Выбрать главу

Victor drove away, giving one last look in the rear-view mirror at Elsa’s darkened street while her moans of pleasure still echoed in his thoughts. Too mentally exhausted from his work, the gentle fuck he had given her was a welcome reprieve from his usual debauchery. He reminded himself to write down how her body responded to his tender touches.

When he arrived at his out of the way and secluded home on the outskirts of Richmond, he knew the silence would be deafening and he dreaded where his thoughts would wander to. No doubt, the Cambridge case.

Standing in the middle of the immense, stark white living room, he twirled his keys until the hypnotic sound of the jangling nearly put him into a deep meditative state. Pulling himself out of his entrancement, he reached for his briefcase and dug out Elsa’s file and his journal. Both had grown larger over the past two days.

During the times when he couldn’t sleep or had been woken by nightmares, he had taken the opportunity to delve further into her past. He had lucked out in finding a delicious bit of Girls Are Wild video footage of her that was quite entertaining if not revealing about her personality when intoxicated. It was no wonder she had stuck to drinking virgin sangrias the first night he met her. At least she had the common sense as an adult to know her limits and drink only in the privacy of her own home.

After perusing her folder for the umpteenth time, he finally went into his bedroom to write his thoughts.

I was forced out of my routine tonight by you, C8. It was as if you knew I was listening and you purposefully taunted me, challenged me even to try and resist you. I know it’s my own iniquitous imagination conjuring those thoughts and so you’re forgiven as I know you would never do such a thing. Still, I was unable to refuse your unspoken challenge. I am, after all, only a man with not only emotional but physical needs. You satiated both tonight so you have fulfilled your purpose.

The gears were turning in those stunning, inquisitive eyes of yours as you tried to make sense of my dichotomy. I can’t figure it out myself and I gave up trying to make sense of it long ago. You strangely seemed to enjoy the gentle fucking I gave you just as much as the forceful one from Saturday. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Your personality split is just as evident as mine, though you don’t see it. Docile and submissive at times to rebellious and impetuous. If I weren’t so captivated with your reactions, I might try a little harder to bring you to heel.

I’m reminded of C3 when you act out and the way she was finally forced into submission. I won’t go that route with you, though, as I suspect caging and physical restraint might have the opposite effect on you and you might attempt to resign from our little game. Not that I would allow it. But alas, you’re much stronger than she was. You make me work hard for every inch of surrender you give me and I’m exhilarated by it.

I shall sleep with thoughts of you lingering in my subconscious and hopefully keeping my demons at bay. They are begging to be set loose and I know I can’t deny them for long, but until then I’m content to make new rules for you to abide by and new ways to challenge your way of thinking. Goodnight, My Sweet Peach.

On his nightstand and next to the receiver that was connected to Elsa’s apartment, he propped up a Polaroid picture of her that he had snapped while she was sleeping. Tuning the device into her bedroom, he could hear the sound of her deep breathing as she slept. He could still smell her on his skin as he stared at the photo. What was she dreaming about? Him? Patrick? One of the many others who had broken her all too willing heart? There were some things even he couldn’t find out and it drove him fucking mad that he would never know the things contained in her sleepy bliss.

As his eyes closed, he knew he couldn’t wait until Saturday to taste her again or to feel her hands on him. As he had exited her apartment, he left her with three simple words: to be continued. And that’s exactly what he intended on doing the following day – continuing where he left off.

9: Exacting

Elsa woke invigorated. She had dreamt of Victor and his dark and demanding eyes, his inescapable hands all over her, and his insistent mouth. God, that mouth and the things it did to her body…

To be continued… his words flitted into her subconscious off and on all morning as she floated around her office on an invisible cloud of lust and desire. Even the aggravation and humiliation he had caused the previous weekend was a now distant memory.

Just as she was finishing a project, she smelled Mr. Black’s presence and heard the door behind her lock. Her body stiffened as his strong hands found her waist and he pressed himself against her, his mouth instantly finding her neck.

“Shall we continue where we left off?” he breathed against her sensitive flesh while grinding his rigid cock into the small of her back.

“Yes... please,” she threw her head back and turned to meet his mouth.

His fingers skimmed her thighs as he slipped his hand under her skirt. Just as his tongue slicked across her teeth, he jerked away from her and spun her around, knocking the wind out of her sails and causing her to gasp out. With a heated look passing over his face, he heaved her skirt up and snapped the band of her silk panties.

“Would you care to explain this?” he asked, his throaty voice and expression revealing irritation.

Elsa shook her head, confused by his sudden annoyance.

He gritted his teeth but kept his anger in check. “I wrote down my rules for you and still you can’t remember them?”

Her mind began racing with the few rules he had emphasized. He had said no undergarments, but she didn’t think he meant at work.

As if decoding her jumbled thoughts, he responded, “It was rule number one. Never wear underwear. Not in my presence or anywhere else,” he backed away. “I hate repeating myself,” he grumbled and glanced over her shoulder.

“I’m at work, Vict…” she promptly shut her mouth when his already narrowed eyes shot back to her and squinted further, the muscle in his jaw quivering. “Mr. Black…” she quickly corrected herself. “You can’t expect me to not wear underwear at work.”

He turned his body and waved to the empty room. “You work alone. What would it matter?” Facing her, he glowered. “Even if you didn’t, I made it clear what my expectations are.”

“But I’m at work,” she whispered.

His mouth went tight and grim. “I heard you the first time.”

Turning away, he walked toward the door and reached for the door knob. He stopped and inhaled a deep breath and then mumbled something unintelligible, but Elsa could swear she heard the word ‘stupid.’ Her nerves prickled and she tugged her skirt down over her thighs.

“I’m not stupid,” she blurted.

He spun on his heel and glared at her. “I would never call you that. Perhaps I should include another rule about speaking out of turn when you don’t have all the facts.”

She cringed at his critical stare and the thought of him adding yet another rule, though she knew with certainty there were more to come.

“What I said was: it was stupid of me to have come here. You’re no different than the other Chapters.” And with that, he turned again and walked out, leaving her to stew on his words.

What did he mean by Chapters? His choice of terminology was more than a little bewildering and she sank into her office chair, reeling from the entire incident. An unwelcome flashback of her wetting herself came to mind. If he dared make her do it again… she pushed the thought from her mind. It was too awful to think about.

The remainder of her work day she sulked and moped, leaving most of her tasks either half completed or unattended to. It had only been a week since meeting Mr. Black and already her work was suffering. It was preposterous. She absolutely had to know more about him and what made him into the man he was. She didn’t know the first thing about how to get that sort of information, but she knew people who did and she would just have to call in a few favors. First on her list: her brother. He was a nosey S.O.B. like Mr. Black, but she was sure he could help.