by Stasia Black
Cora’s eyes fell closed and she took a fortifying breath. She wasn’t powerless anymore.
“Cora, are you upstairs?” Marcus’s deep voice rumbled. Cora looked over her shoulder as he continued to bellow. “Don’t make me come up there.”
When Cora looked up, Chris had disappeared.
“Wait,” she glanced around frantically, holding out the picture, but she was all alone. Stuffing it into her bra, she turned to wind her way back through the rooms and down the stairs, but it was too late.
Marcus stood in the doorway. And he did not look pleased.
Eight
“Marcus, I—” Cora started.
“Not another word.” His broad shoulders blocked the light. The shadows loomed around him and became part of him, flooding over her and casting her into darkness.
“But I—”
Marcus stalked across the space between them in two strides and then his hand was on her jaw. “Open.”
Eyes captured by the dark intensity of his gaze, she obeyed and dropped her mouth open.
He pulled something out of his pocket and then popped two cool little metallic balls with a small thread tying them together into her mouth. Each ball was about an inch in circumference.
“Now suck,” he growled darkly into her ear. Obediently she ran her tongue around the gum-ball like metal pieces. Her eyes asked questions but she was too well-trained.
“If memory serves me correctly, I believe I told you that you could not come to this party tonight.”
Cora tried to reply in her defense but her response was garbled because of the balls.
“Hush.” Marcus lifted a finger to her lips. “Not a single word.” And then he held out his hand in front of her mouth.
She let the balls fall onto his palm.
“Marcus, what—”
“I said not a word,” he chastised, and by the dark look in his eye, she could tell he meant it. “Turn around. Pull up your dress and lean forward. That’s it. Tug your panties down and put your hands on the wall.”
As gracefully as she could, she got into position. This is how it always went. He commanded, she obeyed.
The picture of the happy couple burned against her breast as she waited with her bare ass sticking out. She and Marcus played some kinky games, for sure, but never in a strange house with a party raging a floor below. Was he going to fuck her? Here?
“So pretty and obedient.” Marcus cupped her right ass cheek, fondling it and giving it a light slap. He did the same with the left, landing a slightly harder spank. “At least when I’m here with my hands on you. But you’ve been a naughty girl, haven’t you?”
“I don’t look kindly when you put what is mine in danger.” His voice dropped lower. Cora shivered, but not in fear. “Spread your legs, angel. I’m going to remind this pussy who it belongs to.”
Cora rocked her legs apart. Oh gods oh gods, he was going to—
A long finger slid into her slick pussy, slowly probing. She arched her back, already desperate for him. So much for fighting for her independence.
“So wet, baby. Is this for me?” His voice went dark as night. “Or someone else?”
“You,” she moaned, pressing her forehead into the wall. “Only you.”
His finger continued dipping in and out of her. “Is that so? What were you doing up here all alone, then?”
Cora closed her eyes. Alone. He hadn’t seen Christopher. He didn’t think she was sneaking away for a private assignation.
“I wanted to see Armand’s place. I needed a second alone. The party, all the people, it was just...” Marcus added a finger and her voice caught. “A-a lot.”
“My sweet, sheltered innocent. My man called me to tell me you ran off. I told him my loving wife wouldn’t make so much trouble on purpose. Or put herself so foolishly at risk.”
“Please don’t punish him. It wasn’t his fault.”
“I’ll punish whomever I wish. And right now...that’s you.” A gust of air blew against her bare haunches. Cora looked back to see what he was doing but with a stern shake of his head, Marcus ordered her to face front. She didn’t have to wait long.
With strong fingers, Marcus pushed the metallic balls up inside her. Cora went to her toes with an indrawn breath. Her pussy clenched automatically, and a ripple went through her as the balls’ weight pressed on delicious points inside her.
“There,” Marcus said. “These are called Ben Wa balls. You’ll keep them in.” He pulled her panties up, her dress down, and he smacked her bottom again. Cora cried out as the balls rocked inside her.
