Masterpiece (The Masters of The Order Book 1) (32 page)

“That’s just adorable,” Sabin said, running a finger over her blushing face.

Now everyone laughed. Even the tattoos.

Sabin reached out to shake Nicolai’s hand and the two men exchanged a few pleasant words, acting as if it was completely normal to find your lover in the arms of another man.

“Pardon me. Lunch is served.”

The group moved as one toward the portico. But not Julianne. She started shaking. If she took a step, she would fall down.

Nicolai turned and extended his hand. He didn’t look angry, but she couldn’t hold back the babbling. “Sabin insisted. Darion said, well, he nodded, and I, I...”

“Stop.” He looked her straight in the eye. “You wanted to kiss Sabin. True?”

She wanted to deny it, but that would be a lie. “Yes, but...”

“No buts. I left you with Darion. Sabin knows the rules.” Nicolai smiled a patient smile. “There’s a reason we all belong to the Order, Beauty. That kind of shit happens all the time because we like it.”

He leaned in to kiss her and this time it wasn’t a peck. He kissed her until her bones melted, her nails dug into his scalp and her body understood that she could kiss one thousand men and she would always belong to no one but Nicolai.

His voice dropped with his kiss. “But never without permission, my love.”

As he suckled her nape, knuckles trailed along the flat of her stomach and skimmed her mound. She knew what was coming, but the doors to the terrace stood wide open. Her hands pressed to Nicolai’s chest in a vain attempt to hold him off.

Nicolai chuckled under his breath, “These are mine alone. When I want. How I want. Where I want.”

There was no point fighting Nicolai and who would want to anyway? Her palms flattened over his pecs, slid up his neck and curled into his hair. He swallowed her cries of pleasure as he fingered her to orgasm through that itsy-bitsy red swimsuit. Right there, in the middle of Darion’s terrace, with the midday sun beating down on them and the sound of male voices echoing close by.

When he pulled back, those decadent fingers lifted her chin. “Believe me, Beauty mine. I understand exactly how you feel about me. Seeing you with Sabin only makes me more excited about our night.” He let his lips roam her face and whispered, “Although, I doubt Jacques will stop with your lips.”

Her wolf loved dark games and the one they planned for tonight promised to be the most sublime yet. It was the culmination of every naughty thing they’d done so far and the anticipation made her ache. She wanted it so badly.

Nicolai obviously felt her excitement. His hands pressed more firmly against her sun-warmed skin, not just touching, rather taking her body against his. She ground against his arousal.

“That’s it, Beauty mine. Let your imagination go. Yearn for it. Think about everything I’ve described and yearn for it. I promise. You will not be disappointed.”

He released her, turning without another word, and walked into the villa. She practically crawled behind him.

Dealing with a few overprotective men was definitely worth it. Life in the Order was fun.

Fun. Fun. Fun.

Julianne slipped away to change out of her wet swimsuit before rejoining the others for the afternoon meal. When she entered the dining room, the men stood. She was wearing a white sundress that Hannah helped her pick out. It was more sun than dress.

I owe you one, girlfriend
, she thought as every set of male eyes in the room fell on her and stayed there.
Indomitable.

At the end of the table next to Nicolai, stood Jacques. She almost didn’t recognize him. His hair was slicked back and he was dressed more like Nicolai than the dark sex god she’d met at the opening. He looked great, but a hint of disappointment slipped into her mind. She and Nicolai were cut from the same designer cloth and that made them work, but something a little edgier would have been nice too.

Copper eyes met her stare. “I didn’t have time to shed the suit,
chaton
. I hope you like it.” The tone in Jacques’s voice said he knew she did.

As she moved to her chair, Jacques leaned over and whispered to Nicolai, “Although, I do believe our kitten would prefer me in leather.”

“I know she would,” Nicolai replied with a grin.

“Leather it is then,
mon petite chatte
.”

The look Jacques gave her was potent enough to strip that white dress right off and a visible shiver shook her.

Sexy with a capital “S.E.X.Y.”

Nicolai cleared his throat to hide his laugh.

Sabin picked up the conversation as they sat down. He was explaining some kind of a financial deal to the other men and she noticed that each had a stack of documents next to them.

Oh right
, she thought as her mind came back online.
The Order isn’t only about sex
. This was a side she knew existed, but hadn’t really experienced before today.

As she focused her attention on what Sabin was saying, Nicolai leaned over and handed her a set of papers. “This might be something of interest to you, Julianne. Sabin and Jacques are forming a new company to create and sell alternative fuels. They’re offering us a chance to invest at the ground level. No obligation, of course, but their ventures have been very successful in the past,” he whispered as Sabin continued his explanation.

“Alternative to what?” she asked.

“Oil, darlin’. We’re taking on those fat cats down in Texas who run the world with oil,” Sabin answered. “Gonna save the planet.”

“Said the oil man himself,” Darion chided.

“Former oil man,” Sabin corrected. “My daddy may have left me a fortune from that dirty stuff, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use the money to clean things up a bit.”

“Dangerous business, taking on such powerful men,” Darion warned.

“Someone’s gotta stir the pot and who better than
moi
?” Sabin pointed his thumbs at himself.

“Why would starting a new business be dangerous?”

Jacques answered. “The oil barons earn a lot of money by maintaining the status quo, Julianne. People who challenge them take a very big risk. But our company won’t be public initially. We’ve secured private financing through a colleague in Japan. If you invest with us, you don’t have to worry about those things.”

“Are you saying someone might actually hurt you if you compete with them?” she asked, somewhat shocked.

“It’s not pretty, but it’s the way of the world.”

“Can’t Xavier protect you? He’s a powerful man. He protects people.”

