Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
ROME
Firefly: Hey! I have a quick break and was looking for you. Nothing urgent. Are you in the building somewhere?
That came in twenty minutes ago.
I pick up the blowtorch that sits on the workbench of the cell. Luke’s eyebrows climb. “So soon?”
“She needs me,” I say as I flip it on. “So his time just shortened.”
The man whimpers and shakes his head.
“Come on, boss,” Rocky pleads as blood streams down the side of his head where his ear used to reside. “I swear, I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t know.” I nod, processing what he’s telling me. “You stole one hundred grand of my money, and you didn’t know that was a problem for me?”
“It was fake,” he says, and I shake my head as if I can’t figure out how he could be so stupid. “And I was going to replace it.”
“How? By printing more from my fucking printers?”
I set the blowtorch under his bare foot and listen to him howl. The rest of his crew is standing by, watching, to prove a point.
Don’t fucking steal from me.
I let go and look around at the other ten men who work on the printers. They’re stony-faced. A few look a little green like they want to throw up, but they’ve held it together so far.
“This is what happens when you betray me,” I tell them calmly. “I pay you well. If you need more, you come to me, and we’ll talk. Because if I find out that you’ve taken what’s mine—”
I pull my weapon from behind my back, then turn and shoot Rocky between the eyes.
“You die. Painfully.”
“Yes, boss,” they reply.
“Get to work,” I bark, and they disperse, off to the printing room.
“I thought you’d play longer,” Luke says as he joins me.
“Eloise is looking for me,” I reply.
“I wondered if she was upset,” he says, and I turn all of my attention to him.
“Why would she be upset?”
“Christ,” he says, shoving his hand through his hair. “I thought Julian would have told you.”
My heart thuds faster in my chest. “You’d better fucking explain.”
“The mayor was a slimy asshole,” Luke says, blowing out a breath. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Julian stepped in, got the asshole kicked out, and I assume you’ll be revoking his membership.”
“Immediately. Was she hurt?”
“No, he just grabbed her wrist, but she didn’t invite it, and I hear it rattled her for a second.”
Fuck.
“Get him to the graveyard,” I say, pointing at Rocky. “I’m going to go find her.”
“On it,” Luke says, and I leave the cell, pull my suit jacket on, and ride the elevator up to the lounge level.
When I get to the bar, there’s no Eloise.
“If you’re looking for your girl, I saw her go into the playroom about fifteen minutes ago,” Rita says with a wink.
The playroom?
If anyone has a finger on her, they’ll die.
I’ve already killed one man tonight. What’s one more?
I walk inside, and as my eyes adjust to the dimmer light, I skim the area for my firefly. I’ve almost walked a complete circle when I spot her.
And I grin.
Oh, baby.
She’s standing, legs spread just a bit, hip cocked, arms folded over her chest as she watches Jason work his ropes around Beth.
For Beth being such a tiny woman, he’s done a lot of work on her already.
And based on the way Beth’s eyes are dilated, and the way she’s breathing fast, she’s sitting happily in subspace.
And my firefly is entranced.
I want every person in here to know that she’s mine. And I want to have some fun with her. No one gets to see her bare except for me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make her come with an audience.
I press up behind her, my chest to the back of her head and wrap my arms around her, holding her close.
“You might want to be careful,” she says without looking up at me. “My man could walk in at any minute. He’s kind of scary. You don’t want to piss him off.”
I lean down and press my lips to the shell of her ear. “That’s one, firefly.”
“One what?”
“One orgasm you don’t get to have.”
She sighs and leans into me, not concerned at all, but I’m not lying. At some point, I’ll deny her, and I can’t wait.
Edging is one of my favorite kinks.
Jason nods at me but continues tying his knots over Beth’s thighs. The design he’s working on is intricate and beautiful. I’d love to do something similar to Eloise.
“Can you do that?” she asks, leaning back so I don’t have trouble hearing her above the music in the room.
“I can do this,” I confirm and feel her take a quick inhale when Jason wraps his soft, red rope beneath Beth’s crotch, just to the side of her pussy. “You really love this.”
“It’s so pretty,” she breathes and covers my arms with her hands, holding me to her. “The different colors of the ropes, and the way he knots them. It’s like a dance. I wish my arms could do that.”
Beth’s arms are behind her back, and the ropes are looped from the top of her shoulders to her wrists, where they’re tied together.
“I could put you in other positions,” I say against her ear and pull one arm from her chest, so I can drag my hand down her side and under her skirt at the back.
I’m directly behind her, so no one can see her ass as I push a finger under her underwear and find her soaked.
“Fuck, firefly, you’ve just been standing here and you’re turned on. ”
“I can’t look away,” she admits with a thick swallow, and I push the finger inside her, making her moan low in her throat. The music is loud, so only I can hear her, but I notice that people are looking at us.
Because I never play in here. I’ve never taken a partner to fuck, to use my ropes on, to experiment with. But if my firefly gets off on watching Jason and Beth work this scene, I’m going to fucking enjoy it with her.
And everyone who sees will understand that she’s mine.
“Rome,” she says as she tips her head back on my shoulder, but she’s still watching Jason. Beth’s eyes are glassy and round as she stares straight ahead as if she can’t even see us. She’s so far under Jason’s spell that he’s all she knows right now, and that’s exactly how it should be.
“He’s working her beautifully,” I murmur in Eloise’s ear. “Taking his time with her, making sure the rope slides over her skin before he knots it. She’s on fire for him, isn’t she?”
Eloise nods, and I turn my hand so I can reach her clit, making her jerk in my arms.
“Can you see how wet she is, firefly?”
“Yes.”
