Deadly Desire (5 page)

So Emma had looked into me. I couldn’t say I was surprised. I’d have done the same if I’d been in her place, and my reputation wasn’t exactly a secret in the city. Still, I had to smirk. She’d still wrapped her sexy thighs around my hips and moaned as I took her hard, despite knowing exactly what I was like. And she still wanted me now, to come here knowing that I fucked with no strings attached.

She might be even more eager for what I had in mind than I’d thought.

It had been a long time since I’d introduced anyone to bondage. I preferred to limit my interests to those who already had some experience in the area. It kept things simple. It meant no one freaked out when I tried to tie them up. Maybe Emma was already into this kind of thing, but looking at her, I knew there was no way in hell she was. There was a sort of innocence about her that wouldn’t be there if she’d explored BDSM in the past.

It would be fun showing her the ropes, and I couldn’t wait to see the look of pure bliss on her face when she came over and over again, screaming in an intoxicating mix of pleasure and pain.

“Why me?” she asked, taking another timid sip of her wine. Her face was flushed and her breathing rapid, and my eyes were drawn down to her cleavage. The dress was a little too tight, but I liked it that way. It gave me a great view of her gorgeous rack.

“While I enjoyed the other day in my office,” I said, “I don’t feel as if we had the chance to enjoy a proper…experience.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Experience. Do you mean…?”

Her reaction told me everything I wanted to know. She’d not only read up on my unattached flings, but she knew exactly what they entailed. If she knew that, then she was at least curious enough about my predilections to want to find out for herself. It took all my self-control to continue to sit in the restaurant and watch her lick her lips as she took another sip of her wine. I wanted to carry her back to my apartment
now
and take command of her perfect, curvy body.

He had that look in his eyes again. The one that made me feel like a platter of meat on an all-you-can-eat buffet. Though, I guessed that was kind of my fault. I’d been the one to bring it up by asking him what he wanted of me, and he’d made it crystal clear what that was.

My heartbeat picked up speed as Pierce rose from his seat and moved over to my side. He held out a hand, staring down at me with a cold and commanding gaze. “Forget the food. We can eat after. Come with me.”

Before I knew what I was doing, I’d taken his hand, letting him lead me from the back of the restaurant and out the front door. A breeze brushed against my hair, and I shivered. Pierce took note, unbuttoning his jacket and draping it around my shoulders. The move seemed foreign coming from him. For someone so closed off and so wary of getting involved emotionally, he’d played the part of a doting date tonight. Except for the part where he’d whisked me out of the restaurant before we’d had a chance to eat…

Anton opened the door to the limo and ushered us inside. A moment later, we were off, speeding down the clogged streets of Manhattan. I glanced out at the sparkling city, trying to wrap my head around what I was about to do. Pierce’s hand settled on my knee and squeezed. I dragged my gaze away from the window and met his eyes. Heat crackled between us, and all I could do was stare at his handsome face. The way the light played across his skin made him look half-shrouded in darkness, and it was almost mesmerizing.

“You look nervous,” he murmured, squeezing my knee again. His thumb began to trace circles against my goose-pebbled skin.

“I am nervous,” I admitted.

“Are you afraid I’m going to bite?” He grinned.

“Kind of,” I breathed. Because I was. I had no idea what I was about to walk into. I only knew the stories in the news, and those had painted a picture of a dominating and rough man. And while he may have been coming across as dominating now, he seemed the opposite of rough. Instead, because of the way he traced his fingers along my leg in slow and lazy circles, he seemed gentle.

“Just relax and trust me,” he said. “This is all about your pleasure.”

A few short moments later, Anton stopped the limo outside of Pierce’s apartment building in the Upper East Side. It was a renovated brownstone that towered above us, sitting opposite of Central Park. Pierce led me inside, to a sleek elevator trimmed in red, and up to the top floor apartment that spanned half the block.

When we stepped inside the darkened room, I had to gasp. The large windows offered brilliant displays of the park, and down below, I could see joggers making their way down the weaving paths on their nighttime runs. The entire apartment was open and spacious, and everything looked brand new. Barely lived in at all. Beside a fireplace sat a crisp off-white couch that had no creases at all, almost as if no one had ever sat on it before.

“This place is impressive,” I said, turning toward him as he reached my side. His hands found my waist, and I stiffened. Heat radiated through my whole body, tempting me to relax, but I was far too aware of where his fingers brushed against my hips to be anything but totally on edge.

“Not as impressive as you,” he murmured before brushing his lips against my neck. Sighing, my head tilted to the side, giving him better access to my skin. His mouth moved across my neck and up to my ear, his tongue leaving traces of electricity in its wake.

I felt my body weaken at his touch, but his hands held me firmly in place.

Twisting, I faced him and searched his eyes for answers I wasn’t sure he could give. “Why do you want me? Of all people?”

His eyes flashed with something. “You’re gorgeous.”

“But—”

“Shh.” He pressed a finger to my lips. “It’s time for you to do as I say. Do you understand, Emma?”

I swallowed hard, sighing as his mouth found my ear again. His breath was hot and heavy against me, and my eyelids fluttered shut. “Yes.”

“I’m serious, Emma.” He pulled back and tucked his finger under my chin, like he’d done that day back in his office. “I’m about to show you what it is I like. Do you consent to submitting to me?”

