Knight

Chapter Ten Being Bad

“What?”

That was Viv.

“You need to stop asking around about Knight.”

That was me and I went on.

“He, uh… knows or figured it out because we were having words and I kinda let it slip then I kinda gave him the full story and you’re right. He’s private as in really private. He doesn’t like attention. He doesn’t like people to know shit about him and he doesn’t like it a lot. So, he asked me to ask you to stand down so I’m asking you to stand down.”

“Told you this guy’s shit is tied up tight,” she replied.

She could say that again.

It was Tuesday night, late. I was at Knight’s. He came to my place last night, woke me at nearly four in the morning, did me hard and controlling then I passed out for about an hour and a half before I woke up to get ready for work. I left him in my bed after I came to him dressed, he yanked me in, rolled me to my back and laid a hot, plundering one on me.

Tonight, my turn in his bed.

Which was where I was, lying across the satin comforter, already in my PJs, talking to my friend.

Or warning her off.

“You had words?” she asked, as was her way, nosily.

“He makes me happy. I was making that clear. He flipped out. Said some stuff to make sure it was him making me happy, not his generosity. That pissed me off. I got in his face about it. We talked it out. All is cool.”

“He makes you happy,” she whispered and my heart skipped at the tone in her voice.

“Very,” I whispered back.

“Really?” She was still whispering and it was still hopefully.

“Really.” I kept whispering too and then shared, “He likes my Buddha belly. He even brought me all sorts of cheese and crackers and bread and pâté, chasing that with carrot cake in order to assist me in maintaining it.” My voice dipped low. “Viv, he likes me for me.”

“Told you that Buddha belly of yours was hot,” she reminded me.

“I don’t know about hot. I just know Knight likes soft and sweet and womanly and that’s what he’s got in me.”

“In other words, hot guy Knight thinks that Buddha belly is hot.”

“Whatever,” I muttered and she giggled.

Then she stated, “So I take it you fucked him and that was hot too.”

That was when I giggled and through it said, “Uh… you don’t fuck Knight. No way. Knight fucks you.”

Silence then, “Come again?”

I blinked at the comforter.

After she got my silence, she stated, “Right. You signed a contract. First, babe, he doesn’t want me asking or gabbing, assure him that’s done. I’m not doing dick to fuck this for you. Second, just give me a one to ten.”

“Twenty-five,” I whispered.

“What?” she breathed.

“Maybe thirty,” I amended.

“Uh… no, babe, no. Please tell me you didn’t sign a contract.”

“I didn’t but, Viv, we talk about this, it’s between you and me. I’m not even going to talk to Sandrine about this. She gets drunk, she’s not dancing, she gets chatty. You’re Fort Knox if you wanna be and with this, I want you to be. For Knight.”

“Lips are sealed, babe,” she assured. “Really? A thirty?”

“He’s… different.”

“He’d have to be,” she muttered and I giggled again.

“It’s, Viv… um, he has a gig.”

“A gig?”

“A gig.”

“What kind of gig?”

“He’s bossy.”

“Right, well, that’s not a surprise.”

“Right, well, that kind of thing is who he is. It leaks everywhere. He likes control.”

“Control?”

“He tells me what to do, I do it. In pretty much all things at least, um… sexually but other times too but only if it’s important to him and so far he’s taken the time to explain.” I paused then said softly, “And if I don’t, he’ll punish me.” Then I finished on a hurry, “But that hasn’t happened.”

She was silent. My stomach clenched.

“It’s not as kinky as it sounds.” I promised quickly. “It’s really kind of –”

“Anya, babe, I’m a submissive,” she said quietly and I blinked.

My nosy, ballsy, bold, take no prisoners tell it like it is Vivica was a submissive?

“What?” I breathed.

“Thought about it, get it, like it, do it. To get out of that ‘hood and not live my life as a ‘ho or the bitch of some homey who gets a cap busted in his ass or a prison sentence leaving me with three kids all of who will grow up to be gangsters, ‘ho’s or stupid bitches tied to dead guys, I’m like Knight. I have to keep my shit tight. I don’t want to be the assistant manager of anything. I want to be manager. Then I want to be director. I want to own my own home. I want a nice place, nice car, nice clothes, nice shoes, nice furniture and a decent guy who takes out the trash at least by the second time I ask, gives it to me regular in a way that I like and whips my ass, literally, when I’ve been bad.”

