Page 36 of Bottoms Up (Mythic Beast #4)

Julian

When I rose the following day, Benji had left Vegas, and Silver was playing blackjack in the casino. She’d chosen an area without windows so I could come to her when I rose.

I texted security ten minutes before I’d be ready to leave the room, and a guard at the end of the hall walked with me to the casino, keeping me away from sunlight, making sure I knew the way in case I needed to get back to the lower floors without a guide.

Atlas was already there, watching Silver from a distance.

Close enough to intervene if there was a problem, but enough distance we could pretend he wasn’t there.

I made my way to her and stood behind her, my hand on her shoulder. She played three more hands, until she won again, and scooped up her small pile of chips.

“It’s probably time for me to stop while I’m a little ahead,” Silver said with a smile once we were away from the table.

“Technically, I ran out of chips and had to buy more twice, so I’m still behind, but I had fun playing.

” She cashed her chips in and went toward the women’s bathroom, where I knew she’d put the cash into a band that went around her waist under her pants so pickpockets couldn’t get at it.

Atlas aimed her toward a family bathroom, and he checked it before he let her go in. Guards don’t let me go to the men’s restroom when there’s a family one available, either.

When she returned to me, she told me, “I bought eight grand worth of chips and cashed in five grand, so the afternoon cost me three thousand dollars.”

She gave a wry smile. “Maybe gambling isn’t my thing, but I had fun, so it all worked out.

There’s definitely a dopamine response, and it’s real , you know?

Video games do a decent job of mimicking reality, but it’s kind of like manufactured dopamine, so it isn’t authentic.

I mean, it is — your body doesn’t know the difference — but your mind knows you can just pause the game, or shut it off, and you’ll be fine. ”

“That’s why you’ve been spending so much time at the T-Wall, right? The adrenaline is better than video games?”

She shrugged. “Mostly, I need to work out and stay in shape, and I like climbing. I work out inside when the weather’s bad, or I drive to an indoor climbing wall.” A sigh. “Okay. Yeah. That probably came off as not completely true, because I just realized I’ve been lying to myself.”

She rolled her eyes. “Hello, my name is Silver and I’m an adrenaline junkie, and the T-Wall feeds my addiction.”

“But you were perfectly safe on the floor of the casino,” I noted. “It wasn’t like you could fall a hundred feet straight down. Plus, Atlas was with you.”

“Right, but it was real money I was gambling with. My bank account is lighter. Not a huge deal for me because I have more money than I know what to do with, but for people who are gambling their mortgage? The adrenaline, dopamine, and all the other brain chemicals would be intense.”

“You get that on stage.” Or I had, so I assumed she did as well.

“Yeah. It’s a major rush.”

“Have you heard from Benji? Did he make it to Alaska safely?”

“He did. Thanks for being such a good sport about him spending time with us.”

“It was good for us to be able to spend time together, good I’m important enough in your life to meet your family, and you need to eat.”

“I do, and I’m sorry. I usually try to get that out of the way before you rise.”

“No need to apologize. The buffet across the hall is in the center of the building without windows, so it’s safe for me, or we can order room service, or we can order delivery from anywhere you want.”

She looked around, and I told her, “Atlas is tailing us. Figure out what you want without checking in with him.”

“I usually resent needing security, but he makes it as painless as possible. Asking him what kind of food he’s in the mood for seems a small thing, to thank him for keeping the whole security thing from being this big fucking deal.”

I kissed her forehead. “You and I need to have a conversation about Atlas. I was waiting for Benji to go home, so we could talk at length. It might be best for you to order room service, and then he can get whatever he wants once we’re secure in the underground.”

Her scent told me I’d fucked up, and I quickly added. Nothing is wrong. Atlas is somewhat of a free agent. He works for Gavin but doesn’t belong to him, and there’s a chance he might be interested in working for Marco, so he can continue to be our security.

We can’t steal Gavin’s security. It would be rude.

Agreed, but that might not be the case. Let’s talk about whether taking him home could work for us, and if we think it might, then we’ll talk to Marco and Gavin. If it won’t cause political problems, we can negotiate with Atlas before Marco discusses employment terms.”

We made it out of the casino, and I steered her toward the stairway to our floor.

The closest elevator involved sunlight, but the stairs were safe.

When Atlas mentioned the possibility to me, I told him we’d likely have a few rooms that, when he steps into them, the relationship changes so he’s our…

whatever we decide to call him. Submissive, slave, or something else.

Atlas will never be a pet. The first word that comes to mind is victim, but that’s not at all true for him. Torturee? No, that’s just awkward. Oh! Toy. He’ll be our toy. He doesn’t want it to be personal, right? So, impersonal, but still hot.

That could work. But a toy isn’t a pet. Would you still want a pet?

Maybe. The more I think about it, the more I don’t know if I’d be okay with the morality of it.

