19 Serenity
“I really could’ve done this by myself.”
“Oh, hush,” Laci says from the backseat. My eyebrow twitches from the passenger seat, wondering if this is what it’s like when you have people that care about you.
It’s almost nice. But the feel of so many people watching out for me is suffocating too. It’s different from the people that follow me for information on Dad’s newest case, or even the ones that used to find out I’m related to Jo and wanted some gossip about what happened.
This is… centered on me. And it’s freaking me out.
“Friends are supposed to help you,” Myla agrees. David’s car is in this parking lot, which she pointed out when we arrived. Laci told me Milo isn’t here yet, and I’m betting Russell will show up soon.
Not because he works, but Anita shrugged and said he can track her with his phone. It’s not really that surprising, but she gave me a mischievous smile and said she can track him too. It’s supposed to help when they take their pleasure outside, and I didn’t even ask what that means.
Staring at the door to the club, I watch Chad as he continues to yell at the guard. I don’t know Drake well, but when Laci spotted him by the door she started laughing, saying Chad’s well and truly fucked.
Chad isn’t talking loud enough for us to hear, but Anita adamantly refuses to get any closer. I wanted them to take me back to my car, which I think is still abandoned in the parking lot of Feel Good. I’m starting to wonder if it’ll get broken into or towed sitting there all night.
Instead, Chad responded to the email I sent on a whim, deciding that even though Emeric claims to have dealt with the problem, I want Chad to know the dismissal email came from me. It’s like a final jab, but he blew up and started messaging the email on repeat before he said he was coming to the club.
That’s about the time Anita showed up with her friends. She spent a few minutes checking me over, refusing to drive anywhere until she was satisfied despite Chad’s rant. When she finished, the four of us piled into her car and drove over here.
“I’m betting Emeric decks him again,” Laci says, and I turn back to study her, my neck already hurting from swiveling between the two. Of the three women in the car, I’ve spent the least time with her despite seeing Emilio the most at the hospital. I can imagine she gets herself into some trouble. “What do you think Myla?”
“Don’t bet on this,” I snap, but my attention is severed when loud voices catch my attention. Turning back to face the door, I notice that Emeric’s showed up with - oh, Callie. That can’t make things any better.
According to Laci, Drake has excellent aim when it comes to shooting. Our guards don”t carry guns, but she seemed pretty convinced he could kill someone with his bare hands if a gun isn’t available. I was almost worried about that until Nate appeared, and now my biggest concern is Emeric.
Not because he can’t handle himself, but I’ve never had someone fight this hard for my side of things. I don’t want him getting into it with Chad, not like this, but there’s no stopping what I set in motion.
I think of his hands, the knuckles busted and bruised from defending me. And I didn’t even know at the time that he was already inserting himself further into my life. He didn’t have to look for me when I ditched him at work, but he did anyway.
“Chad’s an idiot,” Myla continues. “I know he gave my ex all his bad ideas. I’m sure he wasn’t kind to you either.”
The air in the car simmers with tension, and I’m regretting ever letting Chad into the club. Emeric didn’t like him, but at the time I didn’t think Emeric liked anyone.
My phone buzzes, and I glance down to see yet another call from my father. He’s trying to be apologetic, but I don’t know if I can handle him yet. Mom has messaged too, but that’s something I haven’t even bothered to look at yet. There’s no telling what she’ll have to say on the matter, or if she even knows about it.
I want to get out of the car to listen to what’s being said, but if I get out, I’ll make matters worse. Chad’s swollen face and gauze-wrapped nose tell me Emeric delivered more of a beating than I realized.
Anita didn’t even think I should come here, but I wanted to see. Laci was on my side for that, saying it’s nice to see what happens when people get what they deserve.
I don’t really know what that means either, but she’s on my side so I didn’t fight her.
As I watch, Emeric gestures to Chad, making a motion like he needs to leave. Callie leans against the wall behind him, looking more amused than concerned, and for an instant my eyes flicker to Nate.
Oh yeah. Even if Chad somehow got through Emeric, I think Nate’s the type to snap his neck and be done with it. He’s casually relaxed, standing closer to Drake than to Emeric but still in front of Callie, and I can’t help wondering which of those three men is the scariest.
