Double the Price (SeXlection #2) (8 page)

It ended up being Anatoliy, and the next thing I knew, Cecil was rattling off in Russian—having made sure to freshen up his skills—showing off his gift. Then Craig showed with our two closest friends, apologizing for not being early because they knew they were doubling as help with the ocelots. Bob was next, saying the same thing. Whatever, he was more of a handicap than help.

The man had
sleaze
oozing out of his pores most of the time.

At about ten past the time the invitation said cocktails would start, all our guests were there which was a
very
good sign. Once I saw they all had a drink in their hand and even before I could greet them all personally, I turned down the music and tapped my glass.

“Everyone, thank you for coming. I hate to do the announcement thing at a dinner party, but you all know that I pride being fair and I would hate any misunderstandings to happen while you’re guests in my home.” I gestured to Cecil who had been flirting his ass off with a hotel heiress, who had already taken over even if her father was the figurehead, and Anatoliy. “Most of you have met my ocelot shifter, Cecil, and know he’s special from other cat shifters—in all the best ways.

“After so many of my closest friends had shown interest in him or offered to buy his contract from me, I asked the local brothel’s coordinator to join us here tonight with a selection of some of his finest shifters who I have taken the liberty of interviewing as I did before selecting Cecil. Not all of them are the same breed as he is, but there are some. Since there are, that comes with certain limitations to them providing any entertainment. I simply ask that you not wander off with any of them alone.

“Cecil doesn’t wear a collar because he’s imprinted with me. If you imprint with one of the shifters here, you just agreed to own them and you’ll probably kill them if they can’t find me in time because of the collars. So if you have questions on
that
, after talking with them, please speak with me, Craig, or Bob and we can answer any questions you have. Other than that, welcome, drink to your fill, eat as much as you like because we decided to do something a little exotic and try a little of everything, and have some fun, shake off the week because we all work hard.”

“We? We decided?” Jack asked me, glancing around as if looking for the vice president of my company or my secretary. He was one of those computer geniuses that was a dope when it came to real life, but he’d taken his father’s old money and was now three times as wealthy having shifted gears into internet marketing and social media something. He kept telling me I needed to get on there, but as I told Cecil, half of the perk of coming to me was privacy.

“Cecil and I,” I chuckled, hating to be on the spot. Several people’s eyes went wide or mouth’s opened before they schooled themselves. “He’s standing there fluently speaking
Russian
to, his honor, Consul General. Most of this evening was handled by Cecil, so keep that in mind when you talk with the shifters here. Some have been trained as he has. Don’t even get me started on the price he was able to haggle for the caviar and discount on the catering because we’ve used them several times for poker night.”

“Cecil found me wonderful place here in New York to send my nieces back home beautiful presents,” Anatoliy praised loudly. “Gem of a man who’s craftsmanship is unparalleled to any I have seen. That is why I love doing business with my friend, Neil. He remembered I missed them so far away and barely get to see them and asked Cecil to help a busy man like myself to find them something special. Always above and beyond this one goes.”

I dipped my head at the compliment, hiding my shock at what Cecil had done. He was constantly full of surprises. After that announcement was over, I circled the group to greet everyone. It took about twenty seconds for someone to ask which of the slaves present were like Cecil.

Waving Darcio over—since he was the only one into females that was an ocelot—I smiled at the head of a very popular magazine. “If he suits you, Linda, and you get to that point, don’t fall over like I almost did when you hear his price. I promise if he’s anywhere as suited to you as Cecil is to me, the investment will prove itself to you in a month.”

“I believe you, Neil,” she assured me as her eyes raked over Darcio. “You never,
ever
promote anything or anyone you won’t stake your reputation on. It’s one of the finest qualities about you. What is this imprinting thing I have to worry about?”

I leaned in just to be cheeky because she loved that, working in fashion and gossip. “No biting. Don’t bite him and you’re fine.”

“Oh my,” she chuckled as she pulled away. “I’ll behave then.” She glanced at Darcio then. “Come, tell me all about what you can do for me and my needs. I want lots of details.”

“Yes, mistress. I have many,
many
fine attributes,” Darcio purred.

“I can see that,” Linda mumbled.

Okay, I kind of felt like a pimp right then myself, but I tended to look at it more as what I did in business every day. Linda had a need, Darcio could fill it… And I couldn’t finish that one without feeling like a pimp again.

I wasn’t the one selling the slaves. Maybe it was best to leave it at that. My guests had shown an interest in Cecil and wanting their own Cecil and I was providing them a way to do that. There. That worked.

Everyone had a good time during cocktails and appetizers. A
really
good time. Granted, there wasn’t much more than flirting, teasing, petting, and some fondling going on, but hey, foreplay builds to the fun.

Dinner was excellent. Everyone laughed and complimented the catering, Cecil for his choices, and the fun continued. I didn’t think I’d ever eaten so much good food in my life.

It was after dinner that the first
potential
problem popped up.

“Yes, this is the one I want,” Frederick, a hard, old-school guy informed Bob as everyone else headed back into the living room. I walked over to the conversation, nodding for Cecil to go ahead without me and entertain. I saw Baxter’s arm wrapped possessively around Jasmine who was staring at the ground and suddenly I felt almost a knife to the stomach.

She didn’t want this and I’d set it up.

“Bob, give us a minute,” I interrupted, shooting him a look when he seemed about to argue with me. “Frederick, Jasmine, a moment please?” I walked into the kitchen and glanced between them when I turned around and she still was staring down. “Are you sure, Frederick? We’re talking about a lot of—”

“I
have
a lot of money, Neil. You know that. I want
her
.”

