by Anya Summers
The enchanted forest design spilled over into the ballroom. Wait staff zipped about the room, winding through tables and guests with silver trays weighed down with appetizers.
Will had been assigned to a table with Katarina and Veronica. Surely if there was a God, they were making him pay for his past misdeeds in seating him next to Kat. He controlled his responses while they made small talk as the rest of their table became occupied with other people.
Declan, Zoey, and the rest of the wedding party entered the ballroom to loud fanfare as Bastian Dean, the lead singer for the band The Harbingers, introduced the bride and groom from his perch on stage. Will did everything in his power to focus on the wedding festivities and not the gorgeous creature beside him.
Her golden tresses, spilling in loose curls down her back and over her slight shoulders, beckoned his greedy fingers. The way her lips curved as she laughed made him imagine the plump, rose lips surrounding his cock.
Christ, he needed to get a grip and excuse himself but he feared she would see the erection he seemed to have whenever she was near him. Which had been all the freaking time in the last forty-eight hours. A part of him wanted to toss caution to the wind and slake his lust. Say to hell with it and accept the offer she so blatantly tossed his way with her simmering glances.
The woman was courting her own doom and didn't even realize as she teased and flirted with him. Will carefully watched the amount of alcohol he imbibed as dinner progressed. He feared that if he had too much, even just slightly, the part of himself that towed the line would vanish. In its place would be a man he hardly recognized anymore, one unfettered by inhibitions and restraint. Kat tempted the beast inside him, the one that liked his sex on the rough side.
"Would you like to dance?" Kat asked, looking up at him with her big, trusting blue eyes, and Will found that he couldn't resist.
"Absolutely." He stood, tossing his napkin on his chair, and offered her his hand.
The Harbingers were playing a slow ballad as he led her onto the dance floor. He pulled her into his arms, enjoying her lithe body pressed up against his, the supple lines of her easily moving with him, swaying to the music.
When she cuddled close and put her head against his shoulder, he all but howled in delight at how right she felt nestled in his arms. They danced song after song together. Will was unable to let her go, wanting just one more song to hold her close and feel her heat. They were in their own little world as the night progressed, until midnight neared and the New Year beckoned.
They were on the dance floor as the countdown to the New Year began. Will felt the pulsing excitement swirling around them as they stared at each other. He could happily drown in her eyes. They were so trusting, and gazed at him the way every man dreamed of, as though he was the biggest, strongest, most desirable male on the planet. In her gaze, he found himself wanting things that he knew he could never have.
As the clock ticked down, his bent his head closer to Kat's, watching the awareness and desire grow in her expression until it seemed that even their heartbeats had synced and beat in unison.
Ten, nine… Her warm breath whooshed from her lungs as he closed the gap between them and held her flush up against him. Eight, seven… Her pupils dilated as need overrode her system and she stared with passion glazing her cornflower blue eyes. Six, five… Her succulent rose lips parted and her pink tongue darted out, wetting her bottom lip, making him groan internally. Four, three… He rubbed her lower lip with his thumb, entranced by the tiny gasps she emitted at his touch. Two, one… Will's lips crashed over hers, sucking her pouty bottom lip into his mouth. In an instant, his body went rock hard and needy.
Christ, she felt good. He drank her mewling little moans as he stroked his tongue inside her mouth. At the feel of her curling her tongue around his, his hands gripped her head and he plundered her mouth. He may not be able to do what he longed to do with this delectable, gorgeous woman, but if this was the only time he would have a taste of her, he was damn sure going to do it properly. Maybe he'd leave an indelible mark on her, make it so that years from now, when she was with some other Dom, she'd remember him and this kiss.
The thought of her with another man made him growl in frustration. Mine, his body screamed.
Will broke off the kiss. He had to, otherwise he'd be sunk. A few more minutes of tasting her sweet honey, and he'd lose all sense, he would ignore the reason why he couldn't indulge himself. Instead, he'd forego his better judgement and spend the night pleasuring them both. He found himself breathing heavily as he stared into her wide-eyed gaze. She all but rubbed her body against his. It made him wish he could forego his embargo and surrender to what she so unashamedly offered.
