Billionaire Romance: Darque Shadows (A Darque Billionaire Romance Book 3) Read online

“Yes, about these other women,” he said with a deeper voice. “Basically, I offered to spank each and every one of them. I offered to bring them to orgasm just by smacking their asses with my belt.” He huffed and puffed, almost looking angry about the conversation. “Their names were Jessie and Alex. Two broads, probably girls that would do anything to get ahead in their careers. And I wanted to see them naked. I wanted to hurt them, and get them to beg me to do it. Just like you. I wanted to hear them come just like I heard you come. Now is that what you want to hear?”

  “That’s fine. Go ahead and do whatever to them. I don’t care.”

  “But you do care. You wish it were you. Don’t you?”

  “No.”

  “Yes, you do, Arabella. The thought of me with another woman is driving you crazy. So prove it to me. Prove that you want me.”

  “I don’t want you,” she said with a scowl.

  “Yes you do. Because if you don’t do what I say, in just one hour I’m going to take home one of those other girls. The blond one, the one I openly admit is not that good looking. And I’m going to make her cream my sheets. I’m not going to just spank her. Oh no, I’m going to do something else. Do all sorts of nasty things I would never even try with the likes of you. Things I know you couldn’t handle. Unless…unless you come home with me tonight.”

  Bella stared at him, feeling ambivalent and thinking in the back of her mind just what new things he envisioned.

  “Because here’s the truth: I don’t want her. I want you. Back where you belong. Back as my submissive little girl. And if I take her home, I’ll be thinking it’s you the whole time. That’s how much I enjoy doing it to you.”

  Bella huffed, meeting his eyes intensely but unsure of what she was feeling.

  “But I don’t know if that’s called love, is it?”

  “What do I have to do?”

  “I want you to touch yourself. Right now. Right in the office.”

  “No.”

  “Are you afraid of being caught?”

  Bastien got up and walked over to the door, shutting it and then closing the blinds. “The thing is, Arabella, even if they knew what we were doing in here. No one would dare interrupt us. When you’re with me, you have no one else in the world to fear.”

  His statement struck her, making that special glowing feeling return in the pit of her stomach. For a woman who felt powerless for much of her life, the idea of never answering to anyone again—except one powerful man who was obsessed with her—seemed appealing.

  “You’re hesitating because you know you really want to do it. Your mind is trying to rationalize why you shouldn’t. But just stop. Stop and obey me.”

  The idea of Bastien experimenting on another woman did drive Bella nuts. Staring into his eyes, feeling equal parts hate and attraction, she dug her hand into her beige skirt and rubbed her mound, becoming comfortable with the sensation of touching herself in that way, in a foreign setting, and in front of a face she swore to forget.

  She looked around the room, making sure no view of the exterior room got through the blinds Bastien closed. She slid her fingers down into her folds, passed her lips, and inside her intimacy. To his face, his long and chiseled face giving her undivided attention, she began stroking her clitoris. Gently at first, she guided her finger, watching his face react, admiring how strong he seemed even while staying completely calm.

  She remembered what it was like, for him to spank her. The feeling of his body pressed against hers. Sometimes punishing her. Sometimes entering her deeply and thrusting away like he had no concept of gentleness. His passions. His need for control.

  His eyes told the same story; fixed and staring into her soul with a half-smile on his face. He could never just stare at her in hate or indifference. He always told her she was beautiful.

  She stroked again, a little ashamed that the idea of him pleasuring and punishing other women turned her on. She wondered how rough he was when dealing with them, compared to her own session. Was he extra wild with her, no boundaries? Did her beauty force a lust out of him that was uncontrollable?

  She looked at his face, remembering how intense it was when he first made ‘love’ to her, watching her, roughhousing her like he owned her body. She flicked it faster, harder, thinking of how helpless she felt when exposing her ass to him, letting him discipline her.

  Oh God it hurt. It hurt so much. But I liked it. I don’t know what kind of hold he has on me…but I can’t let it go.

  Bella’s eyes followed him as he walked closer, eager to share the intimate experience, even if she was the only one stroking. He seemed far more aroused when he was in charge, telling her what to do, even forcing her to confront her fears, than he ever was having sex.

  Just as she started reaching her edge point, he decided to walk over and grab her head, shoving her face to his stomach, making her breathe in his musk. He let her feel his strong hands sifting through her hair.

  “Ungh!” she groaned, her pelvis spasming and shifting up and down on the chair. She sighed deeply, trying to stifle her voice as much as possible, so as not to cause a scene. Then as she stared at Bastien’s calm and determined face, a peace came over her. Even if they knew what she was doing, no one could stop what was coming. She was his toy and he could play with her anywhere he chose.

  He waited until she stopped purring and then let go of her head, taking one last whisk of her hair as he left the room.

  “Get back to work.”

  All Bella could do was laugh. Of all the great things to achieve in the world, of all the nearly impossible tasks she imagined doing by before the age of twenty-five…interning as a sex slave was not high on her priorities.

  At least she was getting good marks so far…she thought, as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, the marks on her backside still very much healing.

