of future, but even so, she didn’t have the stomach to write another word. She had three stories written already, and that would have to do.
Her gaze went to the bag Geena had given her. It was considerably emptier than it had been when she arrived. The candles and other accessories were still scattered around Max’s bedroom, and she’d kicked the latex bodysuit under his bed. Maybe Ally wasn’t a real dominatrix, but she’d been doing pretty well, and enjoying it far more than she ever would have dreamed. If she had to betray Max with the stories, she’d do as much for him as she could before he found out the truth. There were still plenty of scenes in the movie they hadn’t covered, and it got pretty raunchy toward the end. The thought made her smile in spite of herself. Guess they didn’t call it a climax for nothing.
She carried the bag to her bed to lay out everything that was left.
First was the collar with ‘Bitch’ spelled out. Ally grimaced. She wasn’t about to put that ugly thing on.
Second item out of the bag was the riding crop. She used both hands to flex it, seeing how much it bent like a real dominatrix might, and then tested it against her leg. “Crap!” Even the small hit stung, and now her skin was turning red. Good thing she hadn’t gotten carried away yesterday and grabbed the crop to use on Max, or she might have given him some bruises that would need to be covered for the movie shoot. Yeah, the crop wasn’t a good idea. She was too inexperienced to attempt anything that could really hurt.
Next out of the bag was the vibrator. Ally loaded in the batteries and turned it on, running it over her palm to see how it felt. Not bad, although she wasn’t sure about the weird pointy bit sticking out from one side. She’d never been brave enough to buy herself a vibrator. But then again, before yesterday she’d never run a feather tickler very slowly over a man’s cock and balls either. She’d never dripped hot wax on a man’s bare chest, and soothed away the pain with an ice cube held between her teeth. Those things had turned out to be seriously lust-inducing. In fact, thinking about the low guttural noises Max had made deep in his throat made her squeeze her thighs together with the shiver of lust that ran over her.
Only one thing left in the bag. Ally pulled out the cupless bra and matching garter belt, so wide it looked old-fashioned. Did she dare? Hell yeah.
She put on the bra and checked herself out in the mirror. Her breasts were pushed up by the bra’s underwire, but the fabric ended well under each nipple, leaving them totally exposed. They looked perky. Her nipples were hard, either because of the cold, or because she couldn’t help but imagine Max’s reaction. Yes, he’d definitely like this bra.
The garter belt covered from her waist to the tops of her thighs. Fine boning ran vertically through its see-through lace, making it amazingly flattering. She pulled on a pair of lace stockings, clipping them to the belt’s fasteners, and slipped on her high heels. Without underwear her sex was barely hidden, so Max would catch the most intimate glimpses. He was going to go nuts when he saw her.
Ally pulled a dressing gown over the top of her outfit and slipped the vibrator into its pocket. She shucked her heels and padded through the hall in stockinged feet to peek into the bedroom. Max was still fast asleep. Good. She wasn’t just horny, but hungry too. Max might have stocked the house with healthy food, but she was sure she’d be able to find something delicious to suit her mood somewhere in the kitchen.
She went in to rummage through the cupboards. Bingo, a bottle of maple syrup. And in the fridge, some bread and eggs. French toast drenched with syrup was exactly what she felt like.
When it was ready she couldn’t find a tray, so she improvised by putting two plates of food, the syrup, and a couple of coffees onto a chopping board to carry it all into the bedroom. She put her shoes back on, and relished the sound of her heels clattering on the hallway’s wooden floor. She eased the bedroom door open with her shoulder.
Max was blinking sleep out of his eyes. He propped himself up on his elbow. “This is a treat.”
She smiled sweetly at him. “I hope you slept well?”
“Like a baby.” He gave her a playful wink. He had no idea what he was in for. The vibrator dragged down the dressing gown’s pocket and her bare nipples were hard against its soft fabric.
She put the heavy chopping board down on the bedside table next to him and poured syrup over her plate of French toast. Then she took her plate to her side of the bed. While he was busy pouring syrup over his, she snuck the vibrator onto the floor so he couldn’t see it. She found some pillows to pile up, then lay on the bed still wearing the dressing gown and high heels.
Last night’s lovemaking had obviously made him hungry, because he fell on his breakfast without noticing her strange clothing. She ate more slowly, but enjoyed hers all the more because she knew what was coming next.
When he was finished, he rolled over to face her with a sigh. “Small confession. I’ve never liked breakfast in bed, it’s too messy and I hate the idea of lying in crumbs. But that was really good.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Maybe you need to learn to relax and let things get messy sometimes.”
“Speaking of getting messy, why are you wearing shoes, and far too many clothes?”
He reached to tug the front of her dressing gown but she batted his hand away. “Behave,” she ordered in Cora’s voice. “I’ll take it off when I’m ready.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned. “I’m learning to like saying that.”
“Wait here.” She picked up the movie script and flicked through until she found the scene she was thinking of, one she suspected he’d struggle with. Thomas was at his most submissive. It started in the bedroom, with him brushing Cora’s hair, then kneeling to put on her shoes, helping her get ready for a meeting with someone she was considering bringing into her distribution chain. It ended with him beating the man to death on Cora’s command.
She handed the script to him, open at the right page. “Start reading. If you do well, you’ll get a treat. If you don’t, I’m going to punish you.”
His eyes flashed. “What kind of treat?”
“That’s for me to decide, Thomas. And because you were rude enough to ask, you get your first punishment.”
He’d obviously learned his lesson, because he didn’t ask what the punishment would be, but lowered the script, waiting.
Ally picked up the bottle of syrup. “Your punishment is that I won’t allow you to touch me, or make any noise. You must remain absolutely still, and you’re only allowed to watch.” His eyes widened, but he squeezed his lips together. Good boy. “And if you behave, and do exactly what I tell you, then I’ll allow you to lick syrup off my body. Understand?”
She could tell he was torn between wanting to nod, and not wanting to break her rules. She stood beside the bed where he had a good view of her, and loosened the strap of the gown, holding it so it didn’t fall right open, but instead gave him the barest glimpse of what she had on underneath. He drew in his breath sharply, but didn’t move. She eased one side of it open until one breast was revealed, lifted and framed by the bra, then she dripped syrup onto her bare nipple. He was breathing hard already, and she could tell he was turned on. So was she. Her nipples were hard. The warm syrup tickled.
The Rich List Series: Contemporary Romance Box Set (Millionaire, Billionaire, CEO) Page 12