41. LACEY
Chapter forty-one
I stayed curled up under the covers, watching the pale winter light stretch across the ceiling. Sleep wasn’t happening—not after Nik left and I could still smell him on the sheets. My muscles ached in that deep, satisfying way that made me smile into the pillow.
We’d spent almost an entire week with him buried inside me.
He’d fucked me on nearly every surface in the penthouse—the bed, the kitchen island, the back of the sofa, against the windows that looked out over the city.
I’d joked once that the only room we hadn’t christened yet was the laundry room.
Nik had taken it as a personal challenge.
He’d swept me up without a word and carried me straight there.
One minute I was laughing; the next I was perched on top of the washer, the spin cycle turning every bounce into something extra wicked.
I wished I could complain about the soreness or the constellation of love bites decorating my skin, but I couldn’t.
I loved every single mark. Every bruise.
Every ache. They were proof that my husband couldn’t get enough of me.
And, God, he couldn’t even be in the kitchen—his favorite room, I’d decided—without having some part of himself inside me.
If it wasn’t his cock, it was his fingers or his tongue.
And I still hadn’t forgiven him for what he’d done to me with the spatula.
I’d never look at baking the same way again.
Although the week had been full of sex, connection, and unexpected laughter, there had been some darker moments too—moments when he’d gone from playful to something else, something that made my pulse pound in equal parts fear and fascination.
Like the night he’d decided to test how much I trusted him.
He’d warned me the game would push me, that I’d have to fight my instincts to stop.
I’d agreed to play, breathless and curious, already on my knees with my wrists looped through the silk cord hanging from the large beam in the middle of the bedroom ceiling.
He’d brought over a lit candle, and at first I’d thought he was just teasing me with the heat, letting the wax hover close enough to warm my skin without touching it.
Then the first drop hit, scalding and sweet all at once.
More followed, deliberate and slow, each drop burning for a heartbeat before melting into a delicious heat that seemed to sink straight to my core.
I’d whimpered, tested the silk around my wrists, and looked up to find him watching me like I was the only thing in the world worth focusing on.
The pain blurred into pleasure until I didn’t know where one ended and the other began.
But the real high had been seeing the change in him—how my surrender, my trust, made his control falter just long enough for me to glimpse the man beneath.
I’d given him something rare, something I knew he didn’t take lightly.
The only boundary he hadn’t crossed was my tight, puckered ring.
Sure, he’d teased me there, slid a fingertip in once or twice, but that was as far as I’d allow him to go.
So far, he’d respected my wishes. But it was only a matter of time before I gave in to his desires, with the way he was obsessed with being my first in everything.
And, truth be told, I wanted it too—wanted to give him every part of me.
This week had been about more than just sex.
It had been about trust. Nik had let me in—really in.
We’d talked for hours about his life in Russia, his years as a student in the UK, and why he’d chosen Ukraine to be his home country.
He’d even started opening up to me about his businesses, both the legal and not-so-legal ones.
He told me about arms deals, crypto manipulation, and security contracts that spanned continents.
Half of it went over my head, but I didn’t care.
And God, the man was a genius. His brain never stopped—unless he was buried inside me or asleep.
The rest of the time, he ran like a machine, and I was his only diversion.
He was an intensely private person, I was sure he had never shared any of it—his past, his work, the raw truth of who he was—with anyone except for me.
Some people might have been privy to necessary bits and pieces of information, but I was the only one who had the privilege of getting to know the whole man.
And as he learned to trust me, I learned to trust him.
It showed in a hundred small ways. The edge I’d sensed on our wedding night had started to dissolve, replaced by something easier and more comfortable.
Even his dry, wicked humor had come back, surfacing in quiet one-liners that made me snort into my coffee before he stole the cup—and my breath—away from me.
We’d lived for a time in our own wonderful fantasy world, just him and me.
But this morning, an urgent text from Luca Genovese had broken that spell—he’d told Nik to snap out of his wedding bliss and get his ass to his office. Rumor had it, the mayor was looking to shut down Xyst right away.
The tension in Nik’s shoulders immediately returned, and he quickly became absorbed with his phone.
