by Lisabet Sarai, Amy Armstrong, Sam Crescent, Cheryl Dragon, Tanith Davenport
“Across my lap.”
His jeans were rough under her ribs. Jade rested her hands on the floor, feeling a shiver run over her skin at the exposed position. Her ass was pointed upwards, over his knee—he could touch her, caress her, spank her and she would be unable to resist.
She was completely vulnerable, and the knowledge made her tremble.
His hand was resting on the small of her back. As it glided lower, over the curve of one cheek, he spoke again, his voice low and dangerous. “Count out loud for me, Jade.”
“Yes, sir.”
The hand disappeared, and then—
“Ah! One!”
The first smack had startled the breath out of her. Before she had recovered, the second blow landed, and Jade dug her fingers into the carpet, gasping.
How many of these is he going to do?
At the sixth stroke, Will stopped. Jade kept her head down, her hair concealing her face, but after a moment Will reached around her waist, rolling her over on his lap.
“Look at me.”
He was looking down at her with a strange expression, somewhere between pride and lust.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. Sir,” Jade added, almost as an afterthought. The look on his face was somehow unlike any she had expected a Dom to wear.
“Good. Then we’ll move on.”
Will slid his arms under her shoulders and knees and stood, lifting Jade easily. At the other side of the room was a large beanbag. Will lowered her onto it, taking care over her abused ass, and Jade let her head fall back as her body sank into softness. She turned to watch him as he took one of her wrists, stretching her arm out, and noticed a projection that looked a little like a rubber hoop.
“What’s that?”
“A cuff.” Will flashed her a smile as he fed her wrist through the circlet, tightening it carefully. “This is a bondage chair. It will keep you comfortable for this next part. Okay?”
Jade mulled it over briefly. “Yes.”
Seriously? A bondage chair? Her mind was spinning, and yet, to her surprise, she wasn’t panicking. Even as Will began to fasten her other wrist, she found herself relaxed. Maybe it was the comfort. She had always thought bondage would be painful and awkward. This was decidedly not so.
The ankle cuffs were a little harder to manage, and Jade winced as one pressed against a bone. Will loosened the strap, moving it higher, and Jade tested it with a gentle tug. There was movement, but not enough to free her, and she bit her lip, growing wet at the knowledge that she was completely at his mercy.
Will stood, looking down at her, and Jade couldn’t hold back a moan as his eyes lingered on her splayed thighs.
“Remember what I said last night?” His voice was low, and a tremor ran through her. Automatically she tugged again at the restraints—they were securely fastened, and the smile that crossed Will’s face as he watched was almost predatory.
“This is all about needs. I fulfil yours as your Dom, you fulfil mine as my sub. You submit to me, you do what I want—I take care of your needs. You need never worry when you’re with me. You are always safe, always protected.”
“Yes,” Jade croaked. The wetness in her cunt was leaking onto the beanbag, and her fingers clenched convulsively. Touch me, damn it.
“Anything you might want, we can discuss. Anything you don’t like, we can strike out. Fisting. Anal sex. Toys. It’s all open. People often forget just how much power a sub has. If you say no, if you use your word, it doesn’t happen.”
“I—”
“You want something, Jade. Ask for it.”
I want you to fuck me. I want you to—The words came out before Jade could stop them. “I want you to go down on me.”
Will’s smile took on a hungry quality.
“Request granted.”
Jade lifted her head to look at him as Will dropped to his knees. Crawling forward, he loomed over her, one hand on each side of her head. In one swift movement he pushed down on the back of the beanbag so that Jade’s head and shoulders fell into the hollow created.
Fuck! The bonds tightened on her wrists and ankles as Jade squirmed, struggling to see him. His breath tingled on her collarbone, her nipples pebbling, and she was suddenly conscious of her position—sprawled helpless in front of him, breasts upturned to be touched, cunt bared and aching for his mouth.
“Will—Sir—I—”
“Shhh.” His lips brushed against her breast, his tongue curling around her nipple, and Jade’s words were swallowed up in a moan.
Every nerve seemed to be on fire, responding to his touch with a jolt. His mouth trailed along her ribs, her stomach, his tongue tracing patterns on her hipbones, his lips pressing light kisses to the soft skin on her inner thighs. Then her lips were parted, and Jade cried out as a hard lick to her clit made her buck into his mouth.
“Oh God!”
The cuffs dug into her wrists as she writhed on the beanbag, arching up as she felt two fingers slide inside her, stroking her spot over and over. Will’s tongue seemed to be everywhere, tormenting her clit, teasing her folds. Her nipples ached to be touched and she tugged at the bonds, but they had her pinned tightly, and she moaned with longing.
“Please—”
Pleasure coiled in her gut. His fingers twisted, his tongue laving her clit, then sparks were flying, her fingers and toes were clenching, and Jade screamed as her climax hit her full force. Before her body had stopped convulsing, Will’s weight descended on her, his cock breached her and she gasped at the sudden invasion.
“Tell me how it makes you feel,” Will growled in her ear, his breath stirring her hair. “Let me hear you.”