“Jasmine,” I muttered, reaching out and touching her arm, ignoring the death look Frederick was giving me. “I promised you that you were safe in my house. Why are you staring at the floor like you’re scared? What happened?”

She gasped and her head shot up. “You think I don’t want him to be my master, don’t you?” I nodded slightly and glanced at Frederick who was now getting it and, to my shock, bit back a grin. Now I was intrigued and glanced to Jasmine. “No, sir, that’s not it at all.
Bob
scares me. He likes to sneak in my room and test out how good I’m doing in my training. He’s not supposed to. I hate him. I’m afraid he won’t let me be bought. I very much would like this man to be my master.” She started purring and leaned into Frederick.

“Oh,
oh
.” I cleared my throat, and my ears started burning when I heard what Frederick whispered in her ear.
Wow!
And I thought I was a dirty, horny bastard. “Then all I might ask is that maybe we could have a conversation later, the three of us with Cecil about Bob and his place at the brothel. Seems he’s been doing quite a few things he shouldn’t have been doing. I think there should be a new head put in there.”

“I would very much support that,” Frederick hedged, blinking at me. “I hated the idea of having a
slave
. They’re people for fuck’s sake. But then I’ve seen you with Cecil, heard how you talk about him, and thought maybe. And now, having laid eyes on Jasmine, well, I’m in. I’ll be in for helping clean up the New York brothels as well.”

“Good.” I shook his hand and gave Jasmine a peck on the cheek before telling Bob he could return to his sale, practically rolling my eyes at his giddiness. Yeah, Jasmine didn’t have to worry. Bob wanted the money. He had other people in the brothel he could fuck. I glanced at the sweaty, ugly man—inside more than out—and shivered. I’d vomit if I had to have him touch me. God, what those shifters had to deal with.

What it must do to their minds. How could they ever really know what
normal
was after living in brothels or, fuck, growing
up
there, being around people like Bob? I almost tripped over my own feet before coming back into the living room, another thought hitting me out of the blue like a freight train. Even if I didn’t look at this like I was pimping people out, more like helping to set shifters up into loving homes—was I fucking the cat I just adopted?

I mean, I knew he wasn’t an
animal
? But it was almost like in my mind I was explaining it away as getting them out of the brothels as if they were as bad as animal shelters. They were abused in the brothels, mistreated, and used. At least in homes with good people they could have some semblance of a life with the current laws.

But they were
people
—I
knew
that. They had the rights of animals though. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to pull myself together and return to my guests. So much about everything in my life had become skewed, pushing me out of my comfort zone and normal definitions since I’d gone to that ball. I just needed a breather to reassess and adjust.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I would do that reading on Cecil, shut myself in my office, and process all of this, come to terms, and move forward.

Decision made, I walked out into the living room with a smile on my face. I interrupted Cecil’s interaction with one of my guests that was just getting ramped up, to inform him about Jasmine. He acknowledged what I said, but I saw the questions in his eyes. I gave him a quick nod that Frederick was okay and the tension left his muscles.

“I’m so sorry I interrupted,” I said to my guest, glancing at Cecil then. “Please apologize to my guest, Cecil.”

“Yes, master,” he agreed and dropped to his knees. I got hard as I watched my fine ocelot entertain this tycoon in the corner of my living room. When he was done, I noticed there were a few more discreet interactions going on around my large joint living and receiving rooms that we’d opened up for the party.

The only snag in the night ended up being Mario. He was less focused on the guests than on me. I had to remind him of his purpose there more than once, but he kept asking me if there was anything he could help me with while Cecil was occupied, distracting my ocelot. I’d send him on his way, and I’d see Cecil smile and get back into what he’d been doing.

Either way, Mario would
not
be coming to our Hamptons party. We didn’t need that kind of drama or pettiness.

The last person to leave was Anatoliy but not before he enjoyed Cecil again—this time right in front of me now that he knew I truly enjoyed it and would keep quiet about it. Then I walked him to the door, and the man actually
hugged
me, mentioning how excited he was to take a weekend away soon and see my house in the Hamptons. Overall the party was a success. I hadn’t said goodnight to Bob or seen him and the shifters out, but he’d been smiling as he’d walked to the door with his security when they’d arrived to drive everyone back.

I had a feeling that meant a few more deals had been made.

When I returned to the living room after locking up and shutting off lights as I went, my fine ocelot was lying over the glass table I normally used for poker, spread out and so perfectly corrupted. I couldn’t help it—I reached out and ran my fingers over his cock as he lay there like a wet noodle gasping for air.

“Yes, touch me, master,” he hissed.

“Are we playing that game tonight?” I hedged, my cock twitching in my pants.

He rolled his head so he was staring at me as he slowly raised his leg, showing off his present before placing his foot on my chest. “Yes,
master
. I think it’s a night for you to experience everything your slave can do for you. Unless you’re too tired—”

“No!”
I cleared my throat as he smiled widely. “No, I’m not tired. Let’s shower you and you can show me what you mean.”

“Yes, master.” His eyes sparkled with something I couldn’t name and I knew I was about to be in for the night of my life. I couldn’t fucking wait.

5

I took the edge off Cecil a few times in the shower as I washed him as was our routine now. Then I carried him to my bed, and in minutes, he was riding me, screaming I was his
master
with such passion that I’d never witnessed anything more amazing. When I came, an
orgasm
didn’t seem to be a strong enough word to describe what happened, but technically that was what it was. Cecil’s cum shot all over my stomach and he moaned at the sight of it, his whole body shaking and I knew it had been good for him too.