The vibrator leapt to life, and as I jolted in surprise, a shameful moan burst from my lips. I was still sensitive, but after the first few seconds, it lessened and I could think over it.
“That was rather convincing, Marist.” His deep voice was much smoother than the scotch he’d poured for me weeks ago. “How did your orgasm compare to last night’s?”
Oh, my God. I couldn’t catch my breath. “I can’t . . . talk, while you’re—”
“If you don’t want to talk, then you’ll send the picture. Otherwise, I need to listen to ensure you’re still following my rules.”
The speed revved up, like he’d turned the dial from low to medium, and it forced a whimper from me.
“Good. Was your orgasm tonight better?”
I blinked rapidly, unable to focus on anything around me in the dark bedroom. There was only his inescapable voice. That was the moment it settled on me, what he’d meant about being able to force me to think about him. I couldn’t drown him out. Even if I pictured Royce, he’d have Macalister’s voice.
“I can’t do this.”
“Of course you can.” Irritation tinted his words. “It’s a simple question.”
“No, I’m hanging up.”
His voice seethed with cold fury. “Then you’ll give your keys to Royce, and I will explain to him why you lost your privilege.”
I put my hand over my mouth, covering the cry just before it pealed from my lips. I’d walked voluntarily into Macalister’s trap. He hadn’t even needed to disguise it; I’d been that stupid.
“What will it be?” he demanded.
I couldn’t tell Royce what I’d done. Even after he’d hurt me so deeply, I was reluctant to do the same to him. But I’d foolishly thought I could keep this all a secret. I wasn’t a god. There were going to be consequences for what I’d done.
The silver lining to the disaster I’d allowed was the freedom in giving up. With no options left, at least that meant there were no more decisions to be made. I had no power left as I spoke. “It was . . . better tonight.”
“Why?”
I lashed out, wanting to knock him down a peg. “Because I was thinking,” I gulped down air, “about him.”
He laughed, but it was devoid of warmth. “I still have more work to do, then. I’ll break you of this ridiculous infatuation. You deserve a man who knows your value, Marist. Not some boy who threw you away.”
It put me in the strange position of wanting to defend Royce to the very man he’d sold me to. But I didn’t get a chance. The pattern on the vibrator slowed to a crawl, and the vibrations shifted.
“Oh,” I gasped. It was a completely different sensation, and it took a long moment to realize that both sides, inside and out, were now pulsating.
“I’ll tell you what I think about.” I pictured him sitting on the leather couch in his bedroom, wearing his suit with his tie still knotted perfectly at his throat because he never relaxed. He didn’t do casual. “I think about how you denied me. I am still owed my two minutes.”
My pulse roared from the pleasure, but the rest of me was frozen in place.
“And you will give them to me.”
The phone was crystal clear, so it sounded like he was right beside me. He wasn’t in the room, and yet he filled every inch of it.
“I won’t,” I whispered.
“I’m going to tell you how I imagine it. You’ll allow me to peel you out of your dress and everything else until I can see every beautiful inch of you. This time, no one will be in my way. It’ll only be us.”
The way he said the word us gave me a chill.
“I’ll run my hands over your skin. Perhaps you’ll shiver, but I’ll make sure I’m the cause. There’s no place I’ll leave untouched because I’m a thorough man. Dedicated and relentless.”
I felt his imagined hands on me, sinking me further into the bed.
“Your knees will give out from the way my fingers feel sliding over you, so I’ll have to lay you down. Now it will be my mouth’s turn. I’ll explore and taste, starting with your lips, taking note of every sigh you make and how your body responds as I move lower.”
My ragged breathing was so fast my heart couldn’t keep up. Blood roared in my ears.
“I’ll have to hold your breasts steady in my hands while I give them the attention they deserve. You’ll be breathing as hard as you are right now. Once I’ve had my fill, I’ll venture lower. You’ll squirm. You tell yourself you don’t want it, but—oh, Marist. You do.”
The vibrations increased, bringing terrible pleasure with them.
“You’re desperate by this point. There’s a need that I created and only I can satisfy, and I’m going to, because once I start something, I don’t give up. I don’t walk away.”