“Careful,” Marcus warned with what sounded like dark amusement. “You don’t want them to fall out.”
Slowly, Cora straightened. Her legs tightened, wanting to press together. The balls moved in her wet channel, sending taut waves of pleasure through her. Turning around took an eternity.
With a wicked smirk, Marcus stretched out his hand. “Shall we?” His murmur was all innocence.
“Marcus,” she whimpered, grabbing his hand as her knees threatened to give out. “You’re not going to make me walk like this... I can’t…”
He drew her close, his large body looming over her. His face turned gentle. “It’s okay, goddess. I’ll be with you every step of the way. You want to please me, don’t you?”
Her insides turned liquid, golden honey simmering in her veins. She couldn’t resist him like this, the kind and loving husband she wanted. “Yes.” Her voice wobbled like her legs.
“Then walk and show me you’re learning your lesson,” his smile turned cruel along the edges, even as the next moment he added gently, “I got you.”
Gripping his hand in both of hers, Cora made her way down the stairs. The balls clanked inside her, but she grew used to their weight. Her panties were soaked.
At the foot of the stairs, a phalanx of bodyguards waited. None of the faces were familiar. Cora raised her chin and ignored them, hoping they wouldn’t think too much of her mincing steps and the blush staining her cheeks.
“Easy now,” Marcus murmured, wrapping an arm around her as if she was unsteady because she was drunk. He led her through the rooms, slightly emptier of bodies than before. From the sounds of things, the party had moved to the back of the house. Models and servers scattered, quieting and hugging the walls when the Shades entered.
“Mr. Ubeli.” Armand pushed through a knot of people by the door, Olivia at his side. Cora made herself smile, praying her body would behave.
“Excellent party,” Marcus said to Armand. “Excuse us, we can’t stay. My wife isn’t feeling well.”
Olivia’s eyes widened. Armand nodded knowingly. To reassure them, Cora gave a little wave. “Later,” she mouthed to Olivia as Marcus steered her towards the door.
Her husband was a perfect gentleman, helping her down the steps and guiding her to the waiting car. As soon as they grew close, however, he pushed her forward and the motion made the balls rock inside her.
“Oh,” she gasped.
“Easy. We’re almost to the car.”
She scrambled into the backseat and collapsed, panting. If the balls moved any more inside her, she’d come close to orgasm.
Marcus followed, sitting across from her. He rapped the closed divider to signal to the driver, and leaned back as if to take in a show.
“Sit,” he demanded. “Legs apart. Pull up your dress.”
Biting back a needy noise, she bared her legs to the thigh.
“Panties off.”
“Marcus, I don’t think—”
“Do it.”
She stripped off the sodden scrap of white lace and spread her knees. Marcus took her in, gaze hooded. He looked at her like a piece of art, an object he owned.
“Rock back and forth on the seat.”
She did, and oh— oh! The balls rolled inside her. Millimeters that felt like miles. The weight of the balls pressed on all the right spots.
“Marcus, please,” she panted. “I’m going to—”
“Stop,” he snapped. “You don’t cum without permission.”
“Do I have permission?”
“No. You deliberately ditched your bodyguard and snuck away into a crowded house full of strangers doing all manner of stupid things. I could kill Armand for inviting The Orphan.” He shook his head, his glare dark. “What if there was another riot? What if someone grabbed you?”
“Don’t blame Armand.”
Marcus leveled his stormy gaze, pinning her to the seat. “I will keep you safe, Cora, even if I have to chain you to my side.”
And here it was. He protected her, but he didn’t love her. He wanted her, yes, but only as an object he could control.
“Chaining me to you won’t keep me safe,” she blurted. “Remember last time? She put her hand over her stomach, right over the place where she took a bullet. “By your side is a dangerous place to be.” She said it under her breath but he heard.
His jaw clenched. The heat of his anger rolled over her, blowing up like a bomb in the car. She could barely breathe.
And then, just like that it disappeared, stuffed away into the fearsome man before her.
