Hyland's Consort

by Felicity Brandon

  “The honeymoon suite.” Connor shifted in his chair. “We know they’re booked into The Prince of Wales suite, and let’s face facts, it’ll be a lot easier to bring Sean to heel once he’s alone and has his mind on bedding his bride.”

  “Don’t.” My hands balled into fists at the idea of what he would do to Hilary there. “I just... can’t think about that.”

  “So, don’t think about it.” Connor shrugged. “I’m still right.”

  There was the Reilly arrogance I’d known for so long. Connor was like Teflon—however dirty the aftermath, nothing ever stuck to him.

  “You’re right.”

  It scarcely pained me to admit it anymore. This was about Hilary, about saving her from Hyland’s grimy grasp. I didn’t understand what I felt for her, but whatever had happened between her and Sean, she was on my mind all the time. I needed closure almost as much as she needed rescue. I should have taken affirmative action days ago, and I would have if I had pinned down where he was hiding her. It had taken the wedding to bring them out of seclusion.

  “I’m glad you think so.” He leaned back in his chair self-righteously. “To answer your concern, I have eight other guys, ten of us in total.”

  “You’re coming?”

  Not that it mattered. I would take this chance, risk it all for Hilary, but I didn’t want to assume his participation. It had taken an injection of his enthusiasm to see past Dalton’s logic, to make this plan a reality, but now that I had it, I would take it on, alone if I had to.

  “Of course, I am.” Connor laughed. “This imbecile is clearly just like his uncle. He needs to be taken down a notch or twenty, and I’m just the man to help. It was always going to be me, Saul.” His grin grew. “Dalton is too caught up in what happened with Delilah. The memories are too raw.”

  “Of course.” For the first time in too long, a twinge of guilt bloomed. I had been nothing but a sod to Dalton, rude and irate since Hilary was snatched. In reality, all he’d done was support me, The Syndicate, and do everything he could to protect the woman he loved. I’d been a swine. “I’ve been a wanker to him.”

  “He’ll get over it.” Connor smiled. “Dalton’s a big boy.”

  “Yeah.” I sighed, reaching for my glass of water. It was time to sober up and start thinking straight. “I’ll speak to him properly when all of this is over.”

  “He’ll be thrilled when he finds out.” Connor flashed those perfect teeth at me. “You know how much he loves a gunfight.”

  “He’ll get over it.” I intentionally copied Connor’s earlier words. “It is still me who runs this show. He’ll have to live with my choices.”

  “Great.” Connor clapped his hands, his enthusiasm for the brewing plan more than clear. “Midnight it is. We’ll meet in the car park.”

  “Why so late?”

  I didn’t know why I was pushing the point. Connor had already explained the logic, but all I could think about were the things Hyland would be doing to Hilary in the interim. I gulped down the hideous thoughts, draining the rest of the water.

  “By then, they’re sure to be on their own.” He went through the reasoning, though I could tell he was exasperated. “That’s what we want. It gives us the maximum chance of success. We’ll have the element of surprise, and his guard will be on the floor. How many men expect to be ambushed on their wedding night?” Connor’s face lit up at the sound of his own plan.

  “None,” I concurred. His reasoning was sound, even if I wanted to vomit at the idea of waiting. Connor had a plan, which was more than I had half an hour ago. Even if they were married and had consummated that union, it didn’t matter. I would still take her back and pay for the very best divorce lawyer money could buy. I’d unravel Hilary from that bastard if it was the last thing I did.

  “Midnight, it is.”

  “Good.” Connor stood, thrusting his palm in my direction. “Until then, don’t let on to Dalton. The last thing we need is hours of him lecturing us about our scheme.”

  “Not a problem.” I grasped his hand and shook it firmly. “He won’t hear it from me.”

  “We’ll take two of the black sedans,” he went on matter-of-factly. “Cars that don’t arouse suspicion and are instantly forgettable. We’ll enter from both sides of Piccadilly and take the staff entrances at the back of the building.”

