Grounded (19 page)

I felt a hard body press against me from behind, and I stiffened.
 
I handed Javier his drink.
 

“How many of those have you had?” James purred in my ear.
 
He dug a hand into my hair, gripping a tight handful of it into a fist.
 
His other arm snaked around my waist from behind, gripping a hip in his hand.
 

His tone was silky smooth, but I still heard the menace in it.

“None,” I told him calmly.
 
“Javier just let me have a taste of his.”

“Are you going to drink tonight?” he demanded.
 

I hadn’t been planning on it, but his tone and his attitude almost had me changing my mind.
 

“I hadn’t been planning on it,” I said finally.
 

“That’s good,” he said, smooth as silk.
 
“You know I don’t care for alcohol.
 
And I won’t fuck you mindless when you’ve been drinking.”
 

My eyes shot to Javier.
 
James hadn’t bothered to lower his voice, but the other man hadn’t seemed to notice.
 

James turned me in his arms, his hold unbreakable.
 
He tilted my chin up until I had a clear look at his tarnished eyes.
 
“Tell me something,” he began in that silky tone.
 
“Is it romantic or psychotic when I say that I’ll never let you leave me?”

I studied him.
 
I just couldn’t tell if there was even a hint of humor to his words when he was in this mood.
 
“I suppose that would depend on whether I’m trying to leave you or not.
 
If I never tried, it’s romantic, and if I ever did, and you didn’t let me, definitely psychotic.
 
Why are you trying to scare me, James?”
 
My voice was steady and calm.
 
I would cope with this.
 
I would not run just because he was acting so strange.

His smile was a bitter twist to his pretty mouth.
 
I didn’t like it a bit.
 
It spoke of secrets and fears.
 
“I’m not trying to scare you, Love.
 
I mean to keep you.
 
I’m just trying to gauge how badly you want to be kept.”
 

“I want you to tell me what’s going on.
 
Is it something to do with that conversation you had with Roger?”

His brows shot up.
 
“So happy you asked about Roger.
 
I just finished having a meeting with him, and he’s dying to meet you, so he’ll be here shortly.
 
You’ll like him.
 
Very nice man.”

I traced a finger down the smooth plane of his cheek.
 
I rubbed at a spot there where it dimpled when he smiled.
 
“So you refuse to tell me?
 
Is that how it’s going to be with us?” I asked him.

The mask he’d been maintaining slipped for an instant, giving me a glimpse into raw, desperate eyes.

“No, Bianca.
 
I want us to share everything.
 
I mean that.
 
Will you just give me time?”

“Will you stop acting like the world is about to fall down around us?”

“Yes, of course.
 
If I know that you’re devoted to me, and devoted to us staying together, it will help immensely.”

“I’ve told you how I feel.
 
But you can’t make me depend on you so quickly, so desperately, and then close yourself off.
 
I can’t take that, James.
 
It raises all of my defenses
—
sets off all of my alarms, when you act scared and secretive.
 

He nodded.
 
“Yes.
 
I’m sorry.
 
I’ve been on edge with a crucial negotiation.
 
It is a lose-lose type of scenario.
 
I’ll try not to take it home with me anymore.
 
Ah, here comes Roger.”

Roger was an attractive man, with slate gray hair and a face that looked like it had been lined and weathered with smiles rather than frowns.
 
He was a fit man, maybe in his early fifties.
 
His smile was big and sincere as he approached us.
 

“Leave it to James to drag me clubbing in my fifties,” he said by way of greeting.
 

I smiled at him.
 
He held out a hand, and I pulled back far enough from James to shake it.
 

“I’m Roger, an old friend of the family.
 
And you’re Bianca.
 
I’ve heard so much about you.
 
I begin to see why my young friend has turned over a new leaf.”
 
His tone was rich and warm with sincerity.
 

A waiter approached our group, looking nervous and anxious.
 
James leveled a hard stare at him that made the waiter’s anxiety understandable.

“Mr. Cavendish, sir.
 
Jeff, the manager, needs a moment of your time.”

James watched the other man, his cold stare the epitome of intimidation.
 
“Really?
 
He
needs
my presence right now?
 
Does he think that I’m here for business?”
 

“No, sir.
 
He knows you are here, uh, socially.
 
He said it was very important.”

James smiled a sharp smile that was all perfect white teeth.
 
It was scary.
 
“Tell him I’ll be with him momentarily.”

He nodded at Roger, kissing my cheek roughly.
 
He looked agitated, his jaw clenched.
 
“If you’ll both excuse me, I’ll be back in a moment.
 
This had better be good.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Mr. Curious

We watched him stride away.

Roger spoke when he was a good distance away.
 
“Pardon my bluntness, Bianca, but are you at all aware of James’s past?”

I turned to look at him, meeting his eyes very steadily.
 
“What are you referring to exactly?”

He sighed, looking uncomfortable.
 
