He stopped in the doorway, forearms resting against the edges of the frame as his cool gaze surveyed the crowded, dimly lit room. His faint smirk widened into broad smile as his eyes stopped on her. Across the room, seated on a plush sofa, she had looked up the moment he'd opened the door. She met his eyes with a stubborn frown that only made his smile turn feral. He blinked and she was gone, his view obscured by the crowd. A multitude of voices talking, whispering and laughing exploded upon his ears the moment she vanished from his line of sight.
Straightening, pulling himself up to his full height, he strode across the spacious room towards where he last saw her. His eyes narrowed and his smile vanished when he saw the man seated next to his goal. His long strides came to a halt right in front of her. Ignoring the surprised man seated to her right he held his hand out to her even though she refused to meet his eyes. The now outraged man attempted to speak but was silenced by a cold, dark look and a thumb jerked in the general direction of the rest of the room. The stranger shut his open mouth, got up and left without a word.
She sat there leaning back against the cushions with her arms crossed and her gaze averted. Inwardly, she seethed, furious that he thought he had the right to do this to her again. She could see his outstretched hand in her peripheral vision but still refused to acknowledge it.
"Come."
His voice was deep, warm and very familiar. All other background noise faded from her notice as she waited, listening for those quiet mellow tones again. But she moved not one single muscle. A rush of air past her face startled her and she turned to look at him. His hands were on either side of her, gripping the back of the couch. His eyes glittered dangerously as they captured and held hers.
"Come," he said again softly, his lips inches from hers, "or would you rather I take you right here, in front of your friends?"
The hard edge of his voice cut through her, shaking her to the core. She knew he meant every word he said, and she also knew she wouldn't, couldn’t stop him. Her body betrayed her every time.
She dropped her gaze and he withdrew, smiling once again. He held out his hand and she placed hers in it, allowing him to pull her up. His grip tightened almost painfully around her fingers as he led her through the crowd and out the door. He turned left and started quickly down the hall, pulling her behind him so that she had to run to keep up with his long strides. He stopped abruptly in front of a door on the right side of the vacant hallway and used his key to open it. The heavy door swung silently into the darkened room.
"Do you trust me?"
His voice was quiet but the strength behind those words was unmistakable. He already knew the answer to his question but wanted her to say it. Her dark eyes flickered back and forth between his once, then she spoke.
"Yes."
He smiled and cupped her delicate jaw with one hand, his thumb caressing her cheek as they stood there. He saw her eyebrows form the start of a frown and laughed softly. Fire was starting to burn in her eyes and he knew how little it would take to push her buttons.
"You want me."
His words infuriated her because she knew he was baiting her and yet couldn't help reacting.
"No," She practically spit out the word.
He just laughed once more, "You need me." She could hear the smile in his voice.
"The
hell
you say!" She glared at him, feeling the flush of anger rising in her cheeks.
He just kept smiling and extended his hand further, running his fingers through her hair. "You can't live without me."
Her jaw dropped and then shut again with a snap as she attempted to twist free of his hands, enraged and sputtering.
"You self-centered, egotistical, arrogant, BAST...."
Her last word was cut short as he yanked her head back by her hair, his other hand twisted her wrist and arm cruelly up behind her back, pulling her smaller form tight against his. He kissed her hard and she stiffened for a split second then melted against him giving him first her soft lips and then her tongue. Every nerve in her body vibrated just from being held by him so roughly.
He felt her soften against him and claimed her lips as his own before pushing her from him and laughing. He knew she couldn't resist him.
"You can't live without me." That statement again.
Stung, she withdrew, the fire in her eyes blazing brightly as she brought her fingers to her lips.
She entered the pitch-black room at his gesture, taking several unsteady steps inside before he flipped on the lights. She blinked, barely able to register the sparsely decorated room before he took her elbow and guided her towards the couch. This was a playroom, not one meant for sleeping unless one slept on the couch. Her eyes took in various implements of pain and pleasure scattered around the room. They widened as she saw the black leather harness resting on the hardwood floor, the leather straps stretching up over heavy wood beams that crisscrossed the ceiling.