softness and enjoying the heat she provided to my legs. But as I petted her fine
black fur, my eyes couldn’t help but linger on the infinity ring that once again
claimed the space on my left-hand ring finger. I wanted to rip it off and chuck it
across the room, but I remembered that it was to never leave that finger. The
diamonds glittered in the light, mimicking the same ones that adorned my wrists,
ankles, and neck. I doubted I would ever appreciate diamonds again. They were
meant to be pretty, admired, and cherished, but the only thing they did was fail at
distracting me from the chains they tried to conceal. The ones that shackled me to
this life, to Darren. I didn’t understand why he wanted to decorate me with
diamonds; they were just carbon forced under severe pressure and heat. The results
were something beautiful, but it took a lot of bullshit to get there. Maybe that was
how Darren saw me. His pure black carbon specimen that he was slowly converting
into his perfect little diamond.
Motherfucker, I was already a diamond. Good luck breaking the hardest
substance in the world.
Not wanting to get myself worked up, I let the anger go. I had a full stomach, a
roof over my head, clothes, unbruised skin, and a puppy in my lap. I deserved one
small moment that didn’t reflect my anger of Darren. Closing my eyes, I continued
to pet my Christmas present until I eventually dozed off.
–∞–
“Have you decided on a name yet?”
Darren and I were sitting at the dining room table having lunch together. I
had luckily managed to finish my entire bowl of potato soup and half turkey
sandwich, which apparently granted me his attention. I thought about Darren’s
question, screwing up my face so he knew I’d heard him but didn’t really have an
answer. I had an idea for a name but wasn’t settled on it just yet.
I shrugged. “I’m not one-hundred percent sold on it yet, but I was thinking
maybe Camaro.”
Darren’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why Camaro?”
“Because she’s fast like one,” I replied.
He chuckled. “There are faster cars, you know.”
I almost rolled my eyes. “I’m aware, but I don’t think Lamborghini or Bugatti
have the same ring to it.”
That wasn’t the real reason. It was really because my grandma had an old 1969
Camaro ZL-1 that she and my grandpa had bought together as an anniversary
present for each other. My grandpa passed away two years ago, and my grandma
knew how much I loved that car. On occasion, my grandpa and my dad would let me
help tweak the engine when I was younger. I had fond memories of that car, and my
grandma knew it. So it was going to be a wedding present to me whenever Jason
and I finally planned to get married. We were gonna drive off in the old thing,
dragging cans and shit behind us. So much for that.
Darren shrugged. “Whatever you want. I like Camaro.”
Maybe that was the approval I needed … Camaro it is, then.
“Can I take her outside?” I asked.
It took Darren only a second to think about it as he pushed his now empty plate
away from him. “Sure, as long as you take your guards with you, and you stay
within the lining of the trees. No going beyond them.”
“Okay,” I promised.
Darren stood from his chair and kissed the top of my head. “I have work to do.
I’ll see you at dinner.”
When he was gone, I slid out from my chair and headed back to my room to get
Camaro and change. She was sleeping in her crate next to her slightly empty dog
bowl when I came in, but she quickly woke when she heard me rustling around in
the closet. I put on a pair of snow pants and boots, my coat, hat, and gloves then
grabbed one of the leashes and snow coats. Camaro yipped and whined as I came
toward her crate, pulling her out and wrestling with her to get the coat on. Once I
had it zipped up, she continued to bite at it while I wrapped the leash around her
neck and clipped the end.
Why hadn’t Darren gotten her a collar? I forgot to ask him that at lunch.
Picking her up, I carried her out of the room and out into the hall, Romero and
Alex trailing behind automatically. They actually had their coats on this time, so
the patio, I set Camaro in the snow, and she immediately started to run and play in
the snow. I kept a good hold on the leash but still tried to keep up with her, so I
didn’t tug too hard. I didn’t want to lose her in the trees.
We spent a good hour and a half out there, playing and exploring. She was a
curious and energetic puppy, and the longer I played with her, the more the name
seemed to fit. She was so damn cute and feisty. I loved it.
“Miss Jaden,” Romero called. “It’s time to go in. You need to get ready for
dinner.”
“Booooo,” I whined but complied. I picked Camaro up and carried her back into
the house and up to the bedroom. Placing her on the ground, I took off her coat and
leash and let her run around the room for a while. I then glanced over to find
clothes had been laid out on the bed. I walked over to find a lacy tight looking red
dress that would likely stop just before my knees and a pair of sparkly red stilettos.
When I lifted the dress to examine the material, noticing just how low the neckline
was, I found Darren’s Christmas present to himself hiding underneath. Fire engine
red lace lingerie. It was a matching bra and thong set with a matching garter belt
and nude thigh highs. The bra contained strings at the front, tying the two cups
together and inevitably forming a bow. Ha-ha.
