A Million Dirty Secrets: The Million Dollar Duet Part One by C. L. Parker

That bitch!

  And Noah had obviously lost his mind, thinking it was okay to have this stuff sent to me. You’d think he would’ve gotten the clue when I walked out on them yesterday. He couldn’t have actually thought I wanted to put something on my body that would remind him of her.

  I wadded the note up and crammed it in my pocket.

  In a fit of rage, I punched the box. Of course, that didn’t quite quell my anger, so I stabbed it with the knife that I was still clutching in my fist. I didn’t stop stabbing the damn thing until my arms got sore. Bits and pieces of lace and silk lay unrecognizable in the cardboard box, but I wasn’t satisfied. I could still see it, and I knew what it was and what it represented.

  I jumped up and ran with purpose to the supply closet in the laundry room. Sifting through its contents, I finally found what I was looking for: lighter fluid.

  I ran back, grabbed the matches out of the kitchen pantry, and dragged the offending box out into the driveway. I doused it with every last drop of lighter fluid left in the tin, struck a match, and dropped it into the box. I had to take a step back when a ball of fire ignited and shot up into the air.

  Yes, I knew I was exhibiting irrational behavior. Yes, I knew my reaction was a bit on the psychotic side. But damn it all, I was not about to wear something one of his whores had picked out because she knew what he liked. And I wanted there to be no doubt in his mind how I felt about it, either.

  As they say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

  I turned my back on the inferno and walked away. Even though the fire was relatively small and contained, in my mind it was huge. In fact, I was sure I looked just as awesome as little Drew Barrymore in Firestarter with flames engulfing everything around her, because Samuel stepped onto the porch with his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide in awe.

  “Are you okay, Lanie?” he asked frantically.

  “Oh, I’m just perfect … now.” I heard the gentle purr of an engine as I stepped past him and across the threshold to the house, so naturally I turned around to see who had come to pay us a visit. It was Noah, and he was actually driving. His car was a sleek, shiny black sports number that looked like it cost him more than I did and reminded me of a leopard on the prowl.

  He threw the car in park and jumped out, not even bothering to shut his door as he stalked over to my little bonfire. He looked at it and then up at me.

  “Your gift was tainted,” I said matter-of-factly before I set my chin and walked away.

  Of course Noah chased after me. “Samuel, get the extinguisher and put out that fire!” he ordered.

  “Let it burn, Samuel,” I called in a bored tone over my shoulder.

  “Delaine!” he shouted, but I kept walking. “Delaine! You stop right this instant or I swear to God I’ll—”

  I spun on my heels to face him. “You’ll what?”

  I watched his face contort in shock. The muscles in his jaws flexed as he ground his teeth, obviously trying to come up with a retort and failing miserably.

  “That’s what I thought,” I said, and then turned and continued up the stairs. “You know, something’s seriously wrong with you, Noah Crawford. You saw that I was infuriated when we were at your girlfriend’s little shop. And yet, for whatever asinine reason, you thought having a woman who obviously still has the hots for my man send over something that she picked out was a good idea? And you’re supposed to be some huge business mogul?” I laughed incredulously and shook my head. “Soooo messed up. Oh, and by the way—” I stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to look down at him while digging in my pocket. “She left a note.”

  I threw the wadded piece of paper, and it hit him in the chest before falling to his feet. He snatched it off the floor and unfolded the crinkled page before looking it over.

  “Oh, for the love of …” he started, and then sighed. “Delaine, Fernanda is bisexual. She wanted to see you in the lingerie and was disappointed because she had hoped that you and she …” His voice trailed off.

  “That we …?”

  He lifted his brows and gave me an expectant look.

  Oh. Ohhhhh …

  “You’re not serious,” I said with a humorless laugh.

  “Well, she didn’t come right out and say it, but I know her well enough to feel safe in saying she was hoping for a little two-on-one fun.”

  A Lanie sandwich. I had to admit, I was slightly flattered. I mean, Fernanda was beautiful and all. The hetero gal in me was a tad bit curious, but I didn’t think I could ever actually go through with something like that. I was strictly dickly. Period. But Dez?

