Trust (36 page)

I nodded. “Should I get it now?”

He smiled, and turned to address the rest of the table. “Excuse us.”

Standing, Stephan helped me from my chair and led me into the kitchen. He removed the cake from the refrigerator and placed it gently on the counter before retrieving five plates from the cabinet. Following his prompt, I took the cake knife, along with five forks from the drawer. Before I could start cutting the cake, however, Stephan halted my movement. I met his gaze. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

Smiling, he bent down to place a chaste kiss on my lips. “You are amazing, Brianna. I love you.”

I smiled up at him. “I love you, too.”

We worked together to cut and plate the cake and then to serve it. Everyone raved about it just as they had the baked pasta I’d made. It was embarrassing, but it made me feel good at the same time.

After dessert, Sarah politely thanked me for dinner and then said she needed to get back to her apartment before it got too late. It wasn’t much after eight, but I think she was still feeling awkward about the earlier conversation. I understood why everyone felt she should tell the guy, but opening yourself up like that was scary. The only one I felt comfortable doing that with was Stephan, and that was because I trusted him completely. It didn’t sound as if this guy had earned Sarah’s trust.

“Thank you for allowing me to meet you, Brianna. You have a great man, and he loves you very much.”

I shifted my weight, a little uncomfortable with her comment.

She smiled. “You’re shy, too. I’m sure Stephan likes that as well. He was never big on my bratty nature.”

Stephan wrapped his arm around my waist as he came up beside me. “No, I wasn’t.”

Sarah looked behind us to where Logan and Lily were sitting in the living room. “It was nice to see you both again as well. Hopefully we can all get together again before I leave.”

A few minutes later, Sarah left, and Stephan and I joined Lily and Logan in the living room. I sat in Stephan’s lap as I usually did, while they sat side by side on the couch. Logan had his arm around Lily’s shoulders as she leaned into him. They looked like any other couple.

“Do they still have you traveling?”

Logan whispered something in Lily’s ear before he responded to Stephan’s question. “Unfortunately. The only upside is that I’ve been able to rearrange my schedule to where I’m home most weekends.”

“I finally get to see him.” Lily placed her left hand on his chest and rubbed suggestively along the buttons. I shuddered, remembering the last time I’d seen them together at their apartment.

“You okay?” Stephan’s voice was soft in my ear.

“Yes.”

He ran the back of his hand down the side of my face. “What is it?”

“I’m just . . . remembering. The last time.”

Stephan paused for a long moment and then nodded. He tightened his hold on me and kissed my temple. “It’s the four of us talking tonight, Brianna. Nothing else.”

I nodded and cuddled closer to him.

We talked for another two hours . . . or they talked. I said a few things here and there, but most of their conversation was about work and the upcoming holidays. It was hard to believe Thanksgiving was just around the corner. I felt almost certain Stephan and I would be spending the day with his aunt and uncle. They were Stephan’s family, so it only made sense.

At ten thirty, Logan and Lily said their good-byes. As they were leaving, I noticed Lily slipped Stephan what looked to be a book from her purse. He glanced down at it and smiled, thanking them. I’d hugged Lily good-bye before they walked to the door and went to clean up the kitchen. Being close to Logan still made me nervous, even though I didn’t think he’d do anything.

Stephan closed the door. He lay whatever Lily had given him on the table where he kept his keys and walked over to where I was standing. Taking both my hands in his, he pulled me to him until my chest was touching his. “You did well tonight. I’m very proud of you.”

I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his scent. “Thank you.”

“Is everything off in the kitchen?”

“Yes. I already put everything away, too.”

“Good girl.” He kissed the top of my hair and guided one of my hands between us to the bulge in his pants. “I do believe I mentioned a slight problem I had earlier needing some attention.”

I swallowed, excited. All thoughts of the book left my mind as I concentrated on the feel of him beneath my hand.

Without a word, Stephan removed my hand and started toward his bedroom. I followed, eager to find out what was going to happen.

He didn’t stop until we reached the bathroom, where he immediately began removing our clothes. There was no finesse to it—as he removed an article of clothing, he tossed it haphazardly to the side.

When we were both naked, he led me into the large shower. He turned on the spray and proceeded to wash me as he normally would. There were no words, no conversation—only action. If it were anyone but Stephan, I would have been scared to death by his silence.

Finished, he handed me the body wash and the sponge . . . again with no instruction. I took it and went about my usual task of washing him. His penis stood fully erect the entire time, and it bobbed excitedly as I lowered myself to the floor to wash his legs and feet.

On my way back up, he placed a firm hand on my head. I looked up, thinking I must have done something wrong, but he shook his head. The heat in his eyes caused the muscles between my legs to clench.

With one hand he held the base of his penis, while with the other he placed pressure on the back of my head, telling me without words what he desired. I opened my mouth and took him between my lips. He groaned and applied more pressure.

This was the first time Stephan had allowed me to do this for him since I’d moved back in, and I didn’t take the privilege lightly. I called upon all the skills I’d learned at the hands of those evil men to bring Stephan pleasure, sucking and licking his shaft.

Soon both his hands were tangled in my hair, and I knew he was close. His chest moved rapidly with each exaggerated breath, and he began pumping his hips in rhythm with my movements.

He twisted the strands of my hair in his fists and tugged. Pain shot down my skull, but all it did was add to my joy. Stephan was on the edge. He was experiencing amazing pleasure, and I was giving it to him.

“Swallow every last drop.”

It was the only warning I received before he thrust deep into my mouth, his penis hitting the back of my throat. He tightened his hold on my hair even more as he reared back. His back arched, and I tasted his cum as it slid down my throat.