Merry Christmas to him…
I left the clothes where they were and headed for the bathroom for a shower.
Afterward, I curled my hair and did my makeup, giving myself a soft smoky eye and
dark red lip. Slipping into the lingerie and clipping on the nude stockings, I checked
myself out in the bathroom mirror. Fuck, I looked hot, like stripper hot. Maybe I’d
play this to my advantage. Maybe I’d be the one to bring Darren to his knees for
once.
Heading over to the bed, I slipped the dress and heels on and went to put
Camaro back in her crate with a few of her toys, food, and water. I didn’t want her
running around biting shit and pissing Darren off. I didn’t need that kind of heat.
When she settled, I put on some of the new jewelry he’d gotten me that I knew
would match nicely
When it was 5:30 p.m., I opened the door to be escorted back down to the dining
room, but when I got there, I froze in my tracks. Soft Christmas jazz played in the
background while the dining table stood not only decked out with several plates of
food, but it was also decorated with more Christmas trimmings and flickering tall
red candles, giving it a lovely, warm ambience. It was a feast fit for Whoville. And
standing at the head of it all was Darren, his hands resting on the top of his chair as
he smiled at me.
“Wow,” I said as I walked toward the table, my heels clicking behind me.
“Wow is right,” Darren agreed, but his eyes weren’t on the table; they were too
busy gazing up and down m
y body. I couldn’t help but notice his too. He was in a
black suit, white dress shirt, and a red tie that matched my dress almost exactly. I
instantly wondered where he’d gotten ready. Maybe he had a separate room
somewhere else. After a moment, he walked around to my chair and pulled it out
for me. “Have a seat,” he said. I didn’t argue and allowed him to push my chair in
for me.
What the fuck is going on?
“This is a lot of food for just two people,” I told Darren as he sat down in his own
seat.
“That’s because once we’re done, the rest will go to the guards.”
“Really?” I asked. I didn’t know he even gave a shit about them, especially if
they still worked on the holidays, but maybe he did?
“Of course. I may pay them very well for what they do, but that doesn’t mean I
don’t appreciate their loyalty. I try to reward them when I can.”
“Well, that’s … nice of you, I guess.”
Darren gave me a quick wink before we started our dinner. Everything was
fantastic. From the turkey to the vegetables and potatoes, salad, roast beef, and
cranberries, I’d had more than my fill. I even got to indulge in dessert, which
almost never happened. The conversation revolved mostly about Camaro and my
fun with her outside. I mentioned to Darren that she didn’t have a collar in her bag
of things, and he said he wanted me to pick it out myself, which again, threw me
off.
“You want me to pick it out myself?”
“Sure, why not? She’s your dog.”
The irony was closing in on me again. If he thought I was going to react to
choosing a collar for my dog like he’d chosen one for me, then he was mistaken. I
would not give him the satisfaction of seeing my discomfort.
“How am I going to pick it out? Are you going to supply me with a bunch to
choose from?”
Darren shook his head. “No, I’m going to take you into town on New Year’s Eve
for you to pick one out yourself.”
I choked on my wine. He was taking me to town? In public? For fucking real??
“Are you serious?” I asked, trying to keep my eyes from bugging out of my head.
“If you can behave, yes,” he said, that dangerous look looming in his eyes, the
one that promised pain if I fucked up.
“No worries,” I assured him, trying to hide my smile as I took another sip of
wine.
A half-eaten slice of cherry pie sat on my plate, and I didn’t think I could eat
another bite. I’d had two full glasses of white wine and was about to finish my third
when I suddenly felt my vision sway. Weird, but maybe I was just excited?
I was finally going out into the world for once in the next few days. I’d see
people. I’d see buildings. I’d see everything. Holy. Shit. This meant he trusted me
enough to be in public with him … and I was sure there would be devastating
consequences should I fuck that up. But I wouldn’t. I’d make sure I had every
chance at gaining another opportunity of getting the fuck off Darren’s property.
I took another sip of my wine when I felt myself off balance again.
“What the hell?” I whispered under my breath, placing the glass down. I felt
light and airy and fucking giggly.
“Something wrong?” Darren asked me.
I covered my mouth in an attempt to hide my goofy ass smile. What the fuck?
Was I tipsy? Off three glasses of wine?
“No,” I said with a giggle. “I’m fine.”
“You’re drunk,” he accused, but there was nothing but amusement in his voice.
“No way. I only had three glasses of wine,” I rationalized.
“That wine is twenty percent, Jaden. Your tolerance is still for shit.”
“Shut up,” I told him with way more attitude than I’d meant to.
“What did you just say?”
Darren’s tone sent shivers down my spine, and I immediately slammed my
hands over my mouth. “Oh, my God, I am drunk.”
