Black Obsidian

by Victoria Quinn

  Rome cringed then grabbed my scotch and took a long drink. “I need something stronger for that…”

  I suddenly got the image of pouring scotch all over her perfect body and kissing it away. Drops would move all the way down her stomach to her pussy, and my lips would chase every one, tasting a mixture of sweet and bitter.

  “So you do hate her?” Christopher asked.

  “Whoa.” Rome held up her hand. “Who said anything about hate? I just think she’s a little slutty, but who am I to judge? That’s what you like, right? And since when did you start caring what I think?”

  “I’ve always cared, Ro.” He eyed the bathroom and saw her returning. “Here she comes.”

  She slid into the booth and practically sat on his lap. “Miss me?”

  “Always.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her with more vigor than he should for a public place.

  Rome turned her body into mine, leaning in close and lowering her voice. “Do you need to throw up too?”

  “No. But we can go in the bathroom anyway.”

  Her pretty smile stretched across her lips when she understood my meaning. “Bathrooms don’t turn me on.”

  “Then what does turn you on?”

  “Your bed. I like the way those sheets feel against my skin…so soft.”

  I wanted her on my bed right this second. “We can make that happen.” When I glanced at Christopher, he was making out with Bridget. “I don’t think they would notice if we left.”

  “Probably not,” she said with a chuckle.

  “Or we can just make out.” I didn’t care if anyone watched us. As long as none of the guys beat off to her when they got home, I was cool with it. If anything, I wanted to do it—all night long. Even something as mediocre as kissing was extraordinary with this woman.

  “Gross. I’m not doing that in front of my brother.”

  “Honestly, I don’t think he would notice.”

  Rome’s eyes left my face and moved to the edge of the booth.

  I kept my eyes on her because it was impossible to look away. The light was hitting her perfectly, highlighting her beautiful features and making her eyes look like sparkling emeralds. I thought she was beautiful the first time I looked at her, but as time passed, she somehow became even more stunning.

  “Look who it is.”

  I’d recognize that voice from anywhere. It was cocky and full of arrogance—just like my own. I turned to see Jackson standing there, a woman under his arm. “Just when my night was getting good.”

  Rome glanced back and forth between us, and she immediately connected the dots. “Is this your brother?”

  “You didn’t tell me Vanilla was smart.” Jackson dropped his arm from his lady and extended his hand.

  “What?” Rome had a blank look on her face, having no idea what vanilla meant.

  I glared at Jackson and told him to knock his shit off with just my eyes. I wasn’t afraid to kick his ass right in the middle of this goddamn bar.

  Jackson ignored the question and shook her hand. “I’m Cal’s brother. Jackson. Pleasure to meet you.”

  “You too.” She shook his hand then let go.

  Jealousy like I’d never known swept through me when she touched my brother. The embrace was innocent, more than just innocent, but I wanted to kill Jackson anyway. I didn’t want her touching anyone but me. The impulse was so strong I had to take a deep breath and wait for it to pass. If she were my sub, I would order her never to look at my brother or acknowledge him when he was in our presence.

  Like she’d ever cooperate.

  “And this is…” Jackson stared at his date as he tried to remember her name. “Uh…we just met. Sorry, beautiful. I can’t remember your name.”

  She was too smitten with him to be offended. “Cassie.”

  I shook her hand. “Cal. Pleasure to meet you. This is my girlfriend, Rome.”

  Jackson grinned like an idiot. “Girlfriend?”

  I glared at him again. “Yes. Girlfriend.” If he made a scene right now, I’d kill him. Like, actually kill him.

  Rome picked up on the tension between my brother and me. It was obvious by the look in her eyes. “Would you like to join us?”

  Fuck no.

  “That sounds like a great idea.” Jackson pulled Cassie into his side again. “We’re just going to get some drinks.”

  Goddamn nightmare.

  When they were gone, Rome looked at me with a wary expression on her face. “Is that okay?”

  It didn’t matter if it wasn’t. The damage had been done. “We’ll find out.”

