The Nightingale Trilogy: An Alpha Billionaire Romantic Suspense

by Cynthia Dane

  She knew it.

  Vincent reached around her head, gently pushing it to one side as he surveyed the white of her throat. Then he inspected the other side before grabbing her ponytail and yanking up.

  “Ah!” That was the only sound escaping Nala as pain surged through her scalp. It was fleeting, as all Vincent did was rip out her hair tie and force her hair across her shoulders, but it was enough to give her a taste of what was in store that night. He’ll show me no mercy. He’ll make me up to be exactly what he wants before breaking me in. Nala didn’t yet know what it meant to serve or to obey. That night of his bondage practice didn’t count. As hot as it was… it didn’t count.

  “You are so…” Vincent shoved his fingers down her shirt, tugging on the front collar of the fabric. “Damn…” He pulled down harder and harder, nearly bringing Nala down to the floor as her balance floundered and she struggled to keep her hands on her head. “Gorgeous…” With a terrifying tear, her shirt came apart. So. Damn. Easily.

  Nala stared, aghast, at her bra now on full display. The light gray of her plain cotton shirt was in two, as if the man’s bite and claws was taking her apart. My mother would call him a volk, like her maiden name. A wolf. A terrifying, wonderful wolf making her its prey. Yulia had warned her daughters of such men. Uh oh…

  The only reason she didn’t panic about her clothing was because it meant nothing. A simple T-shirt could easily be repurchased, especially by a billionaire. No, the real reason I don’t care is because he can do whatever he wants to me. Like pull her shirt free from her body, tossing the ruined cotton onto her sweatshirt.

  “Look at you. If I always had my way, you would spend your whole life on display to me.” Vincent rubbed the tops of her breasts, crouched down so his breath blew hot on her face. “I’ve spent this whole day thinking about what I want to do to you, Nala. I never thought you would give me the chance to express it. Not like this.” He yanked her bra cups down, freeing her breasts and most of all her nipples – which he continued to pinch, as he always did. Oh my God. Here they went. Here Nala went. Pretty soon she would be so suggestible that she would walk on hot coals to get to this man.

  “I want only to serve you, Master.”

  Her voice shook. For the briefest moment, as Vincent stroked her flowing hair and ripped down her bra straps until the whole thing started to come apart, Nala wondered if she were retreating into Nightingale’s space. But we’re the same person. How can I want to be anyone else but who I am? Nala didn’t need to be any other identity. Not around… the man she loved.

  He discarded her clothing until she was half naked, her hair the only thing keeping her modest. Nala shook in the cold, and from the anticipation. I want him to do whatever he’s going to do right now. I can’t stand the wait. She had no idea what to expect. She had no idea what kind of man lurked beneath this kindly shell. For all she knew, Vincent’s true self was using BDSM as a guise for something terrible, like other members of The Aviary.

  “Do you trust me, Nala?”

  She looked up, catching a flash of concern on his countenance. He’s still the same Vincent. He still wants to protect me. “I trust you,” she said softly. “You won’t hurt me. The only pain I feel will be pleasure.”

  Nala didn’t have to read those books. She didn’t need to talk to those girls at The Aviary. She knew these things like she knew her own heart. This is a part of me. This has always been inside of me. Her ex hadn’t been a bad guy. He wasn’t super bad in bed, either, but he never held Nala’s interest, in part because he couldn’t really give her what she wanted. For all her bite and desire to be seen as an independent young woman, she enjoyed this more than anyone had the right to. Every time Vincent took her deeper into his world, every time he made her more and more into his ideal sub, Nala realized that this was part of her true calling in life.

  It was exhilarating. It was pleasurable. It was so fucking hot that she thought she would explode beneath his domineering touch.

  “If you want me to stop at any time, the safe word is…”

  “Tasha.”

  Vincent didn’t say anything. He simply touched her chin with his fingers before reaching into his deep pockets.

  “Please…” Nala begged, as she saw the nightingale collar emerge from Vincent’s jeans. “Don’t hold back. I can take it, I swear. I trust you, Vincent. Do whatever you want to me. Make use of my body and what I can do to you. Deny me whatever you want. Give me as much as you want. I want to know what it’s like.”

