Double the Price (SeXlection #2) (7 page)

I think everyone from the brothel really understood the difference by the end of the night. At least I hoped they did because
one
blown dinner party amongst movers and shakers of New York City’s elite and that would be all anyone talked about for months.

And anyone worth having would be busy for the next one. Only the trash would be available. It was that easy to fall from a level in society or end with your head on the chopping block in high-stakes business.

So when the dinner did finally roll around, Cecil wasn’t the only one freaking out. I was a ball of nerves wrapped in anxiety, cradled in worry, and held together with dread. I’d had boring, normal dinner parties before where people simply ate and chatted. There was no risk with boring. And only your real friends came. Nothing much ever happened with boring and nothing much could ever really go
wrong
that way.

This was a whole different barrel of monkeys and a
lot
could go wrong. So yeah, I was freaked out. I took the risks seriously and cared about the companies and life I’d built. I care about the
people
who worked for me and relied on
me
to have a job down the road.

And apparently I thought the best way to handle all this stress was inside Cecil.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I grunted, pounding into him
again
, for like the seventh time the day of the dinner but this time in one of the front hall closets so we stayed out of the way of the caterers.

“Don’t ever apologize for needing me,” he mewled as he reached back and grabbed my belt, pulling me closer with my half hanging off pants. “I don’t even know
why
you’re sorry. I’m yours.”

“Because, tonight you will have others to entertain besides me,” I reminded him, trying to find a delicate way to say I didn’t want to wear him out or hurt him because of all the attention.

“I heal fast. Be as rough as you want.” He tightened his hole on me, and I picked up the pace, bringing us both off moments later. “I love smelling like you when the others touch me, want me to be theirs, knowing they can’t smell what I do and that you’ve marked me as yours, and I will always be yours.”

“Possessive little thing, aren’t you?” I teased, finally bringing up what I saw at the brothel. God knew we could both use the distraction from the arrival of our guests in an hour.

Well,
my
guests technically, but Cecil had put as much time and effort into the whole thing.

“A slave would never be so presumptuous as—”

“Don’t,”
I snapped, smacking his ass hard as I bit his ear like I knew he liked. It worked because he went limp in my arms in surrender and moaned deeply. “Don’t you dare pull that slave shit with me when we’re alone. I do not treat you like one here in my home, especially not when we’re together sexually, and even in public like at the brothel—have I not shown I won’t do that? I have to play a certain game too, Cecil, but do
not
put me in some sleazy role of master when I don’t treat you as a slave. Then I’m just raping you.”

“What?” he gasped, struggling to turn around when I tightened my arms. I pulled out of him and just about choked on the realization that was how I felt. I held my pants together and bolted out of there, down the hall, and into my room. Moments later, I heard the door open and shut again. “Please, Neil.
Please
. I need to know what you meant. I-I can’t take this hanging over my head before people arrive. Did I fail you? What have I done, master?”

I threw back my head and laughed. God, I was the world’s worst
master
in the history of them. My
slave
had me wrapped around his little fucking finger and I would have done just about anything for him. He darted around me and followed me down when I sank to the floor, cradling my hands.

“You asked why I wouldn’t touch you until after that first poker game when you asked me to,” I muttered, staring at where his smaller hands tried to comfort me. “I couldn’t. We had to at the brothel to buy you, you offered the blow job as a damn challenge, but after that it felt wrong. Something you thought you had to do or I might—I don’t know. Beat you? Hurt you? You didn’t know me. I could have been a monster. But I warned you entertaining my guests at events was what I needed someone for.

“You agreed to that. That’s a contract in my mind. But there are always limits. If you had come to me and said someone was taking things too far, I would step in. You were interviewed to entertain at events. I wasn’t going to be the creepy boss who took liberties with the people who needed to trust him to keep them safe.”

“You own me, Neil,” he whispered, searching my eyes.

“I never wanted to
own
anyone. You see the world I live in, it’s expected of me. My parents would spit at my feet at the idea of me having a slave if they were still alive. That’s why I held out so long. But I’m glad it was you. The idea of you being bought by some sleazy douche kills me. And I hope I’m good to you even though what I hired you—”

“I like it,” he purred, scooting closer. “You know I do. It turns you on, which turns me on. Plus for all the myths of cat shifters and shifters in general, we
are
highly sexual. A lot of us like to play. There is no shame in what we do in my eyes and fuck everyone else. You like watching men fuck me as I stare at you because you know they can only taste what’s yours and I’m that important to you that I hit that pride chord deep inside you.”

I nodded as I dragged him onto my lap, squeezing his ass and making sure we were almost nose to nose. “And you
didn’t
like the idea of me sampling other slaves at the brothel. I saw it in your eyes. Tell me how it makes you feel, the idea of me asking Mario and Lev to stay after dinner so I can fuck them all night and—”

Cecil’s eyes flashed a deeper orange as his teeth poked out over his bottom lip, no longer human as he started growling deep in his chest, it heaving as he stared into my eyes. I pretty much had my answer but I wanted him to say the words.

“Kiss them while making sure I touch them
everywhere
.”

“I am your
only cat
,” he snarled, his face changing slightly to some of his ocelot’s features. “I can suck, fuck, play, scream, kiss, deep throat, bend, please, or do
anything
better than the two of them
combined
. You have no need for them. I give you all of me and everything you’ve asked of me without question or fail. You need a human for appearances, I knew that would happen and I would have to share you, but not another cat. I imprinted on you and that means I will want to kill any cat you touch intimately.”

