Bound (Forbidden Series - Book 1) (11 page)

             
He now moved faster, his manhood rubbing her in every pleasurable way possible, his lips caressing hers and consuming her cries. The faster he moved, the higher her pleasure grew, and the more her sense of guilt vanished.

             
When his body tensed and he groaned heavily, she knew they were nearing the end.

             
“I’m going to come, Jewell. I’m going to shoot deep inside you. Come with me.” Grabbing her hair, he held her in place and took her lips with an urgency that inflamed her.

             
A passionate scream was ripped from her as he slammed against her, burying himself deep within her core, setting her release free, and making her body convulse with the overload of sensation. He’d been right. The sexual pleasure she’d felt during the day was nothing, nothing at all, compared to what she felt right now.

             
He almost shouted in ecstasy as he shook within her, as his thick desire pulsed powerfully against her walls. His release went on for what seemed like forever, and then he collapsed against her, his body weight molding her into the bed.

             
Too spent to move, Jewell shut her eyes. It was all too much, and there was no possible way she could continue this way. Sleep gave her the only relief she could feel while she was with Blake. Sleep was her sanctuary.

              Blake turned to the side as Jewell’s body relaxed beneath him. He knew she’d fallen asleep. He felt the urge to shake her, to wake her up. How dare she not tell him she was a virgin? Had she really believed that he wouldn’t realize that? Had she wanted to hide it from him?

             
He was in no way interested in spending more than a few nights with this woman, so whether she was a virgin or not didn’t matter to him. She was still selling herself, and though he might be her first lover, he certainly wouldn’t be her last. He would take her back to Relinquish Control on Sunday, as planned, and she would move on to the next man.

             
And Blake had no doubt that she’d be chosen again soon. Jewell had a lot going for her — that odd innocence shining in her eyes, an eagerness to please, and yet still a stubbornness to prove that she would never be fully owned. She would be chosen over and over again, until the day a man took that look away from her.

             
He certainly didn’t want to be the man who did that. Wait! What the hell? Anger rushed through him at that sudden thought. He absolutely refused to have any sympathy for this woman. She had lied to him already, had played games with him since the moment their eyes had connected.

             
Disentangling himself from her, he stood, then felt his stomach tighten when she whimpered in her sleep and reached for him. He wanted to crawl back into her bed, to pull her close to him.

             
No. He couldn’t do that!

             
Carefully, so as not to wake her, he covered her naked body, walked from her room, and went straight into his bathroom. He stood beneath the shower spray for a long time, as if it would wash her from his system.

             
It didn’t work.

             
Half an hour later, wearing only a towel, he found himself standing next to her bed again and watching her as she slept, her face so young, her lips turned up in the smallest of smiles, her breathing deep and even.

             
“I’m only about to do this because I want her near me when I feel the urge to take her. It’s all about convenience.” He said the words aloud, though not loudly, but he knew he was lying to himself. Still, he couldn’t stop from reaching for her, from pulling her sleeping body into his arms and from enjoying how it felt to have her head rest trustingly against his chest as he carried her carefully toward his own room.

             
No woman had ever slept in his bed. Ever. He’d never allowed something so intimate. Yet when he laid her down on his massive mattress and watched as she snuggled into the pillow, her smile growing just a little bit bigger, he felt the first stirrings of peace he’d felt in a long time — maybe ever.

             
Refusing to analyze that, because he knew that if he did, he wouldn’t be able to let this situation continue, Blake crawled into the bed beside her. He pulled her against him and nearly came undone when she sought him out even in sleep, pressing even closer to him.

             
His body hardened and he thought about flipping her on her back and waking her up by plunging deep inside her heat. That’s why he’d brought her to his bed, wasn’t it? Of course it was. So he should do that without a second thought.

             
He still didn’t make a move on her. He just continued to hold her, involuntarily caressing her back with his hands. Tomorrow he’d surely be himself again. This out-of-character behavior had to be from the shock of discovering her innocence. That’s all it was. It simply couldn’t be that he actually cared about this woman. He would never care about any woman.