He’d groused about having to actually put on clothes as he buttoned his shirt and shrugged on his jacket. He’d leaned one knee on the bed, trailing kisses down my back, promising me he’d take us on a proper honeymoon soon, where no one could interrupt us.
I guess all good things had to end.
Before he left, Nik told me we’d be going to Xyst tonight and that I should wear one of those pretty black dresses I’d bought during my shopping spree while Henri was watching over me.
I’d laughed and told him there were only five for me to choose from, but I was sure there was one he’d like.
He’d smirked, kissed me like a promise, and walked out the door.
Now, the apartment was quiet. I stretched, arching my back and smiling at the memory of his hands, his mouth, his voice telling me to obey. My pulse quickened. Tonight, we’d be out in public. All eyes would be on us—on me. And Nik? He would know exactly how to use that to his advantage.
I’d been counting the hours since Nik had left this morning. Fifteen, to be exact—and every single one of them had been too long.
I’d spent the day making sure I would be perfect for tonight.
Hair styled. Skin pampered. Makeup done.
I’d even played dirty and sent him a series of nudes while I lounged in a steaming bath, letting the water bead over my breasts, my thighs, and the swell of my hips—knowing he’d be looking at them in the middle of whatever business he was handling.
Nik was a man of his word, and at exactly ten o’clock, the elevator doors opened with a soft whoosh.
And there he was.
Dark suit tailored to lethal perfection, tie loose, the faintest shadow of stubble on his jaw. My breath caught—not just from the sight of him but from the way his eyes devoured me. Feral. Possessive.
In his left hand, he held a small jewelry-store bag.
How on earth had I gotten lucky enough to have a man like Nik swoop into my life and give me more than I’d ever dreamed possible?
Before I could speak, he crossed the room in three strides, hooked his hand in my hair, and crushed his mouth against mine.
My back arched, my lips parting under the ruthless sweep of his tongue.
He tasted like whiskey and impatience. We remained locked together like that for a few breathless moments, in a kiss meant to erase the last fifteen hours we’d been apart.
Finally, I pushed against his chest, panting. “I thought you said we were going out to Xyst tonight?”
“I don’t think I can share you in that dress,” he growled, dragging his gaze down my body as though he was imagining tearing it off me right here.
I pouted. “It took me hours to get ready.”
He kissed my forehead before he said in resignation, “We’re still going.
The mayor needs to see I’m not intimidated by his little shutdown games.
And Delgado needs to know you’re mine. I need to be seen with you on my arm.
” His lips brushed my ear, and the timbre of his voice wrapped around me like smoke. “But first…I have something for you.”
The bag landed on the kitchen island with a quiet thud. Before I could even peek inside, Nik took my hands and placed them on the counter.
He bent me forward, pressing my back down until my cheek touched the cool marble. My heels struggled to find purchase as he kicked my stance wider, his body crowding mine.
Nik grabbed the hem of my dress, and in one smooth, unapologetic motion, he pulled it up over my hips. Then he yanked my lace panties down to my knees.
“What are you doing?” I yelped, my palms flattening on the marble as the cool air hit my bare skin.
“I told you,” he murmured behind me, “I have a gift for you.”
From the bag on the counter, he pulled out a small black velvet box and set it in front of me. His hand stayed heavy on my back as he flipped the lid.
My head tilted, my breath stalling as I tried to process what I was seeing. “Is that…?”
A chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. “Yes, Lacey. A diamond-studded butt plug to wear with your outfit tonight.”
I straightened so fast I bumped into him. “I—I don’t think so… I mean, I don’t think that’ll, you know…fit.”
Nik actually laughed, the bastard.
“Sweetheart, it will fit. And then”—he leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear—“you’ll take my thick cock like a good girl.”
My heart thudded. This had been inevitable. The one line I’d held all week was about to vanish.
The girls at the club had talked about this of course—how plugs helped stretch you so it didn’t hurt.
Some of them wore them for hours, even out in public.
They’d often giggled about their collections of toys.
And knowing Nik, a truckload of toys would arrive tomorrow, each one destined for him to try out on me.