Maybe it depends who they are defending.
Chad’s swinging his arms but I can’t imagine him winning anything today, not after the beating he so obviously took the night before. When he lunges forward Emeric shoves him back and my worry spikes, wondering if they’ll get in another tussle.
Chad pushes back but his movements are off and Anita blows out a breath beside me. “His face is so messed up. I bet he just got discharged. See the stagger? He likely has a concussion and should be home resting.”
“Nita,” Laci says from the back, leaning forward until her head is between us over the console. “Are you pitying him?”
“It’s just that I can tell he’s messed up,” Anita defends, glancing at me and then away. “This was always a losing battle for him.”
“No,” Myla replies, a laugh bubbling up when she speaks. “It’s a loss because he’s trying to claim someone that isn’t his.”
Three sets of eyes peer at me, and I feel the weight beneath their gazes. Is it that transparent, or do they only know the truth because of what they’re witnessing right now?
Chad’s voice barely carries over the sound of traffic behind us, and he’s yelling pretty loud to be heard over here. “...it easy! She wanted it you-”
It’s the only thing I’ve been able to hear, and it’s the last thing Chad says. Emeric shakes his head as Chad’s talking, and when he says those fateful words, Emeric grabs his collar and slams him down into his knee.
The car is like a movie theater, and the three passengers groan. “Oh! That had to hurt!”
But I’m barely paying attention to what Laci says. I watch Chad stumble back, and then Nate is talking to Emeric. His hands are in his pockets, so he’s not getting into a fight, but he is stopping him from doing anything more.
My heart slams in my chest, watching the ordeal. This is all because of me.
Chad is several steps away now, Emeric still talking to him. I’ve never thought about what it takes to ban someone from the club. It hasn’t really come up since we started managing SS. There’s some issues amongst members but nothing as explosive as this. If Chad’s gone and harassed other members, no one’s brought it to our attention yet.
My mind drifts off. I’m going to have to send out another mass email. My cousin will want to hear all about it -
My phone buzzes, and I sigh when Vienna’s name pops up. I’m not meaning to ignore her, but I don’t know what to say after the blowout with Dad. He’s even more stubborn than I am, and if I show even a little weakness or regret he’s going to jump on that.
So just like my Dad’s messages, I leave her message unread.
A car door slamming distracts me, and I glance back towards the club. Chad is gone, his headlights flashing as he turns towards an exit, and Emeric and Nate look to be arguing. I watch as Chad’ car tears out of the lot, the heaviness in my chest never lessening.
“Uh, I think Nate noticed us,” Laci says from the back as Nate gestures to the car, and I think he might even be smirking. Emeric is staring at us, and if I didn’t know better I would believe he could see me through the windshield.
I swallow. It’s not as though I’m going to get in trouble, but it feels like he’s going to reprimand me now. He makes a gesturing motion, holding out his hands, and I have no doubt he knows I’m here.
“Whoops,” Anita grumbles, and I snap my neck around to glare at her. “My bad.”
“Yeah, seems like I’m the only one that’s about to hear about this,” I grumble, pointing towards the doors, and she takes the hint and turns the car on.
The three of them lapse into silence as we cruise over, and it gives me a moment to study each of them. I’ve never had friends like this, and after last night I didn’t expect to have one woman, let alone three, who would listen to me complain about something I essentially walked into. But they’re all non- judgmental and that’s what I need right now.
When we pull up and Callie spots me, she shoots me a wink and loops her arm through mine as soon as I step out. The trio stays where they are and I realize that without a partner, they might not be interested in staying here.
I wonder what that’s like. I’m not saying Emeric is my partner, but he’s almost always here when I am. I’m not alone…
It’s a strange feeling.
“You know,” Emeric says, catching my gaze, “sometimes people actually take the day off when it’s offered.”
I scowl up at him as I approach. He didn’t get into another fight with Chad, that’s something I can be grateful for. But the anger radiates off of him in waves, and it’s all because of the problems I dragged into his life.
I didn’t know Chad would be this big of an issue. And I had no idea my dad would respond so poorly.
