Scarred Empire: An Enemies to Lovers Dark Billionaire Romance (Broken Cross Book 2)

by Bri Blackwood

  “Excuse me? You must be—”

  “Take the vibrator and place it inside you.” He was losing patience.

  “But—”

  “But nothing. Although I can think of a few things to do with that ass. Put it inside you.”

  “You can go fuck yourself.”

  A sarcastic chuckle left his lips. “Why would I fuck myself when I can fuck you? If you don’t do as you’re told, and you aren’t walking toward the bathroom in five seconds, I’ll add that to the list of reasons I’m punishing you.” He paused and took a step closer to me. “Even though we both know you enjoy my punishment too much.”

  Damien gestured to my coat and purse and held his hand out, all the while holding the small black box that I recognized. I snatched it from him and turned away before he could say anything else that made me want to combust.

  It wasn’t hard to find the bathroom and I appreciated the sleek design of the interior that matched the rest of the establishment. I double-checked that no one else was in the bathroom with me before I walked into a stall and took a deep breath before I moved the thong I wore tonight and placed the device inside of me. It slid in easier than I was expecting, a testament to how wet I was. I debated playing with myself but decided against it because Damien would know. When I was sure that the vibrator wasn’t going anywhere, I left the stall and washed my hands. As I grabbed a paper towel to dry my hands, I jumped. Vibrations came from the toy and sent jolts of pleasure through me. I’d forgotten there was a remote that could control it from a distance. I could handle this. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw that my cheeks were already flush. Maybe I couldn’t handle this.

  I left the bathroom after a few more deep breaths and found Damien waiting for me, much like he had when he ran into me during the gala. A smirk lay on his lips; he clearly had no shame.

  “Are you okay? You look…a little pink in the cheeks.”

  If I could have growled at him, I would have. Instead, my eyes were transfixed on his hand that was now moving to the pocket of his slacks as he increased the intensity of the vibrations a notch.

  The tremors caused my eyes to widen as my body tried to become more accustomed to the change in settings. The smirk grew as he put a hand on the small of my back, guiding me along.

  We passed the room that we played in the first time and I tried with every bit of my being to keep it together. But the anticipation of what was going to happen and the pulsing vibrator inside of me had me on edge.

  It wasn’t long before we stopped at another door and Damien turned to me. “It’s time to take things up a notch.”

  He opened the door and took several steps inside. The theme of this room was jungle, and the different colored greens painted a beautiful picture, but my eyes were focused on the bed that was the main attraction in the room. The dark sheets were reminiscent of the sheets that I slept on in Damien’s bed, and when I snapped out of the short daydream I’d entered, I turned around and found Damien leaning on the door. He trained his eyes on me as I once again watched his hand move toward his pants pocket, and I felt the vibrations increase not once, but twice. The sensations running through my body almost brought me to my knees. I couldn’t stop the moans and whimpers that were flying out of my mouth as I felt myself coming closer and closer to my release.

  I slowly made my way over to the bed as that was the closest surface I could lean on and sat down before I threw my head back. I pulled my head up and my eyes met his before they squeezed shut. Just a little more…

  The vibrations stopped. I took a moment to catch my breath before I met his gaze.

  “You thought I was going to let you come that easily? This is a punishment, Spitfire. It just so happens that it’s pleasurable too. Stand up.”

  I stood up slowly, not trusting my legs. Damien walked over to me and if anyone else saw him, they would have assumed that he was unaffected. But I knew better based on the bulge in his pants. He got within a breath of me, and I felt his fingertips run up the front of my dress.

  “You look stunning in this dress, but I know something that’s even better: your naked body. His fingers made their way up to the zipper that was holding the dress closed, between my breasts. He slowly unzipped the garment and when he was done, he pushed the dress off my shoulders until it fell to the ground. The black strapless bra and thong were the only things that were keeping me from being completely exposed to Damien. I didn’t move as I watched Damien take a small step back and undo his belt. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled something out before he went back to unbutton his pants and they followed my dress to the floor.

  “I’m going to fuck your mouth.” His eyes lowered to the spot in front of him, telling me that was where he wanted me without using the words. I did as I was told and took my time rolling his black boxer briefs down his body as he undid the buttons on the white shirt he wore. I didn’t know what happened to it because my eyes were glued to the package that I had just unwrapped. Without a second thought, my mouth was on him, licking his head just the way I knew he liked. I teased him, much like he had teased me all night and almost as if he just remembered, the little machine came to life inside of me, sending sensational vibes to my core.

  After several minutes of teasing his cock, I alternated between pulling him almost out of me and deep throating his pulsating dick. The groans that were coming out of his mouth were driving me wild and he turned the vibrator up again, causing me to moan around his dick. His fingers were in my hair, creating tangles I couldn’t give a damn about. I was proud that it was me that was causing him to lose control.

  Truly embracing the nature of this room, Damien pulled on my hair with one hand, not enough to hurt me, but enough to get my attention. His cock fell out of my mouth with a resounding pop, and as he looked into my eyes, he turned the vibrator up even more. Holy shit, this vibrator was powerful.

