Unconditional (11 page)

Chapter Seven

Ashley watched as Damon Knight attached the TENs unit to a pretty brunette’s nipple and flicked the switch on.

For a potential psychopath, he was pretty delicate with the attachments. The sub started to squirm, but it seemed like a pleasurable thing.

“You’ve been a very bad patient,” the Brit said in his clipped, aristocratic accent. “Do you know what happens to bad patients?”

He twisted the dial and now the sub groaned and squealed.

“He’s sending electricity through her nipples?” Ashley whispered the question.

“It’s mild.” Keith grimaced a little. “Well, not at that setting it’s not. It looks like Master Damon is taking out some of his frustrations. I don’t think he likes doctors very much.”

Master Damon pulled out another set of attachments. “Spread your legs.”

“Is he going to…?” Ashley couldn’t ask the whole question.

“Oh, yeah.” Keith slipped his hand into hers and led her away just as the sub screamed.

She hadn’t screamed her safe word. Ashley had talked to the woman a little earlier on and she’d been looking forward to playing with Master Damon. When Ashley asked if she was afraid, she’d claimed to be a massive pain slut and excited that someone would finally hurt her.

And she’d heard the Brit had a big dick, though he hadn’t seemed interested in using it on anyone. She was hoping to break the Brit’s celibacy.

Gosh, Ashley wanted to see Keith’s dick. “Are we going to the bar?”

That would be a little disappointing. The bar always marked the end of their evenings together. It was a peaceful time after the scenes and play were finished. They hadn’t played together at all. It had been hours and Keith had been very solicitous. Very polite. Very hands-off.

She gave Ryan a smile as she passed him. He was dressed in his leathers and motorcycle boots, very much the big bad manager of Sanctum. He nodded her way but pointedly kept his eyes off her body, which was nicely on display if she did say so herself.

He didn’t look at Keith at all.

“Shit.”

Keith turned, his mouth in a gorgeous frown. His hand slipped from hers. “What did you say?”

Shit.
She’d said it out loud and that wasn’t allowed. It was a playful reason for him to spank her. She got ten licks when she cussed in his presence. It had been her idea because Emily liked to repeat anything she said and she didn’t want her baby girl to have a whole vocabulary of curse words.

Maybe they would end up playing. “Sorry, Sir. I said shit.”

“Don’t do it again.” He turned back around and started to head for the bar.

She just stood there. They had an agreement. When she cursed, they stopped whatever they were doing and he spanked her. The week before he’d heard her cuss because she got an order wrong at the bar and before the poor Dom could get his whiskey sour, she’d been over Keith’s lap, counting it out.

Was he bored? Had two weeks with her been enough for him?

“You all right?” Ryan asked. “You shouldn’t be without your Dom, honey. I don’t like the idea of you walking around here alone.”

“Did you say something to him?”

Her brother-in-law frowned. “I do talk to the man, Ashley.”

“What did you say to him?” She didn’t get stubborn often, but she felt it now. She stood up to her brother-in-law. And looked up to him because he was about a foot taller than she was.

“Ashley? Are you coming?” Keith asked quietly.

She didn’t turn around because she wasn’t sure of the answer to that question. She wouldn’t be coming at all if Keith dumped her because her overly protective brother-in-law had decided to inflict some damage on him. She might never come again, and that kind of pissed her off. “I don’t stick my nose in your business.”

Ryan frowned down at her. “Of course you do. You live on my property. You’re in my house constantly. You definitely stick your nose in my business. Do you think I missed the pamphlets about proper business practices in the third world? That didn’t come from Jillian because she doesn’t give a crap about my new idea. And it didn’t magically appear.”

Well, forgive her for giving a crap about indigenous labor. “I wasn’t talking about that and you know it. I was talking about Keith.”

“Where does she think we can set up the manufacturing?” Keith asked, looking at Ryan for the first time.

Maybe she did know way too much about Ryan’s business but she was in college. She was curious. “How about here? Why don’t you create jobs in your own community?”

“Because my own community charges through the roof. Do you know what the product cost would be? Your boyfriend over there would laugh me right out of his office if I came in and pitched him a product that included First World labor costs,” Ryan argued back.

“I would turn him down flat. Ashley, why are you bugging Ryan about his labor costs? You’re a first year business student. He’s made millions. Lost it, too, but he’s well on his way to millions more,” Keith said.

“Yes, well, I would prefer those millions didn’t come with blood on them.” Ashley stopped. How had she lost control of the conversation?

And why were they both smiling?

She ignored them because that wasn’t the point. “I want to know what you said to Keith because he’s acting weird and I don’t like it.”

Keith stared at her. “I’m acting weird?”

“Yes,” she shot back. “You haven’t touched me all night and you didn’t spank me.”

“God, that’s rough.” Ryan grimaced.

Keith ignored him. “And you didn’t like that? You didn’t like that I haven’t touched you?”

She shouldn’t have started this, but she was certainly going to finish it. “I like what we have, and I don’t think Ryan should have a say in our relationship. We’re adults and we’ve both consented. I like our friendship.” It was so much more than that, but she couldn’t say the words. “And I won’t have Ryan manipulating you because he doesn’t like the idea. This is my life and my choice. I love you, Ryan. I’ll always be grateful to you, but I won’t let you walk all over me. I won’t.” They stood there still smiling while she had damn tears in her eyes. “Why are you two grinning like loons?”

“She never used to argue with me,” Ryan said, his eyes on her but his words directed at Keith. “She would start to tell me what she thought and then she would mumble something about needing to be somewhere else.”

“She’s smart. She has good ideas. Well, except about the labor issues. She’s crazy about those,” Keith admitted.