Following his instructions, I continued to lick and suck until he stilled.

He staggered back, slowly easing his hold on my hair.

I looked up, smiling. The pride I felt radiated off me.

Stephan smiled back down at me. He caressed my lower lip lovingly with his thumb, and I realized then that never in my life had I felt as happy as I did at that moment.

Chapter 31

Stephan

The alarm woke me way too early for my liking on Monday morning. The
blowjob Brianna had given me the previous night sent me into some sort of a sleeping coma. I didn’t think I moved once during the night.

While Brianna was making breakfast, I took the Shibari book Logan and Lily had brought last night up to the study and locked it in one of the drawers. I didn’t want Brianna to find it before we’d had a chance to go through it together. Even though she’d expressed an interest in having me tie her up, I didn’t know how she’d react to seeing the pictures displaying people in various states of bondage. From what she’d told me, Ian wasn’t a fan of rope, but that didn’t mean she’d never been bound. I knew for a fact that she’d been suspended with ropes while Daren caned her, and that had been a terrifying experience for her.

After a quiet breakfast, I kissed Brianna good-bye and drove to the office. Work was beginning to calm down. Erik was still combing through a few files, but for the most part everything surrounding the theft was wrapped up—including the three culprits. Greta, Megan, and Frankie had all been relegated to working off their transgressions and repaying every dime they stole. In the end, what Greta had stolen was a drop in the bucket to what her grandson and Megan had taken. Unfortunately, she’d most likely be working her portion off for much longer than they would since most of what they’d taken had been sitting in a bank account, unused. It was only a matter of having them close the account and give back the money.

Greta, however, had used hers to help pay her mother’s doctor bills. I felt bad about that, so I’d been trying to find a way to help her. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do it directly given the hows and whys. It wouldn’t look right for me to bail her out after what she’d done, which was why I’d turned to my aunt. She had no direct connection to the foundation anymore since Richard held her spot on the board.

“So you believe her story, Stephan? The money was truly spent to pay her mom’s bills?”

I nodded even though Diane couldn’t see me as I leaned back in my office chair and looked out the bank of windows. “I do. Michael’s looked into her bank accounts and the transactions she made right after the money was transferred. It’s all accounted for.”

“All right. Let me see what I can do. I’d like to meet this woman. Maybe you could arrange for her to come to the house for lunch after the holiday.”

It wasn’t as if I hadn’t known Thanksgiving was fast approaching. I did. But with everything else that was going on, I’d intentionally pushed it to the back of my mind. Now it was only days away. “That shouldn’t be a problem. At this point, I think Greta would agree to just about anything.”

“Remorse will only work in her favor. I’ll check my schedule and get back with you on what days will work for me. Now, speaking of Thanksgiving, what time should I expect you Thursday?”

“I need to speak to Brianna first, and then I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Brianna? Are you two back together, then?” The excitement in her voice was unmistakable.

I chuckled. “Yes. She moved back in with me a little over a week ago.”

My aunt squealed like a little girl on the other end of the phone, and I had to hold the receiver away from my ear.

“I take it you approve.” I couldn’t suppress my smile.

“Of course I approve. You have to bring her with you, Stephan. I won’t take no for an answer.”

“I’ll talk to her about it tonight. I promise. Things have been a bit crazy lately with her moving back in and what’s been going on at the foundation.”

“Oh, I’m so happy for you. I’ll get your room cleaned up for you, and the two of you can spend Thursday night here at the house. I need some extra time since I haven’t seen the two of you in so long.” She paused long enough to take a deep breath. It was as if I hadn’t said a word. “I wonder if Brianna would want to go shopping with me on Friday. What do you think? Would it be too much for her?”

“Probably, but I’ll leave that up to Brianna.”

Diane seemed to deflate at the news. “I’m glad she’s back in your life, Stephan. Even over the phone I can hear the difference.”

The rest of the day dragged on as I met with several of the board members individually. Since everything had gone down with Greta, Megan, and Frankie, the majority of the board were taking more of an active interest in the foundation’s inner workings. I could understand, but it only added to my list of things to do.

At five thirty, I pulled into the parking garage attached to my building. I’d called Brianna from the office letting her know I’d be a few minutes late. There were a couple of stops I needed to make before heading home. She, of course, was completely supportive and assured me dinner would keep.

When I walked through the door, Brianna ran over to me, throwing her arms around my neck. Feeding off her enthusiasm, I dropped my briefcase and picked her up, wrapping her legs around my waist before backing her up against the nearest wall. Holding her hips firmly against my growing erection, I kissed her hard.

Releasing her lips, I rested my forehead against hers as I used the leverage the wall provided and ran my right hand up the inside of her bare thigh. I loved it when she wore skirts.

As I neared her pussy, her arms tightened around my neck. “I missed you today.”

Her whispered words only caused my need for her to grow. Who needed dinner anyway?

I made contact with her moist heat. She was already ready for me, and I’d been home less than five minutes.

“And what have you been thinking about today, Brianna?” As I asked the question, I slipped first one finger, then two inside her.

Her eyes rolled back in her head. “You.”

“Hmm. What about me?”

“Last . . . last night.”

She was killing me. “What about last night?”

Brianna gasped as I grazed her clit with my thumb and lowered my head to begin nibbling on the skin at the base of her neck.

“Tell me.”

“When I was . . .” I could tell she was having difficulty concentrating. Whatever she’d been thinking about today, it hadn’t been random thoughts. Brianna was very aroused. “When I was sucking you.”