25 Emeric
I’m pretty certain I’ve lost my goddamn mind.
The stress of what’s happened with Jo and Vinny and Alastair rests on everyone’s heads, and maybe I’m starting to lose it waiting for an update. We’re wasting time because there’s nothing to be done for Florida. That’s something that’s out of our hands, and we aren’t part of their story right now. We’re just reading the pages.
But I left my shirt downstairs on stage, and when Nate is tired of doing the busywork with me I agree to call it. When I head back down to the theater to find my shirt, I’m startled by what I see. Usually the lull between day and night isn’t too bad, but today’s weird because of the auction tomorrow. I’m not sure if I’m ready to deal with that either.
But this? I wasn’t expecting this.
Serenity is onstage, in yoga pants and a tight shirt, pacing around one of the poles. Specifically the one I ground her against not that long ago. No reason to take them down when we have classes so often, and they will be used as part of the display tomorrow. My focus is solely on Serenity as I approach, her eyes down towards the ground as she skims her fingers along the metal pole.
“Making up your own class today,” I call out, using the stairs to step onstage with her. She startles, almost falling off the edge, and glances in my direction.
“I thought it might be fun,” she says casually, that pretty blush I like staining her cheeks. Her long sleeve covers what’s left of the mark from the handcuff, and I realize I have yet to test a toy like that on her. There’s little reason to restrain when I’ve shorted her brain so much that she can’t think straight.
Maybe that’s why I like creative ways to test her sensory deprivation kink so much. Wrapping my hand around her throat is nothing new, and while I like the feel of her ass in my hands, but I haven’t tested her ass yet. I’ll have to try depriving her before I overstimulate her.
Watching her grip and release the pole sends my mind south. Each time I’ve fucked her I’ve never seen her give a striptease.
Then again, I’ve only ever stripped on stage. It’s a specialty I haven’t given her. It reminds me of work, but she likes it enough to be on stage trying it out for herself. “Stripping is fun now, hmm? I wonder why I haven’t seen these skills yet, little one.”
She blushes, hard, and looks away. “I was hoping for a hands-on approach. Maybe a private lesson if you have time.”
My blood heats, and I move closer on the stage. She’s still above me, and I want to drag those pants down her thighs and spread her wide right up here in the lights. Reaching out, I cup one of her knees, pulling her off balance and closer to me. I’ve given her lots of lessons since she decided to fuck herself on my hand, and I don’t intend on making things any easier for her. “That depends, Doe Eyes. Am I doing a hands-on lesson?”
She looks down, her eyes intent on me. “That would probably be best. I liked the last class I had with you.”
I chuckle, squeezing her leg before I hop up to stand with her. She drops her gaze down to my dick and I like that she’s growing out of feeling shame for wanting to feel good. She liked me grinding on her, which is fine, but I don’t intend on doing something minim al when I can take her upstairs and have my way with her. “The kind of class you’re looking for is one I can’t teach down here.”
Serenity bites her lip, and it fucks with my head almost immediately. “Maybe we will go upstairs then.”
As much as I want to go up, I’ve got a goal in mind first. Fucking her when we’re in private is smart, but most everyone wised up about us sleeping together. I never confirm if it’s more than that. Not until she tells me more than she hates me, since that seems to be the only endearment we exchange.
I draw a circle with my finger, stalking around her. “You need to show me what you’ve learned.”
“Pardon?”
My eyes snap to hers. “You heard me, little one. I have yet to see you work a pole without me. Let’s see if all my hands-on lessons paid off.”
Her eyes heat, and I wait for the shyness to return. My head is twisted from everything going on, and I shouldn’t push her when I’ve never seen her confidently strip anywhere, but for some reason tonight I want to. Even when we played in the jacuzzi her confidence was building, but I want to see it flourish.
Slowly, she shifts back. Her shoes are kicked to the side, sock-covered feet sliding on the stage. I watch her turn back to her favorite pole, the one I’ve ground her against, and she gives me a curious look before rocking her hips forward.
I spot the remote, and head over to add music. She jumps when it kicks on, but it gives her a beat to follow. Her uneven movements smooth out to rhythmic rolls of her hips.
It’s basic moves, but I don’t give a damn as I watch her, prowling closer. Her eyes drop to my crotch more than once where my cock begs for attention, and I’m eager to please her. She wraps half her lower leg around the pole and gives a weak spin, eyes locked on me as often as they can.
When her feet brush the ground again, I grasp her hips and she hisses a breath. “You’re learning, little one. I’m so proud of you. Now grind harder and show me where you want my cock, or I’m going to fill any hole I please.”
Her eyes widen, but she lets me grind her into the pole again, this time fighting to hold my gaze as her body naturally responds.