  “She’s going to get such a kick out of this,” I mumbled to myself.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. It doesn’t change anything. You bought that lingerie, even after you knew how much it upset me. End of story. I’m still angry.” With that, I turned and walked away.

  I heard him growl in frustration, and I think he might have hit a wall with his fist, but I couldn’t be sure.

  ~$~

  I felt awful about an hour later and decided to hunt Noah down to apologize. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, sure enough, there was a fist-sized hole in the wall around the corner. I rolled my eyes because it was completely uncalled for, but then again, so was the little tantrum I’d thrown with the lingerie.

  I could admit when I was wrong.

  He wasn’t in his office, or the kitchen. I thought I heard the television blaring from the entertainment room, so I followed the sound and gingerly poked my head through the doorway.

  Noah was reclining in one of the theater seats with his shirt tossed to the side. It was the most relaxed I’d seen him since the day I’d met him. I cleared my throat to alert him to my presence.

  He turned his head to face me, and although I expected his expression to be angry, it looked more like he was waiting for me to warp into bitch mode again.

  “I’m sorry,” I choked out, because apologizing to the man who’d purchased me as his sex slave wasn’t exactly an easy thing to do.

  He sighed and patted his thigh. “Come sit with me for a bit.”

  I walked across the room and perched myself on his lap while resting my arm around his shoulders.

  “I’m sorry, too,” he said, rubbing my thigh soothingly. “I didn’t think. I just thought you might like the lingerie, and truthfully, I really wanted to see you in it.”

  “I guess I’m sorry I set them on fire,” I mumbled.

  “Don’t be. Your feelings were hurt, so I understand why you did it.” He chuckled. “You’re a little hellcat, you know that? It sort of turned me on. Especially when you called me your man.”

  Damn. Had I done that?

  “Well, you are for the next two years,” I said, covering, and then diverted my attention to the television. One of those popular vampire series was on, and I did my best to conceal my inner girly girl. “I love this show. There’s something about vampires that’s just so sexy and forbidden.”

  He laughed. “Oh, really? What’s so sexy about them?”

  I looked at the television again, and the vampire had some human chick strapped spread-eagled in a standing position while he fucked her with his vamp speed. “That’s the reason,” I answered, pointing to the screen. I was getting pretty worked up at the sight of the vamp’s naked ass and the way he pounded into the poor girl, but she wasn’t complaining.

  “I knew I had you pegged right. You really do like the rough stuff, don’t you?” he asked as he moved his hand up my thigh and nuzzled the side of my breast. He took my clothed nipple between his teeth and lightly teased it. “Hmm? Do you want me to do that to you?” he continued, nuzzling the bud with the tip of his nose. “Have you spread-eagled in front of me while I pound into that beautiful pussy?”

  Yes, please.

  “I can do that, Delaine. I can fuck you like that.”

  I drew in a stuttering breath and he looked up at me from beneath his long lashes.

  “Lift your shirt up
for me, baby,” he said in that husky voice.

  Double Agent Coochie stood up and took notice.

  I slowly did as he asked, and for once I wasn’t the least bit disgruntled about it. He made this moaning sound that caused the Cooch to shiver and then melt into a pile of goo. His lips wrapped around my left nipple while his hand moved closer to my center. Slowly his tongue circled the raised bud before he scraped it with his teeth. I could feel his hot breath wash over my skin as he exhaled in contentment. Then his lips closed over the nipple and he suckled it as he moved his head back and forth. With one long suck he pulled away, elongating my breast before releasing it and watching it snap back into place.

  I was gushing full-on, Niagara Falls style, between the legs at that point.

  Noah inclined his head and placed sensual kisses along the underside of my jaw until he reached my ear. “I’ve got something for you,” he murmured. When I pulled back and gave him a warning scowl, he rushed to explain. “I picked it out just for you. I promise. And I’ve never given any other woman anything remotely close to it.”

  “Okay …,” I said warily.

  He reached beside him and picked up a black box with a slim emerald ribbon tied around it and sat it on my thigh. “Open it,” he urged when I stared at it.

