Sleight of Hand

by BJ Bentley

  I nodded. “Pretty much. So, we good?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, I suppose we are,” she agreed with a small smile.

  “Cool. We got any pie?”

  I had just polished off a large slice of wildberry pie and was licking my fork clean when both the fork and the plate were wretched from my hands to land on the counter with a clatter, and Aleksander’s large hand wrapped around the back of my neck.

  “Excuse us, Elaina,” he said politely as he dragged me off the stool. “Roberta and I have a few things to discuss.”

  I barely caught the hint of a smile on Elaina’s face as I was being pulled down the hall toward the stairs. He propelled me up the stairs and into his bedroom. Kicking the door shut behind him, he none-too-gently deposited my ass on the bed.

  “Look at me,” he demanded.

  I lifted my chin and met the blue fire in his eyes. I had thought he was done being angry with me. I thought wrong. He clenched his jaw before he spoke again.

  “Again. What’s on the flash drive, Bertie?”

  My body locked. Didn’t he know? He took the flash drive. Doesn’t he already know what’s on it? I swallowed. “Where is it?”

  His eyes narrowed on me, and a muscle twitched in his clenched jaw. His voice was deceptively soft when he said, “That’s not an answer to my question.”

  I jerked my chin up in defiance. If he didn’t already know what was on the flash drive, I sure as hell wasn’t going to enlighten him. That information was dangerous no matter who possessed it, and I was already kicking myself for not destroying it when I had the chance. Leverage, be damned.

  Aleksander sunk his teeth into his bottom lip. “I see. Very well.” He raised his eyes to the ceiling, seemingly thinking over something. “As of this moment, you’re on lockdown. You do not leave this penthouse unless it’s with me.”

  I gasped my outrage, but he ignored it.

  “In fact, I don’t think I’ll let you out of my sight,” he decided.

  “You cannot be serious!”

  He cocked his brow.

  “You’re fucking serious,” I marveled.

  “I’m very fucking serious, sparrow. No more shopping trips with Charlotte. If you need something, you tell me, and I’ll make sure you have it. And no more trips to the roof,” he tacked on.

  “What? Why can’t I go to the roof? It’s not like I’m going to parachute my way down.”

  “Because it’s not safe, Roberta,” he said exasperated. “This is a twenty story building, but there are others that are higher, and any asshole with a scope could take you out. Not fucking happening,” he clipped. “So, you will stay in the penthouse unless I am with you, and only then if I deem it safe.”

  “You’re a Goddamn tyrant!” I mean, I didn’t want to die or whatever, but his ordering me around was really starting to grate on my freakin’ nerves. His control in bed, I could deal with. Get off on, even. But outside of bed, in my life? I was too much of a free spirit for that shit.

  He breathed out a chuckle. “Aww, baby, just you wait,” he promised. Yes, that’s exactly what it was. A dark promise.

  Chapter 19

  Bertie

  I spent the rest of the afternoon moving the things from my bedroom into Aleksander’s, at his insistence. I had a nagging feeling it had more to do with wanting to keep me preoccupied than it did him actually being concerned that my clothing hung alongside his in his ridiculously oversized closet. By the time I had finished, I thought my stomach might eat itself, I was so hungry. I stretched my arms up over my head to work out the kinks from all the bending, squatting, and lifting and moved out into the hall where I came face to face with my seriously sexy, yet seriously annoying, jailer.

  “Dinner’s ready,” he said as he once again wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and steered me down the stairs and into the kitchen.

  My steps faltered when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. “Hey, Bert!” I called with false cheer to my sometimes bodyguard. “Are you having dinner with us?”

  “No,” Aleksander answered for him.

  Steering me to a stool at the kitchen counter, he ordered, “Sit,” and pointed. Because, apparently, I was a dog now.

  “I’d prefer to stand,” I said just to be contradictory, and as immature as it was, I had to fight not to stick my tongue out at him.

  “Sit your pretty little ass down on that stool, Roberta. Take advantage of it while you can.”

