by Geneva Lee
I crooked an eyebrow, an odd sense of satisfaction rolling through me at his jealous tone. “You told me to always be ready,” I purred. “I’m ready.”
He released his hold on my other hand and twirled his finger. “Turn around, poppet.”
I pivoted slowly, loosely bound by the pants around my ankles. I wanted him to get the full effect, particularly the criss-cross that formed a perfect x over my tailbone and narrowed into a thong.
He stepped closer, his palms caressing over my hip to my tailbone. “This reminds me of ropes and scarves. It makes me think of how your wrists would look bound together.”
His fingers descended farther and I gasped as much from the suggestion of being at his mercy as from his intimate touch.
“When I have you home, I’m going to tie your wrists together and spend all night making you come.” His strong hands cupped my ass cheeks, spreading them as he knelt behind me. His tongue danced over my soaked panties. “As much as I like these…”
He yanked my underwear down to my ankles.
“Put your hands behind your back,” he ordered.
I obeyed, already savoring his dominance. A hand closed over them, gripping them tightly. Alexander urged me forward until my knees bumped against the arm of the room’s sofa. With a shove, he pushed me over it. He paused and my ass squirmed trying to make contact with him.
“Patience,” he murmured, stroking down the crack of my ass with his finger. “Were you this wet for me that first night?”
“Yes,” I moaned.
“Tell me what you want. What you need.”
“I need to be fucked.”
“And I’m here to give you what you need.” The hand caressing my bottom disappeared, replaced a few moments later by the warm, velvety tip of his cock. Alexander rubbed it down the length of my slit. My legs tried to widen in welcome, but the leggings around my ankles prevented it. I was restrained in all the right ways, dying for him to release me in the only one that mattered.
He pushed forward, stretching me over his wide crown, and paused to allow me time to adjust.
Yes, please.
His grip stayed locked on my arms as he slid in, sheathing himself entirely. I couldn’t contain a cry as he filled me.
“Christ, you feel so good.” He groaned, drawing back slowly. “I’ve been fantasizing about this since you showed up that night in that sweatshirt and jeans. All I could think about was shoving your pants around your ankles and fucking you senseless. And because I’ve been waiting so long, I have to warn you that I can’t take it slow.”
“Then don’t,” I whispered.
“I need to fuck you hard and I need to fuck you now.” He slammed inside me, jerking back my arms so that I was no longer braced over the sofa’s arm. His pace quickened until I was bouncing against him violently.
“I want to hear you, poppet” he demanded.
My teeth released my lip, my mouth falling open to spill the screams I’d held inside me. His thrusts matched the pulse of music vibrating through the floor, driving into me with the same primal rhythm as we edged closer to the brink. Conscious thought gave way to impulse as he continued to pummel relentlessly. I erupted in a frenzy of cries and groans, my sex clenching tightly over him.
I was falling.
Falling.
Falling.
And I never wanted to stop.
But as I came crashing down, I felt the heat of Alexander’s release. He dropped his hold on me and I collapsed, boneless against the sofa, and he whipped out of me, sending the last hot jet streaming across my tailbone.
“Couldn’t help it, poppet.” He bent and kissed my cheek. “X marks the spot.”
“That’s becoming a bad habit,” I mumbled.
“If you don’t like it…”
I bit my lip, averting my eyes, but I was unable to keep a grin off my face.
“That’s what I thought.” He trailed a finger across my lip and sighed. “Wait here.”
A few moments later a rough napkin wiped across my backside. Alexander cleaned me carefully before bending down to help me shimmy my pants on. When I was dressed again, I turned into his arms. He tipped my chin up with his thumb, looking serious. “Now, can we talk about this outfit?”
“You don’t like it?” I pretended to pout.
“Oh, I like it, poppet. I’m just not certain I like every man in this club seeing this much of you.”
“Too bad, X. Tonight I am the bachelorette. Young and carefree.”
“So long as the bachelorette is in my bed in the morning,” he said dryly.
“I’ll be in your bed every morning,” I whispered. “Why do you think I’m celebrating?”
Immediately his mouth slanted over mine, capturing my mouth just as he’d captured my heart. It was a serious kiss—the kind that often led to more—which is why it took every ounce of self-control I had to wiggle free of him.
“They’re going to send out a search party.”
Alexander stretched out his hand and I took it, marveling at how such a small gesture could make me feel so loved. He could dominate me, use me, push me to the edge, but he was always there on the other side. My constant. My completion.
We walked back down the hall, stopping just short of the secret entrance to the VIP room I’d left everyone else in. Alexander kissed my knuckles. “Come home to me tonight.”
“Can’t, X.” I shook my head. “Belle plans to keep me out all night.”
His mouth twitched into a mischievous smirk. “I could persuade you.”
“One night apart,” I told him, “and the rest of our lives together.”
“You strike a wicked bargain, Miss Bishop.” He inclined his head.
“Mr. X, you have no idea how wicked I can be.” I danced away from him, blowing him a kiss as I darted inside.
“That was the world’s longest trip to the loo,” Belle said when I stepped through the door.