She felt a pang of embarrassment as she said the words. The startled looks on the faces at the table told her that she should.

“I know how to protect myself.” Sabin glanced toward the bodyguards who were standing off at a discreet distance.

Well that explains the muscle.

“You have no need to be concerned with Xavier,” Nicolai said calmly.

Zut. The stone wall again.
“What if I want to be concerned with him?”

Silence exploded in the room. Nicolai’s eyes shot to Darion.

“Why does that upset you? Is there something you’re not telling me about Xavier Talbot?” she asked, feeling angry and very nervous.

Nicolai turned back to her with a schooled expression. “No.”

“Then why did every jaw at this table drop when I said his name?”

“Sometimes Xavier bites, darlin’,” Sabin joked to break the tension. “You just be sure to stay close to Nicolai at the Grand Ball so we can be sure he doesn’t bite you,” he said with a wink.

*****

You want this, Julianne. Just act like you know what you're doing.

Nicolai opened the door and guided her into the playroom. She took one look, turned and bumped right into him, trying to get out of the very door they just walked through. Firm hands stopped her.

“Look at me, my love.”

Nicolai pulled her face between his palms and locked eyes with her. Despite the fact that this was her fantasy, she was scared and he knew it.

But who wouldn’t be?

They just walked into what looked like a medieval torture chamber. Darion’s playroom, or rooms, if you assumed similar rooms were hidden behind all of those heavy doors, filled the entire basement of his villa. Looking at the light, sunny exterior, you would never expect to find such a dark place at its core. She had no idea what most of the scary looking contraptions were for, but the things she did recognize were pretty frightening. If she thought she’d been intimidated by Darion before,
Ha!
She’d never look him in the eye again.

“Trust me, Beauty, it’s still me. Even here. I will take care of you.”

“So will I. I promise, kitten.”

Jacques joined them in the doorway and she practically jumped into Nicolai’s arms.

How can I be surprised Jacques is here? Of course, he's here. That's the whole point.

“I’m sorry,” she said with a mental kick. “I didn’t mean to disappoint either of you.”

Jacques didn’t respond. Nicolai did. “The only thing that could disappoint me would be for you to run away instead of talking to me. Please tell me how you feel right now.”

How many times did she have to hear that before she started abiding it? Their lifestyle required many things, but perhaps the most fundamental was the ability to communicate. A room like this was a testament to why that was true.

She drew in a deep breath, unsure how to begin, but determined to try. Openly expressing herself was still difficult. She’d only found the courage to talk to Nicolai about ménage after he plied her with wine, tied her naked to a dining room chair and tickled her with an ostrich feather until she confessed her dirtiest fantasy to him. Even then, she only asked about Jacques because she knew he wanted the same thing.

She had to close her eyes before blurting, “I don’t want you to do anything that makes me ugly.”

“Okay, Beauty, but to my eyes, nothing in this room could make you ugly so I need you to be more specific.”

That sounded like a question. Well, it was. Sort of. It was a Nicolai question, which basically meant it was an invitation. But it wasn’t what she was used to when dealing with conflict. It wasn’t a direct order, a command to keep silent or a punishment for expressing displeasure.

Of course, it wasn’t, you fool. Nicolai is your lover. Now grow up and talk to him like a woman.

She looked over at the wall of masks and ball gags. “I don’t want you to cover my face or mouth.” Then she remembered being blindfolded in the studio and added, “Not with those anyway.”

Nicolai smiled a knowing smile. “I assume silk would be okay.”

She nodded and glanced around, not sure what to say next. The things surrounding them were overwhelming. Half of them scared her. The other half looked kind of interesting. She would have liked some time alone to explore, but it was too late for that.

“It’s mostly about the imagination, Beauty.” Nicolai swung an elegant hand around the room. “A place where you can leave the taboos and the guilt and the restrictions on your sexuality behind. Another time, we’ll come down here and I’ll show you around. For now, let’s make this a bit simpler.”

He tugged her hand and led her farther into the room. Stopping in front of a huge bed, he pressed her hand into the mattress. It was very firm and covered in leather, but it was just a mattress.

“This is where I planned to put you,” he said.

She blew out a sigh of relief. There were no pillows or blankets and the canopy over it was an iron grid, but it was just a bed.

I can handle a bed.

“If anything becomes too much, just say so. Neither Jacques nor I have any interest in forcing you. You always have a choice.” The voice was firm and sincere.

“I know. I’m sor...”

Nicolai stopped the apology with a kiss. Everything about the way he did it told her he was happy with her. Very, very happy with her. No apology necessary.

She’d almost forgotten they weren’t alone when Jacques interrupted them. “My turn.”

She turned to look at Jacques just as he leaned in and took her lips. Both hands grabbed either side of her head and he kissed the ever-loving-shit out of her. Nicolai gripped her wrists, locking them behind her.

The fire started. But the spark didn’t come from Jacques’s exotic taste or the demand of his hands in her hair. It came from the hands on her wrists and the hard press of her man’s pleasure against her back.

“
Parfaite
. Just relax and give yourself to him. You are so sexy, Beauty mine. I want to see him with you. Tasting you. Fucking you.”

Nicolai’s dirty talk ignited the inferno. This particular midnight fantasy had tempted her since the first day she met Jacques. Scary room aside, she wanted this. Jacques’s kiss left no doubt that he wanted it too. But more than anything else, her artist voyeur wanted it. This was Nicolai’s favorite kink and she was determined to meet his darkest desire head-on. A little fear of the playroom wouldn’t stop her. In fact, the setting seemed to be enhancing the experience. The hint of apprehension it created had her wondering and that had her insides clenching tight. Perhaps she’d been too quick to judge. She surrendered her hesitation and moaned against Jacques’s lips.