by Jane Henry
The only sound in the room was the soft humming of the light bulb fixture above them, as the room was soundproofed and the monitors had been muted. Elena felt her heart constrict in her chest as she met Blake’s eyes.
Falling in love.
She smiled weakly at him, nodding, as she faced Alex.
“He’s right,” she said softly, her anger now gone. “Every word he says is the truth. I swear it, Alex. I had no idea the man I was… falling in love with was your friend. No idea. And then when I did find out…” she paused, her voice dropping, “it was too late.” She swallowed, before she looked back at Blake. She lifted her head high as she met his eyes. “I was already in love.”
Alex ran a hand over his face, closing his eyes. Elena’s heart went out to him. She knew how worried she made him, how badly he wanted what was good and right for her.
“Alex,” she said, reaching her hand out to his. “I… this wasn’t what I’d planned,” she said softly. “But it is what I want. Please hear me in this.”
“I hear you,” Alex said, shaking his head. “And I don’t really get it, and it’ll take some time to get used to, but I just want what’s best for you, Elena.” He looked to Blake. “Matteo and Blake are the only guys I know I’d trust my life with,” he said. “It’s not that I don’t trust him. But have you two thought this through? What the age difference means for you if you… get married, and have kids and shit like that?”
Elena smiled at him. “Yeah,” she said, with a wry laugh. “We’ve thought of that more than you’d know.” She met Blake’s eyes, and his were smiling at her. She turned back to Slay. “I know this isn’t what you would’ve chosen for me. But honestly, Alex, you beat up every single boyfriend I ever had in high school, and by the time I hit college I didn’t even tell you when I went on a date.”
Alex’s brows drew together. “I thought you just took a break from dating while you focused on nursing. You mean to tell me you kept shit from me?”
Elena snorted. “Uh yeah, Alex,” she said. “A girl has to sow her wild oats without having her big brother breathing down her neck and threatening to kick the ass of anyone who so much as even tried to get a little tongue action.”
Alex growled and Blake cracked his knuckles, but she went on. “The fucking double standards make me just about go cross-eyed. I mean, who ever heard of a tattoo artist who wouldn’t even let his own sister get inked? Huh? Of course I had to hide shit from you!”
Alex frowned, and Blake growled, “You got a tat?”
She grinned, and wished she was chewing gum just so she could snap it. “Yup,” she said smugly. “Three, to be precise.” And won’t you love playing hide and seek to see where they are? she thought as she looked at Blake.
Blake shot her a look back that said Behave. She merely grinned.
“Unfuckingbelievable,” Slay groaned.
Elena just shook her head. “Listen,” she said, sobering. “Sometimes you can’t predict the future. You don’t know who you’re gonna meet, or how things will turn out. You don’t know… who you’ll fall in love with.”
Slay nodded, as Elena looked back at Blake. His eyes had grown softer, and she suspected he was remembering the years he’d spent with Josie. He’d likely never envisioned the day she’d be gone, let alone looking to start all over again. “Sometimes you just don’t know how things are really meant to be until they happen,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Blake said, blowing out a breath.
Alex looked from Elena to Blake and back again, and finally, he nodded—one brief nod, but Elena knew what it meant. Alexander Slater was a Marine, a dominant, a man who knew what he wanted and would fight to the death to defend the honor, safety, and integrity of those he loved. When he accepted the veracity of a situation, he gave his word. Elena felt a lump rise in her throat as she sat between the two men who loved her.
Alex’s eyes went back to Blake. “You gonna keep her outta the fray while we sort this shit at The Club?”
“Hell yeah,” Blake said. “She’s not coming back here until the air is totally cleared. Got a man tagging her at all times, and I’ll be keeping a close watch. You have my word.”
“But—” Elena began, but Blake cut her short with a hand raised in her direction, and a stern glare that made her close her mouth.
“No. I’m putting my foot down about this, and that’s final.”