Despite the thump of the club’s sound system, the atmosphere here was remarkably chill. Of course, they might have all fallen asleep waiting for the guest of honor to reappear. I wasn’t about to ask.
“Take a gander at her.” Edward shook his head and shot me a knowing look.
“Time to switch locations.” Belle pulled out her phone and began texting.
“Wait. What?” I asked, confused.
“You don’t think we had contingencies?” Belle snorted and grabbed hold of my arm. “This venue has been compromised.”
“I have no clue what you’re talking about.” I shrugged even as my cheeks grew red.
Lola took my other arm and they marched me out of the room.
“What about Aunt Jane?” I asked, glancing quickly over my shoulder, but the corridor behind us was empty.
“She staked a claim downstairs. You’re stuck with us.” Despite her slight frame, she made that sound menacing.
“Seriously?” I said. “You don’t think this is an overreaction?”
“Alexander has breached the premises,” Lola informed me.
“That’s not all he breached from the looks of it,” Edward quipped.
Lola squeezed my arm as they escorted me toward the back door. “This is your hen night. No dicks allowed.”
Edward cleared his throat.
“Sorry, Edward,” Lola called over her shoulder.
“It’s okay. I’m not a dick.”
“Touché.”
My annoyance subsided as I listened to their easy banter. Apparently things weren’t going to be awkward between them after all.
Norris stood at the exit. He opened the door as we approached him.
“I think I’m being abducted,” I told him as they hurried me out to the waiting limo, but he only laughed good-naturedly. “Rotten security.”
“Sorry, Clara, tonight you belong to us. Alexander will have to wait until morning,” Edward said as he slid into the backseat next to me. “Don’t worry. It’s good for him.”
I held up my hands. “Okay, I s
urrender.”
Alexander could wait until morning. It would only make our reunion all the more satisfying.
Part of me was relieved to leave the club behind. I didn’t want to tell the others that I was tired—last minute preparations had exhausted me. Not to mention the recent fight and evening-long make-up session I’d had with Alexander just after. Pushing a strand of hair behind my ear, I peered out the window.
“We aren’t going back to the flat?” I asked when we turned the opposite direction on the street.
Belle’s lips pursed in disapproval of my question. “We have a whole night ahead of us.”
Her attention returned to her mobile, and I tried not to look too disappointed. Maybe along the way I could sneak a coffee or one of those energy drinks. But as hard as I tried to stifle it, a yawn escaped.
“Are you feeling okay?” Edward whispered, so only I could hear.
“The wedding is sucking the life out of me.” I clapped a hand over my mouth when I realized what I’d said.
“Don’t worry, you aren’t scaring me off.” He sat back and draped an arm over my shoulder. “I thought you were used to late nights and very little sleep.”
I punched him lightly in the chest. “It’s just stress. And my mother.”
“This time next week you’ll be off on your honeymoon,” he said, adding, “even though you still won’t tell me where you’re going.”
My lips pressed together and I shook my head. Alexander had insisted that no one know where we were headed. It was one secret I was happy to keep. But Edward was right. In a week, I’d be married and sunning myself on a private beach in the Maldives.
“Fine, keep your secret.” He narrowed his eyes. “Unless it’s something terrible like you’re secretly staying here. I cannot approve that plan.”
“What if I was?” I shrugged. All that really mattered was having Alexander to myself for the better part of a month, away from all the drama and attention. “I want to start this marriage the right way—by focusing on us. It doesn’t really matter where we do that.”
Edward grimaced. “Yes, it does! Take your pasty ass to the beach and screw in the sun for once. You could both use the Vitamin D.”
He had a point. I shot him a coy smile. “My lips are sealed.”
“Remind me not to invite you to my wedding.”
“Unfair,” I cried. “You’re invited to the wedding, but the honeymoon is by invitation only. I better get to come to your wedding. You’re my only brother, so no eloping!”
“Father would have a fit anyway. Of course, I’ll be lucky to get his—”
The car jolted to a stop, stopping him mid-thought. Belle rolled down the window and poked her head out. “Some type of traffic jam.”
But her eyes didn’t meet mine when she spoke.
“I want to see.” I scrambled for the window, but Edward grabbed my waist and pulled me back down.
“What’s really going on?” I demanded.
“Just some paparazzi.” She shrugged like this was no big deal.
“Let’s just head to your place.”
Lola frowned. “I hate to break it to you, but they’re all over. They’re even camped in front of Mom and Dad’s.”
This was total madness.
“Where are we going anyway?” I asked finally, rubbing my temples as a headache began to form.
“The Westminster Royal,” Belle admitted.
Sheesh, had they planned this trip down memory lane? If we wound up at another place where Alexander and I had made love I was going to start looking for cameras.
Tapping the privacy screen, I leaned forward and called to the driver. “There’s a private parking garage under the hotel. I’m assuming you’re in contact with Norris Echols?”
The driver nodded, his eyes glued to mine in the rearview mirror.
“He’ll get you in.”
I settled back, only to realize all three of them were staring at me.
“What?” I tried to sound nonchalant, but my cheeks flushed.
“I remember when you were my sweet, innocent Clara.” Belle fluttered her lashes and sighed. “Now you’ve been replaced by a crazed sexpot.”
