Covet Me Read online

  Smith bypassed the seating area and went to another door. He paused, as if steeling himself, and opened it. I followed him inside, surprised to find it empty. I startled as a lock clicked into place behind us. I turned my attention back to the only furniture in the room: a strange X that loomed in front of a large window. Peering through the glass, I realized I was looking at the lounge. The mirror I had seen had been a trick. I waved at the people on the sofa, but they stared past me, unseeing.

  “They can’t see us,” Smith said as he removed his jacket. “If we’re going to do this, it will be on my terms.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but he silenced me with a raised hand.

  “I’m not sharing you. I’m not putting you on display,” he informed me in a gruff voice. “And I’m not torturing you, but I will show you what I want to do to you.”

  His words shivered through me and I nodded.

  “Take your clothes off.”

  I rushed to peel the dress over my head. It took several attempts given that my hands were now shaking as badly as the rest of me.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” he reassured me. “And as soon as you ask, this stops. Say the word red and it’s all over.”

  I could do that. I could do this. I trusted him.

  Didn’t I?

  Smith took my hand and guided me toward the cross. “Put your arms up.”

  I placed my arms against the wooden planks.

  “I’m going to fasten you to this,” he explained. “And then I’m going to punish you for doubting me.”

  I gulped against the lump that formed immediately in my throat.

  Smith buckled a leather restraint over each wrist. Then he bent down. I struggled to see him, but then I felt another leather strap fastening over my ankle. I was spread before him, naked and bound. I’d asked him to do this, and now I needed to trust that I could live with whatever came next. He stood next to me and slowly unbuttoned his shirt before stripping it off. The sight of him, bare from the waist up, made my sex throb. But this wasn’t about pleasure. That’s not why I was here.

  I was here to be punished.

  I wished I could say that the thought scared me more than it excited me, but it didn’t. I hung my head in humiliation. This was how badly I wanted him—how much I needed to be part of his world.

  “You’re stunning,” he said. “Your fear makes you more beautiful, and your trust makes you irresistible. I’m so fucking hard right now. I want to fuck you until you beg forgiveness, but that’s not what you want is it?”

  I tried to nod but I couldn’t. Smith’s hand caught the back of my neck. “Answer me.”

  “No.”

  “What do you want?”

  “To be punished,” I answered in a small voice.

  “Good girl.” Smith released me and moved across the room, out of my line of sight. When he returned, I heard the slight slap of something against his palm. A moment later, cool leather brushed along my backside. “Breathe, beautiful.”

  I forced myself to even as panic swelled in my chest. Then he struck. I flinched but only as a reflex. The tails of the whip barely smacked along my skin. They spread like teasing tendrils over my ass. I felt my flesh warm, but it didn’t hurt. Instead the pulse growing between my legs ratcheted up.

  “You’re already getting wet,” he commented. “I can see it. This isn’t going to hurt, but you’re going to wish it would. Because then you wouldn’t have to feel the ache of your cunt with each strike.”

  I moaned as he lashed me again. The heat radiating through my rear was pleasant, but it wasn’t the pleasure I craved. I squirmed against my restraints, my thighs trying to press together for relief.

  Smith clicked his tongue. “Only I can grant you release. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

  I choked out a yes.

  “Then ask me to whip you again. This time I won’t stop.”

  “Please, Sir.” The request fell from my lips as naturally as a breath.

  He complied, swinging the whip in fast, successive motions that stole every thought from my mind. All that existed was the want building in my core, and each time he struck, I willed the tails of the whip to smack against the swelling need at my center. But he knew what he was doing. He would deny me pleasure until he determined I deserved it. My teeth bit against the soft flesh of my bottom lip as I struggled to keep my pleasure in check. He’d pushed me to the edge, and I had to cling to it, knowing he would be displeased if I allowed myself to lose control. But it grew harder as he continued, until the pleas began to spill from my mouth. Wanton. Urgent.

