by Katee Robert
Hades agreed.
“No.” I yank on my arms, but Beast only presses me harder to the floor. “I don’t want an audience.” Do I?
“Too bad, princess.” Beast seems to approve of this new development. “Sit on the chair right there, Hercules.”
The man obeys, but he’s glaring. “You are not my Dom and I am not part of this scene.”
“Noted.” Beast gives a small smile. “But it’d be a shame if you didn’t take a moment to appreciate Isabelle’s pussy.”
I blink up at Beast. My skin has to be a deep red from the blush coursing through my body, hot and unpleasant. He is so careless with my pride, as if he wants to crush it beneath his heel. I have years of instinct demanding I close my legs, hide from this new experience. “Stop.”
“Tell me your safe word, Isabelle.” Gaeton slides his hands up the tops of my thighs and drags this thumbs over my pussy.
Every time he reminds me that I’m choosing this, I get hotter, more confused. I blink down at him. “Candlestick.”
“Good girl.” He gives my pussy another meandering stroke. “Do you want to use it?”
Do I want this to end? I can’t decide. I’m so confused by my body’s response, I’m shaking and they’ve barely touched me. Somehow I’m shaking more because we have an audience. I promised them honesty, but I don’t even know what the honest answer is.
All I know is that I’m not ready for this to stop. “No, I don’t want to use it,” I whisper.
“Mmm.” Gaeton glances at our audience. “Look, Hercules. She’s so pretty and pink and she’s practically weeping for my cock.” To my endless mortification, the second Hercules’s gaze drops to where Gaeton is spreading my pussy with his fingers, I’m certain I can actually feel myself get wetter.
“She’s been playing the part of the untouchable princess, but it turns out she’s a little slut who wants us to force her to the floor and fuck her rough.” Beast speaks almost conversationally, as if he’s not describing wanton acts. As if he’s not trotting out my shame in explicit detail.
“That’s not what I want.” I’m suddenly sure that’s exactly what I want, what I’ve always wanted.
“Yes, it is.” Beast considers me. “I think our princess likes being on display.”
Gaeton shoves a single finger into me roughly and makes an approving noise. “I know she does. She’s so wet, she’s practically dripping.”
They’re talking about me like I’m not in the room. Like I’m a plaything and not a person. I love it. I hate it. I have to press my lips together hard to keep a moan inside.
Beast strokes my wrists with his thumbs, the barest softness in the midst of his grinding grip. “Let’s give Hercules a little show.”
“Sounds good.” Gaeton releases my thighs, but before I can do more than kick out once, Beast has me up and against his chest. Gaeton lies on the floor and Beast moves me forward. I realize their intent and start struggling in earnest. I don’t know why I’m fighting. My body aches from what little Gaeton has tongued me. I desperately want the orgasm they promised. More, I … like the idea of being put on display like this?
It’s for that very reason that I fight the hardest. I don’t understand this desire. My body has taken over, and with every inch Beast forces me forward, I get hotter. Gaeton grabs my thighs and lifts me bodily to straddle his face. I stare down at him in shock. “You can’t really mean to—”
Beast straddles Gaeton’s chest and pins my wrists at the small of my back. His other hand comes up to clasp my throat. His grip isn’t rough enough to restrict my breathing, but the faint pressure about makes me come on the spot. And then Gaeton begins eating my pussy and I have to close my eyes. It’s too good, too bad, too everything.
Beast gives my throat a little squeeze. “Eyes open, princess. It’s rude to ignore your audience.”
Almost against my will, I obey his command. From the way Hercules came into the room, I expect him to look like he’s half a second from wading in and dragging me to safety, but something’s changed in the last few minutes. He’s relaxed in the chair and he’s watching avidly, bright pink spots on his cheeks and a blatant cockstand in his slacks that he makes no move to either cover or do something about. He’s merely there to observe and yet he’s affected by this scene.
“That’s right.” Beast is as tempting as a devil on my shoulder. “He likes what he sees. Give him a show, little slut.” The words should sound like an insult, but they’re almost an endearment in his rough voice. “Ride Gaeton’s mouth like you’re dying to do.”
