CHAPTER 16
Lux’s nerves buzzed with a cocktail of anxiety and excitement as the elevator ascended to Scott’s floor. To ease the growing tension, she cast around for casual conversation. “How did you end up living in Chelsea?” she asked, surprised to find his world orbiting so close to hers.
The elevator dinged at his floor, but it wasn’t until the doors glided open that he answered, taking her hand as they stepped out. “This was my mother’s place. It came to me after she passed.”
“How old were you then?” she asked softly.
“Twelve,” he said with a simplicity that belied the depth of such a loss.
They moved down a hall that was pleasantly scented, a stark contrast to her own building’s aroma. “I often take for granted that I still have my mom, even with our constant button-pushing. I should remember that the next time she drives me crazy.”
“I”d give anything for one more piece of Mum’s advice.” Scott’s voice was tinged with a rare wistfulness as he unlocked the door.
Inside, Lux’s eyes swept the space. “It’s beautiful,” she said, though the word ‘cozy’ echoed silently in her thoughts. Rakes, she assumed, wouldn’t appreciate such a homely compliment.
“I’ve kept most of it as she left it,” he admitted. “I should update it, but parting with her choices is something I haven’t managed yet.”
Lux traced her fingertips over the furniture, her touch gentle as she searched for a connection to his past. “Why did she have a place here, in the States?”
“She was American. Dad gave her this apartment when they married. They wanted a foothold in both countries. It became her haven; now it’s mine.”
“Dual citizenship then?” Lux asked, joining him at the window with its expansive view.
He sighed, the sound laden with bureaucratic frustration. “It should be that way, but my birth certificate is a mess. I’m fighting to fix it. Until then, I’m here on a visa.”
“That explains Frankie,” Lux mused aloud, piecing together the constraints of his situation.
“My stepmother was my first lesson in tolerating the intolerable,” Scott said, a shadow crossing his features.
“Was she cruel to you?”
Scott shook his head. “Not cruel, just…resentful of the son of her rival.”
Lux let out a low whistle. “Sounds scandalous.”
“You could say that.” A smirk played at the corner of Scott’s mouth.
“So your mom married a man cursed to never love her. That must have been a sad arrangement.”
“Not at all. Mom loved Dad and he adored her. Their story, though far from traditional or royally sanctioned, was one of laughter and shared passions.”
“Will you follow in your father’s footsteps and someday get married despite your curse?” Lux pressed, her curiosity piqued. “Or will your tombstone declare: ‘A rakish bachelor until the very end?’”
“That’s a story for another time,” he reiterated with a gentle firmness that nudged her from her historical inquiries back to the moment. “Right now, there’s something more immediate I need to know.”
She locked eyes with him, her pulse quickening at the gravity in his gaze. “And what’s that?”
“As we move forward, are there any lines I should be conscious of not crossing?” His voice was low and serious, underscoring the importance of her comfort and consent.
Lux hesitated, her tone wavering between caution and curiosity. “Like what, exactly? I’m not sure…”
“If you feel uncertain or want to stop, just say so. A safe word is important.”
Her laugh was nervous, a release of pent-up tension. “That’s rather…cinematic, isn’t it?”
“I’m equipped with handcuffs, blindfolds, and yes, even open to providing spankings…if that intrigues you.”
The offer seemed to straddle the line between proposition and provocation. She couldn’t tell if he was earnest or coaxing her out of her shell. And yet, the thought of yielding, even if just a whisper, to the rake’s desires sent a thrill through her.
Taking a steadying breath, she nodded. “My safe word—or rather, phrase—is…” Her voice faltered as if the gravity of the moment was suddenly too real.
He leaned in, encouraging. “Go on.”
She mustered her resolve. “Hell’s fudging bells,” she declared, the phrase that had always signified chaos now repurposed as her anchor.
His laughter was genuine, a rich sound that filled the room. “Perfect,” he said, and with that single word, he acknowledged not just her choice of safe phrase but the unique blend of strength and vulnerability she brought to the brink of their adventure.
Lux couldn’t suppress the grin that spread across her face, buoyed by the richness of his approval. What had seemed like an absolute disaster the night before was now shaping into an encounter charged with promise.
Scott reached out to her, a silent beckoning. “Let’s begin with the basics. Follow my lead, and never forget—you’re in the driver’s seat. Anything feels wrong, you just use that safe phrase.”
