24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Mason

After we finished getting our nails done, Sophia forced me to get my own cup of pretzels. I scarfed them down, following Sophia around while she finished the rest of her beauty regime. I was a little ashamed of how quickly I consumed them, but Sophia didn’t seem to notice, and if she did, she certainly didn’t care.

Once her skin was artificially tanned and her hair was trimmed, she was ready to go home. She told me she had to get back to work, so I asked if it was urgent. She said no, for the most part, she made her own schedule. That’s when I decided to swallow my pride and push my luck.

I admitted to her that my clothes were getting too tight for me to wear much longer, and that I was too embarrassed to tell anyone. She stopped to consider me for a moment before her expression softened. For the first time since I got back, Sophia told me work could wait.

That’s how we ended up shopping in a small boutique with a large maternity section rather than going home. The shop’s décor felt very Victorian. Sage green wallpaper coated the walls with barely noticeable vines that wound between gold-accented mirrors and butterflies pinned inside glass cases. I almost felt like I was back home in my favorite oddity shop, except this place had more clothes and less dead bugs.

I kind of wished they had other types of bugs here. I liked to look at their wings.

I wondered if Sophia had picked this shop specifically with me in mind. My knees went weak at the thought of her being so considerate of my interests.

I stole a glance up at her as she leafed through an endless rack of nearly identical button-downs. She was absolutely stunning, but her beauty wasn’t just skin deep. Sophia was the kind of woman you just felt comfortable to be around, the type of person you wanted to show off to the entire world. God, the world would love Sophia. She was everything my dad had trained me to be: outgoing, cheerful, well-spoken... but she did all of it effortlessly. She even liked all the annoying stuff—the manicures, the hair products, the clothes shopping. Thinking about that caused color to rise to my cheeks as I remembered my conversation with Lucian earlier:

“You’re in a home full of people who don’t love based on appearances.”

My heart transformed into a hummingbird as I cleared my throat.

“Hey, Sophia.” My words came out as more of a squeak than a sentence, but it still caught her attention.

She turned away from the garment she was holding to look down at me, a coy smile twisting at her lips.

“Hmm?”

The words stuck in my throat like cement, but I needed to get them out. I’d probably explode if I didn’t.

“Do you love me?”

It was a pathetic question. I wouldn’t expect her to answer with anything other than a firm “no.” But after Lucian’s comment earlier, I couldn’t get this out of my mind. I had no sense of subtlety—I literally could not recognize flirting unless a third party pointed it out for me. If I wasn’t outright told that someone liked me, I’d never see it. Normally, I was fine with the unknown, but now the idea that Sophia might love me was too exciting to leave as a maybe.

She inched closer to me as a subtle glow took over her cheeks. She threaded her fingers through my hair, just below the bow she’d made me wear. The second her eyes met mine; it felt like the hummingbird in my chest did a line of coke. I thought I might explode.

“Of course I love you,” she breathed. “I never stopped.”

The world around me ceased to exist as I watched her, completely stuck. I couldn’t breathe, let alone speak. Tingles ran down my back as Sophia combed through my hair, massaging every inch of my scalp before resting a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to make you say it back… yet.” She winked.

But that wasn’t it. I wanted to tell her I felt the same, but I was unable to make a sound. I knew to love me was to be hurt, and I didn’t want that for Sophia. She deserved a life full of love and happiness, like the one she had now. I was pure chaos; she didn’t deserve years of bearing with me while I healed from traumas she had no part in inflicting upon me.

If she really loved me, would it hurt her when I inevitably left again? Or instead, this time, maybe she’d hurt me.

Isn’t that what I deserve?

I shook the thought from my mind as she turned back to the rack.

“Hey, do you mind if I pick a couple things out for you?” she asked, her fingers lingering on some velvety maroon fabric. “You’re like a little doll, and I’ve missed dressing you up.”

I forced the lump in my throat down with a nod. I’d do anything I could to keep her happy. I may not have deserved her love, but I desperately wanted it.

