Page 26

CHAPTER 25

CRESSIDA

" H ow did we end up with a girl in our guest bedroom?" Lake growled as he drove us back to Snatched.

"She's not in the bedroom now," I quipped while answering a message from Andrea. We were as ready as we ever were for tomorrow's event. Another session tonight wasn't going to help us. Not when we'd already promised her two hours tomorrow.

Anyway, she had her hands full with some new dancers Atlas hired.

"No, she's at the club hanging out with Guy, which is just as dangerous."

I'd gotten to know Guy over the last several weeks. He was a dry man with a weird sense of humor, but he took his job very seriously. "You don't believe Guy can be discreet with his work?"

"It's not about that. It means his attention is divided and we don't need it divided right now," he grumbled. Out of nowhere, he reached across the console and took my hand. I was left holding my phone in just one hand.

Andrea could wait.

He pulled my hand to his lap, resting it on his thigh and running his thumb over my pulse point.

This was everything I'd always wanted. The boys, affection. Freedom.

It wasn't the kind of freedom I wanted, but when it came to keeping the boys or letting them go, it was a compromise I was happy to make.

They'd also stopped trying to push their money on me, telling me what they thought I should have.

Well, except Kim, but he'd taken out everything I didn't like in the closet and replaced a third of it with things I did like.

That was also a compromise since I needed nice things to help run Snatched.

I was helping. Actually working and taking stress off their plates.

It wasn't perfect. The Pescis and Gio's crew were still a dark cloud hanging over us at all times, but none of them had had any luck getting to us at the house or the club.

"It's going to be okay," I whispered. The words fell between us like a promise I wasn't sure I could keep.

He cut his gaze to me. "You sound sure of that. When did you become optimistic Beasty? I thought there was only realistic Beasty?"

I scrunched my face up. "I don't know. I think I just have to have hope, and so far, it's working out okay."

"Hmm," Lake hummed as he turned down the road that led to Snatched.

"Are you excited for the Showcase tomorrow?" Lake asked lightly.

I laughed. "Now who's deflecting."

He grinned at the windshield. "If you can be oblivious, maybe I can be too. Just for tonight." He released the steering wheel and quickly checked his phone. "According to my sources, the Pescis are back in their hometown. Gio and his guys have also been sighted just outside one of their hangouts. There's nothing else I can do until we can put our plan into motion."

"Which will be after tomorrow night?"

His lips pressed together. "I really don't want to sit on the information Desiree gave us that long."

I understood that. She gave us a lot. Details about their routines, their inner circle, and the information she claimed Rocco was going to share with Lake.

The Pesci brothers had only recently taken over the mafia, and as smooth as Lake had believed it to be, it hadn't been. Not when they weren't supposed to be the head. According to Desiree, the leader of the mafia should have passed to someone else, but she couldn't tell us who.

"Do mafia men decree the changes of their leadership in their will like regular people?" A will that hadn't been read to more than a couple of people before the attorney was taken out.

Grunting, Lake pulled into the parking lot. "Seems so."

Not only were Danny and Donnie fighting each other for the lead spot, but they were also fighting for their claim on the mafia.

I didn't know anything about mafia politics, but why wouldn't the group pick their next leader? Wouldn't the previous one have been grooming his successor to take his place? Seemed a little off that the mafia wouldn't know who the next head should be.

"Thank you for tonight." It was weird to say those words to him. But I was thankful. I'd put so much work into the Showcase, and their security was so tight now, the Pescis wouldn't be able to get in. Neither would Gio and his guys.

Lake said the facial recognition software was up and running with two checkpoints of security guards.

We'd be safe.

I wanted this night too. It was my contribution. Maybe it was silly, but it was important to me. What was one more day before they dismantled the threat against us?

Pulling into the garage, Lake parked and shut off the car, twisting in his seat. "No thanks needed. I'll grumble about it because I get worried, especially after–" He turned his head to the side. "You're right. We'll be okay," he said gruffly.

He hoped . Those were the dangling words he didn't say.

