by Ravenna Tate
“He’s overprotective because he loves you so much. You’re all he has left.”
She had to take a couple of deep breaths before she spoke. “I realize that, but I’m not a child. I can make my own decisions.”
“Did you tell him that?”
“Of course I did, but you’ve never seen him in full big brother mode.”
Damien looked thoughtful for a few seconds, and then he smiled. “I have an idea. Why don’t we do something with him this weekend? Let him see us together. Then he’ll realize I’m not trying to hurt you and I might not have to say anything at all. Unless he asks. If he confronts me about the way I used to be, thinking I’m still that way, then I’ll speak with him about it and clear the air. Okay?”
“Okay. Thank you. That’s a better idea. That way it’s him bringing up the subject, not you, and Santino won’t think I’ve put you up to it.”
“I want to show him I’m not out to hurt you. He needs to be set straight on my intentions toward you.”
She grinned at the old-fashioned sentiment. “What exactly are your intentions toward me, Mr. Rivera?”
His gaze turned dark and lust-filled, and Sela wondered if they’d make it to the club. Right now, she didn’t care if they ended up here for the night. “My intentions, Miss Chavez, are first of all to make you so hot and wet for me that you can’t even think of looking at another man ever again.”
I’m already there.
“Secondly, I intend to make you so crazy about me that you fall at my feet and do anything I ask you to do.”
“Oh my…” Sela pretended to swoon, but Damien wasn’t quite ready for her theatrics and almost didn’t catch her in time. They both laughed until they were wiping their eyes, and then Sela grabbed her bag again and they went outdoors.
On the way to Paraíso, the club they were attending, Sela asked Damien what the not-so-pretty story was he’d been about to tell her.
“Oh, that.”
“Quit stalling. You said you’d tell me.”
He gave her a droll look. “I know I did, niña, but once I tell you, you might not want to see me again.”
She stopped walking. “Well now I have to hear it. This ought to be good.”
“You’re a brat.”
“No kidding. You just figured that out?”
They resumed walking. “About six months ago, I let a relationship go on longer than I should have. By that I mean I probably shouldn’t have gone out with her after our third date, when she started talking about helping me run my company after we were married.”
Sela came to a halt and glanced up at him. “You were engaged?”
“No. Not even close. I never asked her to marry me, and we never discussed it. She jumped to a lot of conclusions and was—how do I put this delicately? She was unstable.”
“You mean she was batshit loco.”
The corners of his mouth turned up as they began walking again. “Well, yes. That was it in a nutshell. Instead of ending it, I let her go on for a couple of weeks like that, never committing to anything. I can’t even tell you why I didn’t set her straight. I think part of me didn’t want to believe that she was serious, but when she starting showing up at the office and telling my employees she would one day be their boss, I had to step in.”
“What happened?”
He frowned. “She tried to discredit me. She started a smear campaign on the Internet that my PR team was able to quash before too much damage was done, but it meant involving your brother and the rest of my IT team. They eventually had to dig behind the scenes to find dirt on this woman. It seems she’d made a career out of this, and had successfully blackmailed high profile company executives in other cities both below ground and on the surface.”
“Then she was in the wrong, not you.”
“Yes, I realize that, but I’m not proud of the fact that I let it go on too long instead of listening to my instincts. I’m also not proud of the fact that when my IT and PR departments were done, her prior schemes had been exposed. Our company name was never attached to the blog posts, or course, but I think we went too far.”
“Why did you go as far as you did?”
“She tried to make a fool out of me and my company.”
Sela understood the male macho ego better than Damien likely thought she did. “So what happened after you made sure she couldn’t come after you? Did you swear off dating?”
He stopped again and gazed down at her. “Yes, I did. Until last Wednesday, that is.” Sela sighed as he brushed a finger along her face, sending shivers down her spine. “Until you walked into my life. You’re the woman I’ve waited for, Sela. There is no one but you, and there never will be again.”
How could she help falling in love with this man?
Chapter Nine
As they approached the club, Sela called her brother and asked if he wanted to meet her and Damien at the mall the next day. “Why?” he asked, his voice full of suspicion.
“Because you haven’t seen my new studio yet, and we both want to have lunch with you.”
“Am I going to have to listen to bullshit from my boss?”
She glanced up at Damien, who was grinning. “He’s right next to me, and I think he can hear you.”
“Why didn’t you say so?”
“You didn’t ask. Meet us at the mall around eleven, okay?”
“Fine. I’ll be there.”
He disconnected the call, and Sela sighed. “This isn’t going to work.”’
Damien put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “Yes, it will. We’ll make it work.”
The club was filled to the brim, but it came as no surprise that Damien had procured them a table on the raised platform overlooking the dance floor and the band below. It was in the corner, right on the edge so they could see everything. Sela felt like they were in their own little world, even with all the noise and people around them. His presence had that affect on her.
Dinner was good, but still not as delicious as the eggs he’d made her Saturday morning, and she told him so. He leaned close and took her hand, licking her palm. “Nothing is as delicious as your wet pussy, niña.”
