Enthrall Climax

by Vanessa Fewings

  My hand slapped to my mouth. I’d been wrong, so terribly wrong. Cameron had been a hero and I’d misconstrued everything.

  “We should go back.” She linked her arm through mine.

  I’d lost my one true love. He’d never forgive me for believing anyone but him.

  We returned to the table. Shay, who hadn’t taken his gaze off me the entire time, pulled me into a protective hug.

  I turned to Chastain. “Don’t hurt Helete.”

  He gave a shrug.

  “We all deserve peace of mind,” I added, needing it more than ever.

  He rose to his feet. “She won’t come near you again. You have my word.”

  Shay and I watched the couple stroll off toward the front door.

  “They’re kind of cute together,” muttered Shay.

  “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “She’s in love with him, Mia. Something tells me he’ll take good care of her.”

  I grabbed Shay’s wrist. “He’s coming back.”

  Chastain had left Omani standing by the exit and was making a beeline for us.

  “Ms. Lauren,” he addressed me formally.

  I straightened, standing my ground. “Yes.”

  He came closer and whispered, “Do you want to know why you remained untouched at Hillenbrand?”

  My chest tightened at the memories, as that feeling of helplessness rushed back.

  There was gentleness in the way he looked at me. “Danton was looking after you while you were there. I sensed his presence around you. It appears he approves of you.” With a curt nod he spun on his heel and made his way back to Omani.

  As they disappeared from view, I pressed my hand to my chest, trying to process his words.

  I heard my name called and turned to see Henry hurrying toward us.

  “Are you okay?” I reached for his hand.

  Henry beamed at me. “So it appears you’ve been summoned, Ms. Lauren.”

  “By who?”

  “My brother. Cole has a jet fueled at JFK. Looks like you’re flying to Los Angeles.”

  “Is Cameron on the flight?”

  “No.” Henry exchanged a knowing glance with Shay. “He’s gone on ahead.”

  CHRYSALIS HADN’T CHANGED ONE DAMN bit and it felt like I’d never left.

  Bel Air’s grandest mansion still served as an international beacon for the elite. As I stood in the foyer staring up at the enormous crystal chandelier, fond memories swirled around me, taking me back to the time when I ruled this dominion.

  Many years ago, I’d discovered this property with my senior dominatrix Scarlet Winters, and together we’d turned this place into a decadent haven.

  I was home.

  My beloved Chrysalis was a sacred part of my soul.

  I turned to face the pretty submissive heading quickly toward me, and gave her a warm smile. “Hey, there.”

  Her gold-braided bodice and thong looked like something Richard would have had a hand in designing. Or maybe Andrea, his fiancée, had felt inspired to implement this baroque style.

  “Do you have an appointment?” she asked.

  Her question amused me. But this was how Richard and I had planned it…any memory of me being wiped as with a forgotten season.

  She was looking at the very man who had often made the staff tremble. “Is Booth here?”

  “You’ll need an appointment. May I take your name, sir?”

  “I know the way.” If Richard had kept the same office…and by the way she glanced in that familiar direction, I knew that he had.

  “Is he expecting you?” Her eyes widened with concern.

  “No.”

  “Then you can’t come in.”

  “Cole!” Richard’s yell reached me in the foyer.

  I saw him hurrying toward me, beaming with happiness. He pulled me into a hug.

  “Didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

  The submissive fell to her knees. “Master Cameron Cole?”

  So the myth had survived. My bruised ego felt soothed.

  God, it was good to see Booth.

  Richard waved her off. “Go call Scarlet and Penny and make sure you put a call into Lotte, too.”

  I loved that idea. “You look well.”

  “I’m fine. Fantastic, actually. How long are you in town?” He looked past me. “Is Mia here?”

  “Back in New York.”

  “How is she?” He gestured for me to follow him down the hallway. “After Hillenbrand we were all worried about her.”

  “Surprisingly well.” I followed him into my old office.

