His gaze bore into her as he flexed his hips and drove deeper into her sensitive nether regions. He pushed until she was completely and utterly open to him.

She closed her eyes and opened her mouth in a silent scream of agony. Of pleasure. Of the sweetest, darkest ecstasy she’d ever known. It overwhelmed her. Boiled up and over, sending her spiraling down, down until she couldn’t think. She could only feel.

He owned her in that moment. Not only did he take possession of her body in the most primitive of manners, but he possessed her soul. His. Taken. Possessed.

The other men were forgotten, and they were no longer her fantasy. They meant nothing, had no hold on her desires. There was only Damon and the way he made her feel. Cherished. Protected. She belonged.

He leaned over her body and swept his tongue over the nipples he’d ravaged just moments before. Heated lips nuzzled her, licking and kissing as he murmured sweet words against her skin.

His muscles bunched and tightened above her as a shudder rolled through his body. His hands slid up her waist even as the men’s grips tightened and pulled harder at her arms and legs.

Holding her tightly in place, he pumped against her ass, straining wildly against her as if he were trying to insert himself into every recess of her soul.

She opened to him. She let go and embraced him, allowing him in, allowing him to see her at her most vulnerable, her hopes and fears, her most secret desires.

“I’m going to come, Serena,” he whispered as he raised his head from her breast. “I’m going to come so deeply inside you that you’ll know I belong there. A part of you.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled, allowing those sweet words to flow like honey over her body. He was moving faster and harder, his hips powering against her ass, the sound of flesh meeting flesh sharp in the air.

And then he stilled. Huge and swollen within her, he pulsed as his cock split her ass wide and he poured hot liquid inside her.

The two men at her sides let her go abruptly as Damon stood there, his shaft thick and hard inside her. She heard them fumbling and soft, impatient curses filled her ears.

“Look at me, Serena,” Damon said firmly as he stood between her limp legs, wedged so tightly inside her. “Never take your eyes off of me.”

She nodded slowly, her lethargy making her slow and hazy.

She heard soft groans, and saw the two men from her periphery. She was tempted to look, but Damon surged against her, sending a ripple across the raw flesh of her anal entry stretched so tight around him.

“Me, Serena. Only at me.”

Hot liquid spattered her chest and she emitted a gasp of surprise as she realized the two men were coming on her skin. It splashed onto her breasts, coating her nipples and sliding into the valley between the soft mounds. A spurt landed on her cheek and then one on her lips. The warm shower coated her upper body even as her bowels squeezed the last of Damon’s semen from his cock.

The difference wasn’t lost on her. Damon had come inside her. The men had only been allowed to come on her skin, and they hadn’t been allowed to enter her.

Finally, their soft moans dissipated and the hot liquid that coated her face and breasts ceased to fall.

Even when the last of Damon’s cum was spent, he leaned heavily into her, his breaths coming in ragged spurts. Still embedded in her ass, his cock twitched and finally softened to a semierect state.

He raised himself off her, which sent his cock seeking deeper. She moaned softly as her stretched and well-used entrance protested the movement.

Gently, he withdrew in a warm rush of semen. He helped her from the table to stand in front of him on wobbly legs. Fluid trickled down the back of her legs, but still she stood, waiting his command.

He looked down at her body in satisfaction, and she wondered how she looked to him, covered with other men’s fluids and Damon’s own trickling down the backs of her legs.

“Go get cleaned up,” he said softly. “And then return to me.”

When Serena returned a half hour later, the men were gone and Damon sat in the living room in his chair, the pallet she’d slept on the day before positioned at his feet.

She walked over without a word and knelt on the soft pillow. Damon’s hands found her head and guided it to his lap. She closed her eyes and nuzzled her cheek against his leg as he gently stroked his hand through her hair.

“Turn around so I can brush your hair,” he said after several minutes of silence.

She complied and settled between his legs as he ran the brush through her long locks. A contented sigh escaped her as she let the pleasure of his attention settle like a warm haze.

For a long while she let the silence lay, reluctant to break it with her questions. When he tugged through her hair one last time and laid the brush aside, she turned to look at him.

She cocked her head to the side, unsure of how to voice her curiosity.

He touched her cheek, drawing a line from her temple to her jaw with his finger. “Ask your question, Serena mine. I can see it about to burst from your impatient lips.”

She smiled and leaned into this touch. “Why did you deviate from the fantasy?”

He paused, his finger stopping at the corner of her mouth. “Did it bother you that I didn’t want your mouth on their cocks or their cocks inside you?”

“No,” she admitted. “I don’t think I would have liked the fantasy as I envisioned it. I mean, in theory it seemed sexy; daring even. In reality, the idea of . . .” She couldn’t bring herself to say that sucking the men’s cocks wasn’t as appealing in reality as it had seemed in the privacy of her fantasies.

“I am glad,” he said simply. “I tried to remain as true to your fantasy as I could, but you should know that I don’t share what I consider mine.”

She rubbed her cheek over his hand. “I’m glad,” she said honestly. “I thought . . . I thought I did, that it would be exciting.” She sighed as Damon cradled her face in his palm as he listened intently to her. “It sounded . . . I don’t know, like it could be arousing when Faith talked about it. Having more than one man focused on me or being forced to service the needs of more than one man.”

She took Damon’s hand between her own, brought it to her lips, her only need to have him close. “When it came down to it . . . this morning when I thought you’d command me to pleasure those men because it was something I had said I wanted . . . I was frightened. I didn’t want it. I only wanted you.”

