Continental Life (11 page)

Slipping a finger into her tight canal, her feminine essence and excited groans saturated his senses. A thunderous boom and flash of lightening lit up the room as the sheets of rain poured down outside
, and the static electricity could be felt all around them. Two, then three fingers stretched her anal muscles as he prepped her for his erotic intrusion. When Bella raised her ass and began to thrust back against his palm, he knew she was ready.

Resting the crown of his cock at her entran
ce, he hovered over her and pushed gently causing her inner walls to contract around him. A small tortured groan escaped her throat and he pulled back until she relaxed. His body gravitated toward the heat between her legs as he plunged deeper, taking his time with every thrust and swivel of his hips until his full length was inside of her. Not once did his eyes stray from the splendid vision of her ass accepting all of him. Once fully submerged in her warm, tight depths, he leaned down onto her and buried his face in her hair, inhaling her clean scent as a sensual lethargy overtook his body.

Easing himself in and out of her puckered hole
leisurely, his thoughts became fuzzy. They were breaking the rules by being together, but he didn’t give a fuck. After the emotionally exhausting night they had been through, they needed this. True-to-form, Bella intuited his needs and had given into unspoken desires.
Fuck the rules
. It wasn’t anyone’s right to deny them what was
both
rightfully theirs –
each other.

Threading his fingers through
the cheap wig, he tugged it from her head until her sweaty, dark strands loosened around her neck. He fisted her natural locks and pulled her head back to see her eyes darkened with gritty passion. With each stroke of his cock, he stirred her to new heights as her whimpers and moans came closer together. Reaching a hand around her waist and past her belly, he found her clit and gave it his full attention as his ending neared. Supporting himself on an elbow, he tilted his pelvis until Bella’s body began to twitch and writhe with need.

“Yes, right there…” she breath
ed out as he hit her G-spot through the thin membrane separating her pussy and ass.

Staring at a spot on the wall, he tried to prolong the inevitable, but Bella propped herself on her elbows and knees.
His pent up sexual tension was about to spring loose. Her heart-shaped bottom pushing against him was his downfall every. Single. Time.

Freeing
her clit from his digital assuage, he grabbed a hold of her hips and squatted above her, thrusting deeply until a string of unintelligible and garbled words came spilling out of her. With her body quivering, he dove deeply into her one, two… three more times when his warm release lashed through him and filled her.

He tumbled sideways onto the satin sheets and tucked her close to his side, each beat of his heart harmonizing with hers.

Bella yawned as she rolled over to face him; her black mascara smudged all around her eyes and the fake mole now only a faint remnant.

Smiling down at her, he rubbed the remainder of the faux beauty mark off her upper lip
and kissed her forehead.

“There’s my Princess.”

When Friday rolled
around, Bella was glad for it. Her brain was filled with so much knowledge and her heart with so much emotion, she feared mental overload. Her rendezvous with Xander had given her the boost she needed and it was obvious that he was more emotionally grounded after their time together as well.

Ju’s spanking
had been postponed until the last day of the week for unknown reasons. Dalberg was to deliver the first round of experimental punishment and Bella felt complete sympathy for her, and even felt grateful that it wasn’t her. When it finally commenced, the dread and fear she expressed took everyone by surprise and guilt crashed over Bella like a violent wave. She had no idea what Ju had been through but whatever it was, she wanted to take the pain away. Stepping forward, she attempted to volunteer to take the brunt of whatever Dalberg had planned, but before she could speak, she felt a firm grip on her elbow and Xander’s whispered voice in her ear.

“No, Bella. Let Dalberg handle this.”

Angry, she glared harshly at him over her shoulder. This wasn’t the Xander she knew. The Xander she knew would step up and protect a woman in distress.

“Please Xander, do something,” she pleaded with him as she tried to free herself from his grip.
“
Help her
,” she harshly whispered to him.

When
a tortured cry spilled out of Julianna, all they could do was watch in heartbreaking horror as she broke down physically and mentally in front of everyone before any physical interaction even took place. All of the students, including Christopher despaired at what they were witnessing. It was actually physically painful to see the beautiful, suffering Julianna shake uncontrollably as if she were a frightened child.
Who had hurt her and why wasn’t Xander stepping in?

Dalberg held her tightly and rocked her while trying to soothe her pain, but nothing seemed to pacify her.
They all surrounded her and wept with her, not knowing what they could do to make her feel better. The details of her past were still unknown, but it made no difference. She was hurting and that’s all that mattered.