She knew it wasn’t for show and that he meant every word, but still, she couldn’t help glance at Alex, who nodded thoughtfully. “Damn right,” he said. “You do what he says. He’s the one who owns this place, and now that you’re with him, there’s nothing here for you anyway.”
He crossed his arms. She looked from one to the other, both implacable and stern, and she knew she wasn’t gonna win this round.
“Fine,” she mumbled.
They both grinned, and as they did, her heart soared. They had her back, and it would all work out.
“You taste like honey and butter,” Blake said, his low voice in her ear causing her nipples to harden. She was straddling his lap on the leather couch in his living room, having just polished off the last bite of baklava, and they were celebrating the evening alone.
“You taste like masculinity and sex,” she countered, running her fingers around the back of his neck and drawing his mouth closer to hers, as he growled in her throat and tightened his grip on her ass. “I fucking love it.”
“You swear like a goddamned truck driver,” he bit out, leaning his mouth closer to her ear and taking her lobe into his mouth with his teeth.
“No shit,” she responded, pulling back and meeting his eyes. “What are you gonna do about it, old man?”
“Naughty little brat,” he growled, and she shrieked as his hands went to her top, yanking it up, nimbly unfastening her bra, before his hands found her nipples and squeezed. “You really don’t want to test me, Elena,” he said, sobering, his voice dropping as his eyes narrowed. He twisted his hands, and she braced herself. The sharp bite of pain faded to a tingle. “You’ll do as you’re told, little girl,” he said, his smoky voice like whisky on ice, brisk but biting. “I’m not shittin’ around with your safety. And there’s a limit to how far you can push me, Elena. I don’t expect meek and mousy from you. No, baby, that isn’t you, and I get that,” he said, his hands kneading her breasts now, as flames flickered in her nether regions, her pussy convulsing with need. Oh God.
Her mouth opened, panting, as he laced his fingers through her hair and tugged her head back, pulling her ear to his mouth. “I owe you a spanking, young lady. You endangered yourself when you disobeyed me. And because of what you did, you’ve raised suspicion by plastering your name all over the internet. I don’t give a shit who comes after me, but you’ll answer for putting yourself on their radar.”
She swallowed, her heart racing as her pussy throbbed with need, but at the same time her ass tingled at the memory of his leather on her naked skin, and his enormous hand branding her with punishing strikes. Through the haze of arousal, she looked into his eyes. “And what if I say no?” she said, not able to help herself from pushing, testing, craving his mettle and dominance. “What if I refuse to submit?”
His eyes darkened, his brows drawing together with a startling sternness that made her shiver deliciously. “Refuse to submit?” he asked. “I didn’t ask you to submit, little girl. I told you that you were getting a spanking.” He frowned, and before she knew what was happening, he stood, holding her, marching toward his bedroom. Her heartbeat kicked up, the heat rising to her cheeks as he marched past the living room to his bedroom. She hadn’t seen his bedroom yet, had barely even observed her surroundings, and everything passed by her in a blur now. She needed this. She needed him. And she knew the feeling was mutual.
His room was darkened, the shades drawn, but she could see a large, king-sized four-poster-bed as the focal point, as he marched toward the bed and laid her down on top. “You stay r
ight there, little girl,” he ordered, one finger pointing at her. She nodded. Now was not the time to push him, she could tell just by the way he ordered her.
He walked over to a large chest that flanked the foot of the bed, and lifted the top. The air in the room shifted as Blake reached down and removed something from the chest. The tension between them crackled.
I didn’t ask you to submit. I told you that you were getting a spanking.
The creak of the chest made her jump, as he lowered the lid and removed a length of rope. She swallowed, hard, as his eyes met hers.
“Strip,” he ordered. “Now.”
I didn’t ask you to submit.
Her chin lifted in defiance as her eyes met his and her voice came out clearly and confidently. “Make me.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m not playing games, Elena,” he warned. She didn’t move.
In two strides he was upon her, yanking her top up and over her head. “So that’s how it’s gonna be?” he growled, tossing the garment to the floor and making quick work of the bra that already hung loose about her. He grabbed her hips and yanked her toward him, unfastening the button on her jeans, and pulling them down her legs. He tossed her shoes to the side, and after he removed her jeans completely, his thumb hooked onto the edge of her panties, and off they came.
