by Deana Birch
“But it is a most welcome surprise, my sotto.”
The deep purr that radiated from behind Noah caused a tidal wave of relief to wash over Claire. The low-level unease she’d experienced all week in his absence fled. When he reached around the startled blond, she didn’t hesitate to slide her hand into his and be pulled firmly against his side.
Noah’s shock melted into a smirk that made Claire inch even closer to Luca, gratified to feel his arm tighten around her. “Losing your touch, Luca? It seems your new little sub hasn’t learned about venturing through the club, alone and unclaimed.”
He grasped her hip harder and she barely silenced a moan. “My sub is not alone or unclaimed.” He sneered and Claire fought the urge to strip her dress off right that second. Everything the man did was sexy as hell. He dipped his chin, pinning Noah with a stare. “Have a lovely evening, Noah. Please don’t forget to avail yourself of the room service options. We have a wide variety of condoms you should enjoy.”
The sharp intake of breath from the other man barely registered for Claire as Luca dropped his hand from her waist. He laced his fingers through hers and all but dragged her after him. At the base of the staircase leading to the third floor, he spun her, pressing her back against the wall. He placed one hand on either side of her head. Unlike when Noah had crowded her personal space, very similar actions from Luca caused a spear of fire to lance through her body.
“Why are you here?” He pressed his forehead against hers. “Why were you looking for me?”
She swallowed, one shaky hand reaching up to stroke down his face. “I choose you, Luca. Again.”
He crashed his lips into hers as soon as the last word had left her mouth. His facial hair tickled her skin, heightened her excitement. She pressed her body against his, snaking her arms behind his back, stroking the soft white shirt.
He pulled away slightly, hovering his lips a breath above hers. “My little sotto, we need to review a few items, but the first thing we need to discuss is your collar.”
“M-my collar?” Simply speaking the words made molten hot desire pool between her legs. She couldn’t imagine actually wearing one.
One corner of Luca’s mouth kicked up and he clicked his tongue. He pulled her closer to him, creating enough space between Claire and the wall to plant a firm smack on her ass and steal the breath from her body. “Have we so quickly forgotten our confidence, sotto? It’s only been a week.”
“I trust you. I have confidence.”
His eyes lit like flares in the desert. “You are not to enter the club again until you have a collar. Everyone needs to understand that you are taken, that you are under my protection. And even then, I need to be with you. Do you understand?”
The shift between them was nearly palpable in that moment. She thrilled at the concept of wearing an outward symbol to show their bond. When he spoke of his protection, his claim on her, an ache she’d never known was present was immediately soothed.
She smiled up at him and nodded before dropping her eyes to the floor. “As you wish.”
Chapter Seventeen
Luca
Luca squeezed Claire’s hand tighter. A deep moan seeped out of one of the suites as they strode down the hall to his own. From his pocket, he slipped out his keycard.
He held the door open for her, regretting the lack of contact as he released her hand, but nonetheless calmed to have his sotto back where she belonged…with him. She crossed the threshold and the knot he’d had in his upper back for six torturous days smoothed out.
“Dress and shoes off. On your knees.”
Claire moved over to the closet, and when she toed out of her heels and lined them up perfectly next to each other, he grinned. Her attention to detail was exceptional.
Luca, with the desire to savor each moment the night would bring, crossed the room and sat on the couch.
At the first sight of the dark dress, he’d clocked her understated but overwhelming beauty—then, a burning curiosity about what she was wearing underneath. She’d always come to him in white, as he’d requested, and the night needed to be about reward for returning. He hated the thought of clouding it by her not following his rules.
Her arm bent at an angle as she worked the zip down her divine back. The little vixen was taking her time. Luca’s lips twitched with a small smirk. She was such a good sub.
The deep red material caressed her light arms on its way down, revealing a bare back. No bra. His sotto had been speaking to the novice without half of her underwear. His exhale warmed his inner throat. That would need to be addressed. Later.
Claire stepped out of the dress and his heart sang. White.
Madonna mia, she is perfect.
Even her hair had been tied back.
With the dress stored away and her eyes ever down, she walked to the side of the bed, knelt in one graceful movement—has she been practicing?—placed her palms up on her knees and waited.
She truly was a sight to behold. Fair, unmarked skin, perky breasts with hardened pink nipples that led to a flat stomach and narrow hips, she was his blank canvas. A future masterpiece, to be sure.
With a slow tilt of his wrist, he checked his watch. Six minutes for six days. A more than reasonable wait, he bartered—and a far more acceptable amount of time than the original six-day wait of her first lesson. He unhooked the platinum clasp, slipped the timepiece down his hand and propped it up on the armrest to study.
Six days of worry, stress and more self-control than he’d ever had to conjure. Not calling her, giving her space, had been the right move. The proof was kneeling in front of him. But it had been treacherous—not knowing if she’d dropped again, thinking she was struggling without him… He’d never hated six days more. And Luca had lived through dark times with his absent father and ghost of a mother.
At the halfway point, her breathing stabilized. Clever sotto understood. And while the anticipation would be her only punishment, she would need to hear his words and be reminded of the weight of their meaning.