Her fingers entwined with his, and she felt a wave of audacity wash over her. “I think you’ll appreciate the choice I made for my underwear tonight.”
His brow creased slightly. “So you considered the possibility of leaving with someone after the gala?”
“Absolutely,” she lied. “Just because you rejected me yesterday didn’t mean I was out of the game. What with my new look and all your flirtation coaching, I’m no longer a nothing to every man I meet.”
“You’ve never been a ‘nothing’ to me,” he said solemnly. “Always a ‘something.’”
She slipped off her heels and set her purse aside. “Did you ever imagine me as your sordid little secret for one night?” The prospect of being in Scott Landshire’s embrace, surrendering to the kind of passion that until now had been confined to the pages of her well-thumbed novels, sent a thrill through her. The woman she’d become under his tutelage didn’t care if the doorman, the elegant woman from the elevator, or the entirety of Chelsea was privy to her indiscretion—though practicality nudged her to hope it wouldn’t reach the ears of those who could sway her professional future.
But the rest of the city…sure, let them know.
“Not until just recently,” Scott said, his nostrils flaring. “But once it lodged in my brain, I admit I’ve been unable to wait for us to go from being enemies to dirty-filthy lovers.”
“Oh,” she squeaked. The way he said those last three words in a gravelly voice turned her on like she’d never been turned on in her life. “Me, too.” Would he expect her to talk dirty to him? She tried to recall some of her recent reads where sex had happened. What had the women said during those sex scenes? Of course, her brain couldn’t recall.
He smiled, as if he knew her struggle. “Tomorrow, we’ll go back to being adversaries hell-bent on beating the other in a winner-takes-all challenge.”
“Exactly,” she said, shaking away the worry. Tonight wasn’t about impressing him with her dirty-talk skills. It was about him impressing her.
Scott swung open the door and stepped into his bedroom. “Luxury, this is my domain. When you’re in here, I’m in charge. Do you understand?”
Lux’s breath hitched, but before she could reply, he pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his, causing the anticipation that had been building inside of her for the last twenty-four hours to explode like Fourth of July fireworks.
“Open your mouth,” he ordered against her lips, pulling her against him.
She did, and his tongue met hers in a heated dance of lust. “Holy wow,” she murmured, feeling him grow hard against her. “Is that all you?”
He chuckled and took a step back.
She took the reprieve to quickly catalog the room. A king-size bed luxuriously done in dark grays; windows with a view of his neighborhood. A fat-bottomed lamp sitting on an end table, giving off a golden glow.
She inhaled to calm her racing heart. The air was thick with the scent of him, a mix of cologne and something undeniably male.
“I’m going to take you to places you’ve never thought to dream of, Doc,” Scott said. “I’m going to make you forget every polite, gentle touch you’ve ever known.”
His words caused her sex to clench and her panties to grow damp.
“You like that idea, don’t you?” He reached out, trailing his fingers along her jawline, a touch that was soft yet promised more. “You want to feel what it’s like to surrender completely to a man.”
Lux’s breaths were now coming in short gasps, her mind reeling. “Yes,” she managed to whisper, her voice betraying the arousal that his words evoked.
Scott’s hand moved from her jaw to her hair, gripping it just enough to tilt her head back. “Look at me,” he commanded. “I want to see your eyes when I take you, when I make you mine.”
Lux met his gaze. “I’m yours, Scott. Show me what I’ve been missing.”
With a growl that was both primal and achingly sensual, Scott once again pulled her close, his mouth finding hers in a kiss that was nothing short of devouring.
Lux melted into him, her body aflame with need, her thoughts consumed by the promise of the bad girl sex she had requested.
The bedroom, with its subtle luxury and shadows, was about to become their world—a world where Lux would discover a new side of pleasure, guided by Scott’s years of experience.
Lux’s lips curved into a coy smile as she pulled slightly away from Scott, the heat of their kiss still lingering between them. “I’ll admit, I didn’t think it would be, but I’m not mad it’s you who gets to take my new panties off me tonight,” she teased, her voice a playful whisper.
Scott raised an eyebrow, his interest visibly piqued. “Is that so?” he asked. “Let’s see if I’m not mad.”