My heart pattered erratically. I had to be right. Since they were taken and I'd jumped in, their time was less divided. They'd done everything possible to make us safe.

"Tonight, I want you to do something with me." He kissed the tips of my fingers, nibbling on the pinky. Tingles burst across my lower stomach and I swallowed.

"What?"

"Come to the Black room." It was a statement. Not an ask. There was also a dare in his eyes.

I shifted in my seat. I'd only been there one time. It had been...an experience. The moans of pleasure, the slapping of skin, the bright lights.

The feel of Atlas' cock sliding between my thighs and rubbing obscenely against my clit.

Swallowing hard, I curled my fingers around his. "What do you want to do there?"

He cracked his neck, a new tension running along his shoulders. "I need the pain Beasty. I need to give it, to receive it. I haven't...I haven't indulged how I normally would, and I need the release. The outlet."

What he was saying dawned on me. "You haven't done anything like that because you didn't want to do it with someone else? You always seek out women?" Ugly, green envy churned in my stomach. I couldn't be jealous. I shouldn't be.

Before he showed up on my apartment doorstep, there had been nothing between us. Not that I wasn't attracted to him, but I'd just never thought there was a chance.

Yet, the thought of him with other women raised a fire inside me so swiftly, I wanted to erase all memory of them from his mind and body.

He raked a shaky hand through his hair. "I think that's part of why I've been so worked up, not sleeping, not being able to think straight past the worry. I need it, Beasty."

"Okay," I murmured.

His hazel-blue eyes nearly glowed when I answered him. "Okay?"

"Okay."

He bridged the space between us, slamming his mouth on mine and inhaling deep, breathing me in. Lake sucked on my bottom lip and bit it. I yelped but he was already soothing it with his tongue.

"I-Fuck, Beasty." He cradled my head and his fingers dug into my scalp. "I want to hurt you. Nothing crazy. Nothing scarring. Just..."

"It's okay. I trust you," I assured him.

Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead to mine. "Let's go."

"Right now?" I squeaked as he bounded out of the car and raced to my door. When he opened it, I got an eyeful of exactly how excited he was.

"Right now." His voice was like gravel rolling together. A mix of heat and rabid desire.

I fluttered in anticipation.

"What about the club? We should check our emails, check on the managers–"

"Fuck ‘em. They'll be fine for an hour or two."

An hour or two? I swayed on my feet.

"Joaquin, Atlas, and Kim can handle anything that comes up. They like to pretend they don't know how to do anything, but they do." He was already pulling me to the staff elevator, shooting off a message. "Done."

Oh, God. What had I agreed to?

I tottled behind him, his strides twice as long as mine. Glancing back, he must have seen how much of a struggle it was for me to keep up with him. "Fuck it."

Swiveling, he swung me up in his arms, ignoring my surprised cry, and headed straight for the hallway with the member-only rooms.

People gawked at us. Some pointed and whispered.

We were identifiable. At least Lake was with his near-white hair.

The attendant standing beside the Black room door nodded and pushed it open. Lake didn't say one word as he walked through with so much confidence and power, it was mesmerizing. How did someone build that much self-worth in themselves?

Just like last time, the room was swathed in darkness as erotic music thumped from every corner of the room. There were just as many people here tonight, their moans competing with the music and sharp cries breaking the rhythm.

I wanted to look everywhere and nowhere. I was curious but terrified. Would Lake want to put me on display the same way Atlas had? Did I want to be?

It had certainly been an experience, but I wasn't sure how I felt about it.

Lake took us right past the stage where three groups of people were putting on a show, all naked, all fucking like their lives depended on it. I shivered from the excitement coursing through me.

Past the stages was a hallway with another attendant. I didn't know this was here. I'd never made it this far in the room.

This attendant stepped to the side just like the first. "The third room on the right is all yours, Mr. White," he said in a nasally voice.

"Thanks," Lake returned as he picked up the pace.

There were at least eight doors on either side of the hallway. Lake stopped us at the third. He used one hand to open it, and when we were inside, he set me down as he locked the door, shutting us both off from the club.

