Serving HIM Vol. 5: Alpha Billionaire Romance (7 page)

I wanted to be with him.

In his bed.

Or mine.

Even in the bed he’d crafted solely for the purpose of sex.

I had a lot, more than what any other woman had ever gotten from him. I was greedy though.

I wanted all of him.

Chapter 5

Aleena

Nerves had turned me into a wreck.

For the fiftieth time, I smoothed down my skirt and then checked my make-up.

When I went to shut the compact, Dominic snatched it out of my hand and I watched, bemused, as he tucked it away. “Think you might need to powder your nose later, Dominic?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow. “I hate to say this, but I think you’d need a slightly paler shade.”

“You’re cute.” He patted my knee and kept his hand there, his fingers squeezing lightly, a proprietary gesture that left me feeling warm inside.

“Since you don’t need it, can I have it?” I smiled at him sweetly.

“You don’t need it either.”

He traced a pattern on the inside of my thigh. That light touch sent a shiver up my spine, but I refused to be distracted.

“Come on, Dominic, give me my compact.”

He pretended to consider it and then gave me a slow, slightly wicked smile. “You can have it for a trade.”

“A trade?” I regarded him suspiciously.

“Yes.” His fingers worked higher under the hem of the simple, but stylish black dress I’d selected for the brunch. “You can have it if you give me your panties.”

I gaped at him. I scooted away so that his hand wasn’t near anything important. I didn’t, however, move completely away from his touch. His fingers lingered on my knee. “Not happening.”

“What’s the harm?”

“It’s stupid, it’s childish, and I’m not doing it.” I gave him what I intended to be a scathing look. Based on the amused expression on his face, it hadn’t worked. “You can’t even give me a good reason other than being perverted.” I allowed myself a smile to let him know it wasn’t meant as an insult.

Dominic rubbed his thumb over the surface of the compact. “Penelope is going to be there. I imagine it would piss her off to know I was standing there with your panties in my pocket while I shook hands.”

“That’s…” I tried to ignore the stab of arousal that went through me. And the bit of vindictive pleasure at imagining the look on Penelope’s face. I made my voice as disapproving as possible. “Now that’s just plain juvenile, Dominic.”

He shrugged. “I’m also right.”

***

It took less than fifteen minutes after that to get to the offices of
Trouver L’Amour.
I climbed out, painfully aware of my nakedness under my dress. I’d chosen this one specifically because it was simple and would work for a multitude of occasions. It didn’t hurt that it also hugged my curves and the neckline showed off just a hint of cleavage.

I’d seen the appreciation in Dominic’s eyes when I’d come out of my room. I pulled that image to mind now as he helped me out of the car.

I can do this
, I told myself.

He slid his arm around my waist and leaned in, kissing my temple. “Why are you so nervous? I can feel how tense you are.” His breath stirred my hair. “It’s not like you haven’t been to these things with me before.”

“But I haven’t.” I eyed the door and then slowed, turned to stare up at him. I shrugged and tried to laugh it off. “I’ve been to business functions. Aleena Davison, PA to Dominic Snow, has been to plenty of functions. But Aleena hasn’t been to many things with Dominic. And nothing this big. That’s…new. You asked me here on a date. This makes it our second big, public date and the first one was pretty much a bust. I know we went out to eat a couple times, but this...it’s…” I shrugged again, feeling lame. “It’s different.”

Dominic was silent for so long that I turn my head to look at him. He was staring off into the distance past my shoulder. As though he sensed my gaze, he turned to look at me, blue eyes thoughtful.

He slid his hand up my spine and then curled his fingers around my neck. The gesture was utterly possessive and yet protective at the same time. Heat bloomed in my stomach...and other places.

“I think,” he said, drawing each word out slowly as his fingers made small circles on my skin. “Maybe we should consider this our first date. The last one didn’t go well and it was my fault. I should have had thought that through better. There was no way I could do the things I needed to do and still spend the time with you that you deserved for a real date. I’m sorry for that.” His eyes darkened. “I need to do better and I know it.”

His thumb brushed against the hollow under my ear and my heart skipped a beat. I reached up to touch him, to let him know that we were okay. That it was all okay.

But it wasn’t.

He took a step back and I saw the anger in his eyes. It wasn’t towards me though. All that emotion was directed at himself.

I reached up and touched his cheek, his faint stubble scraping against my palm.

“Dominic,” I murmured. Hesitant, uncertain of what I wanted to say, I slid my hand higher and ran my fingers through his hair. “Don’t blame yourself. We’re both still new at this.”

He didn’t pull away again, but he didn’t move closer either. “I’m supposed to take care of you.” His voice was stark.

For a few brief seconds, I was so surprised at his words that I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know what to feel. And then the indignation came. “Take care of me?” I stiffened and pulled back my hand. “I don’t need anybody to take care of me.”

A faint smile tugged at Dominic’s lips. A hint of arrogance tinged his voice. Arrogance and something I couldn’t quite place. “That’s what I do, Aleena. You’re mine.”

His words didn’t change the entire tone of the moment, but it did give me pause. I took a deep breath and made myself think. We didn’t have a typical relationship and I knew there was nothing about us that could be described as typical in any way shape or form, but I wasn’t going to have him take me over, either. In some ways, I loved that he called me his, but in others, I didn’t want him to think that I wasn’t my own person.

“Look.” I forced myself to think through each word, forced myself to consider everything I was feeling and thinking. “When we got into this, I knew it would be complicated, but you know me. Or, at least, I hope you do. By now, you should know me well enough to understand that I’m not a submissive. Not out here. It all stops at the bedroom door. I’m not going to stand by while you take care of things for me. You don’t
own
me.”

