Beyond Eden (19 page)

“Really?” Trisha gasped in horror, raising her head to stare at him with wide eyes. “How do you keep track of all the key points?”

“I
remember
them,” Paul said slowly, his hands still behind his head as he gave Trisha a smile. “I had a professor who insisted that highlighting and underlining was a crutch. It lets you skip over paying attention to what you’re reading. Since then I stopped using them and just trained myself to retain what I was reading.”

Trisha lifted her eyebrows as she stared ahead unseeing for a moment and then shook her head. “I don’t agree.”

“That was actually the most pertinent information you got from that file,” Danny said as he put a cup of coffee in front of Paul. “He trained himself to do something because his professor told him to.”

“Fuck off, Danny Boy,” Paul said with a scowl at Danny. “Let us finish this project.”

“Fine,” Danny said with a frown, looking down at Trisha when she went back to highlighting the file Paul had to work with once she got done making it blinding. “Have lots of fun.”

Danny headed outside, making it obvious he needed to distance himself and go fishing rather than lash out at Trisha for completely ignoring Paul’s polite request to stop highlighting the file he was going to work on as a favor to her.

Paul took a long drink of coffee, savoring the taste of it and thinking of Danny rather than ugly yellow ruining a perfectly good file. He would just copy the pages at work on Monday, getting rid of the yellow and leaving it a difficult gray instead.

“Please don’t highlight it,” Paul surprised himself by saying as he thought of having to read over all of it with faded gray clouding the writing. “I really do hate highlighters. They bother me.”

“But I thought we were working on this together.”

Paul closed his eyes in annoyance. After she was done coloring, her help would be pointless because that stupid yellow highlighter was all she was bringing to the table. He was the business attorney. Unless someone was getting murdered over the partnership he was helping her friend set up, Trisha’s input was useless.

“Fine, highlight it,” Paul said, deciding the sooner she was done, the sooner he could get laid in a way that was actually exciting.

True to form, once Trisha was done highlighting, she really didn’t have much else to offer. But Paul discussed the case with her anyway, going over the details of the business that needed to be set up so she could relay the information to her friend. He couldn’t meet with her friend or the other business partner until next Saturday, which was the only day he had to meet with the clients he did free work for but he assured Trisha she could give both partners his cell number if they had any questions before then.

“You’re brilliant,” Trisha said as she put her pens and highlighters in her purse. “I know this is a tedious project and I do appreciate you for it.”

“It’s not that tedious,” Paul said as he took another long drink of coffee. “In comparison to what I deal with at the firm, it’s practically mindless it’s so easy. I should have everything done by Saturday.”

“So very efficient,” Trisha said, leaning over to place a kiss on his lips. “And Danny thinks you won’t be a good politician. He doesn’t even vote. What does he know about it?”

Paul smiled to himself, taking another drink of coffee rather than answer her. Most of Danny’s clients had been politicians. Powerful people from all over the world had paid to have him flown in to abuse them when they needed an escape from their reality and that gave Danny a very different view of politics.

“He should vote,” Paul finally said when it was obvious Trisha was waiting for a response. “If you don’t vote, you don’t get to have an opinion. I’ve told him that.”

“Oh, well.” Trisha shrugged as she stood and headed to the front door, stopping in front of it to give Paul a smile when he got up to walk her out. “Thanks again for working on the case for me. We can do lunch tomorrow. My treat.”

“Call me later.” Paul leaned down to kiss her again as he reached around Trisha and opened the door for her. “Drive safely.”

“Always,” Trisha said as she walked out the door. “Catch anything?”

“Why, do you like fish?” Danny asked dryly. Paul leaned out the door to see him smirk up at Trisha from where he was reclined in a chair, a cigarette between his fingers and his fishing pole resting unattended against the railing. “Say the word and I’ll hook you up.”

“I’m good,” Trisha said tightly as she walked toward her car.

She hadn’t even started the car when Danny said, “I call lesbian. Any woman who takes two years to figure out you’re sexy and tells me to put my shirt on has to be a lesbian.”

“She would’ve caught the fish joke,” Paul pointed out with a laugh. “Besides, she would be a
horrible
lesbian.”

