Alexandr's Cherished Submissive (30 page)

Instead of being mad, he leaned forward and tucked her hair behind her ear with that soft smile that melted her heart…and her panties. “Thank you for being honest with me about your needs. They will not come in here because you own this jewelry. It is in your name, and you cannot steal from yourself.”

“But—”

He cut her off by placing his hand firmly over her mouth. “Only acceptable words are ‘thank you, Alexandr’.”

When he removed his hand, she gave him a surly, “Thank you, Alexandr.”

For a few long moments, he merely looked down at her, studying her face as she looked back at him, getting turned on by the heat in his eyes. “Jessica, I have something for you that is very important to me.”

For a second, she thought he was going to propose to her and was relieved then shocked when that wasn’t what he had to say at all.

He tapped the rectangular box on his lap. “This is your collar, Jessica. A symbol that you belong to me.”

“A-a what?”

He made a soothing sound. “I told you I want to own you. This is part of it.”

“But, Alex, I can’t go around wearing a dog collar.”

The rich tone of his laughter filled the small room, and she relaxed marginally. “
Lyubov
moya
, is not what you think. Go ahead, open.”

Trying not to be too apprehensive, she slowly opened the lid and let out a soft gasp.

It was a choker made of gold bars encrusted with sapphires, interspacing a triple strand of creamy pearls. At the center of the choker hung a large heart shaped sapphire surrounded by gold and baguette diamonds. She reached for the beautiful jewelry, then hesitated, and looked up at Alex.

“May I?”

“It is yours, Jessica, but only by choice. You willingly wear my collar. I do not force you. Is gift you give me, gift of yourself.”

She ran her hands over the necklace, the smooth pearls teasing her fingertips. “Gorgeous. But how do I put it on?”

He pressed two diamonds surrounding the sapphire heart, and it opened somehow, the sapphire heart sliding off and revealing a small locking mechanism. She gasped then looked up at him with a huge smile. “That is so cool!”

Her reaction seemed to startle him, then something deep in his eyes softened, and she felt suddenly shy at the intensity of his gaze. Oh yeah, he had feelings for her, big ones. Although she was experienced sexually, in relationships, she was still learning as she went, but even she recognized that Alex’s feelings for her were…undeniable. He made her feel almost constantly adored, when he wasn’t being an arrogant dick.

The light gleamed off the exposed gold, and she took the open pearl and sapphire choker from him. To her surprise, it fit just right, and as she took the sapphire heart, ready to put it on, Alex stopped her by grasping her hand in his, and she pondered how big his hands were. Yes, she’d felt them on her and adored his touch, but damn, her man made her feel delicate. So much power, yet he handled her like she was made of crystal.

“You understand when you do this you are accepting another layer of my ownership over you, yes? You must think about this. Is not a decision to be made lightly. This collar means I own you in a way that cannot be denied. My stamp, warning off those who would try to take you from me.”

Considering him, she took a deep breath and forced herself to clear her thoughts. After a few moments, her mind had focused enough to think. “Alex, I know you. Well, sort of. There is that whole ‘secret world’ shit I have to deal with. For God’s sakes, only I would fall for a man who can’t tell me who he really is. It’s scary, and it’s intimidating, and it’s daunting for me to be your woman.”

He looked her in the eyes, pinning her in place with his anger. “Who has tried to intimidate you, Jessica? Is important you tell me.”

Blowing a strand of her hair out of her face, she tried to ignore how hot he looked when he was angry. It was like visual sexual candy. Especially when his hand still held hers tightly, not letting her pull away in the slightest. Claiming her…holding her in place. She couldn’t get away from him. Especially if she wore his collar.

Without another word, she gently removed his hand from hers then slid the lock closed. When it clicked shut, she shuddered, puzzled by her strong reaction to wearing this beautiful piece of jewelry. Her pulse quickened, and she had some rather naughty thoughts about doing things to Alex in this room. Surrounded by millions of dollars in jewelry.

In Rome.

She could use another glass of champagne.

“Now,” Alex said in a soft voice, “let me show you how to take it off.”

Feeling strangely possessive of the choker, she placed her hand over the clasp. “Why would you do that?” she murmured.

