Chapter 17

EMERSON

She couldn’t take her eyes off the crowd as he raised the crop high above his head, the muscles in his arms flexing with raw power. Her heart raced with anticipation as she waited for the next strike, bracing herself for the impact.

And then, it came. The crop crashed down on her bottom, leaving a stinging sensation that was quickly replaced by a wave of pleasure. Emerson arched her back, her hips swaying in response to the force of the blow. The crowd cheered, their energy feeding off of her reaction, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of power in the situation. She was in control of her own desires, pushing herself to new limits, and discovering a side of herself that she never knew existed.

Viktor continued, his movements fluid and precise, never missing a spot on her skin. With each strike of the crop, she felt like she was soaring higher and higher, her body responding to the pain and pleasure in equal measure. Her breath was shallow, her heart pounded in her chest, and she could feel the heat building up inside her.

As the last few strikes landed, Emerson felt herself reaching a breaking point. Her body trembled uncontrollably, her nipples so sensitive that she could hardly stand it. Then, without warning, Viktor stopped. He put down the crop, his hands coming to rest on her hips.

“You did well, Emerson,” he whispered, his breath warm against her skin.

She felt a vague disappointment, had expected something more, but she wasn’t sure what.

The crowd around them erupted into applause, their approval filling the room. Emerson couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride, but it was tampered by a vague feeling of having not lived up to Viktor’s expectations. She knew she’d pushed herself to her limits—hadn’t she? Viktor kissed her, his lips warm and tender, his eyes open and locked on hers.

“We’re not done. But this is all they will see,” he said releasing her from the bindings, removing the suction devices and soothing her overly sensitized nipples with his mouth before wrapping a warm, soft blanket around her and sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her to the elevator and back to his apartment.

She trembled as he sat down on the bed, handing her a bottle of water to drink. “Drink,” he commanded.

Her body vibrated, her need still as vivid as it had been on the last strike of the crop. As she took a long swig of water, she could feel the inside of her mouth tingling from all the blood that had rushed there during her intense scene with Viktor.

“Will you tell me now, Emerson?” he asked softly.

She felt as if he’d punched her in the gut. None of it had been real. From the moment she’d refused to tell him what was happening with her, he’d set out to get his way. She almost wished he had been truly trying to hurt her with his delicious torture, but instead he thought he would bliss her out, and she’d cave and tell him what he wanted. Bastard.

“No,” she said, hoping her voice betrayed nothing.

“Then we will proceed.”

“And if I don’t want to?”

“Then you are free to leave. I will have my driver return you to your home and will have your things delivered to you in the morning. Is that what you want?”

Emerson wished she’d possessed whatever it was that would have allowed her to say yes, but she didn’t. “No.”

He nodded, stepped back and unlaced the front of his black leathers. He’d been shirtless but as the leather trousers opened, his cock freed itself. It was as if it was the needle on a compass and she was true north. Her heart pounded in anticipation.

Crossing to the bed, he tipped her onto her back, knelt in front of her and spread her legs, hooking one leg over each of his broad shoulders. “Let me taste what I’ve done to you. Let me taste my work.”

Emerson closed her eyes and forced herself not to move, to obey him and expose herself to him, wanting to follow his every command. When his tongue came out to gather her juices, she felt her hips arch up to meet him, the devices on her nipples driving her wild with need. It seemed the more aroused she became, the more intense the feeling.

His tongue found her clit, and he teased her there, sucking, circling it, until her hands were in his hair, begging him not to stop. Viktor chuckled just as she was about to explode, pulling away and grabbing at her hand as he did so to sit her up.

She was so frustrated she wanted to scream, and she felt tears sting her eyes, but Viktor only smiled as he drew her up from the bed and then pointed to the soft, antique carpet. “On your knees, Emerson. You will taste me now. Show me how much you want me.”

The temptation to tell him to go fuck himself was strong, but not nearly as strong as getting what she needed from him. The most frightening part was that she was beginning to believe it wasn’t just physical relief she needed. Slowly she sank to her knees.

Viktor’s cock confronted her with the same arrogance as the rest of him. She loved how big and hard he was. She was quite certain he had ruined her for anyone else. Tentatively she reached out to touch him, encircling the base of his cock as her lips opened wide. Placing a single hand on her head, he slid past her lips and into her mouth, caressing the back of her throat. Emerson swallowed what she could, taking him deeper, unsure that she’d be able to take it all, but she knew she’d die trying if it meant he’d finally let her come.