“When you’re with me, no panties,” he growled. “I check and find them again, we start the night over my knee. You understand me?”
She merely moaned as his thumb and forefinger pinched her nipple, garnering her attention. She nodded, and before she could speak, he’d flipped her over, his broad palm pushing her chest down on the bed, positioning her so that her back arched and her ass was on prominent display. Without further ado, he delivered a sharp, biting slap to her naked backside so hard, the sound resonated in the large room, and she squealed from the sting. “I hope you like my lap,” he said, with another sobering slap, “because it’s pretty clear to me you’ll be spending a hell of a lot of time on it.” She moaned as he gave her three more rapid-fire blows. Her skin was already aflame, and she could feel slick arousal between her thighs. Fuck yeah.
He moved to the head of the bed, as silky restraints encircled her wrists. “You keep your hands together, palm to palm, and you do not get out of your position,” he instructed. “You’re getting tied up, Elena, but I’m not wrapping you up the way I’d like, not now, because I want most of your body bared to me.” She felt both wrists bound and a slight tug as he expertly maneuvered the restraints. “No need to truss you up when I need access to that ass so I can paint it red. I need to get to that pussy so when I’m done teaching you a lesson you won’t forget, I can eat you out until you scream, then fuck you hard so the only thing you remember is the feel of me in you.”
Oh God, was it possible to come without actually being touched? The man knew what the hell he was about, and she fucking loved it.
She could not move her wrists, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. She liked the loss of control, knowing that she was the focus of his undivided attention. She pulled her wrists, but as she tugged, the restraints only tightened—not uncomfortably, but strong enough that she knew she wouldn’t be able to escape unless he allowed her. He leaned over her, checking the knots, and gave a quick nod she caught from her peripheral vision. “Good girl,” he growled. “Just like that, baby. Now before we move onto anything better, you’re getting a spanking, young lady.”
The sound of his corrective tone, his firm voice, and the fact that she well knew he meant what he said, caused her to shift on the bed. This wasn’t for play. She was getting a spanking she deserved. And yeah, the whole room was charged with the exchange of power, her desire mounting, and she’d be willing to bet he was hard as hell as he pushed away from the bed and stood behind her.
But she knew they needed this… both of them.
What else lay hidden in the recesses of his chest, she wondered, as he walked back to the foot of the bed. Would he spank her with a paddle? Cane her? Strap her with leather? She’d had his belt once, and the memory of it had brought her hand between her legs so often she’d lost count. She closed her eyes, willing herself to submit to this. He hadn’t asked for her submission, but hell she wanted to give it to him.
The clink of his belt buckle made the breath rush out of her. Her breasts tingled, her pussy throbbed, and her ass clenched at the sound of him pulling it through the loops. A moment later, and the sound of him snapping it behind her made her jump. “Keep your chest down,” he said. “Your back arched.”
She nodded, then yelped as a stripe landed across both cheeks. The lash of his belt sounded in the small room, like a thunderclap in the silence. She felt the warmth of his hand on her back before another blow fell. The bite of leather on her naked skin burned, her ass aching from the bite, but it wasn’t too much, wasn’t awful. It was exactly what she needed and craved. As he reared back to strike again, she pushed her ass out to him, silently asking for more.
“When I stripe this ass I want it to be because you need it,” he said, “and because I want to, not because you’ve disobeyed me.” The first prickle of her conscience tugged on her, as he continued, peppering his words with sharp cuts of the belt. “I’m not fucking around with this, Elena.” Another searing blow. “I want you safe. I want you protected. And fuck me, I don’t wanna lose you.” The pain in his voice twisted her heart, as she lay on the bed, accepting the punishing blows as due recourse for her actions. “You might think you can handle yourself, and I have no doubt that you can. But I’m here now. You’re mine now.” Blow after blow fell, and she could feel the rising welts across her backside and thighs as he strapped her soundly. She’d feel this for days. Fuck, she wanted to.
