“So, when you said you only plan to have sex with me, you meant it? You won’t go to one of those places, too?”
“I meant it, Alayna. I’ve had you now. What I engaged in before you came into my life wouldn’t be enough.” I roll onto my back, not wanting to look her in the eyes when I say my next sentences. “I tried once while we were apart. I couldn’t do it.”
“Only once? And you didn’t go through with it?”
“One time, and no, I couldn’t follow through. That’s when I knew I had to get you back to New York.”
“I still can’t live in one of your apartments. I’m independent and have to look out for myself, Damon. I hope it works out between us, but I can’t risk having to move again if it doesn’t.”
I roll back over and take hold of her face.
“You’re not walking away from me again. What if I find you an apartment that’s not mine? Would you move into it?”
“As long as I’m paying for it.”
“I have connections. I can get you something close and make it happen quickly. You can stay with me in the meantime.”
“I think I should stay in St. Louis until then.”
I flip her over, my gaze boring into her after she’s underneath me. “It is not safe for you to stay here alone, and you know it. Stop challenging me.”
She scowls. “Fine.”
“Don’t act pissed, either. Staying with me is what you want, and you know that, too.”
“Have you ever been told you’re arrogant?”
“Only by a stubborn redhead.”
She gives me a gorgeous grin, and I have to kiss her. My fingers rub her scalp as our tongues explore and taste. I never cared about kissing a woman before Alayna. There have been many firsts with her, and I’m learning to go with it. So far, it’s worked in my favor, and savoring her warm mouth has been one of the perks. I reluctantly pull away.
“I need to feed you, so we’ll order room service. Then, I’m finding a way to tie you up.”
Alayna
Damon and I eat dinner on the bed and discuss being an author. Our writing is something we could converse about for hours. After I forgave him Sunday for changing my plane ticket, we spent the entire evening talking.
There is more to our relationship than only sex, and I believe it’s why I took it so hard when I found out about Jacqueline.
“Oh, Quinn is arranging for movers to come pack your things.”
I drop my fork into my lap. “When?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Damon, that’s too soon.”
“I have to go back to New York, so we need to do it while Quinn is already here. He’s going to stay at the apartment with you tomorrow while your belongings are being packed.”
“But I have to figure out what I need to take with me now and what I’m going to keep.”
“You can do that before they get there. We’ll have whatever you need shipped right away, and the rest can go into storage until you get your apartment.”
I cross my arms. “No. They can come the next day, but I’m taking a whole day first to go through things.”
“Alright,” he says, rolling his eyes.
“You know, your nonchalant attitude about the abrupt decisions you make needs to stop. Actually, the decision making without consulting me first needs to stop. Boundaries. Have you never had them?”
He rolls his eyes again. “I’m an intelligent man, Alayna. I know what boundaries are. I also had parents who enforced them.”
“Then why can’t you respect mine?”
“Because you need a little push to do what I want.” He goes back to shoveling a bite of food into his mouth as if what he said is a valid reason to bulldoze me.
I have to laugh. I shouldn’t. It’s like laughing at your child for saying a curse word. It will only encourage him, but I can’t help it. He’s so self-absorbed, yet somehow it makes Damon who he is, and I love him.
While holding my stomach from laughing hard, I glance over, and he’s giving me the broadest boyish grin like a flirty teenage boy. He knows how to play me like a fiddle. I try to regain my composure.
“Only because of your dashing good looks, magical charm, and sexual mastery will I agree to move this quickly.”
“Sexual mastery. Hmm ... I like it.”
I raise my brows. “Oh, I’m sure you do.”
“I see your attitude has returned this evening.”
“Yes, but you said you find it entertaining.”
“I do. It means you’re about to be tied up, and I always come out a winner then.”
I become serious. The urge is there, but my inner thighs burn. I don’t need to look at them to know they’re a mess, and I feel bruised all over.
“I know that look already. What’s wrong? Talk to me.”
“I’m hurting a little.” He looks away, and I can see that he’s in deep thought. I grab his arm. “Damon, please don’t stop doing this to me.”
His gaze comes back. It’s libidinous and haunting.
“I don’t want to, and I don’t know that I could if I tried. Do you think a bath would help?”
“Probably. That’d be nice.”
He leans over and cups my face, his heady look capturing me. “I have to touch you, Alayna. Just talking about what I did and knowing you liked it ... I need control. It starts to slip away when I’m with you. Let me touch you while you’re in the tub.”
All I can do is nod. Damon gets up and goes to run a bath. This is the only way I know to help him. This man is an enigma. His desire to be with me for more than sex is causing an internal struggle for him, and that scares me. What if the dark side wins? I can’t stop it if I don’t even know what I’m up against.
When he’s ready for me, I tell him I have to use the bathroom. I let him back in after, and he’s holding a tie. I’m still naked as he begins examining my body.
“Turn around.” I do as he says. “Jesus, Alayna.”
“What’s wrong?” I already know the answer.
