Текст книги "Playing Hard to Master"

Автор книги: Sparrow Beckett

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

She covered her nipples with her stinging hands. “I’m sorry I was late for class, Professor. How can I ever make it up to you?”

“Are you mocking me, Everly?”

“No, Sir. Just playing a game. I like games.”

“Your games make my cock ache.”

“I like making your cock ache, Sir. It’s only fair.”

“Mmm.” He pulled her close and looked down at her, like she was a tiny little thing. “I think we’ll save that idea for another day.”

“Oh? Are you going home now?” She couldn’t help but smirk.

“You wish.” Slowly, he pulled down her panties, crouching to take them as she stepped out of them, then laying them aside with her bra. “Put your hands behind your head and don’t move.”

Confused, she complied. He backed a few steps and straddled the arm of the couch, as if he had all the time in the world.

“What are you doing?” Everly frowned at him.

“Are you frowning at me?”

“No, Sir.” She stood there awkwardly, then, when she realized he was just checking her out, she stood up straighter and thrust her tits out at him in invitation. If she wasn’t supposed to rush him or frown at him, she’d let her body do the talking.

Come fuck me, Sir.

Ambrose leaned back against the wall and unzipped his jeans. She tried not to be too nosy, but she was curious to find out if he was as well-endowed as he seemed to be . . .

He pulled his dick out of his pants.

Good Lord. Where the hell is he going to stick that monstrosity?

Although she tried to control her expression, some of her awe must have escaped. He lay, half reclined, and pumped his cock in his fist, looking at her like she was his own personal pornography.

She pouted at him and arched her back more while watching his expression to see what worked for him. Most men would have focused on her tits, but although his gaze roved over her, it was her eyes he kept coming back to.

“Do you like to suck cock, Everly?”

“I like it, Sir. Especially when someone makes me do it properly.” She shifted where she was standing, finding it hard not to move when he’d gotten her so horny.

“Come sit beside me on the couch.”

She did, not bothering to hide her eagerness. With him on the arm of the couch, his cock was right in her face. Up close, she watched in fascination as he continued stroking it.

“Are you going to help?”

She put a hand on his thigh and moved to an upright kneel to get closer. Instead of replacing his hand with her own, she kissed the tip of his cock so featherlight she wasn’t sure he’d be able to feel it.

“Good girl. Do it again.”

She did, then played hard to get with her mouth. A big hand tangled in her hair, and he guided his dick to her lips.

“Suck. Just for a minute, sweetheart, then I’ll make you feel good.”

The tip of his cock pressed against her mouth. She tried to turn her head away, but using her hair, he held her in place and forced it in. Her tongue automatically swirled around him, and he groaned.

Following the nonverbal directions his hands were giving her, she went down as far as she could on him. There had never been a guy she couldn’t deep throat. Not being able to was a blow to her self-esteem.

“What a good girl.” He stroked her face and traced her lips where they were wrapped around him.

She tried not to purr at his ridiculous praise, but even so, she worked harder at trying to impress him. After a short time, he pulled her away.

“Yeah, I have nothing to teach you there.” He was panting and looking up at the ceiling, his brows lowered in concentration. Was he that close?

He got down from his perch.

“Come kneel up here.” He patted the arm of the couch.

“Noooo,” she complained.

“Isn’t your ass sore enough to remind you who’s in charge right now?” Ambrose guided her over. “I can spank you again if you need me to.”

Grumbling, she crawled up on the arm of the sofa and knelt. He urged her down until she was leaning on the seat part of the couch with her elbows. It felt like her ass was a zillion miles in the air and every bit of her was on display.

Ambrose gave a satisfied growl and stroked her back and her ass as he moved around behind her.

“Damn.”

She wondered if he’d noticed yet. Apparently he hadn’t. He tapped the inside of her thigh, silently demanding she spread her legs farther apart.