“He was given into the care of a cousin of his shortly after his parents died.
 
I fought this decision
—
fought it hard, but I was overturned by his family.
 
I had no legal ability to protect him.
 
I only have my suspicions about his guardian, and it really isn’t my place to be telling you this, but in order to understand some of what James has done, I think you should know
—
“

“I know all about Spencer, if that’s what you’re getting at.
 
Why are you telling me this?”

He studied me.
 
“He told you about Spencer?”

I nodded.

He looked startled.
 
“It’s probably a very good sign that he shared something like that with you.
 
The reason I bring it up, though, is that after he left Spencer’s care, he became a different kid for a long time.
 
He was wild and unruly.
 
I barely knew him anymore.
 
Whatever happened with his guardian, it affected him in a very negative way.
 
I don’t know if you know this, but he used to be quite…promiscuous.”

I felt my eyes harden as I looked at him.
 
“I’m well aware of that.
 
Trust me when I say that it’s been brought to my attention
many
times.”

“So you know how he used to be?
 
Up until he met you, he was…”

“He was a slut.
 
Yes, I know.
 
What’s your point?”
 
I felt rude even as I said the words, but God was I sick of this subject.

“Well…I got the impression from James that he would be quite distraught if some things about his past were brought to light.
 
I was led to believe that he feared that you would leave him if you knew about his former indiscretions, and that was why he was so upset about certain things being revealed.
 
Do you know about his…unorthodox preferences?”

I sighed, thoroughly confused and sooo done with the conversation.
 
“Yes.
 
I’m very aware,” I said, trying not to blush as I kept his steady gaze.
 
Something about the man was just so dignified.
 
I couldn’t believe that I was as good as discussing my BDSM lifestyle with him.
 

His thick, dark eyebrows shot up.
 
“Well, that’s a relief, though it doesn’t exactly clear anything up for
me
.
 
Again, pardon my bluntness, but perhaps you should let James know that his past won’t scare you off.”

“Why?
 
What is the point to all this?
 
What’s been going on with James?”
 

He shot a glance behind me and looked particularly uncomfortable.
 
“I am not at liberty to say,” he said absently.
 

“Now you sound like a lawyer,” I told him.
 

As I spoke, a firm hand descended to my nape.
 

“That was quick,” Roger told James, who was pressing himself tightly against my back.
 

“It was nothing,” James stated dismissively.
 
“What have you two been chatting about?
 
Why does he sound like a lawyer, Love?”
 

I turned to look at him.
 

He shifted with me, not relinquishing the hand on my nape.
 

“What was the emergency?” I asked with an arched brow.

His upper lipped curled.
 
“There wasn’t one.
 
There was only a part-time manager in need of a demotion.
 
Tell me what you were talking about?”
 

“That’s a nosy question.
 
Did you really demote someone for wasting five minutes of your time?”
 

He moved until he was standing close against me, pressing himself against my side.
 
Even knowing that he was doing it to distract me, I was far from unaffected by his nearness.
 

“I demoted him, and put him on probation pending termination, because he is managing one of the most profitable clubs in Manhattan, and he can’t handle a simple wine shortage.
 
Him wasting five minutes of my time only illuminated the facts for me.
 
Your turn.
 
What were you two talking about?”

Roger cleared his throat.
 
“Nothing important, James.
 
I really do need to get going.
 
I’ll call you if I learn anything new.”
 

Roger shook our hands, bowing his head politely before turning away.
 

“I’ll walk you out, Roger,” James said to his back.
   

Roger waved him off.
 
“No, that’s fine.
 
Get some time with Bianca.
 
It’s obvious that you don’t get enough of that.
 
Have a good night.”
   

“Are you going to tell me what you two talked about?” James asked me as Roger strode out of sight.

I shook my head.
 
“Why are you so curious?”
   

He moved into me, pressing his front against mine.
 
He bent as though to kiss me.
 
“I’m curious about everything you do, Bianca.
 
What do I need to do to get you to tell me what he said to you?”

I just shook my head at him again.
 

He let out a little growl in his throat, kissing me.
 
It was an overwhelming, possessive kind of kiss.
 
We were in public, in one of
his
clubs, but he didn’t hold back.
 
He sucked at my mouth, his hands moving to my butt to pull me hard against the proof of his desire.
 
He rubbed against me like a cat.
 

I purred.
 
My hand curled into the lapels of his suit jacket, gripping desperately.
 

He snaked one hand up into my hair, gripping it then pulling it sharply enough to elicit one involuntary little moan.
 
He pulled back just far enough to breathe against my mouth.
 
“You’re in the mood to get fucked against a wall tonight, aren’t you?”
 

He was kissing me again before I could respond, the hand on my ass moving to the back of my thigh, hitching it up so that he could grind right into me.
 

He stopped abruptly, pulling back but not away.
 

My hips twisted against him before I registered that we weren’t alone.
 