  He leaned down and pulled me up, before bending down slightly to pick me up. For a moment he held me as if I were his bride and he was going to carry me over the threshold. Instead, he tossed me on the bed and spread my legs wide, before my eyes closed again, and my labored breath picked up. I could feel him drag the scrap of material that passed for underwear down my legs before he left the bed for a second. I tried to open my eyes to watch him, but I couldn’t muster up enough energy to care. A moment later, I felt his fingers on my pussy and he slowly worked the vibrator in and out of me before he turned it off and removed it. I felt his condom-covered cock at my entrance just before he rammed it home.

  The sensations slammed through me like severe thunderstorms coursing through me. I fought the urge to scream as Damien slammed into me, causing my arousal to soar. Why did this always have to be this phenomenal?

  His movements didn’t have the finesse that they usually did. It was almost as if his personality was taking on the theme of the room, and the beast in him was at the forefront. His hand clawed at my chest where he tried to massage my breasts, popping them out of the bra cups that were barely containing them anyway.

  The way his body moved with mine was driving me closer and closer to the edge, and if he stopped me from coming this time, there would be hell to pay. Instead of slowing down, he continued to fuck me as if his life depended on it. The only noises that passed between us were moans and groans of satisfaction.

  I cried out in pleasure as I felt myself crossing over the point of no return, and the grunt that he gave told me he had done the same. If this was a punishment, I couldn’t wait to find out what was a reward.

  Damien and I walked out of the room and he led me to the bathroom that was a few rooms away. As I checked myself in the mirror to make sure I looked somewhat human, it hit me that I didn’t recognize my own reflection. Just like every time Damien and I had sex, I could barely remember my own name afterward, but this was deeper than that.

  I craved the intimacy that we shared. When we were together, nothing else mattered. The bags under my eyes proved that there was another side to
all of this. Before Damien, I had lived a quiet life. Over the last few weeks, my life had taken a turn I could have never expected. The mixture of happiness, yet confusion swirled in my mind. I shouldn’t feel this way about whatever Damien and I had going, but I wanted more. I deserved more, and I could finally admit that I hoped deep down inside Damien would be the one who’d give it to me.

  I exited the bathroom and almost ran into Damien. Although it was dark in the hallway, I could still make out the look he was giving me, and my body involuntarily quivered with anticipation. He looked as if he wanted to take me down and have round two right here in the hallway, not giving a damn if anyone around us saw.

  He glanced down at his phone and that was when everything changed. It was as if someone had poured a cold bucket of water down his back, the look was gone, replaced with passive indifference. There was the Damien I knew. I wondered what he had read that caused the shift. He held out my coat and helped me put it on before handing me my purse.

  “We are leaving.”

  I nodded agreement. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes.”

  He guided me up the stairs, holding the small of my back as we walked back through the door to the outside world. Down here, we could ignore the drama that both Damien and I brought into whatever this was. Could I imagine my life being this way all the time? How would it affect my job and how hard I worked to excel? For the past couple of years, Monroe Media Agency has been everything to me. Everything I did was usually to the benefit of the company, to make sure that it continued to thrive and to prove to my father that I could do this. And now here I was with Damien, and I barely thought about work anymore.

  We took a different route to exit the basement and ended up in a back-alley entrance.

  “I didn’t know this was here.”

  “Hardly anyone knows about this entrance. It makes it easier for me and a few others to slip in and out without being detected. I thought you might not want to go through the crowd in the bar.”

  I didn’t react because Rob was pulling up in the SUV and in a matter of seconds, he whisked away us.

  21

  Damien

  Smoke.

  All I can smell is smoke.

  It’s the middle of the night and I’m in the kitchen getting some water, doing my best not to wake up Charlotte. That is until I smell smoke. My first instinct is to make sure that the stove is off. It is. I look around for another heat source when I hear a huge boom upstairs. Whatever fell makes the entire house shake.

  “Charlotte,” I yell. “Charlotte!”

  “Damien, wake up.” I hear a woman’s voice call me, but I can’t place it. “Damien, you’re dreaming. Wake up.”

  My eyes shot open, and I sat up in bed. “Fuck,” I mumbled, wiping my hands across my face. I was hoping things were getting better, because I hadn’t had a nightmare about the fire in a while, but clearly, I was wrong.

  “Are you okay? Can I get you some water?”

  “No.” I moved my hand over my eyes. The room was infused with light. Anais must have turned on the overhead light and the bedside lamp.

  “Oh, let me turn that off,” she said, scrambling out of bed and dashing toward the light switch. When she came back, she sat next to me on the bed. “Is there something you want to talk about? It might help.”

  I looked at her in the soft light that was coming from the lamp. Maybe talking to her about it would be helpful. After all, what do I have to lose? I studied her face before I said, “Sure.”

  “Are these dreams why you’re so protective of people going into your bedroom and sleeping next to you?”