             
Certainly, he was only holding back from having sex with her again because she was a virgin, and he knew she’d be sore. He didn’t want to make it worse. He needed to give her a few hours to heal so she could be a better lover to him for the rest of the week she owed him.

             
Even though he was lying to himself again, Blake felt better. He’d expected that sleep would take hours — days even — to come to him, but it wasn’t long before he joined her in an untroubled slumber.

              “How in the hell did I end up with a virgin from a damn escort service?”

             
Blake had been ranting as he paced back and forth in his brother’s living room. He threw back a burning shot of scotch before moving to the window to look out at the picturesque view of the boats gliding effortlessly across the busy inlet.

             
“I think it’s funny as hell. You’re the only guy I know who goes to a place like Relinquish Control and picks the most innocent girl there. Whatever gets your rocks off, I guess,” Tyler said as he leaned back lazily on his sofa.

             
“Shut up! I don’t even know why I went to the stupid place, but I did, and she ended up at my house. Now I have to figure out what the hell to do.”

             
“Did she please you?” Tyler asked.

             
Blake turned and crossed over to the chair facing his brother. “The sex was out of this world, and though she has a temper, she listens, which is a must. Of course, if she were a complete doormat, what fun would that be?”

             
“It’s all about the sex, so who cares what she was before you met her?”

             
“Yeah, but a virgin? I want nothing to do with that.”

             
“Well, she isn’t a virgin anymore.”

             
That made Blake stop. “I guess you’re right. What good would it do me to send her back? It’s not like she didn’t know what she was getting into. She put her body up for sale. You know, though, she’s not as greedy as she might be — or maybe she was just a bit stupid. Had she told McKenzie what she was, the woman could have gotten a lot more for her. Some men get off on that sort of thing.”

             
“But not you?” Tyler said with a chuckle.

             
“Go to hell, Tyler. You and I both know we aren’t ever going to settle down, and when we’re with women, we sure as hell want them to know what they’re doing in the sack, because that’s pretty much the only place we waste time with them.”

             
“So you aren’t really happy with her? Then send her back.”

             
“I didn’t say I wasn’t happy with her. I just said that I didn’t want the responsibility of a damn virgin,” Blake said, getting more and more frustrated.

             
“Okay, but it’s too late now, so either suck it up and finish out your week or send her packing, but whichever you choose, please quit acting like a love-struck fool.”

             
“You’re a freaking pain in the ass!” Blake thundered.

             
“Yeah, I’ve heard that about fifty thousand times since I was a child,” Tyler said with another chuckle, but the mirth faded from his expression and he looked solemnly at his brother.

             
Blake didn’t want the conversation to turn. He knew where it was headed, and it terrified him. Not much struck Blake with fear these days, but the topic they were about to embark on was the one thing that could bring him to his knees.

             
“Sunday is the day,” Tyler said quietly.

             
“I know. But we have to think of other things. It’s been twenty-five years, Tyler. Don’t you think we’ve allowed that woman to punish us long enough?” Blake said dryly.

             
“It’s easier for you to hide it, to push it from your mind, but I also know you never would have gone to a place like Relinquish Control if it weren’t the twenty-fifth anniversary of their death.”

             
“Yeah. I know. This is a tough year, but I think we need to get over it. We’ve suffered enough, and that sadistic bitch can rot in hell for all eternity.”

             
“I don’t disagree with you, but are we going to do anything to mark the date? The nightmares have come back, and I can’t…I…” Tyler trailed off as a shudder passed through him.

             
“I haven’t had nightmares for years. I’ve been waiting for them to return, but nothing has happened so far. What does Byron want to do?”

             
“He said that he wanted to do absolutely nothing, that he doesn’t ever think about them.”

             
“He’s full of crap. We’ll go to their graves. We’re going to let this go once and for all,” Blake said fiercely.

             
“How? Yes, you can say that, but years of therapy didn’t come close to erasing it, Blake. We watched our parents get murdered in front of us,” Tyler said, his voice rising.

