Chapter 6
DAMIANO
On Saturday, I stand up from my desk and stretch my back. All morning, I’ve been approving and reviewing new contracts. We have people to do this, and they’ve done their jobs on the first, logical level.
But many of our new clients have come straight from Point Ops. I want to make sure they run solid, ethical businesses. Erich Pointer was a crook, and he associated with other crooks. Nove doesn’t want their business.
After turning down an internet start-up which wants to move its headquarters to South America—likely to take advantage of the people living there—I need a break.
A message waits on my phone. Madison texted me good morning, but her message lacks her usual playfulness. In fact, yesterday’s did, too.
She is probably angry with me for sending guards to her house. I don’t feel guilty about it, however. I can’t feel bad about something I consider necessary for her protection.
However, perhaps I can reassure her in one matter. Ciao bella, good morning. In case you were worried about it, the guards won’t report to me on your actions. They will only report on matters of safety.
I don’t want her to think I’m the type of man who controls his partner’s life. I certainly do not aim to track Madison’s movements or use my men to spy on her in any way.
I only want you to be safe and protected, bella, I add.
I wait for a response, but I don’t even get three little dots telling me she’s working on a message.
Sighing, I leave my office and go down the hall to Seth’s. His door is cracked open, but the force of my knock opens it fully.
He looks up from his screen, clearly annoyed. “Yes?”
“What happened at Thanksgiving?” I ask. “The details, not the overview. I understand that it was a horrible evening for Madison. What I need to know, is why.”
“My parents won’t accept her in our family,” Seth says.
“So? Why should she care about your parents’ opinions? I never had the impression that she would.”
Seth closes his laptop with a loud snap, but he doesn’t say anything.
“There’s something more than a dinner where your parents snubbed Madison.” I fold my arms across my chest and wait.
Seth leans back. The pale November sunlight washes over his face, and for the first time this morning, I get a good look at him.
He looks destroyed. Dark circles beneath his eyes, a gaunt angle to his cheekbones.
In a dull voice, he says, “My parents and their friends insinuated that Kyle was cheating on Madison before he died.”
“What the fuck? Why would they do such a thing?” Even if he was cheating on Madison, what good would it do to bring it up now, five years after the fact?
“They likely hoped the revelation would drive her away.”
“And afterwards?” I ask. “How did you comfort her?”
“I fucked her in the car. Reminded her that I’m in charge, that she can trust me, that I’m on her side.”
“Yet still…” Holding up my phone, I scroll through the past two days of text messages with Madison. “Brief answers to my texts. She initiates conversation, but it is short and to the point. The situation is far from resolved.”
“I agree. I don’t know what other damage control I can do.”
I think back to the last time she seemed happy and carefree. “We could take her on another vacation.”
Seth gives a pointed look at his computer. “We could. Although who would pick up the slack here at Nove?”
I wave a hand in dismissal. “Who cares? We’d find someone we trust to run things for a week in our absence. Our time is better used to remind Madison that we love her and we’re here for her.”
“True. However, I think we should start smaller. She seems skittish. A grand gesture could scare her away.”
“I fucked up by sending our men to her house, didn’t I?” I rub the back of my neck, trying to ease the tension there.
“I fucked up by subjecting her to my parents and their friends.” Seth holds out his arms in a defeated gesture. “We’re both fuck-ups.”
“Let’s take her to Low Vice. Power, trust, balance—perhaps we can reestablish our dynamic and take her mind off whatever your brother may or may not have done.”
Seth nods. “I’m calling her now. We’ll pick her up tomorrow night.”
SETH
Getting Madison to agree to this date was harder than I anticipated. She argued that she didn’t feel like putting herself on display, that she just wanted to be comfortable and stay in.
“I’m worried that you’re angry with us, and that you’re hurting,” I finally said.
“No, I’m not mad at you,” she argued back. “I’m just…thinking.”
“Enough thinking. We’re going to Low Vice.”
Because she wasn’t thinking—she was freaking out.
To a lesser extent, so am I. Although I thought they were too young to get married, I’d fully believed Kyle was besotted with Madison.