“Fuck.” He toggled her clit hood piercing gently. “How did I not feel this earlier?”

She enjoyed his tortured expression, even if she was looking at it upside down. When she tried to shrug in response, she almost fell on her head.

He leaned in and flicked it with his tongue. She moaned louder than she expected—it’d been a long time since someone had gone down on her. Some of the Doms she dated used their status as an excuse not to reciprocate oral, saying it was the sub’s job to please them, not the other way around. Apparently, Ambrose disagreed with that school of thought, and kept at it until her arms were shaking with the effort to stay upright.

“Why are you so wet, Everly?”

Duh. Dumb Dom.

“I’m not sure, Sir. It might have something to do with you being cruel and not letting me get off earlier. Either that or you’re slobbering on me.”

He gave her ass a firm swat, then licked her clit again like he was investigating the feel of her piercing with his mouth. He slid a finger inside her and finger fucked her. Damn, even his fingers were big.

Her whole body throbbed with the need to come. “Please, Sir.”

“Please what? Do you want to come, or do you want me to make you suffer?”

The way he said “suffer” made it sound hot, but she wasn’t in the mood for indefinite orgasm denial.

Don’t be sassy . . . don’t be sassy . . . She knew how well sass had worked for her a few minutes ago.

“I would never presume to tell you what to do, Sir.”

“Good answer.”

He fished a condom out of his pocket and rolled it on as she whined impatiently.

“What’s wrong?”

“Please hurry.”

Ambrose smacked her pussy, and she grunted as pleasure flooded through her.

“Don’t rush me. The more you rush me, the slower this will happen.”

Oh jeez. She’d die if he went any slower.

He pulled her close, until she got down off her knees and her hips were leaning on the arm of the sofa. The tip of his cock slid up and down her slit, and she strained backward to try to impale herself on him.

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t allow it. Instead, he held her still, the tip of his dick just inside her.

“If you’re a good girl and hold still, I’ll give you what you want, but if you’re bad this is going to be rough.”

Put my name on the bad-girl list, for the love of Pete!

Her whole body quivered and strained against his hands. If he let go suddenly, they might end up on the floor.

“Please, Sir! Please fuck me. I’ll be a good girl or a bad girl or a fucking cantaloupe. Anything you want, just don’t make me wait!”

He grazed her back hole with the tip of his finger. She jumped and yelped.

“I’m sorry. I saw the butt plugs and assumed you were okay with anal play. I should have asked.”

He was too damn observant.

“I’ve had it done to me, but I’m not a fan.”

“Is it a limit or isn’t it?” He stopped moving, keeping himself poised at her entrance. Apparently, he wasn’t giving her what she wanted until she answered the question.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t try to fuck me there today, Sir.” Her cheeks burned and she was pretty sure the blush covered most of her body. “It hurts me.”

He made a soothing sound. “I’m just talking about touching. No penetration. Is touching okay?”

“As long as you don’t mind me hitting the roof every time.”

Ambrose grabbed her hips. Conversation over.

She braced herself for his first thrust, but he eased in slowly, making her whimper with impatience.

“I know what you want, but not this time.” He adjusted, withdrew, pushed again.

Everly already felt full, but there was more, and more, until he was pushed up against her cervix and there was nowhere left for him to go. Neither of them moved.

“Oh God.”

“Shh . . .” He groaned. “Give it a sec and it won’t be so bad.”

“A warning would have been nice.” Her fingers were clawed into the couch cushion, like it would somehow help.

“It was in your mouth. You knew what you were dealing with.” Ambrose moved slightly and for a second she forgot to breathe.

“You are never ever allowed in my ass.”

“If it’s any tighter than your pussy, it might just kill me,” he agreed. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t do this.” One hand disappeared from her hip, and he brushed the tip of his finger over her back hole again.

She squealed, and flinched then tried to squirm away, but he held on to her hip hard.

“I like this game.” He did it again.