Oh my God.

She kept talking.

“I gotta work so hard, keep my shit so tight, control my life so much to keep on the right track and get what I want out of life, it’s a relief to give all that up and put myself in someone’s hands. I trust them to take care of me, in most cases, they do. I’ve had two long-term Doms. One, I lost and I won’t explain because if I do, you’ll figure it out and he doesn’t want anyone to know so that’s his secret and not for me to share. The other, because he got off on the pain more than the trust or the relationship and sometimes failed to get me off so I got shot of his ass. Some women are into that. I’m not. But I’m looking. Just hard to find one who gets that’s bedroom, not life or not all of life.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked quietly.

“Because some people think it’s jacked, Anya, when it… is… not. But I sometimes get shit for the color of my skin. I’m not adding to that with sharing this. No fucking way.”

“You don’t get shit from me,” I reminded her, stung.

“No, and I didn’t wanna get it another way,” she replied gently, easing the sting.

“You can tell me anything,” I whispered.

“Well, now I know that since you shared with me.”

We both fell silent.

Vivica broke it.

“So, obviously, if he’s a thirty, you like it too.”

“Yeah,” I said softly.

“And you jack up, he’ll punish you?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s shared that with you?”

“Unh-hunh.”

“And you know his limits? He’s been open with you? What you can do, what you can’t? What he can do, where he won’t go with you?”

“Yeah. I mean, he’s given me boundaries which I may or may not explore but they are far from vague. And he’s also been somewhat comprehensively forthcoming about what he’s not into. It’s not about wax or clamps or any of that. It’s about control.”

“Covered his bases,” she muttered.

Seemed like it.

“Good,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” I repeated.

“Advice, babe, jack up.”

I blinked again.

Then I breathed, “What?”

“No joke. I know it sounds scary crazy but it isn’t. It’s scary, crazy, hot.”

My legs started trembling.

“Really?” I whispered.

“Oh yeah. Hell yeah. I know he’s yours, babe, but just the thought of Knight Sebring taking a crop to me, hun… nee. I’m thinking of stopping my gig of trying to talk in code to every guy in Denver to see if they’re a Dom and just putting a personal ad in so I can get my ass slapped.”

I burst out laughing.

“I’m not kidding,” she said into my laughter.

“Right, okay,” I said, still giggling.

“Listen to me,” she said, deadly serious and my giggles faded. “Straight up, what you’ve already done, is he cool with you? You like it?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“To a thirty?”

“Yes, Viv.”

“Then jack up. Because if you like him bossing you then you’re into it. If you give him reason to take it to the next level then that thirty will become a fifty, I kid you not. Scary. Crazy. Hot.”

My trembling legs started shaking as did my hands and my eyes slid to Knight’s space-age alarm clock on his nightstand.

Ten fifteen. Knight wouldn’t be home for hours.

Damn.

“You know something, babe?” Viv asked in my ear.

“I know a lot of things, honey. What do you want to know?” I replied.

Her voice held a smile when she said, “I already loved him for you. Now I love that he’s giving this to you and you like it. One of the things about that life, sex will never be boring. There’s a trust that’s built that’s a-freaking-mazing. Closeness comes from that. He builds that for you, I’ll love him forever. But it’s more. I never had anyone to talk to about this shit except my partners and that isn’t the same thing as having your girls. So he gave this to us too. So I’m thinking I’ll already love him forever.”

I had the scary, crazy thought that I might too.

“Yeah,” I whispered.

“You wanna talk to me about anything, I’m here. But more advice, you talk to him. He’s already laid this shit out so clearly he intends to be open and honest with you, you tell him where you’re at. What you liked, what you didn’t. Give him cues when you’re ready to go further. Then, I swear, babe, he’ll love you forever. A gorgeous bitch to class his act on his arm that makes him laugh, knows how to cook, understands the meaning of loyalty and who can get his rocks of just the way he likes it. Nothing better and he’ll know it too.”

