8. Elise
— ? —
Elise
Two Months Into the Relationship
“You cannot wear that dress.”
I turn from the mirror, smoothing down the black fabric. It’s sleek, elegant, and cut low enough in the back to make a statement. I bought it specifically for tonight.
“Why not?”
Dominic is standing in the doorway of his bedroom, jacket half-on, frozen mid-motion. His eyes are traveling down my body with an intensity that makes my skin flush.
“Because I won’t be able to think,” he says. “I’ll spend the whole night staring at you instead of watching you destroy my brother.”
“That’s the point.”
“The destroying him part, or the staring part?”
“Both.” I cross to him, adjusting his tie. “You look good too, by the way.”
“I look like I’m going to a funeral.”
“You look like you’re going to watch your girlfriend eviscerate your brother in front of the entire tech industry.” I smooth the tie flat against his chest. “Which is basically the same thing.”
He catches my hands. Holds them against his heart.
“Girlfriend,” he repeats.
“Is that - was that too presumptuous? We haven’t actually defined-”
“Say it again.”
“Girlfriend?”
He kisses me - deep and thorough, the kind of kiss that makes me forget we have somewhere to be.
“I love that word,” he murmurs against my mouth. “I love you. I love this dress, even though it’s going to kill me. And I love that we’re about to walk into that conference together and show everyone exactly who you are.”
“And who am I?”
“A woman who survived. A woman who fought back.” His eyes darken. “A woman who’s mine.”
“Possessive.”
“Very.”
“I like it.”
“I know.” He kisses me again, then pulls back with visible effort. “We should go before I ruin your makeup.”
“Who says I’d mind?”
“Elise.” His voice is strained. “We have to leave in five minutes or we’ll be late.”
“Then we’ll be late.”
“Elise.”
I laugh, stepping back. “Fine. But you owe me later.”
“Trust me,” he says, eyes raking down my dress one more time. “I intend to pay up.”
***
The tech conference is everything I expected - sleek, crowded, and buzzing with the kind of aggressive networking energy that used to give me hives.
But tonight, I’m not Connor Reid’s supportive wife, hovering in the background while he works the room. Tonight, I’m a forty-percent shareholder in Reid Technologies, walking in on the arm of the man I love.
Heads turn the moment we enter.
I see the recognition ripple through the crowd, the whispers, the pointed looks, the phones coming out. Of course they know who I am. Everyone knows who I am. The viral video made sure of that.
But I’m not the crying bride from that video anymore.
“You okay?” Dominic murmurs, his hand warm on my lower back.
“Perfect.”
We make our way through the crowd, stopping occasionally to greet people Dominic knows. He introduces me each time - “This is Elise, my girlfriend” - with a pride that makes my chest tight.
I spot Connor before he spots me.
He’s across the room, surrounded by investors, gesturing expansively as he talks. He looks thinner than I remember, tired, like the past few months have worn him down. Good.
And beside him, clinging to his arm like a life raft-
Megan.
She’s enormous now. Eight months pregnant, maybe more, her belly straining against a floral dress that looks uncomfortable. Her face is pale, drawn, and when she sees me, her expression cycles through shock, fear, and something that might be shame.
“Showtime,” I murmur.
“You don’t have to do this,” Dominic says. “We can leave right now. You don’t owe them anything.”
“I’m not doing this for them.” I meet his eyes. “I’m doing this for me.”
He nods. Squeezes my hand.
We walk toward Connor.
***
He sees us coming. I watch his face shift - confusion, then recognition, then fury.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Hello, Connor.” My voice is pleasant, conversational. “Nice to see you too.”
“This is a private event-”
“For Reid Technologies investors and stakeholders.” I smile. “I’m both.”
His jaw tightens. “You’re not welcome here.”
“That’s not really up to you, is it?” I tilt my head. “I own forty percent of your company. That makes this very much my event too.”
Dominic steps closer, positioning himself slightly in front of me. Not blocking me, just present. A reminder that I’m not alone.
Connor’s eyes flick to his brother, and his face contorts with disgust.
“Are you serious right now? My brother?”
“Is that relevant?”
“You’re sleeping with my brother-”
“I’m in a relationship with your brother, yes.” I keep my voice calm, even though my heart is pounding. “But I don’t see why that’s any of your concern. We’re divorced.”
“It’s pathetic.” Connor’s voice is rising now, attracting attention from the people around us. “You’re only with him to get back at me. To humiliate me.”
