She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t want to be here with you.”
“Too damn bad,” I ground out.
A server arrived to clear away our uneaten tray of fruits, vegetables, and cheese while another set a tray of beef and lobster tail with various dipping sauces in its place.
I picked up a skewer. “We’re here to have dinner. Now eat.”
“I’m not hungry,” she fired back through clenched teeth.
“Eat anyway.”
“No!”
“I swear to God, Mary, I don’t have the patience for this right now.”
“You? You don’t have the patience? But it’s fine for me to have to sit here and patiently watch that… that… woman fondle you?”
“She means nothing to me. She’s in the past. Now eat your lobster before it gets cold.”
“I don’t want any fucking lobster!” she shouted before flipping the tray. The contents flew into the air before landing on the floor with an obnoxious splat. The guitar player stopped playing, and all eyes turned in our direction.
Mary covered her mouth. “Oh, my God. I can’t believe I did that!”
Tossing my napkin onto the table, I rose. “Clear the room,” I shouted. “Now.”
The servers and maître d’ scurried from table to table asking the patrons to leave. Mary and I glared at one another as guests all around us collected their things and left, filling the room with murmured apologies and the squeaks of chairs as they were shoved out from under tables. Reaching into my wallet, I pulled out a business card and handed it to the maître d’. “Whatever your lost revenue is from this evening, double it, then call this number and the money will be wired into your account. Now leave us and bar the doors.”
Mary rose and tried to leave.
“Not you,” I commanded. I took a few steps toward her.
She backed away and raised a hand to ward me off. “Don’t come any closer. This evening has been a disaster. I’m just going to take a cab home.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” I said through clenched teeth.
If we were going to be together, she was just going to have to accept that I had a past and that my business dealings weren’t always on the right side of the law. In other words, she would have to accept me just as I was, just as I accepted her. I didn’t want her to change for me, and I expected the same from her. And we would be together. I’d meant what I said earlier. Mary was gorgeous and smart and unique, and I had no intention of letting her slip through my fingers.
She snatched a small bowl of clarified butter from a nearby table.
I pointed my finger at her. “Don’t you dare…”
“I’ll do it! Don’t come any closer!” she warned.
I ignored her threat and took two determined steps in her direction.
She threw the bowl. It hit me on the shoulder, sending a greasy splatter down the front of my suit jacket. Her eyes widened as her beautiful mouth dropped open.
Keeping my eyes on her, I shrugged out of my ruined jacket and tossed it aside. I then reached for my belt buckle. Releasing it, I pulled the belt through the loops, then folded it in half in front of me with an ominous snap. “Here and now, we are going to come to an understanding.”
She circled around, putting a few tables between us. “I understand things perfectly. The idea of us as a couple is ludicrous. We need to stop this now before it goes too far.”
I palmed the metal buckle and methodically wrapped the leather belt strap around my fist. “See, that is where you’re wrong. When I said we, I really meant you. You need to understand that you’re mine now. I decide when this relationship is over and trust me, krasotka, I haven’t nearly gotten my fill of you yet.”
She set her fists on her hips. “I don’t know how things work in Russia, but here in America, the woman has a choice in who she dates and I don’t choose you!”
I gestured around the empty room that I had cleared out with a single command. “Look about you. You think you are in America right now? Net, ty v moyem mire, i v moyem mire ya korol’.”
Her shoulders tensed as her gaze shifted to the door and back to me. A second later she bolted for the exit. I was already in motion. Snatching her around the waist from behind, I wrapped my arm around her middle and clutched at her throat. I then repeated in English what I’d just said. “No, you are in my world now and in my world I am king.”
Mary fought my embrace. “Yeah, well, fuck the monarchy!” she yelled before grinding her heel down on my foot.
I was not expecting that method of attack and released my grip on her in shock at the sudden sharp bite of pain. She scrambled away, once again placing several tables between us. With one hand gripping the back of a chair, she touched the base of her throat with her other hand as she sucked in gulps of air.
I straightened to my full height and looked down at my growing cock. Her startled gaze followed mine. My lips lifted in a smirk. “That’s right, beautiful girl. You’re not the only one who gets turned on by a little pain.”
In an unguarded moment, she licked her lips as her indigo eyes lit with desire. She then shook her head and raised her arm, her hand palm up in a weak attempt to hold me at bay. “No. That’s not true. You’re twisting things around.”
I raised an eyebrow as I stepped closer. “Am I? Are you saying you didn’t scream in ecstasy after you felt the kiss of my leather belt on that beautiful ass of yours the last time?”
Her eyes filled with tears as she stumbled backwards, pulling the chair in front of her.
Relentless, I prowled forward, cornering her with both word and deed. “Was it not you who sweetly pleaded that she was a bad girl deserving of punishment?”
“I… no… I…” she stammered.
“Did those gorgeous red lips not plead with me to fuck you rough in the shower last night as you fell to your knees begging to swallow my cock?” I took another step closer.
“Oh, God. Stop.”
I rubbed my cock through the fabric of my pants. “Look at it, Mary. Look at my cock. See how hard it is for you? Are you saying you didn’t like the feel of me thrusting deep inside of you?”
I reached for the chair between us. Her only defense. Grabbing it by the wood seat, I flung it out of the way. It landed hard against a nearby table, sending the delicate wineglasses on top crashing to the floor. I snagged her around the waist and wrenched her forward, plastering her body to my front, wanting her to feel every hard inch of me. Fisting her hair with the same hand that still had my belt wrapped around my palm, I yanked her head back, exposing her neck. Leaning down, I licked the soft skin, tasting the bitterness of her perfume. I then sank my teeth into her earlobe, hard enough to make her cry out and drive her nails into my shoulders.
“Say it, Mary. Say you wanted me to thrust into you, over and over again, till you cried out for mercy.” I punctuated my demand with a thrust of my hips as my hand clenched her ass, pulling her forward.
“Please, stop. I can’t.”
“Say it,” I ground out. “Say you like the pain of my cock. You like feeling dominated and owned by me. Say you’re mine.”
I needed her to say it. Needed to hear it from those lips. Needed her submission. This woman was a drug to me, and like a drug, I had become addicted at the first taste. My need for her was now in my blood. I needed to feel her essence pumping through my veins. Needed to feel her touch on my skin. Without her, I was certain my heart would stop beating. If she were to walk away now, she would take my last breath with her. It wasn’t rational and it sure as fuck wasn’t fair to her, but somehow, this woman had become my salvation. She had filled this empty void inside of me with her passion and energy, and I would be damned if I let her go now.