Love So Dark: Billionaire Romance Duet

by Stasia Black

  Twelve

  CALLIE

  When we get to his room, I’m not sure who is taking care of who. From all I’ve read, aftercare is supposed to be the dom/domme’s job, so I head straight for the large Jacuzzi bath and set the faucets going. But it’s Jackson who takes my hand after I’ve undressed to lead me inside.

  Jackson settles his large body behind mine and curls me into his arms as the jets start their magic work. The pumping jets ease away all stress, anxiety, and mixed emotions about what did and didn’t work tonight.

  I sink into his warm body and his big hands as they start to work shampoo through my shoulder-length hair, massaging my scalp until I’m completely limp against him. He seems pleased by my reaction.

  “That’s right,” he murmurs, cupping one big hand over my eyes while the other splashes water over the suds to rinse out the shampoo. I should probably be doing this to him. From the outside it makes sense for a sub to serve his master like this, but really, it throws off the control dynamic. I ought to be the one taking care of him.

  I’m about to say something when he soaps up my shoulders, gently massaging as he goes. But fuuuuuuuck it. That feels so good. And right.

  Because you know what? Roles were never going to be strictly black and white between us. He’s too alpha, and apart from the times when I just need to be in control, I can’t deny I love being pampered and taken care of like this.

  Still. Aftercare is aftercare. Once he’s massaged me all the way to my toes, spending a fair share of time making sure each centimeter of my breasts have been scrubbed squeaky clean, I flip over so that I’m facing him.

  His thick member bobs in the water between us. He may have come earlier, but it couldn’t have been that satisfying. I press my soap-slicked body against his, his erection sandwiched between us.

  Time for a new game. He groans and presses his hips up against me. So predictable.

  I pull my hips back. Before tonight, the words I would’ve used to describe Jackson were disciplined, in control, and—to everyone but me at least—standoffish.

  Yet just in this one session, I’ve broken through to levels of want that bring out the horny teenager in him. I’ve seen him stripped of the control he values so highly. And it’s magnificent.

  Because I’m betting I’m the only one who has seen this side to Jackson since he actually was a teenager. It’s probably something he’s ashamed of and thinks he should hide. Just like the many things I have tucked away. Secrets. Including the secrets he won’t tell.

  Yet. He won’t tell me yet. Rome wasn’t conquered in a day and Jackson Vale won’t be either.

  I run my wet fingers through his hair. The bath seems to be doing its magic on him as well. His head is relaxed against the sloping side of the bath and his eyes are lazy in spite of his cock standing at attention.

  Maybe he’s just accepted this is how it will always be between us. He’s not begging, which is very good. I couldn’t handle my man constantly begging to get off, like the whiny guy in Mistress Nightblood’s scene. But no, Jackson would never demean himself like that.

  I squirt some shampoo in my hand from an expensive-looking bottle on the ledge and work it through Jackson’s hair. His eyes close and all his features soften. God, he’s gorgeous. The heavy ridge of his brow and his sharp, arrow-shaped nose. I could sit and stare at him for far too long if I let myself.

  I’d think he was asleep if not for the fact that he bends his head forward for me to rinse his hair. That and the aforementioned boner that has not settled down one bit. I chuckle to myself as I cup water and pour it over his head, working the shampoo out and drawing my hands down his solid back. Just having him under my hands is getting me all riled up again too.

  I move myself in the tub and push him forward so that I can scoot behind him. Then I wash his back with long strokes. Once he’s clean there, I can’t help it. I start kissing his muscled shoulders, then down his spine, vertebra by vertebra.

  Even though the bath water is warm, I’m delighted to see the chills on his skin. Such gorgeous skin. Just the right amount of tan so he’s not pasty, but not in an orange way where I imagine him spending time in tanning beds.

  What is his ancestry anyway? Maybe the olive skin tone has more to do with where his parents or grandparents came from than spending much time in the sun. I kiss up his neck and nip him on the back of his ear.

