Chapter 20
TWENTY
Kingston
I’d texted Ella, asking if I could pick up some dinner for tonight. She requested Italian, and garlic and marinara scents fill the elevator as I ride up to the penthouse.
“Where’s Bash?” I ask as I walk in.
“In the studio. I just got home, too,” she says, taking the bags from me, setting them on the counter, then standing on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek.
I wrap my arms around her. Coming home to her gives me a sense of fullness and completion that I’ve never experienced before. There’s something about the way Ella fits into my arms, and when she tucks her head against my chest, I feel like the biggest, strongest person on the planet.
After a long moment of simply holding each other, we finally pull away. Ella’s brown eyes dance with playfulness as she looks into mine.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hi.” I smile back at her. We don’t need to say much else. We’re just…happy.
We’re taking food out of the bags when Sebastian emerges from the studio. His hair is sticking in different directions and he’s scowling.
“Tough day?” I ask.
“Stuck on a verse,” he says, frowning harder.
Ella gives him a hug and he softens somewhat, but I can tell that whatever he’s having trouble with is really eating at him. Ella widens her eyes at me, like what can we do? But I just shake my head and shrug. There’s nothing to do when he gets in a mood. Best to just ride it out.
“I see you two talking about me without words,” Sebastian says. “You don’t have to tiptoe around me, I’m fine.”
The hell he is, but okay.
We sit down to eat. Sebastian doesn’t say much, but as he eats, his mood improves. Maybe he was just hangry.
“How was your visit with Mrs. Dali?” I ask Ella.
“Good, as always. She had some gorgeous pics from her trip to share. And only half of them were covered up by her thumb.” Ella smiles fondly.
“Where is it she went to this time?” I ask.
“Oahu. And no, she didn’t do any surfing, but she did a lot of snorkeling.” She sets her fork down and leans back in her chair, her shoulders sagging. “I’m stuffed.”
I’m finished, too, so I get up and start gathering plates. Ella starts to get up, too, but I wave her back down. “I got this, little girl. You can relax. You look beat. Did Mrs. Dali put you to work or something?”
“No, not at all. Gianna had a doctor’s appointment today, so I went with her.” She pauses. “You know, she told me something really weird.”
“What was it?” Bash asks.
“Tommy has her convinced that our dad left behind a safe deposit box, except he doesn’t know the password for it.”
“He was lying,” Bash says, shoveling the last of his gnocchi into his mouth.
“Yeah, he probably was. But…there was this time when he was asking me random questions about Dad, like what his first car was, and things like that, things that could be used as a password.” Ella stops talking, her gaze going distant. “Holy fuck .”
“What?” I set our dishes in the dishwasher and spin around so I can see her again. She still hasn’t spoken. “What is it?”
Ella’s sitting with her mouth open, a look of utter disbelief on her face.
Sebastian waves his hand in front of her eyes. “Ella?”
“Diminuendo,” she whispers.
I exchange a puzzled look with Bash.
“What are you talking about?” Bash asks.
I take the seat next to Ella’s and hold her hand. “What does diminuendo mean?”
“ Diminuendo is a musical term,” Bash explains. “It’s when the music gets quieter, basically.”
“It’s one of the last things my dad said to me,” Ella says in a tone of wonder.
“I thought it was some kind of hallucination or something, from his medication. But it was the only weird thing he ever did or said. He knew a little about music, after going to all of my events and everything, so I thought that one random term had somehow stuck in his brain one day. He held my hand tight when he said it, though, and looked directly into my eyes. It was the weirdest thing, and I kind of put it from my mind…until now. Do you think it’s the password? ”
“Only one way to find out,” I say.
“I’ll call Gianna tomorrow, get the key, and go to the bank. Whether I need the money or not, Tommy needs his share. Dad obviously wanted us to work together to get it. And if Tommy’s…not around,” she says slowly, “then at least his baby should get whatever support it can offer.”
I squeeze her hand. “That sounds like a plan.”
“What if I actually have money ?” Ella asks, her face lit up with excitement. “I wouldn’t have to keep freeloading off of you guys.”
“You think you’re freeloading?” Bash tilts his head, obviously frustrated. “How is this still an issue for you?”
“You mean, worrying about poverty?” Ella asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, yeah.”
Ella scoffs. “Sorry, I can’t just magically wave a wand that says it’s time to behave like a rich person and forget that I ever used to worry about having enough to eat. Or getting kicked out of my apartment because I couldn’t afford rent.”
Okay, this conversation is going off the rails. Sebastian needs to shut the hell up. Of anyone, he should understand where Ella’s coming from—he didn’t exactly have a privileged upbringing, either. Sebastian’s in a bad mood, Ella’s quickly getting there. I need to restore balance.
“It’s normal to still be worried about money,” I say, standing up and pulling Ella into my arms. “And we both want you to know that we are all in, remember? You belong to us now, and we belong to you.”
“I know,” she says. “It still seems like a dream sometimes.”
I run a finger along the chain of her necklace. “We locked you in, little girl. Never forget that. It’s real, and it’s forever.”
When I lower my mouth to hers, she kisses me back eagerly, grabbing my arms and pressing against me. I grab her ass in both hands and pull her tighter, pressing my aching cock against her stomach.