Expectancy hung in the air as he slowly lifted the hem of her dress, his fingers grazing her skin with a touch that was both gentle and suggestive. Lux’s heart raced, the excitement of revealing her carefully chosen lingerie adding to the thrill of the moment.
But when Scott finally unveiled her new unmentionables, he burst into laughter, a deep, rich sound that filled the room.
“What?” she demanded, yanking her skirt out of his hand and smoothing the fabric back over her exposed body.
“Doc, this is your idea of sexy underwear?” Amusement danced in his eyes.
Heat crept into her cheeks. “It’s… Yes.”
“They’re cotton,” Scott said.
“So.” What was wrong with a cotton thong? Too late, she recalled Isabella telling her that the cotton lingerie that had been added to her wardrobe were for day wear. The silk for night.
Scott leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear. “Oh, Doc,” he whispered, his voice a mixture of humor and desire. “With every moment I spend with you, my idea of the perfect woman gets rewritten.”
She tried to be upset, but instead heard herself laugh. “What? Did you just add: must wear silk underwear to your definition?”
“On the contrary. Cotton panties are now my new favorite thing.”
His smooth words—words she believed—sent a new wave of heat coursing through her, washing away any embarrassment. She had him turned on. A thrill of confidence swept through her. Her journey into the world of bad girl sex was going to satisfy his cravings as much as it did her own. “If that’s the case,” she purred, “why am I still wearing mine?”
“Because when I take them off, I plan on enjoying every fucking moment.”
“Oh.” Lux melted into him, letting go and surrendering to Scott’s overpowering charisma as his lips crashed down on hers.
When he pulled away, she whispered, “This is even better than the fantasy.”
“Share with me the fantasy,” Scott whispered, his breath a tender brush against her skin as he turned her around and slowly began undoing each of the buttons that ran down her back.
“We were at a bar. I was perched on a bar stool; you were lounging at a table. Our eyes met, a moment of electric connection, then I shyly looked away.”
“And then what?” Scott asked, brushing his lips against exposed skin.
She giggled, the brush of his lips tickling. “I ordered a Screaming Orgasm, just to catch your attention. When I glanced back, I caught you still watching me, a hint of intrigue in your eyes.” It was easier to weave her fantasy with him behind her, where he couldn’t see if she blushed as she made stuff up. “I shifted, uncrossed my legs, and slowly recrossed them, allowing you to see up my skirt. To know I wore a black cotton thong beneath.”
He groaned, sounding quite appreciative. “And then what?”
“You rose from your table and approached me with the confidence of a man who’d never heard a woman say no.”
“You’ve told me no.” He bit her shoulder as he pushed her dress over it, allowing the material to pool at her feet.
“Without a word, you offered your hand, a silent invitation to an adventure,” she said, as he slowly turned her around so that she faced him wearing nothing but CAKES and a thong.
“And then what” he growled, reaching out to free her nipples.
She swallowed. “We left the bar and took the elevator to the top floor…to the penthouse. While riding the elevator, you pushed me against the wall, slipped your hand up my dress, and my clit rode your thumb.” The last phrase came out sounding awkward. Had she said it wrong? No matter. He didn’t seem to notice. “But before I found my release, the door opened, and you swept me up in your arms and brought me here…to your hotel room. Did I mention we don’t even know each other’s name?”
Scott gently cupped her face, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. “Then let’s make your fantasy a reality,” he said, his voice deep and seductive. “Alone in the room I stripped you of everything but your panties, pushed you against the door, and took your mouth in a kiss that didn’t pretend to be nice.” His mouth crashed down on hers. The kiss hard and delicious. Then he pulled back. “My hand found your wet pussy, and I pinched your clit through your cotton panties causing you to whimper and push against my hand.”
When his hand did what his lips said, she moaned.
“Take your panties off,” he ordered.
“But I’m a good girl,” Lux said, not sure if his command was part of the fantasy or not.
“Not tonight, Doc. Tonight, you’re a real bad girl. Now, take off your panties.”
He cupped her sex, and she moaned. “Yes, sir.” She wiggled out of them and handed them to him. “Now what?”
“Unzip my pants and pull out my cock.” He held her panties to his nose and inhaled.
She fumbled with his belt but did as he said. The anticipation of what would happen next was unbearable, a sweet torment. Lux’s eyes fluttered closed as she felt the full length of him in her palm. “Much bigger than in my fantasy.”