  Oops. That seems to have set off some kind of reaction in him, because the next thing I know, Jackson has pulled me around to the front of his body, cock grinding between us again as he lifts me out of the bath. The Domme in me wants to protest, but the girly girl, Callie, is loving it.

  Besides, the previous scene is over and we are just figuring this whole thing out. I don’t think Jackson and I are the kind of folks who are interested in a 24/7 power exchange sort of thing. I breathe out in relief at that. I don’t think I’d have the energy to keep that up all the time.

  And when he lays me on the bed, eyes dark and looking like he wants to make a feast of me? Yeah, I’m on board with that too.

  Except that when he leans over, his whole body over mine to kiss me, I’m slammed with a sense of claustrophobia. Can’t breathe, can’t breathe.

  I immediately hook my foot through his inner knee and grab his elbow, then transfer my weight like I learned in self-defense. The next second, I’ve rolled us so that he’s the one on his back with me looming over him. On top.

  Breathe. In and out. Looking down, well fuck. That’s just hot as hell. Jackson’s looking at me like he wants to devour me even more now. I grin, able to breathe again and suddenly growing even hotter by the fact that I was able to not only escape and evade this giant of a man, but captivate him as well. Because when I lean over, letting the low hanging fruit of my large breasts dangle in his face, he seems to have forgotten all about the position and any thoughts of being on top.

  I grind down and the length of his cock rubs my most intimate places. My breath hitches. I’m shocked I was even able to get off on that stupid dildo earlier when the real flesh-and-blood thing was so nearby. Fuck teasing him anymore. Fuck preamble and foreplay and any of the rest of it.

  I lean over him, open the door on his nightstand and, as expected, I find condoms. There’s even a new box, which is appreciated. It’s always nice not to open a guy’s drawer and find a hundred pack with like, fifty of them gone. None of us want to think about who the rest of the pack got used with.

  I tear the packet with my teeth and in the next second it’s rolled down over his shaft. He hisses out his pleasure, dark eyes watching me. I can see from how tensed he’s holding his whole body he’s expecting this to just be another tease. He thinks I’m going to pull back and not deliver. Punishment for some failing from tonight’s scene.

  I frown a little. We’ll have to work on communication in future scenes. Yeah he wasn’t perfect, but it was his first time as a sub. I don’t want him always off-kilter, afraid of what will or won’t happen next. I can see how some Dommes might like that, but it’s not what I want between Jackson and me. Sometimes anticipation is fine. But I’d rather have communication and openness.

  Still, I can’t help smirking at his watchful expression and then I sink down on top of him. His eyelids flutter with ecstasy. His hands aren’t bound this time, though, so he quickly grabs my hips. I’m on top, but I can tell that doesn’t mean that Jackson plans on being a passive participant.

  Using the hold he has on my hips, he lifts his torso off the bed, his ab muscles flexing. “You feel so fucking amazing. I’ve been waiting all night, hell, for months to get back where I belong.”

  He jackknifes especially deep and we both groan simultaneously. Oh God. Fuck. So much better than that cheap piece of shit dildo.

  My hands fall on his shoulders, fingers digging in my nails as I pull him to me. Now neither one of us is really on top. We’re sitting up straight, holding tight onto one another and melded together by our fused, rocking centers.

 
“I’m gonna love you so good,” he says and this time it’s him who nips at my ear.

  I throw my head back, thrusting my breasts forward into his chest. One of his strong hands runs over my mouth, down my chin, then traces my neck down to the valley between my breasts. He continues all the way down until his thumb starts working my clit.

  Oh God, it’s rising too fast this time. Too fast. We just started but there it is. How does he know just exactly where to touch—?

  He starts taking me even harder, rougher. The bed bounces with each thrust. At this angle, the bulbous head of his cock strikes some place deep up inside me I’ve never even known existed before. Is that what people mean when they talk about a G-spot? Holy hell. Jackson rubs at my clit while he continues ramming at that perfect target.

