Run (15 page)

The dress had spaghetti straps which appeared to be made from golden crystals. It hugged the model’s curves and fell to mid-thigh. The look was finished with a gold belt that cinched her waist. It was simple but it was the prettiest dress she’d ever seen. Aya had never been big on dresses or fancy clothes but this dress called to her.

“She’ll have that one.”

Aya nearly dropped her glass of champagne at the sound of Dare’s voice. She didn’t realize he’d be here as well. She looked away from the hologram to see him enter the room.

“Mr. O’Shaughnessy, we weren’t expecting you, otherwise, I would have greeted you myself.”

Dare strode past the man with barely an acknowledging nod. He sat down next to Aya.

Her first instinct was to pull away, but he placed his hand on her thigh. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Missed me?”

“If I said yes, it would be a lie,” she whispered back.

He dug his fingers into her flesh until she gasped. “You’ll be singing a different tune, later, I assure you.” The seductive timbre of his voice sent a shiver shimmying down her spine. Aya wiggle in her seat, suddenly feeling warmth spread throughout her body.

With him so near, she couldn’t concentrate on any of the other outfits that came out. Image after image paraded in front of her and she couldn’t remember any of them. For the remainder of the torturous session, he slid his hand along her thigh, going high each time. She held herself steady, trying to keep herself from moaning. At one point, she gripped the stem of her champagne flute so tightly, it snapped in her grasp.

Dare on the other hand watched the show silently, his expression giving nothing away. With each outfit, he would either nod his approval or wave his hand in dismissal. To look at him, one would think he was unaware of the effect he had on her but she was sure nothing ever escaped his attention. Mr. Niles practically tripped over himself to do Dare’s bidding whenever a request was made. She was completely forgotten and that was fine with her.

She wasn’t sure how long she remained in the tense position of having him next to her, slowly wreaking havoc on her equilibrium, but she was relieved when it was finally over.

“We’ll have all the outfits delivered to your residence first thing in the morning, Mr. O’Shaughnessy. We would normally have them delivered by the evening but some of the outfits will require alteration to ensure they fit Miss Smith as the outfits were intended to.” Mr. Niles said at the conclusion of the fashion show.

Dare stood abruptly and pulled Aya with him. “Let’s go.”

Aya had no choice but to follow. Aya gave a hurried thank you and good bye as he pulled her along with him.

"You know, you could have at least told the man thank you. It seems like he went to a lot of trouble to put something like that together.”

“The thank you he receives is the salary he’s paid.”

“You are so rude,” she muttered under her breath.

He stopped suddenly making her collide with his back. “Say that that again?”

She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it. Aya wasn’t sure what he’d do if she spoke her mind. Then she remembered that he required her to do what he wanted. He said nothing about her talking back to him. “I said ‘you’re rude’. Just because someone gets paid to do a job, it doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the basic human courtesies.”

He almost seemed surprised at her words. That surprise was then replaced by a flash of anger. “If I need an etiquette lesson, it certainly won’t be from someone who probably doesn’t know how to spell the word.” He gripped her wrist as if it was the end of the conversation.

It was true that most people in certain social classes didn’t finish their education beyond the poorly run government schools that didn’t go past the primary level. It cost money to go to school, with uniforms and entry fees that most people couldn’t afford. A lot of people in her neighborhood could barely read. Aya, herself, had stopped attending school shortly after her father died, but it didn’t keep her from learning. Whenever she got a chance, she loved to read. When she used to have free time, she’d travel to town hall where the records were kept. There she could access millions of books. She read everything. Her favorite books were stories from the twenty-first century. It was in a time before the world went crazy and people seemed happier.

Aya already knew Dare thought very little of people in her class but to personally have his prejudices attributed to her, hurt. What he thought about her shouldn’t have mattered, but somehow it did. It would have been pointless to continue on when there was no changing his mind so she bit the inside of her lip to keep back the angry retort.

He led her to the same elevator she’d taken with Mr. Niles and back to the garage. A different car was waiting near the door and a driver she didn’t recognize nodded in their direction.

“Where’s Ben?” she said more to herself than to Dare.

He turned to stare at her. A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Pardon me?”

"Nothing.” She didn’t want to get Ben in trouble, especially after what he’d revealed to her.

“Did something happen between you and one of my drivers that I’m not aware of?”

“Of course not. You forbade all your staff to speak to me, remember?”

“And you would only know that because someone told you and I suspect that it was a certain driver who will soon need to look for employment elsewhere.”

Her heart plummeted. Aya grabbed Dare by the arm. “He didn’t tell me anything. It wasn’t hard to figure out, considering the way the staff was acting around me. Despite what you think, I’m not a complete idiot. Don’t jump to conclusions.”

Dare raised a brow. “Funny how you seem so intent on saving the job of a man you haven’t exchanged more than a couple of words with.” He turned to the driver. “Steven, there’s been a change of plans. You can head back to the house. I’m going to arrange for other means of transportation.”

The nonplussed driver frowned but nodded in compliance. “Yes, Mr. O’Shaughnessy.” He got back in the vehicle and drove off.