  I frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “It means, that after tonight, you won’t be able to sit for a while.”

  I was tempted to challenge that statement, but I knew the second I did, I would have already lost.

  An hour later, I found myself flat on my back in Aleksander’s bed. My arms and legs were spread wide, but I wasn’t bound this time.

  “Tonight, sparrow, I’m going to teach you about control.” He stood casually by the side of the bed in nothing but his gray cotton lounge pants slung low on his hips. “Namely, the fact that I have it. When I give you a command, I expect you to obey. When you do, you’ll be rewarded. But if you don’t, you’ll be punished. Do you understand?”

  I swallowed and nodded.

  “Words, sparrow,” he prompted.

  “I understand, Aleksander.”

  His eyes closed momentarily as he took a deep breath. “Good girl,” he praised. “You’ll stay in the position you are currently in unless I otherwise direct you.” His tone was stern, and there was no hint of playfulness in his demeanor. The way his gaze ate me up made me want to bolt. He always saw much more than I wanted him to. So much more than I would ever willingly reveal. I knew that whatever he was going to do to me would be my undoing, but more importantly, he knew that too. And he was fully prepared to take advantage of it.

  He sat next to me on the bed, so we were hip to hip, and trailed one finger, light as a feather, from my wrist to my elbow and back again. It tickled slightly, but it was also strangely erotic on the sensitive skin of my inner arm. My nipples hardened as a shiver stole down my spine, and I became wet just from that one, seemingly innocent touch. I closed my eyes, tipping my head back into the pillow, and welcomed the heat that his touch brought.

  “I have a question for you, sparrow,” Aleksander said softly enough that I almost didn’t hear him. “What is on the flash drive?”

  “Aleksander…,” I groaned. “Can we talk about that later?” The flash drive, and all the trouble it brought, was the last thing I wanted to talk about when Aleksander was gearing up to do delightfully sinful things to my body.

  He didn’t respond other than to transfer his touch from the inside of my forearm to trace the inside of my upper arm. He kept his touch light enough that it was a tease, which sent another shiver through me. He traced my collarbone and the middle of my chest. My breasts felt heavy and begged for his attention, but he avoided them. I whimpered my frustration.

  “What’s on the flash drive, sparrow?”

  Instead of answering, I pushed my chest up off the bed seeking Aleksander’s hand.

  “Ow!” I gasped when he pinched my nipple.

  “Stay still,” he said blandly. His fingers continued their trek down my abdomen, circling my belly button, and stopping just before they hit the promised land. “Hands behind your head,” he said suddenly and smirked when I immediately complied. “Bend your knees. Bring your heels to your ass.” He stood and moved to the foot of the bed. “Now let your knees fall apart. Show me that pussy.”

  I was completely exposed to him, and while that probably should have left me feeling vulnerable or uncomfortable, the hunger in his eyes made me feel powerful. “Do you want this?”

  His eyes shot up to mine. “Don’t taunt me, sparrow.”

  Undeterred, I licked my lips. “I’m so wet, Aleksander.”

  His control seemed to snap as he dove head first between my legs and sucked my clit into his mouth. The sensation was so intense that I forgot myself.
My arms went out to grab his head as my legs shot out straight. I should have realized my mistake. Aleksander grabbed my legs, shoving them up toward me like he was going to fold me half but swung them to the side at the last second. My body twisted with the movement, and I found myself on my stomach just as Aleksander’s palm met my ass.

  “Ahh!” I cried out as he continued to spank me.

  He took turns slapping both cheeks until the sting that usually blossomed into pleasure turned into real pain.

  “Aleks,” I gasped, with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. “Please,” I begged.

  I felt him climb over me until he was laying mostly on top of me, his weight against my back, and his cock pressing into my hip. “You were warned, sparrow,” he rasped. “You not only disobeyed a direct order, but you dared to taunt me with that sweet pussy. That pussy that already belongs to me.”

  “I’m sorry,” I sniffled, and I felt his hand smooth down my back to my backside.