  I nodded. “Looks like I’m breaking all of my rules with you.” I gestured to her, pointing out that she was currently sleeping in my bed. I saw a hint of a smile appear on her face before it went away.

  “The first part of this you already know. I was dating a girl named Charlotte in high school during our senior year. We had only been dating a couple of months and one weekend we went away to one of her parents’ homes in upstate New York. We were having a good time.” I decided not to go into detail about what having a good time meant. “And then late on Saturday night, I headed downstairs to get a drink of water.”

  Anais leaned over and grabbed my hand. I looked down at our entwined fingers and wanted more in order to get through this. I pulled her closer to me as I lay down, thoroughly enjoying having her lie on my chest. Once we got settled, I resumed my story. “I smelled smoke. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but the smell didn’t go away so I started looking for the source and couldn’t find it. Then I went upstairs, and a beam fell from the ceiling. Deep down in my heart, I knew there was no way I was going to get to Charlotte without either severely injuring or killing myself, but I still tried. I bounded back down the stairs and before I could find something to cover myself up with, my father burst through the front door. He practically dragged me out of there, and we hopped into my car and sped down the street. That’s most of what I remember happening, although I have several questions that still swirl around my head about that night, more often than I would like to admit.”

  I paused for a moment, giving Anais time to ask questions, but she didn’t. Instead, she said, “Oh Damien, I’m so sorry.”

  “I don’t need your pity,” I said. It came out much harsher than I intended.

  “I’m not giving you pity. I can feel bad without throwing pity around.”

  That was true.

  “Have you talked to someone about it?” Anais asked.

  “I have. It helped with the survivor’s guilt but did little to help with the nightmares.”

  “There has to be something that could help. I wonder—”

  “It’s fine because it’s not nearly as bad as it used to be. It mostly happens when I’m stressed. It was triggered by another text I received.”

  “The one you received a few hours ago at Elevate?”

  Of course, she knew. I nodded once.

  Instead of asking more about the message, she rubbed a hand up and down my back and I leaned into her, embracing the comfort she was providing. Despite her father still healing, and the investigation still ongoing for the person who had shot him, which I knew had her worried, she was trying to help me with a situation that had happened over a decade ago.

  Having her by my side on and off for these last few weeks was more than I’d imagined. I had grown used to coming home from work and her being there when I opened the door. It was a one-eighty from the person I thought I was, one who loved time alone and had no desire to share a space with anyone else. Now I craved having Anais in any way I could, and that was problematic. I knew I needed her more than she would ever know, but what if I was already too late?

  22

  Anais

  “You looked stunning in the video, Anais. You both looked ecstatic to be engaged,” Ellie said over the phone. We hadn’t been able to catch up on the phone after the engagement news dropped until today.

  “Well, I guess we did our jobs then.” I placed the grocery bags on the counter with a huff. I mouthed Thank you to Kingston, who gave me a small wave before he exited the apartment.

  “It was a hit. Everyone is praising the photos and fawning over the fact that Damien has finally found the one.”

  I was glad to hear that because I hadn’t been keeping tabs on what people were saying. I knew that would drive me crazy with worry. It didn’t help that I suspected they were picking me apart, wondering how I got him to propose.

  “I’m glad most of the reactions were good.” I took off my jacket and started unpacking the food to put it away. I had asked Lucy not to fix dinner for the next couple of days because I wanted to do it.

  Ellie sighed. “You know there are always going to be people who talk shit. There’s nothing we can do about that.”

  “That’s true. That’s why I’m avoiding reading what people are saying. I know it would get to me.”

  “And that’s why you have me.�
��

  I chuckled. “I appreciate you more than you know, and not just for your information-gathering skills.”

  “Thank you. How is everything going with you and Damien?”

  I shrugged, even though she couldn’t see it. “Things have been good. He still needs to be in control and that gets on my nerves, but we haven’t had many disagreements. It’s been… nice. Plus, the sex has been fantastic.”

  Ellie chuckled. “That’s good! How’s your dad doing? Any news on who shot him?”

  “Dad is doing well! He’s still recuperating in the Hamptons, and I’ve been talking to my parents at least every other day. And nope, we aren’t any closer to finding out who shot him. NYPD are still investigating but have nothing concrete. Even though we found out about who created and was pushing the blog post about my father, that has been a dead end too. Damien hasn’t mentioned it directly, but I think now the only way we’re going to find the person is if they try something else. If I had to guess, it’s a matter of when, not if.”

  “That sucks. I have something that might brighten your day.”

  I straightened my body. “What’s that?”

  “Nick, my bodyguard, mentioned that we might try to bring me back to the city next week.”

  Her words made my heart jump. I missed her terribly, especially with everything else around me moving so swiftly. “That’s so exciting!”

  “Yeah. I need to get back to work, so hopefully we can make this happen. Hey, I need to go help with dinner. Can I text you later?”

  I glanced at the time and cussed under my breath. “That’s fine. I just noticed the time myself and I have to do a couple of things before Damien comes home.”