Page 22 of Empire of Lust
I grind my teeth, trying to keep the beast at bay. “If you must keep working, then do so at your cottage. I want to take the night off and relax.”
“Whatever you want, boss.” He gives me a single nod. Message received. His footfalls echo down the hall in no time, leaving me panting in anticipation of what’s coming.
I’ve spent too many sleepless nights obsessing over what I told myself I could never touch or taste again. Look where it got me. She believes she can escape, that sneaking around is enough to keep me away. I know I was an asshole, but I didn’t expect her to retreat further into herself. No matter the outcome, I refuse to let that happen.
Outrage pushes me from my chair and out the door. My wingtip shoes slap against the floor as I head to the opposite wing. Such a fucking brat. She’s going to get what’s coming to her.
I’m through telling myself it isn’t right. What does it get me, trying to be decent for once? It gives her the idea that it’s possible to avoid me. It’s clear that it’s time to set a few things straight.
My right hand clenches and unclenches in time with my quick stride, aching to be put to use on Bianca’s ripe ass. She won’t make the mistake of avoiding me after tonight.
I pass Tatum’s brightly decorated office on the second floor, then the closed door of the room she uses as a walk-in closet and dressing room. The bedroom comes next, and since she assumes she’ll be alone in this wing, Bianca has left the door open.
How naive, thinking I’ll stick to an unspoken agreement to leave her alone. Like this isn’t my house. Like I can’t come and go as I please. There are so many lessons I’ve neglected to teach her. That ends now.
The shower is running, and light spills across the floor, thanks to the bathroom door being left ajar. Rather than barge in, I take a seat on the edge of the bed in that beam of light and smile to myself when I imagine her surprise turning to dread once she discovers me sitting here.
There she is, humming as she washes up, thinking she got away. Keeping herself from me. Part of me thought she would be stronger. That she would push back and fight against me for what she wanted. She didn’t, though. My rage obliterates all the longing and the guilt and the craving. She thinks she’s in control here, and I can’t forgive that.
The water cuts off, and my anticipation turns into something more urgent. It sets off a throbbing drumbeat in my ears while my cock threatens to break my zipper by the time her towel-clad form appears in the doorway.
“Oh!” She jumps back, squealing. Her hands clutch the towel closed while her pretty blue eyes reflect fear. Her slim body trembles, and her dark brown tendrils appear almost black, the strands sticking to her skin.
That’s what breaks me. The way she tries to hide even now, covering her dripping body from me. A body with the power to make me forget what I came here for. I was enraged seconds ago, but I can barely remember why. Because, holy fuck, she is perfect. So innocent and entirely at the mercy of the primal lust that has swept my rage aside.
Take. Claim.That’s all I want now.
“Why… why are you here?” Her chest rises and falls erratically, and she backs away like she wants to put another closed door between us.
The sight of her reaching for the knob breaks the fog of desire that’s left me speechless. “You think a closed door will stop me? You’re supposed to be a smart girl.”
“I—I don’t understand.”
“Then let me explain.” I lift an arm, curling my fingers in a beckoning gesture. It’s this or charge across the room and ravish her on the floor. I’m barely in control of myself. My gaze darts over her, taking in every inch of creamy flesh. I follow a bead of water as it rolls down her chest, soaking into the towel, barely covering the swell of her tits.
Will she run?Part of me hopes she does. I’d chase her down, and fuck her hard against the floor, just to teach her a lesson. She only hesitates a moment before taking the first step. That’s the hardest part, taking the first step into the unknown. But it’s not really the unknown that gets you; it’s the fear of leaving what you know, what you understand.
Now she’s mine.
She’s made her decision.
She chose to obey, and now she is mine.
“What I really came here for was to punish you,” I murmur as she crosses the room and stumbles over her feet at the announcement. “Don’t worry. That’s not what’s on my mind now.”
“What is?” Her voice cracks, matching the fear in her eyes.
“Come here, and I’ll show you.”
Somehow, she trusts me enough to carry her the rest of the way to the bed. Her smooth brow furrows in confusion just the same. “Callum… I don’t… we shouldn’t. What’s already happened between us was wrong.”
“Since when do you decide what happens and what doesn’t?” She flinches at my tone. “I came here to punish you, but I’ve reconsidered. I could change my mind again if you would prefer my hand to redden your ass instead.”
She shakes her head, eyes wide.
“I thought so.” My hand clenches into a fist again, only now it’s a need to touch, not to strike. I need that towel gone. I have to see her, to drink in her milky flesh.
I trail a fingertip down her arm. So soft, I almost wonder whether she’s human. “The other night, I was cruel to you in my office. I shouldn’t have ended things the way I did, and you deserve an apology for my asshole behavior.”