“For that outburst,” he said in measured tones, his jaw tight, “you won’t be cumming for a long time.”
He made her rock on the seat and stop whenever she got close. By the end she was gripping the seat edge and keening. Her and her stupid big mouth. Why had she said anything? It wasn’t like it changed things. Except now she could cry from being so close to satisfaction but being denied from paradise over and over and over again.
Her head hung down and she panted as the car rolled to a stop.
“We’re here.”
Here was another high-rise, with a fancy facade and a red carpet lined with camera toting paparazzi. Wait, what?
“Where are we?”
“Donation dinner. I’m introducing the headline speaker.”
“What?” Her mouth dropped open. He couldn’t be serious. She was a breathless mess and he expected her to face a red carpet?
“Last minute decision. The mayor requested my presence. Of course, I need you by my side.”
She gaped at him.
“Dress down,” he ordered, sounding almost bored. “Cover yourself.”
She reached for her panties but he beat her to them. “I’ll keep these.” He brought them to his face to sniff before stuffing them in his pocket.
Now there was nothing between her pussy and the air. No safety net if the balls fell out.
“Marcus!”
“You can do it,” he said in that gentle, encouraging tone. As if he were a doting husband and not her torturer. “If you’re good, I’ll let you climax later.”
He was serious. “But,” she gasped, hand going to her hair. “Marcus, I’m all…” She was a sweaty wreck, that’s what she was.
Large, gentle hands pulled her worried ones away. Marcus knelt before her, stroking back the flyaways.
“You look beautiful,” he told her firmly. He ran a finger along the edge of her dress and her nipples rose in response. “Perfetto. Remember, you are mine.” And with a kiss that seared her lips, he tugged her out of the car.
In the blinding flashes of the camera, Marcus posed with his arm around her shoulders. He kept holding her as he guided her up the red carpet, playing the doting husband.
Okay, okay, she could do this. Keep it together. Don’t let the vultures see anything is amiss. And really, it wasn’t like anything was. Her husband was screwing with her mind and body, just like always.
Except, oh yeah, if these damn balls fell out on the red carpet, she was pretty sure she’d die from mortification. Clench. She squeezed her inner walls even tighter and held her thighs together, all the while trying to put on a natural-looking smile for the cameras.
She leaned into Marcus, keeping her stroll smooth and controlled. If she looked stiffer and more flushed than usual, she could blame her awkwardness on the overwhelming paparazzi.
Thankfully, she and Marcus were a few minutes late so the dinner had already begun. Other than a few nods to people he knew, Marcus didn’t leave her or let her go until they found their table. He pulled out her chair and she sank down gratefully. Thank the Fates, the damn balls had stayed in. Marcus tapped her shoulder and headed to the front.
Watching him walk away, Cora felt a pang of desire in spite of herself as her husband ascended the stage. If only he weren’t so handsome, his presence so commanding, then maybe she’d have half a chance of withstanding his charms. His dark head bent for a moment to speak to the much shorter man who announced him.
But as it was, when he straightened and surveyed the crowd with a casual authority, he took her breath away. He really was beyond gorgeous, damn him.
“Good evening,” his deep voice rolled over the crowd. A few ladies sat up straighter, faces brightening under their thick makeup. Cora felt an undeniable stab of jealousy. Hands off, he’s mine. She should want him to move on from her, from their marriage bed, but the thought broke her. As much as she loved to hate him, if Marcus left her for another woman… Nausea struck even at the thought.
Marcus’s gaze swept the crowd and settled on her. She went still. “I prepared a long and glorious speech to introduce the next speaker, but my wife asked me to keep it short. And I live to keep her happy.”
He smiled at her, dimple appearing, and her insides went molten. A blush burned through her cheeks as light laughter swept the room and people turned to look at her. She kept her eyes on Marcus. Like if she just looked long enough she could figure out why, why, he had the effect he did on her. Gods, what would it take to rid him from her heart? Because as much as games like tonight might get her off, what was it worth if at the end of the day he still didn’t love her—and never would?
