by Ella Miles
He spanks me hard on the ass, and I yelp.
“Tell me who you wore the dress for, or I’ll spank you again.”
My lips curl up a little at that thought. I like this game. He spanks me again, and my whole body jerks at the force. My mouth waters, my nipples harden, and my panties become soaked. I forgot what it felt like to have a man be rough with me in bed. Gabe, for all his rough and controlling in real life, prefers rather vanilla sex.
“Have you had enough?” He kneels behind me, clearly getting turned on himself with every spanking as his hard cock rubs against my ass.
“No.”
“Then, I’m going to enjoy punishing you until you tell me who you wore the dress for. Because I think you wore this dress, that hides your body, for me. To keep me away from your sexy body.”
He rips the back of the dress in half. I flinch at the sound, knowing now that there’s no way to hide what I’m doing from Gabe, not that there was before or that I would have. I’m not a cheater or a liar even if Gabe deserves to be cheated on.
“There’s your body. You have been hiding it from me beneath your scrubs and this ridiculous dress but no more.”
His lips brush over my ass, lightly kissing each cheek. I gasp as he grabs my legs, spreading me wide, and then his hand comes down, slapping over my cunt.
“You’ve been a dirty girl who deserves to be punished. Say it.”
“I’ve been a dirty girl who deserves to be punished,” I say through gritted teeth as he spanks me again.
I hear him moving his pants down, and I turn my head to get a look at his thick cock, but he grabs my hair and turns me away from him, shoving my face hard into the pillow, so I can’t see anything.
“You don’t get to look at me, baby. You don’t get to be rewarded in any way until you answer me.”
“Please.”
“Are you ready to answer me?”
I groan.
“I guess that’s a no.” His cock pushes inside me, spreading me wide, filling me with the pain and pleasure I haven’t felt in months.
“Fuck, Skye.”
I feel him slip in and out of me as he pounds into my body. He slaps me hard on the ass whenever I try to look at him. And he hardly touches me, except with his dick. He punishes me over and over as he moves in and out, giving me only the tiniest bit of pleasure, driving me mad.
I feel his breath on my neck. “I know you’re stubborn, Skye. And we both know how much of a dick I can be. So, answer me. Who did you wear the dress for?”
“You.” I glance back at him and see the smirk on his face.
“Good girl.” His hand reaches around and starts rubbing my clit as he fucks me, building me in a way that only he knows. He makes it hard for me to breathe or think about anything other than my coming climax.
He brings me close and then stops begging me with his words. “Tell me you’re not going back to Gabe. Tell me you’re going to break up with him.”
My throat is dry, but my body still aches for relief.
“Give me a chance. I know you think I’m nothing but a dick, but I can be so much more. I can behave. I can love you like Gabe never has.”
I can’t breathe. My heart aches to believe that his words are true, but I’ve been fooled by too many men before to believe anything that leaves his mouth, especially with his cock still inside me. He doesn’t mean a word that he says.
“I won’t go back to Gabe. I’ll give you a chance,” I say, telling my own lie.
He lets me come, and it’s the relief and distraction I’ve been seeking, but it’s over far too soon. Moments later, all I can think about are his stupid words and how I wish they were true. I think about the words that I spoke and wish that they were what I was going to do. But, right now, I can’t.
16
Brody
She’s gone. I knew she would be. I knew she was lying last night when she told me that she would leave Gabe, that she would give me a chance. But I still had the tiniest bit of hope that she would still be lying in my arms when I woke up this morning. I hoped that maybe she thought of me as more than just a jerk who had treated her wrong in the past. But, clearly, she thinks I’m just as bad as Gabe—or at least, not much better.
I hear a door open, and my ears perk up. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe she’s still here. I jump out of bed, not caring that I’m still naked, and run through my hotel suite, looking for her. I hear a squeal as the maid sees me butt-naked.
“I’m so sorry. No one answered the door when I knocked,” she says, hiding her eyes behind her hands.
“It’s okay. I’ll go back to my bedroom to put some clothes on.” I head back to my bedroom, pulling some sweatpants and a T-shirt on.
Damn my stupid heart for feeling anything toward Skye. I wish I could go back to not caring, not feeling anything, but I can’t. She might not want to be with me, but I know that she doesn’t want to be with Gabe. I don’t know what power he has over her. What he’s bribing her with or blackmailing her with or what arrangement they might have, but I plan on figuring it out. She might have left, but I’m not going anywhere. I promised I would leave as long as she told me the truth, but she didn’t keep up her end of the deal, so I don’t have to keep up my end of the deal. I just have to come up with a way to make sure that she’s safe. Only then can I leave her alone.
I pick up my phone, and I call Noah’s number.
“Hey, asshole. Have you fucked her enough that you can come back to work now?” he answers.
“Have I recently told you that you’re fired?”
“Every damn day.”
“I need your help.”
He sighs. “You must be really desperate if you’re calling me, asking for help. I thought you handled everything yourself.”