I shouldn’t.
Gaeton gives my hips a squeeze and sucks hard on my clit, making me jump. It’s almost as if my body, once in motion, can’t stop. Or that’s what I tell myself as I rock against his mouth. It feels good. Wet and dirty and oh so wrong.
“What do you think, Hercules? Isn’t she a pretty little slut?” Beast releases my hands, but I’m too far gone to remember that I’m supposed to fight this. He catches my right breast and squeezes, offering me up to this stranger’s gaze.
“Very nice, Beast.” Hercules is affected, yes, but he’s not looking at me like he wants to fuck me. He’s watching all three of us as if we’re a private showing of an art piece that he deeply appreciates. It’s strange and yet perfect at the same time.
Gaeton shifts and then his tongue spears inside me. It feels so good that this time I can’t stop my moan. I rock my hips harder, grinding down on him. “Yes, please, yes.”
“He’s got his tongue in your pussy right now, doesn’t he?” I can feel Beast’s cock against my ass, but he sounds as unaffected as if we just sat down to dinner to talk about our day. “I bet you never rode his face like this when you dated. Gaeton’s been at that pussy—he loves oral sex too much to deny it—but I bet it was always sweet and polite and you came quietly.”
He’s right. I hate that he’s right. “Stop it.”
Beast doesn’t stop. He uses his hold on my throat to keep me pinned to him and works one nipple and then the other, alternating rough pinches with featherlight touches. “Do you even know what Gaeton likes, princess? Or did you believe that knight in shining armor bullshit? The truth is that he’s just as much a little slut as you are.” His lips brush the shell of my ear. “Did you know that just a few months ago, we fucked a friend, filling her with three cocks, and it still wasn’t enough? Gaeton needed her Dom to fuck his mouth while she rode his dick.”
There it is again. That barbed jealousy that demands I pull back, protect myself because these men might have loved me once, but they kept so much from me. “Fuck you, Beast.”
“Not me, princess.” His chuckle is raspy and deep. “But we’re going to fuck you. Over and over again, in every way possible. I’m going to come all over that pretty pussy of yours…” He barely lets me process his words before he whispers the next part. “And then I’m going to make Gaeton lick it up.”
My orgasm hits me with the force of an out-of-control speeding vehicle. One second I’m dazed and trying to process the information Beast is spilling into my ear, and the next I’m coming so hard that a scream slips from my lips. It only seems to spur Gaeton on and he picks up his pace, eating me out sloppily as if he can’t get enough, as if he wants to taste every bit of my orgasm. On and on it goes, until my body simply can’t handle it any longer.
I slump back against Beast and he catches me in his strong arms. “That’s enough, Gaeton.”
Gaeton gives me one last long lick and then transfers his attention to my inner thighs, gentling me back down to earth. I don’t … I can’t … What the hell just happened?
Part of me expects Beast to dump me on the ground and keep the humiliation trend rolling, but he gathers me into his arms and rises easily. He’s only a few inches taller than me and built lean, but there’s a deceptive amount of strength in his compact body. “Are you satisfied?”
For a second, I think he’s talking to me, but Hercules rises and nods. “I stand corrected. Apologies fo
r interrupting your scene. I owe you.”
Gaeton does a full body stretch on the floor and rolls easily to his feet. “You ended up heightening the whole experience. Consider us even.”
Hercules glances at me and hesitates, but finally shakes his head. He adjusts his slacks, which spectacularly fails to hide his hard-on, and walks out of the room.
Beast jerks his chin at the couch. “Gaeton, sit.”
“Woof.”
“Bad dog,” Beast fires back without hesitation.
Gaeton glares a bit, but he finally moves to the couch and sprawls across it, taking up more than his fair share. Even this is different. When Gaeton and I were together, he moved as if afraid of shattering everything in the room—of shattering me. It felt like he was always trying to compress his big body into a smaller package. He motions with a flick of his fingers. “Hand her here.”
