Cunning Read online

  I shouldn’t like his demands, but part of me did. As I started with his shirt, memories of Del Mar played in my mind. He’d told me that he didn’t usually ask for sex. He had in California. Nox had. But this wasn’t him—this was Mr. Demetri, and he wasn’t asking. By the way my insides twisted and thighs slid over one another, I wasn’t protesting.

  The shower’s spray made his shirt transparent and the buttons slick. I released them one by one, as more and more of his muscular chest became visible. It was as if he’d spent the last six weeks upping his workout. Once the buttons were undone, I shamelessly ran my hands over his defined torso. My bright red nail polish contrasted with his tanned skin.

  Seizing my hands, Nox stopped my exploration. “No. My rules. You’ll do what I say, when I say. I didn’t tell you that you could touch me. Now, get down on your knees and undo my slacks.”

  Biting my lip, I knelt before him and found myself eye level with a prominent bulge. I reached for his belt.

  “You’re lucky,” he said.

  Turning my attention away from the task at hand, I looked up at his serious expression, unsure at that moment why he considered me lucky.

  Nox’s hand covered mine, the one on his belt. “I was very close to using this on your ass.”

  Even under the spray, my eyes widened as my heart rate skyrocketed.

  He isn’t serious, is he?

  He released my hand and caressed my cheek. “Oh, princess, I’m fucking serious.”

  How does he do that?

  “Keep working on that belt. I’ve decided there are other ways to punish you.”

  My hands trembled as I continued working and asked, “Wasn’t that what this afternoon was about?”

  When I lowered the zipper, his heavy erection sprung free between his muscular thighs. Saliva pooled over my tongue. Silently, I swallowed. With everything in me, I wanted to take him in my mouth. I would have, but he’d just told me not to touch him. My chest ached with indecision, unsure what he wanted or what I should do.

  Nox opened the glass door, kicked off his shoes and threw his soaked shirt and slacks onto the floor. When he turned back around, my breath stuttered. The menacing gleam was back in his eyes.

  “This afternoon?” he asked. “Princess, that’s a question. Something you’re not supposed to ask. Just to clarify, for the next year, I can punish you anytime I want for any reason.”

  He reached for my hand and helped me stand. My high-heeled shoes slid on the wet tile.

  Nox continued, “I can punish you simply because I want to watch that firm ass turn red.” He palmed my ass and pulled me closer. Even with the shoes on I had to look up. “But…” he continued, “…that’s not the current reason. Tonight I’m accumulating a long list of offenses, all equally deserving of punishment. Let’s start with that stupid stunt you pulled downstairs in the bar.”

  I lifted my chin and straightened my spine. Granted, with the way my nipples stood at attention, I didn’t appear as convincing as I would have liked. “You called me a cheap prostitute. So that’s what I gave you.”

  His head moved slowly from side to side as he backed me against the tile wall. “No.” His velvet tone rolled like thunder as he tweaked an erect nipple. “I. Said. You. Weren’t. Cheap.”

  I gasped as he leaned down and nipped the sensitive skin behind my ear. His long fingers painfully dug into my behind as his erection prodded my stomach.

  Looking down at me, he said, “I paid a fortune for you. Princess, you’re the most expensive whore I’ve ever known.”

  He spun my shoulders toward the wall as his words demeaned me. His actions were fast and rough, mixing pleasure with pain. But that wasn’t what I concentrated on. It was his voice, the way it reverberated through the humid air to my core. I listened to the sound and timbre—not the words—as he found the silver packet and my new punishment began.

  THE LAST FEW days had been too much: my parents, Infidelity, and Nox—Mr. Demetri. By the time we made it to bed, I’d lost count of the number of times he’d taken me to detonation. Physically unable to do more, I surrendered to sleep, too tired and emotionally spent to endure more of Nox’s unique and not at all unpleasant punishment. He’d said it was all about him, how now it was my job to pleasure him, not the other way around.

  That was what he said.

  It wasn’t what he’d done.

