17. Chapter Seventeen #2
I bow after I’m done with my audition. Camille stands up and claps for me. After a beat, the rest of the girls follow. “That was stunning, Lana. Truly. I mean it.”
I can tell that Nikolai didn’t buy her off this time. I earned this of my own accord. Finally.
The last tiny bit of weight on my shoulders dissipates. “Thank you, Camille.”
“I’ll announce the results after tomorrow. We have one more show to do of Swan Lake, girls. Let’s make it count.”
The energy in the theater is ablaze tonight. The last show always feels different. There’s relief that things went well but there’s also disappointment it’s ending. Bittersweet. I remember Claudia would always brag about how well she did after every show. I never thought I’d miss it.
A knock at my dressing room door makes me smile. Nikolai. “Come in.”
Except, it’s not Nikolai. It’s my family.
“You came,” I breathe out. I wasn’t sure if they would.
“Of course we came,” Mother says, looking my dressing room over. “It’s your final show. We always come to your final show.” She sniffs. “This room could be bigger though. I mean, you are the lead after all.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Elena says.
“Elena, be quiet,” Father snaps.
My chest squeezes again. My father has that way about him. “She was just voicing what’s on her mind. She’s allowed to do that.”
“We’ve heard that you’ve done well,” Father says. “It’s the only reason we came. To keep up appearances. But after this, we’re done.”
I suck in a breath. “What do you mean… done?”
“This is the last show we’ll come to. I don’t need you embarrassing us further. So don’t embarrass us tonight. Come along.” He heads out, my mother following.
Elena looks utterly dejected as she leaves the room.
Adriana remains. “I still can’t believe what I saw. I didn’t even want to come tonight but Father insisted.”
“Why are you so angry with me?” I snap at her, smacking my hand onto the vanity table.
She scoffs. “Like you don’t know.”
“I don’t know. So tell me.”
“You left us,” she snaps in return. “For some guy who controls you. You should have ran away at least. I could have respected that. Instead, you seem to like that your husband controls your life. I always looked up to you and now… now you’ve only disappointed me.”
Adriana’s admission shocks me. It’s something she has never voiced out loud before. “I… didn’t know.”
“I thought it was obvious,” she mutters.
“Well, it wasn’t. I didn’t know, Adriana. But you don’t know what I’ve been through. I married Nikolai to save your life. Yours and Elena’s.”
“How is letting him touch you like that on the very stage you’re going to perform on tonight saving our lives?”
I shake my head. “You don’t understand.”
“No,” she says, raising a hand to stop me when I take a step towards her. “You don’t understand. You left us with him.”
“With who?”
“Father.”
I huff. “Your Father’s little princess. He treats you better than anyone in that house. You can’t be this miserable. You’re just acting dramatic. Stop it.”
Adriana flinches and steps away from me. “You don’t know anything.”
“And neither do you. So stop judging me.”
Adriana lets out a gasp and runs from the room. I sink into my chair, breathing heavy. Adriana and I have always been at odds with each other. I was too icy cold and she’s always been too fiery hot.
Another knock at my door makes me gasp. This time, it is Nikolai. “Are you all right?” he asks, shutting the door behind him.
I let out a sob and run into his arms. He doesn’t hesitate to hold me. Comfort me. I know I love him.
“What happened?” he asks.
“My family.” That’s all the explanation he needs.
“Don’t let this ruin your night, sweetheart. I want to see you put on the best show of your life. Why don’t I make you feel better? I was going to claim you after the show but I can do it now instead. Let me take control. Let me help you.”
I look into his eyes and all I find his warmth. “Yes,” I practically cry. “Help me. Take my pain away.”
He turns me to face the vanity table. “Brace your hands on the table and look into the mirror.” I do exactly as he says.
He rips my tights and panties down. I shiver in the cold dressing room with only my shirt on.
Fortunately, I hadn’t put my costume on yet or Nikolai probably would have ripped another one.
Nikolai meets my eyes in the mirror before he spanks me. Hard. I cry out. The pain radiates through my body, entering my mind. It helps calm me. What I need is Nikolai’s steady hand.
He spanks me over and over, each time harder than the last. His dominance. His control. It’s exactly what I need and crave and feel desperate for.
I let myself cry out with each one. The sound of his hand colliding with my backside is loud in the quiet room. I’m sure other people can hear outside but I don’t care. Not when it’s just me and Nikolai.
“You needed this, baby?” he growls. “My hand on your ass, making it all red and sore. You needed pain.”