Aya had a bad feeling about what Dare planned. He tapped the side of his watch. “Mr. Garrison, I need you to have Ben pick up me and Miss Smith from downtown at the garage entrance of La Boehme.”

“Of course, Mr. O’Shaughnessy. It was my understanding that Steven would be picking you up. Did he not show?”

“I’ve decided, I would prefer Ben for this assignment. See that he gets here within ten minutes. You may tell him his job depends on it.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Dare placed his arms behind his back as if he didn’t have a single care in the world. Destroying lives seemed to be as easy as breathing for him. He gave it so little thought, like it was his right.

“Don’t do this please. I swear to you, he didn’t break your stupid commandments,” she begged.

“You know what Aya? The more you defend him, the more it makes me think you have something to hide and it’s really starting to try my patience. He inched closer to her and gripped her face. You know, the only thing I ever want to hear you beg for is my dick. Not for another man. Do you understand?”

“But I—”

He tightened his grip on her face. “Do you fucking understand?”

“Yes.” If she said anything more, it could hurt Ben. As much as she wanted to protest, she couldn’t.

Dare released her face and then, pulled her against his body with her back flush to his chest. “I’m glad we understand each other.”

Of course, she was lying for that little shit and he didn’t appreciate it. He didn’t give a fuck about her motives for protecting an employee who was well aware of the rules. Ben would lose his job, but if she said one more goddamn word, he would also beat the shit out of the other guy. Dare had seen the way the young man had looked at Aya the day before and had held her hand longer than necessary. He touched her and right then and there he should have been fired. But Dare had been so hard, he was focused on getting Aya to bed and had let the incident slide.

Now that his mind was clear, he intended to teach the other man a lesson.

Aya’s soft body pressed against his was driving him crazy. Dare thought after having her last night somehow it would lessen his need for her. Instead, it made him want her more.

Dare slid his hand beneath her silk blouse. She was wearing way more clothes than he preferred but that would be remedied as soon as they got back to his house. Aya stiffened. Soon, she’d become accustomed to him touching her whenever and wherever he wanted. Slowly, he caressed her stomach and then skimmed her ribcage with his fingertips. He continued his assent until he found her soft mounds. Giving them a squeeze, he ground his erection against the small of her back.

Aya moaned. The sweet sound that made his dick so hard he could barely think straight. Driven by the need to feel her bare skin beneath his palms, he tugged on her bra until her breasts tumbled out.

Her nipples came to life in his hands. Dare tugged and twisted the tight tips, delighting in the mewling sounds in the back of her throat. No matter how much she claimed to hate him, her body didn’t. Aya’s scent was intoxicating. He leaned over and kissed the side of her neck. “That’s it, doll, moan for me. Show me how much you want this.”

He took a nip at her neck, earning him another moan. Dare continued to play with her breasts as she writhed against him. As his vehicle pulled up, he continued. When Ben stepped out of the car, he seemed slightly taken aback but remained in his position by the passenger door, waiting for them to get in.

Aya must have noticed the driver’s arrival as well because she attempted to pull away from his hold. Dare anchored her against him, tightening his grip on her breasts.

“The driver is here,” she whimpered.

Dare slid his lips along the side of her face, “Let him watch.” Jealously was a foreign emotion to him, at least when it came to a woman. But the fact that Aya spoke up for this man who was beneath him only fueled his need to show the other man that Aya belonged to only him.

He let go of one breast to cup her sex. He could feel her heat through the thick material of her pants. He made a mental note to have the servants empty her closet of all pants. So that he could have easy access to her cunt. Unsatisfied with just touching her through her clothing, he undid the snap on her pants and slid his finger in between her silky skin and her panties.

“No, Dare.” She shook her head.

“You don’t get to tell me, ‘no’, Aya, especially when we both know it’s a lie. You’re so wet, your panties are soaked. He slid two fingers along her slick folds before he pushed his middle finger into her core. Her pussy clenched around his finger like a warm, wet hug.

Easing his digit in and out of her, he circled her nipple with the thumb on his other hand.

“We shouldn’t,” she moaned, softly.

Dare chuckled, loving the way she trembled in his arms. “Oh, but we absolutely should.” He raised his head to look in Ben’s direction. The flustered driver quickly looked away, his face bright red. Good. He actually might keep the poor bastard around after all. A smirk tugged the corner of his lips.

He needed to be inside of her now. Removing his hand from inside her pants and beneath her shirt, Dare spun Aya around and lifted her in his arms. Ben hustled to open the door for them. Once inside the vehicle, Dare placed her at his side and unbuckled his pants to release his throbbing cock. He then pulled Aya’s pants down until they were at her ankles.

“Kick them off.”

“But…”

“Do it.”

She glanced at Ben who was already driving the car toward the exit.

“Don’t look at him!” Dare roared. He yanked her onto his lap with her back to his chest and guided his cock against her entrance. “Lift your bottom.” When his dick was aligned to his satisfaction, he raised his hips and slammed into her. “Spread those legs, Aya, and move with me.”