Dark Attraction: The Corde Noire Series (17 page)

The words punched a hole in his heart. What had he done? Wanting to forget about the moment, Sebastian blocked out the tenderness closing in around him, and instead rammed into her. He wanted to enjoy being inside her, enjoy dominating her.

As his excitement began to build, he could feel the change in her. She relaxed against him, and her hips started rocking in time with his, turning him on.

When his cock bulged with cum, he slammed into her. Grunting into her neck, he shuddered.

Sebastian was holding her in his arms, catching his breath as she nuzzled his neck. When he looked into her eyes, Sam was smiling. Brushing a few strands of brown hair from her cheek, she let out a slow, satisfied breath.

“I’m glad I was a virgin for you.”

“Me too.” He rolled over to his side and pulled her against him. “Now we can have fun.”

*     *     *

Sebastian didn’t know how long he had been holding her before he sensed the steady rise and fall of her chest. Brushing his fingers against her temple, she didn’t move. Slowly easing her out of his arms, he gently rolled her on her side. Inching back, he spotted the towel still partially beneath her. He grabbed the edges and pulled it out from under her.

The bloodstain on it made him feel guilty as shit. He should have left her for another, a man with better intentions. Balling up the towel in his hands, he climbed from the bed. After he tossed the towel into his bathroom sink, he headed for the door. He needed a drink.

In the kitchen, he retrieved the bottle of vodka from the countertop, hoping to cut the sting of his guilt. He hadn’t expected taking her virginity would have been so tough for him. There were moments when he almost changed his mind. Almost. He wasn’t a fool. She was ripe for the picking and she wanted him, two quintessential components for choosing a sub. That she had been inexperienced didn’t matter. It would make her easier to train. She was a blank canvas waiting to be painted. His masterpiece.

As he inspected the bottle of vodka in his hand, he flashed ahead to all the things he would teach Sam. There was something about seeing a sub do something new for the first time that had always thrilled him. Like the first time he had taken Kimberly’s ass. God, that had been a hell of a night. He thought ahead to taking Sam’s ass, and the thrill he would get easing into her for the first time.

Yeah, this could be good for me. Just what I need.

He filled an old-fashioned glass with vodka. After dumping a few ice cubes in with his drink, he slammed back the alcohol, craving the burn it would create in his stomach.   

Wincing as the liquid worked its way down, he sighed.

A virgin.       

He had never had one of those before. In all his experiences with women, none had come to him so innocent. Most had been trained by other Doms, making his job easier, but not exciting. Sam excited him. She awakened that long lost feeling of conquest in him. He had felt it first in his business, and then when his work had run more to the day-to-day, he had sought his kicks somewhere else. Thank God he had run into Mabel and her fancy club on First Street.

The place where wealthy men could partake of the Dom lifestyle and find women trained to be subs had been perfect for him. After a while, that thrill had faded and he sought adventure elsewhere. Then he had met Kimberly.

He flashed back to the showing for Ren Plancharde at a fancy art gallery in the city. He had spotted the leggy blonde with the killer smile across the gallery floor. She had made him ache from the moment he laid eyes on her. A member of the Corde Noire Society, Kimberly introduced him to a lifestyle without limits and without rules. He had been enthralled. It was like playing on the high-wire without a net. The rush was incredible.

Rolling around the ice cubes in his drink, he recalled those first few months with Kimberly. After she left him, he had sought solace with other women introduced to him by the Corde Noire Society, but none had held his interest for very long. Kimberly had been the most entertaining. The most adventurous.

How long do you think this one will last?

The voice was cold and cruel, just like his old man. Slamming his glass on the countertop, he searched the kitchen with his bitter eyes.

“You like this, don’t you, Jack? Like father, like son, eh?”

He half expected his old man to answer. From the day he had taken over the penthouse, he had sensed his father’s presence. That Sam had felt it too filled him with relief. He wasn’t crazy after all.

Sebastian’s thoughts drifted back to Sam sleeping in his bed. He needed to fuck her again. Make sure she was broken in, so her real training could begin.

Back in the bedroom, he stood in the doorway and watched her sleep. Ambling toward the bed, he admired the innocence in her face. A minister’s daughter was now his sub. There was a subtle irony in that. As if God was giving his approval.

Sam stirred and opened her eyes. Seeing him sitting next to her on the bed, she smiled.

“What time is it?”

“Late,” he told her, climbing back in bed.

When he nestled in next to her, he put his arms around her. “How do you feel?”

“Sore,” she mumbled into his chest.

