Blush (21 page)

“It’s just money, babe.” Alex had shrugged his shoulders in a way that told her he wasn’t entirely comfortable with her questioning his generosity. “And it was easier for Declan to do this than to drive to Paradise.”

Maddy knew this, but still . . .

“It’s too much. Have him return some of it.”
Most of it
. She’d picked out a few pieces of makeup, some jeans, and pajamas. “This is nuts.”

Alex opened his mouth to say something, then stopped. It wasn’t like him to censor himself, but when he spoke again, she understood why.

“Maybe we can just put them in another room here.” His words were cautious, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. “You can use them when you stay over.”

Relax, Maddy. This doesn’t mean anything big. It’ll take months to train you properly as a submissive. That’s all he’s referring to.

It didn’t feel like that was all, but she’d shoved that voice away. She’d argued, and he’d gotten bossy. He’d finally shut her up by pushing her back onto his bed.

Now it was late afternoon, and they hadn’t done a thing all day except enjoy each other.

“I thought you didn’t date.” Maddy watched him closely as soon as she spoke, realizing that she may not have said the right thing.

“Hmm.” Alex was wearing nothing but a pair of black lounge pants, which sat low on his hips. The sight of the ripples of his abdomen and biceps was a constant distraction.

He ignored her words, instead pulling her closer to him, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Still, she gave herself a little internal lecture.

That’s right. He
doesn’t
date, Maddy. Whatever he has in mind, it’s all part of his submissive agreement. It means nothing.

“I need a date for tonight. I have an event.” Taking her by the hand, Alex led Maddy back over to the bed. There was still one box from Declan’s shopping spree that morning, one that Alex hadn’t wanted her to open right away.

She’d been curious, but since she’d been protesting the quantity of the purchases on her behalf, she hadn’t had much of a leg to stand on in pressing to know the contents.

“It’s a formal date.” Alex nudged the box over to Maddy. “I’d like you to wear this.”

She looked at the box with trepidation. “It’s not another bustier, is it?”

Alex stared at her, then threw back his head and laughed. Once it seemed to be out of his system, he pinned her with his Dom look, and she gulped.

“The event happens to be a work function. But if it pleased me for you to attend wearing nothing but your underwear, you would do so. Am I correct?”

Maddy tried to smooth out her features, her sensitive areas still sore. She couldn’t handle any more punishment at that moment. Or any more pleasure, for that matter.

“I’m waiting, Maddy.”

She bit her lip, hard, in an effort to keep her expression neutral. “Yes, Sir.” Part of her longed to tell him,
I’d like to see you try,
but even to herself she couldn’t argue with the pleasure she found in submitting to his will.

“Open it.” The cardboard was stiff and unwieldy as she tried to pry the lid off. Finally, the stiff golden cardboard gave way, and the lid opened to reveal a mountain of sparkly tissue paper.

Beneath the tissue was one of the most beautiful garments she had ever seen.

“Alex, it’s exquisite.” Slowly, Maddy pulled the swath of silk and lace out of the box. It was a dress—a gorgeous, amazing, incredibly expensive dress.

At first look, it wasn’t much more than a short little strapless dress, cut from gorgeous midnight-colored silk. Sexy, but not overly unique.

But as the eye traveled down and found the lace that began at midthigh and fell in sumptuous waves to the ankle, it became something much more.

Maddy was speechless.

“Alex.” She opened her mouth to argue, but as she did, she saw a flicker in his eyes that told her, somehow, that he really wanted her to accept this.

Accepting it made her incredibly uncomfortable.

She wanted to please him.

“Thank you.” His face softened into one of those sexy grins. “Are you going to tell me where I’m going to be wearing this amazing dress?”

He grinned again. “You’ll find out.”

A knock sounded through the closed bedroom door.

“Come in!” Maddy was alarmed by the sudden change as Alex welcomed whoever was on the other side of the door. She’d been enjoying the little cocoon that she and Alex had been living in all day.

A tall, skinny man dressed in yoga pants and with a bright blue asymmetrical hairstyle bustled into the room, carrying an enormous bag. Behind him was a gorgeous, curvy Latina woman, with sleek curls that fell down past her shapely rear.