“I—” The words came in a rush as another surge of ecstasy built, rippling outwards from her cunt. “You’re so good, so hard, I want you, I need you, I’m going to—”
With a cry Jade came, and Will’s groan told her he was coming as well, his hips hammering into hers one final time.
* * * *
“What do you think, Jade?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, look at it. Does it need pinning anywhere?”
Shaundra sounded exasperated, and Jade shook her head, coming out of her reverie. She looked at herself in the mirror, at the bridesmaid’s dress she was trying on for the final time. It had been difficult to choose a dress that all four liked—Jade had been reasonable in the face of three brides and their dramatically differing tastes, but she was paying for it, after all, and a hideous dress she would only wear once just wasn’t in her budget at the moment.
The dress was green satin, one-shouldered, with a close-fitting skirt embroidered with leaves. Jade ran an eye over the seams and edges, checking the neckline and the fit around the hips. It looked fine.
“It’s fine.”
“Good. One of us is happy then.” Shaundra turned back to the dressmaker, who was doing some quick work on the hem of her bridal gown. It had somehow dropped on one side.
One of us is happy. That was a joke. Jade had never been less happy in her life.
She knew there was a good reason why she didn’t do relationships. It was much too easy to let herself get hurt, and much too hard to find a man who could handle her. Except now she had, and it was Will Vandenmeer.
And the bastard had left her.
She had woken up that morning a little stiff, her muscles protesting at the activity of the night before. Rolling over, she had found the bed empty and paused in confusion.
Maybe he’s in the shower?
Except he hadn’t been. Nor had he been in the living area. Nor had he left a note. If his bodyguard hadn’t been in a chair by the door, she could have believed he had never even been there at all.
She had waited.
Half an hour passed. The bodyguard was snoring in his seat, and Will had not returned. In the end, her skin flushed and her movements hurried, Jade had dressed, crept past the guard and left.
What a fucking bastard.
Will V
andenmeer. A BDSM-loving billionaire. She had never even dreamt she would want something like that, like him. It sounded ridiculous—she hadn’t wanted to get hurt, so she got into BDSM. And yet it had made perfect sense. Will had taken care of her, made her feel secure. She had wanted everything he offered—she had been willing to do anything for him.
God, she was a fool.
I let myself trust him. I was weak.
No. She hadn’t been weak.
The look on his face that night in the corridor was still in her mind. She had rescued him—he hadn’t seen her as weak. He hadn’t taken advantage of her, that night or last night. She could have stopped him at any time. It had been her choice.
Just maybe not the best choice.
Maybe when she got home she could look into clubs. Find another Dom, see if she liked it.
Yeah, right. You know that’s not what you want.
Jade narrowed her eyes at herself in the mirror. In her mind she saw herself meeting another Dom, one more like she had expected, who would command her and cane her and tell her not to come, and who would follow the rules exactly and leave her feeling empty.
She had learnt a few things about herself in the last couple of days, and she had him to thank for that. But now she was going to have to watch her three best friends get married, all the while knowing she wanted a man she couldn’t have.
And she had him to thank for that, too.
* * * *
It was eleven p.m. when Jade unlocked the door to her room.
They had gone to dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. Piper had insisted on ordering champagne—Leonie had got very drunk and spilled her spaghetti bolognese down her shirt, and Shaundra had fallen off her six-inch heels and knocked a waiter over. Jade had been slightly tipsy, but had managed to get through the meal with no mishaps. In fact, thanks to the constant chatter and the presence of three of her favourite dishes on the menu, it had been a good evening.
Returning to an empty room was less pleasant, but unavoidable.
As she opened the door, her eye was immediately drawn to something on the bed. It was a black box, about the size of a shoebox but cubical, with a gold envelope resting on top.
What the hell? Had reception sent this up? She crossed the room, picked up the envelope and looked at the front. ‘Jade’ was written there in a simple script.
A thought struck her, and she tore the envelope open, catching the enclosed card as it fell out. She could already see the card was written in the same handwriting, and her heart pounded as she read the words.
Jade,
There is no one else I would give this to.
Will
The box was velvet-coated, with a heavy lid that opened on a hinge. Jade flipped it open and stared down at the sparkling contents.
It was a jewelled collar.
She lifted it up, watching as the light reflected from the facets. It was black leather, encrusted with diamonds and emeralds. Turning it in her hands, she found the buckle, gold with an amethyst stud, and so shiny it was almost a mirror.
A knock on the door startled her so much she almost dropped the collar.
Will.
He was standing there when she opened the door, dressed in black jeans and a T-shirt. Automatically Jade stepped backwards to let him in. He was looking at her with desperate eyes, as if he thought she would disappear.
The silence was broken by the thud of the door closing. Jade asked the question that had been on her mind all day.
“Why did you leave?”
“I went to get the collar.” A flicker of anger crossed Will’s face. “I told Matt to let you know and keep you in the room till I got back, but the jackass fell asleep. He’s lucky he still has a job.”
Jade looked down at the collar, which was still in her hands. He went to get me this. He didn’t leave me.
When she looked back up, Will had moved closer, his eyes still fixed on her face.
“So what do you say?”
“I—What does this mean?”
