ClaimingRuby (9 page)

Thwack.

She jerked with the force of impact. She watched her face in
the mirror—eyes glazed, lips parted, forming an “O”.

Thwack. Thwack.

“Never speak to me in that tone again.”

Thwack.

“The next time you use that tone with me, I’ll stuff my cock
down your throat to silence you. Are we clear?”

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

She stood on tiptoes. Her teeth clenched as her ass stung. “Yes,
Joshua.” This was punishment—pure and simple.

“Naughty girl.”
Thwack.
“Address me properly or you
won’t sit down for a week.”

“Yes Sir.” Although her ass was on fire, her core ached. She
needed him inside her. The burning pain of punishment drove her desire higher.

He caressed her pounding cheeks. “Good girl.” She looked at
him—his calm demeanor gone, replaced by a wild animal. His eyes burned and
narrowed. His coifed hair was disheveled. His jaw set in a grimace.

In their brief time together, she’d never seen him lose it
like this. He’d always been perfectly in control. Rather than frighten her, it
spurred her on. She pushed back against him.

“Please, Joshua,” she begged, and purred like a cat.

“What, Ruby? What do you need?” He moved aside the soaked
thong and delved into her dripping channel.

She clutched the vanity unit, nails digging aimlessly into
the porcelain, searching for an anchor. “Fuck me.”

He yanked her head back and leaned so his face brushed hers.
“Do you think I should give you what you want? After the way you spoke to me?
Your Dominant.” He drew her earlobe between his teeth and nipped.

The sharp stings made her hips rotate. She needed relief. He
was driving her crazy with his overwhelming dominance. She’d never known it
would be like this gut-wrenching, basic, primal need to be taken.

“Julia said…”

“I don’t give a shit what Julia said. She is a poisonous
bitch. She doesn’t get my cock hard.” He thrust and she felt him, hard as
granite, prodding her cheeks. “She doesn’t drive me fucking crazy. She doesn’t
cream all over my fingers from a spanking.” He touched her lips and she could
smell her musky nectar. “Taste, Ruby.”

She did, sucking him all the way to the knuckle. The illicit
gesture of tasting herself made her giddy with lust. The fragrant arousal
filled her nostrils.

“Look at yourself. Cheeks flushed. Tits straining against
your bra. Ass on show and pussy on fire. You’re fucking beautiful.” His sank
his teeth into her neck and bit, marking her.

She cried out as white-hot pain lanced through her.

“You’re mine. All mine. You will understand that.”

In this moment she belonged to him completely. How could she
have doubted that? It wasn’t just sex. There was something between them.
Something deep and raw and unexplainable. Something she’d been trying to deny.

He unzipped his fly, pushing down his pants and underwear in
one go. She heard him tear a foil packet, the snap of latex as he rolled on a
condom. She was only vaguely aware of these things. She wasn’t thinking
straight. All that mattered was his cock stuffed inside her, dominating her
pussy as his presence dominated her mind.

She focused on Joshua. His rugged face. This gorgeous man
was hers. She’d driven him to this. To become this wild thing that thrilled her
submissive side.

He skipped the foreplay. It wasn’t as if she needed it. She
was so desperate to feel his hard length inside her.

Joshua angled her hips and guided his cock into her
entrance. They moaned together as her walls tightened, sucked him in.

“So tight. All mine. My pussy.” He bit out the words before
slamming all the way home.

The force lifted her onto her toes and she screamed. She
clamped on his shaft, drawing him in farther. The crisp hair on his balls
tickled her skin.

“Did you forget you belong to me?”

She’d never felt anything like it—full, stretched, connected.
“Oh god, I can feel you so deep.” The head of his cock brushed sensitive spots
she’d never known existed.

“I own your pussy.” He withdrew, slammed back in. “I own
you. Say it.”

It was true. He owned her. All of her, including her heart.
She tried to deny it, but he did.

He built a rhythm—in and out, faster, harder each time. The
wide crest of his cock massaged the sensitive bundle of nerves and drove her
higher.

“I belong to you,” she whispered and met his gaze in the
mirror. She watched some of his anger melt away.

He rotated his hips and the tip of his shaft rubbed her G-spot.
All rational thought flew away as she focused on the sensation between her
thighs.

Delicious pressure, building, building.

He pounded into her. She wanted to pinch her nipples, finger
her clit, but she dared not let go of the sink. She gasped as a skillful stroke
made her legs shake. Her breath fogged the glass. As it cleared, Ruby focused
on the mask of fury and dominance pummeling into her. Joshua’s cheeks were red
from exertion and sweat beaded on his forehead. It wasn’t pretty—it was dirty,
messy sex.

He clawed her ass. His fingers bit into the delicate skin
and she didn’t care as long as he kept fucking her. “Come for me, Ruby.”