He gave her a slow, easy smile. The light caught the silver in his eyes, making them shine at her. Goodness, her panties were about to fall off. The fact that she was the one to make him happy like this delighted her, even as she frowned over having to fasten and unfasten the lock several times.

“Do not get too attached to the choker. Is one of many. When you wear any piece of jewelry I’ve given you around your neck, it all means the same thing. You are mine, mine to spoil, mine to love.”

Her nose burned, and tears prickled her eyes. “You need to stop, right now, before I cry. And if you make me walk down that street with raccoon eyes among all those fabulous people, I’ll be really irritated with you.”

He laughed again, and with a firm touch, helped her stand. Then he gently pushed her back so he could stand. With her free hand, she brushed back her hair from her face and realized she could smell him on her skin now. His cologne scented her fingers, adding another layer of his ownership to her. Christ, now she was thinking like him. That couldn’t be good.

“Jessica, why are you sniffing your hand?”

She startled and gave him a slightly guilty look. “I could smell your cologne on my skin.”

Oh, that pleased him.

With a noticeable growl in his voice, he cupped her cheek. “I like when you smell of me, Jessica. There is no mistaking you have been with a man when my scent clings to your skin.”

She couldn’t help but laugh, and her tension eased. “Jesus, why don’t you just pee on me?”

Shaking his head, he strode over to her with a small box then handed it to her. “Earrings.”

Inside the box was a pair of sapphire studs, not huge, but tastefully large. Part of her mind tried to figure out how much they cost, but she squashed those thoughts. She was tired of freaking out. “Alex, these are gorgeous.”

He helped her change out her plain gold hoops, handling them with the same care with which he’d handled a pair of earrings that cost more than ten thousand dollars. Her hands shook as she put them in, finally getting the tricky backings on with Alex’s help. When they were in, he leaned back, quickly scanning her features, then smiled, big.

“As I thought, the sapphires bring out the lighter blues in your eyes. Such beauty, and all mine. Come, you need to see.”

When they neared the mirror, she saw her reflection and immediately stopped chewing on her lower lip. Jeeze, she had no idea she looked that weird when she was doing it. Trying to smooth out her expression, she couldn’t help but stare at her reflection. She looked beautiful, sophisticated, and elegant, things she never would have thought about herself before. Though she knew she was pretty, Alex truly brought out the beauty in her, and it wasn’t just cosmetic. Her whole face glowed with happiness, probably a result of the plethora of orgasms Alex had given her.

Or maybe just because he was a super awesome boyfriend…or Master…or whatever.

He kissed between her eyebrows. “That little line means you are thinking too hard. Enjoy the moment, Jessica.”

Meeting his gaze, she smiled and admired the necklace and earrings in the mirror. “These are so beautiful. Everything is gorgeous. Thank you, it really means a lot to me that you went to all this effort to make me happy.”

“You are most welcome,
prinsessa moya
.” His obvious satisfaction at having given them to her almost rolled off of him, and she had to hide a smile. “Come, we need to return to the hotel. I have a meeting to attend to, and Catrin is taking you shopping.”

Pulled away from watching the sapphire heart sparkle, she startled. Crap, she’d totally forgotten about that. Once again, the idea of being away from Alex didn’t appeal to her, but she wasn’t going to be one of those women who stuck to their man like glue. She needed her space, liked her space, and could use a little time away from him to get her shit together. Hopefully, this Catrin wasn’t too scary. From what Alex said, she was some kind of socialite superstar and had been in more than a few scandals. He wouldn’t say what they were, but she hoped it wasn’t for being a raging bitch.

They left soon after, Alex holding her hand as she floated on a cloud of happiness next to him, proud to be on the arm of such a wonderful man. As they slowly strolled together, she could understand his pleasure at showing her off because, in a way, she did the same with him. Yeah, she wasn’t a fan of women openly flirting with Alex right in front of her, but their admiration of him made her feel good because he was hers. This handsome, extraordinary, generous, amazing man was hers.

She tugged him to a stop, moving out of the way of foot traffic, and leaned against the dark stone of one of the exquisite shops. Not too far away, the Spanish Steps gleamed in the morning light, and the spray from the fountain in the plaza below threw little rainbows into the air. With the sun warm on her face, she looked up at him and wished he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses.