Oh the things I could teach her. But I’ll do it at my house, not here on the stage where anyone can see.
My head snaps up. There’s a couple lingering members watching us. Watching her. It was different when I fucked her into a table to claim her, but now she’s all mine.
And I hate to share.
I rake my teeth over her shoulder, pressing my cock against her ass. “You are far too tempting, little one. Let’s go upstairs so I don’t have to kill whoever’s watching us.”
Her eyes narrow, curiosity snapping through her gaze when I press on her hip. She can ask all the questions she wants after I get my cock inside her.
Letting go of the pole, she doesn’t fight me when I tug her towards the edge of the stage. We haven’t relaxed since the phone call, and if I can break some of the tension resting over us maybe we’ll get back to our normal.
Serenity practically sprints to the office. I barely collect my shirt and her shoes before she’s tugging on my arm, the need in her eyes matching exactly how I feel.
When we get upstairs, she throws the door shut and attacks me, throwing her arms around my neck to slant her lips over mine. I growl, grasping her ass in each hand so I can lift her and spin us, pinning her against the door. She cries out in surprise, my kisses swallowing the sound.
The door is fucking soundproof now. I could make her scream and no one downstairs would know. When I pull back she whimpers, grinding her hips into mine. There’s a plea in her eyes that begs for more, and I want to grant her anything she wants.
I’m usually more physical, from stripping to fighting to fucking, and the emotional side of things usually gets in my way. I can treat her body like an altar and worship at her feet, but that doesn’t support the rest of what I know she craves.
I can make her body sing, but she wants to see my bad side too.
Her lips find mine again as her nails drag down my arms, marking me how she likes to. On instinct I grab her hair, cradling her head, and the kisses intensify.
I’m going to fuck the questions out of her. Until she knows, no matter what reality we’re dealing with, that .I’m the rock that grounds her. No matter what happens in Florida, I can’t step away from her.
And I’ve been stewing on it for days. Too much has happened, too many things crowded together, and she’s had a lot going on. But watching her practice my kind of game, trying to strip when I don’t think she loves it, wakes something in me.
This girl is all mine. And I’m not giving her up.
I nip her lips, causing her to moan. “Eager aren’t you, little one?”
Serenity drags her tongue over my lips before she responds. “I’m having a long day, Emeric. I was kind of hoping you could make me forget.” I wrap a hand around her upper thigh and drag her leg up to hook around my hip, distracting her again.
“I can do that, little one,” I tell her, tilting my head to the side so her kiss misses my lips this time. “And you’ll thank me for doing so.”
All at once, I pick her up and slam her back into the door. She moans, her body rocking into mine, and these leggings are already in my way.
I give her a wink, letting her toes skim the floor while gripping her other leg. I can already imagine all the ways I’m going to make her feel good beneath my touch, and kneel. “Pants, beautiful. Drop them.”
Serenity doesn’t hesitate, but that cute flush returns to her cheeks. She squirms for me, wiggling her hips to work off the leggings before kicking them off. When there’s no longer a barrier in my way, I grasp her legs and pull them apart once more, studying the wet spot on her thong before tearing through it.
She gasps, and I slide up her body to grip one leg again and suspend her from the ground. “I don’t have the time to waste getting you naked.”
She moans when I lean in to suck at her pulsepoint, my freehand working to pull my sweats down. There’s a million ways I want to fuck her, but right now her moans are desperate and my body’s craving a release. I need to feel her wrapped around me so I can fuck the anger and stress out of both of us.
Her fingers pull at my hair, delivering a pleasant sting to my scalp. She whimpers, her hands trying to help me grab my cock as her nails tease the tip. “Emeric, please.”
Her voice is almost a sob and I grab her jaw once my cock is notched at her entrance so she can’t look away. “Tell me, little one, what do you call me when we’re alone?”
“Daddy Emeric.”
I smirk, flexing my hand on her thigh. I don’t care if the scabs break while we’re busy. “Good girl.”
I shove into her, her cry echoing in my ears as she drags her nails down my arms, her leg shaking around my waist. I grunt, letting my head drop back at the sensation. I needed this as much as she did.
Serenity wiggles on my cock, and I tilt my head back at the perfect moment to watch her try and fuck herself at this angle. It’s almost funny with her toes skimming the floor, and she doesn’t have enough leverage without both legs locked on my hips to do much of anything.
I grin, leaning in close to her face. “Let me take care of it, little one.”
I slam my hips into hers and she cries out, the familiar look of ecstasy crossing her face. I’m mindful of her wrist as I slam her opposite hand against the wall, our eyes locking as I fuck into her tight little body.
“You’re made for me,” I growl, my cock finding that sweet spot inside her that makes her eyes roll. “You feel too damn good to belong to anyone else.”
