Uncharted Territory (The Compass Series Book 3) (6 page)

Rey reaches out and cups my chin, lifting my gaze to his. “You still with me, little one? You look a little dazed.”

“Yes, sir. I…”

“It’s a lot, I know. Take your time, think about it. Ask me any questions you have, I’ll answer the best I can. If you don’t want to try tonight, you don’t have to. This is all up to you. I’m just your cruise director.”

I look a little longer, and my gaze keeps returning to the paddle. It scares me, yes, but maybe like a rollercoaster is scary. The fright is part of the thrill. I pick it up again and handle it, touching all the surfaces, even smacking it against my open palm. It stings a little, but I like the feeling of the impact, the pressure, the push. Something deep inside me flutters, and there’s the possibility of it taking flight. I turn the paddle over and over, around and around, until I must have seen every inch of it a dozen times. When I feel as though we’re intimately acquainted, this instrument and I, I rest it across both my palms and offer it up to Rey, who’s still standing in patient wait across the table.

“Please, sir.”

*

I wake the
next morning snuggled into Rey’s side, my hand resting on the soft cotton of the T-shirt he wore to bed and my thigh draped across his. I wish I could sleep with him every night. When I woke in the middle of the night, his steady heartbeat beneath my ear and the warmth of his body against mine silenced the worries that constantly nag at me. I could sink back into sleep instead of waking for fretful hours.

Huffing a small noise, I reach back. My butt hurts. It certainly had last night between the spanking he called a warm-up and the thorough paddling I’d been treated to, but I wasn’t sure how long the pain would linger. I’m strangely pleased the sensation hasn’t gone away entirely. I like being able to call up the feeling of being hit from the dialed-back ache.

“Sore?”

I purse my lips—because of course he’s awake and paying attention to me. “A little, sir.”

“But you like it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” His easy satisfaction makes my heart glow, and I practically purr when he runs a hand through my hair. “Room service for breakfast?”

The rest of the day is a delight. I don’t dress, I spend much of my time on the floor, and I do precisely what’s asked of me. I don’t worry about a thing. Rey wasn’t lying about giving me enough time to do my work, and I find when I do, it’s easier because I’m more focused. Like my brain’s a battery that’s finally been allowed to recharge. I hadn’t realized how exhausted and strung out I was. By the time I go back to classes tomorrow, I’ll be unstoppable. Although I wonder if I’ll sit in my dorm room at my standard-issue desk and wish I were still cross-legged on a pillow at Rey’s feet.

‡

Year One

“I
got an
interesting phone call last night.”

“Oh?”

Rey’s “interesting” phone calls are, on average, more interesting than most. My curiosity is piqued.

“Hunter Vaughn called.”

“And?” I swallow another spoonful of my tomato bisque, trying to sound casual even though I’m feeling anything but. Hunter Vaughn: mysterious, mercurial, and oh-so-mouth-watering host of the party Rey took me to several weeks ago. He’s not left my mind since.

Rey chuckles and takes a bite of his salad niçoise, the house specialty. Rey treats me to lunch here sometimes. Today it’s to celebrate an A on my econ paper. Or so I thought.

“You’re cute. And although you’re
almost
convincing, you don’t need to play with me. I know how you feel about the guy. It’s part of my job. I’m very good at my job.”

Right. If Hunter asked Rey today how long he’s been working with me—in earnest, of course—the answer would be three weeks, four days. Since the day after the party, when I gave Rey the official go-ahead I’d been debating for weeks. It’s been…educational.

“You should save the coy for the man himself. He wants to see you.”

“He does?” A bolt of excitement shoots through me. Hunter Vaughn wants to see me. “What did he say?”

“He’s having a party on Saturday. He wanted to know if I was coming.”

I frown. That doesn’t sound like wanting to see me at all.

“He asked if I was bringing a plus one.”

That sounds more promising, but still…

“And are you going to bring Kevin?” Kevin is Rey’s latest fuck buddy. He’s revoltingly handsome, in a dumb jock sort of way. Well, as dumb as you can be and still be a jock at Princeton at any rate. Which, it turns out, dumber than you’d think. There’s no way Rey would take him out anywhere. He’s a strictly-behind-closed-doors, mouth-shut, clothes-off kind of lay.

“Not unless you never want to see Mr. Vaughn again.” Rey takes a long sip of his water. “Hunter does not personally collect RSVPs to his parties. That’s about as close as he was going to get. To be honest, I’m surprised he was so blatant. He may as well have been begging. He’s got it bad for you.”

“That’s convenient, considering I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him.”

“I think so.” Rey smirks, his mouth curling in a vaguely sinister way. I’m not sure exactly why fucking with Hunter delights him, but it sure as hell seems to. “And if you intrigued him when you saw him last, you’re going to downright inflame him this time.”

I shift in my chair. I like the idea of inflaming Hunter Vaughn. I’d like to see what he would do. I want to make him lose that bored tone again and find out what the consequences of that kind of audacity would be. My pulse has started to race just thinking about it. Yes, I’d like to know I have the same effect on Mr. Vaughn as he has on me.