Sophia sorted through rack after rack, picking out armfuls of clothes and bringing them to the dressing room. It took what felt like an hour for me to try it all on. Everything fit just fine, but I didn’t like most of her choices. It was all the same stuff my dad’s stylist would have chosen for me: black, slightly too masculine, and edgier than I ever wanted to be. But, as I examined my current outfit in the mirror, wearing the maroon skirt she picked out with a white button-down that had black ribbon accents, I didn’t hate what I saw.

I turned to look at my butt in the mirror, and I loved the way the faux velvet clung to my new curves. My hand rested on my left ass cheek, and a pleasant sting radiated from my touch. That’s when I remembered Lucian and his tattoo gun. My pussy throbbed just thinking about it.

Earlier, he said he proved I belonged to him, but he didn’t actually say what he’d done. I wound my fingers in the hem of my skirt, letting my imagination wander as I inched it up my thigh.

A knock at the changing room door made me jump, halting my exploration.

“Masie, I got a couple more things. Are you decent?” Sophia called.

I swallowed hard and smoothed my skirt before pretending like nothing happened. “Y-yeah! Here, I’ll crack the door open, and you can—”

Sophia pushed the door open and entered, several sets of lingerie hanging from her forearms.

“What are you doing?” I whispered.

“Bringing you a few bras to try on.”

“You can’t be in here.”

Sophia leaned against the door, sliding the lock back into place.

“Why? We’re both girls.”

Sophia stepped closer, and the heat from my core started to climb up my chest. There was a smirk on her face as my back hit the mirror. Was there a polite way to tell her I didn’t want her to see me naked like this?

“Is my little Honeybee nervous?” she teased, placing her palms on either side of my shoulders as she looked down at me. Sophia was shorter than all of the men, but she was still nearly a foot taller than me, meaning I was exactly at eye level with her tits.

“Aw, you’re so red.”

A squeak escaped my lips, and my heart thundered.

“We’re going to get in trouble.”

“No, we’re not. I’m just helping you get dressed,” she sang. “Unless...”

She moved a hand, walking her fingers along my clavicle. Chills ran down my spine at her touch.

“... Someone’s having some impure thoughts.”

My mouth went dry, and I had to look away. My chest was tight, my face hot.

“ I’m not.”

“Oh good, then you won’t mind if I help you,” Sophia stated, ignoring my accusatory tone as she untied the black ribbon in my collar.

She may have freed my neck, but breathing didn’t come any easier. Especially as her fingertips feathered down my chest while she unbuttoned my shirt. Sophia took her time removing the garment and placing it back on the hanger.

“Do you want to take off your bra, or can I do it?” she asked.

I looked down at my beige sports bra that felt about three sizes too small. My hands started to shake as I fought with the restrictive material. It rolled up as I raised my arms, making it even tighter and more difficult to remove.

Sophia gently took my hands and guided them away.

“Here, let me help.”

She brought her face close enough for the tip of her nose to touch mine, closing her eyes as she slipped her fingers under the band that was digging into my skin.

An audible sigh of relief filled the space between us as she pulled back, slipping the bra off over my head. I leaned back against the mirror and closed my eyes as Sophia’s hands found my breasts. They were so swollen it hurt, but I was rapidly learning that everyone in the house found that sexy instead of disgusting.

Her touch was infinitely more gentle than Lucian’s as she started to massage me; my sigh of relief morphed into a quickly stifled moan.

“Am I hurting you, Honeybee?” she cooed.

“N-not at all,” I breathed.

Sophia’s breath ghosted my lips, and I opened my eyes to find her face so close I had to cross my eyes to see her clearly.

“Are you still worried about getting in trouble?”

My head said yes. I didn’t want to get kicked out—or, God forbid, arrested. But my heart was in a haze.

“No,” I whispered.

“Don’t lie to me, Honeybee. You know I hate it.”

Sophia moved a hand to my thigh, softly tracing the hem of my skirt. My pulse thundered as a dull heat filled my stomach.

“I’m a little worried,” I admitted.

Her fingers were warm as they slipped under the fabric. I held my breath as she found where my underwear met my thighs.

“Don’t worry, I’d never do anything that would tarnish my good girl’s reputation. You are still my good little girl, right?”