  Christopher and Bridget left because they were ready to upgrade from making out to fucking.

  I wished Rome and I were doing the same.

  Jackson and Cassie took the seats across from us. Cassie had tattoos along her right arm and black gauges in her ears. A small tattoo was just behind her right ear, a simple image of a circle. Without asking her a single question, I knew she was one of us—a woman who wanted to be ruled.

  Jackson ordered a scotch just like I did, probably copying me to annoy me. Jackson had always lived in my shadow since as far back as I could remember. He thought I was favored among my parents. If he knew the truth, he would understand he was the lucky one. But I would never tell him.

  “So…” Jackson leaned forward, fascinated by Rome. He stared at her a little too long and a little too hard. He was clearly attracted to her, understanding my infatuation with her once he laid his eyes on her beautiful face. “My brother is pretty hard up for you.”

  Rome immediately smiled, a blush coming across her cheeks. “That’s flattering…”

  If only she knew what he really meant. “Leave my girlfriend alone, Jackson.”

  “I’m not bothering her.” Jackson swirled his ice cubes in his glass. “You talk about her so much, and now I’m finally meeting her in the flesh. I have to say, she’s out of your league.”

  Rome blushed again.

  “I like that color on your face.” Jackson gave me a knowing look, understanding I would catch his meaning.

  “Sweetheart, I apologize that my brother is such a wang.”

  “I’m not a wang,” Jackson argued. “You’re the douchebag trying to hide her.”

  “I’m not hiding her.” I was trying to protect her from my brother’s nonsense.

  “Look, this is a big deal.” Jackson stopped looking at me, his gaze focused on Rome. “This is your first girlfriend. And now I understand why vanilla is your new favorite flavor.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

  “Vanilla?” Rome asked. “That’s the second time you’ve called me that.”

  I placed my arm around her shoulder. “Ignore him.”

  “Have you been to Ruin?” Cassie asked. “Is that where you met?”

  My eyes snapped wide-open in terror.

  Jackson caught my expression and knew I wasn’t ready to tell her the truth. He was an ass, but he wasn’t that big of an ass. “No, baby. They met at a bar. Let me tell you the story…” He told her about how Rome slapped me right in front of everyone. She put her back into it because I was red for nearly a day afterward.

  Rome turned to me. “What’s Ruin?”

  I didn’t lie, but I didn’t tell the whole truth either. “It’s a bar my brother works at.”

  She accepted the story without question.

  “My brother likes being treated like a bitch, so naturally, he fell for her.” Even though he saved my ass, he was still a dick about it. He gave me a smug look like he was enjoying every second of my unease.

  My brother had pissed me off enough for the night, and now it was time to go. “Rome and I have plans.” I scooted out of the booth and pulled her to her feet. “We’ll see you guys around.”

  Jackson gave me a curt wave. “Rome, let me know when you’re ready for a real man.”

  Rome wrapped her arm around my waist and cuddled into my side. “Calloway is the only one man enough for me.”

  That
same wonderful sensation from earlier traveled down my spine and entered my groin. I was moved she said that—and not because I asked her to. Now I wanted to get back to my place as quickly as possible and get her naked. I wanted to eat her pussy all night long—make her mine as thoroughly as possible.

  “You look so much alike.” Rome shook her head as she stood at the stove in my kitchen. She made herself a pot of tea, something she usually did after she had dinner. It was a ritual, and I wondered if she did the same thing before bed.

  “Lucky for him.” I didn’t want to talk about my brother, but I couldn’t ask her not to. Naturally, she would be curious. I couldn’t snap that out of her.

  “You guys aren’t close like Christopher and I…” Sadness entered her voice.

  “No. We’re both too headstrong to tolerate one another.” We both needed to be in charge at all times, and that need for leadership resulted in major power struggles. He always tried to undermine me, and sometimes, I wanted him to, just so I could punch him in the face.

  “Do you prefer to be called Cal or Calloway?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It seems like most people refer to you as Cal.”

