Relentless Desire Read online

  He felt his brain stun. “She actually said that?” Ahh, fuck NO! How much worse is this going to get?! Please, saints, don’t let her be psycho religious! Sebastian whined in his mind and then sighed. I’m still going to fuck her.

  Unbelievable! She’s only had two lovers in her life? Man, that was virgin to him and she’s not been laid in a long…damn…time, having known that the second he touched her for her hot juices. Ooh god she’s going to feel so fucking goood.

  Victoria actually had to laugh, hearing his shuttering tone. “Yes she did and devoutly feels that way.”

  “Hm, God’s really going to be pissed with me then. Beautiful. She’s virtually untouched, and keeping your doors open in my building for less rent and free advertisement is why you’re going to guide her and help her out in freeing her mind about accepting men, me…in her life. You’ll educate her, but just a little.” Her real training will be done by me. “You will encourage her my way, Victoria. That’s all I ask.”

  “Hang on.” She heard the pounding of the metal steps and slammed the phone down, jerking folders over the phone and hiding it, keeping the speaker on.

  “Oh my god! That was scary! The guy was…drop dead gorgeous, but a little too rough for me—of course, I’m sure anyone who bought anything here is too rough for me, having such tastes and all. I’ve seen him here and there, so he wasn’t a new face or anything, but…oh my gosh, talk about lecher 101! I mean, I’m not into that Sado-Mackism, binding-spanking, weird shit! That was a hard painting to sell, Vick! How could you send me on that?!”

  “First, it’s ah…masochism my dear and tell me you didn’t say it to him like that?”

  “No. God help me if we had gotten onto that subject. I couldn’t have handled it.”

  “Alright. So, second, you liked Sebastian?”

  “So you do know him. I guess, you wouldn’t have sent me to anyone dangerous and he did ask for me, specifically, he said. I knew I had seen him, but couldn’t place where; just out and about, here and there, as I said. You could have at least told me so I could prepare and let me see what it was I was selling. That had shocked me. It was awful. My brain just froze and stunned by it all and caught unaware. Totally blindsided me with that one. Anyway, you got lots of money for it? We did well on it?”

  “Yes, you could say that. It—” She cut herself off, not wanting Sebastian to hear how desperate they’d been by telling her ‘it saved them.’ “It was a good sale. You did very well and we thank you.”

  “He didn’t ah…take the money back or back out?”

  “No. Why would he?”

  “Oh-no, I was just making sure that everything went through okay. You know how those rich people are, kind of unpredictable and hard to please.”

  “You never did answer my question. Did you like Sebastian Darvaine? What did you think of him?”

  “I don’t think anything of him. Don’t want to go through that again. He’s messed up and sexually aggressive, too hung up on it I think. He wore too much of that cologne. He could benefit from backing off that stuff, but….yeah, he is gorgeous–fine, he’s f-ing hot. He’s beautiful, most definitely, ridiculously so and clearly used to getting anything he wants without question, which includes women just throwing themselves at him. Well, he can’t count me among the numbers. He honest to god thought that I was just going to up and let him…actually do me. For real! He’s never been told ‘no,’ obviously.”

  “But?”

  “And everything I just said also pertains to sex as well, just up and taking or getting sex anywhere and from anyone he wants. Well he wouldn’t ever get it from me that easy! I had to make it clear that I wasn’t a part of the exhibit and not for sale, any part of me, for any price, ever, after outright asking me to show my ass—well, first he actually said outright that he’d rather see my…ah…ah…my–”

  “Stop pointing down at it. Oh my god, you can’t even say it!”

  “The C-word! Says it just as calmly and naturally as if it he just said ‘toe’!” she hissed. Then she giggled into her fingers as she pressed over her lips, smiling at Victoria. She sighed dreamily as she dropped down on the sofa and felt her cheeks burn bright red with embarrassment. “Yeah, he actually said that, right off the bat and then it was my ass; he wanted to touch it.”

  “And you let him, didn’t you, Adri?”

