Mastered

  He swore violently, his hands and movements suddenly stilling. Alarm made her pulse ratchet up. Had she done something wrong? Had she hurt him?

  As though sensing her sudden tension, he stroked a hand through her hair and tilted her chin upward enough that his cock slid most of the way out and she was able to see his expression.

  “I’m close,” he admitted. “Too damn close and I’m not ready for it to be over with.”

  She smiled even as her tongue performed a delicate dance around the head of his penis.

  “I want that ass, Angel, but it’s going to take time to prepare you for that. I’m going to untie you because I want you to use your hands to pleasure yourself while I ready you and then especially when I get inside you so that you feel no pain.”

  She flushed at the idea of essentially masturbating in front of him, and as if sensing just what she was thinking, he hoisted her up so she was kneeling between his knees facing him. He smiled and thumbed her swollen lips.

  “Trust me, babe. It won’t be the easiest to take me unless you pleasure yourself, especially when I first get inside you. The point is to have you so far gone and desperate for release that you’ll be begging me to go hard and fast so you can get off, and just so you know, you don’t come until I tell you. Because if it’s all over for you and I’m only just getting started, it isn’t going to feel as good, and I plan to fuck your sweet ass for a long time.”

  Her entire body became heated and she fidgeted between his thighs, already impatient to experience Drake’s complete possession. He freed her hands and gently rubbed her wrists to ensure she had experienced no discomfort. Then he tossed the rope to the floor and cupped her chin, looking directly into her eyes.

  “Position yourself like you were before, knees to the edge of the bed. Put your head down and rest your chest on the mattress so you can reach yourself and be able to rub your clit however it makes you feel good. I’m going to get some lube from the bathroom. In the meantime, I want you like I told you to be and I want to see you touching yourself and getting yourself worked up when I get back.”

  There was a distinct edge in his voice, one that told her not to even think of disobeying him.

  She slid from beneath his thighs and then got onto her hands and knees and inched her way back until she was on the edge of the bed. Then she leaned down, letting her face and chest rest against the mattress, and wiggled experimentally as she positioned her hand on her pelvis. She let her fingers slide slowly lower until she stroked her already throbbing clitoris and gave a soft sigh of contentment as streaks of pleasure wafted through her veins.

  Drake was gone and back before she even registered his departure. She was so absorbed in the decadent sensations she was experiencing that she didn’t realize he’d come back until his hand slid over her ass, startling her and yanking her out of the cloud she’d become immersed in.

  “If you start to come, stop touching yourself,” Drake said. “When I tell you to come, then get there, because it means I’m about to come and I want you with me.”

  “I’m with you, Drake,” she whispered softly, smiling in a way she knew he found pleasing because of the sudden fire that blazed in his eyes.

  He rubbed his thumb over the seam of her ass, the lubricant a cool contrast to his much warmer hands. Then he slid the blunt tip of a single finger just inside her puckered opening and she sucked in deeply, her eyes widening in surprise at just how big his finger seemed.

  “Touch yourself,” Drake bit out. “I haven’t told you to stop. I’m going to fuck your ass whether you prepare yourself or not. The choice is yours.”

  If she was so resistant to just his finger, she had no idea how his enormous erection was ever going to make it. She needed no second reminder and she didn’t want to displease Drake by defying him, so she began to gently rotate her finger around her clit until she found the right angle, the right amount of pressure and the speed she needed in order to distract herself from the gentle, yet persistent probing as Drake ensured she was well lubricated enough to take him.

  Remembering not to stop touching herself when he fit his cock to her opening, she closed her eyes and concentrated only on the pleasurable sensations her fingers gave her. But then the overwhelming pressure and the burn that accompanied his initial breach of her tiny entrance became something else entirely.

  She was edgy, on edge. Wanting him to stop and yet at the same time wanting him to thrust in as hard as he could and put an end to both their misery.

  She whimpered low in her throat, a sound that made him stop immediately.

  “Too much?” Drake whispered, even as he pressed forward more.

  “No. I want more, Drake. Please, I need more. I’m so close and I want you so deep inside me. The pain is no longer pain. The pain is pleasure.”

  And then suddenly he plunged deep inside her and she yelled hoarsely, her fingers leaving her or she would have orgasmed instantly. She panted, her body heaving as Drake remained buried to his balls in her ass.

  Oh God, it was the most incredible sensation she’d ever imagined. Never would she have thought she would find pleasure in this act. The idea of it seemed repugnant. But now, in this moment, it was symbolic of Drake’s complete possession and his exerting his complete dominance over her.

  She needed this. Needed him.

