by Deana Birch
With his pants hung and only his boxers left, Claire rubbed her lips together as her delicate fingers slipped into the waistband.
“Is there something in there you’d like, sotto?”
“Yes, Sir. Very much.”
As tempting as her mouth on him was, it wasn’t in his plan. Pity.
His remaining piece of clothing fell to the floor and he stepped out of them, his erection full and free. She bent down, picked up the underwear, folded it three times and laid it on the bedside table.
“Get naked. Then, get onto the bed on your stomach. Arms up. Legs spread. Close your eyes and keep them closed.”
As she obeyed, he walked over to the wooden dresser where he stored his toys. He opened the larger plug, because his sotto was ready for more, and two vibrators—one double-eared for her clit and the second a long cylinder for inside. His sotto would be fully pleased.
He placed his loot on the side of the bed. As he fastened down her limbs, he reminded her how proud he was of her, how she was indeed the perfect representation of him. He rubbed her glorious ass one more time and mourned the absence of a need to slap it.
“Lift your hips, sotto.”
Luca slid the smaller toy between her legs and secured it around her lips. With a press of the button, the torturous hum commenced.
“Who tells you when to come?”
“You do, Sir.”
“Correct.”
Without need for lube, the second vibrator slipped inside her pussy with ease. He rocked it back and forth as she moaned then turned on its lowest setting. After warming the lube in one hand, he pushed one, then two fingers into her ass.
“Fuck…”
Finally, she’d given him cause for correction. He smacked the flesh of her meaty cheek once with his free palm and his cock ached with desire.
“Language, sotto.”
With her eyes tightly closed and her quiet cries stroking his ego, he grinned. He plunged his fingers deeper inside her, and he intensified the speed of each vibrator. Her body trembled and her bottom lip quivered. Such an honor, such pride seeing his sotto’s hedonism and knowing he was the source.
“Please…” she begged.
“Please, what?” To let her come or not, such a happy decision. Either way, she would need to add the ‘Sir’ to get permission.
“Please fuck me in the ass, Sir.”
If he hadn’t been so stunned, he might have laughed. And had he been less experienced, he may have stopped teasing her. Every single expectation exceeded. Every one.
“Ah, my sweet sotto.” He scissored his fingers once more in her ass, confirming his suspicion. “I hate to disappoint you but you aren’t quite ready.” He took the plug from the side of the bed and teased its tip in and out. Once again, her body responded with openness, and when it smoothed into place, he reached for the condom.
Vibrator out and his cock inside his sotto, he rocked his hips with increasing speed. If her appetite was half of his own, their scene was a success. She filled the room with her sounds of pleasure and desperation, and he turned the clit vibrator to its highest setting.
Her echoes were replaced with small burst of air that released from her lungs with every thrust.
“You may come, sotto.”
A slow scream rose from within her and its crescendo rang out. With the walls of her pussy squeezing his cock, he pumped even harder. He counted to three and growled his own release.
With a quick move from his hand, he batted away the vibrator from between her legs, then hovered over her still-shaking body. He kissed her neck—her sweet neck—and assured her, “You were sublime. You are sublime.” He stayed on top of her, using his arm strength to avoid putting all his weight down, and continued the small kisses.
With a gentle movement, he untied her arms and massaged the one he could. Regretfully, he backed up and freed her legs.
Her body bent in its release to freedom. He rubbed a hand over her bare ass. After a little wiggle of the plug he asked, “Ready?”
She nodded.
He twirled it a couple more times and pulled it out as she winced, definitely not ready for what she’d asked for. He gathered the toys, wrapped cara in the duvet, gave her another kiss and headed to the bathroom. With the toys in the sink, he pulled the stopper on the massive tub and turned the water on full blast.
Steam filled the bathroom as he made quick but thorough work of cleaning the accessories and he headed back to Claire.
He crawled into the bed and put his arm around her.
After a lingering kiss on her temple, he asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah…” She blinked several times. “That was a thunderous orgasm. I didn’t even know those existed.”
Luca stretched his legs and pulled her closer. “You deserved it, cara.”
She spun from her side to her back and looked up at him. A sweet but subtle smile graced her cheeks. And the pull from Luca’s eyes brought his own smile to match.
“Thank you,” she said, more serious.
Manners should have kicked in and he should have said, “You’re welcome.” Or, “My pleasure.” The words were there, in the back of his head somewhere, but his heart was louder.
Luca dipped his head, and he brushed his lips against hers. He closed his eyes and repeated the movement—and again.
Claire smoothed her hand around his neck and played with the hair behind his ear. Luca pulled back only to find her smile had faded. She licked her lips and squinted as if she’d understood a secret.
Luca’s heart raced as he contemplated his next move, as if his body would give him a choice. He leaned down again, pecked her lips then searched her eyes once more.
He kissed her yet again, but this time the gentleness abandoned him, and he added his tongue and a grind into her hips. She met his pace and ferocity. Christ, if his cock wasn’t waking up and ready for a round two.
With the cool duvet as protection, he continued. When his lips unlocked from hers, she strong-armed him away and caught her breath.
