said, opening the drawer by the bed and pulling out a condom. The amenities he’d requested in his phone call earlier, no doubt. “Turn around,” he said. “Face the headboard.”
She turned away from him reluctantly. She wanted to keep staring at him. She wanted to memorize this moment. This night. No, it wasn’t sweet lovemaking. But it was what she needed.
And she had no idea when she would have the chance to do something like this ever again. Hell, it would never be like this again.
Because she’d never had a connection like this with anyone else. This raw, visceral understanding that went beneath their social veneers and touched on something real.
She hadn’t made the choice to be honest with him. She’d had no other option. She suspected it was the same for him.
This man who was clearly from a life so obviously different from hers. A guest at the party, not the help. And yet he knew her. And she knew him.
She felt the mattress depress behind her, his hand on her hip, the other on her arm.
He swept her hair to the side and kissed her neck, the action surprisingly gentle. He slid his fingertips along her elbows, then gripped her wrists, lifting them slightly and looping them over the thick, black bedpost.
He let his hand drift from there, over her breasts, down to her stomach, between her legs. He repositioned her, bringing her ass up against him. He was hot and hard behind her, his fingers teasing her now, ramping up her arousal, keeping her nerves at bay.
She gasped as he pushed two fingers inside of her again, testing her slickness, testing her readiness.
She wasn’t sure how much it would hurt. But tonight, there had already been some pain, and he’d made it okay. More than okay—he made it good. He would make this good, too.
He knew her body. Knew how to keep her walking that fine line between pleasure and pain. Knew when to pull back, when to push for more.
So she trusted him to do this, too.
He withdrew his fingers and repositioned them both. Then he was pressed against the entrance to her body, sliding in slowly, his grip tight on her hip.
She bit her lip, trying to keep from whimpering. It was the burning pain she hadn’t expected. Pain, yes, but not quite this kind. It made her eyes water, made her shake.
“Stop?” he asked, his voice hard.
“No,” she said, pulling down hard on her restraints, the bedpost biting into her wrists.
He tugged back on her hip and thrust hard, driving himself in to the hilt. He cursed again and started moving inside of her, the pain gradually decreasing, pleasure slowly blooming in her stomach and spreading outward.
All of the fire, the need, from every touch, every tease, every glance since she’d first seen him came roaring through her, the heat threatening to consume her completely.
He moved his hand between her legs, his fingers teasing her in time with his thrusts. “Come for me,” he said. “Come for me now.”
His words hit just as his fingertip brushed against her clit, just as he filled her with another hard thrust, and pushed her over the edge.
Her release was hard. Bursting inside of her, leaving shock waves of heat behind. Leaving her shaking, her shoulders aching.
He let out a harsh growl, both of his hands tight on her hips, fingertips digging into her skin, his hold so hard she thought it might leave a bruise. And in the wake of her orgasm, she prayed it did.
That there would be a physical brand of what he’d done to her. How he’d changed her.
There was no sound in the room beyond their splintered breathing. Until his voice broke the silence.
“Damn,” he said, his forehead resting on her shoulder blade, his breath hot on her skin. “You should have said something.”
“I wasn’t allowed to talk,” she said.
He swore again, reaching over and tugging her hand from around the bedpost. He moved away from her and started to untie her hands. “You should have told me.”
“What exactly?”
“You have blood on your legs,” he said, his tone grim.
“Oh. That.”
“The fact that you were a virgin should have come up,” he growled. “How the hell were you a virgin?”
“You’re so sure I was?” she asked, feeling shaken. Unsure of what to do with herself.
“Yes,” he said, though he didn’t sound sure now.
“You an expert?”
“I’m not. That’s the thing. Never done that before, but then, that’s why it seemed different.” He turned away from her and discarded the condom in a wastebasket by the bed.
“Or maybe I just feel different. Maybe I’m just different,” she said, only realizing after that the statement sounded just a little needy.
“Are you going to tell me you weren’t a virgin?”
“I don’t get why you’re angry,” she said.
“Because!” he shouted, turning back around, his chest pitching sharply. “You let that be your first time? What the hell is wrong with you? Didn’t I warn you?”
She bit the inside of her cheek and rubbed her wrist, where the tie had left red marks on her skin. “You don’t even know my name. Why would I tell you how many men I’ve been with?”
“Or haven’t been with.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “I got what I wanted.”
He curled his lip. “How could that have given you anything you wanted?”
“It just did. Also not something I need to share with you. My reasons are mine. And I’m sure your reasons for getting off on telling a woman to get on her knees and suck your dick are yours. But you know what? It’s none of my business.”
“You should go,” he said.
“Actually,” she said, getting off the bed, her ankle rolling thanks to her damn four-inch heels, “I should. I... Thanks for the sex, or whatever it is you people of sophistication say in situations like this. I am just a poor, hapless virgin, so I’m at a loss.”
“Get your clothes.”
“I’m not taking orders from you right now,” she spat, bending down to get her dress. “If you’re in the mood to give orders, though, order me a car. How about that?”
“No problem.” He bent down and picked his pants up, tugging his phone out of his pocket. “Send the car up front. You’re just picking up my friend for now.”
He hung up and she stood there, her dress crushed against