  My body responded to Nox Demetri in a way I couldn’t explain. With mere words or glances from him, I was putty, and he was the sculptor. Yes, he had his share of orgasms, but I’m most certain that if it were a contest, I would’ve won.

  During the night, I woke and instinctively cuddled closer to his warmth. The woodsy scent of his cologne lingered on the pillowcases while the musk of our passion saturated the air. I hated that he considered things different, and at the same time, I was in heaven being back in his arms. He’d told me more than once that my little stunt—as he referred to it—was juvenile and stupid, and he was probably right.

  And then I began to remember how angry—livid—I was at his note and his afternoon show of force. If I were completely honest with myself, I was hurt more than anything else. Disobeying every directive in that damn note was my way to rebel. I’d been told for most of my life that I was defiant and had authority issues. I wasn’t and I didn’t. When I was at the academy or at Stanford, I had no problem with teachers or professors. I did, however, have issues with assholes. Assholes like Alton.

  No longer wanting to be near Nox, I scooted away and rolled the other direction. In that note and yesterday afternoon, he’d been an asshole—a dick. In Del Mar I’d willingly given him control. I could do that again—give control to the sexy, seductive man who was also protective and sweet—but what he’d done and said yesterday was wrong.

  Calling me a whore—expensive or cheap—was neither protective nor sweet. Mr. Demetri had no idea what had taken me to Infidelity. He didn’t know my dreams or goals. My signing at Infidelity wasn’t about money—not really. It was about the same thing as my dressing like a cheap prostitute. It was my refusal to play by unfair rules.

  I’d willingly sold—or rented—myself for a year to spite my stepfather. Nox could demean me all he wanted—I’d lived through it before—as long as I had the ability to accomplish my goals. The more my mind pondered everything that happened, the more elusive sleep became. My body chilled with the realization that my consciousness had made a comparison that up until yesterday seemed impossible.

  Nox was behaving like Alton.

  He was. The difference was that I liked Nox.

  Is that past tense?

  Fine. If Nox Demetri wanted to punish me for taking the opportunity to achieve my dream, so be it. I’d take his damn punishment, one orgasm at a time, and in one year I’d walk away with my tuition money in hand.

  If that made me a whore, then so be it.

  Letting out an exaggerated huff, I threw back the covers. As soon as I did, my gaze shot to the other side of the bed, praying I hadn’t awoken Nox. I didn’t want to talk to him. For the first time since his shadow covered my legs in Del Mar, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be with him.

  As I quietly made my way to the bathroom, I winced at the tenderness in my muscles. It was the same as I’d experienced in Del Mar. Damn, I should start running with Patrick. Maybe then my legs could handle Nox’s punishment.

  Finding a plush robe hanging on a hook, I wrapped it around me. Despite being upset with myself and angry with Mr. Demetri, when I saw the woman in the mirror, I smiled. Her wavy hair was wild from the shower and then the bed, and she had a lazy, satiated glaze to her golden eyes. My mind told me that I shouldn’t want Nox as much as I did or like the things he did and said. Alex knew it was wrong, but the woman in the reflection wasn’t complaining.

  As the memories came back, my body overtook my mind. I began wondering if he’d want to punish me again. Now that I’d had a nap and even though my body ached from the last round, I was pretty sure I was ready. Nox di
d that to me. Even if my mind didn’t agree, my body would always want more.

  When I stepped back onto the plush carpet of the bedroom, Nox’s demanding tone cut through the darkened silence. “Don’t even think about leaving while I’m asleep.”

  My feet stilled at his suggestion. “I-I’m not.”

  By the illumination of a distant electronic glow, I could see Nox sitting against the headboard, blankets bunched around his waist and his arms crossed over his bare chest. The myriad of emotions that man evoked in me was perplexing. My lungs forgot to inhale as I studied his handsome face. His chiseled jaw, covered in the perfect amount of stubble, mesmerized me as it clenched and unclenched.

  What is he thinking? And why does that question both scare and excite me?

  WHEN I DIDN’T speak or move, Nox demanded, “Come here. We didn’t do much talking last night. We have rules to discuss.”

  Rules. I rolled my eyes.

