At the end of the dance, Victor twirled me around and dipped me low in his arms. Grinning with pleasure, I looked up into his blue eyes and was happy and surprised to see that the coldness in them seemed to have melted away. It had only been a couple of weeks and I had already seen so many changes in him.
“You caught on quickly, Dove.”
“Well, I have a good teacher,” I told him. I knew my face was bursting with happiness.
“Care for another dance?”
The music started up again. I nodded, and we once again flew around the dance floor like we had always belonged there.
After we had our fill of dancing, we sat back down at our table, only to be greeted with decadent chocolate cake covered in fresh strawberries. The waiter cut me a slice of the cake and I ate it quietly, watching Victor as he did the same. It was at that moment as I sat there looking at that mysterious, distant, yet kind man that I realized I was falling in love with him. I frowned at my cake. No, this shouldn’t be happening. Our relationship was purely built on that contract he had me sign the first night I arrived at his house. The candlelit dinner, the waltzing, the entire damn trip to Paris...Why was he spending so much money on me when I was obviously just a convenience for him, just a little plaything to keep him company?
The world is filled with selfish people, a small voice in the back of my mind told me. Of course, he didn’t really care about me. Why should I waste my time to care about him?
Tears burned in my eyes. Why are you making me fall in love with you? I wanted to scream at him. Do you take some sort of sick pleasure over the fact that you will never love me back?
The cake was suddenly too sweet. I pushed the plate back and crossed my arms protectively around my body. Victor gave me a questioningly look. “Dove...” he began, but I refused to meet his eyes. I knew that if I did, I would shatter into a million little pieces.
“Can we leave, Sir?” I asked in a small voice.
“Of course.” I could tell he was confused. Victor slipped a credit card into his check and by the time the waiter returned with his card we were almost out the door.
Chapter 10
We did not say one word to each other on our walk home. At every alley we passed, at every dark corner I could find, I imagined myself running toward it, getting as far away from Victor as possible. I was stupid to think there were people in this world who didn’t think about anything but themselves.
I didn’t dare look at him, but I could feel Victor’s questioning gaze on me. I refused to look at him. If I did, I just knew my heart would break. Victor left me in silence all the way back to the hotel room, but as soon as he closed the door he turned around and took my shoulders in his firm grip, forcing me to face him.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” He grabbed my chin, pushing my head up. I still had my eyes lowered towards the floor. “Look at me, damn it!”
I glanced up at him. “I—it’s nothing,” I stuttered. I tried to slip through his grip to make a dash to the bathroom; I thought childishly that if I locked myself up in there he would eventually give up and go away.
I wasn’t quick enough. Victor had me pinned to the wall within seconds. The gentle Victor I had seen for the past few days was now gone. He was back to being that overpowering, dark figure that I had met on my first day at the mansion. This part of Victor still scared the crap out me. The grip he had on my arms was painful, but I did not want to make a sound against him.
“Dove,” his voice was terse. “Tell me what’s wrong. Now. That is an order.”
I tried thinking of an excuse, but I wasn’t able to put any thoughts into words. Instead I burst into tears. I felt like a fool standing there crying in front of him, but it was too late now. When I had finally composed myself enough to start talking, I decided to say the first words that came to my mind.
“I don’t know why you’re being so nice to me. W-why are you taking me to fancy dinners, teaching me how to dance, when our relationship is nothing more than a work contract? None of this makes sense to me.”
Victor looked at me wordlessly. What in the world could he be thinking right now? All of my fears, doubts, and anxieties that I had built up within myself were finally breaking free. I couldn’t stop now.
“I don’t even know if I deserve any of this. For all I know I was a horrible person in my past. I always wondered why no one came looking for me. Was I so bad that they ended up just dumping me out in the streets and forgot all about me?” I shook my head. “I feel like everyone I get close to will just betray me in the end.” I knew I was babbling, and I wasn’t sure if my words made sense to him, but it was starting to feel good to let everything out. I guess I would deal with the repercussions of speaking out to him later. “I-I’m so damn tired of being alone.” There. That was it; the icing on the cake. That was what it all came down to. I didn’t want to be alone anymore, but I was so scared of being hurt again.
Victor pulled me away from the wall and into his arms. He began stroking my hair, and as I leaned my head against his chest I could both feel and hear the beating of his heart. It wasn’t as slow as it usually was. Was he angry with me?
“Please don’t punish me for saying that, Sir,” I whispered to him.
I could feel Victor shaking his head. He chuckled softly. “I’m not going to punish you, Dove. Relax. Who you were in the past doesn’t matter to me. And it isn’t good for you to dwell on it either. You are who you are right now and that’s all that matters.” He paused and pulled away from me so that I was looking up at his face. “That contract you signed is to protect us both. I didn’t intend for it to invoke fear in you or for you to have anxieties over our relationship...” He held me tight in his arms as though he were afraid he would lose me. “You’re not the only one who’s tired of being alone.”
