Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
Serena
O n the ride back to Hotel Aureo Firenze, the sexual tension could be cut with a knife. Just a few hours earlier, I had said that places like Eclipse weren’t really my thing. However, my reaction to being in that environment said otherwise. I couldn’t remember a time in my life when I’d been so turned on. The only thing keeping me from crawling on top of Anton and stripping him bare right there in the car was the fact that Zeke sat in the driver’s seat.
The moment we arrived at the hotel, the staff moved like clockwork. The doorman greeted us despite the late hour, tipping his hat as he opened the car door for us. A concierge stood ready, discreetly acknowledging Anton with a respectful nod. Even among the wealthy elite that frequented this place, Anton exuded a presence that demanded deference.
Just as we reached the marble steps leading inside, a flash of light cut through the darkness .
“Mr. Romano!” a voice called out, sharp and eager.
We both looked to see who was speaking. A man clad in a wrinkled blazer gripped a camera with a telephoto lens.
“Shit,” Anton muttered. “Fucking paparazzi.”
“Who’s your date tonight?” the man continued. “Care to comment on?—”
Zeke was on him before he could finish the statement, creating a solid wall between us and the man who had somehow tracked Anton to this place.
He stumbled back as Zeke loomed over him.
“Get lost,” Zeke growled, his voice low and dangerous. The man tried to peer around him to take another photo, but in one violent motion, Zeke knocked the camera out of his hand. Pieces scattered all over the concrete.
I gasped.
“Hurry up. We need to get inside,” Anton advised. He didn’t seem rattled by the intrusion, but his grip tightened around my wrist as he pulled me forward, his pace quickening. I stole a glance at him as we entered the grand lobby, catching the tense set of his jaw and the flicker of irritation in his eyes.
“What was that all about?”
“It’s what Zeke has been warning me about. I just hope that guy wasn’t tracking us from the club.” He exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “Things might have to change in the days and weeks ahead.”
I didn’t ask what he meant by things . I already knew the answer. If I was going to continue being with him, even if we agreed it would only be for a short time, that meant accepting everything else that came with his world—and his world didn’t allow for anonymity.
We reached the private elevator that would take us to the penthouse, I stepped inside and exhaled the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Anton reached for me, placing his hand possessively on my hip. The air inside the elevator suddenly grew tense, but it wasn’t caused by the intrusive reporter. This was something else—something darker that had been left unfinished from the club.
I could feel the heat radiating from Anton. His hand flexed on my hip. It was a reminder that he could touch and take if he wanted to, and that I’d willingly give without question. I wasn’t sure when or how it had happened, but I already knew I’d lost pieces of myself to him.
When the doors opened to the hotel’s penthouse suite, I was awed once again by its breathtaking vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city. The décor was sleek, modern yet indulgent, with deep leather furnishings and gold accents that screamed exclusivity.
I crossed the entryway, barely giving myself a moment to consider my next move before Anton’s presence consumed everything. He seemed everywhere all at once. The energy from the club hadn’t waned. If anything, it had intensified. The unadulterated lust, the restraint, the denied orgasm, and boundaries that neither one of us had a chance to voice all invaded my senses at once.
I turned to him, my pulse seeming to falter at the look in his eyes—carnal, shrewd, hungry.
Anton took a slow step forward, backing me up against the nearest wall, his hands bracing on either side of me. His lips curled in a way that made him look dangerous.
“Tell me what you want, Serena.”
I swallowed, remembering how I’d felt in the club. When I was there, I’d surrendered in the same way the woman in the flames had. I’d given into my desires without restraint, and I wanted to go back to that moment. Lifting my chin with a confidence I didn’t really feel, I looked him square in the eye.
“I want all of it. Do what you said you were going to do tonight. Take the lead.”
“Do you know that that means? ”
My breath hitched, anticipation snapping through me like a live wire.
“Not exactly. But I want to find out.”
“Then follow me.”
My pulse quickened with every step I took toward the bedroom. Anticipation curled low in my stomach, a delicious ache that tightened with each passing second. My breathing became shallow and uneven, half from nerves and half from an acute awareness of what was to come. I wasn’t afraid, but I was on the edge of something I couldn’t define, and every part of me burned to experience it.
When we reached the side of the four-poster bed, Anton turned me to face him.
“Take your clothes off. But leave those fuck-me shoes and thigh-highs on. And this.” He paused, reaching up to touch the ruby heart at my neck.
“The necklace?”