She shivered, not giving a shit if anyone had heard him. She loved it when he talked that way to her in public. It made her feel cherished and special, like they had an intimate relationship that no one else could disturb.
The band was good. Not as good as La Concepción, but then, no one was. Still, they had a driving beat and rich vocals, so that was good enough for her. Damien took her out on the dance floor, and Sela admired his skill. He didn’t think he was a good dancer, but she did, and had told him often enough now.
Was there anything this man couldn’t do? She felt like she was living a dream, and kept waiting for the bottom to drop out. At times, he seemed too good to be true.
They walked back to his apartment well after midnight, but Sela wasn’t tired. She was too wound up now from the dancing, and merely being in Damien’s presence. It gave her a thrill to watch other women eye him because he wasn’t a flirt. He wasn’t rude to people, but his gaze never lingered on another woman, and he never gave her a moment’s uneasiness.
She now believed he’d been telling the truth Saturday morning, and she trusted him. She only hoped they could convince Santino of the same thing the next day.
When they returned to his apartment, Damien asked if she wanted to go to sleep because it was so late. In response, she slipped out of her dress, kicked off her shoes, and then pulled off her panties. They were still in the foyer, and she suddenly realized that Saturday was cleaning day, but would his staff be here this late? “Are we alone?” she whispered.
He gave her sheepish grin. “Kind of late to ask now, isn’t it?”
She bent down to retrieve her clothes, but he stopped her. “Yes, we’re alone. They came this evening while we were out.”
“They work odd hours.”
“I don’t like them here when I’m in the apartment. I fee
l like I’m in their way, and they feel awkward trying to clean around me.”
“So they show up when you tell them to?”
He shrugged. “I pay them well.”
She rolled her eyes, and he gave her a look of incredulity. “Did you just roll your eyes at me?”
“I suppose I did.” She stepped closer to him, tugging at his tie. “Why don’t we get these clothes off you?”
He grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms overhead, forcing a gasp from her. His gaze was dark and intense, and it was all she could do to keep breathing. “One moment, niña. I don’t like it when you roll your eyes at me.”
She tried not to laugh. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t look sorry.”
“But I am. Honestly.”
Her entire body shivered at the look of lust on his face. “I still have to punish you for it. We’ve talked about this before.”
That much was true, and although she knew he was only playing around, her arousal went through the roof at his words.
“Pick up your clothes and come with me.” She bent over to scoop her dress and panties off the floor, and then followed him to the sofa in the great room. He told her to lie down, and then he pulled her arms overhead and wrapped her panties around them. He tied her dress to the panties and secured the other end of her dress to the table leg next to the sofa.
“If I ruin your dress doing this I’ll buy you another one.”
“Of course you will.”
She giggled at the look of disbelief on his face. “You have quite a smart mouth tonight.”
She wiggled her hips and then spread her legs. “I can still move these.”
“Not for long.” He undid his tie, and she tried to keep breathing. She was so damn excited right now it was ridiculous. This was far sexier than if he’d simply bent her over something and fucked her. She would soon be completely at his mercy, and Sela couldn’t think of any place she’d rather be.
She inhaled the scent of his cologne as he gently wrapped his tie around her left ankle. He removed his shirt, slowly, holding her gaze the entire time. The man was stunning. No doubt about it. All those muscles, and a find dusting of dark hair everywhere. She’d never seen anyone so damn gorgeous.
Sela was so in love with him she could hardly believe it. The realization hit her suddenly, like a blast of cool air on a hot summer day. She had to blink several times as tears threatened.
Did he feel the same way? Was it way too soon to even entertain such an idea? Would he think she was moving too fast if she told him? Santino would call her a fool. She couldn’t say anything to him. No. She had to keep this inside for a while longer, until she knew whether Damien could ever feel the same way about her. Telling someone you wanted them in your life wasn’t the same thing as confessing your undying love for them.
He tied his shirt to the end of his tie and then moved her left leg over the back of the sofa, securing the other end of his shirt to something she couldn’t see. “Looks like I might be buying myself some new clothes, too.”
“Maybe they won’t be ruined? Just a bit stretched out?”
“Does it matter?” He grinned, his gaze playing over her body. “Do you have any idea how incredibly sexy you look right now?”
“You make me feel like a goddess, Damien.” Her voice came out breathy, and she only hoped he knew how happy she was at that moment.
“You are a goddess.” He removed his jeans. “A fucking perfect goddess.” He tied one leg of his jeans around her right ankle, moved her right leg over the edge of the sofa until her foot rested on the floor, and then secured the other leg of the jeans beneath the sofa. “Now you’re mine and I can do anything I want to you.”
His gaze drifted lazily over her once more, from her nipples that stood at taut points, to her pussy that she was sure glistened with her juices by now. She held his gaze, every nerve ending on high alert, waiting to see what he’d do next. Her entire focus was on this passionate man who fed her soul.
“I’ll be right back, niña. Will you be okay for a moment?”