“No, no, no. Stop!” Her body clenched around his cock.

“Fuck, if you keep moving like that, you’re going to milk every drop of come out of my dick. I won’t even need to move.”

“That’s the laziest thing I’ve ever heard.” Not a good time to shoot her mouth off, she realized too late.

“Suit yourself, then.” He leaned his forearm across her back and reached around to play with her piercing. Then he showed her exactly what it felt like to be fucked by a monster.

He pulled almost completely out then slammed back in, again and again, overwhelming her with his ferociousness. His fingers surrounded her clit, the stimulation intense. An arm slipped under her hips and he pulled her to him, like a thing made only for his pleasure. Her G-spot bore the brunt of his animalistic thrusts. Under him she became a helpless bundle of female, soft and yielding, taking whatever he wanted her to have. An orgasm blindsided her. She screamed into the couch.

“Is this what you wanted, my mouthy little brat?” His teeth tugged at her ear, and she shuddered through another orgasm.

Her toes couldn’t reach the ground anymore, but her body was in his control.

“You wanted me to prove I could handle you,” he growled. “But can you handle me?”

A smack landed on her clit, and she howled, but the mounting pressure in her pussy was unavoidable. He landed a second slap on her sore parts, and she came again, her whole body buzzing and aware, except for her poor brain, which had shut down.

“Fuck!” He grabbed her hair and gave her a few more thrusts before he froze above her and made a long, guttural noise that made the hair on the back of her neck rise in response. He collapsed onto her back and swore eloquently for ages, before he levered himself up and started to kiss the back of her neck.

Shivers chased down her back, making her pussy clench around him.

His breath caught, and he stroked her bottom proprietarily.

The rutting animal-man withdrew, then peeled her off the sofa and carried her into the bedroom and set her on the bed.

“Hold that thought.” He disappeared into the bathroom and came back so fast she wondered how he could have done anything.

Maybe her brain was just running slower than usual.

Ambrose crawled into bed with her and pulled her into his arms just as her body turned her arms and legs into lead.

“Are you okay?” His voice sounded odd and far-off.

She blinked at him and realized that for all he made fun of how ugly he was, in truth he was downright handsome if a girl wasn’t easily petrified.

Maybe even more so if she was.

Chapter Four

The sound of a faucet running woke Ambrose out of the kind of sleep that made a man wonder if he’d ever be completely awake again. Outside the window, the sun was either coming up or going down. Where the fuck was he?

Blinking, he looked around the room. Everly strolled in, washing her face with a cloth. No makeup. Completely naked. His dick was fully aware before he was.

Fuck, she was sexy.

“Could you be any cuter? You look like a five-year-old after naptime.” She ruffled his hair, and he leaned into the caress, not caring if it made him seem less Dommy. There were some things he’d make exceptions for.

He pulled her into his lap, ignoring her token protest. The feel of her body in his arms was almost orgasmic.

“Mmm . . . you smell good.”

“I took a shower.” She laughed. “I was sticky and sore when I woke up.”

“That’s weird. I wonder why.” The quilt was warm and the bed smelled like her. He was sorely tempted to drag her back under the covers and either fuck her again or snuggle with her and take another nap. Both would be ideal. Sure, he’d fucked her a second time before they’d fallen asleep, but a third time wasn’t unreasonable, was it?

“Gee, I wonder. I hope CSI doesn’t use a blue light on my house after all that. Just saying.”

He buried his face in her neck and her breath caught. The growly, Dommy feeling was back, demanding that he have her again. There was something about her that he couldn’t get enough of.

She was making a joke about something, but he ignored it and rolled her onto her back. There was no struggle or objection, and when he kissed her, she kissed him back and pressed against him seductively.

Mercy.

He could spend all day in bed with this girl. In fact, he had. They kissed for a long while, but eventually, she pulled away.

“I’m sorry, but I think I’m too sore for you to fuck me again.” She grimaced ruefully, as though she needed to apologize.