  The whip flapped to the floor, and I heard the merciful click as his belt unbuckled. Smith placed a palm over my sex lightly. If I could move, I would have pressed into it and shattered at the contact.

  “You’re dripping.” There was lusty approval in his voice now. He reached up and quickly unfastened each hand. I gripped the wooden cross for support as he undid my ankles and helped me down. “Against the window. You’re going to look out at those people you fear while I fuck you, and then you’re going to know that this—that what happens here—is between us and only us. It always will be.”

  He guided me to the glass, and I flattened against it as he wrenched my hips back. The head of his cock nuzzled against my sensitive seam, and I braced myself, knowing I wouldn’t be able to control myself when he finally breached my entrance.

  “You’re going to scream when you come,” he instructed in a husky voice. “And you’re going to thank me for fucking you—for making you mine.”

  He paused, the tip of his penis positioned against me, and then he plunged inside. I cracked open, pleasure flooding through me as my cries poured out. Through the window, nothing changed. No one moved. No one looked up at me. I didn’t exist to them. I only existed here in the presence of the man who had claimed me as his own.

  “That’s right. This is what you need. I know that, beautiful.” He continued to thrust tirelessly as I quaked around him. And as my spasms calmed, I cried in gratitude.

  “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” I said it because it was the only thought I was capable of. He’d given me what I needed. He’d centered me even as he stretched me thin and taut. This was what I needed. He was what I needed, and I would never stop marveling at that.

  When his pace finally slowed, he lingered inside me. Brushing a strand of hair from my mouth, his lips moved against my ear. “This is what I want—to give you everything you need. Everything you deserve. Nothing else matters.”

  He gathered me in his arms and held me for a long time, whispering how much he loved me. And I believed him. The realization settled deep inside me, taking root in my bones, as unshakable as the love I felt for him.

  The bed jolted underneath me, and I opened one eye to Belle’s smiling face. Hoisting my body up, I lounged drowsily against the headboard. She was already dressed for the day in a soft cashmere sweater that made her eyes look nearly gray in the morning light. If she was feeling any lingering doubt about last night’s activities, it didn’t show. I cupped her chin for a moment and studied her.

  “Morning, beautiful,” I yawned. The only better way to wake up was when she was still in bed naked with me, but opening my eyes to her smile was a very close second.

  “We’re going on an adventure,” she announced as she crossed her legs under her, revealing a pair of jeans and suede boots. Apparently I’d slept through a shower and who knew what else.

  I bit back a laugh at her infectious enthusiasm. “I thought we went on an adventure last night.”

  “Not that kind of adventure,” she clarified, raising her eyebrows before winking at me. “We’ve spent enough time inside this week.”

  I didn’t miss the suggestive way she said inside.

  Inside her? Inside our hotel room? Inside a dungeon? As far as I was concerned, inside was geographical perfection. But it would be unfair to prevent her from spending any time in the city, especially since she’d never been here b
efore. I stretched my arms and reached for her, but she wiggled out of my grasp. “You have me at a disadvantage. I’m not even dressed.”

  “Uh-uh.” She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she shook her head in refusal. “We leave soon and I haven’t seen anything. You’re going to have to spend a few hours keeping your hands to yourself, Price.”

  “Really?” I called her bluff. I lifted the bed sheet and peaked underneath. “Don’t be offended, mate. She still likes you.”

  She swatted my hand away, and I dropped the sheet, taking advantage of the opportunity to catch her. Pulling her into my arms, I shifted so she could feel my erection pressing against her ass.

  “I haven’t seen anything touristy,” she said, nuzzling against my neck. “Take me out, and you can be as handsy as you want tonight.”

  I had her exactly where I wanted her, and she was negotiating. After spending yesterday with her at whip’s length, all I wanted was to spend the day in bed making certain she received hours of pleasure. “If my girl wants to go out, I suppose I need to put this away and get dressed.”

