She had told herself she would settle for playing with another Dom, and she would. Whatever crawled up Jase’s butt and died was not going to ruin her birthday.
The phone silenced just as she pulled open the back door to Rojo, and stomped in, still holding her shoes in her hand, her face still sticky with tears of anger.
She had planned to make a beeline for the bathroom, in an attempt to clean up, but instead she stood frozen in shock at the sight of the man in front of her.
His well-pressed Italian suit clung to him in all the right places; it had always been a favorite of hers. His sandy brown hair fell in a small wave on his forehead, and he looked more than a little embarrassed by the activities going on around him.
“Trevor. What are you doing here?”
“What’s wrong? Have you been crying? What happened? Did someone hurt you?” The only man she had ever loved ignored her question, taking in her current state with concern written all over his face. She watched his inner struggle as he stopped himself from jumping to conclusions and placing the blame on her sister and Pax in a roundabout way as they hovered behind him wide-eyed.
“I tried to call you,” Diamond mouthed silently. The second ring. It hadn’t been Trevor after all. That would have been nice to know.
“I’m fine, Trevor. Go home.” She attempted to move past him, but for the second time tonight, a stubborn man blocked her path. Arms crossed over his chest, scowl firmly in place. Trevor stared at her silently demanding answers. If it had been anyone else, it would have been scarily dominant, a look that would have had her squeaking out her answer with a well-placed sir tacked onto the end for good measure. But it was just Trevor, and this was getting old fast.
“We need to talk.”
“I assure you, we do not. Not tonight. Go home, Trevor. We can talk when I come home.” To get my stuff, and pack up, she added to herself.
“You haven’t been taking my calls.” His face softened to a near pout, and she rolled her eyes.
“Because I didn’t want to talk to you. Not then. Not now. Take the hint, and please leave. I just want to enjoy the rest of my night.”
At this point she pushed past them all, through the club, and out the front entrance into the hotel. She had given up on playing the second Trevor showed up. All she wanted now was a stiff drink, a hot bath, and a gallon of ice cream to drown her sorrows.
The three of them stared at each other awkwardly as Ruby made her exit. Trevor of course, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but the middle of Rojo surrounded by spanking benches, mistresses and subs on leashes.
He was the first one to speak. “So, I don’t suppose I should bother asking what floor she’s on?”
Pax sighed. He really wanted to give in, and get the stuffy dude out of the club before he ruined the vibe for everyone else, but the look on his wife’s face was unmistakable. And, he knew she was right. “Sorry, man. She made it pretty damn clear that she wants to be alone right now. I think we need to respect her wishes.”
“Screw that,” Trevor muttered with a look of disgust. “With all due respect, Ruby and I were engaged. We’ve been together for ten years. If she wants to end things for good, I deserve a little more than having her storm off mid-fight, refuse to answer my calls for days, and refuse to talk to me in person when I drive all the way here to talk to her.”
“I feel for you, man,” Pax responded, and he meant it. “But, I can’t tell you how to find her room. Keep calling I guess. Now that she knows you came all this way, maybe she’ll pick up.”
Not bothering with a response, Trevor spun on his heel and left the same way Ruby had gone.
Diamond turned into his arms, and laid her head across his chest. “Thank you for that. Do you think I should chase after him, make sure the front desk knows not to give out her information? Or go up and check on her? Or maybe even run over to Aubergine, and check on Jase? Try to find out what’s happening with those two?”
Grasping her shoulders, Pax pulled her to arm’s length, so that she saw his face. “I don’t know if we should or not, but I do know that I don’t want you to. Honestly, babe, I think we’ve been caught up in enough Ruby/Jase/Trevor drama this week to last a lifetime, and tonight is supposed to be about me, about us, and about Rojo. It’s our grand re-opening, and I want to enjoy it, with my lady by my side.”
He watched her face soften as she gave in, setting aside her concern for her sister. She leaned against him once more, and he hugged her tightly, planting his hands firmly across her ass cheeks, and giving a territorial squeeze.