When the needle ticked its final second, he stood.
“My sotto,” he said with his hands on his hips and a purr in his voice, “I can’t tell you how relieved I am you’ve found your way back to me.”
Luca strode until he was behind her then bent down. He brushed a finger from the waistband of her white lace, up the arc of her lower spine and caressed the short free hairs on her neck. She shivered.
“I missed touching you, sotto.” The whisper brought another small shudder.
Luca rose and, with a side-eye on his sub, crossed to hang up his jacket. He thought about asking her if she’d missed him, but it seemed obvious that she had.
With the jacket smoothed and hung, he unbuttoned his white shirt.
“You should know, sotto, that you can call me whenever you need me. I hated thinking you were suffering. Your solitude was, and now is, unnecessary.”
She stayed silent, so smart. When he reached to open his pants, his hardened cock begged its relief. Soon enough—or not. The return of sotto needed to be celebrated. She deserved a reminder of what he could do for her.
Pants hung, shoes aligned and naked, he said, “Tell me, sotto. Did you have an orgasm without me?”
“No, Sir.”
Bless her, she sounded practically offended.
“That’s a very good girl.” He smiled and approached her. He brushed his hand over her collar bone and cupped her left breast. After he fondled the stiff nipple, he pinched. Her bottom lip quivered but she otherwise remained still.
Luca slinked around her and his erection pushed into the cool skin of her back. He cupped both breasts and ran his bearded chin along her bare neck.
“Would you like me to make you come tonight, sotto?” He nipped her soft lobe.
“Yes, Sir.” She pushed her head back into his and intensified the haze between them.
Using his thumbs and index fingers, he twisted again, and a small moan was her plea for more.
“How? How, my precious sotto? How would you like to come?” It was a test, one he was sure she would pass.
“As you wish, Sir.”
Another double pinch of her nipples served as the reward for the perfect response. His need ached inside him and he rubbed his cock into her spine. Not nearly enough contact.
“That’s right, my little sotto.” He twirled his tongue around her flawless jawline and kissed down to her shoulder.
“Because who is your Master?”
“You are, Sir.” Her faint voice signaled she’d drifted farther into her glorious sub state.
“And who decides when you come?”
“You do, Sir.”
With every ‘Sir’ she whispered, his need grew. But the heavy air in the room and his desire to own, please and dominate her could not fog the formalities of his role.
He released her breasts and smoothed his hands down her stomach. As he threaded his fingers in and out of the seam of her underwear, he asked, “What does my sotto say when her Master is approaching a place where she’s not comfortable?”
“Yellow, Sir.”
“Bene. And what does she say when she needs him to stop and he’s crossed a limit?”
“Red, Sir.”
He dipped his right hand into her soaking panties and traced a slow circle around her clit with his middle finger. “Oh, sotto. Six days is a very long time for you to be away from your Master. But I’m so pleased you have returned.” He spread her wet lips and, with a slow wiggle, slipped the digit inside her core.
“Are you pleased to be back with your Master?”
“So pleased, Sir,” she said with a muted purr.
“Mmm… Would you like to show your Master how pleased you are?” Luca reached his free hand back up to one of her breasts and matched the slow tease from between her legs.
“Yes, Sir. Please, Sir.” Claire’s back pushed into his chest and he pressed his lips into her temple for a long kiss. He inhaled and exhaled then repeated two more times.
“And how would you like to please me, sotto?” Another wicked test, he knew, but one she was certain not to fail. It had been apparent from their first meeting.
“As you wish, Sir.”
His smile beamed pride. “You are exceptional. So smart. So beautiful.” Once again, he rewarded her with linked pleasure from his touch, sure her desire was climbing as steadily as his own.
“You Master wishes for your lovely mouth around his cock, sotto. Would that please you?”
“Yes…” Her airy affirmation was almost enough for him to forget his own place.
“Yes, what?” A nipple pinch married his question.
“Yes, Sir. Pleasing you is all I want.” Her powerful declaration spoke to his soul, the very essence of his being. It promised understanding, acceptance and more—more of this undeniable connection, more of them.
“An angel, sotto. You are an angel. I knew it the moment I saw you.” He leaned back and brushed his hands along her ribcage. “It’s why you wear white. You are a piece of heaven on earth.”
He stood and realized his sub had been on her knees for quite a long time. And while breaking her into finding comfort there was important, he wasn’t going to leave her too sore to play again the next day. He had his sotto back and he fully intended to make up for lost time.
He dipped onto the bed and stretched in the middle.
“Come, my sweet. Come and show me how you missed me. You may use your mouth and your hands.”
With too much grace for a beginner, she rose, eyes still fixed down. Claire crawled onto the bed and settled between his spread legs. A wry smile lifted her cheeks as she looked down at his erection, but she traveled her fingers up his knees and skimmed the dark hair on his legs. She ran them back down and let out a deep sigh.
Luca quirked his brow. “Are you teasing your Master, sotto?”
“No, Sir. I… I like touching you.”
“While that does make me happy and the feeling is quite mutual, this moment is about your Master’s pleasure. Your mouth, my cock.”