  “Okay.” All of a sudden, Connor was in charge, making the rules and giving the orders. It might have been disconcerting had I not needed his morale so badly. “And bring plenty of weaponry. An arsehole like Hyland will be armed, wedding night or not.”

  “Oh, I hope so.” Connor chuckled, his hand falling to his side. “I’m counting on it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Sean

  SO, THIS WAS WEDDED bliss. Stretching back in the large armchair provided by The Queen Elizabeth Room, I marveled at how long it had taken me to capture it, my attention sliding inevitably to the bride who had made the impossible a reality. Balancing on all fours, she was naked, the attempt at a gown I’d bought discarded after we’d eaten. She’d been gagged and shackled, though I’d gone to great lengths to ensure the chains running between her wrists and ankles were white and her wonderful firm breasts were decorated with the clamps I’d brought along for the occasion. Small and silver, each was adorned with a tiny bell, which chimed whenever she moved. I smiled at the sound as she shifted on her hands and knees, reaching down to stroke her backside. Still plugged and glowing from her recent spanking, her arse was on display for all our guests to see, but only I would get to enjoy it.

  “Sean.” Tony Peel loomed over me, grinning as he took in the plight of my new wife. “No, don’t get up. I just wanted to thank you both for my invitation. Sindy and I have had a great time.”

  Gesturing toward the brown-eyed woman fidgeting beside him, my focus flitted to Sindy. She couldn’t be more than twenty, while Zander’s old friend, Tony, was fast approaching his dotage. “I like the way your marriage is working out. It’s nice to see such a compliant wife.”

  “Thank you, and you’re welcome.” Extending my long legs, I rested my shoes on the small of Hilary’s back, laughing darkly. “She also doubles as a fine footrest. Fancy it, Sindy?”

  Her face erupted in a hot blush as she glanced down at Hilary. Right on cue, my bride swayed, the motion causing the minute bells to tinkle.

  “Er, no, thank you.” Sindy shifted awkwardly.

  “Perhaps I need to upgrade!” Tony roared with laughter, beaming at his date’s obvious discomfort. “Until then, I wish you goodbye.”

  Lifting my hand, I offered a small salute, watching as they turned, his hand sliding to Sindy’s backside and squeezing. The man was odious, the last sort of person I’d want around Hilary, but he had huge sway over the London docks, and even I wasn’t arrogant enough to think the Hyland name could rule without help. I needed men like Tony supporting my endeavors, ensuring the right shipments got through without the normal customs checks. Keeping wankers like him sweet was important.

  Hilary’s mewl garnered my attention away from the old man. Smiling, I reached for my glass.

  “What’s wrong, darling?” I purred. “You’re used to being my footrest by now, aren’t you?”

  She turned her head and fixed me with what she probably thought was a venomous stare. The effect was diluted by the long line of drool gravity helped to the carpet as she moved, alongside those beautiful chiming bells at her tits.

  “Oh, you’re right, I suppose.” Sighing, I drained my champagne, handing it to a nearby member of staff. “It is time we retired.”

  Lifting my feet from her back, I grasped the leash, still connected to the white collar at her neck, a little tighter, an unspoken reminder of who was in charge—if there could be any doubt. A part of me wondered why she had been so obedient. Hilary could have put up a fight when I stripped her or when I insisted she crawl and beg. I reasoned a lot of the acquiescence was due to sheer embarrassment. She didn’t know any of the people assem
bled, and her humiliation was clearly vast. Maybe she’d reconciled the best way to survive was to keep her head down and do as I said, knowing—accurately—I would make her pay if she refused me.

  The other possible cause of her compliance was the tantalizing prospect she might actually have been enjoying the objectification. It would hardly have been the first time. Coupled with my constant teasing, using Hilary this way had made her wet and frantic. Whatever the reason, the fact she hadn’t resisted was fucking glorious. It was a wedding that would go down in history.

  “Ladies and gentlemen!” I called the room to attention, relishing the way Hilary’s head fell at the increased attention. “Let me thank you one and all for attending our special day.”

  A respectful round of applause broke out around the elegantly furnished space.

  “I know I speak for my wife when I say we are eternally grateful.”