“And I take care of what’s mine.” She lost count of the lashes, his words drawing the tears out of her, cutting through her proud veneer and straight to her heart. The belt fell to the floor with a soft jingle, and then his hand was on her flaming, aching skin that felt stretched tight from the stripes of his belt. She gasped at the feel of his whiskery mouth on her lower back, a trail of kisses over the heated pain on her backside. “Will you obey me, baby?” he murmured, kissing the swell of her ass, down to her upper thighs. “Or will I have to put you over my knee?”
“Yes,” she moaned. Yes, she’d obey him and yes, he’d have to put her over his knee.
He turned her around so that she lay flat on her back, her bound wrists over her head, giving him total access to her full, naked breasts and pussy that fairly throbbed with need. He knelt over her, unfastening the buttons on his shirt while he took her in. “I mean it, Elena. You’ll do as you’re told. We’re new, and I’m easing you into this, but I’m not gonna put up with you endangering yourself. I won’t ever strip you of who you are, but I’ll also never allow you to half-ass your safety. You get me?”
She nodded. She got him, all right, so fully that she couldn’t speak.
His hands grasped the edge of his t-shirt, then he raked it up and over his head, revealing his honed abs, the large expanse of his chest, and massive breadth of his shoulders, before he dropped to his knees in front of her and spread her legs.
Oh God.
He took first one leg and then the other, draping them over his shoulders. His eyes met hers. “What’ll happen if you’re a naughty little girl?” he whispered.
“You’ll spank me,” she breathed.
He nodded, his eyes meeting hers across the expanse of her naked body as his tongue traced around the edge of her inner thigh, just grazing the edge of her pussy. “With my belt?” he said, the warmth of his breath making her tremble with need.
She swallowed. “With your belt.”
Another teasing swirl of his tongue on her inner thigh. “Fuck, little girl, I can taste your juices all the way over here, and I haven’t even gotten to where I need to go.” He groaned, his eyes closing, and she heard him unzip his jeans, fisting his cock as his mouth latched onto her thigh and sucked. Her hips bucked, her head to
ssed to the side, and her hands itched to anchor onto his hair, but the restraints prevented her. The tighter she pulled, the harder her pussy throbbed with need.
“I’ll put you over my lap,” he said, coming closer to where she yearned to feel him, the tip of his tongue torturous but delicious. “I’ll spank you hard and long, and any time you need me to. You’ll learn to obey. You’ll learn to take care of yourself.” His tongue slid along her folds. Her pelvis jerked from the sensation, the delightful torment making her yearn for more. He circled her clit before sucking, and her head fell back as she lifted her pelvis closer to him, needing more. His breath fanned her leg, as he breathed, “You’ll learn to let me love on you in all the ways you need me to.” He licked his way lazily up her slit before circling her clit. One swirl, then another, drawing her into his mouth before releasing and teasing her yet again. “You’ll learn to beg.”
“Please,” she gasped, and he shook his head from side to side, eating at her pussy hungrily, the prickles of his beard scraping along the tender skin between her legs, the bristly sensation enhancing the assault of his tongue on her clit.
He lifted his mouth and growled, “You come before I say, and I’ll whip your ass before I jerk myself off while you watch. Then I’ll spend the rest of the night bringing you right to the cusp before I stop. You want that?”
“Nooo,” she moaned. “Please.”
“Beg me,” he growled, his hands squeezing her punished ass so that she squealed from the pain of it. “Fucking beg me. I own this pussy now, and I want you begging.”
“Please, Blake, God, plllleease, sir. I’ll do anything you want. I’ll be such a good girl. I need this. Please!”
She moaned, and begged and pleaded, as he sucked and teased, pumping two fingers in her core and finger fucking her while he took her clit in his mouth. She was so close she could hardly hold on much longer, and she knew it, but the idea of being punished again made her somehow able to refrain, to hold herself back, willing herself not to give into the release until he gave her permission.