“Maddy, this is Rocco and Angelina. They’re here to do your hair and makeup.” The pair began to circle her like sharks, commenting on her appearance as if she weren’t there, and she lost sight of Alex for a moment.

Highlights were mentioned and so was bikini waxing.

“Alex, where the hell are we going tonight?”

Rocco grabbed Maddy’s hand and hauled her to the bathroom to wash her hair. There were yet more mutters, these ones about hairspray and eyebrow waxing.

Maddy didn’t like how Alex had maneuvered her into a corner, where she didn’t have much choice but to attend this party with him. At the same time, she found it sweet that he had thought of things like hair and makeup. She was appalled at how much money he must have been spending on her.

“Alex!”

Like any sane male, he was trying to slip out the door while she was distracted. When he heard the sharpness in her tone, he turned.

Maddy planted her feet in the entrance to the bathroom before Rocco the tugboat could pull her right on in. She raised an eyebrow, fully aware that, for one brief moment, she had a sliver of an upper hand.

“The event. What is it?”

Alex eyed the bowl of purple gel that Rocco passed under Maddy’s nose, wanting to know if the scent appealed. He couldn’t quite swallow the smirk of amusement over her discomfiture.

“We’re going to a party at Massimo Santorini’s house.”

It took her a moment, and then she remembered. “The man from the casino in Paradise? The one who thought I was a prostitute?” Her mouth fell open, and she shooed Angelina away as she stared at Alex. “No. No way. He’s going to think something even worse, especially if I show up in a dress so expensive that you clearly had to buy it for me!”

Not to mention that something about the man made her nervous. She didn’t like him and would have preferred to stay far, far away.

When she looked up at Alex again, her protesting came to a halt. He’d gone all Dom on her again, and she knew even before he crossed to where she stood and caught her chin in his hand that this was a battle she would lose.

“He will behave himself, or I will pull from the deal, which to him would be worse than being castrated. Understand that we are only attending this function to sweeten the deal. So you will allow Rocco and Angelina to do your makeup and hair. You will get dressed, and you will meet me in the front entryway at precisely six thirty.”

Maddy pinched her lips together. This time she couldn’t help herself, and the glare transformed her face.

It was difficult accepting his orders, when they were so entirely contrary to what she really wanted, which was to kick Rocco and Angelina out of the room and to return to the cozy comfort of the afternoon that she and Alex had spent together, reading, watching
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
, and exploring each other’s bodies.

It was strange to feel the discordance, because in the short time in which Maddy had known him, she found that quite often what he wanted was what she wanted, too.

“Keep pushing, Maddy.” Alex’s voice was dangerous, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

“Or what?” She gasped when his fingers worked their way between the denim of her jeans and the skin of her hip. Right there, in front of two strangers, he caught the elastic string at the side of her panties and tugged.

The movement pulled the lace over her clit, and pleasure washed over her in a hot wave.

“For the attitude, you lose these.” He tugged the elastic one more time, and Maddy had to grab at his shoulder to stay standing. A sadistic smile was on his lips—he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

“What do you mean, I lose them?” She didn’t like where this was going.

“No panties under your dress.” Maddy recoiled in shock.

She couldn’t go to a party at Massimo Santorini’s house without underpants. It was just so wrong.

“Do you remember the butterfly vibrator that I used on you, that one night in your apartment?” Maddy’s face heated, and she couldn’t help but squirm.

“Of course I do.” She wasn’t likely to forget anything about that night. She remembered Alex tying the straps around her hips, parting her labia with his fingers, and then settling the hard nub of the toy directly over her clit.

Need washed over her, causing her nipples to pucker and dampness to pool between her legs.

“I see that you do.” The smile of a predator who had scented his prey made her wish he would throw her on the bed, Rocco and Angelina be damned.

“If you push me any further, you will wear the butterfly beneath your dress tonight. I will have the controller with me. You’ll have no idea when I will turn it on, or for how long. You’ll wear it all night.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the strings that comprised the toy, as well as the remote.

“I’m going to leave it here on the bed as a reminder. Don’t even think about hiding it, or your punishment will only get worse.”

Maddy had no retort, feeling aroused, nervous, and angry all at the same time. It was a heady mix of emotions.

