††  Ellis  ††

Punishment.

He wasn't having me bent over, sticking my ass in the air for him to...

Dark eyes dropped to my mouth, a large hand curled around the nape of my neck, holding me.

It all happened so fast.  What the fuck!?

Dude!  You're letting a man kiss you!

And I sure as fuck didn't understand it.

I should have pushed him off me. Should knocked him on his ass.

But I didn't.

I was being bombarded, at odds with myself, with overriding sensations. No one had ever kissed me like this. It was a rough, almost bruising. There was the firmness of the jaw, the rough friction of his stubble as it scraped against mine, and it felt both weirdly okay and fucked up at the same time. Then there was him controlling the kiss. Holding the back of my head and the fierce way his tongue owned mine and when he shifted closer I felt him hard beneath his pants. I was too.

And when he'd tried to pull away, I latched onto him. No matter how messed up it was, I wasn't ready for it to end... yet.

We broke apart and my gaze dropped to his lips, I realised I was still grabbing hold of him. "Shit." I let go of the material of Zack's t-shirt pretty damn quick.

Dropping my hands to my side, fisting them. I felt heat across my chest, radiating down my arms. I could feel it on my skin. I always got this rash when I was upset, all red and prickly like hives. My sister used to say it was because I was allergic to emotion.

Zack mumbled something, but I wasn't listening. My head was trying to catch up, process what my brain was dealing with. It was a fucked up mess of contradictions and every thought tangled with the next kicking it into a fight-or-flight response.

Zack's quick movements took aback me, with his head whipping around. I angled my body away from him to catch my breath. He cursed out and then sighed out loudly.

This was gonna be so fucking awkward now.

"Is there a reason you're not looking at me, Ellis?" Zack put his hand on my shoulder, turning me fully, giving me no choice but to meet his eyes. Eyes that looked much darker than moments ago, almost black now. Eyes that apparently never missed a thing but seemed to hide so much.

I shrugged and glanced down at his arms. The man was freakin' tight. Not bulging with muscles, more so carved with sharp definition.

And why the fuck did I keep noticing these things about him?

Honestly, since arriving in London, I didn't know what the hell was going on with me.

Was there something in the London air?

Sure asshole. Keep telling yourself it's London air.

Zack looked like he was holding back what he wanted to say and instead scraped his hand through his thick, dark hair. "I need to go find Sasha."

His words snapped me out of my thoughts as I glanced around. Huh, she'd upped and just left? She may be gone, but I could still taste her... and Zack.

He went to move past me, but stopped. "Don't think so hard, Ellis. It doesn't have to mean anything."

Huh. Oh yeah, right.

Inhaling roughly, my throat worked, and I swallowed, then nodded. "Yea. Sure."

He nodded back and then left me standing there. I needed to get out of here for a while. Clear my head. Grabbing my clothes from the floor, I headed straight to my bedroom and dressed in sweats and a vest and snatched my sneakers and a hoodie.

Then down in the elevator, I was out the door without looking back. It was grey and drizzly outside, not that it mattered. Not even bothering to warm up, I hit the ground running, literally. Pushing my body harder, lengthening my strides, beforeI breaking into a full out run. Hoping that might help.

Half an hour later, I hadn't even realised I'd gone so far. Slowing, out of breath, I looked around. It was time to head back the way I came. On the way back and despite the damp air burning my lungs, I tried to unravel everything.

It was just a punishment. I had no choice. Right? No big deal.

It doesn't have to mean anything, Ellis. Those were his words.

But what the fuck did that really mean?

Weird thing was, why wasn't I more freaked out by it?

There was no point in keeping going over it. It wouldn't happen again and instead focus on everything before then.

Duchess.

Now, that was fucking amazing. I'd been all up in her pussy and I'd made her come. That memory was one for the porn library.

And the cherry on top—it burned her, losing to me.  Ha!

Turning the corner, I was back at Risk. Slowing to a stop, I stretched out for a few minutes before heading back inside. Riding up in the elevator I ran through in my head what I would say. Or maybe it was best just not to say anything?  

No big deal. Wasn't gonna happen again.