“Yes. I like seeing you in jewels. It will also serve as a reminder that you’re not like me, and I need to take things slow.”
My eyes widened and my already rapid heartrate intensified, unsure what he meant. I closed my eyes.
Trustfall.
This was what I wanted. Reaching up, I tugged at the zipper near my neck. The little black dress pooled at my feet, leaving only my thigh-highs, bra, and panties. Anton eyed me appreciatively. Then he stepped back and pulled his phone from his pocket. He fiddled with it for a moment until music filtered from the wireless speaker on the dresser.
The low, sultry bass of Pleasure by Two Feet pulsed through the room. Each strum of the guitar slid temptingly over my skin, creating a mood not all that dissimilar to that of the club. In just a few short seconds, the air in the room started to sizzle like the wick of a bomb waiting to go off. It was more than just sensual background music—it was a promise and a silent invitation, charging the space until I felt ready to combust.
Anton returned to me, a wicked gleam in his eyes.His gaze skimmed up and down my body, fanning the fire building in the pit of my stomach. I loved the way he looked at me.
“Close your eyes, princess. Listen to the music. Focus on my hands when I touch you. Tonight, I’ll give you more pleasure than you’ve ever imagined.”
Goosebumps prickled from head to toe as he placed his hands on my shoulders. Slipping his fingers under the straps of my lacy black bra, he slid them down my arms with a torturous slowness, before unhooking the clasp in the back. He tossed the lingerie to the floor and began to roll my nipples between his fingers. A jolt of pleasure surged through me, and I moaned under his touch.
“How does this feel?” he asked, pinching each peak harder.
“So good,” I breathed as he continued to squeeze my tight points firmly between his fingers and thumb. He plucked for a moment longer before shifting to capture one nipple in his mouth. I opened my eyes, relishing the feel of his tongue as he sucked and nipped.
Anton stepped back and loosened his silver tie with slow, practiced fingers. I watched him unbuttoned his dress shirt one clasp at a time, transfixed. My mouth went dry as he shrugged out of it, revealing the black ink that swept across his shoulder in bold, complex lines. With his shirt removed, he stood before me with only his slacks and a tie hung loosely around his neck. His skin was smooth and tanned, stretching over hard chest muscles and an abdomen cut like stone. He wasn’t just beautiful—the man before me was magnificently carved raw power.
His hands slid down my belly, making quick work of removing my panties. He coaxed them down my legs, and I stepped out of them. Now I was completely bare save for the thigh-highs, and I was left feeling vulnerable and exposed .
“Get up on the bed. Kneel so you’re sitting on your heels. Then I want you to spread your knees, keeping your thighs open. I want your pussy completely accessible to me.”
Climbing onto the mattress, I did as he instructed. Wild sexual anticipation coursed through my veins as I shifted into position. Sitting this way made me painfully aware of how exposed I was to him. Once I was situated, Anton moved around the bed, removing his necktie as he came up behind me.
“I’m going to bind your wrists now,” he told me. “Bring your hands behind your back.”
Once again, I did as he asked, and he began to loop the silver silk tie around my wrists. He bound me slowly and purposefully. I wasn’t sure if this was his attempt at easing me into things, or if it was a deliberate display of seduction. Whatever it was relaxed me. I wasn’t nervous or afraid, but more curious and anxious for what would come next.
“Are you okay?” he asked after ensuring the knot would hold steadfast.
“Yes. I’m good,” I said truthfully.
Anton came back around the bed to stand in front of me, the lacing of his abs flexing with his every move.
Leaning in so his breath was hot on my ear, he said, “I like you kneeling.”
I considered his words. I’d read enough romance novels in college to know this was the submissive position—or at least a variation of one. I wondered if that was Anton’s kink.
“Are you into the whole Dom/sub thing?” I asked, genuinely curious and also unsure if I could get into that sort of thing.
“Only when it suits my mood. I don’t live the formal lifestyle, nor have I had any desire to. But I do like my women to submit to me in the bedroom.”
“But you like the control,” I asserted.
“Now you’re learning, princess.” He slid a hand down between my legs, through the patch of curls to meet my slit. He growled his appreciation when he found me still wet and began circling his index finger around my pulsing little bundle of nerves.
I moaned when he dipped his finger inside, then brought it up to his mouth to taste me. His onyx eyes burned into mine as he rolled his finger around his tongue.
“I love the taste of you.”
