Sarah lets herself be led to Jackson.
“Remember,” says Carl. “I can give you one day before they come looking for her.”
“Yeah, thanks,” says Jackson, leading Sarah and I back around to the front of the building where the car is still waiting.
Jackson orders Hunter to get in the back so Sarah can sit up front. Judging by the look on Hunter and Lacey’s faces, they were talking about something while we were gone, and Hunter doesn’t put up a fight about being pushed to the back. Lacey moves over to the middle seat so I can get in, conveniently pushing herself closer to Hunter.
The drive home is… interesting to say the least. No one speaks, but there’s definitely something brewing between Lacey and Hunter, who keep looking toward each other and laughing softly. Jackson is preoccupied with humming the lullaby I first heard him use to calm Sarah down in the cafeteria. She probably hasn’t been out of that hospital in years, and he’s probably trying to keep her from starting to panic.
I spend my time looking out the window, letting my mind wander. I retrace the last few weeks in wonder. I feel like I’ve lived more in three weeks than I have in my whole life, and despite the faint tinge of regret when I think how I could have been experiencing life like this all along, I’m glad I waited. I don’t think any of this could have been so special if things hadn’t happened exactly how they did. Jackson wouldn’t have told me my writing was forgettable, I wouldn’t have had the extra bit of anger to push me past my shyness, and I might not have been the virgin he craved.
I also think about how my mind is practically brimming with ideas for my story now. I just haven’t had time to work on it. The time I’ve spent with Jackson has already filled me with pages and pages of material. I don’t feel guilty about it anymore, either. The inspiration for my story is just an extra little bonus. Being with Jackson is its own reward, and I know more firmly than ever that I would want to be with him whether it helped me with my story or not.
I just wish I knew if he forgives me for it. For all I know, he’s up there dreaming of ways to punish me in the playroom for lying to him and for being dumb enough to leave the house without him at a time like this. Though I have to admit, part of me is hoping he hasn’t forgiven me yet because I’ll take any excuse I can get to have him put his hands on me again.
18
Jackson
I breathe deeply and savor the scent of her. Brianne’s soft blonde curls cascade over the pillow. Her body feels so small and fragile in my hands, reminding me how much I would sacrifice to keep her safe. She had a long night tonight, so I wasn’t surprised that she fell asleep almost immediately when she laid down on my bed. I’m tired as hell, too, but I still haven’t completely put this thing with the Dominicans to rest.
I slip out of bed without waking her and walk outside, pulling out my phone to make a call.
The phone rings a few times before I hear the click of someone answering. “It’s late,” says a voice with a heavy accent.
“I’m ready to make a deal,” I say. I thought this would be harder. From the moment I decided buying the Dominicans off was best, I thought it would feel like a defeat, like I was giving up. I thought it would make me resent Brianne for being a weakness that could be exploited. Except I feel none of that. I feel only calm. Serene. I’m doing exactly what I have to do to protect my Princess. There’s no defeat in it. I realize there’s nothing I wouldn’t give for that.
The man on the other end sighs. “I’ve told you, Mr. Pierce. We want you to pay for making fools of us.”
“Yeah,” I say. “I get that. And I’ll pay you a hundred million dollars a year for the rest of my life. How’s that for payment?”
There’s a long, very silent pause.
“Can you even afford that?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say. I’m willing to give more, too, if this doesn’t work. I’ll give him every last penny if that’s what it takes to get them to call off their dogs. I just want to know I don’t have to worry about them hurting Brianne anymore.
“Two hundred million right now. A hundred a year after that,” he counters.
“Fine,” I say. “I’ll have a contract sent to you. You should know,” I add. “If anything happens to me or the people I care about, the money will stop coming. So it’s in your best interest to make sure nothing happens to us. Do you understand?”
The man chuckles. “Yeah, I understand.”
I get the signed copy of the contract back the next evening. Seeing it is like a massive weight off my chest. It’s over. Hell, I won’t be surprised if the Dominicans assign a security detail to Brianne and I now just to make sure their payday doesn’t end. My life and hers are now worth a hundred million a year to them. I had to force Brianne and Lacey to miss classes today, but they will be happy to know it’s safe for them to get back to their normal lives now.
Then again, Hunter will probably be disappointed. I look out to the back porch where Hunter and Lacey are sitting together on the patio, drinking wine.
Brianne leans into me at the kitchen island, looking up to me with those adorably sexy blue eyes of hers. “What’s that?” she asks, looking at the contract in my hands.
“This is assurance that it’s over. They aren’t going to bother us anymore. You can go back to your normal life.”
She looks down, picking at something on the countertop. “What if I don’t want my normal life anymore? What if I want you?”
I grin. “Are you implying I’m abnormal?”
“Only in the best ways,” she laughs.
I sweep her up in my arms, sitting her on the countertop and bending in to kiss her neck. “I’ll tell you what’s abnormal,” I say. “My submissive getting away without being punished for so long. You’ve been naughty as hell, and I think it’s time you paid the price.”
She laughs as I carry her upstairs toward my playroom. She punches my back and kicks playfully, making half-hearted attempts to escape the whole time. Every step I take toward the playroom molds me more and more into the dominant, until my face is set hard with resolve. I kick the door open and throw her down on the bed, glaring down at her.
When she sees the look on my face, her smile fades, replaced by something hungry and full of lust.
“Don’t you dare move,” I say.
She gets a dangerous glint in her eyes. “Or?”
I narrow my eyes. I’ve forgotten how much I still need to teach her. How much I still get to teach her. I turn my back to her so she doesn’t see the satisfied smirk on my face.
“When I turn around, I expect to find you with all your clothes off. I expect you to be on your knees and showing me that perfect ass of yours. Am I clear?”
“Yes, Sir,” she says. I hear the sound of clothing dropping to the ground and the snap of elastic. When I haven’t heard anything for a few seconds I turn around.
I find my princess is doing exactly as I asked. I walk a slow half-circle around where she kneels at the foot of my bed, admiring every line of her smooth body, relishing in the knowledge that it’s all for me, and it has only ever been for me. She’ll always be my virgin.