Chapter 9
Aria
If she’d had any inkling that losing her virginity would be like this, she would have done it ages ago.
Then again, she knew enough to understand that it wouldn’t have been like this with just anyone. Hell, she wasn’t entirely convinced it would have been like this with anyone but him. Maybe love at first sight wasn’t a thing, but she was beginning to think love at first fuck might be.
“Come here, baby.”
Gentle hands tugged at the restraints, freeing her, and when he pulled her in to snuggle up against him, those same hands immediately went to work massaging her stiff muscles
Closing her eyes, she let herself be pampered as she curled into him. And simply enjoyed the moment and the man instead of picking it all to death in her brain.
At least for now. No doubt the picking would come later.
When most of the knots had been worked from her muscles, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Stay right here. I’ll be back.”
“Oh, but…” Feeling clingy and too tired to be embarrassed by it, she tightened her hold on him. “Don’t go.”
“I won’t go far, princess. I’m getting you some water and some chocolate. After the adrenaline rush you just had, you’ll need something to help keep you from crashing. And you need to rehydrate.”
Her heart tripped in her chest. Still, after it was all done and he’d gotten his rocks off, he was taking care of her. “Okay.”
Another soft brush of his lips against her forehead. “Good girl. Don’t move.”
She did as she was told, lounging in the bed as she watched him move to a giant cabinet beside the bed. Which held, she learned when he flung the doors open, an array of snack foods as well as a small fridge dedicated to bottles of water and sports drinks.
“Any allergies?” he asked as he scanned the offerings.
“Mushrooms, but I don’t think that's a concern.”
“Let’s hope not.” Gathering supplies, he turned back to the bed and laid everything out in front of her. “Water first, at least half the bottle, then you can let me know which chocolate you’d prefer.”
“What if I want chocolate first?”
“Then you’re going to be very disappointed.” Picking up one of the bottles, he handed it to her. “Water, then chocolate.”
“Bossypants,” she grumbled, twisting the cap off the water and bringing it to her lips.
But she couldn’t be too mad at him, since she downed half the bottle without taking a breath.
Apparently her body agreed with him that it needed the water more than the food.
Which meant she wasn’t really letting him boss her around, it just so happened that what he wanted her to do aligned perfectly with what she would have done without his interference anyway.
Or something like that.
“I am very bossy, in fact,” he said with a low laugh that sent the butterflies in her stomach dancing. “Comes with the territory. Which chocolate would you like?”
“Umm… the one with almonds.” Taking the offered candy bar, she broke off a section, letting her gaze slide to him as he sipped at his own bottle of water. “What do you mean by it comes with the territory?”
“Business. Family. Naughty little princesses who want to argue about letting me take care of them.”
Now that the high of being pleasured and fucked into oblivion had faded a bit, curiosity rose to fill the void. “What kind of business?”
They were sitting so close, she felt him tense.
Only for a moment before he relaxed again, but that moment was enough to have her stomach twisting into a knot.
“A few different kinds. My family has been in the shipping business for a while, and we branched out from there. We own a few bars, a couple restaurants. A little bit of this, a little bit of that.”
“That’s all delightfully vague.”
His gaze slid to her, his brow raising. “If you’d like, I could take you out tomorrow night, show you around and point out some of my holdings.”
The offer was enough to have the knot in her stomach loosening. “Not necessary. But I wouldn’t say no to a date.”
Plucking the water and the chocolate from her hands, he set them aside as he rolled, pinning her to the bed beneath him. “You should know, I don’t date casually. If you’re with me, you’re mine, and that comes with rules. Expectations.”
With how thoroughly he’d wrung her out, she hadn’t expected to feel need welling inside her again, but here they were. “Punishments?” she asked, her voice breathless.
“Yes, princess. If you disobey me, I will put you over my knee and spank your naughty bottom until I’m very sure you won’t break that particular rule ever again. Is that going to be a problem for you?”
Her stomach tied itself into a knot again, but for a completely different reason this time. If her mother knew she was even discussing the concept of rules and punishments with a man, she’d have a fit.
But her mother wasn’t here, and this was all just hypothetical. A fantasy. So she gave herself to the fantasy and grinned up at him. “Maybe. I’m a bit of a brat.”
As she’d hoped, her cheeky response earned her a chuckle. “That you are. But I don’t mind. I’m rather partial to brats.”
“Good.” Lifting her hand, she brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead. “It seems I might be rather partial to bossy men who make me call them Daddy and give me so many orgasms I feel like I’m going to black out.”
“Then it appears we’re in agreement.”
“We are.”
Dipping his head, he brushed a kiss over her lips, so soft and sweet it made her throat ache with it. “Finish your chocolate and then we should get you back to your friends.”
Disappointment stabbed at her chest, followed swiftly by guilt. How long had they been locked in this room? Long enough for the others to notice she was gone, to be worrying about her? “We should. I hope they haven’t been looking for me.”
“If they were, I have no doubt they would have been banging the door down,” he assured her with another of those quiet laughs.
Rolling off her again, he handed her the chocolate and water back.
They sipped and ate in silence, but not the awkward kind.
The kind that left her feeling as though they’d known each other for years.
The kind that made a woman feel as if she could trust the man beside her with things she’d been told to never trust anyone with.
A dangerous kind of silence.
Setting those worries aside for later, she focused on the treat in her hand. When the chocolate and water were finished, they climbed out of bed, the weight of their reluctance hanging heavy in the air as he helped her back into her dress.
He refused to return her panties, however.
“I can’t just go walking around with your cum dripping down my thigh.”