  I didn’t want to taint our reunion with tales of how my life had gone off the rails.

  The room been elegantly decorated to match Richard’s taste and passions. Black and white prints hung on the walls, evidence of his adventures from around the world. The gorgeous painting hanging mid-center was of Andrea Buckingham—not her face, but that body was unmistakable. The starlet had swept Richard up into a whirlwind of self-discovery. She was the woman who’d stolen his heart.

  I nodded at the painting. “When does her film come out?”

  “Next year.” He grinned. Richard had been the Dom who’d trained Andrea in the art of BDSM and given her an authentic edge to pull off the role. “I’m going to the Cannes Film Festival with her.”

  “Good for you. Should be fun.”

  “Bring Mia, she’d love it.”

  “That’s generous of you.”

  “So, why are you in town?” He raised a finger, wanting me to hold that thought, and pressed a button on his desk phone. “Hey, Pilar?” he called out. “Please bring us two cups of Cole Earl Grey.”

  “Right away, sir,” came Pilar’s reply from the kitchen.

  “She’s going to freak out.” He rolled his eyes and mimicked her accent, “Mr. Cole never did it like that.”

  “Still, her pot cookies were something else.”

  “True.” He arched a brow. “She was forced to make them by a wayward submissive.”

  “She wasn’t forced to eat them though.”

  We laughed at the fond memory of a high Pilar, and strolled over to the leather couch, the same one I’d once sat in all those months ago when I’d held meetings here. A slice of the past that brought nostalgia. Even the submissive support frame hanging from the ceiling made me reminisce. I recalled capturing Mia upside down in it and fucking her deliciously.

  I miss her.

  “You were about to tell me why you’re here?”

  “The construction on the new building downtown is almost complete.”

  “Hmm…and the real reason?”

  I smiled. It was impossible to get much past this man. He was super sharp and we’d known each other long enough to see through the bullshit. “I’m here to ask a favor.”

  “Anything for you.”

  “First, how have things been here?” I asked. “Anything new?”

  Richard updated me on the transition. It was good to hear everything had gone smoothly.

  There came a bang at the door and Richard leaped to his feet and hurried over to open it. He beamed at Pilar. She had kicked the door because her hands were full carrying a tray. So very her.

  Richard took the tray from her. “Look who’s here.”

  Pilar’s gaze found me and she shrieked, “Dr. Cole! I should have known when Mr. Booth ordered Earl Grey.”

  I got up and greeted her with a big hug. “How are you?”

  She waved that off. “Always good.”

  “How’s the boy?”

  “He graduates soon,” she said proudly.

  I swapped a glance with Richard. “Which university does he want to go to?”

  She looked dumbfounded. “He’ll be getting a job.”

  “Richard and I want to put him through Uni. I think Berkeley would be a good fit for his nature.”

  Richard sat back down. “I agree.”

  “It’s on us.” I smiled to reassure her.

  Pilar b
linked. “You make it sound like you’re paying for lunch, Dr. Cole. This is too much. You’ve done too much.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.” I joined Richard on the couch. “Tell him to get good grades so he makes our job easier.”

  Her face lit up with joy. “Do you want a cookie?”

  “No!” we answered in unison, laughing.

  Pilar left us to catch up. It was fantastic seeing Richard happy and managing this place with confidence. We sipped our tea and recalled our happiest memories. This man was the reason my family’s company had survived a potential hostile takeover and I owed him. His wizardry on the stock market had saved an empire.

  “Love agrees with you,” I said fondly.

  “Wish I could say the same. You look like shit. Are you sleeping?”

  “Remind me…what is sleep, again?”

  “You and I need a chat.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Come on.” He pushed himself up. “I want to show you our new dining room. I think you’ll approve.”

  We headed out and the scent of vanilla wafted around us. Passing the Harrington Suite, I marveled that this room no longer filled me with dread. The last time I’d been in there I’d taken Mia passionately, and those new emotions of euphoria had replaced the old ones.