I giggled again then stopped suddenly and whispered, “I’m glad he gave us this too, even though he didn’t know he was. I’m glad because you shared with me something about you and now you know no matter what, you can share anything with me, honey.”

It was her turn to say, “Yeah.”

I grinned.

Then I heard a faraway, indistinct sound echoing in Knight’s vast apartment like someone was coming in the front door.

My body jerked then my head went back to the clock.

Ten eighteen.

I listened to the noises.

Knight was home early. Or maybe he just came home to get something.

I listened for footsteps on the floor, didn’t hear them and wondered why he didn’t come see me as I pushed off the bed and said, “Knight’s home. Maybe he’s picking something up.”

“As you walk your round, white ass to wherever he is in that crib, wrack your brain about how you can be a bad girl then call me tomorrow and thank me.”

I smiled at the phone so I knew she heard it when I hit the hall and whispered, “Later, honey.”

“Bad girl, baby.”

“Right,” I muttered.

“Right,” she stated firmly then softly, “Later.”

Then she was gone and I was rounding the L of the hall.

The living room was dark as I left it since after talking with Viv, I was going to bed. But I saw a faint light coming from the hall to the front door.

I rounded the corner and saw the door in the hall that I’d never seen open, opened and light was pouring out.

“Honey, you needed something, I don’t usually go to sleep until eleven,” I called down the hall, still walking. “You could have phoned me. The club is a ten minute drive. I could have dropped it –”

I stopped in the door, stopped talking, saw it was an unsurprisingly very big, well-appointed, kickass study, though not in any way like the rest of the kickass but spare, colorless, stylized apartment but warm, masculine and lived in.

And last, Nick Sebring was squatting next to what looked like a safe set in a golden wood cabinet. The safe was unopened and his furious gaze was aimed at me.

“Take one step to me, Nick, I run to Knight’s room, lock myself in and I don’t call 911. I call Knight,” I warned as he straightened.

“Now I fuckin’ get it,” he whispered irately, his eyes on me burning with barely controlled fury.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, looking at the safe.

“Not dinner, not you,” he hissed. “That pussy’s for sale.”

My eyes shot to him.

“Um… excuse me?”

He crossed his arms on his chest. “Disappointing. Thought you were a sweet piece. Worth it. Worth the work. The trouble. The kind that would make you wanna fix. Permanently. Shoulda known when you showed at that party here. Not your scene. But you wanted Knight, hoped he’d be here. And, congratulations, babe,” his eyes swept me in my PJs, “seems you got him.”

I sucked in breath and asked, “Nick, how did you get in here?”

His gaze swept me again and they were working. Then something shifted in his face, his eyes. Something ugly, calculating but I wasn’t certain I got it.

Then he spoke but not to answer my question.

“Head’s up, you don’t deserve it but you’re not the first.”

I sucked in another breath and informed him, “I know that.”

His head tipped to the side, he smiled a nasty smile and he asked, “So, you’re okay with the charity?” My body got tight. “’Course you are, baby.” He took a step toward me, I took a step into the hall, bracing for flight and he stopped. “Comes with the good shit. The apartment. He buy you clothes yet? A car?”

I stared at him as my heart started beating faster.

“No car,” he muttered, watching me closely. “Knight, he likes it like that. Sees the pretty ones with the cheap shoes and twenty dollar haircuts. Wantin’ more. Got a streak in him, acts on it. Shows ‘em good. Shows ‘em sweet. Steaks. Nice clothes. Satin sheets. Gets off on it. Advice? Hang on tight for the car, baby. He’ll let you keep it.”

I ignored this, for now, and stated, “You obviously have keys. It’s likely Knight would want you to return those to me right before you leave, which would be about now.”

“Don’t get lost,” he whispered, leaning into me, watching me closely. “Don’t think he’ll keep you. He gets bored with his charity cases and he does it easy. Could be days. Could be weeks. Could be longer. Anya, with you, I bet he keeps you around a while. But he’ll get tired of you. He’ll scrape you off. And you’ll have the car, the clothes but you’ll be precisely where you started and Knight won’t look back. He never looks back. He just waits for the next pretty one to show at Slade in a dress someone else wore before her and shoes she hopes no one notices and then he’ll give it to her sweet. Until he’s done with her too.”

