**Olivia POVAs I turned the doorknob, hoping I could sneak in unnoticed, I was met with my parent's gaze focused right on the door. I quickly ran my hands through my hair and tried to make myself presentable."There you are," my father scolded as he was flipping through his newspaper. My mother added, "We were so worried about you," and she hurried up to me to give me a hug."I told you I was getting a bite to eat," I reasoned, but it didn't register. "Have you heard from your sister?" my mother questioned. The mere mention of Bethany sent a shiver down my spine. After what I'd witnessed, it was hard to believe she really was my sister anymore.I shook my head. "We hadn't been able to reach her for hours...." my mother remarked.I wonder why, I thought.... "I'm sure she's not far away," I muttered and began walking down the hallway away from the front door. My parents seemed to notice my unusual mood, but they didn't pry further.As I approached the staircas
**Olivia POVThe hostess at the Red Sea sat me in a corner booth. I was grateful for the privacy since my cheeks were burning from what I was about to do. As the owner, Jesse was bound to be around somewhere. When I saw him, I waved him over. "Olivia, back so soon?" Jesse asked, arching a single eyebrow at me. "Your Steak au Poivre was just so delicious last time, I wanted to try it again." I gave him the most convincing smile I could. "And I wanted to tell you personally how much I enjoy the Red Sea.""Is that so?" he asked. I swallowed hard. He didn't sound convinced but he nodded and gave me a warm smile."You're always welcome here," Jesse assured. "Thank you," I said, nodding in return. "If there is anything I can do for you, personally, in regards to your meal, don't hesitate to ask," he assured me. His smile suggested a little more than what he offered and I reached for my water, taking a quick sip to avoid answering. "I will," I mustered, my voice cracking even w
The next night I was still puzzled over Ellis's interest in what I 'desired,' while I got dressed for a charity gala. My family, along with some of the richest entrepreneurs in the world, had been invited. My parents always supported children's charities because they'd adopted Bethany, so these galas were commonplace for us. The gala was a black and white affair. Every guest was to wear some variation of the two colors. My black gown was floor length with a slit on one side that showed off my leg when I walked. I fiddled with the elaborate black diamond choker around my neck that my mother had insisted that I wear this evening.When we walked into the ballroom, everyone stared at me and Bethany at the top of a massive, marble, staircase. It was like the party had stopped and erupted into conversation about us.We walked down and I overheard the guests talking about how pretty we were.I could tell that Bethany was enjoying the attention, her face bright with a beaming smile. I waved
Ellis opened the driver's door and I heard the locks click. He pulled open the back door and leaned in, offering me a hand. I bit my lower lip, heat coursing through me as the back of his hand brushed my exposed breast."Are you here to f*ck me for Bethany?" I asked, smirking.My heart raced a mile a minute. I only partially registered that I was naked down to my waist and I had no idea where my sister had gone.He frowned."No," he assured, "Come on, we're leaving." he said as he took my hand and helped me from the car.I stumbled from the car and clung to him. His citrus cologne overwhelmed me and made me run my fingers along his black button-down. Ellis' hands slid up my arms, sending shivers down into my aching thighs. It took me a moment to realize that he had put my dress back on.I ran my hand up to his neck where I let them linger up to his trimmed beard. I traced along his jawline, getting lost in how it felt against my skin. My body was on fire, pulsing with a delicious need
"What are you going to teach me?" I whispered. Ellis chuckled darkly. He gripped my wrists tighter. I gasped and arched my back like a bow. He pressed open-mouth kisses along my collarbone. One of his hands released its grip on my wrists and Ellis reached for something. Cool silk tickled my arms and I moaned, another shudder running from my head all the way to my toes. I twisted beneath Ellis as he bound my hands in the silk, securing me to the headboard. He sat back, straddling my hips, and pulled the edges of my robe open the rest of the way, exposing my breasts completely. His fingers traced around my nipples making me moan and pant. "Now, if it ever gets to be too much, tell me, got it? Say 'red.' It's a safeword to stop," he told me in a husky, lust-filled voice. His eyes were gleaming to match his tone. "Y…yes," I panted. Ellis pinched my nipples hard and I whimpered as my stomach exploded with flutters. "Yes, what?" he asked in a deep, stern voice. I didn't know what he w
When I woke up a couple hours later, Ellis was still asleep.My thighs ached and my hips were sore. I looked down and saw some dried blood between my legs. Wild memories flooded back to me, and every piece of them reminded me that I was no longer a virgin.Taking a deep breath, I looked at Ellis. His expression was soft and he looked less dangerous in his sleep. However, I knew how dominating this man could be. In bed, and in life.My heart swelled in my chest, threatening to break free. I'd given such a special part of myself to him. I couldn't believe it… but I wasn't sorry.I looked around the room. My dress was still on the floor and so was my robe and the binding from my wrists. The room was a mess! A tempting and… unnerving reminder of what we'd shared.My eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. It was almost eight!As tantalizing as last night and this morning were, and even though I hadn't had ample time to digest my first sex experience, I needed to get home and talk to m
I walked angrily down the hallway on the way to my own bedroom and laid down. Groaning, I grabbed one of my English Lit books, 'Wuthering Heights,' and tried to get some reading done. That was a mistake…Cathy and Heathcliff were at least 20 years apart in age, at least that was what the analytical footnotes in my academic copy told me. Well, I'd succeeded in distracting myself from Bethany, but now Ellis crept back into my mind.My stomach flopped and I rested the book on my face, closing my eyes. Suddenly, it felt like I was back in that room, my wrists bound as Ellis brought me to the brink of pleasure over and over again.How his strong body had pinned me down, the way he dominated me and still made my pleasure a priority.Shuddering, I curled on my side and pushed the book away. I had to get back to my normal routine if I was going to move past everything that had been happening.What was more normal than going back to school? I hadn't been to classes since before the kidnapping
My chat with Jenny had been sobering. Whatever I felt for Ellis might not matter because no one else would ever accept us. Besides, I could still only guess as to what he wanted from me. Forgetting him and moving on would be hard, though, because there was a big part of me that didn't want to let go. When I picked up a newspaper on the way to class one morning, I saw an article about a German pianist coming to perform a concert at the opera auditorium near the university. My heart soared. If I needed a good distraction, seeing a classic piano concert would do it!The night of the concert I put on a floor length, champagne colored, satin dress with a swooping back. I put on elbow-high white, silk gloves and had my driver bring me to the elegant auditorium. I'd reserved a seat close enough that I wouldn't need binoculars but that still gave me a panoramic view of the stage. There was someone sitting in the seat next to mine. The back of their head looked familiar, as did the navy suit