“Hey, I’m not that easy. Just because we’re in bed and I’m hard for you, doesn’t mean you’re getting any.” He shook his head in mock dismay. “So greedy, this girl. So demanding.”

She laughed and hit him with a pillow. In response, he pinned her arms above her head, letting her feel how little control she had over what he did, then pinned her legs down with one of his own.

“What are you . . . ?” she gasped out, heat flaring in her eyes, her lips parting seductively.

“Whatever I want.” His hand drifted down her body, sketching over every welt, bite mark and hickey. The amount of pleasure he got from knowing how thoroughly he’d marked her probably wasn’t healthy, but he wasn’t about to admit it to anyone.

Her nipples hardened into points, and he rubbed his thumb across them. She hissed.

“They’re sore! Don’t be mean.”

“I thought you liked me mean.” He held her gaze and she squirmed in his grasp.

“Shh. You can’t know all my secrets yet.”

A long moment passed where her eyes became his world. He fell into them, losing himself and not caring if he found a way out again. His chest ached. She wasn’t close enough, so he moved closer, wanting to be inside her again but knowing even that wasn’t going to satisfy him.

Oh God.

He kissed her again, trying to break the spell, but even with his eyes closed he could still see her. The feeling wouldn’t go away.

Gently, he pulled back. Her face was submissive, docile, waiting for his direction. This wasn’t the theatrical submission of a girl who just wanted to play with a Dom. A connection had been made between them, somehow. Not something shallow, that would let them enjoy a scene together, but something that was going too far, too fast. His first instinct was to jump out of her bed, throw on his clothes, and bolt for the door.

“I wish I could stay, but I have to get going.” He kissed her forehead, the intimacy almost painful.

“Oh. Do you have to work or something?” Her smile was small. Disappointed but too polite to say so.

“Yeah.” Or something was right. He needed to get to a pharmacy and see if there was a pill for men who’d accidentally developed feelings for a girl. This wasn’t supposed to happen. If anyone knew better, it was Ambrose.

She ran her fingers through his hair, and he was almost a goner.

Out, out, out!

He got up and searched the apartment for his clothing, which was scattered in the most unlikely places, reminding him of when she’d brought her toys out for him. He almost groaned. Fuck, he had to leave.

Everly was deliberately avoiding his gaze, which made him feel guilty for panicking, but he couldn’t stop. Maybe she didn’t like him anyway. It wasn’t as though a girl like her would have trouble getting dates, right?

Everly handed him his shirt, and he tugged it on, but not before she trailed her fingers along the ridges of his chest. When he looked down at her, her lips were pressed together and her eyes sad.

He waited for her to ask if or when they’d see each other again, or when he’d call, but she didn’t say a thing.

Not knowing what else to do, he hugged her, then had trouble making himself let go.

Everly pulled away first, all of the spark gone from her eyes. “It’s been fun. See you around.”

When he stepped out into the hall, the lock immediately clicked behind him.

*   *   *

It was dark and damn cold, which suited him fine. He rang the bell then paced the well-lit walkway until he heard someone clear their throat. He turned. Anna was standing in the doorway.

“Oh, Banner. It’s you.”

“I’m Ambrose.”

The girl giggled. “Sorry, I keep forgetting which of you is which.”

With Anna it was hard to figure out whether the dumb thing was an act or not. Both she and Sindee seemed to delight in not knowing much about anything. How Konstantin could stand two of these was beyond him. Obviously, he didn’t keep them around for their scintillating conversational skills.

He stalked up the steps and into the imposing foyer. Although neither Konstantin nor Banner rang the bell at his place, he’d gotten to the point where he did with them because there was just no knowing what he’d walk in on nowadays. But years of growing up together, then more years of playing around each other, had led to having very few boundaries between them.

