Page 9 of Shared

Startling awake with a gasp, my heart slams against my rib cage as my mind continues to race.Fuck… that felt so real.Sliding my hand beneath the soft Egyptian linens, I press my hand against the needy ache between my thighs, only to find my panties are completely soaked.

Closing my eyes, I bite my lower lip and recall the vividness of the dream I just woke from. Conor’s hands rubbing over my body and playfully toying with my clit as he fucks me slow and deep from behind, repeatedly bringing me to the brink before denying me. The ache I’m grinding my palm against is the result of my subconscious edging me. I roll onto my stomach and slip my fingers into my panties. Trying to push thoughts of him from my mind, I rub my clit, desperately seeking the relief my dream didn’t provide.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. The auction was supposed to be nothing more than one night of indulgence. It wasn’t supposed to mean anything. Yet I can’t stop thinking about it—abouthim. Every touch, every kiss, the feel of his cock, and theway he commanded my body. It all plays on a loop in my mind—even in my sleep.

Palming my breast and plunging my fingers inside me, I lose my ability to push him away, and imagine his rough hands dusting over my skin as he fucks me with his thick cock. I come hard and fast, my release shooting through me, and I bite my pillow to stifle the moan that rattles from my lungs.

Guilt washing over me, I swallow thickly, bury my face in the pillow, and groan, “Fuck!” The shame filling me stretches much further than the fantasy I just came to—somewhere much darker. A magnetism pulling at me, making me want to return to him so I can experience him again… and again.

And it’s fucking terrifying.

With a shaky breath, I climb from the bed and discard my wet panties before also removing my camisole. I glance at the clock.7:23 a.m. Victoria is likely in her office but hasn’t actually started her day. I walk slowly down the hall, pulling a thin robe over my naked body. Reaching the door, my legs begin to tremble, like they might give way beneath me. My heart hammers in a painful rhythmI can’t control,and my palms grow clammy.

This could ruin everything…

“Sweet girl?” Victoria calls from her office. “This pacing nervously outside of my office is starting to become a habit.”

“Sorry, Madame,” I respond, my voice cracking, barely above a whisper.

“Come in.” Her voice is warm and inviting.

Pushing the door open and stepping into the room, Victoria stares at me in silence. The air is thick, and it’s apparent I have something on my mind. She studies me for a moment before breaking the silence. “Talk to me,” she says softly, but with a firm undertone.

I stand before her, trying to gather my thoughts, feeling like my breath and my words are both caught in my throat.How do you tell the woman you love you’re lusting for someone else?“I… I’ve been thinking… Or… I can’t stop thinking… About the auction,” I stammer through my rambling thoughts before pausing and trying to collect myself. “About Conor.”

Barring a slight narrowing of her eyes, her expression doesn’t change. “About Conor?” she echoes with something in her tone I can’t quite put my finger on.

Shifting uncomfortably and fidgeting with the sash of my robe, I nod as my heart begins beating harder than it did pacing outside her office. Terrified to hurt her, I’m unable to stop myself from confessing my full truth. “There was just… something about it. Something… different. The chemistry between us—betweenallof us—was so…intense.”

Victoria stays silent, exhaling a long, deep breath with her gaze fixed on me. She doesn’t look angry or disappointed, but my inability to read her reaction has my chest tightening.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my eyes falling to the floor shamefully. “I don’t want to betray you. To betrayus. But I’ve can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve been fantasizing about him since that night. I can’t seem to let it go, and I?—”

“Elena,” she interrupts me with her husky, commanding voice. Panic takes hold, I’m unable to breathe, and I clutch at my chest.She stands from her chair and stalks toward me, her presence overwhelming. Reaching me, she grips my chin and tilts my face up to hers. Forced to meet her gaze, I’m surprised not to find the betrayal I was expecting in her soft hazel eyes. Instead, I find something else—something I can’t quite place. With a calm yet firm tone, she tells me, “I know you, better than you know yourself. I understand what you’re feeling. And I know what you need.”

The weight of her words is crushing, like our whole relationship is crumbling on top of me. I want to argue, to tell her that she’s more than enough. But I can’t. Ifeelsomething that I can’t shove inside and ignore.And it scares the hell out of me.

“You didn’t betray me, sweet girl.” Victoria softly strokes her fingers over my cheeks, wiping away the wetness of tears I didn’t realize had started to fall. “I am the one who brought him into our lives, and that’s something I’m struggling with as well. It’s okay to struggle with your desires if you’re going to be open with me. I don’t want you to hide them or bury them. If this is something you need to explore—thatweneed to explore—then we need to talk about it.”

Is she saying what I think she is?

“I love how open you are with me, Elena.” She presses a kiss against my lips, lingering against them. “As my submissive, it’s my job to care for you and to guide you—to give you what you need. I can’t deny what I saw between the two of you. If you want him. If you wantanythingwith him, I’m confident enough about us to give that to you.”

Her expression softens, and she peppers a trail of kisses across my damp cheek. My pulse quickens again, but with a nervousexcitement instead of a trepidatious fear. A slow, tentative breath blows over my lips, and I swallow hard.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

VICTORIA

I’ve been watching Elena closely since the night of the auction—frequently distracted, like her mind was elsewhere. The subtle shift in her behavior was apparent from the moment we returned home, a pained hunger in her eyes and a restlessness that weren’t there before; both impossible for me to ignore.

I’ve been fighting the temptation to push her on this for days, wanting to let her come to me on her own. I didn’t need to force this discussion, because I know my Elena too well. I knew the turmoil she was going through. Standing before me, drenched in vulnerability, she looks so fragile—the struggle she’d been harboring much deeper than I suspected. The lingering thoughts she’s having abouthimare tearing her apart.

I know… because they’re doing the same to me.

Wiping a slow rolling tear from her rosy cheek, I stare into her dark eyes. They are wide, full of uncertainty, and aching with the need for honesty and reassurance. Both of which she will get from me. Always.

“I want him.” The words tremble over her lower lip so softly that they’re barely audible. Her shoulders drop as she releases the weight of her confession. But the fear filling her gorgeous dark eyes doesn’t dissipate.

---