She shimmied in his grasp, and looked up at him, expectantly, mischief in her eyes. “I’d enjoy the evening a lot more without…” she began. Knowing exactly where this was going, he placed a finger across her lips and raised his eyebrows.
“Hush. Don’t say it. Don’t even think it.”
“But…” The sound that escaped her lips was more whimper than actual word.
“I want my submissive wife by my side, plug and all.”
Her face fell, and he knew he had assessed her mischief correctly. “The plug isn’t really necessary any longer, Sir. I promise I’ll remember. You’ve made your point well.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Just the same. I think I’ll let the lesson simmer a while longer. I said it and I meant it, Diamond. Plug and all.”
Chapter 11
Ruby stomped around the oversize suite fuming at the most recent turn of events. How had her night started out so perfectly and ended like this, with Trevor chasing her down in the middle of Rojo and Jase moping into a bottle at Aubergine? Jase was supposed to be with her, and Trevor was supposed to be back home in California.
Yet here she was alone in her suite on her birthday having had only a lame onstage spanking and a lot of unkept promises to whet her desires. She wanted to go down and play. Every nerve in her body screamed for the kind of cathartic pain she knew she could find downstairs. At this point, she would willingly throw herself at the mercy of the biggest, scariest Dom in the place just to find relief from the stress that had interrupted her night. But there was no way she was leaving this room with Trevor on the premises.
When the door buzzed, she threw it open without looking and pointed to the living area, assuming it was the copious amounts of food and alcohol she’d ordered from room service. Only when she dug in her purse for a tip and went to hand it to him did she finally look up.
“Dammit, Trevor! Why are you here? How did you find my room, and what in god’s name are you doing with my room service?”
“I met the bellhop outside the door. He was more than happy to let me take over after I let Andrew Jackson do the talking for me. Very dangerous and unprofessional. You should have a talk with Pax about that.”
“Okay that covers the how, somewhat. Now why are you here? I made it very clear downstairs that I have nothing to say.”
He crossed the room to her after placing the tray on the table, and took her hand but she yanked it away quickly. “But I have things to say. I thought after ten years, you’d at least be willing to listen. But I get it. I’m the one who hasn’t been listening. But I’m here and I’m ready now.”
The mention of their history softened her for a moment but when she looked at him, she saw only what they used to have, with no hope for a future. He could never be what she needed, what she craved. Still, maybe this would provide closure; that was something she owed to both of them. With a deep sigh she sat on the chaise. “Fine. I have nothing to say but I’m willing to listen.”
Trevor looked around the room, searching before finally taking a seat on the couch across from her. The distance between them spoke volumes. He stared at her silently for a full minute before opening his mouth to speak. “I’ve been an idiot. An idiot in love but nevertheless an idiot.”
He paused long enough to offer her a sheepish smile before continuing. “I’ve been in love with you since I was fifteen. I asked you to marry me. We were planning a wedding. These are things t
hat I don’t take lightly, and I’m sorry that you felt like I did. I don’t like change. I never have. I’ve lost friends over it. I’ve thrown away relationships with family over it. And it took me losing you to realize what a fatal flaw it is. It took me losing you to come to terms with the fact that people change. Change is a part of life. It might be my least favorite part but it’s a big part of it and I can’t do anything to change that. If someone is important to me, I need to learn how to accept that change, and to love the new part of them just as much as I loved the old parts of them.”
His voice was strong and confident and smooth like butter. He was saying all the right things. Accepting his apology and jumping into his arms would’ve been easy two weeks ago, but now she had gotten a taste of the one thing her soul craved, and she knew she would never be happy in a vanilla relationship with Trevor or anyone else. Saying goodbye was hard. A lone tear streaked a path down her cheek and landed on the white chaise next to her leg. As it landed, Trevor stood and quickly crossed to her, kneeling in front of her and wiping her tear-streaked face with his finger.