Well, that’s not true. He’s always been bad at hearing about anything happening with me or Vienna.
Emeric badgers me again when I grow silent, getting lost in my thoughts. “You sent the severance email. You couldn’t wait for me to do that formally after we opened? Nate took care of closing out his membership and alerting security. The email was going to go out either way.”
I shrug. “You were going to do it. I needed to.”
He sighs, and the group watching us doesn’t budge. I’m sure we’re highly entertaining. There’s tension in his shoulders, and when he leans a little bit closer I can feel the charge in the air between us. “We have an hour before the club opens. Get in here.”
I perk up, tugging the sleeve of my cropped hoodie as I follow him inside. We’re already making a scene, and going into details about my wrist with yet another group of people doesn’t sound like something I want to do. Bypassing everyone, I jog to keep pace with Emeric, who looks ready to lose his damn mind.
We always go upstairs. Always. Except the day he caught me in the curtains and dragged me onstage. I’ve explored the club when giving tours but personally, I haven’t played hardly anywhere inside the building. Now Emeric pivots to the theater, bypassing the door to the office entirely, and heads for the stage.
I falter, unsure what we’re doing down here. “Emeric?”
“I’m not hiding upstairs where someone can mistake what we’re doing,” he snaps, and I give in and follow him closer to the stage. “This is ridiculous, Serenity.”
“I agree-”
He spins, catching me off guard when he stops just before the stage. Our bodies are close enough he can catch my chin between his fingers, and I roll on the balls of my feet when he pulls just a little. “You’re mine, little one.”
My mind bounces all over, trying to decide if he’s angry with me or turned on. The flippant change in moods is something I’m used to from other people, but not when sex is involved. His hand slides from my chin to hold my cheeks, and I don’t even fight the grip.
Emeric speaks again before I get the chance. “How could you?”
I blink, momentarily confused by what he means. But instead of waiting for a response, he uses his other arm to crush me against his body. Our foreheads touch but he refuses to let go of my cheeks. “How could I what?”
His lip twitches. “Keep putting yourself in danger. Creating danger. That email could’ve waited until tomorrow.”
“He needed to be removed-”
“If you think, for one goddamn minute, I’d let him breathe the same air as you again, you’re mistaken. He’s lucky Nate and Drake were here today. I took it too easy on him yesterday.”
I try to frown, but it’s hard when he’s still holding my face. “You beat him up.”
“I showed him what it’s like to be beneath someone,” he corrects, staring into my eyes. “To be the helpless one. And he couldn’t handle it. I should’ve hit him harder. Until he stopped breathing.”
My heart aches at the words. “You wouldn’t do that.”
“You don’t know that,” he breathes, and if there’s anyone else standing in this room his voice is too soft to hear. “I’ve fought for those I love more than enough times. I’ll protect my family, bleed for them too, and I’ll be damned before I let anyone hurt them again.”
His words ring in my head, but they cannot possibly have more of a meaning to them. “But I’m not-”
“If you think family is blood only, you’re wrong.” He releases my cheeks, my body suddenly lacking his warmth, and shifts backward on his heels. “Family is made, not born. I don’t have the same family I did when I was a kid.”
I’m not following his train of thought, but somewhere in his head the dots connect. “I guess. Jo is my family, but she has Vinny now and my parents are technically separated-”
He snorts, cutting me off. “You think you’re the family Jo counts on?” Shaking his head, he places his hands behind it and laces his fingers together, pacing down the length of the stage. “When she needed someone here while she’s gone, she had Vinny call me. They asked me to come back all the way from Florida to help.”
“Jo asked me too,” I snap. “We’re family. Blood and all.”
But Emeric shakes his head, continuing to watch me as he moves. “You’re family by default, not by desire. You’re a slice of what she wants and needs, and Jo doesn’t have the same trust in you that she does in me. You’re here at the club because she worried about not having someone in the family working while they are away, like an add on. She requested you for appearances sake.”
His words slap me in the face, and slowly I take a step back. He’s got a habit of digging into the things I question most and throwing them in my face.