But when I finally had the courage to look back over at Darren, the only thing
that was plastered over his face was a dark, dangerous smile.
“Good,” he said.
Son of a bitch.
“Good?”
He nodded. “I had a feeling you would like that wine.”
My eyebrows shot up in confusion. “So you wanted me drunk,” I stated. It
wasn’t a question.
He leaned forward, a smirk decorating the corners of his mouth. “Maybe I want
another showing of Ludacris.”
“Ha!” I laughed, remembering how ridiculous I must have looked while shaking
my ass on top of a pool table to “Move Bitch, Get Out the Way.” “I’m afraid the tour
ended for that show quite some time ago. I doubt there will be a repeat.”
“Not drunk enough to dance for me then?” he asked with a chuckle.
I shook my head carefully. “I’ll need the entire bottle for that.”
“You’ll dance with me then,” he stated and then stood.
“Wait, what?” But Darren had already gripped my hand and pulled me from my
chair.
Leading me away from the table, he stopped us in the center of the room, took
my hand in his, and placed the other on his shoulder. Holding me close, his other
hand on my lower back, he began to move us across the floor. The soft jazz of the
Christmas music continued to play in the background, and I found myself dazed
and confused. Darren moved well to the music, gently twirling me every now and
then, and it just felt effortless to move with him. Naturally, he led well, and I was
coordinated enough to follow without issue even with my drunkenness. It was
actually … nice.
There was no violence, no animosity, maybe a little confusion and surprise, but
in reality, we were just two people dancing to the sound of a soothing piano trio. It
made me feel warm and airy inside, and every now and then after a twirl, I’d catch
myself smiling like a drunken fool … and it pissed me off. But the alcohol running
through my blood had a magical way of suppressing my fear of Darren, and I
wanted that feeling to last. I didn’t want to be afraid anymore. I wanted to be
confident in my ability to stand up to Darren, and maybe if I could amuse him with
it, he might just appreciate my bravery.
I knew he didn’t want someone passive or robotic so I would have to figure out
how to keep him amused, stay unpredictable, and remind him that I was not
someone you could fuck with and forget. He wanted himself embedded in my mind?
Bitch, not before me.
When the song ended, Darren dipped me, pulling my leg up and holding me up
for what felt like several seconds as he looked into my eyes. That possessive look of
his was back, but it was softer this time, almost loving. I didn’t want to be looked at
like that anymore, so I tilted my mouth up and kissed him. He fell into the kiss
immediately, clutching me tighter as he pressed his lips to mine. It only took him a
second before he lifted me up into his arms, never once breaking the kiss and
carrying me off to the stairs. He didn’t even need to break away from me once as he
took each step, but I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around his neck for better
positioning.
When we got back to the bedroom and Darren set me down to stand,
I decided I
knew exactly what I wanted to do.
I wanted to give Darren his Christmas present. No. I wanted him to beg for it.
Before we even got to the bed, I turned in Darren’s hold, pushed up as far as my
toes could go to kiss him again while he began to unravel his tie, but I gripped it in
my fist before he could and pulled him back with me.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice sultry with lust.
“Whatever I want,” I dared, kissing him more, my tongue pushing itself into his
mouth of its own volition.
Darren’s hands instantly gripped my hips and pulled me up to straddle him as
he took us to the bed. He was already pulling at the zipper on my dress, and I
followed suit, nearly ripping the buttons apart on his shirt. Sitting on the edge of
the bed, Darren pulled me from his hips and set me to stand between his spread
knees.
“Take off your dress,” he ordered, his breathing becoming heavier with lust.
“For once, I don’t want to rip this one.”
I returned his request with a smirk and turned on my heels to begin pulling the
straps of my already unzipped dress slowly down my arms. I arched my back just a
bit to give Darren a better view of my ass before sliding the rest of the dress down
to pool at my feet. Lacing my hands through my hair, I turned to face him, but the
gaze he gave me nearly knocked me off my feet. I had him hooked completely.
“Fuck,” he murmured, his eyes slowly glancing up and down my body.
“I take it you’re pleased with your Christmas present?”
The alcohol was making me so brave, so confident, and I loved it. I loved not
giving a damn about what I was about to do because sober me would feel very guilty.
“Very.”
“Good,” I said and nearly launched myself at him.
I’d never fucked Darren so hard in my life. I gave him all of my pleasure and did
everything I could to tease and please. I sucked him off to the point of near
combustion, but he’d pulled out, wanting only to come inside me. And when I
fought for the top spot, not once did I make him regret it. For once, I was the one
who rocked his world. I made him moan. I made him writhe. I made him come like
there was no tomorrow; and the power that soared through my veins from that
alone was all I needed to get myself off, even though Darren still wanted a say in it.