"Would you like to come to my room?" Her tiny nails dug into his chest and he felt the half-moon crescents form in his flesh.
Yes, he did. But he couldn't. He wasn't safe. He couldn't trust himself with her. And he didn't deserve the satisfaction he knew he'd find within her arms.
"I don't think that's a good idea." He started to remove her hands from his chest.
"Why not? I can feel that you want me." Her hand cupped his groin and erection through his dress slacks.
It would be so easy, too easy to find the nearest dark corner and fuck her to his heart's content. Except he feared once would never be enough, and he couldn't risk hurting her. She didn't want his brand of passion, no woman did.
"I can't be what you need. I'm sorry." Will removed her hands with what little sanity remained in his brain and before all his thoughts were directed by his dick. He left her standing, bewildered and shaken, on the dance floor. The Dom part of him that wanted to care for her knew he should go back and explain but he needed to leave out of sheer self-preservation. Her wounded expression arrowed straight through his heart.
Will needed to escape the reception, and more importantly, his desire to march back to Kat, toss her over his shoulder, take her to his room, and fuck her all night long. The only way she wouldn't get hurt was if he retreated to the solitary confinement of his bedroom. After giving Zoey a quick congratulatory hug and shaking Declan's hand, he exited the reception and absconded to his room before he did something undeniably stupid.
When he finally crawled into his luxurious bed, sleep seemed to evade him and he relived that kiss again and again. He chased sleep that night, tossing and turning amidst the midnight satin sheets as his brain conjured up every naughty and decadent fantasy he had stored up for ten years, with Kat in the starring role.
The way she'd fit him on the dance floor. He instantly grew hard, his cock straining against his boxers. The feel of her pert breasts smooshed up against his chest had almost made his eyes roll back in his skull. Even through the silk of his dress shirt, he'd noticed her nipples were hard points pressed against him that just begged for his lips. Her slim lines and the feel of her thighs rubbing against him had nearly been his undoing. She enflamed his desires, awakened the beast within that wanted to fuck her into oblivion. When she had gyrated her hips against his pelvis he'd practically torn into her, unmindful of the multitude of guests surrounding them. His only thought had been to sink his cock in the taut clench of her cunt and lose himself.
Instead of sating his lust, he tossed and turned in a near constant state of arousal. His cock actually hurt. Gritting his teeth, needing some measure of relief, he left the bed and went into the bathroom. He grabbed some lube out of his travel bag, coated his member, and fisted himself. Will was the king of masturbation. It had been so long since he had felt the warm clasp of a willing cunt. While he stroked himself, he imagined it was Kat's sheath surrounding him, and pumped his hips as he caressed himself to completion. His balls tightened, his cock jolted, and he grimaced as he ejaculated. It was paltry relief and a lackluster climax.
Will didn't fall asleep until the early hours right before dawn, and even then it was restless. He awoke to the sound of hammered knocking on his door. He shoved his legs in his nearby slacks and stumbled to the door.
He prayed it wasn't Kat coming to torture him. He wouldn't be able to turn her away again.
Will breathed an almost audible sigh of relief when he opened the door and found Jared on the other side. "What can I do for you, Jared?"
"Sorry to wake you. There's an issue that we need your expertise with a computer for."
"Sure." He grabbed a shirt, tossing it on over his head as he left the room with Jared.
Computers, he excelled at, and they were literally something he could do practically in his sleep if need be. Women… not so much.
Will left the room and found himself on a plane within two hours, heading toward Paris. As his plane departed with Bastian and the rest of his band, Will wondered about his little dancer. How would she take the news that he had left without a word? And why should he care what she thought when he was never going to see her again?
Disappointment stewed in his veins over that fact. He chided himself, he wasn't any good for any woman. She was better off without ever fully knowing him.