             
“And that happened because our mother was such a selfish bitch that she didn’t care if our father’s death traumatized us, her own freaking children. Her game backfired and we got to pay the price!”

             
Blake couldn’t talk about that time in his life, that long night twenty-five years ago, without overwhelming anger. But he wouldn’t take out his rage on Tyler. They had done that to each other for years. It was over.

             
“Byron will come. We’ll let this go and never speak of it again.”

             
Tyler’s eyes narrowed. “Is that an order?”

             
“Come on, Tyler! You know it’s not that way with us. You’re just itching to fight. Our sanity — yours, mine, and Byron’s — depends on our getting past this.”

             
“If you’re letting it go so well, then explain this escort person you hired.”

             
“I don’t know what in the hell is going on with Jewell. Call it temporary weakness, but that weakness just ended.” Blake had a look of grim determination. “I will use her for sex and then easily ship her off after the week is over.”

             
“We’ll see,” Tyler said with a smirk that made Blake want to crush his brother against a wall with a bulldozer.

             
“Look. I don’t need this woman for anything more than sex. So what if she hasn’t been with another man before me? I don’t give a damn. She’ll certainly be with a lot of men after me, a lot of men paying good money for her.”

             
“That is probably the only truth you’ve spoken about her…and yourself,” Tyler said. He sounded as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

             
“Thanks for all the helpful words of advice, little brother,” Blake snapped.

             
Tyler’s grin widened. “You know I’ll be there for you anytime.”

             
Blake didn’t bother to respond. He didn’t know why he’d come to Tyler, why he’d felt the need to share, but it seemed that whenever the brothers had a problem, they always ended up on each other’s doorsteps. It would be that way for life.

             
He left Tyler’s house, got into his car, and made his way to the office building. Work was good. It was what he needed. He wouldn’t think about his parents, wouldn’t think about Jewell Weston, wouldn’t think about any of it. He would clear his mind and focus on numbers.

             
It’s what he’d done in the past, and it had always worked.

             
Why in the hell wasn’t it working now?

              The smell of musk and spice drifted pleasantly across the pillow and into Jewell’s sleep-fogged brain. She inhaled, wondering where she’d smelled that before.

             
Then her eyes flew open and she twisted her head to look around, her body stiffening until she realized she was alone. The night before came flooding back to her, and her faced flushed when she realized what she’d done.

             
Okay, she’d known she was going to “do it,” and it had been out-of-this-world great, but she wasn’t supposed to feel that way. She was supposed to be doing this for one reason, and that reason wasn’t for herself.

             
Still, she couldn’t keep her eyes from closing in soft remembrance as she thought back over last night. After falling asleep, or, more accurately, passing out, she hadn’t even noticed when Blake had carried her to another bed. Sometime in the night, she’d woken to find his head buried between her sore thighs and it hadn’t taken him long to send her spiraling into another mind-blowing orgasm.

             
When he then moved up the bed and brushed her lips with his incredibly hard arousal, she hadn’t hesitated to open to him. She’d taken his velvet skin into her mouth and sucked him until he’d released his pleasure onto her greedy tongue.

             
They hadn’t spoken, hadn’t acknowledged the power of their night. He’d simply pulled her back into his arms and she’d fallen blissfully back asleep. Now, as she sat up in what had to be his bed, she wondered what was happening. Hadn’t he told her when she’d first arrived that she wasn’t allowed in his room?

             
She had no idea what she was supposed to do next. The story of her recent life. This short time with Blake Knight was a constant up and down, and yet she wasn’t miserable being with him. Was it because he kept throwing her so off balance?

             
She had five more nights with him. After that, she’d go back to Relinquish Control, and the muddle her brain had become would get straightened out. That was good. It was what she needed.

             
Finally getting up, she walked to his bathroom and gasped at the large sunken tub and a glass-enclosed shower big enough for at least six people. Oh, her mouth watered at even the thought of using either one, but she didn’t want to risk his wrath. Granted, he’d brought her into his bedroom himself, but she was sure he’d want her to leave right away and not take advantage of the super-fancy facilities there.