  After a long time of being quiet and staring down at the floor, a strange and uncomfortable tingling seeped up her neck, telling her to keep her mouth shut. Victoria was being just a bit too smug about it. Therefore, she listened to her sixth sense, shaking her head. “No, I didn’t. I don’t know him. He never touched me, kept pushing and trying, but I think he could tell I was afraid of him and uncomfortable. I had your number up and ready to call you…if anything bad happened.”

  “Please. Like what? We knew you were there and soon on your way back.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, getting chopped up in his pretty marble bathtub if he turned out to be like Psycho or whatever that movie was. Or finding myself tied to a bed, thinking I should be kinky for once in my life and finding myself helpless, drugged, raped, and then tortured. All while I am still awake; then being strangled and killed. I saw Cal’s pictures while he was on the job and what he dealt with, what happens out there. Oh—American Psycho, that’s the name of the movie, with Christian Bale; the rich businessman who ran around killing people. Or-or find out that he had five other friends off in another room waiting to come in for their share. For all I know, what did happen is on camera now.”

  “It’s not on camera! He has far more to lose than you do and couldn’t possibly ever take the risk! Oh my god, that out of control imagination of yours! Seriously?! You didn’t say any of that to him, did you?”

  “No! Of course not! I do try to keep the moments I embarrass myself down to a minimum. All this somewhat…just came to mind after I left on the ride back here, also realizing how stupid and dangerous this had been. I know I haven’t done very much in life, sex, but…I’ve researched things for my stories and what Cal has shown me—”

  “Porn.”

  “Yes and murder scenes of the cases he’s worked on!” she hissed softly and then sighed, speaking on, “It was very little porn—anyway, there are some really sick freaks out there, it’s naughty, dangerous, and crazy sometimes—and it doesn’t matter what their bank account looks like. Look at that painting. He actually bought the thing, but–speaking of my ‘writers imagination’ I have–I put it to use and connected a hardcore nasty story to it, as to what was going on in it, foul words and all, the worst. I definitely earned my commission off this thing. I feel like I should go ask forgiveness and go to confession and I’m not even catholic. You could just tell that he is ah…really aggressive and um…” She kept twirling her hand around trying to think of the word.

  “Dominant.”

  “Yes! I think he really is into that. You know what I mean, Dom and servitude ah…”

  “Submissive.”

  “Yea, that’s it. Crazy, huh? You know him, have you ever got that from him?”

  “Um…I…” Victoria looked down to her phone vibrating in her lap and reading the text, from Sebastian who was still listening on the landline. The text simply read, ‘TELL HER.’

  “Okay, ah…yes,” she replied and told her. “Yes he is. Sebastian Darvaine is a very sexually aggressive man, that fact having emerged after his divorce. He was–is a Dominant male, who only likes women who are submissive, being into the lifestyle.”

  “The Lifestyle?”

  “BDSM.”

  “Ooh. That’s a shame. He’s really gorgeous. Makes you want to devour him—fuck him every way under the sun!”

  Victoria was taken back a moment by her words, but shook the shock off and the image away. “Right. Anyway, after the divorce from the horrid bitch some ten years ago, she began talking and word of his…tastes and desires; what he likes and how he is, got out. He lives the lifestyle or so she says and you need to be careful
with him and not be horrified and shocked at anything he might say or want. He has his eye on you, Adriaunn. All of this, the sale, was just so he could meet you, I’m certain of it.”

  “That’s an awfully expensive meet-cute.”

  “Meet-cute?”

  “Yeah, you know. The part in a movie or book where the couple meet for the first time.” Adri explained, but her thoughts carried on. Only I have a suspicion he knows way more about me than he led on. I can’t shake that feeling I’ve seen him somewhere before. Shit! I hate it when that happens. I can’t place him to save my life.

  “Oh, right. Meet-cute. Well, something tells me you may have had your meet-cute a long time ago. I didn’t know he specifically asked for you until I told Stan of the sale and he told me that it was Sebastian who sent for you…specifically. With Mr. Darvaine asking for you like he did, being sent to him, it was so that he could formally meet you, though I had no idea about that, until just now. Did he say that to you?”