Anna, dressed in a backless red minidress and stripper heels, led him to Konstantin’s home office. Ambrose found Konstantin’s place cold and impersonal—modern, sleek lines with lots of glass and stainless steel. Kon was sitting at his desk, reading over some paperwork. As for Sindee, she was lying across the far edge of the desk, her dress up around her hips, masturbating. If she was looking for attention she was out of luck, because Kon was ignoring her completely.

He looked up at Ambrose, his gaze seeming to take note of his disheveled state. Ambrose hadn’t even bothered going home yet.

“Hey, zasranets. You big shithead. I called you twice. Why didn’t you call me back?”

“I was . . . busy.” Ambrose stood there for a moment, not sure why he was waiting for Kon to tell him to sit. They usually treated each other’s places like they lived there.

Konstantin quirked a dark brow at him.

“Girls, get out. Go get some takeout or something. There’s money in my wallet.”

Anna nodded and walked out, but Sindee crawled across the desk, her pussy and jewel-plugged ass on shameless display to Ambrose.

“Master, please let me suck your cock,” she whined. “You’ve been ignoring us all day, and I’m sooo horny.” Like a cat, she butted her head against his chest, then arched up and whispered something in his ear.

Konstantin frowned. “No. Out.” He swatted her butt, and she reluctantly got off the desk and headed out the door, giving him a series of long pouty looks over her shoulder.

When she was gone, he chuckled. “I really need to stop dating nymphos.”

“Yes, I can see how this would be horrible for you.”

“Yesterday, I had to lock them in the kennel, just so I could get through a one-page document.”

“If you hated it that much, you could always just work at your office.”

Konstantin sighed. “It’s more efficient to go downtown, I suppose, but when I want a blowjob I have to come all the way back here. It’s inconvenient.”

“You poor bastard.”

“Maybe I need a woman who plays hard to get.”

“You keep picking women who play hard to get rid of.”

He chuckled. “We all have our burdens.”

“Somewhere a man is playing a tiny violin in sympathy for your plight.”

“He’s a good man, whoever he is.” Konstantin sipped from the highball glass on his desk. “You want a drink?”

“It’s too early for that.”

Kon snorted. “In what time zone? It’s nine thirty at night in this one.”

Ambrose sat in the chair across from Kon and buried his face in his hands. All he kept seeing was Everly’s face, her body, a sassy expression, the depth of submission hiding behind the brattiness. Some sort of sound escaped him, but he wasn’t even sure what it was.

“What’s wrong with you?”

When Ambrose took his hands from his face, Konstantin was frowning at him.

“I think I’m in trouble.”

Kon stood and braced his hands on the desk. “What do you need? Money? I have most of mine tied up right now, but it won’t take long to liquidate some of my investments. Or do you need help kicking someone’s ass?”

Ambrose snorted. Typical Konstantin, ready to give him the shirt off his back. “Kicking ass? What, are we in high school again? We haven’t gotten in a scrap since that bar fight in Texas, like a million years ago.”

“I guess we should have just left when the bouncer said our IDs looked fake.” Kon grinned, settling back into his chair. “So what’s wrong?”

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Are you still moping around about Kate? You knew that wasn’t going to work out from the beginning. I don’t know why you let yourself get sucked into that mess.”

“If you trained her for a month, you wouldn’t be able to help yourself either.”

“I probably would have banged her in a million different ways so that when Banner regained his senses, I’d have her out of my system. Fair’s fair.” He smiled slyly. “Kate’s a doll, and superhot, but she’s not slutty enough for me. She’d never submit to half the stuff I’m into.”

Ambrose was sure Konstantin was wrong—with the right training, Kate would do almost anything, but she wasn’t his anymore and he shouldn’t even be thinking of her that way. Besides, he’d deliberately kept the feelings he’d developed for Kate stunted, knowing that eventually Banner would demand he give her back.