  “Pretty sure she can’t say much!” Henry Basinger roared with hilarity at his quip, and several other guests joined him with their laughter.

  “That’s true,” I concurred, tugging Hilary’s leash for effect. “So, you’ll just have to take my word for it.”

  “Thanks for inviting us.”

  I turned my head to witness Bill Foley lifting his glass.

  “It’s been a hoot.”

  “I’m glad you agree.” I forced a smile in his direction. Foley was the very worst of us—another necessary evil. “Of course, you are all welcome to stay and enjoy yourselves on me, but it’s time I took my bride to bed.”

  A loud cheer rose from the group, along with some crude remarks about what a lucky sod I was.

  “I know, I know.” Lifting my hands, I received their applause with a grin. “I’m a lucky bastard, but it’s time I enjoyed my conjugal rights.” Stepping away from my seat, I yanked at Hilary’s neck, compelling her to join me. “I hope to see you all again soon.” Hopefully, not too soon.

  Flashing a smile at the remaining guests, I encouraged my crawling wife to the door, relishing the sound of her chiming tits before I ordered her to stop and rise to her knees. A very red-faced Hilary met my knowing gaze as I reached down to collect her. Meeting her humbled expression, I helped her to her feet, then lifted her from the ground, throwing her over my right shoulder. I snickered at the shouts that came from the room behind me, patting her bare arse as I turned to leave.

  This was the part of the day I’d been looking forward to the most.

  Hilary

  IT HAD BEEN EVERYTHING I’d feared and far worse than any of my lewd nightmares. The reality was burned into my psyche for all time. For hours Sean—my new husband—had subjected me to a range of degrading treatments, and he’d done it in front of a roomful of strangers. The church had been awful enough, but to bring me somewhere as sumptuous as this and expose me to more misery—it was too much.

  Fresh tears welled in my eyes as he strode from the room, with me thrown ungracefully over his shoulder. His hand stroked my behind, nudging the butt plug still buried there. I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to ignore the demeaning noise the annoying clamps on my nipples insisted on producing. The things barely hurt, but the disparaging sound was enough. No doubt the point was to drill the reality home—I was his wife now, a thing he could strip, bind and torment at will.

  “Fortunately for you, I know a back entrance to our suite.”

  Sean patted my arse again, presumably alluding to a crude comparison of my backside and the hotel. Balling my hands into fists, I considered banging them, along with the chains he’d forced me into, against his body, but there was little point. Acting up would only piss him off, which wasn’t the smartest move when he was en route to the place he wanted to fuck me for the first time. He’d also promised me pleasure, and God help me, I didn’t want to risk that now. Having endured so much, I merited a few orgasms at least.

  “It won’t be long now.”

  I shivered as a rush of cold air passed over me, just about able to make out an outside courtyard. Oh God. Closing my eyes, I prayed we’d be gone from here soon. He was carrying me naked through a courtyard! I didn’t open them again until I noticed the change in air temperature, my scant line of sight confirming we had indeed reentered a building. Taking a flight of steps a few at a time, I wondered how fit Sean was. I was hardly a tiny woman, yet he seemed to manage my weight with little effort.

  “Here!” He was gleeful as he swung open a door and marched us inside a carpeted hallway. “Here’s our love nest.”

  I heard the sound of a key turning in a lock, and a moment later, he strode inside. This—wherever this was—was to be the site of my next ordeal, but finally, one I’d been looking forward to.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Sean

  SETTLING HER ON THE bed, I commanded her shackled hands above her head, her knees splaying in silent invitation. There was nothing holding her there, nothing tying her down or compelling her to stay. Her ankles and wrists were in chains, but she could still move, could have left the bed, and made it to the door. I wouldn’t have stopped her.

  Smiling down at her large imploring eyes, I chuckled to myself. Who was I kidding? Of course, I’d have stopped her, but the point was, Hilary could have chosen to do those things, but she remained silent, save for her ragged breaths, her expression expectant. I’d promised her pleasure on our wedding night, and no doubt, after everything she’d been through today, she thought she deserved it. She was probably right.