Damon pulled his hands from her grip and urged her onto his lap. He cradled her close and tilted her chin up with one finger. “If there is something that ever frightens you, then you tell me at once. I won’t be a party to anything that scares you. As for other men, I’m glad that you have no desire for their attentions, because it’s something I won’t tolerate.”

She smiled. “You sound so possessive. I like it.”

He returned her smile, but his expression was serious. It sent a delighted shiver over her skin and made her heart twinge. No man had ever wanted her so fiercely.

The truth hit her with sudden wrenching force.

This wasn’t real.

It was an elaborate charade. They were actors in a play. A script written by her. He played the part she asked him to. His lust might be real, but it was just sex.

“Why did the light just die in your eyes?” he murmured as he rubbed his thumb over her lips. “And why did your smile disappear?”

“Because I just remembered that none of this is real,” she said in a low voice.

Not a flicker betrayed his reaction to her statement. He continued to stare levelly at her, his eyes probing and assessing.

“Do you want it to be real, Serena?”

He left the question dangling in the air, much like a carrot in front of the proverbial donkey. Did she want it to be real? She swallowed, unsure of how to answer. How could she when she didn’t know the answer?

Yes, there was some regret that it was just an act because she liked the idea of being cherished by a man like Damon. But she didn’t want to be someone’s slave forever. The benefits, while alluring and arousing, would become tedious after a while, right?

“I don’t know,” she finally said when it became clear he was still waiting for her answer. “I can’t answer that.”

“And yet you have regret because this isn’t real,” he said.

She nodded.

“It’s as real as we make it, Serena mine. There is no one to judge but us.”

“I like that.” She leaned closer to him, her gaze seeking his. “Damon?”

He kissed her lips, one soft smooch. “Yes?”

“Can we forget about my fantasies? Could we instead play it by ear? I don’t want everything to be so . . . practiced. I want to know how it feels to truly belong to you for the time we have remaining.”

He kissed her again, his lips exploring hers with a gentleness that made her ache. He could be so demanding and yet so exquisitely tender in turns. She loved both parts.

“I think that’s an excellent idea, Serena mine. I have no desire to share you with another man. There are parts of your fantasies that excite me, boundaries that I’d like to push. You please me in ways I can’t even begin to describe. If you trust me to make your experience the best it can be, then we’ll go forward, you as my slave and I as your keeper.”

Unconsciously her hand went to the band on her arm, feeling its reassuring weight. His hand went to it as well, his finger tracing the outline of the jewelry.

“Do you like the mark of my ownership?”

She watched his fingers smooth over her arm and enjoyed the contrast between her pale skin and the glistening gold of the band. “I do. It’s less harsh than a collar. It’s feminine and yet there is power behind the symbol. I like looking at it and knowing it came from you. A collar just seems so . . . demeaning.”

“And the last thing I want is for you to feel shame,” he said.

“I’m hungry,” she said with a smile.

He blinked at the change in subject and then laughed softly. “So you must be. My demands have been great this morning and I’ve yet to feed you. I’m not proving to be a very good keeper, am I?”

She framed his face in her hands and lowered her head to his. Their lips met and melted together. It was she who controlled the kiss, and he let her have her way. When she pulled away, they were both breathing heavily, and his eyes shone with a heavy glaze.

“You’re the best,” she said simply. “I know I’ll never want for anything when I’m with you.”

He squeezed her to him and kissed the tip of her nose. “No, Serena mine. You’ll never lack for anything I can provide.”

CHAPTER 22

Damon hadn’t told her where they were going, only that they were going out after a quiet dinner at home. He’d chosen her outfit, a filmy skirt and sleeveless silk top, and instructed her not to wear a bra or panties. Then he’d ushered her into his silver BMW and driven away from his house.

A half hour later when they pulled through the gate of The House, adrenaline slammed through her veins. She glanced over at Damon, but his expression was unreadable.

As if sensing her excitement and her nervousness, he reached over and captured her hand in his. He gave it a gentle squeeze as he pulled the car to a stop next to the other parked cars.

“You will stay by my side at all times. Men will seek your attention. They’ll speak to you and flirt. You’re to speak only to me and to anyone else only with my permission.”

Her eyes narrowed as she stared back at him. The order rankled, and she suddenly felt like a child being disciplined rather than an adult woman.

He waited as if expecting her to say no, but she snapped her lips together and averted her gaze. This was what she’d asked for. He was only giving her what she wanted.

Damon stepped out of the car and walked around to open her door. She put her hand in his and stepped gracefully from her seat.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” he murmured as they started for the door.

She smiled, her earlier irritation forgotten. “No, but it’s nice to hear.”

“I’ll be the envy of every man here. Your hair shines like a veil of black silk.”

“You’re no stranger to pretty words,” she teased.

“The words are only pretty when applied to a beautiful woman. With no point of reference, they’re merely words.”

“I find myself unable to argue with your logic,” she said with a wide smile.

He ushered her inside where they were greeted by the butler. Damon directed her into a small dressing room just off the main entrance.

“Remove your clothing. The only things I want adorning you are my marks of possession.”

She inhaled in surprise but brought shaking fingers to the waistband of her skirt. Yes, she’d gone nude the night of the auction, but somehow this was different. She was well-versed in what would happen that night; after all, she’d created that fantasy. Tonight, though, she was working from a blank script, learning as she went. It was disconcerting.