“I guess,” Danny said, turning around to arch an eyebrow at Paul. “Are you shitting me about that? You lick pussy better than I do and I lick pussy
really
well. That has to be the most horrific waste of perfectly good talent I have ever heard of. If women on the scene heard about that they’d start a riot. Do you know how many of them have offered thousands for the chance to feel your tongue on them?”

Paul leaned against the doorframe as a fresh surge of lust rolled over him. “Forget charging them. I’ll pay you for the chance to lick some pussy. I miss it.”

“I know,” Danny whispered softly as he took a long drag off his cigarette and tilted his head back to blow smoke upward. “You like corsets and lipstick. You want a woman to make you kneel all night and lick her until your tongue goes numb.”

Paul groaned, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck as he leaned more heavily against the door. “That’s exactly what I want. Please, Danny Boy. I’ll do anything you want.”

“I can’t trust them with you,” Danny said sadly. “I’m sorry.”

Paul put a hand over his eyes, his body tight in pent-up frustration. “I won’t let them hurt me. I’ll safe word if they start using pain.”

“Did Trisha stop highlighting your file after I left?”

Paul looked away from him, staring out toward the lake, silently cursing himself for letting Trisha go over the case with him here instead of at her apartment.

“Paul Guy?”

“I can just copy it. That gets rid of the yellow,” Paul whispered. “I do it all the time.”

“You hate highlighters and you still let her do it, but you expect me to believe you’re going to stop some gorgeous Domme from abusing you when you love it more than anything in this world?” Danny asked, turning around to look at him cynically. “The only way you get to play with a Domme is if I supervise. Those are the rules, you know that.”

Paul gaped at Danny’s head. “You’re one of the best Doms on the scene. You scare them to death. An intimidated, nervous Domme defeats the whole purpose of having one.”

Danny shrugged. “Then you’re fucked, Paul Guy.”

“Am I?” Paul asked hopefully as he looked down at Danny.

Danny took another drag of his cigarette and then parted his lips, letting the smoke waft past them in a way that indicated he was feeling vicious and evil. Paul wondered if he realized he did that, started smoking so distinctly when he suddenly stopped being his friend and started being his Master. Seeing it made Paul bite his tongue rather than groan out loud, because his body was trained to react to that image. He got painfully hard while he waited, tasting the copper tang of blood in his mouth. He bit his tongue harder because seeing Danny smoke like that had him longing for pain.

“How’d you keep her hands off your back?”

“She rode me,” Paul said, rubbing at the back of his neck once more. “I pressed my back against the headboard. I’ve done it before.”

“She never sees the marks?” “She likes doing it in the dark.”

“You’re gorgeous, with a body to die for,” Danny said in a disgusted voice. “And she’s fucking you in the dark?”

“Maybe what’s gorgeous to you isn’t to someone else,” Paul mused thoughtfully. “Have you ever considered that?”

“Don’t give me that shit. Like it or not, you know you’re gorgeous,” Danny said sternly. “Yet you found the only woman who has never noticed. Too bad she hates having her pussy licked, because anyone who genuinely thought you were ugly could really get your dick hard. Do you want me to think you’re ugly?”

“Sure, ugly slaves are easier to degrade,” Paul said, raising his eyebrows at the thought. “And you’d stop crying about scars.”

“Your back belongs to me,” Danny said in a possessive voice. “I don’t want it permanently scarred. The scars you got before I took over still piss me off. Do I look like a Master who deserves an ugly slave?”

“No,” Paul whispered in a breathy voice, his body tightening in anticipation. “You deserve a gorgeous slave, one who will do whatever you want for as long as you want him to.”

“Yes, I do,” Danny said, taking another drag off his cigarette, and parting his lips once more. He gestured to Paul and then pointed to the spot in front to the chair he was sitting in as he let the smoke waft past his full lips. “I want you to take your shirt off for me. I like looking at you.”

Paul walked over and leaned against the railing in front of Danny. He reached for the top button on his shirt, pulling it undone slowly as he looked down at Danny, whose dark eyes were burning with hunger. It was Sunday, both their girlfriends were gone and he could take his time seducing which was something Paul knew he was
very
good at.

