Nikolai
It takes me longer than I’d like to get my dick back down.
Rose is poison to me. She makes control hard, even when I need to have it. Dear fucking Christ, when she just told me with complete earnestness why she likes me withholding her orgasms, I could have come from that.
She disarms without meaning to, and I almost told her if things were different, a man could fall in love with her. Not me, I don’t do love. I don’t have it in me. Hate, lust, obsession, murder. I have those, but not the soft things she wants or deserves.
If I were a different man, and this was a different situation, I could see it. Rush would fall like a ton of bricks in my shoes. Then again, he’s got a heart and soul. I don’t.
Of course, I didn’t say any of that to Rose because last thing I need is for her to think she loves me again. Wanting me, keeping her on an edge, that works. It gives me control, it lets me manipulate, but I can’t have her thinking it’s love.
I got caught up in my punishment. She tasted too good, felt even better, and I love it when I make her come, but I’m still going to give her what she needs, what I want. Punishment. Right now, I need to get back out there with her. She looks like I just fucked her, and I’m good with that. It’s going to get back to her father. It’s going to keep assholes from thinking they can touch her, like the mayor, who I’ve still half a mind to kill. What the fuck am I going to do when I’ve had enough of her? Trail her and kill any man who looks twice?
“Come on,” I say, taking her hand, needing another drink. I lead her out and the coat check guy’s eyebrows start to rise as we pass him, but he takes one look at the expression on my face and finds something else to do.
I grab a drink from the nearest waiter and down it, almost choking.
Tequila. Not my favorite.
Rose glares up at me as we make our way through the crowds, stopping here and there. When I get another drink-whiskey this time-she glares harder.
When we pause besides the band, who’s getting ready to play their next set, I take a sip and run a thumb under her bottom lip. “What?”
“Normal people get one for the girl.”
“I’m not people, sweet Rose, but…” I nab a champagne flute and hand it to her. “Make it last.”
She downs it in seconds. Fucking brat. She’s petal soft, but she’s also got thorns in there to protect all that beauty.
My phone buzzes again-one of the reasons I didn’t fuck her back there. Someone’s been trying to get my attention, and I don’t need to be balls deep if shit goes down. Bad enough I was fingers and tongue deep in her hot, tight cunt.
“Hold on.”
A woman’s making a beeline for us, and she’s got the look of a fucking reporter. I don’t do interviews. I can’t stop photos happening, but beyond that? No fucking way.
I down the rest of the whiskey, place the empty glass on the windowsill, and pull Rose into me as I look at the phone.
About ten messages. All from Rush.
2 more goons. Finnegan ppl. Know 1. B careful.
Someone’s talked. I scroll back. From his messages, there’s five of Derek’s men, a whole lot on my territory. Finnegan’s either pissed, trying to start the war, or wants to do something audacious like take Rose now. I doubt it’s the latter, more a mix of the former, but…
I type one handed as the woman stops in front of us:
Mode 2
It’s a little overkill, but I want my people ready and primed. That means take them out on a signal, by any means, no questions, no matter where. Tony’s with Rush outside, so they’ll have the car ready, and now, all I have to do is get out.
“You’re the runaway beauty queen,” the woman says to Rose, and my entire body jerks her way.
Shit. She looks from Rose to me, clearly trying to mentally add up the years between us. Swiping out my arm, I step in front of her to block her view of what’s mine. “We’re trying to enjoy ourselves tonight. No interviews.”
“Is it true the pressure of the competition got to you?” the reporter in a slinky silver gown asks as she tries to move around me. My annoyance grows. “Some people are even saying you were kidnapped.”
Anger spikes through me, white hot. “Who?” I snap at her. I square my shoulders, which is enough to make her shift back. “Who is saying that?” I’ll make sure to have each of them eradicated.
“I…Uh…” She stammers through the sentence, eyes wide. She must’ve not expected my aggression, but I don’t fucking care. She overstepped.
It might be the alcohol fueling me, but when her gaze flicks my way again, as if to emphasize her last point, I consider all the ways I could murder her right here, right now, and not cause too much of a scene.
Just as I’m about to rain verbal hell on her, a hand on my arm steals my violent thoughts. I glance down and see Rose is beside me again, her touch a calming presence. She doesn’t say anything, but in her eyes, I can see her thoughts. She’s telling me not to worry-she’ll handle this. Then, like a switch, Rose’s face lights up. She hooks her arm into mine to draw me in and turns back to the reporter.
“Kidnapped? No.” She laughs like it’s the most absurd thing she’s ever heard. “I just realized there are more important things than a stupid beauty pageant crown. I met my Niko.”
Niko? Oh, I’m definitely punishing her. She’s good at putting on the act. Rose is Academy ready, so I’ll reward her too. I’m thoroughly impressed, so I lean in and press my lips against hers.
“Oh.” The reporter smiles meekly. “I see.”
“I’m going to enter again-maybe a different pageant or for next year’s Miss Elite Royal. We’ve kind of fallen hard and fast for each other, but it’s everything.” Rose adjusts my bowtie, and the woman’s gaze zeroes in where she bit herself. Then she does an absolute vixen move. She drops her gaze to her arm and smiles. “Especially the sex.”
“Rose,” I whisper against her ear, but make sure it’s loud enough for the reporter to hear, “your punishment’s going give you multiple orgasms.” Rose blushes and buries her face against my chest, feigning coyness.
“Well,” the woman says and clears her throat. “Can I get your story?”
“That’s not for sale,” she replies with another giggle. “It’s just for my Niko.” Then, she takes my hand and drags me away, back across the room, leaving the reporter stunned.
She’s not the only one. I am baffled and impressed by that exchange, by how well Rose handled it. Now that we’re alone, I want to show her just how impressed I am.