  They did. But I liked it when she used my full name. No one else ever did. “I like it when you call me Calloway. Or your boyfriend. Either one is fine.” Or the man you want between your legs every night. Honestly, I’d prefer the last one.

  She came to the table and set her steaming mug of tea down. Then she straddled my hips and sat on my lap, her pussy directly on top of my cock. Within seconds, she felt it inflate like a balloon. Knowing just my jeans and her panties kept us apart was a turn-on. Her dress rose up to her hips when she sat down, exposing her gorgeous thighs for me to cherish. “Calloway.” She said the name slowly, treasuring the sound of each syllable. “What does vanilla mean?”

  I should have prepared for this question. Jackson was an idiot and said it twice like she wouldn’t notice. “Nothing.”

  She tilted her head to the side then placed her hands at the top of my jeans. She unbuttoned the top but didn’t touch the zipper. “Calloway, what does it mean?” She pressed her face close to mine but didn’t kiss me, intimidating me with her sexuality.

  It was fucking hot. “You’re a good girl.”

  She unzipped my jeans so my cock could finally come free. “You think I’m a good girl?”

  No. I knew she was. “You wouldn’t make me wait four weeks if you weren’t.” I was used to women who only wanted to fuck. When Rome initially told me she wanted to wait, I was annoyed. But now the wait was a turn-on too. She wasn’t the kind of woman who just slept with any man. She was picky about who she allowed deep inside her. I was one of the lucky few who were worthy of her. I was one of the few who were man enough for her.

  “Maybe I just wanted to torture you.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat, picturing how slick and wet her pussy would be. “Mission accomplished. You’ve got me on my knees.”

  She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her face close to mine. She brushed the tip of her nose against my cheek before she kissed the shell of my ear. “I thought about cutting the wait down, but since I’m so vanilla, I’m gonna make you wait until the very end.”

  My fingers dug into her thighs. “Sweetheart…” I clenched my jaw because I wanted to be inside her so bad. I was in the middle of the desert without a drop of water. It was the longest dry spell I’d ever survived. The second I sank into her, I’d fuck her so hard she wouldn’t be able to walk.

  “Beg me all you like, but I’m a good girl. And this is what good girls do.”

  We lay together in my bed after we fooled around. She gave me amazing head, too awesome for a good girl, and then she massaged my shoulders like I was her king. She was a selfless lover, always giving me what I needed and then something extra.

  I knew she would make the sex amazing.

  It was getting late, and exhaustion was creeping into my limbs. Sometimes, I considered falling asleep with her, but I knew what would happen. It was a road I couldn’t take with her. Eventually, I would have to tell her the truth.

  She needed to know at some point.

  But I didn’t want the questions or the sympathy. I wasn’t ready for the long conversation that would follow, the prying into my past that I wanted to forget. It was easy to procrastinate.

  She got up on her own and grabbed her dress off the floor. “I should get going…” She wanted to stay. The sigh of longing in her voice made it obvious she wanted to sleep in that bed beside me, her arms linked around my neck as our breathing fell in sync.

  But I had to deny her. “You’re probably right.” I got dressed and drove her to her apartment. I hated taking her home every night because it meant I had to say goodbye until I saw her again. I hated the silence in the car, the heavy feeling of disappointment. We were both tired and we should have both been in bed, not saying bye on a doorstep like inexperienced teenagers.

  I walked her to her front door and gave her a kiss. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

  “Goodnight. I’ll see you later.” She got the door unlocked and walked inside.

  I didn’t want to say goodbye. I wanted to keep her in my arms throughout the night. I wanted to eat her pussy for breakfast and watch her get ready for work in my bathroom. I wanted to make coffee for her in the kitchen before she left for work.

  But none of those things would ever happen.

  16

  Rome

  I was Calloway’s first girlfriend, apparently.

  At least that’s what Jackson said.

  And that’s how Calloway introduced me to anyone we came across. Being his first meant something to me. It allowed me to put up with the fact that he wouldn’t allow me to sleep over. It helped me forget that I wasn’t completely satisfied with the parameters around our relationship.