“Absolutely, you can.” Sliding an arm around her waist, he yanked her to him, that little half-smile she was in danger of falling so hard for twisting his lips.
“And if I have it my way, you’ll spend most of your days exactly like that.
At work, at dinner with your friends. Wherever you are, I’ll leave my mark on you, so you remember who you belong to. ”
“That really shouldn’t be so hot,” she mumbled, tilting her head back so he could kiss her.
“But it is. Because you’re Daddy’s filthy little girl, aren’t you, princess?”
“Fuck me, I think I am.”
He kissed her then, hot and hard, leaving her breathless and lightheaded once more.
With obvious reluctance, he released his hold on her, nudging her toward the door. “Go on down to your friends. I’ll clean up in here.”
“Yes, Sir.” Pausing at the door, she turned back to him, an uncertainty she wasn’t used to feeling niggling at her. “Will I see you tomorrow? At brunch?”
“I wouldn’t dare miss it.”
“Okay. Um. I’ll see you then, I guess.”
Forcing herself to turn away, she pulled the door open, sticking her head out to make sure Cordelia wasn’t waiting on the other side. Finding the coast clear, she hurried toward the bathroom she’d passed on her way to the bar and slipped inside.
Holy hell, her hair was a mess. But other than that, there was no indication she’d just lost her virginity in the most spectacular fashion possible.
And even though she knew it was ridiculous, there was a little stab of disappointment. It felt like there should be something to commemorate the occasion, even if virginity was just a social construct as her mother had always said.
Ducking into one of the bathroom stalls, she checked for the blood the books had always told her would be there and found none.
Dammit.
Trying her best to ignore the lingering disappointment, she did her business and then washed her hands and combed her fingers through the curls, smoothing them as best she could.
What she wouldn’t give for a ponytail holder or a claw clip or literally anything to tame the frizzy mess her hair had become.
When it at least no longer looked as though she’d been well and truly fucked for the first time in her life, she ran a hand over her dress—wrinkled from its time on the floor, but there was really nothing to be done about that now—and dragged in a deep breath.
Shooting up a quick little prayer that she’d make it to her father's office before Ivy, she strode back through the restaurant area of the club.
Her father’s office was empty, and relief nearly made her knees weak as she sank down onto one of the plush leather couches.
But she’d barely gotten seated when the door to the office was yanked open and Ruby came bouncing in, looking far more chipper than anyone had a right to after what Beckett had done to her downstairs.
“Hey, Baby Elliott! Delia sent me up to grab you. Turns out your uncles decided to stay and play a lot longer than anyone expected, but they’re gone now if you want to head back downstairs with us. ”
If someone had told her a couple hours ago she’d be grateful for her uncles getting their freak on in the kink club she’d snuck into, she would have laughed in their faces.
But it had given her enough time to not just lose her virginity, but also get some of the best fucking orgasms of her entire life in the process, so yeah. Grateful didn’t even begin to cover it.
“Yeah. Sure. Thanks Ruby.” Praying she came off more nonchalant than she felt, she pushed up from the couch and followed the other woman back down to the pit.
Cordelia was on the couch again, but seated at one end rather than in the middle, with Jacob curled up beside her, his head resting on one thigh while Ivy perched on the other, her head cradled on Cordelia’s shoulder.
If ‘contentment’ was a person, Aria imagined it would be Cordelia Summers in that moment.
Lifting her gaze, Cordelia smiled as she ran her fingers through her boy’s hair. “Sorry you missed the show, Baby Elliott. Hopefully you were able to keep yourself… entertained.”
There was a note of amusement in Cordelia’s tone that sent Aria’s mind racing. Did she know? Could she tell? Was there some kind of flashing neon sign over her head, declaring to the world that she’d lost her virginity to a complete stranger?
No. That was ridiculous. And given how insistent Cordelia had been about her not playing with anyone tonight, Aria imagined she’d be a hell of a lot more pissed if she did know.
So she just flashed a smile and lifted her shoulder in what she hoped passed for a breezy smile. “It was fine. I peeked over the railing a few times. Looked like you all were having fun.”
“We were. I need to get my loves home now, though. They’re both rather exhausted, I’m afraid. Beckett and Ruby said they’d give you a ride back to the hotel if you want.”
“Sounds good. Thanks for letting me tag along. It was… educational.”
A slow smile curved Cordelia’s lips. “Glad I could help. And if you need me to talk some sense into your father about letting you join the club, let me know.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course. If you’re interested in learning about kink, there’s no safer place than Braden Elliott’s club, a fact I will be all too happy to remind him of.”
“Thanks Cordelia. Seriously. For everything.”
“You’re welcome.” Turning her head, she pressed a kiss to Ivy’s forehead. “Come on, blossom. We need to get our boy home and get you both to bed.”
A tap to Ivy’s hip had the other woman sitting up, blinking owlishly at her surroundings. “Oh. Aria. You’re back. Did I fall asleep?”
Cordelia laughed. “You did. Which is why we’re going home, so you and Jacob can get some rest.”
“And you,” Ivy said, her attempt at looking and sounding firm somewhat ruined by her wide yawn.
“I’m not the one who just got flogged and fucked in front of everyone, but yes. And me.”
Rising to her feet, Ivy stretched and offered up a lopsided smile. “Night, Aria. Hope you had fun even if your uncles ruined it.”
“I did. See you guys tomorrow.”
They said their goodbyes and she was passed off to Ruby and Beckett, who insisted on not only driving her to the hotel but walking her to her room. With another round of goodbyes, she slipped inside, kicked off her shoes and fell face first onto the bed.
And slept like the dead.