“Luca.” She panted.
“I’m sorry.” He pulled back and shook his head. This woman, her mouth, their kissing. It was ruining him.
“No. It’s the water. Were you running a bath?”
His eyes popped and he hopped up from the bed. When he arrived in the bathroom, the water was at a perfect level. He turned off the faucets and grinned.
He leaned out of the doorway and found Claire propped up on the bed.
“Leave it to you to know the perfect moment to say ‘stop’. Come on, little sotto. Let’s have a soak and you can tell me about all the money you made for your clients this week.”
She smiled and climbed out of her duvet cocoon.
“That…” she said as she walked to him in her naked glory. When she was in front of him she continued, “Sounds fucking fantastic.”
He swatted her ass as she walked by. “Brat.”
“Yep. I’m beginning to think so myself.”
Luca fought his grin and met her at the edge of the tub. He extended his hand for her to steady her own, and she dipped a toe in the hot water.
“Scalding. Just how I like it.”
“Me too.”
They sank into the steaming water, her back against his chest. Instead of the chatter he’d proposed, a comforting silence fell between them.
The wet strands of her hair stuck against her neck and he kissed between them. Their breathing synced, and Luca wondered if he might sleep. The stress of the short timetables of two important relationships floated away in the water as it turned from hot to warm to almost cold.
He gave her one more kiss on the top of her head and said, “Come on, beautiful. I’ll drive you home.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Claire
“Blue would show off your eyes.”
“But it has to be white—or as close to it as I can get without looking like a virginal bride.” Claire snickered in her head at the word ‘virginal’.
From the moment Luca had walked into her life, there had been nothing about her mind or body that could be considered pure. And she couldn’t wait to see what he would teach her next.
Julien and Claire stood locked in a standoff for several minutes. Finally, he threw his hands in the air with a dramatic gesture that was impressive, even for him. “Fine, cara.”
Claire narrowed her eyes into slits, feeling the overwhelming sense of possession of the word she did every time her friend mocked her with it—as well as confusion. The same utter confusion that had been haunting her for days centered solely on the only person she wanted to hear speak the nickname. “Just be a good little diva and dress me up in something pretty, okay?”
He flipped his hand dismissively and turned to bark orders at the already-harried boutique employee. Claire only partially listened, too consumed with thoughts of Luca. How had this man come to mean so much to her in such a short period of time? Liam had been part of her daily life for nearly a year before she’d experienced anything on par with…
No. She was not falling in love with Luca. That was one of the ground rules, his only hard no. She reached up to her bare neck. Every night upon arrival at the club, the thin, white strip of leather was affixed around her neck, either by her own hand or his, if he was waiting on her. And each time she removed it before departing, the ache deepened a little more.
Luca had explained that the symbolic accessory was as transient as their relationship, only there for training purposes and nothing more. Pain sliced through the left side of her chest. But if it was so temporary, so inconsequential, why was it engraved for her? Why was it the color he insisted upon seeing her in daily? If this was something he used on every other sub he had trained, why was it so uniquely Claire?
A crow from across the room snapped her back into the present as Julien practically skipped over, carrying a frothy confection in his arms, shoving it at her before she had a chance to really see it. “This. You. Dressing room. Now.”
The phrase ‘yes, sir’ danced through her mind, something she would have easily said to Julien six months ago without a second thought. Something that now and forever would be reserved for one man. “You’re lucky I adore you.” She faked a snarl in his direction but couldn’t help the smile that accompanied it.
As Claire shimmied her hips to bring the fitted material over her body, she made a mental note to send Julien for a spa day. He deserved it for being her confidant, for drying her tears and for pushing her squarely into the path of Luca Bernardi when she’d wanted to flee.
The breath left her body on a sharp exhale just as the zipper joined the last teeth together. She stared at the mirror, mesmerized by her own reflection for countless moments before petulant banging on the door broke the spell.
“That skinny ass better be out here in the next five seconds. I need to have enough time to revel in my sheer brilliance.”
She smirked at her reflection once more before flipping the lock, agreeing with his assertion of brilliance. Yes, Julien deserved a reward. She stepped out of the room and onto the platform surrounded by mirrors on three sides. She turned and posed to murmured compliments from the store assistant.
And complete silence from Julien.
Just as she was about to crack a joke about finally making him speechless, he blinked and locked his glistening eyes on hers. “Damn, sometimes I even impress myself.” He stepped in front of her and cradled her face. “He brought you back…even better than before. Don’t let him go.”
She waited for the fear, the nerves, the complete dismissal of the suggestion she could even consider making room in her life and her heart for anyone other than Liam. But the only thing that happened was a sense of peace descending upon her and the silent acknowledgment that Julien was, as always, right.
Claire grinned and hugged her friend close. “Now, help me get out of this dress quickly. It’s nearly one o’clock and I have a lunch date.”
Julien frowned, his brows pulling together in confusion. “I cleared your schedule for the day. You don’t—” Understanding flitted across his face. “Yes, we must not keep that sexy hunk of manliness waiting.”