  He pulled slowly out, retreating inch by inch until she clutched only the head of his penis. He paused a moment and then powered into her again, wringing another cry from her.

  “Oh God, Drake. It’s too much. I won’t last,” she said helplessly. “What do I do?”

  “Shhh, Angel. I’m not finished yet. Put your hands forward, palms down on the bed, and keep them there until I’m ready.”

  Reluctantly she did as he commanded and then closed her eyes in preparation for what came next.

  He wasn’t as rough as he’d been in her pussy and with her mouth, but he was also firm and unyielding, gaining depth with every thrust. But he set a slow, almost leisurely pace, stroking in and out until her world went completely hazy around her.

  After what seemed an eternity, he twisted one hand in her hair while keeping a firm hold on her hip with his other hand, and he pulled upward, forcing her neck back.

  “Touch yourself now, Angel. I’m close, so you need to catch up.”

  Eagerly, she slid her hand between herself and the bed once more and found her sweet spot, groaning instantly when the first thrill washed over her.

  “I don’t need to catch up,” she said breathlessly. “Just do it, Drake. I’m so close. I want it hard. Rough. However you want me. I want to be that for you. Only for you.”

  He released his hold on her hair and then grasped both hips, tilting her up even more, and then he began to thrust long, hard and as deeply as he could. She felt a spurt of moisture from herself as the first waves of her orgasm broke and rushed over her like a tidal wave consuming everything in its path.

  She screamed and went wild beneath him until finally he pressed her forward, trapping her firmly between the bed and his body as he continued to drive over and over into her.

  And then suddenly his weight lifted and he yanked free from her ass just as she felt the hot spray of his release splash onto her back and behind. Then he thrust back into her, holding himself deep as he twitched and convulsed, emptying the last of his semen deep within her body.

  “Never a more beautiful sight,” he said gruffly. “You’re mine, Angel. All of you. Have no doubt now that you belong only to me and another man will never touch or take what is mine.”

  Predictably, the next morning Evangeline woke alone in bed, Drake no doubt having vacated it long before. She had no idea how he managed to keep the hours he kept and even how he had the time to work her into that busy schedule.

  She closed her eyes in dismay when she saw that this morning’s offering was the same as it had been all the mornings since she’d officially moved in with Drake. She dreaded seeing what outrageously expensive gift he’d chosen for her this time.

  With a resigned sigh, she opened the gift first, avoiding for now the note Drake had left her.

  It was a dazzling and no doubt priceless tennis bracelet with huge diamonds that encircled the entire piece of jewelry. It matched the diamond earrings he’d given her, and now she worried he’d soon be giving her a matching necklace as well.

  The only gift she never took off was the necklace Drake had given her because it was symbolic to her. It represented his pet name for her, a name only he used, and it had been the first gift he’d given her. But at the time, she hadn’t realized this would become a daily ritual of him buying her expensive pieces of jewelry that made her feel guilty because of how extravagant and unnecessary it was.

  She was uncomfortable over the thought behind the gifts. If he was trying to buy her when all she wanted was him. She felt guilty wearing such priceless jewelry when her parents and friends lived day to day, paycheck to paycheck.

  Yes, Drake had seen to her friends and family, but it still bothered Evangeline to be living in such luxury and being showered by gifts that the cost of one piece alone would cover her parents’ expenses for an entire year.

  With another sigh, she carefully put the bracelet back into its box and got out of bed to go place it next to the others before returning to see what Drake had to say this morning.

  Going to be a long day in the office. I have several matters to take care of and several meetings to attend. I’d like you to cook something that will keep or be able to be warmed over, since I won’t know an exact time I’ll be there. I’ll call you on my way so you can warm it up again for my arrival. Zander will be by this afternoon to get a grocery list from you and run out for whatever you need for tonight. Enjoy your day in and rest. I was hard on my angel last night.

  Evangeline’s lips tightened. She couldn’t even go to the market to get the few things necessary to cook a meal? Was she a prisoner after all, no matter what Drake assured her of? She knew one thing. She wasn’t staying cooped up in his apartment all day while Zander played errand boy. It was a beautiful day and the forecast had been for cooler, more fall-like temperatures today and the rest of the week. She had no intention of not getting out and staying shut in every day.

  Since she didn’t know what time Zander would arrive—and what was up with Zander being her babysitter du jour anyway? Hadn’t he been in the doghouse last night? Or was she to be tossed between Drake’s men one by one until she reached the last of the pack and started over from the beginning?

  She shrugged. Oh well, she didn’t know what time he was due to arrive, and there was a market within easy walking distance. If he wasn’t here by the time she’d showered and dressed, she’d run down to the market herself and get the necessary items for dinner.