So why did he regret not taking her to his bed?
Chapter Four
Two Weeks Later: Los Angeles
Kat bowed a final time to deafening applause as the curtain closed. It had been a great performance that night. Pumped from the virulent energy of the show, she left the stage, accepting the 'well dones' and 'bravissimas' from the rest of the troupe with grateful nods. She felt good. She'd been putting an extra oomph into her routines. Granted, the majority of it was all pent up sexual frustration due to being kissed by a man she couldn't seem to forget, but no one needed to know that. So, instead of sexual satisfaction, she had danced her heart out every night since she had arrived in Los Angeles ten days ago.
"Are you coming to the restaurant with us?" Henry Arthur asked, wiping off the makeup that had transformed his mocha skin into Puck.
"Not tonight. You guys have fun." It was all Will Evans's fault. If Mister tie me up, tie me down hadn't stirred her up into a frenzy with his kisses only to spurn her advances—albeit, her inebriated advances—then she wouldn't be feeling so strung out and on edge. Who the hell was she kidding? She needed to get laid in the worst way.
It was fine that Will had turned her down. Just because his kisses had rocked her world, didn't mean he had felt the same way.
Did it bother her? Sure it did. She was human and had needs she'd ignored. The rejection stung more than she wanted to admit. It had been eons since a man had piqued her interest that much. So tonight, Kat had decadent plans to erase the memory of Will's knockout kisses. She was going to go find a naughty Dom to do a scene with at Tobias Ford's place—maybe more, depending on the Dom. She was finally caving to Ophelia's pleas to visit Dungeon Pleasures in Pasadena. Since her understudy was relieving her tomorrow, she could go tonight and not have to worry about performing if things got a little rough. Kat prayed that they did. She needed a good discipline session in the worst way, maybe a flogging or good caning session would set her right as rain. Wasting little time in the dressing room, she stripped out of her costume and put on her street clothes.
After a brief stop at her hotel for a shower and to change into something more appropriate for the club, which in her case was a catholic school girl outfit, red plaid mini-skirt and all, Kat was sitting in the back of an Uber within the hour and speeding onward toward Pasadena.
When the Uber car, a navy BMW, stopped in front of Dungeon Pleasures, Kat was amazed at the line of club goers waiting for entrance into the factory style building. After tipping the driver, she climbed out of the vehicle and headed toward the burly security guard who was monitoring the club entrance. The bald, muscle-bound security guard wearing all black leather pants and a form fitting black tee with the Dungeon Pleasures emblem reminded Kat of a professional wrestler. She strode past the line of party goers up to the guard, who gave her an unwavering blank stare, like he'd turned away a hundred people tonight and had no compunction about doing the same with her.
"Line starts at the back, kitten." His voice reminded her of sandpaper sliding over bedrock.
"Ophelia Ford instructed me to give you her name at the door." She hoped the man wasn't going to be too difficult. If she had to, she'd give Ophelia's cell a try.
"Your name?" he questioned, producing a clipboard from the podium style guard stand beside him.
"Katarina Roberts."
He smiled and gave her a wink as he opened the door for her. "Go on in, kitty cat, we've been expecting you."
She blushed at his use of the term. It was a commonly used name for her at BDSM clubs. Excitement thrummed in her body as she walked past him into the warehouse style club. Glossy black floors, low lighting, and neon purple lights throbbed in time to the mind-numbing techno music playing out of loudspeakers. The bar was a contemporary design spliced with a Goth style that mixed sleek gray steel with midnight taboo and evocative undertones. The décor dripped the promise of wicked pleasure, especially with the noticeable bump and grind action on the dance floor.
Kat spied Ophelia sitting at the bar waiting for her. She maneuvered her way through throngs of people. Her ass was groped more than once on her journey.
"Kat, you made it!" Ophelia exclaimed, sliding off the bar stool. Her baby bump was visible above her black leather miniskirt, and seemed to have grown more in the two weeks since her sister's wedding.