She watched as Alex moved back to the door, gesturing toward the bathroom with his head to remind her that she had company, before she said anything too outrageous. Just before he left, he tossed one final thing back over his shoulder.

“I should mention, Maddy, that the punishment will only get worse for you. I’ll enjoy every minute of it.”

Dumbfounded, when Rocco pulled Maddy back into the bathroom, she didn’t resist.

D
espite her ongoing hesitations about spending more time in Massimo Santorini’s company, Maddy had survived the makeover treatment and found herself ready to enjoy an evening at Alex’s side.

As they exited the vehicle, with Alex commenting, “What a monstrosity,” Maddy nodded in complete agreement, transfixed by the sight of the house that Massimo Santorini called home.

It was a Gothic horror show, standing out from all of its blander neighbors like the stereotypical sore thumb.

“It looks like Frankenstein lives here,” Maddy whispered to Alex as a valet gleefully drove the Turbo away and they made their way to the entrance of the house. “I’m kind of afraid.”

“At least there’ll be lots of dark coffins for doing dark deeds.” Alex waggled his eyebrows at her in an exaggerated gesture, and she laughed in return.

She wasn’t mad at him anymore. No, she had sat through the hair and makeup, grimaced through the eyebrow waxing and firmly declined the matching bikini grooming.

She’d put her dress on and taken her panties off.

But she had one little surprise for him, one that made her feel a whole lot better about the situation. She grinned to herself, savoring the anticipation.

“Speaking of dark deeds . . .” Maddy smiled at the butler who stood at the front door with flutes of some kind of sparkling wine. When she saw that she’d gotten Alex’s attention, she reached into the small clutch she carried and removed the tiny object that she’d secreted away. “I have this for you.”

Alex studied the small remote control for the butterfly for a moment before it hit him what it was.

The look on his face was well worth the wait.

“You’re wearing it? Right now?” Alex took the glass of wine from her hand and downed it in one big gulp. “Jesus, Maddy.”

Riding the high of her triumph, she barely had a chance to look around the massive ballroom that their host seemed to have in place of a living room when Alex pulled her to the end of the long entry hallway and, leaning back against the wall, pulled her snug against his body.

“Alex!” The way he’d arranged them, they looked like a couple sharing a sweet embrace on an evening out.

Only the two of them knew that his cock had hardened to what had to be the point of pain. It was pressed into Maddy’s belly, hidden from the view of others, but a constant reminder to her.

“You want to play games, little sub?” Grinning, Alex showed her the tiny remote that he had tucked in his palm. She didn’t have even a moment to catch her breath before he turned it on, the setting low but continual.

“Alex! No!” Involuntarily, her hips pressed against him. Turning her head to the side, Maddy locked stares with two girls who didn’t look old enough to drink and who were wearing dresses that could have done double duty as bikinis. They were making their way down the hallway, all saccharine sweetness for Alex and nasty scowls for Maddy for being with such a gorgeous man.

God
, she thought,
if only they knew
.

Her body was rigid, trying to push away the overpowering sensations. After nearly a full minute, Alex turned off the vibrator, and she sagged against him with relief.

“Do little subs get to say no to their Doms, Maddy?”

A soft cry escaped Maddy’s lips as he turned the remote back on, the intensity stronger this time, coming in long, steady pulses.

Her cunt was slicked with wetness, and she wanted to rub against Alex like a cat.

She couldn’t.

“There’s that blush again. I love seeing your skin go pink from my attentions.” He stopped the vibrations, then ran a hand over her cheek.

“Please,” Maddy whispered to him. The toy made her edgy with need. She pressed her hips against him, and though he had to be nearly as needy as she was, he didn’t show it.

“Please what, Maddy?” He let the vibrator start again, but for only one short, hard burst. Her fingers dug into Alex’s shoulders like claws.

This was all her own doing. Maddy knew this and couldn’t decide if it was the best or worst idea she’d ever had.

“Please let me come.” Pressing her hot face into the skin of his neck, Maddy inhaled the scent of Alex’s cologne and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he would have mercy on her.