“Well, I’m up against a pro, and you’re the only one I can think of with any hacking skills that might be able to give me the information that I need. I need to know everything that you can get me about Gabe Cole. Everything. Understand?”
“If she has a boyfriend, I hate to tell you there’s probably not much you can do to win her back, short of just waiting it out.”
“Just do it.”
It takes Noah an hour, but he got me everything I wanted to know about Gabe and more. Where he grew up. When they first met. And even a strong clue as to why she’s still with the bastard. And I’m planning on getting confirmation on that tonight.
I step out of the car and walk into the conference center where the charity event for Love All Animals is taking place. Skye apparently does a lot more than just run her own veterinary clinic. She also owns a foundation that focuses on connecting animals and humans in need of each other. Animals that need a home are given one by people that need a companion. I think it’s the reason she puts up with Gabe.
I find my table at the back of the large space, which has a stage at the front with a large screen behind it. I paid over a thousand dollars to attend, but the money was well worth it. One, it goes to a good cause, and two, I get another chance to be near Skye.
I take my seat and ignore the others at the table, who are chatting politely to each other. I’m not here for them. I’m here for Skye.
The lights dim, and a spotlight shines on the stage as I watch Skye walk to the center with a microphone in hand. She seems happy and content. I expect to see Gabe walk up onstage with her, but he doesn’t. I scan the room now and find him at a close table, watching her as intensely as I am.
She starts talking, and she commands everyone’s attention in the room. Even those who were busy in conversation with others now can’t keep their eyes off of her. I expected her to be wearing something professional, a dress similar to what she wore last night, but she’s not. She is wearing a skintight black dress that shows off her body, her strong legs, toned arms, and just the right amount of cleavage. She looks gorgeous, and I know she’s wearing the dress for me. Because, as much as I knew that she wouldn’t stay in my bed this morning, she knew that I wouldn’t leave her
alone tonight.
“I’d like to tell you a story about the first animal that saved my life. I wish I could tell you the stories of all the animals that have saved my life over the years. Saved me from depression. Saved me from pain and heartache. Gave me hope that the world could seek good. And reminded me that we were all just animals trying to live and to survive, fighting our way through this difficult life.
“But I don’t have the time, so instead, I’ll share just one story about a mouse named Moe. You see, growing up, I was wild and fierce—both qualities that I loved, but my parents, not so much. My passion for life got me in trouble many times. I skipped school and cheated on tests when I thought I didn’t need to learn the material. I drank in high school and smoked marijuana between classes. I drove my car too fast. I did all the things that I know you hope your children will never do.”
The crowd chuckles a little, watching her.
“But then I was hanging out with a friend who brought a mouse home to feed his snake. I couldn’t stand to watch him feed the mouse to the snake, so I stole the mouse and ran. I brought that mouse home and named him Moe, and he was the best friend I’d ever had for the next year.
“I had a purpose in my life that was greater than me. I cared for the mouse, fed him, and took him to the vet when he was sick. I learned what life was really about. Fighting for others, even the tiny creatures of that we often forget about.
“After that, I found my purpose protecting all animals, all beings that walk the earth.
“Together, we’ve saved over one hundred thousand lives—animals and humans—and I’d like them to share a few of their stories.”
The video starts with story after story of people and animals being connected, saving each other. Animals that were meant for slaughter. Dogs and cats to be euthanized because no one wanted them. Even reptiles, like lizards and snakes, were saved, all given to people who needed help. Some had mental health disorders, and others had physical diseases. Some were vets in need of animal support; others were just troubled youth, needing to find a purpose in their life again.
But, by the time the video ends, there isn’t a dry eye in the house. Even I have a few tears in my eyes, even though I watched Skye most of the video.
Then, dinner is served. I bide my time before I go see her. I allow her to make her rounds and talk to everyone that she is supposed to at the event. I let her worry and wonder if I’m really here or not. And only then, when she’s standing by herself, do I make my move.
She starts walking toward the restroom, and I follow her, needing a moment alone with her and knowing that this might be the only place that I can get just that. She walks into the restroom, and I step in right behind her.
A woman at the sink gives me a dirty look. “This is the woman’s restroom.”
“I know. I just need a moment with Skye here. It’s an emergency.”
Skye pauses when she hears me speak and glances over at the woman. “Could you give us a minute?”
The woman scoffs and walks out the restroom, leaving us alone. I turn behind me and lock the door, so I can have a few minutes alone with her.
She turns around and looks at me. She doesn’t seem surprised at all to see me standing there. “If you think you’re gonna fuck me in the restroom, then you’re crazy.”
I chuckle. “Never even crossed my mind.” I wink.
She smiles a genuine smile, and my heart sinks.
“You’re not with him because you love him, are you?”
She shakes her head.
I put my hands in my pockets to keep my hands off of her. I want to comfort her. Or fuck her in the restroom or do something to get rid of the pain hiding beneath her fake smile.
“I think I know why. It’s this foundation right? He has promised to stop funding it if you don’t marry him.”
She looks at me without blinking. Her eyes grow dark with a fire I haven’t seen sparking out of them before. “Are. You. Serious?”