It isn’t long before Sebastian comes behind Ella and nuzzles her neck. I knew he’d get over his bad mood. It’s impossible to be in a bad mood for long when Ella’s around.
“Bedroom, Daddies?” she asks.
“Bedroom,” Bash agrees. “Mouth off a little, while you’re at it. I’m in the mood to give you some spankings.”
“You’ll have to catch me, first,” she says, then darts away.
A smile spreads slowly over his face as he watches her dash down the hall. “Fucking perfect.”
* * *
Ella
After some amazing sex, Sebastian returns to the studio to wrestle with his lyrics. Kingston reads the news on his phone, and I read a book on mine. I’m half-afraid of him demanding to see what I’m reading, and half-hopeful that he will.
In fact, the more I read of Sammie Starr’s My Father’s Best Friend , the more aroused I get. I shift around under the blankets, squeeze my legs together. With a little sigh, I bite my lip and cross my legs. It doesn’t do much to distract me from my increasing arousal.
With a knowing smirk on his face, King looks over at me. “What are you reading, baby girl?”
“Nothing,” I say in a way-too-innocent-to-be-real voice.
“Ella.” Ooh, stern voice.
“Yes, Daddy?”
“Tell me what you’re reading.”
“I’m reading the book you and Daddy Sebastian started reading to me the other day.”
“Is that so?”
I nod.
“Well,” he says, setting down his phone, “keep reading it.”
He pushes the covers from my legs. I’m wearing panties and a t-shirt to sleep in, but something tells me I won’t be sleeping for a little while yet. Especially when King kneels next to me and starts working my underwear off, sliding them down.
“Daddy, what are you doing?” I ask.
“Getting you more comfortable,” he says. “You were squirming, so I thought maybe your undies were too restrictive.”
“Oh,” I say, breathlessly, “thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He stares at my now-bare pussy, then nudges my thighs apart so he can kneel between my legs.
“Is, um, everything okay?” I ask.
“Well, now that I’m presented with a feast, it would be rude to abstain…” He lowers his mouth to my pussy, his stormy eyes locked on mine. Before making contact, he says, “Don’t you have a book to read, pretty girl?”
I nod and turn my attention back to the words on my phone screen. But how can I focus on stringing letters into words, words into sentences, when King’s breath is puffing against my swollen, wet pussy lips? Impossible. He told me to read, though, so I try to.
I’ve barely found the paragraph where I left off when Kingston grabs my inner thighs and holds them apart.
His tongue breaches my center. Soft. So hot.
I suck in a gasp, my heart pounding deliciously in my ears.
He closes his mouth over me, kissing and sucking.
He moves up to my clit and puts a finger inside of me. He very quickly adds another.
“Daddy, yes,” I shout.
“Not so loud, baby girl. Sebastian’s trying to work, remember?”
“Okay,” I whisper, “I’ll try.”
I lift my hips, trying to meet the thrusting of his fingers, but he holds me still with one hand. Everything is slippery, warm, and my body convulses beneath his kisses and touch. I set my phone down—forget the steamy story, because I’m living it, right here, right now.
He lets go of my thigh and coats another finger in my arousal. When he brings it down to my anus, I push out slightly so he can get in.
“Such a greedy little girl,” he murmurs before returning to licking me.
His fingers are in my pussy, in my ass, and his tongue circles and flicks against my clit.
It’s no surprise that I come so hard I see stars.
And as I do, he continues licking and sucking and pumping those thick fingers, bringing me to another orgasm and another, until I’m squirming away and pleading with him to stop.
He sits up and wipes his mouth on the back of his hand. “Fuck, you taste good, you sweet little girl.”
His cock strains against his boxer briefs. I reach for it, but my phone buzzes on the nightstand. I roll over to look at the screen. Gianna’s calling me.
“I have to answer,” I say to Kingston. “It’s Gianna.”
“Of course.” He rests a hand on my knee and gives me an understanding grin.
“Gianna, is everything okay?” I ask. “Is the baby coming?”
“Probably not,” she says, “but I’m having a lot of those irregular, false contractions. I have some ice cream and a movie, and I was wondering if you want to come over and hang out?”
I look at the time. It’s already nine p.m. Normally, I’d say no. But she’s heavily pregnant and all alone, and she’s gotta be scared.
“I’m on my way,” I say, “but I’m bringing pajamas and staying the night. It’ll be a sleepover.”
“Are you sure?”
“Wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t,” I say in a cheerful voice.
“I am going to owe you so big after all of this,” she says. “You’ll have to have a kid soon, okay?”
“So you can pay me back?” I ask with a laugh. “That’s maybe not the reason I want to get pregnant.”
She laughs. “Maybe not the only reason.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes, okay?”
“Okay. Thanks, Ella.”
“You’re welcome.” I end the call and look at Kingston. “I’m sorry, I have to go?—”
“Totally fine, I understand,” he says.
I text my guards to let them know I’ll be leaving soon. Then I point to the imprint of Kingston’s semi-hard cock against his boxer briefs. “Daddy, can I suck you before it’s time to go?”
His smile is wicked. “Only because you asked so nicely…and only if you let me fuck your face.”
“That’s so inappropriate,” I whisper, putting on a shocked expression.
“Open wide, sweet thing. I’m going to defile you before you go to your friend’s house.”