Calen's Captive

by Lucy Leroux

  “Well, it’s not safe now,” Calen growled. “I may have to rescind his invitation.”

  She giggled and patted his hand. “Don’t bother. How could anyone compete with you?” she teased, but deep down she meant it.

  Mollified, Calen held her close and continued to stroke her stomach. Maia looked at him a touch nervously, but she didn’t move off of him and eventually she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

  Chapter 20

  The day of the wedding was hectic. Maia was woken by the arrival of the hairstylist and make-up artist Calen hired. He had spent the night at the Caislean, presumably sleeping off the hangover from his bachelor party the night before.

  The day before, she had met his friends, Alex and Sergei, at the gourmet lunch Liam hosted at the hotel. Sergei kissed her on both cheeks and broke into a stream of Russian that made Calen walk over to him to pry his hands off her. Both Alex and Sergei laughed heartily.

  “The shoe’s on the other foot now,” Alex drawled, and they all laughed at their private joke, refusing to elaborate for the others.

  She strongly suspected their laughter had something to do with Alex’s wife. Elynn wasn’t what she was expecting. She was as small as Maia and extremely friendly. They instantly found many things in common and hit it off. Both Alex and Calen seemed pleased that they liked each other.

  While the hairdresser tortured her with his brushes, Davis and the other bodyguards wandered the apartment, talking on their earpieces, and looking as though they were organizing security for a presidential visit instead of getting ready to drive her to the Caislean. She watched them with an air of amused detachment as her hair was tugged, twisted and tied up on her head.

  Given how painful it was to achieve, she had expected the updo hairstyle to be a twist tight enough to give her a faux facelift. Instead, it was a lovely pile of loose curls befitting a fairy princess. Once her make-up was done, the hair stylist worked several delicate white orchids in her hair and helped her slip into the fairy wedding dress.

  Maia stared into the mirror. It was hard to believe that the person staring back at her was herself. The dress made the most of her slight curves and her hair actually looked nice, instead of the wild untamable mop that was usually on her head. The make-up also made her look otherworldly. It emphasized her eyes, making them look huge. Altogether, the effect was a little startling, but she knew Calen would love it.

  And she was right.

  ****

  I’m married, Calen thought with satisfaction.

  Furthermore, his little nymph of a bride might even be pregnant right now. He sat back, drinking a scotch with Liam and Sergei as he watched Maia dance with Trick.

  The reception was in full swing. It was small for the size of the ballroom, but he didn’t care. With the exception of Giancarlo, who hadn’t been able to get out the sensitive merger talks he was in the middle of, everyone he cared about was here.

  Almost.

  His father had left early. The old man had made an appearance at the ceremony with Jimmy and his cousin Darren. Colman had given Maia a thoroughly disconcerting once over that had gotten Calen’s temper up. He had put his arms around Maia to hold her closer to him, but when his father finally spoke to congratulate them, he had been cordial enough.

  “Congratulations, young lady,” Colman said, staring at Maia intently.

  Maia had been tense under his hands, but she sounded completely normal when she replied. “Thank you. I’m so glad you were able to come, given the short notice.”

  Colman’s responding smile was almost a smirk, but he didn’t say anything else. Shortly after, he and Darren had left. After they were gone, Maia relaxed and was now having the best time, dancing, laughing, and drinking with his friends and their families.

  As predicted, Maia and Elynn had gotten on like a house on fire. They had already exchanged emails and friended each other on Facebook. He’d watched the two of them talking earlier, comfortably aware that his infatuation for anyone who wasn’t Maia was nonexistent now.

  Calen had snapped a few pictures of himself with his bride, which he’d uploaded to her Facebook page. He’d made it public for the night, in case the Russians were monitoring it. Given his father’s cameo appearance, that was probably unnecessary, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

  “You are very lucky, my friend,” Sergei said in Russian as he sat down at the table next to him. “I think your bride suits you very well...even if your method of securing her was a bit unorthodox.”

  Sergei had been told the whole story as soon as Calen picked him up at the airport. The large Russian had been troubled until he’d realized how much Calen wanted to marry Maia. Like the others who were aware of ‘the collection,’ he’d gotten the picture once he’d finally met her.

  “Yes, I think she’s getting used to the idea of being my wife,” he answered, his eyes following his bride as she danced.

  She was a good dancer.

  Sergei smirked. “I hope so, given that we are currently at your wedding.”

  Calen grinned and downed more scotch. “And what about you? Did your off-limits girl ever get within reach?”

  Sergei frowned darkly and said nothing. Calen stared at him with a raised eyebrow until he cracked.

  “No.”

  “No? Come on, what is the situation there?” he asked

  Sergei frowned again and swore softly in Russian. “She works for me. She’s off limits.”

  “Since when has that stopped you?”

  “I don’t hook up with my employees,” Sergei protested while nursing his vodka.

  “All right, I know you don’t, but you could make an exception. You’ve been interested in this girl for a while, and it hasn’t gone away.”

  Sergei mumbled something and looked away.

  “What was that?”

  Sergei sighed—a long drawn out noise of suffering. He downed the rest of his vodka and refilled the glass. “I said I already made a pass at her, and she wasn’t interested.”