“Since you asked so prettily.” He adjusted the controls on the remote, and the vibrator began to pulse in brutally intense intervals. Maddy could barely keep her face set in a pleasant smile, could barely swallow her cry as the need quickly coiled in the depths of her belly and then exploded.

She tried to swallow her panting as she came down from the high, staring into Alex’s eyes. “You bastard.”

As soon as she had her senses back, she looked around quickly. People were still coming in the front door; partygoers were milling about with their wineglasses. No one was staring at them. No one seemed to have noticed.

“I wish I’d brought a condom.” Alex reached surreptitiously between their bodies and adjusted himself the way she’d seen him do before, hiding his erection until it faded. “If I had, I’d bend you right over that piano bench for calling me a bastard.”

His voice was wryly amused, but Maddy had no doubt that he’d do it. Before he could urge her away from the wall and out into the crowd, she pressed her hips into him provocatively.

“Let’s find a room. A closet. Something. Let me take care of this for you.” She licked her lips to make sure he got her meaning, surprised by her own daring. “I . . . I’ve always had a fantasy of that. A closet, someplace public.”

Of you.

Temptation flashed over Alex’s face, and then he shook his head. “Later. Later I’ll strip you out of that dress and take you until you scream my name.” His voice was cocky, but she knew very well that he could do it. “I don’t want to be caught unawares in Santorini’s house. I just want to make nice, try to sweeten the casino deal, and get out of here.”

Maddy understood his rationale, but it didn’t help the ache between her thighs.

“By the way, my fantasy is you. You, in a sex swing, open so that I can taste every last bit of you while you scream.”

Maddy stared at him openmouthed. She had no words with which to respond to that admission. Pulling herself away from Alex’s distracting aura, she ran a hand over her hair to smooth it, though the encounter had been so discreet that it wasn’t as messy as it felt like it should have been. To clear her head of the lingering effects of her covert orgasm, she snagged another glass of wine from a passing tray and sipped.

The wine was sweet and fairly palatable, but it lacked the . . . finesse of the wines she’d shared with Alex. It was a good analogy for the two men themselves, Maddy thought as they wound their way into the main room, where people crowded tightly, some swaying to music, some simply drinking.

“What a clusterfuck.”

She followed Alex’s gaze as he looked around the room. Maddy felt a little conspicuous in her fancy dress, which, while the sexiest thing she’d ever worn, seemed like a nun’s habit when compared to the clothing of most of the other women in attendance.

Apart from the occasional woman who clearly had more sense than the rest, the women were clad in a very loose definition of formal wear—that is, most were at least wearing dresses and skirts, but they were of the short, tight vinyl variety, paired with bustiers and sheer blouses. The men, clearly business acquaintances of Massimo’s, mostly wore dark suits, which made the women stand out like exotic birds.

The attire was not so different from what might have been found at In Vino Veritas. At the club, however, it fit. In fact, the club was far classier than this event, which, while supposedly a business function, was teetering on the edge of the line between dance club and frat party. Maddy tried not to be judgmental, but the entire gathering made her feel dirty.

“What kind of business is Massimo in, exactly? Does he own more than the one casino?”

“He owns the one casino, which is actually quite lucrative. He’s eager to sell because, as rumor has it, he’s in a little over his head with some people.” Alex’s words were light, but she didn’t for a moment believe that he was interested in a casino solely based on a rumor. “He also owns a hotel. Nothing that would let him afford his kind of lifestyle, which lends credence to the rumors.”

Maddy eyed Alex as she thought it over. “If he has dubious connections, then is it smart to buy something from him?” She didn’t know the first thing about business deals, but she did know that the man made her nervous.

“Normally, I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole.” Alex’s voice was flat. Clearly he had no love lost for the man. “When he approached me with the deal, my first inclination was to turn him down. But the more I looked into it, the better the deal looked. He needs cash badly enough to sell for far below value, and the casino itself does quite a steady business. It will need a face-lift, but I think it would do very well, attracting people who are curious about the Vegas experience but don’t necessarily want to pay Vegas prices.”

“Alex, why do you need another business?” She winced as he raised an eyebrow at her question. “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry. But . . . you’re already successful, aren’t you? Why do you need more?”

