Mastered (The Enforcers #1) (22 page)

“You have a good time and then we both will have a good time together.”

The ride home was unnervingly silent, but at least Evangeline sat nestled against Drake's hard body, curled underneath his arm, her cheek resting against his broad chest. His hold was possessive, which she'd decided at some point over the past few days, she liked. She liked it a lot. She felt as though for the first time she belonged. That she fit in, though the idea of her fitting into his glittering, excessive lifestyle was absurd. And yet there it was. She had her first real sense of belonging since she'd left her parents' home to move to the city.

Who would have ever thought that she would have had so much fun in the very club she'd endured such humiliation in just a short time ago? Short in literal time, and yet it seemed a lifetime ago. So much had happened since that fateful night. In a twisted, really screwed-up way, her decision to agree to her girlfriends' plan—and the subsequent disaster that ensued—was responsible for where she was now and more importantly
whom
she was with now.

As her mother always said, fate worked in mysterious ways and trying to predict the future was like trying to prevent water from sliding through your fingers. She sighed and snuggled a little closer into Drake's side.

Drake's head turned in her direction, his chin rubbing over the top of her head.

“What was the sigh about?” he asked.

She made a shrugging motion and pushed her face into his chest. For once she didn't blurt out the truth. How could she explain what she didn't even fully understand herself? Not to mention that while her experience with men was limited, she was pretty sure uttering words like
fate
this early in a relationship would cause most men to hit the brakes hard. She was getting ahead of herself and needed to remember, for the first time in her life, not to focus on next year, next month, next week. Live in the moment. Today. Take each day as it came and enjoy the ride.

Surprisingly Drake didn't question her further. Perhaps he sensed her sudden introspection. They rode the rest of the way in silence, his warmth surrounding her like a cocoon.

When they arrived at Drake's apartment, he pulled her from the car in his gentle grasp and wrapped a protective arm around her body as he hurried her toward the entrance. Then he dismissed the two men who had accompanied him, men she hadn't even noticed until then, and they promptly melted into the shadows, leaving her to wonder if she'd imagined their presence.

When they exited the elevator, Drake took off his suit jacket and tossed it, as he did every other time he arrived in his apartment, over the coatrack just inside the door, and he began unbuttoning his sleeves, rolling them carelessly upward as he sought to make himself more comfortable.

“Did my angel enjoy her night in the club?” Drake asked. “Although you rather reminded me of a princess holding court among your many admirers. You were quite the hit on and off the dance floor.”

He smiled indulgently at her as she flushed with sudden self-consciousness. Initially she'd been nearly as excited about a night out
at Impulse as one might be over a funeral, but she had to admit she'd actually had fun once she loosened up and let herself go with it.

Being a VIP was pretty cool, but being Princess VIP, as Maddox had quickly dubbed her, was unlike anything she'd ever imagined. She'd compared everything that had happened so far to a fairy tale on more than one occasion, but tonight? It was like a high-tech, futuristic, absolutely rocking fantasy that put the traditional tellings of fairy tales to shame.

She'd smiled, she'd laughed, complete strangers had been nice to her, and even as badass as Drake was, there was no possible way he could have arranged on such short notice for an entire club full of people to all play roles and pretend to suffer her existence. So the only possible conclusion to be had was that . . . magic had happened.

Somewhere out there, she had an invisible fairy godmother who'd waved her magic wand and altered Evangeline's entire reality. And the best part? It was well past midnight, and her prince was standing right in front of her with an absolutely delicious look on his face.

She threw herself into his arms, hugging him fiercely. “Thank you. It was the best evening
ever
. But my favorite part was the time we spent together alone in your office when you fed me.”

She promptly blushed, discomfited that she'd just put it out there like that. She made herself sound like a satisfied cat purring because her master had given her a treat.

He cupped her chin and lifted it so their gazes met. “I'm very glad you enjoyed being fed by my hand because it's something I plan to do often. I am very serious about taking care of you, Evangeline. In all ways. And tonight, I'm going to show you a side of me and yourself that until now you haven't seen or experienced. Are you ready for that?”

She swallowed nervously, but trust burned tightly in her chest, and excitement scuttled through her belly, suddenly making her jittery with anticipation. Her mouth went dry, and she ran her tongue over her
bottom lip. He reacted visibly to her innocent action, his gaze burning a heated trail over her mouth and then lower . . . and lower still.

“Go into the bedroom and undress,” he said softly. “I want your hair down. But leave the stockings and the shoes on. I want you positioned hands and knees on the bed with your knees as far to the edge as you can comfortably support yourself without falling off. I'll give you a moment to prepare while I make a few calls.”

Though Drake's tone had been unhurried, the last thing Evangeline wanted was to not be prepared when he made his appearance, so she hurriedly went into the bedroom and undressed, ignoring the natural modesty that screamed in mortification at the explicit set of instructions Drake had given her.

She removed everything, carefully putting all the gifts Drake had given her into one of the small jewelry boxes that had accompanied one of the presents. She tossed her dress into the closet along with the shoes and quickly shed her undergarments and then remembered he'd wanted her stockings and heels to remain on.

Cursing, she slipped her heels back on and then took her bra and panties off, not daring to check her appearance in the mirror as she hastily unpinned her hair. She didn't want to know what she looked like or what Drake would see when he entered the room.