  “Yes, he said he asked for me specifically and no, not just to meet me, but to screw me. That’s what this was all about. He actually thought we would be getting physical.”

  Sebastian listened to both of the women laugh and could hear them roll their eyes at him.

  “Unbelievable! And ridiculous. Rich people are so fucked up, spoiled rotten to the point they can’t function intelligently. They do and think the craziest stupid shit. They come in here all the time and buy these nasty paintings—no offense, but I’m referring to the darker ones you have to sell—and then think to ask me out, like I’m going to agree to go out with a scum that just bought a picture of a woman being raped, bondage or disgusting crazy stuff. As I said, unbelievable. No freaking way!”

  Sebastian rolled his eyes, his hands both reaching up to the shelf and fisting the edge, his brain was getting more stunned by the second and that foul taste in his mouth getting worse by the second. He realized that he’d been set up. Stan, you son of a bitch. You knew Adri’s distaste for the rougher stuff, the men who purchased your product and you sent me the worst painting you had…and I bought it. I fell for it all the way, just like you knew I would—knowing it sabotaged any chances of me getting with Adriaunn—instead of telling me that and introducing her like normal away from the gallery. You son of a bitch–Fuck!

  “Like they had a prayer's chance in hell. ‘Thank you, but no thanks. Freak.’ Well, this guy, Darvaine, took the cake, baby. Yes, he is smoldering, hot, mind boggling gorgeous and sexy as hell, but…I’m afraid I’ll have to pass. Ugh, he apparently likes my tooshy.”

  “They all do,” Victoria replied and sneered with a sigh.

  “I know. What is up with that? Uh! It’s just so gross how they stare all the time. It’s so freaking nasty. It’s just an ass. There are a billion of them on the planet. But, I don’t know, it wasn’t all about that with Darvaine. I mean, it was, but…he backed it off and…something was there I can’t explain. You know what I mean? It wasn’t all about my ass, sex or our mutual attraction. And I think the painting was more for shock value than real interest. He saw something different with me and thinks I should try it out, but…like my ex, it will turn out to be a disaster. I can’t go there, put myself out there like that again and do that. I’m just not whorish enough for them or…anyone.”

  “Or…Or…just hear me out, it could just turn out to be the most wonderful, incredible lay of your entire life, wonderful, shocking, stunning, and unbelievable. You want to be a romance writer, which has sex in it—”

  “Yes and look how successful I am at it. I suck at it, writing it and actually doing it—thus why I’m divorced and have nothing published! I suck at both. My body is the same now as it was then and it’s only going to end badly.”

  “Because you lack experience! How can you think to write successfully about eroticism if you’ve never had any and don’t know what true erotica is? This is your chance to learn that and as far as your body goes, what it can do and can’t and how bad you are, leave everything to Sebastian. He’s a Sexpert. I know you won’t be sorry.”

  “Look, I don’t need to learn anything more, I know what it is. I’ve read everything under the sun and I mean the hard stuff. You know; hardcore, tie up, whip, and the mon-trios stuff.”

  “Ménage à trois.”

  “Yea, that, whatever and…okay, just once, one book, but I read it and have seen it on the internet, so I’m not ignorant of what’s out there and what people are like and what they do. I don’t like the gang-bang, swingers, and naked from the ceiling fan weird shit, tied up in ropes and pulleys and whips, chains and leather crotchless pants! Don’t say he isn’t into that, because who knows what he’s actually into—but…besides, that is what BDSM is and…everything.”

  “Well I can tell you for a fact that he’s not a rapist of the worst order, though…I’m betting that he does like it a bit rough and hard, not one for making love, sweet hearts, candy, flowers, and dating, but he doesn’t seem the type to…‘get off’ hurting women, from what I can tell. I don’t know any women personally that he’s been with, because he is discrete and extremely private. Rumor was, after his divorce, that he’s dominant over the women because they let him and want him to and–”

  “Oh my god, role-play?! I’m sorry, but how stupid is that? I’m just not into it. If you’re going to be dominant-Dominate! Don’t be a pussy about it! What a turn-off. A man should be a man. To pretend to be Dominant and pretend to be a Master over her and her submit to him? Stupid!”