             
Grabbing a thick robe she found hanging on the wall, she wrapped her petite body in it and returned to his bedroom. She cracked the door to the hall open and looked both ways. No one else had been in his apartment the day before, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be someone today, and she really didn’t want to meet anyone for the first time while doing the walk of shame from Blake’s room in his too-big bathrobe.

             
The coast was clear, so she snuck down the hall, entered her own temporary room, and headed straight to her bathroom. Climbing into her shower — it was large, but nothing like Blake’s — she stood beneath the hot spray for several minutes without moving, welcoming the relief to her stiff muscles.

             
She’d used muscles she didn’t even know existed last night, and she suspected she’d continue to be sore for a few days. That was a real bummer. After all, she’d be with Blake for the next five days, and he probably wasn’t going to give her much time to rest.

             
She’d power her way through it, though, maybe go searching for a hot tub. A place this large and grand would have to have one, wouldn’t it? If not, she’d soak for hours in the tub in her bathroom. She wouldn’t be very good to him later that night if she couldn’t even bend.

             
When she felt a bit better, she turned off the shower and went back into her room. That’s when she noticed a bag sitting on her bed. Damn! No doubt Blake wanted her to wear some skimpy little outfit again for his own pleasure while he checked in on her any time he wanted with his house cameras.

             
Maybe if she didn’t open the bag, she could pretend ignorance. That sounded liked a fantastic idea to her. So she walked to her large closet and dressed in the most comfortable clothes she could find — though she’d hardly call them comfortable. The shorts barely covered her behind, and the sheer top showed a lot more than it hid. But at least she wouldn’t get overheated. That was always a bonus.

             
When she reached the kitchen and found her phone on the counter, several messages showed on the screen. Could she pretend she hadn’t seen them as well? As a new message beeped in, she knew that wasn’t going to be possible.

             
So she picked it up reluctantly, unlocked the screen, and opened her inbox.

             
You appeared to sleep well. Make sure you are well rested for tonight.

             
I want you to take a long soak in the tub in my room. I’ve had special bath salts delivered that will help ease your soreness. Spend at least an hour in the hot water.

             
Don’t pretend you didn’t see the bag. Go back up there and open it.

             
Before she could even think about which message to respond to first, another one popped up on her screen. This one made her smile and then frown.

             
Yes, I am watching you. Good morning, Jewell. You did well last night. We will discuss it at length later.

             
She looked up along the walls, trying to discover where the cameras were located. If she could somehow find them, maybe she could find some places in his home where she could hide. She so craved some semblance of privacy.

             
Did he have cameras in his bathroom, too? Would he watch her as she bathed? Just the thought caused her stomach to stir. Blake seemed to have awakened something inside her, and she didn’t know whether she’d be able to turn it back off. That was a terrifying thought, because this was absolutely temporary.

             
And still, even though Blake wasn’t Mr. Perfect, and he was demanding and curt, he also didn’t seem to be the type to do really sick things. What if the next guy wasn’t so easy? What if the lifestyle he was into was something she just couldn’t do? She couldn’t get past the words some of the other girls had spoken.

             
They’d talked about how men liked to whip them, make them bow down at their feet, feed them from a bowl on the floor. And there were other things, sex things, that made her gag just to think of them. She couldn’t do such things. Or could she? Hadn’t she vowed to do anything for her brother? But would he want her to sink so low? Would he do the same for her? Of course he would, at least if he were older.

             
She just prayed she would never be forced into choosing between her brother and her pride. Because if she were treated in such a demeaning way, it might well not matter whether she saved her brother or not, because she would be lost forever.

             
Answer me, Jewell. Now!

             
Oh, you are impatient, Mr. Knight. I was just trying to decide what to answer first.

             
I don’t like waiting for anyone.

             
Then you will surely be disappointed a lot in your lifetime.

             
Not knowing why she was doing it, Jewell added a bit of salt to her comment by looking up at the walls with a mocking smile. She might not know where the cameras were, but she certainly hoped he got the message. She felt a whole heck of a lot braver when she was communicating with Blake by text message and not in person. He wasn’t quite so intimidating.