*

We’re pulling up
the same drive with the same long line of cars, but my heart is beating hard for a different reason. I know what I’m getting into this time, and I’d like to get into a lot more of it. When Rey slips the collar around my neck, I feel the same loosening of the screws I always do. It’s familiar and welcome. The stress of this afternoon’s phone call with my mother melts away.

She’d tried to badger me into coming home tonight for some stupid gallery opening of one of her insipid friends. When I refused, telling her I already had plans, things had escalated more quickly than usual. She’d threatened to stop paying my tuition and, when that didn’t work, revoke my trust fund. Of course she’d relented—she always does—but I really hadn’t needed that emotional overload on top of the insane amount of reading I need to cram in this weekend. But it’s over now. I belong to Rey. His collar is around my neck, and I feel at ease in my own skin in a way I haven’t for days.

“Shall we?”

“Yes, sir.”

Rey unfolds himself from behind the steering wheel, comes to my side of the car to help me out, and puts his arm around my waist to lead me down the drive. I recognize Ben at the door with the same clipboard. And I’m very satisfied that when he turns to greet us, his jaw full on drops to the floor.

“G-good evening, Mr. Walter. Miss,” he stammers.

“You forget yourself, Ben.”

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.”

“Come.”

Rey ushers me up the last few steps and into the house. I glance over my shoulder at Ben and offer him a small smile, causing his face to turn the most delightful shade of red.

“You’re such a cocktease.” Rey tries to sound stern, but fails, leaving me with the impression he’s pleased. “You shouldn’t mess with Ben, it’s cruel.”

“Yes, sir,” I demur, although I’d like to tell him I could’ve been worse. What I wanted to do was wink. Poor Ben would’ve expired.

When we enter, it’s much the same except for the woman by the door accepting coats. Before Rey removes mine, he looks at me. “You understand you’re about to become a baby seal in a room full of sharks, right?”

“Yes. But you’re the one holding the club, sir.”

He chuckles and shakes his head while reaching for my belt. “Let the feeding frenzy begin.”

As Rey pushes the coat from my shoulders and hands it to the woman, heads turn in our direction. Rey looks damn good tonight with his hair carefully askew, clad in a black suit, white shirt just open at the collar, and no tie. The plainness draws attention to the bronze of his skin and emphasizes the quality, the expense of his simple clothes. He’s utterly beautiful.

But they’re not looking at him. Oh, no. All eyes are on me. I didn’t look bad last time we came and I created some buzz, but this time I’ve gone to quite a bit of trouble. My hair is freshly cut and blown out, and every inch of me has been scrubbed, buffed, and polished. A good thing, too, because this dress does not leave much to the imagination.

Or, as Rey refers to it,
The Dress
.
The Dress
is black, sleeveless, short as sin, shows off my décolletage, and plunges low in the back. I had to slip on my briefest underwear because everything else showed, and while I’m already tempting fate, I will not go commando. Not tonight. I’ve got on my first pair of Louboutins, which make me feel sexy and tall as hell, and a girl at the spa did my makeup. I don’t even care (much) that the heavy eyeliner and mascara call attention to my eyes whereas I prefer for people to focus on my lips. Let them think the two different colors are a sign of the devil. This crowd won’t be deterred.

Rey leads me down the stairs to where people are milling about and grabs us two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. It’s only a second before people are approaching. It’s the friendly, if predatory, figure of Constance Cooper that claims us first.

“Rey.” She greets him with a peck on the cheek. She’s wearing a dress this evening, strapless and bright yellow. It’s her color and she’s gorgeous. In kitten heels, she’s taller than I am and her up-do adds a couple of inches.

“Constance, lovely to see you as always.”

“Not as lovely as it is to see this one.” Her eyes run up and down my body, and Rey doesn’t scold her like he did Ben. Constance is allowed to stare. “You have outdone yourself. She’s stunning. I hope you won’t keep Baby in a corner all evening. It’s not fair to bring a toy like this and not share.”

“We’ll see.”

Rey’s evasion is met with a scowl from Constance. She gives up on him and shifts her eyes to me. “Kitten, I’m so glad you came to join us tonight. I thought after your run-in with Tobias we might have scared you off, but you’re tougher than you look.”

“Thank you, mistress. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Honestly, Rey,” she snaps, turning on her heel and stalking off. “You’re killing me!”

The next hour or so is more of the same, and I’m getting antsy. Where’s Hunter? Rey said he wanted to see me. I’ve been stealing glances around the room whenever I get the chance, but I’ve never even caught a glimpse of him. I didn’t go to all this trouble for anyone else here—despite their obvious interest—and I’m feeling neglected. Isn’t this his party? This is, at the very least, poor manners.

After another half an hour of show and tell—and in some cases, touch—I’m annoyed and I want to leave. If Hunter’s fucking with me, I’m tired of it, and I’ve yet to find someone who’s captured my interest in the same way. Not that there aren’t stirrings of
something
from the palpable power and authority of some of these people, but it’s not the same thrill Hunter sent through me. If only. I’ll have to ask him later to be sure, but I’m fairly certain Rey’s fielded at least half a dozen indecent proposals for me.