  I took a deep breath and released it slowly as I picked up the box and tugged on the end of the ribbon. Then I lifted the lid, and my mouth went agape. It was a silver cuff bracelet with an oval in the center that was decorated with a diamond-encrusted stag. Just beneath it, there was a banner with the name “Crawford” inlaid with even more tiny, shimmering diamonds. It was breathtaking.

  Noah took it from my hands and secured it around my right wrist. “It’s my family’s crest,” he said with a shrug. “This will let everyone know that you belong to me. I want you to wear it at all times.”

  “It’s too much,” I said, shaking my head.

  “There’s a certain standard of living that comes along with being my girl, Delaine,” he said. “Although we both know that it’s contractual, no one else does. It makes sense that you would wear this sort of jewelry. Besides, I happen to think it looks sexy as hell on you.”

  I nodded reluctantly.

  “Lift the bottom,” he said, nodding back toward the box. “There’s more.”

  I reached inside the box and pulled at the little silk tab on the bottom, trying to guess what more there could be.

  Holy speeding bullets, Batman!

  I’d seen this type of thing before; Dez had dragged me along to more “fun” parties than a person should ever be forced to attend in one lifetime. Honestly, I didn’t get what all the fuss was about. And now I found myself staring down at the mack daddy of all silver bullets. The same Crawford crest was carved into its side, but thankfully there were no diamonds. And then I had an epiphany. They said diamonds were a girl’s best friend, but the silver bullet sure could give them a run for their money in that category.

  The Cooch perched her hands on her hips, insulted that he hadn’t given her diamonds as well, but grateful all the same that she wouldn’t have to worry about it shredding her girly bits.

  “The bracelet is so that everyone else knows that you belong to me,” he explained as he took the vibrator from my hands. “This … is so that you will.”

  He turned the switch on and slipped his hand between my legs to press the bullet against my clit. “Oh, God,” I gasped, and my head fell forward.

  “Well now, that wasn’t the reaction I was hoping for,” he whispered into my ear. “We’ve been through this before, Delaine. This little toy is supposed to remind you of whom you belong to. So tell me, Delaine, who is that again?”

  He pulled the bullet away so that it lightly touched that little bundle of nerves, and then he started working it in excruciatingly slow circles.

  We’re his dirty little slut! Say his name! Tell him anything he wants! Just get me more! the Cooch screamed at me.

  “Please … Noah,” I said on a moan, and then arched my hips up to close the distance.

  He grabbed my hip with the hand he had snaked around my waist and held me down. “Please what?” he teased.

  The cocky bastard had asked me to say his name and I’d complied. And he was still teasing me?

  “More. I want more,” I moaned pathetically.

  “More what? More of this?” He pressed the bullet closer and gave me what I craved.

  “Oh, God, yes.” I realized my mistake a little too late. Noah pulled the bullet away again and gave me a scowl.

  “Let’s try again. In fact, let’s make a new rule. Every time you feel the need to say the name ‘God,’ you say my name in place of it. And I guarantee you’re going to love my version of heaven.”

  Noah pressed the bullet to my clit again and then quickly slid it between my folds before slipping it inside me.

  “Oh … Noah!” I cried out.

  “Very good, Delaine. You’re a quick learner,” he said in approval, and then he rewarded me by taking my nipple into his mouth again and sucking it vigorously while working the bullet around inside me.

  I didn’t know which sensation to concentrate on, and I wasn’t even sure why I was trying to differentiate between the two. Because together? Oh my Noah, it was euphoric.

  And then it was over. No bullet, no suckling, nothing. I looked at him like he was crazy. Then I found my little Crawford bullet back in the box and on the table.

  “You’re not sore?” he asked.

  Again I looked at him like he was crazy. “Hell no!” I said with a raised pitch to my voice.

  He slid out from underneath me and stood, forcing me to land with a thud in the chair. I was about to protest his quick disappearance when he knelt before me and pushed my knees open. As he leaned forward and hungrily claimed my mouth with his own, his hands pushed my skirt up. I eagerly lifted my hips to assist him, although I didn’t know why he didn’t just slide the damn thing off my legs. This way was kind of hot, though. There was something intensely erotic about being so in the heat of the moment that you didn’t even want to take the time to completely undress.