And even at the time, I could see why. She was cute, funny, flirtatious.
Although she was far too young for me then, I could also understand her sexual appeal.
To hear he was sneaking over to Eliza’s house in the dead of night—it’s a mindfuck. The Kyle I knew wouldn’t have pulled that shit. If I’m spiraling over signs I might have missed about his character, Madison has to be feeling even worse.
She’s quiet on the drive to Low Vice. I sit in the back seat with her, holding her hand.
Her outfit is also subdued. No dancing servant costume like she wore to the Low Vice masquerade in October.
This time, she’s in a black, knee-length dress.
Her hair is wrapped up in a messy bun. Her make-up is understated, her lips painted a soft pink.
“You look beautiful.” Damiano catches her gaze in the rearview mirror. “Thank you for coming out with us tonight, bella.”
“Thanks.” She gives him a smile. “It’ll be fun.”
She doesn’t sound like she believes it, but we’ll let it slide. For now.
Low Vice is crowded for a Sunday night. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse for Madison’s mindset.
We claim a booth against the wall. Damiano and I sit on either side of Madison, although Damiano first gets us some drinks.
Madison sips her lemonade, thoughtfully watching the Low Vice patrons who circulate through the room, their kinky outfits and power exchanges on display.
Madison can’t stop staring at a woman wearing a schoolgirl outfit who sits on her partner’s lap.
From my vantage point, it appears her partner’s hands are beneath her plaid skirt.
The woman in the schoolgirl outfit squirms in pleasure.
“Does that look like fun?” I slide my hand along her knee.
Madison blushes. “It might.”
I tease her, touching the smooth skin of her inner thigh, but I don’t travel farther up her leg. Not yet. There’s still so much more to see.
Two men set up at the Saint Andrew’s Cross, a big, black X formed of two wooden beams. The dominant partner straps cuffs to the submissive’s wrists and ankles. The submissive, wearing nothing but a thong and a black leather vest, faces the cross with his back to the rest of the room.
Fascination fills Madison’s face as she watches the Dom pull a paddle from his black leather bag.
“What’s he going to do?” Madison asks in a low voice.
“Guess,” I say.
She purses her lips, shakes her head.
“Come on.” I stroke her thigh. “Do you think he’ll paddle his partner’s ass?”
“It’s the obvious answer, isn’t it?” She shakes her head again. “It was a stupid question.”
“Not stupid at all,” I say.
Her lack of confidence is heartbreaking. I had hoped that our interlude in the car would restore that confidence, but perhaps we should have talked more, instead of fucking. At the moment, it felt like the right course.
I feel like a complete asshole.
The Dom whispers something in his sub’s ear. The sub nods. The Dom pulls back his paddle and brings it down on his sub’s nearly-bare ass.
The sub arches against his restraints and groans before wiggling his hips, silently asking for more.
I turn to watch Madison as she watches the scene play out. Her plump lips are parted, and her chest rises and falls with barely-contained excitement.
Damiano leans toward her, nuzzling her neck. Madison licks her lips. I lean over and kiss her. Briefly, though, so I don’t obstruct her view of the man being paddled.
“Is it the restraints that you like the most?” Damiano asks. “Or the pain? Or is it perhaps the display—being disciplined in such a public way?”
Madison looks down, like she’s embarrassed.
“What do you think, bella?” Damiano nuzzles her neck again. He must bite her, because she flinches. He pulls back to ask, “Do you want more pain in your spankings? Should we restrain you?”
“I—I don’t know.” Her breathing is faster now than it was a few minutes ago. “I don’t think so. But I like watching.”
I reward her by moving my hand farther up her leg. She’s warmer here, her thighs pushed together. “Spread a little more for me, Miss M.”
“Yes, Sir.” She pulls her legs apart.
Now my fingertips can trace over her mound, hot and damp through her panties.
I want to lift her up and into my lap. I want to fuck her so hard and so good, she’ll forget everything troubling her about my stupid dumbfuck brother who apparently didn’t know how good he had it.
The fucking idiot was married to a goddess and he still had the urge to step out?