“Despite popular opinion, the best things do not always come to those who wait…especially when those who are waiting are named Luca Bernardi.”
Julien rolled his eyes, but wisely held his tongue as she quoted her beloved Nanny again. An ache pierced Claire’s heart, followed by a bittersweet smile. Nanny Helen would have loved Luca.
She was still smiling thirty minutes later as she walked down the hall where she was told she’d find Luca’s office. Mild shock and relief mixed when she called on her way in and his secretary had not only told her he was currently free, but that he had left instructions long ago that Ms. Claire Favre was welcome any time without necessitating approval. She tapped his door three times and was met with a gruff, “Come in.”
His dark head was bent, his long tan fingers gripping a pen as he marked the paper before him with slashes and circles. She groaned and clenched her legs together as memories of all the various ways those talented digits had tortured and pleased her body trickled through her mind. The man made paperwork look sexy.
“What is it?”
She smiled at his low, controlled tone. He was annoyed at being interrupted but was trying not to show it. Claire knew her Dom as well as he knew her. “I wanted to have lunch with you.” She tried not to laugh when his head snapped up at the first word she’d spoken. “And I was assured you didn’t have any more appointments.”
He was standing in front of her before she finished speaking. Thankfully, the haunted look she’d seen in his eyes the previous evening was gone. It had kept her up far into the night, wishing she’d been brave enough to ask why.
His molten chocolate gaze swept over her and a wide grin spread across his face when it reached the brown paper bag dangling by its handles from her fingers. “You brought me lunch, cara.”
Her cheeks warmed and she lifted one shoulder. “You’ve taken such good care of me. It made me wonder who takes care of you.”
His jaw dropped and remained slack for several moments. With a small shake of his head, he blinked several times in rapid succession. He took the bag from her with one hand, lacing the fingers of his other through hers, then led her to the small leather sofa along the wall to their right. He stayed silent as they took their seats, portioned their food and began eating.
Claire’s stomach churned with worry as she nibbled the fruit salad on her plate. She swallowed and was just about to apologize when he gripped the back of her head.
“My sotto, my cara, you never cease to amaze.” He claimed her mouth in the softest of kisses that turned into desperate, heady possession.
Claire hummed her appreciation against his lips. Not a mistake after all.
* * * *
She closed her eyes and counted to three in her head when the doorbell rang, rather than sprinting down the hall the way she wanted. Luca was early, but she had been ready for ages, not wanting to forget anything and not wanting to disappoint him. She took one more deep breath before pulling the door open…and had every molecule of oxygen stolen from her body.
Luca in a tuxedo was a sight beyond words. Heat crept up her neck, knowing she was gawking at him but helpless to stop herself. Every line of the black material hugged his well-defined frame to perfection. Her tongue darted out to dampen her suddenly parched lips as her gaze swept over him again. How was she supposed to refrain from dragging him to the nearest cloakroom and—
“Good evening, cara.”
The voice. The voice completed the package to perfection and managed to rumble through her scorching veins without her even touching him. She lifted her chin and somehow managed to meet the intense dark stare devouring her with some semblance of self-control. “Good evening, Luca. Would you like to come in?”
He pulled her hand to his lips, dropping a soft kiss across her knuckles. “More than anything in the world, cara, but we
are expected at the gala in thirty minutes.” The dark orbs melted into liquid desire. “And we both know thirty minutes would not be nearly enough time.”
A litany of curses ran through her head and need pooled between her legs. This was going to be an incredibly long night. She swallowed back an offer to donate an obscene amount of money to the charity if they could simply skip the event. “Just let me get my coat.”
Somehow, despite the violent shaking of her hands, she managed to button the wrap around her shoulders and collect the small ivory clutch purse. She slid her fingers into the crook of his proffered elbow. They rounded the front of his sleek, black sports car and Luca opened her door for her as always, but this time, just before she lowered herself into the seat, he gripped her upper arm.
“Proprio quando penso che non si può forse essere più bella, quando penso che non si può superare le mie aspettative…” His voice trailed off and he shook his head.
Claire laughed lightly. “I’m beginning to believe you speak in Italian around me intentionally, knowing full well I can’t follow along.”
He trailed an index finger down her jawline, stopping to grasp her chin. “I speak in Italian because it is the only language I know with words worthy of you, cara.” He bent slightly to brush his lips across hers in the lightest of caresses.
Her heart stopped beating then raced to keep up. This was so many kinds of wrong, but every kind of right. She snaked her hand around his neck, pulling him closer, needing more contact. His lips curved against hers in a smile as he acquiesced to her unspoken request and deepened the kiss.
Luca groaned and pulled his mouth from hers. “Madonna mia, we are never going to make it there if you continue with this kind of behavior.”
She grinned at him, smoothing a hand down the back of her dress as she took her seat. “Would that be a punishable offense…Sir?”
He stared at her for several seconds before letting loose with a stream of Italian she was certain included profanities and prayers for patience, despite her ignorance of the language. Claire laughed in response as he closed her door and rounded the hood, shaking his head.