  Calen scoffed. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does she have a boyfriend?”

  “No.”

  “A girlfriend?”

  “No. She has no one to my knowledge.”

  “Weird. I’ve never known a straight and single woman to turn you down.”

  “Well, this one did,” Sergei growled as he downed the next vodka in one gulp.

  Calen clapped his friend sympathetically on the shoulder before he went to claim Maia for another dance. She had danced with Liam, Trick, and Chang, as well as with all the girls in one of those circles they seemed to spontaneously form whenever music was playing.

  “All all-right love?” he asked her once he had her securely in his arms.

  Maia flushed a delicious shade of pink and nodded. Her eyes wandered for a moment, and then she looked up at him questioningly. She leaned up on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear.

  “Does Liam know Peyton is in love with him?”

  Calen looked over at his friend. Liam was dancing with Peyton. The look on her face was unmistakable. It was a little painful to see.

  He sighed. “No, and don’t tell him.”

  “Wasn’t planning on it. But it’s kind of obvious.”

  “It’s an open secret. The only one who doesn’t seem to be aware of it is Liam himself,” he said.

  Maia’s hand gripped his as they danced. “Why hasn’t anyone told him? Don’t you think they would make a good couple? Peyton’s awesome,” she said enthusiastically.

  He smiled down at her indulgently. “You’ve become a fan in a short time.”

  His bride shrugged, “She’s smart and kind and beautiful. And she’s not into you. Of course I like her.”

  Calen laughed. “I’m aware of her many virtues, but her and Liam—it’s not going to happen.”

  Maia frowned. “Why not?”

  “Let’s just say Peyton wouldn’t be able to handle Liam. That’s assuming he could ever see he
r as anything more than an unofficial little sister since she’s Maggie’s best friend. He would only end up hurting her. Trust me. It’s better if she finds someone nice and normal like Maggie did.”

  Maia wrinkled her nose at him, but she decided to drop it. After a beat, she leaned in close as if she was going to tell him another secret. “I’m glad your father left early.”

  “So am I. Not that I don’t love him as a son should…but it’s complicated.”

  “Cause of the chilling and terrifying?” she whispered.

  Calen’s eyes widened as he looked down at her. Most people didn’t see his father’s true nature underneath the facade. He was a round-faced older man with thin hair who gave off the appearance of being everyone’s favorite uncle. Calen didn’t look like him at all. He most strongly resembled his mother’s father—who was thankfully blessed with a full head of hair till his dying day at eighty-six years old.

  “I know it’s hard to believe now, but there is more to him than the bits that are terrifying,” he assured her. “And when he gets on board and accepts that our marriage is real, he won’t be so intimidating. In fact, I suspect he’ll become your greatest supporter then.”

  “That is what you’re betting on, right?” she asked as he whirled her around.

  He was so much taller than her that she almost spun right out of his arms. It was easier for him to pick her up and dance with her suspended in his arms than for them to waltz the normal way, so he did just that, much to the amusement of their audience. Maia wrapped her arms around him and ignored the cheers and the hoots.

  He kissed her hungrily. “Forget about my father and everyone else tonight. Everyone but me, that is,” he ordered her as he swung her in a tight circle.

  Judging from her smile, it was an order she was happy to follow.

  Chapter 21

  Maia and Calen had returned from their Italian honeymoon more than a month ago, and she was settling into married life with surprising ease. Mostly.

  It wasn’t all completely natural. Occasionally she did have moments when she couldn’t believe what her life had become. Living with someone was enough of a shock, but being married to a rich sex god was enough to give day-to-day life a surreal tinge.

  That being said, Calen was actually pretty easy to live with. The only real complaints she had were minor.

  She wished they had similar schedules. Calen had meetings in the afternoon and often went to check on his clubs at night. He had two in New York and the local one in Boston that he monitored personally. But he tried to keep time away from home to a minimum. The only exception had been a two-day trip to Miami to see his friend Sergei when the big Russian had gone on a drunken bender.

  The rest of the time, Calen stayed close, checking on his other clubs by video chatting with his managers from his office. He still came home for dinner, but sometimes he had to go out afterwards whenever any issues arose at Siren. He came home late those nights. But no matter what time he arrived, he still set an alarm to kiss her goodbye every morning, a small act that never failed to move her.

  The only other problem was his insistence that she not go out at night, even with her bodyguards. According to his father, the Russians had backed off, but Calen wasn’t taking any chances. If she was invited out, she couldn’t go without him. She hadn’t socialized much before meeting Calen, so Maia honestly didn’t mind that much. But she could see it becoming an issue in the future.

  However, at the moment, Tahlia was preoccupied with something and Chang was busy preparing for his thesis defense, so she wasn’t actually missing any opportunities to go out with them anyway. But it would have been nice to be able to accept the invitations Maggie and Peyton frequently extended to her for a girl’s night out when they had dinner with them at the Caislean.

  Maggie’s husband often joined them for dinner at the hotel. He was a good-looking man who doted on his young wife. He and Calen got along surprisingly well—although not well enough for Calen to confide in him the true circumstances of their marriage.