Alex artfully pulled her out of the way of a skinny brunette who reeked of rum and couldn’t stand without clutching the arm of the man she was with—a man who winked at Maddy and ran his tongue over his lips when he caught her looking.

Maddy recoiled, and Alex pressed his hand to the small of her back.

“I want you to wait right here.” His breath was warm on her ear, and she became conscious of the fact that she still wore the butterfly vibrator and that he still had the remote.

Using his fingers to press against the bare skin of her back, Alex guided Maddy to a bookshelf that stood against the far wall.

“I am going to go speak to Massimo quickly. I want you to wait right here. I will have my eye on you the entire time.” Alex pressed a quick kiss to Maddy’s forehead before approaching a podium on the far side of the room. A large plush chair was on the podium, and Massimo sat on it like he was a king in his throne. A petite redhead was on his lap, her breast enclosed in one of the man’s hands.

Shifting his attention from Alex to Maddy, Massimo smiled, and it wasn’t a friendly expression. Maddy knew that there had to be something more between the men, but she couldn’t imagine what—Alex didn’t seem the know the other man outside of the potential business deal.

Maddy shivered and broke eye contact, turning toward the shelf, running her eyes absently over the dust catchers and the single framed photograph that sat on it.

She couldn’t wait to get out of there.

•   •   •

“M
r. Fraser.” Alex couldn’t help but judge the man who couldn’t be bothered to rise from his chair to greet him. Then again, Alex thought as he watched Santorini’s hand slide up the inner thigh of the redhead on his lap, the man was otherwise occupied. “Welcome to the party. I see you brought your . . . lady friend.”

The girl looked to be barely legal. Contempt rolled through him, and he pinched his lips together with disgust. “She has nothing to do with you.” Alex didn’t want Santorini’s eyes on Maddy, didn’t want her to speak to him. He was regretting even bringing her, but he hadn’t known that the party would be so quickly dissolving into a drug-fueled orgy.

Santorini looked taken aback; then, rather than trying to make nice as he had been, his lips curled into a sneer. “Let’s get to business, then. Will you buy the casino or not?”

Rage curled through Alex’s gut. There was only one thing keeping him from upending Santorini from his chair and escorting Maddy from the premises as quickly as he could. And that was his charitable foundation. He wanted the proceeds of the deal to start the foundation for teens whose families rejected their alternative lifestyles. He could afford to start the foundation now, certainly, but if he waited, turned the potential gold mine around, and used those proceeds, it could and would be so much bigger and better.

Delayed gratification. It was a rule he lived by. He would put up with Santorini’s sleaze until the deal was signed for that reason alone.

“I want another fifty thousand knocked off the asking price.”

Santorini’s eyes narrowed, and Alex could have been fresh out of business school and not missed the rage that entered the man’s demeanor. Alex held up his hand, effectively silencing the other man. “Your gambling debt has cast a shadow over the business. It’s not worth what you’re asking. Also, I’ll be paying you cash up front. We both know that was one of the reasons you came to me in the first place.”

“You owe it to me.” The other man spat the words out; then, as if trying to demonstrate that he thought Alex was beneath his respect, Santorini lifted the skirt of his companion and bestowed his attentions on her.

Alex swallowed a grimace, making sure to keep his expression set, even a little scary. As one of the owners of In Vino Veritas, he wasn’t a stranger to public sex, but this wasn’t one with pure intention. This was Santorini trying to show Alex that he wasn’t worth him interrupting his pleasure.

All Alex saw was the poor girl, who was clearly high on something and was being used as an object, but Santorini wouldn’t see it the same way, he knew.

“Fifty thousand, Santorini, or the deal is off.” Turning, Alex stepped down from the podium, wanting Maddy in the safety of his arms. He shouldn’t have brought her here—he should have known.

“Take a look at the photo your
lady
is looking at!” Santorini shouted after him. Alex ignored the man, moving unerringly toward the woman who had somehow become the center of his world. “You’ll see why you owe me.”

Santorini’s words slurred a bit, and Alex shook his head, wondering if the other man was high as well. Hell of a way to do business.

“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Though he didn’t want Santorini to know that his feelings for Maddy ran much deeper than the sexual, he needed to touch her. He settled for lacing his fingers through hers, enjoying the warmth of her skin.