We’d have to find someone without a way to support themselves, who’d basically be selling their willpower for security.

I’m wealthy, but other than knowing I’m secure, so I don’t have to wonder where my next meal might come from, I don’t really live like a rich person.

She sighed. Okay, maybe I do, and I’m just so entitled I don’t even see it. The point is, I don’t want to be the kind of person who takes advantage of another person just because I’m rich and they aren’t.

I admit, I was a little disappointed. I’d liked the idea of having someone around we could treat as an animal.

No words allowed if they understood English, not even telepathing words to us.

And we could do anything we wanted to them.

We’d put him in a bejeweled collar, we’d feed him — or her — the best food so long as he behaved, but he’d just be our pet.

But I could also see Silver’s ethical issues with it, and I had to admit she was right — and her hesitation cut deeper than I’d expected.

Was this part of what I needed to learn as a free vampire?

I’d been a slave to vampires without morals or ethics for centuries. Had I learned bad habits from them?

We were in our room with the door closed by now, so I went back to speaking.

“Okay. You’re right, of course. I would ask that if we meet someone you could make a pet without coming up against the whole morality thing, that you bring it up to me, but I can see your point. Thanks for teaching it to me.”

She shook her head. “I’m not your teacher anymore. If you learn from something I say, that’s nice, but you get to decide shit on your own now. Would the morals of it not bother you?”

The words landed like a door closing. Or like someone having to acknowledge the door had already closed.

I wasn’t hers to train anymore. I was mine now.

And I had to decide what kind of man I wanted to be.

I sat and considered how to explain. “I don’t know.

When thinking of it as a hypothetical, it didn’t, but now, with your explanation, it does.

It’s possible I would’ve felt that way after we found someone and were doing the initial training, but I don’t honestly know.

I was a slave to vampires without morals for centuries.

It’s good I’ve gained my freedom under these circumstances — with good people to help guide me. ”

“Okay. If we find someone who needs to be a pet, we’ll talk about it, but we aren’t searching for someone.

The flock members we have access to give us people to play with.

So what’s on the table now is Atlas, right?

Someone we pick as our security person, and bonus , he wants us to hurt him sometimes. ”

She was quiet a few minutes, her shields locked down so I couldn’t see her thoughts. Did she mean to do that, or had it become a habit? I wasn’t sure, and didn’t ask.

After a few moments, she asked, “Could we move out of Homewood if we had Atlas living with us? I know the commute would be too long to my place, but we could buy a house nearby, on the mountain.”

“We can talk to Marco and the security people about it,” I told her.

When I’m living at Homewood, I only need extra security when I’m away.

Marco would have a much bigger outlay to protect me if I lived off-site.

I honestly didn’t know if it would work or not, but if Silver wanted to, we’d have to figure something out.

“Okay,” she said. “Living at Homewood is okay, but I’d love for us to have our own place. Our place, you know? Not just a suite inside of someone else’s place.”

“If it’s important to you, we’ll figure out how to make it happen.”

She looked down, then back up. “It might not be important this year, but yeah, in the long term, it is. That might change, but I want my own kitchen, my own bathroom. Our space, decorated the way we want it, with dishes I’ve chosen — since you don’t eat on dishes — but maybe not, since you’ll still live with them?

I don’t know, but it just seems we should have our own space, if we’re a legit couple. ”

I stood, unbuckled my belt, and tossed it over the sofa. “Clothes off, mon trésor . I want to stripe your ass with my belt before I fuck it.”

My Silver’s scent was all sweet and spicy arousal while she disrobed with an obedient grace that made my cock twitch. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t question. Just positioned herself exactly where I pointed, bent over the arm of the sofa like she belonged there.

What is it about a leather belt on a pale ass?

The impact, the pressure wave. The way the first strike leaves a deep pink, and the second, directly over the first, brings blood to the surface — a crimson welt that begs to be touched.

Cool vampire fingers touching blazing-hot human skin.

Her heart rate increased, her breathing changed, and fuck me, but her scent made me want to bury my dick in her right off the bat, but I didn’t.

Not yet.

She needed more. Needed to be marked, taken, seasoned with pain before I gave her more.

And she didn’t know it yet, but I wasn’t going to let her orgasm at all during this session.

Oh no. She’d get dressed when we finished, my seed held inside her with a giant plug, her hidden welts glowing with heat under her clothes, and we’d walk the Strip like that.

A plug in her ass. A programmable vibrating egg in her cunt, set to turn itself up and down so she couldn’t possibly get used to it. Hours of denial. Of stimulation with no relief.

Eventually, I’d bring her back, fuck her ass again, reinstall the plug, and then finally allow her to jerk off — just her cock, not her pussy.

How would she react to being allowed a penile orgasm and not a vaginal one, after having her cunt teased for hours?

Would she beg for more? Cry in frustration? Shatter in my arms?

Only one way to find out.