39. Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Victor
In the den, I sit between Grace and Lili, and they both lay their heads on one of my shoulders. It feels right, despite the voices in my head telling me it’s wrong, and I try to focus on Tyson’s advice from earlier.
“What should we do for dinner?” Grace asks, still sounding sleepy from her nap.
“Actually, that’s what I wanted to run by you. Unless you object, we’re having some company, and Luke is going to grill.”
Lili sits up. “Luke? Is Zara joining?”
“She is. And Bellamy, Owen, Tobias, Matteo, and Skylar as well.”
Grace raises an eyebrow. “It’s rare for all of you to be in the same room outside of the club.”
“We like it that way, but we’re making an exception because Matteo has some kind of news he wants to share with everyone.”
“Even me?” Lili asks. “Are you sure it’s OK for me to be present? This sounds like a family thing.”
“You’re welcome,” I assure her. “They all know how Grace and I feel about you. You’re part of us now for as long as you choose to stay.”
We fall quiet, and the three of us end up sitting in comfortable silence for the next half hour until I stand to get ready for company to arrive.
When everyone is there, we all head out onto my deck so Luke can get the grill going. Lili immediately strikes up a conversation with Zara, and Grace catches up with Bellamy who hasn’t been as present lately after everything she went through prior to marrying Owen and Tobias.
I hang back on the edge of the deck while Luke, Matteo, and Owen handle the grill.
Tobias excuses himself to take a phone call inside, and I lean back and watch my family of choice enjoying each other’s company.
Skylar approaches me with a beer in her hand, which she hands to me.
“You look deep in thought tonight, Victor. Anything you want to share?”
I smile at the pretty blond popstar who has stolen Matteo’s heart.
“No, but I appreciate the company.”
She bumps her hip into mine. “We should have lunch at the casino sometime. God knows I’m there enough.”
“You got it, Kitten. What kind of big news do you and Matteo have for us tonight? Did he knock you up or something.”
Skylar’s face pales, and she shakes her head. “Fuck that. And I can’t tell you the news or Matteo will be pissed. He’s very excited to share it himself.”
I laugh and drape an arm around her shoulders. “As long as it’s good news.”
Her eyes twinkle. “Very good news.”
“You seem to be doing better than you were earlier today. I’m glad.”
Her expression grows sad again as she remembers her brother. I’m such a dick for stirring that memory. But she recovers quickly. “Thank you for the hug. I promise we won’t keep you all waiting on the news for too much longer.”
I’m curious what it could be, but I don’t have time to dwell on it because Tobias comes outside with a solemn expression and jerks his head at me. “Looks like I’m needed inside.” I kiss Skylar’s cheek and follow him back into the house.
“What’s wrong?” I ask as soon as we are out of earshot of the others.
“That was Nadine from Hunter Novak’s office. It seems he’s changed his mind and no longer wants to give us two weeks. We are to meet him in his office tomorrow afternoon to discuss his plan.”
I do my best not to punch a hole in my own drywall. If everything he’s saying is true, we’re going to have to move up the timeline on all of our plans, and that means our time to prepare for Lili to file for divorce is a lot shorter than we need it to be.
“Can we wait to share the news with the others until later tonight or first thing in the morning? I don’t want to rain on whatever good news Matteo and Skylar have.”
Tobias nods. “Fine by me. You don’t think he knocked her up do you?”
I laugh. “Judging by her face when I asked if that’s what it was, getting knocked up wouldn’t be a good thing, so I’m gonna go with no.”
“Then let’s go find out what it is. Telling the others tonight or tomorrow isn’t really going to change anything. It sounds like Hunter has a plan and we’re expected to fall in line.”
We head back outside, and Grace immediately comes to my side while Bellamy is drawn to Tobias.
“Hey, butterfly,” I murmur, pulling her close. “How was your visit with Bellamy?”
She smiles at me, and my heart constricts. I don’t want to do anything to hurt this girl. That could be why I’ve pushed her away all these years.
“It was wonderful. I need to make time for my friends more often. I’m glad you set this up.”
“Me too. But you can mostly thank Matteo and whatever his good news is.”
I take her hand and pull her to one of the sofas on the deck and sit, pulling her onto my lap. “How are you doing with all of this, Grace? We’ve made a lot of changes in a very short time. You’re going back to school, we’re starting a relationship. Something is happening between us and Liliana. It’s a lot. And that’s without your stalker situation or what we’re facing as a group.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “I’m good. Sometimes it’s all a little overwhelming, and I’m glad you talked me out of adding more classes this semester. But most of this is excellent stuff that is happening. I’m worried for Lili and what will happen to her if things don’t work out the way they should, but I know that a lot of this is out of my control.”
“We’re going to do everything we can for her, butterfly.”
“I trust that. It’s strange how quickly I’ve become attached to her. You’ve known me for a long time. I’m not the type to get attached so quickly.”
No, she’s not. Grace has always been suspicious of new people. It’s a trait we share and could be what bonded us so quickly in high school.
