Grace Street (A Chapter 8 Novel, #1) (5 page)

Passively and without inflection, he
responded. “Yeah, I could have.”

If her pussy wasn’t still throbbing from
Victor’s oral assault, Elsa would’ve walked out the door, but she
missed the kind of attention that a man’s mouth could lavish on
her. She vacillated, and finally closed the door and turned to face
Mr. Black. When she did, he was seated at the bistro table
completely sure of himself. Casually seated in the chair with his
long legs leisurely stretched out in front of him, he held her
gaze. As if he could sense her need, he rested one hand teasingly
on his upper thigh, drawing attention to his still massive
erection. It was a heady invitation and one she found impossible to
resist. Pushing her shoulders back, she lifted her chin and walked
quickly to the table and seated herself across from him and dared
to meet his eyes.

“Wise decision,” he simpered, his tongue
poking out to moisten his lips.

As she sat watching him stare at her
impassively, she wondered if he would mention their little
interlude. Perhaps she should bring it up herself. She opened her
mouth when Mr. Black cut her off.

“No speaking, Ms. Cassidy. Not yet. Not until
I’m done going over the particulars of this agreement. My rules are
simple, though you may find them hard to abide by. For that reason,
I want your complete understanding and consent as to what you’re
agreeing to.” Just then, he reached into a briefcase that sat on
the floor next to him and pulled out a piece of paper. Placing it
face down in the center of the small table, he held his hand over
it, shielding its contents. “My rules are absolute. I don’t
negotiate and I don’t concede.
Ever
. Either you agree to my
stipulations or walk away. Am I clear?”

She eyed the paper dubiously and contemplated
his words thoughtfully. The seriousness of Mr. Black’s statement
sent a ripple of awareness through her, but when her eyes rose to
meet his, the possessive look in his hunter eyes mingled with
eagerness and signs of hidden tenderness on his rugged face tugged
at her soul. He wanted her and she welcomed his rules.

“Perfectly clear.”

Elsa touched the contract and a prevailing sense of power and
erotic energy pumped through Victor’s veins. She had no idea what
she was in for and the anticipation of having her nearly turned his
nerves to ash. When he had tasted her only a few minutes earlier,
it took every ounce of self-control not to take her right there and
then. He wanted to fuck her in painful ways and make her scream. He
blinked long and hard, trying to contain the throbbing ache in his
rigid shaft. He lifted his hand, allowing her to flip the
cream-colored, linen paper over to read the words he had written.
She scanned the paper quickly and her eyes flicked up to his with a
look of uncertainty on her face.

“That’s all?” she quirked her eyebrows at
him.

He inwardly laughed. Yes, that was all. Two
simple rules, four straightforward words with endless
possibilities:
My house. My rules.
She may have thought the
meaning was uncomplicated, but he would prove her wrong, just as he
had done with all the others. To dominate was what he lived for; to
break down and make his lover submit and obey was his drug, and his
word was abso-fucking-lute.

“Can you?” he asked as he circled his index
finger made slow deliberate circles over the corner of the
paper.

Elsa’s eyes scanned his face and fixed on his
mouth. She was serenely beautiful when contemplative and a curious
swooping pulled at his insides. When she didn’t immediately respond
and her eyes diverted to the tabletop, he reached over and fingered
her chin. He demanded eye contact at all times so he could decipher
her emotions. Her breath hitched when he touched her and he
couldn’t help but smirk. He enjoyed the way she reacted to him. Her
initial confidence melted away when their eyes met, revealing her
vulnerability. She was afraid of him. As she should be. He liked
her fearful.

Or was it something else she was afraid of?
He stared into her eyes as he held her steady, his eyes flicking
back and forth between each of her brown irises. No, she wasn’t
afraid of him; she was fearful of losing him and what he had to
offer. He had seen this look far too many times before and not just
on the faces of his Chapters, but the many women whom he had
dated.

Her lips parted and she licked them uneasily
as he sat silently scanning her expression. When her body shivered
slightly and her eyes searched his face for approval, he
immediately pulled his hand away and intentionally shut out any
awareness of her feelings. He was disgusted, not only with Elsa,
but with himself. He hated weakness in any form, but most
especially the kind that came from sentimentality and love.
Fuck
love and anything remotely like it
. It was a waste of time and
effort and nothing good ever came of it.

He swiftly redirected his focus. He would
simply learn what he could from her and move on to the next Chapter
just like he had done so many times before.

“Well? Can you or not?” he asked,
clipped.

When she answered, the air around them seemed
to electrify. “I can.”

Let the games begin.

***

Elsa knew she was entering
the lion’s den by agreeing to Mr. Black’s seemingly simple request
and that her resolve would be tested, but she couldn’t resist the
temptation. Nor did she want to. How could she when she saw those
entrancing eyes staring back at her? Never in her life had she met
a man like Victor Laurenzo and not once had anyone looked as
exposed as he did when he looked into her eyes. He appeared to be
afraid of the very thing she was. Or was she just deluding herself?
Maybe it was all part of the handsome yet deceiving mask he wore.
She supposed he would either make her his victim or shield her with
his life. She hoped for the latter, but she was willing to take the
risk of finding out which one it would be.

Digging into his briefcase
again, he brought out a pen and held it out to her, but when she
reached for it, he pulled it just out of her reach.

“Once you sign this,
there’s no going back,” his gruff voice held a note of challenge as
did the wistful expression on his face.

Elsa knew better. The
make-shift contract in front of her was neither legal nor binding.
Surely a man of Mr. Black’s intelligence knew that. Keeping her
thoughts to herself, she nodded and attempted to take the pen from
him. As if he had read her thoughts, he held the pen at bay once
more.