In my memories, sex with Sophia wasn’t nearly as rough as it was with Lucian—or even Cameron, for that matter. But make no mistake, she was always in control. Calm but firm, her gentle form of domination never failed to keep me in check.

“Say it for me, Honeybee. Tell me you’re my good little girl.”

She liked to embarrass me, to force me to submit to her using my own words. Humiliation was just as powerful as physical pain when it came to turning me on.

God, did I need therapy?

She slipped a finger under the fabric, brushing it against my hip, so tantalizingly close to what I really wanted her to touch.

“Use your words before I find out for myself.” She continued.

“I-I’m your good girl.”

She swept a few fine strands of hair behind my ear, and I pulled her wrist to my mouth so I could kiss it. My cranberry lip gloss stained her peachy skin.

“You’re missing a word,” she hummed, slipping her fingers closer to my pounding cunt. I wondered if she could feel how blazing hot I was for her.

“You’re my good little girl. Say it.”

My head was light, my mind dizzy, my breathing shallow. “I’m... your good little girl.”

I had to look away as I said it. My face was an inferno, and I just wanted to hide, but Sophia found my chin. Her touch was feather-light as she gripped my cheeks.

“Don’t hide your sweet little face.” She inched closer. “I’ve waited for years to see you like this.”

“What? Huge and vulnerable?” That’s how I felt, anyway.

“Don’t talk about my pretty little girl like that,” Sophia scolded as she traced my features with her thumb. “Well, the vulnerability is nice. But you’re growing our family, and I think that’s absolutely wonderful.”

I should have left it at that. Sophia was praising me, and I had no reason to not just say thank you and move on, but some ungrateful part of me couldn’t just accept her compliment.

“My mom said pregnancy makes you fat. That’s how I ruined her career.”

Sophia’s expression twisted into a look of disapproval as she stepped away from me. Before I could even collect my thoughts, she was stripping off her clothes. I wanted to look away and give her a little privacy, but I couldn’t. I wanted to stick my face in her cotton-candy-colored bra. The beautiful curves of her body sang to me like a cello. She was a complete and utter work of art, from her plump cheeks to the stretch marks on her stomach.

“Do you think I’m fat?“ Her question was more of a challenge, complete with raised eyebrows and crossed arms.

“Well, no—”

“But you just said pregnancy makes you fat. You’re pregnant, and my clothes were hanging off of you. If you’re fat, I must be a literal whale.”

“Sophia, don’t talk about yourself like that,” I whispered.

“You don’t like it, do you?” She stepped closer.

“No, but you’re beautiful,” I defended.

“And you think you’re not?”

Sophia took me by the shoulder and forced me to look in the mirror as she slipped my skirt and undies down. For the first time throughout my pregnancy, I was stark naked, looking at myself in a full-length mirror. A tingling feeling took over the back of my neck; even the tips of my ears went red.

Sophia buried her face in my neck, using one hand to cup my breast and the other to circle my clit. I jerked against her. She only held me tighter as she showered me in slow kisses. Every now and then, the tip of her tongue would caress my skin as she worked her way up to my ear.

“Look at how beautiful you are,” she whispered, her breath sending chills down my spine. “Especially when I do this.”

She squeezed my clit between her index and middle fingers, and I stifled a moan.

“Shh, you have to be quiet. We’re in public, Honeybee.”

I nodded as I placed my hands on the mirror for support. My knees were already starting to shake. She pressed against me, her body was warm and soft against mine.

“Tell me how beautiful you are,” she coached.

My whole body was flushed as I arched my back, dying for her to touch me just a little longer.

“I’m beautiful,” I mumbled.

“Now, look yourself in the eye as you say it,” she commanded.

Her lips found the base of my neck, and she sucked the skin into her mouth. The rush of dull, warm pain that accompanied a hickey wasn’t new to me, but the fact that Sophia was the one leaving marks on me was thrilling.

So I stared into the mirror, meeting a gaze that wasn’t quite mine. It was easier to feel beautiful when one of my biggest insecurities was hidden behind colored contacts. Still, I tried to imagine my mismatched irises instead of the chocolate-brown ones staring back at me.

“I’m beautiful.” The words felt even more foreign when said with confidence, but Sophia was happy.