I tried to calm my breathing, lifted my hand, palm up and demanded, “Keys.”

He walked to me.

I stepped back to give him plenty of room then braced as he stopped in the hall with me.

“Just sayin’, I know it’s sloppy seconds to my fuckin’ brother but, he gets done with you, find me. I’ll give you sweet too and it’ll also last a while.”

“Keys,” I hissed.

He lifted his hand and dropped the keys but did it purposefully so they missed my palm and hit the floor. I kept my eyes to his not about to go for them with him still there.

Then I jumped to the side as his leg went back and he kicked the keys. I didn’t watch them but I listened to them sail across the floor and bump down the stairs into the sunken living room.

“Fuck him good, Anya, and when you come to me, you can show me how my brother likes it,” he whispered to me.

“Now’s your time to leave,” I whispered back

He glared at me.

Then he turned and took his time walking to the door.

Knight’s door locked automatically. I heard it catch then I ran to it and turned the deadbolt.

Then I stood at the door.

Charity case.

Clothes.

Steaks.

Car.

Car.

“Shit car, babe. Gotta get you something decent.”

He said that, not straight out saying he’d buy me one but hinting at it and he barely fucking knew me.

Nick knew.

The steaks.

The stupid steaks.

Nick knew.

Knight Sebring looked at my shoes, fifteen minutes later walked through my apartment and he got himself a live one.

Nick knew.

Knight hadn’t even fucked me and he spent thousands of dollars on me.

I should have known in his luxury condo with his Aston Martin and his shit-hot club that Knight Sebring who could have anybody would not chose me unless there was some jacked reason why.

“Wars fought over a face like this.”

Bullshit.

I wondered how many woman he’d said that to.

I closed my eyes tight.

Then I turned, moving stiffly, I reached in and flipped the switch on the light in the study and the windowless room went black. Then, like I’d be graded for the endeavor, I carefully closed the door.

Then I walked slowly down the hall to the bedroom.

Then I got dressed, shoved my PJs in my overnight bag, went to the kitchen, grabbed my purse from the counter and dug out the keys to Knight’s apartment. I dropped them on the counter, pulled on my jacket and grabbed my bag and purse.

Then I got the heck out of there.

The covers were yanked off, my eyes flew open and my first thought was that he busted through the chain.

I knew it was him.

And I knew this because the room was filled with vibrating, searing heat.

“Knight –” I whispered but that was all I got out before I was out of bed, moved, tugged and positioned until I was straddling him as he sat on the side. His arm locked around my hips, his other hand fisted in my hair holding my face an inch from his

“It’s fuckin’ three thirty in the morning and I drove here from my place where I found my bed empty. Then I got here and the chain was fuckin’ on. One word answer,” he bit out. “Yes or no. You forget where you were supposed to sleep and who was gonna be sleepin’ beside you? And, babe, warning, the answer better be yes.”

I stared into his shadowed face.

Then I said, “No.”

He instantly started to swing me out.

But I clamped on and snapped, “Knight! No. You don’t get to punish me. We’re over.”

He stilled.

Completely.

“What the fuck?” he whispered.

“Nick came over tonight.” His body, already still, went solid under me. “He had a key. We had a chat. I know.”

“You know,” he clipped then, “You know what?”

“I know about your charity cases.”

Silence.

Scary silence.

Terrifying silence then in a sinister, soft whisper, “My what?”

“The girls you find, the pretty ones that you take care of, you spoil then you get tired of and scrape off,” I reminded him. “Girls like me.”

More silence and it was more terrifying, the room stifling such was his fury.

I kept going. He might be pissed, really pissed but I couldn’t imagine he’d hurt me.

“So we’re over.”

“Nick told you that,” he stated.

My arms clamped around his shoulders loosened and I tried to push away but his hold got tight so I stopped.

“Yes,” I answered belatedly.

“Nick came to my house, saw you, told you that and you believed it and left me.”

It was my turn to still.

And I did it at his tone which was scathing.

Then I whispered, “Yes.”