Will raised his hand and cupped her cheek, holding her gaze.
“It means I’m asking you to be my submissive. Permanently. No others—I don’t share, and I don’t expect you to. I’m asking you to be mine.”
“With a contract?”
“I’ll get one drawn up that we both agree on.” Will bit his lip, and Jade felt something flutter inside at this sudden vulnerability. “So—what do you think?”
There was one word that still stood out for her.
“Permanently?”
Will took a deep breath.
“I’m also asking you to marry me.”
Chapter Five
“Oh God. I swear I’m going to faint.”
“Oh, relax.” Jade swatted Leonie’s shoulder. “You’re going to be fine.”
“It’s all right for you,” Leonie muttered, leaning towards the mirror to check her makeup for the fifth time. “You wait till next month. You’ll be shitting yourself.”
Jade shook her head indulgently, inwardly admitting Leonie was probably right. Next month she would be terrified.
Because next month, on a Friday to be exact, was her own wedding to Will Vandenmeer.
She crossed the room to where Piper was posing in front of another mirror, watching how her ivory column dress swished as she turned. Piper raised an eyebrow at her, one corner of her mouth quirking in a smile, and Jade grinned back, suddenly overwhelmed with how events had snowballed.
This was just going to be amazing.
“It’s nice to see you so happy.”
Jade was about to protest that it was Piper’s day, not hers, but stopped. “Thanks. I still can’t believe how quickly it’s all happened.”
“Neither can I, but you know what you want, so you may as well grab it.”
Jade flashed her a wicked grin. “I did.”
“Thanks. I didn’t need to know that.” Piper made a mock-fingers-down-the-throat gesture.
“I’m so jealous,” Shaundra called from across the room, where she was adjusting her tiara. “Your wedding is just going to be huge.”
“I’m just glad I don’t need to organise it all.” Jade shuddered at the thought of trying to plan a wedding in a month. The Las Vegas trip had been complicated enough. Fortunately, Will apparently had contacts in every company on the West Coast, since he had managed to pull strings to organise everything at the last minute.
He had offered his help right from the beginning.
“Seriously. Just tell me what you had in mind, and I can fix it.”
“Had in mind? I’ve never planned my own wedding. I’ve no idea.”
Will had rolled his eyes. “Typical. I’ve picked the one woman on the planet who hasn’t been designing her wedding since birth.”
Remembering the detailed lists Leonie, Piper and Shaundra had had, Jade had found herself laughing. All this had just been too much. In the end, Will had made some calls, and a few hours later had presented Jade with an itinerary.
“What’s this?”
“Appointments with a dress designer, a florist, a wedding cake company and a jewellery designer. Oh, and a couple of potential venues. We can take the rest from there.”
And so they had. After a whirlwind day of silks, roses, glitter icing and hotel ballrooms, Jade had collapsed in Will’s room, exhausted but secure in the knowledge that the ball was rolling on just about every possible issue, and ready to let Will strap her to the beanbag and fuck her into breathless submission.
She glanced down at her left hand, where a pear-cut diamond sparkled on a platinum band.
“I knew you’d pick a weird ring,” Piper commented, pulling back the hem of her dress to admire her ivory shoes.
“Oh, shut up. It’s a solitaire, same as yours.”
“It is not. Mine’s a diamond cut. Only you would go for pear.”
Jade flipped Piper off with her other hand, joining in as Piper laughed. The mood in the room was beginning to grow tense as the ti
me of the triple wedding drew nearer—Jade thought they needed all the laughter they could get.
“It’s so romantic, you guys.” Leonie sat down on an upholstered chair, smiling beatifically at her. “Getting married in a month…”
Piper snorted. “I’d hardly call that collar romantic.”
“It’s a Prada collar,” Shaundra commented. “That makes all the difference.”
The collar was something Jade had worried about, but her friends had been surprisingly accepting. More surprising had been Will’s insistence that she not wear it for the wedding.
“I thought you’d want that. I’m not ashamed—”
“I know, and neither am I. But you’re not just my sub. You’re my fiancée, and what we do behind closed doors is our own business. Besides, I’m not going to hold you up as an example. The press are going to have a field day as it is.”
That much was true. Will’s PR team had been working for days to ensure that nobody gatecrashed the triple wedding in an attempt to get a photo of Jade. How they would handle the actual day was giving Jade nightmares. The comparison between Will Vandenmeer, billionaire, and Jade Bleecker, tattooed freak, would be enough for pages of comment.
But she was happy, and Will was happy, and that made up for a multitude of annoyances.
Especially when she was about to play bridesmaid for three different, panic-stricken brides. Looking around her, Jade could see the tension gradually building in each of their faces, the knowledge that in an hour’s time they would all be walking down the aisle.
It was a good job that she was so relaxed, because she could sense meltdowns on the horizon.
* * * *
The ceremony was beautiful.
Despite Leonie’s pleas, there was no Elvis impersonator. Nevertheless, as she floated down the aisle in a cloud of white daubed with colour—bright blue eye makeup, glittering red heels and a huge bouquet of pink roses—Leonie looked happier than Jade had ever seen her. And Jade had seen her very happy.