He groaned, and his lips crashed down on hers, moving with a purpose that sent waves of heat coursing through her body. Lux leaned into the kiss, her hands finding their way to his chest, feeling the unsteady beat of his heart under her fingertips.
Scott deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing her lips before delving inside, exploring her mouth with a fervor that mirrored her own growing passion. The kiss was a dance, a perfect synchronization of desire and response, as if they were two parts of a whole that had finally found their match.
Lux’s world narrowed down to the sensation of Scott’s lips on hers, the taste of him, the feel of his body so close. The room, the outside world, her own doubts—all of it faded into insignificance in the wake of the overwhelming sensation of being kissed by him.
When they finally broke apart, breathless and flushed, Lux looked up into Scott’s eyes, and saw in them a reflection of her own desire and excitement. “It’s your fantasy now,” she said. “What happens next?”
He walked over to the bed, grabbed a pillow, and brought it back to where she stood. He dropped it on the floor.
“I don’t under—”
“Shut up, kneel on the floor, and take my cock in your mouth like a good little girl,” he ordered.
His demand shattered her every thought of how this night would play out and replaced it with an image of reality. A dirty, filthy reality she was absolutely into. Had been since the first time she’d read a book where a variation of that order had been given by the dark hero. Ask any smut reader what the acronym S.U.G.D.O.Y.K.A.S.M.D.L.A.G.L.G. stands for, and they’ll tell you: ‘Shut up, get down on your knees, and suck my dick like a good little girl.’
Lux dropped to her knees. “As you wish, Your Highness.” She took a moment to familiarize herself with his cock. As cocks went, it wasn’t one to be ignored. Sure, she’d read about ones this big, but she’d never experienced one up close and in person. So…much…cock. She grazed her palm around it, and he hissed. “Do you like that?” she murmured.
He leaned forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, bringing his cock that much closer.
She leaned forward and put the tip of him in her mouth, teasing him with her tongue. His hands tightened on her shoulders. “I think you like that,” she whispered against him, adding impishly, “I already grieve the day it falls off.”
He fisted one hand in her hair. “I’d like it even better if you’d stop talking and took all of me into that dirty little mouth of yours.”
The knowledge she could drive him crazy made her lightheaded. Licking her lips, she slowly slid them down his length, inch by magnificent inch—pausing at one point because…well, it was a lot of cock to swallow. Once her throat grew accustomed to something touching the back of it, she began sliding his cock in and out, all while stroking him with her hand. The pressure of his fingers in her hair let her know when she did something particularly well…like take all of him. And when she blew on him. And when she licked the length of him.
Suddenly, his hands were on her arms, and he was pulling her up and kissing her.
“But I haven’t made you come yet,” she complained.
“Fuck my mouth with your tongue,” Scott said against her lips.
She obeyed, causing him to groan.
The lust between them sizzled the air with the heat it conducted. She’d never known it was possible to want a man so badly as she did in this moment.
“What do you want, Doc?” he asked against her lips, his voice a gravelly whisper.
The question dazed her. Never before had a man asked her that question, and for it to be a rake of all men… Tomorrow, next year, on her death bed, she’d have to reformulate her definition of a rake, because a man who asks you what you want couldn’t be irredeemable. “I want—” She started to say to be made love to. But that wasn’t dirty. That was vanilla. “You to fuck me.”
Those words coming from her lips simultaneously took her breath and empowered her. Why not tell a man exactly what you want to feel good?
Scott’s lips curled, and he made quick work of undressing and retrieving a condom from his billfold.
She smiled. “Always prepared.”
“I’d be a fool not to be prepared for this moment.”
“And what moment is that?”
“One of life’s pivot points.”
She blinked, and not because he suddenly had her in his arms and was carrying her to his bed. “Yours or mine?”
He dropped her in the middle of the massive mattress. “Mine.”
“Like—”
Her question faltered when he straddled her and settled his buttocks on her hips, his erection large and proud. “You were asking?” He leaned down and placed a kiss in the curve of her neck.
“What kind of pivot point?” she gasped out as his lips traveled down to her breasts.
“The kind that changes everything.”
He circled her nipple with his tongue and either her eyes closed involuntarily, or Manhattan had a momentary power outage.
“You think it will be that good, do you?” she murmured.
