Page 23 of Shades of Red

Guilt instantly bites into my heart. I don’t usually shame people over money. And I don’t know why I’m lashing out at her over it now. Edith croons “La Foule” in the background as I walk the few steps to where Aurélie is standing and drag her into my arms. “So, what does my golden girl want to eat?” I sway to the music as I tug her around the kitchen, my feet moving in the pattern of a lazy sort of waltz.

“Hmm, what are my options, chef?” She has a smile on her face as she stares up at me, her blue eyes sparkling in the light. My heart squeezes painfully, and I don’t know if it’s from the way she sayschefor from the unfamiliar look of adoration in her eyes. Or both.

“Anything you want,chérie,” I say, dipping her to the side so dramatically that we’re both laughing. “You’ve got one of Paris’ most promising chefs at your beck and call.”

“Is that so?” she asks with a sly smile. “So what if I asked you to skip dinner and go straight to dessert?” She arches one of her perfect brows to suggest that she’s not exactly referring to food.

“Usually I hate sweet things, but I’d eat you for dessert.”

The seductive glimmer fades from her eyes and turns to horror. “What do you mean youhatesweet things? Who the fuck hates dessert? That’s the best part! Now I know you’re deranged.”

“All the wanting to hurt you and bleed you and tie you up and fuckyou in public places wasn’t enough for you to figure that out?” I rasp as I push her toward the wall. Her back runs into the wooden cabinets with a small thud. “If you still came home with me, maybe you’re the crazy one.”

“I believe I was threatened with kidnapping if I resisted.”

“Hmm,” I sigh, pretending to take a moment to think it over as my hands slowly inch the material of Aurélie’s red dress up her thighs. “I suppose you’re right. I wasn’t going to risk you running away from me like you always do.”

“I don’t run,” she answers with a pout.

I wrap my hand around her cheeks and squeeze her lips together. “Oh yes you do. Don’t let this lying mouth talk you into a punishment youwouldn’tenjoy.” I lower my lips to the base of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of cherries before running my tongue down into the hollow of her throat. “So, what’s it going to be my little captive? Am I going to feed you or eat you?”

Her skin is hot as she throws her arms around my neck and drags my head down further, smothering me against the curve of her neck. And if she never let me come up for air, I’d die a happy man. Her hands dig into my overgrown hair, her nimble fingers running through my dark strands at the roots. A deep rumble sounds in my throat at her touch, the gentle caresses lighting up nerves along my skull that I didn’t even know existed. I groan when she takes fistfuls of hair and pulls just hard enough to send a tingling shoot of pain down my spine. And I want more.

“You have five seconds to decide before I throw you over that table and fucking decide for you,” I growl, her touch igniting the madness in my blood. I’m about ready to tear her open and devour her from the inside out.

“I want,” she breathes against my ear, “you,” I shudder when I feel her wet tongue skim across my earlobe, “to make me,” her teeth sinkdeeply into the soft skin of my earlobe and tug hard before releasing, “dessert.”

Fuck me,this girl. She is such a fucking cocktease, and I’ll make sure she pays for it with my dick deep down her throat before the night is over. I tear her vicious teeth away from me before grabbing her hips and hoisting her onto the kitchen cart. She cries out when her ass meets the hard wooden surface with a thud. That’s her second scream of the night. I’ll make sure the third is actually worth it.

“You want dessert?” I scoff, my hands slapping down harshly on her skin before I force her creamy thighs apart and situate myself between them. She now has a bright red handprint on each thigh. Her short dress has ridden up so much that I can see she’s matched her panties to her dress, and it just makes me want to rip them off her. “Of all things,that’syour demand?”

“Uh-huh,” she answers, her teeth tugging on her bottom lip. Her blue eyes are locked on mine as she spreads her legs even wider, and I can see a wet spot soaking through the center of her panties.

Fucking hell, I want to taste her.Allof her.

“I wantChef Greyto make me the best dessert I’ve ever eaten,” she purrs while stroking her fingers up and down her thighs. “And as a reward,” her fingers trail up to her panties and pull them to the side, letting me have a peek at the bare, pink cunt that’s already weeping for me, “I’ll let you eat me.”

I slide my hands over her thighs, her skin warm and slick with sweat. When I reach her hips, I tear her panties down her legs and throw them on the floor. Now that she’s bare, I dip one hand between her folds and slide a single finger into her entrance. She’s so fucking wet and ready for me already. I slide my finger in and out slowly, loving the squelching sound of her cunt being fucked on my hand. She keens when I add another finger, driving into her faster. Her hands fly to either side of the table to keep herself from falling off.

“You know,” I say, twisting and spreading my fingers inside her and watching her needy hole gape for me. “I think you’ve gotten quite enough of my mouth lately, golden girl. So how about—I win, and you give me yours?” I slam a third finger inside her, appreciating the sight of her squirming to take what I give her and not fall off the small table.

“Okay,” she gasps out. I can already feel her start to clench around my hand. “Make me the best dessert I’ve ever had, and you can fuck my mouth to your heart’s content.”

“You sure about that,chérie?” I ask, continuing to pound into her as her hips rise off the table. I move my other hand to her mouth, trailing my fingers over her cherry lips. “I would ruin this pretty mouth.” My hand slips down to her neck, and I grab her tightly, pressing against her windpipe. “I would fuck this throat so hard you’ll have bruises reminding you of the exact size of my cock with every swallow.” I grasp her jaw and force her to look me in the eyes. “And when I come, I’ll feed you every drop of it.”

Her eyes flutter shut and I squeeze her cheeks just hard enough that she opens them again. “Look at me,” I command. “Is that what you want, Aurélie?”

She swallows hard before nodding slowly in response. “Yes, chef.”

Fuck, those two little words are about to be my undoing. I feel a wolfish smile tug at my lips as I pull my hand from Aurélie’s wet cunt and wipe my cum-smeared fingers over her lips. “Best dessert you’ve ever tasted—coming right up.”

Ihave no fucking idea what I’m doing as I start rifling through my pantry and fridge to figure out what I’m going to make. I don’t stock the usual dessert items. I have a canister of sugar that’s only used to activate yeast when I went through a very small phase of experimenting with baking my own bread. It didn’t turn out well.

I have a few bars of pure dark chocolate that I use to enhance the flavors of some of my favorite spicy dishes. I have a jar of high-quality cocktail cherries. Sweeter liqueurs like Amaretto, Grand Marnier, and Baileys. Some fresh summer berries from the market down the street. And an uneaten pint of vanilla ice cream in the small freezer compartment above my fridge. I impulse bought it on one of the days that we had a summer heat wave, but it never appealed to me enough to eat it.

I scowl at all the ingredients lying out on the counter in a chaotic mess with no inkling of how to weave them together into a balanced dessert.

“Having trouble, chef?” the conniving brat callsfrom behind me.

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