Harder, harder until her head nearly bumped the mirror. She
slapped a hand on the steamy surface and her sweaty skin squeaked and slipped.

“Come.” He seized her waist and thrust.

The pressure in her core exploded in a wave of pleasure. She
clamped him like a vise as her walls rippled. He jerked, stilled, took a moment
to maneuver her pelvis lower before pumping frantically. No rhythm or pace,
just raw fucking. He came with a roar, the corded muscle of his neck tight and
elongated, his spine bowed.

She closed her eyes and rode the tingling sensation that
coursed through her. Nothing mattered except the deep rippling of her sex.

She eventually looked at Joshua. His chin rested on her
shoulder. Beads of perspiration dotted his forehead. She squeezed her inner
muscles and his cock twitched.

He swatted her butt. “Tease.”

Shakily, she smoothed his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“So you should be.”

It was her turn to swat him. “I think we better get cleaned
up.”

He pulled out and it elicited a groan from both of them. As
he disposed of the condom, she wiped between her thighs with a washcloth. Her
body hummed and vibrated with sated lust but underneath lay a deeper happiness.
This had been about possession, taking what was his.

Too late. She already belonged to him. It was irrational.
Too fast, too soon, yet she couldn’t deny it. He owned her physically and she
was already half in love with him. After all he’d said moments earlier, maybe
he felt the same.

She helped him straighten his tie and basked in the glow of
a comfortable silence. No matter what Julia said, she wasn’t the one who’d just
fucked Joshua in a bathroom.

“Ready to go back to the party?” She ironed out a wrinkle in
her dress.

He held out a hand. “Together?”

“Together.”

Fuck Julia Lowe and her bitchy attitude. Joshua Quinn
belonged to her. Even if only for the time being.

Ruby stretched. She’d been sitting at the bookstore counter
for hours, going over budget spreadsheets. Her muscles burned, her inner thighs
throbbed and her hip bones felt tender. She’d been well used last night and
punished for her insolence. Possessed. It amazed her how wild he’d been, that
edge of danger lurking under the surface.

Joshua had taken her will and demanded she give herself to
him. He’d surrounded her with control and sex. She pressed the heel of her hand
to her chest and massaged. She’d fallen in love with him. Hard. Fast.

Stupid or not, she couldn’t deny her feelings.

He’d taken her, claimed her, but how did he feel? She’d
never been one for casual sex. It was partly the reason she’d never sought a
play partner—the other reason was she’d worried all Doms were like her ex.

Pushing aside black thoughts, she focused on the now. The
raw sensuality coursing through her veins. She belonged to someone. A
Master—one who made her soul sing and soar.

Jamie slapped a tabloid on the counter. “You need to look at
page seven.” From the firm slash of her lips, her friend wasn’t happy.

Ruby skipped through the pages and stopped at number seven.
Joshua’s rugged face stared back from a page full of glossy photographs. He
looked startled, eyes wide, a frown marring his brow. One arm was snug around
the waist of Julia Lowe in an intimate gesture as his fingers splayed across
her pelvis. In one image, they were locked in a kiss.

The coy expression on Julia’s face punched a hole in Ruby’s
gut. Her muscles became heavy. The weight of disappointment, hurt and anger
were a heavy burden.

“Look when it was taken.” Jamie pointed at the date.

Last night. After they’d had sex. The publishers must have
rushed the photograph into the last edition. While she’d been home thinking
everything was roses, recovering from amazing sex at the party, Joshua had been
with
her
.

Without reading the caption, she slammed the cover closed.

“That rat bastard.” Jamie’s arm snaked around Ruby’s
shoulders and pulled her into a comforting embrace. “I’ll geld him. Do you want
me to geld him, honey?”

Unshed tears threatened to fall. Pain seeped into her pores.
A knot tightened in her stomach and she swallowed bile.

After all he’d said, done, drawn from her, he’d abused her
trust, lied and done exactly the thing she’d feared. The need to curl into a
ball, lie in a dark room and cry was overwhelming. But she was stronger than
that.

“I’m okay.” She patted Jamie’s forearm. “Really. I’m pissed
as hell but okay.”

She snatched up her keys, purse and the offending magazine.

“Where are you going?”

“To put an end to this.”

The drive to the offices of Quinn Enterprises flew by in a
blur. She shouldn’t have been driving in a daze but her scattered thoughts
wouldn’t abate. She flittered from hatred to anger at herself for being blind,
to self-pity and loathing, to wanting to rip off his cock. Beneath all that
lurked the one thing she’d known from the beginning—Joshua Quinn could never
love someone like her. That she’d deluded herself stung. She’d sworn she’d
always be truthful with herself.

Yeah. Right. One caress from Joshua and that resolve had
melted.