“You two look awfully cozy over here,” Lili says as she saunters up to us with a glass of wine in her hand. “What are we talking about?”
“You, actually,” Grace says.
Lili raises an eyebrow. “All good things, I hope.”
“Of course, Goddess,” Grace murmurs. “We were talking about wanting the best for you and wanting you to be in our lives.”
Lili raises an eyebrow. “That’s delightful. It seems all I’ve done is make a mess of your lives. It wouldn’t surprise me to hear that you’re eager to get rid of me.”
“Stop that,” Grace admonishes. “Just because we don’t know what’s going to happen doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what we have.”
“You’re right. May I sit?”
Lili sits next to me, and Grace swings her feet into Lili’s lap. I drape an arm around her, and she lays her head on my shoulder as she strokes Grace’s thigh.
“How are you, Lili? It sounds like a lot is going to happen in the next few days,” Grace says.
“I’m overwhelmed. When I stormed out of the house and went to the casino that night, I never expected any of this to happen. I thought Finn would follow me and I could cause a scene in public. He would get abusive, and people would finally see him for the monster he is. That seemed like the only way to get out of the marriage safely.”
I squeeze her shoulders as I think of all the ways that plan could have backfired on her.
“In some ways, I’m lucky Victor kidnapped me the next morning. Finn might have killed me by now.”
“That’s enough talk of anyone killing you,” I command. “You know it upsets Grace.”
Lili smiles at Grace and pats her thigh. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m going to be fine, especially with whatever plan Victor and the others are cooking up to help me get divorced.”
I move my arm from around her shoulders and reach for my beer, so she doesn’t see me grimace. That plan may be dead already depending on what Hunter Novak has in mind. Tobias is right that we’ll be expected to fall in line. I’m just hoping he’s come up with something clever.
All of that will have to wait until morning. Luke and Matteo are arguing over how to serve the food, Skylar and Bellamy are laughing about something, and Zara is sitting with Tobias talking in hushed tones, and I’ve got two gorgeous women on the couch with me. It’s a perfect night with family. Deep down, I think we’re all aware it’s the calm before the storm, and I need to soak up as much of tonight as I can with both of these women and the people I love the most.
“Will you two quit bitching and feed us already?” I shout at Luke and Matteo.
“Looks like you’ve got your hands full and don’t need food,” Luke retorts.
I flip him off and Grace giggles. It’s a delightful sound. Finally, they lay the food out on the table we set up on the deck, and invite everyone to dig in. When we have our plates of steak, baked potatoes, and the street corn I added to the meal, Matteo pulls Skylar to the center of the deck with him and reaches into his pocket.
“I asked her a few days ago, but this is the first time she’s seeing the ring.”
“You’re finally getting married?” Bellamy squeals. “How? When?”
Owen pulls her down between him and Tobias. “Give them a chance to tell us, love.”
“Sorry,” she murmurs. “This is just exciting.”
Matteo smiles at Bellamy. “It’s very exciting. We’ve been discussing it and have come to the conclusion that we have to live our lives. I’m going to let Skylar share the details.”
“We’re still going to be strategic about things. My career is important to me, and Matteo staying in the shadows is equally necessary, so we are waiting until some of this mess we are dealing with is cleared up. I’ve been quietly spending time in the studio writing and recording, and I’m dropping a surprise album next month. After that, I’ll go on a stadium tour and during one of my breaks from that, we’ll get married in New York City.”
“Why New York?”
“We’re going to take advantage of the offer of help keeping it secret from some friends of mine. Plus, Luke offered to get the Bowdens involved in keeping things safe.”
Zara’s mouth drops open, and she glares at her husband. “You mean you’ve known about this?”
Luke picks up her hand and brings it to his lips. “Forgive me, Flower. They swore me to secrecy.”
She mutters and pulls her hand away. “It’s fine. I’ll forgive you. This is exciting news.”
Grace leans into me, and Lili turns her face so it’s buried in my shoulder. Even though her marriage is abusive and unhealthy, losing a relationship is painful, and it must be hard for her to sit here and listen to everyone gush about a wedding.
“We get to be the first to hear your new album, right?” I ask, hoping to soothe Lili.
Skylar grins. “I brought my guitar, but I didn’t want to assume any of you would be interested in hearing me play and sing.”
Lili sits up then. “Is the story you tell in Guitar Thief true?”
Skylar beams and looks at Matteo. “It is. Matteo is the thief in the song.”
Lili clasps her hands over her heart. “That’s the sweetest fucking thing I’ve ever heard.”
Skylar laughs. “It’s pretty special. He’s my inspiration for a lot of my lyrics.”
Matteo retrieves her guitar, and we spend the next hour listening to Skylar play new music in the cool desert night air.
When we all move inside so the others can go home for the evening, Tobias and I share a knowing glance. We’ll have to chat with Matteo and Luke tomorrow morning before we can move forward on any of our plans. But we were right to not bring the mood down for Skylar and Matteo. They deserved tonight, and I’m pleased we were able to give it to them.