The music still played, but in here it was softer, quieter.

Lake watched me with half-lidded eyes. I bit my lip, and his gaze snapped to my mouth. "This room is soundproof. They're recorded, but only we can see it. No one else, not even Guy." He cupped my hips and pulled me flush against him. "You're sure about this?"

I nodded. "I'm sure." It came out breathy and he smiled.

"You're perfect for me, Beasty. In every way." Then he left me to go to the wall.

He pulled on a lever and a wooden cross popped out. It clicked as he rotated the piece into an X, locking it into place with another snap. "Come here."

I did as he asked, and when I reached him, he fingered the neck of my blouse. It was one of Kim's, obviously, but this one was toned down from the stylish options he'd filled my closet with the first time. "I want you naked for me," he said like it was a wish, something that might not come true.

In answer, I untucked the blouse and pulled it over my head. He watched with rapt fascination as I took my time. I didn't know how to be sexy. I'd never wanted or needed to be. But I wanted to make Lake crazy with lust.

So I tried.

Slowing my movements, I ran my fingers over my body, and when I slipped my fingers under my underwear, I traced under the band from the front to my hips before I turned to the side and pushed them down.

I worked to keep my legs straight, but it was damn hard.

When I started to rise, Lake placed a hand on my lower back. "No, not yet." He walked around me, sliding his other hand over the curve of my ass. "You're ours, Beasty. But for the next hour or two, you're only mine. And this pretty pale skin is going to be blistering red, but it won't hurt. Not how you think, okay?" Smoothing his fingers down the crack of my ass, I sucked in a breath. He didn't linger, running them down the seam of my pussy, collecting the wetness, and using it to thrum my clit.

I released a soft breath of pleasure.

"So beautiful. But it's not time for that yet." He pulled me up, unsnapped my bra, and spun me to face him. Sucking his fingers into his mouth, his eyes fluttered shut. "You taste so fucking good. I can't wait to bury my head between your thighs."

I almost collapsed from the sudden weakness in my knees. Before Atlas, I'd never been talked to like this, and even then, Lake had a different way with words.

A control that was so seductive, it was frightening.

"Step up." He guided me to the narrow platform, and I let him place my feet where he wanted them. Next, he secured cuffs around my ankles. He did the same to my arms so that I was in the shape of an X. Lake took a minute to appreciate his work and adjust his raging erection in his pants.

He shook his head like he couldn't believe I was here, and he stripped out of his suit jacket, laying it over a bench at the side of the room I hadn't even noticed. Then he rolled up his cuffs and flipped the lid of a bin.

Every few seconds, his gaze came to me, and it filled me with a warmth that was sweeter than any honey I'd ever had.

Plastic crinkled and he pulled out a leather whip in a sealed bag. "Not very sexy, I know, but it's sanitary. The toys are all new and when a patron uses this room, they're free to keep whatever they use. Or they can bring their own."

"Isn't that expensive?"

"Not for the prices they're paying." He smirked as he broke the packaging open. A dark brown leather whip fell out, and he caught it, dropping the packaging in the trash by the bench. "This is a special kind of flogger with a tassel of leather strips at the end." He ran them over his fingers to show me.

As if to set my mind at ease, he ran it across my breast and nipple. Goosebumps broke out over my chest, and my nipples tightened.

"So responsive." He was pleased and I'd done that. I was special to him. "At any point, you can say stop, and we stop. But the point is to take to a new high that's only achievable through this type of pain. It's hypnotic."

I nodded.

"Say you understand."

"I understand."

He dropped a sweet kiss on my lips. "Good."

When he pulled back, there was a crack and the flogger grazed my nipple just enough to be searing, but soft. I cried and arched my back.

"Shhh. It's okay." His hand massaged my hip in the most erotically platonic touch. "I wanted you to get an idea of how it felt without getting too lost in the anticipation. Did you think that hurt?"

"It stung, but I wouldn't call it true pain."

"That's the most it will hurt. Can you do it?"

That wasn't bad. It was the surprise more than anything. "I can do it."

