Blind Girl: A Dark Billionaire Romance (11 page)

“You don’t get very many guests,” I note.

He says nothing and merely looks on me with amusement as I piece his daily life together in my head.

Finally, we reach the master bedroom at the end of the hall.

The warmth of a second fireplace embraces me as I step inside. Charles closes the door behind us while I wander around the room. He leans against the door and slides his hands into his pockets, watching me closely.

“This is nice,” I say, admiring the decoration. “Does Harvey make your bed for you?” I brush my fingers over the duvet as I pass by the four-poster bed.

“No,” he answers, a smile on his voice.

“I’m just kidding,” I shoot back at him.

“I know.”

The vanity in the corner catches my eye. It seems out of place next to everything else in the room. I reach out to feel the smooth flower petals carved into the wood surrounding the mirror.

“It was my mother’s.”

“It’s beautiful.” I look back at him. “She didn’t want to keep it?”

“I’m sure she found another one in France just like it.”

“Is that where they are now?” I ask. “France?”

“Or Belgium. Spain. Ireland.”

“You don’t know?”

He shrugs and says nothing more.

“Sounds like a good life,” I say. I pull out the stool under the vanity and sit down. I try to imagine myself as royalty, with handmaidens at my sides and a vast array of cosmetics lined before me. I shake the thoughts from my head and catch sight of a photo album sitting on the corner.

As I reach over and lift the front cover, his hand appears from the shadows and forces it closed. I flinch with surprise. His sudden presence brings me great pause. I didn’t even see him move away from the door.

“Stand up,” he says in the darkness.

I obey slowly, hesitant to make any quick moves around him. My tongue taps the roof of my mouth. “What’s in it?” I ask as my curiosity wins out over my fear.

His hand hovers over the album for a moment, then he pulls it away. “Go ahead,” he whispers.

He’s challenging me, dangling the mystery in front of me like a shiny object, hoping to keep my attentions. “What’s in it?” I ask again. I search his eyes for any silent indication, but they appear black in the shadows.

When I refuse to give in, he does it for me. He opens it with a quick flick of his wrist and pushes the album closer to me.

Me. It’s a photo of me.

I recall the memory. The intense view of the city sprawled out before me. The feel of the sapphire blue Faleuro dress against my skin. The stab of self-consciousness as Charles takes my photo against the window.

“Wow,” I whisper. I can feel him staring at me, studying my reaction to it. It’s a wonderful pose, and for a moment, I believe it’s a different woman. Surely, I’m not that photogenic.

Charles turns the page to show me the next photo, a variation of the same pose. My eyes are cast downward towards the floor as the edges of my smile tease my lips.

And then, the third photo.

A straight forward shot of myself, naked on the hotel room bed on the night of the Blind Girl Party. My hands are bound to the bedposts with gray ties and my eyes are obscured behind the red blindfold.

I tear my eyes away from it before he can turn another page.

“No,” Charles whispers. His hand brushes against my cheek. “Look.”

“Charles…”

“Look at yourself,” he urges. His fingers move across the photo, tracing the edge of my body. “Look at how beautiful you are. The color of your skin, the curve of your breasts.” He meets my eyes. “You’re perfection, Alice.”

I step away from the vanity, blinking quickly to try and wipe the image from my mind. “I think you might be a little obsessed with me, Mr. Kent,” I say, making light of it.

“Would that upset you?” he asks me.

I shake my head. “No...” He raises an eyebrow in my direction, taunting me to tell him the truth. “Maybe.”

Charles closes the album and my eyes drift around the room. I recognize the portraits along the walls, similar to those hung up in his office. Except these are far less ambiguous than the others. I can clearly make out the nudity in these portraits.

“You have specific tastes,” I say.

“Yes, I do.”

“You can obsess over me, but you can’t love me?” The question spills off my tongue faster than I can stop it.

His playful eyes dance in the dark. “Still think I’ve underestimated you?” I don’t answer. “Alice…” His hands grasp my shoulders as he closes in on me. “Let me have you again.”

“What’s stopping you?” I ask. “We’re alone in your house in the middle of nowhere.”

He shakes his head. “I’m not that kind of man, Alice. You know that.”

I nod. “Consent,” I say.