Still though, I held my breath as I closed the door to Zack's apartment behind me, listening for movement. It was quiet. Nipping to the kitchen, I grabbed a bottled water from the refrigerator then headed to my room. Kicking off my sneakers, I downed the bottle in a few gulps and dropped it to the floor. Stripping naked, leaving my clothes in a heap next to the bottle, I was ready to head off and shower when the door flung open.

"Are you kidding me?" The voice was shrill, a weird high-pitched sound. Whipping around, I was greeted by a naked Duchess with some serious nipple action going on. Nice. Perhaps she was here for round two.

Duh. I remembered.

Staying naked was one of her punishments. I had to give it to Zack. It was a genius punishment, although it was gonna be torture on little Ellis, it sniffed her out, getting itself all worked up. Down boy. 

I heard her suck in a breath, her eyes only now noticing I was just as naked.

And the way she was looking at me, a flush on her cheeks making them all rosy, like she'd been the one running or something and suddenly I couldn't think about anything else except being inside her. 

I dared not move but the awareness of her coated my skin with a prickle of goosebumps.

Sasha exhaled forcefully, and I didn't know if she was angry or not.

"What!?" I smiled despite the grinding sound of her teeth and the flare of her nostrils.

Yeah, she was pissed at me. Christ only knows what I'd done now.

"What!?" I repeated watching her tits jiggle as she blustered into my room and then bend over to pick up my discarded clothing. Snapping upright, she held up the clothes in front of my face, shaking them as if they had personally done her harm.

Hell, even that sent a thrill through me and I swear to God, all the blood in my body went straight to my cock, like it hoped it was about to get lucky.  

Which, to be honest, was a relief. Because watching her tits jiggle and my cock getting hard at the sight of it made me feel normal. I loved tits. I loved pussy. Eating pussy was one of my favourite sports and I was good at it.

"Eyes up here pervert!" she huffed out then made an irritated sound before doing a 180 and tossing my clothes aside and stomping out the room with my eyes glued to her ass.

But what was all that about? What the hell was her problem? "Hey!" I yelled. Nothing. "Hey!" louder this time. She'd pissed me off now, so I was gonna be obnoxious. "It's fucking rude to walk away when someone's talking to you."

Sasha stopped, and I found myself suddenly a couple of feet behind her. She spun around, and I was face to face with... yeah, I would admit (though never to her face) she was hot at fuck on any day, but angry Sasha, hell she looked beyond stunning; the hottest fucking woman I'd ever seen in my life.

And all I could think about was grabbing her and pushing her up against a wall so I could fuck the hell out of her.

Could I do that?

Zack had said she was to submit to me. It was in black and white—she'd signed a contract. So that would be allowed, right?

Or did I need permission from Zack? How did this work exactly?

She looked up at me with her lips slightly parted, her breath short, and fire in her eyes. "You know what's fucking rude?" she asked, her voice louder than it needed to be for how close I was standing to her. "It's fucking rude to dump your dirty clothes and toss water bottles aside when I've just cleaned up and loaded up the machine to the do the laundry."

Oh, that's why she was pissed off. Okay, I got it. Her punishment sucked. Although I would argue it sucked being kissed by a guy.

Liar.

But now I was too distracted by those sweet lips to even register what she was saying. Her tongue flicked over her bottom lip, and in an instant I was even harder.

Goddamn it.

I had never wanted to press my mouth down hard against anyone else's lips as bad as I did right then.

I fucking wanted the woman in front of me so badly I could taste it. It was instant, some kind of primal thing, like I was a damn cave dweller. I had to shake off the image that flashed in my head, the one of me throwing her over my shoulder and carrying her straight back into my bedroom.

"Well?" she asked. "Aren't you going to say anything, or are you just going to keep staring at me?" she spat out, adding an extra bit of sting to her tone. "Maybe you want a picture? What the hell is it?"

I cleared my throat feeling all kinds of weird for having these feelings for her—out of nowhere.

Okay, that might be a tiny white lie. There was a time she'd ranked up there in my top five hand work-outs. The Sasha of my fantasies could get me off faster than when I got my dick wet for the first time.

"I'm sorry," I said, and her mouth dropped open, like those were the last words she expected me to say.

She blinked and then laughed. The sound was kinda melodic. It felt warm, somehow.