  “I do want to go out.” Her teeth nipped at her lower lip as she struggled with her own battle of want versus need. “But it would be a shame to waste this.”

  Her hand slipped under the sheet and found my shaft. That was the kind of conservation effort I could get behind. I flipped her on her back and climbed on top of her before she could change her mind. I’d been wrong—this was the perfect way to start the day.

  Nearly bare tree limbs tangled together over us as we made our way into Central Park, their leaves crunching under our feet as we walked hand-in-hand through the green space. Winter was drawing closer, and the chill of the air nipped at our exposed faces. We’d both bundled up for the outing. Belle had managed to find her sweater after our morning lovemaking, but she’d settled for a skirt and tights after we realized her pants were missing in action.

  They were under the bed, but I wasn’t above playing dumb if it meant I got to spend the day looking at her shapely thighs.

  “There’s a zoo here somewhere,” she said to me, “and a pond and oh!”

  She stopped in her tracks to stare at a man painted white from head to toe. He stood motionless, a small box at his feet. Digging into my pocket, I dropped a few dollars into it and the man began to move, blinking and shifting as if confused to find himself coming to life. Belle watched in rapt attention, delight drawing her lips into a radiant smile. After a few minutes, the performance artist settled into a new position, crouching low with his chin resting on his hands.

  “I hope he finds a new audience soon,” I said we continued along the pavement.

  “He will.” Belle beamed as her grip on my hand tightened.

  There was a magic in the air that seemed to hover all around us. It felt palpable, as if we could catch it if we were patient enough. Maybe it was the peacefulness that seemed to exist here despite the city teeming with life that lay outside its boundaries. Or perhaps it was simply the company I found myself in.

  We happened upon the pond by accident and paused there to watch two boys raise sailboats across it. Belle clapped and cheered next to me before she traipsed over to the cart selling the boats and bought two for us.

  “Care for some friendly competition?” she asked, bending to place her boat onto the water.

  I moved behind her to block the view of her ass. Gripping her hips, I squeezed. “I don’t like to lose.”

  “Neither do I,” she warned, her eyes flashing mischievously as she released her boat.

  “Cheater!”

  “It’s not my fault you’re so easily distracted.” She shook her behind as I rushed to get my own boat on the pond. In the end, she trounced me so soundly that I knew I couldn’t have won even without her head start. That wasn’t going to stop me from giving her shit about it for the rest of the day.

  “You are shameless,” I told her as we walked to the other side to grab the boats. We passed them to a family sitting nearby.

  “I can’t help winning.” She shot me a haughty look.

  “Shameless. Competitive,” I muttered under my breath. “You’re such a Price already.”

  Belle inhaled sharply at my words, but before I could judge her reaction, she tugged away from me and pointed to the arched entrance of the zoo. She had reacted though. Just as she’d reacted the other night on the terrace as if my suggestions both frightened and thrilled her. They had the same effect on me if I was being honest, but for vastly different reasons.

  I paid the admission, and we spent the next few hours wandering through the compact animal sanctuary, enjoying each other’s reactions as much as the animals. Near the primate exhibit, a chimpanzee tossed an apple to me and motioned for me to eat it. I took a bite and tossed it back.

  “I’m pretty sure that’s against zoo rules,” Belle said dryly as we continued on before it became a game of catch.

  “Animals and I understand each other,” I said, wrapping an arm around her waist and drawing her closer. She melted into me, laughing.”

  “Sometimes I think you belong in a cage,” she admitted.

  “You’re probably onto something, beautiful.” I leaned over to whisper, “Later I’ll show you how primitive I can be.”

  Belle shook her head, a giggle bursting from her even as her eyes darted toward a small girl and her mother. Longing flashed across her face, but she smiled widely as the child passed us. It confirmed what I’d suspected. Belle was every bit as interested in starting a family as she was a business. It seemed like a long shot that I had more to do with that than a biological clock, but then again, she hadn’t even been interested in dating when we first met.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked, drawing me from my thoughts.