  He was right. We hadn’t talked last night, not really. Walking to my side of the bed, I climbed in. With my robe still on, I mirrored Nox’s stance, pulling the covers over my waist and sitting against the headboard.

  He reached for my hand and tugged. “Here, princess, means next to me, not three feet away on the other side of the bed.”

  I scooted a little closer. “Nox—Mr. Demetri,” I corrected. “I don’t know what you want from me, but I think you should know, I don’t follow directions well.” Especially when they’re delivered by assholes. I didn’t say that last part.

  He moved closer, removed the pillow from behind my head and laid me back. With his handsome face hovering above mine, he smoothed my unruly curls over the pillow. In the darkness, I saw the hint of a grin pulling at the corners of his lips, and my heart leapt with the hope of Nox, the man I’d known in Del Mar.

  “I’m rather perceptive. I’ve noticed your flaws.” As if opening a present, Nox untied the sash from around my waist and exposed my nude body. The intensity of his gaze electrified my skin, peppering it with goose bumps and turning my nipples to pebbles. He sucked on his finger and then traced a circle over my areola. The glint came back to his pale eyes. “I’ve also noticed your assets.”

  My back arched as his voice rumbled through me, awakening my tender core. No longer concerned about the punishment he’d delivered the night before, I felt my insides clench with the promise of more.

  A moan echoed from my throat as he lowered his lips to one of my nipples. Sucking, he skillfully circled it with his tongue. His warm mouth pulled away leaving it slick, and then he blew, the contrast was almost painful.

  “We’re going to discuss my rules. First, forget the Mr. Demetri. My name is Lennox or Nox in private.”

  His torment of my neck, breasts, and tummy punctuated each statement. The stubble of his cheeks scratched while his teeth tantalized my taut skin.

  “I want to hear that you’re listening,” he said. “Say ‘Yes, Nox.’”

  My voice came in breaths. “After last night, I was expecting Yes, sir or maybe Yes, master?”

  He bit my nipple, sending shockwaves directly to my core.

  “Keep baiting me, princess.”

  That was another direct order I planned to ignore.

  “Yes, Nox. My name is Alexandria, but I prefer Alex.”

  His lips moved lower. If he was trying to distract me, he was doing a good job.

  “Where did Charli come from?”

  “My middle name is Charles, after my grandfather.”

  He nodded, delivering more abuse with his coarse stubble. “That’s good. I was concerned it was an outright lie. As I mentioned when we first met, truthfulness isn’t debatable. We both know what will happen if you lie to me.”

  Shit! His fingers joined the battle for my attentions. My legs willingly parted as I tried to concentrate on my answers.

  “Oh! Y-Yes, Nox. I didn’t lie. It’s a nickname.”

  “Tell me about Columbia.”

  I didn’t want to talk about anything. My hips moved as his hands and lips moved in tandem, their rhythm monopolizing my thoughts.

  “Columbia, Charli.” His reminder refocused my mind, though my body was lost to his ministrations.

  “I-I start in less than two weeks.”

  “What if I told you no?”

  The euphoria he’d created evaporated. My body stiffened as I pulled away from his touch. “Y-You can’t.” My volume rose. “No. It was in my profile, my hard limits.” Panic washed over me. He was like Alton. “Karen said—”

  “Stop,” Nox said, touching a finger to my lips. “Suck.”

  Without thinking, my lips parted, allowing his finger access, covering my tongue with the taste of my own essence. His erection throbbed against my hip.

  “I told you, your limits are now mine to define; however, I’m not saying no,” he whispered, his tone softening as he retrieved his finger.

  “You’re not?”

  “No. I think it’s fantastic that you’ve been accepted to Columbia Law. I just want to know how someone as intelligent as you obviously are, is stupid enough to work for Infidelity.”

  I clenched my teeth to halt my reply. Our gazes locked. Nox was only inches away—our noses nearly touched as he awaited my response.

  The muscles in his neck strained. “Answer me.”

  I was probably poking the proverbial beehive, but I couldn’t stop myself. “You’re a hypocrite. You’re awfully high and mighty for a client.”