“What is it, Jessica?”

Standing on her tiptoes, she placed a sweet, lingering kiss on his lips. “I’m just so happy to be here with you.”

His small smile warmed her more than the sun as he rubbed his nose against hers. “So am I.”

Before she realized it, they were back at the hotel. Instead of heading to their suite, they continued through the lobby, hooked a left, and Alex led her into the bar. Adrenaline cleared her head of her happy buzz when Alex called out, “Catrin, Nico.”

She followed his line of sight through the busy room and saw a curvy, lush, little blonde smile at them and wave. Her lips were pink, her skin like porcelain, and she had big, blue eyes that looked like they belonged on a Disney princess. Based on looks alone, Catrin seemed like she should be teaching kindergarten, or riding on a unicorn while birds flew around her like princess out of a cartoon. For sure, sweet looking Catrin wasn’t the kind of woman Jessica had pictured when Alex described her as a scandalous socialite. And Nico…wow. He was an intimidating, very suave black man with short hair and a sharp bone structure that looked good on him. He wore a black suit with a tie that complimented Catrin’s red and black block print dress. When his gaze met hers, his smile was dazzling.

Boy howdy, Alex had some beautiful friends.

The black man spoke first, and she was a little shocked at his heavy Russian accent. “This must be Jessica. Is good to meet the woman that has stolen my friend’s heart.”

Catrin stood with a little squeal and hugged Alex tightly then hugged Jessica with equal enthusiasm. “Hello, darling. I’ve heard so much about you from Maks and Dimitri.”

A little surprised by the woman’s bubbly enthusiasm, Jessica smiled. “Uh...hi. Nice to meet you.”

With a giggle, Catrin leaned back and studied Jessica from the top of her head, her gaze lingering on the collar, down to her feet before she clapped her hands and declared, “Gorgeous. I am so happy for you, Alex! She is stunning. And such lovely skin and hair with those unusual cat-like eyes. And she is sweet, I can tell. No, I have decided she is too good for you. I will have to keep her for myself…but if you are nice, I will share. Or maybe just let you watch.”

Well, that answered why Catrin was the focus of so many scandals. The people in the bar area all looked mildly shocked, which for Europeans was like an American OMG face. Instead of hushing her, Nico and Alex merely laughed and ignored the disapproving looks thrown their way. It dawned on Jessica that they genuinely didn’t give a shit. They merely shook their heads as Nico gently took her hand in his big, well-manicured one.

His grip was firm and his voice low. “Hmm, perhaps if I promise you as a wedding present, I can get Catrin to marry me.”

Catrin said something in a rapid, and what sounded like pissed off, stream of Russian before stomping back to their table, grabbing her purse, and giving Nico a dirty look before she latched her arm through Jessica’s.

“We are going shopping.”

Alex sighed and held his hand out. “Jessica, come here.”

She managed to untangle herself from Catrin, who was glaring at a smirking Nico, and went to Alex.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “As your Master, I give you permission to enjoy anything you want with Catrin.”

“What?”

“You are in different world now, my world, and in my world, I make rules. You do not worry about right and wrong. If I say is okay, is okay. I want you to enjoy yourself, to take all pleasure life has to offer.”

Conscious of curious eyes on them, she leaned in and whispered, “I don’t understand. Do I get to make the rules, too? What are you talking about?”

He merely grinned at her—the jerk—and she found herself being dragged out of the bar by the hand before she could draw a breath.

“Darling,” Catrin slowed their pace once they were out of the lobby, “I’m sorry about that unpleasantness. Nico and I are having…issues at the moment.”

She thought about beating around the bush and decided against it. “Was he serious about wanting to marry you?”

The other woman gave an adorable pout then nodded. “Yes, the bastard.”

“Umm, that’s a bad thing?”

“Yes and no.” Catrin led her into a waiting silver Rolls Royce where a burly guy held the car door open for them. “I love him to death. I just don’t do marriage.”

Eager to change the subject, Jessica said, “Where are we going?”

“A private designer I know. You can get anything in Rome, but we’re not buying you clothes.”