“Yes, Sir,” she said before leaning down and rolling the tip of his aching erection with her warm tongue. She reached for the base and her tight grip tugged him closer. Without warning, she opened her mouth fully and the head of his cock touched the back of her throat. As he’d imagined, her lips around his shaft brought equal physical and emotional bliss.
Up and down she pumped as she hollowed out her cheeks and teased with her tongue. It was almost too much. Almost.
“Eyes,” he said in a quiet command.
When their gazes locked, happiness danced behind her baby blues. She truly was a sub, taking pleasure by giving it. What a magical gift the gods had bestowed on him.
“Slow down, sotto. I’m going to feel your orgasm when I’m inside you.”
Her pace turned lazy and the urge to explode into her mouth simmered.
“Fetch a condom from the drawer and put it on me.”
Claire licked the length of his shaft one last time, as if regretfully saying goodbye, but she obeyed.
“Take off those lovely panties, sit on my cock and ride me.”
Was it unusual for him to have a sub on top so early into their relationship? He couldn’t remember and didn’t care. Giving Claire the reins and proving to her that she could grab hold of her desires was essential for the moment. And the slow decent of her hips over his entire length was impressive.
She let out a long breath that hit his chest and cooled his skin.
“Are you okay, sotto?” The question was two-fold and he hoped it would be received as such.
“Yes, Sir,” she said and swallowed. “You’re a lot to take in.” Perhaps her own words had a double meaning.
“Take your time. Remember your safewords.”
Her eyes closed and she hovered for a moment before she spread her hands below his navel and gripped his hips.
Gently, she rocked forward and whimpered as she pulled back. He put his pleasure aside and stared at her face. Another exhale forced from her mouth and she glided again.
“You’re doing so well, sweet sotto. So well. Your Master is so proud of you.” Luca reached for her knees, but instead of pushing, he held them in place. “There is no rush.”
The base of her palms pushed into his stomach and her wonderful sway strengthened. Forward and back she went, and the tightness of her walls urged Luca’s building climax. As she quickened, her whimpers morphed to moans.
“Touch yourself, sotto. It’s time for your reward for returning to your Master.” Luca squeezed her knees and amplified the pace even more.
Claire reached for her breast with one hand while the other found her clit. She cried out, “Please! Please! I need to come.”
Luca dug his fingers into her flesh. The beautiful agony on her face was too much to deny. He counted to three in his head then said, “Come, my sotto. Come on my cock.”
Her mewling scream and clenched pussy ignited his own release and his balls ached as he came. He groaned through his climax and Claire collapsed on top of him.
When their panting settled, he said, “Kiss me, sotto.”
Claire trailed her soft lips from his shoulder and pecked up his neck. She was doing as told, but it wasn’t how he’d imagined. My fault for not being specific.
With a quick movement that pulled him out of her, he flipped her onto her back. He found her lips and closed his eyes. He claimed her mouth and trailed his fingers through her loose hair. He pulled back, but the need to keep kissing her overcame him. Three more kisses, he scolded himself. Then he would turn all his attention to her and everything she needed.
“You are divine, cara.” He looped a lock of her blonde hair and marveled at its softness. “Heaven on earth. And you did so well. Your Master is so proud of you. Even with our time apart, you excel at everything you do.”
“Thank you, Sir.” After a long blink she opened her eyes. “I owe it all to you.”
“Flatterin
g, but untrue. All the change is coming from you. I’m just giving you a safe place to do it.” He kissed her brow and spun around.
Before he could stand, she said, “Is this aftercare?”
“Yes, cara.” He smiled and wondered what she’d ask for. Maybe food. Dear lord, had she even eaten in the last six days?
“So, I can ask for whatever I want?”
Luca spun around to find her bottom lip between her teeth. As soon as he’d clocked it, she let it go. “Yes, cara.”
“Will you kiss me again?”
He would. He absolutely would. Again, again, and again. Then he would hold her and ask her when the last time was that she’d eaten.
Chapter Eighteen
Claire
“Fuck!” Claire tried to control the volume of the expletive as pain seared through her finger. She pulled the digit to her mouth, ridiculously incensed by the offending sheet of paper in front of her. The clicking of a tongue from the doorway that led into her office made Claire jump to her feet, her hand falling at her side. “Luca?”
Impeccably dressed as always in a navy suit, white shirt and perfectly coordinated tie, Luca strolled into her office, softly latching the door behind him. “Such language, cara.”
“W-what are you doing here?” She fought the urge to tap her fingers against the desk—or bite her lip or any of the other dozen little insecure tics she knew Luca would pick up on and chastise her for. Oh, hell. She’d stuttered.
One dark, thick eyebrow arched. “Forgetting to watch our language, as well as forgetting our confidence? Cara, it has only been a few hours since we were last together. Should I be concerned about your memory?”
The plastic bag Luca deposited on the desk in front of her stole the response forming in her brain. “And this is?”
The dark smile that hinted of every seductive thought running through his head—and simultaneously sent shivers down Claire’s spine—curled his lips.
“Your lunch, cara. When I called thirty minutes ago, it was brought to my attention that you have not yet had lunch—and it is nearly three.” He tilted his head. “We have discussed this, sotto.”