He stops pacing, sitting down at the nearest table as he crosses his arms. “You run from problems even though you pretend to want to face them. You didn’t think it was convenient that if Chad did swing by the club, it would be my problem again?”
I glance down. That’s the first thing he’s said that might have a little bit of truth, but I didn’t want to run the chance of seeing Chad again. Now it sounds stupid, since Anita and her friends showed up at Emeric’s house and decided to come with me when I worried about him.
“You want me to help clean up the messes you’ve started,” he continues, and I narrow my eyes. “Like Chad. The auction. The issues with your family-”
“Don’t talk about my family,” I all but growl, stomping over to him. He raises a brow but doesn’t stop me, my hands landing on the table beside him so I can get in his face. “You don’t know anything about them.”
“I know a cry for help when I see one,” he says quietly, his eyes refusing to look away from mine. “A lonely soul in need of someone. And my soul is screaming for yours.”
My lashes lower, and I have to remind myself I’m mad at him even after he says something so sweet. “My soul wants to know why the hell I’m putting up with you right now.”
He smirks. “Because you know I can fuck the mood out of you.”
I step closer, lifting my hand to slap or grab him, I’m not entirely sure. Instead of getting the chance, he catches my injured wrist and holds it in place, clicking his tongue at me.
“So much fucking attitude.”
I snarl. “You don’t know the half of it. Stop pretending like you get me. I’m not reading you some sob story to sympathize with. This is my life, and if you think I’m doing all of this because I need someone to care for me like family, you’re fucked.”
“No, little one, you are.”
He drags me close, and I know it would be sensible to use my other arm to slap him in the face. That would make sense. Instead I close the gap between our lips, savoring the feel of him touching me.
I’m desperate to feel something right now. Not pain and humiliation about my homelife, but pleasure because Emeric reads me like a book.
I whimper when his teeth dig into my lips, lightly nipping, and I need so much more. I need to feel what he can give me, and my body is all too eager to change topics and take what he gives me. “Emeric…”
“Try again,” he growls against my lips, refusing to pull back.
I grab his arm with my other hand, ignoring the twinge in my wrist. “Daddy Emeric, I need to forget.”
He stops kissing me long enough to pull back and meet my eyes. “Don’t worry, little one. I can take care of that for you.”
He lifts me up on the table, and I don’t protest when he leans over my body and starts kissing me again. My legs lift to wrap around his hips, but he uses his free hand to press against one of my thighs, keeping me against the table. “Don’t think you’re getting to control this, Doe Eyes. You’ve put me through hell the last two days. I’m going to return the favor.”
I moan when his hips surge into mine, and I desperately try to keep the friction going. He isn’t kind enough to do that, shifting backward just out of my reach with my leg still pinned.
“I told you I want to deprive you of your senses,” he tells me, and I’m starting to wonder why I ever looked at that set in the shop window. “And I’m going to leave you at my mercy this time.”
This Emeric is different than the other times he’s fucked me. BDSM is still relatively new to me, and even if I’m marketing the club, my firsthand experience is nonexistent. I know vaguely what he likes, but he loves learning what I do based on my reactions.
He tugs off his tie, using it to secure my ankles together before removing my heels. It’s not what I expect, and I watch as he scans over my body, looking for what I don’t know.
The heat of his gaze rocks through me, and when he leans in to trace a finger over my covered clit, I almost beg him to touch me beneath the layers.
Instead, he grabs the end of the hoodie, flipping it up to pull over my head. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix your hunger soon.”
I moan. It’s a crude solution, but effective as I can’t see through the dark material. “Stay right there. You move and I’ll make your punishment worse.”
Then he’s gone, leaving me spread out on the table, and my nerves instantly kick in. Is someone watching? Because exhibition isn’t high on my list, and how will I know if it’s Emeric returning -
“Fuck, little one, you look divine.”
That’s his voice, and a calm instantly settles over me when I feel him in between my legs again. My body is charged and ready, desperate to be touched, and I don’t even care that he’s pulled up my hoodie and exposed my breasts. I didn’t think I’d end up here when I got dressed this morning.
“Such a pretty picture,” he grumbles, his hand skimming my wrist. “Slam your palm down on the table if you need me to stop and I don’t hear you.”