  “That I’m hungry,” I lied. I wasn’t about to share these insights with her, not when she wasn’t conscious of them herself. Instead we found a cart selling hot dogs and ordered two. Settling onto a park bench, we ate them, discussing the strange ways Americans dressed their food.

  “They can’t put all of that on one of these.” Belle shook her head as I recounted the hot dog I ordered once in Chicago.

  I raised a hand. “I swear.”

  She opened her mouth for further questioning as a ball of color tumbled over at our feet. Belle reacted immediately, helping the small child to his feet as his mother rushed down the path. The boy had begun to cry, and Belle soothed him in a quiet voice as she brushed debris from the knees of his pants.

  “Thank you,” his mother said in a flustered voice when she finally reached us. She took his hand and led him away. “You’ve got to stop running away, Gabe!”

  Belle sat back down and watched as the pair made their way to the zoo. There was no mistaking the look on her face. Longing. She wanted a family. She wanted a child.

  God, I wanted to give it to her. I wanted everything with this kind, beautiful woman who seemed to inherently understand how to live a full life. I wanted her to teach me how to do the same. I never thought it was possible that I could be a good man. With her, it seemed possible. She made me believe I was more than the sum of my past mistakes.

  I’d entertained the thought of more before now but only to gauge how she reacted to the idea of commitment. This was different. It was as if I’d spent my whole life waiting for this moment, and now that it was here, everything that came before it seemed to fall away. I hadn’t even known it was waiting for me.

  “Are you done?” I wiped a bit of mustard from the corner of her mouth.

  Belle eyed me curiously. She hadn’t missed the husky undertone that colored my voice. I couldn’t pretend as if every bit of me wasn’t pulsing with this revelation.

  She crumpled her napkin and tossed it into the rubbish bin. When she turned back toward me, I captured her mouth, pouring the promises I wanted to make into the kiss. Her soft hand caught the back of my neck and held me there.

  I felt it. I knew she did, too.

/>   We didn’t have to talk about it. It was as real—as tangible—as the touch of our bodies. It was also as complicated and tangled as our limbs were becoming as we gave into one another fully. We were only a man and a woman, committing to the basic, urgent call of our biology. I wanted to take her right there and then, but I restrained myself.

  “Take me to bed,” Belle panted when we finally extricated our tongues from one another long enough to speak.

  Neither of us spoke as we dashed back toward the Plaza. Overhead a sudden rumble announced rain moments before the first drops splattered on our cheeks. The deluge was as quick and unexpected as the revelation I’d just experienced. By the time we reached the hotel, we were both so drenched that no one thought anything as we ran toward the lift. It was the perfect alibi.

  I couldn’t wait for twenty flights. My fingers slipped under the band of Belle’s sweater, and I peeled the soaked garment over her head. Wrenching the straps of her bra over her shoulders, I freed her breasts, my mouth closing over her tender nipple as we rocketed up the lift. Her hands splayed against the mirrored glass as I bit and sucked. Reaching under her skirt, I tore at her tights, ripping the seam that covered her pussy just as the lift doors slid open.

  There could have been an entire cadre of Japanese businessmen standing there and we wouldn’t have noticed. Scooping her into my arms, I carried her toward the suite, unable to keep my mouth off her. Off her lips. Off her skin. She was perfection incarnate—a goddess and a temptress rolled into one. At the same time, she was so much more than that. I could spend my whole life studying the dictionary and never discover all the terms to describe how wild and sensual and fucking brilliant she was.

  “I need to be inside of you,” I groaned as we slammed against the door. Belle fumbled to undo my pants as I let us inside. We nearly fell, but I caught her against the door. Shoving her panties to the side, I pushed into her slick cunt. It would take nothing to push me over the edge. I wanted to fill her. I wanted to watch her face as I emptied my cock inside her. But Belle’s head fell back as she began to moan.