Not anymore.

Money bled from his office block. Not garish, but obvious
elegance. She spoke to the receptionist on the ground floor, who made a call
and pointed her to a bank of elevators. “Top floor. Mr. Quinn is waiting for
you.”

She bet he was. He probably had some lame excuse ready. “Thanks.”

Her lightly heeled pumps clapped on the marble in a staccato
rhythm. She got on the elevator and punched the fortieth floor. She shifted
from foot to foot, nervous energy firing her blood. She needed her battle armor
on—no longer would he woo her with a kiss or capture her senses with his
dominance. Her heart could break later.

A ping signaled her arrival. She stepped into the reception
area and a homely woman in her fifties motioned toward a large mahogany door.

“Go right on in, Miss Romano.”

She gave a tight-lipped smile. “Thank you.”

Everyone was so nice. People shouldn’t be this nice, unless
Joshua had instructed them to be. Did that mean he’d told them about her? Were
those smiles of pity? Was she another in a long line of women who’d come to his
office seeking answers?

Round and round they went. The thoughts were driving her
bat-shit crazy.

She crumpled the magazine in her fist and pushed through the
door. She straightened her spine.

“You sorry, rat bastard, motherfucking liar!” The words died
on her lips as three sets of male eyes appraised her.

Joshua’s jade pools darkened. Two other sets—one bright
blue, the other amber like whiskey—danced with amusement.

“Ruby.” The reproach in Joshua’s tone beat against her skin
but she wouldn’t be put off, not when hurt slashed her like shards of glass.

“After all you said. All we did. And it was all lies.” She
bounded forward and threw the tabloid picture on his desk. Even now it pained
her to look at it.

The other men continued to watch their interaction. She
could feel their gazes on her back. She didn’t care if she humiliated him. He
deserved it. Maybe he’d understand some of what she was going through.

Joshua glanced at the magazine and dismissed it. “It’s a few
pictures.”

“Of you and
her
!” She spat out the words and fisted
her hands on her hips. “‘She means nothing to me, Ruby. She lied, Ruby.’ And
one day later you’re fucking photographed with your tongue down her throat.”

“Hardly.”

“Fuck you,” she bellowed, channeling all her anger into the
curse.

He calmly moved aside the tabloid and confined it to the
trash. She drew in air, tried to calm her raging pulse and heaving chest.

When he looked at her she nearly sank to her knees.

“I told you never to speak to me in that tone again.” The
lethal, stone-faced Dominant swam to the surface, uncoiled from beneath the
expensive business suit and bared its claws.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, Joshua. Not now,” she
said, surprised at how weak and rusty she sounded.

“I told you the next time you spoke to me in that tone I’d
force my cock down your throat to silence you.”

Ruby blinked back surprise. The anger drained away, replaced
by a trembling in her core. She’d gone from angry to pliant in seconds. Some
part of her wanted to rage and sulk. He shouldn’t be able to affect her like
this. Her body prepared itself for the punishment of disobeying her Master.

Welcomed it.

She glanced at the other men. The amusement was gone; in its
place she saw desire.

What had she gotten into? Surely Joshua wouldn’t force her
to service him in front of two strangers. He moved from behind the desk like a
graceful predator.

His palm slipped around the back of her neck. His scent
enveloped her. “Those two men are my friends. Masters like me. You will call
them Sir when addressing them. Do you understand?”

“Why should I?” she snapped. “You don’t own me.”

His eyes flashed with danger and she trembled. He molded her
breasts. “I own these.” He cupped her mound. “I own this. Do you understand?”

This wasn’t going as she’d planned but her pussy clenched
and she replied, “Yes Master.”

“Good girl.” He took her in a hug, turned her and spooned
her back. She felt him, hot and hard. His arousal fueled hers. “The man with
the dark hair, that’s Alex. The other is Bastien. Greet them properly.”

“Hello, Sirs.” She reveled in the utter sensuality of being
commanded in front of these men.

Alex spoke first. “Hello, Ruby.”

Joshua caressed the underside of her breasts, skimmed over
her nipples—barely a whisper but it resonated deep in her core and she moaned.
Her emotions were a tangled mess—shame and excitement entwined until she couldn’t
separate them. Didn’t want to.

“Makes you hot knowing you’re in a room with three Doms. Hot
little sub. My hot little sub.” He pinched her nipples and she jerked. “See,
gentlemen, told you how precious she is.”

Bastien answered, “You did. I bet she’s creaming. I’d love
to taste her.”

“Maybe one day. She’s mine though.” He drew aside the collar
of her shirt and bit down before purring in her ear, “I want you to service me.”

All her submissive desires shot into overdrive.

This was what she’d fantasized about in the long lonely
nights—serving a Dominant. Not thinking or questioning, just experiencing the
intense need to please. He wouldn’t take no and she wouldn’t give it to him.