He raised up on his elbows, his beautiful eyes smoldering with heat. “The moment you first took me to task over one of my articles, I knew if the day ever came that I had the pleasure of pleasuring you, my world would be forever tilted toward the sun.” He slid down her body and landed tiny kisses on the inside of her thigh.
“Wait. You thought about this way back then?” The mere idea caused her to swoon. But then her brain reminded her of the game at hand. “Or are we still role-playing?”
He didn’t reply.
“Never mind. Dumb question.” His pivot reply had been nothing more than the perfect thing for her fantasy man to say. Nothing more.
“You’re thinking too much,” he said, moving his kisses upward.
“Or I’m not thinking enough.” She let go of the bedding and tried to think. To remind herself this was a one-night thing. “We’re just a couple of adults, having a dirty one-night-of-role-playing stand.”
“The only role I’m playing is that of a man lusting for a really, really bad girl.” His tongue emphasized each really by licking her clit.
She put her hands in his hair. “Oh baby,” she moaned. “I’m not just bad. I’m naughty.”
Her confession was rewarded with long languid licks, and sharp flicking licks, and licks that unglued her ability to do anything but writhe in hot, wet pleasure.
“Being naughty is so much fun,” she panted out. “I’ve never come being tongued.”
He sat up and settled his penis against her opening. “Naughty girls aren’t allowed to come until they’ve been punished.” With those words, he slid inside of her.
The air whooshed out of her lungs. “Holy mother of happiness, I’m so glad that thing hasn’t broken yet.”
He gave a half grunt, half chuckle. “I’m serious. Punishment first, then I’ll give you a holy-mother-of-happiness orgasm like none you’ve ever had. Do you understand?”
Yes, please.She pushed and wiggled against him. “I’m feeling so punished right now. Please, punish me more.”
“Not this kind of punishment,” he said, slowly thrusting.
“Then what kind?” she asked.
“The kind that leaves a red mark on your ass before you’re allowed to come.”
Her body shouted yes, please! But her brain wasn’t on board. He was, in the light of day, the enemy. “Nope.”
“Yes.” He continued thrusting at such a delightful angle she was pretty sure she was going to come before their argument resolved itself.
“What if I come anyway?” she managed to ask.
He stopped moving. “I’m in charge. You will only come when I say you can come. Do you understand?”
She moaned. And considered her options. Play by the rules, use her safe word, or have an orgasm and not let him know. She decided on the last option. “Fine.” Only he must have known her decision because he chose that moment to pull out.
He sat up. “Lay across my lap.”
She swallowed hard. “Are you serious?”
“Look at my erection. Do I look like a man who wanted to interrupt sex to punish a very naughty girl?”
Now that she knew what punishment entailed, she bit down on the urge to make another joke. “No—”
He stuck a finger inside her and then ran his wet digit over her clit. “Nor do you feel like a woman who wants to argue instead of taking her punishment so we can resume our night of pleasure.”
She huffed, sat up, and lowered herself over his lap. But only because he’d made a valid point.
His hand palmed her ass, and she squeaked.
“I haven’t done anything yet,” he said.
“If you let me skip the punishment,” she bargained. “I’ll play the part of your naughty Cinderella that you whisked away from the ball and let you come in my mouth.” Thank God he couldn’t see her face. Just saying those words made her feel…on fire.
He jerked. “Doc, as tempting as that is, I want to come in that tight little pussy of yours.”
Before she could respond, he spanked her ass, and she cried out. “Fuck.”
“Do you want to use your safe word?” he asked.
Once the initial shock wore off, she realized something. If she’d been turned on before, she was really, really turned on now. Who knew getting spanked could feel so damn sexy? “That wasn’t very nice,” she said in a pouty voice. “I wasn’t done bargaining.”
He spanked her again.
She groaned.
He spanked harder.
Her sex quivered in delight. “Now I feel the need to be extra naughty just to prove a point,” she said, practically begging for the spankings to continue.
The next spank startled her with how hard it landed.
“Ouch.” She scrambled off his lap and glared at him. “That one hurt.”
“Jesus Christ, Lux,” he said, pushing her back onto the bed. “You can’t say something like that to a rake and expect him to respond like a prince.” His mouth came down on hers in a hot, demanding kiss, while his hard cock slid inside of her, causing her to gasp.
Her last thought before she came the first time, but definitely not the last time, was that he’d called her Lux. Not Doc.
He was as rattled as she was.