He eased her head up. “That’s normal.” He kissed her lips. “The worst is over.”

She blushed and lowered her eyes. “You would think being a nurse I should know something about all of this.”

“I don’t think they teach you this sort of thing in nursing school. No one teaches us about how sex feels between a man and a woman.” 

She tapped little kisses along his neck. He liked that … it made him want her again. When she nipped the flesh at the base of his neck, he decided that was enough.

Flipping her onto her stomach, he moved in behind her hips and lifted her on all fours. He loved her smooth, supple ass. Giving into his urge, he slapped her butt and she squealed.

“We’re going to try another position.”

Already she was grinding her hips against his hand and getting wet for him. He dipped three fingers into her, spreading her apart. She sucked in a breath as he pushed his fingers deeper.

“Relax for me.” He slid his thumb across her clit. “You’re awfully tight.”  

He kept stimulating her, trying to get her to loosen up, but it wasn’t working. He figured she was afraid of it hurting again. He had seen the same thing when he had fucked Kimberly up the ass for the second time. She had been afraid of the pain of the first time. Sighing with frustration—he really wanted to get inside her—he lowered his head to her ass and spread her butt cheeks apart. He licked her, and she moaned for him. That was better. His tongue ran down to her clit. 

He stretched for a condom on the night table to the side of the bed. Taking his mouth away for long enough to tear open the condom package, he worked the rubber from the foil pack and with one hand rolled it over his erection. She was rocking now; moaning with the orgasm he was sure was working its way up her insides. But he wasn’t going to let her come. This time, he was going to have his pleasure before she had hers.

Tearing his mouth away, he caressed her folds, keeping her distracted. While pressing his finger into her clit, he spread her folds apart. The instant he penetrated her, she tensed.

“Easy, baby.”

She relaxed, and then he thrust into her wet flesh.

She whimpered beneath him. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her back. “Move with me. Move your hips in time with mine.”

He began rhythmically moving inside her and she started rocking with him. “That’s it.” 

He pushed deeper than he had gone before. “Good girl.” He kissed her neck. “It’s getting better, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, Sir, Sam. From now on, it’s always Sir.”

Holding her close, he deepened his thrusts, convinced she could handle it. Before long, he was slamming into her, and she was meeting his thrusts with her own.

“Harder,” she murmured.

Sebastian let go and gave her everything he had been holding back. He rammed into her, and her gasps of delight only aroused him further. She was bucking beneath him by the time that urge for release was climbing from his groin. When he finally came, it was the most intense it had been in a very long time.

Breathing hard into her back, Sebastian rolled to his side, taking her slim body with him to the bed. She was giggling and holding on to his arms.

“That was a lot better.”

He breathed in the almond scent of her hair. “Yes, it was.”

She rolled around in his arms. “Will it always be that intense?”

Sebastian kissed her nose, treasuring her innocent enthusiasm. “Yes, always.”

In his heart, he hoped it would be true, even though his head knew he was lying. The intensity always faded with time—no matter how much he had tried to keep it alive with his subs. As he held her, Sebastian secretly yearned for a different outcome with Sam. She wasn’t cut out for the kind of life he wanted for her. That realization, more than taking her virginity, made him feel like a complete bastard.

The next morning, Sebastian was the first one up. After he checked his watch on the bedside table, he eyed her sleeping on her side, her hands tucked under her chin. Why was she so adorable to him? Like a little girl in a woman’s body. Pushing his feelings aside, he thought of the day ahead and the list of things he needed to do to get her settled in.

Walking across his bedroom, he glanced through his long picture window at the rising sun over the New Orleans skyline. Snatching his thick blue robe from a hook in his bathroom, he slipped into the hall, making sure to quietly close the bedroom door behind him.

In the kitchen, he set the coffeemaker and then headed back upstairs. Before returning to his bedroom, he went to his office directly across the hall. At his wide walnut desk, he checked his itinerary for the day and turned on his laptop.

He spent a few minutes catching up on emails, but his mind wasn’t on work—it was on her.

Damn! I can’t get her out of my system.

Walking back into the bedroom, he sat down on the bed, and before nudging her, kissed her cheek.

“Sam,” he softly said, shaking her shoulder.

Her blue eyes popped open and her smile roused thoughts of a thousand lurid things he wanted to do to her.

“It’s time to get up,” he cajoled. “I have to get to work, and you need to return to your apartment so you can pack your things.”

She sat up in the bed, inspecting his blue robe. “Am I moving in with you today?”

He rubbed his hand across the dark stubble on his chin. “We need to start your training. Besides, I don’t want you spending one more day in that haunted apartment.”