Viktor watched her intently, his face inscrutable as his eyes locked on hers as she struggled to take him in. The power dynamic between them was palpable, and it made her pussy throb with more need than ever. He saw her struggle and chuckled again, his smile softening before he gently reached down and traced the outline of her lips.

“Relax, Emerson,” he whispered, his voice low and gravelly. “You can do this. Just breathe, and let your body take over.”

She nodded, taking a deep breath and trying to focus on the sensation of him in her mouth. As she did, he began to thrust slowly, his hips moving rhythmically. Emerson tried to time her breathing with his movements, inhaling deeply as he pushed in, and exhaling as he pulled back.

Soon, she found a rhythm, and with each thrust, she was able to take him a little deeper.

She felt a sense of accomplishment, knowing that she was doing his bidding and that she was providing him with pleasure. When his breath started to become ragged and she felt him swell in her mouth, he pulled away, his eyes intent on hers.

“That’s enough, Emerson,” he said, his voice hoarse.

She groaned in frustration.

“Will you tell me now?”

“Bastard,” she hissed softly.

“Not true, but some of my ancestors were. You will not win this fight.”

“Why can’t you just let it alone,” she cried, hating the way her voice broke.

“Because I can’t. I will not allow you to carry whatever burden it is that weighs so heavily on you. Talk to me, dushka.”

She shook her head, dropping her eyes to the floor, not because she was feeling submissive but because she knew that if she didn’t, she would tell him everything, and that she wasn’t willing to do.

He helped her up from her knees, lifting her up and settling her on the bed, the cool fabric of the sheets brushing against her overheated skin. Viktor crawled onto the bed, between her legs, his eyes never leaving hers as he positioned himself. Taking a deep breath, his gaze never breaking contact with hers, he slowly, deliberately began to enter her.

Emerson felt the pressure of his cock against her entrance, the heat of his skin against hers, and then a sudden rush of pleasure as he pressed in, inch by inch. Her hips naturally began to move in response, yearning for more, and Viktor met her with each thrust, increasing the pace until they were both moving in a frenetic symphony.

“That’s it, Emerson,” he breathed, his voice a rough whisper in her ear. “Take it all. Take everything I have to give to you.”

Emerson moaned, throwing her head back in ecstasy as he continued to fuck her, his strokes becoming harder, faster. The pleasure was overwhelming—her climax was like a tidal wave of sensation crashing down and through her, and she felt waves of pleasure coursing through her. Her hips bucked, her body arching up to meet his touch.

“Good girl,” Viktor groaned, his fingers reaching to release the devices on her nipples, sending fresh blood through them that only sent her into another orgasm before the last one had even had time to recede.

Viktor’s hips continued to move, driving her further and further over the edge until she felt like she was floating above the bed. From the way he cried out, when she felt him pulsing inside her, Emerson knew he was right there with her. She clung to him as their bodies trembled together, their cries of pleasure filling the air. When he finally slowed, he pulled out of her and leaned down to press a kiss to her lips.

“My god, that was amazing,” she said, a hint of awe in her voice. “I mean it’s always been glorious, but that…”

He smiled and stroked her face. “Talk to me.”

“I can’t.”

“You can. You must. Whatever it is, I promise it will be better if you do. Even if you allow me to do nothing, we will both feel better. Won’t you trust me?”

If he’d continued to be cold and distant, she might have been able to resist him, but he wasn’t, and she knew she didn’t want to continue on alone as she had before.

“It’s Oliver Toney.”

Viktor perked up, like a feral predator who heard the sound of unsuspecting prey snapping a twig beneath its feet. “What about Toney?”

“It’s in my purse—a document signed by my father, back when he and my mom were creating Ravenel Reliance, giving him the company if we don’t pay him off within the next fourteen days.”

Viktor rose from the bed, pushing her back down when she made to follow him. He crossed the room to where she’d left her purse and pulled out the document, scanning it quickly.

“Is that all?” he said, looking back at her. She nodded. “Have you had this authenticated? Forgive me. Stupid question. You would obviously know your father’s signature, but is there any way you—or Toney, for that matter—can prove that it is correct?”

