Luc released my hand and reached for both glasses. He handed one to me and tapped his glass against mine. “Salute.”
I sipped my champagne as the plane slowly started to move. Luc and the flight attendant spoke in Italian again. I tried to pay attention to what they were discussing, but I only knew basic Italian and the only word that got through was Venezia.
As the flight attendant walked away, I lowered my glass and blinked, sure I’d heard them wrong. “We’re not going to Venice, are we?”
“So much for my secret.” Luc frowned, but the moment I saw his eyes, I knew he wasn’t upset. Excitement lit his mismatched gray irises until they looked almost blue. “Yes, we’re going to Venice. I had our things packed up while we were touring Rome. Our bags were loaded onto the plane before we got here.”
Exhilaration pulsed inside me, making my chest feel light. “What about your meetings? You had several more days planned in Rome.”
A voice came over the speakers in Italian. Luc reached across my lap to buckle my seat belt and pull the strap tight. “What’s the point of being in charge if you can’t break the rules now and then?” He held out his hand. “Now finish your champagne, gattina. We’re about to take off.”
I drained the rest of my drink and handed him the glass. He rose from his seat and took the glasses into the galley. Seconds later, he rejoined me, buckled his seat belt, and reached for a magazine from the seat pocket beside him.
I couldn’t believe it. He was taking me to Venice. A smile pulled at my lips as the sleek jet lifted off the ground, and I looked out at Rome growing smaller in the window.
“There is one thing we haven’t discussed,” he said beside me.
“Hm? What’s that?” I asked absently, searching for the Colosseum and Forum in the sea of red-roofed buildings far below.
“That blue dress.”
My heart skipped a beat. Beside me, Luc flipped a page in his magazine.
Something in his voice put me immediately on edge. Slowly, I turned to him, but he seemed engrossed in some article and wasn’t looking at me.
I hated the way my mind shot right back to Laney’s words after the amazing day Luc had given me. “You don’t like my dress?”
“I like it very much.” He flipped another page. “But I told you to wear the yellow one.”
My stomach tightened, and my skin grew hot, but not in a good way. The plane evened out, and the instant the bell dinged, indicating we’d hit cruising altitude, I released my seat belt and pushed to my feet, desperate for a moment alone to gather myself so I didn’t jump to conclusions and say or do something I’d regret later.
Luc looked up. “Where are you going?”
“I need to use the restroom.”
I didn’t wait for him to answer. I moved to step around him, but he caught me by the wrist before I could get by. “Just a minute.”
Sweat broke out along my spine. I tried to act normal, but my heart was already racing. “What?”
His eyes narrowed and darkened. “Lift your skirt. I want to see if you followed the rest of my orders.”
Heat rushed straight to my cheeks. I glanced over my shoulder toward the stewardess in the galley, gathering snacks and drinks for us. “I’m not going to do that,” I whispered, growing more nervous by the second as I looked back at him. “That woman’s right there.”
“Ignore her.” When I tried to pull away, his grip on my wrist tightened. “Natalie. Lift your skirt and show me.”
My face flamed, and my heart thundered in my chest, so loud I was sure he could hear it. Behind me, glasses clinked in the galley and through the open cockpit doors, the pilots laughed and chatted.
Holy shit. He did not want me to do this right here where they could see me. I shook my head no, just a tiny movement. His grip on my wrist grew even tighter, and he whispered, “Show me.”
Embarrassment and excitement warred inside me, making my hands sweat. I hated how dirty I felt. I also hated how turned on I suddenly was. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to run. But I knew I couldn’t do either without drawing attention, and right now, I just wanted to get out of this uncomfortable moment as quickly as I could.
Swallowing hard, I glanced over my shoulder to make sure the flight attendant wasn’t looking. When she knelt to grab something from the fridge, I clenched my jaw and reached for the front of my skirt, drawing it up just high enough for Luc to see I was bare beneath.
He smiled, and his grip on my wrist relaxed. “Vey nice, gattina.”
