Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
RUBY
A gain she woke in Beckett’s cloud of a bed, sore and satisfied in all the best possible ways. But unlike before, she didn’t have the luxury of simply lounging in all that softness until the sun woke her. Today it was her alarm dragging her out of dreamland, and she rolled over to smack it off with a groan.
“I thought I woke up at an ungodly hour.”
Beckett’s voice, rough with sleep, had her turning back to offer up an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I need to get going. Mind if I shower here again?”
A slow smile stretched across his face as he reached for her, pulling her down toward him. “Only if I can join you.”
Heat pulsed through her veins. “You’ll have to be quick.”
“That sounds like a challenge.”
In a move that left her breathless, he rolled off the bed and scooped her up in his arms all at the same time, grinning down at her as he hauled her to the bathroom. “One quick orgasm, coming up.”
“Not the jets!” she squealed, burying her face in his neck when he tried to set her on her feet.
“You didn’t like the jets?”
“I did, they just… took me by surprise.”
Chuckling, he juggled her in his arms as he reached for the controls. “Remind me the next time you stay over and I’ll teach you how they work. For now, no jets.”
Next time?
Before she could question him about it, gentle raindrops of water spilled from the showerhead above them and she sighed. “That’s much better.”
“My girl likes her sex rough but showers soft. Duly noted,” he said with another deep laugh.
Sliding down so her feet were pressed against the warm tile, she left her arms looped around his neck. “Your girl, huh?”
“Within the pre-negotiated bounds of our relationship, of course.”
“Of course.” That was exactly how she wanted it, so there was no reason for the little jab of regret under her breast.
No reason at all.
Beckett lowered his head, his lips brushing down the wet skin of her neck. Soft, gentle pleasure that made her insides tremble with want and need. “I want to taste you again. I want to make you come on my tongue so many times your knees go weak and you can’t hold yourself up a second longer.”
A second later, she found herself spun around, pressed up against the glass behind them, his body hard and warm behind hers as his cock breached her entrance and his laughter, low and wicked echoed in her ears. “But you said you don’t have time for all that. So you’re going to let Daddy fuck you, hard and fast, and you better hope you come before I do or else you’re going to spend your entire day with your pussy dripping for me.”
The sudden switch made her head spin, and when he wrapped a hand around her throat, pulling her head back against his shoulder, a whimper slipped from her lips. “Beckett…”
“Who am I when I’ve got my cock in your tight little cunt, Ruby?”
Daddy. You’re Daddy. The words trembled on her lips, but she fought them back. “We’re not in the club. Or your bed, Beckett .”
The fingers around her throat tightened, just a fraction. Not nearly enough to cut off her oxygen but enough for her to know he could if he wanted to. And for the first time in all the years she’d been a submissive, it thrilled her to know he could hurt her that way. Maybe because she knew, deep in her bones, he never actually would.
Whatever the reason, the fear only added to the need pounding through her veins with every thrust of his cock inside her. “Smartass little girl. I changed my mind. No orgasms for you this morning.”
“That’s not fair!”
“Oh, I think it’s entirely fair.” Still holding her by the throat, he fucked her, driving her closer and closer to her own peak with every thrust. “You want to be a brat? Fine. But there are consequences.”
Dammit. Why couldn’t she just keep her mouth shut for once? There was nobody around to impress with her bratting skills. And yet, she couldn’t seem to help herself. “I’m sorry, I’ll be good!”
“Too late.” Pulling out of her, he gripped her hair in his fist, using his hold on her to guide her to her knees. She watched, equal parts turned on and horrified as he gripped his cock in his free hand and pumped. “Close your eyes, Ruby Red. Daddy’s got something for that pretty face of yours.”
Shit . She squeezed her eyes shut just in time for the hot, sticky mess to coat her face. Humiliation flooded her, not just because she’d been a brat and this was obviously her punishment, but because there was just something about being covered in a man’s cum that made her feel like nothing more than a toy to be used for his pleasure.
And because that feeling of being a thing to be used only made her hotter, wetter than she already had been.
“Fucking gorgeous.” His voice was gravelly with need, and pride swelled in her chest as he brushed a finger over her cheek, swiping away some of his cum. “Open your mouth, baby. Daddy has a treat for you.”