She dropped her eyes to the bed. “Are you sure you want me to move in with you? Might be hard to explain a nurse, who talks to the dead, to your friends.”    

Sebastian lifted her head. “I’m not ashamed of your gift, Sam. It’s who you are.” He stood up. “And I don’t have any friends, none of consequence, anyway.” He took her hand and pulled her out of bed. “We need to shower and have some coffee before we go over my plans.”

“Yes, Sir.”

He turned her toward the bathroom and playfully slapped her behind. “Get moving.”

Following her into the bathroom, Sebastian went to the shower stall and set the cascade of water to warm. He was retrieving a washcloth from the shelf outside of the shower when she ambled up to the vanity, yawning. Resting her hip against the countertop, she spied the blood-stained towel.

He pulled her to his side. “That’s behind you, Sam. Let’s get you cleaned up.”   

Beneath the cascade of water together, Sebastian ran the soapy washcloth over her shoulders, chest, and back. He slipped the washcloth between her thighs, and Sam winced as he washed her folds.

“Are you still sore?”

She nodded. “A little.”

Spinning her around, he moved on to her ass. Sebastian took a little extra time with her wonderful butt, feeling the firm shape of it in his hands. Tempted to tease her, he ran his finger between her cheeks.

She careened her head around. There was fear in her eyes and then it dissolved.

He handed her the washcloth. “Have you ever bathed a man?”

She laughed; not her usual giggle, but an adult-sounding laugh. “I’m a nurse, Sebastian. I’ve washed plenty of men.”

While the warm water beat against her pale skin, she took the washcloth and stepped up to him. Sebastian liked the way the water beaded on her small breasts and shoulders. When she put the washcloth on his chest, he could see her eyes examining his ripped abdomen and broad shoulders.

He directed the washcloth to his cock. “I meant like this.”

She tilted forward as he pulled her hand. He closed his hands over hers, rubbing the washcloth up and down his shaft.

“You ever give a man a hand job?”

“My old boyfriend, Phil, always wanted hand jobs.”

“And blow jobs?”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t do those.”

He took her wet hair in his fist and pulled her head back to face him. “You will for me.”

Her hands worked the washcloth over his shaft and around to his balls. He was getting excited. Sebastian would want more from her if this went too far. His discipline kicked in. He had to get to work.

“Wash my back and legs.” He turned away from her. “I will expect you to shower with me every morning. You will wash me, and if I so desire, please me.”

Her hands never faltered as she ran the washcloth over his back, butt, and down each of his legs. He was pleased with that.

After she was done, he turned off the water and reached outside the glass door for a towel. He toweled her dry first.

“This morning, I want you to go to your apartment and pack. Bring only a few things. Jeans, T-shirts, socks, tennis shoes, any creams or lotions you are partial to, your hairbrush, toothbrush, and any medications or vitamins you may need.”

“I’m not on any medications, and I don’t take vitamins.”

“You will with me. I insist my subs stay healthy.”

She held on to his back as he rubbed the towel down her right leg. “Anything else?”

He stood and faced her. “When you return to your apartment, dress only in jeans, preferably loose fitting … if you have them. Put on a nice blouse and plain flat shoes. Use only a small amount of makeup. Lipstick, mascara, and some blush. No eye shadow.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Grinning, he stepped out of the stall and dried himself. In the bedroom, he threw the towel on the bed and went to his closet. In his mind, Sebastian ran over the list of things he needed to do for the day ahead. As he dressed in his favorite black pinstripe suit, he made mental notes of calls he had to make.

He paid no attention when she walked into the bedroom. Instead, he shrugged his dress shirt over his shoulders, retrieved his watch, and picked up his jacket and light blue tie from the bed before strolling out the door.

Sebastian was already pouring coffee into a white mug when she came down the stairs in her wrinkled scrubs. Sam came alongside him as he held out a cup of coffee to her.

“I have a car coming to take you home. They’ll meet you on the first floor of the building in fifteen minutes. I’ll call Brynn Adler today and make arrangements to pay your rent. I will need you to bring me your bills, as well.”

She gazed into her coffee while he buttoned up his shirt. “Do you know her?”

He nodded. “We’ve chatted a few times since Nathan … vanished.”

“What about my car?”

Sebastian removed his tie from his trouser pocket and slipped it around his neck. “I assume parking is provided for you in the tenant lot across the street from The Shallows.”                

“Yes, but what if I need my car to go somewhere? Where do I park, in your garage?”

