Chapter 54
54
A s he moved within Leslie, Alex marveled at how perfect she was for him. Each stroke inside her was a taste of nirvana, one born from their unique cocktail of pain and pleasure, power and surrender, control and freedom. He'd been with women, yes, and he'd experienced moments of bliss, of connection, but none of that compared to the euphoria that now pulsed through his veins. None of it even came close to the raw, unadulterated bliss of sharing this intimacy, this depth of connection, with Leslie.
The ghost of Mia haunted the fringes of his mind, a specter from a life that felt like it belonged to someone else. He'd tried once, tried to explore these darker, deeper realms of desire with her. But the horror that had dawned in her eyes when he'd suggested it, when he'd laid bare his fantasies of dominance and submission, still haunted him. Her words echoed in his mind even now.
“ I already have monsters around me with my family being who they are, I don't need one in my bed ."
Mia saw a monster where Leslie saw a lover. Where Mia saw fear, Leslie found excitement. He and Mia had been doomed from the start, mismatched pieces trying to fit into a puzzle that was never meant to be completed for the sake of their unborn child. But with Leslie, it was different. With Leslie, he could have it all. Love and this dark desire that hummed under his skin, this visceral hunger that only Leslie could sate.
He didn’t just want Leslie; he needed her, needed the symbiosis of their entwined bodies, their intertwined desires. He reveled in the way she responded to him, the way she arched beneath his touch, whimpered at the snap of the flogger, melted into the mattress when he took control. In this room, in this moment, they were everything each other needed.
Alex plunged deeper, not just into her, but into this new realm of self-discovery. He was no monster; he was a man in love, a man in lust, a man who found his deepest, darkest desires mirrored in the woman he held in his arms.
Abruptly, Alex pulled out of her, and his command was soft, but the authority in his voice was unmistakable. "Flip over," he murmured, pulling back slightly to let her comply. "On all fours."
The sight of her obeying him so readily, of her presenting herself to him in such a vulnerable, exposed manner, ignited a feral desire within him. With her on her hands and knees, Alex got a full view of the alluring expanse of her back, her slender waist curving out to her hips, her thighs, her legs, her pink pussy and ass. He drank in the sight, burning it into his memory for all eternity.
His hands found the handle of the flogger again, the leather cool against his skin, a stark contrast to the fiery passion that radiated off Leslie. As he positioned himself behind her once more, he let the tassels of the flogger trace a path down her spine, a promise of the sting to come.
With one firm thrust, he reentered her, the tight, slick heat of her swallowing him whole. She let out a whimper, the sound swallowed by the quiet hush of the room. Even as he moved within her, the flogger found her hips, delivering a sharp contrast to the pleasure that was building within them.
He flogged her again, this time aiming for her back, watching as her muscles twitched in response. She bucked against him, and he thrust deeper, groaning at the exquisite friction that sent waves of pleasure coursing through his veins. Each strike of the flogger, each jolt of her body against his, was an electric current, sending shockwaves of pleasure through him.
Her legs were next, and the sight of her skin flushing pink under the sharp crack of the flogger filled him with an intoxicating mix of lust and satisfaction. Leslie's moans grew louder, and he reveled in her response, in the way her body moved with him, in the way her moans filled the room.
His voice was a rough whisper, more of a challenge than a question. "Is it too much?"
She glanced at him over her shoulder, her gaze clouded with desire, her lips barely parting to let out a husky "No," before she was overcome. Her climax hit her like a tidal wave, her body convulsing beneath his.
Swiftly, Alex discarded the flogger. His hands now free, they roamed her trembling form. The sight of her spurred him on, his own climax dancing on the edges of his consciousness.
He pulled out of her again, the absence of her warmth around him almost a physical ache. He moved, propping himself in a seated position, his back against the ornate headboard, his breathing harsh. He beckoned her to him, her body supple and willing as she straddled him. With a soft sigh, he entered her again, the familiar heat of her surrounding him in an intimate embrace.