Beast’s arms tighten around me for half a second before he carefully sets me onto Gaeton’s broad lap. The careful way of holding me after he just spilled filth into my ear leaves me feeling like I have whiplash. I blink up at Beast. “I don’t understand.”
“You will.”
I’m not sure if that’s a promise or a threat.
Gaeton splays his hand across my lower stomach and pulls me back against his chest, but all his attention is on Beast. “Stay or go?”
“Go. I’m nowhere near finished, but I have no intention of sleeping here tonight.” He shoots an arch glance at the cameras situated in each corner. “Or having Hercules burst through the door another time or six.”
“Mmm.” Gaeton nods. “Agreed. Your place or mine?”
For the first time, Beast looks less than completely in control. His eyes flare hot as his gaze drags over my body, over both our bodies. He looks at me like he wants to fall on me like a wild thing, to hold me down and fuck me against Gaeton’s chest until he’s worked out every little bit of anger on my body.
I shiver. There’s fear there, yes, but I am not opposed to the promise in those wild eyes. Before I can decide if I want to do something to encourage or discourage him, he snaps his attention to Gaeton’s face. “Whichever one is closer.”
“Mine it is.”
Chapter 5
Beast
Getting out of the Underworld has never been complicated. Finish a scene. Clean up. Walk out. After Hercules’s interruption, I should have expected things not to be so simple. I retrieve our coats and Gaeton wraps his around Isabelle. She’s too drunk off the adrenaline letdown and her orgasm to fight too hard about being naked under it—or his carrying her out of this place.
We almost make it.
We’re halfway through the lounge when Aurora appears in front of us as if by magic. She’s a tiny little thing, all light-brown skin and big brown eyes, with a penchant for bright hair colors. It’s been pink for a long time, but she’s edging toward a frosty pastel version instead of the brilliant hue she started with. Aurora is sweet enough that she invokes every Dominant protective instinct I have. She doesn’t look particularly sweet right now. She looks furious. “Hades wants to see you.”
I feel Gaeton go still at my back. We’re staying in Hades’s territory right now, renting places in a neutral space while we figure out what the fuck we’re doing if we’re not generals for the Man in Black any longer. Gaeton and I made our choices separately, but like in all things since I showed up in Carver City, we seem to be endlessly on parallel tracks. We can’t afford to ignore a summons from Hades.
I give Aurora a long look. “Since when do you run messages for the old man?”
Her expression goes a little sharp. “Since I took over Tink’s old position as Meg’s second-in-command.”
That, I didn’t expect. Tink was mean enough to keep even the Dominants in line when she needed to. Aurora is … not. But Meg isn’t the type of woman to make mistakes when it comes to the club, so she must see something I haven’t.
Still, it’s in my nature to push. “We’re a little busy.”
Aurora props a hand on her hip. She’s wearing a tiny white lace slip that hugs her curves and barely covers her enough to be considered decent. “That wasn’t a suggestion, Beast. Not for either of you. Hades wants to see you, and the longer you make him wait, the less likely the conversation is going to go the way you want it to.”
I raise my brows. “Someone’s been taking lessons from Meg.”
She doesn’t blink. “Stop patronizing me and get back there, or I’m going to have to get Allecto involved.”
“Shit, Aurora.” Gaeton huffs out a laugh. “Beast is just being a dick. No need to bring out the big guns.” He steps past me, not quite shouldering me aside, but damn close. “Lead the way.”
She gives Gaeton a smile. “Hey, big guy.”
“Looking good, Aurora. Like the dress thing. It new?” He falls into step beside her, chatting easily as if he’s not holding Isabelle in his arms, leaving me to trail behind. It’s just as well. Gaeton is better at charming people than I am. Likely because I never bother to try. It’s easier to intimidate if you speak less, because it gives your enemy no traction to guess your thoughts. Gaeton prefers a different strategy.
She leads us back to Hades’s public study. It’s decorated in shades of gray and carefully positioned lights that leave the man behind his massive desk bathed in shadows. Hades doesn’t need all the theatrics to intimidate, but he sure as hell seems to like them.