Tears started falling again from my eyes. I turned my face towards his shoulder and cried long and hard. Victor waited patiently as he rubbed my back and kissed the top of my head as all of my emotions poured out in one tearful burst.
I was tired of being alone. I was tired of being so damn confused. I wanted to end that all tonight.
Eventually no more tears came, and I was reduced to only faint sniffles. Victor handed me a tissue, and as I wiped my swollen eyes he began unzipping the back of my dress, lifting it carefully over my shoulders. The way the dress was made let me wear it without a bra, and I shivered slightly as the cold air touched my bare skin and nipples. Victor took a moment to massage my tight shoulders; I hadn’t realized how tense I had become since we left the restaurant. I moved my head from side to side, stretching out my neck while his warm hands worked my body. He then took off his own shirt and immediately pressed his bare chest against mine, the warmth and strength of his embrace suddenly empowering me. Victor’s lips pressed lightly against my shoulder, and he then kissed me softly on my cheek, and then on my lips. I reciprocated, running my hands up his chest as I tested out my tongue. I flicked it around his mouth a few times until he caught lightly with his teeth. He began sucking on my tongue until I started moaning loudly. He let go and reached down to take off my panties.
“I don’t know what it is about you,” Victor murmured as he took off the rest of his clothes. I sat down on the bed as he pushed my legs apart and crawled in between them, rubbing his cock up and down my body, around my breasts and on the tips of my hard nipples. I squirmed underneath him, desire already raging through my body. “When I’m with you I just want to fuck you all the time,” he whispered into my ear before he started nibbling it.
I felt myself melting at his touch, my previous mood temporarily forgotten as he caressed my body.
“Victor,” I told him, aware that I was saying his actual name and not “Sir”. I don’t want to be scared anymore. “I want you.” I want you to know all of who I am.
Victor smiled. He reached down to brush his fingers along the lips of my wet pussy. “I can tell,” he said. “Please, say my name again.”
“Vi
ctor,” I whispered. “Victor, I want you right now.”
“My God, Dove. The way you say my name...” his voice trailed off as he glanced behind him at the expansive balcony attached to our room. “I want to do you outside.”
“But...” I began, my mind suddenly freezing.
Victor looked at me mischievously. “Don’t worry; it’ll be dark enough that no one will see, unless they’re trying hard. Even then, I don’t give a damn, and you certainly shouldn’t either. Come along; let’s see how quiet you can be while I fuck you as hard as I can.”
The thought of having sex with him in an open area turned me on more than I could imagine. Public sex had always been an arousing fantasy to me, and although this wasn’t sex in the stacks of a library, or in the darkness of a movie theater, it sounded pretty magnificent. I followed him out onto the balcony, and gasped as the chill of the night greeted my naked body. There were city lights from buildings all around me, and down below cars drove in and out of the streets next to throngs of people strolling on the sidewalks. I could hear voices all around me, even some as close as next door. It was exhilarating standing up there completely naked; I had the sudden urge to throw my arms in the air and yell “here I am!”
Of course, I’m sure Victor would not approve of that. I was about to get down on my hands and knees, to offer myself from behind as Victor liked to do, but I stopped short. I turned around and gave him a leveled stare. “I want to face you while we make love.” I stumbled at the words “make love”. It was the first time either of us had ever mentioned it that way. For some reason it just seemed right to word it that way. I walked up to him and lifted my chin as I spoke, “And I want to be on top.”
My eyes hadn’t adjusted enough to see the expression on Victor’s face. Was he angry, surprised, or turned on?
My body tingled with excitement as Victor complied, settling down on the cold, balcony floor. He pulled me with him, and I eagerly slid my pussy over his cock. I began moving my hips back and forth, positioning my body forward a bit so that my clit rubbed up against the skin right above Victor’s cock. I looked into his eyes and he stared right back into mine. The moonlight glinted off our bodies, forming a sort of ethereal halo around us.
“God, you feel so good,” Victor told me. “I’ve never imagined anything feeling like this.” His fingers teased my nipples before sliding down my side to rest on my hips.
I continued moving my body up and down his cock, enjoying the heat that began to rise up from my pussy towards the rest of my body. “I want to get closer to you,” I told him. “As close as possible. I’m trying, but I don’t know how.” Victor didn’t respond as he continued to let me control our lovemaking. I glanced up as the night life in the city continued on around us; everybody in this entire city was oblivious to our moment of passion out on the balcony.
I came quickly, the feel of having sex on top of Victor brought about a new, pleasurable feeling that I had a hard time controlling. I moaned loudly as he thrust deeper inside me. My entire body was throbbing as Victor came quickly afterwards; he grabbed tighter onto my hips as he pushed his release into me as far as he could. I then collapsed next to him, resting my head near to his as I pressed my body against him. I leaned close to his face and kissed him next to his mouth, as light as a feather. Victor gave me a somewhat distant smile before we both turned our heads to stare up at the glowing moon and stars that hung in the sky above us.