             
You really need a good spanking. You’re not jumping when I say
jump
.

             
You didn’t tell me how high.

             
Instead of striking terror into her, his threat gave her a shiver of excitement. She didn’t know this man, and had no idea what he was capable of, but if he wanted to really hurt her, wouldn’t he have shown that already? She hadn’t seen anything so far in his place that looked menacing, and she’d spent the entire day wandering the apartment, so she would have turned up something if it were there.

             
You’re pushing me, Jewell…

             
Maybe you need to be pushed. Maybe too many people kiss your ass and that makes you a grumpy man.

             
When there was no response to her last message, Jewell wondered whether she’d taken things too far, just like the last time they engaged in a phone war. Although texting a message made her feel braver, she didn’t want him to send her away, didn’t want to lose the money future jobs would give her, the money to get her own apartment, the money that would show the judge she would be a fit guardian for her brother. She was again close to apologizing when a message finally came through.

             
Go take your bath, Jewell. Now! I will show you later what happens when someone displeases me.

             
This time she didn’t reply. Pacing worriedly from the living room to the kitchen and back again, she chewed on her thumbnail. Was he serious?

             
I can see you are wising up, Jewell. Don’t try to challenge me. You will lose.

             
Relief flooded through her at seeing his message. True, it was another order, and it wasn’t a very pleasant one, but he wasn’t telling her she’d have to leave. He wasn’t screaming at her with exclamation marks galore or in all capital letters. Why she felt the need to challenge him she didn’t know, but as much as she was trying to suppress her personality to get through this week, she couldn’t kill it completely.

             
She’d been raised by a strong, beautiful, brilliant mother, and she respected herself. Sure, she didn’t always make the best choices, but couldn’t that be said about everyone? She was still a good person and she still deserved to be treated with respect, even if she had agreed to work for an agency with the name Relinquish Control.

             
Even if she
was
selling her body.

             
With an extra sway in her hips, she turned and moved toward the stairs. Hadn’t she told herself she wanted to use his bath anyway? Of course she had. So even though he was ordering her to take a bath, it was no skin off her…nose. Let him think he’d won some imaginary skirmish in their battle of wills.

             
She went first to her room and looked at the bag on her bed. She didn’t want to open it, but she also didn’t want to keep challenging this man. So she picked up the bag and looked inside, then really hoped he was decent enough not to have a camera in her room — but she knew, oh yes, she knew, that he did. Of course the bag contained more lingerie, in a style that would show everything to him. And of course it would make her feel like the slut he wanted her to be.

             
Angry tears sprang into her eyes, but she refused to acknowledge them herself or lift her face so he could see them. If she didn’t show that she cared, he couldn’t be satisfied by his stupid little games. Once the tears went away, she looked up with another smirk and moved toward his bedroom.

             
Once back in his large bathroom, she walked to the tub and started the water. He doubtless had a camera pointing right at her here. Good! She hoped he suffered while he was at his stiff desk with his tight pants. Because she was ticked off now, and she was more than happy to put on one hell of a show for Blake Knight.

             
She took off her clothes slowly, letting them fall to the floor in a nice little heap, then went over to the vanity mirror and lifted her arms, pulled up her hair and placed it in a bun. At least the man thought of everything, having far more vanity products available to her than she had owned in her last apartment. She ran her hands down her neck and over her breasts, then her stomach.

             
Her phone was sitting on the counter and it immediately beeped, but she ignored it. Instead she sashayed over to the tub and picked up the jar of the bath salts he’d demanded that she use. As she bent over to spread them on the top of the water, she hoped he got a really good view.

             
When her phone beeped again, she looked toward the ceiling and shook her head with a smile. He’d told her to take a bath and that’s exactly what she was going to do. The phone went off three more times, and with a frustrated breath, she went over and picked it up with the intention of turning it off. But she’d just check the messages first.

             
You don’t like your garments? I picked them out personally.

             
Don’t ignore your phone. I’ve already told you I don’t like that. I shouldn’t have to repeat myself.