He knotted his tie. “You won’t need a car. I will drive you anywhere you want to go. If I can’t, a driver will be arranged.”

“Oh,” was all she said before sipping her coffee.

Sebastian adjusted his tie. “I will take you shopping this afternoon for clothes, underwear, and shoes. When you are with me, you are to wear only what I buy for you … or nothing at all.”

“And my mail? Do I forward it, or—?”

“I’ll tell Brynn to make sure all of your correspondence is sent here.”

She lifted her mug. “I guess you’ve thought this all out.”

He reached for his jacket on the island countertop. “I’m a businessman, Sam. I always plan ahead.”

“If you say so.”

Adjusting his jacket, he came up to her. “Finish up your coffee and I’ll take you downstairs.”

She hurriedly slurped a few dregs of her warm coffee. After handing him the mug, Sebastian set it in the sink.

At his front door, he turned to her. “Any second thoughts?”

She came right up to him. “No.”

He chuckled at her obstinacy. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Once I make a decision, Sebastian, I stand behind it.”

He angled closer to her, wanting to taste her lips once more, but refrained. “Go home, pack, and come right back here,” he ordered, opening the front door.

In the hall, he waited for her to follow him to the elevator. Once he pressed the call button, he kept his eyes on the elevator doors, refusing to give in to his desire to glance over at her.

Now it begins.

*     *      *

Sam was packing a black suitcase with the things Sebastian had instructed she bring. Standing in her bathroom, she perused the array of makeup, creams, body lotions, and perfume sprays she had jumbled in the vanity drawer. She selected a few of the creams, the body spray she always liked to wear on special occasions, and decided to smuggle in her favorite shade of pink lipstick and some compact powder.

Just when she was about to leave the bathroom, she remembered the box of tampons she had kept below the vanity sink. Taking the box with her, she mumbled, “Just like a man not to think of a woman’s period.”

Going over the contents of the duffel bag, the butterflies gathered in her stomach. She thought ahead to spending her days and nights with Sebastian, or at least her nights. A busy business mogul like him probably spent his days at the office.

“I’m sure he’ll have something for me to do.”

While checking the rest of her bedroom, a cool rush of air flowed past her. It had been there the entire time she was packing, that sense of someone in the room with her.

“Julie?”

She waited as the hair stood up on the back of her neck. Then the slightest whisper came to her. “Help me.”

“Where are you?”

“Lost,” a woman’s lonely voice replied.

“Show me—”

The cell phone on her night table rang out her favorite Ella Fitzgerald tune. Checking the number, she had expected it to be Sebastian, but it was Piper.

“I come to work and find out you’re taking a leave of absence? When were you going to tell me?”

“I’m telling you now, Piper. I’ve decided to become Sebastian’s sub. I’m moving into his place today.”

“Shit, Sam, this is happening way too fast. Shouldn’t you at least have sex with the guy before you make that kind of decision?”

Sam chuckled. “Already did.”

“And you didn’t call me?”

“When was I going to call you: before, during, or after?”

“All three.” She paused, and Sam waited. “So how was it?”

Sam sat down on her bed. “It hurt like hell.”

“So you were a virgin after all.”

She rubbed her hand along her thigh. “Yeah.”

“Was he gentle?”

Visions of her night with Sebastian came to mind, making her blush. “He was really good to me, Piper. It was all the things you want the first time to be.”

“That’s great, Sam, but it’s no reason to get into this kind of relationship. Why not do a trial thing? You can go to his place every now and then, have dates, to see if you like it.”

“It’s all or nothing with him, Piper.”  

“You’re going to just go along with that? You’re not going to demand some sort of compromise? This doesn’t sound like you, Sam. You’re constantly fighting with the doctors for your patients. Where is that fighter now?”

Piper was right. Sam had always been a fighter, a woman who made her thoughts known, but with Sebastian that desire had been silenced. 

“Sam, I think you really need to reconsider what you’re doing.”

Sam shook off the doubt Piper was stirring. “It will be fine. It’s not like I’m moving away. I’m just going to be living in his penthouse at the top of the Dane Shipping building. If I don’t like it, I can walk away.”

“You hope you can walk away, Sam. Being a submissive is a lifestyle you can get trapped in, if you aren’t careful. It changes you. You start to see things according to what he wants, what he needs, and your needs get swept under the rug.”

“Sebastian isn’t like that,” Sam insisted.

“If he wasn’t like that, then why did he move in next door to you, change his name, and manipulate you the way he did? We think it’s romantic and special when a man says he wants to make us his. We just never understand his true meaning until it is too late.”