Baby. When had she gone from sweetheart to baby? Had he called her that last night and she’d been too swept up in him to notice?
Because the switch had her heart trembling in her chest, she let her lips part for his thumb. Tasted the salt of him on her tongue before she instinctively swallowed.
“Good girl. If you can behave yourself the rest of the day, I might let you have an orgasm later. Are you working tonight?”
“No, Daddy.”
“Would you like to have dinner with me?”
Prying her lids open, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, that chiseled body dripping with water as he smirked down at her. And for once she answered without wondering about what could go wrong. “I’d like that very much.”
“Good. I’ll text you later for details. In the meantime, you need to get washed up so you can get on your way to work.” His smirk deepened. “I’d hate to have to punish you because you were late.”
That went well outside their negotiated relationship. But with her pussy still throbbing with unfulfilled need, she wasn’t about to argue. “Yes, Daddy.”
Pulling her to her feet, he kissed her, deep and slow. She melted into it, into him, and for a moment she just let herself… be. Let herself enjoy the feeling of being a woman, getting kissed by an attractive man in the gentle rain of his shower.
And for the moment, that was more than enough.
Ruby
There was something undeniably cozy about getting ready for the day with Beckett. Even though his bathroom could easily hold two of hers, they were never more than a few inches apart, and he took every chance he could get to touch her as they showered and dried off.
Cozy. And comfortable.
Maybe a little too comfortable.
Pushing that thought aside, she squeezed water from her hair as he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped up to the bathroom sink. The humming in her veins was not at all helped by the glistening of his skin over all those rippling muscles as he moved.
Transfixed by the sheer beauty of him, she paused her own ministrations to simply watch as he reached for his toothbrush.
“Oh hey, that reminds me. I, ah, couldn’t find a toothbrush when I stayed over the other night and I used yours. Sorry if that’s weird.”
His gaze met hers in the mirror, amusement dancing in the brown as he cocked an eyebrow. “I’m aware.”
“You are? How?”
“You didn’t put it back in the right spot.”
Pausing in the middle of rubbing the towel over her hair, she stared at their reflections. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am very serious, Ruby Red. You should know by now I notice the little details.”
That was true, but still… “Okay, well, I’m going to need a toothbrush unless you just want to keep sharing.”
Finally, she had the satisfaction of seeing the horror in his eyes at her suggestion. “I threw that one out already. I’ll get you your own.”
Stepping to the side, he opened the linen closet she’d searched the day before and pulled a box down from the top shelf.
Well, that explained it. She hadn’t even seen that box because it had been too high up. Oh, well.
Beckett handed her a brand-new toothbrush before picking his own up again. They brushed together in silence, and again she was left contemplating how nice it all felt.
When they finished brushing, she stuck her toothbrush into one of the holes of the sleek, dark blue holder beside his sink. And watched with amusement as Beckett frowned and moved it to a different hole.
“Is there something wrong with where I put it?” she asked, keeping her tone light.
Glancing up, Beckett met her gaze in the mirror—and blushed. Just a little, but enough for her to nearly choke on her own laughter at how adorably flustered he looked.
“No. I just… like things a certain way.”
Interesting.
Curious now, she watched him more carefully as he moved. And the more she watched, the more amused she became by how intentional he was. From the way he placed their towels on the hooks to the uniform way his clothes were hung in his closet, Beckett Stone was the epitome of ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’.
And even though she was already in danger of running a bit late, she couldn’t help but mess with him a bit. After he made the bed, she waited for his back to turn and flipped the corner of the duvet up on one side while he was in the closet.
When he stepped out again, tugging at the buttons on his shirt, he immediately stopped and frowned at the offending corner. Shirt still half unbuttoned, he rounded the bed and flipped the corner down again, smoothing it back into place.
Fascinating .
It was tempting to follow him around and see what else she could ‘mess up’ and how long it took him to realize she was fucking with him, but she really did need to get out the door. Throwing on her clothes from the night before and making a note to pack herself another bag to keep in her car, she stepped into the bathroom to pull her wet hair up into a ponytail. Thankfully, Beckett had a hairbrush handy, though she tried not to think too hard about other uses for the paddle-like instrument. She was still wet and needy from being denied in the shower and the thought of going over Daddy’s knee for a hard spanking with his large, wooden brush was only making things worse.