  *****

  Chapter 3

  Bastien admired the red markings on Bella’s buttocks like he would an oil painting. Spank marks were like tattoos, or proof of ownership. Like branding a woman that belonged to him.

  “Looks like the marks are too fresh to do it again.”

  “Oh, but I’m really horny,” Bella whispered to her boss, still on the clock, playing along with the fantasy. “We’ll have to do other things…I’m sure you can think of other ways to make it sting.”

  Bastien looked into space then back into her eyes with a bright idea. “Yes. I want you to come by my house later tonight. I will tell you what to wear.”

  “Ohh that sounds good. But…I can’t really do it today. I have to meet my mother for dinner.”

  He stared, uncomfortable at the idea.

  “You don’t have to come along. Unless…you want to. Um, but maybe that’s not a good idea.”

  “Your mother? Just cancel it.”

  “We can reschedule, I promise.”

  “No, I mean cancel the appointment with your mother. Come to my house.”

  “But…I can’t do that.”

  “I just told you to.”

  “I know…and I can’t do that. I’ve been telling mom we’re going to try this new Chinese restaurant for the last two weeks.”

  “And I’m sure you’re going to have plenty of time to spend with mother on your own time. This is my time. You’re coming with me.”

  “No, no, I’m not,” she said, finally getting angry. “I respect my commitments. You should appreciate that. I would never cancel an appointment on you.”

  “Yes you would, you’re doing it right now,” he said with his eyes squinting.

  “No, you made a spontaneous request. That’s the opposite of an appointment. I mean, Jesus, Bastien. What kind of a world…what kind of a company would you have if you did everything spontaneously?”

  Bastien fumed and shook off his rage. “You’re coming to dinner with me. That’s an order.”

  “An order as my boss?”

  “Yes,” he roared back. “Are you defying an order?”

  “I’m going to
see my mother. That’s all you need to know, Mister Darque.”

  Bella left his office in a huff, and for once, she felt as if she gained back some of the power, some of the dignity, she lost over the past week.

  To her surprise, he didn’t pout and send a termination email. But his latest business request was a bit unusual.

  Bella:

  Call this number: 555-0933. Tell the operator you want options 2, 3, 5, and 6. Eight PM, schedule a meeting. Thanks,

  -B. Darque

  She dialed the number promptly, figuring it was a last minute client meeting or another business opportunity, maybe part of the internship learning program, which frankly had been scarce besides all the spankings.

  “Diamond Escorts. Do you know the name of the woman you’re booking or do you want a selection form?”

  Bella’s mouth dropped open. “Uhhh…form, I guess.”

  “Okay, please indicate your answer to the next four questions. Number one do you want a Latina woman, white woman, black woman or European woman.”

  “Two…”

  “Okay do you prefer skinny, fit…”

  “Three.”

  “Okay buxom. And do you prefer blond hair, red hair…”

  “Five.”

  “Black hair. Okay and…”

  “Six.”

  “Wow! You know what you want!”

  “And the name on the account?”

  Bella slammed down phone, even if it was a cordless phone that didn’t have the same slamming power as old timey phones.

  She didn’t even stop by his office to swear. Another fucking shadow, was all she thought, figuring it was like dating Bradley and his passive aggressive insanity all over again. She wasn’t about to endure that drama a second time. Not even for a decent salary. Because in case people hadn’t noticed yet, nobody was actually getting ‘rich’ off the rich man Darque.

  The Chinese food was good but not great. What mattered is that she was able to clear the air with Ms. Stone, Merva, once and for all. At least about mistake number one.

  “I wish you had told me Bradley was so awful to you,” Merva said wistfully. “I only liked him so much because I thought he was nice.”

  “Yeah, I know. I guess I thought he was nice, too. I always have a way of…seeing the best in people and not taking them at face value.”

  “Is that really a bad trait?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You just have to find a man who loves your type, darling. You do have those thunder thighs, but a lot of men like that nowadays.”

  “Thanks, mom, I’ll remember that when I’m trying to stay positive.”

  Just as Bella was ready to call it quits for the night, a waiter tapped her on the shoulder. “Excuse me, ma’am?”

  “Yes?”

  “Hi. You have a request. A gentleman wants to see you.”

  She looked at the front of the restaurant and saw Bastien, standing still and looking perturbed.

  “Oh, what the hell…”

  She walked up to him, already anticipating this couldn’t be a good thing.

  “Are you trying to stalk me, Bastien?”

  “No, Arabella. I was just disappointed that you didn’t finish your assigned task.”

  “The escort? Really?”

  “I asked you to do something and you didn’t do it. That’s defying a work order.”

  “That’s not anything to do with business.”

  “It was, actually. I was requesting a specific escort from my past to talk about one of my alibis for an upcoming investigation. How about that?”

  “You’re lying.”

  “I have no reason to lie, Arabella.”

  “Why are you really here? Just to gloat? For harassment? What?”

  He stared into her eyes, unable to communicate what he was really thinking.

  “Because. I want you to come out to the car with me right now. I want you to pull your panties down and expose yourself to me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I just said so, that’s why. Maybe I’ll give you the punishment you deserve.” He looked at her in warning. “Don’t ever think that you have any power in this contract, Arabella. This is not a romantic relationship. This is a contract for sex. You want to go places? You want to have your dream career? Then deliver. I’ll meet you outside.”