“Yes,” I moan. God, it hurts so good. I arch my back, bringing my backside closer to him. He spanks me harder and harder. Each one leaves me breathless. This is going to make dancing harder for me tonight but I don’t care. I welcome the challenge. “Please, Nikolai. Take me. Please.”
“I should really wait after the show.”
“Please!”
“But I do love to spoil you, don’t I?” He unzips his pants and pulls his cock out. It’s already hard… for me. He lines it up to my entrance. “I will take you hard tonight. You better dance with perfection to show me you deserved this.”
“Yes,” I moan, dropping my chin to my chest.
He thrusts into me.
The sensation of his erection filling me up is almost too much to bear. I can’t even breathe for a moment.
Nikolai grips my hips and fucks me like a madman. Each thrust is hard and deliberate, silently telling me that I’m his over and over again. I push my backside closer to him, matching his pace. My hands grip the table so tight my knuckles turn white.
“Oh,” I gasp. “Nikolai. Oh!”
Our eyes lock in the mirror as he claims my body. I needed this more than I needed air. I’ll always need him and I’m not going to pretend any longer. I’ve embraced my husband’s darkness. I have darkness of my own.
No more worries. Just him and me. That’s the only thing that matters.
My inner walls clamp down onto his cock as my orgasm rips itself through me. I slump onto the table as Nikolai thrusts into me once more, finding his own release. Without a word, he pulls out of me and turns me around.
I gasp when he picks me up and sets me on the table before spreading my legs wide. The sight of Nikolai kneeling down before me makes me shiver. It’s power in its rawest form. He places his face between my legs and licks all over my folds. He’s cleaning me up. Soothing me.
My hips buck into his face as his lips wrap around my nub. He knows exactly how to flick it and pleasure it, rolling it around. My wetness is gushing out of me, coating my inner thighs and Nikolai’s face.
“Nikolai,” I moan, gripping the back of his head. I want to hold him in place. The last thing I want is him disappearing.
He licks me harder and harder, letting out low growls as he does it. Goosebumps break out on my skin. God, I love this man. I love him. I love. Love…
I cry out as my second orgasm hits me but Nikolai doesn’t stop. He continues to lap at my pussy, like he can’t get enough of me. My head drops back against the mirror. My hips arch into his face. My breath comes out fast and airy.
I fully let myself go as Nikolai claims me with his mouth.
He grips my legs and parts them wider, eating me out more. I didn’t even know it was physically possible to get closer like this. God…
His tongue slips inside of me and thrusts in and out. I moan, arching my body. My inner thighs are trembling. My backside is sore from his spanking so every rock of my hips on the table sends a jolt of pain through me but I need it. Pleasure and pain. It’s the only way for me.
“Nikolai,” I gasp. I let myself go. Nothing else matters.
When his tongue flicks over my nub again, I know I can’t hold back any more. I let my third release wash over me. My body is spent and tired and I still have a performance to put on.
Nikolai pulls back, giving me a smug smile, before he kisses me deeply. I can taste myself and I moan, melting into him.
“There,” he says, stepping back. “You should feel better now. Make me proud tonight, sweetheart.” He closes my legs and helps me onto my feet. “You need to get dressed.” He gives me a wink, fixes his pants, and then leaves the room.
Instead of fighting what he did to my body, I use it to help me find strength. I get into costume and head out, ready to put on the show of a lifetime.
Camille finds me before I can go on stage. “Lana, I wanted to let you know that you got the lead role in Romeo and Juliet. You’re Juliet.”
Never has my smile felt more sincere. “Truly?”
“Yes. You earned it. I wasn’t going to make you wait for tomorrow. Put on a good show tonight. Let’s finish this with a bang.”
My heart feels the most light it’s ever been as I dance on stage. I show passion and yearning and love all rolled into one performance. I can feel Nikolai’s eyes on me.
But I also feel my parents’ eyes. Their judgement and critical assessment of me. I am going to prove to them that I deserve this role. I’d like to watch my father try to be ashamed of me after this.
I dance harder than I have any night. So hard that I’m breathless by the end. But it does end and the moment I take my bow and hear the cheers of the audience, I know I put on the greatest show I’ll ever manage.
When I stand up, my eyes catch my father’s. He gives me a nod. It’s the most he’ll ever do for me. Adriana isn’t in her seat. In fact, she’s nowhere I can see.
I head off stage and back to my dressing room to find Adriana there. “What are you doing in here?”
Her spine stiffens. “I wasn’t ready to be done talking with you. And I knew the moment the show ended, Father would make us go home.”
“Ok.” I cross my arms. “What did you want to talk about?”