His hand was still curved around my neck, his eyes intense. I felt like he was staring straight through me, straight into my soul.

“Tell me something, Aleena.” Dominic pressed his forehead against mine, the gesture strangely more intimate than many of the things we’d done. “If somebody wanted to hurt me or harm me, would you let it stand?”

That was the last thing I expected to hear from him? And I didn’t have an answer.

He didn’t seem to need one. He brushed his thumb across my lip. “When I told you the truth about me, about what had happened, you took care of me.” Now his voice was raw. “You and I both know that was what you did. That’s what people who need each other do. They take care of each other.”

He brushed his mouth across mine.

A shiver of warmth raced through me.

He didn’t pull away, the words hot against my lips. “I didn’t protect you that night and I’m not happy about that.”

***

“You remember Joshua, don’t you, Dominic?” Penelope gazed at Dominic with a coy smile as she leaned up against a man who might have been a model. He had the right look.

They had been two of the first to arrive, followed quickly on the heels of several others, but we’d managed to stay out of their path until now. I wished we could have avoided them longer, but they’d followed us onto the balcony.

Penelope ran a hand down the man’s chest and leaned against him, but her eyes were on Dominic, not her pretty partner. They were dazzling together, I had to admit. Okay,
he
was pretty dazzling—Joshua. I don’t think I’d ever seen a man that pretty. And that was definitely the right word for him.

Ebony hair, wide green eyes so thickly lashed, I could almost imagine him putting on mascara.

He smiled, but then he slid his gaze down to linger on my breasts. I managed not to cross my arms over my chest. The look left me feeling dirty. And pissed off.

Dominic moved slightly in front of me and held out his hand, a faint smile on his face. It wasn’t a nice smile. “I can’t say I do, Penelope. Joshua.”

Joshua accepted Dominic’s proffered hand and I watched as the man’s face went slightly pale, his mouth tightening. I glanced down and saw his fingers being slowly crushed by Dominic’s grasp. As much as I would’ve liked to see the lecher’s hand broken, I couldn’t let Dominic do it. Moving in, I rested a hand on his upper arm. “Dominic,” I spoke softly, but it was enough.

The handshake ended abruptly. Penelope laughed, and the sound was delighted. I managed not to roll my eyes, but it took an effort.

She thought that little display was about her. It figures.

Dominic flicked his eyes over at her as he shifted his body toward mine, resting his hand at the small of my back. His stance was close, protective. “Penelope, you’ve already met Aleena. Joshua, this is Aleena Davison.”

“Dominic, really.” Penelope made a disparaging noise. She apparently had an entire symphony of them. She sighed and shot me a dismissive look. “You need to stop working from time to time. Have a social life. Bring a date on occasion, not just your secretary.”

Dominic smiled at her. Any anger I might have felt suffered a quick, abortive death as Dominic pressed a quick kiss to my temple. His fingers flexed on my back and I shivered.

His gaze was steady on Penelope as he spoke, “I did bring a date.” He waited a moment to let that sink in, then he looked down at me, making it clear they were being dismissed. “We better go and mingle, make sure everybody’s having a good time.” He held out his arm.

I took it, a thrill going through me as he pulled me close enough to make it clear it wasn’t merely a polite gesture. As we walked away, I could feel Penelope glaring daggers into the back of my skull.

I waited until we were some feet away before I said, “You do know that if looks could kill, Penelope would probably be getting arrested for murder very soon.”

“It’s a good thing looks can’t kill.” Dominic was smiling, but it was that cold one again. “That bastard would be dead too.”

I didn’t have to ask who he was talking about. I knew, no matter what I said, on some level, Dominic was still thinking ‘mine’. This time, I didn’t mind.

We stopped a few minutes later as he introduced me to another couple. There was speculation in the eyes of the woman, but the man greeted me warmly. We chatted for a few minutes and then moved on. That seemed to set the tone for the evening. I would get curious gazes from some, cool glances from others while others would smile and seem perfectly interested in meeting me. I did catch a few men checking me out, but no one was as blatant or disrespectful about it as Joshua had been.

We’d been there maybe thirty minutes when another guest arrived and with it, the temperature dropped. Or so it seemed. Jacqueline St James-Snow took one look at me and scowled.

I didn’t change my expression.

Her attention flicked toward Dominic and she gave him a regal nod, her face smoothing out.

That was the beginning and end of their interaction for the evening.

Anytime they accidentally ended up too close, one or the other would casually steer themselves in the other direction. I went with Dominic, of course, and by the end of the night was feeling vaguely dizzy.

I wanted to ask what was going on, but, despite how much Dominic had shared, I didn’t feel comfortable asking. Besides, this was hardly the time and the place. I couldn’t deny that part of my reasoning was selfish. I didn’t want to worry about things that involved his mother or Penelope tonight. I only wanted to enjoy a real date with a man I knew I cared far too much about.

***

Trouver L’Amour
’s office were massive and sprawling, tucked inside a building that had probably a good dozen rooms that were almost impossible to find unless you actually worked in the building.

One of them was a private bathroom for the employees.

We’d been ready to head out and I’d ducked out ahead of Dominic to use the facilities while he hung back to shake a few more hands. There were still several couples around. Not Penelope and Joshua, but a few clients still lingered. Key personnel from management remained to handle things until all the clients were gone and Dominic wanted to make sure the management had a good example of what he expected. They, after all, would be responsible for things like this when he moved on from
Trouver L’Amour
. Nobody—including Dominic—seemed to know when that might be. It could be a few months or even a few years. He felt it was better to be prepared.

Inside the bathroom, I finished washing my hands and I checked my makeup. The glow on my face made me look strange. Almost unrecognizable. At least to me. I looked…