At His Side: The Billionaire's Beck and Call, Part 9 (2 page)

I
looked down at our hands intertwined, at his long fingers holding mine, his
touch making me tingle from head to toe.

“I
could say the same about you. The way you took the gun from Veronica. Hell,
just the way you discovered what he was up to in the first place.”

His
face darkened. “I should have seen it sooner. The employees deserve better.”

“You
are their hero, today.”

He
paused, staring at me with those green eyes that made my knees turn to jelly.

“Isa...
I have something to ask you, and I’m not quite sure how to start. Please...
close your eyes.”

The
twinge of anxiety in his voice made the hair on the back of my neck stand on
end. What was going on? Why would cause my strong, dominant Mr. Drake to be
afraid after a day like this?

I
closed my eyes and waited for what was to come, feeling the warmth of the fire
on my face. I let the blanket fall to my sides and knotted my hands together,
worrying, despite the feeling of safety I’d just enjoyed.

There
was a rustling, then Mr. Drake’s hand covered mine once again.

“Open
them, Isabeau.”

I
opened my eyes and gasped. Tears sprung to my eyes as I saw my master, my love,
kneeling before me, his green gaze piercing me. A ring glinted in his other
hand, a cluster of diamonds forming a blossom in the middle of a beautifully
carved platinum band.

“Isa,
I’m sorry I couldn’t wait to do more... to make this moment perfect... because
you deserve that and so much more. But I couldn’t spend another moment with you
without asking you this.”

I
trembled, my whole body shaking as I gripped his hand in mine, not daring to
move, or even speak, lest I discover I was dreaming. That this wasn’t really
happening, and Chase Drake wasn’t on his knees before me.

“Since
I met you, my life has been different than I ever thought it could be. I never
imagined I’d find someone who I could trust so completely, not only with my
secrets, but with my heart. I didn’t know anyone could be my perfect match.
Isa...” He held the ring up to me, his eyes full of need. “Will you be my
partner? My wife? Will you say yes and make my life what I always wanted, but
never dreamed possible?”

For
a moment, my breath caught in my chest. Time stood still, and it was just me
and him, looking into one another’s eyes and envisioning eternity together.
Working together, living together, loving one another as only we could.

Without
a word, I slid off the couch and wrapped my arms around him, bringing my lips
to his. We fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, his mouth opening to me as
I deepened the kiss, pouring out all of my love and hope and promise into that
one moment. Salt flavored our lips, and I realized tears were rolling down my
cheeks, flowing freely at the thought of being his wife.

I
pulled back, smiling even as I swiped at the wetness on my cheeks.

“Yes,
Sir,” I said.

He
laughed, pulling me back into his arms, holding me on his lap in front of the
fire.

“This
ring was my grandmother’s,” he said, his breath tickling my ear as he held me
tightly to him. “I didn’t have time to buy one for you, but I will. You’ll have
whatever you desire, my beautiful Isa.”

I
broke away and held out my left hand, urging him to place it on my finger.
“It’s perfect. It couldn’t be more perfect if I’d picked it out myself.”

He
slid the ring onto my finger, my skin coming alive beneath the cool metal band.

“I
love that it was in your family. One day, maybe I can pass it on to our child.”

He
stared at me for a moment in silence, assessing me, then broke into a smile
that made my heart ache.

“I’ve
never met a woman like you.”

It
was my turn to smile. “I’ve never met a man like you, either.”

He
pulled me down with him, laying me back on the soft rug before the roaring
fire. “Then I guess we’re lucky we found one another.”

He
leaned over, pressing into me, his erection hitting me in just the right spot
to make me moan. I spread my legs, wrapping them around him, holding him to me
as his lips captured mine once again.

I
was going to marry Chase Drake. The wish I didn’t know I’d had was coming true,
and in that moment, I knew--things would never be the same.

***

Three months later...

I
screeched as Mr. Drake scooped me off my feet, the white fabric of my wedding
dress swirling around his crisp tuxedo shirt. He tossed me over his shoulder
and opened the hidden door to his dungeon. He swatted my backside, making me
giggle.

“What
kind of husband would I be if I didn’t carry you over the threshold?”

I
grinned against his back, my hair spilling out of my chignon. He kicked the
door closed behind us and set me down. He pulled me into a kiss that made my
head spin, holding me tightly in his strong arms. When he pulled away, his eyes
were blazing.

I
still couldn’t believe I was married to this man, my love, my Mr. Drake.

“I
don’t have a gift for you,” I said. “I didn’t know I was supposed to... and
after what you gave me, I don’t know what I could do for you that would even
compare.”

“Isa.”
He wound his fingers in my hair, toying with the curls now falling down around
my shoulders. “Making you partner in the business wasn’t a wedding gift, you
silly girl. I just wanted to surprise you today to make it even more special.
You will accept, won’t you?”

I
looked down at my shoes, searching for the right words. The dim light of the
dungeon made the antique ring seem to glow on my hand, the diamond flashing as
I fidgeted. I glanced back up, suddenly shy.

“Well,
we
do
make a great team.”

His
lips twitched into a lopsided grin. “And your name
is
already
on the building.
Mrs.
Drake
.
”

The
words sounded so sweet, so right, that I wondered how I’d ever been called
anything else.

“Then
that’s settled,” I said, biting my lip. “If you want me, Mr. Drake, I’m yours.”

Mr.
Drake’s eyes caught mine, the hunger in them taking my breath away. He looked
me over, his gaze sliding down over the slinky white silk of my wedding gown,
and for a moment, he looked like a panther ready to pounce.

“God,
yes,” he growled. “I’ve never wanted you more.”