  “How’s Shay?” asked Richard.

  “Good.” I let out a long sigh. “I’m thinking of introducing him to De Sade.”

  “Seriously? You think he’s ready for him?”

  “I do.”

  “He’s five years older than him and he hasn’t changed since Harvard.”

  “Shay’s ready.”

  “De Sade is here, actually. You can talk to him if you like?” Richard opened the door to the dining room.

  I followed him in. “I’d like to see him in action.”

  “We can do that.” He watched my reaction. “What do you think?”

  The décor was pure French. I admired the sophisticated paintings scattered on the walls, and as I looked around at the leather seating and white table cloths, I recognized the influence of my senior dominatrix. Her touch was everywhere.

  “I thought Scarlet was leaving?” I turned to Richard.

  “This was her going away present to us.”

  I closed my eyes. “She doesn’t want to be forgotten, either.”

  Richard slapped my back. “You will always be part of this place.”

  “I like it.” Even though it didn’t really match my taste, the thought of Scarlet leaving behind a piece of herself felt right.

  “De Sade has a client in the dungeon. Wanna take a peek?”

  “Thought you’d never ask.” I grinned.

  “What’s going on with you?”

  “Later.”

  “You’ve got me worried.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, Cole, you.”

  “How are the peacocks?”

  “Still pea-cocking. Think they own the place.” He laughed. “Let’s get some fresh air.”

  A burst of heat hit us when we stepped outside, and I had the urge to leap into the crystal blue swimming pool. So many mornings I’d dived in there and swam laps to start my day. My gaze turned up toward the window of the room where Mia had stayed when I’d kept her here during her training.

  Tearing my gaze away, I felt another stab of doubt. I wondered if Mia would ever forgive me.

  Off in the distance, a female peacock crested the hill. It really was as though I’d never left this place.

  “Funny how it’s reversed with them,” said Richard. “The males have the flashy plumage.”

  I turned to face him. “Remember that time when you told me you were giving up BDSM?”

  “Yes.”

  My expression changed, telling him what I couldn’t say. This lifestyle had always been a big part of who I was; it had defined me, and yet something within had altered.

  “Does Mia want to go vanilla?” There was sympathy in his tone.

  “No.”

  “Just a suggestion, because it’s what you’d say to me—”

  “My testosterone levels are fine.”

  “You can’t blame me for being shocked. You’re Cameron Cole.”

  “I can’t, Richard. Can’t do it. I can spank her. Tie her up. Fuck her hard. Just can’t…” I turned to face the horizon. “Pain has no appeal anymore.”

  Had she changed me or had this been inevitable?

  “So you’re leaving us?”

  “Hell, no, I still like to watch.” I arched my brows playfully. “Just can’t inflict pain on Mia. I want to make her laugh. I want to make her constantly delirious with happiness.” I wanted to make her toes curl in pleasure for hours.

  This sounded wrong because so many couples had great relationships and it never affected them like this. They could separate the play. Their sadism was a thing of beauty and nothing to pull back from.

  “Let me see if we can change your mind?” Richard elbowed me.

  We walked back into Chrysalis and a blast of air conditioning chilled my flesh.

  “De Sade?” I warmed to the idea.

  “This will be fun.”

  I used the handrail as we descended into the lowest chambers. “Booth, you’ve gone quiet?”

  “I’m trying to work out where your head is.”

  “I may have lost Mia.”

  He stopped suddenly and stared up at me from the lowest step. “What makes you say that?”

  “Since Hillenbrand…”

  “What happened to her?”

  “She says nothing. But the experience was traumatic. Still, Chastain didn’t touch her, apparently.”

  “You believe her?”

  “Yes.”

  “You have to talk with her.” He tilted his head to get me to follow him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  We strolled down the darkened hallway that led off to numerous dungeons. I heard the snap of a whip, telling me that a session was underway.