Melodic and warm? Who thought shit like that? Me, apparently.

And was she still angry or just being her usual bitchy self now?

"You're saying sorry—to me!?"

Her lips twitched and then stretched into a full on smile. And it was a complete cliché, but that smile could light up a room. Sasha had that kind of presence. Again, I would never confess that.

"What's so funny about that?" I asked.

"You don't like me." She shook her head, not buying it, and punctuated her next words. "You. Hate. Me."

My eyebrows climbed, rocked by her claim but it didn't stop me subtly shifting closer to her. "You think I hate you?"

Another small step, but she caught on and stepped back.

The next steps we took in sync before she ran out of space and hit the wall behind her.

Perfect.

I planted my hands on either side of her head, caging her in. And with nowhere for her to go, I dipped my head and pressed my lips to her ear and asked, "Does this look like I hate you, Duchess?"

She shivered, and I didn't wait for an answer as my mouth grazed along her jaw. My lips were nearly touching hers, a millimetre away. I couldn't think of anything except how she would taste. I wanted her. I had never been so immediately sure of anything.

Tossing all reason aside, I pressed my lips against hers, lightly for a second, and she responded, her mouth opening, and I heard her moan, just barely. The sound was so soft I wasn't sure it was her, but she arched her body toward me, her small hands rested just above my hipbone and I felt her tongue against mine. I moved my hand away from the wall, grasping the back of her head at the base of her neck, and pulling her into me as I kissed her.

Kiss was the understatement of the year.

I didn't just kiss her. I fucked her mouth with my tongue, my thrusts insistent and I considered not bothering with the bedroom and just fucking her here, up against the wall.

Shit. My cock was definitely doing the thinking here.

But fucking hell.  Those sweet, breathy sounds Sasha made could easily drive a man to self-destruct. "Christ. You mouth is fucking heaven." I muttered. I'd thought her pussy tasted good—but this, kissing her, could easily become addictive.

My words seemed to have an effect and then she pulled her lips away from mine, put one hand on my chest, and pushed me back. "I—" she started. "I've got— "

She moved a hand to her mouth. Her lips were red, swollen where I'd kissed her. I wanted to kiss her again, leave bruising kisses on her lips, her neck. On her tits. Every-fucking-where.

She was silent for what seemed like ages and when she finally spoke, her voice was soft. "Why did you kiss me, Ellis?"

Her eyes were the prettiest of blue with silver flecks or something in them and the confusion in them was genuine.

Didn't she realise she had me so turned on that I couldn't think straight? And if my face didn't give it away, then surely my iron hard dick pressing into her stomach was a dead giveaway?

But, this was still Sasha... queen bitch. And self-preservation kicked in—it might be safer if I played it down. "No idea," and shrugged, the gesture more nonchalant than I actually felt. A niggling itch had me suddenly feeling self-conscious, and I didn't get self-conscious. They didn't make me that way. But Sasha always had this way of getting under my skin, making me antsy.

It was my turn, my jaw to drop when her smile melted and tears welled up in her eyes, blurring the blue. What the... why was she upset? "Shit," A cold feeling settled in my gut. 

Sasha wiped a tear from her cheek and refused to make eye contact. "I'm not a crier," she said, sniffling. "I'm really not. I don't know what my problem is."

I took a step back giving her some space. "It's all right." Holding both hands up.  "I have that effect on women."

Her eyes lifted to mine. "What? Making them cry?" And a small smile sneaked back onto her lips.

Shrugging again. "Yeah, sometimes for women it's hard to be in the presence of someone this good looking." I waved a hand over myself.

"Yeah." Shaking her head, she laughed. "I can see how that would make them cry."

"Hey," I said, faking being insulted "You're not supposed to laugh at facts." I lifted my hand to her cheek to swipe another fallen tear away.

"It's pathetic. I'm being pathetic." Then her smile got wiped away, replaced with an expression I was all too familiar with. "Why are you being nice to me, anyway?" Her tone sharpened.

Where the hell does she get this idea from? It's all me. It's her that has always been a bitch. All I ever did was try to get on with her. I don't know why I deserved her bitchiness. She was nice to everyone—apart from me.