“Left without callin’. Left without callin’ at the very least to tell my motherfucking dickhead of a brother was in my house when he shouldn’t be. He shouldn’t even have a key, which is obviously somethin’ he hid from me then he lied to me when I took his other key. Then he talks shit to you about me and you don’t call me about that either. You don’t wait for me to come home and tell it to me. You just leave.”

Uh-oh.

“Knight.”

“I’m gonna let you off me, Anya, then you’re gonna crawl into bed on your own, cheek to the mattress, ass in the air and feel lucky we are not at my place. You need a cane, at least a strap but all I got is my belt and that might mark you so you’re gonna take my hand.”

A cane?

I didn’t ask that.

“He lied to me?” I asked and it was the wrong thing to do. His arm got so tight, I couldn’t breathe, his fist twisted in my hair and pain spiked across my scalp.

Both these went on for no more than a second before his hold loosened and he spoke.

“Yeah. He lied to you. You know who hasn’t lied to you?”

Oh God.

“Knight –”

“Me,” he growled.

“Honey.”

His arm and hand left me as he ordered, “Crawl in bed, Anya.”

“Knight –”

“Do it or I swear to Christ you won’t sit easy for a week.”

My pulse spiked but my limbs moved. I crawled into bed, my breath stopping and starting until I got to the middle. Then I put my cheek to the mattress, my ass in the air, my arms cocked at my sides.

The bed moved with Knight moving but I could only see his frame shadowed in the dark room.

“Yank the drawstring,” he ordered.

My hand moved and I yanked.

I no sooner did this when my pajama shorts and panties were yanked down to my thighs.

“Spread your legs, Anya, wide, keep those tight.”

I spread my legs until I couldn’t spread them further as they caught taut on my shorts and undies.

Surprising me, his hand slid between my legs and my thighs quivered.

“My baby is very lucky,” he whispered, pressing in and rubbing and my fingers curled into the comforter. “I love her pussy, love this sweet ass. Tonight I’ll make that ass throb but I love that pussy so much, I won’t wanna take it tomorrow with pain getting in my way.”

I closed my eyes tight and put everything into keeping perfectly still.

His hand left me and the bed moved some more. Then nothing but I heard the swish and whoosh of clothes hitting the floor and when the bed moved again I knew he was coming back to me naked.

Oh God.

Viv was right.

I’d jacked up.

Big time.

And this was scary, crazy, hot.

My thighs kept quivering.

I felt him above me then I felt his fingers curl into my camisole and pull it up. My head and arms went with it as he yanked it off and it was gone. But he caught my hair, gave it a rough, gentle tug and I came up to my forearms.

“I wanna be hard and aching when I beat that ass red, baby, take my cock, make it ache,” he ordered then another tug on my hair until I was on my hands. Then I felt his hand guiding his cock to my mouth. The tip against my lips, he slid it light against them until I opened them and he surged inside, already hard.

Oh God. I liked that.

Scary, crazy, hot.

My neck arched back and I moaned against his cock.

“No,” he growled. “Gonna fuck your face, baby.”

Oh God!

He held my head back by my hair and he did just that.

And, God, oh my God, I loved every stroke.

He gave it to me and I took it. Slow, faster, harder, Knight using my hair to pull me to him as he thrust into me. When I was moaning, using everything I had to suck as he thrust and keep my fingers from moving between my legs, he slid out.

“Cheek to the mattress,” he commanded and I went down.

The bed moved.

Then Knight punished me.

Sharp, hard, stinging, I winced and flinched and gasped and only vaguely noticed his hand never came down in the same place twice.

Then he stopped and rubbed between my legs, hard, deep.

Then back to my bottom, again, again. The pain radiating down my thighs, tingling between my legs. My mouth was open but no sound came out because I’d lifted my fist to press it to it. My other hand clenched the comforter.

Then back between my legs, finger hitting my clit, rolling, working me until I whimpered. Then it slid away and he was at my ass, the sound of his palm striking against my skin filling the room.

Then his fingers curled into my shorts and panties and yanked them down sharply, they rounded my knees then they were whisked away.