“Yes.” He hadn’t tied her so tightly that she couldn’t free herself if she really had to. He sprinted toward the kitchen, and she listened to him humming softly. When he returned he placed a bowl on the table next to her head, but she had no clue what was in it. He also pulled something from behind his back and placed it on the table, but she didn’t have a chance to see that, either.
“I’ll be right back again. Promise. You okay?”
She nodded, and then listened to him run up the stairs. Where did the man find so much energy? She hoped all that stamina had to do with her. She’d never had this much fun in her life, and never wanted it to end.
When he returned, slightly out of breath, she recognized the bottle of lube they’d used upstairs, as well as a box of condoms. Sela closed her eyes and sighed, imagining all the decadent things he could do to her, tied up like this. Her pussy contracted in tiny spasms as erotic images danced through her head.
She opened her eyes to find him holding another of his ties. “I’m going to blindfold you, Sela. I won’t leave you alone like this. I’ll be in the room with you at all times. Are you all right with that?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her pussy contracting even harder. Talk about sexy fantasies! He slipped the tie around her head, and she swore everything became sharper. She heard the gentle chime of his antique clock in the office down the hall, and caught the scents of furniture polish and carpet shampoo. Had she been able to detect those smells earlier?
She listened to him moving around her, every sound heightened now. She was able to discern the soft pad of his bare feet on the tiles, and heard what she swore was ice gently striking the sides of a bowl. When something cold touched the valley between her breasts, she gasped.
“Just relax, niña. Enjoy the sensations. I will not hurt you.”
That voice! How had it become so mesmerizing? Had he always sounded this way? It had to be the blindfold. That settled it. She was going to beg him to have sex with her this way every single day from this point on.
He teased the sides of each breast with the ice, following it with his tongue, until Sela shivered from the competing sensations of hot and cold. When he brushed the ice over each nipple, she gasped from the initial shock, and then moaned loudly as he suckled her afterwards. Damien repeated this process over and over until she was sure she’d lose her mind from desire.
Her pussy was soaked by the time he moved the ice across her abdomen and between her legs. She writhed against the clothing, moaning louder now, as he spread her labia with his fingers and brushed the ice over her clit, followed by his tongue, again and again. “Please…”
“Please what?” he asked, his voice deep and filled with humor.
“Please let me come.”
His soft chuckle sent shivers down her spine. “You’re not even close to ready for that, mi amor.”
My love. Did he mean it, or was it merely the heat of the moment talking?
Her body still tingled from the ice when she heard him moving again, and the next sensation was warm and slippery. She inhaled deeply, letting the scent of lavender and vanilla fill her head. They hadn’t used this particular oil yet, but she knew he had it. It was one of the things he’d recently had retrieved from the surface, and now she understood why he’d wanted it.
“What do you think?”
“It’s heavenly.” Heavenly, indeed. The warm oil slid across her skin without the slightest trace of friction, and the combination of smells sent her arousal to crazy heights. His fingers brushed the oil up and down her arms, her legs, and over her abdomen. He kissed her on the mouth, deeply and without hurry, and the effect was to make her want him even more.
“How ready are you, niña?”
“Damien, please … you know I’m dying here.”
He licked her neck. “I know you are, but I like you this way. I want you so hot for me that the mere thought of anything else cannot even
enter your mind.”
“Querido, I’m already there.” It was the first time she’d addressed him in such a way, using a term of endearment. It had simply slipped out, and she hoped he hadn’t minded. From the way he groaned softly and licked her nipples, she had a feeling he was fine with it, and her heart soared.
His fingers slipped into her pussy as easily as a knife would slice through butter, and Sela pulled them further inside, contracting her pussy walls around them. Damien teased her clit with his thumb and that was all it took. Her climax was slow and intense, spreading out to her fingertips and toes, but he wasn’t done.
Two more fingers covered in oil slid into her asshole, and there was no pain at all. The sensation was exquisite with both holes filled, and Sela cried out loudly as the orgasm crested again. “Oh, please!”
He kissed her tenderly. “What do you need, mi amor?”
“It’s so … so intense!”
“But do you like it, niña?”
“Yes … but … oh!” The contractions went on and on, and Sela could hardly breathe now.
“You did ask to come, Sela, and now you will do so until I decide it’s time for you to stop.”
Sela could do nothing but lie there and cry out in pleasure as he forced yet more contractions from her. Everything below the waist was full, hot, and totally sated. He finally removed his fingers, and then he untied her, but it was only to gently roll her onto her stomach and tie her up again. Her legs were apart, and he’d pushed cushions under her hips to elevate them.
The ice cubes were back, and this time he brushed them down her spine and back again, before torturing her ass cheeks with them. He followed this with his tongue as before, spending as much time as he had on her front. Sela found the sensations so delicious she couldn’t do or say anything. She belonged to this seductive man, heart, body, and soul. There was nothing she’d deny him.
She inhaled the scent of the oil again, and then his fingers brushed her ass crack, reaching underneath to tease her swollen clit once more. “Damien, please. I can’t.”