  “What it’s like… to be my sub?”

  “To be your girlfriend.”

  Something glistened on the collar, and it wasn’t the pendant. A silver chain fell from the nightingale’s beak. A leash, one of the most debasing things Nala could have thought up. Even she balked for an instant.

  “You’re not a dog.” Vincent slipped the collar around her throat, making sure it was snug but not too tight. “But you need training. You might get overeager otherwise. No matter how much you think you want it like that, I can’t be sure until I’ve made you feel like this.”

  He tugged on the leash, bringing Nala down on all fours. What? She couldn’t help it. No matter how she tried to position herself, she couldn’t achieve anything but hands and knees, head pointed up toward Vincent. Her ass was still covered by her jeans, but it stuck out behind her, and her breasts swung dangerously close to the floor. If something touches my nipples, I’m done.

  Vincent wrapped the leash around one hand while the other ran down the soft curve of her back and toward her ass. “What are you, Nala?” he asked with a biting tone. “What are you, my darling?”

  She knew what she damn well looked like. “I’m a bitch, sir.”

  “Is that what you want to be? You can be anything you want. As long as it fits the situation. Now’s your chance to change that statement.”

  “Well…” he had said she wasn’t a dog. That was already established. Besides, bitch wasn’t really sexy. Not to Nala, anyway. “I can be your whore, sir.”

  “You’ve asked me to call you that before.”

  “It’s true, isn’t it? You’re paying me to pleasure you, sir.”

  “In a way, I suppose. I have never thought of you as a whore, though. I’ve never thought of any woman that way.”

  Noble, but not what Nala was fishing for. “Like you have your needs and desires, sir, I have mine as well. I like to think you can meet me halfway.”

  “Fine.” Vincent climbed onto the sofa, but kept Nala steady on her hands and knees. “If that’s what you want to think, you’re free to do so. When I ask you again what you are, you can change your answer.”

  Nala nodded.

  “First we have other matters to take care of.” His hand was back, grabbing her ass through her jeans, fingers shoving between legs and teasing her slit. Make me shiver, why don’t you. It was still cold in there. Did he turn the heater on at all? No? Well, then. I’ll sit here and suffer with my dying nipples. “Do you know why subs get some of this, Nala?” He patted her ass, enough to let her know that he could go harder – and would.

  “Uh…” Here it came. One of the few moments she dreaded since first walking into The Aviary. “Because it feels good?”

  “See, my sweet? This is why you need to be trained. There’s still a lot to learn.” He patted her bottom again, almost good-naturedly. “Yes, it feels good. There are some who love it so much that spanking becomes a reward for them, but not purely for physical reasons. Spanking is often a form of punishment. If you’ve transgressed a line and need to be reminded of your place, then a spanking might be appropriate. Now, why might I want or have to spank you, Nala?”

  What a cruel game. Let’s play it, already. “Because I did something wrong today.”

  “What might that have been?”

  Nala said the first thing to come to her mind. “I undermined your power at the bookstore. I told that woman off. I got too possessive. I made decisions on your behalf. I…”

&
nbsp; “Yes, yes, that’s enough.”

  Nala braced herself for a spank, but it didn’t come. Not yet.

  “It’s not enough to understand why. In theory, you could give me a whole list of reasons I, as your Dom, would want to spank this firm ass of yours.” His fingers flicked against her jeans. The more he drew this out, the more Nala… awaited it. That’s his plan. He wants me to enjoy it. Why wouldn’t he? Never had Nala gotten the inkling that Vincent received glee in exchange for anyone’s pain. “But until you’ve felt the sting of a good punishment, you’re not going to completely understand why it’s done.”

  His pats grew harder, stronger. He was warming Nala up for the real thing, and her fingers curled deep into the throw rug beneath her. The more this went on, Vincent revving up his touch, the more Nala wanted to hang her head, to bury her face in the rug and retreat into herself. Not out of shame. Not out of fear, but because she assumed this was expected of her.

