“You have to let me come soon, Mister Leduc. I can’t do this anymore.”
He covered her body with his own, and he felt the heat of her pussy on his cock through his jeans. How could a man be desperate for something when he didn’t even know how it felt? As much as he loved teasing her, he didn’t think he’d be able to hold out much longer either. His balls felt perpetually bruised, and yet making her weep with frustration fed something inside him that was starving for her suffering. Maybe for his own, as well.
He bit her nape, tasting the fresh air from their ride on her skin while he rocked his cock against her ass. She arched her back, seeking more pressure on her pussy, so he pushed off the table away from her and patted her ass with as much condescension as he could fake.
As he tugged her jeans back up and buttoned them for her, she stayed unmoving on the table. She wept without tears, her back shaking with it. Brow furrowed and eyes wide, she looked lost.
How could he reconcile his need to torment her with his need to protect her? How was it even possible to feel both so strongly for the same person?
“Come pick out something to wear tonight,” he said, hoping to distract her with shopping because he sure as hell wasn’t fucking her for the first time in Rodrigo’s foyer.
When she didn’t move and didn’t answer, he picked her up and carried her upstairs, not putting her down until he got to the main living room. Ro was looking through what Mari had brought. The wizened, stooped woman with the neat French braid was helping him sort through things, her knobby hands somehow graceful as she presented merchandise.
Minnow’s face was buried against Severin’s shoulder as he sat on one of the couches.
“I apologize. She’s eager to see what you have, she’s just having a hard day.”
“Oh, did you just punish her?” Mari asked gleefully. “My Leon used to have such an evil mind before it went on him.” She gave him a shockingly devilish grin. “I still have scars on my knees from when we were young and wild.”
“You do?” Rodrigo asked, sounding as genuinely curious as Severin was.
“Oh yes. There weren’t really rules back then, you understand. Just what happened between two people. He carved his name on my ass the night he married me. At the time I was so glad his name was short. Now the damn thing looks like it’s in parentheses.” She chortled. “When you’re nineteen you never anticipate your future ass wrinkles.”
Rodrigo choked on the bourbon he’d been sipping and Mari threw her own drink back as she snickered to herself.
Minnow sat up and looked around blearily, then rose when she saw the racks and piles of clothing and accessories.
“She’s yours?” Mari asked Severin.
“Yes.” He felt his chest inflate with undeserved pride. Yes, the lovely, intelligent woman was his, for now, but he’d done nothing to deserve her and soon she’d realize that.
“What do you want her in for this party?” When he looked at Mari blankly, she smiled – he wasn’t sure she’d stopped smiling. “How do you like her dressed?”
“I –” He didn’t know the answer to that. Not when it came to being in public. “We’ve never been to a party together before. I want to show her off, but I also don’t want people looking at what’s mine.”
“I swear you all get your wiring installed at the same factory.” Mari patted Minnow then eyed Rodrigo. “And what do you think, pretty boy?”
“I have no opinion on this one,” he said, averting his gaze.
“Ah,” Mari said, as though he’d revealed a lot. “Spoken like a man who’s been given permission to play with her in the past, and doesn’t want to fuck that up for the future.”
Rodrigo’s expression was so bland it was almost comical. Minnow appeared to be ignoring the conversation, but Severin knew better.
Minnow roused and slid off his lap, and immediately eyed a pair of high-heeled black boots that would look damn sexy on her, but she didn’t pick them up. She knew he preferred her barefoot and wasn’t even going to ask.
“Do you have those in a seven?” he asked Mari, pointing to the boots.
Minnow’s gaze darted to t
hem. “But I thought you preferred me barefoot.”
“You won’t be wearing them tonight, but I have no objection to you owning them for vanilla purposes.”
A smile of pleasure graced her lips, and he noticed again how lovely she was. “But Master, I’m sure they’re expensive.”
“You just turned down the 80k in that envelope, Miss Korsgaard. I’m sure I can buy you some fucking boots.”
Mari quoted him a price and he waved a hand to let her know Minnow was to have free rein.