He
reached forward, his strong fingers shooting toward my straps, ready to tear my
gown off my shoulders.

“Wait!”
I yelled. “Not this dress!”

He
stopped short and grinned, then moved behind me and started slowly unbuttoning
the long line of pearl buttons down my back. His slow, methodical movements
were driving me crazy. I longed to be in his arms, and wondered if he was going
extra slowly just to torture me. I tapped my foot impatiently, and heard his
low laugh against my ear. When the last button was undone, he pushed the straps
gently over my shoulders and let the gown slither to the floor. I stepped out
of it and heard him draw a shuddering breath.

I
smiled over my shoulder at him, delighting in the appreciation in his eyes. I
wore nothing but a white lace garter belt beneath my dress, delicate bows
clasping the tops of my sheer, ivory stockings, caressing my legs all the way
down to my high heels. I turned around, then knelt on the ground before him,
spreading my thighs and placing my hands behind my back until my breasts jutted
forward. My nipples drew into peaks under his gaze, ready and eager for his
touch.

“Good
girl, Isa,” he said, looking down at me. “I have one last surprise for you
before I make you mine, once and for all.”

I
waited, my heart racing as he retrieved a black, lacquered box from one of the
dungeon’s shelves. He knelt before me and opened it up.

“Put
it on, little slave. It’s yours.”

My
hands trembled as I picked up the leather collar. Unlike my other one, this was
as white as snow, the buckle gleaming like the ring on my finger. The leather
was soft, caressing my
 
skin as I
fastened it on, feeling instantly like a part of me. Like it belonged there,
just like I belonged here. With him.

“Beautiful,”
he said, his long fingers stroking my face. “Just beautiful.”

“Thank
you, Sir,” I breathed.

“Come
here, Isa. Come to the cross.”

He
beckoned for me to stand and follow him to the back of the dungeon, where the
enormous X-shaped cross stood against the wall. I trembled looking at it,
adrenaline coursing through my body at the thought of being bound to it, spread
wide and helpless before my master.

“I
know you’ve been waiting for this. The way you looked at it the first day I
brought you down here... I’ve been saving it for you. For the perfect moment.”

I
tried to steady my breathing as I stared up at it, then down at the black nylon
rope lying in a neat coil at its base.

“Put
your back against it, little slave, and hold your arms out.”

I
did as he commanded, holding my arms in place as he deftly wound the rope
through a ring at the top of each arm of the cross, then secured my wrists to
the polished wood. Once each of my arms were secure, he wound the rope in an
intricate pattern, binding it over the tops of my breasts, then under,
displaying them proudly, before snaking the rope back and forth like a web
around my waist and thighs. I spread my legs for him, and he bound those, too,
lashing me securely to the cross.

He
leaned back, studying his work, his long fingers running over his chin. He
smiled, then, and untied his tie, then slowly unbuttoned his crisp, white
shirt. I licked my lips as he revealed the strong planes of his chest, wishing
I could run my hands through the sprinkling of golden brown hair, then move
lower, tracing the lines of his contoured abs until I reached the place just
above his belt, tickling the flesh above the place I wanted to touch most of
all.

He
was naked now from the waist up, and grinning at me in a way that sent shivers
down my spine. I tried my bonds, but I was snugly held, the rope rubbing
against my wrists when I tried to move.

He
stepped into the shadows and returned with another box, one I remembered all
too well. He opened the lid, and I sucked in a breath--the egg and the plug
he’d made me wear before where there, along with a small vial of lubricant.

He
wasn’t going to use those on me, was he? All I wanted was him inside of me,
filling me up, making me truly his wife, his partner, his love.

“Relax,
little slave,” he said, his voice a low rumble in the dimness. “Trust your
master.”

I
relaxed against the wood of the cross, my body humming in anticipation. He came
to me, looming over me, and I gasped when I felt cool gel hit my pucker.

“Shhh,
Isa. Take it in,” he whispered, and pressed the thin plug into me.

I
breathed out, accepting it, and it slipped inside, the feel of it stretching my
tight ring of muscle making me whimper. Mr. Drake slipped a hand into his
pocket, and the egg whirred to life, buzzing against the wood of the box. He
swept it up and held it before my eyes, letting me wonder what exactly he was
going to do with it.

“Remember
this, little girl? How you came around it, shuddering in my arms as we danced?
How
 
raw you were, Isa... How
real
.
It was breathtaking.”

He
brought the egg to my lips, and I opened my mouth, suckling on it gently.

“I
knew then, you were someone very special. Someone I couldn’t let get away.”

The
buzzing egg lowered, and I moaned as he ran it over one nipple, making it
tighten to a peak, then the other, the coolness from my mouth making the
vibration feel even more powerful against my hot flesh. He trailed the egg
around the curve of my breasts, trussed up by his skillful rope work, making me
tremble as it glided over me.

I
was already wet for him, my body squeezing around the plug, arousal leaking
down onto my thighs. How I wanted him in me... but he seemed determined to
tease me. To drive me wild before finally giving me what I wanted. What I
needed.

He
moved the egg lower, tracing the gentle curves of my body, bringing the
vibration against the sensitive flesh on my inner thigh, making me squeal and
pull at the ropes. His chuckle made my body tingle, aching for him, but
helpless to take him into my arms. When the egg hit my delicate folds, I cried
out, my muscles squeezing around the plug, pleasure spiking through me like
lightning. He moved it in circles, grinding it against my clit until I was
gasping, tears stinging my eyes.

Mr.
Drake reached into his pocket again, and the plug inside of me roared to life,
matching the vibrations from the egg. I was enfolded in feeling, my entire
lower half pulsing, my head spinning as I felt the orgasm already building
inside of me, coiling deep in my belly.