  “It’s been quite a day.” I loosened my tie, allowing it to fall around my neck as I gazed down at her. “But we finally did it, beautiful. We’re husband and wife.”

  A strangled whimper bled from her lips, the sound somewhere between agony and ecstasy.

  “I know just how you feel, baby.” Shrugging out of my jacket, I allowed it to pool at my feet before I unfastened the top button of my shirt. “I’ve been feeling that way, too.” Locking gazes with her intense stare, I moved to the end of the bed, assessing the glistening pussy I was hungry for.

  “Now, there’s only one more thing we need to do to make it official.” I couldn’t repress the smile which widened at the tantalizing thought. “It’s time to make you mine.”

  Pressing my palms into the bedding, I climbed over her body. I half expected one of her delicate feet to come flying at me, one last shard of resistance, but as I shifted to straddle her, there was none of the fight I’d witnessed in the past. Gazing down at her face, an urgent desire to kiss her washed over me, and unthinkingly, I slid one finger to her lips, maneuvering the white ball from its place.

  “Talk to me.” What was this? Was I looking for consent after all the sick things I’d put her through?

  “Sean.” Hilary’s voice was a frantic growl, the noise tightening my balls.

  “What?” Brushing my lips over hers, I wanted to fucking devour her. “What do you want?”

  Her lids fluttered closed. “I don’t even know anymore,” she admitted huskily. “I don’t know what to think anymore, Sir.”

  She’d corrected herself without any prompting, the reality pleasing me more than was reasonable.

  “You want me.” There was no query in my tone, only arrogance a Hyland could master.

  “Do you care?” She blinked up at me.

  “I said I’d never take you by force.” Pressing my palms on either side of her head, my cock ached to be free from its fabric prison and finally impale my bride.

  “You said you wouldn’t need to.”

  “And do I?” I probed, lowering my face and inhaling her sweet aroma. Hilary smelled so good, like honey and flowers.

  “No.” She sounded defeated. “No, Sir. I want you.”

  “I know you do.” No doubt that sounded even cockier than it had in my head, but it didn’t matter. She may as well know the man she’d promised to honor and obey. “But I wanted to give you this chance to refuse me, to speak.”

  Blowing out a breath, her hands rose from the bedding, reaching for my face.

/>   “You’re giving me a choice, Sir?”

  Her tone was sardonic, but rather than rile me, I smiled.

  “Yes. Now’s an appropriate time, wouldn’t you say?”

  “Yes, Sir.” Her small fingers grasped the stubble at my chin.

  “I meant what I said.” Lifting one hand, I captured her fingers and pressed them to my lips. “I’m a sick, possessive bastard, but now that you belong to me, you’ll want for nothing, Hilary. I will take care of you.”

  “I suppose I have to believe you.” There was a glimmer of jest in her voice, though it faded as the sentence ended. “I’m your wife.”

  My lips curled at the way that sounded.

  My wife.

  She was my wife.

  “That’s right,” I agreed, easing her hands back to the bed behind her. “From now on, we work together, and the first thing we’re working on is what I promised you.”

  “What’s that, Sir?” Hilary’s eyes flashed with desire, evidence she knew precisely what I was talking about.

  “Your needs.” Inching down her body, my attention flitted to the clamps still attached to her breasts. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.” I hadn’t intended to say the words out loud, but they’d escaped my lips like a reflex. I was a man of the world, a man who’d bedded a hundred women—each of them as attractive as the next—but I couldn’t recall ever craving someone like this.

  “Sean.” Her hips rose from the bed, brushing against my body, goading me. “Please.”

  “Do they hurt?” Ignoring her entreaty, I flicked one of the small silver bells, enjoying the chime that had accompanied my evening.

  “Not really, Sir.” She pulled in a deep breath. “To be honest, I quite like them.”

  Gazing up the length of her body, I grinned at her audacious reply. It sent fire to my blood.

  “What a beguiling woman you are.” My brow rose as I continued my journey down her body, planting kisses on her toned stomach before I reached the holy grail. “And how about this pussy of mine?” My heart raced at the accuracy of the question. It was mine, all of her was—she was.