Ryan took a long breath. “Okay. I’m going to back off entirely because I like where this is going. Ash, let me know if you need any…let your Dom know if you need anything. You’re wearing his collar so you need to go through him. Keith?”

“Yeah?” Keith’s eyes were guarded as he looked over her brother-in-law.

“Want to have lunch tomorrow? Go over some of those crazy ideas I have?”

Her Dom’s mouth curled up slightly, and he held out a hand. “I’m pretty sure I’m free.”

They shook hands and Ashley felt the tension leave. “So, everyone’s okay?”

“Everyone except the sub who’s about to get her ass smacked red for cursing and not following her Dom and smarting off to another Dom. Other than her, everyone’s fine. Well, except for the Brit’s sub. She’s got electrodes attached to her clitoris.” Keith shuddered a little. He reached for her hand again. “See you later, Ryan.”

He started walking down the hall but not toward the bar this time.

“Hey, uhm, what just happened?” One minute he’d seemed reluctant and now he was striding through the club like he couldn’t wait another minute.

He stopped, turned on his heels, and suddenly crowded her. She backed up, a little surprised at the way he was looming over her. He was always so polite, always controlled, and now she sensed something primitive in him.

“You just happened.” He moved until their chests nearly touched, until she had to drop her head back to look at him. His handsome face was staring down at her. “I thought I wasn’t good for you, but maybe I am.”

Sometimes it was easy to forget that he was just human. In the short time she’d been with him, she’d started to see him as some sort of superhero. He handled his business with ease. He was rich and successful and yet he was also kind to the people around him. He was together, but he was just a man and men had insecurities like everyone else.

She put her hands on his chest, soothing her palms across his skin. “You are very good for me, Sir.”

“Tell me you’re happy with this.”

“I am happy.” She was happier than she’d been in forever. She had something to look forward to, something that belonged just to her.

His fingers came up and he tangled them in her hair. He rarely touched her like that. He petted her, but when he did it he smoothed her hair down, a calming sensation.

She wasn’t calm now and she could tell he wasn’t either. His jaw was tight, all his words grinding out of his mouth.

“I’m happy, too, baby. Happier than I’ve been in a long time.” His mouth hovered over hers. “Let me kiss you.”

He’d never kissed her mouth. He’d given her crazy pleasure, put his tongue all over her pussy, but she’d never felt his heat along her lips and it suddenly seemed so much more intimate. The other was just pleasure, an act he performed on her. This was something else. This required her participation.

“Please, Sir. Please kiss me.”

His lips brushed hers, hesitantly at first as though he wanted to get a read or learn the way her mouth curved. His tongue came out, licking her bottom lip.

Her pussy softened, warmth hitting her like a wave. Her nipples were already straining against her corset, hard little pebbles that were crying out for attention. His hands cupped her face, holding her where he wanted her. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, making her whimper.

“Open for me.” His pelvis came against hers, the thick line of his erection rubbing against her belly.

She let him lead, opening her mouth under his as his tongue surged in.

His whole body pressed her to the wall as he devoured her mouth. His tongue slid against hers, dominating her in a way she’d never known before. She had to go up on her toes to keep up with him, but she played against him. She wrapped her arms around him, loving the feel of hard muscles beneath her hands. He was big and strong, and everything feminine inside her cried out for him.

“I want you.” The words rumbled against her lips, seeming to flow out over her skin.

“I want you, too.” She’d never wanted anyone the way she wanted Keith.

She wanted to give to him, wanted to take from him. She wanted him inside her.

He was already there, she suddenly realized. He’d been there since the day they’d signed the contract. He was the voice in her head that exhorted her to finish what she started, to do her best.

He might never need her the way she needed him, but she could be honest with him here. She could give him everything she had in bed. He would take it from her there.

It had to be enough.

She held him close as he lifted her up. She had a feeling she would remember the night forever.

* * * *

Keith had no idea what he was doing except that it felt more right than anything he’d done before. Ashley was fucking right.

She’d stood up to Ryan. She’d stood right up to the authority figure in her life and she’d told him exactly what she thought. Hell, she’d stood up for him. The girl who let life kick her around had suddenly found her backbone and she was using it to try to protect her Dom from her brother-in-law.

He’d given her that. When she’d been standing there, tears in her eyes, he’d known how scared she was and she’d still done it. She wouldn’t have before she met him. He walked through life thinking he meant very little, but he’d had an effect on her.

Keith let his hands slide down her arms to grip her hips. He’d been careful with her, never showing her how hard he got the minute she walked in the door. Hell, he could damn near come just thinking about her, and when she turned that smart mouth on him, his balls drew up tight against his body.

He let his tongue explore, rubbing against hers in a silky glide. Soft. She was so fucking soft. From her skin to her breasts to her heart, she was sweet everywhere.

He slid his hand inside the bodice of her corset, cupping her breast, finally allowing himself to feel the size and weight of it. She had fucking gorgeous breasts. They were big and real and molded perfectly to his hand, like they’d been made for him.

He ran his tongue along her lips, loving the taste of her. He could eat her up and never get his fill. Weeks had gone by and he’d allowed himself to lick and suck on her luscious pussy, but nothing more. He’d been serving her but taking nothing real for himself past the satisfaction of showing her pleasure. Tonight he was going to know what it meant to sink into Ashley Paxon, to fit himself between her legs and fuck her all night long.

He pulled her breasts out of the confines of the corset, running his thumbs over the hard nubs of her nipples.

She gasped a little when he tweaked her, a breathy little moan that seemed to come from the back of her throat. That sound had a hard line to his cock. It tightened all over again. He’d only thought he couldn’t get any harder.