This thing with Everly was different. Other than the fact that she was allergic to his money, there was nothing to stop him from pursuing her. That and the fact that he couldn’t handle another relationship as intense as what he’d had with Shae. Playing at D/s was fine, but serious, long-term D/s was on his list of hard limits.

If he and Everly got close and she ditched him, too . . .

Fuck. He ran a hand over his face.

“It’s not about Kate—or Shae, before you ask. I did something I shouldn’t have done.” He thought of the look of betrayal on Everly’s face and groaned. “I don’t know if I can fix it. I don’t know if I even want to fix it.”

Konstantin looked at him expectantly. “What are you saying? Do I need to get a shovel? Do we need to find a remote location?” With his thick Russian accent, whenever he said things like that Kon sounded like a villain from an eighties action movie.

“No. It’s Everly.”

“Shit. She seemed perfect for you, from what I saw at the club the other night. What’s wrong? Your kinks don’t match up? She’s got a Dom? She’s into pegging? You know, you might want to keep an open mind there. Some guys love it.”

“Shut up. It’s too damn close to pegging every time we double-team a girl and your dick slips out of her. I swear my life flashes before my eyes.”

“You’re such a baby.”

“You have a big dick!”

They both laughed, which made Ambrose feel a bit better. It was good to have friends. Especially crazy ones.

“Did you fuck her?”

Ambrose sighed and leaned his head back against the chair, which was one of the least comfortable versions of a chair he’d ever encountered. “Yes. I just left her place a little while ago.”

“It’s early. Why didn’t you stay? Did she kick you out?”

“No. We had amazing sex twice, then fell asleep, but then when we woke up I panicked and bolted.”

Konstantin snorted. “Smooth.”

“Fuck off,” Ambrose grumbled. “It’s not funny.”

“You’re damn right it’s funny. You knew I was going to laugh before you even walked in the door, so don’t be a whiny bitch. What happened?”

Ambrose groaned and tried not to think about the way Everly whimpered when he was deep inside her. “It’s complicated. The girls are all dressed up, so I assume you’re going out. Just never mind me, I’m going to go home and think.”

His friend twirled a pen between the fingers of one hand like he belonged in a circus act. Knowing he could do similar things with a knife made it sinister, but no less amazing. He’d tried to teach Ambrose, but he’d never gotten the knack.

“Do you seriously think I’m going to take my girls out to a club while you’ve got that look on your face? They can wait days, for all I care. They’ll take care of each other if I take too long with you.”

“It’s weird that they’ll sleep together even though they hate each other.”

“It’s not so much that they hate each other, they just both want to be my favorite.” He shrugged. “Even though they know I don’t pick favorites. When I’m not around they seem to like each other fine. But enough about my bits of fluff. Why did you run away? I thought you liked her.”

Fucked if he knew.

“I’m not sure. Something went wrong. We were in bed, goofing around, and the next thing I knew I was . . . I don’t know. I was looking at her and she was so hot and perfect and a complete goofball. I flipped out.”

Konstantin grunted. “Now I get it.” He put the pen down and steepled his fingers in front of his face.

“Do you? Well, I wish you’d explain it to me.”

“You like her too much. I think you’re over Shae, finally, but now you’re shutting people down before they get too close.” He cocked his head to the side, narrowing his dark eyes. “You know that’s why you used to fuck Banner’s exes, right? You thought they were safe because they were on the rebound, and you’d never get serious with a girl one of us had first.”

A pained noise escaped Ambrose, and he banged his forehead on Konstantin’s desk repeatedly. “You do realize I hate you?”

“You hate me most when you know I can see through your bullshit. You, my friend, spend a lot of time in denial.”

“Maybe. So what do I do now?”

“Well, you can either avoid her until she hates you, which is the safe and cowardly thing to do, or you can go apologize and see if you can turn it into a real relationship.” Kon smiled sympathetically, then got up and poured Ambrose a tumbler of something that was probably scotch. It smelled like paint thinner.

Ambrose took a sip. Tasted like paint thinner.