“Watch the show,” I tell her. “We’ll make you feel good. And if there’s anything you want, little girl, you let us know. All you have to do is ask.”
She nods, then gasps as I slide the crotch of her panties aside and stroke her bare pussy.
“Oh yes, you’re nice and wet,” I croon in her ear. “Feel how good that is, Miss M, so slippery and hot.”
She grips my forearm, not to direct my movements, I don’t think, but to stay grounded.
Damiano grasps her other leg and pulls it toward him, spreading her even more. It allows me to move my hand up and plunge a finger inside her.
“Yes,” she gasps.
“More?” I ask. “Do you want to come right here in front of everyone in this club?”
“Please.” She nudges her hips forward. “Yes, please, Sirs. I want to come.”
I stroke her skin, then plunge two fingers into her wet heat. She stretches and squeezes, accommodating the thickness of my fingers, making me wish I was using my cock instead of my hand.
It doesn’t take long before Madison is shaking, her cunt rhythmically squeezing me and tensing with her orgasm. Damiano leans over and kisses her just as she comes, his lips muffling the sounds of her ecstasy.
Madison trembles with aftershocks, her eyes wide while she watches me lick her arousal from my fingers.
Beyond our little booth, the other Low Vice patrons don’t seem to have paid us much attention, although one woman, sitting alone, eyes us curiously.
When a man approaches her, I turn back to Madison.
“How are you feeling?”
“Good.” She grins at me, then Damiano. “That was amazing.”
The words are the right words, but something about her tone sounds off. Damiano picks up on it as well, briefly meeting my eyes before turning back to Madison.
“Do you want to stay longer, or go home?” His voice is laced with concern.
When she hesitates, I realize she’s worried about disappointing us. “Home,” I say. “It’s all right, Madison. You came out with us, we had fun. That’s all we asked of you.”
She nods. “I’m sorry.”
“There is no need to apologize, bella.” Damiano kisses her cheek before standing to help her up from her seat. “As Seth said, you’ve done everything we hoped for. We only wanted to see you, even for a brief while.”
After some quick goodbyes to Betty at the bar, we drive Madison home.
We walk her to the front door. Madison unlocks it, then hurries inside to disengage the alarm system.
Damiano and I follow her in. I already know that we won’t be spending the night.
Madison’s demeanor isn’t standoffish, but she also doesn’t seem to be welcoming, either.
Still, we need to check out the house.
Everything looks to be in place. The living room is tidy, the windows closed. Damiano nods at me after he gives the kitchen a once-over.
“I take it you’d like to spend the night alone,” I say when Madison returns from the security panel.
“If you don’t mind?” Her mouth twists in a regretful smile. “I had fun tonight, it’s just…I don’t know. I’m still kind of messed up.”
“What can we do?” Damiano looks like he’s ready to dig up my brother’s grave, bring Kyle back to life, and kill him again. And while I’d give anything to have my brother back, I might be tempted to help Damiano after seeing how unhappy Madison is.
“I probably just need time,” Madison says. “Maybe there’s a problem that can’t be solved with anything but time. Not talking, not sex, not kink. Just…time.”
I nod and kiss her cheek. “Okay, sweetheart. I think I understand. But we still have to talk, and be together. We’re here for you, but you can’t pull away entirely, got it?”
“That’s fair.” She pulls me into a tight hug, then Damiano. “No pulling away. I promise. As long as you can understand when I need space to think about…well, everything I used to believe about my marriage to Kyle.”
I nod. “I’m struggling with it, too. If he was cheating, he’s not the brother I thought I knew.”
Her brow wrinkles. “You’re right. I never thought of how it would affect you—”
“No. I don’t want you to worry about me. Just worry about you, okay? I’m fine.”
She hugs me again.
Damiano and I return to his car. We’re halfway home before Damiano speaks. “If your brother cheated on her…”
“Yeah.” I sigh. “If he did, he was a piece of shit. Worse, I didn’t even know it. And worse than that, my parents are rubbing Madison’s face in the whole fucking thing. My family’s fucked up.”