  Noah did not disappoint. I heard the clink of his belt buckle, and then he sat up, unfastened his jeans, hooked his arms under my knees, and yanked me forward until my ass was barely perched on the edge of the seat.

  “I want you so fucking bad.” His voice was strained as he pulled the Wonder Peen free of its confines. “And I refuse to wait any longer. Give me what’s mine,” he demanded.

  “Take it,” I challenged.

  I wasn’t actually trying to be difficult. He knew it, and I knew it. This was just what we did. We challenged each other, and then reveled in the possessiveness we both felt. As much as I’d like to deny it, I couldn’t. It was a guilty pleasure that we both thrived on: raw, animalistic, wild. The hickey that I’d put on him earlier was a stark reminder of that. I reached a hand forward to touch the mark and then looked him in the eye. He knew the message I was trying to convey: Mine …

  Noah let out a feral growl and leaned over to attack my mouth with a passionate and brutal kiss. I laced my fingers through his hair and gave him everything I had in me, because if you were going to tango with Noah Crawford, you’d better bring your A-game. He didn’t even bother to shove his pants over his hips before he lined up with my entrance and pushed in slowly.

  He broke the kiss abruptly and hissed. “Jesus, kitten. You’re so damn tight.”

  The Cooch squealed in delight when she was finally reunited with the Wonder Peen. I could almost see the two star-crossed lovers as they ran across a field of daisies to finally be in each other’s arms. He whispered his apologies; she forgave him of all his transgressions.

  It was disturbing, but very gratifying.

  Once he was completely sheathed inside—and trust me, it was no easy feat—he hooked his arms under my knees and pushed until I was spread as wide as I could go.

  “Oh, Noah,” I gasped, still playing his name game. “Ye
s … yes …”

  He pushed forward so that his hands were gripping the ends of the armrests for further support. His forearms held my legs in place as he bent at the elbows and leaned into me.

  “I’m going to fuck the shit out of you now, Delaine,” he warned with his lips hovering over mine. His breaths were my breaths and I tilted my chin to kiss him, but he pulled out of reach. He let his lips ghost over mine as he finished torturing me. “If I hurt you, tell me, and I might stop.”

  “Bring it on,” I said with narrowed eyes, then leaned my head forward and bit his bottom lip.

  Noah growled and smashed his lips against mine. I could taste a slight hint of blood, and I knew it was his. It drove me insane with want, so I sucked on his lip, provoking him further. He pulled out of me quickly and then pushed back in a little slower, but it was enough to draw my attention away from his lip. I dropped my head back and arched as he withdrew again and pushed back in harder.

  When I looked back at him, I could see the cut and trickle of blood on his mouth. I licked my bottom lip, wanting to taste him again. It was sick, I know, but if you’d ever tasted Noah Crawford, you’d understand why I was jonesing for more.

  “I’m supposed to be the vampire, Delaine. Not you,” he reminded me with the increased speed and intensity of his thrusts.

  I reached for him and managed to get hold of his hair before he could pull away and deny me what I wanted. I pulled and tugged on his thick locks until he finally submitted and let me force a kiss on him again. I went straight for the blood that was pooling on his lip and scooped it up with the tip of my tongue. Without breaking stride in his thrusts, Noah captured my tongue with his before I could bring it back into my mouth to taste him. We fought for dominance over the kiss and the blood, and it was so goddamned, er, Noah-damned erotic that I nearly came right then.

  He broke the kiss and looked down at the place where we were joined, and I followed his lead. His jeans were just barely hanging on to the top of his thighs. That coil in the pit of my stomach kept winding tighter and tighter with the image of his cock slamming in and out of me. But, damn it, he was moving so fast and I wanted the sensation to never end. As if reading my mind, he slowed down so that we could both see better. I watched him lick his lips as a bead of sweat trickled down the slope of his nose and dropped onto my abdomen.