If she wants to complain she holds back, her eyes bulging at the same time her jaw falls open at my words. This isn’t going to be a romantic fuck, or even a long one, not with how amazing her cunt feels sliding up and down my bare cock.
“Right there,” she gasps, using her one hand to dig deeper into my skin. “God Daddy Emeric, that’s the spot!”
She shudders, her orgasm close, and we must both really need the stress release to be so close so fast. I adjust my hips to go deeper inside her, and she’s an absolute mess above me when she takes a sharp breath.
“Emeric!”
“Cum all over me, little one,” I coax, watching her eyes roll. “Let’s find out if we can make you squirt this time.”
Serenity moans, lost in the moment, and after a few more thrusts she shudders and cries out.
I groan, her sweet cries sending me over the edge, and I’m barely pulling her off of me before my cock explodes, painting the portion of her stomach where her shirt lifted higher, as well as her top and part of one sleeve.
She shudders, her hand twitching in mine. I let go and she uses both arms to cling to me, struggling to wrap her other leg around mine and hold me in place.
Surprise rocks through me. I knew she needed to fuck, not that she needed affection, too. I grunt and wrap my arms around her, cradling her to me, and spin us from the wall.
She lets out a sweet sigh, and I pad over to the nearest chair to set her down. My movements are rough at first, but once I have my hands free I tug at my pants to pull them up.
When I look up, she’s staring at the mess I’ve left on her. I move to grab some kleenex to help and she just waves me off. “No, I don’t think it’ll fix it.”
“I’ll go grab a towel-”
“No, it’s okay,” she says, cleaning the mess along her leg. There’s a contented look in her eyes when her gaze finds mine. “I guess I don’t need to go to your classes anymore. I’ll just sit up here.”
“You’re going to miss out on a lot of fun refusing to let me grind on you onstage again,” I tell her, smirking when she blushes. “I’ve had to cut out a lot of my physical examples for my students now, Doe Eyes. Maybe you can come down every now and then so they can see how it”s done.”
A soft smile graces her features, but it’s dipped in sadness and I can’t imagine what brought her down from the high so soon. “I can do that, but I might need to work myself up to it.”
Nodding, I lean in closer to her. “We’ll get you there. Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of lessons for you.”
She nods back, her gaze shifting away from me. “I know I have a lot to work on.”
I grab her chin before she can get out of my reach, and her eyes glance up to meet mine. There’s so much defiance there it’s hard to pick apart anything else, but she still looks sad. Without a word I turn her face from side to side, observing the bags beneath her eyes, and she squirms as she tries to fix her leggings. She’s definitely upset about Jo and Vinny’s silence. We all are.
Finally, I release her chin. I don’t know if we’ll truly sleep well again until they are home and safe. “Anything you need to work on, I’m happy to learn with you. I don’t know the perfect song for your soul yet, but I intend on working on that.”
Her expression softens, and she drops her shoulders. “I come with baggage, Emeric. I can’t just get past it right now.”
“So do I, Doe Eyes. You’re not the only one with issues, but that’s why having someone along for the ride is nice.”
She snorts. “I’m just coming along with you?”
I tug at a lock of hair, and she scowls at me. “No, Doe Eyes. You’re the driver. I’m the one following along.”
“That’s not true.”
“Oh?” I pull harder on her hair, keeping her pressed against me. “I go with you to deal with your father, to deal with Chad, and you started this drive when you decided you wanted to make me your first. Don’t pretend that I’m the one in control anywhere but the bedroom. This is your road I’m traveling on, and I don’t plan on taking a new route anytime soon.”
Her eyes narrow. “Why let me take control when you always back me once something fails? I’m obviously making bad choices.”
“You’re not making bad choices, you’re simply living through the ones you make. And I don’t have experience in everything. I don’t know how to navigate most of this. I just know I’m here to support you whichever way you want to go.”
Serenity shakes her head, looking close to tears. With how controlling her dad wanted to be, I wouldn’t be surprised if she isn’t used to making all of her own choices. “Why?”
“Because a Daddy’s job is to care for his little one. So I’m ready to follow you wherever you go.”
She shakes her head, shifting back on her feet. “You shouldn”t put so much faith in me. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m going to get stuff wrong and, if we’re being honest, Emeric, I’m probably going to crash the car. I barely know what I’m doing when it comes to sex, nevermind a relationship-”
Sweeping an arm behind her back, I pull her close again. “Well, Doe Eyes, I’m not used to a relationship either. I’ve never really had time for one. And I don’t usually let any old chick call me Daddy.”
She gives me another smile at that. “I can say my parents never called me little one.”