  “Come for me, baby,” he growls. “Do it. Come for me now.”

  And I do. I explode. Fireworks light behind my eyelids and shudders rock me so hard from the inside out I feel like I might rip in two.

  An animalistic noise comes from Jackson as he jerks inside me and stills, holding me to him with a bruising grip while shudders continue to wrack my body.

  We must have slumped back down to the bed at some point, because when I blink my eyes open, we’re laying side-by-side, legs entangled. His cock has slipped mostly out of me. Just the tip remains.

  He seems to notice it at the same moment because he turns away, ties off the condom and tosses it in what I assume is a small trashcan beside his bedside table. “I’ll clean up more later,” he murmurs, pulling me back into him and slipping his thigh between mine again. “I’m not ready to let you go yet.”

  I’m feeling a bit speechless after that orgasm and even if I could talk, what’s there really to say to that?

  I make an assenting noise of some kind and then close my eyes and settle into the warmth of his chest.

  When I wake up, it’s to find Jackson watching me, propped up on an elbow. I startle slightly and pull the sheet to cover my breasts. His eyes stay trained on my face though.

  “What are you staring at, you freak?” I mumble, blushing and letting some hair fall to cover my face.

  “I want to transfer you so you’re working directly with my team on the newest prototype we’re developing. Every report I get from your supervisor says your work is head and shoulders above the rest. I need your kind of expertise and out-of-the-box thinking on my team.”

  “What?” I blink blearily and try to wrap my sleep-fogged brain around what he’s saying. Wait, does he mean—?

  He reaches forward and grabs one of my hands between both of his. “Come work with me.” His eyes zero in on mine, the blue of his irises shining in the morning light filtering in through the curtained windows. “And I mean, work with me side-by-side. No more of this being in the same building but on separate projects crap.”

  I sputter. “Stop it. You know I never wanted special treatment just because we’re…” I wave a hand between our bodies, “… involved.”

  A crease appears between Jackson’s eyebrows. “I’m not just suggesting this because I want to spend more time with you—”

  “But that is one of your considerations,” I butt in.

  His eyebrows drop to a full frown of annoyance. “If you’d let me finish—” He moves so that he’s even closer to me in the bed, face to face. “—It’s not just selfish, it’s good business sense. I’ve been watching the work you’re doing. It’s phenomenal. Even your supervisor Marcy thinks so.”

  I draw back from him. No way perpetual-stick-up-her-ass Marcy can have anything good to say about me.

  “No way.”

  Jackson puts a hand to my cheek to stop me from shaking my head. “Have I ever lied to you?”

  My eyes flare briefly back up to his.

  “She reports that no one cleans code up as quickly as you and that when you discovered Thompson’s bug a few weeks ago—the one that wasn’t just a bug but a logic error—you coded an elegant solution that made the algorithm work three times faster. She said you’re the best on her team.”

  Wow. Marcy paid attention to that? I mean, I included it in my written report, but I didn’t even think she read those things.

  Still. “Then why not promote Marcy herself?” She’s ambitious as hell and would no doubt be pissed if I was promoted ahead of her.

  Jackson smiles at me, head tilted sideways. “A person would think you didn’t want a promotion.” He shakes his head and laughs. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I am in fact promoting Marcy to a top project management position. That’s only coincidental, though. Like you, she’s earned it. All of my employees know that while loyalty is rewarded, skill is what is most highly valued. There’s a reason that we have avenues at CubeThink for bright new talent to rise in the ranks more quickly.”

  Bright new talent? Is that really what he thinks of me?

  This has all got to be a load of bullshit… but his eyes are searching mine earnestly and he looks completely serious.

  And fuck, I hate myself for even thinking it, but this is exactly what I’d need if I was going to go along with Gentry’s plan—an inside track to Jackson’s most exclusive products that he himself is personally developing. Of course, there’s no way in hell I intend on following through and giving into what that bastard wants, but… just in case…

  Can I really refuse a chance to look behind the curtain? To get my hands on the information that Gentry is demanding so I have all the bargaining power?