“Up on just your knees, Anya,” he ordered and I pushed up, breathing heavily and felt his hand at my belly, sliding down, curling in, cupping me as I felt his lips move to my ear. His middle finger sliding through the wet, he whispered, “Baby’s soaked. Dripping. Daddy’s gonna eat you now. You’re gonna come on my face. You gotta grind down, baby, you do it. Take all you can get from my mouth. Right?”

“Right,” I breathed.

“Right?” he repeated, his hand cupping my sex drawing up slightly.

Oh God.

Scary.

Crazy.

Hot.

“Right, Daddy.”

“That’s it, baby. Stay still, Daddy’ll take you.”

Then he did, positioning under me, his hands came to my hips and he pulled me down to his face.

Then he started eating me.

I was so ready, I instantly ground into him rocking.

One of his hands left my hip and wrapped around his cock. I knew it, partially watched it through the dark, heard it and felt his groans and growls between my legs as the pads of the fingers his other hand dug into me.

I kept grinding down into his mouth, moving, shifting rocking and it took no time at all before I came. Not hard. Excruciating. It rocked me so deep, I cried out and couldn’t hold myself up. I went forward, hands in the bed by Knight’s waist.

His hand at my hip kept yanking me down as he kept at me and himself. I panted, still rocking, still coming, my eyes glued to his shadowed fist working his cock then I came again. He kept at me and I watched the shadow of his hand moving on his cock and I came again.

Oh God, had anyone died from too many orgasms?

“Honey,” I rasped.

His hand yanked me down hard, he sucked deep, God, so deep. Then he growled and I came again as he did too.

He lapped at me and stroked himself lazily as we both came down then his head turned, he kissed the inside of my thigh and he muttered, “Climb off me, baby. Go get me a wet cloth.”

I did as I was told, reaching for my pajamas when my feet hit the floor at the side of the bed and his voice came back at me.

“No clothes, Anya.”

I looked to his shadowy form lounging on a forearm in the bed, nodded then did as I was told but did it naked.

When I came back, Knight was sitting with shoulders to the headboard, knees up and my sex spasmed at the sight, he was so damned sexy, even in shadow.

“Crawl up from the bottom, baby, want you between my legs as you clean me.”

Again, I moved as instructed and did what I was told.

When I was done, I got, “Take that to the bathroom then come back to me.”

I nodded and carried out my order, coming back to a Knight who hadn’t moved.

“Crawl up from the bottom again, Anya.”

I crawled up the bed and as I did it, the thought came to me. I didn’t know if I should, if I was even allowed. But I did it anyway.

So when I got to him, I moved between his legs but stopped, bent and kissed his flat abs. Then I moved up and stopped to kiss his chest. Then up his body until my face was to his neck and I kissed him there, smelling his cologne.

I knew my decision was right when his arms closed around me and his thighs pressed in, imprisoning me.

“My baby, so fuckin’ sweet,” he muttered.

I rested my head on his shoulder.

One of his arms shifted down and his hand cupped one of the cheeks of my behind gently.

“It hurt?” he whispered.

“Tender,” I whispered back.

“First time, I went gentle.”

Oh God. That was gentle?

“You fuck up that big again, Anya, you’ll be callin’ off work and spendin’ a week in my bed to recover.”

“Knight –”

His arms gave me a squeeze.

“Came hard, feel good, do not piss me off.”

I fell silent.

“You learn your lesson?”

I hoped so.

I nodded against his shoulder.

His arms gave me a squeeze as his fingers at my behind dug in gently.

Then he said quietly, “I believe you but I wanna make it clear. Shit might go down between us that’ll make this go bad. You don’t leave until we both know there’s nothin’ we can do to retrieve what we had. And if you believe that and I disagree, then you talk to me before you leave me. You might hear fucked up shit about me from a variety of sources. But you talk to me before you react. I will confirm or deny, I will be honest and last, I will explain. If it’s shit I don’t want you to know yet, I’ll explain that too and you’ll wait until I’m ready. You feel you can’t, then, babe, you still fuckin’ talk… to… me before you leave me.”

I nodded against his shoulder again.

Knight kept talking.

“You can believe about ten percent of anything that comes outta Nick’s mouth. This will not be somethin’ you need to concern yourself with because you will never see him again. If the impossible happens and you do, I don’t care if you’re walkin’ down the street, he’s across the street from you and a half block up, you fuckin’ call me. Get me?”