  “Oh my god…” Victoria couldn’t believe what she was hearing and realized…

  “What?”

  “That’s because you’re into the real thing…”

  Two things happened; Adriaunn didn’t reply, deny, or argue with her and second, the red dot on the phone went out. Sebastian had hung up.

  Victoria clicked her phone on and put it on microphone, recording the rest for him to hear, just in case he showed up—to pressure her assistance more in getting Adriaunn in his bed—and asked to know the rest of the conversation.

  “I don’t know. I just…like a man to be a man. I don’t like it stupid, him being an asshole or anything and ordering me around like a brute. I’m not into role-playing though, the game, calling him ‘Sir’ or ‘Master’ or lick his feet and crawl about and the punishment thing—Hell, I don’t know what I am, but definitely not that!”

  “I do. You want him; need him, since it’s been so long for you. You ran out of there because it scared you at how badly you needed it and wanted it—him, under any condition. And here we sit, talking about it and you want it so bad, you’d let him do just about anything to you right now for it. I think you’ll regret it if you don’t give this a try, assuming…he’ll be back and ask for you again. You’re using the painting and him being rich as an excuse to keep him at a distance and deny him–yourself. It terrified you that he showed true interest in you and you jumped to immediately doubt and deny his interest in you. He’s not fucked up in the head and he didn’t choose the painting to show, Stan sent it and whatever miracle show you put on for him, sold it. If he calls—”

  “No!” She shot up to her feet, shaking her head. “I’m not here. I mean it Vic. He’s too much for me and…I am nowhere near capable of pleasing someone like that. He’s too good-looking, ah…wonderful, rich, and so…far above me. We wouldn’t work—and I’m not going to be some rich playboy’s doxy!”

  “Oh my god, you’re just getting laid, having sex, not getting married. Just…use him for sex.”

  “I don’t know. I just don’t think it would work or be good for me. We could never go out in public and become anything more than screwing each other and it’s just seedy and so gross to me. I’d never forgive myself. He couldn’t ever be a boyfriend. After everything that happened, all I’ve been through—I couldn’t handle it again, ruining his life, embarrassing him and being the way I am—it would be cruel.”

  “Again, I repeat, you’re not getting married, Adri, just fucking the
guy. I can’t believe I’m hearing this and you just said that. Are you truly—honestly going to let your ex-husband keep his hold over you for the rest of your life? Enough is e-fucking-nough. You’ve been divorced for a little over four years now. You’ve met a lot of gorgeous guys since coming here, who genuinely liked you and wanted you; but you turned them down and shut them out. It’s time, Adri, and I have to say, who better than Sebastian Darvaine?! Holy hell, honey, you don’t know what you’re passing on. You’re actually looking very…ah…simple minded and stupid for it. Do you know how many women would literally kill to be you right now?” Victoria replied and rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the girl. How on God’s green earth Sebastian Darvaine found her attractive—well, she guessed she saw and knew what drew her to him; her freshness, newness and innocence. And yes, Adri was pretty. “This is big. Huge. Who better to show you the dark side than Sebastian Darvaine?”

  “I don’t want to know the dark side.”

  “Ha! Liar. The hell you don’t. You would have never let him touch you if you didn’t, and don’t deny that you let him touch you—you can’t lie to save your life. You gave him what he wanted, or more to the truth, he took it—what he wanted from you, at least a little of it. If he didn’t, you’d still be there with him and him working on seducing you and getting it out of you. It’s written all over your chatty face when you burst into my office. Think of this as a growing period, experiment and give yourself this treat—and it is a treat, Adri. A million women would kill to be in your shoes right now. Don’t. Be. Stupid. Time to grow up and be a big girl, expand your life and live a little. Live for God sakes!”