Anger and mortification tore through me, making my chest tight. Yanking my wrist from his hand, I moved through the bedroom cabin and into the bathroom, where I slammed the door and locked it. My hands shook as I rested my elbows on the edge of the sink, leaned forward, and brushed the damp hair away from my face.
I couldn’t believe he’d made me do that. I couldn’t believe I’d gone along with him and done it. And I couldn’t believe the way my pulse was racing and my body was hot and tight, not with the humiliation I knew I should be feeling, but with arousal.
“Dammit.” I braced my hands on the edge of the sink, dropped my head, closed my eyes, and squeezed my thighs together, hoping to force the arousal away. But with my eyes shut, all I could see was the carnal pleasure in Luc’s eyes when he’d stared at my naked sex. And all envisioning that did was fire me up even more.
A knock sounded, and I jumped. Twisting around, I stared at the door, afraid to move. Afraid to speak.
The knock sounded again. Followed by, “Open the door, Natalie.”
A hot rush of desire swept through me at the sound of Luc’s voice, making my thighs tremble and my sex ache. I couldn’t let him see me like this. I knew if he touched me, I’d beg for him to sate this burning need inside me. And I couldn’t give in and beg. I didn’t want him to touch me right now. Not after what he’d just done.
The door rattled. “Natalie,” he said in a more forceful voice. “Open the door now.”
I flipped on the water and splashed it over my face, hoping it would cool me down. “J-just a minute.”
I knew I couldn’t stay locked in here. I had a feeling he’d break the door down if I did. I dried my hands and face with a towel, sucked in three deep breaths, and let them out. Then stared at myself in the mirror until I knew I wouldn’t crack.
Feeling a tiny bit steadier, I flipped the lock on the door. Luc stood on the other side as I pushed it open, both hands gripping the doorjamb at his sides, his eyes narrowed and very focused. “Are you all right?” he asked in a low voice. “You’ve been in here awhile.”
My heart raced. I could say yes and ignore what had just happened, but I was sure if I did, he’d only do something like that again. I had to stand up for myself.
“No.” I gathered my courage. “I’m not all right. I didn’t like that.”
“Didn’t like what?”
My face heated all over again, and I held out a hand toward the main cabin. “What you made me do out there. Where people could see.”
“I don’t care if anyone sees.”
“Well, I do. That was humiliating.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
He stepped toward me, filling the small bathroom with his broad shoulders and domineering presence, causing me to move back until I hit the sink. Eyes locked on mine, he pressed his palm across my chest, right over the top of my left breast. “Your heart is racing. It doesn’t feel like you’re humiliated. In fact, if I were to sweep my hand between your legs right now, I bet I’d find your pussy slick and swollen and begging for my cock.”
I jerked and shoved my hands against his shoulders, a mixture of disbelief, anger, and excitement pumping inside me because I knew he was right. “That’s not the point.”
He dropped his hand from my body but didn’t move back. “That is the point. Why are you embarrassed by your desires? You shouldn’t be. You’re a very sexual woman, one I find incredibly erotic. I suspected telling you to bare yourself to me
would excite you. If I hadn’t thought you’d enjoy it, I wouldn’t have done it.”
I wasn’t sure I believed that. But I also couldn’t deny I was sexually aroused by what had happened. I was aroused. And I was growing wetter by the minute as he stood close and said these things to me. But deep inside, I was also scared. Scared of the feelings he was stirring in me. Scared of how far they might take me. Scared, especially, of where he wanted me to go.
“I…” I didn’t know how to tell him any of that. Licking my lips, I stared at the buttons on his expensive white dress shirt as I tried to decide if I even should. I liked what was happening between us. I liked him. But I also recognized that this combustible relationship had the potential to both consume and damage me if I wasn’t careful. And that made me wary. “I don’t… You keep using the word consequences. Was that a consequence for wearing a dress you don’t like? Making me lift my skirt?”
“I told you I liked your dress. It’s very sexy.”