“You seem happy enough in your . . . relationships.” What did he call what Kon had anyway? “You keep them a few months and then give them the boot. You never have time to get attached.” He took another drink, wishing the fumes from it weren’t making his eyes water.

“Ah, but soon things will change. You and Banner need to throw me a party.”

“Why?”

“I’m getting engaged.”

“What?” Ambrose swung his head in the direction the girls had gone but they weren’t in view. “To which one?”

Konstantin smiled grimly. “Neither of those two.” He flicked a dismissive finger at the door. “They’re fun, but I don’t want to marry them. I don’t know who I’m marrying yet. You remember how my babushka has been sending me résumés for different girls, and making me visit there, that sort of thing?”

“Yes?”

“Banner’s wedding got me to thinking. We’re not getting any younger—if we don’t marry soon, many of the girls worth marrying will already be spoken for. I’ve decided to grant my grandmother’s dying wish and marry a girl from her village. I’ve told her to choose one for me.”

“What?” Ambrose realized his mouth was hanging open, and he closed it.

He shrugged. “One’s as good as another. It’s time I had a wife.”

Ambrose sat immobile, staring at his friend. This was crazy talk. The Konstantin he thought he knew would never settle down, let alone with some girl his grandmother chose. She didn’t know anything about his . . . proclivities, so how could she pick him a suitable wife?

“Most of the girls she favors are in school. I have about a year until I can send for one.”

“A year isn’t very long.” A thoughtful silence fell between them. Ambrose didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry to hear about your grandmother.”

“Oh, she’s not really dying. At least not anytime soon, I don’t think. She’s just melodramatic.” Konstantin drained the rest of his glass and set it aside. “So anyway, I need to make the most of my time until then.”

Ambrose ran a hand over his face. “You’re not going to keep a girl on the side or anything?”

Konstantin raised an eyebrow in disgust. “I would never disrespect my wife that way.”

“What if she’s vanilla?”

He shrugged. “Is anyone, really? I’ll lay my cards on the table with her when she arrives. If she can’t bring herself to like what I like, at least in part, I won’t marry her.”

Ambrose mulled over this turn of events. It was hard to picture any of them married—even Banner, but particularly Konstantin. Although Kon never stepped out on the women he was in a sexual relationship with, he got bored quickly and always wanted newer, shinier toys.

“Of course, you and Banner will have to stand up for me at the wedding, and promise not to frighten my new little wife.”

Ambrose was vaguely insulted. “I’m a gentleman.” Well, maybe that wasn’t entirely true, but when it came to girls outside of a consensual D/s relationship he did his best to be the man his mother had raised him to be. Everly, though . . . Everly made it very hard to think like a gentleman.

The way she responded to him, the clever gleam in her eye, the curve of her hip—the way she sucked cock. Fuck. He shifted in his chair and realized Kon hadn’t missed a thing.

Konstantin’s smile was salacious. “So . . . when are you bringing Everly by for some fun?”

Territorial hackles rose, surprising even Ambrose. “If you ever so much as touch her, I’ll strangle you with your own intestines.”

His friend threw his head back and laughed. “A simple ‘never’ would have sufficed.” He got to his feet. “Interesting how you’ve only had her twice and you’re already acting like a jealous ass. Now get out. I have women to screw, and you need to make up your own mind.” He waved him away. “Talking to me isn’t going to fix what you did. Just make sure you don’t grovel. Masters who grovel give their power to their slaves. Not a good tone to set in a relationship.”

Sanctimonious ass.

Just because Konstantin liked his women completely submissive, didn’t mean every Master did.

Besides, he never groveled. Not even for someone like Everly.

“You need to give up on customizing cars and get a job writing an advice column.” Ambrose flipped him off grumpily and stomped down the hall and out the door.

He got into his car, then sat in Kon’s driveway until he was so cold he couldn’t feel his fingers.