“Breakfast?” he asked, tugging a tie into place as he stepped into the bathroom behind her.
“Sorry.” Lifting her gaze to his in the mirror, she flashed an apologetic smile. “I really have to get going.”
The corners of his mouth turned down. “You should dry your hair. It’s cold outside. You don’t want to get sick.”
“I might be worried about it if that wasn’t an old wives’ tale,” she said with a laugh as she gave her ponytail a tug before turning to face him, her head tilted back to invite a kiss. But the worry on his face made her pause, once again wondering what trauma he had in his past.
Because there was definitely some trauma there. Any good Dom worried about the health and safety of a submissive under his care, but with Beckett it seemed to go so much deeper than that.
Not your problem to fix, Matthews.
With that reminder echoing in her mind, she slipped her arms around his waist. “I promise I’m fine, Mr. Worrywart. What time are we meeting for dinner?”
Still frowning slightly, he cupped her face in that way he had that never failed to make her melt. “Text me your address and I’ll pick you up around seven.”
The thought of being picked up like a proper date had butterflies dancing in her stomach. “All right. Will you let me know where we’re going so I can dress appropriately?”
“You could come to dinner in a burlap sack and I wouldn’t care. But yes, I’ll take care of it.”
Something inside her, a hurt she’d buried so deep she’d all but forgotten it existed, twinged at his words. There was a time when everything she wore, down to her earrings, had been up for criticism at all times.
And yet, here he was, telling her he didn’t care what she wore, even though she knew damn well he had people to impress. Men like him, with his wealth and connections, could never go anywhere without running into someone they knew.
“Do you mean that?”
“Mean what, exactly?”
“That you don’t care what I wear?”
A slow, wolfish smile curved his lips. “The only concern I have with the clothes you wear is how long it’s going to take me to get them off you.”
Rising up on her tiptoes, she pressed a hard kiss to his lips. “Thank you. That actually means a lot to me.”
“I’ll make a note not to care about what you wear more often.”
Laughing, she pulled away with more than a little reluctance. “I really, really have to go. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Be good, Ruby Red.”
“What’s the fun in that?” she tossed over her shoulder with a laugh.
Their conversation played over and over in her head as she drove back into town. Enough times that she actually sighed with relief when her phone rang. That relief only lasted until she saw Jacqueline’s name on the screen, at which point her stomach twisted with unease. Had she screwed something up at her assignment the day before? “Hey. Everything okay?”
“Everything is great! I talked to Susan, the manager over at Palmetto Enterprises this morning and she wants to know if you can come on part time, with the possibility of going full time soon.”
“Holy shit, really? They must be desperate.”
“Actually, she raved about you. Said you were the hardest worker they’d had in years and she practically begged me to call you when I said you usually only fill in for us as needed. I know you’ve got that job at the coffee shop, but this would only be three days a week to start, so maybe you could work it around your schedule there.”
Already her mind was whirling, trying to figure out how to make it work. “What would my hours be?”
“Nine to four. Subject to change if they decide to bring you on full time.”
That could actually work. Jay always had trouble getting people to open since those shifts started so early. She could still go in, open the store, and work for a solid four hours before heading over to the office job like she had yesterday.
Daddy won’t like that.
Ignoring the voice in her head, she asked, “What are they offering for pay?”
The number Jacqueline rattled off nearly had Ruby running her car off the road in shock. “And that’s per hour ?” she managed to squeak out.
“Yes. I told you, they’re a bit desperate and I’ve been telling them for months they need to offer more competitive wages. Guess they’re finally listening to me.”
Even at three days a week that would give her a hell of a lot more breathing room in her budget than she currently had. “I’m in. When do I start?”
“I don’t suppose there’s any possible way you can head over today?”
“I can if they’re okay with me being there closer to eleven.”
“I’ll double-check, but I’m sure that’ll be fine. Thanks, Ruby! They’re going to be so excited to have you on board.”
“Tell them I’m excited, too.” Mostly for a steady paycheck. But she wasn’t crass enough to say that part out loud.
They said their goodbyes and ended the call just as Ruby turned onto her street. And for the first time in a very long time, it felt like everything was finally going her way.