“I’ve–I’ve never left marks like this on a woman, and I’ve never bitten anyone until you, so I wasn’t completely aware of what it would do. Baby, you can’t tell me you’re not in a lot of pain.” He’s staring down at my legs, but he can’t even see the worst of it.
“I told you before. It’s not as bad as it looks.” I wrap my arms around his neck. “It reminds me of how you make me feel. It reminds me that I’m yours.”
“Alayna, you’re only fueling the fire. I need to do something. It’ll give me more of what I need, but you’ll feel good, too. Get in the tub.”
I do as he says. “See the water faucet behind you?”
I turn a little and eye it. “Yes.” The tub sits away from the wall and has a tall, shiny pipe that comes up from the floor and arches over it.
“I’m tying you to it.”
“While I’m in water?” OK. This leaves me unsettled.
“You have to trust me, Alayna. I won’t let your head go under.”
He’s in control alright. I blow out a breath and hold my wrists over my head. He ties them tightly to the faucet. The water goes right above my chest. I watch him soak in the view of me as he strips off his shirt.
God, he’s gorgeous. His shoulders are broad, and they cut in before they contour over his biceps. After grabbing soap and a wash cloth, he kneels next to the tub and begins washing my neck, chest, and the back of my arms, which are behind my head.
I close my eyes and allow him to take care of me. Sliding the washcloth farther down, he continues to wash my stomach and then each of my legs. He takes his time, and it feels incredible. Lastly, he moves to my feet and massages each of them with the cloth.
“I like your red toes. They’re sexy.”
My eyelids flutter open and see a sweet smile. That’s an adjective I never imagined using to describe him, but he’s being just that.
Damon
Alayna keeps surprising me. I thought upon meeting her that she w
ould be submissive because of her weaknesses. Although she wants to please me, she is strong and has shown that if her needs aren’t met, she’ll take a walk.
I’m terrified that will happen again. Most likely, I wouldn’t be with Alayna if Tiffany hadn’t fucked up my world years ago, but it could also be the very thing that takes her from me.
I drink in the view of her tied to the bathtub. Another first. I drop the washcloth and slide my hand up into her hair. She closes her eyes and relaxes against the feel of my fingers on her scalp.
After a minute or so, I move them down her neck and across her collarbone. I watch the bumps rise from her skin and see a faint smile on her lips. I palm her breast, massaging it gently. Her smile fades as her mouth slightly opens, and damn is that a sight I like to see.
She lets out a light moan as I tug on her nipples beneath the water. My fingers circle around the hardened tips, causing her to squirm.
“Still, Alayna. Relax and enjoy the pleasure.”
I hear her take a laborious breath as my fingers travel downward and graze over her taut stomach. They’re soon between her thighs that are marked as mine. No other man will touch her. Ever.
Sucking in a gasp of air, Alayna pulls on her wrists. My fingers drag up and down her clit while my other hand pinches her nipples. Her mouth falls open more and forehead scrunches from her increased need to orgasm.
“Alayna.”
“Hmm,” she says without opening her eyes.
“Have you been touched in the ass?”
Her eyes fly open. I have to fight a chuckle. I guess I surprise my sweet vanilla girl as much as she surprises me. Her eyes snap shut again as she shakes her head no. “Well, I haven’t given a woman a bath before, so we need to make it even.”
She inhales a sharp breath of air as her lip trembles. I slip my fingers inside her pussy and work at bringing her closer to climax. I need two hands for this, so I turn my body toward her feet and slide my other hand between her legs. Now, one begins circling her clit while the other is inside her.
She’s moaning and lifting her hips. I really need to fuck her again, and this is only going to feed that impulse. I know she’s close, so I pull my fingers out of her and slide them south to her tight opening. She flinches as I circle it with two fingers.
“Don’t fight it, Alayna. If you relax, you’ll enjoy it.”
She takes a deep breath and stills. I move my fingers faster along her clit as I circle her ass with the other hand. Getting lost in the pleasure again, she’s moaning and pulling against my tie that’s tight around her wrists.
It’s time for her to come, so I gently push a finger into her ass. She clenches her muscles but soon relaxes as I move it in and out. Her moans grow louder as she reaches climax.
“Oh, fuck, Damon. That feels amazing.”
“I told you, baby. Come for me.” I pull my finger out but continue to rub her clit as she orgasms. She’s convulsing, so I move my hand to her back and hold her up as her head dips closer to the water.
“Fuck, Alayna that was hot. The images I have of you are going to make it difficult for me to get any work done.”
She smiles lazily. “We could warm the water, and you could get in with me.”
I stare at her. I can’t say the thought hadn’t crossed my mind, but I’ve never been in a bathtub with a woman before.
“Please, Damon. Untie me and get in.”
After I undo the tie, she turns the water on. I undress the rest of the way and get in. I lean against the other end of the tub and put my arms up on each side of me on the edge.
Alayna is immediately stalking over. She straddles my lower legs and wastes no time reaching over to stroke me. Closing my eyes, I lean my head back. The water allows her hand to slide with ease, causing the pleasure to intensify quickly.