  While she showered, she mentally went over the possibilities, wanting something more elegant than she typically served her girlfriends, when making every dollar stretch as far as possible was also a necessity.

  Then she remembered the steak—Wagyu steak?—that Justice had taken her to eat and how expensive it had been. The question was, what kind of market would even sell such expensive meat, or could one even get it outside the fine restaurants that served it?

  She had a recipe for a simple, delicate butter sauce because meat that tasted that good needed nothing heavy to mask the natural flavor, and well, butter made everything better, or so her mother always said. Green beans would be a perfect complement, as would a mouthwatering gourmet homemade mac and cheese recipe she had, and she could add lobster to jazz it up. Which only left potatoes because steak without potatoes was an unpardonable sin in her book.

  Scalloped potatoes or simply baked potatoes with Drake’s choice of toppings?

  She had completed her menu by the time she dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and lace-up tennis shoes. She chose an oversized sweater with a comfortable neckline that layered over her breasts, only giving a hint of her cleavage, which was displayed much better thanks to the new bras she’d purchased.

  She eyed the ever-growing selection of jewelry Drake had given her but opted not to wear anything but the angel necklace. It was simple and not too ostentatious. It suited her when the other stuff was just not her.

  After applying light makeup and brushing out her long hair, she chose to leave it down so it would dry faster. Then she went into the living room to find her purse so she could be on her way.

  She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn’t notice Zander until he cleared his throat and she jumped, emitting a startled yelp. She backed warily away, cursing Drake’s men’s propensity for appearing out of nowhere. Did Drake give them free run of his apartment? Or did they just not believe in knocking, for God’s sake?

  “Sorry for frightening you once again,” Zander said. “Drake told me you would know I would be here.”

  “He said you were coming by, not that you would be here when I got up,” Evangeline muttered. “Apparently the idea of knocking or buzzing up to let someone know you’re here is something that escapes all of you.”

  Zander grinned. “I’ll get out of your hair as soon as you give me the list of stuff you need from the market.”

  Evangeline frowned. “Actually, I’m going shopping. What you do with your afternoon is up to you.”

  Zander’s smile faded, and he looked uneasily at her. “Uh, that wasn’t my understanding.”

  “It is now,” she said firmly. “I’m going shopping. Whether you come is entirely up to you.”

  Then she turned to walk toward the open elevator doors.

  “Shit. Drake’s not going to like this,” Zander muttered behind her.

  She punched the close door button and watched in amusement as Zander’s expression turned murderous just as the doors shut in his face, preventing him from getting on with her.

  She rode down and walked by the surprised doorman before he could open the door for her, and she stepped into the brisk air and blinked against the sudden wash of sunshine. She’d been right. It was truly a spectacular day. She inhaled deeply, feeling as though she were seeing the outside world for the first time since she’d entered Drake’s world.

  Not taking too much time to savor the feel of freedom, she started down the street toward the market that was just a few blocks away, her list memorized. Zander caught up to her at the corner as she was waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green.

  He grabbed her elbow and whirled her around, his eyes glittering with fury.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing, woman?” he all but roared at her. “Are you just trying to piss Drake off?”

  “The more appropriate question is whether he’s trying to piss me off,” she returned sweetly. “I just love how my shopping trip, which wasn’t supposed to include me by the way, was planned and arranged when no one but me knows what I’ll be cooking and what I’ll need, including brands, spices, ingredients, et cetera.”

  “That’s what a list is for,” he growled.

  Her cell phone rang and she fumbled for it, and then seeing Drake’s name as the incoming caller, she looked accusingly up at Zander.

  He shrugged. “You dug your own grave.”

  “Hello?” she said warily.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Drake clipped out.

  “I’m going shopping so I can cook dinner, like you instructed,” she said defensively, not liking at all that Zander was standing a mere foot away and could likely hear every word Drake said even with the sounds of traffic all around them.

  “Maybe you don’t remember the conversation you and I had where I was very specific in that I was to know where you are at all times and that if you were going out you were to inform me of your plans and that I would not be pleased if you forgot.”

  His tone was icy and he was obviously furious. Not just angry. He was, as Zander had said, pissed.

  “I wasn’t given that choice,” she said in an icy tone to match his. “I was told to give him a list and I was told he was going and that I was not. I prefer to do my own shopping, especially when it comes to a menu I’ve meticulously planned. He refused and intended for me to remain in the apartment the entire day when it is an absolutely gorgeous day outside and I wanted to shop for my own groceries. Therefore my only choice was to go myself.”