“I resent that remark.” But I couldn’t quite keep from grinning.
“You resemble that remark,” Edward corrected me.
A few minutes later the limousine had managed to navigate through the traffic and past the paparazzi. I flinched as their cameras flashed, taking snaps of the car.
“They can’t see us.” Edward patted my hand.
I knew that, but I still wasn’t used to the attention. I never would be. It was the price to pay for falling in love with a man like Alexander, and even though I’d choose him time and again, it didn’t mean I liked the public attention. Or the constant barrage of questions and speculations about my private life, my health, and my past.
I looked over to Edward, who’d grown silent. I was a lot like his fiancé. David and I were both caught between our love for these men and the heavy responsibilities that accompanied a life with them.
Impulsively I lunged and hugged him.
“What did I do to deserve that?” he asked with a laugh.
“Nothing. I just wanted to hug you.”
The limousine made it to the underground garage without incident and we piled out of the back. Belle and Lola began walking toward the elevator on the far wall.
“Hey,” I called, “that one goes straight to the Presidential Suite.”
“You are a wealth of information on private hotel privileges,” Lola said as we reached the other elevator. “I have to admit I’m a little impressed.”
“Don’t tell our mother.”
“Deal.”
The lift doors slid open, depositing us in the lobby.
“No paparazzi,” Belle said with relief.
Of course not. She didn’t know how much the Westminster Royal prized their guests’ privacy. It was the reason Alexander had once utilized it to meet women. I supposed that fact should have made me queasy, but since our first encounter had occurred in the very Presidential Suite the underground elevator traveled to, it felt a bit hypocritical.
“Why here?” I asked her.
“Why do you think?” she asked blithely.
I was beginning to wonder if Alexander had actually been the one to plan this.
“We’re already checked in,” Belle said. “The Presidential Suite is taken, but the Honeymoon Suite was open. Alexander sent over some clothes for you.”
I practically melted at the thought of changing, but before I could voice my relief, she continued. “But for now, we’re hitting the pub.”
Forcing a smile, I followed them across the lobby to the attached late night spot.
“Christ, now you’ve put in a booty call.” Edward said as we crossed into the posh bar.
Belle stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted what Edward was talking about. Philip lounged at the bar, his profile unmistakable even in the atmospheric lighting. He swirled a drink in his hand, glancing up occasionally as if he was waiting for someone.
“Hey, I did not call…” The denial died on her lips as a beautiful blonde strolled up and wrapped her arms around Philip’s neck. She was dressed in a slinky red dress that dipped low enough in the front and the back to display all her assets.
It was the inevitable moment before a car crash. I saw what was about to happen. I knew that I should pull Belle away. But I was frozen to the spot, incapable of doing anything but watch as the truth smashed into us headfirst.
Philip turned, but he didn’t see us. Perhaps because his eyes were transfixed on the other woman. Any hope I’d had that we’d seen a friendly act out of context shattered. The blonde tilted her head, leaning down to meet Philip’s waiting lips, and I jolted out of my stupor with a shocked cry.
“That bitch!” Belle exploded next to me.
I didn’t try to stop her when she stomped toward them, a murderous rage glinting in her eyes.
Pepper Lockwood had it coming.
Words couldn’t convey the expression on Philip’s face when Belle reached the bar. Pepper, on the other hand, seemed less surprised—and certainly less concerned. My blood pressure kicked up a notch when the bitch pivoted to Philip’s side, her arm still draped over him. The possessive gesture was just like Pepper Spray. That girl had a serious problem with trying to claim things that didn’t belong to her.
Belle glared at them, her hands clenching and unclenching at her side. “Tell me this is your really poorly planned idea of a surprise threesome before I kill you with my bare hands.”
“Annabelle—”
Belle cut him off with a flick of her wrist. “Don’t Annabelle me. Explain this.”
“I thought she was slow, but honestly, Phil, what do you see in her?” Pepper tapped her nails on his shoulder, a malicious smile creeping over her plump lips.
“How long?” Belle demanded, ignoring Pepper.
“It’s not what—”
“Do not say ‘it’s not what it looks like!’ For one thing, I have eyes and for another, it’s cliché,” she added. Her jaw tensed as her eyes flashed back and forth between them. “How long?”
“Phil and I have known each other for years. We were childhood playmates and then we were…playmates.” Pepper ran her tongue over her teeth like she’d just devoured something delicious. She turned her attention to me and blinked. “In fact, we reconnected at your housewarming party.”
Up until this point I’d stayed back, torn between anger and shock, but her words thawed my numbness, freeing me from my stupor. Apparently she hadn’t taken my warning seriously. But if she thought that she could get to me through my friends she had another thing coming. I’d suffered Pepper for long enough. Without thinking I lunged forward, my hand balling into a fist.
Unfortunately Edward was faster. He hooked an arm around me and hauled me a few steps back.
“This is not your fight,” he said firmly.
“Like hell it isn’t,” I hissed. There was no doubt in my mind that Pepper had gone after Philip because of Belle’s connection to me.
“No,” Belle said, her voice eerily placid. “It’s mine.”
And then her fist smashed into Pepper’s nose.