She graced me with another hickey, this time on my shoulder blade.

“Good girl. Now, I don’t want to hear you talk like that ever again, got it?”

She plunged her fingers into me, using my arousal as lube as she toyed with my clit.

“Mhm,” was all I could manage.

“If you do, I’m going to have Lucian punish you,” she threatened.

Her fingers went faster, thrusting in and out of me. I was glad she’d gotten the sapphic manicure earlier, though I did wonder how the longer nails would have felt inside me. My knees went so weak that Sophia had to wrap an arm around my chest to keep me steady.

“Why don’t you punish me yourself?”

“Because I want to watch.” Her breath was hot on my neck. “I’d never hurt you, anyway. You’re too cute for me to do that… but the boys would have a field day keeping you in line.”

“W-what would they do to me?”

I gasped as Sophia was getting me dangerously close to climax. I leaned into her, ready to dissolve into the bliss that came with an orgasm, but she removed her fingers just seconds too soon. An involuntary whine escaped me.

She brought her fingers to my lips. “Clean these for me.”

My shaky breath crashed against her ring finger as I accepted her middle and pointer into my mouth. I made sure to suck every drop of myself off her, trying to impress her with what my tongue could do.

Slowly, she lowered us to a kneeling position on the floor. The stiff carpet cut into my knees as she pushed me forward, palms against the mirror, and searched for my sensitive spots again.

“What would they do?” Sophia mused, taking her time as she toyed with me again. “Well, Lucian’s pretty obvious. He’ll leave your butt black and blue, maybe make you kneel on uncooked rice if you make him mad enough.”

“He wouldn’t do that.”

“Honeybee, his initials are scratched into your butt. Do you think he’d hesitate to punish you?”

My heart skipped as I looked over my shoulder, trying to see what she was talking about. Sophia gently turned my head back around as she grabbed her phone. I heard the shuttering of her camera app before she showed me the screen.

Lucian’s initials stained my alabaster skin, and a tide of emotions washed over me. First, I was angry. He didn’t have permission to do something like this, especially since Sebastian would be coming home soon. Next came bewilderment: was this going to scar? Why would he even think of doing that?

Finally, a slight, elated feeling took over my chest. When he said I’d always be his, he meant it. Plus, this was a really sexy way to claim someone.

The carpet was starting to hurt, and I couldn’t even fathom what being forced to kneel on uncooked rice would be like, but I didn’t have to. I wasn’t being punished right now.

With that in mind, I lowered myself onto Sophia’s lap. She adjusted me before snaking a hand around to my clit as she found the perfect pattern of circling and caressing me. The motion was so hot I couldn’t breathe, constantly one wrong move away from climax.

“A-and Cameron?” I panted.

“Hmmm… He’s a rigger,” she mused, “so he’d probably bind you up so you couldn’t move while he did whatever he wanted to you. He’s rougher than Lucian, you know.”

“That’s not true.”

“Oh, but it is.” Her breath tickled my ear. “He won’t hurt you like Luci does, but he likes toys, and knows exactly how to use them to force you to your limits.”

I wanted to think about that, to let my mind run rampant with Cameron’s potential punishments, but Sophia was keeping me grounded in the moment. All my thoughts were consumed with just how good this felt.

“But, I won’t do that to you. I just want my Honeybee to feel good ,” she assured me.

“Are you ready to cum, sweet girl?”

I nodded, still choking on my breath.

“Good girl. I’m gonna count down, and the second I hit one, you’re free to let go.”

She plunged her fingers into me once more before returning to my clit.

“Five… four… three…” The seconds between each number were almost unbearable. I just wanted to finish, but I needed to please Sophia, so I did anything I could to make it the rest of the way.

I reached up to grip her forearm and held my breath.

“Two… one-and-a-half.”

A whiny breath exited me at her half-assed attempt at torture. Sophia giggled.

“One.”

She sped up as she finished, and I bit my lip to stop myself from being loud. My core muscles pulsed, sending shockwaves through my fingertips, and just when I thought I’d combust, my whole body released every ounce of tension it held. Pleasure rippled through me, leaving me to come completely undone for Sophia.