  He caressed my rear end almost lovingly, soothing the pain and somehow making me melt into him. I wanted to please him and take comfort from him. “Here’s your lesson for today, sweetheart, and I hope you’ve learned it well. I not only control your pleasure, but I also control your pain. Isn’t that right, little one?”

  “Y-yes, sir,” I said, and it must have pleased him because it earned me a squeeze at my waist.

  “Now, I’m going to ask you again. What is on the flash drive?”

  I inhaled sharply in an effort to keep a sob from escaping. “Schematics for a weapon system. The likes of which could destroy the free world if it got into the wrong hands,” I whispered, as if saying it too loudly would alert some evil mastermind somewhere that there was a weapon of mass destruction free for the taking.

  “Good girl,” he whispered in my ear just before planting a soft but wet kiss on my earlobe.

  I leaned into him, seeking more of his affection.

  Chuckling, he said, “Would you like your reward, my sweet sparrow?”

  Biting my lip, I nodded.

  “Good. On your knees,” he ordered as he climbed off the bed.

  I got into position and turned my head to watch him pull a shallow trunk from under the bed. He rummaged around inside until he found what he was looking for.

  “Head down,” he said when saw me watching him.

  I lowered myself down onto my elbows and gathered a pillow to my chest so my upper body was down as far as I could go. Aleksander retrieved the lube from the nightstand drawer and moved onto the bed behind me. I closed my eyes and sighed dreamily when I felt him place soft kisses on my buttcheeks. The same ones he took such satisfaction in reddening. Something cool, presumably the lube, drip between my cheeks. I felt a cold, hard pressure against my hole, and I tensed instinctively.

  “Relax, sweetheart, it’s a plug. Let me in.”

  I forced myself to relax and pushed back, encouraging the intrusion. It took me a minute to become accustomed to the feeling. It was an odd sensation, but the plug wasn’t as wide as Aleksander’s cock, so it wasn’t painful or uncomfortable.

  “Are you wet for me, Bertie?” he asked, trailing his fingers down the backs of my thighs, but not touching me where I ached the most.

  I wiggled my ass. “Yes.”

  I felt his fingers dip into my wet heat and moaned.

  “You are mine. I will not give you up. Not for anybody or anything. Hear me well, Roberta Reynolds. I would set this world on fire before I let them take you away from me.” With that declaration, he slammed into me in one hard thrust.

  His hand gripped my hair and tugged. The world tilted off its axis as the pain and the pleasure melded into one. My wail echoed in the room as my orgasm rolled over me, stripping away all pretenses and baring my soul to the man commanding my body.

  Afterward, Aleksander carted me into the bathroom where he cleaned us both up. Tossing the washcloth into the hamper, he turned to take me in his arms. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I laid my head on chest and sighed.

  “Come along, sparrow, let’s get you back into bed, so you can rest,” he said walking me backwards out of the bathroom and across the bedroom.

  “Are you coming to bed, too?” I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t want to sleep without him, but that was the truth. I was feeling needy, and I craved his arms around me for the rest of the night.

  “I am, sweetheart, but I need to make a phone call first.”

  I winced as I sat on the bed, quickly rolling to my side to take the pressure off my tanned hide, and a strange thought struck me. “Aleksander?”

  “Hmm?”

  “You didn’t seem at all surprised or concerned when I told you what was on the flash drive. Why is that?” I narrowed my eyes slightly.

  “Because it wasn’t a surprise,” he admitted.

  I stared at him until the realization struck me. “You knew! You asshole!” I let him play me! I let him manipulate me into telling him something he already knew just so he could prove that he had the power in our twisted relationship. I seethed with my indignation and briefly considered throwing something at his stupidly handsome face.

  “Calm down, Roberta,” he warned in a low growl.

  I glared at him. “You know what, Aleksander? You can sleep on the couch!”

  His serious face suddenly broke into a grin and he grabbed my chin in a firm hold. “You’re so fucking adorable,” he chuckled lightly. He planted a swift kiss on my forehead while I tried to bat him away. “Go to sleep. I’ll be back shortly.”

