Daniel bares his teeth. “When the party is over tonight, Bailey,” his hands caress the curve of my butt. “I’m going to take your ass while Sebastian pounds your pussy. Would you like that?”

I dismiss thoughts of Juliette from my mind, focusing instead on the two desirable men in front of me. “Yes,” I whisper, moving so I’m standing between their rock solid bodies, “I would like that very much.”

33

'Tis a secret: none knows how it comes, how it goes. But the name of the secret is Love!

Lewis Carroll, Sylvie and Bruno Concluded

Bailey:

I’ve retreated to a quiet corner of the crowded bar. The party is in full swing and everyone appears to be having a blast. There’s a band playing, people are dancing and strolling among the artwork, all while sipping at their wine and beer. The museum security people must be having a coronary at the thought of damage to their Van Gogh's and Picasso's.

Daniel walks up to me with two drinks in his hand, extending one to me. “I noticed you were empty,” he says with a smile, gesturing to the glass in my hand. “Having fun?”

“I’m a little intimidated by the conspicuous consumption on display,” I reply with a wink. “Also, I’m uh, distracted.”

“Mmm.” His gaze moves over me like a heated touch and goosebumps rise on my skin in response. The beads starts to vibrate against my pussy, and I almost spill my drink, startled. “Steady there, Bailey,” he grins.

“How?” I ask weakly.

Advertisement..

“There’s a remote, of course. The range isn’t great, but it works well enough when I’m up close to you.”

He’s standing a safe distance away, and no one looking at us will think that we are having anything other than a casual conversation. Daniel’s extremely good at managing his image.

As the waves of pleasure thrum through my body, I realize that’s not the only thing he’s good at. He’s very skilled at torturing me as well. I’m too proud to beg him to stop, and I definitely don’t want to orgasm in front of an audience of hundreds. To take my mind off the vibrations at my core, I ask him something I’ve been curious about. “Has everyone in your family always been so driven? Cyrus looks a little scary.”

The beads stop buzzing. I’m not at all surprised that Daniel’s glowering uncle can put him off sex. “Talking about Cyrus, where is he?” Daniel wonders aloud, scanning the room, then his attention switches back to me. “Sorry, Bailey. He’s due to make a speech soon. To answer your question, the lesson we learned from early childhood was that the family firm is the only thing that mattered. We are merely guardians of its legacy.” He smiles tiredly. “It’s a wearying concept for a child.”

“You have a sister, right? Does she work at your company as well?”

He shakes his head. “Susan was supposed to marry well and produce babies. She’s dating the most boring guy in the world, so I’d say that she’s doing her part.” He sips at his drink. “I’m being dramatic. I had a wonderful childhood, we both did. My father did his best to shield us from the family obligations. We only had to listen to lectures on our duties as Hartmans when we visited my grandparents.”

“Cyrus seems all about duty.”

He grimaces. “Yeah, well, the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree there. Cyrus is a spitting image of my grandfather. My mother can’t stand him.”

“Why was your father different?” I ask. “How come he was immune to the family pressures?”

He smiles. “The oldest reason in the world, and one I understand too well,” he says lightly. “He met a woman that mattered more than obligations.” His eyes linger on me till I squirm with discomfort. He can’t mean me, right?

Silence stretches between us. “Families are funny things,” Daniel says finally. “You think that you are free of their influence the moment you move out, but that’s not really ever the case, is it? I work at the family firm, even though Cyrus persists in acting like my nanny. Sebastian almost made the biggest mistake of his career because he can’t forget how little support his parents gave him.” He gulps down the rest of the drink. “What about you, Bailey? Do you get along with your parents?”