  “No, no.” Vincent tugged on the leash, forcing Nala’s head back up. Her hair slapped against her breasts, parting enough to let her nipples poke through. “Keep your head up and your back straight. I may not be able to see your face from here, but I can feel your pride in your posture. You can close your eyes, if you want, but keep your arms and spine as straight as possible. Tip your chin up if it helps. If we ever perform like this in front of people, this is what we would show them.”

  Did he really have to bring that up? I am not doing this in front of anyone but him! Nala wasn’t even sure if she could tolerate it yet! Just because she was adventurous tonight…

  Smack!

  Nala let out a yelp of shock, surprise, and, yes, pain. The sting of Vincent’s not-so-gentle-hand warped her, bending her elbows and almost sending her torso to the ground. Ow… To think her jeans were protecting her!

  “Stay up.” Vincent tugged on the leash again, keeping Nala in the position he wanted. You bastard… His voice may have been firm, but his demeanor was that of a Dom desperately trying to train a sub still wet behind her pretty ears. “Be good, Nala. If you can take three spanks from me without flinching in anything but pleasure, I’ll reward you. Do you understand?”

  She grimaced. “Yes, sir.” Nala struggled to remain in position, but she knew what was coming.

  A spank. As hard as the first, but this time keeping her in place.

  It wasn’t any less shocking or painful. The only thing his spanks did was numb her to the frenzy overtaking her body.

  “Tell me why I’m doing this, Nala. Tell me why I have to spank you.”

  He continued to smack her ass in between his words, making her tremble, whimper, and wonder how much more her flesh could take. “Because I undermined your authority… sir…”

  “Good. Why else?” He spanked her again. This time Nala did not flinch, but she did cry.

  When she had control of her voice again, she replied, “Because I got jealous, sir.”

  “Why else?” His next spank wasn’t as tough, but still, Nala trembled. “There’s one more reason, not relating to the bookstore.”

  Nala searched her brain for any reason Vincent would use to hit her ass like this. He was alternating cheeks, sometimes going hard, sometimes easing up, but always using a firm hand. Am I getting aroused by it? Nala couldn’t tell. “Because I need training and this is a part of it. Every sub can expect to be spanked at some point in her training.” She was bullshitting, but nevertheless, she hoped she was right.

  “Very good. You’re catching on.” Vincent massaged her worn flesh with one hand and then eased off the leash. Nala knew better than to think she was allowed to bend down. If anything, Vincent was testing her resolve. How well would she behave? How well did she understand what he had been saying this whole time? “Now can you take three spanks in a row without flinching? Do you want a reward for your upstanding behavior these past few minutes?”

  She nodded. “I want to be rewarded, but only if I deserve it.”

  “What are you, Nala?”

  Her lips turned inward, letting her tongue wet them. She said the same word from earlier. Vincent did not react.

  Instead, he spanked her hard enough to make her flinch – but she remained sturdy where she knelt, refusing to buckle. She wanted this to be over after the three spanks she deserved the most. So far, she had made it through one.

  The next one came, hitting her in the exact same spot. This should have made her buckle, but she forced herself up, flinching only in the slightest. I hope he didn’t notice that. It would depend on how aroused this was making Vincent. I hope it’s getting him so hard he doesn’t know what to do with himself. Besides fuck me. She imagined him pulling down her jeans, kneeling behind her, and driving himself into her until she came uncontrollably. That would be nice…

  Smack!

  `Nala almost went down. Almost. As the pain washed across her body, shooting up her spine, tingling in her breasts, and centering in her mound, she felt her knees shake and her arms attempt to move. I won’t. She thought it, over and over again, like a mantra. I won’t, I won’t I won’t. She refused to disappoint him. While Nala could never be the perfect sub on her first real try, she would at least strive for as much perfection as possible. This seemed like the least she could do.

  The pain subsided. Nala was left looking at the ceiling, wondering what Vincent thought of her performance. Did I do a good job? Did I pass his test? She had no way of knowing unless she looked over her shoulder. I won’t risk that in case that’s the wrong thing to do. Nala wouldn’t put it past herself.