Another nod.

More from Knight.

“I do not give charity fucks. I don’t know what he said to you but honest to Christ, I don’t even know what that is. Bottom line, no one, Anya and when I say that,” his arms and hand gave me another squeeze, “I mean no one has had my time, my attention and my cock the way you do. And you don’t have those because you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. You have that because you’re everything that’s you. Somethin’ in you made it easy to believe the bullshit Nick fed you. We gotta work that out, babe, and with that project, I’m all in. But there is no… fuckin’… way a woman like you, not just one who looks like you, but a woman like you should ever think in a million fuckin’ years she’s a charity case. You need to understand, baby, that in this scenario right here in this bed no matter whose ass is tender, I’m the lucky one. You with me?”

At the word “lucky” my head jerked up and I stared at his shadowed face.

“What?” I breathed.

“You aren’t with me,” he muttered.

“Are you serious?”

“Are you comfortable with the fact that my boys roughed up your landlord?”

My body stilled and I whispered, “Honey –”

“Answer me, babe, are you comfortable with that?”

“Can we –?”

His hand came to my jaw and his arm around me got tight, pulling me closer and he whispered, “Anya, babe, answer me.”

“No,” I blurted.

“But you’re settin’ it aside because you’re drawn to me and I’m makin’ you happy,” he surmised.

“Yes.”

“Then babe, I’m the lucky one because with you, I’m not settin’ shit aside. And with me, I think you already get without really knowin’ that you always will.”

My hand slid up his chest and I whispered, “Honey, let’s not talk about this.”

“Bury your head, baby, please, God, do it. But straight up, you give me good, normal and clean and you do it knowin’ you’ll never get that back. I’ll take that. Fuck, yeah, I’ll take that. But I’ll only take it knowin’ somewhere inside you, you get what you’re givin’ to me and you understand it’ll never be returned.”

“You’re scaring me again, Knight.”

“Enough to ask me to leave?”

“No,” I whispered and his hand clenched my jaw.

“Christ, my baby,” he whispered.

I didn’t want to talk about this anymore so I changed the subject.

“I’m sorry I believed Nick,” I said softly.

“You believin’ him didn’t say shit about me. It said shit about how you feel about you. We’ll work on that.”

God, he was scary, scary sweet and I was thinking scary smart too.

“Bet I bought myself a bad girl,” he muttered and I blinked.

“Pardon?”

“Baby, how many times did you come on my face?”

I bit my lip.

Then I shared quietly, “I lost track.”

Knight burst out laughing, both is arms closing tight around me as he shifted us down in bed and rolled me to my back, him at my side.

When he stopped laughing, his hand slid up to curl around my neck, palm at my throat.

“You gonna be a bad girl?” he whispered.

“I haven’t decided,” I whispered back and his hand spasmed.

Then he asked, sounding appalled, “I hurt you?”

“Uh… yeah, Knight. You spanked me.”

“Too hard?”

“Um…”

“That you couldn’t stand the pain, Anya, that it didn’t feel good even as it felt bad. That kinda too hard, babe. I didn’t get that from you, not even close. When I was done, you were soaked.”

“Well that’s because, um… the answer’s no. If that’s too hard then it wasn’t. Not even close.”

His hand relaxed as did his body.

God, how could this guy have just spanked me, my bottom still felt warm and tender and yet at the same time he was unbelievably sweet?

“We need a safe word,” he muttered.

“Probably,” I muttered back.

“No, babe, we do. We should have worked that out before but I’ve been goin’ easy on you, payin’ attention, not pushin’ too hard. Didn’t think we’d be here this quick. I’ll think about it, give it to you before I take you again.”

Easy on me.

Something, maybe, to look forward to.

“Okay,” I said softly.

At my word, he gave me a squeeze before he shifted, yanking the covers out from under us, flicking them over us then settling onto his back. He rolled me and tucked me into his side.

Then he ordered, “Sleep, baby.”

“Okay, Knight.”

I settled in. Knight’s arm around me drew me closer then relaxed. My arm snaked across his flat belly, curled around and I held on.

Then I called, “Knight?”

“Yeah, babe.”