“Yes,” he says. “Getting a woman to beg for it is far more powerful than taking it from her.”

A shiver travels down my spine. I take a step back to gather my thoughts, but also to hide the desire in my eyes from him. “You won’t touch me unless I tell you to,” I say. I peek over my shoulder at him.

His chest heaves in and out as he holds himself back. “Alice—”

“Sounds like torture,” I say, toying with him.

“It is.”

“Charles…” I watch him twitch. “You want me to beg you for it?”

“Yes…” he whispers.

I sit down on his bed. My body quivers. “Would that make you happy?” I ask.

“Very.”

I pause and take a breath to calm myself. “Is that all this will be then?” I ask. I hear him moving in the darkness. “A relationship with you—”

“Alice.” He places his hand below my chin and tilts my face upward, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. “You’re trembling.”

“You frighten me,” I stutter.

His lips curl. “You’re lying,” he says.

“No…” I turn away.

Charles kneels down in front of me. “Look at me, Alice.” I obey with quaking vision. “No,” he says. “This isn’t fear. This is passion.”

“I can’t be what you want me to be for you, Charles,” I whisper.

“Alice, I want nothing more from you than what you already are,” he says.

“Do you care about me at all?” I ask him.

He smiles. “More than you could ever know.” His entwines his fingers with mine. “When I’m around you, Alice, I completely lose myself.”

“Is that true?”

“Every word,” he says. “I was not lying before. I can provide for you. I can offer you any life you desire in exchange for your body. I’ll make you just as happy as you make me, and that’s more important than love.” My breath shakes through my lips. “Anything you want,” he whispers. “Say the word and it’s yours, Alice.”

I close my eyes. My desires betray me, pushing me closer to the edge than I’ve ever been before. There’s a final thought, lingering on the edge of my consciousness, holding me back from giving myself over to him completely. I look at him and a tear falls down my cheek.

“Why me?” I ask weakly.

Charles breathes a laugh. “Say yes,” he whispers, “and I promise I’ll show you.”

“Yes!” The word expels from my lips. It knocks the wind out of me and I fight to catch my breath.

He takes me into his arms so quickly, it makes me dizzy, and when he kisses me, I lose all control of myself.

“Alice…” he breathes my name, whispering it softly in my ear as he undresses me piece-by-piece.

He lets my own passions run wild with him. I pull him closer to me so I can feel his hardness pressing against the inside of his trousers, fighting to break free to be inside of me. My tongue taps the roof of my mouth, craving his intoxicating flavors. I reach for his belt, but he stops me and lifts me up onto the bed.

His eyes fall onto my naked body and he stares at me for a moment before speaking. “Turn around,” he demands.

I tremble and obey him slowly. I turn over onto my belly and look over my shoulder at him. He pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it to the floor. I watch as he unzips his trousers and pushes them to the floor as his eyes wander across my ass. His member stands on end, stiff with desire. I lick my lips and move to sit back up.

“Stay there,” he says. “Face forward.”

I lay back down and look to the wall. I hear him moving behind me and the sound of drawer opening and closing. Something small lands on the bed next to my elbow. I recognize it in the firelight. An unopened condom.

He climbs onto the bed behind me and balances above me. His fingers trace up my back, tickling the sensitive skin as they climb upwards. I sigh with desire as he bends over and kisses my neck. I feel his tongue against my skin. He moans as he moves, tasting me, relishing in me. Then he quickly pushes himself back and grips my hips. My body jerks upright and he bends me how he wants me onto my hands and knees. My teeth chatter with fresh fear and brilliant desire.

“Charles…” I moan for him, but then I cry out in pain as his hand connects with my rear. My elbows buckle and I push myself back up.

“Alice—” he growls. “Did you like that?” I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. His palm slaps me again and I fall forward against the bed. “Sit up.” I force myself back up, my body tingling with fresh sensations. Charles leans over me, his body pressed against my back, and whispers in my ear. “If you don’t like it, I won’t do it again.” His voice travels my spine. “Tell me, Alice.”

My muscles twitch below him. My tongue has gone dry. I fight to find my voice again. “I liked it,” I breathe, telling him the truth.

He raises back up behind me. I bite my lip and prepare for another slap.