My eye went wide and I nodded. “I missed that when learning everything.” And then I cursed myself for not having ever read that extra information Bob had given me. All Cecil had done and I’d not read the goddamn packet. I’d been so busy adjusting to him, and him to me and getting use from him right away, pleasure even, I hadn’t taken the fucking time to read up on ocelots better. I’d forgotten about the envelope sitting somewhere on my desk in all the craziness of poker nights, dinners, and ordering his garbs.

I mentally cleared my schedule tomorrow. That would be
all
I would do. He deserved at least that from me.

Cecil didn’t say anything, probably worried he’d crossed a line as he got himself back under control.

“I was never going to sample them. You’re not my slave, but you share my bed, my fine ocelot,” I murmured as I kissed up his neck. “I would never act like you weren’t enough and didn’t please me to others. You are and you do. You’re my cat, my only cat. I thought it was kind of sexy the way you didn’t want me to try any of them out.”

“I can do more for you than they can,” he swore, moaning deeply when I pulled him down on my cock.

Yes, I fucked him
again
. We had a moment and we were nervous. Shit happens.

But then we had to race to get ready—though it was well worth it in my opinion. I ended up overseeing some of the extra help, namely the slaves from the brothel who were all fidgeting with the clothes they were wearing besides the ocelots who were trained to be comfortable in the slave garb. Even though they didn’t technically need to wear them since they still had their collars on because they hadn’t imprinted on anyone and could still be considered dangerous.

Yeah, life was complicated.

“Stop fidgeting!” I ordered Lev, once again.

“I’m sorry, sir,” he mumbled, lowering his head. “It’s just the silk is driving me mad. It’s rubbing everywhere lightly and it’s like catnip all over my bare parts and I’m so
hard
.”

“That’s the point,” Cecil purred as he strolled into the room, all done up and looking exceptionally beautiful. “It keeps you on edge and ready for your master at all times.”

“You look
breath-taking
, my fine ocelot,” I praised as I crooked a finger at him. He sauntered over to me, doing a little twirl so I got the full effect. “Mmm, yes, I was right.”

“About what, Neil?” he breathed as he leaned into my arms. He flinched when there were a few gasps behind him. I glared at the slaves as a warning and most of them nodded their understanding. “Master. About what, master?”

“That there has never been a soul on this earth more beautiful than you, Cecil. You’re going to be amazing tonight. I know it. Just be you.” I gave him a soft kiss before sliding two boxes between us when I pulled away. “For you.”

“I’ve never gotten presents before.” He touched the boxes reverently before taking them. “I mean, the garbs were, but needed, though you purchased the expensive ones—”

“I know what you meant,” I chuckled as he set them on the counter. I traced my fingers over the soft orange silk resting over the top of his ass and around to his hip. “Worth every penny. This is the best one yet.”

“I’m glad you like it. I want to please you, master.” I nodded to the boxes, and he got the idea, opening up the one on top. His eyes lit up as he saw what was inside. “Oh my god, you found some.”

“I did. I had it ordered and it just arrived at my office yesterday, fresh caught.”

“What is it?” someone whispered from behind us. Cecil’s face lit up as he turned and held up one of the slabs of shad roe.

“Um, great. It’s shad roe,” Jasmine hedged, glancing between us. “I mean, not something we get in the brothel and wonderful your master ordered it for you, but it’s not that rare. I mean, it’s found in the Hudson so not like he had to fly it in.”

“
Organic
shad roe,” Cecil corrected, pointing to the label. “These are American shad fish eggs from an organic farmer who doesn’t fish them from the polluted Hudson.”

“Oh my
god
that has to taste so fucking good,” Rupert groaned and my jaw just about fell open. He was one of the most reserved of the group and for him to speak so freely in front of me was just—yeah, wow.

“I’ll take that while you open your other gift,” I chuckled, seeing that we had about ten minutes before people started arriving. I plucked it from Cecil’s hands, set it in the box, and handed it all off to one of the caterers behind the counter who assured me he’d hide it at the back of the freezer so no one would cook it. Just as I was turning around, I heard a squeak.

And then I
really
smiled. The fish was in a fair size box, but to disguise my next gift, I’d hid it in an oversized box so he wouldn’t know… Because everyone knew what a jewelry box looked like. When I glanced at Cecil, he was staring at the diamond and citrine anklet with tears in his eyes. Then he glanced at me.

“I don’t deserve such a lavish gift from such a wonderful master who has given me everything I could ever have hoped for.”

“The hell you don’t,” I chastised gently. I knelt down in front of him and moved his foot to my knee. Then I took the jewelry and secured it on his slim ankle, mentally patting myself on the back when it was a perfect fit. Then I ran my hands up his slim leg. “Beauty deserves beauty and these stones are the first thing that even comes
close
to the one of a kind color and sparkle of your eyes. I want everyone to see that I treasure my fine ocelot and I wanted to give it to you privately so you knew it meant something to me to find this for you.”

“I want a master like him,” someone whispered, but I barely paid attention. All I cared about right then was Cecil.

“I would thank you in all your favorite ways if your guests weren’t about to start showing up, master,” he purred as my hands moved up his body. As if fate heard him, there was a knock at the door. He smiled and slightly turned his head. “Line up at the bar and look like you know what you’re doing. Start simple and offer them drinks. Pay attention to whose eye you catch. Don’t fuck up or I will fuck you up because this is important to my master and he is everything to me.”

They dispersed and I lowered his foot before standing. “I do love when you get all bossy on my behalf.” I gave him a quick kiss and moved my hand to his lower back before greeting whoever arrived.