I bit my lip.

“Babe?”

I stopped biting my lip.

Then I whispered, “Uh… you should probably prepare for me being bad, um… occasionally.”

Knight went still for a moment before both his arms locked around me tight and he burst out laughing.

I turned the corner to Knight’s study.

Nick was crouched at the safe. It was open. He was rifling through it.

I opened my mouth to say something when his head turned to me.

Then he surged out of his crouch, flying through the air toward me, his entire head had changed from Nick to a wide, gaping mouth filled with rows and rows of sharp, lethal teeth.

I jerked awake and, still held close to Knight’s side but still half asleep and feeling his arm around me as a prison, I yanked away from it on a roll.

“What the fuck, babe?” His drowsy, deep, rough voice came at me and I froze.

Torso up and on my ass in the bed, I lifted my knees, soles of my feet to the bed and put my elbows to them, head to my hands and took in a deep breath.

Knight’s hand curled around my wrist.

“Anya?” he said softly.

“Bad dream,” I whispered.

“Jesus, it’d have to be,” he muttered, pulling gently at my wrist but my head came up. My hand dropped to the bed taking his with it and I looked to his shadowy head.

“Nick was trying to get in your safe,” I announced and I felt as well as saw his body go rock-solid.

“What?” he whispered, that vibrating, angry heat starting to emanate.

“He didn’t open it or not that I know of. I heard him come in and got to him pretty quickly because I thought he was you. I turned the corner to your study and he was crouched at your safe. It wasn’t opened. He moved away from it, shared his tale of treachery, I got his keys then he took off. With, um… everything that happened when you got here, I forgot to tell you.” I twisted my wrist dislodging his hand but finding it and curling mine around. “I’m sorry, honey. I totally forgot.”

His hand squeezed mine and tugged as he said, “Don’t worry about it, baby. I’ll deal with Nick.”

I nodded, felt the vibrations had stopped, the blaze retreating. I let him pull me down to him and arrange me pressed to his side again, held close.

I pulled in a deep breath then snaked my arm around his gut. Then I pulled in another one and forced my body to relax against his.

His hand at my hip gave me a gentle squeeze and he murmured, “That dream, was it about Nick?”

“He was crouched by your safe,” I whispered. “Then he came at me, flying through the air and his entire head had become a mouth full of teeth.”

“Fuckin’ hell,” I muttered.

“Yeah,” I agreed quietly, pressed deeper into his side and his arm got tight around me.

“When was he there?”

“Around ten fifteen.”

“Doorman gets off at ten. Fuckin’ motherfucker, Nick,” he muttered. Then, “I’ll change the locks. He came when no doorman was on. They haven’t changed the door code since he left. I’ll tell Spin. He’ll deal with the code change. Nick won’t be able to get into my place starting tomorrow. He won’t be able to access the building in a few days. Yeah?”

“Yeah, honey.”

“Shits me he got to you at all much less when I wasn’t there.”

“He didn’t expect to see me.”

“I’ll bet he didn’t, fuckin’ motherfucker.” Knight was muttering again.

“I dream a lot, Knight. They’re not all good. I’m used to it. It’s okay. Nick’s not a fun guy to be around but, really, I’m okay.”

“Shits me he got to you at all much less when I wasn’t there, Anya, no matter if you’re okay or not. It’s fuckin’ five thirty in the morning. You had a crazy-ass dream. You’re freaked. He filled your head with garbage. And you’re not with me to have any of that shit happen to you.”

“You can’t cushion me from the entire world, Knight.”

“I can try.”

My stomach dropped.

“I’ll take measures,” he went on like he didn’t just rock my world. “You feel safer here, we do your bed for a while. Go back to mine this weekend when the code’s changed. Yeah?”

“Okay, honey,” I agreed quietly.

“Now you got an hour to sleep. You gonna be able to do that?”

“Yeah.”

“Then do it.”

I smiled against his shoulder.

Then I whispered, “Okay.”

Knight’s arm gave me a squeeze.

I felt my belly warm, that tingle gliding up and down my spine, over my scalp, all along my skin until it felt like it was going to consume me.

And I didn’t mind.

Not even a little bit.

It felt great.