Earlier doubts worried the back of her mind. Joshua and
Julia. Who Joshua really wanted. This felt real. Now. Here with him commanding
her. The cheap tabloid was a million miles away but she couldn’t deny the
pictures.

He smoothed a finger over her brow. “Stop thinking, sweet
girl. Stop questioning. Let go and let yourself feel. Please me. Service me.
Show Alex and Bastien what a good submissive you are for your Master. Prove
that you trust me.”

Could she do this? Nerves turned her insides to mush but
this was what she’d wanted. A true Dominant. Someone who commanded and pushed.
It was one of the reasons she’d gotten involved with him in the first place.

She had to trust him. The sting of the photos still lingered
in her mind but apart from the circumstantial evidence he’d done nothing to
warrant her distrust. She chose to overrule her doubt.

Putting aside her fears, she unzipped his pants. Her fingers
were shaking as she lifted out his already hard cock. She fisted the rigid
steel and he groaned with pleasure.

“Suck me.”

She tried not to think of the other men in the room and took
him in her mouth. The musky, salty taste spurred her on.

Joshua stroked the nape of her neck. “She’s an excellent
cocksucker. Perfect amount of pressure. Eager to please.”

“Maybe we should give her a test drive.”

Was that Alex?

Ruby stopped but Joshua urged her on. Would she be expected
to service his friends as well? Although the unknown frightened her, the
thought of servicing three Dominants kicked her desire into overdrive.

She stroked his testicles. They drew up as she swirled her
tongue around the sensitive head of his cock

“Sorry, gentlemen. She’s mine. I’m the lucky son of a bitch
who owns her.”

He’d told her that last night but after seeing the pictures,
she’d doubted it. Yet she couldn’t stop the flush of pride from heating her
skin.

“I thought I’d made myself clear. But she’s stubborn. I
think she needs to learn when I say something, I mean it.”

“A stubborn submissive? She’ll need discipline.” Bastien
this time.

“Oh, I intend to give it to her.”

She squirmed on her knees. They talked about her in such a
detached manner, as if she weren’t on her knees sucking off Joshua. It was
surreal.

He jerked when she licked the pre-cum from his slit before sliding
him all the way to the back of her throat. She sucked her cheeks in and out,
creating a vacuum of suction.

The men started chatting. Casual conversation. It pissed her
off a little that they could talk in a laid-back fashion. She was sucking cock,
for fuck’s sake. She tried to protest and failed. Joshua tasted too good and
her willingness to please him overruled her indignation.

The more she focused on her goal, the more comfortable she
became. She didn’t know how long she serviced him. Time escaped her as she
drifted off, surrounded by his scent, the feel of him like silk and steel.

Her jaw started to ache but she wouldn’t stop.

Finally his hand tightened in her hair and hot spurts of cum
jerked down her throat.

She licked him clean and rearranged his pants. She rolled
her eyes to look at him.

He smiled. “Good girl, Ruby.”

Contentment warmed her blood.

Lost in the hazy afterglow of pleasing her Dominant, Ruby
rested her head on his thigh and drifted off into subspace.

Lying at his feet seemed like the most natural thing in the
world and she never wanted it to end.

Joshua dismissed his friends and had Marcie hold his calls.
Ruby sat curled at his feet, head resting on his knee as he played with her
hair. The floaty air of contentment rolled off her in waves.

He needed to take care of her and make sure she didn’t drop.
He stroked her hair. Although he’d made a point of keeping Alex and Bastien
around as part of her punishment, he didn’t want them invading a private moment
between a Dominant and submissive. His submissive.

Julia Lowe was poison in every sense of the word. He couldn’t
detach the claws she’d dug deep, no matter how hard he tried. Now these fucking
pictures. It had been from last night. After taking Ruby home, he’d gone to lay
down the law. Some society hack followed them and snapped intimate shots. Julia
grabbed him and landed a kiss before he’d shoved her away. It was as if the
whole incident had been staged. He wouldn’t put it past Julia.

Ruby had every right to be angry. What stung was she hadn’t
talked to him. She’d overreacted. After his threat last night, he’d had to
punish her. He couldn’t have her thinking she could get away with things. She
needed to confide in him if she was ever going to truly trust him.

“Ruby.”

She stirred and the heavy-lidded look she gave him tightened
his chest.

Jesus, she was beautiful. He hoped they could leave all the
bullshit behind them. He hoped she could trust him enough to have a real
relationship.

“Yes Sir?” She said it without thinking.

Perfect submissive. Perfect for him. No one else could have
her. He’d make sure of it. He gathered her onto his lap and she settled in like
a cat. Obvious subspace hangover. She needed food and hydration. “You pleased
me very well.”