Returning his hand to the sensitive spot between my thighs, his fingers pushed deeper and harder while his other hand reached up to pinch and pull at the rigid peak of one of my breasts. He knew all the right ways to touch me, and it didn’t take long before I was on edge. I began pumping my hips against his hand, welcoming every unholy thing he made me feel, unable to control my burning need for release.
But just like at the club, he didn’t let me come. Instead, he removed his fingers and began a torturously slow circuit over my pleasure button. I throbbed under his touch, swollen and sensitive, the perpetual rhythm driving me wild.
“Anton, please. Get me there,” I begged.
He pressed himself to the edge of the bed, pushing against my knee until I could feel his manhood straining through his pants. The motion of his fingers picked up speed, and I couldn’t take it anymore. My breath hitched, and my insides began to convulse, hitting that coveted shattering point as a kaleidoscope of colors flashed before my eyes.
It took me a few minutes for my vision to return to normal. Tremors coursed through my body, the aftereffects of one of the most intense orgasms I’d ever had.
“Shift up on the bed so you’re sitting with your back against the headboard,” Anton ordered. “You have the sexiest mouth, and I want to fuck it.”
He didn’t wait for my consent, but I had no desire to protest either. Within moments, I was sitting up with Anton positioned in front of me. He gripped the base of his cock with one hand, and the other moved to take hold of the back of my neck. He stroked his thick member, bringing it to my waiting lips.
I ran my tongue around the smooth crown, and he groaned. I took more of him into my mouth, wrapping my lips around his head, and flattening my tongue against the tip. He was thick and soft as his ridges slid back and forth over my lips.
“Oh, yeah. Suck on it, princess,” he said hoarsely. He entwined both of his hands in my hair, wrapping the strands in his fists as he thrust himself deeper into my mouth. I opened my throat, accepting his assault, sucking and twisting my tongue around his thick shaft while he pumped.
He hissed, pulling back suddenly, his breathing ragged. “Fuck, what are you trying to do to me?”
I licked the excess saliva from my lips, giving him a sly smile. “Did I do something wrong? You said you wanted to fuck my mouth.”
“I don’t like that kind of language from you.”
I raised a brow in surprise. “Am I not allowed to swear?”
He pressed his lips together in a tight line, clearly displeased. “Apparently, not.”
“And what happens if I don’t listen?” I was deliberately toying with him now, partly amused by the situation while also wanting to see how far I could push him.
“I might have to punish you.”
“Is that an offer, sir?”
His gaze darkened. “You continue to surprise me, Serena. You’re a complete contradiction. You talk about Catholic guilt like it’s a living thing, yet you let your desires rule you. Which is it?”
“I told you I wasn’t practicing. And after being in that club tonight, I’m pretty sure I’m going straight to hell. No passing go, and I certainly won’t be allowed to collect two hundred dollars. So, if that’s where I’m headed, I want to make sure I live life doing things that make me feel good. And this—the freedom I felt tonight—was like shedding this extra layer of skin I hadn’t even realized I was wearing. If I’m already damned, then let me go down burning.”
He studied me for a moment, as if he couldn’t quite believe what I was saying. And if I was being completely honest with myself, I wasn’t sure if I believed it either. I only knew what I felt at this moment—what I felt for him.
“You are incredible.” Leaning down, he crushed his mouth to mine in a hard, burning kiss. Tearing his lips away, he looked at me through desperate eyes. “I need to feel you. Now. Flip onto your stomach, face down.”
As I shifted onto my belly, Anton got off the bed. I heard the sound of his belt buckle hitting the floor as he removed his pants. There was the familiar telltale tear of packaging, and I knew he was sheathing his length with a condom.
When Anton finally climbed back onto the bed, his naked weight pressed against my backside, and his erection rested heavily between my thighs. Pushing my legs further apart with his knees, he positioned himself just outside of my entrance. With renewed awareness, I yearned to be filled by him.
“Are you ready for me?” he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper in my ear.
“More than ready,” I breathed.
One of his hands moved back between my legs, sliding down my crack. His finger pressed against the puckered hole, testing it for weakness, and I gasped.
“Have you ever been taken here?” he asked, his voice raspy.
“No.”
“It will be up to me how I get to enjoy you, and one day, this too will be mine.”
In that moment, all I could think of was one word.
Possession .
Everything that had happened tonight—from the moment we walked into the club to the way I’d allowed him to take control of my body in this room—was a statement of his claim on me. My body was an erotic buffet that was his for the feasting.
And he was making damn sure I knew it.