"Perfect." He kissed me one more time and stepped back. The next hit came at my clit with such precision, I gasped.

"Ah, God!" I cried. It burned but not painfully. There was no reprieve. He hit me with a series of flicks on my breasts next, all around the sensitive skin of my nipples without touching them again.

My skin flamed and a sweat broke out on my lower back.

"You still with me, Beasty?" he asked.

"Yes," I gasped.

"Good, such a good girl," he praised as he struck across my clit. Then he started a rhythm. The hits were never too close together, but just enough so the throbbing of pleasure from the edge of pain never dulled.

"You're so fucking gorgeous like this, Beasty. From the moment I was on your doorstep when you opened the door with so much fire in your eyes, I knew it would be like this between us. I'd already decided then you were mine too."

Each of his words was a confession, something I didn't even know I needed. Just when I knew I was ready to come, he'd flick my breasts, and my orgasm would recede. Then he'd start all over again.

"I heard you, you know. The time you masturbated after leaving Kim in the living room. We all heard, and I was so fucking hard." His confession was light with an air of nostalgia.

When I…

The night Joaquin had caught Kim and me making out on the couch. I’d raced to my room, so turned on from the sensation of Kim’s hands all over my body that I locked the door, stripped off my pants and underwear, and touched myself.

I’d never felt safe enough to do that at Ed and Megan’s. There was no privacy.

No security.

But at the boys’ apartment, I’d needed the release. They heard that?

"What?" I burst out, then moaned as he landed another swat on my clit, this one just a tiny bit harder.

The sudden onslaught of pleasure, both from the present and knowing he’d enjoyed listening to me masturbate before there was an us, was too much for me to handle. "I'm going to come!"

"Mm. Let me hear how good this feels." The hits came closer together but softened with each flick. It didn't dim the fire licking out from my clit. There was so much sensory overload but I barreled toward release anyway.

"I-I'm coming," I gasped, hanging from the cuffs as my release broke.

Lake dropped the flogger, gripped my thighs, and started licking and sucking at my pussy and clit like a sinner thirsty for salvation. He groaned, and the vibrations were just too much.

"Ah," I cried, trying to pull my hips back but there was nowhere to go. He didn't stop and I rolled right into another orgasm.

When I was spent, I opened my eyes. Lake was there, on his knees, head angled to reach my clit, but he watched me. Slowly, after one last lick, he pulled back, undid the cuffs, and caught me in his arms.

"Shhh. It's okay. You were amazing, and your skin is pink just like I wanted. We'll save the ass for next time."

His voice was wired and his body trembled as he laid me over a cool, hard surface. My eyes drifted shut again until the hot head of his cock slid along my slit and then pushed inside.

"Oh." I jerked from how sensitive I was. I reveled in the feel of him inside me.

What he'd done with the flogger was amazing, yet I'd felt empty. Nothing compared to the connection we now shared.

My hands were dead weights, but somehow I still managed to get them around his shoulders.

Pressing his hips between my legs, Lake held one against his waist and cupped my breast with his other hand. He rolled his hips forward, then pulled out in a slow, achingly sweet rhythm.

His groans in my ear were euphoric as he laid over me. The cold buttons of his shirt were a stark contrast to my overheated skin.

I expected a hard fucking, yet Lake was content to make love to me. That was what this was. Love making.

"You were amazing, Beasty. Just like I said, perfect for me. I'll never let you go. I love you."

Like a gentle ripple on the water, I came again. This orgasm was softer, but so much longer as I released mews of pleasure.

He cried out, snapping his hips forward with a grunt. His rhythm grew erratic, and before long, he released a long groan as he shook over me.

I swore I could feel the ribbons of cum as he painted my insides with his release.

He relaxed into me, and I happily took his weight.

This was what love was. I was convinced.

It wasn't empty words. It was the actual completion of your partner. Giving them what they needed, enjoying what you received. Getting lost in the emotions of the moment.

I didn't grow up with it, but I'd found it.

Nothing would ever make me give it up.