I smirk. “Good, because you’re all mine. And as you just saw, I’m not good at sharing.”
Serenity chews on her lip, watching me. “You could take care of me?”
“Yes, I will. It’s a role I like.”
“So who takes care of you?”
My brows lift, and I realize what she’s hinting at. I turn, pulling her towards the nearest desk chair, and I drag her down on my lap. “Serenity, I think we have different ideas of care. I have people who matter to me, and I to them. They might drop everything if something tragic happens, and they occasionally check in on me, but it’s not the level of care that I give you.”
“But what about your parents - or, stepparents? Adoptive parents? The ones you said are in Washington.”
I blow out a breath. “My adoptive parents. My birth ones are out of the picture. They have been for a long time, so I’ve always considered the couple who adopted me to be my real parents. They’re the ones who count.” I drag a hand along my jaw, watching as she tracks my movements. “They adopted me a little later in life. Like I said, Alastair came along later too. We were older when we joined their family, but they treated us like members all the same. When he was convicted, it shattered them. That’s why they live on the opposite end of the country now.”
“And they don’t… do they check on him, Alastair?”
“No, he denied visitors a decade ago. He doesn’t let anyone in to chat with him except the staff. Until now.”
Serenity purses her lips, looking lost again. “But he asked for Jo?”
“He asked for Jo. She’s his special brand of kryptonite, and she’s the only one he wants to talk to.”
She nods, her eyes holding mine. “I can see why you’re so independent. They probably didn’t pay as much attention to everything that went on.”
“They did their best. We all did.” I reach up, stroking the lengths of her hair, and she leans further into my body. “The foster care system made me more independent to begin with. I was fostered before they adopted me but that didn’t change the need to stay independent, not once. I’ve always lived with the idea that I need to look out for myself, doe eyes. That’s nothing new.” I purse my lips, watching her soak in my attention. “The only difference now is I get to factor you in too.”
A smile spreads across her face, and she burrows further into me. “I think about you, too, when I make certain choices. I thought about you when I went with Chad, but for the wrong reasons. And I think about you now, when you’re carrying my burdens while I sort myself out.”
The corner of my mouth lifts, and I repeat the words she’s told me. “I hate you.”
She chuckles, turning to brush her lips along mine. “I hate you too.”
~~~
Serenity looks like she’s always belonged in my bed. There weren’t a lot of homey touches here since I didn’t intend on staying long, but we’re going on month four in Colorado and I don’t think I’ll be going back to Florida anytime soon.
She’s asleep after the long day, and I fucked her again in the shower before towel drying her hair and carrying her to bed. She protested weakly, and I know she secretly likes it when I dote on her.
It’s only after she’s asleep that I open my message thread, checking what’s bothered me all day.
Vinny: We’re both going to be fine. Sorry for the scare, the news doesn’t always report the truth. I’m not sure when we’ll pop back into this chat. There are things we have to take care of here.
Callie and Nate fired back a couple messages, but Jo and Vinny are radio silent again with their responses. I don’t see anything come in from Jo for days before that report, and his message doesn’t answer anything. Glancing at Serenity as she lets out a soft snore, I go to my direct messages from just Vinny.
Vinny: Sorry you’re still stuck in the Rockies, dude. We meant to be back there by now, but your brother is… difficult. I can’t go into the details, you know how it is. I can’t say what’ll happen next, but we hope to be back closer to the fall, like Jo said. It’s going to take time.
Me: What do you want us to do with the house?
Vinny: Call the housekeeper and ensure she gets weekly pay until we return. You shouldn”t need anything else during the summer. We know Serenity never stays there.
Me: Do you?
Vinny: Yes. We have cameras on the front of the house. She only came back one time with you.
He has me there. I reach over, stroking Serenity’s hair as I think over a response. It’ll keep me in Colorado longer, and here with her, so I’m not totally against it.
Me: You gonna trash my house?
Vinny: Of course not. I would never.
A smile tugs at my lips. Vinny has an obsessive need to be neat and orderly, but that response says nothing about Jo. Knowing her, she’s probably trashed the place at least once.
Me: You should have Jo text Serenity sometimes. I think she misses having her cousin to talk to.
Vinny: I’ll mention it, but like I keep saying, it’s rough right now. I can’t guarantee.
Me: Sure. But let us know when it’s time for you to come back home.
Vinny: And you’ll return to Florida.
Me: I don’t know anymore. It depends what’s left in Florida when the two of you are done there.
He never responds, and I have my answer. They don’t know if Florida will be the same when they leave, and I only ever stayed for one reason. Now, I have a better one that could keep me in Colorado. Shoving aside my phone, I slip an arm beneath her back, tugging her into me.
All my reasons to stay are right here, and they are the best I’ve ever had.