"I told you I would. Thanks for the invite. How are you?" Kat gestured at Ophelia's cleavage, which had suddenly grown to mammoth proportions and was nearly spilling out of her leather halter top.
"I know, right? Tobias loves them, of course. I'm just worried about how much larger they're going to get. It's not like I was flat chested before pregnancy, and now there is just so much of them. Enough about me, why don't you get a drink and we can head into Devil's Lair. It will be so much easier to talk in there than it is out here in the Arena. Bret will take care of you, won't you?"
"Whatever my queen commands. What'll you have?" Bret's blue eyes twinkled and he wiggled his eyebrows at Kat, making her giggle.
"A gin and tonic."
"Coming right up, milady."
True to his word, he set her drink on the bar and winked.
"Thank you," Kat said.
"Follow me," Ophelia said, leaning in close so that Kat could hear her above the loud techno music. The Arena was aptly named—it was more or less a regular club aside from the sex happening on the dance floor. Kat followed Ophelia through a set of grand theater style double doors, in a lacquered black, into the more private Devil's Lair. The doors were inscribed with the name in large, brash, maroon letters which had the appearance of flames. Once they had shut behind them, the music improved from blaring techno to a more subdued Enya style. At the opposite end of the Lair were another set of double doors leading to the Dungeon and private rooms.
The Lair held all manner of scene areas: stockades, St. Andrew's Crosses, spanking benches, and more. In the center were a host of black leather couches, facing toward the scene areas. Many of the scene areas were occupied with various moans, groans, the snap of a whip and the sound of slapping flesh filling the air. Kat could smell the sex around them and it was like a drug in her veins.
"Ahh, silence, that's much better. Let's grab a seat. Tobias should be joining us in a minute."
"How are you feeling?" Kat asked, watching Ophelia rub her belly a bit.
Ophelia chuckled before responding. "I'm doing great, other than my daughter has become very active of late. It's like she just figured out how to kick her feet."
"Ouch, that can't be fun."
Kat sighed at they sat on one of the unoccupied leather couches, grateful to get off her feet. The sexy heeled boots completed her outfit but were killing her already sore feet.
"It depends on where the kick lands, to be honest. This time it was a rib. Although, in the past, her targets have included my stomach, kidneys, and bladder. How's your show going? I really want to see it before it ends."
"The perfor
mance has been going smashingly well here. It must be something in the southern California air. I'd be happy to get you and Tobias some of my comp tickets. It's the least I could do," Kat offered, keeping an eye on the passing Doms, none of whom sparked any interest in her thus far.
"I don't know if I can convince Tobias to go, but I will certainly try. I've never seen a professional ballet performance and think it would be lovely. Not to mention, I kinda have a thing for Shakespeare after my literary degrees, and I adore A Midsummer Night's Dream."
"Well, you could make it a double date with Lucy and Jesse," Kat suggested.
"That's a fabulous idea. You're sure it wouldn't be too much trouble for you to get the tickets?"
"Not at all. Just let me know what night the four of you are available and I'll make sure the box office has your tickets," Kat murmured, taking a sip of her drink. She liked Lia. They'd hit it off rather well at the wedding, and hoped it was a friendship they could build on.
"Sweetness." Tobias Ford's voice rumbled low, filled with possession and unequivocal love.
Kat felt the yearning inside her at what it must feel like to be so loved, so cherished.
Ophelia blushed prettily as she bowed her head demurely and replied, "Master."
Kat glanced toward Tobias with a smile on her face and a greeting on the tip of her tongue. She froze. It was him. The man she'd woken up at night, yearning for another taste of, in all his enormously tall glory. Will, with his unapologetically male aura, seemed to override whatever sense her body seemed to have. The sounds and sights of the club had already revved her engines, but Will's re-entry into her life, so close she could touch his rock hard body again, awakened all her perky little eggs, who were acting like he was a rock star, screaming their heads off. She could almost hear them shouting: we want Will, we want Will.