His voice was low and calm, and it made me lift my eyes to his. But when I saw the heat and desire swirling in his tempestuous gaze, I swallowed hard because I knew he wasn’t nearly as calm as I thought. A storm roared inside him. One I suspected he wanted to unleash on me. One I craved even though I knew it made me weak.
“But no. Telling you to lift your skirt was not a consequence for wearing this dress.” His hand closed over mine, and he stepped back, pulling me with him. “I wasn’t going to do this until later, but I sense we both need it now.”
My heart thundered as he pulled me into the bedroom cabin. He’d closed the door, blocking out the crew, and that only made my pulse beat faster and my skin tingle because I didn’t know what he had planned.
He sat on the edge of the bed and drew me to stand between his legs, still holding my wrist tightly in his grip. “I told you yesterday that I don’t make love. I dominate. You said you wanted that.”
“I did.” My stomach quivered as I stared down at him. “Because I wanted you.”
“Wanted or want?”
I couldn’t lie to him, not now when I was aching to have him touch me in other places. “Want.”
His thumb traced a lazy circle against my wrist. “That’s good,” he said in a low voice. “I want you too. But you need to know right now that I don’t just want your body, I want your mind as well. Control is part of who I am. If you want me, then you have to accept that. If this relationship between us is to go anywhere, then I need you to do as I say, when I say. And if you choose not to obey, then you need to be ready to accept the consequences. I, for one, would very much like us to go further than today. Do you, Natalie? Do you want more of us?”
That word—us—made my whole body tremble. I was falling for this man. Falling hard. He’d captivated me these last few days, and I didn’t want to walk away from him. I did want more. I wanted it so much I was light-headed and ready to abandon every one of my principles. The words left my lips before I could stop them. “I think so.”
“You think?”
The disappointment in his voice hit me hard. Before I could stop myself, I said, “Y-yes.”
“Good.” Relief trickled through his stormy gaze. But just as quickly it was replaced by heat. Heat and a raging desire I felt deep in my bones. “Then you need a consequence for wearing that dress. I’ll let you choose. You can lay your sweet body over my lap and lift your skirt for five swats, or you can wear these until we get to the hotel.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out two tweezers-like objects with rubber tips, connected by a long chain.
My eyes widened. “What are those?”
“Nipple clamps.”
The air caught in my lungs, and my mind spun, trying to make sense of what he was offering. He wanted to spank me or squeeze my nipples with those things that looked like torture devices. My instincts screamed to jerk back and get as far from this man as possible, but my muscles wouldn’t move, and my hammering heart told me I was both horrified and even more excited than before.
“Which will it be? You have to choose.”
My fingers shook as I stared down at the nipple clamps, then looked at the size of his hand. My face flamed as I imagined bending over his lap and that hand slapping against my bare ass. I couldn’t do that. The thought of it was just…too shameful to even consider.
“Natalie?”
“I’ll take the nipple clamps,” I blurted out.
Mortification immediately swept through me when the words echoed back to my ears. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. Did I really want this man that much? Why couldn’t I say no to him?
A victorious grin spread across his lips. He let go of my wrist and slid his arm around my lower spine, pulling me toward him. Heat and his intoxicating scent—jasmine and musk and rum—overwhelmed my senses, making me even more light-headed than before. “Tug the straps of your dress down and let me see those gorgeous breasts.”
I wanted to say no, but my shaking hands were already moving to my shoulders, sliding the straps of my dress down my arms until the bodice fell at my waist as if his very words controlled my body.
He focused on the sheer cups covering my breasts. “Now the bra.”
My whole body trembled, but I pushed the cups beneath my breasts, baring my nipples to his hungry gaze. Between my legs, I felt myself growing wetter.
“Bellissima.” He leaned forward and licked my right nipple, tracing his tongue around the tip until it tightened and pebbled. My back arched reflexively, and sparks of heat shot straight into my sex.
Oh…his tongue. My head drifted back, and my eyes slid closed. This didn’t feel like a consequence. It felt soooo good. I rested my hands on his shoulders and pressed my hips against his chest to keep from falling over.