“I will do everything in my power to prove that my words are true. To be the man you need.” His voice was choked as he whispered, “Just tell me what you want.”
The truth was on the tip of her tongue. That it didn’t matter what he did, he could no longer be what she needed. She wanted the one thing he wasn’t willing to give. She shook her head sadly, and said nothing.
Trevor wasn’t going to give in that easily. “Please don’t give up on us, on me just yet. There’s something I can do. I know there is. I feel it.” His hand gently stroked her face and she swallowed the lump in her throat. “What do you want?”
She wanted this conversation to be over. She wanted to be alone to drown her sorrows in alcohol and ice cream and finish her birthday with a good cry. Barrett birthdays were cursed. That’s what her sister had always told her. She hadn’t believed her until now. Diamond’s curse had finally ended. Now it appeared to be her turn. She said the one thing she thought would send him running in the other direction. “I just want a spanking.” With the words out, she closed her eyes, sitting in the silence listening for the turning of the doorknob as he finally left. It never came. Maybe he thought he had heard her wrong. Maybe he hadn’t heard her at all. She said it again, elaborating this time so that there was no margin for error. “I want to be spanked hard and for a long time, until the pain washes over me and makes me forget everything I feel right now.” She spoke loudly and clearly, tacking on a long-suffering sigh for good measure. “It’s the only thing I want, and we both know that it’s the only thing the you’re not willing to give me, Trevor, so please just go.”
Trevor remained silent, but she felt his presence as he took a seat on the chaise next to her.
Curious, she peeked at him from behind her hands. It was the wrong thing to do. She caught a glimpse of that smile she had loved so much. Wait… he was smiling? She hadn’t expected that. Peering between her fingers, she peeked again. Yup. He was smiling. That rat bastard. She had bared her heart to him in an attempt to make him leave, so she could nurse her breaking heart in private, and here he was smiling.
They sat in awkward silence for what seemed like eternity, with her hiding behind her hands, blushing up a storm, and him grinning like a fool. Finally, he spoke.
“I’m willing.”
It was the last thing she had expected to hear. Her hands fell to her lap in shock as she stared at him open mouthed. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
“I’m willing. I said I would do everything in my power and I meant it. And even if it’s not for the sake of a second chance, even if all it does is make you feel better for a short time, it would be worth it.” His smile faded. “I hated not being with you on your birthday. We’ve been celebrating it together since we were fifteen. Its only ten years, but it feels like it’s been forever.”
There wasn’t anything she could say, and there was so much she wanted to. She held her breath and waited to see what he would do or say next, inwardly steeling herself for it to be the wrong thing.
It wasn’t. With his smile back in place, Trevor patted his knee, and took her hand. The next thing she knew she was dangling precariously across the chaise, which was, of course, the next best thing to being bent over the back side of it. Her heart pounded in her chest, unwilling to believe that this was really happening, and with Trevor of all people.
“This dress is… interesting. I’d say it needs to come off, but it’s so skin tight I can see that’s hardly an option with you in this position, so I’ll settle for it coming up.” His hands clutched the hem. “Even that will be a challenge. Good lord, what is this thing made out of? Rubber?”
“It’s latex.” The words were strained as she spoke through gritted teeth. This was a bad idea. Tears pricked her eyes. She would let him try. She would just anticipate it being a disaster, but at least then they would both know. Full closure.
“Interesting,” he responded, giving the tight fabric a tug upward over her chafed ass. His hiss told her what she had been wondering. She bore marks, whether from earlier, or from the night before, or both, she wasn’t sure.
“You’ve played with another man.” His words carried a hint of amusement behind the ice as he traced what she only assumed was a small bruise. “That was very naughty.”
Damn. That word. The bane of every sub’s existence with its anticipating deliciousness. All of a sudden, other parts of her were throbbing as well. Not just her heart.