As
Dalberg carried Ju away, Bella hugged herself and glared at Xander accusingly, fearful of what Dalberg might to do the vulnerable and hurting woman. Xander’s normally stoic countenance was a thin veil over the hurt plainly visible on his face. Now, shame swept over her for doubting him. Hutchens took over, but it was clear to see he was deeply affected as well.

“These sorts of things happen, unfortunately,” he explained in a hushed voice. “Ms. Breslin is a strong individual for hav
ing come this far, but she needs more time and counseling to move forward, and I promise each of you, she’ll receive it.”

Clutching her chest, Clarissa spoke up. “Will she
be back?”

“We hope so, but the decision is ultimately hers.”

“Please tell her we’re here for her,” Christopher choked out, causing Lauren to break down again.

“I will,” Hutchens
squeezed Christopher’s shoulder.

An hour later
after everyone had time to regain their composure and talk about how they were feeling with Hutchens; Bella packed up her bag and stepped out of his classroom to see Dalberg protectively embracing Ju. Hidden in the shadows and just out of sight, she listened in on their private moment.

“These things tak
e time to get over, Ms. Breslin,” he spoke softly as he stroked her hair. “No one is pushing you.”

“I don’t want to leave. I want to stay in the program,” she sobbed into his chest with her face hidden.

“And we want you to stay. There’s so much for you to learn here. You deserve to know all that is attainable for you. You need the confidence to find a man who will value you for the true gem that you really are.” Touching her chin, he tipped her head back. “This portion of your education will be a private matter from this point on with only the other instructors and you and I present. No one need by privy to the activities within those sessions and only when you’re ready will we continue with that segment of your education.”

The kindness i
n his voice confounded Bella. Who was this man? Certainly not the same man who was antagonizing her on a daily basis.

Feeling ashamed for having eavesdropped, she stepped back into the class to give them time to finish their conversation as she stared out the window at the grounds of the DDTC. The day was another gray, gloomy one and spatters of rain splashed against the windowpane. It had been raining all week and Bella wondered if it would ever end.

“We need to talk, Ms. Darcy,” she heard from behind in a baritone voice that grated on her nerves like nails on a chalkboard.
Now what?

Facing Dalberg, her heart clinched in
fear and she shivered at his dark expression. The true Dalberg was back.

“Yes, Lord,” she addressed him appropriately as she lowered her head in reverence.

“Look at me. I want you see me for who I really am.”

Bella knew who he really was: a
cold-hearted, spiteful man who didn’t want her there and who had insisted she be separated from the only man she had ever loved. Lifting her face, her eyes scanned the hard lines of his undeniably attractive yet damaged face.

“What do you see when you look at me?” he asked, catching her off guard.

Her mouth parted but surprise rendered her momentarily speechless. “May I speak freely?”

Dalberg
drew his eyebrows together skeptically and crossed his arms over his chest as he seated himself on the edge of Hutchens large desk. His ice-blue eyes scanned her before nodding.

“I see a man who
loathes me.”

This time it was Dalberg’s turn to sit in stun
ned silence. “I don’t loathe you,” he finally responded.

“If you say so, but a wise man
once told me that actions outweigh words.”

His body tensed.
“And who would that
wise man
be?”

“The only truly wise man I know – Xander.”

“So no other man in your eyes is wise?” he stated in a low lazy, barely noticeable drawl that she had never picked up on before and she wondered how she had missed it.

The depth of his cynicism astonished her. “I didn’t say that, but as usual, you choose to
twist my words into what you think they mean.”

His obstinate mouth curved into a frown.
“Then what exactly did you mean?”

The Southern inflection was there again and even more perceptible than before. She had irritated him and it became apparent that the accent he was trying to conceal came out under stress.
If all she did was annoy him, why was he persisting with this line of questioning?

Holding her irritation in check, she answered.
“Xander is the only man I know intimately who has guided me and attempted to change my way of thinking, while you and the others here have only given me knowledge to ponder on and take into consideration. I believe you’re all wise, but I don’t really know any of you, do I?”

Uncrossing his arms, he leaned back and placed his palms on the desk.

“Let’s move on. What else do you see?”

Bella
deliberated and struggled to form her thoughts into a coherent and logical statement before speaking but nothing came. Her mind was a jumbled mess of feelings after what she had witnessed with Ju earlier and then seeing her with Dalberg. Throwing caution to the wind, she went with her instincts.