“If you think you can
simply back out of this agreement at any point, Ms. Cassidy, you
couldn’t be more wrong. Though this piece of paper may not be legal
in a court of law, I follow my own set of laws and rules, and I
will hold you to this agreement regardless.”

She quickly lowered her
hand and placed it in her lap. There was a certainty in his voice –
the kind of certainty that told her that nothing less than her all
would be acceptable. A loud ringing in her ears blocked out all
sounds as she sat unmoving and gaping at him.

“For how long?” the words
caught in her throat.

His pupils flared
infinitesimally and his response came without hesitation. “Until I
say otherwise.”

Suddenly Mr. Black’s simple
rules didn’t seem so simple.

“Are you going to hurt me?”
she finally found the courage to ask when he sat silently
unresponsive.

“Everything done within
these walls will be done with safety in mind. No irreparable
physical damage will be caused.”

Mr. Black definitely had a
way with words, but he didn’t answer her question. Not directly
anyway and the secret expression on his face told her he was
holding something back. And what about her emotional well-being?
Would there be irreparable damage caused to that?

Remembering what she had
read about in an erotic book, she asked, “So what you’re saying is:
everything will be safe, sane and consensual?”

Victor clicked the pen
several times, one side of his mouth twisting upward as he let out
a short, breathy laugh. “Not exactly, but two out of three ain’t
bad.”

Her eyes widened to his
remark. He had already mentioned safe and consensual… so apparently
sane was the one thing off the table. Holding the pen out to her,
he wordlessly dared her to take the bait he had laid out for
her.

It was too easy for Elsa to
get caught up in the way Mr. Black was looking at her. With her
heartbeat throbbing in her ears, she took in the vision of him one
last time before she made her final decision and signed her freedom
away. His beauty was devastating, his shimmering green eyes devious
and alluring, his deep-crimson mouth inviting, and his sweetly
intoxicating musk overwhelming. The possibilities of the unknown,
the danger-factor, and the intrigue of a captivating stranger were
impossible for her to resist.

She lifted her hand and as
it moved closer toward the pen, her limbs suddenly became heavy and
warm. She pushed forward, impelled involuntarily by her own passion
and curiosity. She was doing this.

With pen in hand, the tip
touched the paper when a wicked thought crossed her mind. She
glanced up at Mr. Black and licked her lips
purposefully.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t
rather have my signature in blood?”

***

Elsa’s words hit a nerve
with Victor and the look she was giving him was so galvanizing, it
sent a shock wave though him. Their eyes locked as their breathing
came in unison and her eyes implored him for his
response.

“The blood will come later.
For now, I’ll settle for ink,” he couldn’t help but
smile.

Her eyes never left his as
she scrawled her signature. She was now his to do with whatever he
pleased. He neatly folded the piece of paper and placed it into his
breast pocket near his heart. It would remain close to him at all
times until their time was over.

His eyes roamed over her
body while she waited for his command. “Stand and remove all your
clothing,” he breathed out softly.

Elsa’s body tensed and
Victor began to count down silently.
Ten... Nine... Eight... Seven
…

She stood and started by
removing her steam punk corset, and then unbuttoned her blouse
hastily. It had only taken her four seconds to follow his order. It
was a good start.

“Slower,” he ordered. Her
movements slowed, but only minimally. “S-L-O-W-E-R,” he demanded
more firmly as he dragged out the syllables.

Doing as she was told, her
hands moved unhurriedly as she plucked the last button open,
revealing her lace covered breasts and soft belly. Letting the
shirt fall to the floor, she began to unzip her skirt, centimeter
by centimeter, her breathing becoming louder the closer she came to
being exposed.

Victor rubbed his palm over
his cock. She was such a little tease. Surely she knew how much he
wanted her and how beautiful she was. Elsa’s eyes flicked to his
hand and a rush of color stained her cheeks as the skirt pooled
around her feet. Standing motionless, she looked to him as if
pleading for something.

“Everything, Ms.
Cassidy.”

Again, she stood frozen as
if fighting an inner battle.
Ten…
Nine... Eight
… Her cheeks and upper
chest brightened to an even deeper pink.
Seven... Six... Five
… he was
becoming more impatient and agitatedly shifted in his seat.
Reaching behind her, she unsnapped her bra, but held it in place
over her breasts as her eyes scanned the floor
anxiously.

“I have neither time nor
patience for embarrassment,” he narrowed his eyes as they fixed on
her panty-covered mound.
Humiliation,
yes
. There was plenty of room for
that. But he would not put up with shyness. She was gorgeous;
flawless, in fact. No fake tits, not overly worked out. Absolutely
fucking perfect. What the hell did she have to be modest
about?

Elsa took in a big gulp of
air, pushed her shoulders back and let her hands fall to her side.
Her bra hit the wooden floor in a soft thud and she met his gaze
boldly as her chest heaved with each of her labored
breaths.

“That’s better. Now finish
doing what I asked.”

Four...
Three
… Slipping her fingers underneath
the lace over her hips, she paused. Victor lifted his bottom off
the chair and reached into his pants to retrieve a pocket knife.
Apparently she required assistance in doing what he had
asked.

Standing, he moved behind
her.

“Victor…” she whispered
tensely when the knife opened with a click.

Wrapping an arm around her
upper shoulders, he pulled her close to his body and placed a hand
over her mouth to silence her. “That’s Mr. Black. I won’t say it
again. Now I’ve already told you that you’re physically safe within
these walls. Now hush,” he barked.

He slid the blade of the
knife under the delicate fabric of her panties and in one quick
motion, cut them off of her, catching them in his hand.

“I detest undergarments,
Elsa. I don’t care how sexy they are, they’re the biggest
cock-block known to man. Rule number one: never wear them. Not in
my presence or anywhere else. Am I clear?”