“She’s dripping down her pretty thighs. I wonder which part does it for her? Is it the feel of his hands skimming over her skin?”
Eloise pops her ass out, silently begging me to fuck her harder, to press on that magical rough patch inside of her pussy to make her come apart.
And I will.
Soon.
“Oh, look. He’s kissing her shoulder. Has he been kissing her between knots like that, baby?”
She nods and licks her lips. “Yeah. And touching her.”
My girl loves touch.
I press my lips against her neck and start to work her harder.
“Rome, people are watching.”
“Good.”
She glances up at me now, her eyes wide but not scared or apprehensive.
No, those emerald eyes are full of lust.
“I’ve got you covered, firefly. They can only see what I want them to see. And I don’t share this pussy with anyone.”
She bites her lip and goes back to watching Jason, who has just crisscrossed his rope over Beth’s stomach, leaving her navel bare.
I can’t wait to do this to my firefly.
The sooner, the better.
Her fingernails dig into my arm, through my suit jacket, and then she’s coming apart, squeezing the ever-loving fuck out of my fingers and making me hard as stone.
And when she’s finished, I lick my fingers clean before wrapping that arm around her once more.
Jason lifts Beth into his arms, and now that the scene is over, he carries her to a private room, where he’ll likely fuck her and then shower her with aftercare.
Jason is one of the best Doms in this club.
Eloise spins in my arms and hugs me around the middle, then tips her little face up so I can kiss her.
Which I am fucking happy to do. With my finger under her chin, I slant my lips over hers and deepen the kiss until we’re both breathing hard.
“Wow,” she whispers. “I just wanted a hug.”
“Are you okay, firefly?”
“Yeah. The mayor’s an asshole, though.”
I narrow my eyes on her.
“Julian handled it.”
I’ll thank my friend later and have him help me send a message to the mayor of our fair city.
Suddenly, Eloise frowns and looks at something behind me, to my left.
“Something’s wrong over there.”
I let go of her and turn to follow her gaze and watch as a man pulls back with a bullwhip and cracks it across a woman’s back.
She’s strapped to a Saint Andrew’s cross, her back showing, and there are at least a dozen bleeding wounds down her back.
“Some people are into this, firefly.”
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “She’s saying something. Oh my God, it’s Scarlett.”
Eloise runs to the cross, to the front of it, and sees Scarlett’s face.
“She’s screaming her safe word!”
The man pulls back as if he’s going to whip her again, and I wrench it from his hand as I signal for guards to get their fucking asses over here.
“Get him in the cell,” I tell them and recognize that this is the same piece of shit who ignored Beth’s safe word last week. Why he’s here, I don’t know. Loveland should have informed him that his membership was revoked.
What the fuck?
“She’s into it! She doesn’t know what she’s saying,” he cries as he’s dragged away, and I get to work unbuckling Scarlett as Eloise reassures her that she’s safe now.
“We’re here,” Eloise says soothingly. “Oh, sweetie, we’re here. It’s okay.”
“He wouldn’t listen,” Scarlett cries as I unbuckle the last shackle. She falls against me, her legs giving out on her. Careful not to touch her back, I lift her in my arms and hold her by the ass, her legs wrapped around my waist.
“Loop your arms around Rome’s neck,” Eloise says, helping her. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s okay now.”
Scarlett is sobbing. I don’t like holding a naked woman in my arms who isn’t Eloise, but Scarlett can’t walk on her own, and her back is so fucked up, I can’t wrap her in something.
“It’s okay.” Eloise’s eyes shine with tears. She gives me a knowing look that tells me she understands my discomfort but also knows that I’m taking care of her friend, and this is not in any way sexual. “Where can we take her?”
“We have an infirmary,” I reply and gesture to another guard. “Call Dr. Asgood and get her here ASAP. We’ll be in the infirmary.”
“Yes, sir,” he says with a nod, pulling out his phone.
“You have a doctor on standby?” Eloise asks, and I simply nod as I stride toward the small room we’ve made into an exam room for the few moments like this, or if one of my men needs to get stitched up.
There are three beds inside, and I set Scarlett down on the edge of the nearest one so her feet dangle off the side. Since she can’t lie down, I grab a blanket and cover her front with it.
She hugs the blanket to her, still crying.
“I said okra over and over again. I hate that fucking vegetable.” She wipes at the tears on her cheeks and the makeup that’s run down her skin. “He wouldn’t stop.”
“Did you agree to the whip?” I ask her softly.
“No, that’s not my thing,” she says, shaking her head. “He asked if he could use a riding crop and a flogger. I told him I’d safe word when it was too much, and he agreed.”
Motherfucker.
I squat in front of her and hold her face in my hands. My rage has a heartbeat, sending heat through my body. That asshole is going to pay dearly for what he did to this woman. “Scarlett, look at me. I’m so fucking sorry, honey. That should not have happened to you.”
She shakes her head and starts to cry again.
“I’m going to handle this. I have a doctor coming to take care of you.”
Her lips quiver, but she nods. “Thank you, Mr. Alexander.”
“You never have to thank me. It’s my job to make sure you’re safe, and I failed you tonight. It won’t happen again.” I kiss her on the head and stand, then pull the guard aside.
“Michael,” I say to him. “Let Rita know that Eloise won’t be finishing her shift, then get her upstairs to the penthouse. When the doctor arrives, make sure she can get right in to see Scarlett and has everything she needs. Keep me apprised of what’s going on in here.”
“Yes, boss,” Michael says with a nod. “If anyone asks, where will you be?”
“The cell.” I turn back to him. “Oh, and have someone bring me that bullwhip.”