Leslie moved in rhythm with him. His arms guided her, lifting and lowering her onto his cock.
Underneath her, Alex moved, his body rising to meet hers, the friction between them a delightful torture. The feel of her, the taste of her, the sound of her, filled his senses, intoxicating him, driving him towards the edge.
Suddenly, his body jerked, his pleasure rushing through him in an explosive wave. He shouted as his climax shattered him, each wave of pleasure amplified by the sweet tremors that ran through Leslie.
His grip on Leslie loosened, his body gradually coming down from the high. He stroked her flushed face, his fingers running through her tousled hair. Eventually, he helped her off him, his arms providing the support she needed as she maneuvered off his lap. He guided her to the bathroom.
In the warmth of the bath, her lathered her skin with a mild soap.
"You did so well, Leslie," he murmured as he rinsed her off, his eyes never leaving her. "You were perfect."
After washing her off and assuring himself that he hadn’t broken her skin with the flogger, Alex tenderly wrapped Leslie in a plush towel, drying her off with a gentleness that belied his imposing stature. He couldn't help but admire her, his gaze tracing the curves and dips of her body that were littered with red marks, a masterpiece of femininity bathed in the soft glow of the bathroom lights.
Suddenly, Mia’s words echoed through his mind again.
"I already have monsters in my life, Alex. I don't need one in my bed."
His heart clenched at the memory. But as he looked down at Leslie, he felt a kind of solace that had been missing for far too long.
He helped her into her nightgown.
"Alex?" Leslie's voice broke through his introspection. "Is everything okay? Did I... did I upset you?"
He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "No, Leslie. Quite the opposite," he admitted. "You give me something no one else ever could. Mia once told me that she already had monsters around her, and she didn't need one in her bed. It hurt me. And maybe she was right to imply I was a monster given what I later did—”
“You’re not a monster!” Leslie snapped.
“I said maybe, baby girl, but you didn’t let me finish.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and waited.
“I was going to say, maybe I was monster given what I later did, but maybe not, Maybe I’m not a monster because you make me feel human, accepted, loved..."
It was true. She didn't see a monster in him, but a man who was complex, who had desires that may not conform to the societal norm, yet was worthy of love and acceptance.
Leslie's eyes were suddenly bright with tears. "Alex," she murmured, her voice choked with emotion. "I want to give that to you. I want to be that person for you."
“You are, Sunshine. You—”
A knock sounded on their door.
Frowning, Alex kissed Leslie’s forehead. “Let me see who that is. I’ll be right back.”
He quickly threw on his clothes then opened the door. It was one of the monks he’d gotten used to seeing around. He held out a cell phone. “Excuse me, Mr. Samuels. But you have a call.”
A call? Who the fuck would be calling him? No one was supposed to know he was here.
“Thank you,” Alex said as he took the phone. He stepped back into the room, shut the door, then held the phone up to his ear. “Hello?”
“Alex, it’s Luca.”
Alex was instantly hit with a sense of foreboding, a gut feeling that Luca was about to confess something horrible. Bracing himself, he pressed the phone against his ear, ready for whatever news awaited him on the other end of the line.
"How did you know where I was, Luca?"
He looked up when he saw Leslie, still wrapped in a towel, standing close by, her expression cautious. Get dressed, he mouthed, and she nodded, then scrambled to do as he said even as she kept shooting glances back at him.
“You know I always find a way, Alex,” Luca said.
Fuck . That wasn’t good. Because if Luca had found them…
"It’s good to hear your voice,” Luca continued.
"What happened on Caris, Luca?”
"I'm sorry about that. A faction of my men betrayed me. Held me hostage. But I’m free now, back where I belong. Even better, I've made a deal with the Russians.”
The revelation was a blow. A deal with the Russians? The ones hired by Pearson and Anderson?
"The politicians you helped take down are still in jail and are no longer a problem," Luca added, his words triggering a sense of triumph within Alex now. “You and Leslie can safely return to New York."