“Connor.” Dominic’s voice is bored. “Not everything is about you. Though I know that’s hard for you to accept.”
“Stay out of this-”
“No.” Dominic steps forward, and something in his expression makes Connor take a step back. “You had six years with her. You spent them lying, cheating, making her feel like she wasn’t enough. You don’t get to have opinions about her life anymore.”
“She’s using you-”
“She’s with me. Because I actually see her. Because I value her. Because I’m capable of loving someone without destroying them.” Dominic’s voice is ice. “Can you say the same?”
Connor opens his mouth. Closes it.
Megan tugs at his arm. “Baby, let’s just go-”
I turn to her for the first time.
She flinches.
“Megan.” I keep my voice pleasant. “How are you feeling? You must be due soon.”
“I - yes. A few weeks.”
“Exciting.” I pause, letting the silence stretch. “I hope everything goes smoothly. Childbirth can be so unpredictable.”
She stares at me, trying to figure out if I’m being sincere or threatening. I’m not entirely sure myself.
“We should go,” Connor mutters, grabbing Megan’s arm.
“Actually,” I say, “before you do - I wanted to let you know I’ll be attending the next board meeting. As a major shareholder, I have some concerns about company direction I’d like to discuss.”
Connor’s face goes red. “You can’t-”
“I can. I will.” I straighten his tie with mock affection, the same way I used to do when we were married, when I thought that meant something. “So I’ll be seeing a lot of you, Connor. Better get used to it.”
I take Dominic’s arm.
“Enjoy the conference.”
We walk away.
***
In the elevator, Dominic hits the emergency stop.
The car shudders to a halt between floors, and I look at him in confusion.
“What are you-”
“That,” he says, crowding me against the wall, “was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Me talking to my ex-husband?”
“You demolishing your ex-husband. In public. In a room full of people who expected you to crumble.” His eyes are dark, hungry. “You stood there in that dress, looking like a goddamn queen, and you made him small.”
“Dominic-”
“Do you have any idea what that did to me?” He presses his body against mine, and I feel exactly what it did to him - hard and insistent against my hip. “Watching you take back your power? Watching you refuse to be the victim?”
“We’re in an elevator.”
“I know.”
“Someone could-”
“Let them wait.” He grips my chin, tilting my face up. “I need you to understand something.”
“What?”
“You are the most magnificent woman I’ve ever known. And right now, I need to worship you.”
He drops to his knees.
***
“Dominic-” My voice comes out strangled. “We can’t - not here-”
“Tell me to stop and I will.”
He waits, looking up at me from his position on the elevator floor. Dark eyes. Parted lips. The picture of restrained hunger.
I don’t tell him to stop.
“Good girl,” he murmurs.
His hands slide up my thighs, pushing my dress higher. The cool air of the elevator hits my skin, followed by the warmth of his breath.
“You wore these for me?” He traces the edge of my lace underwear with one finger.
“Maybe.”
“Liar.” He hooks his fingers in the waistband. “You wore them because you knew exactly what tonight would be. You wanted me desperate.”
“Is it working?”
“What do you think?”
He tugs the underwear down, not off, just down to my thighs, trapping my legs together. The restriction makes me gasp.
“Can’t spread for me like this,” he observes. “You’ll have to take what I give you.”
“Dominic-”
“Hands against the wall.”
I comply, pressing my palms flat against the cool metal. My heart is pounding, a mix of arousal and adrenaline - anyone could call this elevator, could hear us, could know-
Then his mouth is on me, and I stop caring.
***
He’s not gentle.
There’s no slow build-up, no teasing. He eats me like he’s starving - tongue working in broad, devastating strokes, lips sealing around my clit and sucking until I’m seeing stars.
“Oh god - oh god-”
“Quiet.” He pulls back just enough to speak, his breath hot against my oversensitive flesh. “Unless you want everyone on the ground floor to know what we’re doing.”
“I can’t-”
“You can. Be good for me.”
He dives back in, and I have to bite my lip to keep from screaming.
The position is awkward, my legs trapped together, my balance precarious, nothing to grip but the smooth elevator wall. But somehow that makes it hotter. The vulnerability of it. The surrender.
“You’re dripping,” he groans. “Fuck, Elise, you’re absolutely soaked.”
“Your fault.”
“I’ll take responsibility.” He slides his tongue inside me, fucking me with it, and I have to shove my fist against my mouth to muffle my cry.