That’s different, but before I can ask he’s speaking into my ear. “And if you don’t like the loss of sound, just tell me.”
Something pops over my ears and it takes a moment to realize it’s headphones. I gasp at the sudden silence that settles over me, and when his fingers touch me I can’t hear the words I’m sure he’s saying.
It’s surreal. They have to be the noise-canceling headphones I saw in the display and when he touches me again I almost sob. Not seeing or hearing him makes physical touch that much better, and I hadn’t realized it would be like this. Our previous games pale against the intensity of this.
He tugs me down the table again and I groan when my legs fall open to welcome the warm length of his cock between them. He’s bare again, but I can’t convince myself to care when he strokes the thick head along my drenched pussy.
My skirt and underwear are still on, and I gasp behind the shirt when his hand closes over the thong and simply rips it. It’s a primal move in my mind and very, very hot.
I can’t even see him and he’s going to short circuit my brain.
His fingers shove the skirt up near my stomach before they circle down, finding my clit to rub and caress there. His touch isn”t as gentle as he’s been before, and that worries me.
Only because I want this to last. His touch is intense and a little punishing when he uses two fingers to stretch me, his other hand moving something around near my head.
It feels so good, and I have enough room to rock on his hips. I’m starting to see the appeal of sensory denial -
I scream, jerking against the table when something hot slaps against my skin. It stings for a moment, the heat making me cry out, but it isn’t as painful as anything that happened to me at that other club.
Still, I take a choked breath and try to fight my breathing. It was completely unexpected.
The headphones are pulled so I can hear out of one ear, and Emeric’s voice works like a calming salve over my body. “Hot wax, little one. For making me worry about you.”
I cry out again when the wax hits me a second time, and I’m stunned how good it feels. He chuckles and there’s another drip that hits the other side of my stomach, making me squirm and arch.
“You’re taking your punishment so well. I think you can handle more.”
The headphone is moved back into place, and I feel Emeric return his fingers to my pussy, stretching me once more. I cry out as more wax splashes over my skin, and I wish I could see the pleasure on Emeric’s face as he plays with my body.
Two more drips of wax leaves me shaking, and then the hot burn disappears. A hand touches my hip bone as he glides his fingers inside of me, urging me to twist over. I oblige, rolling slowly onto my stomach and making some of the liquid wax shift and heat my skin again.
He yanks my skirt out of the way as his fingers stay inside me, and when his cock slaps against my ass I know I’m done for. He must move the candle again, because wax hits the bottom of my spine and makes me scream.
The momentary distraction lets him shove his cock inside of me, and I flail around at how full I am. It’s jarring how good it feels being used, but I can’t help myself as he works his cock in inch by inch.
More wax hits my spine, and I cry out in both agony and pleasure. The wax burns in all the best ways. For each stroke Emeric gives me working his cock in, I get another splash of wax and I”m clawing at the table while he fucks me on my stomach. Even when I twist I can’t see if anyone around us is watching through the hoodie, and the headphones keep any noise around us to a minimum.
With my legs bound together, I can”t escape him, and I find that though struggling is fun I don’t really want to. I can feel the table shift and move beneath me with each stroke and it makes me rock harder back into him.
My whole body shakes down to my toes, and I think I hear myself moaning behind the headphones. My mind is too scrambled right now to be sure.
When his cock is all the way in again, he splashes wax along my ass. I tremble and try to rock back into him again, fighting the pleasure-pain waves.
Then there is a harder sting and I know I yelp. It was a slap on my ass, but the firmness of his palm feels closer to a spanking than anything else
He does it again over the hardening wax and I scream, my orgasm shooting through me. He doesn”t let up, his hips snapping into me as he continues to smack my ass a little harder each time until I feel the dried wax breaking each time he connects.
My arms shake as he continues that way, peppering my ass with harsh spankings that make my pussy weep and my body spasm with each splash of wax that makes me want to sob with pleasure. He’s not doing it as much now, but occasionally a bit of wax still drips across my skin.