Oh yeah
.
 
We’d never been alone.
 
We were in a club.
 

He pulled back, grabbed my hand, and began to pull me.
   

“We’ll be right back,” he called out to Stephan.
 
“We’re just going to go have a chat.”

I didn’t look at Stephan, didn’t hear him respond.
 
I was lost in a sensual haze, just putting one foot in front of the other, following him blindly.
 
James had said something about fucking me against a wall.
 
Yes
.
 
That sounded perfect.

He led me out of the VIP lounge, down a long red hallway, and then another.
 
He pulled me into a large office.
 
There was a man behind the desk, typing on a computer.
 
He looked startled at our entrance.
 

“Give us privacy,” James told him, his voice sharp.
 

The man beat a hasty retreat.
 

James shut and locked the door behind him.
 
Handy that, a lock.
 

He started loosening his tie.
 
When it was untied, he hooked a finger into the hoop at my neck.
 
He pushed my back to the wall.
 
Or rather, the door.
 

He reached above my head and I looked up.
 
There was a coat hanger above me, hooked over the top of the tall door.
 
James was tying his tie to it with swift, sure motions.
 
He pulled my arms up and together, wrapping the tie around them, tying more swift knots around my wrists.
 
This took longer, and I watched those skillful hands with rapt attention.
 

“This is going to get loud, Bianca.
 
I’m going to fuck you so hard that you scream my name.
 
And you are going to scream so loudly that
nobody
will doubt just why you’re screaming.
 
Would you like to tell me what you and Roger were talking about before I’m inside of you?
 
Or will this be a mid-fuck confession?”
 

I just shook my head again.
 

He smiled a very troublesome smile.
 
Mr. Cavendish was about to take the reins.
 

He worked on his own clothing first, pulling his shirt out of his pants, then unbuttoning and spreading his slacks open.
 
He pulled that delicious cock out slowly, tauntingly.
 
He stroked himself while he watched me.
 

He pulled the strapless side of my dress down, saw that I was wearing a strapless bra, and yanked that down too.
 
He bent slightly and began to suck hard at my nipple while he slid his hands up my skirt and slipped my panties off.

He straightened very slowly when he finished, leaning into me, pushing my leg up, and thrusting into me hard with that same motion.
 
I watched him and I saw his cold smile when he elicited a sharp little gasp out of me.

He pounded into me so hard and fast that it did wrench a little scream out of me.
 
A scream that formed into a very long version of the word James.
 
I was on that fine edge when he yanked out, his eyes intense and angry on mine.
 

“Tell me what you and Roger talked about, Bianca,” he ordered.
 

It took me long moments to gain any semblance of coherency.
 
When I did, a spark of anger shot through me.
 

“You can’t use sex to control me, James.
 
You shouldn’t play with my heart like that.”
 

He laughed.
 
It was sinister.
 
“Oh Love, it’s not your heart I’m playing with.
 
And I’ll play with your body whenever I damn well please.”
 

He moved back against me and then he was driving roughly into me again.
 
“Don’t even think about letting yourself come,” he murmured to me in an almost offhanded way.
 
He jackhammered into me, so hard and so fast, again and again, for long moments before wrenching out of me again.
 
I made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a scream of distress when he pulled out.
 

He touched my bottom lip softly with an index finger.
 
“Tell me, Bianca.
 
Tell me what you talked about with Roger.”
 

“You’re being a bastard,” I told him after a while.
 
He just smiled that sinister smile and stroked my lips with his finger.
 
“A sadistic bastard.”

He laughed.
 
“Yes.
 
I am that.
 
Just tell me what you talked about, Bianca.
 
Before this gets out of hand.”
 

We had a long, silent standoff before I caved.
 
I did it because I’d realized that it wasn’t really that important, and because I didn’t want to see how far he would go to prove a point just then.

“We talked about
you
, James.
 
About your past, about your promiscuity, your…preferences.
 
I think he just wanted to know what I knew.
 
He seemed to think that you’d kept me in the dark about it all.
 
I got the sense that he was afraid that something about your past was about to be leaked, and that it was something that would drive me away.
 
Why did he think that, James?
 
What’s going on?”

He cursed fluently.
 
“Goddamn Roger.
 
It’s nothing, Bianca.
 
It’s being taken care of.
 
Someone was threatening to be…indiscreet about some of my exploits.
 
I’m handling it.
 
I’ve been agitated because I’ve been trying to distance myself from my past, to clean up my image, if you will, for your sake, for the sake of our future, and this leak would have the opposite effect.
 
But as I said, I’m handling it.
 
Thank you for answering my question.”

He moved against me again.
 

I spoke just as he was lining himself up at my entrance.
 
“It’s not like I had a choice,” I muttered sullenly.
 

He thrust into me, bottoming out in one hard motion.
 

I cried his name brokenly.
 

“How about I make it up to you with a handful of orgasms?”