The pressure builds impossibly fast. I’m already wound tight from the confrontation, from the adrenaline, from watching Dominic defend me with such fierce conviction. And now he’s on his knees in an elevator, worshipping me like I’m something holy, and I can’t-
“I’m going to come-”
“Do it. Give it to me.”
He sucks hard on my clit, and I shatter.
I manage to stay quiet, barely, biting down on my knuckles as the orgasm crashes through me. My legs shake so badly I nearly collapse, but Dominic’s hands grip my hips, holding me steady while he works me through every tremor.
“That’s it,” he murmurs. “That’s my good girl. So perfect. So beautiful when you fall apart.”
***
When I can finally breathe again, he stands - slowly, deliberately, making sure I see him lick his lips.
“Delicious,” he says.
“You’re obscene.”
“You love it.”
I do. God help me, I do.
He reaches for his belt. I hear the clink of metal, the slide of leather, and my pulse kicks up again.
“Turn around,” he says.
“Here?”
“Here.”
I turn, bracing my hands against the elevator wall. I feel him behind me - heat and presence and the rustle of clothing being rearranged.
“I should wait.” His voice is rough, strained. “I should take you home, do this properly, but I can’t-”
“Don’t wait.”
“Elise-”
“I need you inside me. Now. Please.”
He groans.
I hear the tear of foil. A moment of adjustment. And then the blunt head of him pressing against my entrance from behind.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
He pushes in.
***
The angle is different like this - deeper, more intense.
He fills me in one smooth stroke, and I have to press my forehead against the cool wall to ground myself. Too much. Too good. Too everything.
“Okay?” he asks.
“More than okay.”
“Thank fuck.” He pulls out slowly, then slams back in. “Because I don’t think I could stop.”
He sets a brutal pace - nothing like the tender worship in his apartment. This is raw and desperate and claiming. Every thrust drives the air from my lungs, pushes me harder against the wall, makes obscene sounds echo through the metal car.
“This is what you do to me,” he grits out. “Watching you destroy him - watching you be so fucking powerful - I wanted to take you right there. In front of everyone. Show them who you belong to.”
“Dominic-”
“Do you know how hard it was? Standing there, watching every man in that room look at you, wanting to kill them all for even thinking-”
He punctuates the word with a particularly hard thrust that makes me cry out.
“Mine,” he growls. “Say it.”
“Yours.”
“Again.”
“I’m yours, Dominic - fuck - I’m yours-”
“Damn right you are.”
His hand snakes around my hip, finds my clit, and begins to rub in tight circles. The dual sensation - him pounding into me from behind, his fingers working me from the front - is overwhelming. I’m climbing again, impossibly, impossibly-
“Come,” he commands. “Come on my cock like a good girl.”
I scream.
I can’t help it. The orgasm hits so hard that sound tears from my throat without permission. My whole body clenches around him, and I hear him groan as he follows me over, buried deep, spilling into the condom with a shudder that seems to rack his entire frame.
***
We stay like that for a long moment - him pressed against my back, both of us breathing hard, the elevator humming quietly around us.
“Did anyone hear that?” I finally ask.
“Probably.”
“Oh god.”
“Worth it.” He pulls out slowly, dealing with the condom, rearranging his clothes. Then he turns me around, cups my face in his hands, and kisses me - soft and sweet, completely at odds with what we just did.
“I love you,” he says.
“I love you too.”
“Ready to face the world?”
I look down at myself. My dress is wrinkled. My underwear is somewhere around my ankles. My hair is a disaster.
“Give me a minute.”
He laughs, helping me straighten up, smoothing my dress, fixing my hair as best he can.
“Beautiful,” he pronounces.
“Liar.”
“Never.” He hits the button, and the elevator lurches back to life. “Let’s go home. I believe I owe you a proper round two.”
“We’re up to round four at this point.”
“Then we better get started.”
The elevator doors open. We walk through the lobby like nothing happened, ignoring the suspicious look from the security guard.
In the car, I start laughing.
“What?” Dominic asks.
“I just had sex in an elevator.”
“You did.”
“At a tech conference.”
“Also true.”
“My ex-husband was probably still in the building.”
“Almost certainly.”
I look at him - this ridiculous, wonderful man who dropped to his knees in a public elevator because he couldn’t stand another minute without tasting me.
“I love my life,” I say.
He grins. “It’s about to get better.”
He drives us home.
He’s right.