By the time he undid the second one, Danny sucked in a small breath of anticipation, his eyes trained on Paul’s chest as he slowly revealed more skin to him. The third button had Danny running his hand over the bulge in his jeans and Paul smiled in response.

“You want it?” Danny asked, his hand still cupping his hard cock through his jeans. “Yes,” Paul sighed, staring at him longingly as he licked his lips and pulled the next

button undone. “Very much.”

“You may have to have some vanilla, because I can’t spend two hours tormenting you today,” Danny said, raising his eyebrows as he eyed the line of flesh Paul had revealed by unbuttoning his shirt. “I didn’t get in until dawn and I’m feeling very lazy this morning.”

“You’ve got a cock.” Paul pushed his shirt open once he had it undone and leaned more fully against the balcony, his arms resting on the ledge as he put himself on display for Danny. “It’s never vanilla with you.”

“Lucky me,” Danny hummed as he flicked his cigarette into the lake and then slouched lower in the chair, his long legs stretching out lazily in front of him. The sun shone off his olive skin and his dark eyes were heavy as he stared up at Paul. “I’m not a woman. You can’t make me come fifty times in one night, but I am the Master of my domain. If you need someone you can pleasure until your knees are killing you and your tongue is numb, then be my guest. I won’t come.”

Paul stared at Danny, feeling his chest constrict when he realized in a few months he was going to have to give him up. It was like reliving letting Eve go to New York all over again and he had never recovered from losing her. What was going to happen when he was suddenly trapped in a world completely devoid of the two people who held the two halves of his heart? He had survived losing Eve because he had Danny, but this time there was nothing to fall back on. The idea was too horrifying to think about let alone come to terms with the fact that it was going to be a reality very soon.

“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable,” he said softly, still staring down at Danny with wide, unfocused eyes. “That’s not sexy.”

“You think I’d let a slave make me uncomfortable?” Danny snorted as if the idea was ridiculous. He reached behind the chair, gripping at the back of it, showing off his strong arms and beautiful chest in a decidedly different way than Paul would have. When Danny put himself on display it was to torment with the temptation of being able to touch something so gorgeous, yet anyone who looked at him knew they would have to beg and grovel for just the hope of servicing him. “It’s Sunday. I’m tired and lazy and the sunshine feels good on my skin. I like the idea of having you worship me. When I get sick of you, I’ll fuck you and go to sleep. What part of that proposal makes me uncomfortable?”

“No part.” Paul reached over and rubbed at the back of his neck, his elbow leaning against the balcony as he considered Danny, trying to decide where he wanted to start first. “I can make you come a couple of times. I don’t mind.”

“What none of you submissives understand is that real Doms don’t need to beg for pleasure. We take it when we want it, but we don’t need it. We’re better than that. Seeing you on your knees worshiping me will always be more satisfying than coming. I’m fucking your soul by doing that. It’s like a cosmic orgasm.”

Paul raised his eyes, seeing that Danny’s dark gaze was swirling with lust that made him a liar. Danny was offering Paul this because he cared about him and knew he needed someone to worship. That made it more potent than actually believing what Danny said.

“Now, that was sexy,” Paul said with a smile.

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Danny said in a bored voice, giving Paul a look of irritation. “Now stop being worthless and come here and make yourself useful.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Eve said, rubbing her brush against her palette. “I’m an open book.”

Danny leaned on the balcony next to her, a cigarette between his fingers as he stared at her rather than the lake that sparkled like a million diamonds in the fading light of sunset. “Why do you always touch yourself when we’re fucking?”

Eve looked over from her painting to stare at Danny with a bemused smile. “Because I have this little thing about wanting to come when I have a nice, big cock in me. And I don’t always touch myself. If you’re being useful, you do it for me.”

“You can’t come without clitoral stimulation, can you?”

“No,” Eve said as she went back to working on her painting, trying to capture the rustic beauty of the lake, surrounded with wild, overgrown, marshy grasses and tall, thin cypress trees decorated with gray, lacy Spanish moss. “The Sex Gods didn’t bless me. I can’t come from penetration alone.”