Black Forever (Obsidian 4)

I finally had everything I wanted.

I was the strongest and cruelest Dom I’d ever known.

And I was a man very much in love.

16

Rome

The bed shifted when Calloway’s weight hit the mattress. He was as thick as a horse and as muscular as a bull. He couldn’t enter a room without making the floorboards creak or sit on a cushion without causing it to sink.

Without opening my eyes, I reached out and touched his bare chest, feeling the muscle underneath that warm skin. I scooted closer to him, eager to be beside the man I couldn’t live without.

His lips found my temple, and he kissed me. “I tried not to wake you.”

“I’m never truly asleep unless you’re beside me anyway.” My arm circled his waist, and I rested my face on top of his chest.

“How are you feeling?”

After a few hours, the sting had faded away. My ass cheeks were almost as pale as they’d been before he spanked me. “Good. That cream helped.”

“Tomorrow, you won’t even know I was there.”

“That’s a shame…”

He chuckled in my ear. “Be careful what you say, sweetheart. You’re talking to the man right now, but the beast can rise at any moment.”

I hooked my leg around his. “I’m too tired for the beast. I just want Calloway right now.”

“Alright, you can have him.” He set his alarm on his phone before he placed it back on the nightstand.

“How was Ruin?” I wanted to ask him how work was, but was it really work? He owned a business where people went to fuck. It was a strange way to make a living, but now that I was his sub, I really had no right to judge.

“Good.” His tone suddenly became clipped.

Paranoia sat in my heart now that Calloway had betrayed me. Anytime he was there, I wondered if he gave in to the temptation of the atmosphere and wound up with a sub in one of the playrooms. The accusation was offensive, so I didn’t dare ask.

Calloway picked up on my slight change in attitude. He was in tune with my moods in the same way I was in tune with his. “I just went to the office then left. Nothing else happened. Nothing else will ever happen.”

Even though he broke my trust, I believed him.

“But I did run into Isabella… She was a peach.”

“What did she say?”

“She’s upset we got back together. She feels used. She feels hurt.”

“I can imagine.” If I’d lost Calloway and watched him commit to another woman, I’d be heartbroken too. When I saw that blonde sign her soul over to him, I was devastated. I knew I had to act quickly to get him back.

“She’ll move on eventually. Just hope it’s sooner rather than later.”

“She’s a pretty woman. She’ll find someone.” We had distinctly different features. She looked like she was born out of Ruin, a creature of the dark. With that jet-black hair and confidence, she appeared to be the perfect partner for a Dom/sub relationship. I was ordinary, a regular woman you would see on the street. With one look at me, you would have no idea that I ever set foot inside a place like Ruin.

“I have no doubt she’ll find someone. I just hope it’s the right someone.” His lips brushed over my shoulder, warm and full of affection. “After running into her, my night was pretty boring. I’m trying to clean up Jackson’s negligence. I’m surprised employees were even paid while I was gone.”

“I’m sure the place would have shut down if they weren’t.”

“I just don’t get Jackson. He says he wants the responsibility, but then he neglects everything. It’s not that hard. If he kept his dick in his pants for just one hour a day, he could take care of the basics.”

“Does he get paid from Ruin?”

“Yeah.”

“So he gets paid to do nothing?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he said quietly. “He really affects the tone of Ruin. He’s like the unofficial publicist for the place. He connects with members and makes sure they have a good time. He’s a people person. It’s nice because I’m not a people person at all.”

“You don’t say…” I teased.

He chuckled next to my ear and held me against his body. “You know you’re the only person in the world I actually like.”

“Like?” I questioned.

“You know exactly how I feel about you, sweetheart.”

We ended the conversation there, and both slipped away into our dreams, our bodies still locked tightly around one another. I didn’t have a single nightmare now that Calloway was there to chase away my bad dreams. He was my guardian, my protector from everything.

Work was the same as usual. I had a project with Chad and Denise, and we worked together in the conference room for the rest of the day. It seemed like all my colleagues had officially accepted me back on to the team despite my personal relationship with Calloway. Perhaps Calloway’s speech made them realize they were being ridiculous. Or maybe they just took their boss seriously when he said he would fire them all.