  Liam had nixed the idea of taking Jason into their confidence. He didn’t want his brother-in-law to have that kind of conflict of interest. Calen would never cooperate with the authorities if it endangered her, and Liam didn’t want Jason to have to lie to his superiors.

  At those dinners, Calen made it clear he wouldn’t let Maia out of his sight long enough for a night out on the town. Maggie and Peyton made a point of teasing him about it whenever they saw him.

  “Jesus, Calen. You have to let up with the caveman act,” a flushed and tipsy Maggie had teased insistently at dinner last week. “You can let Maia off the leash for one night!”

  Calen laughed. “We’re newlyweds. Give us a little more time alone, and soon I’ll treat you all to a night out at Siren. The complete VIP package. I promise.”

  “I swear he must keep Maia locked up in some sort of sexual dungeon when were not around,” a mostly sober Peyton had whispered loudly in Maggie’s ear.

  Everyone had started laughing, and Maia blushed. Little did the girls know that their accusation had a ring of truth...

  “Do you want a pudding before dinner?” Maia asked without turning around when she heard Calen step off the elevator that night.

  She was digging around the refrigerator. In the short time they’d been married, she’d become a firm believer in dessert before dinner, a bad habit she was trying to get Calen to adopt. But he was too disciplined to go for it, although he did think it was cute when she indulged. He was always encouraging her bad habits—he insisted she didn’t have enough of them.

  “Calen? Pudding?” Maia repeated hopefully.

  But he didn’t respond to her offer of something sweet. He was hungry for something else.

  “Well, what do we have here?” Calen murmured from behind her. “A hungry wood nymph stealing from me.”

  Maia straightened and slowly turned around. Her face was suffused with guilt. “I’m s-s-sorry, sir. I was just so hungry,” she stammered, closing the refrigerator door behind her.

  Calen had taken off his suit coat and was standing behind her, arms akimbo, a hard expression on his face. He walked up to her and slammed his hands on either side of her head. Startled, Maia jumped.

  “You’ve made a big mistake stealing from me, little one,” Calen murmured, his voice predatory. “But you are going to pay me back. I’m going to make sure of it.”

  Maia knew exactly what he wanted...so she gave it to him.

  She ran.

  Darting under his arm, she rounded the kitchen counter, through the dining room and into the living room. Calen pounded after her, and she ran around the couch, putting it between them. He stalked her then, shifting around the furniture slowly as she moved to stay behind the protective barrier.

  “Please don’t hurt me, sir. I’m sorry I stole from you. I won’t ever do it again,” she pleaded. “Please let me go.”

  She must have been convincing, because guilt flared in Calen’s eyes. But it only lasted a second before lust clouded them once more. He feinted right, and she fell for it. He was on her in seconds.

  Calen grabbed and swung her around, forcing her lips to his. When she struggled and twisted her head away from the kiss, he dropped her down on the couch a little roughly and climbed on top of her.

  “I’m not going to hurt you. Not if you cooperate like a good little nymph. Because you’re mine now. Mine to keep, mine to fuck...mine to breed,” he whispered in her ear as he lifted her skirt and yanked her panties down until they fell from her body.

  Maia sucked in a deep breath. That last part wasn’t playacting anymore. Calen meant every word. He was so possessive, and she loved it. That he wanted her that much was overwhelming, it made her want to promise him anything. But she was still too hesitant to make those promises aloud.

  Not that Calen was waiting for an answer. He took hold of her flailing arms with one hand and used the other to roughly part her legs. “You are mine now. Do you understand?”
he growled as he positioned himself between her legs.

  Maia nodded automatically. That wasn’t in the script. She wasn’t supposed to agree so easily. But the truth was impossible to deny.

  Too caught up in their game to notice she was breaking character, Calen unzipped and took hold of his already swollen cock. With a slow deliberate move, he ran it up and down over her silky entrance, and she whimpered aloud. She was so wet her fluids were running down her body to the couch cushions. Beyond the capacity to be embarrassed, she twisted in his embrace, forcing him to hold her still.

  He probed her small entrance with the bulbous head of his cock and Maia hissed and bucked in response. “Please don’t. I’ve never had a man there,” she whispered as she locked eyes with him.

  Calen stared down into her flushed face, his eyes heating. He loved it when she played along.

  “I can’t tell you how pleased I am to hear that. But I will be filling that tight little hole because it belongs to me now,” he whispered as he fisted a hand in her hair. “Your untouched little cunt is mine—all mine—and I’m the only man you will ever have,” he promised hoarsely as he held her down and pushed into her slowly.

  Maia writhed and tried to push him away, crying out as she pleaded with him to stop.

  ****

  Calen pushed and worked his cock into Maia slowly, as he always had to with her. She was so small and tight it did feel like he was taking her innocence every single time. And it would always feel like that given how small she was compared to him. He had to enter her carefully, but it was worth it for this feeling.

  She gripped him so firmly it made him want to explode the second he felt her tight clinging walls around his cock. But he didn’t stop until his balls were flush with Maia’s ass. He was so deep he was touching her womb. Hoping he wasn’t hurting her, he withdrew and pistoned back inside her a little harder.