Shocked, I turned in his arms. “Fifteen million! Are you insane? You can’t give me a necklace worth fifteen million, Richard!” Reaching up, I desperately felt for the clasp, my fingers getting tangled in my hair.
Wrapping his hands around my wrists, he pulled my arms down and held my tiny fists within his own, pressing them against his heart. “Have you not realized yet, there is nothing I wouldn’t give you? Nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you by my side?”
“Your money and jewels are not keeping me by your side, please tell me you know that?” I pleaded fervently.
Richard took a step forward, pinning me against the mirror. His hard cock pressed into my stomach. “I think I have a pretty good idea of what keeps you around.” His voice was a seductive purr.
Reaching down, I ran my hand over his shaft, pressing down with the edge of my palm just how he liked it.
“Don’t you start, my little minx. Guests are already arriving.”
Pushing my bottom lip out, I pouted prettily for him. As excited as I was for this party, I was nervous about being put on display and would have rather just had him to myself tonight.
Taking a step back, Richard adjusted his cock in his slacks and flung his arms out wide. “You haven’t commented on how I look,” he said teasingly.
He knew of course he looked handsome as hell. He was dressed in a Ralph Lauren tuxedo with a black dress shirt and bow tie.
“You look as handsome as the devil.”
Pulling on one of my curls, he said darkly before turning to pick up the second red velvet box he had brought in, “The devil has nothing on me.”
Wrapping my arms around my middle, I forced myself to banish the chill that swept over my body at the truth of his words.
Not tonight. Leave thoughts like that for tomorrow and maybe not even then. It did no good to question our relationship. Questions only led to pain… physical pain. It was much better to just force myself to be happy living within the confines of his world and his rules. After all, he had made it clear, it was the only way I could have him.
I would rather a life under his control, playing his games, than a life without him.
Focusing on the moment, I realized Richard was holding my mask for the masquerade. It was made of gold in the shape of a bird’s beak. The beak itself was covered in more yellow diamonds.
Turning, I held half of my hair up so he could secure it by tying off the long black velvet ribbon, before letting my curled locks drop and sway halfway down my back.
Gazing into the mirror, I took in my strange, exotic bird appearance. All that was missing was my feathered tail. Which, with unimagined relief, I realized would not be possible with this dress. Thankfully there was no hole cut out for him to insert the hated plug with feathers.
Richard appeared behind me. An unrelenting dark shadow.
On his shoulders he had placed a glorious cape of feathers that swept the floor. The glossy black feathers glowed with flashes of iridescent cobalt blue, royal purple, and gold in the shifting light. He had a matching face mask except his was platinum with black diamonds. The mask highlighted his strong jaw and the muscled cords of his neck.
He looked like a large, dangerous raven.
Sweeping one caped arm around my shoulders and my front, he enclosed me within the dark confines of his costume.
Leaning down, his beak mask brushed my own as he whispered into my ear, “Remember, my love. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you.”