  “That’s good enough. You did very well.” Vincent tugged on the leash, helping Nala lean back on her heels as gingerly as possible. “For your first time, I have no complaints.”

  Nala let out a sigh of relief. At least she could say she got through that.

  “What now, sir?”

  “You don’t have to be so eager. When it’s time to move on, I will let you know.”

  Nala sat expectantly, flicking dust off her pants and wondering how long it would take for the pain in her ass to subside. And that was with my jeans on. Did that make it worse? Easier? She had no idea. That’s how inexperienced she was. “I’m sorry you have to put up with me, sir. I must be a lot of trouble for you.”

  “You’d only be trouble if you weren’t willing to learn. Since you are, it’s no trouble at all. In fact…” Vincent caressed her cheek and combed her hair with his fingers. “It can be a lot of fun training a new sub. I only wish our circumstances were better.”

  Nala didn’t have to ask what he meant by that. She had to force herself to never think of The Aviary, otherwise she would panic and run.

  “You’re very obedient for your general personality. Are you enjoying yourself? I don’t want you to force this.”

  Nala shrugged in an effort to stretch her arms. “I am enjoying it, sir. You said there would be a reward?”

  “Ah, yes…” Vincent leaned back in the couch, looking like any guy sitting back to watch TV or play lazy video games. “Come up here and lie across my lap. I’ll give you your reward.”

  Although her leash was still in his hand, Nala was able to maneuver onto her feet and shuffle to the couch, ass beginning to burn in her jeans. Ow, ow, ow… She kept reminding herself that it was better to experience this for the first time with Vincent and not someone like Hawk. Why are you doing this to yourself? Stop thinking about those people for one moment. This was about sharing something special with Vincent. This was about getting closer to him, not distancing themselves with more heartache and grief.

  Nala climbed onto the couch and straddled Vincent’s lap, lowering herself until she carefully lay across his wide lap and buried her nose into a throw pillow. Vincent pushed her long hair out of the way so he could stroke the curve of her back, his cock stiffening beneath Nala’s bare stomach.

  “You’re beautiful.” His soft voice entered one ear and escaped out the other. Nala sighed, turning her head to one side so she stared at the black TV only
a few feet away. “Turn over. I want to see your breasts.”

  Did he now? Nala hid a chuckle as she turned over with his help, looking into his shadowy face as she rested her head against the pillow and let her sore ass nestle between his legs. His hand instantly went to her stomach and teased her with his touch.

  “Am I only beautiful, sir?” She tried him, that was for sure. “A girl even in my position right now needs to know more than that from the man touching her like this.”

  “I’m sure.” Vincent forked his fingers around one of her nipples, stimulating her to the point they peaked again. “I have to admit that right now I’m mostly caught up in your striking beauty. If you want to know more, I also think you’re a very strong woman.”

  “Hmph.”

  “What is it?”

  Nala cracked a smile. “Few people go so far as to call me a woman.”

  “Aren’t you? Womanhood is more than your age. It’s what you’ve been through, how you carry yourself, what your goals in life are, your maturity…”

  “So I’m a woman then. That’s relieving.”

  “I’m serious, Nala.” His fingers came together, gently pinching her nipple as her hands clasped across her stomach. “Why would I be with anyone else other than a woman?”

  She wasn’t going to seriously answer that.

  “Anyway, your reward. You still want it, right?”

  “You mean this isn’t it?”

  “Only a taste.” That clean-cut – okay, so his shadow was coming back in at this time of day – guy in a T-shirt and jeans was almost too much to bear as he pinched her with one hand and tugged down the zipper of her jeans with the other. “There’s a lot more I can offer you right now. Don’t be shy to take it.”

  “I never would be, sir. I have nothing about my body to hide from you.” Not at this point. Besides, Nala was about as shy as a woman who had been around the block a few times and made a living walking naked down the street. She was sure such a profession existed somewhere in a city like Portland. “Please, feel generous with my reward.”