  But I was still falling so goddamn hard.

  I didn’t want to wait another week. I didn’t think I could survive seven days without feeling him inside me. At first, the request was just to protect myself, but now, I didn’t want to be protected.

  I was ready.

  I’d waited too long to get my feet in the water. I’d waited too long to jump headfirst into the unknown. Now, I needed to do it and enjoy it. I needed to do it with Calloway and hope for the best.

  And it probably would be the best.

  I had a meeting with a donor, so I got off work much later than I normally would. Calloway texted me and invited me to his place for dinner. He didn’t usually take me out to dinner because he liked the privacy of his home.

  I preferred it too.

  I could eat dinner while sitting on his lap, or he could he eat while I sucked his cock under the table. And more importantly, we could eat buck naked.

  I was running late, so I had to speed walk to my apartment. When I finally got onto my floor, I was sweaty from busting my ass, and my feet were killing me from the stilettos I wore. Just when I reached the door, I noticed it was cracked—and the lock was busted.

  Someone broke in.

  “Motherfucker.” This happened to me last year, and they took all of my things. My computer and TV were gone, and they took my autographed Stephen Curry basketball. That last one pissed me off the most. The police never found the burglars, and I was angry for weeks.

  I stormed into the apartment and saw everything misplaced. The armchair was moved and the bed was pushed up so they could access whatever was underneath. The TV wasn’t on the table. It was on the ground with the cord wrapped around it.

  They were still in here.

  An arm wrapped around my throat and choked me, coming from behind the door. He pulled with all his strength, immediately collapsing my airway. “Scream, bitch. See what happens.”

  I slammed my heel onto his foot so hard my heel snapped.

  “Fuck!” His arm loosened when he cried out in pain.

  I threw my head back and hit him square in the nose.
>
  “Shit!”

  I grabbed his arm and pulled it across my shoulder before I hurled him to the ground, making his heavy body fall with a loud thud. I only had seconds before he regained his footing, so I turned him over and sat on his lower back, pulling his hands behind his back. “Scream, bitch.” I slammed his head into the floor just for kicks.

  He got one arm loose and threw my body to the ground. Quickly, he moved on top of me and slugged me hard in the eye. In quick succession, he hit me again, making my mouth ooze with blood.

  Now I was pissed. “You fucking asshole.” I threw my palm up and hit him in the nose, breaking it. I could hear it crack like a firecracker.

  I pushed him down to the floor, on his back like before. This time, I yanked my computer charger off the table and quickly wrapped it around his wrists, making a knot like I learned when it was twelve.

  He moaned incoherently, his words rambling out.

  I pulled out my phone and called 9-1-1 on speed dial. “Enjoy your time in the slammer, bitch face.”

  The police conducted their investigation, but there wasn’t much to look into. It was pretty clear what happened.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” Officer Dean pressed.

  “Really, I’m fine.” My eye was swollen shut, and my lip kept bleeding. “My only problem is being hideous for a few days.”

  He didn’t crack a smile. “I still strongly suggest it.”

  “Trust me, I’ve had worse.” This was nothing compared to what I was used to. I’d broken my ribs twice, and there was a metal plate in my skull. It was such a bitch going through airport security.

  “That doesn’t sound good.” He put his notepad in his holster. “The locksmith won’t be here until tomorrow. You have somewhere to stay tonight?”

  “Yeah.” I’d slept on Christopher’s couch before. It was pretty comfortable. “Thank you, Officer Dean.”

  “Of course, Ms. Moretti.” He nodded before he stepped away.

  When I looked at the front door, I saw Calloway walk inside. With his eyes as big as melons, he walked in and saw the messy scene before him. My stuff was in disarray, and the burglar was cuffed and ready to be escorted out by the police. Finally, his eyes moved to my face, and he saw the blood and bruises. “What the fuck happened?” He charged me like he was about to knock me down. He cupped my face and looked straight at my injuries, his jaw stern with ferocity. “Rome.” His hands moved to my shoulders, and he squeezed me so hard it actually hurt.