  “What?” he asked, pulling up as if to see me more clearly.

  “You act like Infidelity is bad.”

  “It is.”

  “Then why are you one of its clients?”

  Nox shook his head and ran a hand over his stubble. “What I do is none of your business. What you do is mine.”

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Sorry, princess. Life’s not fair.”

  Reaching under my shoulders, Nox lay back and rolled us both until I was lying on top of him, skin to skin, nothing separating us. Unexpectedly, he swatted my behind.

  “Ouch!” I squealed, though the sting was more of shock than pain.

  Nox raised his brow. “I told you, I don’t repeat myself. I’ll spank you harder if you don’t answer my damn questions the first time.”

  Not wanting to look into his pale eyes as I told him my story, I lowered my cheek to his chest and began, “I graduated from Stanford last spring. I’d always wanted to be an attorney. I wanted to do something good. When I was young, I believed in fairytales—until I didn’t.

  “Even when I knew they weren’t real and couldn’t happen to me, I still liked them. In them, the good people always won. Even though I learned that wasn’t true in real life, I wanted to make it true.

  “That’s why I want to practice law. I want to help defenseless people—people who can’t help themselves…” Something I couldn’t accomplish when I was the one who was defenseless. “…and I want to stop the bad people. I imagined that one day my career would be my own fairytale.”

  When Nox didn’t respond, I took a deep breath and continued, “I worked hard at Stanford.” Remembering our last conversation, I added, “I was honest when I told you I didn’t sleep around. I mostly studied. Chelsea gave me a hard time, but I think my dedication helped her, too.”

  “Your sister?” His chest vibrated with his words.

  I looked back to his eyes and braced myself for another swat to my ass. “No.”

  The spank didn’t come, although a question did. “No?”

  I shook my head. “No. Chelsea is my best friend. We call each other sister, but it’s not biological. We met our freshman year at Stanford.”

  “Interesting,” Nox said. “We’ll talk more about that another time. Now back to Columbia and Infidelity.”

  I settled against his chest again and sighed. “I graduated with honors and was accepted to two of the top law schools in the country, Columbia and Yale. When I was young, my grandparents created a trust fund for me. It was suppo
sed to pay for my education. I thought it would last through law school, beyond even.”

  “But it didn’t? What happened?”

  I wasn’t ready to get that personal, not yet. I shrugged. “Bad investments, I don’t know the details. I was just informed that my first semester was paid, but that was all. No living expenses, nothing.”

  “All right, that would be shocking, but surely you had other options. Student loans?”

  I fought the onslaught of emotion that this subject evoked. Everything was still too raw; my mother’s actions still hurt. I couldn’t deal with that and Nox’s accusing tone. He had no way of knowing that I’d only learned of the loss less than a week ago or that the money wasn’t really gone, only being held hostage by my family. “I-I…” I took a ragged breath as I desperately tried to suppress the tears I’d allowed to flow after his punishment yesterday. “…please. I was without options. Everything I’d worked for…” A renegade tear slipped onto his chest. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Nox’s strong arms embraced me, wrapping around me and cradling me against his chest. I became lost in him, overwhelmed by the beating of his heart, warmth of his skin, and masculine scent. We lingered unmoving for what seemed like ages. Beyond the heavy curtains of the hotel suite, darkness gave way to dawn.

  And then as if a switch had been flipped, Nox’s body stiffened and he rolled me back to the bed. With his head propped on his elbow, he stared at me.

  “Listen and listen carefully.”

  Welcome back, Mr. Demetri.

  “Here are my new rules…”

  It was surreal how he morphed from one man to the other. In his arms, I was Charli, and he was Nox. Listening to him now, he was Mr. Demetri, and I was his whore. The dichotomy both frightened and reassured me.

  Is that what he wants, to elicit two such different emotions?

  “…three more days, then you’ll move into my apartment.”

  My pulse quickened again. “Where do you live?”

  “Westchester County.”

  “I-I have classes. I have an apartment near campus. Maybe we could work…”

  Nox shook his head. “No. My rules. Break your lease.”