Skylar hugs me for a long time, and I kiss her forehead. “It’s an honor knowing someone as talented as you,” I say sincerely.
“Aww Victor. Such a softy,” she winks. “I’m proud to have you in my life, and I hope you’ll stand with Matteo at our wedding.”
I look at him and he nods. “It would mean a lot.”
I clear my throat and tell myself it’s just allergies making my eyes water. “I would be honored.”
Skylar hugs me one more time before taking Matteo’s hand. When I turn from locking the door, I find Lili and Grace standing next to each other, holding hands. “Can Lili join us tonight, Master?” Grace asks quietly.
My butterfly wants to play, and I’m more than willing to oblige her.
“Strip, Mariposa,” I command as I offer my hand to Lili.
Grace is quick to obey, lifting her dress over her head, revealing a lack of bra and panties. Of course, she doesn’t have panties at my house, so I knew she wouldn’t have those on.
“Liliana, take Grace to my room and get her warmed up. Do not let her come. I’ll be along soon.”
Lili
It was hard not to think I was intruding on a special moment tonight. The others are such a close-knit family that I was worried from the moment Victor told us they were all coming over. But shortly after everyone arrived, I was right at home with the group. Now I’m holding hands with a very naked Grace, taking her to bed.
My life has taken such a wild turn, that I’m still not convinced I’m not dreaming.
I’m going to wake up back in my husband’s bed and this will all have been a figment of my imagination. But Grace’s hand in mine is not at all imaginary, and the scent of her arousal as I shove her onto Victor’s bed and spread her thighs is as real as it gets.
“Goddess,” she moans as I drag my tongue through her folds.
“Yes, lover?” I ask, raising my head to look at her.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she murmurs, staring into my eyes. “The future may be uncertain, but I’m glad we have right now.”
“Shh. Me too, sweet girl. Me too. Now lie back and enjoy my tongue on your wet little cunt. Your Master wants you soaked and needy by the time he arrives.”
She lays back and groans when I put my mouth on her again. Her slick arousal is smooth against my lips, and the taste of her on my tongue is pure ecstasy. Grace’s hands are in my hair when I sense Victor’s presence at the bedroom door.
“I said warm her up not set her on fire,” he teases as moves closer. The rustle of his suit jacket coming off ignites my own flames, and I want to turn around, but Grace is holding me firmly between her thighs.
“Please, can I come?” Grace begs.
“Not a chance, butterfly. Tonight, you’re going to earn your pleasure. Let go of Lili and undress her like a good little sub.”
Her hands instantly retreat from my hair, and I sit up, wiping my face with the back of my hand.
Grace sits and reaches for the hem of my blouse, lifting it over my head.
She takes the time to fold each item as she takes them off of me.
“Why does Lili get to wear panties?” she complains as she slides them down my hips.
I don’t know my role tonight, so I don’t say anything, and wait for Victor to respond.
“Are you complaining about my decisions, Grace?”
“No, Sir,” she whispers as she kneels at my feet to pull my panties free.
“Stay on your knees and hand Lili her panties.”
Grace offers me the purple lace and silk garment and waits quietly.
“She seems very interested in your panties, Liliana. I think you should let her use them as a gag.”
Gags are a hard limit for me, but I have no problem balling up the underwear and pressing them to Grace’s lips.
“Open, little slut,” I say, dragging a fingernail down her cheek.
She opens obediently, and I cram the lacy garment as far into her mouth as I can. Only a small bit of the purple fabric pokes out from between her spread lips.
“I can think of another place I’d like to stuff these,” I say, tugging gently on the lace.
Her face flames and she blinks up at me.
Victor steps between us cups Grace’s face. “Now you can keep your complaints to yourself, isn’t that right, butterfly?”
She nods pitifully and ducks her head.
“What shall we do with our gagged little toy tonight, Liliana? We can’t fuck her face. Perhaps we should take turns in her ass.”
My body hums as I imagine putting a strap-on around my waist to fuck Grace’s tight ass. “Or perhaps you can fuck her cunt, and I can fuck her ass,” I suggest.
Grace squirms at our feet, and Victor chuckles. “I think our little fuck toy likes the idea of having all her holes stuffed. Get yourself ready and I’ll get her in position.”
“Do you have a strap-on?”
Victor shakes his head. “No. But I have a dildo and some rope. A rope expert taught us how to fashion a hip harness into a strap-on harness if you’ll allow me to put rope on you.”
I grin. “I’ve always wanted to try having rope on my body, but I don’t like the idea of being restrained. This sounds like an ideal solution.”
Victor puts a hand on my hip and pulls me close for a kiss. It melts away any lingering doubt I’ve had about whether he actually wants me here. “I’ll get what we need.”
He turns to Grace and fists a hand in her hair. “You get to watch me, butterfly. What do you think of that?”
Her eyes light up and I am overwhelmed with lust and joy as I stare at the two of them. This is where I belong right now. But it’s hard to ignore the voice in the back of my head telling me it can’t last.