“Without further ado, it’s my great honor to introduce the man of the hour. Our illustrious mayor, ready for a new term: Ezekiel Sturm!”
Cora craned her neck to see the familiar blond head as the mayor incumbent ascended the stage. The man was as handsome as his picture, with a boyish grin that endeared him to everyone so well. He waved to all the cheering people. In the hubbub, Marcus slipped from the stage without shaking the mayor’s hand.
Ezekiel Sturm approached the podium like he owned it. Cora tried to distract herself from her maudlin thoughts by focusing on him, intentionally not watching Marcus as he walked back to the table.
“Friends, please, call me Zeke. The only person who called me Ezekiel was my mother, gods rest her soul. And she only called me that when I was in trouble.” He cut a comical face and shrugged.
The crowd roared. Over the course of his speech, the handsome politician continued making them laugh, until they all were eating out of his hand. Even Cora cracked a reluctant smile.
Sturm covered education, economics, and at one point, crime.
“When I took office, this city was in the grip of the crime families. With the support of the commissioner and our boys in blue, we’ve made our streets safe.”
“Miss me?” Marcus murmured as he took his seat next to Cora. A few people close to their table spared a second to study the two of them. Time to play the part. It was familiar and far easier than dealing with her real emotions. She fixed her face in an adoring expression and fluttered her eyelashes at her husband.
But then, when attention was off them, she hissed, “You didn’t have to mention me in front of everyone.”
Marcus took her hand and kissed her knuckles. Cora could almost hear the older women in the audience sighing over his chivalry. Still pressing her hand to his mouth, he gave her a wicked smile. “I almost said you preferred Sturm over me, but I figured that was too close to the truth.”
Cora pulled her hand back and faced the stage. “I don’t even know the mayor. The only reason I’d prefer him is because he doesn’t torture me like you do.”
She quivered as Marcus tucked her into his side. His fingers ran up and down her arm, stroking lightly, so lightly. She
felt the touch right in her ever-tightening core.
“But you love it, don’t you? All this torture…you enjoy it.”
“I enjoy when it’s over,” she snapped.
“So will I.” The smug promise made her womb convulse. “Now be a good girl and pay attention. The mayor is telling the city how much safer and prosperous it is under his rule. Lies, of course. The only reason New Olympus is still standing and not a smoking hole of ruin is because of my rule.”
“You should’ve put that in your speech.”
“Next time I will. I’ll have you introduce me.”
“I’ll tell everyone the truth.”
“What truth? That I dote on my wife. And give her everything?”
“No.” Cora smiled sweetly at nothing, suppressing a shiver as Marcus traced the curve of her ear. “That you’re the devil.” She almost cringed as she said it. Why was she goading him? Sometimes he liked her to stand up to him, a kitten scratching him with ineffectual claws.
Apparently, tonight was one of those times. He chuckled and stopped his slow, tormenting touch. She was both relieved and disappointed. “I am a devil. I’m not the only one in this city.” He nodded to a passing pair of men. “But I am the most powerful. Everyone wants to deal with me. Just like the devil, they come to bargain with me, and leave with everything they desire.”
“Except their soul.”
“Except that.” He smirked.
The mayor finished and Marcus made a show of standing and applauding, slow golf claps that echoed above the rest. The night would continue with entertainment and gentle calls for donations.
Marcus put his hand on Cora’s shoulder. “What about you, Cora? Do I own your soul?”
“No,” she denied vehemently, praying it wasn’t a lie. “Just every other part of me. As you well know.”
She waited as Marcus spoke to a few people, mostly men who greeted him loudly and then leaned in to conduct their business in lower tones. Marcus stood beside her chair as he spoke to them. He kept his hand on the back of her neck.
Cora sipped her wine, resting, grateful for the reprieve. Grateful, and anxious. Marcus had only begun and she had a feeling tonight would test her limits. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he proved his total domination over her body and senses. Maybe even her soul, like he’d just talked about. He’d leave her with nothing.