It connects harder and faster than the first two and I scream at the wall. His fingers find my hair and he gives me a quick jerk up. I bare my teeth and whimper with passion as he holds me against his body.

“How about this?” he whispers. His warm breath strikes my cheek. He holds my hair tightly in his fist and tugs it hard. “Do you like this?” he asks.

I quiver in delicious pain. “Yes—” I answer.

“Are you sure?” he asks. His lips graze my ear as he speaks and he lowers down to kiss my neck.

“Yes,” I moan.

He drops my hair and lets me fall back down onto the bed. My arms shake beneath me as I struggle to hold myself upright.

“Alice,” he says. I flinch as he reaches forward and snatches the condom off the bed. I look back at him and watch as he rips it open with his teeth. “Tell me to fuck you.”

“What?” I tremble.

He slides the condom onto his erect cock. “Say it,” he urges. “Tell me what you want.”

I grip the bedspread beneath me as his tip skims my slit. “I want it,” I whisper.

His bare palm connects with my ass, hard and fast. “Louder,” he says.

“I want it.”

He strikes me again.

“I want it!”

He splits my folds and pushes inside an inch but gives me no more. “Fuck me,” he says. “Say it.”

“Fuck me, Charles.”

“More.”

“Please—” I push back, but he holds me in place, refusing to give in to my desires. “Charles, please! Fuck me!”

He thrusts me once and my arms collapse beneath me. “Get up,” he demands.

I try to push myself up, but my body quakes too much. I moan loudly, unable to form words as he thrusts me again.

Charles leans forward and grips my hair. “Get up, Alice,” he says into my ear.

“I can’t—” I moan. “It’s too much.”

“Do you want me to stop?” he asks, pounding me again.

“No!”

He pulls me up by my hair and holds me against him. His other arm cradles my body, squeezing my breasts as he continues to impale me repeatedly. My own strength fails me and I submit to his power. “Alice…” he whispers. “I need this body.” I twitch with every thrust he gifts me, my passions building inside. Once again, I’m rendered speechless and can do nothing but moan. “I want you every night,” he says.

“Yes!” I scream.

He drops me to the bed and I push myself up onto my arms.

“Tell me what you want, Alice,” he says.

“I want you to fuck me, Charles.”

He fills me up, harder and faster until I can’t take anymore. I scream his name as I come and he leans forward to hold me steady as my body convulses uncontrollably.

“Oh, Alice…” he breathes into my skin. I feel him throbbing inside of me, ready for sweet release. He thrusts me one last time and climax claims him with a grunt.

He releases my body and I fall to the bed below. My head hits the pillows. New sensations destroy my senses as I breathe slowly.

“Alice.” I turn over onto my side and look up at him. His chest heaves up and down, his body glistening with sweat. “Are you all right?” he asks.

I lick my lips and manage a smile. “Yes,” I answer.

He lowers himself down onto his back and lies next to me.

I close my eyes and listen to the crackling fireplace until my pulsating sex returns to normal. “Charles…” I taste his name on my tongue, satisfyingly sweet.

“Yes, Alice?” he asks.

I try to open my eyes, but I’m too exhausted to win. “Will you be here when I wake up?” I ask.

He turns towards me. “Yes, my darling,” he whispers. His fingers push my hair back behind my ear. “I will be here when you wake up.”

I smile as sleep claims me.

***

The early morning sun invades my eyes. When I finally open them, I find an unfamiliar ceiling staring back at me. I want nothing more than to go back to sleep, but as I roll over, I see Charles lying next to me.

My heart swells as I remember his words in my ears, still echoing through my mind from the night before. I fight a laughter of happiness from breaking the silence and cover my mouth as I look at him. His hair looks different in direct sunlight, with the most subtle specks of gray shining through his black strands. I buzz with emotion as I admire his naked form. Part of me fears I’m still dreaming and that sooner or later, I’ll wake up back in my dorm, cold and alone.

No, this is real.

I sit up and throw my feet to the floor. As I stand, I feel the pain of stretched muscles throughout my body, remnants of last night’s events. I smile at it as I move, loving every subtle pain inside.

I find my flannel shirt and slip into my underwear before Charles begins to stir.