“Yes, but…” I swallowed again and looked away. Would he stop this if he knew I had no experience with this type of thing? Would he decide I wasn’t the kind of girl he wanted after all? I could lie and pretend I knew exactly what we were about to do, but I had a feeling Pierce Donovan would be able to see right through me. “I don’t really know what that means.”

He nodded and forced my chin to face him again, lifting it so that I had to meet his eyes. “I assumed as much. We’ll take it slow. All that’s important is that I’m going to take command, and you have to obey me. If you become uncomfortable with anything at all, just say the word.”

“What word?” I breathed, my whole body hot, from both embarrassment and desire and lust.

“Red.” He gave me a smile. “Tell me you understand.”

“I understand,” I said.

At that, Pierce lifted me from the floor and threw me over his shoulder. I squeaked out in surprise, wrapping my hands around his thick biceps. He carried me out of the living room and down a short hall until we reached a door that he shoved open with his elbow. A moment later, I was on the floor and gazing around me. Whips and ropes lined the walls, and a bench sat in the very center of the room. I panted, taking it in. I had no idea what I’d gotten myself into, but I knew I couldn’t back out now.

“Stand up,” he said, speaking to me in a cold and commanding voice.

I obeyed him, shivers caressing my skin. He’d switched off completely since entering the room, turning into a different man than he’d been only moments before. This man was just as confident and strong as Pierce had always been, but every emotion was turned off, projecting a face and heart of stone.

He pulled my dress over my head and tossed it to the floor. My bra and panties came next. His eyes raked across me, and an appreciative smile lit his lips until he erased it from view. I watched as he took off his shirt and pants and laid them carefully on the floor next to the door. His entire body was on display, each muscle strong and cut, not an inch of body fat on him anywhere. I felt a little conspicuous next to him. While I didn’t consider myself overweight, I was curvy and soft in all the wrong places, and I rarely stepped foot in a gym.

“You are so gorgeous,” he murmured when he moved in close. “I’m going to give you the greatest pleasure you’ve ever had.”

Pierce bent me over the bench and pressed my hands into the slick metal.

“Hold on tight,” he said into my ear.

Chills swept across me, and I gripped my hands around the bench just in time for a powerful explosion to hit me in the ass. I lurched forward, gasping for air as sparks of pain lit up my whole back. He spanked me again, and I flew forward, crying out as the overwhelming sensation flooded through me.

Tears pricked my eyes from the pain, but I was surprised to find I wanted more. It hurt, but in a way that caused my thighs to become wet. Gasping, I blinked my eyes and steadied myself for more, but suddenly, his cock was thrusting inside me.

Pierce gripped my shoulders and pounded against me. I groaned as his length filled me up. He was big, almost too big for me to bear, and nothing else in the world existed but him. As he moved against me, I gripped the bench tighter. Stars dotted my vision, and my whole body became slick with sweat.

I wanted him to keep going, for hours, for days, for years. But before I realized what was happening, my orgasm crashed through me, shaking my entire body so hard I had to hold tight to the bench to stay steady. Pierce dug his fingers hard into my thighs as he came with me, letting out a guttural growl as his desire met mine.

Slowly, he pulled away, and I twisted to face him. I had no idea what to expect now. Would he want more? There were so many toys in this room, and all he’d done was spank me with his hand. He’d said we’d take thing slow, but even though we’d just had sex, surely that meant this was only the beginning.

I gave him a shy smile, not quite knowing what to say to him. “So, what’s next?”

He barely looked at me, and his tone was clipped. “I’ll ring my driver so he can take you home.”

My heart sunk as he tossed me my dress. Every inch of his face was pure steel. What had I done to make him turn off like this? Had it been because we hadn’t fully explored his toys? But that hadn’t been my decision. He’d been the one to decide what we did, and now he’d flipped his off switch like we hadn’t just shared one of the most intimate moments of my life.

“What’s wrong?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking. “Did you not enjoy that?”

“I very much enjoyed it, Emma,” he said, opening the door. “But now it’s over, and it’s time for you to go.”

It felt like a slap in the face. Tears pricked my eyes, and I shoved my dress over my head. Coming here had been a terrible idea. I never should have gotten involved with Pierce Donovan. I’d known what kind of man he was, and I’d done it anyway, and it was my mistake for believing he would be any different with me than anyone else.

But that didn’t stop the hurt from clouding around my heart. For a moment, I had actually felt something for him, something that could have grown into something more. But in the end, he’d just turned out to be another royal dick.

***

When I slammed my apartment door behind me, I wasn’t surprised to see Cynthia waiting on the couch in her pajamas, half asleep while the news played across the television screen. She jumped and lifted her head, her eyes taking in my rumpled appearance. I hadn’t bothered to straighten my dress or brush my hair. It wasn’t like Anton would be clueless about why I’d gone back to Pierce’s place.

“Well.” She said, raising her eyebrows. “Looks like you had some fun tonight.”

“Yeah, well.” I plopped onto the couch with a sigh and kicked off my heels. “Turns out it was just a wham bam thank you ma’am.”

“Did you think it was going to be anything else?” She shifted sideways on the couch to face me.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe for a little bit. It just seemed like he was treating me like I was special.”

“That’s how those kind of guys get you,” she said with a serious nod. “They charm you and sweep you off your feet and give good romance. But in the end, all they want is sex.”