“I think
you’re a handsome, vindictive, exhausting conundrum.”

Her unexpected declaration
seemed to stagger him and seemingly astounded by her flattery, he sat immobile and wordless. Sitting up, he suddenly looked aggravated. “Your obsequiousness will get you nowhere, Ms. Darcy.”

“No disrespect, but this
conversation
is getting us nowhere. You clearly have your mind made up about me and what you perceive to be my intent. Since you permitted me to speak freely, I will: I don’t care what you think my goal is by being here or who you think I am. I’m not trying to get anywhere with you. You asked a question and I answered it honestly.”

“You
think I’m handsome?” he huffed sarcastically.

“I also mentioned vindictive
and a few other things, but the fact that you chose to hone in that one element is very telling about you.”

Shaking his head, he stood and began to pace in front of her. “This isn’t going
at all how I had planned…”

“May I be excused?”
she cut in as she tried to move past him.

Stepping in front of her, he blocked
her exit, “Not yet.”

“W
hat is the point of this meeting, Lord Dalberg?” she stared at him. “To talk me into quitting? If it makes you feel any better, I’ve considered it.”

He sighed and a look of genuine
regret passed over his features. “My words made you want to quit?”

“Yes. Your statement about m
e taking a spot from someone truly deserving made me want to pack it all in and the board’s insistence on keeping me and my fiancé apart makes me want to run from this place and never look back, but I’m no quitter as upsetting as that might be for you to hear. Nothing you put me through is going to make me disappoint Xander, which is exactly what would happen if I did quit.”

“
I’m not upset to hear that because you’re leaving would be tragic, Ms. Darcy. Especially since the chair you’ve taken in this program would go unfilled, leaving someone out there to have to wait until the next session.”

Bella shook her head and looked past him. Of course that would be the reason it would be tragic to him. Not because
she would lose out on learning how to be a better partner or because of what Xander had gone through to get her in…

“
I came in here to apologize if you can believe that,” he whispered.

Her eyes darted back to him, taken aback by his admission.
“I’m not sure I heard you correctly. Maybe I better sit down.”

A soft, barely audible chuckle
slipped past his lips and she nearly fell over.

“Maybe we should both sit down…” he paused
to seat himself. “It was wrong of me to berate you in front of the class. My actions not only hurt you, but also the other students.”

“I wouldn’t go that far…” she
tried to say.

He swiftly cut her off. “It did
. The way I reacted to you on Monday made Ms. Breslin afraid of me and brought up past traumas. It was because of my harsh words and attitude towards you that she reacted the way she did tonight. Her former partner…” he stopped himself and shook his head. “I never meant to come off as vindictive. I just don’t want anything or anyone to bring harm to this school and I believe your being here has done that.”

“I get it. I really do. I’ve seen firsthand
this school’s effects on the students and I would never want to harm this school either. When I said I wanted to attend this program, all I wanted was to spend time with Xander and learn to be a good wife for him. There were no ulterior motives, despite what you might think.”

Sitting quietly for several long moments, everything that was going to be said seemed to have been said. Standing, Bella broke the silence.

“Thank you for apologizing when it wasn’t really necessary.”

“
It was necessary. But I stand by my statement that you gained entry into this program unfairly and I still don’t agree with you being here. However, my issues aren’t with you, they’re with Xander, and I vow to do my best not to let that show in my work.”

“Thank you, Lord Dalberg.”

Just as she neared the door, his voice halted her. “Do you honestly think I’m handsome?”

Spinning around, his
skeptical look was back.

“Of course you’re handsome.
Surely you know that.”

“I think people
are attracted to my dominance, not my looks, Ms. Darcy.”

“
I think they’re probably attracted to both.”

Kicking his long legs out
, he tossed his head back, letting the overhead light shine down on his face. “Even with this scar?”

“I happen to
have a fondness for scars, as do many women, I’m sure. Imperfections give a person character.”

Lifting his eyebrows, he tried to coax information out of her.
“Does Xander have scars?”

Bella stood unflinching and without saying a word.
Yes, he had scars
. Several. But it was none of Dalberg’s or anyone else’s business.

At that moment, something happened that she never thought she would see - a smile on his face. Not an overt grin – just a ghost of a smile that
oddly intrigued her. He truly was a walking riddle.

“Good girl, Ms. Darcy. A true lady never reveals her Master’s secrets.”