“Rose,” I say, pulling her to me, “let’s get the fuck out of here.”
She stumbles, and when her gaze pins on something beyond me, the joy and excitement drain away. Spinning, I follow her line of sight.
There they are. The two new arrivals. Finnegan’s scum. Fuck her father and his weak little tests of my limits. The man’s too fucking scared to start a war, and I’m not about to be intimidated.
Rose, on the other hand…She recognizes them. One I don’t know, the other I’ve seen. While they can look, they can’t do a thing here at the ball. My Rose whimpers like someone just kicked her, and the fury in me climbs higher. I push it down and latch onto the cold anger instead.
“You know them?” I ask.
“Y-Yes.”
Fuck this. I gently turn her and kiss her, tiny little sipping kisses aimed to do nothing but soothe, and the little shakes that started in her slow and stop. Still holding her, I lift my head and touch my forehead to hers.
“They can’t touch you. You’re with me, Rose. This is my territory. They’d be dead before they got a finger on you.”
“B-But-”
“Rose, listen, smile…” She does. “Good, I want you looking like you don’t care, like you’re happy. Channel what you did with that reporter woman because that was spectacular.”
“It was?”
She frowns as I lift my head from hers, and I smooth the lines away with my thumb. I drop a kiss on her lips once more. “Beyond what I expected. You’re with me. Remember that.”
“Okay. I just…I just didn’t expect to see people from his compound.”
She takes a breath. One was nice to me, if nice is the right word.”
I go still. “Did he touch you?”
“Not like that. Said his job was my protector. He…I think he delivered your rose. How did you do that? I don’t understand. I don’t…” She looks down, and then she says, very quiet and very sure, “I hate this. All of it. I don’t like being scared and used and traded. I hate it all, Nikolai. You could have gotten me back.”
Shit. I roll words about in my head. This isn’t the place for whatever this conversation is. “I couldn’t. I risked a lot to get that rose to you, so you’d know I’d come for you.” I’m not sure if she believes me, but I want her to. “We should go. Look happy, look at me like you love me.” “Act?”
My mouth quirks, and I know I deserve that little barb, so I let it slide. “Yes.”
Together, acting like we’re in love, we leave, walking right by the two of Finnegan’s men.
Outside, I order Tony and Rush to make sure things are taken care of, Derek’s thugs followed when they leave. I’d love to have them take out that trash, but I’m not interested in full on war so close to getting what I want.
A cool night breeze brushes over us as I help Rose into the SUV.
“Home,” I say to the driver. Then, I glance at Rose, my cock twitching. I still need release and she needs some quick punishment. I lean forward, lowering my voice. “Raise the screen, headphones on.
The screen allows me to look out and him not see into the backseat. There are rearview cameras on this SUV, so it’s safe. Not like I give a shit right now. My mind is on one track, and that leads to Rose.
“Get on my lap,” I say, lowering my zipper and pulling my cock out into my hand. The thought of what I did to her in the coat room, of what I’m planning to do now, is enough to have me primed and ready in seconds.
Fuck, is she going to feel good.
Her eyes go wide as she looks at my cock.
“Now, Rose.”
She does as I say, thighs on either side of me. I take her hands and put them on my dick. My girl knows what to do; she works me, from root to tip, and I feel it everywhere. I reach behind her and undo some of the buttons, then I pull the top down, exposing her breasts. I pull it all the way to her waist, trapping her arms. I pull up her skirts and move her panties to the side. They’re still soaked, and her cunt is swollen and red and glistening. I play with her clit until she gasps and moans.
“This is a small punishment. You’re going to ride me. You’re going to work me all the way into that cunt and bounce on me, and you’re going to milk me dry. When I come, and only when I come, can you orgasm. Got me?”
“Yes.”
The embarrassment is there, along with delicious heat. I continue to stroke and play with her clit, and she angles, like she’s begging for me to play with her cunt, too. I enjoy the lewd view of her. It’s perfection. Since I have one hand free, I lift one of her perfect tits and pull her to me so I can suck her nipple. I move to the other tit and do the same, and then I raise my head. “Get on me, Rose. I want it hard and fast. Make me come. You need to do it before we get home. Otherwise, no orgasm.”
She does, pushing herself down onto me, and I watch the fuck out of it, me splitting her open, her body swallowing my cock. It’s fucking beautiful. Then she starts to ride me, bouncing up and down, and forcing me in and out of her in a mind-blowing rhythm.
“Harder, Rose. Slam down on me. I want to feel me bottom out in that cunt of yours. I want you to feel this.”
She does, and she moans, her hands coming to my shoulders, the straps digging like restraints into her arms. She’ll look good in ropes, I think. I don’t do that nearly enough, but I want to with her. Oh, fuck she’s pure heaven. She’s riding me wildly, her pinned up curls falling free. She’s getting lost, so tight, and it’s taking everything I have not to let go and flood her with my cum.
It’s there. My balls have drawn up and it hurts from holding back, but it’s so fucking good. Waiting, making her work, thinking she might not get me to come.
Rose bites her lip as she fucks me as hard as she can. She starts to roll her hips as she does, grinding her clit into me. I want to rip her dress off. I want to turn her and drive into her from behind. I want to take control and pound her into oblivion.
I don’t. This is one of the hottest moments of my life, my little Rose riding me like there’s no tomorrow. This is real. It’s Rose getting off and trying not to, trying to get me off and me holding back as long as I can.
She spasms a little, then starts to slam down on me, and that does it. Her slip of an orgasm and renewed effort pushes me way over the edge, and I come violently, my dick jerking inside her. I grab her and bang her down on me, lifting and slamming as I shudder and shake and groan out her name. I paint her insides with my cum, and she reaches bliss, too.
Oh, fuck, if I had a heart… if I believed in love, it would look like Rose.