“I’m assuming he can.”

Viktor nodded. “Do not let it trouble you. I will pay him.”

“Viktor, I can’t allow you to do that.”

He nodded again, understanding. Of course, he understood. “Then I will give you, your sisters, the company, whatever, a loan.” He turned to grin wickedly at her. “I will give you very generous terms and all kinds of ways you can pay.”

She threw a pillow at his head. “No. I won’t accept money from you.”

“In all seriousness, there’s no way you and your sisters can raise this kind of money. If you insist, we will handle everything through an intermediary at the bank. We will keep it strictly business.”

Emerson knew she should refuse him, but she also knew she had few, if any, other options. “Let me talk to my sisters. I’m sure they, too, will be grateful for your assistance.”

“Even if we weren’t together, it would be a good deal for me. Very limited risk on my part for the interest received. Besides I’m probably the cause of this.”

She drew her knees up to her chest. “How do you figure?”

“The other night at the gala. You rejected him and then danced with me on the balcony.”

“And then ran away.”

“Like Cinderella from the ball. I’m told it was very romantic. That wouldn’t sit well with a man like Toney.”

“Good. I’ll feel a whole lot better if this is all your fault,” she teased feeling as though she could breathe for the first time since Toney had barged into their offices.

He crossed back to her, taking her face in his hands and kissing her deeply before getting into bed and pulling her close. “Tell me about your parents. How did they start Ravenel Reliance? How did they die?”

“My parents were wonderful people, but their parenting skills weren’t always on point. They loved each other deeply but my mother was—as they say—from the wrong side of the tracks. Both sets of parents threatened to disown them if they married. They basically gave them the finger and eloped to Las Vegas. They were madly in love.”

“Not much time for their children?”

“It wasn’t like that—not really. They loved us, but they loved each other more and they were determined to never ask their families for anything.”

“There have been members of my family who were guilty of the same thing. They loved their children, but only as an extension of their own love. In the end, their inability to see reality cost them all their lives.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I never knew them. It was a long time ago.”

“I’m still sorry. So, my sisters and I had a kind of feral upbringing.”

Viktor chuckled. “That explains a lot.”

Emerson punched him playfully. “Jerk. Anyway, they were just starting to make a name for the company when they died. It was a traffic accident. They say my dad lost control of the car…”

“But you don’t believe it?”

“No. I don’t. I never did. I was told that if there was any question they’d have to look for illicit substances.”

“In other words, they’d say he was drunk or stoned.”

Emerson nodded. “He wasn’t. I know my dad. He never, and I mean never, took illegal drugs and rarely drank. At one point he wanted to race grand prix autos. He knew how to drive. There’s no way the family station wagon got away from him.”

“But you didn’t pursue it; that doesn’t sound like you.”

“I had my hands full. Tegan was falling apart, and Kendra was mad at the world. I needed that life insurance money just to hang onto the house. So, I did what I did, and swore I’d have no regrets. We’ve been trying to build the family business with little to no backing. What about you?”

“Not much to tell. Many members of my family escaped the Bolshevik Revolution and fled to Paris and then when Hitler started his rise to power, they fled again, but this time to England. I was born there.”

“Your accent sounds more Russian than English.”

“I was surrounded by Russian relatives. We didn’t interact a lot with the English. I spoke only Russian until it was time for me to go to boarding school.”

“How did you end up with MI-6?”

“Who says I did?”

She grinned. “Everybody and their brother. It’s not much of a secret.”

“MI-6 needed operatives who spoke Russian fluently and with a legitimate Russian accent. I filled the bill and wanted to do something with my life.”

“Why did you quit working for them and come to America?”

“Who says I did? Perhaps I’m still working for them and have come to discover all of the secrets that Ravenel Reliance is harboring. Or perhaps I’m really a double agent or a triple one.”

“If you’d rather not answer me, just say so.”

He pushed her down in the bed and covered her body with his own. “What I would prefer, dushka, is to ravage your body repeatedly for the rest of the night.”

Emerson started to protest. Viktor seemed to want to know everything about her—past, present, and future—but whenever she got a little too close or a little too intimate, he found a way to redirect her energy and put her brain into neutral. His mouth covered hers, his tongue plunging deep, as he silenced her and began to prove not only his desire to drive her past thinking, but his ability, to do so.