Later, we curled up in each other’s arms in the warmth and comfort of our bed. Victor’s arms were wrapped around me as I rested my head on his shoulder. My eyes were heavy as I felt a blissful sleep wash over me.
“Don’t press me about our relationship anymore until the end of the contract. Then we can renegotiate.”
My eyes snapped open. I was shocked and slightly hurt by his words. My first instinct was to move away from him, but his arms were heavy around me, trapping me on the bed. Where would I go, anyway? My head began to throb as I tried forcing my tears away. I was beginning to suspect that there was much more that I didn’t know about this man. What are you trying to protect? I asked him silently. Are you trying to protect yourself? Why?
Yes, there was more to him than his cool demeanor and stylish good looks. Someone or something hurt him in his past, and I was determined to figure out how to get him past that pain. I closed my eyes and tried to find the sleep that had abandoned me. It turned out to be a restless night after all.
Chapter 11
Our last night in Paris came too quickly. We headed out to a fancy party that included some of the more elite people in society, or so I was told from Victor. From what I could gather, the party was part business, part pleasure, and a little bit of showing off.
“You’re going to be my trophy on my arm tonight,” Victor told me as I stared in shock at the boxes of jewelry he handed over to me. “So, I want you to look the best you’ve ever been for me. Pick out something to wear from there.”
There could be hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry in my arms and I was about to drop it all on the floor with shock! “Did you say...trophy?”
“You’re going to look amazing next to me, Dove. You’re going to look like you belong naturally at my side. Go ahead and start getting dressed.”
I was pleased with the fact that he thought I was ready enough to mingle with high and mighty business people like him, but I was also way too nervous about screwing up. The odds were that I would make at least one mistake that would leave me blushing for the rest of the night.
I looked down at the extravagant, emerald green silk dress I wore as well as the adornment of jewels on my arms and neck. Earlier that day Victor sent me off to a hairdresser where she pulled my hair up into a fancy bun with a few curls framing my face. I had on more makeup than I’ve ever worn before, and I desperately hoped I wouldn’t get my red lipstick all over my face. Well, at least I look the part of a socialite. It was somewhat amusing to think that I was being used to display Victor’s wealth and status, since it would be unseemly for a man to be seen wearing as many jewels as I was dressed in. I looked in the mirror, imagining Victor wearing my dress and jewelry. Much to his confusion, I practically doubled over on the floor with laughter from the thought of it.
There was still some tension left between us from a few nights before when I had broken down in tears, but I tried my best not to bring anything that happened that night back to attention. I figured that I would wait until we were back in California to go over the contract again with him. Maybe I would have a clearer mind by then. Maybe the romantic illusion of being in Paris clouded my better judgment of falling in love with a guy like Victor.
As we walked out of the hotel, I was beginning to feel a little bit more apprehensive. Victor made it clear to me that this was my “debut” at his side. If it went well then I would be expected to be at his side at social events more often. If it ended up badly, well, I didn’t even want to think of how furious he would be if I embarrassed him in front of these important people.
The party was held at a chateau on the outskirts of Paris. There were already a ton of people there when we showed up; many of them lingered outside by a large fountain with a stone sculpture of the goddess Venus at the very top, pouring water out of the vase.
I stopped to admire it. “I knew you would like that,” Victor told me, his voice a harsh whisper. “But don’t act so slack-jawed at everything, like you’ve just walked out of some backroad country. Act like you belong here with everyone else.”
“I will,” I told him, not sure whether or not to fall back to calling him “Sir” rather than “Victor”. At times I felt like he chose to forget our little moment of lovemaking that night.
As we began our path up the steps into the white, French home, an elderly gentleman with a much younger looking woman walked up to us, stopping us along the way. “Why Mr. Draper, it’s been a while! You’re looking more and more like your father each day!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I
noticed Victor grit his teeth before turning towards the old man. Uh oh, this couldn’t be good. I watched in the background with interest. “Ian Monaghan!” Victor exclaimed, his voice sounding tight. “It sure has been a while! How have you been holding up?”
“Well, you know. It’s tough being so far away from home, especially when I’m stuck in the wettest, coldest part of the UK. Scotland is like hell frozen over. It’ll be good when I move my company to someplace warmer.”
The young woman hit the man playfully on the arm. “Mr. Monaghan, have you forgotten that I’m from Scotland?” she said teasingly.
“Nope, not at all,” Ian Monaghan said, giving me a wink. I suddenly felt uncomfortable. “Who’s this lovely woman you got here, Draper?”
“This is Dove. She has been an acquaintance of mine for a while now. Dove, this is Ian Monaghan, CEO of OceanBlue Airways.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I told the man politely. To my surprise he reached out and took my hand and kissed the top of it lightly.
Bonds of Fate - Part 1 (An Erotic Romance) Page 8