  He didn’t leave her much choice since he left the restaurant in a hurry. He sat outside in the red sports car, taking his time and waiting for Bella to come and cater to him. He was getting hard at just the idea of forcing Bella to strip down in public. Maybe he would take her right there in the car. Or maybe he would spank her again for her disrespect.

  He heard her footsteps approaching. He began stroking his penis as he waited for her to open the door and get in.

  To his shock, Bella brought her mother out to meet him. She opened the door and let her mother get in the backseat.

  “Hello, handsome! Bella just told me the secret. You’re her new boyfriend!”

  Bastien opened his eyes wide in panic. “Ohhhhh?”

  Bella scooted into the backseat after Merva and grinned, playing a mind game right back at her ‘captor’ who insisted on making this a non-relationship.

  “So why have you been keeping this a secret?”

  “Keeping…what?”

  “I don’t bite,” Merva said. “At least not very hard!”

  Bella laughed it off. Bastien was forced to laugh and play it cool, almost in that same awkward way that he joked with TV journalists on television. He had no evil side, not with the press anyway. He had to be affable on camera. And to be dragged into a car with one of his slaves and her mother…yeah, the closest thing imaginable had to be a TV interview.

  “I…I know,” Darque said, flinching in front of Merva. “It is very…strange.”

  “So how did you two meet?”

  “Uhh…”

  “You look familiar,” Merva said. “Have you ever been to Delta Bingo?”

  “What?” he asked, quite horrified. “What-What is that?”

  “Well, it’s a place where people play bingo. I could have sworn I saw you.”

  “No…no, I definitely have never set foot in that place.”

  “Oh, too bad. You know, you seem kind of shy. I always pictured Bella with a talkative fellow. Her first boyfriend was that way. Affable. Conversational. But he had secrets, I suppose.”

  Bastien shook his head and delivered a toothy fake smile. “Well, then…I guess I should be going now.”

  “So soon? It seems as if we just met. Do you want to go to dinner somewhere?”

  “No, no, noooo, most definitely not. I have to be somewhere. But I’ll see Bella at wo…I mean, after work tomorrow. For our…date?”

  “I’m really happy to hear that Bella has met someone.” She smiled and patted a confused Bastien on the shoulder. “You’re the best looking fellow she’s ever been with. Which isn’t saying too much.”

  “Okay, mother. That’s enough. You met him. Now you can stop asking me!”

  Bella took plenty of liberties that night and added another loving, friendly ‘tap’ to her Dom’s shoulder, breaking all protocol and delivering a resounding message. Stay out of my personal life. It was what they both wanted, as they both seemed to sense the futility of the non-relationship. The natural end. The inevitable earthquake that would set them apart and never speaking to each other again. However, there seemed to be an unmistakable feeling of tragedy from that point forward, and damned if either of them knew why.

  Darque certainly couldn’t explain it, and he seemed okay with living in denial that he ever did the unthinkable and accidentally met one of his submissive’s mothers. However, he wasn’t above gloating about it. It just wasn’t in the way Bella anticipated.

  She entered Darque’s office the next morning, as always right at eleven A.M. when he took time off working on his laptop for a snack.

  “So…I assume you’re outraged about last night. And I’m reportin
g in for punishment.”

  “Why in the world did you do that?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I wanted you to know that I’m not just some whore. I know we’re not a thing…or anything official. But I guess I just wanted you to know how it felt, to be taken out of your element. To lose control.”

  “Huh…” he said blankly.

  “Why? Are you breaking it off? Do I deserve more spankings? Or am I fired? Which is it this time?”

  Bastion stared at her a long moment and finally shrugged. “You didn’t hurt me, Bella. You hurt yourself.”

  She listened and wondered.

  “Go.”

  He didn’t say anything else but gave her the long face, suggesting that he would contact her later…if and when he decided it was time. After all, he controlled Bella’s schedule. He made demands and she followed. That was the arrangement.

  Something was awry this time, though. Bastien waited in his office, thinking back to the day before.

  *****

  Chapter 4

  Bella reported to Bastien’s house at 7 PM sharp, taken by limo as always, as Bastien always paid full price for the careful and flawless transport of his property. Bella was his property; certainly in his mind and even in her own. This was a contracted arrangement where only one party was allowed to have the power.

  He instructed her to wear purple lace accentuating her natural curves as always. He prepared for this evening obsessively. He stared at Bella’s photographs for hours on end, resisting the urge to touch himself. Instead, he just became consumed with an internal flame, letting himself be teased, tortured even. For only in his own suffering could he understand how much he would have to make Bella hurt.

  He sat down on his bed and watched in quiet longing as Bella paraded herself around in sexy lace, objectifying herself, making sure he got a good look at every fold, every curve and every crevice.

  “Who do you belong to?” he asked.

  “You.”

  “Say it. Just like I said.”

  “I…belong to you,” she said with a smile and a play-along gaze.

  “You say it like it’s a joke. But I do own you. Don’t I, Arabella?”