When she returned to the bed, she eyed it nervously, mentally going over the directions Drake had given her and wondering just how to position herself accordingly. Finally she crawled onto the bed, planting her palms firmly into the mattress and inching her knees back until they were on the edge of the mattress, her legs and heels dangling from the bed.

She felt intensely vulnerable, knowing she wouldn't be able to see Drake when he entered the room since she was faced away from the doorway, and she wondered if he'd purposely instructed her so that he
would have the element of surprise. She already knew he wanted—demanded—the upper hand in everything.

Then she wondered if she'd hurried too much and how long she would have to wait there in this position because Drake hadn't been specific about how many phone calls he had to make or how long they'd take. Again, something he likely had done to draw out her anticipation.

Her entire body was on fire, tingling, as she imagined what he would do, how he would touch her, how rough and demanding he would be. She remembered his warning after he'd made love to her that first night. That she'd needed it like it should have been her first time but it wouldn't always be like that with him.

She shivered, far from being afraid. She found herself eager to feel the moment when he unleashed his power on her. She should be afraid and yet she couldn't summon true fear of him. She feared the unknown, not knowing exactly what he planned, but she didn't fear
him
.

It had taken months for Eddie to coax her into his bed, and even then, despite thinking that he was “the one,” she hadn't truly wanted to take that step with him. Now, she realized she hadn't completely trusted him, and rightly so. And yet after mere hours in Drake's presence, he'd given her a mind-blowing orgasm and then he'd made such exquisite love to her that Eddie, or rather her experience with Eddie, was nothing more than a distant and fast-fading memory. An unwanted one at that.

She closed her eyes, giving herself over to the euphoria slowly creeping over her body, leaving her in a lethargic, passion-induced fog. So immersed was she in that warm, hazy cloud that she didn't immediately register Drake's presence in the room. Not until he wrapped his hand in her hair, bunching the strands together in his grasp and pulling slightly so her head came up was she fully aware of the fact that he was standing right behind her.

Then he pushed forward, forcing her face to the mattress, instructing
her to turn so her cheek was pressed against the bed and she could breathe. Then to her utter astonishment, he pulled both her hands behind her to rest in the small of her back and began looping rope around both wrists, tightly restraining her.

A protest lodged in her throat and she swallowed it away, refusing to show any resistance to the first display of Drake's dominance. Sexually. The forceful way he had her do his bidding excited her. That she had absolutely no control over the situation only heightened her anticipation. Already her breaths were coming in small pants. Every muscle in her body was rigid. Her nipples were so rigid that any pressure against them was sheer torture, and a pulse had begun between her legs that had her twisting restlessly in an effort to relieve the ache.

“Do not move,” Drake said harshly, causing her to jump and refocus.

He reinforced his dictate with a sharp smack to her bottom. At first it stunned her as fire spread over the cheek he'd not so delicately spanked, but almost as soon as the burn and the pain began, pleasure immediately took over, sending a warm glow over her skin. She was dizzy, balancing on the razor's edge between pain and pleasure, and Drake was apparently an expert in knowing a woman's limits.

She closed her eyes at that thought or it would ruin her entire night. She didn't want to know how many women had come before her or would come after. She only wanted to experience all the pleasure Drake could give her, no matter how long their relationship lasted.

His palms massaged the globes of her bottom and then his fingers dipped low, one sliding inside her vagina, and he delicately fingered the walls as they desperately clenched around him, wanting more, wanting him. Not just his fingers. She wanted all of him.

Now that she knew she could accommodate his size, she was eager to enjoy his possession of her as often as she could. Because she knew deep in her heart that there would never be another man who would pleasure her as Drake would. There would never be another man so in
tune with her who would go to such great lengths to give her what she wanted and needed.

“Tonight is for me,” he murmured. “There will not be a single part of your body that will not bear the mark or feel of my possession. I'm going to brand you so there is no question as to whom you belong to, body and soul.”

She sighed, closing her eyes as she languidly allowed the forceful words to wash over her like a gentle mist. She needed this. Wanted it. The realization was swift and shocking. But after being the caretaker for so long, always the one to take over and make decisions and to accomplish whatever needed to be done, for once someone was doing those things for
her
. Taking away the necessity of her making all the decisions and bearing the responsibility. With Drake she could simply let go and enjoy being under
his
control.

“My angel can take a lot,” he said. “You look like and
are
such a fucking innocent. A rarity because of the treasure you are, beautiful on the inside and out. But you mask an inner strength most men don't possess, so I have no doubt you can take whatever I dish out tonight and that you'll enjoy every bit.”

She shivered and a soft moan escaped her parted lips, and Drake squeezed her ass with one hand while probing even deeper into her pussy with his other hand. She'd already grown to know when he was pleased by his body language and the way he touched her, and she knew he liked her response, her simple moan of acceptance and of arousal.

Something Drake had said in the very beginning floated across her mind.
You don't get to tell me no. Ever.
It should have alarmed her because she was at his complete mercy, and he could do whatever he chose in this moment and there was nothing she could do to stop him. But she didn't want him to, and she realized she trusted him as much on a physical level as on the emotional level she'd already acknowledged. This man would not hurt her. Even though he'd said tonight was about him,
she had no doubt that she would derive every bit as much pleasure from it as he would.

He delivered another stinging smack to her other cheek, and this time she didn't jump and the pain didn't even register because she knew that pleasure would instantly override any initial discomfort.