I clench my teeth, trying to understand. “Yes.”
She shakes her head. “You men are all the same. No, I’m not marrying him so that he’ll keep funding my foundation. I don’t give a crap about his money, although it’s one item on the long list of things he’s tried to threaten me with.”
I take a step forward, unable to resist from at least holding her in my arms.
She puts a hand up, and I stop.
“I don’t need you to try to fix this. I’m not even sure that it’s something that can be fixed and definitely not easily.”
“Then, explain to me what’s happening. Because I’ve tried to come up with a legitimate reason you would marry that man or even go back to him after last night, and I can’t come up with any. He was the reason you were in pain in the Bahamas. He was the reason you were in pain when I saw you in Albuquerque. He’s the reason your hair is tamer, your piercings are gone, and that you would even consider living in a home as fancy as his, which doesn’t have an animal in sight. He’s the reason for everything bad in your life, so why stay with him?”
She runs her hand through her hair. “Because he owns me.”
My mouth drops. “Like, you’re his slave? Like, he paid money, and you’re now his property?”
She shakes her head. “No, but he might as well have. Gabe Cole is a powerful man who is used to getting whatever he wants in life. He’s threatened everyone I love in my life. My best friend, the princess—he threatened her in the back of her SUV. He infiltrated her entire security team. My friend, Alicia—he kidnapped her and then filled her so full of drugs that she couldn’t even remember what happened the next day. My grandmother is in a nursing home, and he stopped her oxygen twice. She barely survived. He wants complete control, and he gets that. I’ve tried to leave him several times before, but every time I do, he threatens someone that I love, and I just can’t. Because I think he might actually kill them. Or me. And, now that you’re in my life, he’ll threaten to kill you. That arrangement game he was playing with you at dinner was just a test to see how much you cared about me. He was just playing with you in order to determine if he could use you as leverage against me. He would never share me.”
“Have you gone to the police?”
“Of course. But he is the police. Everyone that I talked to believes his story over mine. I have no options left but to give him what he wants and figure out how to fight to get out of it later.”
I can’t stand it a second longer. I have to have her in my arms. And, this time, when I move to wrap my arms around her, she doesn’t stop me. And I’m thankful that she lets me hold her.
“You need to leave. Go far, far away from here. He knows what happened last night, and he’s not happy.”
I pull back just enough to look her directly in the eyes. “I’m not leaving you. I’m not going to let him hurt you.”
“He won’t hurt me.”
“Why? It seems like that’s all he does.”
“Because I agreed to marry him tomorrow.”
She looks strong and defiant as she says it, like it is her choice. Maybe that’s what she needs to believe, but it’s her choice to save her friends and family from this evil monster. But it’s a choice I won’t let her make.
I look at her and softly kiss her on the lips, cherishing every moment that I have with her. Who knows when our last one together will be?
“I’m going to save you.”
She doesn’t argue with me, nor does she agree. Instead, she tightly wraps her arms around me and rests her head in the corner of my chest. She might not trust me, but she should. Because, despite what she might think, I’m not a dick.
17
Skye
I stare into the mirror, not able to accept the reflection staring back at me. My hair is dark brown and curled without a speck of blue or red or purple or any of the colors my hair usually is to make it seem bright and vibrant. My piercings are all gone. Some of the holes have even healed up. I have a simple white veil on the back of my head, an
d a simple white dress hugs my body.
I was never the princess. I was never the type of girl who dreamed of the big wedding with the big dress and the fancy decorations. That was never me, but I always thought that it could be a possibility. That maybe, someday, a man would care enough about me that I would want that. But getting forced into marrying a horrible, evil man was never my plan.
He was such a good man when I first met him, but how did someone so amazing turn out to be so horrible?
“Your coffee is three fifty,” the woman behind the bar says.
I nod and reach into my purse to pull out my wallet, but I don’t feel it. I open my purse wide, practically sticking my head inside, searching for the wallet, but it’s not there.
“I’m so sorry. It seems I left my wallet somewhere. Let me see if I have some cash at the bottom of my purse.” I frantically dig through the purse, trying to find some money to pay the woman. I was just on on a fourteen-hour flight from Monaco to LA after visiting my best friend. I have a six-hour layover until my next flight. There is no way I’m gonna survive without coffee or food or anything.
“Let me pay.”
I turn around to look at the man standing behind me. He’s one of the most beautiful men I’ve ever seen. Dark brown eyes, a strong jaw, and muscles for days.
I don’t usually accept money from strangers, but I’m desperate, and he is handsome.
“Thank you,” I say far too loudly.
He smiles and pays the woman after ordering his own coffee.
“How can I thank you?” I ask as we both walk away from the coffee shop in the LAX airport.
“You can keep me company while I wait for my flight.”
I smile. “I’d love to.”
We talked for hours. We both missed our connecting flight. He offered me a place to stay at his condo, and I accepted. I thought he was going to ask me out that night, but he didn’t. He was a gentleman, perfectly nice. Not a glimmer of the monster that I know he is now.