His powerful hips continue slapping into me and I moan as I struggle against the table. Pain isn’t something I’ve ever considered for sex, but the loss of sound and sight while he drips stinging wax across my back makes my legs weak. His thrusts are relentless, and I’m gasping as I try to keep up. The second orgasm is fast approaching, making my eyes water as I think about reaching the peak a second time.
He drops a burning line of wax along my spine before I feel his grip in my hair, yanking my head off the table with his hand.
He holds me there a moment, and his hips continue to slap against my ass but nothing else moves. Then the hoodie is ripped out of the way, and I blink as the lights of the room hit me in the face.
I”m looking at my face. In a phone screen. Emeric is just behind me, a towering wall of muscle, and I”m panting and there is spit I hadn”t noticed dripping in my cheek. I was far too distracted enjoying the wax, but we make a beautifully dirty picture as I watch him fuck me.
He leans in, nipping at my neck. He”s close enough to the headphone I can easily hear the words. “Smile, little one.”
He snaps the photo of the two of us before he releases my hair and the phone disappears from sight. I gasp, catching myself with my hands as he slams into me again before he hooks his fingers in my cheek. Just like he did that first time.
I feel his cock buried deep inside me as a sudden, powerful orgasm overtakes me. I let out a strangled cry at the sensation, bucking back against him. I ride it out, his hips firmly pressed against my ass as I spasm and let the rush take me. When I can breathe again, I sigh and flatten back down to the table.
Then he”s gone, and a moment later I feel the hot splash of cum hitting my back. It”s different from the wax, and I dig my nails into the table as I tremble, thoroughly sated.
Emeric’s hand smooths down my back for a moment before he shoves off the headphones, and it isn”t as loud as I expected without the sound barrier.
Slowly, his body eases away from mine and I feel the tie tug away from my ankles. My legs fall open without the binding and I let out a groan. I hadn’t realized until now how tense my legs were being held together at the ankles and parted at my thighs.
If he can fuck me like that with crap on a table, what can he do if we had the use of a real bed? I groan, my body fighting the sudden rush of tiredness that sweeps through me now that my senses are all rushing back. My interest in sensory denial took a surprise turn, and I can’t help wondering what else he can take from me with a kink like this.
But I”m sticky and sweaty, and I can”t help staring around the room as the pleasant thoughts disappear. No one seems to be around, but I know you can view the theater from the halls too. Maybe someone saw us.
It snaps me to attention, and I start squirming on the table. If someone sees us there could be gossip -
His hand on my back stops me from leaving, and I feel some of the leftover wax break when he pushes on my skin. “Get out of that head, little one. Lay down and let Daddy take care of you.”
Those dirty words compel me to lie back down on the table without question. I like when he’s firm with me, even if my natural instinct is to rebel. He’s soothing me as he cleans me up, washing away the worries even when I think I should hold onto them.
He disappears for a moment from behind me, and the sudden loss of his body heat as I listen to the sound of steps leaves an empty feeling inside. I”m forced to acknowledge that he just fucked me in the theater, and his good friends are here someplace nearby.
It makes me feel dirty and used, confusing the hell out of me.
When he returns I”ve still got my cheek pressed to the table and my clothing all rolled and pushed up out of the way. The warm cloth moves across my skin, and I feel spots where the wax chips off. The surprising burn of pain is gone now, and it seems to clean up easily.
“You”re not going to go back to my house if I ask, are you?”
“No.” The embarrassment is still there, but I”m not being ushered back home again either like an embarrassment. “I”m staying here for the day.”
The cloth disappears, and I glance over my shoulder when he grips either side of my ass. He”s watching me with hooded eyes, and my body tingles imagining what I would do if he wants to go again.
Instead, he shifts his grip to my thigh before sighing, giving me a comforting squeeze. “Come on, let”s get you up before the crowd comes in. If you stay like this I”m going to fuck you again. And I”ll buy that kit you loved in the shop to really make you scream.”
His words add a touch of urgency to my actions, and I jump up to straighten my clothes out. I don’t think he meant to say it like a threat, but the idea makes my skin tingle.
Do I want him to fuck me again? Of course I do. And that’s the scariest part. Getting drunk on Emeric is easy. It’s everything about me that makes it hard.