  Once he was gone, I fumed until exhaustion took hold and I fell into a deep sleep. I may have been angry, but I was also just thoroughly fucked.

  Chapter 20

  Bertie

  I woke up to five o’clock shadow burn and soft kisses on the back of my neck. Shifting my legs, I pressed my butt back into Aleksander’s groin, eliciting a ragged groan from deep in his throat. One large hand cupped one of my small breasts and gave it a squeeze.

  “You still mad?” His rough morning voice was somehow endearing.

  Suddenly remembering what it was I was supposed to be mad about, I grunted. “Kind of.”

  He rolled me over so I faced him and studied my face. “You’ll get over it,” he declared before sliding his hand down between my thighs and nudging me onto my back. He dipped a finger inside me and spread my wetness around my clit. He nibbled on my breasts while he fingered me to an orgasm. “Ride me, sparrow,” he said as he lay next to me on his back, languidly stroking himself. I had barely caught my breath, but I was already eagerly climbing over him to give him what he wanted.

  Afterwards, as I lay sprawled across his chest, where I had collapsed, his fingers drifted down my spine to my rear end. He gave my tender flesh a light smack, causing me to whimper softly. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and nuzzled my cheek, which I took as his form of an apology. I turned my face toward him so I could plant a soft kiss on his jaw. I was blissed out, and I did not want to move for the rest of the day. Maybe the rest of the week. Unfortunately, Aleksander chose that moment to sit up, taking me with him.

  “No,” I moaned into his neck as he carried me out of bed.

  “Come along, sparrow. Time for a shower. We have plans today,” he said with a smile on his face.

  “What kind of plans?” I asked suspiciously.

  He set me down outside the shower while he turned the water on and tested the temperature. What he didn’t do, was answer my question.

  “Aleksander?”

  He gripped my shoulders and steered me under the shower head. “Just let me surprise you, Bertie. I promise I’ll make it worth it.”

  “Okay.” I was never one to give in too easily, but fighting him and what I felt for him was getting too damn exhausting. If the man wanted to surprise me with something he promised to make worth my while, then I wasn’t going to argue.

  “Okay?” he asked, obviously thinking my quick acquiescence was too good to be true.

  I smir
ked. “Yeah. What? Did I give in too easily? You want to fight about it some more?”

  “Smartass,” he muttered.

  We took turns washing and drying each other. Aleksander pulled his lounge pants back on while ordering me to get dressed in something that was comfortable yet still appropriate to be worn in public. Wondering what on Earth he could have planned for today, I did as instructed, pulling on some yoga pants, a tank top, and a pair of flip-flops. I stepped out into the hallway to find him on the phone with his back to me.

  “Can you help me make this happen?” he asked whomever he was speaking with. “Perfect.” A pause. “Yeah, we’ll be leaving soon. See you there.” He turned to me as he ended the call.

  “I’m dressed,” I announced unnecessarily.

  “Grab your purse and whatever else you might need for the day. We won’t be coming back here for a while.”

  “Why? Where are we going?”

  Instead of answering me, he just quirked an eyebrow.

  “Right. It’s a surprise,” I sighed. I marched back into the bedroom to grab my purse which already held all the necessities. Wallet, lip balm, switchblade. I didn’t really own much else anymore, so there wasn’t anything else I needed to take with me. I dug around in my bag for my lip balm and felt something else I had nearly forgotten about. The burner phone. Shit. I gripped the phone in my hand and considered my options. There was no way I was going to get out of this mess by myself. Besides, I didn’t even have the flash drive anymore. Plus, I knew now there was no way Aleksander would let me go it alone. I decided to do the smart thing for once and give it to Aleksander. As soon as I came to a decision, he appeared in the doorway.

  “You ready to go?” he asked, moving toward the closet. “I just have to throw some clothes on, and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  “Um.” I cleared my throat. “There’s something I have to show you, first.”

  “What is it?” he called from somewhere inside the closet.