“Mm.” He growled. “You are absolutely delicious, gattina.”
I rubbed my pelvis against him, desperate to feel his touch between my legs, eager for release. He’d had me on the edge since I’d awoken this morning and seen him staring at me from across the room with those gorgeous, hungry one-of-a-kind eyes.
A hard sharp pain ripped through my nipple and echoed through my breast. My eyes jerked open, and I lurched back. “Holy fuck.”
Luc caught me by the waist and shot to his feet, holding me tight against him. “Breathe through it, Natalie.”
I gripped his shirt at the shoulders and tried to, but holy crap, it hurt.
“That’s it,” he whispered, fiddling with the clamp squeezing my nipple. “I loosened it a little. Is that better?”
I breathed hard and glanced down at the device squeezing my nipple a deep shade of red. It still hurt, but not as intensely as before. As I stared at my breast, the pain shifted to a dull throb. “I…it’s okay.”
Holy hell, had I just said squeezing my nipple to the point of pain was okay? I was fucking losing it for this man.
“Let’s do the other one.”
I closed my eyes and bit my lip as he repeated the process on my other nipple, licking it into a stiff peak, then applying the second clamp. This one hurt, but not nearly as bad, and I wasn’t sure if that was because I’d braced myself to expect the pain, or if he’d set the pressure lighter, or if I was turning into a masochist.
The last worried me. Really worried me. But before the thought could sink in, Luc’s mouth was on mine, kissing me hard, devouring me with his lips and teeth and tongue until the only thing I could think about was him.
When he finally drew back so I could breathe, I realized I was pushed up against the wall, trapped between it and his hard, hot, very aroused body.
“Dio, Natalie. I need to know if you’re wet.” His hand streaked under my skirt and swept between my swollen flesh, stroking my core until I gasped. “Cazzo. You’re absolutely drenched.” He lowered his head and sank his teeth into my neck, then sucked the spot until I shivered. “If we weren’t about to land, I’d fuck you right here until you scream.”
“Oh yes…” I wanted that. I wanted it so bad, I couldn’t think. I l
ifted my hips, rubbing against the rod of steel in his pants. “Yes…”
Luc groaned and rocked against me as his wicked lips pressed a line of kisses up and down my throat.
A voice came over the intercom, speaking in that frustrating Italian again. Luc stilled against me and slowly lifted his head. “We have to take our seats.”
Frustration balled inside me. I wanted to scream. I wanted Luc inside me. I wanted to come.
His face was flushed as he leaned back and tapped the end of the clamp against my right breast. An electrical arc shot straight into my sex, and I groaned.
Smiling, he leaned down and licked the tip of my tormented nipple. “You are so fucking sexy.”
My body was on fire, my sex wetter than it had ever been. As Luc gently tugged the cups of my bra up, covering the clamps, more arcs of energy ricocheted between my legs, leaving me light-headed. I bit my lip against a groan. Squeezed my thighs together to assuage the ache. Nothing worked. The only thing that would work, I knew, was Luc’s thick cock, sliding deep inside me.
Dazed, I stood where I was as he fixed the bodice of my dress and drew the straps back up my shoulders. When he stepped away and pulled me with him, I followed, unable to think. Every movement caused my dress to brush the clamps, sending another wave of electricity straight into my sex. By the time we reached our seats, I was a trembling wet mess of need, and he knew it.
He buckled my seat belt for me and pulled it tight. Then I felt his lips at my ear, his hot breath washing over my neck, his tongue teasing my lobe.
“I can smell your arousal from here,” he whispered against me. “Hot and sweet. Can you smell it? Do you know what that is? It’s you submitting to me. And, Dio, it’s fucking sexy as hell. I’m going to make you come so hard when we get to the hotel, you won’t remember your own name.”
I closed my eyes and whimpered. Not because I didn’t believe him. Not because I didn’t want exactly that. But because I knew he was right. I was submitting. I was giving in to every one of his wicked desires because they turned me on.