  “All you had to do at any time was pick up the phone and call me,” Drake said, anger still vibrating in his voice. “You could have told me what you wanted and then I would have been aware of your whereabouts instead of receiving a call from the man I assigned to protect you telling me that you gave him the slip and were even now God only knew where in the city.”

  She went silent, her mouth dropping open. He made it seem so simple, and yet nothing about Drake’s words suggested she had any choice or say in the matter.

  “If you make such a mistake in the future, I will not be as forgiving or understanding,” Drake said in a cool, slightly more calm voice. “Now do your shopping and don’t make Zander’s job any harder than it is. His job is your safety, and he can’t do that job if you’re not with him.”

  “Okay,” she whispered, embarrassed by the sudden sting of tears at her eyelids.

  He ended the call and she stared a long moment down at the now-blank screen, and then she slipped it back into her purse, refusing to meet Zander’s gaze.

  He sighed beside her and then reached out a tentative hand to squeeze her shoulder.

  “We haven’t started out on the best foot, have we, Evangeline?” he asked ruefully.

  “Tattletale,” she muttered.

  He chuckled, some of the tension easing. And then his voice became somber once more.

  “He’s right about one thing. You shouldn’t be going out alone. It’s dangerous. You could be hurt. Your safety is my job, so let me do it and then both our lives will be a hell of a lot easier.”

  Then he let out an exaggerated sigh. “I assume this means we’re walking and you’ll expect me to carry everything back?”

  She gave him a small smile that seemed to delight him, and, well, she had been a bitch to him. It wasn’t his fault. He was only following orders.

  She sighed back. “I’m sorry for making your job difficult. It isn’t your fault.”

  He seemed perplexed and uncomfortable with her apology.

  They walked the rest of the way, Zander providing a shield around her so that no one so much as brushed her on their way by.

  After spending nearly a frustrating hour perusing the beef counter and even going to a local butcher, Evangeline was beginning to wonder if Wagyu beef even existed outside the restaurant Justice had taken her to. Maybe it was specially imported. Cooking excellent meals with what she made do with was something she was good at. Fine foods, expensive gourmet foods, however, were beyond her realm of knowledge.

  “What the hell are you looking for and not finding, Evangeline?” Zander asked in a frustrated tone. “Maybe if I knew, I could help.”

  Her eyes lit up and she grumbled to herself for not having thought of it earlier.

  “Do you have Justice’s phone number? Is he busy?” she asked anxiously.

  Zander couldn’t hide his perplexed expression as he stared wordlessly back at her.

  “Do you or don’t you?” she asked in exasperation. “Do you want me to be shopping all afternoon, or will you call Justice for me?”

  The answer to that question was obvious when he immediately dug out his phone, punched a button, and then handed the phone to her.

  “Yo man, how’s angel duty going. Any disasters befallen you yet?” Justice asked cheerfully.

  “That depends on what you consider a disaster,” Evangeline said sweetly. “I would say inserting one’s foot into one’s mouth might be considered somewhat of a disaster.”

  “Oh shit,” Justice said with a groan. “Hello, Evangeline. Everything okay? Why you calling me from Zander’s phone? You should have my number and all the guys’ numbers programmed into your cell.”

  “Oh,” she said. “I didn’t look. I mean, I asked Zander to call you. I didn’t know I had your number. I barely know how to work the damn thing.”

  “Is there something you need?” His voice took on a more serious tone. “Are you in trouble?”

  “No, no, well, nothing serious. You remember the restaurant you took me to and ordered that ridiculously expensive steak?”

  “Yeah,” he said in obvious puzzlement.

  “I can’t find that steak anywhere,” she said in frustration. “Drake wants me to cook tonight and he likes steak, so I thought I’d buy some Wagyu steak and grill it. But I can’t find it anywhere.”

  Justice chuckled. “No, of course not. But tell you what. I’ll make a phone call right quick. Have Zander take you back to that restaurant and ask for the chef. He’ll know you’re coming and he’ll hook you up.”

  “Really?” Evangeline whispered, in awe of the obvious connections not only Drake had, but his men as well. Was it really that simple and had she wasted an entire hour when a simple phone call would have provided her with instant results?

  “Yeah, really. Let me go so I can make that call. By the time you get there, the chef will be expecting you.”

  She ended the call and handed the phone back to Zander. “Um, he says to tell you to take me to the restaurant where he took me to eat Wagyu steak the other day.”

  “Fuck me. You’re making Drake Wagyu steak tonight and I’m not invited?” Zander asked in a cute, sulky tone.

  “No, but if you’re nice to me the rest of the day, I’ll save you some leftover dessert. It’s even better than my cupcakes. Promise.”

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