Page 30 of Velvet Sin
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“How do you do it?”
Dante looked up from his laptop, open on the island separating the kitchen from the living room in his new house.There was still plenty of furniture left to be delivered, but then he had only closed on it a few days ago.When the man decided what he wanted, nothing could get in his way.And as he liked to point out, money made things move faster.He could afford a cash purchase, express shipping, and an entire team of movers to set things up.
“How do I do what?”he asked, sounding distracted.“Sorry.I’m reviewing some financials from one of the LA clubs.”
“I was just wondering…” Now, I felt stupid for blurting out the question, but I had only left brunch an hour ago before doing a little grocery shopping and coming over here.I had suggested making him a nice dinner for his first night in his new house as a friendly gesture, since actual friends seemed to be the one thing he missed in his otherwise abundant life.
Would I ever admit that observation?Hell, no.His pride wouldn’t allow for that.
He insisted on staring at me, so I finished the question.“How do you balance your life?I mean, business versus personal?”
He heaved a sigh, closing the laptop and turning his full attention to me.That was rare.It had to mean he was serious.“In case you haven’t figured it out yet, business is my life.It has been for a very long time.I don’t have much of a personal life, per se.”
“Is that enough?”
He lifted a broad shoulder under his polo shirt, the yellow hue working well with his tanned skin.“So far, yes.I have goals.I don’t have a lot of time for fucking around, hanging out with the guys, drinking some beer over the game.”
Thinking back, I mused, “You never really were that type of person, were you?I think that’s what I liked about you from the beginning.You weren’t some…bro.” I grabbed my imaginary junk like I was adjusting myself, narrowing my eyes and jerking my chin his way.
It was nice to hear him laugh.He was so serious all the time.“No, that was never me.I didn’t feel comfortable in situations like that.”
Did he realize what he had just said?He couldn’t have.He never admitted things like that about himself, even back when we were together.That was something I always wondered about, not like it was a problem, though.I had watched my father turn into a blubbering, self-pitying mess over the course of my childhood.I liked that Dante was so closed-off, reticent.It made things simpler.
Except when he basically refused to show any remorse for what he did.His reticence had sort of come back to bite me in the ass that day.
Reflecting on it meant I needed to turn away from him.I couldn’t let him see the emotion bubbling up in me.I had begged him to tell me why, not that it would’ve changed anything.All I wanted was to understand what he was thinking.To know it wasn’t my fault.
“There’s something I wanted to show you upstairs.”The warm, intimate tone of his voice told me exactly what he had in mind while I stood at the window, gazing out at the pool.He had it drained and cleaned, but it was yet to be refilled.There was something sort of sad about it.Something with a purpose that couldn’t be fulfilled because it didn’t have what it needed.
His hands touched my waist before his chest touched my back.“Would you like to see?”His lips tickled my ear and neck.I told myself not to give in so easily and that I couldn’t always give him exactly what he wanted.
At the same time, I wanted him just as much or maybe more.My body was already responding in all the usual ways—my pulse picking up speed, goose bumps pebbling my arms.My nipples tightened to hard points, which he skillfully teased with the slightest brush of his fingers through my bra and T-shirt.
“You know,” he continued in a seductive growl that made my pussy moisten.“No one has ever lived in this house.It’s a virgin, so to speak.”
Tipping my head to the side gave him more room to explore my neck with his lips.“You have a one-track mind.”
“Oh, you’re finally figuring that out?”he asked, chuckling as he nuzzled me.It was so good.He promised escape, release, and I craved both.
Don’t let him do this.Stop making it so damn easy for him to get away with whatever he wants.Dammit, I thought I’d grown up.I thought everything Cameron put me through was enough to make me smarter, sharper, less willing to acquiesce.In other words, not a goddamn doormat.
But I couldn’t resist him.It was so nice to be wanted like this, to be touched by somebody who understood my body and what it liked best.Like the way he slipped a hand under the waistband of my drawstring slacks, cupping my mound, rubbing it slowly with one hand while massaging my breasts with the other.His tongue flicked my earlobe, and I shivered, moaning and melting against him.
“How am I supposed to think about anything but this when I’m around you?”he whispered, shifting his hips to rub his erection against my ass.Just the feel of it and what it represented left me moaning, reaching behind me and grabbing his ass to pull him tight against mine.There was no hope of fighting him.Why did I ever think I could?
“Wasn’t there something you said you wanted to show me upstairs?”I whispered, my heart racing now, desire heating my blood.
“I knew you’d be interested.”He snaked an arm around my waist, lifting me off my feet and turning away from the window.My laughter echoed through the space as he carried me out to the foyer with its marble floor and wide, sweeping staircase.
“I didn’t forget how to walk!”I squealed when, instead of setting me on my feet to let me climb the stairs myself, he worked an arm under my knees and picked me up, cradling me against his chest and starting up.Okay, so it was kind of hot.
“I think you’re going to like this.I had it made with you in mind.There’s still a lot of work to be done.”He set me on my feet outside a closed door on the second floor, which then opened to reveal what could only be described as a sex dungeon.
“Holy shit,” I whispered, staring wide-eyed at everything already set up.A four-poster bed with restraints attached at each corner, both down by the mattress and along a series of wooden slats running above the bed.A padded bench with leather cuffs at the corners.A wardrobe sitting open to reveal leather flogs, riding crops, and more hanging from the insides of the doors.
“I want to add several elements,” he explained while I explored.“You got off so perfectly that night during the demonstration.You have no idea how much I want to make you do that again.”