Gaeton doesn’t bother to take a chair and I’m content to follow his lead. I glance at Isabelle to find that she’s fallen asleep in his arms. My chest gives an uncomfortable pang, but I stifle it. She came here with every intention of doing whatever it took to bring us back. If she accepted the price we laid out, then she has only herself to blame.
Besides, she needs this little catnap. Dawn is a long ways off, and we have a whole hell of a lot to compress into the two-week timeline.
Hades steeples his fingers in front of his mouth, bringing our attention back to him. “You two are dancing a fine line with this one.”
I give him my full attention. “That’s our business.”
He pauses, letting the silence tick out, letting me know exactly who holds the position of power in this place. Him. Not me. It shouldn’t irritate me so fucking much, but here we are. He sighs. “War is everyone’s business.”
Gaeton goes stiff next to me, but I don’t look at him. “Say what you mean to say, Hades. You’re wasting our time.”
“As you wish.” Hades, leans forward, bringing himself into the light. “You are living in my territory out of the grace of my goodwill. I highly suggest you do nothing to that woman that will antagonize Cordelia Belmonte. She will go to extreme lengths to protect her youngest sister, and that includes doing the equivalent of cutting off her nose to spite her face. If you both are removed from the equation, it’s entirely likely she will lose part—or all—of her territory to Ursa. You know what that means.”
It means the carefully balanced ecosystem of Carver City will potentially collapse. War between two territories is the kind of conflict that will send waves through the rest of the city, affecting everyone. I’ve seen it happen before. It’s why I ended up here in the first place, fleeing a losing war in Sabine Valley. Regardless of what happens with Isabelle, I refuse to repeat history. We’ll ensure she’s safe and the territory is stabilized. It’s held this long. It will hold for two more weeks.
I exchange a look with Gaeton. He nods, letting me lead this conversation. A fucking first, though I suppose that’s not strictly true any longer. Since our respective relationships with Isabelle detonated, some of the animosity between us collapsed with it. Not all, not by a long shot, but I can stand next to him without wanting to cut his fucking throat. An improvement.
I meet Hades’s gaze. “Two weeks won’t make a difference one way or another. Beyond that, I wouldn’t worry too much about Cordelia seeking revenge since she’s the one who sent her baby sister here tonight in the first place.”
Hades doesn’t blink. “I highly doubt she envisioned the terms of the bargain you struck with Isabelle Belmonte.”
Heat courses through my body, but I muscle back my physical response. All in good time. Because we do have time now. Two weeks is more than long enough to play out every filthy fantasy I never let myself contemplate with Isabelle. The fact that Gaeton will be doing the same concurrently feels strangely right. We began this journey at the same time, and we’ll finish at the same time as well. “That’s our business.”
“See that it doesn’t become my business.” He glances at Isabelle, gaze cold. “She’s playing in deep waters. Don’t let her drown and bring ruin upon us all.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “If you’re done …”
“I am. For now.”
I turn and lead the way out of Hades’s office. Aurora is nowhere in sight, which is just as well. We don’t need an escort to the exit. I nod at Adem at the front desk and step into the elevator. We don’t speak again until the doors slide open and the cool air of the parking garage seeps into the elevator. “Your place, your transport.” I know where Gaeton lives, of course. It pays to keep track of these things, especially since we’ve both found ourselves in something of a precarious position leaving our old territory, but he’s hardly sent out engraved invites to his place.
He nods and leads the way down the ramp to a sleek black SUV. I glance around for a driver, and he catches the look. Gaeton gives a shit-eating grin. “Not all of us are fancy bitches who need to be carted around.”
I narrow my eyes. “I prefer to keep my hands free for other purposes.”
He snorts. “Whatever you have to tell yourself, asshole.”
Isabelle stirs as I open the back door and Gaeton sets her carefully on the seat. She blinks those big brown eyes at us. “Did I fall asleep?” Her hands flutter to her hair, seeming to register how tangled it is, and then to Gaeton’s coat. “You ruined my dress.”