  Fuck.

  I look into Jackson’s bright blue eyes, lit up instead of dark for once because of the morning light.

  I should continue arguing with him about this ‘promotion.’ It’s too early for such a move. I never wanted special treatment. I was adamant about that from the beginning. And his words might sound pretty, but if he had no personal interest in me, would he really be promoting a college dropout so quickly, even if that college was Stanford? I should shut this down. I swore I’d make my own way in the world.

  But Gentry… and my little boy. And he is promoting Marcy too. I swallow and turn over on the pillow so I don’t have to look Jackson in the face.

  “Okay.” My voice is small. “When do I transition?”

  Jackson’s hands snake around my waist and his chin nuzzles the back of my neck. “Monday. You won’t regret this, Callie. I promise, this is where you belong.”

  I can’t tell if he means in his arms or working with him at his company. Maybe he means both. My chest squeezes hard at the thought. Because what if I can’t find another way out of the bind with Gentry? I think of last night and the intimacy we shared. A deep shudder works its way through my body. I was so upset about him keeping a secret from me but…What if I’m forced to betray him?

  “Are you cold? Come here, baby. I’ll warm you up.” I can hear the smile in his voice as he lifts a powerful leg and wraps it around my body, cocooning me even further.

  Instead of suffocating me like I might have expected, it makes me feel safe. Incredibly safe.

  And the question pings through my head again: oh God, what if I’m forced to betray him?

  Thirteen

  JACKSON

  Bright and early on Monday morning, I lead Callie down the hallway on the floor below mine to meet the rest of the team. It’s hell not touching her. She left my house Sunday morning even though I could have kept her in bed all day long. And all night. And all this morning.

  But she said she had chores she’d been neglecting and I’m not that dense. She needs space. I might want to go from zero to sixty in zero point three seconds but I need to be happy she’s letting me back into her life at all. And she took the promotion. Take the win, Vale. Take the win.

  Didn’t mean I haven’t been going out of my fucking mind waiting for today so I could see her again. I went jogging yesterday. And had an hour long session on the heavy bag. And went swimming.

  Still I could barely sleep last night for excitement about seeing her again.

 
Callie on the other hand? She looks less than delighted to be here. She’s fidgety and her steps are sluggish.

  “Hey, is everything okay?”

  “What?” She startles at my question. “Of course it is. Just had trouble sleeping last night. Nervous before my big day on the new job.”

  She flashes a huge smile.

  A huge, fake smile.

  She nods down the hall before I can question her any more, though. “Come on, I want to see. The sooner you show me what we’re working on, the less anxious I’ll be.”

  What is she not telling me? I frown but follow her. As she pulls open the door to the testing lab, she starts peppering me with questions about the live drone trial today. If she’s trying to distract me, it’s a good technique because I have been excited to show her the new prototype. I can’t really remember the last time I was this excited to show off for someone, actually.

  And Callie’s easy to impress. She looks stunned even stepping inside the state-of-the-art open facility that takes up half the floor of the building. It’s nothing like the floor of cubicles where she’s been working. It’s a sleek white area, well lit, with people buzzing all around as they prepare for the trials.

  “If you don’t close your mouth, a bug’s going to fly inside,” I can’t help whispering, nudging her on the shoulder.

  She snaps her mouth shut and smacks me on the chest. Still, as we enter the space and walk forward, her eyes dart everywhere. We pass several stations with large monitors all scrolling data. In one corner, two quadcopter drones circle one another about a foot from the extra high ceiling.

  Her eyes keep searching until they land on the two techs with tablets who are controlling the drones. In other stations, drones lie in pieces, while elsewhere, complicated programing code fills screens.

  “Holy shit,” she whispers. “This is officially the coolest place ever. I want to see it all at once.”