Picturing my dick in her ass and her body shuddering, has me coming in her hand in no time, my legs stiffening as the ripples of pleasure wash over me.
It’s been years since I’ve finished from a hand job. Alayna’s turning my life inside out. I’m broadening her sexual experiences and introducing her to a different kind of pleasure, but she’s teaching me to enjoy it without having to inflict pain every single time.
She shuts the water off and moves up until she’s straddling my thighs. Wrapping my arms around her smooth, bare skin, I can’t resist the urge to pull her closer. I hear her cute, little sigh before she’s resting her head against my chest. I could get used to this.
Chapter Fifteen
Damon
“Why is it going to take all weekend?” I ask with aggravation.
“I’m sorry, but I wasn’t prepared to move my entire life in a couple of days.”
“But I can’t come this weekend. I have too much work.”
“I don’t expect you to, and Quinn can leave if you need him.”
“No. I don’t like that you’re now going to be alone with him and Wade even longer, but he needs to stay and help. I’ll speak to you this evening.”
I toss my cell onto the desk and read the email for the tenth time, begging for it to disappear.
“If you don’t want the whole world, and especially that beautiful Ms. Wynn, to know your true identity and twisted past, then you’ll back out of this acquisition. If you go to the authorities, the truth will come out regardless. It will be quite entertaining to see what you value most, Golden Boy—love or money.”
After closing out my email, I lean back in my chair and run my hands down my face. Why didn’t I listen to my father? He begged me not to name this company Golding R. Publishing and said it would come back to bite me. It looks like it might chew me into pieces instead.
My father convinced me that changing my name from Reed Golding to Damon Lear would give me a fresh start on life and help me forget the past. What he really meant was it would stop causing him shame and embarrassment.
Reed Golding was the person I was before I met Tiffany at the age of sixteen. The guy not fucked up in every possible way. The boy who had hope and believed in love. Reed was naïve, but he wasn’t tainted with guilt and shame. He didn’t feel betrayed or know what it was like to come close to death.
I named this company Golding R. to hang on to that innocent piece of me. I needed Reed to be a part of my success. The problem is, the sick part of my past has tagged along the entire way, and it was probably due to the fact that I was expected to pretend it never happened. Now, the monster could truly destroy me.
“George, I need you in my office.”
I pull up my email again and find the disturbing message. He knocks shortly after.
“What do you need?”
“Shut the door. I got another email, and this one is serious. You were right about Vasser.”
“What does it say?”
I move away from my large cherry desk so he can sit in front of my computer. I pace around the room.
“Damon, I think we could do damage control for the place you frequented in the past.”
“That’s the least of my worries. You know what this is truly in regard to, and it’s going to be exposed all over again.”
“Son of a bitch, it’s not only the acquisition we could lose if that resurfaces. If it’s exploited enough in the papers and tabloids, it could take this company down, and the pale look on your face is not settling my nerves.”
I turn my back to him and stare out the window in my office. “It’s humiliating, George. I had hoped it would stay buried and believed it would since my father has been retired a few years.” I run a hand through my hair.
“But you have more to lose than your father ever did, and I think I know why your girlfriend’s apartment was ransacked. Stan Vasser was probably trying to scare both of you.
“More importantly, I bet he was searching for proof as to whether she already knew about your past. He has more leverage here if she doesn’t.”
“He knows I’m cornered. If I give up his company, we lose millions. If I follow through with
the acquisition, my family and I, along with Alayna, will be put through hell, and it could sink this place.”
“We have to meet with our public relations and legal team, Damon, to find out how badly they think this news will affect the company.”
I turn back around and face him. “I don’t know if I’m going to go through with the take-over.”
“What the fuck? You can’t give up this acquisition. We have to fight this.” George is now up from his chair and pointing. “This could come out regardless and at any time. It would be easy for anyone to figure out who you are, and we’ve always known this day could come.”
“I don’t want to put her through the shit with the media. It could hurt her career.”
“Or help it.” Blowing out a heavy breath, he walks past me to the door. “And when this does come out, Stan Vasser will not only be losing his company, he’ll be finishing out his days in prison.”
Alayna
“Damon Lear, you better call me back this instant,” I say loudly into his voicemail.
“I think he might be in a meeting, Ms. Wynn,” Quinn says.
“Quinn, I should not have to keep telling you to call me Alayna,” I bark at him.
“Mr. Lear will not allow that.”
“When he’s around you can call me Ms. Wynn, but when it’s only us, I’m Alayna.” He hangs his head. “I’m sorry, Quinn. I shouldn’t take my frustration out on you, but that man drives me batty. Once again, he made a decision without consulting me.”
“In his defense, um, Alayna, he runs a corporation. He’s a busy man, and he’s used to making things happen. He’s efficient. I don’t believe he’s trying to dictate your life.” Quinn looks away from me. Ah ha. He better.
“Is he paying you extra to feed me that load of bull? I just watched a stranger drive off with my car!”
“Yes, but that stranger is going to make sure it arrives safely in New York for you.”
One Urge, One Plea, Keep Me Trilogy Page 18