  “How can you not miss this place?” asked Richard, as he turned the knob of a deep burgundy door.

  “New York has my full attention.”

  “You’re always welcome here.”

  I strolled into the lavish seating area that faced a long wall of glass. It wasn’t unlike the two-way window back at Hillenbrand.

  The luxury viewing booth allowed for an excellent angle to observe the BDSM session that was being led by Master De Sade, the ex-NFL player who had been knocked out of his profession when he’d sustained a neck injury. He’d come out of rehab with a renewed sense of life and penchant for pain.

  “He teaches football to college students now.” Richard approached the glass window.

  “That’s interesting.”

  “Apparently he’s great at it.”

  He’d earned himself a reputation during our Harvard days for pushing subs too far. That jock attitude had gone to his head.

  Watching De Sade, the way he stroked his sub’s cock with panache, the way he spoke softly to him to ease him into the play, it was hard to imagine him ever turning violent, and yet this was what his clients yearned for.

  The sub’s thighs were shaking as he squeezed his eyes shut to focus on not coming in De Sade’s hand, his squirming hinting he was close.

  Back in the day, De Sade had helped me wrangle Scarlet to get her to France so I could match-make her with Danton. But after he’d left a scar on her thigh, I’d refused to talk to him.

  “De Sade is single,” said Richard.

  “If Shay falls for him, I want there to be an emotional connection.”

  “You’ve changed your tune.”

  “If I can change, so can De Sade. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

  De Sade had his submissive crawling around on his hands and knees. Then his focus lifted off the man at his feet and his gaze rose to the window. He studied his reflection intently—and for a second it looked like he was holding my stare.

  In a smooth and yet aggressive manne
r, De Sade pulled the sub up and positioned him to lie on his back upon a table. He stood between his legs and thrust his cock deep inside the man’s ass, at the same time owning that man’s erection with long, sleek glides. His hips edged him on like a savage piston. It was a visually spectacular, erotic showpiece to prove this master owned his sub. De Sade’s captive groaned, writhing in bliss, soaring closer. His heavy-lidded gaze turned our way and again came that uncanny feeling.

  “He needs to slow it down,” I said firmly.

  “Let’s hope they can’t read lips.” Richard threw me a warning glance.

  “They can’t see us.”

  “Yes, they can. We switched the glass out so they can watch the guests watching them.”

  My jaw dropped. “What if I had pulled my dick out?”

  “It would make their day.”

  A laugh rumbled behind my lips, and I snapped my attention back to see the sub looking at his master now with pure adoration.

  “Don’t you dare laugh,” muttered Richard, as he held his laughter in check, too.

  Head down, with my fist pressed to my lips, I burst out of there. Richard followed me and as soon as we cleared the room, we slid down the wall, holding our bellies as we slipped into hysterical laughter that made my stomach ache. I had missed these moments when we were more than brothers, when spontaneity was ours, and our lives belonged to us. Two rogues living it up in the club.

  Richard was howling.

  “I think he’s perfect for Shay,” I said, taking a breath. “He’s a reprobate.”

  “Hilarious.”

  “I needed that.” More than I realized.

  “Are you gonna tell me why you’re really here?”

  “I need your help pulling off a coup. And it has to be here.”

  “I can do that.” He pushed himself up. “Come on. Let’s go back in for the grand finale.”

  “You always were a pervert, Richard Booth Sheppard.”

  “I learned everything I know from the best.” He winked at me. “I’m glad you’re not tired of kink.”

  “It’s who I am.”

  “You’re also that man who fell in love with a girl you’d do anything for. Fight for her, Cole.”

  “I must do what’s right for Mia, Richard.” I leaned against the wall, willing myself not to falter on that conviction.

  CAMERON’S MOUTH CRUSHED MINE, DOMINANT and loving. I yielded to his kiss, opening my mouth to accept his tongue, letting it tangle with mine as I swooned against him, so grateful that we were together again. I melted into his comforting embrace, my lips tingling.