“That’s two strikes against you. It’s your birthday, and you’ve been naughty. A spanking is surely in order.”
Damn it all to hell, she thought, as her pussy gushed at his words. Where was he getting this stuff? It was so hot, and so… not Trevor.
As if he had read her mind, he answered the unspoken question. “You left your Kindle. You have quite a bit of interesting reading material on there.”
“Ohh.”
“Let’s see if I managed to pick up any tips, shall we?”
If he had, she wouldn’t have known, the extent of her spanking experience limited to books, and two lone experiences with Jase since she had gotten to Vegas. But when his hand cracked against her ass with a slap that had her gasping for breath, she got her answer.
Over the top of her existing marks, the pain hit hard and fast. Trevor was not holding back as he laid into her ass with his flattened palm. There was no pattern, or pause, or sweet words spoken as his hand met her ass again and again. It was an entirely different experience from the one she had with Jase the night before. This one was only waves of pain rolling over her, cleansing her from a different kind of pain. She relished each meeting of flesh against flesh, concentrating only on staying still and not crying out so Trevor wouldn’t get worried and stop too soon.
It seemed like he whaled on her tender ass for forever, and by the time he finally stopped, her body was jello, her heart was light and her face was smeared with silent tears. The room was silent suddenly. Without the loud sound of spanking, the only things that could be heard was the labored sound of Trevor’s breathing.
“Well, that was quite a workout,” he joked. “How do you feel? Any better? I can keep going if you want, but I need a little break. My hand is starting to hurt.”
Slowly, she rolled off his lap and curled up behind him on the chaise, laying so that her sore bottom didn’t touch anything. “No more. No thank you. I’m good, and I feel amazing.”
“You do, huh?” Trevor turned slightly, peering at her dubiously from the corner of his eye. “Whatever works I guess. I suppose the pain releases endorphins, and all that.”
“Uh-huh,” she agreed, rolling her eyes. Trust Trevor to break it down into science right off the gate.
“Well, that’s that, then. Do you still want me to go?” His face, what she could see of it from her position was childlike, and full of hope. Telling him to leave would be like kicking a lost puppy.
“Well, the ic
e cream has probably melted by now, but I did order a lot of room service for just one person. I’d hate for it all to go to waste.” It was all she could give at the moment, and he accepted it for the olive branch that it was.
“You did, huh?” Trevor patted his belly as he stood and crossed the room and she giggled. He still had that same teenage boy appetite he had had when she met him. “Well, let’s see what we’ve got then.”
The noon sun peeking in through the shades was the thing that finally woke her, and she stretched, angling her body to land across Trevor’s hard chest, as she snuggled against him, mulling the events of the last twenty-four hours.
Her twenty-fifth birthday had not turned out at all the way she had expected, but in the end, she had gotten exactly what she wanted, and from the last person she would have expected. Maybe Vegas had never been about finding a Dom. Maybe it had never been about getting away and starting over. She had been with Trevor for ten years since she was fifteen. Maybe Vegas had really just been about sowing wild oats. Maybe it was about experimenting with her innermost desires, and making Trevor see that she was serious.
Trevor would never be hardcore into the BDSM scene, she knew that. He wasn’t a PDA kind of guy. But, privately, he had said he was willing to try. He said he could see how much it really meant to her, and that he was finally listening. The proof was in the pudding. Their sex last night had been off the charts amazing, the best they had ever had.
Leaning up, with her chin on her elbow, she cupped his cheek with her other hand. With an oomph of pain, as her elbow dug into his chest, he opened his eyes and peered at her sleepily. “You okay?”
“Yes. I’m great. And I have an answer for you.”
“An answer?” He removed her elbow from its place on his chest and sat up, leaning against the headboard.
“To the question you asked last night? I have an answer.”
“I’m waiting with bated breath,” he answered dryly. “But if I’m going to have to wait much longer, I’d rather be waiting with coffee.”
Claimed (Vegas Nights Book 2) Page 12