"How 'bout you tell me why you're always a bitch to me, huh?"

Her mouth dropped. "I'm a bitch!?"

"Fuck yeah. You've been that way since we were kids. Every time I walked in a room." Jabbing a finger at her. "You'd stare at me like I was an oil-stain on the carpet whenever you thought I couldn't see you." Hell, sometimes she didn't even try to mask it. "I should have known it wouldn't take long for the real Sasha to show up," I sneered. "You're a piece of work."

She smacked away my finger her gaze locked with mine, turned half-feral, like if she had her way I'd implode on the spot leaving nothing by ash behind.

"What the hell did I do to you, huh? Tell me Sasha." I could feel my voice rise with every word, but there was no stopping now. It was like someone had pulled the cork. "I've tried talking to you—" My hands flew up in the air. "—Tried being friends with you!"

"Excuse me?" I heard her. "Ellis Jenson. None of this is my fault."

What, so it's my fault? I cocked my head to the side, tossing out. "Well, it ain't mine, Duchess!"

Her head pulled back, and I could feel the tension in her body as her lips thinned. "You remember my thirteenth birthday?"

What? My mind jumped back. Nothing came to mind. "Cut the shit and just tell me."

"I heard you."

"You heard what!?"

"You said my mom left me because I was stupid, fat, ugly, a kid who nobody liked, never mind loved or wanted." Pain crossed her features before glancing away.

My mouth slammed shut. The anger deflating like a popped balloon.

Ah, shit. I remembered.

My sister had been teasing me, saying I had a crush on her. Which I did.

Fuck!

She shook her head and then tried to get away from me, but I was quick and gently grabbed her elbow to stop her from leaving "Sasha." I turned her around and was relieved when she didn't fight me. "I was a dumb kid. I meant nothing by it. It was stupid to say." Time to be honest. "I was trying to divert my sister's attention off me because she'd figured out I had a crush on you."

"You had a crush on me?" She turned her head to the side biting her bottom lip weighing up what I'd said.

I moved in, wanting her closer, running a hand softly across her slender shoulder.  "I still do."

"But, I—" 

And I silenced those thoughts, taking advantage of her turned head, by pressing a soft kiss in the crook of her neck and gently scraping my teeth along her collarbone, smiling when I heard the sharp intake of breath before my name was loosened on a sexy moan.  "Ellis."  

Fuck.  I loved the sound of my name on her lips. 

She moaned again when I sucked at her heated skin, arching back into my touch as I kissed and nipped my way back up her throat while sliding a hand up and her her side. 

A sound. As scuffing down by the front door, burst the bubble that had contained just the two of us. Both our heads snapped toward the sound of Zack's voice.

"What is going on here?" he asked.

Like repelling magnets we sprang apart. Zack's eyes shifted to mine accusingly.  Remembering I was naked I moved my hands over my cock to try and cover up the damn thing.  Which was crazy, I mean it's not like he hadn't seen it already, but the movement only served to draw Zack's eyes. 

Smooth, asshole. 

And despite just arguing with Sasha and Zack standing three feet away with one of his signature scowls – I was still fully hard with a serious case of blue-balls. And the traitor twitched, leaking more pre-cum.  Zack's eyes lifted and I could't get a read on his expression.  "Is one of you going to tell me what's going on?"

He moved toward Sasha and cupped her cheeks, forcing her head up. "You've been crying?"

"No. Well, yes, but I'm okay." Her hands shifted and covered Zack's. "Me and Ellis were just clearing up a couple of things. We're good."

He turned his attention on me, and I flicked my head toward Sasha. "What she said."

Zack's eyes moved back to Sasha and studied her face, looking for what - the truth? I didn't know. But then he nodded and said. "I want you both showered and dressed. We're dining out before we head to the club where I want you both to watch something."

The club? Now, the club I could handle. "I'm game for pretty much anything."  I turned and started walking toward the bathroom but paused in the doorway when he spoke again.

"I look forward to seeing just how game you are, Ellis." 

Why did that sound more like a threat?

"Oh and Ellis..."

I didn't turn back around. "Yeah?"

"I don't want you touching yourself. Your orgasms belong to me too."

Motherfucker... Gritting my teeth, I shut the door behind me.